Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[pppolitics]

Has anyone heard of this one before?

First they came for the Georgians, and I did not speak out—

     Because I was not a Georgian.

Then they came for the Ukrainians, and I did not speak out—

     Because I was not an Ukrainian.

[Person Man]

I think everybody thinks the war is getting so bloody and likely to get worse that NATO will get involved, which obviously raises the nuclear stakes quite a bit. But I trust Biden to hold the line on this. No direct attack on Russian forces unless they attack a NATO member.

That’s the objective, then: Prevent Russia from attacking a NATO country. That mission is heavily dependent on what happens in Ukraine. It’s very difficult to imagine a future where Russia is successful in Ukraine and just stops there.

[Storr]

WWIII I mean...NATO Article 5 anyone?

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1503554702847451136?s=20&t=1vO2HZFlz...

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1503554705326284803?s=20&t=1vO2HZFlz...

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1503556200419442689?s=20&t=1vO2HZFlz...

[pppolitics]

I think everybody thinks the war is getting so bloody and likely to get worse that NATO will get involved, which obviously raises the nuclear stakes quite a bit. But I trust Biden to hold the line on this. No direct attack on Russian forces unless they attack a NATO member.

This is nothing but appeasement

[pppolitics]

The only thing Putin understands is strength and the only thing we have been showing is weakness.

Biden disappoints me.

[GoTfan]

The only thing Putin understands is strength and the only thing we have been showing is weakness.

Biden disappoints me.

Yes, yes, we get it, you and Forumlurker both want The Day After and Threads to become reality.

[pppolitics]

The only thing Putin understands is strength and the only thing we have been showing is weakness.

Biden disappoints me.

Yes, yes, we get it, you and Forumlurker both want The Day After and Threads to become reality.

No, appeasement is what will lead to that.

[It’s so Joever]

The only thing Putin understands is strength and the only thing we have been showing is weakness.

Biden disappoints me.

Yes, yes, we get it, you and Forumlurker both want The Day After and Threads to become reality.

Hurr durr let any country with nukes do what they want bcuz that totally won’t have consequences or set precedents later on that will stab us in the back.

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/johnismay/status/1503536686386622474

[Storr]

Bonus points for the mountain of sandbags on top of the cope cage. I can smell the fear of the noob crew:  

https://twitter.com/historicfirearm/status/1503559254598369286?s=20&t=FIr5Qs...

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

WWIII I mean...NATO Article 5 anyone?

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1503554702847451136?s=20&t=1vO2HZFlz...
https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1503554705326284803?s=20&t=1vO2HZFlz...
https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1503556200419442689?s=20&t=1vO2HZFlz...

Article 5 will certainly not be triggered over an accident involving a UAV and no deaths. Poland has not confirmed this even happened (although it’d be understandable if they wished to remain silent on the matter).

[emailking]

I think everybody thinks the war is getting so bloody and likely to get worse that NATO will get involved, which obviously raises the nuclear stakes quite a bit. But I trust Biden to hold the line on this. No direct attack on Russian forces unless they attack a NATO member.

This is nothing but appeasement

Not a negative here.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Did I miss something today? Folks seem to be getting more grim about the possibility of nuclear war since this afternoon (Forgive me Torie if that's not what you were implying):

Thank you Storr for the translation, and for being you as this tragedy unfolds, and day by day gets ever more horrific, and the odds of the unimaginable tick up.

And from another thread:

Nuclear War is probably the endgame here, if only because Putin isn't going to stop in Ukraine. He's going to invade a NATO nation, possibly the Baltic States, possibly Poland, and that's going to trigger a massive nuclear exchange.

Nuclear war is the most likely outcome at this point.

I'm wondering what exactly has everybody so spooked too. "Nuclear war is the most likely outcome" strikes me as a ridiculous overreaction to unconfirmed reports of Russia asking for Chinese assistance and a zero-casualties accident involving a recon drone.

[DaleCooper]

The only thing Putin understands is strength and the only thing we have been showing is weakness.

Biden disappoints me.

Yes, yes, we get it, you and Forumlurker both want The Day After and Threads to become reality.

No, appeasement is what will lead to that.

Unlike with Hitler's Germany, the West has the power and technology to completely annihilate the Russian military in a matter of days or weeks. Putin's Russia is weak and we are prepared, so it's not necessary to pick a greater fight with him when he has an arsenal of nuclear weapons. Our objective should not be to go to war with him directly, but to give Ukraine everything it needs to kill as many Russians as possible and to use our economic power to make life hell for the Russian population until their country eventually gives up on Putin and moves on to worship a new dictator, hopefully a less belligerent one.

[GoTfan]

The only thing Putin understands is strength and the only thing we have been showing is weakness.

Biden disappoints me.

Yes, yes, we get it, you and Forumlurker both want The Day After and Threads to become reality.

Hurr durr let any country with nukes do what they want bcuz that totally won’t have consequences or set precedents later on that will stab us in the back.

I am forever grateful trolls like you will never have any political power.

The only thing Putin understands is strength and the only thing we have been showing is weakness.

Biden disappoints me.

Yes, yes, we get it, you and Forumlurker both want The Day After and Threads to become reality.

No, appeasement is what will lead to that.

I'm not sure you understand what the word appeasement actually means.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

For all the keyboard warriors on this thread nonchalantly calling for actions that would pretty much directly lead to WW3, good news, you can actually go fight right now!

Oh, I get it, y'all don't want to actually sacrifice anything yourselves, but it's easy to sit an ocean away and call for escalation.

[VBM]

Did I miss something today? Folks seem to be getting more grim about the possibility of nuclear war since this afternoon (Forgive me Torie if that's not what you were implying):

Thank you Storr for the translation, and for being you as this tragedy unfolds, and day by day gets ever more horrific, and the odds of the unimaginable tick up.

And from another thread:

Nuclear War is probably the endgame here, if only because Putin isn't going to stop in Ukraine. He's going to invade a NATO nation, possibly the Baltic States, possibly Poland, and that's going to trigger a massive nuclear exchange.

Nuclear war is the most likely outcome at this point.

I'm wondering what exactly has everybody so spooked too. "Nuclear war is the most likely outcome" strikes me as a ridiculous overreaction to unconfirmed reports of Russia asking for Chinese assistance and a zero-casualties accident involving a recon drone.

Aren’t those posters he quoted infamous for being doomers?

[Storr]

Oops.

https://twitter.com/DAlperovitch/status/1503586828489797634?s=20&t=e0ATT6bWa...

[It’s so Joever]

For all the keyboard warriors on this thread nonchalantly calling for actions that would pretty much directly lead to WW3, good news, you can actually go fight right now!

Oh, I get it, y'all don't want to actually sacrifice anything yourselves, but it's easy to sit an ocean away and call for escalation.

I was genuinely considering it for a few days after I saw that, but I’ve been advised against it by several due to the fact I have zero combat experience and epilepsy that requires constant medication or I go into seizures so would likely be more of a liability than an asset to the actual frontline. If you disagree with this assessment and think I actually would be helpful on the frontlines…please let me know here.
Otherwise any ideas on how I can effectively help other than donations and protests/writing to representatives? (as if that will help lmao)
And don’t worry If the US does enter into this specific war, I will enlist for whatever role possible ASAP, while I may not be even permitted into combat, I’m sure I could contribute something somewhere.

Of course our measures are not calling for WW3 by any means, but rather calling Putin’s very obvious bluff and/or forcing a coup in the Kremlin. I’ve long explained this point, but tldr Russia is only doing this because the worst they will get is sanctions they can survive, but they also aren’t willing to fully risk WW3 and nuclear war just for Ukraine. Even if you think Putin himself is…a lot of people in his inner circle already are pretty pissed with him as plenty of Russian military leaders likely are…the end result would not be the death of humanity…just the deposing of Putin.

Besides with your logic…couldn’t I demand you give up all your money to charity because you are a socialist?

[GoTfan]

For all the keyboard warriors on this thread nonchalantly calling for actions that would pretty much directly lead to WW3, good news, you can actually go fight right now!

Oh, I get it, y'all don't want to actually sacrifice anything yourselves, but it's easy to sit an ocean away and call for escalation.

I was genuinely considering it for a few days after I saw that, but I’ve been advised against it by several due to the fact I have zero combat experience and epilepsy that requires constant medication or I go into seizures so would likely be more of a liability than an asset to the actual frontline. If you disagree with this assessment and think I actually would be helpful on the frontlines…please let me know here.
Otherwise any ideas on how I can effectively help other than donations and protests/writing to representatives? (as if that will help lmao)
And don’t worry If the US does enter into this specific war, I will enlist for whatever role possible ASAP, while I may not be even permitted into combat, I’m sure I could contribute something somewhere.

Of course our measures are not calling for WW3 by any means, but rather calling Putin’s very obvious bluff and/or forcing a coup in the Kremlin. I’ve long explained this point, but tldr Russia is only doing this because the worst they will get is sanctions they can survive, but they also aren’t willing to fully risk WW3 and nuclear war just for Ukraine. Even if you think Putin himself is…a lot of people in his inner circle already are pretty pissed with him as plenty of Russian military leaders likely are…the end result would not be the death of humanity…just the deposing of Putin.

Besides with your logic…couldn’t I demand you give up all your money to charity because you are a socialist?

Except you clearly are willing to risk World War 3 and nuclear war.

Either you're a troll, or you have a complete lack of understanding of anything.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

For all the keyboard warriors on this thread nonchalantly calling for actions that would pretty much directly lead to WW3, good news, you can actually go fight right now!

Oh, I get it, y'all don't want to actually sacrifice anything yourselves, but it's easy to sit an ocean away and call for escalation.

I was genuinely considering it for a few days after I saw that, but I’ve been advised against it by several due to the fact I have zero combat experience and epilepsy that requires constant medication or I go into seizures so would likely be more of a liability than an asset to the actual frontline. If you disagree with this assessment and think I actually would be helpful on the frontlines…please let me know here.
Otherwise any ideas on how I can effectively help other than donations and protests/writing to representatives? (as if that will help lmao)
And don’t worry If the US does enter into this specific war, I will enlist for whatever role possible ASAP, while I may not be even permitted into combat, I’m sure I could contribute something somewhere.

Of course our measures are not calling for WW3 by any means, but rather calling Putin’s very obvious bluff and/or forcing a coup in the Kremlin. I’ve long explained this point, but tldr Russia is only doing this because the worst they will get is sanctions they can survive, but they also aren’t willing to fully risk WW3 and nuclear war just for Ukraine. Even if you think Putin himself is…a lot of people in his inner circle already are pretty pissed with him as plenty of Russian military leaders likely are…the end result would not be the death of humanity…just the deposing of Putin.

Besides with your logic…couldn’t I demand you give up all your money to charity because you are a socialist?

Only if you really didn't understand Socialism as an ideology beyond what Mainstream American news says and wanted to be super obvious about it.

And yes, calling for Poland to invoke Article 5 over a drone or for Biden to shoot down Russian planes over Ukraine or even, as I've seen others say, the stationing of troops in Western Ukraine are all absolutely unnecessary escalations that would likely make life worse for people in Ukraine, not better, if Ukraine was even habitable afterwards.

Biden is actually outperforming all my expectations by drawing a firm line at direct confrontation over a non-NATO country in spite of chicken hawks such as yourself while also authorizing significant aid to Ukraine and harsh sanctions in concert with our allies that are bearing real results . For the moment, that's the best course of action and we need to maintain it. Period.

'Don't interrupt your enemy while they're busy shooting themselves in the foot' and all that.

[Storr]

Another day, more Russian war crimes.

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1503613430971969536?s=20&t=7FpJa3uyPyFnsi...

https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1503610525497843713?s=20&t=u-_zBWsEj...

[2952-0-0]

Update on Russian-Syrian Mercs per a couple hours ago from The Guardian

(Free website but donation requested).

Russia has lined up more than 40,000 Syrian militiamen to join the war in Ukraine pn rthe promise of a “salary and privileges”, according to the respected Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The SOHR, which has been reporting on the war in Syria for years, said no Syrian fighters had reached the front but around 400 were undergoing training in camps in Russia close to the Ukraine border.

“So far, more than 40,000 fighters have signed up for enlistment,” said SOHR, adding that these are not “volunteers” but have signed up on promises to receive “a salary and privileges”.

SOHR said recruitment is underway in Damascus and Aleppo through various Syrian government structures that have been co-opted for years by the Russian military system in Syria.

Russian forces have been fighting for years on the side of the Assad regime against rebels in the Syrian civil war.

The SOHR report tallies with comments made in the last few hours by a Ukrainian government adviser that Russia might try to bring Syrian fighters into the country because it was suffering heavy casualities.

I wonder how many of them are actually hoping to surrender to the Ukrainians so they could enjoy safe passage to the EU.

[Storr]

Updated list of Russian high ranking officer casualties, now with a second page. Yesterday alone the Russians lost a major general, a major, and three captains. In just the past three days, the Russians have had 10 high ranking officers killed in action.

https://twitter.com/4ukraine834614/status/1502804855471185925?s=20&t=Lu6FIHX...

Another Russian major killed:

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1502970375084421127?s=20&t=BG144LyZvwW9CA...

Another Russian colonel killed (on the 6th, evidently):

<tweet snip>

The losses really are piling up for the Russians:

https://twitter.com/4ukraine834614/status/1503496313232662532?s=20&t=AC3fKGh...

there are some deaths reported in media not yet included on the list, like Captain Alexey Glushchak of the GRU (Russian military intelligence) and others not included on the above list, but on this one I found on reddit:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/russia-gru-general-killed-ukraine-war-vladimir-putin-b987888.html?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=Feed

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/te0dt3/list_of_killedcaptured_russian_officers_march_14/

This is the first Russian officer killed that has a obviously Ukrainian surname (for example -sky, -vich suffixes can originate from either country). Russian media articles say he was from Pskov Oblast, which borders Latvia and Estonia.

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1503621274802741250?s=20&t=dV4EPUeERN2KP0...

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1503556250927312896?s=20&t=7rBse3LjdtlYWX7Cjr...
How about leaving leaflets all over the streets informing Russian troops that their paychecks will be worthless, if they even get paid. And if they die, their families will get worthless rubles if they should die in combat. And photos of Putin's billion dollar Dacha just a hop, skip and a jump on the other edge of the Black Sea that he'll be retiring too when this is all over. Just sayin.