Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

LOCK PUTLER UP!

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1505885423276544000

Photographs appear to show that the Ukrainian military put trucks in there beforehand:

https://mobile.twitter.com/KyleJGlen/status/1505860511795195906
You can make a decent case that they were right not to care about it being made a military target (because of Russia’s record of targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine), but in this case, Russia struck a military target. It did so as part of an immoral and illegal war, but this strike probably wasn’t a war crime per se.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/biannagolodryga/status/1505907681382576132

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1505884476638912512

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1505845269560180736
https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1505870859264741381

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1505824062647398400

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1505889409408905216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7C...

Holy cr*p the Russians are going to get encircled looking at that map 👀

[Torie]

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1505889409408905216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7C...

Holy cr*p the Russians are going to get encircled looking at that map 👀

I fantasized the same thing - a mass surrender of 50,000 Russian troops. And then they can be held in POW camps in Kiev until the war is over. And Russia can agree to an entry corridor so supplies  can get in, to take care of the POW's. And the troops all get to call home to their loved ones that they are safe as POW's, and it is time to call off the dogs of war, and in particular the indiscriminate missiles being sent from afar in Russia to kill civilians, and now themselves.

And then the phone rang, and the spell was broken.

[dead0man]

it's not impossible

[It’s so Joever]

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1505889409408905216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7C...

Holy cr*p the Russians are going to get encircled looking at that map 👀

Ehhh they can still withdraw north if they really are in that precarious of a situation. Of course it would be great if they did get encircled…

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1505889409408905216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7C...

Holy cr*p the Russians are going to get encircled looking at that map 👀

I don’t care if it’s actually propaganda copium and not true. I want to believe.

[WMS]

Don’t think these have been mentioned yet…

https://twitter.com/terrelljstarr/status/1505662406499971074?s=21
As mentioned in that thread what exactly do people think the Wagner Group is?

https://twitter.com/rvawonk/status/1505753091655835649?s=21
Ah, there’s that false flag everyone knew Russia was preparing…

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1505844236259844096?s=21
…to justify what they’re preparing to do.

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1505734086106632192?s=21
Note the parallels.

https://twitter.com/ericshe11350341/status/1505674066283409412?s=21
Here’s another horrible Ukrainian Neo-Nazi according to the propaganda certain posters claim is both true and a reflection of world opinion.

https://twitter.com/billkristol/status/1505875697079836676?s=21
About said propaganda…

https://twitter.com/tnewtondunn/status/1505504040347742214?s=21
About those Ukrainians kidnapped to Russia…

https://twitter.com/natsechobbyist/status/1505534739754754053?s=21
10 million refugees. UNHCR High Commissioner numbers, not from Ukrainian government.

https://twitter.com/maxfras/status/1505843869707116547?s=21
Russia threatens Poland now, in case you missed it.

https://twitter.com/benjancewicz/status/1505381376320847873?s=21
Just look at that traitor to Russia!

https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1505642632168550400?s=21
The Glorious Actions of the Anti-Western Liberation Forces!

https://twitter.com/zhizhuweb/status/1504220833719455745?s=21
If anyone is still defending Russia on “both sides” or “what about” or “but muh Soviet support for this or that liberation group” grounds after reading this, go fuck off and die.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Speaking of support for an alternative to the Western view on the war, here's Israeli PM Bennett's comments on the issue today:

On Monday, Israel sent an aid delegation to Ukraine to establish a field hospital. While at the airport to see the delegation off, Bennett gave a few remarks, saying Israel was "managing this unfortunate crisis with sensitivity, generosity and responsibility, while maintaining a balance between the various factors – and they are complex."

Hm... sounds similar to Chinese ambassador to the USA Qin Gang yesterday on CBS News?

AMB. QIN: China makes its observation and conclusion based independently- based on the merits of the matter itself. On the one hand, we uphold–

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United Nations Secretary General said Russia invaded–

AMB. QIN: we uphold– We uphold. On the one hand, China upholds the U.N. purposes and -- and the principles, including that- the respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. On the other hand, we do see that there- there is a complexity in the history of the Ukraine issue. And we are–

To be fair, Israeli FM Yair Lapid did say that Israel will not become "route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.” So Israel's stance is a bit more pro-Western than China's. I guess all those years of unconditional support and billions (trillions?) of aid bought you something? LOL?

I've been calling them out for over a decade. You can thank the Ray Goldfields and Parrotguys of the world for trying to shut down debate at every turn by shouting "pogrom" and "blood libel" at the tamest criticism.

Israel is a terrible friend to America.

China doesn't have a mob of Russian troops on its borders, ready to give the Syrians the order to attack at the moment's notice. America helped to put Israel in that situation, and Israel has still managed to give far more per capita than the United States.

The smears from people like Kinzinger are genuinely disgusting, and seeing who the OP you're quoting is should give away just how bad-faith this whole line of conversation is.

[It’s so Joever]

Speaking of support for an alternative to the Western view on the war, here's Israeli PM Bennett's comments on the issue today:

On Monday, Israel sent an aid delegation to Ukraine to establish a field hospital. While at the airport to see the delegation off, Bennett gave a few remarks, saying Israel was "managing this unfortunate crisis with sensitivity, generosity and responsibility, while maintaining a balance between the various factors – and they are complex."

Hm... sounds similar to Chinese ambassador to the USA Qin Gang yesterday on CBS News?

AMB. QIN: China makes its observation and conclusion based independently- based on the merits of the matter itself. On the one hand, we uphold–

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United Nations Secretary General said Russia invaded–

AMB. QIN: we uphold– We uphold. On the one hand, China upholds the U.N. purposes and -- and the principles, including that- the respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. On the other hand, we do see that there- there is a complexity in the history of the Ukraine issue. And we are–

To be fair, Israeli FM Yair Lapid did say that Israel will not become "route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.” So Israel's stance is a bit more pro-Western than China's. I guess all those years of unconditional support and billions (trillions?) of aid bought you something? LOL?

I've been calling them out for over a decade. You can thank the Ray Goldfields and Parrotguys of the world for trying to shut down debate at every turn by shouting "pogrom" and "blood libel" at the tamest criticism.

Israel is a terrible friend to America.

China doesn't have a mob of Russian troops on its borders, ready to give the Syrians the order to attack at the moment's notice. America helped to put Israel in that situation, and Israel has still managed to give far more per capita than the United States.

The smears from people like Kinzinger are genuinely disgusting, and seeing who the OP you're quoting is should give away just how bad-faith this whole line of conversation is.

Nuh uh, you think Israel would have actually gotten so far without heavy Western support? Don’t give me that. And to claim that Arab opposition to Israel is a result of America is Lolworthy. And that “troops” bill crap isn’t an excuse either. South Korea has an even more deranged neighbor to the North for gosh sake. Look I was all for supporting Israel for geopolitical reasons…but if the government wants to betray us, then I guess that means we can reduce the amount of money we send there.

Israel’s behavior has been disgusting in this conflict, and if they pull this shtick much longer, I hope Biden reminds Bennett who calls the shots.

[compucomp]

Speaking of support for an alternative to the Western view on the war, here's Israeli PM Bennett's comments on the issue today:

On Monday, Israel sent an aid delegation to Ukraine to establish a field hospital. While at the airport to see the delegation off, Bennett gave a few remarks, saying Israel was "managing this unfortunate crisis with sensitivity, generosity and responsibility, while maintaining a balance between the various factors – and they are complex."

Hm... sounds similar to Chinese ambassador to the USA Qin Gang yesterday on CBS News?

AMB. QIN: China makes its observation and conclusion based independently- based on the merits of the matter itself. On the one hand, we uphold–

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United Nations Secretary General said Russia invaded–

AMB. QIN: we uphold– We uphold. On the one hand, China upholds the U.N. purposes and -- and the principles, including that- the respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. On the other hand, we do see that there- there is a complexity in the history of the Ukraine issue. And we are–

To be fair, Israeli FM Yair Lapid did say that Israel will not become "route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.” So Israel's stance is a bit more pro-Western than China's. I guess all those years of unconditional support and billions (trillions?) of aid bought you something? LOL?

I've been calling them out for over a decade. You can thank the Ray Goldfields and Parrotguys of the world for trying to shut down debate at every turn by shouting "pogrom" and "blood libel" at the tamest criticism.

Israel is a terrible friend to America.

China doesn't have a mob of Russian troops on its borders, ready to give the Syrians the order to attack at the moment's notice. America helped to put Israel in that situation, and Israel has still managed to give far more per capita than the United States.

The smears from people like Kinzinger are genuinely disgusting, and seeing who the OP you're quoting is should give away just how bad-faith this whole line of conversation is.

Um.... what? China has a 4000 km border with Russia, and we have had our border disputes and wars in the past? I don't know how many troops Russia has our border but I'd guess it's on the order of tens or hundreds of thousands.

Why is it not a legitimate point of discussion when Israel refuses to follow the USA on what you claim is a clear moral issue of right vs wrong, freedom vs tyranny, etc? A strong ally, a liberal democracy, and their leader puts out a statement that is indistinguishable from one by the Chinese ambassador? Maybe this should be a big hint that many do not see the Ukraine-Russia issue as you portray, but instead as PM Bennett and Ambassador Qin put it, "complex"?

[The Dowager Mod]

If this doesn't make you just a little weepy, You have no soul. 
https://twitter.com/JamesAALongman/status/1505839536944910339

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Speaking of support for an alternative to the Western view on the war, here's Israeli PM Bennett's comments on the issue today:

On Monday, Israel sent an aid delegation to Ukraine to establish a field hospital. While at the airport to see the delegation off, Bennett gave a few remarks, saying Israel was "managing this unfortunate crisis with sensitivity, generosity and responsibility, while maintaining a balance between the various factors – and they are complex."

Hm... sounds similar to Chinese ambassador to the USA Qin Gang yesterday on CBS News?

AMB. QIN: China makes its observation and conclusion based independently- based on the merits of the matter itself. On the one hand, we uphold–

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United Nations Secretary General said Russia invaded–

AMB. QIN: we uphold– We uphold. On the one hand, China upholds the U.N. purposes and -- and the principles, including that- the respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. On the other hand, we do see that there- there is a complexity in the history of the Ukraine issue. And we are–

To be fair, Israeli FM Yair Lapid did say that Israel will not become "route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.” So Israel's stance is a bit more pro-Western than China's. I guess all those years of unconditional support and billions (trillions?) of aid bought you something? LOL?

I've been calling them out for over a decade. You can thank the Ray Goldfields and Parrotguys of the world for trying to shut down debate at every turn by shouting "pogrom" and "blood libel" at the tamest criticism.

Israel is a terrible friend to America.

China doesn't have a mob of Russian troops on its borders, ready to give the Syrians the order to attack at the moment's notice. America helped to put Israel in that situation, and Israel has still managed to give far more per capita than the United States.

The smears from people like Kinzinger are genuinely disgusting, and seeing who the OP you're quoting is should give away just how bad-faith this whole line of conversation is.

Nuh uh, you think Israel would have actually gotten so far without heavy Western support? Don’t give me that. And to claim that Arab opposition to Israel is a result of America is Lolworthy. And that “troops” bill crap isn’t an excuse either. South Korea has an even more deranged neighbor to the North for gosh sake. Look I was all for supporting Israel for geopolitical reasons…but if the government wants to betray us, then I guess that means we can reduce the amount of money we send there.

Israel’s behavior has been disgusting in this conflict, and if they pull this shtick much longer, I hope Biden reminds Bennett who calls the shots.

What are you even talking about? Israel hasn't "Betrayed" anyone - they've served as an honest broker in a near-impossible situation, mediating while still providing extensive aid. The idea that Israel should "give Ukraine an Iron Dome" is nonsense - not only would it take months to set up, but the interceptor missiles aren't designed to handle the larger Russian missiles.

The US failed to intercede against Assad's genocide in Syria, essentially allowing Putin to take charge of the area and giving Putin massive leverage over Israel. Israel issued a quick condemnation of the invasion when it happened, and Putin immediately started making threatening noises towards the Golan.

The simple fact is, virtually every accusation against Israel during this accusation has been a provable LIE.

"Israel refused to give Ukraine an iron dome!" - Lie. Zelensky never asked.

"Israel tried to convince Ukraine to surrender!" - Lie. Ukraine's government denied the unsourced report.

"Israel is helping Russia evade sanctions!" - Lie. They sent Abramovich on his way quickly, despite him being legally allowed to seek refuge (which he didn't, choosing Putin)

"Israel is refusing to cut off Russian currency!" - Lie. They did it a week before the Ukrainian foreign ministry was fooled by an out-of-date screenshot and nearly started an international incident.

I say this as someone who is strongly supportive of Ukraine, but this entire affair has been a repulsive display of how easy it is to spread a lie and demand the victim prove a negative.

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/1505952644875132932

[pppolitics]

https://twitter.com/mjluxmoore/status/1505973168938307584

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation refutes the information of the Ukrainian General Staff about the allegedly large-scale losses of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, during the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces lost 9861 people killed, 16153 people were injured.

[Torie]

Well, perhaps the US will need Israel as a go between since apparently Putin took personally Biden calling him a war criminal, and the US ambassador was summoned to be informed that US-Russia ties are on the verge of collapse.

https://sports.yahoo.com/russia-summons-u-envoy-says-144600015.html

One of the many reasons I think the human species is tragically flawed, and really needs rewiring, is that even among informed and intelligent people it is just so hard to put one in the shoes of the other. Israel has a lot to lose arousing the Russian bear. Unless such losses are really necessary to take, because the consequences of not taking them are worse, it would seem that some slack should be extended. But no. Kick them off the island. It's the law of the jungle. Civilization is but a Potemkin village.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Well, perhaps the US will need Israel as a go between since apparently Putin took personally Biden calling him a war criminal, and the US ambassador was summoned to be informed that US-Russia ties are on the verge of collapse.

https://sports.yahoo.com/russia-summons-u-envoy-says-144600015.html

One of the many reasons I think the human species is tragically flawed, and really needs rewiring, is that even among informed and intelligent people is is just so hard to put one in the shoes of the other. Israel has a lot to lose arousing the Russian bear. Unless such losses are really necessary to take, because the consequences of not taking them are worse, it would seem that some slack should be extended. But no. Kick them off the island. It's the law of the jungle. Civilization is but a Potemkin village.

What's really warped is just how much of this is armchair diplomacy. No one knows what's going on behind the scenes and obviously both Zelensky and Putin keep on seeking out Israeli counsel.

I expect this kind of thing out of random commenters and idiot celebrities, but Kinzinger and Cheney really beclowned themselves yesterday and I'm a lot less sorry to see them likely be gone from Congress next year.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

Speaking of support for an alternative to the Western view on the war, here's Israeli PM Bennett's comments on the issue today:

On Monday, Israel sent an aid delegation to Ukraine to establish a field hospital. While at the airport to see the delegation off, Bennett gave a few remarks, saying Israel was "managing this unfortunate crisis with sensitivity, generosity and responsibility, while maintaining a balance between the various factors – and they are complex."

Hm... sounds similar to Chinese ambassador to the USA Qin Gang yesterday on CBS News?

AMB. QIN: China makes its observation and conclusion based independently- based on the merits of the matter itself. On the one hand, we uphold–

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United Nations Secretary General said Russia invaded–

AMB. QIN: we uphold– We uphold. On the one hand, China upholds the U.N. purposes and -- and the principles, including that- the respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. On the other hand, we do see that there- there is a complexity in the history of the Ukraine issue. And we are–

To be fair, Israeli FM Yair Lapid did say that Israel will not become "route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.” So Israel's stance is a bit more pro-Western than China's. I guess all those years of unconditional support and billions (trillions?) of aid bought you something? LOL?

I've been calling them out for over a decade. You can thank the Ray Goldfields and Parrotguys of the world for trying to shut down debate at every turn by shouting "pogrom" and "blood libel" at the tamest criticism.

Israel is a terrible friend to America.

China doesn't have a mob of Russian troops on its borders, ready to give the Syrians the order to attack at the moment's notice. America helped to put Israel in that situation, and Israel has still managed to give far more per capita than the United States.

The smears from people like Kinzinger are genuinely disgusting, and seeing who the OP you're quoting is should give away just how bad-faith this whole line of conversation is.

Nuh uh, you think Israel would have actually gotten so far without heavy Western support? Don’t give me that. And to claim that Arab opposition to Israel is a result of America is Lolworthy. And that “troops” bill crap isn’t an excuse either. South Korea has an even more deranged neighbor to the North for gosh sake. Look I was all for supporting Israel for geopolitical reasons…but if the government wants to betray us, then I guess that means we can reduce the amount of money we send there.

Israel’s behavior has been disgusting in this conflict, and if they pull this shtick much longer, I hope Biden reminds Bennett who calls the shots.

What are you even talking about? Israel hasn't "Betrayed" anyone - they've served as an honest broker in a near-impossible situation, mediating while still providing extensive aid. The idea that Israel should "give Ukraine an Iron Dome" is nonsense - not only would it take months to set up, but the interceptor missiles aren't designed to handle the larger Russian missiles.

The US failed to intercede against Assad's genocide in Syria, essentially allowing Putin to take charge of the area and giving Putin massive leverage over Israel. Israel issued a quick condemnation of the invasion when it happened, and Putin immediately started making threatening noises towards the Golan.

The simple fact is, virtually every accusation against Israel during this accusation has been a provable LIE.

"Israel refused to give Ukraine an iron dome!" - Lie. Zelensky never asked.

Ynet reports that Israel did veto the US transfer of Iron Dome systems to Ukraine in 2021, citing concerns about hurting its relations with Russia. After the veto, the US dropped its plans to simultaneously send Patriot air defence missiles.

"Israel tried to convince Ukraine to surrender!" - Lie. Ukraine's government denied the unsourced report.

Both governments denied this happened. It probably didn't.

"Israel is helping Russia evade sanctions!" - Lie. They sent Abramovich on his way quickly, despite him being legally allowed to seek refuge (which he didn't, choosing Putin)

Israel is helping Russia evade sanctions by failing to enforce any of its own. It dragged its feet on a toothless pledge to avoid becoming a loophole for European and American sanctions.

"Israel is refusing to cut off Russian currency!" - Lie. They did it a week before the Ukrainian foreign ministry was fooled by an out-of-date screenshot and nearly started an international incident.

You are correct here.

I say this as someone who is strongly supportive of Ukraine, but this entire affair has been a repulsive display of how easy it is to spread a lie and demand the victim prove a negative.

There are a lot of lies about Israel and Kinzinger is a clown, but it is generally true that the country has been pretty close to neutral in the conflict, which is one of the reasons why they're mediating it. They've condemned the invasion, but one side was denied an Iron Dome that the US was probably going to pay for and the other is flying license-built Israeli drones (some contracts were signed after the invasion of the Donbas, although this became illegal after 2018).

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/1505952644875132932

These kinds of reports have been BS in the past and the annoying this about this one is that it's harder to verify because of the secrecy around this weapons program and the likelihood that US-owned Soviet systems probably only exist in small numbers which won't be immediately noticeable in open sources.

I note that the report claims they "are being sent", not that they have arrived. We shall see if the Ukrainians offer any public thanks or whether there's an update stating they've actually been delivered. Despite the small number of systems and confidentiality, there's a decent chance some politician publicly claims credit for this if it's actually real.

[Person Man]

Don’t think these have been mentioned yet…

https://twitter.com/terrelljstarr/status/1505662406499971074?s=21
As mentioned in that thread what exactly do people think the Wagner Group is?

https://twitter.com/rvawonk/status/1505753091655835649?s=21
Ah, there’s that false flag everyone knew Russia was preparing…

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1505844236259844096?s=21
…to justify what they’re preparing to do.

https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1505734086106632192?s=21
Note the parallels.

https://twitter.com/ericshe11350341/status/1505674066283409412?s=21
Here’s another horrible Ukrainian Neo-Nazi according to the propaganda certain posters claim is both true and a reflection of world opinion.

https://twitter.com/billkristol/status/1505875697079836676?s=21
About said propaganda…

https://twitter.com/tnewtondunn/status/1505504040347742214?s=21
About those Ukrainians kidnapped to Russia…

https://twitter.com/natsechobbyist/status/1505534739754754053?s=21
10 million refugees. UNHCR High Commissioner numbers, not from Ukrainian government.

https://twitter.com/maxfras/status/1505843869707116547?s=21
Russia threatens Poland now, in case you missed it.

https://twitter.com/benjancewicz/status/1505381376320847873?s=21
Just look at that traitor to Russia!

https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1505642632168550400?s=21
The Glorious Actions of the Anti-Western Liberation Forces!

https://twitter.com/zhizhuweb/status/1504220833719455745?s=21
If anyone is still defending Russia on “both sides” or “what about” or “but muh Soviet support for this or that liberation group” grounds after reading this, go fuck off and die.

Anyone who is accepting or trying to justify  what Putin is doing needs Jesus Christ.

[Red Velvet]

Speaking of support for an alternative to the Western view on the war, here's Israeli PM Bennett's comments on the issue today:

On Monday, Israel sent an aid delegation to Ukraine to establish a field hospital. While at the airport to see the delegation off, Bennett gave a few remarks, saying Israel was "managing this unfortunate crisis with sensitivity, generosity and responsibility, while maintaining a balance between the various factors – and they are complex."

Hm... sounds similar to Chinese ambassador to the USA Qin Gang yesterday on CBS News?

AMB. QIN: China makes its observation and conclusion based independently- based on the merits of the matter itself. On the one hand, we uphold–

MARGARET BRENNAN: The United Nations Secretary General said Russia invaded–

AMB. QIN: we uphold– We uphold. On the one hand, China upholds the U.N. purposes and -- and the principles, including that- the respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. On the other hand, we do see that there- there is a complexity in the history of the Ukraine issue. And we are–

To be fair, Israeli FM Yair Lapid did say that Israel will not become "route to bypass sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other Western countries.” So Israel's stance is a bit more pro-Western than China's. I guess all those years of unconditional support and billions (trillions?) of aid bought you something? LOL?

I've been calling them out for over a decade. You can thank the Ray Goldfields and Parrotguys of the world for trying to shut down debate at every turn by shouting "pogrom" and "blood libel" at the tamest criticism.

Israel is a terrible friend to America.

China doesn't have a mob of Russian troops on its borders, ready to give the Syrians the order to attack at the moment's notice. America helped to put Israel in that situation, and Israel has still managed to give far more per capita than the United States.

The smears from people like Kinzinger are genuinely disgusting, and seeing who the OP you're quoting is should give away just how bad-faith this whole line of conversation is.

Um.... what? China has a 4000 km border with Russia, and we have had our border disputes and wars in the past? I don't know how many troops Russia has our border but I'd guess it's on the order of tens or hundreds of thousands.

Why is it not a legitimate point of discussion when Israel refuses to follow the USA on what you claim is a clear moral issue of right vs wrong, freedom vs tyranny, etc? A strong ally, a liberal democracy, and their leader puts out a statement that is indistinguishable from one by the Chinese ambassador? Maybe this should be a big hint that many do not see the Ukraine-Russia issue as you portray, but instead as PM Bennett and Ambassador Qin put it, "complex"?

The Israel response to this war is very telling, we are living in whole new world now and it’s great. If the country that is seen as the #1  “non-western” US friend still refuses to align and mentions their independence and sovereignty when talking about it, why would others even care to align?

Meanwhile in the US if someone dares to suggest about not aligning with Israel on anything, they will rather fight between themselves and smear/cancel other compatriots before even entertaining the possibility as reasonable position lolol

It’s the same people from always who refuse to accept the current scenario and that there will be a conflict or a climax because of all this in the future. Defenders of multipolar world should be talking about dropping the US dollar more incisively with these new developments on Russia.

Russia survival will be quite the test, but they prepared for this scenario since 2014, shifting the attention away from the West and into the East and the Global South. How Russia deals with this will be extremely telling on how “necessary” the west centrality is for other countries.

Because the final consequences of this will come down to “Russia being isolated from the world” or “The West isolating itself from the world”. It’s very critical, they HAVE to destroy Russia to prove a point otherwise they look extremely weak and vulnerable for choosing the path of going all in like they’re going now.

Ideally, it’s the time for big leaderships to make a stand but we’re lacking that in both East and West. The last years have been a show of diplomatic incompetence all around the globe, due to trashy or dumb leaders in power.

One thing is for sure: Liberals lost from an ideological POV and they lost very ugly. Their pro-globalization worldview that non-liberal places would turn into liberal ones with the economic opening FAILED. So did the alternative (and racist, it must be said) belief that places like China would never be capable to grow if they refused to shift into the western version of liberalism. That failure is just a fact now.

How China grew from a feudal country into a superpower that produces high technology and scientific knowledge is really impressive. But it’s also something that crushed the western liberals prejudiced reading of the world.

Not coincidentally, once the US realized it was wrong about it, they shifted attention away from their own Middle East wars (an afterthought, but something that really damaged their global reputation) and focus on China now since Obama’s 2nd term.

Trump upped the rhetoric and consolidated the shift from a liberal to a more nationalistic understanding of the world. And now Biden is continuing with the nationalist agenda, although in his own way. VERY different from the 90s liberals like Clinton lol

The US liberals are way more nationalistic in their rhetoric now, aligned with what conservatives always were during Bush era. And the conservatives nowadays shifted more into isolationism, which is a different brand of nationalism (opposed to the neocons) but still one. It’s two versions of the same thing expressed in different ways, while pro-globalization stances are unheard of now. This shows that Liberals, true ones, know that they lost. Nationalism is closer to a consensus now, everywhere.

You’re right to pay attention to this because if they successfully crush Russia, it directly weakens China as a power challenger (and others). Which is why Russia and China need a strong coalition that is aligned with all the Global South. Despite any differences, there is a greater good that is of everyone’s common interest. The more are welcomed, the better.

The West just isn’t reliable for your long term economic interests, although you can’t ignore them. It’s time everyone acknowledges this. These people won’t even accept a Muslim country into the EU and are obsessed with “flexible” border controls for different people, more global south citizens should understand that the idea of a non-white country like China or India as independent superpowers giving out rules is very threatening to them.

Ironically, I think Trump’s hard strategy of isolating China (like trying to separate Russia-China by being friendly to Russia in order to push them away from the Chinese, or doing the same regarding China-India tensions) has luckily went to the trash now. Thank heavens. The global south SHOULD (not necessarily will) be more united now and develop more coordinated internal strategies as Russia now has nowhere else to run but to go hard in this path.

Between the Afghanistan fiasco and now the consolidation of this Russia+China special relationship after going too harsh on Russia, you should probably hope Biden/The Democrats succeed in their reelection attempts. Trump would be much worse for global south interests on FP, but he’s also someone that would keep some divisions alive (Europe would have to just begrudgingly suck him up or change strategies since they’re fully on US pocket since Marshall Plan lmao).

And that goes back to what I was saying when there are no decent leaders recently. Sigh.

[Buffalo Mayor Young Kim]

https://twitter.com/mjluxmoore/status/1505973168938307584

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation refutes the information of the Ukrainian General Staff about the allegedly large-scale losses of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, during the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces lost 9861 people killed, 16153 people were injured.

Wait, the Russians are claiming this? Doesn’t Russia always report hilariously low casualties? If this is there number either it is a typo or they are allot worse off than we though.