Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Shot from Kyiv as cars head out:

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Also, where are all the anti-Imperialist leftists in this thread?

"Imperialism is when a country is EU-aligned. The more EU-aligned it is, the imperialister it is."

You joke but a lot of people unironically believe this.

https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1496915751072055300
https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1496916721944379400

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Something that seems confirmed id that Russia clearly lied about taking down all of Ukraine's air defense.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It's hilarious how many here fail to realize that Santander is a liberal just playing a character, especially since he "breaks character" quite often.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Russia is repositioning Intercontential Ballistic Missiles near Moscow
https://twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1497306128111353856

Surely they're not going to deploy these ... right?

This is probably why.

https://twitter.com/PenguiAnon/status/1497311994973720580

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

This is reminding me of a Crusader Kings game where you declare war and expect you can take it easily. And then you don't and hit some setbacks and it becomes clear it'll be very costly to continue the war even if you win (especially as this might reduce your troop counts below that of that faction plotting against you) so you just ask for a white peace.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1497344191474528258

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

US Bank Stadium is lit in blue and yellow tonight.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I introduce you all to the world's biggest Chad: https://v.redd.it/4ycbahadn1k81

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1497428765038817281

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I was thinking if Zelensky dies he'll become one of the most named after people in history for now. Like almost every major city in the West will name a street after him.

And if Ukraine wins this...he probably wins re-election by a wider margin than Putin is "re-elected" by.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Some dude on an emo Facebook group actually went through a lot of trouble to reach out to members of a Ukrainian emo band, and confirmed that they are all safe and OK for now. They have fled to Western Ukraine.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Why is it so quiet?

Lots of Ukraine got its internet knocked out.

I actually realized an easy way to monitor this: check for Ingress activity. The last activity in Kyiv was over four hours ago. And even Lviv was over two hours ago.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Is it possible Putin has fallen into the same "yes man" trap many other strong men leaders have?  As in:
1.strongman wins control
b.strongman gets rid of all dissent
III.strongman is surrounded by people who tell him what he wants to hear
D.strongman believes them, steps into something bad that should have been obvious

Best example is how Gaddafi managed to lose a war to...Chad. In hindsight it's a miracle that guy stuck around as long as he did.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

To put things into perspective, Gaddafi had a pretty modern Soviet-equipped military, and he still managed to get his ass kicked by these guys:



With that in mind Ukraine winning doesn't seem so far-fetched now.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/1497975134069706752
Translation:

Georgian: A ship from Russia? We're not refueling you.
Russian: Who is talking to us?
Georgian: A Senior Mate from Georgia. We will not refuel your ship. Russian warship go f[inks] yourself.
Russian: Please drop the politics. We're almost out of fuel.
Georgian: Well if you're almost out of fuel then take out the paddles and start rowing.
Other Georgian: Go f[inks] yourselves.
Georgian: Glory to the heroes, Glory to Ukraine!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/timkmak/status/1498034247122231296?t=c_0ACiA5fbjPKIUTl8wmwg&...

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/santiagomayer_/status/1498008997009387521

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Latvian news. The anchor's sweater reads "Russian warship go f[inks] yourself"

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

When Bolsonaro and Maduro are on the same side, then you know it's the wrong side.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

When Bolsonaro and Maduro are on the same side, then you know it's the wrong side.

Wait, what have they said?

Bolsonaro refuses to implement any sanctions or condemn Russia. Maduro is obviously the same and says "NATO imperialism" forced Russia to invade.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://mobile.twitter.com/RALee85/status/1498491928471654400

LOL, sounds like Hitler in Downfall.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Gonna take this with a grain of salt until it is actually confirmed but if true, HOLY SH!T

https://mobile.twitter.com/OccupyDemocrats/status/1498715490197274624

Wouldn't surprise me actually. The Kadyrovites were less of a military force but just a bunch of thugs to terrorize the populace and would stand against a real military about as well as a street gang or bunch of Mafia guys. They're like the Venezuelan military, good at terrorizing the civilian populace, absolutely worthless for anything else.