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Honestly, I don't know. I'd like to believe it's real though given the inspiration to them of Snake Island.Real or photoshop?
Wars have been a time tested distraction.Boris Johnson was on the news speaking Ukrainian and Russian, speaking directly to the citizens of both countries. Cynics might suggest the timing benefited Johnson as a distraction from his Covid transgressions.
Good to see Canada's Deputy PM Freeland doing the same in Ukrainian.
But now they are, where's the Russian army's heavier response?
if nothing else, this conflict is clearly shattering many of the myths that have been built about Russian military advantage. At every level, the Russians have punched well beneath their weight so to speak. Their strategic assumptions (Ukraine won't fight, Europe won't react) have been utterly dispelled.
Russia is growing frustrated by the level of Ukrainian resistance its military has encountered during the invasion, according to a senior U.S. Defense Department official who briefed reporters on Saturday, USA Today reported.
The official said that there has been an increase in the influx of troops into the country. Thirty percent of Russian troops entered Ukraine as of Friday, but later, that number jumped to 50 percent. The Defense official added that the situation is fluid and constantly changing, the newspaper reported.
The official also noted that multiple means were used by the Pentagon to confirm that Ukrainian military resistance had stalled Russian forces, according to USA Today.
The development comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video on Saturday that Russia had not succeeded in capturing Kyiv.
"We have withstood and successfully repelled enemy attacks. Fighting continues in different cities and regions of our country," he said, according to CNN.
"We have ruined their plans. They have no advantage over us," he added.
Honestly, why is it taking the Russians to long to roll over the small Ukrainian army? This was supposed to be the army we'd fear would roll over Europe. I have to think that a full on invasion was never part of the plan.
IDK, the Afghans rolled pretty quickly when the Taliban approached. I wonder if that influenced Putin's thinking.Because a man fighting for his county fights harder than an 18 year old conscript questioning why in the hell he is fighting at all.
IDK, the Afghans rolled pretty quickly when the Taliban approached. I wonder if that influenced Putin's thinking.
IDK, the Afghans rolled pretty quickly when the Taliban approached. I wonder if that influenced Putin's thinking.
I think Zelinisky spoke too soon or more likely in order to nudge the issue. Turkey has not announced this.It appears Turkey has agreed to cut off the Black Sea to new Russian Warships.
Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov Editning by Sam Holmes and Mark Potter
Turkey will be restricting access.I think Zelinisky spoke too soon or more likely in order to nudge the issue. Turkey has not announced this.
Turkey will be restricting access.
They had deliberated it, but have since decided to go ahead.
Moscow is objecting, saying it violates the international treaty - which is somewhat amusing, considering that they are knee-deep in quite a few international treaty violations, currently.
Also, if Moscow were to read that treaty, they would know that Turkey has the right to do so in the event of war.
Turkey to block passage of Russian warships in Black Sea; Moscow disputes access claims
Turkey issued the first official clarification since Zelenskyy appeal, stating that Turkey has agreed to cut off the waterways to Moscow’s warships.www.republicworld.com
Please allow me to caveat what is written below by the statement that I do not support or condone Putin/Russia's attack here and strongly believe that they should be forced out of the Ukraine.I'm honestly questioning Putins current mental state. It concerns me that he has nuclear weapons. I can only hope that cooler heads exist in Russia and they make the tough decision to remove him, before he does something that cannot be undone.
Please allow me to caveat what is written below by the statement that I do not support or condone Putin/Russia's attack here and strongly believe that they should be forced out of the Ukraine.
That said, I would also argue against any implying that Putin is mad or is a new Hitler (or anything akin to). To do so risks belittling the situation into a "me good, you bad" style analysis that doesn't actually help understand the conflict and/or work towards resolving (or dare I say preventing the next). The real world isn't black/white but rather many shades of grey.
As I have previously mentioned, I believe that from Putin's POV, he is simply working to return the Russian Empire or at least sense of national pride. This is seemingly his underlying goal and one that helps define many of his actions over the last 20yrs or so - he is playing the long game one might say. This is aided by the fact that the West, especially the USA, appear weak and impotent and inward looking. As such, Putin saw an opportunity and took it. I suspect that if the West had been willing to admit Ukraine to NATO and/or put their own forces in the Ukraine rather than simply sending lots of, often old, weapons he may have backed off. The fact is that this did not happen though so we now have this tragedy unfolding.
I have previously (at Reply #64) posted an article by the Australian Journalist/Author/Analyst Stan Grant that addresses some of what I am talking about. Below is another, somewhat more pointed one. I apologise if anyone takes offence but please note that I do it not to start arguments but rather to help point out what I believe is one of the things that has helped contribute to this situation. It is also not trying to place blame for things such as the Russian aggression on Ukraine on others than Putin/Russia but rather to help explain one aspect of the journey that has seen the world reach this point.
Putin has sensed his moment, and we are left with one question: Where did America's power go?
In 1991, after the end of the Cold War, the United States stood unchallenged in the global order. But the last 30 years have seen a persistent erosion of American power and prestige, writes Stan Grant.www.abc.net.au
I remember wondering in 2014 had the US sent a warship (briefly) and some long term troops to Crimea (upon the invite of Kiev) in advance of the Russians if that would have made a difference.As such, Putin saw an opportunity and took it. I suspect that if the West had been willing to admit Ukraine to NATO and/or put their own forces in the Ukraine rather than simply sending lots of, often old, weapons he may have backed off. The fact is that this did not happen though so we now have this tragedy unfolding.