MR.C Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Is Putin a cowardly dictator, saying any interference on the Russian army will be met with unheard of responses, Bully talk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Trouble is he's getting away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen_I Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Funnily enough I have just been trying to explain to my 9 and 12 yr old daughters about it all (how the hell do you explain this though?), my youngest says he is a bully.....but yes he is getting away with it it seems. I worked with a Ukranian who is a lovely person, sent him message a while ago to see how he and his family/friends are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Getting away with it or we think he's actually mad enough to launch a nuclear strike against the west? If it's a bluff it is the most difficult bluff to call in the history of mankind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSkyBrad Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “ Ukraine ranks: 1st in Europe in reserves of uranium ores; 2nd in Europe (10th in World) for titanium ore reserves; 2nd in World in manganese (12% of world's reserves) 2nd largest iron ore reserves in World (30 B tons); 2nd in Europe for mercury ore reserves; 3rd in Europe (13th in World) in gas reserves; 4th in World by the total value of natural resources; 7th place in World in coal reserves (33.9 B tons) Ukraine is an important agricultural country that can meet the needs of 600 M people. Which Russia needs in their present economic situation. 1st in Europe in terms of arable land area; World's 3rd largest area of black soil (25% of world's volume); World's 1st largest exports of sunflower and sunflower oil; 2nd world in barley production (4th largest exporter); World's 3rd largest producer (4th largest exporter) of corn; 4th largest World producer of potatoes; 5th largest World rye producer; 5th in world bee production (75,000 tons); World's 8th largest wheat exporter; World's 9th largest egg producer; Ukraine matters...That is why its independence is important to the rest of the world and why Russia wants it so badly. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RICHARD+PHILIP Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Russia is going to find out very soon that it is easy to take ground but holding it against a hostile population is somewhat more difficult. My hope is that the now tech savy and freedom loving Russian population will take matters into their own hands. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 2 hours ago, Blatman said: Getting away with it or we think he's actually mad enough to launch a nuclear strike against the west? If it's a bluff it is the most difficult bluff to call in the history of mankind... I am put in mind of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in which a group of his comrades who disapprove of his rule to the extent that they collectively put him to death. Judging from the way in which Putin publicly humiliated his spy chief until the unfortunate individual complied and said what he was expected to say. Putin then told him to sit down like a naughty child. See here - subtitles provided If this is a taste of the contempt in which he holds his staff in public, one can only wonder at the insults in private. Brutus! Yes we need you and your mates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 I hate to say it, but I think Putin has got the west sussed. We are weak. We are so wed to our toys and conveniences that the threat of a few quid on our gas bill and petrol going up is all it takes to keep us quiet. We can clearly be bought for a few quid. The amount of dirty money in this country along with all the ‘tax havens’ around the world says all you need to know about the fundamental lack of integrity the west now has. I suspect there are more than a few politicians in most western nations whose pockets have the stink of Russian money in them. If I had my way, I’d admit Ukraine to NATO right now, then tell Putin to cease fire immediately and get his troops out of Ukraine (including Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk) within 24hours or suffer the consequences. I’d also be seizing every penny of dirty money (regardless of nationality of ‘owner’) and deport the lot of them. I find the parallel with what Putin is doing now and what Hitler did back in ‘38 pretty stark. Have we learnt nothing about how to deal with rabid nutjobs? Appeasement does not work. The irony of Putin calling Zelenskyy a Nazi is surreal. I visited Russia a couple of times back in the late 70s. It was a corrupt, “communist”, paranoid regime back then. Honest folk had a hard time of it. Hard to imagine, but it’s even worse now. The Russian people have been subject to some of the worst regimes in history - makes me wonder how they put up with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Spellin nearly as bad as @MR.C 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 This is a very difficult subject and one where we have had years building up to it. I know a few Ukrainians and it seems there are some areas who are pro Russia, which they have been fighting over internally since 2016. The young want freedom and democracy and the West has been encouraging them to become more like us and less like Russia. Ukraine knew this outcome was likely hence they have been trying to join NATO which was obviously going to rile Putin. He does not want NATO there hence his actions which are seperate in his mind to the Land Grab. What is sad is that the EU cannot agree on action. The Italian PM wants Gucci and luxury goods to be exempt from sanctions. Boris wanted them to pull the plug on all banking but others do not. Bidens response has been woeful and saying the sanctions were never expected to work in the past but these new ones will is foolhardy. If the West puts troops on the ground this will escalate and with Putin and talk of tactical nuclear weapons being used then escalating this is a real threat. How this will end is hopefully the reaction of the Russian public will escalate and make them realise the public support is not there. The other thing to bear in mind is that China will be watching this with glee. They will be thinking if this is the response to mainland Europe invasion, no one will do anything if we take Taiwan by force. These are the most dangerous times we have been in I hope the Ukrainians can win but I suspect shear numbers will be the key factor here as Putin has far more that he is willing to sacrifice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsechris Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 I'm somewhat surprised China hasn't already moved on Taiwan tbh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 One of my daughters in law is from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine. Her family are still there and are hiding in cellars etc. We are of course very worried about them. Putin has been in power for 22 years now. And has been surrounded by sycophants for most if not all of that time. So thinks he can do no wrong when he's actually deranged and needs a bullet in the head. It's true that many people in eastern Ukraine see themselves as Russian. But in Kiev, 85% see themselves as European. All the old Soviet monuments there are either taken down or covered. It's a great city. They are a lovely people and the west should be a doing more. In fact we should never have let Putin keep Crimea. That's what gave him the confidence to do this. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonWest - Chris Broster - Bristol & Bath AO Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 5 hours ago, corsechris said: I'm somewhat surprised China hasn't already moved on Taiwan tbh. A fair point but I think they will wait to see how far Putin can go and how serious the World holds its nerve with sanctions. But expect them to start ramping up in the spring when a Amphibious Landing is more achievable. It will start with more 'incursions' air space then taking islands further out and possible accidents at sea...then they will just swamp the island with numbers and put a ring of steel around it. Sadly, Putins move has just validated their approach....after all do we really thing we are going to ban China from the global markets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Without going a political we the consumers have made china the power it is. We have chased cheaper products from around the world and China with its massive population, land mass and resource were there waiting to take advantage. We ignored the fact they had human rights abuse, that they have form for invading areas, like Tibet, just so long as we get a cheaper product. We continue to ignore their buying up Africa and countries in he Caribbean with cheap loans etc. China is just as dangerous as Russia and it is only their economy success with the rest of the world that allows them to do what they do. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamperMan Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 It’s absolutely awful. Beyond words. Morally we have to stop putin, but that’s going to create a war unlike any seen before. I’d hope better political minds than mine could find a solution. Sadly as we all know we’d not trust them to run a bath. My eldest has asked if we can go to New Zealand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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