The Ukraine war thread
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Excellent read. In a nutshell:
"These measures suggest an indifference to international public opinion that may become even more pronounced in the weeks and months to come."
I found the dive into non-military options interesting: cyber, financial, etc.
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@Jolly said in The Ukraine war thread:
And meanwhile, the folks over in Poland are arming up, best they can.
In the article:
Though it presents incredibly high risk, escalating the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders in the near term is an option Putin could consider if his survival is at stake. A direct attack on NATO territory—perhaps through Lithuania to obtain a land corridor to the Kaliningrad exclave and cut off the Baltic States, should Russian forces find more success in Ukraine—is possible.
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@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
@Jolly said in The Ukraine war thread:
Would Putin really open up that can of worms?
I think dipping his toe into the Ukrainian waters is precisely a test of how NATO would respond.
Which is fine, but by dipping his toe he's almost drowning.
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@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
@Jolly said in The Ukraine war thread:
Would Putin really open up that can of worms?
I think dipping his toe into the Ukrainian waters is precisely a test of how NATO would respond.
True enough, I think deep down Putin understands that collectively NATO is a defensive alliance. His suspicions though are directed towards first the USA then the USA in alliance with the UK. His current war with Ukraine probably confirms his suspicions as the US and London tend to be taking the lead regarding sanctions, direct material defence aid and intelligence sharing in support of Ukraine.
And that’s a good thing, it may just lead him to the conclusion that he is far more vulnerable on all fronts than he was before he launched this war with the Western world.
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@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
In 2004 I was in Odessa for a few days with the intention of traveling by train to Chișinău in Moldova. The idea was to visit the little village outside the city where Rachel’s grandfather was born.
In the event the trains weren’t running because of violence by Russian backed separatists in the transdneister region. So we never got there. In hindsight I should have gone through Romania. But I don’t regret having visited Ukraine. It’s unlikely I would have gone otherwise.
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I’ve got some Crimean wine in my wine fridge. Gifted to me years ago.
I should open it one day to celebrate the fall of the red army.
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Russia turns off the gas to Poland and Bulgaria
Russia said it will stop natural gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, making good on a threat to cut off buyers if they refuse Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand to pay in rubles. European gas prices surged.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, seeking to revive diplomatic efforts to end the war more than two months after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted talks with officials from more than 40 countries at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss ways of boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine. Violence flared in the nearby breakaway Transnistria region of Moldova.
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@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
Russia turns off the gas to Poland and Bulgaria
Russia said it will stop natural gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, making good on a threat to cut off buyers if they refuse Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand to pay in rubles. European gas prices surged.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, seeking to revive diplomatic efforts to end the war more than two months after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted talks with officials from more than 40 countries at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss ways of boosting weapons supplies to Ukraine. Violence flared in the nearby breakaway Transnistria region of Moldova.
Doesn't this really smack of desperation on Russia's part?
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@Mik said in The Ukraine war thread:
@George-K said in The Ukraine war thread:
Russia turns off the gas to Poland and BulgariaDoesn't this really smack of desperation on Russia's part?
I think they've been threatening this since day 1 of the invasion.