Russia Russia Russia

[Koko]

9 hours ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

 

Ukrainian hackers created fake profiles of attractive women to trick Russian soldiers into sharing their location, report says. Days later, the base was blown up.

 

 

[Ann]

[SackMan518]

Last week, the American Conservative published a critical piece on the Ukraine war titled, “Holding Ground, Losing War.” The sub-head explains, “Zelensky’s strategy of defending territory at all costs has been disastrous for Ukraine.”

 

The Conservative plainly stated the article’s main point, that Russia hasn’t really started to fight yet: “Russia always had the resources to dramatically escalate the fighting and end the fighting in Ukraine on very harsh terms. Escalation is now in progress.“

 

But even within the context of the current, more limited conflict, the article describes the Russians being historically patient and deliberate, while the Ukrainians let themselves be pushed around like checkers in a game played by unsupervised two-year-olds.

 

According to the Conservative, Ukraine made the classic strategic error of valuing inches over lives. In other words, again and again Ukraine’s military — undoubtedly encouraged by U.S. intelligence agencies who craved headlines for their psyops — traded transitory minor territorial gains for significant lives and hardware.

 

As an example, the Conservative pointed to the recent “victories” in Eastern Ukraine, describing them as a propaganda win but a military disaster:

 

U.S. satellite arrays undoubtedly provided Ukrainians with a real-time picture of the area showing that Russian forces west of Izium numbered less than 2,000 light troops (the equivalent of paramilitary police, e.g., SWAT and airborne infantry).

The Russian command opted to withdraw its small force from the area that is roughly 1 percent of formerly Ukrainian territory currently under Russian control. However, the price for Kiev’s propaganda victory was high— … an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Ukrainian troops were killed or wounded in a flat, open area that Russian artillery, rockets, and air strikes turned into a killing field.

Now that Russia has begun its mobilization — which is moving full steam ahead — the Conservative says the war has entered a new phase, provoking a critical inflection point: “Washington confronts a stark choice: Talk about having successfully ‘degraded Russian power’ in Ukraine and scale back its actions. Or risk a regional war with Russia that will engulf Europe.”

 

Europe, as the article notes, is on the brink of its own revolution, a rightwing ascension induced by the war’s social and political side effects:

 

Sanctions are hurting America’s European allies, not Russia… Discontent is growing, making it quite plausible that governments in Germany, France, and Great Britain will likely follow the path of their colleagues in Stockholm and Rome , who lost or will lose power to right-of-center coalitions.

You can add Sweden to that list. The Ukraine war may have the unexpected effect of cementing more rightwing nationalist governments in Europe. An equal and opposite affect.

[SackMan518]

[Deranged Rhino]

 

Another $12B - putting the total just under $200B in less than 9 months. 
 

During an economic meltdown. 
 

... On the street they’d call it a shakedown. Or a fire sale. Either way, it’s important to remember that no one profits from endless war, and all of this was entirely necessary because Ukraine is a vital piece of our national security. 
 

And if you’re still buying that, nine months in with 100,000s dead and $200B going out the door - I can’t wait to hear what your take is when we cross the million mark in casualties and the Trillion mark in expenditures in a few years. 
 

 

[Deranged Rhino]

1 hour ago, SackMan518 said:

 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

1 hour ago, Deranged Rhino said:

 

 

"Whistleblower" does, in fact, have a legal definition that Snowden does not meet.

 

 

I am, however, willing to support his self-identifying as a whistleblower, just to stick it to woke "self-identifying" progressives.

[Deranged Rhino]

20 minutes ago, Crap Throwing Clavin said:

 

"Whistleblower" does, in fact, have a legal definition that Snowden does not meet.

 

 

I am, however, willing to support his self-identifying as a whistleblower, just to stick it to woke "self-identifying" progressives.

It’s more the first point for me - the glossing over of what he exposed, why it matters, and that it’s ongoing. 

[Deranged Rhino]

 

 

The mistake being made is assuming this administration is "fighting for Europe". They're not. Never have been. 

 

They're using European blood to enact policies THEY want. No matter how many Ukrainians or Europeans (or Americans) have to die in the process. 

 

But remember when we sunk that battleship? What a ROI that was. Makes it totally worth it. 

Edited September 27, 2022 by Deranged Rhino

[Deranged Rhino]

 

[Deranged Rhino]

Case in point re above: 

 

 

That this is the reality is not controversial. It's not even debatable at this point. Yet, if you made these arguments, or tried to warn about it's likelihood in January, you were called names. Called a traitor. Called a Putin lover. 

 

For pointing out the obvious.

 

You'd think with all we've seen from this administration and its lieutenants over the decades that people would understand they're being conned. But conditioning is a hell of a thing. It prevents otherwise intelligent people from seeing the truth right in front of their faces. 

[Deranged Rhino]

No shit. If Russia wanted to turn off the pipeline, they can flip a switch. No need to destroy their own infrastructure. 

 

 

The fact this is even being debated as a whodunit is peak establishment media dumbassery. 

[Deranged Rhino]

 

And, this is right out of Langley's playbook - warn that something is going to happen, then they go and do it, then act surprised and confused as to how it could have happened. 

 

See nearly every major geopolitical event in the second half of the 20th century onward for receipts. 

 

 

[Deranged Rhino]

The quoted tweet is Poland's former defense minister....

 

 

But it's a mystery what happened. 

 

GTFOOH

[Deranged Rhino]

Motive: 

 

 

 

Opportunity:

 

[IDBillzFan]

6 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said:

Motive: 

 

 

 

Opportunity:

 

 

I regret I'm not smart enough to track all of this. Why would the BIden admin do this? There's no upside to it, unless the point is that they (the US) wants an escalated war with Russia, which makes no sense.

 

 

 

[Billsandhorns]

4 minutes ago, IDBillzFan said:

 

I regret I'm not smart enough to track all of this. Why would the BIden admin do this? There's no upside to it, unless the point is that they (the US) wants an escalated war with Russia, which makes no sense.

 

 

 

Does anything this administration do actually make sense? 

[IDBillzFan]

1 minute ago, Billsandhorns said:

Does anything this administration do actually make sense? 

 

I get the point you're making, but I'm convinced the people running the WH know precisely why they do what they do, even if Joey Tapioca is unaware. 

 

But someone just cut off what appears to be Europe's energy supply just as they head into the winter.

 

Like DR commented, it's stupid for Russia to do it since they can get the same result without blowing their shit up, so if it was the Biden admin, is the idea to stick it to Russia? While leaving Europe, literally, out in the cold? 

 

 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

1 hour ago, Deranged Rhino said:

No shit. If Russia wanted to turn off the pipeline, they can flip a switch. No need to destroy their own infrastructure. 

 

 

The fact this is even being debated as a whodunit is peak establishment media dumbassery. 

 

It gives them an excuse to shut it down.  And it's more permanent - turning off the supply can be reverted almost immediately; repairing a leak can't be done overnight.  

 

Makes as much sense for the Russians to surreptitiously damage the pipeline as it does anyone else.

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

14 minutes ago, IDBillzFan said:

 

I regret I'm not smart enough to track all of this. Why would the BIden admin do this? There's no upside to it, unless the point is that they (the US) wants an escalated war with Russia, which makes no sense.

 

 

 

 

They also wouldn't be doing it with explosives. 

 

The US Navy has submarines that can go down below 400 feet, rest on the seabed, and tap communication cables.  Those same vessels could easily poke holes in a pipeline directly, without mining it.