Glad to hear that he/she is an ex-friend. Unfortunately, dissemination of utter bilge is no longer confined to the wards of mental hospitals, even where they still exist, but is thriving among like-minded lunatics in all parts of the world, egging each other on with ever more preposterous theories, all fuelled by the internet and an evil cohort that knows it's all deluded rubbish but which seeks to gain a political advantage from it in imposing their extremist views. I'd most certainly place Putin in this category, at the very top.
Just before that, they highlight that Putin is now using more conciliatory language, is the economic warfare working?
News coverage I was watching earlier (DW on YouTube, for a change) was more or less saying that there was a bit of a divide between the younger population who weren't buying into what the state media were peddling, and older people who refuse to believe anything else.
Economic sanctions will take a while yet to have an impact but the people on the street who are old enough will remember what it was like although how they bring pressure to bare on their elected representatives isn't clear.
That's very interesting - especially the rogue FSB agent bit!
If there are a large number of similar rogue FSB officers, then I think it increases the chances that Putin will be removed from power, hopefully quite soon.
I like your optimism, but I can't see Russian streets teeming with protestors any time soon. Let's assume that thousands of Russian people get to learn that civilian buildings have been hit and that many civilians have died, and then that they get to see the pictures of the suffering of mothers and children that we're seeing. So they then take to the streets and protest. What you would then see is another Tiannamen Square.
Another long shot. Even the western news is being pretty unrealistic in its portrayal of the 40 mile convoy waiting up the road from Kiev, by saying their vehicles are failing, bogged down etc. and that their troops are losing faith. What really seems to be happening is that they're just waiting for the other Russian forces to arrive from the south so that they can attack together. That really doesn't take much working out ...
Yep, doesn't do much, if anything.
You've hit the nail on the head there. It's nothing other than (insert brand here) trying to score some free, low hanging brownie points.
Well for starters, they could've done something more productive, such as set up donation points in stores, or donated to Ukrainian causes. Hell, why not both?
The US far behind Europe still, and it’s no coincidence that the UK, where so much Russian money lives, has done so little. Corruption is the only word for it. If they expose it, they will be implicated themselves.
Sitting ducks for who? If the Ukrainians were going to pick them off they would have done that by now, the fact is they probably no longer have the capability to do that. And as for anyone else, like NATO or anyone associated with NATO? They can't because that would be to declare war and immediately justify Putin's assertion that NATO is the aggressor, as well as providing him with the excuse to fire back to any country he likes, possibly with nuclear weapons.
Warfare is all about mobility - and after several days the convoy has not moved much, if at all. Mobile strikes require a supply train bringing in ammunition, food and fuel. After delivery the trucks return empty. If nothing is going back then nothing is being delivered and certainly no build up of supplies to support a forward strike can take place.
I suspect bulk of Ukrainian military resources are of Russian / Soviet era so West might not be able to supply high quantities of ammunition that are compatible.
This exactly. He can control the narrative at home to an extent, but that would be pretty difficult to get away with.
This is a twitter thread on the problems for the Russian economy without selling natural resources to the West, and getting hardware in return.
threadreaderapp.com
threadreaderapp.com
I can't remember exactly who, when or where but at least one US analyst has said this convoy isn't continuous but is actually in pieces with gaps between them. The gaps are either due to sabotaged roadways (Ukrainian propaganda?) or more likely due to vehicle breakdowns. And not necessarily mechanical faults but rotten tyres. Apparently many of the trucks have been retrieved from long-term storage but not properly checked before being deployed. The relatively mild weather also means that their off-road capability is practically nil. But the Ukrainians are smart in not trying to attack the convoy. For one thing their air force has only a limited supply of munitions and for another leaving the Russians sitting around is quite effective at undermining morale while also consuming rations. Not to mention that the vehicles will mostly become much more vulnerable to guerilla tactics in the urban setting of Kyiv, something that the Ukrainians are very obviously preparing for.
www.theguardian.com
