Russia Attacks Ukraine - 23 Feb 2022 #14

[branmuffin]

In response to Musk’s threats to cut off Starlink in Ukraine, Poland is ready to seek an alternative

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski responded to a post by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on X, where the billionaire hinted at the possibility of disconnecting Starlink satellites for Ukraine, emphasizing their critical importance to the Ukrainian military:

"The ethics of threatening the victim of aggression apart, if SpaceX proves to be an unreliable provider we will be forced to look for the other suppliers".

https://twitter.com/x/status/1898740218103988540

<modsnip: Do not bring Fox News National to Websleuths>

Elon and Donald are fighting over who can sink the lowest when it comes to ethics. Currently, it's a tie - Donald is the resident of the White House and has diarrhea of the mouth and Elon is playing OZ with his Starlink lever. No one knows how deep the sewer is in Trumpland.

 

[Stella123]

EU’s defense plans are a threat, says Kremlin, warning of retaliatory measures

EU’s proposal to transform “from an economic to a military alliance” will make peace in Ukraine harder to achieve, top spokesperson says.

www.politico.eu

More blackmail then. "Let us do what we want or we'll keep being war mongers". JMO

 

[keek]

Musk and Trump want Russia to win. It is obvious to everyone.

Directly giving them their support we are seeing, that we even know of.

 

[statt#1]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/09/europe/latvia-europe-conscription-war-russia-intl/index.html

 

[branmuffin]

This is my gut feeling, too.

In my opinion, Trump is an asset in the sense that his words and actions, due to his personality flaws, make it easier for Putin to obtain his nefarious goals.

Not in the sense that Trump’s an actual dedicated Russian agent.

I know stories about Trump’s involvement in Russia go back decades, well before he was in politics. I’ve heard every kind of rumor—-I stress rumor as I have only links to rumors, not verifiable—-money changing hands to bribe Russia so he can build there, or that Putin has a sex tape of Trump with a Russian prostitute, and other tenuous insinuations.

What I believe is a potentially accurate concern is Trump hanging out with Putin at the Kremlin, like the buddies he thinks they are, and he mentions or shows classified intel to Putin.

I know Trump doesn’t drink alcohol, but maybe over a cup of tea or can of Diet Coke, he will just blab about some military secrets or something similar that will jeopardize America and the West.

I think he’d be motivated either because he’s bragging, (“hey, look what I’ve got”) or because he genuinely trusts Putin to keep a secret.

Just my opinion and guesswork.

I think it's his need for affirmation and approval. He feels if he tells secrets or maligns an ally it bolsters his image in front of the world and especially Putin. Russia is expert at tapping into a person's weaknesses and idiosyncrasies. He's a creature who's been raised on social commentary - there is no such thing as bad press.

 

[UK Girl]

Money and men. Ukraine says no to border changes, Russia says opposite.

Continued war.

why SHOULD Ukraine have to agree?

 

[statt#1]

why SHOULD Ukraine have to agree?

They don't have to. Neither does Putin. Hence, continued war.

 

[Stella123]

Contradictory reports in the news in Kursk are - both sides claiming success.

This is from the Telegraph. Note all the comments at the end of the article from British people. Pro Ukraine. One comments says Trump has blood on his hands MOO

"Ukraine has said its forces thwarted a surprise attack conducted by Russia through a gas pipeline in Kursk on Sunday, claiming enemy losses were “very high”.

Access Restricted

 

[UK Girl]

They don't have to. Neither does Putin. Hence, continued war.

Only one man is at fault here. Two if you count Trump for enabling him.

 

[PommyMommy]

Sure. Let's go mining in Ukraine...in a couple of decades, maybe?

FEB 20, 2024

Two years after the Russian invasion, land mines plague one-third of Ukraine

Mines, including a deadly new Russian version, litter an area roughly the size of Florida, undermining an international effort to ban the weapons.

www.nbcnews.com

All told, about 30% of Ukraine’s territory is infested with land mines, an area roughly equivalent to the state of Florida.

The range of hidden weapons lurking underfoot includes powerful anti-vehicle mines that can blow up a tank or a large bus, smaller anti-personnel mines designed to kill or maim anyone who triggers it, as well as improvised booby traps and unexploded munitions.

AUG 18, 2024

Massive Ukrainian effort underway to clear millions of landmines spread across country

Millions of landmines are spread across Ukraine. A massive effort is underway to find and remove the deadly devices, but it will take a generation or more to be rid of them.

www.cbsnews.com

Demining teams are still fighting Russia here. Izium, 20 miles from the front, is one of the worst areas for mines and unexploded ordnance. Throughout Ukraine, more than 1,000 civilians have been wounded by mines. Lidia Borova, a 70-year-old widow, was picking mushrooms in a forest.

Lidia Borova (translation): I turned by the tree and then there was an explosion. I looked [down] at myself and I was bleeding, my arm was injured, my leg was injured. I was losing strength.

Her right foot and ankle were ripped away.

 

[statt#1]

Trump wants to see more than just a minerals deal to restart aid and intel to Ukraine

U.S. and Ukrainian officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia this week, with Trump focused on Zelenskyy’s willingness to make concessions in negotiations.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

This "new deal" is blackmail IMO. If Zelensky doesn't sign to everything Trump wants, he won't re-start the intelligence. He probably has no intention of re-starting it. And what about sanctions for Russia? Nada? JMO

Yes @Stella123 …. and IMO seems the ‘bar’ keeps shifting or moving. Reprehensible conduct on the part of the supposed ‘US’ individual apparently feeling need to meddle, interfere, or otherwise prevent meaningful discussion. IMO it surely is not ‘negotiation’ that is occurring. Blackmail is exactly what this appears to be, IMO too. SMH. MOO

 

[statt#1]

PM Modi's "India Not Neutral" Message To Russia, Ukraine; Trump By His Side

India is not neutral, was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong message on the Russia-Ukraine war during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House today.

www.ndtv.com

 

[LoveyG]

So the EU is actually helping Russia fund the war.

Isn't Canada talking about selling oil to EU instead of USA? Problem solved.

 

[branmuffin]

Don't forget the 'pee tapes'

eta: The more Trump entrenches himself with Putin, the more inclined I am to believe it.

If there's one thing I don't believe about Trump, it's the 'pee tapes'. Trump is a self-confessed clean freak; he gladly dons rubber gloves to clean bathrooms, so the idea that he would get involved in a sex session with a prostitute where pee was involved is a hard no for me. If it did occur, it would have been without his consent, and he's been paying to suppress it ever since.

 

[Sundog]

Isn't Canada talking about selling oil to EU instead of USA? Problem solved.

Talking about it isn't doing it. The Conservative Party in Canada (Pierre Poilievre) is proposing it but the Liberal Party has been opposing it, maybe that will change.

So far, problem not solved, no action is being taken. It could have happened years ago and then Putin wouldn't have had oil and gas money to fund the war.

 

[LoveyG]

Talking about it isn't doing it. The Conservative Party in Canada (Pierre Poilievre) is proposing it but the Liberal Party has been opposing it, maybe that will change.

So far, problem not solved, no action is being taken. It could have happened years ago and then Putin wouldn't have had oil and gas money to fund the war.

I think my post was unclear. I meant just since the Trump Tariff threats, Canada has been talking about sending their oil to EU instead of USA. You know, along with taking Bourbon off the shelves and turning off the lights. Nothing to do with Putin.

Google tells me that Canada is the top supplier of crude oil to the US.

 

[branmuffin]

Tbh we sit here in the comfort and security of a Western world, talking about all this, and I find it scary that other European countries could also be like those parts of Ukraine that are having "restricted" medical care if they refuse Russian passports. It would be my worst nightmare to live in a Russian regime. JMO MOO

I look at all the jokey comments on X and think - this is actually serious. US and Russia aligned - it's scary. MOO

I think it is really serious. Not just shocking "how could Trump do or say xyz" - he's doing it. Russia loves it. Scary. JMO MOO

I think his admiration for strong men started a long time ago.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/

 

[Warwick1991]

Just in From The George W. Bush Presidential Center

America First Should Not Put Russia Second


"To the dismay of those who support freedom, the world is turning toward the appeasement of dictators.

It was painful to watch last week’s meeting in the Oval Office, a room President George W. Bush has often called a “shrine to freedom.” President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance attacked Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the democratically-elected Ukrainian president who is leading the fight against a dictatorial aggressor.

To insinuate that Ukraine is somehow the perpetrator of the aggression, the saber-rattling toward World War III, and the impediment to peace is delusional. Nobody wants the war to end more than Ukrainians, who, after all, are the ones suffering and dying from Vladimir Putin’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The bombardment by Russia is constant. Peace will only come the day Russia ceases fighting. In the meantime, Ukrainians are justified in defending their sovereign territory.

..."

.

I think our former presidents should all speak out against Trump. JMO. All of the living former presidents have dealt with the extraordinary threats posed by Russia. In this, regardless of party affiliation, I think they agree. I would like to see President Bush speak out, along with Biden, Obama and Clinton. Also, former Joint Chiefs of Staff should speak out. All of them know that if Ukraine falls, Eastern Europe and the rest of Europe face a grave threat. All of them realize the importance of the alliances that Trump is threatening. JMO

 

[Warwick1991]

Putin believes that Crimea is Russian. You don't kill your countrymen if they are 'imprisoned' in a country not of their choosing. He's taking that position - Crimeans want to be part of Russia - based on the results of referendum that asked Crimea whether they believed they were part of Russia. The referendum was disseminated after Russia invaded Crimea. And after Putin passported every citizen of Crimea as being a Russian citizen. The phrase 'past performance is an indicator of future results' certainly must have resonated with the citizens of Crimea eg. mass murder, imprisonment, shipped to the Gulag, etc for anyone who bucks the system, criticizes the political party, or engages in protests, decided to keep their mouths shut and voted for their survival not their political leanings.

The history of Crimea is important to consider. Crimea and much of the northern Black Sea coast were once a part of the Ottoman Empire. Imperial Russia forced the Ottoman population to leave after conquest, and settled Russians into the conquered areas. In some respects, Putin is not unlike the Czars.

History of Crimea - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The book by UK historian Orlando Figes is comprehensive and describes the ethnic cleansing that was a part of Russian policy:

The Crimean War

From "the great storyteller of modern Russian historians" (Financial Times) comes the definitive account of the forgotten war that shaped the modern age.The ...

us.macmillan.com