Is Russia just about to invade Ukraine?

[DEADPOOL]

Fair enough, I'd not seen that piece but also I'd not noticed Biden being pushed into anything by Putin.

Despite being a weak leader, etc, yada yada.

Lets face it, I only heard most of my info on Radio 4 on my way to work between 06:15 and 07:00 and news is a bit thin on the ground at that time of day.

Wrong.

[DEADPOOL]

ftfy

Did it work then?

Seems that Biden rattled Putin's cage and called his bluff.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... phone-call

According to the White House, Biden pressed Putin on Russia’s military buildup, saying that he “emphasised the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

So no, I don't think it worked.

Putin can see Biden for what he is (or as I keep saying “isn’t”). He is a weak puppet for the creeping corporatisation of democracy.

The rule of law is being written for the benefit of corporate interest. I could hardly believe “The West” or particularly, the US would impose sanctions on Russia, until I saw just how weak the response was to a pretty obvious build up to invasion. Putin obviously saw that too.

[DEADPOOL]

Oh great. He's back.

Did you miss me? I just came back to say “I told you so”.

I think I may have overegged it. But what the fuck, it was fun to see so many people more keen to criticise me for being a conspiracy theorist nut job than to consider what someone like Putin is capable of.

If China are ever going to “reunify” Taiwan, right about now would be my guess.

But what do I know? Tinfoil hat nutter who just happens to guess right….

[Asian Boss]

Fair enough, I'd not seen that piece but also I'd not noticed Biden being pushed into anything by Putin.

Despite being a weak leader, etc, yada yada.

Lets face it, I only heard most of my info on Radio 4 on my way to work between 06:15 and 07:00 and news is a bit thin on the ground at that time of day.

Wrong.

I'll be the judge of that.

[DefTrap]

Wrong.

Sorry I'm late, I was busy responding to the other guy who thinks it's the fault of a weak EU.

[Screwdriver]

Did you miss me? I just came back to say “I told you so”.

I think I may have overegged it.

Ya think?

[demographic]

Did you miss me? I just came back to say “I told you so”.

I think I may have overegged it.

Ya think?

Err, you're agreeing with your other username now?


Okaaaay.

[Felix]

That will teach the bastards https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60530513

[Cousin Jack]

That will teach the bastards https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60530513

Now if we can only get them to ban us too .................

[Felix]

That will teach the bastards https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60530513

Now if we can only get them to ban us too .................

On the news earlier when they were shouting for calls to ban them the organisers were saying no as politics have nothing to do with the competition. Aye right. Brexit is behind us getting no points the last time out. Saying that its well past its sell by date

[DEADPOOL]

[Screwdriver]

I think Putin is in deep shit. This escalation is nothing compared to what he might be prepared to do. In fact, I suspect what he NEEDS right now is for NATO to join in and I think he is literally goading us to join in for a proper war.

Clearly this "first wave" is a conscript army of cannon fodder. Now why would he be holding his best troops/weaponry in reserve when things are going so badly? Answer: he needs the West to give him the excuse to escalate.

This "no fly zone" nonsense is a good example. Even if Poland had managed to use the US base in Germany to "donate" Migs to the Ukranian air force, Putin would have used that as a green light, claimed (rightly imho) that the US/NATO are now engaged and hey presto: World War 3.

[Mussels]

Russia's mess so far may play into China's hands with Russia ending up it's bitch for the next few years but China will not want ww3, it's going to need to do something soon.

[Screwdriver]

Russia's mess so far may play into China's hands with Russia ending up it's bitch for the next few years but China will not want ww3, it's going to need to do something soon.

I have no doubt it does play into the hands of both the CCP and the rich/powerful (so long as you're not mates with Putin). Quite what China are doing to influence these events is unclear but while it is a vastly complex subject, you can bet your bottom dollar they're involved one way or another.

Weapons manufacturers (and that is a BIG business!) rub their hands with glee at the prospect of a decent war. So do their shareholders and the shadowy figures behind the top asset management firms who basically run this planet.

It sort of beggars belief that the USA for example would casually leave $80 billion dollars worth of arms and munitions behind during the humiliating departure of the USA from Afghanistan. But when you think about it, it doesn't matter whether these weapons get used or not. They've done their job.

Millions/billions/trillions are taken from the public purse, given to the war business and that's all they're interested in. What happens next nobody really cares unless it serves the interest of the rich/powerful and we know what their interests are. Personal enrichment and more power so they can have even more riches.

Putin is clearly a mindless thug, albeit a rather crafty and devious thug. I do worry what he might be capable of and this recent "projection" from the Kremlin suggesting Ukraine might use chemical weapons is a chilling reminder of the typical Russian modus operandi: claim somebody else is doing X then get their "revenge" in first.

What a shit show...

[JamJar]

Putin is clearly a mindless thug, albeit a rather crafty and devious thug. I do worry what he might be capable of and this recent "projection" from the Kremlin suggesting Ukraine might use chemical weapons is a chilling reminder of the typical Russian modus operandi: claim somebody else is doing X then get their "revenge" in first.

Russian modus operandi?

I think Putin might be laughing out loud using the excuse about chemical weapons, if he can manage to say it with a straight face then he'll be trolling the west because that's the same lies they used to start the most recent Middle East crusades.

Using the excuse that they might have chemical weapons to enable an invasion....what sort of uncivilised nation would do such a thing

They're not using it as an excuse for an invasion they are saying they are expecting Ukraine to use chemical weapons in "false flag" operations so that they can use the weapons and convince their people it was the Ukrainians wot did it. Just like they did in Syria.

[Ant]

Wouldn't have happened with Trump in the White House.

[Screwdriver]

They're not using it as an excuse for an invasion they are saying they are expecting Ukraine to use chemical weapons in "false flag" operations so that they can use the weapons and convince their people it was the Ukrainians wot did it. Just like they did in Syria.

I think the "false flag" op's are too easy to spot now. Instead the Russians will say that Ukraine has bio/chem weapons and therefore they have some "right" to use them first. Not as if anyone is going to stop him currently, he'll just do it. Chlorine gas I barrel bombs I should expect.

The mainstream media is a constant source of disinformation, even here. While Putin is clearly a deranged untrustworthy propagandist, they have recently occupied an area where the US did in fact have a "biological research" station. Should come as a surprise to no-one and is common knowledge for those who can be bothered to look. I seem to recall some website or other actually promoting this "research facility" as evidence of US/Ukraine cooperation.

Naturally Putin is waving this around as some sort of excuse/reason for his own use of chem/bio weapons but the BBC simply flatly deny the story, calling it "fake" when a microscopic amount of actual journalism would discover it is actually true.

The bonus with exterminating the population with poison gas is that eventually, Russia can have their military parade in a nice clean square rather than the bombsite that Ukraine would otherwise become.

[Mussels]

They're not using it as an excuse for an invasion they are saying they are expecting Ukraine to use chemical weapons in "false flag" operations so that they can use the weapons and convince their people it was the Ukrainians wot did it. Just like they did in Syria.

I think the "false flag" op's are too easy to spot now. Instead the Russians will say that Ukraine has bio/chem weapons and therefore they have some "right" to use them first. Not as if anyone is going to stop him currently, he'll just do it. Chlorine gas I barrel bombs I should expect.

The mainstream media is a constant source of disinformation, even here. While Putin is clearly a deranged untrustworthy propagandist, they have recently occupied an area where the US did in fact have a "biological research" station. Should come as a surprise to no-one and is common knowledge for those who can be bothered to look. I seem to recall some website or other actually promoting this "research facility" as evidence of US/Ukraine cooperation.

Naturally Putin is waving this around as some sort of excuse/reason for his own use of chem/bio weapons but the BBC simply flatly deny the story, calling it "fake" when a microscopic amount of actual journalism would discover it is actually true.

The bonus with exterminating the population with poison gas is that eventually, Russia can have their military parade in a nice clean square rather than the bombsite that Ukraine would otherwise become.

What are they calling fake, the research centre or it being a bio-weapons facilty?
Very few news agencies seem to be printing outright lies but they are choosing words carefully to change the impression they give, even Pravda articles I've looked at are careful not to print anything that can be clearly disproved through an internet search.
An example is claims of genocide from both sides, it's subjective and hard to prove wrong and is being overused but it gives frothy mouthed people something to repeat.

[Screwdriver]

What are they calling fake, the research centre or it being a bio-weapons facilty?
Very few news agencies seem to be printing outright lies but they are choosing words carefully to change the impression they give, even Pravda articles I've looked at are careful not to print anything that can be clearly disproved through an internet search.
An example is claims of genocide from both sides, it's subjective and hard to prove wrong and is being overused but it gives frothy mouthed people something to repeat.

Well that is the crux of the matter and something for example Snopes relies on when it calls something "fake news" only to read their own article and discover the claim is actually true. Snopes do this with the headline "FALSE" and only in the small print do you realise they have changed the actual question ever so slightly (straw man) then called that false while the actual story they are dubunking is true.

The other problem is the so called "wilderness of mirrors". So much scattered and conflicting information that the chance of finding the truth is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I am led to believe both Russia and China have entire departments dedicated to scattering disinformation when it suits them. And YouTube are quite happy to carry it when it suits their left wing agenda. Look how many fake "Fox News" channels appear to persist.

But yes, the Whitehouse does choose its words extremely carefully so when they say the "reject" those claims (of having a bioweapons facility in the Ukraine) they might be rejecting the entirety of the precise statement from Putin (who is no stranger to hyperbole) when the truth is, the substantive issue as to whether or not the US has a bioweapons research facility in the Ukraine is actually true.

So when Putin says "the Ukrainians are planning to use bioweapons" and "the US has a bioweapons facility here" in the same paragraph/sentence/statement, logically one can declare such a statement false because who knows what the Ukrainians are planning.

[DefTrap]

Wouldn't have happened with Trump in the White House.

Trump is probably doing himself a mischief just thinking about it.

Trump's erratic behaviour might have made Putin think twice I suppose. You may as well live with a rabid dog for protection and hope it likes you enough not to bite you.