So the main TV tower in Kyiv wasn’t struck by a missile? There weren’t dead people lying around street turned well-done crispy critter? The Babi Yar Holocaust memorial wasn’t damaged? There are no residential high-rises with rocket damage? We’ve just imagined it all?
Here is a link to a variety of images of war damage in Kyiv.
Seriously, keep up with current events a little better please.
That’s a tactic used in Eastern Europe for centuries for all sorts of invaders. It’s not like Ukraine will be allowed to plant food this year if the war runs into summer.
Actually, soldier that are young (18-25) men engaged in vigorous activity, which fighting a war tends to be, could in fact need that many calories on a daily basis. Even more in cold weather.
Maybe two weeks ago. Not so sure about that now.
Also - how do Dontesk and Lugansk feel about it? Or don’t they get a choice?
Well, as it happens, Rome has been bombarded. By both sides in the same war. You’d be surprised what people are capable of when they’re fixated on winning.
Oh, yeah - I’m assuming the Russians are trying to be intimidating and the Ukrainians are busy fighting a war and don’t give a flip.
Third possibility:
The drama about the NFZ is deliberate between Zelenskyy and NATO/EU acting as misdirection so the Russians are less likely to notice something else they’re doing.
What? I don’t know - that’s the point, it’s secret/not-obvious.
Likely? Maybe not, but unlikely things happen in war.
Could Zelenskyy pull off act like that? Sure - he is, after all, a professional actor.
I suspect, given how well the “actually a comedian” is doing running a war that he probably IS getting help from real military guys and listening to what they have to say.
I suspect you are correct. Wars like this tend to have fast learning curves…or really short ones. But that doesn’t mean he’s been clued in on all the intricacies, and he might not realize or have been told much about no-fly zones and how viable they would be projecting from other countries into the SAM envelope of a nation like Russia. Or, it could be misdirection, or he could be applying pressure for something else (you ask for one thing that you know you can’t or won’t get so you can push for something you could get).
This much is an incredibly bad idea. Right now, Vladdy has a very low level of support across Russia for this action. Most of the people really do not give much of a flying fuck about this issue and are pissed about their current situation. Taking out Vlad will allow the state’s media organs to maximise the martyr effect, reeling in rafts of popular support for razing Ukraine. Right now, he makes an easy ire magnet, but once gone, the misery being visited upon the motherland suddenly becomes all those other countries that are doing it to them.
I’m inclined to think that Zelensky is pushing the no fly zone idea because if he can get demonstrations across the west calling for a no fly zone it keeps up the pressure on Russia even though it has no chance of happening. If the public in the UK, France, and US are demanding more action rather than less, there’s less chance of weakening resolve on the sanctions that are in place. And those governments might find other ways to pressure Russia to keep their voters happy, even if it isn’t in the form of a no fly zone. Oil embargo, maybe?
Pretty sure @Euphonious_Polemic is suggesting that Putin be taken out by fellow Russians in a coup, not assassinated by the CIA.
Yes, this.
Apparently, the Kremlin has a list of countries that have been “unfriendly” towards Russia, including: Australia, UK, EU countries, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Korea, San Marino, Singapore, USA, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Japan.
San Marino and Liechtenstein? Iceland? Some of these entries seem arbitrary.
I thought it was being played on a subway somewhere in Manhattan by a couple of guys who look strangely like Michael Richards and Wayne Knight 
.
Wouldn’t it save time just to compile a list of countries that are “friendly”?
North Korea
Syria
Belarus
Eritrea
Sort of friendly so far:
China
India
It would be the thing that would hurt Putin et al the most. But it would also hurt the Europeans a lot…and so would America and most other countries. But it’s really Europe who would take the brunt of sanctions on oil…or gas, which, again, would impact Europe the most. I don’t know if there is political will for that level, but I would be for that, even though it would hit my own pocketbook as well. Of course, I don’t have to worry about not having gas to heat my home if another nasty polar vortex comes down and hits Europe, so it’s easier for me to say this than for them to live it.
Over 130 countries voted for a UN (non-binding) censure of Russia and this invasion, so you could probably put all of them on the list…though not all have imposed sanctions, so their hate list might be only those countries that have. IIRC, it was less than 30 who abstained (this includes India and China), and only like 5 who voted against and were clearly on Russia’s side (all are client states of Russia, again IIRC).
The New York Times, quoting a Ukrainian psychologist:
That’s awesome.
Do we know how many Ukrainian people have been killed? I heard or read an estimate of 250K, but I can’t recall where I heard or read it. Please tell me that’s not accurate.
I can’t imagine Ukraine ever forgiving this terrible deed. And they aren’t the only country who will now have hatred for Russia and its people. I saw an interview with a man at the border. I can’t recall if it was Poland or Hungary, but he was moved on the first or second day of the war to go to the border on his day off with a donation, and he hasn’t left since. He almost sobbed a few times from all the pain he was seeing on the faces of people he’s trying to help.
What a tragedy this all is. I know we don’t want to start World War III, but I’m not so sure Putin hasn’t already started it.
I haven’t heard anything close to that. More like 2000 or so, civilians anyway. That’s actually quite a lot. Soldiers, well…anywhere between 7000-12000 are the figures I recall off the top of my head.
Thanks XT, I’m consuming so much media about this, so I’m glad that I likely misheard.