Sure, but I’m impressed by the Moldovan Intelligence confirmation.
You’re right, that element does tend to lend it more credence.
If the war ends with NATO military forces openly deployed on Ukrainian soil, It’s a definite Ukrainian victory. In fact, Ukraine in NATO without all of its land returned is better off than Ukraine with all its land returned but not in NATO.
We’re discussing removing the Breaking-News tag from this thread to open the conversation up more and remove enforcement of reasonable hijacks.
No decision will be made before Monday and maybe later. The discussion is over here:
Politics and insults will still be prohibited of course.
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS POST in this thread.
I’m 90% sure that any “We’ll give you back the Crimea if you promise not to join NATO” treaty will last just about as long as it takes for Ukraine to re-occupy the Crimea. This whole war is basically Ukraine getting screwed because they believed the Russians would respect all the earlier treaties. There’s no way they’re going to (legitimately) take another kick at that football.
Well, not Spain, Portugal, Switzerland or Sweden. In any case, the statement that “the entire continental Europe took the side of the Nazis” is a gross mischaracterization, since most of the countries only did so after being invaded, conquered and set up with German puppet regimes, all while many of their inhabitants fought on against the Nazis in exile or in internal resistance.
Just to be clear, the attached map is of voluntary allies of Nazi Germany, not the nations that had been “invaded, conquered and set up with German puppet regimes”.
The European Axis did have a pretty large footprint without considering conquest. But it is very accurate to say that Germany did not come to control Western Europe without significant violence.
Exactly. The countries highlighted in the map do not represent “the entire continental Europe".
Post deleted; cross-posted with What_Exit?
So, in the latest criminal “War of the Cities” attack on Ukraine, Russia sent missiles through the airspace of non-belligerent nations (Moldova and Romania).
(Moldova is confirmed. Romania is claimed by Ukraine but not confirmed.)
We know what Russia thinks of Moldova.
But if they really put warshots through the airspace of a NATO nation, that’s stupidly reckless.
yes, and just like the missile(s) that landed on polish territory, RU has been very fast to react and dismiss this claim … → so there is a sense of urgency/importance for everything that might “upset” (or be a so-so-reason for NATO to step in)
Q: what would be Moldova’s chance to ask for a UN-mandate to protect their airspace (against ALL threats)? Is that completely unthinkable?
some deeper insight on the incompetence of russian armor attacks in Vuhledar
relevant part starts around 1:00 min timecode
Note to future self:
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1:40 min: if there is a natural passage in those wind-protection-tree alleys to pass easily through - they might be protected by anti-tank mines
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1:55 min: there might be anti-tank-mines for more than 1 tank in those places - like for 2 tanks
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3:05 min: don’t scoot around high-density-mine territory like joyriding a bumper-car … if all vehicles around you already exploded in the past 5 min due to mines, a good strategy is to backtrack your own trail
.
and a later picture of the Ukr. response in the same general area (not sure its the same place - but it should give you the overall idea)
…and all of that after the USSR literally took “the side of the Nazis” in their non-aggression pact and the division of Poland and other Eastern European countries between Germany and the USSR.
Moderating:
This is an official warning for failing to follow moderator instructions. Two hours ago, @What_Exit posted:
Depends very much on what your definition of “winning” is. A Russia that is a vassal state of China, facing internal revolt, depleted in resources and isolated on the rest of the world stage and in charge of a devastated country with a population that hates them with a passion is not exactly a “win”
Putin no longer cares about his depleted economy, or isolation on the world stage.
He has just one goal now-- to destroy Ukraine.
He can do that, and that’s a win.
And he won’t stop till he has won…
It may be a “win” in Putin’s tiny mind, but the end result is a Russia that is depleted, beholden to China and no longer a world power.
Only a “win” from one man’s twisted perspective is not a win.
It might be theoretically physically possible to do that, but it’s not guaranteed. If Russia runs out of long-distant missiles, or Ukraine’s missile defense improves enough, Russia might end up only being able to destroy what is within artillery range.
There’s no way Russia is going to take over all of Ukraine mile by mile. At some point, the front lines will become stagnant, and Ukraine will just declare a 20km border area where they won’t build anything new, and just deploy enough mobile forces and defense bunkers in the hot zone to keep the Russians in place. Then Russia can spend the next thirty years blowing up the same patches of ground every Tuesday and Thursday.
Until Ukraine accumulates enough offensive firepower to initiate a counteroffensive and take back that territory, and then (if necessary) declare a new DMZ for the Russians to impotently poke at.