A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

Russia has a clear culture like France, Italy, or Nordic countries.






Let's hope Putin will be taken down before everything get into ashes.

Yes and no. Russia is alot more militaristic. But that is just my personal opinion.

I think what me meant were these cultures are old and have a standard and distinct character by now. I think France is as militaristic as Russia and handed them most of their ass whippings throughout history.



This is a salient point. People discuss giving up Crimea, Donbass, and other occupied areas for peace. I ask if they wish to give up half of Texas and New Mexico for peace if the Mexicans ever tried to come back and take their ancestral homelands. It would be the same thing.

In a world where strength dictates everything they want to enable Russia when they clearly aren't up to the task.

The tone of the war will change when Ukrainian forces start striking targets within Russia because if Russia doesn't back off it will experience war at home. A fuel depot was already attacked in Russia proper. Russian negotiators actually complained about Ukraine attacking them when it was only a special helicopter operation. Fake indignation is eye rolling.

https://www.reuters.com/world/ukraine-strikes-fuel-depot-russias-belgorod-regional-official-says-2022-04-01/

Russia might have shot it themselves as well.

This post was edited by Skinned on Apr 2 2022 06:36am

Like any country, down from middle ages or Mongol invasions. Still soviet era is a big print. Now as a conventional real military power i think we have the definitive proof it's not the case anymore.
Btw Russia has an historic reputation of being good in defending its lands but not as a conquerer.

I personally think the sudden open up of Russia when the Soviet Union was disbanded, played a large part in this current situation. Back in the 90s Russia was a crazy cowboy town. I don't even know where I should start talking about it.
I just hope we see the end of the light. Covid is just starting to get under control and now this...

This is demented. The Russian aggression of the past 2 months was the final nail in the coffin for Ukraine being allied in spirit with the West/NATO. Even worse (from the Russian pov): the ruthless attacks on cities like Kharkiv will have turned a sizeable share of the ethnic Russians living there against Russia and pushed them toward the camp of the Ukrainian government.

Yes, Ukraine will officially pledge neutrality in an eventual peace treaty, but they will be even more steadfast in their rejection of Russia and its interests as well as their orientation toward the West - and the Russian brutality experienced by the common people will increase the political majorities for this course. Before the invasion, there was an argument to be made that some deference to Russia's interests would foster a peaceful coexistence and be the more prudent approach. This "Russia can and should be appeased"-argument has gone up in flames more quickly than a rusty T-72 hit by a javelin.

It is not Ukraine's call to make... it is the US and EU. Russia did not invade Ukraine to win their hearts and minds, they did so to negotiate with US and NATO. Time will tell how things will turn out.

If the plan was to get rid of the Soviet rusty stuff and show off some brand new then it didn't work.

I don't know but pretending some individual member states have any real voice is naïve. We run NATO and behind closed doors we can mold consensus. I don't know if it would of taken them 3 years or 10 years, but from the language it was inevitable.