Russian invasion of Ukraine

[jonnysensible]

This is one of those 'he was found tied to a chair at the bottom of a swimming pool with 36 stab wounds, russian authorities suspect suicide'

[Makabreska]

Welp, this "suicide attempt" sure did bring spotlight on to Russian nuke suitcase and how it works.

[Poopymonster]

This is one of those 'he was found tied to a chair at the bottom of a swimming pool with 36 stab wounds, russian authorities suspect suicide'

Clear case of suicide, he backed up onto the knife a dozen times.

[Marcellus1986]

I am?? Hahaha
Expressing non-popular believes!=Russian

Kekw.

Are you really going to make everyone forgot you fellating Russian nukes and missiles and their military in the MH316 thread? Or the resulting threads that followed?

You are a Kremlin shill through and through, just like Shalcker… only Shalcker gets paid to do it.

[jonnysensible]

ukraine eu candidate status
finland and sweden heading into nato
russian gdp contracting 8-10%

lets gooooooo

[Unholyground]

Tick tock, the war is coming to a close, Putin will be dead ever so soon and those left in charge afterwards are going to break and crumble like the pathetic weaklings they are. Ruasian will fall and and become even a smaller and weaker version of itself like the dolls they are famous for.

[Edge-]

Tick tock, the war is coming to a close, Putin will be dead ever so soon and those left in charge afterwards are going to break and crumble like the pathetic weaklings they are. Ruasian will fall and and become even a smaller and weaker version of itself like the dolls they are famous for.

I prefer to think it's just progressively smaller and smaller Putin's, all the way down.

[Santti]

Tick tock, the war is coming to a close, Putin will be dead ever so soon and those left in charge afterwards are going to break and crumble like the pathetic weaklings they are. Ruasian will fall and and become even a smaller and weaker version of itself like the dolls they are famous for.

Russia is fucked, but I'm not so sure Putin's demise would change much. Looking at how seemingly popular this war is in Russia, I consider this being Russian's war, rather than Putin's.

[Corvus]

Ukraine and Moldova both now have EU candidancy.

[Belize]

I prefer to think it's just progressively smaller and smaller Putin's, all the way down.

Russian Putins? Wait-

[Iphie]

Russia is fucked, but I'm not so sure Putin's demise would change much. Looking at how seemingly popular this war is in Russia, I consider this being Russian's war, rather than Putin's.

I'm not sure the polls are accurate, but the war is WAY too popular that's for sure. I do think putin's fall will change some things, they need to establish who is in charge for example, so that means that their ability to fight a war is diminished, then whoever wins will have to decide on continuation or not.

But as long as putin isn't gone this is all moot.

[Kaleredar]

Russia is fucked, but I'm not so sure Putin's demise would change much. Looking at how seemingly popular this war is in Russia, I consider this being Russian's war, rather than Putin's.

I say all the following knowing that I could indeed be off the mark here. Other people have proffered their ideas about what drives the Russian "zeitgeist" if you will, ranging from "seeing themselves as vassals of the Russian empire, giving of their lives freely to the czar" to "expansionist war-mongering huns through and through," and I don't... get that impression.

I get the impression that the Russian people are generally... well, apathetic and resigned towards things that don't personally involve them. They've faced decades and several generations of what is essentially institutionalized repression from a corrupt government that prides itself on being able to strong-arm the public and has the infrastructure to do that with a tight control on narrative and the ability to use force against whoever and whomever they wish, all dressed up under a slimy veneer of pretense and justification from their government that either shifts blame or ducks responsibility, meaning that nobody is really ever held accountable for any problems, such that 1) complaining about the problem probably wont result in anything from anybody with the power to do anything about it, 2) nobody is ever going to hear about your complaint, and 3) you face potential danger for speaking out in the first place. They've effectively been taught to keep their heads low, tow the line, and just kind of try to carry on with your business. And the war in Ukraine is no exception.

This war doesn't personally involve much of the Russian public, and while they may be experiencing economic hardship and increasing shortages and scarcity as the world passes them by with no real end or potential for that to get better in sight... what does speaking out get them? At best ignored, potentially, thrown in jail, and perhaps even worse? So they keep their heads low, stick their thumbs in their pockets, say what the government wants them to say, and continue on with whatever the new "norm" is in a complacent manner, because they know their lives and the lives of their love ones can swiftly be made much worse. "Better a dead Ukrainian, than a dead me," perhaps.

To wit, if Putin died tomorrow, and/or Russia pulled its troops out, I don't get the notion that the majority of Russia would be particularly saddened over the prospect. They have no personal long-term stake in the future of Russia's global hegemony or lack thereof, they just care about getting through the week.


And of course this is all generalizing. I had a professor who had emigrated from Russia and absolutely hated Putin. There were protests in Russia against the war when it broke out. And of course groups like Pussy Riot exist that are long-term thorns in the side of the Russian establishment, constantly voicing their discontent with the government (and often being incarcerated under trumped up charges for it.) On the other side of that coin I'm sure there are staunch Russian adherents who are terrified of the NATO boogieman and who genuinely believe the Ukrainians need to be raped and executed. There are some that pop up in this very thread periodically and get sent on forum vacations.

But like I said, my overall impression is not that they're hungering warmongers, or see themselves as servants of the government, or even that they're some great, disgruntled mass yearning to be free. I see complacency arising from a state of fear, brought forth by decades of repression. Their opinions, officially, are whatever the government tells them, and privately aren't really important because they know better than to voice them in earnest.

[postman1782]

I am?? Hahaha
Expressing non-popular believes!=Russian

You have admitted to this, several times on this forum.

[Marcellus1986]

You have admitted to this, several times on this forum.

He’s not only Russian, but apparently Canadian, Italian, French and Polish as well depending on what his two brain cells rub together before he posts. It’s his shtick to make up his nationalities to appear neutral when his posts show that he is anything but.

[Kaleredar]

Remember this gem 4 years after they annexed Crimea?

I mean, I guess he was ultimately right… Russia didn’t build an army capable of invading!

[Kallisto]

I'm not sure the polls are accurate, but the war is WAY too popular that's for sure. I do think putin's fall will change some things, they need to establish who is in charge for example, so that means that their ability to fight a war is diminished, then whoever wins will have to decide on continuation or not.

But as long as putin isn't gone this is all moot.

Russia polls are shitty. Those who oppose Putin generally refuse to answer as a means to not get themselves killed or missing somewhere in Siberia.

[Corvus]

Even Russian SAMs don't like the Russians...

[Iphie]

Even Russian SAMs don't like the Russians...

That can't be good for the underpants of those soldiers, I mean seeing your own missile turn around and come back? Nasty!

Edit: I can't believe it took me an hour to come up with: "That gives a whole new meaning to the phrase:'Return fire'."

[Crispin]

You have admitted to this, several times on this forum.

My impression was that he's Greek, somehow living in Canda sometimes and Italy, yet completely ignorant to internatiol politics.

Basically a Yuppie that's slightly older and luckily dropped the constant "tHey' haS nuKeZ!!111" bullshit.

4 months in, and Donbass still is not completely occupied, last I read was that Ukraine still controls some 50% of Donetsk.

The Russia military is an absolute joke and I have no doubt that the EU would be superior even without the UK and the US, considering the far better equipment and training compared to the Ukranians.

[Verdugo]

Even Russian SAMs don't like the Russians...

I hate when that happens to me while playing worms.