Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Elder Millennial]

Well...I expected the whole thing would fall apart by Monday. I was 4 days off.

[Wilian]

Telegraph has uncovered that Trump has plans to soon recognice all invaded territorities as legitimate part of Russia with their sham of a peace deal.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-ne...art-of-russia/

[En Sabah Nur]

Telegraph has uncovered that Trump has plans to soon recognice all invaded territorities as legitimate part of Russia with their sham of a peace deal.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-ne...art-of-russia/

In other words, he couldn't actually get a real peace deal done, so he plans to just give Russia whatever it wants and hope Putin says yes.

Single phone call indeed.

[Kaleredar]

In other words, he couldn't actually get a real peace deal done, so he plans to just give Russia whatever it wants and hope Putin says yes.

Single phone call indeed.

Which of course Ukraine is under no obligation to follow.

[alach]

The larger news coming from Ukraine has been rather depressing of late, and the turnip-munching, single-celled fart huffer russiaboos are out in full force shouting from their unfinished brick domociles that victory for russia is on the horizon.
Because of this I wanted to quote an article from the ISW.

The frontline in Ukraine is not facing imminent collapse despite recent Russian gains and Kremlin assertions. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed during a press conference with Russian state media in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on November 27 that Russia is making significant gains across the frontline such that Ukraine and the West should concede to Russia’s demands before the situation worsens for Ukraine.[1] Putin implied that some Western officials are attempting to rush the US-proposed peace plan because they fear that Russian forces will collapse sectors of the frontline in Ukraine, destroy Ukraine’s most combat-capable elite units, and degrade the combat effectiveness of the Ukrainian military writ large. Putin claimed that these Western officials are willing to achieve a quick peace even at the expense of Ukrainian concessions. Putin then made a series of exaggerated claims about purported Russian battlefield gains, including that Russian forces have completed the seizure of Kupyansk; captured about 70 percent of Pokrovsk and completely encircled both Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad; seized just over 21 percent of all buildings in Siversk; seized most of Vovchansk; and advanced within one to two kilometers of Hulyaipole.[2] ISW has observed evidence to assess that Russian forces have only seized 15.72 percent of Kupyansk, 64.48 percent of Pokrovsk, 10.14 percent of Myrnohrad, 2.16 percent of Siversk, and 35.66 percent of Vovchansk; and that Russian forces have advanced within two kilometers of Hulyaipole from the east. Putin also claimed that Russian forces have seized a “significant” amount of territory in “Komsomolsk,” even though there is no city in Ukraine with this name.[3] Putin may have been referring to Kostyantynivka, although ISW has observed evidence to assess that Russian forces have advanced in just 0.07 percent of Kostyantynivka. Though the situation in specific sectors of the frontline is serious, especially in the Pokrovsk and Hulyaipole directions, most of Putin’s assertions are exaggerated and do not correspond to the battlefield reality he claims to represent, nor do they indicate that the frontlines in Ukraine will collapse imminently.

Russian state media is leveraging Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent statements to intensify the false narrative that the frontline in Ukraine will imminently collapse, likely in an effort to coerce the West and Ukraine into capitulating to Russian demands that Russia cannot secure itself militarily. ISW continues to assess that the frontline in Ukraine is not facing imminent collapse.

ISW

It sucks to have such a miserable and pointless excuse for a human in the White House basically dragging this war out because of his greed and inepitude, but we knew this was going to happen soon as the election results were called. But hey, a reminder to those of us who like democracy, personal freedom and liberty, when you encounter a pro-russian doomsayer, remind him that we know where his salary is coming from.
And lastly, for a couple here that "support" Ukraine in theory, but don't want them joining the EU because they worry Ukraine would tarnish the EU's image or depress their own personal life standard, at least Zelensky is actually doing something about the corruption. Daily and transparently, including some very big and important figures being outed. I haven't seen anything like that happen in a few of the EU's more corrupt members. Respect is earned through actions like that.

[Deus Mortis]

The larger news coming from Ukraine has been rather depressing of late, and the turnip-munching, single-celled fart huffer russiaboos are out in full force shouting from their unfinished brick domociles that victory for russia is on the horizon.
Because of this I wanted to quote an article from the ISW.


ISW

It sucks to have such a miserable and pointless excuse for a human in the White House basically dragging this war out because of his greed and inepitude, but we knew this was going to happen soon as the election results were called. But hey, a reminder to those of us who like democracy, personal freedom and liberty, when you encounter a pro-russian doomsayer, remind him that we know where his salary is coming from.
And lastly, for a couple here that "support" Ukraine in theory, but don't want them joining the EU because they worry Ukraine would tarnish the EU's image or depress their own personal life standard, at least Zelensky is actually doing something about the corruption. Daily and transparently, including some very big and important figures being outed. I haven't seen anything like that happen in a few of the EU's more corrupt members. Respect is earned through actions like that.

Those very same agencies that are rooting out this corruption were almost killed due to Zelensky and his administration and would of been if the backlash from his own people and the powers giving his country aid weren't so swift.
https://kyivindependent.com/bill-sub...nerals-office/

Zelensky signs law destroying independence of Ukraine's key anti-corruption bodies

President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 22 signed into law a bill that effectively destroys the independence of Ukraine's two key anti-corruption institutions, according to opposition lawmakers and watchdogs.

Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) approved amendments that grant the prosecutor general new powers over investigations led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and cases led by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).

The step comes as Ukrainian authorities ramp up pressure against the two agencies established as part of the anti-graft reforms after the EuroMaidan Revolution.

The bill was passed with the support of 263 lawmakers, with 13 voting against it and 13 abstaining. As the legislation made its way to Zelensky's desk for his approval or veto, protestors gathered in Kyiv and other major cities across the country to demand the president veto the law.

The protests were still underway when Zelensky signed the bill.

The law has already been published on Holos Ukrayini (Voice of Ukraine), a Ukrainian newspaper that publishes laws passed by parliament when they enter into force the following day. Protests continued into the night as the law officially entered into force on July 23.

Under the new bill, the prosecutor general has the authority to issue directions in NABU's investigations — or even reassign them outside the agency. It would also allow the prosecutor general to delegate SAPO's powers to other prosecutors.

Among other new powers, the prosecutor general could also close NABU's investigations at the legal defense's request.

Them overturning the law.
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/01/nx-s1...ption-agencies

KYIV, Ukraine — After a public outcry and pressure from the European Union, a new law is now in force in Ukraine restoring the independence of state agencies investigating corruption.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced this bill after facing his first major domestic political crisis since Russia's full-scale invasion three and a half years ago. He and Ukraine's parliament reversed course after approving a previous bill to place anti-corruption agencies under a Zelenskyy-backed prosecutor.

Thousands of Ukrainians took the streets in protest, calling it an authoritarian move.

"It is very important that the state listens to public opinion and hears its citizens," Zelenskyy said in a video address on Thursday. "Ukraine is a democracy for sure. There is no doubt."

The two agencies — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office — were created after 2014, when a pro-democracy revolution brought down a corrupt, Kremlin-aligned president, Viktor Yanukovych. The EU, which has given Ukraine more than $178 billion since January 2022, sees these agencies as crucial to institutional reforms Ukraine is required to complete before the country possibly joins the 27-member bloc.

After last week's move to weaken the anti-corruption agencies, the EU froze $1.7 billion in non-military aid. Writing on social media, Marta Kos, the EU commissioner for enlargement, said the new law "restores key safeguards but challenges remain."

I am fine with Ukraine joining the EU and Nato, but don't discount those who have very real reservations about letting them into these groups.

[LeGin v4]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyp...7871069dc#post

Putin:

"In Ukraine we act with surgical precision, in an accurate way. So? That's not war in the real, in the modern sense of that word."

1m+ dead (mostly on his own side) and "that's not war"

"We are not going to fight with Europe, I have already said this a hundred times. But if Europe wants to fight with us, we are ready to do so right now."

Ramping up the rhetoric, in the knowledge Trump's got his back

How long do you think it'll be before the US is actually arming Russia?

Divvy out the spoils. Trump will want Scotland, so I guess at least that's safe from a nuclear tidal wave

[alach]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyp...7871069dc#post

Putin:

"In Ukraine we act with surgical precision, in an accurate way. So? That's not war in the real, in the modern sense of that word."

1m+ dead (mostly on his own side) and "that's not war"

"We are not going to fight with Europe, I have already said this a hundred times. But if Europe wants to fight with us, we are ready to do so right now."

Ramping up the rhetoric, in the knowledge Trump's got his back

How long do you think it'll be before the US is actually arming Russia?

Divvy out the spoils. Trump will want Scotland, so I guess at least that's safe from a nuclear tidal wave

And we have Kushner and Witkoff there proposing a peace deal - no wait, I mean making real estate deals over the bodies of Ukrainians who died defending their homeland.
I predict nothing public will come from this meeting and we will be right back at the beginning, but Kushner and Witkoff will be a little bit richer. Every time trump and co. talk about this war shows they have zero knowledge about it - starting with how he is sure putin wants peace.

[LeGin v4]

And we have Kushner and Witkoff there proposing a peace deal - no wait, I mean making real estate deals over the bodies of Ukrainians who died defending their homeland.
I predict nothing public will come from this meeting and we will be right back at the beginning, but Kushner and Witkoff will be a little bit richer. Every time trump and co. talk about this war shows they have zero knowledge about it - starting with how he is sure putin wants peace.

I want NATO to follow through with this:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-b2876123.html

If not NATO, then I want to see Europe, at least, call Putin's bluff. If he's not bluffing, well, so be it

Appeasement won't work. The alternative is only pushed further down the line. It's all a complete waste of time. The only argument is that buying time will benefit Europe. But not sure how when e.g., UK is still arguing with the EU about access to SAFE https://www.reuters.com/business/aer...wn-2025-11-28/

In the meantime, as you say, the US is going to do its thing

[Valdhammer]

Ukraine and Europe must reject any plan that Trump and Putin cook up and that’s not in the best interest of Europe and Ukraine. What I have seen so far doesn’t look like a peace plan but a plan to enrich Trump and Putin at everyone else’s expense.

[Gorsameth]

Ukraine and Europe must reject any plan that Trump and Putin cook up and that’s not in the best interest of Europe and Ukraine. What I have seen so far doesn’t look like a peace plan but a plan to enrich Trump and Putin at everyone else’s expense.

They are, the difficulty is in trying not to completely alienate Trump's America because Ukraine needs their weapons.

So instead of saying "No your a fucking idiot" they have to massage the deal and the Americans and get them to make the deal more considerate for Ukraine, which means Russia has to reject it and then they can push blame onto Russia instead of Ukraine. We've seen this happen multiple times before already and it will keep happening more.

Its stupid that the American voters decided to shit the bed so this is what the rest of the world is dealing with.

[Elder Millennial]

It actually seems that impetus for the Trump&Putin peace deal is coming out of a coalition of MAGA aligned business and businessmen and oil companies who back-channeled themselves promises for massive business deals in Russia which would allow them to buy out vast segments of the Russian energy and mineral industry, or to revive contracts they were forced to suspend after 2022.

Kushner seems to be to facilitator in this.

I don't think Trump much cares which way the war goes, he cares about enriching his buddies and this seems to be their latest money making scheme.

If Ukraine and the EU want to counter this "peace deal" they'll have to target the economics of the deal. Make it clear that they'll make these deals unviable and get business groups that don't have pro-Russian interests or future business deals lined up to start lobbying the administration on behalf of Ukraine.

[alach]

Yeah, for sure.
I mean, who even are these guys? They are not diplomats, they aren't trained to be negotiators. They are businessmen. They are there to do business, for themselves and for the trump family. Kushner was at the Middle East table talks for as well, and it was reported her closed several multi-million dollar deals while there. The Ukrainians are right not to trust these guys. Who here complained about Hunter Biden crime family and yet has no complaints about the corruption on full display in this administration?
Sigh.

Anyways, 5 hours of talking with putin's team led nowhere. Shock! Apparently after the american delegation finished up shopping in Red Square, putin's team kept them waiting for awhile, then lectured them on russian history for an hour. Fun times. Totally not pointless.
Its going to end like this again and again, until trump melon of a head realizes putin has zero incentive for peace. Or, like mentioned, he probably just doesn't care and looking to pass the buck, like complaining Europe is still buying russian gas and oil then a month later giving Hungary a break for sanctions.

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner attended the talks after weeks of intensive diplomacy aimed at ending the war. The US team has not commented since leaving Moscow.

Earlier on Tuesday, Putin said changes proposed by Kyiv and Europe to a US-backed draft peace plan were unacceptable, adding if Europe "wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now".

Can we please end this guy already? Destroy the entire Kremlin and be done with it. Too liberal death cult? Fine, send in special forces and snipe the bastard before he kills any more children. Sounds to me he is declaring war on all of us living in Europe.

This original article is from the WSJ, and thus, paywalled. But I found a summary or something, anyways, you get the idea.

Make money not war: Trump’s real plan for peace in Ukraine

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Wall Street Journal or enjoy below:

Driving the news: A group of influential American and Russian businessmen met in Miami Beach to chart an economic plan aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine — one that would reopen Russia’s $2 trillion economy to U.S. companies ahead of European rivals
• According to people familiar with the talks, the Kremlin has promoted this “peace through business” framework to the Trump administration, and both the president and his envoy have signalled openness to the idea

The context: With the conflict stalled and sanctions weighing on Russia, Moscow is seeking alternative pathways to regain international economic access
• President Trump has long argued that economic incentives can achieve strategic outcomes where diplomacy has stalled, diverging from Europe’s insistence on maintaining strict sanctions and Ukrainian territorial conditions
• European governments fear Washington may sidestep them, creating a settlement that prioritizes U.S. business interests over collective security

Why it matters for the planet: A settlement built around commercial reintegration could significantly reshape global energy markets
• Renewed U.S. access to Russian oil, gas and mineral sectors risks expanding fossil fuel output at a time when global climate targets require steep reductions

[alach]

Man, I hate to bump my own posts, but it seems trump has distracted all the regulars into forgetting there is as actual, physical war for democracy just hours from the heart of Europe. To prove that it is close to home I'll start with,

Russia’s Putin found ‘morally responsible’ for nerve agent death in UK
I mean, we already this, but its nice to have evidence for the day he pays for crimes.

A public inquiry has found that Russian President Vladimir Putin bears “moral responsibility” for the death of a British woman in a nerve agent attack in the English city of Salisbury in March 2018, with the UK government responding by sanctioning the Russian intelligence agency (GRU) accused of carrying it out.

Speaking on Thursday after the inquiry’s findings were published, its chair, Anthony Hughes, a former senior judge, said Putin had “authorised the mission” to assassinate the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.

And while trump keeps proclaiming how much russia wants peace, ignoring every scholar, historian, and acedemic as usual, putin just came out and said it this week.

Putin says Russia will take Donbas by force or Ukraine's troops will withdraw.

President Vladimir Putin has warned again that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from Ukraine's eastern Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war in Ukraine.

"Either we liberate these territories by force, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories," he told India Today. Moscow controls some 85% of Donbas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory.

Putin's comments come after Donald Trump said his negotiators discussing a US peace plan believed Russia's leader "would like to end the war" after Tuesday's talks in Moscow.

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in Moscow, was due to meet Ukraine's team in Florida.

And more threats,
Russia mocks EU deliberations on frozen assets, says seizure will prompt 'harshest response'

MOSCOW, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday that any "illegal action" by the European Union in relation to its frozen assets would elicit "the harshest reaction", and that Moscow was already preparing its response.

Ukraine war latest: Russia using peace talks as cover to capture more land, top Ukrainian general tells Sky News

Russia is using peace talks as cover to seize more land by force, the head of the Ukrainian armed forces has told Sky News. Vladimir Putin has been visiting India today, after the Kremlin said it's waiting for a US response after negotiations in Moscow.

Here is what it is costing him.
Russian losses in the war with Ukraine.
Mediazona count, updated

Heres some more troubling news from the US's security plan released on Friday.

Trump’s national security strategy slams European allies as weakened by immigration and censorship policies, suggesting Europe faces “civilizational erasure” without reform.
The strategy shifts U.S. focus to Western Hemisphere dominance, applying a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine for combating drug trafficking and cartels.
While seeking to broker Ukraine peace, the strategy prioritizes improving ties with Russia, reversing Biden’s approach of reinforcing traditional alliances.

Which leads to headlines like;
Macron warned US could ‘betray’ Ukraine in leaked leaders’ call, Spiegel reports
Pretty scary stuff. I guess those of us living in Eastern Europe should start learning russian, with the endorsement of the American President.

[thilicen]

I want NATO to follow through with this:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-b2876123.html

If not NATO, then I want to see Europe, at least, call Putin's bluff. If he's not bluffing, well, so be it

Appeasement won't work. The alternative is only pushed further down the line. It's all a complete waste of time. The only argument is that buying time will benefit Europe. But not sure how when e.g., UK is still arguing with the EU about access to SAFE https://www.reuters.com/business/aer...wn-2025-11-28/

In the meantime, as you say, the US is going to do its thing

If a war breaks out while Trump is in charge, the US will be on the front lines fighting with Russia.

[Fugus]

If a war breaks out while Trump is in charge, the US will be on the front lines fighting with Russia.

At which point the US will be the target of our allies and will have to spend its time defending itself from both Mexico and Canada as a huge portion of our own people aid them. And not sure just how much of the military would defect at that point but I suspect it would be felt.

The US might be the biggest military force in NATO, but it’s not bigger than NATO and a good portion of our strength actually comes from that alliance.

[thilicen]

At which point the US will be the target of our allies and will have to spend its time defending itself from both Mexico and Canada as a huge portion of our own people aid them. And not sure just how much of the military would defect at that point but I suspect it would be felt.

The US might be the biggest military force in NATO, but it’s not bigger than NATO and a good portion of our strength actually comes from that alliance.

You're probably right, and normally that train of thought would be enough to put me at ease. But these times are anything but normal, and a borderline psychopath like Trump combined with Putin and their nuclear arsenals gives me chills. I could see Trump being butthurt enough over Ukraine refusing to capitulate that he'd flat out just join Russia to speed shit up. Any rational human being would be able to navigate this shit, but with Trump the best we can hope for is that he's too busy putting out fires at home too get the ball rolling until someone else takes over in three years.

[Fugus]

You're probably right, and normally that train of thought would be enough to put me at ease. But these times are anything but normal, and a borderline psychopath like Trump combined with Putin and their nuclear arsenals gives me chills. I could see Trump being butthurt enough over Ukraine refusing to capitulate that he just joins Russia to speed shit up. Any rational human being would be able to navigate this shit, but with Trump the best we can hope for is that he's too busy putting out fires at home too get the ball rolling before someone else takes over in three years.

Oh, I fully agree Trump would give that order if he thought it would be followed or us just too senile to realize.

But what do you think the Republicans in congress and senate and our own military leaders would do when they are confronted with the choice of defying Trump or going to war with a force with our own allies across the globe and our own borders while simultaneously striking off a civil war here that they know they can’t win.

That most likely would be the order that got Trump removed from power.

[thilicen]

Oh, I fully agree Trump would give that order if he thought it would be followed or us just too senile to realize.

But what do you think the Republicans in congress and senate and our own military leaders would do when they are confronted with the choice of defying Trump or going to war with a force with our own allies across the globe and our own borders while simultaneously striking off a civil war here that they know they can’t win.

That most likely would be the order that got Trump removed from power.

Hope you're right, mate. Shit's just crazy enough these days that I don't know what to think. But yeah, there's gotta be some line even most MAGA fanatics won't cross.

[Fugus]

Hope you're right, mate. Shit's just crazy enough these days that I don't know what to think. But yeah, there's gotta be some line even most MAGA fanatics won't cross.

No, the maga fanatics would gladly cross that line. But those who have attached themselves to him for power will also detach them the moment staying with him costs them more than they gain in that moment.

The cultists though, they would follow him off that cliff with a smile and blame liberals and minorities for the consequences till the very end. But most of those in power aren’t actually cultists, they are opportunists playing the part. So unless Trump has blackmail material on them they would rather die than let out and a deadman switch on its release, they would dump him before they followed him down that route.