UKRAINE. YOU ROCK!

But Good news because, I know, on this particular occasion, in light of what I've written, (above), you are going to agree with me and admit that it is a bit distasteful to dismiss human beings experiencing such horror in the manner you just did, aren't you?

Oh. Come on, Hierophant. You can't pretend to be so aloof, cold or indifferent to the horrific plight of millions of Ukrainians just to get some kind of brownie points on here, can you?

I'm not making light of it at all, I'm questioning. That's very different.
I'm not pro Russia either, I'm not sticking up for Putin. To be honest I no longer trust the west. I don't trust the likes of Biden, Macron, Johnson and Trudeau any more than I trust Putin.
I actually think we are conveniently using Ukraine and to my mind that's worse......

But Good news because, I know, on this particular occasion, in light of what I've written, (above), you are going to agree with me and admit that it is a bit distasteful to dismiss human beings experiencing such horror in the manner you just did, aren't you?

I don't think anyone would disagree with that.

That's a VERY pertinent question, H, because grotesquely, both sides, (East and West), are bound by the dollar in as much as DAILY gas exports from Russia are worth around $800 million which helps fund Putins war while the gas, itself, props up the West's energy needs.


Come on Strand, don't you agree all the fawning over Ukraine is rather hollow, given what you've written above?
As people told me on here regarding the billions spent on covid, lives should come before money everytime.....

Is it fawning over Ukraine or is it genuine feelings of sadness at all those dying due to Putin's madness? How can anyone not feel for these people.

"I don't trust the likes of Biden, Macron, Johnson and Trudeau any more than I trust Putin."

OK. Understood. Sure.

But yes, I agree with you regarding ALL of them. All of our leaders.

For example; Our PM has been a bit of a wet lettuce in the sanctions department and the newswires are now reminding us that for decades, the Tories, in particular, have been happy to take Russian money (or donations) from exactly the same Oligarchs that completely ripped off the Soviet Union when it broke up - to the tune of trillions of $s - all with the support of Putin who is, today, one of the wealthiest billionaires on Earth.

Just like PartyGate, our Mr Johnson seems to be becoming a little bit uneconomical with the truth when we look just below the surface of the "We've sanctioned Russia's Oligarchs" story because, with the exception of 8 individuals, hundreds of other Oligarchs have 30 DAYS before any sanctions kick in.

A nice 'favour' being returned by our PM to allow them to shift their wealth elsewhere and sell their UK mansions before the deadline is reached?

That sketchy Russian who owns Chelsea has put in into a trust fund thing but, notice, when he told us at a high profile press conference there were no words to offer Ukraine or to wish it well ... NOTHING ... because he is an actual pal of Putin himself.

And now we know what "Olygarch" actually stands for, ie, They are really nasty arch criminal robbing barstewards, shouldn't we see his ass kicked out of football too?

(SP) "Oligarch"

Hang on. I didn't see your last comment which is just crass!!! (Below)

"Come on Strand, don't you agree all the fawning over Ukraine is rather hollow, given what you've written above?
As people told me on here regarding the billions spent on covid, lives should come before money everytime....."

You disappoint me, Hiero. Please ignore my words above where I I, unwittingly, appear to agree with that statement.

I don't.

Fawning?

Hang on. Wait.

This is you playing your games again.

Criticizing for the sake of it but NEVER offering solutions. (That would be like sawing off the branch you were happily sitting on and deny you the platform of critique you like to keep attached and in place in order to be "cantankerous Hierophant."

Ha ha. Nice try but I'm just not buying it. :)

But the Good news?
I'm not on my own high horse either and am always happy to hear, share and enjoy a meaningful conversation. :)

"Is it fawning over Ukraine or is it genuine feelings of sadness at all those dying due to Putin's madness? How can anyone not feel for these people."

Well put, NoSaint.

How can anyone not feel for these people.

I totally agree, but clearly not enough to stop buying the commodities that are financing the war that is killing these people.
The west clearly don't want to end this war or they would do it, hence my point about using Ukraine.
Both sides are using Ukraine....

How would the UK stop this war?

Yes. How would the UK stop this war?

I don't barely anybody or anything being able to address the HUBRIS of Vladimir Putin ... short of nuclear war, that is.

The Good news?

A saving face path out of the conflict, (For Putin), is going to be the ONLY single factor that will end this conflagration ... short of nuclear war. Otherwise, like the ratchets of a pair of handcuffs, this situation is going only one way.

Ignore previous post

Yes. How would the UK stop this war?

I see barely anybody or anything being able to address the HUBRIS of Vladimir Putin, short of nuclear war, that is.

The Good news?

A saving face path out of the conflict, (For Putin), is going to be the ONLY single factor that will end this conflagration, short of nuclear war. Otherwise, like the ratchets of a pair of handcuffs, this situation is going only one way.

Unless he is 'decommissioned' by his generals, a hitman or see his instructions ignored by his troops or the Russian people.

Assassination might be a favourable option. If we were at war and our leader was killed it would make little difference and everything would carry on just as it has for all of our lifetimes because our leaders, are for the most time, figureheads. If Putin was killed I think Russia would see it as the perfect opportunity for a ceasefire then blame the conflict and all the murders on Putin.

Mazer wrote; "Assassination might be a favourable option. If we were at war and our leader was killed it would make little difference and everything would carry on just as it has for all of our lifetimes because our leaders, are for the most time, figureheads. If Putin was killed I think Russia would see it as the perfect opportunity for a ceasefire then blame the conflict and all the murders on Putin."

I agree, Mazer.

I think the majority of Russian citizens would be appalled at what is being done in their name and will soon, if not already, be very aware of the reality of the situation unfolding now especially as war crimes are now being reported hourly as Putin targets civilians in the built up areas of Ukraine cities.

Without Putin, Russia would still be in the G8 and it was only kicked out after its illegal annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014. In fact, Putin enjoyed the prestige of being in the G8, the elite club of top countries meeting as an international forum to iron out the problems of the world.

At the time, Putin stated "the G8 was necessary for coordinating the economic policies of the leading countries of the world. The discussions that take place within the G8 framework", he said, "are distinguished by their depth and confidentiality, making it possible to constructively resolve many political issues, even the most difficult ones.”

Last week, the G7, (obviously without Russia being now disgraced and 'de-listed'), stated jointly;

"G7 Leaders’ Statement on the invasion of Ukraine by armed forces of the Russian Federation
We the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) are appalled by and condemn the large-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation against the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, directed partly from Belarusian soil. This unprovoked and completely unjustified attack on the democratic state of Ukraine was preceded by fabricated claims and unfounded allegations. It constitutes a serious violation of international law and a grave breach of the United Nations Charter and all commitments Russia entered in the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris and its commitments in the Budapest Memorandum. We as the G7 are bringing forward severe and coordinated economic and financial sanctions. We call on all partners and members of the international community to condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and raise their voice against this blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international peace and security." (This being just a snapshot of the full statement.)

Anonymous(allegedly) hacked into Russian TV days ago to broadcast frontline footage of what is happening in Ukraine, there should be some visual awareness in Russia, the latest news reports over 2000 deaths including women and children, Ukrainian hospitals are short on Oxygen supplies and are desperate for help.


I'm sending more love and luck to the Ukrainian people and I hope their fighting spirit continues on... and more aid can be provided.

Ukraine is still holding on despite bombardment of civilian targets such as hosptials and municipal buildings and homes.

Abramovitch is selling Chelsea and is says the money will go to Ukraine, he's selling off a lot of his assets, I guess a lot of that money will end up in a tax haven somewhere.

The 40 mile long convoy of Russian vehicles seem to still be sat outside Kiyv, it must be horrible to be stuck in a tank for days, no toilets, nowhere to stretch out, just the smell of all the other guys around you. Apparently troops usually only carry enough food and water for a couple of days too, maybe these are some of the Russian troops who have been surrendering?

"The 40 mile long convoy of Russian vehicles seem to still be sat outside Kiyv, it must be horrible to be stuck in a tank for days, no toilets, nowhere to stretch out, just the smell of all the other guys around you. Apparently troops usually only carry enough food and water for a couple of days too, maybe these are some of the Russian troops who have been surrendering?"

And a little more Good news.

Much of the huge but now stationary OLD RETRO TECHNOLOGY Soviet era convoy vehicles rolls on tank or caterpillar tracks and with breakdowns, (due to mechanical or lack of fuel issues), these inefficient old vehicles daren't attempt to leave the metalled road to drive around the crocked or abandoned vehicles because the land and environs either side of much of the roads are wet, boggy environmental areas that the tanks and trucks get further bogged down and stuck in.

Thus, like other threads or branches of this botched operation, delays are piling up upon delays which is good in one way but, (as I said days before the press cottoned on), that means Putin will use, (and actually has now used), more treacherous and illegal means of gaining back lost momentum. *Remember me saying that last week?

Well, it has now happened with Putin resorting to extreme and cruel munitions entirely outside of agreed and expected terms of warfare. (The rules of war as outlined in the Geneva convention.)

"Unusual amounts of force around civilians, targeting civilian building / hospitals, etc, cluster and fuel bombs, the way you treat captured prisoners; these are all areas where Putin has, in the past, ignored the etiquette of warfare.

I think, as of today, even our PM has cited Putin as committing war crimes.

I just knew he would. :( As he did in Syria and other locations around the world.

Thing is though. This war is being televised and streamed so, at least, evidence is being amassed, assuming there is a civilisation to try Putin if or when this war ever ends.

Good news
Georgia has just applied to join the United Nations!

Mr Putin won't be happy about that.
---
And by the way;

Re Hiero's earlier comment about would I want WW3 started by committing "An act of war" by, for example, letting UK planes shoot down Russian ones in a no fly zone?

Things are a little more nuanced and more subtle than that because Putin sees tactical nuclear weapons as a simple, hierarchical extension of conventional weapons, ie a tactical nuclear weapon is a surgical strike weapon with immense localised power that wouldn't harm nearby troops and he'd choose such a weapon from his lexicon of choices quite pragmatically without emotion or fuss whereas we in the West hold our hands up in horror at the very idea of using such munitions.

Likewise, in normal warfare, Putin would use strategic nukes, (like ICBM's with multiple nuclear warheads), if earlier tactical nuclear weapons failed him OR, in a less than normal scenario, if he had a crazed Dr Strangelove mental episode, he might just decided he was going to commit suicide and take all of us with him.

So in a "sensible" nuclear war, it all starts quite quaintly with the tactical nuclear weapons which don't "destroy the world" or leave too much radiation.

It's the big weapons, the ICBMs, or his unstoppable hypersonic nuclear missile based nukes that'll screw us ... and they'll be heading our way whether we make a decision to join the war or not so that's why I say tackle him now.

Cos we're gonna get anyway if we don't.

... unless peace breaks out prior. :)

PS.

Ukraine is best left without a perceived no fly zone because the Ukrainians are currently using the skies to attack the Russians brilliantly thanks to their amazing Turkish tactical drones. (Thank you, Midsummer friend, for PMing me the link.) x

Altogether now ... sing along .... and now the chorus ... "BAYRAKTAR ... BAYRAKTAR."

BAYRAKTAR - Official Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGVZHLOV60E

How would the UK stop this war?

I never said the UK, I said the west.
Anyway I'm giving up MSE for lent, play nicely boys and girls.
See you in April if we've not been nuked by then.....

The latest from the BBC:

In Kyiv: Four major explosions in the past few hours have been captured on video by witnesses, but it’s unclear what the targets were of if there were casualties
BBC correspondents say the blasts could be heard from two storeys underground in their bunker
A US defence official says a massive convoy of Russian military vehicles close to Kyiv has "stalled" due to fuel and food shortages
In the south: Russian forces have seized control of the key port city of Kherson, according to local officials. It's the first major Ukrainian city to be taken since the invasion began
In the port city of Mariupol, hundreds of people are feared dead following hours of sustained shelling, the city's deputy mayor says. Ukraine's military claims the city remains in Ukrainian hands.

True Ukrainian bravery.

Take care, Hiero. Morning, How. :)

Positive hope for Ukraine
OK. I’m just a chap off the internet but having taken a “finger in the air” test and “an ear to the ground” reckoning from various newswires over the last few hours, I feel a good deal more confident and ever more encouraged that the courageous Ukrainian people can not just endure the Putin onslaught but actually overcome it. (Just my unqualified opinion, of course.)

Putin's Mafia
Today, the first bit of good news to appreciate is the fact that it is NOT Russia or the Russian people conducting these war crimes and assaults in Ukraine.

Why do I say that? Because, to expand on the comments I made previously regarding the break down of the original Soviet Union and the thievery that followed, (which stole and cut up much of Russia's state assets and resources into bundles which made oligarchs and Putin multi-billionaires), it allows us to see that Russia is actually a country HIJACKED by a criminal mafia led by Putin rather than being it just being some “rogue country” going mad.

Ego, land grab and a faux mythological posterity
And by association, we can then recognise that the Putin inspired invasion is not remotely based on the unfounded claims of alleged Ukrainian terrorism, alleged Nazi leanings or anything other than one little man wishing to hoist his own ego high enough to claim that he "reunited a great empire again" (securing his own fame or notoriety) when really, ,this whole invade Ukkraine thing is nothing more than a gangster seeking to claim more territory to hold to ransom, more real estate to own or sell along with vast new avenues of natural resources to steal and acquire.

The Red Button
Considering all of the above, having seen the way his own cabinet are so terrified of him, do I still think he has some unfettered access to the nuclear button?

No I don’t. Like much of the rest of the world, I was taken aback by Putin’s show of power in the way his own leadership cowered before him but I now see that it was ,on Putin’s part, just one more act. A chess move designed to throw us off balance just like his nuclear threats were.

I now see that this is a gangster, a criminal rather than a world leader and I now also recognise that it is very unlikely that Russian GENERALS, (while complicit for sure in existing murderous actions), will be very unlikely to allow gangster Putin to order the kind of nuclear conflagration that would, by default, wipe out those Generals own families and loved ones … because they know that any actions planned would not be for the protection or security of their motherland but only be a criminal act to support Putin and his mafia land grabbing ideals. (And like China, those generals can now see that Putin has gone too far.)

Convoy
And the 40 mile convoy? Parts of it is now toast! Stuck for 3 days and being picked off. by the Ukrainian’s and although it’s a tragedy for its young Russian conscripts and their mothers back home, unlike the Ukrainians fighting an existential threat, the demoralised Russian boys just want to go home.

The Cost of War and Being a Global Pariah

Not to put too fine a point on it but Mr Putin’s plans were not the simple, quick operation he envisaged and wars are VERY expensive. $15 Billion a day currently? And that’s not factoring in the global switching off of Russia by the world community so each day this “peace keeping exercise” continues, each day Putin comes nearer to defeat; in Ukraine, in Russia and in the history books.

He won’t be leaving some glorious tale of having returned a great nation to its former glory after all.

Apologies for my scruffy editing. (Above). I'm installing more of Beach Cottage's solar powered 240v electricity supply and was dashing up and down the stairs while prepping the above text ... and missed several errors. :(

No matter. Have a great day. :)

UKRAINE. YOU ROCK!