The Russian Invasion of the Ukraine.

[Michel H]

Why not give them the Sudetenland while you are at it?

Because the Sudetenland didn't vote to become Russian.

Objectively (even if this undoubtedly doesn't agree with the dominant mood of this thread), one might point out that it is Ukraine and its Western allies which started this conflict by imposing unjustified heavy sanctions on Russia in 2014, after it annexed Crimea (after a referendum).

 

[Ziggurat]

It seems to me there are some easy concessions Ukraine and its Western allies could easily make, and which would perhaps avoid further bloodshed and suffering:

It seems to me that it would be just as easy for Russia to make concessions that would avoid further bloodshed and suffering. In fact, they didn't even have to make any concessions in order to avoid bloodshed and suffering. Had they done nothing, bloodshed and suffering would have been avoided.

They chose bloodshed and suffering.

 

[Ziggurat]

Because the Sudetenland didn't vote to become Russian.

Objectively (even if this undoubtedly doesn't agree with the dominant mood of this thread), one might point out that it is Ukraine and its Western allies which started this conflict by imposing unjustified heavy sanctions on Russia in 2014, after it annexed Crimea (after a referendum).

As if nothing happened before that referendum that might lead to sanctions. You have... peculiarly selective amnesia.

 

[TellyKNeasuss]

If the average length of a vehicle in the column was 20 feet and the average spacing was 1 vehicle length, then there would only be 132 vehicles/mile. So IMHO a column 40 miles long is not implausible. For example, a US armored brigade has at least 1,000 vehicles, so it would occupy at least 8 miles at that spacing.

 

[Michel H]

It seems to me that it would be just as easy for Russia to make concessions that would avoid further bloodshed and suffering. In fact, they didn't even have to make any concessions in order to avoid bloodshed and suffering. Had they done nothing, bloodshed and suffering would have been avoided.

They chose bloodshed and suffering.

The guilt is shared because the West imposed heavy sanctions after the annexation of Crimea, and refused to recognize the two republics.

 

[angrysoba]

Interesting analysis on Twitter by someone called Michael Kofman. He seems to have some expertise on the Russian military.

Essentially he argues that the Ukrainian military has been impressive and fought well, but clearly the Russian military has been holding back its best capabilities for whatever reason. The possible reasons are looked at and sound plausible enough, but the fear is that the Russian military will simply throw more of its capabilities into the war and it will become far more ugly.

Link

 

[trustbutverify]

Because the Sudetenland didn't vote to become Russian.

Objectively (even if this undoubtedly doesn't agree with the dominant mood of this thread), one might point out that it is Ukraine and its Western allies which started this conflict by imposing unjustified heavy sanctions on Russia in 2014, after it annexed Crimea (after a referendum).

I guess if one was desperate enough to save face, one might.

 

[dudalb]

The guilt is shared because the West imposed heavy sanctions after the annexation of Crimea, and refused to recognize the two republics.

You mean they refused to let Putin get away with a gross violation of International law.
You have a wierd way of looking at things.

 

[Venom]

Because the Sudetenland didn't vote to become Russian.

Objectively (even if this undoubtedly doesn't agree with the dominant mood of this thread), one might point out that it is Ukraine and its Western allies which started this conflict by imposing unjustified heavy sanctions on Russia in 2014, after it annexed Crimea (after a referendum).

I'm sure you could get a majority of people you've subjected to relentless propaganda from a neighboring country to say they want to secede too. Imagine if the Netherlands did that to a piece of Belgium.

 

[angrysoba]

The guilt is shared because the West imposed heavy sanctions after the annexation of Crimea, and refused to recognize the two republics.

Huh? The two republics were only recognized by Russia a day or two before Putin invaded Ukraine.

Given that his invasion was known about and telegraphed to the world weeks before, it is a ridiculous excuse to say that the west shared the blame for not recognizing two republics when the die was already cast.

 

[dudalb]

I guess if one was desperate enough to save face, one might.

And it's clear the Heavy Sanctions after Russia seized the Crimea were not Heavy enough...

 

[Olmstead]

The guilt is shared because the West imposed heavy sanctions after the annexation of Crimea, and refused to recognize the two republics.

How about I blow up your house because you looked at me funny? Then you can drop the lawsuit, because the guilt is shared.

 

[dudalb]

Huh? The two republics were only recognized by Russia a day or two before Putin invaded Ukraine.

Given that his invasion was known about and telegraphed to the world weeks before, it is a ridiculous excuse to say that the west shared the blame for not recognizing two republics when the die was already cast.

Let's face it,Micheal H solution to the problem is give Putin everything he wants.......
With, of course the knowledge that the Ukraine will be his last terrotorial demand......
But then Michael H has a rather benign view of Hitler also....

 

[Meadmaker]

I am betting American A10 Warthog pilots sad they can't get in on the action.
That convoy is a perfect target for the Warthog,

Shades of the Highway of Death north out of Kuwait.


Which tells me that the Russians are pretty confident they have command of the skies, even if it isn't as strong as they would like.


An ambush with shoulder launched anti-tank weapons is still a possibility, although I would expect an awful lot of infantry guarding the flanks of the convoy against that possibility.


We'll find out. If there's a chance to hit that convoy, we'll see video of burnt out vehicles tomorrow. If not.......I suppose we'll probably see Russian armor in front of government buildings in Kyiv.

 

[gnome]

You left off, Putin's head on a pike.
I'm sure it was a simple oversight, please carry on.

Don't forget the whole, "Stopping in every village to apologize."

 

[angrysoba]

A Russian friend of mine just put the Ukrainian flag filter on his Facebook profile.

 

[Meadmaker]

Because the Sudetenland didn't vote to become Russian.

Objectively (even if this undoubtedly doesn't agree with the dominant mood of this thread), one might point out that it is Ukraine and its Western allies which started this conflict by imposing unjustified heavy sanctions on Russia in 2014, after it annexed Crimea (after a referendum).

So I hadn't remembered the referendum aspect. I did a little reading, and it kind of confirmed what I suspected when I read that the "join Russia" vote was 97%.


Never in the history of the world has any free and democratic vote ever been won with a 97% majority. 5-10% of regular people will vote against the majority just to be contrarian.

 

[Michel H]

Huh? The two republics were only recognized by Russia a day or two before Putin invaded Ukraine.

Not (exactly) a day or two, three days before:

On 21 February 2022, Russia officially recognised the DPR and the LPR as independent states, becoming the first UN member state to do so.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donetsk_People's_Republic)

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine)

The West imposed even more sanctions after Putin recognized the two republics (completely ineffective, but very useful to make people angry):

Western allies quickly moved Tuesday to punish Russia with economic sanctions after President Vladimir Putin recognized the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent states and sent what he described as "peacekeeping forces" over the Ukrainian border.
(February 22, 2022 3:37 AM
UPDATE February 22, 2022 12:00 PM)

(https://www.voanews.com/a/us-europe...nizes-breakaway-ukraine-regions-/6453469.html)

Then Putin launched his big and tragically idiotic invasion of Ukraine after this new tranche of sanction (congratulations, West, your sanctions may have contributed to this invasion).

 

[shemp]

Pat Robertson came out of retirement to claim that Putin "is being compelled by God" to invade Ukraine in preparation for a massive End Times invasion of Israel.

https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1498410764113256455

 

[Michel H]

You mean they refused to let Putin get away with a gross violation of International law.
You have a wierd way of looking at things.

The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination)