A Ukraine post....

[KC5AV]

The truth is that there is likely some truth to all side of this argument.
Ruark’s family says that life is fairly normal in their part of Ukraine.
My wife is a history teacher. She has a student whose family moved from Ukraine several years ago. They still have family there, and the last time they were able to communicate, those family members were being turned away at the Romanian border because Romania wasn’t taking any refugees. Their next option was to try and get to the border with Poland. Her family hasn’t been able to reach those relatives in over 3 days, and don’t know if they are even still alive.

My wife also mentioned that her class was discussing a sharp increase in the population of eastern Ukraine whose first language was Russian over the last several years. The speculation being the Putin has been sending Russians to live in Ukraine in order to increase the number of people who want to join Russia…speculation, I know, but it has been done by other countries in the past.

Putin didn’t wake up one day last week and decide that he was going to invade/liberate Ukraine. He is playing the long game, and likely doesn’t have the health and happiness of anyone as his primary motivation.

[OneGun]

I don't know the history between the Russians and Ukrainians. However, the pictures and videos being broadcast are quite moving. Apartment buildings hit by missiles. Destroyed buildings and houses. A few pictures of family members crying over dead relatives. The UN estimates hundreds dead. The world is responding. Numerous oil companies have divested their Russian joint ventures. Other companies are divesting as well. Russian banks removed from SWIFT. Sanctions on the Oligarchs. Putin's threats to Finland and Sweden. Putin's increasing the alert level of his nuclear forces. Putin has expressed his anger of Ukraine wanting to join NATO and the EU.

Personally, I think Putin is a madman, a killer without regard for others. He's targeted people that disagree with him. Remember Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned with polonium. How about the fake charges against Mikhail Khodorkovsky?

If this invasion is a farce, the world has bought it hook, line and sinker. If not, I'm fearful. I never imagined that I would see another war in Europe after the last one ended 80 years ago.

These events bring back memories of stories from my mother's side of the family told about escaping the Nazis in WWII from Europe. Not all survived. Some died in Hitler's camps. It took a world force to eliminate a threat to global peace from a conquering dictator. Is this invasion a prelude to WWIII? It creeps me out. My sons are of draft age even though there is no draft at the present.

I fear Putin is sucking the world into another global conflict and we have Sippy Cup in the White House.

[mojo84]

This young lady is a Russian who has a youtube channel that mainly discusses her life in Russia. I have not seen her say anything political in the past. Being Russian in Russia, she has to be careful what she says. You have to read between the lines and also hear what she does not say to understand.

[mojo84]

This recorded one day before the invasion. This English travel vlogger is very interested in Russia and the former Soviet Union.



This one was recorded after the invasion started.

[puma guy]

Perhaps there may be a reason Russians may not be the favorite people of the Ukraines.

[philip964]

"I fear Putin is sucking the world into another global conflict and we have Sippy Cup in the White House." From Onegun's post.

Thank you.

So my friend is all safe and sound back in France from Russia. He said his Russia friends would speak about Ukrainians in a derogatory manner, always needing something. So I got the impression that there was no love lost between the two peoples.

[RoyGBiv]

I've only known 2 Ukrainians personally, well enough to share a meal and conversation. Unrelated, from 2 different times/locations. Both of them either loved you passionately (as friends), or hated you passionately (as very-not-friends ).

One was a very tiny, sinewy woman, maybe 5-nothing, 90 pounds, adult. An awesome person whom I would never think to cross, for fear of significant injury.

[03Lightningrocks]

I have seen ads on FB that claim Ukrainian women just love older men. Then they show a picture of a beautiful woman in her mid twenties. At 60, fat and single, it gives me hope.

[eyedoc]

Just had another Skype session with my wife's cousin in Kharkov. She lives in the east central part of town. She said everything's quiet around her apartments, they just walked down to the store and got some stuff. Utilities are all working fine. They hear occasional shots off in the distance, but haven't seen anything. They (she, her neighbors and friends, etc.) are anxious for the Russians to clean out the Ukrainian nationalists that have terrorized everybody for 8 years so life can get back to normal. Just passing it on.

Incidentally that photograph of Zelenski in camo was taken last year, while he was visiting Ukrainian troops that were attacking Donetsk.

My Ukrainian sources don't agree with your sources.

[eyedoc]

What about the Russians attacking the reactor and killing the fire fighters?

[eyedoc]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1499494506344890374

[eyedoc]

[philip964]

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-fr ... emorandum/

Budapest Memorandum.

Remember to keep your nukes. America’s word isn’t worth much.

[parabelum]

Interesting how so many people on this forum lambast the media's distortion and lying on issues like gun control, the democrats, BLM, etc., then suddenly turn and swallow every drop of Koolaid that squirts out of the TV.

Members aren't buying your Putin spin on the facts, so you no attack them personally. Stop now!

Chas.

I’ve been gone for a minute, cooled off…but this thread/post hit home. I was born in Sarajevo and have lived there during the war in the 90’s. I have friends and relatives all over Easter Europe.
This much I can tell folks here, Russian people by in large are brainwashed by Pravda/Kremlin. Dissidents frequently just disappear. There is a growing discontent within Russia with the dictator Putin’s regime. Revolt is likely, but it may take years to swing into right direction.
This war in Ukraine is a war of Putin’s aggression. Notion that Russia was threatened by Ukraine’s potential NATO membership is malarkey. Best case scenario for Russia is seizure of entire Ukraine. Then what? They have just placed at least (if you count those bordering Belarus to the north west) 5-6 NATO Countries next to them. So… had they played better strategic poker, Ukraine could have been a buffer, but in the best case scenario, this is a strategic blunder on their part.
Russia also exposed to the world that their military is really not all that great. Outdated artillery and tanks, demoralized troops, poor supply chain and logistics etc. This is actually a pleasant revelation to many of their European opponents, especially those just next to Ukraine.
Did I mention that Russia also pinned the entire world (well…minus North Korea, Iran, China and few other fellow dictatorships) against them? All in all, terrible “strategic” move all around. I pray that Putin and his regime are stopped and I pray for the freedom of the Ukrainian people. May they continue to kick Russian invaders in the rear end.

[03Lightningrocks]

If you ask me, Putin has lost his mind. So we have a leader with early onset dementia and Russia is being run by a paranoid maniac. Good lord we are all in trouble.