| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 03:08 - Oct 25 with 3600 views | WeWereZombies |
Sadly this clip looks less of a challenge and more of a case of being outmaneuvered by Putin to me, no indication that Russian aggression is going to let up anytime soon:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c9vn8z2wwy9o |  |
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| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 15:45 - Nov 1 with 3278 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 22:08 - Oct 20 by PhilTWTD |
Bot account removed. |
It is noteworthy that this forum registers high enough to find itself targeted. Social media is rife with deliberate misinformation from such. |  |
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| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:47 - Dec 6 with 3004 views | Churchman |
Sadly the Russians are the big boys in the room. They are clear on their strategy, what they want and have might on their side. Putin also knows that every time he threatens nuclear, the likes of Starmer, Macron and the German run around in panic.
With political turmoil in US politics and a disinterested future President, Putin can do pretty much as he pleases, sadly. |  | | |
| Sorry double post (n/t) on 09:56 - Dec 7 with 2895 views | Eireannach_gorm |
[Post edited 7 Dec 2024 9:59]
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| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:25 - Dec 7 with 2844 views | Churchman |
It is horrific. To real human beings. But not to Putin and his henchmen. It’s nothing. Lives are nothing to him. Grains of sand. There is little point in speculating russian losses or lifespan of their cannon fodder. It doesn’t matter to Putin. The attached gives the scale and ambition of Russia:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1334454/russian-armed-forces-personnel/
The building up of his armed forces in full knowledge that Ukraine will fold when Trump pulls support means only one thing. Future expansion beyond Ukraine. Why else would you want a military that large?
It’s economy is doing well, sanctions have proven of limited value circumvented by supportive regimes, production of hardware is increasing. It’s all good for the Dictatorship, all bad for his next victims and in the not too distant future those that sit idly by doing less than nothing like the U.K.
You are right. It’s truly obscene, but it’s happening and being largely ignored now by all but those directly threatened. | | | |
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| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 08:42 - Dec 20 with 2555 views | BLUEBEAT |
One common idea floated by those keen to appease russian fascism and aggression is that Ukraine should somehow be forced to adopt a position of ‘neutrality’. However, as Mykola Bielieskov, a senior analyst at Ukrainian NGO “Come Back Alive” explains today, this wouldn’t stop Putin or make Europe any safer.
“With Donald Trump’s election win fuelling fresh speculation over the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again underlined his insistence on Ukrainian neutrality. “If there is no neutrality, it is difficult to imagine any good-neighbourly relations between Russia and Ukraine,” he commented on November 7 in Sochi.
This is nothing new. Since the eve of the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin has been consistent in its calls for permanent Ukrainian neutrality. Neutral status was a key condition set out by the Kremlin during the abortive peace talks that took place in the first weeks of the war. It once again featured prominently when Putin laid out an updated peace proposal in June 2024.
Many in the international community regard Putin’s push for a neutral Ukraine as by far his most reasonable demand. Indeed, some have even accused NATO of provoking the current war by expanding into Russia’s traditional sphere of influence since 1991 and deepening cooperation with Ukraine. They argue that if Ukraine can be kept in geopolitical no-man’s-land, Russia will be placated.
Such thinking is likely to feature prominently as the debate continues to unfold in the coming months over the terms of a future peace deal. While Trump has yet to outline his plans for a possible settlement, unconfirmed reports suggest that a twenty-year freeze on Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations is under consideration. This would be a costly blunder. Imposing neutrality on Ukraine will not bring about a durable peace in Europe. On the contrary, it would leave Ukraine at Putin’s mercy and set the stage for a new Russian invasion.
Ukrainians have already learned the hard way that neutrality does not protect them against Russian aggression. The country officially embraced non-aligned status during the 2010-2014 presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, but this didn’t prevent Moscow from seeking to reassert full control over Ukraine. Initially, Russia’s efforts focused on orchestrating Ukraine’s economic reintegration through membership of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union. When this sparked a popular backlash that led to the fall of the Yanukovych regime, Putin opted to use force and began the military invasion of Ukraine.
Ever since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in spring 2014, Putin has sought to justify Russian aggression by pointing to the looming danger of Ukrainian NATO membership. In reality, however, Ukraine has never looked like progressing toward the distant goal of joining the alliance. For the past decade, NATO leaders have refused to provide Kyiv with an invitation and have instead limited themselves to vague talk of Ukraine’s “irreversible” path toward future membership. Putin is well aware of this but has chosen to wildly exaggerate Ukraine’s NATO prospects in order to strengthen his own bogus justifications.
Putin’s complaints regarding NATO enlargement are equally dubious. Indeed, his own actions since early 2022 indicate that Putin himself does not actually believe that the alliance poses a genuine security threat to Russia. Instead, he merely exploits the NATO issue as a convenient smokescreen for Russia’s expansionist foreign policy.
Tellingly, when Finland and Sweden responded to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine by announcing plans to abandon decades of neutrality and join NATO, Putin was quick to declare that Russia had “no problem” with the move. This evident indifference was particularly striking, given that Finnish NATO membership has more than doubled Russia’s NATO border while Sweden’s accession has transformed the Baltic Sea into a NATO lake. Over the past two-and-a-half years, Putin has continued to demonstrate his almost complete lack of concern over NATO’s Nordic enlargement by withdrawing the vast majority of Russian troops from the Finnish border and leaving the area largely undefended.
Putin obviously understands perfectly well that NATO is not a threat to Russia itself and sees no need to guard against a NATO invasion that he knows will never come. While Putin’s resentment over the expanding NATO presence on his borders is real enough, he only really objects when the alliance prevents Russia from bullying its neighbours. In other words, Putin’s opposition to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations has nothing to do with legitimate security concerns. Instead, it confirms that his ultimate goal is the destruction of Ukrainian statehood.
For years, Putin has made no secret of his belief that the emergence of an independent Ukraine is an historical mistake and a symbol of modern Russia’s retreat from empire. He has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine is not a “real country,” and is fond of declaring that Ukrainians are actually Russians (“one people”). In July 2021, Putin even published an entire essay arguing against the legitimacy of an independent Ukrainian state.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, it has become
increasingly apparent that Putin’s ultimate goal is not Ukraine’s neutrality but Ukraine’s destruction. The Kremlin propaganda machine has portrayed Ukraine as an intolerable “anti-Russia,” and has promoted the idea that Ukraine’s continued existence is incompatible with Russian security. Meanwhile, Putin has compared his invasion to eighteenth century Russian ruler Peter the Great’s imperial conquests, and has repeatedly claimed to be “returning” historically Russian lands.
Putin’s imperialistic outbursts must be taken seriously. Throughout occupied Ukraine, his soldiers and administrators are already imposing a reign of terror that directly echoes the criminal logic of his imperial fantasies. Millions have been displaced, with thousands more simply vanishing into a vast network of camps and prisons. Those who remain face policies of relentless Russification and the suppression of all things Ukrainian. Adults must accept Russian citizenship in order to access basic services, while children are forced to undergo indoctrination in schools teaching a new Kremlin curriculum.
The crimes currently taking place in Russian-occupied Ukraine are a clear indication of what awaits the rest of the country if Putin succeeds. Despite suffering multiple military setbacks, he remains fully committed to his maximalist goals of ending Ukrainian independence and erasing Ukrainian identity.
Furthermore, since 2022 Putin has demonstrated that he is prepared to wait as long as it takes in order to overcome Ukrainian resistance and is ready to pay almost any price to achieve his imperial ambitions. Imposing neutrality on Ukraine in such circumstances would be akin to condemning the country to a slow but certain death.
Any peace process that fails to provide Ukraine with credible long-term security guarantees is doomed to fail. Acquiescing to Putin’s demands for a neutral Ukraine may provide some short-term relief from the menace of an expansionist Russia, but this would ultimately lead to more war and the likely collapse of the current global security order. There is simply no plausible argument for insisting on Ukrainian neutrality other than a desire to leave the country defenseless and at Russia’s mercy.
Peace will only come once Putin has finally been forced to accept Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent country and as a member of the democratic world. Naturally, this includes the right to choose security alliances. It is absurd to prioritize Russia’s insincere security concerns over Ukraine’s very real fears of national annihilation. Instead, if serious negotiations do begin in the coming months, Ukrainian security must be the number one priority. Until Ukraine is secure, Europe will remain insecure and the threat of Russian imperialism will continue to loom over the continent.” |  |
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| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 09:01 - Dec 20 with 2532 views | redrickstuhaart |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:47 - Dec 6 by Churchman |
Sadly the Russians are the big boys in the room. They are clear on their strategy, what they want and have might on their side. Putin also knows that every time he threatens nuclear, the likes of Starmer, Macron and the German run around in panic.
With political turmoil in US politics and a disinterested future President, Putin can do pretty much as he pleases, sadly. |
Such panic that we continue to support Ukraine, allow strikes in Russia and are likely sending our troops to train Ukranian ones? |  | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:10 - Dec 20 with 2449 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:47 - Dec 6 by Churchman |
Sadly the Russians are the big boys in the room. They are clear on their strategy, what they want and have might on their side. Putin also knows that every time he threatens nuclear, the likes of Starmer, Macron and the German run around in panic.
With political turmoil in US politics and a disinterested future President, Putin can do pretty much as he pleases, sadly. |
I don’t think that’s entirely fair (at least from a US/UK perspective). Every Putin ‘redline’ has been ignored, we’ve escalated first with western tanks, then planes, long range missiles, and expanded the limitations of Ukraine’s deployment of weapons. A more cowardly approach would have seen us back off.
My main criticism would be how slow and reactionary the West have been. We have a huge advantage in scale, capital, manpower, and technology over Russia. We should be giving Ukraine everything they need faster. Poland are on their way to becoming a military powerhouse, they’ll soon have the largest army in Europe (on track to expand to 350k personnel), with the latest as planes and equipment. Worth noting how their economy is also surging with all the investment.
The long game certainly favours the west - Russia is rapidly burning through its sovereign reserves, the economy is overheating from their stimulus to prop it up. Whilst people thought 5pc interest rates were tough here, the Russian central bank has raised it to 21%. Claims that Russia haven’t been heavily economically impacted are ridiculous. | | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:12 - Jan 19 with 2147 views | GlasgowBlue |
I see Putin is cutting off energy supplies to Serbia in order to destabilise tensions in the Balkans. If that kicks off again we’re in World War territory. |  |
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| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:35 - Jan 19 with 2105 views | Churchman |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:12 - Jan 19 by GlasgowBlue |
I see Putin is cutting off energy supplies to Serbia in order to destabilise tensions in the Balkans. If that kicks off again we’re in World War territory. |
I doubt it. Trump will look to further his interests elsewhere (Panama, Greenland, Far East) and Putin will have pretty much a free hand in Europe. There might be localised trouble as madman Vlad rebuilds his Eastern Bloc.
However, with America probably out of the picture and almost limitless political weakness in Europe, how it will look all depends just how much Putin and his backers, the Chinese, want.
The world will be divided into three. | | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:37 - Jan 19 with 2098 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:12 - Jan 19 by GlasgowBlue |
I see Putin is cutting off energy supplies to Serbia in order to destabilise tensions in the Balkans. If that kicks off again we’re in World War territory. |
I don’t follow your thinking on that one - Kosovo aside, Serbia is largely a mono- ethnic state (not an artificial nation of inter ethnic tensions like Yugoslavia). There’s no reason to Serbia to attack their neighbours, in fact it’ll likely be counterproductive and see Serbia try to accelerate EU membership.
A desperate attempt to bully one of the few remaining European nations in the Russian sphere of influence. He’s also attempted to undermine Georgian democracy and in Moldova. Again it’s likely to see any remaining sympathy for Russia disappear in those nations.
Quite how people think Russia are going to conduct a wider scale war when they’ve lost half a million casualites to take an area smaller than Iceland (in the one of the poorest nations in Europe) I don’t know. Increased hybrid attacks perhaps (Russian sabotage of underwater infrastructure is increasing, as are Cyber attacks). This is Hitler in his bunker stuff - Russia is looking increasingly isolated in Europe. | | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 19:47 - Jan 19 with 1994 views | bluejacko |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:37 - Jan 19 by SuperKieranMcKenna |
I don’t follow your thinking on that one - Kosovo aside, Serbia is largely a mono- ethnic state (not an artificial nation of inter ethnic tensions like Yugoslavia). There’s no reason to Serbia to attack their neighbours, in fact it’ll likely be counterproductive and see Serbia try to accelerate EU membership.
A desperate attempt to bully one of the few remaining European nations in the Russian sphere of influence. He’s also attempted to undermine Georgian democracy and in Moldova. Again it’s likely to see any remaining sympathy for Russia disappear in those nations.
Quite how people think Russia are going to conduct a wider scale war when they’ve lost half a million casualites to take an area smaller than Iceland (in the one of the poorest nations in Europe) I don’t know. Increased hybrid attacks perhaps (Russian sabotage of underwater infrastructure is increasing, as are Cyber attacks). This is Hitler in his bunker stuff - Russia is looking increasingly isolated in Europe. |
It does beggar belief in some people’s comments about ‘breakthroughs’!
They had a free hit unopposed in the first days of the war to take Kyiv and couldn’t manage it Now they are supposed to be able to advance long distances opposed? It just won’t happen. | | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 12:48 - Jan 23 with 1809 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 11:10 - Dec 20 by SuperKieranMcKenna |
I don’t think that’s entirely fair (at least from a US/UK perspective). Every Putin ‘redline’ has been ignored, we’ve escalated first with western tanks, then planes, long range missiles, and expanded the limitations of Ukraine’s deployment of weapons. A more cowardly approach would have seen us back off.
My main criticism would be how slow and reactionary the West have been. We have a huge advantage in scale, capital, manpower, and technology over Russia. We should be giving Ukraine everything they need faster. Poland are on their way to becoming a military powerhouse, they’ll soon have the largest army in Europe (on track to expand to 350k personnel), with the latest as planes and equipment. Worth noting how their economy is also surging with all the investment.
The long game certainly favours the west - Russia is rapidly burning through its sovereign reserves, the economy is overheating from their stimulus to prop it up. Whilst people thought 5pc interest rates were tough here, the Russian central bank has raised it to 21%. Claims that Russia haven’t been heavily economically impacted are ridiculous. |
And more evidence the Russian economy is badly faltering:
“Putin frustrated with economic issues, scolds officials at Kremlin meeting, sources say”
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-growing-concerned-by-russias-economy-
“domestic activity has become strained in recent months by labour shortages and high interest rates introduced to tackle inflation, which has accelerated under record military spending.”
It was always nonsense that Russia had not been seriously impacted by Sanctions. | | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 14:36 - Feb 12 with 1414 views | DJR |
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has just addressed the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at a meeting in Brussels, and here is a summary:
“Bloodshed must stop, this war must end,” he insisted (14:42).
He warned that returning to pre-2014 Ukraine borders was “unrealistic,” and “chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering” (14:43).
He said that “the US does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement” with Russia.
He ruled out any US deployment to Ukraine or covering peacekeeping forces there with Article 5 Nato guarantees, saying it would be up to European and non-European troops to organise the forces (14:47).
He urged Europeans to “provide the overwhelming share” of aid to Ukraine and level with their citizens “about the threat facing Europe” (14:48).
In a stark warning, he said that “stark strategic realities prevent the US from being primarily focused on the security of Europe” as it looks at “threats to our homeland,” including from China (14:50).
He acknowledged some action taken by European allies, name-checking Sweden and Poland, but said “more must still be done” (14:51).
He insisted that the US remains committed to Nato, but “will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency” (14:52). |  | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 15:42 - Feb 12 with 1367 views | WeWereZombies |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 14:36 - Feb 12 by DJR |
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has just addressed the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at a meeting in Brussels, and here is a summary:
“Bloodshed must stop, this war must end,” he insisted (14:42).
He warned that returning to pre-2014 Ukraine borders was “unrealistic,” and “chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering” (14:43).
He said that “the US does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement” with Russia.
He ruled out any US deployment to Ukraine or covering peacekeeping forces there with Article 5 Nato guarantees, saying it would be up to European and non-European troops to organise the forces (14:47).
He urged Europeans to “provide the overwhelming share” of aid to Ukraine and level with their citizens “about the threat facing Europe” (14:48).
In a stark warning, he said that “stark strategic realities prevent the US from being primarily focused on the security of Europe” as it looks at “threats to our homeland,” including from China (14:50).
He acknowledged some action taken by European allies, name-checking Sweden and Poland, but said “more must still be done” (14:51).
He insisted that the US remains committed to Nato, but “will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency” (14:52). |
The European Union, United Kingdom and Norway already do shoulder a massive share of aid to Ukraine in the form of hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees. | |
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| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 16:04 - Feb 12 with 1340 views | DJR |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 15:42 - Feb 12 by WeWereZombies |
The European Union, United Kingdom and Norway already do shoulder a massive share of aid to Ukraine in the form of hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees. |
That's true. They've also taken much more of a hit to their economies than the US has. | | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 16:12 - Feb 12 with 1325 views | bluejacko |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 14:36 - Feb 12 by DJR |
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has just addressed the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at a meeting in Brussels, and here is a summary:
“Bloodshed must stop, this war must end,” he insisted (14:42).
He warned that returning to pre-2014 Ukraine borders was “unrealistic,” and “chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering” (14:43).
He said that “the US does not believe that Nato membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement” with Russia.
He ruled out any US deployment to Ukraine or covering peacekeeping forces there with Article 5 Nato guarantees, saying it would be up to European and non-European troops to organise the forces (14:47).
He urged Europeans to “provide the overwhelming share” of aid to Ukraine and level with their citizens “about the threat facing Europe” (14:48).
In a stark warning, he said that “stark strategic realities prevent the US from being primarily focused on the security of Europe” as it looks at “threats to our homeland,” including from China (14:50).
He acknowledged some action taken by European allies, name-checking Sweden and Poland, but said “more must still be done” (14:51).
He insisted that the US remains committed to Nato, but “will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency” (14:52). |
All this NATO stuff and yet which is the only country to activate article 5? How many casualties and at what cost to us and the rest of NATO countries did that incur?
Short memories indeed🙄 | | | |
| The 'special military operation' continues to reach new lows. on 08:41 - Feb 18 with 1010 views | Churchman |
Thank you to EIreannach for starting this thread and continuing it throughout this dreadful war. Within it are some interesting views and an ongoing commentary on what will be seen in the future as a seismic event in changing the world’s political and military landscape. | | | |
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