Will Russia Invade Ukraine Tonight.

[kadman]

Russia and Ukraine now agree to talks in Belarus

[quodec]

I think the Antonov was parked in a hanger somewhere. The only one ever working, so not sure why it was targeted. I suppose everything is up for grabs in this war!

[quodec]

Very surprised they left it in Ukraine with what's happening there.

I'd say the hanger was specially designed for the huge plane and was probably the only one around to cover the plane completely.

[kadman]

I see Netflix already jumping on the media bandwagon with "Ukraines fight for freedom" film .

[JONJO THE MISER]

When are going to take in some Ukrainians? Have heard no news about it.

[quodec]

The last time I personally felt this level of tension in my world was at the height of the Garvaghy Rd/Drumcree riots in the mid 90s, when for a few evenings it felt as if the violence would spill over the border, which I live close to. Not even Covid 19 and the scenes from northern Italy in March 2020 caused me as much anxiety. But now in 2022, just as we were beginning to feel some freedom from the pandemic, we have this despot in The Kremlin willing to drive all of us towards a potential Armageddon if he does not get his way! It is the ultimate Russian roulette with HIS finger on the trigger! Though I greatly admire the will and resolve of the Ukrainian people in facing up to this madman's aggression, I genuinely cannot see how this can be resolved politically any time soon. Geopolitically, it is some impasse we have reached and whoever can resolve this will certainly merit the Nobel Peace prize. They will deserve it!

[Del.Monte]

When are going to take in some Ukrainians? Have heard no news about it.

Are you speaking for the Irish hospitality sector? Anyway, I don't see Ireland as being particularly safe as we (the EU) have de facto joined NATO since yesterday and are right beside the UK (a prime target for Russian nukes). Assuming our little country doesn't receive a direct hit there will be millions of people from neighbouring country looking to use our direct provision centres. Where's our much trumpeted membership of the Security Council getting us? Coveney who is against sin seems to think that another mass may be the answer.

[Del.Monte]

Unless there a coup in Moscow - not unprecedented - there seems to be an inevitable slide to war. Our stupid media still trotting out rubbish about a few 'heroic' Ukrainians heading home to fight the wicked Ruskies. God help us!

[CelticRambler]

Jeeez, you're a right depressing and pessimistic lot here these last few days!

While it is utterly despicable that a "stable genius" much admired by many in the West should launch an unprovoked military attack on a neighbouring country, there is much to be positive about in the way this has been playing out. First of all, to my way of thinking, is that this is WW3, because in the space of just one week, just about all the major countries of the world have chosen to take a side and to take action against the other side. A few players have, for the moment, decided to climb onto the fence where previously they would have be quite partisan.

Second of all, despite this sudden descent into outright conflict, the overwhelming nature of this war is non-military. There is one country - just one - using lethal weaponry against the primary aggressor; and that country is drawing only on its own population and willing volunteers to fight. Sure, there are plenty of countries pledging to send weapons and ammunition and all kinds of other resources to help the fighting on the ground; but the real war is taking place within computers, and with ordinary people using their non-lethal skills to bring down a despot.

The seizure of assets, the stripping of privileges, the cancellation of cultural and sporting events, the exclusion from civilised society, the shutting down of business and finance, the use of cyberattacks by civilians on critical IT networks, the use of non-military satellites to inform and circumvent local propaganda, even the conversion of TikTok and Instagram from platforms of brainless stupidity to tools for boosting (or destroying) morale.

It looks very much like Putin has dug his own grave, probably because he never got his head around the fact that the rest of the world has moved on from the bombs-n-guns, cannon-fodder days of WW2. I reckon he was lulled into a false sense of security by his successful manipulation of the UK and US electorates in recent years, without realising that those two pseudo-democracies are not representative of the rest of the developed world. In one week, he has done more to kill all Far/Hard Right opposition across the EU than anyone else in the last decade.

[quodec]

Jeeez, you're a right depressing and pessimistic lot here these last few days!

While it is utterly despicable that a "stable genius" much admired by many in the West should launch an unprovoked military attack on a neighbouring country, there is much to be positive about in the way this has been playing out. First of all, to my way of thinking, is that this is WW3, because in the space of just one week, just about all the major countries of the world have chosen to take a side and to take action against the other side. A few players have, for the moment, decided to climb onto the fence where previously they would have be quite partisan.

Second of all, despite this sudden descent into outright conflict, the overwhelming nature of this war is non-military. There is one country - just one - using lethal weaponry against the primary aggressor; and that country is drawing only on its own population and willing volunteers to fight. Sure, there are plenty of countries pledging to send weapons and ammunition and all kinds of other resources to help the fighting on the ground; but the real war is taking place within computers, and with ordinary people using their non-lethal skills to bring down a despot.

The seizure of assets, the stripping of privileges, the cancellation of cultural and sporting events, the exclusion from civilised society, the shutting down of business and finance, the use of cyberattacks by civilians on critical IT networks, the use of non-military satellites to inform and circumvent local propaganda, even the conversion of TikTok and Instagram from platforms of brainless stupidity to tools for boosting (or destroying) morale.

It looks very much like Putin has dug his own grave, probably because he never got his head around the fact that the rest of the world has moved on from the bombs-n-guns, cannon-fodder days of WW2. I reckon he was lulled into a false sense of security by his successful manipulation of the UK and US electorates in recent years, without realising that those two pseudo-democracies are not representative of the rest of the developed world. In one week, he has done more to kill all Far/Hard Right opposition across the EU than anyone else in the last decade.

Bravo! Mr Rambler! A good well thought-out and positive post. Let's hope you are proven correct!

[Del.Monte]

My worry is that Putin like any rat when cornered is at his most dangerous.

[95438756]

My worry is that Putin like any rat when cornered is at his most dangerous.

Add any die hard too brass to that

[kadman]

Biden will be smiling, EU is already talking of using imported gas from Qatar and the US

[Del.Monte]

More nonsense with the EU saying that they will fast-track Ukraine's membership application - NATO doing something similar will be the last straw for us all. Utter clowns, the lot of them and if they had made the same offer to Russia at the end of the Cold War we would not be in the current situation. Listening to Bryan Dobson on the lunchtime news is cringeworthy - totally out of his depth and more concerned with getting the new woke pronunciation of Kiev right than anything else.

[JONJO THE MISER]

Just watching RT now, it would make you sick, 3 western people talking nothing but outright lies, one of them seems to be English, put sanctions on these scum.
Peter Lavelle is the presenter, a American based in Moscow, needs all his assets frozen by the Americans.
Thank god the E.U has banned this from the European airways.

[JONJO THE MISER]

Unless there a coup in Moscow - not unprecedented - there seems to be an inevitable slide to war. Our stupid media still trotting out rubbish about a few 'heroic' Ukrainians heading home to fight the wicked Ruskies. God help us!

And yes it is fantastic and they are heroic, I hope they kill as many of those Russian soldiers as they can.
Now don't forget to exchange your rubles fast comrade as the currency continues to sink

[JONJO THE MISER]

More nonsense with the EU saying that they will fast-track Ukraine's membership application - NATO doing something similar will be the last straw for us all. Utter clowns, the lot of them and if they had made the same offer to Russia at the end of the Cold War we would not be in the current situation. Listening to Bryan Dobson on the lunchtime news is cringeworthy - totally out of his depth and more concerned with getting the new woke pronunciation of Kiev right than anything else.

What you seem to be forgetting is Ukraine is a sovereign nation, they have every right to join NATO and the E.U and not be listening to threats from the scum in Russia.
And the West wont be listening to the threats either and are and will be standing up to putin.
Thank god Estonia etc joined NATO or else that dictator would have taken them over already, but as usual some of the idiot left in Ireland and elsewhere prefer to support a mass murderer and dictator, should really have a hard long look at themselves in the mirror.

[Del.Monte]

What you seem to be forgetting is Ukraine is a sovereign nation, they have every right to join NATO and the E.U and not be listening to threats from the scum in Russia.
And the West wont be listening to the threads either and are and will be standing up to putin.

I don't know what age you are but you come across as a teenager who has played too much 'Tour of Duty' or some similar video game.

[JONJO THE MISER]

I don't know what age you are but you come across as a teenager who has played too much 'Tour of Duty' or some similar video game.

What you are is a disgrace nothing more, go away now and listen to more of your Russian propaganda.

[schmittel]

I'd agree that on the face of it, war with Ukraine seems to be an unecessary risky move for Putin, but maybe he is up to something else entirely other than a yearning to control his neighbours.

Bit of a far out theory, but it is maybe a means to an end to reduce the global power of US by attacking their status as providers of the global reserve currency.

Both Russia and China have been decreasing their US Treasury holdings and US$ exposure over the last 6/7 years. Simultaneously they have both been increasing their holdings of physical gold on quite a large scale.

There is absolutely no chance that Putin did not anticipate economic sanctions, including cutting Russia off from SWIFT. He's also aware how valuable Russia's energy supplies are. He will clearly have a plan to at least mitigate the effect of these sanctions as much as possible.

Current oil/gold ratio is about 20/1 - i.e 1 oz of gold will buy 20 barrels of oil.

Putin could suddenly turn around and says because of these sanctions we will accept payment for our oil in gold, payment in physical gold only and we will accept 1oz of gold for 500 barrels of oil.

If he does that, he has immediately repriced either oil or gold, but which ever way you look at it, the US$ is f*cked, and by extension the US.

[Del.Monte]

What you are is a disgrace nothing more, go away now and listen to more of your Russian propaganda.

I'm a disgrace because I'm rational? I haven't been listening to any Russian propaganda and I get my information from reliable sources such as the BBC not from internet bloggers, YouTube etc. Away now and back to your Xbox.

[JONJO THE MISER]

I'm a disgrace because I'm rational? I haven't been listening to any Russian propaganda and I get my information from reliable sources such as the BBC not from internet bloggers, YouTube etc. Away now and back to your Xbox.

Do you support Russia in this invasion?
Simple question.
Do you think NATO are the enemy?
Again another simple question.
Not expecting a straight answer from you.

[JONJO THE MISER]

Finland now joins Sweden in sending weapons to Ukraine, great news.

[Del.Monte]

Do you support Russia in this invasion?
Simple question.
Do you think NATO are the enemy?
Again another simple question.
Not expecting a straight answer from you.

Always happy to provide straight answers:

Of course I don't support Russia but I'm worried that the thing will spiral out of control if the rhetoric is not dialled down and something done to enable Putin to save face.

NATO are not the enemy but along with the EU have contributed to the situation by their expansionist policies which have enabled the rise of a fascist, opportunistic criminal like Putin.

Why you don't expect a straight answer is a mystery to me as my posting here and in the other place has always been forthright and I call it as I see it. Frequently banned in the other place for it.

[kadman]

I'm a disgrace because I'm rational? I haven't been listening to any Russian propaganda and I get my information from reliable sources such as the BBC not from internet bloggers, YouTube etc. Away now and back to your Xbox.

And all your low priced commmie chinese tech that you are happy to support using your x box