The Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Ajax]

Putin just addressed his nation and put forward a long, rambling casus belli. Looks like it might be about to kick off fairly soon.

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Ajax

Putin just addressed his nation and put forward a long, rambling casus belli. Looks like it might be about to kick off fairly soon.

Already has - bussing troops into Donbas
https://twitter.com/Jake_Hanrahan/st...77460944203777

[DrTiTus]

Spoke to my Ukraine friends, they are none the wiser, and life is normal for the citizens, at least an hour ago in Kyiv. They have not been issued any warnings or given any instructions. The Russian "threat" is a constant for them - for us we're hearing about it in the media so we think it's new. They tell me it's just media hype, and not to worry about them.

If they're not worried, I'm not worried.

[Ajax]

Originally Posted by DrTiTus

If they're not worried, I'm not worried.

Zelensky just addressed the nation live at 2am in the morning to say "we are not afraid" but probably nothing *shrug*

[Lightspeed]

It could be a ploy just to get fuel prices up. Manoeuvring armies use a lot of gas.

[DrTiTus]

And it's over, two territories taken from Ukraine, if I understand correctly. Gosh, what a brutal man. A Western war involves several years, trillions of dollars, and ends in failure and withdrawal.

[Ajax]

Er, it's probably not over yet. Putin may use 'aggression' against Russian forces in the Donbas as justification for an offensive. Same playbook was used in Georgia in 2008.

[Ajax]

[Cyberbob]

Originally Posted by DrTiTus

And it's over, two territories taken from Ukraine, if I understand correctly. Gosh, what a brutal man. A Western war involves several years, trillions of dollars, and ends in failure and withdrawal.

That's the Putin playbook. Two territories this week is nothing. Two next week will be nothing as well. Two the week after won't be much either.

[DrTiTus]

Ajax's picture

I don't really understand. There are things called "timezones", and places have different dates at the same point in the now, so I often tell people overseas I'm living "in the future". If I've missed the point, forgive me. I'm not following the details of the politics, just interested in people I know not getting slaughtered in a war. For example, I have no idea who LPR are, or what this statement means other than something about a date.

[fixed_truth]

^writing a date on a bit of paper doesn't prove that's the actual date

[DrTiTus]

Originally Posted by Ukrainian

so my city turned out to be one of the first if shelling begins
Now in Donetsk they opened fire again. planes and troops of ukraine move to defend
there is also a mobilization of the population

[Ab]

If only the words "Biden" and "Ukraine" together didn't elicit groans and eyerolls and I don't give a fuck any mores. Maybe the US response would be a bit more... authoritative.

[Ab]

Huge if true

https://www.metromag.co.nz/society/putin-and-me

[StN]

I'd seen the pics before after the sinking - but they always claimed it was a look alike.

[Ajax]

Putin was just live on Russian TV at 5:45am Moscow time. Said Russia doesn't feel secure. "I have declared a special military operation: the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine". He's asking the Ukraine military to surrender. A declaration of war, essentially.

[Ajax]

Not clear whether he just means the Donbas region or wider Ukraine.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Ajax

Putin was just live on Russian TV at 5:45am Moscow time. Said Russia doesn't feel secure. "I have declared a special military operation: the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine".

Hates Nazis, wants a safe space. What a fucking snowflake.

All jesting aside, holy shit. I am so so glad that Ukraine gave up all its Soviet nukes.

[Ajax]

Cruise and ballistic missiles now hitting command-and-control centres in Kiev.

[Ab]

This is just fucking horrible.

[Ab]

From Axios’s summary of Putin’s speech:

He argued in an hour-long speech on Monday that Ukraine has no right to exist as an independent country.

Oh fuck.

[Ajax]

Hard to confirm but reports of a Russian landing operation in Odessa

[Ajax]

[Cyberbob]

Originally Posted by Ab

I am so so glad that Ukraine gave up all its Soviet nukes.

MAD works as a deterrent, but it also depends on dealing with rational actors.

[Ab]

Which is why I am so so glad.

[Lightspeed]

It will be interesting to see how long China can keep walking the tightrope in this situation. It might depend on how stinging sanctions against Russia really are.

[DrTiTus]

Originally Posted by Ukrainian

panic in people and a desire to buy everything possible. [pic of long supermarket queues]
two Ukrainian solders have just been shot in front of my eyes.
from 5 in the morning they were just rockets, but when I went to the store, tanks and cars drove in that direction with Ukrainian solders who are now being shot at a kilometer from me. it's very close to me, I'm on the edge of Kharkov, where it's all happening now

[Ajax]

War is hell.

[sidbo]

Originally Posted by DrTiTus

And it's over, two territories taken from Ukraine, if I understand correctly. Gosh, what a brutal man. A Western war involves several years, trillions of dollars, and ends in failure and withdrawal.

Seems there might be a little bit more to it then huh.

[Cyberbob]

Reported attacks so far. Not just a few territories, and extremely close to NATO members.

[Lightspeed]

So Russia is going to try and round up Ukrainian political leadership, charge them with being Nazis, lobotomise the state.

[Ajax]

Putin wants to install a puppet government in the Ukraine, not let an actual democracy potentially ally with the West.

[Ab]

Because internet I don’t think anything is true any more, but to go out with “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” is pretty damn metal.

[_indigo1]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

So Russia is going to try and round up Ukrainian political leadership, charge them with being Nazis, lobotomise the state.

LOL, 'charge them'

Do you think you'll ever see Zelenskyy (or his family) alive again if/when the Russians find him?

[Ajax]

The Nazi thing doesn't make a lot of sense. For a start, Zelenskyy is Jewish and had numerous family members killed in the Holocaust.

[Ajax]

Sounds like things are not going entirely Russia's way so far. They've lost a lot of armour, aircraft and soldiers.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Ab

Because internet I don’t think anything is true any more, but to go out with “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” is pretty damn metal.

Al Jazeera reported it. The background chatter was pretty spooky. "I think this is it."

[Lightspeed]

This is all quite fascinating:

"Invest in badass Zelensky"

[StN]

When it kicked off I was "Isn't that the comedian guy who ended up getting voted in, in an even more funny way than Trump?".

What they didn't report back then was his excessive scrotal capacity.

[Ab]

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/...12365923618816