Viewpoint: Putin now faces only different kinds of defeat

BBC ^ | 8th may 2022 | Bbc

[Petrosius]

Second, there is so little leverage over Russia right now that it can do everything it wants and nothing can he done about it.

Except for closing the Turkish and Danish straights. This would devastate the Russian economy.

[iontheball]

This daily Ukraine BS is getting so old. They must believe they can create a false public narrative through delusionary daily installments of fake news. It’s likely a very expensive contracted DoD propaganda program paid for by us taxpayers.

[Cronos]

“something big coming”?

You mean like in March when you Russians lost your elite VDV paratroopers and the column attempting to capture Kyiv?

You mean like in September when you lost the area from kharkiv to Lyman?

You mean like in November when you retreated from Kherson?

oh no, nothing.

[Cronos]

“asses handed to them by a bunch of ex-convicts”

by a bunch of bodies of ex-convicts.

Wagner group as you correctly point out is made up of ex-convicts who are pointed at the front and the aim is to drown the Ukrainians with the blood of Russian convicts

[Cronos]

"China is abandoning them! " China abandoned them - the Russians get no weapons nor electronics nor ammunition from China. China is happy to buy oil and gas at 40% + discounts, and does nothing more.

China is not going to help Russia fight the West. Rather China had a grievance against Russia - Russia is the only one of the aggressors from the "century of humiliation" who retain control over what the Chinese see as their territory

will be booted from power soon. -- Except for the "soon", I echo that sentiment. "soon" depends on when the Russians house of cards fail

Russia has for centuries been a case where the Tsar has to prove his providence by not losing. That is why Putin isn't giving up this losing war (though the time for that ended with the end of September last year). The Russians revolt when they see the Tsar has no clothes

Russian boys do not wish to fight the west or Ukrainians. - as I've said before and will say it again, Russian boys do not wish to fight the Ukrainians. Against the "West" i.e. Americans or Poles, they would do that. Why? Because of the way history is thought in Russia since the late 1990s and history during communist times -- During communist times as you can imagine the USA and its allies were "the enemy". Poland was brought back into the list of enemies (it was Muscowy's opponent for the souls of the Eastern Slavs from 1500 to 1791 - providing a republican ideal as opposed to the Mongol autocracy spoused by Muscowy). A key point is in the 2005 Putin put back the holiday of "Unity Day" when the Polish conquest of Moscow was repelled by the Muscowites in 1612.

Russians on the other hand have been fed until 2014 with the concept of Ukrainians are Russians or related to Russians. Plus there are tons of intermarriages. This would be like the USA invading Canada -- most Americans would not have the heart for that -- as opposed to the USA invading say North Korea.

No one for a minute thinks Russia could not turn Kiev into a radioactive pit in 15 minutes. -- if you had read anything about East Slavic history you would know that Muscowy would NOT do that -- to them Kyiv is the first capital of the Eastern Slavs (as it was - though I think Novgorod bears mention)

[FtrPilot]

...ex-convicts who are pointed at the front...

Russia deploying ‘barrier troops,’ ‘blocking units’ to stamp down on desertion in Ukraine

So the convicts (and mobiks) march forward and die or retreat and die.

Excellent article...thanks for posting.

[Cronos]

Zelensky is a clown.

Focus on Putin invading and killing thousands of Ukrainians AND thousands of Russians.

[Cronos]

my russian is very rusty but its like gavno boyvneyet

Hmmm.. why do you know Ruski?

[Cronos]

The USA used the first two nuclear bombs built - and saved thousands if not millions of American and yes Japanese lives (an invasion of the home islands would have been brutal) - and today Japan is a free, prosperous country.

Russian nukes may not even work - just as we see the Admiral Kuznetsov

[Palio di Siena]

Decimation is a one tenth reduction - it would be more than that