Posted on 02/18/2022 2:10:02 PM PST by Smogger
Actually, Putin does benefit. He can claim Ukraine blew up the pipeline causing Europe to lose natural gas. He can now invade Ukraine and claim he is restoring the pipeline so Europeans will not go cold the rest of the Winter.
Maybe Putin should talk to the real president of the US, Trump.
I don’t think Putin cares about sanctions (and he has Germany protecting him from the worst of these) but he does care about Russian public opinion.
People here tend to view Putin as a dictator (and his party does rig elections) but Putin is actually always quite concerned for Russian public opinion.
What I have learned from reading Russian news sources in recent weeks is that actually most people in Russia (other than the Communist Party) don’t want to absorb the Donbass. It’s a huge welfare sink as it is and a lot of people in Donbass who Putin gave Russian passports to moved over into Russia and are now on the public dole. Those who can leave and are not motivated by some strong Russian nationalist urge to fight for Donbass independence from Ukraine, have already left.
What Putin wants is a puppet government in Kiev that will ensure that Ukraine will never join the EU. It’s not NATO that worries Putin, it’s the EU. People in Belarus and Ukraine travel to other countries in Europe and see the prosperity in the EU and that’s what they want for their country.
I don’t think Putin wants the Donbass to be taken into Russia like the separatists there want. He knows Russian public opinion does not support this.
Putin wants a new puppet government in Kiev to keep Donbass and let that government tax Ukrainians to pay for the reconstruction of Donbass (> US$20 billion). He will send the Donbass refugees in Russia on the dole back to Donbass and let Ukraine pay for them. And with Donbass left within Ukraine, that leaves more pro-Russians within Ukraine.
So if we see explosions and attacks and killings in Donbass by the separatists trying to get Russia to come in and save them, for Putin this will be instead justification to go in and invade Kiev and install a new government there.
The fire is out.
About half of the Russian assault force has been moved to within 15km of the border.
It looks like an attack very soon, likely by the 20th.
I’ve got my tin foil hat on right now, and I’ve been thinking similarly.
Biden & Biden have made a bunch of money illegally from the Ukrainians. Suppose they threaten to expose him if he doesn’t help protect them…..?
I don’t know, there are so many possibilities….. none good for us!
Regardless of what one thinks about Biden, to suggest that Putin is less corrupt is really laughable.
Maybe but unlikely.
Apparently Russia has 70% of its army mobilized and surrounding Ukraine, including units pulled from Siberia.
They also have demanded we withdraw troops from several NATO countries.
Biden has no ability to do those things.
I heard the explosion here on Fox street in the South Bronx.
Yep.
Pooti Poot was tired of waiting.
He’s a thug.
*************
He may be a thug but please explain to me why he would blow up a money making pipeline that originates in Russia? Maybe you know the answer?
The Russians have moved blood forward, that is a key signal.
Our CIA office and the UK embassy have relocated to Kviv.
Russia has assured Israel that it will assist in evacuating its citizens and diplomatic staff from Ukraine.
Look for Russia to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine, that’s when the shooting will start.
I hope everyone in Дружба are vaccinated and masked.
“Regardless of what one thinks about Biden, to suggest that Putin is less corrupt is really laughable. “
It’s not really about corruption, is it? Or, murderous inclination?
It’s whether a leader pursues the interests of his country.
By that measure Putin is a far superior man. And the most important leader on the world stage, surpassing POTUS and Xi.
Nobody else in the same class.
Well said. Why? Well for one thing Tucker Carlson has been disgusting in lining up anti American guests who claim we are planning to “attack Russia” which is an absolutely insane claim.
They also say economic sanctions are the same as a military attack.
He also spends every night saying Ukraine is a corrupt dictatorship puppet of Biden, who wants a war with Russia.
I hate Biden and his weakness has caused this crisis, but all the above are rather disgusting and false claims. And I feel sorry for those here who believe it.
Why is Tucker that far off course from reality? No idea.
Yeah all hail Putin. You fool.
Thats some really interesting background info.
Putin is defending the Russian kleptocracy that is threatened by multi national globalists. He’s the latest in a long line of Russian rulers who couldn’t care less about the Russian people.
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