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Russia’s Grave Miscalculation: Ukrainians Would Collaborate
NYT ^ | 5/7/22 | Andrew E. Kramer

Posted on 05/07/2022 8:43:01 AM PDT by lump in the melting pot

The solicitation to commit treason came to Oleksandr Vilkul on the second day of the war, in a phone call from an old colleague.

Mr. Vilkul, the scion of a powerful political family in southeastern Ukraine that was long seen as harboring pro-Russian views, took the call as Russian troops were advancing to within a few miles of his hometown, Kryvyi Rih.

“He said, ‘Oleksandr Yurivich, you are looking at the map, you see the situation is predetermined,’” Mr. Vilkul said, recalling the conversation with a fellow minister in a former, pro-Russian Ukrainian government.

“Sign an agreement of friendship, cooperation and defense with Russia and they will have good relations with you,” the former colleague said. “You will be a big person in the new Ukraine.”

The offer failed spectacularly. Once war had begun, Mr. Vilkul said, the gray area seeped out of Ukrainian politics for him. Missiles striking his hometown made the choice obvious: He would fight back.

“I responded with profanity,” Mr. Vilkul said in an interview.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Russia
KEYWORDS: andrewekramer; chechens; chechnya; deathtoputin; deathtorussia; oleksandryurivich; propaganda; putinsbuttboys; putinworshippers; russia; russianaggression; ukraine; zottherussiantrolls
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To: pierrem15

Well put!


41 posted on 05/07/2022 9:34:12 AM PDT by Reily
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To: rexthecat

What the war originally was is a moot point. It’s now a “total war,” involving many of the world’s great powers.
***Kind of like the war of 1812, which ended up “status quo ante bellum”. The natural delineation point for status quo would be ante Budapest, which was the 1994 Budapest Accession to the [ratified] United Nations Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and has signed assurances of Ukrainian borders/sovereignty by Russia, Ukraine, USA, Ireland, and Britain.


42 posted on 05/07/2022 9:36:18 AM PDT by Kevmo (Give back Ukes their Nukes https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4044080/posts)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Globalists and their organizations aim to weaken countries’ sovereignty and make their economic activities unstable, making it easy to undermine their national culture.

That's what American Democrats do! Globalists = International Democrats

43 posted on 05/07/2022 9:36:51 AM PDT by Reeses
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To: troll

Frack deeper.

You seem to have completely forgotten that in 2012 oil & gas reserves were being explored by Exxon and western oil companies. This war is about oil & gas reserves. The last time we had an oppressive regime invade their neighbor over oil & gas, an international coalition kicked his ass back to Iraq.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4050958/posts

also:

Why Russia wants to invade Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If61baWF4GE

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4050958/posts

The Russians weren’t even interested in eastern Ukraine until oil was found there. Their interest is simply in raping that country. Russia gets 60% of its revenues from oil exports. Europe gets 40% of their oil from Russia.

In 2012 massive oil and gas reserves were found in Crimea. Crimea signed a $10 billion exploration contracts with Shell and Chevron to develop the new found oil and gas fields. These oil and gas products would compete in Europe with Russia’s oil and gas, reducing Russia’s oil revenues, which we recall amount to 60% of their total GDP. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, cancelling the contracts with Shell and Chevron.

But Ukraine still had massive reserves in, you guessed it, Donetsk and Luhansk, and other areas East of the Dnieper River. In 2019, Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited Ukraine, and soon after Ukraine awarded exploration contracts to a consortium of U.S. oil companies. Again, these oil reserves would compete in Europe with Russian oil, so Putin is invading Ukraine to shut down this latest attempt to extract Ukrainian oil and sell it in competition with Russian oil.

This explanation makes more sense to me than the “Putin feels threatened by NATO expansion” excuses for the invasion.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4044221/posts?page=1#1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CmdSzVFSKc

If the Ukes allow some small region in the west to be its own republic, but the OIL belongs to Ukraine, do ya think Pootypoot would allow that? Nope.


44 posted on 05/07/2022 9:37:24 AM PDT by Kevmo (Give back Ukes their Nukes https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4044080/posts)
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To: BobL

Traitors tend to get shot in time of war. Good thing you’re careful not to criticize Comrade Putin or we might not hear from you again.


45 posted on 05/07/2022 9:40:51 AM PDT by MercyFlush (The Soviet Empire is right now doing a dead cat bounce.)
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To: lump in the melting pot

full article

https://archive.ph/2Zrj8


46 posted on 05/07/2022 9:41:00 AM PDT by catnipman (In a post-covid world, ALL "science" is now political science: stolen elections have consequences)
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To: MercyFlush

“Traitors tend to get shot in time of war.”

Traitors should be shot. How about telling us how people trying to get food and medicine to civilians makes one a traitor?


47 posted on 05/07/2022 9:43:07 AM PDT by BobL (Putin isn't sending gays into our schools to groom my children, but anti-Putin people are)
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To: slowhandluke

I guess you missed Russia’s UN ambassador yesterday clearly and repeatedly recognizing Ukrainian sovereignty and independence.

If Russia does not say this is a civil war then why are you saying that?


48 posted on 05/07/2022 9:44:36 AM PDT by MercyFlush (The Soviet Empire is right now doing a dead cat bounce.)
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To: BobL

If you live in the US and war starts with Russia I’d advise making plans for the FBI to invite you to stay with them for a while.


49 posted on 05/07/2022 9:46:42 AM PDT by MercyFlush (The Soviet Empire is right now doing a dead cat bounce.)
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To: BobL

Isn’t that what usually happens with traitors in wartime?


50 posted on 05/07/2022 9:49:26 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham ("God is a spirit, and man His means of walking on the earth.")
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To: MercyFlush; Admin Moderator

“If you live in the US and war starts with Russia I’d advise making plans for the FBI to invite you to stay with them for a while.”

Sounds like a threat.


51 posted on 05/07/2022 9:50:33 AM PDT by BobL (Putin isn't sending gays into our schools to groom my children, but anti-Putin people are)
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To: BobL

Do you believe I work for the FBI? LOL.


52 posted on 05/07/2022 9:51:45 AM PDT by MercyFlush (The Soviet Empire is right now doing a dead cat bounce.)
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

“Isn’t that what usually happens with traitors in wartime?”

Depends on the definition of traitor - doing what Ukraine-supporter Soros did in WW2 and helping the Nazis find Jews is clearly being a traitor. Asking the Russians for some food and water for the elderly doesn’t quite reach that, at least in my book.


53 posted on 05/07/2022 9:52:40 AM PDT by BobL (Putin isn't sending gays into our schools to groom my children, but anti-Putin people are)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

You forgot the people who are controlling Biden.....


54 posted on 05/07/2022 9:53:00 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: MercyFlush

“Do you believe I work for the FBI? LOL.”

I don’t know what you know about me, but I recommend not issuing THREATS against people you disagree with, at least on this site.


55 posted on 05/07/2022 9:53:33 AM PDT by BobL (Putin isn't sending gays into our schools to groom my children, but anti-Putin people are)
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To: lump in the melting pot

Precisely


56 posted on 05/07/2022 9:57:38 AM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: BobL

It’s merely advice.

Now ask yourself why this should bother you.


57 posted on 05/07/2022 9:57:55 AM PDT by MercyFlush (The Soviet Empire is right now doing a dead cat bounce.)
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To: MercyFlush

“It’s merely advice.”

Calling a theat ‘advice’ is cute.


58 posted on 05/07/2022 10:05:36 AM PDT by BobL (Putin isn't sending gays into our schools to groom my children, but anti-Putin people are)
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To: alexander_busek

“Except that that was a civil war, while this is a war between two sovereign nations.”

For the purpose of this post, I’ll stipulate what you have written is true.

Does your distinction support or repudiate the principles in the Declaration of Independence?


59 posted on 05/07/2022 10:15:25 AM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: DIRTYSECRET
Some countries need to be run by the ruthless. Think Russia, Saddam, Khadafy. Traiitors should be shot.

Partner, Saddam Hussein has been shot and killed. Omar Khadafi is dead. There only remains Putin but he has been sick with Cancer.

I agree with all your statements and Putin should be shot by the Russians for getting them in trouble.

If we would have had a better president than the clueless and dumbass Biden then Putin would not have done what he did.

60 posted on 05/07/2022 10:19:26 AM PDT by TheConservativeTejano (The Business of America is Business)
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