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I just don't see how Ukraine comes out whole or even half.
The Russian army is still killing a ton of their soldiers in badly orchestrated attacks, but they don't look like Benny Hill show reruns anymore. It looks like they are producing plain, but competent supplies. IE No more cardboard armor. They seem to have adequate numbers of artillery shells which is Russia's military doctrine 101. As long as oil and gas still have value, the Russian economy is battered, but still standing.
All they have to do is wait it out until the West gives in.
And no, I'm not cheering for Putin.
The only upside is the West realizes Russia is the killer next door and perhaps one should be wary of them. Sweden and Finland have been long cooperating with NATO. Joining was the final step. Both punch above their weight class ON DEFENSE, not offense.
I, actually, watched the video. Four burning houses? Not even levelled? OK. Couldn't do better, more disaster? Not impressed.
Then you were obviously not watching what was going on there back in 2022.
I did.
Quote:
Will you kindly then post videos of Mariupol being rebuilt by Orks? And, yes, video, you referring to, as propaganda, was shot in Mariupol with cell phone few days ago. Happy people, clean streets, normal life. City is striving.
PARTS of it, yes. ( Which can't be said about many other places/cities/towns that were destroyed by this war.)
But even in Mariupol, a lot of locals I've heard couldn't get appartments/places to live, once they returned to their city. Those new wonderful places are intended to someone else, since it's a resort area now.
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Honestly, I don't get you. Which side you are on. If you like those videos, pull all of 2014 and later vids of UAF destroying Donbass and Lugansk. PLENTY of them. But, as I said, I can't figure, whose side you are on.
I already expressed my opinion many times.
US is in the wrong in this situation.
Russia is in the right - these are historically Russian lands, with culturally-Russian population, that Putin betrayed back in 2014, which brought today's disaster first of all for the people that he betrayed in the first place.
And it doesn't matter whether people living there are ethnic Russians or Ukrainians. CULTURALLY they are all Russian.
I would also mention that this war is killing a lot of Russians from "Russia proper" in the process too - both military and civilians.
I don't want even to mention Prigozhin and Utkin whom he assasinated - one of the most capable people in Russian military, just because they didn't please his ego.
I don't want to mention Strelkov whom he owes Donbass, and whom he put in jail for "extremism" as he likes to do now with anyone, daring to criticize him for his corruption and of those handpicked by him.
At that, he continues to pretend that he is "all-knowing and invincible" leader, which he is NOT.
Not a single "all knowing and invincible" leader would bring this disaster by a row of dumb decisions, unchallenged, and yet kept on pretending that "everything is going according to a plan."
YOU might adore him all you want and unscrupulously push all his propaganda concocted by his minions, without looking into finer details.
But I have nothing but contempt for him, because I know better.
This borders upon ordering Ukraine to pay reparations to Russia. That's a deal-breaker. It may have been dropped from later treaties I haven't seen.
1. Ukraine recognizes the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic and
the LuhanskPeople's Republic within the administrative boundaries of the former
Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine and, in this regard, shall introduce
comprehensive changes to the national legislation.
2. Ukraine assumes obligations to restore the infrastructure ofthe Donetsk
People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic destroyed from 2014 to 2022
inclusive.
3. Efforts will be made to settle the issues related to the business interests of
Ukrainian entrepreneurs in the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic and the
Luhansk People's Republic.
And here's another problem from one version of the 2022 proposed peace treaty.
...
Basically everything Russia has offered is the same:
Stop fighting us, let us take what we came to take,
and pay us reparations for resisting our aggression.
(Quite similar to Hamas and the UN's dishonorable negotiations with Israel, which is not surprising, since this is just another front of the same war.)
I just don't see how Ukraine comes out whole or even half.
The Russian army is still killing a ton of their soldiers in badly orchestrated attacks, but they don't look like Benny Hill show reruns anymore. It looks like they are producing plain, but competent supplies. IE No more cardboard armor. They seem to have adequate numbers of artillery shells which is Russia's military doctrine 101. As long as oil and gas still have value, the Russian economy is battered, but still standing.
All they have to do is wait it out until the West gives in.
And no, I'm not cheering for Putin.
The only upside is the West realizes Russia is the killer next door and perhaps one should be wary of them. Sweden and Finland have been long cooperating with NATO. Joining was the final step. Both punch above their weight class ON DEFENSE, not offense.
It is China that is financing Russia (and Iran): supplying their artillery (much of it via the North Korea connection), in exchange for oil, gas and coal.
Yes, coal, from the Dunbass region. (Don't believe anyone who tells you it isn't happening.) This is an important part of China's long term strategy.
Frankly, if this war keeps grinding onwards and is allowed to reach its natural conclusion, then Ukraine could very well wind up as a landlocked rump state.
[map that does not show here]
With that being the end result.
That is a pretty accurate depiction of Putin's goal in Ukraine.
But, while that would be sufficient to be a disaster for the Western World (or Free World, but we are not that free any more), that is not where it will end. Should his forces gain a solid foothold on the Dinpro River and capture Odesa, it is likely Putin (or his successor) will launch an attack on Estonia.
Not to mention, Putin has already undertaken sabotage operations all across Europe, in preparation for possibly going to war with NATO.
If Russia secures its foothold in Ukraine, annexing Estonia will give Russia access to more resources. I don't think Russia can pass this up, especially after Putin essentially made the claim that he would restore the old Russian Empire: the very thing certain propagandists, in this thread, tell us is his right.
Evelin Puura, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that trade is most active and also grows the most with Estonia’s neighbours: Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. The share of these countries accounts for 41% of Estonia’s total trade. “The exports and imports of goods were at a record high level in November. In addition to growing volumes, higher prices continued to impact trade growth,” explained Puura.
The main commodities exported were mineral fuels, electrical equipment, wood and articles of wood. Compared to November 2020, the biggest increases occurred in the exports of mineral fuels and electricity (up by 129 million euros), wood and articles of wood (up by 80 million euros), and base metals and articles of base metal (up by 74 million euros).
The main partner country for Estonia’s exports of goods was Finland, followed by Latvia and Sweden.
Lukk pointed to several examples, such as oil shale, graptolitic argillite and wood, that through the development of innovative extraction and processing techniques, could help fill the resource gap, at the Science|Business annual Widening conference in Brussels last week.
Some of these resources are thought of as lower value materials – they are not on the European Commission’s list of 34 critical raw materials that are deemed to be of high importance due to economic or supply reasons.
But for Lukk, they can still play a role. “The world is running low on rich ores, but technologies going after the poor ores are not that efficient yet,” he said. “I don’t think we have any other choice really than to go after these, for the resilience of Estonia,” he said.
And, if Russia takes Estonia, these resources will will be of importance to building Russia, not Europe.
This is why we must hold the line against Russian aggression, and why building our war machine as fast as possible would be the right thing to do. (But, I doubt we will do it, sufficiently.)
If Russia secures its foothold in Ukraine, annexing Estonia will give Russia access to more resources. I don't think Russia can pass this up, especially after Putin essentially made the claim that he would restore the old Russian Empire: the very thing certain propagandists, in this thread, tell us is his right.
This is why we must hold the line against Russian aggression, and why building our war machine as fast as possible would be the right thing to do. (But, I doubt we will do it, sufficiently.)
There is nothing in Estonia that Russia would be interested in.
However, if all these collective "Sanna Marin" ( I am referring to that dopehead former Finnish Prime Minister, since they all look alike,) so if these Prime ministers of Estonia or Latvia won't stop yapping at Russia, calling for its breakup or trying to prevent the flow of goods to Kaliningrad ( as in case with Lithuania,) or try to cut Russia's access to the Baltic Sea in general - then yes, Putin might stomp on them.
Even though Russians are not interested in Baltics per se - either their lands or population.
It is China that is financing Russia (and Iran): supplying their artillery (much of it via the North Korea connection), in exchange for oil, gas and coal.....
Meh... C'mon. China is buying oil at a discount, not "receiving it in exchange". The Russia-China natural gas pipeline deal has fallen through over Beijing price demands.
China is not "financing" Russia. They are buying what they need and are twisting Russia's already broken arm to get a better deal.
Russian dictator Putin is desperate and lonely. He went to North Korea to cry on Kim's shoulders. Kim agreed to send Putin more weapons but no food for Russia. Kim says he needs food for himself.
Putin went to N Korea to see if he will send soldiers. He desperately needs them. He is nearing the bottom of the barrel with his population the way it is. His army is deserting or dying for little or no gain.
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