I think we're being conditioned by our politicians to think that this will go on for a long time. The end game could be a lot sooner than people think if the Russian economy collapses in the short term which is what many are predicting. We thought the world changed after 9/11. That will be a minor footnote compared to the changes as a result of this.Strikes me that there is no way this doesn't end in meltdown for the Russian economy. They are using munitions they cannot easily replace. They are losing airplanes by the dozen that cost tens of millions of dollars each that they cannot replace full stop. The 'special military operation' is a significant drain on their economy in itself. So their economy is under more strain than it normally would be at just the time the sanctions are ratcheted up against it.
In the meantime, the war has settled down (poor choice of phrase, I know) into a grim slog where the Russians make tiny advances and the Ukrainians sustain major structural damage whilst inflicting guerilla-like damage on the Russian military. It all ends in one of two ways in my opinion: either Ukraine collapses before the Russian economy does, and the Russians face an Afghanistan-style guerilla operation until their economy does grind to a complete halt, or the Russian economy collapses before the Ukrainians have fallen, leaving both countries in a desperate state.
What worries me is what Putin will do when that endgame is getting very near.
It’s hardly surprising the B word comes up when discussing our government’s immigration policy in relation to refugees. It was voted for by many people largely on the basis of making it as difficult as possible for migrants to get here, whether economic migrants or refugees from war zones.
You have to remember that the Russians are brainwashed daily and those on the frontline won't be any different. A majority in their population actually believes that this is a war against proper Nazis who want to hurt Russia and are backed by the west.While he's ultimately to blame, I think we've moved past the whole "I didn't know what was going on, Putin just sent us here" phase of the war.
Putin is a war criminal but no one made the man in that tank kill those civilians.
I think we're being conditioned by our politicians to think that this will go on for a long time. The end game could be a lot sooner than people think if the Russian economy collapses in the short term which is what many are predicting. We thought the world changed after 9/11. That will be a minor footnote compared to the changes as a result of this.
That is the standard norm for any attacking force so the russians would need over 1/2 million troops to do the job properly against just Ukraines regular army, not allowing for Ukraines reservists and foreign fighters/mercenaries. The russians thought they were going to walk into Kyev to a round of applause. The russian logistics and communications seem to be fucked but I suppose these things happen in war.
That,and others,should be shown on every news channel across the world.......the sick fucks.
I always thought it was a pisstake anyway - a TV drama where the cops catch the bad guys every week?Scary stuff.
People in the west need to prepare themselves for difficulties caused by ramping up sanctions to unimaginable levels. No more oil or gas from Russia is urgently needed. The alternative is too horrendous to contemplate, not just for Ukraine but for the whole world.
On a lighter note, I wonder if Everton will change their walk on music.