The Russia-Ukraine War has begun

[Innula Zenovka]

Beards banned by Russian commander

President Putin’s army has suffered tens of thousands of casualties in Ukraine but his defence officials have still found time to try to ensure that their troop

www.thetimes.co.uk

Link to archived content

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Thread

 

[detrius]

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

In reality, Putin would just tell Trump to get back on his knees and assume the position.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Looks as if the Swedish far-right are deliberately trying to sabotage Sweden's application to join NATO by riling Turkey as much as possible

Turkey condemns 'vile' Sweden Quran-burning protest

Turkey earlier called off a visit by Sweden's defence minister Pal Jonson over the planned protest.

www.bbc.co.uk

And sure enough...

‘Pro-Putin journalist’ paid for Quran-burning stunt in Sweden

A Quran-burning stunt which could jeopardise Sweden’s attempt to join Nato was organised by a far right journalist with links to a Kremlin-backed television channel, it has emerged.Chang Frick paid 320 Swedish krona (£25) for an official permit to hold the demonstration near Turkey’s embassy in Stoc

www.thetimes.co.uk

Link to archived content

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

The CATO institute, one of America's most influential neoliberal think tanks, published an article titled "Using Ukraine as a Bloodied Pawn."

Basically they write this: Ukraine is not a democracy, but a corrupt, repressive autocracy like Russia. The war itself is not of global importance, but a nasty turf fought over mundane stakes. The deeper reason why probably America is invested so much into it is to weaken Russia, as Lloyd Austin put it in summer 2022, and create a second Afghanistan. This would require a prolonged war, regardless of the consequences for the Ukrainian people. And remember: America had no postwar plan for Afghanistan in the 80s. Also was with Afghanistan given little concern about the wider geo-political ramifications.

All is set at the moment for a long war, which will leave Ukraine totally in ruins. The current policy is reckless and cruel. Instead of giving Kyiv blanco support for the war, the Biden administration shou8ld push for negotiations to end the bloodbath in Ukraine as soon as possible.

https://www.cato.org/commentary/using-ukraine-bloodied-pawn?fbclid=IwAR3Owx47W9w7tq8aR8T--pVeyBf8q_5FbBJDjzXbvkfDsYbMeK36KfCFsEY#

 

[detrius]

The CATO institute, one of America's most influential neoliberal think tanks, published an article titled "Using Ukraine as a Bloodied Pawn."

Basically they write this: Ukraine is not a democracy, but a corrupt, repressive autocracy like Russia. The war itself is not of global importance, but a nasty turf fought over mundane stakes. The deeper reason why probably America is invested so much into it is to weaken Russia, as Lloyd Austin put it in summer 2022, and create a second Afghanistan. This would require a prolonged war, regardless of the consequences for the Ukrainian people. And remember: America had no postwar plan for Afghanistan in the 80s. Also was with Afghanistan given little concern about the wider geo-political ramifications.

All is set at the moment for a long war, which will leave Ukraine totally in ruins. The current policy is reckless and cruel. Instead of giving Kyiv blanco support for the war, the Biden administration shou8ld push for negotiations to end the bloodbath in Ukraine as soon as possible.

https://www.cato.org/commentary/using-ukraine-bloodied-pawn?fbclid=IwAR3Owx47W9w7tq8aR8T--pVeyBf8q_5FbBJDjzXbvkfDsYbMeK36KfCFsEY#

Oh wow, you're treating the fucking CATO Institute like a credible source???

It's is a far-right organization funded by the Koch brother(s), they're proponents of some of the most unhinged, extremist, proto-facist politics in America.

You're really spiralling down the crazy drain now.

This is AfD-level bullshit.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Your text understanding works in really strange ways sometimes, because otherwise you would be able to comprehend what I am writing and what not! But then again, if I look into the past, your track record on that is kind of muddy, so not much of a surprise here.

So, since you are unable to get the point, let me rephrase it in a way that hopefully you might understand:

1. I never said the CATO institute is a credible source, nor that I do share/endorse their views at all. That's not what this is about.
2. I said CATO institute is one of the most influential neoliberal/libertarian think tanks in America. That's something other people also can agree upon: Cato Institute

And, as with think tanks tend to work many times, the point not so much about their credibility, but their influence they can wield and their goals. And here we've got CATO institute openly proposing that America should influence Ukraine to enter negotiations very soon.

That's the whole point about it, one of the most influential think tanks in America openly taking that stance! That CATO takes that stance is what my original post was all about, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

one of the most influential think tanks in America

From what I've read, these right-wing think tanks are part of a small ecosystem of think tanks, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, PACs, consultancies and the like, which exist to propagate the ideas of a few very wealthy right-wing activists (and to further the careers of people who've come to their attention) within the Republican party.

They're part of the Republican propaganda machine, producing material primarily to influence other Republicans, and are generally influential to the extent the Republicans are in power, I think.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Chin Rey]

Russian propaganda reached a new level of absurdity:

​

Either that or they have developed a new weapon so powerfiul it can turn snow and mud into desert sand and so advanced it can reach into the future and destroy a tank months before it arrives on the battlefield.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg went to a surprise visit of Ukraine. He met with Selenskyi, and told the press this: "Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. And over time, our support will help to make this possible."

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_214037.htm

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Bill Clinton revealed in a recent interview that he knew already by 2011 that Putin would attack Ukraine some day.

“Putin told me in 2011, three years before he took Crimea, that he did not agree with the agreement I made with Boris Yeltsin, that they would respect Ukraine’s territory if they gave up their nuclear weapons,” Clinton said on Thursday at a public discussion at 92nd Street Y, a Jewish cultural and community centre in New York.
“Putin said to me: ‘… I know Boris agreed to go along with you and John Major and Nato, but he never got it through the Duma [Russian parliament]. We have our extreme nationalists too. I don’t agree with it and I do not support it and I’m not bound by it.’
“I knew from that day forward, it was just a matter of time,” the former president said of Putin launching an attack.

This revelation raises the question about whether the US and Europe should have been more prepared for the 2014 invasion of Crimea. #

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/05/we-knew-putin-would-attack-ukraine-back-in-2011-says-bill-clinton

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

I think if they had done anything to be more prepared, the invasion would simply have happened sooner. Preparation is provocation.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I think if they had done anything to be more prepared, the invasion would simply have happened sooner. Preparation is provocation.

Agreed. Much of what we could do probably did happen. ...which was to have a big stockpile of weapons to give them.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Cindy Claveau]

Thread

What I've found interesting are the conflicting rumors going around Putin's distrust of the Wagnerites, and accusations that he purposely fed them into a trap in Bakhmut and let them run low on ammo. The Wagner force is now reportedly decimated.

 

[Sid]

Hey Cindy!! Good to see you around again!