If either France or the US will say by a high ranking diplomat or official that Wagner and Russia has been involved, that surely would show that they are on the warfoot with Russia in Africa. If they don't say that, it tells something also.maybe the coup in Niger (after the coups in Mali and Burkina Faso), will make France less hesitant against the Russians now. — neomac
Intensive military preparations are underway in the West; enormous sums of money are being invested in this. It is necessary to understand that, in the capitalist world, nobody will tie their assets up in [long-term investments in costly] weaponry and in beefing up the ranks of the army for nothing. So, one can make an unambiguous conclusion: The possibility of a direct military clash with NATO in the future is becoming more and more evident. — Viktor Khrenin · TASS · Aug 15, 2023
It is no accident that the Republic of Belarus is considering returning tactical nuclear weapons to its soil as a potent element of strategic containment. — Viktor Khrenin · TASS · Aug 15, 2023
The sanctions announced today are in addition to sanctions previously imposed on 13 Belarusian individuals and entities, including Belarusian Minister of Defence Viktor Khrenin, who have played a role of significant strategic importance to Russia by allowing Russia to launch attacks from Belarus.
The Belarusian Government allowed Russian military forces to train in their country for weeks ahead of the invasion. Since then, it has allowed Russia to fire ballistic missiles from Belarus into Ukraine, enabled the transport of Russian military personnel, heavy weapons and tanks into Ukraine, provided refuelling points in Belarus for Russian military aircraft and stored Russian weapons and military equipment. — Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs · Mar 25, 2022
any aggression against Russia's neighbour and close ally Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia — Putin (paraphrased) · Reuters · Jul 22, 2023
That's actually from Putin's firm ally, Belarus. And people there not being happy about their leader. But now I guess everything is fine.(where's that photo from anyway?) — jorndoe
If Ukrainian elections would be rigged, yes, we would know about it. I'm pretty confident about that.Conversely, Ukraine had (and has) international and domestic monitors. I guess that would end if they were to be assimilated by Russia. — jorndoe
How so?Crimea is worth much more to Russians than to Ukraine. — Jabberwock
Well, to literally get landforces into Crimea is difficult. In this map triangles show where Russia has built fortifications. A lot of trenches and dragons teeth in the Crimea too now.On the other hand, militarily it will be easier to take back Crimea than Donbass. — Jabberwock
With Crimea, Russia can easily block (as it does) sea routes Ukraine is quite dependent, as we have seen. You see, the route from Odessa and other ports (and we have to forget ports in the Azov sea) and any sea route to them is easily inside the range of even the land based K-300P Bastion anti-ship missile system. — ssu
Well, to literally get landforces into Crimea is difficult. In this map triangles show where Russia has built fortifications. A lot of trenches and dragons teeth in the Crimea too now. — ssu
Ukrainian air force reportedly shot down 15 of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight. ("sitting ducks with some repellent")A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater. — Zelenskyy
We cannot rule out such an option. We are working to prevent it. Russia constantly provokes NATO. — Todor Tagarev
Or if Ukraine is in NATO, that would be a guarantee that Russia doesn't the war after rebuilding it's offensive capacity.I am assuming that the treaty actually ends the war (i.e. Russia cannot continue it in a near future, at least not until Ukraine is in NATO). — Jabberwock
As you write, the whole war hasn't been much of a blow for Russia, but for Ukraine it surely has. A few drone strikes basically on military installations and the sanctions aren't anywhere close to what Ukraine is going through.As you write, for Russia it is a prized jewel of the empire, losing Sevastopol would be a hard blow; for Ukraine not so much. — Jabberwock
To have Crimea under siege isn't similar to occupying it. In this situation Russia can simply transfer all the non-crucial people out of Crimea and still hold on to it. Remember the siege of Leningrad.But if you have Zaporozhia, it is quite easy to cut off supplies from Crimea - just take down the Kerch Bridge. That is what the current offensive is about. — Jabberwock
Actually, it has been the Department of State, not the CIA, which at the present has been most successful. And of course there really are NGOs, or simply rich people like Soros. Of course Putin just puts them all into the same basket as there is only one basket in Russia: his basket. As in an earlier discussion about the subject, one PF member reminded that actually the US supported the opposition (to further democracy) in France when there was a social democratic administration there. France asked formally about the issue (what the hell?) and the humiliated US had to acknowledge that someone in the government apparatus had done such a thing.I mean, the CIA probably has given at least some sort of minor support to most of these movements but that hardly means it's decisive or even moved the needle. — Count Timothy von Icarus
Russia said it would maintain control over those it sends to Belarus.
I agree there are normal adequate people anywhere, on each side. But I will hate them until the end of my life. — Dima
This night alone, the export capacity of the port of Izmail was reduced by 15%. Russia is systematically hitting grain silos and warehouses to stop agricultural exports. In total, 270,000 tonnes of grain have been destroyed in a month of attacks on ports. — Oleksandr Kubrakov · Reuters · Aug 23, 2023
Four educational workers were killed and four other people were hurt in a Russian attack on a school in the city of Romny in northeastern Ukraine on Wednesday, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
“The school building was destroyed, and this is just before the school year, which unfortunately will never start for some,” Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram. — Reuters via Al Arabiya · Aug 23, 2023
Latvia’s bravado is made possible by the safety of belonging to NATO. [...] As in Estonia, Russia’s 21st century assault on Ukraine brought echoes of Russia’s 20th century subjugation of Latvia. [...] When I asked her [Galina Domenikovska (53)] about former President Donald Trump, she winced, and told me she is afraid he will come back to office.
Mutiny feint? Russian aircraft shot down feint? The mutineer then killed feint? :roll: — ssu
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