Russia Masses Military Equipment Near Ukraine Borders: A Prologue to WWIII?

[Essan]

11 minutes ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

Well that is what your link returned for me.

 

That's interesting.   The link works here in the UK (atm).   For openness, here's what it says:

 

Quote

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday that the EU will ban the Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik accusing them of spreading “harmful disinformation.” She did not specify whether this ban will apply solely to television broadcasts, or whether RT and Sputnik’s websites will be affected.

In what she called an “unprecedented” step, von der Leyen announced that “we will ban in the European Union the Kremlin’s media machine.”

“The state owned Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and to sow division in our union,” she continued. “We are developing tools to ban toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe.”

Von der Leyen’s move comes a day after the Association of European Journalists called on the EU to implement a bloc-wide ban on RT, and have its journalists “removed.” It also comes several days after the EU sanctioned RT’s editor-in-chief, Margarita Simonyan. 

Simonyan responded to the latest ban by declaring that “not a single person who faithfully worked and continues to work for us will be laid off in any country.”

RT has previously faced censorship in Europe, with German regulators banning its German-language channel earlier this month. More recently, Google subsidiary YouTube and Facebook parent company Meta demonetized RT’s accounts on Saturday, while Google blocked downloads of RT’s app on Ukrainian territory earlier on Sunday.

Immediately before announcing the ban on RT and Sputnik, von der Leyen revealed that the EU will also close off its airspace to all Russian aircraft, and will supply Ukraine with weapons.

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by Essan

[Abramelin]

7 minutes ago, Helen of Annoy said:

Not enough people attended. I know they're afraid and police is extremely aggressive, but the wide population didn't quite get it yet, what is really going on. 

I think they do know what's going on, but decided to stay alive or out of prison for a while longer.

[+susieice]

19 minutes ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

Well that is what your link returned for me.

 

I can't open Essan's link either.

Edited February 27, 2022 by susieice

[Abramelin]

8 minutes ago, Essan said:

That's interesting.   The link works here in the UK (atm).   For openness, here's what it says:

 

 

I saw it live on Dutch tv.

No problems here.

[+and-then]

2 hours ago, Hammerclaw said:

Not from asymmetric warfare using portable, one or two-man antitank munitions, generously supplied by a willing US Administration. Apparently, they were supplied with antiaircraft munitions as well.

It doesn't say much for the esprit de corps of the Russian military, if they have to be lied to and tricked into going into combat.

That force of ~ 200K troops represents a significant portion of their total capacity and the bulk of them are conscripts.  That means they serve ONE YEAR.  I doubt most of them can even understand small-unit tactics or have any expertise in weapons systems in such a short period.  And THAT is added to the fact that they were lied to about what they'd be doing.  I get the impression that Russians in general have no desire to be killing Ukrainians.  

[+and-then]

2 hours ago, Cookie Monster said:

We are creeping step by step into WW3

I do not believe that Putin has such firm control of Russian strategic nuclear forces that they will obey his order to potentially destroy Russia.  

[Grey Area]

4 minutes ago, and then said:

That force of ~ 200K troops represents a significant portion of their total capacity and the bulk of them are conscripts.  That means they serve ONE YEAR.  I doubt most of them can even understand small-unit tactics or have any expertise in weapons systems in such a short period.  And THAT is added to the fact that they were lied to about what they'd be doing.  I get the impression that Russians in general have no desire to be killing Ukrainians.  

My huge concern here is that Putin has exposed the Russian Armed Forces as being severely lacking, and not the power house with which he was chest beating about a week ago.

That leaves only one thing left to fall back on, and my worry is that the future of the world is in the hands of whether it takes more courage for his generals to push the red button or commit treason in the eyes of Putin.

[Essan]

A good assessement on ABC (which I continue to consider the best of the world's mainstream news outlets)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-28/invasion-ukraine-russia-putin-three-critical-miscalculations/100859778 

[Coil]

The Russian military occupied the administrative buildings of Berdyansk.

We were offered to continue our work, but under the control of armed men. I consider such proposal unacceptable, therefore we left the building of executive committee to all operational staff, but we continue to work and coordinate work of operational staff remotely - the acting mayor declared.

[+Nuclear Wessel]

Citizens from France and America have been told to evacuate Russia IMMEDIATELY, by any means necessary.

[ExpandMyMind]

One day putin was walking with his troops, and over a hill a Ukrainian soldier yelled, “I bet one Ukrainian can beat 10 Russians”  amused, Putin sent over ten men, after a brief moment, no Russians came back.

Then the Ukrainian said “I bet one Ukrainian can beat a hundred Russians” getting mad, Putin sent over a hundred Russians. After a brief moment of fighting, nobody came back.

Then the Ukrainian said “I bet 1 Ukrainian can beat a thousand Russians.” Fed up at this point, Putin sent over ten thousand men, believing that surely the Ukrainian can’t survive this.

After a brief period of intense fighting, a single Russian soldier came back, and said “it’s a trap, there are actually two Ukranians”.

[+and-then]

[+susieice]

2 minutes ago, Nuclear Wessel said:

Citizens from France and America have been told to evacuate Russia IMMEDIATELY, by any means necessary.

It's hard to believe they already haven't, isn't it!

[Essan]

12 minutes ago, ExpandMyMind said:

One day putin was walking with his troops, and over a hill a Ukrainian soldier yelled, “I bet one Ukrainian can beat 10 Russians”  amused, Putin sent over ten men, after a brief moment, no Russians came back.

Then the Ukrainian said “I bet one Ukrainian can beat a hundred Russians” getting mad, Putin sent over a hundred Russians. After a brief moment of fighting, nobody came back.

Then the Ukrainian said “I bet 1 Ukrainian can beat a thousand Russians.” Fed up at this point, Putin sent over ten thousand men, believing that surely the Ukrainian can’t survive this.

After a brief period of intense fighting, a single Russian soldier came back, and said “it’s a trap, there are actually two Ukranians”.

I've had to pinch that - excellent 

[ExpandMyMind]

52 minutes ago, and then said:

That force of ~ 200K troops represents a significant portion of their total capacity and the bulk of them are conscripts.  That means they serve ONE YEAR.  I doubt most of them can even understand small-unit tactics or have any expertise in weapons systems in such a short period.  And THAT is added to the fact that they were lied to about what they'd be doing.  I get the impression that Russians in general have no desire to be killing Ukrainians.  

It’s no wonder. They’re practically the same people. Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.

It’s like the English being told to attack the Welsh or Scottish, except the bloodlines in Ukraine and Russia are even more intertwined, from what I’ve read.

[ExpandMyMind]

50 minutes ago, and then said:

I do not believe that Putin has such firm control of Russian strategic nuclear forces that they will obey his order to potentially destroy Russia.  

It depends on what they’ve been told. If two guys holed up in some bunker get the message that the US has launched nukes and that they are ordered to retaliate, they’ll find it a lot more difficult to refuse that order than soldiers who have been following the situation.

[+Hammerclaw]

57 minutes ago, and then said:

That force of ~ 200K troops represents a significant portion of their total capacity and the bulk of them are conscripts.  That means they serve ONE YEAR.  I doubt most of them can even understand small-unit tactics or have any expertise in weapons systems in such a short period.  And THAT is added to the fact that they were lied to about what they'd be doing.  I get the impression that Russians in general have no desire to be killing Ukrainians.  

200,000 troops doesn't mean combat troops necessarily. It can take up to six troops in the logistics tail to support every combat troop in the field. Russia is scrounging additional troops from Belarus and has tried for more, unsuccessfully, from other former Soviet Republics. The Czar of all the Russias seems hard up for fighting men.

[ExpandMyMind]

1 minute ago, Hammerclaw said:

200,000 troops doesn't mean combat troops necessarily. It can take up to six troops in the logistics tail to support every combat troop in the field. Russia is scrounging additional troops from Belarus and has tried for more, unsuccessfully, from other former Soviet Republics. The Czar of all the Russias seems hard up for fighting men.

We’ll see how long Belarus hold out. It’s been announced that they’ve been added to the sanctions.

[spartan max2]

27 minutes ago, and then said:

Mad respect for the guy. I can't imagine seeing any other world leaders being as brave as him.

Edited February 27, 2022 by spartan max2

[L.A.T.1961]

BP to offload stake in Rosneft amid Ukraine conflict.

The oil giant had come under pressure from the UK government to make the move since Thursday's invasion.

It has held the shareholding in the Russian company since 2013.

BP chief executive Bernard Looney has resigned "with immediate effect" from the Rosneft board, as has fellow BP-nominated director Bob Dudley.

Mr Kwarteng welcomed the move, saying: "Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine must be a wake-up call for British businesses with commercial interests in Putin's Russia."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60548382

 

[DarkHunter]

EU announced that Ukraine will be supplied with fighter jets and the corresponding weapon systems

[F3SS]

58 minutes ago, and then said:

I haven't seen a president this badass since Harrison Ford in Air Force One. 

[Buzz_Light_Year]

Looks like a rather large thermobaric.

[Myles]

57 minutes ago, ExpandMyMind said:

It depends on what they’ve been told. If two guys holed up in some bunker get the message that the US has launched nukes and that they are ordered to retaliate, they’ll find it a lot more difficult to refuse that order than soldiers who have been following the situation.

That is a good point.  Putin is controlling what the Russians are allowed to know so it could be a tactic he uses.  

[Myles]

3 hours ago, Br Cornelius said:

You wish you sad little man.

 

Br Cornelius

Not sure why you said this.    It isn't far fetched to think that this can escalate further.   We all hope not, but it is a possibility.