comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 13 minutes ago
I think above all the contrast between Zelensky and Putin illustrates the difference in the political cultures of Ukraine and Russia right now. Ukraine has a lot of problems with corruption but - in no small part propelled by the external imperial threat of Russia - its sense of democratic self-consciousness has gathered increasing momentum. Apparently on inauguration Zelensky instructed officials not to hang portraits of him in their offices, but of their families instead. The opposite is true of Russia. Putin appears remote and speaks in an abstract, ideological language because power has become increasingly personalised and that makes him disconnected from the people he rules.
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Interesting post👍

Putin is a Hitler type figure, in more ways every passing day.

What the chit is a vacuum bomb?

comment by Rude Van Nist (U22799)
posted 10 seconds ago
What the chit is a vacuum bomb?
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Thermobaric weapons. They cause a fireball that sucks all the oxygen out of the air, so even people hidden away in cellars etc are susceptible. Lovely.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 hour, 10 minutes ago
I think above all the contrast between Zelensky and Putin illustrates the difference in the political cultures of Ukraine and Russia right now. Ukraine has a lot of problems with corruption but - in no small part propelled by the external imperial threat of Russia - its sense of democratic self-consciousness has gathered increasing momentum. Apparently on inauguration Zelensky instructed officials not to hang portraits of him in their offices, but of their families instead. The opposite is true of Russia. Putin appears remote and speaks in an abstract, ideological language because power has become increasingly personalised and that makes him disconnected from the people he rules.
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Agree fully with this. As badly as Putin has done with the invasion itself, I think he’s done even worse in the pr battle (which the ukranians and Zelenskyy have been absolutely brilliant at). Core behaviours play a part in it but even so, the successes of Russian propaganda in sowing divisions in the west over the last decade in particular have been almost wiped out over the course of a week.

Stand with Ukraine 👍

Tried to name change to Thebluebellsareblue and Yellow, but only 20 characters permitted 🤣

comment by Pun (U21588)
posted 1 hour, 33 minutes ago
comment by merrysupersteve (monitoring the situation) (U1132)
posted 50 minutes ago
comment by Robbb Kanchelskis 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (U22716)
posted 14 seconds ago
comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 1 minute ago
I don't know why you don't write your own article about what you feel strongly about Berba.
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Nah, he is just a distant memory. Like the music of Ace of Base
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I saw the signs and knew you'd delete his comment
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How did this one go unappreciated
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All that she wants is another Berba
She’s gone tomorrow, boy

comment by Robbb Kanchelskis 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (U22716)
posted 3 hours, 33 minutes ago
comment by babyen ansikt snikmorder (U9094)
posted 2 minutes ago
What did Berba say?
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Just the usual ‘Ukraine are to blame too, they’ve partly been provoking Russia’ etc.

I understand his whole schtick is that he’s this edgy alt-left guy who doesn’t trust anyone or anything out there but there’s a time and a place for being Switzerland and this ain’t it. Putin is the bad guy we all presume him to be and as Admin has warned of Russian bots operating on this site I didn’t wanna take a chance and give Berbaking the platform to be the enemy within.
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Let’s play devils advocate here. If Russia were to form an alliance with Mexico and start expanding military operations to let’s say the border of California or Texas, how do we all expect the US would react?

Putin is clearly a very evil man and has handled this situation in the worst way possible, but the narrative that there is no provocation is kind of BS.

Robb I’ve just see what Berbaking said on another thread and you are a real POS for slandering him like that. I know you’ll delete this comment and filter me but whatever.

comment by Vladimikel Artutin - committing war crimes against football since 2019 (U18355)
posted 4 hours, 29 minutes ago
comment by Robbb Kanchelskis 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (U22716)
posted 3 hours, 33 minutes ago
comment by babyen ansikt snikmorder (U9094)
posted 2 minutes ago
What did Berba say?
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Just the usual ‘Ukraine are to blame too, they’ve partly been provoking Russia’ etc.

I understand his whole schtick is that he’s this edgy alt-left guy who doesn’t trust anyone or anything out there but there’s a time and a place for being Switzerland and this ain’t it. Putin is the bad guy we all presume him to be and as Admin has warned of Russian bots operating on this site I didn’t wanna take a chance and give Berbaking the platform to be the enemy within.
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Let’s play devils advocate here. If Russia were to form an alliance with Mexico and start expanding military operations to let’s say the border of California or Texas, how do we all expect the US would react?

Putin is clearly a very evil man and has handled this situation in the worst way possible, but the narrative that there is no provocation is kind of BS.
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You’re saying that nato were at the Russian border in Ukraine?

Weak analogy

Ukraine or at least Kiev will fall this week. A 40mile long convoy now just outside the capital. They are going to circle the city and trap them inside. There's no chance they can hold them off for much longer.

Putin has said many times explicitly that Ukraine isn't a proper country and ought to be either absorbed into Russia or a puppet state in Russia's orbit. Everyone who is paying close attention knows that this is not, and never has been, about NATO or any substantive fear that Russia would be militarily attacked by the West. In fact, Putin has launched this invasion because it's absolutely clear that Western countries will not directly intervene militarily.

The Mexico analogy is flawed, and straight out of Russian propaganda directed at the Useful Idiots in the West.

comment by Ji Sung Park's Cousin (U2958)
posted 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
comment by Vladimikel Artutin - committing war crimes against football since 2019 (U18355)
posted 4 hours, 29 minutes ago
comment by Robbb Kanchelskis 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (U22716)
posted 3 hours, 33 minutes ago
comment by babyen ansikt snikmorder (U9094)
posted 2 minutes ago
What did Berba say?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Just the usual ‘Ukraine are to blame too, they’ve partly been provoking Russia’ etc.

I understand his whole schtick is that he’s this edgy alt-left guy who doesn’t trust anyone or anything out there but there’s a time and a place for being Switzerland and this ain’t it. Putin is the bad guy we all presume him to be and as Admin has warned of Russian bots operating on this site I didn’t wanna take a chance and give Berbaking the platform to be the enemy within.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Let’s play devils advocate here. If Russia were to form an alliance with Mexico and start expanding military operations to let’s say the border of California or Texas, how do we all expect the US would react?

Putin is clearly a very evil man and has handled this situation in the worst way possible, but the narrative that there is no provocation is kind of BS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You’re saying that nato were at the Russian border in Ukraine?

Weak analogy
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Not at all, whether NATO planned on expanding military operations to Russia’s boarder or anywhere in Ukraine at all is irrelevant. The fact that they would be able to is enough provocation for Putin.

Ukraine are completely blameless in all this. As a free democratic country, they should have to choice to join whatever union they want without consequence. But we can’t just pretend that the west (mostly America) haven’t been goading Putin for years about it.

Finland discussing joining NATO.

Bit much if we let them having delayed and delayed Ukraine and now it's getting shelled into dust.

Surely the same rule applies to them and Sweden, both bordering Russia?

Latvia, Poland, Estonia and Lithuania have been NATO countries on Russia’s border for years. Never been invaded. It’s nonsense to say the Ukraine situation is about NATO. Putin is doing this because he can. And because he doesn’t believe Ukraine is a legit country.

Think of the benefits of denying Sweden entry to NATO.

All the Swedish female refugees.

I've got a bed for three of them.

comment by HB Fash (U21935)
posted 3 seconds ago
Think of the benefits of denying Sweden entry to NATO.

All the Swedish female refugees.

I've got a bed for three of them.
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Mamma Mia

comment by Robbb Kanchelskis 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (U22716)
posted 10 minutes ago
comment by HB Fash (U21935)
posted 3 seconds ago
Think of the benefits of denying Sweden entry to NATO.

All the Swedish female refugees.

I've got a bed for three of them.
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Mamma Mia
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FFS

Not at all, whether NATO planned on expanding military operations to Russia’s boarder or anywhere in Ukraine at all is irrelevant. The fact that they would be able to is enough provocation for Putin.

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It's like you don't know how Google maps or an atlas works

Or you're just parroting nonsense

But we can’t just pretend that the west (mostly America) haven’t been goading Putin for years about it.

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Define 'goading'. Because the West has been quite cautious about admitting Ukraine to NATO. Putin feels 'goaded' because of how he defines Russia's reasonable demands. Those demands are that Russia is allowed to have a sphere of political influence over the smaller nations around its borders. He basically thinks in imperial terms, and therefore that smaller nations are either puppets of the USA or puppets of Russia. But the West's activities in the peripheries of Russia have not been what could reasonably described as imperialism. Countries in NATO and the EU have a mixture of governments, elected by their people, which reflect a mixture of political views. The ones that have drifted away from liberal democracy (such as Hungary and Turkey) have at the same time becomes less friendly with the major European countries and the US. Europe and America have financially supported civil society and promoted democratic values. Putin has invested far greater sums in attempting political control of Ukraine, in addition to 8 years of occupation and war (which incidentally began when NATO membership wasn't remotely on the agenda) ahead of this all-out aggression. The notion that the West has 'goaded' Russia only holds water if you accept Putin's imperial logic that Russia has an incontestable right to hegemonic control of its smaller neighbours.

The notion that the West has 'goaded' Russia only holds water if you accept Putin's imperial logic that Russia has an incontestable right to hegemonic control of its smaller neighbours.
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Agree with this. All peoples must have the right to self determination. Even if Ukraine wants to join NATO then it should be their choice alone. Russia or even NATO itself cannot and should not make that decision for Ukraine.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 1 minute ago
But we can’t just pretend that the west (mostly America) haven’t been goading Putin for years about it.

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Define 'goading'. Because the West has been quite cautious about admitting Ukraine to NATO. Putin feels 'goaded' because of how he defines Russia's reasonable demands. Those demands are that Russia is allowed to have a sphere of political influence over the smaller nations around its borders. He basically thinks in imperial terms, and therefore that smaller nations are either puppets of the USA or puppets of Russia. But the West's activities in the peripheries of Russia have not been what could reasonably described as imperialism. Countries in NATO and the EU have a mixture of governments, elected by their people, which reflect a mixture of political views. The ones that have drifted away from liberal democracy (such as Hungary and Turkey) have at the same time becomes less friendly with the major European countries and the US. Europe and America have financially supported civil society and promoted democratic values. Putin has invested far greater sums in attempting political control of Ukraine, in addition to 8 years of occupation and war (which incidentally began when NATO membership wasn't remotely on the agenda) ahead of this all-out aggression. The notion that the West has 'goaded' Russia only holds water if you accept Putin's imperial logic that Russia has an incontestable right to hegemonic control of its smaller neighbours.
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Paragraphs!!!!

I take your point Shinjury but people who use multiple exclamation marks go straight to hell.

comment by HB Fash (U21935)
posted 1 hour, 33 minutes ago
Think of the benefits of denying Sweden entry to NATO.

All the Swedish female refugees.

I've got a bed for three of them.
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Every mans dream. The chance to disappoint three women at once

comment by Eagle Fang (U9028)
posted 13 hours ago
Plus Vitali Klitschko as mayor of Kyiv.

Could make for an interesting movie at some point.
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Somewhere in Sweden, Dolph Lungdren dyes his hair....