[DrCaleb]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

Can't help but think that Putin is trying to draw NATO into a war.

Every time Ukraine asks NATO for a no-fly zone, that is what they are really asking for. If Russia doesn't agree to a no fly zone, then NATO has to force one. Planes enforcing the zone, AWACS and anti-electronic warfare, and refuelers to support those. That means NATO has to remove SAM sites from along the Belarus and Russian border . . . and you have war.

There can't be a no-fly zone without either Russian permission, or war.

[DrCaleb]

U.S. bans all Russian oil and gas imports

[housewife]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

Scape Scape:

Jingles is ex-british Navy. His take on why Russia invaded (water, oil and gas to Crimea) is spot on. Only once the land bridge to Crimea was secured and the water access was firmly in Russian hands did Putin start peace talks. Putin now has what he needs, he may have hoped Ukraine imploded so he could sack the country but he doesn't need the whole country to secure the Crimea and that was the whole point of the invasion.

Doesn't add up. Shelling civilian areas and civilians in humanitarian corridors is just about pointless from a military perspective. It does two things--it terrorizes the population (if that's the point it's not working) and it draws others in to the war. Can't help but think that Putin is trying to draw NATO into a war.

There has to be pieces that we are missing. A part of the puzzle will undoubtably be oil and gas but the full picture won’t be known till well after everything is done and documents are declassified. There are too many variables to figure out what the main ideas are. Whatever it turns out to be hopefully we’re all around to figure it out later.

[llama66]

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/2 ... m=referral

In nod to Russia, Ukraine says no longer insisting on NATO membership

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is no longer pressing for NATO membership for Ukraine, a delicate issue that was one of Russia's stated reasons for invading its pro-Western neighbor.

In another apparent nod aimed at placating Moscow, Zelensky said he is open to "compromise" on the status of two breakaway pro-Russian territories that President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent just before unleashing the invasion on February 24.

"I have cooled down regarding this question a long time ago after we understood that ... NATO is not prepared to accept Ukraine," Zelensky said in an interview aired Monday night on ABC News.

[Scape]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

Scape Scape:

Jingles is ex-british Navy. His take on why Russia invaded (water, oil and gas to Crimea) is spot on. Only once the land bridge to Crimea was secured and the water access was firmly in Russian hands did Putin start peace talks. Putin now has what he needs, he may have hoped Ukraine imploded so he could sack the country but he doesn't need the whole country to secure the Crimea and that was the whole point of the invasion.

Doesn't add up. Shelling civilian areas and civilians in humanitarian corridors is just about pointless from a military perspective. It does two things--it terrorizes the population (if that's the point it's not working) and it draws others in to the war. Can't help but think that Putin is trying to draw NATO into a war.

Handbrake turn Caspian report does a great analysis (again) on why the Russians are shelling civilians. Essentially they are working now on the 4th case scenario. The shelling of civilians is to force the Ukrainians to the table as they know NATO will never step in to the fight with a no-fly to save the cities. This is also a page from the 2008 playbook where they ground the population into the dust so they can never hope to catch up with the Russians after the peace is established.

The longer the war goes on the more damage the sanctions will do to the Russian economy and the west is trying to bleed the Russians white by supplying anti-tank, anti-air and drones to the Ukrainians. This is an act of war and every day this drags on brings us that much closer to article 5 being invoked. However, the Ukrainians are not rolling over as expected by either the Russians or the West. The foreign legion at last count is already at 20k and who knows how many of those are special operatives. The shelling is going to be the entire country in the coming days and they are going to attack anything and everything like the battle of Britain when the Germans shifted focus from the airfields and radar to bombing cities.

It will have the same results, Russia will lose and has already lost but it's not going down without taking Ukraine down 1st.

[Scape]

Poland ready to place all its MIG-29 jets at the disposal of U.S.

A Russian warship that attacked Snake Island, where Ukrainian soldiers cursed out invaders, has reportedly been destroyed

U.S. Intel says up to 4,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine invasion: “Moscow underestimated the strength of Ukraine’s resistance,” says top intel official, but Putin may feel compelled to fight on with "reckless disregard" for civilians

McDonald's Closing Restaurants in Russia, Will Keep Paying 62K Workers

[Scape]

[xerxes]

Good to see Poland helping out like by giving their Mig’s to Ukraine. But I don’t see how Russia sees that as anything else than a provocation by NATO.

[Scape]

Coca-Cola suspends business in Russia after public outcry https://bit.ly/3HS4vWb

[Scape]

Biden bans Russian oil and gas imports to U.S., targeting "main artery" of Russia's economy

Hello $300 a barrel oil.

[Scape]

Zelensky has given up Ukraine's joining NATO, ready to talk about Crimea and Donbas

[Scape]

Anti-war momentum growing in Russia, poll from opposition leader Navalny claims

[Scape]

[Thanos]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

U.S. bans all Russian oil and gas imports

The online collector's market is already working their way around the embargo.

[Scape]