There is a lot of background on how it all came about.

There was an important article back at the start of the war that detailed how Putin was receiving inaccurate information from his intelligence services about the Ukrainian army.....Essentially while Kherson was willing not to fight most cities in Ukraine fell in line with Keiv.

Kherson being in the south of course....again, the difference between the east/south of Ukraine and the west/centre is vitally important to understanding the real picture of that country.

What we in the west are presented with is a very curated picture that only shows the anti Russian perspective. Once again, I have to stress that people in the south and east felt so strongly against what was happening that military units were prepared to fight and die against the very people we think represent what Ukraine is.

Yet that's just completely ignored.

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

At the start of this there were Russian refugees fleeing Ukrainian units in the Donbass, so point taken.

But the idea that you can invade a whole country Ukraine because of this, labelling Ukrainians who probably haven't a clue about the Donbass, as fascists and traitors etc. that you are somehow liberating them as brothers I mean has Russia got dementia.

I'll just blow up your appartment block so you see our point of view.

You sense Russians want this over yet have no idea that they themselves must end it.

I suspect you may be right however I'd suggest they are struggling to identify a way out that saves face both domestically and (to now a very limited extent) internationally as opposed to knowing the responsibility lies with themselves. Just my take not any strong assertion of that being truth.

A lot of what Putin says seems to be a diverting of attention to the West which may be some sort of attempt to find wiggle room for out however his insistence on a narrative to justify the invasion seems at best weak if not bizarre. Problem is now that an attritional stalemate has been reached and he still needs to create the guise of domestic support even if it becomes implausible to retain. I suspect Russians are being told that they support the 'special military operation' more than actually holding that sentiment themselves. As to whether or not that tactic still works I have no idea (or if it really has done previously).

I still also suspect he thought it'd be a rollover and he could just dress it up as he wishes with the West unwilling to risk a very dangerous confrontation over Ukraine. It has not played out that way unfortunately (for him of course) and I now think he and his cronies are still plotting, probably day by day, how best to resolve all this madness.

My primary fear still lies with something going abruptly wrong, or someone makes an incontrovertibly wrong, provocative and/or disastrous move that see warheads fly. Expecting Russia to recant and withdraw immediately seems delusional but equally I don't think they really intend to push this much farther. The best I am hoping for is any small or even medium sized crumb they can paint up as 'mission accomplished' and pave the way for an end to emerge. We shall see I suppose.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

I honestly thought that read squirt results after love island.
I need help or glasses

More like you are more off your trolley than usual.

Both Trump and DeSantis have now come out as being against the 'open cheque book' policy of the Biden administration. As the Republicans control the purse strings of the government it's going to be far harder for Ukraine to secure the large funds sent previously moving forward.

As I said previously, in my view, despite all the warm worded nonsense coming out of the mouths of western politicians the Ukraine have about six months of current funding left at most.

You get an impression that Ukraine is going to throw everything it has at an upcoming offensive when it receives the tanks and aid recently promised to gain back as much territory as possible and then sue for peace once the money gets significantly reduced.....either that or all the cities will eventually be reduced to rubble.

I'm not sure what is going to stop Russia fighting though.....just as this war has been an utter stupid disaster created by incompetents who missed out in March at reducing the damage, I just don't see how they think Russia going to be forced out of the Ukraine.

Once they didn't wreck the Russian economy they lost the war....Russia has significant support from the BRICs countries and is expanding in the middle east so while their economy is damaged it's far more set up for war than Europe is...The only way Ukraine wins is if Nato's (which is mainly the US) commits all its military and troops into fighting it.....it's kind of as simple as that.

As it is these morons have left us in a far worse situation than before and all they have to cover their tracks is the constant Russiaphobia and quickly disproven predictions that they fill the media airwaves to distract people with.

Reading between the lines I'm detecting an approach that is preparing to increase military spending significantly once the war ends.

Fecking morons walked us into a cold war when it was so fecking avoidable.

It's so fecking stupid it has to be something they knew was a deliberate risk. Despite what it says, the US state department actively works against Europe's interests.

Edited by Stirlingsays (23 Feb 2023 8.59am)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)