Ukraine war mega thread

[bsnub]

I have always been a tool to be utilised, rewarded and abused.

You left the dimwitted blinkered moron part out.

[OhOh]

^^^ and ^

Thank you for your opinion of my posted articles.

No Kool-Aid in my cellar/fridge.

As always, your response is illuminating.

TD would be lost without your razor sharp, intuitive response.

[bsnub]

No Kool-Aid in my cellar/fridge.

No, but plenty of it in your propaganda sources. That you swallow like the lemming you are.

TD would be lost without your razor sharp, intuitive response.

Of that there is no doubt.

Schooling fools like you for years.

[bsnub]

Moscow is starting to return some troops at the Ukrainian border to their bases, the Russian government announced Tuesday.

In a statement, Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, said troops that had recently been posted to Russia’s southern and western military districts — which share a border with Ukraine — had completed their military drills and “have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today.”

Konashenkov also announced that Russian troops currently engaged in military drills in neighboring Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine to the latter’s north, would return to their permanent bases when the exercises ended on Feb. 20.

He added that military exercises would continue elsewhere in Russia, and a live fire drill was scheduled to go ahead in Belarus on Saturday. Naval drills are still underway, Konashenkov said.
“The troops of the Eastern Military District and the Airborne Troops participating in this exercise, in cooperation with the Belarusian Armed Forces, are practicing the issues of repelling aggression against the Union State during a defensive operation,” he said.

Win for the West?

Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets sovereign strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, said in a note Tuesday that “if Putin has really blinked, this would be huge win for Biden, [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and the West.”

“They called out Putin for threats [and] menacing military actions and failed to concede anything much on Putin’s red lines,” he said.

Ash added that it would be difficult to see the entire situation as anything but a big defeat for Putin.

“What did he achieve?” he said. “He managed to rally the West back around NATO, which again has common purpose. Ukrainian sovereignty [has been] affirmed, even strengthened.”
As a result of Russia’s aggressive activity, Ukraine’s military was now better armed and better able to defend itself, Ash added.

“Russia has been called out as an unreliable energy supplier — the West will accelerate diversification away from Russian energy sources,” he said. ”[Putin’s] bluff was called. He may have written a long essay over the close historical links between Russia and Ukraine, but some will say he was the Russian leader who actually lost Ukraine. That will be his mark in history — he accelerated Ukraine’s Western orientation.”

Ukraine concerns ease as Russia says it'''s begun a partial pullback of troops

[bsnub]

Putin blinked. He lost. His pile of money was more important.



Huge win for the west and NATO.

[harrybarracuda]

Backpedalling in anticipation. Didn't realise you were capable of such foresight 'arry.

Perhaps you should have read my previous posts instead wittering all the putin arselicking, then you wouldn't look like such a dumb wanker.

[harrybarracuda]

Yes, the last thing vlad would want is his military turning against him.

They've probably had enough of his infantile horseshit too.

[tomcat]

“What did he achieve?”

...Bloomberg analysts seem to agree that Putin wanted attention. He feels he's been ignored or dismissed and wanted a "Look at me" moment from the West...in that sense he succeeded. It was never his intention to invade the Ukraine, merely to look as if that was his goal. Suddenly, Macron and the German Prime Minister are flying to Moscow and Biden's on the phone wanting to talk...Putin was trained as a KGB manipulator...it's a hard role to outgrow. What is clear, however, is that many in Europe have awakened to the fact the Russia will use energy as a weapon...something fluent Russian speaker Merkel should have realized. The country is not a reliable energy supplier. European countries need to build LNG storage depots along side their ports and rely (much) less on pipelines to move natural gas around.

[NamPikToot]

I wouldn't be celebrating just yet

[helge]

Let's not forget what started this round of ..trouble

A US financed coup, that overthrew an elected government (this being Ukraine, probably with medium to ridicoulous fraud involved).

Was it 5 billion good dollars, that was spent, to prepare for the ...uprising ?

And paid for by:

That you swallow like the lemming you are.

Yes
US taxpayer lemmings, of whom probably less than half have a fucking clue where Ukraine is located.

Still; coffeemoney compared to what we EU lemmings has posted into that corrupt shithole


Apart from all that: I'm sure NATO would like to see Ukraine on their member list, but surely Russia itself has to be the big price.

It's a wet dream, isn't it ?

And Russia is far more north atlantic than Ukraine

[HuangLao]

Let's not forget what started this round of ..trouble

A US financed coup, that overthrew an elected government (this being Ukraine, probably with medium to ridicoulous fraud involved).

Was it 5 billion good dollars, that was spent, to prepare for the ...uprising ?

And paid for by:



Yes
US taxpayer lemmings, of whom probably less than half have a fucking clue where Ukraine is located.

Still; coffeemoney compared to what we EU lemmings has posted into that corrupt shithole


Apart from all that: I'm sure NATO would like to see Ukraine on their member list, but surely Russia itself has to be the big price.

It's a wet dream, isn't it ?

And Russia is far more north atlantic than Ukraine

Now now, Helge. Don't wanna upset the Anglophone loyalists and war-mongering types with such realities of dirty hands from the instigators......aka the good guys
And it continues the world over - for decades.

[Backspin]

Ukraine has been free of the Russian empire since 1991. It should be allowed to choose its allegiances for itself. Dictatorships don't work in the long run. Belarus will be joining Ukraine next in becoming free of Russian influence.

It will take a while but will happen. Russia cannot rule by force and puppet governments much longer.

Belarus already signed the union state treaty. It's off the board and part of Russia. It's not Russia that is ruling with puppet govts. It's the US in Ukraine. Why else did they have to make every other opposition party illegal ?

Plus as you said , Ukraine has been free since 1991 and all they have to show for it is a failed state

[HuangLao]

...Bloomberg analysts seem to agree that Putin wanted attention. He feels he's been ignored or dismissed and wanted a "Look at me" moment from the West...in that sense he succeeded. It was never his intention to invade the Ukraine, merely to look as if that was his goal. Suddenly, Macron and the German Prime Minister are flying to Moscow and Biden's on the phone wanting to talk...Putin was trained as a KGB manipulator...it's a hard role to outgrow. What is clear, however, is that many in Europe have awakened to the fact the Russia will use energy as a weapon...something fluent Russian speaker Merkel should have realized. The country is not a reliable energy supplier. European countries need to build LNG storage depots along side their ports and rely (much) less on pipelines to move natural gas around.

Of course.
Bloomberg analysts.
That would've been one of my objective choices for such things, as well.

[Backspin]

Edit : I'm not going to get into childish faux triumphalism like bsnot is.

The whole point of the US creating this war scare was to force the new German govt to take a hardline stance on Russia and end Nord Stream 2. None of this happened. Now watch Ted Cruz and some other seppo retards have a little hissy fit.

Russia also fragmented NATO with France , Germany , Hungery and Croatia stating they want nothing to do with with this war with Russia. That's 4 vetoes inside NATO.

Ukraines economy also got hurt thanks to the US's war retoric. Russia still plans on winning the hearts and minds of everyday Ukrainians in the long run. This latest dip in their economy will learn them something.

Anyway. It's not over yet by any means. The status quo is still unacceptable. The Anglo Axis needs a bloody nose. Shoot down an aircraft near Russian air space. Shoot down some drones. Do something. They cannot just sit there staging weapons in Ukraine.

[OhOh]

Putin blinked. He lost. His pile of money was more important.

Huge win for the west and NATO.

"From February 10 to 20, the Russian-Belarusian joint operational exercise Union Courage–2022 is being held on the territory of the Republic of Belarus as part of the inspection of the reaction forces of the Union State.

Statement of the Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson, Major General Igor Konashenkov, on the return of formations and military units to permanent locations

15.02.2022 (11:38)

"In the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, a complex of large-scale measures for the combat training of troops and forces continues. Almost all military districts, fleets and airborne troops take part in them.As part of check of reaction forces of the Union State on the territory of the Republic of Belarus a joint Russian-Belarusian exercise Union Courage 2022 is being held.

The troops of the Eastern Military District and the Airborne Troops participating in this exercise, in cooperation with the Belarusian Armed Forces, are practicing the issues of repelling aggression against the Union State during a defensive operation.

At the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground, on February 19, a live fire-drill stage is planned. During this event, the marines brigade, together with formations and military units of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus, with the support of operational-tactical and army aviation, will practice tasks of conducting a defensive battle and performing maneuvers in other directions.

Military attachés for defence at the embassies of foreign states in the Republic of Belarus and media representatives were invited to the practical actions as observers.

A series of naval exercises involving surface ships, submarines and naval aviation is being conducted in operationally important areas of the world's oceans and the waters of the seas adjacent to the territory of Russia.

Exercises are continuing with formations and military units at other training grounds on the territory of the Russian Federation. A number of combat training measures, including exercises, have been carried out in accordance with the plan.As the combat training measures are completed, the troops, as always, will make marches in a combined way to the points of permanent deployment.

The units of the Southern and Western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today. Separate units will march on their own as part of military columns."

https://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12408929@egNews

The ending of some Russian and Belarus troop exercises have been completed, some have not, and some have not even started.

Some Russian and Belarus troops move back to their points of permanent deployment.

Similar one suspects with most militaries post training exercises. Possibly NaGastani military hang around to practice their splattering techniques, they need extra training it seems.

[Backspin]

Putin blinked. He lost. His pile of money was more important.



Huge win for the west and NATO.

Lol wut? The west has been evacuating it's embassies and removing troops for a week , running away with their tails between their legs. I'm sure that was really inspiring for everyday Ukrainians.

[tomcat]

Russia also fragmented NATO with France , Germany , Hungery and Croatia stating they want nothing to do with with this war with Russia

...never happened...

Russia still plans on winning the hearts and minds of everyday Ukrainians in the long run.

...nonsense: Putin succeeded in uniting non-Russian-speaking Ukrainians for national defense...I imagine he thought they'd be delighted to be part of a subjugated minority again...

...what is clear is that old man Putin will see out his days making as much noise as possible...his cronies, however, will be careful to keep him in check to safeguard their incomes...

[misskit]

Backspit’s favorite news source.


US accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website with a significant American readership of amplifying Kremlin propaganda and alleged five media outlets targeting Ukrainians have taken direction from Russian spies.


The officials said Zero Hedge, which has 1.2 million Twitter followers, published articles created by Moscow-controlled media that were then shared by outlets and people unaware of their nexus to Russian intelligence. The officials did not say whether they thought Zero Hedge knew of any links to spy agencies and did not allege direct links between the website and Russia.


Zero Hedge denied the claims and said it tries to “publish a wide spectrum of views that cover both sides of a given story.” In a response posted online Tuesday morning, the website said it has “has never worked, collaborated or cooperated with Russia, nor are there any links to spy agencies.”

The officials briefed The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence sources. It was the latest effort by President Joe Biden’s administration to release U.S. intelligence findings about Russian activity involving Ukraine as part of a concerted push to expose and influence the moves of Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. officials previously accused Putin of planning a “false-flag” operation to create a pretext for a new invasion of Ukraine and detailed what they believe are final-stage Russian preparations for an assault.

It’s unclear whether U.S. efforts are changing Putin’s behavior. And without releasing more proof of its findings, Washington has been criticized and reminded of past intelligence failures such as the debunked allegations that pre-war Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.


Zero Hedge has been sharply critical of Biden and posted stories about allegations of wrongdoing by his son Hunter. While perhaps best known for its coverage of markets and finance, the website also covers politics with a conservative bent.


In its response online, the website accused the AP of publishing a “bizarre hit piece” and said government officials were trying to distract from “our views of the current dismal US economic situation.”

“The bottom line is that such hit piece accusations that we somehow work with or for the Kremlin are nothing new: we have repeatedly faced similar allegations over the years, and we can absolutely confirm that all of them are ‘errors,’” the website said.


In recent months, Zero Hedge has published numerous articles that accused the U.S. of fomenting panic about Ukraine, which now faces the possibility of an invasion by more than 130,000 Russian troops massed on several sides of the country. Some of those articles are listed as being written by people affiliated with the Strategic Culture Foundation.


The Biden administration sanctioned the foundation last year for allegedly taking part in Russia’s interference in the 2020 U.S. election. U.S. intelligence officials allege the foundation’s leaders ultimately take direction from the SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service.


Recent articles listed as authored by the foundation and published by Zero Hedge include the headlines: “NATO Sliding Towards War Against Russia In Ukraine,” “Americans Need A Conspiracy Theory They Can All Agree On” and “Theater Of Absurd... Pentagon Demands Russia Explain Troops On Russian Soil.”


In an email sent prior to its online response, the website said there “is no relationship between Strategic Cultural Foundation (or the SVR) and Zero Hedge, and furthermore this is the first time we hear someone allege that the Foundation is linked to Russian propaganda.”


“They are one of our hundreds of contributors — unlike Mainstream Media, we try to publish a wide spectrum of views that cover both sides of a given story,” the website said.


Disinformation has long been used by Putin against adversaries, including the United States, and as one tool in regional conflicts to accompany cyberattacks and the movement of military forces. Washington and Kyiv have for months highlighted the issue of Russian influence in Ukrainian media.


Intelligence officials on Monday named two websites they said were directed by the Strategic Culture Foundation. Three other websites are alleged to have ties to the FSB, Russia’s federal security service. The websites did not respond to emailed requests for comment Tuesday.


“These sites enable the Russian government to secure support among the Russian and Ukrainian populations,” one official said. “This is the primary vector for how the Russian government will bolster support domestically for an invasion into Ukraine.”


Officials described for the first time what they say are direct communications between Russian spies and the editors or directors of the media outlets. They did not release records of the communications.


FSB officers had directed Konstantin Knyrik, the head of NewsFront, to write stories specifically damaging to Ukraine’s image, U.S. officials alleged. They said Knyrik has been praised by senior FSB officers for his work and requested derogatory information that he could use against the Caucasian Knot, a website that covers news in the Caucasus, where Russia has also maintained conflicts with smaller neighbors.


The editor of PolitNavigator sent reports of published articles to the FSB, an official said. And the managing editor of Antifashist allegedly was directed at least once by the FSB to delete material from the site.


The Strategic Culture Foundation is accused of controlling the websites Odna Rodyna and Fondsk. The foundation’s director, Vladimir Maximenko, has met with SVR handlers multiple times since 2014, officials alleged.


Several of the sites have small social media followings and may not appear influential at first glance, noted Bret Schafer, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy. But falsehoods or propaganda narratives often start small before they’re amplified by larger actors, he said.


“You see the narrative enter the information space, and it’s very hard to see where it goes from there,” he said.


A manifesto published on Zero Hedge’s site defends its use of anonymous authors and proclaims its goal is “to liberate oppressed knowledge.” Many articles are published under the name Tyler Durden, also a character in the movie “Fight Club.”


The website was an early amplifier of conspiracy theories and misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. An Associated Press investigation determined the site played a pivotal role in advancing the unproven theory that China engineered the virus as a bioweapon. It’s also posted articles touting natural immunity to COVID-19 and unproven treatments.


Zero Hedge was also cited in a recent report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue that examined how far-right extremists are harnessing COVID-19 misinformation to expand their reach. Twitter briefly suspended Zero Hedge’s account in 2020 but reinstated it a few months later, saying it “made an error in our enforcement action in this case.”


The U.S. moving to name the website could inform some people who come across its content online, Schafer said.


“My guess is that most of the people who are loyal Zero Hedge followers naturally are inclined to mistrust the U.S. government anyway,” he said, “and so this announcement is probably not going to undermine most of Zero Hedge’s core support.”


US accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda | AP News

[helge]

So piss off then. You only spew propaganda and bollocks anyway.

The entire build up is offensive and the evidence is overwhelming to anyone who does not have their head buried up Putin's ass

There is no narrative, you buffoon. The issue is simple...

This entire "crisis" is 100% fabricated and created by Putin.

Nothing I said is disprovable and is 100% fact.

They are idiots and completely co-opted by propaganda.

Fucking hell, Snubs

You usually have a thing or two to say about the US political system, but you sure as hell circle the wagons and close rank, when someone in State Department or Pentagon blow the bugle


You have turned into our own little forum Patton.


Do yourself a favour and have a peak at this picture

[Listerman]

/\ Be careful, posting pictures like that will get you -ve repo comments, right Snubs!

[panama hat]

And Sabang is not really all that clever, either.

True, he even asked me to rape him on the Beijing Olympics thread


Fact is that Russia is beating the war drums . . . it'll most probably stay that way. Putin doesn't want Ukraine to join NATO - can't blame him. Whether or not NATO would accept Ukraine is another story anyway.. The US is trying to big-balls the situation so China sees its serious in defending allies . . .

Good word for this: Schlamazzel.

[sabang]

Fact is the anglo bedwetters are a bunch of pantywaisted, squalling little babies! I doubt the anglosphere has the collective resolve or solidarity to fight it's way out of a wet paper bag these days, so puhleez- 'give peace a chance'. Leave the adults in charge amerka, and take a back seat for a while. One or two things on the Home front are crying out for attention y'know- and being conspicuously ignored.

Cry "Havoc!" and Let Slip the Dogs of War - Craig Murray

[HermantheGerman]

The retirement monies have and will remain to be credited to my home country bank account by the various entities.
Try again.

Are you telling me you didn't understand what I was telling you?
Or you just don't give a shit about your comrades, and you are just trolling, and have no clue what you are posting here?

Want to try again?

[HermantheGerman]

Are you alright, Herman ?

Yes, thank you Helge. Had a bit of a rough day with my teenage daughter, but besides that I'm fine. Thanks for asking

Judging by your age your must of heard of "Ukraine = Kornkammer Europas".
Or maybe you are too young and missed this part:

https://ukraineinvest.gov.ua/industries/mining/

[HermantheGerman]

I know this doesn't belong here but you have to read this to believe it.
Russian Bullshit at it's best:

Star Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva said she failed a doping test due to a mix-up with her grandfather’s heart medication, an Olympic official told Reuters Tuesday.






I'am sure OhOh and Backspin believe it