Ukraine Conflict - In the grim darkness of the near future, there is only war!

[Malcador]

7 hours ago, BruceVC said:

I do believe many NK if given an opportunity would love to not live in NK

We have lots or precedent around NK citizens trying to escape the authoritarian  hellhole they live in 

So yes its not hard to believe that some NK  soldiers fighting in Ukraine dont want to go home 

Just offset a bit by it being a POW video.  I am sure some Ukrainians dislike Zelensky and all, but Russian MoD videos of them declaring so...

 

 

[Gorth]

9 hours ago, Malcador said:

Just offset a bit by it being a POW video.  I am sure some Ukrainians dislike Zelensky and all, but Russian MoD videos of them declaring so...

 

 

Who knows, maybe they heard the stories from Iraq and are desperate to say what they *think* the interrogators want them to say. Even without being at the receiving end of torture and sexual abuse (because they expect that’s what follows, even if only in their heads)

[BruceVC]

7 minutes ago, Gorth said:

Who knows, maybe they heard the stories from Iraq and are desperate to say what they *think* the interrogators want them to say. Even without being at the receiving end of torture and sexual abuse (because they expect that’s what follows, even if only in their heads)

I dont know, there are lots of Russians who have been captured by Ukraine and I never heard it reported on that " we dont want to go back to Russia as a prisoner swop " 

In fact I cant recall any prisoner of war story where I have heard that?

But I can believe that some NK soldiers would say that because this is specific to the reality of life in NK 

[Lexx]

What, there were lots of reports of russians who didn't want to return. I believe there were even reports of russians who didn't want to return but were send back anyways in a swap. But can't remember details of it.

Edited January 14 by Lexx

[BruceVC]

37 minutes ago, Lexx said:

What, there were lots of reports of russians who didn't want to return. I believe there were even reports of russians who didn't want to return but were send back anyways in a swap. But can't remember details of it.

I dont recall that happening, if you can find links of Russian POW saying that it would be interesting 

[Malcador]

4 hours ago, Lexx said:

What, there were lots of reports of russians who didn't want to return. I believe there were even reports of russians who didn't want to return but were send back anyways in a swap. But can't remember details of it.

A lot of those may be Wagner troops, you'd get killed for surrendering.

Ukraine having good success with drones attacking oil depots and refineries, overn

[Zoraptor]

Not wanting to be swapped is a natural extension of either saying what you think your captor wants or certain other types of self preservation- like claiming to have been 'forced' or 'tricked' into fighting instead of being there voluntarily.

So seemingly every Wagner POW was tricked into enlisting or was actually keen on visiting Mali and every Russian POW loves their fellow slavs; and every Ukrainian POW is a draftee who is now saved from being sent into combat again after two days training and was in a non combat role like cook or driver anyway; which means they weren't just shooting at you and aren't responsible for your friends getting killed and injured.

Can't really take any of it at face value any more than you could take someone thanking Saddam Hussein for how well they were being treated at face value or exhorting the US to stop bombing Hanoi.

[Malcador]

 

 

Rather funny, overall. Should start drafting below 25.

[Malcador]

https://kyivindependent.com/officials-increasingly-believe-baltic-sea-cable-damage-caused-by-accidents-not-russian-sabotage-washington-post-reports/

WaPo is source, so probably paywalled.

[Elerond]

8 hours ago, Malcador said:

https://kyivindependent.com/officials-increasingly-believe-baltic-sea-cable-damage-caused-by-accidents-not-russian-sabotage-washington-post-reports/

WaPo is source, so probably paywalled.

Finnish Bureau of Investigation currently suspects that nine member of the crew of the Eagle S purposefully cased cable damage. So I am not sure who the nameless officials that WaPo used as their source are.

[majestic]

I'm taking bets, can we lock this thread in 19 hours or not?

[Zoraptor]

24 hours was a metaphor.

And there will be peace- metaphorically- within 24 hours of Trump taking office anyway.

Edited Monday at 10:21 PM by Zoraptor

[Malcador]

40 minutes ago, majestic said:

I'm taking bets, can we lock this thread in 19 hours or not?

Nothing of value lost there

 

1 hour ago, Elerond said:

Finnish Bureau of Investigation currently suspects that nine member of the crew of the Eagle S purposefully cased cable damage. So I am not sure who the nameless officials that WaPo used as their source are.

Saw a joke that said Russia would get a freebie after the pipeline, heh.

 

[BruceVC]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/22/tru...-tariffs-if-putin-doesnt-end-ukraine-war.html 

Trump is threatening Putin with additional sanctions and tariffs if he doesn't come to the negotiation table

As appreciated as this sentiment  is I dont see it really influencing Putin much. We already have US sanctions on Russia and what difference would this threat make?

"President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to impose “high levels” of sanctions on Russia and tariffs on imports from there if the country did not reach a settlement to end its nearly three-year-old war against Ukraine.

Trump’s warning, made in a social media post on his third day as president, called out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name.


“If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. '

[Malcador]

The full text of his post is a read.

"I’m not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin - and this despite the Radical Left’s Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process. All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a “deal,” and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries. Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better. It’s time to “MAKE A DEAL.” NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!"

USSR lost 60MM, damn. 

 

[BruceVC]

1 minute ago, Malcador said:

The full text of his post is a read.

"I’m not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin - and this despite the Radical Left’s Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. We must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War, losing almost 60,000,000 lives in the process. All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a “deal,” and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries. Let’s get this war, which never would have started if I were President, over with! We can do it the easy way, or the hard way - and the easy way is always better. It’s time to “MAKE A DEAL.” NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!"

USSR lost 60MM, damn. 

 

One thing we must realize, Trumps older now and I predict several "Biden acumen problems"  as his presidency goes on 

The Spain BRICS comment was another example  of this 

But it will create entertainment  

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

On 1/20/2025 at 3:56 PM, majestic said:

I'm taking bets, can we lock this thread in 19 hours or not?

You didn't get any takers, I guess Russia aren't the only ones who aren't into making deals.

[rjshae]

6 hours ago, Malcador said:

If we don’t make a “deal,” and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.

So... he's threatening Russia with actions that have thus far failed to end the hostilities? Heh, right.

[Zoraptor]

Also the stuff the US buys from Russia, now, is all stuff that has significant net benefit to the US. Everything else is already restricted/ sanctioned. Trump also still believes that exporters pay tariffs, not importers, so tariffs will hurt Russia.

(eg Trump's going to have a lot of fun controlling price of living while simultaneously banning/ tariffing fertiliser from Russia and getting rid of all the illegal alien crop pickers. Guess that the next cab on the rank can pick up the slack fertiliser wise though, not like he's picked a fight with... oh, Canada. Though it'd probably be a merry go round instead where Russia sells its fertiliser to India at roughly the same cost it gets from the US, and India sends its new surplus to the US; at a premium...)

[uuuhhii]

the insane plan to let oil megacorp frack usa dry could crush oil price and harm many energy exporter

it will take a decade but it could happen eventually