Ukraine

[albie]

No change on visa requirements from Bozo and Co:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-stops-short-welcoming-26342581

Lost for words!

[normal rules]

The charitable fund taking over the stewardship of chelski is not nailed on. They may not want it.

In other news , there are vids emerging of captured Russian soldiers who state they were lied to and it was an exercise in Russia only. With threats of being shot if they refused to soldier when the order to invade came.

[rich1471]

People who are settled in the UK will be able to bring their Ukrainian immediate family members to join them, the prime minister has announced.
Boris Johnson said the UK would not "turn our backs in Ukraine's hour of need".
Speaking to a Ukrainian cathedral congregation, he said he had never seen "so clear a distinction between good and evil" as the conflict in Ukraine.
He later announced a further £40m of humanitarian aid for the country. from the bbc
What i don't understand is why we cannot let anybody who want to come from Ukraine to the UK just come, as all the men have to stay and fight.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It's:

1) We want you to do the job of fighting Putin's army.

But

2) Don't ask us to look after your wife and kids while you do.

There are not many times I'm disgusted to be British, but this is turning into one.

[tyke1962]

The EU are now financing and delivering weapons to Ukraine which is totally unprecedented .

Fair play to the EU .

Clearly Putin's miscalculated and whilst he saw division within the West and the EU what he's actually created is solidarity and unity with his invasion of the Ukraine to at least a level not seen before .

What this leads to possibly hangs by a thread .

Nothing is off the table right now including life as we know it on this planet .

My personal thoughts are this , if I die then I die but my step daughter and our grandkids ...... Well that's another matter .

Proper scary times to say the least .

[SydneyRover]

''Daryna is 31 and has just spent three days making the 800km (497 miles) journey from Kyiv. Her husband Oleg drove her to the Hungary border-crossing. Then he set off, all the way back to Kyiv, to fight for his country.

Now she’s waiting in a Red Cross tent in Hungary. She waited 10 hours to cross this border, on foot. She’s exhausted, and tries hard not to cry as we speak.

"There is no life in Kyiv, there is just a lot of Russian occupiers, they come with tanks and rockets, everything is on fire. It is terrible now," Daryna says''

[BobG]

I am becoming increasingly fearful.  Other than an outcome which allows Putin to claim 'victory' I can't see any other way out for him.

If Putin suddenly got sensible, what were all the Russian deaths for? If he climbs down a bit, what was the point? Putin's own survival increasingly looks to be on the line. And he has the parallel of Kruschev to look back on too...

I reckon one of the major tasks for the West, if Putin is indeed in this bind, is to find a way to either get him out forcefully, or, a way to allow him to come out claiming glory, at least in his homeland. Any other outcome, what's he got to lose?

BobG

PS. Anyone know what the symptoms of megalomania are?

[BobG]

This doesn't make good reading...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60551140

BobG

[SydneyRover]

This doesn't make good reading...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60551140

BobG

True it doesn't Bob but the author got a lot wrong, so is he the right person to listen to?

[BobG]

Specific facts can be right or wrong. It's  the mood that worries me...

Bob

[SydneyRover]

I am hoping that putin hasn't committed all available troops yet as he's wary of an uprising at home.

[BobG]

 Christ he's got over a million just in the army. He's nowhere near short of troops right now And if he was, he can lean on various client states to plug some gaps.

BobG

O

[mushRTID]

Not going to pretend I understand it all, but I read the Russian economy was going to collapse today.

Maybe things will start turning ugly back home for him soon.

[normal rules]

He has put himself in the same ball park as Ratko Miladic and Radavan Karadicz in my eyes. And I’m sure he will, in time, be treated the same. He is a war criminal and there needs to be an international arrest warrant out with his name on it.
That may force the hand of one or two of his closest aides to sit up and take note. Because they would all be implicated in his actions.

My increasing concern is his utter paranoia that the west has it in for him and Russia will cause him to lose the plot even more than he has already.  He has been quoted as saying that a World without Russia would not be worth living in. He is obsessed with re taking Ukraine as Russian, and if he does not get his way, I fear he will adopt a “ well if I can’t have it , no one can appproach”
And then he starts becoming very very irrational.

There are numerous reports on the matter of nuclear strikes. One I’ve saw last night, which was particularly alarming is the possibility of a nuke being detonated over the North Sea , between uk and Denmark. The stuff of sleepless nights.

There is also a very fine line between interfering with Russians business and not. He has made it quite clear that no one should get involved in Ukraine, yet us and now the Eu countries and flooding the place with weapons. If that isn’t interfering , then I don’t know what is. Zelensky has opened his doors to any freedom fighters that want to help. This would be interfering too, because we would be fighting the Russians ourselves, in all but name . The economic sanctions is interfering. The no fly zone, the sporting pull outs, it all interfering.
I agree with all of it of course, but this is a very very dangerous game.
If Putin loses it and cracks, anything could happen.

[ChrisBx]

"Peace talks" are supposedly taking place today, yet Russia continues to advance on Kyiv...

[DonnyOsmond]

"Peace talks" are supposedly taking place today, yet Russia continues to advance on Kyiv...

It's just so they can say they tried coming to a compromise. They're going to demand things Ukraine aren't willing to give.

[Axholme Lion]

I see Ukraine have set up a foreign legion for any people that want to travel there to help them defend. Liz Truss has said the uk govt supports this also.
I can see a few going for UK.
I probably would if my circumstances were different.

Interestingly, i wonder if the uk and other countries slip in a few proper soldiers under the guise of “foreign legion”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Waffen_Grenadier_Division_of_the_SS_(1st_Galician)

[normal rules]

Zelensky has demanded immediate EU membership.

[normal rules]

Interest rates in Russia have been pushed up to 20%. Due to a collapse of the ruble.
How do I open a saving date count there? Lol.

[River Don]

I agree with Bob, I think Putin needs a way out of this and a way to save face.

I think the west should agree to let Russia remain in Crimea and Ukraine commit to not joining NATO. Appeasement? Not really the Russians have sustained significant casualties. I don't think Putin would embark on anything like this again. Basically offer him the status quo, let him go back to how things were.

He's an old man now, there is the possibility things might change in Russia after his death. Particularly if Ukraine is an example to the Russians of a succesful nation within the EU.

[Axholme Lion]

Zelensky has demanded immediate EU membership.

He can have ours. Shower of shit organisation. They stirred up the whole show over there by backing the over throw of the legitimate government.

[River Don]

Energy and gold up, stock markets down a bit.


Not yet as dramatic as I thought it might be.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Zelensky has demanded immediate EU membership.

He can have ours. Shower of shit organisation. They stirred up the whole show over there by backing the over throw of the legitimate government.

I'm no big fan of the EU. But this is the exact scenario where EU or not it doesn't matter, sensible countries work together regardless.  I don't think the UK role has been at all diminished by not being in the EU because there's no desire not to be involved on foreign policy and never was.

As for overthrow of a government, more b*llocks.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Energy and gold up, stock markets down a bit.


Not yet as dramatic as I thought it might be.

Unless you've got shares in polymetal (ouch).  Far too volatile an area for me.

A lot of losses in areas are baked in, trade with Russia isn't overly important for most western companies overall.

[River Don]

Energy and gold up, stock markets down a bit.


Not yet as dramatic as I thought it might be.

Unless you've got shares in polymetal (ouch).  Far too volatile an area for me.

A lot of losses in areas are baked in, trade with Russia isn't overly important for most western companies overall.

I notice the armaments companies are up. Buy on the sound of guns and all that.

[SydneyRover]

I agree with Bob, I think Putin needs a way out of this and a way to save face.

I think the west should agree to let Russia remain in Crimea and Ukraine commit to not joining NATO. Appeasement? Not really the Russians have sustained significant casualties. I don't think Putin would embark on anything like this again. Basically offer him the status quo, let him go back to how things were.

He's an old man now, there is the possibility things might change in Russia after his death. Particularly if Ukraine is an example to the Russians of a succesful nation within the EU.

And if a bunch of countries decided that Russia could have England?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I agree with Bob, I think Putin needs a way out of this and a way to save face.

I think the west should agree to let Russia remain in Crimea and Ukraine commit to not joining NATO. Appeasement? Not really the Russians have sustained significant casualties. I don't think Putin would embark on anything like this again. Basically offer him the status quo, let him go back to how things were.

He's an old man now, there is the possibility things might change in Russia after his death. Particularly if Ukraine is an example to the Russians of a succesful nation within the EU.

And if a bunch of countries decided that Russia could have England?

Shite as it would be, if it's that or say nuclear war..... Bigger picture and all that.

[SydneyRover]

The big picture is everyone sticking together to defeat a dictator

[SydneyRover]

5 days into an invasion and the crack are appearing

[SydneyRover]

It's a good job the Americans didn't think like that some time ago