Russia and Ukraine flashpoint

[barneystinson69]

Ryuu96 said:

That image on CNN of the young child, titled as "Show this to Putin" is fucking heart-breaking, I don't need to fill in the rest as it's obvious...

I don't have a clue what Putin's goal is at this stage, Ukraine will never forgive him, always hate Russia, they may kill Zelensky and take Kyiv but they'll never hold Ukraine, they'll be a constant barrage of insurgency attacks, Russia will forever be stuck in some form of conflict with Ukraine - Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk will constantly be attacked, Russia solders will constantly die...Congratulations...You've united the West, awoken Germany's military again, created a permanent enemy, bankrupted your country, shown to the world that your military is quite incompetent, even your traditional allies are reluctant to back you, your country is protesting against you, your wealth is quickly vanishing, so much more.

Also made NATO and EU look way better too, their united front short of actually sending in military cause it would cause WW3, has been amazing, the logistical support, the equipment sent, the financial support, the intelligence support, Russia has just basically shown to everyone else that NATO/EU aren't something to piss off.

How long can this possibly go on before someone in Russia grows some balls and takes Putin out, as he deserves, even if it's just someone looking out for their own self interests, Russia may win a city but they've lost in basically every other way that counts, Putin's legacy forever ruined as the crazy Hitler wannabe, Ukraine will forever be known as the country who bravely stood up to them...Russia 'wins' but they don't really win, it feels like one of the biggest fuck-ups in modern history from a country.

Yup saw that photo too. Her covered with the jacket made me choke up a bit.

Putin is in my mind involved in a dick swinging contest. Russia is a mid-tier economic power AT BEST facing demographic decline. If he is going to make a major move on the geopolitical map, sooner was always going to be better than later. With Ukraine falling out of their sphere of influence, now was the time to make the move I guess. It was certainly a dubious casus belli, and the shelling of Kharkiv (with its large ethnic Russian population mind you) is just one example of the hypocrisy being displayed by Vladimir Poutine. 

Unfortunately for us, I don't think Putin cares all that much about his "legacy". He sees this as Russia taking what is rightfully "theirs", and I'm sure the yes men around his circle are doing little to sway him at the moment. I'm sure they will let him drag along for now, but I doubt the elites of Russia will stand for Putin if he puts the nuclear option on the table... or so I hope.