I wasn't sure where this Israel, Iran and China debacle should go, so I thought I would start a new thread and post it here:

Interesting article disusing Israel's actions in trying to destabilize Iran and how it monumentally backfired and brought China into the Middle East... it's kind of crazy

 

"To the extent that Netanyahu played a role here, his plot has backfired monumentally. If the China deal goes through, Iran is much strengthened and its hard liners are entirely unleashed. The positioning of Chinese security forces in Iran will make it increasingly risky for other countries such as Israel or the US to strike Iran, lest they come into conflict with nuclear-armed China."

Edited September 10, 20196 yr by wanna-b-fanboy

 

                                     

 

 

                                  

Russia to focus on 'liberating' Donbass region as it says first phase of invasion mostly complete

"The main objectives of the first stage of the operation have generally been accomplished," says Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate.  "The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal - the liberation of Donbass."

Translation:  
Our plan A has become a abject and miserable failure.  
Plan B is to focus dwindling military resources on the rest of Donbass, so we might have some form of "victory" to declare.

 

10 minutes ago, do or die said:

Russia to focus on 'liberating' Donbass region as it says first phase of invasion mostly complete

"The main objectives of the first stage of the operation have generally been accomplished," says Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate.  "The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal - the liberation of Donbass."

Translation:  
Our plan A has become a abject and miserable failure.  
Plan B is to focus dwindling military resources on the rest of Donbass, so we might have some form of "victory" to declare.

 

That actually might be a way for the to save face...well to anyone who still believes them anyway....just declare victory and say you did what you came to do and then just leave.

Apparently the Ukrainian Army picked off another Russian general today, but this is not confirmed.

Russian troops are being told that war has to be over by 9 May
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/03/24/7334270/

Then Putin can have own his big victory parade, on Victory Day. 

Stumbled across this clip many years ago- it just resurfaced... seems more prescient as each day passes.

 

 

 

 

13 hours ago, Mark F said:

I cant find anything..... but it would be interesting to compare the sums stolen by Putin, to what was amassed by Soviet dictators..... ....

 

I think those men did not die wealthy, and stole only small fractions of what Putin has stolen.

A big deal for them it seems was a summer home and expensive car. I have looked at some of their children, and I think some oF them had ordinary jobs.

dont know though.

Brezhnev, Khruschev and Stalin were all communists, they basically owned nothing as everything belonged to the state.

Here is a link to a great documentary on Kruschev, if you jump to the end it shows him planting potatoes in his garden beside his ramshackle dacha, not exactly leading the life of a Tsar.

Here is what Russia is supposed to be today

"The 1993 constitution declares Russia a democratic, federative, law-based state with a republican form of government. State power is divided among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Diversity of ideologies and religions is sanctioned, and a state or compulsory ideology may not be adopted."

Putin skipped some steps by jumping directly to the "gilded age" and anointed a small network of robber barons to run the Russian economy.

 

Amazing reporting on the unsecured comms russia is using.

 

 

8 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Here is a link to a great documentary on Kruschev,

Thanks,  agree, very interesting. Certainly appears to answer my question, at least in one case.
 

"up to his elbows in blood."

Stalin was pure evil. No better example of the perils of cult of personality/unlimited power/ rule by fear.
 

I have no problem imagining trump or some other right wing american dictator ordering mass executions.

warning... if anyone else watches it, there is footage of executions. Disturbing.

Edited March 26, 20223 yr by Mark F

If people and pundits thought that Putin was going to pull back and concentrate on the Dombass region well the strikes on Lviv can assure you that he will no matter the cost not stop until he destroys Ukraine. People carrying on in Lviv like nothing is going are about to get a real dose of reality.

2 hours ago, Mark F said:

Thanks,  agree, very interesting. Certainly appears to answer my question, at least in one case.
 

"up to his elbows in blood."

Stalin was pure evil. No better example of the perils of cult of personality/unlimited power/ rule by fear.
 

I have no problem imagining trump or some other right wing american dictator ordering mass executions.

warning... if anyone else watches it, there is footage of executions. Disturbing.

I don't believe any adult should be exempt from viewing images of events occurring today or from the past. In fact witnessing and acknowledging such events should be mandatory public education, adverting of eyes from reality should be met with a jackboot to the ass.

 

 

1 hour ago, Fatty Liver said:

I don't believe any adult should be exempt from viewing images of events occurring today or from the past. In fact witnessing and acknowledging such events should be mandatory public education, adverting of eyes from reality should be met with a jackboot to the ass.

 

 

Yup this is exactly what the knuckle draggers are trying to do. Rewrite history, look away it never happened unless of course there’s any part of it I’m okay with.

2 hours ago, bustamente said:

If people and pundits thought that Putin was going to pull back and concentrate on the Dombass region well the strikes on Lviv can assure you that he will no matter the cost not stop until he destroys Ukraine. People carrying on in Lviv like nothing is going are about to get a real dose of reality.

Putin or his advisers have seemingly conceded that they cannot roll right over Ukraine and have retreated tot he relative safety of the Donbas region. Their strategy now is to kill as many people and destroy as much of Ukraine as possible with missiles and artillery. This is punishment for not acquiescing to Putin, and can be done from distances where their casualties will be minimized. 

 

The Times @thetimes

·

Mar 24, 2022

Replying to @thetimes

The Ukrainian army has released intercepted communications from the Russian army, which suggest the invading forces are suffering heavy losses outside the Ukrainian capital

 

 

The Times

 

@thetimes

In one call, a soldier in a trench outside the city tells his superior that the Russians are unable to sleep because of the constant Ukrainian attacks and says that most of his unit’s casualties are only 19 or 20 years old

4:47 PM · Mar 24, 2022

 

Sounds like we have gotten to the portion of this invasion where the Russians are killing their own Commanders.

You know the world is facked, when there are people spending 700,000.00 British pounds on a single watch.

 

"Russian agents seized millions of dollars worth of Audemars Piguet watches in Moscow in an apparent retaliation for Swiss sanctions banning luxury goods exports, Bloomberg reported, citing Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag.

The watches, which can cost more than £700,000 apiece, "

 
 

 

                                    

On 2022-03-26 at 12:34 PM, HardCoreBlue said:

Yup this is exactly what the knuckle draggers are trying to do. Rewrite history, look away it never happened unless of course there’s any part of it I’m okay with.

Agreed. Although history has always been written by the victors the twisting of facts and events is epidemic now.

Americans have always been the world champions at it. They seem to have exported it around the world now.  No other country to my knowledge  has ever taken other counties war stories and called them theirs. ( The Great escape and U571 )

I always thought the book " Bury my heart at wounded knee " should be required reading in US schools.( It wouldn't hurt Canadians either. ) It might change alot of minds about their romanticized wild west days. 

Unkle Vlad's polonium tea is being served again.

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60904676

Quote

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning at talks in Kyiv earlier this month, sources close to him say.

The Chelsea FC owner - who has now recovered - reportedly suffered sore eyes and skin peeling.

Two Ukrainian peace negotiators were also said to have been affected.

The Wall Street Journal reported claims the alleged poisoning was orchestrated by hardliners in Russia who wanted to sabotage the talks.

The condition of Mr Abramovich and the Ukrainian negotiators, who include Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov, has improved since the incident on 3 March, the paper quoted sources as saying.

A source close to Mr Abramovich told the BBC he had suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning. They said he had now recovered and was continuing with negotiations to try and end the war in Ukraine.

3 minutes ago, blue_gold_84 said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60904676

9 minutes ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

On 2022-03-25 at 11:35 PM, Fatty Liver said:

Brezhnev, Khruschev and Stalin were all communists, they basically owned nothing as everything belonged to the state.

Here is a link to a great documentary on Kruschev, if you jump to the end it shows him planting potatoes in his garden beside his ramshackle dacha, not exactly leading the life of a Tsar.

Here is what Russia is supposed to be today

"The 1993 constitution declares Russia a democratic, federative, law-based state with a republican form of government. State power is divided among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Diversity of ideologies and religions is sanctioned, and a state or compulsory ideology may not be adopted."

Putin skipped some steps by jumping directly to the "gilded age" and anointed a small network of robber barons to run the Russian economy.

 

You gotta hand it to Putin, he achieved a level of thievery in 20 years that our politicians have been striving to do for 200 years now.