Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[KaraBulut]

Update: So far, Moldova has managed to get through another election cycle in spite of Moscow's interference:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/03/europe/moldova-election-sandu-russia-intl-latam/index.html

Moldova’s pro-Western president wins 2nd term in runoff overshadowed by Russian meddling claims
Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race that was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud, and intimidation in the European Union candidate country.

With nearly 99% of votes counted in the second round of the presidential election held Sunday, Sandu had 55% of the vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission, or CEC, compared to 45% for Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor general who was backed by the pro-Russia Party of Socialists...

Moldova’s diaspora played a key role in the presidential vote and in a nationwide referendum held on Oct. 20, when a narrow majority of 50.35% voted to secure Moldova’s path toward EU membership. But the results of the ballots including Sunday’s vote were overshadowed by allegations of a major vote-buying scheme and voter intimidation.

Instead of winning the overwhelming support that Sandu had hoped, the results in both races exposed Moldova’s judiciary as unable to adequately protect the democratic process.

On Sunday, Moldovan police said they had “reasonable evidence” of organized transportation of voters — illegal under the country’s electoral code — to polling stations from within the country and from overseas, and are “investigating and registering evidence in connection with air transport activities from Russia to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey.”

 

[rareboy]

In light of Trump's election, all is now lost for Ukraine. The only thing to do at this point is to use whatever means necessary to inflict the greatest amount of damage on rrrXXZia possible before Trump forces an end to the war by starving out Ukraine. He will threaten Europe and Britain with exiting NATO or in other ways compromising collective security if they also do not fall in line and end support for Kiev.

It might be worth revisiting the deal that Trump and Putin ostensibly made in secret when he was in the oval office the first time. And that was for Putin to have the mineral and oil rich eastern part of Ukraine and Crimea which they had effectively seized in 2014 as well as the US getting out of Europe. RzzXXia spent a lot of money on US politicains and the TrumpCo. cabal to get this result.

And now, Trump will not want to be dragging the Ukraine war around as he looks to focus on re-structuring government and concretizing his absolutist vision for autocracy in the US. He will need to end this as quickly as possible to consolidate a reputation as a 'Strongman' leader within the first few months.

Meanwhile, rrrZZZxxcia has maintained mass bombardment of Ukraine with Shahed drones and strikes against civilian targets this week.

And the numbers of rrrXXian meatbags being thrown into the grinder in the final days continues to grow. No word on how many are the North Korean forces bought by Putin to die in his war.

 

[rareboy]

The Kremlin denies that Trump and Putin have spoken.

So that means they definitely have spoken.

In the meantime...empty words from John Kirby...he is now just playing for time as a lame duck. From Xitter:

"

John Kirby, US strategic communications coordinator, emphasized that while NATO membership is in Ukraine's future, the priority is ensuring Kyiv wins the war against Russia. He said that the Biden administration is committed to ramping up support for Ukraine and is working on long-term security agreements to strengthen its defense capabilities—even beyond the current conflict.

"

The US has no interest after January in Ukraine winning the war because it will not be in Trump's direct financial interest.

 

[rareboy]

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan: "The Biden administration will signal US Congress that they would like to see additional funds for Ukraine for 2025 so that they can be in the best possible position to achieve their objectives and win at the negotiating table."

So cynical.

The Biden Admin knows that nothing will now be approved and if it was it would just be rescinded.

So many Ukrainian lives wasted.

And once again, like the early years of WWII, the US abandons Europe.

 

[rareboy]

Putin's response to Trump's so called warning not to escalate the war in Ukraine.

One single day.

The launch points and routes for the attacks.

But now, with only 2 months left in his job, Biden has okayed the use of long range missiles by Ukraine to attck targets within rrrXXzzia.

Smak my head.

 

[rareboy]

 

[NotHardUp1]

And once again, like the early years of WWII, the US abandons Europe.

If this assertion were true in either case, what of the carnage of the Great War we were dragged into, and for what? For plutocrats and empire.

It's all well and good to retroactively cherry pick and condemn, stepping over what we actually did with Lend Lease and then in the winning of WWII. Sure, let's minimize that and focus on some hindsight moralizing that ignores the losses that America suffered in the Great War that caused us to view Europe as many view the Levant, a hopeless quagmire of vendettas and ancient conflicts.

There's no correct policy possible on Ukraine. We have no treaty, yet we presided over the evisceration of Ukraine's nuclear arms and thereby became obligated to help when Russia became the Hitler and we the Chamberlain.

Our public clearly doesn't view Ukraine as our ally, only as a distant confict that we assist on the basis of anti-Russian expansion. And there's no stomach for sending in troops, just as there is no by the nearer neighbors in Europe.

And where is the condemnation for the totality of Europe not going in to protect their invaded neighbor? It should have happened when Crimea fell, but it didn't. And because it didn't, Russia shrugged and guessed she'd take the whole enchilada and settle her old debt.

Where is India and her much vaunted non-alignment? She does nothing while a superpower invades a sovereign nation. Her star is rising, but where is her international stature?

We've given more to Ukraine's aid than any other country, and justifiably cautious to avoid being dragged into war with Russia. Yet we are condemned as not doing enough. Well, where is the Commonwealth? Where is Japan? Where are the Arab countries?

And where is your country?

We can get in line behind the nearer neighbors who are doing far less than we are. No apologies for being the more generous donors to the Ukrainians.

 

[rareboy]

Bilateral aid to Ukraine by country GDP 2024 | Statista

Estonia and Denmark had the highest ratio of bilateral support to Ukraine to donor GDP as of February2024. Poland ranked sixth by GDP share of aid to Ukraine.

www.statista.com

 

[rareboy]

NoelReports and more or less all the other pages covering the invasion of Ukraine by Rzzzia can now be found on Bluesky.

 

[rareboy]

In response to Ukraine being given permission to use long range weapons in rrrZZia, Putin sent in a mach 10 ICBM with a non-nuclear warhead to make a point to the west.

Rzzzia isn't the least serious about peace. At every turn since the outset of their invasion they have emplyed brute strength and asymmetrical warfare.

But all the MAGA pussies are shitting their nappies because they think the US is courting WWIII.

Like this isn't already WWIII

 

[ravenstone]

In response to Ukraine being given permission to use long range weapons in rrrZZia, Putin sent in a mach 10 ICBM with a non-nuclear warhead to make a point to the west.

Rzzzia isn't the least serious about peace. At every turn since the outset of their invasion they have emplyed brute strength and asymmetrical warfare.

But all the MAGA pussies are shitting their nappies because they think the US is courting WWIII.

Like this isn't already WWIII

WW3 can be stopped if it doesn't start, before 1/20/25

 

[rareboy]

WW3 can be stopped if it doesn't start, before 1/20/25

Again, you don't seem to realize that we have been fighting WWIII for 1000 days.

When North Korea is sending in 100,000 soldiers and Iran is providing thousands of weapons to counter the weapons and resources that the west is throwing in place to try to stop the Soviet Empire 2.0 from sweeping through Europe to reclaim all the countries freed from their rapacious post WWII invasion, this is just another chapter in WWIII by proxy.

Frankly no one really cares that some Americans are only worried that they will be the target of nuclear annihilation because the frankly crazy Putin regime might lob a nuke at Bumfuck, Redstate, USA.

But good news. Your guy will give Ukraine away and give Europe away because he will personally profit from it and can't afford the distraction from turning Amerika into a fascist autocracy.

Eventually though, the big war will arrive right at your door as it did with WWII because other fascist autocracies see the US as weak and feckless.

 

[rareboy]

Meanwhile...rrrrzzzia continues their saturation attacks against Ukraine infrastructure.

 

[rareboy]

So for all of those in the back who just haven't fucking got it by now:

"Senator Graham on Trump’s "deal" for Ukraine:"Ukraine is Europe’s richest country in rare minerals—worth $2-7 trillion. That’s why the U.S. must help Ukraine win against Russia. Trump’s plan ensures a strong economic partnership, benefiting both nations: peace, rare minerals, and prosperity."

Which is to say that Graham also approves of rrrzzzia seizing all the areas it has taken since 2014. And of course, both Trump and Graham will personally materially benefit from the handover ofthe Donbas and Crimea.

This whole war has only ever been about the rrrzzzin mafiosi stealing resources from the people of Ukraine.

 

[BlondMichael]

Re: What is Russia's end game?

The Ukraine is not a NATO member. NATO (And Trump) allowed Russia to seize the Crimea and did nothing.

All that the west can do is flood the Ukraine with weapons and let the Ukrainians and the Russians kill one another.

Russia wants all the Ukraine back. It wants the US out of Europe.

Putin's end game is to re-establish the USSR. It is his ex KGB fever dream.

All pretty simple.

That was 2014. Obama, not Trump

 

[rareboy]

I do not disagree that Obama and Europe were feckless after the annexation of Crimea, but during the Trump years, nothing was done to punish rrrzzia and Putin was not only allowed to entrench, but to encroach even further. He made an accord with Putin that essentially led to the 2022 invasion.

Within weeks, Trump praised Putin for how he handled the takeover of Crimea and predicted that “the rest of Ukraine will fall … fairly quickly.” Echoing Kremlin propaganda, Trump said in a TV interview that the Crimean people “would rather be with Russia,” a position he also pushed in private. One of his 2016 campaign aides falsely claimed that “Russia did not seize Crimea.”

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/26/politics/trump-putin-ukraine/index.html

Obama's reasoning is pretty weak. He could have done more. But he only had about a year and a half to act before the end of his second term and didn't have support of the Congress. The 2014 elections gave the Republicans control of the Senate and the House for the first time since the 109th Congress. With 248 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 seats in the Senate, this Congress began with the largest Republican majority since the 71st Congress of 1929–1931.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/4063939-obama-defends-2014-crimea-response-in-cnn-interview/

And now, in September, he indicated that he intends to lift US sanctions against the Putin regime.

 

[rareboy]

How the Houthi Yemenis have been fraudulently co-opted into the war by rrrzzzia. Putin is too afraid to use the muscovites or western rrrxxxians. He is now having to buy North Koreans and other fighters to die by the thousands in order to secure the trillions in mineral wealth for himself and the oligarchs.

Russia recruits Yemeni mercenaries to fight in Ukraine

Mysterious Houthi-linked company duping men into joining Moscow’s war machine

www.ft.com

 

[KaraBulut]

Russia is not acting like a country that believes it can win a war.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-signs-law-forgiving-debt-arrears-new-russian-recruits-ukraine-war-2024-11-23/

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Saturday on debt forgiveness for new army recruits signing up to fight in Ukraine, a Russian government website showed.

Agencies reported that the law provides for forgiveness of up to 10 million roubles ($95,835) of debt arrears for those signing contracts with the Defence Ministry to fight in Ukraine for at least a year, beginning on Dec. 1.

The law applies to all potential recruits who have had debt collection proceedings opened against them before Dec. 1.

Yemeni fighters reportedly join Russia's war in Ukraine

Moscow has previously pulled mercenaries into its war effort in Ukraine and now appears to be recruiting much further afield.

www.newsweek.com

The Russian military has recruited "hundreds" of Yemeni fighters, according to a new report, as Moscow pays dearly in casualty counts for gains in eastern Ukraine.

Yemeni citizens were promised high wages and Russian citizenship before traveling to Russia to be "forcibly inducted into Moscow's army and sent to the front lines in Ukraine," the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The travel was facilitated by a company linked to Yemen's Houthi rebels.

How Russia Lured Indian Men to Fight in Ukraine

Several Indian nationals were duped by the false promise of jobs to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine.

time.com

Ravi Moun was excited to travel to Russia from his small village in the north Indian state of Haryana in early January. One of three siblings, the 21-year-old dropped out of school after 10th grade and was looking for work when he was contacted by a local agent with the promise of a lucrative job in transportation in Moscow, according to his brother Ajay. To cover the cost of travel to Russia, Moun’s brother sold the family’s one-acre land for 11.5 lakh rupees, or nearly $14,000.

Once he arrived, however, Ajay says Moun was inducted into the Russian military to fight in the war in Ukraine instead, which has been ongoing since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. Moun last spoke to his family on March 12, telling them he had been digging trenches to bury the casualties in Ukraine, which has steadily lost territory to Russia’s larger army. Four months later, after his family contacted the Indian Embassy to inquire about his whereabouts on July 21, they learned he had been killed on the frontlines.

 

[rareboy]

rrrzzzxia has just been playing for time.

They know now they will win this war. With the west dragging their feet for months and months on weapons and restrictions on their use, the Kremlin knew in 2023 that all they had to do was hunker down in the territory they stole and mount their main offensive in the area with the most mineral resources and eventually the conflict would be frozen.

But at least a year ago, they realized that they were running out of ethnic minorities to draft and out of ex-cons, prisoners and other older, less useful rrrzzianz and that if they conscript all those in the universities and from their high end industries they would really suffer in the longer run.

Hence the purchase of trench fodder farther afield.

 

[rareboy]