Ukraine Thread

[Fisherking]

Putin is merely an opportunist taking advantage of very stupid US efforts to weaken Russia.

The West lacks any leadership half as cunning as Putin nor wise enough to know it.

Putin can afford to act like a bandit. He is fully aware that the US military is not the threat it once was.

It has a military focused on the use of small scale special forces operations and air power focused on air to air combat. Their multi mission aircraft do none of their missions well and there are too few troops to take on the tasks or trained to handle a combined arms campaign.

Russia has be isolated by the US each time they have tried to cooperate with them.

The rest of the west keep following Washington’s ridiculous short sighed policies and diplomatic leads which brought it to this stage.

His latest move shows that he has lost any hope of bringing the EU to a more neutral stance, so from here on it is put up or shut up.

As weak as Europe is and as unreliable an ally as the US has turned out to be he is fairly confident in being able to push things even further. All I can see from the West is more bluster and no substance.

[Gilrandir]

Putin can afford to act like a bandit. He is fully aware that the US military is not the threat it once was.

Luckily, both EU and the USA have other levers (mainly economic and finacial) to reach their goal. Unluckily, they don't use them or are afraid/reluctant to use them (I mean those they are using aren't efficient enough).

[Gilrandir]

Russian propaganda in action:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/ma...ruth.html?_r=1

[CrossLOPER]

Russian propaganda in action:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/ma...ruth.html?_r=1

I never understood why people bash Russian TV so much. I don't know of a single place where TV does not suck, most especially in the US. As for propaganda, that article is propaganda itself.

You knew this.

[Gilrandir]

I never understood why people bash Russian TV so much. I don't know of a single place where TV does not suck, most especially in the US. As for propaganda, that article is propaganda itself.

You knew this.

The reason I posted this is because people here tend to underestimate the power of Russian propaganda. My aunt who lives in Krasnodar calls my father now and again and he is astounded and even apalled after such communications. He can't believe that she trusts what she hears and sees on TV more than the words of her brother.

[Gilrandir]

Found an interesting prediction and thought it might be curious for others to know. One of Ukrainian experts claims that the oncoming spring will be the time when ISIS will step up its offensive and try to cooperate/coordinate it with Taliban. This will give a push to fundamentalist activities in Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) as far as attempts to topple secular regimes in those states. This consequently will demand more attention from Russia which is likely to strengthen its military presence in those regions. That is why the haste of Putin to solve the situation in Ukraine and his precipitate offensive in winter. Thus ISIS offensive may ultimately benefit Ukraine.

[GenosseGeneral]

Found an interesting prediction and thought it might be curious for others to know. One of Ukrainian experts claims that the oncoming spring will be the time when ISIS will step up its offensive and try to cooperate/coordinate it with Taliban. This will give a push to fundamentalist activities in Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan) as far as attempts to topple secular regimes in those states. This consequently will demand more attention from Russia which is likely to strengthen its military presence in those regions. That is why the haste of Putin to solve the situation in Ukraine and his precipitate offensive in winter. Thus ISIS offensive may ultimately benefit Ukraine.

I am not an expert here, but if ISIS will expand, this will more likely happen (or is already happening) in Libya and Egypt, particularly the Sinai peninsula. Currently, it is more the other way round: Jihadis from Central Asia and the Caucasus have joined the IS, especially notable are Chechens. At least those of them, who are not fighting on either side of the Ukrainian civil war.

Regarding freedom of press in Ukraine: Unfortunately, freedom of press and human rights activists inside and outside of Ukraine have every reason to protest against it. In the Ukrainian context, it will be very likely not only used to suppress Russian propaganda (already a very, you know, imprecise term), but also to target journalists exposing misconduct and corruption, especially in the armed forces.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

I never understood why people bash Russian TV so much. I don't know of a single place where TV does not suck, most especially in the US. As for propaganda, that article is propaganda itself.

You knew this.

True, but Russian TV "news" is laughable - especially given that any dissenting stations are simply closed.

America is apparently sending a training Battalion to Ukraine, which is a significant symbolic commitment whilst the UK is sending 75 troops in four training teams.

The news is from the BBC, but I can't find the article now.

[CrossLOPER]

True, but Russian TV "news" is laughable - especially given that any dissenting stations are simply closed.

Are you unfamiliar with US news stations? They are 24-hour clownshoes cabaret.

Again, I fully concede that the state of Russian media is an unsustainable joke, but to suggest that this is somehow unique is unrepresentative of the truth.

[Brenus]

Ukrainian Gvt and freedom of media:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27546283

Probably Russian propaganda.

[Greyblades]

Are you unfamiliar with US news stations? They are 24-hour clownshoes cabaret.

Again, I fully concede that the state of Russian media is an unsustainable joke, but to suggest that this is somehow unique is unrepresentative of the truth.

While the incompetence of American news reporting is both staggering and largely intentional, they are not remotely equivelant to that of the Russian Federation.

That the fox news crew havent been put against a wall and shot during the tenure of a democratic president is testament to that if nothing else

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Are you unfamiliar with US news stations? They are 24-hour clownshoes cabaret.

Again, I fully concede that the state of Russian media is an unsustainable joke, but to suggest that this is somehow unique is unrepresentative of the truth.

I've heard of them - but I'm in the UK, so it doesn't matter to me much.