Ukraine Thread

[Gilrandir]

Although I have so far never met a person who declined talking about politics in person, but then again, I also have never called random people and asked them about their personal opinion.

I wonder how many of those you talked to were critical about current Russian government? I have a suspicion that those ready to talk were Putin supporters.

[Gilrandir]

This is what I call de-escalation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...-russia-drills

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

This is what I call de-escalation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...-russia-drills

What "new" threat?

The Mole people?

[Husar]

More de-escalation:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0K819420141230
http://russia-insider.com/en/2015/03/18/4635
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukr...y-amid-n308776

[Kagemusha]

This is what I call de-escalation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...-russia-drills

Maybe in response to this? http://www.defense.gov/home/features...lanticresolve/

Just asking..

[Beskar]

Maybe in response to this? http://www.defense.gov/home/features...lanticresolve/

Just asking..

Don't you know better, Kagemusha? They are the good guys!

[Gilrandir]

More de-escalation:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0K819420141230
http://russia-insider.com/en/2015/03/18/4635
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukr...y-amid-n308776

Maybe in response to this? http://www.defense.gov/home/features...lanticresolve/

There is one common thing I see in all the links: they are all about PLANS for more or less distant future. In my opinion, it doesn't explain why Putin the Re-emerged needs to put his military on alert RIGHT NOW. Will this alert state keep infinitely/for a prolonged time? If yes, then all the abovementioned plans will look like a response to the alert.

[Gilrandir]

Perhaps this one is crucial for understanding Putin's attitude and plans he has in mind for Ukraine:
http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news...ne-people.aspx

[Husar]

There is one common thing I see in all the links: they are all about PLANS for more or less distant future. In my opinion, it doesn't explain why Putin the Re-emerged needs to put his military on alert RIGHT NOW. Will this alert state keep infinitely/for a prolonged time? If yes, then all the abovementioned plans will look like a response to the alert.

Maybe you missed the dates of the articles, which would show you that they were from before Putin's announcement. The movement of US troops to Europe has already begun if I'm not mistaken, but the english press seems to be more quiet about it than the german press:

13.03.2015: USA want to move 800 tanks to Europe http://www.sat1bayern.de/news/201503...r-stationiert/
Second link: http://www.br.de/nachrichten/oberpfa...woehr-100.html

10.03.2015: USA send 3000 soldiers to the baltic countries http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/usa...tikum-101.html
The first sentence says the tanks and other equipment are being unloaded in the port.

All the exercises that happened in Europe were well-known and publicly announced, the page Kage linked has several from 2014 shown on the map.

[Gilrandir]

13.03.2015: USA want to move 800 tanks to Europe http://www.sat1bayern.de/news/201503...r-stationiert/
Second link: http://www.br.de/nachrichten/oberpfa...woehr-100.html

Not just to abstract Europe, but to Bayern. Check the distance from it to Russia. It is stupid to thus react to tanks being deployed thousands of miles from Russia. They might as well justify the alert by ISIS activity.

10.03.2015: USA send 3000 soldiers to the baltic countries http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/usa...tikum-101.html
The first sentence says the tanks and other equipment are being unloaded in the port.

All the exercises that happened in Europe were well-known and publicly announced, the page Kage linked has several from 2014 shown on the map.

Those (and the Bayerische one) were not exercises but deployments. I don't know if such things are heralded a year ahead. Since the articles claim that these were the steps connected with the Ukraine crisis, I don't think it could have been announced in 2014.

[Husar]

Not just to abstract Europe, but to Bayern. Check the distance from it to Russia. It is stupid to thus react to tanks being deployed thousands of miles from Russia. They might as well justify the alert by ISIS activity.

It says to Europe and "some of them should be stationed in Grafenwöhr". It does not say they all go to Bavaria.

Those (and the Bayerische one) were not exercises but deployments. I don't know if such things are heralded a year ahead. Since the articles claim that these were the steps connected with the Ukraine crisis, I don't think it could have been announced in 2014.

There's an empty line between the part about deployments and the part about exercises, don't mix them up. The exercises already happened in 2014, they weren't just announced. They were partially held in connection with the Ukraine crisis, but you were the one saying that military exercises do not contribute to de-escalation, no?