Anonymous
03/16/2022 13:29
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There have been reports from Macron and others who have known Putin for years that he is acting unusually. He seems more delusional and more paranoid and less in touch with reality than he was 2 years ago. (The video that you posted in from 2015, so not indicative of his present state of mind.)
Those that have interacted with him recently think he's a nutter.
Macron is an idiot boy who thinks he's king maker. He's so far out of his league and isn't even aware of it. Anyone who has followed Putin knows he is the same ruthless autocrat as ever. He's been methodically marching toward this for years. First Chechnya, then Crimea, Syria, Ukraine. So far no one has stopped him, in fact thought they could "work with him." And he's proving his theory right now that US & NATO are too weak/scared to intervene. He may not "take Ukraine" but he will flatten it and Germany will buy continue to buy Russian gas and US companies will continue to do business there.
Selling gas to germany is dead for Russia. At least for a decade if not until gas is not needed anymore as long as Putin is there and as long as there is an alternative.
But where your analysis goes wrong is the idea that the US and NATO are too weak/scared to intervene. In a war even before we learned how much of a paper tiger Russia is there was no comparing NATO and Russian forces. Russia would be wiped out. We are not going to intervene because we are drawing a line at NATO countries. If we intervene it is a major war. No sane person would intervene now. NATO countries are different. Could we intervene -- sure. Not a lot Russia could do except fire nukes.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 13:26
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Since NATO countries can’t support Ukraine, is it possible to temporarily assign our military and planes to be under Ukraine command? We can call them volunteers to avoid escalating with Russia so the war doesn’t expand but at the same time secure victory for Ukraine.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 13:24
Subject: Re:Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:Putin isn’t crazy he’s panicking. He has made a huge strategic mistake and knows he has destroyed Russia.
He has personally been humiliated by a former comedian turned most admired world leader.
His military has been humiliated and exposed for not having the strength or resources that the world believed they had. This one is huge because Russia is nothing to the world without its military. Putin doesn’t have the money to build it up and the world knows he has very little.
His economy is in shambles and he’s knows that he can not personally survive a collapsed economy. He’s beginning to realize that there is no fast pathway to rebuild. No one is going to invest in Russia after losing so much. Much of Russia’s gains over the past years had come from foreign investment which isn’t coming back. He’s realized that his legacy is as the person who destroyed Russia.
His only option is to become a serf state to China a[b]nd sit back while China bleeds them of their natural resources for little money or watch while his country goes back to the chaos that made him so bitter.
He knows that he is back to being nothing but a taxi driver except even that position is to high for him to achieve.
So yes, he’s acting erratically because he realizes how bad this is for him and Russia.
Going down that path fast, now talking about cleansing Russia of the "Bad Russians"
Anonymous
03/16/2022 13:24
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This is a great article about Putin’s mentality: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2022-03-10/putin-gambler?utm_medium=newsletters&utm_source=fatoday&utm_campaign=Putin%20the%20Gambler&utm_content=20220310&utm_term=FA%20Today%20-%20112017
It argues that Putin is not insane, but rather that he has taken increased risks since 2014 and that he has undoubtedly overestimated his chances of success in this invasion.
Putin is a totalitarian dictator surrounded by an increasingly shrinking circle of sycophants who tell him what he wants to hear. Two years of Covid isolation have made this worse.
PBS recently aired this expert interview which backs up your first point:
- Putin is a totalitarian dictator.
Those around him, however, are terrified of him, and also terrified of being the bearers of bad news; they are the definition of “yes men.” They only tell him what he wants to hear out of fear of arrest or “disappearance.”
Anonymous
03/16/2022 13:22
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
If Ukraine can break thru the northern lines on the ground and make to the border I feel like the could just walk into Russia with no resistance to go for the launchers themselves. They just need a little luck for hole to get a few thousand troops up there and take out those positions.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 13:15
Subject: Re:Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Putin isn’t crazy he’s panicking. He has made a huge strategic mistake and knows he has destroyed Russia.
He has personally been humiliated by a former comedian turned most admired world leader.
His military has been humiliated and exposed for not having the strength or resources that the world believed they had. This one is huge because Russia is nothing to the world without its military. Putin doesn’t have the money to build it up and the world knows he has very little.
His economy is in shambles and he’s knows that he can not personally survive a collapsed economy. He’s beginning to realize that there is no fast pathway to rebuild. No one is going to invest in Russia after losing so much. Much of Russia’s gains over the past years had come from foreign investment which isn’t coming back. He’s realized that his legacy is as the person who destroyed Russia.
His only option is to become a serf state to China and sit back while China bleeds them of their natural resources for little money or watch while his country goes back to the chaos that made him so bitter.
He knows that he is back to being nothing but a taxi driver except even that position is to high for him to achieve.
So yes, he’s acting erratically because he realizes how bad this is for him and Russia.
He has personally been humiliated by a former comedian turned most admired world leader.
His military has been humiliated and exposed for not having the strength or resources that the world believed they had. This one is huge because Russia is nothing to the world without its military. Putin doesn’t have the money to build it up and the world knows he has very little.
His economy is in shambles and he’s knows that he can not personally survive a collapsed economy. He’s beginning to realize that there is no fast pathway to rebuild. No one is going to invest in Russia after losing so much. Much of Russia’s gains over the past years had come from foreign investment which isn’t coming back. He’s realized that his legacy is as the person who destroyed Russia.
His only option is to become a serf state to China and sit back while China bleeds them of their natural resources for little money or watch while his country goes back to the chaos that made him so bitter.
He knows that he is back to being nothing but a taxi driver except even that position is to high for him to achieve.
So yes, he’s acting erratically because he realizes how bad this is for him and Russia.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 12:56
Subject: Re:Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:
There have been reports from Macron and others who have known Putin for years that he is acting unusually. He seems more delusional and more paranoid and less in touch with reality than he was 2 years ago. (The video that you posted in from 2015, so not indicative of his present state of mind.)
Those that have interacted with him recently think he's a nutter.
Macron is an idiot boy who thinks he's king maker. He's so far out of his league and isn't even aware of it. Anyone who has followed Putin knows he is the same ruthless autocrat as ever. He's been methodically marching toward this for years. First Chechnya, then Crimea, Syria, Ukraine. So far no one has stopped him, in fact thought they could "work with him." And he's proving his theory right now that US & NATO are too weak/scared to intervene. He may not "take Ukraine" but he will flatten it and Germany will buy continue to buy Russian gas and US companies will continue to do business there.
No. The Rs might not like the "green deal", but parts of it are going to be coming more quickly now. Warp speed on it. Just like the vaccine. It's a matter of national security and defense.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 12:43
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:If we get more involved per Zelensky's request this morning -- do we really think Putin will use the nuclear option? Is he really that crazy?
No one really knows where his line is, in terms of what he would consider to be “direct conflict” between NATO and Russia. Certainly a no fly zone would involve NATO warplanes shooting down Russian warplanes. But how Putin would interpret Zelensky’s alternative is less clear. He wants air defense systems like the S-300 (a Russian system that several Eastern European countries have and could give to Ukraine).
Anonymous
03/16/2022 12:38
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
If we get more involved per Zelensky's request this morning -- do we really think Putin will use the nuclear option? Is he really that crazy?
Anonymous
03/16/2022 11:41
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There have been reports from Macron and others who have known Putin for years that he is acting unusually. He seems more delusional and more paranoid and less in touch with reality than he was 2 years ago. (The video that you posted in from 2015, so not indicative of his present state of mind.)
Those that have interacted with him recently think he's a nutter.
Macron is an idiot boy who thinks he's king maker. He's so far out of his league and isn't even aware of it. Anyone who has followed Putin knows he is the same ruthless autocrat as ever. He's been methodically marching toward this for years. First Chechnya, then Crimea, Syria, Ukraine. So far no one has stopped him, in fact thought they could "work with him." And he's proving his theory right now that US & NATO are too weak/scared to intervene. He may not "take Ukraine" but he will flatten it and Germany will buy continue to buy Russian gas and US companies will continue to do business there.
Ok, now do your take on the others who also think Putin has changed over the last 2 years.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 11:21
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There have been reports from Macron and others who have known Putin for years that he is acting unusually. He seems more delusional and more paranoid and less in touch with reality than he was 2 years ago. (The video that you posted in from 2015, so not indicative of his present state of mind.)
Those that have interacted with him recently think he's a nutter.
Macron is an idiot boy who thinks he's king maker. He's so far out of his league and isn't even aware of it. Anyone who has followed Putin knows he is the same ruthless autocrat as ever. He's been methodically marching toward this for years. First Chechnya, then Crimea, Syria, Ukraine. So far no one has stopped him, in fact thought they could "work with him." And he's proving his theory right now that US & NATO are too weak/scared to intervene. He may not "take Ukraine" but he will flatten it and Germany will buy continue to buy Russian gas and US companies will continue to do business there.
He may or may not be an idiot boy but he's spoken regularly with Putin for a long time. So if he thinks that Putin has changed for the worse, his insight is more valuable than yours.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 11:20
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There have been reports from Macron and others who have known Putin for years that he is acting unusually. He seems more delusional and more paranoid and less in touch with reality than he was 2 years ago. (The video that you posted in from 2015, so not indicative of his present state of mind.)
Those that have interacted with him recently think he's a nutter.
Macron is an idiot boy who thinks he's king maker. He's so far out of his league and isn't even aware of it. Anyone who has followed Putin knows he is the same ruthless autocrat as ever. He's been methodically marching toward this for years. First Chechnya, then Crimea, Syria, Ukraine. So far no one has stopped him, in fact thought they could "work with him." And he's proving his theory right now that US & NATO are too weak/scared to intervene. He may not "take Ukraine" but he will flatten it and Germany will buy continue to buy Russian gas and US companies will continue to do business there.
Lots of trolls or morons on this thread, or just one prolific one.
Macron will win re-election handily, without any effort whatsoever, sailing on his diplomatic efforts and public worldwide visibility. He’s no fool. His domestic critics, once virulent, have all but fallen silent.
All elitist and out of touch with the average Jacques that he is, he does truly care about Europe and since Merkel left, has been its de facto leader.
Do not comment if you can’t hack it, PP.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 11:20
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There have been reports from Macron and others who have known Putin for years that he is acting unusually. He seems more delusional and more paranoid and less in touch with reality than he was 2 years ago. (The video that you posted in from 2015, so not indicative of his present state of mind.)
Those that have interacted with him recently think he's a nutter.
I don't think Putin's "paranoia" is unusual among the Russian government. It is the norm. There is a widespread feeling in Russia that the West and NATO are not to be trusted.
Of course, both sides distrusted each other, with good reason, during the Cold War. But then from 1991 through about 2010 there was a window of opportunity to reset the relationship. Obviously that reset didn't happen. Russia did cooperate with the West in peace-keeping efforts in Bosnia. That was a small bright spot in our relationship. But then the US had its misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this reinforced the Russian perception that the USA is in the business of regime change. And let's not forget the Arab spring, and also Syria, and perhaps even the 2014 revolution in Ukraine. Not saying that everything is out fault with respect to the sour relationship between the West and Russia, but, from the Russian perspective, we may appear quite aggressive in our foreign policy. From the Russia point of view, our foreign policy is this: if you aren't a liberal democracy, then, when given a chance, we will try to push the levers to make the foundation beneath you crumble.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 11:12
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:This is a great article about Putin’s mentality: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2022-03-10/putin-gambler?utm_medium=newsletters&utm_source=fatoday&utm_campaign=Putin%20the%20Gambler&utm_content=20220310&utm_term=FA%20Today%20-%20112017
It argues that Putin is not insane, but rather that he has taken increased risks since 2014 and that he has undoubtedly overestimated his chances of success in this invasion.
Putin is a totalitarian dictator surrounded by an increasingly shrinking circle of sycophants who tell him what he wants to hear. Two years of Covid isolation have made this worse.
Anonymous
03/16/2022 11:09
Subject: Military observations on Ukraine invasion
Anonymous wrote:There have been reports from Macron and others who have known Putin for years that he is acting unusually. He seems more delusional and more paranoid and less in touch with reality than he was 2 years ago. (The video that you posted in from 2015, so not indicative of his present state of mind.)
Those that have interacted with him recently think he's a nutter.
Macron is an idiot boy who thinks he's king maker. He's so far out of his league and isn't even aware of it. Anyone who has followed Putin knows he is the same ruthless autocrat as ever. He's been methodically marching toward this for years. First Chechnya, then Crimea, Syria, Ukraine. So far no one has stopped him, in fact thought they could "work with him." And he's proving his theory right now that US & NATO are too weak/scared to intervene. He may not "take Ukraine" but he will flatten it and Germany will buy continue to buy Russian gas and US companies will continue to do business there.