1) Russians and anyone in Ukrain in a Russian uniform. 2).You. You look absolutely ridiculous as you cheerlead the atrocities the Russians are inflicting on civilians If there were such a thing as hell you’d have a slot reserved.
You never hated Russians until the man on the TV instructed you to. Hell, I’ll bet you believe that Russian troops were starving and had to eat zoo animals.
S Still don’t hate Russians. Back in the day when I lived in Dallas there was a Russian themed vodka bar called Nikita. Totally rocked, the girls were smoke shows, big hammer and sickle on the wall with the national slogan “smart like tractor, strong like bull’ Good times. Sadly Russia never managed to create a first world economy and society. Most are drunks and the birth rate is so low they’re hoping to be annexed by Poland.
Exactly right. But you gotta feel sorry for them. most of them anyway. The only relief they have is vodka and according to a Newsweek article Russia just raised the price of a 500ml bottle of vodka from 260 rubles to 280 rubles. ouch! PS interesting that the most popular version of Russias national drink is made in Texas!
I was not specifically making an argument that we should be doing more to increase pressure on the Russian population, only that such pressure is an essential element to ultimately terminating this conflict on favorable terms. But since you mention it, in my opinion there are many more things we could be doing to increase pressure on the Russian people (or decrease pressure on the Ukrainian people, which amounts to the same thing). Just off the top of my head: 1. Trade sanctions against countries like India, who continue to enable Russia with normal trade relations. Make them choose. 2. Alleviate pressure on the Ukrainian health care system by setting up field hospitals in Eastern Europe for Ukrainian combat casualties. 3. Establish maritime exclusion zone from Odessa to Istanbul in order to facilitate sea trade in and out of Ukraine. 4. Give Ukraine the air defense measures to protect its critical infrastructure from Russian cruise missiles (yes, we have it; yes, it works; no, there’s nothing Russia has that can defeat it). There is a lot more than that we could be doing, well short of putting steel on Russian foreheads, to enable Ukraine to defeat Russia faster.
None of those options sound particularly bad, I just don't see how they would make ordinary every day Russians suffer and rise up as a result. I used to believe the Russian people would have the resolve to stand up, but the politicians are too corrupt there and the oligarchs control everything. There is no Western backing towards any type of insurgency. We should have seen a ground swell in Russia by now, if a coup was going to happen.
Yeah, it seems disappointing how little Russia has done in recent years given its vast land, resources, history, culture, etc. It has the oligarchs stealing peoples' money. Journalists and politicians threatened or killed. They clamp down on things like LGBT folks and marijuana. Russia seems envious of American culture in some ways yet does not seem to embrace immigration and diversity, which are one of the reasons for our cultural success and relatability to countries around the world. It would be a great place to visit if it weren't so backwards.
Your disinformation is weak sauce. read it and weep. Russias GDP per capital (before Ukraine) ranked #53 less than half of Germany and on par with Aruba and world renown basket case Greece. GDP per Capita - Worldometer
Don’t hate them because you tried to start a Drag Queen Story Hour and they told you to take a hikeski.
Hmm, a month ago, you were claiming that Ukraine would have to mass a huge number of troops to fight block by block in Kherson. Heck, you were claiming it was the lynchpin of your claims that the previous retreats were strategic to trap the Ukrainians. Now your claim is that Russians withdrew their troops because they just have so much of an emotional connection to their troops that they didn't want to face huge losses? What changed? Is it possible that none of these withdrawals are actually strategic but just the sign of a military losing previously captured territory?
Russian purchasing power is measured by the amount of vodka they can consume which until the recent price hike was enough to eventually kill themselves with. SAD!
You protest too much. Of course this is Russia ceding previously held territory. The point is that when Russia chose to contest Ukraine advances, Ukraine was repulsed time and again with heavy losses. But this goes back to rules of discussion: when Ukraine cedes territory it’s called repositioning or evacuation, whereas when Russia cedes territory it’s called panicky retreat or defeat.
Hmmm, so your claim about how they gave up the territory in the Northeast to better back up the Southeast was completely false, as they have also chosen to give up the Southeast? So where are they not choosing to cede territory?
I don't doubt that the Russian government's attitude toward homosexuality is a reason many Americans like the Russian government/Putin. He even throws in some family values and talk about Christianity. There may be Russians who are actually more concerned about gay people than war and corruption, though I'm not sure how accurate any polling is given the risk of citizens falling out of windows. I have seen some protests over the years, and there are obviously citizens who are doing their best to fight the authoritarian regime. I don't hate them one bit. They're victims.
Interesting theory, but I suspect they couldn’t consume enough vodka in whatever ditch they are hiding in to kill themselves. If not Ukrainian bullets then what? Scared to death? Covid? Fragged by the second line while running away?
