Really? Thanks. It was also a pledge made under a different world order in which spheres of influence still existed to a certain degree. Under this world order, you don’t just get to invade countries because you want their land and resources, no matter what excuses you build up about foreign alliances.
Yeah, that one is so not worth mentioning. Dumbest crap I ever heard. When I saw that first brought up on here in the days right before the invasion started, I literally thought that was joke to make fun of the Russians.
Well, I see at least you backed off of the "bound by a pledge" business, that amounts to accusing a widower of adultery for breaching vows he made to his deceased wife.
You’re reading the wrong thing into my message. I was explaining what you meant by “the Soviet Union got Cuba” out of the deal. I do note, though, that we did not immediately change the Castro regime as soon as the Soviet Union fell. And I don’t think we would react the same way today as we did in 1962 if Russia or China tried to put nukes into Cuba. The modern nuclear triad makes land-based nukes 90 miles off our coast more or less irrelevant.
...by pretending to answer why we don't topple Cuba's oppressive regime now? Sure you were... Besides--it didn't require your *enlightened* elucidation, as it was and remains, quite self-explanatory.
I was answering another poster. Leave it there. The NATO excuse is still dumb. You seem to be suggesting that if NATO had not allowed new members to join or had disestablished at the end of the Cold War, Russia would not be expanding today. Partially correct, but only because Russia would have gobbled up Ukraine, the Baltics, and probably some of the Stans years ago. Regaining the old Empire is the Russian goal. NATO is just the excuse. The reason the Baltics all clamored to join NATO in the late 90s was that they knew it was only a matter of time before Russia came for them again. Accept it or don’t. It doesn’t change Russia’s ultimate strategy.
ooops Putin's plot to choke Europe backfires as he now 'cannot sell' huge stockpile of gas (msn.com) Russia is facing "enormous difficulties" selling its vast reserves of gas in a move which could impact its ability to continue the war in Ukraine. According to new analysis from the Atlantic Council think tank, Gazprom - the country's state energy giant - is struggling to break new markets. It comes after the world's largest publicly listed natural gas company restricted its supplies into Europe in 2022 in a bid to starve Kyiv's allies ahead of the winter. But Western nations were quickly able to wean themselves off Russian gas in order to become self-sufficient. Gazprom's revenue fell by 41 percent year-over-year in the first half of 2023, while sales profits dropped 71 percent and gas production by 25 percent. Gazprom Group, which also includes oil and power businesses, announced a net loss of 629 billion rubles [$6.9 billion] for last year. Russia is now isolated, with a new pipeline to link it with close ally China estimated to cost around $100billion - which is money it cannot afford to use. Moreover, China is not expected to need additional gas supples until after 2040.
NO WORRIES, Just need a ukraine op in the Urals to blast the hell out of that new 100 billion pipeline about 48 hrs after it goes active. Just like another line in the N Sea. Russia is a vast county and the pipeline of which you post will be thousands of Kilometers long. Ukraine seems to be expert in covert operations on ski soil. Would be a good target. And of course the Kerch bridge. I think the bridge may go kaput sometime this year with the longer range weaponry. The key is destroying it completely enough to make it a major (year long or better) repair effort. I have a feeling the Ukranians are working on some submersable drones for that purpose.
So much of their pretext to invade is not worth mentioning. Yet, it’s routinely parroted by our Russian posters here.
Uftaipan - Considering the logic of our Russian bots, I think Putz-in should land an amphibous operation in Alaska. I mean it was Russias once and considering the luncy of DD and the other bots, lets just admit American Capatalists "screwed" the ski's over on the deal, and they need to reclaim what is theirs. Interesting what the "bots" claim. A quick study of Russia, Western Europe and the Balkans, show continuous and ongoing conflict over "territory" in that region for centuries with one country after another gaining then losing territory. Constantly fluctiating territorial bounderies. Our "bots" only find historical territorial history and realities as it "benefits" Russia. What makes DD and the other Russian apologists complete FOOLS with their propoganda is: "Who wants out and Who wants in the Russian Empire"? Ask Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia whom they prefer? Ask Poland, hell ask 95% of the nations in that part of the world. Yes, Putin has a "few" allies in power in Western Europe but the realities are clear. Western Europe DOES NOT want to be part of that mikey mouse economy, totalitarian, backward society. Certainly the West is far from perfect, but there is NO comparison with the totalitarian nations.
… who tells the story of how his aunt was saved from the savages in Germany by the welcoming and beneficent arms of the Red Army, and who lived happily ever after in West Germany until the wall came down (if I remember the story correctly, and if, understandably explains your propensity for Russia).
My late mother in law was a German rescued by Russians. But truth be told, I can’t find much bad to say about Russia.
russian electronic jamming getting better and hurting accuracy on himars and "smart" artillery shells. looks like glide bombs may be the only thing not being impacted HIMARS: Russian jammers render US rocket launchers useless in Ukraine (msn.com) Ukraine has stopped using the US-supplied M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) because Russia can now jam it. Ukrainian forces have labeled the systems as “completely ineffective.” The Russian jamming system reportedly operates from the ground and can project a “cone” of EW interference into the sky. This prevents weapons from communicating with satellites to guide them towards targets. ................... It details how Ukraine has been forced to stop using many of the arms supplied by the West because of problems with targeting. The report also states that Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells are also adversely impacted by Russia’s new EW systems. ............................ Other systems, such as the UK’s Storm Shadow missile and the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), are less vulnerable to jamming. Russia has also successfully disrupted the Starlink satellite network, which Ukrainian troops rely on for internet connection. This has become so bad that Ukrainian forces have experienced significant outages in recent weeks as Russia ramps up its EW capabilities. Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s digital minister, stated in an interview last week that Starlink had previously resisted Russian jamming, but its technology now seems to have become more sophisticated.
Yes, he did. That was arguably the first real defense of the current rules-based international order that succeeded what existed during the Cold War.
Rules-Based International Order basically means whatever the hell America wants. Bonus: turns out it never got what it wanted out of Iraq.