Ok NOW it's real. This was on Twitter. I can't post it because it's from a...um...adult site. But apparently Corn Hub has blocked all Russian access with an accompanying message & the Ukranian flag. (And you know that's not the name of the site but...rules).
Agree. It's kind of like the opposite of Afghanistan. Once we saw the natives weren't willing to fight for themselves, there was no point in trying to help.
Not sure of the legitimacy of this, because, internet, but supposedly this is Russian Spetznaz, dressed as Ukranian military, that were caught in Ukraine. This is a direct violation of the Geneva Convention and makes them eligible for execution. Russia really really leaning into the bad guy position here.
I know a bit off topic but the difference in Afghanistan is that the puppet regime didn't represent the people, was incredibly corrupt, stole money from the country and barely provided services for the citizens, outside of those in the major cities. Some of my friends are from Afghanistan and still have family there and they tell me that while everyone hates the taliban, the level of distrust for the regime led to the quick fall. Kind of what I was saying in an earlier post, a great leader (like Zelensky) will inspire and unite. Puppet leaders like Ghani never inspire.
My German friend said that the German government is pissed at the lies the Russians told them about diplomacy to end the conflict. Germany, since WW2 have not sent weapons to conflict zones, so doing so now is historic. I can't see Putin coming out of this as leader of Russia, the price is going to be too high for the country to pay and they will need to remove him to restore relations and financial ties as much of the money the country has is in Western banks and they have no real access to it.
I'm hoping this is the bridge too far that truly cripples the Russians. After Crimea, Chechnya, and their involvement in Syria and support of the Assad regime, it has been a longtime coming.
Wealthy Russians likely do not have much money in Russian banks. Likely in banking havens in Greece, Seychelles, Switzerland, etc,etc. So the Swift sanction is tailored toward preventing the government from funding the war.