Politics, politics, politics (so long and thanks for all the fish)

[Trixster]

"It's nothing to do with us" is an easy cop out. Just turn a blind eye to a dictator moving from country to country and rebuilding an empire because "it's nothing to do with us" or stop him at the first country...

That is exactly what the West did for eight years nearly, happy to sit around and plod along with life as Ukraine shelled its own citizen's in Donetsk & Luhansk and the separatist's shelled the Ukrainian army positions around the Donbas as they tried to quell the uprising.

If Ukraine wasn't backed then yeh likely Russia would have rolled them over, so maybe a cause for concern that their eyes might get bigger with other prizes in sight.

But fact is the West provided assistance and this has stopped everything near enough. Russia can't beat Ukraine who only have weaponry and training assistance from the West and yet we're supposed to believe that if they get Ukraine then they'll be after the combined might of the NATO countries once they have had time to rebuild.

I'd agree there are chances they'd view the non-NATO ones as an option, which is wrong yes - but the media narrative doesn't have the same impact when it is about places no-one knows nor cares about, much easier to say Europe is next.

 

[Gutter Boy]

That is exactly what the West did for eight years nearly, happy to sit around and plod along with life as Ukraine shelled its own citizen's in Donetsk & Luhansk and the separatist's shelled the Ukrainian army positions around the Donbas as they tried to quell the uprising.

If Ukraine wasn't backed then yeh likely Russia would have rolled them over, so maybe a cause for concern that their eyes might get bigger with other prizes in sight.

But fact is the West provided assistance and this has stopped everything near enough. Russia can't beat Ukraine who only have weaponry and training assistance from the West and yet we're supposed to believe that if they get Ukraine then they'll be after the combined might of the NATO countries once they have had time to rebuild.

I'd agree there are chances they'd view the non-NATO ones as an option, which is wrong yes - but the media narrative doesn't have the same impact when it is about places no-one knows nor cares about, much easier to say Europe is next.

Come on, they aren't separatists. They've always been Russian army black ops. Those and Wagner mercenaries.

The same Russian army groups that are still occupying parts of Moldova (Transnistria) and Georgia (Abkhazia and South Ossetia)

 

[DubSpur]

That is exactly what the West did for eight years nearly, happy to sit around and plod along with life as Ukraine shelled its own citizen's in Donetsk & Luhansk and the separatist's shelled the Ukrainian army positions around the Donbas as they tried to quell the uprising.

If Ukraine wasn't backed then yeh likely Russia would have rolled them over, so maybe a cause for concern that their eyes might get bigger with other prizes in sight.

But fact is the West provided assistance and this has stopped everything near enough. Russia can't beat Ukraine who only have weaponry and training assistance from the West and yet we're supposed to believe that if they get Ukraine then they'll be after the combined might of the NATO countries once they have had time to rebuild.

I'd agree there are chances they'd view the non-NATO ones as an option, which is wrong yes - but the media narrative doesn't have the same impact when it is about places no-one knows nor cares about, much easier to say Europe is next.

Europe won't be next, Russia doesn't have the ability to beat Europe even without the US. The next target would be Moldova, then Georgia and other ex-Soviet states. Belarus, the government not the people, will probably just agree to become part of Russia again. Absorb all those and Russia starts to become stronger again and eventually a real cause of concern.

 

[Trixster]

Europe won't be next, Russia doesn't have the ability to beat Europe even without the US. The next target would be Moldova, then Georgia and other ex-Soviet states. Belarus, the government not the people, will probably just agree to become part of Russia again. Absorb all those and Russia starts to become stronger again and eventually a real cause of concern.

I know, it is obvious to most but the same rhetoric is peddled by the media and those involved in the conflict.

 

[Trixster]

Come on, they aren't separatists. They've always been Russian army black ops. Those and Wagner mercenaries.

Actually, initially it was local groups (a friend of the wife, her husband took part at the very start in Luhansk) but then the opportunity was seen and assistance was sent in by Moscow.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Europe won't be next, Russia doesn't have the ability to beat Europe even without the US. The next target would be Moldova, then Georgia and other ex-Soviet states. Belarus, the government not the people, will probably just agree to become part of Russia again. Absorb all those and Russia starts to become stronger again and eventually a real cause of concern.

Moldova should quickly reunite with Romania (they are ethic Romanians but the Austrian and Russian empires carved them apart) and get immediately brought into NATO