OV9

He’s also allegedly the worlds richest person..

V8Granite wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:59 am

duncs500 wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:19 am

V8Granite wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 4:02 am The backlash within Russia is far bigger than expected and probably the biggest chance of stopping all this.

Dave!

I can't find anything of any scale in the media Dave!, where have you seen that?

I watched on AlJazeera that 1400 had been arrested for rallies against the war. A brave thing to do in Russia.

Dave!

My girlfriend is Russian and her family still live in Russia, they are all calling it the "One man war", because most people in Russia don't want it, it's just Putin.

duncs500 wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 5:40 am

BBC News wrote: Mr Blinken also reiterated US President Joe Biden's position that the possibility of expanding existing US sanctions to target Mr Putin directly was still "on the table", if the situation were to escalate.

Err, how much more escalation do you want? Why wouldn't this be the first thing they did?

I've seen that question asked a lot, and no answers. All I can think of is that it's a way to drive a bit of a wedge between him & his cronies. If they're getting penalised but he's not, it prevents him using a "we're all in it together" angle.

I suppose we just have to trust them to do the right thing. One always imagines people in possession of intelligence info and knowledge of the region and strategy will be saying "Putin will do this, and we'll do that, and he'll respond with this..." etc. Playing it out to the end game, whilst the rest of are feeding off scraps of info.

I do think there's been a clear shift in the West's strategy in terms of being the world police. It's simply too expensive, too unpopular, and too ineffective for us to go wading in with troops when some dictator or regime decides to go rogue. Particularly in todays post covid, debt ridden society. The worry is that not doing it will make the eyes of oppressive regimes across the world light up. Depressing really.

Strategies will change, for all we know there could be a team of US hackers tearing into the Kremlin's digital infrastructure. Putin would never admit it and the US would never tell anyone.

They’ve already hacked it haven’t they. The US and UK seem to know every step of Putin’s plan and it’s all been very accurate so far.
Russia isn’t as strong as they let on if the report that they’ve lost 450 soldiers and failed to take the airport north of Kiev with Spetsnaz is accurate. The main problem with any future conflict with them is that you’ve now got another unpredictable nutcase with nukes…

Gavster wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 7:57 am

V8Granite wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:59 am

duncs500 wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 6:19 am

I can't find anything of any scale in the media Dave!, where have you seen that?

I watched on AlJazeera that 1400 had been arrested for rallies against the war. A brave thing to do in Russia.

Dave!

My girlfriend is Russian and her family still live in Russia, they are all calling it the "One man war", because most people in Russia don't want it, it's just Putin.

... and that seems to be the impression you get from the way he is behaving with his own advisors in public and how they respond when around him, so if that's true, I wonder what on earth goes on behind the scenes there to keep him in power and what it would take for someone to try over-throwing him.

I remember when Abramovich bought Chelsea the rumours went round that he literally disappeared for 2 years and then came back super rich, a friend of Putin and he then went on a spending spree.

It makes me wonder how many of the rich in Russia owe Putin a favour.

Dave!

Ascender wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 9:04 am d what it would take for someone to try over-throwing him.

Historically, you need the military to lead a coup in Russia but they, at least on the surface, seem on his side

V8Granite wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 9:12 am It makes me wonder how many of the rich in Russia owe Putin a favour.

All of them ? That, and/or they're paying him protection money in some form. A massively corrupt elite all at the expense of the citizens.

One cheering thought though, is that Putin can't be unaware of how it normally plays out for dictators. They don't often die of old age.

Sundayjumper wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 9:27 am

V8Granite wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 9:12 am It makes me wonder how many of the rich in Russia owe Putin a favour.

All of them ? That, and/or they're paying him protection money in some form. A massively corrupt elite all at the expense of the citizens.

One cheering thought though, is that Putin can't be unaware of how it normally plays out for dictators. They don't often die of old age.

Well, the ones that do, it's almost always in prison at best.

The Moscow exchange absolutely crapped itself yesterday

FTSE100 dropped a bit but seems to be recovering already.

Full marks to the Ukrainian soldiers in Snake Island who when threatened with a Russian warship coastal barrage, told the Russians to go fuck themselves.

I mean, they're all dead now, because, well, warship, so it's not all great, but still.

Beany wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:10 am Full marks to the Ukrainian soldiers in Snake Island who when threatened with a Russian warship coastal barrage, told the Russians to go fuck themselves.

I mean, they're all dead now, because, well, warship, so it's not all great, but still.

Just looked that up, wow, incredible bravery.

It's also being reported that the Ukrainians have managed to hit an airbase on Russian soil.

duncs500 wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 11:11 am

Beany wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:10 am Full marks to the Ukrainian soldiers in Snake Island who when threatened with a Russian warship coastal barrage, told the Russians to go fuck themselves.

I mean, they're all dead now, because, well, warship, so it's not all great, but still.

Just looked that up, wow, incredible bravery.

https://www.politico.eu/article/go-fuck ... ip-killed/

I’ve just seen footage on TV of a Russian APC deliberately swerve to run over a civilian vehicle driving in the opposite direction. Unbelievable.

Then he gets out alive. I'm watching it now.

I think it's about time that Putin has a forever sleep in a bye-bye box. He's insane.

I see Assad is backing him, why has he not been sniped yet?!