World War Three?

[NorrinRadd]

FNC reporting that Pootie has ordered his nuclear forces to a higher state of alert.

[seer]

FNC reporting that Pootie has ordered his nuclear forces to a higher state of alert.

If the Ukrainian forces keep resisting as well as they are and we start sending in more tank killing javelin missiles, stingers, etc... over the Polish border Vlad the impaler just might go for broke...

[rogue06]

My brief remark was in reply to your own comment, nothing more. If you want a detailed exchange you know what to do.

But then there is the remark that I was commenting on that you're hoping I forgot

At the time both countries were in the Eastern bloc. They had both been effectively invaded by Russia some years earlier.

[Gondwanaland]

Sometimes all you can do is just shake your head and laugh.

FMcuJjVX0AQveES.jpg

[Ronson]

Another reminder of the good old days ... Oh, I forgot about those mean tweets.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN1HU1QK

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[Hypatia_Alexandria]

But then there is the remark that I was commenting on that you're hoping I forgot

That is my comment to which I assumed you were referring.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

An unsettling development

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-alert-ukraine

Vladimir Putin puts Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert

Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to put Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert, as his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, announced that a delegation from Kyiv would meet Russian officials without preconditions on his country’s border with Belarus.

On the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv remained in Ukrainian control, while officials claimed they had repelled an attack on Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, where street fighting was taking place.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians, mainly women and children, were fleeing from the Russian assault into neighbouring countries.

Putin’s order came at a meeting between the president, the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the general staff of the armed forces of Russia, Valery Gerasimov.

“Senior officials of the leading Nato countries also allow aggressive statements against our country, therefore I order the minister of defence and the chief of the general staff [of the Russian armed forces] to transfer the deterrence forces of the Russian army to a special mode of combat duty,” Putin said in televised comments.

[...]
It is not immediately clear what the “special mode of combat duty” entails. Pavel Podvig, a Geneva-based analyst and head of the Russian Nuclear Forces project, said it was hard to tell what the order meant but that it may be a “preliminary command”. It made a retaliatory strike possible, he said. “But does not mean preparation for a first strike.”

It does not appear to be the highest level of readiness, including bombers being loaded with weapons and taking off. “It is an action that makes the command and control able to react if necessary,” said Podvig. “But it’s a pretty high level.”

Beyza Unal, a security expert at the Chatham House thinktank, said Putin’s order showed Russia was “an irresponsible nuclear weapon state”. She said: “It is not yet clear whether Putin is putting all forces, both strategic and non-strategic, on high alert. If the Kremlin choses to put strategic forces on high alert, then that would pose a clear direct threat to the United States. If the Kremlin choses to put tactical nuclear weapons with non-strategic objectives in high alert, it would be a clear threat to Europe – thus, to Nato allies, including indirectly to the United States. Both situations point out to a dangerous escalatory situation.”

[Ronson]

I hope Zelensky doesn't personally meet with the Russians. I think his earlier assessment was correct, that he is Putin's #1 target.

[Ronson]

Condoleeza Rice's comments today are interesting, saying she thinks Putin is becoming "erratic" and "delusional" based on his rhetoric. After that, I saw the expressions of Putin's generals and they look very concerned.

[Mountain Man]

Condoleeza Rice's comments today are interesting, saying she thinks Putin is becoming "erratic" and "delusional" based on his rhetoric. After that, I saw the expressions of Putin's generals and they look very concerned.

This is what I was talking about earlier, these attempts we're seeing from the media to belittle Putin and paint Ukrainians as heroes. I don't know that Putin's generals necessarily look concerned about Putin. I have no idea what Putin is saying in that clip, so it's hard to judge what they're responding to. I'm just trying to keep myself up to date on the facts while ignoring the "analysis" we're being fed by the various mount-pieces in the media.

[Ronson]

This is what I was talking about earlier, these attempts we're seeing from the media to belittle Putin and paint Ukrainians as heroes. I don't know that Putin's generals necessarily look concerned about Putin. I have no idea what Putin is saying in that clip, so it's hard to judge what they're responding to. I'm just trying to keep myself up to date on the facts while ignoring the "analysis" we're being fed by the various mount-pieces in the media.

Putin's comments are captioned in the video. The generals might be concerned about Putin's nuclear comment, or that the army's advance into Ukraine isn't up to expectations, or that Putin is acting "erratic," or something else entirely. I was just interested in it.

I don't really need analysis from Condoleeza Rice to notice that Putin is acting odd. It is more confirmation. No one in NATO has said anything publicly that threatens Russia, which is what Putin s claiming. Neither is the Ukraine government threatening him, the Nazis and "drug addicts" he said were in the Kyiv government. I think someone a bit more rational could come up with better excuses for his actions.

[seanD]

This is what I was talking about earlier, these attempts we're seeing from the media to belittle Putin and paint Ukrainians as heroes. I don't know that Putin's generals necessarily look concerned about Putin. I have no idea what Putin is saying in that clip, so it's hard to judge what they're responding to. I'm just trying to keep myself up to date on the facts while ignoring the "analysis" we're being fed by the various mount-pieces in the media.

The fearmongering and propaganda is at 11. I learned long ago, I think it was during the Libyan war, not to be manipulated by contrived hysteria and emotion on the internet and stay as neutral as I can.

Btw, that short clip of a tank ramming into a civilian vehicle? There's longer footage taken from another camera on the opposite side showing that there was an intense gun fight just before the tank did that (on the right side of the screen towards the end of the video), which puts a bit more onus on the vehicle for being stupid enough to drive into the middle of a gun battle in a warzone (WARNING it might be a bit disturbing for some).

Point being, even video can be misrepresented without the full context and used for manipulation of emotion.

[Ronson]

The fearmongering and propaganda is at 11. I learned long ago, I think it was during the Libyan war, not to be manipulated by contrived hysteria and emotion on the internet and stay as neutral as I can.

Btw, that short clip of a tank ramming into a civilian vehicle? There's longer footage taken from another camera on the opposite side showing that there was an intense gun fight just before the tank did that (on the right side of the screen towards the end of the video), which puts a bit more onus on the vehicle for being stupid enough to drive into the middle of a gun battle in a warzone (WARNING it might be a bit disturbing for some).

Point being, even video can be misrepresented without the full context and used for manipulation of emotion.

1) The TMZ video is from a different camera and angle. That may be all they had, so there's no suggestion it was a manipulation of emotion.
2) Even in the longer video, the civilian's carelessness doesn't excuse the tank trying to kill him. The car driver probably had no idea there was fighting in that area.

[Mountain Man]

Point being, even video can be misrepresented without the full context and used for manipulation of emotion.

And pictures, especially. There was an image making the rounds on Twitter of children watching tanks roll down the street which was implied to be in the Ukraine. Turns out the picture was from 2016 and was taken during peace time. There's a story with a picture of an old woman crying in front of her destroyed apartment building, again, implied to be in Ukraine. Turns out the picture was taken from an earlier story in some other country about the devastation from an earth quake. There's the story about the Ukrainian soldiers who were killed by a Russian battleship after they responded to a radio communication telling the Russians to "F--- off". Turns out the soldiers actually surrendered and are alive and well. And now these reports trying to dismiss Putin as almost harmlessly paranoid. It's pretty crazy how much misinformation is being deliberately spread.

[Ronson]

Putin's comments are captioned in the video. The generals might be concerned about Putin's nuclear comment, or that the army's advance into Ukraine isn't up to expectations, or that Putin is acting "erratic," or something else entirely. I was just interested in it.

I don't really need analysis from Condoleeza Rice to notice that Putin is acting odd. It is more confirmation. No one in NATO has said anything publicly that threatens Russia, which is what Putin s claiming. Neither is the Ukraine government threatening him, the Nazis and "drug addicts" he said were in the Kyiv government. I think someone a bit more rational could come up with better excuses for his actions.

Mountain Man My last sentence above is not referring to you (in case you thought it was). It was in reference to Putin coming up with more rational explanations for his actions.