Russia and Ukraine

[Leonardo17]

Belaqua:
 
- I don’t agree with you. And I don’t think this is serious. If I was an American I would have strong words for the US President for the Greenland + US Tariffs on Europe thing.
  
I mean there are thousands of people who depend on foreign trade to make a living (on both sides of the Atlantic). What is he planning to do if the EU decides to put 10% on US goods? What happens then?
 
2) (On the rearming of Germany): Well I don’t know. It is mostly unsuccessful Germans who are voting for the AFD. The same is happening in France with Marine Lepen and even in the UK with Nigel Farage.
 
Russia + Iran + China are trying to boost these movements to bring Trump-like people in Europe. Their ultimate goal (if you ask me) is to divide the West from within. Make NATO explode for a place that has historical importance because of its early Viking settlements, make the EU explode due to concerns over migration, make EU-US military and economic alliances obsolete to that they can take over local markets (The Chinese are currently taking over the EV market in Canada. Thanks to Mr. Trump putting tariffs on Canadians). The same scenario may repeat itself in Europe.
 
So no: you are right, but that’s not the real issue here
 
Architect of Fate: “NATO is useful because of Russia”.
 
- Hey, what about China? Besides: New threats can emerge from virtually anywhere. Right now: Even from the US itself. I think Republicans themselves are going to stop this from happening. But what do you do if he (or someone worse than him in the future) decides to send troops to Greenland, Island or the Panama Canal?
 
/Things like NATO or the UN need to expand in the future. We need an International world order. The world economy is still globalizing and different countries are still on the path of unification. So we need to be able to organize and regulate all of that. If not than what’s the alternative?
 
Desse23: (On Russian Propaganda)
 
Many bots promoting Scottish independence on social media went silent since January the 8th and are expected to restart their activities this week when Iran’s ban on the Internet end and Internet connection in the country is restored.
 
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...egime.html

[Belacqua]

Their ultimate goal (if you ask me) is to divide the West from within.

The West is doing a good job of that all by itself!

[Leonardo17]

Their ultimate goal (if you ask me) is to divide the West from within.

The West is doing a good job of that all by itself!

Not by itself. Go and check that article with Iranian trolls not being able to infest Scottish social media because the Ayatollah has blocked all of their internet.
 

---

 
This is serious stuff I am talking about. These are very evolved forms of propaganda and brainwashing.
 
And I totally don’t agree with the idea of a China leaded world, because of this. See China is producing almost everything now and is selling every type of product to the west, including things like movies or great writers, film makers and other types of artists. But China has stagnated in its social evolution.
 
Democracy and freedom is not something you achieve just like that. It takes centuries and many generations to cultivated. There are setbacks, reformations, crisis, blockages, then new openings etc.
 
China on the other hand is not moving toward that for now. Chinese people are people who have to do whatever the government tells them to do. So that society will have it limits even if it trades a lot, makes lots of money and works very hard to acquire and maintain this “factory of the world” status.
 
So I don’t think that that type of ideology can or should lead the world toward whatever future it is that they may be planning for all of us.
 
+ China has huge ecological challenges (another proof of what I am saying). The ecological crisis is so big that China may not be able to feed itself in the coming decades.
 
So I am not saying China is doomed. I’m only saying that it’s a model that will have to evolve a little bit as they have already shown that they are capable of doing.
 

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Ideally, we will be able to build a more sustainable world order for the benefit of all of us seeing this as a necessary step in our evolution from tree climbing primates to space travelling cosmonauts. I don’t see how else we can make all of this work. There has to be a strong international world order therefore we all need things like NATO or the UN to be respected and

[Thumpalumpacus]

Their ultimate goal (if you ask me) is to divide the West from within.

The West is doing a good job of that all by itself!

Not when you consider Trump an FSB asset.

[Fake Messiah]

'We aim to kill 50,000 Russians a month,' Ukraine's new defense minister says

Ukraine aims to "kill 50,000 Russians per month," the country's new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said during a meeting with the media.

Laying out his plan in his new role, Fedorov said he had two priorities, the first of which is "management."

"Management must be built around those capable of achieving defined goals. If people don’t demonstrate measurable results, they can’t remain in the system," said.

"The second strategic objective is to kill 50,000 Russians per month," he said.

"Last month, 35,000 were killed; all these losses are verified on video. If we reach 50,000, we will see what happens to the enemy. They view people as a resource, and shortages are already evident."

Despite the heavy losses, Russia has been able to make marginal advances in Ukraine's front line region as it is able to offset its casualties through fresh contract soldiers. The Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState reported that Russian forces occupied 4,336 square kilometers (1,674 square miles) of Ukrainian territory in 2025, accounting for less than 1% of the country.

In turn, Kyiv has faced increasingly serious manpower shortages, particularly among infantry units holding the front line.

In a rare report, Fedorov said on Jan. 14 that two million Ukrainians are wanted for evading mobilization, and another 200,000 soldiers are absent without official leave (AWOL), as infantry units continue to struggle to refill heavy losses.

https://kyivindependent.com/we-aim-to-ki...ster-says/

[Leonardo17]

Some Ukrainian men are really scared. Not everyone is meant to die in battle I guess.

 

I wish that this type of war of attrition would be a thing of the past, something we read about in history books. My tendency is to view modern warfare as small groups of heavily trained professionals being send to this or that peace-keeping missions in faraway corners of the world.

 

But no. People like you and me are in these trenches right now at -15 C (5 F) wondering if they will survive the next Russian glide bomb.

 

The world has seen this shift from the globalization and world-wide free trade spirit of the 1990’s and 2000’s. It’s almost like we are back to the Great War era (in terms of political approaches and ideologies)

[Angrboda]

Some Ukrainian men are really scared. Not everyone is meant to die in battle I guess.

 

I wish that this type of war of attrition would be a thing of the past, something we read about in history books. My tendency is to view modern warfare as small groups of heavily trained professionals being send to this or that peace-keeping missions in faraway corners of the world.

 

But no. People like you and me are in these trenches right now at -15 C (5 F) wondering if they will survive the next Russian glide bomb.

 

The world has seen this shift from the globalization and world-wide free trade spirit of the 1990’s and 2000’s. It’s almost like we are back to the Great War era (in terms of political approaches and ideologies)

I had a friend in the reserves. He was fond of telling me how many seconds the different kinds of units were likely to last on the battlefield. Depressing stuff.

[Mr Greene]

Some Ukrainian men are really scared. Not everyone is meant to die in battle I guess.

 

I wish that this type of war of attrition would be a thing of the past, something we read about in history books. My tendency is to view modern warfare as small groups of heavily trained professionals being send to this or that peace-keeping missions in faraway corners of the world.

 

But no. People like you and me are in these trenches right now at -15 C (5 F) wondering if they will survive the next Russian glide bomb.

 

The world has seen this shift from the globalization and world-wide free trade spirit of the 1990’s and 2000’s. It’s almost like we are back to the Great War era (in terms of political approaches and ideologies)

Russia has turned it into a war of attrition because the Kremlin views officers with ability as a threat, having them imprisoned or killed. What's left are those that simply send groups of men with little or no training, experience or inadequate equipment to get slaughtered.
How long they can keep this up for remains to be seen.

[Thumpalumpacus]

... and the beat goes on ...

For average wage earners in Russia, it’s a big payday. For criminals seeking to escape the harsh conditions and abuse in prison, it’s a chance at freedom. For immigrants hoping for a better life, it’s a simplified path to citizenship.

All they have to do is sign a contract to fight in Ukraine.

As Russia seeks to replenish its forces in nearly four years of war — and avoid an unpopular nationwide mobilization — it’s pulling out all the stops to find new troops to send into the battlefield.

Some come from abroad to fight in what has become a bloody war of attrition. After signing a mutual defense treaty with Moscow in 2024, North Korea sent thousands of soldiers to help Russia defend its Kursk region from a Ukrainian incursion.

Men from South Asian countries, including India, Nepal and Bangladesh, complain of being duped into signing up to fight by recruiters promising jobs. Officials in Kenya, South Africa and Iraq say the same has happened to citizens from their countries.

[...]

The flow of voluntary enlistees signing military contracts has remained strong, topping 400,000 last year, Putin said in December. It was not possible to independently verify the claim. Similar numbers were announced in 2024 and 2023.

Activists say these contracts often stipulate a fixed term of service, such as one year, leading some potential enlistees to believe the commitment is temporary. But contracts are automatically extended indefinitely, they say.

[...]

Laws were adopted offering accelerated Russian citizenship for enlistees. Russian media and activists also report that raids in areas where migrants typically live or work lead to them being pressuring into military service, with new citizens sent to enlistment offices to determine if they’re eligible for mandatory service.

In November, Putin decreed that military service was mandatory for certain foreigners seeking permanent residency.

Some reportedly are lured to Russia by trafficking rings promising jobs, then duping them into signing military contracts. Cuban authorities in 2023 identified and sought to dismantle one such ring operating from Russia.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud told The Associated Press in 2024 that his country asked Russia to return hundreds of Nepali nationals who were recruited to fight in Ukraine, as well as to repatriate the remains of those killed in the war. Nepal has since barred citizens from traveling to Russia or Ukraine for work, citing recruitment efforts.

Also in 2024, India’s federal investigation agency said it broke up a network that lured at least 35 of its citizens to Russia under the pretext of employment. The men were trained for combat and deployed to Ukraine against their will, with some “grievously injured,” the agency said.

When Putin hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for talks in 2024, New Delhi said its nationals who were “misled” into joining the Russian army would be discharged.

Iraqi officials say about 5,000 of its citizens have joined the Russian military along with an unspecified number who are fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. Officials in Baghdad cracked down on such recruiting networks, with one man convicted last year of human trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.

But wait! There's more!

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrain...e007c5b6e4

[Leonardo17]

Both sides are pumping some 1000 drones into the fight every day. We could feed entire population or even stop international migration if we could pull that cash out of the military and into civil investments.
 
This “New İmperialism” does not originate from a healthy mindset. China too is sort of “spreading its wings”. It builds railroads toward Europe, took the Piraeus from the Greeks to build a gigantic harbor instead, takes ownership of mines in Africa even exploits sea-food sources in south-America in return for building infrastructures etc. They do things like massively subsidizing in different industries like E-cars or renewable in a bid to conquer markets worldwide.
 
To me that’s how “expansionism” in the 21st century looks like.
 
The Russian model is to send Wagner into sub-Saharan Africa to conduct military operations there in exchange for money and support this or that fraction in return for mining rights and a negative attitude toward ancient partners like France or Germany.
 
There are other such “predatory” approaches toward Africa. Some countries use private schools and hospitals as a way of projecting power into these regions. There are even Turkish military officials who get paid to train local armies and militias in return for cash.
 
After so many years, all that they see in Africa is opportunities to get rich and to exploit local resources.
 
I think these attitudes should better be left in the 20th century. That’s why I say that the war of Ukraine is a mindless war. This isn’t the early industrial age anymore. All colonial power have disappeared a long time ago. So people should be looking for win-win situations in Africa.
 
Those Russians are selling a “Russian dream” to young African who dream of studying in the global North. They apply for college and end up in the army.
 
I mean: Who does that in the 21st century?
 
Russia has definitely lost it. I don’t think anyone in Moscow knows what they are doing anymore