• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Putin & Russia

I'll go out on a limb here and say that Ukraine will have retaken the Donbas before the end of June, and then will set their sights on Crimea.
 
I’m sure this is a stupid question, but why do these countries go and publicly announce they want to join NATO or are in discussions with them, which in turn gets Russia to threaten them? Why not just apply for NATO membership without announcing it so the Russians don’t catch wind of it then when they become NATO members there is nothing Russia can do?

Just like doing a transfer deal under the radar before the media finds out the story…..
 
I’m sure this is a stupid question, but why do these countries go and publicly announce they want to join NATO or are in discussions with them, which in turn gets Russia to threaten them? Why not just apply for NATO membership without announcing it so the Russians don’t catch wind of it then when they become NATO members there is nothing Russia can do?

Just like doing a transfer deal under the radar before the media finds out the story…..

Im not going to underplay the evilness of Putin here but is this war also an example of how much the nuclear threat is just that and now countries in the EU are looking and feeling more bullish? I mean the UK has put itself in the shop window for threats more than anyone now TBH, the Ukraine have publicly said we have been their biggest allies but the threats have not really been there to the level that even I would have thought at the start of this. I think, and maybe wrongly but the bungled attempt from Russia to take over the Ukraine which as been from the cake walk people were saying at the start has maybe shown them as weaker than we all thought?
 
I’m sure this is a stupid question, but why do these countries go and publicly announce they want to join NATO or are in discussions with them, which in turn gets Russia to threaten them? Why not just apply for NATO membership without announcing it so the Russians don’t catch wind of it then when they become NATO members there is nothing Russia can do?

Just like doing a transfer deal under the radar before the media finds out the story…..

Because they are well-functioning democracies, so they need public consent?

It's symbolic rather than practical anyway - they were already mostly integrated anyway.
 
Because they are well-functioning democracies, so they need public consent?
.

This.

It's symbolic rather than practical anyway - they were already mostly integrated anyway.


Not this. Article 5 is a rock solid guarantee. Joint exercises and standardised kit aren’t. Hence the UK pact as an interim measure until joining is formalised.
 
Zero chance of either of those things. This will be a long drawn out affair. It will cost a lot of Ukrainian civilian lives, heavy military casualties on both sides and pretty much a complete crippling of Russia's military hardware (so we can at least be thankful of small mercies).
Except if as expected the last thing happens, Putin will escalate pummelling key urban sites with more and more powerful missiles. It's going to be even more brutal and horrible sadly with very little of Ukraine left.
 
So according to Ukrainian intelligence, Putin is seriously ill, there are plans to overthrow him and the war will be over in August.

If Carlsberg did world history...
 
So according to Ukrainian intelligence, Putin is seriously ill, there are plans to overthrow him and the war will be over in August.

If Carlsberg did world history...

Fingers crossed. The Ukrainians have learned enough from Russian military doctrine to tell the occasional white lie, though.
 
So according to Ukrainian intelligence, Putin is seriously ill, there are plans to overthrow him and the war will be over in August.

If Carlsberg did world history...
Don't get your hopes up.

Those that know far more about the situation than me are suggesting that any replacement is likely to be even worse than Putin.
 
Fingers crossed. The Ukrainians have learned enough from Russian military doctrine to tell the occasional white lie, though.

Yeah I read that with a big pinch of salt... Surely a bit of propaganda in it.

Don't get your hopes up.

Those that know far more about the situation than me are suggesting that any replacement is likely to be even worse than Putin.

Hopefully not... I fully expect Putin to be in power for the foreseeable future, though.
 
I’m sure this is a stupid question, but why do these countries go and publicly announce they want to join NATO or are in discussions with them, which in turn gets Russia to threaten them? Why not just apply for NATO membership without announcing it so the Russians don’t catch wind of it then when they become NATO members there is nothing Russia can do?

Just like doing a transfer deal under the radar before the media finds out the story…..

Open and transparent governance.
That's a healthy democracy.
 
Im not going to underplay the evilness of Putin here but is this war also an example of how much the nuclear threat is just that and now countries in the EU are looking and feeling more bullish? I mean the UK has put itself in the shop window for threats more than anyone now TBH, the Ukraine have publicly said we have been their biggest allies but the threats have not really been there to the level that even I would have thought at the start of this. I think, and maybe wrongly but the bungled attempt from Russia to take over the Ukraine which as been from the cake walk people were saying at the start has maybe shown them as weaker than we all thought?

Why do you call it 'the' Ukraine'. It's just Ukraine.

Same question to those who refer to North America's soccer league as 'The' MLS. It's not 'The' Major League Soccer any more than it's 'The' Major League Baseball.

MLB. MLS. Ukraine. The Thank You.
 
Back