Russia invades Ukraine

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    Quote from Splinter

    I think perhaps I meant a compromise.

    I’m sure you did mean compromise, Splinter .

    But I’m afraid Putin didn’t consider compromise an option from the start. This just came in:


    Vladimir Putin has announced a "military operation" in the Donbas region – a move that has effectively declared war on Ukraine.

    In a surprise statement on Russian state TV on Thursday morning, Mr Putin called on Ukraine's military to "lay down its arms".

    Full story:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/02/24/russia-ukraine-news-invasion-war-nato-putin-sanctions-latest/?WT.mc_id=e_DM1547431&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_Brk_New&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_Brk_New20220224&utm_campaign=DM1547431


    This was a manufactured crisis: Putin claimed that Russia had to carry out the “military operation” because the (democratically elected) government in Ukraine had to be “de-Nazified.”

    This is a man who has been preparing for war for many months, and has been planning for war even longer. There was no compromising with a tyrant whose eye is on how Russian history will glorify the leader who began the re-creation of the former Soviet Union.

    Not to mention that the short despot’s help will be needed when the large-sized despot runs again for the presidency of the USA.


    Major kiss up time from not just the disgraced former president but also those in politics and dubious news channels who kiss up to HIM. That part will be fascinating to watch as the drama unfolds.

    The Guardian

    25 February, 2022

    Boris Johnson claims the UK is rooting out dirty Russian money. That’s ludicrous

    “Britain has for decades helped a mafia state stash its stolen money. Our national security now depends on cracking down

    Russia is a mafia state, and its elite exists to enrich itself. Democracy is an existential threat to that theft, which is why Putin has crushed it at home and seeks to undermine it abroad. For decades, London has been the most important place not only for Russia’s criminal elite to launder its money, but also for it to stash its wealth. We have been the Kremlin’s bankers, and provided its elite with the financial skills it lacks. Its kleptocracy could not exist without our assistance. The best time to do something about this was 30 years ago – but the second best time is right now.

    For a start, we need to know who owns our country. Some 87,000 properties in England and Wales are owned via offshore companies – which prevents us seeing who their true owners are or if they were bought with criminal money. Companies House makes no checks on registrations, which is why UK shell structures have featured in most Russian money-laundering scandals. Imposing transparency on the ownership of dirty money in this way would strike at the heart of the London money-laundering machine. Governments have promised to do this “when parliamentary time allows” for years, yet the time has never been found, and instead they’ve listened to concerns from the City that such regulations would harm its competitiveness.“


    Full story:

    Boris Johnson claims the UK is rooting out dirty Russian money. That’s ludicrous | Boris Johnson | The Guardian

    An investigation into donations to Boris and his party would be ideal....


    But it will never happen.


    How many peerages have the Soviets purchased?

    For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter? “ This is why Ukraine matters.
    It is the second-largest country by area in Europe by area and has a population
    of over 40 million - more than Poland.
    Ukraine ranks:
    1st in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores;
    2nd place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves;
    2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world's reserves);
    2nd largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons);
    2nd place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves;
    3rd place in Europe (13th place in the world) in shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters)
    4th in the world by the total value of natural resources;
    7th place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons)
    Ukraine is an important agricultural country:
    1st in Europe in terms of arable land area;
    3rd place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world's volume);
    1st place in the world in exports of sunflower and sunflower oil;
    2nd place in the world in barley production and 4th place in barley exports;
    3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world;
    4th largest producer of potatoes in the world;
    5th largest rye producer in the world;
    5th place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons);
    8th place in the world in wheat exports;
    9th place in the world in the production of chicken eggs;
    16th place in the world in cheese exports.
    Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people.
    Ukraine is an important industrialized country:
    1st in Europe in ammonia production;
    Europe's 2nd’s and the world’s 4th largest natural gas pipeline system;
    3rd largest in Europe and 8th largest in the world in terms of installed capacity of nuclear power plants;
    3rd place in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of rail network length (21,700 km);
    3rd place in the world (after the U.S. and France) in production of locators and locating equipment;
    3rd largest iron exporter in the world
    4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;
    4th world's largest manufacturer of rocket launchers;
    4th place in the world in clay exports
    4th place in the world in titanium exports
    8th place in the world in exports of ores and concentrates;
    9th place in the world in exports of defense industry products;
    10th largest steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).
    Ukraine matters. That is why its independence is important to the rest of the world.

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    TENOR



    I have always thought Putin to be a very pragmatic leader.


    Intelligent guy but one of the oligarchs and ruling elite.


    But his speech last night was nonsensical and I wonder if he is losing a grip on things - he is 70 , I think .


    Will his generals stay loyal?

    There is a school of thought that he is the puppet of the ruling class of oligarchs.


    He likes to play the hard man to show the others that he is a mean bastard.


    The Russian troops were told they were going in as liberators but as the body bags pile up and are sent home for burial, the problems will begin with the generals who want their share of power.


    I thought he would have learned from their Afghanistan adventure, but it seems not to be the case.

    A wee attempt to reduce the tension...


    UK RAISES ALERT LEVEL


    The English 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿are feeling the pinch in relation to recent Russian 🇷🇺 threats and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. The Russians 🇷🇺 have been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish 🇪🇸 Armada.

    The Scots 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let’s Get the Bastards.” They don’t have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army 🪖 for the last 300 years.

    The French 🇫🇷 government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France’s white flag 🏳️ factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability. They have also started wearing their reversible coats 🧥.

    Italy 🇮🇹 has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.”

    The Germans 🇩🇪 have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbour” and “Lose.”

    Belgians 🇧🇪 on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

    The Spanish 🇪🇸 are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

    Australia 🇦🇺 meanwhile, has raised its security level from “No worries” to “She’ll be alright, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel 🚫 the barbie 🍖 this weekend!” and “The barbie is cancelled.” So far, no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.


    John Cleese – British writer, actor and tall person


    It could have been Cllese who wrote this but it wasn't. Someone used his name to get wider circulation