So he dared... I must confess that I was on a Ukraine forum for a while. After about 60 posts I asked the admin to delete my profile. It was too intense. Free expression of opinion was severely restricted. That was back in 2014. The history of Russia begins in Ukraine. But that is all! At the moment I'm quite upset and I'm thinking of someone who lives near Zaporozhye. And I thank Japan in particular for wanting to participate in the sanctions.
Better late than never goes a Russian proverb. 🤨
PS: To be fair, it should be said that the EU was (are) too slow and NATO too hesitant. This refers to the former civil war in Yugoslavia, for example, and to necessary reforms in Brussels. Unfortunately, I have to say that this policy of 'doing nothing' also made massacres like the one in Srebrenica possible. In addition, Putin
must have historical understanding. This year we commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad (eighty years ago) and in two years the end of the civil war in Russia (100 years ago). So the intervention in Ukraine is not accidental.
A very good explanation on why we are discussing this topic today:
I hope you're still alive tomorrow...😟
QuoteVideo released by Ukrainian Ground Forces on Tuesday showed destroyed Russian vehicles in Sumy region.
Biden says world must 'strive to prevent' World War III
Hmm...diplomatic crises and regional conflicts led to the First World War. The assassination in Sarajevo was only the trigger. 🤔
You can still watch this video without hesitation.
PS: I refrained from sharing another video. It already had over a million clicks and showed, among other things, a little boy from near Charkov who was hit in the head and had to have emergency surgery. I hope he's on the mend...
The 'Z' possibly stands for (Volodymyr) Zelensky.
QuoteVladimir Putin warned he would cleanse Russia of the "**** and traitors" he accuses of working covertly for the U.S. and its allies. He accused the West of trying to destroy Russia. Putin spoke in a televised video conference from a residence outside Moscow on Wednesday. (Russian with English subtitles, video source is RU-RTR)
Many vehicles carry a double Z. Is that the offensive on the second try?
The Bundeswehr helmets have probably arrived...
QuoteUkrainian soldiers inspected a damaged village on Tuesday in the Kyiv region retaken from Russian forces.
Here is the official video for 'Hey Hey Rise Up',
Pink Floyd's new Ukraine fundraiser feat Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox.
Stream / download at http://pinkfloyd.lnk.to/HeyHeyRiseUp
Ursula has b*lls of st**l. Respect!
Note the fresh graves. A picture sometimes says more than a thousand words.
Battle scenes from Eastern Ukraine (graphic content; not for children).
Can't say the Ukrainian government is acting very wisely here...
https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/deutschland/innenpolitik/id_92008410/ukraine-laedt-bundespraesident-steinmeier-aus-dieser-affront-wird-folgen-haben.html
QuoteDeutschland öffentlich zu brüskieren, hilft niemandem. Die Regierung mag zu zögerlich in ihrer Unterstützung sein und das kann man ihr vorwerfen. Aber an der Frage, auf wessen Seite sie in diesem Krieg steht, gibt es keine Zweifel. Die Absage wird es Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz nicht erleichtern, sondern erschweren, mehr Hilfe zu leisten. Wenn er jetzt der Forderung des ukrainischen Botschafters nachkommt, in die Ukraine zu reisen, fällt er damit dem Bundespräsidenten in den Rücken.
Es sollte auch nicht ganz vergessen werden, dass Deutschland nach den USA vor dem Krieg der zweitgrößte Geldgeber für die Ukraine war. Wer Deutschland öffentlich brüskiert, riskiert auch, dass sich die Stimmung in der Bevölkerung wendet.
Quote from: Alexander Müller (FDP)Everything is secret.
PS: Let's stick to the facts: "Invited" were Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Sarkozy. EU representatives, including U. von der Leyen, appeared - by the way, not with 'empty hands', which Ukraine obviously values. The German President has no real powers. He should and can only moderate/represent. In addition, Mr. Steinmeier only recently publicly admitted his own "failure". Only he stands like no other for the policy of appeasement and maintenance of the status quo, not only towards the Russian Federation, but generally towards states where human rights are violated on a daily basis. The justification given was always that 'we also have to talk to these states'. We now see where this has led. In other words: he should actually take responsibility and give up his office, because he stands for a different time. To say 'we were wrong and just carry on' is grotesque.
Quote from: MeltingMan on April 13, 2022, 16:39:33The justification given was always that 'we also have to talk to these states'. We now see where this has led. In other words: he should actually take responsibility and give up his office, because he stands for a different time. To say 'we were wrong and just carry on' is grotesque.
Well if that's the case, our whole government should "give up office". Plus many other countries' governments too. (And btw, Ukraine and Russia are also still "talking" with each other!)
Let's just hope the relations between those countries will go back to "normal" after this unpleasant "affront"!
QuoteThe 43rd Artillery Brigade demonstrated the work of the 2S7 "Pion" self-propelled artillery.
To cut a long story short: I'm definitely in favor of a lend-lease program like the one that existed for the Soviet Union at the time. It was crucial to the war. The Federal Republic is already helping in a number of ways, only too little is being said about it. Added to this are the demands of the Ukrainian government in 'war rhetoric'. But we don't want to be drawn into the conflict, and I think I can speak for many Germans on that. The opponents have to work this out among themselves. They have the potential to do so. There is no doubt that Putin has repeatedly crossed the red line. In addition, fears are fueled that have a significant impact on public opinion. We need to analyze very carefully what has gone wrong since 1990. Relentless...
Quote from: MeltingMan on April 23, 2022, 10:27:25But we don't want to be drawn into the conflict, and I think I can speak for many Germans on that. The opponents have to work this out among themselves.
I do agree. It's a thin line between "helping" and "being drawn into it".
The most dominant partner within the Nato is the USA and they're across the ocean, thus our "safety" won't mean as much to them as it means to us.
QuoteMore than half of the M777 howitzer artillery units promised to Ukraine by the Pentagon have been delivered, according to US Defence officials.
Not the best picture quality, but I think it goes quite well with the previous post.
QuoteZmiinyi Island, or Snake Island, is where Ukrainian soldiers reportedly told a Russian warship crew to go "f***" themselves early in the war, a story that was commemorated by a postage stamp released in April.
When the war is over, I would like to go on vacation there. 😎
Note the blast... exploding ammo inside the tank.
QuoteWorld Embroidery Day, known locally as Vyshyvanka, takes place in Ukraine on 21st May. The holiday promotes the tradition of creating and wearing embroidered Ukrainian clothes known as vyshyvanka.
Quote from: WikipediaThe FH155-1 field howitzer is a wheeled field howitzer with a caliber of 155 mm that was developed in the late 1960s for the armies of various European NATO countries. About 500 pieces were produced in Europe until 1982, and Japan also produced the weapon under license.
Here's the sequel...if you will.
QuotePro-Russian forces blast Ukrainian city defences with Hyacinth-B field guns near the city of Avdiivka.
Finally... I like that Mr Draghi, Mr Macron and Mr Scholz took the night train from Poland.
The PzH 2000 finally found their way to the front and have been in action since early morning.
London first target if WW3
The war continues unabated. Here's a direct hit...
QuoteThe Russian 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm mortar carrier only has a range of about 9.6 km and has to be near the front line.
QuoteThe General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 22nd July, Russia had lost about 39,000 personnel, 1,704 tanks, 3,920 armoured combat vehicles, 863 artillery units, 251 multiple launch rocket systems, 113 air defence systems, 221 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 713 drones, 167 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,781 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 72 units of special equipment.
Posing for Vogue during a war...
agree 100% with the journalist opinion: