Massive Russian military buildup near Ukraine

Zamorro · Dec 23, 2021

Putin urges West to meet his demands quickly over Ukraine crisis

The Russian leader held his annual news conference as tensions with the U.S. soar over growing concerns about Moscow's troop buildup on its border with Ukraine.

www.nbcnews.com

horkrux · Dec 23, 2021

Hanzo said:
Is there another reliable source? CGTN is a CCP propaganda network.

oops. but it was a live broadcast of his news conference, so it's the same as everywhere else at least

Deleted member 14518 · Dec 23, 2021

Interesting article with some good quotes from Ukrainian soldiers on the front:

Europe remembers its forgotten war

While Russia masses troops and the West warns against escalation, in Ukraine the fighting grinds on as it has for years.

www.politico.eu

Maquiladora · Dec 23, 2021

loco · Dec 23, 2021

Maquiladora said:

Not trying to be facetious but didn't Obama say the same thing about his red line in Crimea and then backed down afterwards. I think Putin is going to call that bluff.

Mr Swine · Dec 23, 2021

loco said:
Not trying to be facetious but didn't Obama say the same thing about his red line in Crimea and then backed down afterwards. I think Putin is going to call that bluff.

So basically it will be that Putin calls the bluff and shortly thereafter invades Ukraine with no punishment whatsoever?

Maquiladora · Dec 23, 2021

loco said:
Not trying to be facetious but didn't Obama say the same thing about his red line in Crimea and then backed down afterwards. I think Putin is going to call that bluff.

Well if Putin has already decided he is going to do this, then he has already factored in these predictable costs and deemed them acceptable. These measures are only effective if Putin hasn't made a decision yet.

Giant Panda · Dec 23, 2021

loco said:
Not trying to be facetious but didn't Obama say the same thing about his red line in Crimea and then backed down afterwards. I think Putin is going to call that bluff.

IIRC, Obama's red line comment was about chemical weapons in Syria.

Chikor · Dec 23, 2021

loco said:
Not trying to be facetious but didn't Obama say the same thing about his red line in Crimea and then backed down afterwards. I think Putin is going to call that bluff.

He talked about "serious consequences", without much details, par for the course for American presidents, but I don't remember him setting an explicit red line like he did in Syria.
Bush did the same with Georgia and I generally think no one takes those vague threats seriously, and that's the problem, I don't know what Biden plan is, but if he's willing to go to war with Russia it's kinda bad if they think he's bluffing.

I think threatening with an empty gun is usually a mistake in international politics, especially if you do it repeatedly.

loco · Dec 23, 2021

Giant Panda said:
IIRC, Obama's red line comment was about chemical weapons in Syria.

Thanks for the correction. I thought he said something similar about Crimea. Regardless I don't feel like Biden is gonna do anything if they invade.

Maquiladora · Dec 23, 2021

Sweden has increased it's military readiness and the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said that a "full alert" will be required over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Z'ard · Dec 23, 2021

I doubt Russia will actually go for full blown war. I mean you never know with Putin, but they have to be smart enough to realize they can't win this long term. Yeah, Russia have far superior air foces and rockets, so they are going to be pretty successful at first, but long term you have mercenaries and russian soldiers who is in this war because of money on one side and ukrainian army/volonteers who are ready to give up their lives on other. It's a big gamble for Putin, he can easily lose what he already has.

So i think it's bluff, it's NATO Putin is trying to intimidate, since ukrainian society is pretty much indifferent to this threat after 8 years of war.

KastuśKalinoŭski · Dec 23, 2021

Why Putin is acting like a man who has run out of time

Analysis: As Ukraine drifts from the control he desires, disdain for potential negotiating partners leaves the option of force

www.theguardian.com

Putin is said to feel a "historical mission" to reverse Ukraine's drift towards the west, despite his own role in creating a rift by annexing Crimea and fuelling a war in Ukraine's south-east. But his current fast pace raises questions of why he appears to feel the moment to act is now, as if he is running out of time.

From Putin's perspective, he may look to recent events in Ukraine and believe it's all downhill from here. His attempt to force Ukraine to reintegrate the eastern Donbas region, a poison pill that could give him a veto over the country's geopolitical path, has failed as the Minsk agreements that would have steered it come close to collapse. His proxies may control a sliver of Ukraine's south-east but the rest of the country has drifted further from his control.

"They came to the conclusion that trends weren't heading in their direction, that they were heading toward geopolitical defeat," said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the Rand Corporation. The Kremlin's early plan of "waiting it out", for Ukrainians to lose patience with their new government and for the west to lose interest in Ukraine, was no longer viable. The Kremlin "decided that the status quo was intolerable and it needed to be changed".

Maquiladora · Dec 23, 2021

I agree with the theory that Putin has grown tired of the status quo in Ukraine and wants to dramatically change things there once and for all. It may be that he sees this current time as a window of opportunity to act. I just don't think anyone knows yet if he has already decided to invade or if there could be any realistic diplomatic resolution that would satisfy him without war.

SRG01 · Dec 23, 2021

Maquiladora said:
I agree with the theory that Putin has grown tired of the status quo in Ukraine and wants to dramatically change things there once and for all. It may be that he sees this current time as a window of opportunity to act. I just don't think anyone knows yet if he has already decided to invade or if there could be any realistic diplomatic resolution that would satisfy him without war.

The true window to act was years ago. Russia will be in a quagmire if they invade Ukraine this time around, and it will come at a heavy economic loss affecting NS2 and other sanctions.

KillLaCam · Dec 23, 2021

TheGummyBear said:
This is why the while situation makes me anxious. Deliberately or not, Putin is appearing to be unhinged. He is Hitler with nukes.

How lmao

Deleted member 10445 · Dec 23, 2021

KastuśKalinoŭski said:
Why Putin is acting like a man who has run out of time

Analysis: As Ukraine drifts from the control he desires, disdain for potential negotiating partners leaves the option of force

www.theguardian.com

Fucking scum. (Regarding the french PM)
Just like our former Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder.

And people wonder why so many EU States are so lenient with Russia.

Maquiladora · Dec 24, 2021

U.S. Considers Warning Ukraine of a Russian Invasion in Real-Time (Published 2021)

U.S. officials say intelligence sharing is essential to the Ukrainian government’s survival, even as they try to avoid escalating the situation.

www.nytimes.com

There are two concerns with this though as mentioned as in article.
1- It would be viewed as very provocative in Moscow. Russian soldiers would be getting killed because Ukraine would be getting real-time US battlefield intelligence on their locations.
2- Ukraine may be tempted to take preemptive action if it knows Russian forces are just about to invade. This would then provide Russia with justification for attacking.

BringBackSonics · Dec 24, 2021

loco said:
Not trying to be facetious but didn't Obama say the same thing about his red line in Crimea and then backed down afterwards. I think Putin is going to call that bluff.

i don't remember Obama ever saying that Crimea was his red line.

BringBackSonics · Dec 24, 2021

Maquiladora said:
U.S. Considers Warning Ukraine of a Russian Invasion in Real-Time (Published 2021)

U.S. officials say intelligence sharing is essential to the Ukrainian government’s survival, even as they try to avoid escalating the situation.

www.nytimes.com

There are two concerns with this though as mentioned as in article.
1- It would be viewed as very provocative in Moscow. Russian soldiers would be getting killed because Ukraine would be getting real-time US battlefield intelligence on their locations.
2- Ukraine may be tempted to take preemptive action if it knows Russian forces are just about to invade. This would then provide Russia with justification for attacking.

1) Easy way to not lose Russian soldiers, don't invade a sovereign country? 🤷‍♂️

2) If Russia is dead set on invading, no justification or lack of justification is going to matter anyways

Deleted member 48201 · Dec 24, 2021

Satellite images show Russia still building up forces near Ukraine

New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company show that Russia has continued to build up its forces in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine in recent weeks while pressing the United States for talks over security guarantees it is seeking.

www.reuters.com

New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company show that Russia has continued to build up its forces in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine in recent weeks while pressing the United States for talks over security guarantees it is seeking.

The images released late on Thursday showed a base in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, packed with hundreds of armoured vehicles and tanks as of Dec. 13. A Maxar satellite image of the same base in October showed the base was half empty.

Maxar said a new brigade-level unit, comprised of several hundred armoured vehicles that include BMP-series infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, self-propelled artillery and air defence equipment, had arrived at the Russian garrison.

"Over the past month, our high-resolution satellite imagery has observed a number of new Russian deployments in Crimea as well as in several training areas in western Russia along the periphery of the Ukraine border," Maxar said in a statement.

On Friday, Putin said Russia had conducted a test launch of a hypersonic missile. The test follows earlier ones this month, in October, and in July as part of what he said was a new generation of unrivalled arms systems.

When asked on Friday about the build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was acting to defend its own security.

"Russia is moving its own troops around on its own territory against the backdrop of highly unfriendly actions by our opponents in NATO, the United States and various European countries who are carrying out highly unambiguous manoeuvres near our borders," said Peskov.

"This forces us to take certain measures to guarantee our own security."

Russia also accused the United States and the European Union of using the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline to take Russian gas to Europe as a bargaining chip. The West has threatened to block the pipeline, which is awaiting regulatory approval in Germany, if Russia invades Ukraine

Other Maxar images showed a build-up at the Soloti staging ground in Russia close to the Ukrainian border, with photos shot at the start of December showing a larger concentration of military hardware than in September.

Pictures also showed continuing build-ups at Yelnya, a Russian town around 160 miles (260 km) north of the Ukrainian border, and at the Pogonovo training ground near the southern Russian city of Voronezh.

Forerunner · Dec 24, 2021

White House: Russia Stepping Up Disinformation In Possible Invasion Prelude

U.S. sees rising likelihood of Russian military action against Ukraine, promises strong response.

www.defenseone.com

Moscow has "stepped up efforts" to portray Ukraine and the United States as the instigator of increased tensions that include a massive buildup of Russian forces along the Ukrainian border, a senior White House official told reporters on Thursday.

That came hours after Russian leader Vladimir Putin told reporters that U.S. actions, particularly its financial and military support of Ukraine, were to blame for the rising standoff.

The White House official said, "To be clear, we see no evidence of that escalation on the Ukrainian side. And we have tried to be very clear to partners and allies that this is a Russian disinformation effort that's underway. It's not unexpected; it fits a standard playbook."

Russia has positioned some 120,000 troops on the border of Ukraine and on the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula.

"It's clear to us that if Russia goes ahead with what may be underway, we and our allies are prepared to impose severe costs that would damage Russia's economy and bring about exactly what it says it does not want: more NATO capabilities, not less; closer to Russia, not further away," said the official.

The White House officials said the United States is prepared to take several steps in the event of wider Russian aggression against Ukraine, "including massive sanctions, support for Ukraine's ability to defend its territory, and force posture adjustments in frontline NATO-Allied states."

The official declined to say what force posture adjustments those might be.

Ostinatto · Dec 25, 2021

I saw a video a friend sent from tik tok that the invasion on Ukraine already started, thats a fake right?

eonden · Dec 25, 2021

Ostinatto said:
I saw a video a friend sent from tik tok that the invasion on Ukraine already started, thats a fake right?

I mean, technically the invasion on Ukraine started years ago.
If you mean a further advance, not as far as we know.

BringBackSonics · Dec 26, 2021

Russia to respond if the West does not meet its demands.

Putin to ponder options if West fails to meet demands regarding Ukraine

Russia President Vladimir Putin said he will ponder a slew of options if Western powers fail to meet his demands for security guarantees as NATO expands to Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. Russia submitted draft security documents earlier this month demanding that the alliance should deny...

news.yahoo.com

Russia President Vladimir Putin said he will ponder a slew of options if Western powers fail to meet his demands for security guarantees as NATO expands to Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

Russia submitted draft security documents earlier this month demanding that the alliance should deny membership to Ukraine and other Soviet countries and roll back its military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

Putin has urged Western powers to move quickly with his demands, saying Russia will have to take "adequate military-technical measures" if the West continues to be "aggressive ... on the threshold of our home."

Deleted member 48201 · Dec 26, 2021

BringBackSonics said:
Russia to respond if the West does not meet its demands.

Putin to ponder options if West fails to meet demands regarding Ukraine

Russia President Vladimir Putin said he will ponder a slew of options if Western powers fail to meet his demands for security guarantees as NATO expands to Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. Russia submitted draft security documents earlier this month demanding that the alliance should deny...

news.yahoo.com

Putin's reasoning is so strange, he claims that he's concerned about NATO's expansion but if he'd invade Ukraine he'd have 4 more NATO countries as neighbours instead of the current 3 and you can bet that all those borders would be heavily militarized.

Asator · Dec 26, 2021

Putin will go ahead and do whatever he intends to do regardless of wether NATO meets his demands or not. I hope no NATO country will entertain the idea of complying.

Again, I hope he won't pull an operation Bodenplatte on us, although I think that if they were this close to invading we would probably have a lot more signs pointing to it.

kmfdmpig · Dec 26, 2021

BringBackSonics said:
Russia to respond if the West does not meet its demands.

Putin to ponder options if West fails to meet demands regarding Ukraine

Russia President Vladimir Putin said he will ponder a slew of options if Western powers fail to meet his demands for security guarantees as NATO expands to Ukraine, The Associated Press reported. Russia submitted draft security documents earlier this month demanding that the alliance should deny...

news.yahoo.com

What more can Russia do to the West? They have no economic power really. They already sow disinformation and assassinate citizens in sovereign countries. They could cut off oil/gas and that would cause short term harm but would cause Russia much more harm and lead the West to find other suppliers with no plan to go back to Russia.

Forerunner · Dec 28, 2021

'High risk' of armed conflict over Ukraine, Russian defense ministry warns

The Biden administration has repeatedly called for diplomacy with Russia to deescalate tensions and end the war in Ukraine’s eastern provinces.

abcnews.go.com

Russia's deputy defense minister warned foreign ambassadors of a "high risk" of conflict between the country and its neighbor Ukraine -- one day after President Vladimir Putin threatened "diverse" military and technical responses if the West doesn't address his stated concerns.

These latest messages from Moscow are the kind that have had U.S. and other western officials on edge that Putin will launch an assault on Ukraine, even after President Joe Biden warned him doing so would bring massive penalties.

His Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin blamed NATO again Monday for provoking conflict by sending warships and reconnaissance planes to back Ukraine. That echoes a statement last week by his boss, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who claimed Ukraine, with U.S. mercenary help, is preparing a chemical weapons attack.

It's the kind of false pretext for an invasion that U.S. officials and analysts have warned Russia may create to justify an invasion.

There has been no "resultant peace." Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in shelling that last for hours on Sunday. There had been five times more ceasefire violations this month than last December, according to the OSCE.

But there was some notable Russian troop movements, according to state-run Interfax news agency, which reported that more than 10,000 troops pulled back from near Ukraine's borders after military drills. The Kremlin also said Monday that it made sense to engage NATO directly about its security concerns, in addition to the U.S.

Whether that is yet a sign for hope that war can be avoided is unclear. U.S. officials have said it's still unknown whether Putin has decided to invade, with tens of thousands of troops still in the area, including in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia invaded and seized in 2014.

Ont · Jan 3, 2022

If Putin and his circle of criminals wanted to prevent NATO expansion, they have now done the opposite by resurrecting NATO membership discussions in Finland and Sweden.

An increasing number of previously NATO skeptic Finnish Green Party MPs are now saying that they would support NATO membership, or that they now view it more favourably.

KastuśKalinoŭski · Jan 5, 2022

poklane said:
Thank you for pointing this out. A lot of people are unaware of the fact that Kazakhstan has a significant Russian population who would no doubt be used by Russia as a reason to invade if Kazakhstan were to ever drift towards the EU and NATO.

meanwhile

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1478805414003331075

poklane · Jan 5, 2022

KastuśKalinoŭski said:
meanwhile

https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1478805414003331075

Yup, been following a bit but maybe someone who knows more about the protests/riots in Kazakhstan can make a thread.
Anyway, it could get very bloody. Not only has he called for CSTO assistance, he's also been openly labeling the people as terrorists.

Strikerrr · Jan 5, 2022

Guts Of Thor · Jan 12, 2022

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-nato-meet-over-ukraine-impasse-11641987171

Looks like things didn't go well with the first round of talks. I can't get around the paywall for the entire article so sorry for that.

Forerunner · Jan 12, 2022

4 things Russia wants right now

Russia forced the West into a flurry of diplomacy with its massive troop buildup near Ukraine. Here's a short guide to what the Kremlin wants.

www.npr.org

1. Russia wants a guarantee Ukraine can never join NATO

Russia's reasoning: President Vladimir Putin views Ukraine as an extension of what he calls "historical Russia" — a part of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, and within Moscow's "sphere of influence" today. The threat of Ukraine's westward turn after a street revolution ousted the country's pro-Russian president in 2014 was the driving force behind Russia's annexation of Crimea later that year. Ukraine's desire to join the Western alliance also led to Russia's sponsorship of separatists in the country's eastern Donbas region — in effect sabotaging its path to membership by fueling a civil war.

NATO's counter: The U.S. argues that countries have a right to choose their own alliances and NATO has a long-standing "open door policy" for potential membership. "NATO has never expanded through force or coercion or subversion. It is countries' sovereign choice to choose to come to NATO and say they want to join," Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Wednesday after a meeting between Russian and NATO officials in Brussels. Russia's actions are making the idea of NATO membership more appealing to Ukrainians, according to opinion polls. It is unlikely, however, that Ukraine will meet the requirements anytime soon.

2. Russia wants NATO arms out of Eastern Europe

Russia's reasoning: Moscow sees NATO's addition of former communist countries in Eastern and Central Europe beginning in 1997 as violating a core promise by the United States when the Soviet ARMY peacefully withdrew from Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Putin's view, the West took advantage of Russian weakness in expanding the alliance over multiple Russian objections. "And where is it written down on paper?" recalled Putin in recounting NATO's decisions to expand eastward in subsequent years. "They would say to us. 'It's not on paper? Well then get lost along with your concerns.' And that's the way it's been year after year." Now Putin appears to be acting as if Russia is in a position to dictate new terms — and rewrite the story of the end of the Cold War.

NATO's counter: U.S. officials have made clear they believe even Russia knows this demand is unrealistic. Acceding to Russia's proposal would mean redrawing the map of Europe after the Cold War and placing Moscow's security demands above the concerns of whole swaths of Europe that were once under Russian Soviet control. Western officials also contest the idea the alliance promised not to expand and say it was Russian actions that led NATO to beef up deployments in the new member states. "NATO never even had any forces on its eastern edge because we didn't feel the need to have troops close to Russia until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 and led NATO members to be concerned that they might keep going into NATO territory," Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Tuesday.

3. Russia wants a ban on NATO missiles within striking distance

Russia's reasoning: While Ukraine could be a long way from NATO membership today, Russia has nervously watched as NATO has demonstrated it can deepen its involvement in Ukraine — providing weapons and training — without the former Soviet republic becoming a member. Russia's president has made no secret he envisions a day in the not-so-distant future when NATO missiles could be housed on Ukrainian soil within minutes' striking distance from Moscow. "For us this is a serious challenge — a challenge to our security," Putin said.

NATO's counter: This could be an area of compromise. For starters, some Democratic lawmakers opposed the Trump administration's decision to abandon the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia.

4. Russia wants autonomy for eastern Ukraine

Russia's reasoning: Moscow has long believed the U.S. calls the shots in Kyiv and the U.S. has expressed support for the Minsk accords as a path toward deescalation. Moreover, for Moscow, it's a way to guarantee rights for Russian speakers in the Donbas — and provide the Kremlin leverage into Ukrainian affairs going forward.

NATO's counter: The U.S. supports the Minsk agreements. Kyiv is less enthusiastic. The deal as signed rewards Russia for stirring up the conflict — meddling that Russia denies. Kyiv and Washington argue Moscow has also failed to meet obligations to the deal.

ajoshi · Jan 12, 2022

Troops use Signal for deployment planning, rapid reaction call outs, but it's against regulations

U.S. soldiers routinely use the texting service Signal for work-related communications ranging from deployment planning to quick alerts, despite it being against Department of Defense regulations.

www.audacy.com

Heavily buried lede in this article

"A second service member speaking to Connecting Vets on the condition of anonymity related that a recent "Red Corvette" was received by the 82nd Airborne Division and how the message alerting members of the Immediate Response Force to stand by for a possible deployment to Ukraine was passed via Signal."

Granted, could just be for obvious stuff like embassy evacuations and etc, most likely not US infantry in frontlines

(Author is legit and not your typical cracked-out sof vet angling for wrong audience)

Razgriz-Specter · Jan 12, 2022

ajoshi said:
Troops use Signal for deployment planning, rapid reaction call outs, but it's against regulations

U.S. soldiers routinely use the texting service Signal for work-related communications ranging from deployment planning to quick alerts, despite it being against Department of Defense regulations.

www.audacy.com

Heavily buried lede in this article

"A second service member speaking to Connecting Vets on the condition of anonymity related that a recent "Red Corvette" was received by the 82nd Airborne Division and how the message alerting members of the Immediate Response Force to stand by for a possible deployment to Ukraine was passed via Signal."

Granted, could just be for obvious stuff like embassy evacuations and etc, most likely not US infantry in frontlines

(Author is legit and not your typical cracked-out sof vet angling for wrong audience)

Russia has such an advantage in the situation that I doubt its anything more than evacuation security. They aren't really enough to deter a significant Russian force and as soon as Russia discovered anyone moving in they are right there and ready to cross in.

Even just logistically, the US and Russia aren't going to be having a shootout so a preemptive capitol grab greatly favors Russia with distance.

Lunchbox · Jan 12, 2022

Forerunner said:
4 things Russia wants right now

Russia forced the West into a flurry of diplomacy with its massive troop buildup near Ukraine. Here's a short guide to what the Kremlin wants.

www.npr.org

Thanks for posting. Very saucy, I hope NATO gives nothing.

poklane · Jan 13, 2022

Razgriz-Specter said:
Russia has such an advantage in the situation that I doubt its anything more than evacuation security. They aren't really enough to deter a significant Russian force and as soon as Russia discovered anyone moving in they are right there and ready to cross in.

Even just logistically, the US and Russia aren't going to be having a shootout so a preemptive capitol grab greatly favors Russia with distance.

Yeah you're probably right, high chance these soldiers would be used to evacuate US diplomatic personnel and nothing more. If the US wanted to put their troops in the way of a Russian advance they could preemptively do that right now by putting them in big cities near the border.

Maquiladora · Jan 13, 2022

Feeling even more pessimistic about this now than I was before Christmas.

Lithuania has upped the readiness of its troops amid tensions with Russia, Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys told LRT TV, adding that the threat of war in Europe is "highest since 1945".

Lithuania ups troop readiness amid Russia tensions

Lithuania has upped the readiness of its troops amid tensions with Russia, Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys told LRT T...

www.lrt.lt

STOCKHOLM, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Sweden's military said on Thursday it was ramping up its visible activities on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland amid increased tensions between NATO and Russia and a recent deployment of Russian landing craft in the Baltic.

Sweden boosts patrols on Gotland amid Russia tensions

Sweden's military said on Thursday it was ramping up its visible activities on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland amid increased tensions between NATO and Russia and a recent deployment of Russian landing craft in the Baltic.

www.reuters.com

VIENNA, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Europe is nearer war than it has been in 30 years, Poland's foreign minister warned during the third round of diplomacy this week aimed at defusing tensions over Russia's demand that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.

Europe at greatest risk of war in 30 years, Poland warns

Europe is nearer war than it has been in 30 years, Poland's foreign minister warned during the third round of diplomacy this week aimed at defusing tensions over Russia's demand that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.

www.reuters.com

Social media within Russia has recently shown several trains loaded with military hardware from units in the far east of Russia, heading westward. And today even Iskander ballistic missile units were photographed on one military train in central Russia.

I think we are probably no more than weeks away now from something happening. And it may not be limited to just Ukraine.

Typhon · Jan 13, 2022

Maquiladora said:
Feeling even more pessimistic about this now than I was before Christmas.

Lithuania ups troop readiness amid Russia tensions

Lithuania has upped the readiness of its troops amid tensions with Russia, Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys told LRT T...

www.lrt.lt

Sweden boosts patrols on Gotland amid Russia tensions

Sweden's military said on Thursday it was ramping up its visible activities on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland amid increased tensions between NATO and Russia and a recent deployment of Russian landing craft in the Baltic.

www.reuters.com

Europe at greatest risk of war in 30 years, Poland warns

Europe is nearer war than it has been in 30 years, Poland's foreign minister warned during the third round of diplomacy this week aimed at defusing tensions over Russia's demand that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.

www.reuters.com

Social media within Russia has recently shown several trains loaded with military hardware from units in the far east of Russia, heading westward. And today even Iskander ballistic missile units were photographed on one military train in central Russia.

I think we are probably no more than weeks away now from something happening. And it may not be limited to just Ukraine.

STOP, Russia is not starting a war with NATO.

Maquiladora · Jan 14, 2022

Sykra · Jan 14, 2022

Slightly off-topic, but there is a certain feeling here in Croatia that another war might be imminent in this region as well if Russia attacks Ukraine.
Namely, there is a lot of instability in Bosnia again that might spark conflict considering it might be "good" timing to do so with the eyes of the world focused elsewhere. Feels like these situations might be connected slightly.

Koukalaka · Jan 14, 2022

Sykra said:
Slightly off-topic, but there is a certain feeling here in Croatia that another war might be imminent in this region as well if Russia attacks Ukraine.
Namely, there is a lot of instability in Bosnia again that might spark conflict considering it might be "good" timing to do so with the eyes of the world focused elsewhere. Feels like these situations might be connected slightly.

Yeah, saw something on the news about the situation in Bosnia - seems very underreported here in the UK at least.

Infinity Times Two · Jan 14, 2022

I listen to a podcast about Russia, and apparently Putin has the mindset that only really powerful countries like US and Russia are truly "Independent", which is a roundabout way of explaining why NATO is a US-led Anti-Russia conspiracy, and if say Sweden wants to join NATO, it's not really their own decision even if it's in the form of a referendum.

Vector · Jan 14, 2022

Infinity Times Two said:
I listen to a podcast about Russia, and apparently Putin has the mindset that only really powerful countries like US and Russia are truly "Independent", which is a roundabout way of explaining why NATO is a US-led Anti-Russia conspiracy, and if say Sweden wants to join NATO, it's not really their own decision even if it's in the form of a referendum.

They're stuck in a weird mid-20th century mindset where the world is divided in spheres of influence and smaller countries can't determine their own destiny.

Maquiladora · Jan 14, 2022

Armadilo · Jan 14, 2022

it's going down

Deleted member 10445 · Jan 14, 2022

I really thought this was all just bluster. Now I don't know what to think anymore. That guy is unpredictable.

Forerunner · Jan 14, 2022

Russia demands US, NATO response next week on Ukraine

Foreign Minister Lavrov says Moscow has ‘run out of patience’ after diplomatic talks fail to produce breakthrough.

www.aljazeera.com

Russia has strongly repeated its demand that NATO will not expand eastwards, despite the rejection of that by the military alliance amid a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine.

It added on Friday that it would not wait indefinitely for the Western response.

"We have run out of patience," Lavrov said at a news conference. "The West has been driven by hubris and has exacerbated tensions in violation of its obligations and common sense."

Amid the tensions, Ukraine sustained a massive cyberattack on Friday, which hit websites of multiple government agencies.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that troops stationed in eastern Siberia and the far east region have been scrambled for movement across the country as part of snap drills to check their "readiness to perform their tasks after redeployment to a large distance".

The ministry noted that "special attention will be given to the assessment of the country's transport infrastructure to ensure the movement of troops", adding that the troops will conduct drills involving firing live ammunition after the redeployment.

Massive Russian military buildup near Ukraine

"This guy are sick"

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