Dreadful news about Putin.

[Czechmate]

I expect the vast majority of Germans supported Hitler too, so I'm not sure it's a particularly important statistic. One of my friends was dating a Russian girl and she said while she was over here that no-one was allowed to say anything against Putin for fear of getting shot. She couldn't get used to the free speech that we have in this country.

You may have spotted her running along Western Rd shouting "Putin is a ****"

Have we got freedom of speech here in the UK anymore ? Seems anything anyone says in the limelight (politicians , celebrities , football club owners , tv people) or just a normal bod on youtube is scrutinised to the bone and you are frowned upon if a sentence is out of line . I can't even say I am going down the chink anymore , crazy but that's another topic I guess .

 

[Czechmate]

No, your point does not stand. Whether Putin was there or not, Russia gives aid to former Soviet Republics. Its a fact. So, your point does not stand.

lol@soon to rejoin no doubt....Really? And the basis for this reasoning is?
As youre so well informed, please tell me about Putins 'Grand plans', they sound facinating, and interesting to find somebody in the know here on NSC.
Am i a product of Putins Directorate S scheme? No, but I have been running a Ukrainian music club for six years. How many Ukrainians have you spoken
to about the situation there?

Don't forget the aid to the Ukrainians in the east (ok some may be for the Ukrainian Pro- Russian troops ) but the people who were born in Ukraine , raised and worked in Ukraine were cut off completely by Kiev with electric , food , water , benefits , the only way they are surviving is by aid from Russia . All Kiev do is bomb the soup halls !

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Putin is a kleptocrat, robbing the russian nation.

He's balancing other powers in his country, the nationalists who follow the dangerous Dugin, psychopaths like the Chechen gangster Kadyrov, former KGB crooks, oligarchs etc.

He has more money than he can ever need providing he keeps hold of it, which means staying in power.

He also seems to now care about his legacy and place in russian history. Does that mean he is realising his mortality, are the rumours of his cancer true ?


There is very much an argument for better the devil you know here. Kadyrov, Ivanov, etc. could be far worse, they may now be positioning for the succession, and we may well have more to worry about in the future.

 

[somerset]

No, your point does not stand. Whether Putin was there or not, Russia gives aid to former Soviet Republics. Its a fact. So, your point does not stand.

lol@soon to rejoin no doubt....Really? And the basis for this reasoning is?
As youre so well informed, please tell me about Putins 'Grand plans', they sound facinating, and interesting to find somebody in the know here on NSC.

He will attempt to annex any region he sees as useful, particularly if largely populated by Russian heritage communities. He doesn't have to use military means either, in the Baltic's for instance, he will use political shenanigans instead, even he isn't stupid enough to send his volunteers into a NATO country.

Stop being so pompous, my points and views are as valid as your counter points.....suck it up yourself.

PS: If Russia's overseas contributions reach the agreed OECD targets based on GDP, they should contribute 10 billion dollars, they don't, they send 450 million.

No, your point does not stand. Whether Putin was there or not, Russia gives aid to former Soviet Republics. Its a fact. So, your point does not stand.

lol@soon to rejoin no doubt....Really? And the basis for this reasoning is?
As youre so well informed, please tell me about Putins 'Grand plans', they sound facinating, and interesting to find somebody in the know here on NSC.
Am i a product of Putins Directorate S scheme? No, but I have been running a Ukrainian music club for six years. How many Ukrainians have you spoken
to about the situation there?

 

[daveinprague]

Im not being pompous. Im not declaring Putins intent. You are. Ive also nothing to suck up really.

Small or large. They give foreign aid. If you care to check, I actually said, even though its low...you basically said they didnt, but hey.

 

[ROKERITE]

Don't forget the aid to the Ukrainians in the east (ok some may be for the Ukrainian Pro- Russian troops ) but the people who were born in Ukraine , raised and worked in Ukraine were cut off completely by Kiev with electric , food , water , benefits , the only way they are surviving is by aid from Russia . All Kiev do is bomb the soup halls !

You surely can't believe the drivel you've just written? Even if your only news source is Russia Today you couldn't be so naive.

 

[Czechmate]

You surely can't believe the drivel you've just written? Even if your only news source is Russia Today you couldn't be so naive.

Well you won't see it on BBC or ITV , this was reported on SKY news believe it or not ! And France 24 (a neutral news programme) , Al Jazeer as well , you may do well not just to get your information from the normal British tv programmes you will only get an American type view .

http://news.sky.com/story/1424444/video-chaos-as-rockets-slam-into-soup-kitchen

 

[daveinprague]

Czech news reported the same...maybe it didnt show up on rightwing FB pages
Seems as though for people with somewhat rightwing thoughts...everything is totally black or white.
Inconceivable to them that there maybe Ukrainians, and Ukrainian areas, who are not part of the rebellion, but have found themselves caught up in it.

 

[ROKERITE]

Czech news reported the same...maybe it didnt show up on rightwing FB pages
Seems as though for people with somewhat rightwing thoughts...everything is totally black or white.
Inconceivable to them that there maybe Ukrainians, and Ukrainian areas, who are not part of the rebellion, but have found themselves caught up in it.

It's tragic that so many innocents are suffering yet again because of Russian militarism. There was real hope when The Soviet Union collapsed that their barbarism might be over but it seems some things never change.

 

[daveinprague]

It's tragic that so many innocents are suffering yet again because of Russian militarism. There was real hope when The Soviet Union collapsed that their barbarism might be over but it seems some things never change.

Well, thats a bit simplistic isnt it.... and to ire the normal suspects on NSC, how many innocents have suffered because of our actions in the last 10-15 years?
This didnt come from Russian militarism. It came from a region of the Ukraine, not wanting to be part of Ukraine, after a nationalistic right wing coup against an elected government. The hostility between this region, and Kiev goes back a long, long time, with the eastern region looking more towards Russia linguistically, and culturally, than the EU. When the shit started, the Russians gave help to the rebels (obviously). as we would give help to British ethnic people if they were in the same circumstance.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Hang about, as much as Putin may not be the worst option, he must not be let off the hook for his expansionist policies, straight from the Dugin ideology.

The cost of these policies must simply be made too high for him. The worry is that he knows his mortality and thinks he has nothing to lose.

Make no mistake, war could come sooner than anyone thinks if Putin sends his little green men into Lithuania, Latvia, or Estonia.

 

[daveinprague]

Speaking to Lithuanians here that I know, after hearing a similer projection on a different forum, they have absolutely no fear of any Russian aggression towards them.... why do you think they will be moving in on them, and why would Russia risk a major world conflagration over these three minor states?

 

[somerset]

Well you won't see it on BBC or ITV , this was reported on SKY news believe it or not ! And France 24 (a neutral news programme) , Al Jazeer as well , you may do well not just to get your information from the normal British tv programmes you will only get an American type view .

http://news.sky.com/story/1424444/video-chaos-as-rockets-slam-into-soup-kitchen

Rumbled mate,.......I have always thought your views were largely emotional, rarely founded on a solid base of good knowledge of the subject matter.........I suggest you try again.......France 24....... neutral!!!...... hilarious........ its owned by the French government, it was created by the French government, it is run wholly to further French government and French cultural values and policies.......

At least DIP is well informed.... Even if I don't agree with him.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Speaking to Lithuanians here that I know, after hearing a similer projection on a different forum, they have absolutely no fear of any Russian aggression towards them.... why do you think they will be moving in on them, and why would Russia risk a major world conflagration over these three minor states?

Simply because I feel Putin is dangerously unpredictable and I fear he wants his place in history. I fear he is ill and has nothing to lose.

However, whilst that is ( maybe over paranoid) speculation, it is certainly true he has a very difficult job balancing all the competing powers in Russia.

He needs to go far enough to satisfy Dugin and the nationalists/fascists, whilst not going too far.

To be honest, whilst he is clearly a crook and probably worse, he may just be piloting a very difficult course.

 

[Czechmate]

Hang about, as much as Putin may not be the worst option, he must not be let off the hook for his expansionist policies, straight from the Dugin ideology.

The cost of these policies must simply be made too high for him. The worry is that he knows his mortality and thinks he has nothing to lose.

Make no mistake, war could come sooner than anyone thinks if Putin sends his little green men into Lithuania, Latvia, or Estonia.

I personally don't think he will , and I may change my views on Russia/Putin if he does , it is just hearsay at the moment . Ukraine is totally different as this all started form a coup don't forget which not all Ukrainians were in agreement with and was influenced by the US and some neo Nazi's which unfortunately are still there in parliament .

It's the people of Ukraine , whether Pro EU or Pro Russian I feel sorry for who were born and brought up in Ukraine who are basically in between a political global power struggle .

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Don't forget the aid to the Ukrainians in the east (ok some may be for the Ukrainian Pro- Russian troops ) but the people who were born in Ukraine , raised and worked in Ukraine were cut off completely by Kiev with electric , food , water , benefits , the only way they are surviving is by aid from Russia . All Kiev do is bomb the soup halls !

'All Kiev do is bomb the soup halls'. You make it sound like that is a deliberate target. Yes, it happened, but I doubt that it was part of a concerted campaign.
Civil war is dirty and neither side come out of it with any honour.

What Russia should do, is let Ukraine sort themselves out, or be part of an international humanitarian aid plan, not interfere with weapons and armed forces.

 

[somerset]

Speaking to Lithuanians here that I know, after hearing a similer projection on a different forum, they have absolutely no fear of any Russian aggression towards them.... why do you think they will be moving in on them, and why would Russia risk a major world conflagration over these three minor states?

Why are you quoting these wholly disconnected ex-pats.......Lithuania is just reintroducing national service because of Russian aggression, try not to fall into your bosom buddy's trait of unfounded, 3 rd hand scuttlebuck.

 

[daveinprague]

Simply because I feel Putin is dangerously unpredictable and I fear he wants his place in history. I fear he is ill and has nothing to lose.

However, whilst that is ( maybe over paranoid) speculation, it is certainly true he has a very difficult job balancing all the competing powers in Russia.

He needs to go far enough to satisfy Dugin and the nationalists/fascists, whilst not going too far.

To be honest, whilst he is clearly a crook and probably worse, he may just be piloting a very difficult course.

Ive said before, you need a **** to be president of the Russias...any sign of weakness, and there would be chaos imo

 

[Czechmate]

Rumbled mate,.......I have always thought your views were largely emotional, rarely founded on a solid base of good knowledge of the subject matter.........I suggest you try again.......France 24....... neutral!!!...... hilarious........ its owned by the French government, it was created by the French government, it is run wholly to further French government and French cultural values and policies.......

At least DIP is well informed.... Even if I don't agree with him.

How many times you watched Al Jazeer , France 24 , Euro news then ? How many times you been to Ukraine ? How many times you Skyped or talked to people in Ukraine ? My info comes from a variation of news channels to decide for myself , I am 52 and old enough and wise enough to think for myself thank you ! Also I am in regular contact with people in Ukraine so hear it from Pro EU people and Pro Russian people . I can go into detail if you like ?

Where do you get your info from ?

By the way I have visited Ukraine 10 times , you ?

 

[somerset]

How many times you watched Al Jazeer , France 24 , Euro news then ? How many times you been to Ukraine ? How many times you Skyped or talked to people in Ukraine ? My info comes from a variation of news channels to decide for myself , I am 52 and old enough and wise enough to think for myself thank you ! Also I am in regular contact with people in Ukraine so hear it from Pro EU people and Pro Russian people . I can go into detail if you like ?

Where do you get your info from ?

By the way I have visited Ukraine 10 times , you ?

A number of times,......(this answer can be applied to most of your questions)........