Russia Invades ukraine

[Mike Hill]

49 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Im not that far from Svalbard just now, so they better bloody not.  

 

I seriously doubt they will though. They have their own fields and attacking Norway will see a real show of force from the West as opposed to a token 'Thoughts and Prayers' we'll see over a divided Ukraine. 

A Russian Warship side swiped a Norwegian freighter and sank it. Not much about it in the news.

 

Norway responded by frowning.

 

I can see Russia hasseling Norway, its not like NATO is worth anything and if Trumph gets back in the white house he couldnt care less about Europe and nor should he.

[doobin]

I don't know bugger all about the whole situation, but I've seen enough of MSM half truths and outright lies/shoddy reporting over the past few years (Trump, Covid etc) to know that what I'm being told can't be gospel.

[Khriss]

Well, quite hypocritical of the West particularly US,  who has been buggering about in the Middle East for decades backing any regime that suits,  now finger points at Moscow. K

[peds]

10 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Well, quite hypocritical of the West particularly US,  who has been buggering about in the Middle East for decades backing any regime that suits,  now finger points at Moscow. K

Is it possible that... both sides are arseholes?

[peds]

Ukrainian President Zelensky's speech before the attack:

"I have initiated a call today with the president of the Russian Federation. The result - silence. Although silence should be in Donbass.

That is why today, I want to come with an appeal to all citizens of Russia. Not as President. I am appealing to the people of Russia as a citizen of Ukraine. We share more than two thousand kilometres of border. Around it, today, is your army: almost 200,000 soldiers; thousands of military units. Your leadership has approved their movement towards us. Towards the territory of another country. This step can become the start of a big war on the European continent. The whole world is talking about what can happen any day now. A reason can appear at any moment. Any provocation. Any spark. A spark that has the potential of burning everything down.

You are told that this flame will bring freedom to the people of Ukraine. But the people of Ukraine are free. They remember their past, and are building their own future. They are building it, not destroying it, as you are told everyday on TV. Ukraine in your news and Ukraine in reality are two completely different countries. The most important difference is that ours is real.

You are being told that we are nazis. But how can a nation be called nazist after sacrificing more than 8 million lives to eradicate nazism. How can I be a nazi, when my grandfather has survived the whole war as part of the Soviet infantry, and has died a colonel in an independent Ukraine. You are told that we hate Russian culture. But how can a culture be hated? Any culture. Neighbours are always enriching each other culturally. Yet, that does not make them one entity, and does not separate people into “us” and “them”. We are different, but that is not a reason to be enemies. We want to build our own history. Peacefully, calmly, and truthfully.

You are told that I am ordering to attack the Donbass. To shoot. To bomb without questions. Although there are questions: To shoot at whom? To bomb what?

Donetsk? To which I have been dozens of times. I have seen their faces and eyes.

Artema street? On which I have been on many walks with my friends in the past.

Donbass arena? Where I have been rooting with the locals for our boys during the Euros.

Shcherbakova Park? In which we were drinking together after our team has lost

Lugansk? The home of my best friend’s mom. The place where my best friend’s father is buried.

Note that I am now speaking in Russian, yet no one in Russia understands what these names, streets, and events mean. This is all foreign to you. Unknown. This is our land. This is our history. What are you going to fight for? And against whom?

Many of you have visited Ukraine in the past. Many of you have relatives here. Some of you studied in our universities. Befriended Ukrainian people. You’re familiar with our character, with our people, our principles. You know what we cherish the most. Look inside you, listen to the voice of reason, of common sense. Hear our voices. The people of Ukraine want peace. Ukrainian authorities want peace. We want it, and we make it. We do everything in our powers. We are not alone. It’s true, Ukraine is supported by many countries. Why? Because we are not talking about peace at any cost. We are talking about peace, and about principles, justice. About everyone’s right to define their own future, of safety, and everyone’s right to live without threat. All this is important to us. All this is important for peace. I know for sure that this is also important for you. We know for sure that we don’t want war. Neither cold, hot, or hybrid.

But, if we are threatened; If someone is trying to take away our country, our freedom, our lives. The lives of our children. We are going to defend ourselves. Not attack. Defend. By attacking us, you are going to see our faces. Not backs. Our faces.

War is a big distress, and it has a big price - in all meanings of this word. People lose their money, reputation, quality of life, freedom, and most importantly, people lose their loved ones. Lose themselves. A lot of things are always lacking in war. But what is in abundance is pain, dirt, blood, and death. Thousands. Tens of thousands of deaths. You are told that Ukraine is a threat to Russia. This was not true before, not now, and won’t be in the future. You are demanding security assurances from NATO. We are also demanding assurances of our security. The security of Ukraine from you. From Russia. And from other signatories of the Budapest memorandum. Today, we are not part of random security alliances. The security of Ukraine is tied to the security of our neighbours. That is why we are now talking about the security of all Europe. But our main goal is peace in Ukraine, and the safety of our citizens. Of Ukrainians. We are determined to let everyone know about this, including you. War is going to deprive everyone of any assurances. No one will have assurances of security.

Who is going to suffer from this the most? The people.

Who does not want this more than anyone? The people.

Who can prevent all this from happening? The people.

If these people are among you. I am sure they are. Public figures, journalists, musicians, actors, athletes, scientists, doctors, bloggers, stand-up comics, tiktokers, and others. Ordinary people. Ordinary, simple people. Men, women, old, young, fathers, and most importantly - mothers. Just as much as the people in Ukraine, no matter how much they try to convince you of the opposite.

I know that my announcement will not be aired on Russian television. But the citizens of Russia have to see it. They need to know the truth. And the truth is, that this needs to stop, before it’s too late. And if the authorities of Russia don’t want to talk to us, for the sake of peace, maybe they will talk to you.

Do the people of Russia want war? I would’ve very much liked to be able to answer this, but the answer depends only on you - citizens of the Russian Federation."

[peds]

 

Attacks reported against Ukraine as of 2 hours ago, give or take.

[trigger_andy]

1 hour ago, topchippyles said:

You have a warped outlook at times trig.

Not going by the 'likes' for my post verses your initial comments I dont.  

[peds]

https://liveuamap.com/

 

Aggregate live feed of the conflict from various sources.

[trigger_andy]

50 minutes ago, Mike Hill said:

A Russian Warship side swiped a Norwegian freighter and sank it. Not much about it in the news.

 

Norway responded by frowning.

 

I can see Russia hasseling Norway, its not like NATO is worth anything and if Trumph gets back in the white house he couldnt care less about Europe and nor should he.

Norway could only frown as its not that long ago that they sank their own Frigate crashing into a tanker that repeatedly told them not to. Not insured either.  

[difflock]

Just now, trigger_andy said:

Norway could only frown as its not that long ago that they sank their own Frigate crashing into a tanker that repeatedly told them not to. Not insured either.  

I seem to remember that fiasco.

P.S.

I also imagine getting insurance quotes for a warship can be kinda tricky  .  .  .