Russia's War Against Ukraine

[GDS_Starfury]

then can we skip to the bunker/bullet part already  O0

[Pete Dero]

https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/neutral-switzerland-leans-closer-nato-response-russia-2022-05-15

Switzerland's fabled neutral status is about to face its biggest test in decades, with the defence ministry tilting closer to Western military powers in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The defence ministry is drawing up a report on security options that include joint military exercises with NATO countries and "backfilling" munitions, Paelvi Pulli, head of security policy at the Swiss defence ministry told Reuters.

Switzerland nation has not fought in an international war since 1815, when it adopted neutrality at the Congress of Vienna which ended the French Revolutionary Wars.

The 1907 Hague Convention establishes Switzerland will not take part in international armed conflicts, favour warring parties with troops or armaments, or make its territory available to the warring sides.

The Swiss military favours greater cooperation with NATO as a way to strengthen national defence, while public opinion has undergone a sea-change since the Ukraine invasion.

More than half of respondents – 56% - supported increased ties with NATO, a recent poll found – well above the 37% average in recent years.

Support for actually joining the treaty remains a minority view, but has grown significantly. The April poll by Sotomo showed 33% of Swiss people supported joining the alliance, higher than the 21% long term view in a separate study by ETH university in Zurich.

[Sir Slash]

That makes me think, Putin should come here, The Honorable Grogheads Assembly of Experts in All Things, for his military advice BEFORE he decides to invade his next country. We could charge him a Retainer.  :bd:

[JasonPratt]

very very interesting.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1526293852704890882

Yeah, I came here this morning specifically to post a Business Insider article summarizing parts of that (with a link to the video via Twitter as you posted it).

The most interesting thing to me is that (retired) Colonel Khodaryonok somehow got on RUSSIAN STATE TV at a policy-wonk discussion, and in that context got to say all that without being hit with technical difficulties. ;)

https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-analyst-putin-missile-threats-against-finland-are-a-joke-2022-5

[Gusington]

Unlike the Russian military, which thankfully has been plagued with plenty of 'military technical' difficulties.

[FarAway Sooner]

very very interesting.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1526293852704890882

Yeah, I came here this morning specifically to post a Business Insider article summarizing parts of that (with a link to the video via Twitter as you posted it).

The most interesting thing to me is that (retired) Colonel Khodaryonok somehow got on RUSSIAN STATE TV at a policy-wonk discussion, and in that context got to say all that without being hit with technical difficulties. ;)

https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-analyst-putin-missile-threats-against-finland-are-a-joke-2022-5

I assume somebody who understands the Russian language can vouch for the accuracy of the subtitles, and this isn't just an Internet hoax where somebody was too tired to do a deep fake so they just made up fake subtitles?  That is crazy hard-hitting.

[Pete Dero]

I assume somebody who understands the Russian language can vouch for the accuracy of the subtitles, and this isn't just an Internet hoax where somebody was too tired to do a deep fake so they just made up fake subtitles?  That is crazy hard-hitting.

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2022/05/17/rusland-kritiek-op-televisie/

Confirmation of content (Dutch translation).

[MengJiao]

Unlike the Russian military, which thankfully has been plagued with plenty of 'military technical' difficulties.

  Meanwhile -- Finland and Sweden in NATO "makes no difference"...so what was the reason for attacking Ukraine?  And why can't Ukraine join NATO?  If an even more massive NATO
expansion makes no difference -- why the war against Ukraine?  Because it was supposed to be so easy?  Like Georgia, Chechenya, Crimea? amd Syria? 

Lavrov says Finland and Sweden joining NATO "makes no difference"
From CNN's Radina Gigova in London

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that NATO has "taken into account the territories of Finland and Sweden in its military plans for eastward expansion" for years, and therefore the two countries' accession to the alliance "makes no difference."

"Finland, Sweden and other neutral countries have for years participated in NATO's military exercises. NATO has taken their territories into account in planning its eastward movement," Lavrov said on Tuesday, state news agency TASS reported.

"In this context it apparently makes no difference any more (in connection with their admission to NATO)," Lavrov added.

Speaking at an educational conference organized by the Russian Znanie (Knowledge) society in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia doesn't see why Finland and Sweden should be worried about their security.

"For this reason we see their decision, which Washington and NATO surely lobbied for, as a geopolitical move in the context of Russia's containment and the implementation of NATO's plans to spread its activities to the Arctic region," he said.

"Incidentally, the Finnish President and the Finnish ambassadors everywhere have been saying that they see no threats from Russia. Admission to NATO stems from the changes in the security situation in Europe. But there is no logic here," he added.

Russia will observe how NATO uses the territories of Finland and Sweden and "make its conclusions," Lavrov said.

Finland's government said on Sunday that it intends to join NATO, and on Tuesday Sweden's foreign minister signed an application declaring the country wants to join the military alliance.

EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell reiterated on Tuesday that the European Council "strongly supports" the application of both countries to join NATO.

[W8taminute]

^This is really all one big joke. 

So yesterday the news reported that the Bear said he'll nuke S and F if they join NATO and that very powerful military assets were rushing to the border.

Today the news is saying that the Bear said "ah, it's no big deal.  S and F can do whatever they want."

Something smells rotten in Denmark.  [no pun intended]

[JasonPratt]

I think Lavrov means that they've been behaving so much in accord with NATO already, that as far as Russia is concerned they might as well be NATO already.

So.... .....well, huh, in context of its recent threats for joining NATO, that means Russia was already planning to make war on Finland, with nuclear threats if necessary to get what it wants, whether or not Finland joined NATO!  ::)

Kind of like another victim of Russian aggression recently. "DON'T JOIN NATO OR ELSE!" "Okay, we won't, sheesh! We profit better off playing the middle anywa--" "SURPRISE WE INVADE YOU ANYWAY! DON'T JOIN NATO OR ELSE!"

[W8taminute]

^LOL!

Makes sense.

[Gusington]

Putin threatened to nuke Finland and Sweden? Is there a link stating that?

[MengJiao]

Putin threatened to nuke Finland and Sweden? Is there a link stating that?

  I think the "nuke" idea derives from the phrase "deploy nuclear weapons"...apparently there was some understanding between Finland and Russia and other Baltic nations that ideally
nuclear weapons would be kept out of the Baltic Area.  The recent Russian negative assessments of the situation overall have noted that threatening to deploy or "point missiles at"
Finland or the Baltic was a "joke"...ie an absurd and pointless threat.  However, the idea that Finland's joining NATO would obviate the ideal of a Baltic area without nuclear weapons was
something that the Russians seemed to be noting aggressively for a while.  Now, of course, it seems as pointless as everything else the Russians are doing.

[Tripoli]

Putin threatened to nuke Finland and Sweden? Is there a link stating that?

  I think the "nuke" idea derives from the phrase "deploy nuclear weapons"...apparently there was some understanding between Finland and Russia and other Baltic nations that ideally
nuclear weapons would be kept out of the Baltic Area. [snip]...

The 1981 "Whiskey on the Rocks" incident pretty much ended the facade that the Soviets had not deployed nuclear weapons in the Baltic. See the quotation below from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_S-363

" The Swedish National Defence Research Institute also secretly measured for radioactive materials from outside the hull, using gamma ray spectroscopy from a specially configured Coast Guard boat. They detected something that was almost certainly uranium-238 inside the submarine, localized to the port torpedo tube.[3] U-238 was routinely used as cladding in nuclear weapons and the Swedes suspected that the submarine was in fact nuclear armed.[3] The yield of the probable weapon was estimated to be the same as the bomb dropped over Nagasaki in 1945. Although the presence of nuclear weapons on board S-363 was never officially confirmed by the Soviet authorities,[5] the vessel's political officer, Vasily Besedin, later confirmed that there were nuclear warheads on some of the torpedoes, and that the crew was ordered to destroy the boat, including these warheads, if Swedish forces tried to take control of the vessel."

[W8taminute]

Putin threatened to nuke Finland and Sweden? Is there a link stating that?

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18581179/russias-threat-nukes-border-finland-sweden-nato/