“Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”
Goebbels.

Correct, there is a difference between bias and free.
Of course now the Russian free press has been taken out of the equation, only the state media remains.

The theory of "the big lie
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie#:~:text=Repetition%20is%20important%2C%20b ecause%20the,something%20enough%20it%20becomes%20t ruth.

This is slightly worrying. According to the guardian the British foreign office has suggested that Britons in Russia should leave the country.
For me that is a first sign of things to come.

Unfortunately only in Russian, but a very insightful interview of 3 Russian policemen (OMON) who are captured in Ukraine. The Colonel in the middle is a very intelligent man, speaks really calm and makes very good points.

Goes to further suggest that indeed the plan was for a blitzkreig and their units were sent to ensure "peace" once the military operation is over

A few key insights:
1. They gathered us for a training in Belarus and on the 24th of Feb they told us "you're going to Ukraine"
2. We were tasked to go to Kiev and support the army in capturing the city
3. After the capture, our task was to stop any attempts by the local population to revolt. Arrests and executions were approved
4. There are units from Dagestan and Chechnia as well

From the Q&A

1. As a police unit we're not supposed to be on foreign soil and until the end we didn't believe it. We were told literally before getting in the cars on the way to Kiev. No details were given to us, they told us we'll tell you once we get there
2. We were told by the Russian media for a long time about the "nazi regime" and we didn't really fully believe, but when I saw my favorite boxer (Usik) pick up a weapon I knew we were wrong. I met a woman who was crying and asking us to leave. Forgive us, we were wrong.
3. I hope more people at home (Russia) will see this video to understand this is not true.
4. Russia cannot be a winner in this war, it is clear to me. We can win the territory, but I saw we cannot conquer the people. We cannot stay here on "islands" (he means in case its occupied they will have only small "safe places" as an occupying force)
5. I didn't believe in my whole life I will be in this position. I cannot imagine how my mother feels too because of this.
6. Please, forgive us, if you can't forgive us we can also understand
7. The people of Russia don't want this war, they don't want to fight you and the soldiers of Russia don't want this war too.
8. Help us, don't kill us, don't kill the other captives. Let them go home to tell the real story. I hope on your humanity

Fluent Russian speakers, please correct my mistakes, mine is quite rusty I have to admit

That is good to read. My sympathy for anyone in OMON is quite limited though.

Glad to be of service. I would submit that everybody's biased, no exceptions. It's always interesting to hear about people's backgrounds.

From a humanitarian perspective every war is failure.
Consequentially, if human lives were the sole or main objective, then the demand should always be to give in to aggression to spare them. Of course that would be quite naive, I just mention it to show that, also for a kind heart, other things can be more important than thousands of lives. It also shows that objectives change with the situation.

(Western) Europe, in order to establish itself as a global power, would need Russia's resources, you can't be a global power if you're depending on suppliers from outside the bloc for your main resources. That would have required some form of alliance, but that would have gone straight against US interests.
Of course that's no longer an option now, Russia is again branded as devilish.

The US OTOH, in order to keep a real challenger from forming, will welcome this new divide. "divide et impera", divide and rule. That's why I wrote in the Biden thread that Joe's inaction is a brilliant move from a US point of view.

Yes, at least foreign lives are of secondary concern for every state. In times of war even that changes, you couldn't send your soldiers to their death otherwise.
(Fancy that, men protecting women, what a chauvinistic idea! Oddly enough, though, you don't hear feminists complain)

TLDR:
Success and failure are determined by the objectives, and those can change. They will change in times of war.

I have my doubts about China as a peacemaker, particular in view of it's intentions with Taiwan. Which it
considers as nothing more than an island of rebels which it's never recognised as regards to any of it's
asprirations for independence or any form of autonomy. All that China seems to be doing with Taiwan is
counting the days before it regains control ofthe rebellious province by force.

In fact consider this plausible 'what if' namely China's golden opportunity to do just that now, invade
& retake Taiwan while the USA, NATO and the rest of the world are focussed on the Ukraine crisis.

__________________
Surely the time has come for Boris to 'circle the wagons' for a bit of herd immunity ?

[QUOTE=Urs Max;3396222]


The US OTOH, in order to keep a real challenger from forming, will welcome this new divide. "divide et impera", divide and rule. That's why I wrote in the Biden thread that Joe's inaction is a brilliant move from a US point of view.


I think "Joe's inaction" had more to do with the US just exiting a conflict where we had troops on the ground for 20 years. I think Joe knows that unless the US is attacked either directly or through a NATO country being attacked that overall the US population would not have any stomach for troops on the ground in Ukraine.

That might change as the Russian's seem intent to use more force against the civilian population, but I am not sure about that.

China is a wildcard. It will at some point come into conflict with the US. China could have had to deal with a US-Russio alliance. That is now not going to happen anytime soon. Russia-Sino alliance vrs. the US? Perhaps, that is still on the table but seems increasingly unlikely.
So are we looking at a tripartite world in the 21st century?

Well with 'the world turned upside down' at the moment and all this talk of pressure mounting on NATO
to intervene in some way in the Ukraine crisis - namely with the much vaunted imposition of
no fly zones. Who knows what will happen next ?

China is no friend of Russia. China likes Russia weak enough so it can dominate the terms and get energy at reasonable conditions over land. China wants Russia strong enough to keep the US at least somewhat focused on the European front instead of fulling focusing on the Pacific.

Twill certainly keep things interesting for a while.

All China wants from Taiwan is its chip industry. Which they know dam well will be self-destructed if they should ever set foot on the island.

That's a bit like saying that all Russia wants from Ukraine is the monuments in Kiev and the pipelines.

I didn't say that something like this played no role, that's well possible. Though according to a good many on here the utter failure that is the abysmal withdrawal from Afghanistan was entirely Trump's fault in the first place.
Putin made it clear in his Feb 25 speech that he sees Russia, Belarus and Ukraine as three states of the same country and nation, and that "Ukraine has returned to Russia" (translated by deepl, I trust the tense is correct). Consequentially any military action by the west in Ukraine would be tantamount to an attack on Russia proper.

That makes a no-fly zone highly unlikely, or any other direct involvement by Nato or its members. I see the withdrawn announcements of fighter jet deliveries by Poland et al as testaments to that.

Putan wants the USSR back the way it was.

People say Switzerland is boring. I hope it remains like that. You can keep your interesting times!

Mothers can now pick up their boys.
https://www.businessinsider.com/ukra...22-3?r=US&IR=T

John Bolton about Trump having almost left NATO in 2018, assumes he would have by now had he been reelcted.

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/s...IQremZ4IA&s=19

Imagine where we would be today ...