China slowly preparing the ground to buy russian oil and gas even cheaper. The soviets will be delighted!

China eases control to let ruble fall faster against yuan

I am currently into Russell Brand's take on the issue/s.

Mariupol is under siege for two weeks and people die. This is definitely no fake news.

People live in basements, in the subways, people are terrified, some survive the death of their loved ones..

Why doesn't Putin stop? Who will stop him? It pains me (physically) to see so much destruction in Ukraine and so much suffering.. Why? Why? Why?

Looks like the Russkies are wizening up a bit. They seem to be going for the arms shipments.
I was wondering when that would happen, let´s hope they don´t go about it too enthusiastically and whack some Nato guys in the process.

Kiev is over 70km in circumference if they are to surround it and I don't think they have the firepower to impose such a blockade. Even if they attempt to do so, the Ukrainians will almost certainly have the manpower to break their lines and keep supplies coming in. Also, the soviet forces from the south are progressing, but still quite busy and it will take them quite a lot of time to unite with the northers and eastern flanks.

The Weakness of the Despot

An expert on Stalin discusses Putin, Russia, and the West.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and...ukraine-stalin

At the moment Ukraine is covered in cloud and snowing so the Ukraine drones are grounded and the chances of the Russians finding and attacking arms shipments is zero.

Probably, we will see.

Russia’s Central Bank said Saturday it will not resume trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange in the equity market during the week of March 14.
Two weeks closed already, unprecedented.

Because he was allowed to do this. And is still allowed to continue.

Ok, hindsight is 20/20 but seen from the past what reason did they have to mistrust Putin?
Personally I believe that the Speech in the Bundestag in 2001 was sincere. We could have had a Russia that was equal and a part of Europe...

What we are seeing now is "Plan B!"

From the past in 2008? Or in 2014?

Actually Plan Z

In 2001 Putin did not propose Russia be a part of Europe; he proposed a Greater Europe that would consist of two integration blocs – the Western bloc of the European Union, with Germany in the dominant role, and the Eastern bloc, consisting of the emerging Eurasian Union, with Russia in a hegemonic position.
By signing agreements and establishing joint institutions, the two blocs would form a partly integrated area of security, economic and energy co-operation, and human contacts.
However, the formation of such an area would not lead to Russia and its neighbours gradually adopting European values and standards, nor would it limit Russia’s room for manoeuvre in foreign policy as a great power balancing between various global centres of powe

Those two dates (and others) did not effect "The west" as it were and although there was grumbling it was seen as Russian internal affairs .

That was a big mistake from "The west" which led to the current situation. There could be no "internal affairs" between the ex-USSR countries and Russia should not be allowed to dictate its rules to the neighbours.

Russian government is a terroristic organization and should be treated like that.

Soviet forces ?

There's absolutely NOTHING to justify this "intervention" "peace mission" or how does he call it, I forget the iron language terms, and attacking convoys of civilians who want to evacuate an area which is being bombarded is beyond abominable cruelty.
When this is over, and it will be over, this guy and his camarilla (unfortunately you cannot really bring all the apparatus down) will have to face the international penal court or Russia will be doomed to a total isolation which will be even worse than the post second world war Cold War. Then we will have Russian refugees and asylum seekers too who would risk their lives to leave their country. Back to USSR, back to Stalin. It looks like the peoples in these parts of the world are doomed.

See how idiotic this move was? China will be dictating the terms of their relation for a very long time and I bet it will only benefit China. He played with fire and will lose much more than Ukraine.

Russians are actively fleeing the country already as they feel that the iron curtain is closing extremely quickly and it's their last chance to leave.

Putin has always said that the biggest global issue we're having is the fall of the Soviet Union. His ambition has always been to restore the "glory" or the USSR which by definition means carving out "spheres of influence" and subjugating the east to Moscow. Which is precisely why the Eastern European countries all flocked to NATO and EU in order to get protection. What he was offering the West in 2001 was essentially a sleeping pill: "give me the East and then the balance will be restored". Don't forget who he is. He is a KGB aparatchik who has surrounded himself with former aparatchiks and they have no other way of seeing the world but as a pie to be sliced by the stronger powers.

In retrospect, the West tends to be overanalytical and trying to find "where did we go wrong" which is an admirable frame of mind. HOWEVER, the blame is 100% and fully on Putin. His decision to invade Ukraine, his decision to squash democracy in Russia, his decision to kill brutally all vocal opponents of his regime. The villain is in Moscow.

I know, they are leaving as "tourists" for the moment, but I personally doubt it will always be as (relatively) easy as it is now. And I think now are leaving those with a certain material situation, connections in the West etc. who are either afraid of the next Cold War or want to protect their wealth or their way of life. No, they aren't all oligarchs but even those who had a relatively comfy life without all those massive privileges of the oligarchy want to protect whatever they have accomplished so far and live in a free world.