Russia/Ukraine

[In2ition]

They didn’t pass on it until Trump told them to.

WRONG

[In2ition]

This is a little annoying, since we talked about why they couldn't pass that idiotic bill in the past.

I remember you describing your objections to the bill. But it did contain a ton of things Republicans say they've been wanting for the border for years. I understand that it had some provisions in it that you didn't love, but that is the heart of compromise. Overall I think it was a great deal for them and that they were foolish to pass it up.

The bill was essentially a Ukraine funding bill. It may have had a little bit for the border, but the amount of immigrants it allowed in was nearly the same amount as are coming in illegally. So, it does nothing to curb immigration, it just makes it legal. That's a joke. Even though there needs to be some changes made to immigration law and the amount to increase, that was ridiculous. You think if the states & cities can't really absorb the amount it has now, that it would be fine or different in the future if it's the same amount of people? Give me a break.

Also, it tied the hands of the President in the future on funding for Ukraine, no matter if something big changes.

[Mori Chu]

Your description of the immigration part of that bill seems inaccurate to me. But it didn't pass, so I guess it's moot.

[In2ition]

Does this not sound like provocation?

[Nodack]

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... 91ed0680e9#
One U.S. official said the Biden administration warned Russia last year that if Moscow acquired and used long-range ballistic missiles in Ukraine, Washington would provide the same capability to Kyiv. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about internal discussions.

Russia got some of those weapons from North Korea and has used them on the battlefield in Ukraine, said the official, prompting the Biden administration to greenlight the new long-range missiles.

[In2ition]

I thought they already did this?

[Nodack]

I would have thought they did this a long time ago too.

[Nodack]

Drones drones drones.

Drones have completely changed the landscape of battle like German blitzkrieg changed the the landscape at the start of WWII. The Ukrainians have been decimating Russian tanks with drones. Now Russians are decimating US Abrams tanks in Ukraine with drones. Tanks are designed to fight other tanks, not drones. Drones can target the weak spots. Russia has kind of gotten its ass kicked by drones. Now Russia has joined the party and is making drones as fast as they can.

The US had better be taking notes on how this war is being fought. I know the US has been working on pilotless fighter jets that will fly wingman to manned jets. The drones that have been taking out US tanks have been attacking in swarms.

Cheap Russian drones overwhelm US-made Abrams tanks, taken out of action
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ar-AA1nIxGp

[In2ition]

US intelligence believes Putin probably didn't order Navalny to be killed, Wall Street Journal reports
By Reuters
April 27, 20242:57 AM MSTUpdated 4 hours ago
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us ... 024-04-27/

LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably didn't order opposition politician Alexei Navalny killed at an Arctic prison camp in February, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Navalny, 47 when he died, was Putin's fiercest domestic critic. His allies, branded extremists by the authorities, accused Putin of having him murdered and have said they will provide proof to back their allegation.

[Mori Chu]

^ Even if he didn't technically order him killed, he ordered him persecuted, poisoned, and imprisoned. Then he died. Putin ain't a great guy here; why are you defending him?

[In2ition]

Once again, posting an article by the WSJ where it says that the US intelligence does not believe any longer that Putin killed or ordered Navalny killed, does not mean I'm defending Putin. It's just a news update to the immediate "known truth" that is espoused here.

[Nodack]

You always defend Putin. 100% of the time. You never defend the US or Ukraine 100% of the time.

[Mori Chu]

Putin: not so bad after all?

[In2ition]

Putin is a piece of shit.

[Nodack]

US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/us-buys-81-so ... 27753.html
The US has acquired 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Kazakhstan, the Kyiv Post reported.

Kazakhstan, which is upgrading its air fleet, auctioned off 117 Soviet-era fighter and bomber aircraft, including MiG-31 interceptors, MiG-27 fighter bombers, MiG-29 fighters, and Su-24 bombers from the 1970s and 1980s.

The motive behind the US purchase remains undisclosed, said the Post, but it raised the possibility of their potential use in Ukraine, where similar aircraft are in service. Given Ukraine's continued reliance on Soviet-era weapons, the aircraft could either serve as a source of spare parts or be strategically deployed as decoys at airfields, said the Post.

Kazakhstan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, has maintained close ties to Russia and historically was one of its strongest allies. But the relationship between the two countries has shifted since Russia invaded Ukraine, with Kazakhstan aligning itself more with the West, drawing the fury of some in Russia.

Some of Russia's outspoken propagandists have suggested that Russia should look to Kazakhstan next following its invasion of Ukraine.

One notable Russian TV commentator, Vladimir Solovyov, said that his country "must pay attention to the fact that Kazakhstan is the next problem because the same Nazi processes can start there as in Ukraine."

[Nodack]

We are arguing whether we should be backing Ukraine in the US and delaying help. Trump and his Maga friends want us to ignore Russia and “Let them do whatever the hell they want”. Meanwhile Russia, China, Iran and NK are working together to win in Ukraine and see the bigger picture of them against the US/West.

Opinion
Putin’s crushing new offensive could be the end of Ukraine
https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-crushi ... 00437.html
Missiles from North Korea, drones from Iran, and a massive amount of technical assistance from China. Russian President Vladimir Putin may complain about the backing Ukraine is receiving from its Nato allies, but it is doubtful that Russia would be able to maintain its military offensive without the help it is getting from its motley collection of autocratic friends.

For, as the alliance Moscow has assembled to support its war effort in Ukraine graphically demonstrates, the conflict is, from the West’s perspective, no longer a war against Russia: it is a war against a potent combination of autocratic regimes that, in their different ways, are totally opposed to the concept of liberal western democracy.