Russia Ukraine Update Thread - part 3

BBC News - Nato's border with Russia doubles as Finland joins
www.bbc.co.uk...

So, NATO's border with Russia has doubled. Well done, Putin.

Didn't see that coming, did he?

His invasion is looking more and more like a total disaster for Russia.

As many already know there are many different factions and ethnic groups in Russia however this latest little religious conflict may actually amount to something as the Muslims and Christians are having a spat over a proposed Mosque.. youtu.be...

4 April Update

* Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Svatove-Kreminna line.

* Russian forces continued offensive operations in and around Bakhmut, and along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City frontline.

* Russian forces continue to prepare for a rumored pending Ukrainian counteroffensive in the southern direction.

More at URL above.

Cheers

originally posted by: Freeborn
a reply to: ufoorbhunter

The FACT is mate that Finland would not be a member of NATO if Russia hadn't invaded Ukraine.
No amount of spin can change that.

Very true FB while at the same time Finland was already a behind the back door member of NATO. Finland means nothing to mad Vlad's plan is absolutely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. No disrespect to Finland but in the grand scheme of things they amount to nothing in this 21st century Great Game. It's all about Ukraine

originally posted by: Oldcarpy2
a reply to: ufoorbhunter

OK. So, Finland and Sweden want to join NATO. Of their own volition.

Should NATO block this because it might not go down well with "brainwashed" Russians?

I don't think so.

No disrespect to sweden and Finland OC yet they mean nothing in this 21st century Great Game. It's all about Ukraine. Russia without Ukraine is acknowledged as a regional power. Russia with Ukraine and Belarus, plus a few 'stans under Moscow's influence makes a superpower again. Ukraine was Russia's imperial jewel in the crown. Industry, agriculture, you name it, Ukraine had it. Those Baltic states you mention mean nothing to Russia, they will always be there. The border is no different. a status quo exists up there nothing will change, nothing will matter. We are talkin g Ukraine here. Nothing matters to Russia's ruling elite more than control of Ukraine. It's cultural, religious, ethnic, political, you name it. Ukraine is big thing when it comes to Russian foreign policy and the Baltic region is a mere irrelevant compromise for the desired end game

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

If Finland truly 'means nothing' to Putin Russia won't be concerned about this and the rumblings coming from The Kremlin and the usual propaganda sources are just empty political rhetoric?

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Poor old Russia. They need to arrive in the 21st century and in a world where Ukraine is not "theirs".

The world has moved on and Russia ain't the Soviet Union no more, with half of Europe oppressed and enslaved. As soon as the boot was lifted off the neck, all the countries previously forceable part of Russia's empire turned their backs on their old slave master. And look, they are all prospering.

Russia's downfall is of their own making. They will never be a superpower again and most would question their credentials as a regional power, if that's what they think they are.

a reply to: Freeborn

The Kremlin couldn't gives a monkey's about Finland. It means nothing at all. Everything is about Ukraine. Nothing else matters. Totally irrelevant yet very handy as a propaganda piece for Putin controlled MSM

originally posted by: paraphi

Russia's downfall is of their own making. They will never be a superpower again and most would question their credentials as a regional power, if that's what they think they are.

Kind of agree Russia messed up the whole Soviet experiment (helped very much by foreign entities de-stabalising the state) yet here we are again with Russian military control over a significant area of Ukraine. Who knows how this will end, far too early yet to guess at. It will only take a few million Chinese conscripts to win this one and the way the world has changed over the past few years who knows? To me anything is possible and nothing can be ruled out in this WW3 in the making

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Putin and some of his sycophantic cronies have previously expressed a desire to regain areas of Finland they feel are traditionally part of 'Greater Russia'.
I agree Ukraine is without a doubt the immediate priority, but he won't be happy about this and I can't help but feel that this will fuel his paranoid narcissistic take on things.

I guess rational people would be questioning why a country that remained neutral throughout The Cold War feels the need to abandon that neutrality.

a reply to: Freeborn

Finland is a compromise for the greater goal of Ukraine FB. Everything we do in life is a compromise and Finland going NATO is just that. Totally agree on understanding why the Finn's feel like joining NATO, if I was living on Russia's border I'd certainly want the same

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

Putin, and his reputation for infallibility, just took a kick in the nuts. No amount of window dressing will conceal that, even to the dullest of Russians.

His regime's deportment has achieved precisely the opposite of what was intended. He will be remembered in Russian history, but not in the way he had anticipated.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Yet the whole battle against NATO isn't taking place on the Finnish border, it's taking place in Ukraine. Finland to Putin is an irrelevence. It matters nothing. The game is all about Ukraine and it's still game on Cavv

a reply to: ufoorbhunter


" Ukraine 'Ready' To Give Up Crimea, Says Zelensky Advisor "

It's Ironic to Me that this Bad Actor and Pathetic Dick Playing Piano Player is Willing to " Give Up " that which he does Not Possess .


" There has been much talk and reporting of the coming Spring counteroffensive by Ukraine forces, but with the fight for Bakhmut not going so well for Kiev, there's also been talk of the need for compromise, at a moment Ukrainian casualties in the east are believed to be high."



This War is Nothing More than One Bought and Paid For Country Continuing it's Money Laundering for the Rest of the World , and the Other Trying to Preserve it's Republic Against Great International Criminal Opposition . In that Regard , as an American , I Champion the Republic !


www.zerohedge.com...

youtu.be... good back ground on the behind the scenes and the coming offensive

a reply to: ufoorbhunter

No, it is not "all about" Ukraine. Putin had much bigger game in his sights, but he lost that opportunity by badly underestimating what it would take to defeat Ukraine.

Finland isn't a sideshow. It has a large frontage on the Baltic Sea and its proximity to Murmansk allows airstrikes against the bases of the Russian Northern Fleet to take place much more suddenly than if they were launched from elsewhere.

Russia will have to deploy a lot of assets to counter those potential threats. Bet on it.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

I agree with your assessment, especially about the Baltic.

The problem is that the pretext for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, amongst all the denazification twaddle, was to prevent the "spread of NATO". It was their narrative, and mantra.

Russian objectives around NATO have been totally ruined by Finland joining NATO. Another miscalculation, but then Russian objectives have changed direction with the wind. I feel embarrassed for Russia.

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2





Start a war and invade Ukraine because “NATO is too close to Russia”. 1 year later… St. Petersburg is now within Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb range of NATO territory from Finland. Putin remains a strategic genius.


Baltic sea turning to lake NATO

a reply to: 727Sky

An accurate assessment of Ukraine's overall goals: A Stalingrad type successful in Bakhmut would serve Ukraine poorly in the long term. So the Russians would dispatch additional personnel and equipment to Ukraine. Also, the Ukrainians wouldn't take any steps toward driving the Russians out of their country.

However, if the Russians achieved that outcome, the defenders would potentially suffer catastrophic causalities. But, of course, that is subjective to the number of Ukrainian personnel committed to the battle and other circumstances.

Moreover, combining the destruction of Russian forces with regaining lost territory is the war-winning Ukrainian recipe.

a reply to: Zanti Misfit

Yes I read that about Ukraine being willing to negotiate Crimea. I guess things are looking a little less rosy right now with hundreds of thousands dead and Russia still occupying a great swathe of Donbas etc.