Russia invades Ukraine

But would you? Or would you have thought you were being victimised and bullied by other countries trying to dictate who you vote for? You're making it sound a lot simpler than it is.

 

I don't think anyone is blaming them Helen. But there seem to be three options with the likes of Putin, Assad etc. Intervene militarily. Nobody wants that. Let them do what they want or try to ensure they are overthrown from within.
The hardship on Russian civilians from sanctions is very sad but it seems the least bad option.

 

They'll blame Ukraine like they did with Malaysian Airlines Flight 17.

 

A Tory Prime Minister would have done the same. We've been America's poodles for as long as I can remember. The first time we didn't was Syria in 2013 and Cameron wanted to.

 

That would be a fair point if Russia was a functioning democracy.

 

Russians are shelling a nuclear power plant... I'm having difficulty understanding the logic of whoever thought this was a good idea.

 

Until this point you can say Putin has lost the plot but the soldiers who are shelling and refusing access to the site to the fire service must be utterly gone in the head.

What on earth is going through their tiny minds!

 

For me, this is now nuclear warfare. He’s gone too far this morning. It’s time for NATO troops to intervene, and trust me I don’t say that lightly knowing the implications but this can’t be allowed to continue any more.

 

Just reading they’ve also sunk an Estonian (NATO) cargo ship.

 

Speculation is the ship hit a mine. As I understand it, Russian vessels are attacking Ukraine. The Ukrainians being on the land, the Russian ships in the sea. If that is the case, why would the Russians put a mine in the sea where their ships are? Aren't mines used as a defence against an attacking navy?

 

Putin is seriously deranged.

 

My worry is that when he realises his time is up he could hit the red button on his way out.

 

My worry is that he is not the only one! The BBC recently profiled his key advisers (all 'old school' Soviet era acolytes fully supporting Putin)

In any other reality, the way things are currently moving, and realising pressing the nuclear button means, basically, the end of Russia, the continent of Europe and p0ssibly the World, those around him would probably pull back, 'remove' Putin and not launch a nuclear attack.

Unfortunately, I believe those closest to him, are likely to follow him to the end and he is so well protected it would need some incredible planning in the full knowledge they would be committing suicide to eliminate him and them. Given his level of paranoia, he is so well protected by loyal elite troops that noone can get close enough. He has even distanced himself, literally, from his close circle looking at the photos and videos of his most recent briefings. He appears to trust no one.

I do not have an answer to this conundrum and I doubt anyone else has. Action or inaction could most likely end up with the same response resulting in (Nuclear WW3).

 

I'm going back on what I've said previously. He needs taking out and we need to prepare for the worst. The government needs to tell the public where their nuclear shelters are.

 

Unfortunately i think a Russian takeover is inevitable and maybe its time for the Ukraine president to accept the situation and start thinking about preserving life' i have nothing but respect and admiration for them but with the best will in the world its going to happen' BUT' the rest of the world then need to tell the Russians that more and more sanctions will continue indefinitely rendering it a pariah state with no chance of the sanctions being lifted until a more modern forward thinking president that wants to embrace the world rather than destroy it is put in place. Hitting the powerful billionaires long term will soon have them seeing him as a liability....

 

See my post #714 above. Unfortunately, whilst, at face value, yours, is a logical argument, we are dealing with a totally irrational dictator who will stop at absolutely nothing to achieve his objective. In addition if he knows he has failed to attain that objective, his intention is that no one else will 'win'. My sincere belief is that he is more than capable of carrying out his threat to launch a nuclear strike on the West.

 

So their ships don't get attacked from behind while they're shelling innocent civillians?

 

Can't disagree at all' the people around him need to think very seriously as to where this is going and act accordingly to get him out one way or another' they're going to be implicated in war crimes at best or having their children and grandchildren destroyed in a worse case scenario end game' there are no winners..

 

‘End all sanctions or we will launch our nuclear weapons at NATO targets’

Ultimately he either wins or he is taken on. You can’t appease forever.