Ukraine advances in the war

[Tony1244]

If China wants a weakened Russia why is China supporting Russia?

Occam's Razor. Sometimes it's just what it looks like, cheap oil and gas is what they want.

It's like this is all about oil and gas rather than freedom and humanity

It can be about all four. Russia is clearly the aggressor and provoker here.

[Coco]

Occam's Razor. Sometimes it's just what it looks like, cheap oil and gas is what they want.

It's like this is all about oil and gas rather than freedom and humanity

It can be about all four. Russia is clearly the aggressor and provoker here.

It was only yesterday that they announced the death penalty in Uganda for homosexuality.
No push for regime change there!! However if they were oil rich.......

[ironbeard]

Not sure what you're preaching here coco.

- The right to self-determination is good. Invading a country under the pretext of self-determination is bad.
- Claiming, with no evidence, that the leaders of the country you are invading are neo-Nazis despite their anti-corruption efforts, commitment to free elections and their Jewish ancestry is bad.
- Creating strict laws that prevent news outlets from reporting on the war is bad.
- Bombing the shit out of an entire nation, instead of encouraging a Democratic process for determining self-determination is bad.
- Getting the constitution changed so that you can be president for life is bad.
- Locking up political opponents who expose your corruption is bad.
- Supporting genocidal dictators in Syria and Serbia and ordinary dictators in Belarus and the "Stans" is bad.

I think you can pretty much objectively say, that Putin is evil.

The Nazi angle has always been a bit hypocritical given that the Ruskies are using the mercenary Wagner Group - named after Hitler’s favorite composer and founded and led by neo-Nazis - to fight the war. I guess it’s neo-Nazi on neo-Nazi crime

Given the Nazi’s killed 26 million Russians within living memory I seriously doubt that they are Nazi’s, ultra-Nationalists yes, but flat out card carrying Roman saluting SS insignia wearing Nazi”s? As I say given the horrors the Nazi’s perpetrated on the Eastern front I doubt it.
Probably a bit of western propaganda to try and muddy the waters - Nazi’s on both sides etc

You REALLY ought to buy yourself a clue before you repeatedly open your trap and let that knee jerk out.

[ironbeard]

Putin is evil, we are good.

If you frame everything around that simple equation you won't go at Wong and the media coverage will make sense.

Putin is a totalitarian, as are the vast majority of his buddies.

It is not about “Putin is Evil, we are good.” It is about self governance under the rule of law vs dictators.

This is about the time you trot out your whataboutism and begin your penance for the sins of our constitutionally guaranteed democratic republics. Why don’t you go to Russia or China or North Korea or Syria or Iran and practice your free speech?

Rhetorical.

[whiskey]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

[whiskey]

Indonesia have announced they will be phasing-out VISA and Mastercard across the nation, citing the way America brought sanctions to Russia by halting payment services, is something they cannot afford to occur.

I expect this non-white, majority Muslim nation will be experiencing a few extra 'terrorist bombs' soon then for this stance.

[chinarich]

As Ukraine begins to take delivery of Leopard tanks it appears that Russia is once again raiding its Soviet-era storage depots to keep their army supplied...

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/s ... to-ukraine

[Ezzard]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

Have to agree. And Zelensky is getting paid handsomely. There will be a resolution eventually that puts the whole thing in perspective. Ukraine are a puppet though. And the money-0laundering cannot be put at risk.

[Baby Face Finster]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

You are so detached from reality it's frightening. You should check yourself into a psychiatric ward and try to find out why you are so detached from reality. There could be a cure for your illness.

[Baby Face Finster]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

Have to agree. And Zelensky is getting paid handsomely. There will be a resolution eventually that puts the whole thing in perspective. Ukraine are a puppet though. And the money-0laundering cannot be put at risk.

Oh yeah, that's far worse than installing oligarches in positions of power and then siphoning the money to your own account or having oligarches pushed out of windows or committing what looks like suicide when they don't do what you want them to do. Even poisoning and killing your polical rivals or simply jailing them and outlawing them from running for office is a far lesser crime than money laundering.

What a weird reality you people live in where you blame the aggrieved and defend the aggressor.

[Counter-puncher]

No nation in the world actually has any choice in their own actions, mate. Western arms manufacturers just tell them what to do, and they do it. I mean, they forced Putin to invade Ukraine after all, getting Russians and Ukrainians to fight each other all for their own gain.

[whiskey]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

You are so detached from reality it's frightening. You should check yourself into a psychiatric ward and try to find out why you are so detached from reality. There could be a cure for your illness.

You obviously have zilch to offer the discussion, so resort to (trying) to insult people.

For everyone else, go check the news - the use of depleted uranium shells is reported everywhere the past 24hrs.

[Tony1244]

It's like this is all about oil and gas rather than freedom and humanity

It can be about all four. Russia is clearly the aggressor and provoker here.

It was only yesterday that they announced the death penalty in Uganda for homosexuality.
No push for regime change there!! However if they were oil rich.......

It's funny when people criticize the neocon US, they often do it by suggesting we become more neocon. Difference is that Uganda is not attacking other nations, as far as I know at least.

[Ezzard]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

Have to agree. And Zelensky is getting paid handsomely. There will be a resolution eventually that puts the whole thing in perspective. Ukraine are a puppet though. And the money-0laundering cannot be put at risk.

Oh yeah, that's far worse than installing oligarches in positions of power and then siphoning the money to your own account or having oligarches pushed out of windows or committing what looks like suicide when they don't do what you want them to do. Even poisoning and killing your polical rivals or simply jailing them and outlawing them from running for office is a far lesser crime than money laundering.

What a weird reality you people live in where you blame the aggrieved and defend the aggressor.

I can't tell from this if you're pro-NATO or anti.

[Quantrax]

It's like this is all about oil and gas rather than freedom and humanity

It can be about all four. Russia is clearly the aggressor and provoker here.

It was only yesterday that they announced the death penalty in Uganda for homosexuality.
No push for regime change there!! However if they were oil rich.......

I don't how old this clip is but it's interesting and funny

[conan_the_cribber]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

Have to agree. And Zelensky is getting paid handsomely. There will be a resolution eventually that puts the whole thing in perspective. Ukraine are a puppet though. And the money-0laundering cannot be put at risk.

Paid by whom? Paid enough to be the target of Russian hitsquads who wanted to take him and his family out at the beginning of the war? Zelenksy has implemented many corruption reforms, he is an honest man. To imply that he's conducting this war for profit is an insult to everyone who believes in the rule of law and Democracy.

Ukraine is nobody's puppet as they're showing on the battlefield. If you haven't noticed, the reason that the entire Warsaw Pact has left Russia's sphere of influence is because they hated the stifling oppression of the USSR and their various local secret police. They were happy to trade hardcore socialism for free elections, Democracy, travel freedom, economic prosperity, a free press and many other benefits. Ukraine wanted to follow this path. However, Putin wanted a distraction from his corruption, so he mistakenly thought a short war would help. However, he underestimated the resolve of Ukraine NOT to become a puppet state.

You have got this situation so back to front.

[banjo]

While I certainly don't think of Zelensky as the "bad guy" especially in comparison to Putin I have to balk at the idea of any politician being "honest" particularly one whose former career was as an actor.

[TheRiverCityHippy]

Depleted uranium munitions now being supplied from the west to Ukraine. Looks like scorched-earth tactics which will leave Ukrainian soil deadly for decades, and lead to all sorts of oncological diseases and birth defects in due course.

It really is upping the ante now, blowing up pipelines and using radioactive shells.

In time, when the Ukrainian male population is practically zero, I wonder how they will reflect on the western 'help'. They are mere weapon-delivery guys at this point, because the west need meat sacks to fire these $60,000k rockets, so they can supply more.

I don't think I've ever seen a lower opinion of Biden, America and in particular the dollar, in my entire life?

Have to agree. And Zelensky is getting paid handsomely. There will be a resolution eventually that puts the whole thing in perspective. Ukraine are a puppet though. And the money-0laundering cannot be put at risk.

Paid by whom? Paid enough to be the target of Russian hitsquads who wanted to take him and his family out at the beginning of the war? Zelenksy has implemented many corruption reforms, he is an honest man. To imply that he's conducting this war for profit is an insult to everyone who believes in the rule of law and Democracy.

Ukraine is nobody's puppet as they're showing on the battlefield. If you haven't noticed, the reason that the entire Warsaw Pact has left Russia's sphere of influence is because they hated the stifling oppression of the USSR and their various local secret police. They were happy to trade hardcore socialism for free elections, Democracy, travel freedom, economic prosperity, a free press and many other benefits. Ukraine wanted to follow this path. However, Putin wanted a distraction from his corruption, so he mistakenly thought a short war would help. However, he underestimated the resolve of Ukraine NOT to become a puppet state.

You have got this situation so back to front.

Is this the same Zelensky thats mentioned in the Panama papers?

[conan_the_cribber]

Have to agree. And Zelensky is getting paid handsomely. There will be a resolution eventually that puts the whole thing in perspective. Ukraine are a puppet though. And the money-0laundering cannot be put at risk.

Paid by whom? Paid enough to be the target of Russian hitsquads who wanted to take him and his family out at the beginning of the war? Zelenksy has implemented many corruption reforms, he is an honest man. To imply that he's conducting this war for profit is an insult to everyone who believes in the rule of law and Democracy.

Ukraine is nobody's puppet as they're showing on the battlefield. If you haven't noticed, the reason that the entire Warsaw Pact has left Russia's sphere of influence is because they hated the stifling oppression of the USSR and their various local secret police. They were happy to trade hardcore socialism for free elections, Democracy, travel freedom, economic prosperity, a free press and many other benefits. Ukraine wanted to follow this path. However, Putin wanted a distraction from his corruption, so he mistakenly thought a short war would help. However, he underestimated the resolve of Ukraine NOT to become a puppet state.

You have got this situation so back to front.

Is this the same Zelensky thats mentioned in the Panama papers?

No that was Putin and his buddies you moron.

[conan_the_cribber]

While I certainly don't think of Zelensky as the "bad guy" especially in comparison to Putin I have to balk at the idea of any politician being "honest" particularly one whose former career was as an actor.

Hi Banjo,

here's an article about Ukraine's war on corruption. It seems, under the guidance of Zelensky, they're really having a go at fixing it. Basically, public servants are being vetted like never before and bigwigs of government are being fired if they indulge in corruption. During war-time, the public just won't stand for money being siphoned off.

So, yeah, I think he's an honest man.

cheers

conan

Ukraine is widely assumed to be preparing a spring offensive to take back lost territory from Russian invaders. In the meantime, President Volodymyr Zelensky has already launched another offensive of great importance to the country’s future. He is battling what Andrii Borovyk, executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, described to me, in a telephone interview from Kyiv, as “our internal enemy number one: corruption.”

The enemy might be internal, but the issue has serious implications for Ukraine’s international relations. In the United States, for example, Republican critics of Ukraine often cite corruption as a reason not to give Kyiv a “blank check.” Ukrainian leaders realize they are almost totally dependent on foreign aid and are keenly aware of the damage that any scandal could do to their country’s future.

In recent weeks, the Zelensky government has taken action against a number of senior officials who were accused of wrongdoing. Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov was fired and arrested after a Ukrainian news site reported that the armed forces were paying double and triple the market prices for foods such as eggs and potatoes. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov’s job was also in jeopardy from the scandal — he was accused of lax management, rather than corruption — although he seems to have survived for now.


A deputy infrastructure minister, Vasyl Lozynsky, was fired and put under house arrest after prosecutors claimed he had taken a $400,000 bribe in connection with the purchase of electrical generators that Ukraine desperately needs to recover from Russian attacks on its electrical infrastructure.

Even more significant — because it hit closer to home — was the forced resignation of Zelensky’s own deputy chief of staff, Kyrylo Tymoshenko. He was reported to have commandeered an SUV that had been donated by General Motors for humanitarian purposes for his personal use, and he had been spotted driving a new Porsche, costing about $100,000, which belonged to a prominent businessman. Several regional governors close to Tymoshenko, who oversaw regional policy, were also sacked.

Perhaps the most significant move of all was the raid that Ukrainian security forces conducted on Feb. 1 at the home of billionaire oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Zelensky’s most influential backers and the owner of the television network that made Zelensky a star by airing his comedy series, “Servant of the People.” A former regional governor, Kolomoisky had been placed under U.S. sanctions in 2021 because of his alleged involvement in “significant corruption,” but he had been considered untouchable in Ukraine — until now. It remains unclear, however, whether he will be charged with any crimes.

Corruption remains a serious problem in Ukraine, but Transparency International reports that real progress has been made in recent years. Ukraine is still assessed as more corrupt than neighbors such as Poland and Romania, but it is considerably less corrupt than Russia — whose badly led and badly equipped army is paying the price for so much high-level peculation. Surveys show that the number of Ukrainians who reported paying a bribe in the previous year fell from 27 percent in 2013 to 19 percent in 2021.

Borovyk told me that progress has continued since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022; Ukraine is one of the few countries in the world to improve its corruption score in the past year. He marveled that even in the first few months of the war — when Kyiv was in danger of falling — the anti-corruption courts continued to function in the capital. “Even for me, it sounds weird,” Borovyk acknowledged. “I was in Kyiv all the time, and I remembered what it was like, but they continued working.”

Ironically, Ukrainian attempts to root out corruption only serve to elevate the issue in the West and provide further fodder for Republican critics of U.S. aid to Ukraine. In fact, U.S. and European officials say they have found no evidence of any foreign aid being siphoned off in Ukraine, but the United States does have painful experience in the recent past with how U.S. aid for an embattled ally can be misused.

In Afghanistan, as Sarah Chayes detailed in her book “Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security,” pervasive corruption fueled by U.S. spending helped to undermine popular support for the Kabul regime. History cannot be allowed to repeat itself in Ukraine, and so far it isn’t.

In Afghanistan, corruption was a product of tribalism. In Ukraine, it is a legacy of the old Soviet system. In most of the former Soviet republics, the end of communism created a new class of oligarchs who became fabulously wealthy by appropriating state assets and utilizing the power of the state against their rivals. Russian President Vladimir Putin has fueled corruption by spreading around vast numbers of rubles to buy influence in Kyiv, among many other places.

The fight against graft in Ukraine began in earnest in 2014 after the Revolution of Dignity toppled a pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych. The Ukrainian parliament established corruption-fighting institutions — the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the High Anti-Corruption Court — with help from Western governments. By one count, Ukraine has passed 127 laws against corruption since 2015.

“Ukraine has the most intrusive asset-declaration policy in the world,” William B. Taylor Jr., a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told me. “Government officials must list assets — cars, apartments, watches, cash — owned by them or members of their families. And the declarations are available online for aggressive journalists to compare to the officials’ salaries.”

Of course, it’s one thing to have institutions in place to fight corruption; it’s another thing to utilize them. John Herbst, another former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told me that “there were serious steps taken against corruption” in the first year of Petro Poroshenko’s presidency (2014-2015) and the first year of Zelensky’s presidency (2019-2020). Then, in both cases, the anti-corruption fight lagged behind other priorities, and there was a return to business as usual.

Now, Zelensky seems to be making the battle against graft a priority once again. He is aided by a free press and civil society organizations that uncover official wrongdoing in ways that would never be permitted in Russia. There is less tolerance now for officials lining their own pockets when Ukraine is fighting for its very survival and tens of thousands of Ukrainians have given their lives for the country.

Ultimately, Herbst told me, the “big blow against corruption” will be struck only if Ukraine wins the war and makes real progress toward European Union membership. The lure of joining the E.U. made it possible to overcome entrenched interests and clean up corruption in other Eastern European states that were once under Moscow’s thumb, and it will be no different in Ukraine. But in the meantime, Zelensky is showing that he is serious about preventing corruption from undermining the Ukrainian war effort.

[Bodyshot3]

I think China will be ecstatic with a weakened Russia, weakened USA, and weakened EU.

I think that might rather be the answer to my long-winded post Seamus

Xi is happier with an increasingly compliant, junior and "owing" partner like Putin and also a stressed West who are kept out of his backyard/plans.

I also suspect that Xi does not want the scenario of Russia imploding-fragmenting. That's a headache.

That's not just about the oil-gas scenario but a truly huge shared border along the River Amur and China wanting one point of contact and also access to the Russian East for its own goods and services.

Colin Thubron wrote a brilliant book about this recently which underlined how China has put serious investment into the Russian Far East and it is a lucrative export zone but also a source of raw materials China badly needs.

That vast, shared border region is something Xi must be aware of....it matters and needs to be kept predictable.

[conan_the_cribber]

I think China will be ecstatic with a weakened Russia, weakened USA, and weakened EU.

I think that might rather be the answer to my long-winded post Seamus

Xi is happier with an increasingly compliant, junior and "owing" partner like Putin and also a stressed West who are kept out of his backyard/plans.

I also suspect that Xi does not want the scenario of Russia imploding-fragmenting. That's a headache.

That's not just about the oil-gas scenario but a truly huge shared border along the River Amur and China wanting one point of contact and also access to the Russian East for its own goods and services.

Colin Thubron wrote a brilliant book about this recently which underlined how China has put serious investment into the Russian Far East and it is a lucrative export zone but also a source of raw materials China badly needs.

That vast, shared border region is something Xi must be aware of....it matters and needs to be kept predictable.

I think those two points are the major reasons. If Russia implodes then several of the autonomous Republics in Russia could strive for independence. That could set off some like-minded areas of China. Xi definitely doesn't want that.

And having a heavily armed neighbour being indebted to you, is a lot better than having a heavily armed neighbour being angry at you.

However, I don't share the view that the war has made the USA or Europe weaker. The USA is getting a shit tonne of information about modern warfare and how their toys perform. And Europe has woken up from their slumber and realised that war can be awfully close. They've cut their dependencies on Russia, resolved to increase their defence spending and have been generally very supportive of countries that are also on the front line e.g. Estonia. I think Europe emerges much stronger after this war than before it.

[Coco]

It can be about all four. Russia is clearly the aggressor and provoker here.

It was only yesterday that they announced the death penalty in Uganda for homosexuality.
No push for regime change there!! However if they were oil rich.......

It's funny when people criticize the neocon US, they often do it by suggesting we become more neocon. Difference is that Uganda is not attacking other nations, as far as I know at least.

It's the hypocrisy that's gets me, obv don't take it as any defence of Putin.
As Western intervention has anything to do with freedom and democracy.

[KiwiRider]

No way does the American governments sponsors want peace in the Ukraine.
It's the ultimate scam, make a fortune funded by the taxpayers ti have a war with someone else's people in another county.
Bloody goldmine

[Tony1244]

It was only yesterday that they announced the death penalty in Uganda for homosexuality.
No push for regime change there!! However if they were oil rich.......

It's funny when people criticize the neocon US, they often do it by suggesting we become more neocon. Difference is that Uganda is not attacking other nations, as far as I know at least.

It's the hypocrisy that's gets me, obv don't take it as any defence of Putin.
As Western intervention has anything to do with freedom and democracy.

I think you're being a bit of an absolutist. It would be wrong to suggest that Western intervention has never tried to be moral. There are people and countries that the West has actually legitimately helped. It would also be wrong to suggest that the West (or any nation or group) is morally pure. That would also be a joke.

Communism, for example, is hardly freedom, so I would not say the cold war was 100% immoral. Russia is the bad guy here and was during the cold war.

Did we treat the native Indians horribly? Totally. Were the Iraq wars immoral at worst and botched at best? Absolutely. Is there a lot of bigotry in the West? Through the roof.