Putin Assembles Troops on the Ukrainian Border

I’m surprised a thread on this hasn’t been posted yet… anyway, here goes !

I’ve posted many times about the Russian pipeline, Nord Stream 2 and why it was one of the reasons I voted to leave the EU. It always has been a disaster waiting to happen and it looks like the many threads and posts I wrote about in the past have been justified.

Central to the crisis is the Ukraine, but its not quite easy to spot why. The reason (I think) the Ukraine is the centre of the crisis is because of Nord Stream 2. This is no land grab by Putin…

During the build of Nord Stream 2, the Ukraine was bypassed as a country for building the pipeline (it would have made more sense to go through it). Russia, instead went around the Ukraine, upsetting many human rights NGO’s (like Oxfam) because by doing this, they deny the Ukraine transit taxes (taxes levied in Russia by the Ukraine for transporting gas over their land). At the time, the EU (Merkel) should have demanded the Ukraine be used as a transit country not just because of transit taxes, saving money building the pipeline or human rights, but to protect the EU from Russia (by switching off Nord Stream 2) should they ever try to invade the Ukraine, preventing the Russian border advancing closer to the EU.

The beginning of the disaster happened way back, when the EU agreed to have a gas pipeline from Russia. Wind forward a few years and Putin has planted his troops on the Ukraine border, not to invade it (in my opinion), but to make a very clear point.

The reliance of Germany on Nord Stream 2 is critical. Without it, Germanys manufacturing stops, and when it does, it destroys the EU (it is built around Germanys manufacturing and the Euro is basically the Deutsch Mark in a different name). The Ukraine on the other hand, being a poor nation haven’t the military might to stop Putins advance as they have nothing to defend themselves with - they could have threatened Russia with switching off Nord Stream 2 at the Ukraine Border, and denying them revenues from EU gas sales but its simply not possible now that Ukraine has been bypassed. If he wanted to, Putin could take over the Ukraine easily enough but if the EU steps in to defend it, Putin switches off the gas.

To add to the EU’s woes the EU no longer controls UK foreign policy. Because of Brexit, the EU no longer can tell us what to do in order to defend/support the Ukraine …The UK is currently shipping weapons to the Ukraine to help it defend itself. The response from Germany (not the EU I might add) has been (not to support the UK - as a NATO member) but to deny the access of UK aircraft delivering weapons to the Ukraine from its airspace - breaching the Open Skies arrangement and breaking an international treaty. Germany can’t be seen to be threatening its own gas supplies by upsetting Russia. With Germany banning UK planes from Germanys airspace it not only demonstrates Germanys support for Russia but it is having the negative effect of upsetting a lot of nations in the UN because of the pending war that could arise (not to mention NATO). If NATO got involved it would place Germany in a huge political mess, being a NATO member itself.

I personally don’t think Russia has any intention of invading the Ukraine, Putin is simply making his point. Although Putins point may not be clear with EU citizens, it certainly is now and the EU is becoming more and more divided because of it. People are hearing the horrors of EU policy and can seeing them in full view on mainstream TV news stations. I think Putin is driving this message home raising awareness of the EU’s predicament and Russias dominance.

My view is that now, Germany is controlled by Russia and that means, the EU are also controlled by Russia, or more precisely, Putin.

All because Germany, through the Paris Agreement, COP26, the Green Lobby and through political pressure from the climate activists (mostly communists like Merkel), using climate disaster predictions from the same modelling computers used for COVID no doubt, happily got rid of their nuclear and fossil fuels power stations and became completely dependent on Russias gas to survive.

What could have possibly gone wrong ???

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Only to a man with a white stick and a dog. :dark_sunglasses:

Why don’t you write something based on your own opinions instead of silly jeering childish one liners.

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What I wrote was based on my own opinion. :slightly_smiling_face:

I agree with Bread’s synopsis, Putin is a bully and blackmailer par excellence.

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the rest of my reply was “silly jeering childish one liners”. You just can’t help yourself can you ?

Start your own thread.

He had also planned this for years.

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I wonder whose synopsis it was before he copied and pasted it. :thinking:

Big test imo from Putin to see the response from NATO .

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Hi

My personal view.

You have got to admire Putin for putting Russia first, something most of our Politicians are incapable of doing when it comes to putting Britain First.

Love him or hate him Putin always puts Russia first and he is definitely no idiot.

A lot of the Eastern Ukraine is Russian speaking, they would welcome him.

He knows Germany will not get involved Militarily, they do not even pay their share into NATO.

He knows he could roll up the Ukraine in a couple of weeks, but he could never hold it.

To hold land you need 10 times as many troops as you need to take it.

He cannot afford another Chechnya and the non Russian speaking Ukrainians will make his life hell.

The most he can plan for, and win, is to retake the Russian speaking East Ukraine.

He may well take this decision.

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All my own work.

Start your own thread if you want to be childish

I’m interested to see how often in recent media reports etc Ukraine (the country) is referred to as “the Ukraine” (the region). I’m sure I’ve posted this article in the past :

As for Putin, he is what it says on the tin.

An excellent post, Bread, and very interesting.

For one thing, I had seen maps showing the RAF flying materiel to the Ukraine and, for some reason, flying the long way around the north of Germany. I was not aware until you mentioned it that Germany had banned the RAF flying over its territory.
Perhaps, if they are in any trouble in the future, we should not send any of our forces to help them in return. Another reason not to help them is that they (and they are not alone) don’t pay their share into NATO.

As I’ve said before, I believe we should keep our noses out of this Ukraine business and certainly anything the EU gets itself involved in. I know the Ukraine is not an EU member, but if the Russians are thinking of expanding again (and I’m not convinced that they are) we should keep out of it for two reasons: firstly, it is none of our business, and secondly because successive governments have decimated our armed forces to the extent that we are not capable of fighting a full-scale war any more. The Falklands perhaps, but not a European war.

Finally, the Nordstream gas pipeline does not, I believe, supply us. If Russia cuts off the supply it would not affect us, so why should we endanger ourselves and the lives of our men if our politicians (who would not be risking their own skin of course) decided to send our forces to support the Ukraine and, incidentally, the EU?

Incidentally, I believe that the only reason to respond to, or even read, the posts of some members here is if they are of interest to me. So when a certain individual seems able only to post childish comments on a serious thread (naming no names), I feel perfectly justified in putting him (oops, what a giveaway!) on ignore.

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perhaps if Germany hadn’t closed a number of nuclear reactors as a kneejerk response to fukushima they would not be so reliant on Russian gas.

By the way the country is Ukraine. “the ukraine” was a province of the Soviet Union or whatever state governed that area in whichever century. Funny to keep seeing it.

Future wars won’t be fought via combat troops in the ways of old. I was reading today about the quantum apocalypse. I can well believe it.

The drums of war are certainly beating loudly. Let’s hope it is confined to Europe.

I don’t think Putin can afford a war, those troops on Ukraines border (thanks for the correction Annie) are more than likely being funded by China.

Its as if Merkels loyalties were will Moscow all along,

Once a communist always a communist.

(Thanks for the correction on Ukraine by the way).

We don’t want another 1938 and Czechoslovakia :lol:

Well let the mighty French and the rich Germans defend it then.
We’ve stuck our noses in once too often.

I don’t think the UK will get involved any more than they are now, just let Putin make his point and then he will back off and control the EU from Moscow.

Its no surprise we are suddenly investing 100’s of millions into nuclear power here in the UK.