Boris Johnson to address nation as he describes Russian invasion as 'catastrophe for our continent

[Ponyclubkick]

Anyone finding the tone of this really quite terrifying...

I’m not one to get myself in a tizz over sensationalised news but this is starting to feel very different!

@FatFredsFriedEgg 4 legs good!

Get a bloody grip. Covid is finishing. You need to find a new obsession.

I am led to understand that covid finished last summer with freedom day and there haven't been any restrictions since then.

You remember when Bush declared Iraq 2 over on an aircraft carrier off the US coast?

@jgw1 After looking at what is happening to ukraine, I am grateful that Singapore still has military conscription. We cannot rely on the West to defend us, only ourselves. The last time we relied on the UK to protect Singapore (as a colony) in 1942, the UK lost us to the Japanese in 1 week!

And I am looking at the response of NATO to this invasion and I honestly think Putin is laughing at the proposed sanctions. Sanctions only really hurt if the economy is growing and Russia's economy is shockingly sub par (smaller than Italy even with natural resources of oil and gas). Putin doesn't care about sanctions, he only cares about how he would be remembered in the history books. Sadly, it seems Ukraine is on its own for now until the west steps up to do the right thing.

What does everyone think Putins threat about the retaliation being nothing like has even been seen before? What the hell is he planning?

What does national service teach you? Hand to hand combat, how to survive the outdoors etc? I'm not against that probably good for everyone to have basic survival skills but sudden conscription is another ball game imo.

France 24 coverage is good now. Quite up to date info on the banner headlines too. English version available.

Am giving UK coverage a rest. Cannot stand the double speak of Johnson, and he has little clout these days anyway.

Worrying times.

He isn't planning anything beyond what we are seeing ninny he is warning off NATO so he is clearly rattled at the prospect (as he should be)

@ninnynonny well it's threats re nukes I assume

Thank you. I'm not a panicker - grew up through the 80's but I'm feeling uneasy today!

I enjoyed Johnson, Starmer and Blackford's speech, I found it very reassuring, we can decide on our own news sources thanks xumaix

@Tigersonvaseline

So poor russian troops now have Chernobyl.

I say poor because I don't think for one second they went to fight.and risk being killed And now radio active.

One can stand in some areas within 200m of the exploded Chernobyl plant and receive a lower radioactive dose than on a long haul flight. Stand in the wrong place though and...

@ninnynonny

What does everyone think Putins threat about the retaliation being nothing like has even been seen before? What the hell is he planning?

He's threatening to nuke us.

[quote TheReluctantPhoenix]@RedToothBrush,

Putin is taking a massive risk if he cannot feed his army.

Hard enough to follow a man who has a $1 billion palace to attack a fellow nation. Even harder if you end up dining with ‘the enemy’.

I do think insurrection is a real threat to Putin. I hope the tanks turn around and head to Moscow.[/quote]
Why?

Theres a long history of Russian soldiers not being fed properly.

Training for the Russian army is brutal. As in really brutal.

And Putin always has another division to replace the ones on the ground.

My suspicion is really that Putin anticipates that the initial part of the invasion will be relatively swift, and it will then be then gorilla warfare fighting pockets of resistance but for the most part he can withdraw a lot of troops anyway.

Dictators don't usually value the lives of their citizens and view them as disposable and feeding them just enough is merely an expense and necessary evil to maintain their own power.

If anyone complains they are more likely to get a bullet in the head from a willing patriot who gets more to eat that night.

Putin would not want the whole of Russia reduced to ash, so it the nuclear threat is just that.

@veevee04,

He is, and probably bluffing. But I guess that is the whole point of nukes, a 0.01% chance of annihilating humanity is still terrifying.

Is Putin playing the madman or actually mad?

@Keepyourheadscrewedon

I enjoyed Johnson, Starmer and Blackford's speech, I found it very reassuring, we can decide on our own news sources thanks xumaix

Temper rising, tut tut. I enjoyed the UK coverage too, but am now watching F24 for a different perspective other than that of UK. Broadens the mind. That OK?

What if it wasn't Putin who funded Brexit?
What if it was other Russian actors. Is it now Putin's turn to be played. The Russian army is renowned for its efficiency and effectiveness. To go in unprepared is not what is expected. Maybe this is designed to destabilise Russian and get rid of Putin and communism. Then the Russian oligarchs can go home to a more pleasant regimen.

The one's I'd really want to watch are the Chinese. They play a long game, no worries about re-election. They would like to come out of this as the level headed peace makers port owners .

Anyone who really needs to get hot and frothy about poor suffering people, have a look at Yemen. Are we the goodies or the baddies? Or have we got some convoluted excuse as to why we are neither?

Ukraine has been somewhat unstable for a while. Why have the Minsk agreements not been implemented?

I wonder if the world billionaires are heading off to their bunkers in NZ

then gorilla warfare fighting pockets of resistance

Or even guerrilla warfare.

@leopooh

Your not wrong there - bankrupting the country over a fucking cold for the vast majority whilst lying and misleading people with ‘death rates’ and instilling the fear of god into people so that they now bang on and on about a post viral illness ‘disabling’ people’ was one of the worst most recent mistakes.

I think that's a bit unfair. Long covid is definitely something to be concerned about & we don't actually know the long term implications of having covid.

Whilst that’s true- that previous poster was suggesting that there wouldn’t be many people ‘left’ in Ukraine over 40 because they would all be dead or disabled from covid, which is just the ramblings of a deluded person who has taken the fear pill.

🦍

He is, and probably bluffing. But I guess that is the whole point of nukes, a 0.01% chance of annihilating humanity is still terrifying

There is a risk with any country armed with nuclear weapons, no matter how small.

I don't think it matters if is playing games or has actually lost his mind, I don't believe any of the bluster about nuclear war. He knows full well that Russia would be blown to the other side of the universe if he did anything like that. I am not worried about that at all.

@Blossomtoes

then gorilla warfare fighting pockets of resistance

Or even guerrilla warfare.

That too.

@leopooh in my home country (singapore), how to shoot, how to dig a trench, basic level of physical fitness (ability to complete 24 km route march with full gear and its compulsory to pass a physical fitness test every year until the age of 40- push-up, sit-up, chin-up, and 2.4 kilometres run), jungle warfare, how to survive in the wild, basic drills and also any other specialist training depending on vocation (infantry/navy etc etc). Also it is thought to build camaraderie between the different social classes/ethnic groups as you share a bunk with people from very different backgrounds and also train with them.

The UK doesn't need it thankfully. This is due to the EU and peace on the continent (until now). Its all very well to say that one is against conscription but its a luxury to have that viewpoint imho. A lot of smaller countries with unstable neighbors simply don't have that luxury. Look at poor Ukraine.

He's threatening to nuke us

But nuclear attacks have been seen before, or doesn't he realise that?