Ukraine Invasion Part 12

[MagicFox]

I see the other thread is filling up so starting the twelfth...

Thanks magic

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Thank you for the new thread @MagicFox
Plaice matting

Thank you and what a fantastic level conversation this is

Thank you

Thanks @MagicFox

Thanks @MagicFox

Thank you! I asked on the other thread near the end but think it got lost
Belarus potentially invading tonight (sky news reporting this) how much does this escalate the situation?
Sorry for the stupid question

Thanks

@Wingingthis I don’t think it will make much difference to be honest. I can’t see why it would as everyone already knew they were aligned with Russia.

I could be wrong though

I actually had to leave the house for work today so just checking in and catching up. What's this about Belarus? They're joining in with the Russians? Please no. -although I'm not bloody surprised-

I mean obviously they were already completely siding with Russia but still...

Do they have a big army force then?

Interesting about the people not talking about it in real life- for me that’s actually the opposite, in fact all of my colleagues are totally horrified at what is happening. I suppose if you watch the news regularly you can’t miss it and if you have a natural curiosity about global affairs it’s pretty much the focus of the world right now. There will of course be those who find it difficult to follow for various reasons and will deliberately try to focus on other events.

I noticed Covid is also slowly creeping back into the headlines as well, Deltacron…

Thank you for these threads. They have provided some balance to the media reports. I’m very disappointed in the BBC reporting, normally they are calm and balanced but their headlines seem to be deliberately stoking fear (for example Chernobyl wasn’t at risk of overheating according to international experts but you wouldn’t think that from the BBC headlines). I’m firmly anti war and worry about how media freedom is being curtailed here in the UK to support ‘our side’ whilst condemning Russia doing the same. We need the world to be open and interdependent to stop these types of wars not new blockades put between ordinary people in the ‘west’ and Russia who have so much in common.

This is rather interesting:

twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177

(I haven't seen myself so the usual caveats)

Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion.

Many Russian elites are dissatisfied with the war. But these two could not say it spontaneously. This show is pre-recorded and carefully orchestrated. Which means that these discussions were approved and permitted.

I think right now the Russian messaging is all over the place, there is a bit of softening in some places but then really aggressive rhetoric and digging in around key cities.

I think it's basically keeping all options open as talks continue (and there is talking going on that we don't know about) and also gauging public reaction to certain arguments.

I don't think we should be overly hopeful but it shows that the situation is in flux. There is some weighing of options going on in Russia.

Yes as I was saying earlier, people I’ve been in contact with don’t seem to be talking about it.

If they are, it’s to say how awful it is for the people in Ukraine, but basically it isn’t happening here so we need to worry about our own stuff.

Most people I know are much more concerned about the petrol price increase and the increase in the cost of living! That seems the biggest topic of conversation.

Zelensky is looking so tired. I can't imagine how tired they all are

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All my colleagues, family and friends talk about this non-stop in England and Hungary. We talk about nothing else...

Agnes where I work conversation dips in and out but people are all on different pages with their depth of knowledge eg many get snippets of news some go more in depth so it's not easy in an office environment for a conversation bar... what's happened now , poor people, evil Putin.

I've had more in depth conversation with my closer colleagues.

My DH doesn't like to talk about it.

@AgnesWestern
The most fearful time I can remember was the 9/11 attacks and all the stuff with Bin Laden

Much worse for the Iraqis. “The first scientific study of the human cost of the Iraq war suggests that at least 100,000 civilians have lost their lives since their country was invaded in March 2003. More than half of those who died were women and children killed in air strikes, researchers say.” (Lancet, October 2004).

So likely more than 50,000 civilian deaths from US bombs in an 18 month period. Of course we’ll never know anything like the true figures, because the West didn’t care enough to count Iraqi children and civilians who were killed in their war of aggression.

@Nikkiten
I’m very disappointed in the BBC reporting, normally they are calm and balanced but their headlines seem to be deliberately stoking fear

The BBC has never been calm and balanced in my lifetime at the very least, and I was born in the 1980s.