Tell me I didn't see a Russian warship sailing down the channel.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

On the news just now. wtf?

Thank you dingit. Some things I'm just too scared to read. I hardly dare put the news on these days.

Agreed. Utterly horrific behaviour from Russia in Syria. Just horrifying.

any boat/ship names??

I like Marine Traffic for spying on the floating things!

What does everyone think is going to happen? It is only a ship!

Is it all about Putin backing Trump?

Does Putin want the world to be afraid - and the U.S to vote Trump?

Only Trump gets on with Putin.

Surely there is more chance of peace then ink?

soap it's a flotilla of 8+ 2 Russian ships. The largest being an aircraft carrier, carrying - I think - 50 aircraft! They're on their way to bomb the fuck out of Aleppo. They're not on their way to make a friendly port call.
Inkanta on the news tonight Trump's opinion of Putin was ambivalent at best.

Why do they need to go via England to bomb Syria? And are they bombing Syria because of the gas pipeline?

My take is that they've chosen this route to rub our nose s in the fact that we can do sod all to stop them on their merry way to syria. A stand-off in the channel isn't really thinkable. But Putin will probably say, well, if you wanted to stop our ships you could have done something.

Exactly Errol they don't 'need' to come this way at all. They just wanted to show everyone that they can if they want to. They'll either come through tonight or tom morning, depending on weather in the Bay of Biscay.

I'm with soap. It's not like they've popped up in the UK they're "entering" everyone's waters to get to Syria- currently Norway. That's not a sign they're about to start war with Norway is it?

They've been illegally invading airspace for years. They're just swinging dicks

They are in transit. Russian warships have done this since the 50s its just unusual its an aircraft carrier and its been the 80s since that happened.

A group passed through in 2014 www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30248305

If you are the Russian fleet in the North or the Baltic then the sensible way to get to the Med is through the Channel. In a few days I predict several Russian warships will be seen near Gibralter.

There was a way of doing it and avoiding everyone's waters including Norway's.

They could have gone over the top, passed between Iceland and the north coast of Scotland staying out of everyone's way.

Fancy trailing warships through the channel, a narrow and busy waterway.

The Strait of Gibraltar is unavoidable but the channel was.

I presume it's passed through now? Clearly he's winding us up.

I'm with soap. It's not like they've popped up in the UK they're "entering" everyone's waters to get to Syria- currently Norway. That's not a sign they're about to start war with Norway is it?

Anyone else watch Occupied - a Norwegian drama series which imagined the covert/slow-burn invasion of Norway by Russia - earlier this year? It was a sobering watch. It's available on UK Netflix at the mo.

expected to go through this morning as far as I can tell from the news.

Of course nothing is going to happen from this, other than Syria experiencing yet more bombing, but it is a deliberate act of provocation.

The route to the West of the UK takes them past several NATO bases and through the Joint Warrior exercise area. That has just finished and best avoided because there will be debris.

If it is just a bit of dick swinging would we all be better off ignoring?

Apart from the fact that we don't own the channel ;) there is a Russian mentality of displaying bravado etc. which the Russian people like - Putin is very popular there because of his whole image of wrestling bears naked etc. The simple response is to treat them like a slightly naughty 7 year old boy - yes, very good, nice big muscles, now carry on with xyz...

Its not all going to be ok for those in Syria though is it those poor poor sods - no real end in sight to this.

Exactly, so a bit less of the winky faces and "I'm alright Jack" attitude wouldn't go a miss.

Those ships are on their way to slaughter civilians. Don't forget that.

Those poor people who are trapped there, as if they haven't seen enough killing under the evil Isis.

Didn't one of their ships (his only air craft carrier) have great big plooms of smoke coming off it? Putin won't like that being the sight the west see hopefully something awful happens to it with all his planes on board so it never gets to hurt Syria

I was amazed to read they only had one aircraft carrier. How embarrassing for them if it broke down.

dingit Thu 20-Oct-16 18:05:28

Fuck a picture tells a thousand words and isnt putin short???

It cant be helping with his short man complex to be over towered like that....