Russian Tensions

April 2024 Forums General discussion Russian Tensions

Viewing 15 posts - 1,831 through 1,845 (of 5,150 total)
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  • #229542
    ALB
    Keymaster

    We keep on warning not to believe what you read in the Daily Wail at least not without checking it somewhere else, otherwise you can end repeating the Ukrainian propaganda it echos.

    This story, on the other hand, is obviously not Ukrainian propaganda (except for the tendentious subheading — the Grauniad is also pro-Ukraine if a bit more sophisticated) as it describes acts of kindness by Russian soldiers, including the Chechens:

    https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/13/the-invisible-ukrainian-who-walked-225km-to-safety-from-mariupol

    #229543
    ALB
    Keymaster

    It’s not a done deal yet:

    “Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan remarked to journalists after leaving Friday prayers in Istanbul that Turkey would not welcome either Sweden or Finland joining the Nato. ‘We are currently following developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we don’t feel positively about this,’ he said.(…) Accession to Nato requires consensus from all member countries.”

    #229544
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    But the US are already taking steps to lean on him.

    #229545
    ALB
    Keymaster

    Of course. He’ll be satisfied if Sweden renders a couple of PKK members. I would the PKK might have more to worry about if Sweden joined, though, come to think of it, they too are the US proxies, in Syria.

    #229546
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    The Athens Declaration

    We stand with the people of Ukraine, as we stand with every people suffering invasion, displacement and occupation.

    We demand an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian forces and a comprehensive Peace Treaty guaranteed by the European Union, the United States and Russia in the context of the United Nations.

    We urge respect for International Law and all refugees, who must have their rights protected and offered a place of safety regardless of ethnicity, religion etc.

    We oppose the division of the world in competing blocs that invest in rampant militarism, hyper-modern weapons of mass destruction and a New Cold War.

    We believe that lasting peace can be achieved only by replacing all military blocs with an inclusive international security framework that de-escalates tensions, expands freedoms, fights poverty, limits exploitation, pursues social and environmental justice and terminates the domination of one country by another.

    With these thoughts in mind, we call upon democrats across the world to join forces in a New Non-Aligned Movement. In this context, we view non-aligned, democratic and sovereign nations working together as the route to lasting peace and a world that can avert climate catastrophe and bequeath to the next generation a decent chance at creating the conditions for globally shared prosperity.

    https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/13/athens-declaration-calls-end-ukraine-war-and-creation-lasting-peace

    Fine sentiments but its realisation is very much something else and can be judged by the lack of coverage by the media.

    #229550
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    So will Greece also oppose Finnish/Swedish membership?

    #229554
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    The Athens declaration is pipedream, this war is producing a lot of benefits for the armaments and oil industries and instead of peace they want a long war

    #229555
    Anonymous
    Inactive
    #229556
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia on Friday set July 17 as a date for a referendum on joining Russia.

    https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220513-georgia-s-separatist-south-ossetia-region-to-hold-referendum-on-joining-russia

    #229563
    ALB
    Keymaster

    As that link mentioned, there were presidential elections there on 8 May which were won by an opposition party candidate. I don’t know whether or not this means that the place could be described as some sort of limited political democracy or what divides political opinion there. The size of the electorate suggests that the election was more like one for one small parliamentary constituency in Britain. According to Wikipedia the opposition candidate was less keen on joining Russia so the result of the referendum might not be a foregone conclusion.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_South_Ossetian_presidential_election

    #229565
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    So things are going to explode there now too?

    #229566
    ALB
    Keymaster

    I doubt it. I think they are more likely to in Britain’s own breakaway statelet across the Irish Sea.

    #229567
    ALB
    Keymaster

    Interview here by an Israeli journalist with one of the leaders of the Azov battalion holed up
    In that steelworks in which the journalist asks this relevant question:

    “In Zaporizhzhia, I met refugees from Mariupol and I spoke with people who were evacuated to Rostov in Russia. They all repeated the same claim that they were shot at from all directions while they were in the basements. They stressed that it wasn’t just the Russians who were shooting, but the Ukrainian soldiers as well – indiscriminately, at houses. I understand that when there are street battles, there isn’t really an alternative. The question is different: Was this worth it? Kherson, for example, surrendered without a battle, and it is occupied, but there weren’t victims there on a scale like this. Has the fierce defense of Mariupol been worth it?“

    To which of course there is only one answer.

    https://www.haaretz.com/amp/world-news/europe/.premium.MAGAZINE-azov-battalion-s-second-in-command-like-in-israel-there-is-also-terror-against-us-1.10796800

    #229583
    Thomas_More
    Participant

    Putin might feel it necessary to invade Finland to stop it entering NATO. A NATO Finland would be able to host US nuclear missiles.

    #229585
    Thomas_More
    Participant
Viewing 15 posts - 1,831 through 1,845 (of 5,150 total)
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