Russia. No brainer.Nasheed here.
A month and no reply ?
looks like Putin was correct and everyone would get over it in the west.
I am curious if most people here are on the Ukraine or Russia side?
I’m undecided.
The Finnish Prime Minister that pushed for NATO membership, Sanna Marin, just got voted out of office, tooStill going.
In the latest update, Finland has officially joined NATO. Keep in mind that one of the reasons Russia invaded Ukraine was out of fear that Ukraine would join NATO putting NATO on Russia's border. Finland is also on Russia's border so mission failed. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the main reason Finland's petition for membership was sped up.
Russia has responded by saying that this is an assault on Russia, and they will take tactical and strategic countermeasures.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are comparatively minor players in terms of military strength. They aren't nearly as strategically important as Ukraine or Finland either. Russia was very unhappy when they joined NATO, of course, and there has been excellent reasons Finland have stayed out of it until now. Ukraine is a whole other story.The Finnish Prime Minister that pushed for NATO membership, Sanna Marin, just got voted out of office, too
And NATO was already on Russia's borders with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
When it comes to NATO and the projection of military power, only the US counts... Finland is not being accepted because of manpower or equipment but it's proximity to Russia and the American desire to encircle RussiaEstonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are comparatively minor players in terms of military strength. They aren't nearly as strategically important as Ukraine or Finland either. Russia was very unhappy when they joined NATO, of course, and there has been excellent reasons Finland have stayed out of it until now. Ukraine is a whole other story.
Ranked by military strength:
Russia is 2nd
Ukraine is 15th, just ahead of Australia
Finland is 51st, just after Denmark
Lithuania is 93rd, Latvia is 95th, and Estonia is 105th, just after NZ.
According to https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing.php
A lot of these towns in Eastern Ukraine don't really exist anymore... Bakhmut, Avdeevka, Marinka, Rubizhne, Popasnaya, Ugledar, Soledar etc. are just blown up concrete rubbleHow much is a town in Ukraine worth to Russia?
Somewhat disagree. It is nice when things are as simple as you've described, but reality is rarely that. Finland and Sweden have steadfastly remained neutral throughout, all the way since WW2, despite all of the things that happened in the Cold war. The invitation has been there, but NATO leadership has mostly understood and respected their reasons for staying neutral. The reason this has changed is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia has itself to blame.When it comes to NATO and the projection of military power, only the US counts... Finland is not being accepted because of manpower or equipment but it's proximity to Russia and the American desire to encircle Russia
If you mean Bakhmut, not much at all. It's not a strategic town for either side. But whoever wins the town will win the moral victory. That's the reason they are fighting so hard over it.How much is a town in Ukraine worth to Russia?
I still don't understand WTFIf you mean Bakhmut, not much at all. It's not a strategic town for either side. But whoever wins the town will win the moral victory. That's the reason they are fighting so hard over it.
Interestingly, you claim I am being too simplistic in my position and then don't respond to what I actually wrote, namely, that from a military perspective, only the US really counts militarily in NATO with much of Europe RIGHTFULLY enjoying the peace dividend following the end of the Cold War and that the US has deliberately looked to politically and militarily encircle Russia beginning in the 1990's when Russia was technically an allySomewhat disagree. It is nice when things are as simple as you've described, but reality is rarely that. Finland and Sweden have steadfastly remained neutral throughout, all the way since WW2, despite all of the things that happened in the Cold war. The invitation has been there, but NATO leadership has mostly understood and respected their reasons for staying neutral. The reason this has changed is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia has itself to blame.
Russia also has itself to blame for the developments in Ukraine. As much as the US has been brutal in various theatres around the world, and has taken advantage where it should not, and absolutely has blood on its hands, Russia has been many times worse in the areas of the world it has sought to control. Ukraine has been subjected to huge levels of corruption, led by Russian puppets such as Viktor Yanukovych. The level of Russian meddling is what has led to where we are now, the Ukrainian people rejected Russian meddling, in fact they've done so several times, notably when their months of protests against the puppet Yanukovych led to him fleeing to Russia in early 2014. Given the power that the West wields, and its history of misuse of the power, you have to be very bad indeed to make the West look preferable in the eyes of a population of people like the Ukrainians.
RubbishIf you mean Bakhmut, not much at all. It's not a strategic town for either side. But whoever wins the town will win the moral victory. That's the reason they are fighting so hard over it.
Rubbish
EDIT: Bakhmut is a well fortified town and part of a line of defensive positions from Seversk in the north, along Soledar, Bakhmut and down to Horlivka(?)... Bakhmut is a logistics hub with a lot of road and rail arteries passing through it... If/when Bakhmut falls, there is little natural barriers between Bakhmut and Kramatorsk & Slavyansk (open steppe pretty much) which will be the last battles of Donbass... and it is a war of attrition and so, the Russians are trying to destroy as many Ukrainian soldiers and equipment in Bakhmut as possible... there are commentators referring to Bakhmut as the biggest battle of the 21st Century
President Zelensky Is Not A Billionaire. So How Much Is He Worth?Yanukovych was obviously corrupt, but everyone is in Ukraine or was Zelensky such a brilliant actor and comedian to earn himself a $500+ million fortune...