4 ms·

Seems like Putin missed a trick by not kicking this off in November. With a whole winter of gas supply issues in store the EU would be walking on egg shells eve

Seems like Putin missed a trick by not kicking this off in November. With a whole winter of gas supply issues in store the EU would be walking on egg shells even more than they have been. Regardless, it seems like a small price to pay for solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

netsharc 5y ago
Also, it's almost spring... Although I did wake up to snow on the ground this morning. Seems like Putin didn't want to piss off Xi by starting a war before/during Xi's "look at how great we are" Olympic Games.
- mmastrac 5y ago
  I felt like this year's games disappeared in all the news: pandemic, truckers, Ukraine
  - dgut 5y ago
    To be fair... Winter Olympics don't typically get much attention, this year was an exception and it actually got _more_ attention.
- hh3k0 5y ago
  > Seems like Putin didn't want to piss off Xi by starting a war before/during Xi's "look at how great we are" Olympic Games. And it'd seem that Putin favors dates like 22.02.2022 for some strange reason. Russia launched their full-scale invasion of Georgia on 08.08.2008, too.
  - JumpCrisscross 5y ago
    Dear god, if this all turns out in the end to be the fancy of some Rasputinesque numerologist with the Kremlin's ear...
  - HWR_14 5y ago
    Also explains why he had to go big this invasion. There is no march 33 to look forward to.
    - dogma1138 5y ago
      03:03:2033 Baltics RSVP then…
zx85wes 5y ago
I think he was hoping to avoid this war. It was an option, obviously, but not a preferred one. https://www-bazonline-ch.translate.goog/abschreckende-kriegsrhetorik-ist-ein-sehr-gefaehrliches-spiel-167313753878?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp https://www-bazonline-ch.translate.goog/abschreckende-kriegs...
- blackhaz 5y ago
  He could have and can still stop the invasion at any time. Don't paint him as having to do something "inevitable."
- rectang 5y ago
  This link reads to me like Putin propaganda justifying an unprovoked invasion by claiming Russia as the supposed victim of western aggression.
  - zx85wes 5y ago
    You can blame the experts (do google their backgrounds) cited in that article for trying to avoid this war.
    - BipolarCapybara 5y ago
      So, it was unavoidable for Putin yo invade Ukraine because a few countries were joining a military club he doesn't like? And shelling and using clusters bomb on civilians was also unavoidable?
hollerith 5y ago
Hard to fight a war in bitter cold although that is less of a problem when the entire force has vehicles than it was during Napolean's invasion. I am curious why he didn't wait longer. Maybe he chose now to make the crossing of rivers easier. Also, ISTR that when the snow melts the roads there get so muddy they are almost unusable.
ed_balls 5y ago
Dec-Feb is better cause the ground is frozen so the heavy machinery won't be stuck in mud. Currently is warm, Russian army has a problem and have to use roads for tanks, which means they are easer pickings.

netsharc 5y ago

Also, it's almost spring... Although I did wake up to snow on the ground this morning. Seems like Putin didn't want to piss off Xi by starting a war before/during Xi's "look at how great we are" Olympic Games.

mmastrac 5y ago
I felt like this year's games disappeared in all the news: pandemic, truckers, Ukraine
- dgut 5y ago
  To be fair... Winter Olympics don't typically get much attention, this year was an exception and it actually got _more_ attention.
hh3k0 5y ago
> Seems like Putin didn't want to piss off Xi by starting a war before/during Xi's "look at how great we are" Olympic Games. And it'd seem that Putin favors dates like 22.02.2022 for some strange reason. Russia launched their full-scale invasion of Georgia on 08.08.2008, too.
- JumpCrisscross 5y ago
  Dear god, if this all turns out in the end to be the fancy of some Rasputinesque numerologist with the Kremlin's ear...
- HWR_14 5y ago
  Also explains why he had to go big this invasion. There is no march 33 to look forward to.
  - dogma1138 5y ago
    03:03:2033 Baltics RSVP then…

zx85wes 5y ago

I think he was hoping to avoid this war. It was an option, obviously, but not a preferred one. https://www-bazonline-ch.translate.goog/abschreckende-kriegsrhetorik-ist-ein-sehr-gefaehrliches-spiel-167313753878?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp https://www-bazonline-ch.translate.goog/abschreckende-kriegs...

blackhaz 5y ago
He could have and can still stop the invasion at any time. Don't paint him as having to do something "inevitable."
rectang 5y ago
This link reads to me like Putin propaganda justifying an unprovoked invasion by claiming Russia as the supposed victim of western aggression.
- zx85wes 5y ago
  You can blame the experts (do google their backgrounds) cited in that article for trying to avoid this war.
  - BipolarCapybara 5y ago
    So, it was unavoidable for Putin yo invade Ukraine because a few countries were joining a military club he doesn't like? And shelling and using clusters bomb on civilians was also unavoidable?

hollerith 5y ago

Hard to fight a war in bitter cold although that is less of a problem when the entire force has vehicles than it was during Napolean's invasion. I am curious why he didn't wait longer. Maybe he chose now to make the crossing of rivers easier. Also, ISTR that when the snow melts the roads there get so muddy they are almost unusable.

ed_balls 5y ago

Dec-Feb is better cause the ground is frozen so the heavy machinery won't be stuck in mud. Currently is warm, Russian army has a problem and have to use roads for tanks, which means they are easer pickings.