Meanwhile back in Ukraine

Small Team Bacsi said:
How about the most likely——he was on the plane and is now dead. And I don’t find that a bit hard to believe. Lots of senior Russians have been dying in a variety of ways.

I do wonder why the crash? Accidents do happen. And this seems like a messy way to kill him.
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As a public display that Putin will stop at nothing, including killing Innocents in the process
 
kinnem said:
As a public display that Putin will stop at nothing, including killing Innocents in the process
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I trust you mean that the other occupants were (possibly) innocents. This guy was certainly not.
If the "shot down by air defense" claim is true, the ultimate irony will be if they used the same SA-11 battery he used to shoot down Malaysian Flt 17 over Ukraine in 2014.
 
Day-Tripper said:
The Ukrainian army has gone from being one which surrendered its Crimean peninsula to Russia without firing a shot in 2014, to one of the best land forces on earth by 2022-2023. Its economy and cities are in ruins, but the Ukrainians are not anywhere near ready to quit. Simply holding back the Russian military has morphed into a scenario where the Ukrainians might be in a position to outright defeat Putin's legions & drive the from their soil.

Russia has been in many wars over the decades and centuries but has not really lost a conflict (excepting Afghanistan, where they - like so many other foreign invaders - simply got tired and quit) since World War One. Now, they may be on the cusp of another defeat. The Russian army simply cannot go on like this forever. Their 1917-like moment may not be too far off. The Wagner Group (a shadow army, more than anything) and the Russian army may come to blows. Desertion remains a constant problem. Draft evasion is commonplace. Alcoholism is growing worse, even by Russia's relaxed standards. Officers fear their own troops & those troops fear their own officers. ,The economic woes of the country worsen every day.

The last 15 months have proven that Ukraine will never, ever again surrender their independence to being a province of Greater Russia.

Ukrainians fight without pay for the cause of their nation merely existing. They lose, their country vanishes off the map.

Russians fight for money, or to get put of prison, or out of fear of not fighting. Not a recipe for success.

The death of the Soviet Union may not have been 1991 after all. It might be later this year.
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Opened this thread for the first time and saw this post. Thought I was reading ice cold takes for a minute.
 
Saw a short article where it’s claimed the flight attendant in that flight made a call shortly before take off saying they had some unusual and unexplained mechanical work being done on the plane.

I do understand the appeal putin has for some Americans. He is certainly a person of action.
 
cb7893 said:
What are the betting options for how/when Putin leaves office?
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At this particular point in time I'd say the odds are rather low.
1. The Ruskies seem to be holding their own at present, and
2. He just discouraged anyone from attempting it.
My money is on him staying until at least mid-2024 and that assumes there is a new President who won't keep slow-walking aid.
 
kinnem said:
At this particular point in time I'd say the odds are rather low.
1. The Ruskies seem to be holding their own at present, and
2. He just discouraged anyone from attempting it.
My money is on him staying until at least mid-2024 and that assumes there is a new President who won't keep slow-walking aid.
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I am thinking probably only illness takes him out of office. If the over/under was 5.5 years I would hammer the over.
 
Regardless of how Putin leaves the stage, the succession struggle will be the stuff of legend and no one has better succession struggles than the Russians.

It would be a good time to rewatch The Death Of Stalin. If you don't know the history well, be prepared hit the pause button to google the main the main players to see how They ended up.
 
I honestly think the weakness of potential contenders is part of the reason so few Russians are eager to press the issue. I mean clearly there is discontent, but nothing like action from the class of folks that have a chance to take over (eg oligarchs, ex-KGB, any remaining military, etc.) Not knowing my Soviet history, has there been a time with such a weak foundation for major change?
 
cb7893 said:
Regardless of how Putin leaves the stage, the succession struggle will be the stuff of legend and no one has better succession struggles than the Russians.

It would be a good time to rewatch The Death Of Stalin. If you don't know the history well, be prepared hit the pause button to google the main the main players to see how They ended up.
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Heck, watch anything about the Czars prior to the nineteenth century. Succession struggles and escapades are a Russian tradition. There are some good documentaries, in Russian, on Prime.
 
Putin is a man who is willing to bend the constitution to give himself limitless power, and he has a well-spring of support from the wealthy oligarchs who profit from his leadership style. He has demonstrated that he operates in a manner that only keeps him wealthy and the government and the people are there to serve him. His appeal to Russians is that he will restore Russian greatness.....sort of "Make Russia Great Again".

There are others in Russia that want to move the country back toward something seemingly moderate. But the red meat appeal of the shirtless Russian bear riding horseback and wrestling tigers and all that jazz seems to appeal to the common folk there.

I'm glad that we don't have any of those types of issues over here in our country. (Takes a slow sip from his Irish coffee and waits to enjoy some popcorn as folks wonder where this thread is going.)
 
GWU PNS said:
Putin is a man who is willing to bend the constitution to give himself limitless power, and he has a well-spring of support from the wealthy oligarchs who profit from his leadership style. He has demonstrated that he operates in a manner that only keeps him wealthy and the government and the people are there to serve him. His appeal to Russians is that he will restore Russian greatness.....sort of "Make Russia Great Again".

There are others in Russia that want to move the country back toward something seemingly moderate. But the red meat appeal of the shirtless Russian bear riding horseback and wrestling tigers and all that jazz seems to appeal to the common folk there.

I'm glad that we don't have any of those types of issues over here in our country. (Takes a slow sip from his Irish coffee and waits to enjoy some popcorn as folks wonder where this thread is going.)
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“Some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” 🤣🤣🤣
 
GWU PNS said:
Putin is a man who is willing to bend the constitution to give himself limitless power, and he has a well-spring of support from the wealthy oligarchs who profit from his leadership style. He has demonstrated that he operates in a manner that only keeps him wealthy and the government and the people are there to serve him. His appeal to Russians is that he will restore Russian greatness.....sort of "Make Russia Great Again".

There are others in Russia that want to move the country back toward something seemingly moderate. But the red meat appeal of the shirtless Russian bear riding horseback and wrestling tigers and all that jazz seems to appeal to the common folk there.

I'm glad that we don't have any of those types of issues over here in our country. (Takes a slow sip from his Irish coffee and waits to enjoy some popcorn as folks wonder where this thread is going.)
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I’m so glad as well that we don’t have those types….hold on a minute!
 
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