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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
'Even Putin's generals looked stunned: Military chiefs are caught in the headlights as Vlad orders his nuclear deterrent forces to go on 'alert' with a decree that shocked the world
2022-02-28
[MAIL] Vladimir Putin's closest advisers appeared perturbed when he dropped his bombshell about readying nuclear weapons yesterday.

The expressions of army general Valery Gerasimov and defence minister Sergey Shoygu were caught on camera as the Russian president put his atomic arsenal on stand-by.

A senior US defence official said last night Putin's step is 'potentially putting in play forces that if there's a miscalculation could make things much, much more dangerous'.

Posted by:Skidmark

#34  Just checking, but are y'all saying we're responsible for Putin's actions? Because he seems to be the one with the army and the bombs and the artillery right now.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2022-02-28 23:29  

#33  Go there yourselves and fight, you sick bastards
Gloating over innocent people's slaughter
Fuck you little cowards
Posted by: Herb Snaith3120   2022-02-28 23:21  

#32  War is Hell. We get it, truly. Why did Russia go charging beyond the Donbas without telling the first wave of soldiers that what they were engaged in was not merely a training exercise?

We do hope that some of you stick around after this is over for less emotion-fraught discussions on our mutual enemies in Syria and other interesting topics.
Posted by: trailing wife   2022-02-28 23:15  

#31  You and your hysterical propaganda rags want this to continue -- which means that there will only be thousands of corpses. Not yours. OURS. OUR RELATIVES AND OUR FRIENDS.

Take it up with the "propaganda rags."
Posted by: badanov   2022-02-28 23:07  

#30  Enjoy your new poverty Russian keyboard warrior. It is only the beginning.
Posted by: Angaiper Ulavins1210   2022-02-28 23:07  

#29  The Russians aren't in the "briar patch," you stupid fucks.
The UKRAINIANS are.

My close friend's parents' neighborhood was shelled today. You've seen pictures of the funeral of the civilians killed.
These are neighbors of her parents. We straddle both sides. -- she and her friends, my friends, our in-laws, cousins .. we cut across three countries, Russia and Ukraine and Belarus.

None of us wants this war to last. We all want peace.

You and your hysterical propaganda rags want this to continue -- which means that there will only be thousands of corpses. Not yours. OURS. OUR RELATIVES AND OUR FRIENDS.

It's not a fucking spectator sport for us like it is for you.

The Ukrainians are about to be slaughtered. And you assholes joke about "trolls."

Fuck you. You don't have the faintest idea what war means Fuck you sick bastards
Posted by: Bill Untervehr7873   2022-02-28 23:00  

#28  This is an existential issue for Russia.

That's stupid.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-02-28 22:09  

#27  Has your leadership gone insane?

Joe Biden was a fool in the prime of his life and now he is a feeble old fool who suffers from cognitive decline or dementia or whatever you speculate it might be. Sorry, but he is not up to the job. Would it be too much to ask if, for once in the history or our two great nations, the Russian would step up and be the better man? Or has Vlad lost his mind as well?

Maybe only God can save us now. Or maybe we are all doomed just because of two mad men.

OK, I just watched the video at the Daily Mail site in which Putin says NATO nations are threatening him so that he must put his nuclear deterrence on high alert.

That is pure bullshit. We will not be the first to use nuclear weapons and Putin has just forfeited all of the sympathy that many of us had for him. Many of us now believe that Putin has been in power for much too long now and it is time for some patriotic Russian who is in a more stable state of mind to take the helm.

But I think I see another problem. As I watched the video and read the subtitles I realized that, compared to the time it took me to read the subtitles, it was taking Putin a long time to say what he was saying in Russian. I would read the subtitle and then wait and wait and wait for the next subtitle. Believe me, I'm not a speed reader.

Ask yourself, compared to the number of syllables in the English language subtitles, how many syllables does the Russian language take to say the same thing?

The problem may be that your language is too cumbersome and it takes an extraordinary length of time to express your thoughts. I can't help wondering if, when you have to actually think in Russian, does it takes as long to think as it does to speak? This must be extremely difficult for you. My sympathy.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2022-02-28 18:31  

#26  #24 - Mod Snark O' The Day
Posted by: Frank G   2022-02-28 18:06  

#25  I laughed, then I cried.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-02-28 17:58  

#24  Well, well. The Russians are in the briar patch if they are screaming for Biden to pull them out. Who next? John Kerry?

James Taylor
Posted by: badanov   2022-02-28 17:54  

#23  /\ All of this Russian mischief is well beyond the cognitive abilities of Branden or his staff. They are simply attempting to avoid stepping on a turd as the process and Euro-drama unfolds.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-02-28 17:48  

#22  Well, well. The Russians are in the briar patch if they are screaming for Biden to pull them out. Who next? John Kerry?
Posted by: Ulolump Grumble1426   2022-02-28 17:46  

#21  Sorry, Team Brandon is busy saucing out appropriate covid protocols for bomb shelters and half the Air Force is out for 8 week child leave. We'll get back with you after the lid and SOTU poll numbers are digested but we promise you, the best political thinkers are on it.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-02-28 16:05  

#20  NATO made Putin split his forces, sending them out to defend their flanks.
Posted by: Clyde Untervehr8732   2022-02-28 15:40  

#19  Yes, Ivan... er ...Andy; our leader is brain dead. There's no telling what he'll do next. If Pooty-poot sets off a nuke, Joe Dementia might just zap all of Asia. Personally, I wouldn't screw around with him. He's just too unpredictable.
Posted by: Mercutio   2022-02-28 15:26  

#18  Has your leadership gone insane?
Russia is a nuclear power. This is an existential issue for Russia. Putin couldn't care less about your sanctions. He doesn't care about human life. His forces will not be defeated in Ukraine - all your pathetic keyboard cheerleading will not alter any of these facts.

In Serbia you bombed the Serbian side to rubble to force a peace agreement at Dayton.

Why do you think Putin will not do exactly as the US and NATO did in Serbia in order to force terms on Zelensky?

Is this just a game for you? Aren't you embarrassed to see Chinese state media commenters like #HuSays (@HuXijin_GT) making more strategic sense now than all your media propagandists and posturing chicken hawk senators?

Why isn't your leader pushing for peace now? Is he actually brain dead?

Who is running your government now?
Posted by: Andy Thrinert4443   2022-02-28 14:30  

#17  The US obviously wants to avoid peace now.

This is the Nuland-Neocon insane school of diplomacy at work again. Create chaos which will cause a "revolution" that will lead to democracy and rainbows and transgender rights and George Floyd murals.



Posted by: Voldemort Snore3857   2022-02-28 14:18  

#16  Now even Chinese state-owned media makes more sense than idiot western propaganda mouthpieces - Biden's absence from the peace talks is making everything even worse. Does the US actually WANT chaos?

@HuXijin_GT on Twitter 3;40am Feb 28

In Russia-Ukraine talks, US/West will be lingering specter in the room. I am worried US/West don't wish to see a reconciliation now. They are more interested in plunging Russia into severe difficulty using sanctions, leading to widespread anti-war movement and shaking Putin govt.
Posted by: Daffy Snutch2675   2022-02-28 14:15  

#15  Now the Russian trolls are counting on non compos mentis Joe Biden to stop the show? Hilarious.
Posted by: Nero   2022-02-28 14:13  

#14  And what happens if they want this conflict?
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-02-28 13:55  

#13  Your president could stop this war now. Trump would have ensured it never started, but even now, if you had Trump as president, he would force Zelensky to accept partition and force Putin - with the threat of a nuclear strike - to pull back to the Novorossiya territories he now controls.

Only the US president can force peace now and pull the world back from the brink.
Posted by: Thaling Thromomble9871   2022-02-28 13:23  

#12  
Posted by: Black is a form of dirt    2022-02-28 13:17  

#11  You never know what crazy Americans might do. Best not to push them too far.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2022-02-28 12:24  

#10  Oh my: Bank of China cuts off Russian oil trades?
Posted by: Frank G   2022-02-28 11:49  

#9  /\ Yes, "nuts." But I am old, very old. "Nuts" appears to be working.
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-02-28 11:47  

#8  Abu, Besoker - are you guys nuts? China is just sitting back and laughing…
Posted by: Unomosh Glose3832   2022-02-28 11:39  

#7  Maybe Ukraine did not remove all its nukes?

It appears the problem is not Russia but Putin the dictator. Send a few Ukrainians into Moscow for a suicide mission.
Posted by: Airandee   2022-02-28 11:14  

#6  Somebody needs to tell Putin that we will destroy him if he uses nukes in Ukraine.

Back the fuck off, Vlad. Settle for Donbas and call it a day.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2022-02-28 11:09  

#5  Find a position for Swalwell?
Posted by: swksvolFF   2022-02-28 11:04  

#4  It is highly doubtful Putin loses Ukraine.
Posted by: Vespasian Ebboting9735   2022-02-28 10:33  

#3  /\ I know it sounds a bit out bizarre, but if a desperate Putin decides the Ukraine is actually part of Russia, he could decide to use small, tactical nukes on a city to bring it into submission. The ultimate "double down."

What does NATO do then ?
Posted by: Besoeker   2022-02-28 10:28  

#2  ...I have a VERY bad feeling about this. The Russians created the concept of the 'Potemkin (FILL IN THE BLANK)', and it ALWAYS comes around to bite them in the ass. If the military has been telling Putin that everything's fine, and it's not, they've got two options - defeat or doubling down.

And defeat is not acceptable to the Russians.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2022-02-28 10:22  

#1  ...hmm...Red Storm Rising script.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2022-02-28 10:21  

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