"The 1980's are calling to ask for their foreign policy back."

Yeah, but there's definitely a cost.

Russia is in severe danger of defaulting on international debts. I'm not sure what happens if they say "fuck it, we aren't paying", but I doubt it can be good?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60672085

Immediately, probably not much. They are largely isolated anyway.

After this crisis is over however there will be lasting repercussions, as the West stays out and any loans they get will be at sky high interest rates.

Putin has turned his nation into a client state of China down the line. It's already happened. China doesn't need to help them now, they just wait.

How long that lasts will depend on if he stays in power and what any new government does after that.

Gosh, it sure would be a shame if a surveying error led to those missiles actually being on the wrong side of the border, or some enterprising Ukrainian farmer came and towed them away.

I think it's absolutely amazing Putin forgot that it is possible for the US to be competent. I mean, not under his toady, but pretty much anyone else, and Biden, for sure.

Interesting to consider the effects on Russian culture of an economic pivot toward China and away from the west.

(of COURSE I'm oversimplifying, work with me here)

Here's a thought.

If Russia collapses AGAIN, and I think that's definitely on the table, will Biden get the credit like Reagan did?

Don't think this was posted here before, if so I apologize. But this is a reputed FSB analyst's take on what is happening in Russia. And he throws around the word 'catastrophe' a lot.

He's clearly worried about collapse within the year.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1501841660505837572.htm

Those Wikipedia editors are fast!

Wow. Putin has done the impossible.

You'd think this cunt would be laying low having just been charged with driving without a valid licence (since his has been revoked for reasons the cops won't reveal).

Of course, if his recently separated wife WAS a Russian honeypot, he may just be stopping the kompromat coming out.

Not sure what Russia could possibly have on him that's worse than what we already know, however.

He sits on the foreign affairs committee. So he has access to intel.

In other 'China is letting Russia fall off a cliff to make them a client state if Putin doesn't get his head out of his ass' news:

Sad that so few countries are willing to make economic sacrifices to stop a nationalistic bully from upsetting world peace. Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, South Korea -- WTF.

Who's going to win the Ukraine-Russia War?

China.

At the end of this--no matter what the final resolution in Ukraine--Russia's going to be a depleted, economically ruined former power and a vassal state to the Chinese.

Damn, I was worried about that cold snap making countryside passable. Guess it happened. Hopefully Ukraine can flood those areas again to turn them into mud.

Who owns this $700 million yacht?

Sochi is Putin's favorite place to go.

If Putin doesn't stay far enough away from windows in tall buildings, and Biden has any sense at all, we need to be prepared to implement a full scale Marshall Plan for Russia the moment this is over. Otherwise ^ this happens.

Tesla will pay Ukrainian employees for at least 3 months if they’re called to fight

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...like-drone-appears-to-have-crashed-in-croatia

Yikes.

The Russians are holding his legs hostage.

If you follow the thread you’ll see that there are indications that Russian chemical weapons folks are in the area. Possibly the Russians are planning on attacking facilities that have noxious chemicals (not uncommon for a lot of industrial processes) or they might be planning on deploying chemical weapons. Given that past US Presidents have said that were Iraq to do so, we’d consider it akin to using a nuke, I’m wondering what we’ll do if something like that happens in Ukraine.

Total incompetence.

Can "woke" as an epithet please be fucking dead now?
I mean, it just rolled off the shit-smeared tongue of a Russia-licking traitor.
Can that please ruin it?
Please?
Can we be just done with this forever now?

Wait...wut?

Russian state television goes off message by denouncing Ukraine war