Lawrence on MSNBC: ЯUSSIA now has amassed 135k + troops on Ukraine border.

[sprinkleeninow]

Analysis: "The Ukraine crisis is here to stay."

No link provided as yet.

[SheltieLover]

1. Bully is having a tantrum

[sprinkleeninow]

4. Oh yah, he's gonna relent and back down as he sends more.

Now evidently he's also sending warships to the Black Sea.

Dammm...

[SheltieLover]

5. I feel so badly for the people there

Asshat bully!

[sprinkleeninow]

6. I feel strongly for them and their plight if it goes badly.

Being of Slavic descent, although not Ukrainian, my affinity for them is pronounced. Many russian nationals can't be thrilled either at the thought of war and bloodshed.

[SheltieLover]

10. Oh I'll bet they aren't happy aboutasshat's tantrum

[electric_blue68]

12. I'm half Ukrainian American, and probably have distant relatives there I don't know about...

I'd feel bad even if I did have this ancestry.

[ret5hd]

2. Will someone interpret " held to stay" for me?

[sprinkleeninow]

3. I use my phone for posting and typos are sneaky. 🙃

Edited to say 'here'.

[ret5hd]

9. Ahh...thnx

[Poiuyt]

7. I think the Russians just want to engage in some legitimate political discourse.

[sprinkleeninow]

8. Do I detect/see what you did there? 🤔

[Staph]

11. Pooty's upset because one of his figure skaters got caught doping!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/feb/09/legal-issue-delays-beijing-medal-ceremony-for-russian-figure-skating-winter-olympics


So, he's gonna invade Ukraine so that the world will ignore the cheating Russian, oops, make that Russian Olympic Committee team.

[Klaralven]

13. They are all within Russia or Belarus - there is no reason for him to move them

[marie999]

14. Russia and Belarus will not attack Ukraine as long as it isn't about to join NATO.

But NATO needs to give Putin assurances that it won't happen. Russia and Belarus are already having join air force exercises with Russian bombers and Belarus fighter jets. They are also in discussions about placing nukes in Belarus which will upset NATO, but is understandable since the US has its nukes in 5 NATO countries.

[Hortensis]

15. Russian and Ukrainian have been officially at war since Russia invaded

Ukraine in 2014. But Russia's military and electoral aggressions into Ukraine started well before that, including subverting Ukrainian elections. Most ethnic Russian Ukrainians in the area Russian troops are fighting to take want nothing to do with Russia.

Agree to give this mouse a cookie and he'll take the arm and keep going.

[sprinkleeninow]

17. I'm surprised/saddened by Belarus. How they succumbed.

[Hortensis]

18. Really scary how successful Russia's subversive political warfare

has been. I've read that Russia wanted to avoid creating the widespread armed resistance that direct military attack did in Ukraine, so they're annexing Belarus by propping up Lukashenko and infiltrating and destroying resistance from within. As Poiuyt said, legitimate political discourse.

Us Putin's working to simply bring down, using the kind of people and emotional weaknesses they've gotten very good at weaponizing.

Speaking of, our pantry's a little low, so I'm doing a little extra shopping today just in case disruption of truck transport could affect deliveries to our area. Just stuff we always eat anyway.

[Amishman]

16. Slow walk diplomacy for now, after winter is over play hardball

wait until the heating season has passed and Europe's natural gas need declines.

Then put a full boycott on the table and escalate work to supply Europe with LNG from the US.