Make No Mistake--Russia Has Already Lost This War

[Joinfortmill]

https://newrepublic.com/article/165484/russia-already-lost-ukraine-war

"Putin’s disastrous decision will reverberate for years to come. Tough international sanctions are coming, and Russia’s economy (and the Russian people) will pay a price. So, too, will the Russian oligarch elite, who will likely find that their ability to jet off to London or the French Riviera or move their money to safe harbors around the world will be severely constrained.

Russia is now a pariah state and its leader persona non grata. There will be no summit meetings with Western leaders in Putin’s future, and certainly no attendance at international conferences. So long as Putin remains in charge, Russia will be on the outside looking in when it comes to being a member in good standing of the international community."

[ProudMNDemocrat]

1. IMAGE means everything to a man like Putin.

Labels hurt just as much.

We need to apply that to TDFG and his cult of Congressional Republicans and voters. They are betting on the wrong horse.

[OLDMDDEM]

5. Pooty and Dumpy

Need to meet and show their true support for one another. If the GQP has anything close to a brain left, they will dump both of these stooges and get on with helping the American people and planet.

[sop]

3. Putin would be well advised to stay away from open windows and umbrellas.

[dlilafae]

23. ohh that umbrellla idea, sop...

...sounds like something the Joker might craft. or maybe, Inspector Gadget.

[Jedi Guy]

30. Sounds like comic book foolishness, but it's a real thing.

During the Cold War the KGB used a modified umbrella to kill a defector. The assassin stabbed the guy in the leg with the tip of the umbrella and it injected a highly concentrated tablet of ricin into the guy's flesh. He was dead in short order.

Nowadays they have all that modern tech has to offer, plus the new nerve agents like Novichok. Good times.

[barbtries]

43. putin has favored poison and defenestration

to murder people. add to it invasion, and coming soon I fear, starvation.

I really hope it is true that he's already lost this one. I think there is some cause for hope in that regard.

[Jedi Guy]

44. I think Russia will win this in the military sense.

In pretty much every other sense, though, they will lose. Given the wildly imbalanced power dynamic in Russia's favor, they will conquer Ukraine. It's a matter of when, not if.

But "conquer" is a very loose term. They might take over the country and install a puppet government, but there will still be resistance, most likely in the form of an insurgency. And as we learned to our sorrow, a determined insurgency can make life utterly miserable for the occupying force.

But in economic, domestic, and diplomatic terms, this invasion is a losing proposition for the Russians. Their economy is going to be ravaged by sanctions, with all the domestic misery that entails. And Russia was already tenuous diplomatically speaking. Now they're going to be a pariah state.

From the outside looking in, Russia loses more than it gains by doing this. So I'm curious as to why they went ahead with it.

[intheflow]

45. Putin's ego.

Like TFG, he is sure this is the best way forward for him, personally. I'm guessing it's "simply" be his need to control as much as he can. Only his desires matter, he doesn't feel like he needs to take anyone's counsel, opinion, or feelings into account.

[scarytomcat]

46. War today is unwinnable unless you take over a country and kill everyone

people will fight on and the invader will fail in the end. The world will remember what Russia is doing like they remember what we did. The occupation of Iraq was a failure that Bush and our country will never live down. The same goes for Putin. Attacking a basically defenseless people is the end of dignity.

[Fritz67]

41. No, not the Joker...

...clearly a trick umbrella is the Penguin's wheel house.

[ificandream]

40. Where's John Steed or James Bond when you need them? :)

[Lovie777]

4. Fine . .. ..

But at the cost of the Ukrainians who are admirably fighting for their country and lives.

[Tickle]

7. so true nt

[Joinfortmill]

16. Yes, I wept for Ukraine today. Putin is evil incarnate.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Because the world is not taking this invasion lying down

The enduring institutions like United Nations, NATO, and numerous regional affiliations committed to peace and prosperity are by and large speaking with one voice. China may be waffling with its eyes on Taiwan, but how far is any country willing to go to support Putin's illegal action? Maybe TDFG has a dementia partner? Pass the Stolychnya.

[lagomorph777]

9. When did a "D" get inserted into "TFG"?

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Joe told you

The former defeated president. You come to me because I have all the answers.

[dlilafae]

24. yep, yep!

defeated!

[True Blue American]

29. I thought, " Demented!"

[Richard D]

34. I thought Disgusting (nt)

[OMGWTF]

38. I thought it meant "Damn" as in That Damn Fking Guy

[Alice Kramden]

47. All of the above, as in "the

Damn demented defeated fucking former guy"

[Joinfortmill]

17. 👍

[empedocles]

8. Saw some video on one of the cable channels in which putin was relaxed.

Uncharacterically, undisciplined, even. Criticizing all sorts of 'enemies', including not only Krushchev, but Soviet/russian, predecessors.
putin was trumplike in the trump meandering, critical way. Seemed to me, he was feeling a little intoxicated with power - like trump.

Think it was a WaPo commentary that putin was revealing himself in a 'psychoanalytic' way.

[Joinfortmill]

18. Yeah, he's insane. May be some health issue

[DENVERPOPS]

37. And maybe

that alone should strike fear into everyone else on this planet.........

That and him being one of the biggest psychopaths ever, way past Trump..........

[True Blue American]

31. Macron said Putin

Acted strange at their meeting.

[dalton99a]

10. Kick

Of course, there is one notable exception to the international umbrage being thrown at Putin: the former president of the United States and leading contender for the 2024 Republican nomination. In remarks over the past several days, Donald Trump has called Putin’s moves “savvy” and an “act of genius.” His acolytes in the Republican Party have blamed President Biden for the Russian decision to invade. Biden is working to assemble and maintain an international coalition to oppose Putin’s moves and impose sanctions on Moscow. Meanwhile he’s being undercut at home by the same group of Republicans who successfully shielded Trump from accountability after he was caught trying to hold military assistance to Ukraine hostage to his political ambitions.

Unfortunately, it is far from clear that they will pay a significant political price for their actions.

But for Putin and Russia, the die has been cast. The Russian leader decided that preventing Ukraine’s drift to the West was worth the price of war. Ukraine will pay a terrible price for that strategically inept decision. But Putin and Russia will, as well—not just today, but for many years to come.

[walkingman]

11. Disappointed in the sanctions - the primary source of revenue

for Russia is oil and gas. United States made it clear that sanctions agreed and those which may be imposed will not target oil and gas flows.

I understand that we would pay a price with higher gas prices but it seems most people speak out of both sides of their mouth when it comes to being tough on Russia.

[RussBLib]

12. I'm not so sanguine

I don't see anything to stop Russia from taking Kiev and installing a puppet. And if we refuse to cut off oil and gas supplies, refuse to sanction Putin and are unable to cut Russia's access to SWIFT, Russia wins. period. Why we cannot stand up to thugs like Russia and Trump is rather beyond me.

A moral victory doesn't go very far if you are dead.

[SheltieLover]

13. Russia has been a pariah state for decades!

Putin's attack of Ukraine brings it front & center.

[Miguelito Loveless]

15. It is a pariah state with a nuclear arsenal

capable of ending civilization.

[Happy Hoosier]

19. We'll see.

The effects of Crimea faded pretty fast. And Europe seems more obsessed with Russian petroleum and money than is healthy. I think plenty of folks in Europe would be happy to sacrifice Ukraine to Putin if it means turning on the money flow again.

[Roc2020]

21. We will see

Reality is up for grabs at this point

[ancianita]

20. 'Persona non grata' is a legal term used in diplomacy. Putin has not yet been declared as such.

[Traildogbob]

22. I disagree

30 percent of America and the GQP are drooling with pride at his manly assertion and leadership. He will Always be welcome to international Dictatorship Jamborees at Mar-a-logo. And when Putin reinstalls trump in 24, America will be his lab poodle. We will rearrange our red white and blue strips to match Russia.

[BobTheSubgenius]

25. Oh, the poor oligarchs.

I hear the Urals are nice this time of year, at least.

[The Mouth]

26. Yeah, right

*SO* persona non grata that we have *gasp* ALMOST thought about talking about suggesting we and our 'allies' stop buying oil from them!!! They must be quaking in their boots.

[lefthandedskyhook]

27. I feel sorry for the russian people

all of them

[nycbos]

28. I hope this is true.

[RedSpartan]

32. None of this will be true if Trump is elected in 2024.

[MarcA]

33. Let's hope all the Oligarchs everywhere and their Sycophantic

supporters are big losers in this as well.

[70sEraVet]

35. And don't forget, for years Putin will be trying to stamp out guerrilla fighters in Ukraine.

If he thought Chechen Rebels were a headache......

[leftieNanner]

36. Don't forget sports

St. Petersburg was supposed to host the UEFA Champions League final in May.

That event has been yanked out of Russia.

I cannot imagine any international sport choosing these guys for anything going forward.

[Thunderbeast]

39. Here's an idea....Let's use the ISS for a final joint mission.

Angry Russians load Vlad into a Soyuz Capsule.

Elon loads the DTFG into a Crew Dragon.

Fire them off to the space station. Each country returns their astronaut/cosmonaut crew to their homes.

Leave the two of them to rule their orbiting little world until it runs out of fuel and crashes into the Indian Ocean.

[Chakaconcarne]

42. For some reason, I can't believe Putin would make such a miscalculation....

I'm afraid our defenses may not be able to ward off disruptive cyber attacks....

We've been getting warning shots over the last few years.... hopefully we're learning from them, but TFG likely put us well behind in that regard.

I hope I'm wrong and Putin wises up and retreats...