Hmmmm and that was said about sanctions, remember? those ones such as cutting them off from Swift if they stepped over the border................. still awaiting that one, normal bluster and no follow through by a bunch of lilly livered politicians the world over. FOR GAWD sake man up and do what you said you would.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....63df9c2487.jpg


BBC

Baldeep.:

We think alike.

I will also say as I have said before, Ukraine is just a test. Xi has cooked up a scheme with Putin to test NATO's and the West's resolve.

They are getting the results of their probing as we speak.

IG

I was referring to prior to engagement just after the recognition of the two states, that is when they should have been put in to the Ukraine held disputed areas.

Nothing in the articles prohibit coming to the aid of a non-NATO state. Indeed, nation states have supremacy over their actions, not NATO. Any nation state can chose to help another in such circumstances, even one that is also part of NATO. We, the UK, have conducted numerous operation in recent years outside of the NATO umbrella. Indeed, I can only think of 2 that have ever been under NATO and only 1 under article 5.

The balance is between the dignity and integrity in defending a fellow democracy vs the risk of further escalation. Tricky, for sure.

On another note - does anyone seriously believe that increased sanctions will solve this?

Russia still has access to the SWIFT banking system and we are still heavy users of Russian oil and gas - but these are “strict” sanctions ??

Probable War Crime - no doubt from this view its a civilian vehicle that the tracked vehicle deliberately crushed.

where are all those Anti Tank missiles when you need one? Surely armoured vehicles in a built up area are ripe for a Javelin or two?

Maybe some unofficial help, like those little green men from Russia.

It's a shame we can't order something particularly nasty for Putin off Amazon and get it next day delivered... and while we are at it, some Testoterone and Viagra for Biden.

There is more to that than meets the eye. I can't imagine a tank or apc caring much about a car unless it was sporting an rpg or something. More like something out of shot caused it to swerve and it just hit the car.

Given the resistance, how long do you think a puppet government will survive if it goes that way, I doubt they would be able to muster security from their own "electorate" especially as every Tom, Dick and Harry in the capital now have AK47's

I wondered if they feared a suicide bomber so neutralised the threat.
Mind you this shows another skidding out of control

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-60521070


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Out if interest Nutloose, what do you think Biden could possibly do, without escalating the already delicate situation into an extremely dangerous, possibly catastrophic situation.
Unless of course you think the Nuclear option is a valid one !
Genuinely interested in hearing any creative way out of this delicate but nasty situation.
I for one, would suggest some actual, solid sanctions, instead of the existing pizz-poor, hollow, verbal versions !

El Grifo

Now thats what you call BALLS, shades of Tiananmen Square

I'm not pro Vlad (in the slightest) & know nothing about tracked vehicles - but is it possible that the corner was overcooked & the rear end lost on the gravel that has collected in the no-mans-land of the junction?

Spoke too soon viz-a-viz sanctions !!
Russia kicked out of the Eurovision Song Contest !
Finally someone is applying muscle !!!

El G.

I'm butting in here, but he could deliver more Stingers and Javelins as desperately requested by the Ukranian president - but he'd have to believe that there would still be Ukranian soldiers to use them in the four/five days (?) needed to get them into the country.

But just to make sure of doing a good job, they reversed back over it again...

First thing would have been not to keep repeating we will not put troops in... that instantly gave Putin the go ahead, why give them the easy route instead of keeping them guessing.

As for a way out, that sadly appears to have long gone, arming them with cruise missiles early on might have helped, as defensive weapons of course.
but when Russia announced "peace" keepers, the west should have done the same.

Or possibly reversed back onto the road?