Say it again but slowly.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220519/b0ad80892ea6a3430b8ecc14f177af80.jpg
My english reading comprehension is lacking…more I think about that statement more my head hurts.
Say it again but slowly.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220519/b0ad80892ea6a3430b8ecc14f177af80.jpg
My english reading comprehension is lacking…more I think about that statement more my head hurts.
Well, your wish will be granted soon. Because when we're done with monster association we're going into territory webcomic readers aren't as passionate about (not because what's come so far is bad mind you, MA was just so iconic). We're also diverging from the webcomic, so we're going into relatively new or totally new territory for us too.
! I don't know about that, I think Saitama vs Tatsumaki was pretty lit tbh
Russian losses/deaths has passed twenty thousand according to Ukraine sources. And Russian talkshows are blowing up over how it's time to stop being "nice" and declare war because the moskva sank, and Peskov is ranting about how they'd better stop attacking Russian territory or else he'll have to declare war. Soo i guess total mobilization and mass conscription is about to happen once the excuses have been put in place for why the mean US forced them to
I dont think Russia is able to do it, they have already thorwn everything but kitchen sink against Ukraine. Only realistic war assets left are mass mobilization (aka Human waves) or Nuclear/ chemical strikes.
Russia has spent its heavy armament and its forced to send civilian cars to ukraina to help logistics. Much like tanks, throwing them to enemy does not work like it did during 1940's
Also Russian propaganda has sold its citizens message that Russian military has been perfectly successful on every front and that barely 1000 soldiers been lost .If they a
suddenly announce need for full scale war they would lose massive credibility In eyes of elder Russian populace.
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Everybody is going to accept Ippo as her boyfriend before Ippo himself.
Speaking of Ippo, how much longer until we get a "I realize now too" chapter for Ippo?:ninja:
He did.
The south isn't looking great. Lots of small Russian gains, which i suppose is to be expected. Human suffering is ramping up as they start hitting hospitals and civilian homes. The capital seems to be holding, the troops for surrounding it don't seem to be making great headway as far as i can tell. Either way it'll be horrible once they get started.
Conquering land won't do Russia any good, its one thing to fight visible enemy and push front lines in strategic map but when country is forcibly occupied then enemy will just go underground and start bloody partisan war that will make living hell to try operate in such hostile conditions. Modern armies are well suited for aggresive battles with clear enemies but even recent examples in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen has shown that basic insurgency from hostile population is near impossible problem for occupiers regardless how technologically advanced or superior they are. Sure Russia might try to rule with Terror and force but that will only make ukrainane people to hate them even more.
Russian troops were supposed to be 'liberators' and 'peace keepers' but after this week no ukrainan will ever believe such. THERE IS NO VICTORY for Putin in Ukraine. No western country will every recognize Putin's puppet in Ukraine, ukrainan people now know true colors of Putin and will never let them self be ruled by Putin's puppet government.
It's been 5 days and Putin is already more isolated than Gaddafi. Is that even possible?
Putin has managed to unravel everything he managed to build in 20 years in just few days.
He has spent over 20 years of dividing west and weakening EU, he had good success of backing up fringe parties on EU countries regardless of those parties political allignment, but populist far right parties were his greatest asset.
2016 was his most best year when he managed to break UK from EU with brexit vote (Russia was heavily funding brexit campaign). Then he hit jackpot getting populist Trump as US PRESIDENT, US intelligence caught up with Russia's support but charges never went through.
Donald Trump was everything Putin had hoped for an even more…. in his turn he divided US and West like never before, launching trade wars against EU allies and even threatening to leave NATO while Trump openly praised Putin's ruthless rule with every change. If Putin would attacked Ukraine during's Trump administration we would have gotten much weaker response from fractured west.
But he went too far as same time, Brexit was such a disaster for UK that any anti-EU parties in europe quickly gave up their respective Leave EU campaigns ironically making EU more united and stable.
Trump, while effective asset was also too divisive and extreme causing over half of Americans to hate Trump and his politics, causing Trump to fail secure a second term even with Russia's financial aid, Trump was just too much and too soon for Americans.
Even still there were some victories left for Putin, US humiliation on Iraq and later Afghanistan left USA with tarnished imago and its people weary of international conflicts. Putin had still good grip on europe with his populist allies such as Orban on Hungary and Law and justice party in Poland, both antagonist against EU and looking up for Putin's Russia. Syrian war unleashing refugee crisis allowed him to weaponized refugees against Europe, Russia transported refugees to various EU borders to destabilize those countries with uncontrolled surge of desparate refugees running away from war, this had two positive results for Putin, EU members were arguing who and where should refugees to be placed and influx of culturally different refugees spurning anti-migrant populist movements in EU countries.
EU was looking increasingly weak, depentand on Russian gas/oil, fractured by populists movements and USA isolating itself and focusing more on distant China allowed Russia's regional power growth.
Then Ukraine invasion happened.
Everything Putin had so painstakingly long worked on was undone in few days, Europe and entire west were appalled by Russian's blatant aggresion, making West more unified since cold war, western european countries such as Germany who had abandoned its own enegy production in favour of Russia's gas/oil and who had all but dismantled Germany's own military forced Germany to wake up and start increasing its military spending by huge leaps.
Even populist countries such Hungary sided against Putin, apparently shocked how brutal and barbaric their 'benefactor' actually was. Most populist politicians are now CONDEMNING Putin when in just few weeks ago they were shovering praises to Putin.
Now Russia is economically isolated, its soft power is spent, its reputation in gutter, expelled in sports/media and international organizations. Only North Korea is more alone. Putin has been shown a liar and a great enemy to all western values, even if Putin could conquer Ukraine tomorrow he is now and in future a Pariah in eyes of west, never to be trusted never mind respected.
What happens if Putin is kicked out of the government for good? And then, say, Russia elects a new President in a democratic process…
Do the sanctions end if that happens?
If we study russian history then we could see next events to unfurl.
Putin dies natural reasons or he is killed, given personality cult of Putin russia has been constructing in last 20 years any kind of imprisoning of Putin would be like banishing Napoleon to Corsica, some part of people would want him back.
New leader blames everything on Putin and denounces all evil Russia has conducted in past decades solely on Putin even if this new leader is from same political party as Putin.
He would act nominally friendly towards west and smaller neighbours until russia builds up its strength back up via energy imports and then starts playing nationalism game and starts throwing Russia's weight around again and wiping out any democratic opposition in country.
I know it sounds cynical but Russia is little different from western or even eastern european countries with historically and culturally, there never were industrial revolution or similar shattering of class base systems other countries experienced in 1800/1900 period, Russia has never truely experienced democracy in last 600 years, from Tsars to soviets and from soviets to decay and humiliation of Yeltsin years (these years were closest of democracy russia had in in its history), Putin completely dismantled any resembles of democracy in Russia, sure it had presidental and parlamentary votes but with only one party and one option to vote it never really mattered.
There are multiple reasons why they didn't tackle Swift yet. Some of them make sense, others feel like convenient excuses.
1. It's the sharpest sword available, the last step on the escalation ladder outside of military intervention (which there will be none, I think that much is certain). I think this tit for tat approach isn't working at all if the aggressor is a 70 year old nutjob who just wants to leave his mark in the history books, but this is how the EU handled pretty much anything in the recent past.
Trade embargo, visa cancellation of russian citizen's and seizing russian foreign capital (Russia is threatening to seize all foreign capital to retaliate international restrictions.
2. It would indiscriminately hit the civil population in numerous ways, which may or may not be a good idea considering that this fuels the Russian propaganda (the West is here to get each and everyone of you). Apparently there is a slight hope that the protests in Russia have some effect, especially if they grow as the war goes on.
Russia is already full swing on 24/7 anti-west propaganda, they are already blaming West of being aggressors in Ukraine and that ukraine government is nothing but nazi puppet of 'west'
3. Our foreign minister argued that this would also cut off payments for civil right groups and such, which I guess is true considering the effect it had on Iran, but then again she followed up with:
What civil right groups? Putin has been busy in last 10 years of systematically dismantling any civil or aid group in Russia in pretext of 'anti-patriotism'
4. We wouldn't be able to pay for the Russian gas. I had a lot of opportunities to feel ashamed in the last couple days, but I think I peaked here. I don't want to comment this any further.
Russia will most likely cut off gas of europe in few days in retaliation, we fund russian war crimes with importing energy from russia anyway, dismantling europes own energy production for cheap russian gas has been incredibly short sighted in hindsight.
5. Targeting the banking system is apparently more effective at hitting the oligarchs and the inner circle of Putin, but this already didn't work when he annexed Crimea so why should it now?
There is chance that even oligarch's have less of a say in russian regime. Putin and his regime might be too far to be reasoned by simple human greed.
6. They fear that cutting Russia off from Swift will strengthen China's homegrown payment system (Cips). I guess this is a valid concern, but then again this ship has sailed with the Iran sanctions a couple years ago. Everyone knows the West will use such cross border payment systems as leverage, not sure how this would be an eye-opener for any government.
Even Russia has been limiting use of Swift for last years in prediction of these events, make no mistake that cutting Russia from SWIFT is painful blow it won't be as crippling as many theorize, Russia just might throw ultimate victim card and do something drastic such as closing its airspace from air travel and seizing all western assets in Russia.
Word is that all EU nations have agreed to ban Russia from swift.
Now make it happen.
I hope this is true, we need to use every non-violent measure against Russia we have in our disposal. Ukraine is suffering under Putin's monstrously vile attack, its a very attack of our values of democracy and liberty itself. Europe cant allow Putin to dictate how independent countries operate, all dictators and oppressors over the world must see this criminal invasion to fail in utmost with permanent effects on Russia.
Should Putin retaliate with cutting off european gas and oil then we should suffer through it and cut ourselves from depentancy of criminal nation, should we as europeans have to suffer little discomfort then what is that compared what ukrainan people are suffering right now? We cannot allow to Putin have ANY kind of success in these events or entire future of peaceful democracy might be in jeopardy.
Every day, every hour and minute Ukraine holds Russia back is a victory for free world and humiliation and defeat to Putin and his criminal regime.
Russian citizens in Finland I know are truly outraged by Putin's actions and even if some were proud of Russia and even Putin few years ago are now furious how mad and insane Putin is, even many brave russians have voiced their opposition against this insane war and they might face prison and even death when Putin's regime is this unhinged, I believe that only russians themself can save their country and bring Putin down for good.
I hope very best for ukrainan people in these horrible times.
@Johnny:
Why is Sweden not a part of NATO?
Sweden has been neutral country over 200 years.