Nobody has the intention to invade Ukraine

[Nevermore]

Fourth leak found on Nord Stream pipelines, Swedish coastguard says

Sweden's coastguard said it had discovered a fourth gas leak on the damaged Nord Stream pipelines earlier this week, after ruptures first reported on Monday sent gas spewing into the Baltic Sea.

www.reuters.com

Kremlin recognizes independence of two Ukrainian regions – DW – 09/30/2022

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has signed decrees to recognize Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as independent states, hours before hosting a ceremony for annexing the occupied Ukrainian territories. DW has the latest.

www.dw.com

 

[Ungnome]

Of course Russia and the Right Wing Conspiracy Machine are claiming the Biden administration is responsible without any evidence to back it up.

Frankly I think there are two real possibilites:
1) some anti-Russian group in Europe is responsible. Putin has made a LOT of enemies over the past year and a radical enough group of them COULD have sabotaged the pipeline simply because they don't like the idea of Russia supplying Europe with power.
2) Russia did it to 'punish' the west for supporting Ukraine by not only increasing energy prices in Europe, but also to simply stir up dissent between the EU and the US.

 

[wonko the sane?]

At this point: no one has claimed responsibility, and there's enough evidence to successfully claim that the decepticons did it. So we basically have to wait.

 

[Ungnome]

Yea the lack of claims at this point seems to indicate option 1 isn't that likely.

 

[Pocket]

Or it's possible the pipe just randomly sprang a leak because it was poorly made. Apparently that's a thing that happens. Remember how the one the US built a few years ago, under heavy protest, ended up developing a leak within only a month of being finished or something?

 

[Nevermore]

Or it's possible the pipe just randomly sprang a leak because it was poorly made. Apparently that's a thing that happens. Remember how the one the US built a few years ago, under heavy protest, ended up developing a leak within only a month of being finished or something?

Unlikely. Seismologist actually detected explosions.

Explosions recorded before discovery of major Baltic Sea gas leaks

Poland called it sabotage while Denmark said "deliberate actions" caused the leaks #EuropeNews

www.euronews.com

Blasts precede Baltic pipeline leaks, sabotage seen likely

Denmark believes “deliberate actions” caused big leaks in two natural gas pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, and seismologists said powerful explosions preceded the leaks.

apnews.com

 

[Cyoti]

At this point: no one has claimed responsibility, and there's enough evidence to successfully claim that the decepticons did it. So we basically have to wait.

Who else other than Megatron likes to attack energy infrastructure such as nuclear power plants (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/...a-nuclear-power-plant-ukrainian-official-says), oil refinaries (https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...russian-hackers-targeted-us-oil-refineries/2/), thermal power plants (https://www.business-standard.com/a...ant-in-donetsk-cause-fire-122061300258_1.html) and electric grids (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_power_grid_hack)?

 

[wonko the sane?]

Gotta get that energon after all. I suspect if we REALLY looked for it, we would find a blue walkman with a mixtape in it.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

Shot, given how things have been going, I frankly wouldn’t be surprised if aliens might be involved at this point…

I, for one, would welcome our extraterrestrial overlords.

 

[Pocket]

Even ones whose opening move was a random act of violence?

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

As opposed to the current calculated acts of violence?

 

[wonko the sane?]

If aliens are shlepping all the way here to commit random acts of violence, with no other goal than apparently VANDALISM: we're probably closer to entering the galactic age than we thought AND we're apparently already so in line with that greater space culture that we aren't worth stopping, talking to, or even giving a warning to.

 

[Ungnome]

Somehow I don't think Space Vandals would care if Hew-Mans knew they existed. What's the human race gonna do? Pull over the perpetrators starships when they can barely reach their own solar system's escape velocity?

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Clearly they have a non-interference treaty with the lizard people to wait until the filthy warmbloods soften themselves up enough to be easily annihilated.

 

[Nevermore]

Aaaaaand Russia is expanding.

Putin says Russia has 'four new regions' as he announces annexation of Ukrainian territory

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia had "four new regions" in a speech in the Kremlin on Friday in which he outlined Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow's forces have partially seized during a seven-month conflict with Ukraine.

www.reuters.com

 

[Ungnome]

They claim to be expanding at least. The annexation is a sham and everybody who doesn't simply consume Russian propaganda knows it.

 

[wonko the sane?]

The world doesn't recognise it, and whomever comes next in russia will have to admit that it was stolen otherwise the war will simply continue.

 

[Nevermore]

The problem is that with Russia now acknowledging it as its own territory, they're willing do defend it against foreign attacks (read: Ukrainian attempts at liberation) by all means, which might include the nuclear option.

Let's hope those Russian nukes are as well maintained as all the other Russian military equipment...

 

[wonko the sane?]

Yeah, the threat of nukes is just that: a threat. Putin might be absolutely crazy; but even he knows that the second he uses even ONE NUKE, russia as a nation ceases to exist under the boots of basically every army in the world.... fine, except china. But even they might throw in in that case simply to cozy up to the west because they suddenly would need a new ally on the international stage.

If he uses more than one: they it's armageddon and russia loses any chance to rise again.

 

[Nevermore]

The question is, how desperate is Putin, and can he get so desperate that he's willing to take the whole world with him?