Nobody has the intention to invade Ukraine

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Are they? Or is the cult just so dead set on opposing the Dems that they're doing it on their own?

 

[Wheelimus]

The ruble is down, but not worthless. Convert enough into USD and you can still buy a few politicians through Super PACs

 

[Ungnome]

On top of that, there are quite a few Republicans who see Putin as not a destabilizing force on the international stage, but as a role model to be emulated.

 

[Cyoti]

I'm amazed Putin's checks are still clearing to facilitate such loyalty in the Republicult.

Putin takes care of his friends. Just ask Berlusconi, Schroeder and Yanukovych.

 

[Nevermore]

Remember: Every accusation is either a confession or a threat...

Retired general: Russia accusing Ukraine of planning a 'dirty bomb' could be a warning | CNN

Former NATO Commander Wesley Clark explains to CNN's Wolf Blitzer why doesn't believe Russia's claim that Ukraine is planning to use a "dirty bomb," and why he believes the accusation could be a warning.

www.cnn.com

 

[wonko the sane?]

Yeah, heard about this last night, and literally said the same thing. It's probably why the russians are forcing the conquered regions (the ones they still control, anyway.) to evacuate.

 

[Rust]

The only kind of nuclear threat Russia poses is a terroristic one. Because if his standing military is anything to go by, his nukes would just detonate in their silos.

 

[Pale Rider]

Launching a single nuke at another country would amount to the same thing as setting the entirety of Russia for self-destruct. It just has more steps.

 

[Nevermore]

Russia provides "evidence" for Ukraine preparing a "dirty bomb".

Slovenia chimes in and identifies the photo as having been taken in 2010, not 2022, specifically in Slovenia, not Ukraine, and depicting smoke detectors rather than nuclear waste.

Slovenia Says Russia 'Dirty Bomb' Claim Used Old Slovenian Image

Slovenia said one of the images Russia used to claim Ukraine is planning to detonate a "dirty bomb" was an old photo of smoke detectors.

www.thedefensepost.com

 

[NovaSaber]

Russia's getting more aggressive in other countries, it seems.

Russere kjøpte eiendom ved marinebase

Den russisk-ortodokse kirke har i seinere år kjøpt flere eiendommer i Norge. En av dem har fullt utsyn til Norges viktigste marinebase, Haakonsvern. – Utsikten er ubehagelig god, sier sikkerhetsekspert. Kirkens leder står skulder ved skulder med Vladimir Putin.

bergen-dagbladet-no.translate.goog

The Russian Orthodox Church has in recent years bought several properties in Norway. One of them has a full view of Norway's most important naval base, Haakonsvern. - The view is uncomfortably good, says the security expert. The head of the church stands shoulder to shoulder with Vladimir Putin.​

hoto: Shad Madian/ Dagbladet.
- If you imagine the whole range of possible measures, then you can disrupt signals, perhaps eavesdrop on signals, you can control drones from there, you can offer accommodation to people who map the area. There is a wide range of surveying activity and possible disruptions that can be carried out from such a base.

- Very good view​

Winge emphasizes that the church basically conducts a good and legal activity.

- There are some major challenges related to this. We have freedom of religion. This will be a balancing act between important values. That makes it very demanding to go into these questions. One must guard against making accusations that one cannot document. The churches also do a lot of good and are important in the local environment, says the researcher.

At the same time, she is skeptical about the congregation's move to the house of prayer in Søreide five years ago.

- I wonder about that, yes. I don't quite understand the motivation for moving the church that was previously located in the center of Bergen to this exact location.

Winge points out the church tower at the parish house as particularly useful for shady business.

- It is possible to place, for example, a camera on a roof or clock tower. They have a very good view of Haakonsvern, you can't miss it. It's an uncomfortably good view.

Researcher and Russia expert Pål Kolstø at the University of Oslo is currently writing a book about the Russian Orthodox Church. He says the church and its powerful leader, Patriarch Kirill, are known to be close to President Putin and the Kremlin.

- The short answer is that the relationship is very close, says Kolstø.

Kolstø emphasizes that the relationship is somewhat more complicated, and that at times there have also been conflicts between Patriarch Kirill and Putin. But in connection with the war in Ukraine, he has stood shoulder to shoulder with the authorities and supported the invasion.

Winge at the Naval Academy supports Kolstø's description.

Norway Points Finger At 'Foreign Intelligence' After Arrest Of Several Russians For Suspicious Drone Flights

Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store says foreign intelligence services are behind a recent slew of "unacceptable" drone flights in the country.

www.rferl.org

Store's comments on October 19 came after Norwegian police announced the arrest of a Russian who is accused of illegally flying a drone in the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic region.

Andrei Yakunin, the son of ex-Russian Railways boss Vladimir Yakunin, a close confidant of President Vladimir Putin, was arrested on October 17 in Hammerfest in northern Norway.

"The suspect has admitted flying a drone in Svalbard," police official Anja Mikkelsen said.

Yakunin has been placed in custody for two weeks, and drones and electronics in his possession have been confiscated, police said.

He was the seventh Russian arrested in the past few days suspected of illegally flying drones or taking photos in restricted areas in the Scandinavian country.

Hours earlier a drone was observed near the airport in Bergen, Norway's second-biggest city, briefly suspending air traffic.

Bergen Airport, which is near Norway’s main naval base, shut down at around 6:30 a.m. when the area's air space was closed. It reopened 2 ½ hours later.

"It is obviously unacceptable for foreign intelligence to fly drones over Norwegian airports," Store told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Along with several other Western nations, Norway has forbidden Russians and Russian entities from flying drones or other aircraft over its territory following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Breaking that ban is punishable by a three-year prison term, while unauthorized photography can merit a one-year sentence.

Numerous drone sightings have been reported near offshore oil and gas platforms and other Norwegian infrastructure in recent months, said Hedvig Moe, deputy chief of the Norwegian Police Security Service.

 

[Rhinox]

Considering the handful he has with Ukraine, you'd think Putin would slow his roll when turning his gaze to other countries.

 

[Nevermore]

The man is living in his own parallel universe where everything is going fine.

Which is why negotiations won't work. You cannot reasonably negotiate with a person who doesn't even share the same reality as you.

 

[Rust]

Let's not forget Putin just gave a speech saying this was the most politically tense decade since World War 2 without a hint of realization he can stop that tension at any time.

Putin's gone bye-bye, Egon.

 

[Rhinox]

If he has actually checked out of reality, that bodes even worse for humanity having a future. A nutjob with nukes. That's grand.
Really, I think the only people who could put the brakes on this whole thing are the sycophants Putin has surrounded himself with. We need one to show backbone enough to either remove him or *cough* remove him.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Yeah, I kinda brought this up a few pages back: putin is insane, but if he did decide to go dr.strangelove on us: there is a history of russian soldiers putting the kibosh on the use nukes... but... there is an obviously better russia to be had if russia DOES launch a nuke and gets curb stomped by every other country.

 

[Nevermore]

The problem with that is that if other countries get involved, Russia will launch all of its nukes, and then there won't be much of a world left to enjoy life after Putin.

 

[Ungnome]

Assuming the nukes actually leave their silos intact. They don't have a great track record of actually maintaining their other weapons of war. Still not a risk I'd want to take. The only way to avoid such a situation and STILL fight Russia in a traditional way is a sneak attack targeting all their nuclear weapons facilities at once(and with mobile launchers and ballistic submarines, that would prove difficult).

 

[wonko the sane?]

A first strike to eliminate nuclear capabilities, all of them; is beyond the capability of any one nation regardless of the size of their military. The key point being an intelligence issue, rather than hardware.

You need a massive, diverse multi nation coalition, which would draw the ire of the parts of the world that weren't involved the second that coalition launched simultaneously. That coalition would also basically need to share ALL their internal and EXTERNAL intelligence to pull off the coordination needed to assure a 100% success. There are no nations on earth that would willingly jump into that level of sharing, not even if it was just canada and new zealand.

At this point: we're just waiting for russia to pull the dirty bomb false flag so the 2nd party governments (like the US and Canada: countries supplying ukraine so they can fight.) can come to the conclusion russia is still a threat to everyone and then step in.

 

[Cybersnark]

Assuming the nukes actually leave their silos intact.

Failure to launch is one possibility; another is that they (or some of them) launch, but their guidance systems are for crap and they come down anywhere.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Come comrade missile! We are bound for czechslovakia!