₦airaland Forum

Buckeyemedia1:
Why will Finland want to join NATO, is their any threat of war in Europe, other than the one created by NATO?

Na so they make noise about Afghanistan that year, George Bush, Tony Blair & EU, sold a propaganda, after 20 years of war, overnight NATO & Yankee packed their bags & ran away.

Money they had budgeted for Afghanistan, they have now diverted it to Ukraine.

If you are Finnish and you are close to an Aggressive and untrustworthy neighbor like Russia, you would understand why they want to join NATO.

NATO is not the cause of the War in Ukraine.

Putin's desire to restore the old Soviet Union is the reason behind the war in Ukraine.

All those talk about NATO expansion was just a pretext to Invade Ukraine.

The Russian-NATO draft treaty released by the Russian foreign ministry before the Invasion was filled with Hogwash demands that Putin know that NATO would never agree to.

When Putin siezed Crimea, he called it Annexation...

Whenever NATO expand East, Putin calls it an Aggression.

Who is he trying to fool ?

Both sides are always hungry for territory, but Putin's Russia is not appealing and trusted by Democratic leaning society that is why Russia is losing the Territorial battle.

That is why Putin is crying Wolf...... Truth be told.

If Russia if attracting more allies and more Territories, Putin would not be complaining.

Secondly, it was in Iraq and not Afghanistan that Bush and Blair lead NATO to wage a sham war based on phony intelligence.

fredoooooo:
A big lie , it's NATO that's extending not Russia or the soviet union... you people and hypocrisy.
The west is always the oppressor and at the same time the victim ... just imagine, can they take all they're doing to others ? Definitely NO

Both NATO and Russia are guilty of seeking more Territorial gains.

But NATO is more appealing to countries that say they are Democratic.

Very soon, South Ossetia (A break away region in Georgia) would hold a referendum to join Russia.

Check the link below :
https://www.nairaland.com/7125579/georgias-breakaway-region-hold-referendum

Pro Russian leaders in Kherson (Ukraine) are now calling on Moscow to Annex Kherson..

So Russia is likely to gain more Territory soon.

The world has always been East versus West. And it is not changing any time soon.

Both sides are always seeking more Territorial gains and dominance. Russia is loosing out in this Territorial battle that is why they are crying Wolf.

If Russia can re-invent herself and become more appealing and trustworthy, more nations may leave NATO and join their alliance.

This life nor balance...

It is the Battle of East versus West...

When Russia "collect" Land from other countries, Russia calls it Annexation..

When NATO expand Eastward, Russia calls it Aggression...

The same week when Finland and Sweden are preparing to move Westward...

Pro- Russian leaders in South Ossetia and Kherson are planning a referendum to move Eastward...

The West and the East have a common interest which is ; more Territorial gains and dominance...

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine Friday in talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, but their first call since the war began resolved no immediate issues, the Pentagon said.

Shoigu spoke with Austin at the Pentagon chief's request for about an hour, their first direct discussion since February 18, six days before Russia invaded Ukraine.

"Secretary Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the call, saying the two sides discussed current international security issues, "including the situation in Ukraine."

No other details were offered officially by either side, but a senior US defense official dampened expectations that any progress was made on the war situation beyond the reopening of a crucial line of communication between Moscow and Washington.

"The call itself didn't specifically solve any acute issues or lead to a direct change in what the Russians are doing or what they are saying," the official said.

The official added that the US call for a ceasefire was not a change in US policy toward the war, even as Washington has said it wants to support Ukraine with arms and funding in a longer effort to weaken the Russian military.

"Our call for a ceasefire is very much in line with what other allies and partners want to see happen," the official said.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently urged the two sides to negotiate a settlement.

On Friday German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asked Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call to agree to a ceasefire and negotiations, according to his office.

Scholz called for a ceasefire "as soon as possible to improve the humanitarian situation and make progress in the search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict," his office said.

The call also came as Finland and Sweden have expressed the desire to join the NATO defense alliance, a direct consequence of Russia's attack on Ukraine, which is not part of NATO.

Neither side would say whether NATO's expansion, which Russia has opposed, was discussed in the defense chiefs' call.

At the UN Security Council Friday, the United States branded as "ludicrous" Russian allegations that the US government had run a secret biological and chemical weapons program in Ukraine.

The allegations "are categorically false and ludicrous," said US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Richard Mills.

The defense chiefs' conversation came as Russian and Ukrainian forces battle along a long front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, with the Pentagon maintaining that Russia is weeks behind goals set in its war plan.

The Pentagon official said the Russians are "not making any major gains in the Donbas" region where the fighting is heaviest.

"Ukrainian artillery is frustrating Russian efforts to make much ground," the official said.

But Moscow has shown no indication of pulling back and is believed by Western intelligence to want to take control of a wide swath of southern Ukraine stretching along the Black Sea to Moldova.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220513-pentagon-chief-urges-immediate-ukraine-ceasefire-in-call-with-russian-counterpart

The leader of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia on Friday set July 17 as a date for a referendum on joining Russia.

"Anatoly Bibilov signed a decree on holding a referendum in the Republic of South Ossetia," his office said in a statement, citing his people's "historic aspiration" to join Russia.

South Ossetia was in the centre of the Russian-Georgian war in 2008 after which the Kremlin recognised the territory -- along with another separatist region, Abkhazia -- as an independent state and stationed military bases there.

The announcement came on the 79th day of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, with thousands killed and more than six million people fleeing the pro-Western country.

Ukraine's separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk have also expressed interest in joining Russia.

The full-scale offensive on Ukraine has sparked an outpouring of solidarity in Georgia.

Georgia has previously denounced as "unacceptable" plans by South Ossetia to hold a referendum on joining Russia.

In August 2008, Russia launched an assault against Georgia which was battling pro-Russian militia in South Ossetia, after they shelled Georgian villages.

The fighting ended five days later with a European Union-mediated ceasefire but claimed more than 700 lives and displaced tens of thousands of ethnic Georgians.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.france24.com/en/live-news/20220513-georgia-s-breakaway-region-to-hold-referendum-on-joining-russia-in-july-leader

All this NEWS or NOISE was factored into their plan before they made the decision to join NATO....

Putin's Russia is like a man rearing chicken waiting for Christmas to arrive....

He is not feeding the chicken because he loves the chicken,

He is feeding the chicken because he has other ideas at Christmas.

The Finnish parliament have weighed the Pros and Cons of countinous romance with Putin's Russia...

They decided that it is not worth it...... Hence their decision to join NATO.

The same nation that supply you electricity, oil and gas today would wake up tomorrow and Invade your nation because of their desire to restore the old Soviet Union.

Finland had lost vast land to Russia in the Winter War and they are not ready to loose more land to Putin's Russia in the future.

Know your enemies early and let them know that you know their evil Christmas plans.

Company is not the same as country...

There can be 10 companies buying Russian gas in rubbles but their delivery (Sales) could only be to 3 countries....

I love Putin's troops on Nairaland...

Dem Sabi encourage themselves in the face of bad News.

See the Bros above this my comment...

He dey give himself hope and make us know say problem nor dey.

So EU countries would leave OPEC members and go buy black market crude from India ?

Ok we agree....

Rest in Peace to the Dead....

Long life and Good Health to the Living.

Vladimir Putin....... How market ?

How market na ?

Tell Us.......

I love and would always support the United States.

But I must say here that Putin fell for their Trap.

The United States have been planning to divert the European countries from Russian gas to American gas for a long time without success.

But since Putin's invasion of Ukraine, their plan is seeing the light of day.

Nord Stream 2 is dead and buried. Even Nord Stream 1 is on life support and may die a natural death if Germany and other EU countries can source for gas supply from other places.

Putin never saw this coming....

He was banking on division in the reaction among NATO and Western countries in response to his invasion.

If Donald Trump was President, that would be possible but not with Joe Biden as President.

Joe Biden is known as a Unifier. He is known for bringing different parties with different opinion to the table and coming up with a compromise plan of action.

Putin underestimated the European Union

Putin underestimated the old man in the oval office.

Putin's Russia fell for the trap that America has set for the Russian economy for a long time.

We are likely heading for a prolonged battle in Ukraine and with news like this, then the Russian economy would be severely dehydrated....

Slava Ukraini....... Glory to the heroes.

Na so una say Kyiv go fall in 3 days....

Na so una say Zelensky nor get mind, he go run leave the country......

No Problem....

3 weeks time would be 4th of June...

I would remind you of this NEWS....... sorry NOISE.

New surveillance video obtained by CNN shows Russian soldiers shooting two civilians in the back, providing a stark example of a potential war crime by Russian forces.

Vladimir Putin's Special military operation in Ukraine is now officially a Special War Crimes operation.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGg7ZJlihi8

The International Criminal Court has now launched an investigation into actions in Ukraine at the request of 39 countries. This is an important step in the global condemnation of the Russian invasion.

Individual states, the European Union and the African Union have been lining up to condemn Russian president Vladimir Putin. Leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have already accused Putin of war crimes while backing the ICC’s investigation.

The announcement came timely after Russia launched an all-out attack on Ukraine, drawing condemnation and sanctions from major world powers.

Key Finnish politicians have been warned that Russia could halt its gas supplies to neighbouring Finland on Friday, local newspaper Iltalehti reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.

The paper did not specify where the warning would have come from and Reuters was not able to verify the information.

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Thursday said Finland would apply to join the Western defence alliance NATO "without delay", prompting Russia to vow a response.

The majority of gas used in Finland comes from Russia but gas only accounts for some 5% of the country's annual energy consumption.

However losing most of the gas supply would mean industry giants like Neste and Metsa and also other companies in forestry, chemical and food industries would need to find alternative energy sources or adapt their production

On May 5, the Finnish government said it was prepared for the possibility of its eastern neighbour cutting off gas delivery in late May as a response to Finland's refusal to abide by Russian demands for gas payments to be made in roubles.

With direct pipeline connections with Russia, Finland and the Baltics are more reliant on Russian gas than other European countries.

If Russian gas supply is reduced or cut, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania might have to curtail demand, European gas operator network ENTSOG said in their summer outlook in April.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/1-russia-could-cut-gas-171526524.html

What one man's miscalculation can cause.

Putin should look at the mirror and see the man that is behind Finland's move to join NATO.

This is pure wickedness...

The Israeli government was even blaming the Palestinian fighters for this wickedness.

That lie have been debunked.

Village people don start again.

atmy1:
Okay, I agree with your point about democratic values being the best but democracy itself is an ideology that even the countries that practiced it have corrupted, and it should not be imposed on any body the way US is doing. Look at the result of all the democratic impositions of the west around the world, it is likened to forcing people to become christians. Plus, if left with two evil choices; religious extremism and authoritarianism, most people will prefer the latter. You cannot start talking about human rights in a country where people are not safe and that is what the west often forgets. The western countries did not evolve in one day, they grew from being more brutal into being rich and cultured but do not want other countries to grow at their own pace too. They developed by stealing people's territories, slavery and pollution yet do not want developing countries to even do a third of the things they did to become rich. The hypocrisy is sickening, that's my point and the West will eventually crumble with their democracy if they don't fix it. Countries like China and Russia who remain powerful outside the west provide alternatives in a world that would have become unipolar and exist to check the excesses of the west.

Very correct..

Authoritarianism is in turn better than Religious Extremism.

atmy1:
A. You are right about the outcome of the war but then, you keep falling into the same mainstream division of democratic and authoritarianism. US, the greatest democratic nation in the world has acted in the most authoritarian manner several times. It built an illegal detention centre Guantanamo bay in a sovereign country CUBA. While Russia and China may not be seen as democratic in your eyes, they have the rule of law and most of the things they do still follow their own constitution.

B. President Victor Yanukovic is from the east and is likely to lean more towards policies that favour his people in a divided Ukraine. However, the unpopularity of his decision could have been tested at the polls if his opponents were so confident he was unpopular. You keep saying Putin cannot be trusted but you have US with numerous cases of failure to guarantee promises. While there is no formal accord, documentary evidence exists that NATO had promised to limit eastward expansion during the reunification of Germany. Moreover modern history is littered with fake security guarantees that later put supposed US allies in danger; e.g the Kurds in Northern Syria(They helped fight ISIS but Trump sold them out to the Turks), Pakistan and the Taliban(They helped US fight the taliban in Afghanistan then US disappeared, exposing them to attacks from taliban).I pose the question to you, who is more trustworthy between Russia and the US if you want security guarantee? Also, Finland and Sweden have not been attacked by Russia since as they didn't join NATO.

The Budapest memorandum has been override by Russia's intervention in Donbas and Crimea driven primarily by humanitarian needs as there is documented evidence that Ukraine has harrased the Donbas people. Besides, Crimea was not originally part of Ukraine. Remember the country that did the same thing? US. They bombed Serbia on humanitarian grounds to help ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, a Serbian territory, forgetting the UN article on sovereign country. Forget it bro, US has messed up and they set the precedence for all this rubbish.

C. The overthrow of an elected pro Russian president precedes the annexation of Crimea. If US can do it in serbia, russia can do it in Ukraine, except you believe some countries are more equal than others.


D. You want to debunk an accusation against the west and you are quoting western press. I am a PR specialist and understand the power of excellent PR. Russia has already submitted documents supporting the existence of US biolabs in Ukraine at the UN. Even american officials have admitted it. Please check out the link below.

https://youtube.com/shorts/PJoNj8Yd32Q?feature=share

# - Let me clear something here about my stand when it comes to Democratic and Authoritarian Governments...

I don't consider every leader elected in a supposed Democratic nation as being a Democratic leader................ No I don't

For Example :

I don't consider Donald Trump as a Democratic leader. He is an Authoritarian leader. This my stance has caused lengthy debate between me and my fellow Pro West fans here in Nairaland.

I have on several occasions called out George Bush and Tony Blair for their War crimes in Iraq. Their style of leadership was not democratic for me. They may have started in the Democratic lane, but they entered the Authoritarian lane in a bid to uphold democratic values.

Which leads me to my next point....

The fact that a nation is Democratic does not mean that they given up their rights to defend themselves when attacked.

In the process of defending themselves or their allies, that is where you see most Democratic states behaving like Authoritarian states.

There are rules of engagement in every war or conflicts and I can say boldly that the West have not truly followed those rules of engagement.

I say it the way it is..... I don't support rubbish


If we say we are practicing Democracy then we must follow speech with actions.

There is the story of a German citizen of middle eastern roots that was wronglyfully arrested and detained for more than a year by the CIA.

After this man was finally released, could you believe that the was not even compensated financially ?

No Apologies was issued...

He took his case to the US and lost in the court because his case was deemed a threat to national security.

I saw that and I shook my head and said this is wickedness.

An American citizen would at least receive an apology from other countries if he was treated this way.

This is just one case.... What about Racism in democratic states..... No need to even go there.

That is why I said Democracy is not perfect. But democratic values are essential in this wicked world

It must constantly be reviewed, so that Democratic values meant to protect the little guy is not abused or ignored.

But I prefer Democracy to Authoritarianism because Democratic values is the direct opposite of Authoritarian actions.

If not for democratic values, the world would have been more wicked and dangerous today. It is Democratic values that is caging some leaders from going rogue, from being wicked.

When they remember that they swore an oath to uphold democratic values, the get their act together and dont misbehave.

# - Putin cannot be trusted with any nations security.

Putin is a Liar....... And you know it.

Before the Invasion, he lied to world leaders that he is not planning an Invasion. Today the rest his history.

Putin would say something to visiting world leaders and do the opposite later. You mentioned Sweden and Finland.

They are about to apply for NATO membership because they can clearly see that they can't trust their neighbor, Russia.

Today, Sweden signed a defense pact with the UK because of the miscalculation of one man...... Putin

#- The Budapest Memorandum is no longer valid because of what is happening in the Donbas region ?

Did I hear you correctly ?

When they signed the Memorandum, did Russia commit to secure the lives of only the Russian speaking people and their land or they committed to secure the whole of Ukraine ?

The latter is the Answer.

Russia as big brother to Ukraine has failed to do what is expected...... You can blame the west for that, no problem..... They are used to the blame game.

# - When the US Invaded Serbia, which part of the nation did they Annex ?

If you say Russia went to the Donbas region because they learnt it from the United States action in Serbia, then why the Annexation and land grabbing to increase the size of Russia ?

Putin has a sinister motive. He is longing to see the restoration of the old Soviet Union. If he is not stopped in Ukraine, he would enter other European nations.

This is the Truth that the Putin fan club don't want to admit

# - I knew you wouldn't believe those articles about the Russian Biolabs Propaganda.

We are waiting for final outcome at the UN.

But I will like to point out that if the United States want to produce Bio weapons against Russia, they would rather do it in Poland or Germany who are NATO members and not in Ukraine.

The United States and Ukraine are not that close, when you compare their relationship with Germany or Poland.

Putin's aggression has made the US and Ukraine look so close

Something as sensitive as Bio weapons would not be staged in a Non-Nato country.

The west has debunked the claims of a Bio lab, the East says it is true...

So let everyone believe what they want to believe..... Life goes on.

jimetagambo:
They should go back na since negotiation has failed.

Lol...

Bros,

You get better sense....

They should go back and install a puppet president.

atmy1:
So how is Iran different from Ukraine that sent over 7000 troops to join the invasion of Iraq. When you are judging Iran's policies you did not distinguish between various regimes because it is national policy. My point here is that both the west and Russia have committed atrocities but the west has done more. The list of invaded countries and dead innocent civilians keep piling up. The war in Ukraine could have been avoided by negotiations. Ukraine cannot join NATO just the same way US could not allow missiles deployed in Cuba. If ukraine wants to be closer to the west let them join EU and then negotiate security guarantees from both the west and Russia.

You talked about the annexation of Crimea. This did not happen until the illegal Euromaidan coup sponsored by the US. Victoria Nuland tape attests to this. The people of Crimea and Donbas rejected the new illegitimate government and voted to leave. Ukraine could have brought them into negotiations rather than harrasing them. I feel Russia'd pain. Here are russian speaking people being maltreated, many of them with families in Russia.

Then, you have the biolabs which US already attests to. What are they doing with biolabs in Ukraine for God's sake?

No matter how you look at it, the western govts and ukraine provoked this war. US has been operating NATO based and training camps in western ukraine for years.

Let me start by referring you to my previous post about the final outcome of this War.

I posted last week or so on another thread my opinion on the final outcome of this War.

Check the Link below for my opinion on how this War would end.

https://www.nairaland.com/7115220/no-eu-fast-track-ukraine-austrian#112620642

A - The War in Iraq

I am Pro West and Pro NATO but it may interest you to Know that I have NEVER supported the war in Iraq.

You can check my previous posts on Nairaland where I called out the War Criminals in Iraq..

I mentioned their names and countries one by one and called them War Criminals

Bush and Blair deceived the international community with false and baseless intelligence and Invaded the Sovereign nation of Iraq.

The Ukrainian president then that sent troops to Iraq did that to Appease the west because they wanted Ascension to NATO..

You would notice that before George Bush left office, In 2008, He made sure that Ukraine and Georgia were given candidate status in NATO.

That was where their Dream to join the Alliance ended. No progress have been made since then because they have not met the criteria to Join the alliance.


B - You want Ukraine to Join EU and Negotiate security guarantee from both sides

Have you forgotten what led to the Protest that made the pro-Russian President to run for his life in 2014 ?

His people wanted him to sign an agreement with the European Union but he refused and insisted that he wanted closer ties with Russia. Then the Euromaidan protest started, hence he fled the country to save his neck.

If he had not fled, he would still have lost the next election because the desire of majority of his people was closer ties with the European Union.

Security Guarantees.....

Putin's Russia cannot be trusted for any security guarantee.

What about the Budapest Memorandum ?

Why have you failed to mention it or you are not aware of it.

Ukraine was briefly a Nuclear Armed nation after Independence but decided to denuclearize...

In exchange, the U.S., the U.K. and Russia would guarantee Ukraine's security in a 1994 agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum.

The same Russia that is supposed to secure them is now destroying Ukraine.

If Ukraine was still in possession of those Nukes, Putin would have thought twice before the Invasion.

This is one reason why the US and UK are doggedly committed to the security of Ukraine.

Because the Budapest Memorandum is Sacred to the West and they have shown their readiness to honor it unlike Putin's Russia.

C - The War would have been avoided by Negotiations.

I agree that the War would have been avoided by sincere negotiation. But Putin was playing games with the West.

Can you Imagine Putin trying to Rewrite the Security Architecture of European countries. He was telling NATO to remain only in countries that Joined the Alliance before May
1997.

Putin wanted US and NATO to pullback from the Baltic states, something he knows that can never happen.

From 1997 to 2014, NATO deployed virtually no troops or equipment in new member states.

That changed following Russia’s seizure of Crimea.

NATO now deploys, on a rotating basis, relatively small multinational battlegroups in the Baltic states and Poland.

It is difficult to see NATO agreeing to withdraw them absent a significant change in Russia’s military posture.

Putin was never serious in his Negotiation attempts because he had made up his mind to Invade Ukraine.

Those Pre-Invasion Negotiations was just a pretext for Putin to Invade Ukraine.

The Pre-Invasion Russia- NATO draft treaty presented by the Russian foreign ministry was filled with bogus demands that even Putin know that the West would never agree to..

D - Biology Laboratories in Ukraine

So you still believe this Hogwash........

I know you are smarter than this.

The Russian Balderdash about Biolabs in Ukraine have been Independently DEBUNKED.

It was all a Russian Propaganda and a Pretext in their attempt to use Chemical weapons in Ukraine.

If you like check the links below and believe what you want.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/25/fact-check-claim-us-biolabs-ukraine-disinformation/6937923001/

https://voxukraine.org/en/fake-victoria-nuland-admitted-that-us-has-biolabs-in-ukraine/

https://www.bbc.com/news/60711705.amp

The Russian Propaganda machine have no evidence to back up their claim. If they did, you would still be hearing them sounding the alarm.

E - Crimea Annexation

You said Russia did not Annex Crimea ?

Then who Annexed it after a sham referendum ?

Guess what....

They are about to Annex Kherson and are already planning another fake referendum.

The Pro- Russian leaders there are now calling on Moscow to Annex Kherson.

That is why I referred you to my previous post about the eventual outcome of this War.

F - You said Zelensky did nothing to bring peace to the Donbas region

I encourage you once again to get your facts right...

President Zelensky on Oct. 1 2019, announced that he had signed the Steinmeier Formula, a road map to ending the war with Russian-backed separatists in the eastern part of his country.

The process, which was overseen by Germany and France, calls for local elections in occupied parts of the Donbass region and its recognition as a special autonomous region.

Immediately after the announcement, Opposition parties started protest in Kyiv.

The Road map to peace did not work because Zelensky never had a Super majority in parliament in other to implement the Scheme....

Not because he never tried to bring peace to the Donbas region.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/11/zelensky-pushes-peace-deal-ukraine-war-russia-donbass-steinmeier-formula/

G - OSCE and partiality

I laugh...

The same way the United Nations, Red Cross and other organizations have been accused of being partial in Somalia, Yemen and other War torn regions.

Houthi rebels in Yemen also claimed some time ago that they found a UN aid truck filled with ammunitions meant for their opponents.

H - You are Calling for a Review of the Current world system.

Well, I support your call to action but I also believe it is too late.

For decades nations have been calling for this review and nothing happened.

The world would remain West versus East..

Democracy versus Authoritarianism.

The P5 of the United Nations security council are not ready to relinquish their hold on the world.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk claimed his Starlink satellite internet service has been targeted by Russia, which is becoming increasingly indiscriminate in its cyber war on Ukraine.

Right from the onset, Russia's war on Ukraine has been fought on two fronts -- military and cyber.

Now, based on intelligence reports, the US, UK and the European Union have collectively alleged that Moscow carried out a large-scale digital attack to cripple Ukraine’s satellite internet network in late February with the aim to “disrupt Ukrainian command and control during the invasion”.

Tweeting a Reuters report on the major Russian cyberattack, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk claimed his Starlink satellite internet service has also been targeted by Moscow, which is becoming increasingly indiscriminate in its efforts to sabotage the network.

“Starlink has resisted Russian cyber war jamming and hacking attempts so far, but they’re ramping up their efforts,” Musk said.

Russia has consistently denied that it carries out offensive cyber operations.

On February 26, responding to a plea from the Ukrainian government, Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX shipped thousands of Starlink dishes to the war zone. Now, the satellite internet service is widely used by the country’s military and hospitals.

A couple of days ago, Musk shared screenshots of a Telegram post by the head of Roscosmos (Russian Space Agency), Dmitry Rogozin, threatening the Tesla CEO “with consequences” for providing Starlink services to Ukraine’s Azov Battalion and Marine forces.

RUSSIA’S MASSIVE CYBERATTACK

In the early hours of February 24, as Russian forces entered eastern Ukraine, hackers crippled tens of thousands of satellite internet modems in Ukraine and across Europe.

The modems provided internet to thousands of Ukrainians. It remains one of the biggest publicly known cyberattacks to have taken place in the conflict.

The attack, against a network controlled by US satellite firm Viasat, caused a "really huge loss in communications" at the outset of the war, Ukrainian cybersecurity officials said.

SUSTAINED DIGITAL ONSLAUGHT

In the weeks ahead of Russia's invasion, there was a flurry of cyber operations against Ukrainian targets. In January, researchers discovered destructive malware called WhisperGate circulating in Ukraine.

After WhisperGate's discovery, a spate of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks briefly knocked Ukrainian banking and government websites offline. Based on intelligence reports, the US and UK attributed the attack to Russia.

Then, days before the invasion, cybersecurity researchers discovered more data-wiping malware in Ukraine.

On April 12, Ukraine's computer emergency response team said in a series of statements that an elite Russian hacking team known as Sandworm had attempted days earlier to cause a blackout in the country.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indiatoday.in/amp/world/story/elon-musk-russia-ramping-up-cyber-war-downed-ukraine-satellite-internet-starlink-1947913-2022-05-11

Four Russian regional governors resigned on Tuesday as the country braces for the impact of economic sanctions.

The heads of the Tomsk, Saratov, Kirov and Mari El regions announced their immediate departures from office, while the head of Ryazan region said he would not run for another term.

Elections are scheduled to take place in all five regions in September.

Though Russian regional governors are elected, they are politically subordinate to the Kremlin. Several of the outgoing governors represent regions where the ruling bloc United Russia took weak vote shares in parliamentary elections last year.

Unpopular governors are regularly removed from office, often submitting their resignations in clusters in the spring months.

Ilya Grashchenkov, head of the Centre for the Development of Regional Politics think tank in Moscow, said the Kremlin was removing weak governors amid a worsening economic outlook for the country, driven by Western sanctions.

Grashchenkov said: “There’s a need to restructure the economy, especially in those regions where Western economic influence had been significant. These governors need to be replaced by younger alternatives.”

The Russian economy is set to contract by 8.8% in 2022, the economy ministry has said.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indiatoday.in/amp/world/russia-ukraine-war/story/russian-governors-resign-amidst-sanctions-imposed-on-country-1947904-2022-05-11

atmy1:
Like I said, democracy is an idealistic concept and more complex in reality. Also, most of what you know about the world today was shaped by the western media. I am sure you will readily say Iran is one of the most terrible countries in the world but if I ask you how many acts of terrorism has actually been linked to Iran. Meanwhile, US had to beg Iran to help them fight ISIS which they created in Syria. Zelensky is even more of a dictator than Putin. He banned all opposition parties. Therefore he is a dictator and deserves to be an enemy of the US. Can you now see the folly in your worldview?

Zelensky banned all opposition parties with links to Russia on the 20 of March 2022.

Almost a month after Putin's Russia Invaded Ukraine.

Now ask yourself who Invaded Russia before Putin cracked down on Opposition candidates and they were banned from parliamentary elections.

No sane democratically elected President would allow Opposition parties with links to an Invader to continue to function in the political terrain of his nation.

Every Invader must be pushed back including the political parties they sponsor.

You mentioned Iran...

Go and find out the militant groups that they help in training, financing and providing weapons and safe haven to.

Albania

On 19 December 2018 Albania expelled Iran's ambassador to the country, Gholamhossein Mohammadnia, and another Iranian diplomat for "involvement in activities that harm the country's security", for "violating their diplomatic status and supporting terrorism.

"The expelled Iranians were alleged to have plotted terrorist attacks in the country.

Bahrain

On 30 September 2015, Bahraini security forces discovered a large bomb-making factory in Nuwaidrat and arrested a number of suspects linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

The next day, 1 October, Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iran and asked the Iranian acting charge d’affaires to leave the kingdom within 72 hours after he was declared persona non-grata.

Bahrain's decision to recall its ambassador came "in light of continued Iranian meddling in the affairs of the kingdom of Bahrain in order to create sectarian strife and to impose hegemony and control.

On 6 January 2016, Bahrain said it had dismantled a terrorist cell allegedly linked to the Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah.

The Bahraini interior ministry said the cell was planning to carry out a series of dangerous bombings on the kingdom, and that many members were arrested including the group's leaders, 33-year-old twins Ali and Mohammed Fakhrawi.

India

In July 2012, The Times of India reported that New Delhi police had concluded that terrorists belonging to a branch of Iran's military, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, were responsible for an attack on 13 February 2012, during which a bomb explosion targeted an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi, India, wounding one embassy staff member, a local employee, and two passers-by.

According to the report, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards may have planned other attacks on Israeli targets around the world as well.

Kenya

Aggrey Adoli, police chief in Kenya's coastal region, said on 22 June 2012 that two Iranians, Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi, believed to be members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, were arrested and suspected of being involved in terrorism.

One of the Iranians led counter-terrorism officers to recover 15 kilograms of a powdery substance believed to be explosive.

The two Iranians admitted to plotting to attack United States, Israeli, Saudi, or British targets in Kenya.

In court, Police Sgt. Erick Opagal, an investigator with Kenya's Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, said that the two Iranians had shipped over 100 kilograms of powerful explosives into Kenya.

It was later revealed that the targets included Gil Haskel, Israel's ambassador to Kenya.

During a visit to Kenya, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon praised Kenya for its efforts in stopping Iranian terror threats against Israeli and Jewish targets.

Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya all expressed concern with Ayalon regarding Iran's attempts to increase terror activity in Africa

atmy1:
You just defined Zelensky as a typical disctator. He banned 10 opposition parties, bombed donbass just because they wanted to independence and sends troops to use civilians as human shields. Ukrainian extremist troops were shooting ethnic Russians who are Ukrainian citizens in Mariupol, parking armoured tanks in shopping malls and converting a kindergarten to military base. He is even worse than a dictator and I hope the Ukrainians will get a better leader soon. Remember, a legitimate government was toppled in 2014 with the active instigation of the US.

You have shifted ground again....

You came up with the comparison of Putin with Angela Merkel and I asked you simple questions, instead of answering them,

You have shifted to Zelensky.

Ok less go there....

Zelensky was Democratically elected to protect the Territorial Integrity and Borders of Ukraine as recognized by the United Nations.

President Zelensky came to power on May 20, 2019. The War and destruction in the Donbas region has been raging since 2014. He came to office as a War time President.

He came to office and vowed that his first goal as president would be to achieve a lasting peace in war-torn eastern Ukraine.

After his Servant of the people party won parliamentary majority in July 21 of the same year, Zelensky’s mandate allowed him to promote a peace settlement that would see Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed insurgents withdraw from the so-called “contact line” in eastern Ukraine.

Zelensky’s opponents characterized the move as a capitulation that would do nothing but legitimize Russian aggression in the Donets Basin and Crimea, but he retained widespread support from a war-weary public.

So most of the Atrocities you pointed above were done before he came to office..... Please Get your facts correct.

Yes he sent Ukrainian troops to fight with Russian backed insurgents but that was in retaliation to the heinous crimes the Kremlin backed forces were committing in the Donbas region.

I am in no way trying to let the Ukrainian military off the hook because they also committed their fair share of War Crimes against civilians.

But it was not Zelensky that Annexed a part of Russia, it was Putin that Invaded a sovereign nation and annexed Crimea.

Zelensky never gave arms to Russian Opposition figures and asked them to declare a new Republic but Putin did that in Ukraine.

Zelensky never Invaded Russia but Putin's military has been Invading the Ukrainian territory since 2014 as documented by the OSCE.

So who is the Aggressor here, Putin or Zelensky ?

Putin has never recognized Ukraine as a sovereign nation, he sees Ukraine as a part of Russia that must have a Puppet as president to do the will of the Kremlin just like Lukashenko in Belarus.

Why didn't you make mention of Putin's War Crimes and Criminals in the Donbas region since 2014 such as the:

illegal kidnapping of civilians,

Torturing of civilians,

Extrajudicial killing and detention of people.

The majority of them were civilians, among them were men and women.

Why did you fail to mention the fact that Putin and his Invaders since 2014 targeted and prosecuted journalists, human rights defenders, civil activists, art and religious leaders in the Donbas region.

Why did you not mention Igor Strelkov aka Igor Girkin, who is a commander of the Kremlin backed forces in Donbas

Igor Strelkov is a well known War Criminal ... he has committed war crimes in Transnistria, in Chechnya, in Crimea and in Donbas.

He is among four men responsible for the downing of the MH 17 flight that killed almost 300 people according to Dutch persecutors.

You failed to mention the above...

But na Zelensky body you dey get Power.....

You try well well.

obynzo:
Lol.... e pain you well well. Go and take you evening dose so that your madness will be controlled.

I understand you were chained so that you don't roam the streets

Well Your doctor is coming to lose your chain so that they can attend to your Dementia and Insanity.

Mad beast..

atmy1:
You don't get it. What the west claims to practice is not the real democracy just as what Soviet union practiced was not the real communism as espoused by Karl Marx and co.

As long as humans are in charge of this world and one nation seeks dominance over others either by force or by crook, there will never be peace. If one nation cannot abide by its own rules, how do you want another nation to abide by those same rules?

It is even more insulting when you claim to be honest but we can see how brutal you really are. If you prefer the deception to reality, that's okay. Go ahead. But truth must be told.

I want to see Obama, Bush and Clinton judged before the ICC and condemned for their war crimes before criticising Putin. That is only when we can say there is justice. Otherwise we are all deceiving ourselves.

Is that not what Russia is trying to do in several European countries where they have Russian backed Separatists...

Putin's Russia have a grand plan to take over European countries because they want the Soviet Union restored.

Just like you, I am also waiting for the Former US president to face War Crime charges for any legitimate war Crime they committed..

I will never support any War Criminal..

War Crime is War Crime.. No matter who commits it, I would always speak against them.

olugabbie:
Who has hold any Western leaders responsible for the war crimes committed in the middle east? The US killed more than 300000 civilians in Iraq alone.

MBS killed Kashshoggi and may be few others compare to the 300000 civilians killed in Iraq.

Israel commits war crimes against Palestinians on daily basis. Who is holding them accountable.

You can hold them responsible by continualy speaking against it regardless of your Political allegiance.

War Crime is War Crime no matter who the offenders may be ....

obynzo:
Well i am not surprised i was expecting this from a Psychiatric patient so no worries bro.... Just take your meds and follow the psychiatrist's advice you go dey alright.

Mad fellow

Go and seek help for your Dementia.

atmy1:
And what happened to Saudi Arabia for it? No invasion, no sanction, no one embargo on Saudi oil. Do you know why? Saudi is their ally and this further underscores my point that democracy is only a facade. It doesn't matter who practices democracy or not, only who is America's friend. Look at the case of Saddam Hussein. The US used him to topple the communist govt of Iraq. Unfortunately, neighbouring Iran went rogue on the west. They overthrow the friendly Shah and kicked US out of their country for good. In retaliation, they funded Sadam to launch a brutal war against Iran. With the support of the Soviets, Iran prevailed. Several years later, when Sadam was going to be hanged, one of his crimes was using chemical weapons against innocent Iranians. Who gave him the chemical weapons? Your guess is as good as mine.
Let me tell you, this Zelensky will eventually become a sworn enemy of the US tomorrow when he realizes he is only being used.

Rubbish

So Saudi Arabia should be Invaded because they killed their own citizen inside their Embassy in Turkey ?

You think the America government is as Stupid and crazy like the Russian Dictator you support ?

Go and dig further and find out the Sanctions that were handed out by the Trump administration and later by President Biden . (Even though they were not enough)

Finally,

America have helped nations before and those nations later turned against them, So if Ukraine turn against the United States tomorrow, it is nothing new.

Only few friendship and partnerships last forever.

atmy1:
Plus, who gives labels something dictatorship? Western media? Angela Merkel spent 4 terms up to 16 years in office but was not a dictator. The same way they kept voting Merkel back is how they keep voting Putin back yet he is a dictator. UK conducted Brexit and it was adjudged a free referendum but when Crimea voted enmasse to join Russia, the referendum is fake. This Ukraine war is fun because the Russians are just taking their time waiting for the right time to expose the western lies. Imagine the loss in reputation for the big networks CNN, BBC etc when Ukraine finally crumbles like a pack of cards.

So you now want to compare Angela Merkel with Putin ?

How many Opposition figure did Merkel Intimidate ?

How many Opposition candidate did Merkel Arrest ?

How many Independent candidates did Merkel ask the Electoral commission to Bar from running in parliamentary Elections ?

How many Peaceful Protesters did Merkel Arrest ?

How many Opposition figure did Merkel Poison and they fled to Russia for medical treatment ?

How many Opposition figure did Merkel Kill in front of the German Chancellery ?

How many outspoken critic of Merkel have died Violently or Mysteriously ?

Below is a link for you to see 10 Putin critics that died Violently or Mysteriously...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/23/here-are-ten-critics-of-vladimir-putin-who-died-violently-or-in-suspicious-ways/

You better stop deceiving yourself and stop the Nonsensical comparison.

The only thing the war in Ukraine has exposed or revealed is the weakness of the Russian military.

atmy1:
[s]Democracy is a facade, great in theory but more complex in practice just like communism. The only difference and what makes democracy more dangerous is that it gives the illusion of freedom to the victims until it's too late. Every society should determine how it wants to be run via a social contract with it's leaders, that is the real democracy. When you impose a foreign system on people that don't want it you create chaos which is what the US has done to many middle eastern countries. Have you noticed that the most successful middle eastern countries are not democracies? I am sure the moment you replace UAE's monarchy with a democratic goverment that's the end of that great country.[/s]

Utter Hogwash..

Another Balderdash from the Lovers of Authoritarianism.

That is why MBS was emboldened to brutally kill Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey because he knows nobody would hold him accountable for his crimes.

Abeg forget your Anti- Democratic Sales speech.