bickster Posted September 15, 2022 Moderator Share Posted September 15, 2022 7 minutes ago, MaVilla said: Genuine question to anyone who actually knows a bit more than me about Russian politics etc. Were all these people who died either openly anti the war/Putin, or possibly anti Putin behind the scenes?, or is it something to do with removing certain people to secure certain assets?....something else? What is the thing that links all these people? (im assuming they didnt die for no reason? - i dont mean they deserved to, but more....what links then that they were some possible threat to Putin or his allies?, or why they met their end from "suicide" etc) note: please dont just say "cus Putin bad man no reason blah blah", there must be something linking them? Some of them had made mildly dissenting comments about the Special Operation publically, others? No-one really knows but with a very powerful yet paranoid autocrat in charge of the country, some of them may have done nothing at all or done things behind the scenes that no one will ever know. That latest one is definitely sending a more powerful message though. the pattern started as apparent muder/suicides, then they started to fall out of windows, now they are shooting themselves in the head multiple times before falling out of the window. It's becoming less and less subtle and you'd imagine that might be a sign of increasing paranoia and increasing dissent I'm also not convinced 12 is an accurate number, they may have been others too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 What is Roman Abramovic up to these days? He was part of the negotiating committee in the early days but hasn’t been seen for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 15, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted September 15, 2022 Apparently Putin is genuinely pissed off that he wasn't invited to the Queen's funeral! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 8 hours ago, mjmooney said: Apparently Putin is genuinely pissed off that he wasn't invited to the Queen's funeral! Shame, we could have picked him up from the airport and re-enacted the end scene from "Long good Friday". Throw him over the fence to the lions in London Zoo and just walk off. He can Judo the lions to death if he wants. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightoffyour Posted September 16, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted September 16, 2022 (edited) He should’ve been invited. They could’ve even taken him for a trip to Salisbury Cathedral Edited September 16, 2022 by fightoffyour 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnkarl Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 To be fair Zelensky keeps saying and doing the right thing. He visited Izyum two days after liberation, now he's learnt English to a point where he's coming across well, he works out every day and is built like a brick house. I think I'm starting to have a mancrush.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 16, 2022 Moderator Share Posted September 16, 2022 8 hours ago, mjmooney said: Apparently Putin is genuinely pissed off that he wasn't invited to the Queen's funeral! ANd this is exactly why the likes of Scholtz and Macron should stop calling him for a chat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 37 minutes ago, bickster said: ANd this is exactly why the likes of Scholtz and Macron should stop calling him for a chat They have no shame, you couldn't make a proper human using the best bits from both. Little tiny small men trying to clamber onto the world stage no matter what, they can't reach metaphorically or in reality the pair of words removed. Why stop there, go and see chunky boy in North Korea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 10 hours ago, MaVilla said: there must be something linking them? Russia / Putin needs the money and the control. The sanctions will get him in the end and it will all cave in soon enough, hence the money grab. Also, nobody can be bribed or controlled if Putin has all the money also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedClaretAndBlue Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 1 hour ago, magnkarl said: built like a brick house Until he rides around topless on a horse looking like a deflated Matt Lucas he still has a way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 44 minutes ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said: Similar to what was summarised on the news last night. China will happily take the oil and gas from Russia, at a discounted rate, but doesn’t want to align too closely to Putin or Russia because of the risk of sanctions from Europe and the US. Aside from fossil fuel purchases they are distancing themselves from the Putin regime and pressuring them to end the war. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 2 minutes ago, Genie said: China will happily take the oil and gas from Russia, How do they get it there ? It is just not possible in the amounts required, Putin is mental. What route as there is a tiny pipe only, all of the assets are in the North of Russia near the Arctic circle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I expect it’s probably in China’s interest now to see Russia lose the war. Stability will return to the world economy, and they’ll be first in line for more cheap oil and gas as Russia will be even more desperate for money than now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 1 minute ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said: How do they get it there ? It is just not possible in the amounts required, Putin is mental. What route as there is a tiny pipe only, all of the assets are in the North of Russia near the Arctic circle. Not sure tbh, maybe the same question for India too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 14 minutes ago, Genie said: Not sure tbh, maybe the same question for India too. I think its 70 day round trip iirc. Even if you want only 2 ships a day, there aren't enough ships on the planet and they can't get insurance. G7 hold insurance rights for shipping afaik. This is why they use the pipes to Europe, easiest and most efficient way to move oil / gas (especially gas as it needs to be liquid on a ship then back to gas. The EU need to get in front of Russia and start dismantling the Noord steams as soon as possible. It will finish them, as we dismantle them they will be on the phone begging. Remember, they cannot turn the production off for the oil and gas. This is not an option, sell it or lose it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKP90 Posted September 16, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted September 16, 2022 33 minutes ago, Genie said: I expect it’s probably in China’s interest now to see Russia lose the war. Stability will return to the world economy, and they’ll be first in line for more cheap oil and gas as Russia will be even more desperate for money than now. Maybe, but I'm not mistaking their silence over the legitimacy of the war as virtue, even if the war does end. At the end of the day, their purchase of Russian oil and gas at increased rates has to some degree undermined the sanctions, and resulted in a prolonged conflict with many more lives lost on both sides. China I get, politically, but India, well i'm massively disappointed in their response having lived there and having loved the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desensitized43 Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 10 hours ago, mjmooney said: Apparently Putin is genuinely pissed off that he wasn't invited to the Queen's funeral! I'm kind of torn on this. The Queen was supposed to be a-political so to see the government stepping in to exclude this country and that country doesn't really seem in keeping with that. I would have thought there might be a good opportunity to get Vlad out of his echo chamber, away from the military hawks and use what is a moment for the country and the world to try and get some kind of dialogue open to end the war. I get why they've done it in the interests of keeping him isolated and there's definitely an argument for that but I think it could have been seen as an opportunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 16, 2022 Moderator Share Posted September 16, 2022 3 minutes ago, HKP90 said: Maybe, but I'm not mistaking their silence over the legitimacy of the war as virtue, even if the war does end. At the end of the day, their purchase of Russian oil and gas at increased rates has to some degree undermined the sanctions, and resulted in a prolonged conflict with many more lives lost on both sides. China I get, politically, but India, well i'm massively disappointed in their response having lived there and having loved the country. India are caught between a rock and a hard place tbh. Most of it's military equipment is Russian and their Generals will be looking at the war and saying holy shit our entire army is equipped with shite Pakistan on the other hand are rubbing their hands in glee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedClaretAndBlue Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 9 minutes ago, desensitized43 said: I'm kind of torn on this. The Queen was supposed to be a-political so to see the government stepping in to exclude this country and that country doesn't really seem in keeping with that. I would have thought there might be a good opportunity to get Vlad out of his echo chamber, away from the military hawks and use what is a moment for the country and the world to try and get some kind of dialogue open to end the war. I get why they've done it in the interests of keeping him isolated and there's definitely an argument for that but I think it could have been seen as an opportunity. Theres no way hed of gone anyway. Imagine his (rightful) paranoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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