Lighthouse

We’re basically doing all we can without escalating the situation into full on Nato vs Russia conflict. Our strategy is clearly to make this way as tough, expensive and demoralising as possible for Russia, whilst at the same time crippling their economy. This isn’t as trivial as Oleg and Sergei not having a latte on their coffee break, every multinational company that pulls out equals thousands of jobs lost and another chunk out of Russia’s economic output. I don’t know what else you think we should be doing?

Talking about our lack of tolerance for loss of life and how we’d be defeated as a combat unit over a weekend, against the same opposition which hasn’t managed to overcome Ukraine in two weeks, is a reflection of the whole defence organisation> It’s not relevant anyway, this isn’t UK vs. Russia, there’s a reason we’re in NATO.

Just out of interest, have you ever spoken to any of the families of servicemen killed in Iraq 1, 2 and Afghanistan? Perhaps you should give them your in depth assessment of how pathetic and gutless they all are.

Russia seized Crimea at a time of political upheaval in Ukraine, with protests across the country in both directions. They were too preoccupied and disorganised to do much about Russia seizing their Black Sea naval operation. I'm not an expert either but from the people I know who live there, giving away territory to a man like Putin, after months or even years of him using thermobaric weapons against schools and hospitals, is not going to feel anything like a win.

Illya Zabarnyi is a very well regarded CB at Dynamo Kyiv and already plays for the NT aged 19.

Basically no to all of that. If Putin gets any of the LPR/DPR or Crimea, legit, he will only come to the conclusion that it worked and try it again further down the line, except probably with better military planning and execution. Ukraine will never cede territory to Russia and nor should they. If it did happen it will do anything but heal that wound. The Ukrainians are furious about this and the idea of Putin getting rewarded for it with chunks of their country will not lead to any kind of peace. Too much damage has already been done to hope for any kind of positivity with regards to Putin. What was a see-saw country between East and West now has a sack of cement firmly on the pro EU/NATO end. I know someone who has literally changed her spoken language over this.

Poland is going to give Ukraine all their Mig-29s, under the agreement that Uncle Sam will replace them with comparable aircraft, most likely F16s.

I suspect you'd be getting pretty much ignored whilst they're going to town on each other, it'd be largely anti-climactic.

I'd quite like a Road Runner style cartoon death, where I'm walking down the street and I just hear the whistle of the bomb from above, with a gradually enlarging shadow appearing directly on top of me. Then the bomb will stick momentarily, nose first, into the top of my head, I'll pull out a small sign which says "Help!", then, Kaboom!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_racking

Neither is going to happen any time soon. I’m sure some Europhiles on here will be able to explain in much more detail than me but there are a whole bunch of social and economic requirements for applying to join the EU, which Ukraine weren’t even close to meeting BEFORE the invasion, let alone now. As much as I admire Zelenskyi, I do think he has been somewhat cynical using this crisis to try and push through EU membership. Forget NATO, that won’t happen in Putin’s lifetime.

Nothing quite says, "got us by the bollocks," like closing your stock market for two weeks, half the worlds banks and payment solutions pulling out and a rouble that’s worth it’s weight in toilet paper.

Finish!

Sister Mary is having none of it.

Russia should depose Putin, admit this whole thing was an obscene and tragic waste of innocent lives right from the start, pull out of everywhere (including Crimea and the so called LPR/DPR) and the world can return to sanity. What will happen is a long and protracted continuation of what's happening now. Russia will eventually amass an unknown area of Ukraine but continue to face stiff resistance until eventually this whole thing collapses in on itself and they simply don't have the money to keep the war going. It'll take years and tens of thousands of lives.

Bhutan have never attacked Guinea Bissau with land, sea or air power, so we can pretty much do away with our armed forces completely. Thank you Warrior, your insight will save this country billions in tax spending.

Interesting that members of the SNP have chosen now to reiterate their desire to scrap Trident.

We just need to keep cracking on with wind turbines and form a concerted effort with the rest of Europe not to rely on hydrocarbons in the future.

I’m guessing it’s somewhere between erectile dysfunction and rabies but like you say, start small and work our way up.

Some of the Ukraine chat has been moved to the lounge, if anyone wants to carry it on there.

I doubt it. Only the most expert of antivaxxers on Twitter are able to accurately diagnose heart problems that quickly, with just a cursory glance. I think this is just a thing that started when some fans managed to stop a game once, and it seems to have spread with no official protocol or directive.

This BS with stopping games for medical problems in the crowd has to stop. We’ve always let the St John’s guys deal with it in the past, that didn’t need to change. All that’s going to happen, if it isn’t already, is that clubs will abuse it tactically, like we do with our 60 minute ‘injuries’. Play a high intensity pressing game and then on 35 minutes, matey in block 12 goes down feeling a bit faint.

Watching the games this weekend, I wish I’d bought shares in Ukrainian Flags Ltd.

He’d make a great Russian military planner. Just find 200 of their oldest, rustiest Migs, crash them into the Dnepr reservoir and that equals all the RAF Typhoons destroyed, somehow.