The end?
- Thread starter borolad259
- Start date
I do appreciate your cautious contributions to this thread but, sometimes, I do wonder if you are not so much "glass half empty" as "I haven't got a glass".
I don't think any of us is setting much stock in the Russian position. I'll quote my mate tonight "It's really confusing, even to the best analysts on the planet".
By the way, for those doubting the Putin doubles, have a look at the Putins in Crimea over the last day or so. There's two of them. Neither of them is real.
I don't think any of us is setting much stock in the Russian position. I'll quote my mate tonight "It's really confusing, even to the best analysts on the planet".
By the way, for those doubting the Putin doubles, have a look at the Putins in Crimea over the last day or so. There's two of them. Neither of them is real.
Jan_Aage_Fjortoft
Well-known member
One of the clips on Reddit of a Putin in Crimea very clearly looked like he was wearing a mask. Didn’t post it here though as there’s no context behind the clip so I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to legit be him or just some footage of someone wearing a mask of him today.
It was very Mission Impossible Ethan Hunt. It was that surreal if that really was them trying to pass it off as him.
It was very Mission Impossible Ethan Hunt. It was that surreal if that really was them trying to pass it off as him.
El Guapo
Well-known member
Can you put a pic up of each? The real and the two doubles….? Just for comparison like. I’m pretty rubbish at seeing differences individually.
Hap
Well-known member
A corrupt country with an economy the size of Italy versus Ukraine backed by the entire West.
The nuclear threat is all there is now. And how real that threat is, is unknowable.
Behind the scenes, the top people really are talking. This is good. Vote held. 13 for talking. 10 against. abstaining (inc. ukraine.) 4.
Mate thought Ukraine would be against.
.
Mate thought Ukraine would be against.
.
Btw. Peskov is in charge atm.
HolgateCorner
Well-known member
Hope this is true, pity it is about 12 months or more late.
I’m always about realistic expectation.
This source has often been well wide of the mark in his speculation but I would dearly love that not to be the case with this most recent missive.
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I suspect they won’t
Sad but true.
Well, I'll just listen to the guy who is literally casting votes (albeit as a proxy) and see what happens. He's right way more times than he is wrong. To be clear, no-one knows what the outcome will be, but Russia is in a very bad place militarily AND politically. Not sure what will happen with Xi this week now. The Chinese are very concerned about the optics.
Full statement:
There’s really nothing conciliatory there.
No mention of pre 1991 borders.
I think Xi and Putin will be talking about how they can get around sanctions when they meet, how China can continue to supply Russia with useful equipment.
There’s really nothing conciliatory there.
No mention of pre 1991 borders.
I think Xi and Putin will be talking about how they can get around sanctions when they meet, how China can continue to supply Russia with useful equipment.
Think what you like. The real conversations are going on behind the scenes, as they always do.
Xi has a problem. The Chinese aren't stupid. They know that Xi meeting someone charged with war crimes looks bad and, much as they don't care for what the USA thinks, they care very much about Europe. They also know what the western agencies know about "Putin" in terms of him not being in charge/alive/well. Xi would be talking with Peskov, Patrushev and Lavrov. If there's a meeting with "Putin" it will be for the cameras ... just as Putin in Crimea and Mariupol is for the cameras. The statement quoted above, put out by the drunk foreign secretary, was for the cameras (and the domestic/world home audiences).
But everything is still very much up in the air. Ukraine (Kuleba) abstained from voting on the proposal yesterday (but were actually expected to vote against). We have been here before, when Lavrov went to G9 and had a funny turn before being recalled to Moscow.
Militarily Russia is now even weaker with commanders on the ground right across the front complaining about lack of munitions and having to conduct infantry assaults with no artillary cover. I'll post a video clip if I can find it. Ukraine, meanwhile, is militarily much stronger than it was. It would be good news for all concerned if they didn't have to prove it in the coming months.
This was 3 days ago. This fella ain't bad. Biased of course, but comes up with well sourced material from Russian telegram channels.
It’s hard to imagine that Xi will agree to meet a Putin double.