[JithinR]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

If some kid visits this thread in the future, he/she would realize that there's always two sides to a story. Not blindly believe the one written by a bunch of hypocrites of the MSM.

There would be all the links to how the EU continued buying gas from Russia, the US buying uranium and fertilizers and what not, well more than one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

She would read some really informative posts by unbiased BHPians about geopolitics, the atrocities carried out by Russia and the double standards of the west.

Agreed completely.

Originally Posted by TROOPER

All I hope and pray the kid doesn't have to end up reading, is the current situation spiralling out of control and something even more unimaginable happening.

Not with this one though. I am now convinced that Putin is not going to stop with Ukraine. Like others have mentioned he has been planning this for years. Don't see why he would stop with just Phase 1.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Blackwater (Fancy name of US Mercenaries operating in Iraq, not even American soldiers) shot dead 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. Not one was punished for this daylight murder.

Actually as far as I remember four of the contractors were actually prosecuted and convicted for the Nisour Square massacre. They were rotting in jail till Trump pardoned them (https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...iraq-civilians).

You might have missed that in case you were following propaganda from certain sources (after all Mr. Trump was their prodigal son).

It was definitely not enough but imagine the Russian government bringing charges against the Wagner group for the atrocities they have committed (like the U.S federal government actually did). Yeah, I am not holding my breath on that one.

Also, guys you don't have to spend even a minute of effort to convince me that Ukrainians are murdering Russians in cold blood. In fact, I don't even need to see a video, I will straight up believe you. Do I think this is wrong? Yep. But like I said in this thread before it's:

Originally Posted by JithinR

.. (not because of the Geneva convention...don't really think the Americans/Russians/Ukrainians actually care for that). But simply because this would cause long term animosity between people that share borders and culture.

Nothing like the amount of effort taken to convince some members here that Russians were murdering civilians (even satellite footage was barely enough and it was still met with what-about-itsm).

My point was simply to the fact that this thread reports Russians being murdered much more than Ukrainians. Almost to the point where one would feel that it was Ukraine who was the aggressor in this war (which I guess a lot of Indians feel like it is...I can see a lot of 'they deserved it' attitude amongst Indians on Social Media).

[turbo_delight]

As we speak, looks like Russia is doing good on economics front.

[goacom]

If true, then it must obviously be condemned. But it could also just be fake. The Russians are pros at creating fake news, just as they did to influence the 2016 US elections to help Trump. There are some videos of so called executions in which the alleged executions by the Ukranians have their flags on their uniforms upside down! It simply does not make sense for the Ukranians to be filming the executions and sending it out to the media.

The bottom line is that Russia started the war and has unified NATO like never before, with even historically neutral countries like Finland, Sweden and even Switzerland supporting Russia. Until recently, Germany was a Russian puppet, with a puny military budget, and with its ex-chancellor Schroeder even being on the board of Gazprom.

However, the unification of NATO against Russia may not matter to Putin. He is a sharp guy. The US and the European allies are doing the bare minimum to support Ukraine. If Russia gains control on the east and the southern coasts of Ukraine, it will gain access to Europe's largest oil and gas reserves and the ports to export it. This will be worth trillions and more than make up for the military losses and loss of trade with the west. That is why Russia continues to pound these areas, even though they have a large number of ethnic Russians. It was never about the ethnic Russians or the fake non existing Ukrainian Nazis. It was always about Russia getting access to their natural resources. In WW2 the, the German invasion of the east was all about resources. Putin's war is more of the same. If Russia can consolidate these areas, it will be a victory of sorts for Russia.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

These war crimes by Ukrainians are so wide spread that now even Main stream Western Media(NYTimes) is reporting it:

Attachment 2293911

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/04...raine-executed


It seems they are completely insane to commit these crimes and then record and share it to the world. Amazing how these "impartial" and "free" news outlets use the words "Appears to show" even when the execution of prisoners is clearly shown on the videos. However for Russians they are guilty without any proof.

“These are not even humans,” a Ukrainian soldier says in the video as he walks among the wrecked vehicles, adding that two Russian lieutenants had been taken prisoner.

The Ukrainian soldiers are identifiable by their flag patches and blue arm bands and repeat “glory to Ukraine” multiple times.

No difference from the Nazis of WWII, even the badges worn by some of the Ukrainian military units are the same.

[dragracer567]

Really need to applaud India's MEA here. Despite condemnations from all sides, India has been doing the right things - neither sided with Russia nor the West which is evident from India's voting pattern at the UN. This abstention works against Russia as explained in the video and Russia has warned that abstention in this vote will be considered 'unfriendly'. Just like the West, Russia shouldn't be allowed to dictate terms to India either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joleQTFv0T8

[download2live]

This war will also have a bearing on USD dominance in international trade. As I said earlier, USD dominance is maintained by US. At any cost. How far will Biden go?

Putin has committed the biggest mistake of all in US books: Trading resources bypassing USD !!

Russian coal and oil paid for in yuan to start flowing to china

"Russian coal and oil paid for in yuan is about to start flowing into China as the two countries try to maintain their energy trade in the face of growing international outrage over the invasion of Ukraine.

Several Chinese firms used local currency to buy Russian coal in March, and the first cargoes will arrive this month, Chinese consultancy Fenwei Energy Information Service Co. said. These will be the first commodity shipments paid for in yuan since the U.S. and Europe penalized Russia and cut several of its banks off from the international financial system, according to traders.

Sellers of Russian crude have also offered to give buyers in Asia’s largest economy the flexibility to pay in yuan. The first cargoes of the ESPO grade bought with the Chinese currency will be delivered to independent refiners in May, according to people familiar with the purchases.

China has long bristled at the dollar’s dominance in global trade and the political leverage it gives the U.S. Efforts to chip away at the status quo are now being accelerated by Western steps to punish Russia for its war of aggression. Moscow is offering rupee-ruble payments to Indian oil buyers, while Saudi Arabia is in talks with Beijing to price some of its crude in yuan."

[Aloneatma]

Russia evicted from the UNHRC. India abstains. The west will be pleased as abstentions will not be counted for the 2/3rd majority.



Notice the stark contrast from the list of nations who voted for and against the resolution. Abstentions worked against Russia. Russia would have preferred India to vote against the resolution. China, surprisingly, voted against the resolution, in favor of Russia.

Sanctions won't resolve this conflict. Nor will violence or a nuclear deterrent. Only talks across the table can work. Russia and Ukraine need to sit with each other and work out a mutually workable solution. They are the ones who are bearing the brunt. US and China need to be kept out of this. Probably, India can mediate.

This conflict is insane. This has to be brought to a halt by the international community. So many lives are lost. Families destroyed. Unthinkable in the modern era and yet its happening right in front of us. Tomorrow it could be our country in this same horrendous predicament.

The west aka USA is stoking Ukraine's ego and China is doing the same with Russia. This is absolutely mind numbing. Millions of people are being uprooted and their lives destroyed. This sets a very scary template for years to follow as the repercussions will be deep rooted and far reaching.

Agonizing

[vishnurp99]

Just wanted to share an interview of the leader on the Donbas side.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world...war/ar-AAVX5dW

Excerpts :

India Today: What is the ground situation? How much of Ukrainian territory is under the control of the Donetsk People's Militia (the DPR)?

Eduard Basurin: Almost 65% of our territory (Donetsk Oblast) is controlled by us and 35% is under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The main control is in the south of the Republic (what they call Donetsk People's Republic, now recognised by Russia as an independent state), northern and southern parts are under the control of the Ukrainian fighters.

EB: The main problem is not that they are better supplied. The problem is that the Ukrainian Army is not returning (withdrawing). The most equipped forces of Ukraine are here in the south of Donbas.There are about 1,00,000 soldiers, a full range of weaponry, but no aviation. The supply of weapons committed by Europe is for Ukrainian territories, such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa. Weapons are not sent to us.

IT: There are accusations of war crimes by the Donetsk and Russian forces against civilians. What is your response?
EB: War crimes started in 2014. Everyone has heard about it. I am not just talking of the summer of 2014 when whole cities were shelled by Ukraine. Nobody from Ukraine called that a war crime — not the UN, not human rights, not even other international organisations or foreign journalists.

Suddenly in 2022, war crimes against civilians are making headlines.

EB: Our objectives are set — to liberate the territories of Donetsk and to save as many lives as possible. People in Donetsk Oblast region are our people. We are fighting for them.

Apart from the military objectives, there is the psychological strategy. Mariupol is proof that shows the Ukrainian forces as well as the Nato that no matter how they train the [Ukrainian] soldiers, we will beat them. That is why the rest of the Ukrainian formations should be encircled from the north where the Russian Federation will help and from the south together by Russian forces and Donetsk People's Militia.

We can then dictate the rules. The most important priority is to save lives. Mariupol demonstrates what happens to you when you resist. You have no support from Ukraine. You (Ukrainians) will all be killed here.

[goacom]

The dollar dominance is not going to end anytime soon. If some have distrust of the Dollar (or its partner currencies like the Euro, Yen or Pound), they have even less trust of the Yuan or the Ruble. Would Russia accept Yuan from India, or would China accept Rupees from Russia, or Riyals from India? No. For all the problems with the US and the dollar, there are even more issues with the other said currencies as those countries have even more weaknesses. All of them have pseudo dictatorships, whose leaders are not bound by any laws and can change them on the whim without any debate. Some like Saudi and Russia have backward commodity based economies, the tide of which can change any time (they are having good times now... but wait for the next recession). India has a 4 billion dollar deficit with Russia and around a $70B with China. Will those countries hold that surplus in Rupees? Nope.

Finally, the biggest trading blocks are China, Europe, USA and Japan. None of them will trade in Yuan and Rubles between then. China has around 15% share of world trade, but yet, only 1% of it is in Yuan. The trade between Russia and China is insignificant. Russia has a small economy that is the size of Italy. The Russian/Chinese apologists here may make a lot of noise about it, but it really is a non-event. Countries have been talking about replacing the dollar for decades. It is not happening anytime soon.

Originally Posted by download2live

This war will also have a bearing on USD dominance in international trade. As I said earlier, USD dominance is maintained by US. At any cost. How far will Biden go?

Putin has committed the biggest mistake of all in US books: Trading resources bypassing USD !!

Russian coal and oil paid for in yuan to start flowing to china

"Russian coal and oil paid for in yuan is about to start flowing into China as the two countries try to maintain their energy trade in the face of growing international outrage over the invasion of Ukraine.

Several Chinese firms used local currency to buy Russian coal in March, and the first cargoes will arrive this month, Chinese consultancy Fenwei Energy Information Service Co. said. These will be the first commodity shipments paid for in yuan since the U.S. and Europe penalized Russia and cut several of its banks off from the international financial system, according to traders.

Sellers of Russian crude have also offered to give buyers in Asia’s largest economy the flexibility to pay in yuan. The first cargoes of the ESPO grade bought with the Chinese currency will be delivered to independent refiners in May, according to people familiar with the purchases.

China has long bristled at the dollar’s dominance in global trade and the political leverage it gives the U.S. Efforts to chip away at the status quo are now being accelerated by Western steps to punish Russia for its war of aggression. Moscow is offering rupee-ruble payments to Indian oil buyers, while Saudi Arabia is in talks with Beijing to price some of its crude in yuan."

[turbo_delight]

Funny! Latvia’s ban on Russian gas could last only for 24 hours.

https://tfiglobalnews.com/2022/04/07...-24-hours/amp/

[BlueFreedom]

Originally Posted by Aloneatma

Russia evicted from the UNHRC. India abstains. The west will be pleased as abstentions will not be counted for the 2/3rd majority.

Attachment 2294053

Sanctions won't resolve this conflict. Nor will violence or a nuclear deterrent. Only talks across the table can work. Russia and Ukraine need to sit with each other and work out a mutually workable solution. They are the ones who are bearing the brunt. US and China need to be kept out of this. Probably, India can mediate.

Agonizing

The outcome of the invasion is more or less now settled there are no winners in this particular scenario, both Russia and Ukraine are now tired. Russia didn't expect a fierce resistance and Ukraine overestimated the support from Nato and EU.
Zelensky should now try to push for a settlement with Russia, Ukranians are pushing for a better outcome than what was agreed in the earlier negotiations, Putin is probably looking for a decent exit route with minimal damage to his reputation. On the other hand US seem to be eager to keep the conflict long enough to inflict irreparable damage to Russia they are least bothered about Ukranians, sooner Zelensky accepts this better for all parties involved.
US has never been anybody's friend I hope this conflict inflicts some damage on the US hegemony and result in a multipolar world for the sake of everyone

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by goacom

The dollar dominance is not going to end anytime soon. If some have distrust of the Dollar (or its partner currencies like the Euro, Yen or Pound), they have even less trust of the Yuan or the Ruble. Would Russia accept Yuan from India, or would China accept Rupees from Russia, or Riyals from India? No. For all the problems with the US and the dollar, there are even more issues with the other said currencies as those countries have even more weaknesses. All of them have pseudo dictatorships, whose leaders are not bound by any laws and can change them on the whim without any debate. Some like Saudi and Russia have backward commodity based economies, the tide of which can change any time (they are having good times now... but wait for the next recession). India has a 4 billion dollar deficit with Russia and around a $70B with China. Will those countries hold that surplus in Rupees? Nope.

Finally, the biggest trading blocks are China, Europe, USA and Japan. None of them will trade in Yuan and Rubles between then. China has around 15% share of world trade, but yet, only 1% of it is in Yuan. The trade between Russia and China is insignificant. Russia has a small economy that is the size of Italy. The Russian/Chinese apologists here may make a lot of noise about it, but it really is a non-event. Countries have been talking about replacing the dollar for decades. It is not happening anytime soon.

These things take time. It takes decades to change international systems. The point is, the process has actually started and picked up pace in the last couple of months. Currently China’s Yuan trade might be 1% but you will see it becoming 5% by next year and then 10% in a few years. The US Dollar won’t disappear overnight from world trade. It’s dominance will simply start reducing a little each year. You will see a sizable impact only after a decade.

[PreludeSH]

I wish India could tell they are friendly to Russia and cant be so with Putin.

Japan is developing highly advanced jets, Turkey has drones which are being used by Ukraine. We are not doing well in that area. India should really align with someone else for defense or get guarantees from US (they are un-reliable).

[deetee]

Originally Posted by PreludeSH

I wish India could tell they are friendly to Russia and cant be so with Putin.

Japan is developing highly advanced jets, Turkey has drones which are being used by Ukraine. We are not doing well in that area. India should really align with someone else for defense or get guarantees from US (they are un-reliable).

Ideally we should have been self sufficient and self reliant by now in the field of defence technology. India's first indigenous fighter jet was developed in 1960's but our LCA project has been dragging since 1983. We have only one indigenously designed and built submarine since having thought of it in 1970's. For a nation that calls itself one of the biggest democracies and for all that pride in it's 'NRIs' leading giant organisations worldwide, this is such a significant progress in 75 years of 'Independence'!! The various socio-political bottlenecks have been throttling our nation's development. Fancy names (read swatchbharath / atmanirmbhar) can't help unless the change comes from within socio-political structure. Only then we can be truly Independent and stand strong without swaying by the influence of powerful nations. Anyway, this is offtopic for this thread, apologies for digressing.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

Treatment of refugees. Some are more equal than others...

Contrary to popular and righteous belief, I actually find differentiation in refugees quite understandable.

On one side of the balancing scale is the humanitarian side, on the other the practical side. The practical side would include how the decision would influence citizens of that country in the short and long run. We can see issues with lack of mixing of populations and how long term demographic change affects things. More polarisation and right wing politics tends to come up. France and Le Penn can be seen as examples. Poland and Hungary too, based on their decisions to avoid such in the past.

While I do appreciate humanitarian gestures, I would not judge a country solely on that.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by PreludeSH

Japan is developing highly advanced jets, Turkey has drones which are being used by Ukraine. We are not doing well in that area. India should really align with someone else for defense or get guarantees from US (they are un-reliable).

Japan got technical help from Lockheed for their stealth prototype jet. They also make jet engines, they made fighter planes during ww2. They where the first country in the world to put a aesa radar on a ship and jet.
Yet they still lag behind US, russia when it comes to jet engines, missiles.

Turkey supplies weapons to pakistan, possibly in future even drones. The upcoming drones from turkey is going to use ukraine made turbine engines. Russia promptly bombed those plants which make those engines.

US and EU stuff is just too expensive and US stuff always comes with conditions, such as sanctions.

So best bet is to go all in one domestic industry. We need more private players. HAL will keep dragging it's feet, with regard to time line. We are about 20 years behind when it comes to making jet engines.

At least in the areas of missiles and radar, DRDO is chugging along quiet well. By the end if this decade all our aircraft except the rafale will have Indian made air to air missiles like Astra and its advanced iterations currently under development.

We have uttam aesa radar being developed for LCA. It will also be scaled up for the SU30 series. DARE is making some headway in EW pods, GAA and GAN transistors.

Last month the first section for the AMCA stealth aircraft was assembled. All of this will only be inducted in 2032 to 2035, best case scenario.

In the mean time we should get a few more rafale, some drones for this decade.