The Golden Billion failed to catalyze the Russian economy’s collapse, their fully NATO-backed but Ukrainian-fronted proxies failed to defeat Russia on the battlefield, and Russia still exercises its writ over a large swath of former Ukrainian territory in spite of approximately $100 billion having thus far been disbursed in a desperate attempt to dislodge it.
First of all, the "Fallacy" that the Russian economy is on the verge of "Collapse(?)" ..... At the start of Russia's "Special Military Operation" (SMO) in Ukraine it was RUB85 vs 1USD .... today it's RUB71 to the USD !!
Secondly, unlike the situation in the USA, Russia could completely pay off its National Debt TOMORROW !!
Thirdly, Russia is awash in Rubles because there are still EU States who are "clandestinely" buying Russian Natural Gas in Rubles via GAZPROM Bank because otherwise Russia won't sell them Gas !!
Fourthly, Russia NEVER just walked in and "Invaded" Ukraine. Russia, first of all, recognized the self-proclaimed Republics of the Donetsk and Luhansk who had held their INTERNAL REFERENDUMS where the Vote was, OVERWHELMINGLY, to form independent Republics. Once Russia RECOGNIZED these Republics, the Republics then asked Russia for their Military assistance to assist them in fighting against the combination of the Ukraine army and the NEO-NAZI AZOV Battalion who, COMBINED, had already killed over 14000 innocent Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the DONBAS with indiscriminate shelling ...... ONLY THEN DID RUSSIA's MILITARY ENTER UKRAINE !!
Fifthly, there were the MINSK AGREEMENTS, brokered by France, Germany and Russia under which Ukraine had OBLIGATIONS to hold "Peace talks" with the Russian-speaking peoples in the Donbas after the 2014 Ukraine government had "BANNED" the Russian language in Ukraine which resulted in MUCH VIOLENCE in Ukraine. The MINSK AGREEMENTS were, in essence, transposed into the UN RESOLUTION 2202(2015) as ratified by the UN SECURITY COUNCIL making that INTERNATIONAL LAW !! For NEARLY 7 YEARS Vladimir Putin kept asking Ukraine and the "Collective West" ... "WHY IS UKRAINE NOT ABIDING BY THEIR OBLIGATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE MINSK AGREEMENTS ???!!!"
Had Ukraine ABIDED BY THEIR OBLIGATIONS there would, today, be no need for the Russian military to be in Ukraine !!!!
BUT ............. This is NOT ABOUT the "Collective West" having "concern(?)" for the peoples of Ukraine, especially not for the Russian-speaking peoples, THIS IS ABOUT THE AIMS OF THE NEOCONS AND GLOBALISTS, etc, TO ACHIEVE REGIME CHANGE IN RUSSIA AND THE "OVERTHROW" OF VLADIMIR PUTIN AND HIS ADMINISTRATION !!!! That is why the "Collective West", as personified by the likes of that Buffoon, Boris Johnson, INSTRUCTED Zelensky to NEVER HOLD PEACE TALKS WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN AND RUSSIA, ...... which is what he said just after Ukraine had sat down with Russia in Ankara, Turkey, in March 2022, to hold Bi-Lateral talks !!!!
"You make it sound like that all occurred in 2014 but it didn't."
I NEVER mentioned ANY DATE with regard to when Russia recognized the Self-Proclaimed Republics of the DONETSK and LUHANSK. I fail to see why you made that assumption.
Yes, Russia did recognize those Republics early in 2022. Vladimir Putin called in EVERY MEMBER of Russia's Security Council and said they were welcome to voice their wish, before ALL the Security Council members, as to whether or not Russia should recognize those Republics. EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF RUSSIA's SECURITY COUNCIL AGREED THAT RUSSIA SHOULD RECOGNIZE THOSE REPUBLICS.
ONLY THEN did Vladimir Putin initiate the "SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION" AFTER those Republics asked for Russia's military assistance to assist in combating the Ukraine military heavily influenced and infused with the NEO-NAZI AZOV BATTALION who had been INDISCRIMINATELY SHELLING the Donetsk and Luhansk region causing the deaths of thousands of Innocent Russian-speaking Ukrainian civilians.
"So they only did it the last moment as a pretext to annex the regions."
From where do you derive this "pretext" that Russia wanted to "annex the regions" ??
Can you present an OFFICIAL STATEMENT PUT OUT THERE BY VLADIMIR PUTIN, or the Russian Administration, that Russia's intention was always to "annex the regions" ??!!
And another thing ...... The number of peoples in FOUR regions in Ukraine, namely Donetsk (97%), Luhansk (91%), Zaporozhe (84%) and Kherson (74%) voted OVERWHELMINGLY, IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL REFERENDUMS, TO JOIN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION with the percentage POSITIVE votes ranging between 96.7% to 99.2%, BEARING IN MIND that these Referendums were observed by 7 INDEPENDENT NATIONS who reported "NO VIOLATIONS" and also noted "THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE VOTING PARTICIPANTS" !!!
AND ...... Your comment "So why don't they just do it then and show us all up for the idiots that we are?" with regard to Russia being able to pay off their National Debt.
Whether or not Russia wants to pay of its National Debt, and When, is entirely up to Russia and its Administration. The point I'm making is that Russia has the Financial Wherewithal to do just that at the present time DESPITE the fact that the "collective West", and most particularly the EU, UK and the USA, have imposed 9 SETS OF SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA WITH THE OBVIOUS INTENTION OF "BRINGING DOWN" Russia's economy ...... and they have Failed.
It's the EU and UK, in particular, who have THEMSELVES SUFFERED DUE TO THEIR IMPOSED SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA with their ENERGY and PRODUCE PRICES going through the roof, PLUS the fact that Europe will have virtually no Natural Gas left in their Underground storage facility after this winter is over because virtually NO RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS IS FLOWING INTO EUROPE ...... and then there's the USA sitting with over $30 TRILLION IN DEBT !!! ....... WHEN is the USA ever going to be able to pay that off ...... and when is the USA ever going to stop "printing" money that it obviously doesn't have ??!! ...... No wonder, since Joe Biden became "President(?)", the Inflation rate in the USA went from about 2% to its current 7.1% !!!!
First of all, the "Fallacy" that the Russian economy is on the verge of "Collapse(?)" ..... At the start of Russia's "Special Military Operation" (SMO) in Ukraine it was RUB85 vs 1USD .... today it's RUB71 to the USD !!
Secondly, unlike the situation in the USA, Russia could completely pay off its National Debt TOMORROW !!
Thirdly, Russia is awash in Rubles because there are still EU States who are "clandestinely" buying Russian Natural Gas in Rubles via GAZPROM Bank because otherwise Russia won't sell them Gas !!
Fourthly, Russia NEVER just walked in and "Invaded" Ukraine. Russia, first of all, recognized the self-proclaimed Republics of the Donetsk and Luhansk who had held their INTERNAL REFERENDUMS where the Vote was, OVERWHELMINGLY, to form independent Republics. Once Russia RECOGNIZED these Republics, the Republics then asked Russia for their Military assistance to assist them in fighting against the combination of the Ukraine army and the NEO-NAZI AZOV Battalion who, COMBINED, had already killed over 14000 innocent Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the DONBAS with indiscriminate shelling ...... ONLY THEN DID RUSSIA's MILITARY ENTER UKRAINE !!
Fifthly, there were the MINSK AGREEMENTS, brokered by France, Germany and Russia under which Ukraine had OBLIGATIONS to hold "Peace talks" with the Russian-speaking peoples in the Donbas after the 2014 Ukraine government had "BANNED" the Russian language in Ukraine which resulted in MUCH VIOLENCE in Ukraine. The MINSK AGREEMENTS were, in essence, transposed into the UN RESOLUTION 2202(2015) as ratified by the UN SECURITY COUNCIL making that INTERNATIONAL LAW !! For NEARLY 7 YEARS Vladimir Putin kept asking Ukraine and the "Collective West" ... "WHY IS UKRAINE NOT ABIDING BY THEIR OBLIGATIONS AS CONTAINED IN THE MINSK AGREEMENTS ???!!!"
Had Ukraine ABIDED BY THEIR OBLIGATIONS there would, today, be no need for the Russian military to be in Ukraine !!!!
BUT ............. This is NOT ABOUT the "Collective West" having "concern(?)" for the peoples of Ukraine, especially not for the Russian-speaking peoples, THIS IS ABOUT THE AIMS OF THE NEOCONS AND GLOBALISTS, etc, TO ACHIEVE REGIME CHANGE IN RUSSIA AND THE "OVERTHROW" OF VLADIMIR PUTIN AND HIS ADMINISTRATION !!!! That is why the "Collective West", as personified by the likes of that Buffoon, Boris Johnson, INSTRUCTED Zelensky to NEVER HOLD PEACE TALKS WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN AND RUSSIA, ...... which is what he said just after Ukraine had sat down with Russia in Ankara, Turkey, in March 2022, to hold Bi-Lateral talks !!!!
"You make it sound like that all occurred in 2014 but it didn't."
I NEVER mentioned ANY DATE with regard to when Russia recognized the Self-Proclaimed Republics of the DONETSK and LUHANSK. I fail to see why you made that assumption.
Yes, Russia did recognize those Republics early in 2022. Vladimir Putin called in EVERY MEMBER of Russia's Security Council and said they were welcome to voice their wish, before ALL the Security Council members, as to whether or not Russia should recognize those Republics. EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF RUSSIA's SECURITY COUNCIL AGREED THAT RUSSIA SHOULD RECOGNIZE THOSE REPUBLICS.
ONLY THEN did Vladimir Putin initiate the "SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION" AFTER those Republics asked for Russia's military assistance to assist in combating the Ukraine military heavily influenced and infused with the NEO-NAZI AZOV BATTALION who had been INDISCRIMINATELY SHELLING the Donetsk and Luhansk region causing the deaths of thousands of Innocent Russian-speaking Ukrainian civilians.
"So they only did it the last moment as a pretext to annex the regions."
From where do you derive this "pretext" that Russia wanted to "annex the regions" ??
Can you present an OFFICIAL STATEMENT PUT OUT THERE BY VLADIMIR PUTIN, or the Russian Administration, that Russia's intention was always to "annex the regions" ??!!
And another thing ...... The number of peoples in FOUR regions in Ukraine, namely Donetsk (97%), Luhansk (91%), Zaporozhe (84%) and Kherson (74%) voted OVERWHELMINGLY, IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL REFERENDUMS, TO JOIN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION with the percentage POSITIVE votes ranging between 96.7% to 99.2%, BEARING IN MIND that these Referendums were observed by 7 INDEPENDENT NATIONS who reported "NO VIOLATIONS" and also noted "THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE VOTING PARTICIPANTS" !!!
AND ...... Your comment "So why don't they just do it then and show us all up for the idiots that we are?" with regard to Russia being able to pay off their National Debt.
Whether or not Russia wants to pay of its National Debt, and When, is entirely up to Russia and its Administration. The point I'm making is that Russia has the Financial Wherewithal to do just that at the present time DESPITE the fact that the "collective West", and most particularly the EU, UK and the USA, have imposed 9 SETS OF SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA WITH THE OBVIOUS INTENTION OF "BRINGING DOWN" Russia's economy ...... and they have Failed.
It's the EU and UK, in particular, who have THEMSELVES SUFFERED DUE TO THEIR IMPOSED SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA with their ENERGY and PRODUCE PRICES going through the roof, PLUS the fact that Europe will have virtually no Natural Gas left in their Underground storage facility after this winter is over because virtually NO RUSSIAN NATURAL GAS IS FLOWING INTO EUROPE ...... and then there's the USA sitting with over $30 TRILLION IN DEBT !!! ....... WHEN is the USA ever going to be able to pay that off ...... and when is the USA ever going to stop "printing" money that it obviously doesn't have ??!! ...... No wonder, since Joe Biden became "President(?)", the Inflation rate in the USA went from about 2% to its current 7.1% !!!!