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Putin says Russia could be fighting in Ukraine for a long time

59 Comments
By Mark Trevelyan and Tom Balmforth

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59 Comments

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Russia has the advantage and experience..

Ask uncles Adolf and Napo..

-16 ( +12 / -28 )

In a better age, the world would have done something instead of sitting on their hands.

6 ( +17 / -11 )

Russia has the advantage and experience..

Ask uncles Adolf and Napo..

Two other examples of invaders that lost.

21 ( +31 / -10 )

The article didn’t mention Putin’s comments to his “human rights council” about his refusal to rule out being first to use nukes on the basis that if he ruled out using them first it’s unlikely he could use them second.

9 ( +18 / -9 )

Russia was seen in the West as "a second-class country that has no right to exist at all".

The familiar Russian chip on its shoulder that has been there for centuries. Putin is doing nothing at all to right that prejudice, even if it really exists.

20 ( +29 / -9 )

We have a target number of dead Russians to end this unprovoked war. 300,000.

Wouldn't it be easier to go with a much, much, smaller number, say just the leaders?

9 ( +18 / -9 )

Russia has the advantage and experience.

one advantage is they have more meat for the grinder.

they also have plenty of experience - in raping & murdering innocent women & children, destroying civilian buildings & wasting the lives of their young soldiers.

Ask uncles Adolf and Napo..

you are correct in comparing Putin with hitler & napoleon - all were invaders of a foreign country, & all were defeated.

15 ( +26 / -11 )

The article didn’t mention Putin’s comments to his “human rights council” about his refusal to rule out being first to use nukes on the basis that if he ruled out using them first it’s unlikely he could use them second.

I agree. An airbase here, a nuclear bomber there. It all adds up. Take your time.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

That was in response to Bronco’s comment which has since been deleted.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

"political suicide" for Lukashenko to send Belarusian troops into Ukraine.

But instead of suicide, he could 'die suddenly' or 'fall from a hospital window'.

https://jp.reuters.com/article/belarus-politics-minister-death-idAFKBN2SG094

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220901-russian-oil-chief-falls-to-death-from-hospital-window-in-moscow

5 ( +12 / -7 )

"Ask uncles Adolf and Napo.."

Right - and hopefully Putain will go the same road very soon.

He is living in his own little world, disconnected from reality.

Besides, with the poor equipment for his marauders, many of them surrendering, fighting to increase within Russia, his time ( like Hitler, Napoleon, and others) will come very soon.

Ukraine will prevail!

13 ( +20 / -7 )

The best way to end this would be for the Russian people to wise up and overthrow Putin - though that's unlikely to happen. Too many sheep.

22 ( +27 / -5 )

all were invaders of a foreign country, & all were defeated.

Not really, UK/India, US/Mexico, US/ Philippines, Stalin/Poland, etc...

One can pick and choose but lets face reality, the best Ukraine can hope for is a stalemate at the present battle lines.

The fantasy of taking back everything including Crimea is just that a fantasy.

2014 to 2022 Ukraine couldn't take back anything, today the west points to small gains by Ukraine.

But the west forgets to mention those are small gains taking back a few hundred kilometers from the thousands extra Russia took since February and not a single metre of what was held by separatists pre 2022 invasion.

I don't understand the western European obsession of encroaching on Russia's sphere of influence, this obsession has been the cause of multiple wars until Russia has generally remained on why it seems as its side of the continent and generally left the west alone.

Russia didn't attack France/Napoleon, Russia didn't attack Imperial Germany, Russia Didn't attack Germany and Russia didn't go putting its nose it to western countries trying to destabilize them and install pro Russian government on their borders.

I know the comments.

"Nothing justifies invading another country, blah blah blah" funny how you all repeat that now that it is Russia and not the USA or another western country or allies of them.

The USA and NATO knew that Russia would not react well to meddling into Ukraine and encroaching on Russia's borders but they did it anyway.

So why the surprise that this is happening?

-23 ( +10 / -33 )

Russia was seen in the West as "a second-class country that has no right to exist at all".

Ukraine is seen in Russia as "a second-class country that has no right to exist at all".

17 ( +26 / -9 )

Right - and hopefully Putain will go the same road very soon.

He is living in his own little world, disconnected from reality.

Very true.

13 ( +19 / -6 )

War will end when one side runs out of weapons

2 ( +7 / -5 )

I know the comments.

"Nothing justifies invading another country, blah blah blah" funny how you all repeat that now that it is Russia and not the USA or another western country or allies of them.

Unless you know the person making the comments then you know nothing. I’ve been very vocal in my sphere about USA invading other countries and I don’t treat Russia any differently here.

10 ( +18 / -8 )

One can pick and choose but lets face reality, the best Ukraine can hope for is a stalemate at the present battle lines.

This is nonsense. You've been wrong about basically every claim you've made. Each and every day is a day in which Ukraine reclaims more land. Now the AFU is capable of striking military bases in Russia even. Ukraine will prevail.

12 ( +21 / -9 )

"Nothing justifies invading another country, blah blah blah" funny how you all repeat that now that it is Russia and not the USA or another western country or allies of them.

lol Imagine being this blaise about one country raping and pillaging another country. A very humanitarian position.

"Who cares if Russia pulverizes Ukraine?! Might makes right!"

13 ( +20 / -7 )

Or troops

6 ( +8 / -2 )

lol Imagine being this blaise about one country raping and pillaging another country. A very humanitarian position.

That's precisely what you quoted was saying

0 ( +3 / -3 )

What an awful little man!

8 ( +14 / -6 )

How long will Putin survive with his health or from the Russian people? Millions are opposed to his war.

14 ( +19 / -5 )

This is nonsense. You've been wrong about basically every claim you've made. Each and every day is a day in which Ukraine reclaims more land. Now the AFU is capable of striking military bases in Russia even. Ukraine will prevail.

I guess you missed this part.

In Ukraine, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of an "apocalypse" scenario without power, running water or heat in the Ukrainian capital this winter if Russian air strikes on infrastructure continue. He said there was no need for residents to evacuate now, though they should be ready to do so.

That is Kyiv the best defended city, the best equipped, the first to be serviced and get repairs.

Now take a guess what the rest are like!

-21 ( +6 / -27 )

Russia is in trouble if this WAR that Putin started goes on longer. As to date, Russia is losing the WAR Putin started about 10 months ago. Putin should stop the WAR he started if he wants Russia to be safe. Stop the WAR you started Putin. Free advice.

8 ( +15 / -7 )

Now take a guess what the rest are like!

They've been like that for weeks now and still fight back. Nothing to lose means everything to gain.

12 ( +17 / -5 )

I think that Russia’s occupation of Ukraine is correlated to the increasingly finite nature of Mimi-me’s mortality.

When the dwarf “goes to meet Stalin”, that will provide the diplomatic space for whomever comes next to (rhetorically speaking of course) chuck his still-warm corpse under the bus, say “This was Vladimort’s idea. I was never on board with it.”, (The whole world will conveniently not notice the fingers crossed fingers behind the back.) and the negotiations over the total withdrawal of Russians from Ukraine (with some face-saving features such as a demilitarized Crimea for example) will begin.

Of course, this being Russia, it might double-down on the stupid and bring in someone meaner and more competent version of Vladie-boy.

In that case, the UA will have to show him (it’s always a him. Women seem to be capable of realizing a bad idea when they see one. Or maybe like MTG, they just haven’t risen to the pinnacle of their incompetence yet.) the error of his logic in a more kinetic fashion.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

Russia has the advantage and experience..

Ask uncles Adolf and Napo..

You might want to check your history a little bit. Over 7 million Ukrainians served in the red army during wwII in both Ukraine and Russia against Adolf. Also 75,000 Ukrainians served Russia in 1812 against Napo. Me thinks that experience Ukraine got during those wars negates what ever if any advantage Russia has from those wars of so many years ago.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

That is Kyiv the best defended city, the best equipped, the first to be serviced and get repairs.

None of that means the best Ukraine can hope for is a stalemate. Please. I recall certain folks claiming that each and every day Ukraine loses more ground, so they should beg Russia for peace. See how they stopped talking about that.

Now take a guess what the rest are like!

And yet the Ukrainians are damn proud of their country and are willing to fight and die for it. Good on them!

I only hope the west continues to arm them until every last invader has been killed, captured, or run away back to Russia, and Ukrainian lands are returns back to Ukrainians.

11 ( +16 / -5 )

They've been like that for weeks now and still fight back. Nothing to lose means everything to gain.

Perhaps you don't come from a country with a really cold winter.

Fall is one thing but once things hit the negatives for weeks on end without power, heat or water things are very different.

I was raised in the cold a day time high of -10 C° was nice play outside but come into a warm house, Ukraine will not have that.

-19 ( +5 / -24 )

Putin and his cronies have an exit plan in case it all goes south for them by escaping to Argentina.

7 ( +14 / -7 )

Fall is one thing but once things hit the negatives for weeks on end without power, heat or water things are very different.

Oh wow, that's very interested! I hadn't ever considered that. Hey, how do you think the invaders camping in tents/trenches will fair without power, heat, or water for weeks on end? Will that be better or worse?

12 ( +18 / -6 )

Russia has the advantage and experience..

who do you think was supplying many of the vehicles and weapons to Russia during WW2, yes America,

under the lend-lease agreement America supplied Russia with

400,000 jeeps and trucks

14,000 airplanes

8,000 tractors

13,000 tanks

More than 1.5 million blankets

15 million pairs of army boots

107,000 tons of cotton

2.7 million tons of petroleum products (to fuel airplanes, trucks, and tanks)

4.5 million tons of food

As Russia is finding out now its hard to win a war without the weapons and an economy that cant get the money it needs

12 ( +18 / -6 )

"Putin and his cronies have an exit plan in case it all goes south for them by escaping to Argentina."

Argentina isn't quite what it used to be. Likely Putin would head for Belorussia or China. That said, one must wonder what anyone would want with a used dictator who ruined his country.

11 ( +17 / -6 )

Putin and his cronies have an exit plan in case it all goes south for them by escaping to Argentina."

He’s got nowhere to hide.

Ukraine will send people to get him, like Israel did with the Nazis & Palestinian terrorists. Justice will be done.

12 ( +17 / -5 )

encroaching on Russia's borders but they did it anyway.

this ridiculous reasoning has repeatedly been brought up by Russian fanboys & repeatedly been shot down.

you need new material.

12 ( +18 / -6 )

Perhaps you don't come from a country with a really cold winter.

This sounds suspiciously like justification for targeting. intentionally, the civilian population for the purpose of inflicting suffering as opposed to achieving any legitimate Military aims.

And the funny thing about cold, it affects both sides. Combat alfalfa, sitting in open foxholes without proper cold weather gear, can’t even generate the cognitive ability to evacuate when aerial Granada’s were dropped RIGHT ON their position as seen on video and which is not an isolated event.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

You know Vladimort is lying when his lips are moving.

We have no plans to invade.

This is not an invasion.

We don't target hospitals, schools, civilians.

Ukraine didn't sink the Moscow.

Ukraine are killing their own people so they can blame it on us

This is not a bluff.

These four oblasts belong to me.

And now we have -

We aren't about to run around the world brandishing this weapon

He's been brandishing it since February....

We have not gone mad

Of course not Vlad.

Vladimort is increasingly in denial, surrounding himself with people who will not/cannot give him sensible advice. Prior to this council meeting - on 'human rights' of all things - he removed 10 members of the council who had expressed 'doubts' about the war, and replaced them with pro-war yesmen.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63893316

10 ( +16 / -6 )

Ukraine should have targeted Putin and the Russian government using insurgents at the start of this. Russia hits Kiev, blow up bits of Moscow. Russia hits Ukraine's energy, return the favour. Touch the nuclear power plant, wipe out the command and control systems of a Russian one and it will go pop. They have barely touched Russia, so Putin will just carry on cosplaying WWII tank battles, destroying Ukraine and killing its people. Target the leaders from day one. Anything else is weakness.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

Antiquesaving

The USA and NATO knew that Russia would not react well to meddling into Ukraine and encroaching on Russia's borders but they did it anyway.

Nobody meddled into Ukraine or encroached on Russia's borders.

In case you missed it, this is an imperialist war of aggression by Putin to take land away from Ukraine.

12 ( +19 / -7 )

I was raised in the cold a day time high of -10 C° was nice play outside but come into a warm house, Ukraine will not have that.

Personally I don’t care where you were raised. Basically what you’re saying is your home country would capitulate in the same circumstances. Your tacit support for Putin is sweet but even he is conceding that Russia is going to be fighting in Ukraine for a long time.

12 ( +19 / -7 )

Putin says Russia could be fighting in Ukraine for a long time

Funny. I don't remember his him mentioning this at the start of the 3 day SMO.

But it does raise the question of what is a, 'long time'? I'm going with 'until you are dead Vlad', or 'until you all leave'. Which one suits you best Vladdy?

11 ( +16 / -5 )

In the beginning, Pootin promised it would be over by April.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

What a dreadful human being.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

The great Western threat to Russia. Democracy, personal freedoms, accountability, free press, reduced corruption, all these dangerous and unacceptable ideals from the west must be fought against with every drop of Russian blood.

Russia must be able to maintain rigged elections, state controlled media to control the masses, corruption is the only way forward in Russia where fairness and justice are dirty words imported from the West.

There is no desire to invade Russia in the West, only to free its people from the corrupt government of Putin who has for decades lied to Russians about non existent threats from the West who showed after the fall of the USSR that it wanted to help Russia to become a European member and partner. Putin rejected this freedom for his people because like all bad rulers, he believes his people should rule the others, not be partners with them.

This war in Ukraine will continue to bleed the youth of two nations, because one nation wants to rule over the other nation and its people. God forbid Ukraine would want a better life being closer to Western Europe and its better standards of living.

Russia's problems start at the top with one little man, who has gone more than a little mad with decades of power corrupting him and his world view. God help them all.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

The great Western threat to Russia. Democracy, personal freedoms, accountability, free press, reduced corruption

Really more of a threat to Pooh-tin and his ilk than to Russia, but I do take your point.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

No, he surely runs out of time. And it probably also means or includes attacks on Russian soil or maybe smaller invasions by Ukrainian forces too, as well as rising resistance from own citizens. Finally, he ignores or doesn’t recognize the bigger, the global scale. With every single day that war conflict continued, they both Ukraine and Russia, not only drive each other, but also the rest of Europe nearer to the edge. That will all become devastated or third world area soon, if not destroyed militarily then latest by the reconstruction costs and other related aftermath, additionally to the already severe migration streams.

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

"The great Western threat to Russia. Democracy, personal freedoms, accountability, free press, reduced corruption, all these dangerous and unacceptable ideals from the west..."

Glad it's understood that these are IDEALS in the West and NOT the true state of affairs by any means. When one is raised in a cage, one loses sight of the bars and 'what's out there' is unknown and to be feared. A culture is such a cage. For example, in a system owned and controlled by MONEY, it is absurd to speak of 'democracy', 'Personal freedoms' is a broad topic but most often it is the 'personal freedoms' of the most dominant in the group that are prioritized. At least for the U.S. government, 'accountability' is a word least associated with those elected and appointed to office and often having to defend themselves explaining how they are not as corrupt as they appear to be. A 'free' press wholly owned by MONEY and 'free' to print whatever the OWNERS deem is in the public (their) interest. And not 'reduced corruption', but highly organized corruption mediated by lobbyists, PACs, rich parasites, et alia. And Putin shall pass but the U.S. will just get worse.

-12 ( +4 / -16 )

Putin is worse than any animal. He deserves to be treated as such.

9 ( +13 / -4 )

It doesn't have to be this way. Putin can end this war tomorrow. He is choosing not to.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

I see that Zelensky & "Spirit of Ukraine" has been named Time's person of the year. Very appropriate.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

This conflict will last a long time because Russia is not only fighting against Ukraine, it is fighting against NATO, who has been pushing for this conflict for a very long time.

-14 ( +3 / -17 )

@Moonraker nails this earlier in the comments.

The familiar Russian chip on its shoulder that has been there for centuries.

I have feen fascinated by Russia since I can remember and a constant theme is their struggle with any sense of identity.

From Peter the Great fawning over European royal court culture and desperately trying to become 'civilised', through the peasant-bandit thuggery of Stalin to the cold, insular, Orthodox Church embracing Putin.

Other than the horrors of corrupted communism the only sense of national identity was provided by the Great Patriotic War. Putin has recently pitched himself as some kind of wokefinder general, railing against the perceived decadences of the West. This is nothing new from Russia and it plays well to authoritarian types in the West but his biggest mistake was portraying the Ukraine invasion as a de-nazifying crusade.

There are more Neo-nazis in a medium size Russian city than the whole of Ukraine.

He has tied himself to the mast of this ship of futility and he will go down with it.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Raw Beer

This conflict will last a long time because Russia is not only fighting against Ukraine, it is fighting against NATO,

There are no NATO soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

who has been pushing for this conflict for a very long time.

NATO have never wanted a conflict in Ukraine.

7 ( +13 / -6 )

This conflict will last a long time because Russia is not only fighting against Ukraine, it is fighting against NATO,

This is sheer Russian BS. There is no NATO "war" on Russia. Russia has exactly the same rights as any other country: to exist peacfully within its borders and no NATO policy has ever threatened or even thought about threatening that.

No, this is about control. Russia thinks that it should control Ukraine as a vassal state and is willing to use force to get it's way. The "NATO" angle is a dodge, and a bad one at that.

And one cannot help but notice that the Russians don't have the guts take on NATO. Much like the drunk who gets mad at the guy down the bar and then goes home to beat his wife, Putin is taking out his frustrations on a country that he mistakenly thought he could conquer without consequenses.

He was "mistaken." In this analogy, the battered wife (Ukraine in this analogy for the Russian fans) has had enough and has prepped a fry-pan for the drunk's return home.

7 ( +13 / -6 )

Russia is not only fighting against Ukraine, it is fighting against NATO, 

Haha !

if this were true, this war would’ve been over months ago. Luckily for you & Putin, nato have no troops directly involved in the fighting

2 ( +9 / -7 )

Yeah, and the sun is not hot, and there is no water in the oceans...

Edgy stuff. You claimed that NATO had 'open plans' to encircle, invade and split up Russia a day or so ago.

Obviously this is beyond ridiculous, but I think some of us would like to see those 'open plans' at some point fella.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

I wouldn't go so far as to say there are no NATO troops or UK special services in Ukraine. There are probably small secret units working behind the scene. They are not present in any numbers.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

And one cannot help but notice that the Russians don't have the guts take on NATO. Much like the drunk who gets mad at the guy down the bar and then goes home to beat his wife, Putin is taking out his frustrations on a country that he mistakenly thought he could conquer without consequenses.

He was "mistaken." In this analogy, the battered wife (Ukraine in this analogy for the Russian fans) has had enough and has prepped a fry-pan for the drunk's return home.

Moreover, the guy at the bar (in this analogy NATO) has noticed the battered wife's plight and has gifted her a shotgun just in case the fray pan doesn't do the trick. The drunken husband (again, for the Putin-fans, this is Putin's Russia) had better change his ways or move out lest he reap the consequences of his actions.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

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