Is anyone concerned it might escalate after the downing of a USA Drone and now Poland now supplying 4 jet fighters albeit they are very old ?
Currently in Thailand for a break and everywhere you turn there are Russians, families and young single people, they are snapping up rental properties and buying as well, yes there was always Russians here but never this many.Obviously things are suppressed in Russia so we don’t really know how much of the Russian population are supporting Putin. There are numerous videos on YouTube about unexplained explosions and fires in Russian cities obviously they are not being reported.

a similar situation that happened in pre war germany with jews, anti nazi,s and others who did not fit the bill moving out of the country if they could afford it. think thats where the simarlarity ends. putin has hardly pushed ukraine asind with ease and unless he is completely mad i doubt he,d fancy escalating the conflict. if he had done like hitler with poland i think it may have been time to worry.

Exactly. Scary to imagine where Putin would have gone next if his 'special operation' really had taken over a country the size of Ukraine in 3 days like it was intended to.

The Ukrainians are no friends of Russia. Stalin’s collectivisation of farms in Ukraine in the 1934 was a complete disaster, leading to disastrous starvation in Ukraine and over 4 million deaths. The Ukrainians actually welcomed Hitler’s troops when they invaded Russia as liberators from Stalin’s Russia.
Once you’ve tasted freedom, you get addicted.
Putin is trying to reclaim imperial Russia which could mean Poland as well, now that would mean trouble. The fact they’ve had their arses kicked and their armed forces appear to be to put it kindly, over rated, is no bad thing…except for the poor buggers Putin sent in.

There are a few propaganda Ukrainian YouTube videos obviously stating how good the Ukrainian Army is doing, they have set a hotline up where Russian army troops can call and surrender. The Ukrainians have said they have had lots of response which they would to encourage others to do the same. According to reports the Wagner Group some whom are prisoners who provided they fought were released but I think they were just used as cannon fodder.
It makes my blood boil to see the destruction Putin has caused to infrastructure not associated with the war bombing and killing innocent people.
Putin very rarely leaves the Kremlin, he is s*** scared to the extent he has numerous doubles who stand in for him.

Yes lots of Russians here in Koh Samui too. I play in local tennis tournaments with them. Friendly enough but I never discuss the war. Like you I somewhat worried about any escalation

With the help of Wiki I’ve ascertained that Russia borders onto 14 countries, 7 of which by my reckoning are signatories to this ICC thing. Meaning half of Putin’s neighbours are obliged to arrest him if he pays them a visit. Not a good look for Russia the country or Russians in general.

And of course that’s not counting Ukraine, another neighbour who doesn’t wish him well.

Better make sure they get the right Putin, by all accounts he has lots of doubles and very rarely leaves the Kremlin or where ever he resides.

I’d advise him to avoid tall buildings too, as many of his associates have fallen out of windows oddly enough. Now I wonder why ……

Surly,rude to staff and always wearing the same t-shirt and shorts in Egypt ..even gala night.

Same here, some young Russians have moved in a few doors up, young lads/women, never speak to anyone, looks like they are here for the long haul, they have bought a couple of dogs, never clean up after them either.

What, the dogs or the Russians…..

Same here, some young Russians have moved in a few doors up, young lads/women, never speak to anyone, looks like they are here for the long haul, they have bought a couple of dogs, never clean up after them either.[/quote]

Sounds pretty much like the uk.

And of course all this has nothing to do with NATO, The conflict i mean.
And yes i do dislike him, Me being kind.

I imagine the dogs as I am no expert on poo, although one of the Russian lads came a cropper the other week. We heard a loud crash outside, one had come of a scooter, maybe skidded on the dog sh***, road rash legs,arms and face, looked very painful.

I doubt NATO need the grief…..face it, the ex KGB officer is trying to recreate the Russia of the Tsars….how bleedin ironic. The clue is the Guards on the doors when he enters the room in the Kremlin in their pre revolutionary uniforms.

Sounds pretty much like the uk.

And of course all this has nothing to do with NATO, The conflict i mean.
And yes i do dislike him, Me being kind.[/quote]

Thailand has just approved an extradition agreement with Russia which appears a bit of a coincidence since in years gone by there were always Russian but not the droves there is now. All the Russians have to do is provide the IDs/Passport Numbers of draft dodgers to Immigration, all foreigners have to go to Immigration at some point to extend their visa.

Thailand has just approved an extradition agreement with Russia which appears a bit of a coincidence since in years gone by there were always Russian but not the droves there is now. All the Russians have to do is provide the IDs/Passport Numbers of draft dodgers to Immigration, all foreigners have to go to Immigration at some point to extend their visa.[/quote]
Watched a documentary a couple months ago on ‘France 24’ and those who could, especially young men of fighting age were heading out of the country in their droves. In interviews the young people just don’t want to know about Putin, it’s the older people brainwashed in the ideology who believe in Putin.

Listen, don't mention the war. I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right.

funny how we have become anything russian being bad and ukrainians have reached the saintly stage. its a few months ago now that someone showed me a report about ukraine before the invasion. was in the guardian of all papers who were certainly not pro ukraine at the time.

The Ukrainians are not whiter than white but Russia has invaded a sovereign state.
Bearing in mind there were no complaints when the U.K./Yanks invaded Iraq and similar Afghanistan and look what a disaster that has been.

its as if there is a league table somewhere where invasions are fine but not others and certain countries are higher up the pecking order than others. all invasions are wrong no matter who invades who but certain invasions seem to be more palatable than others.

Most of the invasions go back centuries in some cases, pure hatred with some, Kosovo and Serbia still at each others throats.

I've still not forgiven the Italians for invading and building that ruddy wall.

A lot of Eastern European countries are decidedly dodgy…..but as long as they’re restricting it to their own borders… it’s best left alone….look what happened when Obama started his ‘Arab Spring’…why didn’t leave well alone, may be the Arabs were ok without shopping malls and the Kardashian’s….Libya, Syria and Egypt plunged into chaos and we end up with the mess there now.
Putin is just a posturing hard man, a bit of a Mussolini character who also invaded his neighbours like Albania and Greece who kicked his arse and army round the block….. till Adolf sent his lot in to sort it out in weeks for him.

the perfume seller called ?

Allegedly he’s partial to a bottle of Brut-al.

At some point they are going to have to negotiate as its a stalemate.
Sooner than later i hope.

Maybe the Chinese can persuade him to back off. Long shot I know.

I just can’t see Zelenskyy backing down or conceding any ground, more than his life is worth, after all he has said.He wants all the Russian troops of Ukrainian soil and considering Russia have annexed 4 areas I can’t see them conceding either.

More likely be asking to supply weapons and stuff the Russians can’t get because of the sanctions. both of the hate the domination the yanks have on the globe.

That could mean the Chinese facing sanctions themselves. When the conflict started no one expected it would last this long but it has. I'm not sure the Chinese want to be more involved, except maybe as peace brokers. It would score them a lot of points.
As usual we can only speculate.

China or Russia won’t be held to ransom by anyone even if their people were starving in the streets.

+ could the west really try and ween itself off China like it has with Russia? I don't think so, we are as an economy very reliant on Chinese products

No they just stop exporting to the U.K.

Anyone remember this part of a poem…by Masefield.

Dirty British coaster with a salt caked smoke stack,
butting through the channel in the mad March days,
With a cargo of Tyne coal, road rail, pig lead,
firewood, iron ware and cheap tin trays.

In the days when we made things and exported them, imagine the new version….

Foreign flagged rust tub with a third world cheap crew.
chugging up the channel for another pay day,
With a cargo of I pads, mobiles, flat screens,
Dump it on the quayside and then be on their way.

I remember Hawkeye suggesting that the best way to end the Korean war would be for a group of both sides to go to a bar and the last man standing wins the war.
Great programme MASH.

Russia and China are challenging world order? That’s the latest statement from the powers that be.
This is a bit amusing coming from the UK.
To accuse Russia and China of threatening to create global danger and disorder?
Which nations have armed and put millions in displacement in Africa and Middle East? with their agenda of arming Jihadists in the middle east as they did in Libya and Syria 11 years ago?
What the UK did in Libya with the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi has resulted in disorder which has allowed human traffickers taking the advantage of the chaos in Africa.