Live Conflict Ukraine-Russia War

[contricusc]

Since you are so obsessed with funding the war and how poor ukranians should have more money and wages etc etc I have a wonderful suggestion for you.

How about you send half of your monthly wage to Ukraine every month, that should help them and you can live happily knowing that you actually did something not just talk about it on an online forum.

I’m takking about spending 0.3% of GDP, and you suggest giving 50% of my wage? Are you out of your mind?

Giving 0.3% of GDP doesn’t affect you at all, it is not the same as giving 50% of your earnings. Even credit card fees when you pay with your Visa are higher than 0.3%.

I’m advocating for a collective effort that would not be felt by anyone, and would win us the war. In response, you tell me to give half of my earnings which would be meaningless for the war effort. Try to use your logic.

 

[Bosniak Revival]

Ukraine must not & should never draft 18 to 24 year old's unless they are on the brink of annihallation & Russian troops are marching on to Lviv

What some people don't understand is that times have changed. Europe wide birth rates are lower than they have ever been.

In the 1960s a western country could mobilise it's young as there were still many new kids being born. This is not the case anymore. Russia has the same issue & full mobilization of their young is also presents a problem for the Kremlin as well.

Ukraine needs it's 18 to 24 year olds to build a new generation of Ukrainains post war or ceasefire or whatever.

 

[Spitfire9]

In reality, the biggest problem is that many people in the West love Russia and Putin and have no moral values. This is why they oppose help for Ukraine. It’s not as if 0.3% of GDP would affect anyone in any way. Nobody would feel the cost. They oppose it because deep inside they want Putin to win, but are ashamed to say it.

How many people in the West love Russia and want it to 'win' in Ukraine?

 

[Relic]

That’s exactly where my problem is with the West. It’s insanity that a nonsense like Covid was considered an existential threat, while a war with Russia is seen as a non-issue.

If you can spend one trillion dollars for a coronavirus, you should have no problem spending 5 trillion dollars for a war with Russia.

And it is also disgusting that Western people would rather see Ukrainian men being used as slaves, than to be paid. Is this how low the moral values of the Western people have fallen?

And if people in the West think that it is such a great deal to enroll in the Ukrainianm army (because of the high sign up bonus we discussed), they should be free to do it. Ukraine should be conditioned to accept foreign fighters from Western countries in exchange for the money to pay the soldiers. This way, you can’t complain about how well the Ukrainians are having it, as you can join them if you think they have a great deal.

In reality, the biggest problem is that many people in the West love Russia and Putin and have no moral values. This is why they oppose help for Ukraine. It’s not as if 0.3% of GDP would affect anyone in any way. Nobody would feel the cost. They oppose it because deep inside they want Putin to win, but are ashamed to say it.

I actually think the biggest issue at hand is that most people want their tax money predominently spent on their own needs and coming out of Covid-19, with as high as inflation has been in the collective West, people are having their standard of living noticeably affected by the rising the cost of everything from food, to energy and housing. As a result, people want their governements running large defecits to provide handouts that amount to immediate financial relief.

Now, that issue might seem very small in comparison to Ukrainians losing their lives and having their country invaded, but you and I both know that the average person doesn't easily relate to something happening thousands of miles away, that doesn't directly impact them. Especially if you live in a Western country and a major war hasn't affected you at home in more than a generation.

I don't think as many people love Russia as you think. Sure some people relate to and prefer the Autocratic / Kleptocratic nature of Russia, but it's certainly a minority of people. Rather, I simply don't think the people of the West have a history of dealing with the Russians the way that the people of Eastern Europe do. As a result, the many in the West don't understand that Russia is actually an an impoverished shithole for a huge part of the population. Nor do they realize that it's a country effectively ran by organized crime.

I think it's more about ignorance and naiivity than I do stupidity and malice when we're talking about Westerners.

 

[Relic]

Ukraine must not & should never draft 18 to 24 year old's unless they are on the brink of annihallation & Russian troops are marching on to Lviv

What some people don't understand is that times have changed. Europe wide birth rates are lower than they have ever been.

In the 1960s a western country could mobilise it's young as there were still many new kids being born. This is not the case anymore. Russia has the same issue & full mobilization of their young is also presents a problem for the Kremlin as well.

Ukraine needs it's 18 to 24 year olds to build a new generation of Ukrainains post war or ceasefire or whatever.

I'm empathetic to this point. But they then have to find a better strategy to incentivize another 250,000-300,000 men (and women where applicable) age 25-60 to sign up and to be willing combatants. That's likely how many people they'll need (in a short period of time) to stabilize the front and force Russia to the negotiating table, without having to concede an enormous amount to end the war.

That means they'll have to convince the West to pay the costs associated with incentivizing people to take on that level of danger. Alternatively (and possibly simultaneously) they're going to have to find ways to attract tens of thousands of foreigners to Ukraine to fight as mercenaries, and that's going to be even more expensive given the danger at the front. And with foreigners comes the issue of inoperability and quality of training.

For the record, there are other creative ways to help solve the issue. For example, you can encourage volunteers under the age of 25 to sign up for elements of the military that work in the rear and who are subject to far less danger. The Air Force, for example, needs all kinds of pilots, technicians, support staff, etc that will largely operate in areas West of Kyiv. This, coupled with reasonably enticing signing bonuses might get you part of the way there, allowing older people to fill more of the front line roles.

 

[Huelague]

How many people in the West love Russia and want it to 'win' in Ukraine?

Nobody wants Russia to win. They want West to lose.

 

[contricusc]

How many people in the West love Russia and want it to 'win' in Ukraine?

I think that in countries like Hungary, Austria or Switzerland, they could be the majority. And not necessary because they love Russia, but because they like Putin and they hate the EU, NATO and the US (Except for Trump, which they adore).

Even in my country, which borders Ukraine and is in direct danger if Russia wins, at least 30% of the population secretly supports Russia, because they hate the US, democracy, the EU and the West and they love dictators. They are ashamed to admit it, but this is what they feel deep down in their hearts. This is why a Putinist semi-retarded psycho won the first round of the presidential election, despite not even appearing in the mainstream media.

 

[contricusc]

I actually think the biggest issue at hand is that most people want their tax money predominently spent on their own needs and coming out of Covid-19, with as high as inflation has been in the collective West, people are having their standard of living noticeably affected by the rising the cost of everything from food, to energy and housing. As a result, people want their governements running large defecits to provide handouts that amount to immediate financial relief.

Yes, the big problem is that people have zero understanding of economics and numbers, and fall very easily for populist slogans from politicians. In the grand scheme of things, helping Ukraine is not very expensive, and it is spending that doesn’t cause inflation. On the other hand, what they want (handouts) is just a way to keep the inflationary spiral going, and it is basically a waste of money that can have more negative than positive effects.

I don't think as many people love Russia as you think. Sure some people relate to and prefer the Autocratic / Kleptocratic nature of Russia, but it's certainly a minority of people. Rather, I simply don't think the people of the West have a history of dealing with the Russians the way that the people of Eastern Europe do. As a result, the many in the West don't understand that Russia is actually an an impoverished shithole for a huge part of the population. Nor do they realize that it's a country effectively ran by organized crime.

Unfortunately I know many people who fall for Putin’s propaganda and have a very high opinion about him, while hating everything EU-related. Many Europeans believe Putin is some sort of defender of Christianity and the EU and NATO represent the WEF. They think Russia is some sort of white people’s paradise with no crime, submissive traditional housewives and no immigrants or brown people. They nave no idea what Russia really is, and what a charlatan Putin is.

I think it's more about ignorance and naiivity than I do stupidity and malice when we're talking about Westerners.

Ignorance and naivety go hand in hand with stupidity, and can easily breed malice.