I wouldn't have a clue ttbn. Why would I? I am just glad to see the Ukranians put up a fight and see logistical problems for the Russians. The longer this horror continues the more the Russian army will be depleted. That is the only good that will come from this conflict.

ttbn,

The war is costing Russia up to $20bn per day. With sanctions, this is very hard to pay for. With all the military hardware being destroyed every day that Russia can no longer replace, it is only a matter of time before Russia is no longer capable of fighting the war.

Fester,

I would hardly describe Putin as a darling of the left, with the downfall of the Sovit Union, Putin and those immediately before him him were seen as the champions of American style "freedom and democracy" in Russia, another great economic resource to be exploited, for vast profits. Trump is an admirer of Putin, the type of guy he would like to be. Our little gang of Trumpets love Putin as well, but these days they just don't know how to say it.

Paul,

I think Putin's agenda is more about plunder and his vision of a Restored Russia, which would put him more in line with many dictators. I don't see Russia as aspiring to a US style democracy.

I hope the Ukranians can acquire equipment and develop strategies to deal with the Russian artillery, else there will be tens of thousands of civilian deaths. I hope Jules makes a call for cyber attacks on Russia, but he has a few legal troubles currently, so it would be brave of him to bite a hand that funds him.

Fester,

You certainly gave me the impression you knew all about it, or I would not have said what I did. I have referred to a book about Russia and Russians, by a Russian. It is $21.99 in ebook form. It is worth a read if you really want to know about Russians and why they are not like us, do not think the way we do, and why it is folly to think that what we Westerners believe should or will happen is not worth diddly squat. I am not particularly clever, so I read - four books on the go at the moment. Many of the comments and opinions here seem to be straight from the mainstream media or the front bar.

The MSM cannot necessarily be trusted on how well the Ukranians are fighting (the ones not running away), or how badly the Russians are faring. False information abounds. For instance the latest horror about the destruction of a maternity hospital. Really horrible if true. But the Russians claim that the hospital had been evacuated some time ago, and was being used for military purposes. Who do we believe? I don't think we can know one way or the other from the safety of our armchairs in Australia.

Shadowminister,

$20 billion a day? That's a hell of a lot of money. I would be interested to know who came up with that figure. Will sanctions make any difference? Did you read the article on sanctions I referred to? It will still be there over the weekend.

Russia's economy is only slightly larger than Australia's, but they spend much more on defence than most countries because most Russians, unlike Westerners, will sacrifice what they must, including personal freedoms and luxuries for security and stability. We believe Russians think the way we do. They do not.

On trusting the media, in Australia reporters are the second-least trusted of 30 occupations, ahead of politicians but behind delivery drivers.