What can the world do to punish Russia?

A Russian professor, Valery Solovey, has claimed Vladimir Putin has hidden his family members in an underground bunker to protect them from the unfolding conflict. “In fact, it is not a bunker, but a whole underground city, equipped with the latest science and technology.”

He warned: “I hope this means something to you?
 

Signe The Survivor said:
I agree with you that it is sad for these athletes(most of which are probably against this) that they have to be affected by their governments and Presidents actions. This sort of thing has happened for decades where countries have pulled out of the Olympics including the United States boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
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It's completely different when countries boycott or deny their own teams participation. In the current situation, entities/clubs/organizations are banning sports players from Russia. Furthermore, we made all kinds of noise about China's human rights violations around Summer 2008 and Winter 2022 Olympics but still allowed our Olympians to compete. The reasoning was that they trained for 4 years and it would be unfair to deny them the opportunities.
 

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Nosy Bee-54 said:
It's completely different when countries boycott or deny their own teams participation. In the current situation, entities/clubs/organizations are banning sports players from Russia. Furthermore, we made all kinds of noise about China's human rights violations around Summer 2008 and Winter 2022 Olympics but still allowed our Olympians to compete. The reasoning was that they trained for 4 years and it would be unfair to deny them the opportunities.
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I see what you are saying and you make complete sense. It is unfair to the athletes because like I said the majority of them are not in agreement with this whole situation. I think however organizations have to take a strong stance on these sort of matters because they most likely have sponsors breathing down there necks and threatening to pull out if they don't make a stance. It might not be the correct thing and certainly not right for the athletes, but with most anything money is what makes things go.
 
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john19485 said:
I pray for those American Military that are running special opps tonight inside Ukraine
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They're veterans, not actively serving. So proud of these volunteers! There's a German special ops vet with them, several from the UK and 60 more from the UK on the way. All are paying for their gear and travel costs. Expect more will follow in days to come. Heros!
 
I had some vague knowledge about the corruption in Ukraine.
Ukraine, as many of the nations that became independent in the 90's have had their problems with corruption.
Primarily, the elite in the Ukraine have continued to rob their fellow citizens.

That part of the world is still run by oligarchs and the elite, this is not a big deal in that part of the world, it is just the way it is.
 
WASHINGTON — When Russia seized Crimea in 2014, President Vladimir V. Putin was so worried about Russian casualty figures coming to light that authorities accosted journalists who tried to cover funerals of some of the 400 troops killed during that one-month campaign.

But Moscow may be losing that many soldiers daily in Mr. Putin’s latest invasion of Ukraine, American and European officials said. The mounting toll for Russian troops exposes a potential weakness for the Russian president at a time when he is still claiming, publicly, that he is engaged only in a limited military operation in Ukraine’s separatist east.

No one can say with certainty just how many Russian troops have died since last Thursday, when they began what is turning into a long march to Kyiv, the capital. Some Russian units have put down their arms and refused to fight, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Major Ukrainian cities have withstood the onslaught thus far.

American officials had expected the northeastern city of Kharkiv to fall in a day, for example, but Ukrainian troops there have fought back and regained control despite furious rocket fire. The bodies of Russian soldiers have been left in areas surrounding Kharkiv. Videos and photos on social media show charred remains of tanks and armored vehicles, their crews dead or wounded………….

Source: New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/us/politics/russia-ukraine-war-deaths.html
 
mellowyellow said:
Plagued by poor morale as well as fuel and food shortages, some Russian troops in Ukraine have surrendered en masse or sabotaged their own vehicles to avoid fighting, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday. Source: New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/01/world/europe/russia-troops-pentagon.html
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In time of war the first casualty is truth. No offence but I would take such statement from "a Pentagon official" with a grain of salt. I do believe that they re having supply issues though.
 
If Russia is hell bent on absorbing Ukraine it obviously has the resources to do so. It sure looks like a costly, Pyrrhic victory though.

Putin probably didn't anticipate Russian citizens and previously friendly members of Russia's oligarchy speaking out against this war. The international community's swift and united condemnation had to be a little surprising, too. Even Switzerland(!) is peeved enough to be taking sides, and China isn't offering public support either.

Russian dance companies, artists, sports teams, other athletes, celebrities, and super-rich are suddenly persona non grata, with "unvitations" being issued by the score. Gotta be painful.

As many countries have learned the hard way, superior firepower doesn't guarantee victories, much less lasting ones. Winning hearts and minds through bullying firepower? Hasn't worked yet...

Occupying a country that doesn't want you costs both sides plenty in blood and resources. Difference is that the foreign occupiers become exhausted and disenchanted by the process long before the people living there.

A lot of countries - Russia and the US included - repeat this lesson many times over without understanding it.
 
Nathan said:
@StarSong, Well said. Foreign invaders never have as much at stake as those defending their homeland. History gets repeated by those failing to remember or understand painful lessons of the past.
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And Putin would not need to go far in history. How could he not see that after the US invested enormous treasure and some blood in Afghanistan over 22 years, we handed it back to the Taliban and hightailed it out of there? The insurgency in the Ukraine will create a great deal of sadness for Russian mothers.
 

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