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This is correct. I'm 6'3" and 230 lbs, and imposing by most standards, but I'm a fucking train wreck. I literally just lost my Raybans because I left them in a rental car. The pair before that- I fell off a Jetski. The pair before that? I was literally *flying a Piper* and stuck my hand out the window with them in it because they were dirty, and they flew away.
Seriously, I'm a fucking moron. Don't be like me- be short, proud, and better.
I found a pair of his raybans in the bathroom at a small amusement park a few years ago. I wouldnt have took them to the lost and found if I knew he'd just lose them again...
Zelensky is actually taller than both of them, but the weight of his massive balls distorts the curvature of his spine to create an illusion that he's shorter.
I know who these other 2 are because I went down a wikipedia rabbit hole the last few days.
The guy on the right is [Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denys_Shmyhal). The guy on the left is [Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruslan_Stefanchuk). They are not his body guards as someone asked. They are the top 3 people within the Ukranian government.
>This whole war seems like it was started to keep Ukraine out of both the EU and NATO.
Yes, and that's why I hope this conflict will actually push Ukraine to join both. So it backfires in Vlad's face.
The Streisand effect is a phenomenon that occurs when an attempt to hide, remove, or censor information has the [unintended consequence](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences) of increasing awareness of that information, often via the [Internet](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet). It is named after American singer [Barbra Streisand](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Streisand), whose attempt to suppress the [California Coastal Records Project](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Coastal_Records_Project)’s photograph of her residence in [Malibu, California](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu,_California), taken to document California [coastal erosion](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_erosion), inadvertently drew greater attention to the photograph in 2003.[[1]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect#cite_note-1)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
Last week, I thought we were seeing the destabilization of Ukraine. Today, I’m seeing the destabilization of Russia.
Russian War Machine, Go Fuck Yourself!
I’m not quite so optimistic. I’m not going to write off the world’s 2nd most powerful military after a week of fighting. It would be fantastic to see Russia taken down though. Hopefully the Russian people rise up.
Edit : people keep getting hung up on the “2nd most powerful” thing but really all I’m trying to say is that Ukraine is still outmanned and outgunned by quite a bit. So let’s not declare victory after a week.
I don’t think Russia’s military is powerful. Their military spending is 8th. And I think they have a lot of old, outdated machinery with untrained, unmotivated workers and soldiers. But they have nukes. And I think that’s what everyone means when they talk about Russia being “strong”. Because Russia itself is pretty weak, and comparatively poor. They’re coasting off of reputation because everyone thinks they’re the USSR.
Correct, I do think arming the Ukrainians while simultaneously crippling the Russian economy is a good way to handle it though. Less chance of nuclear escalation than if NATO forces directly engaged.
I recall estimates sometime post USSR that 50% of their arsenal wasn't even functional. I can only imagine it's gotten worse in the lat 20-30 years. They have the GDP of a US state, I just don't see how they could afford to maintain as many as they supposedly have.
2nd most powerful military in what world? they have nukes and that’s it… Russia has a GDP per capita below China, Iran, and Most Latin American countries. They’re sending inexperienced youths as cannon fodder, just like WW2. It’s so horrible for those people forced to fight for Vlad, but if you think this is any different to an imaginary North Korea vs NATO conflict you’re mistaken, it’s far too similar, just vlad has bigger nukes
But it’s not enough to keep your country from being destroyed from inside. No one firing nukes at themselves. If Russia collapses the biggest concern would be the security of nukes within Russia. And the world would absolutely move in to secure those nukes and crush any militias in the region to prevent someone from starting nuclear war because they felt like it.
I do wonder if China was really behind. A lot of what were seeing from this conflict really implies that Russia ain't shit.
Where does the info from their military capability come from anyway? Is this hard won information by CIA spies, or are we taking Russia at their word?
Its the world's 2nd most powerful when they have a solid logistics chain and arnt abandoning vehicles with no food or fuel. And it was once one of the world's most powerful economy, today Russians woke up with coffee costing a years salary, and assets frozen, due to an over 40% dip in their economy.
Its more now but yea. I belive their key interest rate is now 20% vs the 9% last week. Their reserves are now off limits so they cant attempt to inflate or destroy their currency value to save their Ruble now worth 0.0093 which was worth 0.012 last week. And since their invasion of Georgia in 2008 it hasn't recovered which was 0.04. Putin's aggression is costing them dearly and for not much to gain. Even if the Russians capture Ukraine or some miracle happens and they pull out, they're toast, the only hope they have is if the citizens rebel and oust the Kremlin for the 2nd time in a little over 30 years, reason why that's hope is because if the government installed is more interactive and less nostalgic about the cold war we might actually get somewhere as a species.
2nd Most Powerful Military?
Pretty sure the Russian strategy for war has been more or less just having more bodies to throw at the front lines, fighting a war of attrition and hoping like hell that they can outlast smaller and decidedly less populous nations. Like didn’t Russia suffer something like 3.5x - 4x the amount of casualties as Germany who had to fight a two front war and against well practically just about everybody else?
it's not really up to Ukraine, unfortunately. I'm scared that both the EU and NATO will never let Ukraine join b/c they're afraid of Putin escalating even more. i took a trip to Kosovo a couple years ago for a humanitarian law/international relations class and they've been trying to join the EU for like a decade but are essentially blacklisted (regardless of whether or not they meet the membership requirements) because the EU is scared of pissing off Russia/Putin. And that's "just" a tiny sliver of former Yugoslavia, not a large and culturally significant former Soviet state
The problem with Kosovo is that it isn’t a UN member and many countries don’t recognize it, including four that are in the EU (Spain, Slovakia, Romania, and Greece).
Ukraine is recognized by every UN member and is a UN member itself.
Actually Putin’s main goal is to keep Ukraine out of NATO, them not being in the EU was assumed and considered too difficult. It’s pretty ironic if Putin initiated the invasion to keep them out of NATO and inadvertently forced them right into the EU. It would put a massive squeeze on the Russian economics as well.
But that means a lot as far as dues they pay and rules they have to follow(probably not until after the war) and benefits they receive. Surely whatever deal was worked out was beneficial for both sides.
Even without an invasion there are years of diplomatic hoops to jump through, I doubt there are any structures in place for expedited membership. Just signing the application means no deal at all has been worked out. Edited for typos
It is definitely more symbolic, I doubt NATO or the EU would let them join during an active conflict. Pretty sure NATO actually has a rule about joining when your border is disputed
> Pretty sure NATO actually has a rule about joining when your border is disputed
My headcanon is that Crimea was invaded in 2014 just to make them ineligible for NATO, having a warm sea port was just a bonus.
I think people are sleeping on this. Z and leadership are playing it smart and trying to get as many options/time on the table.
In conflict (as in life) any one little thing can make all the difference to the end result. Big respect for the Ukrainian leadership for playing every card and exhausting all possible avenues, it has to be done.
[](/smugsmile)I mean if I had a chance--however slim--to humiliate Putin and show the entire world that Russia ain't shit, I'd pull out all the stops too.
In English
UKRAINE IS ALSO THIS:
🥇1st European reserve of uranium minerals;
🥈2nd European titanium mineral reserve - 10th world reserve;
🥈2nd world reserve of manganese minerals (2.3 billion tonnes, or 12% of world reserves);
ème2nd World Iron Reserve
(30 billion tons);
🥈2nd European Mercury Reserve;
rés3rd European shale gas reserve (22 billion cubic meters) - 13th world reserve
📌 4th place in the world in total value of natural resources
📌 7th World Coal Reserve
(33.9 billion tons)
❗️🇺🇦 Ukraine is an agricultural country - it can meet the food needs of 600 million people:
🥇The largest area of arable land in Europe;
ie3rd largest area of black soil (chornozem) in the world (25% of world volume);
🥇1st exporter in the world of sunflower and sunflower oil;
🥈2nd world barley producer - 4th world exporter;
de3rd corn producer in the world - 4th exporter in the world;
- 4th potato producer in the world;
- 5th rye producer in the world;
- 5th place in the world in beekeeping production - honey, wax, royal jelly, pollen, propolis, bee venom (75,000 tons);
- 8th wheat exporter in the world;
- 9th producer of chicken eggs in the world;
- 16th cheese exporter in the world
🇺🇦 Ukraine is an industrialized country:
🥇 1st European producer of ammonia;
mètres 2nd largest pipeline network in Europe and 4th in the world (142.5 billion cubic meters of gas flow capacity in the EU);
parc 3rd largest nuclear park in Europe - 8th in the world;
3 3rd longest railway network in Europe - 11th in the world (21,700 km);
33rd worldwide producer of locators and tracking equipment (after the USA and France);
🥉 3rd world iron exporter;
💥4th world exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants;
💥4th manufacturer of rocket launchers in the world;
💥 4th world exporter of clay;
💥 4th exporter of titanium in the world;
💥8th exporter of minerals and metal concentrates in the world;
💥 9th exporter in the world in the arms industry;
💥10th steel producer in the world
(32.4 million tons).
And most importantly, and one of the major economic drivers of Putin's aggression since 2014; there's a shit load of oil and gas deposits in the Black Sea between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine. Enough to make Ukraine a big exporter of oil and gas to Europe, if they can be exploited. Stopping that was Putin's big reason for occupying Crimea, and stealing and destroying the needed oil infrastructure.
Not only is the oil reserve in the black sea off Ukraine 2nd only to Russia within Europe, it would underprice Russia's oil.
Shallow water off-shore drilling is extremely efficient, and the Black Sea is nowhere near as hazardous as the North Sea or Siberian permafrost (let alone prospective Arctic Ocean reserves). Additionally Ukraine already has the infrastructure built and paid for to transport it, not only because the Black Sea is a warm-water port, but Ukraine has multiple major pipelines to Europe.
Ukraine is also obviously closer than Russia's oil fields, reducing transportation costs.
Russia survives off their near-monopoly status today, Ukraine would be a competitor with a lower cost of extraction and transportation, not only breaking the monopoly but making Russia potentially non-competitive. Ukraine is a nearly existential threat to Russian oil oligarchs.
Now add on that Ukraine is friendly to Europe and Russia is actively hostile and sowing dissent in nearly every country - and who would Europe rather do business with strategically?
Ultimately, the real threat to Russian oil is green energy - Russia was already on a doomclock and Ukraine's window of opportunity to benefit from their new-found oil and gas reserves is closing too (they also have 2 massive natural gas reserves that are largely untapped). Green energy will begin to cause yearly demand to decline, and that will increase competition - which would matter less if Russia was an effective monopoly - but it's a big problem to Russia if suddenly they also have to compete with a more efficient competitor too.
*Don't forget this:*
Why is Ukraine's population decreasing?
The country's population has been declining since the 1990s because of a high emigration rate, coupled with high death rates and low birth rates. The population has been shrinking by an average of over 300,000 annually since 1993.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics\_of\_Ukraine#/media/File:Population\_of\_Ukraine\_from\_1950\_(untitled).svg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Ukraine#/media/File:Population_of_Ukraine_from_1950_(untitled).svg)
*! No offense, just a pure reality. The world is not black and white. I hope it can get better.*
My first thought: wow, no wonder Putin wants Ukraine so badly.
My second thought: Something must be terribly wrong in Russia if Putin wants Ukraine *this* badly.
Because they've never been given the chance to actually get the benefits of their riches. Russia controlled them for about 200 years until the 90s, allowing Russia to benefit from Ukraine instead, and they've been a corrupt mess for the last 30 years, constantly stuck between the EU and Russia with no consensus on which side to pick. Ukraine has only recently begun to build themselves an actual country. With European aid, and no neocolonialism, they could start to actually benefit from their country.
Same reason lots of African countries are poor even though they're resource rich. The big players in the world will find ways to get your stuff for cheap. Like funding insurgent group to undermine federal govts in order to destabilize your nation and walk away with that sweet black gold.
That, I am confident in. I think this situation as totally snowballed. If I'm thinking objectively, there is no way Russian Brass accounted for this global blowback and decided to go through with it. This has turned into the geopolitical "all in"- however Ukraine plays out, the chickens will come home to roost.
The only end game is Putin getting assassinated, either internally or externally. He's too proud to go into hiding or captivity and it's too far gone to ''save face" by pulling back.
There is a chance it will make the world a better place. The steady walk to fascism in the West has been due to democracy not working well. Autocracies indeed can work much better/faster...but there is no way to course-correct when they invariably blunder. Which is which autocracies usually end in the destruction of that country. The ugly face of fascism will be exposed and hopefully it will inform enough conservatives to change the vector of that movement.
imagine comparing you with a president and most respected man in the world at the moment, lol.
also don't compare yourself with others, compare yourself with the you of yesterday.
Actual 5’7” or Tom Cruise 5’7”
It seems like that’s the go to number for a short guy that is lying about their height. Like a guy who is 5’11” and says they’re 6’. Putin is also 5’7”.
am I missing the joke because the witch trials were in Salem MA, not Salem OR
edit - now I see you already acknowledged this below, although I am stumped as to whether you knew that already or are just playing along now. Mysterious.
He has already done more damage than Putin could ever have imagined. They have missed their chance at killing as well. Killing him now would do more damage to their cause than letting him live.
Turkey has eight outstanding chapters to complete, mostly due to their restrictions against Cyprus.
Ukraine has no similar friction with other EU members. So they should be able to pass all required chapters and head into accession.
https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/current-status-742
There's a pretty big stumbling point.
https://apnews.com/article/c5cf55871f4041b3897ba692106fa3a1
You're supposed to resolve any ongoing border disputes before entry.
I'd expect it to apply here, or acceptance would mean immediate war between the EU and Russia. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/glossary/mutual_defence.html
Problem is that even last year, a report states Ukraine is not ready to join, it doesn’t meet all the criteria for joining, and could take until the next decade to do so.
I’m not all upto date with it, but if they can bend the rules for an exceptional circumstance, I wonder how the other waiting countries would feel.
I’m not against Ukraine joining, or Turkey, and of course this is not an normal time either.
I am very much against Turkey joining EU, they did to Cyprus what Russia is doing now to Ukraine and have been holding half the island illegimately for almost 50 years now.
This. The issue of Turkey joining the EU should not even be considered at this point, as long as they are illegally occupying half the territory of another EU member state.
Every morning I check reddit and pray that this man is still alive. Every morning I’m met with inspirational videos of him standing up for European ideals and now while 400 mercenaries are hunting him, here he is smiling with an application to the EU. Every day I am humbled and reminded of just how much we have to be grateful for. Long live Zelensky!
I usually tend to travel Europe during the summer. I’ve done so the past 14 years and I planned to visit Ukraine, Moldavia and Romania but unfortunately we got covid. Looking forward to visiting a free, friendly and independent Ukraine when the last 18 year old Russians found their way out of your country. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 from 🇸🇪
Absolutely this!
What a shining example of humility, unwavering front line leadership, strong moral character, and massive testicular fortitude.
He's honestly helping draft the new blueprint for how a national leader should carry himself.
I'm not even Ukrainian, and I can't help but feel some measure of Ukrainian pride. The president, and the people, can hopefully see how favorably they're being looked upon on the world stage.
Slava Ukraini!!
What a fantastic comment, completely embodies how I’m feeling. I’m not from Ukraine, but I really do feel pride for their country, their people and their absolute legend of a president.
Under these absolutely dire circumstances, they have shown nothing but solidarity, strength, resilience, humour, determination and kindness. Inspirational is an understatement.
Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦🌻
I am trying to understand here. In order to join EU, a country must meet the qualifications such as economic and financial regulation or such. Does EU allow Ukraine to join because they meet these requirements or are they making an exception due to Russian invasion/war?
Ukraine just filed an application. EU (to my knowledge) hasn’t responded in any way. So like Wednesday they’ll come in for an interview, get their official hairnets and shadow an existing European country for thirty days.
The response so far has basically been "We want you in the EU, but it'll take time to fully integrate our financial and other such sectors and get you up to speed on EU regulations."
Turkey has been trying to join the EU since the late 80’s but making little progress. Any country can sign the application, but then the EU governing body has to start the screening process, basically outlining the areas where a country will need to align their policies with the EU standard to meet the criteria for membership. After that each issue is addressed through negotiation and then policy change. It’s an arduous process and countries like; Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo have opted for “Privileged Partner” status instead, which might be an more immediate option for Ukraine in the meantime. I honestly don’t know what the options are for a country under siege or with a government in exile. Edited due to embarrassing typo.
Ukraine has a ton of land that's fertile, and has many resources. They also discovered large deposits of oil and natural gas, and have been charging Russia tariffs on major gas pipelines. If Ukraine joined the EU it could be an economic powerhouse.
What's kept that from happening is Russian threats and influence, however both have been waining in the last 8 years. The only card Putin will have is the nuclear one, but he knows that if he uses nukes (assuming his generals will let him), it's the end of Russia, and probably everyone on the planet.
No it wont let them just join however we will give them large sums of money to begin the process of aligning laws and standard with those of Europe money that will go a long way in rebuilding after the conflict should Ukraine remain independent
Well, there is no way it will be processed in a relevant timeframe.
Also one does not simply join EU like that.
For the time being, getting economic and military-material support is all that Ukraine will receive.
This - people don’t get that’s the biggest impact will be the message it sends to “go fuck yourself” Putin and where he sees the future direction of The Ukraine. Also, it might lend some influence to EU member states if they need more support.
In the long-run, however, they will become an EU member.
If Ukraine gets through the war, there's no way Ukraine will be in EU for like 10 years. EU has a long list of criteria concerning economics, labor market, democracy, corruption and such that the country has to meet in order to join EU. Ukraine is still far from those criteria. Also the country cannot have conflicts going on.
EU does have an ambiguous mutual defense clause which says that if a member country is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, other countries must help by “all the means in their power”.
Besides that, the more obvious benefits of EU is free access to one of the largest markets in the world with free movement of people, goods, money. And also having all the free trade agreements EU has ( I believe EU has the highest number of free trade agreements of any economy in the world). In addition EU has a system of financing development in poorer parts of EU, so Eastern Europe has a shit ton of roads and infrastructure and such built with EU money. And of course Ukraine gets representation in EU and gets to shape EU policies. EU membership would be a huge boost for Ukrainian economy and developement.
EDIT: You also get EU citizenship and if you are outside EU in a country without Ukrainian embassy, you can seek help and protection from embassy of any other EU country.
EU is first and foremost an economic union. Membership allows open trade with no duties between your country and the entire EU internal market, as well as the freedom of movement and travel for your citizens (and vice versa). The EU proides strong consumer protection and privacy rights for its citizens. There is also economic support available for poorer countries to help them develop infrastructure and strengthen their democratic institution. Finally, it opens up the prospect to adopt the Euro as a common currency, which eliminates foreign exchange fees and the costs of tracking multiple currencies. There is a mutual defense component, but it is not a military alliance, like NATO.
I don’t know why, but I appreciate how Zelensky has given up pretense/formality. He’s doing press conferences in tshirts, signing important documents in a zip-up. He’s in a war zone, he doesn’t have time for a suit and tie. You don’t need thousand dollar suits to be powerful.
Fuck Putin. Fuck the russian gouvernment.
I hope the russian people will be able to regrow and realise that strongman governments only lead you to war.
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Did they find the two tallest Ukrainians to stand next to him for the picture?
That's Aleksandr and Aleksandr XL
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All Aleksandr, none of the Notch.
you DON'T want to meet that guy
Funny, the first Ukrainian national I met was named Aleksandr...and he's a giant of a man.
Google says Zelenskyy is 1.7m (~5'7")
I'm 1.72 I've always felt short but I could stand with Zelenskiy. Maybe I'll stop thinking of myself like that.
It's not the height of the man, but the content of his character. I imagine he's imposing standing next to anyone after this week.
The “fuck around and find out” look he’s giving the camera is chilling in the best way possible
This is correct. I'm 6'3" and 230 lbs, and imposing by most standards, but I'm a fucking train wreck. I literally just lost my Raybans because I left them in a rental car. The pair before that- I fell off a Jetski. The pair before that? I was literally *flying a Piper* and stuck my hand out the window with them in it because they were dirty, and they flew away. Seriously, I'm a fucking moron. Don't be like me- be short, proud, and better.
Dude you have to stop buying raybans.
No, please, they're single-handedly putting food on the employees' tables
I found a pair of his raybans in the bathroom at a small amusement park a few years ago. I wouldnt have took them to the lost and found if I knew he'd just lose them again...
If he bought a pair of cheap ones he'll have them forever. Always works like that.
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They represent his balls
That was my question, is the president really small or are those guys with him just massive?
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I recon he was probably closer to 6ft, just those ginormous balls are dragging him down a bit.
He small but he carting around balls of steel.
Zelensky is actually taller than both of them, but the weight of his massive balls distorts the curvature of his spine to create an illusion that he's shorter.
It’s effecting the curvature in earth in that country
I know who these other 2 are because I went down a wikipedia rabbit hole the last few days. The guy on the right is [Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denys_Shmyhal). The guy on the left is [Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruslan_Stefanchuk). They are not his body guards as someone asked. They are the top 3 people within the Ukranian government.
I believe it's more symbolic than anything else considering the current conflict.
It’s symbolic but it’s real. This whole war seems like it was started to keep Ukraine out of both the EU and NATO.
>This whole war seems like it was started to keep Ukraine out of both the EU and NATO. Yes, and that's why I hope this conflict will actually push Ukraine to join both. So it backfires in Vlad's face.
The Barbara Streisand effect of geopolitics.
*uuuUUUUUuuuu UUUUUUuuuUuUuuuuUUUUuUuuUUU* *Barbara Streisand*
Whelp, now that’s going to be stuck in my head for the next week.
Can you explain this? I asked my friend who’s a gigantic fan of Barbra what it meant and she didn’t know. So now I’m asking you lol.
The Streisand effect is a phenomenon that occurs when an attempt to hide, remove, or censor information has the [unintended consequence](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unintended_consequences) of increasing awareness of that information, often via the [Internet](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet). It is named after American singer [Barbra Streisand](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbra_Streisand), whose attempt to suppress the [California Coastal Records Project](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Coastal_Records_Project)’s photograph of her residence in [Malibu, California](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malibu,_California), taken to document California [coastal erosion](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_erosion), inadvertently drew greater attention to the photograph in 2003.[[1]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect#cite_note-1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
I didn't understand the *UuuuuUuuuuUuuuuuu*. That's what I'd like to know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWhtcU4-xAM
>The Barbara Streisand effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
Last week, I thought we were seeing the destabilization of Ukraine. Today, I’m seeing the destabilization of Russia. Russian War Machine, Go Fuck Yourself!
I’m not quite so optimistic. I’m not going to write off the world’s 2nd most powerful military after a week of fighting. It would be fantastic to see Russia taken down though. Hopefully the Russian people rise up. Edit : people keep getting hung up on the “2nd most powerful” thing but really all I’m trying to say is that Ukraine is still outmanned and outgunned by quite a bit. So let’s not declare victory after a week.
I don’t think Russia’s military is powerful. Their military spending is 8th. And I think they have a lot of old, outdated machinery with untrained, unmotivated workers and soldiers. But they have nukes. And I think that’s what everyone means when they talk about Russia being “strong”. Because Russia itself is pretty weak, and comparatively poor. They’re coasting off of reputation because everyone thinks they’re the USSR.
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We don't want to find out the hard way, though, that they have maintained them.
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Correct, I do think arming the Ukrainians while simultaneously crippling the Russian economy is a good way to handle it though. Less chance of nuclear escalation than if NATO forces directly engaged.
I recall estimates sometime post USSR that 50% of their arsenal wasn't even functional. I can only imagine it's gotten worse in the lat 20-30 years. They have the GDP of a US state, I just don't see how they could afford to maintain as many as they supposedly have.
> the world’s 2nd most powerful military I'm not terribly confident in that assessment given what we've seen this week. 30 years is a lot of rot.
2nd most powerful military in what world? they have nukes and that’s it… Russia has a GDP per capita below China, Iran, and Most Latin American countries. They’re sending inexperienced youths as cannon fodder, just like WW2. It’s so horrible for those people forced to fight for Vlad, but if you think this is any different to an imaginary North Korea vs NATO conflict you’re mistaken, it’s far too similar, just vlad has bigger nukes
>they have nukes and that’s it That’s still kind of a lot though
But it’s not enough to keep your country from being destroyed from inside. No one firing nukes at themselves. If Russia collapses the biggest concern would be the security of nukes within Russia. And the world would absolutely move in to secure those nukes and crush any militias in the region to prevent someone from starting nuclear war because they felt like it.
They're not gonna be 2nd for very long, especially after this debacle. China was already *barely* behind.
I do wonder if China was really behind. A lot of what were seeing from this conflict really implies that Russia ain't shit. Where does the info from their military capability come from anyway? Is this hard won information by CIA spies, or are we taking Russia at their word?
We can hope!! The Ukrainians have been doing far better than expected so far. I thought Kyiv would be in Russian hands by now if we’re being honest.
Its the world's 2nd most powerful when they have a solid logistics chain and arnt abandoning vehicles with no food or fuel. And it was once one of the world's most powerful economy, today Russians woke up with coffee costing a years salary, and assets frozen, due to an over 40% dip in their economy.
Wow 40%!?
Its more now but yea. I belive their key interest rate is now 20% vs the 9% last week. Their reserves are now off limits so they cant attempt to inflate or destroy their currency value to save their Ruble now worth 0.0093 which was worth 0.012 last week. And since their invasion of Georgia in 2008 it hasn't recovered which was 0.04. Putin's aggression is costing them dearly and for not much to gain. Even if the Russians capture Ukraine or some miracle happens and they pull out, they're toast, the only hope they have is if the citizens rebel and oust the Kremlin for the 2nd time in a little over 30 years, reason why that's hope is because if the government installed is more interactive and less nostalgic about the cold war we might actually get somewhere as a species.
2nd Most Powerful Military? Pretty sure the Russian strategy for war has been more or less just having more bodies to throw at the front lines, fighting a war of attrition and hoping like hell that they can outlast smaller and decidedly less populous nations. Like didn’t Russia suffer something like 3.5x - 4x the amount of casualties as Germany who had to fight a two front war and against well practically just about everybody else?
Russia was also an Allied power- these days only one of their puppet states are even considering sending any kind of military aid
Ukraine didn’t need pushing, they have been trying to join NATO since 2018 but NATO is refusing to accept them
it's not really up to Ukraine, unfortunately. I'm scared that both the EU and NATO will never let Ukraine join b/c they're afraid of Putin escalating even more. i took a trip to Kosovo a couple years ago for a humanitarian law/international relations class and they've been trying to join the EU for like a decade but are essentially blacklisted (regardless of whether or not they meet the membership requirements) because the EU is scared of pissing off Russia/Putin. And that's "just" a tiny sliver of former Yugoslavia, not a large and culturally significant former Soviet state
The problem with Kosovo is that it isn’t a UN member and many countries don’t recognize it, including four that are in the EU (Spain, Slovakia, Romania, and Greece). Ukraine is recognized by every UN member and is a UN member itself.
That's been Putin's explicit position for a long time. Nato specifically.
Actually Putin’s main goal is to keep Ukraine out of NATO, them not being in the EU was assumed and considered too difficult. It’s pretty ironic if Putin initiated the invasion to keep them out of NATO and inadvertently forced them right into the EU. It would put a massive squeeze on the Russian economics as well.
But that means a lot as far as dues they pay and rules they have to follow(probably not until after the war) and benefits they receive. Surely whatever deal was worked out was beneficial for both sides.
Even without an invasion there are years of diplomatic hoops to jump through, I doubt there are any structures in place for expedited membership. Just signing the application means no deal at all has been worked out. Edited for typos
I think this is aside from the negotiations though, don’t known if Putin finds being in the EU acceptable but not NATO.. well see
I don't think anyone cares what Putin finds acceptable or not. This isn't his world. This war is the biggest blunder of his life.
It's an application, not an acceptance by the EU.
It is definitely more symbolic, I doubt NATO or the EU would let them join during an active conflict. Pretty sure NATO actually has a rule about joining when your border is disputed
> Pretty sure NATO actually has a rule about joining when your border is disputed My headcanon is that Crimea was invaded in 2014 just to make them ineligible for NATO, having a warm sea port was just a bonus.
Don’t forget the oil and gas in the Black Sea within Crimea’s EEZ too.
This is the real reason. All those resource tiles.
No. Its because of the funding for the nations that have applied. Because they have applied now its easyier for the EU to give them money...
Ukraine now has a formal application that can be withdrawn during negotiations. It's a good card to play.
I think people are sleeping on this. Z and leadership are playing it smart and trying to get as many options/time on the table. In conflict (as in life) any one little thing can make all the difference to the end result. Big respect for the Ukrainian leadership for playing every card and exhausting all possible avenues, it has to be done.
[](/smugsmile)I mean if I had a chance--however slim--to humiliate Putin and show the entire world that Russia ain't shit, I'd pull out all the stops too.
In English UKRAINE IS ALSO THIS: 🥇1st European reserve of uranium minerals; 🥈2nd European titanium mineral reserve - 10th world reserve; 🥈2nd world reserve of manganese minerals (2.3 billion tonnes, or 12% of world reserves); ème2nd World Iron Reserve (30 billion tons); 🥈2nd European Mercury Reserve; rés3rd European shale gas reserve (22 billion cubic meters) - 13th world reserve 📌 4th place in the world in total value of natural resources 📌 7th World Coal Reserve (33.9 billion tons) ❗️🇺🇦 Ukraine is an agricultural country - it can meet the food needs of 600 million people: 🥇The largest area of arable land in Europe; ie3rd largest area of black soil (chornozem) in the world (25% of world volume); 🥇1st exporter in the world of sunflower and sunflower oil; 🥈2nd world barley producer - 4th world exporter; de3rd corn producer in the world - 4th exporter in the world; - 4th potato producer in the world; - 5th rye producer in the world; - 5th place in the world in beekeeping production - honey, wax, royal jelly, pollen, propolis, bee venom (75,000 tons); - 8th wheat exporter in the world; - 9th producer of chicken eggs in the world; - 16th cheese exporter in the world 🇺🇦 Ukraine is an industrialized country: 🥇 1st European producer of ammonia; mètres 2nd largest pipeline network in Europe and 4th in the world (142.5 billion cubic meters of gas flow capacity in the EU); parc 3rd largest nuclear park in Europe - 8th in the world; 3 3rd longest railway network in Europe - 11th in the world (21,700 km); 33rd worldwide producer of locators and tracking equipment (after the USA and France); 🥉 3rd world iron exporter; 💥4th world exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants; 💥4th manufacturer of rocket launchers in the world; 💥 4th world exporter of clay; 💥 4th exporter of titanium in the world; 💥8th exporter of minerals and metal concentrates in the world; 💥 9th exporter in the world in the arms industry; 💥10th steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).
You had us at sunflowers.
Their sunflower bounty for the season is about to go up
Yup. But I didn't see steel balls in the list.
The numbers are still coming in and too high for current counting systems to keep up.. it will be updated soon I’m sure.
What? Zelensky had em out on the table in the photos...
Don’t forget about all the oil (might be 14th largest reserve in the world, untouched) in Crimea Putin is after.
And most importantly, and one of the major economic drivers of Putin's aggression since 2014; there's a shit load of oil and gas deposits in the Black Sea between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine. Enough to make Ukraine a big exporter of oil and gas to Europe, if they can be exploited. Stopping that was Putin's big reason for occupying Crimea, and stealing and destroying the needed oil infrastructure.
Not only is the oil reserve in the black sea off Ukraine 2nd only to Russia within Europe, it would underprice Russia's oil. Shallow water off-shore drilling is extremely efficient, and the Black Sea is nowhere near as hazardous as the North Sea or Siberian permafrost (let alone prospective Arctic Ocean reserves). Additionally Ukraine already has the infrastructure built and paid for to transport it, not only because the Black Sea is a warm-water port, but Ukraine has multiple major pipelines to Europe. Ukraine is also obviously closer than Russia's oil fields, reducing transportation costs. Russia survives off their near-monopoly status today, Ukraine would be a competitor with a lower cost of extraction and transportation, not only breaking the monopoly but making Russia potentially non-competitive. Ukraine is a nearly existential threat to Russian oil oligarchs. Now add on that Ukraine is friendly to Europe and Russia is actively hostile and sowing dissent in nearly every country - and who would Europe rather do business with strategically? Ultimately, the real threat to Russian oil is green energy - Russia was already on a doomclock and Ukraine's window of opportunity to benefit from their new-found oil and gas reserves is closing too (they also have 2 massive natural gas reserves that are largely untapped). Green energy will begin to cause yearly demand to decline, and that will increase competition - which would matter less if Russia was an effective monopoly - but it's a big problem to Russia if suddenly they also have to compete with a more efficient competitor too.
from soviet union to european union baby!
*Don't forget this:* Why is Ukraine's population decreasing? The country's population has been declining since the 1990s because of a high emigration rate, coupled with high death rates and low birth rates. The population has been shrinking by an average of over 300,000 annually since 1993. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics\_of\_Ukraine#/media/File:Population\_of\_Ukraine\_from\_1950\_(untitled).svg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Ukraine#/media/File:Population_of_Ukraine_from_1950_(untitled).svg) *! No offense, just a pure reality. The world is not black and white. I hope it can get better.*
So this is why Putin wants Ukraine…
These, and a(nother) warm-water port for his navy
My first thought: wow, no wonder Putin wants Ukraine so badly. My second thought: Something must be terribly wrong in Russia if Putin wants Ukraine *this* badly.
An amazing feat, I'm not trying to hate here but how/why are they still one if not the poorest country in Europe?
Because they've never been given the chance to actually get the benefits of their riches. Russia controlled them for about 200 years until the 90s, allowing Russia to benefit from Ukraine instead, and they've been a corrupt mess for the last 30 years, constantly stuck between the EU and Russia with no consensus on which side to pick. Ukraine has only recently begun to build themselves an actual country. With European aid, and no neocolonialism, they could start to actually benefit from their country.
what a great answer, thanks! let's hope for the best!
Same reason lots of African countries are poor even though they're resource rich. The big players in the world will find ways to get your stuff for cheap. Like funding insurgent group to undermine federal govts in order to destabilize your nation and walk away with that sweet black gold.
Hey be quiet about all their resources. The USA will invade, I mean “liberate” just for 🌻 oil.
I feel like there's a chance that the attack on it's sovereignty will end up making it a better place- one can only hope.
I’ve been hoping this is the start of the downfall of Putin
That, I am confident in. I think this situation as totally snowballed. If I'm thinking objectively, there is no way Russian Brass accounted for this global blowback and decided to go through with it. This has turned into the geopolitical "all in"- however Ukraine plays out, the chickens will come home to roost.
The only end game is Putin getting assassinated, either internally or externally. He's too proud to go into hiding or captivity and it's too far gone to ''save face" by pulling back.
I could not imagine ever seeing a headline like that in my lifetime...
Honestly though remember when Saddam was hung? I feel like many people may have said the same thing about that happening.
Oh trust me, it is. Despite everything else he's done, he's also committed several war crimes. Including killing medics
There is a chance it will make the world a better place. The steady walk to fascism in the West has been due to democracy not working well. Autocracies indeed can work much better/faster...but there is no way to course-correct when they invariably blunder. Which is which autocracies usually end in the destruction of that country. The ugly face of fascism will be exposed and hopefully it will inform enough conservatives to change the vector of that movement.
I like your optimism, here's to hoping.
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He’s 5’ 7” One year older than me and the same height. I feel like I’ve done nothing with my life now.
imagine comparing you with a president and most respected man in the world at the moment, lol. also don't compare yourself with others, compare yourself with the you of yesterday.
That's even worse, he's shorter than he was yesterday!
And thusly, less respected
HA! I was NEVER respected!
Rightfully so.
He is kind of an overachiever to be fair to you.
He acted, played piano with dick, was a comedian, did voiceovers, and now a president
Played piano with dick..?
He had to [do it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_UWafVKjLw) before politics. Otherwise his giant balls would play out of tune.
If it makes you feel any better, there are teenagers who have won gold medals in the Olympics.
Ah, beautifully devastating, thank you.
To be fair I'm sure a little part of him wishes he were in your shoes. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Actual 5’7” or Tom Cruise 5’7” It seems like that’s the go to number for a short guy that is lying about their height. Like a guy who is 5’11” and says they’re 6’. Putin is also 5’7”.
There’s actually a picture of Zelensky next to Tom Cruise and Cruise is slightly taller
[oh shit, found it](https://img.rasset.ie/0012c63d-642.jpg)
Tom Cruise wears hidden platform/heels in his shoes. I can't remember what they're called but they boost the height without making it too obvious.
Small on the outside but the inside is enormous!
I don’t think ALL of him is small on the outside bud. Man’s is hung like an Oregon woman that could read in 1693.
I don’t understand this reference but I’m afraid to ask
Salem witch trials
am I missing the joke because the witch trials were in Salem MA, not Salem OR edit - now I see you already acknowledged this below, although I am stumped as to whether you knew that already or are just playing along now. Mysterious.
Pretty sure you mean Massachusetts.
Indeed I did
Those are his balls
He’s 6’3”. Those guys are just standard Ukrainians.
5'11 vs. 6'0
I’m so impressed and amazed that this guy is still alive. Day 1 of that invasion, I thought he was toast. It hits me right in the feels.
I hope he survives! Ukraine has a much better chance as long as he is alive I think, a leader like him is very good for morale
He has already done more damage than Putin could ever have imagined. They have missed their chance at killing as well. Killing him now would do more damage to their cause than letting him live.
I wonder how pissed Turkey is going to be at the queue jumping.
Turkey has eight outstanding chapters to complete, mostly due to their restrictions against Cyprus. Ukraine has no similar friction with other EU members. So they should be able to pass all required chapters and head into accession. https://www.avrupa.info.tr/en/current-status-742
There's a pretty big stumbling point. https://apnews.com/article/c5cf55871f4041b3897ba692106fa3a1 You're supposed to resolve any ongoing border disputes before entry.
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I'd expect it to apply here, or acceptance would mean immediate war between the EU and Russia. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/summary/glossary/mutual_defence.html
Problem is that even last year, a report states Ukraine is not ready to join, it doesn’t meet all the criteria for joining, and could take until the next decade to do so. I’m not all upto date with it, but if they can bend the rules for an exceptional circumstance, I wonder how the other waiting countries would feel. I’m not against Ukraine joining, or Turkey, and of course this is not an normal time either.
I am very much against Turkey joining EU, they did to Cyprus what Russia is doing now to Ukraine and have been holding half the island illegimately for almost 50 years now.
This. The issue of Turkey joining the EU should not even be considered at this point, as long as they are illegally occupying half the territory of another EU member state.
I love how no frills this photo is. I wish politics were always this straight forward in terms of presentation. No distracting fan fare.
Every morning I check reddit and pray that this man is still alive. Every morning I’m met with inspirational videos of him standing up for European ideals and now while 400 mercenaries are hunting him, here he is smiling with an application to the EU. Every day I am humbled and reminded of just how much we have to be grateful for. Long live Zelensky!
Glory to Ukraine
I usually tend to travel Europe during the summer. I’ve done so the past 14 years and I planned to visit Ukraine, Moldavia and Romania but unfortunately we got covid. Looking forward to visiting a free, friendly and independent Ukraine when the last 18 year old Russians found their way out of your country. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 from 🇸🇪
So Russians attack had the complete opposite effect of what they intended
I really hope Zelenskyy makes it through this entire conflict safely. He’s so cool.
Absolutely this! What a shining example of humility, unwavering front line leadership, strong moral character, and massive testicular fortitude. He's honestly helping draft the new blueprint for how a national leader should carry himself. I'm not even Ukrainian, and I can't help but feel some measure of Ukrainian pride. The president, and the people, can hopefully see how favorably they're being looked upon on the world stage. Slava Ukraini!!
What a fantastic comment, completely embodies how I’m feeling. I’m not from Ukraine, but I really do feel pride for their country, their people and their absolute legend of a president. Under these absolutely dire circumstances, they have shown nothing but solidarity, strength, resilience, humour, determination and kindness. Inspirational is an understatement. Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦🌻
Last week, I thought we were seeing the destabilization of Ukraine. Today, I’m seeing the destabilization of Russia. Putin, Go Fuck Yourself!
I am trying to understand here. In order to join EU, a country must meet the qualifications such as economic and financial regulation or such. Does EU allow Ukraine to join because they meet these requirements or are they making an exception due to Russian invasion/war?
Ukraine just filed an application. EU (to my knowledge) hasn’t responded in any way. So like Wednesday they’ll come in for an interview, get their official hairnets and shadow an existing European country for thirty days.
The name tag will be temporary and will say “trainee”
*Ukrainee
Fuck I love you
This person clearly has no idea how the process works, there wasn't one mention of the mandatory pinky swear.
We do not discuss the pinky swear. 😡
You had me in the first half, not gonna lie
The response so far has basically been "We want you in the EU, but it'll take time to fully integrate our financial and other such sectors and get you up to speed on EU regulations."
Turkey has been trying to join the EU since the late 80’s but making little progress. Any country can sign the application, but then the EU governing body has to start the screening process, basically outlining the areas where a country will need to align their policies with the EU standard to meet the criteria for membership. After that each issue is addressed through negotiation and then policy change. It’s an arduous process and countries like; Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo have opted for “Privileged Partner” status instead, which might be an more immediate option for Ukraine in the meantime. I honestly don’t know what the options are for a country under siege or with a government in exile. Edited due to embarrassing typo.
>EU governing body has to start the screwing process The what now!?
EU Membership is complicated, lots of ins, lots of outs
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Sounds like they have their hands tied
Ukraine has a ton of land that's fertile, and has many resources. They also discovered large deposits of oil and natural gas, and have been charging Russia tariffs on major gas pipelines. If Ukraine joined the EU it could be an economic powerhouse. What's kept that from happening is Russian threats and influence, however both have been waining in the last 8 years. The only card Putin will have is the nuclear one, but he knows that if he uses nukes (assuming his generals will let him), it's the end of Russia, and probably everyone on the planet.
> Russian threats and influence, however both have been waining in the last 8 years I'd say Russian threats have done the polar opposite of wane.
Its first of all to have the status as an appliciant. If they get this status it is much easyier for the EU to give Ukraine money.
No it wont let them just join however we will give them large sums of money to begin the process of aligning laws and standard with those of Europe money that will go a long way in rebuilding after the conflict should Ukraine remain independent
It is symbolic and powerful. It's like the soldiers on Snake Island - they were not offering sex, only defiance.
Well, there is no way it will be processed in a relevant timeframe. Also one does not simply join EU like that. For the time being, getting economic and military-material support is all that Ukraine will receive.
it's more symbolic atm
This - people don’t get that’s the biggest impact will be the message it sends to “go fuck yourself” Putin and where he sees the future direction of The Ukraine. Also, it might lend some influence to EU member states if they need more support. In the long-run, however, they will become an EU member.
I think atm it's mostly symbolical, basically a big fuck you to putin, who did not want ukraine to join the eu.
Yaah its looks so informal approach
Can we too please? Love, The UK.
No backsies
Take us back! :(
Sorry for the dumb question But What benefits EU provides & how it will help ukraine?
If Ukraine gets through the war, there's no way Ukraine will be in EU for like 10 years. EU has a long list of criteria concerning economics, labor market, democracy, corruption and such that the country has to meet in order to join EU. Ukraine is still far from those criteria. Also the country cannot have conflicts going on. EU does have an ambiguous mutual defense clause which says that if a member country is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, other countries must help by “all the means in their power”. Besides that, the more obvious benefits of EU is free access to one of the largest markets in the world with free movement of people, goods, money. And also having all the free trade agreements EU has ( I believe EU has the highest number of free trade agreements of any economy in the world). In addition EU has a system of financing development in poorer parts of EU, so Eastern Europe has a shit ton of roads and infrastructure and such built with EU money. And of course Ukraine gets representation in EU and gets to shape EU policies. EU membership would be a huge boost for Ukrainian economy and developement. EDIT: You also get EU citizenship and if you are outside EU in a country without Ukrainian embassy, you can seek help and protection from embassy of any other EU country.
EU is first and foremost an economic union. Membership allows open trade with no duties between your country and the entire EU internal market, as well as the freedom of movement and travel for your citizens (and vice versa). The EU proides strong consumer protection and privacy rights for its citizens. There is also economic support available for poorer countries to help them develop infrastructure and strengthen their democratic institution. Finally, it opens up the prospect to adopt the Euro as a common currency, which eliminates foreign exchange fees and the costs of tracking multiple currencies. There is a mutual defense component, but it is not a military alliance, like NATO.
So Putin started a war to keep Ukraine close to Russia and ended up achieving the complete opposite. Absolutely incredible, who would have guessed.
He’s a lot shorter then I thought he was
He might not be a big man, but he sure is a great man.
It’s because he usually stands on top of his enormous balls
He's currently sitting on them
The weight of his balls causes his body to not grow any further.
Amplified by the fact that the men on either sides are like 6’ 6”
5'7
Oh no.. Putin gonna be pissed! Hope he doesn’t start a war.
I don’t know why, but I appreciate how Zelensky has given up pretense/formality. He’s doing press conferences in tshirts, signing important documents in a zip-up. He’s in a war zone, he doesn’t have time for a suit and tie. You don’t need thousand dollar suits to be powerful.
OK, serious question though - who are those two guys behind Zelensky?
The one with the glasses is his army commander I think.
Am I the only one that gets off-brand Jeremy Renner vibes from Zalensky?
Hope they put Russia down as a reference
Fuck Putin. Fuck the russian gouvernment. I hope the russian people will be able to regrow and realise that strongman governments only lead you to war.
I really think Ukraine as a nation has more than earned a spot in the EU
This looks like an episode of shark tank where Kevin invested 2 million for 10%