panzermartin

It wasn't a german initiative to push things in the East and ignite the mess we are in today. They are certainly not happy, they have deep bonds with Russia. It was Nuland who said on the phone f*** the EU. 
And if it's WW3, Europe will pay the price again and the ones that lead the situation across the Atlantic will once again thrive over our ruins. Does Germany really want to get dragged by US and UK, the centuries old imperialists that they were always at war with and burned their cities to the ground? And if this happens , they will have to first clear from their memory the last time they marched eastwards
 
 
 
 

Yes it's always nice to call for a World War when others will do the fighting on distant lands beyond the oceans. 
 

I think it means they were out of yellow and blue. haha

"Corruption and unreability" seems to me to apply much more appropriately to a government that has sold its energy independence to Putin, right?

It's ironic though because look at Germany now, they look like the most corrupted of all EU, bribed by russian energy and with an ex chancellor on head of gazprom, while they were pointing fingers to southern Europe. 
It's no surprise most southern EU counties have no enthusiasm actually battling Russia. 

Obviously the Greek government is corrupt and inefficient, but the whole did not cost the Germans any money at all, considering the devaluing of the Euro is massively beneficial to the German economy.
And none of their measures improved things, really. They could easily have said: Look, we will give you the bailout money on the condition that you overhaul your tax code, find out what the oligarchs own and tax / nationalize it, root out corruption etc. That is not what happened though: Instead they fought "evil" government spending by cutting programs like healthcare, education, unemployment benefits and left the whole system untouched, because that is more in line with their capitalist ideology, as well as their preconceived notions about "lazy southerners".

The main problem was that German government were and are still drinking that liberal cool-aid, which is that government spending and debt are automatically bad things and a balanced budget is the be-all, end-all of economics.

Yes as a greek citizen I second that. It's not that we didn't have our corruption and economic mismanagement issues but they made as look back then like the black sheep of Europe when in reality the issues were far wider as history proved. 

Exactly what Ts4EVER said: Just look at how past German governments treated Greece and other countries hit by the 2008 crisis. ... and whenever their economic interests are at stake, I would add

Just look at how past German governments treated Greece and other countries hit by the 2008 crisis.

You will never be a lion when you are strong with the weak and weak with the strong.

Because there was no defeat in Donbas. Russians paid dearly for every meter of the ground to a point they had no way to proceed much further.
Donbas was as much of improvisation to them as it is to us - russians were planning an invasion to occupy whole country in 2015, due to inevitably falsified elections by Yanukovich and protests that would follow but Maidan forced their hand earlier, when they weren't ready enough.
The goal of Russia is always one and the same - complete and total destruction of Ukraine.
If they could they would.
After all it took 8 years of preparations to launch this attack with that very same goal - and yet here we are.

Russia conducted hybrid warfare. On initial stage they have a plan to create "people republics" throughout whole Ukraine with support of local "5th column" or at least on territories of so-called "Novorossia". Putin's goal in that time was not "demiliatarization", but "federaliozation" of Ukraine in turning in again in Russia's sattelite. The war is the continuation of politics by other means. Of course, in March 2014 together with Crimea, Russian troops could almost without significant resistance reach to L'viv and Uzhhorod, but this didn't correspond to Putin intentions.
Like now in 2022, then in 2014 he believed, that "russian-speaking population, opressed by Maidan junta" just would overthrown "nationalists power", for this need only money and agents, who just set fire anf lead - corruption, helpless and pro-Russian moods among authorities and force structures would be do other job. But great surprise for Putin became total fail of these plans, especially in pro-Russian Odesa, when despite police actually took a side of pro-Russian forces, pro-Ukrainan self-organized forces decided a fate of the city in violent street clashes. In other cities pro-Russian elements was too inert to do something, so they could win only in part of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts with support of southands of Russian "tourists", which came to participate in meetings. 
So, when our troops started ATO and "republics" turned out on the verge of elimination, Putin changed own plans and conducted limited invasion - only in order to force Ukraine to sign agreement on own terms, but not in order to conquer all Ukraine. Alas, they could do this, because of strategical mistakes in conducting of ATO, when part of troops were placed on the border and suffered big losses not so in personnel, but more in equipment and because of Poroshenko didn't want to fight, hoping only on force of agreements and that West would make all job insead him.
Putin expected, Zelenskyi, having reputation of "moderate pro-Russian guy" would change politic of Ukraine and Russia would take Ukraine back in own sphere of influence, but this didn't happened. Putin had no more time to wait for implementation of his sick neo-empire ambitions in diplomacy way. He is probably terminally ill  with cancer, so he wanted to have a time to see "crash of the West domination" and eliminationon of Ukraine, hated by them, like a main destructor of USSR and "Russian world" conception.   

Yes it's always nice to call for a World War when others will do the fighting on distant lands beyond the oceans. 
 

They also just own Belarus now, and could base from there. In 2014 Lukashenko wasn't just a wholly owned Russian subsidiary.

I think US army is on a different league on all levels. The funding is insane 10 times up compared to the second Russia I think. Everything is better and of course the soldiers are more respected and have better future prospects. Not everyone can afford this! 
I served one mandatory year with the hellenic infantry and our professional soldiers didn't impress me much...There were mostly goofy kids out of villages and poor rural areas. Air force, Navy and special forces were an entirely different case. Still sometimes I think, you don't have to attend university to be a foot soldier maybe in the long term you need rugged young people that can endure the misery of prolonged warfare. 
But I agree Russia has always been cruel with the lowly infantryman and this war has reminded me how much. The state  feeds those godamn oligarchs that can have their shinny 1 billion superyacht but they give so little to the poor foot soldier.

It's not a russian specific the conscription of poor, uneducated guys with no dads money. For many armies around the world this is the case I think.  Western countries just have the luxury of paying more their unfortunate sons. 
While Russia is relying on the bottom of the barrel as you say , Ukraine has embattled the best they have as they are defending their homeland, many educated young men, volunteers etc. It's no surprise they did so well in the ambush warfare and high tech stuff. 

It's not a russian specific the conscription of poor, uneducated guys with no dads money. For many armies around the world this is the case I think.  Western countries just have the luxury of paying more their unfortunate sons. 
While Russia is relying on the bottom of the barrel as you say , Ukraine has embattled the best they have as they are defending their homeland, many educated young men, volunteers etc. It's no surprise they did so well in the ambush warfare and high tech stuff. 

Yes it's always nice to call for a World War when others will do the fighting on distant lands beyond the oceans. 
 

Yes it's always nice to call for a World War when others will do the fighting on distant lands beyond the oceans. 
 

But Ukraine was his chance because NATO wasn't (officially) involved in there yet. I also think his speech targeted russian audience. 
I seriously doubt about the will of Putin or even the most disillusioned officer around him that crossing the border of a NATO country is a good idea. Not going to happen even if they had captured Kiev. And now with those losses....? They have admitted they can't win a war with them. And now despite the continuous flow of western arms, getting larger and more beefy by each day, the bloody sanctions etc they don't even move their little finger beyond but mostly bark to Finland, Sweden, Poland and so on. 
To go for a World War you need allies, you don't get in by wondering alone in bad neighborhood and get shocked by the sanctions they impose on you. China doesn't seem willing to be the Japan of 1941, unless there is a lot under the hood we can't see. 
 

Yes it's always nice to call for a World War when others will do the fighting on distant lands beyond the oceans. 
 

Yes it's always nice to call for a World War when others will do the fighting on distant lands beyond the oceans. 
 

Yes it's always nice to call for a World War when others will do the fighting on distant lands beyond the oceans. 
 

Can you guys just wait and see if this actually gets confirmed before calling for WW3?
So far, all we have is a statement by Azov, nothing more.