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Europe War in Ukraine - Thread 5 - thread rules updated

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This article looks at the shrinking of Russian work force due to the war.


Putin really is a fu!king idiot, destroying Russia for vainglorious dreams of empire. What a turkey!
Despite this baronessky and Ilovethepiesky will defend putin and his illegal invasion of Ukraine.
As every day passes the Chinese must be rubbing their hands with glee when putin bankrupts russia so they (the Chinese) can help themselves to all that russian oil and gas as russia won't have the troops to stop them moving into Siberia unopposed.
 
The chinese 100% won't be invading the Phillippines in mine or your lifetimes, but ceratinly Siberia before Taiwan now with putin bankrupting russia for his ego, which will mean easy pickings for
Not the main islands but have already illegally occupied some by force are trying to force them off second Thomas shoal.and are now inventing Historic claims over islands further out including Palawan (and the Natunas in Indonesia)
 

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Nothing really unexpected from recent talks b/w Trump and Zelensky, etc. There's mention of a temp ceasefire agreement around Zaporizhzhe Power Plant. Good news, though Trump said Putin agreed to not strike the ares - its the RF that occupy it you idiot.

Donbass territory remains the unmovable sticking point.
 
NOEL Reports:

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says a local ceasefire is in place around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to repair damaged power lines. Repairs have begun and are being monitored by the IAEA, creating a temporary “window of silence” to reduce nuclear risk during the war.
 
In the last week Pedo Putin has personally ordered 2100 drones, over 800 bombs and nearly 100 cruise missiles fired on Ukrainian civilians & energy infrastructure.

All because Ukrainians have rejected Putins fascicsm.

This is genocidal behaviour. Ukraine is no threat to Russia except when Russia is attacking it.

Let's not repeat the Hitler Munich agreement mistake with Putin. He needs to be finished off.
 
Nothing really unexpected from recent talks b/w Trump and Zelensky, etc. There's mention of a temp ceasefire agreement around Zaporizhzhe Power Plant. Good news, though Trump said Putin agreed to not strike the ares - its the RF that occupy it you idiot.

Donbass territory remains the unmovable sticking point.

About time the IAEA suspend Russia too. Unfortunately there is a reluctance because of the scale of the Russian nuclear industry and its need for international involvement.

Perhaps the right way would be for IAEA to publicly give the Russians 60 days notice to fully withdraw from ZNPP or face suspension.
 

Security guarantees: 100% vs. 95%
Zelensky said US-Ukraine security guarantees were “100 percent agreed,”
Trump was more circumspect, putting the figure at “95 percent”

[Trump]...Europe would shoulder much of the responsibility.

Nuclear Rorschach test
Ukraine has repeatedly ruled out joint operations with Russia at the facility
[Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant]
Zelensky’s proposal, according to officials, would split control between Kyiv and Washington – a plan the Kremlin has so far rejected.

Donbas dilemma
Any territorial compromise, Zelensky said, would require a national referendum.
 

Security guarantees: 100% vs. 95%
Zelensky said US-Ukraine security guarantees were “100 percent agreed,”
Trump was more circumspect, putting the figure at “95 percent”

[Trump]...Europe would shoulder much of the responsibility.

Nuclear Rorschach test
Ukraine has repeatedly ruled out joint operations with Russia at the facility
[Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant]
Zelensky’s proposal, according to officials, would split control between Kyiv and Washington – a plan the Kremlin has so far rejected.

Donbas dilemma
Any territorial compromise, Zelensky said, would require a national referendum.
I hope Europe can keep suppling Ukraine with arms for the next year to 18 months, and I'm then Ukraine would be in stronger postion to negotiate better terms.
 
Pre-war Mariupol recreated by Ukrainian nostalgists within Minecraft.

(As a Minecraft nerd myself, there's no way I could scroll past this story on Novaya Gazeta!!!???)


The Mariupol Universe
How Ukrainians in Minecraft separated from the "CIS universe" and went to a separate server to recreate their country as they remember it.
Victoria Litvin

Land cubes and housing squares

Minecraft is a sandbox computer game. The player is presented with an open world where they can do whatever they want: construct buildings from a variety of block types, fight monsters, and mine resources. While there are many similar games, Minecraft's key distinction is that its entire universe is composed entirely of cubes. The game world contains a myriad of virtual textures, but they are all contained within cubes, be it a tree trunk or a piece of dirt.

Minecraft offers several gameplay modes: for example, survival, where you fight monsters and gather resources to upgrade your armor or weapons; spectator mode, where you can't interact with the game world in any way, only moving through a universe created by other players and observing events like a ghost. And then there's creative mode, where your character has an unlimited supply of resources, which they can use to build their own piece of the Minecraft universe.

One of the projects that players from different countries are building together in Creative mode is a scaled world map. In 2020, American blogger PippenFTS launched a server where users build replicas of various cities around the world in Minecraft. Fans of the game compared the sizes of Minecraft blocks with real-world objects and determined that one block in the offline world would be one cubic meter in volume. Using these blocks, they create a virtual world—one that closely resembles the real world.

Minecraft players often build their real-life homes in the game, recreating their city's landmarks and beautiful buildings. For example, in this universe, you can find not only Red Square in Moscow, but also Kyiv's central district and top locations in St. Petersburg. There are also English-language servers, where people "rebuild" cities from Europe and America.

Different projects require different amounts of effort. For example, it's much easier to build a prefabricated house than a beautiful architectural landmark with numerous small details. But on the other hand, beautiful houses are more interesting to build than monotonous prefabricated houses. That's why there are sometimes gaps on the virtual map where residential areas used to be.

Secession of Ukraine

Players communicate via Discord, coordinating construction and assisting each other with construction instructions. Previously, Ukrainian players communicated through a shared server for the CIS countries, but in 2023, the Ukrainian team separated and created a separate chat server. The official version in the CIS player chat is that Ukraine had formed its own large team, and by that time, the country was more developed than all the others.

Politics are forbidden from being discussed in the project, so no one even addresses the real reasons why the Ukrainians seceded. But everyone understands.

And when a belated and naive question suddenly pops up from one of the CIS players: "Why did Ukraine leave?"—there follows a prepared answer about the team that has already been formed.

A separate server offers the opportunity to build a separate world. There are no new occupied territories on the CIS server, only Crimea, which, incidentally, is also present on the Ukrainian server. However, Crimea isn't being actively built: perhaps there aren't enough builders, or perhaps politics is interfering, contrary to the project's rules.

There was even a separate discussion on the CIS Discord about creating special neutral flags for "disputed territories." Such matters sometimes spark quiet debates, even scandals.

"Who converted Mariupol to the Russian Federation?" wrote user mzykeqt | Antarctica when a stele at the entrance to Mariupol was inexplicably repainted in the colors of the Russian flag.

The real-life Mariupol was almost completely destroyed after the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine. Most Russians first saw its neighborhoods in the news, already destroyed. The Drama Theater where people died, the Azovstal Steel Works, the airport, the train station with the Ukrainian flag flying, the roads... In reality, this city no longer exists—but in the Minecraft universe, the city remains as it was before February 24, 2022.

How Mariupol is being built

Mariupol was also built in the game by Russians. In July 2022, the virtual city even hosted an event: players, including Russians, competed to see who could construct the most buildings in the city in the shortest amount of time. The most active players even received small cash prizes. The plan for that day was to construct 48 buildings, but they only managed to complete 16.

This happened after the real Mariupol had been besieged and destroyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported 20,000 dead in Mariupol, and the UN stated that approximately 90% of the city's buildings were damaged or completely destroyed.

But in the Minecraft universe, the city remains exactly as it was when the war began. Shop signs, tram tracks, wires, even the outdoor air conditioner units are positioned exactly as they were in reality.

The Drama Theater is the first thing you see when you teleport to Mariupol (you can do this by entering the "warp" command when logging into the Ukrainian server). The Central Square is also here. Tiled alleys, well-trodden "folk" paths, and even the treetops are so dense that the sky is barely visible through them. The game recreates the benches that once existed, planted flowers, constructed pedestrian crossings, and even road signs. One of them, the first one you encounter if you turn left from the Drama Theater, tells you which way to go to Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

Players strive to accurately capture the colors of once-existing objects. This is why you can sometimes encounter buildings constructed from wool blocks, street lamps made from levers, rails made from pixelated anvils, and houses made from ice (which doesn't melt in the game). Even the balconies of the houses are meticulously crafted: if a resident paints one balcony blue and their neighbor paints theirs orange, this will be reflected in the game.

The builders also recreated large murals on buildings. The most famous of these, at 101 Mira Avenue, depicts a girl hugging a bear. "Milana" was the name of this graffiti, dedicated to a girl who lost her leg and her mother in a shelling attack in 2015. She covered her child with her body and died. In 2022, during the occupation of Mariupol, the mural was destroyed. "Milana" is now replaced by a Russian flag and the inscription "Saint Petersburg to Mariupol." The game retains the pre-war image, albeit a rather sketchy one.

There's no sea in the gaming city of Mariupol right now: construction of the embankment began in January 2021, but now everything has stalled.

The virtual streets of the city are adorned with Ukrainian flags, and anyone who has purchased the game (pirated versions won't work) can explore the city. However, peering into the windows isn't possible: the buildings are often hollow inside, and the transparent windows, revealing the emptiness of the space, look a bit unsettling.

Some neighborhoods of Mariupol are still bare, with only the planned buildings and terrain marked out. Builders use the extended version of Google Maps, copy the coordinates of real-world locations from the maps, paste the coordinates into the game, and rush off to build. A special extension is installed on the servers that links the real-world location to the in-game coordinates. Then, they use Google Maps to copy the terrain.

Construction is partially automated; for example, the game has special commands like "lay a straight line with a certain block" or "fill a certain area with certain blocks." This greatly speeds up the process. The virtual Mariupol appears intact and well-maintained, but this is precisely what heightens the contrast with what remains in reality.

Builders of a city that doesn't exist

Builder Alexander (not his real name) was one of the city's first builders. Originally from Mariupol, he chose to build there, despite technical difficulties: poor satellite imagery (very important for builders) and difficult terrain.

When the full-scale war began, Alexander remained in Mariupol:

"Of course, there was fear and confusion. When the fighting in the city died down, all that remained was resentment for the destruction of my hometown. I even happened to visit completely burned-out streets: a surreal sight. As for in-game construction, I haven't built since the end of 2021, and after February 24th, completely different concerns arose. I didn't bother with the real-life fate of the buildings I'd built in the game: I had no desire to see ruins any more. In 2022, I occasionally kept an eye on what other builders were doing, but overall, progress across Ukraine came to a sudden halt, both due to all the circumstances and the necessary server change to avoid conflicts," says Alexander.

Valeriy, also from Mariupol, has now become the project's lead builder. He joined the project before the war, in November 2021. He says he wanted to build "at least one building" in his hometown. Then, in November 2021, he ambitiously began construction on the Drama Theater.

"Before the war, I only made its façade and a sketch of the roof," says Valery. "And on August 16, 2022, I completed it. But in 2025, I decided to rebuild it from scratch, using new construction knowledge, new blocks, and more data to more accurately recreate the Drama Theater."

He also began building the Azovstal plant buildings before the war, but the bulk of them were not completed until 2025. He also built the Antonovsky Bridge, the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, Bakhmut, and the Kramatorsk railway station. None of these buildings exist in reality anymore.

"On February 22–23, 2022, I had no idea that war would break out just a few days later. I decided to spontaneously start building my neighborhood. On February 24, I planned to build my street and, in particular, my house," recalls Valery.

"But I wasn't able to build my house that day. And now my house is completely destroyed; it was hit on the morning of March 22nd. My family and I left on March 21st."

Lola, Redhead, Plush, Lucy, and Snowball

Valeriy recounts his walks in pre-war Mariupol. He and his friends went to Veselka Park, then walked along Pobedy Avenue to Pobedy Square. Valeriy has recreated all these iconic places in the game. His park is faithful to the last detail: a small lake among the trees, a stage painted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, a tram stop, and flowerbeds of tulips. Mariupol media once reported that 100,000 flowers were planted in the real park according to a special design project. The park is completely different now: it was damaged by shelling. And the flowerbeds, the pride of Mariupol residents, are left neglected. Only in the game are the flowers preserved as they once were.

Valery's favorite route is lined with almost every real-life building: small five-story buildings, ground-floor shops, the occasional articulated bus, and an alleyway between the trees. Near the park stood the building that housed the Azov Battalion headquarters. It's present in the game, but it's long gone in reality: satellite images show only ruins in its place.

"We left the city east, towards Novoazovsk," Valeriy recalls his evacuation from Mariupol. "We couldn't get to the Ukrainian-controlled side: the left bank was connected to other districts by bridges that had already been blown up. A huge amount of Russian equipment was coming towards us, and Grad rocket launchers were parked in the field, firing at Mariupol. As we approached the village of Bezymenne, there was a kilometer-long line of cars: they were going to be filtered; almost every car had the word 'CHILDREN' written on it, and almost all of them were damaged. I also remember going outside at around 10 PM—and there was a very bright orange glow coming from the direction of Mariupol, and during the day, huge plumes of smoke were visible."

Valery recalls driving along the roads of the "DPR" and seeing that "time there seemed to have stopped in 2014": the road signs were in Ukrainian, the roads were broken.

"I had to live for a while in a small town in the so-called 'DPR'—Kirovsky. Everything in the very center was very old: apparently no renovations had been done since it was built. And right there, in front of the community center, there were young army members marching with red flags and uniforms. And near one of the schools, there was a huge bust of Lenin, and the streets were covered in a large number of so-called 'DPR' flags," Valery recalls.

While fleeing, the family didn't have time to take their pets from the house. The cats Lola and Ryzhaya, the dog Plusha, and the parrots Lyusya and Snezhok—all remained in the house. In the real world, the animals died in the shelling, but now Valery has placed them in the courtyard of his virtual home. He specifically chose places where they once liked to rest or play. It seems as if they are waiting for their owner.

In the game, Valery's house, devastated by the war, stands forlornly in the middle of an empty field—the surrounding private housing development has yet to be rebuilt. Animal figurines barely fit into the house's small virtual courtyard. Every corner is meticulously crafted: by the fence is a small table that looks as if a cup of tea or a plate of shashlik is about to appear on it; behind the house is a shed with building materials and several large trees. Flowers grace the small garden in front. Even the patterns on the gates have been preserved.

"When you're building in the game, you have to check Google panoramas to ensure the accuracy is as accurate as possible," says Valery. "Sometimes, when I walk down the streets in the panoramas, I get a feeling of nostalgia. It's a mix of strong emotions: a feeling as if I were there in real life, and a sadness that Mariupol will no longer be so beautiful and cozy."

Maricraft1.jpg Maricraft2.jpg Maricraft3.jpg Maricraft4.jpg Maricraft5.jpg Maricraft6.jpg Maricraft7.jpg Maricraft8.jpg
 
Nothing really unexpected from recent talks b/w Trump and Zelensky, etc. There's mention of a temp ceasefire agreement around Zaporizhzhe Power Plant. Good news, though Trump said Putin agreed to not strike the ares - its the RF that occupy it you idiot.

Donbass territory remains the unmovable sticking point.
So, if Ukraine agrees to give up the Donbass will there be a DMZ with International forces?
Not UN forces, but International forces with orders to defend themselves.
 
]

Security guarantees: 100% vs. 95%
Zelensky said US-Ukraine security guarantees were “100 percent agreed,”
Trump was more circumspect, putting the figure at “95 percent”

[Trump]...Europe would shoulder much of the responsibility.

Nuclear Rorschach test
Ukraine has repeatedly ruled out joint operations with Russia at the facility
[Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant]
Zelensky’s proposal, according to officials, would split control between Kyiv and Washington – a plan the Kremlin has so far rejected.

Donbas dilemma
Any territorial compromise, Zelensky said, would require a national referendum.
Ah, the Orange ghouls will end the war on the first day in office is now it will end in 2 weeks....

We all know how that Trump timeline always ends!
 

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Kremlin now fabricating an attack on Putin's Valdai residence in order to stymy progress of peace talks.

Obvious ploy is obvious, except if you are completely cowardly and orange....
 
It's to the advantage of the Baltic states and Poland etc to supply as many arms as the can afford to Ukraine as they know if Ukraine falls they will be next on russias list.
It's the advantage for Europe as a whole. Europe collectively spent over $300 billion on defense last year. With those totals to rise. If they said until Russia is defeated half that money each year goes to Ukraine, ($150 billion), that'd save them that 10 times over, from being able to spend less when Russia is a defeated, bankrupt state that's falling apart.
 
It's the advantage for Europe as a whole. Europe collectively spent over $300 billion on defense last year. With those totals to rise. If they said until Russia is defeated half that money each year goes to Ukraine, ($150 billion), that'd save them that 10 times over, from being able to spend less when Russia is a defeated, bankrupt state that's falling apart.
I think that each EU country’s self-interest in spending on their own military due to fear the US (and other EU countries?) won’t come to their aid means that Ukraine will always come second. That self-interest has increased with russian incursions.
A russian attack on a Baltic state would test NATO. Would some members (Slovakia?) be ‘hesitant’ to come to their aid.
Poland isn’t taking chances by relying on help from other countries. “Poland's defense spending as a % of GDP is the highest in NATO, leading countries like the U.S. and the Baltics.”

But I do agree that it would be better if “half that money each year goes to Ukraine”.
 

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"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian forces launched 91 long-range drones against Putin’s residence overnight on December 28 to 29 in Novgorod Oblast, likely referring to the residence in Valdai, Novgorod Oblast."

"Confirmed Ukrainian strikes in Russia typically generate evidence observable in open sources. Such evidence includes footage, often geolocated, of air defense operations, explosions, fires, or smoke plumes near targeted objects; statements from local and regional Russian authorities, usually downplaying successful Ukrainian strikes as “debris” from downed drones; and reports from local sources and media of fire or damage to such objects. ISW has not observed any such footage nor local or regional reporting about Ukrainian strikes near Putin’s residence to corroborate Lavrov’s claim. Lavrov’s claim of downing 89 Ukrainian drones over Novgorod Oblast is also inconsistent with the Russian Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) claim that Russian forces downed 47 Ukrainian drones over the oblast overnight on December 28 to 29, further undermining the claim. Ukrainian forces previously struck numerous military targets in Novgorod Oblast, which produced evidence."

Sergey Lavrov lying again, oh well, its another day ending in Y.
 

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian forces launched 91 long-range drones against Putin’s residence overnight on December 28 to 29 in Novgorod Oblast, likely referring to the residence in Valdai, Novgorod Oblast."

"Confirmed Ukrainian strikes in Russia typically generate evidence observable in open sources. Such evidence includes footage, often geolocated, of air defense operations, explosions, fires, or smoke plumes near targeted objects; statements from local and regional Russian authorities, usually downplaying successful Ukrainian strikes as “debris” from downed drones; and reports from local sources and media of fire or damage to such objects. ISW has not observed any such footage nor local or regional reporting about Ukrainian strikes near Putin’s residence to corroborate Lavrov’s claim. Lavrov’s claim of downing 89 Ukrainian drones over Novgorod Oblast is also inconsistent with the Russian Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) claim that Russian forces downed 47 Ukrainian drones over the oblast overnight on December 28 to 29, further undermining the claim. Ukrainian forces previously struck numerous military targets in Novgorod Oblast, which produced evidence."

Sergey Lavrov lying again, oh well, its another day ending in Y.
Yep it's full-on p(psy)-optics, with Trump in mind.


~ ~ ~

The Defense Ministry explained the discrepancy with Lavrov's data about the attack on the Novgorod region — most of the drones were shot down in neighboring regions

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov reported that on the night of December 29, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked Putin's residence in the Novgorod region with the help of 91 drones, and all of them were shot down. However, this information contradicted the report [shown below] of the Russian Defense Ministry, according to which a total of 41 drones were shot down in the skies over the Novgorod region.

Now, the military department has published a new summary of the past attack, explaining that another 50 drones were heading towards the residence, but were shot down in other regions — 49 over the Belgorod region and one over the Smolensk region.


[ASTRA TG]

Nested link: [ASTRA TG] :
The Russian Defense Ministry reported only about 41 UAVs that attacked the Novgorod region on December 29. Lavrov spoke about 91 drones

In its daily report on the downing of UAVs, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that between 23:00 Moscow time on December 28 and 7:00 on December 29, the on-duty air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 89 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the entire territory of Russia:

– 49 – over the territory of the Bryansk region,
– 18 – over the territory of the Novgorod region,
– 11 – over the territory of the Republic of Adygea,
– 7 – over the territory of the Krasnodar Krai,
– 1 – over the waters of the Azov Sea,
– 1 – over the territory of the Oryol region,
– 1 – over the territory of the Rostov region,
– 1 – over the territory of the Smolensk region.

Later, the military department reported the downing of another 23 drones over the territory of the Novgorod region between 07:00 and 09:00 in the morning. In total, the air defense systems downed 41 drones over the Novgorod region, according to the report of the Russian Defense Ministry.

However, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine sent 91 drones to Putin's residence in the Novgorod region on December 29 and all of them were shot down.
 
Russian authorities have yet to provide evidence that Ukraine attempted to attack Putin's residence. Lavrov claimed in his statement that Ukraine used 91 attack drones. The Russian Ministry of Defense's morning report on December 29 stated that 89 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted and destroyed over Russia, 18 of which were over the Novgorod region. An hour and a half later, the Defense Ministry reported another 23 drones shot down in the region. On the evening of December 29, following Lavrov's statement, the Defense Ministry published a new post attempting to explain the discrepancy in the numbers. The Defense Ministry stated that the drones mentioned by Lavrov included 49 intercepted over the Bryansk region and another intercepted over the Smolensk region. The Defense Ministry stated that they were also flying "in the direction of the Novgorod region."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga noted that Russia has yet to provide any evidence for its accusations in 24 hours. "And it won't. Because there is none. There was no attack," Sybiga wrote. He added that Ukraine was "disappointed" by the statements from the UAE, India, and Pakistan, which were "all the more surprising" given that all three countries "made no official statements when, on September 7, 2025, a real Russian missile hit a real Ukrainian government building."

Full article at Meduza:
 
]

"Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian forces launched 91 long-range drones against Putin’s residence overnight on December 28 to 29 in Novgorod Oblast, likely referring to the residence in Valdai, Novgorod Oblast."

"Confirmed Ukrainian strikes in Russia typically generate evidence observable in open sources. Such evidence includes footage, often geolocated, of air defense operations, explosions, fires, or smoke plumes near targeted objects; statements from local and regional Russian authorities, usually downplaying successful Ukrainian strikes as “debris” from downed drones; and reports from local sources and media of fire or damage to such objects. ISW has not observed any such footage nor local or regional reporting about Ukrainian strikes near Putin’s residence to corroborate Lavrov’s claim. Lavrov’s claim of downing 89 Ukrainian drones over Novgorod Oblast is also inconsistent with the Russian Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) claim that Russian forces downed 47 Ukrainian drones over the oblast overnight on December 28 to 29, further undermining the claim. Ukrainian forces previously struck numerous military targets in Novgorod Oblast, which produced evidence."

Sergey Lavrov lying again, oh well, its another day ending in Y.

You knew the blowfish Lavrov was lying as soon as he said they destroyed all drones.

If Ukraine wanted to destroy Putins residence, or any other civilian buildings in Russia, they would be able to with ease without Russia being able to stop it.

Russia just using this as part of its opposition to the peace process. Not like the peace stuff was ever going to work, Zelensky knows it and is just humoring the Orange ghoul.
 

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Europe War in Ukraine - Thread 5 - thread rules updated

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