[Zhang Fei]

Trying to oxter the Crimea out of Russian hands would be an absolute red line and insanely foolish. I don’t like Russia and I am certainly not one of the Putin fan-boys who pop up here regularly but any western intervention in the Ukraine would be a foolish, foolish mistake. If the Ukrainians are that insistent on holding on to Crimea let them fight for it themselves. The rest of us don’t have a dog in that fight.

Not a single GI was involved in pushing the Russians out of Afghanistan. All the Ukrainians need is food, money and equipment.

[cunning_fish]

>>Not a single GI was involved in pushing the Russians out of Afghanistan. All the Ukrainians need is food, money and equipment.<<

In 1985 Soviets has planned to withdraw from Afghanistan by 1989 and they did. BTW, they were a primary source of food, money and equipment for the majority Afghans, including Afghan military which actually fought on Russian side.

[PotatoHeadMick]

You keep comparing Afghanistan to Ukraine. The Afghans have been fighting foreign invaders, the government in Kabul and when they aren’t available, neighboring clans since the beginning of time. An Afghan mujahid could survive on a greasy piece of nan bread and a pocketful of rice for days on end. They could climb the ice-bound mountains in their bare feet and learned how to shoot when kids in Ukraine were still learning their ABC’s.

I have met Ukrainians, they’re nice people but I have to tell you they ain’t Afghans, plus the sort of people who oppose Russia are the middle class urbanites who want to join the rich man’s club of the EU, not the sort of fighters you need when Ivan is breathing down your neck.

One other point the Afghans were fighting the Red Army for four years before the US supplied them weapons, they were taking pot shots at helicopter gunships with 70-year-old Lee Enfield rifles.

When the Ukrainians show they can fight like that we might consider getting involved. Mean time stay the hell out of the Bear’s back yard.