Called it a week ago.

I agree, but the part about not caring if it’s NATO is something Zelensky said himself.

If Ukraine were to surrender territory, they would have to be allowed into NATO, to be secured from repeat attack from Russia.

I do think that’s one of the more realistic scenarios expected under Trump, though I’m not sure about it having to rest specifically on NATO and not some other written security guarantees. However, in that scenario, Russia gets to keep its gains and the world returns to business as usual, as we saw after Russia’s actions in Moldova, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine in 2014, etc (and that’s just the military involvement, not to mention the countless influence and infiltration campaigns, isolated sabotage and killings in Europe, among other things). It could stop Russia from moving forward in Ukraine, but it wouldn’t stop Russia from choosing another target as it always has.

From my link:

Of course, this means Russian President Vladimir Putin’s thuggishness will be rewarded, that there will be no accountability for the bestial nature of his army’s atrocious behavior or the unlawful, detestable deportations from occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia. The axis of autocrats will be emboldened in their determination to smash the old global order.

But there’s no other alternative. Short of a “forever war” or Western powers becoming combatants themselves — or at least putting their economies on a war footing to supply Ukraine with much more than they currently are — that’s the cold hard reality.

And according to a Republican foreign policy expert familiar with Zelenskyy and his circle, Kyiv understands this. Asking to remain anonymous in order to speak candidly, Kyiv now reckons Trump may well turn out to be a better option than Harris, he said.

Also:

After Trump’s win, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who’s being tipped as the new secretary of State, said that Russia’s war against Ukraine had reached a “stalemate” that’s costing lives and “needs to be brought to a conclusion.” He described Ukrainians as “incredibly brave and strong,” but also noted “the reality of the war.”

Zelenskyy understands that too — not that he’s going to shout it from the rooftops. As war-weariness mounts, public opinion in Ukraine has been changing, especially among the young, who are the most willing to accept limited outcomes. According to a poll conducted this summer, only 40 percent of those aged 18 to 25 think Ukraine should fight until it liberates all its territory.

The US support has always been viewed as crucial, which is probably why Zelensky was so eager to please Trump by being among the first to congratulate him. If you were to ask me, I’d say Europe is strong enough to help Ukraine win, but one could argue that the will would wane if America pulls out. Moreover, there are reports that suggest the Ukrainian decision-makers are prepared for territorial concessions.

Right, though I can foresee some concessions regarding Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia had a presence in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea for a lot longer.

So how would he act on his concepts of a plan on stopping the war quickly? In what world would Putin agree to give up the gains of 10 years with so much lost?

Not if Trump forces Ukraine to give up the three occupied regions.

Imagine using ad hominem to dismiss factual and easily verifiable points.

It’s a great game but I wouldn’t call it uplifting at all. Some of the why is already in your comment. Some people may also get frustrated by being in a loop and having to start over time after time. Some of the puzzles aren’t easy, which again may add to the frustration.

CS2 being ranked higher than Siege and Fortnite is really misguided. It’s been almost the same game since before the internet. Siege was a welcome improvement on the same formula. Fortnite continues to innovate with new games and new modes, all appealing to a wide range of people and skill groups. Even its main mode sees drastic changes with each season. It keeps things fresh, which is vital for a live service game like those three.

Now refunded it seems. The person probably contributed to say it’s a scam, like some of the other backers in the comments.

We’ve noticed that some backer’s contributions to our Kickstarter may not have the best intentions behind them, and we want to ensure that all support is genuine and positive. With this in mind, we have decided to return the 12k SGD so that the funds can be put to better use by their owner

That would be perfectly in line with their past behavior.

Already 60% of the goal reached, with 28 days to go. 😩

We don’t know one way or another. Even if it misleads some people, that needs to be called out. The clearly defined criteria are displayed to many of those who join, yet they’re being put aside to essentially make up evidence and then turn to the really questionable definition of what is Russian that would also cover the likes of Telegram (reportedly used by 75% of Ukrainians), Google and so on, as rightly noted by someone in the group comments. They could have gone with that definition from the start, not baited and switched.

They aren’t calling for people to mount heads on spikes or review bomb, as far as I can tell.

In the context of the article, it’s not about the consequence - obviously, nobody’s getting burned at the stake - but about the how: the finger-pointing based on vibes or accusations of something done by another person.

On the one hand, I don’t want to tell Ukrainian folks how to spend their money with respect to Russia.

In that case, just look at how the Ukrainian users of the group are reacting. The number of users to have voiced their disagreement already exceeds that of the admins.

I’m not seeing any mentions of new sanctions at the link. It talks about a crypto network having been disrupted.

Saber has a number of studios across the world but that game was developed by the Saint Petersburg studio. The same is true for the other games on the engine: MudRunner and SnowRunner, as well as World War Z.

To be fair, the world has always been behind on its support for Ukraine and opposition to Russia. In many ways, it’s what got us where we are now, as America elected Obama over McCain, Germany had close ties to Putin and built the pipeline, the Sochi Olympics were not boycotted, the invasions of Georgia and Crimea were ignored, and so on.

Even now as Ukrainians call for Russian works to be boycotted, they become top sellers, as evidenced by video games like Atomic Heart and Space Marine 2.

How would it help if they’re in Russia? The government would just take it for themselves.