Kyiv

[Jmsuttr]

Until Russia made the foolish decision to attack, Russia was winning (by chasing off investors and destroying Ukraine's economy) and USA was losing (by making predictions that failed to come true), which is why no one expected an invasion. Invasion will be disaster for Russia. China wins because a bankrupt Russia will be forced to supply China with unlimited raw materials. USA also big loser, because uniting Russia and China not good for USA. As for Ukraine, they will probably fight their way free of Russia, but the price will be every high. Ukraine will be even more bankrupted than Russia, though maybe the west will bail them out.

Actually, USA might win if there is a coup in Russia, due to failure of the invasion, and then Russia gets a true democracy. Belarus will follow, and then the west could bail out Russia to prevent it from falling into China's hands. Invasion definitely not going well for Russians. Combination of low morale, undertrained conscripts, logistics issues (lack of fuel, ammunition, spare parts), poor air-ground coordination making ground vehicles vulnerable to anti-tank weapons, etc. Hopefully, they won't get frustrated and start saturation bombing Kyiv.

Putin has painted himself into a corner, burned his bridges (except for a problematic one with China), or whatever other metaphor you choose to use. His only choice is to succeed, either in real terms or in a way by which he can claim, even if it's propaganda smoke-and-mirrors, some kind of victory. Failure is not an option because it will undermine him at home, perhaps with terminal consequences. And, while it's absolutely true that the Russian military has the resources to (eventually) prevail, it matters how long, at what cost, and what level of brutality they use.

The next few days are key because, as soon as the banks and markets open on Monday, I expect the ruble to plummet and I also expect a run on some (Many? Most?) banks in Russia. There are already reports of long ATM lines. It doesn't really matter what the specifics of the financial sanctions are. All that matters is that Russian consumers and business owners have a level of uncertainty that triggers a "better safe than sorry" reaction. Nobody wants to have their money in a bank which might close for a "holiday" or might restrict withdrawals. Another possible reaction would be for people to buy tangible items that would maintain value in the face of a depreciating currency. Obviously the govt could step in with measures like price controls, but that would tend to drive people into buying and selling on the black market, at much higher prices.

And how will the elites and oligarchs react? How much leverage does Putin have over them, and vice versa? I have no idea but I do think this coming week is crucial. If Ukraine is able to hang on, the pressure on Putin will grow by the hour, exponentially.

About China, I absolutely agree with you that any help China gives Russia will come at a very expensive price. They're not friends, no matter how much they say otherwise, but rather rivals and even past enemies. Anyone who has watched China has heard them talk about their "Century of Humiliation" which, guess what, Russia was right in the middle of. Do a web search for Amur Annexation and see how much land (including Vladivostok) the Chinese were coerced into giving up. China has a long memory and, if Russia has to depend on them, the Chinese will looking to balance (or more) the ledger. One last note about China is that they have a tightrope to walk because they can't afford to alienate Western markets, especially Europe. So that will affect the quantity and quality of help they give Russia.

As far as the West is concerned, some countries are dependent on Russian oil and gas but that won't be enough to stop sanctions, and accusations of war crimes, and other measures that will ensure Putin and his elites are seen as pariahs in many parts of the world. Certainly that seems to be happening in Europe, even in countries formerly sympathetic to Russia.

I have no crystal ball but I don't see any positive outcome for Putin. Like you, I hope and pray that the situation resolves without something (more) horrific happening, like the saturation-bombing of Kyiv.

P.S. You couldn't pay me enough right now to be Putin's food taster or bodyguard.

[HulaHoops]

I'm sorry, but personally my first reaction to HulaHoops posts were that he is writing a parodical joke.

But just in case that is not the case, then there should be the possibility to leave Kiev. It's said that the civilians are free to leave Kiev, without Russian army targeting them.


edit: might be too late.

Please I admit that I made a bad decision. But as I stated before, no one thought Putin would actually invade. If Putin did not invade, we would be enjoying ourselves here. I have nothing to gain from falsifying a report, I only hope to contribute good by warning others not to come here.

[HulaHoops]

To all the men thinking of coming to Ukraine for easy pussy, my answer quickly: Not worth it whatsoever. If I had known the situation was like this, I would honestly have never come. People are actually dying here, in Kiev because of Russian shelling. There is an actual threat to life. Coming here for pussy, is not worth it.

Summary:

We came as a group of about 5 of us. We are all over 60 and some in the group have actual military experience. We thought Putin was just posturing and that there was no chance in hell, he would actually send troops / tanks in.

We were completely wrong. We are in Kiev right now and they are tanks. Kiev and Kharkov are both surrounded by Russian soldiers and are under heavy shelling.

People on this board / the average newsreader doesn't understand how bad the situation is right now. For once, I would say the American media is downplaying how bad the situation in Kiev is. Electricity is sporadic. Internet is sporadic. Right now I am posting through a VPN. Getting access to food is becoming harder and harder. There is no one outside in the streets...

Thanks to all the responses. As an update, we are surviving. As others have mentioned, sex as a priority has been completely removed. Everyone is too busy staying alive. To the criticism, I agree it was a stupid thing to come here but you must understand no one though Putin would actually invade. If Putin did not invade, we would be living like kings.

I am telling a factual story, we have actually met an older man from the US and a local man who we have paid to be our friend. Now we focus on survival.

[Desin]

I'm sorry, but personally my first reaction to HulaHoops posts were that he is writing a parodical joke.

But just in case that is not the case, then there should be the possibility to leave Kiev. It's said that the civilians are free to leave Kiev, without Russian army targeting them.


edit: might be too late.

[RakSopheni]

I hope you get your asses thoroughly kicked, and then kicked out. Though I do hope you survive.

I echo this, to drop into a warzone for pussy is total madness. I hope you survive and can get home, but the vitriol directed towards you is deserved.

Behold, two perfect blameless angels. Let us bask in your radiant glow.

[VinDici]

He came to take advantage of the war situation, not someone who was suddenly taken unaware.

BTW im sure these guys aren't the only tourists who are caught in Ukraine at the moment, so Id say take it easy on HulaHoops..

Hello all,

We saw the news about the war and we thought it would be the perfect time to find some non-pros. We arrived in Ukraine, last week. We are men in our 60's, few of us have served in the military however none of us expected the situation to be as it is now.

Tanks have started moving into Kyiv, just yesterday Martial law was declared and our the ex military man on our team says things are about to get worse. We are not young men, we are over 60 and came here to see if we could find non-pros who were looking for stability in such unstable times.

In regards to women, they are available. Talking to a few and one even moved in with me eventhough I have not been here long. However she is very scared about the current situation, I am scared too. I do my best to hide it but the reading news and hearing about bombings is causing my ulcers to trigger. I hope I do not die in this country.

[Wanking]

What a terrible decision I made to come here.

Ok bro you made a mistake, we all do at some time in our lives.

What Country is home for you?

Are you staying in a hotel in Kiev or apartment. Please tell us more about your situation.

BTW im sure these guys aren't the only tourists who are caught in Ukraine at the moment, so Id say take it easy on HulaHoops..

[VinDici]

I echo this, to drop into a warzone for pussy is total madness. I hope you survive and can get home, but the vitriol directed towards you is deserved. You're using resources the people of UA need for themselves. You'll go back to a comfy lifestyle, while those there, will have to pick up the pieces, if they even survive the war.

I'm finding it hard to summon up much sympathy for you. If I read your earlier posts correctly, you flew into a country which was under significant threat of military attack purely in order to chase pussy. There really aren't the words to express how solipsistic that is.

I hope you get your asses thoroughly kicked, and then kicked out. Though I do hope you survive.

[SavePros321]

We have spent a large amount of last evening fighting other survivors who are here in Kyiv.

The anti-foreigner hate has increased and blossomed over. A member of our group was attacked by a group of Ukrainian men who stay with us, they seem to blame us for our western countries not intervening.

What a terrible decision I made to come here.

Your best bet is for you and your group to pool together your financial resources, find some local Ukrainians that you can trust, and pay them for protection. Be careful that you don't end up with some local thugs who will just want to exploit you.

To be honest, I do not know how much of a weight people would put on foreign money in this type of situation, but people will always need to rebuild when this is all over.

Try to find a sympathetic family; most of the men there will likely have no time to watch over you (they may see it as "I don't have time to babysit you". They will be looking out for themselves and their own families who stayed behind. Seek out Ukrainians who speak English, as they will likely have more experience dealing with Westerners.

Make yourself useful to the group shy of picking up arms. Maybe offer to go out and get meds for the very young or the elderly so that the women do not have to go out into the streets (but you should have a trustworthy local with you at all times to fend off any local Ukrainians who may cause you problems as a foreigner). Offer to help clean up in the area around you. You do not want to be seen as a burden, especially if food and water become scarce. You will be expected to carry your own weight if you want to eat.

This obviously goes without saying: but if a group does decide to take you in, the last thing you want to do is act like pussy-hounds and try to score with any of the females in the group. This would likely get you killed by the locals. In fact, pussy should be the last thing on your minds until you have safely gotten out of the country. It is imperative that you make sure everyone in your group that you traveled there with is onboard with this and sticks with this game plan for your safety. Come up with a plausible story as to why you are in their country to begin with (learn more about the culture, looking for a place to retire and save money, etc.). Anything to avoid the appearance of looking like sex tourist.

And obviously: try to link up with other western foreigners there and ask them what the game plan is to get the hell out of there. Strength in numbers. You will like find a large group of them at train stations or hotels that cater to foreigners.

Stay safe.

[JamesXBrown]

We have spent a large amount of last evening fighting other survivors who are here in Kyiv.

The anti-foreigner hate has increased and blossomed over. A member of our group was attacked by a group of Ukrainian men who stay with us, they seem to blame us for our western countries not intervening.

What a terrible decision I made to come here.

I'm finding it hard to summon up much sympathy for you. If I read your earlier posts correctly, you flew into a country which was under significant threat of military attack purely in order to chase pussy. There really aren't the words to express how solipsistic that is.

I hope you get your asses thoroughly kicked, and then kicked out. Though I do hope you survive.

[HulaHoops]

To all the men thinking of coming to Ukraine for easy pussy, my answer quickly: Not worth it whatsoever. If I had known the situation was like this, I would honestly have never come. People are actually dying here, in Kiev because of Russian shelling. There is an actual threat to life. Coming here for pussy, is not worth it.

Summary:

We came as a group of about 5 of us. We are all over 60 and some in the group have actual military experience. We thought Putin was just posturing and that there was no chance in hell, he would actually send troops / tanks in.

We were completely wrong. We are in Kiev right now and they are tanks. Kiev and Kharkov are both surrounded by Russian soldiers and are under heavy shelling.

People on this board / the average newsreader doesn't understand how bad the situation is right now. For once, I would say the American media is downplaying how bad the situation in Kiev is. Electricity is sporadic. Internet is sporadic. Right now I am posting through a VPN. Getting access to food is becoming harder and harder. There is no one outside in the streets. Shops are closed, of course the shops are closed. All the shop owners are in the bomb shelter. Everyone is either in the bomb shelter or cowering at home. The streets are empty apart from soldiers. A few days ago, Russian soldiers wearing Ukrainian clothes were found and executed. They are plenty more like that. I am sure you have seen the video of a Russian tank running over a man who is in a car. That is just the tip of the iceberg, there are more atrocities being committed that are not recorded. Everyone here is fearful, the men and the women are really scared..

We have spent a large amount of last evening fighting other survivors who are here in Kyiv.

The anti-foreigner hate has increased and blossomed over. A member of our group was attacked by a group of Ukrainian men who stay with us, they seem to blame us for our western countries not intervening.

What a terrible decision I made to come here.

[Rocko20]

Until Russia made the foolish decision to attack, Russia was winning (by chasing off investors and destroying Ukraine's economy) and USA was losing (by making predictions that failed to come true), which is why no one expected an invasion.

Deploying troops to the border cost a lot of money. Putin had to either invade or back down.

But yes, generally Russia was already "winning" when it was chasing off investors, businesses, tourists, and diplomats, and making America look silly with invasion predictions.

The madman just couldn't accept the fact that Ukraine refused to be a Moscow puppet like Belarus, so he invaded.

[The Cane]

Until Russia made the foolish decision to attack, Russia was winning (by chasing off investors and destroying Ukraine's economy) and USA was losing (by making predictions that failed to come true), which is why no one expected an invasion. Invasion will be disaster for Russia. China wins because a bankrupt Russia will be forced to supply China with unlimited raw materials. USA also big loser, because uniting Russia and China not good for USA. As for Ukraine, they will probably fight their way free of Russia, but the price will be every high. Ukraine will be even more bankrupted than Russia, though maybe the west will bail them out.

Actually, USA might win if there is a coup in Russia, due to failure of the invasion, and then Russia gets a true democracy. Belarus will follow, and then the west could bail out Russia to prevent it from falling into China's hands. Invasion definitely not going well for Russians. Combination of low morale, undertrained conscripts, logistics issues (lack of fuel, ammunition, spare parts), poor air-ground coordination making ground vehicles vulnerable to anti-tank weapons, etc. Hopefully, they won't get frustrated and start saturation bombing Kyiv.

Anyway you cut it, the world is going to suffer a lot of pain over this. Russia loses no matter what. Putin has overplayed his hand and proven himself to be just another two-bit Ruskie tyrant of a dictator. I hope your second script is the one that prevails.

[Kozerog]

The one thing I think Zelensky totally did wrong in this was not prepare the people for war. He refused to act in accordance with American intelligence reports on the basis of not wanting to panic people. Better to deal with reality and prepare as best you can.

Until Russia made the foolish decision to attack, Russia was winning (by chasing off investors and destroying Ukraine's economy) and USA was losing (by making predictions that failed to come true), which is why no one expected an invasion. Invasion will be disaster for Russia. China wins because a bankrupt Russia will be forced to supply China with unlimited raw materials. USA also big loser, because uniting Russia and China not good for USA. As for Ukraine, they will probably fight their way free of Russia, but the price will be every high. Ukraine will be even more bankrupted than Russia, though maybe the west will bail them out.

[Edit] Actually, USA might win if there is a coup in Russia, due to failure of the invasion, and then Russia gets a true democracy. Belarus will follow, and then the west could bail out Russia to prevent it from falling into China's hands. Invasion definitely not going well for Russians. Combination of low morale, undertrained conscripts, logistics issues (lack of fuel, ammunition, spare parts), poor air-ground coordination making ground vehicles vulnerable to anti-tank weapons, etc. Hopefully, they won't get frustrated and start saturation bombing Kyiv.

[Sorbonne]

Whoever's on the ground, consider yourself to be lucky. How many times do you get to experience such a situation? It's an experience of a lifetime!

On top of that, you get to f* like there's no tomorrow. In early summer 2020 during the height of the pandemic I headed out to Kyiv and did exactly that! It was great. You won't regret!

In this post my sarcasm might have gone a little too far. It's a matter of life and death. My apology.

At this point I'm not sure if it's safer to stay in Kyiv or leave. All the best for those who are still there.