Russian Players should not be on tour during the War.

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From a pure military standpoint, halting hostilities while advancing wouldn't make sense. Ukraine would first need to stabilize the front lines, which doesn't seem likely right now.

I'm curious, how do you guys see all this play out? After the 2023 summer counteroffensive that burned tons of human and material resources and still ended catastrophically... What's left, apart from trolling the Russians with drones?
Perhaps I didn't explain myself clearly enough. Putin is attacking cities with missiles and bombs. In June, the frontline was advancing at a rate of 50–60 meters per day. At that pace, it would take Russia 15–20 years to capture the entire Donetsk region.

The 2023 counteroffensive was a major failure; many lives were lost. However, it is now 2026, and the Russians haven't made any further advances in that area since then.

How do I see things unfolding? I’m not a military expert, so I can only offer an opinion based on what I know.
I believe drones have completely changed the game. As far as I know, the current objective is to eliminate more Russian troops than they can mobilize. This helps stabilize the frontline and prevents the Russians from advancing further. It’s hard to predict the future, but the number of drones capable of operating at ranges of 100–200 kilometers is increasing. A "kill zone" is emerging.
I don't see the war ending within the next year, though things can sometimes change very unexpectedly.

If you have a more specific question, feel free to ask.
 
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You will get what you support, but it will surprise you very, very...
Why would it? I have principles, and they guide my thoughts and actions. The principle here is that athletes should not be affected by the politics of their nation. Conversely, athletes IMO should stay out of politics during competition. If Sidorenko had tried using WTT as a platform to push some sort of pro Russian invasion agenda (or pro Ukrainian one for that matter) then I would absolutely want to see him punished.
 
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You did not get paid, but U.S. spent over 5 billion dollars for "democracy" in ukraine which translates to influencing media and the public to stir them up against a leadership they want gone. Core elements were to make people believe the association agreement with the EU would benefit Ukranians neglecting the negative effects that lead to janukowytsch not signing it.
Things that were not part of the proposed agreement but were advertised to the people that were propagandized:
- ukraine becoming an EU full member (this was not ever part of the deal and not even the planning of them becoming eligible was part of it; while for other countriesmsuch agreements had the goal to make them full member in them)
- direct access to the EU market (the contract spoke of direct access only earliest 10 years after signing )
-ukrainians being able to work in the EU (this was explicitly excluded)
-removal of the need to get a Visa for ukranians (that was later enabled in 2017)
-ukranian products being competitive in the EU (early evaluations already predicted that only very few products would be competitive on the market and then on top remember that they would still suffer from tariffs)
Completely omitted in the pro EU propaganda was obviously that whatever positive outcomes might appear only in years after the deal, the russia reaction to it would be nearly instant.

So a few things to note: Victoria Nuland said in call to Geoffry Pyatt that Arseni Jazenjuk is the guy they want in charge. This is end of january 2014. Surely a coincidence that this guy becomes prime minister after what happenend next.
On the 20st of february sharpshooters shoot people from both opposing sides (to escalate and create chaos) from the roof of a hotel that was occupied by the maidan movement. There were even videos that showed some of the agitators stiring up people to run to places where they then could and will be shot at. Of course the instigators themselves stayed safe.

Then on 21st of february somebody removed all the police forces and guards that protected the government building AND private house of the family of Janukowytsch. Thats when he probably thought that he will be attacked by the angry mob with nobody protecting him. You have to take into account that over 100 people died the day before . I can imagine how quick selenzkej would run if he found all his security abandoned him.
Regarding Yatsenyuk: he became Prime Minister, while Turchynov became Acting President—and it was Turchynov who made all the political and military decisions. Yatsenyuk served for a few months, and after the presidential election, the new president appointed a different prime minister. And by the way, Putin also said he would like to see Trump become US President. Does your logic imply that Putin was running the US election?

Regarding the snipers—tell the whole story: after firing on civilians and police officers, they gathered and left for Russia. There is an investigation into this. I can't find the source right now due to the passage of time—sorry.

The security detail at Yanukovych’s private residence gathered his valuables and traveled to join him. They were seen with him in Kharkiv. Incidentally, he wasn't living there with his wife, but with another woman. His wife remained in Ukraine and was not subsequently persecuted by the new authorities.

And finally, how can these propaganda clichés of yours justify Russia’s current destruction of Russian-speaking cities and the killing of civilians?
 
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And by the way, Putin also said he would like to see Trump become US President. Does your logic imply that Putin was running the US election?
If he also said that he spent billions to influence U.S. democracy, then yes, one would be inclined to think so.
Regarding the snipers—tell the whole story: after firing on civilians and police officers, they gathered and left for Russia. There is an investigation into this. I can't find the source right now due to the passage of time—sorry.
I don't doubt that this is what the ukrainian investigations resulted in, because it is very plausable that russian snipers would be on the roof top of a hotel besieged/under control of the maidan protestors.
Totally reasonable for Russia aligned forces to bring chaos so that the current russia apeasing president gets dethroned.
some lies are just too easy to disprove, really.
The security detail at Yanukovych’s private residence gathered his valuables and traveled to join him. They were seen with him in Kharkiv. Incidentally, he wasn't living there with his wife, but with another woman. His wife remained in Ukraine and was not subsequently persecuted by the new authorities.
so what now? Are you saying that all the police forces and guards that were supposed to protect the government building and his house travelled with him to russia ? Thats quite a large group, but hey i totally believe that this is exactly what fhey told the people.
 
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I played so well against a very strong player. I'm tired but satisfied. Table tennis is a great power! I don't want to argue with anyone today, sorry ;)
 
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PLEASE, make yourself the thread-starter... It is the reality.
Yeah - that would require some engineering. May try it tomorrow if I have the time - but it is not straightforward. And ultimately, this thread is a massive experiment and may not altogether be a good thing unless it informs better future decisions - let's see how it goes.
 
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