Comments by "Ash Roskell" (@ashroskell) on "" video.
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I am already ruing the day, General Hodges. I routinely implore my representatives to do more against Russia and to, at the very least, STOP actively encouraging them by acting so predictably and pusillanimously.
NATO can win this round simply by encouraging all countries involved to use international maritime law to the fullest. Just as the Fins have done, all countries can act independently, without invoking any NATO flag. Russia simply cannot afford to keep losing these expensive ships with all that tech onboard and the spooks necessary to run it all. So long as they know they can rely on NATO support, should the need arise, and the support of the international community, they have nothing to lose.
Incidents like these have been happening routinely in British waters and being, just as routinely, hushed up afterwards, which is just unacceptable in my view.
As Jake Broe suggested, all of that seized Russian shipping and technology aboard can all be auctioned off, with the proceeds going toward repairing - even improving - the damaged infrastructure. As with their seized banking assets, the one thing Russia fears more than losing their money is the idea of their resources being SEEN to be turned back against them and used to fund their enemies’ efforts.
The sheer embarrassment and humiliation of using the interest from their frozen bank assets to fund the Ukrainians is worse, to Putin, than losing the money. Anything that looks like an own goal or egg on Putin’s face is to be feared inside Russia. Heads will role and Putin is demolished in the eyes of the international community; made to look like the impotent little tin-pot dictator he really is, if only we’d find the resolve to show him that!
And that is what we should be doing in every instance of his breaking international law. If we really want him to stop breaking the law, that is. Make Russia pay for repairs and for all of Ukraine’s war costs. We have the capacity at our fingertips.
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