Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Oh a new Cold War on the Horizon. Maybe the RAF will get the Tempest project given a green light then.

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Another thought .... it’s not quite the Soviet days. They no longer control great chunks of Central Asia so long-haul flight diversions won’t be as onerous as they were in the 1980s.

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

I thought all those funny named stan countries had Russian puppets in charge of them

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

No

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Are you sure?

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Pakistan and Afghanistan were never part of the USSR. Central Asian states like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan were.

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Those ex-USSR states may not be bastions of democracy, but they're certainly not as aligned to Russia as they were in Soviet days.

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Gosh it's all so confusing for me.
On one hand we have Russia plotting to take over the World, on the other hand they have far less influence than before . .

I'm lost as to whether I should check under the bed or in the wardrobe :erm:

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

The first is because of the second.

They’re not trying to take over the world, they’re trying to gain influence in neighbouring countries (sometimes by annexing parts of them, sometimes by supplying arms to local "militia" (who aren’t Russian mercenaries, honest), and also causing disruption in Western democracies by cyberwarfare and misinformation.

If they can’t be strong again, make others weaker…

Hope this helps… ;)

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Not really, but thanks for trying . . . bed or wardrobe?

:D

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

Both…;)

Where Ivan is involved, you can never be too careful.

(I would strongly recommend checking them with a friend or family member, because if you do it on your own, those wily Speznatz will sneak around behind you whilst you are checking one, before you check the other).

:)

Re: Belarus accused of hijacking plane
 

got it now thanks, I'll make the wife go first :D