Russia-Ukraine

[Thomas Veil]

Yeah, that’s not good. Somebody’s head may roll for that. The media should have kept that part a mystery.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Yeah, that’s not good. Somebody’s head may roll for that. The media should have kept that part a mystery.

Granted, the information might be imprecise enough to play just into Putin’s paranoia.

 

[Eric]

Agreed. I have no idea about what will happen in the long run.

I am starting to see a possible gamble by Putin.
Certainly the Ukrainian people want normalcy. So does the West in general. While it’s true that Russia has been severely hit by sanctions, it is also true that the west - in particular the EU - doesn’t want to keep tensions up. Certainly nobody wants an energy crisis.

I wonder, if somehow Russia is able to bring the concept of normality to Ukraine back, will the west ease its sanctions? After all, our memory is very short.

Of course the biggest unknown is how the Ukrainian people will do. It’s true that they might want to fight until each one of them is dead, but will they?

I don't see how that's possible when you're occupied, it's like WWII and Afghanistan taught us nothing. You may be able to take over and occupy a country but if they don't want you there it will always be an uphill battle for the aggressor.

 

[Cmaier]

Yeah, that’s not good. Somebody’s head may roll for that. The media should have kept that part a mystery.

I disagree. If there are others in Russia who oppose the war and might want to help, knowing that they are not alone may be just the thing that gets them to help out too.

 

[yaxomoxay]

I don't see how that's possible when you're occupied, it's like WWII and Afghanistan taught us nothing. You may be able to take over and occupy a country but if they don't want you there it will always be an uphill battle for the aggressor.

Not that I don’t agree with you, but Afghanistan and Ukraine are quite different in mentality. One way to do this is to create a Western Ukrainian state.

 

[yaxomoxay]

I disagree. If there are others in Russia who oppose the war and might want to help, knowing that they are not alone may be just the thing that gets them to help out too.

I think that the issue is that they said specifically where it came from. I would’ve kept it with a generic “government officials”

 

[Yoused]

I wonder, if somehow Russia is able to bring the concept of normality to Ukraine back, will the west ease its sanctions? After all, our memory is very short.

Our memory may be short, but most of the world has been a bit uncomfortable with V. V. Putin for, really, a couple decades, and absolutely no one wants to let him cleanly get away with a stunt like this.

 

[Cmaier]

I think that the issue is that they said specifically where it came from. I would’ve kept it with a generic “government officials”

“Members of the security service” doesn’t seem very specific to me. And if it makes Putin paranoid of the security service and they start trying to root out who these people are, it distracts and paralyzes the security service, which is even better.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Have you captured a tank and are worried about the tax implications? The Ukrainian revenue agency has issued formal guidance that you don't need to declare it

No need to declare captured Russian tanks, other equipment of invaders as income – NAPC

Ukraine's National Agency for the Protection against Corruption (NAPC) has declared that captured Russian tanks and other equipment are not subject to declaration.

en.interfax.com.ua

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

It's interesting. I'm seeing more right-wingers defending Putin across the internet. They're claiming that Zelensky is a progressive globalist and Putin is fighting the "deep state".

There are people on the right who would defend gang rape if the Democrats took a direct stance against it. They'd probably even use the Jimmy Carr term for rape, a struggle snuggle.

 

[Eric]

Is it just me or is Putin's face all puffed out and tight? That can be related to taking steroids for health conditions and if you've ever seen the mood swings it causes it can flat out make people evil, and if you're already evil, then God help us all. Where's @P_X we need to get to the bottom of this.

 

[Arkitect]

Is it just me or is Putin's face all puffed out and tight? That can be related to taking steroids for health conditions and if you've ever seen the mood swings it causes it can flat out make people evil., and if you're already evil, then God help us all. Where's @P_X we need to get to the bottom of this.

I agree. Over the past year or so he has become noticeably more puffy and as you point out, it could be due to steroid use. Sure it is speculation, but I would bet ons some serious health condition(s).

 

[Cmaier]

Is it just me or is Putin's face all puffed out and tight? That can be related to taking steroids for health conditions and if you've ever seen the mood swings it causes it can flat out make people evil, and if you're already evil, then God help us all. Where's @P_X we need to get to the bottom of this.

No, it‘s not just you. Both of your faces are all puffed out.

Hah hah. I’ll be here all week, folks.

 

[Arkitect]

Just a bit of information that popped out today as I was reading this opinion piece in the Guardian today.

Today, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, Ukraine is the second most corrupt in Europe, ahead of Russia.

Unfortunately it is true. Link
Now, I am not saying Ukraine deserve being invaded, but people need to not forget things like this. Especially when it comes to handing out EU memberships.

Ukraine’s bid for fast-track membership of EU likely to end in disappointment

 

[Cmaier]

Just a bit of information that popped out today as I was reading this opinion piece in the Guardian today.

Unfortunately it is true. Link
Now, I am not saying Ukraine deserve being invaded, but people need to not forget things like this. Especially when it comes to handing out EU memberships.

Ukraine’s bid for fast-track membership of EU likely to end in disappointment

You’ll be amazed at how current events will put an end to all that. Real countries are built out of common hardships. Once there’s a true sense of being part of one nation, things will clean up fast.

 

[Eric]

Go get 'em.

$1 million bounty on Putin offered by Russian businessman​

The Russian entrepreneur said the Russian president came to power by "blowing up apartment buildings in Russia.​

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-699098

The photo they used here is great.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

My Letter From Kyiv to the 'Anti-Imperialist Idiots' in the West | Common Dreams

Before taking up my post to defend this city from looming invasion, I would like to communicate to the Western Left what I think about its reaction to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

www.commondreams.org

 

[Arkitect]

"Refugees from Ukraine you are all welcome… as long as you're the right colour!"

You'd think a common humanity would prevail in times like these.
Humans — for all their little sunflower emojis and hearts and prayers and thoughts — are shit.

People of colour fleeing Ukraine attacked by Polish nationalists​

"Attackers dressed in black sought out groups of non-white refugees, mainly students who had just arrived in Poland at Przemyśl train station from cities in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

Many of the foreign nationals fleeing the Russian attacks are students. About 16,000 African students were studying in the country before the invasion, Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa said this week.

Reports and footage on social media in the past week have shown acts of discrimination and violence against African, south Asian and Caribbean citizens while fleeing Ukrainian cities and at some of the country’s border posts."

Link

 

[Deleted member 215]

Took 'em a week to come up with a narrative. As i said, russian trolls seem to have a supply issue too.

Yeah, it took them about a week to come up with the same narrative they always come up with. The fact that Zelensky is Jewish probably adds to it…

 

[User.45]

Is it just me or is Putin's face all puffed out and tight? That can be related to taking steroids for health conditions and if you've ever seen the mood swings it causes it can flat out make people evil, and if you're already evil, then God help us all. Where's @P_X we need to get to the bottom of this.

he has a masked (parkinsonian) face at baseline but I think it’s actually just lots of botox. I couldn’t find good stills from recent times, what i see shows his lower face is certainly puffed out a little, but that again could be just weight gain.

Cushingoid face (steroid related facial changes) comes with a little bit of temporalis muscle atrophy (muscle at the temples) and lots of lower face rounding, +/- blushing of the face, though the blushing I haven’t seen that much with exogenous steroids. Based on the photos I’ve seen, wouldn’t draw any conclusions. Also, there are a few drugs that can be used instead of corticosteroids that don’t come with changes in appearance so wouldn’t make much sense in his situation. (I do use a ton of steroids, but am not an endocrinologist).

So no, there’s nothing tangible here, just hypotheses.

"Refugees from Ukraine you are all welcome… as long as you're the right colour!"

You'd think a common humanity would prevail in times like these.
Humans — for all their little sunflower emojis and hearts and prayers and thoughts — are shit.

People of colour fleeing Ukraine attacked by Polish nationalists​

"Attackers dressed in black sought out groups of non-white refugees, mainly students who had just arrived in Poland at Przemyśl train station from cities in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

Many of the foreign nationals fleeing the Russian attacks are students. About 16,000 African students were studying in the country before the invasion, Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa said this week.

Reports and footage on social media in the past week have shown acts of discrimination and violence against African, south Asian and Caribbean citizens while fleeing Ukrainian cities and at some of the country’s border posts."

Link

No surprises there unfortunately (i grew up around there and am part of the African diaspora). You can diffuse these assholes if you speak the language better than them. The main motivation is xenophobia.