If Russia invades Ukraine (more)...

[Son of Mathonwy]

To add to his crimes, that bastard Putin lost us Eurovision last night.

https://ria.ru/20220515/ukraina-1788680071.html

The world they live in is so divorced from reality

Is there a translation of that?

[Zhivago]

To add to his crimes, that bastard Putin lost us Eurovision last night.

https://ria.ru/20220515/ukraina-1788680071.html

The world they live in is so divorced from reality

Is there a translation of that?

Just use Chrome to translate and you'll see their world

"British were angered by Ukraine's victory at Eurovision"

[Sandydragon]

https://ria.ru/20220515/ukraina-1788680071.html

The world they live in is so divorced from reality

Is there a translation of that?

Just use Chrome to translate and you'll see their world

"British were angered by Ukraine's victory at Eurovision"

Whatever. Most Brits couldn't give a toss about Eurovision, but many I have spoken to recognise that showing solidarity with Ukraine was more important than the actual result. But as you say, its a parallel universe.

[Puja]

Is there a translation of that?

Just use Chrome to translate and you'll see their world

"British were angered by Ukraine's victory at Eurovision"

Whatever. Most Brits couldn't give a toss about Eurovision, but many I have spoken to recognise that showing solidarity with Ukraine was more important than the actual result. But as you say, its a parallel universe.

I mean, in fairness, it is quoting the Daily Heil's comment section, so they are in the same parallel universe there.

Puja

[Sandydragon]

Just use Chrome to translate and you'll see their world

"British were angered by Ukraine's victory at Eurovision"

Whatever. Most Brits couldn't give a toss about Eurovision, but many I have spoken to recognise that showing solidarity with Ukraine was more important than the actual result. But as you say, its a parallel universe.

I mean, in fairness, it is quoting the Daily Heil's comment section, so they are in the same parallel universe there.

Puja

You make a good point there.

[J Dory]

The Russian professor in this podcast doesn't buy into the Russian public is brainwashed angle. Rather he says Russians are pragmatists and supporting Putin is in their best interest.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c6968n

[Zhivago]

The Russian professor in this podcast doesn't buy into the Russian public is brainwashed angle. Rather he says Russians are pragmatists and supporting Putin is in their best interest.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c6968n

They are not pragmatists. The Dutch are pragmatists, and Russia is not like that at all. Pragmatists don't cut up Chanel bags to show their patriotism.

They are an unhappy people and they need their strong leader/country to get their happiness via national pride. If they start criticising their government, they won't do so because of their sons dying, or seeing nasty crimes against Ukrainians, but because the West is showing they aren't afraid of them and they are losing. If they start to realise that their country and they themselves are not as powerful as they thought they were.

The easiest way to think about it is to think of the psychology of a bully. The bully craves to be feared. That is the Russian mentality. If you take that away from them, then they are nothing.

caveat: I'm mostly talking about those Russians at home in Russia, this general analysis might not hold true for expats abroad.

[Zhivago]

detail here https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1525 ... 91554.html

[Zhivago]

To understand the threat of Russia, one needs to understand that what we are facing is not so much Putinism, but Duginism. This is very blatently Russian fascism. Dugin wrote his seminal book in 1997 called Foundations of Geopolitics. It could be described perhaps as the Russian equivalent of 'The Grand Chessboard'. He tried to start his own party called National Bolshevik Party. Although his party didn't get going, a lot of his ideas have been taken up by the Russian elite - I note also that he served as advisor to the current director of the FSB Sergey Naryshkin.

Here is Wikipedia's summary of his book:

In Foundations of Geopolitics, Dugin calls for the United States and Atlanticism to lose their influence in Eurasia, and for Russia to rebuild its influence through annexations and alliances. The book declares that "the battle for the world rule of Russians" has not ended and Russia remains "the staging area of a new anti-bourgeois, anti-American revolution". The Eurasian Empire will be constructed "on the fundamental principle of the common enemy: the rejection of Atlanticism, strategic control of the U.S., and the refusal to allow liberal values to dominate us."

Military operations play relatively little role. The textbook advocates a sophisticated program of subversion, destabilization, and disinformation spearheaded by the Russian special services. The operations should be assisted by a tough, hard-headed utilization of Russia's gas, oil, and natural resources to bully and pressure other countries. The book states that "the maximum task [of the future] is the 'Finlandization' of all of Europe".

In Europe:

Germany should be offered the de facto political dominance over most Protestant and Catholic states located within Central and Eastern Europe. Kaliningrad Oblast could be given back to Germany. The book uses the term "Moscow–Berlin axis".
France should be encouraged to form a bloc with Germany, as they both have a "firm anti-Atlanticist tradition".
The United Kingdom, merely described as an "extraterritorial floating base of the U.S.", should be cut off from Europe.
Finland should be absorbed into Russia. Southern Finland will be combined with the Republic of Karelia and northern Finland will be "donated to Murmansk Oblast".
Estonia should be given to Germany's sphere of influence.
Latvia and Lithuania should be given a "special status" in the Eurasian–Russian sphere, although he later writes that they should be integrated into Russia.
Belarus and Moldova are to become part of Russia.
Poland should be granted a "special status" in the Eurasian sphere.
Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, "Serbian Bosnia" and Greece – "Orthodox collectivist East" – will unite with "Moscow the Third Rome" and reject the "rational-individualistic West".
Ukraine should be annexed by Russia because "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics". Ukraine should not be allowed to remain independent, unless it is cordon sanitaire, which would be inadmissible.
In the Middle East and Central Asia:

The book stresses the "continental Russian–Islamic alliance" which lies "at the foundation of anti-Atlanticist strategy". The alliance is based on the "traditional character of Russian and Islamic civilization".
Iran is a key ally. The book uses the term "Moscow–Tehran axis".
Armenia has a special role: It will serve as a "strategic base," and it is necessary to create "the [subsidiary] axis Moscow-Yerevan-Teheran". Armenians "are an Aryan people ... [like] the Iranians and the Kurds".
Azerbaijan could be "split up" or given to Iran.
Georgia should be dismembered. Abkhazia and "United Ossetia" (which includes Georgia's South Ossetia) will be incorporated into Russia. Georgia's independent policies are unacceptable.
Russia needs to create "geopolitical shocks" within Turkey. These can be achieved by employing Kurds, Armenians and other minorities.
The book regards the Caucasus as a Russian territory, including "the eastern and northern shores of the Caspian (the territories of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan)" and Central Asia (mentioning Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan).
In East and Southeast Asia:

China, which represents a danger to Russia, "must, to the maximum degree possible, be dismantled". Dugin suggests that Russia start by taking Tibet–Xinjiang–Inner Mongolia–Manchuria as a security belt. Russia should offer China help "in a southern direction – Indochina (except Vietnam), the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia" as geopolitical compensation.
Russia should manipulate Japanese politics by offering the Kuril Islands to Japan and provoking anti-Americanism.
Mongolia should be absorbed into Eurasia-Russia.
The book emphasizes that Russia must spread anti-Americanism everywhere: "the main 'scapegoat' will be precisely the U.S."

In the United States:

Russia should use its special services within the borders of the United States to fuel instability and separatism, for instance, provoke "Afro-American racists". Russia should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics".
The Eurasian Project could be expanded to South and Central America.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundat ... eopolitics

And here is the logos of the party he tried to found:

[Mellsblue]

[Mellsblue]

A depressing thread:

[Son of Mathonwy]

The Russian professor in this podcast doesn't buy into the Russian public is brainwashed angle. Rather he says Russians are pragmatists and supporting Putin is in their best interest.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c6968n

They are not pragmatists. The Dutch are pragmatists, and Russia is not like that at all. Pragmatists don't cut up Chanel bags to show their patriotism.

They are an unhappy people and they need their strong leader/country to get their happiness via national pride. If they start criticising their government, they won't do so because of their sons dying, or seeing nasty crimes against Ukrainians, but because the West is showing they aren't afraid of them and they are losing. If they start to realise that their country and they themselves are not as powerful as they thought they were.

The easiest way to think about it is to think of the psychology of a bully. The bully craves to be feared. That is the Russian mentality. If you take that away from them, then they are nothing.

caveat: I'm mostly talking about those Russians at home in Russia, this general analysis might not hold true for expats abroad.

I reckon there's a lot of doublethink and just plain not thinking too hard about Ukraine in the Russian populace right now. If they took too clear a look at it they'd have to admit they're complicit with war crimes. But, yeah, no doubt there are some arseholes who simply enjoy being in the bully's gang.

[Galfon]

This guy delivers a pragmatic view - but it's not what they want to hear. The host has definitely had the bolt fitted.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61484222
( u/d: ..as MellsB posted earlier from other source - oops., senior moment maybe but no plans to invade anyone yet..)

[Zhivago]

A reminder of what the Russian army is like
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

[Son of Mathonwy]

A reminder of what the Russian army is like
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

Grim. It's horrific to be on the receiving end of any invasion, but the wrong kind of leadership and culture can make things many times worse, from war crimes to genocide.

I know some Ukrainians - grandparents would tell of the horrors they experienced at the hands of the Russians in WW2.

[Sandydragon]

A reminder of what the Russian army is like
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

Grim. It's horrific to be on the receiving end of any invasion, but the wrong kind of leadership and culture can make things many times worse, from war crimes to genocide.

I know some Ukrainians - grandparents would tell of the horrors they experienced at the hands of the Russians in WW2.

Theres a good reason why the ex Soviet states have generally wanted closer ties with the west rather than Russia!

[Mellsblue]

[Puja]

He absolutely does not look as though there have been any threats made against his family at all.

Puja

[Galfon]

Go Dmitry..
needs some friends in Mosc. to keep it going.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61515365

[Zhivago]

A reminder of what the Russian army is like
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

Grim. It's horrific to be on the receiving end of any invasion, but the wrong kind of leadership and culture can make things many times worse, from war crimes to genocide.

I know some Ukrainians - grandparents would tell of the horrors they experienced at the hands of the Russians in WW2.

Sometimes pictures speak a thousand words. For those who can stomach it, some examples of Russian barbarism. Anyone who is not desenitized to horrific images should not click the links.

https://preview.redd.it/5o0mzufhhh091.j ... f51a7faadc
https://preview.redd.it/lefq7wl0jh091.j ... 34fff5fd0c

[Zhivago]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/worl ... tions.html

[Galfon]

Looks touch and go if VP health will last out untl the Russ. slow advances in Donbas stalls in a few weeks and possibly re-armed Ukr goes on a broader counter-offensive. The US howitzers could make a big difference if able to reach the right areas.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 83343.html
(Russ. are apparently so crafty we now have
'Kremlin shops' blockading Ukranian ports.. )

Lidl by Lidl...

[Zhivago]

https://justpaste.it/2d3xy
https://justpaste.it/7l2r1

[cashead]

The Russian government just banned 963 US citizens from entering Russia, including John McCain. Yes, that John McCain.

So... do you want to tell them, or should I?

[Galfon]

'Why stop at Donbas ?' he must feel.