Well, 24 hours later I feel no closer to understanding what just happened.
I do not buy the idea it was all a clever charade designed by Putin. The damage it has caused to his image of great strength, and to the notion of the state monopoly of violence within Russia, is greater damage than can be counterbalanced by any alleged tactical change inside Ukraine.
I don’t see that change anyway, and frankly Russia did not need any such drama. Ukraine’s much trumpeted counter-offensive appears a damp squib.
If looking for something below the surface, the idea that Prigozhin had been turned by some kind of offer from the West seems more probable, but is hard to square with his sudden capitulation.
However the surface story of what just happened is equally implausible.
Wagner seem to have suffered no major reverse and encountered no serious military opposition before they turned round and gave back all they have taken. For which Prigozhin has on the face of it received nothing in turn but a rather fragile life as a guest of Lukashenko.
While Putin appears to have allowed an actual military revolt that killed at least a few Russian soldiers and airmen to take place, with no punishment. That seems to me very contrary to Putin’s nature.
These are my thoughts. But I am struggling enormously to understand this. As are the ordinary Russian public, for whom the whole incident has been surreal.
Matt Taibbi argues that current blogging about the Twitter Files might have had a positive influence on the judge ruling a few days ago that would demand to stop federal agencies from engaging with social networks.
https://www.racket.news/p/note-to-readers-on-the-missouri-v
I dont know about England. But this example, as minor as it may be, should be considered a good omen that the work, being done here by CM, does and will have an effect.
To quote the Argentinian Oscar-nominated court drama “Argentina, 1985” about the landmark decision on the crimes of the dictatorship, from time to time small windows of opportunity do open in the system. And that´s when someone can change something.
These things happen all the time. But one must be vigilant to see the cracks coming and use them.
from the movie:
“A crack. It doesn’t last for long, it shuts right away. But, as long as the crack is open, you can do something. One must hurry, be alert. But, if you manage to do it before these motherfuckers notice it, you can change things a bit. You can do something good. Very good. Good things were done like that, all of the sudden.
And they were done by the few people who realized this. The brave ones. That’s how they made…History.”
NBC claims past spring secret discussions between Lavrov and former US officials had taken place.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/former-us-officials-secret-ukraine-talks-russians-war-ukraine-rcna92610
I doubt that went beyond preventing WWIII. After all why would NATO start the madness in the first place.
Newsweek just 2 days ago as well had a major propaganda piece about the CIA´s work in this war. It reads like an ad for the agency.
However, both reports at the same time coming out….odd.
https://www.newsweek.com/2023/07/21/exclusive-cias-blind-spot-about-ukraine-war-1810355.html
….and just like that the hysteria about the NPP is gone from the headlines, no russian attack occured, tommorow another war-scare is to be delivered by the same mainstream media and the same gullible westerners are going to believe it. Rinse and repeat…
I woke up today and the wind is blowing to the West, so this day is already great.
Wonderful weather today, isn’t it?
From our news:
Mr. Grossi says – “I visited the ZNPP three times. Now, in a situation where Ukrainian troops are conducting a counteroffensive, the station is located on the front line and is in an extremely vulnerable position. Our experts are working on site, the fact that the IAEA is constantly present there is an important asset for the world community. Experts are working there days and nights. And they can receive information in real time. A few days ago there were several statements, this day has already passed, but there was such a statement that something terrible will happen on some one particular day. We are used to it. IAEA experts are constantly checking. We did not find the explosives mentioned (in the statement), but we cannot relax. We know that anything can happen at any moment”.
” Now, in a situation where Ukrainian troops are conducting a counteroffensive, the station is located on the front line and is in an extremely vulnerable position. ”
A candid admission that Ukrainian forces have advanced in the area.
Yes there are of course people with neo-nazi attitudes in Russia, but in Russia these organizations are banned. In Ukraine they are not only accepted. hailed as heroes, they are taking state funds, there is collaboration between the state and the nazis, and they end up killing russians just because they are russians in Donbas.
It goes back to the WW2 and even prior when ukrainians collaborated with Hitler and fascist Italy.
Jack, “… the same gullible westerners are going to believe it.”
I remember some gullible westerners believing scare stories that Russia was about to invade Ukraine. Fortunately Putin was on hand to reassure the world that such reports were nonsense. I believe that was the day before Russia invaded. And then there were Ukraine’s warnings that Russia planned to destroy the Kakhovka dam, which again some westerners were gullible enough to believe.
Re the znpp, the IAEA’s latest report states that inspectors have still not been granted full access, in particular to the rooftops where unknown objects appeared in satellite images a few days ago.
Perhaps Russia is busy removing the explosives before granting access. Or perhaps Ukraine is lying.
In my world, either could be the case. In yours, it seems that Ukraine always lies and Putin always tells the truth. Now, who is the gullible one?
Fog of War indeed.
I do remember the US informing us ( telling us) many months before the Special Operation that the Russians were going to invase Ukraine like a Playwright reading out his/her play.
One thing I’m reasonably sure about is that NATO ( the US) have had a terrible habit of moving bases and weaponry closer and closer to Russia in order to potentailly get their nuclear blows in first by moving closer to Moscow.
They land faster – simple logic.
Putin and the Russians, not surprisingly are not best pleased by this and Ukraine is the piggy in the middle of a scrap in which the US is not physically involved so ‘ We in the US stand right behind you ‘ to the Ukranians means thousands of miles behind you.
So, despite the ‘ Fog of War ‘ my eyes are open to the politics/economics of all this.
It appears that the outcome of the Democrats meddling in the politics of smaller countries has not led to driving a wedge between Russia and China indeed it has driven them closer together and convinced other satellite countries to find alternatives to Ne- liberal economics.
We can get into nuances of Military conduct – that’s where all the lies are told on both sides.
Politics is the anlysis of inputs and outputs of policy.
The US input has had the mirror opposite of its intention.
That to me is good news for the world – not bad news.
Mark, “like a Playwright reading out his/her play.” This phrase seems to be implying something. I don’t get it. Could you spell it out?
That they wanted a war to happen perhaps.
Oh yes.
A long time in the making – a very long play.
For all the talk about letting Ukraine into NATO the US ( they own NATO) will stall and stall.
Why?
Because NATO membership for Ukraine is what this war is all about.
The EU were approached by Ukraine for membership a long time ago and Yukanovich won an election narrowly
and chose to do trade with Russia.
That for the Playwrights was the spark and the presentation of cupcakes from Nuland.
This is why the elected President fled in 2014 and the Extreme Right took over the Ukranian Parliament.
I know this because the same media at the time who are telling us all that Ukraine is a wonderful Democracy were showing us the videos of armed men wandering about in the Parliament threatening people in 2014.
Add to that the killing by snipers of the Maidan protesters and the far right setting fire to trades union buildings and it doesn’t look much like a democracy to me.
It must be true because it was on the BBC – surely?
Zelensky has stated that elections will not be held until Ukraine has won the war and I think that the Parliament has not met since the outbreak of the war.
Note carefully that nearly all of the defences against Russian Missiles are around Kiev.
The place where the politicians and the rich and well off hang out.
The poor people in the East don’t have that privilege even though that’s where the fighting is occurring.
So – not much optimism there I’m afraid.
It’s a play with a start – a possible intermission ( for re-stocking of arms ) but the writers have no idea how it all will end.
And that is what worries them.
Those with brains of course.
Neil
Instead of trying to guess who lies (they both do) use some logic.
Crimea irradiated and Russia would be facing a huge, dangerous clean up operation with substantial area contamination. Just think about that horrendous clean-up operation for a moment. Carried out with the imminent threat of NATO’s involvement in the conflict (Article 5). It’s ludicrous to think anyone would bring that upon themselves.
A case could be made that a retreating army, intending to abandon the whole territory of Ukraine, and all of Crimea may have some incentive on the basis of ‘scorched earth’ type logic, but even then, the negatives would outweigh any perceived positive. And if Russia wanted to attack an NPP for some ungodly reason, there are ample NPP candidates elsewhere in Ukraine, in locations in the West where the resultant contamination problems would befall the Ukrainians. Why would a country that could end this conflict very quickly via the use of nuclear weapons and yet has thus far stuck to conventional, resort to an act that is almost as bad, but militarily nonsensical and harmful to Russian citizens, as they see it, in Crimea?
The fact people think this possible at all, is due to dumbed down Western media coverage of this conflict, coverage which has been for the most part appallingly immature and/or gung-ho with a blinkered misrepresentation of Ukraine prior to the invasion. A picture is painted of a peaceful happy united Ukraine, simply minding its own business. Anything but the reality; that of a deeply divided Ukraine, a President struggling to assert his authority over the powerful far right: Svoboda, Pravyi sektor and the Azov battalion. With a near civil war in the East and citizens there treated something akin to 2nd class Israeli Arabs or even the Palestinians; no voting rights, attacks on their culture and language, no pensions and no sign of Minsk promise of full federalism being implemented. And no, it wasn’t simply the ‘Russians stirring up trouble’, the ousted Yanukovych was genuinely popular in the East, he carried 90%+ of the vote in some areas, the coup caused organic, instantaneous outrage.
I’m pessimistic because even if this conflict were over tommorrow, Ukraine’s divisions would remain unresolved. The western pro-Ukraine people won’t explain how they see Ukraine’s future power distribution, whether federalism is part of it? The reality is Kyiv would have to devolve power and federalise the country, along the lines of the Minsk proposals, otherwise they’ll be back to civil war.
Goose, “Why would a country … resort to an act that is harmful to Russian citizens?”
Putin is not well known for placing a high value on Russian lives.
As for being militarily nonsensical, did you think the 100-mile traffic jam of sitting-duck vehicles on the road to Kyiv in the first days of the war was not militarily nonsensical?
Quote : As for being militarily nonsensical, did you think the 100-mile traffic jam of sitting-duck vehicles on the road to Kyiv in the first days of the war was not militarily nonsensical?
The purpose of that is easy to explain, they were obviously trying to strike a psychological blow, believing Ukraine’s leadership may crumble upon realisation of the sheer size of the force ranged against them?
As Sun Tzu argued, is the best outcome of any war. If the surrender comes before a battle is fought, all the better.
They obviously underestimated Ukrainian preparations and western encouraged resolve to fight, after encountering more resistance than they expected.
Blowing up Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, has no such logical explanation. It would be utterly nonsensical for the Russians.
I remember Colin Powell’s shaking a test tube in the UN.
I remember France and Germany as guarantors firstly to Yanukovich vs opposition treaty, then as guarantors of the Minsk agreements.
I remember the Minsk agreements, where it was written that Ukraine had to give autonomy to Donbass.
I remember Zelenski winning elections on promise to make peace with Donbass.
I remember Russia demanded guarantees that NATO’s activity in Ukraine was not directed against us.
I remember a Ukrainian woman in London who runs charities that collect donations for children, but in reality send money to weapons against Donbass, and you know what? This practice continues, now on the state level. Yesterday Anatoly Shariy made a video about his investigation, he added English subtitles and askes to share it.
https://youtu.be/jIbEFS7IuvY
If by chance you are friends with Barbara Streisand, please let her know what her support went to.
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What surprises me the most is that ordinary people are getting into this confrontation. They encourage each other to take one side or another, to fight against the enemy. They stir up hatred. As if war is what they want, what they have been waiting for, for a long time.
Instead of demanding peace, demanding that the agreements be fulfilled.
Tatyana
I’ve stated my view before, but to reiterate: Always been my view that the invasion was morally wrong and illegal, but Russia was deliberately placed in an invidious position with their calls for security guarantees and mutual respect in negotiations ignored. Just stating this truth in the West gets you labelled pro-Russian, that’s how silly the debate has become here.
Without the invasion, Ukraine would’ve joined NATO and notionally defensive missile capability would have been placed along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia. Weaponry that could’ve been switched out to offensive strike capability at short notice. The US wouldn’t tolerate the equivalent Russian or Chinese land-based capability a short flight time away from their mainland, so why should Russia have to?
Russia has no choice but to fight on now. And just hope western political change eventually create international conditions conducive to a negotiated settlement. And they should pay no attention to the US and UK leaders talking of themselves as the ‘international community’: between us we have something around 4% of the world’s population. The BRICS are the real international community, and I read dedollarisation is well underway, due to the US’s abuse of its financial dominance and intolerable imposition of economic sanctions, and secondary sanctions. A new world reserve currency could be on its way with ever more countries opposing US hegemony.
The West does not see an important consequence of such behavior. This is a loss of basic trust.
I look at Western talking heads and feel disgusted because they know they are lying, but they continue to play their own game.
This feeling happens when a phone scammer calls and assures me that he is an employee of my bank and he urgently needs to make transactions with my card.
Have you dealt with this? The situation where you know for sure that a person is lying?
Or, if you found out that your boyfriend is cheating on you, and talk to him about it, and he assures you that this did not happen.
When Scholz met with Putin before the war, he gave his speech after the meeting and I felt exactly that – Scholz knew he was lying. When Stoltenberg ridiculed Russian security concerns before the war, he too knew he was lying.
I don’t know how much this is in Putin’s character, but it definitely is in mine – if someone so openly lied to my face, then I would repay the same coin. Well, of course I’ve never done invasions of other countries, but as far as adultery is concerned, getting the cheater to be in the shoes of the cheated works fine.
Or, there’s another kind of lie – placing two statements that are true separately in a certain context.
Like, it’s true that the soldiers of Azov are tattooed with a swastika, and it’s true that the swastika is an ancient Indian symbol.
But does this mean that the Azov fighters are Buddhists? Pears?
Alleged images of Azov fighters sporting Nazi tattoos have been proved to be fakes. Either Russians or Belarusians photographed as long ago as 2005!
https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-nazi-tattoos-idUSL1N2YH27Q
Tatyana
Here in the UK, we’ve got politicians tripping over themselves to support sanctions against Russia, while simultaneously passing laws to outlaw boycotts of Israel or its settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
If there were more consistency maybe politicians would get more respect.
Pears Morgaine
You have no idea how prevalent neo-nazism ideology is in Ukraine.
As far as the prisoners there are plenty of evidence, feel free if you need more examples:
INK-REDIBLE TRUTH: Russia Forces Captured Ukrainian Troops To Show Off Their Nazi Tattoos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwgHct3nXiY
Nazi Symbols on Ukraine’s Front Lines Highlight Thorny Issues of History
Troops’ use of patches bearing Nazi emblems risks fueling Russian propaganda and spreading imagery that the West has spent a half-century trying to eliminate.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/world/europe/nazi-symbols-ukraine.html
Pears, you’re a nazi advocate.
Azov are nazis, even US congress recognized that
https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-161/issue-92/house-section/article/H4139-1
If Russia is so bothered about Nazis why don’t they sort out the ones fighting on their side first?
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/06/01/russian-state-media-war-reporter-defends-nazi-tattoos-a77860
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2022-05-25/ty-article/.premium/denazification-neo-nazi-groups-fighting-alongside-russian-forces-in-ukraine/00000180-fcb7-d338-a3d0-feb763f30000
It’s all just a nonsense. The far right in Ukraine has no more support or influence then it does in most other European countries or even Russia itself. It’s just a feeble excuse to try and justify this illegal and unnecessary war.
Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go and practice my goose-step.
Neil
How can one be gullible about Russia-is-not-going-to-invade-Ukraine when the decision to do so was taken within days before? Russia had tried to find a diplomatic solution for months before; that did not work, they moved in.
As for the Dam: Ukraine have practiced targeting the Khakova dam and have shelled it multiple times – they even bragged about their plots in Washington post last year:
as early as last year, leaders of Ukrainian military publicly claimed ready to blast the dam in order to obtain some military advantage," he told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. "Here is a quote from a Washington Post article dated 29 December 2022. Please listen carefully. ‘Maj. Gen. Kovalchuk considered flooding the river. The Ukrainians, he said, even conducted a test strike with a HIMARS launcher on one of the floodgates at the Nova Kakhovka dam, making three holes in the metal to see if the Dnieper’s water could be raised enough to stymie Russian crossings but not flood nearby villages. The test was a success, Kovalchuk said, but the step remained a last resort. He held of
https://tass.com/politics/1628741
I deal with facts, the fact is that Ukrainian propaganda, disinformation, goes on 24/7 in the western media and is taken for granted as some truth. So if you put 1+1 together you would understand that Ukraine would have incentive to lie and unfortunately people like you, believe him.
Again no western intelligence spreads this BS. Do you not question your beliefs?
Jack, I’m in the habit of bookmarking. Now, looking through my collection, I am once again convinced that a group of commentators here defend their position and do not change it despite any arguments.
Obviously, the general line of their commenting testifies that they are not here to listen to your opinions, but to express their own. Neil is in this company.
Jack, “I deal in facts.”
Thanks for that. I almost spilled my coffee.
Please don’t quote Washington Post articles to me. Don’t you know it’s all Western propaganda?
It must be. A guy called Jack never stops telling me so.
Tatyana, I’m happy to listen to your opinion, but neither of us are going to find the truth from just listening to opinions.
What’s needed is weighing of evidence and joined-up arguments.
For evidence, I visited the IAEA website and quoted the IAEA themselves, rather than secondhand reports in tass or rt.
I then constructed an argument.
If your only response is put downs, you (1) are simply sticking to your opinion despite the evidence, and (2) are not offering any kind of counter argument.
If you can offer more than blind trust in Russian reports and blanket dismissal of Western reports, plus a joined-up argument, I’m all ears.
Otherwise it’s probably unwise for you to castigate others for refusing to change their position despite any arguments.
You may have seen Yatsenuk on the issue of the Nazi ideology in Ukraine, T, if not google ‘Arseniy Yatsenyuk Has Huge Epiphany About Ukraine’.
If there’s anyone who knows whether Ukraine has been institutionally nazified it’s Yatesnuk, the guy chosen by Victoria Nuland to be the first PM after the Feb 24 Kiev putsch
Neil
It was not a Washington Post claim, it was a claim by the ukrainian military itself.
Just like they bragged today by the way that it was them (surprise surprise) that blew up the Crimean bridge.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230709/ukraines-defense-ministry-admits-it-attacked-crimean-bridge-to-break-russias-logistics-1111760144.html
As I said I deal with facts, you should try that too.
“It was not a Washington Post claim, it was a claim by the ukrainian military itself.”
So a report in western media quoting Ukraine’s military is “fact”. Why didn’t you say so before? I didn’t realise it was so easy for me to win the argument. Here you go, then…
Here an nypost report quoting Ukraine’s military proving that the Russians blew up the Kakhovka dam:
https://nypost.com/2023/06/09/ukraine-claims-intercepted-call-proves-russia-blew-up-nova-kakhovka-dam/
No that is not a source because it cannot be verified as Nypost also proclaim at the bottom of the article:
The Post could not independently verify the recording
My link on the other hand was a direct source that could be verified.
Jack, so, as (in your own words) you only deal in facts and these must come from independently verifiable sources, would you direct me to the independently verified source for your claim that Ukraine blew up the Kakhovka dam?
Neil
I do not have any source for Ukraine blowing up the dam because there are no such data available.
Time and time again Russia is accused of blowing up their own things and hurting their own efforts – do you not question these bizarre claims? I mean these are wild conspiracy theories.
Also, US intelligence (nor any other western military powers from what I know) have provided no blame on Russia, just like they have not blamed Russia for Nordstream attack or plan to blow up NPP.
It is Ukraine and the pro-Ukrainian media and gullible readers that spread this bs over and over again.
You can bet Western intelligence services would blame Russia and provide evidence directly if Russia was the culprit and they, if anyone, know what is going on in Ukraine.
“Time and time again Russia is accused of blowing up their own things”
From reading your posts, I would say the opposite is true. Russia is never to blame, Russia is completely innocent, Russia can do no wrong, Russia didn’t start the war, Putin never lies, the West never tells the truth, everything evil about the war is the responsibility of Ukraine/the West…
And you accuse others of being gullible.
Neil
That is not me, that is you making up straw man.
If you actually had any idea what I had written you would have seen that I have been critical of the invasion since the getgo.
How many times, when Ukraine has been attacked by Russia, have the western media blamed Ukraine itself for…attacking itself? Never, so how come you believe such claims when the roles are reversed? Try to question your beliefs more.
“I have been critical of the invasion since the getgo.”
My mistake. I obviously got you mixed up with another Jack.
This is very weird, why did Turkey just release these people? Quite a stab in the back for Russia.
Turkish release of Ukrainian neo-Nazis a deal ‘violation’ – Kremlin
https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/turkish-release-of-ukrainian-neo-nazis-a-deal-violation-kremlin/
I never understood why Russia sent them to Turkey to begin with, they should have kept them in jail themselves.
https://terroronthetube.co.uk/
‘TANKS FOR KIDNEYS’: INVESTIGATIVE REPORT ON NATO’S FORCED ORGAN HARVESTING CRIME SYNDICATE https://www.bitchute.com/video/8FVnlWWCnQIX/
Russian soldier tells: https://www.bitchute.com/embed/DxrXS7HodyUg/
Maria Zakharova: the Ukraine government is trading “the organs of its people for Western military assistance.” The *Ukr. Govt. passed Law 5831 on “Regulating the Transplantation of Human Anatomical Material” which allowed them to transplant organs without “notarised consent from the living donor or his relatives” she told the world. (https://tass.com/russia/1633129 )Approved on December 16, 2021, it includes children to become organ donours. April 14, 2022, Law 5610 exempts organ transplantation from VAT – ‘NATO is involved… otherwise it could not be organized.’ Ukraine: the right to harvest organs is granted to unsupervised private clinics. Do not need consent of doctors or undertakers. The road to foreign export of organs from Ukraine was thereby made clear. ‘One of the most lucrative, cruel and violent crimes,’ it was conducted by black market transplant surgeons: ‘Ukranian kidneys and corneas are welcomed in the West.’ Prisons, orphanages? Sure, cut the inmates open…
This is an old story, one that was also used against the White Helmets in Syria and is reminiscent of the ‘corpse factory’ of WW1 fame. It’s nonsense; propaganda. As the second of the links says human organs can only survive outside the body for a limited time, 24-36 hours for kidneys, a matter of hours for other organs. So how would an organ removed on the front line in Ukraine be got to a hospital within NATO in time? Bearing in mind that transport by air inside Ukraine would be nigh on impossible.
https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/the-west-uses-losses-in-ukraine-to-channel-human-organ-exports
https://voxukraine.org/en/public-health-fakes-ukrainian-military-man-witnessed-the-work-of-black-transplant-specialists-at-the-front-issue-33
https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-russia-organ-harvesting-ukraine/6742148.html
However we’re also told by similar propaganda outlets that Ukraine’s military is suffering an ‘epidemic’ of HIV and drug resistant TB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jkBtKkN3Pg
Hardly conducive to making an organ suitable for transplant.
I’d also like to draw the Mods attention to the blatant anti-semitism in the ‘bitchute’ links above.
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[ Mod: Noted. Any further discussion of this topic should take place in the discussion forum. ]
France to send long-range missiles to Ukraine – Macron
https://swentr.site/russia/579528-france-ukraine-missiles-delivery/
I do not understand why Russia is not responding in kind to these constant escalations: wherever west have troops in the world Russia should aid the other side with heavy weapons just like the west are doing now against Russia.
One thought Russia would step up after the botched Wagner mutiny and the criticism leveled at russian military, but they are asleep as usual, the passivity is striking. How is it possible for example that Ukraine still hold half of Donetsk after 17 months of war? Is this the best Russia got?
“wherever west have troops in the world Russia should aid the other side with heavy weapons”
If the US invaded Russia, causing the deaths of countless innocent Russians, I’d support the UK helping Russians to defend themselves against the aggressor.
How about you?
Neil
UK support Russia above US? What?
US is not invading but attacking Russia right as we speak – and have for the last year: There are US weapons, US intelligence and and US servicemen being involved on the ukrainian side in the attacks against Russia. How come and why? The conflict is between Ukraine, Donbas, Russia.
How about Russia give long arms to the Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq after US/Israeli/UK occupations and attacks against these nations. You would support that?
It was a simple question. Why can’t you answer?
Because you made up a non-realistic event that have not even occured (UK supporting Russia above US in a war), I on the other hand provided a question to you based on actual, real events. Where is your reply?
Surely you should be urging Russia to surrender to minimise casualties and save lives. Hasn’t that been the policy toward Ukraine?
So Putin will not travel to South Africa after all due to ICC warrant, quite a humiliating blow to say the least. What is BRICS worth if they cannot even meet in their own backyard?
Possibly just an excuse. He’s probably too scared to leave Moscow in case he finds out he no longer has a job when he gets back.
Nope wrong as usual, he visited Iran, Turkey, Kazakstan, Armenia and ukrainian territories past year.
Last foreign visit was back in April, he’s not left Russia since the ‘coup’. He has a planned visit to Turkey next month, be interesting to see if that gets cancelled too.
Why would it be cancelled?
” Do you approve of the activities of Vladimir Putin as the president (prime minister) of Russia? ”
https://www.statista.com/statistics/896181/putin-approval-rating-russia/
Or do you prefer hawks taking over Russia Pears? I did not see that coming.
most likely it will be cancelled, imo.
As to the inner affairs, I find it the strangiest ever ‘coup’. Our news say Putin met Prigozhin and the Wagner commanders on June 29, in Kremlin.
Another strangiest news is that Strelkov aka Girkin is detained by FSB and his wife says he is accused of extremism. Mostly strange, as foreign news outlets always pictured him as Putin’s agent.
well, I hope anyone here comment on cluster bombs which the US now supplies to Ukraine. Today the UN man Stéphane Dujarric said they are ‘concerned’ about it. By this moment, we here in Russia have a wide spectrum of memes ridiculing our MoFA on their ‘we are so much concerned’ attitude towards so many truly nasty things.
Any ideas where does this lead us to?
Also, any ideas on the Black Sea initiative about wheat shipping? Russia has just cancelled any safety pass guarantees for ships carrying wheat out of Ukrainian ports, after the latest attack on the Crimean Bridge.
Apparently Russia and Ukraine have been using it (cluster bombs) since the start, I am more surprised that Russia is still not able to pinpoint all these arms shipments. Russia seems to be genunily afraid of escalating the war. Once again I read that Ukraine have successfully targeted Crimea – (for the 3rd time now just past this week!?), this is getting ridiculous.
Yes you are right, Jack.
More and more voices are being raised here that it was necessary to react harshly from the very beginning. Ever since the collapse of the USSR, when the first joyful voices of Bandera’s followers sounded, later, when Yaroslava Stetsko and Bandera’s grandson from Canada began to visit Ukraine. At least in 2014, it was necessary to react sharply and harshly to the oppression of Russian-speakers, and not be soft tolerant idiots who were fooled with the Minsk agreements.
The Ukrainian elites took an anti-Russian position a long time ago and managed to prepare the necessary level of hatred. In Russia, the anti-Ukrainian position has only just begun to develop. Many simply do not believe that the hatred on the other side is really so strong and think that this is not true.
More about visits to Turkey and the arms shipments, so this is the answer for both Jack and Pears.
http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/press/message/single.htm%21id%3D10439773%40fsbMessage.html
“July 22 this year traces of dinitrotoluene and tetryl explosives were found in the hold of a foreign dry cargo ship en route from Turkey to the port of Rostov-on-Don to load grain crops. Signs of third-party interference in the structural parts of the bulk carrier were also revealed.
It was found that at the end of May this year. the ship was in the Ukrainian port of Kiliya. In July this year, in the Turkish port of Tuzla, a complete change of the ship’s crew, consisting of 12 citizens of Ukraine, was carried out, and the name of the dry cargo ship was changed.
These circumstances may indicate the possibility of using a foreign civilian ship to deliver explosives to the territory of Ukraine.
A decision was made to ban the passage of the vessel under the navigable arch of the transport crossing through the Kerch Strait with its further departure outside the territorial sea of the Russian Federation.”
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The UN agreed on a “grain deal”, that is, the export of Ukrainian grain to the markets. The UN and the EU insisted that this would prevent famine threatening some of the poorest countries in Africa. Russia, in turn, received the opportunity to supply fertilizers to the markets, and guaranteed the safe passage of ships in the zone of military operations.
The objections to the “grain deal” were as follows: 1. ships that are supposed to carry grain can actually carry weapons; 2. Russian fertilizers were not allowed to the markets and even the ammonia pipeline from Tolyatti was blown up; 3. only about 3% of grain got into the poorest countries, in fact, the largest Western agricultural corporations secured their profits in this way.
Now about the role of Turkey.
The first circumstance is Crimea, which Turkey would like to see “its own”, in the literal sense, as a springboard for “forces of influence”, for example, in the form of a NATO base of which Turkey is a member. Or indirectly, through the establishment of a loyal pro-Turkish leadership on the peninsula, presumably through the Crimean Tatar community.
The second circumstance is the gigantic problems in the economy and frenzied inflation, which makes Turkey dependent on the goodwill of its partners.
The third circumstance is Erdoğan personally and his clan. Erdoğan’s daughter is married into the family owners of military corporation Bayrak, the same company that supplies Ukraine with Bayraktar drones widely publicized in the media. After the return of the leaders of Azov, the construction of a plant in Ukraine was unblocked for Bayrak’s company.
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In relations with Russia, Turkey is a situational partner, that is, it is trying to extract the maximum benefit for itself. They are not blamed for this, but constantly ridiculed. Popular memes urge not to turn your back on Erdoğan. And also the popular expression ‘trying to sit on two chairs at the same time’ gave rise to a wave of witty jokes about Erdoğan having more than 1 butt. Now in ru-net you can often find the expression ‘Erdoğan the Thousand-Assed’.
Well, someone else seems to be reading this comment thread. Hello! Have a nice day!
I will translate Alexander Gutin’s verse for you. In Russian it had rhyme and obscene words, but I will try to focus on the meaning more than the form. Hope you enjoy it.
“The Armenians don’t like the Turks, and the Turks don’t like the Greeks,
The Greeks do not like the Albanians and other Balkanian gypsies.
The Albanians don’t like the Serbs (who are angry at the Croats),
And also don’t like the Bosnians, the Hungarians, and other Bulgarians.
The Swedes almost do not treat the Finns as their former lackeys,
And the Finns say ‘eewww’ towards the Estonians.
The Estonians don’t like the Russians (who really are disliked
By f*cking much greater number of nations in the world).
The Russians in their turn, don’t like any country, either.
Especially the Americans, for shitting in the doorways
In Moscow, Kursk, Samara, Torzhok and some other cities.
However, a number of countries don’t like the Americans, too.
The Mongols don’t like the Chinese. The Chinese don’t like the Tibetans.
The Tibetans just don’t give a f*ck, both about this and about the whole wide world.
The Kazakhs are ‘so-so’ to the Kyrgyz, one could probably say ‘Not much love’.
The Kirghiz could dislike the Ethiopians, if they knew where the Ethiopians live.
Yet they know about the Uzbeks, and they don’t like them rather too much.
Arabs do not like Jews. Jews do not like Arabs.
The Jews, like the Russians, failed to win anybody’s love.
The French do not like many, or rather don’t like any,
Well, frankly, no one is in a hurry to cuddle with those French.
The Germans pretend they love both the refugees and Jews,
Though there was a time, the Germans killed all in a row.
Today they maybe don’t like, well, perhaps only the Turks,
Who in their turn dislike the Armenians, thus closing this f*cking circle.
The conclusion comes to mind – what a beautiful world we live in!
Let’s bully each other and ever accuse each other of sins.
Madagascar is especially annoying, terribly annoying, really,
The lemurs went crazy there and think too highly of themselves.”
More on Turkey and arms shipments. Today they publish details about the shady side of the ‘grain deal’:
The ports of Izmail and Reni at the mouth of the Danube, which never participated in the grain deal, and also did not appear in any documents on the grain deal, were hit by the Russian army tonight.
Through these ports, machinations were made to deliver Western weapons to Ukraine. Dry cargo ships were checked empty in Turkey, then entered the Black Sea along a safe corridor, supposedly for the export of grain.
Then, before reaching the territorial waters of Ukraine, they turned to Romania, and transported Western weapons from there to Ukraine along the Danube. After that, they were loaded with grain and checked on the way back, as part of a grain deal.
The ‘grain deal’ was signed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, with the coordination center in Istanbul, Turkey.
https://www.un.org/en/black-sea-grain-initiative
After these event and the uncoverd scheme, I think it’s impossible for Putin to travel to Turkey. Also, I think Russia really has no trust in Turkey at all, as well as in the UN, or any Western country. They all are simply liars.
Apparently Ukraine is making gains in Bachmut, so just to clarify, Bachmut is in the Donetsk region, far east, just about 100 miles from Russian border and Ukraine….is still about to win back that city after 1 and half year of fighting?! After all the pro-russian referendum’s and all years to prepare, after months of official announcements by Ukraine that they will start a offensive this summer, after continued arms transfers from the west…still Russia did no preparation. To be frank, what on earth is wrong with the russian military? There is like there is no one in charge, there is no plan.
Just take the drone attacks in Moscow, how is that possible? And the ridiculous response by Russia (feeble drone attacks in Kiev).
And just as I suspected, as soon as Wagner was removed from the battlefield, Ukraine would gain land. They (Wagner) had the best fighters.
No wonder west keep their hopes up for Ukraine.