Russia - threadbanned users in OP

TheRepentent

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029678#Comment_122029678

poor bastards with their handy number being cancelled. We'll probably see them next on r/combatfootage getting destroyed

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029104#Comment_122029104

Where did you get your 300 billion from? In Afghanistan, the US spent 30 trillion, no problem. Still standing strong. Really? As soon as there's an uptick in the weapons supply, (and there will be) Europe is still getting its act together when it comes to weapons production, then we will see just how strong Putin will stand. He's not going to be allowed to win, which would be rewarding him for his illegal invasion. You do regard Putin's invasion as being illegal Poon Tang? Yes or no?

Hande hoche!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029678#Comment_122029678

Would agree those troops are going into the meat grinder. The Russians probably have some Summer offensive planned.

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029678#Comment_122029678

I should think it more surprising if they'd stayed. In fact, I was surprised they'd still been there 'til now. Artsakh was dissolved in January.

jmreire

Another sanctions denier..if the sanctions are so ineffective, then why are sanctions removal top of each and every "Peace" deal proposed by the Kremlin? Yes the Sanctions are working and have become even more effective with the secondary sanctions in place. Even Xi and India are cutting back on supplying or purchasing from Russia now.

zerosquared

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029666#Comment_122029666

Which is what has happened to USSR in 80s, they spent so much on military equipment which hilariously enough proved to be terrible and is now littering the fields of Ukraine that the economy was stagnant and far behind rest of world with average Soviet serf wiping their rears with Pravda instead of toilet paper.

The Soviet self reported figures in that time claimed 20-30% gdp spend which is what Putin’s regime claims now too

There is literally a historical example of all of this madness ending badly for USSR which splintered into 15 states, same will happen again with further splintering of Russia itself as the weight of contradictions and lies mounts.

There is no country in world that was successful under sanctions (which don’t go away) and Russia is already more sanctioned than Cuba, Korea, Iran etc, Russian propaganda might try to dismiss these but the loud vocal noise we hear from Putin bootlickers speaks for itself.

keeponhurling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029678#Comment_122029678

Interesting that it is "only" 2000, the impact on the Ukraine war won't be very large while they now look very stretched and unable to fulfil their commitments.

Generally Putin loves being involved in these kind of things, showing Russia as a big global player etc.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029534#Comment_122029534

Russia's an exporter of food and fuel so yes it won't go hungry or cold anytime soon. Similar level sanctions on somewhere like China an importer of food and fuel would be far more concerning for them.

However, and contrary to much popular belief, sanctions of this magnitude are not designed to be a short sharp shock, but are intended to have a more insidious and long term effect; they massively stunt future economic growth. Russia's industrial growth peaked circa 2009-10 and has dropped off since. Going to a war time economy is indeed growth, but it's of a very narrow nature and isn't sustainable, or scalable and takes away from more long term profitable growth in other areas.

Put it another more obvious way: You almost certainly use devices Made in China running tech and software Made in the West. We're surrounded by them. OK, what do you, or anyone else owns that is Made/designed In Russia? Some of the hydrocarbons in your car is about it. For such a large country with huge resources and a couple of hundred million people who have proved in the past to be innovative Russia produces a startlingly tiny number of finished goods and even fewer worthy of export and that was the case before this war. By far their biggest finished goods export were weapons. Now with production of same having to be pivoted to the Ukraine war, that doesn't leave much to spare. Never mind their pretty lacklustre performance in theatre against a smaller force with far fewer weapons isn't exactly great advertising. Though Chinese drone tech is likely to be a booming concern…

"Oh the 1990's are to blame and Russia's still trying to catch up". Yes it has most certainly improved since 2000, but it should be far more improved. In 1945 Germany was occupied by the Allies, flattened from border to border, her industrial infrastructure in ruins, a huge chunk of her working age men dead, the people half starved and the country split in half. Within 20 years the Western side was an industrial powerhouse again. Yes it got a huge cash injection via the Marshall Plan, but Russia was swimming in cash and resources(far more than post war Germany) in 2000. Where did all that cash go? Of course Germany didn't have an oligarch problem robbing its people blind and it knew in no uncertain terms any more expansionist militaristic guff was over.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029533#Comment_122029533

Same as everything else that comes out of the Kremlin factory of lies.

jmreire

Your knowledge of recent happenings in Russia seem to have several gaps Poon Tang… can it really have escaped your attention the shortages of eggs? and when all the Fuel suppliers were selling their fuel abroad because of the higher prices they were getting, until Putin banned the practice because the whole country was coming to a halt? And even now, they have to import fuel again? What could be wrong I wonder? Why is Putin's marvellous Russian dream turning into a nightmare for ordinary Russians….????

Hande hoche!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029787#Comment_122029787

That's a good point. They had token value as being part of Russia's peacekeeper role in the former Soviet Union.

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029841#Comment_122029841

Oh, does it rhyme with 'billeagal bwar'?

Igotadose

"OK, what do you, or anyone else owns that is Made/designed In Russia?"

@Wibbs I've seen Russian tractor tyres on New Holland tractors in Ireland. Apparently that's pretty common (I think New Holland, they're blue tractors.) They're branded 'Made in Russia.' Probably there's more farming kit like that. I don't think the tractor is made in Russia.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029534#Comment_122029534

Oh and I almost forgot Poon Tank, as if the everyday life for ordinary Russians was not bad enough, they (the ones that can afford and are free to travel, because not everyone is) have to contend now with not only the problems that everyday living brings to them, but now also those damn Ukrainian drones are everywhere, recently, airports in Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, and Sheremetyevo are closed for flights due to the threat of drone attacks, causing chaos for travelers. Ah well, maybe better luck with your flights next week……or maybe not!!! Slava Ukraini!!!

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030015#Comment_122030015

The "Russian" tyres in Ireland on agricultural machinery were made in Ukraine. Go delve deeper on them and you'll find they were made in Ukraine.

Ukraine is was a powerhouse in manufacturing. Russia fond of vodka and won't work as it's beneath them.

Virgil°

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030015#Comment_122030015

I've also seen the classic RU branding on some hard drives and solid state drives and on various PC components. But I do agree with the overall point. It's one of the reasons I think Russia is going to fall behind in this war eventually.

You'd want to be stark raving mad to be thinking of a long term future as computer/electronic technician or software engineer in the Russian state as it is. Indeed a huge chunk of this workforce already absconded abroad when first mobilization was announced. And if any further mobilizations are announced I'm sure that trend will continue.

These people may not be immediately obvious in a war that has thus far relied on grunts sitting in a trench or firing a mortar. But when it comes to drones…. Even specifically AI enabled drones. You know? The kind of drone that doesn't f*cking care if your tank has EW capabilities duct taped to it. These kinds of technologies are in their infant stage right now, but they won't be for long. And that's just one example

If you're too busy hemorrhaging your tech workforce to other countries or using them to soak up 155mm shells then that's going to come back to you tenfold eventually.

Anyways.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030015#Comment_122030015

The kinda interesting thing is during Soviet times there were Soviet/Russian made goods being sold in The West™. I've mentioned before my dad had a portable Selena "transistor radio" made in the USSR and very proud of it he was. Oh and I still have it and it still works too. 😊👍️ He also had a Soviet watch and a mate of mine in school getting into photography had a Soviet camera. A few cars showed up too. The early 70's Mokvich(sp) was one. They also exported goods and expertise in turbine tech and power production.

20silkcut

I notice a new trend in Russian trolls on YouTube comments trying to distance themselves from the USSR and labeling people as ignorant for associating the two. They are arguing that Russia was “oppressed” by the USSR and most of its leaders were non Russian. And therefore NATO should not exist either seen as their adversary is gone.

The Russian SSR was nearly the entire USSR minus Ukraine , Belarus, the southern republics etc. it was led from the very same Kremlin with power centralized in Moscow. I know modern day Russia is very different to the USSR. But Russia oppressed by the USSR wtf? If that’s the case Gorbachev should be a hero in modern day Russia and he clearly isn’t. But the foreign ,Georgian, oppressor in chief, Josef Stalin is held in higher regard . Putin resurrected the old Soviet national anthem in the mid noughties as well. So it’s clear this is just more scutter for the scutter gun of falsehoods.

Mr. CooL ICE

Haven't owned anything russian (to my knowledge) but did play bass through a Sovtek amplifier many moons ago and it was fantastic. Also borrowed a Sovtek Big Muff pedal, which was equally amazing and wanted to source my own, but couldn't. The Electro Harmonix equivalent wasn't the same. Managed to get a clone locally made though, which did the job.

Brussels Sprout

Just to add to the Russian Economic growth conversation. That's what happens in war time. Turning their resources over to making things that will be destroyed in Ukraine counts toward GDP figures even though it has limited value to the real economy.

Here's the UK's GDP figures during WWII. Note the 4 years of growth after the outbreak of the war that included a time when cities were being bombed by the Luftwaffe:

scottser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030308#Comment_122030308

EHX tubes are still made by Sovtek in Russia. Their quality is excellent in fairness. I've had an EHX 6L6 in my VHT Special 6 for the last 4 years and not a bother on it.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030181#Comment_122030181

Putin is a cuddly teddy bear compared to any Soviet Social Socialist leader, including Gorbachev, who killed about 2 million civilians in Afghanistan and lots more besides.

Putin is a vile orick but the depth and savagery of the USSR is not fully appreciated or ever discussed.

Russians had it better than others but every one was shi7 on the shoe.

zerosquared

Missile factory on fire in Moscow

https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1780343524963086481

Tank factory under water in Urals

But hey I am sure this will do wonders to the self reported economic figures by time it reaches Putin’s desk and forwarded onto the spinsters

Poon Tang

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030045#Comment_122030045

And yet Russia are still standing strong.

Does your worn out "Slava Ukraini" jibe have any actual meat behind it? That and giving a big wad of cash isn't going to cut it… Ukraine are going to need far more commitment from the west to have any hope in this conflict.

If Putin and Russia really are this grave threat to Europe and perhaps the world, that the propagandists have tried to convince us, why then are more westerners not eagerly signing up in their millions to help fight off this terrible tyrant? Have we lost our metal as a culture? Have we gone a bit soft in the gut? Or have we been fed a load of baloney, and most citizens are aware of this? (even if they don't openly admit it)

Jinglejangle69

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030566#Comment_122030566

How can Russia still have the technology and factories to build these weapons?

In a country best known for the lada ffs.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030629#Comment_122030629

Lada were selling to the impoverished Russian people, not the government and oligarchs, hence the disparity.

Weapons manufacturers can make (relatively) technologically advanced stuff because the government funnel money into it, instead of investing in things that help the masses.

Anything they need to import they just pay a premium and someone gets it shipped to Uzbekistan and rolls it over the border to evade sanctions

keeponhurling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030566#Comment_122030566

A report by TASS state news agency sought to portray the reported fire as a drill but other accounts indicated there had been a fire at the key Putin defence plant. There were claims that smoke at the scene was in fact not real.

“To bring the exercise conditions as close as possible to combat ones, pyrotechnic smoke devices were used in the premises,” a spokesman was quoted as saying. 

Nothing to see here, move along…..fake news, fake smoke…

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029534#Comment_122029534

"still standing strong"… "robust"… You do realise they are the invading force, not the defenders? Your descriptions don't apply to the aggressor in a conflict. This was a 'special military operation' Putin thought would be over in a heartbeat. The fact that they're still in Ukraine, having faced no more than the Ukrainian military, is not something to be overly boastful about.

Hopium indeed… keep dreaming because your arguments on here are deluded.

Edit: I'm loathe to call anyone a troll (even one with such strong views on the war but who has miraculously only signed up to discuss in the last week), but since you pick and chose which replies to engage with and refuse to back up your comments when challenged - numerous times now - I've no interest in engaging with you any further on this thread.

zerosquared

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030629#Comment_122030629

Having to import weapons from North Korea and Iran should give one an indication of how far Russia has fallen industrially from the Soviet days

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030629#Comment_122030629

Painting Russia as a nation of lazy, uneducated, vodka drinking inepts as many posters on here have done over the past couple of years is a silly thing to do. Anyone with a grasp of history or who works in IT will appreciate that Russia produces incredibly smart and capable graduates in the science and technology fields. For all its poverty and faults it continues to be one of the world leaders in space exploration. You don't do that if the Lada is the best you can come up with.

People really need to separate their view of Putin from that of the average educated Russian.