Russia - threadbanned users in OP

ToweringPerformance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030795#Comment_122030795

I've travelled through Russia on my motorbike back in 2003 on my way to Vladivostok. Wonderful warm people outside of Moscow anyway. Couldn't do enough to help you.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030606#Comment_122030606

Russia since '22 has become heavily sanctioned, had hundreds of billions in assets frozen, lost their largest and more lucrative energy customers, currency has lost approx 30% of it's value, hundreds of thousands of their troops have been killed/injured (and thousands of tanks, vehicles and craft), countless numbers of skilled workers have fled the country, they have been shut out of the most lucrative financial systems and have become global pariahs

Putin is currently attempting to invade a European country (after annexing territory and sparking a proxy war in the region). Plans have been leaked that Belarus, Transnistria and other areas were next in line. He has run a potent disinfo and propaganda campaign for years, meddled in international elections, had no qualms using nerve agent in foreign nations to assassinate people, evening TV news hosts regularly talk of invading and attacking other European countries and cities. Putin by his actions very much wants to destablise and fracture Europe and the West as well invade areas by force

The people who think he will "stop" with Ukraine were similar to those who said he would "stop" with Crimea, and then said he would "stop" with Donbas. In my experience these individuals are most likely to believe Kremlin propaganda whilst projecting that anything to the contrary is "propaganda" (which is also on page one of the Kremlin's playbook)

zv2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030562#Comment_122030562

I think Gorbachev was a good man. He had to go along with the Afghanistan thing if he was to remain in power and end the Soviet Union.

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030795#Comment_122030795

It's definitely a fair point, and one that's worth being expanded to Russia's military as well. There has to be a certain number of competent and even skilled officers in the Russian Armed Forces, otherwise the whole force would have fallen apart by now due to a complete lack of logistics and leadership. All those artillery shells need to get to the front somehow.

I do feel though as if Russia has fallen behind the USSR in terms of its scientific and technical abilities, even compared to the later Brezhnev era. For all its many faults, the Soviets appreciated science, even if only as another front in the cold war. There was a much freer flow of scientific papers into and out of the country back then than there is today, and the country didn't shy away from testing out advanced and sometimes crazy concepts such as the Ekranoplans and other ground effect vehicles. Meanwhile, much of the output of the Putin era seems to be a rehashing of Soviet era research and systems. They still haven't been able to get a replacement for the Soyuz capsule in place despite working on it for ages. I can't shake the feeling that the modern political apparatus that Putin has built is much "better" at smothering bright minds than the Soviet system was,

Also, it's worth pointing out that Russia has suffered a significant brain drain for much of its post-soviet existence, with loads of the brightest people ending up in Silicon Valley (Sergey Brin of Google fame, anyone)? So while it is undoubtedly true that there are still loads of brilliant minds in the country, as well as a wealth of institutional knowledge, it is nowhere near the juggernaut it once was.

thomil

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030871#Comment_122030871

Just on that, it was never his plan to end the USSR. He was a communist through and through. His aim was always to reform the country, basically do what China had been doing for years at that point. The collapse of the USSR came about after Chernobyl laid bare just how fragile the system had become.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030606#Comment_122030606

Given the fact it was supposed to take a few days to invade the nation, going pretty terribly. You seem to be a bit of a fan of Putin's goal of genocide though.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030850#Comment_122030850

They are that…I lived there for several years, and if Putin was gone, I go back in a heartbeat.

rogber

Another day, another Russian war crime, another shrug of the shoulders or maybe a few "thoughts and prayers" from Ukraine's so-called allies in the West. Tragic, shameful, infuriating

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68833833

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030941#Comment_122030941

It was always on my to visit countries but the general political situation always concerned me a bit. Did have the opportunity to visit Kiev a few years back and glad I had that chance. Beautiful looking city and just a pretty pleasant experience. There was still some concerns even back then about invasions though.

rogber

Our responsibility:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/17/kharkiv-at-risk-of-becoming-second-aleppo-without-us-aid-mayor-ukraine-russia

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030941#Comment_122030941

hold on. We have been warned by a number of posters on here that Putin’ s replacement will be a ‘ much harder. Man’ so be very careful what you wish for !! . They say that Putin wil be seen as the proverbial poodle compared to what’s coming down the track

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030606#Comment_122030606

Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about such things as manpower on the EU side Poon, when the time comes, they will be ready and waiting. But you can start worrying instead about how Putin's next mobilisation will go… because he'll need it you know. The economy is already suffering from manpower shortages due to the current mobilizations. And there's limits' to how many Countries will allow you to use their citizens as cannon fodder, although I guess Kim Jong Un (who needs the money) will still allow some to go and fight for Putin. The way the Russian dams and bridges everywhere are collapsing, is very good idea of just how strong your Russia really is. And speaking of dams and bridges, heres a Russian news article for you…Residents of flooded Orsk draw water from puddles or hand buckets outside their windows during rain - Russian media. There has been virtually no tap water supply in the city for 12 days already due to floods.
"Water is now worth its weight in gold in Orsk. Drinking water is delivered by volunteers, and there are huge queues for it. The water flows out of the tap intermittently and is dirty. My son, owing to forgetfulness, used this water while brushing his teeth. The result was a fever of 40°C and vomiting for three days. He was poisoned," local resident Anna told the newspaper.
According to Orsk mayor Vasily Kozupitsa, the wells will be put into operation when the floods recede because if flood waters get into the wells, the drinking water will be contaminated.

Strong Russia Poon??? Yeah.

EltonJohn69

Saturday is the big day, Congress will vote on the aid package. I think I will be watching that.

zerosquared

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030850#Comment_122030850

I am sure the people of Germany in 1919 were as friendly in 1940 too, except for that small detail where their fascist government started a war that killed 73 million people, minor detail, nothing to worry about.

My point is that people and societies change, the kindest best meaning people could be brainwashed, suppressed, and prosecuted and repressed in an authoritarian fascist system that Russians have embraced.

There is a strange effort to somehow absolve ordinary Russians of all the rape and murdering and kidnapping and pillaging in Ukraine, but whichever way your try to spin it it’s Russians who are doing these acts and supporting the war indirectly not Putin on his own.

At best all the “nice” well meaning Russians can do is keep their heads down, but all that does is further empower the regime to commit unspeakable acts in their names.

aidanodr

Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he is sticking with his plan to put a series of foreign aid bills on the floor, including funding for Ukraine, after facing significant pressure from hardliners.

Johnson said in a note to members that they will vote on these Saturday evening.

We may have some good news coming our way about US aid to UKRAINE perhaps?

I was often wondering could Johnson have been playing a quiet game to push through this aid for Ukraine, in the background balancing the fckery going on with the MAGA wing in the GOP? I am sure there is alot we just dont see and have not seen going on in the background.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/17/politics/mike-johnson-ukraine-aid

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122031077#Comment_122031077

Not going to hold onto hope here, but have all my fingers crossed for this.

zerosquared

That’s second article in as many days in a major publication about China distancing itself from Russia

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/4/17/is-china-growing-tired-of-russias-war-in-ukraine

The kites are being sent up

aidanodr

More news on this vote saturday

New House GOP proposal -

-$61 billion for Ukraine & regional partners ($23B will go to replenishment of U.S. stockpiles.) Bill also covers repayment of econ support
-$26 billion for Israel.
-$8 billion for Indo-Pacific
-$95 billion total

Per House Appropriations Committee

( 2nd tweet ) The Israel package also includes more than $9.1 billion for humanitarian relief

https://twitter.com/bresreports/status/1780639964847313139

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030795#Comment_122030795

Very true, there are a lot of very talented Russians out there. Though they've had an ongoing brain drain over the last decade plus as quite the number of graduates and highly skilled people moved overseas for better opportunities. Putin well knows it too. Last year he increased the number of years required for university degrees. The flagwavers claimed this was to improve results, but what they failed to mention was by doing so and withdrawing from international standards he also stymied, or hopes to stymie, young Russian's abilities to leave for greener pastures.

On Space; yes they were real top of the line and hold many, if most of the firsts in Space exploration and did so during Soviet times when pretty much everything had to be inhouse and homegrown. An incredible set of achievements. More latterly and sadly imho given their history they're very much behind the curve. Incremental tweaks to their decades old(though bloody good) Soyuz launch vehicles paid to ferry to the ISS has been most of it. Now Space-X has largely taken over with a far more up to date and cheaper alternative to LEO. Even NASA far from its glory days and operating on a fraction of their 60's budget has probes across the solar system and even managed a manned flight capable vehicle shot around the Moon, planning for a manned flight in the next few years. Russia's Lunar probe landing failed. India's got there and China got theirs down safe including a rover.

aidanodr

Utter poison and poisonous. MTG is a Putin mouth piece

https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1780642249342132475

aidanodr

The Ukraine bill is out and available to read.

https://punchbowl.news/ukraine-funding/

Differences from the Senate supplemental. One that immediately jumps out is the requirement to transfer long-range ATACMS "as soon as practicable."

zv2

@thomil "His aim was always to reform the country."

Yes, but that would be tantamount to ending an era. There were many things he did not like about the system. I once heard him lament the moral decay the system was creating. He wanted to move on.

Virgil°

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122031276#Comment_122031276

She really is the most disgusting slime imaginable. A true cuckoo in the nest if ever there was one. I can't even listen to her without grinding my teeth.

saabsaab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029762#Comment_122029762

I am sure they are planning a Summer offensive and I'd say the Ukrainians are ready to give them the warmest of welcomes!

I.am.Putins.raging.bile.duct

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122031276#Comment_122031276

This cnut would volunteer to run a concentration camp I'd bet

zv2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122031477#Comment_122031477

She has 2 brain cells, and they are fighting each other.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122030964#Comment_122030964

Whatever or whoever is coming down the track after Putin will not have anything like what he had when he came down the track more than 20 years ago. Not even remotely, and I'd hazard a guess that both the Silovicki and Oligarchs would find a nice convenient window for him if he tries the same course of action. And its not just the Silovicki and Oligarchs. Putin's war is becoming increasingly costly, with taxpayers being called more and more upon to shoulder the costs. And to continue on the same course will at some time, sooner or later lead to another Russian Revolution.

Virgil°

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122031557#Comment_122031557

Honestly I think she's smarter than people think. It's just that she knows what to say to get her redneck, room temperature IQ base riled up. And she's utterly compromised. A Russian asset without a doubt.

ToweringPerformance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122031093#Comment_122031093

I'm not spinning anything. I was giving my experience of travelling through Russia on my motorbike. You seem to be seeing things in my post that aren't there.

zerosquared

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122031733#Comment_122031733

21 years ago, same year as Long Way around coincidentally

Fascism changes people, societies and countries and not for the better