He's been seen less in public over the last few years ,at one stage he disappeared for a couple of weeks ,it was suggested he suffered a stroke
It can be very hard to explain things to people who haven't lived in Russia or surrounding countries how things actually are. I wouldn't call them dumb, just not informed. In the same way you could say the same of regular russian people who only get their news and opinion of the west from Channel One.
Putin is popular in Russia. I was there for elections. A few vocal dissenters are nothing in comparison to his support base.
And your evidence that as a 70 year old, he's perfectly healthy ? ( don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing ill health on anyone )
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It's hard to talk with people who are so dumb and clueless they don't even know the US would have troops there.
Ehh... That's exactly how it works. US troops and other NATO member troops are stationed throughout the Eastern bloc. Warplanes, naval wargames etc a regular occurrence.
The Cuban missile crisis influences decisions today still. The thought of NATO expanding into Ukraine is absolutely a concern for Russian security.
The western response to the annexation of Crimea and the incursion into Georgia in recent times only bolstered support for Putin at home.
Support at home is what truly matters to Vova.
The fact that you actually think he has Parkinsons, not even saying there's a "theory" about, really epitomizes how feeble-minded your concept of this subject is.
"The trolls are the people posting peer-reviewed sources from reputable united state universities.
The people mud-slinging with every vague accusation they can think of without a single source are not the trolls. "
Yes Comrade, Spasiba,
Let's not feed the trolls.
Your opinion I'm sure, just like mine, is that Putin is a life long, arms length bully, a dangerous and power hungry individual, willing to plumb any depths of corruption to maintain his status and his beneficial thrall to the one percent of Russians who control all of the money, which of course is a reciprocal arrangement.
He further presides over an endemically corrupt state of individuals, in law enforcement, the Courts, the military, the civil service, industry, local and regional government, willing to plumb any depths themselves to continue to line their own pockets and to maintain the positions they do not merit.
Putin's fermentation of nostalgia for the Soviet Union among his poor dumb people is just a distraction technique, a great big red herring (I know!) to try and fool everyone, anyone even, that he isn't driving one of the World's great lands into a cess pit of cheapened life and stolen goods.
Whether murdering Muslims in Chechnya or invading sovereign Countries like Ukraine and Georgia, Putin has been let away with far too much, for far too long and its time the West ignored UN consensus and vetos from China and the next time Putin crosses a line stamp all over his toes and then chop his feet off with a chainsaw. The rest will be up to the Russian people.
That'll be justice indeed.
Don't believe everything you see or is implied on CNN (who have themselves on occasionadmitted the elections are not rigged and Putin's popularity, slightly down recently).
It is well-known and established now there ARE free and fair democratic elections in Russia. A few years back (10+) there were concerns the elections were rigged, international independent analysts now do not dispute elections in Russia. Putin critics diverted to "the system is rigged", but you could say that about any democratic country.
If he is that popular then why does he not allow free and fair democratic election's in Russia?
And always twirling, twirling towards freedom...
How will they explain that? They have never done anything without a perfectly plausible explanation before, why would they start now?
@jmreire China has been exporting mining operations to Africa and south America for some time In lot of cases illegally and usually with the assistance of the Chinese military if they get hassled by locals ,
There saying Russia now has in excess of 125,000 + troops on Ukraines border including heavy artillery ,air defense units , special forces and marines and landing craft in the blacksea ,
I still think they are planning to take all the land that has access to the blacksea and then claim the water as Sovereignty and ban other countries from accessing it
As long as his Parkinson's disease permits. Which, to be fair, may be a very long time.
Judging by other world leaders another 10 years would not be unusual, Biden was elected at 78. Mugabe was 90-something before he finally relinquished power.
I like Putin, I think he is a good man fighting for peace and justice and a better tomorrow and no amount of lame western propaganda will convince me otherwise.
Its now accepted I think that it was a coup , riding on the back of major unrest in the population, fed up with being robbed blind by their leaders. So Vladimir stepped in, crushed it out if existence and is now departing, job done. But its also a msg for the Kazak leadership, " we have saved you, now you owe us. Remember if there is another coup or popular uprising, you will need us again." And of course, its also a msg to anyone else who might be thinking of unapproved ( by Russia ) regime change. As for China's interest in Lithuania, thats a little bit strange , but no surprise really I suppose, given the Chinese general interest in any Country in any part of the World. I remember in Liberia, in a remote forest area where I happened to be, far from the maddening crowd, I heard sounds of machinery working in the jungle, and went to investigate, Lo and behold deep in the jungle was a Chinese team with a drilling rig taking deep core samples.
Putin is nearly 70. How long can he go for ?
Seems like an awful waste of an effort to send that many troops and vehicles for a long weekend ,
I see that Chinese has offered to send assistance , now its odd being how many bit coin companies moved out of china due to a crack down by the government and most fled to Kazakhstan ,now china wants to help the regime ,
Meanwhile china is going all out on with trying to isolate Lithuania
Russian announces withdrawal of troops to start from Kazakhstan within two days, and be completed in ten days. In Syria, Putin waited until Assad was on the ropes, with the fall of Damascus imminent, before he agreed to help out, and throughout the war, he played a blinder with Assad.... waiting until the regime faced another catastrophe, before stepping in to help ( at a price of course) until he got basically everything he wanted from Assad. I wonder is he playing the same game here? There has to be a very good reason why he is pulling his military out so soon...Ukraine beckons?
Not ww3 but there could be some conflict especially if putin thinks he can get away with another land grab in Ukraine , Kazakhstan is different they have a pro Russian autocratic leadership but Russians only make up one fifth of the population of Kazakhstan, they are a minority group large enough but still in the minority,
People are getting fed up with not just fuel prices but the lack of employment opportunities and a low standard of living , they are looking at Europe as asking why nothing has improved for them since gaining independence,
But if you look at the make up of the Russian forces that arrived recently several thousand special forces and armoured vehicles and electronic warfare units , they are there to put down any notion the Kazakhstanis have of democracy.
Putin announced yesterday that Russian forces will be used to stymie any other protests in former States to prevent so called color revolutions .
But there wouldn't be us troops based in Ukraine ,that's not how nato works, it's not even a point ,
Russia wants nato gone full stop , because as long as nato is around he can't take back former States under Soviet occupation,
Would the US have a problem with Russian troops stationed in Canada or Mexico?
any danger of WWIII breaking out if Putin decides to invade the Ukraine or Kazakhstan?
Might be a stupid question but appreciate an answer. Watching sky news here, Russia's deputy foreign minister is very very clear Ukraine cannot be allowed into NATO.
Why is Russia so determined to stop another country joining an organisation (NATO in this case)?
Thanks
Russia can't even get their own propaganda right ,this is a recruitment poster for so called separatists in East Ukraine, adventure and Russian passports if you sign up .
Doesn't seem to be going down too well with the Norwegians who's military features in the posters
Baikonur could be replaced as a launch site tomorrow by Vandenberg or French Guiana, initially for resupply and later manned capsules from the commercial sector in the West which are well advanced.
The only reason Baikonur remains a factor even now is to give the Russians some skin in the ISS game. It's not like their cutting edge science is adding much to the mix.
The Kazakhstan trouble and the Russian support of the hard-line position of the Government could be just the excuse to pull the other space agencies out permanently.
beautifully illustrated
Yes Elmer Blooker is but he was responding to an earlier post I made where I was responding to some people who said western media is unfair to the Russian people (ordinary folks)
Elmer Blooker seems to think I was asking about western media and Russia government but I’m only asking what journalist write bad things and the Russian people
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