Russia - threadbanned users in OP

That's interesting, especially that he's been taken to an unknown location. The way I see it, Navalny has no propaganda value to Putin or his regime if he's disappeared or dead. Sure, it might remove a potential competitor, but I always got the impression that the Kremlin was content with using Navalnvy as a punching bag whilst still keeping him somewhat visible, to act as an example. The fact that he's apparently dropped off the face of the Earth leaves me with the following possible scenarios:

1) Transfer to another, even harsher penal colony - Possible, but why the secrecy? Prisoner transfers are nothing unusual and the Kremlin has been content to keep Navalny partially visible, as outlined above. Moving him in secret would be a break from their existing patterns, unless the security situation within Russia has degraded to such a degree that any transfer that is made public runs the risk of being ambushed. This latter point is unlikely, the recent glut of factory fires notwithstanding.

2) He has been killed - Possible, but unlikely. Navalny has more value to Putin alive. Killing him runs the risk of making him a martyr and allowing anti-Kremlin resistance to crystallise around him. It would also reinforce international resolve as many governments, especially in Europe, still think pretty highly of Navalny. Then again, if Putin's mental health has degraded to the point where he's just removing any competitor whether real or imagined, taking out Navalny might very well be on the cards.

3) He has been apprehended by an anti-Putin group within the Kremlin for use as a figurehead - Possible, but whilst unlikely definitely not out of the question. We know from multiple reports that there had been an attempt to remove Putin earlier on but which had failed. In my eyes, it is possible that another group within the Kremlin, possibly one that has the backing of parts of the security services, is preparing to move against Putin and is looking for an internationally acceptable figurehead to be their face to the west in the post-coup chaos.

4) He is being set up by Putin to take over - It sounds idiotic on the face of it, but hear me out. Elements of Putin's inner circle are likely already jockeying for position to replace him when he finally dies. Some might very well try to accelerate his departure if they sense weakness or any sign of a debilitating disease. Whilst Navalny is a thorn in Putin's side, he has never, at least to my knowledge, made an attempt on his life and thus is a safe bet, if you will. There is an outside chance that Putin might bring Navalny in from the cold and have him take over, especially if Putin's health is worse than we currently know. It would throw off his inner circle and also produce a convenient scapegoat once everything collapses after Putin's eventual death.

The latter two points would of course only come to play if another move against Putin is imminent or in Progress, or if Putin's life expectancy is measured in weeks, rather than months or years. Still, his disappearance presents a significant break from the Kremlin's previous modus operandi, so something has definitely changed.

That might be true, but how are their other expenditures looking? Russia doesn't just have to finance an army and a war, but also a fully functioning state. Well, as functioning as Russia is these days, but still, they will have significant expenditures for pensions, the health system, infrastructure, whatever passes for social welfare and so on. And given that some industries have ground to a halt due to international sanctions, it is likely that subsidies to those industries and/or unemployment payments have spiked as a consequence.

I included that with option 2, that's what the mental health sentence at the end of that section referred to.

Deutschland verrecke! 🤮🤮

That’s putting it mildly! I’ll be glad when I have my new passport and ID card so I don’t have to deal with that shirt show of a country for a while. What’s worse, Scholz isn’t just a disgrace and a liability on the international stage, he and his lot, particularly, it has to be said, the SPD ministers, are a complete train wreck on the domestic front as well.

At the risk of leading this thread aside with my rant, Scholz’s government announced the famous “9 Euro Ticket”, a travel pass that lets you travel throughout Germany on local trains and other forms of public transport for a period of several months, all for just 9€! A great initiative and highly successful, yet the minister for transport just announced that this initiative will be stopped at the end of summer despite its success! Germany’s broadband internet expansion campaign has been glacial and unambitious compared to Ireland’s national broadband plan and after criticising the Merkel government for years, the plan that Scholz and his lot agreed on contains bandwidths that would make any minister for communications here in Ireland hang their head in shame! Meanwhile, the government spent 3 billion Euros on a gas discount campaign whose effect had evaporated even before the law had been signed as fuel companies had raised their prices to account for that discount, basically washing those 3 billion straight into their coffers. Healthcare workers are leaving in droves due to horrendous working conditions and atrocious pay in the medical sector, however instead of doing something to raise pay levels, the government is thinking about reinstating mandatory civil service to force young people into the healthcare & care services sectors!

No matter how you slice it, the performance of the Scholz government in the short time since it took office is simply disastrous, to the point where I wonder whether Scholz is TRYING to get himself voted out, or worse. I mean, he’s already effectively destroyed the Social Democratic Party in Germany!