Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Is Putin grooming any successors? It seems like Putin is particularly terrified of death. It's a pretty universal fear, but Putin's looks to be especially heightened. He hid out during Covid, he's cancelling big celebrations so as to avoid being out in public too much, broke the length filter on the iKEA website.... seems like it's something he's doing his utmost to avoid, and not only that, but it seems to me like he doesn't want to entertain the concept of its inevitability. Thus, a true successor is not on the horizon, hype man Medvedev notwithstanding. If he's done anything to bring a successor along, it's to introduce rivals to the throne on the Russian political scene, but I think that's been more to protect his own temporal power by setting them bickering and acting subordinately. I really don't think he wants to imagine a Russia without him, and wouldn't particularly care about that future if he cannot be at the helm.

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Sounds like an ammo dump.

A Russian protest. Simmering.

It’s definitely intentional anyway. Impossible to know. Maybe just to keep the Russians consistently stressed and on alert to drain them. Maybe they don’t have the capacity to carry out a counteroffensive so just a misinformation campaign (although I doubt this is the case). Also, constantly talking about a counteroffensive means that if Russia receives good intelligence on the time it might be hard for them to separate that from the endless misinformation.

We now have thoughts on social media of forces from Ukraine attacking Russia itself, Transnistria, the occupied areas of Ukraine and who knows where. It's unknown unknowns that are not known.

Thoughts are it's what the Russians did amassing on the Belarussian Ukraine border and sitting there before this invasion. It's to encourage the population in the areas in the expected regions to move and leave before battle commences.

Test their willingness to negotiate? In fairness you really couldn't be more wrong.

The constant threat of what's comming is wearing down the Russians, imagine sitting in a trench day after day, night after night, every little sound is "is this it?" that's how you destroy morale. When it comes they won't even know it's comming until it's too late. This is how you win battles (and wars). The Ukrainians really know what they're doing.

And the needles were crooked....one plain, two purl!!! See? I know my needles ( I think?? )

Its not for nothing ethnic Russians are not popular in the Republic's. The Kremlin has been screwing them over for donkeys years, and of course there's resentment, And not helped by the mobilization imbalance which stuck out like a sore thumb. Basically Ok to feed the country hicks to the Bakhmut meat grinder, while the Muscovites and St. Petersburg residents are getting off, if not exactly Scot free, then definitely at a reduced rate of mobilizations, and more than likely, selected destinations. I mentioned in an earlier post that I think that any kind of revolt will originate in the Republics.

I always thought they looked a bit crochety ;-)

The evil beauty of their plan is that it also has the benefit of reducing the likelihood of a revolt in the Republics for the simple reason that they are missing so many of their able bodied young men.

The tweet comment gives the ending away but still worth a watch.

The sheer lack of self-awareness is just... *chef's kiss

Can we have a collection here to buy her a pair of ear muffs so she can study? A euro each should do it.

Yes, aside from reducing the nr's of fighting men available for revolution, it also try's to instill a sense of fear in the local population. This is not going to work too well in the Republic's !!! Like Dagestan, Chechnya, North Caucasus, etc. the clan system is alive and well, and very much so, computer age notwithstanding. These deaths and the reasons for them will not be forgotten for a very long time, or forgiven either, (if ever.) Any kind of breakthrough by Ukraine ( especially with these Russian Freedom fighters causing havoc on the border ) could effectively break the security logjam that's keeping the population subdued. Even one Republic refusing to hand over its men to Putin, could trigger a domino effect. Which is why Putin is fighting tooth and nail to prevent it happening.

It's getting right back to Stalin and his purges:

Imagine locking up your best scientists on trumped-up treason charges. (Of course Clare Daly would say I have no evidence that the charges are trumped-up!)

Russia is really going down the drain.