Imagine if Russia had undergone a process of decolonisation similar to the Western European nations. How big would it be now? Would Russia even exist East of the Ural Mountains?
Russia sort of underwent that process during the fall of the USSR. The thing about its remaining empire is that much of it is empty. Siberia is just a vast tract of wilderness with the odd little town or city here or there and only really existing due to some local mineral concern. The indigenous populations are basically just natives on the reservation with numbers too small to have ever exerted the political will needed to break away.
I'm pretty sure that half the population live in the western most eight of Russia.
And even that was diminishing before the war; god knows what COVID, those who fled mobilisation, and those now fertiliser in Ukraine, will do for that shrinking population. Sure as heck won't make for a baby boom - not unless the government slips something in the water, or demands Babies for the Motherland. Russia is in deep shít with just the basic necessities for civilisation, nevermind a 21st century nation.
Actually you're the one who constantly attacks me. I was having a discussion with someone else about why dictators like Putin are not assassinated more often and then you jump in out of nowhere and say that I'm sympathising with "poor Russians". My post had absolutely nothing to do with that topic and you were just looking to stir an argument again. I've no interest in attacking you personally but I will respond when you totally twist the sense of my posts and write nonsense about a "thesis" that I don't remotely promote. Check your own behaviour before calling for other people to be banned
Humanitarian, and yes it was dangerous, but Chechnya was worse, and so was Libya. maybe Ukraine is in my future, but I don't know at the moment. But I have a Guardian Angel on my shoulder. And that's the only reason we are having this conversation, and that's for sure!!!
Where has Ukraine breached the line, do we think? Is it here?
They have been very good at keeping the finer details secret til well after the fact.
A nuclear super power doesn’t need a buffer but an expanding empire does.
They are absolutely right. I'm sure the Russians are looking closely at all Western and Ukrainian reports.
I would imagine the Russians would know where their line has been breached, if it has indeed been breached. They'd have reports from their own soldiers, number one, or even chatter on Telegram to look at.
How has Russia come to this? They go from the Soviet Union which was very powerful to the much smaller Russian federation and now they're fighting a bloody war against fellow slavs and dying in their thousands.
Meanwhile their old enemy the USA doesn't suffer any losses while they provide weapons that make Russians suffer even more. How have they baited themselves into this situation? Not to mention the brain drain where they lose millions of talented individuals to the West they hate so much.
Because the USSR was all smoke and mirrors, the dissolution of which only revealed the thugs and autocrats in charge, no longer able to hide behind propaganda and ideals of communism. The difference was simply marketing and It has been a downward slope since then. The post Putin years will be extremely rough I reckon, and whoever succeeds him may be even worse in terms of naked antagonism and thievery.
I'd disagree with most of this. From what I understand, the communication between units up and down the chain of command is piss poor so knowing what their own army is doing is unlikely. Telegram is the most likely way if knowing what's happening.
More backwards russian-ness
Or in other words, had Putin known the true state of his military, he would have stayed far away from Ukraine. But now, he's on a hook he cannot wriggle easily off of. Even so, back at home in Mother Russia, the anti-war anti-Putin pot is starting to heat up, and at some point, he won't be able to keep the lid on it.
You can go back to before world war 1 when the Tsar attempted to gain popularity by attacking the supposedly much weaker Japan and being embarrassed. Russia has a history of getting the world to overestimate it's forces.
Largely because actually invading the place is impossible and gives them their best victories.
It ironic that Russia are running down their Soviet era war stock against surplus modern western weapons, aided with private sector technologies.
...and sprinkle in a bit of american lead 'shock therapy' during its transition from the ussr to its now, absolute nightmare.....
Meanwhile the West is seriously upping development of superior western weapons while Russia struggles to cope, not to mention keeping their economy afloat.
This is paywalled but the headline seems interesting
only 8% of Russians think Putin killed Prigoblin?
Second month in a row we were getting these reports. Reminder that the town outside Kupyansk didn't fall never mind Kupyansk. There was however very hard fighting so it wasn't all lies.
I have my doubts there's going to actually that much soldiers attacking but if this is true could be a tough month of hard defending for Ukraine. Hopefully they've mined the place to bits.
Sounds like whatever Ukraine's doing in the South is close to success, or near disaster for Russia, cos why else would the latter make another noisy and voluminous movement of troops again except to potentially redirect some Ukrainian forces away from the encroaching Tokmak frontline?
You would think if say Russia had even a quarter of the 100k troops that there on about they would reinforce the south and pile them into the trenches and bunkers etc. Make it much harder for Ukraine to attack and take heavier losses. Madness throwing them into offensive territory, different if they were lead brilliantly and we're crack troops. But I suppose what Russia has done since the very 1st moment of the invasion is madness.
Does not surprise me because if I was a Russia and living in Russia and asked- forced to take part in the survey- I would be voting with the majority. Because if I voted with the 8%and Putin found out I would be afraid of what would happen to me/ my family
Not to mention : we talk much about the ageing lefties too wedded to "America Bad" logic to let go of a lifetime to bias. Surely the same exists in Russia, where significant age groups who grew up with ... well, America Bad and Russia Good, aren't gonna shift that sensibility anytime soon; those viewpoints passed down to their kids who hear all this chatter about how great the USSR was in the day. Oh sure it was tough but there was power, and no Pussy Riots or McDonald's. Make Russia Great Again, that sort of thing.
I wouldn't be so sure it was Putin either. Obviously wasn't physically him, but whether he gave the order is a huge unknown. Could have been any number of insiders who wanted him out of the picture.
I don't know(cos paywalled) how that survey was conducted but I agree.If I was in Russia (or even Ukraine?) I would toe the line in any survey as I would assume it could not be confidential.
I wonder if some viral meme could be spread in Russia to the effect that "Putin has been hacked!!" So as to demoralise their system of suppression of the population?
Seems like everyone there is walking around in a bubble of one terrified of attracting any attention at all.(maybe not so bad as that but getting that way)
The Kremlin came out and acknowledged it right away, gave out the passager list etc...
They knew all about it as they were involved. If it was other actors, the Kremlin would be right out spinning it was a bird strike or blaming Ukraine on it.
Seems to be good news in the South
UAF broken through a second line of defence and on towards Verbove, and may have found a way to bypass the first line of Defence further North.
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