Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Markus Reisner of the Austrian army provides a dispassionate and sobering assessment of the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive in his first video for months. 

Reisner dispels the narrative that persists (sometimes in this thread) that the Russian soldier is drunk/old/incapable of fighting, and points out the folly of underestimating your enemy. The video serves to highlight how the dwindling supply of military equipment to Ukraine in recent months, and its complete reliance on external military aid, starkly contrasts with the growing Russian military industrial complex and its increasing capability to produce more sophisticated drones and other equipment.

You have to get permission from Putin to run against Putin

This was the role that Vladimir Zhironovsky traditionally played in previous Presidential elections. He died of COVID so they'll need to cast someone else for that role. I would imagine they will allow one person like that but they'll have to be obviously flawed so that people won't actually vote for them in large numbers. Putin saw the love an support that Progozhyn got in Rostov. He won't want to take a risk. Perhaps they could suggest nuking the moon or cutting the state pension to fund the war effort.

There will be the usual candidate from the Communist Party. Then there will be a bunch of lightweights who nobody has every heard of who don't say anything interesting.

I can't imagine they will cast an anti-war candidate as they don't want to even admit that that's a possible political option.

And in any case, even if people show their contempt for the fake election, by not turning up, Putin's election team will have more than enough ballot box stuffers on duty. It will be an overwhelming result in favor of Putin.

Russia moving from producing Western cars to building their own electric cars. Anyone going to preorder?

They already built the ladas off the back of old Fiat machinery. Have they somehow gotten the old Multipla blueprints somewhere?

Of course they do. And it's why they'll need many of the refugees abroad sent back home especially teenagers who could now be 19 or 20. If this turns into a 20 year war they need all the help they can get.

This topic been covered here before.

There is no mechanism for returning refugees to their home country so they can be drafted into a war, and there is no political will to do it either.

Just the fever dreams of Irish anti-immigration supporters.

They are also talking about increasing the higher age of conscription to 40 +

No point calling me naive when you're simply guessing yourself. Really, are you privy to the motivations of every single Ukrainian immigrant here? Would you be happy to call a Ukrainian a draft dodger to his or her face?