If you really think that's a real number, when there were multiple videos shared of ballot stuffing alone, then I have a bridge to sell you; the election is as corrupt as they come and we can't know the final, real tally cos the result was preordained and fixed. Equally...
Few of us have ever lived in an oppressive and authoritarian regime so wouldn't be so bold as to talk about people feel living in a police state where basic peaceful civil disobedience is punished severely.
And your rationale is the same that justifies demolishing hospitals and other civilian infrastructures because "the terrorists were hiding there", it equates equal responsibility and blame on the innocent for not outing the terrorists, as a way to wave away civilians deaths as collateral damage worth paying.
And when you punish the aggressor and its population as having collective blame, you get the Weimar Republic and all that came from that. When you recognise that there were those keeping their heads down and functionally powerless, you get West Germany.
You’re contradicting yourself now claiming essentially that Russia has open and free elections and democracy
...
@pixelburp
"When you recognise that there were those keeping their heads down and functionally powerless, you get West Germany"
you meant to say "East Germany"?
I know that the whole thing was rigged, They are all a bunch of cowards then (even worse), also complicit to what the regime is doing by staying silent. Again no sympathy.
And yes, what Russia is doing in Ukraine and Israel in Gaza is wrong on so many levels, Do I feel sorry for Israel when someone blows up another bus in Tel Aviv? I think you know my answer. Israel is doing the best recruitment for the future "terrorists".
But nothing in any way remotely comparable with what just happened at the concert.
If there are military targets in Russia that is a completely different story and there should be zero qualms if they are attacked whenever possible by Ukraine (it is their right to self defence)
We must not allow our emotions (or lazy thinking) to cloud our judgement and play advantage to Putin.
All populations are at fault for their oppression so fúck em? This is as bad as the paper tigers talking big how they'd grab a rifle in the morning. It's one thing to despise the Russians actions but to just write off 140 million odd people as marked for death, cos of "cowardice" is pretty crass, and at least own your bloodlust here.
I meant that West Germany was formed from relics of the previous regime and civilians who broadly kept their heads down during the worst of the Reich's behaviour. We were happy to denazify and just move on, taking the mature consideration that there were those blameless and powerless to change the regime. As it is in Russia or anything oppressive regime. Calling those people "cowards" is vulgar.
How did I contradict myself ? ... they had an election and the result there was that 87% voted for Putin. You are stating stuff I never mentioned.
Of course the thing was rigged but 87% is the only number we have Im afraid
"Of course the thing was rigged but 87% is the only number we have Im afraid"
Again you are an unwitting Putin mouthpiece.
When it's convenient for Putin and his cronies, not hundreds but thousands of innocent civilians have and will continue to die for him. There's only one life that he cares about, and that's his own.
For anyone who missed it
It takes some imagination to think that Putin could have been responsible for that.
If he was and it could be shown then his end would be very unpleasnt.
I tend to take ISIS at its word but who knows ,Putin would be capable if he was certain of getting away with it.
Yes I despise the Russian actions and have no sympathy that some Russians experiencing the same fear as a lot of Ukrainians are experiencing for the last couple of years, up to 10x the amount of Russian lives are lost on the front lines every day, also no sympathy there. I hope that a good portion of those 140 million wakes up and say enough is enough, I believe that is only established if you bring the war closer to them.
Oh I see. Yes ,a grey area alright but a decision that was shown to be right.
In our part of the world we hardly knew what WW2 entailed.
He already implied Ukraine had something to do with it, so we know how he wants to spin this
If it was a Ukrainian bomb that hit Russian civilian targets to give them a taste of their own medicine I'd say fair game, not pretty but understandable.
But cheering on Islamic State is a very dangerous and stupid version of "my enemy's enemy is my friend". They would happily slaughter you and your loved ones if they got half a chance simply on the basis of you being non Muslim. It's incredibly shortsighted, if not idiotic, to think them murdering hundreds of Russian civilians is somehow justice for what's happening in Ukraine
Sure.....
Yeah ... be glad Ireland wasn't involved as such
Give it two days and the majority of the Russians will believe it was Ukraine who did it.. It is already being implied by Putin
Give it time
However we have plenty of evidence of ballot stuffing and also soldiers checking voting booths to ensure people were doing things "correctly", hence we know there was significant tampering of the election.
So how is the number even relevant ?You've no idea if the number is a complete fabrication, and simply plucked from the air.
That's before we discuss the fact that the main opposition candidates were prevented from running, and any candidates who were allowed run, all support the war.
Don't walk it back. they're "cowards" for not overthrowing Putin so it's fair game they die, that's the nub of it. just for clarity I presume you stop short at enjoying russian children dying too? Cos they'll probably grow up to adults who don't rebel so why waste tears?
Yes I'm being an àss but franky I find your bloodlust pretty grotesque. We all feel impotent rage at Putin but wishing or enjoying Russians die brings nothing, and ignores the realities of living in a police state.
And just to be clear, your haste to savour russian blood spilled means you're cheering IS(IS) here so ... ... yeah. Not great either.
"If it was a Ukrainian bomb that hit Russian civilian targets to give them a taste of their own medicine I'd say fair game, not pretty but understandable"
It would be counterproductive as they depend on Western armaments to protect their own civilian population and to take the fight to the enemy.(that action would put it in jeopardy)(
Still it is their war but I believe they are not stupid enough to follow the recommendations by some on this site.
They say revenge is a meal best served cold for a reason.
Even those Russians fighting their own regime might think twice before playing into Putin's hands.
I know it was a complete shitshow but that number is what was given as the election result..... and given all the suppression I found it to be a disappointing outcome tbh.
I know all that, but from a purely human perspective it would be understandable. I don't think they should do it
From the BBC:
In the video, which has also been widely shared online, Ukraine's top security official Oleksiy Danilov appears to say: "It is fun in Moscow today. I think it's a lot of fun. I would like to believe that we will arrange such fun for them more often."
However, BBC Verify has established that the video is a composite of two interviews published in the last week. The voice of Danilov was likely generated using AI technology, according to an expert.
The two interviews used to create the fake video can be accessed on YouTube, one - dated 19 March - features Danilov and the other - dated 16 March - Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.
The presenters interviewing Budanov can be seen in the fake NTV video, wearing the exact same clothes with identical backgrounds behind them.
The quote by Danilov which appears in the NTV video cannot be heard in the original interview from 16 March, making it likely that the audio is AI-generated.
Sam Gregory, an expert on AI-generated content, has told BBC Verify that the video aired by NTV was likely a "deepfake" and Danilov's voice in it appeared to be a "voice clone deepfake".
I think their drones that are hitting oil refineries further away than Moscow don't fall under the western armament clause, But I agree its a waste to fly them into apartments, they are more useful hitting their economy where it hurts
By the time they're done with these guys they'll be telling them they're Zelensky's nephews
What likely happens is that when they attack military targets they will take less care of civilian collateral damage.
Still wrong but very understandable and unlikely to cause reputational damage.
What we we do in their place?
"But I agree its a waste to fly them into apartments,"
You are still fixated on direct attacks on civilians. I will not discuss this further with you.
133 innocent civilians killed in one of the biggest terrorist attacks in Europe and the silence from the West is deafening because they're Russian citizens....
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