Russia - threadbanned users in OP

There is an article in Der Spiegel about a German AfD representative who was being monitored by he Czech security authorities as part of their investigation into Voice of Europe, a vatnik propaganda outlet operating in Prague.

It seems he was caught on tape complaining that his kgb handlers had paid him in €200 notes and that he wasn't able to conveniently "launder" such large denominations in shops and petrol stations.

I'm absolutely delighted for him.

I'm also holding out further in the hope that some Irish names will emerge out of this affair.

Ukraine: US doubles down, Russia is cool
M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

That is to say, in effect, the direct military assistance to Ukraine will actually amount to about $13.8 billion till end-2024. The Russian experts estimate that this allocation rules out another Ukrainian “counteroffensive.” But that is small comfort, since the increased flow of US weaponry will beef up the Ukrainian military capability to withstand the Russian offensive, which cannot but impact the present balance of forces at the front.
<snip>
From a military angle, in immediate terms, the cutting edge of the aid bill lies in the fact that it opens the gateway for the transfer to Ukraine of tactical missile systems [ATACMS] capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 300 km, which brings Crimea within its range. Reportedly, French troops are already on the ground in Odessa numbering 1000 and another contingent is expected shortly. This was of course forecast a few weeks ago by the Russian foreign intelligence but Paris had flatly denied it. (here and here)

The bottom line here is that the aid package aims on the one hand to avoid a catastrophic military situation arising at the front in the coming months, which could be politically damaging for Biden’s re-election bid, while on the other hand, the bulk of funds actually goes to the US arms manufacturers in some key “swing states” and gratifies the influential military-industrial complex and the Deep State. source

A view from Douglas MacGregor written in the American conservative:

Is It Game, Set, Match to Moscow?
Douglas Macgregor

and in Foreign policy magazine the US establishment is asking out loud that the EU needs to send it's men in.

Europe—but Not NATO—Should Send Troops to Ukraine
Alex Crowther, Jahara Matisek, and Phillips P. O’Brien

To Halt Russia’s Advance, Kyiv Needs More Boots on the Ground

A taboo has broken in Europe. Only a few months ago, it would have been inconceivable for European leaders to propose sending European troops to Ukraine. But on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said the deployment of European forces to Ukraine could not be “ruled out.” Since then, other European officials have joined the chorus; the Finnish defense minister and Polish foreign minister have both suggested that their countries’ forces could end up in Ukraine. These comments, combined with preexisting support for such measures in the Baltic states, show that there is a growing bloc of countries open to direct European intervention in the war. source

meanwhile, Two years of war have impoverished many Ukrainians and the defense lines of the Ukrainian army are in the process of breaking down. No doubt there will be many contributors on this thread anxious to prevent that and are as we speak on their way to the Eastern front to provide their services. We have a rather ugly situation where the funds are just to keep the conflict going so neither side in the US can be blamed for a collapse pre-election while the EU populations are being slow walked into battle. It's obvious since the start of the year that all those retired military men coming out and saying their armies are not ready, implies that politicians across the EU are figuring the same, the Ukranian army cannot push the Russians out, and with so many elections underway they also do not want a sudden collapse impacting elections.

Do you think 1000 French troops are on the ground in Odessa?

Not sure what you were trying to say but when I see a post quote Douglas MacGregor I just think TSDR. Too stupid didn't read. Apologies if you had an actual point.

Sort of related

Russia already tried openness and democracy in the 1990s and sort of reverted to type once Putin was elected. They're more than welcome to try it again some time, but they'd probably need some significant alterations from the ground up in order to really make it stick.

The corruption is partly what I'm talking about. Without some degree of sense of civic duty and accountability, attempts at liberal democracy will lapse into whatever you want to call Russia's system of government.

@briany TBH in reading that book, I cannot see any salvation or normalisation as we might call it, in Russia. The whole society and the way its been run - I would say - for a few 100 years, defo since 1917ish - is incapable of nothing else other than the corruption and mafia style rule. I see no hope there, bar keeping it at bay as is happening for now

Yes and everyone in any position of power knows that it's the dagger that hands over their own head by a thread. That way everyone can be kept in line, all the way up the chain to Putin.

Personally, I think that Russia had a chance to become a democratic country, but the chance was squandered in 1993 when Yeltsin decided to cling to power, effectively destroyed the parliament and removed the obstacles to a possible presidential dictatorship. After that Russia started to transition to a mafia-style government.

I know people on the forum don't like me criticizing "the West", but that was partly its fault for supporting Yeltsin's grab for power because Yeltsin was crushing a left-leaning ("communist") Russian parliament. A quote from the linked article:

Western leaders, warned in advance of the assault, promptly declared support, but urged a speedy return to constitutionality amid fears that the Russian leader could become a political hostage to the armed forces.

"It is clear that the opposition forces started the conflict, and President Yeltsin had no other alternative but to try to restore order,' the US president, Bill Clinton, said.

@EltonJohn69 Tell us what you think when done. Great history of the Putin Era plus more. Eye opener and gives you far better understanding of Russia today

It was actually in response to another post in here but by coincidence another one, even more extreme, turns up