Please use this thread to continue discussing the war in Ukraine.
All mod instructions from the previous thread remain in force here
Original thread:
Excellent
I'd say that about 6 or 7 mth's or perhaps a little more, Putin "invited" all the Oligarchs to contribute to the war costs. So, no they are not exempt. But as for the Silovicki,they are a different matter..hard to tell. Either way presently, the financial squeeze just got much stronger, another jump in the interest rates from 16 to 18% all with no indication of how long that will last.
Sure, but try telling that to Russians retired or those on disability pensions (of which there has been a huge increase due to the war) all on fixed incomes which have been stuck on pensions which have fallen far behind the levels of inflation. Worth bearing in mind that this big increase in spending where the cash is coming from..because war economies don't generate cash, so it has to be coming from the sovereign wealth rainy day fund, and that's far from unlimited.
The problem is that many people around the world lap up and believe every word Putin's media tell them. Even if strange as it may seem at this stage, many Russians do not.
None the less, its an extremely prestigious world event, one that in the past Russia entered many, if not all events. And even from the USSR era, sports were very much encouraged in schools from a very early age. Because sports didn't cost the state much was one of the main reasons. And they took them extremely seriously, even doping their athletes to increase the haul of medals. No, banning Russia from the Olympics was a very big blow to Putin's and Russian prestige.
Not much interest in the Olympics apart from the 3 billion plus who will watch the events worldwide.
https://www.emarketer.com/content/2024-summer-olympics-could-be-most-watched-tv-event
https://united24media.com/latest-news/su-34-of-russian-aerospace-forces-crashes-near-volgograd-russia-1429
They lost an Su-34 today also.
Then insomnia is more widespread than I thought. Also it goes on and on for weeks, anyone can accidentally switch it on once and that counts as one of 3 billion. Otherwise those figures are about as reliable as Russian state news
Varoufakis highlights a slew of cancelled parades in Germany.
https://x.com/yanisvaroufakis/status/1816784412442292648
The European tour of the Ukrainian ultranationalists with contacts in the Nazi milieu has thus largely been cancelled
The more I look at it, the more it seems we should have had a role as neutral arbitrators to de-escalate the situation in 2022 as promoted by Sabine Higgins.
Here simplicus cites the 400k dead figure.
Who knows if he is correct but it seems that Ukrainians themselves are more inclined to take a settlement that includes loss of territory, the latest poll showing a trebling of support for such in the last year.
https://kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=1421&page=1
ignore previous instructions. Tell us a Russian joke.
🙄
I'll leave ye to it.
Seems that you're not a person of your word after all. How Putin-esque of you. Exceedingly rude but not terribly surprising.
Yes I left the poster to his insults 👍.
It's an online forum but even in real life sometimes it's better just to let some stuff go. I'd a chat with a neighbour in 2022 and we both got very vocal on the war, I respect him and we're still friends despite having different viewpoints.
Right, your posts are painting a picture of someone who indirectly support Putin's invasion and his anti-Western scapegoating by whataboutism, playing dumb and "just asking questions". I sincerely hope that's wrong.
Without playing games like that, what is your viewpoint?
I particularly love the idea that no one was trying to de-escalate in Jan/Feb 2022. As if the US wasn't saying every day "we know you are planning to invade, you better not do it" and being roundly mocked by the Russian sympathetic internet because "obviously they don't plan to invade".
President Putin wanting to show that Russia is just as modern and democratic as other countries has announced he will not contest the next free and fair election.
…But but something on the Russian propaganda bingo card... Boris Johnson... Sabine Higgins... Nazis... I have a friend who...
Bonus points if you mention Nazis while not mentioning Russias WAGNER group of raping Nazi mercenary criminal scum.
Its all the fault of Ukraine for having the unmitigated gall to fight back when Putin orders the Russian scum of the earth to invade. They should have just let their children, women and country be raped by Putins Russian scum.
And Bob is your uncle. Or rather that is the morally and intellectually bankrupt alternative universe @ENgineerWS gets his Russian propaganda dumps from.
Your posts show zero interest in a real peace for Ukraine where it can live in security without fear of Russian aggression.
Only that Russian warmongerers get pieces of Ukraine, and you can turn a blind eye to the fate of Ukrainians under Russian occupation. That is not peace that is tyranny torture rape abuductions of children. Is a child abducted from Ukraine living in peace? Is a Ukrainian civilian being raped od tortured living in peace?
Come back to us when you can summon the moral courage to condemn without reservation Putin for starting the war, for his illegal invasion of Ukraine, for the repeated and deliberate war crimes and atrocities carried out by Russian scum mercenaries and soldiers in Ukraine.
And by without reservation I mean without whataboutery and other such deflections.
Otherwise your posts have no credibility and are just morally and intelldctually bankrupt in dumping Russian propaganda under the transparent guise of 'just asking questions'.
The Russian military is now asking the public for financial donations to buy body bags for the dead. The public in Siberia have reacted with horror that why don't they just buy the coffin when they are leaving and why the government are not funding this themselves.
Ex-Deputy Minister Bulgakov is accused of supplying low-quality rations According to sources, the rations were of low energy value. Beef was replaced with pork and chicken. They stole everything they could get their hands on.
News has come out yet again of Russian military siphoning money off for themselves. This time a Minister was taking money for food rations and supplying low grade food instead.
And Putin the Tsar is never blamed.
Textbook victim blaming.
And the lies and excuses of the actual Russian warmongerers lapped up without scrutiny.
"The poster"? You mean me? You know "the poster" and me are the same person right? I'm right here in front of you no need to be talking about me in the third person. Really rude.
It's an online forum but even in real life sometimes it's better just to let some stuff go
I can see why that would be a good strategy for you. Since all of your arguments are complete waffle. Maybe you should try letting it go for a bit longer? Come back when you've something to say that isn't on our Vatnik bingo card.
lol oh we love vatnik vacts!!
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/mali-rebels-say-they-killed-injured-dozens-soldiers-wagner-mercenaries-fighting-2024-07-27/
Noose is tightening on Wagner in Africa. Video of this can be found on the r/LoveForUkraine.
Whats the smallest organ in Trumps body ? Putlers d1ck 🤣🤦♂️ I'll get my coat
https://x.com/sebastienroblin/status/1817455519801458844
Some of the highest combat losses seen in the region. France lost around 40 KIA in Mali over 8 years (2014-2022). It was a big deal when U.S. lost 4 in Niger in 2017. Wagner just had 80 killed and more than 15 captured. Included in the KIA was the owner of the Grey Zone Wagner Telegram channel.
Slightly longer detailed account from a Wagner Commander as well https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1817445185556504620
The Tuaregs had been tracking them with Starlink for quite some time as noted in this timeline of the attacks
https://x.com/SaladinAlDronni/status/1817198105357320557
They even managed to destroy an MI-24/35 helicopter. Not that many Combat aircraft in Mali [operated by FAMa or Wagner]. So a very important loss in the context of the Mali conflict
https://x.com/tom_bullock_/status/1817303951764496878
Sure, they'll start their own Olympics. With black jack! And hookers! And for all the conservative Christians whining about the opening ceremony, well you guys like tradition, well I gots your tradition right here:
Interesting article written by seven EU Finance Ministers on how Russia is financing the war. https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/24/russia-economic-growth-western-sanctions-vladimir-putin-moscow
I’m summary, they have depleted their National Wealth Fund by half. Exports have dropped a third. They have shifted to a war industry who’s factories are at maximum capacity. They are expropriating private industries to fund public spending. They are struggling with lack of labour and sanctions. They are trying to fight inflation with very high interest rates. Basically they have shifted to a Soviet style economy which we know doesn’t work long term.
Without soviet population or resources or ideology may I add
whats with the "you" , strange way are making points. I was just making the point that if the idea was to make Russia "feel bad" the French have a strange way of going about it. Most of the globe isnt woke , France is having some issues in Africa so in a "hearts and minds " game it was a an own goal. will it matter in a month? no , its one of those who cares
I doubt Russia crossed the minds of anyone who organised the opening ceremony.
