[Mentalist]

Cause, on 15 March 2022 - 10:24 PM, said:

Instagram search algorithm served me a nice dose of Russian propaganda just now. Never had a Russian channel show up in my feed before. Also I thought Russia was banning it?

They did, but their bot farms could be remotely based

[Macros]

How does Putin end it and save face.

If peace talks are progressing (as some reports suggest) surely the biggest stumbling block is Puty being able to claim some kind of a win.

[Mentalist]

Macros, on 16 March 2022 - 07:45 AM, said:

How does Putin end it and save face.

If peace talks are progressing (as some reports suggest) surely the biggest stumbling block is Puty being able to claim some kind of a win.

Dying would be a start.

I can see Ukraine's non-NATO status (with binding security guarantee obligations from major powers) being on the table.
Since Ukraine is keen on restoring territorial integrity, I can see some kind of joint administration deal for Crimea being on the table as well--provided it get demilitarized.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'Putin: Russian Troops Killing Ukrainian Kids Are Heroes

[...] "courage and heroism." In a speech that sounded both disconnected from reality and paranoid, [...] accused the West of a plot to cancel "Russia" [...] He said Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine—[...]—was going "strictly according to plan." "All the goals of the special operation will unconditionally be met," he said in a video address aired by Russian media. Sanctions against Russia will only bolster Russian businesses, he said, telling citizens not to believe the West's claim that Russian citizens are struggling[...] "It's apparent that organizing an economic blitzkrieg against Russia and demoralizing our society, taking us by force, didn't work," he said.'

Putin: Russian Troops Killing Ukrainian Kids Are Heroes (thedailybeast.com)


'Ex-Black Ops Agent: This Is How Putin Could Meet His End

[...] "The operation is on every intelligence agency's design table," a veteran clandestine operative for France's General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) [said ...] "I know this because I used to plan them."

[How many people did France clandestinely assassinate over the last few decades? Hmm.... Known unknowns.]

[...]

The retired DGSE agent—an elimination specialist whose attention to detail receives high praise from his fellow liquidators—said the most efficient method would be poison.

"The attempt will be from within the Kremlin. This is not an outside job," [...]

[...] a stroll down memory lane in the assassination business inspires recollections of classics like the ice-ax, the roof-toss and, the favorite of Genovese crime family hitman Richard "the Iceman" Kulinski, a nasal spray bottle filled with cyanide.

"Russian intelligence is likely the only one left that deploys poison as a default," says the Frenchman, citing a long roster of Russian potions used to eradicate Kremlin enemies [...] (coffee laced with thallium) [...] (dinner seasoned with dioxin).

Putin prefers poison. [...] Kremlin spokesman [...] disagreed it was a "trend," adding, "you'll agree that in many countries in the world, everyday a lot of poisonings happen," [...]

"All true," says the DGSE agent, "but nobody does it better than the Russians."

[...] Putin in February allegedly sacked the some 1,000 people—from cooks to launderers to secretaries to bodyguards—who catered to his daily personal and professional needs, and replaced them with a new group of attendants.

"Putin is of course aware someone is coming after him," says the Frenchman. "Killing Putin is not an easy task, but Putin knows it can be done, and that's guaranteed to scare him."

Scheduling is everything. Would-be assassins like to "gather information. Determine habits. Correlate all of Putin's back-up options," [...] "Doubt Putin will travel far by vehicle. There's no armored vehicle that can survive a few tons of explosives buried under the street."

[...] any hit on Putin most likely will have someone in his inner circle, or a phantom just outside the perimeter, as the trigger man. "It will be an expensive job, a fortune," [...] "In my experience, I'd wager an asset is already in place. There always is."

Ex-Black Ops Agent Explains How Putin Could Meet His End (thedailybeast.com)

'Russia says a deal with Ukraine is looking more likely after the Ukrainian president said the country will likely not be admitted to NATO. [...]

[...] "Some changes in the rhetoric [of Ukrainian leaders] about a more realistic perception of what is happening are encouraging," [Russian Foreign Minister] said [...] adding that there is a "chance" for peace.

He cited Zelensky's remarks about NATO specifically as a sign that "cool-headedness is making its way through."

[...] Kremlin also floated the idea of Ukraine becoming a neutral country with its own army[...]


Zelensky, meanwhile, said Russia's stance in negotiations had become "more realistic" [...]

[...] an adviser to the Ukrainian president[...] predicted [...] "I think that no later than [...] early May, we should have a peace agreement, maybe much earlier, [...] I am talking about the latest possible dates," [...]

"We are at a fork in the road now. There will either be a peace deal struck very quickly, within a week or two, with troop withdrawal and everything, or there will be an attempt to scrape together some, say, Syrians for a round two and, when we grind them too, an agreement by mid-April or late April," [...]


Despite the relatively optimistic assessments, however, there were still plenty of signs the war was far from over. Hours before the Kremlin dangled a chance for compromise, Putin claimed Ukrainian leaders weren't "showing a serious attitude" about reaching a deal.

And Russian forces seemed to be intensifying attacks on Ukrainians.

[...] Russian forces were also derailing evacuation efforts and ignoring cease-fire agreements, targeting civilians directly.'

Russia Thinks Ukraine Is About to Give In to Its Demands (thedailybeast.com)

[QuickTidal]

The problem is that anyone who thinks he will stop at Ukraine, if he gets concessions there...is dreaming. He won't stop till ALL of the old Imperial Russia is reinstated....that's the real problem. Any concessions to Putin will only embolden him elsewhere.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'Slovakia has preliminarily agreed to provide Ukraine with a key Soviet-era air defense system to help defend against Russian airstrikes[...]

Slovakia, one of three NATO allies that have the S-300 missile defense system, wants assurances that the systems will be replaced immediately.

Any country providing S-300s is likely to receive the US-made Patriot air defense missile system to backfill the capability it would be giving up [...] Germany and the Netherlands have already publicly announced that they are sending Patriots to Slovakia.

[...] "[...] we have identified and are helping Ukraine acquire additional longer-range anti-aircraft systems and the munitions for those systems," [...] Biden said[...]

Some US allies have also been leery of making their contributions to Ukraine public'

https://www.cnn.com/...aine/index.html

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 16 March 2022 - 08:00 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'Putin Cut Off From Precious Botox Supply Due to Ukraine War
WHERE IT HURTS

Putin, famous for his rumored reliance on Botox, looks set to be cut off from the popular wrinkle treatment thanks to his war against Ukraine. U.S. drugmaker AbbVie, which owns the cosmetic medicine, announced that it is halting operations inside Russia[...] U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly has vowed to keep sending critical medicines for cancer and diabetes to Russia, but it's stopping sales of "non-essential medicines." [...] while Pfizer, Bayer, and Abbott Laboratories have cut back spending.'

Putin Cut Off From Precious Botox Supply Due to War Against Ukraine (thedailybeast.com)

Pfizer needs to stop sending Viagra(! or: ....)


'Russian activists and journalists discovered threatening messages painted on their apartment doors on after Vladimir Putin delivered a speech calling for a "self-cleansing of society" from "scum and traitors."

[...] "My apartment has undergone cosmetic procedures," Misik quipped'

Russian Activists and Journalists Targeted After Putin's Call for Purge of 'Traitors' (thedailybeast.com)


'Marjorie Taylor Greene parrots Russian propaganda claim that Ukraine's 2014 revolution was US-backed coup

[...] also claimed Ukraine is "a country in which [President] Joe Biden, [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, and [Utah Senator] Mitt Romney all have direct financial interests".

None of what she said is accurate. [...]

Greene further alleged that Mr Zelensky's government "only exists because the Obama state department helped to overthrow the previous regime".'

Marjorie Taylor Greene falsely claims Ukraine's government set up by US-backed coup | The Independent



'"We're told that we have an urgent moral responsibility to send money and munitions to a country 6,000 miles away," Greene continues, emphasizing that dramatic distance[...] (Ukraine is actually only about 4,000 miles from the United States. For reference, the distance from the northwestern part of Alaska to the tip of Florida is about 4,500 miles.)

[... Greene:] "If we truly care about suffering and death on our television screens, we cannot fund more of it by sending money and weaponry to Ukraine to fight a war they cannot possibly win. [...] I don't want to be responsible for creating even more refugees and orphans[...]

We should simply let Russia roll through Ukraine and end the war faster, she argues, because it's imperative "as Christians to prevent any more human suffering and death."

This, of course, from the woman who at one point recommended that Georgians be armed when greeting anyone coming door-to-door offering coronavirus vaccines. The issue isn't that she wants to end suffering. It's that she is more worried about attacking Biden than aiding some country only slightly farther from Georgia than is Alaska.'

Marjorie Taylor Greene delivers a layer cake of misinformation, dishonesty and pro-Russia apologism - The Washington Post


'Russia is now threatening to repeat the aggression it unleashed against Ukraine in Bosnia and Herzegovina if the country joins NATO. [...] Russian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina[: ...] " Ukraine's example shows what we expect." [...] he accused the West of stoking tensions by claiming Moscow has a "plan" for Bosnia and Herzegovina. "We do not have any plans," Kalbukhov said, a denial eerily similar to those repeatedly made by Russia about having "no plans" to invade Ukraine.'

And Now Russia Is Threatening and Herzegovina Bosnia Over NATO, Too (thedailybeast.com)

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 17 March 2022 - 05:01 PM

[Malankazooie]

Give Auhnald's message to the Ukraine and Russian people a view. I'm too lazy to link it here but it's easy to find. I thought it was really good.

[Nicodimas]

QuickTidal, on 16 March 2022 - 05:33 PM, said:

The problem is that anyone who thinks he will stop at Ukraine, if he gets concessions there...is dreaming. He won't stop till ALL of the old Imperial Russia is reinstated....that's the real problem. Any concessions to Putin will only embolden him elsewhere.

What do you think his concessions will be?

https://youtu.be/1wWKuZbeYQw

The speech

[Mentalist]

Counteroffensives on the way in the South and to the NW of Kyiv. The military has adopted the "take it, fortify it, and only then report on progress" attitude, which makes progress feel slow, but isn't really accurate.

Donbas remains worrisome. Mariupol is nearly leveled, and the only people able to leave are those driving out or walking out on their own. The city's defenders continue to pack away at least a company a day of any Russians that try to enter the city, but their resources aren't infinite, either.

On the opposite end of the Contact Line, Ruscists are getting a foothold in the city of Rubizhne, the northernmost edge of the Severodonets'k-Lysychans'k agglomeration. This would be a harsh loss, since that would mean Ukraine is largely forced out of the Luhans'k Oblast for now. That's literally the only area in which they are making progress by throwing insane amount of bodies at each position; still, that's definitely an area that needs reinforcements ASAP.

On the other hand, in the SW the enemy has been largely cleared from Mykolayiv Oblast, and the fight is getting carried back to Kherson. Since the city is on the wrong side of the river from the Crimean supply lines to be defensible, reclaiming it is only a matter of time.

[Cause]

Marjorie Taylor green, cawthorne, Trump, Tucker Carlson! WTF is going on. They have gone full fifth column for Russian interests.

Ironic give Putins attacks on some Russians earlier this week but these people, sitting members of Congress are practically rooting for Russia

What am I seeing?

[Garak]

What have they been saying?

[Cause]

https://www.google.c...8305.html%3Famp

The video is in the article.

She says the U.S. led a coup in Ukraine and Russia just wants to replace the government. She says Ukraine can’t win, so why help them. She says Obama, biden, hunter biden and Hillary all helped Ukraine because of their corrupt investments there.

You could give her a show on Moscow late night talk and she would fit right in.

Cawthorne says Zelenksy is a thug and Ukraine is corrupt

Trump just loves Putin

Tucker has been so pro Russia on his show that apparently the kremlin issued a memo for Russian news to play his clips.
https://www.motherjo...er-carlson-fox/

This post has been edited by Cause: 18 March 2022 - 06:17 PM

[LinearPhilosopher]

I mean zelensky isn't exactly an angel. There's that Ukrainian regiment that's associated itself with Nazism, or how he shut down the only three pro Russian télévision stations.


But it's a huge stretch to go from that, to say the Ukraine should give up it's sovereignty and right to defend itself because of it.

Now it's not like some NATO countries are innocent of the crime of unprovoked invasions of other countries. So the US backing Ukraine and saying the Russians are agressifs is hypocritical given their own history of invading and drstsbilising other countries.

But two wrongs don't make a right and that ther s western news media outlet are painting a pro. Russian view is disturbing.

[Tsundoku]

When seniors attack:

https://nypost.com/2...ssian-soldiers/

Elderly Ukrainian couple confront armed Russian soldiers
By Patrick Reilly
March 12, 2022 12:40am Updated

An elderly Ukrainian couple stood up to Russian soldiers who had broken onto their property — earning praise from the US Embassy for their remarkable bravery.

Surveillance camera footage of the tense encounter was shared on social media by the embassy in Kyiv on Friday.

“Today we salute this elderly couple, who stood up to three Russian soldiers,” the embassy wrote, along with the hashtag #UkrainianHeroes.

In the clip, three armed Russian soldiers in combat gear approach the front of the couple’s gated driveway and begin breaking in. They force the gate open and move forward with their weapons drawn as dogs bark in the background.

As they move out of frame, several voices can be heard, followed by a loud gunshot.

The video then cuts to another angle from inside the property. A balding man in a blue sweater and black pants and a woman in a pink hat and blue coat step outside and begin yelling at the soldiers. The man continues to approach the troops, waving his fist in the air at them as they point their weapons at him.

As the argument heats up, one of the soldiers appears to fire a shot into the sky. The couple continues to yell as a fourth soldier enters their property, motioning for them to scram.

Eventually, the soldiers turn around and leave in defeat. The couple walks them toward the gate, then quickly closes it behind them, the video shows.

According to local media, the exchange took place in Mykolayiv Oblast, about 80 miles east of Odessa in southern Ukraine.

Russia has been targeting the strategic city of Mykolaiv, where Ukrainian officials accused Russia of shelling a cancer hospital and residential buildings on Friday.

----------------------------------------------

Reminds me of this classic video:

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 19 March 2022 - 02:07 AM

[Cause]

https://www.google.c...bs-Ukraine.html


Evil isn’t the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it’s a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference.

And also add Tulsi Gabbard to the list

This post has been edited by Cause: 19 March 2022 - 02:47 AM

[Mentalist]

LinearPhilosopher, on 18 March 2022 - 11:31 PM, said:

I mean zelensky isn't exactly an angel. There's that Ukrainian regiment that's associated itself with Nazism, or how he shut down the only three pro Russian télévision stations.


But it's a huge stretch to go from that, to say the Ukraine should give up it's sovereignty and right to defend itself because of it.

Now it's not like some NATO countries are innocent of the crime of unprovoked invasions of other countries. So the US backing Ukraine and saying the Russians are agressifs is hypocritical given their own history of invading and drstsbilising other countries.

But two wrongs don't make a right and that ther s western news media outlet are painting a pro. Russian view is disturbing.

Azov Special Missions Regiment of the National Guard (formerly Azov Volunteer Battalion) wasn't something Zelensky established. Yes, they have a lot of white supremacist shitheels. But they are fanatical about killing (equally White) Russian invaders, and the country has been at war for 8 years. Disbanding a competent unit that makes your enemies shit themselves in fear (because Russian media demonizes them so much) isn't a very sound tactical move,

Yes, Zelensky cracked down on media associated with opposition namely, Viktor Medvedchuk, VVH's main agent in Ukraine (he is the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter). A country at war that tolerated media calling enemy invasion a civil war and claiming the annexation of Crimea wasn't Russia's fault for over 7 years really doesn't strike me as very "thuggish"

There's a lot of faults with Ukraine's political system. But for a country that's been in hybrid war for 8 years with a nuclear power that's been pumping its people with propaganda about how said country it's invading shouldn't exist? I think Ukraine's been doing a fairly good job upholding civil rights and democracy. But obviously, I could be biased.

[LinearPhilosopher]

Oh don't get me wrong I'm not suggesting he should of disbanded the unit. It's one of those exigences of war.

I'm merely pointing out that the Ukrainian government has been making some compromises on what we would deem as fundamental freedoms like freedom of the press. We can debate what is or isnt a reasonable compromise given the circumstances.


But back to my original point, it's crazy to go from bringing this up to saying Ukraine shouldn't exist.

And while it is true that the longer the war goes on, the more Ukraine will suffer, that's up to the Ukrainians to decide. If they chose to fight the Russians then we should be doing all we can to help the Ukrainians fight (and eventually rebuild, that's even more important in the long run), short of getting in a shooting war with the Russians.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cause, on 19 March 2022 - 02:34 AM, said:

https://www.google.c...bs-Ukraine.html


Evil isn't the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it's a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference.

And also add Tulsi Gabbard to the list

It's difficult to tell how much is attributable to stupidity and how much to motivated reasoning or willful ignorance or consciously choosing 'evil' (with it generally being either 'good' in their view, or in service of what they believe to be a greater 'good'). Though the result is stupidity.

In the case of Greene or Trump, while I don't doubt their general stupidity, I do wonder how much of it is an intentional con, or an attempt to relate to their base (many people from rural areas or who don't have college degrees tend to get angry when someone 'corrects' them or implies they're stupid because, for example, they might (as Greene recently did) write 'commander and chief' rather than 'commander in chief'; when Greene gets mocked, they feel like they're being insulted because they don't have as much education... and Trump's staff added errors to the tweets they typed for him: 'staffers reportedly even enjoy[ed] the criticism').

Trump's Staff Puts Grammatical Errors in Tweets to Make Them Seem Authentic (businessinsider.com)

Meanwhile... Russia claims they've started using hypersonic missiles in Ukraine. Could be a sign of desperation---how many do they have?---but if they can get past Ukraine's missile defenses and they have a large enough number... and they can mount thermobaric warheads onto them... it could be very bad.


'[...] hypersonic "Kinzhal" missiles [...]

The ministry has previously made claims that the highly maneuverable missile[...] is unmatched for potency when coupled with its MiG-31 fighter jets.

In his 2018 annual address [...] Putin said Russia had developed an "invincible" missile that could deliver a warhead at hypersonic speed.'

https://www.cnn.com/...d7517e645a06111


'[...] to eliminate an underground weapons cache in [...] western Ukraine.

[...] hypersonic aeroballistic missiles[...]

[...] added that Russia had first deployed the high-tech missiles during its involvement in the Syrian civil war in 2016.'

Russia Claims It Used Hypersonic Missiles in Ukraine War as Cosmonauts Don Ukrainian Colors in Space (thedailybeast.com)

Since they used them in Syria, it's probably not a sign of desperation (yet).. They were able to destroy an underground military facility, which implies they may be powerful enough to take out bunkers, bomb shelters, subways... from what the Russian military claimed they don't seem to be thermobaric. Yet....

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 19 March 2022 - 04:49 PM

[Cause]

I saw an article that said David Beckham was going to Lon his Twitter account to a emergency doctor in Ukraine. I actually thought that’s the most brilliant idea.

Rather than a celebrity just tweeting support for Ukraine they should loan the account and give a Dr, a reporter or some other important Ukrainian voice direct access to a few hundred million followers for a day, week or a month. That’s actually a great way to spread the message. I’m amazed I have never come across the idea before.