Putin puts troops in western Russia on alert in drill 1.1

[Darkis]

So if I post my name and my pic here, it will all of the sudden make me superdupercredible?

Will a pic of a certain specific part of me work?

Btw, if I do, how will you know that it is indeed me?

[Darkis]

Well you are just a random person without a face on the internet after all, while he is a real person I know with real name and real face. Take a wild guess who is more credible source of information?

Without a face? Slenderman like?

On a more serious note, your teenage logic aside, people with "real names", surprise-surprise, tend to lie and make stuff up just as good as anyone.

[Elim Garak]

A person gave out his true name and shown his true photo. How we know name and photo are true? A person said they are true. And everything that person says is true. Because he gave out his true name and true photo.

Reminds of anything?

[Deleted]

Meanwhile, Russia ‘faked images’ to shift MH17 blame, The Times.

Bellingcat, an investigative journalism website, published an analysis yesterday concluding that two satellite images — the first supposedly showing a Ukrainian missile launcher missing from its base and another showing others on the MH17 flightpath — had been digitally altered by the Kremlin.
...
They were able to conclude that the images were from June rather than July. The agency also discovered that in the second picture the areas showing vehicles had a different level of “noise” from the rest of the image, suggesting that elements had been added to it. Data gleaned from the images showed that they had been processed using Adobe Photoshop software.
...
“They’ve removed the [Ukrainian] Buk missile launcher from the July 17 picture to make it look like it’s left the base,” said Eliot Higgins, the founder of Bellingcat.

“In the second image of a big open area, they’ve added missile launchers to make it look like they were in the area when they weren’t.”

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, pro-Russian rebels claimed that they had shot down a Ukrainian Antonov transport plane, but quickly retracted that statement once they realised that a civilian jet had crashed.

Four days later the Russian defence ministry held a press conference at which it suggested that a Ukrainian fighter plane or missile launcher was responsible, distributing the satellite images to support its claims.

[Haven]

I don't really care about your opinion one way or the other. I trust the source regardless of what you say, and the story about how separashits ordered artillery strike on their own positions will keep me amused for days.

Right next to stories about pro-Russians in Odessa throwing molotovs at themselves, and about six million Jews gassing themselves to set up Germans.

[Shalcker]

Meanwhile, Russia ‘faked images’ to shift MH17 blame, The Times.

As comments rightfully state, using Google Maps date as source for image timing is prone to error. They are not and never intended to be accurate. And that's basically all their image "analysis" hinges upon.

Their "oil pooling from vehicle" theory they try to use as independent timing source can just as easily be rain puddle rather then oil puddle. Because oil pooling for two months straight into puddle several square meters in size? Come on...

[Haven]

You can take your conspiracy theories and leave any time you so desire.

Or I could stay just to piss you off, and scare you with little green men

Stay on topic

[Deleted]

Meanwhile, Russian 1968 Prague Spring Invasion Film Angers Czechs, Slovaks. Bloomberg.

A Russian film about the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia has incensed the Czech and Slovak governments, who said it distorts history by justifying the armed crackdown on the democratic “Prague Spring” movement.
...
...the documentary portrayed the invasion as a friendly move to protect against a potential threat from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Both countries’ foreign ministries condemned the film for using Soviet-era images and propaganda techniques.
...
As the channel is state-run, “we are convinced that the government of Russian Federation will take adequate steps to prevent distortions,” the Slovak ministry said.

What the actual fucking fuck...

The Prague Spring for me is one of the most heartbreaking episodes in European history; this is fucking ridiculous...

[Deleted]

The Prague Spring for me is one of the most heartbreaking episodes in European history; this is fucking ridiculous...

I still don't get it. Who earns anything on this kind of crap? If all Russia wants to do is to piss off Europe then why do they pretend they want to be our friends..

[Baneth]

Ukraine conflict taking heavy toll on economy says IMF
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-32954874

Ukraine's economy is likely to shrink by a worse-than-expected 9% in 2015, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to the country has concluded.
The continuing conflict in the east of the country "took a heavier-than-expected toll on the economy in the first quarter of 2015", IMF mission chief Nikolay Gueorguiev said.

Ukraine's inflation rate will hit 46% by the end of the year, he said.

But Ukraine's commitment to economic reform "remains strong", the IMF added.

Cash-strapped Ukraine has agreed a $17.5bn (£11.5bn) bailout programme with the IMF, and is hoping that the latest $2.5bn tranche of credit will be made soon.

Ukraine Seen Prevailing in Creditor Showdown Over Debt Write-Off
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...debt-write-off

Ukraine will win out over foreign bondholders by sealing write-downs in restructuring talks, according to the majority of economists in a Bloomberg survey.

The government will achieve a 30 percent reduction in the amount it owes, on top of cuts in coupon payments and extensions to bond maturities, according to the average estimate of 13 of 15 analysts in the survey, conducted May 22-27. Two saw no debt write-off. Meanwhile, the nation’s recession will stretch into 2016, the first time the economist survey has predicted a contraction next year.

U.N. finds growing signs of Russian involvement in Ukraine war
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0OH2SK20150601

"We are speaking about increasing inflow of (unofficial) fighters and increasing evidence that there are also some (Russian) servicemen involved in fighting," Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic told a news conference in Geneva.

If Moscow is proven to be a party to the war, it would drag Russia into allegations of war crimes and potentially trials at the International Criminal Court, which Ukraine's foreign minister has said Kiev wants to join.

Russia's economy contracts 4.2% in April
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rus...06-01-34854630

Russia's economic contraction deepened in April as its key drivers deteriorated, the economy ministry said Monday.

Russia's gross domestic product contracted by 4.2% in April, compared with a year earlier, after shrinking by 2.7% in March. In the first four months of the year, the economy contracted by 2.4%, said the ministry.

Forensic report: Russia faked MH17 satellite photos
http://www.dw.de/forensic-report-rus...tos/a-18490259

Citizen journalist site Bellingcat has investigated the MH17 satellite images released by Russia's defense ministry in 2014. The images, it says, were not just photoshopped.

Putin is abandoning Russian special forces soldiers captured in Ukraine
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-spe...-moscow-2015-5

He also said he feared for his relatives back in Russia. A few days ago, his wife, Yekaterina, appeared on Russian state television. Looking nervous, and talking in stilted phrases, she said her husband had quit the Russian military in December last year. That account was helpful to Putin's claims that only volunteer Russians had gone to Ukraine.

"They said I was no longer a serviceman," Alexandrov said. "It's a bit hurtful, especially when they do it through your family, through your wife. That crosses a line."

Ukraine Conflict Death Toll Surpasses 6,400 Amid New Evidence Of Russian Military Involvement
http://www.ibtimes.com/ukraine-confl...litary-1946761

At least 6,400 people have now died in the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, the United Nations’ human rights division said Monday. The U.N. report also found additional evidence of Russian involvement in the conflict, despite the Kremlin’s repeated denials that it has directly intervened.

More than 600 “women and girls” were among the 6,417 people killed since the conflict began in April 2014, the U.N. report said. Moreover, officials warned that the updated death toll was merely an estimate and that the actual number of people killed in eastern Ukraine “could be considerably higher.” Both Ukrainian government forces and the separatist rebels were suspected of committing atrocities against eastern Ukraine’s populace

[Deleted]

Meanwhile, Russian 1968 Prague Spring Invasion Film Angers Czechs, Slovaks. Bloomberg.



What the actual fucking fuck...

The Prague Spring for me is one of the most heartbreaking episodes in European history; this is fucking ridiculous...

Czechs are always butthurt about it, forgetting that it was them who voted communists in in the first place. We (Slovaks) voted democrats and got communists because of them.

Meanwhile, Russia ‘faked images’ to shift MH17 blame, The Times.

Let's make this clear. Bellingcat is not to be trusted. It was them who "confirmed" Syrians using chemical weapons. It was them who claimed that BUK that shot down MH17 came from Russia.
Seems like propaganda to me.

[Deleted]

Czechs are always butthurt about it, forgetting that it was them who voted communists in in the first place. We (Slovaks) voted democrats and got communists because of them.



Let's make this clear. Bellingcat is not to be trusted. It was them who "confirmed" Syrians using chemical weapons. It was them who claimed that BUK that shot down MH17 came from Russia.
Seems like propaganda to me.

Yes because Soviet influence and machinations had absolutely no effect on those elections. Eastern and Central Europe just decided to embrace communism out of the blue after WW2 despite being against it before.
Must be magic.

[Deleted]

Yes because Soviet influence and machinations had absolutely no effect on those elections. Eastern and Central Europe just decided to embrace communism out of the blue after WW2 despite being against it before.
Must be magic.

Yeah, like they did in.. Slovakia? Where democrats won?
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8C...%AD_volby_1946
See that table?
Column 1 - Bohemia
Column 2 - Moravia
Column 3 - Slovakia
Row 1 - Communists in Bohemia and Moravia
Row 5 - Democrats in Slovakia
Row 6 - Communists in Slovakia

despite being against it before

What the fuck are you talking about?

[Deleted]

Yeah, like they did in.. Slovakia? Where democrats won?
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8C...%AD_volby_1946
See that table?
Column 1 - Bohemia
Column 2 - Moravia
Column 3 - Slovakia
Row 1 - Communists in Bohemia and Moravia
Row 5 - Democrats in Slovakia
Row 6 - Communists in Slovakia


What the fuck are you talking about?

I'm talking about a very simple fucking process that was used to assert control over half a continent:

1) the Red Army invades the countries, on the pretext of "liberating" them - this gives a plausible veneer to a treacherous end;

2) whilst occupying, Soviet commissars would prop up the local communist party (typically, enjoying only minimal support from the country's population, unless also nationalist) - this is so as to have a puppet regime-in-waiting;

3) under Soviet occupation, typically some sort of a "referendum" or "plebiscite" will be held, at which SUDDENLY the voters will "decide" to abolish the previous constitution and to enact one that practically gives sole powers to the local communists - this is to give the effective coup d'etat a veneer of legitimacy;

4) once installed in power, the communist party will effectively take over the machinery of state by staffing all key posts with its members;

5) through the use of secret police and kangaroo courts, opposition, incl. those of the original governing class who did not have the good sense to escape, will be physically eliminated, sentenced to long prison terms, exiled, otherwise incarcerated;

In Czechoslovakia, the process was masqueraded, but was just as forced on the country.

On February 25, 1948, President Edvard Beneš gave in to the demands of Communist Prime Minister Klement Gottwald and appointed a cabinet dominated by Communists. While it was nominally still a coalition, the "non-Communists" in the cabinet were mostly fellow travelers. This gave legal sanction to the KSČ coup, and marked the onset of undisguised Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. On 9 May, the National Assembly, purged of dissidents, passed a new constitution. It was not a completely Communist document; since a special committee prepared it in the 1945–48 period, it contained many liberal and democratic provisions. It reflected, however, the reality of Communist power through an addition that declared Czechoslovakia a people's republic — a preliminary step toward socialism and, ultimately, communism —ruled by the dictatorship of the proletariat, and also gave the Communist Party the leading role in the state. For these reasons, Beneš refused to sign the so-called Ninth-of-May Constitution. Nonetheless, elections were held on 30 May, and voters were presented with a single list from the National Front, the former governing coalition which was now a broad patriotic organisation under Communist control. Beneš resigned on 2 June, and Gottwald became president 12 days later.

In the next few years, bureaucratic centralism under the direction of KSČ leadership was introduced. So-called "dissident" elements were purged from all levels of society, including the Catholic Church. The ideological principles of Marxism-Leninism and socialist realism pervaded cultural and intellectual life. The entire education system was submitted to state control. With the elimination of private ownership of means of production, a planned economy was introduced. Czechoslovakia became a satellite state of the Soviet Union; it was a founding member of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon) in 1949 and of the Warsaw Pact in 1955. The attainment of Soviet-style "socialism" became the government's avowed policy.

Although in theory Czechoslovakia remained a multiparty state, in actuality the Communists were in complete control. Political participation became subject to KSČ approval. The KSČ also prescribed percentage representation for non-Marxist parties. The National Assembly, purged of dissidents, became a mere rubber stamp for KSČ programs. In 1953 an inner cabinet of the National Assembly, the Presidium, was created. Composed of KSČ leaders, the Presidium served to convey party policies through government channels. Regional, district, and local committees were subordinated to the Ministry of Interior. Slovak autonomy was constrained; the KSS was reunited with the KSČ but retained its own identity.

You can go ahead and spit on your country's history all you want. Bend over for Russia as low as you'd deem acceptable.
But don't expect other people to do the same, or think that by distorting historical facts your point gains some sort of legitimacy, because if you tell me that any CE or EE country wanted to become communist by its own, will without any kind of soviet involvement, I will literally punch you through the screen.

[Deleted]

You're talking about the time AFTER they were voted it. Czechs voted them in. You're clueless, so please, don't speak about other countries, especially since you don't know shit about them.

And I'm not even going to respond to your conspiracy theory of "conquering Europe".

[Kellhound]

So it seems the claims that the Russian Air Force "forced" a US destroyer to change course in the Black Sea may have been a bit overstated: http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/01/politi...oss/index.html

Such a nice leisurely cruise, in a straight line.

[Elim Garak]

"The Ross was 25 miles off the coast of Crimea in international waters when six Russian Su-24s went by."
"Russian media claimed that the planes forced the warship to head away from Russian territorial waters."
"In a video released by U.S. Naval Forces Europe, one of the Russian planes is shown flying an estimated 500 meters (1,640 feet) off the side of the ship at an altitude of 600 feet."

Until they release all six videos, it's all a "saving face" lie.

[Deleted]

And I'm not even going to respond to your conspiracy theory of "conquering Europe".

Thats no conspiracy theory.

[Kellhound]

"The Ross was 25 miles off the coast of Crimea in international waters when six Russian Su-24s went by."
"Russian media claimed that the planes forced the warship to head away from Russian territorial waters."
"In a video released by U.S. Naval Forces Europe, one of the Russian planes is shown flying an estimated 500 meters (1,640 feet) off the side of the ship at an altitude of 600 feet."

Until they release all six videos, it's all a "saving face" lie.

Considering she was over 30 minutes away from entering Russian territory and that she could dispatch all six Su-24s in about 20 seconds, the only saving face would be Russia's attempt to prevent people from noticing they didn't have a warship underway to tail her.

[Elim Garak]

Considering she was over 30 minutes away from entering Russian territory and that she could dispatch all six Su-24s in about 20 seconds, the only saving face would be Russia's attempt to prevent people from noticing they didn't have a warship underway to tail her.

Speculations are irrelevant. That video proves nothing still.
I too can say that 6 su-24 could take that boat out in under 5 second. Before the captain could say "Battlesta..."