Putin puts troops in western Russia on alert in drill

[Deleted]

Russia already jacked up the price to Ukraine, so they're now just going to look at other sources. Talk about shooting your own economy in the foot. Russia needs their consumers more than they need Russia.

Yes from a special deal half price to normal current prices.
And no. Russia is located in such a position geographically that allows them, on resources, to hold the knife by the handle.
Where is Europe going to go the rest of its oil/gas from? Iran? Iraq? Libya? Saudi Arabia?

Edit: massive t9 fuck up there

[Puupi]

I don't consider a politician talking like a drunken redneck to be "rather brilliant". But that might be me.
I think words have meanings and politics isnt a bar where any arrogant fuck can say what he wants.
A politician should be responsible.

Like Putin?

[Rukentuts]

I don't know how to translate this, but something along the lines of "Russia blocks 4 million state employees, including policemen and soldiers, from going abroad"

Assuming that's true, I guess they didn't learn much from East Germany. I wonder if a wall will go up next.

[Darkis]

http://lifenews.ru/news/131810

I don't know how to translate this, but something along the lines of "Russia blocks 4 million state employees, including policemen and soldiers, from going abroad"

Exactly in the lines of "Russia limited foreign travel for chief staff of law enforcement agencies". What's that got to do with anything anyway?

[Puupi]

Exactly in the lines of "Russia limited foreign travel for chief staff of law enforcement agencies". What's that got to do with anything anyway?

The timing is rather impeccable and it sounds pretty much like DDR.

[Cybran]

USA's is filled with tech, manufacturing, and agriculture

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/up...hest.html?_r=0

While the wealthiest Americans are outpacing many of their global peers, a New York Times analysis shows that across the lower- and middle-income tiers, citizens of other advanced countries have received considerably larger raises over the last three decades.

After-tax middle-class incomes in Canada — substantially behind in 2000 — now appear to be higher than in the United States. The poor in much of Europe earn more than poor Americans.

The numbers, based on surveys conducted over the past 35 years, offer some of the most detailed publicly available comparisons for different income groups in different countries over time. They suggest that most American families are paying a steep price for high and rising income inequality.

Although economic growth in the United States continues to be as strong as in many other countries, or stronger, a small percentage of American households is fully benefiting from it. Median income in Canada pulled into a tie with median United States income in 2010 and has most likely surpassed it since then. Median incomes in Western European countries still trail those in the United States, but the gap in several — including Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden — is much smaller than it was a decade ago.

Yet more and more middle and low income families struggle while the top brackets keep making more and more. I guess that is the price of living in an oligarchy where most laws favour lobby groups and big business.

[Rukentuts]

Yet more and more middle and low income families struggle while the top brackets keep making more and more. I guess that is the price of living in a oligarchy where most laws favour lobby groups and big business.

A Putinist thinking disparity in USA is bad...

Call that kettle black.

[Darkis]

The timing is rather impeccable and it sounds pretty much like DDR.

If you look at the cucumber, and repeat to yourself thousand times "it's a tomato" - you might convince yourself it's a tomato.

[Cyberowl]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/up...hest.html?_r=0


Yet more and more middle and low income families struggle while the top brackets keep making more and more. I guess that is the price of living in an oligarchy where most laws favour lobby groups and big business.

Shocker incoming:

That's happening all over the world.

Mission accomplished: Jimmies rustled.

[Rukentuts]

Like in Russia? With the exception that even smaller group of people are holding the wealth of the nation in their pockets.

35% of total wealth to be exact. The USA has nothing on Russia when it comes to wealth disparity.

[Shalcker]

Russia isn't the largest producer for much longer.

Well, then in the same breath we can claim that NATO is not going to exist much longer either.

Comparing Russia's exports to the United States' is rather hilarious. We've already linked how USA's is filled with tech, manufacturing, and agriculture. Russia is filled with (the majority) petrol and (less so) metal. But I guess just outright lies at on tap from you today in a vain attempt to defend a mafia-run gas station.

If we would go for extreme scenarios, then "intellectual property" will mean nothing; US manufacturing was steadily undermined by moving many production sites overseas for cost reduction; and Russia holds first positions in agriculture for some cultures (mostly barley and rye), and is directly behind US on wheat.

Got to be careful about our food security.

[Rukentuts]

Well, then in the same breath we can claim that NATO is not going to exist much longer either.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-1...-iea-says.html

By all means say that. We'll just laugh.

[Cybran]

That's happening all over the world.

Check the article and it's graphs. Most of world's median income is increasing while USA's is dropping. This is why they need Europe and Russia to fight eachother and buy their LNG, Oil and Weapons.

[Darkis]

Anyone else has an impression, that Ruk and Skro use the ringtone of Kazahstan national anthem from Borat, but with "Kazahstan" replaced by "USA"?

[Cynep]

Wrong on both accounts. Ukrainian name is Київ and Russian is Киев. Kyiv, Kiev, Kyev, etc is just how people with Latin alphabet try to spell it, so it would make sense to them.
Having subpar literacy lowers your credibility.

"to Show Support" is an euphemism for "to Prop up the X puppets" in realpolitik
He's a fucking vice-president, you can't wave this off as you did with McCain.

1. You exactly prove my point: two variants. Accepted English name of the city is a transliteration of Russian variant Kiev, recently Ukrainian variant Kyiv started appearing. Your hybrid variant is illiterate, here's what google thinks of it. Still no reason for your submissive friend to freak out.

2. Why "wave this off"? USA openly supports Ukraine, don't like it? Suck it down.

[Puupi]

Anyone else has an impression, that Ruk and Skro use the ringtone of Kazahstan national anthem from Borat, but with "Kazahstan" replaced by "USA"?

Hmm... no?

[Rukentuts]

Check the article and it's graphs. Most of world's median income is increasing while USA's is dropping. This is why they need Europe and Russia to fight eachother and buy their LNG, Oil and Weapons.

I see Russia is conveniently absent from that graph.

[ringpriest]

I have no idea why Russia decided to fuck it up this royally, was the naval base in Crimea worth it? O.o

I suspect that from the Russian strategic viewpoint, it's not just the base at Sevastapol, it's about Russia's future. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a pessimisitic Russian geostrategist. The U.S. and its allies are pushing for global domination and have a ring of bases and allies around Russia that keeps getting pushed inward. The U.S. is a major competitor in the global arms industry, and will soon be exporting natural gas and more oil. Russian allies abroad are under siege, either economically or literally. The U.S. keeps talking about its missile defense systems, which could theoretically make a nuclear war with Russia 'winnable'.

From such a perspective, its quite rational to conclude that 'the West' wants to end Russia's independence and with it any chance Russia will be a world power in the foreseeable future. It's a choice of Russia either pushing back now, while it still can, or waiting until its is isolated and more vulnerable to economic warfare, regime change, or even open war. And from that perspective, Crimea, Eastern Ukraine, and showing 'the West' that Russia can't be pushed around is worth pretty much any cost. A non-nuclear war, a major depression, trade barriers with the EU - these are all things that Russia can recover from. Being politically and economically dominated by the West would be worse, from Russia's view.

[Cybran]

Anyone else has an impression, that Ruk and Skro use the ringtone of Kazahstan national anthem from Borat, but with "Kazahstan" replaced by "USA"?

This is the soundtrack of their lives.

[Cynep]

I see Russia is conveniently absent from that graph.

Russia is too low, would fall off