Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Edge-]

I get why the US negotiated for the return of its citizen but at the same time its kinda shitty that the lesson being given is that you can break whatever law you want in a foreign country and the US gov will bail you out. Dont break the law in another country

This is not the actual lesson, and I'm not sure where on earth you got this notion.

[jonnysensible]

I get why the US negotiated for the return of its citizen but at the same time its kinda shitty that the lesson being given is that you can break whatever law you want in a foreign country and the US gov will bail you out. Dont break the law in another country

russia tho. not like you are getting a fair trial in a mafia state.

[YUPPIE]

it's interesting how with all the Griner talk on TV, the newscasters on American TV are openly calling Putin a "war criminal" and "dictator" now. Not even "president." Ironically, despite the fact Griner was convicted for breaking another country's laws, they keep going on how about it was "mad" and "unjust" as if she did nothing wrong.

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This is not the actual lesson, and I'm not sure where on earth you got this notion.

he does have a point; she was bailed out for something she was responsible for with the claim of "no American gets left behind"

...except immediately after saying that, they mention numerous other political American prisoners still trapped in Russia, including a Marine. Why not free them as well?

[Edge-]

it's interesting how with all the Griner talk on TV, the newscasters on American TV are openly calling Putin a "war criminal" and "dictator" now. Not even "president." Ironically, despite the fact Griner was convicted for breaking another country's laws, they keep going on how about it was "mad" and "unjust" as if she did nothing wrong.

Is this your first time turning on cable news since the war started?

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he does have a point; she was bailed out for something she was responsible for with the claim of "no American gets left behind"

...except immediately after saying that, they mention numerous other political American prisoners still trapped in Russia, including a Marine. Why not free them as well?

Where did you hear this message, other than from them?

[DarkTZeratul]

I get why the US negotiated for the return of its citizen but at the same time its kinda shitty that the lesson being given is that you can break whatever law you want in a foreign country and the US gov will bail you out. Dont break the law in another country

This is not the first time this has happened. Nor is it particularly unusual in such cases, even. As I pointed out in another thread, in most cases if you commit a crime in another country, especially if the crime is just "contraband" like it is here, the punishment is just going to be deportation and a travel ban. It is rare for any country to actual imprison a foreign citizen, which usually only happens if the government wants to use them as political leverage or if they did something particularly heinous.

[YUPPIE]

Is this your first time turning on cable news since the war started?

no, but it's a big deal to call another president those things on state media at a time like this because it further ignites the already insane anti-Russian sentiments.

[DarkTZeratul]

no, but it's a big deal to call another president those things on state media at a time like this...

It's not.

...because it further ignites the already insane anti-Russian sentiments.

It doesn't.

At this point there's no quarter; before people were like "there are good/victimized Russians;" now it's just "fuck them all" basically.

What the fuck are you on? Stop living in your own version of reality.

[Edge-]

no, but it's a big deal to call another president those things on state media at a time like this because it further ignites the already insane anti-Russian sentiments.

We do not have state media, and it's not a big deal.

[Iliena]

no, but it's a big deal to call another president those things on state media at a time like this because it further ignites the already insane anti-Russian sentiments. At this point there's no quarter; before people were like "there are good/victimized Russians;" now it's just "fuck them all" basically.

While they allow Putin to stay in power and have troops in Ukraine there are no good Russians. So yep fuckem! They have nobody to blame but themselves for allowing it to go on for so long and being willing to sacrifice nearly a full generation of men to salve Putin's ego.

[YUPPIE]

Some Pentagon officials are concerned that convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was released on Thursday in a prisoner swap for American basketball star Brittney Griner, could return to illegally trafficking weapons, potentially fueling conflicts across the world.

While officials in the Pentagon applauded Griner’s release, some are worried about the impact of Bout’s return, particularly in Africa. Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, delivery of anti-aircraft missiles, and aiding a terrorist organization.

“I think there is a concern that [he] would return to doing the same kind of work that he’s done in the past,” said one senior Defense Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.

With Bout back in Russia, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby stressed that “our national security interest is not going to change.”

“We’re going to make sure that we can defend this country against any and all threats,” Kirby said on CNN on Thursday. “And so, with Mr. Bout being back on the street, we’re going to stay focused on making sure we can defend this country.”


Sen. Bob Menendez, the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said there’s no equivalence between Griner and Bout.

“We cannot ignore that releasing Bout back into the world is a deeply disturbing decision,” he said in a statement Thursday. “We must stop inviting dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans overseas as bargaining chips, and we must try do better at encouraging American citizens against traveling to places like Russia where they are primary targets for this type of unlawful detention.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/1...-bout-00073034

[postman1782]

no one mentioned Trump. This is a Joe Biden issue.

Also, it's scary how people change their tune to the current trends; months ago, people said she was at fault for bringing weed and, of course, visiting Russia at all.

It's not just Republicans slamming this. The amount of controversy over the other person exchanged is all over social media right now. A basketball player actually convicted over something legitimate per another country's laws for an arms dealer known as "merchant of death" and was so bad he was imprisoned for over a decade

And not just the fact he's an arms dealer, but considering the circumstances in Ukraine right now. Why would they specifically ask for an infamous arms dealer with that title (merchant of death) when Russia is reportedly suffering so many losses in Ukraine in resources?

You complained about negotiating with terrorists, but want to ignore Trump doing objectively worse.

I haven't seen anyone but Republicans bitching about it.

[Kaleredar]

no, but it's a big deal to call another president those things on state media at a time like this because it further ignites the already insane anti-Russian sentiments.

Good. Putin deserves it.

[Gabriel]

He's useless at this point. He used to sell old soviet weapons stored in Eastern Europe to clients in Asia, Africa and South America. The levels of corruption that allowed these practices are long gone in Eastern Europe, the stocks are now controlled by a NATO aligned militarily, his network is gone, and everybody knows him.

So they really just want him back so they can blame someone for all the good guns having gone missing lmao.

[Kaleredar]

So they really just want him back so they can blame someone for all the good guns having gone missing lmao.

It's nothing more than a bully stealing the neighbor kid's bike even though they know their mom is going to make them just give it back. It's an impotent flex of Russia trying to make it seem like it can compel the US to do... anything, really.

[Slant]

Griner: Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Bout

US and Russia have exchanged jailed US basketball star Brittney Griner for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, held in an American prison for 12 years.

The swap was approved by President Joe Biden in recent days, sources told CBS.

So, two things... why was she in Moscow? And... more importantly, is nobody at all surprised that Russians didn't ask for the return of a diplomat, spy or some other legitimate Government official, instead it's for a criminal ARMS DEALER?

Like wtf, tell me Russia (the nation) is a mafia syndicate without telling me it's a mafia syndicate.

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You mean racists, boomers and Republicans are slamming this deal.

What exactly did Griner do? Something mildly stupid like travelling with a couple of weed vape cartridges. Yeah, sure some countries are backwards hellholes where they'll execute you for this, but having a young woman rot away in a Russian labor camp for a couple of vape cartridges was not anyone decent was content with.

Look, whether trading an arms dealer for any reason was a good idea or not is an entirely different conversation.

Er, while I generally agree with the lack of severity, you do not fuck with other countries' laws. Americans have got to fucking learn to respect the fact that the world doesn't end at US borders. Seriously. It's not a surprise what Russians consider crimes. In fact, when you land in Malaysia, they warn you pretty directly that bringing weed means the death penalty in that country. Wonder what she would have done there.

For all the hate I could muster up against Russia, if this was law in Russia and she violated it, I'd say she shoulda served out the sentence instead of hoping for American exceptionalism, which she apparently got. One more lady that will promote the attitude that no country's laws matter except the US...

[Forogil]

Er, while I generally agree with the lack of severity, you do not fuck with other countries' laws. Americans have got to fucking learn to respect the fact that the world doesn't end at US borders. Seriously. It's not a surprise what Russians consider crimes. In fact, when you land in Malaysia, they warn you pretty directly that bringing weed means the death penalty in that country. Wonder what she would have done there.

But this was Russia not Malaysia (or Singapore to take a really non-corrupt country with harsh laws against ganja) - and mere possession of the amount she had (less than a gram) would normally just be a slap on the wrist, or more likely a good way for the police extract a bribe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_Russia
https://cannadelics.com/2020/03/08/h...ion-in-russia/
But irregular application of the law is part of the system in corrupt countries.

[Gabriel]

Er, while I generally agree with the lack of severity, you do not fuck with other countries' laws. Americans have got to fucking learn to respect the fact that the world doesn't end at US borders. Seriously. It's not a surprise what Russians consider crimes. In fact, when you land in Malaysia, they warn you pretty directly that bringing weed means the death penalty in that country. Wonder what she would have done there.

For all the hate I could muster up against Russia, if this was law in Russia and she violated it, I'd say she shoulda served out the sentence instead of hoping for American exceptionalism, which she apparently got. One more lady that will promote the attitude that no country's laws matter except the US...

Ehh, she was a fucking retard for breaking the law in russia of all places, but I wouldn't wish time in russian prison for even the worst russiaboos on this forum.

And like I said earlier, the arms dealer should have been pushed out of a window instead if he was such bad of a person, rather than be kept locked up indefinitely.

[Nymrohd]

So, two things... why was she in Moscow? And... more importantly, is nobody at all surprised that Russians didn't ask for the return of a diplomat, spy or some other legitimate Government official, instead it's for a criminal ARMS DEALER?

Like wtf, tell me Russia (the nation) is a mafia syndicate without telling me it's a mafia syndicate.

Pretty sure they asked for the Arms Dealer not because he is the one they wanted the most but because he is the one that would create the worst possible press for the Biden administration.

[ifrah]

Pretty sure they asked for the Arms Dealer not because he is the one they wanted the most but because he is the one that would create the worst possible press for the Biden administration.

This. They're not stupid, and know that every pawn on the board shall be moved so that it causes maximised disorder in the west. Every smallest step counts.

[jonnysensible]

Pretty sure they asked for the Arms Dealer not because he is the one they wanted the most but because he is the one that would create the worst possible press for the Biden administration.

they want the fsb assassin whos locked up in Germany and the fsb guy in brazil lol