Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Specialka]

https://torontosun.com/news/world/ru...ters-defectors
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...N-BIRRELL.html
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-...-kill-26534705
https://www.the-sun.com/news/4956617...wn-men-desert/

Do you have better than tabloid (aka trash newspaper I would even not use to wipe my ass).

[Bakis]

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/...slaught-a77159 (The Moscow Times is a reputable publication, despite the name, it had recently been forced to relocate its operations to the Netherlands).



I just don't fucking understand Russians. Or, I truly fail to grasp just how phenomenally successful Russian domestic propaganda is.

They are deprived of news or information and while the sanctions hurt the rubel it is artificially held up to a large extent for the moment.
More time need to pass for all the shit to trickle down, more neigbhours saying they have a son or son of friends they dont hear from. Prices to soar, products and services unavailable etc.
Once that happen the initial burst of patriotic misplaced euophoria among many will die down and the reality will sink in, that Russia will face CCCP harsh times for an unforeseeable future regardless if the Russian atrocities gets Putler what he wants or not.

Pariah

[Specialka]

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/...slaught-a77159 (The Moscow Times is a reputable publication, despite the name, it had recently been forced to relocate its operations to the Netherlands).



I just don't fucking understand Russians. Or, I truly fail to grasp just how phenomenally successful Russian domestic propaganda is.

What if I say both ? I am not surprised by those results. Russian have always been fond of a providential leader which is Putin in their eyes. Through propaganda, they think they are putting the West on their knees and that they are truly freeing Ukraine from Nazis. That is how it is over there.

[DarkAmbient]

That would imply the soldiers themselves are without a grain of moral understanding. Carpet shell entire towns should bring up an ounce of thought process of soldiers viewing it in their binoculars or entering the premise.
Just maybe 100% of the buildings are not filled with neo-nazis after all.

That is idealism. Of course they have a sense of right and wrong. But they, like most people, will tend to do what's in their self interest, particularly when the consequences of doing the bad thing might not happen for a long time if at all, and the consequences of doing the good thing might be severe and immediate.

[Poopymonster]

That is idealism. Of course they have a sense of right and wrong. But they, like most people, will tend to do what's in their self interest, particularly when the consequences of doing the bad thing might not happen for a long time if at all, and the consequences of doing the good thing might be severe and immediate.

And the military is known for their training being so open minded about right and wrong, thinking for yourself, and how important human lives are.

In the US you disobey an order, suffer punishment, and HOPE you are vindicated in the long run IF you can prove the order was unlawful in a system set up to protect the REMFs.

[Iphie]

I just don't fucking understand Russians. Or, I truly fail to grasp just how phenomenally successful Russian domestic propaganda is.

When it is dangerous to say you don't support the government people can be dishonest. I have no doubt a large proportion of Russians support Putin, but I have equally no doubt a large proportion doesn't dare to say they don't support the government.

[Xarkan]

you aren't going to jail for deserting on or defying Putin. We're talking about a man who has murdered millions single-handedly

Single handedly?

He personally killed millions without assistance?

That sounds unlikely (not impossible, just not very likely)

[Shadowferal]

Single handedly? He personally killed millions without assistance? That sounds unlikely (not impossible, just not very likely)

Yea...he strangled all of them...with his bare hands! Quite the overachiever. /joking

[YUPPIE]

Single handedly?

He personally killed millions without assistance?

That sounds unlikely (not impossible, just not very likely)

Of course he has assistance, but he is always the one handing the orders. People have to stop assuming anyone has power over Putin in his fiefdom. He is the singular authority. Everyone fears him, hence why his cronies lie out the ass to him.

Just look at what he's done his entire life if you doubt how many people he has murdered. He's probably as evil as Hitler, and undoubtedly worse than Stalin by now.

AND AFTER ALL THIS, on social media, if you even SUGGEST he deserves to die, you are vilified, even subtly like Biden did. That's INSANITY.

[XDurionX]

Just look at what he's done his entire life if you doubt how many people he has murdered. He's probably as evil as Hitler, and undoubtedly worse than Stalin by now.

You've slept through all of your history lessons, right?

AND AFTER ALL THIS, on social media, if you even SUGGEST he deserves to die, you are vilified, even subtly like Biden did. That's INSANITY.

You're no better than him if you think violence is the answer.

[Mihalik]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before...

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ne-2022-03-31/

Russia drafts 134,500 conscripts but says they won't go to Ukraine

While these troops might not go to Ukraine (Press X to doubt), they will probably replace already enlisted troops that will be sent to Ukraine.

[Corvus]

Putin is flip-flopping all over the place.

First he said gas had to be paid for in roubles. When the customers said nope, breach of contract, he said okay, you can pay in Euros. Today he changed his mind again saying that from April 1 all gas must be paid for in rubles again or supply will stop. There is an april fools joke in there somewhere.

[XDurionX]

Putin is flip-flopping all over the place.

First he said gas had to be paid for in roubles. When the customers said nope, breach of contract, he said okay, you can pay in Euros. Today he changed his mind again saying that from April 1 all gas must be paid for in rubles again or supply will stop. There is an april fools joke in there somewhere.

Nobody cares what Putin wants. Those contracts will be paid for in euros/dollars, they just will be converted to roubles by the gazprom-bank.

[Corvus]

Don't know if this has been mentioned before...

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...ne-2022-03-31/



While these troops might not go to Ukraine (Press X to doubt), they will probably replace already enlisted troops that will be sent to Ukraine.

There've sent pretty much all of their combat capable troops already. There aren't a whole lot left they can scrape together anyway and the conscripts have zero training or skills to start with. It'll take a few weeks before they are capable of doing anything useful anywhere.

[Elegiac]

Putin is flip-flopping all over the place.

First he said gas had to be paid for in roubles. When the customers said nope, breach of contract, he said okay, you can pay in Euros. Today he changed his mind again saying that from April 1 all gas must be paid for in rubles again or supply will stop. There is an april fools joke in there somewhere.

We have always been at war with Eastasia Eurasia.

[Iphie]

There've sent pretty much all of their combat capable troops already. There aren't a whole lot left they can scrape together anyway and the conscripts have zero training or skills to start with. It'll take a few weeks before they are capable of doing anything useful anywhere.

I think some Russian with appropriate knowledge said in the article they couldn't be deployed into a combat situation until after several months, so that would be june-august at the earliest. But who knows. What is sure is that, as you say, they can't be sent in completely raw, plus they won't all be conscripted at the same time.

[Kallisto]

I just don't fucking understand Russians. Or, I truly fail to grasp just how phenomenally successful Russian domestic propaganda is.

I think it's generally people in the west do phenomenally underestimate how well propaganda truly works. While sure from the outside we can go "Why the fuck are you believing this.". When the news channel you watch drums to the same beat over and over, with others following the same rhythm. It's pretty much guaranteed to work, otherwise dictatorships wouldn't have been doing it for thousands of years.

[Specialka]

If people in the west are unaware of how well propaganda works they haven’t been paying attention to US politics for a decade+.

You can call whatever you want Foxnews (which is not government sponsored), but it is not up to par with true government propaganda like in Russia or China. And in the US, you still can get access to others sources of news.

[Poopymonster]

If people in the west are unaware of how well propaganda works they haven’t been paying attention to US politics for a decade+.

"There are Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq."

[Mihalik]

Putin is flip-flopping all over the place.

First he said gas had to be paid for in roubles. When the customers said nope, breach of contract, he said okay, you can pay in Euros. Today he changed his mind again saying that from April 1 all gas must be paid for in rubles again or supply will stop. There is an april fools joke in there somewhere.

It's basically like this...

EU - Do you want money? We'll give you Euros.
Putin - Ok. But next time you pay in Rubles.
EU - Do you want money? We'll give you Euros.
Putin - Ok. But next time you pay in Rubles.
EU - Do you want money? We'll give you Euros.
Putin - Ok. But next time you will totally have to pay in Rubles.
EU - Are you sure about that? We heard the Arabs really like Euros.
Putin - Ok. I'll take Euros.

I swear, Putin has clearly not been paying attention to the Brexit negotiations.