# We talking about Russia and Ukraine?



## MamaBear2012

Because I need some insight. I'm terrible with history. I can't tell you the date of anything. I don't remember world wars, world leaders, none of it. But my minor in undergrad was history.   

Anyway, what's the story? What do I need to know? I'm trying to get bits and pieces of information. I see Putin sent troops into Eastern Ukraine. Why isn't this considered an "invasion"? What are we looking for before we strike? Are we fighting? Or are we sanctioning? Help me out, y'all.


----------



## PatDM'T

MamaBear2012 said:


> Because I need some insight. I'm terrible with history. I can't tell you the date of anything. I don't remember world wars, world leaders, none of it. But my minor in undergrad was history.
> 
> Anyway, what's the story? What do I need to know? I'm trying to get bits and pieces of information. I see Putin sent troops into Eastern Ukraine. Why isn't this considered an "invasion"? What are we looking for before we strike? Are we fighting? Or are we sanctioning? Help me out, y'all.


Ever since Biden
took the wheel,
I kinda have been
living in Lalaland,
and so I am more
clueless than you.

So I will be
watching this
thread for insight.

A quick search
took me to these
two sources that
may shed some light.










						Explained: What's behind the conflict in eastern Ukraine?
					

Ukraine and the West have become worried about the Russian troops' concentration and have urged Moscow to pull them back. Russia has argued that it's free to deploy its forces on its territory and sternly warned the government in Kyiv against using force to reclaim control of the rebel-held...




					m.economictimes.com


----------



## MamaBear2012

Thanks @PatDM'T! I have no real context on any of this, so I can't even really filter through things and say, "Nah, this part sounds right, but that doesn't." And I'm trying to figure out what will be the match that lights the fuse that plunges us into WW3. Or is Putin bluffing? I just have no clue. 

I'm going to check out what you posted. Thanks!!


----------



## Black Ambrosia

I'm always really impressed when people explain current events with historical context. I'd like to be able to do that but I never have the interest until something happens like now. 

I think Putin wants to put together the old USSR but idk why other than it being a power grab. I'm sure there's more to it. What I do know is Biden is reluctant to go to war over Ukraine because Ukraine isn't part of NATO. NATO members look out for each other and Ukraine isn't part of the club. They want to be but Putin has been fighting it because Ukraine would have the support of the US military if Putin invaded and he's been wanting to do that since Russia took over Crimea. Also, NATO membership requires a unanimous vote of member nations and there are a few that don't want Ukraine to join because they don't want to be forced to get involved in a fight against Russia. Not getting involved has serious repercussions for the Ukrainian people who we've previously supported with weapons and resources. If we don't intervene Russia will take over and a lot of people will be killed.


----------



## MamaBear2012

Black Ambrosia said:


> I'm always really impressed when people explain current events with historical context. I'd like to be able to do that but I never have the interest until something happens like now.
> 
> I think Putin wants to put together the old USSR but idk why other than it being a power grab. I'm sure there's more to it. What I do know is Biden is reluctant to go to war over *Ukraine because Ukraine isn't part of NATO*. NATO members look out for each other and Ukraine isn't part of the club. They want to be but Putin has been fighting it because Ukraine would have the support of the US military if Putin invaded and he's been wanting to do that since Russia took over Crimea. Also, NATO membership requires a unanimous vote of member nations and there are a few that don't want Ukraine to join because they don't want to be forced to get involved in a fight against Russia. Not getting involved has serious repercussions for the Ukrainian people who we've previously supported with weapons and resources. If we don't intervene Russia will take over and a lot of people will be killed.


Oooh, thanks for this. I didn't know they weren't a part of NATO, but that makes sense. 

I really have been trying to understand why Putin wants Ukraine. But you're right, it probably is a power grab. I've been thinking this is just a way to pull the U.S. into a war. We're already so divided. Our people are struggling. We manufacture nothing in this country. And I'm nervous about Russia's friendliness with China. Are they working together to bring us down? But I really don't understand the whole picture.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

I've followed some. What I remember:

Annexation of the Crimea (Used to be part of Russia) from Ukraine in 2016. No fight put up.
The last PM or President of Ukraine boosted the Military, so they CAN really put up a fight.
The above CANNOT STAND the new President of Ukraine...says he is a weak former actor/comedian who is Trump 2.0Ukraine version---when he was interviewed by NPR several weeks ago.
Biden was waiting for the war to start, but Putin is such a strategist yet thug, he and the west don't even realise--the WAR BEEN STARTED. 
Now as of today, they want to throw sanctions, but too little too late. 

Putin knew he had people in place beholden to him who would basically HAND Ukraine over which is happening now. 
The people in Ukraine are kinda worried, but kinda ho-hum because the propaganda was spinning that the WEST was overexaggerating. Many Ukraine scholars are angry because there ARE factors that believe Ukraine's independence was wrong in the first place, and they push a "We are all Russians" message---Like Putin. So they use "history" as part of the propaganda. 

But he gone just annex the rest of the country and unless we go into WWWIII which we really cannot and wouldn't get approval from Congress, Ukraine--->Russia/U..S..SR. Then he will move on to the rest of Eastern Europe until he is done or dies. Putin is otherworldly and is a Ghengis Khan in disguise. He fancies himself a conqueror bringing Russia back to the Romanov times. He was never to be trusted. I was angry when Obama and his family sat taking pictures near the Kremlin. Congress had always been united (pre-Trump) that Putin was a PROBLEM. Putin has the US and the West right where he want us: confused. He used the pandemic as an opportunity to fulfill a wish.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

MamaBear2012 said:


> Oooh, thanks for this. I didn't know they weren't a part of NATO, but that makes sense.
> 
> I really have been trying to understand why Putin wants Ukraine. But you're right, it probably is a power grab. I've been thinking this is just a way to pull the U.S. into a war. We're already so divided. Our people are struggling. We manufacture nothing in this country. And I'm nervous about Russia's friendliness with China. *Are they working together to bring us down?* But I really don't understand the whole picture.


Using Death by 1000 cuts. We won't know where the death blow will come for but we will prepare...learning to late that it was never the point to deal a death blow, but to see the US fall like Rome. Over hundreds of years until it simply ceases to exist.


----------



## MamaBear2012

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> *Using Death by 1000 cuts.* We won't know where the death blow will come for but we will prepare...learning to late that it was never the point to deal a death blow, but to see the US fall like Rome. Over hundreds of years until it simply ceases to exist.


This is what has been in my head since I watched the documentary "American Factory" on Netflix. I think it was produced by the Obamas. Or they were involved. But the point that stuck with me was the loyalty that the Chinese citizens had to their government. And how everything they did was to advance China. And now I'm looking at Chinese investors coming in swooping up all of these houses in the U.S. And they already manufacture so much of what we use on a daily basis. It seems like they are playing the long game. And Americans are...not. So, China and Russia together just seems tragic for us.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

MamaBear2012 said:


> Oooh, thanks for this. I didn't know they weren't a part of NATO, but that makes sense.
> 
> I really have been trying to understand why Putin wants Ukraine. But you're right, it probably is a power grab. I've been thinking this is just a way to pull the U.S. into a war. We're already so divided. Our people are struggling. We manufacture nothing in this country. And I'm nervous about Russia's friendliness with China. Are they working together to bring us down? But I really don't understand the whole picture.


Idk. Seems like China wouldn't want to bring us down because we buy everything from them and they lend us a lot of money. Who will enrich them if we're gone? Anything is possible though. It's not like they like us. We're political frenemies at best.

Are you familiar with Havana Syndrome? There was a story on 60 Minutes this weekend. I knew about the incidents in Cuba and vaguely recall hearing about it elsewhere. Now they're saying that people have been attacked while on the White House grounds.  Others were attacked inside their DC homes. There's a boldness here that should be met with swift action. I don't believe the US doesn't know who's behind it. Maybe there are covert operations handling this but it's really disturbing. What if the president or vp was compromised? They mentioned on the show that a high ranking official was attacked but they didn't give a name or title. It seemed to be a cabinet level position.



ETA: I've been wondering who's behind this. My first thought was Russia but I think Putin is behind everything. China seems slightly more likely with it's expertise in technology. I could see them working together on something like this. Or even our foes in the Middle East but I think our surveillance of them is better than it is of China or Russia. I think we'd know about it. When I saw "we" I mean the government. I doubt they'd ever tell us until it was handled. Can you imagine if something like this was unleashed on the public?


----------



## Rastafarai

I thought Ukraine like Crimea was always part of Russian territory. That's why he doesn't view Ukraine as independent, and quite frankly the people share the same culture. 

Interesting to see if he takes Ukraine. Even with sanctions against Russia, we will suffer, especially where it concerns oil/gas.


----------



## MamaBear2012

@Black Ambrosia - I saw Havana Syndrome in the news, but didn't pay attention. See, this is the kind of bigger picture stuff that I just don't know. I feel like I can't really connect the dots on any of this stuff. I'm just guessing at everything. But then again, I guess a lot of people are guessing because some of it we won't know until well into the future.


----------



## Crackers Phinn

Black Ambrosia said:


> I'm always really impressed when people explain current events with historical context. I'd like to be able to do that but I never have the interest until something happens like now.
> 
> *I think Putin wants to put together the old USSR but idk why other than it being a power grab. *I'm sure there's more to it. What I do know is Biden is reluctant to go to war over Ukraine because Ukraine isn't part of NATO. NATO members look out for each other and Ukraine isn't part of the club. They want to be but Putin has been fighting it because Ukraine would have the support of the US military if Putin invaded and he's been wanting to do that since Russia took over Crimea. Also, NATO membership requires a unanimous vote of member nations and there are a few that don't want Ukraine to join because they don't want to be forced to get involved in a fight against Russia. Not getting involved has serious repercussions for the Ukrainian people who we've previously supported with weapons and resources. If we don't intervene Russia will take over and a lot of people will be killed.


Putin is trying to get back to 80's Superpower status before China becomes the worlds overlord and the best time to do it is while the world is on better managed fire with the pandemic.   There have been quite a few international land grab attempts since Covid hit the scene.  

Pretty much the majority of news I'm hearing from Israel is making sure the Jews in the area are stocked up but ready to get out of the Ukraine at the first sign of invasion.  It's a lot of Ukraine Jews who have already left for Israel.


----------



## ThursdayGirl

Rastafarai said:


> I thought Ukraine like Crimea was always part of Russian territory. That's why he doesn't view Ukraine as independent, and quite frankly the people share the same culture.
> 
> Interesting to see if he takes Ukraine. Even with sanctions against Russia, we will suffer, especially where it concerns oil/gas.


Just adding this here.  NPR ran a story about the history of Ukraine and Russia:  https://www.nprillinois.org/2022-02-22/putin-has-his-own-version-of-ukraines-history


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Black Ambrosia said:


> I'm always really impressed when people explain current events with historical context. I'd like to be able to do that but I never have the interest until something happens like now.
> 
> *I think Putin wants to put together the old USSR but idk why other than it being a power grab.* I'm sure there's more to it. What I do know is Biden is reluctant to go to war over Ukraine because Ukraine isn't part of NATO. NATO members look out for each other and Ukraine isn't part of the club. They want to be but Putin has been fighting it because Ukraine would have the support of the US military if Putin invaded and he's been wanting to do that since Russia took over Crimea. Also, NATO membership requires a unanimous vote of member nations and there are a few that don't want Ukraine to join because they don't want to be forced to get involved in a fight against Russia. Not getting involved has serious repercussions for the Ukrainian people who we've previously supported with weapons and resources. If we don't intervene Russia will take over and a lot of people will be killed.


This is about re-creating the Russian Empire. Ukraine came under Russian rule under Catherine the Great, who Putin calls Russia's greatest emperor/empress. He wants to restore Russian imperial power and prestige. This a colonial move to destroy Ukrainian sovereignty.

If people are interested in learning more, here are two people I'm following on this since I am a history nerd, was a European History major but this is not my area of expertise. One is a Black American journalist who's spent the last decade living part time in Ukraine. He's been on MSNBC a lot in the last few days. The other a Black woman studying for her PhD in race in the USSR/GDR.



			https://twitter.com/terrelljstarr
		




			https://twitter.com/ksvarnon
		


For those interested, I am working on the Astrology of what's happening. I kinda thought late March-early April was when we'd start seeing some action.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Rastafarai said:


> I thought Ukraine like Crimea was always part of Russian territory. That's why he doesn't view Ukraine as independent, and quite frankly the people share the same culture.
> 
> Interesting to see if he takes Ukraine. Even with sanctions against Russia, we will suffer, especially where it concerns oil/gas.


Yes it was during the Romanov rule. Ukraine today is divided. The western half is Ukrainian-speaking, more aligned with the West, EU, Germany etc. The eastern half is Russian-speaking, supported the USSR and more aligned with Russia. That's why Putin feels justified. He also hates Ukrainians.


----------



## Miss_Luna

I'm also not a history major, by any means, but historically, I believe Ukraine had a much smaller military after the end of the Soviet Union and gave up their nuclear weapons as part of the fall. 

Because of this (dropping their nuclear program), from what I can remember, the West promised to support them IF they were to ever be attacked/targeted. I think that's why so many Western countries/EU are offering them support now. This is in edition to everything else @ScorpioBeauty09 mentioned. 

I think it was hinted/mentioned that Ukraine wants to join NATO which is a huge no-no for Russia/Pu.tin


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Miss_Luna said:


> I'm also not a history major, by any means, but historically, *I believe Ukraine had a much smaller military after the end of the Soviet Union and gave up their nuclear weapons as part of the fall.*
> 
> Because of this (dropping their nuclear program), from what I can remember, the West promised to support them IF they were to ever be attacked/targeted. I think that's why so many Western countries/EU are offering them support now. This is in edition to everything else @ScorpioBeauty09 mentioned.
> 
> I think it was hinted/mentioned that Ukraine wants to join NATO which is a huge no-no for Russia/Pu.tin


I'm hearing this too. The fact that the US (and UK) has dictated who gets nuclear weapons helped create this situation. I'm mixed on MAD and I don't want a nuclear war but unless the West is going to send troops to Ukraine (because sanctions aren't going to cut it), the fact that Ukraine was forced to give up their weapons while Russia was allowed to keep them, is insanity.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Ukraine Crisis Kicks Off New Superpower Struggle Among U.S., Russia and China​Beijing and Moscow now hold a stronger hand in confronting the West than during the Cold War​By 
Updated Feb. 23, 2022 11:19 pm ET






Russia’s audacious military assault on Ukraine is the first major clash marking a new order in international politics, with three major powers jostling for position in ways that threaten America’s primacy.

The challenges are different than those the U.S. and its network of alliances faced in the Cold War. Russia and China have built a thriving partnership based in part on a shared interest in diminishing U.S. power. Unlike the Sino-Soviet bloc of the 1950s, Russia is a critical gas supplier to Europe, while China isn’t an impoverished, war-ravaged partner but the world’s manufacturing powerhouse with an expanding military.

In deploying a huge force and on Thursday ordering what he called a “special military operation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that the West rewrite the post-Cold War security arrangements for Europe and demonstrated that Russia has the military capability to impose its will despite Western objections and economic sanctions.

To do this, Mr. Putin shifted military units from Russia’s border with China, showing confidence in his relations with Beijing. The two powers, in effect, are coordinating to reshape the global order to their advantage, though their ties stop short of a formal alliance.

This emerging order leaves the U.S. contending with two adversaries at once in geographically disparate parts of the world where America has close partners and deep economic and political interests. The Biden administration now faces big decisions on whether to regear its priorities, step up military spending, demand allies contribute more, station additional forces abroad and develop more diverse energy sources to reduce Europe’s dependence on Moscow.

“We all thought we were looking at a Europe whole, free and at peace indefinitely,” said Michele Flournoy, who served as the Pentagon’s top policy official during the Obama administration. “We knew that Russia would conduct gray zone operations and that Putin would use his KGB playbook to create instability on his periphery. But a wholesale invasion of a sovereign country to reorient its government is a different moment.”

“And we’re seeing that while Beijing doesn’t really like Putin’s tactics, they’re willing to band together as authoritarian states against the Western democracies,” Ms. Flournoy added. “We are going to see more and more of that in the future.”





Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Beijing earlier in the month.​
The U.S. predicament in part grew out of moves by Washington at the end of the Cold War. As the globe’s sole superpower, the U.S. pushed to promote democracy around the world and expand the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the key Cold War military alliance in Europe, to include former members of the Kremlin-dominated Warsaw Pact and some former Soviet republics. That responded to the decades-old yearnings of East European nations to be free of Moscow’s dominion.

Mr. Putin, however, saw his rivalry with the West as a zero-sum game and set about moving Russia toward its Soviet-era prominence, with greater say over the nations on its periphery.

China’s Communist Party leadership also saw pro-democracy protest movements in former Soviet republics as U.S.-engineered plots that could ultimately be used against Beijing. In response, China’s leadership tightened controls at home while redoubling a military buildup—trends that accelerated when Xi Jinping took charge a decade ago. When pro-democracy protesters rose up in Hong Kong, Mr. Xi imposed harsh security laws, brushing off agreements his predecessors made giving autonomy to the former British colony and international financial center.

For much of the past decade, the U.S. security establishment began taking note of what the Pentagon in 2015 called the “re-emergence of great power competition” and shifted from its emphasis of counterterrorism operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.

In setting priorities as the Pentagon seeks to retool for future conflicts, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has repeatedly cast China as the “pacing challenge” while Russia was seen as the lesser longer-term danger.





Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense secretary, visited a Polish air base on Friday.​The projection matched President Biden’s priorities even as he pledged to buttress the world’s democracies. He took office wanting to focus on the pandemic, the economy and other domestic issues, promising a “middle class” foreign policy that would deliver returns for Americans after costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Managing relations with Moscow would help the administration concentrate  on the military, economic and technological competition with Beijing.

Toward this end, Mr. Biden held a summit meeting in June with Mr. Putin to forge what the White House called a “stable, predictable” relationship. To put guardrails on relations with Moscow, Mr. Biden agreed to a five-year extension of the New START treaty limiting long-range U.S. and Russian nuclear arms. The White House also directed the Pentagon to explore using Russian bases in Central Asia to prevent the re-emergence of a terrorist threat in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Mr. Putin, however, tried to take advantage of Washington’s focus elsewhere to pursue his agenda of bringing Belarus and Ukraine into Moscow’s sphere of influence, most notably with Russia’s major military buildup on the doorstep of the U.S.’s European allies and its new assault on Ukraine.

Even with annual defense budgets that soared over $700 billion, coping with an urgent Russian-generated crisis while preparing for a Chinese threat whose peak is still years away presents an enormous challenge for the Pentagon.

“The United States is particularly at risk of being overwhelmed should its military be forced to fight on two or more fronts simultaneously,” said a congressionally mandated study of the Pentagon’s strategy that was issued in 2018 by former military officers and defense officials. One of them, Kathleen Hicks, is now President Biden’s deputy defense secretary directing the agency’s programs and plans.

The crisis is already leading the U.S. to move more troops to Europe and will likely prompt it to rethink defense spending levels and perhaps even the size of its armed forces. The era of nuclear reductions may come to an end as the U.S. military establishment argues for a large enough nuclear arsenal to deter both Russia’s formidable nuclear weaponry and China’s rapidly growing nuclear forces, which aren’t limited by any arms-control agreement.





U.S. Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division were deployed to Poland to reassure NATO allies and deter Russian aggression.​Having to counter both Russia and China will also lead the Biden administration to lean more heavily on the alliances the U.S. has used to augment its global power. When Messrs. Putin and Xi held a summit in Beijing earlier this month, a 5,300-word statement they released afterward took aim at NATO as well as U.S. alliances with Australia and others in Asia for seeking “unilateral military advantages to the detriment of the security of others.”

China has reinforced military outposts in the South China Sea, a vital global sea lane. It is also constructing a nascent network of bases around the world that could be used by its rapidly expanding navy, piggybacking on port facilities being built as part of its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The U.S. is trying to prevent the Chinese navy from gaining its first foothold on the Atlantic, pressuring Equatorial Guinea to spurn Beijing’s advances.

“The United States is going to have to get used again to operating in multiple theaters simultaneously—not just militarily, but in terms of psychology and foreign-policy making,” said Eliot Cohen, a military historian at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.


Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia as President Biden said Moscow had begun its invasion of Ukraine. The measures are expected to have limited impact on Russia’s economy, but the U.S. and its allies say they send a strong signal. 

As the administration tries to sort through the new challenges, the Pentagon has delayed the release of its national defense strategy intended to spell out plans to deter the U.S.’s great power rivals and its new review of what nuclear weapons to develop and the range of threats they should deter. Already, debates are emerging among U.S. defense experts on whether the Pentagon should give equal weight to the twin challenges from Beijing and Moscow or focus more on the Pacific.

Beyond the military, the new confrontation with Moscow might also accelerate a further fracturing of economic globalization. China and the U.S. are trying to unravel supply chains for critical technologies. Should the West impose crippling sanctions on Russian banks and major companies, Moscow is likely to become more reliant on Beijing, which has issued a digital currency and is building a payments system separate from the West’s.

Energy is also likely to become an even greater focal point for national security, owing to Europe’s dependence on supplies of natural gas from Russia, which accounted for 29% of Europe’s natural-gas market last year.





A compressor station at the starting point of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Ust-Luga, Russia.​“It is already ending the amnesia about the importance of energy security,” said Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of research firm IHS Markit. “It means a new emphasis on diversification of energy sources for Europe and a new look at U.S. domestic and international energy policies.”

Advocates of using energy as a geopolitical tool say Washington should promote investment in U.S. oil and natural gas and approve new LNG export terminals and pipelines in the U.S.

In Europe, the crisis has already rocked NATO, with its secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, saying the alliance needs to reconfigure itself to deal with a “new normal in European security.”

At a security conference in Munich over the weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris and other leaders cited the unity that the U.S. and its European partners have displayed in the face of Russia’s actions.





*Vice President Kamala Harris speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.*​
In the short run, NATO officials say, that may mean sending new battle groups to southeastern Europe and beefing up allied forces in Poland and the Baltic States on NATO’s eastern flank. The 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act precludes the alliance from permanently stationing additional substantial combat forces on the territory of its new Eastern and Central European members, but could now be repealed.

A recent poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations noted most Europeans see the Ukraine crisis as a broader threat to Europe. Some current and former officials, however, worry that the alliance’s solidarity could fray in the years ahead as it debates the need for greater military spending and wrestles whether its military ties with Georgia might stir new confrontations with Moscow.

In June, NATO is planning to adopt its new “strategic concept” at a summit meeting in Madrid, which will outline the broad principles of how the alliance plans to deal with security challenges in the decade ahead. It will come as a report by the Alphen Group by former officials and other experts urges that European members of the alliance and Canada provide for 50% of NATO’s minimum military requirements by 2030 so the U.S. can focus more on deterring China.

“Everybody’s unified right now and outraged about what the Russians are doing,” said Alexander Vershbow, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO who also served as the alliance’s deputy secretary-general from 2012 to 2016. “But when we get down to making longer-term commitments to strengthen NATO’s defense posture and potentially revisit nuclear issues, it could become very divisive.”


----------



## dancinstallion

This is terrible and sad. How in 2022 can a country just be invaded and everybody is just watching.


What product increases will we see in the US besides gas prices. Possibly wheat?


----------



## Black Ambrosia

dancinstallion said:


> This is terrible and sad. How on 2020 can a country just be invaded and everybody is just watching.
> 
> 
> What product increases will we see in the US besides gas prices. Possibly wheat?


I'm surprised there hasn't been a coordinated response or some action from the EU. No one wants to go toe to toe with Russia but if Ukraine is seized that puts the EU right next door to Russia. Putin isn't gonna be content with just Ukraine. If he's successful (and he will be if we and the world don't intervene), Ukraine will be the first of many.

I think we'll see more overt cyberattacks here. I'm thinking back to the issues with the power grid across the country one summer several years ago. That's ripe for exploiting. Or the grid in Texas. It doesn't help Russia with Ukraine but they're into psychological warfare. If China is a part of this, they may withhold some consumer products but the supply chain is already pretty compromised with covid so IDK how that'll work. On the upside, we may see more manufacturing here depending on how long this lasts. Everything will then be a lot more expensive (for years because we'd have to build manufacturing sites to make this possible) but it'll make things more readily available and may help raise wages for factory workers.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

Miss_Luna said:


> I'm also not a history major, by any means, but historically, I believe Ukraine had a much smaller military after the end of the Soviet Union and gave up their nuclear weapons as part of the fall.
> 
> Because of this (dropping their nuclear program), from what I can remember, the West promised to support them IF they were to ever be attacked/targeted. I think that's why so many Western countries/EU are offering them support now. This is in edition to everything else @ScorpioBeauty09 mentioned.
> 
> I think it was hinted/mentioned that Ukraine wants to join NATO which is a huge no-no for Russia/Pu.tin


Its true. It why the last President spent so much time boosting the military there after the Crimea was annexed.


----------



## MamaBear2012

Black Ambrosia said:


> I'm surprised there hasn't been a coordinated response or some action from the EU. No one wants to go toe to toe with Russia but if Ukraine is seized that puts the EU right next door to Russia. Putin isn't gonna be content with just Ukraine. If he's successful (and he will be if we and the world don't intervene), Ukraine will be the first of many.
> 
> *I think we'll see more overt cyberattacks here. I'm thinking back to the issues with the power grid across the county one summer several years ago. That's ripe for exploiting. Or the grid in Texas.* It doesn't help Russia with Ukraine but they're into psychological warfare. If China is a part of this, they may withhold some consumer products but the supply chain is already pretty compromised with covid so IDK how that'll work. On the upside, we may see more manufacturing here depending on how long this lasts. Everything will then be a lot more expensive (for years because we'd have to build manufacturing sites to make this possible) but it'll make things more readily available and may help raise wages for factory workers.


I mentioned some of this in a different thread. I have my family stocked with the basic items that we use for about a year out. Some things a little bit more than a year. And we'd be good with canned foods and non-perishable items for a good while. Part of that was simply the thought that China might play hard ball and we'd be screwed. I wasn't even thinking about Russia. And a lot of it was thinking about inflation and the supply chain. I'd rather buy the things we use now while it's cheaper and I know it's available. And I do have a full freezer. But not relying on that because of what you put in bold. Cyberattacks on utilities means those stocked freezers are useless. And while it's easy to think, "Nah, that won't happen," I saw it happen with gasoline here in GA. An attack that leads to panic that leads to shortages.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

Black Ambrosia said:


> *I'm surprised there hasn't been a coordinated response or some action from the EU. No one wants to go toe to toe with Russia* but if Ukraine is seized that puts the EU right next door to Russia. Putin isn't gonna be content with just Ukraine. If he's successful (and he will be if we and the world don't intervene), Ukraine will be the first of many.
> 
> *I think we'll see more overt cyberattacks here*. I'm thinking back to the issues with the power grid across the county one summer several years ago. That's ripe for exploiting. Or the grid in Texas. It doesn't help Russia with Ukraine but they're into psychological warfare. If China is a part of this, they may withhold some consumer products but the supply chain is already pretty compromised with covid so IDK how that'll work. On the upside, we may see more manufacturing here depending on how long this lasts. Everything will then be a lot more expensive (for years because we'd have to build manufacturing sites to make this possible) but it'll make things more readily available and may help raise wages for factory workers.


Because they have the best/thuggish hackers on the planet. The majority of this war will be online. I strongly believe Tr.um.p was installed by Pu.t.in. I know now that T.ru.m.p/GO.P will use this to say Biden is weak (Ni.kki Haley and others are already spreading this narrative) to try and get T.ru.m.p installed. That way they will beg for him. Not that Tr.um.p would send a war to Pu.ti.n.


----------



## TrulyBlessed




----------



## Black Ambrosia

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> Because they have the best/thuggish hackers on the planet. The majority of this war will be online. I strongly believe Tr.um.p was installed by Pu.t.in. I know now that T.ru.m.p/GO.P will use this to say Biden is weak (Ni.kki Haley and others are already spreading this narrative) to try and get T.ru.m.p installed. That way they will beg for him. Not that Tr.um.p would send a war to Pu.ti.n.


I saw tweets last night about how trump kept the peace but now that Biden is in charge there's war. The crazy thing about that narrative is that we're not at war. We may be soon but this isn't about us yet. Not directly anyway. Americans as a whole don't give a damn about two countries fighting on the other side of the globe but they're so anxious to promote trump that they've made this about Biden supposedly  things up. 

There's no doubt in my mind that Putin is responsible for trump's presidency. Deutsche Bank financed his lifestyle for years by lending money for his failing real estate developments that no other bank would touch. That was at the behest of Russia and part of the big money laundering scheme that came out a few years ago. Also, we know Russia was behind the disinformation campaign against Hillary. It hasn't been proven but I believe they managed to hack the vote in Wisconsin and at least one other state that was really close.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

TrulyBlessed said:


>


I don't doubt that he means it. But what does it look like? Famine? Shut down the banks? Crime increasing because of the chaos he's creating? How does one prepare for this aside from your standard doomsday/Y2K preppers? And is that even enough?


----------



## oneastrocurlie

Thanks for the recaps. This is much better than hearing my coworker rant and others give commentary during our work meetings this morning.


----------



## fifi134

Russia has seized Chernobyl.


----------



## Nay

Black Ambrosia said:


> I'm surprised there hasn't been a coordinated response or some action from the EU. No one wants to go toe to toe with Russia but if Ukraine is seized that puts the EU right next door to Russia. Putin isn't gonna be content with just Ukraine. If he's successful (and he will be if we and the world don't intervene), Ukraine will be the first of many.
> 
> I think we'll see more overt cyberattacks here. I'm thinking back to the issues with the power grid across the country one summer several years ago. That's ripe for exploiting. Or the grid in Texas. It doesn't help Russia with Ukraine but they're into psychological warfare. If China is a part of this, they may withhold some consumer products but the supply chain is already pretty compromised with covid so IDK how that'll work. On the upside, we may see more manufacturing here depending on how long this lasts. Everything will then be a lot more expensive (for years because we'd have to build manufacturing sites to make this possible) but it'll make things more readily available and may help raise wages for factory workers.


I went to bed last night with a sense of dread.  This whole situation (and everything else going on in the world) is making me feel real uncomfortable.  It just feels like a rather scary time in history.  Like what's coming down the pike next??


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

Black Ambrosia said:


> I saw tweets last night about how trump kept the peace but now that Biden is in charge there's war. The crazy thing about that narrative is that we're not at war. We may be soon but this isn't about us yet. Not directly anyway. Americans as a whole don't give a damn about two countries fighting on the other side of the globe but they're so anxious to promote trump that they've made this about Biden supposedly  things up.
> 
> There's no doubt in my mind that Putin is responsible for trump's presidency. Deutsche Bank financed his lifestyle for years by lending money for his failing real estate developments that no other bank would touch. That was at the behest of Russia and part of the big money laundering scheme that came out a few years ago. Also, we know Russia was behind the disinformation campaign against Hillary. *It hasn't been proven but I believe they managed to hack the vote in Wisconsin and at least one other state that was really close.*


I believe they hacked Madison County FL to push for Trump and DeSantis. Madison county FL historically is a unicorn. Its Rural county near Tallahassee and is uniquely home to the highest percentage of black people in FLORIDA (its 38%). But it went red? 
Most Florida Counties are 15-30% BLACK/AA
Miami-17% Black (BLUE) 
Ft. Lauderdale-30% (BLUE)
Jacksonville-30% (BLUE)
Madison, Florida 37.8%  (Red????)

We believe Gilliam lost bc of the shenanigans that went on there. Also---most of the black folk who live here know each other or are related. And they are NOT Red-leaning in politics at all. 

Next door, in Jefferson county (Monticello), they still shut the city down at 12:00 PM on Fridays.
10 points to anyone who can guess why. 

These are the 3 largest municipalities
How sway?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Is Putin married?  Who would marry him? He is so shady and vicious.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## dancinstallion

Nay said:


> I went to bed last night with a sense of dread.  This whole situation (and everything else going on in the world) is making me feel real uncomfortable.  It just feels like a rather scary time in history.  Like what's coming down the pike next??



I don't want to think about it but the future looks grim. We can act like it isn't happening and go about our lives but being oblivious has consequences too.



Black Ambrosia said:


> I'm surprised there hasn't been a coordinated response or some action from the EU. No one wants to go toe to toe with Russia but if Ukraine is seized that puts the EU right next door to Russia. Putin isn't gonna be content with just Ukraine. If he's successful (and he will be if we and the world don't intervene), Ukraine will be the first of many.
> 
> I think we'll see more overt cyberattacks here. I'm thinking back to the issues with the power grid across the country one summer several years ago. That's ripe for exploiting. Or the grid in Texas. It doesn't help Russia with Ukraine but they're into psychological warfare. If China is a part of this, they may withhold some consumer products but the supply chain is already pretty compromised with covid so IDK how that'll work. On the upside, we may see more manufacturing here depending on how long this lasts. Everything will then be a lot more expensive (for years because we'd have to build manufacturing sites to make this possible) but it'll make things more readily available and may help raise wages for factory workers.



They are already doing rolling blackouts in some areas of Houston and it's suburbs.  
My coworker said her lights have been turned off for around 3 hours each week for the last month. The electric company finally said it is because of the increased demands due to the freezing Temps. We only had 2 days of freezing Temps and it wasn't nearly as bad as last year.

I think solar panels are the only way around it but it has been so gloomy/cloudy the last week so IDk how that would work. The battery pack probably would be used up. I guess just decrease usage. Which will cover the 3 hour blackouts. I see it wouldn't last for days.

The more I think about it the more pessimistic I feel.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

charmingt said:


>


This is what the former President of Ukraine said as well. When he was interviewed by NPR last month, He stated that he and that administration set out to bolster Ukraine's defense, armies, navy, armed forces after the Crimea was annexed because he knew Putin was just getting started.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

charmingt said:


>


I agree. The Russian delegate should be asked to leave his post.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

charmingt said:


> Is Putin married?  Who would marry him? He is so *shady and vicious.*


Google how he stole Robert Kraft's Superbowl ring.

I don't feel sorry for Robert Kraft. Its what he as a GOPer gets for schmoozing with him. But he stole it.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## naturalgyrl5199

charmingt said:


>


Prepping to cheat again in 2020. We are really lucky people woke up a little bit and then the protests, Pandemic as well 
Not that we wanted all of that....but that's what it took.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Black Ambrosia said:


> I'm surprised there hasn't been a coordinated response or some action from the EU. No one wants to go toe to toe with Russia but if Ukraine is seized that puts the EU right next door to Russia. Putin isn't gonna be content with just Ukraine. If he's successful (and he will be if we and the world don't intervene), Ukraine will be the first of many.
> 
> I think we'll see more overt cyberattacks here. I'm thinking back to the issues with the power grid across the country one summer several years ago. That's ripe for exploiting. Or the grid in Texas. It doesn't help Russia with Ukraine but they're into psychological warfare. If China is a part of this, they may withhold some consumer products but the supply chain is already pretty compromised with covid so IDK how that'll work. On the upside, we may see more manufacturing here depending on how long this lasts. *Everything will then be a lot more expensive (for years because we'd have to build manufacturing sites to make this possible) but it'll make things more readily available and may help raise wages for factory workers.*


I doubt it. Corporations have made record-profits, the highest since the 50s yet they used the supply chain crisis to justify raising their prices and hardly, if any went to most workers. It went into the CEOs pockets.  People will make money out of this geopolitical crisis but it won't be your average worker.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## MamaBear2012

I had DH fill up our gas tanks yesterday. He kept saying he would do it later. Then later. Then later. He eventually went out around 8:30 and got gas and came back talking about, "$3.29! Man!" I was like, "Sir, it's been $3.29 for a good 2 weeks now." He's oblivious. Anyway, that same gas station is $3.45 today. I guess we'll see how high it climbs.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

ScorpioBeauty09 said:


> I doubt it. Corporations have made record-profits, the highest since the 50s yet they used the supply chain crisis to justify raising their prices and hardly, if any went to most workers. It went into the CEOs pockets.  People will make money out of this geopolitical crisis but it won't be your average worker.


I don't expect big business to do anything out of the kindness of it's heart. I'm thinking about the current job market where fast food restaurants are offering $17 an hour and can't get people to show up. Companies may have to raise wages to keep the lights on. I'm sure things will change some but without more intel I'm basing my comment on the current job market.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Miss_Luna

There is no way this will end well for R.ussia or their president, especially their president. There is no way to get out of this without something drastic happening and even if it ends there will be significant changes to life over there.  

This is a proxy war with the West and so many lives will be lost due to an egomaniac and his need for power.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

I'm reminded of an episode of the Rachel Maddow show I saw sometime last year. It was about Russian spies in the U.S. and how embarrassingly bad they were. I'm not underestimating Putin but there are chinks in his armor. I take his threat seriously but it'll be interesting to see if he's able to deliver beyond cyberattacks.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

‘Abrupt Changes’: China Caught in a Bind Over Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine​China has presented itself as a defender of sovereign independence. But its reluctance to denounce Russia’s aggression forces it into an awkward position.​Feb. 25, 2022
Updated 1:44 p.m. ET





President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, this month in Beijing.


As Russian troops have poured into Ukraine, officials in Beijing have fumed at any suggestion that they are betraying a core principle of Chinese foreign policy — that sovereignty is sacrosanct — in order to shield Moscow.

They will not even call it an invasion. “Russia’s operation” is one preferred description. The “current situation” is another. And China’s leader, Xi Jinping, says his position on the crisis is perfectly coherent.

“The abrupt changes in the eastern regions of Ukraine have been drawing the close attention of the international community,” Mr. Xi told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, in a call on Friday, according to an official Chinese summary.

“China’s fundamental stance has been consistent in respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, and abiding by the mission and principles of the United Nations Charter,” Mr. Xi said.

Outside the echo chamber of Chinese official media, however, there seems little doubt that Russia’s war has put its partner Beijing in a severe bind, including over where it stands on countries’ sovereign rights.

China’s quandary may have played a role Friday in what appeared to be a new offer by Russia to negotiate with Ukraine’s embattled leadership.

After Mr. Putin’s phone call with Mr. Xi, the Russian president signaled he was open to talks — reversing his own foreign minister’s statement hours earlier. The Kremlin framed Mr. Putin’s position as a response to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that he was ready to discuss “neutral status” for Ukraine.

Whether Mr. Xi pressured Mr. Putin to be more accommodating remains unclear at best. But talks to resolve the crisis would clearly be in China’s interest, easing what critics see as its double-standard on the sovereignty issue.

On the one hand, China has long said that the United States and other Western powers routinely trample over other countries, most egregiously in recent times in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. China’s message has been that it is the true guardian of sovereign independence, especially for poorer countries.

On the other hand, Mr. Putin has expected Mr. Xi to accept, if not support, the invasion. Mr. Xi’s government has played along so far, laying responsibility for Europe’s worst war in decades on hubris by the United States. China has also distanced itself from the condemnation of Russia at the United Nations.





Ukrainian National Guard members on Friday in Kyiv, a day after Russia launched a huge military operation against Ukraine.Gleb Garanich/Reuters

China’s “central attack on the United States as a global power since Xi Jinping has come to office has been to accuse it of continued violation of U.N. Charter principles on national sovereignty,” Kevin Rudd, a former prime minister of Australia who served as a diplomat in China, said in a telephone interview. “This torpedoes that argument midship.”

The growing economic relationship between China and Russia also has given Mr. Xi some potential leverage in pushing for Mr. Putin to quickly resolve the Ukraine crisis. With severe sanctions now imposed on Russia by Western powers, Mr. Putin may need China more than ever as an investor and buyer of Russian oil, wheat and other products.

Unless the Ukraine crisis is resolved, China will continue performing verbal contortions to try to balance its solidarity with Russia with its declared devotion to the sanctity of the nation-state, experts and former diplomats said.

If the war expands and persists, the costs for China of hemming and hawing over a deadly crisis may grow.

Beijing’s stance has already angered Western European leaders and hardened American frustration with China. Asian and African countries traditionally close to Beijing have condemned Russia’s actions. One of the main currencies of Chinese diplomacy — its declared dedication to sovereign rights for all countries — could be devalued.

“The incoherence is damaging to China over the long term,” said Adam Ni, an analyst who publishes China Neican, a newsletter on Chinese current affairs.

“It undermines China’s long-held foreign policy principles, and makes it harder to project itself as a responsible great power,” he said. Mr. Ni said it would also “be seen by the U.S. and E.U. member states as duplicity and complicity in Russian aggression, which will likely have costs for Beijing.”

Chinese newspapers have uniformly held to the government’s position on the war, accusing the United States of provoking Russia by holding open the possibility that Ukraine could join NATO.





The Ukrainian Embassy in Beijing on Thursday. 

“China believes that the chief cause of this war was the United States’ long-term failure to respect Russian security,” said Xuewu Gu, the director of the Center for Global Studies at the University of Bonn in Germany. “In that sense, China sees this war as one of self-defense by Russia, therefore naturally it would not describe it as an invasion.”

In private, some Chinese academics have shared misgivings about Mr. Xi’s embrace of Mr. Putin. And on the Chinese internet, some users have robustly questioned how China’s position on the Ukraine war squares with its longstanding precept that countries should steer their own fates.

“Ukraine is a sovereign, independent country, and if it wants to join NATO or the E.U., that’s its freedom and nobody else has the right to intervene,” said one comment on Friday on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media service.

More than most countries, China has upheld the idea that national sovereignty trumps other concerns, including human rights standards. China’s modern concept of sovereignty — “zhuquan” in Chinese — developed from the 19th century when Western powers subjugated the Qing rulers.

“There’s a great insistence on a full concept of sovereignty, and it’s typical of third world colonial or semi-colonial environments,” said Ryan Mitchell, a law professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, on how such concepts evolved in China. “That remains true today.”

Beijing’s muscular notion of how far its sovereignty reaches has become one of the main drivers — and trouble points — of Chinese policy.

Beijing has maintained that Taiwan, the self-governed island that has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, must eventually be united with China, even if armed force is needed. Beijing has made expansive claims to islands and waters across the South China Sea. It has also been locked in clashes with India over disputed borderlands.





Anti-tank fortifications from previous conflicts lining the shore of a beach in Kinmen, Taiwan — with a view of China in the distance — in November.

In domestic policy, too, the Chinese government has made sovereignty a focus. When the authorities put dissidents on trial in secret, they brush off requests for access or information by citing “judicial sovereignty.” When Chinese internet censorship is criticized, officials cite China’s right to preserve its “cybersovereignty.” 

In meetings with Chinese diplomats, the word came up often, said Mr. Rudd, the former prime minister of Australia, who is now president of the Asia Society.

“The whole notion of mutual noninterference and the respect for national sovereignty has been not just a cosmetic principle but an operational principle for the Chinese system internally,” he said.

Chinese diplomats will be busy explaining how that comports with their position on Ukraine.

That may be tricky, but they have some practice. When Russian forces seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, China tried to strike a balance. It abstained from a United Nations Security Council resolution urging states not to recognize Russia’s claim to the area, but it did not formally recognize Russia’s claim, either. Chinese leaders also tried to straddle positions after Russian forces seized territory in Georgia in 2008.

This time, however, Mr. Xi has already leaned China much more toward Russia. He and Mr. Putin met at the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics in early February, and issued a joint statement declaring that their countries’ friendship “has no bounds.”

“After that statement that ties Xi so closely to Putin, the U.S. and others are bound to punish China for enabling Russia’s aggression,” said Susan Shirk, a former deputy assistant secretary of state who now leads the 21st Century China Center at the University of California San Diego.

“But it’s also harder for China to signal to the world that it doesn’t support Russia’s move,” she said. “Looks like Putin suckered Xi.”


----------



## LivingInPeace

charmingt said:


>


Does this include Trump?


----------



## LivingInPeace

charmingt said:


> Is Putin married?  Who would marry him? He is so shady and vicious.


How would you say no? You know he poisons people.


----------



## PatDM'T




----------



## Rastafarai

charmingt said:


> Is Putin married?  Who would marry him? He is so shady and vicious.



Not currently, though he had several affairs. His weakness, however, involves young boys. This revelation led to the murder of Alexander Litvinenko who was poisoned whilst in London from a sushi restaurant.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

PatDM'T said:


>



I like her break down but her eyes are distracting.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Rastafarai said:


> Not currently, though he had several affairs. His weakness, however, involves young boys. This revelation led to the murder of Alexander Litvinenko who was poisoned whilst in London from a sushi restaurant.


Is this a real weakness or a presumed one? I’m sure his kids are in sky high towers like rapunzel.


----------



## Rastafarai

Black Ambrosia said:


> Is this a real weakness or a presumed one? I’m sure his kids are in sky high towers like rapunzel.



There are videos of the acts.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Just realized I was thinking about something totally different. Wow.


----------



## Melaninme




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Seattle Slew

LivingInPeace said:


> How would you say no? You know he poisons people.


And poisons them with radioactive isotopes. Nasty NASTY poo.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## greight

charmingt said:


>



this is just sad. Ukraine is really on its own if 80 year olds gotta go out like this


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Russian invasion to hit US consumers, automakers already stretched by chip shortage​


The Russian invasion of Ukraine will hit U.S. consumers directly in their wallets and add to the headwinds that the automotive industry has faced for the last two years.

New vehicle prices will be pressed upward again at a time when they are already high because of supply chain issues and disruptions, such as the global semiconductor shortage.

Raw material costs, inflation, and of course, gas prices are headed north.

For the industry and consumers, the real question is, how high?

“Gas prices are going higher, for longer than drivers have seen in a generation,” said Erik Gordon, a business professor at the University of Michigan. “Huge SUVs will be for presidents, gangsters and oligarchs. Fuel efficiency, whatever the fuel, will be a bigger selling point.”

Supply and demand means higher prices at the pump. Experts say to expect $4 a gallon for most of the United States by early spring, according to a USA Today report. Russia, as a major oil producer, can also affect global supply.

But the bigger takeaway is that the invasion will cause a hike in inflation, forcing many consumers to delay buying a new vehicle or to buy a “modest vehicle,” Gordon said.

If consumers slow their big truck and SUV purchases, that would also affect the bottom line for automakers, particularly the Detroit Three, which rely heavily on the profits from sales of those vehicles. In recent years, the domestic auto industry has focused increasingly on production of trucks and SUVs over sedans, assuming that a consumer shift in preference away from smaller, typically more fuel-efficient cars was permanent. Electric vehicles are growing their share of the market, but they remain a small piece of it.

Steve Melnyk, business professor at Michigan State University, said war also increases uncertainty, which means that interest rates will go up and stock prices will go down.


Spoiler: Rest of the Article



“In other words, the cost of borrowing money to buy that new, more expensive car can be expected to go up,” Melnyk said. “Expect car prices to go up as the makers work to pass the costs onto the consumer.”

The effects of war on global economic activity are likely to be widespread, said Joe Eisenhauer, dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Detroit Mercy, and the consequences will be exponentially more damaging the longer it continues.

"A war is going to create scarcity, and it's going to drive up demand, both of which (will) lead to inflation," he said.

Germany shifting its natural gas purchases from Russia to other sources; Russia and Ukraine using more energy to support their militaries, and European companies that would normally source auto parts from Russia but would instead look to Japanese or American companies for those items are examples of how changes in one area can affect others.

"As a consequence, there will be upward pressure all over the world, including in the United States. That could mean higher prices, not only for oil and gas, but it could also change the dynamics of our auto market here," Eisenhauer said, noting that consumers might, for instance, seek out more electric vehicles.

AutoForecast Solutions CEO Joe McCabe said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the next major world disruption to create a ripple effect across global automotive production.

“Just look how COVID, the semiconductor shortage, and even recent protests in Canada have impacted the market,” McCabe said. 

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an eight-week shutdown of car production in North America. And just when automakers were working to catch up on that lost production, the world was hit with a shortage of semiconductor chips used in a variety of car parts. That has crimped new vehicle production across the industry for a year now, creating inventory shortages and high new-vehicle prices.

Then there were the protests on the Ambassador Bridge recently that prevented parts from getting over the U.S.-Canada border, disrupting production at the Detroit Three and others. 

“Russia is a large supplier of key raw materials and rare earth metals supporting the global automotive community,” McCabe said. “As sanctions are put in place, expect to see a constraint on supply and increased prices as the industry will be forced to rely on other sources.”

Each time a world event such as this happens, McCabe said, carmakers must either absorb the cost of it or pass it on to the consumer. 

“But eating the cost usually means having the supply chain consuming most of the pain,” McCabe said. 

Ukraine doesn’t have any significant automotive assembly, McCabe said. But Russia builds about 1.5 million cars per year; with more than half of that coming from globally integrated automakers such as Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Volkswagen. Chrysler-parent Stellantis also makes vehicles in Russia.

“Any sanctions will cause ... reductions in production, which will slow the need for parts, which will impact the supply chain, and so on,” McCabe said.

Stellantis has a factory, of which it shares ownership with Mitsubishi, in Kaluga, Russia, southwest of Moscow. The company announced in January that it would begin exporting Russian-made commercial vehicles to other parts of Europe this month. In that announcement, the company, which also owns the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Fiat brands, noted that the production of vehicles from its Peugeot, Citroen and Opel brands there had doubled last year compared with 2020.

Stellantis spokeswoman Shawn Morgan, who is based out of the company’s Auburn Hills office, said the automaker is “monitoring the situation.”

Lilia Mokroussova, a Stellantis spokesperson for the region that includes Russia, said in an email Thursday that production at the plant "is running in a normal mode."

Stellantis annually sells more than 18,500 vehicles in Russia and almost 14,000 vehicles in Ukraine, Mokroussova said.

One of the biggest unknowns at this point is how significant the impact of sanctions might be for individual automakers.

For the Detroit Three, the limited scale of production in Russia will be a key factor.

General Motors ended production in Russia in recent years, and Ford has mostly gotten out, although Automotive News noted that the company “continues to assemble vans with a Russian partner, Sollers, in Elabuga.”

Reuters pointed to a previous round of sanctions as a catalyst for some of those changes.

“Russia’s car market was among Europe’s top performers before the imposition of western sanctions in 2014 which, coupled with falling oil prices, sharply weakened the (ruble), increased the cost of buying a car and curbed Russians’ ability to buy new vehicles. As a result, foreign carmakers started to rethink their strategies of doing business in Russia,” the news service reported in a 2019 story on GM pulling out of its joint venture to produce Chevrolets there.

Mark Gillies, a Volkswagen spokesman, said in a statement that the automaker has taken note of the attack “with great concern and dismay” and that the company hopes for a quick end of hostilities and a return to diplomacy.

“We are convinced that a sustainable solution to the conflict can only take place on the basis of international law. The degree of impact on our business activities in the affected countries is continuously determined by a task force. In all activities on-site, the safety and integrity of our employees is our top priority,” Gillies said in an email.

Rie Yamane, a Renault spokesperson, said in an email that "at this stage, we are following the ongoing (situation) very carefully."

Ford spokesman Ian Thibodeau said in a message that "We’re deeply concerned about the situation in the Ukraine and the safety and well-being of people there and throughout the region. We’re following and will manage any effects on our business in real time. However, our primary interest is in the safety and well-being of people in the Ukraine and throughout the region.”

Steve Carlisle, General Motors’ president of North America, said the automaker is looking at the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “closely.”

“From raw materials, we do have some exposure,” Carlisle said during CITI’s 2022 Global Industrial Tech and Mobility conference Thursday. “In terms of selling into the local market, we have a small presence in Russia, but nothing material.”

Carlisle said the industry will have to watch for any larger economic fallout from the invasion but, “In terms of direct impact, I’d say our exposure is pretty limited.”

Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst for Guidehouse Insights, said the direct impacts to the industry in the United States probably won’t be huge, but secondary effects, including to the broader economy, will be ones to watch.

He said he expects the impact to be significantly more pronounced in Europe, which must contend with disruptions to energy supplies as Russia is a major supplier. The real danger, he said, hinges on the eventual scale and longevity of the situation.

“If this goes on for a long time and goes potentially beyond the borders of Ukraine, then things could get a little more hairy,” Abuelsamid said.

Raw materials will be something to watch as well, he said.

Russia is a major producer of palladium, which is used in catalytic converters, although other countries, including South Africa and the United States, are also producers, he said. News reports on Thursday showed that palladium prices had already spiked.

Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, said Russia is also a large supplier of platinum, nickel and magnesium, which are all important to the automotive industry. 

“Fortunately, there are alternative sources of these materials. However the current situation has only added to their recent price inflation on the global market,” Fiorani said.

While Fiorani said he expects the impact on Stellantis and the other members of the Detroit Three to be limited, he said the story is different for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, which builds the largest share of vehicles in Russia.

“An interruption in the assembly of these vehicles will impact suppliers in France, Germany and Japan for the Renault and Nissan products,” Fiorani said, noting that suppliers of parts for Hyundai and Kia models will also be affected by any trade problems with Russia.

Carla Bailo, CEO of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, also pointed to Russia’s control over many raw materials and precious metals as a key worry.

Most concerning, she said, is that Russia supplies 75% of the neon gas used for lasers that make semiconductor chips.

“So should the U.S. put sanctions on some of those materials that could cause supply chain issues,” Bailo said. “We’ll have to see how that unfolds, but it’s another supply chain issue we have to keep an eye on.”

Melnyk, the MSU business professor, said the Detroit Three should be especially concerned given that Russia is one of the world's largest suppliers of the raw materials mentioned previously as well as aluminum.

“Aluminum is used by Ford for one of its prize jewels, the F-150 truck,” Melnyk said. “Nickel is a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, central to electric cars." 

Melnyk said these issues and others would compound the problems being experienced by automakers as they apply to chips.

"I see these problems adversely affect the future rollout of products such as the Maverick by Ford,” Melnyk said.



TLDR - The price of gas and raw materials will go up. Uncertainty will cause stock prices to decline and interest rates to go up. Inflation will also be a problem. The impact will be felt more in Europe as they rely on Russia more than we do. Also, Russia provides metal for the auto industry and 75% of the neon gas used to make semiconductor chips so the chip shortage will be exacerbated again.


----------



## charmingt

Meanwhile the oil rich Middle Eastern countries come up smelling like roses.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Rastafarai

@charmingt thank you for always keeping us in the loop on the latest updates!  I truly appreciate it in this and other threads.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## MamaBear2012

charmingt said:


>


Man...this literally gave me goosebumps and made me teary at the same time. God bless them.


----------



## Peppermynt

Saw videos of groups of Ukrainian civilians making Molotov/ napalm cocktails yesterday.

(I took notes … you never know.)

I hope they can hold off these invaders.


----------



## fula97

Now this is patriotism. Not holding tiki torches and other foolishness we have seen in the past few yrs


----------



## charmingt

Rastafarai said:


> @charmingt thank you for always keeping us in the loop on the latest updates!  I truly appreciate it in this and other threads.




You're mostest welcome!!!!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Indeed!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## charmingt

Deep^^^^^


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Ruh roh!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## dancinstallion

charmingt said:


>


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

I don't  like r.u.s.s.i.a.


----------



## charmingt

I hate p.u.t.i.n.


----------



## charmingt

Why are there Africans of whatever countries in eastern europe? I wonder.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

charmingt said:


> Why are there Africans of whatever countries in eastern europe? I wonder.


Studying. Medical students, university.


----------



## charmingt

ScorpioBeauty09 said:


> Studying. Medical students, university.



Well don't African nations have colleges?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

charmingt said:


> Well don't African nations have colleges?


They do but some African students choose to go elsewhere like India, China, and eastern Europe and other places that you wouldn't expect. It's like Asian students going to Australia.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

I have many thoughts. 

I am glad Ukraine is not going away quietly, and let me tell you Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is displaying more courage than the majority of western leaders. But I'm just as outraged by anti-blackness in eastern Europe (surprise, surprise) and the way the West is stepping up to help Ukraine and lift Ukrainian voices but not Afghans, or Yemenis or Syrians or Palestinians. The US bombed Somalia on the same day Russia attacked Ukraine but of course no one is talking about it. The way anchors on mainstream news channels like CBS talk about Ukrainians being civilized and not like Yemen or Syria, "white" you mean, is just disgusting.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## lavaflow99

Someone is feeling left out..


----------



## charmingt

lavaflow99 said:


> Someone is feeling left out..


----------



## Black Ambrosia

In preparation for cyberattacks I'm seeing talk online of people changing their passwords. If you have an easily guessed password or your iPhone's been telling you to get it together, now's the time. I'm working on mine. No need to tell me. I know it should've been done already.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

AMEN!!!!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## lavaflow99

charmingt said:


>


Anonymous stays causing good trouble and I am here for it!!! 

Bring all the tea!!


----------



## Belle Du Jour

Damn  Mr. President is kinda FOINE!


----------



## Belle Du Jour




----------



## Belle Du Jour




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

I'm seeing this online. Idk if it's true. Hasn't been picked up yet by any news sites.


----------



## lavaflow99

Belle Du Jour said:


> Damn  Mr. President is kinda FOINE!


And looking him up, I completely forgot he was the actor who won the presidency in 2019.   He played a freaking president on a TV show for 4 years!!

Thought he was going to be Trump Lite, a joke.

He easily could have fled like a coward when ish hit the fan.  But he is doubling down, showing his face and taking up arms.  Very impressive. Give this man every humanitarian award available.

From Wikipedia:

Zelenskyy grew up in Kryvyi Rih, a Russian-speaking region in southeastern Ukraine.[3] Prior to his acting career, Zelenskyy obtained a degree in law from the Kyiv National Economic University. He then pursued comedy and created the production company Kvartal 95, which produces films, cartoons, and TV shows including _Servant of the People_, in which Zelenskyy played the role of president of Ukraine. The series aired from 2015 to 2019 and was immensely popular. A political party bearing the same name as the television show was created in March 2018 by employees of Kvartal 95.

Zelenskyy announced his candidacy for the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election on the evening of 31 December 2018, alongside the New Year's Eve address of President Petro Poroshenko on 1+1 TV Channel. A political outsider, he had already become one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election. He won the election with 73.2 per cent of the vote in the second round, defeating Poroshenko. Identifying as a populist, he has positioned himself as an anti-establishment, anti-corruption figure.









						Volodymyr Zelenskyy - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## lavaflow99

Radiation levels around Chernobyl rose after Russia took over, Ukraine says
					

Ukraine officials are reporting higher levels of radiation around Chernobyl nuclear plant after Russian troops took control of the facility on Thursday.




					www.washingtonexaminer.com
				




Radiation levels around Chernobyl rose after Russia took over, Ukraine says​by Abigail Adcox, Staff Reporter
 | February 25, 2022 10:39 AM

Just In...​
Ukraine officials are reporting higher levels of radiation around Chernobyl nuclear plant after Russian troops took control of the facility on Thursday.
Control levels of gamma radiation were "exceeded" at the site of what is considered the worst nuclear disaster on record, but the condition of the nuclear facilities remained "unchanged," the Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said Friday morning local time.




"Experts of the Ecocenter connect this with disturbance of the top layer of soil from movement of a large number of radio heavy military machinery through the Exclusion zone and increase of air pollution," officials in a statement.
*WHITE HOUSE 'OUTRAGED' BY 'CREDIBLE REPORTS' OF RUSSIAN SOLDIERS HOLDING CHERNOBYL STAFF HOSTAGE*

The Parliament of Ukraine posted a map of a radiation monitoring system pointing to the areas of concern.
"Data from the automated radiation monitoring system of the exclusion zone, which is available online, indicate that the control levels of gamma radiation dose rate (red dots) have been exceeded at a significant number of observation points," they wrote.


Parliament said that the cause for the change was "impossible" to determine because of Russia's occupation of the area and ongoing military action.
The legislative body then called on NATO and the European Union to close the sky over Kyiv and the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to "minimize the casualties" among civilians and to "save the world from a new nuclear catastrophe" in a separate tweet.


On Thursday, both Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed that Russian troops had captured a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Ukrainian president, said it was "impossible to say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration was "outraged" by the "credible reports" that Russian soldiers were holding the staff of Chernobyl facilities hostage.
*CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER*
In 1986, reactor No. 4 on the nuclear plant's site was destroyed by an explosion that killed at least 28 people and rendered the surrounding area, or the exclusion zone, uninhabitable.
The site about 80 miles from Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, still holds about 200 metric tons of highly radioactive material, according to World Nuclear Association.


----------



## vevster

Those people are racists.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Me oh my! What's Skunk to do?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## larry3344

What is happening to Nigerian students is a reflection of their incompetent government. It isn't the first time African students have been in a position like this and been let down by their gov and have to appeal to Western sensibility and public outrage to get ish done.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Belle Du Jour

This is wild. Absolutely wild. And my anger at DJT has been freshly rekindled as is my anger at the idiots who voted for him again. I think people are waking up to what could be possible if he was in the White House. Make no mistake that he was planning to become a lil-Putin dictator here


----------



## vevster




----------



## Belle Du Jour

vevster said:


>


Then why is Russia targeting civilians?


----------



## galleta31

Belle Du Jour said:


> Then why is Russia targeting civilians?



If someone can't see the very obvious Russian propaganda, there isn't much you can say to change their mind. The fact the Zelenksy is Jewish should make the Nazi claim completely preposterous. Fortunately, the majority see the completely ridiculous lies of Putin. He underestimated the response of the world.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

This is an interesting read taken from the site linked in the post above. 
How to think about war in Ukraine​Start with the Ukrainians​Timothy Snyder
Jan 18

I keep being asked whether Russia will invade Ukraine again.  I don't know.  The last time Russia attacked Ukraine, in 2014, I made the correct prediction against the prevailing wisdom.  This time we are all aware that Russia might invade Ukraine: after all, it happened once already, not so very long ago, and Russia has more than a hundred thousand troops at the border in addition to the ones stationed in the parts of Ukraine that it already occupies. But I am not sure what will happen next.  I am not sure that the Kremlin knows what will happen next.  Indeed, I am not sure that there is agreement among Russian elites as to what should happen next.  

An invasion of Ukraine would be a horror for Ukrainians, who have done nothing to provoke it.  Ukraine has about fourteen thousand war dead and about two million internal refugees from the last Russian invasion, and the suffering this time would be much worse.  The forces that Russia has deployed are capable of a terrifying level of destruction.  But invading Ukraine would also be an incredibly stupid move by Russia, and more than a few Russians are aware of this.  It would probably feel a lot like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979: seemingly successful at first, then system-destroying after a few years.

But what it is all about?  Why now, and why Ukraine?  In 2014, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was part of a larger offensive against democracy in Europe and the United States.  Russia was able to drive its own political memes through western media, and even create doubt about its own offensive operations as they were underway.  Russia's propaganda victory in Ukraine in 2014 spurred it on to cyberwarfare against members of the European Union and the United States.  This time around, Russian propaganda has been much less effective.  It seems clunky and dull.

Putin’s threat to invade Ukraine is clearly linked to Europe and the United States, but this time perhaps in a different way.  Rather than invading without warning, Russia has ostentatiously prepared for an invasion, and then warned the West that whatever happens is all their fault.  Russia has elbowed the Europeans aside, insisting on speaking directly with the Americans.  This has brought Ukraine (yet again) to American domestic politics, in a configuration that is awkward for President Biden.  Perhaps that is the point. Moscow prefers a Trump administration to a Biden administration.  Trump has said that he would withdraw the United States from NATO in a second term. Anything that weakens Biden might then be regarded as in the Russian interest, or rather in the interest of the Putin regime. 

But is it all strategic?  Last July, President Putin published a strange missive about Ukraine and Russia and their historical relationship.  It present the kind of argument that makes historians wince.  The basic idea is that a thousand years ago there was a country called Rus, the most important city in Rus was Kyiv, and now a thousand years later Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine, and therefore Ukraine cannot be a real country, and everyone involved and their descendants must be Russians or a brotherly nation to Russians.  A historian confronted with this sort of mess is in the same unhappy situation as a zoologist in a slaughterhouse.  You do have expertise, and feel you have to say something, and so: oh yes, that is clearly a femur, and that cartilage was probably from a snout, and that there is a bit of liver; but this isn't your job, and you wish profoundly that you were somewhere else.  So I could say: Rus' was founded by Vikings, Moscow did not exist at the time, Kyiv was not ruled from Moscow until late in its history, the story of the brotherly nations is recent, as for that matter is national identity in the modern sense.  But you can't really engage in historical argument with people who are set on believing a myth, let alone with presidents who believe that the past is just there to confirm their present prejudices.

What is most striking about Putin’s essay is the underlying uncertainty about _Russian_ identity. When you claim that your neighbors are your brothers you are having an identity crisis. There is a nice German saying about this: “Und willst Du nicht mein Bruder sein, so schlag' ich Dir den Schädel ein”: if you won’t be my brother, I’ll beat your skull in. That is Putin’s posture. In his essay, what Russia lacks is a future, and the nation is much more about the future than it is about the past.




Kyiv, Ukraine

Nationality is about the way that people in the present think about the what is to come.  If Ukrainians regard themselves as a national community with a future together in a state, then the issue is settled.  Historically speaking, the idea that a dictator in another country decides who is a nation and who is not is known as imperialism.  

The fact that Putin misunderstands the world does not mean, however, that he cannot change it.  It seems possible that he actually believes what he wrote.  There are people in the Kremlin and in the Russian armed forces who know perfectly well that Putin's view of Ukraine does not conform to reality.  If it did so, Ukrainians would have welcomed Russia's last invasion.  The official view is that they did, but there are plenty of Russians who know better.  And there are even more Russians who do not care one way or the other, but do not share the extreme view of the issue expressed by their president.

The fact that all Russian representatives have to act as though Putin's essay were true creates a problem for American and European negotiators.  Putin assigns the West responsibility for something that Russia did, which is to push Ukrainian public opinion towards NATO.  In Putin's essay, the claim is that Ukrainians belong to a larger community with Russia, but have been misled by Western perfidy.  Now, there is always plenty of perfidy to go around, and reasonable people can disagree about whether Ukraine should be invited to join NATO.  But the simple fact is that Ukraine's present western orientation is a result of the last Russian invasion.  So the Americans are in an impossible situation.  It is America's fault, supposedly, that Ukrainians have turned away from their natural Russian destiny.  If Americans point out that Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, and that this stands behind the unpopularity of Russia in Ukraine and Ukrainian desires for security guarantees, they meet obstinate denial and brute hostility.  Putin's official ideology is enraged by the basic facts.

When Russia invaded Ukraine the last time, it demonstrated an astonishing ability to win the headlines. Russian forces were less capable of moving the front lines.  The Crimean Peninsula, where Russia already had naval bases, was quickly occupied by regular Russian forces without insignia.  Elsewhere, relying on local and Russian irregulars and on units of the Russian army sent from far afield, Moscow managed to control much less territory than it expected.  The war was cruel with extensive shelling from the Russian side of the border, and the use of Russian anti-aircraft to bring down Ukrainian transport planes (not to mention a civilian airliner, MH17).  But the basic Russian strategy of simulating rebellions against the Ukrainian government failed in most places it was tried.  Russia now occupies parts of two southeastern Ukrainian districts, Luhans'k and Donets'k under the cover of fake "republics."  

This time the forces engaged would be more numerous and better trained.  The Russian army is in better shape now than it was in 2014.  On the other hand, so is the Ukrainian army.  In 2014 Ukraine was in the midst of a revolution, and singularly incapable of defending itself.  It is not now in any position to match Russia, but it would be capable of inflicting much greater damage than eight years ago.  There is not at present a patriotic euphoria in Russia about invading Ukraine again. Although Russian leaders like to vaunt their toughness, they are almost as sensitive to casualties as American leaders might be.  In 2014, the courageous Russian reporters who wrote about Russians killed in action were all silenced.  Russian civil society is under stricter control now than in 2014, and it would be a brave and skillful Russian reporter who managed to report on this war.  But it will still likely be hard to suppress news of Russian casualties.

The Russian propaganda that worked the last time around was directed against Ukraine, which was portrayed as reactionary or homosexual, nationalist or cosmopolitan, depending upon the target audience.  This time, it is more as though we are meant not to think about Ukraine at all, and remain fixed on the geopolitics.  The Russian line that America is to blame for suggests that Ukraine is not really sovereign and its people's experiences of war do not really matter.  It also distracts us from what Ukrainian policy has actually been.  

One of the first actions of independent Ukraine was nuclear disarmament.  Ukraine was once the third-greatest nuclear power in the world, at least according to the number of weapons on its territory.  It gave up its nuclear weapons in 1994 in exchange for security assurances from the United Kingdom, the United States -- and Russia.  Russia's past and threatened invasions of Ukraine harm the global cause of nuclear non-proliferation, because they seem to indicate that countries that give up nuclear weapons get attacked by their neighbors.  Under the current presidential administration, Ukraine has been conciliatory to Russia.  Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelens'kyi, was elected in 2019 by a weary society on a platform of bringing the war to an end.  His gestures of reconciliation to Putin have now been met with Russia's threat of an escalated war.  This is perhaps one reason why Russian propaganda focuses on the West and on the United States.  If we pause to think about Ukraine as a country, we immediately ask: just why should those people be invaded? Again?

Unlike Russia, Ukraine is a democracy.  Unlike Putin, Zelens'kyi came to office in a credible election where opposing candidates (one of them was the sitting president) had access to media and were able to compete.  (That is a fundamental difference between Ukraine and Russia: in Ukraine, presidents have lost elections and left office. That has not yet happened in Russia.) One of the central elements of Russia's traditional attacks on Ukraine has been that "Russian speakers" in Ukraine are subject to oppression.  This is conceptually misleading, in that most Ukrainians are bilingual in Ukrainian and Russian to one degree or another, and in that language does not determine identity (if it did, I'd be English).  But insofar as it is reasonable to talk about "Russian speakers" in Ukraine, the Ukrainian president himself is certainly one of them.  Zelens’kyi is from eastern Ukraine, and his dominant language is Russian.  So a "Russian speaker" in Ukraine can be elected president.  Indeed, "Russian speakers" in Ukraine are far more free in Ukraine in this respect than are "Russian speakers" in Russia.  In Russia, there is no democracy for anyone.  

Another line of Russian propaganda has been that Ukraine is uninhabitable for Jews.  Zelens'kyi is Jewish.  Incidentally, the prime minister when Zelens'kyi took office was also Jewish.  For several months in 2019, Ukraine was the only country (beyond Israel) to have a Jewish head of state and a Jewish head of government.  In Putin's essay, and more directly in a more recent article by his onetime political partner Dmitri Medvedev, this state of affairs is presented as evidence of Ukraine's lack of sovereignty and dependence on the West.  Medvedev's language crossed into antisemitic territory.

So what to do? Negotiations seem both necessary and difficult. The Ukrainians should obviously be included.  The practice of excluding the country concerned from discussions of its future has a poor pedigree.  America is not actually responsible for everything, so it cannot deliver what Russians seem to want, which is an alternative reality where Russia had not alienated its neighbor by invading it; or perhaps an alternative reality in which the Soviet Union had never fallen apart, or one where the old Soviet empire was held together by admiration for Russia.  These are dreams that no one can make true. In a clear sign of the awkwardness of the Russian position, Moscow tabled two draft treaties and asked that they be signed as they stand; in them, Americans are asked to accept provisions that the Kremlin must surely know are unacceptable and to sign away the sovereignty of other countries, especially Ukraine.  

What seems worth trying are negotiations on a broader basis, not limited to Russia's specific claims or ambitions, but accepting the basic premise that something is wrong in the European security system.  Just what that might be will of course look different in different capitals, from Kyiv for instance, but that is what negotiation is all about.  One thing that America and Russia do have in common is that their diplomats have been downgraded in recent years.  Perhaps they should be given something serious to work on, something that might make some real history.


----------



## vevster

galleta31 said:


> If someone can't see the very obvious Russian propaganda, there isn't much you can say to change their mind. The fact the Zelenksy is Jewish should make the Nazi claim completely preposterous. Fortunately, the majority see the completely ridiculous lies of Putin. He underestimated the response of the world.


Just because the president of Ukraine is jewish does not mean you don't have nazi elements in the country.


----------



## Ivonnovi

charmingt said:


>


Interesting,  but who was he addressing the message to...OR Does Putin read English?


----------



## charmingt

Ivonnovi said:


> Interesting,  but who was he addressing the message to...OR Does Putin read English?




I believe he does.


----------



## TrulyBlessed

Wow.

Swipe


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Ivonnovi

2008 - Georgia
2014 - Crimera
2122 - Ukraine

Who's next?    
.                 ETA: Ev-ver-ry 8 yrs!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Belle Du Jour

galleta31 said:


> If someone can't see the very obvious Russian propaganda, there isn't much you can say to change their mind. The fact the Zelenksy is Jewish should make the Nazi claim completely preposterous. Fortunately, the majority see the completely ridiculous lies of Putin. He underestimated the response of the world.


That's why I'm confused.  I don't claim to know all the ins and outs of this situation, but Putin is clearly evil and war, murder is not a solution.  So I don't even understand the point of that person's tweet???


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Kitamita

Because even in the midst of war there's still time for racism










						amandaseales on Instagram: "Racism takes no days off. Please see my page for info for African students stuck in Ukraine "
					

amandaseales shared a post on Instagram: "Racism takes no days off. Please see my page for info for African students stuck in Ukraine ". Follow their account to see 8082 posts.




					www.instagram.com


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## galleta31

have many thoughts.

I am glad Ukraine is not going away quietly, and let me tell you Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is displaying more courage than the majority of western leaders. But I'm just as outraged by anti-blackness in eastern Europe (surprise, surprise) and the way the West is stepping up to help Ukraine and lift Ukrainian voices but not Afghans, or Yemenis or Syrians or Palestinians. The US bombed Somalia on the same day Russia attacked Ukraine but of course no one is talking about it. The way anchors on mainstream news channels like CBS talk about Ukrainians being civilized and not like Yemen or Syria, "white" you mean, is just disgusting.
[/QUOTE]

I agree with the the racism that exists in the West, Eastern Europe especially.  However, I don't think that's the reason for the West's lack of involvement in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. The fact is the different tribal issues in these countries makes it much more complicated to help.

I'm from Ethiopia, where there has been a conflict going on for over 1 year. The US tried to mediate before fighting broke out in Nov 2020. They said both sides were too stubborn to come to a compromise. Now if you ask an Ethiopian what the US could do to bring peace you will get wildly different and conflicting answers. One side thinks the US should be more to help the side being more affected by the fighting. The other side views that as the US meddling and helping a rebel group that is against the government. I've actually had people say to me they regretted voting for Biden because they see his actions as favoring the "rebel" group over the Ethiopian government.

I think it's extemely hard for Western countries to help these countries with tribal conflicts. The West thinks that the promise of economic stability and growth is enough to help keep groups in check. That is why Putin has been able to get away with his actions for so long. Germany,  the US have been acting on the hope that he would avoid a war to keep economic stability. Now that he has shown that he does care, all gloves are off. Germany just pledged 100 billion to defense spending. All because Putin showed that he would pick ideology over economy/stability.  Syria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan show that unfortunately some groups would rather the country be destroyed then to compromise.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>



Wouldn't it be something if this war leads to Putin's downfall and Russia becoming a democracy? 

The weapons and aid that's being offered to Ukraine needs to get there quickly. Putin is probably getting desperate and that'll be ugly.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## larry3344

@galleta31 thanks for sharing. Yes, geopolitics is a complicated thing, world events have ramifications over a long period of time.
I hope this situation gets under control and there is the least casualty possible. But I am not going to lie, whenever these situations escalate I am always so ashamed on how weak and completely incompetent African governments are ( some are bigger culprits than others).
I know the narrative of racism is what people want to focus on but trust me a lot of these African governments are ABSENT and always leave their expatriates to fend for themselves I want more focus to be placed on their failure than the racism by their citizens so that they do not get away with this forever.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## larry3344

Black Ambrosia said:


> Wouldn't it be something if this war leads to Putin's downfall and Russia becoming a democracy?
> 
> The weapons and aid that's being offered to Ukraine needs to get there quickly. Putin is probably getting desperate and that'll be ugly.


I am not convinced that Russia would be stable if Putin gets taken out. It would be a failed “democratic state”. We have seen how taking out political strong men have turned once stable countries into chaotic messes. I am more fearful of the power vacuum that this would create.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## vevster

galleta31 said:


> If someone can't see the very obvious Russian propaganda, there isn't much you can say to change their mind. The fact the Zelenksy is Jewish should make the Nazi claim completely preposterous. Fortunately, the majority see the completely ridiculous lies of Putin. He underestimated the response of the world.


It isn't propaganda in 2014 the US did depose a democratically elected president prior to the Crimean crisis.
Yes, there are neo nazis in Ukraine.

The backbone of this entire crisis are those gaslines #1 and #2. When both are operational they could provide 80% of gas to Europe decreasing US influence in the region.

US was also poking the Russian bear by trying to get Ukraine into NATO.
Ukraine has old infrastructure to supply gas long story short if the current pipelines are disabled, Russian kinda has to take Ukraine to get that infrastructure.


----------



## larry3344

I know that Putin isn’t a fan favourite right now and Russia has a long antagonistic history with the US. But for my American ladies, consider the power vacuum that will leave in the region, if Putin gets deposed.

Don’t get it twisted I don’t approve of the war not necessarily agree with what Putin is doing, but on a grander scale there is always more than what meets the eye.

Russia is the big boy in the region aside from China, they don’t have any Western European allies largely because they choose to play the counterweight opposition to the “West”.

Russia has come through and seen the underhandedness of NATO and western countries who play diplomatic games while pulling the strings in the background. Russia has accepted the villain position it has been placed in some of it deservingly and other times unrightfully so.

The issue for me plays out two fold, UKraine wants sovereignty but wants to ally with NATO nations and that is threat to Russia given the border they share. Ukraine has their own political history - I understand that for getting rid of Russian hegemony - but do I think they will be well served by NATO, frankly no. I think they will be used as a chess piece and as a power play between the West and the East. Ukraine is not a powerful enough nation to stand on its own and unfortunately they are kind of sandwiched between two sides.

I personally do not want to live in a world where power is concentrated in single block region more than it is right now. I do want to see Russia end this war with Ukraine and find ulterior means to resolve this conflict but I don’t want to see a weakened Russia because that will have a lot of negative resounding effects for Africa.

We have other countries in other regions that have still not recovered because of similar power plays; Syria, Iraq, Libya, etc…


----------



## lavaflow99

charmingt said:


>


Ukrainians are built different!!!


----------



## Black Ambrosia

larry3344 said:


> I am not convinced that Russia would be stable if Putin gets taken out. It would be a failed “democratic state”. We have seen how taking out political strong men have turned once stable countries into chaotic messes. I am more fearful of the power vacuum that this would create.


I agree that it would be tumultuous but I don’t think any of his replacements would be as dangerous. I think his ousting and the example of democracy in Ukraine would empower the people. How that plays out is anybody’s guess but I don’t feel comfortable with the idea that the status quo is better.


----------



## KaciaLN12

Belle Du Jour said:


> Damn  Mr. President is kinda FOINE!


Im not gonna lie, when I was watching his speech I was torn between feeling for the situation and noticing how attractive he is. He’s giving clean-shaven Gerard Butler.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Strong leadership is sexy hence the cuomosexuals early in the pandemic. Zelenskyy is definitely easier on the eyes.


----------



## galleta31

vevster said:


> It isn't propaganda in 2014 the US did depose a democratically elected president prior to the Crimean crisis.
> Yes, there are neo nazis in Ukraine.
> 
> The backbone of this entire crisis are those gaslines #1 and #2. When both are operational they could provide 80% of gas to Europe decreasing US influence in the region.
> 
> US was also poking the Russian bear by trying to get Ukraine into NATO.
> Ukraine has old infrastructure to supply gas long story short if the current pipelines are disabled, Russian kinda has to take Ukraine to get that infrastructure.



Unlike countries in Latin America, the ME and Africa where the West/US meddling from the formation of the countries have caused a mess in trying to understand the natural political groups - the Ukraine and USSR/ Russia have a thousand year plus history that can't be blamed on the West/US. 

Under USSR control, 3-4 million Ukrainians died of deliberate starvation. They were denied the ability to learn their native language in school for decades. Why does Russia have any say in what organizations they get to join? Really, WHY? Why do you think Ukraine badly want to join NATO? To be protected from being under a country that has abused them for decades. If you are in an abusive relationship with a man and eventually break up, does he still get a say in who you are allowed to date or where you can hangout?

Yes, there are Neo-Nazi's in Ukraine. They are also in the US ( Majorie Greene just gave a speech at a white supremacy meeting), they are in Russia (you'll get killed for being gay before being a Neo Nazi) and all over Eastern Europe. Painting the party of Zelenskyy as being a huge  pro Neo Nazi party is flat out fake Russian propaganda. 

The fact is Putin has destroyed the Russian economy - it's GDP is the size of Italy, a country a quarter or fifth its size. He DOES NOT want any nearby country to succeed with "western influence" because it will make HIM look bad. He has NO justification in telling Ukraine not to join NATO or the EU. Germany, the US and the EU have coddled and allowed him get away with so many things, simply on the hope he would not cause to much trouble for the world. But that wasn't enough for his ego. He doesn't care about the Russian people either in Russia or Ukraine, he only cares about his delusional ego.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## galleta31

larry3344 said:


> I know that Putin isn’t a fan favourite right now and Russia has a long antagonistic history with the US. But for my American ladies, consider the power vacuum that will leave in the region, if Putin gets deposed.
> 
> Don’t get it twisted I don’t approve of the war not necessarily agree with what Putin is doing, but on a grander scale there is always more than what meets the eye.
> 
> Russia is the big boy in the region aside from China, they don’t have any Western European allies largely because they choose to play the counterweight opposition to the “West”.
> 
> Russia has come through and seen the underhandedness of NATO and western countries who play diplomatic games while pulling the strings in the background. Russia has accepted the villain position it has been placed in some of it deservingly and other times unrightfully so.
> 
> The issue for me plays out two fold, UKraine wants sovereignty but wants to ally with NATO nations and that is threat to Russia given the border they share. Ukraine has their own political history - I understand that for getting rid of Russian hegemony - but do I think they will be well served by NATO, frankly no. I think they will be used as a chess piece and as a power play between the West and the East. Ukraine is not a powerful enough nation to stand on its own and unfortunately they are kind of sandwiched between two sides.
> 
> I personally do not want to live in a world where power is concentrated in single block region more than it is right now. I do want to see Russia end this war with Ukraine and find ulterior means to resolve this conflict but I don’t want to see a weakened Russia because that will have a lot of negative resounding effects for Africa.
> 
> We have other countries in other regions that have still not recovered because of similar power plays; Syria, Iraq, Libya, etc…


Russia has zero room to criticize the "underhandedness" of NATO with Putin in power. ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE INCH OF WIGGLE ROOM.

If Russia was still communist, your stance would make sense. Yes - for a communist country, you don't want a economic system that is opposite of you in terms of goals, influence and ideology. So I agree, if Russia was communist I would wholeheartedly understand why they would insist that NATO/EU not approach neighboring countries.  BUT RUSSIA ISN'T COMMUNIST, THEY ARE THE ABSOLUTELY WORST CAPITALISTS. I'm writing it in all caps, because it blows my mind that "it's understandable why Russia doesn't want NATO/EU nearby" is even being used as a legitimate argument.  NATO is corrupt????????
Have you seen what happened to successful companies in Russia? They get taken over by the government and given to his oligarch friends!!!!! He literally robbed taxes from HIS OWN Russians government  and GAVE it to his friends. And that is why the GDP of Russia, a hugemous country with 140+ million people, is the size of Texas or Italy. Putin isn’t fighting the West on economic inequality. In fact the opposite- he wants dictators to be able to do whatever they want regardless to what the people want. How is that acceptable???

And the reason there would be a power vacuum, is that he has killed/jailed/exiled any possible competition.


----------



## yamilee21

It’s the pettiness of some of the sanctions/responses that is so amazing… stripping Putin of his honorary judo role, sinking boats, removing Russian vodka from liquor stores and bars… nothing is too small. Hmm… maybe the property managers for the fancy skyscrapers in which a bunch of Russian oligarchs own apartments can get in on the action. 

I can’t say I am surprised at the very different treatment Ukrainian escapees from the conflict are receiving from their Eastern European neighbors, compared to the abuse heaped upon refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in recent years, yet it still saddens me that they have this capacity for good, but their racism is stronger.

The situation with the African students is disturbing… there are enough wealthy Africans that they could charter flights to get their people home… didn’t the former president of Nigeria keep a plane parked in London for nearly a year? What are the ambassadors and consuls doing? Their job is to help their people get to safety *before* the situation becomes dire, not wait until after the fact!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## larry3344

@galleta31 I am not saying Russia has moral superiority. But neither does NATO and if we are really going to look at the atrocities across the world pound for pound some of the messiest geopolitical disasters many of those have Western countries have hand in it:

Destabilization of Libya 
Palestine and Israel conflict 
Pakinstan and Indian conflict 
Syria 
Iraq 
RWanda 
Etc…

I think because some of us live in the west we tend to forget the level of underhandedness caused by USA, UK, FRANCE

The sheer fact that France dares of to speak of human rights is laughable given all the things they have done on the African continent alone that they have never been held accountable for…

My point is this…every power needs checks and balances to hold each other accountable. Who checks NATO when they go rogue. When USA went to Iraq under false pretences who held USA accountable? 

You want to know why China is such a threat to American hegemony because there is for once a rising power in East aside from Russia. The world need “strong” countries in every continent/region. Not a regional block calling the shots for the entire world.

It’s not that I am rooting for Russia, I am saying the world needs power balancing and counterweight.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

yamilee21 said:


> The situation with the African students is disturbing… there are enough wealthy Africans that they could charter flights to get their people home… didn’t the former president of Nigeria keep a plane parked in London for nearly a year? What are the ambassadors and consuls doing? *Their job is to help their people get to safety *before* the situation becomes dire, not wait until after the fact!*


I’m torn on this. On the one hand I look at the number of people who waited until after the invasion started to head to the border and there seems to be some general disbelief that it had come to this. If Ukrainian citizens were this complacent idk that I’d expect dignitaries of other countries to be more in top of things. On the other hand, this wasn’t a sneak attack. Given Putin’s history there should’ve been a contingency plan.

I vaguely recall hearing about disinformation but wasn’t sure where it was happening. I know Russians are only hearing putin’s spin. Did these Ukrainians hear something that made them think war wasn’t imminent? Maybe the same happened in these African countries?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## galleta31

larry3344 said:


> @galleta31 I am not saying Russia has moral superiority. But neither does NATO and if we are really going to look at the atrocities across the world pound for pound some of the messiest geopolitical disasters many of those have Western countries have hand in it:
> 
> Destabilization of Libya
> Palestine and Israel conflict
> Pakinstan and Indian conflict
> Syria
> Iraq
> RWanda
> Etc…
> 
> I think because some of us live in the west we tend to forget the level of underhandedness caused by USA, UK, FRANCE
> 
> The sheer fact that France dares of to speak of human rights is laughable given all the things they have done on the African continent alone that they have never been held accountable for…
> 
> My point is this…every power needs checks and balances to hold each other accountable. Who checks NATO when they go rogue. When USA went to Iraq under false pretences who held USA accountable?
> 
> You want to know why China is such a threat to American hegemony because there is for once a rising power in East aside from Russia. The world need “strong” countries in every continent/region. Not a regional block calling the shots for the entire world.
> 
> It’s not that I am rooting for Russia, I am saying the world needs power balancing and counterweight.



You will get no argument about the mess the West/ US has made of several countries. Messes that I'm not sure will be fixed in our lifetime. But you can't just accept any country as a counterbalance to them.  Counterbalance means "a weight that balances another weight". So a counterbalance to NATO would have an opposite goal of NATO countries and would try to influence countries into seeing how their way would be better. 

How is accepting a more corrupt country in literally every way, going to help balance out NATO? Look, don't be corrupt like NATO countries when you could instead steal every asset of you county like Russia. Don't be like NATO countries where corporations buy influence, instead be like Russia where a dictator decides who is allowed to prosper or not. I would say that instead of counterbalancing, a power like Putin makes NATO worse.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


Any word on how long it’ll take for them to get this support? I heard on the news that Belarusian forces will be joining Russian forces tomorrow. Ukraine has heart and more skill than anticipated but they've gotten lucky with Russian counterparts who are either inept or aren't committed to this fight. Anybody sent in as reinforcement will have something to prove and Ukraine will need all the military aid they can get like yesterday.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Aren't Ukraine and Russia supposed to be talking in Belarus??? How does that work with all of this? I initially heard that Ukraine rejected the meeting because Belarus was essentially a proxy for Russia. I think there was some pressure to get them to come to the table so they agreed but there's no point with all this happening.


----------



## naijamerican

ScorpioBeauty09 said:


> I have many thoughts.
> 
> I am glad Ukraine is not going away quietly, and let me tell you Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is displaying more courage than the majority of western leaders. But I'm just as outraged by anti-blackness in eastern Europe (surprise, surprise) and the way the West is stepping up to help Ukraine and lift Ukrainian voices but not Afghans, or Yemenis or Syrians or Palestinians. The US bombed Somalia on the same day Russia attacked Ukraine but of course no one is talking about it. The way anchors on mainstream news channels like CBS talk about Ukrainians being civilized and not like Yemen or Syria, "white" you mean, is just disgusting.


I have too many thoughts and feelings to put into words. @ScorpioBeauty09, you captured exactly what I’ve been struggling to articulate.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

This makes me feel better about their chances.


----------



## vevster

galleta31 said:


> Unlike countries in Latin America, the ME and Africa where the West/US meddling from the formation of the countries have caused a mess in trying to understand the natural political groups - the Ukraine and USSR/ Russia have a thousand year plus history that can't be blamed on the West/US.
> 
> Under USSR control, 3-4 million Ukrainians died of deliberate starvation. They were denied the ability to learn their native language in school for decades. Why does Russia have any say in what organizations they get to join? Really, WHY? Why do you think Ukraine badly want to join NATO? To be protected from being under a country that has abused them for decades. If you are in an abusive relationship with a man and eventually break up, does he still get a say in who you are allowed to date or where you can hangout?
> 
> Yes, there are Neo-Nazi's in Ukraine. They are also in the US ( Majorie Greene just gave a speech at a white supremacy meeting), they are in Russia (you'll get killed for being gay before being a Neo Nazi) and all over Eastern Europe. Painting the party of Zelenskyy as being a huge  pro Neo Nazi party is flat out fake Russian propaganda.
> 
> The fact is Putin has destroyed the Russian economy - it's GDP is the size of Italy, a country a quarter or fifth its size. He DOES NOT want any nearby country to succeed with "western influence" because it will make HIM look bad. He has NO justification in telling Ukraine not to join NATO or the EU. Germany, the US and the EU have coddled and allowed him get away with so many things, simply on the hope he would not cause to much trouble for the world. But that wasn't enough for his ego. He doesn't care about the Russian people either in Russia or Ukraine, he only cares about his delusional ego.


The gas pipelines have bought tremendous revenue to Russia. Still you don’t even factor  that in your detailed pov. That’s ok. We can agree to disagree.


----------



## vevster

Yay our people are getting help!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## MD_Lady

vevster said:


> Yay our people are getting help!


I'm not saying it's right, BUT... I stopped watching coverage of the war in Ukraine when I found out this was happening. Don't get me wrong, the Ukrainian people do NOT deserve this, but neither do the African immigrants who were being denied an opportunity to keep themselves and their families safe.


----------



## larry3344

Latest Ukraine news: Guterres says dialogue must remain open
					

Russia-Ukraine news from February 28: UN General Assembly held its first emergency session in decades over Ukraine.




					www.aljazeera.com


----------



## vevster

MD_Lady said:


> I'm not saying it's right, BUT... I stopped watching coverage of the war in Ukraine when I found out this was happening. Don't get me wrong, the Ukrainian people do NOT deserve this, but neither do the African immigrants who were being denied an opportunity to keep themselves and their families safe.


I disassociated myself MORE when I heard this.  I don’t jump on bandwagons. I do my research and then decide what I think.


----------



## Belle Du Jour

The Ukranians are like "knuck if you buck."
Putin messed with the wrong people.
Here for it


----------



## Belle Du Jour




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## naturalgyrl5199

galleta31 said:


> If someone can't see the very obvious* Russian propaganda*, there isn't much you can say to change their mind. The fact the *Zelenksy is Jewish* should make the Nazi claim completely preposterous. Fortunately, the majority see the completely ridiculous lies of Putin. He underestimated the response of the world.


And that's it. 
I heard about claims of Neo Nazi support by Ukraine from Putin as well. How laughable being as their leader is a Russian Jew. But they can carry on. Russia are the leaders in propaganda since 100 years ago during the time of Lenin.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

Thanks to @charmingt who has helped to keep us abreast!

I cannot help but feel like some shoe is about to drop. Either P.uT.in is that dumb or he is using all of this with his right hand to hide what he is doing with his left hand. Both are HIGHLY plausible.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

Ivonnovi said:


> 2008 - Georgia
> 2014 - Crimera
> 2122 - Ukraine
> 
> Who's next?


I totally forgot the atrocities in Georgia in 2008! Its like he never stops.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

charmingt said:


>


Zelenski is now a wartime President. I was highly doubtful. But the last President left him a BOON. He said that if Russia tried them, they'd be ready. When I saw regular degular police stations handing out AK's to the local citizenry...I knew they wasn't playing games.


Side note: I had a daydream and asked myself if "I" would be willing to take it to the streets. I don't love my country all the time but I WOULD. Its about a way of life and our right to simply continue said way of life that I don't take for granted. So yeah I would undoubtedly. Because politics is local and we have to protect our children's domicile, schools, local gov and resources as well. Americans are cowboys at heart and if armed, we could band together easily to get rid of a common enemy no doubt.

As a student of history....this feels so primitive and feels Revolutionary War like. Its a thing of awe and shock/sad to watch. Cause this could be us. I don't take it for granted. Ukrainian mothers, school teachers, nannies, cyclists, construction workers are all out here in guerilla warfare. No tactician to lead, run drills or do boot camp first. The President of the country and regular citizens are doing videos that have gone vial on how to make Molotov cocktails. You literally wake up one morning and by the afternoon you're armed with an AK and by tea time fighting for your neighborhood.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

@galleta31 
Thank you for your insight. I at once marveled at how easily Ukrainians can come together and western countries can mount a defense in other ways (coming after their banks, oligarchs, etc.) but get upset thinking how the same isn't afforded to  other countries in the Middle East or African nations are attacked. Because the reality is...a lot of that is from within. And Western leaders seen as meddling are not well-liked. And people don't like Biden or other Presidents for Meddling....or not meddling (seen as aloof or unfeeling)....or not helping/meddling enough. Sitting in 2 leadership positions myself, its super frustrating, and you feel helpless, knowing you could do WAY more, but knowing you CAN HURT many. So your perspective is appreciated. It still feels super unfair.


----------



## Ivonnovi

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> I totally forgot the atrocities in Georgia in 2008! Its like he never stops.


Ev-ver-ry 8 yrs!


----------



## MamaBear2012

I'm definitely not dismissive of racism in these nations. I absolutely don't put it past them. I also know that if there was a situation in this country, I'mma need President Biden (or whoever is President at the time) to be concerned about Americans first. That's just me. I would expect other nations that have citizens studying, vacationing, or whatever to work with President Biden to make sure their citizens were good. 

And I'm also aware that Russia is a propaganda machine. We saw that in our own elections. They very much targeted black Americans to divide us, confuse people, stir up discord, and help pave the way for Trump.


----------



## Kitamita

Kitamita said:


> Because even in the midst of war there's still time for racism
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> amandaseales on Instagram: "Racism takes no days off. Please see my page for info for African students stuck in Ukraine "
> 
> 
> amandaseales shared a post on Instagram: "Racism takes no days off. Please see my page for info for African students stuck in Ukraine ". Follow their account to see 8082 posts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.instagram.com



Here is the video I tried to post earlier.  The Instagram post shows Africans being dragged off the bus: The official visuals of Ukrainians blocking Africans from getting on trains. 










						Africans trying to flee Ukraine complain of being blocked and of racist treatment
					

Black students say they have been stopped from boarding trains, and abused by police




					www.irishtimes.com


----------



## larry3344

@MamaBear2012 There is nothing xenophobic or insensitive about what you are saying. Every country should be held responsible to do their job for their citizens and not have to deflect to other countries to take care of their responsibilities.

It’s unfortunately why, many Africans emigrate and want foreign passports, there is a level of indifference by African states that is too blatant to ignore in times of crisis that cannot be blamed on the West.

Still, we always hope that in time of crisis human empathy would prevail.


----------



## PatDM'T

ScorpioBeauty09 said:


> I have many thoughts.
> 
> I am glad Ukraine is not going away quietly, and let me tell you Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is displaying more courage than the majority of western leaders. But I'm just as outraged by anti-blackness in eastern Europe (surprise, surprise) and the way the West is stepping up to help Ukraine and lift Ukrainian voices but not Afghans, or Yemenis or Syrians or Palestinians. The US bombed Somalia on the same day Russia attacked Ukraine but of course no one is talking about it. The way anchors on mainstream news channels like CBS talk about Ukrainians being civilized and not like Yemen or Syria, "white" you mean, is just disgusting.


This post reminded 
me of this meme


----------



## larry3344

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6366842


----------



## larry3344

Tweet of negotiations between PuTin and Macron


----------



## vevster

The fmr Ukraine ambassador to Austria apologized to the Africans for what it’s worth.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

galleta31 said:


> have many thoughts.
> 
> I am glad Ukraine is not going away quietly, and let me tell you Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is displaying more courage than the majority of western leaders. But I'm just as outraged by anti-blackness in eastern Europe (surprise, surprise) and the way the West is stepping up to help Ukraine and lift Ukrainian voices but not Afghans, or Yemenis or Syrians or Palestinians. The US bombed Somalia on the same day Russia attacked Ukraine but of course no one is talking about it. The way anchors on mainstream news channels like CBS talk about Ukrainians being civilized and not like Yemen or Syria, "white" you mean, is just disgusting.
> 
> I agree with the the racism that exists in the West, Eastern Europe especially.  However, I don't think that's the reason for the West's lack of involvement in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. The fact is the different tribal issues in these countries makes it much more complicated to help.
> I'm from Ethiopia, where there has been a conflict going on for over 1 year. The US tried to mediate before fighting broke out in Nov 2020. They said both sides were too stubborn to come to a compromise. Now if you ask an Ethiopian what the US could do to bring peace you will get wildly different and conflicting answers. One side thinks the US should be more to help the side being more affected by the fighting. The other side views that as the US meddling and helping a rebel group that is against the government. I've actually had people say to me they regretted voting for Biden because they see his actions as favoring the "rebel" group over the Ethiopian government.
> 
> I think it's extemely hard for Western countries to help these countries with tribal conflicts. The West thinks that the promise of economic stability and growth is enough to help keep groups in check. That is why Putin has been able to get away with his actions for so long. Germany,  the US have been acting on the hope that he would avoid a war to keep economic stability. Now that he has shown that he does care, all gloves are off. Germany just pledged 100 billion to defense spending. All because Putin showed that he would pick ideology over economy/stability.  Syria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan show that unfortunately some groups would rather the country be destroyed then to compromise.



The US continues to arm Saudi Arabia who is literally starving Yemen. 10% of the weapons we sell goes there. Yet we jumped at the chance to sanction Russia after they invaded Ukraine. Biden is about to split $7B in frozen Afghan assets with litigation of 9/11 families while Afghanistan is going through a humanitarian crisis. I get that Biden inherited the Afghan situation but the bottom line is we didn't understand the assignment on that situation. The Israeli-Palestinian situation I mean come on, we continue to arm Israel to the teeth and public figures even uttering Palestinian self-determination or their right to sovereignty is to ask for cancellation despite the Israeli government killing innocent Palestinians civilians on the regular. The way governments across the West have mobilized for Ukraine and put pressure on Russia is great. But Palestinians and Yemenis deserve that same uplifting. I agree the Syrian and Ethiopian situations are complicated because they are internal intrastate conflicts though.


----------



## Kitamita

MamaBear2012 said:


> I'm definitely not dismissive of racism in these nations. I absolutely don't put it past them. I also know that if there was a situation in this country, I'mma need President Biden (or whoever is President at the time) to be concerned about Americans first. That's just me. I would expect other nations that have citizens studying, vacationing, or whatever to work with President Biden to make sure their citizens were good.
> 
> And I'm also aware that Russia is a propaganda machine. We saw that in our own elections. They very much targeted black Americans to divide us, confuse people, stir up discord, and help pave the way for Trump.





larry3344 said:


> @MamaBear2012 There is nothing xenophobic or insensitive about what you are saying. Every country should be held responsible to do their job for their citizens and not have to deflect to other countries to take care of their responsibilities.
> 
> It’s unfortunately why, many Africans emigrate and want foreign passports, there is a level of indifference by African states that is too blatant to ignore in times of crisis that cannot be blamed on the West.
> 
> Still, we always hope that in time of crisis human empathy would prevail.



I do believe the African countries should have a responsibility to get their citizens out. Biden warned Americans to leave Ukraine on Feb 11th. so that was the signal to get gone.  If the roles were reversed and Americans need to dip  I have no doubt Bobby John and Peggy Sue would have no problem dragging my black butt off the evac bus... I would hope some would intervene.


----------



## Peppermynt

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> Zelenski is now a wartime President. I was highly doubtful. But the last President left him a BOON. He said that if Russia tried them, they'd be ready. When I saw regular degular police stations handing out AK's to the local citizenry...I knew they wasn't playing games.
> 
> 
> Side note: I had a daydream and asked myself if "I" would be willing to take it to the streets. I don't love my country all the time but I WOULD. Its about a way of life and our right to simply continue said way of life that I don't take for granted. So yeah I would undoubtedly. Because politics is local and we have to protect our children's domicile, schools, local gov and resources as well. Americans are cowboys at heart and if armed, we could band together easily to get rid of a common enemy no doubt.
> 
> As a student of history....this feels so primitive and feels Revolutionary War like. Its a thing of awe and shock/sad to watch. Cause this could be us. I don't take it for granted. Ukrainian mothers, school teachers, nannies, cyclists, construction workers are all out here in guerilla warfare. No tactician to lead, run drills or do boot camp first. The President of the country and regular citizens are doing videos that have gone vial on how to make Molotov cocktails. You literally wake up one morning and by the afternoon you're armed with an AK and by tea time fighting for your neighborhood.


I just watched a youtube of a ukranian 20-something year old girl recording a video providing instructions how to operate an abandoned russian tank. And then taking it for a spin. 


These people did *not* come to play.  Slav Ukraini!


----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


----------



## galleta31

vevster said:


> The gas pipelines have bought tremendous revenue to Russia. Still you don’t even factor  that in your detailed pov. That’s ok. We can agree to disagree.



Sorry, I don't understand. Are you saying the presence of gaslines from Russia through Ukraine are a reason for Russia to claim Ukraine? How or why? Or that NATO or the EU would be a threat to take over those gaslines? 

Yes, those gaslines have brought Putin and his oligarch friends billions of dollars. I don't see evidence the the Russian people have benefitted. In fact, the fact that Russia was supplying gas to Germany/EU was a huge bargaining chip for him. Obama actually helped de-arm Ukraine in order to appease Putin. All that got him was being seen as weak. 

Have you read about Ukrainian history under the USSR? They have their own language, letters, culture - under what reasoning does Putin have a say over them? I could see if Russia was communist or socialist, trying to influence Ukraine not to become a "corrupt western country". But Russia IS a corrupt capitalist country. They have absolutely nothing to offer Ukraine.


----------



## starfish

I love how the hacker group Anonymous has declared cyber war on Russia.  They've been doing a lot of damage.  I love to see it!


----------



## Belle Du Jour

galleta31 said:


> Sorry, I don't understand. Are you saying the presence of gaslines from Russia through Ukraine are a reason for Russia to claim Ukraine? How or why? Or that NATO or the EU would be a threat to take over those gaslines?
> 
> Yes, those gaslines have brought Putin and his oligarch friends billions of dollars. I don't see evidence the the Russian people have benefitted. In fact, the fact that Russia was supplying gas to Germany/EU was a huge bargaining chip for him. Obama actually helped de-arm Ukraine in order to appease Putin. All that got him was being seen as weak.
> 
> Have you read about Ukrainian history under the USSR? *They have their own language, letters, culture - under what reasoning does Putin have a say over them? *I could see if Russia was communist or socialist, trying to influence Ukraine not to become a "corrupt western country". But Russia IS a corrupt capitalist country. They have absolutely nothing to offer Ukraine.



He doesn't.  He's out of order.


----------



## Queenie

Is anyone else concerned about Putin's threat to use nuclear weapon if necessary? I saw a video by DW TV a couple of hours ago. 

I'm wondering what country he would hit. I assume not Ukraine, since they have the natural resources that Putin wants. 
I live within a couple of miles of the top US target. Daily, as I talk walks, I watch Biden's helicopter and the Pentagon's helicopters flying back and forth. 
So this war just got real for me.


----------



## Peppermynt

IMO, if Putin pulls that trigger, he triggers WW3 and then he's dead along with a good portion of Russia. So I think he's bluffing. We just need to give him a reason to back down so he can pretend to save face. I think he thought Ukraine would fold like Afghanistan did. But Ukrainians appear to be made of much sterner stuff. (And I should've known this when I saw those youtubes of Ukrainians diving and having lunch in the water under Chernobyl - they're like honey badgers.)


----------



## lavaflow99

Built different I tell you!!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

No, You’re Not Imagining It: Russia’s Army Is Inept​But superior firepower still gives it an edge in the short run.​Fred Kaplan
Feb 28, 20223:15 PM





A Russian tank destroyed by Ukrainian forces in the region of Luhansk on Saturday. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

After four days of fighting, the Russian military is bogged down in Ukraine. In part this is due to the valiant resistance of Ukraine’s army and civilian defense forces. But it’s also due to the fact that the Russian army just isn’t very good.

News reports, tweets, videos, and emails from the battlefields show Russia’s armored vehicles abandoned for lack of fuel, its soldiers foraging for food, its transport planes shot out of the sky, its various military elements—tanks, infantry, aircraft—unable to coordinate their aims.

Michael Kofman, a military analyst at CNA, an Arlington, Virginia–based think tank, who has been following the battle closely, tweeted late Sunday afternoon, “It’s taken me a while to figure out what [the Russian military is] trying to do, because it looks so ridiculous and incompetent.” B.A. Friedman, a military historian and tactician, went further: “This isn’t a good army executing a bad plan. It isn’t a good army executing outdated or out-of-context tactics. It’s a bad army!”

None of this should be overstated. Four days of fighting might seem an eternity when viewed through the prism of round-the-clock cable news, but, in retrospect, a month from now, it will seem like the blink of an eye. Even the best armies take a while to get going. That said, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been particularly sluggish and flawed.

In one sense, this was predictable. Over the past decade, the Russian armed forces have greatly improved, especially in the numbers of troops and quality of weapons. However, some of their age-old weaknesses haven’t been fixed at all.

*The Russian army has always been bad at setting up and sustaining supply lines. *Gen. Omar Bradley once said about different types of military officers, “Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics.”* In that sense, Russians are amateurs. *This is well known. It is why Ukrainian soldiers explicitly attacked the Russian supply lines. It’s why so many tanks and other vehicles have been spotted stuck on the side of a road.

This weakness might not matter so much if an army makes rapid progress at the start of its offensive. Its troops could plunder the places they conquer for fuel, food, and other supplies. But the Russian army isn’t cut out for lightning strikes. Troops are trained in rote set pieces, with no time devoted to improvising if things don’t go as planned. One reason for this is that junior officers are not allowed to take initiative. This is deliberate; it’s part of the top-down command system dating back to Soviet times, if not earlier. In politics and in warfare, the small elite on top doesn’t want subordinates to get too creative—if they did, they might take over.

And so, as the Russian invaders met resistance, they didn’t quite know what to do. Military operations designed to take place sequentially—Step 1, then 2, then 3, etc.—fell apart, catastrophically. If Step 2 hit a big obstacle, the by-the-book soldiers moved on to Step 3 anyway. Therefore, large troop-transport planes tried to land, even though the airport hadn’t been completely secured and Ukrainian air defense systems hadn’t been destroyed. As a result, two Il-76 transport planes, each carrying 100 airborne troops, were shot down.

Similarly, tanks aren’t supposed to roll through hostile territory all alone. They need to be escorted by infantry troops alongside or by combat planes from above, to avoid getting ambushed. Yet, in this invasion, Russian tanks are rolling all on their own or providing protection for reconnaissance scouts, but getting no protection for themselves. So, as might be expected, lots of Russian tanks are getting ambushed.

Nor have the Russians established air superiority, even though their air force far outnumbers Ukraine’s. As a result, Ukrainian drones have been picking off Russian convoys with impunity.*

There is a larger factor here: *The Russian army is composed, by and large, of one-year conscripts, who are poorly trained (even within the confines of Russian military training), badly treated, and uninspired by ideology or any other motivating spirit. Hence the stories of captured Russian troops who had no idea why they were in Ukraine. At least a few didn’t even know that they were in Ukraine—they thought they were still doing exercises in Belarus. Others have reportedly been found knocking on village doors for food or, in one case, asking a local police station for fuel.*

All this aside, it is still possible—even likely—that, if the fighting goes on much longer, the Russians will overtake the Ukrainians, capture Kyiv, and possibly oust the current government. They’ve sent in only about two-thirds of the troops and weapons that had been poised on the Ukrainian border. Convoys of tanks are rolling in—however slowly—from the north, west, and south. They are joined, or are about to be joined, by Belarusian troops and Chechen special forces. As the resistance mounts and as the Russians’ offensive is thwarted, Putin and his generals can be expected to turn up the heat, shelling—and, recently, bombing—cities, destroying whatever they can destroy, for destruction’s sake. This is what the Russian military has done elsewhere, notably in Chechnya, when its officers feel frustrated. At some point, superior firepower will win out, at least in the short run.

But this doesn’t mean they will win in the long run. The resistance will continue, especially now that practically every nation in NATO is supplying Ukraine with weapons. Putin’s invasion has rallied Ukrainian nationalism, stiffened the West’s spine, and sent his own economy into a tailspin. Chaotic destructiveness can only go so far. It is not a winning technique for the long run against organized defenses. And the more Putin resorts to chaotic destructiveness, the more organized the defenses become.

Correction, Feb. 28, 2022: This article originally misidentified Gen. Omar Bradley as British. He was American.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Belle Du Jour

40-mile Russian convoy headed to Ukraine  
Father in the name of Jesus, please help Ukranians to remain strong.  Amen.


----------



## secretdiamond

Peppermynt said:


> *IMO, if Putin pulls that trigger, he triggers WW3 and then he's dead along with a good portion of Russia. So I think he's bluffing.* We just need to give him a reason to back down so he can pretend to save face. I think he thought Ukraine would fold like Afghanistan did. But Ukrainians appear to be made of much sterner stuff. (And I should've known this when I saw those youtubes of Ukrainians diving and having lunch in the water under Chernobyl - they're like honey badgers.)



Not so fast!
I thought the same, until I learned Russia has way more nuclear weapons than the US.  We may have more troops, equipment for hand-to-hand combat, but supposedly, Russia has more nukes than all of NATO


----------



## Black Ambrosia

*Mutual assured destruction* (*MAD*) is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender (see pre-emptive nuclear strike and second strike).[1] It is based on the theory of deterrence, which holds that the threat of using strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy's use of those same weapons.


----------



## Seattle Slew

Peppermynt said:


> I just watched a youtube of a ukranian 20-something year old girl recording a video providing instructions how to operate an abandoned russian tank. And then taking it for a spin.
> 
> 
> These people did *not* come to play.  Slav Ukraini!


OMG. This is my favorite thing EVER!! It’s the nails. That did it for me. Perfect manicure flipping switches in a tank. Bring it


----------



## WaywardDivuh

secretdiamond said:


> Not so fast!
> I thought the same, until I learned Russia has way more nuclear weapons than the US.  We may have more troops, equipment for hand-to-hand combat, but supposedly, Russia has more nukes than all of NATO


I also read that russia has deployed the strongest nuke to date. Hiroshima and nagasaki were baby numbers compated to russias


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Everything Zen

Google Holodomor 








						World War III Has Already Started, and You’re Fighting It
					

Pick a side.




					jessicalexicus.medium.com


----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


This really shouldn't be broadcast. Ukraine needs the eliminate of surprise.


----------



## Queenie

Everything Zen said:


> Google Holodomor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> World War III Has Already Started, and You’re Fighting It
> 
> 
> Pick a side.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jessicalexicus.medium.com



I saw a movie about this. It was really awful, especially because the West refused to listen.


----------



## sunshinebeautiful

Everything Zen said:


> *Google Holodomo*r
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> World War III Has Already Started, and You’re Fighting It
> 
> 
> Pick a side.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jessicalexicus.medium.com



OMG. I had never heard of this before. I don't even have words to describe how I feel right now. Also read the article and sadly, yes, we are here


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## naturalgyrl5199

charmingt said:


>


Tell him don't do it bruh. Don't invite errbody to the picnic. Just give them a shout out and BE DONE.


----------



## vevster




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## MizAvalon

charmingt said:


>



Because they only fight for ‘Murica!

Also, because they don’t want to wear masks on the plane.


----------



## awhyley

The Liabrary Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/ula.org.ua/


----------



## naijamerican

I read a fascinating thread on Twitter that you all might enjoy. It’s pretty long but absolutely riveting:


----------



## TrulyBlessed




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## MamaBear2012

@charmingt - You are the MVP!! Thanks for all of the updates. Really, thanks to all of you who have been contributing to this thread. I don't feel so in the dark about this situation.


----------



## charmingt

MamaBear2012 said:


> @charmingt - You are the MVP!! Thanks for all of the updates. Really, thanks to all of you who have been contributing to this thread. I don't feel so in the dark about this situation.




Awwww, thankies to you for starting the thread. You're mostest welcome!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## PatDM'T




----------



## charmingt




----------



## ThursdayGirl

charmingt said:


>


I read that these were used in Syria and destroyed whole neighborhoods including the people who lived in them :-(


----------



## naijamerican

ThursdayGirl said:


> I read that these were used in Syria and destroyed whole neighborhoods including the people who lived in them :-(


Putin is beyond heartless and cruel. All these times that the West has bemoaned African despots and dictators, they were rubbing shoulders with the biggest, baddest goon of all.


----------



## Everything Zen

Apple, Boeing, FIFA, vodka, Formula One, SWIFT, Switzerland…

We ain’t even trying to cure cancer. I had a meeting on my new trial and the different countries for start-up and the joke was that we’re pretty sure we ain’t opening a site in Russia anytime soon even though we have a global product label translated in Russian.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Everything Zen

U.S. and Britain reportedly believe the Ukraine war could last 10-20 years, become a Russian quagmire


----------



## MizAvalon

What kind of retaliation will Russia unleash on us? Get hackers to shut down our internet? Cripple our banking systems? I imagine that it will be a cyber attack of some sort right?

I’m finally starting to see it at the pump. My usual gas station had been holding steady but today I see that it jumped up 14 cents a gallon. I’m already bracing for a huge increase there.


----------



## Keen

MizAvalon said:


> What kind of retaliation will Russia unleash on us? Get hackers to shut down our interneat? Cripple our banking systems? I imagine that it will be a cyber attack of some sort right?


I hope not. The us made it clear a cyber attack would be responded with physical force. And that's all of NATO.


----------



## MamaBear2012

MizAvalon said:


> What kind of retaliation will Russia unleash on us? Get hackers to shut down our internet? Cripple our banking systems? I imagine that it will be a cyber attack of some sort right?
> 
> I’m finally starting to see it at the pump. *My usual gas station had been holding steady but today I see that it jumped up 14 cents a gallon. I’m already bracing for a huge increase there.*


Our usual gas station jumped from $3.29/gal to $3.59/gal from yesterday to today.


----------



## charmingt

I could  not be that kind.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## MamaBear2012

MamaBear2012 said:


> Our usual gas station jumped from $3.29/gal to $3.59/gal from yesterday to today.


And now at $3.69/gal from yesterday to today.


----------



## PatDM'T

larry3344 said:


> What is happening to Nigerian students is a reflection of their incompetent government. It isn't the first time African students have been in a position like this and been let down by their gov and have to appeal to Western sensibility and public outrage to get ish done.



I have heard
this about other 
countries too.

So sad that 
leaders are so
busy being greedy
and self-centered 
while their citizens
are at the mercy
of racist


----------



## Black Ambrosia

I’ve been in a couple of tech threads online where Indians are complaining of the same experience while trying to leave Ukraine.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## larry3344

Black Ambrosia said:


> I’ve been in a couple of tech threads online where Indians are complaining of the same experience while trying to leave Ukraine.



I am just glad there is not any black and brown hashtags and Africans are focusing on speaking up for themselves. South Asians can do that as well. Either way it’s unfortunate situation for anyone that is being targeted unfairly.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## huxtable

Concerns mount as Black people report racism while fleeing Ukraine
					

‘It is obvious that we Africans are regarded as lower beings,’ says Nze, forced to walk several hours to Polish border




					www.independent.co.uk
				













						Foreign students fleeing Ukraine say they face segregation, racism at border | CNN
					

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, foreign students attempting to leave the country say they are experiencing racist treatment by Ukrainian security forces and border officials.




					edition.cnn.com


----------



## huxtable

#africansinukraine



			https://twitter.com/hashtag/africansinukraine?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Ehashtag


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Black Ambrosia said:


> I’ve been in a couple of tech threads online where Indians are complaining of the same experience while trying to leave Ukraine.


Yeah I'm seeing Twitter threads and pictures about Indians having the same experience. Pakistan's embassy is letting some Indian med students stay there. Big of them considering Narendra Modi has all but declared war on Muslims in India.


----------



## sunshinebeautiful

One of the professors at the college I work at is from Ukraine. She has family there. She says they are alive and physically ok, but terrified. Her hometown is in complete shambles from all of the missiles. Schools, churches, everything destroyed, and children orphaned.  She also said they collectively remember what life was like when they were part of the USSR - and they're never going back. Putin would have to kill off the entire country.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Seattle Slew

Lord he ripped his head off!!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## yamilee21

Regarding the stranded African (and Indian) people unable to flee the Ukraine… if Putin/Russia were truly good at propaganda, they would offer safe passage to them, to give credence to their claim that the Ukrainians are Nazis. Give them safe passage to Belarus and arrange for transportation from there (at least until sanctions start targeting Belarus), or to Azerbaijan, which is ostensibly “neutral.” Or, for all the students, offer them places at Russian universities. But for all the talk about how effective Putin/Russian propaganda is… 

(Disclaimer: I am in no way pro-Putin/Russia, but the blatant racism - against the Africans in Ukraine, but even more so in comparison to the refugees attempting to enter Europe in the past decade - has somewhat diminished my capacity for concern at this time.)


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Peppermynt

Seattle Slew said:


> Lord he ripped his head off!!


Should've drop kicked it down the hall.


----------



## ThursdayGirl

Black Ambrosia said:


> I’ve been in a couple of tech threads online where Indians are complaining of the same experience while trying to leave Ukraine.


I’m glad you mentioned this.  India has some alliance with Russia.  I was reading about how their students are also stuck and India is slow to act.

*edited to delete "belong" as it wasn't needed.


----------



## Everything Zen

I hope DeSantis goes down for his refusal to divest in Russian assets.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

I don't know when this particular deal was made but my gut tells me these are the kinds of deals they were making when they spent that 4th of July in Russia.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

I can't imagine telling my parents that I'm in danger and them not believing me. I know propoganda is powerful but I hope my family would question everything they know instead of dismissing what I'm seeing with my eyes. 

Ukraine war: 'My city's being shelled, but mum won’t believe me'

"When I heard the first explosions, I ran out of the house to get my dogs from their enclosures outside. People were panicking, abandoning their cars. I was so scared," she says. 

The 25-year-old has been speaking regularly to her mother, who lives in Moscow. But in these conversations, and even after sending videos from her heavily bombarded hometown, Oleksandra is unable to convince her mother about the danger she is in. 

"I didn't want to scare my parents, but I started telling them directly that civilians and children are dying," she says. 

"But even though they worry about me, they still say it probably happens only by accident, that the Russian army would never target civilians. That it's Ukrainians who're killing their own people."

It's common for Ukrainians to have family across the border in Russia. But for some, like Oleksandra, their Russian relatives have a contrasting understanding of the conflict. She believes it's down to the stories they are told by the tightly-controlled Russian media.

Oleksandra says her mother just repeats the narratives of what she hears on Russian state TV channels. 

"It really scared me when my mum exactly quoted Russian TV. They are just brainwashing people. And people trust them," says Oleksandra. 

"My parents understand that some military action is happening here. But they say: 'Russians came to liberate you. They won't ruin anything, they won't touch you. They're only targeting military bases'."



Spoiler: Rest of the Article



While we were interviewing Oleksandra, the shelling went on. The internet connection was weak, so we had to exchange voice messages. 

"I've almost forgotten what silence sounds like. They're shelling non-stop," she said.

But on Russian state TV channels on the same day, there was no mention of the missiles striking Kharkiv's residential districts, of civilian deaths, or of four people killed while queuing for water.

Russian media say the threat to Ukrainian civilians doesn't come from the Russian armed forces, it comes from Ukrainian nationalists using civilians as human shields. 

Russian state TV channels justify the war by blaming Ukrainian aggression, and continue to call it "a special operation of liberation". Any Russian outlet using the words "war", "invasion" or "attack" faces being blocked by the country's media regulator for spreading "deliberately false information about the actions of Russian military personnel" in Ukraine. 

Some Russians have taken to the streets to protest against the war - but these demonstrations were not shown on the main state television channels.

Mykhailo, a well-known Kyiv restauranteur, didn't have the time or inclination to watch Russian TV coverage of the invasion. 

When shelling of Ukraine's capital started, he and his wife were concentrating on how to protect their six-year-old daughter and baby son. 

At night their children woke up at the sound of explosions and couldn't stop crying. The family made the decision to move to the outskirts of Kyiv and then flee abroad. 

They travelled to Hungary, where Mykhailo left his wife and children and came back to Western Ukraine to help the war effort. 

He was surprised not to have heard from his father, who works at a monastery near Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. He called his father and described what was happening. His father replied that this wasn't true; there was no war and - in fact - Russians were saving Ukraine from Nazis. 

Mykhailo said he felt he knew the power of Russian propaganda, but when he heard it from his father, he was devastated.

"My own father does not believe me, knowing that I'm here and see everything with my own eyes. And my mum, his ex-wife, is going through this too," he says. 

"She is hiding with my grandmother in the bathroom, because of the bombardment."

Russian media has been tightly controlled for many years and viewers are given an uncritical view of Russia and its actions around the world. 

"The state narrative only ever shows Russia as the good guy." says Dr Joanna Szostek, an expert in Russia and political communications at University of Glasgow. 

"Even the tales they tell about World War Two, the Great Patriotic War, Russia has never really done anything wrong. And this is why they won't believe it now."

Most Russians, she says, don't look for other points of view. She believes the one-sided narrative that is highly critical of the West helps explain why Russians can have opposing views to their relatives in neighbouring countries. 

"People who criticise Russia have for so long been presented as traitors or foreign agents; critics are all foreign agents working for the West. So you don't even believe your own daughter."

Anastasiya's parents live in a small village 20km (12 miles) away from the rebel-held Donetsk People's Republic. The village is still under the control of Kyiv authorities, but Russian state TV channels are always on in their house. They even have the clock set to Moscow time - a throwback to the Soviet past. 
So when on 24 February, Anastasiya woke up in Kyiv to the sound of sirens, she knew how her parents would react.

'My mum was the first person I called when I jumped out of bed at five, disoriented. She was surprised I called and sounded really calm, almost casual," she says.

Anastasiya, a BBC Ukrainian correspondent who moved to Kyiv 10 years ago, heard bombs exploding after waking and was worried about where would be hit next.

"I called my mum again. I told her I was scared. 'Don't worry', she said, reassuringly. 'They [Russia] will never bomb Kyiv'."

But they are already doing it, Anastasiya replied. 

"I told her there were casualties among civilians. 'But that's what we had too when Ukraine attacked Donbas!', she said, laughing. For a moment I couldn't breathe. Hearing my mum say this with such cruelty just broke my heart."

Anastasiya believes the image Russian media has created is one of the "glorified Russian army" ridding Ukraine from Nazis. For years she avoided political arguments with her parents, but this time she slammed the phone down on her mum. 

We spoke to Anastasiya when she was travelling away from Kyiv after four nights in a bomb shelter. Her mind was on an uncertain future. 

"There are a lot of thoughts in my head now. What will happen to us all? Where is this going? Will I ever come back? Will I ever see my parents again? I still love them deeply, but something inside me has broken and I don't think it can ever be fixed."


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Belle Du Jour

Black Ambrosia said:


> View attachment 479201


THIS is what corporate responsibility looks like!

The world is getting a lot smaller for Russia.  It's unfortunate that the citizens have to feel the effects of this since most of them probably don't want this.  But unfortunately this is the only way.


----------



## Belle Du Jour

charmingt said:


>


Hunty, this might activate some spell or voodoo magic


----------



## Black Ambrosia

That statue of putin looks way more realistic than Biden. I wonder why sometimes they're great and other times done so poorly.

It never occurred to me that people would attack wax figures or threaten galleries. I realize I'm far removed the kind of instability he's caused. I can see acting out with everything going on.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## galleta31

Belle Du Jour said:


> THIS is what corporate responsibility looks like!
> 
> The world is getting a lot smaller for Russia.  It's unfortunate that the citizens have to feel the effects of this since most of them probably don't want this.  But unfortunately this is the only way.



Speaking of corporate responsibility, I read a very interesting interview with Fiona Hill - an expert on Putin. She mentioned that we really haven't learned lessons from WWII. The business/corporate class enabled Hitler. The same can be said about corporations enabling Putin. His antiwest feelings were not hidden by any means. But because corporations could still make alot of money, they allowed Putin to amass 10s to 100s of billions of dollars (for himself, the Russian people themselves didn't see the benefits). Now when he crossed a line, they are finally divesting. But it is alittle to late, especially for Ukrainians.


----------



## charmingt

Hmmmm.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


Would this even make a difference at this point? I don't see putin pulling out. Seems more likely that it officially becomes WWIII.



charmingt said:


> Hmmmm.


Right! What is really going on? I know the soldiers don't want to be there but I'm also wondering how much of the equipment is junk. 



charmingt said:


>


And this reminds me. All these sanctions obviously only hurt the Russian people. Not putin. How big is his reserve and when does he run out of money? It's expensive to pay the troops and finance a war. I'm guessing that's the only thing he's spending money on. Looks like he's letting the banks collapse. Maybe he'll still have money coming in from oil with the few countries that haven't distanced themselves from him.

When do the troops realize their checks aren't coming or start going AWOL in masse because the rubles they're paid in are worthless?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## ThursdayGirl

charmingt said:


>


The German text says Ukraine’s presidents sleeps only 3 hours a day and is always friendly.


----------



## Everything Zen

Black Ambrosia said:


> I can't imagine telling my parents that I'm in danger and them not believing me. I know propoganda is powerful but I hope my family would question everything they know instead of dismissing what I'm seeing with my eyes.
> 
> Ukraine war: 'My city's being shelled, but mum won’t believe me'
> 
> "When I heard the first explosions, I ran out of the house to get my dogs from their enclosures outside. People were panicking, abandoning their cars. I was so scared," she says.
> 
> The 25-year-old has been speaking regularly to her mother, who lives in Moscow. But in these conversations, and even after sending videos from her heavily bombarded hometown, Oleksandra is unable to convince her mother about the danger she is in.
> 
> "I didn't want to scare my parents, but I started telling them directly that civilians and children are dying," she says.
> 
> "But even though they worry about me, they still say it probably happens only by accident, that the Russian army would never target civilians. That it's Ukrainians who're killing their own people."
> 
> It's common for Ukrainians to have family across the border in Russia. But for some, like Oleksandra, their Russian relatives have a contrasting understanding of the conflict. She believes it's down to the stories they are told by the tightly-controlled Russian media.
> 
> Oleksandra says her mother just repeats the narratives of what she hears on Russian state TV channels.
> 
> "It really scared me when my mum exactly quoted Russian TV. They are just brainwashing people. And people trust them," says Oleksandra.
> 
> "My parents understand that some military action is happening here. But they say: 'Russians came to liberate you. They won't ruin anything, they won't touch you. They're only targeting military bases'."
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Rest of the Article
> 
> 
> 
> While we were interviewing Oleksandra, the shelling went on. The internet connection was weak, so we had to exchange voice messages.
> 
> "I've almost forgotten what silence sounds like. They're shelling non-stop," she said.
> 
> But on Russian state TV channels on the same day, there was no mention of the missiles striking Kharkiv's residential districts, of civilian deaths, or of four people killed while queuing for water.
> 
> Russian media say the threat to Ukrainian civilians doesn't come from the Russian armed forces, it comes from Ukrainian nationalists using civilians as human shields.
> 
> Russian state TV channels justify the war by blaming Ukrainian aggression, and continue to call it "a special operation of liberation". Any Russian outlet using the words "war", "invasion" or "attack" faces being blocked by the country's media regulator for spreading "deliberately false information about the actions of Russian military personnel" in Ukraine.
> 
> Some Russians have taken to the streets to protest against the war - but these demonstrations were not shown on the main state television channels.
> 
> Mykhailo, a well-known Kyiv restauranteur, didn't have the time or inclination to watch Russian TV coverage of the invasion.
> 
> When shelling of Ukraine's capital started, he and his wife were concentrating on how to protect their six-year-old daughter and baby son.
> 
> At night their children woke up at the sound of explosions and couldn't stop crying. The family made the decision to move to the outskirts of Kyiv and then flee abroad.
> 
> They travelled to Hungary, where Mykhailo left his wife and children and came back to Western Ukraine to help the war effort.
> 
> He was surprised not to have heard from his father, who works at a monastery near Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. He called his father and described what was happening. His father replied that this wasn't true; there was no war and - in fact - Russians were saving Ukraine from Nazis.
> 
> Mykhailo said he felt he knew the power of Russian propaganda, but when he heard it from his father, he was devastated.
> 
> "My own father does not believe me, knowing that I'm here and see everything with my own eyes. And my mum, his ex-wife, is going through this too," he says.
> 
> "She is hiding with my grandmother in the bathroom, because of the bombardment."
> 
> Russian media has been tightly controlled for many years and viewers are given an uncritical view of Russia and its actions around the world.
> 
> "The state narrative only ever shows Russia as the good guy." says Dr Joanna Szostek, an expert in Russia and political communications at University of Glasgow.
> 
> "Even the tales they tell about World War Two, the Great Patriotic War, Russia has never really done anything wrong. And this is why they won't believe it now."
> 
> Most Russians, she says, don't look for other points of view. She believes the one-sided narrative that is highly critical of the West helps explain why Russians can have opposing views to their relatives in neighbouring countries.
> 
> "People who criticise Russia have for so long been presented as traitors or foreign agents; critics are all foreign agents working for the West. So you don't even believe your own daughter."
> 
> Anastasiya's parents live in a small village 20km (12 miles) away from the rebel-held Donetsk People's Republic. The village is still under the control of Kyiv authorities, but Russian state TV channels are always on in their house. They even have the clock set to Moscow time - a throwback to the Soviet past.
> So when on 24 February, Anastasiya woke up in Kyiv to the sound of sirens, she knew how her parents would react.
> 
> 'My mum was the first person I called when I jumped out of bed at five, disoriented. She was surprised I called and sounded really calm, almost casual," she says.
> 
> Anastasiya, a BBC Ukrainian correspondent who moved to Kyiv 10 years ago, heard bombs exploding after waking and was worried about where would be hit next.
> 
> "I called my mum again. I told her I was scared. 'Don't worry', she said, reassuringly. 'They [Russia] will never bomb Kyiv'."
> 
> But they are already doing it, Anastasiya replied.
> 
> "I told her there were casualties among civilians. 'But that's what we had too when Ukraine attacked Donbas!', she said, laughing. For a moment I couldn't breathe. Hearing my mum say this with such cruelty just broke my heart."
> 
> Anastasiya believes the image Russian media has created is one of the "glorified Russian army" ridding Ukraine from Nazis. For years she avoided political arguments with her parents, but this time she slammed the phone down on her mum.
> 
> We spoke to Anastasiya when she was travelling away from Kyiv after four nights in a bomb shelter. Her mind was on an uncertain future.
> 
> "There are a lot of thoughts in my head now. What will happen to us all? Where is this going? Will I ever come back? Will I ever see my parents again? I still love them deeply, but something inside me has broken and I don't think it can ever be fixed."


This is an eery cousin of Qanon right?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

The Chinese Obsession with Ukrainian Wives​
Since the Ukrainian invasion, jokes about “sheltering homeless Ukrainian girls” have proliferated on Chinese social media. But China’s obsession with “Ukrainian beauties” goes way back.

March 4, 2022, 4:28am

As Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine, bombing airports and apartment buildings, and people around the world watched the grim development with bated breath, some Chinese men thought about something else—Ukrainian beauties.

A viral joke on social media goes that Chinese men would love to provide shelter to Ukrainians caught in the war, but only if they are young, attractive, and female.

“Sheltering homeless Ukrainian girls,” a Weibo user named Niruomeixiongjiubiexiong, for example, posted on Feb. 24, the day Russia began a military assault on multiple Ukrainian cities. The account has been shut down following a subsequent crackdown on war-related jokes. “Priority will be given to those who are young, beautiful, unmarried, and fit. The war is cruel, but people are full of love.”

While people who were sharing the sexist meme might have been in the minority, stereotypes around “Ukrainian beauties” have pervaded the Chinese-speaking world for years. Online posts attribute an abundance of beautiful women in Ukraine to its climate and ethnic composition. On shopping site Taobao, one can pay about $30 to have a customized birthday message read out by a group of Ukrainian women in bunny girl costume, although a vendor said the service was currently unavailable due to the war.

*Meilishka, a match-making service that specializes in setting Chinese men up with Eastern European women, said interest in Ukrainian girls saw a bizarre jump during the invasion, from about five inquiries a day to almost 10.

“Now, there are many clients asking for Ukrainian girls,” Pavel Stepanets, a Russian man who owns the business, told VICE World News. “These clients know that these Ukrainian girls are sad and would think of China as a safe place. So the Chinese men think that these girls will consider looking for a Chinese husband.”

The interest in dating Ukrainian women is not unique to Chinese bachelors. Ukraine has a thriving internet romance industry that sets up Western men with Ukrainian women, a process dubbed “mail order brides.” The perception is that Ukrainian women are more gorgeous, less feminist, and would now be willing to marry any average man to get out of the war-stricken, economically-stagnated country. 

For Chinese men, the fetish is exacerbated by a desire to “conquer” blonde, white women, seen as a symbol of both the men’s personal success and China’s rising power. 

The most prominent example is Mei Aisi, who shot to national fame in around 2014 for marrying a Ukrainian woman 12 years his junior. For many Chinese men, Mei’s life is an enviable story about a working-class underdog winning a Caucasian wife. 

Mei later launched a dating club in Ukraine, charging Chinese men tens of thousands of dollars for setting them up with Ukrainian women. On Douyin, China’s TikTok, Mei shares with his 1.6 million followers the couple’s life in their villa in Ukraine. Most of the videos focus on his wife, who was seen dancing, doing catwalks, and swimming in the pool, attracting a flood of jealous comments. *






ATTENDEES OF A MATCHMAKING EVENT ORGANIZED BY MEILISHKA BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

*Stepanets launched his dating club in 2017, and charges men between 6,700 to 80,000 Chinese yuan ($1,060 to $12,700) to set them up with women from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus—women who can speak Mandarin and are younger and prettier are usually more expensive to access. About 70 Chinese men are currently in the club, and according to Stepanets, about eight to nine couples have gotten married through the service since the club was founded (not all couples who were successfully matched would make it to marriage).

Stepanets said Chinese men prefer Eastern European women because, compared to Chinese women, they are not as demanding about wealth. The men also aspire to sire Caucasian-looking offspring, he said, which is why women with pale white hair and blue eyes are often preferred.*

And among Slavic women, said Stepanets, Ukrainians are the most sought-after.



Spoiler: Rest of the Article



“To be honest, Ukrainian women are considered some of the most beautiful in the world,” he said. “Everyone knows this.”

Lisa, a Canada-based Ukrainian influencer who lived in China for seven years, often puts the hashtag #UkrainianBeauty onto her videos on Douyin, China’s Tiktok. Lisa, who preferred not to disclose her full name, said the term was a friendly one. Through her channel, Chinese men would often ask her to set them up with Ukrainians—anyone would do.





LISA, A UKRAINIAN INFLUENCER, HAS GARNERED POPULARITY ON DOUYIN, CHINA'S ORIGINAL DOMESTIC VERSION OF TIKTOK. COLLAGE: VICE / IMAGES: LISA

“I think it’s funny. Like, how could you just pick one random girlfriend?” said the 26-year-old. “I don’t feel that it’s something bad to me. I just think that some of them are maybe a little bit naive and really funny.”

*While Chinese women who date foreign men are often accused of betraying their country, Chinese men are hailed as heroes for marrying foreign women and making them part of the nation. *

Internet users’ interest in seeing Caucasian women learning Mandarin Chinese, cooking Chinese dishes, and meeting their Chinese in-laws has prompted many Chinese-Ukrainian couples to start making these kinds of videos.
A 27-year-old Guangzhou man, who goes by the screen name Xiao Hei, said he and his Ukrainian wife Yana began making vlogs in October. The two met when they were working at a zoo—Xiao Hei as a host and Yana as an actress—and Xiao Hei picked up English and a bit of Russian just to date her. They married in 2019.





XIAO HEI AND YANA, A CHINESE-UKRAINIAN COUPLE WHO REGULARLY UPLOADS VLOGS ABOUT THEIR LIVES. IMAGE: XIAO HEI

Xiao Hei said the most common comment he gets from viewers, even during the current invasion, is “can you set me up with Ukrainian girls as well?”

Many Chinese men have complained about not being able to find a local match. China has a skewed gender ratio, largely caused by the selective abortion of female fetuses. And Chinese women have become more educated and financially independent, making them unwilling to settle for an unhappy marriage.

*“Demographically, there are millions of Chinese men being ‘squeezed out’ from the local marriage markets in China in part due to China’s one-child policy and the engrained son-preference culture. They are struggling to find a partner,” said Pan Wang, who teaches Chinese and Asian Studies at the University of New South Wales. 
https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvyxz/ukraine-war-trans-people-lgbtq
“At the same time, the skewed sex ratio in Ukraine (more women than men) makes women willing to find a husband outside of Ukraine or be married out themselves.”*

But there are two sides to Chinese men wanting foreign wives. *While Caucasian wives are seen as trophies, non-white women—Southeast Asian wives, for instance—are often perceived as a sign that the man is too poor to attract local or white women, Wang said. That’s even if there may well be Ukrainian women looking to marry their way to China to escape poverty at home.
Many Chinese women have expressed anger online over the joke about sheltering Ukrainian women. In a video posted last week, a Chinese student in Ukraine said the insensitive remarks about “Ukrainian beauties” have contributed to an anti-China sentiment and put overseas Chinese in danger.*

Social platforms including Weibo, Douyin, and WeChat then moved to delete jokes about Ukrainian women. State media say the vulgar remarks were only made by a few but were then amplified by anti-China quarters.

Mei, the influencer famous for having a Ukrainian wife, got his accounts suspended after he posted war clips viewers said were not from Ukraine.

“It suggests to me that the derogatory language was only recognized as damaging when it was seen as posing a threat to the Chinese people, rather than seen as offensive and discriminatory towards Ukrainian women,” said Elena Barabantseva, a University of Manchester scholar who has studied Ukrainian wives in China.

Barabantseva said Chinese men started posting the “Ukrainian beauties” joke during the 2014 conflict in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas, which is being controlled by pro-Russian separatist groups. In reality, Chinese-Ukrainian couples remain a rare phenomenon and are often viewed with curiosity by the public.

The Chinese government has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion and blamed the conflict on the U.S.-led Western bloc. The Chinese internet has come to be dominated by pro-Russian voices, and many people who support peace in Ukraine are staying silent.
Ukrainian influencers in China, some of them wives of Chinese men, are among the rare voices providing an alternative perspective. They have talked about the bravery of Ukrainians, shared the pain of having families caught in the war back home, and advocated against the invasion.

Lisa, the Douyin influencer, said after the war broke out, she had been getting aggressive messages such as “I hope you will die” and “go to Ukraine and die with them together”—before she was even posting news about the invasion. Many others continued asking her to set them up with Ukrainian women.

The hate left Lisa puzzled, since she had always found people to be polite and friendly during her time in China. She has since started posting videos advocating against the invasion and the killings of ordinary Ukrainians and Russians.

Lisa said she is getting support from followers and her Chinese friends in Canada, although pro-Russia comments still get thousands of upvotes on her page. “Russia must win!” says the most liked comments under her latest video.

But she is not about to give up Douyin just because of the hate. “I don’t mind if these people are doing this  to me because I want that more people can see the truth and what's going on,” she said. “Even if it will affect only two or three people, it’s okay.”


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Everything Zen said:


> This is an eery cousin of Qanon right?


Definitely feels familiar. Qanon propaganda is probably modeled after Russian propaganda.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Interesting read. Hadn't considered this. 

TLDR - Trans women are pressured into fighting when they present papers showing 'male' and trans men are harassed about why they aren't fighting if they're really men. They're encouraged to hide their identification when talking to Ukraine authorities but because of their features many of them can't truly pass so making it to the border is dangerous. There's also concern that the same people who threatened them before the war are now armed and empowered by the war.

Trans People Stranded and Alone in Ukraine Following Russia’s Invasion​
Trans people in Ukraine tell VICE World News they are fearful of trying to escape Russian forces in case they are prevented from leaving by authorities.

By Ben Hunte
March 2, 2022, 5:38am

Trans people in Ukraine have told VICE World News that they are “totally stuck” and “scared for their lives” in the country. 

Two Ukrainian trans women said they can’t leave Ukraine or even safely travel through it because all of their identification documents say “male” and mention their “old masculine names”.

Some trans people have even been advised to “lose their ID” by human rights groups, in order to get out of Ukraine. Trans campaigners estimate this issue is leading to “hundreds” of trans people in Ukraine being left in “serious danger” and feeling “completely alone”. 

One trans woman said she is “terrified” of being stopped trying to leave Ukraine, and being forced to join the Ukrainian army “as a man” – especially because authorities are stopping men aged 18 to 60 from leaving. Another Ukrainian trans woman is too scared to leave her accommodation in fear of transphobic attacks. She’s the only person left in her neighbourhood. 

One trans man, who transitioned over six years ago and has lived as a man in Ukraine since, only has an ID showing “female”. He told VICE World News about his fears of leaving his house and trying to make it across Ukraine. During a phone call, screaming and explosions were heard coming from outside his accommodation, but he still refused to leave because of his ID issue. 

A non-binary Ukrainian person explained their fears of leaving Ukraine and heading to “places like Poland or Hungary” where their identity is “ridiculed” and not recognised. “I need to choose between my own country – that I have learned how to navigate –or a totally foreign place where I could feel even more excluded and in danger,” they added. 

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ukraine following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. The UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency, confirmed that 520,000 refugees from Ukraine have now entered neighbouring countries since last Thursday, warning “this figure has been rising exponentially, hour after hour.” However, trans people may not have made those journeys.

Zi Faámelu is a 31-year-old trans woman from Kyiv. She is a musician and has appeared on TV in her home nation. Faámelu said she can’t leave the country and her life is in danger.

“Like hundreds of trans people in Ukraine, I am a woman, but I have ‘male’ in my passport and on all my ID, so this is a war within a war. Ukrainian trans people were already fighting for their lives.”

“There are hundreds of us stuck like this, living miserable lives. We need some influence from abroad. We need people to write to their politicians and charities to help us.”

She is sitting in darkness while she talks to me. In her hands, she holds a “very sharp” knife. Alone in her area, she is scared of who could be outside her apartment. 






ZI FAÁMELU. PHOTOS: SUPPLIED



Spoiler: Rest of the Article



Trans people in Ukraine can obtain legal gender recognition, but human rights groups have called the process “abusive”, as it “violates the rights to privacy and physical integrity.” 

Asked why she didn’t change her ID documents before now, Faámelu said the process in Ukraine is “humiliating” and she’s seen people having to “stay in mental institutions for months, with psychological and physical tests to prove their gender.”

“We don’t want to go through that, so we just kept our passports as they were and laid low, stayed quiet. It’s hell for trans people here. I should have left earlier but I was waiting for some emergency gender documents, but the doctors suddenly said no.”

“I'm completely alone now. Everybody in my neighbourhood has left. It’s such a dangerous situation, but I'm trying to stay optimistic. I've seen people running for their lives, and screaming at each other to leave things behind and just get out - but I have to stay where I am. It’s the only option for me right now.”

“It is very dangerous for me as a trans person in Ukraine on a normal day, so now, it is impossible. Many gay people in Ukraine can blend in with the rest of society now, but for trans people it is impossible. There are so many physical traits that we are attacked for – big chin, broad shoulders – we’re beaten, we’re killed. We need to get out now, but we can’t even leave our apartments.”

“They will see my passport and see ‘male’, they will see my birth name, and call me a man in a dress and attack me.”

Faámelu spoke of trans people who have been threatened by individuals openly carrying weapons in their areas. 

“I’m now even more scared to be in Ukraine because everyone has a gun. Now my attackers have an excuse to carry out their hate and violence. People know where I live. Every sound outside is scary,” she said.

“Trans people now feel forgotten, neglected, abandoned. We are actually invisible at the moment. We need the United Nations, we need human rights organisations. We need people to help us get noticed.”

People fleeing Ukraine have been told that several neighbouring countries will accept them without any ID, however the journeys to get to the borders may still involve being stopped at checkpoints by the police or military, queueing with members of the public, and being split into “male and female” groups for prioritising safety and travel. 

Being LGBTQ in Ukraine can be life-threatening. Attacks against people based on their sexuality and gender identity are common, and citizens told us “our police just stand by and watch.” 

Less than a month ago, vandals damaged an LGBTQ community centre in Kharkiv, a city in northeast Ukraine. The attackers wrote “death threats” and “Christian scriptures” across the centre’s “mural of equality.” Campaigners said the centre had only recently been repaired after the last attacks, when “urine, **** and blood were smeared on the front door.” 

Trans people in Ukraine have told VICE World News that their lives “were not worth living” before the war, and the current situation has only made matters worse for them. 

Robert, 31, is a trans man who was living in Kharkiv, Ukraine. We are not identifying Robert’s surname to protect his identity. Robert’s years on testosterone have led to him “being able to pass like any other man”, but his ID still says he is “female” and uses his birth name. 





PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

“My parents tried to kill me when I told them I’m trans,” he told VICE World News earlier this week. “Everybody here knows me as ‘he’, nobody knows my situation. This is why I’m in so much danger now.”

“I’m so afraid for my life,” Robert added. “A lot of people have offered me help once I get to different countries, but I can’t get through Ukraine like this. The problem here is that you can look like one thing, but your papers say something else.” 

“I can’t work, I can’t have a bank account, I can’t have a driver’s licence. I can’t continue at university because the university can’t approve my papers. I’ve just been cutting people’s hair, cleaning bathrooms and apartments, just to feed myself. It’s just existing, not living.”

Robert is now being supported by LGBTQ campaigner Rain Dove, who recently created a group and a fund to directly help “LGBTQ people, disabled people and families” stranded in Ukraine. The group has now supported “over 700 people” to get out of Ukraine, and many of them are LGBTQ.

Rain Dove told VICE World News: “We’ve had trans people get rejected at some borders, but everyone we’ve supported has eventually got out.”

“If you’re a trans woman with an ‘M’ on your passport, or you’re gender nonconforming with an ‘M’, we recommend that you ‘lose’ your passport before you speak to Ukrainian officials. Hide your ID in a water bottle, or in your shoe. If you get stopped, you can just say that you’re not from here, you can say that you’re a student in Ukraine, or were just visiting. Without an ID, you will be sent to a long line of foreign nationals, but you’ll then be talking to officials from the bordering nations, and you can present your ID without an issue. This has worked 100 percent of the time. 

“If you’re a trans man with an ‘F’ on your ID, prepare to be gaslit by Ukrainian authorities. They will say ‘if you’re really a man, then fight for your country.’ This is unfortunately a really common thing. You could also hide your ID, but we know some people who have stayed to fight.” 

Rémy Bonny, executive director of Forbidden Colours, an organisation pushing for LGBTQ equality across Europe, told VICE World News, “the Russian aggression against Ukraine has shocked the entire world, and queer people are extraordinarily affected by this war.” 

Asked what people around the world can do to help these individuals, Bonny said, “Please donate to initiatives that are helping queer refugees from Ukraine. We are expecting about 100,000 queer refugees in the coming weeks, entering Poland, Hungary and Romania, but in the past, refugee camps have proven not to be safe spaces for LGBTQ persons.”


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

MamaBear2012 said:


> And now at $3.69/gal from yesterday to today.


My usual gas station was at 4.39 before. Today it's at 4.89. For the lowest grade.


----------



## TrulyBlessed




----------



## Everything Zen

Putin did all of this as an excuse to lash out on everyone else.


----------



## Everything Zen

__





						Prince Michael of Kent, Queen Elizabeth's cousin, returns Russian honor amid Ukraine invasion: report | Fox News
					

Prince Michael of Kent as returned a Russian honor bestowed upon him as the county's invasion of Ukraine continues to escalate.




					www.foxnews.com


----------



## Black Ambrosia

If the sanctions are a declaration of war do you bomb everybody sanctioning you to get them to release the sanctions??? How is that supposed to work? 

This was just an excuse to force the world into a war because the Ukraine invasion is going poorly and he can't pull out without hurting his ego. His big bad image is definitely diminished.


----------



## Everything Zen

But I do have a question- how are they just snatching up people’s yachts and what not?


----------



## Everything Zen

U.S. wants to seize Russian oligarchs' yachts, homes and jets. How is that legal?
					

A new task force is leading the charge to seize proceeds from "the crimes of Russian oligarchs." The action is tied to a law used as a tool against terrorists and fugitives.




					www.nbcnews.com


----------



## Black Ambrosia

I thought about starting a separate thread but I really think this is related. No idea if she did this or if it was planted but this response seems disproportionate (I know she's in a different country). I'm not into vaping or e-cigs. What's hashish oil?

Also, some sources are saying she may have been detained 3 weeks ago. If so, this is a really bad situation.

Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia​March 5, 2022, 9:33 a.m. ET
6 hours ago





A Russian news agency identified Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner as the American women’s basketball player detained in Russia after customs officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport.

The Russian Federal Customs Service said Saturday that its officials had detained an American basketball player after finding vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow.

The Customs Service said in a statement that the player had won two Olympic gold medals with the United States, but it did not release the player’s name. The Russian news agency TASS, citing a law enforcement source, identified the player as Brittney Griner, a seven-time W.N.B.A. All-Star center for the Phoenix Mercury. Griner, 31, won gold medals with the U.S. women’s national basketball team in 2021 and 2016.

The Customs Service released a video of a traveler at the airport who appeared to be Griner, wearing a mask and black sweatshirt, going through security. The video showed an individual removing a package from the traveler’s bag.

The screening at the airport occurred in February, according to the Customs Service, raising the possibility that Griner has been in custody for at least several days.

According to the statement, a criminal case has been opened into the large-scale transportation of drugs, which can carry a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars in Russia. The basketball player was taken into custody while the investigation was ongoing, the officials said.

In a statement, Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said: “We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the W.N.B.A. and N.B.A.

“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

The W.N.B.A. said in a statement that Griner “has the W.N.B.A.’s full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States.”

The Phoenix Mercury, USA Basketball, which oversees the Olympics teams, and the W.N.B.A. players’ union also released statements expressing support for Griner.

The detainment comes amid the escalating conflict created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high tensions between Russia and the United States. In recent years, Russia has been detaining and sentencing American citizens on what United States officials often say are trumped-up charges. The arrest of a high-profile American could be seen as Russia’s attempting to create leverage for a potential prisoner exchange with the American government or a reduction in sanctions related to the invasion.

Many W.N.B.A. players compete in Russia, where salaries are more lucrative, during the American league’s off-season. Griner has played for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg for several years.

Some American players began making plans to leave Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, and a W.N.B.A. spokeswoman said on Saturday that all W.N.B.A. players besides Griner were out of Russia and Ukraine.

The State Department on Saturday advised American citizens to depart from Russia immediately, citing the invasion in Ukraine, the “potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials” and the Embassy’s limited ability to assist its citizens in the country.


----------



## Evolving78

Black Ambrosia said:


> Would this even make a difference at this point? I don't see putin pulling out. Seems more likely that it officially becomes WWIII.
> 
> 
> Right! What is really going on? I know the soldiers don't want to be there but I'm also wondering how much of the equipment is junk.
> 
> 
> And this reminds me. All these sanctions obviously only hurt the Russian people. Not putin. How big is his reserve and when does he run out of money? It's expensive to pay the troops and finance a war. I'm guessing that's the only thing he's spending money on. Looks like he's letting the banks collapse. Maybe he'll still have money coming in from oil with the few countries that haven't distanced themselves from him.
> 
> When do the troops realize their checks aren't coming or start going AWOL in masse because the rubles they're paid in are worthless?


So the people of Russia will to turn on him.


----------



## huxtable

International students ‘dying by the side of the road’ trying to flee Ukraine, say refugees
					

Refugees who recently escaped into Poland told The Telegraph they had been racially abused and treated ‘worse than animals’




					www.telegraph.co.uk


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## naijamerican

There isn’t a single thing about this war that isn’t heartbreaking and angering.


----------



## PatDM'T

Dunghole Trump
is so ugly
in every sense
of the word! 

I am just 
mad that seeing
him or learning
anything about him
still gets me 
so infuriated I
could spit nails. 

I hate that
he has any
effect on me.


----------



## PatDM'T




----------



## fula97

Black Ambrosia said:


> I thought about starting a separate thread but I really think this is related. No idea if she did this or if it was planted but this response seems disproportionate (I know she's in a different country). I'm not into vaping or e-cigs. What's hashish oil?
> 
> Also, some sources are saying she may have been detained 3 weeks ago. If so, this is a really bad situation.
> 
> Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia​March 5, 2022, 9:33 a.m. ET
> 6 hours ago
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A Russian news agency identified Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner as the American women’s basketball player detained in Russia after customs officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport.
> 
> The Russian Federal Customs Service said Saturday that its officials had detained an American basketball player after finding vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo airport near Moscow.
> 
> The Customs Service said in a statement that the player had won two Olympic gold medals with the United States, but it did not release the player’s name. The Russian news agency TASS, citing a law enforcement source, identified the player as Brittney Griner, a seven-time W.N.B.A. All-Star center for the Phoenix Mercury. Griner, 31, won gold medals with the U.S. women’s national basketball team in 2021 and 2016.
> 
> The Customs Service released a video of a traveler at the airport who appeared to be Griner, wearing a mask and black sweatshirt, going through security. The video showed an individual removing a package from the traveler’s bag.
> 
> The screening at the airport occurred in February, according to the Customs Service, raising the possibility that Griner has been in custody for at least several days.
> 
> According to the statement, a criminal case has been opened into the large-scale transportation of drugs, which can carry a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars in Russia. The basketball player was taken into custody while the investigation was ongoing, the officials said.
> 
> The State Department on Saturday advised American citizens to depart from Russia immediately, citing the invasion in Ukraine, the “potential for harassment against U.S. citizens by Russian government security officials” and the Embassy’s limited ability to assist its citizens in the country.


This sucks. But folks need to stop messing around with drugs in foreign countries that carry stiff penalties. If you can't go without maybe stay home. Being locked up abroad frightens the bejesus out of me


----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

MamaBear2012 said:


> Our usual gas station jumped from $3.29/gal to $3.59/gal from yesterday to today.


I paid $4.69 today...in NY. I had to look twice, last time I filled up it was $3 and change.


----------



## nysister

I contributed to a fund for Africans stuck in Ukraine. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to help them?


----------



## naijamerican

fula97 said:


> This sucks. But folks need to stop messing around with drugs in foreign countries that carry stiff penalties. If you can't go without maybe stay home. Being locked up abroad frightens the bejesus out of me


I don't think it's as clear-cut as this. Why are we just now finding out about this, when she's been detained for 3 weeks? My understanding is that she's been playing for Russia for a few years. Now, all of a sudden, they're finding drug paraphernalia on her person? How do we know that the drugs weren't planted?

The circumstances around this are very suspicious. I think that we're finding out about it now because Russia wants us to find out about it. From the very little I saw on Twitter, it appears that her family, and the WNBA, have quietly been trying to get her out safely. Sadly, I wouldn't put it past Putin to use Britney as a pawn in his broader attempt to pull the US into conflict.


----------



## yamilee21

Black Ambrosia said:


> Brittney Griner, Star W.N.B.A. Center, Is Detained in Russia
> March 5, 2022, 9:33 a.m. ET
> 6 hours ago
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A Russian news agency identified Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner as the American women’s basketball player detained in Russia after customs officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport.


How awful for Brittney Griner to be in the midst of this mess as a pawn. But, this again proves my point in my previous post that Putin/Russians are terrible at propaganda. Ukrainians and Eastern Europeans are giving black people a hard time about getting out of harm’s way, so the best Putin/Russians can do is detain a black athlete from the U.S.? Really? Like half the world wasn’t protesting in June and July 2020 *specifically* because the U.S. doesn’t care about its black people? That’s just about the worst option you could pick for potential prisoner exchange leverage; WNBA players simply don’t have that level of importance to the U.S. public, let alone black ones.

As @Black Ambrosia said, the cartridges may have been planted, but assuming they are actually hers - I don’t know, but if I was trying to get the heck out of a country at war, vape cartridges containing an illegal substance would not make it into my suitcase.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

naijamerican said:


> I don't think it's as clear-cut as this. Why are we just now finding out about this, when she's been detained for 3 weeks? My understanding is that she's been playing for Russia for a few years. Now, all of a sudden, they're finding drug paraphernalia on her person? How do we know that the drugs weren't planted?
> 
> The circumstances around this are very suspicious. I think that we're finding out about it now because Russia wants us to find out about it. From the very little I saw on Twitter, it appears that her family, and the WNBA, have quietly been trying to get her out safely. Sadly, I wouldn't put it past Putin to use Britney as a pawn in his broader attempt to pull the US into conflict.


This is what I'm thinking. I know she's problematic but she's not new to Russia or it's ways. Also, Russia is so notorious for doping that it's banned from the Olympics. They found a loophole that allows Russian athletes to compete as long as they aren't representing Russia hence the formation of the Russian Olympic Committee. We're really supposed to believe they have an issue with a professional athlete they recruited and are paying millions using a vape pen? Something in the milk ain't clean. Putin has known for weeks that he was gonna invade Ukraine. I think there's a strong possibility he saw a high profile American celebrity and created this "opportunity" for himself.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## mensa

nysister said:


> I contributed to a fund for Africans stuck in Ukraine. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to help them?


Please let me know how I can help them too.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

ScorpioBeauty09 said:


> My usual gas station was at 4.39 before. Today it's at 4.89. For the lowest grade.


I drove past the gas station this morning. It's now 5.39. That's the cheaper station. There's another station in walking distance that is 5.69.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

mensa said:


> Please let me know how I can help them too.


This is what I used, but I can't vouch for their veracity.









						Helping Black refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, organized by Coalition To Support Black People In Ukraine
					

Since the beginning of the war, many Black organizations fro… Coalition To Support Black People In Ukraine needs your support for Helping Black refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine



					www.gofundme.com


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

idk if this is real but it's funny.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## yamilee21

Going on a related tangent, I’m having a bit of geographical confusion… as a result of Putin’s war, several former Soviet republics are suddenly applying to join the European Union. Among them is Georgia. Georgia is located on Turkey’s northeastern border. For years, among the many excuses used to deny Turkey’s entry into the E.U. is that it is primarily located in Asia. Georgia is more obviously located in Asia than Turkey; I’m very interested in hearing the contortions which will justify how Georgia can join the E.U., while Turkey cannot.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

charmingt said:


>


That is hilarious.


----------



## mensa

nysister said:


> This is what I used, but I can't vouch for their veracity.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Helping Black refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, organized by Coalition To Support Black People In Ukraine
> 
> 
> Since the beginning of the war, many Black organizations fro… Coalition To Support Black People In Ukraine needs your support for Helping Black refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine
> 
> 
> 
> www.gofundme.com


Thank you so much. I'll try to confirm their validity.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## WaywardDivuh

Black Ambrosia said:


> I can't imagine telling my parents that I'm in danger and them not believing me. I know propoganda is powerful but I hope my family would question everything they know instead of dismissing what I'm seeing with my eyes.
> 
> Ukraine war: 'My city's being shelled, but mum won’t believe me'
> 
> "When I heard the first explosions, I ran out of the house to get my dogs from their enclosures outside. People were panicking, abandoning their cars. I was so scared," she says.
> 
> The 25-year-old has been speaking regularly to her mother, who lives in Moscow. But in these conversations, and even after sending videos from her heavily bombarded hometown, Oleksandra is unable to convince her mother about the danger she is in.
> 
> "I didn't want to scare my parents, but I started telling them directly that civilians and children are dying," she says.
> 
> "But even though they worry about me, they still say it probably happens only by accident, that the Russian army would never target civilians. That it's Ukrainians who're killing their own people."
> 
> It's common for Ukrainians to have family across the border in Russia. But for some, like Oleksandra, their Russian relatives have a contrasting understanding of the conflict. She believes it's down to the stories they are told by the tightly-controlled Russian media.
> 
> Oleksandra says her mother just repeats the narratives of what she hears on Russian state TV channels.
> 
> "It really scared me when my mum exactly quoted Russian TV. They are just brainwashing people. And people trust them," says Oleksandra.
> 
> "My parents understand that some military action is happening here. But they say: 'Russians came to liberate you. They won't ruin anything, they won't touch you. They're only targeting military bases'."
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Rest of the Article
> 
> 
> 
> While we were interviewing Oleksandra, the shelling went on. The internet connection was weak, so we had to exchange voice messages.
> 
> "I've almost forgotten what silence sounds like. They're shelling non-stop," she said.
> 
> But on Russian state TV channels on the same day, there was no mention of the missiles striking Kharkiv's residential districts, of civilian deaths, or of four people killed while queuing for water.
> 
> Russian media say the threat to Ukrainian civilians doesn't come from the Russian armed forces, it comes from Ukrainian nationalists using civilians as human shields.
> 
> Russian state TV channels justify the war by blaming Ukrainian aggression, and continue to call it "a special operation of liberation". Any Russian outlet using the words "war", "invasion" or "attack" faces being blocked by the country's media regulator for spreading "deliberately false information about the actions of Russian military personnel" in Ukraine.
> 
> Some Russians have taken to the streets to protest against the war - but these demonstrations were not shown on the main state television channels.
> 
> Mykhailo, a well-known Kyiv restauranteur, didn't have the time or inclination to watch Russian TV coverage of the invasion.
> 
> When shelling of Ukraine's capital started, he and his wife were concentrating on how to protect their six-year-old daughter and baby son.
> 
> At night their children woke up at the sound of explosions and couldn't stop crying. The family made the decision to move to the outskirts of Kyiv and then flee abroad.
> 
> They travelled to Hungary, where Mykhailo left his wife and children and came back to Western Ukraine to help the war effort.
> 
> He was surprised not to have heard from his father, who works at a monastery near Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. He called his father and described what was happening. His father replied that this wasn't true; there was no war and - in fact - Russians were saving Ukraine from Nazis.
> 
> Mykhailo said he felt he knew the power of Russian propaganda, but when he heard it from his father, he was devastated.
> 
> "My own father does not believe me, knowing that I'm here and see everything with my own eyes. And my mum, his ex-wife, is going through this too," he says.
> 
> "She is hiding with my grandmother in the bathroom, because of the bombardment."
> 
> Russian media has been tightly controlled for many years and viewers are given an uncritical view of Russia and its actions around the world.
> 
> "The state narrative only ever shows Russia as the good guy." says Dr Joanna Szostek, an expert in Russia and political communications at University of Glasgow.
> 
> "Even the tales they tell about World War Two, the Great Patriotic War, Russia has never really done anything wrong. And this is why they won't believe it now."
> 
> Most Russians, she says, don't look for other points of view. She believes the one-sided narrative that is highly critical of the West helps explain why Russians can have opposing views to their relatives in neighbouring countries.
> 
> "People who criticise Russia have for so long been presented as traitors or foreign agents; critics are all foreign agents working for the West. So you don't even believe your own daughter."
> 
> Anastasiya's parents live in a small village 20km (12 miles) away from the rebel-held Donetsk People's Republic. The village is still under the control of Kyiv authorities, but Russian state TV channels are always on in their house. They even have the clock set to Moscow time - a throwback to the Soviet past.
> So when on 24 February, Anastasiya woke up in Kyiv to the sound of sirens, she knew how her parents would react.
> 
> 'My mum was the first person I called when I jumped out of bed at five, disoriented. She was surprised I called and sounded really calm, almost casual," she says.
> 
> Anastasiya, a BBC Ukrainian correspondent who moved to Kyiv 10 years ago, heard bombs exploding after waking and was worried about where would be hit next.
> 
> "I called my mum again. I told her I was scared. 'Don't worry', she said, reassuringly. 'They [Russia] will never bomb Kyiv'."
> 
> But they are already doing it, Anastasiya replied.
> 
> "I told her there were casualties among civilians. 'But that's what we had too when Ukraine attacked Donbas!', she said, laughing. For a moment I couldn't breathe. Hearing my mum say this with such cruelty just broke my heart."
> 
> Anastasiya believes the image Russian media has created is one of the "glorified Russian army" ridding Ukraine from Nazis. For years she avoided political arguments with her parents, but this time she slammed the phone down on her mum.
> 
> We spoke to Anastasiya when she was travelling away from Kyiv after four nights in a bomb shelter. Her mind was on an uncertain future.
> 
> "There are a lot of thoughts in my head now. What will happen to us all? Where is this going? Will I ever come back? Will I ever see my parents again? I still love them deeply, but something inside me has broken and I don't think it can ever be fixed."


Wow just like Bush said about putin. Its like arguing with an 8th grader who doesn't have his facts straight


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Shunned by Others, Russia Finds Friends in Africa​
Declan Walsh and John Eligon
Fri, March 4, 2022, 5:11 AM







The Russian flag is carried in a crowd in the national plaza in Ouagadougou, the capitol of Burkina Faso, the day after a military coup, Jan. 25, 2022. (Malin Fezehai/The New York Times)
NAIROBI, Kenya — Since the days of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s leaders have rejected American criticism of their friendships with autocrats such as Fidel Castro of Cuba and Moammar Gadhafi of Libya, whose countries backed them during the most desperate moments of the anti-apartheid struggle.
Now South Africans are defending their loyalty to another autocrat — Russian President Vladimir Putin — and sitting out the global outcry over his invasion of Ukraine.

At the United Nations on Wednesday, South Africa was among 24 African countries that declined to join the resounding vote denouncing Russian aggression: 16 African countries abstained, seven didn’t vote at all and one — Eritrea — voted against it, keeping company only with Russia, Belarus, Syria and North Korea.

The striking tally reflected the ambiguous attitude across much of the continent where, with a handful of exceptions, the Ukraine war has been greeted with conspicuous silence — a sharp contrast with Western countries that are expanding sanctions, seizing oligarchs’ yachts, pressing for war crimes investigations, and even openly threatening to collapse the Russian economy.

“Russia is our friend through and through,” Lindiwe Zulu, South Africa’s minister of social development, who studied in Moscow during the apartheid years, said in an interview. “We are not about to denounce that relationship that we have always had.”

Many African countries have a long-standing affinity with Russia stretching back to the Cold War: Some political and military leaders studied there, and trade links have grown. And in recent years, a growing number of countries have contracted with Russian mercenaries and bought ever-greater quantities of Russian weapons.

A few African countries have condemned Russian aggression as an attack on the international order, notably Kenya and Ghana. About 25 African nations voted for the U.N. resolution that denounced Putin’s actions on Wednesday. But deep divisions in the continent’s response were apparent from the start.
The deputy leader of Sudan flew into Moscow on the first day of the conflict, exchanging warm handshakes with Russia’s foreign minister as warplanes bombed Ukrainian cities. Morocco, a longtime American ally, offered a watery statement, annoying American officials who nonetheless kept quiet.
In Ethiopia, Russian flags flew at a ceremony Wednesday to commemorate a famous 19th century battle against Italian invaders, recalling the involvement of Russian volunteers who sided with Ethiopian fighters.

African sympathies for Ukraine were also diluted by reports of Ukrainian border guards forcing African students to the back of lines as they attempted to leave the country, raising a furor over racism and discrimination. President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, which has 4,000 students in Ukraine, decried the reports.

Putin has partly sidestepped opprobrium in Africa by calling in chits that date back to the Cold War, when Moscow backed African liberation movements and presented itself as a bulwark against Western neocolonialism. On Sunday, Russia’s foreign ministry paused its focus on Ukraine to remind South Africa, in a tweet, of its support for the fight against apartheid.

But Putin has also divided African opinion thanks to his own efforts to expand Russian influence across the continent through an unusual combination of diplomacy, guns and mercenaries.

In an effort to regain some of the influence that Moscow lost in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin hosted a glitzy summit in the southern Russian city of Sochi in 2019 that was attended by 43 African heads of state. A second Russia-Africa summit is scheduled for this fall.
But as Russia’s economy strained under Western sanctions imposed after the annexation of the Crimea in 2014, it could not afford the expensive enticements offered by other powers in Africa, such as China’s cheap loans or Western development aid.

So it has offered no-questions weapons sales and the services of Russian mercenaries, many employed by the Wagner Group, a company linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Putin's who is known as “Putin’s cook.”

In recent years, Wagner mercenaries have fought in civil wars in Libya and Mozambique and are currently guarding the president of the Central African Republic, where they helped repel a rebel assault on the capital last year.

In January, Wagner fighters appeared in Mali, as part of a deal to combat Islamist insurgents that infuriated France, the former colonial power, which last month declared it was pulling its own soldiers out of Mali.

The military junta ruling Mali denies inviting Wagner into the country, but U.S. military officials say as many as 1,000 Russian mercenaries are already operating there.

Russia’s influence also stems from weapons sales. Russia accounts for nearly half of all arms imports into Africa, according to Russia’s arms export agency and organizations that monitor weapons transfers.

One of Putin’s staunchest defenders in the past week was a powerful figure in Uganda, a major customer for Russian weapons. Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said in a tweet: “The majority of mankind (that are nonwhite) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine.”
He added, “When the USSR parked nuclear armed missiles in Cuba in 1962, the West was ready to blow up the world over it. Now when NATO does the same, they expect Russia to do differently.”

That reference highlighted a jarring contradiction in Putin’s new embrace of Africa, said Maxim Matusevich, a history professor at Seton Hall University, in New Jersey, who studies Russia’s relationships in Africa.

“During the Cold War, the Soviets were trying to sell socialism to African nations while criticizing Western colonialism and imperialism,” he said. Now, Russia is engaged in a fresh bid for influence in Africa but driven by right-wing nationalism.

A similar divide has emerged in Asia, where nations with authoritarian leaders or weak ties to the West have embraced Putin’s war or avoided criticism of Russian military aggression.

For Africans, the war could hit hard in the pocket. Last week, the Automobile Association of South Africa predicted that rising fuel prices would reach a record high in the coming weeks. Food, too, is getting more expensive — Russia and Ukraine are major sources of wheat and fertilizer in Africa — at a time when many African countries are still reeling from the pandemic.

But the war could also have an economic upside for Africa, albeit one that could take years to be felt. As Europe pivots away from Russian gas imports, it could turn to African countries looking to exploit recently discovered energy reserves.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, which is seeking a $30 billion investment to tap a huge gas discovery in the Indian Ocean, said the invasion of Ukraine could provide an opportunity.

“Whether Africa or Europe or America, we are looking for markets,” she told The Africa Report, an online news outlet.

Elsewhere, though, Putin is still benefiting from his image as a thorn in the West’s side. Many South Africans remember that the United States supported the apartheid regime until the 1980s. South Africans also took a sour view of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Sithembile Mbete, a senior lecturer in political science and international relations at the University of Pretoria.

However, aside from the historical ties with Russia, South Africa is motivated to call for diplomacy rather than fighting because that approach aligns with the country’s stance on international conflicts for the past 30 years, she said.

“That is the lesson they took from South Africa’s own struggle — that actually apartheid ended when the two sides sat down at the table,” Mbete said. “When it came down to it, the conflict only ended through negotiation and through compromise.”









						Shunned by Others, Russia Finds Friends in Africa
					

NAIROBI, Kenya — Since the days of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s leaders have rejected American criticism of their friendships with autocrats such as Fidel Castro of Cuba and Moammar Gadhafi of Libya, whose countries backed them during the most desperate moments of the anti-apartheid struggle...




					www.yahoo.com


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Why did 17 African countries abstain from the UN vote on Ukraine?
					

BBC Africa correspondents explain why 17 African countries abstained from voting on the UN resolution on Ukraine.



					www.bbc.com


----------



## Everything Zen

Putin is a master of sowing chaos and disorder but Ukraine kinda did it to themselves with the treatment of immigrants on the national stage.


----------



## charmingt

Yesssss!


----------



## larry3344

Everything Zen said:


> Putin is a master of sowing chaos and disorder but Ukraine kinda did it to themselves with the treatment of immigrants on the national stage.



Russia has also a long history with african countries.


----------



## Everything Zen

I’m here for calling out all the hypocrisy. I’m definitely not pro Russia at all but I get where a lot of the African nations are coming from and they’re tired of the it’s only justified when certain nations do it.


----------



## Everything Zen

Also - Brittney Griner wouldn’t even be playing overseas in the off season if the WNBA actually compensated the players appropriately. Becky Hammon chucked the deuces to play and was like freedom ain’t free I got bills to pay and I get that.

Let Russia pay me 2 million to work in my field and watch what I do.






						America has failed Brittney Griner
					

Why does one of the best basketball players in history have to play ball in Russia anyway?




					deadspin.com
				












						Becky Hammon defends decision to play for Russia
					

In many ways, Becky Hammon feels playing basketball for Russia and not the United States is the most "American" thing she has ever done.




					www.reuters.com


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Wowsers!


----------



## naijamerican

Black Ambrosia said:


>


I meant to say this last night, but thank you so much for sharing these tweets. What she said is exactly what I was getting at in my post, and she put it much better than I could ever do.


----------



## naijamerican

Everything Zen said:


> Also - Brittney Griner wouldn’t even be playing overseas in the off season if the WNBA actually compensated the players appropriately. Becky Hammon chucked the deuces to play and was like freedom ain’t free I got bills to pay and I get that.
> 
> Let Russia pay me 2 million to work in my field and watch what I do.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> America has failed Brittney Griner
> 
> 
> Why does one of the best basketball players in history have to play ball in Russia anyway?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> deadspin.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Becky Hammon defends decision to play for Russia
> 
> 
> In many ways, Becky Hammon feels playing basketball for Russia and not the United States is the most "American" thing she has ever done.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.reuters.com


Let's call a thing a thing, sis! I totally agree with you. 

I've been struggling to put this into words. While this entire war has shown how cunningly wicked Putin is, the campaign of misinformation he and his cronies have embarked on could only be successful because of fissures in our own society and that of others who have been touched by Western European imperialism. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and a number of other structural issues that have only grown as a result of internet-based radicalization are fundamentally rooted in histories of colonialism and modern-day neocolonialism.

I am pro-Ukraine all the way and am solidly anti-Russia's governance (not the country or people themselves, the government). I'm old enough to remember having the fear of a nuclear war reside in the back of my head and to be told to hide under my desk in the event of a nuclear attack (which...um...I don't know what that would do, lol). If Putin was Black, he would have been labeled a despot YEARS ago. BUT, that being said, we can't deny that sadly, White, Western hegemony is at the root of a lot of the ills that Putin is exploiting.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## naijamerican

charmingt said:


>


What do they mean by "evidence is mounting"? EVIDENCE BEEN MOUNTED!!! EVIDENCE DONE MOUNTED THAT BIH LIKE A HORSE! Get out of here with that foolywang!


----------



## naijamerican

https://www.yahoo.com/news/foreigners-fled-ukraine-team-help-072941225.html

Stories like this make me so angry. I'm trying hard to maintain a soft heart towards the plight of Ukrainians, but the fact that they found time to be racist is beyond comprehension. Actually, it's not that shocking, given that Eastern Europe is said to be pretty racist, but still.

I was shocked to see that they're not even being allowed to seek help from their own consulates!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Ganjababy

My local supermarket asked me to donate 2$ to their Ukraine fund. I declined


----------



## nysister

naijamerican said:


> https://www.yahoo.com/news/foreigners-fled-ukraine-team-help-072941225.html
> 
> Stories like this make me so angry. I'm trying hard to maintain a soft heart towards the plight of Ukrainians, but the fact that they found time to be racist is beyond comprehension. Actually, it's not that shocking, given that Eastern Europe is said to be pretty racist, but still.
> 
> I was shocked to see that they're not even being allowed to seek help from their own consulates!


I noticed that the Africans we're separated with Indians. So much for all of their (Indians) kowtowing to white people. I'd laugh if the situation wasn't so serious.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## naturalgyrl5199

ScorpioBeauty09 said:


> Shunned by Others, Russia Finds Friends in Africa​
> Declan Walsh and John Eligon
> Fri, March 4, 2022, 5:11 AM
> 
> 
> 
> The Russian flag is carried in a crowd in the national plaza in Ouagadougou, the capitol of Burkina Faso, the day after a military coup, Jan. 25, 2022. (Malin Fezehai/The New York Times)
> NAIROBI, Kenya — Since the days of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s leaders have rejected American criticism of their friendships with autocrats such as Fidel Castro of Cuba and Moammar Gadhafi of Libya, whose countries backed them during the most desperate moments of the anti-apartheid struggle.
> Now South Africans are defending their loyalty to another autocrat — Russian President Vladimir Putin — and sitting out the global outcry over his invasion of Ukraine.
> 
> At the United Nations on Wednesday,* South Africa was among 24 African countries that declined to join the resounding vote denouncing Russian aggression: *16 African countries abstained, seven didn’t vote at all and one — Eritrea — voted against it, keeping company only with Russia, Belarus, Syria and North Korea.
> 
> The striking tally reflected the ambiguous attitude across much of the continent where, with a handful of exceptions, the Ukraine war has been greeted with conspicuous silence — a sharp contrast with Western countries that are expanding sanctions, seizing oligarchs’ yachts, pressing for war crimes investigations, and even openly threatening to collapse the Russian economy.
> 
> *“Russia is our friend through and through,” Lindiwe Zulu, South Africa’s minister of social development, who studied in Moscow* during the apartheid years, said in an interview. “We are not about to denounce that relationship that we have always had.”
> 
> Many African countries have a long-standing affinity with Russia stretching back to the Cold War: Some political and military leaders studied there, and trade links have grown. And in recent years, a growing number of countries have contracted with Russian mercenaries and bought ever-greater quantities of Russian weapons.
> 
> A few African countries have condemned Russian aggression as an attack on the international order, notably Kenya and Ghana. About 25 African nations voted for the U.N. resolution that denounced Putin’s actions on Wednesday. But deep divisions in the continent’s response were apparent from the start.
> *The deputy leader of Sudan flew into Moscow on the first day of the conflict, exchanging warm handshakes with Russia’s foreign minister as warplanes bombed Ukrainian cities.* Morocco, a longtime American ally, offered a watery statement, annoying American officials who nonetheless kept quiet.
> *In Ethiopia, Russian flags flew at a ceremony Wednesday to commemorate a famous 19th century battle against Italian invaders, recalling the involvement of Russian volunteers who sided with Ethiopian fighters.*
> 
> African sympathies for Ukraine were also diluted by reports of Ukrainian border guards forcing African students to the back of lines as they attempted to leave the country, raising a furor over racism and discrimination. *President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, which has 4,000 students in Ukraine, decried the reports.
> 
> Putin has partly sidestepped opprobrium in Africa by calling in chits that date back to the Cold War,* when *Moscow backed African liberation movements and presented itself as a bulwark against Western neocolonialism.* On Sunday, Russia’s foreign ministry paused its focus on Ukraine to remind South Africa, in a tweet, of its support for the fight against apartheid.
> 
> *But Putin has also divided African opinion thanks to his own efforts to expand Russian influence across the continen*t through an unusual combination of diplomacy, guns and mercenaries.
> 
> In an effort to regain some of the influence that Moscow lost in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin hosted a glitzy summit in the southern Russian city of Sochi in 2019 that was attended by 43 African heads of state. A second Russia-Africa summit is scheduled for this fall.
> *But as Russia’s economy strained under Western sanctions imposed after the annexation of the Crimea in 2014, it could not afford the expensive enticements offered by other powers in Africa, such as China’s cheap loans or Western development aid.*
> 
> So it has offered no-questions weapons sales and the services of Russian mercenaries, many employed by the Wagner Group, a company linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Putin's who is known as “Putin’s cook.”
> 
> In recent years, *Wagner mercenaries have fought in civil wars in Libya and Mozambique *and are currently guarding the president of the Central African Republic, where they helped repel a rebel assault on the capital last year.
> 
> In January, *Wagner fighters appeared in Mali, as part of a deal to combat Islamist insurgents that infuriated France*, the former colonial power, which last month declared it was pulling its own soldiers out of Mali.
> 
> The military junta ruling Mali denies inviting Wagner into the country, but U.S. military officials say as many as 1,000 Russian mercenaries are already operating there.
> 
> Russia’s influence also stems from weapons sales. Russia accounts for nearly half of all arms imports into Africa, according to Russia’s arms export agency and organizations that monitor weapons transfers.
> 
> *One of Putin’s staunchest defenders in the past week was a powerful figure in Uganda, a major customer for Russian weapons*. Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said in a tweet: “*The majority of mankind (that are nonwhite) support Russia’s stand in Ukraine.”*
> He added, “When the USSR parked nuclear armed missiles in Cuba in 1962, the West was ready to blow up the world over it. Now when NATO does the same, they expect Russia to do differently.”
> 
> That reference highlighted a jarring contradiction in Putin’s new embrace of Africa, said Maxim Matusevich, a history professor at Seton Hall University, in New Jersey, who studies Russia’s relationships in Africa.
> 
> “During the Cold War, the Soviets were trying to sell socialism to African nations while criticizing Western colonialism and imperialism,” he said. Now, Russia is engaged in a fresh bid for influence in Africa but driven by right-wing nationalism.
> 
> A similar divide has emerged in Asia, where nations with authoritarian leaders or weak ties to the West have embraced Putin’s war or avoided criticism of Russian military aggression.
> 
> For Africans, the war could hit hard in the pocket. Last week, the Automobile Association of South Africa predicted that rising fuel prices would reach a record high in the coming weeks. Food, too, is getting more expensive — Russia and Ukraine are major sources of wheat and fertilizer in Africa — at a time when many African countries are still reeling from the pandemic.
> 
> But the war could also have an economic upside for Africa, albeit one that could take years to be felt. As Europe pivots away from Russian gas imports, it could turn to African countries looking to exploit recently discovered energy reserves.
> 
> President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, which is seeking a $30 billion investment to tap a huge gas discovery in the Indian Ocean, said the invasion of Ukraine could provide an opportunity.
> 
> “Whether Africa or Europe or America, we are looking for markets,” she told The Africa Report, an online news outlet.
> 
> Elsewhere, though, Putin is still benefiting from his image as a thorn in the West’s side. Many South Africans remember that the United States supported the apartheid regime until the 1980s. South Africans also took a sour view of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Sithembile Mbete, a senior lecturer in political science and international relations at the University of Pretoria.
> 
> However, aside from the historical ties with Russia, South Africa is motivated to call for diplomacy rather than fighting because that approach aligns with the country’s stance on international conflicts for the past 30 years, she said.
> 
> “That is the lesson they took from South Africa’s own struggle — that actually apartheid ended when the two sides sat down at the table,” Mbete said. “When it came down to it, the conflict only ended through negotiation and through compromise.”
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Shunned by Others, Russia Finds Friends in Africa
> 
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya — Since the days of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s leaders have rejected American criticism of their friendships with autocrats such as Fidel Castro of Cuba and Moammar Gadhafi of Libya, whose countries backed them during the most desperate moments of the anti-apartheid struggle...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.yahoo.com


Lawd...the BOLDED.


----------



## naturalgyrl5199

charmingt said:


>


Whats the context around Rick Scott saying something?


----------



## charmingt

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> Whats the context around Rick Scott saying something?




He and one or two other politicians were on a video call with Zelensky and Scott and maybe more were giving away the Ukranian's physical location. He was saying things that could have let the enemy know his whereabouts.  So stupid!


----------



## sunshinebeautiful

charmingt said:


> He and one or two other politicians were on a video call with Zelensky and Scott and maybe more were giving away the Ukranian's physical location. He was saying things that could have let the enemy know his whereabouts.  So stupid!



 IDIOTS!


----------



## larry3344

Ganjababy said:


> My local supermarket asked me to donate 2$ to their Ukraine fund. I declined



My mom refuses to give money to any causes that doesn’t benefit black people also so I get it. Sad that they are dying but they are getting plenty financial support as is.


----------



## larry3344

@naturalgyrl5199 If it was up to me I would have the african countries remain neutral. But many african leaders are not great leaders much less great diplomats.

I am not anti-Russia but at the same time Russia has barely been a reliable ally since the Cold War. They have mainly focused in their region and have left african countries high and dry on a few occasions.

Still what I think african countries appreciate of Russia mainly is their lack of meddling in the African continent unlike the West and the few times they have intervened to support good former leaders (later assassinated by the West), So on that alone that makes them
a friend more so than an enemy as far as they are concerned.

I just want to be clear to American ladies, Africans in general are not supporting the despotic actions of Putin, they support their relationship with Russia. Even now some Russian diplomats are supporting populist mercenaries against the despotic leaders that the West support. So Africa’s relationship with Russia is totally different than Western relationship with Russia. Before the rise of China, Russia was the only counterweight to the West which did not give them many options on the diplomatic table. Many of these african leaders are very old and so they remember the good that Russia has done for them when the West was totally screwing them over. 

So take Africans stance on the current affairs with a grain a salt, it’s a geopolitical play. It’s like US having Saudi Arabia as an ally and looking the other way on things they are supposed to be ideologically against.


----------



## Belle Du Jour

nysister said:


> I noticed that the Africans we're separated with Indians. So much for all of their (Indians) kowtowing to white people. I'd laugh if the situation wasn't so serious.



Many Indians claim to be racially caucasian which I don't understand.  But they need to understand white people don't claim them.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

It's interesting how putin was so knowledgable about social media he could influence people to support trump and hate Hilary but didn't get that he wouldn't be able to control social media or the news in Russia. Now his ego won't let him walk away and he's got to placate and lie to his people about it too.

It's also interesting how much of his strategy relied on Ukraine being intimidated and just surrendering. Makes me think that he's probably been much weaker than we thought for a really long time. I'm hearing that he didn't consult with most of his high ranking officials or government agencies before launching the invasion so they were completely unprepared to support it. Was this because he was concerned about leaks and controlling the narrative? Did he not want to hear them say it was a bad idea? Does anyone around him actually give him bad news? Is that why the troops are so terrible because no one wants to admit they're not ready and assumed putin was bluffing so they said everything was great?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Kanky

McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola leave Russia
					

McDonald's and Starbucks are shutting their restaurants and cafes in Russia, and Coca-Cola is suspending its operations there in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. PepsiCo is also pulling some products from the country.




					www.cnn.com
				




So they are making the Russians healthier in retaliation?


----------



## Black Ambrosia

^^^ Interesting timing. I think they wanted to get off this list of companies still doing business in or with Russia. 








						Over 1,000 Companies Have Curtailed Operations in Russia—But Some Remain
					






					som.yale.edu
				




Starbucks, Coca-Cola top list of companies not boycotting Russia, compiled by a Yale professor​Bryan Pietsch6:16 a.m. EST






McDonald's in Moscow. (Igor Ivanko/Sipa USA/AP)

Among executives, board members, analysts and others in the business world in recent days, a “who’s who” list has been floating around, showing which companies have pulled out of Russia amid its attack on Ukraine — and which ones have stayed put.

The spreadsheet, compiled by Yale University professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his research team, has become a naughty-or-nice list of sorts, with CEOs trying their best to avoid being placed on the roster of “Companies That Remain in Russia With Significant Exposure.”

Sonnenfeld, who founded the nonprofit Chief Executive Leadership Institute, said he has fielded calls from CEOs asking “why we didn’t have them on the right list, and what they needed to do to either clarify or actually take a more strong stance.”

Russia boycott: A list of global campaigns that are underway in support of Ukraine

On top of skyrocketing inflation and a plummeting ruble, Russians have been left with a dwindling marketplace: Prada stores have shuttered, TikTok has suspended operations in their country, and car companies including Rolls-Royce, Toyota and Volkswagen have stopped shipping vehicles to Russia. Even WWE, the wrestling entertainment company, said it would halt operations there.

The gutting of the Russian economy has shattered the image that President Vladimir Putin had created, portraying himself as an all-powerful leader with things under control, Sonnenfeld said in a phone interview Monday with The Washington Post.

And with Russian state media echoing Putin’s framing of the war as a “special military operation,” Sonnenfeld added, the corporate pullouts provide a tangible message that the attack “isn’t just some little military operation.”

Even among those on the list of “Companies That Have Curtailed Russian Operations,” some are taking a stronger position against the invasion than others, Sonnenfeld said. According to the list, BASF SE, a German chemical company, said it would “suspend new Russian relationships,” while other companies including Apple and Chanel have closed stores or cut off supply chains. FedEx is halting all shipments to Russia, and major oil companies including ExxonMobil have said they will exit operations there, leaving billions of dollars on the table.

Businesses are fleeing Russia. McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are sticking around.

Although some companies could argue that exiting Russia would harm employees there who are removed from Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, Sonnenfeld said that “the idea is not to minimize the pain.”

He said executives and board members should get past the idea that “somehow there’s a win-win solution” and recognize that forcing an economic collapse on the Russian people is part of preventing a harsher outcome for them.

“This is one step away from open warfare,” he said. “This is a last-ditch effort. You’re helping those workers by not having [the West] dropping bombs and shooting them.”

Among those on the list of companies who had been keeping business as usual are major brands such as McDonald’s, Starbucks and Coca-Cola. Before McDonald’s on Tuesday said it would temporarily close its 850 restaurants in Russia, Sonnenfeld said McDonald’s was the “screaming anomaly that’s bewildering to all its peers.” It had remained operational in Russia even though it has control of more than 85 percent of its restaurants there, unlike companies such as Starbucks, which are hindered by franchise obligations.

Sonnenfeld said he has compiled other lists of companies’ involvements in issues such as gun safety or former president Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election.

“We have a history of seeing the value of business leaders affirming the truth and taking a stand,” he said. “CEOs need peer approval,” he added, noting that they often try to avoid standing alone on issues or policies.

Cosmetics company Estée Lauder had been on the list of those maintaining operations in Russia. On Monday, it announced it would close all of the stores it owned there and stop shipping products to the country.


----------



## yamilee21

Kanky said:


> McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola leave Russia
> 
> 
> McDonald's and Starbucks are shutting their restaurants and cafes in Russia, and Coca-Cola is suspending its operations there in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. PepsiCo is also pulling some products from the country.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So they are making the Russians healthier in retaliation?


That’s funny… maybe the movement should be to get all the fast food corporations to feed the Russian troops instead; if the Russian soldiers were all eating Taco Bell, they would be too busy managing their digestive systems to fight a war.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


Did this really detroy the ruble though? Seems like putin is trying to keep the people from understanding how little the ruble is worth and prevent them from converting their rubles to another currency that'll hold it's value like the euro or dollar. I think the ruble was destroyed once all these companies pulled out of Russia and swift cut off some of the banks. I guess this is what's meant by the pretense of ruble convertibility?


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Peppermynt

charmingt said:


>


This reply tickled me to no end:


----------



## BrownSkin2

U.S. rejects Poland's offer to give it Russian-made fighter jets for Ukraine​
WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - *The United States rejected a surprise offer by NATO ally Poland on Tuesday to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany as a way to replenish Ukraine's air force in its defense against invading Russian forces.

The United States has sought to speed weapons deliveries to Ukraine. But the prospect of flying combat aircraft from NATO territory into the war zone "raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance," the Pentagon said.*


NATO has said it does not want direct conflict with Russia, a fellow nuclear-armed power, and President Joe Biden has ruled out sending U.S. troops into Ukraine to fight, something the Pentagon has said would apply to troops on the ground or in the air, flying missions.

"It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said of Poland's proposal.


"We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one."

Poland's foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that it was ready to deploy its MiG-29 jets to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the United States. It urged other members of the alliance that had other such aircraft to do the same.


The U.S. State Department's No. 3 diplomat said the Polish proposal caught the United States by surprise.

"To my knowledge, it wasn't pre-consulted with us that they planned to give these planes to us," State Department Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.





Polish Air Force MiG-29 pilot Adrian Rojek performs during the Radom Air Show at an airport in Radom, Poland August 23, 2015. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File photo
"So I think that actually was a surprise move by the Poles," she said.

The impasse raises questions about the viability of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plea for European countries to provide Russian-made planes, an issue he underscored during a video call Saturday with U.S. lawmakers.

U.S. lawmakers are eager to speed military aid to Ukraine and are pushing the Biden administration to facilitate the aircraft transfer.

But Poland's announcement could also reflect its own sensitivities.

Poland is supporting Ukraine with defensive weapons, but has said it would not send jets as it is not a direct party to the conflict between Ukraine - which is not a NATO ally - and Russia.

Russia's defense ministry warned this week that countries offering air fields to Ukraine for attacks on Russia may be considered as having entered the conflict.

Nuland said the main issue was to assess what Poland's immediate needs would be given it is adjacent to the conflict.

"Poland - they benefit from full air security from the NATO alliance. ... The main issue is to evaluate what Poland's immediate needs are in the context of being a neighbor of this conflict," she said.

Separately, the U.S. military announced it would reposition two Patriot missile batteries to Poland to proactively "counter any potential threat to U.S. and Allied forces and NATO territory."


----------



## Peppermynt

So I play this world-wide mobile game (called Empires & Puzzles) - created by a small Finnish company (Small Giant). The game did SOOOOO well and made SOOOO much money (micro purchases) that SG was bought by Zynga (which is now being bought by another company.) 

Anyways the game LITERALLY makes money hand over fist and there are tons of teams that compete from all over the world. The game has been around about 4-5 years. So today I log in and see this message:



Already in game alliances are breaking up - there's a Russian/Ukrainian alliance (kobyer) that has been in the top 10 for years and its gone - the Russians all left. 

I know this seems minor, but its a highly addictive game (ask me how I know ) and its just another drip drip drip hitting the Russian people. Hopefully they can muster enough courage to deal with Putin before he goes nuclear.


----------



## MizAvalon

I wonder if Putin anticipated that the world would respond the way it has?

More importantly, does he care and will it affect his path going forward?


----------



## Black Ambrosia

MizAvalon said:


> I wonder if Putin anticipated that the world would respond the way it has?
> 
> More importantly, does he care and will it affect his path going forward?



Experts say he anticipated the sanctions (because he was sanctioned before on a smaller scale) and that's why he supposedly has billions in reserves in multiple currencies to hold him over. Unfortunately for him he can't get to all of it because it's in accounts all over the world and Russia's cut off from swift so there's no way to access the money. No idea how much he has in Russia or held in crypto.

Idk if he cares about the world's perception of him but I'm guessing that he's very concerned about his political stature being compromised. He saw multiple failures by his military and he's coming back harder by attacking civilians. It's his way of reminding the world that he's still someone who should be feared. He doesn't care about keeping up a ruse of not being a war criminal with the rest of the world. That fiction is just for the Russian people.

I was listening to a podcast that gives some insight into how rulers like him think. It said they're perpetually worried about how they're perceived by their own nations. They recognize that their position is fragile and they're always at risk of a coup. That's why it's so important to keep feeding people propaganda, destroy dissent, and in Putin's case - hide the truth about the 'special operation'. Based on this I think he's fearful of Russian protests gaining momentum. Also, I think those pictures of him sitting 20 feet away from people are telling. They've said it's because he's deathly afraid of covid but I wonder if there's more to it. Maybe he's become paranoid about his safety and is using covid protocols as an excuse. There was a video where he was trying to make it look like he's not in hiding and there were people around him but it was doctored and you could see his hand passing through a microphone. (It's in this thread. Maybe a few pages back) If he went through the trouble of doing that instead of just sitting at a table close to other people wearing masks then he's probably very fearful of being attacked. Given the ineptitude of the Russian military and how info has been leaked to the Ukrainian military, he's right to be concerned.


----------



## charmingt

NEWS
Oprah Winfrey Shares Raw and Beautiful Video Message About Ukraine​​By Greta Heggeness 
| 03-08-2022 | 8:40 AM
Oprah Winfrey just released a powerful video addressing the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
This week, the media mogul, 68, shared a candid essay and video in response to the Russian invasion that has cost so many lives and forced thousands of Ukrainians to flee the country. Not only did she honor the people of Ukraine, but she also thanked the families who have opened their doors to refugees.


“As I’m surrounded by comfort and beauty, I can’t help thinking about the fear and exhaustion every one of them must feel,” Oprah says in the clip. “Those who are fleeing, those who are sleeping underground, those who are hiding in their basements.”
Oprah goes on to thank other countries, who have welcomed Ukrainian refugees. “And did you hear how so many families across the border in Poland have now opened their homes to the immigrants of Ukraine?” she adds. “How they are reaching out to people they don’t even know because they recognize that they are neighbors and that they are all of us?”
The post’s caption read, “This week @oprah is sharing a moving message on the senseless attacks on the people of Ukraine and the powerful ways Poland is showing up for the immigrants from Ukraine.”


Oprah also shared a slideshow of inspiring quotes from her blog post. “What we’re witnessing in Ukraine and in the world’s response to it is what we can do when we connect, when we allow ourselves to imagine what another might be feeling,” she wrote. (Read the full article here.)
We couldn’t agree more.


----------



## vevster

charmingt said:


> NEWS
> Oprah Winfrey Shares Raw and Beautiful Video Message About Ukraine​​By Greta Heggeness
> | 03-08-2022 | 8:40 AM
> Oprah Winfrey just released a powerful video addressing the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
> This week, the media mogul, 68, shared a candid essay and video in response to the Russian invasion that has cost so many lives and forced thousands of Ukrainians to flee the country. Not only did she honor the people of Ukraine, but she also thanked the families who have opened their doors to refugees.
> 
> 
> “As I’m surrounded by comfort and beauty, I can’t help thinking about the fear and exhaustion every one of them must feel,” Oprah says in the clip. “Those who are fleeing, those who are sleeping underground, those who are hiding in their basements.”
> Oprah goes on to thank other countries, who have welcomed Ukrainian refugees. “And did you hear how so many families across the border in Poland have now opened their homes to the immigrants of Ukraine?” she adds. “How they are reaching out to people they don’t even know because they recognize that they are neighbors and that they are all of us?”
> The post’s caption read, “This week @oprah is sharing a moving message on the senseless attacks on the people of Ukraine and the powerful ways Poland is showing up for the immigrants from Ukraine.”
> 
> 
> Oprah also shared a slideshow of inspiring quotes from her blog post. “What we’re witnessing in Ukraine and in the world’s response to it is what we can do when we connect, when we allow ourselves to imagine what another might be feeling,” she wrote. (Read the full article here.)
> We couldn’t agree more.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Black Ambrosia said:


> Experts say he anticipated the sanctions (because he was sanctioned before on a smaller scale) and that's why he supposedly has billions in reserves in multiple currencies to hold him over. Unfortunately for him he can't get to all of it because it's in accounts all over the world and Russia's cut off from swift so there's no way to access the money. No idea how much he has in Russia or held in crypto.
> 
> Idk if he cares about the world's perception of him but I'm guessing that he's very concerned about his political stature being compromised. He saw multiple failures by his military and he's coming back harder by attacking civilians. It's his way of reminding the world that he's still someone who should be feared. He doesn't care about keeping up a ruse of not being a war criminal with the rest of the world. That fiction is just for the Russian people.
> 
> I was listening to a podcast that gives some insight into how rulers like him think. It said they're perpetually worried about how they're perceived by their own nations. They recognize that their position is fragile and they're always at risk of a coup. That's why it's so important to keep feeding people propaganda, destroy dissent, and in Putin's case - hide the truth about the 'special operation'. Based on this I think he's fearful of Russian protests gaining momentum. Also, I think those pictures of him sitting 20 feet away from people are telling. They've said it's because he's deathly afraid of covid but I wonder if there's more to it. Maybe he's become paranoid about his safety and is using covid protocols as an excuse. There was a video where he was trying to make it look like he's not in hiding and there were people around him but it was doctored and you could see his hand passing through a microphone. (It's in this thread. Maybe a few pages back) If he went through the trouble of doing that instead of just sitting at a table close to other people wearing masks then he's probably very fearful of being attacked. Given the ineptitude of the Russian military and how info has been leaked to the Ukrainian military, he's right to be concerned.


1: What's the name of the podcast you were listening to? I'd like to have a listen.  

2: Putin should also be worried about Russian oligarchs. They may like him, but they love their money more and they've lost at least $80B since this conflict started and they're sanctioned all over the world, losing access to their yachts and what not. They may do him in out of self-preservation.

3: Putin thought like most invaders do--that conflict in Ukraine would be short and sweet. And other than his reserves, he doesn't have a long term plan. Ukraine is fighting back harder than he thought and most of the world has agreed to sanction Russia which is how sanctions are most effective. Looking back to the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, Russians don't have much of an appetite for war and will turn on their leader amidst losing their loved ones. Most Russians have no issue with Ukrainians which is why they've been protesting from the outset at personal risk to themselves. But Putin's a long-term thinker. Invading Ukraine wasn't something he pulled out of a hat, he's been planning it for a while. Which brings me to:

4: My concern is the fault lines the Russia-Ukraine conflict exposes that could cause a conflict that truly engulfs the whole world. When WWI broke out, it was the culmination of smaller, localized conflicts in the Balkans and bitter national feuds like the Franco-Prussian war of 1871, Britain's anxiety over a rising Germany and others. China is watching this conflict very closely for its own aims and both China and Russia want the end of the US-dominated financial system. Xi Jinping is more pragmatic, Putin is more belligerent but both are setting the stage to come after the US. China doesn't just want Taiwan, but also the islands in the South and East China Seas. More than $2.3T worth of global commerce flows through the South China Sea and China wants control as part of their sphere of economic influence. While Western nations were fussing over COVID19 restrictions, China locked its country down, tested everyone, made sure people could stay home by providing food etc., isolated those who tested positive and made moves in the South China Sea. The Kremlin now claims the US declared economic war on it. Perfect pretext to retaliate against the US, maybe by dumping US dollars and if China joins in things could really get ugly.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

@ScorpioBeauty09 I'll look through my history. I've listened to several podcasts. I'm not sure which one it was.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Wealthy celebrities being so willing to pay more for gas to support Ukraine really irritates me. Like speak for yourself. Not everyone can just absorb the cost. The reason we have higher prices is corporations using the war on top of the supply chain crisis to justify higher gas prices despite making record profits. I'd like to see wealthy celebs turn their attention to them. Second, I don't agree with the invasion but Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and the Palestinians are just as deserving of this kind of attention.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## lavaflow99




----------



## yamilee21

Horrifying for the astronaut, but that is what the USA gets for outsourcing its space programs. Stupid decisions have consequences.


----------



## Peppermynt

Russia's about to start WW3.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Musk won't waste the opportunity to be a hero. If he or Bezos have the technology to make it to the space station, the astronaut will be alright.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Peppermynt said:


> Russia's about to start WW3.


China is right there with them. China, Russia and other countries that want to see the end of the US-based world order will use western sanctions as justification for measures that will hasten the US' decline.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

This is't worthy of it's own thread. I think it's relevant though as a sign of the times. 

Realtor getting 'calls from all over the world' about Michigan mansion with bunker​March 10, 2022 06:00 AM


As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his attack on neighboring Ukraine, lives are being lost and fears are being stoked over what happens next. And that has some would-be home buyers in the market for safety.

Realtor Ryan Johnson with Michigan Lifestyle Properties/Gull Lake Realty is betting on it. He's listing a *$6.5 million Battle Creek mansion that would appeal to any doomsday prepper with a big enough pocketbook.*

"It's set up for someone who wants to get away from it all," Johnson said of the home. *"It's rural and in southwest Michigan — not likely a target area for bombing — but if there was a nuclear incident, radiation, gas, it should keep you safe."*

Johnson declined to name the seller, but public records show the home is owned by an entity called TIA Corp. State regulatory filings list that company as headed by Per Wickstrom, who published reports identify as the owner of several drug rehabilitation centers.

*The five-bedroom, 6.5-bath, 13,496-square-foot estate at 22072 Pine Lake Road includes 323 acres and its own lake. It also includes a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker, a 7,200-square-foot outbuilding and a greenhouse to grow your own food in the event of a supply chain disaster.*

Whoever buys this prepper's paradise can while away the hours with a huge home entertainment system. Friends and family can also enjoy the benefits, as there are three additional homes on the compound. And the new owner will be able to keep an eye on everything via a video surveillance security system throughout the property.

These kinds of "amenities" have taken on a new shine for potential buyers, the broker said.

"The showings we've been getting are either second homes or people overseas getting a little nervous about what is going on in Ukraine. Some of them just want a large piece of property with access to a bunker," Johnson said. "We're getting calls from all over the world on this property."

The property isn't completely self-sustaining, however. It does rely on natural gas, propane and a backup generator. However, Johnson said, there is plenty of room on the property to install a solar field if the new owner wanted to take it completely off the grid.






Michigan Lifestyle Properties/Gull Lake Realty

This country estate in Battle Creek sits on 323 acres, has 14,000 square feet in living space and an extra 5,000 square feet underground in a custom steel bunker.

*Behind the steel doors of the bunker, which was built, delivered and installed by Rising S Bunkers, there's a grow room, a gun range, two kitchens, steel doors and enough beds and baths for more than 20 people.*

Curious what all of that looks like? The estate's website offers a better idea.

*For those who are interested, a bunker doesn't have to cost millions. In 2022, the average cost of a 200-square-foot bunker was $52,750, according to Home Advisor. These include prefabricated options and kits that typically have water and air filtration, but not shipping (around $10,000 more) and installation (up to $25,000).*

If you want to go whole hog like the Battle Creek bunker, according to Home Advisor, that's where the costs really start to add up:

Building a greenhouse: $25 per square foot
Setting up a home theater: $2,000-$33,000
Installing a satellite dish: $170
Building an indoor pool, gym, hot tub, bowling alley, etc: $20,000-$200,000 or more
Before you know it, the site says, you can be spending upward of $8 million on a custom luxury nuclear fallout shelter. Which makes the Battle Creek estate seem like a bargain.



Spoiler: Pics of the bunker, indoor grow room, greenhouse, guesthouse, cottage, etc








1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
The entrance to the bunker





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
A living space in the bunker





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
One of the two kitchens in the bunker





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
Storage space for all your supplies





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
The grow room for fresh produce all year round





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
A bedroom space in the bunker





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
A 7,200 square foot outbuilding with roughed in-floor heating. The outbuilding has four overhead doors, two of which are 12’ high, and two are 16’ high.





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
The guest house is located at 10257 Crase Road and is also accessible from the main residence driveway. The ranch style home was built in 1971 and remodeled in 2017. The dwelling is 962 square feet, has a 2-car attached garage and a 2-car detached garage. 





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
The lakefront cottage sits on stocked 5-acre Wiegands Lake. In the past, this residence was used as the caretaker’s home. The dwelling is 1,409 square feet with a 2-car attached garage, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. 





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
The Stonehouse was built in 1925 and remodeled in 1990. The dwelling is 1,344 square feet, has a 2-car detached garage, forced air heat and partial basement. There are 3 bedrooms and 1 full bath. 





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
There are 5 bedrooms, 6 full baths, 3 half baths and 8,364 square feet of above grade finished living area. An additional 5,132 square feet is finished in the lower level walkout.

The home has an open floor plan, high ceilings and expansive composite decking, large windows/doors and sliders flowing out to the lake with elevated panoramic views and no neighbors in site. 





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
Sliding doors open to an expansive composite decking overlooking 9-acre Deep Lake.





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
Flooring throughout includes walnut, marble and tile. 





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
All high-end appliances, including Sub Zero refrigerator, 6 burner Thermador range/griddle, Wolf hood fan, Thermador dishwasher, Miele built-in coffee system, Whirlpool washer and dryer on all levels, KitchenAid built in microwave, custom cabinetry and quartz countertops.





1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
A cozy office inside the main home






1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty
A main bedroom on the second floor.






1/22
Michigan Lifestyle Properties / Gull Lake Realty


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## ThursdayGirl

charmingt said:


>


I don’t know.  He’s explaining why they will unemployed soon or lose their lives on an unmaintained Russian plane.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/business/europe-sanctions-russia-leased-planes.html

(edited to add link)


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Evolving78

charmingt said:


>


I see they got their masks on… interesting..


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## larry3344

Black Ambrosia said:


>


Totally unfair some of these sanctions are not penalizing Putin but Russians.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

I appreciate the bravery of Zelensky and his team but I really hope they're in hiding when they're not on video or posting on social media. He's announcing that he's in the capital presumably in his office and his team is walking the streets. Putin knows just where to find him when he sends bombs into the city. Bombs don't have to be accurate to get the job done.


----------



## charmingt

Tee hee!!


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Nuclear Angst Sparks Demand for Iodide Pills​Companies run out as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stokes concerns of nuclear escalation​Renée Onque
March 10, 2022 9:00 am ET




Experts caution that there are risks to taking iodide pills and that they can protect against only a portion of the potential risk from radiation exposure.​
Potassium-iodide pills that can protect against radiation poisoning are out of stock in much of the U.S., reflecting concerns among some consumers that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear confrontation or accident that could spread radiation. 

*Anbex Inc., one of the few companies authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to sell the pills in the U.S., said orders surged during the week of Feb. 24. The company was sold out by the end of the month, Anbex said.

“We’ve taken orders for 13 million tablets, but we haven’t made them all yet,”* said Alan Morris, president of the Virginia-based company. *Anbex is waiting to receive the materials it needs to make the tablets and ship them to customers, he said.

Another producer, BTG Pharmaceuticals, said demand for its pills had surpassed supply in the U.S. and Europe. Anbex and BTG said they are ramping up production*. A third FDA-authorized producer, Mission Pharmacal, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Nuclear and health experts caution that there are risks to taking iodide pills and that they can protect against only a portion of the potential risk from radiation exposure. They protect the thyroid gland, which is particularly vulnerable to radioactive iodine.

*The thyroid tends to absorb radioactive iodine. But potassium iodide fills the gland to block the radioactive iodine from coming in, said Angela Leung, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine. Radioactive iodine is a common isotope released after accidents such as those at power plants including Japan’s Fukushima plant in 2011 and the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine in 1986, said Dr. Leung.*



Spoiler: Rest of the Article








Potassium iodide pills at a health center in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture in March 2012.​“When you look at the amount of excess deaths coming from Chernobyl in the years and decades following, it was mostly the younger children because those are the folks whose thyroid glands were still developing,” said Dr. Leung.

Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday that a power cut caused by Russian attacks on Kyiv could deprive the Chernobyl nuclear site of power, leading to a potential meltdown of spent nuclear fuel. The International Atomic Energy Agency played down risks of an imminent problem at Chernobyl. They and other 
experts say Ukraine’s nuclear facilities are on the whole modernized and robust. 

Most nuclear bombs go through a fission process, the decay of elements, that also causes radioactive iodine to be released, said James Blando, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at Old Dominion University.

*But there are other risks to nuclear exposure that potassium-iodide pills can’t protect against such as vaporized silicon and aluminum, said Areg Danagoulian, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Taking too much of the pills can also cause side effects such as the thyroid becoming hyperactive or underactive, some health experts said.*

Jon Stokes, a 46-year-old social-media content creator from Texas, ordered 10 packs of the pills on Feb. 21, days before Russia invaded Ukraine. He said he was worried they would no longer be available if he needed them.

“It wasn’t clear to me if Russia was going to really invade Ukraine or not, but it seemed likely that fears around World War III were going to crop up,” said Mr. Stokes.

Both the Fukushima and Chernobyl accidents sparked runs on potassium-iodide pills in the U.S., said Mr. Morris of Anbex. 

“Every time that something has happened, we sell out immediately,” he said.

Communities within some 10 miles of nuclear power plants in the U.S. often distribute  potassium-iodide pills to residents in case of emergency, said Andrew Roszak, executive director at the Institute for Childhood Preparedness, which trains people on how to respond to disasters and emergencies affecting children. The pills are most effective when taken within a few hours of exposure to radioactive iodine, he said.

However, the best thing to do if a nuclear accident happens is to stay inside at the center of a building, Mr. Roszak said. “The thing to think about with radiation is time, distance and shielding,” he said.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## nysister

Black Ambrosia said:


>


I feel for the Thais not being paid, but many wealthy Europeans go there for the child sex trade, so I'm meh on them being stuck. That and their culture often specializes in being jerks. Yes that's a generalization, but I'm okay with it.


----------



## vevster

Peppermynt said:


> Russia's about to start WW3.


It’s not just Russia. It’s many factors.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ThursdayGirl

nysister said:


> I feel for the Thais not being paid, but many wealthy Europeans go there for the child sex trade, so I'm meh on them being stuck. *That and their culture often specializes in being jerks.* Yes that's a generalization, but I'm okay with it.


You ain’t said nothin’ but a word here.  We went on vacation on Crete almost a decade ago.  Who’s children were jumping on the Greek ruins, behind the ropes?  Who’s kids were running around without a diaper and relieving themselves on the sand on the beach..  both types of waste :-(. I was so grossed out.  They had not a care in the world.


----------



## nysister

ThursdayGirl said:


> You ain’t said nothin’ but a word here.  We went on vacation on Crete almost a decade ago.  Who’s children were jumping on the Greek ruins, behind the ropes?  Who’s kids were running around without a diaper and relieving themselves on the sand on the beach..  both types of waste :-(. I was so grossed out.  They had not a care in the world.


That last part....wow!!!


----------



## yamilee21

I’m glad I have a group of mostly Ukrainian acquaintances to humanize the war for me, because articles like this really reinforce my inability to give a darn. Nothing really new here for us, but still infuriating, and very much worth reading. There were no comments allowed on the article, but the authors’ Twitter posts linking the article having nothing but nasty, hateful responses. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/14/...and-belarus.html?referringSource=articleShare

Two Refugees, Both on Poland’s Border. But Worlds Apart.
*
A young man fleeing war in Sudan and a young woman evacuating Ukraine crossed into Poland at the same time. They had very different experiences.*​
KUZNICA, Poland — On the day war broke out in Ukraine, Albagir, a 22-year-old refugee from Sudan, was lying on the frozen forest floor at the gateway to Poland, trying to stay alive.

*Drones sent by the Polish border patrol were looking for him. So were helicopters. It was night, with subzero temperatures and snow everywhere. Albagir, a pre-med student, and a small band of African refugees were trying to sneak into Poland, down to the last few shriveled dates in their pockets.*

“We were losing hope,” he said.

That same night in a small town near Odessa, Katya Maslova, 21, grabbed a suitcase and her tablet, which she uses for her animation work, and jumped with her family into a burgundy Toyota Rav 4. They rushed off in a four-car convoy with 8 adults and 5 children, part of the frantic exodus of people trying to escape war-torn Ukraine.

“At that point, we didn’t know where we were going,” she said.

*Over the next two weeks, what would happen to these two refugees crossing into the same country at the same time, both about the same age, could not stand in starker contrast. Albagir was punched in the face, called racial slurs and left in the hands of a border guard who, Albagir said, brutally beat him and seemed to enjoy doing it. Katya wakes up every day to a stocked fridge and fresh bread on the table, thanks to a man she calls a saint.*

Their disparate experiences underscore the inequalities of Europe’s refugee crisis. They are victims of two very different geopolitical events, but are pursuing the same mission — escape from the ravages of war.  As Ukraine presents Europe with its greatest surge of refugees in decades, many conflicts continue to burn in the Middle East and Africa. Depending on which war a person is fleeing, the welcome will be very different.

From the instant they cross into Poland, Ukrainian refugees like Ms. Maslova are treated to live piano music, bottomless bowls of borscht and, often, a warm bed. And that’s just the beginning. They can fly for free all across Europe on Hungary’s Wizz Air. In Germany, crowds line up at train stations, waving Ukrainian flags. All European Union countries now allow them to stay for up to three years.
Watching all this on a TV in a safe house in the Polish countryside, where it’s too dangerous for him to even step outside, Albagir, who asked that his last name not be used because he crossed the border illegally, said he was almost in a state of shock.

“Why don’t we see this caring and this love? Why?” he asked. “Are Ukrainians better than us? I don’t know. Why?”

What Albagir experienced has been repeated countless times, from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel, as European governments have made it difficult for migrants from Africa and the Middle East to enter their countries — sometimes using excessive force to keep them out.

His journey was complicated by the fact that he chose to enter Poland from Belarus, a Russian ally that Western countries said manufactured a huge refugee crisis last year. After Belarus invited in tens of thousands of desperate people from conflict-ridden countries like Sudan, Iraq and Syria and directed them to Poland’s frontier as a way to cause havoc in Europe, Poland responded by harshly cracking down at that border.

Ukrainians are victims of a conflict on European soil that creeps closer by the day. The result is a response from Europeans that is largely loaded with compassion. That leaves refugees from more distant wars feeling the sting of inequality and, some say, racism.

“This is the first time we are seeing such contrast between the treatment of different groups of refugees,” said Camille Le Coz, a migration analyst in Brussels, who added that Europeans see Ukrainians as being “like us.”

On Feb. 25, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, Ms. Maslova was sitting shotgun in her family’s car, racing through Moldova, guzzling Pepsi.

As she looked out the window, she saw people cheering, waving and giving them the thumbs up.

She started to cry.

“It was not the bad parts that broke us down, but the good parts,” Ms. Maslova said. “You’re not preparing yourself emotionally for the fact that the entire world is going to support you.”

Driving west, they argued about where to go. Someone said Latvia, another Georgia. But Ms. Maslova had her own plan, albeit a bit random.

She had studied animation at a college in Warsaw and her roommate’s parents knew a man whose father had a spare house in the Polish countryside. If this worked out, she could go back to animation school and fulfill her dream of making children’s cartoons. She convinced her family: On to Poland.

*On this same day, Albagir was still trapped in the forest on Poland’s border with Belarus. He’s been on the run for years. As a boy, Albagir said he watched his homeland of Darfur ripped apart by war and saw “everything you can imagine.” Then he fled to Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, to study medicine. But Khartoum soon exploded into chaos too.

So last November he said he traveled to Moscow on a student visa to take courses at a private university, but after Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering severe sanctions, Albagir feared that his university might be ostracized. So he fled again.*

His plan was to travel from Russia to Belarus to Poland to Germany, but he said he hadn’t known that Poland  had just reinforced its border to repel the migrants coming from Belarus.

About 130 miles away, to the south, Ms. Maslova’s convoy finally reached its destination, a farmhouse deep in the Polish countryside.

Suddenly, a burly man with thinning gray hair emerged from the darkness.

“Hello, I am Janusz,” he said.

Janusz Poterek and his wife, Anna, hugged them and they all started crying. But the tears didn’t stop in the driveway.

Ms. Maslova’s family walked into the kitchen and saw the three-course meal that their hosts had prepared for them, and cried. They stepped into the bathroom to a row of brand-new toothbrushes, soaps and shampoos, and cried. They saw freshly washed sheets, towels, and blankets lined up on their beds, and cried.

Mr. Poterek, an apple farmer, had never helped refugees before, but said that when the war broke out, he “couldn’t stay indifferent.”

*A few nights later, while Ms. Maslova and her family were admiring a stack of toys that their hosts brought for the children, Albagir and three men he was traveling with were arrested. They had made it across the Polish border undetected, but the driver they hired to get them to Germany forgot to turn on his headlights and was stopped. Albagir said Polish police officers stole their SIM cards and power banks; disabled their phones (so they couldn’t call for help); and drove them back to the place they dreaded: the forest.*

At least 19 people have frozen to death in recent months trying to get into Poland after Polish border guards pushed them back into this forest, human rights groups say.

Polish officials insisted it was not their fault.

“It’s the Belarussians’,” said Katarzyna Zdanowicz, a Border Guard spokeswoman. “They direct these people.”

Human rights defenders say the Polish guards are also guilty of abuses. A Polish government spokesperson declined to discuss the treatment of refugees.

*“Go! Go!” the Polish guards yelled at Albagir’s group, shoving them at gunpoint toward a barbed wire fence in an isolated part of the forest, Albagir said. The guards threw one of the men into the fence so hard that he sliced open his hand, Albagir said. When interviewed, he showed a gash mark between his fingers.*

A few hours later, after wandering with little food or water and no way to navigate, they reached a Belarusian border post and begged the guards to let them in.

“We needed shelter,” Albagir said.

But the Belarussians had other plans.

*Border guards grabbed them and threw them in a frigid garage, Albagir said. A huge Belarusian soldier screamed racial slurs and angrily assaulted them.

“He punched us, he kicked us, he threw us down, he hit us with sticks,” Albagir said.
He said there was one light-skinned Kurd detained in the garage with them whom the soldier didn’t touch.

The soldier then marched them to the forest and said: “Go Poland. If you come back, we will kill you.”*

According to human rights groups, tens of thousands of refugees have been pushed back and forth between Poland and Belarus, trapped in limbo, unable to enter either country or go back home.

*On March 5, Albagir and his group crossed the border into Poland for the second time within a week, faint and nearly frostbitten. They called a number they had been given in case they got in trouble, and a Polish activist secretly took them into her home, and warned them not to step outside.* Their experience would not be totally devoid of acts of kindness.

Albagir plans to apply for asylum in Germany, which has a reputation of being generous to all refugees, and finish his studies. He speaks Arabic, English and some Russian and wears gold rimmed specs and has a neat beard. He dreams of becoming a doctor and writing a book about what he just experienced. He said he still can’t believe educated people from relatively prosperous countries would treat people in need this way.

One of the men with him, named Sheikh, couldn’t speak English, so he typed a message into his phone and hit play.

The phone’s robotic voice intoned: “All of Europe says that there are rights for every human being and we did not see that.”

When asked if he believed racism was a factor in how they were treated, Albagir did not hesitate.

“Yeah, so much,” he said. “Only racism.”

For Ms. Maslova’s family, the treatment just gets better and better. Mr. Poterek enrolled her brother and sister in a primary school — the Polish government has extended free education and health care to Ukrainian refugees.

“It seems like the whole country is slightly bending the rules for Ukrainians,” said Ms. Maslova, after a doctor refused to accept payment for a visit.

When her hosts were asked if they would take in African or Middle Eastern refugees, Ms. Poterek said, “Yes, but we had no opportunity.”

But Ms. Poterek said it would be “easier” to host Ukrainians because they shared a culture. For refugees from Arab countries and Africa, she asked, “What would I cook for them?”’

Last Thursday, Mr. Poterek spoke to a friend about finding Ms. Maslova a job as a translator.

*That same afternoon, Albagir and the others made it to a safe house in Warsaw. Once again, they were told not to step outside.*


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


Found out today this guy is from Detroit. He'll be on the news tomorrow. I still think this is crazy but it's looking like a legit come up is in his near future. Can't knock the hustle. He just needs to survive the war. The irony of the bolded...

Detroit native covers war in Ukraine with a big heart and unique perspective​By Steve Neavling @MCmuckraker




Instagram, @terrelljstarr
Terrell Jermaine Starr takes a rest from reporting in Ukraine. 

Terrell Jermaine Starr will never get used to war. 

The Detroit native has been in Ukraine since January. He was only supposed to be there for three weeks. 

Then came the Russian bombs, destroying homes, apartment buildings, grocery stores, shopping centers, a maternity ward, a children’s hospital, and disabled care home. Thousands of people have been killed, and more than 2 million have fled Ukraine. 

Instead of making a run for it, Starr is using his 15 years of experience as a journalist to tell the stories of everyday Ukrainians who are trapped in a war zone. 

“I never envisioned doing any of this . War is hell,” Starr tells _Metro Times_ in a 45-minute interview Thursday. “As journalists, we have to cover death and pain and agony. I wished we were in a world where we didn’t have to. Every day I remind myself that this isn’t normal. We should never be doing this.” 

Psychologically, the war has taken a toll on him, says Starr, whose style of compassionate, opinionated journalism makes him a unique and irreplaceable voice in a country that needs outspoken supporters. 

“I’m not a stenographer,” Starr explains. “I don’t just print what happens. I’m outspoken about this not being healthy. This is bad for humanity.” 

Starr grew up Black and poor on Detroit’s west side, living with his grandmother at Scotten Street and Tireman. *When he was 10 or 11 years old, a battle between drug dealers led to the firebombing of a house that killed his friend. He'll never forget the blond-haired, blue-eyed television reporter who came to his house to interview his grandmother. *

*“We didn’t trust her,” Starr says. “That was my first interaction with a journalist. She wasn’t a bad person, but she was an outsider and didn’t know she was an outsider. I don’t ever want to be that type of journalist in [a] community that isn’t my own. When I’m in Ukraine, I don’t want to be that white woman. I want people to know I care about them and am invested in them and their dignity.” *


Spoiler: Rest of the Article



While many journalists flock to Ukraine to cover the cold, hard facts of the war, Starr rolled up his sleeves and began helping Ukrainians in need. When a cancer patient was displaced from a hospital that was filling up with Ukrainians wounded in the war, Starr crisscrossed the country for several days in a car to help the woman get medical treatment outside the country. He weaved it into his reporting of the war. 

Starr gets some criticism for inserting his feelings into his reporting, but he doesn’t let that bother him because he is committed to a type of journalism that has a heartbeat. 

“Traditional media has always been the white man’s diary,” Starr says. “To see a journalist like myself taking over the style of how news is delivered, it is considered non-objective or biased because we’re not used to Black people being a dominant voice in news coverage. We’re redefining how news delivery looks.” 

A non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based nonpartisan group, Starr is an independent journalist who shares what he sees with his 365,000 followers on Twitter and 24,600 on Instagram. 

He relies on crowdfunding for donations from CashApp, Venmo, or PayPal. 

“I paid for everything to come here,” he says. “That was part of the sacrifice I made. No one gave me anything. I was just here to gain my own knowledge. I would write an article here and there.” 

He visited Ukraine to “gain cultural knowledge.” It was not his intent to cover a war. 

“I had no idea I was going to be a war correspondent,” he says. “That was a real shock to me. It was a big adjustment.” 

He adds, “I decided to stay here because I wanted to document what was happening because I’m a journalist and this is my second home and I wanted to support the people I love and care for.” 

Since the war broke out, Starr has appeared on major news outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, and NPR, and he’s carved out a loyal following that appreciates his unique voice and compassion for Ukrainians. 

Starr got into journalism relatively late in his life. At 26, he was working on a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and put in his time at the school’s newspaper. He was 28 when he landed his first real journalism gig covering city hall meetings and other local issues for Illinois Public Radio. 

After that, he struggled to find a job at conventional news outlets. 

“I wasn’t able to find work in traditional markets,” Starr says. “I was working in Black media.” 

It turned out to be a blessing. Without a job in conventional journalism, he developed his voice. 

By the time war broke out in Ukraine, Starr was perfectly suited to cover the invasion. He’d been coming to Ukraine since 2009, beginning when he was selected as a Fulbright scholar. At first, he’d spend a few months in Ukraine until he eventually lived half the year there and the other half at his home in Brooklyn, New York. 

“The thing about Ukraine, it had a hold on me,” he says. “You either have the bug or you don’t. I think we can fall in love with any country. Ukraine is one where there is nothing in particular that is distinct. I just fell in love with the place.” 

His interest in Eastern Europe began when a missionary program selected him to serve in Russia when he was 20 years old. At first, he was disappointed. When he applied, he asked to go to Africa, the Caribbean, or South America. 

“I said, ‘Jesus Christ, I don’t want to go to Russia. Seriously,’” he recalls thinking. “I grew up in Detroit, the biggest Black city in Detroit. I didn’t want to be around all those white people.” 

The trip changed his life. He volunteered at a Russian orphanage and applied for the Peace Corps, which took him to Georgia, where he taught English for two years. He now speaks Russian and Georgian. 

As a Black man in a predominantly white region, Starr has a unique perspective that allows him to understand the plight of Ukrainians. Russians look down on Ukrainians as inferior, not unlike how many white people have historically viewed Black people. 

“There is a Russian supremacy that Putin is pushing out of the Kremlin,” he says. “Being Black, I understand what Ukrainian oppression looks like. Most white people don’t understand what oppression looks like. As a Black man who knows what it looks like, I know how to express it. I treat Ukrainians as a Black man would want to be treated — with the same dignity and respect that I expect of other people covering my community.” 

Starr plans to leave Ukraine in April and briefly move back to his home in Brooklyn before visiting Asia. He says he’ll return to Ukraine in June and stay until October. 

But he won’t be just reporting. 

“I’m going to be involved in humanitarian efforts,” he says. “My heart is with the Ukrainian people, and I am going to be giving them the best I have with my journalism and my goodwill.” 

Beyond that, Starr isn’t quite certain what his future holds. 

“It’s in me to do this type of work,” he says. “I have no children, I have no wife, I have no girlfriend, I have no tether to anyone outside of family. When that changes and I have a dynamic with a family, of course, that’s going to change. But as long as I’m single and I have no attachments, I am going to do exactly what I’m going to do.”


----------



## charmingt

Black Ambrosia said:


> Found out today this guy is from Detroit. He'll be on the news tomorrow. I still think this is crazy but it's looking like a legit come up is in his near future. Can't knock the hustle. He just needs to survive the war. The irony of the bolded...
> 
> Detroit native covers war in Ukraine with a big heart and unique perspective​By Steve Neavling @MCmuckraker
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Instagram, @terrelljstarr
> Terrell Jermaine Starr takes a rest from reporting in Ukraine.
> 
> Terrell Jermaine Starr will never get used to war.
> 
> The Detroit native has been in Ukraine since January. He was only supposed to be there for three weeks.
> 
> Then came the Russian bombs, destroying homes, apartment buildings, grocery stores, shopping centers, a maternity ward, a children’s hospital, and disabled care home. Thousands of people have been killed, and more than 2 million have fled Ukraine.
> 
> Instead of making a run for it, Starr is using his 15 years of experience as a journalist to tell the stories of everyday Ukrainians who are trapped in a war zone.
> 
> “I never envisioned doing any of this . War is hell,” Starr tells _Metro Times_ in a 45-minute interview Thursday. “As journalists, we have to cover death and pain and agony. I wished we were in a world where we didn’t have to. Every day I remind myself that this isn’t normal. We should never be doing this.”
> 
> Psychologically, the war has taken a toll on him, says Starr, whose style of compassionate, opinionated journalism makes him a unique and irreplaceable voice in a country that needs outspoken supporters.
> 
> “I’m not a stenographer,” Starr explains. “I don’t just print what happens. I’m outspoken about this not being healthy. This is bad for humanity.”
> 
> Starr grew up Black and poor on Detroit’s west side, living with his grandmother at Scotten Street and Tireman. *When he was 10 or 11 years old, a battle between drug dealers led to the firebombing of a house that killed his friend. He'll never forget the blond-haired, blue-eyed television reporter who came to his house to interview his grandmother.
> 
> “We didn’t trust her,” Starr says. “That was my first interaction with a journalist. She wasn’t a bad person, but she was an outsider and didn’t know she was an outsider. I don’t ever want to be that type of journalist in [a] community that isn’t my own. When I’m in Ukraine, I don’t want to be that white woman. I want people to know I care about them and am invested in them and their dignity.” *
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Rest of the Article
> 
> 
> 
> While many journalists flock to Ukraine to cover the cold, hard facts of the war, Starr rolled up his sleeves and began helping Ukrainians in need. When a cancer patient was displaced from a hospital that was filling up with Ukrainians wounded in the war, Starr crisscrossed the country for several days in a car to help the woman get medical treatment outside the country. He weaved it into his reporting of the war.
> 
> Starr gets some criticism for inserting his feelings into his reporting, but he doesn’t let that bother him because he is committed to a type of journalism that has a heartbeat.
> 
> “Traditional media has always been the white man’s diary,” Starr says. “To see a journalist like myself taking over the style of how news is delivered, it is considered non-objective or biased because we’re not used to Black people being a dominant voice in news coverage. We’re redefining how news delivery looks.”
> 
> A non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based nonpartisan group, Starr is an independent journalist who shares what he sees with his 365,000 followers on Twitter and 24,600 on Instagram.
> 
> He relies on crowdfunding for donations from CashApp, Venmo, or PayPal.
> 
> “I paid for everything to come here,” he says. “That was part of the sacrifice I made. No one gave me anything. I was just here to gain my own knowledge. I would write an article here and there.”
> 
> He visited Ukraine to “gain cultural knowledge.” It was not his intent to cover a war.
> 
> “I had no idea I was going to be a war correspondent,” he says. “That was a real shock to me. It was a big adjustment.”
> 
> He adds, “I decided to stay here because I wanted to document what was happening because I’m a journalist and this is my second home and I wanted to support the people I love and care for.”
> 
> Since the war broke out, Starr has appeared on major news outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, and NPR, and he’s carved out a loyal following that appreciates his unique voice and compassion for Ukrainians.
> 
> Starr got into journalism relatively late in his life. At 26, he was working on a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and put in his time at the school’s newspaper. He was 28 when he landed his first real journalism gig covering city hall meetings and other local issues for Illinois Public Radio.
> 
> After that, he struggled to find a job at conventional news outlets.
> 
> “I wasn’t able to find work in traditional markets,” Starr says. “I was working in Black media.”
> 
> It turned out to be a blessing. Without a job in conventional journalism, he developed his voice.
> 
> By the time war broke out in Ukraine, Starr was perfectly suited to cover the invasion. He’d been coming to Ukraine since 2009, beginning when he was selected as a Fulbright scholar. At first, he’d spend a few months in Ukraine until he eventually lived half the year there and the other half at his home in Brooklyn, New York.
> 
> “The thing about Ukraine, it had a hold on me,” he says. “You either have the bug or you don’t. I think we can fall in love with any country. Ukraine is one where there is nothing in particular that is distinct. I just fell in love with the place.”
> 
> His interest in Eastern Europe began when a missionary program selected him to serve in Russia when he was 20 years old. At first, he was disappointed. When he applied, he asked to go to Africa, the Caribbean, or South America.
> 
> “I said, ‘Jesus Christ, I don’t want to go to Russia. Seriously,’” he recalls thinking. “I grew up in Detroit, the biggest Black city in Detroit. I didn’t want to be around all those white people.”
> 
> The trip changed his life. He volunteered at a Russian orphanage and applied for the Peace Corps, which took him to Georgia, where he taught English for two years. He now speaks Russian and Georgian.
> 
> As a Black man in a predominantly white region, Starr has a unique perspective that allows him to understand the plight of Ukrainians. Russians look down on Ukrainians as inferior, not unlike how many white people have historically viewed Black people.
> 
> “There is a Russian supremacy that Putin is pushing out of the Kremlin,” he says. “Being Black, I understand what Ukrainian oppression looks like. Most white people don’t understand what oppression looks like. As a Black man who knows what it looks like, I know how to express it. I treat Ukrainians as a Black man would want to be treated — with the same dignity and respect that I expect of other people covering my community.”
> 
> Starr plans to leave Ukraine in April and briefly move back to his home in Brooklyn before visiting Asia. He says he’ll return to Ukraine in June and stay until October.
> 
> But he won’t be just reporting.
> 
> “I’m going to be involved in humanitarian efforts,” he says. “My heart is with the Ukrainian people, and I am going to be giving them the best I have with my journalism and my goodwill.”
> 
> Beyond that, Starr isn’t quite certain what his future holds.
> 
> “It’s in me to do this type of work,” he says. “I have no children, I have no wife, I have no girlfriend, I have no tether to anyone outside of family. When that changes and I have a dynamic with a family, of course, that’s going to change. But as long as I’m single and I have no attachments, I am going to do exactly what I’m going to do.”




I've seen him several times on MSNBC.  They seem to take him seriously.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


> I've seen him several times on MSNBC.  They seem to take him seriously.


It's coverage they can't get from their own people. With a few exceptions, most journalists seem to be posted near the borders. He's running into danger like a firefighter but he's got no crew and presumably no paycheck or organization on standby ready to get him out. It's unwise IMO but that's just me.


----------



## larry3344

Why must the black poverty narrative be discussed in this context. I fail to see what it adds to the article or am I missing something.


----------



## yamilee21

At the very least, hopefully Terrell Starr will get some kind of long-term contract with a news agency out of this (assuming he survives).


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## WaywardDivuh

So my russian brother in law has family in Ukraine. His cousins 80 year old father decided to stay put cause hes too old to be running around. His apartment building was bombed. Some of the units next to him got blown up but nothing happened to his unit. 

Another neighbor sent footage of what was going on after the bombing and it was horrifying. Entire backsides covered in blood cause they're bleeding from their anus due to shellshock and just lying moaning in the street


----------



## charmingt

Yessssss!


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## MomofThreeBoys

Russia faces IT crisis with just two months of data storage left
					

Russia faces a critical IT storage crisis after Western cloud providers pulled out of the country, leaving Russia with only two more months before they run out of data storage.




					www-bleepingcomputer-com.cdn.ampproject.org
				



Russia faces IT crisis with just two months of data storage left​ 
By
Bill Toulas​
March 15, 2022


12:52 PM






Russia faces a critical IT storage crisis after Western cloud providers pulled out of the country, leaving Russia with only two more months before they run out of data storage.
The Russian government is exploring various solutions to resolve this IT storage problem, ranging from leasing all available domestic data storage to seizing IT resources left behind by businesses that pulled out of the country.
These solutions were proposed during a meeting held at the Ministry of Digital Transformation, attended by representatives of Sberbank, MTS, Oxygen, Rostelecom, Atom-Data, Croc, and Yandex.
According to the Russian news outlet Kommersant, which claims to have sources confirming this proposal, the parties estimated they have roughly two months left before running out of available storage space.
Due to imposed sanctions, all Russian firms were forced to turn to domestic cloud storage service providers after Western cloud storage services cut business ties with the country.
For example, the locally-sourced storage capacity needs of Russian mobile carrier MegaFon increased fivefold, MTS tenfold, and VK had to seek 20% more storage resources in just a week.
This has created an insurmountable practical problem as there are not enough data centers in Russia to accommodate the needs of local operators; hence, a national solution for the Russian storage crisis is needed.

Kommersant further explains that the situation coincides with public Russian agencies' storage needs growing exponentially due to "smart city" projects involving extensive video surveillance and facial recognition systems.
Steps to a solution​Last week, the Ministry of Digital Development amended the Yarovaya Law (2016) to suspend a yearly requirement for telecom operators to increase storage capacity allocations by 15% for anti-terrorist surveillance purposes.
Another move that could free up space would be to demand ISPs abandon media streaming services and other online entertainment platforms that eat up precious resources.
Thirdly, there's the option of buying out all available storage from domestic data processing centers. However, this will likely lead to further problems for entertainment providers who need additional storage to add services and content.

Russia is also considering seizing IT servers and storage left behind by companies who pulled out of Russia and integrating them into public infrastructure.
According to local media, the ministry is currently analyzing how much resources would be made available if the government enacted such policies. A fast-track procedure will then be developed if they are enough to support critical state operations.
The final option would be to tap into Chinese cloud service providers and IT system sellers, but this is currently complicated because China has not yet decided how much it's willing to help Russia and on which sectors.
Huawei has reportedly suspended its equipment sales to Russia until March 26, 2022. However, being itself sanctioned by the U.S. and barred from 5G roll-outs in EU countries, the Chinese tech firm may grasp the business opportunity to fill the void left by exiting western competitors.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

The above is interesting. I was just reading about how Russia is preventing tech workers from leaving the country last night. Can't find the article but this one touches on how they're fleeing in droves. It's not just IT workers. This applies to all skilled workers. 

“I bought a one-way ticket”: Inside Russia’s sudden tech exodus​Facing sanctions, conscription, and internet restrictions, Russian tech workers are fleeing the country.​Masha Borak11 March 2022
Sergei started thinking about leaving Russia the day the country launched its invasion of Ukraine. Within three weeks, Sergei, who is Russian, and his Ukrainian partner had left their home in St. Petersburg, where Sergei had lived for five years, and fled to the Serbian capital, Belgrade, via Istanbul. 

Sergei, an app and website designer whose name has been changed to protect his identity, told _Rest of World _he’s one of many people he knows who have left Russia or are thinking about doing so. Out of the 1,000 people in his university alumni Telegram channel, 70 have joined a group discussing life in Turkey. When he was in Istanbul, he said, Starbucks cafés were full of Russians on laptops. Others are fleeing to countries where Russians can easily get visas, including Cyprus, where there’s a sizable Russian business community, or even to India.

The fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has isolated the country from large parts of the global economy. Financial sanctions mean that international markets have effectively closed to Russian tech companies, and freelancers working for overseas clients are struggling to get paid. Major global tech companies, including Apple and Microsoft, have suspended their operations in Russia, and others have ended their relationships with local companies, leaving employees and contractors to an uncertain future. Meanwhile, the government is tightening its control over the internet and clamping down on opponents. As the war continues, many young men fear that conscription is imminent. For people like Sergei, it’s no longer tenable to remain. 

*“The IT people and knowledge workers who can work online, basically, they all left,” Sergei said. Those who cannot leave their jobs to work remotely are “depressed and terrified.”*

The Kremlin introduced new measures to support tech companies last week, including lowering corporate taxes from 3% to zero. But the sector is in disarray. The country’s largest tech firm, Yandex, warned it might default on its debt last week. According to Israeli media outlet _Haaretz_, it is mulling relocating 800 of its employees to Israel. Several international companies have begun to relocate their operations and are trying to move staff, others have just cut off their local partners.

“Not only do these measures halt any cooperation but also close the market for Russian companies in Western markets,” Aleksander Lubojemski, an analyst at consultancy Access Partnership, told _Rest of World._

The mood among tech entrepreneurs is “shell-shocked,” Roman Shaposhnik, the Russia-born co-founder and CTO of edge computing company Zededa, which is headquartered in Silicon Valley, said. Zededa’s Russia-based employees have moved to Berlin.  

*Shaposhnik said that while people want to get out of Russia, many don’t want to abandon the careers they’ve built and hope that their exile will be only temporary. “It’s something that they worked on for five to 10 years of their life. And now, the prospect of just giving it up is just brutal,” he said.*

With help from venture capital firm Almaz Capital, Shaposhnik is providing advice to companies and entrepreneurs looking to move their operations — and their families — out of Russia to Cyprus, which already hosts a sizable community of Russian businesses. He has dubbed the initiative Paperclip Project, after Operation Paperclip, a controversial U.S. government programthat secretly brought German scientists, engineers, and technicians to U.S. soil after World War II. Shaposhnik said the total number of people he expects to help move will be in the hundreds.

The IT industry comprises less than 1% of Russia’s GDP, according to 2021 research from the Higher School of Economics University. However, entrepreneurs are often drivers of the economy, and the economy will, eventually, feel their absence. “I don’t think it will be an immediate effect, but it’s more of a brain drain effect,” Shaposhnik said. “A lot of people are trying to figure out how they can get their professional life on track just outside of Russia.”

*Young peoples’ concerns are not just professional. Russian men are obligatedto serve 12-month military service, and the army consists of professional soldiers, reservists, and conscripts. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the country would not send conscripts or reservists to fight in Ukraine. However, on Wednesday, Russia’s defense ministry acknowledged that some conscripts were taking part in the conflict with Ukraine.* Sergei is a Russian army lieutenant in reserve, which he thinks puts him first in line for the draft. 

Others are just unwilling to live under the new restrictions. Many Russians in their 20s and 30s grew up in an environment where the internet was relatively free. They’re used to being able to communicate with the world. In the past, some young Russian entrepreneurs have been vocally supportive of the opposition on social media. But the climate has become much more restrictive since the war began. Russia blocked access to Facebook last week and has throttled Twitter. The government has introduced new rules that threaten 15 years in prison for publishing what Moscow deems to be “fake information” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

For Viktoria, an employee of an international IT company in Russia, being cut off from platforms such as Instagram and Facebook would mean losing access to the outside world, including her friends in Ukraine. 

*“We already have had a free internet for many years. … We truly can’t imagine life without it,” she said. “It’s the same thing when [a] political regime is degrading from democracy to authoritarian or totalitarian regime. You had everything and then you lose it all.”

Viktoria, whose name has been changed for her safety, has already decided to leave. “I bought a one-way ticket from Russia 10 minutes ago, and that’s it,” she said. *


----------



## almond eyes

No money to help people pay off student loans, yet $800 million to Ukraine.  What's wrong with this picture.

Best,
Almond Eyes


----------



## Black Ambrosia

almond eyes said:


> No money to help people pay off student loans, yet $800 million to Ukraine.  What's wrong with this picture.
> 
> Best,
> Almond Eyes


Ukraine is the squeaky wheel getting the oil.


----------



## larry3344

almond eyes said:


> No money to help people pay off student loans, yet $800 million to Ukraine.  What's wrong with this picture.
> 
> Best,
> Almond Eyes



Exactly. USA needs to tend to their own citizens more instead of trying to be a hero for the European world. I heard Government infrastructure needs considerable revamp, student loan debt is super high but they find blood out of stone to send to UKraine lol.


----------



## Evolving78

larry3344 said:


> Exactly. USA needs to tend to their own citizens more instead of trying to be a hero for the European world. I heard Government infrastructure needs considerable revamp, student loan debt is super high but they find blood out of stone to send to UKraine lol.


Don’t forget Voting rights!


----------



## larry3344

Evolving78 said:


> Don’t forget Voting rights!


That as well.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## sunshinebeautiful

charmingt said:


>



Wow. I'm having trouble even *imagining* what a $140M yacht even looks like  

Bruh out here balling beyond imagination.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

MomofThreeBoys said:


> Russia faces IT crisis with just two months of data storage left
> 
> 
> Russia faces a critical IT storage crisis after Western cloud providers pulled out of the country, leaving Russia with only two more months before they run out of data storage.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www-bleepingcomputer-com.cdn.ampproject.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Russia faces IT crisis with just two months of data storage left​
> By
> Bill Toulas​
> March 15, 2022
> 
> 
> 12:52 PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Russia faces a critical IT storage crisis after Western cloud providers pulled out of the country, leaving Russia with only two more months before they run out of data storage.
> The Russian government is exploring various solutions to resolve this IT storage problem, ranging from leasing all available domestic data storage to seizing IT resources left behind by businesses that pulled out of the country.
> These solutions were proposed during a meeting held at the Ministry of Digital Transformation, attended by representatives of Sberbank, MTS, Oxygen, Rostelecom, Atom-Data, Croc, and Yandex.
> According to the Russian news outlet Kommersant, which claims to have sources confirming this proposal, the parties estimated they have roughly two months left before running out of available storage space.
> Due to imposed sanctions, all Russian firms were forced to turn to domestic cloud storage service providers after Western cloud storage services cut business ties with the country.
> For example, the locally-sourced storage capacity needs of Russian mobile carrier MegaFon increased fivefold, MTS tenfold, and VK had to seek 20% more storage resources in just a week.
> This has created an insurmountable practical problem as there are not enough data centers in Russia to accommodate the needs of local operators; hence, a national solution for the Russian storage crisis is needed.
> 
> Kommersant further explains that the situation coincides with public Russian agencies' storage needs growing exponentially due to "smart city" projects involving extensive video surveillance and facial recognition systems.
> Steps to a solution​Last week, the Ministry of Digital Development amended the Yarovaya Law (2016) to suspend a yearly requirement for telecom operators to increase storage capacity allocations by 15% for anti-terrorist surveillance purposes.
> Another move that could free up space would be to demand ISPs abandon media streaming services and other online entertainment platforms that eat up precious resources.
> Thirdly, there's the option of buying out all available storage from domestic data processing centers. However, this will likely lead to further problems for entertainment providers who need additional storage to add services and content.
> 
> Russia is also considering seizing IT servers and storage left behind by companies who pulled out of Russia and integrating them into public infrastructure.
> According to local media, the ministry is currently analyzing how much resources would be made available if the government enacted such policies. A fast-track procedure will then be developed if they are enough to support critical state operations.
> The final option would be to tap into Chinese cloud service providers and IT system sellers, but this is currently complicated because China has not yet decided how much it's willing to help Russia and on which sectors.
> Huawei has reportedly suspended its equipment sales to Russia until March 26, 2022. However, being itself sanctioned by the U.S. and barred from 5G roll-outs in EU countries, the Chinese tech firm may grasp the business opportunity to fill the void left by exiting western competitors.





Black Ambrosia said:


> The above is interesting. I was just reading about how Russia is preventing tech workers from leaving the country last night. Can't find the article but this one touches on how they're fleeing in droves. It's not just IT workers. This applies to all skilled workers.


I found the article. It's actually about Russia forbidding workers at it's space agency from leaving the country but mentions the same is happening to IT workers. 

Russian Space Agency Employees are now Forbidden to Travel Outside Russia (Because They Might not Come Back)​March 15, 2022 by Evan Gough
As Russia wages its terrible war against its neighbour Ukraine, the deteriorating situation inside Russia is leading many Russians to flee the collapsing economy. According to Russian journalist Kamil Galeev, Roscosmos Director Dmitry Rogozin is prohibiting Roscosmos employees from leaving the increasingly isolated nation.



I*T workers are among those fleeing, according to Russian journalist Kamil Galeev. Their technological skills are in demand around the world. But they’re also in demand in Russia, and Roscosmos Director Dmitry Rogozin is preventing them from leaving Russia.* 

*This is all part of a growing brain drain problem in Russia as sanctions cripple the economy and as prospects dwindle. According to Galeev, Russian border guards have been instructed to prevent any IT workers from leaving the embattled country. 
*
*
A modern nation can’t function properly without IT people. Neither the economy, nor the military, nor Roscosmos can be effective without them. It’s easy to see why Russia doesn’t want them to leave.

But they are leaving in large numbers according to Galeev.* 


According to the BBC, more than 25,000 Russians have left the country just for Georgia. Many more than that have fled to other countries, though there’s no official count. One Russian-educated economist says 200,000 Russians have fled Russia, and that might be a low number. Right now there’s no way of knowing what level or type of education these people have, although it seems likely that they all disagree with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

*“All somewhat smart people in the country understand how terrifying the perspectives are. People are leaving en masse wherever they can. The most popular destination of emigration is Tbilisi, all the flights are booked. So people fly to Yerevan, Baku instead, just to get out,” Galeev said in one Tweet. 

Only the future will tell us what effect this will have on Russia. For Roscosmos, it might be crippling. Is there anything more technologically intensive than space travel?*

No one knows how the war will end and what the terrible aftermath will look like. But the way it’s going, Roscosmos could be in rough shape along with other parts of the technological economy. Roscosmos earns income from its rocket-launching capabilities, and if the brain drain gets bad enough, that income will be in jeopardy. 

*Roscosmos is part of Russia’s and Putin’s prestige, too. And for leaders with no democratic legitimacy, prestige and appearances are important. Each rocket launch bolsters Putin’s status.

Nobody knows what Putin will do next. He’s inscrutable. But preventing Roscosmos employees and IT workers from leaving the country signals desperation.*

And a desperate Putin is not a good thing.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Igor Baikov ​
7,481 views

What's happening in Russia/Moscow rn. A pretty random thread:

I can't say much about people's feelings because now you can get up to 15 years in jail for criticizing this 'special operation', calling it a war (yes, you can't), 'spreading fakes', supporting sanctions or calling for protests. Have to blink twice.

Can't really protest because everyone gets instantly detained, even random people. See what happened on Bolotnaya Square, protests after Nemtsov was killed, or what happened in Belarus. These governments are good at shutting down protests. Anti-riot police is everywhere now.

Not only they control TV channels and websites, they control ALL the media. Social media networks get fines for not cooperating. FB and Google got fined for 'not removing fakes', gov limits speed and then bans them. Already happened before.
Twitter&FB got banned rn. VPN helps.

Central bank's assets are frozen, ruble dropped by almost 50% already and they had to close stock exchanges, freeze stocks owned by foreign investors so they can't cash out, etc. The stock exchange will likely open on Monday, will see how it goes 

Central bank introduced a 12% commission for buying currency on the exchange. It was 30% at first. Banks made bid-ask spreads insanely wide, sometimes up to 2.2x.

ATMs had massive queues because people are trying to cash out USD since the first few hours. On the second day we got telegram bots that send alerts when there is USD cash in an ATM somewhere. Queues occur even at 3 am (second pic, taken few days ago. Lines are way bigger now). 






A new law forces you to exchange 80% of USD/EUR you got since Jan, 1st as salary to our currency. Now you can only cash out $10k in 6 months in banks, everything over gets converted to ruble w/ bad exchange rate.

Can't travel with >$10k USD in cash. Can't transfer USD/EUR to your own foreign bank accounts. Can't transfer over $5k/mo to relatives abroad. This will go through September, if nothing changes.


Spoiler: Rest of the Tweets via Thread Reader



They announced that they will spend $8.5 billions to buy out stocks of Russian companies. More gov-owned companies. Cool. Now they also announced that the companies can issue buy-backs (those were heavily regulated before).

Now there are talks about nationalization of companies that are stopping any activities in Russia. Maybe these are just talks to make them come back, but it does look scary. If it happens - we'll get no investments and nobody will want to do any business with us for many years.

Swift is not such a problem: we have SPFS, which processes all transactions inside our country. upd: Visa/MasterCard banned us, so we can't pay for international services or use bank cards issued by Russian banks outside of Russia.

We have our own payment processor, a Visa/MC clone - Mir, which ironically translates to 'Peace'. Surely it only works in Russia, so we'll use Chinese UnionPay to make transactions between countries and use cards abroad. Only a few banks have UnionPay cards -> big fees and queues

Crypto exchanges banned us, so grey market thrives. A way to get money from outside is to get paid in crypto and trade it with someone here. The spread between buying and selling USD & EUR is so big that it is better to take the risk and also trade with someone instead of banks

By their measures it looks like they have huge problems with USD/EUR, so they limit everything that drains USD/EUR out of country. Maybe they are doing this to not let the technical default happen? Common next step is to just forcefully convert people's USD by the market rate

Or just take their money. The state recognizes your service 

I doubt these two measures will take place, the protests will emerge imo.

Small business is ****ed again. Happened during covid, happens now. Supplies are 2x the price, logistics issues, etc. Better credit terms, but that's it. They might take other measures, but looks like it will be barely enough to keep some alive, different priorities.

Many fled to Georgia because they opened bank accounts for Russians and we have visa-free entry. Now to open a bank account you have to sign a paper that you are against the war etc, but if it gets leaked to Russian gov you'll get fun times so nobody really does this.

Local businesses might collapse, we might get hyperinflation, unemployment, etc. Another scary thing is that they -might- shut down internet here: basically they are trying to create a local copycat scheme of the whole internet. And a button to switch it off.

They are migrating everything to use local IP issuing system instead of RIPE. Cross-border cables have to be owned by local companies. All ISPs have to use SORM: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SORM
and Deep Packet Inspection. Meaning they can physically shut off cables, making VPNs useless.
Big internet websites have to have servers here in Russia, and they are connected to our ISPs...Which might start using our own IP issuing system.

So basically they can even make these websites work sort of locally. < This is speculation and theories for now.

They might introduce whitelists and filter packets w/ DPI will be easier since there'll be no other traffic. VPNs won't be effective, and mesh networks will become popular. Satellite internet won't help at all because you need to somehow get a dish and it's easy to track it.

They are also working on government-issued SSL certificates. This already happened in Kazakhstan in 2015: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhsta…
Basically it allows someone to intercept, decrypt, modify and encrypt back all the traffic.
Cc @paulg
• • •


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## vevster

almond eyes said:


> No money to help people pay off student loans, yet $800 million to Ukraine.  What's wrong with this picture.
> 
> Best,
> Almond Eyes


It’s appalling.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

This is gonna get real ugly once the Russian people realize their sons aren't coming home.


----------



## lavaflow99

Give this man a recording contract


----------



## Black Ambrosia

lavaflow99 said:


> Give this man a recording contract


Did this man have a break down? What did I just watch???


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Koch Industries to stay in Russia, says exiting does ‘more harm than good’​




Charles Koch, chief executive of Koch Industries, in Colorado Springs in 2019. 

*Koch Industries**, the American manufacturing giant that employs 122,000 people across the world, said Wednesday it would not exit its operations in Russia because doing so would put its “employees there at greater risk and do more harm than good.”

The multinational conglomerate’s presence in Russia is relatively small, its president and chief operating officer, Dave Robertson, said in a statementWednesday. It has about 600 workers at its Guardian Industries subsidiary operating two glass-manufacturing facilities in Russia and an additional 15 people working outside Guardian but in the country, he said. “We have no other physical assets in Russia,” Robertson ad*ded.

Guardian Industries and its family of companies employ over 14,000 people in 26 countries and have bases in Rostov and Ryazan in Russia, according to its website.

Koch’s decision was disclosed after more than 400 global companies publicly announced plans to withdraw, suspend and scale back their operations in Russia because of its invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Consumer and social media campaigns to boycott such things as Russian vodka, classical music concerts and soccer have also added to public pressure on companies.

Dozens of corporations are still in Russia. It’s getting harder for them to leave.

*However, according to a list compiled by Yale management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his research team, Koch Industries is one of about 30 companies described as “digging in” and “defying demands” for an exit or reduction of activities in Russia. Others on the list include Reebok, Cargill, Halliburton, LG Electronics and food brands such as Cinnabon and Subway.*

Oil companies including Shell, BP and ExxonMobil were among the first to cut ties with Russia, along with some banking firms and tech companies such as Apple and Google. Others, including McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, followed.

The Post’s Sarah Ellison and journalist Hoda Osman explain why some media coverage of the war in Ukraine has received backlash. (Hadley Green/The Washington Post)

“The horrific and abhorrent aggression against Ukraine is an affront to humanity,” said Robertson, the Koch executive. “Principles always matter, and they matter most when they are under pressure.”

*Robertson said Koch “will not walk away from our employees there or hand over these manufacturing facilities to the Russian government so it can operate and benefit from them.” He added: “Doing so would only put our employees there at greater risk and do more harm than good.”*

The company is complying with sanctions, he said, and will continue to provide financial assistance to employees and their families from Ukraine along with “humanitarian aid to those affected in neighboring countries.”

Outmatched in military might, Ukraine has excelled in the information war

In an address to Congress on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Peace is more important than income.”

“All American companies must leave Russia … leave their market immediately, because it is flooded with our blood.” He urged American lawmakers to “take the lead” and “make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they use to destroy our people in Ukraine.”

The war is posing a corporate quandary and testing the mettle of some of the world’s most powerful brands, as well as the long-held theory of international relations that countries that trade together don’t wage wars against each other.

Russia boycott: A list of global campaigns that are underway in support of Ukraine

*Koch is among corporations such as Cargill, LG Electronics and Subway that have decided to stay in Russia. Many of those companies have issued statements expressing concern over the conflict, but Koch is one of the few that have opted both to stay and openly condemn the Russian government.*

Koch Industries, based in Wichita, is the second-largest privately held company in the United States and has broad operations, including in energy, chemicals and electronic technologies. It is run and partly owned by Charles Koch, known for the millions he donated to conservative causes with his brother David Koch, who died in 2019.


----------



## larry3344

I fear this war will be ongoing and lead to more conflicts. I hope you ladies are taking care of yourselves and your loved ones and stacking up money and necessities.


----------



## Peppermynt

Russian government websites face ‘unprecedented’ wave of hacking attacks, ministry says​


			https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/17/russia-government-hacking-wave-unprecedented/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3656fe2%2F623357e33e6ed13ade2bd120%2F59861219ae7e8a6816051208%2F59%2F72%2F623357e33e6ed13ade2bd120
		





An employee walks behind a glass wall inscribed with machine coding symbols at the headquarters of Russian Internet security giant Kaspersky in Moscow in 2016. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)


Russian government websites and state-run media face an “unprecedented” wave of hacking attacks, the government said Thursday, prompting regulators to filter traffic coming from abroad.

In a statement, the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications said the attacks were at least twice as powerful as any previous ones. It did not elaborate on what filtering measures had been implemented, but in the past, this has often meant barring Russian government websites to users abroad.

“We are recording unprecedented attacks on the websites of government authorities,” the statement said. “If their capacity at peak times reached 500 GB earlier, it is now up to 1 TB. That is, two to three times more powerful than the most serious incidents of this type previously recorded.”

Wednesday evening, *the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry website was defaced by hackers, who altered its content. Notably, the hack replaced the department hotline with a number for Russian soldiers to call if they want to defect from the army — under the title “Come back from Ukraine alive.”

Top news items on the ministry’s front page were changed to “Don’t believe Russian media — they lie” and “Default in Russia is near,” along with a link offering “full information about the war in Ukraine.”

Also Wednesday, insults aimed at President Vladimir Putin and Russians over the situation in Ukraine were added to dozens of Russian judicial websites.*

Under recent Russian laws against spreading “fake news about the military,” the use of the words “war” or “invasion” to describe what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation in Ukraine” is punishable with hefty fines and years in prison.

A few days after Russia began its attack on Ukraine, the state-run news agency Tass was hacked and defaced with an ad urging people to “take to the streets against the war.”

Russia’s main public services portal, Gosuslugi, had sustained more than 50 crippling denial-of-service attacks, the Russian Communications Ministry said on Feb. 26.

In early March, multiple other websites were hacked, including the Ministry of Culture, the Federal Penitentiary Service and the Internet regulator Roskomnadzor.


----------



## vevster

lavaflow99 said:


> Give this man a recording contract


People are going insane…..


----------



## Black Ambrosia

This is well done. Hopefully anonymous will get it on Russian state tv. Idk the odds of Russian citizens seeing it any other way.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## futureapl

lavaflow99 said:


> Give this man a recording contract


I thought this was amazing editing until I noticed the people in the background holding back laughter. This is hilarious!!!


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

larry3344 said:


> I fear this war will be ongoing and lead to more conflicts. I hope you ladies are taking care of yourselves and your loved ones and stacking up money and necessities.


I've been saying this is a set up for a bigger conflict.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

In Some Parts of the World, the War in Ukraine Seems Justified​In countries friendly toward Russia, people are troubled by the war and loss of life, but some say they think that Putin has a point.





By John Eligon
March 17, 2022Updated 5:42 a.m. ET

Sign up for the Russia-Ukraine War Briefing.  Every evening, we'll send you a summary of the day's biggest news. Get it sent to your inbox.
To an independent filmmaker in Hanoi, Vietnam, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is a “wise leader.” In Rio de Janeiro, a former restaurant owner said he was convinced that Ukraine had hired actors to fake war injuries. And a 27-year-old doctor living near Nairobi in Kenya questioned how Americans could be outraged over the Russian invasion when “for so long, they had a monopoly over anarchy.”
Most of the world has loudly and unequivocally condemned Mr. Putin for sparking a war with Ukraine. But in countries where governments have remained neutral, tacitly supported Russia or encouraged the dissemination of false or sanitized accounts of the war, citizens are voicing a much more complicated and forgiving narrative of Mr. Putin’s invasion.
Interviews with dozens of people in those countries — from Vietnam to Afghanistan to South Africa to China — reveal that while many are disturbed by the war and the loss of innocent lives, some are sympathetic to Russia’s justifications for its invasion of Ukraine, and do not accept the good versus evil scenario presented by the United States and Europe.
Their views are shaped by factors such as their countries’ deep and historic ties to Russia and the history of interventions and atrocities perpetrated by some Western countries — as well as disinformation and censorship that in some places is propagated by the state.

Many found resonance in the argument that Ukraine’s effort to join NATO compromised Russia’s security. Some held on to a nostalgia for the old Soviet Union. Still others could not side with a West that they viewed as hypocritical. These attitudes have helped prime the pump for the flourishing of conspiracy theories about the war.
“The U.S. invaded Iraq and no one made the same noise as people are doing against Putin,” said Eni Aquino, 52, a sports commentator from Goiânia in midwestern Brazil.
Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, has strong ties to Mr. Putin and flew to Moscow right before the invasion, but has taken a position of neutrality on the war. Polls show wide approval for this stance.






Image

People  in Belgrade this month hold Russian and Serbian flags and a picture of  President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia during a rally organized by Serbian right-wing organizations in support of the  invasion of Ukraine.Credit...Andrej Isakovic/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Arthur Maia Caetano, 68, said that since shutting down his restaurant in Rio de Janeiro because of the pandemic, he has been using his time to read Russian news websites and bulletins from the 70 or so groups that he follows on the social messaging app Telegram.

“When I started to look carefully at war, I saw that the first to die is the truth,” Mr. Caetano said, citing unfounded claims circulating online, such as that Ukraine has hired actors to pretend they were injured and that it maintains biological weapons laboratories funded by the United States.
In China, state media has done much to bolster false stories about what is unfolding in Ukraine.
Outlets have republished official Russian propaganda without verification, including false reports that Ukraine had been using civilians as human shields and that President Volodymyr Zelensky had left Kyiv.
While Chinese officials have not explicitly endorsed the Kremlin’s actions, they have framed the invasion as a rational decision by Russia to resist aggression from the West, and specifically from the United States.
Zhang Han, 37, has been an avid consumer of that messaging. Mr. Zhang, a programmer at a technology company in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, said he was initially shocked by Mr. Putin’s actions. But he said he also empathized with the Russian leader’s desire to absorb Ukraine and pointed to China’s ambition to unify with Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing has long claimed as its own.
“Of course, I pity the situation of Ukrainians and hope that the war can end soon,” he said. “But that’s the mind-set of a big country.”
In Vietnam, state authorities have also attempted to control the narrative about the war. Two editors for a Vietnamese online magazine and a state broadcaster said they were issued directives on reporting on the war that included reducing the extent and frequency of coverage, and banning the word “invasion.” Both asked to remain anonymous for fear of government reprisals.
Vuong Quoc Hung, a 36-year-old stockbroker from Hanoi, said he grew up watching documentaries and films on national television about the Soviet Red Army heroes who battled Nazi Germany during World War II. That made him fall in love with Russia, he said.

“So when Russia attacks Ukraine, people like me will sympathize with Russia, assuming that it is purely Russian self-defense,” he said.



Image




A convoy of pro-Russian troops  outside the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, last week.Credit...Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters

The difficult balance for some, though, is that innocent Ukrainian lives are being lost. That toll is impossible to justify, some said, even if they think that Russia had the right to attack in self-defense.

Although Tran Trung Hieu, a 28-year-old independent filmmaker in Hanoi, firmly opposes the atrocities of war, he said his faith in Mr. Putin was unshaken.

“I’m quite sure that a wise leader like President Putin must have given a lot of thought before sending troops into Ukraine,” said Mr. Hieu, who was born in Russia.

He added that he was “a big fan of ‘Uncle Putin,’ because he always takes drastic actions.”

*In India, the affinity for Russia is about much more than friendship. India relies on Russia for about half of its arms supplies, and has not spoken out against Russia. Some in India are critical of the United States for fighting wars overseas.*

“Wherever they’ve gone, they’ve left it in a mess,” said Naresh Chand, a retired lieutenant general in the Indian Army who trained in Russia and Ukraine.






Image

Naresh Chand, 79, a retired Indian Army general, at his home in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi on Wednesday.Credit...Rebecca Conway for The New York Times
*The devastation of American military intervention remains fresh and painful in Afghanistan, leaving many Afghans angry at the United States and NATO for their failures, and the crushing economic and humanitarian disasters that followed the fall of the Western-backed government last year.

Nazir Hussani, 34, said he thinks the West will only widen the scope of the war in Ukraine by sending weapons there. And, he said, he doesn’t trust the Americans because of their history in Afghanistan, which they invaded in 2001.

“I know they don’t want to share the truth with the media and people,” he said.*

To some, the West’s position on Ukraine’s war reeks of hypocrisy.

*Dr. Lucky Muange, who lives in Kiambu County, several miles north of Nairobi, said NATO and Western nations had little right to vilify Mr. Putin when they have in the past invaded and occupied poor countries, or interfered to topple their governments.

“So now they are shocked when Russia is the one doing it?” he said.

Since the start of the war, the South African government has been adamant about remaining neutral, and repeatedly called for peace. But officials have also gone out of their way to highlight the country’s longstanding friendship with Russia.

The Soviet Union was the first major world power to provide direct support for the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Countries like the United States supported South Africa’s white, racist regime until the 1980s.
*
The African National Congress, which was in the forefront of the anti-apartheid movement, is South Africa’s governing party. The latest edition of its weekly newsletter includes an article with the headline, “Situation in Ukraine is about denazification of the country by Russia.” The article perpetuates the false claim, promoted by the Russian government, that in 2014 Ukraine’s government “was replaced by ultra-nationals and neo Nazis who were backed by the U.S. and the E.U.”





Image

Russian and Ukrainian flags projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem on Sunday.Credit...Abir Sultan/EPA, via Shutterstock
Siyabonga Ntuli, a 28-year-old software developer in Johannesburg, said that Mr. Putin’s claims about Nazis in Ukraine were false propaganda meant to justify the invasion. Still, Mr. Ntuli said, he believed that Mr. Putin did have good reason to go to war with Ukraine, because NATO’s eastward expansion threatened Russia.
“It’s a shame that Ukraine is going to end up picking up the bill for it,” he said. “But I think that NATO knew it. I think they wanted to test his resolve.”
Mr. Ntuli was chatting with three friends on a sunny afternoon in Gandhi Square in downtown Johannesburg, where they regularly meet to discuss life and current events.
*Zamani Msimango, also 28 and a software developer, likened the current situation to the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when the United States threatened to invade Cuba after the Soviet Union placed nuclear-armed missiles there.
“But somehow now they act like they don’t understand, when they themselves are pushing closer and closer to Russia, what that’s going to lead to,” Mr. Msimango said.*

Thandiswa Bonani, a 40-year-old fashion designer in Johannesburg, said she believed that Mr. Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, was “manipulating other countries to feel sorry for him.”

“Putin, he didn’t just invade Ukraine,” she said. “There’s something there. I might not be able to put it in words, but there is something there.”









						In Some Parts of the World, the War in Ukraine Seems Justified
					

In countries friendly toward Russia, people are troubled by the war and loss of life, but some say they think that Putin has a point.




					www.nytimes.com


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

charmingt said:


>


What a brave little girl.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## yamilee21

That would be a strong stand to take, if it were true, but it might not be… 
More info about the mission: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cosmon...ation-nasa-chief-touts-us-russia-cooperation/


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Given the war and consequences for dissent in Russia it seems unlikely they’d wear anything that could be perceived as taking a stand unless that was their intent but idk how many wardrobe options astronauts have.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

I assume the franchise owner is Russian. If so I can see them refusing. It’s not like anyone wants to close their business.


----------



## ThursdayGirl

Black Ambrosia said:


> This is gonna get real ugly once the Russian people realize their sons aren't coming home.


This is very hard to believe.


----------



## Everything Zen

I learned something interesting about some of these Russian artists (the opera singer for example) that refuses to denounce Putin. The Russian government pays for their entire lifestyle to  do what they do- so I get it. 

The only reason why the ballerina was able to leave was she was hired by the Dutch national ballet company. The Metropolitan Opera should have put money on the table if they wanted the singer to speak from her chest. Everyone ain’t able.


----------



## HappilyLiberal

charmingt said:


> Is Putin married?  Who would marry him? He is so shady and vicious.


Not only is he married; but he also has a young side-piece!


----------



## Black Ambrosia

ThursdayGirl said:


> This is very hard to believe.


If you had told me this was gonna happen before the start of the war I’d agree but given everything we’ve learned about the Russian military I’m not surprised anymore.

Consider that many of them were told it was a training exercise and didn’t even know they were in Ukraine. The ones who knew what was going on thought they’d be greeted by Ukrainians with open arms as liberators. Neither group was mentally prepared to fight.

Also, contract soldiers have 3 year commitments and earn $1,100 per month but conscripts (draftees) typically have one year commitments, worse training, and earn less than $25 per month. Pretty sure the majority of lives lost are among this group. Obviously the Russian economy is not the same as ours but that can’t be a lot of money by their standards. They aren’t trained properly, have unrealistic expectations, and aren’t making what we consider minimum wage but they’re expected to take over a country that’s actively fighting back. It doesn’t add up. Even the Chechen assassins haven’t been able to get to Zelensky so it’s not surprising that untrained soldiers are falling quickly.

Look at all the Russian tanks that have either been blown up or taken by the Ukrainians. This supports the idea that the soldiers are untrained or their equipment is not battle ready.

Reports indicate that Putin expected this ‘special operation’ to last 3 days. The war is now in its 4th week. The envoy of tanks that were headed into Kiev ran out of gas delaying its advance and causing them to regroup. Soldiers are going hungry. They’re ransacking homes and stealing food from Ukrainians. I don’t expect soldiers to be Boy Scouts during a war but it speaks to their mindset. They’re in survival mode. They’re disillusioned by the war and focusing on their immediate needs. They aren’t in a headspace to take Ukraine. That’s why we’re seeing more air strikes.

Lastly, there are posts online indicating that Ukraine has asked the Red Cross to help with the removal of the dead bodies of Russian soldiers. A Ukrainian railway owner has offered to return the bodies to Russia in a refrigerated train at no cost but Russia hasn’t responded. There are unconfirmed reports of a Russian mobile crematorium that’s basically removing evidence of the lives lost in Ukraine. I won’t bother posting about the crematoriums until it’s confirmed but the need for help to deal with all the dead bodies is compelling evidence of the large number of Russian lives lost.


----------



## fluffyforever

Black Ambrosia said:


> If you had told me this was gonna happen before the start of the war I’d agree but given everything we’ve learned about the Russian military I’m not surprised anymore.
> 
> Consider that many of them were told it was a training exercise and didn’t even know they were in Ukraine. The ones who knew what was going on thought they’d be greeted by Ukrainians with open arms as liberators. Neither group was mentally prepared to fight.
> 
> Also, contract soldiers have 3 year commitments and earn $1,100 per month but conscripts (draftees) typically have one year commitments, worse training, and earn less than $25 per month. Pretty sure the majority of lives lost are among this group. Obviously the Russian economy is not the same as ours but that can’t be a lot of money by their standards. They aren’t trained properly, have unrealistic expectations, and aren’t making what we consider minimum wage but they’re expected to take over a country that’s actively fighting back. It doesn’t add up. Even the Chechen assassins haven’t been able to get to Zelensky so it’s not surprising that untrained soldiers are falling quickly.
> 
> Look at all the Russian tanks that have either been blown up or taken by the Ukrainians. This supports the idea that the soldiers are untrained or their equipment is not battle ready.
> 
> Reports indicate that Putin expected this ‘special operation’ to last 3 days. The war is now in its 4th week. The envoy of tanks that were headed into Kiev ran out of gas delaying its advance and causing them to regroup. Soldiers are going hungry. They’re ransacking homes and stealing food from Ukrainians. I don’t expect soldiers to be Boy Scouts during a war but it speaks to their mindset. They’re in survival mode. They’re disillusioned by the war and focusing on their immediate needs. They aren’t in a headspace to take Ukraine. That’s why we’re seeing more air strikes.
> 
> Lastly, there are posts online indicating that Ukraine has asked the Red Cross to help with the removal of the dead bodies of Russian soldiers. A Ukrainian railway owner has offered to return the bodies to Russia in a refrigerated train at no cost but Russia hasn’t responded. There are unconfirmed reports of a Russian mobile crematorium that’s basically removing evidence of the lives lost in Ukraine. I won’t bother posting about the crematoriums until it’s confirmed but the need for help to deal with all the dead bodies is compelling evidence of the large number of Russian lives lost.


I feel like even in past wars the only thing really benefiting Russia was having a whole lot of bodies to throw at their enemies.  That and also the country being in a cold and harsh environment that doesn’t make invading them an easy feat.


----------



## vevster

HappilyLiberal said:


> Not only is he married; but he also has a young side-piece!


I think he divorced his wife.


----------



## fluffyforever

vevster said:


> I think he divorced his wife.


That’s his first wife he divorced. He has a secret marriage to a former gymnast or athlete that is suspected but not openly discussed.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## PatDM'T

charmingt said:


>


LOL!

I don't doubt
it could be Botox
but then again
it could be just
makeup and
also crow's feet
show up when
you smile so
the pics are
not a fair comparison.

We have all seen
Ellen D's candid pics
when out and about
with no makeup.


----------



## vevster

PatDM'T said:


> LOL!
> 
> I don't doubt
> it could be Botox
> but then again
> it could be just
> makeup and
> also crow's feet
> show up when
> you smile so
> the pics are
> not a fair comparison.
> 
> We have all seen
> Ellen D's candid pics
> when out and about
> with no makeup.
> 
> View attachment 479439


I’ve heard for years Putin does facelifts and such.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Everything Zen

^^^Ummmm- why is this on Twitter?


----------



## larry3344

Everything Zen said:


> ^^^Ummmm- why is this on Twitter?


Exactly.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


This doesn't surprise me one bit. He's been leading with fear and intimidation for decades but now he's vulnerable. He's like the emperor with no clothes. The world thought he was untouchable but he's revealed how weak the Russian military is and how poor his own strategy was. Instead of being invincible he looks weak. He's probably spread the military too thin to protect it's borders. The nukes are the only thing stopping other countries from attacking but a strike from within is very possible. Maybe even likely given how poorly the war is going. 

The article below mentions how his inner circle will probably bail before he takes things to the next level. A new leader can swoop in and rightly blame everything on putin and back out of the war. Putin probably won't stop until he runs out of money IMO and that may be coming if this goes on for too much longer. The Army general quoted in the article is speculating that the invasion could collapse in 5 days due to logistical issues and serious manpower shortages.









						Putin's inner circle will bail before 'he drives the bus off the cliff': retired general
					

Appearing on MSNBC on Sunday afternoon, retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who formerly served as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe, claimed that Russia's Ukraine invasion is going so poorly that it could collapse within five days.Speaking with host Alex Witt, Hodges explained that he doesn't...




					www.rawstory.com
				






Everything Zen said:


> ^^^Ummmm- why is this on Twitter?


Agreed but he's a paranoid man. He wouldn't have fired all those staff members if he wasn't already thinking this.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Reported Detention of Russian Spy Boss Shows Tension Over Stalled Ukraine Invasion, U.S. Officials Say​U.S. deems credible reports that chief of FSB intelligence agency’s Ukraine unit is under house arrest; bickering between FSB, defense ministry​By Warren P. Strobel and Michael R. Gordon
March 19, 2022 7:00 am ET


WASHINGTON—Recriminations and finger-pointing have begun within Russia’s spy and defense agencies, as the campaign that Moscow expected to culminate in a lightning seizure of Ukraine’s capital has instead turned into a costly and embarrassing morass, U.S. officials said.

The blame game, which includes the detention of at least one senior Russian intelligence official, doesn’t appear to pose any immediate threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s iron grip on power, but the U.S. officials are watching the machinations closely.

*A U.S. official described as credible reports that the commander of the FSB intelligence agency’s unit responsible for Ukraine had been placed under house arrest.

The official, in an interview, also said bickering had broken out between the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Defense, two of the principal government units responsible for the preparation of the Feb. 24 invasion.*






The Russian Ministry of Defense building on the banks of the Moskva River in Moscow on Feb. 24, the day Russia invaded Ukraine.​Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns told Congress earlier this month that Mr. Putin had planned to seize Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv within two days, suggesting the Russian leader expected minimal resistance

Russian forces instead encountered fierce Ukrainian counterattacks and their ground advance stalled this week amid mounting casualties. Four Russian generals have died, the Ukrainian government says. Some U.S. government calculations estimate as many as 7,000 Russian troops have been killed in action, though officials caution those are uncertain estimates.

*Current and former U.S. officials say Russian intelligence agencies often shy away from telling their bosses bad news and may have reinforced Mr. Putin’s views, which he has expressed publicly, that Ukraine was a dysfunctional country whose leadership would rapidly collapse as some of its citizens welcomed Russian troops.*

“It is hard to imagine some senior intelligence person talking with Putin and not telling Putin what he wants to hear, especially if it is a belief that is deeply held, like Putin’s beliefs about Ukraine,” said Jeffrey Edmonds, a former CIA and National Security Council official specializing in the region.

*“When it comes to this guy, it’s also clear that the culture of ‘someone is at fault and is going to pay’ is clearly still operative,” said Mr. Edmonds, now at the nonprofit research organization CNA, of the Russian president.*





A damaged kindergarten Friday after Russian shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine. U.S. officials say Russia expected to seize Kyiv weeks ago.​The Russian embassy didn’t immediately respond on Friday to a request for comment.

*The FSB officer said to be under investigation and house arrest is Col.-Gen. Sergei Beseda, head of the intelligence agency’s Fifth Service, also known as the Service for Operational Information and International Communications.*

Another former U.S. intelligence official who has studied Russia for decades said Mr. Putin, a former FSB chief, helped create the Fifth Service, which operates as the de facto foreign-intelligence arm of the overall agency, which is primarily focused on internal security. It would have shared responsibility for preparing the way for the invasion of Ukraine, the former official said. That, he said, likely included a plot made public by the U.S. and U.K., but denied by Russia, to eliminate Ukraine’s leadership and install pro-Moscow successors.

Russian investigative journalist Andrei Soldatov, who co-wrote the first report on Mr. Beseda’s house arrest, said* Mr. Putin may be blaming the FSB for failing to bring about the rapid collapse of the Ukrainian government that he had expected.

“Putin himself has been absolutely sure that he understands Ukraine really well,”* said Mr. Soldatov, who is a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a nonpartisan Washington think tank. *“He expected his agencies, and first of all the FSB, to do some groundwork like cultivating political groups that could provide support for the Russian invasion. And now obviously that’s not what is happening.”*





Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at a Moscow concert on Friday that marked the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.​*The Russian leader, Mr. Soldatov added, may also suspect the FSB of leaks, given U.S. intelligence agencies’ detailed knowledge of the Russian invasion plan, some of which Washington made public. The Fifth Service’s responsibilities include maintaining contact with foreign intelligence agencies, including on counterterrorism issues, he said.*

The U.S. Treasury placed financial sanctions on Mr. Beseda, along with other Russian individuals and entities, in 2014 for their alleged role in Russia’s seizure of Crimea and destabilization of eastern Ukraine.

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, who was U.S. deputy national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia from 2015-2018, said *Russian security services have overlapping responsibilities and compete for favor from the Kremlin.

Mr. Putin appears to be singling out individuals to “scapegoat and pass the blame,” *said Ms. Kendall-Taylor, now at the Center for a New American Security. *“I think he’s in a much more precarious position now.”*


----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

yamilee21 said:


> That would be a strong stand to take, if it were true, but it might not be…
> More info about the mission: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cosmon...ation-nasa-chief-touts-us-russia-cooperation/


The thing is, they usually wear blue, so it was interesting timing.


----------



## charmingt

Good questions.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Interesting. This looks like the next rabbit hole I'll be going down. It's truly fascinating seeing all this play out and learning about the different players, their motivations, and how they're compromised.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Whoooo boy!!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## Black Ambrosia

I can't believe this is still happening even after the negative press.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Israel, Fearing Russian Reaction, Blocked Spyware for Ukraine and Estonia​The Eastern European countries had sought to buy Pegasus, spyware made by the Israeli firm NSO, to carry out intelligence operations against Russia.​March 23, 2022, 12:58 p.m. ET




President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine criticized Israel for not providing his country with the Iron Dome antimissile system and other defensive weapons during a speech on Sunday.

KYIV, Ukraine — The Israeli government rejected requests from Ukraine and Estonia in recent years to purchase and use Pegasus — the powerful spyware tool — to hack Russian mobile phone numbers, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Israel feared that selling the cyberweapon to adversaries of Russia would damage Israel’s relationship with the Kremlin, they said.

Both Ukraine and Estonia had hoped to buy Pegasus to gain access to Russian phones, presumably as part of intelligence operations targeting their increasingly menacing neighbor in the years before Russia carried out its invasion of Ukraine.

But Israel’s Ministry of Defense refused to grant licenses to NSO Group, the company that makes Pegasus, to sell to Estonia and Ukraine if the goal of those nations was to use the weapon against Russia. The decisions came after years of Israel providing licenses to foreign governments that used the spyware as a tool of domestic repression.

Pegasus is a so-called zero-click hacking tool, meaning that it can stealthily and remotely extract everything from a target’s mobile phone, including photos, contacts, messages and video recordings, without the user having to click on a phishing link to give Pegasus remote access. It can also turn the mobile phone into a tracking and secret recording device, allowing the phone to spy on its owner.

In the case of Ukraine, the requests for Pegasus go back several years. Since the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014, the country has increasingly seen itself as a direct target of Russian aggression and espionage. Ukrainian officials have sought Israeli defense equipment to counter the Russian threat, but Israel has imposed a near-total embargo on selling weapons, including Pegasus, to Ukraine.



Spoiler: Rest of the Article



In the Estonian case, negotiations to purchase Pegasus began in 2018, and Israel at first authorized Estonia to have the system, apparently unaware that Estonia planned to use the system to attack Russian phones. The Estonian government made a large down payment on the $30 million it had pledged for the system.

The following year, however, a senior Russian defense official contacted Israel security agencies to notify them that Russia had learned of Estonia’s plans to use Pegasus against Russia. After a fierce debate among Israeli officials, Israel’s Ministry of Defense blocked Estonia from using the spyware on any Russian mobile numbers worldwide.

Israel’s relationship with Russia has come under close scrutiny since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began several weeks ago, and Ukrainian officials have publicly called out Israel’s government for offering only limited support to Ukraine’s embattled government and bowing to Russian pressure.

During a virtual speech to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine criticized Israel for not providing his country with the Iron Dome antimissile system and other defensive weapons, and for not joining other Western nations in imposing strict economic sanctions on Russia.

Invoking the Holocaust, Mr. Zelensky said that Russia’s war was aimed at destroying the Ukrainian people just as the Nazis had wanted destruction for the Jewish people. Mr. Zelensky, who is Jewish, said “mediation can be between states, but not between good and evil.”

The New York Times reported last month that Israeli officials in August rejected a request by a Ukrainian delegation to purchase Pegasus, at a time when Russian troops were massing at the Ukrainian border. On Wednesday morning, The Washington Post, part of a consortium of news organizations called The Pegasus Project, reported that these discussions dated back to 2019, and first reported that Israel had blocked Estonia’s efforts to obtain Pegasus.
A senior Ukrainian official familiar with attempts to acquire the Pegasus system said that Ukrainian intelligence officials were disappointed when Israel declined to allow Ukraine to purchase the system, which could have proved critical for monitoring Russian military programs and assessing the country’s foreign policy goals.

Representatives of the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment. In a statement, NSO said the company “can’t refer to alleged clients and won’t refer to hearsay and political innuendo.”

Both Ukraine and Estonia were once part of the Soviet Union, and since then have had to live in the long shadow of Russia’s military. Estonia is a member of NATO.

Russia plays a powerful role throughout the Middle East, particularly in Syria, and Israel is wary of crossing Moscow on critical security issues. In particular, Russia has generally allowed Israel to strike Iranian and Lebanese targets inside Syria — raids the Israeli military sees as essential to stemming the flow of arms that Iran sends to proxy forces stationed close to Israel’s northern border.

Israel’s government has long seen Pegasus as a critical tool for its foreign policy. A New York Times Magazine article this year revealed how, for more than a decade, Israel has made strategic decisions about which countries it allows to obtain licenses for Pegasus, and which countries to withhold them from.
Israel’s government has authorized Pegasus to be purchased by authoritarian governments, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, that have used the weapon to spy on dissidents, human rights activists and journalists in those countries. Democratically elected leaders in India, Hungary, Mexico, Panama and other countries also abused Pegasus to spy on their political opponents.

Israel has used the tool as a bargaining chip in diplomatic negotiations, most notably in the secret talks that led to the so-called Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several of its historic Arab adversaries.

“Policy decisions regarding export controls, take into account security and strategic considerations, which include adherence to international arrangements,” the Israeli defense ministry said in a statement in response to questions from The Times. “As a matter of policy, the State of Israel approves the export of cyber products exclusively to governmental entities, for lawful use, and only for the purpose of preventing and investigating crime and counter terrorism, under end use/end user declarations provided by the acquiring government.”

Since NSO first sold Pegasus to the government of Mexico more than a decade ago, the spyware has been used by dozens of countries to track criminals, terrorists and drug traffickers. But the abuse of the tool has also been extensive, from Saudi Arabia’s use of Pegasus as part of a brutal crackdown on dissents inside the kingdom, to Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary authorizing his intelligence and law enforcement services to deploy the spyware against his political opponents.

Last November, the Biden administration put NSO and another Israeli cyberfirm on a “blacklist” of firms that are barred from doing business with American companies. The Commerce Department said the companies’ tools have “have enabled foreign governments to conduct transnational repression, which is the practice of authoritarian governments targeting dissidents, journalists and activists outside of their sovereign borders to silence dissent.”
Ronen Bergman reported from Kyiv, and Mark Mazzetti from Washington.


----------



## MizAvalon

ScorpioBeauty09 said:


>



I can’t believe no one has tried to poison him yet. Russians are notorious for that.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

He must have someone testing his food first.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Black Ambrosia said:


> He must have someone testing his food first.


I read somewhere that he does.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Seattle Slew

Black Ambrosia said:


> He must have someone testing his food first.


He is the king of poisoning. He has substances that can kill you horribly with just simple skin contact.









						Russia Fatally Poisoned A Prominent Defector In London, A Court Concludes
					

Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian intelligence officer, died in London weeks after drinking tea that was later found to have been laced with the deadly radioactive compound polonium-210.




					www.npr.org


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Black Ambrosia said:


> I can't believe this is still happening even after the negative press.


Well the Polish government doesn’t seem to think there’s any kind of problem.


----------



## Kanky

Like America doesn’t already have enough racists. 








						US to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees | CNN Politics
					

The United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia's aggression, a senior administration official announced Thursday.




					www.cnn.com


----------



## WaywardDivuh

Great so more fodder for the poor white trailer parks.


----------



## Brownie

Kanky said:


> Like America doesn’t already have enough racists.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> US to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees | CNN Politics
> 
> 
> The United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia's aggression, a senior administration official announced Thursday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com


If they were from Africa, would the headline be the same


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Sounds scary.


----------



## Kanky

_*"It is not uncommon for Ukrainians to refer to African-Americans as “[N-Word]”.* Volunteers of color may be called 'a monkey' or may see children’s games with Blackface. Being aware of the history of dehumanization for people of African descent may help inform where this comes from; it does not justify it. It will be at your discretion to determine the intent. No matter the intent, staff recognizes the impact that hearing that word may invoke hurt and anger. If you view it as unlearned [something the person has never been exposed to], it may be an opportunity for you to educate that person._




__





						Diversity and Inclusion
					

This page contains personal stories from select Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Ukraine. They represent authentic individual experiences. They do not reflect official guidance of the agency nor the experiences of all Volunteers who serve in the country.The Peace Corps uses first-person...




					www.peacecorps.gov
				





 They need to let those refugees know that it is better to stay with the Russians than to come here and call Black people the N-word.  Also I need black people to stop trying to “help” and “educate” white racists.

I am also annoyed that folks think that black people should be happy to pay higher gas prices in support of those bigots.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


> Sounds scary.


Why announce this? Why not just release it?


----------



## Belle Du Jour

So I hope y'all won't mind a bit of religion in this thread  But I'm Catholic and today something historic is happening. Pope Francis is consecrating Russia (and Ukraine) to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary which was requested in a vision/prophecy that began in *1917*. In the prophecy, Mary said "Russia would spread her errors" (communism) and that wars would break out, etc if people didn't change their lives and if the consecration wasn't done. It has been done partially by various popes over the years but they never mentioned Russia by name. Since I'm Catholic, I believe there is also a spiritual dimension to this war. The patron saint of Ukraine is Michael the Archangel. I don't think there are any coincidences


----------



## lavaflow99

sigh....


----------



## charmingt

Black Ambrosia said:


> Why announce this? Why not just release it?


I am thinking because of their nature and ability to get into R.u.s.s.i.a.s info this control will keep them anonymous and they themselves won't be uncovered. Just my guess.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## KaciaLN12

charmingt said:


>


Am I heartless if I say that I won’t??


----------



## charmingt

KaciaLN12 said:


> Am I heartless if I say that I won’t??



No ma'am. There are some things that I can't relate to either.   We do all have a right to our opinions.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

KaciaLN12 said:


> Am I heartless if I say that I won’t??


I know I personally feel a certain amount of emotional distance given how they've treated black people. I know I'm not the only one. But I can't check out of the political situation because the stakes are so high. I'm not willing to pay more just so that little white girl can be safe but I know it doesn't stop there. Just like Ukraine is a buffer for the rest of the EU in Putin's path, the EU is a buffer for the rest of the world (and by that I mean us). It sounds like a joke now because we see how weak his military is but his nukes will always make him a contender and he definitely is coming for us.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

I think Biden was signaling to Russian leaders who're in a position to pull off a coup. No idea what that'll look like but he was telling them that now is the time. Joe is known for misspeaking but I don't think he'd make a mistake this big. He meant what he said even if the White House wasn't prepared for him to say it.


----------



## vevster

charmingt said:


>


They have black Ukrainians? Interesting.


----------



## vevster

Insanity and inappropriate.








						Sean Penn vows to destroy Academy Award if Zelensky isn't invited to speak at Oscars - CNN Video
					

Award-winning actor and co-founder of CORE Sean Penn speaks with CNN's Jim Acosta about his experience in Ukraine. You can donate to CORE by texting "CORE" to 24365.




					amp.cnn.com


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

After sustaining heavy losses, Russian soldiers attack commander by running over him with a tank






Dartagnan
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Friday March 25, 2022 · 4:11 PM CDT


  Share  Tweet
207 Comments 207 New






RSS
PUBLISHED TO

Dartagnan
TAGS




This appears to be a credible story.
As reported by Liz Sly for the _Washington Post_:









> Russian soldiers have attacked and injured their commanding officer after their brigade suffered heavy losses in the fighting outside the capital, Kyiv, according to a Western official and a Ukrainian journalist.
> Troops with the 37th Motor Rifle Brigade ran a tank into Col. Yuri Medvedev, injuring both his legs, after their unit lost almost half its men, according to a Facebook post by Ukrainian journalist Roman Tsymbaliuk. The post said the colonel had been hospitalized.




Tsymbaliuk is the Moscow correspondent for the Ukrainian News agency UNIAN. The incident occurred two weeks ago. According to Sly’s reporting, the brigade in question was reportedly engaged in operations in and around Makariv, a town west of Kyiv that Ukrainian forces are now believed to have recaptured in their push to reverse Russian territorial advances. According to Tsymbaliuk’s Facebook post, the 1500-man brigade had lost about half its strength in combat, either killed or wounded, prompting a soldier to run over Medvedev with the tank at a “convenient moment” during the fighting.


There is conflicting information about Col. Medvedev’s ultimate fate. Tsymbaliuk’s original post indicated he was hospitalized in Belarus awaiting “financial compensation,” presumably from Mother Russia. Metro UK and the Daily Mail published video and still shots (purportedly released by Chechen authorities) of Medvedev being packaged up on a stretcher and transported to a Belarus hospital; at that time Medvedev was described by Russian sources as being wounded in battle. The Daily Mail article, for its part, indicates that Medvedev had since died (which correlates with the unidentified “Western official’s” assessment, cited in the _Post_ article.).


> The episode has echoes of 'Fragging' during the Vietnam War - when soldiers would take out hated officers by throwing grenades into their tents.


As Sly reports, the incident reflects the “plummeting morale” of Russian troops in Ukraine.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

That’s savage right there. No fear of retribution. Just take that  out first chance you get. If that’s what’s happening with the Russian soldiers I’m not surprised they aren’t advancing.

I saw on the news that they’re expected to  replenish (not sure if that’s the right word) the soldiers in the next 4-6 weeks. I believe these are soldiers for hire. That says a lot about putin’s confidence in his own troops. Sadly this won’t be over any time soon.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

The timing of this is interesting. I can see Putin ordering an attack on his own country to get Russian people behind the draft and the war in general.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

Kanky said:


> Like America doesn’t already have enough racists.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> US to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees | CNN Politics
> 
> 
> The United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia's aggression, a senior administration official announced Thursday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.cnn.com


Ugh. I hope they send them to the mid-west to be with their kin. America has enough Europeans.


----------



## nysister

KaciaLN12 said:


> Am I heartless if I say that I won’t??


Nope. She has a ton of white people that will.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

This is gaslighting at its finest. We don’t even know if Ukraine really did this but Russia never stopped its attacks during previous negotiations so this shouldn’t even matter. It’s confirmation that Putin just wants war. The negotiations just give him time to re-up. They aren’t negotiating in good faith.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

But how can their distraction work in our favor?


----------



## Everything Zen

nysister said:


> Ugh. I hope they send them to the mid-west to be with their kin. America has enough Europeans.


We don’t want them here- send them to Florida


----------



## ladysaraii

Did y'all see this?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Brownie

ladysaraii said:


> Did y'all see this?


Instead of advising the volunteers, they need to advise the people they plan to bring into the US—let them know that’s not ok before they end up on the nightly news somewhere.


----------



## charmingt

Ukraine update: How did Kherson fall so quickly? Betrayal looks like a good bet






kos for Daily Kos
Daily Kos Staff
Tuesday March 29, 2022 · 6:15 PM CDT

Recommend 338
  Share  Tweet
131 Comments 131 New






With the traitor governor gone, Ukrainians in Kherson defy their Russian occupiers by flying the forbidden Ukrainian flag at their city council building.
RSS
Share this article

With Russians conceding their humiliating loss at the Battle for Kyiv, there is a massive artillery barrage to cover for … something. A retreat? A reconfiguration? We don’t know. Lots of fog of war right now, and we can’t trust anything Russia claims. Look at NASA FIRMS satellite imagery of the region: 





NASA FIRMS satellite image 3/29/2022










Remember, not every red dot here is combat-related fire. Many are agricultural fires, as farmers clear out old vegetable matter by burning it, using the ash as fertilizer. Could also be related to fossil fuel production. But the imagery is still an excellent way to determine front lines. And here you can see northwest Kyiv is under heavy bombardment, as that rind of red dots is actually _behind_ the front lines. Covering fire makes sense. But the heavy shelling of Chernihiv? That makes less sense, since Russia claimed they were pulling out of the whole axis. Clearly, they’re not. 
Sumy is quiet in the wake of the defeat of the 4th Guards Tank Division, which was  clearly leading the artillery barrage of the city. Kherson also looks relatively peaceful. We haven’t had any news from the area for a couple of days now. Kharkiv is seeing some action on the northern front, as well as the southern edge of Zaporizhia, where a local counter-offensive has led to a few new liberated villages. The Donbas front is under relentless fire. Russia really, really, _really_ wants to punch through there. 
Mark Sumner wrote earlier about the status of peace talks in Turkey, and of Russia’s desire for this swath of land: 




Russia would certainly love to walk away with something like this, but it’s not the full extent of their imperial ambitions. For that, let’s look at the Novorossiya Project, an attempt to recreate an old imperial Russian province that spanned from the modern Donbas separatist region, all the way to Odesa. The word Novorossiya literally translates to “New Russia.” 




With this territory under its belt, Russia would have its land bridge to Crimea, it would deny Ukraine a Black Sea port, dramatically hurting its economy, and it would extend its hegemony over both the Sea of Azov, and the entire northern Black Sea. Indications are that Russia tried to bribe local leaders pre-invasion, in a region with higher-than-average pro-Russian sentiment. 

One of the likely targets was Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov, a member of a pro-Russia political party. He’s also facing serious political charges in an anti-corruption investigation by federal prosecutors in Kyiv, and is by all indications, a mafia-style gangster. Russia had a lot to offer him—the kind of immunity it grants all of its oligarchs. Instead, he vowed to fight and prepared his city to resist an amphibious assault that never arrived (and won’t). Ukrainian regular army units defending the city have moved to the Kherson front as Ukraine retakes lost territory outside the city of Mykolaiv—territory that was lost because Kherson’s territorial defense forces didn’t fight, and they didn’t blow the main bridge connecting the city with Russian forces coming up from Crimea. As a result, Kherson still remains the only major Ukrainian city to fall to Russia. 
This article in Russia’s Novaya Gazeta (link runs article through Google translate) gives us clues as to what happened. 


> How did you take Kherson? "Stupidity or betrayal, perhaps both," says former governor of the Kherson region Andrei Gordeev.


The article quotes that former governor, saying defensive plans included both flooding the region, as was done near Kyiv, as well as blowing the two major bridges over the Dneiper on the south side of Kherson. “The Dnieper, the Antonovsky bridge, keeps to the last, if anything, it explodes, and Kherson seems to be out of hostilities,” Google translates the former governor as saying. “[T]here is no bridge, we are just guarding the water line. **** him who will cross, the Dnieper.” 
According to Gordeev, all of these defenses could’ve been deployed in a single day. Instead, none of them were. Instead, the newspaper reports that “Incumbent Governor Gennady Laguta, according to colleagues, on the first day of the [special operation] put the keys on the mayor's desk with the words: "I do not participate in this" - and left the region.” Furthermore, “Together with him - on the first day of the special operation - the leadership of the police, the prosecutor's office, the courts left, and a little later SBU officers were evacuated.” (SBU officers are Ukraine’s intelligence officers.)
While other cities competently recruited, armed, and deployed their territorial defense forces—civilian partisans, Kherson seemingly willfully neglected theirs. “I go to this commander of the defense, say: ‘Dima, what is it?’ He didn't even have a map of Kherson on his desk. Do you understand? Volunteers resorted during the day, stood near the military enlistment office, did not know what to do.” TDF volunteers lined up at a base waiting for their weapons that never arrived. They were told to wait, wait, and wait, until eventually, the commander told them never mind, he had evacuated. Their desperate effort to cobble together any kind of resistance cost them 67 TDF soldiers, and that guy who died blowing one of the two bridges. But in the end, the main bridge survived. 
So the question, which I highlighted above, is whether it was stupidity or betrayal that cost Ukraine the city of Kherson—a loss that is costing them dearly in blood. Maybe the answer is simple—did the governor run north, into Ukraine, a coward? Or did he flee south, into the arms of Russia. Given the sums of money Russian intelligence was handing out, the latter might be the best bet.
But this story is also one of hope, because this could've easily been the story of that entire region of Ukraine, seduced by FSB payoffs, handing over entire cities without a real fight. Things might look different if Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Sumy, and lots of other smaller cities had taken Russia up on its offers. Instead, Ukraine held fast everywhere except in Kherson, and the rest has been history.

Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 7:54:52 PM CDT · Mark Sumner


A succinct summary of significant changes today. By tomorrow, there should be a better signal if Russia’s statements about Kyiv and Chernihiv have any meaning.   
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 8:51:42 PM CDT · Mark Sumner
Izyum is on the eastern side of Ukraine, right at the end of one of those little arms of control that Russia extended in the first week of fighting. Unlike Mariupol, it’s not located far from areas of Ukrainian control, and may be in a position where it could be more easily relieved. However, it is in an area where Russian forces have had a chance to dig in and expand their control beyond the highway corridor. This is certainly one of those locations to watch over the next few days when it comes to seeing whether or not Ukraine can regain territory and bring assistance to these towns that Russia is literally starving to death.







Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022 · 9:14:14 PM CDT · kos


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

China is still pretending to be neutral.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia

This is an attempt to bypass the Russian sanctions.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Putin Accompanied by Doctors, Thyroid Cancer Surgeon on Sochi Trips – Report​
April 1, 2022 






The Kremlin denied Friday that President Vladimir Putin had undergone surgery for thyroid cancer after an investigative report raised suspicion over a presidential hospital surgeon’s frequent visits to his Black Sea residence.

The report said a large group of doctors including a thyroid cancer surgeon had accompanied Putin on his trips to his residence in the resort city of Sochi from 2016-2019.

The Russian investigative outlet Proekt matched the dates of Putin’s official visits to Sochi or unexplained disappearances from public view with local hotel accommodation contracts published on the government procurement website to make the connection. An average of five doctors had accompanied Putin in 2016-17 and nine doctors in 2019, it said.

“Over the course of Putin’s 23-year rule, the country doesn’t know a word of truth about the physical and emotional condition of the person ruling over it,” Proekt editor-in-chief Roman Badanin said in a video. 

“We can affirm that by his current presidential term, the Russian leader is not in good health,” Badanin said.

According to Proekt’s investigation, a group of presidential hospital doctors, nurses and senior executives “may have performed surgery” on Putin in November 2016. At least two members of this group were later reportedly awarded and promoted.

Proekt reported that a “reinforced group” of presidential hospital neurosurgeons and other staff joined Putin to treat “a likely relapse of his trauma” in late November 2019.

“A serious manipulation is performed on a man with the nuclear button while we’re told he’s healthy,” Badanin said.

Proekt said the records showed a surgeon specializing in thyroid cancer had spent 166 days in Sochi between 2016 and 2019. This was the longest period spent there by a presidential hospital doctor with the exception of an ear, nose and throat doctor whose visits totaled 282 days.

Proekt’s report did not directly state whether Putin was diagnosed with cancer or any other illness.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the report suggesting Putin, 69, had undergone surgeries for thyroid cancer.

“Fiction and untruth,” Peskov was quoted as saying by veteran journalist Alexei Venediktov on his Telegram messaging app channel.

“Am I understanding correctly that Vladimir Putin doesn’t have cancer?” Venediktov followed up.

“Correct,” Peskov responded.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Spoiler: Trigger warning


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Kitamita

https://www.businessinsider.com/nat...end-borders-against-russia-stoltenberg-2022-4 









						NATO plans full-scale military presence at border, says Stoltenberg
					

NATO is working on plans for a full-scale military presence on its border in an effort to battle future Russian aggression, The Telegraph reported, citing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.




					www.reuters.com
				




*NATO will deploy a permanent full-scale military force on its border with Russia to combat a future invasion, the alliance's chief says.*

NATO will deploy a permanent full-scale military force on its border with Russia to defend its territory against a future Russian invasion, the alliance's chief said during an interview with The Telegraph.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the newspaper that the alliance was "in the midst of a very fundamental transformation" that will reflect "the long-term consequences" of Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions.

"What we see now is a new reality, a new normal for European security," Stoltenberg said, per The Telegraph. "Therefore, we have now asked our military commanders to provide options for what we call a reset, a longer-term adaptation of NATO."

The alliance currently has a small "tripwire" presence to the west of Russia. NATO troop numbers have increased tenfold to 40,000 since the invasion of Ukraine, The Daily Mail reported.


The "reset" will involve deploying sufficient forces to repel any offensive on NATO nations by Russian troops, per The Telegraph. NATO members bordering Russia include Estonia and Latvia.

NATO military commanders are currently discussing and developing their options, the newspaper said.

Stoltenberg will raise the issue of a bolstered military presence at a NATO summit in Madrid in June, according to Reuters.

NATO has had to tread carefully during the war in Ukraine, working out how best to support the war-torn nation while avoiding an escalation and getting drawn into the conflict.


Members of the alliance agreed on Friday to offer more military support to Ukraine.

 that it had sent its S-300 air defense system to Ukraine, becoming the first NATO country to answer the calls by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to supply powerful missile weaponry.

The S-300 is a Soviet-era long-range surface-to-air missile system that can shoot down cruise missiles and aircraft and has a range of up to 90 miles.

The Czech Republic became the first NATO country to send tanks to Ukraine earlier this week, as a Czech defense source told Reuters.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## nysister

Russians soldiers are raping elderly women (the ones who have had the hardest time escaping) and then often shooting them.

That reminds me of what happened in some war torn African countries. Just horrible.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

He's reported to be godfather to at least one of Putin's daughters.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


This is interesting. I believe he's the only one who's been cooperating working with authorities.


----------



## vevster




----------



## Seattle Slew

They need the Neo-nazi group bc they are passionate fighters they are very patriotic. It’s a terrible spot to be in. Because after the war Z will owe them something.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## january noir

Black Ambrosia said:


>


Putin's an arse.   He knows what nuclear war means; his behind will be cinders and ash.  He'll have to come up
from that underground bunker sooner or later, even if years later, and to what?  Total devastation.  

He needs to sit is little behind down.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Whomp whomp


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Seattle Slew

You sank my battleship!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## vevster




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## galleta31

vevster said:


>



I remember hearing an interview with him on NPR 5 + years ago. It stuck with me because of the sheer audacity of the action of the 200+ million dollars that his company paid the the Russian government in taxes being GIVEN back to the company!! And those actors buying houses in London, Italy, etc. And the consequences were close to nothing. This is why I maintain that more than enabling Ukraine, the West is more to blame for enabling Putin. People like Bill Browder and the former PM of Poland have been trying to warn the world about the danger of Putin for many, many years. But they were ignored. Why? Because ultimately they didn't consider Putin a threat to their capitalist economy.


----------



## TrulyBlessed




----------



## vevster

galleta31 said:


> I remember hearing an interview with him on NPR 5 + years ago. It stuck with me because of the sheer audacity of the action of the 200+ million dollars that his company paid the the Russian government in taxes being GIVEN back to the company!! And those actors buying houses in London, Italy, etc. And the consequences were close to nothing. This is why I maintain that more than enabling Ukraine, the West is more to blame for enabling Putin. People like Bill Browder and the former PM of Poland have been trying to warn the world about the danger of Putin for many, many years. But they were ignored. Why? Because ultimately they didn't consider Putin a threat to their capitalist economy.


For most things it is all about follow the money.


----------



## vevster

@galleta31  hey, strange connection to the Browder book. A woman was found murdered a few blocks from me and the husband who was away at the time told police their lives were at risk. He was also heavily promoting Browder’s book so maybe he has Russian ties?









						Video captures figure dragging large bag shortly before Queens mom Orsolya Gaal found dead
					

The Forest Hills mom found dead in a hockey duffel bag Saturday was seen alive in her yard a day earlier — hours before video caught a mysterious figure apparently lugging her makeshift casket down…




					nypost.com


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Kanky

charmingt said:


>


 He probably just likes fighting period. I don’t care at all about those white people and their white problems. I am only following this mess to see if it will somehow become a problem for me.


----------



## Evolving78

Kanky said:


> He probably just likes fighting period. I don’t care at all about those white people and their white problems. I am only following this mess to see if it will somehow become a problem for me.


He does come across as a retired military professional that misses the action.


----------



## ScorpioBeauty09

Kanky said:


> I don’t care at all about those white people and their white problems. I am only following this mess to see if it will somehow become a problem for me.








Ukrainians and eastern Europeans' racism (and justification of it) against Africans trying to leave, and the racial double standard in the media and by western world leaders solidified it. I only want to know how this affects me.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Kanky said:


> He probably just likes fighting period. I don’t care at all about those white people and their white problems. I am only following this mess to see if it will somehow become a problem for me.


I feel you. I genuinely care on a human level but their racism forces hard limits on my empathy and what I'm willing to do. Not giving money and definitely not taking in Ukrainian refugees (not that anybody is asking). But yeah, big picture I'm more concerned about what this means for me. I think history books will record this as the start of WWIII but it won't be recognized in real time until nukes are directed toward a NATO country.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## naturalgyrl5199

vevster said:


> @galleta31  hey, strange connection to the Browder book. A woman was found murdered a few blocks from me and the husband who was away at the time told police their lives were at risk. He was also heavily promoting Browder’s book so maybe he has Russian ties?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Video captures figure dragging large bag shortly before Queens mom Orsolya Gaal found dead
> 
> 
> The Forest Hills mom found dead in a hockey duffel bag Saturday was seen alive in her yard a day earlier — hours before video caught a mysterious figure apparently lugging her makeshift casket down…
> 
> 
> 
> 
> nypost.com


We heard about that down here in FL. Local news. I wouldn't be surprised. Her name sounds Eastern European so my mind IMMEDIATELY went there: Russia/Ukraine.

We have a TON of Russian and Ukraine Immigrants here in the US.


----------



## vevster

naturalgyrl5199 said:


> We heard about that down here in FL. Local news. I wouldn't be surprised. Her name sounds Eastern European so my mind IMMEDIATELY went there: Russia/Ukraine.
> 
> We have a TON of Russian and Ukraine Immigrants here in the US.


It was her Mexican handyman she had a 2 year affair with.


----------



## lavaflow99

vevster said:


> It was her Mexican handyman she had a 2 year affair with.


Makes more sense.  Looks like a crime of passion.


----------



## secretdiamond

vevster said:


> It was her Mexican handyman she had a 2 year affair with.



Heard he was not the only one she cheated on her husband with, too. smh.  And, that guy posted openly under pics on her FB page about his love for her. Like she was cheating in the open or at least didn't mind if people suspected.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## MizAvalon

charmingt said:


>



They must have known too much. Anyone with damaging info about Putin should be terrified.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## vevster

The Ukrainian Nazis had a demonstration in Manhattan


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## vevster

I guess we are going to war?









						Pelosi leads congressional delegation to meet with Zelenskyy in Kyiv — NBC News
					

Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. politician to visit Ukraine during the war, with the surprise visit adding momentum to the West’s support for the fight against Russia.




					apple.news


----------



## Black Ambrosia

As much money as we’re giving them I’m surprised we aren’t seeing more of this. Does anyone know the total?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

The whole world is giving Russia the middle finger.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## dancinstallion

Black Ambrosia said:


>



I don't like to be threatened, so I would take action if I were Britain. That's how Ukraine got invaded by not taking Russias threats seriously.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

He surely isn't with that jacked up face!


----------



## Brownie

charmingt said:


> He surely isn't with that jacked up face!


Are we sure that’s even him and not a bad double/fill in…since Ukraine, he’s been all smoke & mirrors.


----------



## MizAvalon

Brownie said:


> Are we sure that’s even him and not a bad double/fill in…since Ukraine, he’s been all smoke & mirrors.



Exactly. Is that even him?


----------



## Evolving78

MizAvalon said:


> Exactly. Is that even him?


Looks Asian to me..


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Zelenskyy: Russia's losses in war are increasing and its prospects for victory are diminishing






Charles Jay
Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)
Friday May 13, 2022 · 12:24 PM CDT

Recommend 153
  Share  Tweet
39 Comments 39 New






Ukrainian soldiers fire U.S. M777 howitzer
RSS


_(This is an update to an earlier story headlined: “Ukraine’s defense minister: The war is entering a new protracted phase, heavy weaponry will be key.”)_
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia's losses in the war against Ukraine are increasing and its prospects for victory are diminishing.
Zelenskyy made his remarks Friday evening in a presidential video address, Ukrainskaya Pravda reported.
Zelenskyy summed up what Ukraine claims are Russian losses in the war that began on Feb. 24. 


> "Today we can report on the 200th downed Russian military aircraft. Russia has not lost so many aircraft in any war in decades."
> "And Russia has lost almost 27,000 soldiers, many of them young conscripts."
> "Russia has lost over 3,000 tanks, armored combat vehicles, a large number of conventional military vehicles, helicopters, drones and all its prospects as a state."
> "Why all this? For a monument to Lenin to stand in the temporarily occupied Henichesk for a little longer? There is no other result for Russia and there will not be any."


Zelenskyy was referring to a statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin that was erected in the Russian-occupied town of Henichesk which sits on the Sea of Azov in Kherson province, just north of the border with Russian-annexed Crimea. The original Lenin statue was taken down by order of the city council in 2015.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian military has been pushing out invading Russian forces throughout eastern and southern Ukraine — a total of 1,015 settlements since the war gegan, including six in the past 24 hours.
"We are doing everything we can to liberate our land quickly. This is our priority," Zelenskyy added. That depends not only on Ukrainian fighters, but also on all “the countries in the whole free world.”
Earlier Friday, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the war with Russia is entering a new protracted phase that will last until the Ukrainian defenders receive a critical amount of heavy weaponry from their Western partners.
Reznikov made his remarks in a Facebook post in which he offered his assessment of “what happened in the last 78 days of the war that started over eight years ago.” 
In 2014, after the overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president, Russia annexed Crimea and intensified support for pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Donbas region. Reznikov noted that many Ukrainians had expected some dramatic development on May 9 when Russia marked Victory Day. But in his speech that day, Russian leader Vladimir Putin did not order a full mobilization or declare war on Ukraine.








Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov
Reznikov said:


> By May 9, Russia had suffered a strategic defeat: it had failed to destroy the Ukrainian State by military intervention and organize a change of power in favor of Russian puppets. We forced Russia to reduce the scale of its objectives to the operational and tactical level.
> 
> Given that, we are entering a new, long-term phase of the war. To win it, we must plan resources carefully, avoid mistakes and project our strength in such a way that the enemy ultimately breaks. [...]
> 
> “Extremely tough weeks are ahead. No one can say for sure how many of them there will be. [...]
> 
> During this period, we will continue defending from the enraged aggressor mainly on our own.
> 
> Over 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers are already training or will start training in the next couple of days to master equipment from our partners and then return as instructors. Some of them, like artillerymen, will go straight into battle.
> 
> Time will pass until heavy weaponry will balance the scales and ensure a breakthrough in favor of Ukraine.


On Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a Senate hearing that Russian President Putin is prepared for a prolonged conflict in Ukraine, betting that Russia is more willing and able to endure the impact of a long-term war than the Kremlin’s adversaries.

In the initial phase of the war, Reznikov said that Moscow had expected that Ukraine would surrender in a few days and many in the West shared that opinion. But instead, the whole Ukrainian nation thwarted the invaders’ plans, inflicting huge losses and defeating Russian forces near Kyiv. Then, he said Russian troops changed their tactics and “set new goals to capture the south and east of Ukraine. But again that did not happen […] thanks to the mass heroism of our soldiers, the unity of Ukrainians and international support Ukraine has endured.”

In particular, he hailed the besieged defenders of Mariupol who have “bought us time and saved many lives.” Now, he says the Ukrainian government has set a goal of arming and equipping a force of 1 million military personnel “to protect the state while a full-scale war continues.” He said that Ukraine is stimulating its own defense industry which is seeking foreign technical assistance.

On the international front, Reznikov said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his top aides have overcome many obstacles to convince Western partners to provide heavy weaponry of Western standards and speed up their delivery. He said:


> The main argument was that Ukraine is defending the whole Europe, and the enhancement of our defense is the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank. That is why ensuring the de facto mutual compatibility of the Alliance armies with the Ukrainian defense forces is in line with common interests.
> 
> Eventually, a tectonic shift took place. Within a month, Ukraine has completed a path of integration in the sphere of defense that it was not able to overcome for 30 years.
> 
> We are already receiving heavy weaponry from our partners. In particular, American 155-mm M777 howitzers are already working at the front lines.
> 
> Now most partners are confident in the ability of the Ukrainian forces to defeat the Russian invaders and cause irreparable damage to them.


Reznikov in particular praised UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for their roles in organizing and increasing military assistance for Ukraine. On April 26, Reznikov met with defense ministers from more than 40 countries at the U.S. base in Ramstein, Germany, to coordinate efforts to meet Ukraine’s defense needs.


Reznikov also welcomed the lend-lease bill symbolically signed on May 9 by President Joe Biden to provide Ukraine with the same type of military assistance that helped defeat Hitler in World War II.  He noted that the U.S. is now discussing another aid package for Ukraine. (Sen. Rand Paul has temporarily delayed Senate passage of the $40B humanitarian and military aid package.)
Reznikov tweeted that he had discussed implementation of the lend-lease package in another phone conversation with Austin on Thursday.



In his Facebook post, Reznikov said: 


> “The free world which was shocked by the atrocities of the Russian invaders on our land set a new common goal: not to stop, but to defeat the Kremlin,” he said. “This fully corresponds with our aspirations, because our goal is to restore our sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders.”


Reznikov noted that Russia has not only suffered defeats on the battlefield but also at the international level. The West is tightening economic sanctions, while Finland and Sweden are seeking NATO membership. The courage and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people, he said, has given the world “the chance to overcome dictatorship which constitutes a global threat.” He concluded:


> Time passes unspeakably slowly. … We remember that our citizens in temporary occupied territories are in danger. People are kidnapped, tortured, and killed. That is why we are doing everything possible and impossible to speed up the liberation of our land.
> The growing pressure of sanctions against Russia and the increase of foreign aid to Ukraine in the next few months should create conditions under which the Kremlin will completely lose chances for any success.
> 
> Then a new window of opportunity for Ukraine should appear. In this extremely difficult period, we need unity, cohesion, will and patience. Ukraine will be victorious!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## lavaflow99

charmingt said:


>


Why is Russia attacking their own?  Cuz we know Ukraine isn’t doing this.

Maybe to blame another country (ie Finland) and give Putin an excuse to attack others. Which is a suicide mission


----------



## lavaflow99

Or those in Russia who are opposing the war are doing this? To send Putin a message or distract him?


----------



## charmingt

A Russian diplomat resigns: ‘Never have I been so ashamed of my country.’ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/23/world/europe/russia-diplomat-un-geneva.html


----------



## Black Ambrosia

I don't have a read on how the war is perceived in Europe but this seems off base. I think everyone understands that Russia can't be trusted. Whatever 'agreement' they come to won't be honored. I can see making an argument that the US is enabling Ukraine to continue but does the rest of Europe really want them to give up? I know they want the war to end but at what cost?


----------



## yamilee21

Ukraine already "ceded" Crimea and parts of the Donbas region in 2014.... Kissinger seriously thinks Ukraine should just hand over pieces of the country every few years? Should Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all prepare parts of their countries to cede to Russia as well? Should Japan and the USA hand over a few smaller islands too? Where would it end?


----------



## charmingt

Putin has serious illnesses including CANCER, Ukrainian spy says​4h ago
FollowView Profile
_React_|
_


329_







1 of 22 Photos in Gallery©AP
Putin has serious illnesses including CANCER, Ukrainian spy says​Vladimir Putin is suffering from 'several serious illnesses' including cancer - but 'will not die tomorrow', a Ukrainian intelligence chief has claimed. Kyiv Military Spy Chief Kyrylo Budanov said he fears the Russian leader still has a 'few more years' left in him. On Monday, the major-general claimed Putin was the target of an assassination attempt shortly after launching his invasion. He said the abortive bid was by representatives of the Caucasus, but gave no further details.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


> Putin has serious illnesses including CANCER, Ukrainian spy says​4h ago
> FollowView Profile
> _React_|
> 
> 
> 
> _329_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1 of 22 Photos in Gallery©AP
> Putin has serious illnesses including CANCER, Ukrainian spy says​Vladimir Putin is suffering from 'several serious illnesses' including cancer - but 'will not die tomorrow', a Ukrainian intelligence chief has claimed. Kyiv Military Spy Chief Kyrylo Budanov said he fears the Russian leader still has a 'few more years' left in him. *On Monday, the major-general claimed Putin was the target of an assassination attempt shortly after launching his invasion.* *He said the abortive bid was by representatives of the Caucasus, but gave no further details.*


I'm surprised this hasn't happened more than once. Now that the world knows how ill prepared Russia was for war, how big a hit it's military has taken, and how sick putin alledgedly is, somebody has got to be chomping at the bit to take his spot. The nuclear threat is still real but I'm guessing there's some obfuscation when dealing with assassination attempts.


----------



## Kitamita

A little OT but FYI

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/23/politics/biden-taiwan-china-japan-intl-hnk/index.html









						Japan scrambles jets after Russian, Chinese warplanes near airspace during Quad
					

Japan scrambled jets after Russian and Chinese warplanes neared its airspace on Tuesday, when Tokyo was hosting the leaders of the Quad grouping of countries that includes the United States, Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said.




					www.reuters.com
				




 I'll be honest between covid, monkeypox, mass shooting, and these $6 gas prices here in CA. I ain't got it in me for nothing else.


----------



## charmingt

To


Kitamita said:


> A little OT but FYI
> 
> https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/23/politics/biden-taiwan-china-japan-intl-hnk/index.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Japan scrambles jets after Russian, Chinese warplanes near airspace during Quad
> 
> 
> Japan scrambled jets after Russian and Chinese warplanes neared its airspace on Tuesday, when Tokyo was hosting the leaders of the Quad grouping of countries that includes the United States, Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.reuters.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll be honest between covid, monkeypox, mass shooting, and these $6 gas prices here in CA. I ain't got it in me for nothin




Totally feeing you!


----------



## yamilee21

To Kissinger’s suggestion about ceding territory, Zelenskyy said Kissinger’s clock is stuck in 1938.  but not really; Europeans “appeased” Hitler when he invaded Austria and Poland, but it obviously didn’t stop there.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

I wondered about him when I heard some Americans who joined the fight had been captured. I'm guessing he got the fight he was looking for and will turn it into another book or TV appearances. Maybe his firsthand account will get him favor with the Biden administration.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

July has been very bad for Russia. August is going to be catastrophic, just as general Hodges said.












Maybe you want to read this — These notes below  just scratch the surface here of what she is saying.
nadinbrzezinski.medium.com/…




Both generals Hodges and Hertling think she has superb insights. I sure do.
I will clip some of it — 
_“Ukraine is likely going to end in very Russian way. It’s starting to look like the armies of Vladimir Putin will go home on foot, leaving a lot of equipment behind. Why? They are facing a logistics collapse like that seen by the armies of the Tzar in 1917, after the Summer offensive.”...”
“General Budanov correctly predicted when the Russian invasion would happen when others in his government were publicly sceptical and now says he is confident about predicting its conclusion. ”The breaking point will be in the second part of August. ”Most of the active combat actions will have finished by the end of this year….”
“So, somebody within the Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed how bad the logistics are. He has also told the world, or at least those of us who read certain Telegram channels, this is from Volyanedia, just how bad the Russian situation is. We already knew that troops were also refusing to fight. The number of refuseniks is growing...”
According to our sources in the army, difficulties have already begun with barrels for self-propelled guns, howitzers and heavy guns….
Barrels need to be changed regularly, or they will fail. When they fail, if lucky, you only get them to banana, as the explosive gasses breakthrough. If not, you get an explosion that injures and kills personnel...
Let’s just say these failures are terrible for morale. Artillerymen know the barrels need changing. They also know what happens and likely why when barrels fail..._


> “The barrels wear out quickly, faster than the factory parameters, because *either the steel is worthless, or they are made with a violation of technology*. There is almost nothing to replace them now, because there are few new trunks. Near Lisichansk and Severodonetsk, at some point, *one of the three guns worked for us. And it looks like it will get worse in the future*,” says the Russian artilleryman.


….
_Remember the general that shot himself? Here you have absolute confirmation of what we were told. Perhaps ninety percent was too high, but one in four tanks that work is a problem. I have gotten confirmation from a source on this as well...No wonder crews abandoned these tanks.
In general, the situation with the technical support of the Russian troops, according to many Russian officers, is becoming close to critical, and by August threatens to become catastrophic...”August will be really bad. We will not see new equipment, and there will be nothing and nothing to repair the old one._ *If the Armed Forces of Ukraine go forward at this moment, then we will have nothing to stop them, ”says another Russian staff officer.”*
End clip.

There will be a come to Jesus moment and it will be in August and Russia cannot stop this. I am dead sure UKR is going to really push in the southern axis. It is the smart thing to do and they are doing it already. They know.  I tried to say before — I really thought they were ruining their artillery, fired so hot every day,  60,000 rounds a day that I saw no way they could maintain those guns. I spoke of this and some MOS 13s made it pretty clear — not my MOS, but I think it was pretty ****ing clear they were firing them to **** . Do you know — RU fired more artillery here in 4 months then we did in 20 years! What neither of us took into account though was that Russia was producing those guns with crap steel and cutting corners. Honest to god — an artillery based army one would think would have well built guns. Guess not. It is why they are mostly aiming at cities I am sure — cause I don’t think they can hit the broad side of a barn so to speak.
So, when general Hodges said that July would be a bad month for Russia — how prophetic — August will be catastrophic.
Like I said — both Hertling and Hodges think she is dead on. I am sure they are not alone either. My optimism in this whole war was really man — I believed our former commanders that commanded armies.  They know how one does war. That and I could read a war game. And they both matched up. So my optimism is quit tempered by the fact that I plainly believe our best commanders and ignore stupid doom and gloom ****.  Why in god’s name would anyone believe BS written by people that never did a war, likely not even in the combat? That try and draw conclusions based on tactical issues that have little to no bearing on the larger operational issues involved. Certainly not strategically.
This writer here and I sure have one thing in common — we both studied military history.  Clearly so. And we are both paying close attention to our retired generals that actually commanded entire armies. The only real issue I saw between all our military leaders was only if we were giving UKR enough arms fast enough.  Has nothing to do with the outcome  in the end— just how long it takes (as long as we keep suppling those arms) — and just how many people die.
Russia has lost this war and their senior officers know it.
Kind of interesting to me Nadin sees this war in more 20th century terms. I know we are both fluent in the study — but I look at it and I see Alexander defeating Darius, Hannibal defeating Varros, because honest to god, war never really changes — just weapons and tactics driven by new weapons. And it gets repeated over and over again- from at least the 5thy century BC to this day. This war is no different.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Ukraine update: Russia loses two supply trains in a day ... but only one to Ukrainian attack





kos for Daily Kos
Daily Kos Staff
Wednesday August 03, 2022 · 8:30 AM CDT

Recommend 429
  Share  Tweet
252 Comments 252 New






Ukrainian rocket GRAD artillery, in action somewhere on the warfront.


Given last night’s focus on our resounding abortion rights victory in Kansas, I don’t have the energy left to write the usual cogent longer-form narrative (I write these before I go to bed). So please forgive me for this “grab-bag” format including interesting vignettes collected through Tuesday.
Let’s start with this, which … is exactly as he describes it: 






Mark and I have long discussed Russia’s “reconnaissance by fire” approach: Send Donbas cannon fodder forward until they’re shot dead. Drop artillery on that position. Send more Donbas cannon fodder forward to see if anything is left alive. If they live, then great! They have just advanced a few dozen meters. Otherwise, rinse, lather, repeat. 
It’s bad enough they employ tactics so callous to the lives of their allied Ukrainian proxies. But here they are _bragging_ about it. Apparently they don’t realize that this isn’t how competent, civilized militaries wage war! They don’t even respect these poor suckers enough to give them helmets and body armor, leaving them fully exposed to even incidental shrapnel a well-equipped soldier would shrug off. I guess it makes little sense to protect men whose entire job is to get shot. 
Down in Kherson, Ukraine is still keeping a lid on details, but one government official offered some good news: 

The previous reported number was 46, so Ukraine continues to advance. Note that most of these are tiny agricultural towns. But like we’ve seen with Dovhen’ke and Bohorodychne, the width of that dot on the map can’t always be measured by its pre-war population. 
Now let’s tell the tale of two Russian supply trains. The first is Brylivka railway station, Kherson. 




There are two train routes from Crimea to Kherson, leaving them exposed to attacks. On July 31, that’s exactly what happened as Ukraine smashed a military supply train. 


> HIMARS missile systems crushed the railway echelon of the Russian occupation army - the occupiers complain on social networks about the effective operation of American weapons in the hands of the Armed Forces.
> It is noted that a railway echelon with more than 40 wagons, which arrived from the temporarily occupied Crimea at the Brylivka railway station in the Kherson region, was hit by a high-precision HIMARS missile.
> It is claimed that 80 occupiers were killed as a result of the strike, and another 200 were injured. In addition, all drivers and engineers of the "Russian Railways" company, who were transporting military cargo, were destroyed.


This is supposed video of the attack (clearly too dark to confirm via geolocation):

NASA FIRMS imagery confirms big fire at the rail station. A fuel storage site was also confirmed hit (along with surrounding fire damage) by satellite imagery. One Russian Telegram user in Crimea noted the emergency services effort in the aftermath (run through image translator): 




I didn’t realize that this rail line is a _single_ track: 

The other two peculiarities are that the station at Brylivka has “passing loops” that allow trains headed in opposite directions to share the line. That means one train has to “pull over” into one of those passing loops, which is where the train column likely got hit. The other peculiarity is that just north of this location, that single track passes over the North Crimean Canal, giving Ukraine a juicy bridge target to hit to fully cut this line. At that point, Russia would be dependent on that second line that goes to Melitopol, 230 kilometers away from Kherson.
This isn’t the only Russian supply train to have issues that day, although this next one is more of an own-goal: The Kalanchak railway station, on the same rail line but further south, went up in flames. 

The _how_ it happened is freakin’ hilarious: 


> On July 31, an echelon with military equipment and ammunition for the occupiers arrived at the “Kalanchak” railway station of the Kherson region. At 8 a.m. the next day, the Russians began unloading the echelon. Apparently, in order to mask the unloading process and protect against HIMARS strikes, the occupiers used powerful means of smoke. At approximately 11:20 an explosion rang out in the work area. It was not possible to accurately determine its nature due to a thick smoke screen. However, immediately after the explosion, the echelon without any warning started moving in the direction of Crimea. The enemy’s personnel scattered in panic.
> Presumably, the explosion resulted from careless handling of ammunition during unloading or a fire that arose due to inept use of pyrotechnics during the creation of a smoke screen.


Smoke is widely used in combat to hide troop movements, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it used to hide _an entire train station_. The ultimate goal might've been to prevent a HIMARS attack, but the _proximate_ goal was to hide the activity from Ukrainian drones scanning for targets. 
It’s been assumed that Ukraine had a list of depots, and was systematically working its way through it. But if Russia is working this hard to hide actual loading and unloading of war material, it suggests that Ukraine is acting more opportunistically with real-time intelligence, hitting depots in the middle of operations. 
So sure, smoke might be helpful, as long as you don’t blow yourself up. And even then, Ukraine is clearly aware of the ruse. If there’s smoke at a depot, odds are good Russia is up to no good. 
One last fun tidbit: Here’s a recording of me playing one of my favorite compositions: 

I got new studio recording equipment and I’m pleased with the results.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Call me crazy but I wouldn't be surprised if these Chinese and Indian soldiers doing military exercises in Russia end up fighting Ukraine.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## dancinstallion

charmingt said:


>



Is that her body that they are bluring out? I see the shoes and legs on the ground by him but he is looking at the explosion and not at the body next to him on the ground. He looks in shocked but not at his daughter dying but more shocked he wasn't in the car.


----------



## charmingt

Ukraine Update: Russia wants to talk peace again because it is losing​





kos for Daily Kos
Daily Kos Staff
Monday September 05, 2022 · 6:12 PM CDT

Recommend 545
  Share  Tweet
486 Comments 486 New






Short update today because it’s a holiday and I still haven’t recovered from yesterday’s monster update. If you haven’t seen it, it’s still a current representation of public information on the ground situation in Ukraine. In short, I went out on a (short) limb to declare Russia’s offensive culmination, with a clear shift to defensive ops as their war machine runs out of steam. 
No new liberations were announced today in Kherson, so this is still the official map: 




However, Ukraine did claim that three more unnamed settlements, around Vysokopillya, at that northern tip, had been liberated. We also have video of Ukrainian forces walking casually through an empty and peaceful Arkhanhel's'ke. The town was declared captured by CNN on Day 1 of the Kherson counteroffensive, but that’s the first confirmed video of liberation, and the lack of any obvious signs of war suggests the front lines have moved well past the town. (The map above still lists Arkhanhel's'ke as contested, on the edge of the front lines.) 
Another sign of liberated territory—videos of Ukraine towing away captured Russian equipment (like here, here, and here). 
The action in Kherson has led Russia to formally postpone its sham referendum to annex to oblast. Ukraine also claimed it destroyed the warehouse with the paper ballots. 

This is the umpteenth time Russia has postponed this referendum, and I wish I had written the piece I had on tap last week about how there would never be a Kherson referendum. Russia’s problem is that it’s not confident in its security situation in the region. What would happen if Russia annexed Kherson, then Ukraine liberated it? Russia would have to admit an inability to protect its own territorial integrity. It would be an internal PR and propaganda catastrophe. 
So as long as there was war, there would never be annexation. Russia can blame it on the “security situation” (which is not totally inaccurate), Ukraine can claim it destroyed the ballots. But in the end, this referendum was never happening while overall hostilities continued. 
Meanwhile, while most observers dismissed Russia’s new overtures for peace negotiations as nothing new and a cynical effort to freeze the conflict, I have a different view on it. 
In short, Putin’s press spokesperson said Russia new negotiations were “possible,’ but that they would focus on “the fulfillment of the conditions set by Russia.” That was taken by the pro-Ukrainian side as a fake offer, based on unrealistic and ridiculous conditions that have already been summarily rejected by Ukraine: 

Neutrality agreement barring NATO membership
Crimea is Russia
Luhansk and Donetsk (Donbas) are independent
Demilitarization of Ukraine
“Denazification,” whatever that means
While Ukraine had once considered the neutrality component, that seems off the table. The others are _definitely _off the table, particularly since Russia defines “Nazi” as anything or anyone that opposes Russian imperialism. 
Those conditions haven’t changed with this new overture. But Russia’s statement includes this: “Any crisis situations eventually ends at the negotiation table.” That is, Russia isn’t demanding unconditional surrender, it is signaling some level of flexibility—something it hadn’t really bothered doing before with a “take it or die” approach during early talks. Problem for Russia, Ukraine has refused to die. In fact, it is Russia that is doing much of the dying. 
And while Putin may not care about his cannon fodder in Ukraine, his nation’s economy is a different matter. Bloomberg got its hands on an internal Russian report that despite rosy public proclamations, Russia is facing a deep and long-lasting recession.


> Two of the three scenarios in the report show the contraction accelerating next year, with the economy returning to the prewar level only at the end of the decade or later. The “inertial” one sees the economy bottoming out next year 8.3% below the 2021 level, while the “stress” scenario puts the low in 2024 at 11.9% under last year’s level.
> All the scenarios see the pressure of sanctions intensifying, with more countries likely to join them. Europe’s sharp turn away from Russian oil and gas may also hit the Kremlin’s ability to supply its own market, the report said.


This explains why Russia suddenly cut off all gas supplies to Europe, holding them hostage in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Putin may brag publicly about the failure of sanctions to bring down the Russian economy, yet this move says otherwise. While cutting off that gas may cause short-term pain in Europe, it will accelerate the continent’s shift away from Russian energy supplies. And even more worrying for Moscow, this action may very well accelerate efforts by China (and maybe India) toward energy independence. No one wants to be held hostage by energy terrorists. 
So put it all together: Russia’s offensive operations culminate, their forces spent and no longer able to push forward. Ukraine begins taking back territory on all fronts. The Kherson sham referendum is officially cancelled. Russia cuts off European energy supplies, demanding an end to sanctions. And Russia suddenly wants  to restart negotiations for an end to hostilities. 
Seems obvious to everyone that there’s no reason for Ukraine to agree to _any _of the previous Russian demands. Russia has very little leverage at the moment. But what seems obvious to the rest of us—like Kherson was a transparent trap—seems to somehow elude Russian policy makers. What matters here is that Russia can’t accomplish its goals on the battlefield, so it is trying to get concessions it hasn’t earned at the negotiating table. 
Put another way, a strong Russia wouldn’t be begging for sanctions to be lifted, it would sell all that gas and use it to fund its war machine, it would stage a _real_ referendum in Kherson, it would smash Ukrainian defenses, and it would get what it wanted by force.
Ukraine is in the driver’s seat.  

Monday, Sep 5, 2022 · 10:12:05 PM CDT · kos
OMG 

That is just _sad_.
Tuesday, Sep 6, 2022 · 12:15:31 AM CDT · kos


----------



## Everything Zen

I canceled my trip to the The Netherlands bc it was so last minute, I’m stressed to infinity and back trying to plan it, my company is raggedy and this here nuclear plant fallout is crazy as hell. With pilots falling asleep, going on strike and going to blows in the cockpit, it just don’t feel right to be globetrotting all on my lonesome especially for the first trip. I’m not trying to be anywhere in Europe if that nuclear situationship goes any further left. #nope


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## ScorpioBeauty09




----------



## Everything Zen

^^^^ This is a self-inflicted wound for these countries.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## vevster

Ukraine is winning! It will only take 30 trillion of our taxpayer dollars!


----------



## fluffyforever

Russia has declared a mobilization to draft in 300,000 men to start. It’s becoming a total war.


----------



## ajoke

vevster said:


> Ukraine is winning! It will only take 30 trillion of our taxpayer dollars!


If they lose, we are all in deep ****


----------



## vevster

ajoke said:


> If they lose, we are all in deep ****


How?


----------



## Peppermynt

vevster said:


> How?


What's to stop Russia from continuing what they are doing? Is Alaska next? 

We can't just ignore that they think they are above the laws and will do/say/take whatever they want. Kinda like TFG's behavior.


----------



## awhyley

fluffyforever said:


> Russia has declared a mobilization to draft in 300,000 men to start. It’s becoming a total war.



You mean like mandatory service?  Of military and civilians?


----------



## Black Ambrosia

fluffyforever said:


> Russia has declared a mobilization to draft in 300,000 men to start. It’s becoming a total war.



To be fair, it was always war. Putin just downplayed it as a special operation because he thought it would be a quick win. Now that Russia is losing badly he has to take actions that reveal to the country just how serious it is.


----------



## fluffyforever

awhyley said:


> You mean like mandatory service?  Of military and civilians?


Yes. This round is mostly currently non serving military, but some civilians. He also implemented new stricter laws with harsher punishments  for going AWOL and ignoring draft calls.


----------



## fluffyforever

Black Ambrosia said:


> To be fair, it was always war. Putin just downplayed it as a special operation because he thought it would be a quick win. Now that Russia is losing badly he has to take actions that reveal to the country just how serious it is.


Right, but a war in which all draftable citizens will be on standby? Most wars nowadays don’t mobilize all citizens when the war isn’t in their home country. So it will be total war for both sides where civilian citizens and business are required to contribute. Russian news outlets are talking about the conversion of manufacturers to building more weapons.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

fluffyforever said:


> *Right, but a war in which all draftable citizens will be on standby? Most wars nowadays don’t mobilize all citizens when the war isn’t in their home country. *So it will be total war for both sides where civilian citizens and business are required to contribute. Russian news outlets are talking about the conversion of manufacturers to building more weapons.


Honestly I can’t speak on this. Thankfully the draft has never been a real issue in my lifetime especially as a woman. Idk what the norm is for other countries when it comes to civilians. I agree that it seems extreme. 

Like Putin’s other plans related to this cluster  I think it’ll fail. Public sentiment will turn. There are already high profile people in Russia speaking out against the war which is unheard of. He’s kept public sentiment at bay by limiting info on casualties and losses and pushing lots of propaganda. If people who never planned to fight see firsthand how Russia instigated this war based on lies, things will get worse for Putin quickly.

It would be poetic justice if his own actions cause him to be ousted or worse when he’s been untouchable and feared for decades. It’s looking like he should’ve just sat there and ate his food.


----------



## vevster

Peppermynt said:


> What's to stop Russia from continuing what they are doing? Is Alaska next?
> 
> We can't just ignore that they think they are above the laws and will do/say/take whatever they want. Kinda like TFG's behavior.


Ukraine has been in play for YEARS now. I don’t believe Putin wants to take Alaska. That’s what Biden wants you to believe so he can keep spending.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

I’ve heard republicans say that Biden will give Alaska back to Russia. I haven’t heard Biden say anything about Alaska.


----------



## ajoke

vevster said:


> How?


Putin is not stopping at Ukraine. His goal is to restore the Russian empire, do that means a lot many more countries. And also means a fundamental shift in modern society again, this time not necessarily for good. 
he will stop at nothing, even nuclear war is not a no go for him.


----------



## yamilee21

Putin might not be interested in Alaska (yet?), but he certainly has his eye on Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia... Belarus may be a close ally for now, but that can always change. Armenia and Azerbaijan have already been goaded into skirmishes with each other, which will leave them both weakened. If Putin's dream of a "reunified" Russia including of all the former Soviet Republics isn't halted, other countries - Mongolia, the Eastern European countries, even Finland, are also all at risk. That will lead to serious disruptions worldwide, even in the 2/3 of the world that stays out of it. And with the wealthier countries distracted with Putin's wars, other countries with their own expansion plans will be freer to pursue them (China with Taiwan, India and Pakistan with the Jammu and Kashmir territories, for example).


----------



## vevster

ajoke said:


> Putin is not stopping at Ukraine. His goal is to restore the Russian empire, do that means a lot many more countries. And also means a fundamental shift in modern society again, this time not necessarily for good.
> he will stop at nothing, even nuclear war is not a no go for him.


I don’t believe that. But we can agree to disagree.


----------



## ajoke

Indeed. What I will say is that I lived in Russia for 7 years, part of that Putins regime. And I speak Russian and follow Russian politics closely and know Russian history. 


vevster said:


> I don’t believe that. But we can agree to disagree.


----------



## vevster

ajoke said:


> Indeed. What I will say is that I lived in Russia for 7 years, part of that Putins regime. And I speak Russian and follow Russian politics closely and know Russian history.


Interesting! However, I’ve seen the reporting of the disarray of Russian troops in Ukraine and I don’t think they could take on the US.

Adding that why did Boris Johnson fly down to Ukraine to convince them not to negotiate w Russia when they wanted to? I don’t think if they had negotiated some sort of settlement that Alaska would be next.

I also don’t think it is a coincidence that we got out of Afghanistan when we did either.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

vevster said:


> Interesting! However, I’ve seen the reporting of the disarray of Russian troops in Ukraine and I don’t think they could take on the US.


No one expected the Russian military to be so ill prepared but Russia’s strength was always tied to the nuclear threat Putin taunts the world with. The military’s performance in Ukraine hasn’t changed that.


----------



## ajoke

I didn’t say that the troops themselves were mighty. What they have shown in Ukraine is shockingly inadequate.
But they are being led by a deranged person who will stop at nothing, even if it means deploying nuclear weapons. He doesn’t care about sending millions of men into war to die, and with this new law, he will have an almost endless supply of people to send to their death.

The best thing we can hope for is for his own people in Russia to damn the consequences and rise up to say enough!


vevster said:


> Interesting! However, I’ve seen the reporting of the disarray of Russian troops in Ukraine and I don’t think they could take on the US.


----------



## ajoke

Black Ambrosia said:


> No one expected the Russian military to be so ill prepared but Russia’s strength was always tied to the nuclear threat Putin taunts the world with. The military’s performance in Ukraine hasn’t changed that.


Exactly.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

fluffyforever said:


> Right, but a war in which all draftable citizens will be on standby? Most wars nowadays don’t mobilize all citizens when the war isn’t in their home country. So it will be total war for both sides where civilian citizens and business are required to contribute. Russian news outlets are talking about the conversion of manufacturers to building more weapons.





Black Ambrosia said:


> Honestly I can’t speak on this. Thankfully the draft has never been a real issue in my lifetime especially as a woman. Idk what the norm is for other countries when it comes to civilians. I agree that it seems extreme.
> 
> Like Putin’s other plans related to this cluster  I think it’ll fail. Public sentiment will turn. There are already high profile people in Russia speaking out against the war which is unheard of. He’s kept public sentiment at bay by limiting info on casualties and losses and pushing lots of propaganda. If people who never planned to fight see firsthand how Russia instigated this war based on lies, things will get worse for Putin quickly.
> 
> It would be poetic justice if his own actions cause him to be ousted or worse when he’s been untouchable and feared for decades. It’s looking like he should’ve just sat there and ate his food.


FYI - Just read an article this morning that said the 300,000 people being drafted are either reservists or veterans.


----------



## awhyley

Black Ambrosia said:


> FYI - Just read an article this morning that said the 300,000 people being drafted are either reservists or veterans.



And they're runnin.




Associated Press
FollowView Profile
Russian men join exodus, fearing call-up to fight in Ukraine​By KHALIL HAMRA and MEHMET GUZEL, Associated Press - 5h ago


ISTANBUL (AP) — Military-aged men fled Russia in droves Friday, filling planes and causing traffic jams at border crossings to avoid being rounded up to fight in Ukraine following the Kremlin's partial military mobilization.

Queues stretching for 10 kilometers (6 miles) formed on a road leading to the southern border with Georgia, according to Yandex Maps, a Russian online map service.

The lines of cars were so long at the border with Kazakhstan that some people abandoned their vehicles and proceeded on foot — just as some Ukrainians did after Russia invaded their country on Feb. 24.

Meanwhile, dozens of flights out of Russia — with tickets sold at sky-high prices — carried men to international destinations such as Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Serbia, where Russians don't need visas.

Among those who reached Turkey was a 41-year-old who landed in Istanbul with a suitcase and a backpack and plans to start a new life in Israel.

I’m against this war, and I’m not going to be a part of it. I’m not going to be a murderer. I’m not going to kill people,” said the man, who identified himself only as Yevgeny to avoid potential retribution against his family left behind in Russia.

He referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal.”

Yevgeny decided to flee after Putin announced a partial military call-up on Wednesday. The total number of reservists involved could be as high as 300,000.

More here:
Link: https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/othe...A12aAQ4?cvid=c667672af2584ee3878365cbbd062fcd


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Another Russian dies from Tall Building Syndrome​









"Ha! Did you see how far he fell?"


The latest victim of Tall Building Syndrome in Russia — or as Rick Wilson calls it, Terminal Velocity Poisoning — is Anatoly Gerashchenko, the former head of the Moscow Aviation Institute, who fell from a great height in the MAI building.
Maybe whoever gave him the heave ho decided to see if an aviation executive could fly. Oops, I mean, what a terrible accident!






> The organization’s press office released a statement describing the 73-year-old’s death as “the result of an accident,” adding that his untimely demise was a “a colossal loss for the MAI and the scientific and pedagogical community.”
> Russian news outlet Izvestia, citing an unnamed source, reported that Gerashchenko “fell from a great height” and careened down several flights of stairs. He was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.
> A commission is reportedly being established at the institute to look into the circumstances of his bizarre death.


So, he fell from a great height _and_ careened down several flights of stairs? Damn! What else did they do, run over him with a bus? Oops, I mean, what a bizarre accident!

Ya gotta watch out for those injuries that are incompatible with life.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


Putin really thinks he’s doing something.


----------



## awhyley

charmingt said:


> *Ya gotta watch out for those injuries that are incompatible with life.*



Tell me why I bust out laughing in this office?


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


Random...


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## yamilee21

charmingt said:


>


 at the Ukrainian troops reclaiming their territory with their version of the Soul Train Line.


----------



## PatDM'T

charmingt said:


>


I forgot to 
come and post
a response to this.

How perfect is
this timing for Putin.

Just when they
start drafting people
to go on a
suicide mission as
Russian soldiers is
when Snowden is
made one of them.

Good luck wi' dat.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

Putin ought to be concerned about his ability to protect Russia’s borders. The world now knows the military ain’t  and they’re burning through crappy equipment. Not to mention the men fleeing the draft. It’ll be a nearby country with mercenaries Putin can’t pay off or oligarchs who get up the nerve to take him out before things implode. If he stopped the war today then things could be different but it’s only a matter of time if he keeps going down this path.


----------



## vevster

I'm surprised I don't see any threads about the pipeline explosion?  Do the people on this thread think Putin destroyed his own pipeline?


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## awhyley

charmingt said:


>



They'd better get Sarah Palin on this STAT!


----------



## Kitamita

Putin warns of more attacks after deadly Russian strikes rock Kyiv, Lviv and other Ukrainian cities​








						Putin warns of more attacks after deadly Russian strikes rock Kyiv, Lviv and other Ukrainian cities | CNN
					

Multiple explosions rocked Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities reported blasts and power outages on Monday morning, as Russia lashed out with a massive wave of violent airstrikes that carried echoes of the initial days of its invasion.




					www.cnn.com
				




CNN — 
Multiple explosions rocked Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities reported blasts and power outages on Monday morning, as Russia lashed out with a massive wave of violent airstrikes that carried echoes of the initial days of its invasion.

At least 11 people were killed in the strikes, while 64 were wounded, the Ukrainian emergency services said.

Moscow fired at least 84 cruise missiles toward Ukraine on Monday, the Ukrainian military said, 43 of which were neutralized by missile defense systems. Twenty-four Russian attack drones were also used in the salvo, 13 of which were destroyed.
The assault appears to be the heaviest bombardment of missile and rocket attacks seen in most of Ukraine since February, targeting power plants, bridges, civilian infrastructure and other locations.

It comes two days after an eruption damaged a crucial bridge to Crimea and dealt a strategic blow to the Kremlin. A wounded Vladimir Putin, who has also seen weeks of Russian losses on the battlefield, had been under pressure to respond with force following the explosion, which Putin on Sunday blamed on Kyiv and described as an act of terror.





Cars burn after a Russian military strike in Kyiv.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters

“It is simply impossible to leave such crimes unanswered,” Putin said in a brief television appearance on Monday. “If attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our territory continue, responses from Russia will be tough and will correspond in scale to the level of threats to the Russian Federation.”

At least four explosions were heard in Ukraine’s capital during rush hour on Monday morning. A children’s playground was among the sites hit by a rocket or missile, according to Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, who tweeted images of a smoldering crater in the ground next to the site.
In the western city of Lviv, mayor Andriy Sadovyi said an explosion hit “a critical infrastructure facility.”

“Part of the city is without electricity. A third of the traffic lights do not work,” Sadovyi said on Telegram, warning civilians to stay inside.

Authorities in Sumy, in the northeast of Ukraine, said there were power outages across the region after missile attacks, reporting that “two missiles hit an infrastructure facility” in Konotop. Officials in Kharkiv also reported attacks.

For several hours on Monday morning Kyiv’s subway system was suspended, with underground stations serving as bunkers. But the air raid alert in the city was lifted at midday, as rescue workers sought to pull people from the rubble caused by the strikes.
Enter your email to subscribe to the CNN Five Things Newsletter.
https://longhaircareforum.com/javascript:void(0)

Demys Shmygal, Ukraine’s Prime Minister, said Monday that as of 11 a.m. local time, a total of 11 “crucial infrastructure facilities” in eight regions had been damaged.

As of Monday afternoon, the electricity supply had been cut in Lviv, Poltava, Sumy, and Ternopil, said the Ukrainian State Emergency Services. Electricity was “partially disrupted” in the rest of the country.

The blasts will be accompanied by concerns that Putin may seek to escalate the conflict in Ukraine, after Moscow’s stuttering ground campaign and the damage to the Crimean bridge dealt a major blow to the Russian President.

Putin held an operational meeting of his Security Council on Monday, a day after he called the explosions on the Crimea bridge a “terrorist attack” and said the organizers and executors were “Ukrainian special services.”

Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the blast on the enormous 19-kilometer (about 12-mile) bridge, which was built after Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, an annexation regarded by the West as illegal. The crossing was opened by Putin himself in 2018, and Ukrainian reaction to the explosion has been gleeful and triumphant.





A blast hit a key bridge linking Crimea to Russia. Here's what to know
The Russian-appointed head of annexed Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said he had “good news” Monday, claiming that Russia’s approaches to what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine “have changed.”

“I have been saying from the first day of the special military operation that if such actions to destroy the enemy’s infrastructure had been taken every day, we would have finished everything in May and the Kyiv regime would have been defeated,” he added.
Monday’s explosions reverberated across central and western Ukraine, far away from the battlefields in the northeast, east and south where a powerful Ukrainian counter-offensive has liberated towns and pushed Russian troops back in recent weeks.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency alleged that Russia had been planning Monday’s missile attacks since early last week, before the blast on the bridge. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the strikes showed Putin “is desperate because of battlefield defeats and uses missile terror to try to change the pace of war in his favor.”

“They are trying to annihilate us and wipe us off the face of the earth,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram on Monday as the scale of the attacks became clear. “That’s it, in a nutshell. They are trying to slaughter our people who are sleeping in their homes in Zaporizhzhia. They are trying to kill people who are on their way to work in Dnipro and Kyiv.”

“All over Ukraine, the air raid sirens will not abate. Rockets continue to strike. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. I ask you: do not leave your shelters. Stay safe and take care of your families. Let’s hang in there and be strong,” Zelensky added.





Why the failures of Russia's top brass are now fair game
Ukraine’s Western allies doubled down on their support for Kyiv following the strikes, with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell Fontelles tweeting that “additional military support from the EU is on its way.”

US President Joe Biden said Monday’s strikes “once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.”

“These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Biden wrote in a statement. “Alongside our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia accountable for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attacks “another unacceptable escalation of the war and, as always, civilians are paying the highest price.”
The G7 group of nations will hold an emergency meeting via video conference on Tuesday, the office of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed to CNN, and Zelensky said on Twitter that he would address that meeting.

CNN’s Tim Lister, Anna Chernova, Julia Kesaieva and Petro Zadorozhnyy contributed reporting.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## vevster

I heard Ukraine is hiring mercenaries like Al Qaeda to


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## awhyley

If this is true, may he rest in eternal peace.  

Ukrainian Orchestra Conductor Murdered By Russian Troops After Refusing to Perform​Yuriy Kerpatenko led his hometown's symphony for over 20 years. 

Yuriy Kerpatenko, a Ukrainian orchestra conductor, was shot and killed in his home by Russian soldiers, according to the Facebook account of Ukraine’s culture minister and as reported by _The Guardian__._ It is believed that this was a retaliatory killing after Kerpatenko refused to take part in a concert meant to show an “improvement of peaceful life” in the occupied city of Kherson. News of his death became known in Ukraine on Friday.

The 46-year-old, Kherson-born Kerpatenko studied at the Kyiv Conservatory, an institution co-founded by composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, and whose honorary professors include *Placido Domingo* and *Riccardo Muti*. In 2000, Kerpatenko became the principal conductor of the Kherson Regional Philharmonic, which dates back to 1944, as well as its chamber group Gilea (Gileya). In 2004 he was also named head of the Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theatre.

Kherson, a port city on the Dnieper River leading to the Black Sea, was first occupied by Russian forces in March. Through May, Kerpatenko’s Facebook page included messages of defiance against the Russian invasion. 

On October 1, the International Day of Music, a concert “was intended by the occupiers,” as per the Ukrainian culture ministry, but the conductor “categorically refused to cooperate with the occupants.”

According to _The Guardian_, family members outside of Kherson lost touch with Kerpatenko in September. It is not known precisely when the killing happened. 

The U.K.-based Finnish-Ukrainian conductor *Dalia Stasevska* and keyboardist for The Cure, *Roger O’Donnell*, were among the first musicians to respond to news of the killing on social media. 

Recently, Ukrainian fighters have put in a significant push to retake Kherson. Russian authorities have since urged civilians to evacuate to Russia, raising fears the area will soon become a new frontline, but other observers feel is a sign that the invading country is losing its grip on the region.

(There are a few video clips in the story as well).
Link: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/20...d-by-russian-troops-after-refusing-to-perform


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## dancinstallion

Russia says Ukraine plans to detonate a ‘dirty bomb​
"Russia has accused Ukraine of planning to detonate a radioactive dirty bomb and blame it on Moscow.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the “rapidly deteriorating situation” in the Ukraine war in calls with NATO nations on Sunday.

Without providing evidence, Shoigu said Ukraine could escalate the conflict with a dirty bomb — a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. It does not have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion, but it could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination. ful anti-Russian campaign in the world aimed at undermining confidence in Moscow,” the RIA Novosti news agency said on Telegram.

“The calculation of the organisers of the provocation is that if it is successfully implemented, most countries will react extremely harshly to the ‘nuclear incident’ in Ukraine,” the post said. “As a result, Moscow will lose the support of many of its key partners.”

Russia provided no evidence to substantiate its allegation."

Officials in Kyiv immediately hit back.
“If anyone can use nuclear weapons in this part of Europe — it can be only one source — and that source is the one that has ordered comrade Shoigu to telephone here or there,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video message.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said “Russian lies” about a dirty bomb “are as absurd as they are dangerous”.

“Firstly, Ukraine is a committed NPT [nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] member: We neither have any ‘dirty bombs’ nor plan to acquire any,” he said. “Secondly, Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves.”



 so Russia wants to use the weapons and blame Ukraine. Ok let's see how Europe reacts.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

So people are expected to believe the country that’s literally been bombing Ukraine for months isn’t responsible for an escalation like this. Putin thinks if he puts this narrative out beforehand it’ll be accepted as fact. This is crazy.


----------



## Peppermynt

Black Ambrosia said:


> So people are expected to believe the country that’s literally been bombing Ukraine for months isn’t responsible for an escalation like this. *Putin thinks if he puts this narrative out beforehand it’ll be accepted as fact.* This is crazy.


Very Trump-like.


----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## vevster

I heard that once the ground gets cold and freezes Putin is goi g to send his troops and it is game over.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

vevster said:


> I heard that once the ground gets cold and freezes Putin is goi g to send his troops and it is game over.


Hasn’t he been sending troops for months? I saw something about the possibility of getting mercenaries or reinforcements from Belarus. Perhaps they’ll be better trained but I don’t see how sending more of the same or worse Russian soldiers (because they’re civilians) would make a difference.


----------



## vevster

Black Ambrosia said:


> Hasn’t he been sending troops for months? I saw something about the possibility of getting mercenaries or reinforcements from Belarus. Perhaps they’ll be better trained but I don’t see how sending more of the same or worse Russian soldiers (because they’re civilians) would make a difference.


They say once that ground gets hard -- look out!
Ukraine is using Al Queda as mercenaries too.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

vevster said:


> They say once that ground gets hard -- look out!
> Ukraine is using Al Queda as mercenaries too.


Where'd you hear that?


----------



## vevster

Black Ambrosia said:


> Where'd you hear that?


You tube  a clickable link


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

charmingt said:


>


There’s been speculation about his health since early in the war. He makes frequent trips to see his doctor and has tremors. Another theory is he had thyroid cancer.


----------



## yamilee21

Black Ambrosia said:


> There’s been speculation about his health since early in the war. He makes frequent trips to see his doctor and has tremors. Another theory is he had thyroid cancer.


Whatever he has, it’s not doing a good enough job of eliminating him.

He’s consolidated power so thoroughly in Russia… who even is set up as his successor?


----------



## Black Ambrosia

yamilee21 said:


> Whatever he has, it’s not doing a good enough job of eliminating him.
> 
> He’s consolidated power so thoroughly in Russia… who even is set up as his successor?


I was reading so called verified accounts of him having body doubles and getting them plastic surgery to look more like him. The only differences are supposedly their ears and heights. Idk what to think about that but it got me thinking that if it’s true then he’s probably really ill and needs serious treatment that’ll be apparent like chemo or he’s declining fast but wants to keep up appearances.

To answer your question, there is no successor. They hold elections but they’ve all been rigged in his favor. His successor will either be someone he’s handpicked or whoever takes power once he’s dead.

ETA: His sucesor will probably be whoever kills him. That’s probably the only way to take his power.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Tee hee!!!!


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt

Otherwise..
					

Otherwise..




					mpost.tribel.com


----------



## charmingt

Man, you can’t stop these guys…  https://www.wearethemighty.com/intel/ukrainian-commandos-destroy-russian-attack-aircraft/
					

Man, you can’t stop these guys…  https://www.wearethemighty.com/intel/ukrainian-commandos-destroy-russian-attack-aircraft/




					mpost.tribel.com


----------



## Black Ambrosia

This is probably the official start of WW3.


----------



## lavaflow99




----------



## charmingt




----------



## Evolving78

lavaflow99 said:


>


That was so done on purpose…


----------



## vevster

‘It Does Not Justify It’: Peace Corps Guidance for Black Volunteers In Ukraine Causes a Stir After Being Exposed on Twitter
					

Some corners of social media are in an uproar over the U.S. Peace Corps guidance on handling racism in Ukraine. Peace Corps positions in Ukraine […]




					www.yahoo.com


----------



## Kitamita

vevster said:


> ‘It Does Not Justify It’: Peace Corps Guidance for Black Volunteers In Ukraine Causes a Stir After Being Exposed on Twitter
> 
> 
> Some corners of social media are in an uproar over the U.S. Peace Corps guidance on handling racism in Ukraine. Peace Corps positions in Ukraine […]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.yahoo.com


This is why I am staying in my lane.


----------



## lavaflow99

Now they are calling the Polish strike an accident.














						Poland, NATO say missile strike wasn't a Russian attack
					

PRZEWODOW, Poland (AP) — NATO member Poland and the head of the military alliance both said Wednesday that a missile strike in Polish farmland that killed two people appeared to be unintentional and was probably launched by air defenses in neighboring Ukraine.




					apnews.com
				




Poland, NATO say missile strike wasn’t a Russian attack​By VASILISA STEPANENKO26 minutes ago





1 of 24
Children look at a crater created by an explosion in a residential area after Russian shelling in Solonka, Lviv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)

PRZEWODOW, Poland (AP) — NATO member Poland and the head of the military alliance both said Wednesday that a missile strike in Polish farmland that killed two people appeared to be unintentional and was probably launched by air defenses in neighboring Ukraine. Russia had been bombarding Ukraine at the time in an attack that savaged its power grid.
“Ukraine’s defense was launching their missiles in various directions, and it is highly probable that one of these missiles unfortunately fell on Polish territory,” said Polish President Andrzej Duda. “There is nothing, absolutely nothing, to suggest that it was an intentional attack on Poland.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, at a meeting of the 30-nation military alliance in Brussels, echoed the preliminary Polish findings. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, disputed them and asked for further investigation.
The assessments of Tuesday’s deadly missile landing appeared to dial back the likelihood of the strike triggering another major escalation in the nearly 9-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine. If Russia had targeted Poland, that could have risked drawing NATO into the conflict.
ADVERTISEMENT


Still, Stoltenberg and others laid overall but not specific blame on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war.
​

“This is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility,” Stoltenberg said.
Zelenskyy told reporters he had “no doubts” about a report he received from his top commanders “that it wasn’t our missile or our missile strike.” Ukrainian officials should have access to the site and take part in the investigation, he added.
“Let’s say openly, if, God forbid, some remnant (of Ukraine’s air-defenses) killed a person, these people, then we need to apologize,” he said. “But first there needs to be a probe, access — we want to get the data you have.”
On Tuesday, he called the strike “a very significant escalation.”
Before the Polish and NATO assessments, U.S. President Joe Biden had said it was “unlikely” that Russia fired the missile but added: “I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened.”
A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman in Moscow said no Russian strike Tuesday was closer than 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Ukraine-Poland border. The Kremlin denounced Poland’s and other countries’ initial response and, in rare praise for a U.S. leader, hailed Biden’s “restrained, much more professional reaction.”
ADVERTISEMENT


“We have witnessed another hysterical, frenzied, Russo-phobic reaction that was not based on any real data,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Later Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Polish ambassador in Moscow; the discussion reportedly lasted about 20 minutes.
The Polish president said the missile was probably a Russian-made S-300 dating from the Soviet era. Ukraine, once part of the Soviet Union, fields Soviet- and Russian-made weaponry and has also seized many more Russian weapons while beating back the Kremlin’s invasion forces.
Russia’s assault on power generation and transmission facilities Tuesday included Ukraine’s western region bordering Poland. Ukraine’s military said 77 of the more than 90 missiles fired were brought down by air defenses, along with 11 drones.
ADVERTISEMENT


The countrywide bombardment by cruise missiles and exploding drones clouded the initial picture of what happened in Poland.
“It was a huge blast, the sound was terrifying.” said Ewa Byra, the primary school director in the eastern village of Przewodow, where the missile struck. She said she knew both men who were killed — one was the husband of a school employee, the other the father of a former pupil.
Another resident, 24-year-old Kinga Kancir, said the men worked at a grain-drying facility.
“It is very hard to accept,” she said. “Nothing was going on and, all of a sudden, there is a world sensation.”
In Europe, NATO members called for a thorough investigation and criticized Moscow.
“This wouldn’t have happened without the Russian war against Ukraine, without the missiles that are now being fired at Ukrainian infrastructure intensively and on a large scale,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
ADVERTISEMENT


Swaths of Ukraine were without power after the aerial assault. Zelenskyy said about 10 million people lost electricity, but tweeted overnight that 8 million were subsequently reconnected. Previous strikes had already destroyed an estimated 40% of the country’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine said the bombardment was the largest on its power grid so far.
A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Ukraine’s downing of so many Russian missiles Tuesday “illustrates the improvement in Ukrainian air defenses in the last month,” which are being bolstered with Western-supplied systems. Sweden said Wednesday that an air defense system with ammunition would form part of its latest and largest package of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, worth $360 million.
The U.S. has been Ukraine’s largest supporter, providing $18.6 billion in weapons and equipment. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the flow of weapons and assistance would continue “throughout the winter so that Ukraine can continue to consolidate gains and seize the initiative on the battlefield.”
ADVERTISEMENT


Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he tried to speak to his Russian counterpart Wednesday, but those efforts were not successful. Milley didn’t elaborate on the efforts, but the lack of a conversation, at a time when there were questions about whether Russia had struck a NATO ally, raises concerns about high-level U.S.-Russian communications in a crisis.
At the United Nations, the organization’s political chief said the missile strike in Poland was “a frightening reminder” of the need to prevent any more escalation of the war.
As long as the fighting continues, Rosemary DiCarlo warned the U.N. Security Council, “the risks of potentially catastrophic spillover remain all too real.”
The Russian attacks followed days of euphoria in Ukraine sparked by one of its biggest military successes — the retaking last week of the southern city of Kherson.
With its battlefield losses mounting, Russia has increasingly resorted to targeting Ukraine’s power grid as winter approaches.
Russian attacks in the previous 24 hours killed at least six civilians and wounded another 17, a senior official, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said Wednesday.
Lviv Gov. Maksym Kozytskyy said two of three Russian missiles hit critical energy infrastructure in the western province. Power was restored to about 95% of the province, he said, but only 30% of consumers can use electricity at the same time.
Power shortages caused extensive train delays extending into Wednesday, but there were no cancellations because diesel locomotives were pressed into service, rail officials said.
Kyiv resident Margina Daria said Tuesday’s strikes knocked out cellphone service in her area.
“We have already adapted to life without light, because we have scheduled outages every day, but without communication it was quite disturbing,” she said. “There was no way to even tell our families that we were OK.”
___
AP journalists Vanessa Gera and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw; Lorne Cook in Brussels; John Leicester in Kyiv, Ukraine; Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia; Zeke Miller in Nusa Dua, Indonesia; Michael Balsamo and Lolita Baldor in Washington; Elise Morton in London; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; and James LaPorta in Wilmington, North Carolina, contributed.


----------



## Evolving78

I think some war hawk was trying to kick something off.


----------



## vevster

Evolving78 said:


> I think some war hawk was trying to kick something off.


Ukraine fired those missiles. Let me find a link to the latest updates.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia




----------



## ThursdayGirl

Black Ambrosia said:


>


That must’ve been some fall….or did someone push him…..


----------



## charmingt




----------



## Black Ambrosia

ThursdayGirl said:


> That must’ve been some fall….or did someone push him…..


Supposedly the fall triggered his bowels which are weakened due to the type of cancer he allegedly has.


----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## charmingt




----------



## vevster

charmingt said:


>


Proof of this?


----------



## PatDM'T

vevster said:


> Proof of this?


According to Google:









						Russians mistreated Kherson youngsters in 'children's cell,' says Ukraine official
					

Ukrainian investigators in an area recaptured from Russian troops have uncovered a cell where children were detained and mistreated, a senior Ukrainian human rights advocate said on Wednesday.




					www.reuters.com
				












						Ukrainian investigators uncover children’s cell in Russian ‘torture chamber’
					

Ukrainian parliament commissioner for human rights says they found ‘10 torture chambers in Kherson region’




					www.independent.co.uk


----------



## Kitamita

Biden assures Zelensky that US will continue to support Ukraine after historic Oval Office meeting​


			https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/21/politics/zelensky-biden-washington-visit-ukraine-russia-war/index.html
		


Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky embarked Wednesday on a dramatic visit to the United States – his first trip outside his homeland since it was invaded 300 days ago – to rally his top international partner behind sustained military and economic assistance.

Zelensky is taking part in a joint news conference with President Joe Biden at the White House following discussions in the Oval Office about the path forward in Ukraine.

At the start of the news conference, Biden relayed that he felt it was “particularly meaningful” to speak to Zelensky in person and “look each other in the eye.” The Ukrainian president’s leadership, Biden said, has inspired the world.

“We understand in our bones that Ukraine’s fight is part of something much bigger,” Biden continued.

Earlier Wednesday in the Oval Office, Biden told Zelensky, “It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s an honor to be by your side in the united defense against what is a brutal, brutal war that is being waged by Putin,” he said.

“The Ukrainian people continue to inspire the world,” Biden went on. “I mean that sincerely – not just inspire us, but inspire the world with their courage.”

The trip, which US and Ukrainian officials arranged in secret over the past week, came with heavy risks. After arriving in Poland by train, Zelensky flew to Washington aboard an American military aircraft, US officials said. He arrived in the US shortly after midday at Joint Base Andrews, just outside the nation’s capital.
















President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Wednesday, December 21.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images






































In pictures: Zelensky's wartime visit to US​1 of 7
PrevNext
Zelensky arrived to the South Lawn just after 2 p.m. ET, eschewing a suit for his now-familiar military green shirt. A military honor guard lined the White House driveway as his black vehicle pulled toward the building.

Enter your email to sign up for CNN's "What Matters" Newsletter.
close dialog

“I understand that we have very important topics and we’ll discuss them, everything, so many challenges in Ukraine, in Europe, in the world, from energy to the situation on the battlefield,” Zelensky said in the Oval Office. “But first of all, really, all my appreciations from my heart, from the heart of Ukrainians, all Ukrainians, from our nation.”

Just ahead of Zelensky’s arrival, the Biden administration announced it is sending nearly $2 billion in additional security assistance to Ukraine, including a sophisticated new air defense system. Following the White House news conference Zelensky will address members of Congress on Capitol Hill in prime time.

The visit by the Ukrainian leader to Washington, expected to last only a matter of hours, amounts to a remarkable moment 10 months since Russia’s war in Ukraine began.

[IMG alt="Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits Ukrainian service members at their position in the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine December 20, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

"]https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221220224304-01-zelensky-bakhmut-122022.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_144,w_256,c_fill[/IMG]

Analysis: Why Zelensky's surprise US visit is so hugely significant
Pulled together quickly by American and Ukrainian officials over the past 10 days, the wartime visit was meant to demonstrate in stirring fashion the continued American commitment to Ukraine at a moment when Biden’s ability to maintain that support at home and abroad is being tested.

It will also provide an opportunity for Biden and top American officials to sound out Zelensky on how he views the trajectory of the conflict, and to offer their thoughts on what it would take to bring the war to an end.

“Together with our partners, we’re also going to impose costs on the Kremlin and will support Ukraine in pursuing a just peace,” Biden said in the Oval Office, a reference to how Zelensky has said he hopes to see the war end. “President Zelensky, the United States stands with the brave people in Ukraine.”

Sitting before a roaring fireplace, Zelensky offered Biden a military cross medal from a Ukrainian soldier serving on the front lines.

“He said, ‘Give it to a very brave president,’” Zelensky said.

“Undeserved but much appreciated,” Biden replied as he accepted the medal, asking if it would be possible to contact the Ukrainian soldier.

A surprise visit​




US President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC on December 21, 2022. - Zelensky is in Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden and address Congress -- his first trip abroad since Russia invaded in February. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Biden first discussed the prospect of Zelensky visiting Washington during a telephone call with the Ukrainian leader on December 11, an administration official said. A formal invitation was extended a week ago that Zelensky accepted, launching joint consultations on the security parameters of the risky, highly secretive trip.

Zelensky, who the official said was “very keen” to visit the US, determined those parameters met his needs, and the US set to work executing them. The trip was finally confirmed on Sunday.

“We are working in lockstep with him and his staff to make sure we can make this trip safely, both coming to the United States and coming back. We will continue to support his travel requirements as best we can,” said John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator at the National Security Council.

Zelensky traveled to Poland by train as part of his journey to the United States on Wednesday. Video by CNN affiliate TVN in Poland captured the moment Zelensky arrived by train in Przemysl, near the Polish/Ukrainian border. Zelensky was then seen in a white 4x4 vehicle waiting to depart in a convoy.

Tight security has been enforced around Zelensky’s visit amid concerns that Russia wants to incapacitate the Ukrainian president, a source close to the Ukrainian leader told CNN on Wednesday. Because of this ongoing threat, senior top government officials – as well as embassy staff in the US – were not informed about the schedule of the visit.

According to the source, the military risk had to be calculated allowing the Ukrainian president to make the short overseas trip without jeopardizing the military situation. Scheduling also had to be worked with the White House to assess availability for this to happen.

In weighing a visit, Zelensky suggested he did not want to travel had there not been a significant development in the bilateral relationship between Ukraine and the US. Zelensky viewed the US decision to send Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine as a major shift in the relationship between the two allies.

Zelensky leaves Ukraine for first time since war began​Over the course of the 10-month invasion, Zelensky has emerged as the international personification of Ukrainian resistance and has spent much of the year appealing to nations for support. He has remained inside his country for the duration of the war, a reflection both of his desire to rally alongside his besieged country and the precarious security situation he would face outside Ukraine.





US President Joe Biden walks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky through the colonnade of the White House, in Washington, DC on December 21, 2022. - Zelensky is in Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden and address Congress -- his first trip abroad since Russia invaded in February. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

As the war nears its one-year anniversary, however, international support for Ukraine is being tested. Sanctions on Moscow have contributed to higher energy prices, particularly in Europe, which is heavily reliant on Russian oil and gas. In the United States, Republicans who are poised to take control of the House of Representatives have signaled they won’t quickly approve massive new assistance packages for Ukraine.

On the battlefield, Ukraine has retaken key cities and shown unlikely resistance to an unprepared and ill-equipped Russian army. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no indication he plans to ease up, and has been ruthless in targeting civilian energy infrastructure, lending a degree of misery to Ukraine’s cold winter.

The timing appeared ripe for Zelensky to make a dramatic gesture like slipping out of Ukraine for the first time since the invasion began. For Biden, the visit presents an opportunity to reinforce his convictions for supporting Ukraine, even as the war plods on.

New military assistance includes crucial missile system​The new, $1.8 billion package Biden unveiled includes a Patriot surface-to-air missile system, which has been a longstanding request of Ukraine’s to fend of Russian air attacks. CNN was first to report the US was expected to send the Patriot systems to Ukraine.

Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile batteries need much larger crews, requiring dozens of personnel to properly operate them. The training for Patriot missile batteries normally takes multiple months, a process the United States will now carry out under the pressure of near-daily aerial attacks from Russia.

A senior administration official said US troops would train Ukrainians to use the system in a third country. CNN has previously reported the training would occur at a US Army base in Grafenwoehr, Germany.

The system is widely considered one of the most capable long-range weapons to defend airspace against incoming ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as some aircraft. Because of its long-range and high-altitude capability, it can potentially shoot down Russian missiles and aircraft far from their intended targets inside Ukraine.

Russia has warned on unspecific “consequences” if the US provided Ukraine with Patriot missiles, viewing the shipments as further US engagement in the war. The official was clear, however, that Biden remained steadfast in keeping the United States out of direct conflict with Russia, despite the enhanced security assistance.

“The President has been very clear that we are going to lean forward and be robust in our support for Ukraine on the military, economic, energy and humanitarian fronts, but we are not seeking to engage in a direct war with Russia. And nothing about that will change tomorrow,” the official said.

CNN’s MJ Lee and Matthew Chance contributed to this report.


----------



## Black Ambrosia

Haven't seen this reported yet by the news but it's trending.


----------



## dancinstallion

Russian sausage tycoon Pavel Antov dies in Indian hotel fall​*"Russian sausage tycoon Pavel Antov has been found dead at an Indian hotel, two days after a friend died during the same trip.*

They were visiting the eastern state of Odisha and the millionaire, who was also a local politician, had just celebrated his birthday at the hotel.
Antov was a well known figure in the city of Vladimir, east of Moscow.
Last summer he denied criticising Russia's war in Ukraine after a message appeared on his WhatsApp account.
Reports in Russian media said Mr Antov, 65, had fallen from a window at the hotel in the city of Rayagada on Sunday. Another member of his four-strong Russian group, Vladimir Budanov, died at the hotel on Friday."


----------



## charmingt




----------

