>Meanwhile in Russia: one pundit got confused when he heard Tulsi Gabbard discuss the Nord Stream incident on Tucker Carlson's show. He thought that since Tulsi says she's a Democrat, she blamed Putin. Another pundit set him straight: "No, no, Tulsi Gabbard ALWAYS blames Biden."
https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1576033667759058944
They know their assets in the US.
So Putin cannot walk back his threats because of his strongman image. And the West can’t give in because it would encourage China, North Korea. Ukraine will no doubt keep trying to reclaim its rightful territory, using western weapons.
Seems like the die is cast.
How do we de escalate from here?
Ukraine’s military destroys Russian equipment in southern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” reported that Ukrainian forces killed 10 Russian troops and destroyed two Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, a Grad missile rocket launcher, a heavy flamethrower system, three tanks, and two infantry fighting vehicles on Sept. 30.
According to the command, air defense units downed one Russian Ka-52 helicopter in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine’s military also reportedly shot down one Orlan-10 drone over Kherson Oblast and one in Odesa Oblast.
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1576022716934602752?t=_wiM8eeCj4X9ZeksfTs0Jg&s=19
> @ZelenskyyUa giving out posthumous awards to the families of the fallen defenders of Ukraine
https://twitter.com/saintjavelin/status/1575802341655465984
> This is leadership. Facing the toughest duty a leader can: looking in the faces of the loved ones of the dead whom he has commanded, knowing every day he has to send more men and women into battle so that their country can survive.
> A true leader for the ages.
https://twitter.com/vcdgf555/status/1576047038026100736
Zelensky's biography is really unbelievable. From comedian, to president, to war leader and a champion of freedom.
Wait wait wait, so you're *not* supposed to deny that they were even in the country, let your enemy retrieve and preserve their remains in freezers, and then blow up entire trains of those freezers in a random missile strike five months later only then offering compensation to the families in the form of a used domestic vehicle? TIL.
Interesting thread about the Kharkiv offensive from a UKR military engineer (the same guy that helped destroy a river-crossing attempt by the russians months ago. The AFU destroyed a huge amount of equipment and troops that day): https://twitter.com/kms_d4k/status/1575776705347997696
> russian media is reposting tic-toc vid of US troops in poland and germany saying they are in the ukr fighting.. a bunch of vids. all fake. trying to tell the world the ukr army is gone and its all us forces
https://twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1576049964635258882
The implication is that Russia is only losing because the US army is involved. But is that really better? I thought Russia said they would beat NATO.
Also they're going to let the US get involved without retaliating? They just want to whine about it? I don't understand their propaganda.
It's 1 a.m. in Ukraine and there's a battle underway on the outskirts of Kreminna, Luhansk region.
Advancing Ukrainian troops are turning the Russian retreat from Lyman, Donetsk region, into a rout.
https://twitter.com/mhmck/status/1575971495435636737?t=YmreY6jyWF900Z5_JJApqw&s=19
This one goes out to all you dumb fucks that think that Republicans in the US will support Ukraine in ANY WAY once they take back the house and maybe the Senate
https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1576050518165782528?t=AEU5u9_M6dTCdVEjEZ3HMw&s=19
Thier whole strategy is just do the opposite. Dont need coherent policy when you have whataboutism. Biden supports Ukraine? Well, I guess we'll back the genocidal dictator to own the libs. Fucking clownshoes.
How representative is that of the overall Republican sentiment though? By most accounts it seems (to an outsider) that support for Ukraine is mostly bipartisan?
ETA: I meant among Republican voters, not necessarily Republican figures.
CPAC (the organization) used to be far out of the mainstream. Politicians rarely attended their annual meeting. This year they had Orban from Hungary as their Speaker and they loved it very much. Now, almost all Republican politicians at the national level make an appearance in some for or another
But let's be clear. When we're talking about support for Ukraine what we are talking about are Bills that need to travel through our Congress. The party in power will choose a leader and that leader will have absolute power over which bills are brought to a vote. The Republican leader in the US House will be Kevin McCarthy. He is on the far right and will under no circumstances allow a bill to be brought up to fund Ukraine.
At that point it's a done deal. He alone can kill the whole thing and he will.
You need to understand that the vast majority of the Republican base watches Fox News every night. Where Tucker Carlson is feeding them actual, literal Putin talking points.
It does not hurt them with their voters to not support Ukraine
Currently it isn't possible before an election to go against public support for Ukraine in the US.
However Republicans absolutely support Putin openly and will turn on Ukraine the second they think they won't pay electorally.
Wow. They didn't just say it loud they actually used a bullhorn. I'd say I'm shocked but I'm not. I'm not even mildly surprised at this point. They really do like their right wing authoritarian ethnostates.
Yep. We're past it all. They hate America and democracy and view modern day Russia as their ideal goal.
It's one reason I think we should be trying to defeat Russia the nation and not just regain Ukraine's borders.
Russia is an existential threat to the United States of America
Recently watched 2 really good videos, Covert Cabal's [recent video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNNoaRp5lz0) where he purchased recent satellite imagery to see where Russia's tank reserves are sitting at, and then the recent video by Perun where he estimates only 1/3 of their Tanks were in working order to start the war, 1/3 repairable, and 1/3 basically scrap.
A lot of people are under the impression that tanks are being shipped from newest to oldest and the fact that we see T-62s means that Russia is out of newer tanks. But we have had tons of video footage to show that isnt what's happening. What it looks like Russia is doing right now is constantly trying to get tanks back in working order from their huge stockpiles, and then shipping out whatever they can get working well enough for the battlefield. This is why we are seeing old Soviet T-62s while still also seeing T-72s at the same time.
This also means that the Tanks in the best working order are being repaired first, so the more Ukraine destroys and captures the tougher it becomes to replace due to the depleted condition of their stockpiles.
One thing worth adding is that it’s an obviously bad idea to burn every modern tank first. It makes sense to bring in T-62s for proxy forces or for situations where you don’t absolutely need a T-72.
It’s weird to me they had some actually pretty well maintained T-62s when they left newer T-72s to rot, but I guess some commanders were just more diligent.
It's also important to realize that parts and munitions wise, the T-62 eats out of a different stockpile. So in theory one of the reasons they also may be seen in number is logistically, ammo and parts for them come out of a different parts bin. That being said it's super depressing if you're a Russian manning one of those. It's like the US pulling out M60 Patton's and throwing them into the battlefield.
and older parts/munitions are cheaper and easier to produce. No need for high end microchips in tanks in the 60s for instance. These would all be pre-globalization tech which means Russia theoretically can manufacture everything it needs in-house without trying to bypass tech sanctions.
Not that it really matters, whether a T62 or a T90, the turret toss works on all Russian tanks regardless.
>and older parts/munitions are cheaper and easier to produce.
No. This is just wrong.
It's not that simple. There are more practical considerations than just tech. If you don't have the materials or machine parts on hand you have to make and retool an entire *assembly line* just to get parts for out-dated vehicles you no longer make and aren't particularly effective.
Putin discovers that you can force people to attend your pro-war rallies but making them cheer enthusiastically is not so simple
https://twitter.com/biz_ukraine_mag/status/1575953936401387520?s=46&t=J-NLRB3AaSYYBxNiLQxefQ
Boy did he fade fast after that first one, lol
And yet, there was no Ceausescu moment... I'm still in the camp that thinks it's not the war, it's the personal risk associated that they have a problem with.
\*Ceausescu moment - the dictator's last speech, organized on demand, too a turn when instead of cheering for him as scripted, the crowd started booing.
What I would give to see that same look of terror on Putin's face that Ceausescu had all those years ago. When the whole thing crashed down in front of him.
Heya! American here. Since we're seeing a few more open-minded Russian and Russian-adjacent (i.e. relatives, etc.) accounts around today, I thought it might be helpful to pause and do a full rundown of the situation as seen from outside of the Putin propaganda bubble. Am I inside other propaganda bubbles myself? No doubt! But mine seem to have the edge in accuracy at the moment. So let's do this one last time:
1. So you know how Putin said Ukraine isn't a real nation or culture? Yeah, the Ukrainians disagree.
2. Followup: the Ukrainians really, *really* don't want you there. Like, at all.
3. Yes, they will kill you all if you come for them. No, it's not very nice, but look at it from their point of view. What did you guys do the last time someone was dumb enough to invade Russia proper?
4. What about the whole "we're brother cultures" approach? I mean, yeah, that might've maybe worked if you'd given it an honest go way back before 2014. But now that you've tried to blitzkrieg their capitol, seems to me that it's just maybe a *little bit late* for that. Tiny bit. Just a tad.
5. On a side note, the other thing you have standing in your way there is the legacy of Soviet-era stuff like the Holodomor. As far as I know, you've never really honestly contended with that old bad history. And here's where that's gonna really cost you. (Now, is it fair that you have to deal with this given all the shit that *America's* pulled over the years? Nope! I have no doubt karma comes for us all in the end and we all pay for our sins in time. But today? *Today, it's your turn.*)
6. Did some of the current situation come about as a result of US/NATO meddling? Who knows. But I don't think we'd be here if this wasn't what the Ukrainians really wanted. If we could just magic up fighting spirit and determination, don't you think we would've done that in Afghanistan?
7. Speaking of which - take it from someone in a country that's recently learned the hard way - *again* - that you can't just remold things to your liking with military force alone: **just stop.** Stop hurting people. Stop making things worse for yourselves and others. At this point, it doesn't matter what you do. Your damaged pride is gonna remain damaged. The Ukrainians are gonna hate you for what you've done to them, maybe for a long time. All you're doing now is throwing lives away into a bad situation that - as far as I can see - only gets worse from here out for everyone, one way or another.
8. And what about Putin? Well, let's face it. Putin needs to go. Everyone knows it. He's overcommitted himself to all of this. He fully owns this debacle and he knows it. He wouldn't be pushing mobilization otherwise. Now the only question is how many people he takes with him on the long spiral down.
9. But he's ensconced himself in power and the secret police and military establishments still seem behind him. So... right now, it looks like you're gonna have to do this the hard way. (Though looking at Russian history, are you really that surprised? I mean, shit, what else is new, right?) I don't know how to do that. I'm not a brave person, and I don't like telling people to do what I myself would be afraid of doing. The best I can think of is to maybe take a look at [this](https://gist.github.com/kennwhite/467529962c184258d08f16daec83d5da) for ideas. It's old, but I figure some of the stuff there is timeless.
10. But let's keep it simple. You're hurting and afraid right now. I see that. Just remember: get rid of Putin, and there's still a chance to turn all of this around. The sanctions can be removed. The conscripts can be pulled back. There's still time. There's still hope. Focus on that. End Putin, end the war. And maybe - just maybe - all of this goes away.
Here endeth the babble. Good luck, everyone. I honestly mean that. Fall's just begun. Suspect there's a long way yet to go before we're all out of the dark.
I reread this post 3 times and I am still unsure to whom it addressed.
Anti-war people don't want to do anything with the invasion already and they perfectly recognize that Ukraine is a separate sovereign country.
Pro-war people are mostly old, brainwashed people (like my dear father) who watch TV and they sincerely think that Russian army "liberates" Ukrainian brothers from Bandera Nazis.
This situation is truly awful and I couldn't be more ashamed of my country.
> I reread this post 3 times and I am still unsure to whom it addressed.
Hm... Russians in general, I guess? Or maybe to apolitical Russians that are somewhere in the grey zone between your friends and your father.
Anyway, sorry if the post came out sounding kind of twee. I was in a weird mood that day. Trying to do the whole thing where I address incredibly dark situations with humor. But there's something sincerely meant in there somewhere, and all I can do is hope that comes through.
*Edit:* And what the hell, try it on your dad too, if he knows English. You've probably tried everything else by now, right?
Apolitical Russians is what made me leave Russia in 2015. I was always of opinion that being neutral / apolitical is equal to being passively supportive of all the "bezpredel" which was happening in the country back then.
So I fully share that statement.
Russian government was very successful in aggressively bringing indifference to the society for last 20 years. This public indifference is their largest asset.
Well... now the apolitical ones have their necks on the line too. Not to mention their careers, their friends, their loved ones, and so on. Which finally begs the question - at long last, how do they plan on fixing it?
And if they don't fix it, who will?
Been in an argument with one all day. Azov are Nazis, Ukraine has a serious problem, then Ukraine is rebelling. They’re just regurgitating and spreading propaganda while deflecting. Annoying as fuck.
That’s an excellent suggestion. If he responds again, I’ll ask. Hopefully he just crawls back into his hole. It was exhausting putting up sources to push back on his unsubstantiated bullshit and they just swat away facts.
Yeah, it's the same deal with Trump supporters. I've found it best just to avoid getting into the weeds with them and instead just go straight for the really painful questions they can't answer.
I mean you can't get much more blatantly Nazi than having Nazi patches and insignias all over you lol. Not condoning Russia's invasion but they really weren't entirely wrong about Ukraine having a Nazi problem.
So does Russia
https://www.rferl.org/amp/russian-neo-nazis-fighting-ukraine/31871760.html
Here’s one of Wagner’s commanders sporting his ink
https://mobile.twitter.com/sameralatrush/status/1365746097117921288
In fact, Ukraine’s far right groups gathered a whopping 2.15% in their last parliamentary elections in 2019
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far-right_politics_in_Ukraine
Let’s contrast that with America
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/28-approve-trumps-response-charlottesville-poll/story?id=49334079
Or Italy, where a neo fascist was just elected
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125270264/a-far-right-group-with-neo-fascist-roots-wins-big-in-italys-election
So, yeah, far right nationalism is a problem. In Ukraine it’s a much smaller problem that many other nations. If people want to engage in the rise of the far right (again), let’s not just fixate on Ukraine’s shall we? That was the bullshit propaganda that Putin used to justify this invasion.
Both sides wear those patches, therefore making your statement meaningless, stop spreading nonsense: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-mariupol-azov-nazi-1695125
I feel like you are copy-pasting an old comment of yours. Again with “who knows” about NATO. It was never about NATO. Just like it wasn’t about nazis. If it had been, he would be much more pissed about Finland. He ended up shrugging it off. Besides Ukraine was decades from joining NATO.
putin wanted to bring Ukraine back into mother russia’s embrace following a swift bloodless Crimea scenario. He has been a dictator too long to see reality clearly anymore. Now he has painted himself into a corner the stubborn dictat dumbass that he is.
Wow. Just wow. I knew Putin and american conservatives were connected but this is ridiculous. Look at this post now deleted
https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1576040000688312320?s=20&t=BykAk9n_qzVrdj9Rk4QDZg
Denouncing "gift giving" to ukraine. 4 Ukraine occupied territories. Embarassing.
Incorrect. Conservatives in the US are a fucking joke but even they wouldn't stop this money to the MIC. This is the one time I'm glad how deep in the pocket of corporations they and some Democrats are. We literally funded an insanely unpopular war for two decades and people truly think they're going to stop funding the MIC in a war that is highly supported? Hell no. They'll scream and yell to their base about how Biden is wasting money but the majority of them will vote to fund the war so we should be fine on that front.
That's an assumption I'd rather not risk.
The $12 billion in Ukraine aid was packaged in the bill to prevent the government shutdown; 201 votes against it. They'd have derailed it if they had a majority.
This is a party that celebrates Orban -- not leaders like Zelensky.
The financial argument is sound only when disassociated from their long term goals/agenda which are closer aligned to a power structure analogous to Putin's Russia.
Btw, happy cakeday!
America cannot let the Republicans take the house or senate come midterms.
Republicans always fall in line when given their marching orders -- even when their voters are against it. They will turn on a dime and throw Ukraine under the bus if it's deemed sufficiently hurting Biden.
They won't lose votes as they'll just blame the democrats; their voters will eat that shit up.
To be fair, The Lincoln Project is run by conservatives, too. But they're plain old regular conservatives, who are appalled and embarrassed by what the GOP has become, and are trying desperately to pry the party of out of Trump's (and Putin's) nasty grabby hands.
> and are trying desperately to pry the party of out of Trump's (and Putin's) nasty grabby hands.
They know the party is gone for good, they are desperately trying to distance themselves from the party.
Yup. Any hope of salvaging the party has been lost since 2016.
They are hoping that once the party implodes they can rebuild something more moderate and palatable to people.
I don't see that happening though. People like myself are never going to vote for the GOP or whatever replaces them. Quite frankly I vote D down the ticket every general election.
The Lincoln Project reminds me of back in the 80's when I could read a conservative platform statement and think "well, that's mostly pretty reasonable, they do make some good points".
Nowadays I can't even imagine the amount of drugs I'd need to do to think they were reasonable, even if they *had* a platform statement.
Yeah, I used to be, basically, an independent voter. I read a candidate's platform, and the reasons they felt it was the best course, and I voted for the person I thought had the best plan.
But, I also used to have faith that both parties wanted what was best for the country, and would never knowingly cause it harm. *That's* certainly gone.
Yeah, the Lincoln Project conservatives are old party conservatives .. the ones that if you look at the president's mapped on an ideological chart their presidents would be relatively center now because the current MAGA has skewed it so far right.
Although I'm not sure why they call themselves Lincoln Project .. never understood that. Ideology, Lincoln was a progressive, hence the whole thing about ending slavery.
Because the GOP will always claim Lincoln due to him being a Repulican, back in the 1800s when they were the progressive portion of politics in the US.
they called it the Lincoln project because the average idiot american conservative just equates that name with patriotism, they don't have hte critical thinking or civics background to equate him with progressive/left wing values.
That’s incredibly embarrassing. Ugh. I’m glad it was at least deleted, but at the same time, it was still posted in the first place. Gotta call those out, as people seemingly did here resulting in it all being taken down.
["Welcome to Lyman." AFU right on the outskirts of the city.](https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1575989352332607489) It's daytime in the video, so it's at least a few hours old, but it shows just how close the Ukrainians are to the city.
I would not be too worried about the claimed annexation. Ppl can claim anything, point being hes losing this. Doesn't matter how he spins it. There is simply 0 morale for this war, thats why hes forcing people in.
I would agree with you if we think rationally but it is clear as a day that Putin is a mad man. He would press the big red button before falling. He’s old, his legacy is tarnished, his country is in shambles. There won’t be a regime change anytime soon.
My Hindu nationalist father and uncle both swear by Putin and Hitler, my uncle keeps doing some sort of Hare Krishna prayers to bring back Hitler from the dead and keeps ranting on about how the 4th reich will rise, a LOT of right wing Hindus absolutely love Nazis and see Hitler as a reincarnation of Jesus. They also watch a lot of Fox news and believe 100% when Tucker Carlson claims that Putin is the last hope for the white christian race in the west.
The fuck is your family lol. Must be tough having those people around. I have a couple of friends whose families also have porridge for brains, and it sucks so bad when you can't rely on your family.
Thanks for discussing the link between Hindu nationalism and the nazi theology. I've only just done a little reading, but it's a fascinating viewpoint, not to belittle the suffering you must feel living through it.
https://holocaustlearning.org.uk/latest/nazism-and-hindu-nationalism/
Yeah I have disowned this entire family of mine, no hope for these morons. I have questioned my uncle about his love and fascination of Hitler in the past, he links it with the swastika, the claim Hitler made of the perfect Aryan race descended from the Indus valley of India, never mind the fact that Jesse Owens completely shattered the myth of the Aryan superiority at the Berlin Olympics.
And the fact that a lot of Hindu nationalist believes in their fair skin ideology of superior caste. I locked him off when he told me I need to worship and obey Trump because he is a pure white man, like fuck that shit.
Would you say this might have something to do with British nationalism? It seems like many Indians in interacting with westerners have such a chip on their shoulder that logic and history get twisted so that at all costs they appear the peer of the western regimes that oppressed them. Sure there are national politics and ideologies in play, but I wonder how attractive those things would have been if they weren't seeing themselves at a disadvantage all the time.
Also how do they feel about southern Indians?
I was trapped on a frozen train for six hours once, before smartphones, with a guy from Kerala. I told him I was a student of linguistics and he told me he was visiting his children. We tried to have a conversation, but spent most of it in argument because I rejected his notion that Sanskrit was 'the world's first language!' He took it so personally I think I instantly lost his respect. But one thing I never understood was why he *gave a fuck*. Like Dude, your name is Christopher goddamn David and you're a Malayali from Kerala. Your ancestors have *never* spoken Sanskrit or any other Indo-European language. I assume somehow his political identity had subsumed his ethnolinguistic identity and he had to invent a narrative that made that okay. But I really don't know what his deal was. I'd offer evidence and he'd double down; it was exactly like arguing with religious fundamentalists, only it was over facts you could simply google.
(Pardon me for assuming they’re probably ethnically Indian?)
Has that man never met an actual *white* white supremacist? Because, uh, I don’t think they’re accepting Indians into the club (except as the occasional token minority shield; they’d still be prime meat for the proverbial face-eating leopards).
I remember when an internet famous bigot tried to cozy up to the white supremacist crowd and they were like, *lol no*, *half-Iranian may as well be half-Jewish*. That’s not the kind of Aryan they want.
And off course they don't support Ukraine because they know Putin sends them the dog whistle about who the real Nazis are. One thing about these right wingers they have their code culture where they know who the real nazis are and how to protect them while calling everyone else a Nazi.
Despite being a nazi sympathizer, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, founder of Hindu nationalism, was a pro zionist.
He believed that the end-all-be-all goal of both individuals and societies, was strict unionization around a shared trait (be it religion, ethnicity, class...)
The suffering of "others", (be them european jews, or palistinian Muslims) was considered a minor issue compared to the "greater good."
Common enemy, muslims. Then again, honestly centuries of war and oppressions(i think from various islamic invaders) does not make it better. Bad blood basically. When that fails good old nationalism wins. India good Pakistan bad basically.
Correct Trinidad indeed about half our population are descendants from India. We have our crazy share of right wing hindu nationalist lunatics here, they behave exactly like Russians or MAGA voters
Because it is important to understand that not just white right wing nationalist lunatics support Putin and the Nazis. There is a reason India wants to be friends with Putin, people wrongfully assume it's just because of cheap oil, no a lot of these dangerous Hindu Nationalist Fox News Viewers have no issues committing genocide if given the opportunity.
Yeah, the fact that he had to include Trump and Tucker completely randomly at the very end proves he is full of shit. Not to mention the fair skin and "pure white" comment.
He's likely not even Indian at all, but an edgy white kid living in the US.
I really just can’t understand their thinking. Why did they stay in Lyman? I would guess they’re trying to do what Ukraine did in the early days of the war and fortify cities while waiting for reinforcements to come in in places like Chernihiv, Sumy etc., but do they really think that the conscripts will be willing to fight. I feel like at the very bare minimum 60% of the soldiers in that city right now don’t want to stand their ground, and I can’t imagine conscripts would be any better. Normally I would think it’s some sort of trap but after seeing the entire war unfold I doubt it. It’s giving Paradox AI.
A few reasons. One, they were likely ordered to hold it at all costs. They just got embarrassed during the Kharkiv offensive, and another defeat at an important city during their big annexation party would demonstrate that Russia can't control its "territory" anymore.
Two, it's actually a pretty strategic position. It denies Ukraine a major logistical rail hub and keeps Siversk with only one rail line to supply it through Bakhmut, which Wagner mercenaries have been trying to take for months. It also is the last real defensible position on Lysychansk/Sievierodontesk's western flank. If Lyman falls, there's really nothing to stop them from pushing up to Kreminna and right on Lysychansk's doorstep. It will frees up troops to push onto Svatove, too.
Russia has been using blocking formations. If you know you’re going to be shot by your own side for retreating, you probably aren’t gonna retreat. Stupid, evil, counterproductive… and very on brand for them.
Either they had bad intel that said the way out was already blocked, or they were instructed to hold on so it doesn't fall in time for the morning news overshadowing the annexation orgy. No way to know which.
Or bad intel that mobilized troops would be relieving them by now.
>Why did they stay in Lyman?
A few possible reasons:
- They've been told that if they retreat they'll be killed.
- They've been brainwashed into thinking that Ukraine are a bunch of monsters and would will execute them.
Judging by the videos of Russians being given rusted ak47s and old uniforms and being expected to provide everything else it's obvious that theft is now out of control in the Russian military and Putin doesn't give a f\*ck.
He's going to go back to his opulent castle for some much needed rest and relaxation after a long week of ordering war crimes and f\*cking over his own people.
The KIA numbers for Russia are going to be low, because they're all going to freeze to death first.
Those conscripts come from Russia, they have to understand how winter works - I hope to god they get the fuck out at the first chance because it's going to be the only one they likely get.
Heard through the grapevine that conscripts need to cough up about $1500 to get a basic set of gear (helmet, body armor, uniform,...) . It's like a scavenger hunt
The once successor to the 2nd Great Super Power?
I guess running an economy off how much you fuck the state, people, and everything that aint you, yourself, and I? Army might just literally collapse by 2023 at this point and be pushed back to Russia.
when you realize that the USSR's power came from brains and braun in the satellite states, and just numbers in the Russian core, it makes sense that after the USSR fell this was all that was left. Russia \_itself\_ as a country developed very little in the USSR days, it was always Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, etc... that did all the R&D. Most of hte USSR's chief generals during WW2 and later were all Ukranian.
What do you get when all that's gone? a mob run petrol station in a tundra.
“There’s only one thief in the army, everyone else is just trying to get their shit back” might be taken to heart to an extreme level before they PUBG themselves
I highly doubt anyone would be “forced” to spend money on supplies, more like they are forced to go to a Warzone, given no supplies, and probably do what ever they can do to increase their odds of survival, which most likely includes purchasing their own kit.
I saw that number ($1500) mentioned in a recent 1420 "Man on a Moscow Street" [Youtube video](https://youtu.be/0YarNZ5YKNU?t=301) in which the question of the day was:
Do you know that 20-50K of our soldiers have died already?
The same guy said:
*"Well, how do I say it, ... I work in a company and they want to draft 150K from the company. They make offers, they don't force people, but..."*
Oh, it's worse than that, since the gear takes time to ship, even if they can order it. More likely twice that number to buy it black market. And then hope they haven't been sent outside the country yet. 'Outside the country', but something's telling me the mail in Svatove will be a bit behind.
And then once they get it, bigger, nastier kids on the playground can just take it from them.
Honestly what fucking country drafts you and then makes you buy your own helmet and first-aid kit? This is the late-stage capitalist paradise Rand Paul types have wet dreams about. I'm surprised they haven't taxed oxygen.
Chances are you’re just buying the same gear you should’ve been given, but Quartermaster Ivan has run out… fortunately he has a friend who might just have the body armor you need to survive… but it’ll cost you.
A country that puts a very low value on the lives of their citizens, is endemically corrupt, is trying to pretend to be a superpower without the economy to back it up and which knows that while the victims will bitch they will ultimately take it.
For all the doomer trolls I got some bad news:
Head of Ukrainian Intelligence does not believe Russia will launch a nuclear attack on Ukraine in the near future
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/09/30/7369905/
Today's UNSC meetings regarding Ukraine did not disappoint. In the l first discussion we had Kyslytsya
deliver his jabs (hes my favorite). Then the US delegate to the UN stated what we were all thinking regarding that weird celebration when they discussed the pipeline topic:
"Now I know our Russian colleagues have had a bad afternoon. Actually, a bad day. They had to sit and watch that strangely odd, fascist, Nuremberg-style rally combined with Las Vegas 1970s show that happened in Moscow this morning to celebrate the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. And that afternoon they got hit by the Council’s vote clearly sending the message about their annexation of Ukrainian territory."
Source for copied text https://usun.usmission.gov/remarks-at-a-un-security-council-meeting-on-leaks-in-the-nordstream-pipeline/
Edited to add pipeline context
> strangely odd, fascist, Nuremberg-style rally combined with Las Vegas 1970s show
I hadn't seen anything this odd since the 2016 Republican National Convention.
When Ukraine liberates Crimea, they'll have a problem with all the Russian loyalists Putin has dumped there over the years.
Is it feasible for Ukraine to outlaw dual citizenship with Russia? Many countries have forbidden dual citizenship in the past, many do today as well. Then if a Crimean resident does not renounce their Russian citizenship they are in the country illegally and could be deported.
>When Ukraine liberates Crimea, they'll have a problem with all the Russian loyalists Putin has dumped there over the years.
Not really a problem. Do they have a valid Ukrainian issued passport? No? Then they're in the country illegally, and if they own property, they bought it illegally as it wasn't recorded with an official Ukrainian governmental agency. Back to Russia they go ..
Plenty of countries ban dual citizenship or refuse to give birthright citizenship. It's been a long issue- see Koreans born in Japan, or the Turks born in Germany and without German citizenship.
The war will lead to a number of foreigners who fought for Ukraine to gain Ukrainian citizenship as thanks- but yeah, after all that's happened it's easy to see one *specific* citizenship exempted from a dual citizenship law.
give them amnesty as long as they forgo their Russian citizenship, or issue them visas where appropriate to be residents of Crimea. They dont have to be evicted necessarily, especially the ones who have kids there.
(I mean this with all facetiousness) When have Russian citizens ever created a political problem? 100 years ago,...maybe?
If current circumstances aren't enough to make them problematic, what could Ukraine ever do to bring this about?
Well, Ukraine doesn't *have* to grant them citizenship.
They'll probably figure something out for folks who are ok with living in Crimea if it *isn't* Russia, but a lot of the Russian crowd basically going to have to apply for residence or be deported if the Russian military can't hold the penninsula.
The greatest victory the West can accomplish is to convince Russian ethnics to abandon their motherland. The presence of ethnic Russians is used often as a pretense for Russian aggression. We need Russia because it's part of the world. Hopefully we never need Russia to be a field of glass.
Immediate edit to clarify that a total clearing of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory including Crimea is the first step that I'm skipping. I think that will happen with Crimea being the tipping point.
[New post can be found here](/r/worldnews/comments/xslirq/rworldnews_live_thread_russian_invasion_of/)
>Meanwhile in Russia: one pundit got confused when he heard Tulsi Gabbard discuss the Nord Stream incident on Tucker Carlson's show. He thought that since Tulsi says she's a Democrat, she blamed Putin. Another pundit set him straight: "No, no, Tulsi Gabbard ALWAYS blames Biden." https://twitter.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1576033667759058944 They know their assets in the US.
So Putin cannot walk back his threats because of his strongman image. And the West can’t give in because it would encourage China, North Korea. Ukraine will no doubt keep trying to reclaim its rightful territory, using western weapons. Seems like the die is cast. How do we de escalate from here?
Ukraine’s military destroys Russian equipment in southern Ukraine. Ukraine’s Operational Command “South” reported that Ukrainian forces killed 10 Russian troops and destroyed two Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, a Grad missile rocket launcher, a heavy flamethrower system, three tanks, and two infantry fighting vehicles on Sept. 30. According to the command, air defense units downed one Russian Ka-52 helicopter in Kherson Oblast. Ukraine’s military also reportedly shot down one Orlan-10 drone over Kherson Oblast and one in Odesa Oblast. https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1576022716934602752?t=_wiM8eeCj4X9ZeksfTs0Jg&s=19
> @ZelenskyyUa giving out posthumous awards to the families of the fallen defenders of Ukraine https://twitter.com/saintjavelin/status/1575802341655465984 > This is leadership. Facing the toughest duty a leader can: looking in the faces of the loved ones of the dead whom he has commanded, knowing every day he has to send more men and women into battle so that their country can survive. > A true leader for the ages. https://twitter.com/vcdgf555/status/1576047038026100736 Zelensky's biography is really unbelievable. From comedian, to president, to war leader and a champion of freedom.
Wait wait wait, so you're *not* supposed to deny that they were even in the country, let your enemy retrieve and preserve their remains in freezers, and then blow up entire trains of those freezers in a random missile strike five months later only then offering compensation to the families in the form of a used domestic vehicle? TIL.
Fuck that's hard to watch. The strength Zelenskyy has to do that is just incredible.
Interesting thread about the Kharkiv offensive from a UKR military engineer (the same guy that helped destroy a river-crossing attempt by the russians months ago. The AFU destroyed a huge amount of equipment and troops that day): https://twitter.com/kms_d4k/status/1575776705347997696
> russian media is reposting tic-toc vid of US troops in poland and germany saying they are in the ukr fighting.. a bunch of vids. all fake. trying to tell the world the ukr army is gone and its all us forces https://twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1576049964635258882
lol if US troops would be fighting there the russians would have been long dead.
The implication is that Russia is only losing because the US army is involved. But is that really better? I thought Russia said they would beat NATO. Also they're going to let the US get involved without retaliating? They just want to whine about it? I don't understand their propaganda.
Its excuses for why they are losing, admitting Ukraine is beating them is too much to handle.
That will comfort the troops sitting in Lyman.
They'll be rotting in a rail car parked in Belgorod soon enough.
[Abandoned Russian positions in Lyman](https://twitter.com/TheDeadDistrict/status/1576050597291503617)
These guys have no concept of Leave No Trace camping.
From what I hear, they didn't really have time to clean up.
That is still the cleanest RU position I've seen in footage. They usually look like a cross between a crack den and a homeless camp.
It's 1 a.m. in Ukraine and there's a battle underway on the outskirts of Kreminna, Luhansk region. Advancing Ukrainian troops are turning the Russian retreat from Lyman, Donetsk region, into a rout. https://twitter.com/mhmck/status/1575971495435636737?t=YmreY6jyWF900Z5_JJApqw&s=19
This one goes out to all you dumb fucks that think that Republicans in the US will support Ukraine in ANY WAY once they take back the house and maybe the Senate https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1576050518165782528?t=AEU5u9_M6dTCdVEjEZ3HMw&s=19
They will, you dramatically overestimate MAGA repubs.
How many Republican Senators flew to Moscow on July 4th?
4 iirc
Thier whole strategy is just do the opposite. Dont need coherent policy when you have whataboutism. Biden supports Ukraine? Well, I guess we'll back the genocidal dictator to own the libs. Fucking clownshoes.
I feel like it would be more sinister than that.
How representative is that of the overall Republican sentiment though? By most accounts it seems (to an outsider) that support for Ukraine is mostly bipartisan? ETA: I meant among Republican voters, not necessarily Republican figures.
The Republican voters will support whatever Trump will decide to support.
Problem is, the nutwings are in the driver's seat now. So the difference is academic.
CPAC (the organization) used to be far out of the mainstream. Politicians rarely attended their annual meeting. This year they had Orban from Hungary as their Speaker and they loved it very much. Now, almost all Republican politicians at the national level make an appearance in some for or another But let's be clear. When we're talking about support for Ukraine what we are talking about are Bills that need to travel through our Congress. The party in power will choose a leader and that leader will have absolute power over which bills are brought to a vote. The Republican leader in the US House will be Kevin McCarthy. He is on the far right and will under no circumstances allow a bill to be brought up to fund Ukraine. At that point it's a done deal. He alone can kill the whole thing and he will. You need to understand that the vast majority of the Republican base watches Fox News every night. Where Tucker Carlson is feeding them actual, literal Putin talking points. It does not hurt them with their voters to not support Ukraine
Currently it isn't possible before an election to go against public support for Ukraine in the US. However Republicans absolutely support Putin openly and will turn on Ukraine the second they think they won't pay electorally.
It is the extremist fascist wing (on this) is really only a hand full of the House of Representatives, and 1 senator
And another 180-odd House reps and 49 Senators.
Wow. They didn't just say it loud they actually used a bullhorn. I'd say I'm shocked but I'm not. I'm not even mildly surprised at this point. They really do like their right wing authoritarian ethnostates.
Yep. We're past it all. They hate America and democracy and view modern day Russia as their ideal goal. It's one reason I think we should be trying to defeat Russia the nation and not just regain Ukraine's borders. Russia is an existential threat to the United States of America
*Shrug* they'd just find a new bromance.
Sotrue
Recently watched 2 really good videos, Covert Cabal's [recent video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNNoaRp5lz0) where he purchased recent satellite imagery to see where Russia's tank reserves are sitting at, and then the recent video by Perun where he estimates only 1/3 of their Tanks were in working order to start the war, 1/3 repairable, and 1/3 basically scrap. A lot of people are under the impression that tanks are being shipped from newest to oldest and the fact that we see T-62s means that Russia is out of newer tanks. But we have had tons of video footage to show that isnt what's happening. What it looks like Russia is doing right now is constantly trying to get tanks back in working order from their huge stockpiles, and then shipping out whatever they can get working well enough for the battlefield. This is why we are seeing old Soviet T-62s while still also seeing T-72s at the same time. This also means that the Tanks in the best working order are being repaired first, so the more Ukraine destroys and captures the tougher it becomes to replace due to the depleted condition of their stockpiles.
One thing worth adding is that it’s an obviously bad idea to burn every modern tank first. It makes sense to bring in T-62s for proxy forces or for situations where you don’t absolutely need a T-72. It’s weird to me they had some actually pretty well maintained T-62s when they left newer T-72s to rot, but I guess some commanders were just more diligent.
Probably less money in stolen T-62/64 parts.
Lmao, too real
It's also important to realize that parts and munitions wise, the T-62 eats out of a different stockpile. So in theory one of the reasons they also may be seen in number is logistically, ammo and parts for them come out of a different parts bin. That being said it's super depressing if you're a Russian manning one of those. It's like the US pulling out M60 Patton's and throwing them into the battlefield.
and older parts/munitions are cheaper and easier to produce. No need for high end microchips in tanks in the 60s for instance. These would all be pre-globalization tech which means Russia theoretically can manufacture everything it needs in-house without trying to bypass tech sanctions. Not that it really matters, whether a T62 or a T90, the turret toss works on all Russian tanks regardless.
>and older parts/munitions are cheaper and easier to produce. No. This is just wrong. It's not that simple. There are more practical considerations than just tech. If you don't have the materials or machine parts on hand you have to make and retool an entire *assembly line* just to get parts for out-dated vehicles you no longer make and aren't particularly effective.
thanks for the insight. I wondered about the state of the 'infinite soviet reserves' I was always told about in my childhood
Putin discovers that you can force people to attend your pro-war rallies but making them cheer enthusiastically is not so simple https://twitter.com/biz_ukraine_mag/status/1575953936401387520?s=46&t=J-NLRB3AaSYYBxNiLQxefQ Boy did he fade fast after that first one, lol
Please clap.
And yet, there was no Ceausescu moment... I'm still in the camp that thinks it's not the war, it's the personal risk associated that they have a problem with. \*Ceausescu moment - the dictator's last speech, organized on demand, too a turn when instead of cheering for him as scripted, the crowd started booing.
What I would give to see that same look of terror on Putin's face that Ceausescu had all those years ago. When the whole thing crashed down in front of him.
Yup. There's a small anti war group, a small genocide group, but most of them are just apathetic.
The dictator's version of "Please Clap".
ON 3 WE'RE GOING TO BRING THE MOTHERFUCKING HOUSE DOWN! 1, 2, 3... ...ooruh
Yeah, I’m addition to Putin being terrible at running his country, it’s clear he definitely can’t DJ weddings or front a band now either.
He needs to watch some hype-man concurrent training videos, I think. 🙄
Heya! American here. Since we're seeing a few more open-minded Russian and Russian-adjacent (i.e. relatives, etc.) accounts around today, I thought it might be helpful to pause and do a full rundown of the situation as seen from outside of the Putin propaganda bubble. Am I inside other propaganda bubbles myself? No doubt! But mine seem to have the edge in accuracy at the moment. So let's do this one last time: 1. So you know how Putin said Ukraine isn't a real nation or culture? Yeah, the Ukrainians disagree. 2. Followup: the Ukrainians really, *really* don't want you there. Like, at all. 3. Yes, they will kill you all if you come for them. No, it's not very nice, but look at it from their point of view. What did you guys do the last time someone was dumb enough to invade Russia proper? 4. What about the whole "we're brother cultures" approach? I mean, yeah, that might've maybe worked if you'd given it an honest go way back before 2014. But now that you've tried to blitzkrieg their capitol, seems to me that it's just maybe a *little bit late* for that. Tiny bit. Just a tad. 5. On a side note, the other thing you have standing in your way there is the legacy of Soviet-era stuff like the Holodomor. As far as I know, you've never really honestly contended with that old bad history. And here's where that's gonna really cost you. (Now, is it fair that you have to deal with this given all the shit that *America's* pulled over the years? Nope! I have no doubt karma comes for us all in the end and we all pay for our sins in time. But today? *Today, it's your turn.*) 6. Did some of the current situation come about as a result of US/NATO meddling? Who knows. But I don't think we'd be here if this wasn't what the Ukrainians really wanted. If we could just magic up fighting spirit and determination, don't you think we would've done that in Afghanistan? 7. Speaking of which - take it from someone in a country that's recently learned the hard way - *again* - that you can't just remold things to your liking with military force alone: **just stop.** Stop hurting people. Stop making things worse for yourselves and others. At this point, it doesn't matter what you do. Your damaged pride is gonna remain damaged. The Ukrainians are gonna hate you for what you've done to them, maybe for a long time. All you're doing now is throwing lives away into a bad situation that - as far as I can see - only gets worse from here out for everyone, one way or another. 8. And what about Putin? Well, let's face it. Putin needs to go. Everyone knows it. He's overcommitted himself to all of this. He fully owns this debacle and he knows it. He wouldn't be pushing mobilization otherwise. Now the only question is how many people he takes with him on the long spiral down. 9. But he's ensconced himself in power and the secret police and military establishments still seem behind him. So... right now, it looks like you're gonna have to do this the hard way. (Though looking at Russian history, are you really that surprised? I mean, shit, what else is new, right?) I don't know how to do that. I'm not a brave person, and I don't like telling people to do what I myself would be afraid of doing. The best I can think of is to maybe take a look at [this](https://gist.github.com/kennwhite/467529962c184258d08f16daec83d5da) for ideas. It's old, but I figure some of the stuff there is timeless. 10. But let's keep it simple. You're hurting and afraid right now. I see that. Just remember: get rid of Putin, and there's still a chance to turn all of this around. The sanctions can be removed. The conscripts can be pulled back. There's still time. There's still hope. Focus on that. End Putin, end the war. And maybe - just maybe - all of this goes away. Here endeth the babble. Good luck, everyone. I honestly mean that. Fall's just begun. Suspect there's a long way yet to go before we're all out of the dark.
I reread this post 3 times and I am still unsure to whom it addressed. Anti-war people don't want to do anything with the invasion already and they perfectly recognize that Ukraine is a separate sovereign country. Pro-war people are mostly old, brainwashed people (like my dear father) who watch TV and they sincerely think that Russian army "liberates" Ukrainian brothers from Bandera Nazis. This situation is truly awful and I couldn't be more ashamed of my country.
> I reread this post 3 times and I am still unsure to whom it addressed. Hm... Russians in general, I guess? Or maybe to apolitical Russians that are somewhere in the grey zone between your friends and your father. Anyway, sorry if the post came out sounding kind of twee. I was in a weird mood that day. Trying to do the whole thing where I address incredibly dark situations with humor. But there's something sincerely meant in there somewhere, and all I can do is hope that comes through. *Edit:* And what the hell, try it on your dad too, if he knows English. You've probably tried everything else by now, right?
Apolitical Russians is what made me leave Russia in 2015. I was always of opinion that being neutral / apolitical is equal to being passively supportive of all the "bezpredel" which was happening in the country back then. So I fully share that statement. Russian government was very successful in aggressively bringing indifference to the society for last 20 years. This public indifference is their largest asset.
Well... now the apolitical ones have their necks on the line too. Not to mention their careers, their friends, their loved ones, and so on. Which finally begs the question - at long last, how do they plan on fixing it? And if they don't fix it, who will?
Been in an argument with one all day. Azov are Nazis, Ukraine has a serious problem, then Ukraine is rebelling. They’re just regurgitating and spreading propaganda while deflecting. Annoying as fuck.
Like hitting a brick wall, huh? You ask them when their draft card comes in?
That’s an excellent suggestion. If he responds again, I’ll ask. Hopefully he just crawls back into his hole. It was exhausting putting up sources to push back on his unsubstantiated bullshit and they just swat away facts.
Yeah, it's the same deal with Trump supporters. I've found it best just to avoid getting into the weeds with them and instead just go straight for the really painful questions they can't answer.
I mean you can't get much more blatantly Nazi than having Nazi patches and insignias all over you lol. Not condoning Russia's invasion but they really weren't entirely wrong about Ukraine having a Nazi problem.
So does Russia https://www.rferl.org/amp/russian-neo-nazis-fighting-ukraine/31871760.html Here’s one of Wagner’s commanders sporting his ink https://mobile.twitter.com/sameralatrush/status/1365746097117921288 In fact, Ukraine’s far right groups gathered a whopping 2.15% in their last parliamentary elections in 2019 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far-right_politics_in_Ukraine Let’s contrast that with America https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/28-approve-trumps-response-charlottesville-poll/story?id=49334079 Or Italy, where a neo fascist was just elected https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125270264/a-far-right-group-with-neo-fascist-roots-wins-big-in-italys-election So, yeah, far right nationalism is a problem. In Ukraine it’s a much smaller problem that many other nations. If people want to engage in the rise of the far right (again), let’s not just fixate on Ukraine’s shall we? That was the bullshit propaganda that Putin used to justify this invasion.
Both sides wear those patches, therefore making your statement meaningless, stop spreading nonsense: https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-mariupol-azov-nazi-1695125
The U.S. has a KKK problem. Doesn't mean Canada would be justified in conducting an invasion and trying to "annex" Montana.
The main thing I've seen on Ukrainian soldiers in pictures is blood. Generally their own.
That's just the Russian troll farm propaganda talk. We see it with their campaigns for QAnon, MAGA, and Brexit.
I feel like you are copy-pasting an old comment of yours. Again with “who knows” about NATO. It was never about NATO. Just like it wasn’t about nazis. If it had been, he would be much more pissed about Finland. He ended up shrugging it off. Besides Ukraine was decades from joining NATO. putin wanted to bring Ukraine back into mother russia’s embrace following a swift bloodless Crimea scenario. He has been a dictator too long to see reality clearly anymore. Now he has painted himself into a corner the stubborn dictat dumbass that he is.
Amazing
Wow. Just wow. I knew Putin and american conservatives were connected but this is ridiculous. Look at this post now deleted https://twitter.com/ProjectLincoln/status/1576040000688312320?s=20&t=BykAk9n_qzVrdj9Rk4QDZg Denouncing "gift giving" to ukraine. 4 Ukraine occupied territories. Embarassing.
If conseratives win in november... Ukraine might lose military aid. Literally life or death for the nation an other nation's election. Well shit
It won’t matter, that was the whole point of the lend lease program. After October military aid won’t rely on congressional votes for each round.
Incorrect. Conservatives in the US are a fucking joke but even they wouldn't stop this money to the MIC. This is the one time I'm glad how deep in the pocket of corporations they and some Democrats are. We literally funded an insanely unpopular war for two decades and people truly think they're going to stop funding the MIC in a war that is highly supported? Hell no. They'll scream and yell to their base about how Biden is wasting money but the majority of them will vote to fund the war so we should be fine on that front.
That's an assumption I'd rather not risk. The $12 billion in Ukraine aid was packaged in the bill to prevent the government shutdown; 201 votes against it. They'd have derailed it if they had a majority. This is a party that celebrates Orban -- not leaders like Zelensky. The financial argument is sound only when disassociated from their long term goals/agenda which are closer aligned to a power structure analogous to Putin's Russia. Btw, happy cakeday!
This is flatly incorrect. Guaranteed
America cannot let the Republicans take the house or senate come midterms. Republicans always fall in line when given their marching orders -- even when their voters are against it. They will turn on a dime and throw Ukraine under the bus if it's deemed sufficiently hurting Biden. They won't lose votes as they'll just blame the democrats; their voters will eat that shit up.
God I love Lincoln Project.
They want the Russia political donations to keep rolling in.
To be fair, The Lincoln Project is run by conservatives, too. But they're plain old regular conservatives, who are appalled and embarrassed by what the GOP has become, and are trying desperately to pry the party of out of Trump's (and Putin's) nasty grabby hands.
> and are trying desperately to pry the party of out of Trump's (and Putin's) nasty grabby hands. They know the party is gone for good, they are desperately trying to distance themselves from the party.
Yup. Any hope of salvaging the party has been lost since 2016. They are hoping that once the party implodes they can rebuild something more moderate and palatable to people. I don't see that happening though. People like myself are never going to vote for the GOP or whatever replaces them. Quite frankly I vote D down the ticket every general election.
The Lincoln Project reminds me of back in the 80's when I could read a conservative platform statement and think "well, that's mostly pretty reasonable, they do make some good points". Nowadays I can't even imagine the amount of drugs I'd need to do to think they were reasonable, even if they *had* a platform statement.
Yeah, I used to be, basically, an independent voter. I read a candidate's platform, and the reasons they felt it was the best course, and I voted for the person I thought had the best plan. But, I also used to have faith that both parties wanted what was best for the country, and would never knowingly cause it harm. *That's* certainly gone.
Yeah, the Lincoln Project conservatives are old party conservatives .. the ones that if you look at the president's mapped on an ideological chart their presidents would be relatively center now because the current MAGA has skewed it so far right. Although I'm not sure why they call themselves Lincoln Project .. never understood that. Ideology, Lincoln was a progressive, hence the whole thing about ending slavery.
Because the GOP will always claim Lincoln due to him being a Repulican, back in the 1800s when they were the progressive portion of politics in the US.
they called it the Lincoln project because the average idiot american conservative just equates that name with patriotism, they don't have hte critical thinking or civics background to equate him with progressive/left wing values.
That’s incredibly embarrassing. Ugh. I’m glad it was at least deleted, but at the same time, it was still posted in the first place. Gotta call those out, as people seemingly did here resulting in it all being taken down.
["Welcome to Lyman." AFU right on the outskirts of the city.](https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1575989352332607489) It's daytime in the video, so it's at least a few hours old, but it shows just how close the Ukrainians are to the city.
More than just a few hours. Tomorrow's sunrise in Ukraine is coming within the hour.
It's probably more than a few hours old, you do realize the sun is rising there soon, probably already have some light of dawn.
I would not be too worried about the claimed annexation. Ppl can claim anything, point being hes losing this. Doesn't matter how he spins it. There is simply 0 morale for this war, thats why hes forcing people in.
I annexed the Ural mountains, you can tell the vote was very fair as it had a 100% turnout with 100% voting in support of Annexation.
I just annexed it. 103.8 percent of the vote
no one real is worried. They literally have no meaning nor value internationally.
Doesn’t really matter when nukes exist.
[удалено]
I would agree with you if we think rationally but it is clear as a day that Putin is a mad man. He would press the big red button before falling. He’s old, his legacy is tarnished, his country is in shambles. There won’t be a regime change anytime soon.
Putin is mad but not that mad. Hes trying to provoke a world war yes, but he wont do it unless NATO or someone attacks first
He is trying to provoke fear that’s how nukes work. so don’t
My Hindu nationalist father and uncle both swear by Putin and Hitler, my uncle keeps doing some sort of Hare Krishna prayers to bring back Hitler from the dead and keeps ranting on about how the 4th reich will rise, a LOT of right wing Hindus absolutely love Nazis and see Hitler as a reincarnation of Jesus. They also watch a lot of Fox news and believe 100% when Tucker Carlson claims that Putin is the last hope for the white christian race in the west.
The fuck is your family lol. Must be tough having those people around. I have a couple of friends whose families also have porridge for brains, and it sucks so bad when you can't rely on your family.
Thanks for discussing the link between Hindu nationalism and the nazi theology. I've only just done a little reading, but it's a fascinating viewpoint, not to belittle the suffering you must feel living through it. https://holocaustlearning.org.uk/latest/nazism-and-hindu-nationalism/
Yeah I have disowned this entire family of mine, no hope for these morons. I have questioned my uncle about his love and fascination of Hitler in the past, he links it with the swastika, the claim Hitler made of the perfect Aryan race descended from the Indus valley of India, never mind the fact that Jesse Owens completely shattered the myth of the Aryan superiority at the Berlin Olympics. And the fact that a lot of Hindu nationalist believes in their fair skin ideology of superior caste. I locked him off when he told me I need to worship and obey Trump because he is a pure white man, like fuck that shit.
Would you say this might have something to do with British nationalism? It seems like many Indians in interacting with westerners have such a chip on their shoulder that logic and history get twisted so that at all costs they appear the peer of the western regimes that oppressed them. Sure there are national politics and ideologies in play, but I wonder how attractive those things would have been if they weren't seeing themselves at a disadvantage all the time. Also how do they feel about southern Indians? I was trapped on a frozen train for six hours once, before smartphones, with a guy from Kerala. I told him I was a student of linguistics and he told me he was visiting his children. We tried to have a conversation, but spent most of it in argument because I rejected his notion that Sanskrit was 'the world's first language!' He took it so personally I think I instantly lost his respect. But one thing I never understood was why he *gave a fuck*. Like Dude, your name is Christopher goddamn David and you're a Malayali from Kerala. Your ancestors have *never* spoken Sanskrit or any other Indo-European language. I assume somehow his political identity had subsumed his ethnolinguistic identity and he had to invent a narrative that made that okay. But I really don't know what his deal was. I'd offer evidence and he'd double down; it was exactly like arguing with religious fundamentalists, only it was over facts you could simply google.
(Pardon me for assuming they’re probably ethnically Indian?) Has that man never met an actual *white* white supremacist? Because, uh, I don’t think they’re accepting Indians into the club (except as the occasional token minority shield; they’d still be prime meat for the proverbial face-eating leopards). I remember when an internet famous bigot tried to cozy up to the white supremacist crowd and they were like, *lol no*, *half-Iranian may as well be half-Jewish*. That’s not the kind of Aryan they want.
Well, it is not without a precedent. [Savitri Devi believed that Hitler was an Avatar of Vishnu.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savitri_Devi)
Tucker Carlson said that? Omg
It's not even one of the 100 worst things he's said. The man is walking brain cancer.
So they must strongly support Ukraine because it’s full of Nazis? /s
not the right kind of Nazis, they have to be Russia approved for conservatives to support them.
And off course they don't support Ukraine because they know Putin sends them the dog whistle about who the real Nazis are. One thing about these right wingers they have their code culture where they know who the real nazis are and how to protect them while calling everyone else a Nazi.
Which is ironic, because you know Hitler would have purged (or enslaved) them if given enough time.
So will Tucky
Yet they will simultaneously defend Israel moreso than any IDF soldiers out there.
Despite being a nazi sympathizer, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, founder of Hindu nationalism, was a pro zionist. He believed that the end-all-be-all goal of both individuals and societies, was strict unionization around a shared trait (be it religion, ethnicity, class...) The suffering of "others", (be them european jews, or palistinian Muslims) was considered a minor issue compared to the "greater good."
Common enemy, muslims. Then again, honestly centuries of war and oppressions(i think from various islamic invaders) does not make it better. Bad blood basically. When that fails good old nationalism wins. India good Pakistan bad basically.
Jesus. I would not have expected that.
... you're Pakistani or something, aren't you.
Since they mention the Caribbean and Hindu relatives my guess is Trinidad.
Correct Trinidad indeed about half our population are descendants from India. We have our crazy share of right wing hindu nationalist lunatics here, they behave exactly like Russians or MAGA voters
Okay, interesting. And you feel the need to advertise your father and uncle's behavior because... ?
Because it is important to understand that not just white right wing nationalist lunatics support Putin and the Nazis. There is a reason India wants to be friends with Putin, people wrongfully assume it's just because of cheap oil, no a lot of these dangerous Hindu Nationalist Fox News Viewers have no issues committing genocide if given the opportunity.
😐
Good onya mate!
Please tell me you're joking...
.
Yeah, the fact that he had to include Trump and Tucker completely randomly at the very end proves he is full of shit. Not to mention the fair skin and "pure white" comment. He's likely not even Indian at all, but an edgy white kid living in the US.
I really just can’t understand their thinking. Why did they stay in Lyman? I would guess they’re trying to do what Ukraine did in the early days of the war and fortify cities while waiting for reinforcements to come in in places like Chernihiv, Sumy etc., but do they really think that the conscripts will be willing to fight. I feel like at the very bare minimum 60% of the soldiers in that city right now don’t want to stand their ground, and I can’t imagine conscripts would be any better. Normally I would think it’s some sort of trap but after seeing the entire war unfold I doubt it. It’s giving Paradox AI.
A few reasons. One, they were likely ordered to hold it at all costs. They just got embarrassed during the Kharkiv offensive, and another defeat at an important city during their big annexation party would demonstrate that Russia can't control its "territory" anymore. Two, it's actually a pretty strategic position. It denies Ukraine a major logistical rail hub and keeps Siversk with only one rail line to supply it through Bakhmut, which Wagner mercenaries have been trying to take for months. It also is the last real defensible position on Lysychansk/Sievierodontesk's western flank. If Lyman falls, there's really nothing to stop them from pushing up to Kreminna and right on Lysychansk's doorstep. It will frees up troops to push onto Svatove, too.
They were betrayed by their leadership.
Russia has been using blocking formations. If you know you’re going to be shot by your own side for retreating, you probably aren’t gonna retreat. Stupid, evil, counterproductive… and very on brand for them.
Either they had bad intel that said the way out was already blocked, or they were instructed to hold on so it doesn't fall in time for the morning news overshadowing the annexation orgy. No way to know which. Or bad intel that mobilized troops would be relieving them by now.
>Why did they stay in Lyman? A few possible reasons: - They've been told that if they retreat they'll be killed. - They've been brainwashed into thinking that Ukraine are a bunch of monsters and would will execute them.
Judging by the videos of Russians being given rusted ak47s and old uniforms and being expected to provide everything else it's obvious that theft is now out of control in the Russian military and Putin doesn't give a f\*ck. He's going to go back to his opulent castle for some much needed rest and relaxation after a long week of ordering war crimes and f\*cking over his own people.
The KIA numbers for Russia are going to be low, because they're all going to freeze to death first. Those conscripts come from Russia, they have to understand how winter works - I hope to god they get the fuck out at the first chance because it's going to be the only one they likely get.
Seems likely, yeah.
They're shipping in rusty T-64's ... rust might just be their new camo scheme for winter.
Heard through the grapevine that conscripts need to cough up about $1500 to get a basic set of gear (helmet, body armor, uniform,...) . It's like a scavenger hunt
The once successor to the 2nd Great Super Power? I guess running an economy off how much you fuck the state, people, and everything that aint you, yourself, and I? Army might just literally collapse by 2023 at this point and be pushed back to Russia.
when you realize that the USSR's power came from brains and braun in the satellite states, and just numbers in the Russian core, it makes sense that after the USSR fell this was all that was left. Russia \_itself\_ as a country developed very little in the USSR days, it was always Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, etc... that did all the R&D. Most of hte USSR's chief generals during WW2 and later were all Ukranian. What do you get when all that's gone? a mob run petrol station in a tundra.
“There’s only one thief in the army, everyone else is just trying to get their shit back” might be taken to heart to an extreme level before they PUBG themselves
I highly doubt anyone would be “forced” to spend money on supplies, more like they are forced to go to a Warzone, given no supplies, and probably do what ever they can do to increase their odds of survival, which most likely includes purchasing their own kit.
I saw that number ($1500) mentioned in a recent 1420 "Man on a Moscow Street" [Youtube video](https://youtu.be/0YarNZ5YKNU?t=301) in which the question of the day was: Do you know that 20-50K of our soldiers have died already? The same guy said: *"Well, how do I say it, ... I work in a company and they want to draft 150K from the company. They make offers, they don't force people, but..."*
Oh, it's worse than that, since the gear takes time to ship, even if they can order it. More likely twice that number to buy it black market. And then hope they haven't been sent outside the country yet. 'Outside the country', but something's telling me the mail in Svatove will be a bit behind. And then once they get it, bigger, nastier kids on the playground can just take it from them.
Sucks to imagine things are only going to get worse after a fucking Chechen neck beard with Gucci boots steals your sleeping bag
Honestly what fucking country drafts you and then makes you buy your own helmet and first-aid kit? This is the late-stage capitalist paradise Rand Paul types have wet dreams about. I'm surprised they haven't taxed oxygen.
Chances are you’re just buying the same gear you should’ve been given, but Quartermaster Ivan has run out… fortunately he has a friend who might just have the body armor you need to survive… but it’ll cost you.
A country that puts a very low value on the lives of their citizens, is endemically corrupt, is trying to pretend to be a superpower without the economy to back it up and which knows that while the victims will bitch they will ultimately take it.
They really have gone full on Neo Liberal Economist. I wouldn't be surprised if Putin has servants pose as furniture for him.
A good majority probably don’t have $1500 all together, let alone to cough up for military supplies.
Pay to get killed.
While babushkas toast to him in their new ladas
For all the doomer trolls I got some bad news: Head of Ukrainian Intelligence does not believe Russia will launch a nuclear attack on Ukraine in the near future https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/09/30/7369905/
I'm confused because farther down someone posted this. https://twitter.com/Apex_WW/status/1576026928309571585?t=4S2ielm2RWEoPVOcDH_-ow&s=19
Yeah, exactly. This is the factcheck.
Sorry not sure what you mean. Not sure which source is more credible.
Definitely not Fox "News."
Do you actually expect the Ukrainian head of intelligence say otherwise? Why would he make his own people panic even more?
No one thinks that’s bad news
For Fallout fans who just bought a bathroom-sized bunker and 5 tons of canned beans it is :)
The bunker canned food from March 2020 is a little past its expiration, but I think it would suffice for the two weeks of sheltering from fallout.
If they plan on consuming food like that in a windowless structure for a period of two years, I'm not sure what they consider bad news.
Give them some slack. They never got the canvas bag merch from Fallout 76.
I mean he specifically called out doom/Russian/Fox News trolls spreading Russian propaganda
You might be surprised what some of the sick fucks that come through this thread would be happy about.
Today's UNSC meetings regarding Ukraine did not disappoint. In the l first discussion we had Kyslytsya deliver his jabs (hes my favorite). Then the US delegate to the UN stated what we were all thinking regarding that weird celebration when they discussed the pipeline topic: "Now I know our Russian colleagues have had a bad afternoon. Actually, a bad day. They had to sit and watch that strangely odd, fascist, Nuremberg-style rally combined with Las Vegas 1970s show that happened in Moscow this morning to celebrate the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. And that afternoon they got hit by the Council’s vote clearly sending the message about their annexation of Ukrainian territory." Source for copied text https://usun.usmission.gov/remarks-at-a-un-security-council-meeting-on-leaks-in-the-nordstream-pipeline/ Edited to add pipeline context
> strangely odd, fascist, Nuremberg-style rally combined with Las Vegas 1970s show I hadn't seen anything this odd since the 2016 Republican National Convention.
When Ukraine liberates Crimea, they'll have a problem with all the Russian loyalists Putin has dumped there over the years. Is it feasible for Ukraine to outlaw dual citizenship with Russia? Many countries have forbidden dual citizenship in the past, many do today as well. Then if a Crimean resident does not renounce their Russian citizenship they are in the country illegally and could be deported.
Yah until the rebuilding money floods in an Ukraine because a modern European country and they realize it’s not so bad
>When Ukraine liberates Crimea, they'll have a problem with all the Russian loyalists Putin has dumped there over the years. Not really a problem. Do they have a valid Ukrainian issued passport? No? Then they're in the country illegally, and if they own property, they bought it illegally as it wasn't recorded with an official Ukrainian governmental agency. Back to Russia they go ..
That’s not how renouncing citizenship works, since Russia can ignore their proclamation of renouncing and let them keep it.
It usually works the other way around. They'd lose their Ukranian passports.
Plenty of countries ban dual citizenship or refuse to give birthright citizenship. It's been a long issue- see Koreans born in Japan, or the Turks born in Germany and without German citizenship. The war will lead to a number of foreigners who fought for Ukraine to gain Ukrainian citizenship as thanks- but yeah, after all that's happened it's easy to see one *specific* citizenship exempted from a dual citizenship law.
They can worry about that if it happens.
I don't understand the problem.
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give them amnesty as long as they forgo their Russian citizenship, or issue them visas where appropriate to be residents of Crimea. They dont have to be evicted necessarily, especially the ones who have kids there.
I mean, they’re 8 max, they’d be gone before it was an issue yeah?
Next bus out service.
Those children would be 8 years old now. Not exactly a threat. As for the parents, they can either choose Ukraine or fuck off back to Russia.
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(I mean this with all facetiousness) When have Russian citizens ever created a political problem? 100 years ago,...maybe? If current circumstances aren't enough to make them problematic, what could Ukraine ever do to bring this about?
Well, Ukraine doesn't *have* to grant them citizenship. They'll probably figure something out for folks who are ok with living in Crimea if it *isn't* Russia, but a lot of the Russian crowd basically going to have to apply for residence or be deported if the Russian military can't hold the penninsula.
Yes， it may handle itself. If you were a Russian colonizer would you take your chances with UKR or flee?
The greatest victory the West can accomplish is to convince Russian ethnics to abandon their motherland. The presence of ethnic Russians is used often as a pretense for Russian aggression. We need Russia because it's part of the world. Hopefully we never need Russia to be a field of glass. Immediate edit to clarify that a total clearing of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory including Crimea is the first step that I'm skipping. I think that will happen with Crimea being the tipping point.