News and Updates about Russia's War against Ukraine.

[millyskate]

https://twitter.com/lynseyaddario/status/1500469003780771846?cxt=HHwWjMCy7f2m3tIpAAAA

I had no clue Lynsey Addario was in Ukraine right now. She works on the edge but her voice is needed as witness so credit to her.

 

[AYS]

Translation of an substack post by Russian journalist Farida Rustamova (https://twitter.com/faridaily_) on what Russian officials think of the war and the decision making leading up to it:

What Russian Officials Think of the Invasion of Ukraine

A senior banker is "in mourning." Some members of parliament are thinking of giving up their seats. A translation of Farida Rustamova's insider report.

ilyalozovsky.substack.com

Original: https://faridaily.substack.com/p/-?s=r

But everything is happening within one person's head.”

 

[Ladida]

Sometimes I feel like Russians live in a collective hallucination and only see how great their country is when in reality their GDP is not even half of Germany's and Russian population is declining (France and Germany together have more inhabitants) and with all the sanctions they are on the way to become Chinese vassal state

 

[olympic]

This man claims to have translated an FSB analysis of Russia's future re its invasion of the Ukraine:

https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1500301348780199937

Possible famine due to the fact that RUS / UKR export a big portion of the world's wheat!

 

[skatingguy]

Some of the Russians have a good point that, the Ukrainians are responsible for their part in the war in Dombas which has been raging for 8 years.

A war that Putin started.

 

[text_skate]

This man claims to have translated an FSB analysis of Russia's future re its invasion of the Ukraine:

https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1500301348780199937

Possible famine due to the fact that RUS / UKR export a big portion of the world's wheat!

Here is a link with the complete text: https://pastebin.com/2agMRGmd

Christo Grozev's (Bellingcat) take on the leak, yesterday

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twitter.com

Last night, an alleged FSB whistle-blower letter was published that damned Russia's military performance in Ukraine and predicted a disaster for the RU in the next weeks and months. I wasn't sure if it was authentic - as Ukraine had previously leaked fake FSB letters as psy-ops

This letter appeared different though: it came via a reputable source (founder of http://gulagu.net), and it was way longer than a forger would choose to make it (the longer the text, the more risk of making an error).

I showed the letter to two actual (current or former) FSB contacts, and they had no doubt it was written by a colleague. They didn't agree with all of his conclusions, but that's a different story. Here's the text, worth reading: https://facebook.com/vladimir.osechkin/posts/4811633942268327

 

[babayaga]

We just took down first russian plane over Kharkiv. Finally!!! They've been destroying the city for days, hope more to come.

Баба Ñ– кіт - У Харкові щоÑÑŒ рашиÑÑ‚Ñьке збили. Уточнюємо

19K views, 1.3K likes, 234 loves, 26 comments, 198 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Баба і кіт: У Харкові щось рашистське збили. Уточнюємо

www.facebook.com

 

[TAHbKA]

Unfortunately, there a large number of the Russia people who believe the propaganda for the moment.

I mean we even have one on the FSU....

I'm sure, that Plushenko knows the truth. He is not someone from a little village in the middle of nowhere. He saw the world and made excellent money outside of Russia. He's just really proud of what's happening. It's sad, but such people exist and there are many of them.

He actually is a little no one from a little village in the middle of nowhere with a 3 classes long education and the brains of a washing machine. He is incredibly stupid.

 

[AYS]

A twitter thread from a professor of strategic studies at St Andrews on the logistics Russia faces and why this might be cause for optimism for Ukraine. I know I'm biased by what I want to believe but I hope he's right:

https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/status/1500213943012319252?s=20&t=dacZCUxQ1cHA85u4gTXt9A

We might be about to witness a logistic collapse

 

[text_skate]

There is a TED talk on youtube, hosted by TED global curator Bruno Giussani, with Yuval Noah Harari, 1st March. It's to the point, about history, consequences, implications, the ways it will affect our future. He underlines that in former times the military budgets were about 40-50% of a state. Nowadays it's somewhere between 1-6%. Which is a huge achievement because all this "saved" money could go into health care, education ...

I love the start:

The most crucial thing to know is that Ukrainians are not Russians, and that Ukraine is an ancient, independent nation. Ukraine has a history of more than a thousand years. Kyiv was a major metropolis and cultural center when Moscow was not even a village.

For most of these thousand years Kyiv was not ruled by Moscow. They were not part of the same political entity. For centuries, Kyiv was looking westwards and was a part of a union with Lithuania and Poland until it was eventually conquered and absorbed by the Russian Empire, by the czarist empire.

[Putin] has this fantasy that Ukraine isn't a nation, that Ukraine is just a part of Russia, that Ukrainians are Russians. In his fantasy, Ukrainians are Russians that want to be back in the fold of Mother Russia, and that the only ones preventing it is a very small gang at the top, which he portrays as Nazis, even if the president is Jewish; but OK, a Nazi Jew.

And his belief was, at least, that he just needs to invade, Zelenskyy will flee, the government will collapse, the army would lay down its arms, and the Ukrainian people would welcome the Russian liberators, throwing flowers on them.

And the Ukrainian people is not throwing flowers on the Russian tanks, it's throwing Molotov cocktails.

https://www.ted.com/talks/yuval_noah_harari_the_war_in_ukraine_could_change_everything/transcript

The War in Ukraine Could Change Everything | Yuval Noah Harari | TED

Concerned about the war Ukraine? You're not alone. Historian Yuval Noah Harari provides important context on the Russian invasion, including Ukraine's long h...

www.youtube.com

 

[Gil-Galad]

I don’t have instagram - what did Plushenko say?

 

[text_skate]

Tirana will name a street segment on embassy row "Free Ukraine"
Coincidentally, the Ukranian, Russian, Serbian & Kosovar Embassies are on that row

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twitter.com

 

[babayaga]

I am afraid to ask - but did Zagitova say anything? I was her devoted fan for all of her career, but I do not expect anything good from her now given her status.

 

[Platypus]

There is a TED talk on youtube, hosted by TED global curator Bruno Giussani, with Yuval Noah Harari, 1st March. It's to the point, about history, consequences, implications, the ways it will affect our future. He underlines that in former times the military budgets were about 40-50% of a state. Nowadays it's somewhere between 1-6%. Which is a huge achievement because all this "saved" money could go into health care, education ...

I love the start:

https://www.ted.com/talks/yuval_noah_harari_the_war_in_ukraine_could_change_everything/transcript

The War in Ukraine Could Change Everything | Yuval Noah Harari | TED

Concerned about the war Ukraine? You're not alone. Historian Yuval Noah Harari provides important context on the Russian invasion, including Ukraine's long h...

www.youtube.com

Here's another talk Yuval did a couple days with historians Anne Applebaum and Timothy Snyer. I've read Gulag and Red Famine (about the Holodomor) by Applebaum and have Bloodlands by Snyder sitting in my to read pile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCjBki16zl0

 

[text_skate]

A twitter thread from a professor of strategic studies at St Andrews on the logistics Russia faces and why this might be cause for optimism for Ukraine. I know I'm biased by what I want to believe but I hope he's right:

https://twitter.com/PhillipsPOBrien/status/1500213943012319252?s=20&t=dacZCUxQ1cHA85u4gTXt9A

Love the end of the thread (as of now):

Heck if this continues, Russia might request a NATO no-fly zone to protect their army as it pulls out of Ukraine.

 

[AYS]

I am afraid to ask - but did Zagitova say anything? I was her devoted fan for all of her career, but I do not expect anything good from her now given her status.

Last instagram post from her was the day before the invasion, for Defender of the Fatherland Day.

 

[millyskate]

I am afraid to ask - but did Zagitova say anything? I was her devoted fan for all of her career, but I do not expect anything good from her now given her status.

I've been looking and haven't found anything. No statement I could find from Trusova, Scherbakova of Valieva either.

Medvedeva and Tuktamysheva have expressed general distress at the situation without going as far as overtly criticising the invasion - but the tone is one of great sadness.

 

[Mme Bovary]

I don’t have instagram - what did Plushenko say?

Am I even allowed to post it?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CawkAGgtbjW/

I am Russian ! I ‘m proud to be Russian !!! I was born in Great Russia, in the Khabarovsk Territory. For a long time I lived in Volgograd -Stalingrad. I played for St. Petersburg in sports, now I live and work in the Moscow region. I brought 4 Olympic medals in 4 different Olympic Games to our motherland - Russia.! Stop Racism! Stop Genocide ! Stop Fascism!

The Russian text also includes (google translated):

Russians, go with your head up all over the world and do not be shy, but be proud that you are Russians! #stoprussianhate

 

[babayaga]

Last instagram post from her was the day before the invasion, for Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Thank you, that's better than I feared. Hope she at least stays silent.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Sorry @airgelaal - can you remind me of the email that you posted to forward social media posts that are supportive of Putin and his regime?

Here is a post from Roman Kostomarov calling Putin “Best President”

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But, ok, let's be fair. This actually might be true because Russia more or less had only one president.

Am I even allowed to post it?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CawkAGgtbjW/

The Russian text also includes (google translated):

If someone wants REALLY to give him the benefit of the doubt, it is vague enough to be interpreted innocently. If I didn't know better, I might have seen it as a reaction on the blanket ban of everything Russian in the West. However, I do know better, and I think it is a "peace operation" support judging from the tags.

 

[babayaga]

I've been looking and haven't found anything. No statement I could find from Trusova, Scherbakova of Valieva either.

Medvedeva and Tuktamysheva have expressed general distress at the situation without going as far as overtly criticising the invasion - but the tone is one of great sadness.

Thank you

 

[allezfred]

But, ok, let's be fair. This actually might be true because Russia more or less had only one president.

Should we have a poll in The Skip?

 

[aka_gerbil]

The post out of context is ambiguously worded and could be interpreted as anti-war if you haven't seen his pro Putin statement and can't quite believe he'd say that. I struggled for a while.
I imagine Sandhu and Weir are in the camp who misunderstood it.

I’m guessing they parsed it as a call to stop the xenophobia towards those of Russian descent living abroad who are being harassed and bullied solely because they sound or look Russian. I think at first glance of just that post, it’s how a native English speaker will parse it.

 

[kosjenka]

The best president thing is like when I ask my mother am I her favorite daughter.

I am her only daughter

 

[millyskate]

I have an Instagram account for the purpose of reading other people's posts but don't use it otherwise. I"m not familiar with the interface and have realised I've been accidentally "liking" loads of posts by double clicking on the image to make it better.
Goodness knows what I have liked. Please let me know if you know me and stumble across a terrible post I have "liked"

 

[Mme Bovary]

I have an Instagram account for the purpose of reading other people's posts but don't use it otherwise. I"m not familiar with the interface and have realised I've been accidentally "liking" loads of posts by double clicking on the image to make it better.
Goodness knows what I have liked. Please let me know if you know me and stumble across a terrible post I have "liked"

There's a way to track them (see which posts you've liked). I can explain how to do it if you want.

 

[Hedwig]

There's a way to track them (see which posts you've liked). I can explain how to do it if you want.

yes please, I don't know this either.

 

[millyskate]

There's a way to track them (see which posts you've liked). I can explain how to do it if you want.

Thank you - I'll gladly accept your help as the online instructions seem out of date.

 

[Mme Bovary]

yes please, I don't know this either.

Thank you - I'll gladly accept your help as the online instructions seem out of date.

I think you can only do it on your phone. Here are the instructions (iPhone in my case, probably same or similar on other phones):

1. Go to your profile (there's a small circle with your profile image on the lower right hand side)
2. Tap the three horizontal lines in the upper right hand corner
3. Select "Your activity"
4. Select "Interactions"
5. Select whether you want to see your comments, likes or story replies
6. If you select Likes, that will list all the photos you've liked.

 

[Dobre]

I hope Weir wises up. I'd like to think liking that post was a mistake, but I'm pretty sure he's got a lot of conflicting emotions going on given his love of Russian skating and skaters

Johnny trained under Galina Zmievksaya. He loves Russian skating, but his personal ties are mutually Ukrainian.

I’m guessing they parsed it as a call to stop the xenophobia towards those of Russian descent living abroad who are being harassed and bullied solely because they sound or look Russian. I think at first glance of just that post, it’s how a native English speaker will parse it.

I would think so too.

(At least with Johnny. I don't know anything about Sandhu other than his skating).