Russia

[caseyedwards]

Only Off-ramp is Ukraine agreeing to stop bombing the Russia backed and sponsored rebels of donetsk and Luhansk and recognize them. I mean that’s why Putin said he was bombing originally

 

[hanca]

NEW: Putin has placed the head of his foreign intelligence branch under HOUSE ARREST in the latest sign that he’s FURIOUS about how badly things are going for his military forces in Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1502355445285113861

Isn’t that like shooting yourselves into your own foot? His head of foreign intelligence is not going to be any good to him when he can’t do his job. That just means that Putin will be without info gained by foreign intelligence branch. Wouldn’t it be more practical to take the family of the head of foreign intelligence as hostages, to ‘motivate’ him to work harder and more effectively, rather than keeping him under house arrest and preventing him do his job?

 

[MacMadame]

I assume someone else is doing his job right now.

 

[PRlady]

This is called being fired with a great deal of prejudice. Extreme prejudice will be when they shoot him.

 

[DORISPULASKI]

More info about the house arrest of FSB heads and firing of generals by Putin:

Putin places head of the FSB's foreign intelligence under house arrest

Also arrested is Anatoly Bolyukh, Beseda's deputy, according to respected author Andrey Soldatov, who said Putin is 'truly unhappy' with the agency - which he ran before becoming president.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Aussie Willy]

Has anyone noticed how the number on political posts on FB the trolls have decreased? It was quite obvious to me yesterday when I was reading a particular thread which usually has a heap of troll activity.

 

[Vagabond]

Has anyone noticed how the number on political posts on FB the trolls have decreased? It was quite obvious to me yesterday when I was reading a particular thread which usually has a heap of troll activity.

According to Tolkien, trolls turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

 

[MacMadame]

Has anyone noticed how the number on political posts on FB the trolls have decreased? It was quite obvious to me yesterday when I was reading a particular thread which usually has a heap of troll activity.

There have been some articles about this too. There are two reasons. One is that a lot of Russian bots can't function because of all the restrictions that have been enacted to limit Russia's access to the internet. The other is that what bots are still functioning are focusing on pro-Russia propaganda.

 

[kosjenka]

I keep reading these "reports" that Putin is crazy, that he is ill - Parkinson's, cancer, and steroids that are making him look like he is bloated ...

I think it is all crap.

 

[Elka]

I keep reading these "reports" that Putin is crazy, that he is ill - Parkinson's, cancer, and steroids that are making him look like he is bloated ...

I think it is all crap.

Agree. He is older, not mobile during covid. More botox.

 

[BittyBug]

To me it ties to @Elka's post in the other thread about stealing people's small business. Putin thinks he can simply take whatever fancies him. In a small way, this was demonstrated when he blatantly stole Robert Kraft's Super Bowl ring in plain sight. He did it because he could get away with it, and he did the same with Crimea. And since he has not yet faced any consequences for this behavior, he thinks he can repeat it at will.

 

[Sylvia]

To me it ties to @Elka's post in the other thread about stealing people's small business.

This is the article posted by @PRlady that’s relevant to this thread as well (Stephen Kotkin is the Russia scholar):

The Weakness of the Despot

An expert on Stalin discusses Putin, Russia, and the West.

www.newyorker.com

This is a very good interview of one of the foremost Russian scholars. Interesting insights into how Putin got himself into this and the perils of authoritarian societies, but a bit sadly short on solutions.

 

[taz'smum]

Ukraine war: Russia says there has been 'substantial progress' in peace talks and 'joint position' could be reached soon

 

[Vagabond]

Ukraine war: Russia says there has been 'substantial progress' in peace talks and 'joint position' could be reached soon

Russia could default on its foreign debt on Wednesday. It has every reason to find a peaceful solution before then.

 

[Elka]

Ukraine war: Russia says there has been 'substantial progress' in peace talks and 'joint position' could be reached soon

I hope the Russian wording was not that "they plan to do it".

 

[BittyBug]

Ukraine war: Russia says there has been 'substantial progress' in peace talks and 'joint position' could be reached soon

 

[Elka]

To me it ties to @Elka's post in the other thread about stealing people's small business. Putin thinks he can simply take whatever fancies him. In a small way, this was demonstrated when he blatantly stole Robert Kraft's Super Bowl ring in plain sight. He did it because he could get away with it, and he did the same with Crimea. And since he has not yet faced any consequences for this behavior, he thinks he can repeat it at will.

And not just Putin, but it goes throug the whole society. Raiders mentioned in the other thread were/are, I suppose, for bigger businesses and joint stock companies etc.

When I lived in St.Petersburg during Yeltsin's time you could get robbed by a policeman outside of a 5 star hotel (if there was any, one of the finest anyhow) of course it was during a night and if you were a foreigner. There might be shootings in the city. And lot of horrors I do not wish to reminisce.
And the privatisation was just a big robbery.

But then came this "law and order" after a chaos. When Russians already had learned that democracy = chaos. Step by step it became more and more difficult to be a foreigner in Russia. A lot of bureaucracy and they obviously wanted all the foreign companies get rid of foreign directors. But it was seemingly good for business anyhow. I do not remember the locals complaining. When I was told about the "take overs of the small companies" we were discussing building of a big residential area by a foreign company. It was a private conversation with an engineer. I was at that time already out of Putin's Russia, just visiting.

 

[PRlady]

And not just Putin, but it goes throug the whole society. Raiders mentioned in the other thread were/are, I suppose, for bigger businesses and joint stock companies etc.

When I lived in St.Petersburg during Yeltsin's time you could get robbed by a policeman outside of a 5 star hotel (if there was any, one of the finest anyhow) of course it was during a night and if you were a foreigner. There might be shootings in the city. And lot of horrors I do not wish to reminisce.
And the privatisation was just a big robbery.

But then came this "law and order" after a chaos. When Russians already had learned that democracy = chaos. Step by step it became more and more difficult to be a foreigner in Russia. A lot of bureaucracy and they obviously wanted all the foreign companies get rid of foreign directors. But it was seemingly good for business anyhow. I do not remember the locals complaining. When I was told about the "take overs of the small companies" we were discussing building of a big residential area by a foreign company. It was a private conversation with an engineer. I was at that time already out of Putin's Russia, just visiting.

On a much smaller scale we are seeing a similar dynamic in US cities. Less than two years ago it was Black Lives Matter and police accountability. Now with a surge in crime from the pandemic and other factors, it’s all middle class people calling for security and more police.

People will do a lot to feel secure and have predictable lives.

 

[Elka]

People will do a lot to feel secure and have predictable lives.

This. When the Yeltsin time changed to Putin time it took a long time for people to start protesting, even privately. And then they always added that this is better than chaos. A lot of Russians prefer autocracy to chaos and it has been so for centuries.

 

[mjb52]

This is all loosely from memory so I hope I'm not getting anything important wrong but I remember reading a quote after the Arab Spring about middle class women in Iran saying they look at what is happening in Syria and it makes them feel that opposing a dictator isn't really worth it. You would want to be able to point to better alternative examples, in which opposing a bad leader or a bad system brought people a good life. Tunisia seemed like one for awhile, but things don't seem to be going as well there now. But it may highlight that there have to be practical good effects of the ideal we want to promote around the world in people's lives in addition to the ideal itself. It's not always enough to just say "but this ideal is good."

 

[MacMadame]

This. When the Yeltsin time changed to Putin time it took a long time for people to start protesting, even privately. And then they always added that this is better than chaos. A lot of Russians prefer autocracy to chaos and it has been so for centuries.

Not just Russians.

Not only do people want security over freedom, but they also don't seem to understand that true security can only happen if everyone is taken care of. They want to spend money on police instead of housing the homeless, for example. Even though the police want the homeless housed because it makes their jobs easier. And getting rid of a source of crime is more efficient, not just more humane.

 

[skatingguy]

Not just Russians.

Not only do people want security over freedom, but they also don't seem to understand that true security can only happen if everyone is taken care of. They want to spend money on police instead of housing the homeless, for example. Even though the police want the homeless housed because it makes their jobs easier. And getting rid of a source of crime is more efficient, not just more humane.

It's sad, but we seem to pick security theatre over security every time.

 

[Dobre]

Thread on how dental and medical procedures are being impacted by sanctions:

Loading…

twitter.com

"In Russia, dental implants, crowns, dental drills were primarily imported from Germany. Russia ran out of all such consumables days ago."

"surgeons can no longer perform surgeries that involve prosthetics because they were all being imported from abroad. This includes but not limited to hip and knee surgeries."

 

[aka_gerbil]

Typically, food and medicine/medical needs items are exempt from sanctions. I didn’t realize those were also sanctioned this time.

 

[taz'smum]

Typically, food and medicine/medical needs items are exempt from sanctions. I didn’t realize those were also sanctioned this time.

I’m guessing that this is a tragic consequence of the financial sanctions.

 

[Elka]

Typically, food and medicine/medical needs items are exempt from sanctions. I didn’t realize those were also sanctioned this time.

It can be logistic problems. I know someone who is supplying equipment for hospitals and they have problems to get transportation booked.

 

[Dobre]

Typically, food and medicine/medical needs items are exempt from sanctions. I didn’t realize those were also sanctioned this time.

Yes, I don't know if they are directly sanctioned. They are clearly being impacted. There is a link on the thread to the original source, probably in Russian. I do know that the Russian athletes often have medical procedures done in Germany, and that right now is probably not happening. Also, while many things are directly impacted by sanctions, other businesses have to be asking whether it's safe and financially feasible to continue business in Russia. I hope the dental and medical problems can be solved.

 

[Nadya]

Russia could default on its foreign debt on Wednesday. It has every reason to find a peaceful solution before then.

Was there ever a good a cause for the force majeure clause as universal sanctions?

 

[Nadya]

Typically, food and medicine/medical needs items are exempt from sanctions. I didn’t realize those were also sanctioned this time.

There is NEVER a universal exemption for these.

 

[barbk]

Thread on how dental and medical procedures are being impacted by sanctions:

Loading…

twitter.com

"In Russia, dental implants, crowns, dental drills were primarily imported from Germany. Russia ran out of all such consumables days ago."

"surgeons can no longer perform surgeries that involve prosthetics because they were all being imported from abroad. This includes but not limited to hip and knee surgeries."

I feel bad about this until I remember a maternity hospital, evacuation convoys, and schools in Ukraine bombed by Russia and communities without water. At that point, pretty hard to feel bad about Russians not getting dental implants, veneers and knee replacements.