Stupid Shit in Kyiv

[Sorbonne]

What we know for sure is that Ukraine will be a very different place when this is over.

HulaHoops has also been saying the Ukrainians now hate foreigners. That is a grave concern, if we ever return.

Even during the pandemic I started feeling that people have not been as friendly as they were before the pandemic in this provincial city I was living in, which has been bombarded by now.

I did hear from the former freebee girl. She's still in Kyiv and is saying that now is not time to get divorced as she doesn't have money. So she has to stay in Ukraine, as her husband is not allowed to leave the country.

It may be even safe to say party is over for us in Ukraine. On the other hand, the condition may be set for us in Russia if it goes back to the Soviet time. Who knows?

[WyattEarp]

Clearly a Russian troll.

Tomasb,

There are also some anti-American, anti-West Marxists scattered about social media. They're taking up this Ukraine war to bash the USA And its Western allies again. They don't seem to realize Russia and China are now as far from Marxist as you can get.

Of course, politics makes strange bedfellows.

[Tomasb]

Clearly a Russian troll.

[Jmsuttr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNBt...el=OxfordUnion

There is a smart American I am listening to now. The USA is a predatory country that has invaded China at least one. The Chinese have long memories.

Germany has allowed the USA sink Nordstream 2. Ukrainian immigration, caused by the USA arming Ukrainian Nazis, is going to give Western Europe all kinds of problems. Iraq wants the US invaders gone but the USA will not fuck off. Afghanistan has to rebuild after the USA raped it.

People like to quote Einstein saying the next world war will be fought with hatchets. Up close and personal. Think about that.

I don't do drugs. Russia is getting out of Ukraine what she wants. And British and American mercenaries got more than they bargained for. Enjoy Zelensky (worth $1.6 bn, not bad for a clown). Hopefully he will go back to his day time job in Florida strip clubs. I'll go back to Stone.

It doesn't take much to find someone who agrees with you. A couple of minutes doing a web search should suffice. You could do a search of (insert name of country) doing bad shit, and you'd be rewarded with plenty of results. But, in the end, it's merely an exercise in confirmation bias and proves nothing.

One interesting thing I'm noticing about your responses is that you studiously avoid dealing with reality-based evidence. Instead, you deal out a steady stream of ad hominem attacks against a variety of targets. Whether it's Zelensky, the US, regular Ukrainians, or anyone who aligns with them like Germany, they're all interchangeable when it comes to your oppobrium.

A second way you avoid debating the evidence is by posting about fantasies and items of wishful thinking that have no basis in reality. You want the US out of Europe and the South China Sea, yet the clear evidence is that Putin's aggression has driven countries closer to the US in both those regions. You can't deal with that reality, hence you ignore it. Your other oft-repeated fantasy is that Putin's campaign is proceeding according to his plan. The available evidence completely contradicts that. Consider, as one example, that if it had been Putin's plan to resort primarily to bomb and missile strikes, he could have done that without using such a large invasion force. The available evidence indicates that the initial blitzkrieg-style operation bogged down and failed. What we're seeing now is the backup plan. Similarly, the available evidence shows that Putin seriously underestimated the resolve of the West when it came to sanctions. See my previous post re Russia's central bank reserves.

And yet a third way you have of avoiding reasoned debate is by playing a shell game in which you constantly change the focus. The latest example is your mention of Afghanistan, which you use to accuse the US while failing to mention Russia's bloody and brutal record in that country. I'm sure you're aware of that chapter, which means your lack of mention was intentional.

The reason I draw attention to your shuck-and-jive tactics is not because I think there's any chance you'll change. You're obviously a pro-Russia shill who isn't interested in anything but promoting Putin, his agenda, and attacking anyone that doesn't agree. No, the reason I point these things out is so other forum posters can take appropriate note of them.

[WyattEarp]

And thanks for bringing up the BRI, since that initiative is rife with corruption, de facto debt servitude to Beijing, and mounting opposition.

..............................................................

What's quite apparent is that Putin completely miscalculated in his assessment of Ukraine's resistance, and the West's response. Indisputable evidence of this is that he left somewhere between 40% to 50% of his central bank reserves in offshore deposits and denominated in dollars, euros, and yen. He's lost access to those funds when, had he not miscalculated, he could have moved the money back to Russia.

I don't think a lot of people understand that the Belt and Road Initiative is just a lending program on steroids. Many of the recipient countries don't have the institutions and stability to attract private capital. Government lending direct or indirect to the third world has a terrible track record.

Many here are too young to remember the Latin America debt crisis of the 1980's. China thinks they can manage these investments better than previous efforts. The Chinese have already had to take control of "assets". Foreign control over physical assets always causes resentment. The "investments" can be a debt trap for third world countries.

As far as Russia's dollar and euro reserves, a few talking heads speculate that this could spell the demise of the dollar. This sort of analysis demonstrates a lack of understanding of global trade and economics. In order to run chronically large trade surpluses, a country (I. E. China, Russia, etc.) has to park their surpluses in a foreign reserve economy as opposed to spending it domestically or abroad in the way of imports. That country also doesn't want money flowing into their currency as this would also move through their economy as spending and result in imports. In other words, at this point in its economic development China does not want to invite money to flow in from abroad and held in Renminbi.

[PedroMorales]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNBt...el=OxfordUnion

There is a smart American I am listening to now. The USA is a predatory country that has invaded China at least one. The Chinese have long memories.

Germany has allowed the USA sink Nordstream 2. Ukrainian immigration, caused by the USA arming Ukrainian Nazis, is going to give Western Europe all kinds of problems. Iraq wants the US invaders gone but the USA will not fuck off. Afghanistan has to rebuild after the USA raped it.

People like to quote Einstein saying the next world war will be fought with hatchets. Up close and personal. Think about that.

But go ahead and feel free to dream, if that's what floats your boat. And while you're at it go ahead and throw in a porn star or two. As for me, I'm happy to observe the evidentiary basis of things and to try to discern where that evidence points. Right now things aren't looking great for Russia, or Ukraine for that matter. It's a shit-show, that's for sure. But anyone who thinks Russia will emerge smelling like a rose is indulging in some Putinesque, Greater Russia, hallucinogenic trip.

I don't do drugs. Russia is getting out of Ukraine what she wants. And British and American mercenaries got more than they bargained for. Enjoy Zelensky (worth $1.6 bn, not bad for a clown). Hopefully he will go back to his day time job in Florida strip clubs. I'll go back to Stone.

[Mojo Bandit]

But go ahead and feel free to dream, if that's what floats your boat. And while you're at it go ahead and throw in a porn star or two. As for me, I'm happy to observe the evidentiary basis of things and to try to discern where that evidence points. Right now things aren't looking great for Russia, or Ukraine for that matter. It's a shit-show, that's for sure. But anyone who thinks Russia will emerge smelling like a rose is indulging in some Putinesque, Greater Russia, hallucinogenic trip.

Here is an article where a former NATO Secretary-General recounts the efforts of NATO to partner with Russia. Demonstating how much BS Putin is spouting about NATO being such a threat.

https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-ukrain.../31749844.html

That blog post you linked in an earlier post about the inerdynamics of Russia was interesting. I had heard parts of that structure described by a Russian who's blog I was following a couple of years ago. The way they keep everyone poor so the "barons" look bad is sad. Use the country as their pinata and manage the propaganda to still look good themselves. I also believe what he is saying about Navalny, the west likes to put anyone on a pedestal that stands up to Putin. Yet in reality Navalny is still alive and even tweeting from Jail? Really? I liked Boris Nemtsov, but he should have been more careful and he should not have telegraphed his moves the way he did. He should have learned from Khodorkovsky's experience but even though Khodorkovsky only went to prison - Nemstov was shot down gangster style.

[RacShack]

I'm not convinced. First and only prior post was 1 year ago saying " Anyone here? What's the scene like?" and nothing more in the General Info for *Burma*. Next post he's already in trouble in Ukraine. No prior participation at all.

I'm not buying it from the beginning something not adding up.

[Jmsuttr]

The comedian Zelensky is suing for peace as Russia opens the roads into Kiev. The dog Zelensky now admits Ukraine will never be in NATO. Several hundred mercenaries were sent to hell by Russian missiles, serving as a warning to any other rat bags.

India and Pakistan (small countries) are dealing with Russia. Saudi Arabia is now talking of trading oil in yuan. Game changer as they say.

Germany has a choice: end the US occupation and exploitation or go under. If Germany prefers nuclear war, that is ok too. The main thing is to turn the USA into the pariah state that it is.

How about laying off Chinese racist stereotypes? Russia is a key partner in the Belt and Road Initiative. The next step is clear the South China Sea of the US 7th Fleet one way or the other. The USA is getting beaten in Ukraine. Hopefully, all mercenaries captured will end up in Siberian salt mines and all Nazis will end up pushing up daisies.

I hope the Chechens capture the aptly named Olena Semenyaka.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/...a-sanctions-fm

"China's foreign minister has told his Spanish counterpart his country does not want to be impacted by Western economic sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last month, according to state media.

"China is not a party to the crisis, still less wants to be affected by the sanctions," Wang Yi said, according to a readout of a phone call with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares that was published on Tuesday".

China is walking a tightrope and, while they're happy to keep Russia on an IV drip, they're not going to sacrifice a single one of their interests for Putin.

Racist stereotypes? Really? Is that your new ad hominem tripe in view of the fact that some of your name calling posts got shitcanned? How is it racist to point out the reality that China is not shy about pressing an advantage when it has one? Speaking of racist, that's an apt description of the despicable terms the Russians imposed on the Chinese when they stole Chinese territory in the Amur Annexation. Is it racist to point out that China has a long memory? And is it racist to point out that, when China refers to its "Century of Humiliation," Russia was one of the offending countries? Payback is a beyotch and I'd love to see China turn the screws on Putin.

https://www.newsweek.com/china-explo...omberg-1686332

"However, far from swooping in to prop up the Russian economy and cushion it against the sanctions, Bloomberg's report suggests China may seize the opportunity to increase Moscow's already hefty economic dependence on Beijing".

And thanks for bringing up the BRI, since that initiative is rife with corruption, de facto debt servitude to Beijing, and mounting opposition.

https://www.newsweek.com/china-explo...omberg-1686332

But I sincerely hope you're right about Russia becoming an ever closer "partner" in BRI. I put that word in quotes because, while a true partnership denotes equality and equity, there is no scenario in which any future China-Russia interaction isn't going to be completely dominated by China. In fact, I recall recently running across the phrase "subjugated vassal state," which is a great description of where Russia is heading.

About other countries, many are walking the same tightrope as China, only on a smaller scale. India's a good example as they're also looking to benefit from bargain basement prices for Russian oil and resources.

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/arti...-say-officials

But self-interest, by any country, is a far cry from supporting Putin's actions. Even China is now calling it a war, and calling for an end to violence. The difference between tightrope-walking and true support is that, if and when the sanctions calculus changes, the tightrope-walkers won't hesitate to dial down or abandon their transactions with Russia.

Putin can certainly lob bombs and missiles, but he hasn't managed a single notable military achievement. In the meantime, depending on the analyst cited, he's lost anywhere from several thousands to 10,000+ troops, several of his generals, and a shitload of tanks and military vehicles. As I said before, his Plan A has utterly failed. If he wants to carpet bomb, or resort to chemical warfare or tactical nukes, then all bets are off. I don't have a crystal ball that tells the future, although obviously you think you've got it all figured out.

My gut feeling is that the regular military would balk at following an order to launch nukes, assuming Putin is insane enough to give such an order. I doubt that the officers in that particular chain of command want to see Moscow and Leningrad, among others, turned into (bring your own hazmat suit and skates) year-round skating rinks.

What's quite apparent is that Putin completely miscalculated in his assessment of Ukraine's resistance, and the West's response. Indisputable evidence of this is that he left somewhere between 40% to 50% of his central bank reserves in offshore deposits and denominated in dollars, euros, and yen. He's lost access to those funds when, had he not miscalculated, he could have moved the money back to Russia. But it's great, when you think about it, that the ruble has become the most colorful toilet paper in the world! A little scratchy, but war is hell, right?

Oh, and just because you love to repeat your wet-dreams about the US getting kicked out of Europe, or the South China Sea, doesn't make them even remotely true. I've already pointed out that the available evidence shows European countries moving toward the US and NATO, not the other way around. And, when it comes to the Pacific area, Australia has announced a significant expansion of their military and Japan is seriously discussing a nuclear-sharing arrangement with the US. I'm guessing both those items are causing some heartburn in the CCP and, when they look for a proximate cause, they see Putin, Putin, Putin.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/202.../morr-m12.html

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Sen...ption-with-U.S

But go ahead and feel free to dream, if that's what floats your boat. And while you're at it go ahead and throw in a porn star or two. As for me, I'm happy to observe the evidentiary basis of things and to try to discern where that evidence points. Right now things aren't looking great for Russia, or Ukraine for that matter. It's a shit-show, that's for sure. But anyone who thinks Russia will emerge smelling like a rose is indulging in some Putinesque, Greater Russia, hallucinogenic trip.

[PedroMorales]

The comedian Zelensky is suing for peace as Russia opens the roads into Kiev. The dog Zelensky now admits Ukraine will never be in NATO. Several hundred mercenaries were sent to hell by Russian missiles, serving as a warning to any other rat bags.

India and Pakistan (small countries) are dealing with Russia. Saudi Arabia is now talking of trading oil in yuan. Game changer as they say.

Germany has a choice: end the US occupation and exploitation or go under. If Germany prefers nuclear war, that is ok too. The main thing is to turn the USA into the pariah state that it is.

How about laying off Chinese racist stereotypes? Russia is a key partner in the Belt and Road Initiative. The next step is clear the South China Sea of the US 7th Fleet one way or the other. The USA is getting beaten in Ukraine. Hopefully, all mercenaries captured will end up in Siberian salt mines and all Nazis will end up pushing up daisies.

I hope the Chechens capture the aptly named Olena Semenyaka.

Since the vast majority of countries are siding with Ukraine, with the exception of China, Belarus, and a few small countries.

[WyattEarp]

......If the backup plan is to bombard Ukraine into submission, or until there's nothing left but scorched earth, he can certainly do that. Then, having turned almost the entire world against him, Putin can try to hold the smoldering husk of Ukraine in his hand and hope it doesn't burst into flame.

Whether one agrees with you or not, that is quite the metaphor.

[Golfinho]

Lavrov has said Russia is finished with Western Europe. Western Europe must now get rid of the USA.

As regards the war, sorry to disappoint but Russia is winning it Russia's way. Nice strike against foreign mercenaries the other day. Unless you were one of the 200+ mercenaries
On that latter point, here is Herman Goering at Nuremberg: "Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or fascist dictorship, or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peace makers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

Of course. And the unasked question is: Who wants (this) war? We'd ask qui bono but this one more (much more) than any others in recent and not so recent history has the potential for unintended consequences for all parties involved, for the entire world actually.

[Jmsuttr]

Lavrov has said Russia is finished with Western Europe. Western Europe must now get rid of the USA.

Since the vast majority of countries are siding with Ukraine, with the exception of China, Belarus, and a few small countries, Russia is headed for an extended period of unprecedented isolation. Western Europe is ramping up defense budgets and figuring out ways to reduce or eliminate dependence on Russian gas and oil. It'll be interesting to see who comes away with the short end of the stick from that broken relationship. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be Western Europe.

Oh, but Russia can always count on their "good friend" China, right? Except for the fact that the Chinese never do anything free or against their own interests. So Putin should get ready to bend over and grab his ankles, because China will demand the best Russian natural resources at the deepest imaginable discounts. And it wouldn't surprise me if China used their unique leverage to gain even more concessions. Anyone who thinks China won't exploit their opportunities is living in a fantasy land.

About Western Europe getting rid of the USA, that's just not going to happen, no matter what you want, for the foreseeable future. As a direct result of Putin's actions, US-led NATO will be entrenched more firmly than ever, with more troops in more countries. And the icing on the (pushed into Putin's face) cake will be if Sweden, or Finland, or both, join NATO. So prepare to "get used to disappointment" as the saying goes.

As regards the war, sorry to disappoint but Russia is winning it Russia's way.

I haven't seen any credible military analyst who thinks Russia can't win the war, if they're prepared to endure the costs. The informed discussion centers around how much damage the Russian military and economy will incur, and whether any "victory" will be Pyrrhic in nature. If Putin's Plan A was to mount a quick "special operation" in which he captured Kyiv, deposed the Zelensky government, and was hailed as a liberator by a large portion of Ukraine's population, that's utterly failed. If the backup plan is to bombard Ukraine into submission, or until there's nothing left but scorched earth, he can certainly do that. Then, having turned almost the entire world against him, Putin can try to hold the smoldering husk of Ukraine in his hand and hope it doesn't burst into flame. No worries, the Russians are great when it comes to occupying hostile territory, right? Just look at their track record in Afghanistan.

Falsehood in War-time, Containing an Assortment of Lies Circulated Throughout the Nations During the Great War, was written by Arthur Ponsonby in 1928 lists and refutes pieces of propaganda used by the Allied Forces against the Central Powers. The Belgian historian Anne Morelli systematized the essential propaganda techniques of Ponsonby's classic in her book Principes lmentaires de propagande de guerre. Morelli explains how these principles not only worked during the First World War, but were also applied in wars into 2001:

Everything about which you accuse Ukraine and the West of applies equally to Russia, if not more so. Within Russia, any media outlets that aren't willing to parrot the Kremlin are either directly shut down or "voluntarily" disband or suspend operations. I wonder if the recently passed law imposing a 15 year prison sentence for disseminating "disinformation" had anything to do with that?

https://niemanreports.org/articles/p...-russia-media/

I'm absolutely certain that both sides are engaging in propaganda and information warfare. Unfortunately for Russia, Ukraine is kicking their ass in that arena. But intelligent observers do their best to pierce the veil of manipulation, though it's not an easy task. But you've got it all figured out, right? All you need to do is listen to RT and that'll give you the pure, unadulterated, truth. Good luck with that.

[PedroMorales]

To all those brainwashed idiots standing with Ukraine:

https://odysee.com/@DanTheOracleFash...ddy-Tarleton:1

Can't say I like the song but odysee is where I go to get RT live. I get updates on an Indian proxy server. All thanks to US censorship. Facebook now allows direct threats against Russians and praise for Nazis in Ukraine.

Lavrov has said Russia is finished with Western Europe. Western Europe must now get rid of the USA.

As regards Yanks (advising to report or block morons, the issue is this site, like all other sites is full of them and with cretins who repeat Fox News / CNN type mantras. It is why you have all the Stupid Shit threads.

As regards the war, sorry to disappoint but Russia is winning it Russia's way. Nice strike against foreign mercenaries the other day. Unless you were one of the 200+ mercenaries who died.

Falsehood in War-time, Containing an Assortment of Lies Circulated Throughout the Nations During the Great War, was written by Arthur Ponsonby in 1928 lists and refutes pieces of propaganda used by the Allied Forces against the Central Powers. The Belgian historian Anne Morelli systematized the essential propaganda techniques of Ponsonby's classic in her book Principes élémentaires de propagande de guerre. Morelli explains how these principles not only worked during the First World War, but were also applied in wars into 2001:

We do not want war.

The opposite party alone is guilty of war.

The enemy is inherently evil and resembles the devil.

We defend a noble cause, not our own interests. (Just war theory).

The enemy commits atrocities on purpose; our mishaps are involuntary.

The enemy uses forbidden weapons.

We suffer small losses, those of the enemy are enormous.

Recognized artists and intellectuals back our cause.

Our cause is sacred.

All who doubt our propaganda are traitors.

On that latter point, here is Herman Goering at Nuremberg: "Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war: neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or fascist dictorship, or a parliament or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peace makers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. "

[Jmsuttr]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...554795014.html

It's a bit long, but worth a read (IMO). The author makes a few different points, but what I found most enlightening was the description of how the power struggle between elites close to the center of government (courtiers) vs elites with their power base in the regions (barons) is at the center of the dysfunction and corruption that plagues the Russian system. The failure of the Russian military in Ukraine is merely the most currently visible manifestation of that dysfunction, but it's everywhere and goes all the way down to the bone.

He also makes the point that, if Putin falls, whoever takes his place would probably come from the ranks of either the courtiers or barons. And, since both those groups are steeped in the prevailing culture of corruption, a new leader might not result in as much change as people hope. He also points out that "opposition" figures, like Navalny, may be nothing more than courtiers who have fallen out of favor. That being the case, those who believe such "opposition" figures are a key part of any long term solution had better do their homework first.

The impression I was left with is that there are no fully satisfactory answers. The shit has truly hit the fan and we don't yet know exactly where it will fall, or how widely it will spread.