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[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2682555]Hopefully, if not Siberia, the remains of these American, French, British, German and Israeli dogs will be paraded for the world to see what human filth looks like.[/QUOTE]Hmm Israeli dogs. That's an odd reference in a post about the Ukraine war. The NATO countries referenced makes sense. Israel though?
[QUOTE=Cons68;2682790]These events have turned them into rabid Russian haters. This will not go off in 20 or 30 years. This will linger a long time.[/QUOTE]Putin believed his own fantasy, further fed by the lies of his sycophants, that Ukraine wasn't really a nation, that they longed to be part of Russia again, and that the Russian army would be welcomed as liberators.
When that didn't happen he unleashed the kind of brutality one might expect from a rejected and jilted lover. A kind of "If I can't have you then I'm going to completely ruin you" sentiment. Even the formerly sympathetic areas in Eastern Ukraine will be impossible to effectively manage. Sure, Putin can station many troops in areas he manages to seize and hold, but those areas will never be a willing and productive part of Russia. Instead, they will continue to bleed Russia of manpower and resources while the vast majority of the world keeps sanctions in effect.
Putin will have turned Russia into a larger version of North Korea, a true pariah state. That assumes, of course, that he manages to stay in power after such a humiliating defeat and display of weakness. He raised expectations in Russia to an extremely high level such that the general belief was that Kyiv would be quickly conquered and the Zelensky government overthrown. Instead, Putin's army had to retreat from the Kyiv front in humiliating fashion and Zelensky remains in power. No matter how hard the Kremlin spin doctors try, Russian citizens recognize this as a defeat and a profound failure to achieve the desired objective. They may not be able to freely talk about it, but they surely understand what's happened. And that can't be good for Putin's future prospects.
[QUOTE=WyattEarp;2682959]Hmm Israeli dogs. That's an odd reference in a post about the Ukraine war. The NATO countries referenced makes sense. Israel though?[/QUOTE]It's always the same story with fascists. Blame the Jews.
[QUOTE=Neurosynth;2683029]It's always the same story with fascists. Blame the Jews.[/QUOTE]It's always the same story with Jews. Blame the fascists.
Oh, wait, except in Ukraine where the Jews are the fascists.
[QUOTE=WyattEarp;2682959]Hmm Israeli dogs. That's an odd reference in a post about the Ukraine war. The NATO countries referenced makes sense. Israel though?[/QUOTE]Not at all an odd reference in context of the Khazarian Homeland. Ample evidence and likely more forthcoming of the Ashkenazim insinuating themselves into this conflict.
[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2682726]The current government is cleaning up the oligarch issue in Russia and also in Ukraine, where Clown President is the world's richest comedian, with over $1.3 billion in foreign banks.
Russia does not need American comments on its system of governance.
America does not support or export democracy. That is a self serving fallacy.
America has no values, let alone democratic values.[/QUOTE]And sinking fast, because poor Putin and his pussilanimous posse of pipsqueaks have collectively pulled the plug!
Every passing day the tide turns further against Russia. They're in a constant state of loss: whether it be territory, or status, or support, etc. Even Kazakhstan is distancing itself, which is a shocker since Putin just bailed out the Kazakh leader not long ago. That's gratitude for you, eh?
Oh, and as I predicted, Finland is reportedly submitting their NATO application by April 14th. Which means Putin will have yet another member of NATO sitting on his border. And Poland is buying about $5 billion worth of US (Abrams) tanks and is offering to host NATO nukes.
Everywhere you look, assuming one isn't deluded enough to believe one's own propaganda, Putin is losing ground. Russia is totally fucked and has no future. When that reality dawns on the people, when it can't be hidden any longer and the curtain is pulled back, it's not going to be good for anyone in the Russian leadership, especially Putin.
Buh-bye, tovarisch!
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2682605]Mikhail Prokhorov, former owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, has fled to Israel and applied for Israeli citizenship.
Q: Why would a rich Russian oligarch abandon his home country?.[/QUOTE]Russian? His "home country"? LOL.
With his dual passport dusted off, this rat is going to his home country.
[QUOTE=Golfinho;2683654]Russian? His "home country"? LOL.
With his dual passport dusted off, this rat is going to his home country.[/QUOTE]The Jpost article mentioned that he applied for citizenship upon arrival and his application was reviewed and approved under the "Right of Return" laws pertaining to Jews born outside Israel.
That puts him in a different category from Russian oligarchs who already had Israeli citizenship like, IIRC, Roman Abramovich. That's because someone with pre-existing dual-citizenship already had an escape door available, but Prokhorov abandoned Russia without having that in place.
So, while I'm sure he had people working behind the scenes to grease the skids, there was still some degree of risk that things could go wrong. So that brings me back to my original point, which is that the easiest path would have been to stay in Russia. As an oligarch he had all the privileges and advantages available to the elite.
So why take on the risk of leaving? Any amount of risk, large or small, is still greater than staying put. It's my guess that he looked at Russia's bleak future and decided it was worth the risk to jump ship when the opportunity presented itself.
The elites don't give a shit about what regular people do, but they watch each other like a hawk. With Chubais leaving, and now Prokhorov, others are probably asking themselves whether they should also head for the exits.
[QUOTE=Golfinho;2683654]Russian? His "home country"? LOL.
With his dual passport dusted off, this rat is going to his home country.[/QUOTE]I get it. You hate Jews.
You lost last time.
You will lose again.
The rouble is strong, the Russian Army is strong and the rats remain in Mariupol where Russian and Chechen Special Forces have them by their balls.
If Poland and Finland wants World War Three, bring it on. As long as American cities are also repeatedly nuked.
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2683605] Dumb American bs
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2683774].......So that brings me back to my original point, which is that the easiest path would have been to stay in Russia. As an oligarch he had all the privileges and advantages available to the elite.
So why take on the risk of leaving? Any amount of risk, large or small, is still greater than staying put. It's my guess that he looked at Russia's bleak future and decided it was worth the risk to jump ship when the opportunity presented itself.
The elites don't give a shit about what regular people do, but they watch each other like a hawk. With Chubais leaving, and now Prokhorov, others are probably asking themselves whether they should also head for the exits.[/QUOTE]I would put Chubais and Prokhorov in different categories. I sense Putin's tolerance for billionaire oligarchs is waning. It doesn't sound like Putin needs them anymore.
As a man who manipulated the system for his gain after the fall of the Soviet Union, I'm don't think Prokhorov deserves much of our consideration. Besides many of these oligarchs seem to have been more like globe-trotting world citizens than Russian citizens.
[QUOTE=Jmsuttr;2683774]The Jpost article mentioned that he applied for citizenship upon arrival and his application was reviewed and approved under the "Right of Return" laws pertaining to Jews born outside Israel.
That puts him in a different category from Russian oligarchs who already had Israeli citizenship like, IIRC, Roman Abramovich. That's because [/QUOTE]Pre-existing. "Citizen" of the ethno-religious state by birthright.
[QUOTE=PedroMorales;2683880]I love licking Putin's bunghole![/QUOTE]The ruble is rubble. The exchange rate is meaningless when you consider: 1) The manipulation being practiced by the Russian Central bank, and; 2) The fact that sanctions drastically limit what Russia can buy.
[URL]https://www.dw.com/en/putin-tactics-drive-rebound-in-russian-ruble/a-61363334[/URL]
"It's effectively just artificially supporting the ruble while appearing to be forcing buyers in hostile countries into utilizing the ruble currency," Erlam said. "It's like the measures that have been imposed on Gazprombank and others already in terms of forcing them to convert 80% of their currency payments into rubles. This further supports those types of desperate measures".
"Ruble trading volumes have dried up due to sanctions and many brokers and speculators remain wary of dealing in the currency. This means that the ruble's current market price is being determined by far fewer transactions than usual".
Also, probably the most competent govt apparatchik is the Central Bank governor, Elvira Nabiullina. So what does it say about the Russian economic situation that she wants to resign but Putin won't let her? If she had the same resources as Chubais and Prokhorov, I'm guessing she'd already be gone.
[URL]https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-top-central-banker-step-down-ukraine-war-putin-2022-3[/URL]
"state of hopelessness" taking root among Russian central bank employees who fear being cut off from the outside world".
About Putin's paper-tiger army, every analyst who isn't a pro-Russia shill (like you) recognizes that they suffered a humiliating defeat in their attempt to seize Kyiv. They retreated so rapidly they had to abandon any equipment that might slow them down. Any "after the fact" explanation that they weren't serious about taking Kyiv is transparent and laughable bullshit.
I have no idea how the battle for the East and South will turn out, but Putin has already lost because the Zelensky govt is still in place and, after raising expectations about conquering (and denazifying) ALL of Ukraine, he couldn't deliver. So now he's desperately trying to find something, ANYTHING, he can spin as a victory. And he'll need to figure out what how to explain to tens of thousands of Russian widows, orphans, and bereaved parents, that the deaths of their loved ones was worth it. For what, the Donbass (assuming Putin can even pull that off)? Give me a fucking break!
Oh, and about his constant WW-III threats, his conventional forces are a total joke, so all he can do is wave the nuke banner. Even assuming he's insane and suicidal, I've read a few articles about the layers of military bureaucracy that would be involved. So it's equally likely that someone in the chain would say "nyet" just like some of Russia's front-line soldiers have already terminated their own officers.
Putin has completely miscalculated and followed that miscalculation with abject failure. As a result he's united the West beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Poland, the Baltics, and soon very likely Finland and Sweden will be NATO gatekeepers on his doorstep. And Russia's future is already circling the drain. The big question now is whether anyone is able to deliver a Stalinesque retirement to Putin before the country turns into a clone of North Korea.
[QUOTE=Golfinho;2683969]Pre-existing. "Citizen" of the ethno-religious state by birthright.[/QUOTE]I don't know what your problems with Jews are, and I frankly couldn't care less.
What I do care about is being factually accurate. If someone is a citizen (sole or dual), that's a factual statement of legal status. And that legal status entitles them to carry the passport of their country (ies) of citizenship.
As a factual matter, Prokhorov was NOT a citizen of Israel until he 1) Arrived; 2) Applied; 3) Had his application approved.
At any point in that process, Israel retained the right to decline approval. Although declination was unlikely, there is still a case-by-case review and certification that needs to happen. Until ALL the requirements were met, and approval granted, Prokhorov was not an Israeli citizen.
Those are the plain facts, whether you choose to accept them or not, that's entirely up to you.
[QUOTE=WyattEarp;2683944]I would put Chubais and Prokhorov in different categories. I sense Putin's tolerance for billionaire oligarchs is waning. It doesn't sound like Putin needs them anymore.
As a man who manipulated the system for his gain after the fall of the Soviet Union, I'm don't think Prokhorov deserves much of our consideration. Besides many of these oligarchs seem to have been more like globe-trotting world citizens than Russian citizens.[/QUOTE]There are undoubtedly many differences between Chubais and Prokhorov. My main reason for discussing them is because they provide a window into what might be going on in elite circles. I agree that Putin probably needs oligarchs less than they need him, but that doesn't mean they don't (some of them, at least) still have a level of influence and power. If, for example, Putin were to be ousted, it's likely someone from elite circles would replace him.
To my mind there are roughly three types of oligarchs. First, those who are already locked into Russia by existing sanctions. That group, as least publicly, are more likely to double down in their support of Putin because their fates are linked with his. They don't have any easy exit route. Second, those who already lived abroad some or most of the time, perhaps with dual-citizenship status. One notable example is Roman Abramovich who, even though (IIRC) he's subject to some sanctions, still had a relatively easy exit route. Third, those who are in between, like Prokhorov. He had money and status enough to allow him to ride out the storm in Russia, but chose to leave and needed to create an exit strategy to do so.
It's that third group that interests me most. How many more will abandon ship and how will that affect the mindset of other elites?
Interesting times! Stay tuned.