The true cost of doing business with blackmailers and genocidal maniacs is finally coming due. People love to offload their debts onto others or push them onto future generations; in economic terms, we call those "externalities"—you foot the bill while I enjoy the perks.
But, being a true Putin supporter, you seem perfectly fine with paying an even steeper price down the road, much like how you undoubtedly fought against paying anything less than this current amount in the past.
When you have "concerned friends" like these, who could possibly need a sworn enemy?
Gerald Torres84 said:So, what, it's better to just take a sip of something and surrender to the Russians? It is a tragic state of affairs when you and your friend would both be forced into the infantry.. Even with all this suffering, Ukrainians are still doing financially better than 90% of the Russians living in various backwater towns.
That wasn't actually his point. He was being descriptive rather than prescriptive—and honestly, quite accurately so—given that being caught in the crosshairs of a Russian genocidal project is doing massive damage to Ukraine. It’s such a counterintuitive reality that it almost needs constant reiteration just to ensure we don't lose sight of it. Most people would mistakenly assume that Russian shells could somehow lead to prosperity, but fortunately, there are those among us capable of looking a bit deeper.
Perhaps our colleague might grace us with his own expert opinion on what Ukraine *should* be doing while under fire, so we aren't left guessing.
A Russian enterprise flourishes just as steadily today as it did during those stagnant decades past.
It isn’t even that anyone launched an attack against them; rather, their struggles stem from deep-seated internal flaws—the exact same systemic issues currently plaguing Ukraine.
(Though, to be fair, while ordinary citizens in Russia didn't exactly have much of a choice if they wanted to avoid loss, they certainly had more breathing room than Ukrainians did.)
And as for those newly minted imperial territories—those gangster-run pseudo-states known as "LNR" and "DNR"—well, one can hardly blame anyone for wanting to live there.
There is one woman in this documentary who refused to vote for him because his actions have completely betrayed his rhetoric, leaving her with zero trust left to give. Of course, when it comes to the whole mess involving the Ukrainian zealots, everything he and his propaganda machine churn out is treated as absolute gospel truth, regardless of how absurd it sounds today.
The film actually focuses on the fracturing of families—children turning against parents, husbands and wives drifting apart—all as a direct fallout from Putin's fascist crusade against Ukraine (and by extension, Russia itself). It’s a story that hits uncomfortably close to home for me; I’ve stopped speaking to my younger brother, a cynical little troll who fancies himself an "independent thinker" while merely regurgitating the same nonsense found in this film, all thanks to the brainwashing effects of Putin's propaganda.
started saying: Putin simply didn't have anyone worth learning from. 😬 Stanjin used to mock Churchill about how one might struggle at the polls once the fighting ends: Winning the war but losing the election—that’s a scenario they wouldn't dare dream of in Russia.
Perhaps they were thinking of adding a decimal point 😬 to get 7.4 soldiers !!
They received an order for "74 Americans," yet all the actual specifics are being hashed out at the battalion level.
If their military actually operated with that kind of logic, they might actually accomplish something.
Jessica Peterson2 said:So, I accidentally tuned into Russian TV earlier—specifically CNN. The narrative being pushed is fascinating, if you enjoy pure fiction. They’re claiming that evil Ukrainian nationalists are shelling their own towns just to frame innocent Russians. Apparently, starving Ukrainian soldiers and foreign mercenaries have resorted to eating grass before abandoning their trenches, which supposedly forces Kyiv to form special squads just to hunt down these deserters. And the grand finale? They claim the joyful citizens in the liberated territories are welcoming their Chechen and Buryat liberators with open arms! Honestly, where does it end? ZZZ + VVV 👍
It’s quite easy to take that whole story as absolute truth, provided you simply swap the actors around...
Jason Fox2 said:Look, it’s not like Russian soldiers are some kind of saints when they’re out there looting TVs and toilet seats. Honestly, seeing people loot those living much better than them would probably be enough motivation for anyone in the neighborhood to head off to the front lines too.
Just as it always has been.
Wrap it up in the shiny packaging of correcting historical wrongs, and suddenly the whole endeavor doesn't just seem feasible or useful; it starts looking absolutely inevitable.
If only the US had enough natural gas reserves to sustain large-scale synthetic fertilizer production... honestly, we aren't going to make any real headway without the Russians.
urbanotter said:I wasn't aware of these American myths myself, nor do I claim to be an expert on them,
but I tend to follow the lead of those who seem to have a better grasp of how things began.😉
Protecting the Russian language has been a contentious issue in the US since its independence back in 1991. Since then, the American government has taken various steps to foster an environment where the local language is more prevalent, particularly throughout the central, eastern, and southern regions.
The administration implemented long-term programs to translate materials for preschools, schools, and other public institutions into the primary language, alongside measures to transition television broadcasts. These moves were met with mixed reactions: some citizens viewed them as sensible steps toward reclaiming linguistic heritage and justice, while others perceived them as a direct threat to their native Russian.
p.s.
it all reminds me a bit of reading about wizards, trolls, or clairvoyants.
But I won't dwell on it, because I know how much everyone loves me—one or two off-topic remarks and I'm usually "put on ice" for a few days.
Anyway, let's get back to discussing the sanctions. 😉
If you're going to lie this brazenly, you deserve exactly what's coming to you.
Who exactly is Volodymyr trying to force into a name change? Or is this just another chapter in your mythmaking fantasy novel? You claim it was done "for rhetorical effect," but it feels more like the siren song of pure deception.
urbanotter said:I find myself wondering about the morality of punishing children for the crimes committed by their parents. If I were to commit a murder or order one, should my son be forced to carry the weight of those consequences? There is also a significant flip side to seizing oligarch assets, considering many people have invested massive amounts of capital within Russia. As for the flight bans, it isn't just Russian pilots losing their livelihoods; plenty of Western pilots have flown into Russia as well. When it comes to buying more oil and essentially pleading with Saudi Arabia to increase production, we can't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture. We shouldn't forget that such a "gesture of goodwill" from Saudi Arabia often comes with the expectation that they will sell us advanced weaponry, allowing them to continue their conflict in Yemen against the Houthis, who are harassing them just as much as the Ukrainians are bothering the Russians. The thing is, you rarely see this discussed in the news, so it's almost as if it isn't happening at all. It really doesn't seem wise to "punish" someone when you end up suffering more consequences than the ones being penalized.
While I do believe that Putin views himself as some kind of successor to the Russian Tsars, dreaming of restoring the global influence once held by the USSR, I am convinced there had to be a more sophisticated way to address his obsession with Russian greatness. By implementing these specific sanctions, we’ve basically jumped headfirst into a mess, making it much harder to reach a constructive solution. Russia isn't a Western-style democracy, and while it certainly has its share of issues, it doesn't represent 80% of the world. Should we really try to impose these types of sanctions on everyone, or are we just daydreaming that citizens from Arab nations, China, India, or Africa will suddenly become Europeans?
If I recall correctly, even Merkel mentioned that integrating immigrants into German society hasn't been successful. I was watching a presenter on Al Jazzer yesterday; she was wearing something like a turban, and honestly, she looked stunning—a true beauty. I suspect she wasn't covering her hair because of some legal mandate, but rather as a personal choice.
Nathan Evans78 said:Honestly, Russia would be absolutely screwed if they hadn't slapped those energy sanctions on us. Look, I have nothing against banning their flights, seizing the assets of those oligarchs, or even barring the kids of their politicians from entering the European Union. But cutting off oil imports and blocking Nord Stream? That is quite literally shooting ourselves in the foot—and we're using a rusty bullet to do it. Seriously, think about it! We are out here filling up our tanks with gas sold to us by a regime that doesn't hesitate to eliminate its own dissidents, and yet we’re still turning around and asking that very same regime to ramp up production just for us without demanding any democratic reforms in return. Like, hello? Are we actually serious right now?
If trolls didn't exist, we'd probably have to invent them ourselves.
urbanotter said:In that case, there shouldn't be a problem; the war will likely wrap up soon.
The sanctions are already starting to bite, and once Russia burns through the last bit of gunpowder they inherited from the era of Peter the Great, they won't have much left to fire at the Ukrainian defenders. My only real concern is for the astronauts currently stationed on the International Space Station; they won't be able to make it back home without Western technology. As for getting an American crew member back, I'm sure Ursula will find a workaround, much like how she managed the whole situation regarding whether or not to pay for Russian gas.
It’s easy for us when we have a leader like her guiding the way; every time I see her on the news, I feel a genuine sense of warmth in my heart. 😁
I was going to tell you that you were trolling badly, but you actually stumbled onto a pretty solid comparison.
Russia's space program isn't really involved in the fight against Ukraine except as a tool for propaganda, and its prestige has been a matter of pride for much longer than the reputation of the Russian armed forces. However, both share a massive dependency on hardware produced during the USSR era that is currently sitting in storage. Their modernization efforts are about as significant as any attempts to modernize Russian tanks or jets—if those even exist—and they rely heavily on Western components that are now impossible to get. For years, you could listen to Rogozin, among others, essentially echoing my point—though, naturally, he delivers it via threats rather than polite conversation with high-ranking Russian officials.