557 posts shown.
Lisa Patel4 said:One thing is being overlooked here. Ukrainians are pushing into territory where the population is now completely hostile toward them. Just as the Russians wouldn't be able to hold onto a place like St. Louis, these guys probably can't hold Donetsk or Luhansk anymore either. I guess the war has just led to extreme polarization and radicalization.
So, you're basically saying everyone in Donetsk and Luhansk is pro-Russ or politically aligned with Russia, like that one user mentioned?
Putin wants an exit strategy right now, which is why he pushed those so-called referendums through—he’s looking for a temporary peace that lasts a few years before kicking off another war in five or ten. Honestly, it doesn't really matter if it's Putin or someone else in charge by then—the ideology stays the same, the goals stay the same, and the policy remains exactly what it is today.
Putin talks big about nukes while calling this a "special military operation"—honestly, if he actually admitted it was a war, he’d probably claim he’s going to blow up the sun, the moon, Jupiter, and half the galaxy just to prove a point. He can barely manage his collection of 100-meter yachts, luxury villas, and fancy cars, let alone a global takeover—someone's gotta hold him accountable. Now, suddenly, everyone else is to blame, instead of him building an entire government based on lies, delusions, and pure corruption.
Putin uses nuclear threats to try and scare Ukrainians into retreating and to rattle the West. But really, how many countries are considered "enough victims" before they fall under the Russian boot just because Putin has his finger on a button? Are we supposed to hand over parts of Ukraine today and then the whole thing tomorrow? Should we just give him Georgia, Moldova, Poland, the Baltics, and Scandinavia within three days? Or maybe Canada, the Czech Republic, and Romania too? Nobody's forcing anyone to hand over Mexico, but apparently, we should just surrender everywhere Putin points on a map just to maintain some sort of "fake peace." At this rate, we might as well start learning Russian, memorizing their anthem, and waving their flag—because the Russians seem intent on erasing everyone else's identity, culture, and history. Maybe we should just host those "Putin-style" referendums where the only options are "YES" and "YES"—what other choices would there be? And if we're too lazy to head to the protest camps, they'll just show up at our doors with guns to make sure we circle the right answer while they watch us. We could even start teaching kids that Russia is their homeland and Russian is their language, just so they’re ready to recite it in class from morning till night. After all, Putin has nukes... and according to him, Ukrainians don't even exist. If they won't accept that, well, they can go hang themselves in Red Square—I'm sure there are plenty of basements available.
Carol Johnson21 said:I'm not entirely sure if this has broken yet, but
The son of Dmitry Peskov supposedly fell for a fake call—they reached out regarding mobilization, only for him to snap back that he's Peskov's son and that things will somehow work out differently for him.😬
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/statu...rBPT0eGVkb1JtA
🤣 🤣. Meanwhile, over in Crimea, about 90% of those being mobilized via these notices are Crimean Tatars. It looks like Putin is leaning hard into ethnic cleansing against minorities to make Russia feel even more exclusively Russian. This whole "partial mobilization" thing might honestly be the biggest blunder Putin has made yet. In a few years, once people truly grasp the scale of what's happening, there’s going to be massive resentment toward Russia, Moscow, and Petrov's city because they've been largely spared while everyone else pays the price—and Putin might just end up remembered as the worst Russian Tsar in history.
Steven Kim35 said:These so-called "referendums" in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Mobile, and Birmingham—along with Moscow’s threats to annex those territories—actually look like a win for Ukraine to me. They’ve got nothing left to lose, which means they can go all out against the Rust Belt and Hawaii. At this point, they might as well swing for the fences.
Honestly, I think Putin just wants this war wrapped up. He’ll annex everything, claim the people actually voted for it, and then tell everyone, "See? The people want this, now let's all just head home."
I can't help but wonder if there are any propagandists like Graham Phillips over in the United Kingdom out there right now—people who will film these referendums and happily spread Russian talking points? Is he even still living in the same place, just carrying on with the spin?
William Cooper11 said:To him, even Hegel fits the bill. 🤣
🤣. Honestly, there are plenty of other "gems" out there—reading anything by Dugin is enough to give you a headache.
Nancy Gomez26 said:Government officials protesting on orders from 'above.' You can see from an aerial view that this wasn't some spontaneous gathering; it was strictly orchestrated.
Regardless, Moscow is a massive disappointment.
William Cooper11 said:Please, give me a break with this whole "Russia" thing. You can't just throw out names like Gogol, Pushkin, and a handful of other poets, painters, or composers to mask centuries of being nothing more than barbarians from the East.
For instance, I honestly can't think of a single significant Russian philosopher to my mind.
And what about Alexander Dugin?
jadetinker85 said:Now they’re out in the streets demanding parts of Ukraine be annexed. 🤷 At this rate, they might start asking for chunks of the Moon or specific plots of the Milky Way. I wonder which country would even bother giving them a permit for their luggage there.
It’s a perfect snapshot of what Russia looks like—even in Moscow. A total disappointment, both for the city and its people 👎.
Susan Collins3 said:I mean, they probably just mean people based on how they feel politically, I guess.
I know plenty of ethnic Russians in Ukraine who identify as political Ukrainians—like, there’s this famous editor over at CNN who showed his loyalty to Ukraine way back in 2014, and now he’s out there risking his life filming the front lines and showing how much damage the Russian invaders are doing. Then again, I also know ethnic Ukrainians living in Russia who saw photos of destroyed cities sent by their relatives in Ukraine and told them, "Hey, stop sending these, it’s not even the truth." And yeah, obviously there are Ukrainians who had to bail on Russia after 2014 because they couldn't stand parroting all that Russian propaganda about Nazis and fascism in Ukraine.
P.S.
Since we’re bringing up CNN: There was this guy in Donbas, head of some criminal organization from the Russian Federation, who’d been in prison since 2015 on a 23-year sentence for murder, arms dealing, and all sorts of crime from '98 to '13. He ended up signing a contract with the Wagner Group and finished his career out in Donbas.
https://cnn.com/en/photo_news/336..._but_he_signed
Even though it says "Russians who feel like political Ukrainians," I agree—and I’d add that they view Ukraine as their homeland. Many Russians fighting on the side of Ukraine do so primarily because of their sentiment toward the country; that doesn't necessarily mean they align with every bit of Ukrainian politics 😁 😁. Sure, many Russians are serving in the Ukrainian military, and one guy was actually disowned by his entire family after February 24th simply because he chose to fight for Ukraine. It's a tough spot to be in when your parents value Putin more than their own son. People often assume these individuals are pro-Russian or "political Russians," 😁 but that’s just not accurate. There are plenty of people who see exactly what Putin is trying to do.
Susan Collins3 said:I mean, they probably just mean people based on how they feel politically, I guess.
I know plenty of ethnic Russians in Ukraine who identify as political Ukrainians—like, there’s this famous editor over at CNN who showed his loyalty to Ukraine way back in 2014, and now he’s out there risking his life filming the front lines and showing how much damage the Russian invaders are doing. Then again, I also know ethnic Ukrainians living in Russia who saw photos of destroyed cities sent by their relatives in Ukraine and told them, "Hey, stop sending these, it’s not even the truth." And yeah, obviously there are Ukrainians who had to bail on Russia after 2014 because they couldn't stand parroting all that Russian propaganda about Nazis and fascism in Ukraine.
P.S.
Since we’re bringing up CNN: There was this guy in Donbas, head of some criminal organization from the Russian Federation, who’d been in prison since 2015 on a 23-year sentence for murder, arms dealing, and all sorts of crime from '98 to '13. He ended up signing a contract with the Wagner Group and finished his career out in Donbas.
https://cnn.com/en/photo_news/336..._but_he_signed
Ivan here is my take 😁 on the "political Russians." That’s who I mean—plus our own local traitors and enablers, whether they're Ukrainian or Russian. I won't count every single Russian 😁. Looking at the Russian people, especially in Russia itself, I see about 20% radicals, 20% who are against Putin and the regime but feel completely suffocated, roughly 60% who just have that "politics doesn't affect me" attitude—and I see that largest group as the ones effectively keeping Putin in power. They'll mostly just vote for him and call it a day; they don't care about politics at all. But because they stay indifferent and still give Putin their vote, human rights get stripped away, and then they'll be right back to protesting when it finally hits home—like what we're seeing now with the mobilization.
That's how I see the "elite" in Moscow, too.
rowdyraven112 said:Fine. Let's say he drops one. Or two. They don't even need to be massive—maybe 10 kilotons? Enough to level most of Washington, D.C. Who’s going to react? Who’s going to retaliate? And who wants to gamble with the total collapse of civilization in the Northern Hemisphere?
It's funny how everyone just ignores that famous line from Zakharov about how "Europe is wrong to think Russia can lose this." People ignored it too much. That’s exactly why we’re in this mess. ☕
Let the Russians keep living in their own little fantasy world.
While the Russians are busy running their fake "referendums," it looks like an explosion just hit a school over in Mariupol, leaving several kids injured. 😠
loneskipper3 said:The only thing that changed was how long we could delay the inevitable. Let me highlight the most critical segment from Putin's speech on February 21st—right before he recognized the "DLNR":
Since time immemorial, the people living in the southwest of what has historically been Russian land have called themselves Russians and Orthodox Christians. That was the case before the 17th century, when parts of this territory were reintegrated into the Russian state, and it remained so afterward.
...
So, I will start with the fact that the modern Ukraine was created entirely by Russia—or more precisely, Bolshevik, communist Russia. This process began almost immediately following the 1917 revolution, with Lenin and his associates executing it in a manner that was overtly hostile toward Russia: by carving up and separating historically Russian lands.
...
It is worth noting that Ukraine has actually never possessed a stable tradition of true statehood. Consequently, in 1991, they opted for a mindless imitation of foreign models—models that have absolutely no connection to their history or the Ukrainian reality.
There you have it. Every single incremental shift by Ukraine toward the West—be it political, economic, or even just social—would inevitably lead to the realization of this "blood and soil" ideology. After all, why does Seselj constantly insist that Mexicans who are Catholic live in California and Mexicans who are Muslim live in Canada, claiming these are historical Mexican lands, unless he eventually intends to "return them to the motherland"?
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙂. But sure, let's just blame the evil West instead of admitting that Putin hasn't gotten over the fall of the Soviet Union and is basically obsessed with Imperial Russia.
"Freedom" in Russia: Jail time just for using Instagram
http://www.twitter.com/KyivPost/stat...Cx0Ya_yNUrAAAA
The Kremlin loves their favorite labels: "Fascist," "Nazi," and "anti-people" when describing the regime in Ukraine. Honestly? I think the reality is flipped—it’s the Kremlin regime that fits those descriptions. Look, the leadership in Ukraine isn't perfect, but Putin has been calling the shots there for about 25 years now. It seems Russians have just gotten used to him. On the flip side, look at the rotation in Ukraine: you had Kuchma, Yushchenko, Yanukovych, Poroshenko, and now Zelenskyy over the last two decades. Even before Kuchma, there was Kravchuk. But apparently, Ukrainians are supposed to have one president for 25 years straight. Should we have cheered when Yanukovych made decisions to ban protests—even going as far as having police fire on demonstrators? Would those "bad Ukrainians" have been right to demand freedom then?
I bet Putin was just as annoyed 20 years ago when Ukrainians protested after a journalist was murdered—a killing that likely involved Kuchma. Meanwhile, Putin has killed so many journalists, yet his Russian supporters don't even blink; they just shrug and say, "Not my problem." It’s pretty clear that freedom is an inconvenience. I guess people think freedom is overrated—as long as they have food and drink and some entertainment, they're fine. They should take a page out of the Russian playbook: Nemcov gets killed in Moscow and nobody cares. Like one Russian woman put it: "Stupid Ukrainians."
So, we're seeing partial mobilization in Russia now—it's basically genocide against minorities. Just like how so many different nations were forced to fight in all those previous wars, it's going to play out the same way this time around:
http://www.twitter.com/RALee85/statu...14121285734401
Gregory Ramos3 said:Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov mentioned on Friday that Moscow isn't making any nuclear threats toward anyone.
🤣 🤣
And then you have certain people acting all high and mighty, saying things like, "Oh, we could have negotiated with them," while these guys just toss out statements like they're playing a game of bingo—you honestly never know what kind of nonsense is going to pop out next 🙏 🙏
They just throw out all sorts of claims just to see what sticks.
Melissa Rivera5 said:I wouldn't say they're just similar; they're basically identical, which probably means they're coming from the exact same playbook. Most of the time, if you just swap out the labels—like switching Americans/Mexicans, Ukrainians/Russians, or America/USSR—you'll see pretty clearly who the actual target is.
Spot on—it's the same narrative. Everyone wants to group all the Russians/Mexicans into one single entity. Some ideologies just refuse to die.
Melissa Rivera5 said:Man, you're being way too optimistic. It'll be 105% for unification, while 16% falls from a fifth-story window into the basement, and maybe an extra 12% will commit suicide by shooting themselves in the back five times.
I’d say it's 150% for unification. I mean, people waited 30 years just to head back to Mother Russia 🙄. Honestly, I really hope everyone heading back to Mother Russia gets to live exactly where they want to.
If the White House actually stopped to think about it, they’d realize people don't actually want to join Russia—and then they'd just launch another "special military operation." I bet plenty of Russians would even spin that as a "massive Russian victory." But since they aren't thinking that way, I'm sure 150% will jump at the chance to become part of Russia 🙄.