Posts by urbanotter

On January 17th on HBO

Take a look—it’s actually a German documentary rather than some local production.

Russian Cyber Army
RUSSIA'S CYBER ARMY, 2021, Germany, 52 min.
documentary

They meddle in foreign elections, breach government networks, and siphon off millions of dollars. Back when Olga Maltseva worked for one of those troll farms, the directive was incredibly straightforward: "Russia is always the good guy; everyone else is the villain." But those trolls are really just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, Russian hackers have been leading the charge in global cybercrime for years. For quite some time now, the Kremlin has been working to systematically exploit highly skilled hackers for its own strategic ends. In exchange for a sense of freedom and state protection, these individuals carry out the government's dirty work. As journalist Lilija Japarova explains, "Hackers don't necessarily care about political secrets themselves; they find much more profit in stealing databases or cold hard cash. However, because hackers can stumble upon those secrets, certain people in power become very interested in what they are doing."

neonpuma30 said:Ukraine would never have joined NATO anyway, and honestly, it wasn't even on the table.

If that's the case, I don't quite follow why there is such a massive standoff over meeting Putin's demand regarding NATO membership, especially if they have no intention of joining in the first place.
It feels like a bit of a logical knot to me, 🙄

William Anderson5 said:Come on, guys. If they actually made that call, those gas tankers should already be heading toward the EU...

But what happens once they actually reach their destination??

Are you planning to just run a hose from the ship and hook it up to your water heater so you can take a hot shower?🤦

Thomas Nelson25 said:Hey, Mr. Gambler...

The market will decide... and the Chinese are definitely going to be looking for a discount.

Remember watching him on those news segments? Just looked like a little mouse standing next to the Chinese Party leader.

That’s just your personal take on it.
In my experience, a Chinese person will try to squeeze a discount out of everyone, always pushing for the absolute maximum possible.

Personally, I don't feel an ounce of guilt when I buy a stock in a product I use every single day; if the price is right, I'm in.

William Anderson5 said:Putin is doing everything in his power to bring himself down...

Personally, I think we should just let the Russian people decide their own fate, rather than letting some big brother figure from across the Atlantic pull the strings behind the scenes under the guise of normalcy.😉

shadowdrifter20 said:You're really digging in with this trolling.
Back in 2014, the whole fight wasn't about joining NATO—it was about the EU. The previous pro-Russian president chose to sign deals with the Russians instead of moving toward Europe.
That's why they removed him.

It’s like if our own president or the government decided to sign a deal with Vučić instead of pursuing EU membership (though I’m pretty sure most Americans would have preferred the first option).

Doesn't every sovereign nation have the fundamental right to decide for itself which alliances to join?

Or does that principle only apply when we're talking about NATO?☕

Thomas Nelson25 said:The guy's got nukes, sure, but his economy is a total wreck.
At this rate, even the Chinese are gonna walk all over him and snatch up his oil and gas for pennies on the dollar.

I find it hard to believe anyone would dare push around a nation that’s sitting on several thousand nuclear warheads.

And I don't think China is going to be walking away with cheap oil and gas anytime soon; those days are long gone, back when the big brother in Washington had total control over energy flows and stood as the world's undisputed superpower.
Even their most loyal allies in the Middle East aren't really listening to them anymore if it clashes with their own national interests.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Man, I wouldn't even go there as a tourist.

Look, nobody is forcing you to go anywhere, but if you're really struggling to find a decent travel destination, maybe give Haiti a shot instead.😉

Jeremy Lopez93 said:Not a bad post at all.

Translate this into Russian and distribute it to Putin's soldiers somewhere near Kharkiv so they have something to read during their downtime.

The worst part is that deep down, you actually know none of this is true. 🤣

What’s even worse is that you know in your heart that everything being said here is the truth.

If we're going to go around handing out little political pamphlets, I wonder if you were making these same arguments back when we were invading Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, or Syria, or when the Gaza Strip and Syria are under constant fire on a daily basis.

But of course, that isn't the work of Putin’s military; no, it's those wonderful Anglo-peacekeepers who step in to bring democracy, peace, and prosperity to the people.

Look, I am definitely not a fan of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, but I am absolutely sick of the double standards and the sheer hypocrisy of people who act like the entire world consists of just a few European nations and Big Brother across the Atlantic.

neonheron9 said:So who's really spreading the disinformation then?

A Russian sabotage group hijacked a tank and two trucks, though I have no clue what their actual goal was.
They were dressed in American gear so they weren't spotted immediately, but their driving gave them away.

They probably intended to ditch the vehicles or maybe head toward Maidan, but the Americans were right on their heels, and the news hit social media fast.

They were neutralized within about 30 minutes.

There are a few videos out there—one shows some of them being killed, another shows them dead while Americans walk among them. That tank was part of that whole mess, and while the media was busy screaming "Russian tanks in Kyiv," it was actually just that one hijacked American tank.

Just pure media hype causing them to have to backtrack and issue more fake info.

Honestly, why does the quality of the goods even matter if there are enough fools out there willing to buy them anyway?🤦

Gerald Torres84 said:The difference is that if you were to simply tell Putin to go to hell, he would make you vanish instantly; you’d be swallowed by the darkness. Here, you can talk all the trash you want from the comfort of your own home and squeal like a coward about how the West is just as bad as Putin, and you wouldn't have a single hair out of place.
Damn Putinists.

To be perfectly honest with you, I don't really align myself with either side.
I truly believe that too much democracy leads straight toward anarchy; no community, whether we're talking about humans or animals, can function effectively without some level of established rules.

Take the anti-vax movement, for instance, which has grown into this massive movement fueled by fake news and an obsession with individual rights, while simultaneously ignoring and trampling over the rights of everyone else.
Again, this endless, unchecked shouting we do isn't true democracy, because real democracy is about the rule of the majority while still respecting minority interests, not about granting unlimited freedoms to every single individual.
Just look at this forum; it has its own set of rules, and if you break them, you face warnings or bans.

If you look at the invasion of Ukraine in isolation, away from the context of global geopolitics, it is absolutely reprehensible.
However, on the flip side, NATO and certain of its members have provided plenty of reasons for Putin to view the encirclement of Russia as a direct threat, leading to his inappropriate reaction after he felt his appeals and demands were being completely ignored.
We are stuck with the situation we have now, and the only right thing to do is to get everyone back to the negotiating table for serious discussions instead of continuing to play deaf and acting foolishly.

William Anderson5 said:You aren't exactly making a serious argument here.

It’s just pure demagoguery and hypocrisy at this point.😁

loneskipper3 said:Primarily, they are acting on their own survival instinct—to ensure they don't spend another fifty years under the boot of the CIA clique. There is zero prosperity under that kind of rule, a fact they understand perhaps even better than Poles or Romanians... who, in turn, know it better than we do, who again, think we know it best.

Just accept it already: you aren't the only people on this planet who have sniffed out the "dirty games" played by global powers. In many other places, the experience with these power plays has been far more painful than what we've seen, yet those nations still maintain their own agency. I realize it might be hard for some to wrap their heads around the idea that a nation could actually renounce its "brotherly" ties to Russia—which, let's be honest, supposedly only wants to "protect" them from Western decadence—especially when the West is viewed by some as merely wanting to use them as "cannon fodder in a war against Russia," or simply as a tool to weaken Russia.

Even Putin didn't claim he was protecting them from a hateful West,
rather, he claimed they were protecting themselves,
unless, of course, they aren't allowed to act in self-defense and must instead submit to protection from the democratic West.

There is no denying that Ukraine made some tactical missteps along the way,
but that is just how reality works, far removed from any democratic utopia; the little guy always ends up getting caught in the crossfire when the giants start fighting.

William Anderson5 said:That group of climate activists looked pathetic standing before Putin the other day when he was making his decision on recognizing the DNR/LNR.

No matter what our Congress looks like, as far as Russia is concerned, we’re just a Space Shuttle in a democracy...

Honestly, what's the real difference between a Russian dictatorship and our own version of democracy, where you can't even open your mouth without facing consequences?

Putko might have cleaned things up a bit, but he never even bothered telling the secretary to handle the termination notices or resignations.

William Anderson5 said:Adolf Hitler had far more excuses for his actions than Vladimir Putin does for his. Even so, everyone is right to see him as a monster, regardless of whatever grievances the Germans felt following WWI...

The difference is that the Nazi regime utilized concentration camps, forced Jews to wear yellow stars, believed in an Aryan master race superiority, and seized power through events like the Reichstag fire and the Night of the Long Knives.

In the end, the primary culprits were the "allies" who essentially allowed Hitler to "fix" their own messes.
It would have been a good thing if they had realized that sooner and acted differently after WWII, especially with the USSR breathing down their necks.
That pressure is ultimately what forced them to build a "social Europe2."
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Europe reaching its current standard of living if things hadn't unfolded that way.

Gregory Ramos3 said:What's really the difference compared to how things work in the US Congress?

Look, if a consensus is reached and the majority votes for it, yeah, you pretty much have to roll with it even if you absolutely hate the idea...

Actually, over here, you’ve even got options like Brexit... What kind of leverage does the opposition actually have in the US Congress when they get outvoted?

Gosh, I guess I was just being a bit naive thinking that on the politics pdf forum, more people might actually understand how the core of politics functions...

What Congress
are you talking about? That group of climate activists that could be replaced by a dog if you just taught it how to lift its paw?

That so-called "Congress" basically just rubber-stamps whatever orders come down from Brussels
when it comes to the heavy-hitting issues, they won't even let a referendum happen, just to make sure nothing "goes wrong"
but look, the EU isn't even the point here; if you haven't realized how little authority we actually hold by now, I doubt you'll figure it out anytime soon, especially after reading a few posts on this forum.🕺

hollowdriver13 said:Got a link to that news anywhere?

It will probably happen sooner rather than later.

It isn't really surprising when you take a look at the massive gap in military strength.

And honestly, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that even the Ukrainians themselves aren't exactly eager to lose their lives just to serve someone else's interests.
Now they're talking about mobilizing people over 70,
though I can't help but wonder if this is just more media hype designed to grab headlines.

Carol Newman2 said:Look, I might be a Russophile, but I think everything about this aggression is absolutely terrible.

I follow the Russian media a bit.
And honestly, none of this euphoria feels real to me.

I think we all feel the same way about the aggression itself—war is something that should always be condemned, and there's nothing worse than seeing it happen to any nation.
It really just comes down to how we differ in our perspectives on who or what actually triggered it.

hollowdriver13 said:Either you're just trolling for attention or you genuinely have no clue what you're talking about.

Go ahead and look up our actual authority as a member of the European Union, then go compare that to what the individual "republics" within the Russian Federation can actually do.

We aren't part of a federation; we're in a union.

And from where I’m sitting, it doesn't feel like we have any real say in anything significant as a member state.
Whenever we do manage to decide something, it usually has to be scrubbed or rewritten just to align with the European Union's legal framework anyway.
Once we fully integrate into the eurozone, our ability to make independent decisions is going to shrink even further.
It's a pretty grim thought—imagine being in a position where you can't even spend your own money without getting permission first.

Nancy Gomez26 said:Proposing Minsk is a joke, especially when you have attacks coming into Ukraine from Belarus. Warsaw might not be the perfect fix right now, but it's certainly more realistic than Minsk. In the end, we'll likely see Budapest, Turkey, or some other neutral third party—assuming a meeting even happens. This push for a summit seems rushed; it feels like someone isn't performing particularly well on the ground.

Personally, I think Ankara would be a perfectly viable option, and I honestly don't see why it wouldn't work for Zelenska.