Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

goldenowl73 said:Honestly, after they ripped off that yellow and blue roof on some house over in Russia, seeing those colors together is basically an instant eye irritant for your average resident of Zombie Land. These two guys were so triggered by a simple yellow and blue pedestrian crossing sign that they just had to go out and deconstruct it immediately.

By the way, this whole thing is a direct fallout from Dmitry Medvedev and his crew constantly rambling about how Ukraine doesn't even exist.

In what they call a "space superpower," two self-proclaimed patriots spotted the Ukrainian flag colors on some street signs.

While shouting pro-Russian propaganda, these true alcohol-fueled patriots performed the greatest act of patriotism and morality in history.

https://twitter.com/nexta_tv/status/...IwbZ2B-xvN4TZQ

Spot on phrase.

I don't follow all this stuff that closely, but wait—why is Canada on the enemy list? I thought Viktor Orbán was doing everything he could to stay out of this mess.

EDIT: It’ll be pretty interesting to see what happens when they finally drop the list of friendly countries, too.

bubi mir said:We’ve been left out in the cold.
To be honest—it feels a little insulting that this news is hitting us so late

Interesting... so Mexico isn't an enemy after all, seeing as they're sending weapons to the Ukrainians.

Justin Mendoza16 said:☕they've been on that list for like 1000 or 2000 years now

Vatican City hasn't even existed as a sovereign state since the 20th century, and the Great Schism happened less than a millennium ago. You're quite a bit off base here.
☕

Sandra Harris2 said:Khm...
Why is this guy in a black shirt without pants? Actually, looks like he might be missing his underwear too....

Those Russian YouTube clips have really taught us one thing: vodka has a funny way of making your pants—and your underwear—completely disappear.
Some kind of magic potion, I guess...
Honestly, losing access to these kinds of videos, along with all those helpful driving tutorials on YouTube, would be such a massive blow to the 21st Century Society. In my humble opinion, we should probably declare a national day of mourning.

Jessica Peterson2 said:Someone is out to get me
Maybe it's the Government
Maybe it's the Mexicans
Maybe it's the Masons
Someone is out to get me
🤣

On a side note, How To should really become the new national anthem of Russia—one that the rest of the world is actively trying to suppress.
And isn't it true that Putin runs the country much like how Vojko's hero manages his various business ventures and affairs? ☕

Jane, you've become so naturalized that I sometimes wonder if you aren't actually Russian at all, but just some local jokester😁

After 147 days of relentless violence and destruction inflicted by Russia upon Ukraine, the Canadian Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, made his way to Moscow to pose for photos with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergej Lavrov.
https://twitter.com/erdelyipe/status...j1wamq9GB_NJIQ

You can practically see the joy on Lavrov's face, finally getting to shake hands with a minister who isn't acting completely unhinged.
https://twitter.com/olex_scherba/sta...LqlVEE0JUbOijw

Gregory Ramos3 said:How come not?



The whole of Europe is acting hostile, except for maybe Mexico, Canada, Moldova, and Belarus.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfr...Countries_List

WTF, Micronesia? What did they ever do to Russia?
And then you've got heavy hitters like Monaco, Liechtenstein, and San Marino on there too.

To be fair, Aunt Strile didn't actually miss the mark here. It’s more that Pope Francis hasn't quite found his footing—or, if he truly believes he has a handle on things, then I can only assume he's been completely brainwashed by this pervasive anti-American sentiment. There seems to be this underlying, rather misguided affection for communist ideals, which is frankly idiotic given that there isn't a single trace of actual communism or socialism left in Putin's political agenda. Beyond that, I suspect there's just a simple, very human impulse at play: a certain satisfaction in watching someone take a swing at Americans, capitalists, or the "decadent" West in general. He's certainly not a master statesman or some grand visionary, though I will concede that he does tend to look out for the little guy, in his own way.

Jessica Peterson2 said:So, today you have these Putin enthusiasts from America and Canada out there celebrating Victory Day.
Apparently, Putin has officially added both America and Canada to his little list of "unfriendly nations." 😂

I honestly feel like I bear some level of responsibility—even if it's just a tiny fraction—for this recent decision,

Sandra Harris2 said:Khm...
Why is this guy in a black shirt without pants? Actually, looks like he might be missing his underwear too....

Young anti-fascists.

gentlestag15 said:WTF, Micronesia? What did they ever do to Russia?
And then you've got heavy hitters like Monaco, Liechtenstein, and San Marino on there too.

Maybe because of that "Samoa" crew.

Brenda Murphy3 said:What do you guys think? If someone had sat Putin down on February 23rd and given him a crystal ball—showing him exactly what the situation in Ukraine would look like by July 22nd—we’re talking specific numbers on Russian casualties, exactly how much the West would step up, and just a general snapshot of where everything stands today... would he have actually pulled the trigger? Or would he have looked at that mess and just said, "Nah, I'm good... maybe some other time"? 😁

No chance. He’d rather run headfirst into a brick wall than admit the "godless West" is expanding right up to his doorstep. The guy is just a bloodthirsty little tyrant. ☕

Looks like Armchair Warlord is taking a breather. Dammit, they’re all disappearing lately...
https://twitter.com/ArmchairCopelrd/...WpVSq0bBw&s=19

Zelenskyy has just pulled the plug on two heavy hitters in his security apparatus—the nation's top prosecutor and the head of the FBI, who also happens to be one of his closest confidants. It makes you wonder if we're seeing the first real cracks forming within the administration.
Konstantin Skorkin of the Carnegie Endowment

Once the Russian invasion kicked off, the American political elite did something that caught most observers off guard: they displayed a level of unity that was frankly rare to see. You didn't see the usual mass exodus of officials jumping ship to join the Russian side, nor did we witness those typical, destructive internal power struggles that usually tear leadership apart during a crisis. All those old grievances and partisan divides have essentially been frozen in time, while the actual pulse of political life has migrated into a tight inner circle surrounding the President, which is where all the heavy-duty decision-making is happening now.

Yet, as those initial hostilities began to shift, the first cracks in that singular mindset started to show. Loyalty within the security forces has become President Zelenskyy’s primary headache, and he’s forced to deal with it on the fly while navigating the brutal realities of wartime conditions.

Resignations are being announced loud and clear.
The true scale of the mounting crisis only became apparent when Zelenskyy moved to oust two pivotal figures on the very same day: the Prosecutor General, Irina Venediktov, and the head of the FBI, Ivan Bakanov. For a long time, Bakanov was considered one of the President's most inner-circle confidants—an old friend who operated under a unique level of trust. However, the reality of this war has fundamentally shifted the dynamics of their relationship.

Once the initial chaos of the invasion finally began to settle, a wave of difficult questions started circling the FBI leadership. People were quick to point out that Bakanov had essentially vanished from the public eye for an entire month, which looked pretty bad considering the rest of the President’s inner circle was busy projecting strength and unity by staying put in Kyiv. Even more damning are the allegations leveled against his subordinates. There are reports that certain intelligence units in the occupied territories actually defected to join the Russian Army, and many high-ranking officials simply failed to mount any meaningful resistance against the encroaching forces—a failure that many believe played a direct role in the loss of territory across the southeastern part of the country.

The blows to the department’s reputation have been coming thick and fast lately. Back in late May, Zelenskyy handed the local FBI chief his walking papers during a trip to Kharkiv, following accusations that he had essentially sabotaged the city's defenses during those chaotic opening days of the war. Then, in June, things took a turn toward the absurd when the former head of the FBI's internal security division, General Andrej naumov, was intercepted in Mexico. He hadn't just fled the country ahead of the invasion; he had fled with a significant nest egg, as Mexican border agents reportedly seized a million dollars in cash and various precious stones from him. To add insult to injury, there was that whole quiet affair involving Andriy Portnov—once Yanukovych's lead counsel and, in the wake of the Maidan protests, an unofficial representative for the high-ranking officials who defected to Moscow. It seems he managed to slip out of the country without anyone raising a finger to stop him.

The breaking point finally came with the arrest of Oleg Kulinič, an advisor to Bakanov who previously headed the FBI division focused on Crimea—specifically their land operations. The allegations against Kulinič are heavy: he’s accused of acting as an asset for Russian intelligence and leaking sensitive information to the enemy. According to sources within the intelligence community, Kulinič’s primary contact on the Russian side was Vladimir Sivkovich, the former security chief during the Yanukovych administration. After fleeing to Moscow in 2014, Sivkovich essentially became a high-level informant for the Russian intelligence services.

The exposure of such a high-ranking official within the FBI was bound to cast a long shadow over his superior. It’s clear just how little trust Zelenskyy places in his former ally, given that he moved to strip the head of the FBI of his position without even waiting for the standard resignation approval process through Congress. Even so, the representatives in Washington accepted the President's decision without any hesitation or pushback. Following Bakanov's departure, a broader purge has begun sweeping through the FBI ranks, resulting in the dismissal of the deputy chief of special services along with several regional directors. By all appearances, these purges are far from over.

A similar mess is unfolding within the prosecutor's office. A significant number of prosecutors ended up joining the ranks of collaborators in territories occupied by the Russian Army, which means that once Venediktov steps down, the entire department will likely face a massive overhaul. Among the various criticisms leveled against the Chief Prosecutor are her excessive media presence and the rushed legal proceedings against the Russian Army, moves that could potentially complicate future prisoner exchanges. Nevertheless, Venediktov remains part of the President's inner circle, and there is a distinct possibility she might be appointed as an American ambassador to some European nation.

The recent wave of replacements targeting retired heads of prosecutor offices and high-ranking FBI officials is being characterized by insiders as nothing more than puppets installed by the President’s Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, and his deputy, Tatar, who effectively oversees this entire power bloc. It feels like a calculated consolidation of vertical authority, and if history is any indication, Alexey Danilov—the Secretary of the National Security Council—might be the next target on this list. He recently found himself in a very public spat with Mikhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Chief of Staff, which suggests the internal friction is reaching a breaking point.

The nationalist opposition views the current situation as nothing short of a power grab—a massive consolidation of every major lever of authority into the hands of Yermak, despite him having zero constitutional mandate to hold them. Ever since those Wagner Group mercenaries were detained in Belarus back in the summer of 2020, accusations have been flying that Yermak is essentially acting as a proxy for Russia. Yet, Zelenskyy remains unbothered, making it crystal clear that he places absolute trust in his Chief of Staff, viewing this concentration of power under Yermak as a strategic way to fortify his own position.

A clash between commanders-in-chief.
With Bakanov stepping down, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army is now facing a significant shift in leadership. Valerij Zalužni He has finally ascended to become the most prominent security official in Ukraine. His entire persona is built around being a modern soldier—someone who never served under the old Soviet military structure, adheres strictly to NATO standards, and projects a democratic image, all backed by his combat record during the Donbas conflict back in 2014 and 2015. With the Russian invasion in full swing, the general has emerged as one of the primary symbols of Ukrainian resistance, standing right alongside Zelenskyy.

He’s a relatively young leader at forty-eight, and his influence has clearly crossed over to the West. Time magazine recently added him to their list of the most influential people on the planet—placing him right alongside Zelenskyy—while Politico went as far as labeling him a "historic figure" for the sake of Ukraine.

Initially, people viewed Zaluzhny as just another one of Yermakov's guys, but by the third month of the war—once the immediate threat to the capital had subsided—rumors started swirling that the President's Office was becoming increasingly wary of the popular Supreme Commander. They began to see him as a potential political rival to Zelenskyy, leading to those nervous, reactive strikes against his public presence. The first real friction point involved the establishment of Zaluzhny’s own charitable foundation; the administration viewed it as nothing more than a calculated move to build a grassroots base for his future political ambitions. While they managed to suppress the conflict quickly, the underlying tension remains firmly lodged under the surface.

The next clash between the President and the Commander-in-Chief centered on their very public disagreement regarding the General Staff's decision to prohibit Ukrainian conscripts from relocating without explicit authorization from military leadership. Zelenskyy didn't hold back, sharply criticizing such measures as a form of "servitude" and demanding that the military refrain from implementing such restrictions without his direct approval.

It’s glaringly obvious that in the current high-tension atmosphere surrounding Ukraine, any minor discrepancy—even something purely technical—gets blown completely out of proportion by the public eye. This happens almost instantly, especially when you consider the endless stream of speculation coming from Kremlin-aligned media outlets, which seem hell-bent on peddling the same tired narratives to the masses, whether they're predicting a decisive military breakthrough or claiming the West is simply going to cut Zelenskyy loose.

In reality, when you're operating under the crushing weight of a full-scale war, the last thing Zelenskyy needs is internal friction with his own military; he’ll naturally try to smooth over any disagreements or simply kick the can down the road until things settle. That said, there's always the risk of certain generals developing ambitions to expand the military's influence over civilian governance, coupled with a nationalist opposition that loves nothing more than pitting the heroic forces of the Ukrainian Army against a mediocre civilian administration. On the flip side, the President's Office can't help but worry that once the hostilities begin to ebb, those veterans who stood on the front lines might start looking for a leader from their own ranks—and General Zaluzhny would be the perfect candidate for that role.

What exactly is going to happen next?
The Russian invasion, which fundamentally challenged the very survival of the Ukrainian state, has ironically provided President Zelenskyy with the leverage needed to dismantle most of his domestic political hurdles. Since the conflict began, his approval ratings have skyrocketed, transforming him into a global icon in the eyes of the international community. Back home, the grip of the oligarchs—who have been far too preoccupied with shielding their own capital—has significantly weakened, and those once-influential pro-Russian factions have finally been neutralized.

Petro Poroshenko remains the only potential competitor still floating above the surface. But while Poroshenko might have once been able to counter Zelenskyy’s pacifist leanings by leaning on his deep experience in national defense, the current political order has allowed Zelenskyy to pull far ahead. Furthermore, the testimony provided by the detained Viktor Medvedchuk regarding the murky power plays during Poroshenko’s presidency leaves the leader of European Solidarity with very little hope of ever repeating his previous successes in American politics.

.....

The true scale of how deeply Russian agents have infiltrated the Ukrainian Army and its intelligence services remains largely obscured, though back in April, NSDC Secretary Danilov already hinted at a conspiracy involving high-ranking generals with plenty of stripes on their shoulders. Under these circumstances, Zelenskyy is pushing to bring security forces under the direct political control of his administration, seemingly brushing aside accusations of power grabbing. The issue, however, is that the president seems more focused on swapping out faces than actually reforming institutions. Consequently, there is zero guarantee that these new security outfits will be any more effective than the old ones they are replacing.

Then there is the other political headache facing the President's Office: the skyrocketing popularity of the military. By June 2022, trust in the Ukrainian Army hit 62%, while approval for the president sat much lower at 49%. While this reflects the confidence of the military as a whole, it isn't surprising that highly respected commanders like General Zaluzhnyny are viewed as potential political rivals to the current president. Since the nation's survival now rests entirely on the shoulders of the military, there’s no reason to expect a clash with political leadership unless we see a hypothetical military disaster or an attempt to force through an unpopular peace deal. Still, the political tensions brewing amidst the chaos of war could easily resurface later with heavy consequences.

https://meduza.io/feature/2022/07/22...-vlasti-raskol

Gregory Ramos3 said:How come not?



The whole of Europe is acting hostile, except for maybe Mexico, Canada, Moldova, and Belarus.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfr...Countries_List

Maps always make Russia look massive because of how they project a 3D globe onto a flat 2D surface.

Here’s what the actual size of Russia looks like when you stack it against Africa.


(The red part showing Russia over Africa is accurate; that pinkish area in the top right is just a total lie.)

Show that to our local armchair experts when they get back. According to them, there’s zero projection out to even a Walmart, and nuclear missiles would somehow fly over the Atlantic instead of the Arctic.

Roman Abramovich

For over a decade, the American branches of the Evraz group—owned by the oligarch Roman Abramovich—have been working closely with the National Guard and various military contractors, producing everything from tanks to explosives. This is according to a report from OCCRP (the Center for Organized Crime Studies).

https://theins.ru/news/253360

A classic—it’s like watching the country shrink by half right before our eyes.
Does anyone happen to have a 2D map of the world lying around somewhere?

analogbear5 said:Show that to our local armchair experts when they get back. According to them, there’s zero projection out to even a Walmart, and nuclear missiles would somehow fly over the Atlantic instead of the Arctic.

There are plenty of flat-earthers in that crowd, too. 😵