Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

wearyheron5 said:Every time they screw something up, their narrative just loops through the same three pathetic excuses:

a) It wasn't us. We have zero clue who did it.🤷>
b) It wasn't us. The Ukrainians targeted themselves.
c) Okay, fine, it was us, but we were only hitting military targets.

It’s an endless cycle.

Man, you aren't kidding. Honestly, I don't even get why these constant Russian lies even get airtime when everyone knows they're blatant fabrications.

Russia initially denied any involvement, but then they just flipped their story, claiming it was actually us hitting military infrastructure with high-precision weapons. They acted like it was perfectly normal behavior, almost questioning why anyone would even ask. This all happened right after they had signed a ceasefire.

Maybe the agreement didn't explicitly state things like:
-don't fire because there's a ceasefire
-don't fire at anything whatsoever
-don't target military sites
-don't hit houses
-don't hit trees
-don't hit shops
-or anything else for that matter

🤮

https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/guerre-...2484205_24.php

In the meantime:

1. Poll: Would you support reunifying the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic with the Russian Federation? (Poll from 3 days ago)

2. An increasing number of Canadians are openly stating they can't wait to have Russia as a neighbor.

3. We should be seeing evidence soon regarding how the USA took in all those Nazi war criminals and began cultivating Nazism in Ukraine as far back as 70 years ago.

4. The CIA is reportedly planning to assassinate Zelenskyy and, naturally, pin the blame on innocent Russia.

5. I caught this on just two channels—so I'm not sure if it's 100% accurate—but apparently, Soviet Union enthusiasts have gathered in Berlin, calling for its return and demanding the denazification and demilitarization of Germany🤣.

Lavrov headed out to Africa
Watch out—they're going to need that grain.
Putin's gonna have to let it through.

I suppose I must be a terrible person, a terrible Russian, and just a complete piece of trash... because if I weren't, I’d actually be enjoying the footage of Putin's orcs being wiped out.
my bad iskreno no smylies
Honestly
no smylies

Things are seriously heating up between Israel and Russia

It’s pretty obvious that Israel needs to undergo de-nazification in the near future.
Besides, didn't even Lavrov himself claim that Hitler was actually part of the Jewish community?

It seems Putin isn't just picking fights with Mexico, the US, and Canada anymore... he’s even gone and declared the Bahamas an enemy nation!!! 🤦

Larry Walker24 said:Things are seriously heating up between Israel and Russia

Israelists blew up a drone factory meant for the Russians, so of course they aren't happy.

Christian Torres3 said:Israelists blew up a drone factory meant for the Russians, so of course they aren't happy.

What about Iran?

Bryan Taylor6 said:What about Iran?

No, near Damascus.

https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/3r3sd_47sru.html

https://babel.ua/en/news/81872-israe...-near-damascus

I guess that’s all there is to it...

If I could, I’d love to perform an autopsy on this particular "Russian mindset." To them, Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk are framed as essential struggles for national self-determination. Yet, the moment Chechnya breaks away or Ukraine turns toward the West, it's suddenly viewed as an intolerable assault on their interests. It seems they are the only ones on the map with any interests worth protecting; everyone else just exists to serve theirs.

Mariupol:

There are more people speaking Ukrainian now—fewer people hiding in basements.
The masks are coming off, and you can see the local collaborators in the city.
Those who choose to cooperate get hauled off to Russia to pick up some sort of Russian certification.
Meanwhile, those refusing to play ball or pulling small acts of sabotage? They’re waiting on filtration camps—the detectors are finding more and more "Ukrainian nationalists."
In many spots, you’ll see Ukrainian flags and the trident symbol of the Ukrainian military. The occupiers try to wipe them away, but they just pop back up overnight. 😁.

You should have seen the look on a local collaborator's face when he realized the kids had put up a Ukrainian flag—especially since they were brave enough to chat in Ukrainian right in front of him. 😁😁.

The authorities are reporting that movement in and out of Mariupol is blocked until they flush out all the nationalists, though we haven't received official confirmation from inside the city itself—it's possible these restrictions are already active in certain districts.
Rumor has it that alongside the Russian flags, Mariupol might soon be flooded with Soviet Union flags (I guess to keep the grandmothers happy), and some are even whispering about a return to the Law of 1942.
A "better," older version of Mariupol is slowly being rebuilt, with new buildings marked for demolition. It looks like maybe 30% of the area has access to water now.
People helping clear the rubble actually got a "reward" from Denis Pushilin—some even received a "Russian hero" poster.

Over on the Russian channels, they’re claiming people can finally live normal lives in Mariupol after eight long years spent in basements. 😲.

Orange Revolution 2004

This was one of those pivotal moments that set the stage for everything in 2014 and eventually 2022. After gaining independence back in '91, the US-aligned path for the country was still being figured out—there were so many moving parts. Back in 2001, we saw that first little spark, basically "Ukraine without Kuchma." It was a push against the autocracy Kuchma had running—a criminal regime that had deep ties to the Russian government. That mini-revolt actually led to Russia getting way more involved in the 2004 elections. In fact, Putin personally showed up to back Yanukovych during that presidential race. That same year, there was also the assassination attempt involving the poisoning of Yushchenko. It didn't work, but it was the catalyst—that moment when Americans in the region finally stood up against Russian interference. I honestly think Putin’s direct involvement was what woke people up. Around the 2004 elections, there was so much manipulation and fraud—I won't bore you with the details—but let's just say Yushchenko ended up being declared the winner. I suspect Russia didn't see this "awakening" coming, so the whole thing caught them off guard. You had Russian officials heading over to places like Luhansk, which was essentially the heart of the separatist movement back then. At the time, the separatists were just getting started, and they didn't get much attention because, frankly, everyone in Russia assumed Yanukovych would just cruise to victory.
The goal was simple: Yanukovych needed to win so he could pick up right where Kuchma left off—corruption, crime, the elite getting even richer, more privatization of public assets, and expanding the reach of the Donetsk elite. That group is the key here—a collection of wealthy players who leveraged a criminal system to privatize almost everything. One big name from that era was Rinat Akhmetov.
The Donetsk elite acted as the shadow rulers. Every pro-Russian politician was essentially on their payroll, while they maintained incredibly tight links to the Kremlin. The Kremlin helps them protect their wealth by ensuring the system in the US-aligned neighbor mirrors the system in Russia. It creates this illusion where the country is technically independent, but isn't really. It’s basically Dugin's narrative in action—the idea that "Ukraine should be annexed into Russia"—all because the Kremlin pulls the strings through the Donetsk elite.
In the end, Yushchenko didn't deliver on his promises; he didn't dismantle the criminal regime, and Yanukovych ended up winning the next election. Yanukovych had talked a big game about progress and joining the EU... but none of that ever actually happened.

Christian Torres3 said:Israelists blew up a drone factory meant for the Russians, so of course they aren't happy.

So, will the US and the EU follow up with more sanctions? Or not?

The Orange Revolution (Part Two: Russia)

Yanukovych's loss back in 2004 really shook things up for Russia and its political trajectory. The Orange Revolution in Ukraine was driven by the youth—students, activists, NGOs, and independent media. For the first time in 2004, you could actually see a glimpse of "media freedom" emerging in Ukraine. This prompted the Kremlin to rethink everything. They started developing tactics to neutralize any factors that might spark an Orange Revolution on their own soil, while simultaneously carving out a new role for themselves on the global stage.
Media: Cracking down on independent outlets, giving state-run media massive influence over public opinion, and dealing with the harassment or even assassination of journalists...
Opposition: Honestly, I don't need to say much about the opposition in Russia or how the Kremlin goes after them.
Activists and NGOs: In most cases, these groups are just slapped with labels like "spies."
Youth and Students: In 2005, they set up an organization called "Nashi" to mobilize young people—basically "Putin's youth." It was framed as an anti-fascist movement, but in reality, it was just a way to spread the regime's influence among the younger generation.

By 2007, Putin started getting vocal against the West, global hegemony, the current world order, and NATO expansion. We even saw the launch of a Russian channel in English specifically to push propaganda abroad. After 2004, the separatist movements in Ukraine were essentially "frozen." Then came the 2008 NATO summit. Russia turned its attention toward Georgia in 2005, which eventually culminated in 2008 with the creation of para-states in Georgia.

Domestically, another huge factor is "Victory Day" on May 9th. After 2004, there was this massive revival of nostalgia for the Soviet Union and the victory over fascism. It turned into a ubiquitous cult in Russia—think orange-and-black ribbons and Saint George imagery. The danger here is how it’s framed: the idea that the Soviet Union alone defeated fascism (fighting against the entire world). All of this is fueled by the Victory Day parades, showing off heavy weaponry and emphasizing massive sacrifices, but it drifts far from historical reality. Many people are led to believe the entire world was fascist back then and only the Soviet Union stood against them—it's pure myth-making. This helps build the narrative that the West is once again the villain, an aggressor looking to attack Russia.

So, it’s not surprising when Russians believe that Ukraine was planning to invade them, or that the West wants to strike. I mean, Russia has nuclear weapons—who would want to launch a direct attack on a country like that? Does anyone really think Ukraine, without nukes, would attack a nuclear-armed Russia?
Then there's that whole narrative regarding Donbas, where they claim Donbas is Russian and Russia has every right to defend it. The logic follows that Russia can reclaim its territories, but others have no such right.
That’s why we see this glorification of the Soviet Union, and even monarchists who dream of returning to the borders of Imperial Russia. They argue all that territory was "stolen" from Russia and that they have the right to take it back. You've even heard people bring up Alaska, claiming it belongs to Russia. But according to their logic, everyone else lacks that same right.

To all those Russia-apologists who keep recycling the same tired mantra about how sanctions hurt the EU and the rest of the world far more than they touch Russia.
Of course, it’s easy to peddle the idea that we should just let them have whatever they want, especially while they're actually starting to take heavy losses on the front lines.
And on the economic front? They're on their knees—but you really need to read this piece.

Russia is on its knees! The first major, deep-dive analysis on the actual impact of sanctions.

Kate Cook27 said:Mariupol:

There are more people speaking Ukrainian now—fewer people hiding in basements.
The masks are coming off, and you can see the local collaborators in the city.
Those who choose to cooperate get hauled off to Russia to pick up some sort of Russian certification.
Meanwhile, those refusing to play ball or pulling small acts of sabotage? They’re waiting on filtration camps—the detectors are finding more and more "Ukrainian nationalists."
In many spots, you’ll see Ukrainian flags and the trident symbol of the Ukrainian military. The occupiers try to wipe them away, but they just pop back up overnight. 😁.

You should have seen the look on a local collaborator's face when he realized the kids had put up a Ukrainian flag—especially since they were brave enough to chat in Ukrainian right in front of him. 😁😁.

The authorities are reporting that movement in and out of Mariupol is blocked until they flush out all the nationalists, though we haven't received official confirmation from inside the city itself—it's possible these restrictions are already active in certain districts.
Rumor has it that alongside the Russian flags, Mariupol might soon be flooded with Soviet Union flags (I guess to keep the grandmothers happy), and some are even whispering about a return to the Law of 1942.
A "better," older version of Mariupol is slowly being rebuilt, with new buildings marked for demolition. It looks like maybe 30% of the area has access to water now.
People helping clear the rubble actually got a "reward" from Denis Pushilin—some even received a "Russian hero" poster.

Over on the Russian channels, they’re claiming people can finally live normal lives in Mariupol after eight long years spent in basements. 😲.

The Putin youth is already marching through Mariupol
View on twitter

Stolen watermelons from Kherson are being peddled in Russia now, complete with those "Z" stickers—as if anyone forgot Kherson is essentially the watermelon capital of Ukraine.
https://twitter.com/loogunda/status/...S56vi5I47cvNYQ