Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Part 5

rowdytiger13 said:I'm sure they'll try, but Putin has been setting the stage for years.
It isn't going quite according to his playbook, though, since the goal was a quick, decisive win. He got tripped up by the classic pitfalls of authoritarian regimes—cronyism, nepotism, and rampant corruption. He clearly underestimated how much backbone Ukraine actually has and how little support they had internally, not to mention miscalculating his own military's weaknesses.
As for the rest... he’s effectively strangled any critical thinking in Russia that might reach the public eye. Literally. In an environment like that, you can pretty much get away with anything (except crossing certain lines).
He made the EU dependent on Russian energy—not every single nation, but certainly Germany, which is the economic engine of the continent. European politicians looked Putin right in the eye and fell for his logic. They were convinced he wouldn't start a war or use energy as leverage... they were wrong on both counts.
A huge number of politicians have also become beholden to Russian money, making them easy targets for blackmail.
He isn't on his knees by any stretch, but the EU is definitely feeling the squeeze. Starting with Viktor Orbán.

Was it stupidity, or simply greed? The Germans knew exactly what they were doing; they just couldn't resist the allure of cheap fuel. Ultimately, the wealthy corporate owners reaped the rewards, while now the burden of high energy costs falls squarely on the shoulders of ordinary citizens.

Berlusconi and Putin (2015, following the annexation of Crimea):



"Putin is someone who respects others; he’s thoughtful, a deeply liberal man, and a man of his word. He is truly a democrat."

"I’ve known him for over 15 years—I almost consider him a younger brother. We share a great deal of warmth and respect, and today, he is undoubtedly the number one leader in the world."

Translation:

"Putin is a person who respects others; he is reflective, a deeply liberal man, and someone who keeps his promises. He is a true democrat."

"I have known him for more than 15 years; I practically view him as my own younger brother. We are very close, I hold him in high esteem, and today he is unquestionably the top leader among those in the world."

Born to negotiate.

Honestly, Berlusconi is just fishing for headlines now that he’s back in the political mix. Nobody's actually going to take him seriously.

bluemason3 said:Honestly, Berlusconi is just fishing for headlines now that he’s back in the political mix. Nobody's actually going to take him seriously.

He's just trying to stay relevant again, which is true, but he really belongs in an assisted living facility.

Saint Petersburg representatives have petitioned the State Duma to charge Putin with treason

The Smolninskoye district councilmen in Saint Petersburg have decided to take their grievances to the State Duma, formally proposing that Vladimir Putin be charged with high treason due to the war in Ukraine. These officials intend to file their official request by September 15th.

According to the language used in the appeal, the president's decision to invade Ukraine "undermines the security of the nation and its citizens," specifically noting that the military is losing its most combat-ready units while the civilian population faces a rising number of disabilities. The economy is also taking a heavy hit; the mass exodus of foreign corporations and the brain drain caused by educated citizens fleeing the country will inevitably "leave a mark on the economic well-being of the people." Furthermore, the councilmen warn that rather than achieving its stated goals, the conflict is simply driving NATO expansion further east while Ukraine continues to receive increasingly sophisticated military hardware.

The authors of the complaint argue that Putin’s actions fall under Article 93 of the Constitution, which provides a mechanism for the State Duma to impeach a president based on charges of treason or other grave crimes.
Speaking to the agency, Smolninskoye deputy Dmitry Palyuga admitted he isn't expecting any "miracles" from the State Duma. "Our goal is simply to voice our position and make it crystal clear to everyone else: we believe President Putin is harming our country, and we are prepared to speak openly about that," he remarked.

Another deputy, Radislav Poluikov, noted that the Saint Petersburg officials are hoping for support from "other municipalities across the country." He added, "We are utilizing every available legal instrument for protest, hoping to at least sow a seed of doubt among those who support this special military operation. Right now, we are doing exactly what any municipality in the country would do in this situation."

This stands as one of the rare instances where official domestic authorities have voiced such public criticism regarding the actions taken in Ukraine.

Back in early March, the Smolninskoye councilmen sent a formal inquiry directly to the president. In that document, they criticized the "special military operation," suggesting that the world was, without exaggeration, "on the brink of World War III." By August, one of the district deputies had even requested that Putin order an immediate end to the hostilities, only to receive a standard bureaucratic dismissal: "We inform you that the special military operation for demilitarization and denazification is being carried out."

https://www.agents.media/gosizmena-putina/

Looks like it's gonna be raining bullets through the windows again... definitely the most dangerous thing ever built.

It’s pretty wild how they just label each other as Nazis in their own reports.

swiftjackal11 said:It’s pretty wild how they just label each other as Nazis in their own reports.

I mean, if they don't even know what a Nazi actually is...

The CIA is playing its usual game of deception.

Following the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the agency chief, Burns Russian invasion, labeled the entire operation a failure.

Does this man truly have any grasp of what constitutes Russian goodwill?

months into “a very tough slog of a war,” Ukraine has begun to mount a counteroffensive and Russia’s invasion can only be seen as a failure, the director of the C.I.A., William J. Burns, said Thursday.

Citing the counterattacks in the south and around Kharkiv in the northeast, Mr. Burns said that Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, had badly underestimated Ukraine’s courage and capacity for combat.

While the final chapter of the war is yet to be written, Mr. Burns said it was “hard to see Putin’s record in the war as anything but a failure.”

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09...smid=url-share

That flag on the tower over in Kharkiv Oblast.

bluemason3 said:There’s no such thing as a perfect, flawless system. Distrust in democracy is really just a byproduct of:

- inconsistency
- the kind of relativistic propaganda we've been talking about
- having too much prosperity for too long, which makes people forget how much worse the alternatives actually are

Democracy and the "Western system" aren't facing any unique crisis compared to any other era in history.

Nobody's claiming systems are flawless or looking for some damn utopia.

I’m pointing out the issues happening right in the heart of "old democracies"... and definitely not because I think Russia or China are better options.

Right now, distrust in democracy is mostly just distrust in our institutions. Growing social inequality is a massive reason for that—the whole "ignorant and spoiled masses" argument? That's way less significant, if it even matters at all.

bluemason3 said:There’s no such thing as a perfect, flawless system. Distrust in democracy is really just a byproduct of:

- inconsistency
- the kind of relativistic propaganda we've been talking about
- having too much prosperity for too long, which makes people forget how much worse the alternatives actually are

Democracy and the "Western system" aren't facing any unique crisis compared to any other era in history.

Oh, absolutely. If you ask me, the biggest issue with democracy is this irresistible urge to try and democratize everything else in existence, which usually ends up stripping those things of their power, influence, and assets, all while looking at the world through these incredibly rosy glasses.

After all, I guess that’s exactly why the original democracy ended up crumbling into dust.

This is for the celebration poster 👍
https://twitter.com/Militarylandnet/...38006862168065

coastalbison6 said:This is for the celebration poster 👍
https://twitter.com/Militarylandnet/...38006862168065

The video ends showing some tractors—looks like they had to make a quick exit, so they didn't even get a chance to loot them 🤣

Timothy Williams5 said:Saint Petersburg representatives have petitioned the State Duma to charge Putin with treason

The Smolninskoye district councilmen in Saint Petersburg have decided to take their grievances to the State Duma, formally proposing that Vladimir Putin be charged with high treason due to the war in Ukraine. These officials intend to file their official request by September 15th.

According to the language used in the appeal, the president's decision to invade Ukraine "undermines the security of the nation and its citizens," specifically noting that the military is losing its most combat-ready units while the civilian population faces a rising number of disabilities. The economy is also taking a heavy hit; the mass exodus of foreign corporations and the brain drain caused by educated citizens fleeing the country will inevitably "leave a mark on the economic well-being of the people." Furthermore, the councilmen warn that rather than achieving its stated goals, the conflict is simply driving NATO expansion further east while Ukraine continues to receive increasingly sophisticated military hardware.

The authors of the complaint argue that Putin’s actions fall under Article 93 of the Constitution, which provides a mechanism for the State Duma to impeach a president based on charges of treason or other grave crimes.
Speaking to the agency, Smolninskoye deputy Dmitry Palyuga admitted he isn't expecting any "miracles" from the State Duma. "Our goal is simply to voice our position and make it crystal clear to everyone else: we believe President Putin is harming our country, and we are prepared to speak openly about that," he remarked.

Another deputy, Radislav Poluikov, noted that the Saint Petersburg officials are hoping for support from "other municipalities across the country." He added, "We are utilizing every available legal instrument for protest, hoping to at least sow a seed of doubt among those who support this special military operation. Right now, we are doing exactly what any municipality in the country would do in this situation."

This stands as one of the rare instances where official domestic authorities have voiced such public criticism regarding the actions taken in Ukraine.

Back in early March, the Smolninskoye councilmen sent a formal inquiry directly to the president. In that document, they criticized the "special military operation," suggesting that the world was, without exaggeration, "on the brink of World War III." By August, one of the district deputies had even requested that Putin order an immediate end to the hostilities, only to receive a standard bureaucratic dismissal: "We inform you that the special military operation for demilitarization and denazification is being carried out."

https://www.agents.media/gosizmena-putina/

One representative already found himself detained for supposedly "discrediting the armed forces."
🤦
https://zona.media/news/2022/09/08/vyzvali

Jessica Peterson2 said:One representative already found himself detained for supposedly "discrediting the armed forces."
🤦
https://zona.media/news/2022/09/08/vyzvali

Do these representatives actually possess any legal immunity from prosecution? If they don't, then asking "sensitive" questions is a futile exercise. Still, one has to respect the courage shown; they were simply performing their duties as legislators.

In Russia, nobody gets immunity if Vov says so.

Christian Torres3 said:In Russia, nobody gets immunity if Vov says so.

Vov has far more pressing matters to attend to—running an entire special operation—than wasting his energy on some minor representatives.

In San Diego, a certain professor found herself out of a job simply because she chose to decorate her classroom with yellow and blue balloons.

https://theins.ru/news/254867

Nancy Gomez26 said:Do these representatives actually possess any legal immunity from prosecution? If they don't, then asking "sensitive" questions is a futile exercise. Still, one has to respect the courage shown; they were simply performing their duties as legislators.

The local committee members don't have immunity. That privilege is reserved strictly for those in The Hague, within the various state legislatures, or in the major federal hubs like Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and San Diego.
But let's be honest: that so-called "immunity" isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Buddy Voight and his whole crew have turned it into a complete joke—much like they've turned the entire concept of a "referendum" into a farce.🤷