, maybe you didn't read it quite right, shuffling some words.

Activism (and possibly alarmism) can be a bona fides reaction, with scientific justification, and moral guts.

^{(As an aside, you may entertain whatever view you like; around here you'll have to justify them unless you just want to talk about yourself.)}

, climate activism (even alarmism perhaps) can be bona fides scientifically justified. Morally likewise. What of denialism/contrarianism then?

, well, in democracy, government is part of voters (or in voters' employ if you like). For that matter, voters could run for government, make a good enough case to "do the right thing" to get enough votes, or otherwise vote for someone who has done so.

FYI, Haugaard was in the Danish government 1994-1998:

Among his pointedly absurd campaign promises were: 8 hours of free time, 8 hours of rest and 8 hours of sleep; more tailwind on bicycle paths; promises of better weather; right to impotency; Nutella in field rations (which was actually implemented); and shorter queues in supermarkets — Jacob Haugaard (Wikipedia)

(Incidentally, brought up Sortition, which seems a neat idea, sort of.)

, as to a Putinian future trajectory, we can add their propaganda indoctrination oppression efforts (has come up before), which all taken together looks kind of Cold War'ish, not peace-friendly — regress.

Putin says Russia developing weapons based on ‘new physical principles’
^{— Tuqa Khalid · Al Arabiya · Sep 12, 2023}

John Brennan opines (re Trump) ...

Putin wants to salvage Ukraine loss by electing Trump: former CIA director
^{— Sarah K Burris · Raw Story · Sep 12, 2023}

Ekaterina Schulmann opines ...

Russian analyst predicts controversial decision by Putin post-election
^{— Henrik R · dagens.com · Sep 16, 2023}

Russian forces near Norway at '20% or less' than before Ukraine war, Norway's armed-forces chief says
^{— Gwladys Fouche, Sabine Siebold, Nick Macfie · Reuters · Sep 16, 2023}

On our border, on the Russian border, there is maybe 20% or less (Russian) forces left than it used to be before Feb. 24, 2022. If he believed that we were threatening Russia, he couldn't have moved on his troops to Ukraine to fight the war there. Russia knows NATO is not a threat because we are not intending to attack them. Otherwise they would have responded completely different to the accession of Finland. They have talked about it, but they haven't in physical terms. — Eirik Kristoffersen

Has come up before.

Russia threatens ‘military and political consequences’ if Finland, Sweden try joining NATO (Feb 25, 2022) → Russian Official Warns Finland, Sweden Against Joining NATO (Mar 12, 2022) → Ukraine War: Russia warns Sweden and Finland against Nato membership (Apr 11, 2022) → Russia warns of nuclear deployment if Sweden, Finland join NATO (Apr 14, 2022) → Russia threatens ‘retaliatory steps’ if Finland joins NATO (May 12, 2022) → Putin sees no threat from NATO expansion, warns against military build-up (May 16, 2022) → Putin says Finland and Sweden can 'go ahead' and join NATO but warned the countries against hosting the alliance's 'military contingents and infrastructure' (Jun 30, 2022).

Ukrainian NATO membership would primarily mean limiting Putin's Russia's military to do whatever, including land-grab (Jul 3, 2022; Oct 19, 2022).

Russia’s Stripped Its Western Borders to Feed the Fight in Ukraine (Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch · Foreign Policy · Sep 28, 2022). Russia’s Reindeer Brigade Is Fighting For Its Survival In Southern Ukraine (David Axe · Forbes · Oct 7, 2022). (Is the Kremlin neglecting the CSTO (Jan 11, 2023)? Armenia (Gabriel Gavin · POLITICO · Sep 13, 2023)?)

If Putin's Russia were to assimilate a fifth of Ukraine, then their NATO-phobic argument would continue to apply to the remaining four-fifths of Ukraine just the same. If Putin's Russia was to assimilate all of Ukraine, then Putin's logic could equally be raised vice versa by Moldova Poland Romania Hungary Slovakia (Oct 13, 2022; Nov 26, 2022), and hence the EU. Open-ended, perpetual.

As mentioned before, NATO isn't that dire existential threat to the world's largest country. Buying into that verges a bit on gullibility. Conversely, grabbing that fifth of Ukraine could well make a difference to the Kremlin's geo-political-military power (and perhaps satisfy Putin (Sep 2016; May 2020)).

Peripherally (measles, not sars) ... London, UK ...

Unvaccinated pupils face 21-day isolation as measles cases rise
^{— Daniel Keane · Yahoo · Sep 15, 2023}
Unvaccinated children face 21 days in isolation after rapid rise in measles
^{— Sara Odeen-Isbister · various via MSN · Sep 15, 2023}

There is a definite religious zealotry to it all. Makes me all the more justified in rejecting it. — Merkwurdichliebe

Isn't that a genetic fallacy? No, not quite. Maybe ad odium? Or an association fallacy.

One explanation for the abundance of scientists who support for the official narrative is because there is not much of a career left for them if they go rogue. [...] — Merkwurdichliebe

Notice how the quote, or something similar, could be raised on any topic with a general consensus, to pseudo-level an unlevel world. Casting it as a truth-independent or conspiracy'esque game instead, has become trendy I guess. — jorndoe

Cool, here's an even more generic argument:

Scientists are not infallible, they are human like everyone else. [...] — Merkwurdichliebe

Science begone, the lot. Nothing to see here. Sort of p0m0'ish, too.

By the way, I already differentiated the people and the evidence they point at:

Alternatively, there's sufficient/overwhelming evidence of anthropogenic climate change. After all, scientists point at available evidence, not at "narratives" or "whatever people's opinions". — jorndoe

In my case, my conspiracy theory is called skepticism — Merkwurdichliebe

There are also round-Earth skeptics, E=mc² skeptics, germ skeptics, Moon landing skeptics, biological evolution skeptics, you name it. (skepticism ≠ denial ∧ skepticism ≠ post-truth)

One explanation for the abundance of scientists who support for the official narrative is because there is not much of a career left for them if they go rogue. [...] — Merkwurdichliebe

Alternatively, there's sufficient/overwhelming evidence of anthropogenic climate change. After all, scientists point at available evidence, not at "narratives" or "whatever people's opinions".

Notice how the quote, or something similar, could be raised on any topic with a general consensus, to pseudo-level an unlevel world. Casting it as a truth-independent or conspiracy'esque game instead, has become trendy I guess.

also mentioned biodiversity impairment, which is related — humans all over the place, population growth, deforestation, pollution, nature/wildlife displacement, extinctions, renewability, ...

Interview regarding Prigozhin:

Ivan Prieobrazhensky: After Prigozhin's death, Putin may attack Shoigu (via google translate)
^{— Tatiana Kolesnychenko, Ivan Prieobrazhensky · Wirtualna Polska · Aug 28, 2023}

Has themes from Game of Thrones or The Prince (like opportunism, heartlessness, meticulous calculation, assassination, ruthlessness, whatever means to justify ends, deniability, cynicism, all that).

(stumbled upon Wirtualna Polska, thanks )

Inventive...

Ukraine gets paper drones from Australia
^{— Daisuke Sato · Defence Blog · Mar 21, 2023}
Like a child's project, with profound impact: How cardboard drones can shape Ukraine war
^{— Madeleine Wedesweiler · SBS+AAP · Sep 6, 2023}

Payload: 5 kg
Wingspan: 2 m
Speed: 60 km/h
Range: 120 km
Price: US$3,500

If (half) a dozen of those can take out, say, a parked fighter plane, then it seems worthwhile for the defenders.

Russia-1 TV interview with colonel general Andrey Mordvichev sometime at the end of July 2023:

TheKremlinYap · Sep 9, 2023 · 1m:12s

^{— How long will the war last?
— I think there's still plenty of time to spend. It is pointless to talk about a specified period. If we are talking about Eastern Europe, which we will have to... Of course, then it will be longer.
— Ukraine is only a stepping stone?
— Yes, absolutely. It is only the beginning. I think that all kinds of ideologists and instigators of this war will not stop here.
— How long do you feel they'll have enough fervor for this offensive?
— Until the end of August. Their fervor will last until the end of August, and then there will be a short break. They won't accomplish much in the winter. By spring, I think it will all be over. The question is that we will have to respond to their offensive at some point in time. We have to liberate our lands. Unequivocally. It must be done, and we will have to do it.}

Might have been mainly intended for the general Russian population?

Either way, it goes well with earlier statements (The Guardian, AP, RIA) from Sergey Lavrov + team, and Oleksii Reznikov later echoed some of this (BI). What to make of Dmitry Medvedev's fiery rambling (AJ, The Hill, TASS) in this context? "Ideologist/instigator"? The Moldovans have been nervous for some time (RFE/RL, AP+VOA, WSJ, Reuters, Yahoo, WION, CNN). Incidentally, we've seen other expansive (and provocative) activities (ArcticToday, CNN, AJ, Reuters, CTV, NP) of the world's largest country.

A Putinian vision at work or something? What's your take anyway?

As I said before, the west is stupid if they are not worried about green policies damaging their economy. — Agree-to-Disagree

↪ChatteringMonkey, nature isn't particularly fair (or unfair) — Sep 6, 2023

... and doesn't care about human economy.

maybe fusion could be like a "magic bullet"? — Sep 6, 2023

It's a collective problem and up to humans to decide whether to do something or not.

, well, if ...

yes, damned if you do, and damned if you don't — ChatteringMonkey

... becomes a rationale for not doing anything, then it better be right.


Elsewhere, unrelated, not directly anyway...

Microsoft funding new approach for carbon removal
^{— Nick Robertson · The Hill · Sep 7, 2023}

Have a war, and, quick, an "election", ... :D

Moscow stages local elections in occupied parts of Ukraine
^{— Felix Light, Felix Hoske, Philippa Fletcher · Reuters · Aug 31, 2023}
Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there
^{— Yuras Karmanau, Dasha Litvinova · AP · Sep 8, 2023}
Ukraine and US condemn ‘sham elections’ in Crimea, Russia decries ‘meddling’
^{— Vikrant Singh · WION · Sep 8, 2023}

Alternate headline: "The Kremlin looks to expand regressive Russia to grabbed land."
I imagine they get lots of requests for comments from news agencies and others.
An open session with them and journalists from all over would be nifty.

Here, when you buy a SIM card for your phone, you immediately get an SMS from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and United Russia Party. [...] People are generally apolitical, inert, and know who will win anyways. — “Baska” · CNN · Sep 8, 2023

It comes alongside an effort to force residents in the regions to accept Russian citizenship, according to a report released last month by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. — Rob Picheta, Yulia Kesaieva, Vasco Cotovio, Svitlana Vlasova, Andrew Carey · CNN · Sep 8, 2023

, nothing can be done is a fairly substantial claim, not something we'd want to get wrong, right?

Partially confirms earlier speculation:

Russia’s African coup strategy
^{— Clint Watts · Microsoft Threat Analysis Center · Sep 1, 2023}

So, yes, damned if you do, and damned if you don't... — ChatteringMonkey

Such certainty...?
Well, unless sufficiently justified, the suppositions/scenarios above still apply to those "doomsayers", right?
^{(I mean ... "Suppose [...] What's the worst that could happen?")}
Incidentally, I know someone, not a climatologist, that, with a big sigh, says we're too late, but still have to try.
The Holocene extinction is another factor here; something that ought to be addressed.

, there are two suppositions/scenarios listed, where we could be a majority or enough to make a difference, like actors deciding on a path forward. What matters is in/actions decided upon. Sort of implicit in the suppositions.
(For completion, you're free to add the remaining couple or so scenarios/permutations — climate change or not × do something or not — they just didn't seem as interesting.)

, damned if you do, damned if you don't?
Hmm Didn't that come up earlier?

Putin claims West made Zelenskyy Ukrainian leader to mask "glorification of Nazism"
^{— Global News · Sep 5, 2023 · 1m:47s}

As far as the invasion goes, the concern (at least that I've commented on lately) is what Kyiv possibly could have done, is doing, to be deemed a Nazi rule — a Nazi rule is what the Putinistas have claimed, their public rationale, and it's bunk. I imagine Ukrainian Nazis are doing whatever such extremists do. Going by the report, those Azov folks ain't it (unless Mossad screwed up royally). — Dec 20, 2022

And now "the West" "glorifies Nazism"?

Give it up already. Got old some time ago.

, nature isn't particularly fair (or unfair). But maybe fusion could be like a "magic bullet"?

The source used by (I think, feel free to correct), briefly discusses strategies, solutions, consequences:

When will we run out of fossil fuels?
^{— Ama Lorenz · FairPlanet · Apr 30, 2023}

Just FYI, one of the numbers I was looking for was the net amount of available fossil fuels (over time). This would give an indication of net anthropogenic chemical/physical change of our shared environment, and then an assessment of net effects over time. ("Think we can burn all this accumulated stuff [...]".)

Anyway, I think only a minority of radicals demand immediate drastic political/societal change of the sort that destroys civilization, e.g. Ama Lorenz doesn't. On the other hand, I'd personally prefer not being among the generations of which our children's children say "they knew, and did nothing".

lots of people [...] are bitterly opposed to the level of change that is required — BC

I suspect that many people don't want to lower their standard of living despite the fact that there is evidence/consensus of anthropogenic climate change. — Agree-to-Disagree

Right, hence the failure in the second supposition above.
Ego-priorities — of those that will be gone soon enough, leaving our children's children...
Just don't be surprised if such moral failure is met with scorn.
But changing path doesn't mean everyone goes back to stoneage living.

Anyone have solid/reliable numbers for

• amount of fossil fuel deposits (let's say oil and coal)
• amount of fossil fuels burned by humans

since (or shortly before) the industrial revolution, something in that range?

I wouldn't expect much added to the deposits in this (geologically short) timeframe, but haven't come across solid numbers on available deposits. Numbers for burned fossil fuels since then are easier to come by, or estimates at least (Our World in Data). Graphing them out over time, should more or less be "opposite", the former going down, the latter going up, and adding them should more or less be constant over time in this timeframe.

There are cars, vehicles, machinery, houses, buildings, people, ..., all over the place, happily burning deposits in one way or other. Think we can burn all this accumulated stuff (geological timeframe) in a century or two without noticeable effects...? At least there's active research into fusion.



Suppose, for the sake of argument, that anthropogenic climate change, pollution and all that is a red herring, but we still do something about it. What's the worst that could happen? Longer oil supply? Less plastic in the oceans?
Suppose that anthropogenic climate change, pollution and all that is quite impactful, with consequences for future generations, and we do nothing about it. What's the worst that could happen?

We have not merely been given the world from our parents, we are also borrowing it from our children. — some African proverb I think

Trolls would have us do nothing about it, despite evidence/consensus of anthropogenic climate change, pollution, etc.

If Russia was truly fighting a defensive war, there would be large numbers of Russians expats going back to Russia. There wouldn't have been the brain drain that we saw happening when the mobilization was started. — ssu

Recruitments from prisons have come up prior.

We have no funding restrictions. The country and the government are providing everything that the army asks for. — Putin · Reuters · Dec 21, 2022

But some officials said the goal of attracting 400,000 contract soldiers this year is likely to be unrealistic. That’s roughly equal to the total number of professional troops Russia had before the invasion was launched on Feb. 24, 2022. — Bloomberg · Mar 24, 2023

As of late June 2023, Russia has been appealing to citizens of neighbouring countries with recruitment adverts for individuals to fight in Ukraine. [...] — UK Ministry of Defence · Sep 3, 2023

DECLARATION OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Cuba faces human trafficking operations for the purpose of military recruitment.

The Ministry of the Interior detected and is working on the neutralization and dismantling of a human trafficking network that operates from Russia to incorporate Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations in Ukraine. Attempts of this nature have been neutralized and criminal proceedings have been initiated against people involved in these activities.

Cuba's enemies promote distorted information that seeks to tarnish the image of the country and present it as an accomplice to these actions, which we categorically reject.

Cuba has a firm and clear historical position against mercenarism and plays an active role in the United Nations in repudiation of this practice, being the author of several of the initiatives approved in that forum.

Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine. It is acting and will act vigorously against anyone, from the national territory, who participates in any form of human trafficking for the purpose of recruitment or mercenarism for Cuban citizens to use arms against any country.

Havana, September 4, 2023 — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba · Sep 4, 2023

At a checkpoint between Kolotilovka (Russia) and Pokrovka (Ukraine) north of Kharkiv:

How Ukrainians are fleeing life in Russian-held territory
^{— Aya Ibrahim · Deutsche Welle · Sep 1, 2023 · 3m:28s}

Ukrainians in the occupied Donbas area (maybe others) apparently make their way to such border crossings, away from the frontlines. Those kids may still not be out of harm's way, though. Bumpy, yet in contrast to relatively nearby warring. At first, I thought that soldier on the right, at the start of the footage, looked like wearing a bomb (:grin:).

Such markedly different choices of words regarding governments (embedded links mine) ...

Even if Russia can't be considered an empire in the same way the US is, obviously there's plenty wrong with Russian rule for people wanting to resist it. — Tzeentch

"Dictator" is being kind. Absolute scum of the Earth, better? The fiery pit is too good for that man. — Tzeentch

I'm sure you can see why some suspect(ed) you of ... ehh certain autocrat/anti-democratic sympathies (and an axe to grind). Hereby encouraging you to whip up a new thread.

As far as Bostrom's argument goes ...

↪Zaneemia

It seems to me that if Bostrum’s hypothesis applies to us, it must also apply to those running the simulation, and so on to infinity. It’s simulations all the way down. — NOS4A2

, are those Molotov cocktails?

As to the former (Ukraine), I'm thinking that hate, unity, nationalism, patriotism grow easy during invasion, ongoing bombing, interrupted while trying to shed the shackles of the dominating neighbor.

As to the latter (Russia), those state-sanctioned, organized, systematic efforts carry a faint whiff of Hitlerjugend (and Soviet methods), which remains kind of ironic. Putin lashes out at West ‘cancelling’ Russian culture, says it reeks of Hitler’s Germany (TASS · Mar 25, 2022). If this is what the Kremlin means by "a multipolar world", then ... well, they're not particularly trying to go for a peaceful path forward. Regress. Looks like an indirect admission of lack of faith in the people. Hopefully, they'll see through it (and not get arrested).

Anyway, such differences in (going back to) school. And different still in, say, Norway and Canada.

Reports from the ground:

Ukraine's Kharkiv builds classrooms underground to protect students from missiles
^{— Vitalii Hnidyi, Max Hunder, Angus MacSwan · Reuters · Aug 30, 2023}
Media: Education Minister says 76% of institutions in Ukraine have bomb shelters
^{— Dinara Khalilova · The Kyiv Independent · Aug 31, 2023}
In wartime Ukraine, going back to school means preparing for air raids and huddling in shelters
^{— Olga Voitovych, Ivana Kottasová · CNN · Sep 1, 2023}

Not like when I went to school, fortunately. Kind of a testament to Kremlin efforts I suppose. Hopefully, some of those rooms will become tourist attractions instead, the sooner the better.

Meanwhile:

Russian students are returning to school, where they face new lessons to boost their patriotism
^{— Dasha Litvinova · AP · Sep 1, 2023}
Inside Putin's push to rewrite Russian history in favor of his war in Ukraine
^{— Yuliya Talmazan, Artem Grudinin · NBC · Sep 3, 2023}

Wow.

, yeah. It's when it turns dangerous/dehumanizing/detrimental that it becomes everyone's problem. For the time being, I'm not all that optimistic.

, well, crazy is easy enough to come by. :)

• Gypsy curse- my friend might be cursed by a rock? (Yahoo, ≈ 2009) (other archive)

• Nigeria police hold 'robber' goat (BBC, 2009)

Yeah, watch out for those evil rocks. And goats.

Felshtinsky speculates:

Putin's days numbered as FSB in process of choosing next Russian president
^{— Joel Day · Daily Express · Aug 30, 2023}

The FSB controls and rules Russia. The entire process of the Russian Presidential election and the election computer which calculates the vote is by law controlled by the FSB.
In 2021, Russia passed a law allowing remote voting. It might be good in most countries but not for Russia: it will lead to a situation where the FSB will have the ability to add votes of the people who didn't come to vote in order to choose their favourite candidate.
My point is that it will be the FSB who choose the next president of Russia.
They did it with Putin in 1999. When [Boris] Yeltsin resigned, by law, the Prime Minister became President of Russia. He has technically been in that position ever since.
If we see suddenly that the Prime Minister is changed to somebody else, let's say Nikolai Patrushev (the secretary of the Security Council of Russia), this will be an indication that they're making Patrushev the President.
I think they may try and create this tradition of using these FSB officials. They did it in 2000 with Putin and have held power for 23 years, and I believe they will try to keep it for as long as possible — they will try to keep it forever. — Yuri Felshtinsky

Whatever the case, I doubt Putin is out for the time being. Looking for a successor is plausible enough, though. Ough Patrushev.

(all subject to change, incomplete, ...)

Being
• a being often refers to a (possibly supposed) sentient lifeform
• being in general can more or less be synonymous with existence, whatever is, real or imaginary/fictional alike, known or unknown alike, has no complement

Awareness
• self-awareness is included in awareness, meta-cognition, awareness of something
• usage overlaps with consciousness

Consciousness
• self-conscious and self-aware differ in usage, the former is about how one thinks others perceive oneself
• part of some minds, sometimes (I think it might be a necessary part, in some uses anyway)

Thinking
• mulling things over, contemplating, reasoning, peripherally or concentrating, recalling something
• part of some minds, sometimes (rarely in certain cases :grin:)

Time
• Time and such (Nov 11, 2017), might need an update

Mind
Body

↑ known cases, exemplifiable

Perception
• "if anything significant differentiates dreams hallucinations etc, and perception, then it's the perceived"
• the self part of interaction with the perceived
• part of some minds, sometimes
• also related to phenomenology

(...)

The Western world needs Trump to be saved:

Hungary’s Orbán urges US to ‘call back Trump’ to end Ukraine war in Tucker Carlson interview
^{— Bela Szandelszky · AP · Aug 30, 2023}

Call back Trump. … Trump is the man who can save the Western world. — Viktor Orbán

So there. :wink:

You know who put the Taliban in charge? I'm sure you do. — Tzeentch

But that didn't answer the query. You just took an opportunity to point fingers at your favorite enemy instead. :shrug: (How about you ask a sizeable percentage of the Afghan population?)

[...] the US [...] — Tzeentch

You know, that's why I asked @yebiga (on a few occasions) to fire up a fresh thread on that:

↪yebiga, did you ever get to whipping up a fresh thread on that stuff?
(I didn't notice if you did anyway. But please keep the p0m0 at a tolerable level. :smile:)
May 18, 2023, May 24, 2023, May 26, 2023 — Jun 21, 2023

Too bad they never did. What about you? After all, there's so much to say (as you've shown), so much discussion-worthy, yes? (you won't have to look over your shoulders, be interesting :up: like an exposition)

Fvcksakes, it's 2023.

Saudi man receives death penalty for posts online, latest case in wide-ranging crackdown on dissent
^{— Jon Gambrell · AP · Aug 30, 2023}

Ironically enough, some air has been breathed into NATO with the moves against Ukraine.

Same old in Moscow:

'I stand by my opinion': Russian on trial for critical Ukraine interview
^{— AFP and RFE/RL · Aug 30, 2023}

I stand by my opinion. Nothing has changed. — Yuri Kokhovets (37)

I did not like it so I contacted the Investigative Committee. — Radik Gabitov

But the following month, charges against him were requalified into "spreading fakes against the army" under a law adopted shortly after the Kremlin launched the offensive. The case against Kokhovets comes as thousands of Russians have been detained while troops battle in Ukraine. According to OVD-Info, some 20,000 people across the country have been detained since February 2022 for protesting the offensive. Almost all Russian opposition figures have fled the country since the start of the offensive. Most of those who stayed are in prison. This week alone, Russian courts are examining 59 political cases, the monitor said.

Obviously not, both for the Afgani's sake and [...] — Tzeentch

What Afghans? The Taliban you mean? Check this Aug 27, 2023 comment. (Hmm Might be better to move any further comments on this to the/some other thread.)

The US is [...] — Tzeentch

In all honesty, I tend to be more concerned about an "authoritarian empire" than a "democratic empire" :D (also see "Same old in Moscow" above and, well, more comments in this thread than I care to dig out).

:D Well, it's been a while since the US grabbed land. (I'm wondering if they should have stayed in Afghanistan, what do you think?) By the way, some 3% of the US' annual defense budget has been spent on helping Ukraine against the Krempire. Oddly enough, the Ukrainians have strongly gone with the US "empire" and the EU, rejecting the Kremlinian "non-empire". What gives?

Can you define a word without just using more words...?
You can find "stampede" and "elephant" in a dictionary, which, in turn, uses more words.
Yet, there are no stampeding elephants in the dictionary.
Dictionaries (and their definitions) have circularities.
Board games on the other hand... :)

Are those organized hackers Russian these days?

FBI and European partners seize major malware network in blow to global cybercrime
^{— Frank Bajak, Stefanie Dazio · AP · Aug 29, 2023}

Cybersecurity researchers say they are believed to be in Russia and/or other former Soviet states

the far-flung mostly Russian-speaking criminals

Who are Anonymous Sudan? Hacker group behind behind Twitter outage mocks Elon Musk’s rebrand
^{— Saqib Shah · Evening Standard · Aug 29, 2023}

cybersecurity experts have traced its roots to a murky ecosystem of Russian cybercriminals

the experts said the group appeared to belong to a coterie of Russian hacktivist collectives with names such as KillNet and UserSec

Well, the Anonymous hacker group has attacked Russia and taken credit.

What would we ever do without a good conspiracy theory :)

Body-Double? Wagner Group Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin May Not Have Been on Plane That Crashed, Says Aviation Expert
^{— Joshua Wilburn · Knewz · Aug 23, 2023}
Yevgeny Prigozhin is alive and plotting his revenge on Putin after body double was killed in plane assassination plot, Russian analyst claims
^{— Will Stewart · Daily Mail · Aug 29, 2023}
Wagner Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin is Still Alive and Plotting His Revenge on Vladimir Putin, Russian Analyst Claims
^{— Connor Surmonte · RadarOnline · Aug 29, 2023}

As an aside, the Ukrainian counteroffensive have been propped up considerably by the press (and others), resulting in expectations (timewise in particular), and perhaps pressure, without consulting involved tacticians on the ground, relevant facts, etc. It's not entertainment; it's people fighting to free themselves from crap that's come up in the thread, struggling to go EU, whatever it all is. In some ways, the propping-up might work against the defense efforts. I suppose we might ask what a general (deaf to that press) would do in the current situation, with our limited facts.

, yeah, high cost of being friends with Prigozhin (or sharing some of his ideas), including for the Kremlin, but it seems they took Surovikin off the board.

, 28 times the country size and 4 times the population are reliable; 4 times the troops in Ukraine is rather doubtful. Also, Wagner loss. Russia has (surely had) a comprehensive stock of artillery and rockets (GlobalFirepower). They've used (some of) it generously. Lots of rockets and drones downed. Ukraine is getting some help. ← hardly hopium