, mistaken acronym, Ukrainian Floating Operatives.

Allegedly real (am not watching myself). :lol: The headline I mean. Defendant was arrested.



Fox News labels Joe Biden a ‘wannabe dictator’ during Trump speech
^{— Royce Kurmelovs · The Guardian · Jun 14, 2023}

Some news on the street about the present situation ...

NATO leader says Ukrainians are making progress and advancing against Russian forces
^{— Chris Megerian · AP · Jun 12, 2023}

Former Kremlin Official Says Putin Is Too Afraid to Punish the Wagner Group’s Prigozhin, Even After Public Name Calling
^{— Veuer via Dailymotion · Jun 13, 2023 · 1m:12s}

Blue and yellow flag, Russian dead attest to Ukrainian advance in south
^{— Vitalii Hnidyi, Max Hunder, Guy Faulconbridge, Vladimir Soldatkin, Peter Graff, Alex Richardson, Grant McCool, Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich · Reuters · Jun 13, 2023}


↑ Source

(, just FYI, the tankies thing wasn't specifically about the dam)

Russian propaganda is also trying to play the cui bono card. Their western proxies amplify that narrative: — SophistiCat

Although it is unclear who was responsible for the attack, last year, Ukrainian troops fired on the dam in an attempt to raise water levels downstream, and the military leadership had publicly contemplated destroying it altogether. — World Socialist Website

Those apologetics don't make much sense (to me anyway).
Socialists sort of promoting nationalist authoritatian oppressive degenerative capitalist Kremlin...? :brow:
Maybe they are just proxies.

Ukraine denounces Russian MH17 'rambling conspiracy theory' at World Court
^{— William Maclean · Reuters · Jun 12, 2023}

It [Dutch court] found that Russia had "overall control" over the separatist forces.

... has been implicitly confirmed by Russians anyway, no secret.
Definite answers about the MH17 tragedy may not be found, just a plausible consensus.


Chechen forces sign contract with Russia after Wagner’s refusal
^{— Al Jazeera · Jun 12, 2023}

Kadyrov's aspirations sort of coming to fruition?
Putin seems to stay silent on the Prigozhin-versus-Shoigu/defence-ministry thing.

Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam ...

Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for disastrous dam collapse in southern Ukraine
^{— Susie Blann, Danica Kirka, Edith M Lederer · AP via PBS · Jun 6, 2023}
Russia opens investigation after Ukraine shells evacuation point, kills pregnant woman
^{— TASS · Jun 8, 2023}
Russia shells Ukrainian city inundated by dam collapse after Zelenskyy visit
^{— Vasilisa Stepanenko, Jamey Keaten, Illia Novikov, Joanna Kozlowska, Elise Morton, Yuras Karmanau, Hanna Arhirova, Edith M Lederer · AP · Jun 8, 2023}
Who blew up the Kakhovka dam? Here are the three theories
^{— Brad Dress · The Hill · Jun 11, 2023}
Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Work has started on international investigation of dam breach
^{— Ron Popeski, Marguerita Choy · Reuters · Jun 11, 2023}
Kherson flooding: Ukraine evacuation boat attacked by Russia, killing three
^{— Alys Davies, Paul Adams · BBC · Jun 11, 2023}

Goodie, let's have some external investigators (just don't get in the way of the defenders moving to kick the invaders out :smile:).
If the ICC finds either to blame, then they'll likely deny.
If Kyiv is found to blame, then they have to answer to those from which they're getting aid (civil, arms).
If the Kremlin is found to blame, then they won't care much.

Also, the "Ukraine Crisis" thread.

An example of sorts over in this parallel post: Tiananmen 1989

Caught :)

Radio New Zealand investigates Russia-friendly editing of Ukraine articles
^{— Tess McClure, Luke Harding · The Guardian · Jun 9, 2023}

Not sure how funny this is in the scheme of things, but gave me a chuckle anyway.

"Take that, damn tractor!" :fire: :rage: :death:

Video shows Russia blew up a tractor instead of tank
^{— Marshall Ritzel · Associated Press · Jun 8, 2023 · 1m:8s}

Suppose, for the sake of argument, that the Kyiv attack had not been part of the Feb 24 invasion.

In terms of strategy, what might reasonably have been expected for north-Ukrainian/Kyiv forces? Moved to defend the east? Half go east, half stay to defend if also to be attacked there (north/Kyiv)? Stay put? What difference (if any), would it have made to the south/eastern parts of the invasion?

Each could be tediously analyzed and some implications drawn, while supposing that the Russian generals/strategists were informed/competent or not.

Animated gifs (somewhat large image files, so not going to attach):

• Phase 1, Feb 24 — Apr 7
• Phase 2, Apr 7 — Sep 5
• Phase 3, Sep 5 — Nov 11

In the absence of a critical media that challenges the policies of the government, the average distracted citizen, in any given land, becomes a vessel of prescribed thoughts. Western perceptions of Russia, tainted by decades of motion pictures portraying Russians as routine villains, infect the collective consciousness. — yebiga

There's a fair amount of critique of the US, coming from the US, documentaries, movies, interviews, whatever. Some were posted in the thread.

The West is envious of Russia? — Jabberwock

Might be the other way around? Or is that politically incorrect to say?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/06/nord-stream-pipeline-explosion-ukraine-russia/ — neomac

For some reason, this doesn't really seem that surprising. (Ukrainian Floating Operatives.)

A diversion, most likely. — Tzeentch

How many troops did Putin need to take Crimea? — ssu

I'm experiencing déjà vu. :)

Zelensky asks for proof of invasion of Ukraine allegedly planned for February 16
^{— TASS · Feb 12, 2022}
Washington’s warnings that Russia is about to invade frustrate Ukrainians
^{— Matt Bradley, Veronika Melkozerova · NBC News · Feb 15, 2022}
EU 'did not believe' US warnings of Russian war
^{— John Silk · Deutsche Welle · Oct 11, 2022}

Well, whatever you do with the old stories, ...

¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.
¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. — Revelation 22:18-19

(incidentally, self-entitlement/bolstering is one of the tricks of the trade)

Lazar gained a bit of fame or notoriety some decades ago when starting similar claims.
Types of claims generally easier to prove than disprove (due to their nature).
With grand fantastic stories like this, I'll need a wee bit more.
Maybe those people should take up writing novels?

Explainer: What would it mean if Ukraine joined NATO?
^{— Sabine Siebold, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Mark Heinrich · Reuters · Jun 5, 2023}

Despite not having been granted a MAP [Membership Action Plan], the country's military has taken major steps in transitioning towards NATO standards since Russia's invasion 15 months ago.
This process is set to accelerate as Kyiv gradually runs out of Soviet-built arms and ammunition, while the West trains Ukrainian troops according to NATO standards and rushes more and more advanced weaponry to the country.

Makes it sound like the aid also is part of preparations for Ukraine to join NATO, not just immediate defense.

We can read religious texts as having metaphors, allegories, parables, poetry, creative storytelling/speculation, (apparent) fantastic truth claims, everyday chit-chat, rumors and hearsay, references to historical events and real places, folklore, myths, narratives adapted from (other) myths, rules/commands, ..., perhaps authored by and for people of their times and places (geo-historical context).

So, maybe coherence is not really to be expected (unlike rigorous philosophical texts). Passages are often ambiguous or vague enough to allow for any number of readings.

In that respect, it is then up to readers to extract lessons, wisdom, value, etc.

I'm guessing moderate religious readers often have sentiments along those lines, though different from what you hear in temples, churches, mosques, synagogues, whatever clubs, by altars, from tv evangelists, adhan announced by muezzin from minarets. I've also come across a lot of not-so-moderate readers.

Some such texts have become trendsetters and embedded as cultural traditions. Someone, can't remember who, said something like "History is our greatest teacher". Too much adherence/belief or too much denying is dogmatism alike?

Theism isn't just one thing. The elaborate religions/faiths have those sumptuous texts, rituals, commands/rules, fate designations, gods/God being various narrated (individuated) characters, adherents claiming divine intervention/participation, with distinct public aspects, mutual incompatibilities, etc. At first, these could be contrasted by some spiritual traditions. Further on, they could be contrasted by unassuming nondescript deism, panpsychism, Platonism, simulation / virtual world hypotheses, Zhuangzian butterflies, or even just "the unknown", heading firmly into metaphysics. Probably not hard to find people leaning towards atheism with respect to the elaborate religions, and agnosticism (or apathy for that matter) towards whatever in the latter categories. Anyway, without making the distinction, things like dogmatism (along with a/theism, agnosticism) become muddled.

Russia's Lavrov accuses West of 'supporting genocide' in Ukraine
^{— Gareth Jones · Reuters · May 30, 2023}

Give it up, Lavrov. Still not working. What will the Kenyans take away?

Russia's Lavrov says Kremlin drone incident was 'hostile act'
^{— Mark Trevelyan · Reuters · May 5, 2023}
Ukraine minister in 'disbelief' at closed Kyiv bomb shelters
^{— Dan Peleschuk, Nick Macfie · Reuters · Jun 4, 2023}

Maybe Lavrov comes from a parallel universe (cf Bondarev). A bit comedic if not for the :fire:.

, the Ukrainians want the invaders to leave them alone, the Kremlin wants, well, hard to tell exactly, but officially no Nazis, no NATO.
Whatever the Kremlin wants, is not likely to be compatible with what the defenders want. By the way, from memory, they mentioned a demilitarised Ukraine some time in the past.
The UN voted a few times prior, but the suggestion of peacekeepers and votes could depart some from that, or at least perhaps bring more of what the parties want out in the open.
Worthwhile? Try? Waste of time? Futile?

Indonesia proposes demilitarised zone, UN referendum for Ukraine peace plan
^{— Kanupriya Kapoor, Olena Harmash, Gerry Doyle, David Holmes · Reuters · Jun 3, 2023}

• demilitarised zone separating currently held positions by 15 km
• UN peacekeeping force in zone
• cessation of hostilities
• UN referendum "to ascertain objectively the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas" —Subianto

Somewhat similar to earlier suggestions.
Objectively ascertaining majority wishes could be difficult, because a number of Russian actors could have entered the areas posing as Ukrainians whenever told so by who/whatever downstream from the Kremlin, thereby "polluting" any votes; this sort of thing would have to be figured out to some reasonable extent.
I'd suggest UN peacekeepers in Donbas and Crimea (also ensuring the airways weren't one-sided), then trying to set up genuine votes.
Anyway, it's technically doable; best done before hatred of the other side settles more severely.

Any takers hereabouts?

if the Nazis are Christian, then — unenlightened

1939 Germans were both, though not because one implies the other.
1929 Fascist Italy made Catholicism the State religion; in 1938 they made some moves against Jews, Evangelicals, Pentecostals.

, sure, if the Catholic and Protestant organizations couldn't be reined in, then they might have faced disassembly of sorts; I guess we'll never know.
That part isn't about non/theism, it's power politics.
Authoritarians use larger/influential organizations or them' begone.
(We can speculate on religion in the area if the Nazis hadn't lost; I'm guessing (pure conjecture on my part) that there'd have been some moves toward occultism or Germanic paganism of sorts.)
The earlier point, however, was that Nazi anti-semitism didn't appear out of the blue, but was part of a larger (sub)culture/tradition that Luther also was part of, another proactive part.
An established precedence in 1939's Nazi + Christian Germany.

, I don't think Hitler could be called a Christian soldier, more like an opportunist occultist or something.
Nazi racism and the Holocaust rode in on (age-old) existing anti-semitism, adding another level of horror.
Also keep in mind, some 95% of Nazi Germany were Christians.

The Nazis didn't murder the Jews because of religious differences. A Jew who disclaimed his Judaism was no safer than a devout one.

Nazi Germany is a good example of a war that was not about religion. It was about ethnicity. — Hanover

There's a bit more history to this stuff.
The founder of Protestantism wrote On the Jews and Their Lies around 1543.
The Church of England also published a report in 2019 on the topic.
In a way, the Holocaust was part of a wretchedly long (sub)culture, an abominable "tradition", that you could hope ended, though it doesn't quite seem like it. :/

What's up in Idaho?

Committee introduces bill on prohibiting ‘vaccine materials’ in food
^{— Ruth Brown · Idaho Reports · Jan 24, 2023}

Idaho bill would criminalize giving an mRNA vaccine: ‘It feels like an attack on our profession’
^{— Don Sapatkin · Managed Healthcare Executive · Mar 27, 2023}

Survey shows Idaho’s maternal health doctors are leaving the state, or soon will
^{— McKay Cunningham · Idaho Capital Sun · Apr 7, 2023}

, so, with definitions of meters, miles, stadia, whichever, we can get it wrong. It's not about our definitions, it's about a distance that we may or may not estimate with whatever (arbitrary) definitions/conventions. There is something to get wrong. Seems like you were responding to something else.

Distance to the Moon doesn't begin to exist because someone makes an estimate, rather it can be estimated because it exists. — May 27, 2023

That's the direction of existential dependency. — May 28, 2023

, then how come we sometimes get it wrong? We can get estimates wrong. (Some more than others.) Doesn't make sense for inventions. That's the direction of existential dependency.

You seem to be wrong here jorndoe. Miles, km, etc., all those terms you used to express the distance refer to something invented, not discovered. It seems you have this backward, distance is invented not discovered. — Metaphysician Undercover

↑ backwards

Distance to the Moon doesn't begin to exist because someone makes an estimate, rather it can be estimated because it exists.

Reports from the streets...

‘Get out’: Influx of Russians to Georgia stokes old enmities
^{— Christian Edwards, Niamh Kennedy, Eve Brennan, Rhea Mogul, Sophie Tanno, Hannah Ritchie, Katya Krebs · CNN · May 26, 2023}

If I was Georgian, I would also want to be a part of the European Union. The old generation is all about how things used to be. The young generation are about how things could be. They’re like, ‘we want to be part of the European Union – Russians, don’t f*** this up for us.’ [...] I fear that Georgia is a little bit too similar to Russia. I’m afraid it could go either way: It could get better and move forward to the European Union. Or it could get worse and become like Belarus. I really hope that won’t happen. — Daria Polkina (27, Muscovite)

A couple of weeks earlier...

Pro-war nationalists say they are entering Russian politics to counter turmoil
^{— Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn · Reuters · May 12, 2023}

Girkin told reporters that it was clear that the battle for the "post-Putin" era had already begun inside the Russian elite.

There will be no compromise: war will end with the Russian flag over Kyiv or the defeat of Russia with the aim of its partial occupation, its disarming and its desovereignisation. — Igor Girkin

Mitrokhin opines...

Where Are Russia’s Nationalists in the War Against Ukraine?
^{— Nikolay Mitrokhin · Carnegie · Mar 7, 2023}

those of us who think it was the West's fault for Russian aggression — Manuel

The NATO-phobia? It's just bullshit, an excuse. Russia, the largest country in the world, with, say, 140 million people, needs to be enlarged with a fourth or fifth of Ukraine or it's doomed for destruction? :grin: If they manage to assimilate a fifth of Ukraine, then their supposed NATO-phobia remains an excuse, it's open-ended like that. The Nazi thing? Kyiv isn't a Nazi regime. If anything, Putin's Russia has regressed markedly. And the Ukrainians said "No", "Go away", "Get bent", like the UN, repeatedly. Putin's team knows already, so now and then they whine about, well, more or less whole continents. And the US of course (but not China). Anyway, nothing new here, it's been set out already. But, maybe they'll get away with the land grab. If they do, a pertinent question remains: then what?

, well, you have discussion-worthy things to air on all of those, yes? I suppose, to the extent they're related, you could keep it in one fresh post? Hit it! :smile:

Distance between Moon and Earth is in our heads...? :chin: — jorndoe

If you know the distance between here and earth, it's in your head. I don't, so it's not in my head. Of course distance is something in human heads, it's a value, something measured. There is no value without the measurement. — Metaphysician Undercover

Hm? :brow: Well, if you ask how far away the Moon is, someone might variously say "No clue", "Between 200,000 and 300,000 miles", "The average distance between Earth's and the Moon's centers of gravity is about 360,000 km, increasing about 4 cm a year, and Earth's rotation slowing down accordingly", (translated) Hipparchus said about 400,000 km, ... Maybe no one will respond, doesn't really matter much. It's beliefs + justifications. None of which has any particular bearing on the Moon being distanced, and that getting there is no walk in the park. Whatever distance is discovered, not invented, and not existentially dependent on whatever human discoverers' heads. :shrug:

"Space" is conceptual, or intuitive, as a tool of representation, it really has no place outside of the mind. — Metaphysician Undercover

Distance between Moon and Earth is in our heads...? :chin:

Climate scientists flee Twitter as hostility surges
^{— AFP via Al Jazeera · May 24, 2023}

Someone's busy.

,

↪yebiga, whip up a new post on that. :up: Discussion-worthy, yes? — May 18, 2023

He gets around.

G7 summit: Zelensky accuses some Arab leaders of 'blind eye' to war ahead of Japan trip
^{— Tessa Wong, James Gregory · BBC · May 19, 2023}

Zelensky showcases global leadership in G7, Arab League visits - analysis
^{— Seth J Frantzman · The Jerusalem Post · May 20, 2023}

Ukraine already has overwhelming support worldwide (humanitarian, arms, the UN), but maybe his efforts prove fruitful.


Elsewhere... Map of battles over time. Your mileage may vary. Reportedly, their automated data source usage/assessment is a work in progress

Darn universe.

Gravitational lens gives us a third estimate of the Universe’s expansion
^{— John Timmer · Ars Technica · May 12, 2023}

With such grand scales, uncertainties should be expected, though.
It's not like measuring the front door for replacement.

:up: Seems odd (to me) that people keep missing the obvious

Undoubtedly, democracy isn't all that good. However, the rest are worse. — paraphrasing whoever it was

, whip up a new post on that. :up: Discussion-worthy, yes?

Wagner chief offered to give Russian troop locations to Ukraine, leak says
^{— Shane Harris, Isabelle Khurshudyan, Mary Ilyushina · The Washington Post · May 14, 2023}

Yes of course I can confirm this information, we have nothing to hide from the foreign special services. Budanov and I are still in Africa. — Prigozhin

Wagner head dismisses US paper report that he offered to betray Russian troop positions
^{— Brad Heath, Lincoln Feast, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff · Reuters · May 14, 2023}

nonsense — Prigozhin

looks like the latest hoax — Peskov

He'd be playing a dangerous game. We'll see if he meets an "untimely" end. :) Teixeira is being prosecuted for stealing and leaking the (original) information; I assume it was that leak. Earlier ...

Ukraine says counterattacks effective near Bakhmut, after Wagner chief accuses Russian brigade of fleeing
^{— Julia Kesaieva, Tim Lister, Olga Voitovych, Vasco Cotovio, Katharina Krebs, Nic Robertson, AnneClaire Stapleton, Josh Pennington · CNN · May 11, 2023}

72nd brigade f***ed up three square kilometers today, on which I had about 500 people killed. Because it was a strategic bridgehead. They just ran the hell out of there.
Instead of fighting, we have intrigues spinning all the time. We have a ministry of intrigue instead of a Ministry of Defense. That’s why we have an army running. — Prigozhin

Monism is an odd word in a way, ambiguous by itself. Not contrary to parallel universes, though.

Say, relativity will have spacetime being one whole, if you will, yet with dual aspects, space and time (perhaps more, depending). And, on a simplistic view, energy and mass relate by a constant factor, E=mc².

On another angle, I suppose Princess Elisabeth of the Palatinate and parsimony together suggest monism. After all, what we learn is all connected/related in one way or other, a kind of unity of the reality we know, or (non-hierarchical) holistic "whole" maybe. By that account, the numinous "wholly other" doesn't seem reachable, but an idea alone.

If that makes any sense.

Isn't skepticism more of an epistemic matter (like justification) than of truth?
I doubt (pun) anyone wouldn't value truth one way or other; that seems wrong, if not absurd.
Anyway, radical skepticism seems mostly an intellectual exercise, that people then move past.

Should we put this to the vote? :)

Suppose someone offered you $500 for parading whatever crap around for a few hours. More? $5000? (What?) However it was imparted (as if a prank? part of a movie? for real?) and payment arrangement was made. Perhaps some known local broker was involved (shady or not), say, last part of the payment to be given by the broker upon being shown appropriate photos/footage. I'm sure something's arrangeable. Easy money.

Would you? — May 8, 2023

Might not be worth it. Who knows how real/honest people would be. I'll just note that I'm confident some would. I.e. some would participate in spreading bullshit/propaganda.