Meanwhile, the 21st century's real and only empire, the American empire, is showing actual signs of falling apart. — Tzeentch
Well, it's been a while since the US grabbed land. — jorndoe
(I'm wondering if they should have stayed in Afghanistan, what do you think?) — jorndoe
Oddly enough, the Ukrainians have strongly gone with the US "empire" and the EU, rejecting the Kremlinian "non-empire". — jorndoe
↪neomac
Ironically, the post-Cold War plans for NATO and Ukraine were made not long after Vidal made that statement. — Tzeentch
Merkel dared to push back against the Americans, knowing what would happen if they allowed the US to play Risk in the European backyard. — Tzeentch
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
The US is [...] — 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.) — jorndoe
In all honesty, I tend to be more concerned about an "authoritarian empire" than a "democratic empire"... — jorndoe
Ironically enough, some air has been breathed into NATO with the moves against Ukraine. — jorndoe
You know who put the Taliban in charge? I'm sure you do. — Tzeentch
[...] the US [...] — Tzeentch
↪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
Isn't everything collapsing?We've heard it all before, Russia is going to collapse any day now. — Tzeentch
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
Yes, manufactured by Ukrainian volunteers at the start of the war when Russian forces were still racing for their initial objectives.are those Molotov cocktails? — jorndoe
Nothing instills social cohesion and national identity than an enemy that attacks your country and you make a successful defense against it.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. — jorndoe
Indeed. 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.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. — jorndoe
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
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
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
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
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
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