Russo-Ukrainian War - 2022 Edition - Part 4

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Mirai

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Which is a big part of the reason why I mistrust allies of Russia. Especially ones in countries previously colonial.
Either their intelligence or their intent is suspect.

It may just be the enemy of my enemy... but you'll often see that these are not very free nor democratic countries which side with Russia or countries which side with Russia because of own geopolitical interests such as India which is terrified of China.
 

ForceFate

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It was closed in 2014 after Russia complained too much.
So it was a transit base built specifically to service the war efforts in Afghanistan?
The number of AFCON bases are disputed as they are often used only by the host country, yet paid by the US.
You mean they're largely unmanned?
 

Mirai

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Nico thinks that Russia can be a great counterbalance to US. But Russia can't achieve this with military parity unless it were to absorb Ukraine and the Warsaw Pact in a new Soviet Union, which would mean WW3. But even so, if Russia could be a counterbalance, we see that it's not mature enough to be a modern state in terms of relations with its neighbours. It was peacefully getting the US out of Europe via cozing up with Merkel and Macron (and other French leaders prior) and corrupting London with its investments. Russian studies were all the rage in US universities and Russian poetry, music, ballet and literature were praised (and IMO inflated/hyped up).

All this was undone by unbalanced acts of aggression since 2014 and some would say we've seen signs of this since they bombed Grozny in the first Chechen War. Russia is not capable of being counterbalance to the US. Russia needs SIMP prop up to achieve this but what sort of counterbalance is this which needs to import drones from Iran and which is not mature enough to let its soft power bear fruit over the long term. If anyone at all, it would be China which can be a counterbalance but how good are Chinese human rights records?

We already have a counterbalance in the form of India anyhow. European Union without Russian threats is also a great counterbalance to the hegemony of US corporations. We've seen them take on Facebook, Apple, Google etc.

We don't need a Russian counterbalance. We need more of our people in the US as expats and immigrants to vote for favourable relations with us. US is a country of immigrants where PACs driven by Americans of xxx origin can influence foreign policy of the US. What sort of influence can countries have on Russian policy?
 

Mirai

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Alleged Russian spies arrested in a military facility in Albania:
 

Paulsie

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I find it strange that someone from Eastern Europe is so pro-Russian unless you're not from there or your relatives arrived there atop a tank in 1945. No offense meant at you. I have met pro-Russian people from the region but they're usually ex-communist party members and had cushy jobs or their grand pa had a cushy job and drank the KoolAid or benefited in ways. Again, no offense meant.

(I actually have relatives like that. They applied to emigrate to the West (and I mean Anglo-Saxon countries) back in the day and were turned down. They were applying from continental Western Europe. We never knew why until later we found out whose daddy or grand-daddy worked were. Western intel services were very good in the 80s.)
I am from Central Europe, you should know what the proper name is :ROFL:.

My father was born in 1937 and even remembers WWI as a young boy. He used to say the Germans treated them kids better than the Russians, when they moved through their village.

My father was punished for not being a member of the CP by not being allowed to attend university. My brother remembers 1968 and I was 14 when the Velvet Revolution happened. I was there with my father, "ringing" the keys to symbolize its time for the communists to go.

To be honest, I had the best childhood ever. Never had to worry about crime, food or my parents not having a job. It was a wonderful childhood, but that does not mean communism was great. It was much better in 1980s VS the 50s, but it was communism nonetheless.

Contrary to what you may believe (and call me), I am anti-Russian, anti-communism and anti this war. That being said, I detest people who are so stuck in their ways, never willing to consider anything outside of the scope of their convictions; to such an extent that they are prepared to denigrate others for proposing an alternative.

I have watched people like that for the past two years (many of the same character here), behaving in exactly the same way and it wasn't pretty. Well, those people turned out not to be as right as they thought they were.
 
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ForceFate

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Alleged Russian spies arrested in a military facility in Albania:
The ministry said that one of the intruders who had broken into the premises and tried to take photos had used a spray containing a neuroparalytic substance against military guards while trying to escape after the arrest. The man was arrested, as were the other two people who were detained near the plants.
^^^

They love their chemicals.
 

sefeddt

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Paulsie

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Russia is in control of the Power station.

I'll let you figure out why they wouldn't be taking pictures of them shelling themselves.
You mean the US, or any of the 5 eyes, does not have any satellites over Russia to compromise them?
 

Grant

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You mean the US, or any of the 5 eyes, does not have any satellites over Russia to compromise them?
And yet Russia, with all its "sophisticated" satellite technology, has yet to produce images of attacks by Ukraine.

2 countries, one of which has proved to been lying consistly since before this invasion - which one is it?
 

Nicodeamus

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Quality Of Ukraine Reporting Continues To Deteriorate
The news about the war in Ukraine is getting so fake that even an amateur can debunk it no time.

Consider this from the Washington Post:

Across the river from Ukraine nuclear plant, shelling adds to fear

In Nikopol, just two milesacross the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the threat of imminent nuclear catastrophe is compounded by daily shelling from Russian forces near the plant.
The real distance between the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and Nikopol is 15 kilometers (9 miles) not "just 2 miles".


The Myrotvorets, says the Washington Post, used "data" [that] "was obtained by Ukraine’s security services". Details published by it were then "confirmed by Ukrainian security officials". This was "corroborated by officials in Western governments" and "reviewed by The Washington Post".

That still means that the only source of that alleged 'data' are "Ukraine’s security services" which, as the Washington Post notes, "have an interest in discrediting Russia’s spy agencies".

That make the whole story about the alleged FSB failure a garbage in-garbage out product based on a sole source, the fantasies created by the Ukrainian secret services.

Which altogether tells you something about the 'quality' of Ukraine war reporting by the Washington Post.

Posted by b on August 20, 2022 at 11:12 UTC | Permalink
 

Mirai

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I am from Central Europe, you should know what the proper name is :ROFL:.

My father was born in 1937 and even remembers WWI as a young boy. He used to say the Germans treated them kids better than the Russians, when theyived through their village.

EE or CE, whatever is easier for people. In our situation the Germans were much worse than the Russians.
I always had and still do have some sympathy for the Russians. If you believe this. I don't relish any war imagery from this conflict.


My father was punished for not being a member of the CP by not being allowed to attend university.

Similar things happened in my family too and some worse things. Unncessary and cruel things which would not have occurred if not for WW2 and Soviet occupation.

My brother remembers 1968 and I was 14 when the Velvet Revolution happened. I was there with my father, "ringing" the keys to symbolize its time for the communists to go.

I had a relative whose face was broken by riot cops and wasn't even part of a protest. Just for fun, just in case.
Confiscation of land. My relatives were also persecuted because some of them were enterprising. Because of their given bourgeois / social class, my relatives had trouble attending university. Restrictions were eased however to some degree for operational reasons or we had to use workarounds. I could say a lot.

To be honest, I had the best childhood ever. Never had to worry about crime, food or my parents not having a job. It was a wonderful childhood, but that does not mean communism was great. It was much better in 1980s VS the 50s, but it was communism nonetheless.

True, the 50s were not like the 80s.


Contrary to what you may believe (and call me), I am anti-Russian, anti-communism and anti this war. That being said, I detest people who are so stuck in their ways, never willing to consider anything outside of the scope of their convictions; to such an extent that they are prepared to denigrate others for proposing an alternative.

I don't expect anyone to be anti-Russian as qua being inherently anti-Russian. I also don't consider this being about communism per se although obviously occupation by a democratic / free market aggressor would be better than one which also imposed this toxic way of life which was communism. There was a difference between occupations by central powers and occupation by the Russians.

So I find this strange. You don't come across as any of these and you seem to carry too much water for Russia. I can claim to be from India and like curry but if I don't regularly eat curries or speak any of the languages...

I don't know if you're trying to bring out a more nuanced view? Because that's not the way to bring out nuance. Yes Ukraine is not perfect, the West is not perfect, nobody is perfect but when you point out minor flaws on the one side and contrast them to what the other side does it doesn't bring out an accurate picture.

I don't think most people here are ignorant. Everyone recognises propaganda from both sides. But it's clear cut who the aggressor is. It's clear cut that such behaviour cannot be tolerated n modern day Europe (or elsewhere).


I have watched people like that for the past two years (many of the same character here), behaving in exactly the same way and it wasn't pretty. Well, those people turned out not to be as right as they thought they were.

What are your concerns about an independent Ukraine?

Why do you deny Ukraine an opportunity to have a Velvet Revolution of their own?

In those times there were people who would claim that people who opposed the Soviets and their puppet governments were just stirred up by America. Were you also just used as a pawn by Americans?
The French and West Germans to an extent considered Soviet puppet crackdowns to be internal policy of the Soviet puppet states.

You do understand that if Ukraine joined the Russians, chances are we'd be fighting the Russians now?
Or pretty soon?

Ukraine is essentially fighting for all of us. That's important to remember. Every Russian tank they destroy or plane they shoot down, every Russian setback, every Russian business which goes bust because of sanctions, is less opportunity for Russia to lay down the gauntlet militarily against NATO members. And given how recklessly they went into this war, there is a chance they would have gone against NATO members. Russia would ultimately have been defeated but I sure as heck wouldn't want people in CE/EE to die to teach them that lesson. It's a pity Ukrainains have to die but that's ALL Russia's fault. They chose to attack.
 

Mirai

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"corroborated* by officials in Western governments"

*Dictionary: confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding.

Does not go with...

That still means that the only source of that alleged 'data' are "Ukraine’s security services" which, as the Washington Post notes, "have an interest in discrediting Russia’s spy agencies".


Moon of Alabama, more like Moonshine of Alabama. Maybe they don't speak English there?
 
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