Russia - General Discussion.

[John Fedup]

I dont see the Iranian regime as crazy as you seem to. Iran with Nukes is not any more a threat to Russia than Pakistan with Nukes or North Korea with nukes.

Iran is a theocracy, but they want Nukes to secure their regime, I doubt they will go nuking infidels the moment they get them. Iran is manythings, but it is not suicidal, if they use nukes, anywhere they know for sure that they will be nuked in return.

Unless Russia is giving away their absolute latest tech Kinzhals, or ICBM tech, I dont see how sharing tech with Iran will be harmful for them enought o negate the benefits.

The Kim family are living for the here and now, they know there’s no afterlife. Pakistani leaders who count hopefully are on the fence about this. The Ayatollahes in Qom, who knows that they really think? If they are of the 72 virgins awaiting them in paradise persuasion then minimizing tech transfer is prudent.

 

[T.C.P]

The Kim family are living for the here and now, they know there’s no afterlife. Pakistani leaders who count hopefully are on the fence about this. The Ayatollahes in Qom, who knows that they really think? If they are of the 72 virgins awaiting them in paradise persuasion then minimizing tech transfer is prudent.

I guess we have to agree to disagree. I view the Iranian government as a rational actor despite being a theocracy. I find them less zealoty than the Saudis or even Pakistanis. The Iranian regime has for years played smart and has never acted in a suicidal manner. For being so anti Western for so long, the Iranian govt has invested in education, technology and played geo politcs really smartly.

They have never shown signs of being suicidal either. Just take the current conflict as an example. If the Ayo and his possie were as suicidal and religiously inclined as you seem to think so, they would have gone all in after Oct 7. Iran has never directly involved itself and even kept tight ish leash on its main proxy- Hezbolla.

Not to digress too much, but in my opinion Russia has little to fear from Iran turning into a threat. For nations not bordering Iran, the only time they pose a threat is you have a substantial Shia population in your country, which Russia does not have.

 

[Vivendi]

Sergey Radchenko on lessons from the early cold war that he believes is relevant for the present. I think he makes some very good points, cutting through a lot of myths and assumptions that are still swirling around on the internet. I think what worked during the cold war against USSR should also work against contemporary Russia's plans of rebuilding their empire today.

Signal resolve. Show resilience. Stay united. Think global. And maintain open communication channels.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1753781046682759448

For those without twitter access: Thread by @DrRadchenko on Thread Reader App – Thread Reader App

 

[Feanor]

Some interesting data. Russia now has more open churches then open schools. Note church attendance in general remains fairly low. This is clearly an ideological piece attempted by the Russian government rather then a real attempt to meet the needs of the population. So far this move, in my estimate, has been fairly ineffective.

Клим Жуков

Внезапно, то о чем мы шутили года четыре назад, стало правдой. - Маэстро, урежте марш! С 22 года число церквей превышает 41 штук, а число школ достигает 39 900. Таким образом, диаграмма наприсовала очередную статистическую букву Хе. Херен то есть вам, а не опора на образование и критическое...

t.me

 

[Fredled]

Russian police have put Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Estonian State Secretary Taimar Peterkop and Lithuanian Culture Minister Simonas Kairys on a wanted list

they were accused of "destroying monuments to Soviet soldiers".

link

 

[Feanor]

link

Posting links to article without commentary is against the rules. If you want to discuss what has taken place, please provide some of your own input to get the conversation going. 3 smiley faces absolutely does not do that.

 

[SolarisKenzo]

Aleksej Navalny has died in the siberian IK-3 penal colony.

Live updates: Alexey Navalny, Russian opposition leader, has died

Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died, the Russian prison service said.

edition.cnn.com

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Aleksej Navalny has died in the siberian IK-3 penal colony.

Live updates: Alexey Navalny, Russian opposition leader, has died

Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died, the Russian prison service said.

edition.cnn.com

It's just remarkable that Navalny is regarded by Putin as the biggest threat.

Navalny was 'Poetins grootste angst'

De Russische president sprak de naam van de vandaag in hechtenis overleden oppositieleider vrijwel nooit uit.

nos.nl

According to this article Navalny was pro-Western World, but also extreme right and ultranationalistic, which sounds a little bit contradicting to me.

 

[John Fedup]

It's just remarkable that Navalny is regarded by Putin as the biggest threat.

Navalny was 'Poetins grootste angst'

De Russische president sprak de naam van de vandaag in hechtenis overleden oppositieleider vrijwel nooit uit.

nos.nl

According to this article Navalny was pro-Western World, but also extreme right and ultranationalistic, which sounds a little bit contradicting to me.

I guess it is now “was regarded by Putin” if reports of his death are correct. My understanding of Navalny is he was an extremely strong critic of corruption, something that would certainly upset the Putin gang.

 

[SolarisKenzo]

Navalny was not a "westener", he was not a friend of the west, but he was a strong oppositor to Putin's regime and corruption-based government.
He was also not necessarily against the war in Ukraine, but to be honest all those things are not that important now.

 

[Larry_L]

Russia and Ukraine have both already lost much to this war, not to mention the global economic disruption. The biggest loser is probably Ukraine, but Russia has a tiger by the tail, and it is trying to turn around. The Bear also has a swarm of bobcats taking a swipe whenever they feel safe. I am no expert, only thinking I understand what I read. The following follows closely to what feel is happening to Russia. This economist gives arguments supporting the idea that Russia cannot afford to either win, or lose this war.

Russia's economy is so driven by the war in Ukraine that it cannot afford to either win or lose, economist says

"A protracted stalemate might be the only solution for Russia to avoid total economic collapse," one economist says.

www.businessinsider.com

https://iz.ru/1624816/mariia-stroiteleva/kak-zhe-bez-ruk-defitcit-rabotnikov-v-2023-godu-sostavil-48-mln

 

[KipPotapych]

Navalny was not a "westener", he was not a friend of the west, but he was a strong oppositor to Putin's regime and corruption-based government.
He was also not necessarily against the war in Ukraine, but to be honest all those things are not that important now.

I would definitely disagree with this. He was not a strong opposition to Putin: I believe the highest level of support he had ever seen was about 19%, while 6-7% was usually the norm. The last poll that I saw was placing him at around 10% a couple of years ago or so. Could he be though, provided free media and generally “free society”? I don’t know, but, in my opinion, no. He is not the “type” and never had any real platform. If you keep screaming about corruption over and over, people get tired and lose focus. Note, the society is also generally corrupt in itself (it is the norm, for example, to bribe a cop or a teacher or anyone else, really, who is willing to get bribed), so it is hard to find significant support, especially if many of your “investigations” are nothing more than allegations lacking hard proof or evidence. Add to that him being viewed as a “western asset” by the majority of the population and make the appropriate conclusions. Also note, that when his approval ratings saw a rise, this rise generally came with a rise in disapproval as well. It’s a weird kind of thing, really. I am not going to look for detailed poll data, but will attach this Statista page as a source because I believe it is sufficient to support my claim and make the point.

Alexei Navalny approval in Russia 2022 | Statista

According to a survey conducted in February 2022, 14 percent Russians approved of the political activity of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, while the majority saw it negatively.

www.statista.com

Another thing worthy of noting is that while his rating was up, Putin’s was down and it was down to about 60% (!) of strong support. The same source:

Putin approval rating Russia 2024 | Statista

Vladimir Putin's popularity level saw a slight increase in January 2024. The vast majority of Russians approved of activities of their country's president.

www.statista.com

.

Another question is would Navalny’s support convert into votes? We never knew and will never know now.

So no, I do not believe he was a strong opposition to Putin. Was there anyone with more potential though? Probably not. Nemtsov, for example, was even less popular (and more unpopular).

As for Navalny’s stance on Ukraine, yes, he supported the idea of “Russian Crimea”. Did he really though? I don’t know. I see him as an opportunist. He also supported the Russian run into Georgia in 2008. At any given time he appeared to think that he may lose a chunk of support if he rubs “against the hair” and acted accordingly. He started as an ultra-right nationalist ready to deport all migrants back to where they came from or elsewhere. Then distanced himself from those type of folks. Eventually, he found his “anti-corruption” niche. In other words, he, perhaps, went with what he thought would give him most support. Here is his last tweet in regard to Ukraine:

Thread by @navalny on Thread Reader App

@navalny: On the eve of the anniversary of the full-scale and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, I have summarized the political platform of mine and, hopefully, of many other decent people. 15 theses ...…

threadreaderapp.com

Was it his genuine thoughts? Was it a (mis)calculation that there wasn’t significant support for the war and a great percentage of population would rather “give it all back” and move on? Would he tweet the same if Russia was “up” significantly at the time (note that Russia was, in fact, “down” and the reported outlook was, to say lightly, negative)? What would he tweet if Russia ran over Ukraine in a week’s time as it was expected by most? We don’t know and never will.

Interesting reporting by Politico today on the subject of Navalny. Politico EU reported that he was “killed” because was he was to be exchanged by the west in a prisoner swap:

Alexei Navalny was killed on eve of prisoner swap, his team claims

Roman Abramovich helped broker proposed exchange for FSB assassin before Putin torpedoed the deal, according to Navalny allies.

www.politico.eu

Politico US, at the same time reported that there was no such exchange planned:

No Navalny prisoner swap was offered to Russia, Western officials say

Two Western officials confirm that discussions were happening before the Russian dissident died, but that nothing had been finalized.

www.politico.com

I also noticed that quite a few outlets switched to “killed”. Have I missed anything and we have some definitive answers? Or is it a new reporting standard? Budanov seems to support Russia’s theory on Navalny’s death:

HUR Chief Budanov Says Seems Navalny Died of Detached Blood Clot

Ukraine's intelligence says cause of Russian oppositionist's death aligns with initial assertions made by Kremlin.

www.kyivpost.com

“I may disappoint you, but as far as we know, he indeed died as a result of a blood clot. And this has been more or less confirmed,” Budanov told journalists on the sidelines at the “Ukraine. Year of 2024” forum on Sunday.

"This wasn't sourced from the internet, but, unfortunately, natural [causes],” he added.

The latter is said with a bit of sarcasm on my part because I frankly don’t care about his opinion on the matter. Overall, I am not sure why everyone refers to UA intel as a source of good information and knowledge on most of the world events that they likely have no clue about.

 

[Ananda]

Note, the society is also generally corrupt in itself (it is the norm, for example, to bribe a cop or a teacher or anyone else, really, who is willing to get bribed), so it is hard to find significant support, especially if many of your “investigations” are nothing more than allegations lacking hard proof or evidence

This is something that I see a believe in Western Media and pundits, that if a dictactor being bring down, then one that's going to replace is going to be pro democracies and pro western. Some Russian specialists in West already warn that if Putin gone, whoever come out can be more militant and nationalistic then him.

The situation of your societies matter, this is why most Arab Springs not working out fine. Either the dictactor regain back the power or chaos that come out. Not all societies want to be like Western ones, when their dictactor being pull down. Even democracies come out from ashes of dictatorship, doesn't mean it will be liberal democracies.

Which is why the talk of regime changes for the people choices, is just nonsense policies. Whitewash the real aim to only replace one regimes toward another regimes that hopefully more friendly.

 

[Feanor]

Some interesting pieces.

Russia has begun construction of a strategic railroad through southern Ukraine, running through the DNR area, and then through Zaporozhye and Kherson. Note Russia has already invested in upgrading road infrastructure on this route, and cell phone coverage. This limits reliance on the Crimea bridge, and of course is a good indicator that Russia is unlikely to be willing to give up this territory.

Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны

‼️Россия строит железную дорогу в обход Крымского моста — вражеские аналитики ▪️"На спутниковых снимках видно работы по строительству железной дороги. Так Россия планирует соединить ДНР и Запорожскую область с Крымом, чтобы не зависеть от моста", пишут украинские СМИ. ▪️Дорогу могут...

t.me

In Yakutia Russia has finally begun construction of the bridge across the Lena. This bridge was initially planned over a decade ago and construction was to start in mid 2010's, but the annexation of Crimea cost quite a bit and many of those funds became unavailable. Also significant is that the bridge is being scaled down, now only being a road bridge. The rail component appears to have been cancelled. Currently in the summer one has to take a ferry to get to Yakutsk. In the winter when the river freezes usually one can drive across the ice. This is an illustration of the cost Russia's foreign adventures have had on domestic development.

Группа «ВИС» начала отсыпку технологической площадки для строительства Ленского моста в Якутии

vis-group.ru Группа «ВИС» начала подготовку к старту основного этапа работ по строительству моста через реку Лену в Якутии. В настоящее время в районе села Старая Табага на левом берегу реки выполняется отсыпка...

sdelanounas.ru

This comes as Polish farmer protests against imported Ukrainian agricultural products continue. It's gotten to the point where protesters are dumping out Ukrainian cargo.

Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны

«Это настоящая диверсия»: разгневанные поляки массово высыпают украинское зерно из вагонов, неожиданно экспортное зерно стали высыпать на землю и на Украине ▪️На этот раз поляки опорожнили целый состав с кукурузой в Куявско-Поморском воеводстве - достаточно далеко от границы с Украиной, западнее...

t.me

Sanctions have taken quite a toll on Russian airlines which are basically up a creek without a paddle. They have a dwindling inventory of western jets that are hard to keep flying, and domestic alternatives are not forthcoming despite many pronouncements. As a result many different things are being discussed including resuming Tu-214 production (something that will almost certainly happen as it never fully stopped), revisiting old projects like the Tu-324, and restoring any old Tu-204 variants still in storage. Personally I wonder if Tu-154 production can be restarted. It stopped roughly a decade ago.

Возможность возобовления проекта самолёта Ту-324 под брендом Aurus

Татарстанское сетевое издание БИЗНЕС Online в материале Тимура Латыпова Татарский джет: недобитый Ту-324 превратят в летающий Aurus. К созданию самолета, за который годами бился Минниханов, подключают структуры Газпрома сообщило, что…

bmpd.livejournal.com

bmpd

Ту-214 Red Wings: снова на маршрутах Сегодня, 2 февраля, Ту-214 авиакомпании Red Wings с регистрацией RA-64518 выполняет свой первый рейс с пассажирами по маршрутной сети компании. Дебютным после возвращения во флот стал рейс WZ 125 из Жуковского в Сочи. Напомним, что передача данного борта...

t.me

The sixth project 22220 nuclear power icebreaker has been laid down, named Leningrad. Another one is due to be laid down next year and reportedly will be named Stalingrad. The first ships of this class are already active. While these ships are the largest of their kind, an even larger (twice the power) LK-120Ya Leader class icebreaker was planned. The intent was to open the Arctic sea to round the year shipping which even the LK-60Ya can't do. So far there's no word on whether this highly ambitious project will go ahead.

Заложен атомный ледокол «Ленинград» проекта 22220

26 января 2024 года в Санкт-Петербурге на АО Балтийский завод (в составе АО Объединенная судостроительная корпорация - АО ОСК) состоялась торжественная церемония закладки шестого (пятого серийного) универсального атомного ледокола проекта 22220 (ЛК-60Я),…

bmpd.livejournal.com

At least part of the case Ukraine filed against Russia in the World Court has been dismissed. The court has called Russia out for not providing Ukrainian language education in Crimea, but has declined to award Ukraine any damages, merely requiring Russia to comply with relevant treaties. I suspect this of course is just so much noise.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/world-court-rule-whether-russia-violated-international-treaties-ukraine-2024-01-31/

The first Angara-A5 launch is planned from Vostochniy spaceport. The Angara project was supposed to produce a family of rockets that effectively replace many Soviet era models but it hasn't done that. While a few have been produced and launched (8 overall), the project has been slow. Only one launch is planned this year, and allegedly 3 more in 2025 but this is tricky. In 2022 Russia also planned 3 launches but didn't hit the target. Interestingly enough I attempted to access the Roscosmos website itself and discovered a 403 Forbidden error, despite trying my VPN from servers like Turkey, Vietnam, and India.

Первая тяжёлая ракета-носитель «Ангара-А5» отправлена для испытаний на космодром «Восточный»

Российская ракетно-космическая отрасль готовится открыть новую страницу в своей истории. Дело в том, что первая тяжелая ракета-носитель «Ангара-А5» отправлена для проведения летно-конструкторских испытаний на космодром «Восточный». Об этом сообщает пресс-служба госкорпорации «Роскосмос». Первая

topwar.ru

It appears that despite sanctions even the US is buying Russia oil, with at least one tanker sailing straight from Novorossiysk to Norfolk.

VK.com | VK

vk.com

Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны

‼️Украинцы в шоке: на главную базу ВМС США «Норфолк» прибыли 50 000 тонн нефти из Новороссийска ▪️К такому выводу пришел Институт Черноморских стратегических исследований со ссылкой на данные мониторингового сервиса Marinetraff. ▪️База Норфолк – крупнейшая военно-морская база в мире и...

t.me

 

[Larry_L]

I did not expect this. The funeral for Navalny has drawn a huge crowd, and people are saying things that can get them arrested. Trying to arrest people during the funeral would probably be a bad idea. People seem calm, although there is some agitation and chanting in large groups. One woman compares Navalny to Andrey Sakharov. If Navalny chose to be a martyr, his timing is pretty good.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1763539567439683605

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1763540466136387925

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1763541193672085575

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1763545600878907847

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1763547229950767199

 

[seaspear]

The Russian media coverage could be interesting certainly muted of the crowds

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

Some interesting pieces.

Russia has begun construction of a strategic railroad through southern Ukraine, running through the DNR area, and then through Zaporozhye and Kherson. Note Russia has already invested in upgrading road infrastructure on this route, and cell phone coverage. This limits reliance on the Crimea bridge, and of course is a good indicator that Russia is unlikely to be willing to give up this territory.

Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны

‼️Россия строит железную дорогу в обход Крымского моста — вражеские аналитики ▪️"На спутниковых снимках видно работы по строительству железной дороги. Так Россия планирует соединить ДНР и Запорожскую область с Крымом, чтобы не зависеть от моста", пишут украинские СМИ. ▪️Дорогу могут...

t.me

In Yakutia Russia has finally begun construction of the bridge across the Lena. This bridge was initially planned over a decade ago and construction was to start in mid 2010's, but the annexation of Crimea cost quite a bit and many of those funds became unavailable. Also significant is that the bridge is being scaled down, now only being a road bridge. The rail component appears to have been cancelled. Currently in the summer one has to take a ferry to get to Yakutsk. In the winter when the river freezes usually one can drive across the ice. This is an illustration of the cost Russia's foreign adventures have had on domestic development.

Группа «ВИС» начала отсыпку технологической площадки для строительства Ленского моста в Якутии

vis-group.ru Группа «ВИС» начала подготовку к старту основного этапа работ по строительству моста через реку Лену в Якутии. В настоящее время в районе села Старая Табага на левом берегу реки выполняется отсыпка...

sdelanounas.ru

This comes as Polish farmer protests against imported Ukrainian agricultural products continue. It's gotten to the point where protesters are dumping out Ukrainian cargo.

Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны

«Это настоящая диверсия»: разгневанные поляки массово высыпают украинское зерно из вагонов, неожиданно экспортное зерно стали высыпать на землю и на Украине ▪️На этот раз поляки опорожнили целый состав с кукурузой в Куявско-Поморском воеводстве - достаточно далеко от границы с Украиной, западнее...

t.me

Sanctions have taken quite a toll on Russian airlines which are basically up a creek without a paddle. They have a dwindling inventory of western jets that are hard to keep flying, and domestic alternatives are not forthcoming despite many pronouncements. As a result many different things are being discussed including resuming Tu-214 production (something that will almost certainly happen as it never fully stopped), revisiting old projects like the Tu-324, and restoring any old Tu-204 variants still in storage. Personally I wonder if Tu-154 production can be restarted. It stopped roughly a decade ago.

Возможность возобовления проекта самолёта Ту-324 под брендом Aurus

Татарстанское сетевое издание БИЗНЕС Online в материале Тимура Латыпова Татарский джет: недобитый Ту-324 превратят в летающий Aurus. К созданию самолета, за который годами бился Минниханов, подключают структуры Газпрома сообщило, что…

bmpd.livejournal.com

bmpd

Ту-214 Red Wings: снова на маршрутах Сегодня, 2 февраля, Ту-214 авиакомпании Red Wings с регистрацией RA-64518 выполняет свой первый рейс с пассажирами по маршрутной сети компании. Дебютным после возвращения во флот стал рейс WZ 125 из Жуковского в Сочи. Напомним, что передача данного борта...

t.me

The sixth project 22220 nuclear power icebreaker has been laid down, named Leningrad. Another one is due to be laid down next year and reportedly will be named Stalingrad. The first ships of this class are already active. While these ships are the largest of their kind, an even larger (twice the power) LK-120Ya Leader class icebreaker was planned. The intent was to open the Arctic sea to round the year shipping which even the LK-60Ya can't do. So far there's no word on whether this highly ambitious project will go ahead.

Заложен атомный ледокол «Ленинград» проекта 22220

26 января 2024 года в Санкт-Петербурге на АО Балтийский завод (в составе АО Объединенная судостроительная корпорация - АО ОСК) состоялась торжественная церемония закладки шестого (пятого серийного) универсального атомного ледокола проекта 22220 (ЛК-60Я),…

bmpd.livejournal.com

At least part of the case Ukraine filed against Russia in the World Court has been dismissed. The court has called Russia out for not providing Ukrainian language education in Crimea, but has declined to award Ukraine any damages, merely requiring Russia to comply with relevant treaties. I suspect this of course is just so much noise.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/world-court-rule-whether-russia-violated-international-treaties-ukraine-2024-01-31/

The first Angara-A5 launch is planned from Vostochniy spaceport. The Angara project was supposed to produce a family of rockets that effectively replace many Soviet era models but it hasn't done that. While a few have been produced and launched (8 overall), the project has been slow. Only one launch is planned this year, and allegedly 3 more in 2025 but this is tricky. In 2022 Russia also planned 3 launches but didn't hit the target. Interestingly enough I attempted to access the Roscosmos website itself and discovered a 403 Forbidden error, despite trying my VPN from servers like Turkey, Vietnam, and India.

Первая тяжёлая ракета-носитель «Ангара-А5» отправлена для испытаний на космодром «Восточный»

Российская ракетно-космическая отрасль готовится открыть новую страницу в своей истории. Дело в том, что первая тяжелая ракета-носитель «Ангара-А5» отправлена для проведения летно-конструкторских испытаний на космодром «Восточный». Об этом сообщает пресс-служба госкорпорации «Роскосмос». Первая

topwar.ru

It appears that despite sanctions even the US is buying Russia oil, with at least one tanker sailing straight from Novorossiysk to Norfolk.

VK.com | VK

vk.com

Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны

‼️Украинцы в шоке: на главную базу ВМС США «Норфолк» прибыли 50 000 тонн нефти из Новороссийска ▪️К такому выводу пришел Институт Черноморских стратегических исследований со ссылкой на данные мониторингового сервиса Marinetraff. ▪️База Норфолк – крупнейшая военно-морская база в мире и...

t.me

I think it is highy unlikely that the production of the Tu-154 will be restarted. It is not only ten years ago that production ended, but they also have to restart the construction of the Soloviev D-30KU-154 engine. Besides that the triple engine Tu-154 can only carry 180 passengers, while the twin engine Tu-204 210.

But as you said it is indeed very likely that stored Tu-154Ms and Tu-204/214 will be reactivated and maybe even modernized.

 

[Ananda]

Russia’s rail boosted by demand to move goods to Europe after Red Sea attacks

DHL among operators reporting soaring requests for the route in a trend expected to benefit state-owned RZD

www.ft.com

The article under pay wall, however it is basically talk on increase demand on using Russian railways to ferry goods from East (mostly China) to Euro Market. This as journey using Russian railways still faster and more economical then transporting goods using southern tip of Africa routes.

Off course being Western base publication, they're shown bit dissatisfaction tone on using Russian railways as it is own and monopolies by Russian Railway company. Luckily as this is market oriented media, they are not too bias on Western politics.

Still wondering tough how long till some pundits even politicians in West going to use this as prove that Houthi's work not only from Iran order, but also Russian ones. The market oriented media usually not going to venture to that area much, but the so call mainstream media, well that's another story.

 

[SinisterMinister]

No. The facts show that he is completely nuts. Everything he does is a total disaster both for Ukraine and Russia. (Remember he poses himself as a liberator of the Russian territory that others call Ukraine).
Every speech or interview he makes are laden with ideological rhetoric, stereotypes of every kinds and plain false assertions.

While I think this matches the consensus Western view of Putin, I do find it interesting that he clearly possesses a deeper understanding of the history of his nation than perhaps any Western leader has of their own, ideologically tainted though it may be.

For anyone who thinks that Putin is nuts and his leadership is disastrous for Russia, I'm curious how you interpret Western actions vis a vis Russia since the end of the Cold War, and how you think a Russian leader acting in the interests of Russia (which will always view itself as a pole of a multipolar world, regardless of its leadership) might respond to those actions. Putin's methods are extreme, even criminal, to be sure. But I find him quite coldly rational rather than nuts. Which should influence how his enemies negotiate with him.

 

[vikingatespam]

While I think this matches the consensus Western view of Putin, I do find it interesting that he clearly possesses a deeper understanding of the history of his nation than perhaps any Western leader has of their own, ideologically tainted though it may be.

For anyone who thinks that Putin is nuts and his leadership is disastrous for Russia, I'm curious how you interpret Western actions vis a vis Russia since the end of the Cold War, and how you think a Russian leader acting in the interests of Russia (which will always view itself as a pole of a multipolar world, regardless of its leadership) might respond to those actions. Putin's methods are extreme, even criminal, to be sure. But I find him quite coldly rational rather than nuts. Which should influence how his enemies negotiate with him.

Any rational examination of NATO policy and history leads to the inevitable conclusion that NATO is no threat to Russia. If Putin is a rational actor he knows this. He doesnt give one $hit about NATO - as evidenced by his actions. He worked SO hard to get FIN and SWE into NATO. He has also stripped the troops from his borders with NATO countries. NATO was withering on the vine before 2022, with EU countries spiraling into ever-decreasing military budgets.

If Putin is a rational actor, the "NATO expansion" is nothing more than a convenient political tagline for him.