Ukraine and the Russian invasion, 2022-24

[Artaxerxes]

Is it time?

 

[existentialist]

Is it time?

Time for what?

 

[steeplejack]

Oligarch in exile Mikhail Khodorkovsky launches a unite-the-democratic-Russian-opposition petition & principles-statement.



Not too much agency behind this really. Will be interesting to see if it goes anywhere. My impression is that these fine words will mainly garner comment in academic papers and debating societies.

 

[Idris2002]

Yeah, Khodorskovy. "The good oligarch". That'll save Russia from itself. That's what they need. Khodorkovsky. Yeah.

 

[LDC]

Recently published report by Dignity on detention and torture in Russian occupied Ukraine. Lots of first hand testimonies. Grim reading, and a verbal report and discussion on it on The Telegraph (I know but they have some useful stuff...) Ukraine podcast.

DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture - Home

DIGNITY is an independent human rights and development organization. Read more about our vision of a world free of torture.

www.dignity.dk

 

[BassJunkie]

Bit off topic, but good program on Radio 4 this morning that's well worth a listen imo.

"Adam Rutherford asks what ordinary life was like in the Soviet Union and how far its collapse helps to explain Russia today. Karl Schlögel is one of the world’s leading historians of the Soviet Union. In his latest book, The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World (translated by Rodney Livingstone), he recreates an encyclopaedic and richly detailed history of daily life, both big and small. He examines the planned economy, the railway system and the steel city of Magnitogorsk as well as cookbooks, parades and the ubiquitous perfume Red Moscow. The historian Katja Hoyer presents a more nuanced picture of life in East Germany, far from the caricature often painted in the West. In Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990 she acknowledges the oppression and hardship often faced by ordinary people, but argues that this now-vanished society was also home to its own distinctive and rich social and cultural landscape. But what did it feel like to live through the fall of communism and then democracy? These are the questions Adam Curtis looked to reveal in his 7-part television series, Russia 1985-1999 TraumaZone (available on BBC iPlayer). The archive footage from thousands of hours of tapes filmed by BBC crews across the country records the lives of Russians at every level of society as their world collapsed around them."

I heard that too. Also off topic. But it occurred to me (perhaps not for the first time) that if one had Adam Curtis round for dinner, or spent an evening in the pub with him. It must be strange. Because whenever he offered an opinion it would seem like you were watching one of his documentaries. I mean this in a positive way because I enjoy his work. But if he were saying "It seems that the local traffic wardens were being too keen" or somesuch mundane conversation it would be hilarious because then one would expect footage of them applying tickets.

 

[LDC]

I heard that too. Also off topic. But it occurred to me (perhaps not for the first time) that if one had Adam Curtis round for dinner, or spent an evening in the pub with him. It must be strange. Because whenever he offered an opinion it would seem like you were watching one of his documentaries. I mean this in a positive way because I enjoy his work. But if he were saying "It seems that the local traffic wardens were being too keen" or somesuch mundane conversation it would be hilarious because then one would expect footage of them applying tickets.

Yeah, I enjoyed TraumaZone, but it was a bit missing his odd voiceover (but was better for it tbh!). He's a good storyteller, but possibly slightly grandiose and with a tendency towards inventing or exaggerating links and individuals.

 

[Raheem]

Trauma Zone is currently on iPlayer, just FYI. Coincidentally, I started watching it a couple of nights ago.

 

[StoneRoad]

2nd derailment [due to track getting blown up] in two days in Bryansk ...

Second goods train derailed in Russian Bryansk border region

The governor of Bryansk says the derailment, the second in two days, was caused by an explosive device.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[existentialist]

2nd derailment [due to track getting blown up] in two days in Bryansk ...

Second goods train derailed in Russian Bryansk border region

The governor of Bryansk says the derailment, the second in two days, was caused by an explosive device.

www.bbc.co.uk

Oh dear, etc.

Are we starting to see some indigenous Russian pushback here?

 

[Humberto]

I would just remind that there has been considerable grassroots dissent.

 

[gosub]

Following yesterday's attack on the oil depot in Sevastopol which resulted in this...

View attachment 372747

View attachment 372748

View attachment 372749



Some people thought that Crimea may not be a good place to live any more...

View attachment 372743View attachment 372744View attachment 372745

Fair few Russians sold property there recently

 

[StoneRoad]

Oh dear, etc.

Are we starting to see some indigenous Russian pushback here?

This brings to mind "once was an accident, twice a coincidence, thrice is enemy action ..."
and I think there was something similar [a derailment] a "few weeks" ago - but I may be mis-remembering the time span - plus the previous shootout in the same general area with some russian separatists that could/might have been Ukrainian saboteurs .

 

[Leighsw2]

Trauma Zone is currently on iPlayer, just FYI. Coincidentally, I started watching it a couple of nights ago.

Same here, it's very good. Strange thing is that I read the sub-titled commentary in Adam Curtis' voice in my mind.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Cracks in Brics?

China votes for UN resolution with reference to Russia's 'aggression'

The resolution is not centred on the Ukraine war and instead calls for greater cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe. #EuropeNews

www.euronews.com

 

[spitfire]

Well that's a turn up for the books.

 

[Bingoman]

So who is behind the attack as Ukraine has it not them?

 

[Dogsauce]

Well that's a turn up for the books.

It’s quite obviously bollocks of some sort or another, two not particularly large or fast drones with not particularly large payloads exploding above the Kremlin, with lots of tidy filmed footage released by media that just happens to be pointing in the right direction at the right time. I don’t think this is one of Budanov’s ‘surprises’ somehow.

 

[Dogsauce]

So who is behind the attack as Ukraine has it not them?

Small chance of it being Russian partisans, slightly higher chance of it being a state stunt to build support for the war or justify their actions in Ukraine under the ‘Russia is under attack’ banner.

 

[Dogsauce]

& as usual they will know we know they are lying, and won’t care. We’re not the audience.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Cracks in Brics?

China votes for UN resolution with reference to Russia's 'aggression'

The resolution is not centred on the Ukraine war and instead calls for greater cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe. #EuropeNews

www.euronews.com

I'm sure Vlad will clear this all up at the next Brics summit in South Africa...

Oh wait... South Africa Warns Putin Could Face Arrest While Attending BRICS Summit - The Moscow Times

 

[cupid_stunt]

I'm sure Vlad will clear this all up at the next Brics summit in South Africa...

Oh wait... South Africa Warns Putin Could Face Arrest While Attending BRICS Summit - The Moscow Times

Why did they warn him?

Should have just gone ahead and arrested him.

 

[Bingoman]

I'm sure Vlad will clear this all up at the next Brics summit in South Africa...

Oh wait... South Africa Warns Putin Could Face Arrest While Attending BRICS Summit - The Moscow Times

Go on Putin turn up you know you want too

 

[A380]

Why did they warn him?

Yes, I’d have looked forward to some posters on this thread wearing ‘Free Vladimir Putin’ tee shirts…

 

[spitfire]

So who is behind the attack as Ukraine has it not them?

Me.

 

[kebabking]

It's just bollocks - it's no more a Ukr strike than I'm a Victoria's Secret model - it's simply about desperation to stoke nationalistic fervour for Victory Day to keep the show on the road, something old Vlad has plenty of form for.

Big picture, because it doesn't matter if its Ukrainians, or regime shenanigans, or Russian anti-government groups - if you're 400+ days into a 3 day war, and your presidential palace is on fire, then things are not going well.

(Robbed off twitter, obvs, but I thought it cut through the crap)

 

[not-bono-ever]

So the spring offensive looks to have moved up a notch to a summer assault on mother Russia itself.

Lolololol. Despair

 

[The39thStep]

So the spring offensive looks to have moved up a notch to a summer assault on mother Russia itself.

Lolololol. Despair

Haven't Ukraine broken with their traditional dates as part of their de Russification of everything? If so their Summer offensive could attack Russia in their Spring

 

[Ax^]

Well that's a turn up for the books.

hmm not really perfect false flag operation to escalate the situation in the public mind
for whatever horrible shit putin is thinking up

you in danger russian population

look at this

 

[Ax^]

also we all know putins currently hiding behind a very large table in a bunker somewhere