Russia-Ukraine War

[Vertigo 7]

I don't know what you mean by pseudo democratic

Where the state arrests and assassinates popular challengers to the regime and then holding elections after changing laws so you can remain in power beyond term limits? Can you think of any examples of a country that did that?

[fiksal]

I don't know what you mean by pseudo democratic

Where the state arrests and assassinates popular challengers to the regime and then holding elections after changing laws so you can remain in power beyond term limits? Can you think of any examples of a country that did that?

Heh! That country doesnt know what a democracy is

[burger1]

Looks like GSC Game World which is a Ukraine company that makes Stalker games and supports Ukraine has been hacked by Russians.

https://www.reddit.com/r/stalker/commen ... orld_team/

[chew-ie]

So much for the theory that there is no brainwashing and young kids can make up their mind with all information being available.

GSC is no military target, so this sure looks like kindergarten to me.

[fiksal]

So much for the theory that there is no brainwashing and young kids can make up their mind with all information being available.

GSC is no military target, so this sure looks like kindergarten to me.

I don't think we can hold those or many other hackers to any moral standard.

Today's it's GSC, yesterday it's some hospital

My ex wife was from St Petersburg (RU) and very well educated. - I lived there in 1998 and met her while exploring importing timber (for decking) to the UK. - Although her aunty was Ukrainian, she explained to me that 'all' Eastern Ukrainians were subnormal and the women were 'all' prostitutes. - Her father was a surgeon, her mother an educator, and Annushka had a Masters in History, and yet she'd made this assertion with absolute surety. - Putin was an influential figure back then, but her beliefs were passed down from the previous generation and not governmental. - Crazy as it sounds, but perhaps Russia never recovered from Stalin!

I was meaning to ask.

That is interesting indeed to hear in 90s. Not hard to imagine. I am from another part of Russia, and where we were we/others would often mock and speak negatively (lightly put) about people from Chechnya, Kazakhstan, and nearby republics.

Were they included with Ukrainians? Were Polish people?

Do you remember if that hatred extended to her family then too, you've mentioned a Ukraian aunt?

[Gavrushka]

So much for the theory that there is no brainwashing and young kids can make up their mind with all information being available.

GSC is no military target, so this sure looks like kindergarten to me.

I don't think we can hold those or many other hackers to any moral standard.

Today's it's GSC, yesterday it's some hospital

My ex wife was from St Petersburg (RU) and very well educated. - I lived there in 1998 and met her while exploring importing timber (for decking) to the UK. - Although her aunty was Ukrainian, she explained to me that 'all' Eastern Ukrainians were subnormal and the women were 'all' prostitutes. - Her father was a surgeon, her mother an educator, and Annushka had a Masters in History, and yet she'd made this assertion with absolute surety. - Putin was an influential figure back then, but her beliefs were passed down from the previous generation and not governmental. - Crazy as it sounds, but perhaps Russia never recovered from Stalin!

I was meaning to ask.

That is interesting indeed to hear in 90s. Not hard to imagine. I am from another part of Russia, and where we were we/others would often mock and speak negatively (lightly put) about people from Chechnya, Kazakhstan, and nearby republics.

Were they included with Ukrainians? Were Polish people?

Do you remember if that hatred extended to her family then too, you've mentioned a Ukraian aunt?

Chechens were a source of constant ridicule for Anna, and I remember (like Putin) she employed 'history' to discount their claim to exist independently. I never heard her speak negatively of Poland or other countries, other than (specifically) Eastern Ukraine, but her sense of Nationalist Pride was evident, as was her admiration of Putin. - I think Putin came to power just after the horrific Rouble crash in 1998 (I had just changed dollars a day before it happened! LOL) and in the time we were married, she'd speak of him as Russia's saviour. - I paid for her Aunty (Dasha) to visit, and she was a much loved family member. - It's a long while ago, but Eastern Ukraine was derided as mismanaged, and all their problems were because of the Ukraine people.

What I do remember very clearly about St Petersburg in 1998 was corruption and organised crime. A guy who we were going to use as an intermediary to import lumber to the UK from the forests above St Petersburg was murdered while we were there, and we ended up getting protection from some wealthy dude who was a friend of Anna's father who she said was the head of the Russian Mafia in St Petersburg! (It felt very surreal.)

[chew-ie]

Oopsie - in the wake of the arrests of pro-russian agitators in Moldau, strategy papers for bringing Moldau back into the russian bubble were uncovered. So far a familiar pattern: a separatist region appeared which happens to have some russian boots on the ground.

@source german state media (investigative section): https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ ... u-101.html
investigative research group: Yahoo News, Delfi Estonia, Kyiv Independent, Expressen, Frontstory.pl, VSQuare, Belarusian Investigative Center, Dossier Center, Rise, Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR und WDR

[jlehtone]

US Reaper drone went to swim in Black Sea after two SU-27 had spent time near it.
US claims that russians did pee (fuel) on the drone or something equally non-professional.
Russia claims that drone pilots made too sharp moves.
Either way, the event was not good for tension.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us ... 023-03-14/

[chew-ie]

Interesting combination:

• British Intelligence reports that public workers and officials of russia meet travel restrictions
  @source: (N)(Tw)itter account Ministry of Defense
• Russian military is about to start another recruitment round of 400.000 souls in april (not all of them as soldiers as it seems at first glance)
  @source: Russian Radio Svoboda (english: Ukrajinska Prawda)

[Tamina]

Travel restrictions are a thing in most countries. It already starts in private sector security positions and tightens the higher you go in the vulnerability chain of your country.
It is just that as a European you have more friends in the world than a warmongering Russia.

Just for context as I believe some people are unaware of that.

[chew-ie]

I guess the missing detail in my post ( ) is that those restrictions are increasing. I interpret them as preparation of the upcoming "mobilization". (hence labeled them as interesting combination)

[Chips]

US Reaper drone went to swim in Black Sea after two SU-27 had spent time near it.
US claims that russians did pee (fuel) on the drone or something equally non-professional.
Russia claims that drone pilots made too sharp moves.
Either way, the event was not good for tension.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us ... 023-03-14/

Further on that one, they've released video footage of the event to debunk the Russian's claims - which can be watched on the below BBC article link.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64975766

US military has released footage of a Russian jet crashing into one of its drones over the Black Sea.

The US said the damage to the large drone meant it had to be brought down into the water near Ukraine on Tuesday.

Russia denied its Su-27 fighter jet clipped the propeller of the drone, but the video appears to back up the American version of events.

It was in the Pentagon's interest to release this video - not least to verify its version of events.

[Alan Phipps]

I think the intent was to coat the drone in ejected fuel and so blur optics and maybe foul the air intake filters, rather than to collide with it. I say that as even minor damage to the outer skin of a fighter can prove catastrophic if it later goes supersonic. Even the fuel coating is not nice behaviour for 'playing the game', but mistakes made while flying may have led to an unplanned collision with more serious airframe and political results.

[mr.WHO]

Poland finally push forward with giving its Mig-29s.
According to Polish MoD 4 Migs are already packed for transport in next few days and more coming in next 4-6 weeks.
Polish MoD also confirm there is unspecified plane coalition with a few countries (probably Slovakiya with her Migs-29).

Spring will definetly be interesting.

[chew-ie]

RE drone stuff: no matter the details - a jet and a drone aren't normally as close as they were during the incident. There was a clear motivation behind that manouver to make it happen in the first place. The context (ongoing invasion) is also not in favour of the russian narrative.

[mr.WHO]

If I'd be US, I'd declare that from now on all US drones will be loaded with explosives and proximity fuse.
Then send a buch of drones again for Russia to try

[Observe]

Regarding the loss of the 32 million dollar drone, I think Russia came out the winner on that one. Also, the U.S. has no basis for complaint. Flying a drone in a conflict zone, is an invite to be attacked. So, the war drags on, with no end in sight and no negotiations for a viable peace deal that we know of.

I'm guessing that whatever agreement is eventually achieved, will be the same as could have been made last year. Namely, the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia claims as theirs become part of Russia. I don't see anything less that that being sufficient to cause Russia to stop. Sure, we can keep pouring billions of funds and weapons into the inferno, but how long is that going to be palatable to countries that are going through their own economic challenges?

There is a lot of noise about Russia running out of ammunition etc. If true, all they need to do, is hold their positions until production ramps up. I don't believe that Russia is incapable of manufacturing the necessary tools of war for as long as it takes.

[EGO_Aut]

RE drone stuff: no matter the details - a jet and a drone aren't normally as close as they were during the incident. There was a clear motivation behind that manouver to make it happen in the first place. The context (ongoing invasion) is also not in favour of the russian narrative.

A motivation
You think RU know that US give intel to UKR?

Btw I am surprised that drones are allowed to fly in free airspace and over sovereign states.

[Warenwolf]

Btw I am surprised that drones are allowed to fly in free airspace and over sovereign states.

I don't understand what you mean by this?

[Falcrack]

RE drone stuff: no matter the details - a jet and a drone aren't normally as close as they were during the incident. There was a clear motivation behind that manouver to make it happen in the first place. The context (ongoing invasion) is also not in favour of the russian narrative.

A motivation
You think RU know that US give intel to UKR?

Btw I am surprised that drones are allowed to fly in free airspace and over sovereign states.

If Russia is concerned that the US is flying drones over international waters and feeding the collected intelligence to Ukraine for use in defending against Russia's unlawful invasion, then Russia should declare war on the US. This war would be over so much more quickly.