[Politics] Russia invades Ukraine (24/02/2022)

[raymondo]

Yeah, it's not clear to me - seems like an easy win win .
Maybe Zelenskiy tried it with Biden but that US team was terrified of any 'escalation'.
Trump seems to have an interest though.

So only $15 Trillion. Which is 1.5 sextillion rubles.

I'm clearly missing something obvious here - so far Ukraine have had something like $200 billion in aid (some military, some financial, some humanitarian) - why don't Ukraine promise to use the resources to pay for all aid so far received, as well as another $800 billion worth, as long as her allies help get Russia out of all of Ukraine?

There's the money to pay for it, and it's win win for the West

 

[raymondo]

All is well in the Russian army

Wow, even worse than I imagined.

 

[raymondo]

No, I never knew about Hughesovka at all, although I did know about the Welsh connection with Patagonia.

I enjoy things like that - people ending up in places you wouldn't expect. The 100 Welsh families, the 'founding fathers' of Hughesovka were perhaps the fortunate ones, in that their migrations were voluntary, at least on the way out. Russia has been the author of so many forced migrations.

Thanks for sharing the story.

There must still be descendants there who identify with their Welsh history - I'll have a root around on the interweb when I have time.

 

[raymondo]

Turkey is beginning to muscle in where Russia was once strong.

A very important link, thank you.
I have to remind myself sometimes that Turkey is in NATO, its second biggest army.
So, effectively, NATO has replaced Russian influence in Syria, is preventing it in Chad, and is challenging Russian strategy in Libya. And, Turkish influence in the Caucasus countries, even Russia controlled Abkhazie (sp?).
AND Putin never mentions this - he is terrified of Turkey and Erdogan.

The Russian propagandist in that video even said the biggest threat to Russia blowing up internally...is from the south.

Hmmm, we hear a lot about US and EU views and actions re Ukraine, but hear very little from Turkey.
What aid (financial or military) has Turkey provided to Ukraine? ( I can look it up).
I guess they think it's not their fight, meanwhile they will erode weakened Russia's influence in many regions.

 

[raymondo]

Ok, here's a snippet from Euronews in Nov 24(how could I forget the Bayraktars):
"
Turkey has supplied Ukraine with Bayraktar TB2 drones, heavy machine guns, laser-guided missiles, electronic warfare systems, armoured vehicles and protective gear.


The Turkish defence and aviation industry achieved record exports in 2023, which totalled $5.5 billion, up 27.1% on the previous year, according to a report by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM). About 5.3% of those exports went to Ukraine, which was a similar share of exports to Azerbaijan (5.1%) and Poland (4.9%), but considerably less than the proportion that went to the US (16.7%), the report said."

 

[Eric the meek]

A very important link, thank you.
I have to remind myself sometimes that Turkey is in NATO, its second biggest army.
So, effectively, NATO has replaced Russian influence in Syria, is preventing it in Chad, and is challenging Russian strategy in Libya. And, Turkish influence in the Caucasus countries, even Russia controlled Abkhazie (sp?).
AND Putin never mentions this - he is terrified of Turkey and Erdogan.

The Russian propagandist in that video even said the biggest threat to Russia blowing up internally...is from the south.

Hmmm, we hear a lot about US and EU views and actions re Ukraine, but hear very little from Turkey.
What aid (financial or military) has Turkey provided to Ukraine? ( I can look it up).
I guess they think it's not their fight, meanwhile they will erode weakened Russia's influence in many regions.

You know my opinion of Turkey - it plays both sides. It also can easily control the access to the Black Sea via the Bosphorus, and therefore can control Russian (both military and commercial) traffic to the whole of the Black Sea via the Bosphorus - if it chose. But to date, it hasn't chosen to do that. Instead, it takes Russian money from wealthy Russians going on Turkish Black Sea cruises.

When the war is over, and we are wondering where all the guilty Russians have fled to, Istanbul and Dubai would be my bet.

But you mentioned the most interesting bit. The official Kremlin view that its biggest threat of internal unrest is from the south. What that means exactly, I'm not sure. Turkey has got a head start in the Stans, due to the commonality of the Turkic languages. But is Turkey a disruptor? No, I don't think so. Do you recall that Turkey, at least at global diplomacy level, has often sought to place itself as a mediator or peacebroker? It looks like that is where Turkey wants to see itself.

Here's one Turkish news agency I have come across. The presentation is polished, but the content is repetitive. Think of a well-spoken 30 year-old Miriam Margolyes.

ANKA Daily News

We are ANKA! This is what we said as a team when we first started preparing the news. Then, more than a million people heard this slogan every day while watching our news. Now we continue to flap our wings with hundreds of thousands of ANKA followers, dozens of regional experts, copywriters...

www.youtube.com

 

[Eric the meek]

The bad news continues to pile up for Russia.

 

[raymondo]

The bad news continues to pile up for Russia.

Good forensics

 

[Eric the meek]

Only two defenestrations to report today.

(Apologies for being unable to report all other defenestrations that were covered up).

 

[raymondo]

You know my opinion of Turkey - it plays both sides. It also can easily control the access to the Black Sea via the Bosphorus, and therefore can control Russian (both military and commercial) traffic to the whole of the Black Sea via the Bosphorus - if it chose. But to date, it hasn't chosen to do that. Instead, it takes Russian money from wealthy Russians going on Turkish Black Sea cruises.

When the war is over, and we are wondering where all the guilty Russians have fled to, Istanbul and Dubai would be my bet.

But you mentioned the most interesting bit. The official Kremlin view that its biggest threat of internal unrest is from the south. What that means exactly, I'm not sure. Turkey has got a head start in the Stans, due to the commonality of the Turkic languages. But is Turkey a disruptor? No, I don't think so. Do you recall that Turkey, at least at global diplomacy level, has often sought to place itself as a mediator or peacebroker? It looks like that is where Turkey wants to see itself.

Here's one Turkish news agency I have come across. The presentation is polished, but the content is repetitive. Think of a well-spoken 30 year-old Miriam Margolyes.

ANKA Daily News

We are ANKA! This is what we said as a team when we first started preparing the news. Then, more than a million people heard this slogan every day while watching our news. Now we continue to flap our wings with hundreds of thousands of ANKA followers, dozens of regional experts, copywriters...

www.youtube.com

Yes, they frequently positioned themselves as the mediator. In fact Lavrov was very upset they provided Bayraktars to Ukraine in parallel .

Yes, the propagandist video viewpoint was interesting, but as you say is Turkey a disruptor, or an opportunist?
Maybe they will just slowly assume more influence in those regions on Russia's southern border.

Thanks for the Anka Media link .

 

[raymondo]

Only two defenestrations to report today.

(Apologies for being unable to report all other defenestrations that were covered up).

I wonder what they did wrong

 

[Eric the meek]

I wonder what they did wrong

Who knows - it could be anything. For me, the fact that the defenestrations are allowed to take place, seemingly without consequence, is the interesting bit. Remember Aunt Elvira, who I think said that people higher up the social hierarchy can do anything to those below them? This presumably includes throwing them out of windows.

It's a medieval society. Which is probably going to get more medieval as the heat is turned up.

 

[essbee1]

Who knows - it could be anything. For me, the fact that the defenestrations are allowed to take place, seemingly without consequence, is the interesting bit. Remember Aunt Elvira, who I think said that people higher up the social hierarchy can do anything to those below them? This presumably includes throwing them out of windows.

It's a medieval society. Which is probably going to get more medieval as the heat is turned up.

I think describing them as 'medieval' is being unkind to medieval people Eric. Society in Russia is just sick to the core
and neanderthal, close to people who just grunted to communicate.

 

[peterward]

The bad news continues to pile up for Russia.

And more bad news! Which is pretty bloody fantastic news too depending on your side.

Western weapons cleared to hit deep into Russia, but challenges remain

Despite the lifting of restrictions on using Western weapons for deep strikes into Russia, Ukraine only has its own long-range arsenal, expert explained

global.espreso.tv

 

[Eric the meek]

I think describing them as 'medieval' is being unkind to medieval people Eric. Society in Russia is just sick to the core
and neanderthal, close to people who just grunted to communicate.

I was trying to convey the brutality and entitlement to inflict it. Maybe the word feudal would have been a better choice. However you describe it, it belongs in a different time.

Hopefully, we have seen the peak of the Russian Empire, and its time is coming to an end.

 

[papachris]

Only two defenestrations to report today.

(Apologies for being unable to report all other defenestrations that were covered up).

I'm amazed that bungalows aren't more popular in Russia

 

[raymondo]

Who knows - it could be anything. For me, the fact that the defenestrations are allowed to take place, seemingly without consequence, is the interesting bit. Remember Aunt Elvira, who I think said that people higher up the social hierarchy can do anything to those below them? This presumably includes throwing them out of windows.

It's a medieval society. Which is probably going to get more medieval as the heat is turned up.

It was interesting when Aunt Elvira talked about 'clans' I think . I was unsure if she meant mafia type groups, or family structures, or peer elite levels. Anyway, the result is probably the same.

 

[raymondo]

Yes, they frequently positioned themselves as the mediator. In fact Lavrov was very upset they provided Bayraktars to Ukraine in parallel .

Yes, the propagandist video viewpoint was interesting, but as you say is Turkey a disruptor, or an opportunist?
Maybe they will just slowly assume more influence in those regions on Russia's southern border.

Thanks for the Anka Media link .

Miriam Margolyes, indeed ... I was chuckling all evening! The attached comments were funny, still accusing her of being AI even though she'd denied it in the video .