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Posts posted by Viper
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Russia making a move on Transnistria? Does Putin think this will lend more domestic support for his election and mass conscription? Or is he feeling good about where things are heading with western political support?
⚡️The so-called "Transnistrian congress" will ask Moscow to annex Transnistria to Russia — Transnistrian opposition.
According to a Transnistrian opponent Ghenadie Ciorba, quoted by INFOTAG, the so-called MPs of all levels of Transnistria are going to adopt a request to Moscow regarding the accession of the separatist region to the Russian Federation.
Ciorba drew attention to the fact that the meeting will take place one day before the address of Putin to the Federal Assembly. The Transnistrian opposition does not rule out that this directive to organize the congress comes from Moscow itself.
Ciorba assumes that the next day, on February 29, Putin will announce this request to the Assembly Federal, which will decide to proceed with the request.
The opponent believes that the assembly in Tiraspol and the protest organized there recently against the so-called economic pressures of the Republic of Moldova are aimed at showing that the residents of Transnistria are against Chisinau.
"This is where the recent statement of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, comes from, that Moscow will not let its citizens in Transnistria suffer," Ciorba said.
He called on the so-called MPs of the region to prevent the adoption of this decision, which would give Putin "a legitimate excuse to strike the territory of the Republic of Moldova, including Transnistria, under any pretext."
Link to the article: https://deschide.md/ro/stiri/23/145323/Opozant-transnistrean-Congresul-a#google_vignette
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On 2/20/2024 at 2:45 PM, tx 3 putt said:
I like the song, but it's not really a country song. Of course I doubt I'd call every song on that chart country either.
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Spoiler
Anyone know how they're going to handle the siech orgy scene? Make it more like a Matrix rave celebration?
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1 hour ago, BeardIP said:
I guess. I mean, Ukraine is ultimately going to lose and tons of money and lives will be wasted, but yes they are fighting the good fight and being a good proxy for the West.
Wouldn't the same happen in Guyana?
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https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1760059774392209803.html
QuoteAt the Berlin Film Festival, 🇺🇦 director Oksana Karpovych presented her film 'Intercepted.' The film features intercepted telephone conversations between 🇷🇺 soldiers in Ukraine & their families. While not all quotes are exact, I convey the essence as accurately as possible.
1/11
- Mom, I enjoyed torturing so much! I can tell you what tortures I learned about and participated in (and tells. I apologize - I can't repeat).
- Son, it's normal. Me too, if I ended up there, I would have felt pleasure, how else?
2/11
Uncommentable. No comment can be adequate to what has been heard. In the hall - shock. Silence for a full minute after the movie ends. Then the people in the room stand up and give an ovation. Rarely can you see the picture of the world like this. Of the 🇷🇺 world.
3/11
- No, I didn't become hostile here, I just kill Nazis. Yesterday we were walking, a woman with two children came towards us and we killed them.
- Well, theyʼre our enemies.
- Yes, I don't feel sorry for them.
- Right, don't pity them. Kill them.
4/11
- Have you seen NATO bases there?
- No.
- Don't lie to me - there are their bases at every step, they tell us so on TV.
- Don't watch TV, mother, they tell lies.
- How can this be a lie? Of course it's the truth. That's why they sent you there, to protect us from NATO.
5/11
- You are heroes. Let your friends know.
- Hardly any friends left - all killed.
- I'm proud of you and your friends.
6/11
- You know, these damn 🇺🇦s live so well, better than us, really
- Well, it's obvious, West pays them, they’re afraid of losing this and that's why they fight, but for what?
- I’ll bring so many clothes for U & children, we are here in a house, they left everything, fled.
7/11
- A sports family, only 10 pairs of sneakers, all branded. I collected everything, put it in the backpack. The guys grab everything away
- My sweet, you think about home, take everything. By the way, Sofia goes to school this year - maybe even get a computer from somewhere?
8/11
In these conversations, the voices from 🇷🇺 are much more interesting than those of the occupiers. With them everything is clear - they came to take, kill, torture. But precisely female voices show a degree of dehumanization that seems possible only in a dystopian fantasy.
9/11
These loving voices ask to kill more so that their loved ones return home more quickly.
These voices wish for the death of Ukrainians.
These voices ask them not to pity children.
10/11
- Mom, why did we come here? People were living their lives, and now we have covered half the country with corpses.
- Why? Don't you dare say that. They're not people at all. Keep fighting.
By Kateryna Barabash
#RussialsATerroristState
#StandWithUkraine
11/11
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Sounds like a firsthand account of Avdiivka
Casualty wise (WIA&KIA) Bahkmut was likely higher.
Deaths only wise, Avdiivka was likely 2x worse for the Russians than Bahkmut.
The easiest way to explain why is Terrain, and the built up fortifications. Even in the areas at the flanks.
The opening day of RUs offensive in our sector over a dozen BMPs were destroyed before they even got within 800m of Ukrainian lines. The infantry on and in that initial assault were caught out in the open and mowed down rather quickly.
One defensive operation that we were on, 16 of Chosen and 8 Ukrainians(javelin teams+snipers) destroyed 4 BMPs, damaged one that made it under a bridge with 6 others that escaped unharmed after dropping troops 300m+ away from the line in the field, 2 BTRs destroyed, 2 tanks one of which was destroyed by one of the craziest tank maneuvers by a UA tank team i ever saw and 70+ infantry killed or wounded.
The Russians successfully pushed us out of the trench to another friendly trench (there was only 10 defenders in that 1 trench with reserve force and supporting fires/overwatch being provided from nearby trench 200m away) and took control of the trench. Which was then blown with demolitions, fpv and artillery once the surviving russians (around 12) grouped up into it.
Our losses that day were 4 UA KIA, 2 Chosen KIA (Gander & Stremski) and everyone minor or moderately wounded with frag.
The human cost of Russia's Avdiivka sector endeavor likely cost them 100k WIA&KIA easily. Day after day for 2 or 3 weeks they continously attempted to run armor at fortified lines. In our sector, after they ran out of BMPs&BTRs they used troop transport trucks(Kamaz type) to try and get infantry as close as possible. These vehicles more often then not were hit by fpv or drones waited for dismount and hit infantry with droppers.
We made it a point to try and hit every enemy soldier still alive. If they crawled into a bunker, thermobaric. If they were crawling in an open field, grenade drop.
Mid to end Nov though, something changed. No longer were the Russians attempting 50+ men assaults. They'd move in groups of 8-12 men. If 2 or 3 made it, they'd hide amongst the rubble. The next group would move 5-15 minutes behind the first and they'd do the same. Once the survivors regrouped and had 20 or so men spread in 2 or more positions, they'd then push forward while a new rear element pushed up from behind and they'd mass creeping fires and drones while doing so. Only stopping once the RU infantry were within 25-50m of our positions.
They adapted their tactics to run as a mass of smaller human waves with less armor and more foot infantry to knock out a few meters of the killing fields or Grey area at a time. They didn't try to dig in. They just hid wherever they could.
One position we consistently fought over ended up with dead soldiers stacked around it (obj kyiv). There was well over 100 Russians strewn about infront and inside of it. Our fallen(KIA) Ukrainians around 10 or so that were taken in the 3 weeks of holding it, we had organized to the rear area of the fighting line, in hopes of getting their remains out, some we were able to, others we werent. We did take dozens upon dozens of wounded trying to hold obj k and took a lot of wounded and killed trying to retrieve remains of fallen and wounded soldiers from positions(I'd say 20-35% of all our wounded in the sector was trying to get remains or wounded out). You'd spend more time trying to organize where to throw the dead or move the dead out of firing lines than attempting to rebuild the positions daily.
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5 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:
It won’t change anything. Putin is demonstrating that he can do this. Earlier this week they also disqualified a semi-real opposition candidate from the ballot. This is just a demonstration of force, to show Russians and any future potential dissident what might happen to them.
was that the guy who when asked if he thinks he can win he said something like "no way, do you think I'm crazy?"
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Good comments from Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. I can understand how depressing it is to hope other governments will care about you (his family) more than your own government does.
I cut out the political parts, but there is some hope with the Israelis looking to build a displacement/refugee centers and safe zone in the Hamas free parts of the north for the people in the south. (Although maybe it's just to ethnically cleanse them later, you know how bad the Israelis are at that)
QuoteSome brief updates, thoughts and comments about a number of recent events/developments.
1. My family: My aunt Tahany, her children and grandkids, and my now quadriplegic cousin Israa are still at the Amal Hospital in Khan Younis with almost no food, water, supplies, or painkillers. We haven’t heard from them since Sunday. Yesterday, ferocious bombardment took place all around the hospital, worsening the prospects of them being evacuated anytime soon. Thanks to those of you who contacted Senators and also for the wonderfully supportive messages. I’ve been told that one of the most potentially helpful ways to push for an evacuation of the roughly 80 patients at the Amal Hospital is to contact the White House. Please call them at 202-456-1111 or email (whitehouse.gov/contact/) and ask for Presidential leadership to push for the evacuation of trapped patients through the Red Cross or Red Crescent. I will link below to the tweet with details about my family. Please also continue to email Senators and Representatives.
2. Egypt/Sinai: Reports emerged yesterday of the supposed construction of a zone by Egyptian authorities inside northern Sinai by the borders with Gaza that could contain displaced Gazans from the impending IDF operation in Rafah. My sources and opinion are that this is not at all a reversal of Egypt’s unequivocal position that it will not accept displaced Gazans en masse in Sinai. My sources tell me that the creation of this five to ten-mile-wide zone is a preventative measure in order to absorb any unwanted Gazans who may break through the borders if fighting intensifies in Rafah. This is not a policy shift on the part of Egypt but is meant to prevent the forced displacement of Gazans due to combat conditions; Egypt sees what happened in Jordan and Turkey during Syria’s civil war where would-be temporary refugee settlements have endured 13 years after Syria’s revolution began.
3. Hamas: people in southern Gaza have continued to face aggression and violence from Hamas. A video shows the Islamist group arresting someone at a UN school where displaced people are sheltering, and, in the process, beating up women and terrorizing civilians. Hamas mouthpieces allege that this was to arrest a supposed “spy” collaborating with Israel. There are at least two separate instances whereby a man and a child were shot dead by Hamas for “approaching” aid trucks. Large segments of Gaza society continue to curse out Hamas and are desperate for the group to release hostages and end the war immediately, especially given the danger of an expanded IDF ground operation in Rafah.
4. Mohammed Dahlan: The story in the New York Times today profiling Dahlan, in my opinion, hints at his ambitions to have a role in Gaza’s future. While I don’t believe that he will abandon his comfortable life in the UAE, and while I appreciate his sentiment that the future of Palestine should not have Hamas or Mahmud Abbas involved, his refusal to condemn the Oct 7th attack is his attempt at virtue-signaling to Palestinian audiences that he is “pro-resistance.” It’s important to note that Dahlan, a Gaza native, was partly responsible for provoking Hamas in 2006 and 2007, leading to the Islamist group’s takeover of the Gaza Strip and all of the disasters that followed. As a child growing up in Gaza, I met Dahlan multiple times when he used to visit my late uncle, Yousef Shehada, in Rafah. He was always eloquent and well-spoken, known for his cunning demeanor and savvy ability to customize his message based on who he was talking to. Nevertheless, I wish that Dahlan would offer realistic perspectives that communicate his true feelings against armed resistance as a meaningful pathway for obtaining Palestinian rights and statehood. Definitely an interesting figure to watch. His most brilliant point was his last: "“Relying on people suffering isn’t leadership." This is exactly Hamas's strategy, hoping to cause maximum misery for its people and expecting that to de-legitimize Israel and extract concessions.
5. Marwan Barghouti: I don’t have a whole lot to say about Mr. Barghouti except the fact that I genuinely don’t see him having a substantial role in future Palestinian leadership. Many Palestinians and Gazans that I speak to share their fear of the “Sinwar Syndrome,” in reference to Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s Gaza chief; Sinwar actually had some seemingly reasonable views in the past and I’d encourage you to refer to his interview with an Israeli journalist in 2006. But when someone with so much trauma and baggage from serving long prison sentences is all of a sudden placed in the public sphere with tremendous power, that can have a negative, corrupting effect on them that does not serve the interest of the Palestinian people.
6. West Bank: The incursions of the Israeli military throughout the West Bank, including in Ramallah, Nablus, and other cities, as well as their aggressive measures in Jerusalem, are truly detrimental to the stability of the fragile Palestinian Authority.
7. Qatar and Hamas/PA/PLO: As Arab countries are nearing a point where they can share their visions for a Palestinian state and end to the conflict, using the Gaza war as a catalyst for a different future, Qatar is working a seemingly separate track. It seems that Doha is attempting to get Hamas to join the PLO and form a unity technocrat government and has been hosting PA officials to discuss such steps and possible leadership candidates. It’s worth noting that Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt are seeking to present a roadmap for Palestinian statehood while somewhat bypassing Hamas, while Qatar is focused on ensuring that Hamas is part of a future next chapter/phase. Both have legitimate points of view in that Hamas must be bypassed and cannot, in its current form, be part of the future, while also acknowledging that new/future governance in Gaza will need Hamas’s thumbs-up.
8. Lebanon: The serious escalation in Lebanon after the death of an Israeli soldier partially broke the established rules of engagement around keeping the fighting between Hezbollah and the IDF local to a narrow strip along the Israel and Lebanon borders. However, neither party is interested in further escalation; Hezbollah unfortunately is holding Lebanon’s fate hostage to the whims of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance.”
11. “Al Zahra” area: The Israeli military has been establishing/building a checkpoint south of Gaza City along the western coast and north of the Nuseirat refugee camp. This is the very area that I recently suggested should become the site of new displacement/refugee centers and safe zone and a potential site for a provisional seaport/dock that could receive incoming humanitarian supplies to serve fleeing civilians in the north. It is very evident from lots of Israeli statements and positions that the Israeli government is using the return of civilians to the north as a bargaining chip with Hamas in hostage/ceasefire negotiations. Nevertheless, there is widespread recognition that without civilians being moved up north, the IDF’s operation in Rafah can never fully happen, given that nearly 1.5 million civilians are taking shelter in Gaza’s southernmost city. Keep an eye on this area as a potential hotspot of intriguing humanitarian and reconstruction/redevelopment for the entirety of the Gaza Strip.
12. Rising Anti-Semitism: Regrettably and sadly, incidents of Anti-Semitism in the Western world are truly out of control and utterly shameful. Holding Jewish people responsible for Israel’s actions, or targeting Jewish establishments, individuals, businesses, houses of worship, or even people who support Israel for holding an opinion does not help Gazans or Palestinians, nor is it a legitimate form of opposition to Israeli policies. In the same way that many pro-Palestine folks detest attempts to silence them or prevent them from speaking out, using hateful speech, unskillful tactics, or even violent vandalism is incredibly immoral and damaging and must stop. While Anti-Zionism is not inherently Anti-Semitic, it has sadly become the case that lots of Anti-Zionist activism has crossed the line over to Anti-Semitism and once again, that is wrong, immoral, and unhelpful to the plight of the Palestinians.
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US Coast Guard intercepted Iranian weapons heading for the Houthis
CENTCOM Intercepts Iranian Weapons Shipment Intended for Houthis
TAMPA, Fla. – A U.S. Coast Guard cutter, forward deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 28.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr (WPC 1147), assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, located the vessel and boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components.
The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of such aid violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 (as extended and renewed by resolutions 2675 and 2707).
“This is yet another example of Iran’s malign activity in the region, ” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander. “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”
CENTCOM is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including U.S. and U.N. sanctions and through interdictions.
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Possibly related
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CDC retweeted
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So this doesn't seem good. Wonder if it's the gps jamming in Königsberg that's been going on for the last few months or something more to do with online hacking and/disinformation campaigns or maybe new nuclear testing going on?
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Good interview of the Russian ambassador. Anyone find the whole thing?
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7 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:
I don't think the threat of invasion from Russia carries the weight that it did, say, prior to February of 2022.
Not to Europe as a whole, but for the small Baltic states, Russia can do a lot of damage to them in the short term with sheer numbers and artillery and drones, but that's only if they can get a ceasefire with Ukraine and rebuild their supplies.
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I guess @Brisketexan and Putin do have something in common afterall
QuoteRussia puts Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas on wanted list
Lithuanian minister also among those accused of ‘destroying Soviet monuments’, as Tallinn fears Russian military buildup
Moscow has put the Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, and other Baltic states officials on a wanted list, as Tallinn warns of an imminent Russian military buildup along its border.
The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Estonian state secretary, Taimar Peterkop, the Lithuanian culture minister, Simonas Kairys, and Kallas were accused of “destroying monuments to Soviet soldiers”, a reference to the removal of Soviet-era second world war memorials
“This is only the start,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel. “Crimes against the memory of the world’s liberators from nazism and fascism must be prosecuted.” Russian authorities have not revealed the exact charges against the three.
Moscow has placed senior Ukrainian officials and generals on its wanted list since the start of the war, but Kallas is the first known head of government to be sought by Moscow.
The Estonian prime minister has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine, leading efforts to increase military assistance to Kyiv and tighten sanctions against Russia.
Kallas called Russia’s move “nothing surprising”. She wrote on X: “The Kremlin now hopes this move will help to silence me and others – but it won’t. The opposite. I will continue my strong support to Ukraine. I will continue to stand for increasing Europe’s defence.”
Moscow’s decision to add Kallas to its wanted list will further increase tension in the region at a time when many western capitals have sounded the alarm over a growing military threat from Russia.
When asked by reporters about Kallas on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the Estonian leader “took hostile acts against our country and historical memory”.
The removal of Soviet-era monuments has been a delicate issue in Estonia, a former Soviet republic from 1944 until 1991 where nearly a quarter of the population of 1.3 million people are ethnic Russians.
The process has accelerated since Russian troops invaded Ukraine, with Kallas pledging to remove all communist monuments in public spaces. “We have decided … Soviet monuments must be removed from public spaces and we will do it as quickly as possible,” Kallas said in the summer of 2022 when officials removed a Soviet tank memorial from Narva, a largely Russian-speaking city close to the Russian border.
Estonia has been anxious to avoid some of the unrest it faced in 2007 after it removed a statue in Tallinn known as the Bronze Soldier, which led to two nights of rioting and looting, followed by a major cyber-attack that Estonian officials blamed on Russia.
The country has also moved to counter pro-Russian narratives about the war in Ukraine by banning from cable television four Russian channels, a major source of news for many older ethnic Russians.
Tensions remain high, and on Tuesday Estonia’s foreign intelligence service warned that Russia intended to double the number of its troops stationed along its border with the Baltic states and Finland as part of preparations for a potential military conflict with Nato within the next 10 years.
Kaupo Rosin, the director general of the Estonian service, told reporters before publication of his agency’s annual report: “Russia has chosen a path which is a long-term confrontation … and the Kremlin is probably anticipating a possible conflict with Nato within the next decade or so.
“We will highly likely see an increase of manpower, about doubling perhaps. We will see an increase in armed personnel carriers, tanks, artillery systems over the coming years.”
Rosin said a military attack by Russia was “highly unlikely” in the short term, partly because Russia had to keep troops in Ukraine, but he called on Europe to get prepared by rearming.
“If we are not prepared, the likelihood [of a military Russian attack] would be much higher than without any preparation,” Rosin added.
In an interview with the conservative journalist Tucker Carlson last week, Putin dismissed western warnings, saying his country had “no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else”.
Russia has put several dozen Baltic politicians of various levels on the wanted list, including the former Latvian interior minister Marija Golubeva, according to data first analysed by the Russian independent outlet Mediazona.
Latvia has similarly announced plans to remove its Soviet memorials from public spaces, and it drew Moscow’s ire last year when it demolished a nearly 80-metre obelisk erected during the Soviet rule of Latvia.
All three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – had already expelled Russian diplomats from their countries amid tensions over the conflict in Ukraine. Relations with Moscow have remained tense since they gained independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union, which they have viewed as an occupying power.
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19 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:
Are the trailers with the TVA and mobius real? If so then is Loki really in this too? So in.
TVA is in it, but there's been no Mobius nor Loki in any trailers so far.
It almost looks like they're setting up the void at the end of time to be like a Secret Wars Battle World
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1 hour ago, statsman said:
Not sure what the solution is here. They're obviously buying them through third parties in other countries, much like Ukraine does in Germany and other EU countries. They're already geofenced to only work at the frontline (which is why they stopped working for Ukraine when they advanced too quickly). There's probably too many and distribution too decentralized to be able to whitelist them. Reports are that the Russians are using up all the bandwidth to prevent the Ukrainians from using them for drone video feeds
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2 hours ago, Schulz2.0 said:
He also twists the historical "facts" to show what he wants. Timothy Snyder has a multi video YouTube series on the history of Ukraine. He touches on some of the stuff Putin claims and how it's inaccurate.
Tom Holland also touched on it. Wonder if he'll put out a long video on it
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A serious analysis of Putin's interview from a GWU ph.D professor. He has a good theory that Putin is an increasingly history obsessed boomer who doesn't understand why the rest of the world doesn't see everything the way he does.
A few thoughts on the Tucker-Putin interview:
Having watched the interview last night, I've been very interested in seeing the reaction here on this site. A lot of people have focused on 'Putin as an autistic history nerd' (good memes here), while others have stuck to variations on 'look how his history is a lie and bizarre and strange' or 'he whiffed the PR opportunity and didn't give MAGA anything.'
Ok. The former is funny, the middle is standard signaling and positioning, and the latter is US politics brain. Fine! But there's really tremendous data in here if we want to look seriously. Some points below.
First, the most important thing is indeed the half-hour history lesson. Not only did Putin start with this, and refuse to be interrupted, he even made a big show of gifting documents supporting his arguments to Tucker. What this tells us is that the history component to the Russo-Ukrainian War is not just a point of legitimation or a general casus belli, but the motivating factor for VVP personally. That's really big!
I've argued for a year now that we should understand the proximate cause of the war to be Vladimir Putin's deepening historical obsessions, his sense of personal grievance, and the unique isolation that allowed this to fester in the runup to 2022. You can find an article making that case here: ridl.io/putin-s-agency…. If you've taken my undergraduate course on Russian Politics, it's there as well. This interview is strong supporting data for that framing. Note how often Putin dismisses NATO expansion as the reason for action, as well as how much he does not care about Ukrainian democracy qua democracy. He doesn't even think it is a democracy (note the coup discussions).
Rather, he's clearly motivated - then and now - by historical concerns most of all. And this is important, which some observers may not quite get. He was not always like this! That is, the long rants about history that justify political action have become more and more common in the last ten years, and especially the last four or five. Which fits a model of growing obsession - which, incidentally, also aligns well with Putin's post-2012 sense that only he can stably rule Russia, and that he wants to bequeath a legacy. Tucker wasn't able to get an answer to the core question - why 2022 and not earlier - but this is good material for a obsession interpretation.
Second, another element that came out strongly was Putin's sense of personal insult and snubbing. He is butthurt by his world leader colleagues. We have dozens of minutes of him talking about the Bushes, about documents signed by the French and Germans, about negotiations generally - all of which end with Russia not getting what was promised or it expected. That could be read simply as justification for Russia's actions (i.e., the hypocrisy of the West) but what is mostly communicated, verbally and through body language, is that Putin himself feels slighted, and that he does not understand why others do not see the world, and the consequences of events, as clearly as he does. This is also quite interesting.
There is very little reason to believe this interview is anything less than the sincere views of Putin himself, as a smarter-than-average Russian boomer who is trying to explain why he's right, why he's been aggrieved, and why the other sides are just so stupid and shortsighted. He's booming really hard, it's very evident. He's not sharing everything, but he's telling you that he's not sharing everything with a knowing, paternalistic smile while he says it. And he really wants to get it through your thick skull what actually matters. Rurik, Yaroslav the Wise, 1654, Bohdan Khmelnitsky, the Soviet Union and the border changes, leaders just not being reasonable, etc etc.
Third, I don't think we can understand this interview as some sort of functionalist strategic communication exercise at all. VVP clearly did not care to talk about US political issues, he did not "throw red meat to MAGA" or whatever, he did not rise to the bait several times to get on a cleaner messaging narrative that would sell with an international audience of illiberal or West-skeptical types. At all! It was the above, which means this interview was about what Vladimir Putin himself thought rather than what he thought would sell best. That's incredibly unusual for an interview like this.
We didn't get anything about cancel culture, or gender ideology, or Biden being senile, or the US being this evil tentacled hegemon that threatens global peace. He was actually incredibly circumspect on that sort of thing. Much more so than in other venues in the recent past. This was Putin as pedagogue-in-chief, trying to educate Tucker not only about history, but also about how the world actually works. Look to the wandering discussion on the Orange Revolution, Yanukovych, the various negotiations, for that. The personal resentment comes out here in a distinct way, as disappointment and confusion as to why other international partners just don't get it the way VVP does.
Truly, the most framed or set-up part of this interview was the point about the spring 2022 negotiations (note his arg that instead of the Battle of Kyiv being lost, it was a part of a negotiation that got cut short by Johnson's intervention - an interesting assertion). And Tucker got him to talk about future potential negotiations as well. That was also enlightening, as it reiterated Putin's world-weary points that the other side doesn't get it and is stubborn, and that there is a 'reasonable' way out if only leaders would be clear-eyed.
This is important to keep in mind, especially as Putin seems quite confident the war is going well enough that he can just wait for negotiations to inevitably appear. Also note his regular recourse to proceduralism - negotiations are detailed, complicated, have many moving parts. The bureaucratic KGB and legal background always shines through with Putin at the end of the day.
Finally, as I've noted, this interview was pretty strange. Tucker tried to move things in a way that fit his own views (NATO expansion, the 'who runs the US' question, demonic forces on earth (?)), which was pretty cringe. But he actually did a decent job overall (sorry!). He asked about Gershkovich and pushed fairly hard all things considered, he got steamrolled by VVP but managed to barely hold on given the very meandering discussion (Putin's framing of 2004 and 2013-14 is genuinely difficult to understand if you don't already know the events quite well), he didn't crash the interview so bad that it ended early, he figured out he had a unique opportunity to let Putin talk, and in doing so he provided us a unique window into VVP.
It turns out that Putin says the same thing to Tucker as he does to Ru journos, with even more Putinsplaining. Which is illuminating! The history thing is the real deal, as is his belief that negotiations (in Russia's favor and in accordance with Putin's own sense of what is reasonable) are possible. Both of these things are really important for us to get at analytically.
I'm still thinking about this, but those are some topline takeaways as I process it this morning.
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1 hour ago, Parliament said:
I'm 60 minutes in, and it's very telling. What he's said so far I think he actually believes. "It's not a lie if you believe it."
Carlson is not a good interviewer but so far he hasn't come across as a boot licker. Not so far anyway.the insanity of Putin and the dunking thereon continue
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1 hour ago, NoRagrets said:Anyone else skim the interview with Putin on Twitter? I figured out who he reminds me of. The villain in Ghostbusters 2 that returns from the dead with 1000’s of years of gripes and complaints. He squirmed on the WSJ hostage issue way more than Ukraine.
thought that was a good question to ask at the end and push for a better explanation. there's also some funny reactions and/or memes going around about his 30 minute 9th century history lecture to the why did you invade Ukraine when you did? question.
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2 hours ago, Teryor said:
Would have liked him back, but honestly Gary Patterson's quest to piss off as many people from TCU as he can genuinely rules
TCU should have thought about that before hiring a Briles.
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16 hours ago, Teryor said:
But there are often incentives for players to raise their NIL payments based on how they play. Conversely, a few players mentioned their NIL payments could go down if they don’t perform well. Beyond cash, players often also receive additional incentives like a leased vehicle.
“The way I have it, the first two years are 400 guaranteed, and after my sophomore year I can ask to renegotiate based on how I play,” Recruit 2 said.
“If you produce, you get bonuses,” Recruit 12 said. “Some schools do it differently, but that’s how ours does it.”
As for what players must do to earn the money, responses varied from appearing at charity events and social media posts to just being on the team.
“It’s a collective thing,” Recruit 6 said. “Just be part of the team, everybody gets it.”
Recruit 2 said that there were no off-field requirements tied to his pay.
“I think it’s just from the collective,” he said.
18 minutes ago, RGBIII said:BAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA IF A SINGLE WORD OF THIS IS TRUE I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE FELT BETTER ABOUT TOF STANDING WITH THE NCAA AND NIL RULES. LITERALLY THE SOLE DEFINITION OF WHAT YOU CANT DO....L O L
Is this the kind of stuff the NCAA is going after Tennessee for? I assume based on these quotes that there will be more investigations. I guess it's just a question of if the govt allows the rules (and how soon the BIG10 and SEC leave the NCAA)
Israel-Hamas war thread
in Daily Texan
Posted
More from Ahmed, he's really pushing this airdrop idea with so many of his extended family there going hungry