Cipheron on 8/10/2022 at 18:29

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Beau also did a great video outlining the facts behind the Azov Brigade. He makes a good description by explaining it in terms of the USA. Imagine if part of the USA, say Florida and surrounding states were over-run by a foreign military then American volunteers showed up to combat the invaders. What type of person would be turning up to fight? Who has all the tactical gear and larps WWIII all the time? Liberals? Nope. The far-right does. The guys who wear SS t-shirts under their cammo gear, the types who stormed the capital on Jan 6th. So the far-right militias are the first people on the scene, they're the de-facto "in charge" people, and then other volunteers (less radicalized ones) who turn up then naturally end up coming under their command. That's basically what Azov is. They're like the Three Percenters or the Proud Boys but found themselves the defacto army units in charge of a fair chunk of the border regions in the 2014 war.

[video=youtube;aoGFfr1ahGQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoGFfr1ahGQ&t=79s[/video]

Cipheron on 9/10/2022 at 21:32

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(https://mil.in.ua/en/news/germany-will-transfer-winter-uniforms-and-equipment-worth-eur-11-million-euros-to-ukraine-spiegel/)

Germany sending 100,000 winter uniform and kit, heated tents, rations to Ukraine, along with Denmark sending 25,000 winter kits and uniforms. This is just as important as having guns and bullets.

Given the other news about Russia's "lost" uniforms I'm making a prediction now that we hear stories of Russians running away over winter wearing stolen mismatched civilian gear, perhaps even women's dressing gowns, as overcoats.

lowenz on 10/10/2022 at 19:18

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The "beating" can only be economic (and so Ukraine destroyed in YEARS of war, that's the price, sanction can works if they are virtually eternal and complete even after Putin's death/demise) or nuclear.

Now you can realize why the only hope to have a "western compatible Russia" was the communism itself (even not working well 'cause it was designed for a total different reality and mindset of the population).
You bring down the (disfunctional) communism as "ultimate project" for Russia escatological vision of itself, you give imperialistic Russia a new spin and with a nuclear arsenal (and with no shame to use paternalistic rhetoric and sometimes even suprematist)

In the same way communism did handle the ukrainian nationalism "problem" better (creation of the republic, territorial concessions, etc.) Now we simply go back to classic tsar-era "no compromise" (mafia-like) policy: we know what's good for you, obey or you'll obey

Problem is: Russian elite(s) will always see Ukraine as a tumor (for several reason, not only the "elegant" geopolitical one being Ukraine more democratic than Russia) and in particular military elite will always want Crimea to be the mediterranean fleet base (now that they got new submarines and new missiles) with ALL the routes to it in the package (same for Kaliningrad and Lithuania).

Remember that Putin is considered a *LIBERAL* in the micro-cosmos of russian elites. Just think about someone not so *LIBERAL*.......Russia and russian mindset work in a way West can't understand because westerns think it's "western-like" (USA nationalists too, but I repeat they're totally clueless and ignorant) but in reality is not: it's really complex even to explain why they see tyrants as someone giving them the freedom to not taint themselves with politics :p in a perfect conscious and genuine way.

Tocky on 11/10/2022 at 00:16

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That is something to consider. If Putin is willing to bomb so many maybe the right missile targeting the right person could do a lot of good in one fell swoop.

Nicker on 12/10/2022 at 12:28

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"I can see Russians from my back porch."