alex314 posted:

Can anyone familiar with Russian laws explain how Uzbek men working in Russia got mobilization summons? Are double citizenship a norm when moving between CIS countries for work?

alex314 posted:

Can anyone familiar with Russian laws explain how Uzbek men working in Russia got mobilization summons? Are double citizenship a norm when moving between CIS countries for work?

Sekenr posted:

Dude, they just legalized drafting criminals with "heavy" charges (murder, rape etc) meaning that it was previously completely illegal and noone bat an eye.

alex314 posted:

Drafting criminals I get. Same with volunteers or mercenaries. What I don't get is going all "navy recruitment by kidnapping gang" but in 21st century.
I've just assumed those workers got some kind of legal status that made them equal in laws and duties to Russian Citizens. Still it's wild. Imagine EU citizen moving to work in Greece being served army summons since they still do draft AFAIK.

Saladman posted:

Sunk cost fallacy, plus as others have said, the hope that the US will get tired of giving money to its MIC to give to Ukraine.

Unfortunately for him global warming makes Europe care less about gas (this October was 5°C warmer than pre-1980 averages thanks global warming), and the US never tires of funding war.

Bremen posted:

His goal is to end up with an end to the war where Russia keeps at least something, which he can frame as a victory, and avoid one where they actually have to give up anything they had before the war started (because strongmen can't afford to look weak). Which, sadly, is still definitely a way I think this could end, because while Putin can't prevent it he can potentially still make it extremely painful.

quote:

CHISINAU, Moldova — When thousands of protesters gathered last month outside Moldova’s presidential palace calling for the country’s pro-Western leader to step down, the man behind the demonstration — an opposition party leader in exile in Israel — soon received plaudits from Moscow.

One senior Russian politician praised the protest organizer, Ilan Shor, as “a worthy long-term partner” and even offered the Moldovan region led by Shor’s party a cheap Russian gas deal, according to Shor’s press service. Referred to as “the young one” by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the 35-year-old Shor is a leading figure in the Kremlin’s efforts to subvert this former Soviet republic, intelligence documents and interviews with Moldovan, Ukrainian and Western officials show.

The documents — part of a trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian intelligence and reviewed by The Washington Post — illustrate how Moscow continues to try to manipulate countries in Eastern Europe even as its military campaign in Ukraine falters. The FSB has funneled tens of millions of dollars from some of Russia’s biggest state companies to cultivate a network of Moldovan politicians and reorient the country toward Moscow, the documents and interviews indicate.

FishBulbia posted:

"I would like to quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s famous Harvard Commencement Address delivered in 1978. He said that typical of the West is “a continuous blindness of superiority”– and it continues to this day – which “upholds the belief that vast regions everywhere on our planet should develop and mature to the level of present-day Western systems.” He said this in 1978. Nothing has changed.

Over the nearly 50 years since then, the blindness about which Solzhenitsyn spoke and which is openly racist and neocolonial, has acquired especially distorted forms, in particular, after the emergence of the so-called unipolar world. What am I referring to? Belief in one’s infallibility is very dangerous; it is only one step away from the desire of the infallible to destroy those they do not like, or as they say, to cancel them. Just think about the meaning of this word."

Darling of the Left Jordan Putinson

It is truly remarkable how aspects of Putin's ideology is very much just an amalgamation of the more virulent anti-communist thinkers, and yet somehow still attracts people on the left in the west.

Tarezax posted:

Wait are you talking about Jordan Peterson? Widely accepted as part of the alt-Right? Who the gently caress thinks he's remotely leftist?

Paladinus posted:

Today is the Day of Liberation of Ukraine from Fascist Invaders, and Zelenskyi's address is very heavy on parallels with WW2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N0FaNzhmZo
(English subtitles are available)

cinci zoo sniper posted:

No, they’re talking about Vladimir Putin.

quote:

Russia has likely augmented some of its units west of the Dnipro River with mobilised reservists. However, this is from an extremely low level of manning. In September 2022, Russian officers described companies in the Kherson sector as consisting of between six and eight men each. Companies should deploy with around 100 personnel. In the last six weeks there has been a clear move from Russian ground forces to transition to a long-term, defensive posture on most areas of the front line in Ukraine. This is likely due to a more realistic assessment that the severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is currently only capable of defensive operations. Even if Russia succeeds in consolidating long-term defensive lines in Ukraine, its operational design will remain vulnerable. To regain the initiative, it will need to regenerate higher quality, mobile forces which are capable of dynamically countering Ukrainian breakthroughs and conducting their own large-scale offensive operations.

FishBulbia posted:

"I would like to quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s famous Harvard Commencement Address delivered in 1978. He said that typical of the West is “a continuous blindness of superiority”– and it continues to this day – which “upholds the belief that vast regions everywhere on our planet should develop and mature to the level of present-day Western systems.” He said this in 1978. Nothing has changed.

Over the nearly 50 years since then, the blindness about which Solzhenitsyn spoke and which is openly racist and neocolonial, has acquired especially distorted forms, in particular, after the emergence of the so-called unipolar world. What am I referring to? Belief in one’s infallibility is very dangerous; it is only one step away from the desire of the infallible to destroy those they do not like, or as they say, to cancel them. Just think about the meaning of this word."

Darling of the Left Jordan Putinson

It is truly remarkable how aspects of Putin's ideology is very much just an amalgamation of the more virulent anti-communist thinkers, and yet somehow still attracts people on the left in the west.

quote:

Relations with the former colonial world now have switched to the opposite extreme and the Western world often exhibits an excess of obsequiousness, but it is difficult yet to estimate the size of the bill which former colonial countries will present to the West and it is difficult to predict whether the surrender not only of its last colonies, but of everything it owns, will be sufficient for the West to clear this account.

quote:

The anguish of a divided world gave birth to the theory of convergence between the leading Western countries and the Soviet Union. It is a soothing theory which overlooks the fact that these worlds are not at all evolving toward each other and that neither one can be transformed into the other without violence. Besides, convergence inevitably means acceptance of the other side’s defects, too, and this can hardly suit anyone.

quote:

In spite of the abundance of information, or maybe partly because of it, the West has great difficulty in finding its bearings amid contemporary events. There have been naïve predictions by some American experts who believed that Angola would become the Soviet Union’s Vietnam or that the impudent Cuban expeditions in Africa would best be stopped by special US courtesy to Cuba. Kennan’s advice to his own country—to begin unilateral disarmament—belongs to the same category. If you only knew how the youngest of the officials in Moscow’s Old Square [Communist Party HQ] roar with laughter at your political wizards! As to Fidel Castro, he openly scorns the United States, boldly sending his troops to distant adventures from his country right next to yours.

However, the most cruel mistake occurred with the failure to understand the Vietnam war. Some people sincerely wanted all wars to stop just as soon as possible; others believed that the way should be left open for national, or Communist, self-determination in Vietnam (or in Cambodia, as we see today with particular clarity). But in fact, members of the US antiwar movement became accomplices in the betrayal of Far Eastern nations, in the genocide and the suffering today imposed on thirty million people there. Do these convinced pacifists now hear the moans coming from there? Do they understand their responsibility today? Or do they prefer not to hear? The American intelligentsia lost its nerve and as a consequence the danger has come much closer to the United States. But there is no awareness of this. Your short-sighted politician who signed the hasty Vietnam capitulation seemingly gave America a carefree breathing pause; however, a hundredfold Vietnam now looms over you. Small Vietnam had been a warning and an occasion to mobilize the nation’s courage. But if the full might of America suffered a full-fledged defeat at the hands of a small Communist half-country, how can the West hope to stand firm in the future?

quote:

I have said on another occasion that in the twentieth-century Western democracy has not won any major war by itself; each time it shielded itself with an ally possessing a powerful land army, whose philosophy it did not question. In World War II against Hitler, instead of winning the conflict with its own forces, which would certainly have been sufficient, Western democracy raised up another enemy, one that would prove worse and more powerful, since Hitler had neither the resources nor the people, nor the ideas with broad appeal, nor such a large number of supporters in the West—a fifth column—as the Soviet Union possessed. Some Western voices already have spoken of the need of a protective screen against hostile forces in the next world conflict; in this case, the shield would be China. But I would not wish such an outcome to any country in the world. First of all, it is again a doomed alliance with evil; it would grant the United States a respite, but when at a later date China with its billion people would turn around armed with American weapons, America itself would fall victim to a Cambodia-style genocide.

SirFozzie posted:

But still. 6-8% combat strength????

Chalks posted:

Things have been pretty quiet recently and with winter on the horizon things might slow down a lot. However, there are some rumours of a breakthrough near Svatove on pro RU channels today:

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1585927104562335745

https://twitter.com/Tendar/status/1585949955843182592

Could be some of Ukraine's last efforts before the bad weather sets in

PC LOAD LETTER posted:

Ukraine was able to mount some pretty nasty attacks on Russian rear areas and logistics during the last muddy season since it forced the Russians to stick to the roads.

Has there been any indication they'll be able to pull off something like that again? Or was that sort've attack method only really practical while the Russians were still attempting to take Kyiv due to the geography or something?

Chalks posted:

Could be some of Ukraine's last efforts before the bad weather sets in

Bashez posted:

To my best understanding this is the bad weather season right now. Things will improve when freezes come and the ground hardens instead of being the soppy mess it is right now.

FishBulbia posted:

"I would like to quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s famous Harvard Commencement Address delivered in 1978. He said that typical of the West is “a continuous blindness of superiority”– and it continues to this day – which “upholds the belief that vast regions everywhere on our planet should develop and mature to the level of present-day Western systems.” He said this in 1978. Nothing has changed.

Over the nearly 50 years since then, the blindness about which Solzhenitsyn spoke and which is openly racist and neocolonial, has acquired especially distorted forms, in particular, after the emergence of the so-called unipolar world. What am I referring to? Belief in one’s infallibility is very dangerous; it is only one step away from the desire of the infallible to destroy those they do not like, or as they say, to cancel them. Just think about the meaning of this word."

Darling of the Left Jordan Putinson

It is truly remarkable how aspects of Putin's ideology is very much just an amalgamation of the more virulent anti-communist thinkers, and yet somehow still attracts people on the left in the west.

Pook Good Mook posted:

It's more likely that if the rear lines of support are attacked it will be by partisans behind the lines.

Barrel Cactaur posted:

It makes a lot of sense if you understand that a lot of western leftist movements fall more towards an almost dogmatic religious philosophy rather than an open collection of free thinkers. Adherence to the symbols of communism as expressed by the Soviet union. Actual reality has no bearing on supporting the deity(the idea of the Soviet union) against it's enemy (western capitalists). No nuance or deviation is allowed. Marx is considered a holy scripture rather than a fairly early work of political philosophy. It is an adherence to a dead static ideology rather than a living one. It literally cannot come to terms with the idea that the us does good things.

Lance of Llanwyln posted:

WarpedLichen posted:

I feel like anti imperialism as a concept is part of the current international order Putin is against. The view would be similar to WW2 Japan sentiments, where western powers used imperialism to gain power and then used their power to prevent any others from doing the same to challenge that power. Pulling up the ladder. So in essence, the west should let dictators in other regions go unchallenged because mounting any challenge would be hypocrisy.

quote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N0FaNzhmZo

mllaneza posted:

Goddamn that's a good speech. Totally a pro-click, that right there should be showing up in rhetoric coursework beside Orwell and Letter From A Birmingham Jail as an example of how you use language to make things happen.

quote:

Evil always ends the same way. The occupier becomes a capitulator. The invader becomes a fugitive. War criminals become defendants, aggression becomes a sentence. Destruction becomes reparations. Enemy equipment becomes museum exhibits. The feats of grandfathers become the victories of grandchildren.

WarpedLichen posted:

I feel like anti imperialism as a concept is part of the current international order Putin is against. The view would be similar to WW2 Japan sentiments, where western powers used imperialism to gain power and then used their power to prevent any others from doing the same to challenge that power. Pulling up the ladder. So in essence, the west should let dictators in other regions go unchallenged because mounting any challenge would be hypocrisy.

Morrow posted:

Putin wants a bipolar world again, simple as that. His objection to a unipolar world isn't intrinsic to it, imperialism is fine when Russia does it. His objection is that Russia isn't able to do its imperialism. He'd be fine with a multipolar world with China and others as long as Russia had freedom of action.

Nevermind that the "West" had generally been content to give Russia its sphere of influence and clients in Central Asia and the Middle East until Putin directly challenged western influence in Ukraine (I'm glossing over domestic factors and Ukrainian agency) and even then the post-2014 western involvement had been confined to very minor support to the newly anti-Russian government. In a way Putin had his multipolar world, it's just the Russian sphere wasn't big enough for Putin.

cinci zoo sniper posted:

It’s going to worse throughout November.

Ikasuhito posted:

It's a shame, but the weather is what it is.

After all you would have to be a brainless clod to launch a major offensive during the wet and muddy season!

SirFozzie posted:

Really interesting bit from today's UK briefing

https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1585885272440545284

I had to smirk a bit about the word choice of "regenerate" to indicate that they need to train up their forces to an acceptable level. "What, are they going to shoot some 48 year old butcher from the provinces, and have him turn into a 24 year old Spetsnaz wonderwarrior ala Doctor Who?" But still. 6-8% combat strength????

FlamingLiberal posted:

This is way worse than I had thought regarding Russian strength. There is no chance in hell that they can fill that even partly with conscripts. So many more people are going to continue to die for Putin's bullshit war.

quote:

Hayday said the Kremlin had deployed “thousands” of mobilized reservists to stave off the Ukrainian counteroffensive. “There are a lot of newly mobilized personnel in the Luhansk region – thousands of them actually,” he said. “There are already a couple of thousand around Bakhmut, but they die in bulk. The mobilized simply go forward to identify our positions. They will not break through, but they are still people who can pull a trigger and so bullets will be shot in our direction.”

“The average “shelf life” of mobilized personnel is about two weeks,” he added.

Hayday claimed that Ukrainian troops were still pushing forward one to three kilometers a day on some parts of the frontline, despite weather that, “does not contribute to the Ukrainian advance.”