Russian protests in Moscow.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics-navalny-kremlin-idUSKBN29R10S

Russians in Moscow protesting against Putin's corruption. Surprise response from Russian authorities - they are arresting the hell out of protestors and actually suppressing their speech. Who could have seen that coming...

Here's the documentary that Navalny produced on Putin and corruption, I haven't watched it all yet, but it looks like a blinder. Watch it with the CC (unless you speak Russian  - there must be some Russian speakers on here?).

I think @ambermonke knows a little Russian 

Russia becoming more and more authoritarian (not that it wasn't that before) is partly to blame on Merkel. Schröder did a more diplomatic Russia politic which for a short time led Russia to open up and orient towards the West, Merkel spoilt that. Schröder is now working in the Russian oil industry, so there is that weird after taste. But had Merkel chosen a more diplomatic approach, maybe Russia would have continued that course of slowly becoming more liberal.

@dcom speaks Russian.

The world for sure is changing.

I think im going to end o moving to Island eventually, seems like a chill place.

i used to know a moderator like that

luckily his dick fell off

Putin checking in on his supply of polonium

  On 1/23/2021 at 6:24 PM, dingformung said:

Russia becoming more and more authoritarian (not that it wasn't that before) is partly to blame on Merkel. Schröder did a more diplomatic Russia politic which for a short time led Russia to open up and orient towards the West, Merkel spoilt that. Schröder is now working in the Russian oil industry, so there is that weird after taste. But had Merkel chosen a more diplomatic approach, maybe Russia would have continued that course of slowly becoming more liberal.

 

@dcom speaks Russian.

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What parts of Merkels’ policy do you think contributed to Putin becoming more authoritarian?

I did a few spot-checks on the video's subs and they're passable, they're not that nuanced so most probably a first pass was done with a machine translator, then someone checked everything and made it flow better. Although I studied it for 7-8 years I haven't used Russian that much so I'm a bit rusty, but I can still understand enough to say that the translation is good enough.

  On 1/23/2021 at 6:45 PM, dcom said:

I'm a bit rusky

reported

  On 1/23/2021 at 6:59 PM, Alcofribas said:

reported

That wasn't overt enough for you?

  On 1/23/2021 at 6:20 PM, sweepstakes said:

I think @ambermonke knows a little Russian 

Only enough to recognize cyrillics and a few basic greetings and swear words. Trying to learn more on Duolingo lately (along with Indonesian).

I still have no love for despots though, Putin included. Main reason I got interested was when I got into the Ukrainian game series S.T.A.L.K.E.R. over a decade ago. That and I get the impression that Russian gamers are master shitposters.

  On 1/23/2021 at 7:03 PM, dcom said:

That wasn't overt enough for you?

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Exactly what someone engaged in Russian psyops would say. 

  On 1/23/2021 at 7:07 PM, chenGOD said:

Exactly what someone engaged in Russian psyops would say. 

Смерть шпионам.

zeff speaks russian too. he's basically joseph stalin's son

  On 1/23/2021 at 7:48 PM, ARPA said:

 

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i bet palestinians would give their arms and legs for some of that snow

so it's the russians protesting in moscow? not the french or spanish?  

thanks for the doc link. i got a little obsessed with putin a few years ago after the "putin's way" doc/frontline episode came out over here.  worth looking up. tells his tory from soviet era childhood and rise to power etc. pretty amazing shit. there's a book called "The main without a face: rise of putin" something something.. i haven't read it but it's on the list. 

there was a russian guy who worked in the building several years ago where the synth shop i worked at was.. he was recent immigrant and would talk about russia sometimes. he said basically tha trussians were willing to live with a certain amount of corruption from their leaders if things are going well in the country.. but if things aren't going well they start to pay attention and get more active in politics etc. which seems typical of a lot of places but he made it sounds different there. 

  On 1/23/2021 at 8:11 PM, xox said:

i bet palestinians would give their arms and legs for some of that snow

they kind of trade their arms and legs regardless of having/not having snow. the israeli snipers targeting legs, particularly lower leg bones, with high caliber rifles is pretty fucked up.

  On 1/23/2021 at 8:21 PM, ignatius said:

they kind of trade their arms and legs regardless of having/not having snow. the israeli snipers targeting legs, particularly lower leg bones, with high caliber rifles is pretty fucked up.

beautiful! fakn world!

  On 1/23/2021 at 6:44 PM, chenGOD said:

What parts of Merkels’ policy do you think contributed to Putin becoming more authoritarian?

Maybe I should have rephrased. She didn't directly make him more authoritarian but she couldn't make him more liberal either, as Schröder apparently could. Maybe Putin was just playing a smart game but during the Schröder era Putin was way more interested in doing compromises. Maybe the annexation of Crimea could have been prevented (speculative but possible). Part of why Putin and Merkel don't like each other is maybe that they are two completely different types of politicians. Merkel isn't that vain/narcissistic type and also a woman and a hardcore transatlanticist (she loves that the US sanctions Germany for trading with Russia). Schröder and Putin were friends and licked each others ass - which is gross but had the side effect that Russia was more peaceful and less repressive during that time and that the influence of the West on Russia kept increasing. Now Russia is seen as the enemy and as a result acts like it. But I'm mostly just speculating. I read an interesting article about that but can't find it right now. If I do, I will link it here.

Obligatory Putin on horse picture:

  On 1/23/2021 at 8:54 PM, dingformung said:

Maybe I should have rephrased. She didn't directly make him more authoritarian but she couldn't make him more liberal either, as Schröder apparently could. Maybe Putin was just playing a smart game but during the Schröder era Putin was way more interested in doing compromises. Maybe the annexation of Crimea could have been prevented (speculative but possible). Part of why Putin and Merkel don't like each other is maybe that they are two completely different types of politicians. Merkel isn't that vain/narcissistic type and also a woman and a hardcore transatlanticist (she loves that the US sanctions Germany for trading with Russia). Schröder and Putin were friends and licked each others ass - which is gross but had the side effect that Russia was more peaceful and less repressive during that time and that the influence of the West on Russia kept increasing. Now Russia is seen as the enemy and as a result acts like it. But I'm mostly just speculating. I read an interesting article about that but can't find it right now. If I do, I will link it here.

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My own speculations: 

Putin would have become more authoritarian with time no matter who was in charge in Germany. Between the rise of the Chinese economic influence on a world stage and the constant yo-yo of power styles in the United States, those alone parallel with the trajectory of Putin's despotic leanings.

I'm also convinced that Putin had a hand in the apartment bombings of 1999 when he was still PM and look at that as a sign of his reflexive authoritarianism. His meddling in Ukrainian elections is another.

I agree that Merkel probably has had an influence on the trajectory, I would disagree on its severity. The cynical side of me thinks that he's going to automatically keep opinions he had on German leaders from his days in the Stasi.

  On 1/23/2021 at 9:26 PM, Taupe Beats said:

My own speculations: 

Putin would have become more authoritarian with time no matter who was in charge in Germany. Between the rise of the Chinese economic influence on a world stage and the constant yo-yo of power styles in the United States, those alone parallel with the trajectory of Putin's despotic leanings.

I'm also convinced that Putin had a hand in the apartment bombings of 1999 when he was still PM and look at that as a sign of his reflexive authoritarianism. His meddling in Ukrainian elections is another.

I agree that Merkel probably has had an influence on the trajectory, I would disagree on its severity. The cynical side of me thinks that he's going to automatically keep opinions he had on German leaders from his days in the Stasi.

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100% think the apartment bombings was a false flag by putin. the fact that they uncovered undetonated ordinance that is the exact type and  method used by security services (kgb/FSB) is some good evidence.  was done to so they could blame chechnya and invade making everyone forget about what was going on politically.  is discussed here.. as well as putin's actions prior on his rise to power.  - this is

episode 1

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/

episode 2.. 

https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-putins-way/

hey i don't speak russian...

  On 1/23/2021 at 9:35 PM, ignatius said:

is discussed here.. as well as putin's actions prior on his rise to power.  - this is episode 2.. episode 1 is there somewhere too. 

https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-putins-way/

Thanks, I'm going to watch this