Ukraine

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

Russia reportedly deploys Indian T-90S Bhishma to Ukraine, without New Delhi deal

A photo published surreptitiously before being removed from Telegram messaging could well create a major incident between India and Russia.

meta-defense.fr

So apparently Russia stole a bunch of Tanks they were supposed to repair for India and use them in Ukraine.

I doubt India will throw much of a fuss about this but its still funny

 

[Dalisclock]

Russia reportedly deploys Indian T-90S Bhishma to Ukraine, without New Delhi deal

A photo published surreptitiously before being removed from Telegram messaging could well create a major incident between India and Russia.

meta-defense.fr

So apparently Russia stole a bunch of Tanks they were supposed to repair for India and use them in Ukraine.

I doubt India will throw much of a fuss about this but its still funny

I've gotten the Impression that India is only nominally friendly to Russia and China because both of them are right there next to India and that puts them in a really awkward spot geopolitically speaking. That's why they've generally kinda avoided condemning Russia, preferring to abstain until they absolutely have to. India is a military and nuclear power but apparently not in the same league as Russia is, at least nuclearwise.

China, OTOH, has no love for the West but generally likes using Russia to keep the West off Balance or at least keeps the focus off them. Basically Russia is China's Shit Shield, or at least that's how they're trying to use it. If Russia ceases to be useful in that role, I have no doubt China will decide it's time to dump them like a hot potato.

 

[Satinavian]

It seems to be about equivalent to The Sun here in the UK. So yeah, a right-wing rag, but unlikely to simply invent this wholesale.

On one hand, they had enough inaccuracies and falsehoods in the past that they lost a court case and can't call themself a "newspaper" anymore. On the other hand, they still do some proper investigative journalism and managed to get a couple of real good and important stories that way.

Imho it is not worth reading, but if others jump on the same topics (and are not just refuting them) the might have discovered something good again.


Otherwise, yes, they are a rightwing propaganda rag. They are also very lowbrow.

 

[Bedinsis]

Today on twitter I saw that Russian ally in the war Belarus has apparently outlawed inflation. This made me curious: how are things going in Belarus? Some articles later I wonder if Lukashenko has figured that Russia is gonna lose the war:

Belarusian volunteers join Ukraine's foreign legion as the war passes the three-month mark

Belarusian fighters have answered President Zelenskyy's call for foreign fighters to join Ukraine's resistance - united against the alliance between Presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin.

www.euronews.com

Belarus abolishes visa requirements for Polish citizens for six months

Minsk says the decision aims to foster "good neighbourly" relations amid heightened tensions.

www.euronews.com

EDIT: I should mention that both these articles are several months old, so nobody is left with an impression that this is a recent development.

 

[Dalisclock]

Today on twitter I saw that Russian ally in the war Belarus has apparently outlawed inflation. This made me curious: how are things going in Belarus? Some articles later I wonder if Lukashenko has figured that Russia is gonna lose the war:

Belarusian volunteers join Ukraine's foreign legion as the war passes the three-month mark

Belarusian fighters have answered President Zelenskyy's call for foreign fighters to join Ukraine's resistance - united against the alliance between Presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin.

www.euronews.com

Belarus abolishes visa requirements for Polish citizens for six months

Minsk says the decision aims to foster "good neighbourly" relations amid heightened tensions.

www.euronews.com

I'd be a little worried I were them and Russia kept trying to start WW3, becase Belarus is sitting smack dab between Russia and Poland, which at this point means Belarus is basically a Speedbump for Poland(and NATO). Lukashenko has to know this too.

Lukashenko: What is our purpose?
Putin: You buy Russia 15 minutes when WW3 breaks out.
*Beat*
Lukashenko: What the fuck, Putin?

 

[thestor]

Another forum I patronize has people claiming that Lukashenko has the better surviving instincts and will do his damnest not to get caught in Putin's mess.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

There's not much to trumpet for a tankie and all you're left with is conspiracy theories about black gay NATO witches dressed in Ukrainian uniforms(don't ask).

I'm sorry, but no. I need to ask.

 

[Eacaraxe]

There was also some degree of purging of its previous membership, although it's not clear how much.

It must not have been very bloody much for AP and Reuters to be chronically unable to take a single picture of one that isn't wearing some Nazi symbol, or conduct one interview without them popping off about how Russians (AKA, slavs) are subhumans in need of a purge.

In short, it's not clear, at this point, how connected the Azov regiment is to the civilian Azov movement, but they are taking orders from the government.

Kind of like how it's "unclear" how the Sich battalion is connected to the Sich movement.

There really isn't much danger of the Azov regiment running off into the mountains and calling themselves the wolverines. The danger when the war is over, and it's a danger faced by many countries not just Ukraine, is that experienced military veterans who either were or have become radicalized form smaller political militias or cells and use their knowledge to carry out acts of terrorism. But that's also why it's generally a good idea to get radicalized people out of your armed forces if you can afford to do so.

Nazis and neo-Nazis have such a famed reputation for standing down when told to do so by legal authorities and their commanding flag officers, after all. And not doing stupid shit like, say, trying to coup their governments, or turning on former comrades and allies once the fighting's supposed to be over.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I've gotten the Impression that India is only nominally friendly to Russia and China because both of them are right there next to India and that puts them in a really awkward spot geopolitically speaking. That's why they've generally kinda avoided condemning Russia, preferring to abstain until they absolutely have to. India is a military and nuclear power but apparently not in the same league as Russia is, at least nuclearwise.

With India it's more a remnant of post-Colonial, Cold War issues from back when they were Soviet-aligned. Plus that whole on-going territorial dispute with Pakistan...

Not to mention their current government are a bunch of rightwing dickbags, so they're probably just taking notes on what the international community will let Putin get away with... you know, just out of idle curiosity.

China, OTOH, has no love for the West but generally likes using Russia to keep the West off Balance or at least keeps the focus off them. Basically Russia is China's Shit Shield, or at least that's how they're trying to use it. If Russia ceases to be useful in that role, I have no doubt China will decide it's time to dump them like a hot potato.

China's biggest issue is that it has several deserts worth of sand in it's vagina about not getting the respect and influence it believes is the right of an economic and military superpower (people can quibble if they are actually are a military superpower yet but the CCP certainly seem to believe they are)... so they fucking love it when the West is distracted by other things.

 

[Dalisclock]

I'm sorry, but no. I need to ask.

Apparently there are conspiracy theories floating around that those sucessful Ukranian troops are actually NATO troops in Ukrianain uniform and one of the pieces of "evidence" offered is "some of are black people" AKA Americans. Because apparently there's no other place Black People live but in the US or some bullshit reason nor is there any other explanation why people fighting in Ukraine could be of dark skin then undercover NATO troops. True there are probably very few black Ukrainians, but Ukraine apparently has been fine with accepting volunteers from other nations, so it doesn't really prove anything.

The gay thing is basically the Russians seem to have a really weird fear of the gays and the witchcraft thing I threw in for the hell of it, though I would not be shocked if some of them believed there was literal witchcraft involved because how else would Russia be losing so badly. It would be hilarious if Baba Yaga ended up showing up to aid the Ukrainians just for the lolz(That would be a very popular tiktok video, a walking chicken legged hut crushing T-72s).

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

True there are probably very few black Ukrainians

Probably more than people would think, though. Soviet-era immigration from Soviet Bloc states was a thing.

 

[Dalisclock]

Probably more than people would think, though. Soviet-era immigration from Soviet Bloc states was a thing.

Fair enough. I had to remind myself there are East Asian Russians(nevermind Russia takes up a massive chunk of Asia) because the normal "Russian look" is Slavic.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Because apparently there's no other place Black People live but in the US or some bullshit reason

Man, Africa is going to be surprised.

 

[meiam]

I've gotten the Impression that India is only nominally friendly to Russia and China because both of them are right there next to India and that puts them in a really awkward spot geopolitically speaking. That's why they've generally kinda avoided condemning Russia, preferring to abstain until they absolutely have to. India is a military and nuclear power but apparently not in the same league as Russia is, at least nuclearwise.

China, OTOH, has no love for the West but generally likes using Russia to keep the West off Balance or at least keeps the focus off them. Basically Russia is China's Shit Shield, or at least that's how they're trying to use it. If Russia ceases to be useful in that role, I have no doubt China will decide it's time to dump them like a hot potato.

India is very much not a friend of china, they're actually kinda in cold war situation.

India is friendly with russia because they buy military gear from them while the west isn't really willing to sell India their best stuff. This is really awkward because if Russia is now using India gear and russia gear are shown to be of less than decent quality then India might start to retthink supporting Russia.

At the same time India isn't really friendly with the west and ideologically is closer to Russia. They're very nationalist and would like to be able to freely be racist without other country annoying them about it.

 

[Worgen]

 

[thestor]

India is very much not a friend of china, they're actually kinda in cold war situation.

India is friendly with russia because they buy military gear from them while the west isn't really willing to sell India their best stuff. This is really awkward because if Russia is now using India gear and russia gear are shown to be of less than decent quality then India might start to retthink supporting Russia.

At the same time India isn't really friendly with the west and ideologically is closer to Russia. They're very nationalist and would like to be able to freely be racist without other country annoying them about it.

What I don't get, Russia is China's ally and becoming more and more of a client, doesn't that bother India?

 

[Seanchaidh]

It's amusing to see how quiet Sean has gotten, and how toothless the few comments that do get uttered have become. Getting hard to defend simping for daddy putin???

i barely even look at this forum; please get a better hobby than watching what I don't do

 

[Elijin]

A - How does one forget your previous posts are there for everyone to see, as often as you.

B - I'll have as many hobbies as I like, they aren't mutually exclusive, I don't have to lock in on one.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Today on twitter I saw that Russian ally in the war Belarus has apparently outlawed inflation.

Erm?

Is that by the government setting prices for things that everyone is supposed to abide by, but without controlling the market so it utterly fails? I remember that being a thing that utterly failed for the Roman Empire.

 

[Bedinsis]

Erm?

Is that by the government setting prices for things that everyone is supposed to abide by, but without controlling the market so it utterly fails? I remember that being a thing that utterly failed for the Roman Empire.

Here's the tweet in question:

Though when I visit the website proper I cannot find the news story, so I cannot comment on how Lukashenko proposes to do that. Or even if that is a reliable website; I've never used it before.

Since I called Belarus a Russian ally earlier, I think it is important to stress how they are an ally, since I did not know until I checked up on Wikipedia: they're mostly passive supporters, allowing Russia to use their territory as a launching point of armies and stations for missile launchers. Which is a lot less involved than I thought.

I also read an article the other day that puts recent developments in a different light, at least for me: the Kharkiv region mostly was occupied rookie Russian soldiers, whereas the Kherson region still has some veterans. (The article is in Swedish, but I am certain there is some English-language equivalent somewhere on the 'net) Apparently Ukraine managed to arrange it that way via disinformation warfare of where they were likely to attack.