Putin sends cannibals to fight in Ukraine
Russian media report that the president pardoned two convicted cannibals because they fought in his war.
www.politico.eu
Ukraine
- Thread starter Silvanus
- Start date
www.politico.eu
Where many other countries in Europe, among them some of our immediate neighbours, have openly socialist parties as members of parliament or government, the German left is mostly made up of very distinctly bourgeois Social Democratic parties, with actual worker parties being completely irrelevant. There's also just a general disregard for socialists and communists role both in terms of being victims in Nazi Germany as well as in terms of their role in the resistance against it. And the treatment of East Germany's history post annexation is a can of worms all on its own.
The Left party has seen better and worse days. They also managed to nearly get into the gouvernment last election and have been gouverning in the Länder for decades.
But yes, they have many problems. Most of them from endless infighting. Surprisingly, now that Wagenknecht left to make her own thing, the membership number for the Left is on the rise again.
Still, looking at e.g. Britain, comparing Labor and SPD and Linke or CDU and Tories, i have a hard time coming to your conclusion.
But the most important thing is while the lefter parties are somewhat struggling, there is very little "dogmatic anticommunism" going around. Communists are not a boogie-man in Germany.
And not only did many Germans themself grow up in the Eastern block, they generally saw favorable towards the USSR for allowing the reunification and did regard the attempts to improve relations as very successful. They kinda even extended the sentiment to Russia later and defended Russia internationally for a long time. Of course now they feel betrayed.
But yes, they have many problems. Most of them from endless infighting. Surprisingly, now that Wagenknecht left to make her own thing, the membership number for the Left is on the rise again.
Still, looking at e.g. Britain, comparing Labor and SPD and Linke or CDU and Tories, i have a hard time coming to your conclusion.
But the most important thing is while the lefter parties are somewhat struggling, there is very little "dogmatic anticommunism" going around. Communists are not a boogie-man in Germany.
And not only did many Germans themself grow up in the Eastern block, they generally saw favorable towards the USSR for allowing the reunification and did regard the attempts to improve relations as very successful. They kinda even extended the sentiment to Russia later and defended Russia internationally for a long time. Of course now they feel betrayed.
Last edited:
A lot of rural areas were indeed thrown under the bus at the time, but the fact remains that Ukraine was subject to stringent and extreme measures that other areas were not. It was uniquely targeted, and the distinctly enormous death toll there corresponds.
If not intentional, this would at the very least indicate a callous disregard for life in Ukraine that went far beyond elsewhere in the USSR.
Motte
and Bailey.
The conflict in Ukraine at the time wasn't even about Ukrainian independence. It was about the wealthier owners of farms objecting to collectivization, and one way they did that was burning crops and slaughtering livestock. Whatever you believe happened, characterizing it as "weaponized mass starvation to crush Ukrainian aspirations of independence" is just eating the whole Nazi boot.
Last edited:
The poorer farmers didn't like colllectivisation any better because they rightfully believed that just meant they basically lose everything and are at mercy of whoever eventually distributes or organizes the leftovers.
But overlall the "rich farmer" kulak thing was mostly for scapegoating. They never contributed in any significance to the problem.
Quite frankly I don't think it matters much whether the Holodomor was a genocide or an accident. The only reason Russia was even in a position to starve out Ukraine by design/incompetence was because they conquered it. Russia shouldn't have even been in a position to decide policy within Ukraine. The starvation was a direct result of the same deluded imperialism that still drives the Russian government to this day.
And generally speaking misrule, corruption and backwardness were hallmark of Russian governance in whatever region they conquered against the will of the people living there.
And generally speaking misrule, corruption and backwardness were hallmark of Russian governance in whatever region they conquered against the will of the people living there.
Well, no. The Ukrainian idea of independence was a thing, and the Soviet high command were well aware of that fact. After all, the Soviets spent several years violently removing Ukraine's independence around the end of WW1. Whilst you can fairly say that Ukrainian independence might not have been the top of Stalin's motivations at the time of the Holodomor, I don't think you can entirely ignore it either. For instance, in the 1930s the Soviets also became more repressive and restricted the local cultural activities of Soviet republics, plus purges, etc.
Thus the holodomor would be consistent with Stalin's other actions in the 1930s. This makes am accusation that the Holodomor was either deliberate, or that Stalin was in some way influenced to more readily let it happen, at minimum credible.
Ohhh, pretty interesting that you're including both the existence of the famine and the fact it was intentionally weaponised as the 'motte'-- easily defended and justified. Glad you agree on that point, and have at least not swallowed that particular Soviet denial.
FYI, if your sole gripe is the specific motivation for the government to intentionally drive 3+ million Ukrainians in starvation, that doesn't indicate a very morally robust position when leaping to their defence.
Huh.
This followed those letters from Soviet officials in charge of Ukrainian collectivisation begging central leadership for famine relief. Looks like Stalin recognised there was a problem! So what was done? Something to relieve the mass starvation, surely?Stalin to Kaganovich said:
...uhrm, an intensification of the transfer of food out of Ukraine, and a raft of repressive measures aimed at subsistence farmers (death penalty or 5-10 years incarceration for keeping small amounts of leftover grain after harvest, even if quotas were met), far beyond anything seen elsewhere in the USSR. Officials who had written to central leadership either transferred away, fired, or killed. Ukrainian language removed from public life by law.
Read an article today that argues it was Russia's fault that Nagorno-Karabakh experienced ethnic cleansing:
theins.ru
Also saw a YouTube video which was highly educational, at least to me, and which is looking ahead of what to expect once the war is over:
The story of a betrayal: Why Russia acquiesced in the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh
On November 17, the International Court of Justice at the United Nations implemented temporary measures against Azerbaijan. These measures underscored the rights of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh—to return home without obstruction and to be free from the threat of violence. Simultaneously, the...
theins.ru
Also saw a YouTube video which was highly educational, at least to me, and which is looking ahead of what to expect once the war is over:
Who lost Ukraine?
Joe Biden, like Ukraine itself, is at the mercy of dysfunctional Congressional politics.
thehill.com
Ukraine signals a shift toward defense as analysts ask whether 'failed counteroffensive' is over
Ukraine signaled it's shifting its military tactics to a more defensive footing after an analysis of Russia's resource capabilities, and as winter arrives.
www.cnbc.com
‘Russia looks stronger and has a four-fold advantage in manpower’
Ukraine hoped to unleash punishing counterattacks on Russian troops. Experts explain why the push fell short.
I am calling it. Ukraine has lost.
What do you mean by 'losing' here? Full loss of the four districts claimed by Russia? Or inability to reclaim the territory currently occupied by the invader?
Dialling back offensive operations during winter just makes sense for both Russia and Ukraine because offensive operations become so much more costly and dangerous.
Last edited:
Ukraine has lost a lot of troops and the average age of their troops is around 40+.
'We're losing': Ukrainians reel from war chief's stalemate warning
In eastern Ukraine, where another gruelling winter is descending -- along with it a likely freeze in major frontline movements -- one Ukrainian soldier had a grim assessment of the conflict.
We should have given them F-16Cs sooner.
Edit: I don't want to be right on this, but my brain is telling me that Ukraine has lost due to the 2024 elections likely stopping funding of their side of the war, and the high number of Ukrainian deaths from the conflict. We should have sent them F-15s and F-16s, and sooner.
Edit2:
Ukraine could lose the war if the U.S. delays military aid, top Ukrainian official says
The Biden administration has asked Congress for more than $105 billion for Ukraine, Israel and U.S. border security, but so far Republicans in the House have said no.
Last edited:
OK but you didn't answer my question.Ukraine has lost a lot of troops and the average age of their troops is around 40+.
'We're losing': Ukrainians reel from war chief's stalemate warning
In eastern Ukraine, where another gruelling winter is descending -- along with it a likely freeze in major frontline movements -- one Ukrainian soldier had a grim assessment of the conflict.www.france24.com
We should have given them F-16Cs sooner.