Russia Invades Ukraine. Again
POSTED BY: captaincrunch
UPDATED: Sunday, September 6, 2026 21:09
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Russians have damaged Ukraine before this war:
What HBO’s “Chernobyl” Got Right, and What It Got Terribly Wrong
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Summary executions, or even delayed executions on orders of a single apparatchik, were not a feature of Soviet life after the nineteen-thirties. By and large, Soviet people did what they were told without being threatened with guns or any punishment.
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The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular message as for the purpose of making learning impossible, replacing facts with mush, and handing the faceless state a monopoly on defining an ever-shifting reality.
Quote:https://web.archive.org/web/20230228050136/https://www.newyorker.com/n
The Harvard historian Serhii Plokhy’s 2018 book on Chernobyl reconstructs the sequence of events and assigns blame. In effect, Plokhy argues, it was the Soviet system that created Chernobyl and made the explosion inevitable. Glimmers of this understanding appear in the HBO series, too. In the final episode, Legasov, testifying as a witness, tells a Soviet court that the disaster happened because the tips of the control rods were made of graphite, which sped up the reaction, when the control rod was supposed to slow it down. When asked, by the prosecutor, why the reactor was designed this way, Legasov cites the same reason that other safety precautions are ignored and other corners are cut: “It’s cheaper.” He seems to be damning the whole system.
More often, however, we are given to believe that the three men who were put on trial—and especially one of them, a particularly unattractive villain by the name of Anatoly Dyatlov (Paul Ritter)—are to blame. We see him strong-arming younger, better men into actions that will ultimately lead to catastrophe. All because, it seems, he wants a promotion. In fact, it wasn’t the carrot of a single promotion, or even several promotions, and it wasn’t one nasty and abusive boss. It was the system, made up primarily of pliant men and women, that cut its own corners, ignored its own precautions, and ultimately blew up its own nuclear reactor for no good reason except that this was how things were done. The viewer is invited to fantasize that, if not for Dyatlov, the better men would have done the right thing and the fatal flaw in the reactor, and the system itself, might have remained latent. This is a lie.
It would be harder to show a system digging its own grave instead of an ambitious, evil man causing the disaster. In the same way, it’s harder to see dozens of scientists looking for clues when you can just create a single fantasy character who will have all the good disaster-fighting traits. This is the great-men (and one woman) narrative of history, where it’s a few steps, a few decisions, made by a few men that matter, rather than the mess that humans make and from which they suffer.
ews/our-columnists/what-hbos-chernobyl-got-right-and-what-it-got-terribly-wrong
Serhii Plokhy’s 2018 book on Chernobyl can be downloaded for free from the mirrors at https://libgen.unblockit.bio/search.php?req=Serhii+Plokhy+Chernobyl
From the preface of Chernobyl: There are numerous marks of the long-gone communist past on the streets of the city. Communist-era slogans are still there, and inside the abandoned movie theater, a portrait of a communist leader. Vita, our guide, says that no one can now tell who is depicted there, but I recognize a familiar face from my days as a young university professor in Ukraine at the time of the catastrophe—the painting is of Viktor Chebrikov, the head of the KGB from 1982 to 1988. It has miraculously survived the past thirty years, undamaged except for a tiny hole near Chebrikov’s nose. Otherwise, the image is perfectly fine. We move on.
It is strange, I think to myself, that Vita, an excellent tour guide, cannot identify Chebrikov. She also seems at a loss to explain the signs saying “meat,” “milk,” and “cheese” hanging from what was once the ceiling of an abandoned So
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Zelensky pledges to ‘find the murderers’ of Ukrainian soldier executed in grisly video
“Today, a video has emerged of the occupiers brutally killing a warrior who bravely said to their faces: ‘Glory to Ukraine!'” Zelensky said in his address. “I want us all to respond to his words together, in unity: ‘Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to Ukraine!’ And we will find the murderers.”
“Ukraine will not forget the feat of each and everyone whose lives gave freedom to Ukraine forever,” he added.
“Eternal memory and honor to all those who gave lives for freedom for our people!” he said. “Eternal memory and honor to all Ukrainian heroes of different times who dreamed and fought for freedom for Ukraine! Ukraine will emerge victorious!”
More at https://thehill.com/policy/international/3887113-zelensky-pledges-to-f
ind-the-murderers-of-ukrainian-soldier-executed-in-grisly-video/
In other news, the response from Trumptards and Putin was "Fake News. Haven't you seen a Hollywood movie? That soldier is still alive."
Trump makes implausible claim that he'd end Ukraine war in a day
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Quote:
Originally posted by THG:Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:Quote:
nihilism
ni'?-liz??m, ne'-
noun
*The doctrine that nothing actually exists or that existence or values are meaningless.
*Relentless negativity or cynicism suggesting an absence of values or beliefs.
*Political belief or action that advocates or commits violence or terrorism without discernible constructive goals.
I think the word you're looking for, THUGR, is nationalism. I see myself as a realist, focused on AMERICA'S long term national interests. I don't see us needing to be "global cop" or "global hegemon" or "bringing freedom to the globe" or global anything. Let's just be a nation among nations and make America the best it can be, and then we can be a positive example for others to aspire to.
Instead of overthrowing or invading nations willy-nilly and supporting corrupt regimes everywhere.
All the older members who've left, Jack loves taking credit for that by the way, all referred to you as being a Russia Troll. Therefore, your posts are received as if you are. You don't have to admit it.
T
LOL... Wishy and Cap'n Crunch are even worse sources than your news sources, dipshit.
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Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.
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Quote:
Originally posted by second:
Zelensky pledges to ‘find the murderers’ of Ukrainian soldier executed in grisly video
“Today, a video has emerged of the occupiers brutally killing a warrior who bravely said to their faces: ‘Glory to Ukraine!'” Zelensky said in his address. “I want us all to respond to his words together, in unity: ‘Glory to the Hero! Glory to the Heroes! Glory to Ukraine!’ And we will find the murderers.”
“Ukraine will not forget the feat of each and everyone whose lives gave freedom to Ukraine forever,” he added.
“Eternal memory and honor to all those who gave lives for freedom for our people!” he said. “Eternal memory and honor to all Ukrainian heroes of different times who dreamed and fought for freedom for Ukraine! Ukraine will emerge victorious!”
Fake news. Fake soldier.
Also, 5 minute hate.
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Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.
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Quote:6ix, your verbal nonsense would work with other Trumptards, but people who aren't failures like you would fire you or kick you out of their lives. In that way, they reinforce the judgment that you are a failure. Obviously, 6ix is not comprehending what is a failure. Similarly, Trump insists he will end the Russia/Ukraine War in one day. He promised the same with the war between North Korea and South Korea. Trump was lying then. Trump is lying now. Trump is a bigger failure than his Trumptards:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Fake news. Fake soldier.
Also, 5 minute hate.
Trump makes the implausible claim that he'd end the Ukraine war in a day
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Quote:
Originally posted by second:Quote:6ix, your verbal nonsense would work with other Trumptards, but people who aren't failures like you would fire you or kick you out of their lives. In that way, they reinforce the judgment that you are a failure.
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Fake news. Fake soldier.
Also, 5 minute hate.
Quote:
Obviously, 6ix is not comprehending what is a failure. Similarly, Trump insists he will end the Russia/Ukraine War in one day. He promised the same with the war between North Korea and South Korea. Trump was lying then. Trump is lying now. Trump is a bigger failure than his Trumptards:
Trump makes the implausible claim that he'd end the Ukraine war in a day
Trump would end the war in a single day. In fact, it never would have even begun if he were in office now.
Nobody can take your opinion of what is and is not a failure seriously because your "leader" and his party have been failing the American people for over 2 years now and you fail to recognize it.
Have fun with your miserable, unproductive and insignificant life the next few days. I have shit to do and people to help, so you'll have to find a way to manage without me destroying you.
I know you'll be right here when I get back, because you are predictable, pathetic and without any purpose in life.
Toodles, waste of carbon.
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Growing up in a Republic was nice... Shame we couldn't keep it.
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Quote:6ix, you spent a decade as a falling-down-drunk. It took you that long to realize alcohol was your problem. Your understanding of what was wrong with your life arrived very slowly and erratically. Russians are falling-down-dead in Ukraine because Russians haven't realized that their problem is Putin, not Ukraine. The smartest Russians left Russia soon after Putin took over. The less smart ones have stayed until recently, then they fled to avoid Putin's War. That leaves the dumbest Russians, slow learners such as 6ix, to take about a decade (the same length of time as it took 6ix to figure out that alcohol was his problem) before they will understand Putin is the problem, not Ukraine.
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Trump would end the war in a single day. In fact, it never would have even begun if he were in office now.
Nobody can take your opinion of what is and is not a failure seriously because your "leader" and his party have been failing the American people for over 2 years now and you fail to recognize it.
Once a Russian dies in Ukraine, his problems are over, but the smarter Russians back home can achieve enlightenment that Putin is the problem as more and more Russians die in Ukraine. On the other hand, the dumber Russians will never reach any form of enlightenment, not even a glimmer. Only ignominious death will end their problems. The same is true of America's dumbest - the Trumptards.
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Robust Ukrainian and Russian air defenses have rendered both sides’ aircraft, particularly those used for close air support missions, largely “worthless” in the war between the two countries, according to a top American Air Force general.
About 60 Ukrainian aircraft and 70 Russian aircraft have been downed in the year since Russia launched its invasion, according to commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa Gen. James Hecker, a feat accomplished by the two countries’ highly capable air defense systems that have left much of the battlefield airspace off limits.
“Both of their integrated air and missile defense, especially when you’re talking about going against aircraft, have been very effective,” Hecker said during a roundtable at the Air and Space Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium. “And that’s why they’re not flying” in many areas, he added.
The US and other NATO countries have for months kicked around the idea of sending multi-role F-16 Fighting Falcons to Ukraine. So far, the US has been reluctant to take that step with F-16s. Hecker said the F-16 efficacy, especially in close air support roles, could be in doubt due to current Russian air defenses.
More at https://breakingdefense.com/2023/03/in-ukraine-fight-integrated-air-de
fense-has-made-many-aircraft-worthless-us-air-force-general/
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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Russia and Ukraine's deadliest battle is starting to look like Stalingrad 'without the importance,' expert says
Michael Peck Mar 7, 2023, 5:09 PM
https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-and-ukraine-bakhmut-battle-look
s-like-stalingrad-expert-says-2023-3
1) Russia and Ukraine both say Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine, is the site of their deadliest fighting.
2) The cost in lives on both sides appears disproportionate to the city's actual strategic value.
3) An expert on Russia's military likened it to Stalingrad, but without the same level of significance.
What if Stalingrad hadn't been named after Josef Stalin?
If that city hadn't been identified with Adolf Hitler's arch-nemesis, then perhaps the fuhrer wouldn't have been quite as obsessed with capturing it — or at least not so obsessed as to lose 300,000 soldiers and any chance Nazi Germany had of winning World War II.
But at least Stalingrad was an industrial city, a major inland port on the Volga River that was a vital transportation artery for Soviet war production and home to a half-million people. Thus capturing or holding Stalingrad had some strategic value.
What exactly is the value of the city of Bakhmut?
It is one of many cities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Before Russia's invasion last year it had a population of just 71,000. It has a nice winery, and a couple of highways pass through it.
But is Bakhmut an objective worth 30,000 Russian casualties and thousands of Ukrainian casualties whom Kyiv can ill afford to lose?
Western experts are struggling to understand why both sides are pouring enormous resources — and prestige — into the Battle of Bakhmut.
"Both sides have really been going at it there," Dara Massicot, an expert on Russia's military at the Rand Corporation think tank, said during a recent symposium.
"They've taken a lot of casualties. They've expended a lot of ammunition," Massicot added. "It's becoming like a Stalingrad except for without the importance of Stalingrad."
Capturing Bakhmut would "give the Russians a launch point from which to drive northwest along the E40 highway to Slovyansk, or north to the town of Siversk," according to The Washington Post.
But to what end? "Russian forces have tried and failed to take these cities in the past," The Post said. Ukraine has already dug trench lines behind Bakhmut, so any Russian attempt to exploit the capture of Bakhmut would be hindered or blocked by fresh Ukrainian defenses.
Hitler may have been fixated on capturing the city named after Stalin. The Kremlin may be fixating on Bakhmut because of internal rivalries.
Instead of the regular Russian soldiers whose performance in Ukraine has been disappointing, the siege of Bakhmut has been waged largely by the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization with deep ties to the Putin government.
Much like the Red Army's penal battalions in World War II, Wagner is using convicts as cannon fodder to wear down the Ukrainian defenders with haphazard attacks — launched with the threat of execution for those who retreat or surrender — and then sending in better-trained contract soldiers to finish the job.
For his part, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to hold Bakhmut, warning that capturing it would give Russian forces an "open road" to other Ukrainian cities.
But why that city in particular? Ukraine would not lose the war if Bakhmut falls, as it is likely to now that Russia has captured most of the city and has almost cut the Ukrainian defenders' supply lines. In fact, there are indications that Ukrainian forces may already be withdrawing.
"If the Ukrainians decide to reposition in some of the terrain that's west of Bakhmut, I would not view that as an operational or a strategic setback," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters Monday. "I think it's more of a symbolic value than it is a s
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NATO intelligence meanwhile estimates that for every Ukrainian soldier killed defending Bakhmut, Russian forces have lost at least five, a military official with the alliance told CNN on Monday. The official cautioned the 5-to-1 ratio was an informed estimate based on intelligence.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/europe/ukraine-volodymyr-zelensky-cnn-i
nterview-bakhmut-intl/index.html
Zelenskyy’s national security chief Oleksiy Danilov on Friday said the casualties had been “one to seven in our favour”.
https://www.ft.com/content/439aa6b0-2f3c-4eca-b81f-b7e9c8eb286f
Is it 7-to-1 ratio?
5-to-1?
1-to-1?
That ratio controls who eventually wins. What is the real ratio?
The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly
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