Russia Invades Ukraine. Again
POSTED BY: captaincrunch
UPDATED: Sunday, September 6, 2026 21:09
VIEWED: 562266
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Quote:Then you will really hate this book, Signym, because it shows how Putin rewrites every bit of history to make Russians the heroes of their own fake stories:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
This report fails on thoroughness, transparency, and logic. Or maybe its a language problem. In any case, clear as mud. Very poorly written.
Oy!!
A few words from Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin’s Russia
By Jade McGlynn
The whole book can be downloaded for free from https://libgen.is//search.php?req=Jade+McGlynn
The future of cultural consciousness
According to the Russian media and government’s depictions of patriotism, cultural consciousness is attained through, and evidenced by, a true understanding of historical (allegorical) truth. Essentially, this idea can be reduced to the tautological formulation that Russians are defined by (and special because of) their unique understanding of their own history and culture but that you can only be Russian if you possess this consciousness of your culture (primarily history). Cultural consciousness is not a coherent ideology so much as a way of selling the core components of a worldview – that Russians needs a strong state, that Russia must develop along its own special path and that Russia is a great power with a mission to carry out in the world – in a way that also underpins the approved cultural memory.
Even the most cursory of inspections reveals that cultural consciousness offers a conceptualization of Russianness lacking in any concrete vision of Russia’s future beyond that of influence and power projection. Despite the media’s depictions of the template of coming-to-cultural-consciousness and the politicians’ heated orations equating Russianness with an embrace of historical justice, this is first and foremost a discourse of political legitimacy. As the Russian academic Igor’ Zevelev argues, it is about keeping the elites in power:
“In the end, from the broad assortment of ideas that appeared in intellectual discourse about Russia’s post-Soviet identity over the last twenty years, were chosen those [strands] which seemed the most suited to legitimizing the government and strengthening the independence, strength and influence of the Russian state.” – Zevelev 2014
The lack of a vision for the future reflects the cynicism inherent in the government’s efforts to subjugate discussions of Russian identity to their own immediate political requirements: Russian history, politics and identity are all instruments through which to legitimize the government and its rule. In place of ambitious plans or hopes for the future, there is, once again, this sense of nostalgic anticipation: looking forward to the future only for its similarities to the past. This also helps to deflect from the current lack of any attractive or viable political alternative to Vladimir Putin. Moreover, cultural consciousness provides a spur to action and a sense of purpose that can be realized outside of Russia’s borders, mobilizing and justifying Russian military action in Ukraine.
This sense of purpose, alongside the well-documented appeal of nostalgia, and the opportunity to present Russia as restoring at least some of a lost and idealized past, will likely encourage the Kremlin to continue to return to the emotive and symbolic potential of uses of history, from historical framing through memory wars to memory diplomacy. For this reason, the government and media’s uses of history will only become even more extreme as their war in Ukraine continues, especially if it continues to flounder. Consider, for example, the winter of 2019–20, when Putin responded to his flagging popularity ratings by engaging in a memory war over the causes of the Second World War with various Polish politicians (BBC 2019a) and by promising to inscribe into the new constitution the sanctity of the ‘true’ memory of the Great Patriotic War and Great Victory (Sokolov 2020), a promise he kept. Consider also the Moscow city authorities’ efforts in 2021 to distract from anti-governm
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A few words from War and Punishment: The Path to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
By Mikhail Zygar
This book is not only about the present but also about the past — about the historical myths from which today’s politics has grown and which it is founded upon. I carefully and impartially read the historical sources and tried to trace the origins and development of the brutal Russian Empire that gave rise to the current war. This book is by no means an attempt to write the history of Ukraine. Rather, it is a “detective story through the eyes of the criminal,” a chronicle of how Russia has oppressed Ukraine for the past five centuries.
The whole book can be downloaded for free from https://libgen.is//search.php?req=Mikhail+Zygar
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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The EU’s Membership Plan for Ukraine Could Easily Backfire
By Paul Hockenos | November 16, 2023, 9:33 AM
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/11/16/ukraine-europe-eu-accession-expan
sion-russia-balkans-backfire/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921
The best way to expand Europeans’ peace and prosperity, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is to lock all liberal-minded states from the Baltics to the Balkans into the institutions and structures of democratic Europe. “Enlargement is a vital policy for the European Union,” she said. “Completing our union is the call of history. … We all win.”
But the gambit could backfire if Brussels proves as uneven as it has in the Western Balkans, where the enlargement process has ground on for 20 years — and even triggered a backlash in countries that have become frustrated and disappointed as a result of unfulfilled promises despite many years of imperfect but hard-won reforms. These unfortunate countries not only remain outside of the EU, but some are run by national populists who are moving in the other direction and forging alliances with the EU’s geopolitical rivals, including Russia and Turkey. Given the complexities of integrating the likes of Ukraine and Moldova, it’s easy to imagine them experiencing the same treatment from the EU — and rousing the same kind of backlash in response.
In the early 2000s, the EU opened the enlargement process to all of the Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. But two decades later, only Croatia has joined — the blame for which lies at the feet both of the aspiring countries and the EU itself. An array of internal issues and bilateral spats between the countries have obstructed them from fulfilling all of the obligations of membership, including standards of democracy, rule of law, and human rights. Serbia has long-standing rule of law and corruption issues that have become worse after initially getting better, and its fraught relationship with Kosovo complicates its status all the more. Likewise, Kosovo has Serbia blocking its way, as well as the fact that several EU states refuse to recognize its independence. Bosnia and Herzegovina is highly unstable, the postwar peace accords having divided a country that mostly observes the peace but can’t move forward with reform.
The fact that Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia are basically ready to go—and have been for years now—illustrates that much of the problem lies with the EU itself. In the wake of accepting Romania and Bulgaria (2007) and Croatia (2013), many member states expressed “enlargement fatigue” and felt that consolidation, not enlargement, was the order of the day—most vocally France, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Of course, in light of the nightmare of the EU’s trials with authoritarian Poland and Hungary, which threw wrenches in its workings, every EU country is wary of new members whose patchy democratic credentials might cause them to do the same. Nor is enlargement a popular stance: In France and Germany, just 35 percent and 42 percent of respondents, respectively, desire enlargement. In Austria, just 29 percent. Rubbing salt in the wounds, French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a European Political Community for like-minded non-EU states that fall short of membership benchmarks (and any interested EU countries)—a purgatory of sorts for loser nations.
The lack of a clear path or concrete timeline has brought momentum on demanding reforms to a standstill and, in some countries, even reversed it. Many of the Western Balkan countries now have potent political forces in their midst that dismiss the EU as hypocritical and its benchmarks as counterproductive. The loss of momentum toward membership has initiated a vicious cycle, argued a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. It stated: “Stalled reform efforts contribute to slow economic growth, which in turn justifies skepticism within the European Union about futur
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Just so the original doesn't get buried in even more bullshit:
The report makes no sense as reported
Quote:So, to be clear... half of Russians want Russia to do both? Engage in war AND negotiate?
Originally posted by second:
Recent Russian opinion polls indicate that roughly half of Russians maintain support for the war in Ukraine and for Russia to engage in peace negotiations.
Quote:funded mostly by the USA..
The Levada Center – an independent Russian polling organization
Quote:Not to be nitpicky, but this conflicts with the first statement that a majority wants Russia to continue the war AND negotiate. So is this an either/ or? Or are there more than two choices? (Eg: fight and negotiate, fight don't negotiate, negotiate don't fight, don't know.) There's a missing 7%, so I expect there's at least a third choice and possibly a fourth.
– reported on October 31 that 55 percent of respondents to a recent poll believe that Russia should begin peace negotiations while 38 percent favor continuing to conduct the war.
If that's the case, and one choice is "fight and negotiate" (55%) while the other choice is "fight, don't negotiate" (38%) then the vast majority [93%] want Russia to continue fighting.
Quote:which numbers? They quote two sets
The Levada Center observed that while these numbers
Quote:Well, THAT is an unusual way to report the results! How can we tell how many people think the war is going "poorly"? WE CAN'T. Maybe 62% think it's going well, 20% think it's going "reasonably" and only 1% think it's going "poorly". Since whoever authored this report seems intent on hiding that "poorly" figure, my bet is that it doesnt tell the story that the author wants
slightly increased between September and October by four percent, they have largely remained consistent since July 2023.[14] The Levada Center added that support for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine remained high with 76 percent of respondents stating that they support Russian military operations in Ukraine. The Levada Center reported that 62 percent of surveyed Russians believe that the full-scale invasion is progressing well, while 21 percent of respondents believe that the war is going reasonably or very poorly for Russia.[15]
Quote:Since most opinion polls give more than two choices (right direction, wrong direction, neutral, don't know) this report seems intent on hiding that "wrong direction" figure as well. Again, probably bc it doesn't tell the story that the author wants
The Levada Center reported on November 14 that two-thirds of respondents believe that Russia is headged in the right direction and of those who believe the opposite,
Quote:This report fails on thoroughness, transparency, and logic. Or maybe its a language problem. In any case, clear as mud. Very poorly written.
45 percent (of... 10%?) cited the war in Ukraine.[16] Opposition-leaning Russian research organization Russian Field reported similar numbers supporting negotiations on November 15, noting that 48 percent of respondents said that Russia should engage in peace negotiations and that 74 percent would support Russian President Vladimir Putin if he signed a peace agreement “tomorrow.”[17] Russian Field stated that 36 percent of respondents believe that the war is going well for Russia whereas 25 percent believe that the war is going poorly for Russia and that respondents who trust Telegram channels are twice as likely to believe that the war is going poorly for Russia as those who rely on Russian television.[18]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campai
gn-assessment-november-15-2023
Oy!!
*****
I don't intend to pick through more layers of bullshit, lies, misquotes, and half-truths, SECOND. This was yet another demonstration that the crap you post is, well, crap.
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"It may be danger
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Fuck Ukraine.
How long do you think you're going to live now that the US has moved on, Zelensky?
You'd better find the bunker Greta Thunburg and Fauci have been hiding out in and disappear forever.
Maybe Elvis and Tupac are there too and at least you'll have some music to listen to.
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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.
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Cluster munitions proving exceptionally effective in battle — Ukrainian officer
November 16, 2023, 12:30 PM
Cluster munitions used by Ukrainian forces are remarkably effective against enemy troops, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Assault Brigade, Maksym Zhorin, said in an interview with NV Radio on Nov. 15.
“Our artillerymen actually quite enjoy it when they are given a mission that involves using cluster munitions,” said Zhorin. “But the enemy does not enjoy them at all because it is truly very unpleasant. As a rule, after their deployment, it is rare for anyone to remain unscathed in the area of application. It is a significant advantage.”
He noted that cluster munitions allow for covering the entire area where an enemy infantry group or their light-armored vehicles disperse, inflicting substantial damage on Russian forces.
Ukraine began using cluster munitions provided by the United States at the end of July. The White House explained that the decision to transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine was dictated by battlefield conditions — on top of U.S. stockpile of conventional artillery shells running low.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry emphasized that it would use cluster munitions only in areas of Russian military force concentration, outside of cities, to avoid risks to the civilian population.
https://english.nv.ua/nation/cluster-munitions-proving-exceptionally-e
ffective-in-battle-ukrainian-officer-50368952.html
File this story under: "Kill them. Kill them all."
https://www.quodb.com/search/Kill%20them.%20Kill%20them%20all
https://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/movie-tv/kill-them-all/108925407/
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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Decision to supply cluster munition was dictated by lack of 155 mm unitary munitions.
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"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." - Henry Kissinger
Loving America is like loving an addicted spouse - SIGNYM
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Quote:Decision to supply tactical nukes to destroy the Crimean Bridge would be dictated by Ukraine's lack of tactical nukes. Nuking Russia is wrong but nuking the bridge Russia built in Ukraine is right.
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Decision to supply cluster munition was dictated by lack of 155 mm unitary munitions.
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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A prominent Russian milblogger claimed on November 16 that Russian state media may have falsely convinced the Russian people that “everything is fine” in Russia’s war in Ukraine.[10] The milblogger claimed that he does not understand why Russian state media devotes so much time to promoting narratives about the “imminent collapse of Ukraine" and portrays the Russian war effort so positively that Russian viewers think that signing a military service contract is unnecessary. Another Russian milblogger who previously served throughout the front in Ukraine and correctly assessed Russia’s foundational problems in Kharkiv Oblast in spring 2022 criticized several unnamed Russian milbloggers for their recent overly positive reporting about Russian counterattacks on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast.[11] The milblogger claimed that the other milbloggers preemptively claimed that Russian forces repelled Ukrainian attacks on the east bank and criticized them for setting unrealistic expectations for Russian forces. The milblogger noted that such overoptimistic claims are forcing Russian servicemen to “catch up” to these Russian politicians’ and commanders’ unrealistic expectations of Russian battlefield successes. The milblogger’s complaint suggests that the situation in Kherson Oblast remains very ambiguous and is dynamic. The milblogger’s complaint mirrors recent reports that the Russian General Staff uses battlefield maps that differ from tactical reality and that local Russian commanders order Russian forces to conduct routine assaults to make gains that align with the Russian General Staff’s inaccurate maps.[12] Disjointed Kremlin efforts to consolidate control over the Russian information space and report overly optimistic news are likely creating these cycles of coalescence and backlash among Russian sources. The Russian information space may grow increasingly volatile as the rift between the Kremlin optimists and their critics expands.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campai
gn-assessment-november-16-2023
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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Those wacky anonymous milblogers. What will they say next?
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Political correctness is just tyranny, with a smiley face.
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