So apparently, Putin's mad dream of a restoration of the Russian empire has been something of an open secret throughout the years, with various historians and people in the know ringing the alarm bells but it never made front page because it wasn't as important as celebrity misadventures and political name-calling and royal family drama.



That's a LOT of countries potentially on the chopping block (thankfully, the Ukrainians more or less stopped that plan dead in its tracks, but I shudder to think what would happen next if Russia had succeeded)

There was a picture a many years back of the Polish defense minister scowling and wary while the other Western defense ministers are laid back and calm.  The impression was that the Polish defense minister was either a curmudgeon or paranoid.  I'd like to issue a formal apology on behalf of my young, naive self.  Wary was and is a perfectly acceptable attitude when faced with such a hostile neighbor.

I think that map qualifies as propaganda.

Quote from: Jason Harvestdancer on September 24, 2023, 09:18:11 PMI think that map qualifies as propaganda.

I could have used a much more "neutral" map, but I as I have said before, I'm not neutral when it comes to whether or not Ukraine retains its sovereignty.

Putin does in fact think in terms of empire, and his own words bear that out.  He has specifically called Ukrainian lands "stolen" from Russia and has explicitly sought to redraw the world map more to his liking.  It is not unreasonable to lay out the implications of this stance in explicit terms.

Confirmed: Russian Black Sea Fleet Remnants Commander killed in Ukrainian missile strike

Along with 33 other officers.   105 wounded, many seriously.

Russian missile strike on Odessa damages grain storage, port infrastructure, and destroys abandoned hotel

The missile barrage took a circuitous route through Ukrainian airspace to avoid as much air defense as possible, and even then, most were shot down.  However, some got through and did significant damage.  This is part of an ongoing campaign targetting Ukrainian grain and ports in an attempt to disallow any grain shipments after Russian unilaterally terminated the grain deal, attempting to cause mass starvation to put political pressure on Ukraine to accept a truce where Ukraine voluntarily gives up some of its own land in exchange for peace or the resumption of the grain deal with concessions to Russia that would circumvent sanctions.  As you can see, they are prepared to kill civilians to achieve these goals.

Russian telegram channels are strangely enthusiastic about the destruction of the abandoned hotel.  It was a big and impressive-looking structure and its destruction makes for an impressive-looking photo.

Russians claim - without evidence - that Ukrainian officers were there and it is revenge for the Sevastopol attack.  Apparently, the psychological dynamic is that after Russia suffers a devastating loss, so Russians must revenge themselves on some target (usually civilian) and tell themselves that it was of equivalent value.

Quote from: Hydra009 on September 24, 2023, 08:09:27 PMSo apparently, Putin's mad dream of a restoration of the Russian empire has been something of an open secret throughout the years, with various historians and people in the know ringing the alarm bells but it never made front page because it wasn't as important as celebrity misadventures and political name-calling and royal family drama.

Putin has been all over the place already....not to mention interference in US elections. Nobody did shit when he just rolled into Georgia, Chechnya or Crimea, each time declaring no Russian troops were involved. Right. Fucker played that Trump idiot so easily and Putin's old-man-balls grew 2 sizes too large for his brain. He is anti-West as it gets so no wonder the MAGA traitors love him.

Georgian Civil War
South Ossetian War
War in Abkhazia
Transnistria War
East Prigorodny Conflict
Tajikistani Civil War
First Chechen War
War of Dagestan
Second Chechen War
Russo-Georgian War
Insurgency in the North Caucasus
Russo-Ukrainian War
Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
Central African Republic Civil War
Mali War

Quote from: Hydra009 on September 24, 2023, 09:55:10 PMI could have used a much more "neutral" map, but I as I have said before, I'm not neutral when it comes to whether or not Ukraine retains its sovereignty.

Putin does in fact think in terms of empire, and his own words bear that out.  He has specifically called Ukrainian lands "stolen" from Russia and has explicitly sought to redraw the world map more to his liking.  It is not unreasonable to lay out the implications of this stance in explicit terms.

Less exaggeration makes a stronger case.

Quote from: Jason Harvestdancer on September 25, 2023, 09:17:22 PMLess exaggeration makes a stronger case.

That not "exaggeration", though.  That's just Putin's own words, made very clear through one of his propagandists: "We will reclaim the lands and peoples living on those lands, roughly as of 1917" (1917 was the end of the Russian Empire).

The guy compares himself to Peter the Great, claims Ukrainian lands were "stolen", and actively denies the statehood of the country he's currently invading.  To say that he has imperial dreams is just a basic observation of anyone paying even a small degree of attention.

UN investigator: Russian state media may be guilty of "inciting genocide" in Ukraine

QuoteRussian officials and regime propagandists face widespread accusations of inciting genocide against Ukrainians. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has set the tone, frequently stating that Ukrainians are actually Russians ("one people") and repeatedly accusing Ukraine of being an illegitimate "anti-Russia." In one of his most recent outbursts, Putin attacked the "anti-human essence" of the modern Ukrainian state.

Meanwhile, genocidal anti-Ukrainian rhetoric has become an everyday feature of Russia's carefully choreographed and tightly censored state media. Presenters and pundits routinely dehumanize Ukrainians and question Ukraine's right to exist while portraying the country as an artificial state and an existential threat to Russia. Critics say this poisonous propaganda has fueled a litany of war crimes committed by the invading Russian army inside Ukraine, with Russian troops accused of engaging in mass executions, widespread torture, and forced deportations. In areas under Russian occupation, all traces of Ukrainian national identity are being systematically erased.

I see that the US will soon have a new stealth aircraft - the B-21 Raider. I hope we never have to use it.

Russian Forces Hijack Ukrainian Drone, Land It, Inspect it, Get Blown Up

QuoteThe leadership of the regiment based there as well as members of the FSB then decided to investigate their new "trophy," the source said.
 
Their excitement was short-lived, with the drone blowing up as they were photographing and inspecting it.

According to the source, those killed or wounded during the explosion included the commander of the 14th aviation regiment, one of his deputies, a group of aviator officers, a representative of FSB military counterintelligence, and airport personnel.

Quote from: Hydra009 on September 26, 2023, 10:58:16 AMInspect it, Get Blown Up

Like a Trojan Horse, LOL...

New Ukrainian drone strikes Russian tanks and artillery

Not much is known about the drone so far, but we do know that it can operate at night, can drop multiple munitions strong enough to brew up a buttoned-down tank, and the Russians so far appear unable to detect it.

The Ukrainians say they destroyed $7 million worth of Russian equipment overnight.

Russia seeks to rejoin human rights council

QuoteErik Mose, chair of the commission, said there was continuing evidence of war crimes including torture, rape and attacks on civilians.

A separate report two weeks ago by the UN's special rapporteur for Russia, Mariana Katzarova said the human rights situation in Russia had also "significantly deteriorated", with critics of the invasion subjected to arbitrary arrest, torture and ill treatment.

QuoteRussia promises to find "adequate solutions for human rights issues" and seeks to stop the council becoming an "instrument which serves political wills of one group of countries", understood to be a reference to the West.

Fox seeks election as chicken coop guard.