That Shell chief must have dollar signs in his eyes. Never let a disaster go to waste, amirite?
Video with English subtitles:
Owners of Russian-plated cars parked at Helsinki-Vantaa airport are in for a surprise following a âpro-Ukraine sticker attack,â Ilta-Sanomat (IS) reports.
The sticky decorations are most likely a sign of protest against unrestricted travel by Russian citizens rather than a voluntary sign of solidarity from the Russian end, the paper writes. Discarded sticker sleeves were found at the lot, indicating that the stickers were most likely glued on in Finland.
Vantaaâs airport parking currently houses hundreds of cars of Russian tourists that have used Finland as their gateway to the rest of Europe and the world, according to IS. Most European countries have introduced restrictions on travel from Russia due to the countryâs ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Short thread about a Ukrainian MiG-29 modified to fire AGM-88 HARM missiles supplied by the United States.
Yesterday:
Interesting reading. Theyâve basically kludged the missile and aircraft into a configuration that allows it to work under less-than-optimal conditions, but nonetheless still work very well.
Iâm glad no teddy bears were hurt in the making of that video.
England should send the family members of anyone whoâs allowed that close to Putin home to Russia.
Finland should only be allowing Russian refugees into the country at this time. Iâm curious why theyâd allow in tourists.
Thanks. Sounds like an issue for the wider EU to deal with, then.
Short thread:
Europe should not shut its doors to Russian tourists
Western sanctions should be focused on Moscowâs economy and war machine
Though sanctions aimed at degrading Vladimir Putinâs ability to wage his war have inevitably affected ordinary Russian people, they have not targeted them directly. Even bans on Russian planes entering EU airspace and on supplying parts for its aircraft aimed to weaken its economy, not keep Russians out. A visa ban is different, because it specifically targets civilians. It bolsters the false Kremlin narrative that sanctions are not really about Ukraine but are a western plot to bring down Russia and its people. Even moderate Russians might turn against the EU. As German chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated: âThis is not the war of the Russian people, it is Putinâs war.â Though Russians have repeatedly voted Putin into office, the system he has created bombards them with pro-Kremlin propaganda and offers them few alternatives. Where democracies have tried to isolate other authoritarian regimes they have attempted to retain contacts with civil society, for example through student exchanges â to expose citizens, wherever possible, to an alternative system and worldview.
Closing off the tourist route would make it more difficult for others to leave for the EU, even if work or humanitarian visas are left open. It might be argued that Russians have already had six months to get out if they wanted to. But the longer the war lasts, the more waverers may finally head for the exits. The Kremlin may yet also step up its repression against its own people."
Europe will ban Russian people. It wonât achieve anything positive apart from placating some forces in world politics.
I personally think that even if only every tenth tourist decides to overstay the visit and leave their dead-end life in Putinâs Russia with no more Starbucks behind, it is worth it. Tourist money is not being spent in Russia, and the brain drain is a real thing.
On the other hand, I have talked to colleagues here in Germany who are Russian, and an unfortunate number of them are âmy country, right or wrongâ types, who seem to believe Russian media more than international and local (German) media. But I do get the feeling that life in Russia has taken a pretty big swing to the worse.
How long before Ukraine realises that airdropping large quantities of vodka into Russian camps may do as much for their cause as shelling? Probably cheaper and probably easier to source.
/s?
