And Ukrainian soldiers will “invade” Russia without even getting out of bed.
13 Likes
Oh FFS
13 Likes
Quite.
A narrative alleging the Ukrainian government was slaughtering Russian speakers in the east of the country was created by the media in Moscow, Mr Berlusconi told Italian TV.
He said the reporting, pushed by separatist forces and nationalist politicians in the Russian government, had left Mr Putin with no choice but to launch a limited invasion.
Putin controls the Russian media. It can’t pressure him into doing anything.
The separatists only exist because of Russian support. They can’t pressure Putin into doing anything.
Putin controls Russian politics. Nobody can pressure Putin into doing anything.
Unfortunately Berlusconi’s bullshit matters because:
This weekend his party is expected to take power as part of a right-wing coalition in a general election in Italy.
13 Likes
13 Likes
6 Likes
One of the freed British men says that Roman Abramovich was involved.
12 Likes
The mobilization looks like a gambler taking out a payday loan so he can win back his losses - a short-sighted attempt to fix a problem that is bound to make it worse in the long run. Case(s) in point:
Some comments note that in this case it might not be mobilization to the front lines, but a sneaky way to start a wartime nationalised economy: the workers keep doing their old jobs, but technically as soldiers during wartime they can be ordered to work unlimited hours and have no workers’ rights. Which is only a marginally less terrible decision: you’re not literally sending your industrial base out to die, but you’re still abusing the people who produce most of the wealth in the country, and you’re sending out a message that not only the military, but all state employment is to be avoided if at all possible.
Putin may have realized that the war will not be over quickly, but it doesn’t look like he has learned to plan for the long term. Each change in the plans is just hurrying to plug the holes in the previous plan, when the original idea is actually rotten to the core and unsalvageable.
15 Likes
12 Likes
Interesting insight into why Russia always makes false statements.
11 Likes
As far as that goes, he can’t be accused of not following in Russian tradition. Whether it’s been a Tsarist regime, a Soviet one, or this current gangster kleptocracy, that’s been the throughline.
I’d like to say that the downfall or death of Putin will break this cycle, but history has shown in Russia there are always more power-hungry, corrupt and greedy incompetents waiting to have their turn in the Kremlin.
9 Likes
8 Likes
9 Likes
9 Likes
8 Likes
7 Likes
That’s how it works. In fantasypolitik the (‘independent’) media reports that Russians are being slaughtered, and thus the (imaginary) popular pressure emerges for the govt to do something about this, so the the govt bows to this ‘pressure’ and does something it now claims is entirely justified - not only by the fact (fiction) of Russians being slaughtered but by the irresistible (imaginary) public pressure.
That the govt started the process by telling the media that Russians were being slaughtered, with zero evidence of that, is really neither here nor there, is it. /s
That’s how it works, in Russia. Lewis Carroll could have written it.
ETA of course, the reason Berlusconi is pro this sort of thing is not really because he supports Putin (does he really care?) but because this is how he wishes things would (will) work in Italy.
8 Likes
He just wishes he had the power Putin has, as it was, he had to pass a law to ensure anyone over 80 automatically got home arrest instead of jail, as he knew he was going down… if he had Putin powers he would have just had the age of consent lowered for people who have sex with heads of state.
Yes he is that horrible, and scarily enough, that’s just the tip of that particular iceberg of corruption.
10 Likes
Short thread:
https://twitter.com/variainayurt/status/1573361537410076672
Berlusconi and Putin have been friends for years. In 2002 Berlusconi said that Russia should join the EU.
https://twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1573328142563168263
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1573337529428111366
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1573355245966856199
7 Likes
I think that blocking Russian visas and Russians themselves from entering Baltic or EU states is the wrong tactic.
Let’s do exactly the opposite, make air-fares a dollar-a-pop, welcome Russian visitors with open arms, then, when Putler looks around for his next draft, sees a country devoid of populace…
5 Likes
https://twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1573250936566325248
https://twitter.com/BBCWillVernon/status/1573255175443460096
https://twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1573305823060963330
https://twitter.com/BBCPaulAdams/status/1573317120154562560
https://twitter.com/BBCPaulAdams/status/1573339002823925762
https://twitter.com/echolalialia/status/1572494649788403713
September 15: either PMCs and prisoners, or your children
September 20: either migrants or your children
September 21: your children
https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1573242079848939522
17 Likes
