Ukraine can win; but they have to be absolute bad guy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

Its easy to be popular when you ban opposition parties, shut down opposition media and strip opposition politicians of their citizenship. People get the message and give the "right" answer.

Fake news and Russian propaganda. When did Poroshenko get stripped of citizenship? Tymoshenko? Liashko? Tihipko?

You're thinking of RUSSIA, where they jail political opponents like Navalny, where they shut down or take over opposition media and strictly control content via Roskomnadzor

It’s pretty common knowledge. The only reason you call it propaganda is that you don’t like reading it.

I call it propaganda because it's fake news. Again, when did Poroshenko, Tymoshenko or the others get stripped of citizenship by Zelenskyy as you claim?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

Its easy to be popular when you ban opposition parties, shut down opposition media and strip opposition politicians of their citizenship. People get the message and give the "right" answer.

Fake news and Russian propaganda. When did Poroshenko get stripped of citizenship? Tymoshenko? Liashko? Tihipko?

You're thinking of RUSSIA, where they jail political opponents like Navalny, where they shut down or take over opposition media and strictly control content via Roskomnadzor

No tears shed for the white nationalist Navalny.

Hilariously ironic point for you to be making, considering Putin's promoting a White Russian Nationalism with his whole "Z" propaganda movement.

The POINT was that Putin has jailed any and all viable candidates standing in open opposition to him, whereas Zelenskyy has NOT.

So again, you fail, not once but twice with one claim and one retort to it.

Do you deny that Navalny is a white nationalist?

[Anonymous]

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/08/1110577439/zelenskyy-has-consolidated-ukraines-tv-outlets-and-dissolved-rival-political-par

President Zelenskyy has consolidated all TV platforms in Ukraine into one state broadcast and restricted political rivals. Political opposition fears such civil liberty constraints could continue.

..FENG: Even before Russia invaded in February, some of Ukraine's opposition media outlet said they faced political pressure from President Zelenskyy's government. Volodymyr Mzhelskyi directs one of Ukraine's oldest television stations, Channel 5. It was also previously owned by former President Poroshenko, who sold his media holdings under a 2021 Ukrainian law.

VOLODYMYR MZHELSKYI: (Through interpreter) After Channel 5 was sold, the government suspected the sale was false and Poroshenko still controlled the station. We felt consistently pressure from institutions like the broadcast regulator. We have numerous lawsuits filed against us by current and former members of Parliament.

FENG: Why the government attention, I ask him.

MZHELSKYI: (Through interpreter) I think we were switched off because there was a fear that this time, we would not support the president's point of view....

..SIUMAR: (Through interpreter) The first difference is their attitude towards freedom of speech. We fiercely opposed the government on this.

FENG: Restrictions on these worry the opposition, namely that Zelenskyy is clearing out political rivals before the 2024 presidential election. Before the war, he was a deeply unpopular president.

ANDREAS UMLAND: I think there is such a danger of centralization of power or even authoritarian tendencies.

FENG: Andreas Umland is at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. And he says an adversarial, highly personal party dynamic drives Ukrainian politics.

UMLAND: Parties disappear. New parties arrive. Parties transform. And often, the fate of a party is very much tied to the fate of the leader.

FENG: But despite the restrictions placed under martial law, Umland does not believe Ukraine will ultimately trend authoritarian...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

I see sarcasm is going over your head.

[Anonymous]

The UN report on human rights violations, torture and ill treatment in the Ukraine/Donbass conflict:

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Countries/UA/UkraineArbDetTorture_EN.pdf

OHCHR identified a broad range of Government actors engaged in conflictrelated arbitrary detention and torture and ill-treatment, including: SBU; various units
(often unspecified) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF); National Guard; National
Police; State Border Guard Service; volunteer battalions before and after their formal
incorporation into the UAF, National Guard or National Police (such as the ‘Aidar’
battalion, ‘Artemivsk’ battalion, ‘Azov’ battalion/regiment; ‘Dnipro-1’ battalion;
‘Dnipro-2’ battalion, ‘Donbas’ battalion; ‘Kharkiv-1’ battalion; and ‘Poltava’
battalion); and other armed units which took part in hostilities or were present in
Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the context of the armed conflict without being
formally incorporated into the UAF, National Guard or National Police (such as
‘Right Sector’).
50. In many cases, victims were not able to identify the affiliation of the
individuals who detained or tortured them. In some cases, perpetrators belonged to
multiple structures and were acting together so that one individual was a victim of
multiple violations by several perpetrators.
51. The prominent role that the SBU played in conflict-related arbitrary
detention, torture and ill-treatment could be attributed to the fact that it coordinated
the ATO, investigated crimes under article 258 (act of terrorism) of the Criminal Code
as assigned by the law, and lacked prosecutorial oversight.38
52. Former conflict-related detainees rarely knew the names, ranks and positions
of individuals complicit with their arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment.
However, through its interviews with former detainees, OHCHR documented
information on dozens of call signs and visual descriptions of these individuals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

Its easy to be popular when you ban opposition parties, shut down opposition media and strip opposition politicians of their citizenship. People get the message and give the "right" answer.

They weren't stripped of their citizenship for being "opposition politicians" - they were stripped of their citizenship for being corrupt pro-Putin shills caught stealing from Ukraine and lining their own pockets during a time of crisis when every dollar, every hryvnia is vital for survival.

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/02/4/7387959/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

Its easy to be popular when you ban opposition parties, shut down opposition media and strip opposition politicians of their citizenship. People get the message and give the "right" answer.

They weren't stripped of their citizenship for being "opposition politicians" - they were stripped of their citizenship for being corrupt pro-Putin shills caught stealing from Ukraine and lining their own pockets during a time of crisis when every dollar, every hryvnia is vital for survival.

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/02/4/7387959/

And hacking Zoom calls between the Russian government and their secret assets in Ukrainian government. Ukraine is doing some housecleaning to remove spies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The UN report on human rights violations, torture and ill treatment in the Ukraine/Donbass conflict:

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Countries/UA/UkraineArbDetTorture_EN.pdf

OHCHR identified a broad range of Government actors engaged in conflictrelated arbitrary detention and torture and ill-treatment, including: SBU; various units
(often unspecified) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF); National Guard; National
Police; State Border Guard Service; volunteer battalions before and after their formal
incorporation into the UAF, National Guard or National Police (such as the ‘Aidar’
battalion, ‘Artemivsk’ battalion, ‘Azov’ battalion/regiment; ‘Dnipro-1’ battalion;
‘Dnipro-2’ battalion, ‘Donbas’ battalion; ‘Kharkiv-1’ battalion; and ‘Poltava’
battalion); and other armed units which took part in hostilities or were present in
Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the context of the armed conflict without being
formally incorporated into the UAF, National Guard or National Police (such as
‘Right Sector’).
50. In many cases, victims were not able to identify the affiliation of the
individuals who detained or tortured them. In some cases, perpetrators belonged to
multiple structures and were acting together so that one individual was a victim of
multiple violations by several perpetrators.
51. The prominent role that the SBU played in conflict-related arbitrary
detention, torture and ill-treatment could be attributed to the fact that it coordinated
the ATO, investigated crimes under article 258 (act of terrorism) of the Criminal Code
as assigned by the law, and lacked prosecutorial oversight.38
52. Former conflict-related detainees rarely knew the names, ranks and positions
of individuals complicit with their arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment.
However, through its interviews with former detainees, OHCHR documented
information on dozens of call signs and visual descriptions of these individuals.

Now do Russia - kidnappings, rapes, torture and murder of civilians, looting and robbing, deliberately targeting civilians with military weapons, deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, using banned weapons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

Its easy to be popular when you ban opposition parties, shut down opposition media and strip opposition politicians of their citizenship. People get the message and give the "right" answer.

Fake news and Russian propaganda. When did Poroshenko get stripped of citizenship? Tymoshenko? Liashko? Tihipko?

You're thinking of RUSSIA, where they jail political opponents like Navalny, where they shut down or take over opposition media and strictly control content via Roskomnadzor

No tears shed for the white nationalist Navalny.

Hilariously ironic point for you to be making, considering Putin's promoting a White Russian Nationalism with his whole "Z" propaganda movement.

The POINT was that Putin has jailed any and all viable candidates standing in open opposition to him, whereas Zelenskyy has NOT.

So again, you fail, not once but twice with one claim and one retort to it.

Do you deny that Navalny is a white nationalist?

He wasn't jailed for being a white nationalist, he was jailed for being a political rival to Putin. It's a complete joke to try and suggest cracking down on white nationalism or Naziism are actually priorities for Russia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The UN report on human rights violations, torture and ill treatment in the Ukraine/Donbass conflict:

https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Countries/UA/UkraineArbDetTorture_EN.pdf

OHCHR identified a broad range of Government actors engaged in conflictrelated arbitrary detention and torture and ill-treatment, including: SBU; various units
(often unspecified) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF); National Guard; National
Police; State Border Guard Service; volunteer battalions before and after their formal
incorporation into the UAF, National Guard or National Police (such as the ‘Aidar’
battalion, ‘Artemivsk’ battalion, ‘Azov’ battalion/regiment; ‘Dnipro-1’ battalion;
‘Dnipro-2’ battalion, ‘Donbas’ battalion; ‘Kharkiv-1’ battalion; and ‘Poltava’
battalion); and other armed units which took part in hostilities or were present in
Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the context of the armed conflict without being
formally incorporated into the UAF, National Guard or National Police (such as
‘Right Sector’).
50. In many cases, victims were not able to identify the affiliation of the
individuals who detained or tortured them. In some cases, perpetrators belonged to
multiple structures and were acting together so that one individual was a victim of
multiple violations by several perpetrators.
51. The prominent role that the SBU played in conflict-related arbitrary
detention, torture and ill-treatment could be attributed to the fact that it coordinated
the ATO, investigated crimes under article 258 (act of terrorism) of the Criminal Code
as assigned by the law, and lacked prosecutorial oversight.38
52. Former conflict-related detainees rarely knew the names, ranks and positions
of individuals complicit with their arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment.
However, through its interviews with former detainees, OHCHR documented
information on dozens of call signs and visual descriptions of these individuals.

War crimes should be prosecuted whether committed by Ukrainians or Russians, yes? I think we can all agree on that. Except we know Russians and their allies won’t agree.

PS it’s Ukraine, not the Ukraine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.npr.org/2022/07/08/1110577439/zelenskyy-has-consolidated-ukraines-tv-outlets-and-dissolved-rival-political-par

President Zelenskyy has consolidated all TV platforms in Ukraine into one state broadcast and restricted political rivals. Political opposition fears such civil liberty constraints could continue.

..FENG: Even before Russia invaded in February, some of Ukraine's opposition media outlet said they faced political pressure from President Zelenskyy's government. Volodymyr Mzhelskyi directs one of Ukraine's oldest television stations, Channel 5. It was also previously owned by former President Poroshenko, who sold his media holdings under a 2021 Ukrainian law.

VOLODYMYR MZHELSKYI: (Through interpreter) After Channel 5 was sold, the government suspected the sale was false and Poroshenko still controlled the station. We felt consistently pressure from institutions like the broadcast regulator. We have numerous lawsuits filed against us by current and former members of Parliament.

FENG: Why the government attention, I ask him.

MZHELSKYI: (Through interpreter) I think we were switched off because there was a fear that this time, we would not support the president's point of view....

..SIUMAR: (Through interpreter) The first difference is their attitude towards freedom of speech. We fiercely opposed the government on this.

FENG: Restrictions on these worry the opposition, namely that Zelenskyy is clearing out political rivals before the 2024 presidential election. Before the war, he was a deeply unpopular president.

ANDREAS UMLAND: I think there is such a danger of centralization of power or even authoritarian tendencies.

FENG: Andreas Umland is at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. And he says an adversarial, highly personal party dynamic drives Ukrainian politics.

UMLAND: Parties disappear. New parties arrive. Parties transform. And often, the fate of a party is very much tied to the fate of the leader.

FENG: But despite the restrictions placed under martial law, Umland does not believe Ukraine will ultimately trend authoritarian...

Wartime restrictions are commonplace all over the globe. And your final quote about not trending authoritarian is the key. Zelenskyy's objective is to end the war, not to build an empire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

Its easy to be popular when you ban opposition parties, shut down opposition media and strip opposition politicians of their citizenship. People get the message and give the "right" answer.

Fake news and Russian propaganda. When did Poroshenko get stripped of citizenship? Tymoshenko? Liashko? Tihipko?

You're thinking of RUSSIA, where they jail political opponents like Navalny, where they shut down or take over opposition media and strictly control content via Roskomnadzor

No tears shed for the white nationalist Navalny.

Hilariously ironic point for you to be making, considering Putin's promoting a White Russian Nationalism with his whole "Z" propaganda movement.

The POINT was that Putin has jailed any and all viable candidates standing in open opposition to him, whereas Zelenskyy has NOT.

So again, you fail, not once but twice with one claim and one retort to it.

Do you deny that Navalny is a white nationalist?

He wasn't jailed for being a white nationalist, he was jailed for being a political rival to Putin. It's a complete joke to try and suggest cracking down on white nationalism or Naziism are actually priorities for Russia.

I just can’t make myself care about a guy who thinks migrants from Central Asia are rodents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.npr.org/2022/07/08/1110577439/zelenskyy-has-consolidated-ukraines-tv-outlets-and-dissolved-rival-political-par

President Zelenskyy has consolidated all TV platforms in Ukraine into one state broadcast and restricted political rivals. Political opposition fears such civil liberty constraints could continue.

..FENG: Even before Russia invaded in February, some of Ukraine's opposition media outlet said they faced political pressure from President Zelenskyy's government. Volodymyr Mzhelskyi directs one of Ukraine's oldest television stations, Channel 5. It was also previously owned by former President Poroshenko, who sold his media holdings under a 2021 Ukrainian law.

VOLODYMYR MZHELSKYI: (Through interpreter) After Channel 5 was sold, the government suspected the sale was false and Poroshenko still controlled the station. We felt consistently pressure from institutions like the broadcast regulator. We have numerous lawsuits filed against us by current and former members of Parliament.

FENG: Why the government attention, I ask him.

MZHELSKYI: (Through interpreter) I think we were switched off because there was a fear that this time, we would not support the president's point of view....

..SIUMAR: (Through interpreter) The first difference is their attitude towards freedom of speech. We fiercely opposed the government on this.

FENG: Restrictions on these worry the opposition, namely that Zelenskyy is clearing out political rivals before the 2024 presidential election. Before the war, he was a deeply unpopular president.

ANDREAS UMLAND: I think there is such a danger of centralization of power or even authoritarian tendencies.

FENG: Andreas Umland is at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. And he says an adversarial, highly personal party dynamic drives Ukrainian politics.

UMLAND: Parties disappear. New parties arrive. Parties transform. And often, the fate of a party is very much tied to the fate of the leader.

FENG: But despite the restrictions placed under martial law, Umland does not believe Ukraine will ultimately trend authoritarian...

Wartime restrictions are commonplace all over the globe. And your final quote about not trending authoritarian is the key. Zelenskyy's objective is to end the war, not to build an empire.

Is that so? Get to the negotiating then.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:DP. A couple of points.

Russian history is difficult to use in effective propaganda, so Russians use WWII like a safety blanket. It's comforting propaganda for them, since it's the last time the Soviets did anything remotely "righteous". Same way the "Nazi" label works because SVR likely recruits ultra-right nationalists. Russian's can't say much before WWII, because Stalin's ethnic purges and holodomor would work against annexation of Crimea, invasion of Ukraine, etc.

I think Putin is just using soldiers to grind as sausage to deflect physical military opposition at home. Population is plummeting, and it's just a matter of time before Russia disintegrates into smaller chunks (they won't be able to hold current territory without population increases).

Someone should have gifted Putin a copy of Civilization IV with a sticky that says "Cultural Victory - it's a thing."

They have all of this culture around WWII and "WE fought the Nazis" when in fact millions of the Soviet troops that fought the Nazis and pushed all the way to Berlin where they drove Hitler to hide in a bunker and eat a bullet were in fact UKRAINIANS. Which makes it completely sick that they've now reinvented the Ukrainians to be the Nazis. Especially when their own home grown Russians keep being found adorned with Nazi symbols.

Because the Ukrainians were so good to the Jews and the Azov Battalion doesn’t exist
/s

You don't understand that things change over time? Again, Zelenskyy, a Jew, was elected with a popular majority, he got 73% of the total votes. A "Nazi" state wouldn't elect a Jew to its highest office with 73% of the vote. Has Russia elected a Jew to its highest office?

LOL you throw this number around but you have no idea why he did. Two pillars of his campaign promises:

1. Root out corruption (fail)
2. Achieve reconciliation with Russia (fail, and told to shut up or be hung)

Also, Zelensky's approval ratings "before" the war: 31%.

The fail is all yours. His current approval rating is 84%

LOL you want to know what Stalin's approval rating was during WW2?

Zelinskyy's approval ratings come from actual independent polls. Stalin's were just made up.

LOL right back atcha

Its easy to be popular when you ban opposition parties, shut down opposition media and strip opposition politicians of their citizenship. People get the message and give the "right" answer.

They weren't stripped of their citizenship for being "opposition politicians" - they were stripped of their citizenship for being corrupt pro-Putin shills caught stealing from Ukraine and lining their own pockets during a time of crisis when every dollar, every hryvnia is vital for survival.

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/02/4/7387959/

Were the priests they stripped of citizenship also stealing from the Ukraine and lining their own pockets?
https://www.gorthodox.com/en/news-item/russian-spokeswoman-zakharova-describes-zelensky-as-satanic

[Anonymous]

Getting ready to draft sixteen year olds in Ukraine.

Take away Zelensky’s keys and make peace. Save lives. Who cares about eastern Ukraine- it’s Russian anyway. Just misguided Ukrainian patriots and defense contractors and their lobbysists.