Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion

[Shakesy]

Calling Kasparov a mere chess player is sheer ignorance at this point. There’s a reason he is exiled from Russia.

You might be able to answer your question better in a personal capacity the more you read and learn. For example, a place like North Korea I used to find more curious and odd, a place I thought I would naively like to visit one day. When I actually spent the time to read and listen to people who had lived and were fortunate to escape from North Korea, I realised how stupid I was to hold such a place with any degree of fascination. Ditto speaking to my wife’s grandparents who lived through the Soviet Union and were essentially forced to move about the empire to meet its needs.

The vast majority of us on this forum have no idea how privileged we are to be born and live in relatively stable democracies with a high degree of freedom and tolerance.

He’s not getting quoted because he’s a chess player, he’s an exiled Russian with experience of the Soviet Union who is a human rights activist and has been bang on about Putin not stopping with Crimea and invading Ukraine.

It's a bit of a disservice to think of Kasparov as just a chess player, to say the least. He has been a political activist for 30+ years campaigning against oppression in Russia. He is one of, if not Putin's most vocal critic and has been for a long time, which means risking his life and putting his family in danger.

He's a brave man and although I might disagree with his wish for NATO to intervene and put an end to this, he's pretty much been right all along.

I said I find it tedious that chess players try to extrapolate chess strategies and tactics into the real world. I know Kasparov is more than just a chess player. Yet, he is often pictured in front of a chess board while commenting on Russia, and he is always referred to as former "grandmaster" or "world chess champion", as if that adds weight to his opinion.

"'The threat from Russia is tactical and the threat from China is strategic,' according to Kasparov." Blah blah blah

Edit: It's not as if Rio starts drawing football parallels when he comments on Russia. "Putin is trying to score with a quick throw-in, but Ukraine's defenders won't be caught offside." Blah.

 

[sglowrider]

I said I find it tedious that chess players try to extrapolate chess strategies and tactics into the real world. I know Kasparov is more than just a chess player. Yet, he is often pictured in front of a chess board while commenting on Russia, and he is always referred to as former "grandmaster" or "world chess champion", as if that adds weight to his opinion.

"'The threat from Russia is tactical and the threat from China is strategic,' according to Kasparov." Blah blah blah

Plus chess is 2D. Global geo-politics is 3D if not 4D game

 

[Shakesy]

Plus chess is 2D. Global geo-politics is 3D if not 4D game

A damn fec-D game, with almost no rules

 

[The Firestarter]

Plus chess is 2D. Global geo-politics is 3D if not 4D game

More poker than chess.

 

[sglowrider]

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Apparently someone posted the photo of the tanks at the mall on social media like 3 weeks ago, at the start of the war. The tanks weren't there anymore when the mall was bombed.
This according to a Ukrainian MP on France24.

 

[Shakesy]

More poker than chess.

Yeah, they should get Russian Poker champion, Alex Kravchenko, to comment on what Putin is thinking.

 

[sglowrider]

Yeah, they should get Russian Poker champion, Alex Kravchenko, to comment on what Putin is thinking.

You have his contact details?

 

[Carolina Red]

Yeah, they should get Russian Poker champion, Alex Kravchenko, to comment on what Putin is thinking.

To be fair…

Poker, Bayesian game theory, and geopolitical decision making are linked.

 

[Raoul]

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One of the bizarre outcomes in all of this will be the decimation of the Russian military (WMDs excepted of course).

 

[The Firestarter]

One of the bizarre outcomes in all of this will be the decimation of the Russian military (WMDs excepted of course).

I dont think Putya has yet realised how fecked they are even if they pull out right now. With the defence industry crippled due to sanctions since they rely on foreign components, it would take them decade to rebuild to the state they were pre war. And that is if China are willing to source the inferior analogues of said components.

 

[Raoul]

I dont think Putya has yet realised how fecked they are even if they pull out right now. With the defence industry crippled due to sanctions since they rely on foreign components, it would take them decade to rebuild to the state they were pre war.

Yes. I think he's still trying to get his head around the reality that irrespective of what happens in Ukraine, the sanctions will remain in place until he's gone. There is no plausible scenario anywhere in this where he could come out a winner.

 

[TMDaines]

Unfortunately the tweet is missing a negative, but the picture on humanitarian aid getting into large parts of Ukraine is grim at this point. Starting to wonder how I and others can really help. Aid donations being made in the UK feel somewhat pointless, and even money isn’t necessarily unlocking the obstacles in the way.

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[Sarni]

One of the bizarre outcomes in all of this will be the decimation of the Russian military (WMDs excepted of course).

I don't think they can actually sufficiently service their nukes over the long stretch without money/external components. Their maintenance is very expensive and has to be very consistent or they become useless.

 

[Sarni]

Unfortunately the tweet is missing a negative, but the picture on humanitarian aid getting into large parts of Ukraine is grim at this point. Starting to wonder how I and others can really help. Aid donations being made in the UK feel somewhat pointless, and even money isn’t necessarily unlocking the obstacles in the way.

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My friends family had been pulled out of Kyiv area recently, it was a complete nightmare logistically and took them 4 days with basically no supplies to get through Ukraine.

 

[Beans]

Was this posted?

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Russia has been moving natives from Ukraine and replacing them with Russians for hundreds of years, in order to get political control. They seem to become Ukranian and end up hating Russia anyway, because of Russian expansionist policy.

 

[Beans]

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F%ck yeah! Go sanctions!!!

 

[golden_blunder]

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That is scandalous! We will just lock up anyone that speaks against Putin. That is called a dictatorship

 

[Rajma]

That is scandalous! We will just lock up anyone that speaks against Putin. That is called a dictatorship

It has been for two decades now, I’m not sure why people find that surprising.

 

[The Firestarter]

It has been for two decades now, I’m not sure why people find that surprising.

That's what I find the only surprising part, makes you wonder what idea most people had about Russia before this kicked off.

 

[Pintu]

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[Raoul]

It has been for two decades now, I’m not sure why people find that surprising.

It has, but it appears to be in transition from authoritarian to totalitarian at the moment. Its less Russia and more North Korea these days.

 

[sglowrider]

Good video... Humanises the war.

 

[spiriticon]

Bereaved relatives in Russia 'ordered to stay silent'
Ever since the start of the Russian invasion, information on Russian casualties has been scarce.
While the Ukrainian government now claims over 15,000 Russian servicemen have been killed, the Russian authorities admitted to just under 500 deaths on 2 March.
BBC Russian has conducted a detailed investigation, confirming the names and ranks of 557 Russian soldiers and officers killed in Ukraine by sifting through social media and local announcements as well as speaking to the relatives.
The investigation found that 15 of Russia’s 85 regions had not published any information about local servicemen killed in Ukraine.
But in one such area - the Kemerovo region in Siberia – BBC Russian (with the help of local residents who asked not to be identified) established identities and burial places of seven soldiers and officers.
A few hours after the BBC investigation was published, the Kemerovo authorities announced that 13 servicemen had been buried in the region since the start of the war.
But there is evidence of growing pressure on local journalists - some earlier reports about soldiers killed in action have been deleted.
One Siberian journalist told the BBC: "At the level of the regional government, all local media outlets were instructed not to publish any data on losses in Ukraine. There are cases when local officials put pressure on the relatives of the victims, ordering them to stay silent.
"They say: 'There is no need to make a fuss now, we will find a way to commemorate your boys later.'"

Going full on North Korea! Such a shame. All the work of the last 30 years to globalise, completely undone in a couple of months.

 

[GlastonSpur]

The BBC reports:

"The UK has provided Ukrainian forces with more than 4,000 anti-tank missile systems to help with "their resistance against Russian aggression", the Ministry of Defence says.

In a series of tweets, the ministry says the devices sent were NLAWs (Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapons)."

 

[TMDaines]

My friends family had been pulled out of Kyiv area recently, it was a complete nightmare logistically and took them 4 days with basically no supplies to get through Ukraine.

My wife was talking to a Ukrainian girl who came from Chernihiv to Manchester, and she said the same. She’s surprised how underreported the bleak situation is in the south and east of the country for people trying to flee still.

 

[TMDaines]

Can’t verify the translation:

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[VorZakone]

Can’t verify the translation:

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They'll talk a lot of shit but I don't consider those threats credible.

 

[hellhunter]

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[Raoul]

Can’t verify the translation:

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These propaganda shows generally turn into swinging dick contests of who can say the most ridiculous things during times of crisis. Happens on Fox News as well.

 

[GlastonSpur]

Can’t verify the translation:

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Hyperbolic red meat to to keep Russian nationalists satisfied. A military that is bogged down and controls less than 10% of Ukraine's remaining territory after more than 3 weeks, is hardly going to be able to invade and conquer even a single NATO country, let alone several of them.

 

[spiriticon]

Can’t verify the translation:

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Nukes nukes nukes. Is that the buzz word in Russia these days?

Do children also get a school lesson on how amazing nuclear weapons are now?

 

[adexkola]

Navalny gets another 9 years. Bastards.

Russia Navalny: Putin critic jailed for nine more years trial branded 'sham'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60832310

Disgraceful.

He isn't perfect but I'd love to see him as the president of Russia one day.

 

[GlastonSpur]

Nukes nukes nukes. Is that the buzz word in Russia these days?

Do children also get a school lesson on how amazing nuclear weapons are now?

How on earth do Russian propagandists square a limited "special military operation" in Ukraine with now talking about invading NATO countries and firing of nukes?

If anything, I would think that such TV shows do more to spark unrest and unease amongst the Russian public.

 

[Simbo]

They'll talk a lot of shit but I don't consider those threats credible.

Same, nothing that comes out of Russian media is credible. Unfortunately some western media will still pick this up and help spread their fearmongering to the less informed.

There is going to be a lot more of this to come too before the end, a hell of a lot.

 

[MoskvaRed]

Can’t verify the translation:

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The fat guy in the black Mao Suit in that video recently had his Lake Como villa impounded.

 

[GlastonSpur]

The BBC reports:

"The figure of 10,000 Russian soldiers killed during the war in Ukraine is a "reasonable estimate", a Western official has said.

The number briefly appeared on a pro-Kremlin website, possibly after being hacked, before being quickly deleted.

The official said this number of losses could mean a further 30-40,000 Russian troops have been wounded or incapacitated in some way.

“This is a very significant drain on Russia’s forces,” they said. But they added that Russia still had "a lot of combat power" and could continue "to sustain a grinding attritional [drawn out] conflict for some time".

“This is a level of casualties that has not been experienced really since the second World War,” they added.

“The morale of Russian forces and their will to keep fighting in a situation where they are fighting in civilian areas, in a fellow Slavic country is something that we're watching really carefully. It is a conflict on a different scale.”

So, in total as many as 50,000 Russian troops could now be out of action. If that's the case, then I'd give it around 3 more weeks before the invading forces collapse.

 

[GlastonSpur]

 

[GlastonSpur]

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[VorZakone]

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Where did they all go?

 

[WI_Red]

Where did they all go?

Italy of course.

don't judge me, it's been a long day