Shit, you’ve already got many of the Republicans in the House calling for a cease-fire and adopting the current status quo. Others are calling for plebiscites in the oblasts involved (after Russian cleansing) and there’s plenty of pro Russian sentiment in the West. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think if he withdraws to pre 2-'22 lines there will be a lot of sentiment for “peace”.
All of those fuckers need to be juxtaposed with Reagan portraits. Not that I think Reagan was some genius, but these fuckers need to be reminded where their “mandate” came from.
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Video all over the internet purporting to show Wagner taking military/FSB headquarters in RoD. There to Moscow is a long ass way though.
How long a supply line can Wagner have?
Prior to today’s developments, there was some speculation that the reason Prigozhin’s diatribes against the MoD (Gerasimov and Shoigu) were allowed because he was acting as Putin’s mouthpiece. That made sense until the last couple of days when he started saying that the entire Ukraine invasion was based upon lies and that Ukraine is winning. The impression I had, without being able to read Russian, is that he was still careful in placing the blame on the military establishment and not Putin - blaming them for giving Putin bad information. However, since Putin took the MoD’s side in wanting the mercernaries to sign contracts with the MoD, it is less clear where his loyalties lie.
So, is all this the MoD calling his bluff as to the extent he is acting as Putin’s mouthpiece? Or is this Prigozhin making Putin choose sides? Or is this Putin and Prigozhin looking for a way out? Or has Putin decided that Prigozhin has gotten to big for his breeches?
Given what has been reported about the relative effectiveness of Wagner vs the Russian regular army, wouldn’t bet against Wagner in any case.
What was it Churchill said about the thing wrapped in the other thing inside the other thing?
Ukraine just pushed some start button on a new phase of offensive in response to this chaos and reports are they’re retaking streets inside Bakhmut.
I keep thinking about how Trump, when asked about the invasion of Ukraine right after it happened, said with complete confidence that Putin was going to get a whole country for basically nothing, and was so smart.
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Of course, Trump also thought U.S. Navy Seals were part of a Russian amphibious assault of Odessa.
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And trump or Biden have exactly what to do with this current situation in Ukraine? I am for Ukraine and I am for US.
Getting very interesting.
Rostov on don seems familiar from WW2 reading I have done in past.
Things are still wild right now. Wagner claims control of Voronezh and continues toward Moscow. Putin vows to crush Prigozhin. Wagner (or someone Wagner-affiliated on telegram, fwiw) says “soon we will have a new president.” Government helicopter(s) shot down over Voronezh. At least one bomb dropped on the Wagner convoy on the highway. Wagner setting up anti-tank mines in Rostov. And now maybe an air strike on the Wagner-occupied military HQ there. And Kadyrov (I guess not surprisingly) is entering the fray on Putin’s side, vowing to retake Rostov.
One of those weeks where decades happen, eh?
The world always remains interesting whether people are on it or not. Russia has a very crazy history, both good and bad. Lots of crazy people in its past. Trust zero if Ukraine. Stay on planned path and take advantage of any opportunity. However avoid being drawn out into something independent of Ukraine, sovereignty.
“This will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it” - Putin, probably.
Putin acknowledged the coup attempt in an address to the nation today. So now everyone in Russia knows it’s actually happening, which may have the reverse effect to what Putin wants.
Meanwhile, there seems to be moves to fortify Moscow going on. Reports that they’re closing off access road with dump trucks and even planning to blow up some bridges.
“Boy that escalated quickly” - Putin, probably
I trust little. While itmay sound conspiracy theory. Rostov on Don major supply route to southern Ukraine. Could end up more Russian troops and his groups try and move into Ukraine in major offensive. Trust nothing and verify. Preference is as we see.
Germans got stalin to get rid of some of top generals. US used intelligence to sharp German minds of assaults and landings through intelligence.
Following my thoughts and posts. Tend to do that. History has never been boring. What in the world could, realistically, be Wagner’s end game?
While the USSR and Putin’s Russia are both reprehensible, the economic system Putin put in place is quite a bit different than the socialist/communist centrally planned system. Putin’s is quite capitalistic and some would argue, is what has helped to sustain London’s place as a financial center in recent years (hence the Londongrad moniker).
https://www.reuters.com/business/londongrad-tries-kick-its-30-year-russian-money-habit-2022-02-28/
Under Putin, the capital is concentrated in the hands of his cronies - the oligarchs who acquiesced to his authority for the opportunity to own and operate previous state enterprises in a capitalistic fashion. Putin himself started with getting control of the vodka trade.
Unlike the atheistic Soviets, Putin has sought to protray himself as a Christian and coopted the Russian Othodox Church in service of his state. Particularly since the rolex wearing Kirill took over as Patriach of Moscow.
Basically, Putin’s is a mafia state based on personal loyalty to him.
What’s similar to the USSR is the authoritarianism and suppression of political dissent.
This mixture of authoritarian cult of personality, money, and religious justification has long been popular with right wing (would be) dictators.
What we are seeing now is a mob war.
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