The Russia-Ukraine War has begun

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

PBS Frontline has an interview with Julia Ioffe about Putin, and why she thinks he started the invasion.

According to her it goes like this: Putin believes that his intelligence agencies have leaked his plan to America. This is why he was so rude to the chief on that agency as seen on TV.

The rest has to do with COVID: Russia has per head count one of the biggest mortality rates in the world. Putin believed that the Russian economy would not survive a lockdown, which is why there was no lockdown. Normal Russians did not isolate themselves, but Putin did. Everybody who wanted to visit Putin had to go upfront two weeks in quarantine before finally meeting him, including even the president of Kazakhstan.

Lockdown took a mental strain on all of us, but we were not as isolated as Putin. So while some people started to get new hobbies, Putin had a mental breakdown and started the invasion of Ukraine instead.

Also due to his self isolation the circle of Putin's advisor greatly decreased; he weeded out all the liberals after 2012, and by now it consists of 2-3 people only, which are all way crazier and more hard core than Putin is.

 

[Chin Rey]

adding "the" downplays the status of Ukraine from an independent country to a territory (like "The Crimean Peninsula"}

Or like "the UK".

Not all Germanic languages has an equivalent to the "the" article btw. The Scandinavian ones use suffixes instead.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Or like "the UK".

Not all Germanic languages has an equivalent to the "the" article btw. The Scandinavian ones use suffixes instead.

The UK gets an article because it has an adjective in the name. The United Kingdom. England, Scotland, and Wales do not get articles because they are nouns.

The other countries that get articles in English are plural names (The Netherlands or The United States).

 

[Sid]

So there's no point in waiting, is there?
Back to the suicide plans, then.

In my view the only chance for the world to survive is to try not to end up with a WWIII.
Sure, it doesn't help Ukraine for a bit, but a WW doesn't help them either.

For myself I have no worries.
My best years are behind me anyhow and when the A bombs start to fly I'm one of the first million deaths for sure as I have already explained in the past.
It would be very sad for the world population as a whole though. Even if some would survive, what kind of life is there left then?

If a world clash is avoidable I don't know. But it is worth giving it a try IMHO.

 

[Noodles]

I just learned something new. I wasn't aware there was a difference between Ukraine and The Ukraine. I almost posted that question until I read the article. So, now my question is what is the difference? The article doesn't say what the difference is, just that they are different.

I beleive the core difference is "The Ukraine" is a way for Russia (mostly) to act like Ukraine isn't its own country. Adding "The" makes it feel more like a region or area (thats part of Russia/Russia Controlled areas) instead of a place of its own.

I think its mostly a psychological thing.

 

[Sid]

In Ukraine they don't use THE either:
\/
\/

 

[WolfEyes]

So, it's a method of distinguishing between a free state and one that is under the Russian thumb. That was the conclusion I'd come to because it just didn't make sense trying to see it as a slur of some kind.

And why the hell does my spell check keep changing slur to slut?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Image because he sometimes locks his twitter

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Both the Russian and English languages make subtle distinctions between territories that are politically delimited and territories that are not. In Russian, people refer to events happening “na Ukraine” or “v Ukraine.” Russian language teachers usually explain the difference between “na” and “v” as the respective difference between “on” and “in.” One places the ketchup “na” the table and puts it away “v” the refrigerator.

Things get a little more complicated when describing larger spaces. In Russian, a person is “na” an unbounded territory, such as a hill, but “v” a bounded territory that is defined politically or institutionally, such as a nation-state. This distinction between unbounded and bounded territories holds even when English speakers would universally use “in.” So a person is “na” the Caucasus (“in the Caucasus”) but “v” Germany (“in Germany”).

English makes this distinction not with different prepositions but with the definite article “the.” English speakers use “in” before the name of a politically defined unit such as a nation or a state, and “in the” for a territory that is not politically defined. Hence, “Last week I was in Kentucky,” or, “Last week I was in the Bluegrass region.”

It’s ‘Ukraine,’ not ‘the Ukraine’ – here’s why

That three-letter word erases the country’s political sovereignty.

theconversation.com

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

And why the hell does my spell check keep changing slur to slut?

Because it's a slur.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

So, it's a method of distinguishing between a free state and one that is under the Russian thumb. That was the conclusion I'd come to because it just didn't make sense trying to see it as a slur of some kind.

And why the hell does my spell check keep changing slur to slut?

It's based on your frequently used words to some extent. CLEARLY you need to stop talking about me behind my back!

 

[Soen Eber]

Because it's a slur.

Cris, can we have a meta-laugh? He's talking higher level language mechanics again -- or is it some form of reference redirection?

 

[WolfEyes]

It's based on your frequently used words to some extent. CLEARLY you need to stop talking about me behind my back!

Today was the first time in... forever? that I have used either word.

Wait... if I am behind your back doesn't that put me face to face with you?

Oh that reminds me of something I haven't done in a long time. I need to get Troy with it again.

Him as he enters the front door: I'm back!
Me: Turn around and you'll be front!

 

[Free]

What? Well, this is new.

Bennett advises Zelensky to surrender to Russia, Zelensky refuses

[Israeli] Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy that he recommends Ukraine take the offer made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war - which includes many Ukrainian sacrifices - in a phone call on Tuesday, according to an official in Ukraine's government. According to the official, Zelenksy did not take Bennett's advice.

The source claimed that the phone call was initiated by Bennett. "If I were you, I would think about the lives of my people and take the offer," Bennett reportedly said.

Zelenksy's response was short. "I hear you," he said.

According to the report, Zelenksy and his people did not like the advice.

"Bennett told us to surrender," said the official. "We have no intention of doing so. We know Putin's offer is only the beginning."

 

[Free]

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

What? Well, this is new.

Bennett advises Zelensky to surrender to Russia, Zelensky refuses

A narcissist’s flying monkey on a national scale. Oh my.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

What? Well, this is new.

Bennett advises Zelensky to surrender to Russia, Zelensky refuses

Well he's not alone. Thomas Fischer, who was one of the highest ranking civil judges in Germany, wrote in his op ed colum in "Der Spiegel" the same:

His argument goes like this: Ukraine is unable to win the war with their military forces alone. Sanctions are not enough to put Russia down, and third countries sending their armies as support troops is equal to joint suicide because then Russia would highly likely use nuclear warheards.

So the loss of Ukraine is quite imminent. So what's better: fighting for the right thing but lots of people dying in the end for it, and remember that death is permament, or capitulating but staying alive beaten?

So goes his train of thought. Also remember that interview with Julia Ioffe I've posted, where one important thought is that she thinks that Putin is now at a stage where he's got nothing to loose. And the only way to stop him is to put a bullet between his eyes, which he knows so it makes him even more dangerous.

Meinung: Ukraine-Krieg, Gas und Öl aus Russland: Olaf Scholz hat Recht! - Kolumne

Mitten in die Kriegseskalation hinein vertritt die Bundesregierung die These, es sei für den inneren Frieden Deutschlands wichtig, weiter russisches Gas und Öl zu importieren. Der Gedanke ist richtig und ausbaufähig.

www.spiegel.de

 

[Beebo Brink]

Vladimir Putin reportedly fires eight generals

Eight generals reportedly fired by Vladimir Putin

euroweeklynews.com

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Vladimir Putin reportedly fires eight generals

Eight generals reportedly fired by Vladimir Putin

euroweeklynews.com

lol

Didn't he also fire the country's intelligence chief like yesterday or day before?

The smart money says this is just predictable scapegoating. But...like, it's also possible that Putin's trying to solve a legit rat problem.

Ukraine's military has publicly announced already that they have captured like three or four different squads of Russian soldiers that were attempting to kidnap Zelensky and they've said they were able to do this because they were tipped off about the mission details by Russian sources and not as in just some captured grunts spilling the beans. Although, of course, they could just be saying that.

And then there's the whole thing with it just not making sense that Russia is doing so poorly in this war given what we know (or what we presumed to be true) about their military power; that the whole thing is being incompetently managed, and while everyone is cheerleading the Ukrainians for being so awesome there's also this kind of shadow over everything, the notion that any minute now Russia COULD STILL finally get its act together and completely steamroll Ukraine, and that impression hasn't changed since like Day 2. So what gives?

Sure it could be the case that Russia's military command is just actually that stupid and its field force really is just that overhyped and unfit for purpose....but...from my idiot-on-the-internet POV it kinda almost looks like somebody somewhere has been sandbagging Russia's whole program. Maybe several somebodies.

 

[Free]

Vladimir Putin reportedly fires eight generals

Eight generals reportedly fired by Vladimir Putin

euroweeklynews.com