More Bad News for Russia

[Gator]

I heard an interview today by Bill Browder, who ran the most successful investment fund in Russia.  When corrupt officials tried to take it over, his lawyer, Sergey Magnitsky, was killed, and eventually, faced trial posthumously.

I saw the 60 Minutes story.  Scary stuff.  Based on his personal relationship with Putin, he has some excellent insights.   

Emerald posted a link to Browder's 10 February commentary about Putin and Ukraine, saying the West should prepare for war with Putin and the West's response needs to be containment.   Incredibly, Browder wrote that Putin "...is ready to destroy his own country for his own self-preservation."


http://www.institutionalinvestorsalpha.com/Article/3426269/Unhedged-Commentary-Putin-Will-Never-Back-Down.html?LS=Twitter

[lordtiberius]

How so?  At least you are prepared to admit this...

...but, on that basis, how can you come to any conclusion other than the Russians being responsible for the conflict?  It was the Russians who invaded Crimea on a completely bogus pretext - even their number one supporter on this forum, justme100, never EVER accused the Crimean authorities of any discrimination against her for being a Russian-speaking ethnic Russian!

It was the Russians who conducted a meaningless "referendum" which was the biggest crock of shit in modern history (4 million ballot papers printed for 2 million voters, and there are plenty of videos showing stacks of them already completed BEFORE the voting was opened; no option to keep the status quo; and a turnout of 114% (or was it 124%?) in Sevastopol), and who invaded the Crimean Parliament and forced a regime change in the middle of the night at the point of many guns, with the new leader being so popular in the previous real election that his support was less than the margin of error in any poll!


My apologies - perhaps I should have spelt it out that "conflict" here refers to the actual fighting.  If the EU had got off their collective bums when Donbas was first invaded, sanctions probably would not even have been needed.

I'm so sorry - I couldn't find the sarcasm icon.

That's the only thing which you've written that I could even begin to agree with.  The battlefield IS, however, on the ground - sanctions may well eventually cause hardship to the average Russian, but they are unlikely to affect the ruling elite.  Who cares if Putin loses half his fortune?  He would still have enough left to buy most countries.

The people who have been killed as a result of an invasion under completely false pretences, or who have been forced out of their homes, are (or were) not the slightest bit interested in economic warfare which doesn't directly affect them.  They, and the families of all of those killed, are the only ones I care about.

This is a rather brilliant illustration by the sheer force intellect you have exposed this person as a morally weak and intellectually dishonest man.  He does not debate he mocks and obfuscates.  You can debate the Novorossiya argument maybe not successfully.  But for this Kremlin troll, we see he is a bit lazy.

Bravo! btw

[fathertime]

   But for this Kremlin troll, we see he is a bit lazy.

I have to chuckle each time an opinion  isn't the same as yours the person is a 'kremlin troll' or some other silliness.  My impression remains that you just can't handle a normal conversation!  Too bad! 


Fathertime!

[fathertime]

...but, on that basis, how can you come to any conclusion other than the Russians being responsible for the conflict? It was the Russians who invaded Crimea on a completely bogus pretext - even their number one supporter on this forum, justme100, never EVER accused the Crimean authorities of any discrimination against her for being a Russian-speaking ethnic Russian!

Well Kiwi, It isn't hard to come to the conclusion that the Russian's are NOT entirely responsible for the conflict within the context of a much wider conflict.  Sure the Russian's appear to have stirred the pot so they can get their way (or at least most of it) in this particular case, and they do it differently then western nations sometimes do it.
I'd say from their viewpoint it is a defensive move as many of their allies have had the West (Namely USA) come in and either invade or help create/foment strife.  Yes we eventually leave because we don't need the mess of trying to clean up.   Little by little, nation by nation this has been happening, and all tallied up millions have died or suffered from it.  Sure people now say "I didn't approve of the Iraq war" or I "I don't think we should do that in Syria" or "Libya", nevertheless it is done regardless.    It is easy for simpletons to say 'two wrongs don't make a right' but the reality is if one side is attempting to change regimes and winds up benefiting then it is up to other powerful nations to do the same thing, as only the strong survive in this world.  Some talk about 'bad actors' having a free pass, because of Obama's weakness, I don't see it that way, "Other players" are gaining a free pass because they see what we (the US) has done when we wanted to,and they aren't going to be left behind for a lack of trying. 

That's the only thing which you've written that I could even begin to agree with.  The battlefield IS, however, on the ground - sanctions may well eventually cause hardship to the average Russian, but they are unlikely to affect the ruling elite.  Who cares if Putin loses half his fortune?  He would still have enough left to buy most countries.

The people who have been killed as a result of an invasion under completely false pretences, or who have been forced out of their homes, are (or were) not the slightest bit interested in economic warfare which doesn't directly affect them.  They, and the families of all of those killed, are the only ones I care about.

You may care in this particular instance, but people (many innocents) have been killed 100 times over in recent decades, so you can cherry pick where you are going to show outrage.  Maybe you showed similar outrage during some of the American interventions, if so you are to be applauded for being consistent, if not then I don't think you have a leg to stand on to chastise one side and applaud the other.


   Knowing where I'm coming from, may help you see why I have drawn the conclusions that I have.  I think a lot of others have drawn similar conclusions, but not too many are posting here. 


There is much much more to say regarding specifics.


Fathertime!     

[AkMike]

More bad news 

Russian Fear of U.S. Hypersonic Missiles Threatens New Arms Race
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russian-fear-of-u-s-hypersonic-missiles-threatens-new-arms-race/515863.html

Russia Has No Choice But to Continue Gas Route Through Ukraine
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russia-has-no-choice-but-to-continue-gas-route-through-ukraine/515878.html

Russian Banks' Assets Fall $380 Million in January
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russian-banks-assets-fall-380-million-in-january/515920.html

Russian Oil Giant Rosneft to Slash Spending by 30%
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russian-oil-giant-rosneft-to-slash-spending-by-30/515919.html

Ministry Predicts Food Prices in Russia to Rise 24 Percent by July
(But dirt will go down 123%)
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/ministry-predicts-food-prices-in-russia-to-rise-24-percent-by-july/515861.html

Annexation Euphoria Fades as Crimeans Accused of 'Stealing' Russians' University Places
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/cost-of-crimean-annexation-affects-competition-for-russian-university-places-/515876.html

Russian Military Units Linked to Ukraine Hide Casualty Data
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-military-units-linked-to-ukraine-hide-casualty-data--report/515802.html

Russia Takes a Dive in Press Freedom Ranking
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russia-takes-a-dive-in-press-freedom-ranking/515833.html

[lordtiberius]

that is good news

[AkMike]

The EU will not drop the adopted sanctions against Russia, which shall come into force on Monday


This was stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, Censor.NET reports citing Deutsche Welle.

The adopted package of measures bans entry and freezes assets of certain individuals and entities of the separatists and Russian citizens, who support them. The names of these 19 people and nine organizations have not been released yet.

Merkel explained that these sanctions have been adopted in response to the shelling of Mariupol by the separatists, which led to many civilian casualties. She added that at the summit the European Commission was called upon to prepare new possible sanctions against Russia, if need be, and that the EU should have all the abilities for reaction.

http://en.censor.net.ua/news/324484/new_sanctions_against_russia_will_come_into_force_on_monday_merkel

[Taz]

Pretty obvious Russia already violated the ceasefire.


http://www.ibtimes.com/ukraine-crisis-ceasefire-broken-hours-after-it-was-called-report-says-1816834?


The US Ambassador to Ukraine has formally said Russia has their air defense systems in Ukraine around Debaltseve.


http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/us-ambassador-posts-satellite-images-of-russian-air-defense-systems-near-debaltseve-380650.html?


See the Ambassador's twitter feed here with the  info.


http://twitter.com/GeoffPyatt/media


Time to arm Ukraine or kick the crap out of Russia for them. This is BS and needs to stop. Time to erase ever Russian solider from the face of Ukraine. Since they never were there, nobody will miss them.

[Taz]

Who would have ever thought that the Russian terrorists didn't think the rules applied to them. So all you Russian supporters, what do you say now? What possible justification is there for ignoring a ceasefire that Russian and their terrorists agreed to?


http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/558298/Ukrainian-towns-Russian-separatist-rule-ceasefire?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-world-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+World+Feed%29


Anyway I know the answer to my previous question for the Russian supporters. You will support whatever lame-ass excuse Putin and the terrorists put forward. This is NOT their territory even though they tried to take control of it in direct contrast to the spirit of the ceasefire. They did all they could to try and take it before the ceasefire was supposed to go into effect Sunday.


Every day I am getting closer and closer to supporting direct involvement and kicking Putin's ass and is invisible army back to Russia. Once Russians faced a well coordinated army like the US Marines they would be running back home to mother Russia and crawling back into the wombs of their mamas.

[lordtiberius]

I support the creation and arming of several NATO legions on Russia's borders and inside Russia.  Russia cannot wage a full scale invasion of Ukraine while repulsing a Caucasian insurgency, Japanese warships in the Kuriles, US-Canadian claims in the Arctic,  armed opposition parties inside Russia, and green men inside Russia demanding federalization.  The Kremlin Trolls are going to blame us anyway.  Rollback is the best policy.

Have we forgotten?  No SWIFT for Russia. Arm Ukraine.

[Doll]

I support the creation and arming of several NATO legions on Russia's borders and inside Russia.  .

[Taz]

You must be joking Doll. The Russian bear is vastly overrated. Besides, a bear isn't the apex predator, man is. Man with a gun will easily take down the bear.


Anyway all you need to see to know that Russia is violating the ceasefire and will continue to do so is this text.


http://www.vocativ.com/world/ukraine-world/ukraine-ceasefire-russia/?

[Muzh]

Ooo, look what happened to the bear when he met Uncle Sam.

[Doll]

You must be joking Doll. The Russian bear is vastly overrated. Besides, a bear isn't the apex predator, man is. Man with a gun will easily take down the bear.


Anyway all you need to see to know that Russia is violating the ceasefire and will continue to do so is this text.


http://www.vocativ.com/world/ukraine-world/ukraine-ceasefire-russia/?

BS
you wanted a man?

[AkMike]

Doll,
I almost hate to disillusion you and your core beliefs. BUT there is no Easter bunny and that picture is altered quite a bit with photoshop.  Huilomeister isn't that brave.

[Doll]

Doll,
I almost hate to disillusion you and your core beliefs. BUT there is no Easter bunny and that picture is altered quite a bit with photoshop.  Huilomeister isn't that brave.

[LiveFromUkraine]

Doll,
I almost hate to disillusion you and your core beliefs. BUT there is no Easter bunny and that picture is altered quite a bit with photoshop.  Huilomeister isn't that brave.

Cmon, man, next you will be telling Doll this one isn't real.







or this one...







anyone hungry?

[Doll]

[Doll]

[Muzh]

Vladimir H. Putler

[Taz]

Some people act like rabid animals. Rabid animals need to be put down. I wouldn't mind a little seat time to help out.


Doll's blindness to what really is going on sadly like is like too many other Russians. Just because enough people say there is an Easter Bunny or Ded Moroz doesn't make it true. Just because all the Russian news media says Ukrainians are Nazis and attacking Russians at will doesn't make it true.


Going into this I was much more likely to side with Russian just because I lived there and had more Russian friends than Ukrainian. My ex was Russian as well. So in general I would have been more sympathetic to Russia in someways UNTIL I saw it all happening with my own eyes. I was in Kiev during the earliest days of Maidan. If it wasn't for that, quite likely my wife and I never would have married. It was then she really saw that I was open to assessing all the facts and realize that the corrupt Russian influence in Ukraine needed to go.


Putin is a murder, plain and simple. It is because of his ego that so many people have died. The sooner Putin goes to hell, the better off we'll all be.

[AkMike]

Russia needs to be eviscerated, and spit into many 4th world countries so this international aggression is out of the gene pool forever! 

[AkMike]

Is Russia's Economy Rebalancing In The Face Of Western Sanctions? Not Really!

 Ever since the West slapped punitive sanctions on Russia in response to its blatant military intervention in Ukraine, Pro-Kremlin commentators in the Russian media (i.e. almost all of them) have been making bold statements about their economy’s resilience.

 Throughout 2014, Russia’s total industrial production grew by roughly 1.7%, while its total agricultural output grew by about 3.7%. Considering the scale of the ruble’s devaluation and the growing upward pressure on prices (inflation was more than 10% in 2014 and could be 15% or higher in 2015) these are hardly robust figures. In fact, they’re substantially worse than several of the, rather tepid, post-crisis years.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2015/02/11/is-russias-economy-rebalancing-in-the-face-of-western-sanctions-not-really/

[AkMike]

SWIFT disconnect: Why does it absolutely terrify the corrupt Russian elite?
Article by: Andrey Shipilov


One bank official from Cyprus explained to me why Medvedev, Kostin, etc. responded so nervously and inadequately to reports of a possible disconnection of Russia from SWIFT.

The fact is that while the other Western sanctions affect the Russian economy as a whole, a disconnection from SWIFT would primarily affect them personally.

Russia’s economy without SWIFT will continue to operate, albeit with difficulty. But they–personally–without SWIFT will not be able to control their personal anonymous assets in Western banks and will lose access to them.

At present, they control their accounts in Western banks anonymously through a chain of front firms, which are impossible to trace. But their operations are completely dependent on SWIFT for operation. All of current money-laundering and anonymization schemes are dependent on SWIFT. Other such operations simply do not exist at present, and new ones can not be developed in a month. Nor in six months, either. And it is not clear that they would be possible at all.

When disconnected from SWIFT, the [corrupt elite] will either have to give up control over their anonymous assets or assume a high risk of losing their anonymity.



http://euromaidanpress.com/2015/02/16/swift-disconnect-absolutely-terrify-corrupt-russian-elite/

[lordtiberius]

Another Western failure, SWIFT still on for the Kremlin mob.