The RUSSIA thread
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I jest but it certainly hits the pockets. We're still standing though so maybe there is hope for Ukraine if prices blow up.
Was there a post about this yet?
http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2016-09/russia-propaganda-eastern-ukraine-separatists-e-mails
10.000 leaked emails. Decent article as well, for the most part.
http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2016-09/russia-propaganda-eastern-ukraine-separatists-e-mails
10.000 leaked emails. Decent article as well, for the most part.
Russia protests: Opposition leader Navalny arrested (again)
Russia's main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has been arrested at an anti-corruption protest he organised in the capital, Moscow.
Thousands of people have joined rallies nationwide, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev over corruption allegations.
Most of the marches were illegal, organised without official permission.
Police have been deployed in large numbers, and dozens of other protesters have been detained across the country.
TV pictures showed demonstrators chanting "Down with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin!", "Russia without Putin!" and "Putin is a thief!".
Correspondents say the marches appear to be the biggest since anti-government demonstrations in 2011/2012.
Navalny was detained as he arrived to join the rally in central Moscow. Protesters then tried to prevent a police van from taking him away.
In a tweet after his detention, he urged fellow protesters to continue with the demonstration.
"Guys, I'm fine. No need to fight to get me out. Walk along Tverskaya [Moscow main street]. Our topic of the day is the fight against corruption," he said (in Russian).
Navalny said staff at his office had also been detained for streaming the protests live online without permission.
Demonstrations were also held in Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and several other cities, where arrests had also been reported.
Why the protests?
Alexei Navalny called for the nationwide protests after he published reports claiming that Mr Medvedev controlled mansions, yachts and vineyards - a fortune that far outstripped his official salary.
Mr Medvedev's spokeswoman called the allegations "propagandistic attacks", but the prime minister himself has not commented on the claims.
The reports included the accusation that Mr Medvedev had a special house for a duck on one of his properties - and on Sunday, some demonstrators held up images of yellow rubber ducks.
Others showed up with their faces painted green, a reference to a recent attack in which Mr Navalny was hit with green liquid.
In Moscow, protesters filled Pushkin square and some climbed the monument to poet Alexander Pushkin shouting "impeachment". Turnout was estimated to be between 7,000 and 8,000, according to police.
In the capital alone, at least 130 protesters had been taken by police, a rights group, OVD Info, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
State TV channels did not cover the demonstrations. Local media reports suggested the authorities pressured students not to attend.
In some cities, exams were scheduled on Sunday.
Alexei Navalny announced his intention to run for president in 2018 against Vladimir Putin. But he is barred from doing so after being found guilty in a case he said was politicised.
He said on his website that protests were planned in 99 cities, but that in 72 of them authorities did not give permission.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39398305?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central
http://www.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_main/rosstat/ru/statistics/population/demography/#
If you remember your recent history, Russia was facing a depopulation issue due to the men dying far too early, mainly due to alcohol. Putin's administration has managed to combat that issue slightly but now Russia is facing the same demographic crisis as the developed world - the baby boomers are dying and the younger generations are not enough to replenish the population. By 2036, Russian population will have dropped from 147 million to 138 million. Considering how anti-immigration large segments of the population and the official Russia is, this trend is not going to be buckled. In comparison, Japan - the most widely used depopulation example - will suffer a population drop of 20 million between 2010 and 2040
Another thing that makes Russia weaker is the lack of investment. Most regions are becoming literal wastelands, as the two major growth centres of St.Petersburg and Moscow "vacuum" people. Young adults usually have no choice but to move to them or the other bigger cities in order to find decently paying jobs, leaving the rural areas with no future. I've often stated the security risk Russia is facing in Siberia, with both legal and illegal immigration from China turning many areas into Chinese.
Of course, regardless of what the racists think and the Government does, the Caucasus and Central-Asian states are generally such **** holes that their citizens will likely continue to seek employment in Russia, somewhat mitigating this trend.
http://uacrisis.org/56592-traceless-regiment-russian-military-losses-donbas
And a reminder that Russia is still illegally occupying parts of Ukraine. The current casualties are 2,652 Ukrainian servicemen, based on the official tally. Russia of course is not publishing any such numbers, still clinging to the absurd lie that their armed forces are not involved, despite handing out medals and ordering flags to bury coffins with and the plethora of other evidence. But NGOs tallying up the count estimate the death count for Russians to have reached 3,298 by May 1st. Another NGO puts the amount closer to 5,000. In any case, hard numbers are difficult to get as relatives have admitted to having been both bribed and threatened by the FSB to keep quiet of deceased men in their families.
With the oil price still relatively low, it's a good question how long Russia can afford to burn money in Ukraine - the imaginary republics would collapse instantly without Russian money, arms and soldiers propping them up.
If you remember your recent history, Russia was facing a depopulation issue due to the men dying far too early, mainly due to alcohol. Putin's administration has managed to combat that issue slightly but now Russia is facing the same demographic crisis as the developed world - the baby boomers are dying and the younger generations are not enough to replenish the population. By 2036, Russian population will have dropped from 147 million to 138 million. Considering how anti-immigration large segments of the population and the official Russia is, this trend is not going to be buckled. In comparison, Japan - the most widely used depopulation example - will suffer a population drop of 20 million between 2010 and 2040
Another thing that makes Russia weaker is the lack of investment. Most regions are becoming literal wastelands, as the two major growth centres of St.Petersburg and Moscow "vacuum" people. Young adults usually have no choice but to move to them or the other bigger cities in order to find decently paying jobs, leaving the rural areas with no future. I've often stated the security risk Russia is facing in Siberia, with both legal and illegal immigration from China turning many areas into Chinese.
Of course, regardless of what the racists think and the Government does, the Caucasus and Central-Asian states are generally such **** holes that their citizens will likely continue to seek employment in Russia, somewhat mitigating this trend.
http://uacrisis.org/56592-traceless-regiment-russian-military-losses-donbas
And a reminder that Russia is still illegally occupying parts of Ukraine. The current casualties are 2,652 Ukrainian servicemen, based on the official tally. Russia of course is not publishing any such numbers, still clinging to the absurd lie that their armed forces are not involved, despite handing out medals and ordering flags to bury coffins with and the plethora of other evidence. But NGOs tallying up the count estimate the death count for Russians to have reached 3,298 by May 1st. Another NGO puts the amount closer to 5,000. In any case, hard numbers are difficult to get as relatives have admitted to having been both bribed and threatened by the FSB to keep quiet of deceased men in their families.
With the oil price still relatively low, it's a good question how long Russia can afford to burn money in Ukraine - the imaginary republics would collapse instantly without Russian money, arms and soldiers propping them up.
Might the Ukraine become a second Afghanistan for Russia? They don't seem to make any progress there...
Well sort of, yes, kinda. It's unlikely that operations in the Donbass region will heat up like in Afghanistan but the invasion will certainly bleed Russian blood and money for years to come. But Russia doesn't need to occupy the whole of Ukraine and I personally don't think they will go for that unless the global situation changes drastically. As long as the conflict is "frozen", Ukraine cannot join the EU nor the NATO. Putin probably hopes that with little economic growth, the status quo for Ukrainians becomes miserably enough that they vote pro-Russian groups - likely funded by Kreml - in the next elections, who will then embrace Mother Russia with open arms. It has happened before.
