Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673392#Comment_118673392

The Daily Mail comments section has always been rapidly pro-Putin. While I've always thought that no self respecting Russian trolls would target a small site like boards.ie they very much would target the Daily Mail - It is one of the most visited sites in the world so would be very much worth their while.

They could also be actual real people too. Lots of British right-wingers love Putin. He fits the mould of what they think a leader should be like: Throw his weight around, talk incessantly about patriotism, glorify WW2, put the gays and feminists in their place, colonise weaker neighbours, demonise immigrants, literally kills members of the media, locks up opponents. They'd love a bit of that!

Says it all, really!

https://twitter.com/USEmbassyKyiv/status/1496115593149358081

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673620#Comment_118673620

So after pulling all their staff out of the country, the US embassy to Ukraine is now posting memes on twitter....

It really does say it all

Mike Murdock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673616#Comment_118673616

Well the Mail has a history of backing lunatic Authoritarians.

Kermit.de.frog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673620#Comment_118673620

That's brilliant, ha!

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673602#Comment_118673602

Yeah, I'd be worried about Finland in the event that Russia was allowed to do what it wants with Ukraine. Still, there are some mitigating factors with Finland like it lacking a significant minority of ethnic Russians who 'yearn to be with the motherland' and Finns not being very pro-Russia at all, but that just means Putin (or Putin's successor) would have to be more naked in their ambition, and maybe they'd be emboldened to be just that if they're allowed to overrun Ukraine.

Also, I'd have to think that the more Russia pushes things, the bigger noises get made in Finland about becoming a part of NATO, dropping their neutrality, and then the more sabre-rattling you hear out of Moscow about what Finland are proposing to do.

Pussyhands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673620#Comment_118673620

There are no winners here....

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673616#Comment_118673616

I was talking to my sister a few weeks ago and she couldn't believe the comments around the place and how obvious it was since the new year or so, to tech savvy people at least.

Here's the thing, people like to go on as if it needs to be a whole grand plan. It doesn't. How long in total man hours does it take the PutinBots here to post? An hour a day, maybe? You could have a handful of trolls covering sites like here and any other message boards that are left.

Twitter can be almost automated for the spamming. I can't think of the site a few years ago that actually tracked the propaganda coming from St Petersberg? It was gas and from paying a little attention you knew exactly what was going to be in the latest update.

Facebook, ffs the bots might be outnumbered by the homeopathy-loving anti-vaxxers who hate liberals at this point. 😂

Reddit tends to work like an echo chamber in a lot of cases so certain subreddits will have all kind of **** posted on them. Again it just takes a couple of people an hour a day (and a few useful idiots or contrarians) to tip the scales hugely.

As far as The Daily Mail itself goes, consider the Russian money in London. They're all up their fuckin eyeballs in it, just about anyone with stock and links to print media. Along with their general right-wing-ness and anti-Europeness. They're not too worried about the comments online, they likely just draw an occasional smirk, they care about "engagement".

EDIT: I really can't strongly enough suggest to anyone with the slightest interest to subscribe to Private Eye. It's fortnightly and tbh there's not that much reading in it (3 hours maybe) but the amount of times the same names come up, linked differently, or the same patterns of collusion and association is just beyond belief. They've been running stories on Russian money in London since I can remember (maybe 2007) and had been for a while before that. It's one of the few bits of journalism still going.

EDIT EDIT: Ah FFS, they've changed their prices, used to only be an extra couple of quid compared to UK, think I paid under €40 for a year back in the day but it's around 100 a year now. It's still well worth it IMO but a harder sell obviously. 😅 I'll still say though if you see it next to that awfully rubbish Phoenix on a news stand once in a while then pick it up. :D

Kermit.de.frog

Biden to make address on the situation at 7pm this evening.

This morning there was some confusion about the language from Washington regarding invasion. But now officials are unequivocally saying an invasion has begun.

Hobgoblin11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673822#Comment_118673822

will give the stock markets time to implode too before they shut at 9pm

Kermit.de.frog

That's 7pm our time for that address...

TheValeyard

Probably due to the fact Putin just asked the Federal Council to approve troop deployments abroad.

Two guesses where they are going.

is_that_so

The EU proposals, which are also a lot less tame than the German moves on Nordstream2.

For now sanctions are to target:

• Anyone involved in the decision - diplomats say that includes 351 members of Russia's parliament who backed recognition along with 11 people who proposed it
• Banks that are financing Russia's military and other operations in those territories
• The ability of the Russian state and government to access the EU’s capital and financial markets and services, and the financing of escalatory and aggressive policies
• Trade from the two breakaway regions to and from the EU, to ensure that those responsible clearly feel the economic consequences of their illegal and aggressive actions

All 27 EU member states have to agree to these sanctions. Splits between EU countries over foreign policy are common and you can definitely expect Hungary and Orban to go their own way here.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673721#Comment_118673721

I'm actually surprised that they hadn't done this long ago. They've been a de-facto independent statelet for 30 years and Russia is their #1 backer.

Kermit.de.frog

https://mobile.twitter.com/MarkUrban01/status/1496151566038020106

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673891#Comment_118673891

That's not even a rubber stamp, it's a nod!

saabsaab

How many Russians are here? Enough to make a teritorial claim for Sherkin Island or similar?

namloc1980

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1496152850090663943?t=-MDaF8R1wEjOAHREb4pC3Q&s=19

How are the Putinbots going to spin this one?

HerrKapitan

Russian parliament have just voted to give Putin permission to use military forces abroad.

Ominously, tomorrow Russia is celebrating Heroes of the Homeland defence day.

https://youtu.be/S3IqcWbLN8w

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673715#Comment_118673715

Even more apt considering the Soviets demolished St Michael's in the 1930's IIRC? What's there today is a reconstruction. And Sophia's church very nearly befell the same fate.

paul71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673889#Comment_118673889

Its a very strange history. Effectively it was an army group of the Soviet army the got cut off geographically from the Russian Federation when Ukraine and Russia split at the fall of the USSR.

The Ukrainians and other nationalities drifted off and joined their own new armies while most of the Russian Soldiers just hung around and got involved to varying degrees with the separatist movement in the area. In many ways it reminds me of the Story of the Czech Legion who got stuck in Siberia during the Russian Revolution and became the most effective fighting force during the Red-White civil war.

https://twitter.com/elintnews/status/1496155223936704515?s=21

ittakestwo

You can still get a flight into Russia from the west today.Surly if the west are going to be serious with sanctions we would allow no trade or travel with Russians

Any Russians who live in the west who won't denounce their citizenship should have their assets here stripped and sent home. Any qualifications they hold from a western institution get stripped too. Let's get serious on sanctions rather than a war.

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673960#Comment_118673960

The initial impression of both the EU & UK sanctions is that they will be aimed at ratcheting up slowly. We'll hear from the US later but it seems likes a sensible approach to tweak as it might give him more opportunity to come to an arrangement without losing too much face.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673960#Comment_118673960

Where are they citizens of if they denounced their Russian citizenship? 🤔

ittakestwo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118673999#Comment_118673999

If they have dual citizenship or successfully apply for other citizenship. If they are new to west send them home

joseywhales

I think we have to keep in mind that Putin does not represent the Russian people. It is not right to start punishing Russians by stripping assets and deportation, who have nothing to do with the decisions of a dictator.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118674044#Comment_118674044

Yes. It's also a form of collective punishment. The more targeted sanctions are, the better.

Kermit.de.frog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118674044#Comment_118674044

Unfortunately whether they like it or not he does represent them, that's the problem.

Meaningful opponents of Putin suffer really unfortunate accidents and people can be disappeared quite easily.

It takes too much courage for anyone to stand up to him in Moscow.

briany

So, per the current press conference, Putin wants,

1. Recognition of Donbass, Luchansk and Crimea.
2. Guarantee that Ukraine will not join NATO
3. Demilitarisation of Ukraine, giving up weapons provided by western powers

Reasonable?