Russia - threadbanned users in OP

This might be of interest to some. 

Vlad Vexler is a London-based Russian philosopher. In my view, his YouTube channel of short videos is one of the most informative online commentaries on Russian politics related to the war and on how the war is perceived by ordinary Russians. In his latest video below he comments on yesterday's drone attack in Moscow. He explains how depoliticised Muscovites will process the attack and how the Kremlin chooses whether or not to use such events to shape public opinion. 

He believes it's a mistake to moralise about the rights or wrongs of Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia. Moralising this is an ethical misunderstanding of war. He sees the attacks as neither right nor wrong but as a direct and logical consequence of 15 months of Russian aggression and brutality and of waging an unjust war on Ukrainian territory. He expects that the attacks will become more frequent and more impactful as the war comes back to Russia, limited only by Ukrainian capacity and any constraints imposed by western allies.

Be warned though: if you believe that the drone attack in Moscow yesterday was a Russian 'false flag' operation you may find this uncomfortable viewing. Vexler asserts that you're a victim of 'the gamification of war' and will challenge you to examine if you've stopped thinking for yourself. 

Yep, got to say I agree, Gatling has markedly changed his tune in recent times.

Gatling was pro Ukrainian to the extreme, and I for one often agreed with his positive \ optimistic outlook on how the war was and would progress for Ukraine, indeed some of Gatlings posts were very informative and opened manys the interesting debate on here, along with this hes got in to manys the heated and protracted debates with the more pro Russian or even slightly less pro Ukrainian posters in this thread but theres been a marked an significant change in his attitude and outlook on Ukraine as it now stands in this conflict.

Dont get me wrong, Gatling has every right to have his opinion on any facet of this conflict and to have it heard but as others have commented on here, his comments are markedly less pro Ukraine than they previously were, I thought I was the only one thinking it until I read a couple of other regular contributors express the same opinion.

Wonder why the big change ?

What about Iraq/NATO/I don't like America/ehhh covid nuttery/ehhhh I'm a troll and have nothing better to do. Ehhhh Neo Nazis.

That about covers it.

The below would be an example, posted by a recently booted pro russian shill, they post absolute utterly untrue garbage like the below statement in some twisted attempt at sowing doubt in the integrity of the Ukrainians and how theyre getting on in the war - stay they usually come on in waves but in fairness the regular lads and lassies on the thread can spot them a mile away and will call them out pretty hastily before the every watching eyes of the admins boot them.

The Prigozhin videos from earlier this month about running out of ammo, shooting deserting Russians, calling out the Kremlin, etc. will be studied in military colleges for decades to come as a masterclass in battlefield psyops. He lured Kiev’s forces to the Bakhmut trap, killed their generals, and forestalled any counteroffensive.

Thank you for the heads up.

Is your disagreement about the description of the conflict rather than the cause and culpability?

Misinformation isn't spread to change your mind. It's just enough to muddy the waters enough you believe what you want to believe without hesitation.

That can be that you're(not you) just a sad uneducated loser needing to think you know something educated people don't know.

When the AI gets out we are all fucked.

I think certain posters forget the West didn't take this path themselves - they wanted to evacuate Zelensky out of Ukraine so he could protest the invasion in exile. People regarded Russia as a "near peer" to the United States, militarily, they were chickenshit of nuclear aggression, to which Zelensky famously said "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."

The last thing you want to do is be obviously exposed.

Not only is your message undermined and destroyed but even people taken in by the deception are now immune to future operations and they're spreading the knowledge against it.

The World's worst time-share sale. (don't take the cyanide pill)

Most Russians I've met are good people.

Macron being macron calling for de-escalation and an end to Eastern front arms race

Yeah it's the ones abroad that get me. The ones holding rallies in places like Germany and Australia after February 2022. It's like the war is an event similar to a football tournament to them and they're just bursting to show their support for their boys. I presume all the decent ones are hanging their heads in shame.

Putin was so happy when in return for his help in quelling a revolution in his country, Assad gifted him unlimited access to his ports on the Mediterranean. And of course, paid Putin handsomely as well.

Has he gone to Russia and told them to deescalate?

Careless smoking accidents continue to happen in moskovyte occupied territories in Ukraine: