We all go about our lives living in our own reality. We see things and understand things through lenses fogged by information sources that may be less than accurate. What is truth, what is a lie? What is propaganda? With Russia's war on Ukraine we seem to be seeing the results of years of propaganda at work.
This fellow is a Russian, currently outside of his country, who has a YouTube channel covering varying topics on his country. This one is about how Russian's see us. Or at least his take on that. I found it interesting. The first 28 minutes is his “message” and the rest is Q & A.
Propaganda is a very dangerous thing. If not checked it can have disastrous results. We are seeing that in Ukraine.
Possibly a different reality than seen in Russia. This fellow is a Ukrainian YouTuber.
But what happens if someone starts believing his own propaganda? Perhaps a dose of reality for Mr. Putin?
132 comments:
"The first 28 minutes is his ‛message’…"
When I tried to sort out the stuff he said (especially when I tried to reconcile discrepancies he seemed to not notice himself) it eventually worked out that the Russians believe whatever the Hell their government tells them, no matter how illogical it might be, nor how inconsistent it might be with what their government told them just last week, or the week before.
(You'll maybe notice had wasn't at all concerned about the Nazis who'd taken over Ukraine? Putin's not actually interested in the Ukrainian Nazi story-line anymore, so now it's not part of his stereotypes list either.)
When I tried to sort out the stuff he said...
He's a smart guy, but I have had difficulty in the past sticking with his videos. He tends to pause and stretch out whatever topic he has chosen. And the tea drinking gets irritating. It seems to be a prop to make the video longer. I almost pointed to a starting point of 7:28 to jump to as that is around where he makes his list. But I left it, as he did have the watermelon story in the beginning. That kind of illustrated the mindset of some Russians.
... the Russians believe whatever...
Probably not just the BS spouted by their government.
I also was hesitant to jump on the bandwagon in believing that we and Russians are really similar. I might have thought that before Ukraine, but some of the stuff Russians have been doing in that country make me doubt that. I know we had Abu Graib, but what they are doing is really systemic. And there are too many regular Russian citizens who seem okay with whatever their military does.
He seems to be a fairly urban Russian and fairly urbane compared to the average Russian.
I tend to think the Russians have something similar to our urban/rural socio-political polarization going on, except maybe even magnified.
So, when he says we are "similar" I gotta wonder just which groups of which side he's comparing. (And which groups he thinks he's speaking for.)
Like you, I think we're rather more different than he likes to believe. Although we're similar enough in general culture that we generally understand each other, and are therefore able to understand the differences.
"… but what they are doing is really systemic."
It's certainly intended to be. That's not accidental; it's intentional. You might wanna remember that Putin's declared this fight to be Russia's resistance to the international order as that exists today (on account of Russia lost the Cold War--and Putin don't like that outcome, so he's renouncing the Cold War rules and the current international order which arose out of those once agreed upon 'international' rules, all of which led to Russia's loss in the Cold War, which he didn't like--the Geneva Conventions on War being among the high points of the international order Putin's Russia is now explicitly renouncing). Putin has new rules now--"Geneva Conventions bind thee, but do not bind me" clearly being one of his new rules.
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Russia has explicitly and publicly warned Israel to not coöperate with Ukraine's request for anti-missile and anti-drone defenses. (Not that there was any indication I could see that Israel was considering it.)
We've seen Israel achieve a sort of rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and the various Saudi-friendly Arab Gulf states in the last few years, as well as with Russia. And, of course, the Arabs came to Russia's rescue when the Europeans (and North Americans) tried to impose a price cap on Russian fossil fuels. And, the Israeli government has recently developed a marked preference for the rise of American fascism (including but not limited to Trump). So, it's not much of a surprise that Israel is siding with Russia on this.
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Off topic, but perhaps adjacent to a subject matter that's made an occasional appearance on these pages: Kanye West is mimicking Elon Musk and has made a move to purchase the right-wing friendly social medial site known as 'Parler'. NYMagIntelligencer (I suspect he will, like Musk, back out on the deal before it's over.)
You might wanna remember that Putin's declared this fight to be Russia's resistance to the international order as that exists today...
If that's the kind of system, one of complete barbarity, he wants to replace the current "international order" with we might as well give up and concede we are in WWIII.
It is apparently Xi of China's goal as well. To replace the current international order with a "new world order". Something that should be noted.
Russia has explicitly and publicly warned Israel to not coöperate with Ukraine's request for anti-missile and anti-drone defenses.
And Ukraine is specifically asking them to step off the sidelines and contribute. I believe you are right Israel will not grant that request.
Already other countries are involved in this conflict to some degree. Iran is jumping in with both feet.
Kanye West is mimicking Elon Musk and has made a move to purchase the right-wing friendly social medial site known as 'Parler'.
Wasn't West a Trump ally?
"…we might as well give up and concede we are in WWIII."
I've seen essays of late promoting just that thought. However, I think of it as more comparable to a renewal of the Cold War which followed WWII.
(Of course, some historians classify the Cold War as World War III, with the need to avoid a nuclear armageddon controlling the conflict. That would make this World War IV. But, I get your point.)
"It is apparently Xi of China's goal as well."
China is not supporting Russia by accident.
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"Wasn't West a Trump ally?"
Yes.
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Iran is sending "trainers" to Crimea to operate the Iranian drones that the Ukrainians are now shooting down in increasing numbers. (They claim these 'trainers' are going to be training Russians to operate the drones, but that wouldn't require the Iranians to come to Ukraine and set up shop in the war zone right next to the drone launchers. They simultaneously claim that there are no Iranian drones being used in Ukraine, so there's that problem too.)
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Republican House Leader, Kevin McCarthy, has announced that the Republican House majority he expects to command come January 2022 is going to cut back on (maybe cut off) military aid to Ukraine. "'…people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just won’t do it.'"
Iran is sending "trainers" to Crimea to operate the Iranian drones that the Ukrainians are now shooting down in increasing numbers.
I call them legitimate targets.
Republican House Leader, Kevin McCarthy, has announced that the Republican House majority he expects to command come January 2022 is going to cut back on (maybe cut off) military aid to Ukraine.
Not surprising. But then a Republican majority will hurt other things as well. We will all be screwed. Another reason for Ukraine to make as much progress as possible now.
And never mind that it is largely Putin who has contributed to the risk of a recession.
"I call them legitimate targets."
But, probably out of reach. They're comfortably outside of the HIMARS current range, and the Ukrainians still aren't getting the ATACMS missiles.
The Russians are supposedly pulling their forces out of the towns and villages nearest to the Zaporizhzhia power plant. There's been no announcement on the subject, and just what they're up to is left for people to guess.
Changing subjects: I see that Great Britain's newest female Prime Minister has just resigned, six weeks after taking office.
It appears that her critical mistake was in adopting a conservative dogma "supply side" economic policy, which promptly tanked the British economy as investors ran away from Britain, looking for safer places to put their money. That 'supply side' economic crap don't work; never did work; never gonna work. But some dogmatic conservatives refuse to believe the truth. She was among them. The financial world didn't stick around to go down with her ship, so now she's out.
(And yet American self-styled 'conservatives' continue to promote the 'supply side' economic dogmas.)
Fareed Zacharia writing in the WashingtonPost calls it "dangerous hyperbole" to name the current stand off between Russia and 'the West' as World War III.
I think that may be a little hyperbolic on Zacharia's part, but he does cast it as a renewal of the Cold War, which I'd be more likely to go along with. And he's got notions for how we can win it.
(Hint: 'Supply Side' economics ain't part of the plan.)
But, probably out of reach.
Didn't they say that about the Kerch bridge?
Fareed Zacharia writing in the WashingtonPost calls it "dangerous hyperbole" to name the current stand off between Russia and 'the West' as World War III.
It is definitely the start of a new Cold War, if Putin or his ilk stay in power in Russia.
As for WWIII, it may not be so right now, but I see concerning signs of other countries being drawn in to Putin's War of choice.
I see that Great Britain's newest female Prime Minister has just resigned, six weeks after taking office.
They appear to be looking at resurrecting either Theresa May or Boris Johnson.
The financial world didn't stick around to go down with her ship, so now she's out.
Money will go where it can make more of itself. Apparently that wasn't the thought to be the end result of her policies.
The Russians are supposedly pulling their forces out of the towns and villages nearest to the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
An improvised nuclear explosive is still a nuclear explosive. And if used in Ukraine there will be repercussions. Just a passing thought after I saw your comment.
The Ukrainians have completed the exhumation of another mass grave. This one in recently liberated Lyman. They found 146 bodies in the burial field, three quarters of them civilians.
Word is going around that the Russians have mined the dam which holds back the water in the resivoir above Kherson.
There is also word that Russia is amassing forces in Belarus near the northern border on the west side if Ukraine near Poland. This is near to where weapons are sent into Ukraine from the West.
"There is also word that Russia is amassing forces in Belarus…"
That mass is 85% Belarusian soldiers and 15% Russian soldiers. Likely a bluff there, although destroying the dam was likely a serious endeavor.
A peak at a Ukrainian drone factory in the Bakhmut region.
They are clever and adaptive. The way we used to be.
The way we used to be.
I should actually retract that. Despite my criticism of Elon Musk, SpaceX has accomplished much and Starlink in particular has been a work in progress that has helped Ukraine defend itself. The real time response on the part of Starlink employees has kept it safe from Russian hackers and up an running during a critical time.
(Yes, I just read an analysis of Starlink's effectiveness. And perhaps Musk has a point that the company cannot foot the bill all alone forever.)
But that doesn't mean he has the right to try to push Ukraine into a bad peace deal.
"They are clever and adaptive."
Yeah, they were the first to figure a way to hang American-made air to ground missiles off of Soviet made MIG 29s and get them to fire accurately. And they've developed a trick for shooting down cruise missiles with Stingers--which exceeds pretty much everybody's expectations. (It involves a guy with a Stinger standing with his back to the approaching cruise missile while another guy spots the cruise missile for him, and then he locks on just as it passes and the Stinger then outruns the slower cruise missile, catches up and brings it down.)
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"But that doesn't mean he has the right to try to push Ukraine
into a bad peace deal."
Turns out the Ukrainians didn't push worth a shit. Musk shoulda been able to figure that one out in advance. They didn't back down from Putin--they ain't gonna fade before Musk. (Musk, by the way, is not 'American stereotypical clever and adaptive". He was born, and remains, a citizen of South African and then took Canadian citizenship, and then later added American citizenship to his list--so he's like semi-American at best; South African, Canadian, American, in that order.)
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"In a recent analysis, the Institute for the Study of War, a
Washington-based think tank, described Prigozhin’s Bakhmut
effort as ‛irrelevant operationally’ after Russia’s loss of Izyum,
60 miles north.
‛The Russian seizure of Bakhmut, which is unlikely to occur
considering Russian forces have impaled themselves on tiny
surrounding settlements for weeks, would no longer support
any larger effort to accomplish the original objectives of this
phase of the campaign,’ the report concluded, ‛since it would
not be supported by an advance from Izyum in the north.’
Prigozhin, who is nicknamed Putin’s chef because he grew
fabulously wealthy off of government catering contracts, has
been a loud critic of the regular Russian military’s
performance in Ukraine. His involvement in the Ukraine war is
seen by analysts as part of his effort to curry favor and
potentially additional state contracts. There is also
speculation among the Russian elite that he is angling for a
government post."
WashingtonPost
Russian missile, rocket, and drone attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially against electrical power, continued today. It seems heaviest across the the southern regions, including new strikes west to Odessa.
The Russians are trying to make it a long cold winter for Ukrainians in hope of breaking their will to fight.
But in listening to Ukrainians in various videos I think the Russians are badly misjudging their adversary. All their brutality will get them is more hatred. And not just in Ukraine.
"…in hope of breaking their will to fight."
I don't think the Russians are expecting, or even long-shot hoping, to break the Ukrainians' will to fight. I think they're simply trying to destroy Ukraine--torment those now living and impoverish the remnant for generations to come, on account of the Ukrainians didn't lie down for them when they demanded it.
You'll recall that originally, when Putin thought he was going to conquer Ukraine, the Russians avoided doing damage to the civil infrastructure because he thought they were eventually going to use it. He doesn't expect to get any good out of that infrastructure now--he doesn't expect to 'break their will'--he doesn't expect to conquer Ukraine.
It's punitive, pure and simple--sadism unbound--evil unleashed--for the pure Russian joy of reveling in their ability to inflict pain on other people. Their 'thousand year' history that Putin is so proud of suggests a continuity with their past here.
The Russians cannot conquer Ukraine so the next best thing is the pleasure to be taken in destroying the Ukraine and its people. (That and it also happens to serve as an object lesson for the Europeans watching it unfold.)
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Put another way…. Russian troops don't have to be ordered to systematically loot the homes of Ukrainians. They just do it; comes natural to them. That's Putin's Russian culture in action.
That's Putin's Russian culture in action.
I am thinking you are right. Even ordinary Russians that have been interviewed have said something to the effect that they should basically beat the sh*t out of Ukraine. Because they have had the audacity to fight back and have no desire to be part of Mother Russia. How dare they. Theirs is a culture of conquering, not attracting, people.
And, yes, Ukraine should be a lesson for those watching. Putin should mot succeed.
*isgh*
not succeed.
One more thought, I think there are some Russians who are starting to understand the methods that Putin is using in Ukraine are also being used domestically as well. Those that have gone against his "special military operation".
The Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, has called our own Defense Secretary, Loyd Austn, twice in the last three days.
This is new.
Our diplomatic people don't want to talk about it too much.
In addition to it being 'new', it may also be viewed as a warning that Putin may be getting desperate. A desperate Putin might be foolish, and dangerous.
A former host on RT has suggested that Ukrainian children in the 1980's who thought of Russians as occupiers should have been drowned.
From CNN
Russian state-controlled TV channel RT has suspended presenter Anton Krasovsky after he suggested on air that Ukrainian children in the 1980s who saw Russian forces as occupiers should have been “drowned.”
On Monday RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan denounced Krasovsky’s comments in a Telegram post, saying they were “wild and disgusting.”
“For now, I’m stopping our collaboration, as neither I nor the rest of the RT team can afford to even think that any of us are capable of sharing such wild ideas,” Simonyan said.
Krasovsky is a commentator who hosts his own show on RT.
He made the comments in a broadcast last Thursday after author Sergei Lukyanenko said that, on a visit to Ukraine in the 1980s, children told him: “Ukraine is occupied by Muscovites.”
Krasovsky replied: “These children should have been drowned in the Tysyna [river].”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba took to Twitter to call for a worldwide ban on RT, saying the comments amounted to “aggressive genocide incitement.”
“Governments which still have not banned RT must watch this excerpt. This is what you side with if you allow RT to operate in your countries,” Kuleba said, sharing a clip from the RT broadcast.
Krasovsky later apologized for his comments on Telegram, saying he “was really embarrassed” and “did not see the line.”
“It happens like this: You are on the air, you get carried away,” the anchor said.
“I apologize to everyone who was stunned by this. I apologize to Margarita, to everyone to whom this seemed wild, unthinkable and insurmountable. I hope you will forgive me,” Krasovsky added.
Could also be that Iran can't deliver Shahed drones fast enough to fill in for used up ammo.
I heard that someone attacked an Iranian drone factory in Syria. No confirmation on this.
Post Script: Some Russian troops in Kherson city have begun patrolling their assigned areas wearing civilian clothing, just in case they have to make a quick get-away.
Word is that the Russians are withdrawing their administrative services. Ukraine may have to act fast if it wants to snatch a few Russian soldiers before they are gone.
In addition to it being 'new', it may also be viewed as a warning that Putin may be getting desperate.
Possibly.
"…from the Kremlin": Putin has announced his intention to 'update' the Russian government, economy, and the entire federal/political order.
"‛It is necessary to update the procedures and regulatory
frameworks and the economy as a whole, and individual
industries, and to ensure the special operation,’ Putin said,
speaking at the first meeting of the newly-formed
Coordination Council.
‛The issues of updating and improving administrative
procedures have been discussed many times, but the situation
is such that all this work needs to be looked at again,’ Putin
added.
‛There is a need for broad and deep coordination between all
structures — both economic and power blocs, and regions,’
he said."
It's not real clear yet just what all that entails, but it seems that Putin's bitten off a new chunk to chew--looks suspiciously like he's going for a sort of Chinese-type integrated social control. But, we'll have to wait and watch to find out for sure.
"In the Donetsk region, the Wagner paramilitary force,
controlled by St. Petersburg businessman Yevgeniy Prigozhin
appeared to be getting pushback from Bakhmut, where the
mercenaries had spent weeks pummeling the city and making
small gains. Military experts said there was little strategic
value in the push to seize Bakhmut, but Prigozhin appeared to
see the fight as a chance to claim a political prize, while
regular Russian military units have lost ground in other
combat zones."
WaPo
It goes on to say that the recent gains around Bakhmut (small though they are) have been on the Ukrainian side, rather than in Wagner's favor.
Russian soldiers treated in Belarusian hospitals.
It is not just Russians who are fleeing Putin's War. This was one Belarussian doctors story.
Excerpt:
When Putin declared his “special military operation” in a pre-dawn televised address on February 24, he sent missiles, paratroopers and a huge armored column of soldiers rolling south from Belarusian soil, setting in motion what was intended to be a lightning strike to decapitate the government in Kyiv. But as Russia’s advance stalled and setbacks mounted, Moscow began to spirit wounded soldiers back across the border to Belarus for treatment in several civilian hospitals, a CNN investigation has revealed. The doctors working there were drafted into a war that they didn’t sign up for, unwittingly enlisted as quasi-combat medics and obliged by their hippocratic oath to provide life-saving care.
Many were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, told not to speak about what they saw. Some, like Andrei, later fled. From their operating tables, Belarusian medical workers gained perhaps the clearest sense of the scale of casualties suffered by Russia in the early weeks of the war — describing young, shell-shocked soldiers who thought they were being sent for exercises only to find themselves losing a limb in a war they were ill-prepared to fight. While Lukashenko admitted that Belarus was providing medical aid to Russian military personnel, little is known about what happened in the hospitals where they were taken, which were kept under strict surveillance. In interviews with Belarusian doctors, members of the country’s medical diaspora, human rights activists, military analysts and security sources, CNN examined the role Belarus played in treating Russian casualties, while the Kremlin sought to conceal them. Their testimonies and documentation — including medical records — offer insights into the Belarusian government’s complicity in the Ukraine war, as fears mount that the country might be sucked further into the fight.
It's not real clear yet just what all that entails, but it seems that Putin's bitten off a new chunk to chew--looks suspiciously like he's going for a sort of Chinese-type integrated social control.
Let's hope that he has bitten off more than he can chew. We have enough "zombie" countries as it is. Although I will say that the protests in Iran do not seem to be abating. Perhaps there is hope for the people of Iran yet.
It goes on to say that the recent gains around Bakhmut (small though they are) have been on the Ukrainian side, rather than in Wagner's favor.
I had heard something to that effect.
Something rather odd appears to be happening in Russia, according to one Ukrainian source. They have been building defensive lines within Russia itself, near Belgorod and even in Omsk, which is in the far east of Russia. One has to wonder, who do they think will be fighting there? Belgorod is close to Ukraine, but Omsk certainly isn't. They have also been building a defensive line between the occupied territories in Ukraine.
Word from US sources is that the Russians are reinforcing the city of Kherson.
"Word from US sources is that the Russians are reinforcing
the city of Kherson."
Word I've heard is that they're sending in recent conscripts--barely trained and poorly armed. And that the Russian officers and experienced "contract troops" are still pulling out even as recent draftees are going in to fill the empty spaces. Cannon fodder.
(Speaking of which, the Wagner group, known for using cannon fodder, has also done some strange trenchwork in Luhansk Oblast that nobody can seem to figure out, but I hadn't heard anything about fortifications and trenchworks being dug in eastern Russia, or even around Belgorod--all news to me.)
"Let's hope that he has bitten off more than he can chew."
I've seen more on that subject since yesterday, picked up more context. Seems he's not going for Chinese style social control after all. Rather, he's trying to centralize oversight within the Kremlin of the procurement and logistics functions that are needed to support his "special action" in Ukraine. Apparently he's not content to merely meddle in the details of the actual ground fighting in Ukraine.
He's become unhappy of late with logistics and supply.
So: He's now going to bring his own deep and vast expertise to bear on the ongoing problems of precision ammunition, and rusty guns, and rotten tires, and all the rest of the war matériel that they've not been able to get to the fighting front in sufficient quantity.
We can only hope that works out as well as his meddling in and micromanaging of combat operations.
(My guess is he gets tired of dealing in manufacturing and military logistics rather rapidly, and his new initiative just fades away quietly. Ordering generals around is much more fun than tracking errant supplies through a corrupt government procurement system.)
Speaking of which, the Wagner group, known for using cannon fodder, has also done some strange trenchwork in Luhansk Oblast that nobody can seem to figure out...
Yes, that was the fortification in the occupied territories I meant. It's actually not on the front line. It's as if they think Ukraine will take back the Luhansk Oblast. Of course, they may...
I don't have any confirmation of the others. Maybe rumors in wartime.
Ordering generals around is much more fun than tracking errant supplies through a corrupt government procurement system.
Yes, we'll hope he gets bored.
PBS's Frontline tonight, hour and a half, documenting Putin's war crimes in Ukraine.
Hmmm...I must have missed it. I don't see where it is on.
I think I may be getting an early viewing. Check your local schedule for the night of 01 Nov 2022.
I had just about decided that the Russian 'dirty bomb' PR campaign was actually intended for the consumption of the Russians rather than for us when I noticed that the NewYorkTimes' war correspondents had come to that same conclusion.
The Russian government has decided that the looting of Ukraine should not be left to the private efforts (and private profits) of Russian soldiers, and now the government is going to join in on the thefts:
"The Russian government could seize assets in the four territories it
illegally claimed to annex last month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
said Wednesday, including property and wealth left behind by those
fleeing the fighting. Peskov said ‘abandoned assets … cannot be left
idle.’ He added, ‘This is completely normal, because this is the territory
of the Russian Federation.’"
WaPo
I'll check my schedule.
Peskov said ‘abandoned assets … cannot be left
idle.’ He added, ‘This is completely normal, because this is the territory
of the Russian Federation.’"
So then if Ukraine takes back the territory they can take back those "idle" assets and return them to their rightful owners.
Of course, that might be rather difficult if the assets are movable and have migrated to Russia ( the real Russia). In that case claims should be made against frozen Russian assets in the West.
I had just about decided that the Russian 'dirty bomb' PR campaign was actually intended for the consumption of the Russians...
Any suggestion that a "dirty bomb" could be used in Ukraine is dangerous.
I suspect that the Russian people are aware of how badly things are going for their army. Even suggesting a nuclear war will not change that. And an actual nuclear war will only make things worse.
Putin announced yesterday that he's not planning on using nukes in Ukraine after all. This is good to hear. Of course, it's Putin, and he lies like a dog. But it's still better to have him saying "no nukes" rather than saying the Final World War starts in the next few minutes.
Indeed.
So one of the right wing wing nuts crawled out from under a rock, broke into Nancy Pelosi's home and attacked her husband. With a hammer.
I wonder if it will wake up any of the election deniers out there that there can be serious consequences to their disinformation? His social media was full of the usual crap.
Some Republicans out there are condemning the attack. But they are also saying Dems should have spoken up more when Kavanaugh (?) was attacked. I don't remember him being attacked with a hammer?
Hmmm..a pound of butter at my grocery store is going for $5.99. An 18 count pack of eggs is now $5.29.
Yup I did notice.
"I don't remember him being attacked with a hammer?"
But there were protesters with signs and chants marching in the street past his house.
"Yup I did notice."
The one that most irritated me was when bottled water went up 16% over two weeks. There's no supply chain problem with the spring water.
And… (I'd forgotten, but…) A man carrying weapons was arrested lurking near Kavanaugh's home, couple of months back.
And… (I'd forgotten, but…) A man carrying weapons was arrested lurking near Kavanaugh's home, couple of months back.
Arrested before he could do any damage. Scary, sure, and he needed to be arrested, but not quite the same as being struck with a hammer. Although it sounds like it was Pelosi's hammer. He apparently was trying to defend himself and the guy took the hammer from him and started hitting him with it. Pelosi is 82 years old. Not exactly a fair fight. Lucky the cops responded to the alarm or he probably would have been killed.
I've been noticing a new Russian propaganda theme. (They've about give up on selling Jewish Ukrainian Nazis theme to the Russian citizen--it played at first, but it's shelf life has long ago expired.) Now they're trying to sell the Russian citizens on the idea that the Ukrainians are terrorists.
(I think this one's a mistake as well--won't last long. What they oughta do is just say the Ukrainians are 'uppity' and won't take orders from Russia, and need to be put 'in their place', which is subservient to Russia. I think the average Russian citizen might buy into that one.)
I think you may be right about that. There is a reason so many Russians still like Putin. In interviews Russians can come across as feeling that Russia is superior.
That may change for some who have actually been to Ukraine who had never been before. There were a lot of washing machine thieves among Russian soldiers.
The Russians have announced their decision to end the agreement by which grain and fertilizer shipments from both Ukraine and Russia have been allowed to traverse the Black Sea to reach eager markets with hungry customers. Supposedly this is as 'punishment' for Ukrainian drone attacks against military targets in Crimea.
As Ukraine racks up successes on the battlefield, Russia increasingly makes war on civilian targets away from the battlefield. (I think Putin's getting panicky, desperate.)
Relating this back to the last string of thought on this thread--i.e. Putin's shifting excuses for starting the War Against Ukraine…. It occurs to me that if Putin's propaganda machine ever lights on an excuse that the Russian population believes and accepts--if Putin is successful in convincing them that his war is righteous and necessary--then they're gonna expect him to win it--and he's not winning this. So, there's a danger there for him. Perhaps that explains his apparent desperation.
Supposedly this is as 'punishment' for Ukrainian drone attacks against military targets in Crimea.
Supposedly is right. I think it's been in the works for some time before that. Putin can keep on looking, but I suspect people are starting to wake up to reality.
Btw, those drone attacks in Sevastopol may have damaged something other than a minesweeper, as the Russians are claiming. And the damage may have been more than minor.
"Btw, …" etc.…
↑↑
"The strikes were carried out by Ukrainian special forces and
destroyed at least three Russian warships…including a frigate
and a landing ship…"
WaPo
(The Ukrainians may have destroyed the new 'flagship' of the Black Sea Fleet, the "Admiral Makarov"--after having sunk the last flagship of the fleet, the "Moskva" back in April. WaPo This would be something of a humiliation for the Russian Navy.)
"…Russia had the upper hand, able to lob munitions at
Ukrainian cities, towns and military targets from positions well
beyond the reach of Ukrainian weapons.
"But in recent months, the tide has turned along the front
lines in southern Ukraine. With powerful Western weapons
and deadly homemade drones, Ukraine now has artillery
superiority in the area, commanders and military analysts
say."
NewYorkTimes
(The Ukrainians may have destroyed the new 'flagship' of the Black Sea Fleet, the "Admiral Makarov...
Yes, I heard that if it wasn't dstroyed, it was damaged enough to put it out of commission. There were both aerial and sea born drones used. I may have linked to a video of a sea born ship drone a while back. That one didn't hit it's target. I guess practice makes perfect.
This morning's cruise missile barrage against the Ukrainian power grid makes clear that the Russians haven't run out of cruise missiles yet. (The Ukrainian air defenses are clearly still not up to the job of protecting against air launches from Russian and Belarusian territories.)
It sounds like they were launched from bombers that took off from Rostov. If ships are out of commission they will use planes. The Ukrainians need better air defenses.
The Ukrainians in Kyiv are standing tough though. It will be a harsh winter for them, I fear.
It looks like Trump has appealed the release of his tax returns all the way up to the Supreme Court. They already provided cover for Lindsey Graham, will they for Trump?
I have a couple of Democratic canvassers stop by my house yesterday. One of the questions they asked me was what was I looking for in a Senate candidate? I just said a Democrat. lol!
So far I haven't had any Republican canvassers stopping by to chat. They must be pretty confidant of my county's votes. I hope they are disappointed. I would have liked to chat with them, however.
"I would have liked to chat with them, however."
Word of that gets around and they'll be makin' a special effort to avoid you.
________________________________
Ukraine has continued to send out grain shipments through the old 'corridor' they'd been using prior to Russia's withdrawal from the grain shipment agreement. Seem to be challenging Russia to sink one. Putin will.
And, there are reports of more explosions in Sevastopol in Crimea today. Ukrainians doublin' down?
Reports of three more grain ships (so far) leaving Ukraine via the old 'corridor' on Tuesday, in spite of Russia's threats.
And Ukrainian forces have entered Kherson's outer reaches (Beryslav District), and are facing serious Russian resistance.
"They already provided cover for Lindsey Graham, will they for Trump?"
CJ John Roberts has issued a temporary hold which will give the rest of the conservative majority time to assemble.
Word of that gets around and they'll be makin' a special effort to avoid you.
LOL! I think you may be right. A few weeks ago there was an anti-abortion demonstration in my town. They lined both sides of the main street through town, about 6 feet apart, holding signs with anti-abortion slogans. I was rather ticked off to see that here so when I was stopped at a red light I rolled down my window and yelled out to the closest sign holder..."STRONGLY PRO-CHOICE!!". From the expression on her face I don't think she really liked to hear my opposing view.
Seem to be challenging Russia to sink one. Putin will.
That will put paid to Putin's claim that it is the West that is causing the food crisis. At least in the minds of thinking people. Don't know about sheople.
And, there are reports of more explosions in Sevastopol in Crimea today. Ukrainians doublin' down?
The only thing they can do is fight back.
And Ukrainian forces have entered Kherson's outer reaches (Beryslav District), and are facing serious Russian resistance.
I think despite the news of a Russian withdrawal there are actually a lot of Russian soldiers still there. And they are caught between a rock (Putin) and a hard place (Ukraine). Some will fight. At least until they run out of weapons and ammo.
It looks like Iran is set to supply Russia with ballistic missiles to use in Ukraine. Ukraine is thinking that Russia is running out of Iskander missiles. Ukraine thinks they will place them in the north and will be able to hit anything in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, back at the dacha, Shoigu is claiming that the partial mobilization of finished. But it may be only a "pause" as Putin has not actually signed any decree ending it. Bad news perhaps for some of those Russian men who have chosen to return to Russia after fleeing. I think I would not have been so hasty to return.
"They already provided cover for Lindsey Graham, will they for Trump?"
I guess I got my answer.
Well, maybe there is a glimmer of hope. SCOTUS has rejected Lindsey Graham's request to block the subpoena.
Got bad data last time. (Lee C. @ Wed Oct 26, 07:06 pm ↑↑) Tonight's 'Frontline' is a follow-up to the hour and half show last week. This one's just an hour long and looks at Putin's crack-down on dissent in Russia.
"SCOTUS has rejected Lindsey Graham…"
Even Trumpkins think Lindsey Graham is an embarrassing groveler, so I wouldn't put too much weight on that one.
I am tuning in to the Frontline special tonight. It starts in 10 minutes.
"I think despite the news of a Russian withdrawal there are actually a lot
of Russian soldiers still there."
But, not necessarily the same Russian soldiers. From what I've been reading it seems that they are rotating in new conscripts, barely trained and poorly armed, cannon fodder, to hold the positions. Meanwhile they're taking out at least some of their more experienced and better armed troops, and the officers, and the civilian administrators. (I've been wondering if this is the new 'theatre' general's accommodation to Putin's refusal to allow them to withdraw from the west bank (the 'right bank' in Ukrainian parlance). The new general, Sergei Surovikin, in charge for about ten days now, maybe saving his better troops for another day, and maybe not telling Putin all about it.)
My reading also suggests the Russians are slowly retreating across a broad front in eastern and southern Ukraine. And, as they retreat, they're carrying out a 'scorched earth' artillery and rocket barrage on the areas from which they've recently withdrawn, obliterating the small towns and villages over which they recently exercised dominion. They could more effectively and efficiently destroy those buildings in person, on the way out. But for some reason they've elected to pull out first and then shell the towns and villages from a short distance away.
They have a current surplus of Cold War era shorter-range, un-guided artillery shells and rockets (and launch tubes for the same), so they can afford to be inefficient if they want to. But, I'm at something of a loss over why they want to.
Looks like Putin was bluffing. He's not gonna sink the grain boats after all.
But, I'm at something of a loss over why they want to.
Spite?
But sometimes letting your emotions dictate your behavior is very counter-productive.
As far as I am concerned Russia should foot the bill for re-building Ukraine.
Looks like Putin was bluffing. He's not gonna sink the grain boats after all.
I heard they are now running under the Turkish flag. That would be a NATO member.
In listening to Russians who are in opposition to Putin's regime, either in that Frontline special or those on YouTube I am beginning to understand how difficult it can be to fight back. Putin has managed to entrench himself over the past year's to an extent that it will take a catastrophic event to shake him loose.
Maybe the Ukraine invasion is it. I don't know. It seems that dictators only fade when they come up against a stronger power via over reach.
Perhaps I should make mention of the Halloween attack on a Russian airbase deep inside Russia. Some helicopters were destroyed and damaged. The base is about 1,000 miles away from the border with Ukraine.
"Russia should foot the bill for re-building Ukraine."
I've been occasionally pondering on ways to make that happen. (I'm sure there are people smarter than me already thinking on the same subject.) And I've been wondering what's the total liquidated value of Russian assets already frozen in Europe and North America. I haven't run across mention of that dollar amount as of yet.
However, it's probably too early to begin hashing all that out in public. The Russian civilian population will strongly resist being held to account for their support of Putin's War. Be time enough to let 'em think on such things after they've already changed their mind and no longer support the continued wanton destruction of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy's regular evening address to his people suggested last night that they should expect 'good news' from out of the south before too long. This is being widely interpreted as a preview of the long threatened Ukrainian assault on municipal Kherson.
Looks like they're 'bout ready to make a move there. (Or, they may surprise people again and make a move on the Zaporizhzhia power plant instead.)
"The Ukrainian military has reported the movement of heavy
Russian artillery to the east bank of the river, a move that it,
and some local residents, saw as an ominous sign of prepar-
ations to lay [Kherson] to waste."
NewYorkTimes
The Russian civilian population will strongly resist being held to account for their support of Putin's War. Be time enough to let 'em think on such things after they've already changed their mind and no longer support the continued wanton destruction of Ukraine.
I really think the Russian population needs to visit Ukraine in person to see what their government has done. I know that will not happen, but I believe that so many are still totally clueless. I am starting to think it is not good enough to just run away, they need to take responsibility for what their government has done. That can be done in many ways; protesting, donating funds to Ukraine, actively fighting against Putin's regime, supporting those who do. Just escaping Russia and going on with whatever life they can build outside of Russia is not enough.
Zelenskyy's regular evening address to his people suggested last night that they should expect 'good news' from out of the south before too long. This is being widely interpreted as a preview of the long threatened Ukrainian assault on municipal Kherson.
The Russians have been pushing civilians to evacuate to Russian territory, so they seem to be expecting...something. Hopefully it will be good for Ukraine, but there are those Ukrainians that fear that it may be something bad, at the hands of Russia.
Oh, I just read your last comment. You beat me to that point.
Never trust the Russians.
"Russia’s military command has already withdrawn to the eastern bank
of the Dnieper River, ‘leaving demoralized and leaderless men to face
the Ukrainian assaults,’…"
Wapo
"The United States is paying for the refurbishment of 45 T-72 tanks for
Ukraine, the Pentagon announced Friday – the first time that
Washington has answered pleas from Kyiv to provide such weapons to
be sent to the front lines. The tanks, which are Soviet-origin in their
design, are part of the defense stocks of the Czech Republic. The
Netherlands is also paying for an additional 45 tanks to be refurbished
and sent to Ukraine."
WaPo
(Meanwhile, Elon Musk remains unreliable. 1,300 Starlink terminals that the Ukrainian military has been using have gone dead over 'payment issues'.)
Elon Musk is a jerk, to put it nicely. Just ask the many people he is in the process of laying off.
"…to put it nicely."
I'm not sure why I'd want to put it nicely.
In any event, it's lookin' like he's in the process of burning down a $44 billion investment.
Be awhile yet before we know for sure, but being 'social' is not necessarily included among his commercial talents, and it may not be something he can learn from scratch at this stage of his life.
So, buyin' Twitter was maybe not one of his better business decisions. (Or, perhaps it's trying to run Twitter in accordance with his own limited social skills that's proving to be the problem.)
________________________________
Putin's 300,000+ new conscripts are hitting the battlefield in Ukraine with inadequate training, inadequate personal weaponry, inadequate logistical support, and an often absent officer corps. The Russian Army appears to be trying to use them first in a manner that recalls the Chinese "human waves" of the Korean War. (And they appear to be getting quite similar results--dead Russians spread all over the battlefield, and very little ground taken, or more often no ground taken, to show for it.)
By the way, Russia ended its "partial mobilization" and then almost immediately started up its regularly scheduled fall conscription schedule. So, the drafting of reluctant Russian fighters actually continues apace.
The Iranian government has begun to grudgingly creep up on admitting that it has been supplying drones to Russia. So far they only admit to supplying 'some' drones, supposedly before the war broke out in ernest. (No doubt the constant pictures of Iranian drones flying overhead in Ukraine was a partial impetus to this admission.)
Gotta figure they expect their civilian population won't be supportive of the Russian position. They hardly give a shit what 'the West' thinks about it. (Except to the extent that they're still subject to trade sanctions that inhibit their economy.)
(Or, perhaps it's trying to run Twitter in accordance with his own limited social skills that's proving to be the problem.)
That had occurred to me too. He seems totally clueless sometimes when it comes to people. He also seems to want to pass the buck on a factor that was purely his fault. That is the fleeing of ad revenue from Twitter. He wants to blame activists who are concerned about Twitter turning into a platform for hate speech. Perhaps if he didn't float the idea of Trump being allowed to return people wouldn't be so concerned.
There also seems to be some glitch in Starlink communications in Ukraine due to funding concerns again. So much for Musk saying that he would continue to support Ukraine's communication link.
I think he has made some mistakes in his judgement recently.
Putin's 300,000+ new conscripts are hitting the battlefield in Ukraine with inadequate training, inadequate personal weaponry, inadequate logistical support, and an often absent officer corps.
Otherwise known as Putin's Patsies. He has been saying that the larger number was due to "volunteers". Yeah, right.
It's scary how much Putin's propaganda has curdled the minds of Russians. I fear the same is happening here with the far right's hold on the GOP.
It's scary how clueless Americans can be too.
Gotta figure they expect their civilian population won't be supportive of the Russian position.
I suspect the people of Iran are busy trying to take back their country. But perhaps the other people who those drones would have been used on are grateful for a reprieve.
It sounds like Ukraine has been successful in eliminating quite a few of those drones. That's not to say they haven't caused a lot of damage, they have. But perhaps that supply is finite too.
I found this laying around a comments section and thought I would share:
A Russian soldier calls home from Ukraine...
- Did you take Kyiv?
- No.
- Did you take Harkiv?
- No
- What did you take then?
- A blender, a washing machine and two fur coats .
"There also seems to be some glitch in Starlink commu-
nications in Ukraine due to funding concerns again."
I think that's still the same "payment" glitch as from the day before (Fri Nov 04, 01:36 pm ↑↑)--just rewritten a little bit.
It sounds like the Biden administration has asked Zelensky to keep an open mind on negotiating with Putin. Good or bad?
I don't want to see the war won by Putin, but I know there must be some negotiation to get Russia to stop lobbing missiles at Ukraine from its territory. The question is, what can be acceptable to Ukraine?
"Good or bad?"
Simple public relations. Not necessarily good nor bad in and of itself.
The Biden administration doesn't expect Zelenskyy to really negotiate with Putin (not just now anyway--after the Ukrainians have convinced Putin he can't win, then maybe he'll be amenable to negotiations, but not just now). But Biden does want Zelenskyy to quit announcing publicly that he's not interested in wasting his time trying to negotiate with Putin.
"The request by American officials is not aimed at pushing
Ukraine to the negotiating table…. Rather, they called it a
calculated attempt to ensure the government in Kyiv
maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies
wary of fueling a war for many years to come."
WashingtonPost
________________________________
The Wagner Group now has around 30,000 troops on the ground trying to take possession of the piles of rubble that were once the town of Bakhmut. The WashingtonPost argues that the real prize sought by Wagner is not a victory on the ground in Ukraine, but brownie points within the Kremlin (the piles of rubble no longer being of any strategic or tactical value to Russia). So, they're burning up conscripts and recruits both, looking for brownie points with Putin.
And the Ukrainians seem happy to help them do it.
That's a NYT link above ↑↑; not a WashingtonPost.
But Biden does want Zelenskyy to quit announcing publicly that he's not interested in wasting his time trying to negotiate with Putin.
I have great admiration for Zelenskyy, but is has struck me that he does not have the subtle touch of a trained diplomat. Sometimes how things play with the civilian populace of allied countries needs to be considered. Or at least that segment that is not following the war in Ukraine closely. Those are the people who are screaming about inflation and the high costs of gas. They don't look too deeply into the root causes.
... the real prize sought by Wagner is not a victory on the ground in Ukraine, but brownie points within the Kremlin (the piles of rubble no longer being of any strategic or tactical value to Russia).
It did seem to me to be that they were fighting just for the sake of fighting. At the expense of not just the Ukrainians, but also of their own recruits.
The question is, who will run out of bullets or Russian cannon fodder first?
A thought has occurred to me. In watching interviews with some Russians some have expressed concern that NATO has the ultimate goal of tearing Russia apart. That is, breaking it up into separate countries. But I am thinking that it is not NATO that would be the catalyst for that but really Putin himself. That is, if Russians finally wake up and smell the tea, coming to realize that Putin's reality is all just propaganda.
I have to wonder if after tomorrow's election the results are that the GOP gains full control of both chambers of Congress, and we are stuck with them for another 2 years, in 2024 will the American people flip back the other way?
Will they still be able to, if that were their choice? Or will the GOP have hamstrung us?
Good chance we won't know who's gonna control the Senate today. May take a few days for some of the close ones to look through the absentee and mail-in ballots.
House is expected to flip to Republican, probably know that for certain by tonight.
I'm expecting the Republicans' majority to be every bit as radical-nuts as they've been promising to be. I'm not looking forward to that.
Neither am I. The only saving grace is we still have a Democratic president for 2 more years.
I suspect in the long run many Americans are similar to their Russian counterparts, just as susceptible to brainwashing.
It sounds like Russia has lost a rather large amount of soldiers to friendly fire in two recent incidents. Enough so that people back home have finally noticed. Although they may not have realized that it was friendly fire.
"…friendly fire in two recent incidents."
I hadn't heard. I'll have to keep my eyes open for news of that.
________________________________
Looks like the Republicans probably took the House of Representatives, but only by a little (no major news organization has yet 'called' the control count, but NBC says they're 'predicting' it will happen when the dust finally settles--220 to 215, or 'bouts that). Senate control is still up in the air, although the Republicans appear to have an edge there as well (but barely).
Not the big night the Republicans were looking for. Trump specifically did not have a big night (neither was he repudiated by the dedicated Trumpkins). His future as Great Orange Leader of the Republican Party is still up in the air as well.
Lynnette:
” Elon Musk is a jerk, to put it nicely. Just ask the many people he is in the process of laying off.”
He strikes me as a weird guy, I’ll give you that. A jerk? Maybe, I dunno. But he DID give Starlink to the Ukranians when they needed it the most free of cost. I don’t think you can find any individual anywhere on earth who did something that important for Ukraine.
Now, as I see it, he seems to say that if the US Government is spending tens of trillions for aid to Ukraine they should also pick up the bill for the uplinks so he doesn’t have to do it personally (or rather through his companies, could well be that other shareholders are reluctant to foot the bill also).
Also, if YOU found yourself in the possession of a company losing millions of dollars every day with a bloated staff (something the founder Jack Dorsey publicly apologized for inflicting on the company Twitter) would you also be a Jerk for trying to downsize and reach profitability?
Or would you run the company in the red until the banks pulled the plug and you just had to close shop?
I suppose the latter, so you didn’t have to feel like a “jerk”.
The war in Ukraine was an almost tailor-made opportunity for Musk. It was a proof-of-concept demonstration that he wasn't gonna get any other way--ever again. Now every military in the world has Starlink written into their backup plan in case their own satellite network gets taken out. And Musk has already started calculating the fees to be charged.
Lets not make him out to be the altruist he is not for seizing that opportunity when it came around.
(And, of course, he's been billing the U.S. Dept. of Defense for that service right along; he just wants more money now.)
"Retreat from Kherson"
"Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the
Kherson retreat in a televised exchange with Sergei Surovikin,
the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine. Surovikin said
the move would ‛save the lives of our military and combat
capability.’"
WaPo
I hadn't heard. I'll have to keep my eyes open for news of that.
The most serious was in Svatove or near it in Luhansk. The Russians had set up 3 lines of defense. The third was nearest the city with artillery, the second included the Wagner Group and regular Russian military, and the first and front line was made up of newly mobilized Russian "soldiers".
Word is that the mobilized soldiers were sent forward against the Ukrainian forces. There were a lot of them. The Ukrainians fired on them and they retreated back to the Wagner line who thought they were Ukrainians and ordered artillery fire on their position. The number being used was 500. I don't have confirmation of this.
The second incident happened down south nearer to Kherson. This involved the Russian's 155th Marine unit. No details, but the number was 300. No confirmation from other sources that I have seen. However, there was an article in my paper about a letter written by soldiers of the 155th that detailed some issues they have had. Including ill prepared operations that cost them soldiers.
While I may not have confirmation I have heard of other incidents where Russians soldiers have been complaining about their artillery firing on their own forces.
Not the big night the Republicans were looking for.
Not in Minnesota. I was pleased with how many Democrats retained their jobs or overturned a Republican seat. I was rather worried.
On the national level it, unfortunately appears that the Republicans will take the House and have a good shot at the Senate. There are only 3 seats left.
But the abortion issue weighed heavier then it might have in the past. Four states, Kentucky, California, Vermont and Michigan enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions. California is no surprise, but Kentucky was.
But he DID give Starlink to the Ukranians when they needed it the most free of cost.
He did. And the US government has included replacements in further government funding for Ukraine when they are destroyed. I tend to agree with Lee, it was a very good marketing opportunity for him. Kind of like it wasn't for Russian made weaponry.
Also, if YOU found yourself in the possession of a company losing millions of dollars every day with a bloated staff (something the founder Jack Dorsey publicly apologized for inflicting on the company Twitter) would you also be a Jerk for trying to downsize and reach profitability?
Sounds like's he's laying off half his workers. And I have never agreed with the methods used by large companies in how they lay off staff. People are not inanimate objects, they deserve some respect. He's also been very cagey about whether or not he's going to allow some banned tweeters back, alienating advertisers. So I would say he has contributed to that losing money thing.
I have to wonder why he bought the company in the first place.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-backed Kherson administration was killed in a car accident en route to Crimea.
Is it the end when you become the butt of jokes?
A young boy, a doctor, and an old man were on an airplane with Putin.
Suddenly, the pilot runs in and cries, "The plane is going down and we only have 4 parachutes but 5 people," as he runs to the back. The pilot then takes a parachute and jumps out of the aircraft.
Immediately, Putin grabs the nearest parachute, says, "I have a war I must win," and hops off the plane.
The doctor then said, “I save lives every day and the world needs me,” He proceeds to take a parachute and jumps out.
The old man sees the final parachute and tells the young lad, "I have practically completed my life; you have just begun. You should be the one to take the final parachute."
The young boy, smiling, pulls out a parachute from under one of the seats and says, "Putin took my backpack."
Just read that Facebook is laying off 11.000 employees. What a fucking JERK that Zuckerberg is, amirite Lynnette?
"… a letter written by soldiers of the 155th…"
That one I had read about.
________________________________
"Kirill Stremousov…killed in a car accident en route to Crimea."
Circumstances unknown, but the timing is suspicious.
________________________________
"Is it the end when you become the butt of jokes?"
Depends on who's telling the jokes and who's their intended audience.
________________________________
I think I may have figured out why Iran's been denying its roll in Putin's War Against Ukraine. They're afraid they'll get hit with additional sanctions on high-tech items, sanctions such as the Russians are now experiencing. (And which are a large part of the Russians' inability to build their own weaponry right now--it's dependent on western technology and manufacturing, as are Iran's weapons producers.)
Just read that Facebook is laying off 11.000 employees. What a fucking JERK that Zuckerberg is, amirite Lynnette?
I heard that Zuckerberg wrote a letter to all of those employees apologizing. So, no, not quite a jerk. I believe is was also around 13% of their workforce, not half, as was Twitter. But still not a good sign for the digital economy.
Circumstances unknown, but the timing is suspicious.
That was kind of the consensus of those who mentioned it.
I think I may have figured out why Iran's been denying its roll in Putin's War Against Ukraine. They're afraid they'll get hit with additional sanctions on high-tech items, sanctions such as the Russians are now experiencing.
Yes.
Minnesota has doubled down on blue, giving the Dems control of both the State Senate and House as well as the Governor's office.
Florida is still firmly red with Republicans in control.
It might be interesting to watch and compare the actions of both states, and any consequences, for comparative purposes for future elections.
It looks like the partial withdrawal from Kherson by Russian forces has started. Ukrainian forces have started to move into evacuated towns. The Russians still have artillery placed on the other side of the river that can reach the city of Kherson, however.
The Russians have also started digging defensive trenches in the north of Crimea. They seem to be expecting someone.
"The Russians still have artillery placed on the other side of
the river that can reach the city of Kherson…."
They were reported to be moving that artillery into position last Friday. (Fri Nov 04, 07:42 am ↑↑)
Word is that they have left quite a bit of their equipment in Kherson Oblast, either destroyed or abandoned. They have left the Ukrainians gifts of ammunition as well.
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