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From banking to sports to vodka, Russia's isolation grows

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By TED ANTHONY

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Another drumbeat article. It is scary to see how the whole political and media establishment has now unified on the "Putinman bad" narrative.

While I disagree with the invasion, this unified chorus of warmongers worries me more than anything else.

And nowhere in the shallow articles like this is there any reference to the background for all this, from the history of the Ukraine to Western meddling and aggression.

The current problem could clearly have been avoided of US, EU and Nato had behaved more responsible.

-31 ( +19 / -50 )

It would be interesting to see the historians of tomorrow defend their pet theories why, at its end, the Imperium so systematically destroyed the institutions it praised itself for.

From the Olympics to IAEA, the ICC to the LON/UN, they'll talk about the who, what, and when, from founding to collapse, each step recorded, the high sounding rhetoric and the dirty truths behind it will be gristle for their endless debate about the why's and the wherefores that lead to their fate. The awesome potentials, the sordid reality, those will fill hour on hour, as they try and agree on the why people couldn't see the obvious? Was it the cat videos, the selfies, the binge watching or the video games?

I'd love to be there, to hear the callouts of Canadian name (Marshall McLuhan and Natalie Walschots and others) who glimpsed the truth and the danger and tried to warn others, but it probably won't be, you see I was born in the year after 1963.

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Even a reference to Putins "empire of lies" and other recent speeches would have been helpful information. But nowhere in the Putinman bad articles like in our "mainstream" media are they ever mentioned. It is not like Putin was hiding his thinking.

-25 ( +15 / -40 )

@WilliB

Nuance seems to be out the window, I am with you on this fully but unless you are willing to 100% adopt a purely white/black outlook on this, you are dismissed as a Russia troll. Even those of us who don't support Russia at all are somehow Russian schills.

If lives weren't on the line, I would almost have a grudging respect for how much the western propaganda machine has evolved over the years. It spreads extremely quickly, which is the very thing that lets it ignore tiny details like truth, when speed is all that really matters to propagate.

-17 ( +14 / -31 )

The current problem could clearly have been avoided of US, EU and Nato had behaved more responsible.

Ukraine is full of Russians. Funny thing is, they do not not want to part of Russia, and especially do not want a murdering warmonger as their president. But yes, you are probably right, it's the fault of the US/EU/Nato that Russia invaded a sovereign nation who showed zero hostility towards it. It's all their fault. \s

16 ( +25 / -9 )

 It is scary to see how the whole political and media establishment has now unified on the "Putinman bad" narrative.

Quite natural, considering his actions.

While I disagree with the invasion, this unified chorus of warmongers worries me more than anything else

There's only one warmonger.

It is not like Putin was hiding his thinking.

Moscow insists it is not planning an invasion (13 November)

Russia denies it’s preparing to invade (29 January)

Western countries say they fear Putin may be planning to invade. Russia denies this (2 February)

Russian officials said no invasion of Ukraine was underway and none was planned. (17 February)

Putin's empire of lies, indeed.

17 ( +31 / -14 )

Another drumbeat article. It is scary to see how the whole political and media establishment has now unified on the "Putinman bad" narrative.

Much scarier to see how accurate the "Putinman bad" narrative is.

While I disagree with the invasion, this unified chorus of warmongers worries me more than anything else.

But you aren't worried about the actual warmonger actually waging a war of aggression?

And nowhere in the shallow articles like this is there any reference to the background for all this, from the history of the Ukraine to Western meddling and aggression.

But Russia has no history of meddling and aggression in Ukraine?????

The current problem could clearly have been avoided of US, EU and Nato had behaved more responsible.

BS. Putin doesn't care about the US or NATO, he is obsessed with some psycho ideological commitment to dominating Ukraine regardless of what the US or NATO does. Putin is the sole agent of the current crisis and he is the only one who could avoided the problem of Puting invading Ukraine.

11 ( +20 / -9 )

"....has now unified on the "Putinman bad" narrative."

Yep, Putin's actions have indeed unified the very forces against him. NATO and the West have rarely been so unified. And it's all thanks to the bumbling behavior of Putin the "tactician." LOL.

22 ( +28 / -6 )

Even those of us who don't support Russia at all are somehow Russian schills.

It's not about not supporting Russia, it's about not supporting Putin.

The vast majority of Russians do not want this war - they do not identify with Putin and would love to be rid of him because he is a murderous dictator.

18 ( +24 / -6 )

Wobot, your link doesn't work.

Go to the BBC News page, look at the photos of wonton destruction there and tell me exactly what do you find 'shallow' about the coverage?

How do you justify even a fraction of the destruction the madman is causing, to innocent civilians who just want to get on with their lives?

10 ( +20 / -10 )

Even a reference to Putins "empire of lies" and other recent speeches would have been helpful information. But nowhere in the Putinman bad articles like in our "mainstream" media are they ever mentioned. It is not like Putin was hiding his thinking.

The victim ‘( __ )man bad’ nonsense when losing is getting really tiring.

Kids know when they’ve done wrong but try the “it wasn’t my fault” line. Not a good look for adults.

But sure, blame the media if it makes you feel like a winner.

9 ( +19 / -10 )

Leave vodka out of this.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Even a reference to Putins "empire of lies" and other recent speeches would have been helpful information. But nowhere in the Putinman bad articles like in our "mainstream" media are they ever mentioned. It is not like Putin was hiding his thinking.

Screw that. I don't need to read Mein Kampf to form an opinion on Hitler and I don't need to read Putin's BS to know that Putinman bad. I can see with my own eyes the innocent people he is killing in someone else's country, that tells me what I need to know.

9 ( +18 / -9 )

It is not like Putin was hiding his thinking.

You have got to be kidding. So all the denying there wouldn’t be an invasion was really plainly saying there would be an invasion? Right.

You see, everyone in the world ever who did something bad thought they had a reason to do it. If the majority of other people disagree you have to deal with the consequences. Nothing simpler to understand.

8 ( +15 / -7 )

I feel bad for the Russian people since it is Puty who started this war and not the general public. Puty should be blocked from drinking any more Vodka since it's his finger on the Nukes.

5 ( +12 / -7 )

No one is really affected anymore in all those downgraded and corona damaged economies by those kindergarten measures, neither the Russians nor the rest. Or do you have the money left for any excessive banking, sports and vodka if there were no boycotts? As for me , no, and I am not a Russian. lol

-16 ( +3 / -19 )

Message to Putin:

A very, very famous Russian wrote, "Pride grows in the human heart like lard on a pig."

4 ( +10 / -6 )

May be another autoincorrect error @cleo 5:29pm but (in this case), think you meant “wanton” destruction. Perhaps you were thinking of sum Tang else?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

I'd love to be there, to hear the callouts of Canadian name (Marshall McLuhan

Stories about Russia bring out the lyrical and literary, much appreciated.

In barely three days, Russia has become an international outcast because of its invasion of Ukraine, and its leader is finding himself with fewer and fewer foreign friends.

China is the wild card in this and its influence grows daily. It is highly likely they are going to step in and exert a counterbalancing force to the sanctions.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

While I disagree with the invasion, this unified chorus of warmongers worries me more than anything else.

This makes no sense. Does show that Putin has really backed his diehard apologists into a corner with nowhere to go.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

These methods are not going to work.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

“the ghost of Kyiv, who singlehandedly shot 6 Russian planes out of the sky and was praised as a hero by US politicians”…….has entered the chat.

actual people said these heroic stories are uplifting and unifying, what does it matter that they aren’t true?

-14 ( +4 / -18 )

It’s a globalized world — a planet stitched together by intricate supply chains, banking, sports and countless other threads of deep connection. Until it isn’t.

That made me l o l ...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

President Putin has been isolated sector by sector, economically, Russia currency is essentially worthless.

Putin condemned his own people to destitution.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

While it’s become known Putin and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn became co-members of the ‘mutual admiration society’ @TrevorPeace 5:59pm,

it is as unlikely Putin reads JT as it is that Putin will suffer any ‘crisis of conscience’ about his actions.

@TrevorPeace 5:59pm: “Message to Putin:

A very, very famous Russian wrote, "Pride grows in the human heart like lard on a pig."

Nice try, though. - Not a Nobel but, at least, an “Honorable Mention”. - Regards

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Another drumbeat article. It is scary to see how the whole political and media establishment has now unified on the "Putinman bad" narrative.

Open your History book at the year 1938.

At that time, we didn't want to ear the "bad man" narrative.

This angry little guy with big guns want to reunite with his german fellows claiming they are persecuted ?

Ok, let him do, what can happen ?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

A lot of Russians within Russia are against this war too. Even if they see that Ukraine is not exactly friendly to Russia, they don't consider Ukraine un-friendly to Russia neither - they don't see Ukraine is threatening Russia. They consider this Putin's War, not Russia's War - and they don't believe they should suffer due to one man's war

Furthermore, there are more and more videos of Russian military hitting civilians intentionally - not just military targets like they proclaim. Especially egregious are cluster-bombs on civilian areas because those bombs are indiscriminate. Those "rockets" ya see landed embedded on the ground? Those are not un-exploded rockets - those are the remains of cluster-bombs after separating from the bombs. That's evidence of a successful deployment of cluster munitions, not an unexploded weapon

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/02/28/haunting-footage-shows-apparent-cluster-bombing-kharkiv

8 ( +8 / -0 )

It's hard to sanction the monstrous ego of a little man like Pooty who for too long has worn the "Emperor's New Clothes". All the adulation of the crowd and fawning of the ring-kissers seeking patronage from his kleptomania to feather their own nests would do anybody's head in. Despite all the heat he's getting, he's convinced himself that by grabbing "Little Russia" (Ukraine) and absorbing "White Russia" into a "Greater Russian Federation" he'll go down in Russian history either as "Vladimir the Great" or "Vladimir the Terrible". Once again History repeats itself with its endless series of Frankenstein "strongmen".

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Bars pouring out vodka. Stores refusing to sell Russian items. Again mostly vodka.

for 2 years of COVID was anything Chinese banned from sale, destroyed or disposed of? Why now?

Chinese people were attacked in the USA and discriminated against? Now will anyone looking Russian be attacked or discriminated against? Have we learned anything about emotionally driven behaviors? (Hint: no you have not)

-14 ( +4 / -18 )

The Russian government are now totally under the influence of the Government of China.

The cost will be an insistence need access to China foreign currency reserves.

To fund this hell hole Putin has dug his country into.

That will come at a huge cost in Russian state of the art military research into next generation missile technology.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Didn’t wanna sound insensitive in my previous post.

I feel sorry for the Russian people. Putin is dragging them to Hell. We saw this too many times throughout history ...

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Ukraine's UN Ambassador apparently presented an actual screenshot of text messages on the phone of a dead young Russian soldier between him and his mother, before he died in combat:

https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-un-envoy-condemns-putin-reads-text-slain-russian-soldier-2022-3

Kyslytsya read out the exchange in Russian, starting with the mother asking her son if he is "really in training exercises." 

"Mama, I'm no longer in Crimea. I'm not in training sessions," the soldier replied

The mother then asks if she can send a parcel to her son and asks "what happened" — to which he replies that she cannot. 

"Mama, I'm in Ukraine. There is a real war raging here. I'm afraid. We are bombing all of the cities together, even targeting civilians. We were told that they would welcome us, and they are falling under our armored vehicles, throwing themselves under the wheels and not allowing us to pass."

"They call us fascists. Mama, this is so hard," the soldier wrote.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I agree with most sanctions that intend to weakens Putin's power, but we must not let this fester racism against Russian people. We've learned hard lesson from the Versailles treaty and its aftermath

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Current estimates are 5700 Russian troops killed since the beginning of the invasion and nearly 200 tanks destroyed. As their sons and fathers fail to return or return injured from purported training exercises, maybe just maybe they might question their own governments lies and propaganda.

If you want vodka, drink Ukrainian, Polish, Finnish, or Swedish!

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@Blacklabel

for 2 years of COVID was anything Chinese banned from sale, destroyed or disposed of? Why now?

No, it wasn't, because sane people don't believe China deliberately unleashed Covid on the world. Why now? Because a conscious decision has been taken to invade a country and kill innocent people. It's really not that tricky when you think about it for a millisecond.

Now will anyone looking Russian be attacked or discriminated against?

How do you "look Russian"?

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Many young Russian soldiers are just regular youths caught up in Putin's War. Even on their siege of Ukrainian cities, they're using Tinder looking for dates:

"Russian soldiers are on Tinder looking for dates with Ukrainians"

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/dating/russian-soldiers-are-chasing-ukrainian-girls-on-tinder/news-story/d730ab5a9cb90702365c06973b577ad7

Russian soldiers are swiping for Tinder dates with Ukrainians in between fighting them for control of the country. 

Women in the city of Kharkiv - close to the border with Russia - said they were surprised to see a number of foreign soldiers pop up on their Tinder feed in the middle of an invasion. 

One Ukrainian, Dasha Synelnikova, told The Sun

“I actually live in Kyiv but changed my location settings to Kharkiv after a friend told me there were Russian troops all over Tinder,” Ms Synelnikova said. 

“And I couldn’t believe my eyes when they popped up trying to look tough and cool.

“One muscular guy posed up trying to look sexy in bed posing with his pistol.

“Another was in full Russian combat gear and others just showed off in tight stripy vests.

“It was funny but scary at the same time, knowing that they were so close.”

One thing the flirty soldiers didn’t consider is that the app is location-based. The would-be romantics ended up giving away their military positions. The “love bombing” continued until Russian troops were ordered to shut off their phones prior to Thursday’s invasion

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I really don't see how Putin can accomplish his goals without intensifying the assault. That's going to make him look bad, lose popular support back home, and intensify the tanking of their economy by other countries.

I don't blame the Russia people for this action, but they are the ones who voted this man into absolute power. It's fun and games when you like the leader but when you don't like him anymore is when you realize you've screwed yourself because he isn't going anywhere.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

How do you "look Russian"?

You tell me. the same way you "look Chinese" I suppose.

Idiots are driven into a frenzy by the media, have in their head what a certain group looks like from seeing other media and just act.

Or the see a place called "The Russia House" and throw rocks through the windows and spray paint racially biased terms on the walls.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/russia-house-restaurant-vandalized

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Now, when the Ukraine remembers "the great patriotic war" it will be thinking of the Russian invasion that killed its children and destroyed its cities and tried to enslave their people and rule their lands in 2022.

If the Russians kill President Zelenskyy, he will become a martyr and they are notoriously difficult to stop. They must capture him alive or fail in their endeavors. Even as a prisoner of war Russia he will be a symbol of resistance. Russia has already failed in their endgame plans. The best Putin can do is withdraw and negotiate. The worst is to stay and destroy more lives of both nations.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Unfortunately, some Russian soldiers are apparently looting Ukraine groceries and banks

Groceries may be slightly understandable since they need food - though what does that say about Russian supply lines when they can't feed their own soldiers

But banks? Why are they looting for money?

"Videos Show Russian Soldiers Looting Banks and Grocery Stores in Ukraine"

https://www.newsweek.com/videos-show-russian-soldiers-looting-banks-grocery-stores-ukraine-1683027

4 ( +6 / -2 )

@Peter14

Correct. Putin has already lost. He hoped for a quick victory, with not too much antipathy aroused in the Ukrainians. With each passing day the hatred grows. If and when the Russian military finally takes control, the people have shown that they will never accept occupation. The Russians will finally leave with their tails between their legs (think Iraq, Afghanistan, for comparisons). It's just a question of how many months/years, and how much bloodshed, it will take.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

So now there is a 40 mile convoy of Russian troops headed to Kyiv. Are you sure about that?

because in previous days if it were only 38.3 miles long you would be jumping up and down screaming “liar”.

what changed?

-16 ( +1 / -17 )

Addfwyn 05:08 pm JST

Nuance seems to be out the window, I am with you on this fully but unless you are willing to 100% adopt a purely white/black outlook on this, you are dismissed as a Russia troll. Even those of us who don't support Russia at all are somehow Russian schills.

If lives weren't on the line, I would almost have a grudging respect for how much the western propaganda machine has evolved over the years. It spreads extremely quickly, which is the very thing that lets it ignore tiny details like truth, when speed is all that really matters to propagate.

I find it disturbing, both the total lockstep between major media groups like the BBC, Reuters, New York Times, NBC and all the rest, together with how people just unquestioningly accept what's put out by such supposedly unbiased groups.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that the British Foreign Office has been working with both the BBC and Reuters for years on covert information warfare campaigns. The FO was actually paying Reuters to run anti-Russian stories throughout the 60s and 70s. We all know it happens but the depth and scale of these programs are astonishing.

https://thegrayzone.com/2021/02/20/reuters-bbc-uk-foreign-office-russian-media/

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

Alfie, the “lock step” you are seeing just may be because they are all reporting the same illegal, vicious invasion of a people and country that were no threat to the Russian people or state.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

englisc aspyrgend 08:03 pm JST

Alfie, the “lock step” you are seeing just may be because they are all reporting the same illegal, vicious invasion of a people and country that were no threat to the Russian people or state.

So that explains why a whole raft of global media outlets used a neo-Nazi publicity stunt at exactly the same time, with no mention at all of the neo-Nazi group that organised the event? I'm not buying that!

"In light of NATO’s recent posturing in defense of Ukraine, the fact of the Azov Battalion’s neo-Nazism seems to have become an inconvenience.

On December 16, 2021, only the US and Ukraine voted against a United Nations resolution condemning the “glorification of Nazism,” while the United Kingdom and Canada abstained. There can be little doubt that this decision was made with the conflict in Ukraine in mind.

In the doctrine of Western militarism, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And if that friend happens to enlist neo-Nazis, Western corporate media can be relied on to look the other way."

https://fair.org/home/western-media-fall-in-lockstep-for-neo-nazi-publicity-stunt-in-ukraine/

-10 ( +5 / -15 )

But banks? Why are they looting for money?

None left in Russia now.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Putin refers to the Western democracies as 'The Empire of Lies'......

Well, that's sounds a bit rich coming from The Emperor and Gold-medallist Liar...... Try telling that to the parents of the 5,700 young guys he's just sent to their terrible deaths in the last six days, plus the hundreds of innocent Ukrainian men, women and children who've also perished.

Peace-keeping force my bu**

9 ( +11 / -2 )

So that explains why a whole raft of global media outlets used a neo-Nazi publicity stunt at exactly the same time, with no mention at all of the neo-Nazi group that organised the event? I'm not buying that!

No clue what your alluding to, but not buying the "neo-nazi" angle being spouted by Putin. The world is reporting on the Invasion. Started by Putin.

Neo-Nazi's had nothing to do with this invasion unless Putin is one himself. That I would believe. He shows the same lack of concern for life and truth be be a leader of the Russian neo-nazi group.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Neo-Nazi? The freely elected president is Jewish, yep that makes sense.

Poo tin may not strictly be a Neo-Nazi but many of his policies and actions wouldn’t be amiss under that banner!

12 ( +14 / -2 )

In the doctrine of Western militarism, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. And if that friend happens to enlist neo-Nazis, Western corporate media can be relied on to look the other way."

Yeah, we get it, elements of Ukraine’s military have not undergone adequate sensitivity training. When they aren’t busy fighting off the 21st century equivalent of the Nazi war machine bringing misery and destruction to Europe in the name of a Fascist madman driven by an insane ultra nationalist Russian ideology, I’ll be the first in line to demand that they do something to address that. In the meantime who the f cares?

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Alfie's right to remind us of the Machiavellian MO of western intelligence services operating on the "dark side" spreading disinformation and promoting mischief at home and abroad. These security organizations are mirror images of their counterparts working in undemocratic societies like the Russian Federation; the ideology and mindset of these security personnel on opposing sides is in reality uncomfortably similar, both sharing a disdain for truly democratic societies that go beyond lip-service and actually practice equal justice under law.

-7 ( +4 / -11 )

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