The BlackBear Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Are not the rumours that there is dissent within the Russian elite a fairly constant one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horza Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 It's not so much infighting as the loop drastically shrinking and a lot of people finding out they aren't on the inside any more. Infighting would imply that there's a means by which opponents of the clampdown can fight back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 Al Jazeera is reporting that the rebels are calling an end to the ceasefire and are going to work on capturing Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Mariupol. Ukraine's PM is saying that the move is Russia's attempt at destabilizing the country before elections. Poroshenko is coming under fire from those who want results. Wonder what he will do as the pressure mounts? Story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recovering forum addict Posted October 24, 2014 Share Posted October 24, 2014 The polls for the upcoming election are interesting. Ânukóvič's Party of Regions is all but obliterated and isn't even reported any longer. The last poll that reported its support separately instead of lumping it in with 'Others' was in the second week of September where they got 2%. 'Fatherland' (that is an incredibly creepy name), Timošenko's party, fluctuates wildly between 5% and 12%. UDAR has merged with Porošenko's party, which gets between 20% and 45%. Oleg Lâškó's one-man-band 'The Radical Party of Oleg Lâškó' gets somewhere between 7% and 14%, but if there's a trend it's downwards. All September polls had him at over 10%, all October ones except one has him below 10%, with the last result at 7.4%. Svoboda will almost certainly not make the 5% threshold. Right Sector doesn't seem to be reported separately in any of the polls. Then there are five other small parties, and judging purely from the average of all polls in September and October it looks like Civil Position and Âcenûk's splinter off Fatherland, the People's Front, might get in and the Party of Regions splinter Strong Ukraine, the Christian conservative party Samopomic, and the Communist Party might not. If those are the results there will not be a single pro-Ânukóvič MP in Ukraine after the elections. If Porošenko's party can cooperate with Fatherland and the People's Front they should get a solid majority without having to involve Svoboda or Lâško or anyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirwood Druid Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 time to revive this thread again with an other update; a large large military convoy has entered Donetsk with a lot of heavy firepower, I really wonder how they are going to be of use for the "elections". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horza Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Well, the DNR is kind of incomplete without Donetsk airport and Mariupol, at a minimum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 In a bit of good news Russia and Ukraine have agreed to gas prices and the gas will flow again. With winter almost here that is a bit of relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghjhero Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 time to revive this thread again with an other update; a large large military convoy has entered Donetsk with a lot of heavy firepower, I really wonder how they are going to be of use for the "elections". What side does the convoy belong to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horza Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Since this is our Russia thread by default, here's a tale that encapsulates Putin's Russia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fixit Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 While certainly deplorable if true, I can't help but sympathise with the most recommended comment below the article: It seems the Russians have learned the American model of cronyism, bribery in the form of 'contributions', and gaming the system for the benefit of a very few wealthy people superbly. What is surprising in the cynically moralistic tone of this story, as if this EXACT sort of thing didn't go on in the U.S. daily, starting with all those no-bid contracts every administration hands out like candy to whomever supported them best financially in the previous election, all the way down to local city councils. It's time the NYT did a series on just how corrupt and how much of a Russian styled oligarchy we have become here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horza Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 That commenter definitely has a point, I like most people on this thread get furious every time I read about how Barack Obama put all his old basketball pals in charge of major corporations and government departments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Voting is going ahead in rebel held areas. The elections are being condemned by Ukraine and it's friends as illegitimate and unhelpful. Russia of course will recognize the results. Some fringe groups are monitoring them. I'm predicting a resounding win for the separatists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosesskrift Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 I think trying to equate the cronyism of Putin's Russia with that of the US is the act of someone being wilfully ignorant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirwood Druid Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 to put things in perspective when it comes to wealth inequality of both countries; the 1%, 320.000 Americans, who own 30% of America's wealth. The big honchos of Russia, 110 Russians, who own 35% of Russia's wealth. It really puts America's own problem with wealth equality in perspective doesn't it? The cronyism of Russia is without competition. It is one of the reasons why a second collapse is coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shryke Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 to put things in perspective when it comes to wealth inequality of both countries; the 1%, 320.000 Americans, who own 30% of America's wealth. The big honchos of Russia, 110 Russians, who own 35% of Russia's wealth. It really puts America's own problem with wealth equality in perspective doesn't it? The cronyism of Russia is without competition. It is one of the reasons why a second collapse is coming.Another good metric imo is to look at how much the last american olympics cost compared top the last russian one. Corruption all up ins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fixit Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Another good metric imo is to look at how much the last american olympics cost compared top the last russian one. Corruption all up ins. Any info on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirwood Druid Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Another good metric imo is to look at how much the last american olympics cost compared top the last russian one. Corruption all up ins. A lot of that Sochi money didn't even got to Sochi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darzin Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 So apparently the Russian ruble is plummeting and the fat cats around Putin are starting to scramble for the scraps. How long can the Russian system survive all this strain before it breaks? http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120201/russias-ruble-value-collapsing-due-sanctions-stagnation Also I found this article, really really interesting it's a kind of profile on the Kremlin's propaganda czar and sheds some light on where the Russian strategy of deny basic facts and create our own reality came from. This guys seems to be the man behind the curtain. It also looks at how a lot of the Russian media elite are so cynical so that they believe it's almost impossible to tell the truth. I found this in my own travels in post-soviet places everyone takes it for granted that all news and government statements are lies because that's what the government and news do and the idea of any news not being propaganda is just seen as naivete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darzin Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Rights silly me we all need Putin's love (just not in a gay propaganda type way) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shryke Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 So apparently the Russian ruble is plummeting and the fat cats around Putin are starting to scramble for the scraps. How long can the Russian system survive all this strain before it breaks? http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120201/russias-ruble-value-collapsing-due-sanctions-stagnation Also I found this article, really really interesting it's a kind of profile on the Kremlin's propaganda czar and sheds some light on where the Russian strategy of deny basic facts and create our own reality came from. This guys seems to be the man behind the curtain. It also looks at how a lot of the Russian media elite are so cynical so that they believe it's almost impossible to tell the truth. I found this in my own travels in post-soviet places everyone take it for granted that all news and government statements are lies because that's what the government and news do and the idea of any news not being propaganda is just seen as naivete. That's been the interesting thing to me here. How many russians or people from former USSR areas simply believe that all news everywhere is only government propaganda. And thus often they think might as well believe the propaganda of "my guys". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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