Russians: Now Using Poison Underpants

[EmCatlyn]

On 4/23/2022 at 8:45 AM, Howl said:

….

So May 9?   May 9 Russian Victory Day is a HUGE deal in Russia -- the largest and most important holiday of the year. What is Russia’s Victory Day, and what might it mean for Ukraine?   Putin will likely give a speech.  Depending on what happens in the Donbas in the next week,  this may be Putin's only chance to extricate himself. 

The world will know it's a sad Pyrrhic victory, but Putin's PR machine is in overdrive and the truth of Russian military losses and savagery has been ruthlessly suppressed.

On the other hand, a lot of Russian people are wondering why their loved ones aren't home from the "special operation"  if the war is over.  Many don't even know their cherished son/father/husband one is never coming home. 

I ran into a news story that the Russians are rehearsing the parade without tanks and so forth because the tanks are all in use.  I have to wonder what they are using for marching soldiers (aren’t they at the front too?) then it occurred to me that the Russians may have a lot of “soldiers” whose connections protect them from having to go to war.  (Just a thought…)

The other thing I have heard about the parade is really disturbing — apparently the Russians plan to march the Ukrainian POWs in the parade.  
 

[EmCatlyn]

Putin publicly kissed a boy’s belly

This may have been discussed here before, but I have to bring it up.  Kissing the belly of a five-year-old boy you have never met is an odd thing to do. Maybe it more common in Russia to kiss the belly of a cute kid, but it still seems weird.

According to this article

Quote

The image of Mr Putin lifting Nikita’s vest and kissing his bare stomach was published by the late Alexander Litvinenko, who accused Mr Putin of being a paedophile four months before his murder.

So even though the boy (10 years later) said he and his family were honored, apparently some other Russians weren’t so comfortable with the idea.

[47of74]

Russians have bigger problems than trying to find reverse on a Soviet tank

Quote

Russian tanks with their tops blown off are just the latest sign that Russia's invasion of Ukraine isn't going to plan.

Hundreds of Russian tanks are thought to have been destroyed since Moscow launched its offensive, with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Monday estimating it had lost as many as 580.

But Moscow's problems go beyond the sheer number of tanks it has lost. Experts say battlefield images show Russian tanks are suffering from a defect that Western militaries have known about for decades and refer to as the "jack-in-the-box effect." Moscow, they say, should have seen the problem coming.

The problem relates to how the tanks' ammunition is stored. Unlike modern Western tanks, Russian ones carry multiple shells within their turrets. This makes them highly vulnerable as even an indirect hit can start a chain reaction that explodes their entire ammunition store of up to 40 shells.

 

[EmCatlyn]

11 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Russians have bigger problems than trying to find reverse on a Soviet tank

 

Let’s just hope the problems there are problems they haven’t fixed on their nuclear missile launching system, so when Putin gives the “let’s show them,” order, the launching system fails.

I worry that the more things go wrong for the Russians in this war, the closer we get to the unthinkable.  On Russian media, the people are being told that a nuclear war might be necessary.

[WiseGirl]

Asshole

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-warns-west-dont-test-110856583.html

"Russia on Thursday warned the West that there would be a tough military response to any further attack on Russian territory, accusing the United States and its key European allies of openly inciting Ukraine to assault Russia."

Correct me if I'm wrong Russia, but you invaded Ukraine with no provocation so no sympathy.  Are you really trying to start WW3?.  Get the f*ck out.

[Xan]

There is just so much corruption in Russia that it's not surprising that the military has subpar equipment.  I'm aware that there's corruption everywhere but when you have a system that doesn't allow for mistakes to be reported or for anything to be exposed to the public, you're setting yourself up for situations like these.  

I'm currently reading the book upon which the "Citizen X" movie was based.  (Yeah.  Weirdly, I enjoy reading about serial murderers.)  This guy was allowed to continue to kill women and children in Russia for years because the system didn't believe that Russia had something as decadent as a serial murderer.  Their lab equipment was outdated and a major blood analyst made a mistake in typing and wouldn't admit it.  If you are a member in good standing of the Communist Party, you don't get much pushback if your factory doesn't produce usable tanks.

[fraurosena]

 

[47of74]

 

[Alisamer]

43 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

 

May God guide the doctors and surgeons in whatever way is best for the world.

[47of74]

Another wealthy Russian has flatlined 

Quote

A former top boss of one of Russia's biggest state-owned oil companies died after receiving a dubious treatment from a "shaman" over the weekend, Russian media say. Lukoil board member Alexander Subbotin, who no longer held a management role at the firm, was found dead in Mytishchi, a town just outside Moscow, in a house owned by a local healer or medicine man known as Magua, according to state news agency TASS. 

Online news outlet Mash said Magua and his wife were offering high-paying clients various unorthodox treatments, including a procedure involving poisonous toads.

"They would make an incision on the skin, dripped toad poison there, and after the patient vomited, he allegedly would feel better," Mash claimed, alleging that Subbotin had been a frequent customer who came seeking treatment for hangovers.

"Suddenly, he felt unwell, and his heart ached. The shaman decided not to call an ambulance, gave him some usual heart drops and put the billionaire to sleep in the basement, where he later died," Mash reported, adding: "Whether Alexander got sick from poisonous toads or something else is not clear, but the investigation will soon figure it out."

Check the shaman for links to Vlad the Invader. 

[Alisamer]

2 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Another wealthy Russian has flatlined 

Check the shaman for links to Vlad the Invader. 

This shaman dude could become at least a millionaire himself with the right marketing to the Q idiots. Poisonous toads? Sign them right up. Safe, effective, scientifically backed vaccines and healthcare? They don't know what's in that stuff!

Toads are all natural, you know.

I hope Putin visits this guy for treatments too. Or more likely calls him in for house calls. Shaman dude, take your most poisonous toad with you for that one!

[47of74]

55 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I hope Putin visits this guy for treatments too. Or more likely calls him in for house calls. Shaman dude, take your most poisonous toad with you for that one!

Especially if Vlad the Invader could be convinced that all the regular doctors were out to get him while he was on the table.

[47of74]

Britain has promised to help Sweden if Russia gets any ideas

Quote

Britain pledged to come to Sweden’s aid if the country came under attack, with Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Magdalena Andersson signing a security assurance deal outside Stockholm on Wednesday.

Sweden and Finland are pondering whether to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Johnson is later expected to make a similar defense commitment to Finland, where he will meet with President Sauli Niinisto.

The agreement will “fortify northern Europe’s defenses, in the face of renewed threats,” Johnson said in a statement, adding it “is a symbol of the everlasting assurance between our nations.”

“These are not a short-term stop-gap, but a long-term commitment to bolster military ties and global stability, and fortify Europe’s defenses for generations to come,” Johnson said in the statement. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) land border with Russia.

 

[EmCatlyn]

I have been following the Russian invasion of Ukraine closely every day, and I am filled with admiration for the Ukrainians and disgust for Putin and his regime.  What the Russian soldiers have been doing in many towns amounts to war crimes of the worst kind.

Ironically, the Russians don’t seem to be gaining much.  Their losses on the battlefield exceed anything that could be expected given the “reputation” of the Russian military.

Sadly, the human cost to Ukraine is beyond measure.   The UN estimates over 6 million refugees since the war began less than 3 months ago.  A lot of what I read about reminds me of what I know of WW II.  They said “Never Again,” but here we are.
Russian Atrocities Against Ukranians

Russia is Counting their Dead as “Missing.”

Russian Military Losses include Elite Units

Ukrainian Refugee Crisis

Mariupol Defender Becomes a Widow 3 Days After Wedding

This last link is the only one to focus on an individual.  It is just one story among many but particularly poignant because this young woman and her husband, who had been sweethearts for a while, but they belonged to different parts of the military so it was coincidence that they both found themselves in Azovstal (the Azov Steel Works in Mariupol, the only section of the city the Russians haven’t conquered).  The decision to marry without waiting to get out seems to have come as they realized that they might not get out, that they might be killed before relief came.  In any case, three days after the wedding, he was killed.

Anyway, I am filled the the sense that so many things that I worry about in my nice safe life are meaningless against what is going on in Ukraine.

[47of74]

Yeah, things aren't going the way Vlad the Invader thought they would go

Quote

Russia suffered heavy losses when Ukrainian forces destroyed the pontoon bridge enemy troops were using to try to cross a river in the east, Ukrainian and British officials said in another sign of Moscow’s struggle to salvage a war gone awry.

Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, opened the first war crimes trial of the conflict. The defendant, a captured Russian soldier, stands accused of shooting to death a 62-year-old civilian in the early days of the war.

The trial got underway as Russia’s offensive in the Donbas, Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, seemed to turn increasingly into a grinding war of attrition.

Ukraine’s airborne command released photos and video of what it said was a damaged Russian pontoon bridge over the Siversky Donets River and several destroyed or damaged Russian military vehicles nearby.

 

[fraurosena]

It's not like I needed another example of why I'm against religion, but... 

 

[WiseGirl]

One unexpected consequence (at least to me) of the invasion. From the article  "Finland’s government announced Sunday it will apply to join NATO, ditching decades of wartime neutrality and ignoring Russian threats of possible retaliation as the Nordic country attempts to strengthen its security following the onset of the war in Ukraine."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/15/europe/finland-nato-membership-russia-ukraine-intl/index.html

[47of74]

According to Google that translates to "Putin appears to be ending 200 years of Swedish neutrality. That's really the "genius of strategy"!"

Yeah, real genius move there Vlad the Invader. 

 

[47of74]

Mickey D's is pulling out of Russia permanently after 32 years

Quote

The move comes after it temporarily closed its 850 outlets in March.

The fast food giant said it made the decision because of the "humanitarian crisis" and "unpredictable operating environment" caused by the Ukraine war.

The opening of McDonald's first restaurant in Moscow in 1990 came to symbolise a thaw in Cold War tensions.

A year later, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia opened up its economy to companies from the West. More than three decades later, however, it is one of a growing number of corporations pulling out.

While we're talking pulling out if only certain someones had pulled out in 1945 and early 1951 we might not be in this mess now. 

[EmCatlyn]

On 5/15/2022 at 7:15 AM, WiseGirl said:

One unexpected consequence (at least to me) of the invasion. From the article  "Finland’s government announced Sunday it will apply to join NATO, ditching decades of wartime neutrality and ignoring Russian threats of possible retaliation as the Nordic country attempts to strengthen its security following the onset of the war in Ukraine."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/15/europe/finland-nato-membership-russia-ukraine-intl/index.html

I read that when the Russians rattled their sabers and threatened to cross over into Finland to stop them from joining NATO, the response was, “You are welcome to come and join the 200,000 Russians buried here during your last visit in 1939” (paraphrasing).  This refers to the Winter War which did not go well for the Russians.  Some people have been finding parallels between the Finns during the Winter War and the Ukrainians this time around.

FWIW, the Russians have stopped threatening Finland and now say that they don’t care if Finland and Sweden join NATO, but Ukraine must not because there are outstanding border disputes.”

 

[EmCatlyn]

I don’t know who else is following the saga of the Azovstal defenders, but this is the latest news:

Quote

[According to] Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar….
"Fifty-three seriously injured people were evacuated from Azovstal to a medical facility in Novoazovsk for medical care," she said. "Another 211 people were taken to Olenivka through the humanitarian corridor." 

An "exchange procedure" will see the evacuees eventually brought home, Malyar also said.  Source: CNN May 16

There are still soldiers in the Azovstal plant, but it appears that Ukraine has negotiated to evacuate the injured and weakest soldiers by having them implicitly surrender to the Russians but with some promise that they will be exchanged for Russian POWs.

The situation in Azovstal has been nightmarish.  There has been a life- threatening shortage of water as well as a serious lack of medicine.  Some of the wounded have died of sepsis, others were expected to die soon, especially with the shortage of water.   Evacuating these people was necessary, even if it put them in Russian hands.

What remains to be seen is whether the planned prisoner exchange will go through or whether the Russians will (surprise!) decide to punish the Azovstal resisters before letting them return to Ukraine.

[EmCatlyn]

On 5/16/2022 at 7:32 PM, EmCatlyn said:

I don’t know who else is following the saga of the Azovstal defenders, but this is the latest news:

There are still soldiers in the Azovstal plant, but it appears that Ukraine has negotiated to evacuate the injured and weakest soldiers by having them implicitly surrender to the Russians but with some promise that they will be exchanged for Russian POWs.

The situation in Azovstal has been nightmarish.  There has been a life- threatening shortage of water as well as a serious lack of medicine.  Some of the wounded have died of sepsis, others were expected to die soon, especially with the shortage of water.   Evacuating these people was necessary, even if it put them in Russian hands.

What remains to be seen is whether the planned prisoner exchange will go through or whether the Russians will (surprise!) decide to punish the Azovstal resisters before letting them return to Ukraine.

Updating this further, there is no word today that the prisoner exchange is going forward, and rumors that the Russians are not going to honor it.  Let’s hope the rumors are wrong.

[47of74]

Finland and Sweden have started the process to join NATO. 

Quote

Finland and Sweden are poised to end decades of neutrality by joining NATO, a dramatic evolution in European security and geopolitics sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The two Nordic nations had long kept the military alliance at an arm's length, even while eying Russia to their east with caution.

But Moscow's assault on Ukraine has sparked renewed security concern across the region, and the leaders of each country have signaled their desire to join the bloc after more than 75 years of military non-alignment.

Nice job fixing it Vlad the Invader.  Not only has he made Russia into a pariah state but is convincing more countries to join NATO. 

[EmCatlyn]

13 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Finland and Sweden have started the process to join NATO. 

Nice job fixing it Vlad the Invader.  Not only has he made Russia into a pariah state but is convincing more countries to join NATO. 

The most hilarious part is that after huffing and puffing and waving his nukes, Putin has now stated that he doesn’t see a problem with Finland and Sweden joining NATO. (What he means is he can’t stop them and his hands are full with the mess in Ukraine.)

Some weeks ago he had told Finland that allying itself to NATO would be viewed as an unfriendly act and more.  Finland gave this “ultimatum” as a reason for joining NATO.  Basically, if they had not joined NATO after Putin “forbade” it, there would be the appearance that Russia could tell Finland what to do.

Putin is not playing with a full deck anymore.  Unfortunately, he has too much power.

[Audrey2]

3 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

Putin is not playing with a full deck anymore.  Unfortunately, he has too much power

If you put Putin and Trump together I don't even think you'd get a full suit of cards, much less a full deck.