Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

[N.E. Brigand]

Short video of an anti-war protest today in St. Petersburg:

That's just one event, and I certainly don't claim and don't know enough to say how representative this might be of Russian attitudes generally.

And here is video of an anti-war protest today in Moscow:

[RoseMorninStar]

One of the buyers at work is Ukrainian. So is her husband. Their families are in Ukraine. Some of her family members fled their village, with no idea where to go, because it was burning. Needless to say, she is not okay.

I've been thinking of all those in harms way. Russia is saying no civilian casualties but I don't think anyone believes that. It won't be pretty and hopefully those (especially those in this country) who have been so glib and in support of Putin will stop their foolishness.

[N.E. Brigand]

This image of commercial air traffic near Ukraine today is being shared widely:

[elengil]

oof

[RoseMorninStar]

Russian Embassies in Ireland, and Czechia…the Russian consulate in Munich

[Lalaith]

I don't have anything to add. You all are just where I turn when crap like this happens.

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[River]

A Leonard Cohen song for the occasion.

The husband of one of my coworkers is in the Space Force reserve. He does things with satellites. He's been ordered to pack his bags and be ready.

His specialty is nuclear detection and deterrence.

I really hope this order was given because there are people in the military who are paid to be paranoid.

ETA: Anyone know how Frelga's doing? She has relatives over there.

Edit again: link fixed

[N.E. Brigand]

I was introduced to the "horseshoe theory" of politics in a high school history class in 1988. The theory posits the farthest left and farthest right both end up as authoritarian: Stalin's Soviet Union and Hitler's Germany, nominally on opposite ends of the spectrum, behave fairly similarly in terms of, say, oppressing their populations. Apparently the concept got little attention until being popularized a couple decades later, and lots of people disagree with it. But in the U.S., apologetics for Russia's Ukraine invasion do seem to come from the fringe right and fringe left, while the normal left, right, and center have been pretty solidly opposed to what Putin was doing.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

ETA: Anyone know how Frelga's doing? She has relatives over there.

I also have been wondering that.

[RoseMorninStar]

ETA: Anyone know how Frelga's doing? She has relatives over there.

I also have been wondering that.

Me too.

The National guard trains at the small local airport about a mile as the crow flies from our house. They are training heavily tonight.

River, your song link isn't working.

Laly I know.

[River]

Rose, I fixed it.

I was introduced to the "horseshoe theory" of politics in a high school history class in 1988. The theory posits the farthest left and farthest right both end up as authoritarian: Stalin's Soviet Union and Hitler's Germany, nominally on opposite ends of the spectrum, behave fairly similarly in terms of, say, oppressing their populations. Apparently the concept got little attention until being popularized a couple decades later, and lots of people disagree with it. But in the U.S., apologetics for Russia's Ukraine invasion do seem to come from the fringe right and fringe left, while the normal left, right, and center have been pretty solidly opposed to what Putin was doing.

I have a fringe-left sister who got pissed when I told her about the horseshoe theory. She also attempted some Russian apologism 36 hours ago in a family email chain. I pointed out that the Russians are trying to rebuild an empire and Ukraine has the right to defend itself from expansionistic swine. She ended up slinking off. I'm not sure where you'd have to put your head to justify a war of conquest.

[Sunsilver]

I have definitely been thinking of Frelga, and also my step-son's wife, who is Ukrainian.

Not sure where I saw this comment, but someone said how brave the protestors were in Moscow, where they actually were risking their lives to protest, unlike the truckers in Canada, who think they are being so horribly oppressed by being asked to get vaccinated and wear a mask.

Edit: Enchie just posted a picture on her timeline of Ukrainians in Kyiv taking shelter in the subways. The similarities to the start of WWII give me the chills, and I can't help thinking that if Putin doesn't stop, Poland could be his next target. I'm sure that's on her mind, too.

[Túrin Turambar]

I was introduced to the "horseshoe theory" of politics in a high school history class in 1988. The theory posits the farthest left and farthest right both end up as authoritarian: Stalin's Soviet Union and Hitler's Germany, nominally on opposite ends of the spectrum, behave fairly similarly in terms of, say, oppressing their populations. Apparently the concept got little attention until being popularized a couple decades later, and lots of people disagree with it. But in the U.S., apologetics for Russia's Ukraine invasion do seem to come from the fringe right and fringe left, while the normal left, right, and center have been pretty solidly opposed to what Putin was doing.

I had noticed this as well and was going to make the same comment. Putin's apologists seem to be Marxist-Leninists who don't seem to realise that that Putin's government is right-wing and see this as a Cold War rematch, the type of anti-imperialists who don't really care about imperialism if the people doing it don't speak English (unless they're Israeli, of course), people who hate western liberal democracy in general and are happy for anything to replace it, Neo-Nazis who don't seem to care that Putin's justification for the invasion was to "de-Nazify" Ukraine, and right-wing nationalists who wish they could deal with their real or imagined domestic opponents in the same way Putin does.

[Frelga]

I sensed my name being invoked 3 times, hi.

20220222_072622.jpg (160.18 KiB) Viewed 2987 times

(Moscow is first mentioned in 1147 as a small border town of another kingdom/knyazhestvo)

Eta: there's a lot of fog of war rn, but these accounts seem to be doing their best to report on the ground.

Financial Times https://twitter.com/maxseddon?s=09

Oliver Carrol, The Guardian, most often https://twitter.com/olliecarroll?s=0

Buzzfeed News https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM?s=09

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Sunsilver]

Ohhh, excellent point!!

[RoseMorninStar]

I sensed my name being invoked 3 times, hi.

Putin, with his bunker mentality, has lost his mind. Unfortunately, others will pay the price.

[Lalaith]

I was trying to figure out why all of my fundamentalist friends are suddenly so supportive of Ukraine and into world events. Then I realized it was because this is an end times fulfillment prophecy for them. They are expecting the rapture and Armageddon to happen at any point in time now.

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[N.E. Brigand]

Zeleskyy also reported told EU leaders yesterday that there was a good chance that was the last time they'd ever speak with him.

[RoseMorninStar]

A brave man, Zelensky. Let's hope he doesn't become a martyr.

Laly.. I just can't even with that crowd.