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🇷🇺🇺🇦 Putin may be approaching the one decision that could destroy him: drafting the sons of ordinary Russians. For more than three years, he's managed to wage a brutal war without forcing most Russians to personally bear its cost. Instead of mass mobilisation, he built a system around money.... Huge signing bonuses, salaries several times higher than the average wage, and massive compensation payments to families if a soldier is killed. It allowed the Kremlin to recruit volunteers while keeping life in Moscow and other major cities relatively normal. But Jamison Firestone argues that model is beginning to break down. According to his analysis, Russia has burned through much of its wartime financial cushion. Its National Wealth Fund has shrunk dramatically, the government has piled huge liabilities into the banking system by forcing lenders to finance defence companies, and the flow of volunteers is no longer keeping pace with battlefield losses. If that's true, Putin faces a problem money alone can't solve: Manpower. Jamison believes Russia may soon have little choice but to launch a major mobilisation, and that's where the real political danger begins. Putin's unwritten deal with the Russian people has always been simple: Accept fewer political freedoms and in return, I'll give you stability, security and a comfortable life. A mass draft changes that equation overnight. The war stops being something happening somewhere else; it arrives on people's doorsteps. Jamison isn't predicting a popular revolution, but he thinks the greater danger could come from inside the system itself. If the mobilisation produces hundreds of thousands of new troops, casualties continue to mount, the economy remains under pressure, and Russia still fails to secure a decisive victory... The security establishment surrounding Putin may eventually conclude that the war has become more dangerous than replacing the man leading it.show more

Mario Nawfal

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277,985 views • 23 days ago •via X (Twitter)

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Mobile internet in Russia is becoming increasingly restricted. This is happening even in major cities - Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Social media platforms are being shut down, and Telegram is being slowed. Russians are being pushed onto the state-controlled platform MAX, which is under full government control. Why is the Kremlin lowering an iron curtain now? There are no mass protests, the opposition is silent, and everything remains strictly controlled. One possible reason why Russia is now building a digital concentration camp and restricting the internet is a future mobilization. Through the war in Iran, Russia has received extra oil revenue and feels more confident. But it understands that this situation may change. Russia also has no significant successes on the front. Each month, Ukrainians continue to kill increasing numbers of Russian soldiers. To replenish cannon fodder, it is highly likely that Putin may take the unpopular decision to start a mobilization. As a result, emigration sentiments are already increasing in Russia, because Russians have a fair sense that the iron curtain will be lowered completely. Europe must be extremely vigilant and strengthen border controls, as many Wagner mercenaries, FSB agents, and sleeper cells may attempt to enter. And in general, this rule always applies: the more oil money Russia has, the more it wants to wage war. 📹: Russians are making comical Reels about the lack of internet.

Mobile internet in Russia is becoming increasingly restricted. This is happening even in major cities - Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Social media platforms are being shut down, and Telegram is being slowed. Russians are being pushed onto the state-controlled platform MAX, which is under full government control. Why is the Kremlin lowering an iron curtain now? There are no mass protests, the opposition is silent, and everything remains strictly controlled. One possible reason why Russia is now building a digital concentration camp and restricting the internet is a future mobilization. Through the war in Iran, Russia has received extra oil revenue and feels more confident. But it understands that this situation may change. Russia also has no significant successes on the front. Each month, Ukrainians continue to kill increasing numbers of Russian soldiers. To replenish cannon fodder, it is highly likely that Putin may take the unpopular decision to start a mobilization. As a result, emigration sentiments are already increasing in Russia, because Russians have a fair sense that the iron curtain will be lowered completely. Europe must be extremely vigilant and strengthen border controls, as many Wagner mercenaries, FSB agents, and sleeper cells may attempt to enter. And in general, this rule always applies: the more oil money Russia has, the more it wants to wage war. 📹: Russians are making comical Reels about the lack of internet.

Anton Gerashchenko

778,948 views • 5 months ago

"It's already a complete sh*tshow in Russia - actually, it's even worse": Russian Z-blogger Golman is preparing Russians for a "spectacular" autumn and advises them to stock up on salt, matches, and canned food, and to start digging potatoes. Watching ordinary Russians react to Ukrainian drone strikes spreading across Russia, I see that the "Russian stability" that existed in the minds of many Russians is starting to crack. Until now, most of them continued to live as if the war existed somewhere nearby but not in their daily lives. They watched it like a football match and cheered for their "team." For them, Putin was a figure who delivered victories, but not at the cost of their stable lives. Strikes on oil refineries are an instrument of economic coercion. But the fact that these strikes are also undermining the sense of normal life and creating a feeling of vulnerability among ordinary Russians has become an additional pleasant bonus - perhaps no less important than the economic strangulation of Russia. Elections have never been the source of Putin's power, while sustained ideological mobilization has remained the exception rather than the norm. Even the Crimean consensus of 2014 was a short-lived surge, not a new foundation for the regime. Putin's legitimacy rests on something else. It is built around the image of a guarantor of order - a leader who provides stability, predictability, and protection from chaos. This was the essence of the informal social contract of the 2000s: citizens gave up political participation in exchange for the right to live private lives. And in return for pride in Russia's illusory greatness, they are willing to tolerate poverty and humiliation at the hands of the system. This legitimacy is negative in nature. Putin is supported not because he is loved, but because he is associated with Russia’s greatness and the absence of catastrophe. He is seen as insurance against a return to the 1990s. The foundation of trust in Putin is the promise of order. The key expected phrases are "Everything is under control" and "Everything is going according to plan." People believe that Putin has a plan. Russians even accepted the de-occupation of Kherson and other Ukrainian territories because they were told it was not a retreat, but part of the plan. That is why the Russian system depends not so much on support for the war as on preserving the illusion of normality and control. This is why Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and deep inside Russia matter far beyond the realm of military economics. The attacks demonstrate that the war is no longer "somewhere out there." It is reaching territories that the state has spent decades portraying as a secure rear, while simultaneously disrupting the comfortable lives of ordinary Russians. For the regime, this creates a dangerous risk. If it is unable to protect critical infrastructure, maintain the usual order, and guarantee predictability, its legitimacy begins to disappear. The cumulative effect of an economic crisis combined with the decline of Putin’s authority could ultimately bring down the Putin regime. The key thing is not to stop.

"It's already a complete sh*tshow in Russia - actually, it's even worse": Russian Z-blogger Golman is preparing Russians for a "spectacular" autumn and advises them to stock up on salt, matches, and canned food, and to start digging potatoes. Watching ordinary Russians react to Ukrainian drone strikes spreading across Russia, I see that the "Russian stability" that existed in the minds of many Russians is starting to crack. Until now, most of them continued to live as if the war existed somewhere nearby but not in their daily lives. They watched it like a football match and cheered for their "team." For them, Putin was a figure who delivered victories, but not at the cost of their stable lives. Strikes on oil refineries are an instrument of economic coercion. But the fact that these strikes are also undermining the sense of normal life and creating a feeling of vulnerability among ordinary Russians has become an additional pleasant bonus - perhaps no less important than the economic strangulation of Russia. Elections have never been the source of Putin's power, while sustained ideological mobilization has remained the exception rather than the norm. Even the Crimean consensus of 2014 was a short-lived surge, not a new foundation for the regime. Putin's legitimacy rests on something else. It is built around the image of a guarantor of order - a leader who provides stability, predictability, and protection from chaos. This was the essence of the informal social contract of the 2000s: citizens gave up political participation in exchange for the right to live private lives. And in return for pride in Russia's illusory greatness, they are willing to tolerate poverty and humiliation at the hands of the system. This legitimacy is negative in nature. Putin is supported not because he is loved, but because he is associated with Russia’s greatness and the absence of catastrophe. He is seen as insurance against a return to the 1990s. The foundation of trust in Putin is the promise of order. The key expected phrases are "Everything is under control" and "Everything is going according to plan." People believe that Putin has a plan. Russians even accepted the de-occupation of Kherson and other Ukrainian territories because they were told it was not a retreat, but part of the plan. That is why the Russian system depends not so much on support for the war as on preserving the illusion of normality and control. This is why Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and deep inside Russia matter far beyond the realm of military economics. The attacks demonstrate that the war is no longer "somewhere out there." It is reaching territories that the state has spent decades portraying as a secure rear, while simultaneously disrupting the comfortable lives of ordinary Russians. For the regime, this creates a dangerous risk. If it is unable to protect critical infrastructure, maintain the usual order, and guarantee predictability, its legitimacy begins to disappear. The cumulative effect of an economic crisis combined with the decline of Putin’s authority could ultimately bring down the Putin regime. The key thing is not to stop.

Anton Gerashchenko

47,302 views • 2 months ago

🇺🇦🇷🇺 ZELENSKYY SAYS RUSSIA IS WALKING INTO A CRISIS OF ITS OWN MAKING “Russia is going to hit a real crisis due to its own stupidity. We've been saying for a long time that it's up to the Russians to end this war. Ukraine has suggested all possible formats for real negotiations, for guaranteeing security, and for a respectful peace. The only one who needs to make a decision is the Russian leader, Putin, who doesn't even get all the real statistics about what is actually happening” - Volodymyr Zelenskyy 🇺🇦 That is the trap Putin built for himself: a war he refuses to end, a system too afraid to tell him the truth, and a country paying the price for one man’s fantasy. Ukraine has offered formats for peace. Russia keeps choosing denial. At some point, reality stops asking politely.

🇺🇦🇷🇺 ZELENSKYY SAYS RUSSIA IS WALKING INTO A CRISIS OF ITS OWN MAKING “Russia is going to hit a real crisis due to its own stupidity. We've been saying for a long time that it's up to the Russians to end this war. Ukraine has suggested all possible formats for real negotiations, for guaranteeing security, and for a respectful peace. The only one who needs to make a decision is the Russian leader, Putin, who doesn't even get all the real statistics about what is actually happening” - Volodymyr Zelenskyy 🇺🇦 That is the trap Putin built for himself: a war he refuses to end, a system too afraid to tell him the truth, and a country paying the price for one man’s fantasy. Ukraine has offered formats for peace. Russia keeps choosing denial. At some point, reality stops asking politely.

WW3finalboss

13,782 views • 2 months ago

"A ceasefire in Ukraine is possible, but achieving it will be very difficult because Putin needs a victory." - President Zelenskyy Key statements by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with BFMTV: ▪️ "Russians have lost the initiative on the battlefield. Since the beginning of the year, Russians advanced, slowly, then it was our turn. Russia lost 150,000 men for 50 kilometers. That's what real war is." ▪️ "It is true that Russia has powerful ballistic missiles and that they have, or will soon have, the capability to strike targets 5,000 kilometers away. It's just a matter of time." ▪️ "Russia has missiles that can hit any European city. That's why Europe needs its own anti-ballistic missile defense." ▪️ "We need to end this war. But to save people's lives, the first step is a ceasefire. But Russia does not want that. Because Putin needs a victory. For him, victory means the occupation of Ukraine. But he has realized that he cannot achieve it, at least for now." ▪️ "So what victory can Putin offer his society? This is where he becomes very dangerous. Not only for us. There could be an escalation. It could mean a war in another direction. He will try to occupy another place, subjugate other people. And kill again. Whether NATO is involved or not is not the point. The point is to draw more countries into the war. That is something he could do."

"A ceasefire in Ukraine is possible, but achieving it will be very difficult because Putin needs a victory." - President Zelenskyy Key statements by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with BFMTV: ▪️ "Russians have lost the initiative on the battlefield. Since the beginning of the year, Russians advanced, slowly, then it was our turn. Russia lost 150,000 men for 50 kilometers. That's what real war is." ▪️ "It is true that Russia has powerful ballistic missiles and that they have, or will soon have, the capability to strike targets 5,000 kilometers away. It's just a matter of time." ▪️ "Russia has missiles that can hit any European city. That's why Europe needs its own anti-ballistic missile defense." ▪️ "We need to end this war. But to save people's lives, the first step is a ceasefire. But Russia does not want that. Because Putin needs a victory. For him, victory means the occupation of Ukraine. But he has realized that he cannot achieve it, at least for now." ▪️ "So what victory can Putin offer his society? This is where he becomes very dangerous. Not only for us. There could be an escalation. It could mean a war in another direction. He will try to occupy another place, subjugate other people. And kill again. Whether NATO is involved or not is not the point. The point is to draw more countries into the war. That is something he could do."

Anton Gerashchenko

56,503 views • 1 month ago

🇺🇸 SEC. RUBIO: “UKRAINE HAS PUSHED RUSSIA BACK, BUT THIS IS NOW A WAR OF ATTRITION” Secretary of State Rubio reflected on Ukraine’s hard-fought gains and the brutal cost of the ongoing conflict, warning that the war has shifted into a devastating stalemate: “What people forget, Sean, is that at some point in this war, Russia controlled substantially more territory in Ukraine than they do now. If you look at the map from March or April after the invasion, or even May, compared to now, the Ukrainians have pushed the Russians way back from where they were. They’ve already achieved tremendous things because of their bravery, their courage, and how hard they’ve fought. But the reality is this has now become a war of attrition. And sadly, the Russians have shown their willingness to sacrifice 7,000 soldiers a week in an effort to achieve this. Putin said a couple of weeks ago it may take longer and cost more than they want, but they will get it done. That’s their mentality, and what we’re trying to see now is whether it’s possible to end the war in a way that protects Ukraine’s future.” Source: Sean Hannity 🇺🇸

🇺🇸 SEC. RUBIO: “UKRAINE HAS PUSHED RUSSIA BACK, BUT THIS IS NOW A WAR OF ATTRITION” Secretary of State Rubio reflected on Ukraine’s hard-fought gains and the brutal cost of the ongoing conflict, warning that the war has shifted into a devastating stalemate: “What people forget, Sean, is that at some point in this war, Russia controlled substantially more territory in Ukraine than they do now. If you look at the map from March or April after the invasion, or even May, compared to now, the Ukrainians have pushed the Russians way back from where they were. They’ve already achieved tremendous things because of their bravery, their courage, and how hard they’ve fought. But the reality is this has now become a war of attrition. And sadly, the Russians have shown their willingness to sacrifice 7,000 soldiers a week in an effort to achieve this. Putin said a couple of weeks ago it may take longer and cost more than they want, but they will get it done. That’s their mentality, and what we’re trying to see now is whether it’s possible to end the war in a way that protects Ukraine’s future.” Source: Sean Hannity 🇺🇸

Mario Nawfal

78,676 views • 8 months ago

"Kyiv is the historical Russian capital" – a history lesson from NATO commander, French Admiral Vandier. "The war in Ukraine is an existential war for Russians. It's existential for Ukrainians, but it's also existential for Russians. Kyiv is the historical Russian capital. Kyiv was the center of Slavic Orthodoxy. And so today we can say that the war in Ukraine is a civil war between Slavs, and it's a war of identity. In a sense, it's almost a religious war, similar to those Europe has experienced in its history. Russia has become a true military-industrial power. It produces more military equipment than it loses. Moreover, it produces significantly more than it did at the beginning of the war."

"Kyiv is the historical Russian capital" – a history lesson from NATO commander, French Admiral Vandier. "The war in Ukraine is an existential war for Russians. It's existential for Ukrainians, but it's also existential for Russians. Kyiv is the historical Russian capital. Kyiv was the center of Slavic Orthodoxy. And so today we can say that the war in Ukraine is a civil war between Slavs, and it's a war of identity. In a sense, it's almost a religious war, similar to those Europe has experienced in its history. Russia has become a true military-industrial power. It produces more military equipment than it loses. Moreover, it produces significantly more than it did at the beginning of the war."

Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil

15,144 views • 3 months ago

🚨Colonel Douglas Macgregor explains why the globalists are hell bent on destroying Russia and replacing Putin: 🚨"Their agenda is to destroy Russia. Why? They would like to replace Putin because Putin presides over the last major power in Europe that has a national identity, a national language, a national culture that rests on the foundation of orthodox Christianity. That makes Russia the enemy of the globalists. What have the globalists done to us? 🚨They flooded our countries with non Europeans with a specific goal of diluting us, destroying our national identity, eliminating our culture. Expunging any remaining power that Christianity may wield culturally inside the west and they want to do that to Russia. 🚨They want to do that to Russia because Russia has enormous resources, mineral, agricultural, oil, gas and rare metals. If you can remove Putin, you can strip of its resources and enrich yourselves. That's why Russia has to go. Russia is holding out."

🚨Colonel Douglas Macgregor explains why the globalists are hell bent on destroying Russia and replacing Putin: 🚨"Their agenda is to destroy Russia. Why? They would like to replace Putin because Putin presides over the last major power in Europe that has a national identity, a national language, a national culture that rests on the foundation of orthodox Christianity. That makes Russia the enemy of the globalists. What have the globalists done to us? 🚨They flooded our countries with non Europeans with a specific goal of diluting us, destroying our national identity, eliminating our culture. Expunging any remaining power that Christianity may wield culturally inside the west and they want to do that to Russia. 🚨They want to do that to Russia because Russia has enormous resources, mineral, agricultural, oil, gas and rare metals. If you can remove Putin, you can strip of its resources and enrich yourselves. That's why Russia has to go. Russia is holding out."

Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil

194,640 views • 2 days ago

Putin wants to destroy Ukraine. Nothing has changed. ◾️ Basically, Putin has withdrawn from negotiations; ◾️ Putin is preparing for a summer military campaign, and he believes he can significantly improve Russia's military position; ◾️ Putin is not going to end the war; ◾️ Putin does not believe that Trump will make him stop and push Russia out of the oil market. Putin's statements yesterday about how he will crush Ukraine and put it under external governance under the UN management are his new fantasies. Russia will soon be spreading the narrative that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate and that it does not control the army. Also, the narrative that Ukraine is a terrorist country is being spread. It's all a lie, of course. But a lot of money has been invested in it. This new wave of information warfare is already underway. We must realize that, in fact, we have entered a new cycle of war. The Ukraine-EU-United States negotiations are important now.

Putin wants to destroy Ukraine. Nothing has changed. ◾️ Basically, Putin has withdrawn from negotiations; ◾️ Putin is preparing for a summer military campaign, and he believes he can significantly improve Russia's military position; ◾️ Putin is not going to end the war; ◾️ Putin does not believe that Trump will make him stop and push Russia out of the oil market. Putin's statements yesterday about how he will crush Ukraine and put it under external governance under the UN management are his new fantasies. Russia will soon be spreading the narrative that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate and that it does not control the army. Also, the narrative that Ukraine is a terrorist country is being spread. It's all a lie, of course. But a lot of money has been invested in it. This new wave of information warfare is already underway. We must realize that, in fact, we have entered a new cycle of war. The Ukraine-EU-United States negotiations are important now.

Anton Gerashchenko

321,659 views • 1 year ago

Russian propagandist Simonyan talks about the great sacred war that is not being fought against Ukraine. Take a listen. Putin and his inner circle have stopped talking about peace and negotiations and are raising the stakes. They speak of a "great and sacred war" against Europe and NATO. Why is this happening? It is a consequence of Russia’s failures on the Ukrainian front, where Russians are not advancing and are losing more and more soldiers - over 35,000 every month, more than they recruit - while Ukrainians are expanding the kill zone. It is the growing economic problems and the realization that Russia is heading toward collapse. It is the realization that everyone involved in the war will be punished after it ends, which means they cannot allow the war to end. Putin’s inner circle is aware of this dead-end situation. But Putin himself does not know the real picture, because people are afraid to tell him the truth. Therefore, Putin is convinced that he is winning the war. In addition, he sees that the United States is currently focused on the war in Iran and is no longer reacting to massive attacks on Ukraine and hybrid attacks in Europe. By the way, it is quite possible that the latest attack on Kyiv was organized personally for Putin - to give him the satisfaction of seeing Kyiv burning, especially after the humiliating May 9 parade in Moscow - but in reality, this attack achieved no military objectives and was a waste of millions. In this situation, with no real military successes in Ukraine, Putin’s inner circle, out of fear, may develop a desire to continue the war in a new direction - for example against the Baltic states - so that Putin stops asking about Donbas and Mala Tokmachka. The greater the defeat, the higher the stakes.

Russian propagandist Simonyan talks about the great sacred war that is not being fought against Ukraine. Take a listen. Putin and his inner circle have stopped talking about peace and negotiations and are raising the stakes. They speak of a "great and sacred war" against Europe and NATO. Why is this happening? It is a consequence of Russia’s failures on the Ukrainian front, where Russians are not advancing and are losing more and more soldiers - over 35,000 every month, more than they recruit - while Ukrainians are expanding the kill zone. It is the growing economic problems and the realization that Russia is heading toward collapse. It is the realization that everyone involved in the war will be punished after it ends, which means they cannot allow the war to end. Putin’s inner circle is aware of this dead-end situation. But Putin himself does not know the real picture, because people are afraid to tell him the truth. Therefore, Putin is convinced that he is winning the war. In addition, he sees that the United States is currently focused on the war in Iran and is no longer reacting to massive attacks on Ukraine and hybrid attacks in Europe. By the way, it is quite possible that the latest attack on Kyiv was organized personally for Putin - to give him the satisfaction of seeing Kyiv burning, especially after the humiliating May 9 parade in Moscow - but in reality, this attack achieved no military objectives and was a waste of millions. In this situation, with no real military successes in Ukraine, Putin’s inner circle, out of fear, may develop a desire to continue the war in a new direction - for example against the Baltic states - so that Putin stops asking about Donbas and Mala Tokmachka. The greater the defeat, the higher the stakes.

Anton Gerashchenko

403,434 views • 2 months ago

🇺🇦🇷🇺 "PUTIN'S WAGING WAR FOR HIS LIFE, NOT JUST CRIMEA" Paul Warburg suggested that Putin hasn't been silencing political opponents as a ruthless means of getting his way, or even protecting his position of power. The Kremlin is an unforgiving machine, and leaders who come to be known as failures can expect the kind of severances that get delivered with something far worse than a check. The ruthless dynamics of Russian politics? Paul Warburg believes that it could force the war to spiral disastrously. "It's existential for him personally. He has to achieve a goal that he feels he can sell with the Russian people. Right now, that goal is to take all of the Donbas. Why do you think he's been eliminating so much of the opposition at the higher echelons of Russian society? It's because he's very afraid. If the oligarchs unite against him, he could actually lose his grip on power more quickly than a lot of people realize."

🇺🇦🇷🇺 "PUTIN'S WAGING WAR FOR HIS LIFE, NOT JUST CRIMEA" Paul Warburg suggested that Putin hasn't been silencing political opponents as a ruthless means of getting his way, or even protecting his position of power. The Kremlin is an unforgiving machine, and leaders who come to be known as failures can expect the kind of severances that get delivered with something far worse than a check. The ruthless dynamics of Russian politics? Paul Warburg believes that it could force the war to spiral disastrously. "It's existential for him personally. He has to achieve a goal that he feels he can sell with the Russian people. Right now, that goal is to take all of the Donbas. Why do you think he's been eliminating so much of the opposition at the higher echelons of Russian society? It's because he's very afraid. If the oligarchs unite against him, he could actually lose his grip on power more quickly than a lot of people realize."

Mario Nawfal

17,858 views • 8 months ago

"Listen to the nonsense Putin spouts, observing his language and maintaining a skeptical and critical mindset, and see that this man is simply insane." Russian officials and propaganda are constantly trying to convince their citizens that Moscow is at war with the entire NATO. But, as Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin points out, NATO has no losses, while Russia has lost more than a million people and thousands of pieces of equipment.

"Listen to the nonsense Putin spouts, observing his language and maintaining a skeptical and critical mindset, and see that this man is simply insane." Russian officials and propaganda are constantly trying to convince their citizens that Moscow is at war with the entire NATO. But, as Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin points out, NATO has no losses, while Russia has lost more than a million people and thousands of pieces of equipment.

Anton Gerashchenko

53,119 views • 10 months ago

The tragedy of modern Russia. The tragedy of modern Russia is that its leaders have chosen to live in a distorted version of the past. Eminent historian, professor Karl Schlögel provides a devastating analysis of this collective breakdown, arguing that what we see in Ukraine is not a 'Great Patriotic' defense, but a barbaric regression. He reminds us that while other empires chose the painful path of decolonisation, putin’s Russia has surrendered to the 'dead end of empire’, trading its future for the systematic destruction of its neighbour. Professor Karl Schlögel: “It is a low point in the sense that it is not waging a war of defense—not the Great Patriotic War of '41 to '45—a defensive victory. Instead, it is waging a war of aggression that has now lasted longer than the German-Soviet War, involving moments of, well, barbarity, massacres, and war crimes of this nature. Specifically, aiming for the annihilation of a nation—denying Ukraine the right to its own existence and doing so by all means necessary—and the systematic destruction of the foundations of life in Ukraine: the bombardment of cities, the dismantling of cities, leaving cities vulnerable in winter to make them uninhabitable.” Interviewer: “But how do you explain such barbarity—you, who knows the country and its people?” “In my eyes, it is the surrender of the Russian leadership following the end of the Soviet Union. The failure to accept the end of the Soviet Union and to rebuild Russia anew; to lead Russia out of the dead end of empire and to follow the path taken by all great colonial empires—the British, French, Dutch, and so on. This challenge—to bid farewell to the empire and create a post-imperial, modern Russia that is commensurate with the strengths, talents, and the scale of this country—is what the Russian leadership surrendered to after the turbulent 1990s. In a certain way, putin initially represented the hope, the prospect, that there was now a capable man who would lead the country out of that dead end, but the opposite has happened.”

The tragedy of modern Russia. The tragedy of modern Russia is that its leaders have chosen to live in a distorted version of the past. Eminent historian, professor Karl Schlögel provides a devastating analysis of this collective breakdown, arguing that what we see in Ukraine is not a 'Great Patriotic' defense, but a barbaric regression. He reminds us that while other empires chose the painful path of decolonisation, putin’s Russia has surrendered to the 'dead end of empire’, trading its future for the systematic destruction of its neighbour. Professor Karl Schlögel: “It is a low point in the sense that it is not waging a war of defense—not the Great Patriotic War of '41 to '45—a defensive victory. Instead, it is waging a war of aggression that has now lasted longer than the German-Soviet War, involving moments of, well, barbarity, massacres, and war crimes of this nature. Specifically, aiming for the annihilation of a nation—denying Ukraine the right to its own existence and doing so by all means necessary—and the systematic destruction of the foundations of life in Ukraine: the bombardment of cities, the dismantling of cities, leaving cities vulnerable in winter to make them uninhabitable.” Interviewer: “But how do you explain such barbarity—you, who knows the country and its people?” “In my eyes, it is the surrender of the Russian leadership following the end of the Soviet Union. The failure to accept the end of the Soviet Union and to rebuild Russia anew; to lead Russia out of the dead end of empire and to follow the path taken by all great colonial empires—the British, French, Dutch, and so on. This challenge—to bid farewell to the empire and create a post-imperial, modern Russia that is commensurate with the strengths, talents, and the scale of this country—is what the Russian leadership surrendered to after the turbulent 1990s. In a certain way, putin initially represented the hope, the prospect, that there was now a capable man who would lead the country out of that dead end, but the opposite has happened.”

Yasmina

82,300 views • 5 months ago

🇺🇸🇷🇺 The real danger may begin when Putin stops being the brake. Geopolitics analyst Brandon Weichert warns that Russia’s military leadership is pushing for a much harder response, while Putin is still holding back some of Moscow’s most destructive options in hopes of forcing a diplomatic solution. “Putin has been holding back the most destructive elements. I think he’s trying to hold out to see if he can get an actual diplomatic solution.” He says the pressure around Putin is moving in the opposite direction: generals, hardliners, and a wounded Russian public are telling him to go harder. That is the part Washington keeps missing. If Putin decides restraint is no longer useful, the war does not just escalate. It changes character overnight. Brandon Weichert

🇺🇸🇷🇺 The real danger may begin when Putin stops being the brake. Geopolitics analyst Brandon Weichert warns that Russia’s military leadership is pushing for a much harder response, while Putin is still holding back some of Moscow’s most destructive options in hopes of forcing a diplomatic solution. “Putin has been holding back the most destructive elements. I think he’s trying to hold out to see if he can get an actual diplomatic solution.” He says the pressure around Putin is moving in the opposite direction: generals, hardliners, and a wounded Russian public are telling him to go harder. That is the part Washington keeps missing. If Putin decides restraint is no longer useful, the war does not just escalate. It changes character overnight. Brandon Weichert

Mario Nawfal

64,271 views • 1 month ago

❗️ Putin’s Security Team Switched Off Cameras. The Kremlin Fears an Iranian-Style Scenario Russian security services temporarily disabled parts of the surveillance system used to protect Vladimir Putin, according to reports. The move was reportedly driven by concerns that the cameras could be exploited to track the Russian leader’s movements and those of his inner circle. The decision reflects growing anxiety inside the Kremlin. Yet Putin may have more reason to fear threats from within than from abroad. A significant part of Russia’s political and business elite is believed to favor ending the war, while the Kremlin leader continues to reject meaningful compromise. Russian history shows that prolonged wars and deepening elite frustration often end badly for those in power. If divisions inside the ruling class continue to grow, Putin could eventually face not only political isolation, but a direct challenge to his grip on power.

❗️ Putin’s Security Team Switched Off Cameras. The Kremlin Fears an Iranian-Style Scenario Russian security services temporarily disabled parts of the surveillance system used to protect Vladimir Putin, according to reports. The move was reportedly driven by concerns that the cameras could be exploited to track the Russian leader’s movements and those of his inner circle. The decision reflects growing anxiety inside the Kremlin. Yet Putin may have more reason to fear threats from within than from abroad. A significant part of Russia’s political and business elite is believed to favor ending the war, while the Kremlin leader continues to reject meaningful compromise. Russian history shows that prolonged wars and deepening elite frustration often end badly for those in power. If divisions inside the ruling class continue to grow, Putin could eventually face not only political isolation, but a direct challenge to his grip on power.

NEXTA

67,545 views • 2 months ago

🇮🇷🇺🇦 What happens when a great power has no clear path to victory, but also no politically acceptable way to admit defeat? That may be the central problem facing Washington in Iran, according to Prof. Glenn Diesen. Diesen argues that Iran has effectively defeated the United States, but Tehran's demands for sanctions relief, unfrozen assets, reconstruction payments and an end to the wider regional wars create a dilemma for Washington: accepting those terms could be politically impossible, while refusing them risks trapping the U.S. in a war it has no obvious way to win. Trump may therefore try to declare victory and walk away, pointing to Iran's supposedly destroyed nuclear capabilities and arguing that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer strategically important. But Iran has leverage. Tehran can make an American withdrawal politically painful while maintaining enough pressure to prevent Washington from simply resetting the conflict and returning later. And this is where Diesen's warning matters. A great power pushed between humiliation and escalation may choose escalation. Iran therefore has to be careful not to push Trump so far that he concludes there is nothing left to lose. Meanwhile, the war is becoming harder to contain. Fighting is spreading through Yemen, with the Houthis striking Saudi-backed targets and reportedly hitting Saudi-linked shipping and infrastructure. Diesen argues that treating these groups simply as Iranian proxies misses the bigger problem: many have their own interests and conflicts that could continue even if Tehran wanted the war to end. The same applies to the emerging Middle Eastern security order. As confidence in permanent American protection declines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and potentially Egypt are moving toward a new regional security architecture. Diesen sees two possible futures: competing blocs, where states seek security against one another, or an inclusive system that eventually brings Iran, and perhaps even Israel, into the same framework. The first creates another cycle of escalation. The second attempts to make security indivisible, so one country's security does not require another country's permanent insecurity. And then there is Ukraine. Diesen argues that the battlefield is increasingly becoming a war of attrition that Russia is slowly winning. Ukraine faces worsening manpower and ammunition problems, while a shortage of interceptor missiles is allowing Russia to use more air power and increasingly devastating glide bombs. Russia is also expanding attacks against Ukrainian logistics, ports, bridges, warehouses and energy infrastructure, while Ukraine continues striking deeper inside Russia to create pressure for negotiations. But if Moscow sees NATO expansion and Ukraine's role as a Western frontline as an existential threat, hurting Russia may not convince it to compromise. It may convince Russia that it has even more reason to continue fighting. Diesen's conclusion is bleak: both sides want the war to end, but they fundamentally disagree over what ending it means. For Russia, that means Ukrainian neutrality, territorial concessions and a political settlement. For Ukraine and its European backers, an unconditional ceasefire risks freezing the battlefield and giving Kyiv time to rebuild. So the wars in Iran and Ukraine are beginning to reveal the same dangerous pattern. The longer a conflict continues, the harder it becomes to separate victory from survival, and the harder it becomes for either side to back down without believing it is surrendering something existential. When the off-ramp disappears, escalation starts looking less like a choice and more like the only road left. Diesen's final warning was almost an afterthought: let's hope the conflict doesn't spread to Japan. He may have been joking. But these are not particularly reassuring times. Glenn Diesen

🇮🇷🇺🇦 What happens when a great power has no clear path to victory, but also no politically acceptable way to admit defeat? That may be the central problem facing Washington in Iran, according to Prof. Glenn Diesen. Diesen argues that Iran has effectively defeated the United States, but Tehran's demands for sanctions relief, unfrozen assets, reconstruction payments and an end to the wider regional wars create a dilemma for Washington: accepting those terms could be politically impossible, while refusing them risks trapping the U.S. in a war it has no obvious way to win. Trump may therefore try to declare victory and walk away, pointing to Iran's supposedly destroyed nuclear capabilities and arguing that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer strategically important. But Iran has leverage. Tehran can make an American withdrawal politically painful while maintaining enough pressure to prevent Washington from simply resetting the conflict and returning later. And this is where Diesen's warning matters. A great power pushed between humiliation and escalation may choose escalation. Iran therefore has to be careful not to push Trump so far that he concludes there is nothing left to lose. Meanwhile, the war is becoming harder to contain. Fighting is spreading through Yemen, with the Houthis striking Saudi-backed targets and reportedly hitting Saudi-linked shipping and infrastructure. Diesen argues that treating these groups simply as Iranian proxies misses the bigger problem: many have their own interests and conflicts that could continue even if Tehran wanted the war to end. The same applies to the emerging Middle Eastern security order. As confidence in permanent American protection declines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and potentially Egypt are moving toward a new regional security architecture. Diesen sees two possible futures: competing blocs, where states seek security against one another, or an inclusive system that eventually brings Iran, and perhaps even Israel, into the same framework. The first creates another cycle of escalation. The second attempts to make security indivisible, so one country's security does not require another country's permanent insecurity. And then there is Ukraine. Diesen argues that the battlefield is increasingly becoming a war of attrition that Russia is slowly winning. Ukraine faces worsening manpower and ammunition problems, while a shortage of interceptor missiles is allowing Russia to use more air power and increasingly devastating glide bombs. Russia is also expanding attacks against Ukrainian logistics, ports, bridges, warehouses and energy infrastructure, while Ukraine continues striking deeper inside Russia to create pressure for negotiations. But if Moscow sees NATO expansion and Ukraine's role as a Western frontline as an existential threat, hurting Russia may not convince it to compromise. It may convince Russia that it has even more reason to continue fighting. Diesen's conclusion is bleak: both sides want the war to end, but they fundamentally disagree over what ending it means. For Russia, that means Ukrainian neutrality, territorial concessions and a political settlement. For Ukraine and its European backers, an unconditional ceasefire risks freezing the battlefield and giving Kyiv time to rebuild. So the wars in Iran and Ukraine are beginning to reveal the same dangerous pattern. The longer a conflict continues, the harder it becomes to separate victory from survival, and the harder it becomes for either side to back down without believing it is surrendering something existential. When the off-ramp disappears, escalation starts looking less like a choice and more like the only road left. Diesen's final warning was almost an afterthought: let's hope the conflict doesn't spread to Japan. He may have been joking. But these are not particularly reassuring times. Glenn Diesen

Mario Nawfal

244,431 views • 9 days ago

A Russian historian says that during World War II the Germans fought much better than the Russians in all directions, but the Russians managed to achieve victory only at the cost of enormous bloodshed. A journalist tries to object that great wars cannot be won by meat and blood alone, but the historian insists that Russia had nothing else. He says that Russia shot one million soldiers at the front, surrendered three million soldiers into captivity, had 1–2 million political prisoners in prisons and just as many guards for them, and carried out mass executions during collectivization (the forced confiscation of peasants’ land and its transfer to the state). It is no wonder that documents of Soviet history are still classified in Russia. The world would be horrified to see the truth.

A Russian historian says that during World War II the Germans fought much better than the Russians in all directions, but the Russians managed to achieve victory only at the cost of enormous bloodshed. A journalist tries to object that great wars cannot be won by meat and blood alone, but the historian insists that Russia had nothing else. He says that Russia shot one million soldiers at the front, surrendered three million soldiers into captivity, had 1–2 million political prisoners in prisons and just as many guards for them, and carried out mass executions during collectivization (the forced confiscation of peasants’ land and its transfer to the state). It is no wonder that documents of Soviet history are still classified in Russia. The world would be horrified to see the truth.

Devana 🇺🇦

178,416 views • 6 months ago

James Carden, former US State Department advisor on Russia, on Australian Sky News: "Ukraine's losses are 36 times higher than Russia's" - The whole story about the "Tomahawks" is nonsense. In the States, they say that Trump is not giving Zelensky weapons that could turn the tide of the war. But that's a lie and it's ridiculous. "Tomahawks" are no more capable of turning the tide of the war than all the other systems that have already failed to do so. The situation is the same as with HIMARS, which the Ukrainians begged for at one time. And with the Patriot SAMs, and ATACMS, and F-16s. Nothing has been able to turn the tide of the war. Essentially, it is lost. And the sooner the Ukrainians realize this, the better for them. In my opinion, Putin is offering a reasonable solution. Ukraine will not be able to join NATO, but it can join the EU. To me, that's a fair deal. - But they are also being asked for territorial concessions. - Correct. But they themselves have been attacking these territories since 2014. The Ukrainians are not entirely sincere. They say they want the eastern lands and Donbass, but without the ethnic Russians who live there. For the last 30 years, they have done everything to deny these people their rights. Let's be honest, Putin is in some sense offering them exactly what they want. Let Ukraine remain only for ethnic Ukrainians, and finally get rid of the ethnic Russians. It's not customary to say this out loud, but it's true. - When you say the war is lost, what about the information that Russia is literally on the brink right now? And that if pressure is applied, it will run out of money and won't be able to continue its brutal war indefinitely? - It's exactly the opposite. According to my data, the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian deaths is 36 to one. Ukraine is approaching a million losses. And what the mainstream media write, especially The New York Times and Washington Post, is as truthful as what the authorities told Americans about the Vietnam War. The war of attrition that Russia has been waging since 2022 is quite successful. In my view, it is Ukraine that is currently on the brink of disaster, not Russia. - Okay, James, we thank you for your time. James Carden – former US State Department advisor on Russia. Thank you.

James Carden, former US State Department advisor on Russia, on Australian Sky News: "Ukraine's losses are 36 times higher than Russia's" - The whole story about the "Tomahawks" is nonsense. In the States, they say that Trump is not giving Zelensky weapons that could turn the tide of the war. But that's a lie and it's ridiculous. "Tomahawks" are no more capable of turning the tide of the war than all the other systems that have already failed to do so. The situation is the same as with HIMARS, which the Ukrainians begged for at one time. And with the Patriot SAMs, and ATACMS, and F-16s. Nothing has been able to turn the tide of the war. Essentially, it is lost. And the sooner the Ukrainians realize this, the better for them. In my opinion, Putin is offering a reasonable solution. Ukraine will not be able to join NATO, but it can join the EU. To me, that's a fair deal. - But they are also being asked for territorial concessions. - Correct. But they themselves have been attacking these territories since 2014. The Ukrainians are not entirely sincere. They say they want the eastern lands and Donbass, but without the ethnic Russians who live there. For the last 30 years, they have done everything to deny these people their rights. Let's be honest, Putin is in some sense offering them exactly what they want. Let Ukraine remain only for ethnic Ukrainians, and finally get rid of the ethnic Russians. It's not customary to say this out loud, but it's true. - When you say the war is lost, what about the information that Russia is literally on the brink right now? And that if pressure is applied, it will run out of money and won't be able to continue its brutal war indefinitely? - It's exactly the opposite. According to my data, the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian deaths is 36 to one. Ukraine is approaching a million losses. And what the mainstream media write, especially The New York Times and Washington Post, is as truthful as what the authorities told Americans about the Vietnam War. The war of attrition that Russia has been waging since 2022 is quite successful. In my view, it is Ukraine that is currently on the brink of disaster, not Russia. - Okay, James, we thank you for your time. James Carden – former US State Department advisor on Russia. Thank you.

Sprinter Press

59,662 views • 10 months ago

APPLEBAUM: War in Ukraine is not about territory. When Putin invaded Ukraine, he had at least 2 other motives. First, to assure his own place in history by rebuilding Soviet or Russian Empire. Second, to prevent democratization of Russia from following the same path as Ukraine. Putin wanted to expand the borders of Russia and give it more geopolitical heft. And he thought that's how he would then be remembered in the centuries to come. If you look at when this war really began, which is 2014, it came right after a big series of demonstrations in Ukraine. That resulted in the president Yanukovych fleeing the country and a change of government. You had popular demonstration calling for anti-corruption, end to oligarchy, fairer elections, fairer economy. That led to a really revolutionary change in the nature of the Ukrainian government. This is exactly the kind of revolution that Putin is most afraid of at home. He's somebody who runs a profoundly corrupt political system. He controls the media, courts, much of the economy. He would be very much afraid that ground-up revolution like the kind you saw in Ukraine could affect Russia as well. So Putin thinks of this very much as reestablishing a Russian sphere of influence, a Russian empire. But also reestablishing a realm of autocracy or dictatorship, and thereby ensuring his own power and political system.

APPLEBAUM: War in Ukraine is not about territory. When Putin invaded Ukraine, he had at least 2 other motives. First, to assure his own place in history by rebuilding Soviet or Russian Empire. Second, to prevent democratization of Russia from following the same path as Ukraine. Putin wanted to expand the borders of Russia and give it more geopolitical heft. And he thought that's how he would then be remembered in the centuries to come. If you look at when this war really began, which is 2014, it came right after a big series of demonstrations in Ukraine. That resulted in the president Yanukovych fleeing the country and a change of government. You had popular demonstration calling for anti-corruption, end to oligarchy, fairer elections, fairer economy. That led to a really revolutionary change in the nature of the Ukrainian government. This is exactly the kind of revolution that Putin is most afraid of at home. He's somebody who runs a profoundly corrupt political system. He controls the media, courts, much of the economy. He would be very much afraid that ground-up revolution like the kind you saw in Ukraine could affect Russia as well. So Putin thinks of this very much as reestablishing a Russian sphere of influence, a Russian empire. But also reestablishing a realm of autocracy or dictatorship, and thereby ensuring his own power and political system.

Kate from Kharkiv

40,616 views • 16 days ago

During the parade in Moscow on May 9th, Russia will celebrate a slightly different victory than Europe - it will celebrate victory in the Great Patriotic War. This is an important distinction, so I thought I'd explain this further. Russia's collective memory separates World War II and the Great Patriotic War (as Soviet, then Russian historians have called it). The Great Patriotic War (GPW) began on 22nd June, 1941 and ended on 9th May, 1945. Russia calls this war "sacred" and draws many of its current narratives from it. Russians are firmly convinced it was solely the USSR that won the war and that only the USSR suffered (or at least suffered the most) in WWII. The "GPW" was a tragedy of an enormous scale to the USSR - it lost 24-27 million of its population, a large part of the country was in ruins, the economy was devastated. A lot of it was actually due to USSR leaders not caring about losses and people's suffering. As we now know, the USSR would not have achieved military advantage and would suffer even more without the help of the Allied powers and the lend-lease program from the United States, although Russia conveniently omits that in its victory day hysterics. Putin has built a Victory cult in Russia during his reign. Some experts call it "victory delirium" (this is a loose translation). Victory has become a cornerstone of the Russian propaganda and a fetish in and of itself. Putin used that rhetoric to justify the Russian invasion into Ukraine - he says Russia is fighting against "Nazis" again, this time in Ukraine. When Russians talk about the war, their motto is "We can repeat that!" - meaning that Russian soldiers can once more march through Europe. You've probably heard Russian propagandist Solovyev's claims to "remain in Berlin this time". This is a true cult of war that militarizes children (see videos attached to this post), omits inconvenient truths and feeds the state propaganda machine. During that parade, Russians will not mourn the millions of victims of the war. They will not strive for peace - they will glorify the "Russian military might" and threaten other countries with missile and nuclear strikes. Russia has perverted a day of remembrance, mourning and reflection into a filthy instrument of state propaganda. 📹: Russian children in Voronezh and Dagestan

During the parade in Moscow on May 9th, Russia will celebrate a slightly different victory than Europe - it will celebrate victory in the Great Patriotic War. This is an important distinction, so I thought I'd explain this further. Russia's collective memory separates World War II and the Great Patriotic War (as Soviet, then Russian historians have called it). The Great Patriotic War (GPW) began on 22nd June, 1941 and ended on 9th May, 1945. Russia calls this war "sacred" and draws many of its current narratives from it. Russians are firmly convinced it was solely the USSR that won the war and that only the USSR suffered (or at least suffered the most) in WWII. The "GPW" was a tragedy of an enormous scale to the USSR - it lost 24-27 million of its population, a large part of the country was in ruins, the economy was devastated. A lot of it was actually due to USSR leaders not caring about losses and people's suffering. As we now know, the USSR would not have achieved military advantage and would suffer even more without the help of the Allied powers and the lend-lease program from the United States, although Russia conveniently omits that in its victory day hysterics. Putin has built a Victory cult in Russia during his reign. Some experts call it "victory delirium" (this is a loose translation). Victory has become a cornerstone of the Russian propaganda and a fetish in and of itself. Putin used that rhetoric to justify the Russian invasion into Ukraine - he says Russia is fighting against "Nazis" again, this time in Ukraine. When Russians talk about the war, their motto is "We can repeat that!" - meaning that Russian soldiers can once more march through Europe. You've probably heard Russian propagandist Solovyev's claims to "remain in Berlin this time". This is a true cult of war that militarizes children (see videos attached to this post), omits inconvenient truths and feeds the state propaganda machine. During that parade, Russians will not mourn the millions of victims of the war. They will not strive for peace - they will glorify the "Russian military might" and threaten other countries with missile and nuclear strikes. Russia has perverted a day of remembrance, mourning and reflection into a filthy instrument of state propaganda. 📹: Russian children in Voronezh and Dagestan

Anton Gerashchenko

771,571 views • 1 year ago