Ukraine - somebody explain to me

[Jeff Lebowski]

Putin is pure evil.

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[Goatnapper'96]

Putin has retreated to his Sochi palace. It seems that about 2 Oligarchs die per week. These are not Oligarchs speaking out against Putin-many are his allies and used their influence to get Putin into power. Putin has always been a wee bit uptight in the first place but now his paranoia is raging, I think. Much like the great British human philosophizers "The Human League" Putin is worried the Oligarchs might say: "Don't forget it's me who put you where you are now and I can put back down too" so he is having them jump out of their hospital windows or take dives off their expensive yachts while out at sea.

I think the US and President Biden have handled this Russian affair well so far. This is going badly enough for the Russians that it is going to create internal instability and economic issues for a generation. A very motivated and patriotic neighbor has no trust in Russia and has Western backing to establish a competent professional Army and deploy significant resources to its eastern border to keep check on the gawdless commies for a while. Ukraine will go a good 40 years with folks remembering intimately what Russia tried to do to them and will provide the domestic political support to invest in a professional Army to keep an eye on the gawdless commies. The Western support will dry up over the next 10-15 years but that gives Ukraine plenty of time to establish a and finance their own. They got the motivation and domestic commitment, they are developing the strategic and tactical expertise and they will always be able to rely upon Western technology and intelligence as long as the West dislikes the gawdless commies.

[BigFatMeanie]

I'll add Pechorin to the updated list...

• Sep 2022 - Ivan Pechorin allegedly fell overboard from his luxury yacht near Vladivostok. He was a top director at KRDV
• Sep 2022 - Ravik Maganov, chair of the board of directors of top Russian oil company Lukoil, fell from a hospital window
• July 2022 - Shipping CEO Yuri Baranov was found dead of a gunshot wound in his St Petersburg swimming pool.
• May 2022 - Alexander Subbotin, a former senior manager at Lukoil, was found dead in a house in a city on the outskirts of Moscow
• April 2022 - Vladislav Avaev, a former vice president at Russia’s third-largest bank, Gazprombank, his wife and daughter were found dead in their Moscow apartment
• April 2022 - Sergey Protosenya, a former deputy chairman at gas producer Novatek JSC, was found dead with his wife and daughter in their home near Barcelona
• February 2022 - KRDV general director Igor Nosov died of a stroke at age 43
• January 2022 - Leonid Shulman a senior manager at Gazprom finance arm Gazprom Invest was found dead at his home in St. Petersburg

I think I'm missing one because Pechorin is the ninth businessman/executive/oligarch with ties to oil and gas to be found dead this year.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I'll add Pechorin to the updated list...

• Sep 2022 - Ivan Pechorin allegedly fell overboard from his luxury yacht near Vladivostok. He was a top director at KRDV
• Sep 2022 - Ravik Maganov, chair of the board of directors of top Russian oil company Lukoil, fell from a hospital window
• July 2022 - Shipping CEO Yuri Baranov was found dead of a gunshot wound in his St Petersburg swimming pool.
• May 2022 - Alexander Subbotin, a former senior manager at Lukoil, was found dead in a house in a city on the outskirts of Moscow
• April 2022 - Vladislav Avaev, a former vice president at Russia’s third-largest bank, Gazprombank, his wife and daughter were found dead in their Moscow apartment
• April 2022 - Sergey Protosenya, a former deputy chairman at gas producer Novatek JSC, was found dead with his wife and daughter in their home near Barcelona
• February 2022 - KRDV general director Igor Nosov died of a stroke at age 43
• January 2022 - Leonid Shulman a senior manager at Gazprom finance arm Gazprom Invest was found dead at his home in St. Petersburg

I think I'm missing one because Pechorin is the ninth businessman/executive/oligarch with ties to oil and gas to be found dead this year.

Can’t imagine why Ukraine wouldn’t just roll over for these guys.

[myboynoah]

So it wasn't about NATO afterall.

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[Pelado]

So it wasn't about NATO afterall.

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Shocking.

[BlueK]

Can’t imagine why Ukraine wouldn’t just roll over for these guys.

All of these are just an unfortunate coincidence.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Several mass graves found in newly liberated Izium. Many of the bodies show signs of torture.

This is why they don't roll over and surrender, Uncle Ted.

[Bo Diddley]

Several mass graves found in newly liberated Izium. Many of the bodies show signs of torture.

This is why they don't roll over and surrender, Uncle Ted.

I was anticipating this as Ukraine started their counter-offensive.

[Uncle Ted]

Several mass graves found in newly liberated Izium. Many of the bodies show signs of torture.

This is why they don't roll over and surrender, Uncle Ted.

Not our war... What good is the UN?

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[Jeff Lebowski]

Not our war... What good is the UN?

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This is what I was talking about earlier. Conflate two completely unrelated items in an attempt to stir up some outrage. This is the dumbest form of take on twitter.

[Northwestcoug]

This is what I was talking about earlier. Conflate two completely unrelated items in an attempt to stir up some outrage. This is the dumbest form of take on twitter.

Though I am never guilty of it, I'm warming up to your idea of bad take Friday. Sheesh.

[BigPiney]

Though I am never guilty of it, I'm warming up to your idea of bad take Friday. Sheesh.

Does this mean we get to get out all of our bad takes on these Fridays and are free from criticism? Or just save them up and throw all of them out to leave the rest of the week less cluttered?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Though I am never guilty of it, I'm warming up to your idea of bad take Friday. Sheesh.

[Northwestcoug]

Does this mean we get to get out all of our bad takes on these Fridays and are free from criticism? Or just save them up and throw all of them out to leave the rest of the week less cluttered?

Ooh I like that idea. It could be a repository of hot takes that we really haven't thought through much, but still trend with our political leanings. And no one (not even the irony/logical fallacy sheriff!) can criticize!