Donetsk, Kharkov, Lugansk - way to Russia.

[bryant.coleman]

They're not immune at all. For example, RT channel was banned once or AnnaNews channel was deleted twice.

The advantage with social media is that too many people are using them to effectively censor the news. It is true that the AnnaNews channel was banned twice in YouTube. But that didn't had any effect, as other users soon uploaded most of the original videos in less than a day's time. Also, popularity of the AnnaNews website (www.anna-news.info) skyrocketed after the ban.

[1714689515]

1714689515

[1714689515]

1714689515

[1714689515]

1714689515

[samaricanin]

Now that that's out of the way, PLEASE answer why is Russia occupying foreign nations?

What is the land occupied by russia

http://mediarnbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/09-09_eng.jpg

here, educate yourself

OSCE does not claim that UN also, no one claims that

[Pagan]

Brilliant article:

Russia and the Menace of Unreality

In today’s Russia, by contrast, the idea of truth is irrelevant. On Russian ‘news’ broadcasts, the borders between fact and fiction have become utterly blurred. Russian current-affairs programs feature apparent actors posing as refugees from eastern Ukraine, crying for the cameras about invented threats from imagined fascist gangs. During one Russian news broadcast, a woman related how Ukrainian nationalists had crucified a child in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk. When Alexei Volin, Russia’s deputy minister of communications, was confronted with the fact that the crucifixion story was a fabrication, he showed no embarrassment, instead suggesting that all that mattered were ratings. “The public likes how our main TV channels present material, the tone of our programs,” he said. “The share of viewers for news programs on Russian TV has doubled over the last two months.” The Kremlin tells its stories well, having mastered the mixture of authoritarianism and entertainment culture. The notion of ‘journalism,’ in the sense of reporting ‘facts’ or ‘truth,’ has been wiped out. In a lecture last year to journalism students at Moscow State University, Volin suggested that students forget about making the world a better place. “We should give students a clear understanding: They are going to work for The Man, and The Man will tell them what to write, what not to write, and how this or that thing should be written,” he said. “And The Man has the right to do it, because he pays them.”

The point of this new propaganda is not to persuade anyone, but to keep the viewer hooked and distracted—to disrupt Western narratives rather than provide a counternarrative. It is the perfect genre for conspiracy theories, which are all over Russian TV. When the Kremlin and its affiliated media outlets spat out outlandish stories about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in July—reports that characterized the crash as everything from an assault by Ukrainian fighter jets following U.S. instructions, to an attempted NATO attack on Putin’s private jet—they were trying not so much to convince viewers of any one version of events, but rather to leave them confused, paranoid, and passive—living in a Kremlin-controlled virtual reality that can no longer be mediated or debated by any appeal to ‘truth.’

http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/09/russia-putin-revolutionizing-information-warfare/379880/

[deisik]

The problem for Ukrainians is that you can't convert from hryvnia to Bitcoin directly. You should at first buy dollars which Ukrainian banks just won't sell you...

What about this then? https://coinreport.net/btcu-biz-launched-4000-bitcoin-atms-ukraine/ The fees are a bit high, but access seems very easy. And with the Kiev Bitcoin Embassy planning to roll out their own ATMs, competition should drive the fees down.

As I got it, these are not bitcoin ATMs per se, but just ordinary ATMs which allow you to buy BTC (just like you make everyday money transfers through them). Don't know if this will interest you, but the exchange rate at btcu.biz is 7360.42 UAH for one bitcoin at the moment, which is 15.17 UAH for one dollar (7360.42/485=15.17). The official exchange rate as of yesterday was at 12.9261 UAH for one dollar (index.minfin.com.ua/exch/?nbu), so the bitcoins are sold with a premium of 17.35% ((15.17-12.9261)/12.9261*100=17.35) over the official rate...

[RoadTrain]

Brilliant article:

Russia and the Menace of Unreality

In today’s Russia, by contrast, the idea of truth is irrelevant. On Russian ‘news’ broadcasts, the borders between fact and fiction have become utterly blurred. Russian current-affairs programs feature apparent actors posing as refugees from eastern Ukraine, crying for the cameras about invented threats from imagined fascist gangs. During one Russian news broadcast, a woman related how Ukrainian nationalists had crucified a child in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk. When Alexei Volin, Russia’s deputy minister of communications, was confronted with the fact that the crucifixion story was a fabrication, he showed no embarrassment, instead suggesting that all that mattered were ratings. “The public likes how our main TV channels present material, the tone of our programs,” he said. “The share of viewers for news programs on Russian TV has doubled over the last two months.” The Kremlin tells its stories well, having mastered the mixture of authoritarianism and entertainment culture. The notion of ‘journalism,’ in the sense of reporting ‘facts’ or ‘truth,’ has been wiped out. In a lecture last year to journalism students at Moscow State University, Volin suggested that students forget about making the world a better place. “We should give students a clear understanding: They are going to work for The Man, and The Man will tell them what to write, what not to write, and how this or that thing should be written,” he said. “And The Man has the right to do it, because he pays them.”

The point of this new propaganda is not to persuade anyone, but to keep the viewer hooked and distracted—to disrupt Western narratives rather than provide a counternarrative. It is the perfect genre for conspiracy theories, which are all over Russian TV. When the Kremlin and its affiliated media outlets spat out outlandish stories about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in July—reports that characterized the crash as everything from an assault by Ukrainian fighter jets following U.S. instructions, to an attempted NATO attack on Putin’s private jet—they were trying not so much to convince viewers of any one version of events, but rather to leave them confused, paranoid, and passive—living in a Kremlin-controlled virtual reality that can no longer be mediated or debated by any appeal to ‘truth.’

http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/09/russia-putin-revolutionizing-information-warfare/379880/

Brilliant propaganda. Starts with a bold statement, then tries to prove it by talking about non-related stuff. Suggesting that media in any way relates to truth is naive at best.
There's strong propaganda, but in no way you can draw a conclusion that "in today’s Russia, the idea of truth is irrelevant". The idea of truth doesn't have anything to do with media and propaganda.

[serejandmyself]

Brilliant article:

Russia and the Menace of Unreality

In today’s Russia, by contrast, the idea of truth is irrelevant. On Russian ‘news’ broadcasts, the borders between fact and fiction have become utterly blurred. Russian current-affairs programs feature apparent actors posing as refugees from eastern Ukraine, crying for the cameras about invented threats from imagined fascist gangs. During one Russian news broadcast, a woman related how Ukrainian nationalists had crucified a child in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk. When Alexei Volin, Russia’s deputy minister of communications, was confronted with the fact that the crucifixion story was a fabrication, he showed no embarrassment, instead suggesting that all that mattered were ratings. “The public likes how our main TV channels present material, the tone of our programs,” he said. “The share of viewers for news programs on Russian TV has doubled over the last two months.” The Kremlin tells its stories well, having mastered the mixture of authoritarianism and entertainment culture. The notion of ‘journalism,’ in the sense of reporting ‘facts’ or ‘truth,’ has been wiped out. In a lecture last year to journalism students at Moscow State University, Volin suggested that students forget about making the world a better place. “We should give students a clear understanding: They are going to work for The Man, and The Man will tell them what to write, what not to write, and how this or that thing should be written,” he said. “And The Man has the right to do it, because he pays them.”

The point of this new propaganda is not to persuade anyone, but to keep the viewer hooked and distracted—to disrupt Western narratives rather than provide a counternarrative. It is the perfect genre for conspiracy theories, which are all over Russian TV. When the Kremlin and its affiliated media outlets spat out outlandish stories about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in July—reports that characterized the crash as everything from an assault by Ukrainian fighter jets following U.S. instructions, to an attempted NATO attack on Putin’s private jet—they were trying not so much to convince viewers of any one version of events, but rather to leave them confused, paranoid, and passive—living in a Kremlin-controlled virtual reality that can no longer be mediated or debated by any appeal to ‘truth.’

http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/09/russia-putin-revolutionizing-information-warfare/379880/

Well this is like saying that "John doesnt like to get up early cause i havent seen him outside till 12pm although i myself have never been outside untill 12pm".... in other words - nonsence and absolute propaganda. In fact it sounds like something that a 13 year old wrote without doing some reasearch into what he is writing about

[Nemo1024]

More than anything, I think, Kharkov should be the one to be returned to Russia.THe oil money could transform Kharkov. I read that it was the third biggest urban center of the USSR but if you see Kharkov now, it is very dilapidated and clearly lacking in investments. Driving from Kharkov to Belgorod in Russia, which is nearly tenth  smaller in population is just like flying from Bucharest to Budapest- from Third World to First World.The refurbishing that have been given to the Russian major cities lately will transform Kharkov. I'm thinking along the lines of Yekaterinburg, Rostov na Donu or even the much smaller in population but classier Far Eastern cities like Khabarovsk & Vladivostok.


BTW Same also to Odessa. Odessa has one of the best architecture in the Russian Empire but it has gone to seed. Really rundown. It should be asked, if it was right to give these treasures to the Ukrainians and let them disintegrate under their now well-known incompetence (a common narrative throughout their history as serfs to various empires). Russia should revisit the US declaration on Crimea: that Crimean independence is illegal because there were no referendum in Ukraine. Ergo Ukraine is still part of Russia because the Russians never voted to let go of Ukraine. Ergo Odessa is still part of Russia.

Well-said. Completely agree on Odessa. When I visited it a couple of years ago, after almost 20 years of absence from that once-beautiful city, it was with a sense of sadness.

By the way. The logic of Ukraine, still being a part of Russia as Russia never voted for its separation in neither in 1917, nor in 1992, can be expanded to Finland. Lenin separated Finland from Russia personally, without consulting the nation. Interestingly, Finland chose as their national flag a derivative of the standard of the Peter's Sailing Union, so Finland still has close ties to Russia through its flag.

Polio epidemic fears as Ukraine’s vaccine stockpiles dry up
http://rt.com/news/186552-ukraine-polio-epidemic-vaccines/

Ukraine may face epidemics of preventable diseases like polio due to a government failure to stockpile vaccines and organize inoculation, the UN’s health body warned. The shortage is aggravated by devaluation and a planned ban on Russian drugs.

...

The military crackdown took its toll on healthcare infrastructure in eastern Ukraine, where 32 hospitals are no longer fully functional, according to Nitzan, including 17 that have been damaged by shelling. Up to 70 percent of healthcare staff has fled eastern Ukraine, along with some 500,000 people who abandoned their homes due to the violence.

[Nemo1024]

Some humour relief from real life (I haven't verified it...):

News from People's Republic of Colorado:

The governor of the State of Colorado, John Wright Hickenlooper, wrote and open letter the the US President Barak Obama. John Hickenlooper asks the President to influence the Kiev authorities so that remove from circulation in MSM and Internet the term of "colorados". This term is used by the proponents of Kiev regime to denote their opponents. In the governor's opinion, it is necessary to instructs Ukrainian SBU so that they make this term disappear from the circulation. According to the governor there are some unforeseen problems with the population of the State of Colorado. The thing is that about 60% of the population think that it is their compatriots that are successfully fighting with some junta in Africa. The citizens of Colorado are especially happy about the reports of the downed Soviet planes that belong to the junta. 25% of the male population of the state came to the conscription stations to sign up as volunteers into the brigades of "SEPARATIST" so as to help their compatriots. The organisation of the veterans of the state created 2 squads of volunteers and plan to send them the the South-East of the State so as to defend the State from the fascist junta with dictator Poroshenko at the helm.

Becти из Кoлopaдcкoй Hapoднoй Pecпyблики:
Гyбepнaтop штaтa Кoлopaдo Джoн Xикeнлyпep  (John Wright Hickenlooper) нaпиcaл oткpытoe пиcьмo пpeзидeнтy CШA Бapaкy Oбaмe. Джoн Xикeнлyпep пpocит пpeзидeнтa пoвлиять нa киeвcкиe влacти c цeлью иcключeния из oбopoтa в cpeдcтвax мaccoвoй инфopмaции и ceти интepнeт oбopoтa "кoлopaд". Дaнным cлoвoм cтopoнники киeвcкoгo peжимa нaзывaют cвoиx пpoтивникoв. Пo мнeнию гyбepнaтopa, нeoбxoдимo дaть yкaзaниe CБУ Укpaины изъять дaнный oбopoт из yпoтpeблeния. Пo cлoвaм гyбepнaтopa, вoзникли нeпpeдвидeнныe пpoблeмы c нaceлeниeм штaтa Кoлopaдo. Дeлo в тoм, чтo 60% нaceлeния штaтa cчитaют, чтo этo иx зeмляки ycпeшнo вoюют c кaкoй-тo xyнтoй в Aфpикe, ocoбeннo житeлeй штaтa paдyют cooбщeния o cбитыx coвeтcкиx caмoлeтax xyнты. 25% мyжcкoгo нaceлeния штaтa пpишлo нa вepбoвoчныe пyнкты c цeлью зaпиcaтьcя дoбpoвoльцeм в oтpяды "SEPARATIST", для пoддepжки cвoиx зeмлякoв. Beтepaнcкoй opгaнизaциeй штaтa былo coздaнo 2 oтpядa caмooбopoны и oтpяды coбиpaютcя oтпpaвлятьcя нa Югo-Bocтoк штaтa, для зaщиты
 житeлeй штaтa oт фaшиcтoв xyнты вo глaвe c диктaтopoм Porosenko."

  Paccкaзaл(a): Elt

[ostrij]

Not all Russians believe propaganda.

Here is an example of one guy who thought that an article in internet is anti-Russia propaganda. He didn't believe that there are Russian soldiers dieing in Ukraine. He took his car (not a bad one by the way ), drove around 100 km to the place where buried Russian soldier lived. And unfortunately he realized that his government lies, but not the author of that article  .

Here is VIDEO:
http://youtu.be/Fq-sX2FhFwQ

I hope that this man won't be killed soon for making this video.

[Balthazar]

[deisik]

Not all Russians believe propaganda.

Here is an example of one guy who thought that an article in internet is anti-Russia propaganda. He didn't believe that there are Russian soldiers dieing in Ukraine. He took his car (not a bad one by the way ), drove around 100 km to the place where buried Russian soldier lived. And unfortunately he realized that his government lies, but not the author of that article  .

Here is VIDEO:
http://youtu.be/Fq-sX2FhFwQ

I hope that this man won't be killed soon for making this video.

What article are you talking about? Could you please provide a link?

[Nemo1024]

An interesting read in the Foreign Affairs journal:
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141769/john-j-mearsheimer/why-the-ukraine-crisis-is-the-wests-fault
Might be an opinion-preparatory prelude to a change in US stance towards Ukraine.

[bryant.coleman]

The NAF has retreated from the village of Chervonepole, thereby lifting the siege of Mariupol. I just hope that the Kiev junta does not use this opportunity to move more troops and hardware to that city. At the same time there was some fighting in Mariupol, as an APC column from the Ukrainian army tried to advance to the rebel held positions.

[ostrij]

Not all Russians believe propaganda.

Here is an example of one guy who thought that an article in internet is anti-Russia propaganda. He didn't believe that there are Russian soldiers dieing in Ukraine. He took his car (not a bad one by the way ), drove around 100 km to the place where buried Russian soldier lived. And unfortunately he realized that his government lies, but not the author of that article  .

Here is VIDEO:
http://youtu.be/Fq-sX2FhFwQ

I hope that this man won't be killed soon for making this video.

What article are you talking about? Could you please provide a link?

That article is mentioned in video. Here is a direct link to it - http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/65075.html

[Nemo1024]

Crimes of Ukrainian Aidar battalion confirmed in Amnesty Int’l report - Russia
http://rt.com/news/186576-ukraine-battalion-war-crimes/

An Amnesty International report has confirmed that war crimes including abductions, executions and extortion were committed by the Ukrainian Aidar battalion in Lugansk region, eastern Ukraine, an official from Russia’s Foreign Ministry says.

“The report confirms large-scale crimes, including war [crimes] made routinely and under the aegis of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, by the leaders and members of the Aidar battalion,” said Konstantin Dolgov, the Foreign Ministry’s commissioner for human rights.

“Amnesty International points only to some of these [crimes] – abductions, unlawful detention, ill-treatment, theft, extortion, including demanding ransom for abducted Ukrainians, and simple robbery from the civilian population,” Dolgov said.

Well, I guess Russia will seen be publishing the third volume of the White Book:
http://www.mid.ru/bdomp/ns-dgpch.nsf/03c344d01162d351442579510044415b/38fa8597760acc2144257ccf002beeb8!OpenDocument

[247crypto]

16 august 2008

[deisik]

Not all Russians believe propaganda.

Here is an example of one guy who thought that an article in internet is anti-Russia propaganda. He didn't believe that there are Russian soldiers dieing in Ukraine. He took his car (not a bad one by the way ), drove around 100 km to the place where buried Russian soldier lived. And unfortunately he realized that his government lies, but not the author of that article  .

Here is VIDEO:
http://youtu.be/Fq-sX2FhFwQ

I hope that this man won't be killed soon for making this video.

What article are you talking about? Could you please provide a link?

That article is mentioned in video. Here is a direct link to it - http://www.novayagazeta.ru/society/65075.html

I read the article (and the comments to it), and if that part about the regular Russian army units carrying military operations in Ukraine is not fake, the commanders should bear full responsibility for this...

[bryant.coleman]

The latest developments from Donbass region:

1. The Ukrainian army seems to be advancing towards Yenakievo, in an attempt to encircle the NAF positions in the city of Gorlovka.

2. The NAF claims that they have captured nine Cougar armoured vehicles developed by Canadian Streit Group near the village of Telmanovo.

3. NAF retakes the village of Komsomolskoye.

[blablahblah]

More than anything, I think, Kharkov should be the one to be returned to Russia.THe oil money could transform Kharkov. I read that it was the third biggest urban center of the USSR but if you see Kharkov now, it is very dilapidated and clearly lacking in investments. Driving from Kharkov to Belgorod in Russia, which is nearly tenth  smaller in population is just like flying from Bucharest to Budapest- from Third World to First World.The refurbishing that have been given to the Russian major cities lately will transform Kharkov. I'm thinking along the lines of Yekaterinburg, Rostov na Donu or even the much smaller in population but classier Far Eastern cities like Khabarovsk & Vladivostok....

Well-said.

You're both being naive and greedy. Typical situation regarding national resources: when farmers 'own' the land, it usually only means the top-soil. If oil, gas or other resources are discovered underneath, foreign investors are likely to have plenty of legal means to mine the land, while providing only minimal compensation to the farmers or villages. There might be some local investment, access roads and other infrastructure, or a few local jobs, but that is only a tiny fraction compared to the profit that the investors get from the resource.

Although it's completely normal for investors to seek out opportunities to capture as much wealth as they can, in this case the towns have obvious economic incentives to remain part of the Ukraine:
1) Kiev is physically closer on the map.
2) Ukraine is much smaller than Russia, so the same town is a larger proportion of the whole country. Local leaders would have more political influence, and less likely to have their needs ignored.
3) Moscow's economic policy is strongly anti-EU, while Kiev has been trying to increase trade with the EU.

Russia's only hope of providing a better deal would be as part of a propaganda show, where they simply shower the towns with redistributed money to convince the locals that they made the right decision to join Russia. But before that happens, Russia keeps sending plain-clothes rebels to show them how dangerous and unstable the "Kiev Junta" is.

[blablahblah]

The Soviet system came entirely out of Russia, and it was Russia invading other republics to build a Soviet Union.

you see this is where you are wrong. studying non-politically motivated historical accounts a little better can easily fix that.
russians (as well as other nations within ussr) are also the victims of communist ideology which been imposed onto them from abroad (in fact from thinkers in great britain - the only monarchy left standing after ww1). then after coup that toppled czar in process foreign secret services (mostly british) organised a takeover of petrograd (now st piterburg) with introduction of communist ideology as a main sell point for confused and mislead public. trocki came from britain where he was trained. lenin came from switzerland together with paid international mercenaries and idea driven european communists (mostly ethnical jews). then to take the rest of the country the red army was established which was guided by the secret services and heavily sponsored by the wall street capital. once they won the war total destruction, theft, corruption and holodomor came to further break the country and extract wealth from it for western capital. mass murder became norm and huge citizen imprisonments followed, concentration camps were created, hunger etc. when stalin started to fight back for sovereignty he only managed to achieve that after 15 years walking along razor's edge exterminating the fifth column (or anyone related to it) - it was the only way, too much was being put at stake and too little time to achieve that. he was brutal man, but considering the circumstances he did manage to achieve the independence from the bankers

So, Stalin was really just a nice man who was forced to commit genocide to save his people from the globalist banksters?

after the final purges of 37-38. by the way stalin wasnt even marksist - its believed he had very tight links with few of the remaining generals loyal to czar within military who seen stalin as the only solution to save russia from globalists. when bankers realised that they lost the strings to pull inside ussr, plan b had to be implemented and unleash hitler dog on stalin. as a result of ww2 brits completely exhausted themselves and pound sterling lost its reserve status to be passed onto usd and carry on the fight into cold war following the bretton woods.......

...so as you can see the fight goes on. for better or worse time will tell. but after losing cold war and total collapse and pillage of russia thought nineties people refuse to be defeated. they have the right to fight for their independence from russian/zionist oligarchy & international globalists. the reason putin is so popular now is because he is the only straw that russians have to save themselves - and results are already very clear. he was placed there by the globalists but he cheated them over and created his own patriotic ideology which is by the way extremely democratic and fair. the reason why ukraine is suffering still is because the oligarchy has completely exhausted the soviet inheritance and draind everything they could off the people without putting anything back into the system. the zionist oligarchs which are the most powerful entities in ukraine are the ones controlling the mass media and poisoning ukrainians even abroad....

Get well soon!

I would discuss the economics, but hey, when mass murder is necessary because "The 17 Terrorist Bloodlines"...