Thread: How dangerous is Vladimir Putin?

Originally Posted by S Landreth

more good news........

Top shipping companies suspend transports to Russia

The world's biggest shipping companies are suspending shipments to and from Russia amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

This is all top notch. Russians are all going to lay the blame for this at Putin's door.

They know he and he alone is responsible for the mess they're in.

Originally Posted by david44

I see what you did their the Cip annaul figure lots of Kwai but daily only $34,739,726 compared to $300 BILLION you do the math

Good try at legerdemain but no cigar, not sure if you actually check this stuff ?

How can he? He only reads communist BS sites.

Anyone referring to Putin as THE LORD is a mental retard.

Leadership in Russia could change rapidly I suppose. Putin's generals would certainly have the means if they can get him out of the bunker....

I think the military in Russia would prefer to topple Putin and divvy up all the money he's stolen rather than go to war with the West.

why?

Russian stock market close for third straight day as the ruble plummets

Russia's central bank said the Moscow Exchange wouldn't open for stock trading through at least Thursday. The exchange has been closed since Monday.

Why it matters: It's the latest financial fallout of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which triggered massive sanctions from several other countries that have sent the ruble plummeting to record lows against the dollar.

• Multiple Western corporations have also suspended their retail sales in Russia or have announced plans to exit the country entirely.

The big picture: Russia's central bank increased interest rates on Monday from 9.5% to 20% in response to the crashing ruble and to prevent a run on banks. It also resumed buying gold on the domestic market.

• A series of other measures announced in response to the sanctions include requiring brokers to "suspend the execution of all orders by foreign legal entities and persons who want to sell off their Russian investments, such as stocks and shares."

What's next: The Bank of Russia said trading hours will be announced later this week.

Fvck their artists and fvck their athletes

Sports world leads Russia boycotts after Ukraine invasion

International sports organizations, teams and athletes quickly moved to boycott Russia after it invaded Ukraine, leading to the cancellation of major events in the country and the suspension of its national team from international soccer.

Why it matters: The sports world's rebuke of the invasion signals a swift change of tune about the Russian government, which has spent vast sums of money hosting international events.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly sought to use the events — including the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup — to bolster the country's reputation abroad.

What's happening:
World Cup

• FIFA and UEFA announced on Monday that they will suspend Russia's national and club teams from all international competition "until further notice" due to the country's invasion of Ukraine.
• Russia was scheduled to play against Poland in a qualifying match on March 24. If the suspension lasts until that date, the team will be excluded from the World Cup.
• The Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden soccer federations said last week that they would not participate in World Cup qualifier matches slated to take place in Russia.
• ”The military escalation that we are observing entails serious consequences and considerably lower safety for our national football teams and official delegations," the soccer federations of Poland, Czech Republic and Sweden said in a statement.
• Poland was scheduled to play Russia on March 24 in Moscow. The winner of that game would play the winner of the Czech Republic vs. Sweden game.
• The federations called on FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations to find "alternative solutions regarding places where these approaching playoff matches could be played.”
• England's Football Association announced Sunday that "out of solidarity with Ukraine" the nation's soccer team won't "play against Russia in any international fixtures for the foreseeable future."

UEFA:

• European soccer's governing body moved the 2022 Champions League final, one of the world's most prominent sports events, away from St. Petersburg after the invasion.
• The Champions League finals were scheduled to be held at Kresovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg, but will now be held at the Stade de France just outside of Paris.
• "UEFA wishes to express its thanks and appreciation to French Republic President Emmanuel Macron for his personal support and commitment to have European club football’s most prestigious game moved to France at a time of unparalleled crisis," the governing body said in a statement Friday.
• The game is scheduled to take place on May 28.
• UEFA joined FIFA in banning all Russian teams from international competition. The move ejected Russia's Spartak Moscow from the Europa League.

International Olympic Committee:

• The IOC on Monday urged sports organizations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international events citing both countries' violation of the Olympic Truce.

International Paralympic Committee:

• The International Paralympic Committee announced that athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete at the upcoming 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games but not as representatives of their countries.
• The athletes will compete under the neutral Paralympic flag and will also not be included in the medals table, the IPC said.
• IPC President Andrew Parsons condemned Russia's invasion, calling it "a gross violation of the Olympic Truce."

Formula 1:

• Formula 1 canceled the Russian Grand Prix on Friday, saying it was "impossible" to hold the race, which was scheduled for Sept. 25.
• The FIA announced on Tuesday that Russian and Belarusian drivers could compete under the neutral "FIA flag." They also announced that no competition would be allowed to take place in Russia or Belarus until further notice.
• "We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation," F1 said in a statement.
• It added: "On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances."
• F1 team Haas, which is sponsored by Russian brand Uralkali, removed the Uralkali branding of Russian flag colors and ran a plain white car for the final day of preseason testing on Friday, ESPN reports.

International Tennis Federation:

• The ITF Board announced they would suspend the Russian and Belarus Tennis Federations memberships and that they would withdraw from all international team competition.
• Athletes will be allowed to compete in tour events, but will not be able to compete under Russian or Belarusian flags.

FC Schalke 04:

• German soccer club FC Schalke 04 said they would remove the logo of Russian oil company Gazprom, the team's main sponsor, from their uniform.

International Ski Federation:

• Multiple skiing events that were scheduled to take place in Russia over the coming weeks were canceled, including the World Cup event for freestyle aerials in Yaroslavl, Women’s ski jumping competitions in March in Nizhny Tagil and Chaikovsky and cross-country races in Tyumen in March, according to AP.
• FIS also followed the IOC recommendation and voted not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes compete.

International Ice Hockey Federation

• The International Ice Hockey Federation suspended all Russian and Belarusian National Teams and Clubs from participating in IIHF events, it announced on Tuesday. It also withdrew the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships hosting rights from Russia.

International Skating Union:

• The International Skating Union announced that they would ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from figure skating competitions until further notice following the IOC recommendation.

International Swimming Federation

• The International Swimming Federation will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete, but they will not be able to do so with their country's name or symbols and must compete as neutral athletes.
• FINA withdrew the FINA Order award given to Vladimir Putin in 2014.
• FINA also canceled the World Junior Championships that were scheduled to take place in Russia and also canceled a water polo game with Russia and the Swimming and Diving World Series that were also scheduled to take place in Russia.

Badminton World Federation

• The Badminton World Federation followed IOC guidelines and suspended athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing at the BWF events.

Barcelona:

• Barcelona said it would not send its basketball team to play two Russian teams on Friday and Sunday in the Euroleague.

Extra……….

141 countries vote to condemn Russia at UN: https://www.axios.com/united-nations...50f01c754.html

I would think they will keep the stock exchange closed indefinitely. Similarly, all Coupon payments to foreigners have been suspended (US$29bn worth of bonds) a convenient excuse being that the West has halted access to the clearing systems to make those payments.

Russia Bans Coupon Payment to Foreigners on $29 Billion in Bonds

This is a Russian YT streamer that I rather like. This vid is how the sanctions are affecting him...

Looks like Vlad has declared de facto war on Bangladesh now.

Bangladesh cargo ship hit in Ukraine, crew member killed -ship owner | Reuters

I'm only going to post in this thread from now on, fuck skidmark and the three stooges.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I'm only going to post in this thread from now on, fuck skidmark and the three stooges.

Ok! I am with you. Done with the other crap threads.

Looks like there will be a few Superyachts on sale soon.

Abrahamovich's must be a target.

France Seizes Russian Oligarch Igor Sechin's $120M Super-Yacht

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I'm only going to post in this thread from now on

Originally Posted by bsnub

Ok! I am with you. Done with the other crap threads.

A pair of loosers.

Originally Posted by OhOh

A pair of loosers.

Oh don't worry hoohoo, I'm sure skidmark and sabang will still eagerly await your fucking rubbish in the other thread.

Originally Posted by Looper

Territorial acquisition is a dangerous game to start playing. The world has moved on from the age of annexation and invasion.

Clinton has compared this to Germany in 1930s. There are some parallels. Being sore about having lost territories in the break-up of the soviet union. Annexing neighbouring territory on the grounds of protecting your ethnic clan. Promising that you are finished when there are many other Russian ethnic groups in other neighbouring territories.

The psychology of Putin is a worry. He has a bit of a narcissistic personality cult about him which is a warning sign for a leader who has the potential to cause a lot of misery through ego driven confrontation.

I hope the world can show a united front when it comes to sanctions to see if we are able to control bad behaviour without military force.

So it turns out that Looper's question was most apposite.
I haven't read the 5K posts that followed and I might have missed some stuff. Which wouldn't change my view that Looper called this very well.

Zelensky Is Wrecking the Bare-Chested Putin Propaganda

As Russia’s forces invade Ukraine, working to topple the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has emerged as an icon—and people are flocking to support him at his country’s moment of peril from all around the world.


In one turn, Zelensky has met the moment, stepping up into his role, not just as the president of a country under attack but as a people’s president and a valiant war hero fighting alongside his fellow Ukrainians.

In the hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced all-out attack on Ukraine, Zelensky took to the streets, sporting an olive-green jacket, and sent a selfie video to his citizens to show them he was not assassinated, not running away in the face of invasion, but still there and fighting to save the country.


He’s been sending selfie video updates to his citizens since to assure them of his safety—as intelligence has suggested Russia is seeking not just to attack Ukraine, but topple the Kyiv government and possibly take out Zelensky, too.


One particular moment that’s making Zelensky’s growing following swoon—when the United States offered to help Zelensky run with an evacuation plan, Zelensky chose to stay behind and fight. And his response, indeed, seemed made for primetime: “The fight is here,” Zelensky said of the Biden administration’s evacuation offer. “I need ammunition, not a ride.”


But Zelensky’s messages serve a dual purpose, beyond just reassuring Ukrainians the government still stands. Zelensky’s rallying cry to Ukrainians is an assurance that Ukraine is fighting, patriotic, unwavering—and never backing down.


For Ukrainians on the ground, Zelensky’s addresses and Ukraine’s messaging have deftly boosted morale in a dark time, said Peter Singer, a strategist and senior fellow at the New America think tank.


“They’ve done everything,” Singer told The Daily Beast. “From rapidly [driving] viral stories of heroes fighting back, like the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ fighter ace, to the sacrifice of martyrs like the defenders of Snake Island and their iconic ‘Go fuck yourself’ to the Russia fleet, to the stories of civilians… volunteering to fight back in every way..”

But Zelensky’s appeal isn’t just about pummeling followers with reasons to fight. He’s winning politicians’ hearts and minds, too.


Some European leaders initially expressed some resistance to rolling out certain sanctions against Russia, instead preferring to use sanctions packages that had already been approved. But Zelensky hopped on a video call with them, and the arc of the story changed. He made an appeal to the other leaders, pleading for more aid, including food, supplies, and sanctions. And it was his emotional entreaty that left them with watery eyes and swayed them to drum up more support for Ukraine, as The Washington Post reported.


The European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada then concluded they’d proceed to throttle Russia by isolating major Russian banks, going after Putin’s cronies, and, eventually, sanctioning Putin himself to mark him as the pariah he is.


Then followed a cascade of public and private sector rejections of Russia—BP is exiting its stake in Russia’s Rosneft, FedEx and UPS aren’t shipping to Russia anymore, Apple has stopped product sales in Russia, sports associations are kicking Russia out left and right—and the list goes on.


In one case, Zelensky used his social media platform to blast out the sheer oddity of other world leaders politicking while Ukraine fights for its existence. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi told parliament Zelensky somehow didn’t make it to a scheduled phone call with him earlier in the day last Friday. Zelensky quipped back on Twitter, publicly fighting for his cause.


“Today at 10:30 a.m. at the entrances to Chernihiv, Hostomel and Melitopol there was heavy fighting. People died. Next time I’ll try to move the war schedule to talk to #MarioDraghi at a specific time. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to fight for its people,” Zelensky tweeted.


By Monday, Italy was promising to send Ukraine more aid.


Zelensky’s careful personalization of his messages has created a “bandwagoning effect,” Singer, who has previously advised the U.S. intelligence community, military, and FBI, told The Daily Beast. Zelensky is saying, “‘I’m out here, join me too, in your own way,’” Singer said. “That messaging is particularly targeted at his fellow European leaders. ‘I’m out here, I’m taking risks, why won’t you aid me?’”

It’s a stark difference from Zelensky’s first few years in office, when his approval ratings hovered at a measly 30-some percent. And Zelensky’s scorecard isn’t all singing reviews now, either.


Even in the buildup to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many doubted his ability to withstand the pressure and rise to the moment: He downplayed Putin’s aggression and obvious buildup of Russian troops along the border, much to the chagrin and distaste of his citizens. Critics say he didn’t call up his reserves early enough—he only called on them a few days before Putin pulled the trigger on invading.


In recent days, he’s even served as a reassurance to lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Some on Capitol Hill have been watching with bated breath to see whether Zelensky might break down at this moment of peril, said Sen. Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.


Here, Zelensky has delivered, too.


“One of the questions the other day in the Intelligence Committee—was Zelensky going to be Ghani, the Afghan leader who cut and run once the Taliban started to move forward, or was he going to be Churchill?” Warner said at a recent Washington Post Live event. “And so far, he has been Churchillian in his response.”


Zelensky’s current appeal hasn’t just galvanized world leaders and rallied Ukrainians. People all around the world are suddenly smitten with Zelensky, and latching onto him in a kind of fawning, obsessive way.

People around the world, Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians alike, are gushing over Zelensky on social media, latching onto him as an early wartime hero—and a worthy suitor, it seems.


Prominent accounts on Instagram have been circulating footage of Zelensky appearing to play the piano with his genitals—footage, needless to say, that comes from his days as a comedian. It’s not entirely clear why people are focusing on this one—it’s definitely NSFW and contrasts greatly with his current battle-hardened war broadcasts—but at a minimum, it seems people admire Zelensky’s multi-faceted career and his vivacious personality.


After Zelensky displayed his winning dance moves on Ukraine’s version of Dancing With The Stars in 2006, someone took to Twitter and posted: “So apparently Zelenskyy won the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars in 2006 and the tape is even better than whatever you're imagining.”


Another prominent Instagram account posted a tweet that suggested nobody should be surprised when women start fessing up crushes on Zelensky. Another thirst trap suggested you can see four wonders from space: the pyramids in Egypt, the Amazon river, the Grand Canyon, and last but not least, “the balls of Volodymyr Zelensky.”


betches_sup, a popular Instagram account, has shared less cheeky notes on Zelensky. The account posted a timeline of his career in recent days—from his time starring in a television show in which he accidentally becomes the president (in a real-life life-imitates-art double-take moment); to his days dealing with President Donald Trump, who conditioned U.S. military aid on Zelensky digging up political dirt; to the streets of Kyiv, now, fending off invaders.


So how does a politician rising to a battle cry start wooing people around the world who are watching the war from afar?


“We need something to believe in right now… We are all functioning on fumes. We’re in three years of a pandemic… burnout is at an unprecedented high here in the U.S. and likely in other countries,” Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, a doctor with expertise in stress and resilience, told The Daily Beast. “That sense of needing a hero and savior is now more pronounced than ever” with a war raging on, Nerurkar, who has previously worked with the World Health Organization on refugee health, told The Daily Beast.


Nerurkar cautioned it will be tricky to toe the line between admiring the courage of Ukrainians and Zelensky, and needlessly glorifying their trauma. Even Zelesnky has begun to deflect some of the praise: “I’m not iconic, I think Ukraine is iconic,” the president said recently.


None of that should diminish Zelensky’s heroism, Ukrainians’ courage, or attempts to applaud it, though. “Zelensky deserves all of the praise. He deserves the hero moment. He has met the moment [and] Ukrainian people have redefined resilience,” Nerurkar said.


Zelensky is a worldwide sensation now, and has perhaps gained a level of admiration that Putin has always craved. And it’s Putin himself—having carefully tried to build his own following by releasing curated, bare-chested propaganda hunting videos for years in an attempt to project strength and machismo—who has seemingly forced the moment on Zelensky, and thrust him to his now iconic standing, just when Putin is trying to beat him down.


Putin took his country to war—but instead of coming out a valiant war hero, he has made one out of Zelensky.


Putin, in comparison, now appears bottom-of-the-barrel deranged. The images of Putin trying to show off his musculature in his propaganda videos from years past almost appear like an inside joke that he’s not in on, as they are now overshadowed by a more sinister, isolated, and even unhinged dictator.

He’s delivered rage-filled revisionist speeches. He’s been sitting at a laughably long table, distanced physically and literally from his advisers. He inexplicably has a lot of outdated looking phones at his desk. Somehow, he has managed to turn himself into a caricature, not to be taken seriously just at the moment he wants to be taken most seriously—and indeed he’s turned into dozens of memes.


In a split screen with Zelensky fighting in the streets, sending out his own personal self-shot videos, Putin comes across as half-witted and rash now, if he didn’t earlier.


“You have Zelensky in the streets, taking risks himself—young, energetic, compared to elderly Putin at the end of this bizarrely long table… alone in his palace,” Singer said. “This is important not just in Ukraine [showing] our leader is with us, but it’s also important to external audiences in… crucial ways. It creates a vivid contrast with the villain of the story.”


And that may just be Zelensky’s je ne sais quoi the world can’t stop thinking about—it’s not just that he seems more a people’s president than ever, as he fights alongside his citizens. It’s not just that he’s taking time to offer words that can ease his people’s fear at such grim times. It’s not just that he seems to be a dashing dancing machine. It’s also that his messaging—and his government’s whole messaging infrastructure—seem perfectly suited to go viral, from eloquent, cheeky posts to passionate pleas.


”Overall, for all the narrative of the Russians being the ‘masters’ of information warfare, the Ukrainians have been teaching a master class at it,” Singer said, citing the Ukrainian government’s efforts to flood the field with messaging to disavow Russian disinformation and to highlight civilians’ acts of patriotism. “They have engaged in a multi-pronged effort that has driven their point of view viral and repeatedly gotten ahead of or defanged each of the old Russian… plays.”

And again, where Zelenksy wins, Putin fails.


Russia has run so many information operations in recent years that everybody has already smoked them out, making them ineffectual this time around—something Putin doesn’t seem to get, according to Singer. The Russians are “masters” at propaganda, Singer said. “But their information war tactics have been seen and studied by all for the last several years, not just by Ukraine, but by governments around the world and citizens around the world. We’ve seen it and yet they’re trying the same stuff.”


But Zelensky comes out, no doubt, as the true hero, said Singer.


“After all the years of being beaten down by the pandemic, social division, fears of the rise of authoritarianism and fascism… this story of a clear villain and heroes fighting back—it just resonates so powerfully.”

MSN

Originally Posted by OhOh

A pair of loosers.

People that spell loser as looser, are losers.

Originally Posted by misskit

suggested you can see four wonders from space: the pyramids in Egypt, the Amazon river, the Grand Canyon, and last but not least, “the balls of Volodymyr Zelensky.”

The hookers have got to go.

Biden admin sanctions Kremlin spokesman, more oligarchs

The Biden administration on Thursday announced sanctions on eight prominent Russians with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, leveling additional penalties on Moscow for invading Ukraine.

The White House announced plans to impose full blocking sanctions on Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, whose $600 million yacht was seized by Germany on Wednesday. The Biden administration is also sanctioning Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who the White House labeled a “top purveyor of Putin’s propaganda.”

Both individuals have already been sanctioned by the European Union.

“These individuals and their family members will be cut off from the U.S. financial system, their assets in the United States will be frozen and their property will be blocked from use,” reads a White House fact sheet announcing the new sanctions.

The new sanctions will hit a handful of wealthy Russians with ties to the Kremlin, and some of their family members will also be targeted.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a briefing Thursday that the action would significantly impact those around Putin.

“What we’re talking about here is seizing their assets, seizing their yachts, and making it harder for them to send their children to colleges and universities in the West,” Psaki said.

The list includes Nikolai Tokarev, who heads Russian pipeline company Transneft; Boris Rotenberg, co-owner of gas pipeline construction company SGM Group; Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Rostec Corporation and a close ally of Putin; former Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov; and “Putin’s chef” Yevgeniy Prigozhin.

The administration also said it is imposing visa restrictions on 19 Russian oligarchs and 47 of their family members and close associates

Originally Posted by pickel

People that spell loser as looser, are losers.

Well he is the Isaan village idiot.

Let's hope its fake or blown out of proportion:


Europe's largest nuclear power plant is on fire after an attack by Russian troops invading Ukraine, a plant spokesman said Friday.
"As a result of shelling by Russian forces on the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, a fire broke out," spokesman Andrei Tuz said in a video posted on the plant's Telegram account.



The plant's power unit had been hit, he added, as Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for an immediate halt to fighting at the site.
"Russian army is firing from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Fire has already broke out," he tweeted, warning of potential nuclear disaster if the plant blew up.
"Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!"

Russian Shelling Hits Power Unit at Key Ukrainian Nuclear Plant – Spokesman - The Moscow Times