The Russian Economy is imploding

[neverfail]

You may not realize it, but you talk about Russians as lots of people - including Germans - talked about Jews, a notoriously inferior and criminal people...

Utterly false analogy!

As an incorrigible advocate of losers though you would be unable to see this for yourself.

[Sertorio]

You may not realize it, but you talk about Russians as lots of people - including Germans - talked about Jews, a notoriously inferior and criminal people...

Utterly false analogy!

As an incorrigible advocate of losers though you would be unable to see this for yourself.

Russian literature is forbidden; Russian dancers or musicians are banned; Russian music is forbidden; Russian sports people are banned; the Russian flag and national anthem are forbidden; assets of innocent Russian people are frozen or confiscated; Russian goods are banned; Russian money is stolen... What else is necessary for you to see that Russians are the targets of a new and hateful racism?...

[neverfail]

Russian literature is forbidden; Russian dancers or musicians are banned; Russian music is forbidden; Russian sports people are banned; the Russian flag and national anthem are forbidden; assets of innocent Russian people are frozen or confiscated; Russian goods are banned; Russian money is stolen... What else is necessary for you to see that Russians are the targets of a new and hateful racism?...

Like where?

If you are talking about current policy in NATO countries I gain the impression that these make a distinction between people and state. The policies seem to be not any sort of anti-Russian pogrom but an understandable protest against the Putin government's policy of the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty; further intended as a deterrent against further aggression both by Russia and by third country would-be imitators with territorial expansion ambitions of their own.

Putin does not even own up to Ukraine having the dignity of a separate national sovereignty to Russia but seems to view Ukrainians as merely Russians who speak Russian with a funny regional accent. His campaign of destruction looks more like a pogrom against Ukrainians than your allegation of anti-Russianness in current NATO policy.

Putin will learn!

[neverfail]

Russian literature is forbidden; Russian dancers or musicians are banned; Russian music is forbidden; Russian sports people are banned; the Russian flag and national anthem are forbidden; assets of innocent Russian people are frozen or confiscated; Russian goods are banned; Russian money is stolen... What else is necessary for you to see that Russians are the targets of a new and hateful racism?...

Like where?

If you are talking about current policy in NATO countries I gain the impression that these make a distinction between people and state. The policies seem to be not any sort of anti-Russian pogrom but an understandable protest against the Putin government's policy of the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty; further intended as a deterrent against further aggression both by Russia and by third country would-be imitators with territorial expansion ambitions of their own.

Putin does not even own up to Ukraine having the dignity of a separate national sovereignty to Russia but seems to view Ukrainians as merely Russians who speak Russian with a funny regional accent. His campaign of destruction looks more like a pogrom against Ukrainians than your allegation of anti-Russianness in current NATO policy.

Putin will learn! I hope that you will too.

[cassowary]

I am not sure if Russia will be defeated on the battle field. But I think the article is correct in that the Russian economy is in bad shape.

Interestingly enough I was talking with a group of men at a social event tonight which included a recently retired ship's navigator who has previously worked on offshore oil exploration vessels including one that had worked in Australian waters. From his conversation I summed up that he knew the oil business rather well. The group conversation turned at one point to Russia, the Ukraine War and sanctions.

Our informant revealed that most of Russia's oil and gas reserves were in sub-arctic locations and the well pipes through the oil came up from the depths run through permafrost. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 in the chaos that came after a lot of Russian oil field workers walked off the job: no one was paying them. The oil in the pipes, no longer flowing, froze solid. "Once the oil freezes it cannot be made to flow again. The wells have to be re-drilled".

"A lot of Western oil expertise that was loaned to Russia in the following years were devoted to re-drilling the wells and it took over a decade to complete the job."

Our informant then went on to reveal (info gleaned from the global oil business insider grapevine?) that with currently diminished export opportunities because of the invasion the Russians have had to close down production from quite a number of their wells and the immobile oil has once again frozen inside the pipes blocking them permanently. 'Even after the war ends and sanctions are removed Russia's capacity to produce exportable quantities of oil will be diminished to the point where as an oil exporting country Russia will be barely a shadow of its old self. The wells will once more need to be re-drilled.'

Cass, I have had neither the time nor the means to verify this as I have only just arrived home from the social gathering. So you may be inclined to treat this as rumour. Yet despite this you will probably agree that the scenario described by that former ship's navigator and oil exploration worker makes sense.

Thanks for this interesting tidbit of information. It’s a pleasure talking to you. I gained much knowledge from you.

[cassowary]

Canada is starting to take up the slack created by sanctions against Russia oil. In the long run, I think countries will appreciate dealing with a democracy with proper law instead of with a bunch of Russian gangsters, and Canada will see some large, permanent gains in the oil export sphere.

You may not realize it, but you talk about Russians as lots of people - including Germans - talked about Jews, a notoriously inferior and criminal people...

Except Russia being thoroughly corrupt is a matter of fact, as is Canada’s transparency and accountability.

Yeah. Face facts Sertorio.

[SteveFoerster]

Russian literature is forbidden; Russian dancers or musicians are banned; Russian music is forbidden; Russian sports people are banned; the Russian flag and national anthem are forbidden;

None of this is true, at least in the US.

assets of innocent Russian people are frozen or confiscated; Russian goods are banned; Russian money is stolen...

Won't someone please think of the oligarchs?

What else is necessary for you to see that Russians are the targets of a new and hateful racism?...

Even if all of that weren't nonsense, one other thing that would be necessary would be for Russians to be a race, which they aren't.

[Sertorio]

Russian literature is forbidden; Russian dancers or musicians are banned; Russian music is forbidden; Russian sports people are banned; the Russian flag and national anthem are forbidden;

None of this is true, at least in the US.

assets of innocent Russian people are frozen or confiscated; Russian goods are banned; Russian money is stolen...

Won't someone please think of the oligarchs?

What else is necessary for you to see that Russians are the targets of a new and hateful racism?...

Even if all of that weren't nonsense, one other thing that would be necessary would be for Russians to be a race, which they aren't.

The human species has no races. The word racism is meant as discrimination against a whole people based on what characterizes it, skin colour, religion, language, culture, nationality. You are quite capable of understanding that but, as usual, you prefer to play dumb to acknowledge my analogy was basically correct.

[cassowary]

Russian literature is forbidden; Russian dancers or musicians are banned; Russian music is forbidden; Russian sports people are banned; the Russian flag and national anthem are forbidden;

None of this is true, at least in the US.

assets of innocent Russian people are frozen or confiscated; Russian goods are banned; Russian money is stolen...

Won't someone please think of the oligarchs?

What else is necessary for you to see that Russians are the targets of a new and hateful racism?...

Even if all of that weren't nonsense, one other thing that would be necessary would be for Russians to be a race, which they aren't.

The human species has no races. The word racism is meant as discrimination against a whole people based on what characterizes it, skin colour, religion, language, culture, nationality. You are quite capable of understanding that but, as usual, you prefer to play dumb to acknowledge my analogy was basically correct.

Racism is discrimination, hatred of someone or group for being part of a race. So next, we got to define race. I think it a group of people who share similar physical characteristics such as skin colour, eye shape, hair type etc. it’s based on what you are born with and not what you acquire like religion, language, culture.

[neverfail]

Russian literature is forbidden; Russian dancers or musicians are banned; Russian music is forbidden; Russian sports people are banned; the Russian flag and national anthem are forbidden;

None of this is true, at least in the US.

Nor here. I can go down to my local lending library and borrow a novel written by Leo Tolstoy etc any time I want to.

assets of innocent Russian people are frozen or confiscated; Russian goods are banned; Russian money is stolen...

Won't someone please think of the oligarchs?

If they are Russian oligarchs then they are NOT innocent.

What else is necessary for you to see that Russians are the targets of a new and hateful racism?...

Even if all of that weren't nonsense, one other thing that would be necessary would be for Russians to be a race, which they aren't.

Objecting to and opposing Putin's Ukraine policy is not being anti-Russian. The only way that ordinary Russians are culpable is that so many of them seem to willingly believe his lies.