Rorman Nockwell

Because when there is a nuclear leak or explosion, it releases radioactive iodine which is absorbed by the thyroid, causing cancer. So if you take normal iodine then it stops your body absorbing the radioactive type. Or something along those lines. Maybe someone with a medical or science background can explain better

Everything is FUCKED. Kyiv friend was right near a massive explosion yesterday. She said she saw it before she heard it. She and her family can't get out of Kyiv; there is no safe passage so she needs to stay in the metro. Russia is also fucked. Half my friends have left or are trying to. One even married her boyfriend to make visas easier (he's Georgian, I think). It's difficult to even book train tickets because all the transportation sites (owned by the govt) have been hacked. Rumour has it Putin might ban freedom of movement to stop the mass exodus. People are also panic buying iodine because of the reactors

I since clarified what I meant by that, and that is, that he wants an authoritarian capitalist bloc. A 21st century USSR, if you will. I agree completely that communism doesn't benefit him whatsoever. You're right in saying that Ukraine is strategically important but again, Ukraine is a sovereign nation, Putin doesn't get to make decisions or set conditions for them, and his paranoia over security doesn't justify an invasion. I can't work out if you're trying to justify his actions or sympathise with him - you make it sound like you think this is NATO's fault for not doing what he says(?) Why should they? Fuck that. If Ukraine wants to align with the EU and/or NATO because they feel it's in their interests then that's their decision and Putin can fuck off. I mean, if NATO gets to the point where they're like, "ohhhh he's unhinged so we better do what he says" then everyone might as well just send a limo to pick him up from the Kremlin and roll out the red carpet for him in Kyiv. Re: Palestine it's what we were saying a few pages back: they're not middle class white people and conflict in the Middle East is considered par for the course (this is not my personal belief; I'm just saying this is why the West cares more about this than that). (I can see some people tagged me, I will reply tomorrow)

I say all of this as a non-Russian so it's possible I'm completely wrong but I think he wants to expand his brand of authoritarian capitalism (or whatever you'd like to call it) into Ukraine. There is no other explanation. This isn't about "security" because Ukraine has never threatened Russia, and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are right there and are all in NATO, so I don't think it's about having NATO at his doorstep (they're already there). You're right, communism doesn't benefit him at all (at least not at this point in time - he and the oligarchs have all amassed huge amounts of wealth, and they benefit enormously from capitalism). The more land he has and the more people he can control, the more leverage he has with the West to get even richer and to do whatever else he wants. So if he overthrows the Ukrainian government he will install a puppet similar to Lukashenko. It's about influence and power. So when I say I think he wants to recreate the USSR I mean as a unified authoritarian capitalist state. It would never be the same as before for many reasons, but one of those reasons is that he wouldn't want to have to fork out for all the stuff people were provided with under communism. He doesn't give a fuck if his people have nowhere to live and no jobs. @The Siren I'll have a look later!

I mean the Soviet Union was forged through bloodshed; he wants to recreate it and that isn't a secret. If you listen to his speeches, there are many references and clues ("Russians and Ukrainians share a common heritage and religion", etc). IMO he has been planning this for quite some time. People have told me that censorship has increased sharply in the past year or so. He doesn't have to "behave" now, because he no longer has big international events on the line (Olympics, World Cup). He invaded Crimea the day after the Olympics finished, iirc.

This is a pretty good article about the situation in Donbass. It explans where the "nazi" accusations come from, why the people in the region are pro-Russian, etc https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-03/inside-the-separatist-republic-that-triggered-the-war-in-ukraine/100871262 The most important takeaway imo is that these so-called "nazis" make up a miniscule portion of Ukraine's forces and have basically no public support, so using that as a reason to invade is some serious bullshit (which most of us already knew)

I was up most of the night chatting to my friends, mostly in Russia but some in Belarus. They said everyone is panicking and many are trying to leave but it's very difficult because they can't withdraw money or book flights. There is no way for those of us outside to help because foreign money transfers are blocked and DHL, FedEx and UPS aren't operating so we can't send anything in. One friend said that this feels like the collapse of the USSR all over again. Sadly, this needs to happen for there to be a regime change. The people need to rise up. Putin might find himself with a civil war, too

It comes down to the fact that Putin wants to resurrect the Soviet Union and Ukraine does not - in fact, no one else seems interested in doing that except Belarus. As it stands, Belarus is basically an extension of Russia. As you say, Ukraine is entitled to join NATO, the EU, or to do whatever else it pleases - it's a sovereign nation. Putin, who still has the Soviet leader mindset, seeks to control them because without Ukraine, he can never rebuild the bloc. So imo it's less about having NATO forces and weapons in Ukraine, and more about his aspirations. As you say, foreign forces and weapons have been in Ukraine for a long time and there have never been any incursions into Russian territory, so the idea that this is about Russia's "security" is nonsense. He also already has other NATO countries on his border - Lithuania and Latvia, for example - and I don't see him invading them for "security" (although if he takes Ukraine, he might). No other country is going to invade Russia because that would be unhinged - it has vast, difficult terrain and is nuclear-capable - so that's not on the cards and if Russia is isolated it's because Putin has actively steered his country in that direction. He wants to install a puppet in Ukraine so that, like Belarus, he can say "jump" and they'll ask "how high?"

Not only that but there's this widespread notion that it's "normal" for there to be conflict in Africa and the Middle East. As if war and conflict should be the accepted state of things for people anywhere ...

I mean the situation in Somalia is awful, too. I think most people here definitely care about that, too, but know far less about it (at least that's the case for me ... I'm also talking about this more because people I know are in danger) One isn't less important than the other but Putin has suddenly gone from a seemingly stable (albeit awful) person to completely unhinged in like a week, and it's shocking and scary

One of my friends has had to flee Russia because the government is trawling socials looking for "traitors" and she's been fighting people on there and attended protests and had reason to believe she'd get arrested if she stayed She was too afraid to even tell me where she's gone in case they were reading but she assured me she's safe It's soooo fucked up and terrifying I'm so fucking anxious about today with these massive convoys. I think this is about to get far worse

Look I'm not trying to be unkind but I'm honestly rather shocked she's dating that guy Since 2018 she's gone for these boy band/model types (except for him) and now she's going for these men who look like they are allergic to combs and only wash their bed linen once every month or so because they spilled some Fanta on it

Probably because every time she calls Ben he's stress-eating scones and sobbing, so she thought she'd cheer him up

What is happening now goes far beyond the (arguably) good intention of protecting the people of DPR and LPR. What is the reason for waiting 8 YEARS to "help" these people and attacking areas that are very far away?

There's a story going around about how a Russian warship wanted to refuel at a port in Georgia and the Georgian port master said no and gave the captain a pair of oars I hope it's true Anyway the talks in Belarus have commenced so it will be interesting to see what Putin is willing to concede, if anything

I think he's right in that I very much doubt Xi would tolerate Putin using nukes. That would be bad for every country, including China. China's language hasn't been as pro-Russian as I envisioned. Yes, they allowed Russian wheat imports, and yes their ambassador posted some anti-American bullshit, but (afaik) they haven't said anything in clear support of Russia, and they haven't condemned the West for assisting Ukraine. They're very much on the fence which isn't ideal but it could be worse.

Thanks. Honestly I don't think they will close it because I think most countries think that that would further antagonise Putin, but ... she asked me to share it, so

My friend in Kyiv wants people to sign this. It's important to her so I'm posting it here: https://www.openpetition.eu/petition/online/people-around-the-world-ask-nato-to-close-the-airspace-over-ukraine You can also help by donating, if you are able, to organisations such as the Red Cross who are running an appeal for displaced Ukrainians. If you Google the Red Cross in your country, you should find your local site. She is still in the same situation in the metro station - safe for now, but obviously wants go home and is very sad and scared about the condition of her country.

I agree It's a sign of desperation and if he deploys nukes he will get nuked into oblivion himself. It's almost as if he really thought his people only listen to his propaganda and don't consume any other media. Wrong (again).

Love this guy, though https://mobile.twitter.com/aliostad/status/1497519061554630658

I'm guessing this is old cos blonde? Anyways she hot

100% ... I've seen lots of "We are the same people. Why are we fighting them?" type comments. I don't know why he thought this would be popular but he was wrong

Yes, that's my impression - both from my time spent in Russia, and from what I've been told from friends. With that said, it's possible that my observations are somewhat skewed - I met all of my friends through working on international events in Russia, and all of them speak English, are well travelled, and are very liberally minded. So it's not necessarily an accurate cross-section of ordinary Russians BUT if you read all of the discussion on socials rn, it's clear that most Russians on the respective platforms are vehemently against this. And, as you say, even the upper class is objecting. I was actually really shocked that Alex Ovechkin (NHL player) criticised Putin; in the past he has even organised ice hockey matches with Putin in them, and they are friends. Other countries are now sending weapons and at the beginning they were not going to do that, so that is reassuring but also scary because no one knows what he's gonna do next.

Yeah I can't imagine how she feels. She and her sister both have their cats with them and they are very worried they will have to leave them if they need to evacuate the metro. They are their BABIES like imagine having your country invaded and bombed and having to leave your home and then you are also told to leave your beloved pet. So obviously very much hoping that they can safely stay where they are or better yet Putin is somehow stopped and everyone can go HOME

So far, so good. Mainly concerned for my Ukrainian friend who have been in a metro station bomb shelter with her family for the past couple of days. She checks in regularly because she knows everyone is worried. She's really pissed at Russia and NATO, understandably. This is why regimes like Putin's are so difficult to topple; people feel powerless and scared. You can't change something if you're not even allowed to TALK about it.