Russia’s invasion into Ukraine

[the ocean 67,621]

32 minutes ago, House of Balloons said:

there are multiple reliable news sources that are available elsewhere very much for free, Al Jazeera and Al Arabia have both had expansions in the english language since the early 2000s, or you know, just check the internet, it's accessible to everyone in the us. don't just rely on national news that is run by big corporates and media moguls to tell you what's going on  

 

i agree with your point you're trying to make but i also don't think you exactly understand just how close-minded & sheltered the american population is from this stuff

 

almost the entire american population relies on national news run by big corporates and media moguls and that's what @The Siren is trying to say

yes there's multiple reliable news sources that are showing different views than just the western one but the american population is either unaware / doesn't care

plus in the us most of the first page of google IS the big corporates + media moguls and unless you refine your search or go to the second page (which most people in the us don't do) then that's the news that you'll first see and what most people assume is "the truth"

 

they don't teach it in school - they don't show it on the local news - it rarely trends on twitter - it's never talked about

i've literally had to go out of my way to search it just to find out it even exists let alone updates on it

[house of balloons 12,770]

2 minutes ago, the ocean said:

 

i agree with your point you're trying to make but i also don't think you exactly understand just how close-minded & sheltered the american population is from this stuff

 

almost the entire american population relies on national news run by big corporates and media moguls and that's what @The Siren is trying to say

yes there's multiple reliable news sources that are showing different views than just the western one but the american population is either unaware / doesn't care

plus in the us most of the first page of google IS the big corporates + media moguls and unless you refine your search or go to the second page (which most people in the us don't do) then that's the news that you'll first see and what most people assume is "the truth"

 

they don't teach it in school - they don't show it on the local news - it rarely trends on twitter - it's never talked about

i've literally had to go out of my way to search it just to find out it even exists let alone updates on it

I think it's just willful ignorance, no offence. National news run my media moguls isn't just an american problem, it's everywhere. You think that other countries don't have biased news coverage? That they don't have big corporates that fund the news channels to serve their interests? Because they do. Yet somehow it's the americans that put in the least effort to bypass that and find reliable sources. America is constantly spending money in the middle east than anywhere else in the world, whether it be for oil or to sell them multi-billions worth of guns, and somehow the average american, that supposedly cares so much about where their tax money goes, isn't aware of the situation in the region? Hard to believe. 

[The Siren 29,136]

57 minutes ago, House of Balloons said:

there are multiple reliable news sources that are available elsewhere very much for free, Al Jazeera and Al Arabia have both had expansions in the english language since the early 2000s, or you know, just check the internet, it's accessible to everyone in the us. don't just rely on national news that is run by big corporates and media moguls to tell you what's going on  

thats the issue. a lot of the american population doesnt really do research that far out.

it sucks but its what happens here, at least in my experience.

21 minutes ago, the ocean said:

 

i agree with your point you're trying to make but i also don't think you exactly understand just how close-minded & sheltered the american population is from this stuff

 

almost the entire american population relies on national news run by big corporates and media moguls and that's what @The Siren is trying to say

yes there's multiple reliable news sources that are showing different views than just the western one but the american population is either unaware / doesn't care

plus in the us most of the first page of google IS the big corporates + media moguls and unless you refine your search or go to the second page (which most people in the us don't do) then that's the news that you'll first see and what most people assume is "the truth"

 

they don't teach it in school - they don't show it on the local news - it rarely trends on twitter - it's never talked about

i've literally had to go out of my way to search it just to find out it even exists let alone updates on it

yes! exactly this! if its on the second page of google, then its "not worth the time" for many americans.

[The Siren 29,136]

2 minutes ago, House of Balloons said:

I think it's just willful ignorance, no offence. National news run my media moguls isn't just an american problem, it's everywhere. You think that other countries don't have biased news coverage? That they don't have big corporates that fund the news channels to serve their interests? Because they do. Yet somehow it's the americans that put in the least effort to bypass that and find reliable sources. America is constantly spending money in the middle east than anywhere else in the world, whether it be for oil or to sell them multi-billions worth of guns, and somehow the average american, that supposedly cares so much about where their tax money goes, isn't aware of the situation in the region? Hard to believe. 

its hard to believe but its true. idk how or what to say beyond that.

[the ocean 67,621]

8 minutes ago, House of Balloons said:

I think it's just willful ignorance, no offence. National news run my media moguls isn't just an american problem, it's everywhere. You think that other countries don't have biased news coverage? That they don't have big corporates that fund the news channels to serve their interests? Because they do. Yet somehow it's the americans that put in the least effort to bypass that and find reliable sources. America is constantly spending money in the middle east than anywhere else in the world, whether it be for oil or to sell them multi-billions worth of guns, and somehow the average american, that supposedly cares so much about where their tax money goes, isn't aware of the situation in the region? Hard to believe. 

 

no offence taken in fact i completely agree with you

wasn't trying to argue against your point just was trying to explain

 

but yes americans need to definitely research more it's just that they don't nor do they really care because it doesn't affect them

[baddisease 15,894]

I'm trying hard to not compare the situations in the colonized world to the situation in Ukraine but it's hard. I see stuff on TV of European countries accepting Ukrainian refugees while these same countries (like Poland) embraced far-right, borderline white nationalist, political parties and groupings when the colonized came to Europe.

 

But aside from that: I am growing more and more concerned about Putin's idea of the future.

[Rorman Nockwell 53,866]

Apparently they have opened some more humanitarian corridors, including out of Kyiv, and my friend and her family are going to try to leave

Anxious af

[Rorman Nockwell 53,866]

5 hours ago, That Venice Bitch said:

I promise I’m informed but I’m just mesmerized by how well Ukraine is doing against the Russian army … They are virtually holding off the third best military on the planet

 

Viva Ucrania

I know!

Ukrainian women marching up to Russian soldiers who are armed to the teeth and yelling at them, people standing in front of tanks holding Ukrainian flags, etc

Total badasses and I'm absolutely sure that type o' shit makes Putin so mad, which is a bonus. I read that Putin told the Turkish President that he'd only stop if the Ukrainians stopped fighting, and that is never gonna happen

[Blue Ink 5,897]

Anyway, when Putin has finally lost this war and his job, watch Ukraine join the EU and maybe even the NATO  they're more than welcome after defending the freedom of all of us so bravely! The people of Sweden and Finland were against joining the NATO for years but since Putin's completely unwarranted and unprovoked war more than half of them changed their minds. So Sweden and Finland might join as well. We'll see about that though...

 

The (far) right was flourishing in many countries before this and they're always the ones cutting ties to other countries. I think this has changed now and the world has actually moved closer. The bonds are getting stronger again.

[Blue Ink 5,897]

49 minutes ago, Rorman Nockwell said:

Apparently they have opened some more humanitarian corridors, including out of Kyiv, and my friend and her family are going to try to leave

Anxious af

I hope they'll be able to get out this time. Are they fleeing to Poland? 

[shady 3,749]

13 hours ago, baddisease said:

 

Uhm what. This comes off as a terrible attack on non-European nations.

 

True enough.

 

No it doesn't. Asia has its own rich culture. Europe has its own rich culture. I feel like Putin is trying to turn his country into the depressing post-communist wasteland. You know the negative representation of Russia in America and that  Eastern European 'aesthetic' on Tiktok? I feel like he's trying to make that a reality. Besides Ukrainians, I feel so bad about the innocent Russians who have no future in that kind of country but can't fly elsewhere. 

 

13 hours ago, BluebirdXO said:

I'll be the most hated person on this forum, but here we go:

 

  Hide contents

The west is overrating the whole thing and making it worse. If Putin backs down now, he'll look like a clown. If he keeps going, more innocents will die. The thought of Ukraine joining NATO was pure insanity and all the other countries have their parcel of guilty in this war

 

 

Okay, finally someone doesn't see the west as a good guy either. There aren't bad guys nor the good guys. That's what makes politics so complicated. The west usually completely demonizes their enemy while showing their ally as an innocent angel. They probably overreact so Russia will look like Nazi Germany and Ukraine can join NATO. 

[shady 3,749]

6 hours ago, House of Balloons said:

there are multiple reliable news sources that are available elsewhere very much for free, Al Jazeera and Al Arabia have both had expansions in the english language since the early 2000s, or you know, just check the internet, it's accessible to everyone in the us. don't just rely on national news that is run by big corporates and media moguls to tell you what's going on  

 

Al Jazeera is no better than CNN. They're incredibly biased and hide that behind their 'progressive' takes and human rights. Al Jazeera Balkans is a complete joke. They will tear apart one country but will defend or ignore shit of the other country/ies that does the same if not worse, basically has Biden's and EUs toxic mindset. 

[house of balloons 12,770]

22 minutes ago, shady said:

 

Al Jazeera is no better than CNN. They're incredibly biased and hide that behind their 'progressive' takes and human rights. Al Jazeera Balkans is a complete joke. They will tear apart one country but will defend or ignore shit of the other country/ies that does the same if not worse, basically has Biden's and EUs toxic mindset. 

Well, it is funded by the Qatari govt, but it covers the middle eastern news pretty well compared to the western mainstream media which just ignores its existence 

[Rorman Nockwell 53,866]

1 hour ago, BlueINK said:

I hope they'll be able to get out this time. Are they fleeing to Poland? 

I'm not sure tbh she just put a post up saying they were hoping to leave the city 

Said she'd update everyone later so fingers crossed it all goes smoothly

[Blue Ink 5,897]

59 minutes ago, Rorman Nockwell said:

I'm not sure tbh she just put a post up saying they were hoping to leave the city 

Said she'd update everyone later so fingers crossed it all goes smoothly

Let us know!

[Rorman Nockwell 53,866]

I've been avoiding this thread tbh because I was getting too doomscrolly

But anyways my friend is still in Kyiv; the only place they could've gone was Belarus and of course they didn't want to. She's still okay though (as "okay" as you can be in that situation).

Other news I heard (idk if it has been widely reported):

- FSB agents have been found among the "refugees" fleeing to Poland and other countries (not shocking at all, and I'm also not surprised they found them because in my experience they're not at all inconspicuous ... typically, stern-looking men usually in dark-coloured trenchcoats carrying briefcases . Very easy to pick out at least when I was in Russia but anyways)

- McDonald's and Starbucks have left, but will continue to pay their workers. The former's exit is very symbolic because the McDonald's that opened in Moscow in the late 80s/early 90s was very symbolic of the downfall of the Soviet Union.

- Senior politicians in the United Russia party (Putin's party) have declared that all of these companies leaving is an "act of war" and they're planning to take their factories and nationalise them. Nike and Ford said they dgaf and they simply won't return if that happens.

- Does anyone know about changing countries with Spotify? Has anyone done this? One of my Russian friends is really not coping with all this, she has fled to Estonia and she's pretty isolated. She's very into music and Spotify is banned (or will be) in Russia, and her account is Russian. I tried looking it up but I'm dumb - does anyone know what you need to do to change your country on there? She needs her music. I can't work out if she needs a whole new account or

[The Siren 29,136]

3 minutes ago, Rorman Nockwell said:

I've been avoiding this thread tbh because I was getting too doomscrolly

But anyways my friend is still in Kyiv; the only place they could've gone was Belarus and of course they didn't want to. She's still okay though (as "okay" as you can be in that situation).

Other news I heard (idk if it has been widely reported):

- FSB agents have been found among the "refugees" fleeing to Poland and other countries (not shocking at all, and I'm also not surprised they found them because in my experience they're not at all inconspicuous ... typically, stern-looking men usually in dark-coloured trenchcoats carrying briefcases . Very easy to pick out at least when I was in Russia but anyways)

- McDonald's and Starbucks have left, but will continue to pay their workers. The former's exit is very symbolic because the McDonald's that opened in Moscow in the late 80s/early 90s was very symbolic of the downfall of the Soviet Union.

- Senior politicians in the United Russia party (Putin's party) have declared that all of these companies leaving is an "act of war" and they're planning to take their factories and nationalise them. Nike and Ford said they dgaf and they simply won't return if that happens.

- Does anyone know about changing countries with Spotify? One of my Russian friends is really not coping with all this, she has fled to Estonia and she's pretty isolated. She's very into music and Spotify is banned (or will be) in Russia, and her account is Russian. I tried looking it up but I'm dumb - does anyone know what you need to do to change your country on there? She needs her music.

for spotify, she might just need to make a new one in the new country.

[Rorman Nockwell 53,866]

Just now, The Siren said:

for spotify, she might just need to make a new one in the new country.

Yeah it says on the site that you just need to use a new payment method from that country, but she tried it and it didn't work. Maybe it works differently in this instance because it's an actual ban on Russia

Anyway I will contact their support later and explain the situation and maybe they will let me pay for it from here for her, or something.

Thx

[Blue Ink 5,897]

5 hours ago, Rorman Nockwell said:

I've been avoiding this thread tbh because I was getting too doomscrolly

But anyways my friend is still in Kyiv; the only place they could've gone was Belarus and of course they didn't want to. She's still okay though (as "okay" as you can be in that situation).

I already thought it's probably those "humanitarian" corridors leading right to Belarus or Russia. But aren't they opening new ones today?

 

About McDonald's closing: Everybody says "Oh that'll show Russia" and makes fun of it. Of course it's not vital to have a McDonald's but it does suck when all those big companies leave and it is definitely very symbolic.

 

The Russian economy is expected to collaps pretty soon (poor normal Russians!) so let's see what happens then...

[house of balloons 12,770]

26 minutes ago, BlueINK said:

About McDonald's closing: Everybody says "Oh that'll show Russia" and makes fun of it. Of course it's not vital to have a McDonald's but it does suck when all those big companies leave and it is definitely very symbolic.

Yeah, it's less about it not being much of a basic need than it is about Russia being economically and culturally integrated