Russia

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:52 am

All the Russias are doomed!

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Feb 28, 2019 1:04 am

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 11:51 pm

https://old.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/a ... adivostok/
https://old.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/a ... adivostok/

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sun Mar 03, 2019 3:12 am

Russia Finds Kaspersky Lab Cyber Experts Guilty of Treason

A Russian military court on Tuesday found two cyber security experts from Kaspersky Lab guilty of treason. The men, a former state security officer and a former cyber-security expert at Kaspersky Lab, were sentenced to 22 and 14 years in jail, respectively, Russian news agencies reported. Col. Sergei Mikhailov, a former officer in Russia’s Federal Security Service, and Ruslan Stoyanov, head of the computer incidents investigation team at Kaspersky Lab, were both convicted of passing secret information to foreign intelligence services, agencies reported. During a top-secret trial, the men faced accusations that they shared confidential material from a 2010 cybercrime and spam investigation to an analyst at a U.S. security firm. That analyst, Kimberly Zenz, never testified—and insisted in an interview with The Daily Beast that Stoyanov didn’t commit treason.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/russia-fi ... of-treason

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:54 am

Photos: An Ancient Ceremony to Celebrate the End of Winter

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 8:46 am

That is a wonderful portrait, all "boobs! Tentacles! Gram's Mom" jokes taken as "read."

--J.D.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat Mar 16, 2019 2:06 am

https://old.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/ ... ust_a_gun/
https://old.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/ ... ust_a_gun/ (to see it in full)

Pranking the young militia.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:26 am

Poroshenko promises to return Crimea immediately after elections

Crimea will re-enter Ukraine after the presidential elections, says Head of state Petro Poroshenko.

According to the politician, the peninsula will be turned free without any agreement. “Ukraine will never admit any bidding, nor any concealing arrangements,” he said in a conversation with the Segodnya portal.

Poroshenko stated that his promise would be fulfilled "as soon as possible, immediately after the presidential election."

“You have heard repeated statements by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that this will not be done before the presidential election because he hopes that anyone except Poroshenko will be elected so that the new Ukrainian government drops to its knees and gives him Crimea. We will liberate the Crimea,” he stressed.

The presidential elections in Ukraine will be held on March 31.

https://en.crimerussia.com/gover/porosh ... elections/

Good luck with that.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 2:36 am

Russian Support for Stalin Surges to Record High, Poll Says

Levada survey finds 70 percent view Stalin as good for country

Public evenly split on whether progress justified repressions

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... poll-shows

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 3:17 am

Wow.

ETA: Stalin was a Georgian, not a Russian, right?

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 3:46 am

Very much Georgian and spoke Russian with a very pronounced Georgian accent his whole cunt life.

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:12 am

This is recreated in The Death of Stalin by letting the actor use his native cockney:

--J.D.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:16 am

I wonder if he is as popular in Georgia today as he is in Russia.

Is he gaining popularity because of Putin? Russians just like a strong leader? Even a tyrannical one?

What are children learning in school about Soviet times? Just makes me wonder why this is happening.

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:54 am

Doctor X wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:12 am This is recreated in The Death of Stalin by letting the actor use his native cockney:

--J.D.

That was such a great movie.

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:58 am

Anaxagoras wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2019 4:16 am Is he gaining popularity because of Putin? Russians just like a strong leader? Even a tyrannical one?

IMO he is getting popularity due to Putin leveraging everything Russian and patriotic to unite the nation against the evil sanctioning West. One of the greatest moments was obviously WWII and post-war Soviet accomplishments. If he has to whitewash Stalin a bit so be it.

A head-scratcher for me is lionizing Stalin and Orthodox religion along side. A bit like having Jews who are slightly pro-Hitler.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 1:34 am

↑ & ↑↑ If you're interested, two articles:

The Approved Past: How History will be Taught to Russia’s Children

In October, the Russian Historical Society has approved new guidelines for history textbooks that will be used in Russian schools after 2015. The guidelines were drawn up at the request of Vladimir Putin. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza—a historian by training—analyzed the blueprint, noting its positive and negative aspects.

https://imrussia.org/en/nation/600-the- ... s-children

Russia’s Fast-Growing ‘Youth Army’ Aims to Breed Loyalty to the Fatherland

The military-patriotic youth movement has almost half a million members.

[snip]

Backers of the Youth Army say that the organization’s purpose is more than preparing the next generation for military service. Comparing it to organizations like the U.S.’ Boy Scouts, they say the goal is to develop patriots and active citizens who will be dedicated to improving Russia.

Critics, however, argue that the movement is an instrument for those in power to hold onto it. They claim that it is an attempt to breed loyalty as the authorities compete for the hearts of Russia’s youth with opposition politicians like Alexei Navalny, who has inspired teenagers to take to the streets in protest against Putin’s administration.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/04/ ... and-a65256

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 11:33 pm

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue Apr 23, 2019 3:49 am

54% increase in rail shipments in Eurasia

The Russia-based United Transport and Logistics Company - Eurasian Rail Alliance (UTLC ERA) shipped 62,622 teu by rail in Q1/2019, up more than 54% compared to Q1/2018.

The gross traffic volume on the Europe – China routes totalled 27,086 teu for the first three months of 2019, and 35,536 teu on China – Europe routes, an increase of 69% and 44% respectively, YTY.

In Q1/2018, UTLC ERA shipped 40.7 thousand teu, 33% more than in the same period of 2017.

https://www.transportjournal.com/en/hom ... rasia.html

So it doubled in just two years.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:18 pm

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Mon Apr 29, 2019 2:52 am

“Peasant Midday Meal in a Field” Photographed by William Carrick, Imperial Russia, 1860s

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue Apr 30, 2019 2:59 am

Ukraine president offers Russians citizenship in snub to Putin

Volodymyr Zelenskiy hits back at Russia’s offer of passports for Ukrainians

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the comedian who last week won Ukraine’s presidential election, has dismissed an offer by Vladimir Putin to provide passports to Ukrainians and pledged instead to grant citizenship to Russians who “suffer” under the Kremlin’s rule.

The Russian president on Saturday said Moscow was considering plans to make it easier for all Ukrainians to obtain Russian citizenship, after it earlier moved to grant passports in the country’s separatist east.

Kyiv has been fighting Moscow-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine since 2014 in a war that has killed 13,000 people.

Zelenskiy, who takes office in June, responded to Putin’s offer by releasing a statement on Facebook late on Saturday that pledged to “give citizenship to representatives of all nations that suffer from authoritarian and corrupt regimes, but first and foremost to the Russian people who suffer most of all”.

We know perfectly well what a Russian passport provides,” he wrote, “the right to be arrested for a peaceful protest” and “the right not to have free and competitive elections”.

He said one of the differences between Ukraine and Russia was that “we Ukrainians have freedom of speech, freedom of the media and the internet in our country”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... -hits-back

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat May 18, 2019 1:18 am

Won't open a Montenegro thread, so here it goes:

Montenegro opposition leaders jailed for pro-Russian coup plot

A Montenegrin court has handed jail sentences to 14 people, including opposition politicians, over an alleged Russia-backed coup plot. The judge said the plot was aimed at stopping Montenegro from joining NATO.

A court in Montenegro on Thursday sentenced opposition politicians to five years in jail over an alleged attempted plot to overthrow the government.

Despite a 19-month trial, details of the plan remain murky. The opposition has decried the prosecution and trial as a "witch hunt" aimed at preventing it from coming to power.

What we know about the case

Fourteen people stood accused of planning a violent coup with Russian help in 2016.

The defendants included two pro-Russian opposition leaders, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic.

Two Russians, identified as secret service operatives, were convicted in absentia.

Prosecutors said the plotters were trying to prevent Montenegro from joining the NATO military alliance.

Moscow denied any involvement.

The politicians are expected to appeal the ruling

https://www.dw.com/en/montenegro-opposi ... a-48669347

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Tue May 21, 2019 4:22 am

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Tue May 28, 2019 2:35 am

Russian Official Bodyslams Reporter Asking About Corruption, Faces Jail

A district head in Siberia is under investigation for body-slamming a state-run television journalist during an interview featuring questions about corruption allegations.

The Rossia 24 news channel showed Sergei Zaytsev, who heads the Shirinsky district in the republic of Khakasia, snatching the reporter’s microphone and throwing him to the ground. Zaytsev told local media that he had been provoked by the news crew when they questioned him about corruption linked to rebuilding efforts following deadly wildfires in 2015.

Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Monday that it had opened a criminal case into Zaytsev following the incident. He faces up to six years behind bars on charges of “obstructing lawful professional journalistic activities.”

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/05/ ... ime-a65752

"State-run", that helps.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Wed May 29, 2019 2:31 am

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Wed May 29, 2019 10:28 am

In post Soviet Russia, mounted police ride each other.

sparks · Post by **sparks** » Wed May 29, 2019 9:46 pm

They really love their jobs!

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu May 30, 2019 4:01 am

Bruce wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2019 10:28 am In post Soviet Russia, mounted police ride each other.

See, comrade, now we can eat the horses.

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Thu May 30, 2019 9:47 am

One of the few things I kinda find charming about Soviet Russia is how people call each other "comrade". Do they still do that in Russia or was that just a communist thing?

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat Jun 01, 2019 2:07 am

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sun Jun 02, 2019 2:59 am

Not Russia, but nearby:

In times of trouble, the Georgian government turns to Mother Mary

With a new state religious holiday, the ruling party is following a well-established pattern in Georgian politics by kowtowing to the church.

Legend has it that after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Virgin Mary and the disciples drew lots in Jerusalem to pick the lands where they would spread the word of Christ. Mary drew Georgia. And although she never visited the country, the connection has become deeply woven into Georgia’s national narrative.

Poets, writers and singers across the centuries have beseeched Mother Mary to “spread the hem of her dress,” as a widely used phrase puts it, over Georgia to protect her lot. The trope is used heavily today both in church sermons and toasts at the dinner table. Some, especially younger people, even ironically use “the Lot” (წილხვედრი, Tsilkhvedri) as a nickname for Georgia, as in, “I’m back in the Lot next week.”

Now the special relationship between Mary and Georgia has been inscribed into law, as the government this month established a state holiday marking the Virgin’s selection of Georgia. The bill, floated by the church and made law by parliament on May 8, is seen in many quarters as yet more pandering to the devout – further blurring the line between church and state.

“It is important that we officially make Georgia a country allotted to Mother Mary,” said Sopo Kiladze, a member of the ruling Georgian Dream and the chair of the parliament’s Human Rights Committee, as she announced the amendment to the nation’s labor code.

[…]

The government also allotted upwards of $300,000 on celebrations to be repeated annually on May 12; for this year’s inaugural celebrations the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture ordered that 200,000 icons and 200,000 leaflets be produced.

https://eurasianet.org/in-times-of-trou ... other-mary

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Jun 13, 2019 3:00 am

Russian police detain more than 500 at protest over journalist

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained more than 500 people, including opposition politician Alexei Navalny, at a protest in Moscow on Wednesday calling for punishment for police officers involved in the alleged framing of a journalist.

Police abruptly dropped drug charges a day earlier against investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, a rare U-turn by the authorities in the face of anger from his supporters who said he was targeted over his reporting.

Golunov, 36, known for exposing corruption among Moscow city officials, was detained by police last Thursday and accused of dealing drugs, an allegation he denied.

The crude way supporters said Golunov was set up and detained triggered an unusual show of media unity and an uncharacteristically swift reversal from authorities nervous about social unrest at a time when President Vladimir Putin already faces disquiet over living standards.

The authorities had hoped freeing Golunov and promising punishment for those who allegedly framed him would appease his supporters, but they decided to go ahead with a protest on Wednesday, a public holiday in Russia, regardless.

Reuters witnesses said well over 1,000 people marched through central Moscow, chanting "Russia will be free", "Russia without Putin" and "Down with the Tsar" as police warned them not to break the law and blocked access to certain streets.

Some of the protesters wore white T-shirts saying "I am/We are Ivan Golunov," the same slogan as a front page headline carried by Russia's three leading daily newspapers on Monday.

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/ ... reddit.com

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:35 pm

https://www.reddit.com/r/sports/comment ... troducing/
https://www.reddit.com/r/sports/comment ... troducing/

It's being pushed by Russia Today, so apparently government-approved.

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Fri Jun 14, 2019 7:43 am

How can you question a country whose planes do not crash and whose reactors do not explode?!

--J.D.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:34 am

Russian internet giant Yandex takes rare stand against state snooping

The primacy of Russia’s security state is beginning to crimp the global growth of the country’s information technology sector. That could foretell hard choices for the government over what it will prioritize.

In early June, when the FSB security agency gave Russian internet giant Yandex 10 days to surrender the encryption keys for its main services, the company appeared to balk. That is highly unusual in the security state that is Russia.

Under Russian law, internet companies have to provide access to state security services upon request, but Yandex said the keys that the FSB sought were a step too far, granting more than the law requires. In a further unusual step, a deputy prime minister backed Yandex publicly, arguing that the tech company – Russia's largest – must be protected. The debate highlights the tension between traditional security demands and the hopes of at least some state officials that Russia’s most important global company should not be hobbled by credibility-wrecking collaboration with secret services.

“The security services want more levers of control, and Yandex is going to be saddled with more obligations,” says Sarkis Darbinyan, who works for a digital media watchdog. “Many people are going to decide that Yandex can no longer be a safe service for the exchange of personal or comparative information. Users will leave.”

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/ ... e-snooping

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Mon Jun 24, 2019 2:11 am

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Wed Jun 26, 2019 3:17 am

Witness wrote: ↑Mon Jun 24, 2019 2:11 am

There's a window behind the rug?

You can also see the shadow of the drone that took the picture.

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Jun 27, 2019 12:47 am

↑ There seems to be an opening visible behind the chair (which also appears secured with a rope). The carpet masks the rest.

I didn't notice the drone's shadow: well spotted!

Re. carpets on the wall, that's a kind of Russian obsession:

https://weirdrussia.com/2014/05/13/rugs ... obsession/ with many more pics – click at your own risk.

But then I too have a carpet on a wall (Kurdish)!

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Sat Jun 29, 2019 3:33 am

Russian shadows on the road:

Witness · Post by **Witness** » Thu Jul 11, 2019 2:18 am