Image is of President Vladimir Putin, with his cook Prigozhin, though he is more famous for other things.

I’m assuming we all know what a “Russia” and a “Putin” is, so I’m skipping the background section.

On March 15th, Putin handily won the presidential election. This is perhaps one of the least surprising things to happen in the last couple years, and all claims and debates about electoral corruption are missing the point (in this particular election at least). The reason why Putin won is not fascist brainwashing or Putin having a high Persuasion/Intimidation DC, and it’s not even really about the laws that make opposing the Ukraine War illegal. Wages are up significantly, unemployment is at record lows (for the post-USSR period, of course), as is poverty, and the ruble is about as stable as it could be given what the West has tried to do to it. The government has been forced to massively intervene in the economy to keep things afloat, buying up properties that have been ditched by foreign and domestic billionaires, though obviously Russia’s wealthy are still plenty powerful. Inflation is up, but wages are comfortably outpacing it. And the Communist Party remains a relic of a bygone era, disconnected from the young people who might hypothetically propel a revolution.

Russia is still in the transition from switching to a Western-oriented export economy to an Eastern-oriented one. Nonetheless, Russia is now China’s single largest oil supplier (unseating Saudi Arabia), delivering half of all their oil to China, and trade between the two countries has massively increased. Where Western brands have retreated from Russia (and not many actually have), more Russia-friendly corporations, and Russian businesses themselves, have filled the gaps.

By going through the news, I’ve seen a lot of economies that are not doing well at all. Most countries seem to be in that category. Either they have general growth but a deeply struggling populace, or the government is trying to keep the population afloat but running up huge debts in the process, or the government is failing on both counts. Russia is one of the few countries on the planet that I can confidently state is actually doing quite well objectively, which means it’s doing extremely well relatively. Considering the Western economists regularly delivering portents of doom in early 2022, and salivating over how they were going to divide the country following the inevitable economic collapse, this is a hilarious state of affairs.

In the long term, their predictions may come true. It is entirely possible that a post-war Russia will slump, returning to neoliberal policies and continuing their nonsensical allergy to budget deficits. Russia might not be a mere gas station, but a substantial amount of the economy is made up of fossil fuel exports, which might be troublesome in a greener future, especially as China, their main oil market, is one of the few countries on the planet that seems serious about renewable/nuclear energy. And the limited labour force means that long-term growth is inherently limited without some creative measures, even with the potential influx of whatever remains of the population and territory that Russia seizes in Ukraine. Perhaps it is in this crucible of disillusionment and hardship, after seeing that good things are indeed possible if the government wishes them to be so, that a socialist Russia could rise again. But we aren’t there yet, and the growth continues for now.

Much of this information is, again, from Michael Roberts. It seems like we’re both doing the same strategy of hopping from election to election.

Apologies for the lack of updates (again!), I’ve been going through book titles again for the reading list (I’ve probably got a thousand or more to get through) and also trying to touch grass more. I’m not very good at balancing things out, I tend to do the hyperfocus-on-one-thing-until-it’s-done approach.

The COTW (Country of the Week) label is designed to spur discussion and debate about a specific country every week in order to help the community gain greater understanding of the domestic situation of often-understudied nations. If you’ve wanted to talk about the country or share your experiences, but have never found a relevant place to do so, now is your chance! However, don’t worry - this is still a general news megathread where you can post about ongoing events from any country.

The Country of the Week is Russia! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.

The bulletins site is here!
The RSS feed is here.
Last week’s thread is here.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

If you have evidence of Israeli crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:

UNRWA daily-ish reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.

English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news (and has automated posting when the person running it goes to sleep).
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.

English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.

Various sources that are covering the Ukraine conflict are also covering the one in Palestine, like Rybar.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sources:

Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful. Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.

  • Al_Sham [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    78·
    3 months ago

    What the zionist monsters are doing to the Palestinians at al-Shifa hospital is incomprehensibly evil and deranged. https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/24/722398/Hamas-slams-shameful-intl--silence-on-Gaza’s-al-Shifa-Hospital-raid,-failure-to-stop-Zionists’-war-machine

    The primary weapon of the imperialists is psychological warfare and terrorism. In their eyes, the more extreme and publicly gruesome their crimes, the more likelihood they can force Hamas into surrender. As we can see the hasbara psywar narrative is already transforming into blaming the resistance for not accepting a “ceasefire” when the zionists are being so incomprehensible brutal. Blaming Russia and China for “stopping ceasefire.”

    These monstrous crimes will only get more extreme and more outrageous until the imperialists are militarily and economically forced to accept defeat.

    Whatever happened to the “historic icj decision” that everyone was so excited about? What a sick joke. A charade.

    What the heck is a “ceasefire” anyways in this war between the forces of liberation & justice and the forces of extermination???

      • Al_Sham [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        26·
        3 months ago

        For the past 8 hours at least, the Palestinian resistance has been aggressively striking zio-occupiers in the vicinity of al-Shifa. We may yet see a modern day liberation of a concentration camp. Note the time stamps on the reports are spread out throughout the morning and afternoon.

        Al-Quds Brigades: We bombed, with 60-caliber regular mortar shells, a gathering of enemy soldiers surrounding the Al-Shifa complex, west of Gaza. Shehab News

        Press sources: Violent clashes in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza Shehab news

        Urgent: Violent clashes between the resistance and the invading occupation forces near Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City Shehab News

        Fierce clashes have been ongoing between the resistance and Israeli occupation forces near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza for hours. Quds News Network

    • Xx_Aru_xX [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      23·
      3 months ago

      As we can see the hasbara psywar narrative is already transforming into blaming the resistance for not accepting a “ceasefire” when the zionists are being so incomprehensible brutal. Blaming Russia and China for “stopping ceasefire.”

      Should the resistance do something big to boost up the morale?

      • Al_Sham [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        30·
        3 months ago

        The resistance is winning which is precisely why the imperialists are so scared.

        Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah 2 Ramadan 1445/ 13 March 2024

        https://english.alahednews.com.lb/75656/614

        The war in Gaza is now in its sixth month and so are the battles on the support fronts in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq.

        Gaza is still resisting bravely and with tenacity. It is fighting; its resistance fighters, factions, as well as the men, women, and children are steadfast. Their steadfastness is the closest thing to a miracle. Despite the massive capabilities of the “Israeli” army and reserve forces, extensive American support, and their open bridge, “Israel” is still fighting after six months in Gaza, which has been besieged and encompasses 400 km2. It’s like a miracle. ‏

        The patience of the people, the Mujahideen, the women and children, astonished the world. It made many in the world wonder how these people think and what their culture is. It is the culture of the Qur’an. It is a culture of patience, trust, reckoning, and faith in God Almighty.

        In any case, what is happening today, especially in Gaza, is a great lesson for all of humanity. It is a divine argument for all the people of the world. In addition to the great sacrifices, we must always emphasize the great achievements recorded by Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and what followed October 7. These are strategic achievements that affect the existence of this entity, its survival, future, and capabilities. I will not repeat them since I mentioned them in previous speeches.

        Tactical issues aside, it is the strategic point of view that matters. Even the enemy’s senior experts acknowledge the strategic losses that I talked about in previous speeches and that were discussed by others.

        In the sixth month, [Benjamin] Netanyahu says that if we do not go to Rafah, we have lost the war. I tell him, even if you go to Rafah, you have lost the war. After five months of fighting, you are still unable to present an image of victory or achieve all the stated objectives.

        He has not achieved a single one of the stated objectives. A while ago, he was deeply mistaken when he began talking about absolute and complete victory. Many in the enemy entity argued with him and insisted that victory was unattainable. ‏

        Today, even the Americans, the Europeans, and some “Israelis”, are telling Netanyahu and the extremists, ‘You cannot eliminate the resistance in Gaza; you cannot eliminate Hamas and [the Islamic] Jihad; six months have passed and despite the massacres, you were unable to do so. If you hoped that the people of Gaza would surrender and raise white flags, they would have surrendered from the beginning.’

        In the face of the massacres, the destruction, the many martyrs and wounded, the losses, the siege, and hunger, the people of Gaza are still embracing the resistance. Despite the malicious role that some Arab satellite channels are playing in demotivating and dividing, in spreading sedition, and in asking wrong questions, they were not able to undermine the cohesion, solidness, and steadfastness in Gaza.

        I tell you, brothers, one of the signs of victory by the resistance and the defeat of the enemy was “Israel’s” primary objective – the elimination of Hamas. Then it went on a rampage destroying buildings before the eyes of the world and with the support of the US and Europe. Well, it’s been six months. Who are you negotiating with? Hamas. It’s the sixth month, and you are negotiating with Hamas.

        The Qataris and the Egyptians are negotiating on behalf or through mediation with the Americans and the “Israelis” and with Hamas. Hamas is negotiating on behalf of all the Palestinian factions. It’s negotiating on behalf of the entire resistance axis and all the resistance fronts.

        Today, the fact that Hamas is negotiating means that the resistance is strong, present, solid, in a position of victory, and in a position of strength. It is not negotiating from a position of weakness where it is agreeing or rejecting. Contrary to previous negotiations, it is refusing terms and setting conditions.

        • Greenleaf [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
          26·
          3 months ago

          I can see why our Arab and Arabic-speaking comrades have so much respect for Nasrallah. He is a very compelling speaker, I have really enjoyed reading what he has to say these last few months.

        • Xx_Aru_xX [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
          22·
          3 months ago

          Despite the malicious role that some Arab satellite channels are playing in demotivating and dividing, in spreading sedition, and in asking wrong questions

          so real of him

    • ziggurter [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      17·
      3 months ago

      Whatever happened to the “historic icj decision” that everyone was so excited about? What a sick joke. A charade.

      I’m assuming Israel just utterly ignored their 1-month deadline, and everyone just quietly decided to let it go? IDK. I keep wondering, but everyone’s apparently gone completely silent about it.

      Anyway, yeah: obviously it’s just for show. The propaganda value of having the ICJ call Israel genocidal is something we can (and could, if it went further) use. But it was obviously never going to persuade the empire to back down.