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From the Tsars to the Bolsheviks, Putin is just the latest incarnation of Russia's lust to dominate its borderlands with bloodshed: War historian ANTONY BEEVOR on why the horror in Ukraine was all too predictable
Daily Mail ^ | 5.14.2022 | Antony Beevor

Posted on 05/14/2022 3:42:11 PM PDT by libh8er

No country is as much a prisoner of its past as Russia. And no leader has become as much a victim of his own obsessive lies as Vladimir Putin. But where did this tragedy for the Russian people as well as Ukraine begin? And why did we not see this coming after the unspeakable brutality of Putin's conduct of war in Chechnya and Syria, deliberately using barrel bombs and nerve gas against civilian populations?

I certainly cannot claim to be one of the very few who had foreseen Putin's reckless gamble of invading Ukraine. I also underestimated the lingering resentment against the West among the majority of largely older Russians who get all their news from Kremlin-controlled media.

Putin is famous for his pronouncement that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geo-political disaster of the 20th Century. This was backed by a widespread conviction in Russia that the Cold War had been lost through a dirty trick after the US under Ronald Reagan deliberately outspent them on armaments.

The consequence of that collapse was war veterans and widows begging in the Metro, after their pensions became worth less than £4 a week.

Mikhail Gorbachev was blamed bitterly, partly because of the rapturous welcome he had received in the West, but also for his wife Raisa's conspicuous spending on their trips. In the Russian Ministry of Defence archives at Podolsk, my researcher and I overheard a conversation between cleaning women viciously welcoming the news that Mrs Gorbachev she had cancer. 'I hope she dies in agony', said one. 'It would serve them right'.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History; Politics
KEYWORDS: antonybeevor; putin; russia; tsars; ukraine
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To: saintgermaine

As I said… Russia is not the threat. The Democrats are the threat to everything you hold dear if you live here.


21 posted on 05/14/2022 4:22:31 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.She was, indeed, a hottie… Rest in peace, Joanne.)
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To: NFHale

obama aka soetero mocked romney and said the cold war was over when romney brought up russia. The media laughed with obama and mocked romeny. Now the obama/biden regime and the MSM say Russia is the biggest danger in the world (not china). Don’t ask any questions. Just belive what the tv says and don’t ask any questions. The DNC thanks you for your cooperation.


22 posted on 05/14/2022 4:26:36 PM PDT by imabadboy99
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To: imabadboy99

The Democrats loved Russia when they were the douche bag communist Soviet union. Pretty much the same way they love communist douche bag China right now.

Reiterate: the Democrats are the threat to this country, nothing and no one else.


23 posted on 05/14/2022 4:29:40 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.She was, indeed, a hottie… Rest in peace, Joanne.)
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To: ought-six
Are you talking about the old motorist book? I’d heard of it, many years ago; but have never read it.

Those are the Other "Green Books".

If you'd ever seen them, you'd know The Green Books.

They take up an impressive swath of a normal library book stack.


24 posted on 05/14/2022 4:30:45 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: NFHale

I agree, the sad part is that Russia has been trying to get away from communism as well as radical socialism and leave their past behind as they found it did not work. On the other hand the US has been doing everything in their power to embrace this crap. Oh well, time will tell.


25 posted on 05/14/2022 4:32:31 PM PDT by saintgermaine (Saintgermain the time traveler)
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To: libh8er

Two powerful Empires want the Ukraine to be their own.

The Russian Empire and the EU’s Fourth Reich.

Let them fight for it. The USA needs to walk away from the Urkaine as fast as possible.


26 posted on 05/14/2022 4:32:35 PM PDT by BenLurkin ((The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.))
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To: Chad C. Mulligan

There’s a lot of Mongol blood in Russians. It shows.

‘Orc ‘is associated with the various hoards of Mongol invaders, as well as LOTR evil villains ...


27 posted on 05/14/2022 4:35:55 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: saintgermaine

Re “ Russia has been trying to get away from communism as well as radical socialism…”

And now you know why the Democrats hate them.


28 posted on 05/14/2022 4:38:31 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.She was, indeed, a hottie… Rest in peace, Joanne.)
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To: NFHale

I’m with you. And as Porter Waggoner says, If I gotta go. I will go down swinging.


29 posted on 05/14/2022 4:45:06 PM PDT by sport
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To: ought-six
Behold:

https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/collect/usaww2.html

All of the titles in the U.S. Army in World War II series (the Army's official history of World War II - commonly referred to as the "Green Books") are listed in the following sections.

The War Department

The Army Ground Forces

The Army Service Forces

The Western Hemisphere

The War in the Pacific

The Mediterranean Theater of Operations

The European Theater of Operations

The Middle East Theater

The China-Burma-India Theater

The Technical Services

Special Studies

Pictorial Record

CMH coin

30 posted on 05/14/2022 4:47:44 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: libh8er

Emotional headline from a fake news source


31 posted on 05/14/2022 4:48:00 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (Fraud vitiates everything.)
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To: ought-six

downloadable in PDF.


32 posted on 05/14/2022 4:48:32 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: ought-six

I am looking forward to his next book too. May use it for my RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR class next winter.


33 posted on 05/14/2022 4:51:20 PM PDT by bravo whiskey (Annie Savoy : The world is made for people who aren't cursed with self awareness. )
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To: kiryandil

Oh, THOSE “Green” books. I’ve read some that were part of the US Army series, including the one about the breakout from Normandy (”Breakout”) and the one about Stilwell in China. They weren’t “Green,” as the original series was, but were later productions.

Do you have the original “Green” series? You have a great treasure if you do.


34 posted on 05/14/2022 5:06:38 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: kiryandil

Oh, man: You have the full series? I envy you!


35 posted on 05/14/2022 5:12:49 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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To: NFHale
Russia is not the threat. Democrats are the threat. Lather, rinse, repeat…

No. They're both threats. Russia is particularly a threat when the US has an illegitimate, corrupt and utterly incompetent regime like it has now.

If Trump had remained in office, there would have been no Ukraine war.

36 posted on 05/14/2022 5:20:39 PM PDT by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens" )
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To: pierrem15

Russia didn’t lock us down; Democrats did.

Russia didn’t force People to either take a questionable injection, or lose their jobs… Democrats did.

Russia didn’t threaten people with jail and loss of livelihood if they didn’t comply and obey… Democrats did.

Russia didn’t in prison Americans for peaceful protest and just being at the January 6 capital protest… Democrats did.

You believe what you want. I believe what’s in front of my face. No offense.


37 posted on 05/14/2022 5:23:09 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.She was, indeed, a hottie… Rest in peace, Joanne.)
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To: ought-six

You, too, can have it: just download the PDFs. They’re free of charge.


38 posted on 05/14/2022 5:27:02 PM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: pierrem15

And as an add on to my last comments… Russia isn’t intentionally destroying our economy… The Democrats are.

Russia isn’t causing our gas prices to go damn near five dollars a gallon… The Democrats are.

Russia isn’t intentionally causing food shortages in this country… A country that’s never known food shortages… The Democrats are.

I’m quite certain who the real enemy is.


39 posted on 05/14/2022 5:28:17 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.She was, indeed, a hottie… Rest in peace, Joanne.)
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To: kiryandil

“You, too, can have it: just download the PDFs. They’re free of charge.”

I doubt my computer can handle that. You’re talking about downloading...what? 75 books?


40 posted on 05/14/2022 5:31:01 PM PDT by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule. )
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