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Ultimately, the Russian mob is just another faction Putin balances against the other players in Russian society. The idea is to set them at each other's throats so they don't come at Putin individually or collectively. This is pretty standard realpolitik in monarchies/dictatorships, but it's amusing to watch it in operation in Russia.
1 posted on 03/18/2022 9:16:12 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
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To: Zhang Fei

Maybe the Russian is ‘Woke’ like ours..


2 posted on 03/18/2022 9:17:38 PM PDT by CMailBag
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To: Zhang Fei

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Second_Chechen_War_assassinations

There’s a list of Russian generals killed after the Second Chechen War. The question is whether they were killed by Chechens or by Putin because they were getting too powerful. Note that Russia’s is ultimately an Oriental army. And by Oriental, I mean both the Near and Far East. In the Near East, Turkish generals ran the show. In Iraq, Egypt and Libya, officers removed the ruler and put themselves in charge.

In Oriental armies, soldiers view themselves as contenders for the throne. They are robotically obedient on their face, yet will move against their ruler when given the chance. Whereas Western armies are independent-minded on their face, yet robotically obedient in political terms, with no thought given to seizing power for themselves.


4 posted on 03/18/2022 9:25:00 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: Zhang Fei

I was reading Orlando Figes book on the 19th century Crimean war.

It is astonishing how similar the Russian forces today are to what they were then. In the 29th century their preferred enemy was the khanates to the south and east. When they faced western armies they were crushed.


5 posted on 03/18/2022 9:35:37 PM PDT by Cronos
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To: Zhang Fei

If true (and I concede that it sounds convincing) I marvel that Putin attacked Ukraine knowing what an abysmal Army he has.


6 posted on 03/18/2022 9:42:53 PM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: Zhang Fei

There is a case developing that the Ukes could fight off the Rukes and win, or at least get a pullback like what happened in Afghanistan.

But their country is already devastated.

Maybe they won’t be so reluctant to move forward on their MAP [Membership Action Plan] for NATO after this.


7 posted on 03/18/2022 9:47:06 PM PDT by Kevmo (Give back Ukes their Nukes https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4044080/posts)
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To: Zhang Fei

I do not buy any of it.

If Russia wants the Ukraine, they will take it.


9 posted on 03/18/2022 9:51:27 PM PDT by eyedigress (Trump is my President! )
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To: Zhang Fei
"thieves force literally any military including the ones managing the nuclear rockets to pay them tribute."

Disturbing if true
11 posted on 03/18/2022 10:01:23 PM PDT by indthkr
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To: Zhang Fei

Our awesome woke army is awesomely awesome said someone


14 posted on 03/18/2022 10:16:31 PM PDT by algore
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To: Zhang Fei

This quagmire might bring down their whole corrupt system.

I hope that somebody is planning to help shape its replacement toward better Governance, because left to themselves, there seem to be no healthy Russian organizations capable being responsible stewards.


17 posted on 03/18/2022 10:24:45 PM PDT by BeauBo
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To: Zhang Fei

Lol

This one needs an academy award for propaganda

A little statue of Goebbels


20 posted on 03/18/2022 10:57:20 PM PDT by wardaddy (Free Republic has gone insane but it's fun)
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To: Zhang Fei

“Notwithstanding with its warlike image” and its wildly inaccurate accounting of Russian forces.

Russian Ground Forces number 280,000 active troops, not 850,000.
*Airborne = 45,000
*Spetsnaz = 20,000
Aerospace -VKF forces = 165,000
Navy = 160,000
Strategic Forces = 50,000
*other sources fold these two into the total of RGF for the 280,000 number. As a footnote, apparently there is even a lot of confusion within the Russian General Staff about the numbers
https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/IF11603.pdf

Paramilitary Forces number around 6,000 not 250,0000
Russian navy consists of : 1 aircraft carrier (out of service and unlikely to sail again), 2 battle cruisers, 3 cruisers, 10 destroyers, 11 frigates, 81-83 corvettes, 21 landing ship tanks, 38 landing craft, 15 special-purpose ships, 3 patrol ships, 42 patrol boats, 49 mine countermeasures vessels, 12 special-purpose submarines, 58 active ballistic missile/cruise missile and attack submarines for a total of 348 vessels some of which are in the Black Sea

Many of the tracked vehicles listed are unserviced rusting hulks especially high maintenance tanks, many of which are antique T-64s.

The wild inaccuracies continue with all categories


38 posted on 03/19/2022 4:23:52 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: Zhang Fei

btt


41 posted on 03/19/2022 4:41:57 AM PDT by dennisw
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To: Zhang Fei

If we had functional intelligence agencies we’d know these things.

Maybe it’s just Russian collision.


42 posted on 03/19/2022 4:52:27 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: Zhang Fei

Thanks for taking the time to do all that copy and paste .... I went to the original twitter too :) Very interesting take on things. Russia as a thug/gangster/crook run nation.


43 posted on 03/19/2022 5:09:08 AM PDT by dennisw
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To: Zhang Fei

Thanks! More informative than what is in our media (shocked face)!


47 posted on 03/19/2022 6:32:20 AM PDT by SES1066 (More & more it looks like Brandon's best decision was Kamala! UGH!)
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To: Zhang Fei

There is a lot of blather describing the problem but the root cause can be summed up in only one word.......... corruption

Corruption has prevented Mother Russia from enjoying good health simply every thing, all aspects of vitality, are sucked off by corruption.

The same condition prevails in the American City States where democrat corruption, especially Black corruption, is now the prevailing political order. American corruption is the cancer rotting the hearts of what were once great cities.


49 posted on 03/19/2022 7:29:48 AM PDT by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Promoting Afro Heritage diversity will destroy the democrats)
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To: Zhang Fei
1) Russia will learn from its mistakes.
2) The U.S. will ignore the lesson that corruption undermines institutions.
50 posted on 03/19/2022 7:33:28 AM PDT by TimSkalaBim
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To: Zhang Fei

From what I know of Russian society, this missive reads true.


59 posted on 03/19/2022 12:43:56 PM PDT by Lazamataz (The forces of fascism and oppression are on the move in North America. We cannot let tyranny stand!)
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To: Zhang Fei

Interesting, especially since our government is now essentially a crime syndicate as well, and the military is being suborned as a threat to the oligarchy.


61 posted on 03/19/2022 1:27:12 PM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: Zhang Fei

The Soviet army last fought in Afghanistan and got its collective butts kicked. The last war they really fought was WWII. They raped their way across Hitler’s Germany, both tearing the countryside down, looting and burning and physically raping any and all females, ages born to 90. The Nazi’s looted and burned Russia first and it was payback, but the raping of young girls under age 12 and even very old women in their 80-90s BS. They fell apart when the old Soviet Union fell apart. Everybody went gangster. The military was very good for a couple of decades and was poorly funded and staffed. Not surprised they have not fared well and have high casualties. If we had had this type of results when we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, our country would have hanged our generals and DOD leadership for allowing such to happen. Whatever the Commies casualty list numbers are, dead and wounded, they are way too high for a supposedly top military in the world. Maybe Puke-tin is holding back his best troops for the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel to get their gas and oil shortly.


62 posted on 03/19/2022 1:28:02 PM PDT by RetiredArmy (Free Will. GOD gives you the choice I accept or reject Him! Choose Him. It depends on you.)
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