Posted on 10/13/2022 7:03:08 AM PDT by Salohcin
One of the by-products of the Ukraine war has been the emergence of the online “Z-Universe," an enormous network of websites and social media accounts named after a popular pro-war symbol. It is most active on Telegram, which, unlike Twitter and Facebook, is not banned in Russia. All its participants spread pro-Kremlin and anti-Ukrainian propaganda, publishing information that may or may not be true, but which legitimizes the war and the killing of Ukrainians.
The Z-Universe seems chaotic, but it is actually very complex — and hierarchical. At the top are politicians and Kremlin officials, such as former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. On the next level are governors and warlords, such as the head of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, or the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. Below them are the heads of the state media outlets and talk-show hosts. Even lower still is the layer of "analysts" and war correspondents. At the very bottom is an army of trolls. Their Telegram channels have tens of thousands of subscribers, but most of them are bots.
In the first days of September, during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, the Z-Universe went into a state of shock. Not so long ago, in the virtual world, the Russian army was the "second best army in the world" and could take any European capital if it tried hard enough. But, suddenly, the Russian army couldn’t even hold some mid-sized Ukrainian towns.
The first reaction was denial. On Sept. 9, when the Russian army was fleeing the town of Izyum, war correspondent Alexander Kots was still doing what he had been doing throughout the war: providing disinformation. He happily published videos of paratroopers landing from helicopters and promised everyone that Izyum would never fall. Three days later, Kots was writing from another location dozens of kilometers from Izyum.
"Balakleya, Kupyansk, and Izyum have surrendered. We are withdrawing from most of the Kharkiv region. This is a military disaster," wrote the Zastavny Telegram channel. "I cannot explain what is happening now on the Izyum front. But there is only one option: tomorrow all those responsible for the failure of the front will be arrested for high treason," wrote Telegram channel Zhivov.
The blast on the Crimean Bridge further lowered the morale of the Z-Universe: "It is no longer clear who is leading the special operation: is it still Russia or is it already Ukraine?" wrote one channel.
After that, it was time for a reckoning. Kadyrov accused the commander of the Russian Armed Forces in eastern Ukraine, Alexander Lapin, of incompetence and the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, of nepotism. Kadyrov wrote: "Lapin is useless.... If it were up to me, I would demote Lapin to private, strip him of his medals and send him to the front to wash away his shame with a machine gun."
Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of mercenary group Wagner, echoed Kadyrov: "All these bastards ought to be sent to the front barefoot with just a submachine gun.”
Such trenchant public criticism of government officials is highly unusual in today's Russia. However, it’s worth remembering that none of these people are expressing their personal opinions. They all have a patron at the top of the Kremlin hierarchy. The patron of both Kadyrov and Prigozhin is widely considered to be the head of the Russian National Guard, Viktor Zolotov.
Zolotov has apparently decided to use the army's failures to weaken the position of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who had been pegged to be Putin's successor before the war.
Unexpectedly, it appears some Kremlin officials also joined the attack on Shoigu. The rumor is that anonymous Telegram channel Nezygar expresses the views of the presidential administration. "The direct clients and mediators of the process who are in Washington and London have managed to drag Russia into a full-scale direct military conflict with Ukraine and an indirect one with the NATO bloc," Nezygar wrote recently.
All these maneuvers were successful. General Lapin remained in his post, but General Sergei Surovikin was appointed over his head to command all the military operations in Ukraine. Kadyrov was promoted to colonel general, equal in rank to Lapin.
Enter Igor Strelkov, a retired FSB colonel and l'enfant terrible of the Z-Universe. In 2014, Strelkov led rebel gunmen to seize power in Donetsk, then became the defense minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic, fought without much success and was replaced by regular Russian army officers.
Since then, Strelkov has constantly criticized Russia’s military commanders. From the first day of the war, he has been calling for a general mobilization, “information mobilization“— that is, patriotic hysteria — and subserving the economy to the needs of the military. He has called the Russian military command “idiots” and dubbed Shoigu a "Cardboard Marshal." It’s believed Strelkov is a spokesman for the FSB leadership and nationalist army officers.
None of the siloviki — the Defense Ministry, the FSB, the Russian National Guard — have their eye on the Kremlin throne for themselves. They are competing for influence over Putin. However, as journalist Yulia Latynina has pointed out, "the battle being fought is for Shoigu's position, not for Putin's throne. But whoever becomes Shoigu's successor will also become Putin's successor.”
Of course, it is difficult to fully understand what is going on in and around the Kremlin, even by analyzing the signals from the Z-Universe. What is clear, however, is that military failures have fueled a power struggle.
All this points to what historian Timothy Snyder considers the most likely end to the war. Though events are unlikely to lead to civil war and armed clashes inside Russia, the logic of a serious power struggle will force major players to pull as many combat-ready units out of Ukraine as possible and bring them closer to home.
In Kadyrov's case, this is Chechnya; while the other clans will need to bring their armies closer to Moscow. After that, the war will end on its own.
As Snyder points out: "This, of course, would be a very good thing, for Ukraine and for the world.”
Victor Davidoff is a Soviet dissident and independent journalist, author of "The Ninth Circle" (Moscow, 2021), a study of the abuse of psychiatry for political purposes in the USSR.
Lotta Zbots here.
Aligned with North Korea, Venezuela, Nicaragua, etc.
I came across this youtube video of a leftist. I have to admit he is consistant.
Bottom line: He is against wars. And is against the oppressors, no matter who the oppressor is.
1. Against US invading Iraq
2. Against US invading Afghanistan
3. Against Russia invading Ukraine
In all three cases he sees the attacker as the oppressor.
Not sure I agree with his POV but at least he is consistent.
So this would explain why the left is supporting Ukraine. Russia is scene as the oppressor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkJemDU2T1M
Sadly, DC neocon warmongers have embroiled the USA in another expensive and destructive war
I can’t wait for the Z-Universe action figure Happy Meal toys!
So those who defend against invasions are “warmongers”. Nice try troll.
Just waiting for Kazan to cut-n-paste a diatribe as to why this Russian author is actually a Ukie Nazi collaborator that abuses children in his off hours.
Those who start wars by conducting coups in countries where we have no strategic interest, and then feed weapons into that country are indeed "warmongers."
Give Ukraine some credit. They conducted their own ousting of a traitorous SOB. Go talk to Klitschko about it. You’re the warmonger because you cover for the invader with the invader’s talking points and lies.
Sure, and Trump was and is a Russian Agent! We’ve got the Dossier, pee-tapes and the alpha-bank server to prove it!
In China, you people are called “wu mao’s” - 50 centers. You get paid 50 cents per post, by your controllers in the state security agency
All that publicity about the St. Petersburg, Russia troll farm and the best you trolls can do is accuse us of being paid? Ha! I work over 40 hours per week at Auburn University. I, and other pro-freedom for Ukraine people counter the troll farms for free. We aren’t paid. Your side has famous troll farms where the lies run thick. Glory to Ukraine !!!
But on the other hand, the left can attack, and "oppress" anybody they wish, and its OK. Because they're the great and all powerful savior of freedom and democracy.. Is that it.?
Oh the irony, hypocrisy, and all that kind of rot...
Oh sure, they are hypocits for sure. But their simplistic
approach of someone is always oppressed and someone is always the oppressor would explain the support for Ukraine.
And on this side we have a simplistic always non-intervene attitude by some.
Its a lot easier on the mind to pigeon hole every issue into something easy to understand and that supports your world view because to understand the particulars and nuance is too hard and may take you where you dont want to go in terms of your POV.
Generally speaking, "the left" has been opposed to war's except when the interests of communism are at stake.
For example, in WWII, the left opposed US entry until Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, then overnight they were all in for war.
US Democrats have a history of supporting us getting into wars, but then soon turning against a war that doesn’t go well -- Vietnam, Iraq & Afghanistan come to mind.
The conservative idea has always been, don't go to war unless there's no other choice, and don't go to war without a full commitment, including Congressional authorization, to do what's needed to win.
Since 2014, Ukraine has received support from Presidents Obama,Trump and Biden.
The flood of propaganda and disinformation about Russia and what is going on in Ukraine is not likely to abate in the near term. In fact, Biden and his team appear to be doubling down on spreading outlandish falsehoods. Here is Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s latest ravings:
US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin on Wednesday hailed Ukraine’s “extraordinary gains on the battlefield”, which he attributed in part to “vital” support from Nato allies, including billions of dollars in military aid, along with humanitarian and financial assistance.
“Despite Putin’s new assaults, Ukrainian forces have changed the dynamics of this war,” Mr Austin said at a two-day meeting of Nato defence ministers at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
“They’ve liberated hundreds of towns from Russian occupation. They’ve retaken thousands of square kilometres of their land,” said Mr Austin, who headed a US-led Ukraine defence contact group meeting.
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/europe/2022/10/12/lloyd-austin-hails-nato-supported-military-gains-in-ukraine/
Does Austin consider Ukraine’s failure to stop Russia’s missile bombardment of the last two days an “extraordinary gain” by the Ukrainians? As long as this kind of delusion infests Western leaders, the slaughter of Ukrainians will continue. If you encounter someone who insists that lies like these cause no lasting harm, you should arrange a trip for that person to the graveyards filling up throughout Ukraine.
“...You’re shilling for free.....
Who are the smart ones, again?”
Hhhemmmmm, I guess you have a point.
Ah, the “Z-Universe” at work. What would we do without Kazan’s cut-and-paste propaganda posts? You pasted this into seven threads, wasn’t once enough to make your point?
So are you saying that Ukraine hasn’t liberated hundreds of towns and retaken much its territory from Russian occupation? It seems to me you are the one who is delusional.
Those are the 3 most important words with any foreign policy related to Russia. Drill baby drill.
Energy is always part of the calculus.
If you think Russia is always stirring up Muslims to hate the west so that the U.S. and Europe won't be too buddy-buddy with the energy rich middle east? Drill baby drill.
If you think Russia has a point to worry about NATO getting too buddy buddy with Russia's neighbors that Russia was recently very oppressive toward? Drill baby drill
If you think Russia sabotaged Nordstream? Drill baby drill
If you think someone else sabotaged Nordstream? Drill baby drill
If you don't like Russia threating to use tactical nukes against Ukraine? Drill baby drill
If you think Russia and China are getting too buddy buddy? Drill baby drill
Nothing about Russia or Ukraine or the middle east or China is as important as drill baby drill. Get the drill baby drill working first. Energy is always the main ingredient in foreign policy.
“Russia is scene [sic] as the aggressor”
Wow, what a remarkable insight. The nation that invaded the sovereign territory of a neighbor, despite having PLEDGED to defend the neighbor’s sovereignty, is viewed as an aggressor.
Truly a remarkable sentence, sir. I applaud your wordcraft.
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