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Putin Has Tainted Russian Greatness
New York Times ^ | June 20, 2024, 5:02 a.m. ET | SERGE SCHMEMANN

Posted on 06/20/2024 6:56:33 AM PDT by Cronos

Many years ago, in the 1980s, I went to Brighton Beach, then in its heyday as a district of newly arrived Soviet Jews. It was a grand event, rich in humor and tinged with nostalgia. I asked a middle-aged partygoer for his thoughts on his lost homeland, and his reply has stayed with me: “I hate Russia, for forcing me to leave her.”

It was an apt summary of what waves of émigrés from Russia and the Soviet Union since the early 20th century have felt: a sorrowful sense of loss for a motherland — what Russians call “toska po rodine” — coupled with resentment at the autocratic powers that forced them out. My grandparents were among the “White” Russians who fled the Revolution and moved to Paris in the 1920s. A second wave of emigrants left in World War II. The third, Soviet Jews, started leaving in the 1970s. Vladimir Putin has now created another wave of people fleeing Russia, and many of them may still believe, as my forebears did, that they will one day return to the homeland.

Most probably will not.

It’s hard to say precisely where Russian exiles stand, politically or in their sense of attachment to Russia. The waves of emigrants differ widely one from another, and in the United States, they have not behaved like immigrants from Italy, China or Poland who formed hyphenated-American communities and organizations that have persisted over generations. Russians immigrants to America have, by comparison, melded quickly into the general population.

...That is the tragic irony of Mr. Putin’s war. His attempt to “restore Russian greatness” through violence and hatred has tainted Russia’s real greatness for years to come, just as his attempt to quash Ukrainian nationhood has steeled its foundations.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: newyorkslimes; nohehasnt; sergeschmemann; theslimes; zeeperporn
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To: Cronos

When Putin was elected in Russia, how many times?, he reversed the trend where the West was buying up Russia like they succeeded in doing in Ukraine. Ukraine has sold it’s economically viable resources to Arm itself and enrich the globalists.

Let’s try this article on Obama or Biden with the same talking points.

Clinton, Bill in Bosina/Serbia....

Clinton, Hillary killed Kaddafi in Lybia....

Iraq, Afghanistan and dozen interventions by the US yet Russia is the boogie man, and the US is being the Great Satan under Obama/Biden.


41 posted on 06/20/2024 8:12:36 AM PDT by Jumper
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To: Brian Griffin
Putin demanded the anti-ethnic Russian efforts in Ukraine be ended. They were not. Putin launched a Special Miliary Operation for the same reason Eisenhower sent in troops to Little Rock back in 1957 to protect black Arkansas students.

1. Eisenhower did not send any military forces into a foreign sovereign country.

2. Eisenhower did not fire-bomb civilian centers in Arkansas.

3. Eisenhower did not annex vast swathes of Arkansas.

But other than that, your comparison is totally valid!

Regards,

42 posted on 06/20/2024 8:13:10 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Cronos
Wrong. Biden, neocons and idiots like Andrzej Duda have set the West on a path to self-destruction by waging a proxy with Russia.

Everything that has happened in Ukraine for 10 years has been result of our meddling in that country -- we fomented an illegal coup that setoff a civil war. NATO leaders thwarted peace at every turn, including the Minsk Accords, which would have ended the civil war and prevented the current war.

Duda and another moron, Kaja Kallas, just admitted what the 2019 RAND report revealed -- that goal was to break Russia up into six different countries so the West could vulture its resources.

This insanity has us closer to WW III and nuclear war than we ever were during the Cold War.

If you want to fight the Russia, get to the frontlines.

43 posted on 06/20/2024 8:18:15 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: Cronos
2. Russia has bordered NATO countries since 1999

The Soviet Union (and later, Russia) bordered at least one NATO country (Norway) since the inception of NATO (in 1949). Since 1952 (when Turkey acceded), it has always bordered at least two NATO countries.

Of course, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the number of NATO countries Russia has bordered has been steadily increasing.

Regards,

44 posted on 06/20/2024 8:19:06 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Cronos

Taking land is not Russia’s daily tactical objective in this war. It is to kill the Ukrainian military. Russia has stated this in the Duma and in the press numerous times. Americans and the Western countries only think of taking land as the source of winning in a conflict. Today, the EU, US and NATO is watching in horror as Russia puts the finishing touches on destroying the remaining 380,000 Ukrainian military. The Russia upped their Kill Targers from 800-1600 a day to double only four weeks about. They are making their kill shots of the Ukrainian military count.

As Ukraine surges into pre-planned Russian Artillery and Kill Boxs, it only makes Russia’s job easier.

When the bottom falls out of this in the next 3-6 weeks, all those Western Ideas of Victory, e.g., Land Captured will come shocking fast and easy - simply because Ukraine surged to the front leaving nothing in reserve.

De Furher II Zelenski has been outside Ukraine since he departed immediately after 21 May when he was considered illegimate by half the world. When will the little green vampire return to Ukraine? Is he a coward who hides in the West?

Ukraine will be settled, for all intents and purposes by October. Russia gave them a chance to negotiate. Now Washington will have to settle for a battlefield loss.


45 posted on 06/20/2024 8:22:17 AM PDT by Jumper
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To: Cronos
Putin is defending his country against the proxy war that has been waged against. He, justifiably, has the overwhelming support for the Russian people.

The Russians knew that this proxy war is a war for Russia's survival.

All you and liars at the New York Times have got are lies and false narratives.

Russia did not have to be our enemy. We made the Russians our enemy. Most of the world knows. Even a huge percentage of US and Western citizens know it. And, we'd sick of it and don't want a world or nuclear war.

It's past time to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine isn't getting an inch of territory back nor will Russia accept it being part of NATO or military threat.

46 posted on 06/20/2024 8:24:10 AM PDT by Kazan
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To: alexander_busek

“Putin demanded the anti-ethnic Russian efforts in Ukraine be ended.”

I still believe that to be true.

“They were not.”

I still believe that to be true.

“Putin launched a Special Miliary Operation for the same reason Eisenhower sent in troops to Little Rock back in 1957 to protect black Arkansas students.”

Putin’s methodology was radically different as you have made clear, but my statement is “...for the same reason...”.

My “Little Rock” statement left out a lot of what is significant.

I linked to a Wikipedia article giving additional reasons in a following post.


47 posted on 06/20/2024 8:27:05 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Brian Griffin

Putin launched a Special Miliary Operation for the same reason Eisenhower sent in troops to Little Rock back in 1957 to protect black Arkansas students.


No, it would be as if Eisenhower sent troops into Quebec to protect English-speaking American students. Not quite the same thing.

But the resentment of Ukrainians towards ethnic Russians is, no doubt quite real. There is a lot of recent bad blood in that part of the world.


48 posted on 06/20/2024 8:27:17 AM PDT by hanamizu ( )
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To: Brian Griffin
Putin’s methodology was radically different as you have made clear, but my statement is “...for the same reason...”.

The addendum "for the same reason" invalidates the entire statement.

Like saying, "I shampoo my Golden Retriever for the same reason Hitler invaded Poland."

Unless the circumstances are similar, a comparison based upon "same reason" is odious.

Regards,

49 posted on 06/20/2024 8:35:06 AM PDT by alexander_busek (Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
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To: Cronos

50 posted on 06/20/2024 8:37:19 AM PDT by McGruff (Don't underestimate Joe's ability to f*** things up - Barack Obama)
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To: Cronos

Another dimwit willing to fight to the last Ukrainian.


51 posted on 06/20/2024 8:45:34 AM PDT by zek157 ( )
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To: Brian Griffin

They will ignore all that and put the Nuland spin on events


52 posted on 06/20/2024 8:48:22 AM PDT by wardaddy (. A disease in the public mind we're enduring…Alina Habba is fine as grits I'd drink her bathwater)
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To: Cronos

“These ethnic Russians often hold down prime jobs.”

“not in any significant way this century - it was heavy in the 1990s”

In just a few short years most of the ethnic Russians holding prime jobs just freely decided to retire?


53 posted on 06/20/2024 8:56:14 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: alexander_busek

What country are you from?


54 posted on 06/20/2024 9:01:48 AM PDT by JonPreston ( ✌ ☮️ )
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To: alexander_busek

“I shampoo my Golden Retriever for the same reason Hitler invaded Poland.”

That is 100% false.

“Putin launched a Special Miliary Operation for the same reason Eisenhower sent in troops to Little Rock back in 1957 to protect black Arkansas students.”

That statement is substantially true. It is incomplete as Putin had NATO expansion concerns too.

I will grant you 100%, the legalities and violent methodology are not in any way similar.


55 posted on 06/20/2024 9:07:50 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Cronos

Me: 25 million

“Today the largest ethnic Russian diasporas outside of Russia exist in former Soviet states such as Ukraine (about 9 million), Kazakhstan (3,644,529 or 20.61% in 2016),[58] Belarus (about 1.5 million), Uzbekistan (about 650,000)[59] Kyrgyzstan (about 600,000)[60] and Latvia (471,276 or 34.7% in 2020)”

The people of Moscow and St. Petersburg need only worry about housing “16 million” displaced ethnic Russians.

[I will use your “16 million” figure going forward. Thank you for the correction.]


56 posted on 06/20/2024 9:23:33 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: hanamizu

“it would be as if Eisenhower sent troops into Quebec to protect English-speaking American students.”

WIKI

The Reagan administration mounted a US military intervention following receipt of a formal appeal for help from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, which had received a covert appeal for assistance from the Governor-General of Grenada, Paul Scoon (though he put off signing the formal letter of invitation until 26 October). President Reagan stated that he felt compelled to act due to “concerns over the 600 U.S. medical students on the island” and fears of a repeat of the Iran hostage crisis, which ended less than three years earlier. According to the future United States Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, who was serving as Reagan’s Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs at the time of the invasion, the prime motivation for the US intervention was to “get rid” of the coup leader Hudson Austin, and the students were the pretext.

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


57 posted on 06/20/2024 9:31:48 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Cronos

By the chart, Russian and Ukrainian are farther apart than Spanish and Portuguese or even Spanish and Italian. About as far apart as English and German? Either the chart is wrong or Russian and Ukrainian are quite different languages.


58 posted on 06/20/2024 9:40:33 AM PDT by x
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To: hanamizu
This is how you do it.


59 posted on 06/20/2024 9:43:36 AM PDT by x
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To: Brian Griffin

Which nations issued a formal appeal for Putin to invade Ukraine, either time?


60 posted on 06/20/2024 9:43:48 AM PDT by hanamizu ( )
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