Three videos to watch to understand Russia's motives without your western biases

I recommend watching in reverse chrono order (the order presented here in this post) because the commentator (Vlad Vexler) begins but reminding you that you mostly think about Russia through western eyes and western frames of reference. And by you, of course, I mean me.



Apr 17, 2022 - The soul of Russia. Also, it's important for you to understand that, in Putin's mind, this isn't a Russia-vs-Ukraine war. (Bonus Content: Francis Fukuyama is an idiot)

What do Russians think 2 months after the "special military operation"? (posted April 23)

this "What Russians think now" video is a series of "average Joe" interviews on the streets of Petersburg, which is a relatively western-looking part of Russia (a Russian friend once told me St Petersburg is their Manhattan while Moscow is their Detroit).

20-something Russian aspiring ex-pat vlogger speaking candidly about politics & culture in Russia

I found this very informative

"The number of Russian vehicles that have been abandoned intact but without fuel is striking"

in case you wanted some encouraging news:

The casualties caused by Ukraine’s harassing attacks hampered Russian attempts to build up enough forces to assault Kyiv. Though the Russians tried to advance on three different road systems, from Sumy, Chernihiv, and the northwest, Ukrainian resistance ensured that they never built up enough force to surround, let alone assault, Kyiv. All three lines of attack have now been shut down, and Russian forces are in retreat.

Instead of assaulting heavy Russian formations of large tanks and artillery directly, the Ukrainians used light, maneuverable forces to take advantage of Russian vulnerabilities and achieve victory. Using handheld weapons operated by small groups, the Ukrainians have regularly disabled Russian tanks and trucks. This has not only weakened the Russian forces in the field but also kept their logistics lines stretched, limiting Russian access to the fuel and ammunition required to keep up a constant attack. (The number of Russian vehicles that have been abandoned intact but without fuel is particularly striking.)

In using light forces this way, the Ukrainians have shown that even in a conventional war between states—as opposed to an insurgency—a smaller force can engage the conventional forces of a larger and more technologically advanced enemy and fight them to a standstill. The Ukrainians have also reminded everyone that the American military, with its lavish logistical support and ability to dominate the air war and the electronic battlefield, is unusual. The Russian military is not some smaller, less-efficient version of the U.S. military. It is a significantly less advanced and less capable force that struggles to undertake many of the operations that the U.S. handles with relative ease. The Ukrainians did not make the mistake of overestimating the Russians, and were able to deal a huge blow to Russian power.

Ukraine, however, has not yet won the war. With their defeat in the Battle of Kyiv, the Russians have started to concentrate in the east and south of Ukraine, hoping to set up a defensive perimeter that the Ukrainians will have to attack if they hope to regain lost territory. The Ukrainian way of war will have to adapt. The Ukrainians, having witnessed the Russian failures in heavy assault, may decide to avoid making the same mistakes and instead continue their light, attritional warfare. This will probably not result in a swift end to the war, but it offers the possibility of draining Russian military and political will, allowing Ukraine to achieve many of its aims in negotiations. The Ukrainian way of war could yet achieve what once seemed all but impossible: victory.

War in Ukraine tests American evangelicals' support for Putin as a conservative leader

What kind of Christian sides with a bully? It's not like Ukraine was a dramatic turnaround for Putin. He's been murdering journalists and has attacked Chechnia, Georgia, and Syrian freedom fighters over the past 2 decades. They like him cause he's a bully. They're on the side of Pontius Pilate.

https://theconversation.com/war-in-ukraine-is-testing-some-american-evangelicals-support-for-putin-as-a-leader-of-conservative-values-180638

War in Ukraine is testing some American evangelicals’ support for Putin as a leader of conservative values
Published: April 6, 2022
theconversation.com

In February 2022, evangelical leader Franklin Graham called on his followers to pray for Vladimir Putin. His tweet acknowledged that it might seem a “strange request” given that Russia was clearly about to invade Ukraine. But Graham asked that believers “pray that God would work in his heart so that war could be avoided at all cost.”

The backlash was fast and direct. Graham had not solicited prayers for Ukraine, some observers commented. And he had rarely called on believers to pray for U.S. President Joe Biden.

A significant subset of the U.S. evangelical community, particularly white conservatives, has been developing a political and emotional alliance with Russia for almost 20 years. Those American believers, including prominent figures such as Graham and Jay Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice see Russia, Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church as protectors of the faith, standing against attacks on “traditional” and “family” values. At the center is Russia’s spate of anti-LGBTQ laws, which have become a model for some anti-trans and anti-gay legislation in the U.S.

Now, with Russia bombing churches and destroying cities in Ukraine, the most Protestant of the former Soviet Republics, American evangelical communities are divided. Most oppose Russia’s actions, especially because there is a strong evangelical church in Ukraine that is receiving attention and prayers from a range of evangelical leaders.

Oh Look, Yet Another Former Trump Official Seems To Have Done A Voter Fraud

Source: Talking Points Memo

Matt Mowers, a former State Department official under the Trump administration who’s now running against Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) as a GOP challenger, cast ballots in two states in the 2016 GOP presidential primaries, records obtained by the Associated Press reveal.

Mowers first voted in New Hampshire’s primary via absentee ballot when he was working for ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) presidential campaign.

Then Mowers re-registered with his parents’ address to vote in his home state of New Jersey during the Garden State’s GOP primary four months later, according to the AP, in the face of a federal law that prohibits double-voting...

Like other pro-Trump Republicans running for office, Mowers has been trying to sow doubt about the legitimacy of the U.S. elections process by baselessly suggesting — if not loudly claiming — that elections are in danger of being corrupted by fraudsters.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/matt-mowers-trump-official-candidate-vote-twice-2016-gop-presidential-primaries