OT: Hurricanes Lounge XXXVIII: The giving (you the finger) tree

[The Stranger]

He's probably playing the long game and seeing if he can make it to the next set of major elections in the west. Can he make it to 2024 and maybe get a servile friendlier US administration. If that were to happen, the I think the economic hardships in Europe, coupled with a lack of a leadership role from the US, would lead to some of the coalition of willing to become a lot more open to forcing Ukraine to surrender some territories.

The economic woes in Europe due to their energy crisis and the corresponding economic strong-point for Russia (their revenue from energy exports is higher now than before the invasion) are born from an energy policy shared between the current US admin and Brussels.

The last US admin warned against this issue a few years ago and was openly laughed at for it. The German delegates seen laughing recently issued a "no comment" when asked about the video.

Putin hit Crimea in 2014 and now Ukraine in 2022.

I doubt Putin thinks the next US admin will be more favorable to his goals that the current one.

 

[Lempo]

The economic woes in Europe due to their energy crisis and the corresponding economic strong-point for Russia (their revenue from energy exports is higher now than before the invasion) are born from an energy policy shared between the current US admin and Brussels.

The last US admin warned against this issue a few years ago and was openly laughed at for it. The German delegates seen laughing recently issued a "no comment" when asked about the video.

Putin hit Crimea in 2014 and now Ukraine in 2022.

I doubt Putin thinks the next US admin will be more favorable to his goals that the current one.

A number of European front row politicians starting from the former reichchancellor Gerhard Schroeder have been taking Russian money for "consulting" and promoting the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia.

A Finnish state-owned energy company Fortum has been hot in the press just now as they bought the German gas company Uniper a couole of years back and have been subsidizing the German gas using to the tune of millions of Euros per day as Germany didn't allow Uniper to transfer the gas buying costs to the German end users. Yesterday it was confirmed that Germany will nationalize Uniper, it all ending up to cost Fortum Billions or euros. An EU state f***ing actually nationalized a Billion euro company owned by another EU state!

This energy chrisis is massive bullshit and the politicians aren't helping one bit trying to pin everything on Putin when they have in fact themselves been f***ing up things for years now. The level of incompetence has been so high so long that you really need a conspiracy theory to sensibly explain it. It really is like Europe really has done their everything to put themselves in vulnerable position.

It's all going to explode somewhere.

 

[Lempo]

Gerhard Schröder confirms meeting with Putin again

Controversial former German chancellor calls for activation of Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

www.politico.eu

It's MasterBlaster embargoing the Bartertown. It really is.

Two men enter. One man leaves.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Here is a webcam pointing east from the Vaalimaa border station at the southern Russian border:

Virolahti: Tie - Vaalimaa - Kuva raja-asemalta itään

www.outdooractive.com

There's lines of cars, but I have no idea what is the regular situation. The pic is limited.

Tip for travelers: The best time to cross from Russia into Finland is between 2am-4am. Adjust your travel plans accordingly to skip the wait!

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

I am gonna say it.

Russian government and everyone supporting it lost their human being license.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

I am gonna say it.

Russian government and everyone supporting it lost their human being license.

North Korea: "stop saying that we sold ammo to that messy bitch! We got nothin' to do with alllll *that*."

When *North Korea* don't wanna be seen with your raggedy ass? Girl.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I am gonna say it.

Russian government and everyone supporting it lost their human being license.

Supporting it is probably a very forced term

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Lol. Im no Russian supporter but this is hyperbole stuff. History of Humans is chock full of the terrible people. Sadly we remember a ton of them.

Yeah, the guy from one of the countries formerly oppressed by the current aggressors probably has a more considered take on this one.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

Yeah, the guy from one of the countries formerly oppressed by the current aggressors probably has a more considered take on this one.

Supporting it is probably a very forced term

He’s not totally incorrect.

I largely aimed it at Russians and foreigners outside of Russia.

For example no one forces Ovechkin to adore Putin. At all.

Russians at home do have a tough choice.

Jail vs being cannon fodder.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

That being said

WHEN THEIR MERCENARIES CAPTURED CRIMEA, THEY CELEBRATED.

WHEN THEIR AGENTS STARTED WAR IN DONBAS, PUTIN’S SUPPORT WAS AT ALL TIME HIGH.

WHEN PUTIN ATTACKED UKRAINE, THEY STOOD SILENT.

WHEH RUSSIAN GRENADES BOMBARDED FLEEING CIVILIANS, THEY PROUDLY PAINTED Z ON THEIR T-SHIRTS.

WHEN MARIUPOL WAS GETTING FLATTENED, THEY KEPT REPEATING BULLCRAP ABOUT “DENAZIFICATION”.

WHEN THEIR “GLORIOUS” ARMY STARTED TO LOSE, RUSSIAN INTERNET CRIED FOR MORE “KHOKHOL” DEATHS.

THE SILENCE FROM THE SQUARES AND STREETS OF RUSSIA WAS DEAFENING.

NOW THAT PUTIN HAS COME FOR THEIR LIVES IN MOSCOW AND PETERSBURG AND NOT FOR SOME POOR BURYAT ON THE OTHER END OF THE COUNTRY, NOW THEY SAY NO.

So be it.

Maybe, just maybe they will discover that if you won’t stand for justice of others, none shall care for their own.

MAYBE NOW THEY WILL SEE THAT “RUSSOPHOBIA” IS NOTHING BUT DISGUST TOWARDS THWIR EGOCENTRISM, ARROGANCE AND FAUX SENSE OF SUPERIORITY.

IT TOOK CENTURIES BEFORE NATIONS OF THE EARTH UNDERSTOOD THAT TRADE, DIPLOMACY AND FRIENDSHIP ARE FAR BETTER THAN WAR.

THEY STILL FAIL TO SEE THAT.

But it’s never too late.

So.

Will they see it now?