Eastern Europe: Olivier's sphere of influence

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Eastern Europe: Olivier's sphere of influence

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Eastern Europe thread goes fourth.

Lots of stuff has happened in Eastern Europe since the last OP, but not much has changed.

Ukraine

The reason for the original Eastern Europe thread. Ukraine still has Russians and Russian-backed militants occupying parts of Donetsk and Luhansk. The militants insist the �Kyiv Junta� recognize their sovereignty. The Ukrainian government is having none of it. It may not be in the news as much as it was two years ago, but there is still fighting going on in the ATO. The Minsk ceasefire officially is holding the violence down, but yesterday alone there were 56 violations.

Meanwhile, they're still protesting in Kyiv.
https://twitter.com/HromadskeTV/status/702816621073731585

They're still burning tires in Kyiv.
https://twitter.com/radiosvoboda/status/702766244802514945

Reforms in the Ukrainian government have been slow and naturally people are mad about that. President Poroshenko asked Prime Minister Yatsenyuk to step down but he survived the no-confidence vote and remains.

Crimea is still hosed. Still under Russian occupation and any loyal Ukrainians or Tatars are finding it harder to live there. Some resistance has led to power lines being sabotaged, and water is becoming scarce. The Ukrainian government today launched a new campaign, �Crimea is Ukraine.�

Poland

Ask any Polish goon how things are going in their country and you will get pages of details about new government, new president, and how they're doing a splendid job turning Poland into a complete shithole.

Poland elected handsome and charismatic Andrzej Duda president, and a new government in 2015. The majority party is PiS (Law and Justice) and they are wasting no time making lots of changes in Poland that seems to be either causing our Polish brothers and sisters to suffer serious liver damage or brain aneurysms. Nothing is safe, the media, the courts, nothing!

Russia

Despite absolutely not helping militants in Donbass and absolutely not only targeting ISIS in Syrian airstrikes, Russia has plenty of problems on its plate. Oil is very cheap, and the Russian ruble is very expensive. A certain goon moderator continues to make it really hard for official Russian dialogue to remain believable. And now to debunk Brown Moses and his conspiracy theories about what caused MH17 to crash, here is a bona fide 911 Truther to explain everything he got wrong.

Standard and Poors projects the Russian economy will continue to decline this year. Fighting wars in two countries, even if Russian authorities deny involvement in one of them has to be expensive, especially when it costs 84,00 rubles to buy a euro.

Russia's a tough country though. They've survived times of troubles, famine, wars, so there's no reason they won't survive a little economic hardship too. Besides, killing ~~rebels~~ ISIS in Syria shows they're still trying to help, right? No one will notice Gazprom closing the taps on Turkey's gas.

Belarus

It still exists. Lukashenko was elected to his fifth term as president in another totally unsurprising landslide. Today Putin was in Minsk with Medvedev to discuss The Union State with Lukashenko. Minsk was voted the worst city in Europe to live in. No one knows what's going on with the Russian air base anymore, but plenty of missiles appear to be cropping up along the border Belarus shares with Poland and Lithuania.

July 1. 2016: Today Belarus went through currency Denomination. 10,000 br of the old money is now worth 1 br of the new money. For the first time, Belarus will also have coins. The first paper currency denomination is the 5 br. So far, the denomination is going as smoothly as you could expect.

Belarusians are of course having fun posting to social media today with the new money.

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F/

https://twitter.com/ser9ee/status/748793895555768320

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia

All three countries still have NATO troops taking up space in their countries. There were articles about how racist some Estonians were to NATO troops published the day before their independence day. Latvia would just like NATO to send more please. Lithuania is busy opening up a chain of burger restaurants in Florida. Vilnius was recently rated 79th in the world for having the best quality of life.

Balkan States and Southeastern Europe

Goons from these countries post in this thread often. Please continue!

Anything happening in the former Soviet Union states can be discussed here. Free-fire zone, within reason. Please continue to observe the No Clancy Chat policy. Slav-squatting, or videos of the excellent and safe driving conditions of Russia and other such things belong in the GBS thread. :ussr:

Some useful links:

Live UA Map Good real-time source for what's happening just about everywhere in the world now.

Bellingcat, or Brown Moses' slick website for citizen journalists

Vice News excellent series on the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

Russian Zen - watch the price of oil and the Russian ruble fall in real time!

Polish news sources in English are hard to come by, but if you have Google Translate you're okay.

Russian news sources except for a few exceptions are Kremlin-controlled now.

More will be added as necessary.

In July of 2016, Poland hosted a NATO summit where the focus of the meeting was dealing with big bad Russia. Troops from the US, Germany, Canada, and England will be part of defensive forces in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Estonia recently received 12 F-15 fighters from the United States.

Somehow, the US presidential election has an Eastern European connection: Donald Trump's campaign has a number of campaign staff and advisers who also worked for Putin or Viktor Yanukovych. Trump has blurted out in interviews and speeches that NATO has lost it's usefulness and helping other NATO members should be based on a "pay to play" basis. At the Republican National Convention in mid July Trump insisted that the United States position on Supporting Ukraine against Russia, especially the annexation of Crimea should be changed to Russia's favor. A week prior to the convention, Trump's foreign policy adviser was in Russia speaking at a dinner.

But it could all be a coincidence, just like this ~~Screw Up Your life~~People Magazine article about Ivanka Trump on holiday in Croatia with Vladimir Putin's girlfriend, Wendi Deng Murdoch (yes, that's Rupert Murdoch's ex wife).

In early August the Kremlin accused Ukraine of attempting a terrorist attack on one of the checkpoints into Crimea. FSB stopped the attack, but an FSB officer and a Russian Soldier died. Out of a team of seven only one arrest has been made. Ukrainian government denies it of course, and suggest it was FSB fighting Drunk Russians,and now Russia wants to blame it on Ukraine. Poroshenko issued a statement saying the Kremlin's accusation are "cynical and insane." There was a joint meeting of the UNSC this week, and Putin has vowed to retaliate against the US and Ukraine for the attack.

Minsk II is effectively dead, as fighting in the ATO in Eastern Ukraine has escalated on both sides. Russian military buildup on the borders of Ukraine and Belarus have people concerned Russia may attempt another invasion soon.

Brown Moses posted:

So Graham Phillips turned up at our press event today, and thought it would be awesome to stand in front of dozens of journalists who had been waiting patiently for about an hour and start screaming at me about NATO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeI3GssR2r0

HUGE PUBES A PLUS fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Oct 9, 2018

# ¿ Feb 26, 2016 03:16

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 11:46

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Budzilla posted:

Bloomberg had this pic in an article a short while ago.

That's going in the OP.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2016 04:00

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Dusty Baker 2 posted:

One year ago tomorrow.

There will be a memorial service for Nemtsov in Vilnius on the 28th.

http://www.baltictimes.com/vilnius_to_remember_slain_kremlin_critic_boris_nemtsov_on_february_28/

quote:

On Saturday February 28, Vilnius will commemorate the murder of Boris Nemtsov. The date will mark the year anniversary since the staunch critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, was shot several times in the back while crossing the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremlin in Moscow.

The event will be held at 13:00 on Luki�kės Square opposite the former KGB headquarters.

On Thursday February 25, it was announced that Vilinus� city council had taken the unanimous decision to re-name either a square or street after Nemtsov; an initiative put forward by The Homeland Union - Lithuania Christian Democrats (Lithuanian: Tėvynės sąjunga � Lietuvos krik�čionys demokratai/TS-LKD) party.

�This Saturday we will commemorate one year since Boris Nemtsov was brutually murdered in Moscow, while fighting for a democratic Russia,� Vilnius city councillor and TS-LKD member Mykolas Majauskas told The Baltic Times. �The council took a unanimous decision to remember Nemtsov as a true friend to Lithuania, as well as a freedom fighter by naming a street or square after him.�

Regarding the street or square that will take Nemtsov�s name, Majauskas said a final decision had not yet been made.

However, on February 25 the BNS news service claimed that Luki�kės Square and the un-named street near the Russian Embassy in the Lithuanian capital are two possible locations.

�We have not yet chosen a particular street,� Majauskas clarified. �But once we decide, we hope that his soul will find peace and a home here in Vilnius.�

When asked about Nemtsov�s relationship with Lithuania, Majauskas explained that the former Russian Deputy Prime Minister under Boris Yeltsin �was not only a true Russian democrat, but also a dear friend of Lithuania who continually supported us in cementing our efforts in establishing our independence from the Soviet Union.

�He visited Lithuania many times, and took part in a number of important events and public discussions.�

Majauskas, 34, also revealed that Nemtsov considered political asylum in Lithuania in 2012; the year that marked Putin�s third term as Russian President.

�He even considered seeking political asylum in Lithuania back in 2012, but decided to stay put and face the threat and challenges back home in Russia.�

In reaction to Nemtsov�s murder, March 1, 2015, saw tens of thousands march in his memory in Moscow, with another several thousand taking part in marches in Russia�s second city, St. Petersburg.

His murder also sparked outrage internationally, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel describing Nemtsov�s killing as a �cowardly murder.�

In the run-up to his death, Nemtsov was particularly scathing of President Putin. In May 2015, two months after his death, a report entitled by Nemtsov called �Putin. War� was published. It covers the preparations for the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the involvement of Russian troops in the war in Eastern Ukraine.

In 2011, Nemtsov also co-wrote another report called �Putin. Corruption�, which addressed alleged corruption within VPutin�s inner circle.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2016 11:50

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Pizdec posted:

"Bitch I'm adorable"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTuYXZSW6rE

# ¿ Feb 26, 2016 16:49

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

In this video courtesy of TV Rain, the head of the Moscow Orthodox Church announces Pope Francis wants to repent and return to the fold of the Holy Orthodox Church.

https://tvrain.ru/articles/nastojatel-404341/

# ¿ Feb 26, 2016 19:31

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Brown Moses posted:

https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/704242124926132224
https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/704242692637773824
https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/704245380670758912
https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/704245639157313536
https://twitter.com/olliecarroll/status/704246029802143744

Woman walking around the Moscow metro with a decapitated baby head shouting "I'm a terrorist".

Jesus, how terrible.

# ¿ Feb 29, 2016 12:22

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Is there any chance that is a parody website? Some of the other headlines make me think it's possible.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2016 19:57

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

The man who made this video of the Estonian Independence Day parade lost his job for the colorful commentary about how gay the Baltic forces' flag was and many racial slurs when the American troops paraded by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7ZBTmKWQFk

http://rus.delfi.ee/daily/estonia/k...dom?id=73780407

And here is another video supposedly made two years ago today showing Russian troops and materiel arriving at the BlackSea training unit in Crimea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDqXuVuG5Lo

HUGE PUBES A PLUS fucked around with this message at 23:24 on Mar 6, 2016

# ¿ Mar 6, 2016 23:05

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

http://gur.mil.gov.ua/content/situation-in-ato-area-and-around-syria.html

quote:

The situation in the area of ATO as of March 6, 2016

The situation in the area of ATU characterized by intense enemy fire performance for units of our troops. Overnight carried out 52 attacks with small arms, grenade launchers, anti-tank systems, 122-mm self-propelled guns "Carnation" and 120/82-mm mortars, of which five - Boguslavsky, Novozvanivka (Severodonetsk direction); 21 - Luhansk, Lozovoe Zaitsev, Mayorsk, Novgorod, Trinity (Slavonic direction); 22 - Avdiyivka (shelling of prohibited weapons Minsk agreements - 122-mm self-propelled guns "Carnation" and 120-mm mortars), mine Butovka, questionnaire, sand, Marinka (Donetsk area); four - Starohnativka, Shyrokyne (Mariupol direction).

Ukrainian side provided information the Special monitoring mission of the OSCE presence of tanks and 122-mm MLRS "Grad" near Greenhouse.

Continuing with the transfer of the territory of arms and military equipment, ammunition and fuel and lubricants for the needs 1 and AC 2. Reported arrival of trains to the following destinations:

Khartsyzsk - three T-72 tanks, BMP-five, two 152-mm self-propelled artillery, six 122-mm howitzer D-30, 120 tons of fuel and lubricants, and two cars with uniforms. Echelon accompanied Armed Forces Major Dmitriev Sergey Viktorovich (Dmitriev Sergey Viktorovich, udostoverenye military officer VS the Russian Federation AA №0410408), who holds the position of "chief Sluzhbы voynskyh transit tыla Division of Control 1 AC (Donetsk, Ukraine) terrytoryalnыh Center Yuzhny military troops vicinity VS the Russian Federation" ;

Ilovaysk - two self-propelled artillery, tanks two 23-mm anti-aircraft installation at the MT-LB, 160 tons of diesel fuel and three wagons of ammunition. Echelon accompanied Armed Forces Major Pastarnak Denis V. (Pastarnak Denis V., passport citizen of the Russian Federation 0703 416 325), who holds the position of "starsheho military officer Sluzhbы voynskyh transit tыla Division of Control 1 AC (Donetsk, Ukraine) terrytoryalnыh Center Yuzhny military troops vicinity VS the Russian Federation " .

Confirmed ordinary loss of Russian occupation troops in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbass. March 4th year morgue of the Donetsk Regional Clinical Hospital (Donetsk) in the Russian Federation exported 15 bodies of dead soldiers of the Armed Forces.

Due to the reluctance to take part in the fighting, continue to cases of desertion personnel formations and units 1 AC Armed Forces. March 5 this year Two servicemen 5 separate motorized rifle brigade (Donetsk) willfully left the place of service and service weapon and went to Russia.

Defence Intelligence of Ukraine continues to purposefully collect facts on the participation of staff officers of the Armed Forces of war crimes in the temporarily occupied areas of Donbas for onward transmission to the law of the International Criminal Court.

Information and images of these officers is in the report.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2016 00:23

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Apparently heart attacks cause blunt force trauma to the entire body.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/10/mikhail-lesin-blunt-force-trauma-death-washington-dc-vladimir-putin?CMP=edit_2221

quote:

The mystery surrounding the death of Vladimir Putin�s former press minister in a Washington hotel deepened on Thursday when an autopsy revealed blunt force injuries to his head.

Mikhail Lesin�s body was found in November in a room at the Dupont Circle Hotel, in an upmarket neighbourhood that contains foreign embassies and policy thinktanks. Russia�s RT television quoted family members at the time as saying he had died of a heart attack after long-term illnesses.

But on Thursday the DC medical examiner�s office said Lesin, 59, had blunt force injuries to the head, neck, torso, arms and legs. The manner of death remained �undetermined�, the office�s statement said, and the incident is still under police investigation.

After news of the medical examiner�s report broke, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia�s foreign ministry, wrote on Facebook that the Russian embassy in Washington had asked several times to be informed about the inquiry into the circumstances of Lesin�s death but had been told nothing.

�We are waiting for Washington to give us the relevant information and official data about the investigation,� Zakharova wrote.

�If the information published today in the media is true, the Russian authorities will send their American counterparts a request for international legal assistance.�

Known as a tough and ambitious political operator, Lesin broke the stranglehold of the oligarchs on Russian media and ushered in the era in which the Kremlin controlled all major television stations. In 2013, he became the head of Gazprom Media, one of Russia�s largest media holdings.

He was press minister between 1999 and 2004, and is credited with the idea of setting up Russia Today, the English-language Kremlin-funded channel which has grown over the past decade to become a major international station.

He quit Gazprom Media unexpectedly in 2015, and for some time rumours of illness swirled. After his death, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today, wrote that Lesin lost 30kg (66lb) after breaking his spine in 2012, and was known as a heavy smoker and drinker.

�It�s been a long time since I was scared by the word propaganda,� Lesin said in 2007, according to Russia Today�s website. �We need to promote Russia internationally. Otherwise, we�d just look like roaring bears on the prowl.�

Last year the Mississippi senator Robin Wicker called for Lesin to be investigated on suspicion of money laundering and corruption. He allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets in Europe and the US while working for the Russian government, including $28m in Los Angeles real estate.

Wicker wrote: �That a Russian public servant could have amassed the considerable funds required to acquire and maintain these assets in Europe and the United States raises serious questions.�

Lesin left a wife and two children, including a daughter who is a bureau chief with Russia Today.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2016 02:21

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Well, this is not good at all.

http://katu.com/news/local/serbia-portland-bound-combat-missiles-found-on-passenger-flight

quote:

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Serbia's authorities are investigating reports that a cargo package bound for the U.S. containing two missiles with explosive warheads was found on a passenger flight from Lebanon to Serbia.

N1 television said the package with two guided armor-piercing missiles was discovered Saturday by a sniffer dog after an Air Serbia flight from Beirut landed at Belgrade airport.

Serbian media say documents listed the final destination for the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles as Portland, Oregon. The American-made projectiles can be fired from air, sea or ground platforms.

Local media said the missiles, which are about 1.5 meters in length, were packed and labeled as model rockets.

N1 reported Sunday that Air Serbia is helping in the investigation. The Serbian flag carrier says "security and safety are the main priorities for Air Serbia."

Any idea if Katu.com is a decent news site or not?

# ¿ Mar 13, 2016 23:56

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

PUTIN PULLS OUT

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/14/world/russia-syria-withdrawal/index.html

quote:

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that he has ordered Russian forces to begin withdrawing from Syria, saying they have achieved their goals in the country.

The pullback will begin Tuesday, the state-run Sputnik news agency reported.

"I think that the task that was assigned to the Ministry of Defense and the armed forces as a whole has achieved its goal, and so I order the defense minister to start tomorrow withdrawing the main part of our military factions from the Syrian Arab Republic," Putin said.

Russia began air strikes in September in support of the Syrian government, which has been fighting Syrian rebels and ISIS in a war that is now nearly 5 years old.

Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of the decision in a telephone call, Sputnik reported.

Military analysts say the Russian intervention helped push back rebel and ISIS forces and bolster the position of Assad, whose government, for a time, appeared to be teetering on the edge.

The announcement of the withdrawal comes the same day as Syrian peace talks resumed in Geneva, and is seen by some as evidence that Putin is sending a message to Syrian and other forces in the region to reach a political solution, CNN's Matthew Chance reported from Moscow.

"You can't ignore the timing of this, and the symbolism," he said.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2016 20:08

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Of course Putin means Assad stays right where he is. Five years of hell means nothing. Maintaining status quo for those who support Putin is what matters.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2016 20:16

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Without watching that trailer, does this documentary even bother to mention that air control told the pilot it was too foggy to land in Smolensk and advised them to reroute to Minsk? I recall this being an important detail.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2016 16:48

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

http://www.airline.ee/flydubai/flydubai-jet-crashed-in-rostov-on-don-russia-killing-all-aboard/

quote:

Flydubai flight FZ981 has crashed in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don killing all 59 passengers and crew on board.

The flight was en route from Dubai (Dubai International Airport � DXB) and crashed during a landing approach near Rostov-on-Don Airport (ROV).

Air-traffic control and local emergency services confirmed that the Boeing 737 jet crashed near the runway during a second approach in conditions of poor visibility.

�According to preliminary data, the Boeing 737 crashed in poor visibility conditions, some 50-100 meters left of the runway,� the source said.

All crew and passengers on board the plane were killed in the crash, according to the regional Emergencies Ministry.

�During the landing approach a Boeing-737 crashed. It had 55 passengers on board. All of them died,� a regional spokesman told TASS.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2016 03:23

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Here's another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6VfP5Pa2Vc

They're saying bad weather and pilot disorientation were the causes.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2016 14:24

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

redscare posted:

I don't think it's just peak bureaucracy.

Look at where Bryansk Oblast is.

As for what's still allowed, Yandex and Mail.Ru are monitored thoroughly and everyone knows it; Chrome and Safari probably have better security than IE.

I'm not sure which is more alarming about this, the fact that Bryansk Oblast borders Ukraine, or that it borders Belarus.

# ¿ Mar 24, 2016 11:42

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

So Bellingcat is accurate when it's in Russia's favor? Of course it doesn't do any good to point out the contradiction.

After sentencing her to 22 years in prison they worked out a prisoner exchange deal with Ukraine it seems. I imagine that was part of the plan all along, with the announcement she would be returned to Ukraine coming hours after her sentencing.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2016 19:26

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Bring back the Great Schism. Everyone excommunicate each other and get on to more important things.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2016 23:57

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

How about some news from Ukraine?

It appears the Russian-backed militants may be ramping up their attacks. There is shelling in Horlivka and some Ukrainian doctors were attacked.

http://www.dialog.ua/news/81874_1459024968

quote:

Attacking militants during the evacuation of the wounded Ukrainian soldiers from Avdeevka industrial zone, where more than one day, the militants fired at positions of the anti-terrorist operation.

Head of Division Jan Zinkevich on Facebook wrote that after the rotation of all the victims necessarily will be a full examination and if needed treatment in a hospital Mechnikov Dnepropetrovsk, which rescued the wounded fighters ATO.

"There is bad news. Our group came under fire in the industrial area at the time of the evacuation of the wounded soldiers. Senior Group Yuri Skrabets injured, he contusion, intracranial injury, akubarotravma. Yura was evacuated to the 66th hospital Krasnoarmeisk. Once the condition has stabilized, Jura again arrived at the position he will stay here for a few days before the end of its rotation contusion was still our driver with the call sign "The Artist" His condition is stable, he is their position did not leave all those affected will be sent for examination to Mechnikov after rotation of the end ".... - He said Zinkevich with social networks.

Earlier it was reported about the aggravation of the situation along the line of the ATO. For example, in the Luhansk region Ukrainian fighters repulsed the terrorist attack near the settlement Nizhneteploe.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2016 00:53

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

There's been speculation of course just who Savchenko will be traded for, but according to this article the prisoner exchange may include Russian arms dealer Victor Bout. That can't be true, because bout's serving a 25 year sentence in the US.

http://belsat.eu/en/news/nadiya-savchenko-may-be-swapped-for-russian-arms-trader-bout/

quote:

Ukrainian aviatrix Nadiya Savchenko may be exchanged for a group of Russians, including Victor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, who are serving prison sentences in the U.S, news agency Interfax reported Tuesday with reference to unindentified sources.

On March 22, Russia�s court found Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian military pilot, guilty of complicity in the deaths of two Russian journalists who were killed by mortar fire, and sentenced her to 22 years in a penal colony.

Ukrainian aviatrix Nadiya Savchenko may be exchanged for a group of Russians, including Victor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko, who are serving prison sentences in the U.S, news agency Interfax reported Tuesday with reference to unindentified sources.

Meanwhile, Savchenko�s defense team claim they are not aware of the alleged swap, but they would be happy if Savchenko could be exchanged for Bout and Yaroshenko, who are serving lengthy prison terms in the United States.

�It makes absolutely no difference to me, as her lawyer, for whom she will be exchanged � for Bout, Yaroshenko. It does not play any role for me. It is absolutely and completely impossible to secure Savchenko�s release by legal methods (through proving her innocence),� Savchenko�s lawyer Mark Feygin told Interfax on Tuesday.

�I do not know whether the U.S. would agree to it because Savchenko is not its citizen, but if they agree to it for humanitarian considerations, it would also be a way out. If this happens, then let it be this way,� he said.

At the same time, the lawyer did not rule out that such an exchange could have been discussed at U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry�s recent talks in Moscow.

Interestingly, Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said a day before that a decision regarding a possible exchange of Savchenko has yet to be made. �So far, I can only tell you that no actions have been taken. Savchenko is a convict de facto and de jure. De jure, she has the possibility of filing an appeal, so we are waiting,� Peskov said.

Victor Bout was arrested in Bangkok on March 6, 2008. He was extradited to the U.S. in 2010, and sentenced to 25 years in prison, on the charges of conspiring to sell a large batch of arms to Columbia�s FARC group. Konstantin Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2011, on the charges of conspiring to deliver a large batch of cocaine to the U.S.

There is no way the United States is getting involved with this, especially trading Victor Bout of all people with Savchenko. I love how these articles get printed despite them being completely unsourced.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2016 11:08

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

It's for education, so our posterity never forgets. Russians ban Polish board game that simulates shopping Soviet style.

http://qz.com/646871/russia-banned-a-polish-board-game-that-simulates-communist-era-shopping/

quote:

The fraught relationship between Russia and Poland is playing out in an unexpected way: in a conflict over a board game. Russian authorities have decided that a popular Polish game that has been dubbed �Communist Monopoly� disseminates anti-Soviet content, and thus should not be sold in Russia�s stores.

The Russian version of the �Queue,� which simulates the experience of shopping in the empty stores of communist-era Poland, was released in Russia in November 2015. Several months later, the country�s consumer protection agency Rospotrebnadzor informed the game�s Polish producer TREFL that if it does not change the historical content of the game, it would have to take all of its products that are on the Russian market out of circulation, according to IPN, the Polish historical institute behind the game. IPN says that Russians have been allegedly filing complaints to authorities, outraged by a negative description of the communist system, and by the information that the Soviet Union had forcibly installed a communist regime in another country. For Poles, who lived under a Soviet-backed communist regime for nearly five decades, the historical irony is palpable.

IPN refuses to make the changes, and so �Queue� is no longer available in stores in Russia. The head of IPN�s education department, Andrzej Zawistowski, said that the charges were �absurd� and a result of Russia�s so-called �politics of memory.�

�When Russia takes the Soviet Union�s history as its own, it leads to some Russians thinking that criticizing the Soviet Union as a totalitarian regime is the same as attacking contemporary Russia,� Zawistowski told IAR, a Polish radio agency.

�Queue� was released in Poland in 2011, with translations into five languages. It aims to show a younger generation of Poles the exasperation of everyday life in communist-era Poland. Players have to buy all the products on their shopping lists in the five stores in the neighborhood�or on the black market. They have to wait for the products to be re-stocked, and in order to advance in the line, they can use cards such as �mother with child.� The game quickly became a hit, drawing long lines to get one, ironically.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2016 23:48

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Armenia and Azerbaijan discussion is fine here too.

Brown Moses posted:

The OCCRP is promising to release a massive story at 8pm CET about corruption, money laundering, and offshore funds links to lots of different governments in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, in many cases going all the way to the top in those countries. The top guy at the OCCRP has been saying Putin's spokeperson Peskov should plan for a late night, a journalist in Ukraine has been talking about asking Porshenko's office some difficult questions, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists is involved, and other countries being covered also include Azerbaijan and Serbia plus more.

I imagine it has to be every CIS state and likely former Soviet satellite still loyal to the Kremlin. Have to keep them all in line somehow.

https://twitter.com/GrahamWP_UK/status/716561130102071296

# ¿ Apr 3, 2016 11:37

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

The ministry moved to a new building two years ago.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fire-engulfs-russian-defense-ministrys-building-moscow-124020254.html

quote:

MOSCOW (AP) � A fire is raging at a former headquarters of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow.

The ministry moved to a new headquarters on the Moskva River in 2014 but still kept the old building near the Kremlin.

Several hundred firefighters and several cranes were seen battling the blaze Sunday afternoon after a fire broke out several hours earlier.

The ministry said the fire will not affect its core operations since the military departments have long moved to the new headquarters. It said the old building on Znamenka Street houses the departments in charge of procurement and services.

There were no immediate reports about the cause of the fire.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2016 14:22

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

There's a dedicated thread for this topic now. If any more Eastern European leaders are listed, that discussion can go here.

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3770885&pagenumber=1#post458239520

Here's a link to who from Eastern Europe is linked, that is known so far.

https://www.occrp.org/en/panamapapers/persons/

# ¿ Apr 3, 2016 23:00

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

3peat posted:

In the biggest scandal to surface in Romania this spring, it came out today that former Mossad spies were arrested for spying on anticorruption directorate chief Laura Kovesi http://www.romaniajournal.ro/dna-chief-laura-coruta-kovesi-spied-by-former-mossad-agents-two-of-them-arrested/
This could be connected with the recent indictment of a bunch of Israeli millionaires (and a billionaire) who, together with a Romanian prince and some politicians, were trying to illegally acquire for free in Romania a big piece of land worth hundreds of millions of euros

They're just not happy stealing land from Palestinians. What was significant about that land they tried to get? Just prime real estate?

# ¿ Apr 6, 2016 18:14

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Estonia's up coming GameDev Days will focus on the indie game developer.

http://estonianworld.com/technology/tallinn-to-host-a-game-development-conference/

quote:

A game development conference, GameDev Days, will take place on 8-9 April in Tallinn.

The annual event is organised and hosted by Creative Mobile, an Estonian mobile game developer and publisher. The conference is supported by IGDA Estonia, local branch of a non-profit organisation that supports game developers around the world, in cooperation with the Tallinn-based gaming accelerator, GameFounders.

The format of GameDev Days 2016 changes slightly from previous conferences � this time, the main focus will be on �indie heroes�, covering the release process of successful indie projects. A significant amount of time will be devoted to game design, graphic design and community management.

At the conference, there will be two intense days dedicated to the discussion of a wide variety of topics, related to the nuances of game development, including the game design, business development, technologies of development, challenges for indie developers, as well as the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

More than twenty speakers will attend, including representatives from tech giants Google and Microsoft, the organisers said.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2016 21:14

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

https://twitter.com/GrahamWP_UK/status/718173045228191745

# ¿ Apr 8, 2016 02:31

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Young Freud posted:

Who's he reporting to, the Under-Secretary of the Department of the Circular File?

I'm sure his presentation will be so ground breaking, he will address the general assembly with it.

Brown Moses posted:

Yet again the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pissy at Bellingcat

It apparently refers to this article where I said this

But as the Russian MoD and Russian MFA has been repeatedly claiming we're using fakes, and now even working with the Ukrainians, I've now published the following open letter, which we've also sent to the Russians

So lets see if my continual badgering will result in any actual evidence of these accusations.

Yes, but they have the full faith and authority of the Kremlin backing them up . You're just a bloke sitting at the kitchen table with a laptop. Any actual proof you're lying will be long time coming.

Unless it will be part of Graham Phillips' report to the UN.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2016 21:45

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

How broke and desperate is Lukashenko? His foreign minister is willing to concede that the current status of Crimea is the right one.

http://belsat.eu/en/news/makei-belarus-recognizes-de-facto-status-of-crimea/

quote:

�In politics, it is necessary to proceed from reality. We should understand who de facto owns Crimea today. We have never had great economic and trade relations with Crimea. But this does not mean that we agree or disagree with something,� said Minister.

�We believe that now the main task is to preserve the territorial integrity and inviolability of the rest of Ukraine. Therefore, we offered Minsk as platform for negotiations,� said Makei.

The minister also said that Crimea has always enjoyed popularity among Belarusian tourists, but now there are some logistical problems �it is impossible to get to the peninsula through Ukraine, and entering it through Russia is fraught with problems with subsequent arrival in Ukraine.�

# ¿ Apr 10, 2016 14:57

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

I like reading this blog written by a school teacher in Gomel. Usually she writes about her students and Belarusian culture, but this post makes it seem as though the situation in Belarus is looking pretty bleak.

http://mynativebelarus.blogspot.com/2016/01/black-thursday.html

quote:

I did not want to write about the crisis in Belarus, but the circumstances are stronger than me. You probably heard in the news that Belarus has introduced a new law in 2016. Entrepreneurs must have a certificate for their products, they have no right to sell without certificates. I will not write my point of view here. I will say only one thing: 90% of entrepreneurs do not come to work on 1 January and do not work so far. I see closed shops everywhere in the markets. Employers pay a tax to the treasury before. But now they do not work and no one pays taxes. I think the money in the budget will soon run out.

Another reason for my sadness was the falling of USD. On Thursday 22 January, it rose 2,000 BLR for two hours. People say that the Belarusian ruble fell following the Russian ruble. OK, everything is possible. So when I got my salary I spent it at the store on those things, which I had long dreamed of. I thought, no one knows what the price of products and goods will be tomorrow.

I feel a lack of confidence in my future. But I will not write any more about it. I do not want to panic. Maybe my country find a way out?

# ¿ Apr 10, 2016 15:45

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

3 suicide bombers have blown themselves up in a village in Russia's Stavropol region.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-crime-blast-idUSKCN0X80RD

# ¿ Apr 11, 2016 10:59

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

At a Moscow bus stop.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2016 03:24

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

50 deputies in the Ukrainian government voted against Groisman for Prime Minister.

quote:

Against the appointment of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Vladimir Groisman voted 50 deputies
This is the website of the Verkhovna Rada.

Against the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine №4423 voted four MPs from the faction MFP: Nayem, Leshchenko Zalishchuk and Novak.

Also against the appointment Groisman vote "Opposition bloc" almost at full strength, and Zhurzhi Voytsitska with "Selfreliance" Shukhevych of the Radical Party, Vlasenko from the "motherland" and non-faction People's Deputy: Golovko, Derkach, Illienko Marchenko, Derevianko , Levchenko, Osuhovskyy Chuma

Also,

https://twitter.com/maxseddon/status/720541285191413760

HUGE PUBES A PLUS fucked around with this message at 11:26 on Apr 14, 2016

# ¿ Apr 14, 2016 11:24

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Considering how many people I know who still call the country Czechoslovakia in year of our lord 2016, this will certainly clarify what country Czechia is with everyone.

A friend on facebook tagged me to a picture that someone told him was recent and from Eastern Europe. A quick tineye search revealed the first time the picture was published was in 2009 on a Japanese website. He apologized.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2016 15:18

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

https://twitter.com/GrahamWP_UK/status/721820580320841728

Because none of that dereliction happened during the Soviet period or even before. Or since.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2016 23:03

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Latvia's new 5 Euro collector coin.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2016 19:14

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

It's based on a folk tale about a hedgehog who herds pigs, marries a princess and is turned into a prince.

http://en.news-4-u.ru/in-latvia-launched-into-circulation-oval-coin-with-a-hedgehog-and-a-princess-photos.html

# ¿ Apr 19, 2016 01:04

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

More fighting in Ukraine.

https://inforesist.org/u-boevikov-ogromnyie-poteri-iz-za-podryiva-boekomplekta-v-blindazhe-karta-ato/

quote:

Militants huge losses due to the detonation of ammunition in the dugout. Map ATO

Over the past day in the fighting in the ranks of the dead Ukrainian soldiers there, 2 - injured. This happened in Verhnetoretskom result of shelling by the enemy. This was told today in the traditional daily briefing Speaker of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration on ATO Colonel Andrei Lysenko.

Lugansk area
Yesterday 5 enemy attacks. Traditionally, the militants showed activity near the Luhansk Villages. Once again, under enemy fire was closed KPVV. Additionally, NVF provocation took place in Trehizbenke and gold.

Donetsk direction
Yesterday, the 10 enemy attacks. Every second was a mortar. "Hot spots" in the forefront: Lugansk, Gorlovka agglomeration (Zaitseva, Kirov), pos. Verhnetoretskoe, Avdeevka.

Mariupol direction
It was the most hostile provocations - 15. In general, the enemy broke the silence mode in Marinka and Shirokino. Several times ATO forces opened fire in response.

Summary GUR MO
During April 20-21, the loss of personnel 1 (Donetsk) and 2 (Lugansk) AK Russian Armed Forces consists of six soldiers dead and 32 wounded:

April 20 killed five and wounded 30 soldiers in the explosion of ammunition in the dugout 14 Infantry Battalion 4 separate motorized rifle brigade (Alchevsk), 2 AA in Novotoshkovskogo area;

April 21 killed one soldier assault 9 separate motorized rifle regiment of marines (Novoazovsk) and 11 soldiers were wounded, two separate motorized rifle regiment (Makiyivka) 1 AK, which operated as part of sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

Meanwhile, in Estonia.

https://twitter.com/b9AcE/status/722832656069570560

HUGE PUBES A PLUS fucked around with this message at 11:35 on Apr 22, 2016

# ¿ Apr 22, 2016 11:29

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 11:46

HUGE PUBES A PLUS: Apr 30, 2005

Russian authorities stopped 55 tons of Polish apples and Chinese cabbage from entering the country through Belarus. The produce was accompanied by documents claiming the shipment was beer.

http://www.fsvps.ru/fsvps/news/16945.html

quote:

Office of Rosselkhoznadzor for the Tver and Pskov regions April 22, 2016 as a result of joint actions with the police detained three games quarantine products (fresh apples, cabbage Peking), moved from the Republic of Belarus on the shipping documents to the beer. The volume moved regulated products is more than 55 tons.
During the inspection of the visible part of the cargo on the packaging of the goods identified labeling with information about the origin of the - Republic of Poland.
As part of compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation the decision on the future use of these regulated products the parties will be made on the results of control - oversight activities.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2016 00:13

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Eastern Europe: Olivier's sphere of influence

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