The Kim family are living for the here and now, they know there’s no afterlife. Pakistani leaders who count hopefully are on the fence about this. The Ayatollahes in Qom, who knows that they really think? If they are of the 72 virgins awaiting them in paradise persuasion then minimizing tech transfer is prudent.
I guess we have to agree to disagree. I view the Iranian government as a rational actor despite being a theocracy. I find them less zealoty than the Saudis or even Pakistanis. The Iranian regime has for years played smart and has never acted in a suicidal manner. For being so anti Western for so long, the Iranian govt has invested in education, technology and played geo politcs really smartly.
t.me
Posting links to article without commentary is against the rules. If you want to discuss what has taken place, please provide some of your own input to get the conversation going. 3 smiley faces absolutely does not do that.
It's just remarkable that Navalny is regarded by Putin as the biggest threat.Aleksej Navalny has died in the siberian IK-3 penal colony.
Live updates: Alexey Navalny, Russian opposition leader, has died
Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, who made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020, has died, the Russian prison service said.edition.cnn.com
nos.nl
I guess it is now “was regarded by Putin” if reports of his death are correct. My understanding of Navalny is he was an extremely strong critic of corruption, something that would certainly upset the Putin gang.It's just remarkable that Navalny is regarded by Putin as the biggest threat.
According to this article Navalny was pro-Western World, but also extreme right and ultranationalistic, which sounds a little bit contradicting to me.Navalny was 'Poetins grootste angst'
De Russische president sprak de naam van de vandaag in hechtenis overleden oppositieleider vrijwel nooit uit.
www.businessinsider.com
I would definitely disagree with this. He was not a strong opposition to Putin: I believe the highest level of support he had ever seen was about 19%, while 6-7% was usually the norm. The last poll that I saw was placing him at around 10% a couple of years ago or so. Could he be though, provided free media and generally “free society”? I don’t know, but, in my opinion, no. He is not the “type” and never had any real platform. If you keep screaming about corruption over and over, people get tired and lose focus. Note, the society is also generally corrupt in itself (it is the norm, for example, to bribe a cop or a teacher or anyone else, really, who is willing to get bribed), so it is hard to find significant support, especially if many of your “investigations” are nothing more than allegations lacking hard proof or evidence. Add to that him being viewed as a “western asset” by the majority of the population and make the appropriate conclusions. Also note, that when his approval ratings saw a rise, this rise generally came with a rise in disapproval as well. It’s a weird kind of thing, really. I am not going to look for detailed poll data, but will attach this Statista page as a source because I believe it is sufficient to support my claim and make the point.
www.statista.com
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www.politico.eu
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www.kyivpost.com
This is something that I see a believe in Western Media and pundits, that if a dictactor being bring down, then one that's going to replace is going to be pro democracies and pro western. Some Russian specialists in West already warn that if Putin gone, whoever come out can be more militant and nationalistic then him.
t.me
sdelanounas.ru
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bmpd.livejournal.com
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t.me
I think it is highy unlikely that the production of the Tu-154 will be restarted. It is not only ten years ago that production ended, but they also have to restart the construction of the Soloviev D-30KU-154 engine. Besides that the triple engine Tu-154 can only carry 180 passengers, while the twin engine Tu-204 210.Some interesting pieces.
Russia has begun construction of a strategic railroad through southern Ukraine, running through the DNR area, and then through Zaporozhye and Kherson. Note Russia has already invested in upgrading road infrastructure on this route, and cell phone coverage. This limits reliance on the Crimea bridge, and of course is a good indicator that Russia is unlikely to be willing to give up this territory.
Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны
‼️Россия строит железную дорогу в обход Крымского моста — вражеские аналитики ▪️"На спутниковых снимках видно работы по строительству железной дороги. Так Россия планирует соединить ДНР и Запорожскую область с Крымом, чтобы не зависеть от моста", пишут украинские СМИ. ▪️Дорогу могут...
In Yakutia Russia has finally begun construction of the bridge across the Lena. This bridge was initially planned over a decade ago and construction was to start in mid 2010's, but the annexation of Crimea cost quite a bit and many of those funds became unavailable. Also significant is that the bridge is being scaled down, now only being a road bridge. The rail component appears to have been cancelled. Currently in the summer one has to take a ferry to get to Yakutsk. In the winter when the river freezes usually one can drive across the ice. This is an illustration of the cost Russia's foreign adventures have had on domestic development.
Группа «ВИС» начала отсыпку технологической площадки для строительства Ленского моста в Якутии
vis-group.ru Группа «ВИС» начала подготовку к старту основного этапа работ по строительству моста через реку Лену в Якутии. В настоящее время в районе села Старая Табага на левом берегу реки выполняется отсыпка...
This comes as Polish farmer protests against imported Ukrainian agricultural products continue. It's gotten to the point where protesters are dumping out Ukrainian cargo.
Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны
«Это настоящая диверсия»: разгневанные поляки массово высыпают украинское зерно из вагонов, неожиданно экспортное зерно стали высыпать на землю и на Украине ▪️На этот раз поляки опорожнили целый состав с кукурузой в Куявско-Поморском воеводстве - достаточно далеко от границы с Украиной, западнее...
Sanctions have taken quite a toll on Russian airlines which are basically up a creek without a paddle. They have a dwindling inventory of western jets that are hard to keep flying, and domestic alternatives are not forthcoming despite many pronouncements. As a result many different things are being discussed including resuming Tu-214 production (something that will almost certainly happen as it never fully stopped), revisiting old projects like the Tu-324, and restoring any old Tu-204 variants still in storage. Personally I wonder if Tu-154 production can be restarted. It stopped roughly a decade ago.
Возможность возобовления проекта самолёта Ту-324 под брендом Aurus
Татарстанское сетевое издание БИЗНЕС Online в материале Тимура Латыпова Татарский джет: недобитый Ту-324 превратят в летающий Aurus. К созданию самолета, за который годами бился Минниханов, подключают структуры Газпрома сообщило, что…bmpd
Ту-214 Red Wings: снова на маршрутах Сегодня, 2 февраля, Ту-214 авиакомпании Red Wings с регистрацией RA-64518 выполняет свой первый рейс с пассажирами по маршрутной сети компании. Дебютным после возвращения во флот стал рейс WZ 125 из Жуковского в Сочи. Напомним, что передача данного борта...
The sixth project 22220 nuclear power icebreaker has been laid down, named Leningrad. Another one is due to be laid down next year and reportedly will be named Stalingrad. The first ships of this class are already active. While these ships are the largest of their kind, an even larger (twice the power) LK-120Ya Leader class icebreaker was planned. The intent was to open the Arctic sea to round the year shipping which even the LK-60Ya can't do. So far there's no word on whether this highly ambitious project will go ahead.
Заложен атомный ледокол «Ленинград» проекта 22220
26 января 2024 года в Санкт-Петербурге на АО Балтийский завод (в составе АО Объединенная судостроительная корпорация - АО ОСК) состоялась торжественная церемония закладки шестого (пятого серийного) универсального атомного ледокола проекта 22220 (ЛК-60Я),…
At least part of the case Ukraine filed against Russia in the World Court has been dismissed. The court has called Russia out for not providing Ukrainian language education in Crimea, but has declined to award Ukraine any damages, merely requiring Russia to comply with relevant treaties. I suspect this of course is just so much noise.
The first Angara-A5 launch is planned from Vostochniy spaceport. The Angara project was supposed to produce a family of rockets that effectively replace many Soviet era models but it hasn't done that. While a few have been produced and launched (8 overall), the project has been slow. Only one launch is planned this year, and allegedly 3 more in 2025 but this is tricky. In 2022 Russia also planned 3 launches but didn't hit the target. Interestingly enough I attempted to access the Roscosmos website itself and discovered a 403 Forbidden error, despite trying my VPN from servers like Turkey, Vietnam, and India.
Первая тяжёлая ракета-носитель «Ангара-А5» отправлена для испытаний на космодром «Восточный»
Российская ракетно-космическая отрасль готовится открыть новую страницу в своей истории. Дело в том, что первая тяжелая ракета-носитель «Ангара-А5» отправлена для проведения летно-конструкторских испытаний на космодром «Восточный». Об этом сообщает пресс-служба госкорпорации «Роскосмос». Первая
It appears that despite sanctions even the US is buying Russia oil, with at least one tanker sailing straight from Novorossiysk to Norfolk.
VK.com | VK
Операция Z: Военкоры Русской Весны
‼️Украинцы в шоке: на главную базу ВМС США «Норфолк» прибыли 50 000 тонн нефти из Новороссийска ▪️К такому выводу пришел Институт Черноморских стратегических исследований со ссылкой на данные мониторингового сервиса Marinetraff. ▪️База Норфолк – крупнейшая военно-морская база в мире и...
www.ft.com
While I think this matches the consensus Western view of Putin, I do find it interesting that he clearly possesses a deeper understanding of the history of his nation than perhaps any Western leader has of their own, ideologically tainted though it may be.
Any rational examination of NATO policy and history leads to the inevitable conclusion that NATO is no threat to Russia. If Putin is a rational actor he knows this. He doesnt give one $hit about NATO - as evidenced by his actions. He worked SO hard to get FIN and SWE into NATO. He has also stripped the troops from his borders with NATO countries. NATO was withering on the vine before 2022, with EU countries spiraling into ever-decreasing military budgets.
