The State of Affairs in Russia

[Razgovory]

I know of another reason:  Crimea is running out of water.  Crimea relies on canals in Ukraine for its water, canals that are have been blocked ever since the Russian invasion.  Russia needs Ukrainian water if it wants to continue it's occupation of Crimea.

[Gaijin de Moscu]

I know of another reason:  Crimea is running out of water.  Crimea relies on canals in Ukraine for its water, canals that are have been blocked ever since the Russian invasion.  Russia needs Ukrainian water if it wants to continue it's occupation of Crimea.

Yeah, I heard about it, but I think they're finding internal solutions. According to the official sources, the overall water supplies are sufficient for the peninsula, but they're not distributed equally. They're investing into the infrastructure to fix that.

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Russia has said during the talks going on today that they want NATO troops withdrawn from Romania and Bulgaria which is, I think, new and it seems strange to escalate the demands.

I saw that Romania have rejected and France has called for more troops to be put into Romania and Bulgaria instead

Bulgaria rejected it as well. From an orthodox slavic nation traditionally close to Russia, that's quite telling.

Honestly, expected and not surprising.

[Legbiter]

Wouldn't the smart thing for Putin be to officially nab the Donbass region. An easy Schleswig-Holstein minor conflict.

[Duque de Bragança]

Russia has said during the talks going on today that they want NATO troops withdrawn from Romania and Bulgaria which is, I think, new and it seems strange to escalate the demands.

I saw that Romania have rejected and France has called for more troops to be put into Romania and Bulgaria instead

Bulgaria rejected it as well. From an orthodox slavic nation traditionally close to Russia, that's quite telling.

Honestly, expected and not surprising.

Still, not good for PR.

Romania was no surprise at all.

[Syt]

Wouldn't the smart thing for Putin be to officially nab the Donbass region. An easy Schleswig-Holstein minor conflict.

That's my expectation. Create a landbridge from Russia to Crimea, "liberate" the oppressed Ukraine, and create a new buffer of insurrection (like current Donbass) to keep Ukraine busy and unstable. I doubt Putin would go for a full occupation, because I think he knows that the Western parts have a potential to become a quagmire and drain on resources.

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Still, not good for PR.

Romania was no surprise at all.

I don't think RU has ever been good at PR

There's a difference between brotherly feelings which the members of the population may feel towards each other and the government policies...

[celedhring]

Here's the thing, in Bulgaria the members of the population get to elect their government. 

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Here's the thing, in Bulgaria the members of the population get to elect their government. 

Really? Ok

[Valmy]

There's a difference between brotherly feelings which the members of the population may feel towards each other and the government policies...

Yeah I am sure the Bulgarians probably like Russians...the Russian state not so much. But I may be projecting since that is basically my feelings on the matter

[Duque de Bragança]

Still, not good for PR.

Romania was no surprise at all.

I don't think RU has ever been good at PR

There's a difference between brotherly feelings which the members of the population may feel towards each other and the government policies...

Yeah, hopefully Bulgarians think better of Russians than Putin. 

[Tamas]

Here's the thing, in Bulgaria the members of the population get to elect their government. 

Don't tell me you believe that mass media official narrative. 

[Solmyr]

Still, not good for PR.

Romania was no surprise at all.

I don't think RU has ever been good at PR

There's a difference between brotherly feelings which the members of the population may feel towards each other and the government policies...

Yeah, hopefully Bulgarians think better of Russians than Putin. 

I don't think anyone can hate Russians as much as Putin does.

[Solmyr]

There's a difference between brotherly feelings which the members of the population may feel towards each other and the government policies...

Yeah I am sure the Bulgarians probably like Russians...the Russian state not so much. But I may be projecting since that is basically my feelings on the matter

Bulgarians like Russians as long as Russia doesn't start telling them what to do. That's what soured relations just before WW1, too (and that after Russia basically created an independent Bulgaria).

[Gaijin de Moscu]

I don't think anyone can hate Russians as much as Putin does.

I respectfully disagree He has literally saved the country from the post-communist collapse into many "republics." The process of post-imperial collapse continued for a while (Abkhazia, Crimea, South Ossetia, Transnistria, Donbas, all the ethnic wars in the "stans"...) but he stopped it in his country by negotiating a difficult peace with Chechnya, limiting the power of the oligarchs, and so on.

Now, for example, he's waging a massive war on the government corruption, and he's not joking around.

The Russian quality of life is still far behind Europe and US on some aspects, but it's the highest in all the history of that country.

I know my opinions are unpopular on this board, but that's what I see.