The State of Affairs in Russia

[Martinus]

Do non-fetishists actually exist, to begin with?

He is a crown prosecutor in Edmonton, apparently.

[Solmyr]

Given how crazy Russian driving is, this law probably prevents fetishists and transgender people from dying horribly.

[Liep]

Given how crazy Russian driving is, this law probably prevents fetishists and transgender people from dying horribly.

If the alternative is using a bus they'd still be dying horribly, just along side people who hate them.

[Martinus]

I just realised that a "Russian gas pedal" is an expression in gay BDSM slang. 

[Syt]

http://rt.com/news/226319-putin-nato-russia-ukraine/

Putin: Ukraine army is NATO legion aimed at restraining Russia

The Ukrainian army is essentially a 'NATO legion' which doesn't pursue the national interests of Ukraine, but persists to restrict Russia, President Vladimir Putin says.

"We often say: Ukrainian Army, Ukrainian Army. But who is really fighting there? There are, indeed, partially official units of armed forces, but largely there are the so-called 'volunteer nationalist battalions'," said Putin.

He added that the intention of Ukrainian troops is connected with "achieving the geopolitical goals of restraining Russia." Putin was addressing students in the city of St. Petersburg.

According to Putin, the Ukrainian army "is not an army, but a foreign legion, in this case a foreign NATO legion, which, of course, doesn't pursue the national interests of Ukraine."

Kiev has been reluctant to find political solutions to the crisis in eastern Ukraine and only used the ceasefire to regroup its forces, the president stressed.

"Unfortunately official Kiev authorities refuse to follow the path of a peaceful solution. They don't want to resolve [the crisis] using political tools," Putin said, adding that first Kiev authorities had first used law enforcement, then security services and then the army in the region.

"It is essentially a civil war [in Ukraine]. In my view, many in Ukraine already understand this," Putin added.

Already tense situation in eastern Ukraine gone downhill in past 2 weeks. The escalation of violence came after a controversial incident at a Kiev-controlled checkpoint near the town of Volnovakha, where 12 passengers were killed on January 13

Kiev and the militia blamed each other for the incident.

Following escalation, Kiev ordered "massive fire" on militia-held regions on January 18. The self-proclaimed Donetsk republic's leader accused Kiev of trying to restart the war.

Violent confrontation between Ukrainian army troops and rebels reached its climax last week, when Mariupol in the Donetsk Region was shelled. At least 30 people were killed and over 100 wounded.

Kiev and militia troops traded blame, with rebels insisting they didn't' have weapons close enough to the city to carry out such a deadly attack.

Western countries reiterated accusations of Russia backing the rebel forces, and so being partly responsible for violations of the Minsk agreement. They called for more sanctions against Moscow.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama promised the United States would examine options to "ratchet up the pressure on Russia" on the Ukraine issue.

At the same time, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Washington has "more tools" available to increase pressure on Russia.

"I think we have seen that the sanctions work to create real stress in the economy. We have more tools. I am not today going to enumerate what the tools are but we have more tools," Lew told a news conference in Brussels.

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski also called on the EU to consider imposing tougher sanctions on Moscow, saying: "The response of the Western world should be very firm."

Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also hinted at further restrictions, adding that "an attack or a broad offensive on Mariupol would be a qualitative change in the situation to which we would have to react."

Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov called fresh threats of anti-Russian sanctions "an absolutely destructive and unjustified course that would eventually prove to be shortsighted."

"Instead of stepping up the pressure on those who refuse to start a dialogue and to solve the conflict in a peaceful way, we hear they want to resume this economic blackmail against Russia," Peskov noted in his statement.

[MadImmortalMan]

Restrict Russia from what? 

[Syt]

From being the world power and beacon of traditional values they deserve to be?



http://rt.com/politics/226335-russian-charlie-hebdo-poll/

The largest group of responders – 30 percent – said in their view the tragedy must be blamed on the "behavior of the French journalists who insulted Muslim religious values."Twenty-five percent answered that the blame lies with the French government for allowing such insults in the first place. Another 11 percent said the French Government was responsible for the events because it had allowed too many Muslims into the country.

Only 8 percent of Russians think the problem lies in the behavior of the extremists, who answered the cartoons with extreme violence. Another five percent maintained the attack had been launched because all Muslim extremists despise freedom of speech and the secular state.

Six percent of responders think the main blame should be leveled at French special services, who failed to counter the militant Islamist group prior to the attack.

Five percent confessed they "understood and approved of" the terrorists' actions. Thirty-nine percent said they understood the attackers' motives, but could not approve of the murder. The majority of Russians – 48 percent - neither understand the killers' motives, nor support them.

[Solmyr]

http://itar-tass.com/en/russia/773830

Members of the Russian parliament mull drafting a statement to condemn the annexation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) by the Federative Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1989, a historic event commonly known as the reunification of East and West Germany.

[Duque de Bragança]

http://itar-tass.com/en/russia/773830

Members of the Russian parliament mull drafting a statement to condemn the annexation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) by the Federative Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1989, a historic event commonly known as the reunification of East and West Germany.

[Martinus]

From being the world power and beacon of traditional values they deserve to be?



http://rt.com/politics/226335-russian-charlie-hebdo-poll/

The largest group of responders – 30 percent – said in their view the tragedy must be blamed on the "behavior of the French journalists who insulted Muslim religious values."Twenty-five percent answered that the blame lies with the French government for allowing such insults in the first place. Another 11 percent said the French Government was responsible for the events because it had allowed too many Muslims into the country.

Only 8 percent of Russians think the problem lies in the behavior of the extremists, who answered the cartoons with extreme violence. Another five percent maintained the attack had been launched because all Muslim extremists despise freedom of speech and the secular state.

Six percent of responders think the main blame should be leveled at French special services, who failed to counter the militant Islamist group prior to the attack.

Five percent confessed they "understood and approved of" the terrorists' actions. Thirty-nine percent said they understood the attackers' motives, but could not approve of the murder. The majority of Russians – 48 percent - neither understand the killers' motives, nor support them.

Russia is not a part of Europe. Film at 11.

[Syt]

Last year Russia banned commercials on cable television, which threatened to shut down a number of channels.

The commercial ban is now being amended. It's now only for cable channel who have less than 75% Russian produced programming. To qualify for being "Russian produced," 50% of the production costs must come from Russian sources. Which excludes basically all foreign programs that are translated. Universal has already shut its services because of the new rules.

[KRonn]

Well, I'm sure this will make Russian TV much more exciting and entertaining! Probably getting back to a bit more like it was in old Soviet days, and it'll give the  younger generation a taste of how it was back then and some nostalga for older folks. Just need to make sure the Russkie government gets more control over things to complete the cycle. Oh happy days! 

[celedhring]

Funnily, American entertainment is wildly popular in Russia, it's one of the biggest foreign markets for American movies, for example.

[CountDeMoney]

http://itar-tass.com/en/russia/773830

Members of the Russian parliament mull drafting a statement to condemn the annexation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) by the Federative Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1989, a historic event commonly known as the reunification of East and West Germany.

It's about time those damned Germans and their expansionist habits are held accountable.

[Zanza]

http://itar-tass.com/en/russia/773830

Members of the Russian parliament mull drafting a statement to condemn the annexation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) by the Federative Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1989, a historic event commonly known as the reunification of East and West Germany.

Read an article here or somewhere else a while ago which explained why Russian lawmakers come up with more and more outlandish laws. It's their only way to get any attention at all as all real law-making happens in the Kremlin, not the Duma.

He also said that if one should follow the logic of those, who called that historic event the 'annexation', it would be easy enough "for the authors of such logic to say that FRG annexed East Germany."

Eh, yes, West Germany annexed East Germany. No question about that. The four powers and both German states signed the 2+4 treaty to enact that. Which happens to have been ratified by the Supreme Soviet.