The State of Affairs in Russia

[mongers]

A couple of Russian Tu-160s flew a patrol through the Western European coast yesterday, reaching the Bay of Biscay.

....

Apparently it was last month.

[celedhring]

Yeah, it says it right there in the graph, but for some reason it surfaced two days ago (at least in the Spanish press) and I mixed it up.

[Solmyr]

So Russians are bombing Aleppo, Kerry directly accused them of war crimes with UN security council resolution vote coming up tomorrow, and Russian planes just violated Finnish and Estonian airspace. Shit is really flying towards the fan here.

[11B4V]

So Russians are bombing Aleppo, Kerry directly accused them of war crimes with UN security council resolution vote coming up tomorrow, and Russian planes just violated Finnish and Estonian airspace. Shit is really flying towards the fan here.

Winter War part deux.

[Syt]

Seems like Russia wants to create some facts before the U.S. election.

https://www.rt.com/news/362209-russian-permanent-naval-facility-tartus/

Russia plans permanent naval facility in Syrian port of Tartus – MoD

The Russian military plans to expand its supply base in Syria into a fully-fledged permanent naval base. The Russian facility in Tartus has long been used to resupply Russian warships during Mediterranean Sea missions.

"We are going to have a permanent Navy base in Tartus. We have prepared the paperwork, which is now being reviewed by other government agencies. The documents are pretty much ready, so we hope to submit them to you for ratification soon," General Nikolay Pankov, deputy defense minister responsible for communication with other parts of the Russian government, told the Federation Council, Russia's senate.

The Tartus facility has been in place since 1977. After the collapse of the Soviet Union it was used to resupply and repair Russian warships deployed to missions in the Mediterranean Sea, but did not serve as a permanent base for any of them.

Last week Russia confirmed delivery of an advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Tartus to protect the port facility and mooring warships from potential airstrikes and missile attacks.

The delivery came amid media reports that the Pentagon planned a massive cruise missile attack on Syrian airfields, which would dismantle Damascus' aerial capabilities.

The US accuses Syria and Russia of perpetrating war crimes in Syria over the offensive operation against militant forces in eastern Aleppo. Russia says the operation followed US failure to deliver on its promise to separate the so-called moderate rebels form terrorist forces in Aleppo and that Washington is playing the blame game to draw attention away from its failures.

This comes on the heels of the decision to have a permanent air force presence in Syria. Also, Russia recently deployed Iskander missiles with nuclear capability and a range of 500 km to the Kaliningrad region "as part of a drill."

[Valmy]

Good. I hope they have dozens and dozens of military bases in the middle east. If they take over the region and it works, well I call that a win. If they fail, and they are about 99% likely to do so, then Russia just blew tons of money and resources it does not have and cannot spare on a disaster.

[celedhring]

Good. I hope they have dozens and dozens of military bases in the middle east. If they take over the region and it works, well I call that a win. If they fail, and they are about 99% likely to do so, then Russia just blew tons of money and resources it does not have and cannot spare on a disaster.

Yeah, I'm pretty much of the same opinion.

[Syt]

Good. I hope they have dozens and dozens of military bases in the middle east. If they take over the region and it works, well I call that a win. If they fail, and they are about 99% likely to do so, then Russia just blew tons of money and resources it does not have and cannot spare on a disaster.

Then you'll be happy to hear they consider re-opening bases in Cuba and Vietnam, too.

[Valmy]

Then you'll be happy to hear they consider re-opening bases in Cuba and Vietnam, too.

Just because I applaud this move does not mean I am eager for them to do other things.

Why would Cuba or Vietnam want those bases? They seem to be fine on their own.

[Syt]

I think it was more a case of Russians thinking aloud rather than official consultations taking place.

[Syt]

https://www.rt.com/politics/362339-russia-tests-war-time-state/

New wartime state management system gives full power to Russian military – report

A recent military exercise in southern Russia saw the first real-time test of the state management system that allows the Defense Ministry to assume direct control over municipal and regional authorities, police, state security and emergency services.

"In the course of the strategic war games Caucasus-2016, the Defense Ministry has for the first time tried how a military district command can directly manage the regions of the Russian Federation," popular daily Izvestia quoted an unnamed high-placed military source as saying.

"Exercising the interaction with state power bodies was one of the main objectives of the war games. In general it went well, but we also encountered some problems and presently we are preparing some legislative proposals that would correct the revealed drawbacks," the source added.

READ MORE: High alert: Russia tests army's readiness in massive snap exercise in west & south

In particular, the military wants to switch completely from the previous scheme, under which in times of war all regional authorities and federal ministries worked on their own dedicated tasks and the Defense Ministry only had a coordinating role.

The new rules of wartime administration would give all administrative powers to the military, which would issue direct commands to regional authorities, law enforcers, rescuers and the National Guard.

Russia currently has five military districts that comprise the Defense Ministry's territory division units. In times of war, the command of each of these districts will be divided into two parts – the Operative Strategic Command and the Wartime Military District. The former will be in charge of military operations and the latter will control the draft, logistics and execution of all special regime measures, such as maintaining public order and the increased security of strategic installations and communications.

The new system was tested in southern Russia's Stavropol Region, Ingushetia and Crimea.

Military sources also told reporters that all the proposed changes are in line with the 2016-2020 Plan of Defense signed by President Vladimir Putin in November 2015.

READ MORE: 40 million Russians involved in annual 4-day defense drills

Earlier this month, Russia conducted major civil defense training involving 40 million people nationwide. A total of 200,000 rescue professionals and 50,000 vehicles took part in the exercise, which lasted four days. According to the Emergencies Ministry, the drill was meant to test coordination between federal, regional and local authorities, the feasibility of contingency plans for emergencies, the state of civil defense infrastructure such as shelters and emergency supply stockpiles, and other aspects of the system. However, this year's exercise was not exceptional in terms of scale – the drill in 2013 involved over 60 million people.

[Liep]

They had a racoon festival in St. Petersburg because it has apparently gained popularity as a house pet. This guy's arms seem to prove my immediate thought that it's not a good idea.

[Malthus]

They had a racoon festival in St. Petersburg because it has apparently gained popularity as a house pet. This guy's arms seem to prove my immediate thought that it's not a good idea.

There is a whole family of those "potential house pets" living under my neighbor's porch. 

Personally, I would never attempt to make a pet out of something that has hands. 

[Syt]

https://www.rt.com/politics/373430-duma-orders-all-staff-report/

Duma orders staff to report on all data they disclose on internet

Employees of the lower house of the Russian parliament have been ordered to submit a detailed report on all publicly accessible information they have posted on the internet. Some civil servants say the order is vague and excessive.

Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Thursday that the document requiring all staff to report on their internet activities was published on the State Duma intranet earlier this month.

The report is to be submitted as a signed form detailing the "addresses of websites... on which the civil servants posted any publicly accessible information about themselves, as well as any data that would help to identify them."

The form must include, among other things, their name, date of issue of their passport, and the position they hold.

The State Duma internal instruction is based on a government order issued at the end of 2016. This order requires all civil servants to report their internet activities in 2016 by April 1.

It also states that starting from 2017, anyone who applies for a job in a state agency must provide information about his or her internet activities for over three years prior to the date of application.

The bill does not contain any universal rules for all civil servants, but it does order human resource departments of various state agencies to develop their own rules and to brief their employees on them. Those who violate the social network code can be fired "due to the loss of trust" – which would bar future state employment.

Several unnamed sources in the Duma told Kommersant that the new requirements were extremely difficult to meet, as the order requires reporting on every post made in social networks, and other internet activities, which can be difficult or next to impossible to remember. They also said that they were already overburdened with reporting following the introduction of a law requiring them to report all income and spending.

So, who here would be able to outline all websites where they posted anything that can be linked to them in the last 36 months?

Also, imagine having to disclose all your spendings to your employer.

[garbon]

Okay, we all know Russia is a garbage country, but wtf?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/07/putin-approves-change-to-law-decriminalising-domestic-violence

Putin approves change to law decriminalising domestic violence

Critics say amendment sends wrong message in country where one woman dies every 40 minutes from domestic abuse

Vladimir Putin has signed into law a controversial amendment that decriminalises domestic violence.

The amendment, which sailed through both houses of Russian parliament before Tuesday's presidential signing, has elicited anger from critics who say that it sends the wrong message in a country where one woman dies every 40 minutes from domestic abuse.

From now on, beatings of spouses or children that result in bruising or bleeding but not broken bones are punishable by 15 days in prison or a fine, if they do not happen more than once a year. Previously, they carried a maximum jail sentence of two years.

Alena Popova, an activist who has campaigned against the law, said it would be fine to pass the amendments if a draft law specifically aimed at tackling domestic violence was passed at the same time. But that law, which provides for restraining orders and other safeguards in domestic abuse cases, is stalled in parliament and is not expected to be passed.

"Passing these amendments and not passing the other law is another sign that our society refuses to take this problem seriously," she said.

Defenders of the law say it closes a nonsensical loophole by which violent acts committed by family members are punished more harshly than those committed by strangers.

"The question is not whether it's OK to hit or not. Of course it isn't. The question is how to punish people and what you should punish them for," said Olga Batalina, one of the MPs who drafted the law.

Others claim the law is about protecting Russian traditions according to which the family is sacred. Priest Dmitry Smirnov, head of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchy's commission on family matters, said on a television programme that the idea the state should be able to poke its nose into family affairs was a western imposition on Russia. "Some of the things happening in northern Europe now are such that even Hitler couldn't have dreamed them up," he said.

Some of the mainstream discussion around gender and domestic violence in Russia can be shocking.

An article last week in the science section of the popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda cheerfully told readers about an "advantage" of wife-beating. It said: "Recent scientific studies show the wives of angry men have a reason to be proud of their bruises. Biologists say that beaten-up women have a valuable advantage: they more often give birth to boys!"

Popova said that during her one-woman protest outside parliament, various people had insulted her. Some had claimed she was paid to protest by western governments, while others told her that some women simply deserved to be beaten, she said.

Discussion of the bill in parliament coincided with the women's marches in Washington DC and around the world in the aftermath of Donald Trump's inauguration as president, provoking a broader discussion about the problem of domestic violence and the role of women in contemporary Russia.

In Moscow, there was no official march organised, partly due to lack of interest, and partly because of the difficulty in gaining permission to march from the Russian authorities. A planned demonstration against the domestic violence amendments has been repeatedly stymied by authorities.

Margarita Grigoryan, a Moscow-born businesswoman who grew up in London but moved backed recently to open a business, organised a short walk around the Russian capital. About 15 people took part. "I was depressed that someone so overtly misogynistic could get into the White House, and especially being in this country, I felt I wanted to protest, but there was nothing at all organised here," she said.

Political analyst Maria Lipman said the situation around gender roles in Russia was paradoxical. "The Soviet period saw gender equality from above, so some of the rights that women in the west fought for were granted or even imposed on Russian women," said Lipman.

"This meant that the way gender relations developed was different, and Russian women never had to fight for their rights. Now on the one hand we have huge problems with unequal pay, with no women in politics, with domestic abuse, but on the other hand there are more top [female] editors of leading media outlets than in the United States, and there are many top women bankers, for example."

Nearly 300,000 people signed a petition organised by Popova to protest against the amendments, and a recent online campaign also attempted to bring the domestic abuse problem out into the open. Using the hashtag #Iamnotscaredtospeak, thousands of Russian women shared their stories of sexual harassment, violence and rape on social media. The tidal wave of terrible stories shocked many Russians, and prompted something of a discussion. But there is a major disparity between the attitudes of Russia's urban middle class, and the situation in the regions.

"There is a big constituency in Russia for whom interference in family affairs can be portrayed as another issue in which the west is trying to impose its views on Russia," said Lipman.

Maria Alekhina, of the Pussy Riot protest group, said the legal amendments were a red herring, and it was Russian society and attitudes as a whole that needed to change to help alleviate the domestic abuse situation.

Alekhina spent nearly two years in prison for carrying out a "punk prayer" in Moscow's main cathedral in 2012, and said between a quarter and a third of the women she met in jail were there for attacking abusive husbands: "They were usually women who had been beaten up for years, and there was nowhere for them to go. We have no social help and no psychological help available. So one day they just pick up a knife and kill their husbands."