Russia-Ukraine war and related tensions Megathread

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

African Union calls on Russia to reinstate Ukrainian grain deal

https://www.politico.eu/article/african-union-calls-to-reinstate-the-ukrainian-grain-deal/

By pulling out of the grain export deal, Putin prevented Africans and others from freely buying Ukrainian grain. Then Putin offered to give free grain to some African countries. Africans have seen this many times, when a white European imperial power prevented them from freely trading for their needs, and then offered some crumbs as a political manipulation. The African Union has recognized this for what it is. Putin as a master strategist my behind.

Paging Red Velvet.

[Hindsight was 2020]

African Union calls on Russia to reinstate Ukrainian grain deal

https://www.politico.eu/article/african-union-calls-to-reinstate-the-ukrainian-grain-deal/

By pulling out of the grain export deal, Putin prevented Africans and others from freely buying Ukrainian grain. Then Putin offered to give free grain to some African countries. Africans have seen this many times, when a white European imperial power prevented them from freely trading for their needs, and then offered some crumbs as a political manipulation. The African Union has recognized this for what it is. Putin as a master strategist my behind.

Paging Red Velvet.

I feel like red velvet whole “Russia and the global south unite” Is due to the fact he doesn’t follow telegram and has no idea how causally condescending and even outright racist Russian state actors on there are towards Africa and South America.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

African Union calls on Russia to reinstate Ukrainian grain deal

https://www.politico.eu/article/african-union-calls-to-reinstate-the-ukrainian-grain-deal/

By pulling out of the grain export deal, Putin prevented Africans and others from freely buying Ukrainian grain. Then Putin offered to give free grain to some African countries. Africans have seen this many times, when a white European imperial power prevented them from freely trading for their needs, and then offered some crumbs as a political manipulation. The African Union has recognized this for what it is. Putin as a master strategist my behind.

Paging Red Velvet.

I feel like red velvet whole “Russia and the global south unite” Is due to the fact he doesn’t follow telegram and has no idea how causally condescending and even outright racist Russian state actors on there are towards Africa and South America.

He knows, he just doesn’t care. He called Israel the global south a few months ago, but I’m guessing they somehow became the West again when he posted about Israeli pouring concrete into the Palestinian water supply.

[Red Velvet]

Oh, how awful! I never knew Russians were capable of racism, I thought they were enlightened angels sent by the Lord?

Personification of complex geopolitical conflicts is always dumb as hell but the oldest rhetoric in the book to try to manipulate the masses. Next up will be the line about feminine Ukraine wearing a mini-skirt and male-toxic Russia feeling provoked about it.

But always good to be reminded that westerners in here believe that the Global South main possible aspiration is… not be attacked. Like, “it will be a giant favor we do to you savages if we don’t act openly racist towards you so join our side!”

Do you guys really believe you’re better than a (imaginary or not) racist Russian when you suggest that?

[Hindsight was 2020]

Oh, how awful! I never knew Russians were capable of racism, I thought they were enlightened angels sent by the Lord?

Personification of complex geopolitical conflicts is always dumb as hell but the oldest rhetoric in the book to try to manipulate the masses. Next up will be the line about feminine Ukraine wearing a mini-skirt and male-toxic Russia feeling provoked about it.

But always good to be reminded that westerners in here believe that the Global South main possible aspiration is… not be attacked. Like, “it will be a giant favor we do to you savages if we don’t act openly racist towards you so join our side!”

Do you guys really believe you’re better than a (imaginary or not) racist Russian when you suggest that?

The actual key word to my statement is “state actors” because my actual point was the Russian government holds most of the global south in contempt along with harbor imperialist attitudes as seen in Ukraine or their interfering in the internal affairs of several African countries. Which they do to the point that your constant rooting for some type of alliance between the two to stick it to the west is missing the forrest through the trees

[Oleg 🇰🇿🤝🇺🇦]

Considering that the Chinese are no less racists than the Russians, it is unlikely that we will be able to convince a pseudo-Brazilian Chinese about the attitude of Russians towards Latin Americans and Africans.

[CanadianDemocrat]

Obviously Mariupol is still a significant distance away, but it's clear Ukraine's goal is to reach the sea:

https://twitter.com/MaxRTucker/status/1684489832779632641?s=20

People most talk about liberating Melitopol, but liberating Mariupol would be huge as well. Mariupol is also on the land bridge to Crimea, like Melitopol. Ukraine liberated Mariupol in 2014 during the Donbas War, so they can do it again.

[It’s so Joever]

No the Ukrainians aren’t going to “take Mariupol” at this rate. This is one village in a massive two month long offensive which has largely been a dud.

[Hindsight was 2020]

ForumLurker dooming/negativity has been a great reverse jinix for UA in the past so keep up the good work 🫡😉😬

[Oleg 🇰🇿🤝🇺🇦]

No the Ukrainians aren’t going to “take Mariupol” at this rate. This is one village in a massive two month long offensive which has largely been a dud.

Mariupol was a city of half a million inhabitants. What village are you talking about?

[Woody]

ForumLurker dooming/negativity has been a great reverse jinix for UA in the past so keep up the good work 🫡😉😬

That's some strong cope.

[Woody]

No the Ukrainians aren’t going to “take Mariupol” at this rate. This is one village in a massive two month long offensive which has largely been a dud.

Mariupol was a city of half a million inhabitants. What village are you talking about?

He's talking about Staromayorske, and he's right. If it took them 2 months to take this one village, imagine going through hundreds more.

[Woody]

For some perspective:

Ukraine launched it's counteroffensive 2 months ago, ever since then they have taken 10 settlements. Russians have recently taken 4 in Luhansk. That means in total Ukrainians have only a net gain of....  

6 villages

[jaichind]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/27/mod-accidentally-sends-classified-emails-meant-for-us-to-russian-ally

"MoD accidentally sends classified emails meant for US to Russian ally"

British officials sent the messages to an address ending with the west African country’s “.ml” domain, rather than the US military’s “.mil”.

The same error in the US was revealed earlier this month to have resulted in millions of military emails going to Mali.

Sounds like some of the emails should be related to Ukraine.

[Cassius]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/27/mod-accidentally-sends-classified-emails-meant-for-us-to-russian-ally

"MoD accidentally sends classified emails meant for US to Russian ally"

British officials sent the messages to an address ending with the west African country’s “.ml” domain, rather than the US military’s “.mil”.

The same error in the US was revealed earlier this month to have resulted in millions of military emails going to Mali.

Sounds like some of the emails should be related to Ukraine.

Global Britain^TM moment.

[Hindsight was 2020]

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1684853043374792704?s=12
The map might be a conservative estimate as vids of shelling and RU tg reports of Ukraine flanking Robotyne from the southeast would put them further than this

[Storr]

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1684860008184356864?s=20

[Virginiá]

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1684930254043750401

[CumbrianLefty]

No the Ukrainians aren’t going to “take Mariupol” at this rate. This is one village in a massive two month long offensive which has largely been a dud.

Mariupol was a city of half a million inhabitants. What village are you talking about?

The (incorrect) claim is that Ukraine have just liberated one single village.

[jaichind]

Russia-Africa summit.  Who attended and who led the African state delegation.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Russia-Africa summit.  Who attended and who led the African state delegation.

     Looking at the non-attenders, they are mostly small fries economically other than Kenya. Stunning how many presidents attended the event. And apparently also Yevgeny Prigozhin.

[CumbrianLefty]

Though "delegations of other people" can cover a great deal from important to not at all important.

[Storr]

Sure, Jan:

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1684877337379418112?s=20

[Storr]

"“We drive ourselves round and round in anxious circles about what Russia is thinking about this war, and we’re not letting ourselves realise that the Russians will find ways out for themselves . . . They don’t need for us to have our focus groups and our studies and our exit ramps. Anthropologically speaking, our exit ramps are not applicable to their highways, if you’ll forgive that stupid metaphor?”

He quickly alights on a more elegant turn of phrase: “It’s two different fairy tales, as the Poles say.”"


https://twitter.com/EliotHiggins/status/1684955473848537089?s=20

[2952-0-0]

Though "delegations of other people" can cover a great deal from important to not at all important.

The last Africa Russia summit, held in 2019, had 43 African heads of state in attendance. This one only has 19. It was enough of an embarrassment to the Kremlin that it blamed the lower attendance on the west. I wonder what this reveals about how the Kremlin views Africans and their freedom of action. 🤔