The coverage of the war is split in the West along several lines.
There’s the MSM, which openly admits to engaging in psy-ops to get Ukrainians pumped up and ready to fight Russia to the last man. They also focus on stirring up an intense emotional hatred of Russia and Russians in the West to psychologically prepare the masses for war.
Then, on the samizdat side, you have a bunch of Telegram accounts and bloggers that generally do a far better job covering the war. Within the pro-Russia camp, you have the pessimists and the optimists.
I find myself leaning closer to the pessimists, generally.
That being said, I don’t agree with their attitude and their prognoses even though I acknowledge that they have a better general reading of the situation.
This may seem like an autistic quibble, but it’s really not.
See, the Russians have a saying that doesn’t really translate well and it goes something like “well, you should know by know what a bardak (mess) everything is” and it’s basically a bleak joke that’s used whenever something goes wrong in Russia. I was already in the bardak camp and I had no illusions about how messed up Russia was going into this. But when the war started, I realized that things were about to change.
That doesn’t mean that the mess will just magically disappeared. In fact, the bardak will hinder the country’s efforts to get their act together. Imagine a drunk waking up, hung over, tripping over bottles and swaying as he pulls his pants on, pats his messy hair, adjusts his loose tie and groans. Last night, after getting robbed and beaten up, he has resolved to stop drinking and get his act together. Is he in a good position when he wakes up that morning? No, of course not.
But as the morning progresses, his body starts heaving and he vomits out some of the leftover alcohol from the night before (oligarchs fleeing to Israel). He still feels weak, but his head is a bit clearer. His stolen wallet (seized Russian currency reserves) means that he’s got to take the bus home. Oh well. He got into a fight with his abusive boss at work and that means that he’s fired. Oh well. Perhaps the time has come to finally focus on his own side-business and become his own boss. His phone is filled with missed calls from co-workers and colleagues calling him to cut ties forever because of his showdown at the office yesterday. Oh well, he never liked those people anyways.
In other words, was Russia in bad company and not going anywhere with his life? Yes, yes he was. But Russia has resolved to change. He can no longer continue living life as he once did. A lot of bridges were burned the night before. It’s either sink or swim now. But that doesn’t mean that it will be smooth sailing for the reformed nihilistic drunk. He’s still got an abusive spouse to deal with. Neglected children. An abusive ex. A mother who emotionally unloads on him. Psychological hurdles. He calls me up, says he’s been a bad friend and that he’s going to start doing things differently now. While I was concerned about the direction that his life was going, I can’t help but feel that things are going to be different now.
I see positive changes everywhere. The halting and stumbling steps towards much-needed reforms and the firing of bad people in the government, the shutdown of enemy media, the mysterious deaths of literally dozens of oligarchs. It’s not perfect. It’s not on the scale that I would like to see. But as the confrontation with NATO continues to escalate, I see no reason to believe that Russia would be allowed to backslide into a drunken stupor.
I’m not pretending or trying to convince anyone that Russia is a paradise. And the path to sober sovereignty is a difficult one. But let’s not pretend that things aren’t changing either. Whenever the pessimists point out something that isn’t going according to plan, its good to ask yourself if this is a fresh new negative development or an old empty bottle that Russia stumbled on trying to get to the bathroom.
Some corrupt government idiot saying something stupid in the public arena? Well is that a new hire or an old hand that might be asked to leave in the coming months? An incompetent general who misread a map somewhere and shelled an empty field? How long has he been at that post? For how much longer will he be allowed to stay?
I think its clear that eventually the entire country will have to transition into a lean, mean, war-machine to survive. If Russia loses, Russians will be subjected to a fate even worse than the Germans were subjected to after World War II where their culture will be wiped out and the entire nation subjected to a century of psychological abuse on top of an ethnic extermination campaign. Putin will replace Hitler as the greatest evil in world history and Russians will forever be the direct personification of pure metaphysical evil. In other words, the stakes are high and more and more, even ordinary Russians are starting to understand that this is going to be a war for survival.
So cheer up.
If Russia goes down, he’s going down swinging.
" you should know by know " - you should know by now... thanks for your articles!
Russia will not lose. Remember that. Yes there is incompetence , but no where near the level of stupidity that abounds in Western Civilization. Russia will not lose to a country with a black diversity hire such as Lloyd Austin. A clown with a IQ of 85.
Russia will not lose to an army that accommodates Amy and her 2 mothers.
Russia lost once to a bunch of Bolsheviks (Jews) but learned it's lesson the long hard way. Hence we saw the kikes running back to Tel Aviv. They are fleeing not because Russia will lose but because they realize the jig is up in Russia like it was in the previous 90 countries that threw them out.
The western financial system is on fumes. Within 18 months they will clean out the bank accounts of their citizens. This will be the first wake up call to the Zombies with their masks still on. Right now 20-25 % of the population is awake. When the bank accounts are emptied that will result in another 20-25 % of the population waking up. The fatal blow to the Jewish bankers will be when they come to take the peoples homes.
Then and only then will there be a revolution . Then there will be a total breakdown , the empire will collapse with that act.
Rolo , so glad Lavrov is seeking your opinion. Put in a good word for me as I will be in need of a new country . I am aware that I have worn out my welcome in O CAN OF SHIT.
Good article my friend.