• kurcatovium@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    Wtf did I just read? Have you ever been to Russia or any of the post-soviet block republic? Or are you just fantasizing from other side of the world?

    • kookaburra@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      I’m at Russia right now, I’ve been to Ukraine more than dozen times including twice to Crimea (Ukrainian at time of visit) and numerous times to Donbass (as Donetsk is literally hometown of my father). What’s next? Have you ever been to one of the listed places yourself or are you just fantasizing from other side of the world?

        • Alsephina@lemmy.mlOP
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          8 months ago

          Are their foreign interests not aligned with Global South countries against imperial core ones?

          Russia has consistently supported the sovereignty of Global South countries like Syria and Venezuela against the US, host Palestinian meetings, and are a core part of BRICS. While Iran supports and funds Yemen, Palestine etc. There’s a reason sentiment like this is common in third world countries.

          • kurcatovium@lemm.ee
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            8 months ago

            At least Iran and Russia’s interests are aligned with most of the world against imperial core countries.

            This. I count myself like one of the most of the world part and I definitely DO NOT aligh with any interests Russia had in past 100 years.

            • Aria@lemmygrad.ml
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              8 months ago

              If you were to divide the world into two camps, one with 1 milliard people and another with 7 milliard, and they wanted opposite things, would the 7 milliard group not represent most of the world? Now, I don’t want you to dox yourself, but I ask rhetorically which camp the country you’re from falls in. Here’s a map in case you’re genuinely unsure. !alwaysthesamemap@lemmygrad.ml

              • kurcatovium@lemm.ee
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                8 months ago

                Do you think Russia does what it does for the greater good of these people? Isn’t Russia doing basically what every other imperial power did since long time ago? Conquer or at least control, because they want to be imperial power too?

                Sure, US ain’t no saint, EU neither, nobody is basically. But for me personally Russia represent something worse than those mentioned before. Not regular russian people, I even have some in my family, but people in power. Those who turn one of the richest country (in terms of natural resources) into powerty to build their billion dollar mansions, yachts and other luxury, while regular people can count themself lucky if they have flushing toilet and asphalt road in their street.

                If you want to know a bit of my background, I live in a country that was 40 years under USSR “occupation”, so I’m obviously not a big fan…

                I’m ok with downvotes, that’s what free speech is for. At least I don’t have to avoid passing around windows or drinking tea.

                • Aria@lemmygrad.ml
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                  8 months ago

                  Do you think Russia does what it does for the greater good of these people?

                  No. It does not matter why they do something, they’re doing it, and it benefits the 7 milliard people.

                  Isn’t Russia doing basically what every other imperial power did since long time ago? Conquer or at least control, because they want to be imperial power too?

                  What they’re doing in Ukraine isn’t imperialism, it’s self defense. (Self defense doesn’t automatically mean it’s justified. As with all things there’s appropriate response and degrees). Would they partake in imperialism if given an opportunity? Absolutely, it’s a capitalist dictatorship, they don’t have morals.

                  But for me personally Russia represent something worse than those mentioned before.

                  What do they represent? “Those who (exploit) rich countries () to build their billion dollar mansions ()” is the enemy of the global majority. Carefully consider the USA and the EU nations’ track-record. Russia by contrast has only existed since the 90s.

                  If you want to know a bit of my background, I live in a country that was 40 years under USSR “occupation”, so I’m obviously not a big fan…

                  And has your country improved? Is employment more dignified and abundant, are more people educated, class differences smaller, is infrastructure and housing being built more rapidly?

                  At least I don’t have to avoid passing around windows or drinking tea.

                  You would if you cast yourself in with the yanks. https://cpj.org/2024/03/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/

                  Edit: Removed hostile language directed at other users.

                  • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml
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                    8 months ago

                    they are wankers for hanging around inactive threads downvoting without explaining their disagreements.

                    It’s not an inactive thread, it was posted day ago and it’s literally listed close to the top in the “active” list. Also edit out your boorish insults, like anyone need to elaborate every single time when downvoting a bootlicker like that for spewing anticommunist comprador lies about “USSR occupation”.

                  • kurcatovium@lemm.ee
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                    8 months ago

                    it benefits the 7 milliard people

                    Does it really? I believe it does, to certain degree, but only until Russia exploit those countries the same (or worse) than others did before.

                    What they’re doing in Ukraine isn’t imperialism, it’s self defense.

                    I do not agree on this one. I just believe it started as Putin’s wish to reunite USSR to its former glory. His words years ago: “The breakup of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century.”

                    And has your country improved? Is employment more dignified and abundant, are more people educated, class differences smaller, is infrastructure and housing being built more rapidly?

                    Yes, vastly improved in most regards. Employment is more meaningful nowadays (for people that are willing to work) and general standard of living improved unbelievably. Not sure if it was my country specific, but being unemployed was illegal back then. So it led to existence of jobs that were complete fake (existed just on paper, mostly jobs for friend-of-a-friend among elites) or jobs that were absolutely meaningless (like moving stuff from one place to another and then back) and time and will wasting (e.g night time security of empty warehouse). Simply put “jobs” just for the sake of not being unemployed. This stopped, because nobody would waste money on these jobs now. Some people miss them though, because they used to get paid for nothing.

                    Education is another example. Back then state had “assessment” on everyone and e.g. when parents were not members of communist party it was almost impossible to get to university (sometimes even high school). Now it’s on everyone’s abilities, universities are free (of both charge and prejudice) and if one is able enough, there’s nothing stopping him.

                    Class differences is tough question. This one did not really improve, it more like side-stepped. Nowadays there’s this kind of a few extremely rich people, followed by society divided by a bit wider scissors, but… There are options now to get better life, be it education, hard work, or even traveling abroad for work. Back then there weren’t (to my knowledge) this extremely wealthy people, but there still was quite large amount of “elites” that were way way way above everyone else. Most people were more or less forced to live just above poverty line (state controlled everything, including job transfers). Imagine waiting months to years to be able to buy stuff like fridge or washing machine (either due to lack of money or being too far in waiting list). These rules were set in stone and chance of getting oneself even one bracket above was minimal in legal manners (thus bribing thrived). Is it ideal now? Definitely not, but I wouldn’t go back.

                    Infrastructure and housing. Well, again it’s somewhere in between. I’d say in terms of housing it used to be “quantity above quality” back then and this one switched now. New houses (even old renovated ones) are far superior to what was standard back then. It ain’t cheap though. If you lowered your standards to previous era levels, you can still get your own house/flat pretty cheap - surprisingly nobody wants to do that, because people want fancy things. In terms of infrastructure, we’re seeing dark side of capitalism (or peoples dumbness). It’s often like this: There’s going to be new road, but city/state doesn’t really care and pick cheapest contractor. The road obviously sucks and needs to be repaired almost immediately. But the road already cost a lot, so what happens? Cheapest contractor is selected so the repair is botched too… Who doesn’t swear on roads in his country, though? Luckily other parts of infrastructure are not that bad.

            • Alsephina@lemmy.mlOP
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              8 months ago

              The USSR directly funded and supported emancipatory movements against the US all over the world, like Vietnam, Cuba, Korea, Bangladesh, Palestinian resistance organizations like the PFLP, etc; even directly supplied wars against “israel” for that last one. Afganistan is about the only one where the US and USSR funding opposite sides turned it into a warzone instead.

              Russia’s foreign interests, even after the USSR’s overthrow, have remained broadly aligned with Global South countries as I explained in my previous comment.

              I count myself like one of the most of the world part

              I do too, and hence critically support Russia and Iran’s role in geopolitics.