List of Bullshit about Russia

[Shofercia]

I've had it with this motherfucking bullshitting about that motherfucking topic.

1. Fiction: In Russia, there is no freedom of speech for the masses

Reality: In Russia the Internet is unregulated. Exceptions such as child pornography and promotion of Nazism apply. According to the CIA World Factbook, there are over 45 million Internet Users in Russia. So unless you are a child rapist, or a Nazi, or someone promoting/abusing that, guess what? You have freedom of speech. And if you are in those two groups, you should be in jail. Somehow those 45 million with Internet access aren't rising against the government.

2. Fiction: In Russia, elections are undemocratic

Reality: Democracy comes from the Greek "Demos" and "Kratia" which translates as "People Rule". At one point in time, Putin's popularity rating was above 90%. When Putin comes on national TV and endorses United Russia, guess what? Russians are going to vote for United Russia. And it's not just Putin, it's his team that runs the show.

3. Fiction: Putin began and continued to repress poor, poor journalists!

Reality: Journalists were repressed in Russia long before Putin even came to power. Under the Yeltsin Administration, in 1995, the father of Russian Journalism, Russia's most credible journalist, Vladislav Listyev was brutally murdered. His death was downplayed by both, Russian and Western Media. It's been open season on journalists ever since. The investigative journalist was killed, but not by Putin:

"A 1996 article in Forbes "Godfather of the Kremlin" by Paul Klebnikov accused Boris Berezovsky of ordering the murder. Berezovsky said the article was a "series of lies" and sued the magazine in Britain. Berezovsky withdrew the libel suit in 2003 following Forbes's statement that there was no evidence that Berezovsky had ordered anyone's murder. Klebnikov, who published a book with the same title in September 2000, was murdered in April 9, 2004." Berezovsky continues to spread libel throughout Russia, claiming that the Russian Apartment Bombings were done by the FSB, a conspiracy theory akin to Jews did 9/11.

4. Fiction: Russians love Putin, because those who hated him were killed.

Reality: Russian love Putin because he quadrupled their quality of life, won three wars in a row, *knock on wood*, and gave Russians our pride back.

5. Fiction: Russian Army is backwards and untrained.

Reality: Dagestan War, Second Chechen War, 2008 South Ossetia War. Not only did they beat Georgia, including several NATO trained battalions, such as mixed armor Battalion and Arty Battalion of the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, and those units weren't in Iraq when the assault began, but they did it with equal numbers in less than a week.

[North Suran]

Well gee, mister, I ain't eva' seen so many straw men befowa!

[New Manvir]

So you're not denying that Putin did repress journalists...that kinda supports the "Fiction #1".

[Amystris]

Russia is not perfect, but i do agree that is is badmouthed a lot

[Lackadaisical2]

So you're not denying that Putin did repress journalists...that kinda supports the "Fiction #1".

Indeed, I don't think anyone thought Russian media began to be controlled under Putin, its just that we assume him, or his "team" are behind some of it.

A lot of people who say you can't have free, democratic elections if journalists critical of those in power are being disappeared, or if the media is generally under the govt's influence, this applies to fiction #2 as well.

[Cosmopoles]

You can't answer my post in the other thread, so you make a totally new one based around answering arguments I didn't make. This is pretty sad. I'm genuinely feeling pity right now.

If you want to argue both sides of the debate for your own gratification, feel free, but I'm not going to debate points I didn't make.

[Hydesland]

I've been to Russia and have stayed for a week in both Moscow and St.Petersburg, and can say that many of the rumours regarding freedom are false, on the other hand, many of the rumours are most certainly true. Russia has a serious poverty problem, for instance, and many of the people there seem to be willfully blissful to things. For instance, my guide insisted that a Red Army poster I bought had nothing to do with the Bolsheviks at all, but was apparently a poster for the fire service, which was in fact complete bullshit.

Also, pretty much every study I read shows serious levels of corruption in Russian governance.

[Hydesland]

he quadrupled their quality of life,

Not that hard to do when the country is initially a transitional economic nightmare.

[Brogavia]

Its good to see the KGB is alive, well and on NSG.

[Andaluciae]

I've had it with this motherfucking bullshitting about that motherfucking topic.

What about snakes? On planes?

5. Fiction: Russian Army is backwards and untrained.

Reality: Dagestan War, Second Chechen War, 2008 South Ossetia War. Not only did they beat Georgia, including several NATO trained battalions, such as mixed armor Battalion and Arty Battalion of the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, and those units weren't in Iraq when the assault began, but they did it with equal numbers in less than a week.

I've already spoken to this matter. Russia had unlimited strategic depth, an unlimited strategic reserve, and the ability to move without fear of similar reprisals against Russia, while the Georgian military had none of those factors. All the operational and tactical training in the world won't serve as a counter for total strategic dominance--Georgia's only option was to obliterate the tunnel, and cut off South Ossetia from Russia.

[Land of Solonia]

I didn't know much about russia:


http://www.rt.com


RT.
Best Russian TV Evar!

[Bafuria]

5. Fiction: Russian Army is backwards and untrained.

Reality: Dagestan War, Second Chechen War, 2008 South Ossetia War. Not only did they beat Georgia, including several NATO trained battalions, such as mixed armor Battalion and Arty Battalion of the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, and those units weren't in Iraq when the assault began, but they did it with equal numbers in less than a week.

The Russian army is indeed very powerful.
But what about the navy and airforce? I've heard that russian fighter pilots receive only 1/10th of the flight hours american fighter pilots get.

[Israslovakahzerbajan]

5. Fiction: Russian Army is backwards and untrained.

Reality: Dagestan War, Second Chechen War, 2008 South Ossetia War. Not only did they beat Georgia, including several NATO trained battalions, such as mixed armor Battalion and Arty Battalion of the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, and those units weren't in Iraq when the assault began, but they did it with equal numbers in less than a week.

I always have thought that we(US)won against countries with Russian weaponry because the country we're fighting the untrained army of a third world hellhole. The technology in able hands is formidable. Look at the Korean War...the P-80 had to be replaced and even then F-86s weren't always in the upper hand.

[Andaluciae]

5. Fiction: Russian Army is backwards and untrained.

Reality: Dagestan War, Second Chechen War, 2008 South Ossetia War. Not only did they beat Georgia, including several NATO trained battalions, such as mixed armor Battalion and Arty Battalion of the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, and those units weren't in Iraq when the assault began, but they did it with equal numbers in less than a week.

I always have thought that we(US)won against countries with Russian weaponry because the country we're fighting the untrained army of a third world hellhole. The technology in able hands is formidable. Look at the Korean War...the P-80 had to be replaced and even then F-86s weren't always in the upper hand.

The thing is the P-80 was severely out of date at the start of the Korean war, and was designed as a fighter-escort for US B-17's during World War II. The US had essentially let its conventional arsenal "rust" in the hope that nuclear weapons would serve to keep security solid. Truman was wrong on that fact. Even if that weren't the case, the Korean War was over half a century ago, it's hard to draw comparisons between modern US weapons and weapons systems then.

[The Black Forrest]

Is the term "Driving while Russian" true?

[Barringtonia]

The fact that 90% of Russians support such a preening, pompous ass as Putin is more an issue of the enormous chip on the shoulder of every Russian, how do they get around with such a weight on them.

He's an embarrassment as a leader, and he's dangerous as well.

[Mirkana]

I was aware that Putin is extremely popular, which makes any question of rigging elections rather redundant. That Putin is capable of rigging elections or somesuch, I have no doubt, but I don't think he's had to yet.

I was not aware that the Russian army had modernized properly. I was under the impression that they had been suffering from a lack of funding since the end of the Cold War. I thought that their problems were less of the "untrained idiots" kind and more of the "crappy equipment" kind, but still. Thank you for informing me.

[Central Slavia]

The fact that 90% of Russians support such a preening, pompous ass as Putin is more an issue of the enormous chip on the shoulder of every Russian, how do they get around with such a weight on them.

He's an embarrassment as a leader, and he's dangerous as well.

Sorry but since chruscov ( i do not count the two plugin grandpas) he is the most capable and useful leader russia had.
He is doing something against the mafias ,not being western suckup, increasing the living standards of most largely, and to you western folk pretty much the only reason there was not another VOSR

[Baradov Island]

I would like to point out that Russia did attack Georgia unprovoked.

[Central Slavia]

I would like to point out that Russia did attack Georgia unprovoked.

Sorry
And on a related note what do you say about Kosovo?
Not to mention that sakasvili is a western puppet

[Lackadaisical2]

The fact that 90% of Russians support such a preening, pompous ass as Putin is more an issue of the enormous chip on the shoulder of every Russian, how do they get around with such a weight on them.

He's an embarrassment as a leader, and he's dangerous as well.

Sorry but since chruscov ( i do not count the two plugin grandpas) he is the most capable and useful leader russia had.
He is doing something against the mafias ,not being western suckup, increasing the living standards of most largely, and to you western folk pretty much the only reason there was not another VOSR

VOSR?

[The Republic of Lanos]

Its good to see the KGB is alive, well and on NSG.

This.

[Central Slavia]

The fact that 90% of Russians support such a preening, pompous ass as Putin is more an issue of the enormous chip on the shoulder of every Russian, how do they get around with such a weight on them.

He's an embarrassment as a leader, and he's dangerous as well.

Sorry but since chruscov ( i do not count the two plugin grandpas) he is the most capable and useful leader russia had.
He is doing something against the mafias ,not being western suckup, increasing the living standards of most largely, and to you western folk pretty much the only reason there was not another VOSR

VOSR?

Sry, always make that mistake - it is short for great october socialist revolution in my native language

[Lord Tothe]

Russia is about as free now as the US. Whether Russia is improving, or the US is worsening, I can leave to the trolls.

[UAWC]

Russia is great. Not as great as it could be, but a hell of a lot better than Canada or America. I'd love to live there.

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