Our Self: Um blogue desalinhado, desconforme, herético e heterodoxo. Em suma, fora do baralho e (im)pertinente.
Lema: A verdade é como o azeite, precisa de um pouco de vinagre.
Pensamento em curso: «Em Portugal, a liberdade é muito difícil, sobretudo porque não temos liberais. Temos libertinos, demagogos ou ultramontanos de todas as cores, mas pessoas que compreendam a dimensão profunda da liberdade já reparei que há muito poucas.» (António Alçada Baptista, em carta a Marcelo Caetano)
The Second Coming: «The best lack all conviction, while the worst; Are full of passionate intensity» (W. B. Yeats)

24/09/2022

Tsar Vlad's Russia is a gigantic Potemkine village (2)

Sequel to (1).

«As russia’s troops were abandoning their positions and armour in Kharkiv, in Ukraine, Russia’s capital was celebrating the “Day of the City”. Vladimir Putin, the dictator who started the war, boasted of a new attraction—a giant Ferris wheel called the Sun of Moscow at vdnkh, a vast theme park built in the 1930s to exhibit the achievements of the Soviet empire that Mr Putin is now fighting to restore.

“It is unique. There is nothing like that in Europe…It is very important for people to have a chance to relax with their family and friends,” Mr Putin said on September 10th. It was meant to be an advertisement for Mr Putin’s successes. But within minutes, the 140-metre-high wheel got stuck, and the next day it closed altogether. Visitors were offered a refund.

The symbolism was not lost on those who flooded social media with sarcastic or angry comments. “Why? What are all these carousels, attractions and pavilions with clowns? [Our] people are dying for us there [in Ukraine]. Are you sure that at such moments we need events whose goal is to distract, relax and entertain?” Boris Korchevnikov, a pro-war television presenter, wrote on Telegram, a social-media app.

“The army has NO thermal-imaging cameras, NO body armour, NO reconnaissance equipment, NO secure communications, NO first-aid kits. You’re holding a billion-rouble feast. What is wrong with you?” another social-media post read.

It was not just the Sun of Moscow that was malfunctioning. Having failed in his plan to take Kyiv in three days, and having failed to dissuade the West from supporting Ukraine, Mr Putin suffered another reversal. He had planned sham referendums to give a figleaf of legitimacy to the annexation of Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine on September 11th. These have now been postponed indefinitely. Russian forces do not know if they will be around long enough to intimidate voters.

Mr Putin’s power depends on Russians believing that he is strong and ever-victorious. His propagandists do all they can to promote that notion. However, the rout of Russian forces in north-east Ukraine caught them off-guard. At first state television was silent. Then its channels coyly acknowledged Russia’s retreat, described by the army as “an operation to organise the transfer of troops”. The bad news was padded out with patriotic guff. All criticism was deflected away from Mr Putin.»

Russian discontent with the war, and Vladimir Putin, is growing

2 comentários:

Anónimo disse...

A Ucrânia acaba de perder os territórios a leste. Passam a fazer parte integrante da Rússia. O que poderia ter sido resolvido numa conferência de líderes, no início das operações militares russas na Ucrânia, com apenas garantias simples, acaba por custar milhares de vidas e de prejuízos incalculáveis.
A NATO fez o seu trabalho para os warmongers ansiosos por faturar com a indústria de guerra. O clown corrupto Zelensky leva os seus milhões, os ucranianos pagam com vidas e bens.
Daqui para a frente, quem atacar os territórios agora assimilados, estará a atacar território russo e a resposta poderá ser dura.
Os EUA estão a ser conduzidos por uma entidade oculta, enquanto um velho senil vai dizendo bacoradas completamente incoerentes e desconectadas da realidade, aplaudido por uma imprensa comprada, uma corte de idiotas e uma vara de políticos viciados nos corredores do poder. A Europa tem lideranças ridículas e prostituidas a de quem der mais.
Nuvens negras no horizonte. Não vão ser as notícias falsas a parar os mísseis e as ogivas nucleares. A WW III, a suceder, vai causar uma devastação sem precedentes. E, vai ser vista ao vivo e a cores, coisa que o pessoal do sofá, da cerveja e da bola não está habituado.

Anónimo disse...

A verdade é como o azeite, precisa de um pouco de vinagre.
É o vosso esquecido Lema.

Abraço