this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2023
106 points (97.3% liked)

World News

39127 readers
2814 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Russia is boosting the number of troops in its military for the second time in 15 months, citing the war in Ukraine and the expansion of the NATO defense alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered the military to increase the number of troops by nearly 170,000 to a total of 1.3 million as the Ukraine war grinds on after 21 months. Putin’s decree, which entered into force immediately, brings the overall number of Russian military personnel to 2.2 million, including 1.3 million troops.

The Russian defense ministry in a message posted on Telegram cited the war in Ukraine and NATO's expansion — which was spurred by Putin's invasion of Ukraine — as the reasons for the increase in army personnel. Finland joined the Western defense alliance this past spring, and Sweden said this week that Turkey has promised it will ratify Stockholm's bid "within weeks."

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Renohren 13 points 11 months ago (3 children)

I am getting really annoyed with governments in western countries that keep falling into the same indecision about how to calm putin down without being too harsh because he might throw a tantrum or worse we would have failed our democratic values by using the bully's tools against himself.

Just what Putin's puppets need in europe and north america to gain political power.

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Western countries don't want to risk doing anything against a country with nukes.

Oh sure, everyone is fine invading a desert country with weapons several decades behind, but a country with a somewhat equal level is giving everyone pause.

Putin has been making a lot of bluffs at the beginning of this invasion, reminding the world Russia has nukes. Nobody wants to call his bluff.

[–] Renohren 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

But would astroturfing on VKontact or telegram be a reason to nuke? Would paying nice crypto to Russian politicians be a motive to launch nukes? Bring the same mayhem, using sores in russian society, that they regularly bring to western countries using their sores and operating on both sides of the aisle. Use the same "the water makes the frogs gay" rethoric they have their allies use against the west.

Let's play this game too. At least we might have some fun till we all go the way of Slovakia or Hungary.

[–] maynarkh@feddit.nl 3 points 11 months ago

The problem is that their game is causing chaos. Russians know their government is lying. They just think everyone else is too, so they disengage. Public disengagement favours authoritarians.