Links and Stuff
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Add to the above list if you can, thank you.
Resources For Understanding The War Beyond The Bulletins
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map, who is an independent youtuber with a mostly neutral viewpoint.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have good analysis (though also a couple bad takes here and there)
Understanding War and the Saker: neo-conservative sources but their reporting of the war (so far) seems to line up with reality better than most liberal sources.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict and, unlike most western analysts, has some degree of understanding on how war works. He is a reactionary, however.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent journalist reporting in the Ukrainian warzones.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Telegram Channels
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
Pro-Russian
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ Gleb Bazov, banned from Twitter, referenced pretty heavily in what remains of pro-Russian Twitter.
https://t.me/asbmil ~ ASB Military News, banned from Twitter.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday Patrick Lancaster - crowd-funded U.S journalist, mostly pro-Russian, works on the ground near warzones to report news and talk to locals.
https://t.me/riafan_everywhere ~ Think it's a government news org or Federal News Agency? Russian language.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ Front news coverage. Russian langauge.
https://t.me/rybar ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine
With the entire western media sphere being overwhelming pro-Ukraine already, you shouldn't really need more, but:
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
Yesterday's discussion post.
Summary:
News:
Boris wants Ukraine to host Eurovision in 2023, while Ukraine thinks that's a stupid idea. The EU is reminded that sanctions go both ways, as they still can't get a piece of pipeline equipment from Canada to Russia, which is causing major strife throughout Europe. EU countries are now taking gas out of their storage due to reduced pipeline transmission, which is not what is supposed to happen in summers. Ursula von der Leyen says that "Ukrainians are ready to die for the European perspective", which, I assume, consists of licking the boots of the US while exploiting developing nations. Rostourism is working on accepting Mir bank cards in seven new countries, and five more countries are also ready to join. The rebuilding of Mariupol begins apace, with 12 new five-story houses being built and will be ready by autumn. Russia's economy is being "destroyed", but also America's. Medvedev says that Macron, Scholz, and Draghli are "fans of frogs, liverwurst, and spaghetti". The UK is desperately searching for more seasonal migrants to exploit as Ukrainian ones are unavailable. Assange is going to be extradited to the US by the UK, though he may appeal (and probably lose), proving that we can repress journalists just as well, if not better, than the so-called "autocratic" nations. Europe faces a major heatwave (I expect this to become a repetitive news item). France's nuclear plants remain offline due to a variety of problems.
China will accelerate trade with Russia in the coming months, and also launches its third aircraft carrier, which is getting closer to parity with US aircraft carriers. Bangladesh and India experiences major floods. Protests in India over military reforms result in trains being set on fire. Bilaterals explains why the IPEF is really just about India, and it's not going particularly well for the US.
The DPR could start supplying grain to Syria via Mariupol, after Assad begins the procedure to recognize the DPR and LPR. The DPR also agrees to supply fruits, vegetables, and construction products from Iran. Kzakhstan, meanwhile, says that they do not recognize the DPR and LPR, saying that they are quasi-states, drawing parallels with Kosovo. Iraqi gazelles are dying of hunger due to climate change. Iran's thermal power plants generate record amounts of energy. The US sanctions UAE and Chinese firms that are working with Iran's oil producers, which will surely help bring Iran to the negotiation table. Israel attacks Gaza again.
Pelosi blames the cost of living crisis on the war in Iraq, which was later corrected to Ukraine by her office. There's a Sriracha shortage in America, caused by climate change. The midwest and southeast will get even hotter soon. US gas prices increase due to shrinking stockpiles and refinery bottlenecks, and the admin is mulling over whether to put limits on fuel exports to contain national gas prices. A majority of Americans believe that the US is already in a recession, and a majority of executives think there will soon be one. The Poor People's Campaign is marching in Washington DC. Cuba is switching to electric transport due to fuel shortages.
Oil markets are heading for an insanely difficult summer, due to Russian production set to decrease, along with surging oil prices and post-pandemic travel. Bitcoin goes below $20,000, the lowest since December 2020.
Conflict and Climate:
Donetsk's water supply has been stopped due to Ukrainian shelling. There are up to 1200 civilians in the Azot plant, and the soldiers are using them as human shields, preventing their evacuation. The LPR has entered the zone, but they do not plan to storm the factory. Slovenia is now also almost out of military assistance that they can give to Ukraine. The two American mercenaries have been filmed in DPR's custody. The US decides to not give Ukraine some drones, as they could fall into Russian hands. The Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine admits that Russian artillery is counter-battery and extremely effective, and that Ukraine can't easily repair broken artillery, leading to problems. Ukraine reveals that up to 50% of its heavy weapons stock has been destroyed during the war. Arestovich, one of Zelensky's main advisers, accuses the West of not wanting to really defeat Russia.
Droughts may affect 75% of the world by 2050. Polar bears have been found living in Greenland, adapting to local conditions. The Bonn Climate Change Conference is deemed a failure.
Dipshittery, Good Takes and Hope:
The West reacts to Putin's statements at the SPIEF, though nothing particularly strong or cope-y yet. WaPo accuses European leaders of wanting to appease Russia more than wanting Ukraine to win. Podolyak, another adviser of Zelensky, says that Ukraine can win the war in 3 to 6 months if it gets all the heavy weapons it needs. The Seattle Times notes how "Russian propaganda" is causing Ukrainians in Lysyschansk to think that Ukrainians might be shelling them, instead of Russians. The WaPo says that the West should bunker down for a long war and keep weaponry pouring in, hoping that Russia cannot keep this up for years. RT responds to this by rightfully suggesting that the WaPo is willing to let developing nations experience mass starvation in order to oppose Russia.
Popular Resistance points out the hypocrisy of the West accusing Nicargua of being a dictatorship after it "purges" a bunch of NGOs. Canadian Dimension posts a good article summarizing American imperialism, and also how it relates to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The Summit of the Americas was a flop, while the Worker's Summit of the Americas was much more successful.
Extra:
UK paratroopers are banned from a NATO deployment after an orgy in a military barracks. Trump warns that WW3 is on the horizon, and teases a presidential run in 2024.