The Russian Invasion of Ukraine

[clearspira]

I started to think about Russia on her history and whenever there was a war where Russia struggled not to make it a shit show. I am at a loss.

There was the time they annexed Crimea from the Ottoman Empire, then again that was about the time the 13 colonies kicked out the British and became the United States, so it was a long time ago.

The Crimean War is an excellent example regarding what COULD happen to modern Russia from here on in. From Wiki:

The Crimean War marked a turning point for the Russian Empire. The war weakened the Imperial Russian Army, drained the treasury and undermined Russia's influence in Europe. The empire would take decades to recover. Russia's humiliation forced its educated elites to identify its problems and to recognise the need for fundamental reforms. They saw rapid modernisation as the sole way to recover the empire's status as a European power. The war thus became a catalyst for reforms of Russia's social institutions, including the abolition of serfdom and overhauls in the justice system, local self-government, education and military service.

[Madner Kami]

Civil War? Interesting.

I started to think about Russia on her history and whenever there was a war where Russia struggled not to make it a shit show. I am at a loss.

There were quite a few wars that the russians or their various former iterations didn't completely fuck up. Do you want to know more?

Like any nation would under the circumstances, the climate created in Russia in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse (argueably this is a larger and longer standing cultural problem in Russia, but that's besides the point) is not conducive to produce good results in terms of organizational leadership. You've got an authoritarian leader, who's deeply intervowen with the organized crime and the secret police. He can not afford or tolerate a competent military, because such a force would be a threat to him or a competent anything really. Just look at Sergei Fugal. Essentially an opposition candidate who won despite the odds and became governour of the Khabarovsk-region and he began to enact change, calling the Moscow-government out on the problems they created and mid-2020, he suddenly gets arrested in what can only be called a nightly abduction by KGB-Spetznaz, transported from Khabarovsk to Moscow (this is a longer route than it is from New York to Anchorage...) on charges of several murders he is supposed to have comitted in 2004 and 2005... This is not an environment in which excellence is breed. This is an environment that creates Yes-Men with no competences.

[hammerofglass]

I started to think about Russia on her history and whenever there was a war where Russia struggled not to make it a shit show. I am at a loss.

There was the time they annexed Crimea from the Ottoman Empire, then again that was about the time the 13 colonies kicked out the British and became the United States, so it was a long time ago.

The Crimean War is an excellent example regarding what COULD happen to modern Russia from here on in. From Wiki:

The Crimean War marked a turning point for the Russian Empire. The war weakened the Imperial Russian Army, drained the treasury and undermined Russia's influence in Europe. The empire would take decades to recover. Russia's humiliation forced its educated elites to identify its problems and to recognise the need for fundamental reforms. They saw rapid modernisation as the sole way to recover the empire's status as a European power. The war thus became a catalyst for reforms of Russia's social institutions, including the abolition of serfdom and overhauls in the justice system, local self-government, education and military service.

Your post got this stupid song stuck in my head, figured I'd spread it around.

The Dogs of War are loose and the rugged Russian Bear,
Full bent on blood and slavery, has crawl'd out of his lair;
It seems a thrashing now and then, will never help to tame
That brute, and so he's out upon the "same old game.

The Lion did his best to find him some excuse
To crawl back to his den again, all efforts were no use;
He hunger'd for his victim, he's pleased when blood is shed,
But let us hope his crimes may all recoil on his own head.

We don't want to fight but by jingo if we do,
We've got the ships, we've got the men, and got the money too!
We've fought the Bear before and while we're Britons true
The Russians shall not have Constantinople

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

The Russians shall not have Constantinople

I think you mean Istanbul, ma'am. Constantinople, this is its ancient name.

[Madner Kami]

The Russians shall not have Constantinople

I think you mean Istanbul, ma'am. Constantinople, this is its ancient name.

The name or a form of it (Konstantiniyye) was actually used by the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey until 1930. Also, Istanbul or, rather, a precursor-form deriving from the greek colloquialism "The City" aka "stan pol" or "I stan pol" has been in use since at least the 10th century AD (the I was probably brought into the game by the arabs, making "the city" to "within/to the city").

[hammerofglass]

The Russians shall not have Constantinople

I think you mean Istanbul, ma'am. Constantinople, this is its ancient name.

The name or a form of it (Konstantiniyye) was actually used by the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey until 1930. Also, Istanbul or, rather, a precursor-form deriving from the greek colloquialism "The City" aka "stan pol" or "I stan pol" has been in use since at least the 10th century AD (the I was probably brought into the game by the arabs, making "the city" to "within/to the city").

I didn't write the song y'all. It's a 19th century propaganda piece/ pub song.

Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I was actually quoting a show:

https://youtu.be/PsDeHwJUuFw?t=62

[hammerofglass]

I was actually quoting a show:

https://youtu.be/PsDeHwJUuFw?t=62

Ah, did not get that reference at all.

[Wargriffin]

The Russians shall not have Constantinople

I think you mean Istanbul, ma'am. Constantinople, this is its ancient name.

The name or a form of it (Konstantiniyye) was actually used by the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey until 1930. Also, Istanbul or, rather, a precursor-form deriving from the greek colloquialism "The City" aka "stan pol" or "I stan pol" has been in use since at least the 10th century AD (the I was probably brought into the game by the arabs, making "the city" to "within/to the city").

I didn't write the song y'all. It's a 19th century propaganda piece/ pub song.

Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks.

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

The Russians shall not have Constantinople

I think you mean Istanbul, ma'am. Constantinople, this is its ancient name.

The name or a form of it (Konstantiniyye) was actually used by the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey until 1930. Also, Istanbul or, rather, a precursor-form deriving from the greek colloquialism "The City" aka "stan pol" or "I stan pol" has been in use since at least the 10th century AD (the I was probably brought into the game by the arabs, making "the city" to "within/to the city").

I didn't write the song y'all. It's a 19th century propaganda piece/ pub song.

Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks.

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

Probably 'cause Amsterdam is pro marijuana.