Recent content by contricusc

All economic figures released by Russia are fake. Lying it’s ingrained in their culture.

At this point, after all the military buildup, Trump must remove Maduro from power or he will lose face. If Maduro was smart enough, he would accept the offer and leave, but he is not very smart, so he would probably end like Gaddafi or Saddam.

Ukraine is finally starting to impose sanctions on Russia’s shadow tanker fleet: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/37479357/russian-tankers-sink-drones-hit-crew-evacuated/

Can you name the 6-8 cities they are about to sweep in the next six months? I ask this because in order to justify some progress, Russia’s supporters are claiming every small town to be a city. So far, the only meaningful cities controlled by Ukraine in the Donetsk region are safe (Kramatorsk...

While the question was not directed at me, I would like to add that I share your opinion about Russia’s economy, and I think Trump’s current attempt at ending the war is a desperate attempt to save Russia from total economic collapse. Trump is trying to save Putin from bankruptcy, in the same...

You see, you did the math and it’s not something that can’t be done. And if the annual average salary would be lower, let’s say $36,000 USD per year (considering that not all service members will be frontline troops or drone operators), the cost would be around $22 billion, which is less than 20...

That would be a possibility. Ukraine doesn’t have the money to properly pay its soldiers, but Europe has. Since Ukrainians are defending the whole continent, Europe should pay the fighters a proper wage that would encourage voluntary enrollment. It’s pathetic that the righteous Europeans, who...

Yes, Ukraine’s budget is already stretched to the limit, but with the few resources they have, they must prioritize paying those who risk their lives to defend the country. And they could also punish the political thieves who stole millions from the war effort to enrich themsleves, by executing...

Yes, this is true. Ukraine is in a very difficult situation. Those being forced to fight have no freedom anyway, so there is nothing for them to lose. The other Ukrainians will indeed lose more freedoms, but those being forced to fight are already at a minimum.

Well, it seems that conscripts do get paid too, but forced labor even if paid is still forced labor. And when it’s something that can get you killed, it’s even worse. Conscription should not be used in a society that pretends to be democratic or free. Individual rights are the backbone of a free...

Ukraine should first care about its troops. Equip them and pay them well. Social services are irrelevant when your country is at war, and you ask people to die defending it. The absurdity of the situation in Ukraine is huge. Some Ukrainian men are sent to die for the country without pay, while...

Eighty years ago it was a different world, with a different system of values. Human life and freedom were not considered very important. Conscription was just one of the many abuses of power the governments of the era did. Now we live in a different world, and forcing people to their death...

The competition between France and Germany just shows how unable to cooperate Europeans still are. France has a decent military and weapons industry, but the economy is weak. Germany has a weak military but a better economy, which is not great either. They should cooperate instead of being...

The problem with the West is that it is not a monolith, but an “alliance“ of countries with diverging interests. What you say it’s true for the US. They don’t want Russia to collapse, because it poses no danger to them, and it can be used as a weapon against Europe and China. Right now, the US...

Imagine how many missiles and drones for Ukraine could be bought with $33 billion…