Vlad's retweet of Janis Kluge's thread: x.com/VladVexler/status/1818706541173727256 Vlad's main channel kzitem.infovideos Support Vlad's work on Patreon! www.patreon.com/vladvexler Support Vlad via PayPal www.paypal.com/paypalme/vladvexler?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB
@glenn5328
2 ай бұрын
@@VladVexlerChat Russia is a busted flush…….the US and the Europeans are killing its economy….and China is stood by smiling and waiting to pick at the carcass.
@AstroGremlinAmerican
2 ай бұрын
Fewer and fewer people are accepting rubles as payment. Now if Putin were to try paying euros or dollars, he might get more hires.
@ferrariguy8278
2 ай бұрын
Vlad. What do you think of Stephen Kotkin's examples of, and concept of "winning the peace." (Noting that at this time he's favoring that more for Ukraine than it's possibility of winning anything, yet he's in NO WAY favorable to the Russian side).
@ferrariguy8278
2 ай бұрын
Vlad, what do you think of Stephen Kotkin's concept of "winning the peace". Somehow YT's AI deletes my comment if I expand on this.
@VladVexlerChat
2 ай бұрын
@@ferrariguy8278 I admire Kotkin very much! Highly recommend always. And generally sympathetic to his views.
@themathacademytutor6872
2 ай бұрын
Finally Vlad taking off the gloves and going after Putin’s height
@DoloresJNurss
2 ай бұрын
Which is only an issue because Putin makes it one. Zelenskyy is also short, but he's completely unselfconscious about it. Zelenskyy is the more honest man.
@pouncepounce7417
2 ай бұрын
@@DoloresJNurss Zelensky looks as if he can lift you one handed and has charisma... putin has the charisma of an 3 day old dead fish.
@jesan733
2 ай бұрын
I saw a video today of a firefighter in Kharkiv sitting in the smoking rubble of a shelled house, next to a covered body of a woman, her feet sticking out. His team had been called to the scene, and it was his house. His 37 year old wife was lying there. His 10 year old son hospitalized with burn injuries. We need to be better, do better.
@chrisrose2898
2 ай бұрын
🙏🏻☮️
@itsallminor6133
2 ай бұрын
If your remain in a war zone......
@thestraightroad305
2 ай бұрын
Horrendous. Heartbreaking.
@NotASeriousMoose
2 ай бұрын
@@itsallminor6133...in a war with an invader targeting civilians
@JABN97
2 ай бұрын
@@itsallminor6133the entire country is a warzone, and Karkhiv is a decent distance from the frontline. How are you gonna move, who can you sell your house to? Imagine blaming civilians victims of an invasion for their own death instead of their killers, because the civilian did not immediately flee their country. Idiotic take.
@georgettelevesque277
2 ай бұрын
Putin is short. Putin is short of men . Putin is short of cash. Putin is short of time!!!
@_c_y_p_3
2 ай бұрын
Very short.
@stevebull7105
2 ай бұрын
@@_c_y_p_3 Putin is 5’ 7”
@MarcosElMalo2
2 ай бұрын
[obvious crude joke here] 😅
@fantomas4935
2 ай бұрын
@@stevebull7105basically a dwarf
@NotASeriousMoose
2 ай бұрын
And shortsighted too
@andyreznick
2 ай бұрын
In the mid 90's I made a friend who had fought in the Red Army during WWII. He'd lived a lifetime before we ever even met. He was actually born in Pristina, Serbia (now Kosovo) to Russian parents. Sergey. God rest his soul. Adored his wife. Loved birds. I was still in the Army at the time, working the Yugoslav meltdown. Anyway, I once asked him, what was it like, caught between Stalin on one side, Hitler on the other? The soldiers were largely uneducated, but they were not fools. They knew both sides were led by mass murderers, and their individual survival meant less than nothing. Killed if they fought, killed if they ran. Sergey told me back then the soldiers had a saying: (I think it summed up their wry fatalism perfectly) "Наше зло лучше."
@Nebris
2 ай бұрын
"Our evil is better"
@mariarucci78
2 ай бұрын
😢
@drgetwrekt869
2 ай бұрын
I think Tito was not like this. thats why stoolin tried to kill him many times.
@jonaseggen2230
2 ай бұрын
@@drgetwrekt869 Tito is probably the most liked and least hated dictator ever
@drgetwrekt869
2 ай бұрын
@@jonaseggen2230 he was the closest thing to an actual "good" dictator if we wanna say it like this. which I cannot find any other example in the modern era (starting 1900). some illuminated kings or emperors of the past were similar, but hard to say. Anyway.
@chrisczarnik3439
2 ай бұрын
Always good to listen to you Vlad. From Australia 🇦🇺
@richardoldfield6714
2 ай бұрын
My bet is that many of these promised payments to Russian troops never materialise ... either because the troops die in combat before payment is made, or because the payment gets later denied on some 'small print' contractual pretext or other, or because they are simply told lies. Or else they discover that they have to buy some of their own equipment, the cost of which wipes out or even exceeds the original signing-on payment. To put this more simply, the Russian state is built on lies from top to bottom.
@MikeMike-cc4jk
2 ай бұрын
You will easily lose your bet. Don't confuse Russia with Ukraine or your own country. There is a lot of money in Russia now. In Russia, state payments, and in general, state authorities and centres for issuing state documents have long been working very clearly and efficiently. Payments to participants of the SMO are under the control of the governor of each region, any rare roughnesses are instantly corrected, technical delays in payments to any individual rarely, but happen, which is immediately brought to the public sphere and taken under additional control of the central state bodies. It is a banal interest of the state to keep the participants and their families happy and to provide good publicity for new volunteers.
@richardoldfield6714
2 ай бұрын
@@MikeMike-cc4jk Russia is one of the most corrupt nations in the world. It's a gangster-state, with an economy that is barely the size of that of Italy. If you actually believe what you've written, then good luck to you.
@Llewellyn2844
2 ай бұрын
@@MikeMike-cc4jk Thank God for people like yourself who are still in touch with reality, who under- stand what's really going on.
@amorosogombe9650
2 ай бұрын
They leave their dead in Ukraine so their family cannot claim death benefits. What I don't understand is how Russians still trust the Kremlin.
@Conn30Mtenor
2 ай бұрын
@MikeMike-cc4jk it wouldn't be the first nor last time that Russian oligarchs lied to the Russian people.
@kernowpolski
2 ай бұрын
Great insight Vlad - this is pretty much like the recruitment of mercenary troops in the Middle Ages - wow!
@teresabaptista7016
2 ай бұрын
:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) The title of your video made me smile - is the first time in a very long time! Of course putin is short of men, but what made me laugh is the correlation, him being a short man. Thanks, and much love, from Lisbon.
@AstroGremlinAmerican
2 ай бұрын
I assumed it was a typo "Putin is short among men."
@teresabaptista7016
2 ай бұрын
@@AstroGremlinAmerican Hey, Astro. Long time no see. Nice to catch-up with you.
@karenjanusch7978
2 ай бұрын
"Extend the kitchen a little bit" The older I get, the less i need, and want (OK more backrubs) Ty Vlad
@Broken_robot1986
2 ай бұрын
You gotta take care of the muscles in your back and it can help with soreness which can caused by weak muscles. Look up back and shoulder exercises you can do with no equipment.
@karenjanusch7978
2 ай бұрын
@@Broken_robot1986 ty ! I have been , just living in a motel room, w no floor space. I have chirp wheels and a yoga mat Thanks for the encouragement!
@PandemoniumMeltDown
2 ай бұрын
@@Broken_robot1986 If possible, yes, exercise that back!
@edwardkennedy6443
2 ай бұрын
Even Russian military bloggers admit that the problem with people is very noticeable, especially after almost a year of endless assault actions and a catastrophic repeat march on Kharkov in May. Now the only question is whether ordinary Russians are so desperate that they will grab handouts despite the fact that they will hardly be able to spend them, or whether Putin will announce a new mobilization, which will have unpredictable consequences for him.
@FrenkieBakbeest
2 ай бұрын
"Surely the Russians will revolt and not just obey the Tsar's orders" - People throughout history. He is for some reason scared to call another mobilisation even though the Russian sheep will obey to everything.
@boridboridov3873
2 ай бұрын
@@FrenkieBakbeestPutin is afraid to call a new mobilisation because the last one led to hundreds of thousands fleeing and the public perception of war and levels of stress worsening drastically, so much that they had to call it off much earlier than planned, and you have no idea wtf you are even talking about
@duckpotat9818
2 ай бұрын
@@FrenkieBakbeest it's not like unwinnable wars and discontent caused the fall of the Russian state twice in the 20th century or anything. Right? I am against the war tok but Russians aren't stupid just like any other group of humans. Don't dehumanise the enemy. We don't wanna end up in a Weimar Russia situation.
@lmao-xw3yj
2 ай бұрын
thank you for posting Janis kluges thread. I would never have found it
@VladVexlerChat
2 ай бұрын
Thank you for listening reading and thinking!
@AndrewBlucher
2 ай бұрын
I certainly wouldn't find it. I opted out of the Twitter cesspool long ago.
@steve43ful
2 ай бұрын
“Putin is a short man - let’s discuss”
@Joe-jv5mm
2 ай бұрын
Leprechauns from 🇮🇪 Look Down on the midget putin 😉
@paulyoung4422
2 ай бұрын
Putin is 5ft7, not short but definitely not tall.
@RealUlrichLeland
2 ай бұрын
"That's a big country you're president of, sure you're not compensating for anything?"
@JeroenvanHaren
2 ай бұрын
Putin is a sort of man - let's discuss
@DoloresJNurss
2 ай бұрын
Okay. Putin is tremendously shy about his shortness, taking pains to surround himself with people of the same height and use other visual tricks to minimize his shortness, showing a deep insecurity, overcompensated by delusions of grandeur and acts of unnecessary aggression. Zelenskyy, in contrast, is completely at ease with his short body. He makes no effort to disguise his shortness whatsoever. What's real is real; he offers no illusions, no deceit, he just presents himself as he is. Accordingly, he doesn't want an empire, just his own country, and he defends his country, not acting aggressively against others. Now, which one is more likely to be truthful in negotiations?
@JoeWedgwood-ik9zo
2 ай бұрын
What a depressing reality for the Russian people…
@stephenhill545
2 ай бұрын
Many are enjoying his one man vengeance show. When you think you're special, and you collapse ignomineously, there's a lot of anger to tap into.
@InsidiousJazz
2 ай бұрын
Oh no, you just showed empathy to Russians! Prepare yourself for the obligatory comments explaining why that's actually wrong.
@oleksandrshymanskyi1129
2 ай бұрын
They made the bed they're lying in now.
@JoeWedgwood-ik9zo
2 ай бұрын
@@InsidiousJazz yeah it’s more pity than empathy tbh.
@InsidiousJazz
2 ай бұрын
@@JoeWedgwood-ik9zo I think one of the weirdest things to come out of the Russo-Ukrainian war is this idea that anyone who lives in an authoritarian country deserves to be oppressed. People may not express it in those words but that's essentially what they mean. As someone who was fortunate enough to be born in an affluent and democratic country, I feel uncomfortable condescending to people who weren't as lucky.
@ides-xn3wt
2 ай бұрын
From what I understand, they don't pay anything because they are expecting to get KILLED , CRAZY 😮😮😮
@ghostindamachine
2 ай бұрын
this
@michigandersea3485
2 ай бұрын
Why does Russian history always repeat in this way? It's like the Tsar's troops in WWI going into battle without guns, with drumming to imitate the sound of machine guns
@majmunbredh3851
2 ай бұрын
@@michigandersea3485 в 1916 году русские с барабанной дробью вместо артиллерии прорвали фронт противника и прошли 100 км, в то время как британцам и французам с их промышленной мощью это удалось только в 1918 году.
@paulyoung4422
2 ай бұрын
The discontent among the soldiers who didn't get the high signing fees, must be very high.
@MarcosElMalo2
2 ай бұрын
I’m pretty sure they don’t discuss their bonuses because they signed NDAs. 😂 lol, jk obvs
@AstroGremlinAmerican
2 ай бұрын
Even if they got them, the value of the ruble must be distressing.
@artmcteagle
2 ай бұрын
Not many of those remaining now to be discontent, maybe their close relatives, but if their menfolk are listed as MIA, they will get zip.
@aaronbrozio
2 ай бұрын
Would there any be Left Alive to complain about who would seem at that point all you're worried about is who is getting the benefits it's like trading your life for someone to have a better one in a country where I don't know if better exists
@TechnoBite
2 ай бұрын
From the conversations I had with pro-russia or pro-russia inclined people the most common feedback you get from them is "we don't know the whole truth", which just takes us back to what you said a million times about russian propaganda and denial of any truth entirely
@Uterr
2 ай бұрын
Yes, or maybe not? Do you expect they will admit they are fine with invading neighbour country and killing people, destroying cities? I bet on this, they know how it works, they just don't want to look like fascist to anyone, so they play "I dunno anything" role.
@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u
2 ай бұрын
Who blew up the Nord Streams?
@beckyconstantinides2546
2 ай бұрын
@@EvgeniyYakushev-m2ubig oil that lost a lot of assets in Russia. They needed to know they could develop oil fields and not be undermined by cheap Russian oil.
@hmmm2564
2 ай бұрын
Lol like the USA
@hmmm2564
2 ай бұрын
Lol like the USA
@AK-ej5ml
2 ай бұрын
Earlier I feel you reflected on the war with a strong knowledge about Russia and Russian attitudes - I found this interesting and valuable. Please go back to that.
@TimvanderLeeuw
2 ай бұрын
Something occurred to me while listening. It is often said that the war in Afghanistan created a lot of unrest in society, contributing to the breakup of the Soviet Union. Perhaps the same social dynamic is not at play in Russia nowadays because people choose to go, motivated by money. They're not just drafted and forced to go. So from societal dynamics point of view, this might just be inherently more sustainable for the regime than the war in Afghanistan was? Another factor contributing to why the Russian population largely supports the war, is my impression at least, is a sentiment that if Russia would withdraw now all the losses would have all been for nothing. A deadly sunk-cost fallacy that locks in a part of the population into the war regardless of how they regard the Putin regime, or ultra-nationalist ideology.
@nicholascazmay2126
2 ай бұрын
If they’re motivated by sunk-cost fallacy, they’re going to be deeply disappointed when this is finally over.
@noname-ll2vk
2 ай бұрын
In other words doubling down as your hand gets worse and worse. Seems a signature of someone unable to understand or play the game they are in. And a recipe for systemic failure which is the hallmark of the various chapters of the Muscovy empire's disintegrations. Dis-integrate is an interesting term in the context of a poorly run and led empire with very poor social and economic development.
@neilclay5835
2 ай бұрын
The second half of this video was brilliant and jaw dropping
@memirandawong
2 ай бұрын
All Putin is doing is casting a brighter, fancier lure into the water. Same dumb 'fish' will bite, just more of 'em this time. In practice the Russian MoD is finding ever more ways to avoid paying these bonuses and perks.
@chepulis
2 ай бұрын
Freezing the front temporarily can be exploited for mobilisation - more men will be willing to join when the danger looks diminished but incentives stay in place.
@PplsChampion
2 ай бұрын
prejudice prophylaxis would be a good band name
@dsnodgrass4843
2 ай бұрын
Yeah, but they could only sell XXL T-shirts; to fit the name on them.😂
@Shadowguy456234
2 ай бұрын
War is a racket. As well as occasionally an expression of a damaged, fascisizing and imperialistic empire.
@Kannot2023
2 ай бұрын
Till french revolutionary's wars, all soldiers were hired or they volunteered to defend their land. Those who attacked had to hire people. Back to an age where soldiering was a career.
@jackhakken
2 ай бұрын
No war is politics by other means.
@More_Row
2 ай бұрын
@@jackhakkenA racket by other means
@MarcosElMalo2
2 ай бұрын
Survival is a racket. Defending yourself is a racket. You should just lie down and let others have their way with you. Complaining only prolongs it.
@Shadowguy456234
2 ай бұрын
@@jackhakken Mao, is that you?
@daverees6681
2 ай бұрын
Thanks for more pithy and trenchant insights, Vlad. Always glad to develop a new synapse or two. cheers from Canada
@jessicarowley9631
2 ай бұрын
Thank you, Vlad. I hope you are managing ok. Love and hugs to you
@rogerwilco2
2 ай бұрын
So basically the Russian army has now become a full mercenary army?
@MarcosElMalo2
2 ай бұрын
Nah. Show me a standing army where soldiers (and sailors and airmen) don’t sign contracts. Cash recruiting bonuses and signing bonuses aren’t common practice afaik, but they don’t turn an army into a mercenary army. Nor are the recruited soldiers freelancers. Russia’s recruitment tactics are extreme and are symptoms of its difficulties, but it doesn’t make its military mercenary as we understand the term.
@antonyslaughter
2 ай бұрын
Mercenaries are professional soldiers that would be like calling an apprentice plumber a skilled and experienced plumber
@luminyam6145
2 ай бұрын
I love all your conversations about all these things.
@SCOTTEDM
2 ай бұрын
13:53 - Gambling also that #1, you survive intact enough to collect the full payout, if thats how that works. And #2 the Russian government declines to honor the contract by manufacturing an excuse to prevent paying. Such examples would be declaring a solider missing, therefore no payment can be made until status is confirmed (which it never is) and/or falsely stating that the solider did not follow orders voiding his contract disqualifying him from payment.
@prismpyre7653
2 ай бұрын
Slurp all you want man- that's kinda your sign-on signature anyway!😄
@ballenboy
2 ай бұрын
Bit never go full Zlawoi Sizek
@DacianRider
2 ай бұрын
@@ballenboy * SNIFF !
@reginaldbowls7180
2 ай бұрын
I thought he said slap 👋
@takuan650
2 ай бұрын
How do You make an informed decision when there is no valid information. Gambling your life, health and family for a fistful of Rubles ?
@-----REDACTED-----
2 ай бұрын
I doubt Russia is paying out even a single rusty kopek of the promised signing bonuses…….
@seneca983
2 ай бұрын
I don't think they can afford not to while the war still rages.
@dionysian222
2 ай бұрын
@@seneca983 You underestimate the psychology of a man in uniform to slave away for nothing. Outside of Western Style democracies, soldiery is an intoxicant for men who wouldn’t have anything else to do with their lives.
@seneca983
2 ай бұрын
@@dionysian222 I disagree. There's clearly a reason why they have had to raise the incentives to enlist so high. If they defaulted on the promised payments, rumors would quickly spread and recruitment would suffer a lot. (Defaulting *after* the war has ended is possible, though.)
@M2008tw
2 ай бұрын
Hi Vlad, thanks for your analysis and example of the two families. I have a small addition. Three weeks ago I got my hair cut in Helsinki (I'm from Denmark), the wife (who clearly owned the place) was from Ukraine and the man who cut me from Russia. When the conversation finally got around to talking about the war (it was my first visit there) their conclusion was that both places were run by a crazy man. This point of view I could feel was something I should not interfere with. I got a nice haircut and left the place with a smile, but also a wonder that the two who had lived together for almost 15 years had come to that conclusion. It was easier to see it that way without digging deeper into the wound, it was like a way of dealing with it. Thank you for sharing.
@karenjanusch7978
2 ай бұрын
@@M2008tw that's wild!
@paulbaker9879
2 ай бұрын
It's very bold to assume that they actually pay people, in my opinion.
@DoloresJNurss
2 ай бұрын
Sometimes people actually get paid, in the same way that sometimes slot machines actually make someone playing them instantly rich. You have to do it often enough to sucker the rest. It's a loss-leader. (I'm saying this as someone whose tribe has profited well by using casinos to make paying reparations fun.)
@AstroGremlinAmerican
2 ай бұрын
I remember a video of widows getting furs that we taken back.
@FVBmovies
2 ай бұрын
Imagine you're fighting in useless war, seeing your buddies cripple and die, officers scamming and scheming, you've been on the front line for far too long and still receive less than new recruits. Must be quite demoralizing.
@13JonnyR
2 ай бұрын
Thank you
@michaeldarling1759
2 ай бұрын
In a city w. population of ~ 1M the casualty rate is about 200 per month which, for awhile, wouldn't be noticeable but then you'd start to hear about people you know, more and more often.
@u.v.s.5583
2 ай бұрын
Russian imperialists: now more expensive than American imperialists!
@eivinstens6091
2 ай бұрын
Thank you. Always good to hear your calm and rational thoughts on these matters.
@hvitekristesdod
2 ай бұрын
More meat for the grinder… madness Nobody is seeing any of those rubles either
@liamanderson4992
2 ай бұрын
The numbers you quoted assumes the Russian government pays them out. 1. They may not pay these recruitment bonuses up front, waiting for people to be KIA and writing them off as a "no show". 2. When soldiers get killed or injured, they may not write them down as injured or killed. The Russian Army is already sending people with untreated wounds back to the front. If the soldier gets killed, at best they only pay out for the soldier being KIA, not for the wounds.
@jaazz90
2 ай бұрын
That's a wrong understanding of Russian bureaucracy or how Russian state works overall (or any state, for that matter). They do pay these bonuses up front, but it might not reach the recipients because of corruption and every link in the payment chain trying to get as big a slice of it as possible. Russian state absolutely hemorrhages money while every person in a position of power tries to scam it. Just a reminder, during Holocaust people paid money to smuggle things and persons in and out of death camps. A country wide conspiracy doesn't and cannot exist. If it did, purely from a logistical point, it would be so effective that by now Russia would have the biggest economy, army, and most advanced science in history.
@foowashere
2 ай бұрын
Some of the very elevated sign up bonuses of late have been connected to payment in instalments scheme. The total amount would only be paid after a year of service. To me this appears to be a scam, few would live for so long and many would probably not even see the first instalment. Another trick seems to be to connect payments to various administrative details which the are falsified, like never actually registering the soldier in the war zone (“sorry, in our papers your husband is assigned to a mortar training unit outside Moscow”).
@hmmm2564
2 ай бұрын
@@jaazz90stop with your foolishness
@jaazz90
2 ай бұрын
@@hmmm2564 you're the fool that assumes that Russian state doesn't pay out for its recruits. Reality is the opposite. This is the highest possible number of recruits, and number of recruits is likely lower.
@hmmm2564
2 ай бұрын
@@jaazz90 foolishness 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@populationIII
2 ай бұрын
oh, the pleasure of hearing you say 'mentallist'
@systemicbreakdown7864
2 ай бұрын
If I singed on before it got doubled I would be pissed.
@mikloscsuvar6097
2 ай бұрын
It is the same as with the grape workers in the Bible. They have no moral base to be pissed.
@marcussassan
2 ай бұрын
Thanks Vlad!
@AnnaKull-bz7pv
2 ай бұрын
I have been following your chat channel for about 1 year now but could never comment due to a technical issue. I take this opportunity to thank you for your amazing work. You have a great talent to put complexe things in short messages! I'd love to hear you on the follwing point: what is sport (miss)used for now and when Putin came to Power.
@_amalfitano
2 ай бұрын
It probably took just as many of me to get through your last q&a as it took of you to make it, but it was great.
@VladVexlerChat
2 ай бұрын
I am sorry about that!
@josephscooke
2 ай бұрын
“I am algorithmically incentivised to tell you things are bad for Russia. Be careful what you read on the internet.” God bless you Vlad
@StrikeSven
2 ай бұрын
Khelou Vlad. Always glad to get a chat at the end of the day :) All the best
@EEEEMMMMKKKK
2 ай бұрын
But isn’t it this way? Compensation for casualties are paid when the bodies are recovered but we see a lot of videos of bodies left on the front so this way they don’t have to pay for the families.
@NeistH2o
2 ай бұрын
You could be an actor in a theater honestly, you would be quite good I think :)
@Conn30Mtenor
2 ай бұрын
It's what happens when you try to fight wars the same way previous governments did. The Red Army conducted its business by throwing bodies at problems, without regard to casualties and I would offer that that had long term effects on the Russian nation. The Russian Federation is NOT the Warsaw Pact. The supply of men is not endless.
@SusCalvin
2 ай бұрын
Military historians here talked about a lack of institutional knowledge. The Red Army of 1944 is an entirely different quality than the Red Army of 1920. The Red Army of the immediate post-war decade was probably at it's height.
@Grace.allovertheplace
2 ай бұрын
Thank you 🙏
@billy2807
2 ай бұрын
I think the doubling of the recruitment bonus is an economic indicator. I think the value of the ruble is set to drop drastically (as the recent economic paper, written by eight European finance ministers, has asserted). I think the Kremlin knows this. So, they double the bonus in the interim, with the plan to delay those payments until the drop in value, that they KNOW is coming, hits. Then they're ultimately paying the same amount (in the real world) but can drive recruitment until it happens. As far as your defeatist conclusions as to what is on the cards for Ukraine, I can't join you there, compadre. I'm sure you're right, because you're smarter than I am - but one russian on Ukrainian land is one russian too many, and I think russia can still make mistakes large enough to cost them everything. Unlikely, but possible, and worth fighting for. Two cents, and worth exactly that. Hope you're feeling better, Vlad. Take care.
@paulgallagher6544
2 ай бұрын
Russian soldiers are often paid but generals keep the money. If you go home for a holiday sure they want you to look okay but most don't get a holiday. Injured personal are kept at the front returned without treatment no point in paying for medical treatment and it'd look bad. It's possible to fool a lot of people until it isn't.
@AstroGremlinAmerican
2 ай бұрын
Rubles could go the way of Confederate money.
@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u
2 ай бұрын
"I think the value of the ruble is set to drop drastically".The inflation rate is not even close to x2 compared to the bonus increase.
@billy2807
2 ай бұрын
@user-nl6zv6hz6x ...yet. First of all: "inflation isn't 200% yet" is a hilarious thing to say. Thank you. Secondly: I'm suggesting that the Kremlin knows something is coming that the population of russia does not know is coming. Meaning - in the future. Not yet. They've either decided that an untrained warm body is suddenly worth 2x to the Kremlin (which is bad news for the state of the war) or that the ruble will be worth 50% less in the near future (which is bad news for the state of the economy). Take your pick.
@glib4233
2 ай бұрын
They're in control of the economy. What foreseen but unavoidable future event do you have in mind? This sounds like village thinking from the video.
@Julia-Richter
2 ай бұрын
💙🌻💙
@patmercer706
2 ай бұрын
Ricky is hoping that Bobby signs up to die for the extra cash because he knows their government will come back for both of them pointing guns if neither takes the offer. Squid game war economics.
@OlNineToes
2 ай бұрын
For the algorithm
@waynedawson7613
2 ай бұрын
Thank you for the perspective. I have long wondered how Russians can accept this crazy war. You pose a believable picture of why village people could involve themselves in this.
@nekomancer4641
2 ай бұрын
From a forecasting strategical standpoint, 2022 border seems to be the baseline. You can't let it ends in a scenario where Putin's "SMO" ends up with any measurable territory gain for them. Such precedent can't be made.
@aurelianxcbd
2 ай бұрын
You seem to be against Fascism?
@chrisrose2898
2 ай бұрын
Thank You Vlad! 🙏🏻❤️☮️
@calebfranks3903
2 ай бұрын
I think the channeling you did was probably pretty spot on.
@richardoldfield6714
2 ай бұрын
As I've said before, economics will ultimately have more effect on Russia's ability to continue with this war than military considerations. The way that Russia's economy is now set up is unsustainable, especially given Western sanctions, the slow draining of Russia's financial reserves (due to war spending and loss of government revenue), and the effect on Russia's population and general economy (high inflation, rising taxation, reduced social and civilian infrastructure spending etc).
@rich_watched_something
2 ай бұрын
We are so hungry
@hansericsson7058
2 ай бұрын
I wouldnt be to sure that these soldiers famelys really get that money in the end
@wystan1000
2 ай бұрын
The press gang is surely next.
@TheAmericanDreamLives
2 ай бұрын
Tiny little putin Tiny little man Super massive ego Made an evil plan Tiny little conscience Tiny little prick Tiny little friendships Tiny little clique Tiny little stature On a shrinking world stage Using lies and hatred From a bygone age Tiny little putin Gone too far Tiny little ruler Would be Czar Tiny little putin Tiny little name Met his match and ended, Ended with Ukraine. 🇺🇦🇬🇧💛💙
@m.streicher8286
2 ай бұрын
Part of me doubts russia will pay everything they've promised
@fafnir4182
2 ай бұрын
Evidence given by surviving Russian prisoners of war tells us you are right!
@khalyiablooddagger5747
2 ай бұрын
The vibes in the village remind me a lot of Kafkas Schloß.
@neilthompson5740
2 ай бұрын
Vlad, i could listen to you talk for hours
@georgebourlos1430
2 ай бұрын
the reference to the algorithm at the 5th minute should be done for every video by Vlad.... truly remarkable
@modero6370
2 ай бұрын
Some caveats to the Bonuses. There is lots of info out there that Russian soldiers often have to spend a lot of this sign up bonuses for buying there own equipment or better equipment then what is given to them, plus even food and water. Some complain that they even purchased vehicles, fuel and ammunition by pooling money. And another thing with all this payments might be that masses of soldiers are not classified as dead or wounded but as missing. If you are missing, your family gets nothing.
@ChrisSuarez-qn5hc
2 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@evgenivasilev606
2 ай бұрын
The risky business part broke my heart but actually it is true! You can see it even for other forms of broken social interaction in different countries, like accepting money for voting for a party. At the end, the problem is the social communication and lack for attempt for development of the society.
@kentalanlee
2 ай бұрын
Looking good, Vlad. Stronger. More color in your face. I like it!
@paullitzbarski2632
2 ай бұрын
Thank you for this. I always wondered what must be going through someones mind accepting these deals.
@peterkiviat9969
2 ай бұрын
Well, not everyone gets paid. Not everyone comes back, so as time goes on, this becomes a progressively hard road to follow.
@HansGrob
2 ай бұрын
Danke!
@faizanrana2998
2 ай бұрын
hello BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY
@bermast4240
2 ай бұрын
At least Ricky didn't get eaten this time.
@Nebris
2 ай бұрын
"...and then things got worse." Russian history in a phrase.
@danielcreamer9669
2 ай бұрын
Still here for the slurps!
@bobouzala
2 ай бұрын
ahw geez Vlad, I used to hang on your every word, but today,… you slurped!!! Hah ha! Luv ya man, you’re looking great! What is your signing bonus?? 🌻
@ericwillis777
2 ай бұрын
Well Vlad, I'm not sure I really understood all of that, but I'm sure there is a good reason that Russian Roulette is called Russian Roulette.
@randyhergenrether6914
2 ай бұрын
Vlad, fantastic broadcast
@cb2291
2 ай бұрын
Doesn't matter doubling the signing on bonus if they never actually get paid😅
@danielmadar9938
2 ай бұрын
Thanks
@albertusmagnus5829
2 ай бұрын
The Ricky / Bobby village scenario could have equally played out in mediaeval times, warlords drumming up meatwave material ... Drone replaces crossbow or axe, plus ca change ...
@kallekonttinen1738
2 ай бұрын
As a Finn have been suprised why there are no more Ukrainian troops in the front. 1939 Finland mustered 500 000 men to front with population of 3,5 million and 1941 we had even 600 000 men on the front. Currently Finnish army is so organized that we have 900 000 reserve with population of 5,5 million. Ukraina could easily get 3-5 million men to frontline with population of 40 million.
@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u
2 ай бұрын
40 million is only on paper. These 40 million include separatists from Donbass, Crimea and refugees.
@kallekonttinen1738
2 ай бұрын
@@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u with 30 million population you could easily form army of 4 million.
@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u
2 ай бұрын
@@kallekonttinen1738 I don't think the population is even 30 million at the moment, but I understand your position.
@kallekonttinen1738
2 ай бұрын
@@EvgeniyYakushev-m2u as an Finnish army reserve officer I counted months how much it would take to train 2 million men. Figured out that this would have been September 2022. September came and went and nothing happened. Conscription of all people age 18 to 40 and to the frontline if you don't have a good reason and females have children, would be the answer.
@daviddelgado6090
2 ай бұрын
Time is not on Putin's side. I doubt he'll be in the Kremlin in 5 years. Whether his MoD becomes his successor depends on economics. And that's looking grim.
@chrisczarnik3439
2 ай бұрын
Unless americas Sullivan gets his traitorous finger out and allows Ukraine to strike inside Russia,Ukraine may not be here in 5 years.
@phil20_20
2 ай бұрын
This reminds me of "Patton" where he's talking about the Germans using carts because they were running out of fuel.
@SusCalvin
2 ай бұрын
I like the half-motorized Europe. Owning a car in Europe was not guaranteed. There was civilian trucks and cars. This is a problem in Hearts of Iron. You can add motorized components but fuel for them needs to appear.
@TheopolisQSmith
2 ай бұрын
Interesting thought about sign on bonuses. Why didn’t the rest of the world come up with the idea of paying the death benefit early? All these years we have had life insurance for our military if they die. Now with the money up front they can spend it before they die in Ukraine.
@MarcosElMalo2
2 ай бұрын
It’s not anything new. What seems to be new is the “extravagance” of the bonuses, and what is troubling (for the Kremlin) is that they’ve needed to increase the bonuses to this level, despite the poverty of their recruitment pool.
@MadsBoldingMusic
2 ай бұрын
Putin likes shorts on men - let's discuss PS: Thank you, Vlad, for an interesting perspective on the politics (and lack thereof) inherent in the current Russian recruitment drive. I wish upon you beautiful moments for every day.
@Oomph6006
2 ай бұрын
Bottomless shorts?
@MadsBoldingMusic
2 ай бұрын
@@Oomph6006 They say it's all the rage these days
@fourthchute
2 ай бұрын
Well explained -thank you Vlad
@blanchjoe1481
2 ай бұрын
Dear Vlad, Thank you for all your efforts on our behalf. The interesting question regarding Putin's ability to maintain troop levels, is two fold; a ) How long can the government continue to fund troops at these levels, b ) How long can the government rely on "The Regions" for troop replacements without "Politicizing" those same regions? Since 2023 6% - 9% of total Russian GDP is being spent on the war with Ukraine. How long Putin and the Oligarchs can maintain this level of spending is dependent simply on the price of Oil. Should the Per Barrel price of Oil on the markets drop to some value half or more than its current valuation, this would change Putin's long term strategy on the war drastically. Currently he can afford to pay the prices for both troops and for materials, because he has turned Russia into a Banana State, this solves his problems now, but he is mortgaging future Russians economic lives. For Putin, the Politicization problem is more worrying. He can NOT acquire troops from the Educated Elite young elite, many of them have left Russia already ( a difficult brain drain problem for the long term ), so troops must come from less urban, less educated, less "Russian" regions. As the payouts become greater and the death tolls stay the same or higher, at some point his recruitment numbers are going to flatten or diminish.
@_DREBBEL_
2 ай бұрын
I’m not sure this is what I need either. Perhaps I just require a voice of hope.
@hmmm2564
2 ай бұрын
Lol you mean falsehoods
@hmmm2564
2 ай бұрын
Lol you mean falsehoods
@ChazmillsADLT
2 ай бұрын
I really don’t think that Ricky and Bobby will look at it that way, I believe that one of the first questions may be when will I get this payment. In my opinion the payment will be paid in retrospect and when in a trench in Ukraine the neitherRicky nor Bobby will be in a position to do anything about it. In the end I think the incentive is great but will not materialise and families will be left without their male supporters and rewards promised.
@kristinfrostlazerbeams
2 ай бұрын
I like what you did there with the title. 😂
@jdocean1
2 ай бұрын
Throwing good money on top of bad money.
@KeithFromHawaii
2 ай бұрын
Good characature of what I see first hand 👍
@Infopirates
2 ай бұрын
What about Ukraine's default this week? 😁
@charlesjasonhall7539
2 ай бұрын
I like your attempt at an economic metaphor. In an information space filled with intentionally crafted messaging with fabricated or manipulated data it's like looking at a black hole. You need tools to analize what you can measure/perceive to develope models to speculate on what is going on near the event horizon. A concordance of tools that point you in the general direction is preferable.
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