Sepia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; "They really are unhinged."

In remarks directed at the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyy added that Putin "can't even pronounce the word 'hurrah' clearly anymore – slurs and mumbles – yet he is still vanquishing residential buildings with his missiles."

Sepia @mander.xyz 2d ago

Not that the article is credible, but to add the latest news on it:

Kyiv dismisses Russia’s claim that Ukrainian forces bombed a college in occupied Luhansk

Ukraine’s General Staff has dismissed Russian claims that Ukrainian forces struck civilian infrastructure in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine as “manipulative" ... The General Staff confirmed that on May 22, Ukrainian forces struck a number of Russian targets: an oil refinery, ammunition depots, air defense systems, and command posts, among them “one of the headquarters of the Rubikon unit” near Starobilsk ...

Sepia @mander.xyz 2d ago

The paper makes a lot of good points (here is the pdf version).

The price of labour is the wage rate. In the absence of forced mobilisation, the [Russian] state must offer very high pay to induce civilians to risk an early and violent death. It must also attract them to work in military enterprises to raise war production. In some regions, the army and the defence industry thus compete to attract a diminished labour force. The resulting wage growth, in excess of any productivity gains, is another source of inflation –and helps keep the interest rates high as an anti-inflationary measure. And China’s price-gouging of Russia means these goods are far more expensive than domestically produced goods would be, or than imported ones were before the imposition of Western sanctions.

This and many other points form a very convincing argument against the economic policy pursued by Russia's defense minister Andrei Belousov, a trained economist who is what is called a 'military Keynesian" (Military Keynesianism is an economic policy that claims that the government should raise military spending to boost economic growth).

I also like the conclusion that Russia will face financial crisis, not output collapse, a prediction many economists have made soon after the war broke out.

[Edit typo.]

Sepia @mander.xyz 3d ago

The entire article is purely based on Russian sources, including such figures like Yana Lantratova, Russia's human rights commissioner.

Human rights experts describe Lantratova as "a young careerist shaped entirely by [Russia's] current political system",

Lantratova, 37, entered politics in the late 2000s [and] worked as an aide to Vitaly Milonov, an ultra-conservative St. Petersburg lawmaker known for championing Russia’s anti-LGBT legislation ... The organization [she headed in the 2000s] drew controversy after accusations that teenagers from a Moscow correctional boarding school had been used in so-called “pedophile hunting” operations ...

In late 2025, Lantratova co-authored a bill proposing additional restrictions on Russians convicted in absentia on political charges, including for violating Russia’s wartime censorship laws.

She has called for banning so-called “LGBT propaganda” in video games ... and for limiting free education for children of migrants ...

Lantratova also (successfully) promoted a ban of the so-called A.U.E. (“Prisoner’s Criminal Unity”) — a subculture later labeled extremist in Russia, but experts say that the A.U.E. doesn’t exist as an organization and that the ban is used to put pressure on political prisoners and others.

According to the lawyer Vadim Prokhorov cited in the linked article, Lantratova used the A.U.E. narrative to build her career.

Lantratova is a product of the Putin regime, [Prokhorov] said, “who in some sense runs ahead” and “contributes to creating moral panic in order to ensure the homogeneity and insulation of Putin’s society and system.”

Ukraine labels Lantratova an "abduction perpetrator" over her alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children and their forced transfer to Russia,

She is directly related to the fact of forced deportation of Ukrainian children from the TOT of Ukraine to the russian federation, with their subsequent adoption into Russian families.

In addition to Ukraine, Lantratova is subject of several international sanctions, including by the EU and the US.

Writing such a headline and then referring exclusively to sources of such calibers like her does not constitute the best piece of journalism by Reuters imo. Or, to say it clear, this article is rubbish.

[Edit typo.]

Sepia @mander.xyz 4d ago

Russia's economy contracted in the first quarter 2026 for the first time in three years, according to Russia's Federal State Statistics Office. The Kremlin slashed its own GPD growth forecast for 2026 from +1% to almost zero. Russia's federal budget deficit has officially exceeded its annual ceiling by 60% already by April.

Just three examples for the short-term. And in the long run Russia's economy is in very big trouble already, even if the war ended tomorrow.

Sepia @mander.xyz 4d ago

Sure, JPMorgan has been frequently saying that for more than 100 years with a strong presence in China.

What is weird is that tankies slam Western banks like JPMorgan as 'capitalist', but then post such articles when the headline fits their narrative.

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Sepia @mander.xyz 5d ago

OP has been spreading Russian and Chinese propaganda, and this is just the next move. They even cross-post the complete rubbish from the ml communities.

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Sepia @mander.xyz 6d ago

Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons Russian diplomat yet again over the latest blatant misinformation disseminated by that aggressor state, US backs Latvia at United Nations Security Council

Latvia’s UN representative Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes responded to Russian allegations and threats saying:

“I will just repeat that lies and aggressive disinformation and threats are a sign of despair and weakness, and we have seen similar lies addressed against other members of this council in the previous meetings, so I’m very honoured to have the attention drawn to my country today.”

In a notable intervention, US representative Tammy Bruce stood up for Latvia, warning Russia that "There is no place for threats against a Council member" and the US keeps its NATO commitments. More about what was said at the UNSC meeting is available here.

Sepia @mander.xyz 6d ago

Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons Russian diplomat yet again over the latest blatant misinformation disseminated by that aggressor state, US backs Latvia at United Nations Security Council

Latvia’s UN representative Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes responded to Russian allegations and threats saying:

“I will just repeat that lies and aggressive disinformation and threats are a sign of despair and weakness, and we have seen similar lies addressed against other members of this council in the previous meetings, so I’m very honoured to have the attention drawn to my country today.”

In a notable intervention, US representative Tammy Bruce stood up for Latvia, warning Russia that "There is no place for threats against a Council member" and the US keeps its NATO commitments. More about what was said at the UNSC meeting is available here.

Sepia @mander.xyz 6d ago

The public media (or any media) in the West isn't comparable to Chinese system of propaganda outlets. One obvious difference is clearly visible now as even in the U.S, where Trump does everything he can to suppress the freedom of media, you can read vast amounts of reports that are critical of Trump and his administration, while you can't read even single report on Chinese state media that is critical of Xi Jinping or the Chinese Communist Party.

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Sepia @mander.xyz 6d ago

Yes, and it's not only Kenya but the rest of Africa as Russia’s deceptive war recruitment scheme ensnares thousands of young Africans,

Through a shadowy network of online recruiters, Russia has quietly assembled a pipeline funneling thousands of Africans from nearly every country on the continent into the front lines and factories supporting Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. These were not the destinations the young Africans thought they had signed up for. Many were looking for jobs, training, or opportunities abroad. Drawn by promises of life-changing salaries, they instead found themselves trapped in a war far from their home countries ...

Ukrainian officials estimate that nearly 30,000 foreign nationals are currently fighting for Russia. With the full extent of these deceptive recruitment networks still unknown, African governments and families of victims are demanding more expansive investigations, an immediate end to these schemes, and accountability for those responsible. Following is a synthesis of what has been uncovered thus far ...

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Sepia @mander.xyz 6d ago

The South China Morning Post is a propaganda outlet under the direct censorship rule of the Chinese Communist Party.

Sepia @mander.xyz 7d ago

Yeah, but 2026 is all different: China boosted its coal and gas power generation by 3.1% in April from a year earlier.

China has been for decades among the worst polluters with highest carbon emissions, and this will remain so for a long time. According to the Chinese Communist Party's recently released 15th five-year plan:

China’s goals for non-fossil energy additions would see China’s annual green energy additions fall by more than half compared to the 14th five-year plan
At the same time, fossil fuel energy consumption would increase by 8-10%, reversing the slow-down in fossil fuel energy consumption during the 14th FYP period.

Sepia @mander.xyz 1w ago

This is what China has been doing for decades. And new Chinese laws in recent years and months have increased Beijing's aggressive move to eliminate everything from non-Chinese suppliers in their supply chains. As it has gained leverage over competitors by this policy, it has been using it for political and economic coercion as we know. The EU has no choice, and so haven't other economies I am afraid.

Sepia @mander.xyz 1w ago

Maia Sandu accuses the Kremlin of wanting to draw the inhabitants of Transnistria into the war in Ukraine, after the decree signed by Vladimir Putin

The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, reacted harshly after Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying granting Russian citizenship to residents of the Transnistrian region. The head of state said the measure could be aimed at recruiting people for Russia's war against Ukraine.

"They probably need more people to send to the war in Ukraine," Maia Sandu said on Saturday at a security conference in Tallinn ...

According to Maia Sandu, the Kremlin's decision also represents a method of pressure on the Republic of Moldova in the context of Chisinau's efforts to reintegration of the Transnistrian region, controlled by pro-Russian separatist authorities and where Russian military personnel have been stationed since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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Sepia @mander.xyz 1w ago

@boonhet@sopuli.xyz

... 31% of the world’s electricity is consumed in China, but AFAIK coal is also used in production of steel and other metals ... Yes, it’s true, but they don’t drill oil or burn coal for the lulz, it’s all to satisfy some consumer demand down the line ...

I wrote this in the last few days in other threads: It does NOT satisfy consumer demands.

China produces massive overcapacity in almost all industries. For example, it produces more steel that can be absorbed by global markets, and the same is true for solar panels and many other products. The resulting price wars have been leading to bankruptcies (more than 400 EV makers filed for insolvency or halted production since the late 2010s, for example) and a deflationary period since 2023.

The Chinese government wants to export this model to the world for geopolitical reasons, not to 'satisfy demand'. The government in Beijing doesn't care about demand or the people who are about to suffer most from this in the long run.

Addition:

China heavily depends on foreign exports markets to sell this overcapacity, as one analysis says,

Overproduction generates a negative externality by depressing the aggregate purchasing power of the nation, and by driving down export prices, it erodes China’s terms of trade. It is a situation which economist Jagdish Bhagwati termed as ‘immiserizing growth’ ... Industrial policy [in China] is entangled with geopolitical rivalry, locking Beijing into a ‘chicken game’ of capacity expansion even when it undermines national welfare.

The Chinese Communist Party does not necessarily aim at undermining national welfare, but it at least deliberately accepts it, and it aims to export the same model to as many countries as possible.