I've been watching Konstantin's channel for more than a year and I find his views are well-informed from his years of lived experience and worth hearing. His thoughts are always well-explained, put across authentically and with modesty. They come "wrapped" with a perfect combination of compassiion and intellect.
Konstantin is great and he has been one of the voices from inside Russia that has helped us outsiders understand what is going on there. Great interview.
My question for Konstantin "How much were you a part in supporting or promoting this regime in the years leading up to your escaping?" Were you a proud Russian citizen in years past? Or did you try to oppose or speak truth to Russian power?
Brilliant news about a monthly meeting with Konstantin. His channel is a daily must. He’s really good at telling us what’s happening. He explains things so well. Sometimes I have to remind myself that English is not his first language. His vocabulary is better than many English speakers I know.
@blaze7726 What in particular do you disagree with? I watch some Russian State Media and it's amazing to see how much they have to backflip and do cartwheels to keep up with the official narrative, it reminds me a lot of the Deutsche Wochenschau (German propaganda newsreel from WW2) in the dying months of WW2, watching their news would have you believe that Germany was winning the war! Deep down do you really believe all the BS they are feeding you? If you are doing it as a 'job', well it's nothing to be proud of.
Mr. Fink: Delighted to learn _Silicon Curtain_ is taking Konstantin Samoilov on board. His _Inside Russia_ uploads have been a much appreciated source of informative economic analysis of Russia for a year now, and I do look forward to listening to you both together with great anticipation in the future.
There are lots of dumb ways to die, but taking a family vacation in a country you invaded and in which you committed uncountable, systematic war crimes is one that would even make Floridians think "That's some dumb sh*t".
@@misterdude8034 Yeah. At the beginning of this war, I made the statement that the Russians were Putin's first and most intimate victims. When I hear about callous f*ckwits going on vacation in occupied Crimea and getting butthurt when a few of them accidentally die, I have a hard time defending my original assertion. These folks are not victims. They are at best indifferent to the suffering of others their government kills, rapes, kidnaps, and tortures. And most appear to at least tacitly state that their government deserves their support. Their country as a political entity deserves annihilation and they deserve what ensues.
As a Ukrainian/Australian... Konstantin has made it literally impossible for me to hate all Russian people. A really good man and a wise man as well, just hope there are more like him over there. :/
Konstantin should not be the thing that makes that clear to you, though. Of course Russians aren't all horrible. It's not an ideology, or a strict concept (like nazism, fascism), it's a culture. It varies. The opportunism people can show when grouped is often inspired by fear. It's also how the Russian frontline works. In general, not many people chose death when faced with such an objective. The pious might, perhaps Buddhists will (Myanmar doesn't inspire such notions, though). It does make excellent art, rich literature, but the Russian question of rulership has had its ups and downs. For me such things have been hard not to see. My Dutch grandfather's sister married a German who fought nazism. Most Germans went for a life with less fear (or perhaps less hatred/disgust), though. And my mom had a serious right hook (many people think women are feeble)... Thinking people are unified in whatever group is also opportunistic/convenient and not that different to the mechanism that makes Russia what it is. Such narratives are easy. Black and white.
My heart genuinely hurts for Constantin and all like minded Russians. I recall thinking in 1989/90 At last the madness is over, we can all live without the sword of Damocles hanging over us... how naïve I was!
Though he has a great heart, Konstantin is a tiny bit politically naive. However, he lived in the US for a long, long time so he knows exactly how Americans think, their common misconceptions about Russia and is expert at relating information to them. I also enjoy watching his channel because we get good insights from what other Russians are saying, feeling, etc. So, there are valuable insights to be had. He also relates some fascinating stories from the time of the fall of the USSR and the early 90s.
By now the dead soldiers would have come back in bodybags. The horrendous number of wounded would have come home. How can russian families not be aware anymore? Surely the injured will tell their families of what is going on in the special military operation?
There are countless reports of Russian soldiers bodies just left out in the battlefield to rot. If they are considered “missing” by the ministry of defence, they don’t have to pay the family any compensations.
Ukrainian Warriors and President Zelensky, you amaze the World with your Courage, Strength and Determination... All it takes for Evil to win is for Good to do nothing. We can achieve anything when we all work together... God Bless Ukraine from the UK
Jonathan, Konstantin thank you for this riveting conversation. I had missed the original date that you posted this but for me is perfectly timed. My heart grieves for Ukraine and Russia and the catastrophic events unfolding. Following my morning meditation I had a profound insight of these two nations which is hidden from view. It is a conflict between the past and the future. For the Ukrainians they are clearly focused on their future beyond survival but for Russia the people have not yet awakened to their past and the implications of how their history has affected their thinking, their behaviour and deprived them of their moral compass. This is a time of awakening for the Russian people. The truth has being exposed to the world yet because of propaganda the eyes and hearts of people cannot yet see. Konstantin has described this process in this session. What has to be exposed will be and a realisation will occur and the ramifications will be huge. I believe that as a believer of a higher power that it is necessary to hold a space of hope and love that right choices will be made.
I have been following Konstantin Samoilov for months, he is such a sympathetic person and so humble, I love watching his videos also he explains a lot of stuff that I dont really know about or understand before its explained to me.
Fantastic discussion! 🧡 Economist & Energy Professional, Konstantin, Natasha & family. I started watching Konstantin's Inside Russia channel from the very beginning. His healthy self-love, love of family, all people and successes at bringing them together, his incredible love of and trust in God and closing prayers as well as his dislike of war especially Russia with Ukraine where he has roots in both and can provide excellent insights make him the authentic, refreshing, and personable academic commentator he has become today. Thank you, Mr. Fink. Well done! 👏👏👏
I have huge respect and admiration for Konstantin's thorough and knowledgeable analysis of all things Russian. His own channel is fantastic and his work on it is second to none. This appearance here is a greatly relaxed change of pace. A very intelligent discussion indeed.
Konstantin Samoilov (INSIDE RUSSIA), your clear analysis is transcendent. Historians will footnote your insights for generations. Jonathan Fink (SILICON CURTAIN), you bring to your channel the best analysts. After the aggression in Ukraine stops, please don't stop your commentary on authoritarian regimes worldwide.
I noticed everybody here agrees enthusiastically with the guest, Why? Are they getting paid? If you pay me I will agree too. I read in American magazines enough to know this guy makes Pinocchio look like an honorable fellow. Sick PROPAGANDA.
Konstantin is the embodiment of a person that would die to defend humanity. If only Vladimirovich hadn't been so obsessed with taking inspiration from "Mein Kampf"
Jonathan, I find it fascinating that both you and Konstantin beg to radically differ from many "experts"' view that this conflict could go on for years. Interesting that you fault them for a far too specialised and compartmentalised picture: in this case, a military perspective that completely fails to take into account, so you argue, a looming economic meltdown leading to a dramatic national internal implosion. This specialised and compartmentalised way of thinking was a weakness in the way of thinking that imho plagued academia back in my university days, and that still seems to linger even till today. I really look forward to your future sessions with Konstantin. The combination of your two heads yields, it seems to me, some very interesting and insightful analyses.
I like your channel. However, sometimes you need to put your questions and narratives aside and simply let your guest talk. What he was saying about the history and culture of Russians was exceedingly interesting. And his train of theoughts seemed to be interrupted by your questions. Thank you for this channel! You are very good!
Question : In what country there are 38 impoverished citizens , 14 millions are food insecured , but still the country spends 760 billions this year in military? Russia? WRONG!!
Those 2 or 3 million men who have fled the catastrophe know as Russia, will probably live longer as a result. Many of them will return, when and if sanity returns to Russia, and if the 'federation' does not split up.
"Going to Red Square and holding Leo Tolstoy's book War and Peace -- that's considered a crime now in Russia." That, right there, is all anyone needs to know about Vladimir Putin, and those who admire or emulate him. Russia is a titan of world literature, and in a mighty forest of world-renowned giants like Checkov, Dostoyevski, and Nabokov, Leo Tolstoy stands lie the tallest sequoia. Making it illegal to hold Tolstoy's masterpiece, this priceless capstone of Russian culture, in Red Square is a sin against Russia -- against Russians alive today and against all Russians who have lived since the Kievan Rus. Vladimir Putin is the enemy of all Russia.
What of course also has a major impact is the widespread corruption! It is reported that something is done, but instead the money ended up in a pocket somewhere...
When we deny the EVIL within ourselves, we dehumanize ourselves, and we deprive ourselves not only of our own destiny but of any possibility of dealing with the EVIL of others. J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer
@@bornatona3954 I'm not familar with Ponomarev, but from the list of people you gave that you are against, it seems like anyone you are for will be garbage. So I will NOT bother checking him out. I am very familiar with Ben Hodges, and his analysis is EXCELLENT! So anyone like you, who is against Hodges, has to be pro Russia and pro Putin. Since anyone who takes that stance is DEEPLY EVIL, why the hell would anyone believe them?! Everyone you support, I am against.
Thank you for an excellent conversation, I feel sure that if Z army had entered Kiev, ordinary Russians would have been out on the streets and filling the squares of Moscow celebrating and cheering with national pride. Until Russians are affected individually they will not care.about this war on Ukraine.
I think you're 100% correct. One would think the significant casualties and the fact many Russians have families in Ukraine would have made people upset. I for one never imagined this war could go on so long because I thought ordinary Russians wouldn't stand for it. I couldn't have been more wrong.
England in 1688, France in 1789, and the USA in 1776 threw out the tyrants and put an end to abuse of the individual honest citizen by greedy monarchs. England, France, and USA added constitutions with bills of rights to protect individuals from government power. Not Russia. Russia had a revolution in 1917 but the Russian revolution did not contain anything like a bill of rights for the people. The tyrannical czar was deposed, but in time was replaced by a Soviet government even more flagrantly violating individual rights than the czar. I.e. the communist party. Time passed, and now Russia is ruled by a greedy, murderous dictator, with no civil rights for the population; like in all repressive dictatorships. From 2000 until now Putin was able to conceal the extreme national rip off due to prosperity provided by oil revenues. And these revenues were brought in by western companies, extracting the oil. The logical explanation of the irrational accepting of victimhood mentality must simply be that the Russian people have lived under exploitation and misery for hundreds of years and it seems normal to them. It’s just that simple. It’s the same wherever government is granted limitless power over the citizens. North Korea. Iran. China. Governments will always grab more and more wealth and power to themselves unless somehow stopped. It can still happen in the USA where we were told we must stay home for two years and meanwhile also not educate our children. Then if you objected you were told you were a damned Trump-lover and were canceled by the “cancel culture”. Is this an exaggeration?
Precisely why the restrictions placed on western weapons delivered to Ukraine are counterproductive. Not only should Ukraine be allowed to destroy military targets in Russia, but that should be part of the deal. All of Russia's artillery and tank depots. Tank, artillery and rocket assembly plants. Every company with military contracts. Sukhoi and Mikoyan. Major aircraft maintenance facilities. All of these things should have been flattened in the early months of the war. The war must be brought to the average Russian. It's the only way they will care about any of it, not to mention this would dramatically decrease the amount of equipment Ukrainians must face on the front. The only thing that should be off limits are oil production and oil export facilities.
Russia is a country full of self centered nut jobs that mirror people like donald trump and ron desantis. Look at trump being unable to stop committing crimes while he is being convicted of past crimes. Look at desantis passing unconstitutional law after unconstitutional law. It will take a lot of pain to make russians give in and stop supporting the slaughter, rape, torture, and kidnapping of ukrainians. I am not even sure nuking a major city in russia would convince russians to stop supporting the war. The russian people who have not fled are pure evil.
Was the invasion by the Putin regime Konstantin's 'wake up call' to Russia's evil? How did he live and thrive in this regime in the decades leading up to his eventual escape from Russia? I honestly would like to understand how the average Russky coped with a criminal regime while they brutalized citizens in Aleppo, Grozny, Georgia etc.
I hear Putin has fired a whole Battalion of Combat Dolphins. Guardians of the Kerch Bridge.🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬 They were drinking on the job 🇺🇦✌🏻
Konstantin’s restores my faith in Russians, he is the sort of guy who could play a part in developing Russia into an amazing country once the criminal elements are curtailed.
@blaze7726 When we defend a country which is attacked, we don't get paid. Only the attacker is paying to have troIIing supporters. So you learned something today, Bot!
Incidentally, telling women to forget anything else, and just stay home and make babies was one of Italian fascism favourite slogans: "dare figli alla patria"
Have you ever seen the video of Hitler giving out medals to women for bearing 10 (sons?) children for the fatherland? I remember watching that in highschool...puke worthy
Please can you try to interview one of CEOs from a company taken over in Russia... Like Carslberg, Continental tyres, Unilever - some are still operating, under threats of violence to their families... Big K is always good to watch. Another great interview with him. 👍🏻🇬🇧
its a disese its called sick capatlisim its thriving in 2023 the sort of thinkin of a person tryin to sell you a umbrella in a deseret somehow thay comer across the mortons who il be sucked in and buy a umbrella in the deasert whats neer rain in a 1000 years
No, but you can use it to protect you from the sun's rays,,, or optimistically nuclear fallout,, a good salesmanor politician ,,,,, will always find a few suckers,.
@234... Sick capitalism, is not so sick. The theory (and my experience) is if you do well, are intelligent and resourceful, you will prosper. It has nothing to do with violence, threats and terrorism. In fact capitalism rewards those who improve the lives of many through creative thinking and collaboration with others. It's all about sharing, so we all prosper. Alien concepts to authoritarian regimes... 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you for another honest opinion about what’s happening inside the Russian Federation. Let’s hope for a smooth landing and transition from the Putin legacy who for all intents and purposes is a dictator and like all dictators want to rule for life. Unfortunately, so many good people are dying from this unnecessary violence.
Agree. There is another dangerous Dictator. He is part of NATO. Erdogan of TURKEY. He didn't win the election. Only Uneducated believe so. Erdowan has imprisoned more Journalists than any other country. That, is NOT a level playing ground for voting. Additionally, Turkey dances on both sides of the line. He jumps from NATO to Russia when it suits his needs. I believe Erdogan will be instrumental in part, starting WW3. The signs are on the walls. Unfortunately, most people hide and pretend, until it is too late.
Thanks Mr Jonathan Fink. It is so obvious that you truly care about this Genocide and are letting people get the concept right in front of their eyes and ears.
Still not understanding why is it a Genocide? It's a heinous, immoral invasion by the Russians with murders, rapes, looting and destruction, shameful missile attacks on civilians too, and every of the tens/hundreds of thousands of lives lost is a crime, but why a Genocide? (Even if they took over all Ukraine - which they won't succeed in, thanks to Ukrainians' bravery - there was never any plan to kill even 1% of the population. This is not Rwanda, E. Congo or 9 million WW2 concentration camp deaths. Or has the word lost its meaning, and simply every war is called Genocide [by the aggressor] now? eg when Iraq fought Iran in the 1980s, was that genocide?
Thank you for this interview! ❤ The Russian chaos czar, has successfully overseen the withering of Russia's economy. According to a report by Market Insider, the Russian Finance Ministry reports a 36% drop in gas and oil revenues compared to a year ago. The ruble is the worst performing currency, down 35% from last year. Before the war, Russia was responsible for 40% of the EU's natural gas imports and a quarter of the EU's crude oil. Those numbers have dropped to almost zero. One of Russia's largest industries, is seeing an almost total collapse of car sales, a representative of broader economic woes. 🇺🇲 🇺🇦
@@lesliereed4047 no, the group "Just stop Oil" is not active in Russia or China. Piers Morgan clashed with the groups leader on why not. The drop in Russia's revenues are because the West isn't supporting Russian oil and gas because of Putin's illegal war in Ukraine.
@@lesliereed4047 you can say what you want, but my response shouldn't have gotten you hot and bothered. I wasn't rude. If you already know everything, good, move on. 🙄
So many takeaways here: one, Russia seems always to have had a long tradition of the military staying out of politics -maybe just one more part of most everyone else staying out of politics, come to think of it. But it does seem that the Russian military has been if anything the single most long-suffering and uncomplaining face of a society shot through with avoidance and resignation. If the military is now grumbling and even publicly threatening politicians, that may not be only a sign that the end is coming for Putin, but maybe also that a new element in Russian politics is emerging - not necessarily one that is better for the future of Russia, BTW. Two, while the present situation may not be quite analogous with the 1930’s, what is forming in Russia now may be something that resembles a perhaps rather obscure novel called Day of the Oprichnik, by Vladimir Sorokin. It is a dystopian novel, written in 2012, that describes a 21st century Russia ruled by a despotic and distant tsar with overtones of Stalin, isolated from most of the world and semi-vassalized by China. Maybe not great literature, but prophetic? Three: the image of Russia today as the Titanic apparently sailing serenely away from the iceberg; hey, nothing to worry about for now. Woosh. I am old enough to remember witnessing the at first gradual and then sudden collapse of the USSR - on television, understand, from the comfort of my peaceful Canadian living room. Lately I feel like I just turned on the TV and suddenly I’m watching . . . the sequel. Four: I discovered Konstantin's channel about April last year, have followed it ever since, then found Vlad Vexler's channel shortly afterwards quite independently, and yours a bit later, again quite independently. Now I find you all talk to each other. Love it!
"Russia seems always to have had a long tradition of the military staying out of politics" ??? Really ?? obviously you missed Russian history for the past 200 years ...
always enjoyed Mr K's streams,been watching before the war. wish his Mods would unban me,still have no idea what I said that set them off. Thanks for sharing !!
Same here regarding being a viewer of Constantine for some time. I'm so elated in seeing him here 🎉 Now what is happening to his Country has hit him literally, his passion is what has my full attention. Education right here. Sit back and listen. I am fortunate in being in the same room of both. 🇨🇦🍁🇺🇦 Thank you Guy's I have posted your program's on a Ukrainian Armed Forces site , that I too am part of, where people support the UAF and speak their minds passionately where many Veterans of War are vocal. Thank you for this we've had a double cocktail today👍🏻🥃of our favourite. Blessings!! Olivia. 🇨🇦🍁🇺🇦
Thanks for having Constantine on your show. I have been following him for a long time from before the Russian Ukrainian war! He really has the pulse on Russia!
I don't know if anyone has asked the following question to Constantine: "What was your part in allowing/promoting the development of this criminal regime in Russia?" I can see you fled from the 'heat', but did you support or vote for this tyrant? Were you a proud Russian before this invasion? An honest answer would enlighten us as to how pervasive was the propaganda and the pressure on Russians to conform and cooperate with this regime.
@@thor9563 There is nothing wrong with loving your family, your friends, your community, your city and your country. For a long time the Russian government allowed its citizens to live their lives as long as they did not involve themselves in political opposition to the authoritarian government in Moscow. At the end of the cold war the Russia was in financial ruin and the Russian people were suffering. Instead of the USA helping Russia rebuild its society like we did for Germany after WW2 we decided not to help them. We sowed the seeds of anger in Russia by not extending the hand and letting Russia wallow in despair which later turned into anger. Same thing happened in Germany after WW1. Obviously we didn't learn from our history lessons. Because of this, like Germany, Russians have never fully experienced a fully free and democratic society. The educated class in Russia prospered under this laissez-faire environment so much so that China adopted it also and took it to a higher level until recently. When I brought my Ukrainian ex-wife to the USA she become so homesick that she wanted to go home. She and her sister and her friends were inseparable. In College I had a Russian Jewish student named Alexander who was my friend and he had left the Soviet Union and he had told me he wanted to go back to Russia because he missed life there. You would thing because of the anti-Semitism that would be the last place he would want to go back to. There is nothing strange about loving the people you grew up with or loving the food and the culture! When I visited Moscow i was very impressed with many of the historical buildings in Moscow like Red Square and the Kremlin. The people were very kind and very friendly. The vast majority of Russians have grown up disassociated from the workings of the government. You cannot change hundred of years of serf mentality overnight. Even thought the serfs in Russia were granted emancipation in 1861. The landowners continued the practice in a different disguise. Kinda like us with Jim Crow! As a society we are still struggling with our own demons from the past.
Thank you sir for your well thought out and kind reply. I guess I would probably have the same mindset given the circumstances with zero alternatives. 'Make the best life with what is in front of you' explains how Russians live in a dictatorship. Again thanks very much!@@TheVideoRaf
One of you needs to learn the Russian word which the majority uses to describe themselves: пофигисти. Pofigism means I don't care. This comes from 1000 years of systemic disenfranchisement. It's all logical. Now Russian majority is fascist. It means there is a deep separation of personal ethics and person's relationship to their government
totally disagree that it means that for most ppl there is a deep separation of personal ethics & relationship to gvt. Many russians have personal ethics which westerners would consider either plainly unethical and other ethics that are false/front, i.e a polished superficial persona for interpersonal relating. Deception and lying is a major part of russian society and has been in various forms & magnitudes for many decades. Humans are only thinking of themsevles as disenfranchised for a millenia IF too many of them are comfortable in that position. Ppl need to read some anthropology, sociology, history and other topics to start to grasp it. It is NOT so simple as a 'deep' separation of personal ethics and relation to gvt. Far more complex and for most part in Ru, an 'ethics' of subjugation and hierarchical control within families, etc etc. Primitive is a fair word to describe that part of Ru society and it's that part that Putin tried to appeal to, and of course Mussolini and Hitler did as well, in different ways.
@@18_rabbit i have lived and worked in Russia, I have a lot of experience also with Russians in USA. Their personal ethics are only for friends and family. The popular ones include прикрыть тыл (got your back), не говорить за спиной (don't talk behind your back), they eat at the speed you are eating, гостипримные (hospitable), etc.... But none of this applies to government where they say государства обманывает (government fools you) тихий ездишь дольше будешь (go quieter live like longer) мне пофиг (it's all the same to me). Welcome to Russia!!!!!
Thanks for the work,Jonathan. Excellent strategic moves by our friends - interdict supply lines, isolate bases, and monitor the opponent's workarounds.
Monthly feature with Konstantin (INSIDERUSSIA) is fantastic! Jonathan has the interesting questions and Konstatin the Russian background. Very much looking forward to this cooperation - thanks to both of you, have a wonderful weekend!
An honest question for Konstantin,"Were you supportive or proud of Russia's activities in Aleppo, Grozny, Georgia etc?" Honestly want to know or understand the state of the Russian mind during those horrible atrocities!
In discussing the Wagner mutiny you implicitly touched on something very significant. What about the removal of Gen. Teplinskyi and the VDVtroops who said they would leave their positions if he was harmed? This is an actual mutiny by elite MoD troops. For that matter isn’t Voronezh home territory for VDV? Wagner had little problem passing through there on the way to Moscow. If these are elite defenders of the MoD the MoD is in trouble. Who else will defend Shoigu and Gerasinov?
As in Germany after WW2…. groups of Russian people should be transported to the scenes of the horrific war crimes perpetrated by their fellow countrymen…. made to look at the damage done to Ukranian cities… and also made to listen to personal testimonies of Ukrainian citizens!
Really enjoyed this interview with Konstantin...he's really knowledgeable and is trying to make a difference by spreading the word of Putin and Russian propaganda. Have been following him since the invasion. 👍❤🤙
As a Brit in Russia I have this problem , it seems almost impossible to have a conversation about what’s going on . I’m asked “ Why do you study what’s going going on ? We can’t change anything , let’s just spend time in the vegetable garden “. It’s Really like this . Great work Jonathan.
You might get called up to the Russian army. The Russians are apparently forced conscripting migrant workers from independent Central Asian countries. Possibly, in the Russian mindset, they still think that they control these countries.
I've been watching Konstantin's channel for more than a year and I find his views are well-informed from his years of lived experience and worth hearing. His thoughts are always well-explained, put across authentically and with modesty. They come "wrapped" with a perfect combination of compassiion and intellect.
Think he regrets leaving the US and returning to Putin-Russia to build power plants for the state?
@@chrisbea49do you regret moving to St. Paul Minnesota
Let us not forget 1420
100%
@@CBirds I haven't fled to avoid getting mobilized.
Konstantin is great and he has been one of the voices from inside Russia that has helped us outsiders understand what is going on there. Great interview.
My question for Konstantin "How much were you a part in supporting or promoting this regime in the years leading up to your escaping?" Were you a proud Russian citizen in years past? Or did you try to oppose or speak truth to Russian power?
Brilliant news about a monthly meeting with Konstantin. His channel is a daily must. He’s really good at telling us what’s happening. He explains things so well. Sometimes I have to remind myself that English is not his first language. His vocabulary is better than many English speakers I know.
@blaze7726you from troll factory?
@blaze7726 What in particular do you disagree with? I watch some Russian State Media and it's amazing to see how much they have to backflip and do cartwheels to keep up with the official narrative, it reminds me a lot of the Deutsche Wochenschau (German propaganda newsreel from WW2) in the dying months of WW2, watching their news would have you believe that Germany was winning the war!
Deep down do you really believe all the BS they are feeding you? If you are doing it as a 'job', well it's nothing to be proud of.
@blaze7726 Yeah... it must be YOUR reality. I am from that other one.
If he could only discover that English has articles...😉
He also claimed Crimea is Russian, 🙄 what a joke!
Mr. Fink: Delighted to learn _Silicon Curtain_ is taking Konstantin Samoilov on board. His _Inside Russia_ uploads have been a much appreciated source of informative economic analysis of Russia for a year now, and I do look forward to listening to you both together with great anticipation in the future.
Two great presenters. Delighted to learn this will become a regular feature. Thank you Jonathan and Konstantin. 😎
Great Interview , your style of interviewing is always interesting and Konstantin is always very insightful and has great depth of thought and logic
There are lots of dumb ways to die, but taking a family vacation in a country you invaded and in which you committed uncountable, systematic war crimes is one that would even make Floridians think "That's some dumb sh*t".
😂
A Floridian with an inner monologue or thought process 😂😂😅
@@misterdude8034 Yeah. At the beginning of this war, I made the statement that the Russians were Putin's first and most intimate victims.
When I hear about callous f*ckwits going on vacation in occupied Crimea and getting butthurt when a few of them accidentally die, I have a hard time defending my original assertion. These folks are not victims. They are at best indifferent to the suffering of others their government kills, rapes, kidnaps, and tortures. And most appear to at least tacitly state that their government deserves their support.
Their country as a political entity deserves annihilation and they deserve what ensues.
Now the eejits will make a mad dash across Melitopol. I hope they like artillery fire as background music.
Darwin Award s, not winners, they left offspring. Probably as indoctrinated dumb brain .
As a Ukrainian/Australian... Konstantin has made it literally impossible for me to hate all Russian people. A really good man and a wise man as well, just hope there are more like him over there. :/
Watch Russian dude. He is also a good man
@@robinkelly1770also 1420 . The young man interviews russian on the street, makes visits to returned soldiers in the rural villages
A good man not willing to die for democracy is a Russian.
Konstantin should not be the thing that makes that clear to you, though. Of course Russians aren't all horrible. It's not an ideology, or a strict concept (like nazism, fascism), it's a culture. It varies. The opportunism people can show when grouped is often inspired by fear. It's also how the Russian frontline works. In general, not many people chose death when faced with such an objective. The pious might, perhaps Buddhists will (Myanmar doesn't inspire such notions, though). It does make excellent art, rich literature, but the Russian question of rulership has had its ups and downs.
For me such things have been hard not to see. My Dutch grandfather's sister married a German who fought nazism. Most Germans went for a life with less fear (or perhaps less hatred/disgust), though. And my mom had a serious right hook (many people think women are feeble)... Thinking people are unified in whatever group is also opportunistic/convenient and not that different to the mechanism that makes Russia what it is. Such narratives are easy. Black and white.
@@robertfarrow5853And Roman and Zack a lot of other young Russians living in exile.
My heart genuinely hurts for Constantin and all like minded Russians. I recall thinking in 1989/90 At last the madness is over, we can all live without the sword of Damocles hanging over us... how naïve I was!
Though he has a great heart, Konstantin is a tiny bit politically naive. However, he lived in the US for a long, long time so he knows exactly how Americans think, their common misconceptions about Russia and is expert at relating information to them. I also enjoy watching his channel because we get good insights from what other Russians are saying, feeling, etc. So, there are valuable insights to be had. He also relates some fascinating stories from the time of the fall of the USSR and the early 90s.
Uauuu congrats! Nice to see both working together!!!🎉🎉🎉
By now the dead soldiers would have come back in bodybags. The horrendous number of wounded would have come home. How can russian families not be aware anymore? Surely the injured will tell their families of what is going on in the special military operation?
There are countless reports of Russian soldiers bodies just left out in the battlefield to rot. If they are considered “missing” by the ministry of defence, they don’t have to pay the family any compensations.
Love your interviews. Keep up the great work & aligning these key guest speakers !
Great to see Konstantin on here!
Well done, Jonathan!
Ukrainian Warriors and President Zelensky, you amaze the World with your Courage, Strength and Determination... All it takes for Evil to win is for Good to do nothing. We can achieve anything when we all work together... God Bless Ukraine from the UK
A monthly feature with Konstantin is awesome. I love your show. You always have wonderful guests.
Jonathan, Konstantin thank you for this riveting conversation. I had missed the original date that you posted this but for me is perfectly timed. My heart grieves for Ukraine and Russia and the catastrophic events unfolding. Following my morning meditation I had a profound insight of these two nations which is hidden from view. It is a conflict between the past and the future. For the Ukrainians they are clearly focused on their future beyond survival but for Russia the people have not yet awakened to their past and the implications of how their history has affected their thinking, their behaviour and deprived them of their moral compass. This is a time of awakening for the Russian people. The truth has being exposed to the world yet because of propaganda the eyes and hearts of people cannot yet see. Konstantin has described this process in this session. What has to be exposed will be and a realisation will occur and the ramifications will be huge. I believe that as a believer of a higher power that it is necessary to hold a space of hope and love that right choices will be made.
Konstantin is a magnificent assistance to me in understanding Russian society. I am fascinated by his explanations.
Konstantin is always spot on! One of the best channels ever! 😊 Thanks for your updates as well! 👍👍👍
Wonderful discussion. So enlightening!
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I have been following Konstantin Samoilov for months, he is such a sympathetic person and so humble, I love watching his videos also he explains a lot of stuff that I dont really know about or understand before its explained to me.
Fantastic discussion! 🧡 Economist & Energy Professional, Konstantin, Natasha & family.
I started watching Konstantin's Inside Russia channel from the very beginning. His healthy self-love, love of family, all people and successes at bringing them together, his incredible love of and trust in God and closing prayers as well as his dislike of war especially Russia with Ukraine where he has roots in both and can provide excellent insights make him the authentic, refreshing, and personable academic commentator he has become today.
Thank you, Mr. Fink. Well done! 👏👏👏
Where is Konstantin? .....why hasn't he broadcast for over a week? is he safe? If anyone has any news, please post it here.
I have huge respect and admiration for Konstantin's thorough and knowledgeable analysis of all things Russian.
His own channel is fantastic and his work on it is second to none.
This appearance here is a greatly relaxed change of pace. A very intelligent discussion indeed.
Excellent chanel. Great information
Konstantin Samoilov (INSIDE RUSSIA), your clear analysis is transcendent.
Historians will footnote your insights for generations.
Jonathan Fink (SILICON CURTAIN), you bring to your channel the best analysts.
After the aggression in Ukraine stops, please don't stop your commentary on authoritarian regimes worldwide.
Great video - thanks. It's taken me most of this week to get through it! Very informative and thought provoking.
I also follow Konstantin Samoilov .
Very informative & I feel honest, impartial.
Konstantin rules! His channel is great
Great guest!
I don't hear much about war crimes and genocide and why the Russians seem unconcerned.
I noticed everybody here agrees enthusiastically with the guest, Why? Are they getting paid? If you pay me I will agree too. I read in American magazines enough to know this guy makes Pinocchio look like an honorable fellow. Sick PROPAGANDA.
Thank you for this informative discussion 👏
Thanyou Konstantin for your history lesson and discussian. Regards from AUS.
Konstantin is the embodiment of a person that would die to defend humanity.
If only Vladimirovich hadn't been so obsessed with taking inspiration from "Mein Kampf"
Jonathan, I find it fascinating that both you and Konstantin beg to radically differ from many "experts"' view that this conflict could go on for years.
Interesting that you fault them for a far too specialised and compartmentalised picture: in this case, a military perspective that completely fails to take into account, so you argue, a looming economic meltdown leading to a dramatic national internal implosion. This specialised and compartmentalised way of thinking was a weakness in the way of thinking that imho plagued academia back in my university days, and that still seems to linger even till today.
I really look forward to your future sessions with Konstantin. The combination of your two heads yields, it seems to me, some very interesting and insightful analyses.
Konstantin is an amazing guy.
He’s a Putin shill
If Konstantin Samoilov is on channel 1 in Russia one day, we will know for sure that all is finally well there ...
I like your channel. However, sometimes you need to put your questions and narratives aside and simply let your guest talk. What he was saying about the history and culture of Russians was exceedingly interesting. And his train of theoughts seemed to be interrupted by your questions.
Thank you for this channel! You are very good!
Please may you be right Konstantin - a wonderful interview - feel I've been on a roller coaster learning journey.
Great listening to Konstin & yourself the questions & answers great, good to see you are both singing from same hymn sheet
Good stuff. Keep it up.
Great stream. Looking forward to te next one with Konstantin. I shared this
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God bless you and keep you safe.......
Question : In what country there are 38 impoverished citizens , 14 millions are food insecured , but still the country spends 760 billions this year in military? Russia? WRONG!!
Ĥöŵ many people still want to leave Russia if they could? 90%
Konstantin is the best of many good RUclipsr. Thank you for this good video to both of you. Greets from Nato Finland 🇫🇮
GREAT SHOW...I'VE NEVERgiven you money but Konstsntin gets $4 bucks a month minimum 1 year commit..Im on his list..
SLAVA UKRAINE!
Those 2 or 3 million men who have fled the catastrophe know as Russia, will probably live longer as a result.
Many of them will return, when and if sanity returns to Russia, and if the 'federation' does not split up.
The "medallion" referenced, I believe, is called a "dog tag" in US military circles.
"Going to Red Square and holding Leo Tolstoy's book War and Peace -- that's considered a crime now in Russia."
That, right there, is all anyone needs to know about Vladimir Putin, and those who admire or emulate him. Russia is a titan of world literature, and in a mighty forest of world-renowned giants like Checkov, Dostoyevski, and Nabokov, Leo Tolstoy stands lie the tallest sequoia. Making it illegal to hold Tolstoy's masterpiece, this priceless capstone of Russian culture, in Red Square is a sin against Russia -- against Russians alive today and against all Russians who have lived since the Kievan Rus. Vladimir Putin is the enemy of all Russia.
It is not my claim, @dag1489, but Mr. Samoilov's. I put it in quotes, because I am quoting him. Did you not watch the video?
What of course also has a major impact is the widespread corruption!
It is reported that something is done, but instead the money ended up in a pocket somewhere...
Belarus is sending Russian citizens within Belarus back to Russia and at the border they will be checked to see if they can be mobilized
This guy definitely has the inside look into the Russian mind. I listen to his show almost daily.
When we deny the EVIL within ourselves, we dehumanize ourselves, and we deprive ourselves not only of our own destiny but of any possibility of dealing with the EVIL of others.
J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer
I watch Konstantin posts every day.
I just subscribed to your channel. Thanks
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Love to hear about this upcoming and reoccurring collaboration between you both.
+1
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Here, here! I'm up for that!
👍🏻 Looking forward to it.
@@bornatona3954 I'm not familar with Ponomarev, but from the list of people you gave that you are against, it seems like anyone you are for will be garbage. So I will NOT bother checking him out.
I am very familiar with Ben Hodges, and his analysis is EXCELLENT!
So anyone like you, who is against Hodges, has to be pro Russia and pro Putin.
Since anyone who takes that stance is DEEPLY EVIL, why the hell would anyone believe them?!
Everyone you support, I am against.
Konstantin told me to go listen to u :)
Happy to hear that you Jonathan and Konstantin will be meeting monthly. I watch both of their wonderful channels.
Absolutely love your show Jonathan! Kostya is one of my most favorite You Tubers!
Is Kostya Russian for Konstantine?
@@a5cent yes, it’s an abbreviation.
Thank you for an excellent conversation, I feel sure that if Z army had entered Kiev, ordinary Russians would have been out on the streets and filling the squares of Moscow celebrating and cheering with national pride. Until Russians are affected individually they will not care.about this war on Ukraine.
I think you're 100% correct. One would think the significant casualties and the fact many Russians have families in Ukraine would have made people upset. I for one never imagined this war could go on so long because I thought ordinary Russians wouldn't stand for it. I couldn't have been more wrong.
England in 1688, France in 1789, and the USA in 1776 threw out the tyrants and put an end to abuse of the individual honest citizen by greedy monarchs. England, France, and USA added constitutions with bills of rights to protect individuals from government power. Not Russia. Russia had a revolution in 1917 but the Russian revolution did not contain anything like a bill of rights for the people. The tyrannical czar was deposed, but in time was replaced by a Soviet government even more flagrantly violating individual rights than the czar. I.e. the communist party.
Time passed, and now Russia is ruled by a greedy, murderous dictator, with no civil rights for the population; like in all repressive dictatorships. From 2000 until now Putin was able to conceal the extreme national rip off due to prosperity provided by oil revenues. And these revenues were brought in by western companies, extracting the oil.
The logical explanation of the irrational accepting of victimhood mentality must simply be that the Russian people have lived under exploitation and misery for hundreds of years and it seems normal to them. It’s just that simple. It’s the same wherever government is granted limitless power over the citizens. North Korea. Iran. China. Governments will always grab more and more wealth and power to themselves unless somehow stopped. It can still happen in the USA where we were told we must stay home for two years and meanwhile also not educate our children. Then if you objected you were told you were a damned Trump-lover and were canceled by the “cancel culture”. Is this an exaggeration?
@@rustyshackleford2719 Russians are all still serfs they are bred for the yoke, their capacity for suffering is limitless.
Precisely why the restrictions placed on western weapons delivered to Ukraine are counterproductive.
Not only should Ukraine be allowed to destroy military targets in Russia, but that should be part of the deal. All of Russia's artillery and tank depots. Tank, artillery and rocket assembly plants. Every company with military contracts. Sukhoi and Mikoyan. Major aircraft maintenance facilities. All of these things should have been flattened in the early months of the war.
The war must be brought to the average Russian. It's the only way they will care about any of it, not to mention this would dramatically decrease the amount of equipment Ukrainians must face on the front.
The only thing that should be off limits are oil production and oil export facilities.
Russia is a country full of self centered nut jobs that mirror people like donald trump and ron desantis. Look at trump being unable to stop committing crimes while he is being convicted of past crimes. Look at desantis passing unconstitutional law after unconstitutional law.
It will take a lot of pain to make russians give in and stop supporting the slaughter, rape, torture, and kidnapping of ukrainians. I am not even sure nuking a major city in russia would convince russians to stop supporting the war. The russian people who have not fled are pure evil.
Gents, thank you for your insights ❗️ Looking forward to your future presentations 🎉🎉🎉
Good for you, Konstantin. I'm glad you made it to safety
Was the invasion by the Putin regime Konstantin's 'wake up call' to Russia's evil? How did he live and thrive in this regime in the decades leading up to his eventual escape from Russia? I honestly would like to understand how the average Russky coped with a criminal regime while they brutalized citizens in Aleppo, Grozny, Georgia etc.
His name has clout in Russia, & he has earned it. And over decades of life experience. Slava Ukraine
I hear Putin has fired a whole Battalion of Combat Dolphins. Guardians of the Kerch Bridge.🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬🐬
They were drinking on the job
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Water tho. Delivered fresh in jerrycans.
Jerry cans are German. Explanation found.
Konstantin is wonderful.
Konstantin’s restores my faith in Russians, he is the sort of guy who could play a part in developing Russia into an amazing country once the criminal elements are curtailed.
faith in russians???? he is just a minority, 1 in a million, so don't get your hopes too high
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I'm sooooo glad to know that Mr. Samoilov will be coming to the channel on a monthly basis! He's an absolute favorite of mine. Thanks, Jonathan!
Konstantin shares great insights and wisdom regarding Russia. I too am happy he will be a regular guest though Jonathan always has great guests.
I'm a huge fan of Konstantine too! I watch his show every day at his RUclips channel INSIDE RUSSIA.
@blaze7726 Putin's trolls are despicable, both in Russia or the US. Give it a break.
💩 🇷🇺 💩 🇷🇺 💩
@@cattymajiv Me too ❤
@blaze7726 When we defend a country which is attacked, we don't get paid.
Only the attacker is paying to have troIIing supporters.
So you learned something today, Bot!
Watch Konstantin almost everyday. Thanks so much for having him on .
Thank you! I've been hoping you and Konstatin would have another conversation, they've been enjoyable.
Oh great ! I've watched him since his first podcast, what a treat both of you ! Intelligent, insightful and a terrific communicator.
Incidentally, telling women to forget anything else, and just stay home and make babies was one of Italian fascism favourite slogans: "dare figli alla patria"
Have you ever seen the video of Hitler giving out medals to women for bearing 10 (sons?) children for the fatherland? I remember watching that in highschool...puke worthy
Going backwards in time before women had any rights or power. How can Russian women tolerate this???
Please can you try to interview one of CEOs from a company taken over in Russia... Like Carslberg, Continental tyres, Unilever - some are still operating, under threats of violence to their families...
Big K is always good to watch. Another great interview with him. 👍🏻🇬🇧
its a disese its called sick capatlisim its thriving in 2023 the sort of thinkin of a person tryin to sell you a umbrella in a deseret somehow thay comer across the mortons who il be sucked in and buy a umbrella in the deasert whats neer rain in a 1000 years
No, but you can use it to protect you from the sun's rays,,, or optimistically nuclear fallout,, a good salesmanor politician ,,,,, will always find a few suckers,.
@@234cheech umbrella is good for desert too😀😀strong sun on the brigth side of the road. SLAVA UKRAINE.
@234...
Sick capitalism, is not so sick.
The theory (and my experience) is if you do well, are intelligent and resourceful, you will prosper.
It has nothing to do with violence, threats and terrorism. In fact capitalism rewards those who improve the lives of many through creative thinking and collaboration with others. It's all about sharing, so we all prosper. Alien concepts to authoritarian regimes... 🤷🏻♀️
@ Konstantin, just watched your stream, took a nap, and here you are again. You are inspiring.
Thank you Jonathan. Good to see Konstantin here again. I watch his streams daily❤
Thank you for another honest opinion about what’s happening inside the Russian Federation. Let’s hope for a smooth landing and transition from the Putin legacy who for all intents and purposes is a dictator and like all dictators want to rule for life. Unfortunately, so many good people are dying from this unnecessary violence.
"Rule for life" sums it up perfectly - they usually make so many enemies their lives end with their rule, as much as the other way round.
Putin will continue this war at the very least until November 2024 - when he hopes that Donald Trump will be re-elected as US President.
Agree. There is another dangerous Dictator. He is part of NATO. Erdogan of TURKEY. He didn't win the election. Only Uneducated believe so. Erdowan has imprisoned more Journalists than any other country. That, is NOT a level playing ground for voting. Additionally, Turkey dances on both sides of the line. He jumps from NATO to Russia when it suits his needs. I believe Erdogan will be instrumental in part, starting WW3. The signs are on the walls. Unfortunately, most people hide and pretend, until it is too late.
Thanks Mr Jonathan Fink. It is so obvious that you truly care about this Genocide and are letting people get the concept right in front of their eyes and ears.
Still not understanding why is it a Genocide? It's a heinous, immoral invasion by the Russians with murders, rapes, looting and destruction, shameful missile attacks on civilians too, and every of the tens/hundreds of thousands of lives lost is a crime, but why a Genocide? (Even if they took over all Ukraine - which they won't succeed in, thanks to Ukrainians' bravery - there was never any plan to kill even 1% of the population.
This is not Rwanda, E. Congo or 9 million WW2 concentration camp deaths. Or has the word lost its meaning, and simply every war is called Genocide [by the aggressor] now? eg when Iraq fought Iran in the 1980s, was that genocide?
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@blaze7726stfu, you're a brand new account spamming Russia propaganda. 😂 your opinion means nothing
Zelensky is the agent of gen o cide in Ukraine against his own people.
LOL @ "genocide". Don't you think if it was a genocide cities would've been nuked by now? Gaslight more though, I know you can do it.
Thank you for this interview! ❤
The Russian chaos czar, has successfully overseen the withering of Russia's economy.
According to a report by Market Insider, the Russian Finance Ministry reports a 36% drop in gas and oil revenues compared to a year ago.
The ruble is the worst performing currency, down 35% from last year.
Before the war, Russia was responsible for 40% of the EU's natural gas imports and a quarter of the EU's crude oil. Those numbers have dropped to almost zero.
One of Russia's largest industries, is seeing an almost total collapse of car sales, a representative of broader economic woes.
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"Just Stop OIl" are clearly very active in Russia then?
@@lesliereed4047 no, the group "Just stop Oil" is not active in Russia or China.
Piers Morgan clashed with the groups leader on why not.
The drop in Russia's revenues are because the West isn't supporting Russian oil and gas because of Putin's illegal war in Ukraine.
@@susansmith9263 I knpw all that, are we not allowed to make "tongue in cheek" comments anymore?
@@lesliereed4047 you can say what you want, but my response shouldn't have gotten you hot and bothered. I wasn't rude.
If you already know everything, good, move on. 🙄
@@susansmith9263 If you believe my reply indicated I was "hot and bothered", you need to get out more.
So many takeaways here: one, Russia seems always to have had a long tradition of the military staying out of politics -maybe just one more part of most everyone else staying out of politics, come to think of it. But it does seem that the Russian military has been if anything the single most long-suffering and uncomplaining face of a society shot through with avoidance and resignation. If the military is now grumbling and even publicly threatening politicians, that may not be only a sign that the end is coming for Putin, but maybe also that a new element in Russian politics is emerging - not necessarily one that is better for the future of Russia, BTW.
Two, while the present situation may not be quite analogous with the 1930’s, what is forming in Russia now may be something that resembles a perhaps rather obscure novel called Day of the Oprichnik, by Vladimir Sorokin. It is a dystopian novel, written in 2012, that describes a 21st century Russia ruled by a despotic and distant tsar with overtones of Stalin, isolated from most of the world and semi-vassalized by China. Maybe not great literature, but prophetic?
Three: the image of Russia today as the Titanic apparently sailing serenely away from the iceberg; hey, nothing to worry about for now. Woosh. I am old enough to remember witnessing the at first gradual and then sudden collapse of the USSR - on television, understand, from the comfort of my peaceful Canadian living room. Lately I feel like I just turned on the TV and suddenly I’m watching . . . the sequel.
Four: I discovered Konstantin's channel about April last year, have followed it ever since, then found Vlad Vexler's channel shortly afterwards quite independently, and yours a bit later, again quite independently. Now I find you all talk to each other. Love it!
"Russia seems always to have had a long tradition of the military staying out of politics" ??? Really ?? obviously you missed Russian history for the past 200 years ...
@@rhuephus Examples?
always enjoyed Mr K's streams,been watching before the war.
wish his Mods would unban me,still have no idea what I said that set them off.
Thanks for sharing !!
Very interesting AND informative, thanks for making this accessible.
Exceptional analysis by Konstantin
2 of my favs..
Very insightful.
Ty!
Same here regarding being a viewer of Constantine for some time. I'm so elated in seeing him here 🎉 Now what is happening to his Country has hit him literally, his passion is what has my full attention. Education right here. Sit back and listen. I am fortunate in being in the same room of both. 🇨🇦🍁🇺🇦 Thank you Guy's I have posted your program's on a Ukrainian Armed Forces site , that I too am part of, where people support the UAF and speak their minds passionately where many Veterans of War are vocal. Thank you for this we've had a double cocktail today👍🏻🥃of our favourite. Blessings!! Olivia.
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Thanks for having Constantine on your show. I have been following him for a long time from before the Russian Ukrainian war! He really has the pulse on Russia!
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I don't know if anyone has asked the following question to Constantine: "What was your part in allowing/promoting the development of this criminal regime in Russia?" I can see you fled from the 'heat', but did you support or vote for this tyrant? Were you a proud Russian before this invasion? An honest answer would enlighten us as to how pervasive was the propaganda and the pressure on Russians to conform and cooperate with this regime.
@@thor9563 There is nothing wrong with loving your family, your friends, your community, your city and your country. For a long time the Russian government allowed its citizens to live their lives as long as they did not involve themselves in political opposition to the authoritarian government in Moscow. At the end of the cold war the Russia was in financial ruin and the Russian people were suffering. Instead of the USA helping Russia rebuild its society like we did for Germany after WW2 we decided not to help them. We sowed the seeds of anger in Russia by not extending the hand and letting Russia wallow in despair which later turned into anger. Same thing happened in Germany after WW1. Obviously we didn't learn from our history lessons. Because of this, like Germany, Russians have never fully experienced a fully free and democratic society. The educated class in Russia prospered under this laissez-faire environment so much so that China adopted it also and took it to a higher level until recently. When I brought my Ukrainian ex-wife to the USA she become so homesick that she wanted to go home. She and her sister and her friends were inseparable. In College I had a Russian Jewish student named Alexander who was my friend and he had left the Soviet Union and he had told me he wanted to go back to Russia because he missed life there. You would thing because of the anti-Semitism that would be the last place he would want to go back to. There is nothing strange about loving the people you grew up with or loving the food and the culture! When I visited Moscow i was very impressed with many of the historical buildings in Moscow like Red Square and the Kremlin. The people were very kind and very friendly. The vast majority of Russians have grown up disassociated from the workings of the government. You cannot change hundred of years of serf mentality overnight. Even thought the serfs in Russia were granted emancipation in 1861. The landowners continued the practice in a different disguise. Kinda like us with Jim Crow! As a society we are still struggling with our own demons from the past.
Thank you sir for your well thought out and kind reply. I guess I would probably have the same mindset given the circumstances with zero alternatives. 'Make the best life with what is in front of you' explains how Russians live in a dictatorship. Again thanks very much!@@TheVideoRaf
One of you needs to learn the Russian word which the majority uses to describe themselves: пофигисти. Pofigism means I don't care. This comes from 1000 years of systemic disenfranchisement. It's all logical. Now Russian majority is fascist. It means there is a deep separation of personal ethics and person's relationship to their government
totally disagree that it means that for most ppl there is a deep separation of personal ethics & relationship to gvt. Many russians have personal ethics which westerners would consider either plainly unethical and other ethics that are false/front, i.e a polished superficial persona for interpersonal relating. Deception and lying is a major part of russian society and has been in various forms & magnitudes for many decades. Humans are only thinking of themsevles as disenfranchised for a millenia IF too many of them are comfortable in that position. Ppl need to read some anthropology, sociology, history and other topics to start to grasp it. It is NOT so simple as a 'deep' separation of personal ethics and relation to gvt. Far more complex and for most part in Ru, an 'ethics' of subjugation and hierarchical control within families, etc etc. Primitive is a fair word to describe that part of Ru society and it's that part that Putin tried to appeal to, and of course Mussolini and Hitler did as well, in different ways.
@@18_rabbit i have lived and worked in Russia, I have a lot of experience also with Russians in USA. Their personal ethics are only for friends and family. The popular ones include прикрыть тыл (got your back), не говорить за спиной (don't talk behind your back), they eat at the speed you are eating, гостипримные (hospitable), etc.... But none of this applies to government where they say государства обманывает (government fools you) тихий ездишь дольше будешь (go quieter live like longer) мне пофиг (it's all the same to me). Welcome to Russia!!!!!
Thanks for the work,Jonathan. Excellent strategic moves by our friends - interdict supply lines, isolate bases, and monitor the opponent's workarounds.
May Z Russians, in support of this insane war someday realize how wrong it was and be righteous shamed
Interesting collaboration.
Monthly feature with Konstantin (INSIDERUSSIA) is fantastic! Jonathan has the interesting questions and Konstatin the Russian background. Very much looking forward to this cooperation - thanks to both of you, have a wonderful weekend!
An honest question for Konstantin,"Were you supportive or proud of Russia's activities in Aleppo, Grozny, Georgia etc?" Honestly want to know or understand the state of the Russian mind during those horrible atrocities!
Excellent interview! I can’t wait to hear more now. 😊
In discussing the Wagner mutiny you implicitly touched on something very significant. What about the removal of Gen. Teplinskyi and the VDVtroops who said they would leave their positions if he was harmed? This is an actual mutiny by elite MoD troops. For that matter isn’t Voronezh home territory for VDV? Wagner had little problem passing through there on the way to Moscow. If these are elite defenders of the MoD the MoD is in trouble. Who else will defend Shoigu and Gerasinov?
Really looking forward to the monthly co-hosting with Konstantin, & it should be popular with the audience I hope!
As in Germany after WW2…. groups of Russian people should be transported to the scenes of the horrific war crimes perpetrated by their fellow countrymen…. made to look at the damage done to Ukranian cities… and also made to listen to personal testimonies of Ukrainian citizens!
@carolchapman7857: Agree on Russian visits to areas hit and damaged, killed and maimed Ukrainian's or the Russian populace will never learn👍👍
Howdy Howdy ❤🇺🇦✌🏻
5x5 haha
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Really enjoyed this interview with Konstantin...he's really knowledgeable and is trying to make a difference by spreading the word of Putin and Russian propaganda. Have been following him since the invasion. 👍❤🤙
As a Brit in Russia I have this problem , it seems almost impossible to have a conversation about what’s going on . I’m asked “ Why do you study what’s going going on ? We can’t change anything , let’s just spend time in the vegetable garden “. It’s Really like this . Great work Jonathan.
In your place I would get out before it is no longer possible!
You ain't just a brit. You're a spy.
It's whatever they'll say when they arrest you for being a brit.
For heaven's sake, get out now! It's going to be bad there.
Apathy will be their death
You might get called up to the Russian army. The Russians are apparently forced conscripting migrant workers from independent Central Asian countries. Possibly, in the Russian mindset, they still think that they control these countries.
Once again Jonathan, an excellent, insightful and perceptive interview. Thank you. 👍