to all the people that says they are not interested in politic they turn out to be the most politicians. for example: in spain the dictator franco used to say: don´t introduce in politic, is the best for you
The question is how far can Putin continue when he fails, and he is failing on practically all fronts except for keeping the Russians like sheep, at present that his is only success!?!
Hoping to be spared by being ignorant reminds me of some famous sentences by Martin Niemöller about the nazi oppressionin Germany: Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten, habe ich geschwiegen, ich war ja kein Kommunist. Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten, habe ich geschwiegen, ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat. Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten, habe ich geschwiegen, ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter. Als sie mich holten, gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte.
Even in a well established democracy you have politicians who just despice the commen citizen. f.e. our vice MP (Kaag) in the Netherlands said that we as citizens are to stupid to vote! Also she wanted to activly sideline an opposing critical politician!
"We have no army, we have a horde of slaves cowed by discipline, ordered about by thieves and slave traders. This horde is not an army because it possesses neither any real loyalty to faith, tsar and fatherland - words that have been so much misused! - nor valour, nor military dignity. All it possesses are, on the one hand, passive patience and repressed discontent, and on the other, cruelty, servitude and corruption.” Leo Tolstoy
When everyone is operating in fear they don’t take chances. They don’t do things efficiently or try new methods. They often don’t deliver important bad or serious news right away.
@@doncarlodivargas5497 We have leaned, Ukraine has learned and it working at getting rid of the corruption leftover from the Russian occupation during USSR times. The question is: Will the Russians learn?
@@57thorns - yes, you are right, many have learned, I agree, but still millions and billions of people live in such rotten societies, and millions of people in the west prefer it to a system with a future
To my mind, the "responsibility ownership" message was quite explicit. In the very opening of Prigozhin's "obituary" by Putin, one gets: "He was a man with a difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life" before falling into the "de mortuis nil nisi bonum" pattern. Besides, Putin could have chosen to say nothing publicly about Prigozhin's death, I think that his choice to do it brings even more significance into what he said.
Yeah Putin said, according to a CNN translation: “He was a man of difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life, and he achieved the results needed both for himself and when I asked him about it - for a common cause, as in these last months,” So he made mistakes and achieved the results he needed.
This was demonstrating just a couple of his propaganda machine working points, mixing truth with lies to keep citizens off balance and by allowing some sympathies for poor old Prigozhin and some questions surrounding how this happened, a pressure safety valve deflection to avoid protests etc
So what you are saying is 'needed', as defined by Putin, right? I.e. being shot down and killed in his aircraft? If that is what you meant, great observation, one I didn't tease out of that well thought out statement. Rare for Putin, and probably just statistical happenstance, rather than conscious thought of a well executed turn of phrase, given what I see of the rest of his thoughts and actions, which all seem to be a cluster****, as of late. @@Rastloese
@@MrJdsenior Putin is arguably the most rational of all the senior leaders in Russia. At the moment he is having to deal with the ghastly mess created by a combination of his subordinates and his refusal to admit to mistakes.
I heard from a SAM missile battery commander I know personally, that the video evidence is clear that the recent plane full of war criminals, was shot down with a missile, before it "crashed".
North Korea is WAY more stable. They didn't have a power switch that wasn't a direct inheritance since 1940s. The russia had like three coups and collapsed in the same period. Also there's NO heir for khuilo. Too late to built one of his daughters up. Once he keels over, russia stops existing as a state. It's gone.
På et tidspunkt kan man undertrykke folk så meget, at de bliver ligeglade med følgerne og gør oprør. Om det bliver en paladsrevolution og/eller en folkelig opstand er ikke til at sige. Men lad endelig russerne kæmpe indbyrdes, så bliver det lettere for ukrainerne.
His insights are informative and valuable, but not always 100% right. Though his analysis of the facts are honest, factual and truthful, sometimes his conclusions are not spot on. For instance, “Fear is the new normal,” in his video’s title. I responded to that by asking, “Hold on? What’s, ‘new,’ about it?” Putin has always murdered his opponents, for more than 20 years now. He’s ramping up his consolidation of power moves right now, but it’s literally the typical way he has always done things. Things began to look a bit, “new,” when the unusual levels of criticism were being levelled at him from senior figures inside his own country. But, Putin is literally restoring the Russia that was before his insanely misjudged war in Ukraine, probably in order to be in a, “safe,” position to pull his forces out of part or all of Ukraine without being deposed for, “weakness.” Admiral Nielsen, I have noticed, has a tendency to see Russia through his NATO tinted lenses. That’s fine, as those lenses do have 20/20 sight and all, but they favour long term narratives, both forward thinking, and past analysis, which can be flawed when it comes to judging the facts in the moment. And this is the sort of result I’m speaking of, where Putin’s purging of opponents is being judged as some kind of new phenomena, because NATO has always given Putin the benefit of the doubt, historically, and cannot bring themselves to admit that their policy of Appeasement is what lead to the Ukraine war in the first place. NATO and the UN made the same historical mistake over Crimea that the allies did with Hitler over The Sudetenland and other territories, hoping to buy peace at the cost of other people’s freedom.
@@ashroskell man you miss the point totally, before this Prigozhin asassination the Kleptocrats and others in the inner circle like the Siloviki and Turbo Patriots etc, themselves (i;e; not dissidents) did not have to fear retribution as when Putin made a deal with them, he stuck to it. They were not ruled by "fear", but by being loyal and that guaranteed no hassles. What you are referring to is the dissidents, who had to fear being killed by the Kremlin. That fear was always there, but not for the inner circle, for them now fear is the new normal too. You over generalised and didn't go down to the details. Anders made it quite clear too, but hey even I miss points in clips and need to re-watch them over, i happens to all of us! 🙃
Can you blame Russia for not wanting to be captured like the rest of Europe by the tendrils of the Marshal Plan & US imperialism? An example is being made out of Russia for daring to co-produce Nordstream II with Germany.
Utkin liked Wagner because Wagner was Hitler’s favorite composer. That’s why they call themselves “musicians” or “the orchestra” instead of “murderous racist thug”
@micixduda You can't be a neo-nazi militia without being racist. You cannot have a commander with nazi symbols tattooed in his skin without being a neo-nazi unit.
@@micixduda Because if you're a Hitler fan you automatically are a racist. You can't say: "I like that Hitler guy, but I dislike his racism!" when his most significant characteristic is his racism.
Karma is a feelgood story we tell ourselves to cope with perceived injustice. That said, I'm also certain that Putin has bad things coming his way. He will not die of old age as a free man. He will either not die of old age, or he will die in prison. If I was a betting man I would put money on the Ukrainians getting to him somehow. Budanov seems precisely as ice cold and audacious as is needed to pull of that kind of stunt.
He will most likely put a bullet in his own head before anyone can take him alive...He is to shit scared of what will happen to him if he ever get's captured! Remember, that a guy like Putin is uber paranoiac and he also reigns by those means, instilling fear into others. That is all Putin really has got going for him... Once that fear-mongering is gone or has no use any more, Putin will also be finished!!! When Putin moves among his ministers in the Kremlin (or wherever), he is the only one that is armed... Anybody dear come close to him uninvited, such a person is "dead-meat"... It also means that Putin has the ability to take himself out too, should he deem necessary!
@@megalomaniacalHalidesupposedly this is precisely the fate that Putin is terrified of and trying to avoid, to the point he has even used the Ghaddafi name in discussions about this topic.
Ruling by fear is the ultimate weakness. True strength comes from true loyalty. Who could be loyal to a boss who could, and will, stab you in the back without blinking. This is the beginning of the end for him.
@@setlerking believed in what? He was a seminary student turned burglar who became a leader of socialist atheist dictatorship and provided mass russification policy despite not being russian himself. Stalin had zero ideals, his only goal was power at any cost.
sharp analysis Anders, I think you are correct. i didnt know much about it but what you say makes sense and amazing ot see those of your predictions that already came true like prigozhin etc
I find it fascinating to see, and scary as hell, all the things I learned in high school about communizm is coming true in our lifetime. We must get rid of Putin, China and North Korea. I'm at a loss to know how to solve all the problems. Thank you Anders for your voice of reason. Much appreciated Sir.
We mustn't do anything. What we should do is be vigilant that our home state governments do not concentrate power to the point they become totolitarian. Stay armed, stay free.
We in the West have come to think of political opponents as being separated by opposing political ideologies, when it is far more common, now and throughout history, that the only real thing separating political opponents is a desire for power.
Puck, it seems like most other channels covering Ukraine are simply racing to report the same content. Your videos almost always provoke a new way of looking at the current situation, and I find that so valuable.
He is not denying it as he's trying to curb the increasing criticism for failing in Ukraine, hopefully Ukraine will have far more success and increase the threats to Putin to a conclusion!?!
Putin is just like the bully that states "Why are you hitting yourself?" While beating up someone weaker then himself. This type of bullying is found in every culture all over the world. All be it only in Russia it will lead you all the way into the Kremlin.
They have never been plausible in my opinion… only the spin-factor is different. Once it was like 50% vodka mind-boggling bullshit… now a beer like 6% beer not-worth-a-booze story. What use would it be anyway… it‘s always been a duck.
A wise man once said that you may not take an interest in politics, but make no mistake, politics WILL take an interest in you. And you will not enjoy that kind of interest.
Mr. Puck, you are the professional that I listen to the most. You definitely know what you are talking about. I just wish that I could take you and your family to dinner if and when you visit New York City. Paul Messina
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, my first thought was that Ukraine would be conquered by Russia at such a speed that the World wouldn't be able to do much. Happily, I was 100% wrong: Zelensky turned out to be a great war leader and communicator, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to save Kyiv and eventually halt the invasion. Not only that, they have been able to free lots of territory that was taken by the Russians in the first months of the war! What a feat! This is the stuff legends are made of! Having said that, I am absolutely appalled (and of course totally ecstatic about it!) by the ridiculous chaos that has plagued every single thing the Russians have done so far. The only thing that saved the Russians up until now is mass: they don't care about their own losses, they have huge numbers of vehicles to throw into the grinder, gazillions of mines. Well, to start giving Ukraine what it needs only after many months of "let's not antagonise Putin too much" helped the Russians quite a lot. Imagine if the UA had cluster ammo during the first phase of the Battle of Bakhmut... or Storm Shadows during the Siege of Mariupol...
Fun Fact: Girkin was constantly complaining about the lack of Ideology in Putins Leadership and especially the War on Ukraine. By being in Prison he made his Point come true! :) Thanks for you viewpoint’s! As always very interesting!
Solzhenitsyn said that being in a Russian Gulag was good because he got to meet so many poets artists and writers and great thinkers ...Russian literature is full of such tragic and emotional scenes....Pasternaks Doctor Zhivago ...good book, good film
@9m + you breezed thru a brilliant observation which is applicable beyond the situation in Russia: one cannot have ambitions for both the country and a person concurrently. The latter is short term. Especially if that person is elderly.
@@MrJdsenior It feels like big egos crowd other videos, and the info plays second bananas. He does give his credentials but the video isn't a trumpet blasting how awesome he is(not intentionally, anyway).
"“it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails. But remember, Putin, that you cannot be both feared and loved.” ~ Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Revised Edition.
The fact that the Wagner High command was travelling freely in Russia make me think that it was not Putin who ordered this mission, but rather Shoigu and his confederates. I truly believe that Putin and Prigozhin actually had a long con going and that the death of these men is a loss for Putin and a win for Shoigu. Of course, only time will tell.
Good analysis as usual! However I find it incredible that so much of Wagner PMC were on the one plane and it was pre known to the extent to make an attack on the plane possible.
I still want to see the video of live bodies walking on the plane together. Also, was it typical for them to travel together or was this the first (and last) time?
@@pierresaelen3097 I think to some extend Prigozhin felt he had to maintain that attitude to remain relevant and "too big to fall". But everyone getting on the same airplane still seems careless.
Thanks Anders. Your videos are not only super informative and interesting, but also very impressive produced given how they generally are shot in one go. You really know your s***. Following you (and Peter Zeihan who has similar depth and width of knowledge and similar communication skills) provides me more perspective than I'm able to find anywhere else -at least with so little effort needed from my side. Thanks.
Fear fades. Remember the old Soviet joke: a man goes to the store to buy bread, but they are out of bread. He loses his temper, starts to complain about the government out loud, and someone taps him on the shoulder. "I'm with the KGB, and you should watch what you say." The man appears shaken, stops ranting, and goes home. His wife sees him and asks what's the matter. She asks if he is upset about them running out of bread. He says, "No, what I'm upset about is that the KGB is running out of bullets." Putin doesn't have enough bullets for everyone.
The thing about Prigozhin that puzzles me is that he didn't seem to realize that the minute he started up that highway towards Moscow, he had crossed the Rubicon as far as Putin was concerned. Prigozhin could throw the dice and possibly win. To call the whole thing off was the dumbest thing he could possibly have done because Putin would never tolerate treason and Prigozhin became a dead man walking. Maybe Prigozhin thought he had made an ally with a Russian Air Force commander who later chickened out and Prigozhin then panicked. In any case, better to continue throwing the dice.
Prigozhin realised, or was told by Putin, that his chances of reaching anywhere worthwhile in Moscow were extremely low. He then decided that it was better to stay alive, even if that might be for only a short time.
Now anyone who claimed that calling off was the right choice must eat their necktie. @@hb1338 Ukrainian cardboard drones can hit the center of moscow. Anyone with actual tanks would have had far better chances storming government buildings in moscow than trying to outrun russian air defense on one thing they're good at shooting down, civilian planes.
Great stream, as usual. The Putin first loyalty system is very much a pre-industrial mentality when kings claimed divine origins and were the object of loyalty. It seems to me Putin very much wants to go back to that era.
Almost every few days I check your channel for new videos (eventhough i have the bell enabled ;) ) Your videos, and the storytelling, are fascinating to listen to. Thank you for them!
Finally! ..Ive been going to your channel every day since this happened, waiting for your take on the situation. Thanks for the analysis, clear & concise as always
This was actually pretty funny. When you said that people on Russian talkshows say stuff like "This was a predictable outcome for Prigozhin.", I laughed my ass off. Like, they don't even give a shit this time, lol.
Love the ship, Commander Nielsen…great report, get better, wear a mask when inside and in group settings. Would love a report contextualizing naval drones as a game changer for future conflicts like the Taiwan Straights, with parallels to older innovations in Naval warfare, such as the torpedo’s development. Slava Ukraini
This is a return to absolute monarchy. Modern day right-wing movements still retire ideological activiation from "the people". There is still some concept of the people, a body politic. What Putin is pushing Russia towards is an ideology of the soverign. The citizen's job isn't to think or be "activated". It is to follow the whims of the state (in this case, the singular head of state). Russian politics is going to get that much more vacuous
I think at this point it is important to mention that, for roughly about 450 years now, mainstream russian political culture has evolved around a comparatively polar style of framing dissenters and actors that do not conform with ideas of the current government as enemies not of the state, but of the russian people itself. While the powers that be are presented as caring about the average worker, farmer or other person, their competitors are shown as elitist plotters who have only their immoral ideals to strive for, without regard to common people. Somewhat paradoxical you might think, but this is not because the average russian is somehow not intelligent enough to „crack the code“/„read between the lines“ and rather about information, culture and opportunity to dissent. A relatively poor and „unimportant“ person like a farmer, a worker or even a low-level bureaucrat is presented with a concept of political reality where, when erring on the side of caution and conformity they are presented with a relatively risk-free and stable life, and generally not undesirable outcomes, the other way they are presented at the worst with the possibility of a painful and unmeaningful end in prison or death, or at best a life as a criminal and enemy of the state, whose impact as a dissenter will be doubtful at least, while taking a lot of personal risk. This makes it all the more dangerous if there is a dissenter among the people who can actually have an impact though, which is why Putin is acting so ruthlessly here. He is bot worried about the russian people, but about the russian leadership.
A difference between Prigozhin and Litvinenko, Skripal, even Navalny, is in their status. Rather than being "just" a dissident or opposition figure, he was formerly a member of the "inner circle", the elite, one of Putin cronies. There is a personal betrayal, not simply a turning against. Plus his act of rebellion was far more domestically damaging than what the others have done, which has more effect outside Russia than within. Also, this is an event which has happened inside Russia, not in London, Salisbury or elsewhere. There is not the same diplomatic need to pretend the Kremlin has nothing to do with it. On a side note, it surprises me that pretty much the whole Wagner senior leadership got onto the same aircraft all together in circumstances where there was a significant risk of something happening. Very naive/clumsy/arrogant on their part, or was it engineered/forced?
It "most probably" was a setup, it shows that they were not very bright and could easily be led to their deaths, I suspect on a promise to get back into the fold and a meeting with the "big boss"!?!
Absolutely arrogance. No doubt in my mind. If they had *any* sense of who Putin was and the serious threat he presented they wouldn't have been in Russia to begin with. The very fact that they kept returning to Russia, operating in Russia, attending diplomatic events in Russia, etc indicate a clear belief that they were safe and there would be no retribution.
Thank you for the great video Anders!! Apathetic and apolitical always turns out bad and here's more proof inside of russia. Victory, Freedom, Full Reparations, and all of Ukraine's Land for Ukraine! 💙💛
The result was indeed predictable. What I would not have predicted was Prigozhin thinking he could just fly into Russian air space in a company jet. His ego must have been far larger than his sense of self-preservation. I hope you feel better soon.
Sanction (punish) one, educate one hundred (Bestrafe einen, erziehe einhundert) 😎 Machiavelli stated that, for a ruler being feard is better than being loved because love and admiration / appreciation is volatile.
I was looking forward to your take on Prigozhin's assassination. Very interesting analysis as always. Sorry to hear that you are sick and I hope you feel better soon,.
Just because you don't have any interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.
to all the people that says they are not interested in politic they turn out to be the most politicians. for example: in spain the dictator franco used to say: don´t introduce in politic, is the best for you
The question is how far can Putin continue when he fails, and he is failing on practically all fronts except for keeping the Russians like sheep, at present that his is only success!?!
Hoping to be spared by being ignorant reminds me of some famous sentences by Martin Niemöller about the nazi oppressionin Germany:
Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen,
ich war ja kein Kommunist.
Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
habe ich geschwiegen,
ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat.
Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,
habe ich geschwiegen,
ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.
Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr,
der protestieren konnte.
Even in a well established democracy you have politicians who just despice the commen citizen.
f.e. our vice MP (Kaag) in the Netherlands said that we as citizens are to stupid to vote!
Also she wanted to activly sideline an opposing critical politician!
Pericles remembers
"We have no army, we have a horde of slaves cowed by discipline, ordered about by thieves and slave traders.
This horde is not an army because it possesses neither any real loyalty to faith, tsar and fatherland - words that have been so much misused! - nor valour, nor military dignity. All it possesses are, on the one hand, passive patience and repressed discontent, and on the other, cruelty, servitude and corruption.”
Leo Tolstoy
These words are true testament about how russia has really never moved on from the 18th century.
A nuclear power with pre industrial revolution attitudes. Pathetic.
@@davefloyd9443 But scaringly dangerous!
Thank you Anders for this fascinating analysis.
@@lorenzcassidy3960 I'm not sure their nukes would work. The money for maintenance is probably stolen. Russia is a kleptocracy.
Can we appreciate how Anders always records his videos in one take?
In this video, there was actually a cut (actually a blend-over), so... not a great example ;-)
But generally, you are right.
Ok
Well, he is a professional briefer, so perhaps it's easier for him than normal youtube vloggers.
There was one cut in this one thought :D
@@E3ECO It is perfectly possible for *any* RUclipsr to learn how to make good presentations. It sad that so few seem to bother.
When everyone is operating in fear they don’t take chances. They don’t do things efficiently or try new methods. They often don’t deliver important bad or serious news right away.
Similar to how putin screamed his "Kyiv in 3 days" or when russia lost all of Kherson and Kharkiv lol
Also the reason why such societies rot and crumble, when will we learn
Eventually, the fearful lose their fear. Anger and rage subsume the fear.
And that children, is how russia got a new leader
@@doncarlodivargas5497 We have leaned, Ukraine has learned and it working at getting rid of the corruption leftover from the Russian occupation during USSR times. The question is: Will the Russians learn?
@@57thorns - yes, you are right, many have learned, I agree, but still millions and billions of people live in such rotten societies, and millions of people in the west prefer it to a system with a future
To my mind, the "responsibility ownership" message was quite explicit. In the very opening of Prigozhin's "obituary" by Putin, one gets: "He was a man with a difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life" before falling into the "de mortuis nil nisi bonum" pattern.
Besides, Putin could have chosen to say nothing publicly about Prigozhin's death, I think that his choice to do it brings even more significance into what he said.
Yeah Putin said, according to a CNN translation: “He was a man of difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life, and he achieved the results needed both for himself and when I asked him about it - for a common cause, as in these last months,” So he made mistakes and achieved the results he needed.
Et tu morituris, Putin. Sikkert før du ønsker det.
This was demonstrating just a couple of his propaganda machine working points, mixing truth with lies to keep citizens off balance and by allowing some sympathies for poor old Prigozhin and some questions surrounding how this happened, a pressure safety valve deflection to avoid protests etc
So what you are saying is 'needed', as defined by Putin, right? I.e. being shot down and killed in his aircraft? If that is what you meant, great observation, one I didn't tease out of that well thought out statement. Rare for Putin, and probably just statistical happenstance, rather than conscious thought of a well executed turn of phrase, given what I see of the rest of his thoughts and actions, which all seem to be a cluster****, as of late. @@Rastloese
@@MrJdsenior Putin is arguably the most rational of all the senior leaders in Russia. At the moment he is having to deal with the ghastly mess created by a combination of his subordinates and his refusal to admit to mistakes.
Fear has always been normal in Russia -- for more than a thousand years...
Yep - the first Czar, Ivan the Terrible, pretty much invented the police state.
Nah, only about 5 centuries.
Fear has always been normal in Colonies of the Western World - for more than a thousand years...
@@TomislavPuklin-wz1bl I disagree that this has been normal in western colonies, but i am glad that you agree its normal in Russia.
i suggest that instead of repeating political narratives you get yourself acquainted with reliable historic research@@Cygnus888
Has a single plane crash ever killed so many war criminals in one go?
A plane full of russian admirals crashed about twenty years ago. Not war criminals I guess but will that do? It's quite the story if you look it up.
1981 was already 42 years ago
I heard from a SAM missile battery commander I know personally, that the video evidence is clear that the recent plane full of war criminals, was shot down with a missile, before it "crashed".
You think they were alive when they were put on the plane?
@@Kyle-sr6jm If they weren't, the people flying the plane must have been very nervous.
So... Putin looked at North Korea and went "Yup, that's what I want."
Looked at his options and realized he was down to one.
@@penguinista I didn't think of that 😂 that's a dilemma you don't want
@@markredacted8547 A single option cannot, by definition, constitute a dilemma.
To fail as a government or to go full NK was my thinking.@@hb1338
North Korea is WAY more stable. They didn't have a power switch that wasn't a direct inheritance since 1940s. The russia had like three coups and collapsed in the same period. Also there's NO heir for khuilo. Too late to built one of his daughters up. Once he keels over, russia stops existing as a state. It's gone.
Sorry to hear you are stuck in Sweden. As a Dane, that must be a living nightmare.
Great video once again - your insight is very appreciated.
Ouch lol
😂
🤣
Ha! Good hearted dig! 🇸🇪🇩🇰
På et tidspunkt kan man undertrykke folk så meget, at de bliver ligeglade med følgerne og gør oprør. Om det bliver en paladsrevolution og/eller en folkelig opstand er ikke til at sige. Men lad endelig russerne kæmpe indbyrdes, så bliver det lettere for ukrainerne.
Excellent stuff, thanks Anders.
As always, I enjoy your insights into the chaos that is Russia and its war.
same, also the acoustics in the tiny room did change how he sounded!
His insights are informative and valuable, but not always 100% right. Though his analysis of the facts are honest, factual and truthful, sometimes his conclusions are not spot on. For instance, “Fear is the new normal,” in his video’s title. I responded to that by asking, “Hold on? What’s, ‘new,’ about it?” Putin has always murdered his opponents, for more than 20 years now. He’s ramping up his consolidation of power moves right now, but it’s literally the typical way he has always done things.
Things began to look a bit, “new,” when the unusual levels of criticism were being levelled at him from senior figures inside his own country. But, Putin is literally restoring the Russia that was before his insanely misjudged war in Ukraine, probably in order to be in a, “safe,” position to pull his forces out of part or all of Ukraine without being deposed for, “weakness.”
Admiral Nielsen, I have noticed, has a tendency to see Russia through his NATO tinted lenses. That’s fine, as those lenses do have 20/20 sight and all, but they favour long term narratives, both forward thinking, and past analysis, which can be flawed when it comes to judging the facts in the moment.
And this is the sort of result I’m speaking of, where Putin’s purging of opponents is being judged as some kind of new phenomena, because NATO has always given Putin the benefit of the doubt, historically, and cannot bring themselves to admit that their policy of Appeasement is what lead to the Ukraine war in the first place. NATO and the UN made the same historical mistake over Crimea that the allies did with Hitler over The Sudetenland and other territories, hoping to buy peace at the cost of other people’s freedom.
@@ashroskell man you miss the point totally, before this Prigozhin asassination the Kleptocrats and others in the inner circle like the Siloviki and Turbo Patriots etc, themselves (i;e; not dissidents) did not have to fear retribution as when Putin made a deal with them, he stuck to it. They were not ruled by "fear", but by being loyal and that guaranteed no hassles. What you are referring to is the dissidents, who had to fear being killed by the Kremlin. That fear was always there, but not for the inner circle, for them now fear is the new normal too. You over generalised and didn't go down to the details. Anders made it quite clear too, but hey even I miss points in clips and need to re-watch them over, i happens to all of us! 🙃
Can you blame Russia for not wanting to be captured like the rest of Europe by the tendrils of the Marshal Plan & US imperialism? An example is being made out of Russia for daring to co-produce Nordstream II with Germany.
@@FreeTheDonbas So Russian imperialism is ok ? Maybe you wouldn't be talking that BS if you'd lost a home to Russian imperialism like i have, clown.
"Smallest hotelroom, but hey, there's a ship." 😂👍
Utkin liked Wagner because Wagner was Hitler’s favorite composer. That’s why they call themselves “musicians” or “the orchestra” instead of “murderous racist thug”
Yep and now they are dancing to the devil's tune .
Why racist?
@micixduda You can't be a neo-nazi militia without being racist. You cannot have a commander with nazi symbols tattooed in his skin without being a neo-nazi unit.
@@micixduda Because if you're a Hitler fan you automatically are a racist. You can't say: "I like that Hitler guy, but I dislike his racism!" when his most significant characteristic is his racism.
@@kurteibensteiner2736 oh didn't know he was Hitler fan, do you have any source for this claim?
Get well soon!
I can't wait to see what karma has in store for Putin.
Ghadaffi could probably warn him of a few- Oh, wait...
Karma is a feelgood story we tell ourselves to cope with perceived injustice. That said, I'm also certain that Putin has bad things coming his way. He will not die of old age as a free man. He will either not die of old age, or he will die in prison. If I was a betting man I would put money on the Ukrainians getting to him somehow. Budanov seems precisely as ice cold and audacious as is needed to pull of that kind of stunt.
He will most likely put a bullet in his own head before anyone can take him alive...He is to shit scared of what will happen to him if he ever get's captured! Remember, that a guy like Putin is uber paranoiac and he also reigns by those means, instilling fear into others. That is all Putin really has got going for him... Once that fear-mongering is gone or has no use any more, Putin will also be finished!!!
When Putin moves among his ministers in the Kremlin (or wherever), he is the only one that is armed... Anybody dear come close to him uninvited, such a person is "dead-meat"... It also means that Putin has the ability to take himself out too, should he deem necessary!
@@megalomaniacalHalidesupposedly this is precisely the fate that Putin is terrified of and trying to avoid, to the point he has even used the Ghaddafi name in discussions about this topic.
Remember what kind of support Ceausescu had before the execution.
Ruling by fear is the ultimate weakness. True strength comes from true loyalty. Who could be loyal to a boss who could, and will, stab you in the back without blinking. This is the beginning of the end for him.
Great vid. He's well on his way to going full Stalin. He sees how well that worked for Stalin and he wants the same thing. Another reign of terror.
Stalin outlawed religion. Putin recruits in mosques. And padres are saying it's an honour to die for the motherland.
Putin wishes he could be Stalin, Stalin at least believed in something and had the ability to lead a nation to victory.
@@setlerking believed in what? He was a seminary student turned burglar who became a leader of socialist atheist dictatorship and provided mass russification policy despite not being russian himself. Stalin had zero ideals, his only goal was power at any cost.
Viewing your presentations are always time well spent by me. Thank you.
Thank you very much for your excellent videos!
🇺🇦 Слава Україні! 🇺🇦
Excellent analysis, Anders!
sharp analysis Anders, I think you are correct. i didnt know much about it but what you say makes sense
and amazing ot see those of your predictions that already came true like prigozhin etc
I find it fascinating to see, and scary as hell, all the things I learned in high school about communizm is coming true in our lifetime. We must get rid of Putin, China and North Korea. I'm at a loss to know how to solve all the problems.
Thank you Anders for your voice of reason. Much appreciated Sir.
We mustn't do anything.
What we should do is be vigilant that our home state governments do not concentrate power to the point they become totolitarian.
Stay armed, stay free.
Can you explain in detail why you believe modern Russia is communist? It's even more hyper-capitalist than the US.
Always good to hear from you!!
We in the West have come to think of political opponents as being separated by opposing political ideologies, when it is far more common, now and throughout history, that the only real thing separating political opponents is a desire for power.
No, the desire for power is almost universal amongst politicians, regardless of which party or group they belong to.
@@hb1338 that wasn't their point and doesn't contradict it. What they said was that opponents don't need to have differences to have a conflict.
@@KasumiRINA indeed and it is a wisdom old as time itself. There will always be conflict as long there's two people alive.
Puck, it seems like most other channels covering Ukraine are simply racing to report the same content. Your videos almost always provoke a new way of looking at the current situation, and I find that so valuable.
Putin always did not hesitate to kill enemies, but he moved from plausible deniability to almost acknowledging his role...
P00tin imagined that they were plausibly deniable, but they were more like implausible denials. Who in their right mind ever believed his patent lies?
He is KGB that's how he was trained. Nothing new about their methods.
He is not denying it as he's trying to curb the increasing criticism for failing in Ukraine, hopefully Ukraine will have far more success and increase the threats to Putin to a conclusion!?!
Putin is just like the bully that states "Why are you hitting yourself?" While beating up someone weaker then himself.
This type of bullying is found in every culture all over the world. All be it only in Russia it will lead you all the way into the Kremlin.
They have never been plausible in my opinion… only the spin-factor is different. Once it was like 50% vodka mind-boggling bullshit… now a beer like 6% beer not-worth-a-booze story. What use would it be anyway… it‘s always been a duck.
A wise man once said that you may not take an interest in politics, but make no mistake, politics WILL take an interest in you. And you will not enjoy that kind of interest.
Mr. Puck, you are the professional that I listen to the most. You definitely know what you are talking about. I just wish that I could take you and your family to dinner if and when you visit New York City. Paul Messina
Well thought out and presented.
So much to learn in life.
Great program.
RS. Canada
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, my first thought was that Ukraine would be conquered by Russia at such a speed that the World wouldn't be able to do much.
Happily, I was 100% wrong: Zelensky turned out to be a great war leader and communicator, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to save Kyiv and eventually halt the invasion. Not only that, they have been able to free lots of territory that was taken by the Russians in the first months of the war! What a feat! This is the stuff legends are made of!
Having said that, I am absolutely appalled (and of course totally ecstatic about it!) by the ridiculous chaos that has plagued every single thing the Russians have done so far.
The only thing that saved the Russians up until now is mass: they don't care about their own losses, they have huge numbers of vehicles to throw into the grinder, gazillions of mines. Well, to start giving Ukraine what it needs only after many months of "let's not antagonise Putin too much" helped the Russians quite a lot. Imagine if the UA had cluster ammo during the first phase of the Battle of Bakhmut... or Storm Shadows during the Siege of Mariupol...
Well done AP.
Fun Fact: Girkin was constantly complaining about the lack of Ideology in Putins Leadership and especially the War on Ukraine. By being in Prison he made his Point come true! :)
Thanks for you viewpoint’s! As always very interesting!
Perhaps Girkin got a prison cell next to poor Aleksej Navalnyj, interesting conversations they can have through the cell bars.
Solzhenitsyn said that being in a Russian Gulag was good because he got to meet so many poets artists and writers and great thinkers ...Russian literature is full of such tragic and emotional scenes....Pasternaks Doctor Zhivago ...good book, good film
Get well soon my man, and good video as always with some great points Anders!
Tak Anders for endnu en god video.
@9m + you breezed thru a brilliant observation which is applicable beyond the situation in Russia: one cannot have ambitions for both the country and a person concurrently. The latter is short term. Especially if that person is elderly.
Get better soon Anders! ❤
Always appreciate your perspective.
Thank you Anders, spot on as always. Get well soon!
Always great. Today was super great full of insight. Much appreciated(:
Love from Latvia
Great video, I can't seem to find anyone else as respectful of the information they are sharing.
He is, but there are tons of others.
@@MrJdsenior It feels like big egos crowd other videos, and the info plays second bananas. He does give his credentials but the video isn't a trumpet blasting how awesome he is(not intentionally, anyway).
This is brilliant- thanks, Anders!
The lesson to be learned in Russia is, if you cross the Rubicon, don't stop.
Understatement of the year!
Or as 'the Ugly' said in 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly': "If you can shoot, shoot. Don't talk."
glad to see you back Anders ! The ship model in beautiful !
"“it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails. But remember, Putin, that you cannot be both feared and loved.” ~ Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Revised Edition.
the correct quote is "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot have both" - Niccolo Machiavelli
@@gawkthimm6030 That's the truncated version.
@@Guy-Lewis sure
Thanks! (And I hope you feel better soon!)
The fact that the Wagner High command was travelling freely in Russia make me think that it was not Putin who ordered this mission, but rather Shoigu and his confederates. I truly believe that Putin and Prigozhin actually had a long con going and that the death of these men is a loss for Putin and a win for Shoigu. Of course, only time will tell.
Good analysis as usual! However I find it incredible that so much of Wagner PMC were on the one plane and it was pre known to the extent to make an attack on the plane possible.
Hubris.
Prig and his top brass felt overconfident.
Question is: what made them feel like that?
Yes, it really was not impressive operational security.
I still want to see the video of live bodies walking on the plane together. Also, was it typical for them to travel together or was this the first (and last) time?
@@pierresaelen3097 I think to some extend Prigozhin felt he had to maintain that attitude to remain relevant and "too big to fall". But everyone getting on the same airplane still seems careless.
Basicly details are unknown by us. Maybe the passengers have been drugged before boarding. Then again, maybe this, maybe that...
You can’t cross the Rubicon and not go all the way to Rome……what was he thinking? These people are clearly a lot less clever than we think.
Thanks Anders. Your videos are not only super informative and interesting, but also very impressive produced given how they generally are shot in one go. You really know your s***. Following you (and Peter Zeihan who has similar depth and width of knowledge and similar communication skills) provides me more perspective than I'm able to find anywhere else -at least with so little effort needed from my side. Thanks.
Thanks for your latest interesting video and "god bedring"! 🙋♂️
Thank you Anders, I'm always waiting to hear your clear and well grounded views! hope your final remark turns out to be right.
Fear fades. Remember the old Soviet joke: a man goes to the store to buy bread, but they are out of bread. He loses his temper, starts to complain about the government out loud, and someone taps him on the shoulder. "I'm with the KGB, and you should watch what you say." The man appears shaken, stops ranting, and goes home. His wife sees him and asks what's the matter. She asks if he is upset about them running out of bread. He says, "No, what I'm upset about is that the KGB is running out of bullets." Putin doesn't have enough bullets for everyone.
I'm pretty sure that's an "american" joke about the soviets, but hey, when did the meaning of words mattered to liberals?
Thanks for another wonderful and insightful post
Great program!
Wow, You nailed it 🎯 I’m subscribing today❗️
Interesting piece, thanks for sharing. 👍
Interesting discussion as always.
The thing about Prigozhin that puzzles me is that he didn't seem to realize that the minute he started up that highway towards Moscow, he had crossed the Rubicon as far as Putin was concerned. Prigozhin could throw the dice and possibly win. To call the whole thing off was the dumbest thing he could possibly have done because Putin would never tolerate treason and Prigozhin became a dead man walking. Maybe Prigozhin thought he had made an ally with a Russian Air Force commander who later chickened out and Prigozhin then panicked. In any case, better to continue throwing the dice.
That's the lesson learned for those who may follow.
Prigozhin realised, or was told by Putin, that his chances of reaching anywhere worthwhile in Moscow were extremely low. He then decided that it was better to stay alive, even if that might be for only a short time.
Now anyone who claimed that calling off was the right choice must eat their necktie. @@hb1338 Ukrainian cardboard drones can hit the center of moscow. Anyone with actual tanks would have had far better chances storming government buildings in moscow than trying to outrun russian air defense on one thing they're good at shooting down, civilian planes.
Thanks for the video once again, Anders! Hope you recover quickly!
Hope you're feeling better soon. Great analysis as always.
Great stream, as usual. The Putin first loyalty system is very much a pre-industrial mentality when kings claimed divine origins and were the object of loyalty. It seems to me Putin very much wants to go back to that era.
Almost every few days I check your channel for new videos (eventhough i have the bell enabled ;) )
Your videos, and the storytelling, are fascinating to listen to. Thank you for them!
Great analysis as always Anders. Hope you feel better soon!
Get well soon! Thank you for your great insights and analysis of this complex situation.
Thank you! Get well soon.
Thank you! Your insights are always helpful. I hope you'll feel better soon. 🎉
Another good Anders! Tak!
Viewing your presentations are always time well spent by me. Thank you.. Som altid god video og godt arbejde .
Thank you very much!
Thanks!
Insightful as always, keep them coming.
Like butter..thanks for clarifying this. BTW, that "voice" is really working for you. I paid attention this time :O)
Great video and perspective, as always. Hope you feel better soon.
Finally! ..Ive been going to your channel every day since this happened, waiting for your take on the situation. Thanks for the analysis, clear & concise as always
I like your analysis so much that i started to press the like 👍🏻 button before even listening.
I feel like fear was always deeply ingrained in russia
As usual, clear and powerful. Thank you for your work.
Endnu en super video 👍 god bedring!
Really like your insights.
This was actually pretty funny. When you said that people on Russian talkshows say stuff like "This was a predictable outcome for Prigozhin.", I laughed my ass off. Like, they don't even give a shit this time, lol.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Love the ship, Commander Nielsen…great report, get better, wear a mask when inside and in group settings. Would love a report contextualizing naval drones as a game changer for future conflicts like the Taiwan Straights, with parallels to older innovations in Naval warfare, such as the torpedo’s development. Slava Ukraini
Wear a mask we are over it 😂
so glad, that you are over it@@Flamechr
Thank you Sir.
Best wishes from BC, Canada
This is a return to absolute monarchy. Modern day right-wing movements still retire ideological activiation from "the people". There is still some concept of the people, a body politic. What Putin is pushing Russia towards is an ideology of the soverign. The citizen's job isn't to think or be "activated". It is to follow the whims of the state (in this case, the singular head of state). Russian politics is going to get that much more vacuous
Interesting thought. Thanks.
Was getting worried, it had been a while since you posted. Was starting to think you were on the plane with Prigozhin.
I think at this point it is important to mention that, for roughly about 450 years now, mainstream russian political culture has evolved around a comparatively polar style of framing dissenters and actors that do not conform with ideas of the current government as enemies not of the state, but of the russian people itself. While the powers that be are presented as caring about the average worker, farmer or other person, their competitors are shown as elitist plotters who have only their immoral ideals to strive for, without regard to common people. Somewhat paradoxical you might think, but this is not because the average russian is somehow not intelligent enough to „crack the code“/„read between the lines“ and rather about information, culture and opportunity to dissent. A relatively poor and „unimportant“ person like a farmer, a worker or even a low-level bureaucrat is presented with a concept of political reality where, when erring on the side of caution and conformity they are presented with a relatively risk-free and stable life, and generally not undesirable outcomes, the other way they are presented at the worst with the possibility of a painful and unmeaningful end in prison or death, or at best a life as a criminal and enemy of the state, whose impact as a dissenter will be doubtful at least, while taking a lot of personal risk.
This makes it all the more dangerous if there is a dissenter among the people who can actually have an impact though, which is why Putin is acting so ruthlessly here. He is bot worried about the russian people, but about the russian leadership.
Get well Anders! Hope you are feeling better.
A difference between Prigozhin and Litvinenko, Skripal, even Navalny, is in their status. Rather than being "just" a dissident or opposition figure, he was formerly a member of the "inner circle", the elite, one of Putin cronies. There is a personal betrayal, not simply a turning against. Plus his act of rebellion was far more domestically damaging than what the others have done, which has more effect outside Russia than within. Also, this is an event which has happened inside Russia, not in London, Salisbury or elsewhere. There is not the same diplomatic need to pretend the Kremlin has nothing to do with it.
On a side note, it surprises me that pretty much the whole Wagner senior leadership got onto the same aircraft all together in circumstances where there was a significant risk of something happening. Very naive/clumsy/arrogant on their part, or was it engineered/forced?
It "most probably" was a setup, it shows that they were not very bright and could easily be led to their deaths, I suspect on a promise to get back into the fold and a meeting with the "big boss"!?!
When was Navalny or Politiskovskaja part of the inner circle?
@@BPo75 by 'he' the commentor meant Prigozhin, not Navalny.
Absolutely arrogance. No doubt in my mind.
If they had *any* sense of who Putin was and the serious threat he presented they wouldn't have been in Russia to begin with. The very fact that they kept returning to Russia, operating in Russia, attending diplomatic events in Russia, etc indicate a clear belief that they were safe and there would be no retribution.
God bedring Anders! En af dine bedste video til dato
I really value your commentary, see you on other shows which is always a plus.👍
What a great analysis, thx!
Super informative as usual. Thank you Anders!
Thank you for the great video Anders!! Apathetic and apolitical always turns out bad and here's more proof inside of russia.
Victory, Freedom, Full Reparations, and all of Ukraine's Land for Ukraine! 💙💛
The result was indeed predictable. What I would not have predicted was Prigozhin thinking he could just fly into Russian air space in a company jet. His ego must have been far larger than his sense of self-preservation. I hope you feel better soon.
The new normal is the old normal. It has just been extended to new objects.
Sanction (punish) one, educate one hundred (Bestrafe einen, erziehe einhundert) 😎 Machiavelli stated that, for a ruler being feard is better than being loved because love and admiration / appreciation is volatile.
As always very good analysis! Get well soon!! Greetings from Germany
I was looking forward to your take on Prigozhin's assassination. Very interesting analysis as always.
Sorry to hear that you are sick and I hope you feel better soon,.
spot on as always