• @floo@retrolemmy.com
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    5323 days ago

    They are probably only admitting this now because it happened to make Ukraine look like badasses rather than villains.

    • _cryptagion [he/him]
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      2723 days ago

      Well that’s just it, they aren’t admitting it. People who knew about it leaked the deception.

        • _cryptagion [he/him]
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          623 days ago

          No, but the difference here is I imagine whoever leaked that it was a PR stunt is gonna have a tragic case of defenestration.

  • Tony Bark
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    3423 days ago

    Then I’m calling last year’s assassination attempt on Trump staged as well.

    • AmidFuror
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      1423 days ago

      That shot was awfully close. They’d have to have a lot of faith in the shooter’s marksmanship.

      • nickwitha_k (he/him)
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        1023 days ago

        The likelihood that a bullet was anywhere near his ear is remote. The views that show it are from a misleading perspective.

      • @Death_Equity@lemmy.world
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        523 days ago

        That shot is impossible to do reliably. Even the best marksman would be risking hitting Trump in the head. Literally, if Trump had not turned his head, the back of his skull would have been hit. We are talking a bolt action with match grade ammo, ballistic calculations, Trump turning his head at the perfect moment to just clip his ear, and enough luck to win the lottery with one ticket and consecutive numbers.

        If they wanted to fake an assassination attempt, they would shoot him in the belly transverse with a low velocity 5.56.

        • nickwitha_k (he/him)
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          923 days ago

          There is insufficient evidence to suggest that his turning his head was at all relevant. It’s unlikely that he was directly hit, due to both the lack of any visible scarring of any kind and the suppression of all medical evidence that would readily prove it. If there were proof, the compulsive liar would almost definitely leverage it.

  • @A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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    823 days ago

    It’s rare to get any real news out of Russia these days, but news critical of the regime… 😚👌

    It’s great to support Ukrainian outlets, but I wanted to go the extra mile - here’s the source they’re citing (their wikipedia page):

    As ordinary Russians continue to bear the domestic brunt of Putin’s war, the Kremlin and the security services staged this PR stunt to convince the public that Putin, too, is making sacrifices for the country, four current and former Russian officials told The Moscow Times.

    All of these sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details related to Putin’s security.

    With Ukrainian drone strikes, unprecedented flight cancellations at Russian airports and mobile internet outages becoming more frequent since May 9’s Victory Day celebrations, a display of Putin’s readiness to “personally risk his life” while performing his official duties could temper public dissatisfaction.

    Ah, it sounds like heavenly bells when it’s only Russia’s oppression machinery grinding with sand.

    • @Rose@lemmy.zipOP
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      1223 days ago

      I do think it would end any Russian politician’s career if they were to tell the nation that the war has been in vain and that the occupied territories of Ukraine are to be returned but I also think you underestimate the power of a dictator. Everything in Russia is built around Putin and his image, so him dying could be a significant disruption leading to another revolution. That said, in Russia, virtually every revolution leads to a brief moment of freedom only for another dictator to come in and say how chaotic it is and that order must be restored, with the people accepting that.

      • Joe
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        223 days ago

        And, just like in a democracy, they can blame all the problems on the previous leader, and will enact new policies. There won’t be any former victories to claim as their own in putin’s case, though. It’s a hollow shell of a country these days, let alone an empire.

        What a waste … think what russia could have been, had it invested in its own potential.

      • @A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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        123 days ago

        Agreed. Actually I’m even slightly more hopeful than you. Other countries have managed to turn around, even large ones.

        Everything in Russia is built around Putin

        The sourced article goes into more detail here. The whole helicopter journey was impossible.

      • @nesc@lemmy.cafe
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        122 days ago

        r*ssians are in love with their image of empire, they will live in literal shit as long as someone says they are great, there is no one in there who won’t continue the war. Like the most liberal saviour of democracy of the hellhole - navalny supported war and crimean occupation.

        Current ru-empire was at war starting from their previous empire collapse, and previous one was the same. Why would new one be any different? As long as they exist as a single entity it won’t end. Only after partitioning it there can be peace for neighboring countries while they kill themselves.

      • Talaraine
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        223 days ago

        Sometimes when it seems life is never gonna change for me, I just wish for a different set of assholes I need to deal with.

    • If he has established a clear line of succession, with the second-in-command being given increasing responsibilities to prepare them for taking charge and everybody else knowing their authority, maybe. Though Putin has specifically avoided this as to avoid any rival centres of power from forming and challenging him. His philosophy seems to be “apres moi, le deluge”: when he no longer exists, it doesn’t matter whether Russia does or not. This does not bode well for an orderly transition.

      • @fullsquare
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        323 days ago

        yeah, putin’s power comes from being an arbiter between different oligarchs. when he croaks it’ll be shitshow the likes you all haven’t seen since 90s

      • @nesc@lemmy.cafe
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        122 days ago

        Any successor imaginable will continue their current path, it’s not ptin it’s rssians.