The Biden administration will for the first time send controversial armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, according to a document seen by Reuters and separately confirmed by two U.S. officials.

The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.

  • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
    2817·
    1 year ago

    I expect you to have minimal technical literacy to put the link URL in archive.

    The truth is that there is no actual evidence to indicate that Russian economy is struggling in any way.

    a) investing in a war you’re losing is GDP flushed down the drain

    That certainly explains why Europe is in a deep recession now and why US economy is looking shaky.

    b) they’re cut off from any advanced technology at even half-way reasonable prices

    Once you look at a map you’ll realize that Russia shares a huge border with China where all the advanced technology is produced nowadays. Trade between Russia and China has shot up to over 200 billion this year.

    c) massive brain drain

    Very little evidence for that actually happening, the article you linked is written by the same people who claimed Russia was a gas station with nukes, and that Russian economy was going to collapse months after western sanctions were imposed. If you haven’t figured out that you’ve been lied to yet, that really says a lot about you.

    d) report of very excessive inflation when it comes to food.

    Russia has very low food inflation and happens to be one of the major food producers globally. Once again, the fact that you think Russia has food inflation says volumes.

    But all that is rather besides the point. Russia, alongside with Ukraine, did a lot of stuff wrong in the 90s. Look at Estonia or e.g. Czechs (if you want to keep it among Slavs) on how to do it… nah, not right, but definitely better.

    We’re now seeing Russia having made it through two years of being cut off from the western economy, and doing well for itself. Meanwhile, countries like Estonia and Czech republic aren’t doing so hot. And frankly, it’s completely absurd to compare a country the size of Russia to a country like Estonia.

    Ukraine then managed to turn around, develop an actual civil society and clip the wings of the oligarchy, Russia didn’t.

    That’s complete and utter horseshit. Ukraine turned into the most corrupt country in Europe, and things have only kept getting worse. Ukraine started as a big industrial power after USSR collapsed, and now it’s been robbed entirely of anything of value.

    There’s plenty of family ties between Russia and Ukraine, if Russians see that Ukraine can escape the yoke of the kleptocrats then they could start to believe that they, too, can do that.

    What people in Russia see is that under west’s leadership Ukraine managed to become worse than Russia. All that did was convince people in Russia that the west was going to fuck them over exactly the same way they fucked Ukraine over.

    • barsoap@lemm.ee
      65·
      1 year ago

      Ukraine turned into the most corrupt country in Europe, and things have only kept getting worse.

      Ukraine and Russia both did. One of them is making efforts to get out of that swamp.

      I find it rather telling that of all the things you found weak retorts for, you completely left out the “More petrorubles for the kleptocrats” part, and how GDP is not a proper measure of the wealth of a people, at least in any even remotely leftist sense.

      Ask Tuvans without access to electricity, running water, heck even a fucking gas station, how wealthy they are. Yet they’re not even counted as poor in the official statistics as the way poverty is counted in Russia is highly regional: If you’re poor in Moscow you count, if you’re infinitely worse off in the periphery you don’t.

      That is why you see Russian soldiers – primarily from the periphery as joining the army is the only way to make any money as there’s no actual jobs – looting toilets. Fucking toilets. Back in WWII it was water faucets. Nothing the fuck has changed in that regard.

      If you think that Putin is “draining the swamp” then you’re no less naive than your run off the mill Trumpet.

      (Side note, speaking of WWII: Remember that Soviet flag on the Reichstag picture? That’s of a Ukrainian. Taken by a Ukrainian).

      • pelikan@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        14·
        1 year ago

        “Looting toilets” is the funniest part. Do you really believe that Ukraine is such pauper country that invading soldiers couldn’t loot anything more valuable than used toilets from occupied cities? It’s required to have literally zero critical thinking in order not to understand that this is propagandistic bullshit.

        • barsoap@lemm.ee
          21·
          1 year ago

          People take PCs, jewellery, and smartphones with them when fleeing. You usually leave the toilet behind.

      • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.ml
        189·
        1 year ago

        One of them is making efforts to get out of that swamp.

        You must be referring to Russia here given that this is what’s happening in Ukraine right now

        I find it rather telling that of all the things you found weak retorts for, you completely left out the “More petrorubles for the kleptocrats” part, and how GDP is not a proper measure of the wealth of a people, at least in any even remotely leftist sense.

        There is zero indication to suggest that regular people in Russia are significantly effected in any way right now. Cost of food, housing, and other essentials has stayed stable.

        That is why you see Russian soldiers – primarily from the periphery as joining the army is the only way to make any money as there’s no actual jobs – looting toilets. Fucking toilets. Back in WWII it was water faucets. Nothing the fuck has changed in that regard.

        I mean if that’s what you’ve convinced yourself of then what else is there to say to you.

        If you think that Putin is “draining the swamp” then you’re no less naive than your run off the mill Trumpet.

        No, I don’t think Putin is draining any swamp, but I do think he runs a far more competent administration than western oligarchs.

        (Side note, speaking of WWII: Remember that Soviet flag on the Reichstag picture? That’s of a Ukrainian. Taken by a Ukrainian).

        And now thanks to the help from the west Ukraine is run by literal fascists. Maybe something you should reflect on.

        In any case, this conversation is clearly pointless since you evidently live in an alternate reality. I’ll just let you figure things out on your own and reconcile the fantasies you’ve built up with the real world as it becomes increasingly more difficult to ignore going forward.