Live data from Hacker News

Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

news.ycombinator.com

221–230 of 1001 posts

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#221
post #11

As a side question, how similar is Putin's war in Ukraine to the numerous wars started by U.S. (say, in the middle East, Yugoslavia)? Are these fair to compare? I'm trying to understand the scale of Putin's decision, not to justify it or engage in whataboutism.

I can't speak about Middle East, but the wars in Yugoslavia were most definitely not started by the U.S.

"Throughout the 1980-90s, the US, with the aid of the IMF and NATO, actively destabilized and aided in the breakup of Yugoslavia, with the goal of weakening and destroying the last surviving socialist bloc in Europe."

-- https://github.com/dessalines/essays/blob/master/us_atrociti...

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#222
This anti-Russian trope spreading is infuriating. If Apple and Google can stop their Pay services, of course everything else will be stopped. But that also means I don't want to be on those services either. It is too much power to give to Amazon, Microsoft and Google. I will actively move my own services to solutions that don't act like arms of the US government.

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#223

I am in Ukraine right now. In a small village to the north of Kyiv. I am the author of PhotoSwipe ( https://github.com/dimsemenov/photoswipe ). Yesterday I was filling bags with sand to make a fortification for local defenders. I hear artillery as I am writing this. And by the way, you get used to it. In the last few days I received about 20 emails offering support, none of them were from russian devs. One asked a te…

Oh come on, someone asked you a technical question - you can't expect everyone to research the country of origin, country of residence, and perhaps a personal situation of every private person, developer, or a company before emailing them.

Those few words are a perfectly adequate response though. The author has bigger things to get done right now.

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#224
post #185

I am in Ukraine right now. In a small village to the north of Kyiv. I am the author of PhotoSwipe ( https://github.com/dimsemenov/photoswipe ). Yesterday I was filling bags with sand to make a fortification for local defenders. I hear artillery as I am writing this. And by the way, you get used to it. In the last few days I received about 20 emails offering support, none of them were from russian devs. One asked a te…

How are sanctions going to make anybody more informed? They dont…That makes no sense. Instead of sanctions, a more effective strategy would be to provide Russians with free VPNs so that they can access western news media.

Sanctions do work, cutting off communication with the west doesn't. There 's a feeling that Russians need to be jolted off their seats. I m seeing many of them asking for alternatives for payments or incorporation elsewhere

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#225
post #169

Could I (US citizen) get in trouble for providing free VPNs to Russian nationals? Would these Russians get in trouble for using my US based VPN? I want to support Russians during this difficult time but I don’t want them to get in trouble. I disagree with sanctioning and punishing ordinary citizens for the actions of the rich and powerful 1%. Imagine how it feel being a US citizen and getting punished for Donald Trum…

Unfortunately, you're supporting the dictatorship in Russia by providing your services from abroad. Russians understand that the sanctions are going to hit them hard because of Putin's actions and only Russian people can stop him. The change can only happen from within - poor or rich, weak or powerful, everyone in Russia needs to stand up against Putin to stop the war.

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody sane thinks that normal citizens deserve sanctions; they're for the most part not responsible for the madness of one man; this is obvious when you think back about how half of the USA thought about Trump but was unable to do anything - an din Russia it's much worse. But the sanctions are meant to make people angry, go out and send a strong signal to their leaders they want a change. This is the most the West c…

Even though what you are saying about making people angry and stand up for themselves and democracy is true, it is fairly strange to pretend that leaders in the USA/EU are sincerely interested in the people of Ukraine. For some reason unknown, Ukrainians believe so which resulted in that atrocious situation where both the US and European countries are not willing to step in and protect Ukraine. Even Zelensky himself…

> both the US and European countries are not willing to step in and protect Ukraine

Both US & EU are lending tremendous support in materials, training (over the past 8 years), and coordinated economic sanctions far beyond what anyone would have predicted. Sounds like Europe is also offering energy grid support soon.

What those countries will not do is directly intervene using their own military forces – Ukrainians would have to be crazy to ever expect that. Two nuclear-armed powers in direct conflict on the battlefield = nuclear holocaust. You could say that's merely conventional wisdom based on wargames and other geopolitical assumptions, but... does anyone really want to test that theory??

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, intervention in Yugoslavia wasn’t a war started by the US. The Kuwait war was after an invasion by Iraq and at the invitation of the government there, and the US were restrained enough to halt at the Iraq border. The Syrian war was not started by the US, and it has played a minor part there. In fact, it is Russia that has indiscriminately bombed Syrian cities and targeted civilians and hospitals there. Afghanis…

The Iraq war was a terrible error but it still can't be compared to Ukraine. America had no plans to colonise Iraq or absorb it into its empire. Despite the enormous death and suffering the war caused, America's aim was naive altruism: getting rid of an unquestionably evil dictator who used WMDs on his own people. There are conspiracy theories that America invaded to steal Iraq's oil but they are not plausible.

> There are conspiracy theories that America invaded to steal Iraq's oil but they are not plausible.

Did you forget the /s? Honestly can't tell if this is satire or not...

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#228

This anti-Russian trope spreading is infuriating. If Apple and Google can stop their Pay services, of course everything else will be stopped. But that also means I don't want to be on those services either. It is too much power to give to Amazon, Microsoft and Google. I will actively move my own services to solutions that don't act like arms of the US government.

Any service you use is going to act in its own best interest.

What service will you move to that will exclusively act in your best interest?

Best bet is to pick a side.

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

This is whataboutism and it is so tired. A good propaganda tactic though, and the Russians are using it as an attack vector. Westerners seem really vulnerable to this form of propaganda, possibly due to the success of previous information warfare led by Russia. Bringing up some other terrible thing for comparison does not change in any way whatsoever the severity of what is happening in Ukraine. Whataboutism propagan…

[flagged]

Re: Tell HN: If You Are in Russia

#230
post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How good are people being bombed in Ukraine cities feel? Only the Russian people can stop this.

Ever lived under a dictator? Ever tried to stop him from doing something? Ever done either of the above while having a family you care about? At the end of the day, no sane person would place their family in mortal danger to maybe possibly potentially make life easier for a large number of unknown far away people.

> Ever lived under a dictator? Ever tried to stop him from doing something? Ever done either of the above while having a family you care about?

Yes, see Romania 1989. Over 1000 people died in the streets but we got the job done.

Post reply on HN