Live data from Hacker News

Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

novayagazeta.ru

131–140 of 323 posts

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They were told to censor or be sued. They removed any postings of war after that. Novaya Gazeta is a newspaper critical of current Russian affairs.

Yes, I understood immediately the position of the newspaper browsing a bit the site. There are a lot of comments here talking about Ikea, Russian alternatives and business opportunities. I think they are somehow missing the point

[deleted]

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#132
post #63

I was wondering, how much of a percentage of visitors knows about the war and is against it?

A very high percentage. You are in Moscow and the customers have income well over Russian median. They speak foreign languages.

There are over 100 millions over Russians that live in a very different world, for those the percentage will be different.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#133
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not so much... Russian media is getting blocked in some places in the west too. RT was blocked from YouTube and TV in the UK for example.

Which totally makes sense. Russia is a dictatorship waging a war of aggression a democratic neighbour. Why should we give their state propaganda outlets any amplification?

I work with Russians. I want to know what lies they're being told. Right now it's tough to ask them for daily updates because frankly a lot of them hate this situation very much and are saddened and embarrassed by what their country is doing. I would also find it difficult to ask.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there are plenty of planes flying in and out, container ships delivering, and cross border payments happening, right now.

Not for long potentially. I don't have the link right now, but someone posted an interesting thread on Twitter how to fly planes you need a lot of international support. Down to things like supply of replacement parts and access to repair manuals. Their estimate (not sure if accurate) is that in 3 weeks, domestic aviation in Russia will become very hard to run. (Boing and Airbus already suspended providing replacemen…

Might come as a surprise, but Boing and Airbus are not the only civil airplane manufacturers in the world.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#135
post #56
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was also surprised by this. I find it absolutely crazy. The reason is that just few days ago the parliament of Russia introduced a law on "fakes about Russian army" with 15 years in prison penalty. What is "fake" is not defined so anyone for any statement about the war could be put in prison. Ah yes, people are also forbidden to call this a war, an agression or an invasion. You may say that there are other outlets…

People from the west may say: well yes, our media is biased also. And that is true, but direction of this bias is different for each media outlet, so by watching something else you can find discrepancies and inconsistencies. While in Russia all tv, radio, newspapers are government controlled, so they put the same fake and propaganda which due to lack of anything else (all blocked) yields brain washing on a whole coun…

It depends on the subject. Try to find a western media that defend the point of view of the Talibans for instance. Or their history and significance to the population for instance. Even in the most niche papers you won't find that. There will always be a line on their barbarian and anti democratic aspect. And that's why western medias didn't get that the US lost the war because the Talibans always had the backing of the majority of the population.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Russians showed the 'tactical nuke' card. So NATO won't get involved with more than a few AT Weapons here and there at max. Lavrov said, they didn't threaten with nukes.That means they did. That creature was bred and selected over decades for such jobs. Actually I just indulge in fantasies of burning bastards.

You are not alone in that I think there are quite a few people that would like a little bit of quiet quality time with a certain dictator.

If it were just a certain dictator, the Ides of March are just around the corner. But, as you mentioned, it's not that simple.

Russians are in favor of Putin. And of course, the apparatus has been driving up approval ratings for him for months before this stunt. And now most Russian don't know anything from independent sources, some probably didn't even heard about that Ukraine Peace Operation. A lot of them just believe the whole narrative, because, well, it's the decadent West that says otherwise and 'they want to hold us down. They always do.'

So even if there is a fraction in the apparatus at all that would or could act, there alway looms the danger of a civil war for them.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#137

Photos of queues in shops and empty shelves is the only resistance left. Any non-official information about the war is punishable with 15 years in prison camps. What's happening in Ukraine is a tragedy, but what's happening in Russia as a result of sanctions is quite tragic in itself. Currency is in free fall, hundreds of companies closed shops and offices, many will lose their jobs, etc. This will hit marriages and…

Maybe you got down-voted by pissed-off Russian men, but your prediction regarding what will happen in the Russian society is spot on. The problem with the alcoholism and prostitution over there has already been pretty bad, but now it will of course get much much worse.

Unfortunately, so far in history Russia has only been a one huge long tragedy. Navalny gave a speech at his kangaroo trial that his wish is that Russia be happy. Maybe some day they might eventually figure out how to make that happen. But maybe not. 50 / 50 chance perhaps. But the next best thing would be that Russia does not spread tragedy to all other countries with radioactive fallout, and also no way to say for sure if that might happen or not, but does look likely.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#138
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not so much... Russian media is getting blocked in some places in the west too. RT was blocked from YouTube and TV in the UK for example.

Which totally makes sense. Russia is a dictatorship waging a war of aggression a democratic neighbour. Why should we give their state propaganda outlets any amplification?

I am reading Clark's Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RI9PMM/>). Right after hearing about YouTube shutting down Russian state media channels, I was surprised to learn in the book of the extent of the freedom of the press in late 18th-century Prussia. A British visitor wrote that people were as free to speak as back home, citing a work that was very critical of the king in the context of Poland. During the Napoleonic wars, despite the existential threat to Prussia from France, at least four newspapers that celebrated Revolutionary France as the next step in human freedom were allowed to publish.

It's always preferable to counter propaganda with free speech. Even liars deserve the opportunity to speak. This is especially true when there is no formally declared war between the US and Russia.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#139
post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps Russia can get electronics, biotechnology, and healthcare supplies where the US gets their's: China. Are Russia and China on good terms these days? Does Russia have anything to trade with China for yuan so they can buy those Chinese goods? I guess we'll find out. Or maybe the US tries to sanction China for freely trading with those evil Russians? Interesting times ahead…

China produces a lot of interesting stuff! India, by the way, too. They are big trade partner of Moscow. China gladly buys a lot of Russian oil and natural gas, for instance. But China still can't produce certain high-end things. Say, a high-end server-class CPU is sort of problematic, event though ARM architecture allows to produce capable server CPUs. A powerful enough GPU is even harder to come by. I did not hear…

True, but China buys all of those "high-end things" in enormous quantities already. Can't they just resell them to Russia, if Russians (or anyone else) want to buy them?

Without sanctioning China, I really don't see how the US and her allies can prevent most "normal" goods from making their way (eventually) to Russia. Hell, even IKEA is in China.

Re: Last Day of IKEA in Moscow

#140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, NATO donating some training and a couple of A-10s would be an interesting move. Obviously it is never going to be that simple.

True. But I'm afraid there are several issues and training is not a 2 day affair even if the other issues didn't exist https://breakingdefense.com/2022/03/no-the-us-air-force-isnt...

No, obviously. It's daydreaming at best.
Post reply on HN