Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 161 posts

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#71

Post by rhaway84773 »

timeon wrote: post #31
kypro wrote: post #8

Something that's been concerning me about all these UFOs being shot down is that perhaps it could be best explained by the start of something else building up... Realistically these UFO's aren't alien crafts but hostile spy drones. Perhaps the reason we haven't heard about these drones before could be that the US has never felt the need to act (the spying poses no real imminent threat), or maybe the hostile state sen…

RU is gaining initiative since January. Most useful thing that UA got from NATO for now is military intelligence that has scale which maybe only China can match. This is available for UA since beginning. We still do not know how effective new weapons are going to be. Maybe that is why the volume of western tanks is so low. I don't think there will be Nukes.

The volume of Western tanks is low because the West has been hesitant to send any modern weaponry to Ukraine. What they’ve basically sent so far, with which Ukraine has demolished the Russian weaponry, is old, almost decommissioned weapons they weren’t using anyways.

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#72

Post by Broken_Hippo »

bigbacaloa wrote: post #16

This is cold war 101. Some of y'all just too young to remember.

Not really. This is just normal government.

I have lived in Norway for... Officially around 9 years (was in the country, legally, some months before the official immigration date). I don't know how much you know about Norway, but in general, Norway is Safe. Safe in a way I didn't have in small town America, despite me living in a town of 180k or so people (college town, so it fluctuates a bit).

I get warnings about protests and told how much I need to stay away. Generally, these warnings mean that the protests/demonstrations are not only in Oslo (around an hour flight or many hours driving) but also that they are by the embassy. The warnings, sent by email, are generally full of "oh noes, there is danger!" and plenty of messages about not protesting and not going near crowds that are.

Only once in that time has there been any mention of violence that came - and that was someone trying to enter the Iranian embassy. This was very out of character for protests here.

Which means, realistically, this is more general scaremongering by the US government. While I believe they (the government) have actual reason for the warnings (compared to protest warnings), every fiber of my being wants to say that they are being a bit over the top. Not because of cold war stuff, but because this seems like normal operating procedure for the government. I say this even as I would be looking to leave Russia right now regardless because of the warring and such.

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#73

Post by htag »

csydas wrote: post #40
haswell wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FTA, this is not the first time the US has warned citizens about this either, but renewing this warning in the wake of recent events does seem interesting.

I lived in Russia for 6 years prior to the invasion of Ukraine (2022 edition), and I can confirm that the US has frequently warned very heavily for basically all actions in Russia, even during peace times (before the first invasion of Ukraine even). I think even in 2015 when I went the first time, Russia was still on the 2nd level of warning despite overall decent relationships between the two countries at the time.…

Well established US consulates and an embassy is a personal prerequisite for traveling to a country.

1. They are an advocate if you are involved in any legal or criminal trouble. As a strange person in a strange land you might be targeted in unfair ways.

2. They can issue documentation. If you lose your passport a consulate should be your very first stop. If you give birth overseas that can issue the papers needed to give your child US citizenship. You can use them for absentee voting.

3. They are helpful in many emergencies and unexpected events. In the case of death they notify next-of-kin and help navigate the differences of two culture's dead customs and transfer of the body to home. If there's limited travel paths home (natural disaster, etc) they help secure safe travel home.

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#74

Post by mabbo »

rhaway84773 wrote: post #60
kypro wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Tactical nukes aren't a likely step for Russia if Ukraine takes back their territory - even if they go for Crimea. Russia knows that any use of nuclear weapons is crossing a line, and that the regime is done if they do so. Is Putin not done politically if RU is defeated in UA, and Crimea is liberated / annexed? > 2. There isn't a reason for spying on these facilities if the goal is to analyze the US' ability to…

It’s easier for Putin to change the narrative in Russia than to try and fend off every western power (and many Russians as well) trying to personally assassinate him. Let’s not forget that until a few months ago it was literally illegal to even call this war a war in Russia. But today, it’s not just a war, it’s a defensive ear, if you go by Russian state media (a defensive war that is somehow being fought entirely on…

> a defensive war that is somehow being fought entirely on another country’s territory

Russia figured out the magic trick to modern annexation. International law now mostly holds that you can't take land in a war, but that a country's sovereignty arises from the democratic will of the people living there. So Russia just invades under any pretense it likes, and holds "elections" where they get "the will of the people" to be whatever they tell it to be. Like joining Russia.

It's a sham, entirely, but it means they can tell their own people that they are following the law and it's everyone else that's against them.

And so now they can say "look, we did the song and dance that makes this Russian land, so we're defending 'our' people now".

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#75

Post by KyleBerezin »

Overtonwindow wrote: post #63

Why would United States citizens be in Russia to begin with? I would think that they would not be there at all, and that Russia would not even allow Americans in.

Work maybe? Family? I'm sure not every reason is good but some are.

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#76

Post by kypro »

twoquestions wrote: post #55
kypro wrote: post #8

Something that's been concerning me about all these UFOs being shot down is that perhaps it could be best explained by the start of something else building up... Realistically these UFO's aren't alien crafts but hostile spy drones. Perhaps the reason we haven't heard about these drones before could be that the US has never felt the need to act (the spying poses no real imminent threat), or maybe the hostile state sen…

> Am I wrong to be concerned? Fortunately yes. There are very long and well-respected traditions when it comes to nukes, and despite Russian propaganda and shitposters going on about nuclear tidal waves and other nonsense, serious diplomats have maintained that nuclear policy remains the same, which means they'll only use nukes if there's an existential threat to Russia (which getting their ass handed to them in Ukra…

Could I ask two questions?

1: Do you believe there's a chance Ukraine will try to retake Crimea?

2: Do you believe Putin could see Ukraine trying to retake the Russian territory of Crimea with NATO weapons as an existential threat to Russia?

Unless I'm wrong, I think this is all you need?

I'm not saying Ukraine will try to take Crimea or that it's even likely, but I suppose it seems quite possible that could happen now that Ukraine has been armed with NATO tanks and Zelensky has suggested many times that he wants to "liberate" Crimea.

So am I correct in thinking where we disagree here is that you don't believe it's likely Putin would consider an invasion of Crimea with NATO weapons an existential threat to Russia? Presumably you believe Putin agrees Crimea isn't really theirs and that NATO sending weapons enabling Ukraine to invade Russian territory poses them no existential threat?

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#77

Post by vbezhenar »

kypro wrote: post #8

Something that's been concerning me about all these UFOs being shot down is that perhaps it could be best explained by the start of something else building up... Realistically these UFO's aren't alien crafts but hostile spy drones. Perhaps the reason we haven't heard about these drones before could be that the US has never felt the need to act (the spying poses no real imminent threat), or maybe the hostile state sen…

1. Russia is incentivized to use tactical nukes to destroy ukrainian infrastructure like bridges which are very hard to destroy with other means.

2. US warned that there will be catastrophic consequences if Russia used nuclear weapons. It's not clear what exactly do they mean. But it would be logical to suppose that this would indicate full scale NATO invasion.

3. In this case Russia military doctrine allows to use strategic nuclear weapon which is certainly will be used against USA, probably military targets first.

4. This is likely to trigger full scale nuclear response to Moscow and other major cities and consequent response from Russia. After initial strikes there will be armageddon plan which will destroy every big force on the planet just in case.

I don't think that this scenario is very probable, but there's clear path to the end of the world.

My only hope is that China would not allow #1 to happen and if China would decide to isolate Russia, it'll not last long economically.

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#78

Post by ylk »

redwood wrote: post #2

Judo and two total wars with western powers won only after seemingly losing everything -- it's hard not to think that the dictator will eventually inflict far far more pain in the form of martial law on his own people than any of us can imagine in the hopes that that will allow them to find the spark to fall to such a base survival instinct as to bounce back. By no means do I believe that will happen, in fact I belie…

In Judo you don’t take a beating, magically absorb all the force and then release it all in a gigantic blow that sends the opponent flying towards the moon, shattering it on impact, like in an anime.

The stuff you describe doesn’t have anything to do with the sport. It’s insane how people twist things to make them fit their ideas.

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#79

Post by w0m »

wrp wrote: post #66
csydas wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lived in Russia for 6 years prior to the invasion of Ukraine (2022 edition), and I can confirm that the US has frequently warned very heavily for basically all actions in Russia, even during peace times (before the first invasion of Ukraine even). I think even in 2015 when I went the first time, Russia was still on the 2nd level of warning despite overall decent relationships between the two countries at the time.…

I've been in several countries where the State Dept has made a habit of advising Americans not to stay. At least with the crowd I hang out with, it is generally seen as crying wolf. On the other hand, back in Soviet times, false arrests were a political tactic. I have a good story about that... I knew a guy who was in the USSR as a grad student in 1968. When the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia, he and his fellow Ameri…

I'm surprised they'd bother actually planting something ahead of time.

Re: United States tells citizens: Leave Russia immediately

#80

Post by jwmoz »

kypro wrote: post #8

Something that's been concerning me about all these UFOs being shot down is that perhaps it could be best explained by the start of something else building up... Realistically these UFO's aren't alien crafts but hostile spy drones. Perhaps the reason we haven't heard about these drones before could be that the US has never felt the need to act (the spying poses no real imminent threat), or maybe the hostile state sen…

Sounds like WW3 planning. Great.
Post reply on HN