[Spoonman]

Russia reportedly bungles staged arrest by mistaking SIM cards for ‘The Sims’

"I genuinely believe this is a dumb [Federal Security Service] officer being told to get 3 SIMs," said investigator Eliot Higgins

Russia’s Federal Security Service has been accused of staging an assassination plot and mistaking orders to plant SIM cards for The Sims, after three copies of the game auspiciously appeared at the scene of an arrest alongside Nazi paraphernalia.

Yesterday (April 25), the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported that six people have been arrested in regards to an assassination plot. According to the Committee, the group was working with Ukrainian security services and planned to target journalist and alleged propagandist Vladimir Solovyov with a car bomb in Moscow.

As reported by the New York Post, shared images of the arrest scene led to sceptics suggesting that the arrests were part of an operation to frame Ukrainian officials as Nazis, something that Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed since launching an invasion of Ukraine.

The images in question display Nazi clothing and literature, Ukrainian passports, and – bizarrely – a copy of The Sims 3 with two physical expansions for the game. Since the images were shared, it’s been suggested that a Russian intelligence officer mistook orders to plant three SIM cards for The Sims 3.

https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/ru ... ms-3212671 (yes, NME!)

[Youngian]

‘No electric in the basement so pick up four candles.’

[Nigredo]

https://globalnews.ca/news/8790242/russ ... s-ukraine/

Weird how two bullets to the back of the head is a favourite method of suicide in Russia.

[kreuzberger]

According to Twitter, as reliable a source as any , I am currently 106 seconds away from a megaton date-nite with Russia's Kaliningrad-based nuclear arsenal.

I don't really have problem with that. After all, whatever is left to its own devices won't kill me any where near as quickly and efficiently. Nor will it come with a free cremation. So far, so not very good, all to the point of being downright awkward.

The point is that, whilst the nuclear threat is real, I believe that the Putin / Lavrov double-act is merely geared to putting the shits up western public opinion, thereby intending that voters in Nato countries rebel with clarion cries of caution. Except, that is not happening. Putin is rapidly running out of cards now that his aces are proven to be worthless. That is not cool.

It is absurd to think that Russia's nuclear capability is not being watched like a jittery hawk. If they even fart without good reason, vast tracts of the country will be uninhabitable for years to come. Russia and much of Europe will be erased following what we grew up to understand to be Mutually Assured Destruction, MAD - quite.

Whether by accident or design, the smart money must now be on this all going horribly. The win is that we'll know precious little about it.

[Boiler]

The point is that, whilst the nuclear threat is real, I believe that the Putin / Lavrov double-act is merely geared to putting the shits up western public opinion, thereby intending that voters in Nato countries rebel with clarion cries of caution. Except, that is not happening. Putin is rapidly running out of cards now that his aces are proven to be worthless. That is not cool.

Putin's gamble seems to be - and so far, has proven to be the case - that the West is too scared of nuclear confrontation to do anything more than wag fingers whilst supplying Ukraine indirectly with conventional weapons. I think even if he used tactical nukes in Ukraine the West would not respond.

However, you are right in that Putin is running out of cards and I think he and Lavrov are probably now looking nervously at the generals, who are probably getting a bit fed up of the lack of gains in Ukraine and may be wondering why they are putting up with this fading star.

This still has the potential to get messy.

On a personal note, my father would have been 100 this week.

[Youngian]

I think even if he used tactical nukes in Ukraine the West would not respond.

What would be the point? I doubt Ukraine with nukes would have deterred the Russian invasion as firing them is game over for everyone.

[Spoonman]

Ukraine is becoming the Russian establishment's unwelcome answer to "FAFO"**...

** "Fuck around & find out", to those unsure.

[Nigredo]

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News ... 651424590/

Ukrainian Army finally getting its hands on the shiny new toys.

[kreuzberger]

+++ Ukraine Sanctions Latest +++

European Commission; we are banning Russian oil imports.
The United Kingdom; something about PR birds.

[Cyclist]

Sky were saying the EU will ban Russian oil by the end of the year. The way the formidable Russian army is performing they won't need to. They'll be importing it from Greater Ukraine. Either that, or we'll all be radioactive cinders and won't need the oil anyway.

[Boiler]

Ukraine war: Russia denies it plans to declare war on 9 May

So that's a 'yes' then

[Nigredo]

Russians effectively told "You aren't going to be paid for a while so you may as well plant some potatoes".

[Nigredo]

Curious admission from a bloke who leaked a map of planned Russian troop movements.

[Boiler]

20220504_204709 - Copy.jpg (81.82 KiB) Viewed 4699 times

[The Weeping Angel]

I see Lula's been taking advice from Corbyn.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ ... ce=twitter

I see the President of Ukraine, speaking on television, being applauded, getting a standing ovation by all the European parliamentarians," he told Time.

"This guy is as responsible as Putin for the war. Because in the war, there's not just one person guilty," he added.

Lula said Biden and European Union leaders failed to do enough to negotiate with Russia in the run-up to its invasion of Ukraine in February.

"The United States has a lot of political clout. And Biden could have avoided war, not incited it," he said. "Biden could have taken a plane to Moscow to talk to Putin. This is the kind of attitude you expect from a leader."

[Nigredo]

https://www.businessinsider.com/russian ... m=webfeeds

Do the "YebbutPalestine" crowd have an answer to this barbarism?

[Nigredo]

[Youngian]

I see Lula's been taking advice from Corbyn.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ ... ce=twitter

I see the President of Ukraine, speaking on television, being applauded, getting a standing ovation by all the European parliamentarians," he told Time.

"This guy is as responsible as Putin for the war. Because in the war, there's not just one person guilty," he added.

Lula said Biden and European Union leaders failed to do enough to negotiate with Russia in the run-up to its invasion of Ukraine in February.

"The United States has a lot of political clout. And Biden could have avoided war, not incited it," he said. "Biden could have taken a plane to Moscow to talk to Putin. This is the kind of attitude you expect from a leader."

Quite the bullshitter, he manages to be wrong in every sentence.

[Crabcakes]

There’s a man who really wants some cheap petroleum to ease potential problems he might inherit from Bolsonaro.

And yet, he’s still the better option by fucking miles…

[Boiler]

There’s a man who really wants some cheap petroleum to ease potential problems he might inherit from Bolsonaro.

And yet, he’s still the better option by fucking miles…

They run lots of cars on cane-sugar alcohol in Brasil. Seems odd seeing alcohol at a pump...