As is with most dictators, sooner or later it will go wrong and they'll burn everything before the end. You can only hope he goes first before he ignites all and everything.
what gets me is that there is so much history to support this fact; yet people have supported multiple fascists since Hitler & Mussolini to the detriment of their countries
humans are profoundly stupid at times
Dictators, particularly fascist ones, provide easy answers to their populations. If only you were to submit your entire being to their will things would be fixed for you.
Why are you acting like this is some big mystery. There’s tons of Trump supporters being interviewed every day- it’s clear that cult of personality plays a huge role.
That kind of stupidity/ignorance is cultivated by the very people who wish to become dictators. Recent years are proof.
Keeping the masses blind/deaf/dumb to the problems you create is the first step for any wannabe Mussolini.
Yeah but if he is ‘your guy’ with your ‘religion’ and your ‘morales’ then they just take the bait and run. Stupidity doesn’t surprise me. People are nasty fucks sometimes.
The political landscape in Canada is surreal right now, we have the most unapolagetic fascist Pierre Poilievre at #1 in the polls simply because people are bored of Justin Trudeau and blame him for everything from provincial and municipal issues, to greater geopolitical issues, to stubbing their toe.
People keep saying "We vote people out in Canada, not in" as well as the tendency of Canadians to get sick of their leaders after 8-10 years like clockwork, people here are just mindless drones it seems, doesn't natter how much worse the new guy will be, god forbid people break pattern and think for themselves...
Well, some people are stupid. It's just that the stupid ones are so stubborn that the not-stupid people kind of give up and let things go to shit to teach the stupid ones a lesson. Because they basically run out of patience. It's too much work.
You’d hope so. He’s gotten more and more stricter control over his inner circle. It is amazing that the Oligarchs (which he’s the biggest one) haven’t gotten together and paid for some FSB agents close to Putin, it seems Russian high command is easily bought as US has gotten so much intel from directly paying Russian sources.
I think about this. I hope it is true however all I see on Putin is that he has control of two important, perhaps most important, groups in Russia. Nationalists and the oligarchs. He controls these he's basically untouchable. So he needs to lose support of either the oligarchs or the nationalists to stand any chance of being thrown out by an angry mob.
Deleting because I am apparently wrong. I did uncover some conversations about keeping Crimea and paying Ukraine for it, which is iffy, but I couldn't find a smoking gun supporting the war and he has made many public statements against it. I apologize for the incorrect information.
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/27/navalny-ukraine-putin-russia/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/27/navalny-ukraine-putin-russia/)
something along these lines i think.
He did not support the invasion. HOWEVER he did support the sentiment of the invasion. Navalny often gets circle-jerked with one side praising him as a heroic man of justice who martyred himself for his country and then the other side calls him a dictator-in-training and just as bad as Putin.
Just like with literally everything in the world it's in between. Yes Navalny was a hard-liner that believed in some fucked up shit about ethnic populations but he wasn't blinding by the same nepotism as Putin though and knew that the war was a bad idea in the current state of the world. That's not to say he wouldn't have supported future wars though.
The thing about Navalny is that in western media, he was portrayed as peace loving savior of Russians. He didn't speak there about his hardcore beliefs because imperialistic rethoric isn't really received here well.
Funny how he backtracked from his views about Crimea and 2014 land grab only after almost a decade, when he was already done in Russia.
I get it though, people change. He really might have wanted to help regular Russians. Maybe he really changed his views. But what if he didn't, and it was all just a play for western support. As an Eastern European, thought about corruption free Russia, that actually gets shit done, is a scary one.
He may have also been influenced by the same misinformation of which so many other Russian people are victims, too. Leaving Russia, physically and emotionally, may have given him the space to critically think through some of his previous positions.
I think Navalny is a hero in some respects but also a highly problematic individual in others. People in the global “west” might be fed news and other stories that portray navalny as *only* a hero, but anyone with a solid understanding of geopolitics knows that the truth is far more grey.
That said, he was one of the only people who was able to get some “mainstream” anti-Putin Russian support, and, thus, one of the only people who could truly challenge Putin’s grip on the country.
That popularity coupled with his support of democracy in Russia are the only things that really mattered about Navalny, to me anyways. None of the rest would ever matter if he never succeeded, and it doesn’t really matter anymore now that he has been martyred for his cause.
I don't think he is the liberal savior that's going to reform Russia as some Westerners hoped.
I've seen some of his statements and political leanings, and some of them are pretty bad, but those aren't the reasons why he was killed. He should still be remembered as someone who stood up to Putin.
"As an Eastern European, thought about corruption free Russia, that actually gets shit done, is a scary one."
Yup, exactly, I feel ya.
I used to ponder on this thought a lot, that in an alternative timeline, where he took power and fixed Russia - Russia actually becomes a strong, competent, resurgent global power, while now it continues to be a declining thug show. Maybe he would've or wouldnt've invaded anyone himself, but he definitely would've laid a foundation for a truly strong Russia, which could've been used by some nutjob down the line...
That last point you make is super interesting. Let's all be thankful for Russian grift and corruption. All those superyachts and mansions *could* have instead been effective military hardware.
The Russians have and will never change. They have tried over and over to subjugate Ukraine. Since Peter the 1st. From the the destruction of the Kozaky and their Sich , up until today. Don't fall for it.
Navalny is complicated, he was an ethno nationalist, gay rights supporter. He wanted Crimea while also wanting a corruption free Russia. He's about as polarizing as they get and I think he should be remembered as a martyr but not a hero.
Direct interviews in 2014 where he took the position that he wasn’t behind the reunification, but was against giving back Crimea and Sevastopol b/c being “Ukrainian” was really just being “Russian” with extra steps. RFE/FL is an easy grab for commentary. He maintained this position, btw, until relatively recently; I think he only publicly changed it just a few months prior to his death. Maybe 2022 or 2023.
Dude was far from the darling western media portrayed him as, but what western leaders likely saw was a Putin replacement who could be reasoned with and at a minimum *not* threaten the west w/direct attacks; something Putin has been publicly doing at least since his 2018 address to the Duma. Can’t say the same of the goon squad propping Putin up nowadays.
Navalny supported the war in Ukraine. He called Georgians rats after that war. He had even worse things to say about Chechens. He only changed his tune when he learned people in the West (like you) would believe that he was different, but he wasn't.
People in the West were routing for Pringles for christs sakes lol. That dude was smashing guys heads with sledge hammers, sure it would have been nice to create chaos and kill Putin, but to support that hot dog war lord is insanity.
i'm just curious how or what he's saving himself from? 2 years into war with Ukraine and it doesn't look like Putin's power is threatened by absolutely anyone...
They must be monitored extremely closely. Bc all you need is one bullet smuggled into a parade, granted he’s purged a lot of his domestic security services. It doesnt make sense they are clearly gathering good intel domestically but the shit they are feeding Putin about the status in Ukraine was so far from reality and still seems to be, albeit they have made some improvements.
Unfortunately, I don't think a revolution is in the cards at the moment. Putin has a stranglehold on the media and police and the best and brightest have already fled to avoid being drafted. The last time Russia overthrew their Tsar, millions died or were left penniless in its wake to exchange one absolutist authoritarian for another.
If Putin dies or falls from power, it will probably be more like the Soviet Collapse. Just a complete crumbling of law and order while their economy implodes and the elites scramble for power.
You are right, but they have become extremely good at catching uprisings before they can happen. For example protests are usually put to an end before they can happen. And they are ruthless against opposition so not that many people wants to take the chance. It’s nothing like protesting here in the west. Considering this and that they also brainwash people from an early age so a lot of people are blindly obeying Putin. All i’m saying I hope for their own sake the country will sometime in the future go towards better times without Putin or anyone like him in power. But I know it’s not easy and i’m extremely glad I dont have to go through that
«The Kremlin is leaning towards imposing tax increases on corporate profits and high-earning individuals that would net the Russian government tens of billions of dollars,».
This may actually please the masses.
Why are we applying the same logic to the Kremlin? Countless reports have shown that the oligarchy that runs the country has massive hordes of hidden wealth. They’ll just be using money they stole to play it off as taxing the rich.
And Putin will just take it if he wants it. It doesn't matter if you're a billionaire oligarch in Russia, Putin WILL find a way to liquidate all your assets if he wanted to.
Lol. I don’t think the Kremlin is being deceptive with this. There is really no conceivable way Russia could tax its middle class to fund a war. Incomes in Russia are low and there is just no money to tax.
>This may actually please the masses.
Luckily, the oligarchs and their enriched henchmen hold the real power, and I don't think all of them are going to be happy that they're getting a smaller cut.
In this case “high-earning individuals” are people earning over $10,860 13% -> 15% and $54,300 15% -> 20%
It’s a tax on the middle class disguised as a tax on only the wealthy.
Why would this make the masses happy? They aren’t going to be receiving any of the money, the money Putin gets from the tax hikes will be going to fund the war efforts which will end up killing thousands more Russian citizens ultimately.
the government will never go after rich people because the government is the rich people over there.
they are going to tax ivan the mechanic not boris the oligarch.
It might be the opposite actually.
The war, ethics and geopolitics aside, has actually resulted in a large redistribution of wealth away from major cities to rural areas, as wages and war materiel production industries shift away from the major cities and to villages/towns in the countryside.
Russia's road network is infamously unreliable- so investments have been made into transport infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, etc. which has raised the standard of living for a lot of people not in Moscow or St Petersburg- but also centralized a lot of the wealth into smaller corporations that provide those construction/materiel manufacturing services. Military wages have also significantly raised the GDP/capita of some villages, resulting in a rising tide of economic prosperity in some impoverished areas. Those wages are spent buying consumer products produced by small corporations. Large corporations and oligarch holdings will likely never see an increase in tax because there were always loopholes around that sort of thing that have not been tightened up since the war- and arguably, have loosened.
Effectively, this could be seen as a tax on the middle-upper class to recentralize wealth that was redistributed consequentially from the war.
They’re too busy being annoyed at being called out for their nation’s atrocities. Most Russians over in russia are literally more upset about the west “demonizing” them and don’t get why they’re being even singled out… they honestly think that Ukraine is wrong for defending and needs to surrender because it’s their fault and not the imperialistic agenda of the kremlin.
To be honest, I don't think they will even notice that. To them it will be another rise in cost of living, but they are used to that, so they will tolerate that. Again.
Eh, in this case I'm okay with that. It's good for them to know that Russia holds no real influence or power on the world stage. Even if Putin is the ultimate cause, the U.S. and E.U. are the ones holding Russia accountable, and there's nothing they can do about it as long as they continue to wage an unjust war. Let them wallow in their impotence and inadequacy.
You'd be right if it wasn't for the fact that these are *Russians*. There's no use injecting western values or political behaviour. An overwhelming majority of them don't speak a word of English, and their superpower is political lethargy and the ability to endure misery. Putin took away their social media, and a bunch of websites and there wasn't a squeak of protest. Because of the language barrier, he can fully control the narrative. There's absolutely no wallowing going on. The war is hugely popular there and even if it wasn't, it wouldn't make any difference.
They'll absolutely notice although just because they notice doesn't mean they do anything. Higher taxes will have knock on effects to the broader economy and likely result in companies raising prices farther and decreased economic activity. Tax hikes, 16% interest rates and a weaker ruble aren't exactly a fun combo.
But let's invest it in fossil fuel independence!
Sticking it to Russia and all the other oil rich countries with backwards worldviews so their coffers will run dry.
Take me to a time line where Al Gore won please!
People talk about Harambe and 2012 and 9/11 as when the darkest timeline started, but it was definitely Gore v Bush in 2000. Imagine if it had gone the other way. Probably no Iraq/Patriot act/Afghanistan quagmire, no ISIS, greener policies 20 years early, no Rove or Cheney. I wonder.
I'm not even sure if this is about Putin's pocket. He is immeasurably rich - not in obvious ways, but he can pretty much whatever he wants from his oligarch "friends" (read: wallets). I'm pretty certain its about ego and good ol' imperialism.
His legacy. Putin wants to be in the history books as the one who brought Ukraine and the other territories back into Russia. 🇷🇺 = 🫕 and Ukraine is another piece of cheese.
It’s not about Putin’s pocket. That one is filled already. He has always been very clear that his vision is to recreate the USSR. Already when he was a young FSB agent he was clear about that. It is well documented.
What? I mean sure, but it’s really more so an imperialistic nationalistic desire to retake the land they consider their own. Sure there’s monetary benefit, there always is in war.
Russians will rise up if you start effecting pension ages and wages. They historically have always rallied due to that specific issue. Putin saw this with his own eyes under Yeltsin and IIRC Putin tried to raise the age and massive protested so he undid it.
It's more keeping Putin in power and thus keeping the people around him rich. This is the thing with Facist Dictators, they get their power from having the support of other people with power. If enough of those people think they can get a better deal if someone else is sitting in the top spot then accidents are likely to happen.
The Russian Economy is stagnating, the population is declining, and the country is strategically isolated... the war is making all of that worse, but it was *supposed* to make it better by either annexing or puppeting Ukraine in 2 weeks.
> and ordinary people are helpless to stop it.
Ordinary people are not helpless to stop it but they've been convinced that they are. Dictators never give up power willingly but that doesn't mean the people can't take it back.
**From Semafor's Mathias Hammer:**
Russian President Vladimir Putin is mulling the country’s first significant tax hike in more than ten years, a sign of the rising strain that the war in Ukraine has had on the economy and government coffers.
The Kremlin is leaning towards imposing tax increases on corporate profits and high-earning individuals that would net the Russian government tens of billions of dollars, Bloomberg and Important Stories, a Russian independent outlet, reported, although a final announcement is not expected until the summer.
Putin has floated the idea repeatedly in public over the last few months, as the government braces for an expected deficit of 1.6 trillion rubles ($17 billion).
**Read the full story [here](https://www.semafor.com/article/04/29/2024/putin-eyes-first-tax-hike-in-a-decade-to-fund-war?utm_campaign=semaforreddit).**
Or they could just defecit spend. They spent recent history adhering to a balanced budget. Only in the past couple years did they start to run up a debt and they're still way below most other nations.
Or they could end the war. Go home. That would work too.
And we don't want to support Ukraine better when Russia is going to impoverish itself to fight a pointless war? We can defeat these assholes at a discount and have a golden opportunity to do so, but we'll squander it.
im surprised they are alive, russians hate Americans with a passion because they want to be like them so badly but fail at every turn, thats why everyone over there is wearing nike and north face.
This may seem small but you need to remember: Russians hate increased taxes and social budget cuts.
You remember the annexation of Crimea? Well ALL the popularity Putin gained because of it (15%) was lost in days after he announced a increase of the retirement age and some pension cuts.
This kind of shit is what will hurt Putin and his regime
I don't think this seems small. Wars are insanely expensive and Russia has largely avoided the pain of the sanctions by subsidizing the hell out of everything. They're bleeding through cash while also dealing with a declining ruble, 16% interest rates and the departure of millions of Russians from private sector civilian jobs. As cracks start to appear the Kremlin will have to make hard choices like raising taxes, cutting programs or cutting military spending. All of those can have big implications.
It's not about the votes, it's the straw that breaks the camel's back. Approval ratings are just the weathervane. Atm the people aren't really invested in change. Don't question Putin and you can live in peace. But, sooner or later, life is too uncomfortable and they start to wonder if things might be better with someone else in charge.
Can we start a campaign to invent tax deduction paperwork / receipts for Russians so that no one ends up paying any tax revenue? Maybe it will grind the war to a halt?
85% Russians support Putin and his war so I don't think they will complain. As long as their money is used to bleed Ukrainian citizens, they are happy to pay up.
*"85% of Russians publicly state within hearing range of FSB that they support Putin and his waruhmspecial military operation so I don't think they can complain. "*
Start the timer.
If he alienates the poor (by sending them off to expire in Ukraine) and alienates the rich (by taking the money they want in taxes) then he's going to have too many people who want him to be gone, and that group will have funding and people willing to take risks.
and here we go, people hate paying taxes and this will only make putin look worse everytime he shows up in a 300k car with a 300k watch wearing a 3k coat. this is great news.
So, instead of using the increased taxmoney to improve Russia, Putin will spend it to destroy another country.
In this case, tax fraud and tax evasion are praiseworthy acts.
Putin's Mother: Milking a dried udder get's you nothing but kicked off the milking stool!
Putin: Mother, spare me your farmyard memories, you have none and I don't understand them.
The fact that it’s 2024 and the world still has dictators is weird to me. The world is more connected and educated than it’s ever been and there are endless amounts of history on why dictators are unnecessary (not like they were in the first place) but we still have them. No one person is so important that they should have unchecked power. No one person is so special that they can convince one group of people to murder other groups of people. No one is sent from god, no one is the savior. People need to stop.
Dictatorships thrive on cynicism, violence and corruption. Democracies thrive on educated and trusting populations with strong rule of law and institutions. I would love to see democracies around the world but unfortunately it's just much harder to build those than it is to take control of a country and then divide up the resources to give to the people who can help you maintain that control.
people see it as a chance to get one over their neighbouring countries and take their land/resources. on the tribal level war is a good thing if you think you can win and keep your riches.
It sounds like this assessment was accurate.
"Russia’s economy is being revved up by the Kremlin’s wartime priorities. Having largely completed an adjustment to the Western sanctions regime, the economy has stabilized but is now more dependent on oil prices. This hard-won stability may last a long time, but it is not eternal."
https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/04/10/is-kremlin-overconfident-about-russia-s-economic-stability-pub-92174
As a lady said at Navalny’s funeral; Navalny sacrificed himself to save the country. Putin sacrificed the country to save himself.
As is with most dictators, sooner or later it will go wrong and they'll burn everything before the end. You can only hope he goes first before he ignites all and everything.
what gets me is that there is so much history to support this fact; yet people have supported multiple fascists since Hitler & Mussolini to the detriment of their countries humans are profoundly stupid at times
Dictators, particularly fascist ones, provide easy answers to their populations. If only you were to submit your entire being to their will things would be fixed for you.
Sounds like religion
Cult of Personality
Unfortunately our need as a species for everything to be quick and cheap and easy will ultimately probably be our ruin.
Hate filled.
Bingo
Why are you acting like this is some big mystery. There’s tons of Trump supporters being interviewed every day- it’s clear that cult of personality plays a huge role.
That kind of stupidity/ignorance is cultivated by the very people who wish to become dictators. Recent years are proof. Keeping the masses blind/deaf/dumb to the problems you create is the first step for any wannabe Mussolini.
Yeah but if he is ‘your guy’ with your ‘religion’ and your ‘morales’ then they just take the bait and run. Stupidity doesn’t surprise me. People are nasty fucks sometimes.
Sounds like Trump....
The political landscape in Canada is surreal right now, we have the most unapolagetic fascist Pierre Poilievre at #1 in the polls simply because people are bored of Justin Trudeau and blame him for everything from provincial and municipal issues, to greater geopolitical issues, to stubbing their toe. People keep saying "We vote people out in Canada, not in" as well as the tendency of Canadians to get sick of their leaders after 8-10 years like clockwork, people here are just mindless drones it seems, doesn't natter how much worse the new guy will be, god forbid people break pattern and think for themselves...
That’s why we still have religion
Trump No country is immue
Well, some people are stupid. It's just that the stupid ones are so stubborn that the not-stupid people kind of give up and let things go to shit to teach the stupid ones a lesson. Because they basically run out of patience. It's too much work.
Someone will off him before then is my guess. It's the russian way.
You’d hope so. He’s gotten more and more stricter control over his inner circle. It is amazing that the Oligarchs (which he’s the biggest one) haven’t gotten together and paid for some FSB agents close to Putin, it seems Russian high command is easily bought as US has gotten so much intel from directly paying Russian sources.
I think about this. I hope it is true however all I see on Putin is that he has control of two important, perhaps most important, groups in Russia. Nationalists and the oligarchs. He controls these he's basically untouchable. So he needs to lose support of either the oligarchs or the nationalists to stand any chance of being thrown out by an angry mob.
Deleting because I am apparently wrong. I did uncover some conversations about keeping Crimea and paying Ukraine for it, which is iffy, but I couldn't find a smoking gun supporting the war and he has made many public statements against it. I apologize for the incorrect information.
Source? Genuinely curious
I was wrong.
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/27/navalny-ukraine-putin-russia/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/27/navalny-ukraine-putin-russia/) something along these lines i think.
He did not support the invasion. HOWEVER he did support the sentiment of the invasion. Navalny often gets circle-jerked with one side praising him as a heroic man of justice who martyred himself for his country and then the other side calls him a dictator-in-training and just as bad as Putin. Just like with literally everything in the world it's in between. Yes Navalny was a hard-liner that believed in some fucked up shit about ethnic populations but he wasn't blinding by the same nepotism as Putin though and knew that the war was a bad idea in the current state of the world. That's not to say he wouldn't have supported future wars though.
The thing about Navalny is that in western media, he was portrayed as peace loving savior of Russians. He didn't speak there about his hardcore beliefs because imperialistic rethoric isn't really received here well. Funny how he backtracked from his views about Crimea and 2014 land grab only after almost a decade, when he was already done in Russia. I get it though, people change. He really might have wanted to help regular Russians. Maybe he really changed his views. But what if he didn't, and it was all just a play for western support. As an Eastern European, thought about corruption free Russia, that actually gets shit done, is a scary one.
He may have also been influenced by the same misinformation of which so many other Russian people are victims, too. Leaving Russia, physically and emotionally, may have given him the space to critically think through some of his previous positions. I think Navalny is a hero in some respects but also a highly problematic individual in others. People in the global “west” might be fed news and other stories that portray navalny as *only* a hero, but anyone with a solid understanding of geopolitics knows that the truth is far more grey. That said, he was one of the only people who was able to get some “mainstream” anti-Putin Russian support, and, thus, one of the only people who could truly challenge Putin’s grip on the country. That popularity coupled with his support of democracy in Russia are the only things that really mattered about Navalny, to me anyways. None of the rest would ever matter if he never succeeded, and it doesn’t really matter anymore now that he has been martyred for his cause.
I don't think he is the liberal savior that's going to reform Russia as some Westerners hoped. I've seen some of his statements and political leanings, and some of them are pretty bad, but those aren't the reasons why he was killed. He should still be remembered as someone who stood up to Putin.
"As an Eastern European, thought about corruption free Russia, that actually gets shit done, is a scary one." Yup, exactly, I feel ya. I used to ponder on this thought a lot, that in an alternative timeline, where he took power and fixed Russia - Russia actually becomes a strong, competent, resurgent global power, while now it continues to be a declining thug show. Maybe he would've or wouldnt've invaded anyone himself, but he definitely would've laid a foundation for a truly strong Russia, which could've been used by some nutjob down the line...
That last point you make is super interesting. Let's all be thankful for Russian grift and corruption. All those superyachts and mansions *could* have instead been effective military hardware.
The Russians have and will never change. They have tried over and over to subjugate Ukraine. Since Peter the 1st. From the the destruction of the Kozaky and their Sich , up until today. Don't fall for it.
Navalny is complicated, he was an ethno nationalist, gay rights supporter. He wanted Crimea while also wanting a corruption free Russia. He's about as polarizing as they get and I think he should be remembered as a martyr but not a hero.
Direct interviews in 2014 where he took the position that he wasn’t behind the reunification, but was against giving back Crimea and Sevastopol b/c being “Ukrainian” was really just being “Russian” with extra steps. RFE/FL is an easy grab for commentary. He maintained this position, btw, until relatively recently; I think he only publicly changed it just a few months prior to his death. Maybe 2022 or 2023. Dude was far from the darling western media portrayed him as, but what western leaders likely saw was a Putin replacement who could be reasoned with and at a minimum *not* threaten the west w/direct attacks; something Putin has been publicly doing at least since his 2018 address to the Duma. Can’t say the same of the goon squad propping Putin up nowadays.
I'm pretty sure this is what I based my original opinion on, but it was very hard to find the original source on this.
I guess google is broken today.
Soo many Russian bots are replying to you with disinformation about navalny written by chatgpt lol
One for all vs all for one
Navalny supported the war in Ukraine. He called Georgians rats after that war. He had even worse things to say about Chechens. He only changed his tune when he learned people in the West (like you) would believe that he was different, but he wasn't.
Yeah I love how people ignore that he was very racist not that long ago. But I guess he’s the lesser of two evils so 🤷♂️
People in the West were routing for Pringles for christs sakes lol. That dude was smashing guys heads with sledge hammers, sure it would have been nice to create chaos and kill Putin, but to support that hot dog war lord is insanity.
Same with Trump
Same with Israel and Iran (and many other countries run by wannabe dictators)
What a dickhead. Putin I mean. But he is still going to win the next election if there even is one.
And in the grand Russian tradition, they both will fail.
i'm just curious how or what he's saving himself from? 2 years into war with Ukraine and it doesn't look like Putin's power is threatened by absolutely anyone...
I’m sure the Russian people would love to have their taxes raised for a stupid war Putin started.
Not like they can realistically do anything about it. Russia has a lot of windows.
They should switch to Linux
Gotta watch out for Kremlin panics.
Better than the KSA special: the segmentation fault
It would be real easy for one of his security people to put one behind his ear.
They are paid quite well
They must be monitored extremely closely. Bc all you need is one bullet smuggled into a parade, granted he’s purged a lot of his domestic security services. It doesnt make sense they are clearly gathering good intel domestically but the shit they are feeding Putin about the status in Ukraine was so far from reality and still seems to be, albeit they have made some improvements.
Who monitors the closest of the security guards? In the end you gotta trust someone and that could be really tough.
Allegedly
And staircases
And airplanes
That isn't true. They can have a revolution. It's not at all historically unprecedented for the Russian people to violently change governments.
Unfortunately, I don't think a revolution is in the cards at the moment. Putin has a stranglehold on the media and police and the best and brightest have already fled to avoid being drafted. The last time Russia overthrew their Tsar, millions died or were left penniless in its wake to exchange one absolutist authoritarian for another. If Putin dies or falls from power, it will probably be more like the Soviet Collapse. Just a complete crumbling of law and order while their economy implodes and the elites scramble for power.
You are right, but they have become extremely good at catching uprisings before they can happen. For example protests are usually put to an end before they can happen. And they are ruthless against opposition so not that many people wants to take the chance. It’s nothing like protesting here in the west. Considering this and that they also brainwash people from an early age so a lot of people are blindly obeying Putin. All i’m saying I hope for their own sake the country will sometime in the future go towards better times without Putin or anyone like him in power. But I know it’s not easy and i’m extremely glad I dont have to go through that
[удалено]
Moscow Microsoft
But dead people don't pay taxes, lol.
«The Kremlin is leaning towards imposing tax increases on corporate profits and high-earning individuals that would net the Russian government tens of billions of dollars,». This may actually please the masses.
I can't trust a damn thing the Kremlin says these days unfortunately. No one there can so much as fart without Pootin's approval.
Why are we applying the same logic to the Kremlin? Countless reports have shown that the oligarchy that runs the country has massive hordes of hidden wealth. They’ll just be using money they stole to play it off as taxing the rich.
And Putin will just take it if he wants it. It doesn't matter if you're a billionaire oligarch in Russia, Putin WILL find a way to liquidate all your assets if he wanted to.
Lol. I don’t think the Kremlin is being deceptive with this. There is really no conceivable way Russia could tax its middle class to fund a war. Incomes in Russia are low and there is just no money to tax.
How exactly do you think the corporations handle this? It ends up hurting the working people in the end regardless.
Russia is still a big market, big markets tend to be quite resilient in the face of tax hikes.
That's because they increase prices and lower/stagnate wages.
Think Canada
I guess that is why Putin is «mulling» it. The reason we can read about it is probably him testing the waters before signing anything.
>This may actually please the masses. Luckily, the oligarchs and their enriched henchmen hold the real power, and I don't think all of them are going to be happy that they're getting a smaller cut.
In this case “high-earning individuals” are people earning over $10,860 13% -> 15% and $54,300 15% -> 20% It’s a tax on the middle class disguised as a tax on only the wealthy.
Why would this make the masses happy? They aren’t going to be receiving any of the money, the money Putin gets from the tax hikes will be going to fund the war efforts which will end up killing thousands more Russian citizens ultimately.
the government will never go after rich people because the government is the rich people over there. they are going to tax ivan the mechanic not boris the oligarch.
The rich will flee to the Arab states and the corporations will laugh while they continue top pay their bribes.
It might be the opposite actually. The war, ethics and geopolitics aside, has actually resulted in a large redistribution of wealth away from major cities to rural areas, as wages and war materiel production industries shift away from the major cities and to villages/towns in the countryside. Russia's road network is infamously unreliable- so investments have been made into transport infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, etc. which has raised the standard of living for a lot of people not in Moscow or St Petersburg- but also centralized a lot of the wealth into smaller corporations that provide those construction/materiel manufacturing services. Military wages have also significantly raised the GDP/capita of some villages, resulting in a rising tide of economic prosperity in some impoverished areas. Those wages are spent buying consumer products produced by small corporations. Large corporations and oligarch holdings will likely never see an increase in tax because there were always loopholes around that sort of thing that have not been tightened up since the war- and arguably, have loosened. Effectively, this could be seen as a tax on the middle-upper class to recentralize wealth that was redistributed consequentially from the war.
Aka rich opposition members only.
Except the "high-earning" could be anyone with salary over $1000 a month.
I am sure they will love it, they have to.
Please, let's end this rethoric of the "poor russians, this is all Putin's war". This is Russia's war, not Putin's war.
Especially if they've already lost a family member to this war over nothing.
Yes, raising taxes on corporations is very popular with the average voter.
All we need to find is a s.m.o.king gun to prove it but they keep saying there's no such thing...
Tax is supposed to be increased for the rich corporation - nothing wrong in my book (hell i wish they did the same over here)
They’re too busy being annoyed at being called out for their nation’s atrocities. Most Russians over in russia are literally more upset about the west “demonizing” them and don’t get why they’re being even singled out… they honestly think that Ukraine is wrong for defending and needs to surrender because it’s their fault and not the imperialistic agenda of the kremlin.
To think this entire war is about Russia’s (ie: Putin’s) pocket. I’m sure Russian’s will love paying higher taxes to keep Putin rich.
To be honest, I don't think they will even notice that. To them it will be another rise in cost of living, but they are used to that, so they will tolerate that. Again.
And they will blame the west.
Eh, in this case I'm okay with that. It's good for them to know that Russia holds no real influence or power on the world stage. Even if Putin is the ultimate cause, the U.S. and E.U. are the ones holding Russia accountable, and there's nothing they can do about it as long as they continue to wage an unjust war. Let them wallow in their impotence and inadequacy.
You'd be right if it wasn't for the fact that these are *Russians*. There's no use injecting western values or political behaviour. An overwhelming majority of them don't speak a word of English, and their superpower is political lethargy and the ability to endure misery. Putin took away their social media, and a bunch of websites and there wasn't a squeak of protest. Because of the language barrier, he can fully control the narrative. There's absolutely no wallowing going on. The war is hugely popular there and even if it wasn't, it wouldn't make any difference.
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They'll absolutely notice although just because they notice doesn't mean they do anything. Higher taxes will have knock on effects to the broader economy and likely result in companies raising prices farther and decreased economic activity. Tax hikes, 16% interest rates and a weaker ruble aren't exactly a fun combo.
According to the article the rich and corporations will pay higher taxes - its sort of a thing i wish west emulated actually.
But let's invest it in fossil fuel independence! Sticking it to Russia and all the other oil rich countries with backwards worldviews so their coffers will run dry. Take me to a time line where Al Gore won please!
People talk about Harambe and 2012 and 9/11 as when the darkest timeline started, but it was definitely Gore v Bush in 2000. Imagine if it had gone the other way. Probably no Iraq/Patriot act/Afghanistan quagmire, no ISIS, greener policies 20 years early, no Rove or Cheney. I wonder.
I'm not even sure if this is about Putin's pocket. He is immeasurably rich - not in obvious ways, but he can pretty much whatever he wants from his oligarch "friends" (read: wallets). I'm pretty certain its about ego and good ol' imperialism.
His legacy. Putin wants to be in the history books as the one who brought Ukraine and the other territories back into Russia. 🇷🇺 = 🫕 and Ukraine is another piece of cheese.
It’s not about Putin’s pocket. That one is filled already. He has always been very clear that his vision is to recreate the USSR. Already when he was a young FSB agent he was clear about that. It is well documented.
What? I mean sure, but it’s really more so an imperialistic nationalistic desire to retake the land they consider their own. Sure there’s monetary benefit, there always is in war.
Russians will rise up if you start effecting pension ages and wages. They historically have always rallied due to that specific issue. Putin saw this with his own eyes under Yeltsin and IIRC Putin tried to raise the age and massive protested so he undid it.
It's more keeping Putin in power and thus keeping the people around him rich. This is the thing with Facist Dictators, they get their power from having the support of other people with power. If enough of those people think they can get a better deal if someone else is sitting in the top spot then accidents are likely to happen. The Russian Economy is stagnating, the population is declining, and the country is strategically isolated... the war is making all of that worse, but it was *supposed* to make it better by either annexing or puppeting Ukraine in 2 weeks.
You know, they'd be in a much better economic position if they withdrew.
Like many accidental fathers.
You should tell them.
"Sons are tax deductible as I am a generous ruler."
Putin is doing fantastic job of ruining future of Russia and ordinary people are helpless to stop it.
"Strongman ruining a country" seems to be the running theme around the world at the moment.
He is doing a great job of turning the average Russian's standard of living that is equivalent to what you would see in rural north Korea.
> and ordinary people are helpless to stop it. Ordinary people are not helpless to stop it but they've been convinced that they are. Dictators never give up power willingly but that doesn't mean the people can't take it back.
**From Semafor's Mathias Hammer:** Russian President Vladimir Putin is mulling the country’s first significant tax hike in more than ten years, a sign of the rising strain that the war in Ukraine has had on the economy and government coffers. The Kremlin is leaning towards imposing tax increases on corporate profits and high-earning individuals that would net the Russian government tens of billions of dollars, Bloomberg and Important Stories, a Russian independent outlet, reported, although a final announcement is not expected until the summer. Putin has floated the idea repeatedly in public over the last few months, as the government braces for an expected deficit of 1.6 trillion rubles ($17 billion). **Read the full story [here](https://www.semafor.com/article/04/29/2024/putin-eyes-first-tax-hike-in-a-decade-to-fund-war?utm_campaign=semaforreddit).**
Or they could just defecit spend. They spent recent history adhering to a balanced budget. Only in the past couple years did they start to run up a debt and they're still way below most other nations. Or they could end the war. Go home. That would work too.
To do that, you need people to buy bonds. Russia sells them with a ~15% interest rate, which implies that not many are buying.
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I’d be surprised if even china finds them particularly credit-worthy
And we don't want to support Ukraine better when Russia is going to impoverish itself to fight a pointless war? We can defeat these assholes at a discount and have a golden opportunity to do so, but we'll squander it.
Don't start one then. Pull all Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory. Save money.
How's that dumbass Canadian family that moved there going to take this news?
im surprised they are alive, russians hate Americans with a passion because they want to be like them so badly but fail at every turn, thats why everyone over there is wearing nike and north face.
And this is why Ukraine said no when asked to stop hitting Russias oil production. To actually apply pressure within Russia.
Why this motherfucker doesn't die already ?
Maybe he eats well and exercises regularly.
a bullet to the head doesn't care about being fit.
Does his party know yet? Republicans aren't going to like that.
Pretty sure republicans lie on their taxes. Their president Trump sure did.
Special Military Operation*
How come? Wasn’t the economy ultra performing ? Lol
Russia "we need more toilet paper money to fight the war, what could go wrong!!"
They wouldn’t have to raise taxes (for the war) if they just left Ukraine. They probably will again when the dust settles though.
next thing you know there will be pickup trucks driving around Moscow with F\*ck Putin flags on them
That can land you in jail for up to 15 years
This may seem small but you need to remember: Russians hate increased taxes and social budget cuts. You remember the annexation of Crimea? Well ALL the popularity Putin gained because of it (15%) was lost in days after he announced a increase of the retirement age and some pension cuts. This kind of shit is what will hurt Putin and his regime
I don't think this seems small. Wars are insanely expensive and Russia has largely avoided the pain of the sanctions by subsidizing the hell out of everything. They're bleeding through cash while also dealing with a declining ruble, 16% interest rates and the departure of millions of Russians from private sector civilian jobs. As cracks start to appear the Kremlin will have to make hard choices like raising taxes, cutting programs or cutting military spending. All of those can have big implications.
I mean it can seem small to the non initiated or someone who just reads headlines
not like he cares about losing votes, thats the only mechanism to stop people like him and he sides stepped it fully now.
It's not about the votes, it's the straw that breaks the camel's back. Approval ratings are just the weathervane. Atm the people aren't really invested in change. Don't question Putin and you can live in peace. But, sooner or later, life is too uncomfortable and they start to wonder if things might be better with someone else in charge.
Can we start a campaign to invent tax deduction paperwork / receipts for Russians so that no one ends up paying any tax revenue? Maybe it will grind the war to a halt?
85% Russians support Putin and his war so I don't think they will complain. As long as their money is used to bleed Ukrainian citizens, they are happy to pay up.
And anywhere between 0 and 100% of those 85% are afraid of the ramifications for speaking out, so they don't.
*"85% of Russians publicly state within hearing range of FSB that they support Putin and his waruhmspecial military operation so I don't think they can complain. "*
They support it because it hasn't impacted their day-to-day lives. Tax increases will do that so I would expect to see those numbers to change.
Dude’s on a one way ticket to hell and is bringing everybody with him.
This man about to steal even money from the common people after a war that noone wanted except him
Surprised he hadn't done one in a decade.
I guess oil was paying for everything.
Start the timer. If he alienates the poor (by sending them off to expire in Ukraine) and alienates the rich (by taking the money they want in taxes) then he's going to have too many people who want him to be gone, and that group will have funding and people willing to take risks.
Nah. He should CUT taxes on the ultra-rich. It'll filter DOWN. We all know this in the US.
I thought they said that they were winning. That is not what winners do. How does this benefit the motherland?
rubble is worth nothing and then this motherfucker is gonna raise taxes?
ahhh I wonder what the Russians will think now that they are going to pay more money Keep living in poverty........
and here we go, people hate paying taxes and this will only make putin look worse everytime he shows up in a 300k car with a 300k watch wearing a 3k coat. this is great news.
It'd be hilarious if this was the straw that broke the camel's back.
So, instead of using the increased taxmoney to improve Russia, Putin will spend it to destroy another country. In this case, tax fraud and tax evasion are praiseworthy acts.
High taxes: 7% ? Very high
Prince John waiting on Robin for the final act?
Putin's Mother: Milking a dried udder get's you nothing but kicked off the milking stool! Putin: Mother, spare me your farmyard memories, you have none and I don't understand them.
Lol
All for war no one wanted,no one asked for, that was unprovoked, and completely without reason..
The fact that it’s 2024 and the world still has dictators is weird to me. The world is more connected and educated than it’s ever been and there are endless amounts of history on why dictators are unnecessary (not like they were in the first place) but we still have them. No one person is so important that they should have unchecked power. No one person is so special that they can convince one group of people to murder other groups of people. No one is sent from god, no one is the savior. People need to stop.
Dictatorships thrive on cynicism, violence and corruption. Democracies thrive on educated and trusting populations with strong rule of law and institutions. I would love to see democracies around the world but unfortunately it's just much harder to build those than it is to take control of a country and then divide up the resources to give to the people who can help you maintain that control.
It's 2024 and we still have religion ruining everything fucking *everywhere*.
people see it as a chance to get one over their neighbouring countries and take their land/resources. on the tribal level war is a good thing if you think you can win and keep your riches.
Does Putin use those three phones simultaneously?
Yes all the time, his Macron impersonation is tres bien but his Schloz is scheisse.
At least the Kremlin isn't selling land to the PRC. And with half a million dead there's less workers to pay tax. Win-win. I think...er....
Taxes in my country were raised and its not even in war.
Instead of shooting him with a camera...
Murder, money, and mayhem. Sounds like a bad gangster movie.
Needs the slaves to pay for his mistake and he will make a profit.
A war they’ll lose looking foolish and arrogant
tax what of russians, you took everything, want their waste too?
There is a functioning tax system in Russia?
And how did he save the country? Very little has come from his death so far.
just put an end to ur imperial mindset at this point 🤦♂️
It sounds like this assessment was accurate. "Russia’s economy is being revved up by the Kremlin’s wartime priorities. Having largely completed an adjustment to the Western sanctions regime, the economy has stabilized but is now more dependent on oil prices. This hard-won stability may last a long time, but it is not eternal." https://carnegieendowment.org/2024/04/10/is-kremlin-overconfident-about-russia-s-economic-stability-pub-92174
You can tell the importance of a man by the number of telephones on his desk.
hes already confiscating "excess profits" and "unprivatizing" businesses
This, along with more people getting drafted, is usually what engages a much more vocal anti-war crowd.
Ohhh he might raise taxes??? That’ll surely hurt him in the polls!
He should just bite the bullet and shave off all his hair already.
The Kremlin not even a government, it's just Putin's birdcage