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[Tacitus_]

The government as a whole probably isn't compromised, it's just that the Minister of Defense has access to a lot of classified NATO intel simply because Greece is a NATO country. That's extremely concerning if he has a habit of buddying up with Russian ultranationalists.

Ah, didn't think of it like that. That could be a big security risk indeed.

 

[Osiris]

The government as a whole probably isn't compromised, it's just that the Minister of Defense has access to a lot of classified NATO intel simply because Greece is a NATO country. That's extremely concerning if he has a habit of buddying up with Russian ultranationalists.

He's newly appointed after a new administration gained power, there's not a hope he has access to anything of note before he's vetted by NATO in general, just because he's a minister for a member nation doesn't mean that NATO's own vetting and procedures go out the window, information is still shared only on a need to know, and trusted to know basis.

You think Turkey is currently getting all the gossip and intel from NATO currently given their reputed links inside their administration to ISIS? - Again, not a chance.

People forget how old NATO as an organization is, they've been playing the world politics game for longer than some members have been recognized as countries.

 

[kess]

Oh, if anyone wants some fun history to read up on, I'd suggest reading about the Greek minority in Crimea.

 

[Nivash]

He's newly appointed after a new administration gained power, there's not a hope he has access to anything of note before he's vetted by NATO in general, just because he's a minister for a member nation doesn't mean that NATO's own vetting and procedures go out the window, information is still shared only on a need to know, and trusted to know basis.

You think Turkey is currently getting all the gossip and intel from NATO currently given their reputed links inside their administration to ISIS? - Again, not a chance.

People forget how old NATO as an organization is, they've been playing the world politics game for longer than some members have been recognized as countries.

True, he obviously wouldn't have access to the most sensitive information. I'm just concerned that the information he would have to have access to is bad enough. Then again I'm sure you're right, this can't be the first time NATO has had misgivings about a member state. I'm sure there are firewalls in place.

 

[chadskin]

Opinion piece from:
Steven Pifer is a senior fellow at the Brookings Insitution and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Strobe Talbott is the president of the Brookings Institution. He served as deputy U.S. secretary of state from 1994 to 2001.

Ukraine needs America’s help

First, the White House and Congress must commit serious money to Ukraine’s defense: $1 billion in military assistance this fiscal year, followed by an additional $1 billion each in fiscal year 2016 and 2017. Congress should not only authorize assistance, as it did in the Ukraine Freedom Support Act last year, but also appropriate funds.

Second, the U.S. government should alter its policy and begin providing lethal assistance to Ukraine. To be sure, most of the above funds would go to nonlethal assistance. For example, the Ukrainian army desperately needs counter-battery radars to pinpoint the source of enemy rocket and artillery fire, which cause about 70 percent of Ukrainian casualties.

But the Ukrainians also need some defensive arms, particularly light anti-armor weapons. The antitank missiles in the Ukrainian inventory are more than 20 years old, and a large proportion of them do not work. U.S. anti-armor weapons could fill a crucial gap.

Third, the U.S. government should approach other NATO member states about assisting Ukraine, particularly those countries that operate former Soviet equipment and weapons systems compatible with Ukraine’s hardware. If the United States moves to provide lethal assistance, we believe that some other NATO countries will do so as well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...2b1ea4-a71b-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html

Calls for additional support to Ukraine are seemingly getting louder in the US.

 

[brian577]

Opinion piece from:
Steven Pifer is a senior fellow at the Brookings Insitution and a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Strobe Talbott is the president of the Brookings Institution. He served as deputy U.S. secretary of state from 1994 to 2001.

Ukraine needs America’s help

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...2b1ea4-a71b-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html

Calls for additional support to Ukraine are seemingly getting louder in the US.

Fools stoking war. It's all about money.

 

[pgtl_10]

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/ukraine-exposed-kievs-authoritarianism-12151

 

[pgtl_10]

Also, let's not forget Russia's occupation of Georgia territory in 2008, namely South Ossetia and Transnistria.

That war is Georgia's fault. EU report acknowledged it.

 

[Soyongdori]

Also, let's not forget Russia's occupation of Georgia territory in 2008, namely South Ossetia and Transnistria.

Oh yeah, poor Georgia. They first invade another sovereign territory then expect to be seen as victims when Russia came crashing down on them.

 

[Kabouter]

Oh yeah, poor Georgia. They first invade another sovereign territory then expect to be seen as victims when Russia came crashing down on them.

A quick google seems to indicate that the last time Georgia invaded another sovereign state was during the wars of Queen Tamar. Or do you believe that in engaging in the Chechen Wars, Russia was illegally invading another sovereign state, and the international community should have launched an invasion of Russia in response?

 

[Polari]

A quick google seems to indicate that the last time Georgia invaded another sovereign state was during the wars of Queen Tamar.

Saakashvili got eyes bigger than his stomach and bought all that down on Georgia's head. The arrangement in place wasn't perfect, but relatively stable at least.

 

[Kabouter]

Saakashvili got eyes bigger than his stomach and bought all that down on Georgia's head. The arrangement in place wasn't perfect, but relatively stable at least.

I certainly agree the move was unwise to say the least, but the idea that a state can't use its military to protect its own territorial integrity that is being expressed here is one that Russia certainly doesn't share, nor do very many other states.

 

[Polari]

I certainly agree the move was unwise to say the least, but the idea that a state can't use its military to protect its own territorial integrity that is being expressed here is one that Russia certainly doesn't share, nor do very many other states.

I guess it hinges on whether you consider those territories to be Georgian. In terms of international recognition, sure. Using South Ossetia as the example, it could be argued though that as the majority of the population isn't ethnically Georgian, and only became nationally Georgian as a result of the break-up of the USSR, and as it had been under de-facto separatist control since 1992, Georgia's claim is tenuous.

 

[Kabouter]

I guess it hinges on whether you consider those territories to be Georgian. In terms of international recognition, sure. Using South Ossetia as the example, it could be argued though that as the majority of the population isn't ethnically Georgian, and only became nationally Georgian as a result of the break-up of the USSR, and as it had been under de-facto separatist control since 1992, Georgia's claim is tenuous.

And that's a fair position, but only if people are consistent in being the same way with regard to for instance Chechnya.

 

[antonz]

Crimea was Ethnically tartar until Russia brutally murdered or forced deported the population. What claim does Russia have there?

Russia is a master at this bullshit. Flood a region with Ethnic Russians who have no ties to the area then cry bloody murder about the oppression of the poor Russians.

 

[ICKE]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v6Jw9rsWCE#t=

It is all just so frustrating, how people can be susceptible to such misrepresentations and personality worship. You can always make excuses, how the government in Kiev is doing XYZ but that doesn't remove what has happened in Russia. A bunch of crooks are running the country to the ground, not even wanting to modernize the country because then you lose control and profit margins (even if the price of oil continues to decrease).

Maybe this twit could make a song how Putin's daughter has received benefits without any merits but the media refuses to even talk about it - for fear of retribution or for whatever nepotic reason.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v6Jw9rsWCE#t=

It is all just so frustrating, how people can be susceptible to such misrepresentations and personality worship. You can always make excuses, how the government in Kiev is doing XYZ but that doesn't remove what has happened in Russia. A bunch of crooks are running the country to the ground, not even wanting to modernize the country because then you lose control and profit margins (even if the price of oil continues to decrease).

Maybe this twit could make a song how Putin's daughter has received benefits without any merits but the media refuses to even talk about it - for fear of retribution or for whatever nepotic reason.

Jesus Christ, the end of that song. "Of course we're going to run after him. He's Putin!"

Truly brainwashed.

 

[EricTheCleric]

Crimea was Ethnically tartar until Russia brutally murdered or forced deported the population. What claim does Russia have there?

Russia is a master at this bullshit. Flood a region with Ethnic Russians who have no ties to the area then cry bloody murder about the oppression of the poor Russians.

Latgalia is an interesting area to keep your eyes on regarding this.

 

[Moon]

Are you refering to the Latgale region in Latvia?

There is already rumbles of becoming their own state and have been for quite some time, they actually are a 'different' people to Latvians and have their own language already.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Crimea was Ethnically tartar until Russia brutally murdered or forced deported the population. What claim does Russia have there?

Do you have any idea or concept of history? The tatars of crimea were slavers that preyed upon The Steppe and Eastern Europe for centuries. This annual "Harvest" supplied the whorehouses, labour camps and jannissary corps of the ottoman empire with it's insatiable appetite for white meat. What claim do they have? Endemic warfare, victory in battle and finally conquest after Ivan the Terrible began the Russian process of smashing the Khanates piece by piece.

 

[| Praxis |]

The recent Vice video was so depressing, the part where the guy said he'd have to drown that poor old dog because his master was killed really made me sad. I'm such a hypocrite, the human suffering doesn't really register with me but as soon as an animal is hurt I turn into a big softy.

 

[chadskin]

OSCE blames separatists for failed Ukraine talks in Minsk

Vienna (dpa) - At least 20 people were killed and 40 others injured in eastern Ukraine in the 24 hours since peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Minsk stalled, the military and separatist leaders said on Sunday.

Military spokesman Vladimir Polevoi said that 13 soldiers were killed and 20 other military personnel injured, while separatist leaders said that seven civilians had been killed and at least 20 injured in the restive eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The news comes after pro-Russian separatist envoys present at talks in Minsk effectively blocked the negotiations and sought to revise a previous ceasefire deal, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said.

"They were not even prepared to discuss implementation of a ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons," said the Serbian Foreign Ministry, which currently chairs the OSCE.

The Vienna-based OSCE is part of the so-called contact group which also includes representatives of Ukraine and Russia and was created to work towards resolving the conflict in the country's east.

The talks' long-delayed latest round, held Saturday in the Belarusian capital, were fruitless.

The separatist envoys from the eastern Ukraine were not in a position to discuss a proposal put forward by the trilateral group to implement a ceasefire agreed upon in September but not observed, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said.

Instead, the separatist representatives called for a revision of that ceasefire, the OSCE chairman said.

Also on Sunday, Kiev residents mounted a protest outside the Russian embassy to demonstrate what they perceive as Moscow's role in the death of 31 people during a rocket attack in a residential area in Mariupol last month, the Tass news agency reported.

Moscow blames the Ukrainian government for the casualties.

http://www.dpa-international.com/ne...failed-ukraine-talks-in-minsk-a-44004731.html

 

[chadskin]

Hollande, Merkel, Poroshenko urge 'immediate' Ukraine ceasefire

Paris (AFP) - French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Sunday called for "an immediate ceasefire" in eastern Ukraine, the French presidency said, a day after the latest truce talks collapsed.

Speaking by phone to discuss a surge in deadly fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels, the three leaders also expressed their regret for "the failure of the talks" in Minsk on Saturday, the Elysee palace said.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/holla...ge-immediate-ukraine-ceasefire-175057750.html

 

[kess]

VICE: Russia Awards Lucrative Crimea Bridge Contract to Putin's Crony

The Russian government has contracted Vladimir Putin's childhood friend and judo partner to build a vital $3.3 billion bridge connecting the annexed peninsula of Crimea with mainland Russia.

No public tender was held for the project. Instead, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev appointed Stroygazmontazh, a company controlled by billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, as the contractor in an order published Friday. According to Rotenberg, the government considered more than 70 builders, but the only other builder known to be interested in the project was Gennady Timchenko, another Kremlin-connected billionaire.

Rotenberg studied judo with Putin as a child and later became an instructor in the martial art, serving as the future president's sparring partner in the 1990s. Since Rotenberg founded Stroygazmontazh in 2007, it has become one of the largest construction companies in the world, building several large gas pipelines. This will be the company's first bridge project.

 

[chadskin]

VICE: Russia Awards Lucrative Crimea Bridge Contract to Putin's Crony

But but but ...

Rotenberg told the Financial Times in an interview published in November [2012] that while he values Putin’s friendship, he’d never abuse it for personal gain.
“I have great respect for this person and I consider that this is a person sent to our country from God,” the newspaper cited Rotenberg as saying about Putin.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...dy-gets-7-billion-of-deals-for-sochi-olympics

 

[chadskin]

So, things are indeed getting serious now.

U.S. Considers Supplying Arms to Ukraine Forces, Officials Say

With Russian-backed separatists pressing their attacks in Ukraine, NATO’s military commander, Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, now supports providing defensive weapons and equipment to Kiev’s beleaguered forces, and an array of administration and military officials appear to be edging toward that position, American officials said Sunday.

President Obama has made no decisions on providing such lethal assistance. But after a series of striking reversals that Ukraine’s forces have suffered in recent weeks, the Obama administration is taking a fresh look at the question of military aid.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who plans to visit Kiev on Thursday, is open to new discussions about providing lethal assistance, as is Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials said. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who is leaving his post soon, backs sending defensive weapons to the Ukrainian forces.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/02/world/us-taking-a-fresh-look-at-arming-kiev-forces.html

 

[Moon]

Why can't America just take a leaf out of Russias bullshit lies book and say something along the lines of

"Well yes we sold Ukraine some weapons...we had a fire sale on Javelin missiles and also had a couple M1's we didnt need...yeah it was 5 bucks each item...so what?"

 

[Nivash]

I'm not sure how much of a difference light anti-tank weapons would really make on the strategic level, but the results could be interesting from a tech perspective. There's been somewhat of a debate (granted, mainly among arm-chair generals on the internet, but in more serious circles as well) about just how much of an increase in capability the new top-attack ATGM's represent against modern armor with full passive and active countermeasures, like the Russian T-72B3. Western militaries are hopeful that they will overpower the defenses any modern tank - as made evident in, for instance, the recent sale of more Javelin's to Lithuania - but the Russians are trying to counter it with more and better ERA on the turret and new active countermeasures like Arena-E. It's the age-old sword vs shield debate and we won't know the answer before it's tested in combat.

On the diplomatic level this is much larger than mere military considerations. Until now NATO and the US - despite claims from Russia of the contrary - have remained passive in the conflict. If we start providing Ukraine with lethal aid we enter a completely new phase. At that point, it's possible to make a legitimate argument that the US is engaging in a proxy war with Russia, one very similar to the Soviet War in Afghanistan in fact. I'm not personally against that considering that Ukraine needs all the help it can get, but it could represent a serious escalation and I'm hoping the White House is very cautious about this and has a good understanding of the possible fallout.

 

[Valhelm]

Do you have any idea or concept of history? The tatars of crimea were slavers that preyed upon The Steppe and Eastern Europe for centuries. This annual "Harvest" supplied the whorehouses, labour camps and jannissary corps of the ottoman empire with it's insatiable appetite for white meat. What claim do they have? Endemic warfare, victory in battle and finally conquest after Ivan the Terrible began the Russian process of smashing the Khanates piece by piece.

This is horribly sensationalist and false. Saying that the Ottomans had an "insatiable appetite of white meat" is ludicrous, as the Ottoman elite did not see them as ethnically distinct from the people of Crimea. The deciding factor in Ottoman society was religion, then culture. Ethnicity wasn't important. Most Ottoman Emperors had more European than Middle-Eastern heritage.

And the ethnocultural history of Crimea is very complex. Tatars have been living in the area since before the Slavs or the Mongols came to the region, with groups like the Khazars and Cumans holding the peninsula for centuries. Even during these times, there were constant pockets of Greek, Gothic, and Slavic settlement. Until the 20th century, Crimea was mostly Turkic. While many Tatars were involved in the slave trade, the same could be said of many Portuguese or English people during that timeframe.

 

[ICKE]

Footage from a TSN-television channel :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jci5ymxwfBw

Heavy fighting in Debaltseve but it is hard to find reliable information as to who is gaining ground and how many soldiers have died.

http://conflictreport.info/2015/01/30/the-beginning-of-the-end-russian-forces-storm-vuhlehirsk/ There are lots of interesting sources, this is worth a read even though using language like "Russian forces" is not necessarily accurate..The situation looks really grim for Ukrainian troops.

 

[antonz]

Russia Solved its dead coming home in Trucks marked 200 problem. Those pesky mothers wanting to know about their missing children or at the very least why they came home dead. A sign casualties are starting to mount too

 

[freakzilla149]

Fools stoking war. It's all about money.

whatever their motivation may be, it still seems more assistance to Ukraine makes sense from a western (NATO/EU/US) geopolitical viewpoint. Regardless of Ukraine, it seems the military industrial complex has no thought of winding down business anyway.

 

[Outcome]

Russia Solved its dead coming home in Trucks marked 200 problem. Those pesky mothers wanting to know about their missing children or at the very least why they came home dead. A sign casualties are starting to mount too

The pics you had posted are the photos from the WEB-site of the developer:
http://turmalin.ru/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=79
It is advertizing.

First time I heard about it from seps in 2014. They reported that they saw a few mobile crematorium in the UA forces. This is the news from October 2014 from seps.

But, no one (neither seps nor Ukrs) got any proofs (in field pics of this stuff).

UPDATE:
video from the village Nikishino recently taken by seps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z3Q-Q3_cco

Pretty much destroyed everything.

 

[archnemesis]

BBC | Ukraine rebel leader Zakharchenko 'to raise 100,000 men'

Incoming reinforcements from Russia?

 

[mercenar1e]

BBC | Ukraine rebel leader Zakharchenko 'to raise 100,000 men'

Incoming reinforcements from Russia?

yeah its only going to get worse for the Ukrainians.

 

[Nivash]

BBC | Ukraine rebel leader Zakharchenko 'to raise 100,000 men'

Incoming reinforcements from Russia?

100,000 men would represent almost a third of the entire Russian ground force and at least two thirds of the Western Military District so I think it's safe to assume that - Russian reinforcements or not - that Zakharchenko is delusional. I doubt Russia would commit that many men even in a full blown invasion of Ukraine considering that it would leave their vital western border critically undermanned.

Of course, even mustering a tenth of that number would greatly swing the balance of forces in favor of the separatists, so it's still bad.

 

[iceatcs]

100,000 men would represent almost a third of the entire Russian ground force and at least two thirds of the Western Military District so I think it's safe to assume that - Russian reinforcements or not - that Zakharchenko is delusional. I doubt Russia would commit that many men even in a full blown invasion of Ukraine considering that it would leave their vital western border critically undermanned.

Of course, even mustering a tenth of that number would greatly swing the balance of forces in favor of the separatists, so it's still bad.

I think it is doable, there are million of Russian youth unemployment (will do any for money - for their krokodil or vodka habit) can be hired and training to ready within 2 months.
And of course with some Russian Army and "volunteers" too.

 

[Outcome]

there are million of Russian youth unemployment (will do any for money - for their krokodil or vodka habit)

Alcoholics riding bears and playing balalaika. You are really stuck in the early 1900s in respect of the prejudices about russians.

 

[ClosingADoor]

I think it is doable, there are million of Russian youth unemployment (will do any for money - for their krokodil or vodka habit) can be hired and training to ready within 2 months.
And of course with some Russian Army and "volunteers" too.

That's still a pretty big operation to train a 100.000 people and arm them. I think we can safely assume there will not be a 100.000 Russians crossing the border anytime soon.

Probably Russia will deliver more soldiers, but not in those amounts.

 

[Outcome]

Mikheil Saakashvili, who is evading from Georgian prosecutor's in the USA, has confirmed that he is applying for a job vacancy of Head of anti-corruption bureau of Ukraine.

Seems like US finally found a place where they can dump this guy to.

 

[TacticalFox88]

That's still a pretty big operation to train a 100.000 people and arm them. I think we can safely assume there will not be a 100.000 Russians crossing the border anytime soon.

Probably Russia will deliver more soldiers, but not in those amounts.

It really isn't.

You should check out the USA's military history Post German invasion of Poland and Pre-Pearl Harbor.

We made some fucking miracles happen.

 

[raphier]

confirmed
.

That website is like BuzzFeed, in that there are plenty of clickbait links. Can we get a secondary sources?

 

[ClosingADoor]

It really isn't.

You should check out the USA's military history Post German invasion of Poland and Pre-Pearl Harbor.

We made some fucking miracles happen.

Sure, which was a major thing to do. But 100.000 people with no military experience need to get some training. That will require some time (depending on how much you want / need them trained). Then the arming (weapons are around enough, but still) and getting them to and over the border.

I'm just saying, this will not be something that can go unnoticed and be disregarded by the Kremlin like they do now with their involvement. It will be an actual full scale invasion then (if it isn't already...).

 

[Outcome]

That website is like BuzzFeed, in that there are plenty of clickbait links. Can we get a secondary sources?

According to the site censor.net.ua he gave them an interview. I wasn't digging hard to check its credibility, I only ensured that is not russian propaganda site which I'm always accused of on this thread.

UPDATE: According to the wiki this site is pretty popular in Ukraine with HQ in Kiev. Almost 20 million users a month. Also, wiki says that Turchynov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, supervises this site (unofficially).

 

[archnemesis]

The NATO Deputy Secretary General, Alexander Vershbow, giving a speech to the Nobel Institute in Oslo, on 2 February 2015, said “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not an isolated incident, but a game-changer in European security. It reflects an evolving pattern of behavior that has been emerging for several years, despite our efforts to reach out to Russia and build a cooperative European security system with Russia.”

He called on Russia to de-escalate the situation and to stop sending weapons and supplies to the rebels and to pull its soldiers and advisors our of Eastern Ukraine. He said Russia “cannot select the rules it wants to obey and ignore the others.” In the longer run, he said, the strategy had to be one of patience and consistency.

“We must stay united, stay firm and increase the costs to Russia of its aggression. Over time, Russia will see that it is in its own best interests to return to a policy of cooperation – but only if we show it, that we take our principles seriously.”

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_117068.htm?selectedLocale=en

 

[Resident_UA]

I think it is doable, there are million of Russian youth unemployment (will do any for money - for their krokodil or vodka habit) can be hired and training to ready within 2 months.
And of course with some Russian Army and "volunteers" too.

Alcoholics riding bears and playing balalaika. You are really stuck in the early 1900s in respect of the prejudices about russians.

What? How? Are you in denial? How can you not know that alcoholism is a huge problem in Russia?! Just look at any statistic (provided by your country): life expectancy, alcohol consumption, average income, etc. Watch the video below. Sure, it's Ukrainian propaganda from your perspective, BUT there's no denial it was shot in Russia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCkz9j-4lwA

And yes, Ukraine has the same problem. I'm not denying it. It's a problem in the army too and it's widely acknowledged in Ukraine. I guess that's the main difference between us - Ukrainians don't deny reality, just because it makes us feel better.

 

[iceatcs]

Alcoholics riding bears and playing balalaika. You are really stuck in the early 1900s in respect of the prejudices about russians.

It is pretty much how I view it as stereotype. I always thought Far Eastern EU/Russia must have a large of number of crime/slavs, alcoholics or addictions.
It is same as opposite example, which there are some Russian's look at EU people are full of racists, fascists or homosexuals.

Hope one day, we might change the view. Maybe some exchange trips, like Moscow/Paris.

 

[Outcome]

Clutch between Ukraine military officials and battalion Aidar near Ministry of Defense of Ukraine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk-JV7YZX24#t=82

As I know, Aidar battalion is about to get disbanded. Solders of Aidar are meeting near DoD, burning tiers and trying to assault DoD (unsuccessfully).

INFO on Aidar from wiki:

Aidar Battalion is a Territorial Defense Battalion of Ukraine, a volunteer military detachment of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. The battalion is currently fighting in the war in Eastern Ukraine, and has roughly 400 members. In 2014, Amnesty International and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) accused the battalion of human rights abuses.

 

[Resident_UA]

It is pretty much how I view it as stereotype. I always thought Far Eastern EU/Russia must have a large of number of crime/slavs, alcoholics or addictions.
It is same as opposite example, which there are some Russian's look at EU people are full of racists, fascists or homosexuals.

Hope one day, we might change the view. Maybe some exchange trips, like Moscow/Paris.

Dude, I'm from Ukraine and I've been to Russia. Alcoholism is a huge problem in Ukraine and in Russia. Just because outcome is denying it it does not mean it does not exist.

The main wikipedia article on Russia is probably the only one that mentions deaths from alcohol poisoning.

 

[Outcome]

Dude, I'm from Ukraine and I've been to Russia. Alcoholism is a huge problem in Ukraine and in Russia. Just because outcome is denying it it does not mean it does not exist.

Man, Iceatcs almost literally said that one million of russian alcoholics can go to war to Ukraine for a bottle of vodka.

Yes, I deny it. And, yes, it is also not like that (as Iceatcs said) in Ukraine, where I've been a lot of times visiting my grandparents.

UPDATE: pictures of Aidar battalion attacking Ukraine Ministry (Department) of Defense:

gettin some shower