this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
692 points (97.5% liked)

World News

39335 readers
2704 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared his personal income for the first time since the outbreak of war with Russia, as part of his effort to increase transparency in his government.

In 2021, the year before Russia invaded Ukraine, Zelenskiy and his family reported income of 10.8 million hryvnia ($285,000), down 12 million hryvnia from the previous year, even as his income was boosted by the sale of $142,000 of government bonds, according to a statement on his website.

In 2022, the first year of the Russian invasion, the Zelenskiy family’s income fell further to 3.7 million hryvnia as he earned less income from renting real estate he owned because of the hostilities.

Even as the war allowed Ukrainian officials to withhold revealing sensitive personal information, Zelenskiy pushed to make them publicly declare assets. Increasing transparency and tackling graft are necessary for his country to ensure continued financial aid from its western allies, even as more than $100 billion of funds are held up due to political maneuvering inside US and EU.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 198 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Bruh everything about zelenksy is fucking incredible. What a guy

[–] june 50 points 10 months ago (5 children)

I think we’re gonna learn some things about him after this war is over that we won’t like. He’s doing great as a war time president, but no one is this squeaky clean.

[–] eek2121 58 points 10 months ago (1 children)

…and that is okay. He is still doing an incredible job and is an incredible public figure.

Nobody is perfect, nor do they have to be.

[–] june 9 points 10 months ago

Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more.

I just see a lot of people putting him on a pedestal that are probably gonna be let down some day.

[–] Viking_Hippie 35 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

True.

For example Churchill: great wartime PM, but also very much an anti-worker free market believing imperialist who actively fought against both independence for and immigration from the British colonies. People tend to only remember the first part, though.

[–] FlyingSquid 11 points 10 months ago

My dad, who was a socialist until the day he died, told me proudly about how he booed Churchill when Churchill came to visit his high school after the war, but when he was still PM. He was Jewish, so he appreciated Churchill's war leadership that kept the Nazis from invading, but otherwise thought he was a shit leader.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And wasn’t he kinda known for being a drunk? (Still one of the most quotable people in recent history)

[–] AnUnusualRelic 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Nobody really cares about that part though.

[–] Zron 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Bring the leader of a country during WW2 happens to be a great excuse for alcoholism

[–] AnUnusualRelic 1 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah we are? Most normal people don't have huge skeletons in their closet.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

But almost everyone has at least one skeleton.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I don't have any...? Most people don't I would think.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago

I agree regarding closet, but I believe most people have a skeleton inside their meatbag.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Yeah I’m far too boring to have dark secrets. But I feel like people in the public eye are probably more prone to them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Some have two or more, but in nearly all cases, they’re women. Makes u think

[–] banneryear1868 12 points 10 months ago

Here's his approval rating over time that reflects this point perfectly. He's supported in his actions during the war way more than he was as a politician, he was actually doing pretty badly before the war in his approvals. Interested to see how the prolonged conflict affects this, and what the regional differences are.

[–] Woht24 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

But you could say the same thing about you, just you're not in a spotlight. What's the point of even saying 'everyone has something'.

[–] june 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes, I am included in ‘everyone’.

The reason I say it is because Zelensky has been put on a pretty high pedestal, for example:

bruh everything about zelensky is incredible. What a guy

And some folks are going to be sorely disappointed later on when they learn more about him and where his failings lie.

[–] Woht24 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yeah alright, again, same could be said about anyone.

[–] june 0 points 10 months ago

Which would be meaningless for nearly anyone that’s not in a position of power and influence, yes.

I’m really not sure what your point is here.

[–] Reverendender 34 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Zelenskiy for World President

[–] comrade19 28 points 10 months ago

I hope they make statues of him like they did with all those bygone fellas that did something great

[–] Lev_Astov 8 points 10 months ago

I've been disturbed to see an increasing number of purple parroting character assassination points about Zelenskiy.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The hypocrisy in his support for Israel is infuriating, but otherwise yeah.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I mean he's a politician and in order to protect his people he has to suck up to the US.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Isn't he just generally a Zionist? Like even before this war.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

You don't want Israel to exist? And, yes, Zelenskiy was born Jewish. I'm sure he supports the existence of a Jewish state, aka a Zionist.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Who'd want an ethnostate to exist? I mean other than *-supremacists.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

There's a difference between having a state in which an ethnicity can feel at home and safe, and ethnically purifying that state.

Labour Zionism is the former, Religious Zionism the latter.

What would you think about the whole Israel project if it would look, policy-wise, just like what the YPG built in Rojava? If Kurds can do it and we applaud when they do it, why not Jews?

[–] Argonne 3 points 10 months ago

Because they hate Jews. Just using Zionism as a cover for it

[–] Argonne 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Most middle east Arab states are religious ethnostates too. By your logic they should not exist either. Israel is home to Jews that were kicked out of all Arab states

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Setting aside that Israel is fundamentally an Apartheid state (that's kinda the sales pitch when you say "Jewish state") and therefore shouldn't exist, that's not what I'm talking about. He's been pretty loud about his support for Israel's war when he could've just stayed silent.

[–] Argonne 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Why don't you look at Israels demographic before calling it an apartheid? By that definition most middle east countries are apartheid

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I'm... Not sure what you're even trying to say. Israel's sales pitch is a state where Jews are superior to none-Jews. That assumption is in every fabric of Israeli society. By your definition South Africa wouldn't have been Apartheid because they had black people.

[–] Argonne 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Regular people don't care if you are Jewish or not.

Israel is a parliamentary democracy with a multiparty system and independent institutions that guarantee political rights and civil liberties for most of the population. Although the judiciary is comparatively active in protecting minority rights, the political leadership and many in society have discriminated against Arab and other ethnic or religious minority populations, resulting in systemic disparities in areas including infrastructure, criminal justice, education, and economic opportunity.

https://freedomhouse.org/country/israel

This is no different than Black people in the US. No one calls USA an apartheid state?

Also you conveniently ignored my point about the rest of the middle east

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's more like pre-CRA America, and I'd definitely entertain the argument of calling that an Apartheid state against black people or native Americans.

Also Palestinians in Israel (not the West Bank, not East Jerusalem, Israel proper) are still having their lands stolen by Israeli authorities, and are forbidden from living in certain places, along with a whole host of other injustices.

And, more importantly, people calling Israel an Apartheid state are usually referring to its occupied territories, while everything you just said doesn't apply as soon as you step into East Jerusalem, let alone the West Bank.

[–] Argonne 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Fine, but with that definition most middle eastern countries and many in Africa would be considered apartheid states as well. Even Russia is bordering on Apartheid with the way it treats Chenchens, Rurals and deep eastern settlements. China is apartheid on Uygurs. Turkiye on Kurds and Armenia. My point is that there seems to be a huge double standard criticizing Israel for Apartheid while not criticizing many other countries for it. I'm fine with blaming Israel for it as long as other countries get blamed for it. I don't see anyone in the Middle East raging at China for the way they crack down on Muslims in a much worse way than Israel has done

We expect more from Israel because it's a western country but at the end of the day they are just another country in the middle east. They have their own version of religious fanaticism same as other Arabs with their own. I'm tired of all the news from Israel while literally half the world's population is struggling to survive. It feels like a giant class and race war to distract us

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

Fine, but with that definition most middle eastern countries and many in Africa would be considered apartheid states as well.

How so?

We expect more from Israel because it’s a western country but at the end of the day they are just another country in the middle east. They have their own version of religious fanaticism same as other Arabs with their own.

Most Arab countries committing genocide rightfully get fucked pretty hard for it (unless they're doing it on behalf of the West like in Yemen).