this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2023
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[–] JerkyIsSuperior 120 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe."

Niccolo Machiavelli - The Prince

[–] zeppo 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"Windows are dangerous. Also, radioactive umbrellas" - zeppo, a Lemmy Member

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A merc is loyal, until the last payment clears.

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[–] downpunxx 107 points 1 year ago (5 children)

The Wagnerites also seized the buildings of the head office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB department, the administration of #Rostov and one of the police departments, according to local channels. Nobody in the city understands what's going on.

https://press.coop/@nexta_tv/110596856860216270

[–] andobando 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Ghostalmedia 23 points 1 year ago

Like watching Cobra attack the Decepticons.

[–] mookulator 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can you explain the significance of these buildings?

Are they the head offices of those departments, or the offices that are in that city?

How powerful are these departments?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Rostov is the admin centre of Rostov Oblast (state capital city). I would assume the main offices are in Moscow and these are the regional headquarters.

So while it is big if they have taken them it is not as big as if they had done so in Moscow.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago

The city is apparently the base for the Russian southern military district command which is key to the war efforts in Ukraine - according to the Institute for the Study of War via the Guardian

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[–] [email protected] 80 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Holly shit this has been picked up by the BBC.

Remember, it doesn't matter if they succeed or not. The fact it has happened will terrify Putin.

[–] Arbiter 60 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I feel like this might be on behalf of Putin.

Wagner has been pretty careful to call out everyone but Putin.

Feels like setting the stage for a claim that the war was orchestrated by rogue elements in the Russian military, giving an out to tuck tail and run and move toward easing sanctions.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nah, this feels more like an "evil counsellors" situation - you don't want to take on the king directly, so you instead give him an out by saying that he's OK but he's been given bad advice. Which also means if you do take over you can keep him around as a figurehead who now listens to better advisers like yourself.

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[–] sudneo 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Judging from the address to the nation, this doesn't seem the case now.

The situation is still very confused.

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[–] DrElementary 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is what I'm worried about. I hope they all tear themselves to pieces, but if Putin gets out scot free, I'll be disappointed

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

I mean i hear what you're saying, but if it means less death and destruction for innocent Ukrainians then I'm all for letting Putin live.

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[–] lewis6991 72 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is not a "war", it is a "special military operation".

This is not a "coup", it is a "march for justice".

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[–] i_simp_4_tedcruz 52 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I would like to submit "Putin panics and nukes his own people to stop the advance" for my Bingo card.

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[–] GONADS125 51 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I welcome russian infighting. Hope it makes it easier for Ukraine to retake Crimea.

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[–] easeKItMAn 47 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Holy shit.

Things are getting real real.

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[–] wheresyourshoe 41 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Things are escalating quickly in Russia.

[–] assembly 24 points 1 year ago

It’s just a special military coup operation, nothing more to see.

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[–] ghostnotes 40 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If Kiev has been saving something up for a special occasion, this occasion is starting to look pretty special.

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[–] lycanrising 40 points 1 year ago (11 children)

my mind is so blown. i didn’t have wagner turning against russia on my bingo card

[–] HerrLewakaas 23 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I mean Prigozin has been advertising his eventual turning against Putin for a while, but I didn't think it would happen as a full on military coup

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Wagner switching sides was not on my bingo card

[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

They didn't switch sides. They created a third side. A Mêlée à Trois.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

To be honest I thought Wagner and also the Chechen commanded forces would cause chaos in Russia after the war - Putin unleashed the genies from their bottles in his desperation. Both see themselves as successors to Putin should he fall, and civil war was on the cards but more likely a conflict between Wagner and the Chechen forces of some form. I agree - moving DURING the war with Ukraine - that is totally unexpected!

But they've not switched sides tbf - this seems to be the first steps in a civil war. And it shows just how broken Russia is. The question is, will Wagner step back from the precipice after exacting some sort of price out of the Russian state? Or is this a battle for survival and so unstoppable.

The really really worrying this is when things get unpredictable like this, there is no telling how things could escalate further. Look at WW1 - the death of Franz Ferdinand helped unleash chaos in a way no one could have forseen.

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[–] andrei_chiffa 36 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Generally, I don't like to gloat, but I did call that one ~ June 5th over on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/france/comments/140qkwu/destructions_incursions_%C3%A9vacuations_dans_la/jmyndp3/?context=3; in French because it was on r/France).

It actually is much worse than it seems - I did a write up over on Mastodon to explain why and how (https://mastodon.social/@andrei_chiffa/110599724720727202). The TLDR is that cities taken by Wagner mercs will be hard to retake without leveling, all internal protection troops are either tied or were lost in Ukraine, and mercs themselves have nothing to loose and all the revenge to take.

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[–] assassinatedbyCIA 35 points 1 year ago (3 children)

More evidence as to why you don’t hire mercenaries. They are only loyal to the money. I hope the US is watching with their love of PMC’s.

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[–] dangblingus 34 points 1 year ago (2 children)

25,000 troops marching on Moscow. How many does the Kremlin have not already in Ukraine?

[–] Thepinyaroma 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How many do they have not in Ukraine... Who are also willing to kill fellow Russians? If the average Russian military sentiment is, "Eh, let them through" this could be huge.

Plus a lot of the "Royal Guard" may be well-connected rich kids who are even less inclined to fight.

Way too soon to know for sure, but. 🍿

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[–] innkeeper 33 points 1 year ago

Ukrainian army called ...they need fresh supplies of popcorn...

[–] political_avacado 32 points 1 year ago

The Ukraine counter-offensive sure is effective.

[–] green_dragon 30 points 1 year ago

People are tired of this war. Putin wanted to secure food reserves and have an open access sea port for his military; however he wasn't honest as to his reasons why; understandably so. Given this the Russian public doesn't see the actual geopolitical value of the conflict. This was inevitable. If Russia couldn't play nice with the rest of the world as their money mostly comes from oil and gas; which we are moving away from. Let them pay for their crimes.

[–] Yoz 28 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Can someone please explain what's going on ? I am out of the loop. I know Wagner was fighting for Russia but what happened now?

[–] certain_people 60 points 1 year ago (10 children)

Everyone in Wagner was about to be conscripted into the regular Russian Army as the latest in an ongoing power struggle between Wagner's boss and the Russian MoD. So to avoid losing his private army, the boss has stepped up the power struggle to an attempted coup, basically.

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[–] UniquesNotUseful 36 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The head of Wagner was unhappy with Russian military leaders and thought he'd take matters into his own hands as Putin was going to support him. Putin did not. Now there are 10,000 men heading to Moscow.

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[–] wet_squid 23 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

While it’s always great to watch enemies turning against each other (Boebert vs MTG!), let‘s not forget that Putin is a mad man with his finger on a nuclear button.

I wish the best for the people living there who will suffer the consequences of a dictator who gets pushed into a corner.

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[–] Nerrad 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I for one welcome their new Military overlords.

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[–] boilingpenguin 20 points 1 year ago

If there's one thing I've learned from my history classes it's that power vacuums (or even perceived power vacuums) and the ensuing instability always end well for everyone involved....

/s

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