A top Moscow official and his colleagues were directly involved in forcibly deporting Ukrainian children, who were then placed in Russian military training programs, it has been reported.

  • interolivary@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Oh yeah their demographic pyramid isn’t exactly looking healthy, but I doubt they’ll get “better” when that particular shit hits the fan. Might not be able to do mass scale invasions, but they can be pretty inventive when it comes to applying violence and coercion

    • wanderingmagus@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      It’s a large landmass. If their population dips below the point where they can even maintain a coherent government or enforce their will on their colonies, we might be able to watch those same colonies start declaring independence. Hopefully, at least, even if I’m not holding my breath.

      • Ulara@sopuli.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Yes, I am looking forward to see all the colonized people free. They are already working toward their freedom: http://freenationsleague.org/ Moreover, due to climate change, there’s going to be a huge northward wave of migration - precisely to the Siberian belt that is becoming warm enough for agriculture.

        • Ulara@sopuli.xyz
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          1 year ago

          AFAIK, the Soviet nuclear missiles have already rusted down in the nuclear shafts - and nuch fewer modern Russian missiles will also rust down without imperial funding. And all the destitute, deprived people of the current empire will at last be free to develop and prosper.

          • interolivary@beehaw.org
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            1 year ago

            I admire your optimism, but assuming that their strategic deterrence would just quietly fall into pieces before some unsavory vatnik can get their hands on them honestly seems a bit too optimistic.

            • Ulara@sopuli.xyz
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              1 year ago

              All these missiles have an elaborate security system, and can be launched only by Kremlin orders. All the local warlord can do with the missile is to make a dirty bomb. And by doing so, doom his small country to isolation. So we’ll have to make sure that post-Putin officers are interested to dismantle the launch system, and to make sure that local leaders are interested in international cooperation. The leaders of the “Free Nation’s League” https://freenationsleague.org/ have already declared that they will get rid of the nuclear weapons.

              Dissolution of old empires is just a natural law. All the European empires have already dissolved, and now the last of them crumbles. As old age and death are inevitable, so is the dissolution of archaic empires when new communication technologies make them outdated. So we’ll have to deal with this problem, and fortunately the natural processes of rust and decay will be on our side.

              • interolivary@beehaw.org
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                1 year ago

                Assuming that the security systems actually work, and that nobody higher up the chain just sells the necessary codes. Also, tactical weapons are usable without higher-level authorization