Running a country like a drug cartel: with fear, violence, & colonial power struggles

Why is Russia's army so demonstratively brutal? How do the Russians justify the deaths of their family members & friends in Ukraine? And how does Russia manage to trick conscripts from the African continent into fighting Russia's colonial war in Ukraine?

@EuroResilience host Sergej Sumlenny interviewed Jason Jay Smart, a correspondent at @kyiv_post, Ukraine's oldest English-language media outlet. Jason Jay Smart has over a decade of work experience in Ukraine, & he is also an expert in Russian foreign & domestic policies.

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0:00 Are Ukrainians tired of the war?
5:15 Russia's tolerance of high casualties
13:20 Russian lies about its anti-colonial nature
18:40 How long can Russia absorb losses?
24:20 Russia's propaganda networks in Europe
30:40 Why European elites fear Russia
33:40 Running a country like a drug cartel
36:50 Russian army's violent psychology

[Aussie-Mocha]

We know what’s going on and what needs to be done.
Now we are waiting for our political leaders to catch up.

[timotheusvanesch]

Thank you.
This is a great interview.

Ukraine will never concede.
We will never forget.

❤💙💛
Slava Ukraini!
🔱💙💛🇺🇦

[luminyam]

That was an excellent interview, thank you.

[joanofarc]

Hello and thank you for outstanding content every week!

[peterselo]

North Korean, Iranian and Chinses weapon suppliers do not impose restrictions on Russians as to which Ukrainian targets they can strike.

[terjeoseberg]

At 19:59, “The Russian military, even if it started today, would take more than a decade to rebuild.”

It took the Soviet Union 8 decades to manufacture the massive stockpiles of military equipment that Russia is now squandering. There’s absolutely no way Russia can replace it in a decade.

[Why_The_People]

Thank you Sergei. Excellent interview.🔱💙🔱💙🔱💙🔱💙🔱💙🔱💙🔱💙🔱💙🔱

[terjeoseberg]

At 19:09, “About 20% of Russia’s capacity to produce oil has been destroyed.”

Correction, “About 20% of Russia’s capacity to refine oil has been destroyed.”

Russia’s ability to produce oil has not changed.

[terjeoseberg]

At 19:53, “Less than 5% of the US military budget per year has essentially destroyed the Russian military.”

Has the US military budget actually increased by some amount? We’ve been giving Ukraine mostly old outdated weapons and equipment that were manufactured and paid for 20, 30, and 40 years ago. That money was already spent, and this weapons already would have been replaced anyway, so the money to replace them should have already been allocated. If we decide that we need to spend more to increase our military spending, it’s a choice to replace what we’re giving Ukraine with more than we’re giving, or with something different that costs more.

We are seeing what’s happening in Ukraine, and we are deciding that a lot of the equipment that we have is not appropriate for current wars, and so we not only have a bunch of old obsolete military equipment, but we have a bunch of useless inappropriate military equipment.

[bobouzala]

Thank you Sergej for sharing this interview and big thanks to Doctor Smart for educating us regarding ruzzian propaganda. You are both waking up the West, it’s so valuable please get louder! 🇺🇦🌞💙🌏

[Dougohere]

It's good to see that there is acknowledgement of the fact that US policy is costing Ukrainian lives.

[PhilosophyForTheMops]

I heard stories form co-workers that tried to build a saw mill in russian Karelia some 20y ago. The local economy was the maffia, with zero competition and insane prices.
One meeting with a supplier ended with "nobody hears a gun shoot around here". They ended up building a rail track to get goods to the site without to mush mob interference.

[Dougohere]

Yes I agree, it was a very inciteful and interesting interview - that needs to be shared widely 👍

[ib-bip-]

I can spend hours listening too smart people.
Mr.Jay Smart is one of the smartest. (see what I did there)
GREAT conversation. Respect too both of you and @The Kyiv Post.
#GiveUkraineEverything. #BrakeTheFake. Support from Denmark.

[marcuswotan]

Top interview. Slava Ukrajini from Slovenian brother

[dannydetonator]

Very educated and clear analysis on the countless criminal methods Kremlin employs to wage this hybrid-war, starting (but not limited to) Ukraine. The schemes to con and exploit immigrants and unwitting merceraries from poorest, historically USSR-allied "3rd world" countries to chepen their war efforts speaks volumes. Though it's a drop in the bucked compared to unprecedented informational-warfare, infiltration and black economy avoiding sanctions, spanning entire world. We have to put up defences and find effective weapons against that in all domains. Great interview hitting nail on the head, will share.

[bevr]

Was Putin part of the Russian Mafia, also known as the Bratva, that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s? The Mafia originated in the Soviet Union and expanded internationally, with a significant presence in the United States, particularly in areas with large Russian immigrant populations such as Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach and the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. Does the Russian Mafia still exist.

[sumiland]

13:36 Is this the reason Macron pulled French troops out of African countries? Because of Russian PMCs? I've heard they're just as ruthless in African countries as they are in Ukraine 😕

[Gaming_Antics]

Russia actually has a very low unemployment rate, since the unemployed were given jobs in the military and war factories.

[ericwillis]

That doesn't come near to answering the question - which is, not why they join the military, that's easy, money propaganda, peer pressure, patrotism, but when they are in a tank or a muddy foxhole, and see the soldiers around them being blown up, bodies missing limbs, blood, and death all around, why do they continue to fight to the death ? Why don't they surrender, or mutiny, or run away ? It's been a complete mystery to me since the 'Millitary Operation' turned into a blood bath. For Ukranians, they have something other than their lives to loose - if it's just cash for Russians, and propaganda, which they probably ignore, it doesn't answer that question for me. Does anyone know ?