KEY INSIGHTS into Putin's war & Western Democracy

A look at the BIG PICTURE implications of Putin's Ukraine invasions for Ukraine, the Kremlin and the world.

Go to my main channel for in depth videos.

00:00 Intro & announcement about philosophy Q&A
00:20 Is Putin gaining or losing power? (David Harrison)
01:18 Putin's delusion, Olive Stone, Lex Fridman (Tessa Piotrowski Kristensen)
04:55 Mariupol massacres (Grace philosophy)
07:00 Anne Applebaum and feminism (annular frisson)
10:46 Ukraine to become a US state? (Everyday Exercises)
13:40 Fear and freedom in Russia (Norman Boyes)
21:08 The right to privacy (Zeitgest)
23:09 Why is the West so slow? German response. (Michael O'Hara & Caro Demi)
25:10 Are all humans capable of evil? Vlad's knowledge. (Ninosninosninos)
33:08 Putin's nerves (Green Fire)
35:40 Will Russia break up? (Ana-Katarina Kralj)
39:54 Why do Russian 'elites' hates the West? (fourthchute)
42:50 Anti NATO propaganda (David Glickman)
44:15 Arestovych's prediction of the war (Tisteland)
46:50 How far does Russian imperialism go? (userofthetube)
49:50 Sending NATO troops into Ukraine? (Jaycee Fairclough - I'm sorry I was so blunt with you!)
53:18 How can Russians comfortable with what their military is doing? (Buddy Rojek)
55:39 Future wars (Pete Barnes)
57:35 End of the world? (Franchesca)
59:50 Rise of Anti-Westernism (Ferrari Guy)
1:01:55 Was the war avoidable? (Ron Langelaan)
1:04:32 Rotten compromises? (Steve Holmes)
1:09:58 Soviet legacy (Flyersfan64)
1:13:10 Endgame for the war? (Connie Pressley)
1:16:08 Are humans becoming less violent? (Schnauzpig)
1:20:50 Modern human society (Begrenzter Wiedererkennungswert)
1:23:44 Post-truth politics (Richard Oldfield)
1:26:48 How can you tell you live in a free society? (Paul Neilson)
1:29:07 Left-wing pro Russian views? (Malcolm Mann)
1:30:40 Agency of small states (Daniel Grant)
1:32:28 Putin's logic seems crazy (Ulrik Schack Meyer)
1:38:45 Fascization of Russia (DrScopeify)
1:41:31 Democracies getting sick (Alex Alex )

[VladVexlerChat]

TIMECODES:
00:00 Intro & announcement about philosophy Q&A
00:20 Is Putin gaining or losing power? (David Harrison)
01: 18 Putin's delusion, Olive Stone, Lex Fridman (Tessa Piotrowski Kristensen)
04:55 Mariupol massacres (Grace philosophy)
07:00 Anne Applebaum and feminism (annular frisson)
10:46 Ukraine to become a US state? (Everyday Exercises)
13:40 Fear and freedom in Russia (Norman Boyes)
21:08 The right to privacy (Zeitgest)
23:09 Why is the West so slow? German response. (Michael O'Hara & Caro Demi)
25:10 Are all humans capable of evil? Vlad's knowledge. (Ninosninosninos)
33:08 Putin's nerves (Green Fire)
35:40 Will Russia break up? (Ana-Katarina Kralj)
39:54 Why do Russian 'elites' hates the West? (fourthchute)
42:50 Anti NATO propaganda (David Glickman)
44:15 Arestovych's prediction of the war (Tisteland)
46:50 How far does Russian imperialism go? (userofthetube)
49:50 Sending NATO troops into Ukraine? (Jaycee Fairclough - I'm sorry I was so blunt with you!)
53:18 How can Russians comfortable with what their military is doing? (Buddy Rojek)
55:39 Future wars (Pete Barnes)
57:35 End of the world? (Franchesca)
59:50 Rise of Anti-Westernism (Ferrari Guy)
1:01:55 Was the war avoidable? (Ron Langelaan)
1:04:32 Rotten compromises? (Steve Holmes)
1:09:58 Soviet legacy (Flyersfan64)
1:13:10 Endgame for the war? (Connie Pressley)
1:16:08 Are humans becoming less violent? (Schnauzpig)
1:20:50 Modern human society (Begrenzter Wiedererkennungswert)
1:23:44 Post-truth politics (Richard Oldfield)
1:26:48 How can you tell you live in a free society? (Paul Neilson)
1:29:07 Left-wing pro Russian views? (Malcolm Mann)
1:30:40 Agency of small states (Daniel Grant)
1:32:28 Putin's logic seems crazy (Ulrik Schack Meyer)
1:38:45 Fascization of Russia (DrScopeify)
1:41:31 Democracies getting sick (Alex Alex )

[justhome]

Grace's question on the Mariupol massacres: I have seen the image she is referring to. Reportedly these bodies were contaminating the water supply and unskilled workers (possibly via forced labor) dumped them in the supermarket. Mass graves and mobile crematoriums can't keep up. I think that at least part of what is going on is that there are a vast number of bodies, destroyed infrastructure and no proper local government in place to deal with a catastrophe of this scale. Moral issues regarding dignified treatment of the dead are one thing and certainly a concern, but the real story here is about all the secondary victims of war we will see from disease outbreaks, trauma, lack of proper medical care etc. Anyone who counts Mariupol fatalities at around 20K is dramatically underestimating the scale of what has and continues to unfold there.

[petrusk]

Every Ukrainian independence day celebration, older folks would tell me "until Russia invades, ". At the time, I dismissed this inevitability as paranoia, but perhaps they just understood the culture. I would hear "Russia will never allow Ukraine to remain independent, it's just a matter of time".

[sherrillwhately]

20 year old travel vlogger Zack the Russian did a video called, The War Criminals of Bucha and why I could be one of them. He’s from the Russian Far East near Khaborovsk and describes a criminal culture called AUE or AYE that is present in the post gulag ethos of the area. Also that the army offers the best job opportunities for those who are not academically or ethically inclined.

[emmajk]

Thank you so much for this video. I feel so sad that 100 days has gone and so much horror has happened within them.

[PedroFerreira-zeyp]

Ahhh, what great content to watch on the weekend over a bottle of wine. All the better with Vlad´s soothing, cozy, "fireplace in a log cabin" voice! Best wishes to you my friend, from Brazil!

[jeffbetts]

Thanks Vlad. Many points deserving of a much wider audience. Always feel a little wiser after taking the time to listen to you but worth every minute.

[sherrillwhately]

The balance between Peace and Justice, what a beautiful crystallization of the tension we find in the conflict in Ukraine.

[justhome]

I really liked the question and answer on "Rotten Compromises." A very good concrete example to look at would be the evacuation of Azovstal starting with the civilians and culminating in the surrender of the military. Lots of "arm chair generals" expressed extreme frustration and anger at the UN, ICRC and even Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian government for how the whole process was handled precisely because they didn't have a three dimensional view of the situation on the ground. Lots of Faustian Bargains and highly unpalatable compromises had to be made. Still, what the negotiators managed to pull off borders on the miraculous in my opinion. I am still waiting to see how their story unfolds although it has now become much more opaque and difficult to follow.

[PRAR]

I was wondering what to do this evening.... Excellent timing Vlad, thank you

[rawlsiancthulhu]

Growing up in Putin's Russia I was sometimes struck by examples of Soviet veterans of WW2 (especially in Soviet films) who actually were not so freaked out about the war, because all veterans that I had met in my life always talked about war (which was natural because all of them had been invited to tell us about the war) and there hadn't been a single text about war without at least four pages about how bad of a tragedy this war is and how many people died and yada yada. And now these people just can have fond or just normal memories about this period. I percieved wars as something extremely traumatic and that's why I didn't really like Hemingway's writings about wars when I was still in school - they were not that gloomy and tragic and a lot of them were about things like love, food and friendship.
The way I see it, people can come to terms with the most of stressful and generally just bad things in their lives without forming a whole identity around it and the collapse of the Soviet Union is no exception. That's why the actual role of post-Soviet propaganda (including straight government propaganda) is actually very massive. Maybe Putin even created some sort of new trauma that simulates things that people actually felt in the first years after the collapse.

[andrewgreen]

Thank you Vlad for this marathon Q&A session. Brilliant assessment of many facets of the situation as it evolves. I’m extremely late making comment here owing to family commitments including now my Dad in addition to my wife. I’m trying to keep pace but haven’t given up on you. Thank you again my friend.

[walterjohnson]

I must return to this podcast later when I can really listen intently. There is so much meat being offered that my small brain is going to explode. God bless this man and take care of him.

[mouse]

Fantastic content! You handle yourself so well. Thanks for your education, hard work, and insight.

[conniepr]

Hello Vlad, Thank you fortaking the time answering these questions.

[Kwieczor]

nothing heroic - listening to you is always a mix of pleasure and torture. Torture of remembering, how reality and mankind cab be cruel and self-destructive. Pleasure because the way you talk and how you explain the different points of view on the situation. Thanks a lot for a very interesting evening!

[jayceefairclough]

No need to apologise! Thank you for answering my question. You're right that it comes from a place of moral outrage, and to an extent frustration that I'm not in a better position to help.

[Ninosninosninos]

25:10 Thanks so much for answering my questions! I'll listen to the rest tonight with great interest!

[christa]

From "Impossible" to "Unlikely" in 100 days is encouraging none the less!

[danwylie-sears]

"... if he did take Ukraine in two or three days, none of you would be that outraged.."

Let me first say that I referred to it as "annexing the Sudetenland" on February 24th, when I assumed that the conquest would be complete within days. But I think your basic point here is correct. I personally would have lapsed into despair instead of continuing to harangue my elected officials to do more to degrade Russia's long-term prospects.