Political Cartoons

[LongTermGuy]

[Niktt7]

It's a funny picture.
I often hear from Western politicians that Putin is playing a long chess game, and it seems that he is doing quite well.

"Russia plays chess in the Arctic and our administration still thinks it's a tic-tac-toe," said Senator Dan Sullivan."

[NightTrain]

It's a funny picture.
I often hear from Western politicians that Putin is playing a long chess game, and it seems that he is doing quite well.

"Russia plays chess in the Arctic and our administration still thinks it's a tic-tac-toe," said Senator Dan Sullivan."

When 0bama was in charge, that was true.

Things are a bit different now.

Speaking of Putin, how do you Russians feel about him passing and changing your laws to allow him to continue to rule Russia? Why not just declare him Czar or Dictator-for-Life or King and be done with the whole charade?

[Niktt7]

When 0bama was in charge, that was true.

Things are a bit different now.

Speaking of Putin, how do you Russians feel about him passing and changing your laws to allow him to continue to rule Russia? Why not just declare him Czar or Dictator-for-Life or King and be done with the whole charade?

Thank you very much for this question, I am happy to answer it, it is a good question.
After its defeat in the Cold War, the USSR was destroyed. Russia was a country with a completely destroyed economy, state enterprises were privatised, Russia became a country with a market economy.
When Putin first became president, he got the country in a very bad condition. The state was so terrible that people just didn't want to live in Russia, many went to Western countries.
Russia was waging a war in Chechnya, a very long bloody war, with a very uncertain outcome.
Putin also quickly ended the war in the Caucasus, and the terrorists were defeated.
The country also had great economic problems, despite the fact that it was selling oil on a huge scale and was also selling other resources at a disadvantage for itself.
Putin has solved this problem.
Vladimir Putin's extremely important and significant achievement for Russia was the liquidation and cancellation of the so-called Production Sharing Agreement (Federal Law No 225-FZ of 30 December 1995).


The Production Sharing Agreement was signed in 1995 by B. V. Pushkin. Yeltsin under US influence. According to it, 264 important and large natural resources deposits (net, gas, copper, etc.) in Russia have been placed under international jurisdiction.


Essence of the Agreement


- The purpose of the Production Sharing Agreement was to attract foreign investment into the Russian economy. In accordance with this document, ownership of the gas and oil resources available in Russia was retained by Russia, while development of the fields was carried out by investor companies. Russia received a share of the profit from the exploitation of natural resources by investors. But only after investors recovered their costs. Foreign companies producing Russian natural resources did not pay any taxes.


- By signing the Production Sharing Agreement, Russia hoped for an increase in foreign investment and, therefore, in monetary revenues to the budget.


How did the Agreement work in practice?


- Russia has received virtually no money from oil production on its territory. Why not? Because foreign companies-investors reported huge costs, which were hardly plausible. Maintenance of office space, payment for accommodation and flights of employees, legal services - according to the documents provided by the companies-investors, their costs were huge and were constantly increasing. The budget of the Russian Federation received less than 20 cents from 1 dollar - a negligible amount. In fact, Russian oil and other natural resources did not belong to our country. For many years, money from oil sales was flowing abroad.


V. Putin's actions to cancel the Production Sharing Agreement


From the very first year of his appointment as President of the Russian Federation, V.V. Putin began to fight against the current Agreement (law). It took a lot of time. In 2004, by making appropriate amendments to the Agreement in force at that time, it was possible to cancel it almost completely. Of the 262 agreements, 260 were abrogated. Only the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects are still operating under a Production Sharing Agreement. But these are complex projects located in remote areas and require huge cash investments.


Cancellation of agreement: results for Russia


- Thanks to the cancellation of the document, the Russian budget began to receive the full amount of money from mining (primarily oil). If the agreement continued to exist, huge amounts of money from the sale of oil, gas and other resources would continue to flow abroad, bypassing the Russian budget.


- The cancellation of the agreement allowed the Russian budget to more than triple.


- Liquidation of the Production Sharing Agreement allowed the Russian Federation to embark on the path of independent development, rather than colonial development, as it actually was before.


- Serious profits from gas and oil production and sales as a result of the abrogation of the Agreement became, along with higher energy prices, the basis for significant growth of the Russian economy.


Many people do not like Putin, but he is also supported by a large part of the country's population, I think about 70 percent.
What is happening now?
Putin is starting to change the constitution, he is setting the precedence of Russian law over international law.
The next step for Putin is likely to be nationalisation of the central bank, the withdrawal of Russia's central bull from the International Monetary Fund.
To be honest, I do not understand at all how he has managed to get this far, it is a big mystery to me.
As for the fact that he has been president for so long, most people don't see anything wrong with it, although I don't think it's very good for the state.

[NightTrain]

I have no doubt that Putin is and has been doing everything he can to further Russia's interests. And while those maneuvers are directly opposed to America's interests at least half the time, I respect that he is putting Russia first. Too many times it's a purely self motivated set of interests that drive those in power.

However, history is rife with examples of those who ruthlessly cling to power and being completely corrupted by it in the long run. Surely there's another person that is capable of running your country after what, 25 years?

[Niktt7]

I have no doubt that Putin is and has been doing everything he can to further Russia's interests. And while those maneuvers are directly opposed to America's interests at least half the time, I respect that he is putting Russia first. Too many times it's a purely self motivated set of interests that drive those in power.

However, history is rife with examples of those who ruthlessly cling to power and being completely corrupted by it in the long run. Surely there's another person that is capable of running your country after what, 25 years?

I agree with you, if you cling to power for a long time, it doesn't usually lead to good things.
Is there an alternative to Putin? Maybe there is, but who is it?

[NightTrain]

I agree with you, if you cling to power for a long time, it doesn't usually lead to good things.
Is there an alternative to Putin? Maybe there is, but who is it?

That's my question to you. I certainly don't know.

I never hear any sort of rumblings of a real political opponent to Putin, and that tells me that he's got things locked down. Sure, you guys have voted for a new leader, but he's just a puppet controlled by Putin - you're not having free elections, it's all set up beforehand.

It doesn't really matter to me, I just thought after decades of brutal communist rule that you Russians would have wanted to take charge of your own destiny and elect people you want to elect, good or bad. We've definitely elected a few clowns, but that's how it goes with free elections and handovers of government every few years.

I'm surprised that you guys haven't developed Siberia to any extent. You have the largest country on earth, but it's never really been developed and I know you're sitting on unbelievable riches in minerals, timber and oil. Alaska is a close sister to Siberia and we've pulled untold billions out of it and still going strong. Develop that and you'd soon be a SuperPower again.

Incidently, 3 days ago I was 30 miles off the coast of Siberia visiting St. Lawrence Island off Alaska's west coast doing some work. I was hoping to see a couple of MiG 29s to intercept, but no one came out to look at our King Air.

[Niktt7]

That's my question to you. I certainly don't know.

I never hear any sort of rumblings of a real political opponent to Putin, and that tells me that he's got things locked down. Sure, you guys have voted for a new leader, but he's just a puppet controlled by Putin - you're not having free elections, it's all set up beforehand.

It doesn't really matter to me, I just thought after decades of brutal communist rule that you Russians would have wanted to take charge of your own destiny and elect people you want to elect, good or bad. We've definitely elected a few clowns, but that's how it goes with free elections and handovers of government every few years.

I'm surprised that you guys haven't developed Siberia to any extent. You have the largest country on earth, but it's never really been developed and I know you're sitting on unbelievable riches in minerals, timber and oil. Alaska is a close sister to Siberia and we've pulled untold billions out of it and still going strong. Develop that and you'd soon be a SuperPower again.

Incidently, 3 days ago I was 30 miles off the coast of Siberia visiting St. Lawrence Island off Alaska's west coast doing some work. I was hoping to see a couple of MiG 29s to intercept, but no one came out to look at our King Air.

about democratic elections... Democracy...
I like the word Democracy... Democracy is supposed to be the power of the people, i.e. the power of the majority of the country's population...Right?
Who governs America? Does the people of the USA? Does the people of the United States choose all the values promoted by the top of the democratic party, such as same-sex marriage, gender identity? I do not believe that. I rather believe that there is a small group of people who have a lot of assets in their hands, whose interests are served by the US government, the US government itself acts in close cooperation with these people, the interests of the majority of the population are not taken into account to the extent that they should.
What I just said is called "conspiracy theory", people who say something like that are considered idiots.
Well, to be honest, there is a confrontation between states, that has always been the case.
With regard to the development of Siberia, which you asked is a very correct question, I don't know the answer, but it is clear that Russia is something like a big treasure trove. The standard of living of the population is relatively low, and for all of us it is a mystery.
However, I have a positive outlook on life, I do what I love and I feel good about it.
I don't think we need a new revolution; rather, we need evolution.
Evolution takes time, we need to improve the model of power that we have now. We also need to build clear and pragmatic relations with our closest partners, Ukraine and Belarus. It is very important for Russia that Ukraine and Belarus are allies of Russia, our countries speak the same language, we are one people.
I am very pleased to communicate with you on this discussion platform, there are smart people here, many of the things that are written here are true, and we have a real discussion.

[NightTrain]

about democratic elections... Democracy...
I like the word Democracy... Democracy is supposed to be the power of the people, i.e. the power of the majority of the country's population...Right?

Yes.

Who governs America? Does the people of the USA? Does the people of the United States choose all the values promoted by the top of the democratic party, such as same-sex marriage, gender identity? I do not believe that. I rather believe that there is a small group of people who have a lot of assets in their hands, whose interests are served by the US government, the US government itself acts in close cooperation with these people, the interests of the majority of the population are not taken into account to the extent that they should.
What I just said is called "conspiracy theory", people who say something like that are considered idiots.

The Democratic party has completely lost their minds. No, most of us reject their silly ideas and they're about to learn that lesson in stunning fashion on November 3rd when the election takes place. I'm very much looking forward to it.

As far as who's interests are being served, I agree with you and think you are correct. But this is due to politicians being in power for too long and corruption sets in. Politicians are bribed every day all over the world, and America is no exception.

Well, to be honest, there is a confrontation between states, that has always been the case.
With regard to the development of Siberia, which you asked is a very correct question, I don't know the answer, but it is clear that Russia is something like a big treasure trove. The standard of living of the population is relatively low, and for all of us it is a mystery.
However, I have a positive outlook on life, I do what I love and I feel good about it.
I don't think we need a new revolution; rather, we need evolution.
Evolution takes time, we need to improve the model of power that we have now. We also need to build clear and pragmatic relations with our closest partners, Ukraine and Belarus. It is very important for Russia that Ukraine and Belarus are allies of Russia, our countries speak the same language, we are one people.

I wasn't suggesting a revolution, in fact I've been watching Russia closely since the fall of the USSR to see how everything develops. My point was that it appeared to me that you were moving toward a free democratic society but that all seemed to stop when Putin first gained power, and he's maneuvered to retain that power ever since, even changing your constitution to suit his desire to remain in power.

I was just asking if there's any discussion among normal everyday Russians about the progression/evolution of making your country a truly free democratic government with no 'Strong Man' retaining control. That's where these ideas have to start : with the populace.

Politicians certainly aren't going to introduce legislation to limit their power. They're always looking to increase it.

I am very pleased to communicate with you on this discussion platform, there are smart people here, many of the things that are written here are true, and we have a real discussion.

I'm pleased that you found us, Niktt. We've had a few Russians here over the years, but none recently. I enjoy seeing a Russian point of view and ultimately have found that we are not that different as citizens, despite the adversarial stances of our governments on most things.

Out of curiosity, where did you learn English? It is very good, possibly the best of any Russian I've encountered on the internet.

[Niktt7]

Yes.



The Democratic party has completely lost their minds. No, most of us reject their silly ideas and they're about to learn that lesson in stunning fashion on November 3rd when the election takes place. I'm very much looking forward to it.

As far as who's interests are being served, I agree with you and think you are correct. But this is due to politicians being in power for too long and corruption sets in. Politicians are bribed every day all over the world, and America is no exception.



I wasn't suggesting a revolution, in fact I've been watching Russia closely since the fall of the USSR to see how everything develops. My point was that it appeared to me that you were moving toward a free democratic society but that all seemed to stop when Putin first gained power, and he's maneuvered to retain that power ever since, even changing your constitution to suit his desire to remain in power.

I was just asking if there's any discussion among normal everyday Russians about the progression/evolution of making your country a truly free democratic government with no 'Strong Man' retaining control. That's where these ideas have to start : with the populace.

Politicians certainly aren't going to introduce legislation to limit their power. They're always looking to increase it.



I'm pleased that you found us, Niktt. We've had a few Russians here over the years, but none recently. I enjoy seeing a Russian point of view and ultimately have found that we are not that different as citizens, despite the adversarial stances of our governments on most things.

Out of curiosity, where did you learn English? It is very good, possibly the best of any Russian I've encountered on the internet.

There are discussions among the Russians about the future development of the country, and hot debates arise.
Some believe that Russia should orientate itself towards the West, others believe that Russia has its own way and it must defend its right to determine its own destiny, to be a sovereign state.
Take for example Alexey Navalny. I personally really like Alexey Navalny, it's a pity that he was poisoned (or he was poisoned, we don't know for sure).
He exposes corruption in the higher echelons of power, and takes all this shit out. I think he has a lot of enemies among politicians.
But it is not enough to expose corruption, you need to have plans for the development of the country, he does not have plans that the society is ready to support, Navalny has low support of the electorate, the majority of the population does not like him.
Putin enjoys huge support from the population. Everyone I know has voted for Putin, also voted for constitutional amendments that give him the right to run again in the future.


Yes, when I started communicating on this discussion platform, I understood one simple truth - we are very similar.
Because of the lying media, Americans represent the Russians as some kind of nutcases who live near bears, walk around in funny ear hats and shoot with AK-47.
The Russians, on the other hand, think that the Americans are imperialists who want to take over the whole world and squeeze all the juices out of it like an orange.
The truth is of course somewhere in the middle, but one thing can be said - we are human!
Thank you for assessing the level of English, I try.
I started to learn English from my childhood in high school, I also have friends in the United States and I correspond with them. If I see unfamiliar words, I use a dictionary, but I don't speak well, I need more practice.

[SassyLady]

Time to move to different thread. I'm looking for political cartoons in this thread.

[LongTermGuy]

Time to move to different thread. I'm looking for political cartoons in this thread.

Joe Biden’s Poll #’s are falling faster than Bill Clinton’s pants at Epstein’s Island!

[LongTermGuy]

[LongTermGuy]

[LongTermGuy]