Ask me anything about the Soviet Union/ Former Soviet States

[Baron Von PWN]

Good answers, PWN. I learned much - not just about my question - but about others, as well.

However, I would not have been an apparatchik as ol' Saxi is in absolute solidarity with the farmers and workers and anxiously toils in the fields and factories to build a more prosperous future for the community of communities.

eh? what's this? turning down a high ranking party position?! Chance of survival until Khrushchev: 0

[saxitoxin]

Good answers, PWN. I learned much - not just about my question - but about others, as well.

However, I would not have been an apparatchik as ol' Saxi is in absolute solidarity with the farmers and workers and anxiously toils in the fields and factories to build a more prosperous future for the community of communities.

eh? what's this? turning down a high ranking party position?! Chance of survival until Khrushchev: 0

Well, obviously, if the vanguard feels my talents are best used in service of the trusteeship of the proletariat I would gladly answer the call. However, never is it for personal aggrandizement or enrichment but for steadfast advancement of the revolutionary ideal and to hasten the global spread of dialectic Marxism-Leninsm and Dadaist revolution.

Annnywhooooo, what are your career plans being, PWN? Do you intend to be a Russia-Area scholar or are your Russia-oriented interests operating in tandem with something else such as commerce or diplomacy?

You seem to know a lot about Ukrainian anarchism. Have you been studying that unfortunate victim of the flow of history, Nestor Makhno?

[Baron Von PWN]

Annnywhooooo, what are your career plans being, PWN? Do you intend to be a Russia-Area scholar or are your Russia-oriented interests operating in tandem with something else such as commerce or diplomacy?

You seem to know a lot about Ukrainian anarchism. Have you been studying that unfortunate victim of the flow of history, Nestor Makhno?

Right now I'm hoping for something in the area of diplomacy which will require me to go for a masters degree (you have no chance without one). However in the course of that masters degree I may find myself more enamored with academia so its a possibility I go further into academics. If an opportunity came up in a commerce related are I would seriously consider it.

Everything I know about the Ukrainian anarchists is in the context of their fight against the Soviets taking the Ukraine. So I know they were major opponents of the Soviets, as well as other anti-Soviet groups and that they were particularly disliked by the Soviets. I believe they may have also been a factor in the Soviet decision making towards Ukraine which contributed towards the famine and other reprisals.
All of this is to say I don't know the particulars about them . The more you learn the less you know.

[saxitoxin]

Annnywhooooo, what are your career plans being, PWN? Do you intend to be a Russia-Area scholar or are your Russia-oriented interests operating in tandem with something else such as commerce or diplomacy?

You seem to know a lot about Ukrainian anarchism. Have you been studying that unfortunate victim of the flow of history, Nestor Makhno?

Right now I'm hoping for something in the area of diplomacy which will require me to go for a masters degree (you have no chance without one). However in the course of that masters degree I may find myself more enamored with academia so its a possibility I go further into academics. If an opportunity came up in a commerce related are I would seriously consider it.

Everything I know about the Ukrainian anarchists is in the context of their fight against the Soviets taking the Ukraine. So I know they were major opponents of the Soviets, as well as other anti-Soviet groups and that they were particularly disliked by the Soviets. I believe they may have also been a factor in the Soviet decision making towards Ukraine which contributed towards the famine and other reprisals.
All of this is to say I don't know the particulars about them . The more you learn the less you know.

you're more knowledgeable than any of your contemporaries

just don't let CSIS get their claws in you Baron, you're the kind of type they like

[the.killing.44]

Stalin's pet name for his right testicle?

Engels.

The.Killing.44; For some reason I see you as a Ukrainian peasant, therefore you are a great risk of either starving to death or being conscripted as cannon fodder.Chances of surviving till Khrushchev;pretty low.

Paternal ancestors came to America from the Ukraine escaping the pogroms in 1910, so you were actually pretty close.

[Baron Von PWN]

Stalin's pet name for his right testicle?

Engels.

The.Killing.44; For some reason I see you as a Ukrainian peasant, therefore you are a great risk of either starving to death or being conscripted as cannon fodder.Chances of surviving till Khrushchev;pretty low.

Paternal ancestors came to America from the Ukraine escaping the pogroms in 1910, so you were actually pretty close.

That is very interesting! You wouldn't happen to know how they felt about the revolution would you?

[2dimes]

If I fly there and meet you would you want to try to get back here via, train, used row boat and hitch hiking? I'd offer to hike back over the ice but I'm too old for that now.

[Baron Von PWN]

If I fly there and meet you would you want to try to get back here via, train, used row boat and hitch hiking? I'd offer to hike back over the ice but I'm too old for that now.

Well I would probably prefer train at least until we hit the Atlantic coast, alternatively we could take the train to the pacific, then hitchhike/hike to Kamchatka(I'm not even sure if roads go there) which is much closer to Alaska. Then from the Kamchatka coast we could row over to Alaska where it would be much easier to hitchhike home. (I don't believe its been possible to cross over the ice for several years now)

2dimes; You would be a revolutionary war orphan, you and packs of your compatriots would wander the cities of Soviet Russia stealing and begging for what would sustain you. Eventually as you got older you would be picked up by the police and made to work or enlist in the army. Chance of survival till Khrushchev; moderate to low.

[Baron Von PWN]

you're more knowledgeable than any of your contemporaries

just don't let CSIS get their claws in you Baron, you're the kind of type they like

They are also on my list of possible employers, though I'm not sure if I want to get into that kind of thing. Thanks for the compliment sax

[2dimes]

My understanding is there is a Highway up to what you're calling Kamchatka. It's just not what you city fellas call a road. ie. Don't drive on it after the rain and ruin it for everyone else.

Edit:
I just looked the highway up. It goes to Yakoutsk and there's no train until 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amur_Yakutsk_Mainline I'm pretty sure there's roads of some form the rest of the way. Can you still get a car for a pair of Levi's? We'll trade the car for a boat when we get to the pacific. Sound good?

http://www.ssqq.com/archive/vinlin27c.htm

[Pedronicus]

Why didn't the Russians make sure that Sputnik survived re-entry and that it landed on American soil?

[saxitoxin]

Why didn't the Russians make sure that Sputnik survived re-entry and that it landed on American soil?

Sometimes reading P's posts remind me of this episode from the Japanese anime Hetalia, in which Britain plots to take-out America. Especially the tantrum scene in the bar!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zT8kvtK ... verified=1

(I keep this on-topic since the episode also prominently features Russia.)

[jefjef]

I actually enjoyed your thread. So much so you are unfoed. Saxi takes your place. lol

How does the Russian military view the American armed forces and our equipment? (M16 - Abrams tank - aircraft (stealth etc...) and who would be victorious on a conventional (non nuclear) battlefield?

[thegreekdog]

I actually enjoyed your thread. So much so you are unfoed. Saxi takes your place. lol

How does the Russian military view the American armed forces and our equipment? (M16 - Abrams tank - aircraft (stealth etc...) and who would be victorious on a conventional (non nuclear) battlefield?

Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy - read it, love it.

[thegreekdog]

- Is there a sense in Russia that the country would like to expand to encompass territories/countries formerly of the Soviet Union?
- What countries are Russia's enemies currently? Do Russia's enemies tend to be ideologically different or merely countries that are getting in the way of potential expansion?

[Baron Von PWN]

I actually enjoyed your thread. So much so you are unfoed. Saxi takes your place. lol

How does the Russian military view the American armed forces and our equipment? (M16 - Abrams tank - aircraft (stealth etc...) and who would be victorious on a conventional (non nuclear) battlefield?

I was foed?

The Russians are no fools, I'm quite certain they are fully aware Russian equipment is not up to American standards, their soldiers certainly aren't as professional. I think they believe they could put a serious fight if it came to it, but that such a fight would be suicidal . America's biggest superiority is in air power, Russian aircraft are good, but they aren't as good or as numerous as American aircraft, so I think the Russian air force would be found wanting in a fight with the American one.Their navy isn't really worth mentioning.Their ground forces are probably where they are most evenly matched with the US, but with air superiority likely to quickly be in America's hands the advantage would clearly go to the USA.
So USA vs Russian Federation I think the USA would win, in anything but an all out invasion of Russia.

Soviet Union+ Warsaw pact vs USA+ Nato I think the commies would have won a conventional war. Their equipment was inferior however at the time they had a large numerical superiority and economies already geared up for war. The communist navies were their biggest weakness, but I think they had an edge in the air due to numbers( and only suffering from a then lesser technological deficit) and their Army i think had a clear advantage due to their numbers, equipment was similar, training might have been an Issue.

Why didn't the Russians make sure that Sputnik survived re-entry and that it landed on American soil?

At the time it was an achievement to simply launch something into space, I doubt they were able to plan it out that precisely. If they could they would avoid having it land in the USA as that would give away Soviet space technology.

Pedroncius: You would be a revolutionary artist and poet, however Stalin would hate your guts and order you forgotten. Chances of survival until Khrushchev: Pedronicus who?

My understanding is there is a Highway up to what you're calling Kamchatka. It's just not what you city fellas call a road. ie. Don't drive on it after the rain and ruin it for everyone else.

Edit:
I just looked the highway up. It goes to Yakoutsk and there's no train until 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amur_Yakutsk_Mainline I'm pretty sure there's roads of some form the rest of the way. Can you still get a car for a pair of Levi's? We'll trade the car for a boat when we get to the pacific. Sound good?

http://www.ssqq.com/archive/vinlin27c.htm

Sounds like a plan, though we may want to bring quite a few pairs of jeans.

[saxitoxin]

PWN, government aside, what's the view of the average man-on-the-street there about Belarus? Is it a comrade, a necessary evil, etc.?

[mviola]

What is the viewpoint of the USSR years in present day Russia?

[Baron Von PWN]

- Is there a sense in Russia that the country would like to expand to encompass territories/countries formerly of the Soviet Union?

I haven't come across anything to suggest that, in fact Russia's actions have been to avoid and put off integration. They want to maintain a special influence in the FSU but don't seem to want to reabsorb those old territories. Russian's sadly can be a somewhat racist bunch and I've witnessed Central Asians and Caucasians being denied service and generally poorly treated. The government has also passed laws aimed at reducing illegal immigrants but much more clearly targeted at Central Asians and Caucasians, these aren't actions of a government looking to annex a region they are actions to keep them out.

In the West; Russia has a customs union of some sort with Belarus. At one point the Belorussian president asked to join the Russian Federation, the Russians said "we have enough of our own problems thanks". As hard as it may be to believe for people in the West Russia is much more interested in dealing with its own problems right now, than going and trying to annex small countries. Maybe in a decade or two Russia may be more serious about aggression if it actually wanted to be but I don't think this to be the case.

- What countries are Russia's enemies currently? Do Russia's enemies tend to be ideologically different or merely countries that are getting in the way of potential expansion?

Russia has the most animosity towards Georgia, the Kremlin absolutely hates Shakeshvili, and they went ahead an recognized as independent states the two breakaway regions (Abkhazia and South ossetia) so this is a possible flash point. With georgia its purely personal.

Then its Ukraine their dispute is mostly economic with a little but of political thrown in. Basically the Ukrainians owe Russia allot of money, but Russia's oil flow's through Ukraine so Ukraine wanted some kind of deal. Which they eventually got with a leadership change. Russia agreed to continue giving them a discount on oil I'm not sure what the Russians got out of it probably something shady and backroom. The political side of things is the large Russian population in Ukraine as well as Russia's distrust of the Orange revolution government (no longer in power i believe) which they say as an American sponsored coup.

The Balts, there have been some nasty verbiage thrown between Russia and the balts particularly Latvia. Their conflict here is mostly political and has to do with the Balts complete rejecting their Soviet past, equating communism with Nazism, wanting to move or remove red army monuments and allegedly being mean to Russian minorities. This hasn't manifested itself into anything other than political posturing though and is used by the Russia government to occasionally rally nationalist support.

[Juan_Bottom]

Can Sara Palin see Russia from her backyard?

[Baron Von PWN]

PWN, government aside, what's the view of the average man-on-the-street there about Belarus? Is it a comrade, a necessary evil, etc.?

I can't say I've really talked to anyone about Belarus but from comments I've heard about Belorussians, they see them as sort-of backwards peasants ( when I make a mistake with my Russian my Russians proffs sometimes say I sound like Belorussian peasant). However I'm not entirely sure how this translates to the broader population. My feeling is they view them as a friend if a little slow in the head.

What is the viewpoint of the USSR years in present day Russia?

It can be very varied. I have Proffs who say their Native country is the Soviet Union and that it pains their hearts it is gone, I've spoken to people who denounce it as a murderous regime, some people just shrug. I think in general the older the Russian the more likely to be nostalgic for the Soviet Union. The younger the more likely to be critical or not care about it (though there is a supportive subset).

[Baron Von PWN]

Can Sara Palin see Russia from her backyard?

Possibly! The two are actually pretty close to each other.

[thegreekdog]

THREAD OF THE YEAR 2010.

Thanks BvP.

[saxitoxin]

( when I make a mistake with my Russian my Russians proffs sometimes say I sound like Belorussian peasant).

Do they have a subway there in Leningrad? How modern / well maintained is it? What's it like relative to the Toronto subway, for instance? (Is it Gothic ... does it look like a place you'd set a horror film?)

[Pedronicus]

If the Third Reich hadn't of gone right whilst advancing though the Ukraine, to attack a city that had a name that pissed off Adolf, and had of carried on straight on to Moscow. Would Russia of fallen to the Germans if they had of taken the capital?