Living Failed State

What the actual fuck is wrong with my country?

Mostly South Africa, but sometimes Türkiye. I move around a lot.

Court fines retired man for ‘liking’ antiwar content online, despite his civic work supporting Russian soldiers — Meduza A Russian court sentenced a 67-year-old retiree to pay 170,000 rubles (about $2,090) for liking multiple antiwar posts on the social network Odnoklassniki. A district court in the Amur region…

It turns out that even volunteering with a group that makes camouflage nets and collects care packages for soldiers isn't enough to spare elderly Russians from criminal prosecution for antiwar speech crimes. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

They all are, but the Toloka, TLK series stands out to me. If the likes of Yemen's Houthis got their hands on that...

Clearly, the person who chose that font was engaging in petty revenge for some slight. The light grey on white motif further highlights their displeasure. This is pseudo-acceptable domestic terrorism.

24 cases per 100 thousand people? Amateurs. The last WHO estimate in 2022 put my country at 468 per 100 thousand. But at least they're trying.

With a bit of luck they'll also develop a high HIV co-infection rate, like we did. Every little bit helps.

I have now seen its face, and I want it keel hauled, on principle.

But... this is the exact same offer that Ukraine had made to Russia since 2022? and the vodkawhores wouldn't take it.

Follow this guy to get a feel for what is happening in Africa re: Russian interference. There are a lot of Africans on the Russian payroll who actively shill for Putin.

bsky.app/profile/phil...

Somehow my dormant spider lilies have decided to flower. They are such delicate little things, the harsh African sun is going to murder them in two days at most...

I get to watch this happen from the inside. It's not exactly like this where I am, but the further North you go, the more noticeable it becomes.

Yes. Apparently. On national television, I think. It's pretty edgy for the era, but still retains some class (with the audio muted; genitals are not precision tools). Google it, it's up on youtube and littered across reddit.

I started getting BMAC returns three days ago, against a whole range of recipients. It happened again this morning, from a donation I made in October. ... October!

In the Bunker with @darthputinkgb.bsky.social, I explained how Russian paramilitaries commit grave human rights abuses, including rape and torture, in Africa and how local recruits, known as Black Russians, operate alongside Wagner paramilitaries in Central Africa.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyT7...

I’ve seen & heard a lot about Russia’s effort to increase migration to Europe through the West African route. If nothing is done to at least combat the disinformation that Russia is spreading in an attempt to encourage migration, Europe could face a catastrophe in months to come.

Russia Moving Military Assets To Africa After Syria Setback Russia appears to be moving some of its military equipment from Syria to Africa, where Moscow is expanding its military footprint.

Russia appears to be moving some of its military assets from Syria to bases in Mali and Libya, which is home to an estimated 1,200 Russian mercenaries.

www.rferl.org/a/russia-syr...

In Nov. 2023, four months after Russian-allied soldiers seized power in Niger, the junta repealed Law 2015-36, which banned the transportation of irregular migrants northwards, effectively decriminalising people-smuggling and paving the way for migrants to travel towards Europe.

I truly hope so. Those filthy mercenary bandits have caused way too many problems for us here in Africa. From pocket politicians to propped up warlords, they can only fall when Russia's support for them is removed.

Thank you for the morning giggle. I'm stealing shawarma fart as a descriptor and adding it to my lexicon.

This is the most spectacular, overwhelmingly ignorant generalisation I've read for 2024.

Congratulations.

This should be a good stream to watch if you're interested in a high-level view of Russia's shenanigans in Africa, and how that affects you.

Nope, South African. I'm surprised that any of our politicians handle their own cutlery while eating. I've been thoroughly jaded about people in politics.

An image search shows that this is true. I had never considered that a politician would handle their own luggage 🤔

I'm more curious about what's inside that briefcase. I doubt he's carrying his own travel luggage.

Exactly this. I've lived in Arica for 47 years now and every single leader on the continent will always choose the side that pays the biggest kickbacks or affords a stronger hold on their power.

Economic sanctions alone are not enough to curb the russian economy. But, liberating Africa from russian influence would go a long way to closing the loop.

Wagner funnels $2.5 billion in 'blood gold' to Russia’s war chest as it rebrands and expands in Africa The Wagner Group has generated over $2.5 billion from illegal gold mining since the start of the Ukraine invasion, according to a report by the World Gold Council.

The Wagner Group has generated over $2.5 billion from illegal gold mining since the start of the Ukraine invasion, according to a report by the World Gold Council. Russia is taking resources from Africa to fund the Ukraine war and no one is doing anything.
www.lbc.co.uk/news/wagner-...

This delightful thread delves into some of the global conflicts that Russia has been stoking. It's a surprising amount.

Thank you.
ClearSky's authentication mechanism isn't doing what I expect it to, so I might just plug into the API over the weekend so I can do some isolated keyword searches.