The most recent geopolitical news around Cuba is the arrival this week of four Russian vessels, including a nuclear submarine - not carrying any nukes, (un)fortunately - to Havana. This will, in Putin's words, merely be a visit celebrating historical ties and no laws are being broken. Nonetheless, it's not hard to imagine how American politicians and analysts are taking the news, especially as it comes shortly after Russia promised an "asymmetrical" response to further NATO involvement in Ukraine (notably, officially allowing the use of US weapons such as missiles in Russia, albeit in a small part of Russian territory, near the border).
Meanwhile, China has been increasingly co-operating with Cuba to overcome the economic hardship created by American sanctions. China has recently re-allowed direct flights to Cuba and has recently donated some small photovoltaic plants as part of an initiative to eventually boost the Cuban energy grid by 1000 MW - and any electrical expansion helps as Cuba is plagued by blackouts which last most of the day. Additionally, the EU has made meaningful contributions to Cuba's energy situation too, with large solar installations. Hopefully, the Belt and Road Initiative will help preserve the Cuban revolution against reactionary forces as the power of US sanctions wanes. The proximity of Cuba to the United States makes this much more challenging than it would be for countries elsewhere, however. Similarly to the situation in Mexico, it seems unlikely that the US's influence over Cuba will massively diminish for decades to come unless there is a catastrophic internal collapse in the American authoritarian regime.
The Havana Syndrome will continue until American morale declines.
The COTW (Country of the Week) label is designed to spur discussion and debate about a specific country every week in order to help the community gain greater understanding of the domestic situation of often-understudied nations. If you've wanted to talk about the country or share your experiences, but have never found a relevant place to do so, now is your chance! However, don't worry - this is still a general news megathread where you can post about ongoing events from any country.
The Country of the Week is Cuba! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.
Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section. Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war. Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language. https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one. https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts. https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel. https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator. https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps. https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language. https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language. https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses. https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Nazi commander tells journalists they will use U.S provided weapons effectively.
Ukraine's Azov Brigade Sends Direct Message to US After Arms Ban Lifted
Ukraine's Azov Brigade will "prove the effectiveness" of the U.S.' decision to lift a long-standing ban on providing weapons to the unit, according to the brigade's commander.
See, I wasn't lying
"We will justify the responsibility entrusted to us, and with our discipline, resilience and bravery in battle, we will prove the effectiveness of this decision," Colonel Denys Prokopenko said in a statement posted to social media on Saturday.
Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department reversed a decision made back in 2014 to stop the Ukrainian brigade receiving American weapons.
Hmm I wonder what happened back in 2014
The move comes as Ukraine, despite a number of successes in the Black Sea against Moscow's naval fleet, struggles to hold off incremental but steady Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.
Lol they gotta fit in some cope somewhere to deal with the constant stream of Ls from the frontlines.
As military aid from Washington dried up earlier this year, deep anxieties settled in over the supply of weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian front lines. The U.S. then passed a long-awaited military aid package in late April.
Jerk-offs not even mentioning all that sweet genocide material's being redirected to the fascists in Israel so they can be used on people that can't defend themselves, as the bombs and guns were designed to be used for.
The Azov Brigade rose out of the volunteer Azov Battalion, with its roots in far-right and ultranationalist ideology. The fighters were on the front lines fighting pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine from 2014; the battalion's founders were accused of having neo-Nazi sentiments.
Bite your tongue and drown in your own blood.
The brigade's current members have rejected these ties, distancing themselves from the battalion's reputation since the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022. The brigade is now a part of Ukraine's National Guard, and has been lauded as one of the most effective fighting forces, noted particularly for its role in battling Russian forces in the Moscow-controlled southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Their virulence has spread through the entire state.
Also they're the most effective nazi brigade in eating shit since ww2.
The Kremlin has repeatedly attempted to justify its invasion by claiming a "neo-Nazi regime" is in charge in Kyiv. This has been emphatically rejected by Ukraine and the international community.
"Such a sudden change in Washington's positions shows that they stop at nothing in their attempts to suppress Russia, using Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as a tool in their hands," Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said in remarks referring to the State Department's decision, as reported by Russian state media earlier this week. The U.S. is "ready even to flirt with neo-Nazis," he added.
I wonder how the journos were reporting on Ukraine prior to the war. They certainly weren't saying Ukraine had a nazi problem, nosiree.
"I would like to congratulate all the soldiers of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov and the entire civilized world on the victory over Russian propaganda," Prokopenko said on Saturday.
I guess everyone that says otherwise are uncivilized. Something something Garden and jungle.
An unnamed State Department spokesperson told the BBC that "Russian disinformation" had tried to "conflate" the current Azov Brigade with "a militia formed to defend Ukraine against Russia's invasion in 2014," or the Azov Battalion.
Didn't know reality was Russian disinformation. But what do I know, it isn't as if me and my party hasn't been keeping close tabs on this for over a decade now.
Under the U.S.' "Leahy Law," the Washington government cannot use funds to help foreign security forces when there is "credible information" suggesting the unit has committed gross violations of human rights.
Publicly.
"Eligibility for U.S. assistance will not only increase Azov's combat effectiveness, but, most importantly, will help save the lives and health of the brigade's personnel," the brigade said in a statement on Tuesday.
At the cost of Ukrainian and Russian conscripts and civilians of both countries. Giving nazis arms historically is a very bad idea.
"This is a new page in the history of our unit," the unit added. "Azov is becoming more professional and more effective in defending Ukraine against the invaders."
God willing, a page shy of a bitter and conclusive end to your unit.
The Azov Brigade has not yet received U.S. weapons, Azov's deputy commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sviatoslav Palamar, told The Washington Post on Tuesday.
And may they continue to not receive any and continue to die violent and painful deaths
An unnamed State Department spokesperson told the BBC that "Russian disinformation" had tried to "conflate" the current National Socialist German Worker’s Party with "a militia formed to defend Germany against the Judeo-Bolshevik invasion in 1933," or the National Socialist Worker’s Party of Germany.
The brigade's current members have rejected these ties, distancing themselves from the battalion's reputation since the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022. The brigade is now a part of Ukraine's National Guard, and has been lauded as one of the most effective fighting forces, noted particularly for its role in battling Russian forces in the Moscow-controlled southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
An unnamed State Department spokesperson told the BBC that "Russian disinformation" had tried to "conflate" the current Azov Brigade with "a militia formed to defend Ukraine against Russia's invasion in 2014," or the Azov Battalion.
Pretty interesting how they still use so much Nazi iconography, but sure. They "rejected" the ideology by trying to, and failing spectacularly, to hide all of that. Everything we see is just Russian disinformation.
has been lauded as one of the most effective fighting forces, noted particularly for its role in battling Russian forces in the Moscow-controlled southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.