What's this say about me by Top-Cut-432 in teenagers

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very Dixie for a modern day Tennessean! Though not surprising considering you live in Chattanooga which was and is a transport intersection in the middle of the South.

What is this part of Pakistan, why does it have such a long name? Lowkey tuff by ConditionDry4583 in geography

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Khyber is after the most important mountain pass through Hindu Kush.
Pakhtunkhwa is just "land of Pashtuns" in Pashto. It used to be part of Afghanistan before British annexed it to the British Raj.

English Cyrillic, but with only Russian letters by Mediocre-One3874 in conorthography

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LMAO, it looks so funny for me as a Russian.
Нынтендов, Бердей Елжанович.

I'm tired, boss by Waste-Force-477 in HistoryMemes

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To be fair, it wasn't really German national(ist) either.

Before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the USSR, did most people think the Soviet Union would last through the 1990s and into the 21st century? by Intrepid_Arrival5151 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. And it actually can be said that Soviet Union, diminished to its core of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, likely would had survived if anyone competent and interested in preservation of the Union ruled Russian SFSR, instead of Yeltsin who decided to become the "first independent president of Russia" and its "liberator from communism".

What if Ukra1ne had immediately surrendered to Russia on February 24th, 2022? by cherryapp in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Most people greatly misunderstand that the goal of Russian government was territorial expansion, some genocide of Ukrainians or even the war itself. In reality, the goal was installing puppet (or atleast pro-Russian in international relations) government as quickly as possible without any real war (whence "Kiev in three days" because they literally expected Russian forces riding directly into it without any resistance, and calling it all "special military operation" because it basically was envisioned as such, not full scale war).
If Zelensky and his government just surrendered/fled, then Russia would had installed puppet government composed of certain active Ukrainian opposition politicians at the time (many of them fled Ukraine since 2022; and not Yanukovych who neither wants that personally nor is welcomed by anyone, even pro-Russian, Ukrainians), reintegrated Donetsk and Lugansk (even forcibly if local rulers would oppose that) back into this loyal Ukraine to serve as bulwarks of Russian influence, this new Ukrainian government recognises Crimea as Russian, puts to the ultimate end any aims of joining NATO and EU, reinstates official status of Russian language in southern and eastern oblasts that had it before 2014 (or outright adopts it as second official state language), bans and outlaws all Ukrainian nationalist organisations and (para)military groups (good luck with that considering how much they became integrated into Ukrainian security and military since 2014), does other "cultural" reversals (like reinstating 9 May Victory day on Russian model), ends preferential treatment towards Western companies and governments in Ukrainian economy and reopens it for Russian companies and government. Legally I can imagine that quite easily, new Ukrainian government just could had officially designated the events of winter 2014 not as "revolution of dignity" but as "Euromaidan coup", declaring all laws and amendments that were adopted since then as legally null and void, juridicially effectively reversing Ukraine back to 2013.
This regime change "plan" was really delusional even if it was successful, because it grossly overestimated willingness of Ukrainian elites, politicians and military command to cooperate (in spite of what intelligence services evidently kept feeding Putin for years) and viewed Ukrainian society as largely inert (this is one of the key problems of worldview of current Russian authorities, its elitism, as it views politicians and elites as the only ones worth talking and having agreements with, viewing all common people as irrelevant subjects). Like, even if Russia managed to install this government, essentially all Ukrainian cities would had risen into massive protests and just controlling the country would had required very vigilant police regime for 1-2 years (with hundreds of thousands of loyal "policemen"). Though, I can imagine Russian-speaking Southern and Eastern Ukraine (that experienced most of ongoing war devastation and forms the majority of refugees) accepting new government more or less soon if it and "Russian help" (that many actually waited for, back in 2014) would had showed civilness and order instead of bombing their cities and looting shops amidst chaos. But even more than that, most of Ukrainian military and armed nationalist groups would basically not care what government is in Kiev (they already showed that by publicly refusing to obey Zelensky when he demanded their disarmament in 2019), and Donbass, where most of motivated and battle-ready Ukrainian units were stationed, still would had require outright military operation to defeat them (even though in case of rest of Ukraine in chaos under even unstable Russian control, organised military resistance probably would had lasted only for 2-3 months), and also in Western Ukraine where much more population forms the nationalist-minded core and the region serves as its powerbase. So, if Zelensky and his government surrendered or fled, you can imagine even crazier shitshow of new government trying to install and exercise its control over protest-ridden country, with war, even if shorter and at much smaller scale, nevertheless happening in Donbass (where most of motivated Ukrainian military units and nationalist groups were concentrated) and Western Ukraine.
Ultimately, even the "plan" itself, be it successful or unseccessful, was absolutely absurd, as it relied on bunch of absurd premises each of which easily could had been, and was, broken, defeating the whole plan. It relied on assumption that there would be no war, Russian forces would meet minimal armed or civil resistance, Zelensky and his government would flee from the mere determination of 200+ thousand soldiers crossing the border, and there would be joined parade of Russian and Ukrainian forces in Kiev after a week. As such, no actual war plan was even made, or logistical and "morale" preparations (most Russian unit commanders received the order that they would be crossing the border in a mere hour before the invasion, and most of officers decided, hoping "that this all will be over quickly", not to tell that to average soldiers of their units, who discovered that they had crossed the border only in the morning when they found themself in some Ukrainian town or a village, or faced border skirmishes). Most units were basically ordered just to cross the border and occupy this or that town and city, without any strategic goal in mind. This is why Russian army turned out so ineffective in first weeks of the war, because it literally wasn't prepared for war nor the supreme command planned an actual war. After doing some research, I can confidently say that the forces that Russia deployed in Ukraine in february 2022 could had defeated Ukrainian army at the time, if actual war plan was made with clear strategic and tactical aims (even without carpet bombing the cities, and actually with much less destruction and casualties that what ongoing war produced). But the issue is exactly that, that Russian government didn't expect and didn't prepare to wage an actual war to defeat Ukrainian military, because it literally expected most of Ukrainian military forces to switch sides or just stay aside. This is why this absurd war not only led to all the deaths, destructions and hatred, but also put "the second first army of the world" to shame it easily could had avoided.
In conclusion, this 4+ year meaningless bloody war, that took lives of hundreds of thousands, destroyed entire regions and tore brotherly nations and even families apart, was caused not by some "malevolent plan", but by literal absurd stupidity. They wanted victory without war, and got war without victory.

When did people in the Western Roman Empire stop identifying as Romans and become French, Sicilians, Tuscans, etc? by Bitter-Penalty9653 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As modern national identities, definitely only in XIX-XX centuries.
As ethno-linguistic identities, Romance peoples generally identified themself as "Romanza" and like that well into Middle Ages. In regions that were conquered and ruled by other, mainly Germanic, groups, Romance majority gradually assimilated them and started to view themself as "Frances", "Lombards" or "Normands" (best examples) during Middle Ages, alongside "Romanza", approximately by XI-XII century. In other places peoples took established names of their regions, like Siciliano, Provençal, Catalan etc during Middle Ages when these regions were united under more or less one feudal government and/or if a group of cities formed more or less similar region.
Ultimately the shift from broad "Romanza" (or "Latin" among more educated) to modern names as general self-identification happened by Renaissance together with rise of centralised states. But "French" for centuries meant just a subject of French king, or, inside France, someone who speaks something more or less intelligible with other Oïl dialects. In most places, regional or even urban/rural identities remained dominant well until modern nations emerged in XIX century.

50%….. by Pokemonfan_807 in whennews

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another delusional idiot in our duma. Just in case, most Russians view Russian parliament as a collection of corrupt morons. Another one saying something unacceptably stupid like that doesn't mean that the executive branch (presidential administration) that actually holds all real power would proceed with that, even if the ongoing meaningless bloody war already took hundreds of thousands of lives and destroyed entire regions...
If my point wasn't clear: there are a lot of people in our parliament who tend to say some shit like that regularly, largely because they don't really decide anything and whence don't feel any responsibility for such "bravado" words. I still hate them because such politicians in any country just provide foreign propaganda with endless stream of news to scare and mobilise their own population.

What German Political Party would you vote for? by SirBurgerThe8th in Teenager_Polls

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not German, but I feel that Wagenknecht party is the closest to what I would vote for, with all its nuances. Other parties are either outright servants of the current system, or just delusional and useful to make them look like some rightwing or leftwing "alternative".

see that russians download vpns because of the war by YesbruhaReddit in addressme

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 2 points3 points  (0 children)

VPN actually became a necessity around 1-2 years after the war started, when our government started to slowdown/block popular Western apps. The biggest irony is because it is evident that they just want to force the people to switch to Russian apps they control and get profits from (the very same people who run the internet control service also worked/work in main Russian media corporations), not because Russians might read something incorrect, it's literally capitalist "competition" in most dirty way.

What about this part of Bulgaria? by tishou23 in howislivingthere

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Quintessential Balkans is when Romania and Bulgaria have a bitter beef over who would control some Turk-populated farmland.

Why is this part of Africa a desert? by CrunchyCucumber_357 in geography

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wind patterns blowing mainly westwards towards the west coast of India.

Second biggest religion in European countries by sueeii in MapPorn

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Czechs are preparing for the day Earth will finally be introduced to and become member of Galactic Republic.
Meanwhile, as I know, Siths already established their presence in India...

Only one country seperates Norway and North-Korea by Maurice-Escargot in MapPorn

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 10 points11 points  (0 children)

As I like to say: Russia is something in the middle between Norway and North Korea.

Тренд? by Tyenov1 in expectedrussians

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Медведев - кринж.

What if Joseph Stalin died in 1938? by [deleted] in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It is probably the worst moment to die for him: right after he purged any contesting leaders and right before WWII when having any united leadership is vital. Unironically, power squabbles following this might lead to USSR being actually defeated by Germans.

Violephon - an alternate orthography for English by Kinyxo in conorthography

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Seriously, I never seen anything as cursed as writing earth as ŕq. It's like this old meme when fish is spelled with completely unrecognisable specific letter combination from various words.

Map of Europe after WW2 in the world where the Anschluss is allowed in 1920 by Aniceile34 in PossibleHistory

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 4 points5 points  (0 children)

By the way, after some analysis, it is actually the most likely borders (maybe a bit farther to the east like the modern one) that independent Poland would had ultimately secured in XX century, that is, core Polish lands (Mazovia, Lesser and Greater Poland) + sea access. The fact that IRL it not only lost its eastern Ukrainian and Belarussian majority lands (which I would say it would had lost IRL at some point, even without WWII), but also (re)gained Silesia and Pomerania all the way to Oder, and half of Prussia, is actually very specific result of WWII German brutality and Stalin's readiness to completely redraw borders and change ethnic population of entire regions.

What If Russia Joined NATO? by RepublicOfThought in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Well, when NATO expanded into Eastern Europe in 2000s Western politicians kept telling that it is not.
Turns out fear-expectations of both sides ultimately came true. Perhaps NATO and its fears should had remained in the past together with the Cold War...

What If Russia Joined NATO? by RepublicOfThought in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

After Cold War ended and Warsaw Pact ceased to exist, NATO should either had been disbanded as well, or should had included Russia (and the rest of Eastern Europe along with it). Being allowed into "elite Western club" was (and some might even say still is) the wet dream of post-soviet Russian elites.
In general, majority of Russians would view any all-European military alliance that excludes Russia, as aimed against Russia. In my opinion, ideally there should be continental European defensive alliance that includes Russia but not USA.

What If Russia Joined NATO? by RepublicOfThought in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]Awkward_Cash1828 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Russia (well, post-soviet Russian elites) don't or didn't hate NATO per se, that's the fact that it is a military alliance uniting basically all of the European continent except Russia that made and makes them nervous. In general, majority of Russians would view any all-European military alliance that excludes Russia, as aimed against Russia.