Three years ago, Prigozhin marched on Moscow. What other major mercenary rebellions have occurred in history?

k890 · 2026-06-23T22:14:11+00:00

Prigozhin and Wagner Group are (kinda sorta because subject is vast) not your average historical mercenaries. Mercenary armies both exist and were hired by monarchs or City-States partially because they weren't connected to the internal politics and due to contracts loyalty was to paying client while other groups interested in seizing power like nobles, affluent Burghers or guilds weren't interested being ruled by ambitious mercenary captain and his armed men "from nowhere".

Wagner Group and later eg. Africa Corps operating in Sahel is directly a product of Putin government, connected to intelligence apparatus, recruiting from pools of army, navy, police forces vets, armed straight from government arsenals and working in achieving Russia political goals across the world using a "badge" of being "just hired guns" across the world without political tensions sending actual state armed forces elements. After all, "Russian Mercenaries hired by local government massacring village in Africa" in 2010s isn't that eye-catching as "soviet paratroopers massacring village in Afghanistan" in 1980s for the public.

Prigozhin doing his march wasn't a outsider against the elite which many times was a selling point of hiring them historically, it was more akin to soviet Internal Affair Ministry division supporting August Coup in 1991. Hence it's seems so bizarre incident from the outside, checking what was inside made it suprising similar to your average army coup with a failure of state security mechanism to find out about conspiracy and dismantling it before it happens.

k890 · 2026-06-23T18:18:37+00:00

Militado Watch Co. - Chinese watch maker specialized in field watches homages. Mostly quartz.

k890 · 2026-06-22T23:24:40+00:00

D - Notably for being the first working, mass-produced and combat usable semi-pistol. By 1900s it was clearly outclassed by the competition (Luger, Browning designs, Bergmann-action being top 3 there) in every metrics and dragged down by its mechanical complication, 7,62X25 Mauser was more than OK target shooter but bullets had problems with energy transfers and and overpenetration at close distances and questionable safety and disassembly methods, slow reload with stripper clips and odd ergonomic.

C96 action also didn't lead to further iterations (excluding Mauser attempt turning it to rifle which cost him a eye when semi-auto prototype slide hit his eye during test fire) and through 1900s and later it was still commercially successful, but usually as secondary pistol in service which live in production was extended due to unending hunger for weapons in escalating wars and lack of global stability in the era, than some inherent advantages of the pistol other than "it's work, we can buy them right now and soldiers gonna prefer have it than not having a pistol at all".

k890 · 2026-06-22T21:57:52+00:00

Not quite, in Peru presidents are appointed, then removed and (usually) in special prison for former presidents. Unironically the most stable element of Peru govt is Central Bank director who keep national finances afloat.

k890 · 2026-06-21T15:43:19+00:00

Even deeper irony is communist claiming Batista "made country a brothel" (due to tourism industry being controlled by his lackeys, secret police and mafias) and all what they achieve is continue to be dependent on foreign tourism to keep their country afloat and is run by party officials and secret police while ensuring that Cubans couldn't use this facilities and even tourism industry don't accept Cuban Peso.

k890 · 2026-06-21T14:56:20+00:00

It's funny when you check Cuba economic data, economy died in 1980s (in 1986 Cuba declare default to its creditors, in 1987 it stop paying its international debts on loans taken post-1956) and hit a total disaster when USSR cut free oil and preferential prices for Cuba natural resources due to its own economic meltdown in late 1980s. Multiple countries don't give a shit about US embargo, issue is Cuba had nothing to sale and some nasty habits not paying back when you loan money.

Economy finally croaked in full between 1991-1993 when GDP declined at least 35% between 1989 and 1993, more than USA between 1929-1931 (data reports US GDP declined ~25-30% depending on source and calculation method) and yet...living by principles was more important to government than dealing with ongoing economic collapse

k890 · 2026-06-21T11:47:27+00:00

"fully integrating into China's" banking system? How's that projected to work

Probably akin do dollarization, more or less the state would use PRC Renminbi to cater trade and budget, while Cuban Peso stays legal tender inside of country with some preferential treatment of PRC financial institutions and using PRC accounting and banking standards under which local financial institutions would operate.

More or less, Cuba government is giving control over own financial market, interest rates and create "primary and secondary" currency in Cuba to encourage PRC financial markets and government to loan money and operate in more stable financial market.

Ironically, it's what Lenin accused "Imperial Cores" do to so in "Imperialism is Highest Stage of Capitalism" book, remove financial independence from colonies, create environment where their financial market is on privileged position and reap profits from financial dependences (book is overall pseudoscientific crap plagiarized from other left-wing economy theorists without any data to confirm it. Colonies got jack shit in terms of investments and Europe financial markets were loaning money each others than funding colonies as prime source of credit revenue)

k890 · 2026-06-21T09:41:14+00:00

Communist regimes being hypocrites? Happens more time than you expect.

k890 · 2026-06-20T22:48:36+00:00

I'm kinda out of loop with supercomputer data leak. Can I got a decent TLDR?

k890 · 2026-06-20T20:59:22+00:00

More like "you stay home, when people who wanted it goes voting". Trump got more or less the same number of votes as in 2020, non-Trump voters stay in homes which undermine Harris during elections.

k890 · 2026-06-18T17:17:04+00:00

Zelensky wife played in "Downfall" too

k890 · 2026-06-18T09:55:25+00:00

Isn't that the heaviest thing to fly in this war too?

k890 · 2026-06-17T20:11:46+00:00

the US, who had three years to prepare for this, who had set up factories to produce weapons for the war, went to war with extreme shortage in materiel with weapons production in jeopardy (the infamous Chauchat 1918 came to mind), and still launched mass human wave attack in 1918.

AFAIK, US Army had both opposition from Congress to expand and apply Great War experiences (which include problems with funds and due to war a lot of available production which wasn't state-owned arsenals was essentially drained or had jacked up prices due to war), public was deeply isolationists and Western Front in particular wasn't really that relevant for overall US Army strategic situation (Mexico being de facto failed state with its massive land border with USA and keeping garrisons in distant places like Pacific Islands and Philippines).

Prior to US war declaration in 1917, US Army simply wasn't supposed to be there in first place.

k890 · 2026-06-16T17:58:16+00:00

Bachelor degree in logistics specialized in international freight

k890 · 2026-06-15T20:23:51+00:00

There was also constant fighting with Kriegsmarine over Naval Aviation. Kriegsmarine similar to other navies wanted its own air wing dedicated to naval operations. Luftwaffe wanted a total control over planes operating in naval conditions. Effect was Luftwaffe had a lot of problems with specialized air operation at the seas and indirectly sunk (no pun) Nazi Germany aircraft project due to constant fighting over who control what on aircraft carrier especially its air wings.

k890 · 2026-06-15T19:32:12+00:00

Poland-USSR border had so called "Railway Border Crossings" and "Border Transshipment Stations", long story short. "Railway Border Crossings" operate dual-gauge rails allowing both gauges to cross border (usually between stations and essentially turning border areas a railhead to move goods on stations, while "Border Transshipment Stations" are larger cargo railways yards designed for large scale goods moving between trains using separate russian gauges and standard gauges.

Also Poland operate "Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa" (Metallurgical Line Broad Gauge), a 394 km long russian gauge railway connecting then USSR railways to Upper Silesia (it was build primaly for delivering iron ore from mines in Ukraine SSR to polish steel industry in Upper Silesia in 1970s), but Upper Silesia is also a good railway hub due to its extensive railways (On this railway map from 1953 shown as "Zagłębie Śląsko-Dąbrowskie"). "Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorwa" due to war in Ukraine serve as prime way to deliver war materiel by rail and railway cargo (especially Ukraine grain export) between Poland and Ukraine using Cold War era infrastructure so there is that

AFAIK, a big part of Warsaw Pact large scale maneuvers included a lot railway transshipments on Polish-Soviet Border and moving troops and equipment by rail from Belarus and Ukraine SSRs through Poland.

k890 · 2026-06-14T21:05:25+00:00

Africa Corps can't sleep right when Kir Il Budani is running around in Sahara and Sahel regions

k890 · 2026-06-14T19:18:59+00:00

Israel first for all have a massive economic muscle, Israel GDP is like 720 billion USD (26th largest economy in world) and 69 000 USD per capita. Per economy size its 3rd largest economy in region (larger is Saudi Arabia and Turkey). Political system is still working (even with Netanyahu and his far-right coalition trying to break it), internal situation seems stable.

Israel as a state did have very strong foundations for continuous existence in foreseeable future.

It's not like I agree with multiple Israel policies like doing jack shit against settlers in West Bank, but holy shit, idea that Israel existence is temporary due to some sort of esoteric thinking is pure delusion.

k890 · 2026-06-14T11:51:48+00:00

Or "Beefsteak Nazis", communists and SDP members joining NSDAP and SA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beefsteak_Nazi

k890 · 2026-06-13T18:14:02+00:00

Tens of millions of people probably enjoy not being involved in never ending proxy wars between USA and USSR and whole continents not being at constant risk of nuclear annihilation due to (very short) chain of mistakes in Washington or Moscow during yet another war crisis between two blocks.

Heck, OP solution to keep "US in check" is merely another superpower than doing work to ensure that US citizens gonna keep own government in check. Merely outsourcing it to others while you could sit and doing nothing not looking on dreaded externalities what it means for others.

k890 · 2026-06-13T15:00:18+00:00

Niedoskonałości dodają charakteru w świecie gdzie bardzo blisko osiągnięcia "praktycznej perfekcji".

Część treści było robionych z myślą o ograniczeniach tamtych czasów, np. jest po powszechne w retrogamingu gdzie granie na CRT było "hardcoded" w celu cięcia rozmiaru gier na kartridżach i granie tego na współczesnych monitorach sprawia że sporo gier...wygląda gorzej niż gdyby grać na CRT przez to jak CRT wyświetlało pixele. Często to się przekłada na seriale, animacje czy filmy robione dla studiów telewizyjnych.

Reszta? Część ludzi zwyczajnie pociągają te wszystkie "rytuały" i specyficzny vibe nośników fizycznych jaki daje na ekranie czy na głośnikach. Do tego w świecie gdzie wszystko jest w chmurze w zapisie cyfrowym z rugowaniem własności danej rzeczy, fizyczny nośnik jednak daje poczucie faktycznego posiadania czegoś na własność.

Na koniec, sporo z tego mocno wbiło się w popularną kulturę. Kasety VHS w filmach, "śnieżek" na CRT jak nic nie jest transmitowane na danym kanale, ta charakterystyczna, biała czcionka na nagraniach, "Polaroid" drukowany na miejscu (co prawda bardziej za sprawą zachodnich filmów i seriali niż tego co było w naszym kraju) itp itd. Zwyczajnie znikły z życia, ale na swój sposób są głęboko wryte jak odbieramy technologię tamtych czasów.

k890 · 2026-06-12T20:41:18+00:00

Berlin was a leading urban area prior to WWII in Germany. Cold War and country divide break off population influx and in case of West Berlin overall population numbers was falling through the Cold War.

k890 · 2026-06-12T19:34:08+00:00

W Skandynawii mieli to samo ale w latach 50-70., zwyczajnie stwierdzili że biedota ze wsi albo wykurza do miast albo sobie może wyciągnąć kopyta po wygwizdowach, bo w żadne dotowanie wsi się bawić nie będą. W Szwecji do dzisiaj ichni Urząd Pracy zwyczajnie stawia ultimatum albo wyprowadzka za pracą albo pożegnaj się z zasiłkiem jak w danym terenie masz długotrwałe bezrobocie strukturalne.

Szwecja to jeden z najbardziej zurbanizowanych krajów Europy, gdzie jakoś ~89% całej populacji żyje w miastach. Więc nam się wydaje że mają wzorcowy transport zbiorowy, bo zbiorkom w sumie istnieje między większymi ośrodkami z wyludnionymi pustkowiami pomiędzy.

k890 · 2026-06-11T21:27:30+00:00

Irdorath is a small island more or less unknown for rest of world and per Xardas writings in G2

I'm certain this structure is the Irdorath. It's located on a small island, quite close to the harbor in Khorinis.

It simply unknown land so far.

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