Ukraine invasion










American expert points to West’s fundamental error on Ukraine

 
Zelensky ready to start talks with Russia without the need to reinstate 1991 borders
See more at https://english.pravda.ru/news/world/159263-zelensky-ukraine-russia/





 
A non-partisan research post - London
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A Russian / Soviet cultural diversion
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RT News - above referenced:
Western nations have repeatedly sought to ban performances by Russian artists and musicians, as well as those deemed supportive of Moscow. Most recently, renowned Italian singer Enzo Ghinazzi, best known as Pupo, had an upcoming performance in Lithuania canceled over a concert he gave at the Kremlin in March.

Earlier the same month, South Korea canceled a series of performances by Svetlana Zakharova, a renowned ballerina from Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre, after Ukraine expressed anger over the planned events.

Wikipedia:
Svetlana Zakharova was the first Ukrainian-born Russian principal dancer performing in Paris and became a world star as of 2000.

A member of United Russia party, Zakharova was a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation during the Russo-Ukrainian War, which led to a break in her relationship with the Kyiv Choreographic School in particular.[14]

Sagely comment: Such are the unfortunate squabbles of war ....

Zakharova is married to Russian violinist Vadim Repin, and they have one child, daughter Anna (b. 2011). She had withdrawn from the Bolshoi Ballet tour to London in the summer of 2010 citing a hip injury; she was pregnant at the time. Zakharova returned to dancing, and performed in London on 15 May 2011, in a gala performance celebrating Soviet ballerina Galina Ulanova.

And for those who enjoy the dance - the touch and closeness - and appreciation of the female form
Note: The - Wham ! Bam ! Thank You, Ma'am ! I'm done ! will find this excruciating. Give a miss !
Svetlana Zakharova and Mikhail Lobukhin, Toreador and Carmen PDD from "Carmen" (2019)

Why has Russia produced so many great ballerinas compared to anywhere else in the world?

MA in Philosophy Jewish journalist, immigrant from Russia. Author has 259 answers and 513.7K answer viewsUpdated 4y
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What was it like to be a Soviet ballerina?
From the age 15 I worked as a pianist in the different dance schools in Leningrad. Later I worked for Leningrad Music Hall as accompanist for ballet rehearsals. Since 1986 I worked for two years as a pianist for the Phoenix School of Ballet in Phoenix, AZ, USA. My own daughter was placed to ballet school in Leningrad since she was 5.

Ballet in the Soviet Union was fascinating profession. Soviets had three main professions, legally producing Western currency and propaganda value - music, ballet, and sports. Successful in any of those professions citizens had access to so much better life than everybody else! They would have outragous privilege of crossing the border OUT and traveling to the forbidden West. This privilege even non all members of Soviet elite ever had.
Mothers of girls and boys would bring them at the age 6–8 to ballet schools in hopes that they will be chosen. Life in ballet boarding schools would remind military boot camp with horrendous hours of ballet exercises. Well known internationally Soviet school of ballet was an heir of Russian Imperial Ballet School. It connected French choreography (Marius Petipa) with indescribable Asian cruelty to ballet dancers - the only way to create great solo dancers and synchronicity in choir-de-ballet.

After graduation, those, who survived training, would be sent to different theaters of the Soviet Union. The best would get positions in Moscow or Leningrad theaters, which was the top goal for ballet dancers. “Propiska” (right of residency) in those cities was limited, and was unobtainable dream for millions. The life in those cities was so much better, that men would marry ugly women just to get “propiska”. Other cities, with a few exceptions, were on the level of starvation culturally and in terms of food supplies. The story as the girl from provincial city gets position in the ballet of Bolshoi Theater you can see in the recent movie “Bolshoi” by director Valeriy Todorovsky Bolshoy (2017): A Russian ballerina struggling for one play in Bolshoy theatre.

Next part is survival on 90 rubles per month, which was salary of ballet dancers. It was price of one pair of winter boots, or of one good dress. The only money ballet dancers could earn was while on international tours. Like government owned slaves they would not receive even 10% of hundreds of thousands of dollars, earned abroad. It would be confiscated immediately by Soviet consulates. They had $5–7 per Diem. This is why they were dragging suitcases of canned food, to save these dollars or any “per day” in Western currency. They would buy Western goods, which they would sell on return to Russia.

Excellent dancers, they realized very fast, that they were robbed by the Soviet government of their earnings (as did musicians and athletes later). Talking to fellow dancers they realized, how much they are earning actually, and started to defect. First in 1968 it was Rudolf Nuriev, who after a few years on Western stage became a multi-millionaire. Second in 1972 was Natalia Makarova. The most scandalous defector was Michael Baryshnikov in 1974. It was many other stories of Soviet ballet dancers attempts to defect ending in international scandals, like, when plane was not allowed to depart from New York airfield, because ballet dancer wanted to defect and was dragged on the plane by escorting a tour group KGB officers.

If they would not defect, they would travel from one Soviet city to another with salary just two times bigger than salary of illiterate cleaning person. They would tour the provincial districts of the Soviet Union, where after evening performance, they would not have anything to eat. Restaurants were empty at those times. I remember such situations in Rostov, Zaporozhie, and Donezk. Only Moscow and Leningrad were supplied with food. Especially, it was difficult for traveling people who had no family kitchen.

Ballet dancers were kept in such poverty, that I remember as I went with one of them to the movies and forgot my wallet. I borrowed 20 kopek from this beautiful young woman for matinee movie ticket. She was so scared, that I will not return her this money.

They all looked glamorous on the stage. Reality of their life was hard. Terrible overwork. Inability due to constant travels to create and keep families. Considering that Soviet Union did not have contraceptives, they had a lot of abortions and many of them ended up childless (most famous ballet star Maya Plisetskaya). They did not have much time and energy for lovers. Too rigorous exercises to keep themselves in shape, hard work on rehearsals and even more hard on stage. Weekends were the busiest time, which disabled them for normal communication with people outside theater.

Western schools of ballet can not create ballet dancers of Soviet level. Teachers are too kind and too indulging. Students are not afraid of them. There are teachers, who are afraid of students, because students are paying. It is no punishment. With no punishment - no achievement. It is no fear to be kicked out. Only Chinese now can compete in ballet, sports, and music professions, because they are put in the same horrendous and unforgiving exercising situation as Soviet ballerinas used to be.

Source: Quora: https://www.quora.com/Why-has-Russi...erinas-compared-to-anywhere-else-in-the-world
Take a seat on the dark side 🖤 - the Bolshoi Bolshoi Theatre.
Carmen Suite : Bolshoi Theatre Moscow ( Svetlana Zakharova - complete performance )
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-EDhT0fZJM&t=673s
 
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Some embassies in Kiev call on fellow citizens to leave Kharkov, Odessa Regions

 


 






 








 



 


Kharkov’s energy infrastructure almost completely destroyed, mayor says






 







 


Vide shows moment when Ukrainian drone is striking factory in Tatarstan
See more at https://english.pravda.ru/news/hotspots/159277-tatarstan-ukraine-drones/



 
Your points and considerations are noted.
Your points and considerations are not my perspective or purpose.
  1. Participants of this or any other thread are incidental to a separate primary audience and purpose.
  2. Post are more a scrapbook collage of reference to stay in touch against a busy schedule.
  3. My wife covers other forums and other interests in a similar manner.
  4. We reciprocate each other’s posts as - time pending - time saving measures.
Other entities in the house have found entertainment. On a cost effective basis - a free passing lunch.


No post on this tread will have the slighted impact on real world affairs.
You may have noticed - as accused - I mostly 'delegate' to MSM, Russian or other propaganda source and image satire.
:cool:
A non-partisan research post - London
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Additional commentary re your post
Not much point trying to reason with demented conspiracy theory believers. They have an answer for everything don't ya know. And even if they don't have an immediate answer, then the conspiracy theory takes on a new twist, which they will latch on to and trot out in due course.

They are too far gone and totally wedded to their false beliefs. Fascinating to watch but utterly pointless engaging them. They know who they are !
  1. Of note - Ukraine and Russia are at the bottom of the barrel on the European Corruption Index. In some respects, two peas of the same pod.
  2. With regards your above quotes - such is precisely the value as described.
  3. Corporate spends substantial intelligence gathering dollars deciphering competitors.
  4. Here it is presented on a silver platter FREE of charge - its can't get any cheaper.
  5. While I read some rich man - poor man many moons ago perhaps this may be prime example of poor man missing what rich man comprehends.
  6. Besides the fact that this village thread has zero, zero impact on real world affairs and has a paltry view count under 50 in comparison to other forums that rack up 9,000 views in no time, I have come across some priceless gems amongst the garbage besides truths, half truths and outright blatant propaganda BS. Beside the FREE service I am well into PROFIT.
  7. I have not the slighted motive to shift the 'they know who they are' status quo - quite the inverse. The status quo serves me a valuable free service that would cost me to research or propagate myself. The exception being to argue that anyone who believes they can prevent the show going nuclear by posting on a never heard of village thread and priding themselves of one convert is delusional.
  8. To recap: Participants of this or any other thread are not the targeted primary, not targeted secondary or even third party audience. Participants on this thread are not targeted and are incidental to a separate primary target audience and purpose.
  9. This thread - with its low view count - is merely a convenience by way of topic and serves as a scrapbook collage of reference to stay in touch against a busy schedule. If T2W goes under Google archives retains records.
  10. Any post is, essentially, private reflections shared with a few intimates - a private game, with some fun. Any view by any other party is considered incidental to stated purposes.
  11. I could address my posts, 'Hi love, check this ...' but that would be out of place because no participant on this thread is 'love'.
With respects, your post smacks of the wish syndrome. The wish for one side to win, and the delusion that if sufficiently repeated and reinforced such will materialise as a reality. I entertain no such aspirations or hopes - history will be, what history will be, irrespective of mine or anyone else's political leaning, wishes, hopes or aspirations. This I have delineated in previous posts.

Re prediction re Trump, Biden or other: as with all predictions, logic rules any prediction could materialise as right, any prediction you could materialise as wrong. As previously stated - IMO, wishful predictions belong to the crystal ball and tall conical hat contingents along with 'the Lord told us, the Lord gave it us' medieval superstitions brigade. As is well known, the US could not loose Vietnam and Hillary was the sure bet in the 2016.

I advise any and all who are annoyed, irritated, upset by my my posts to hit the subscribe button - it looks like this 👉 ignore.jpg👈
Yours and your family mental health will be the better for it.

If the OP request I do not post I will honour said request.

LoL, someone - male with a limp - lost their drone in the property grounds - they could not get in past security. Fortunate, found quite quickly - imagine baby sitting hobble looking for his drone - shame - that, could take a long time. All cleared. (do you think this was for you ?)
 
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US needs at least part of Ukraine as anti-Russian territory


“The most interesting thing is that the Americans are not worried that the Ukrainian crews will have second heads growing and all their protruding body parts will fall off. They are more concerned about the state of the environment in Germany and the protection of American military base personnel from dangerous radiation.”
 
A non-partisan research post - London
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NATO ministers discuss 'Trump-proof' $100 BILLION military fund for Ukraine that will guarantee US support even if Donald Trump returns to the White House​

  • NATO has until now focused on providing exclusively non-lethal aid to Kyiv
  • Alliance members have sent billions in arms but only on a bilateral basis
 







 
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