#(possibly about geopolitics)

[bidonica]

Btw funniest thing to happen in Snake Eater after "I need you EVA............ Because I can't fly the WIG" was finding out, amidst the very poignant and emotional events of the finale, that "Big Boss" isn't a nickname they gave Snake on the field but an actual official title bestowed by the US President. I fell off my chair

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

No good endings around Israel and Hamas and the Palestinian people right now, only a lot of innocent people scared to death and in harm's way, a lot of fascists who finally feel like they have they greenlight to ethnically cleanse their victims entirely, and an increasingly desperate militarized group fighting for the survival of their families.

Everyone wants to make this about their particular soapbox, but at the end of the day, this is life or death for so many innocent people who have been trying to push for peace, for change, for anything but THIS.

Understand the power analysis of how we got here, because that's going to matter when it comes to what's about to happen next.

[petercushingscheekbones]

sucks that you can’t be in two places at one time. Just imagine the political assassinations I could be carrying out..

[thedragonagelesbian]

Must the stolen throne be "good"? Is it not enough for loghain to know that katriel had broken ties with the occupying orlesian king and deliberately hide this fact from maric so her betrayal cuts as deep as possible (and maric kills her) and then immediately go to rowan (the woman HE loves) and tell her she needs to comfort maric (to whom she is betrothed) and then we get these lines:

"Loghain was right. Damn him. In the hushed darkness, Rowan leaned down and kissed Maric on the lips. He embraced her readily, eager for her forgiveness... and she gave it."

[peoples-media]

Ukraine Strikes Back: Significant Territorial Gains Made in Ongoing Conflict with Russia

In a significant turn of events, Ukraine has announced the recapture of approximately 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of its territory during the 68th week of Russia’s invasion. This progress marks a crucial milestone in Ukraine’s long-planned counterattack, which is now gaining momentum and posing a challenge to the Russian forces. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed…

[paper-mario-wiki]

Can you and your followers who apparently "dont care about the geopolitical impact!! When fleeing Fascism!!" . like explain. how you moving to thailand . isn't gentrification.

sure dude.

here's the deal: im in the "woodchipper that kills you and all the people you love" country that has "dead trannies" as a pretty big priority among most of the higherups at the moment.

additionally, my girlfriend is a black trans woman, one of the most violently oppressed demographics on earth, and ALL of the money, 100% of it, that i am making off of streaming at the moment is going directly into the bank account dedicated to getting HER out of the country first.

thailand was chosen specifically because it is one of the few countries that aren't anti-black that are also possible for us to move to.

i wonder how much you have actually done research on thailand before telling me about how terrible our immigration there would be. i wonder, do you know what the annual cashflow in that country is? could you tell me what percentage of its income is reliant on agriculture, vs its tourism industry, vs its technology exports, to actually assess what "gentrification" i'd perpetrate by moving there, holding my remote job, and contributing to the local economy? have you considered the ratio of global refugees that already work themselves through its borders annually?

i dont think you have done that research. but i have. that's why im going there. because it's my best choice. and i know not everyone has that choice right now, and that is not something that i feel nothing about. obviously. but right now my priority is funneling myself and my loved ones to safety, and saying "im sorry" every time i bring it up is simply not an efficient use of my time. im sorry that you don't care to think about it enough to not see me as a villain in doing so.

you can feel any way you like about all of this, im still going to keep asking the people who give a fuck for their support, grateful for every kind word or dollar that is sent our way.

[komsomolka]

head in my hands thinking about bolsheviks transition from revolutionaries to rulers and how much they gained and lost for it. not in 'power corrupts' cheap anti communist narratives way but in transition from the heroic to mundane but no less important role, from organizing the masses to being responsible for them (to know whom to respress and whom to uplift plus exactly how and when!), from analysing the geopolitical relations between countries to being it's own player with all the dirt which comes with it, from being the part of revolutionary movement to leading it and you're the first ever to do it! you have to abandon useless in struggle idealistic notions just to keep what you fought for. there's no line between personal and political anymore because the stakes are too high. your comrade from revolution days turns into the dangerous obstacle upon reform disagreement which would affect millions and possibly the history at large. you execute him.

[matan4il]

I'm gonna put it as simply and blatantly as possible.

Russia in 2022 attacked another Eurovision participant and made a whole bunch of other contestant countries scared of being attacked next, after already having attacked a fellow competitor in 2008 -> Russia got banned from Eurovision

Ukraine in 2022 got attacked, had its civilians targeted intentionally, did not choose to start the war, has no record of past attacks against ESC contestants, and is not currently posing a threat to any other Eurovision participating country -> Ukraine did not get banned

Israel in 2023 got attacked, had its civilians targeted intentionally, did not choose to start the war, has no record of past attacks against ESC contestants, and is not currently posing a threat to any other Eurovision participating country -> Israel did not get banned

There isn't a double standard, except for people who insist on not following the geopolitical logic. Same ones who didn't use Ukraine's retaliation activities against Russia as justification to get Ukraine banned, but are doing that to Israel, usually with a side dish of false, hyperbolic accusations that have nothing to do with reality.

Also...

The only flags allowed are of participating countries and the pride flag. The American flag is therefore banned. The Mexican flag. The Japanese, the Korean, the Nigerian flags. The world doesn't actually revolve around Palestinians, they're not actually the ultimate victims, and honestly, it's offensive they're cast that way when there are conflicts far worse and bloodier than the current war in Gaza, not to mention it takes away attention and help from them, to make everything constantly about the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, this is supposed to be the rule. Outside the performance hall, but within the borders of the Eurovision village, a visiting Israeli comedian called Guy Hochman was assaulted for walking around with the Israeli flag. Swedish police intervened, but they didn't act against the anti-Israel protesters who attacked and spat on Guy, they stopped him from openly carrying the Israeli flag. He asked why are they not allowing it, even though the flag is of a participating country, in accordance with the rules. He was told it's too dangerous. He then asked why are Palestinian flags not being removed, if they're banned according to contest rules, and was told that in Sweden, freedom of speech is above anything else. He was also grilled about whether he's Jewish by the Swedish policemen. Why was his flag denied, then? Why was his freedom of speech not protected, why was his Jewish identity a matter for questioning?

Another thing, the Swedish singer who ended up in third place in 2011 Eric Khaled Saade went on a childish rant crying over the Palestinian flag being banned (again, as if it's the only one), and as he was invited to perform this year, he got on stage live with a kaffiyeh tied to his left hand, even though he knew that was considered political, and therefore not allowed. Once more, he whined about it as if this is specifically against Palestinians, but you know what? The dress designers wanted to have a Star of David on the dress of the Israeli singer. She's a Jewish woman, that's a Jewish symbol, so why not represent her identity? But they were told that's "political." And you know what the Israeli delegation did? Followed the rules. You won't see the Star of David on Eden's dress. When they were told not to wear the hostage pin, because that's "political"? They followed the rules. When the Israeli song writers were told that their song, expressing Israeli pain, is "too political," what did they do? Followed the rules, they changed the lyrics. And you don't hear them crying about it all over social media and the news.

Not to mention, Eric Saade had no problem kissing the ass of Israeli fans back in 2011, when he competed and needed their votes. Was his dad less Palestinian back then? By the way, Israeli fans didn't hold his identity against him, they didn't demand he be questioned about Palestinian terrorists, or what his stance is on Hamas, they didn't drag politics into it, they focused on music and culture connecting people across borders and identities (as the ESC is supposed to do), and Israel gave its 12 points in both the semi and the final to Eric Saade that year. How did he repay those fans? Campaigning to ban Israel (and therefore them) from the contest, because he's incapable of seeing them as people first, and political rivals second, or maybe even (God forbid!) not at all...

It all smells like hypocrisy to me. But we all know this post won't get anywhere near the exposure (through likes and reblogs) that the lying, self-centered, hypocritical anti-Israel posts do. Doesn't matter. I'll still be here, speaking the truth.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[aryas]

- tags via @softvniverse

The thing about fandom-at-large’s perception of Jonsa and jonsa shippers is like - what’s it like when everyone disagrees w you? It happens rarely in ASOIAF fandom. Doesn’t it make you reconsider? How can you be so sure that everyone *else* is actually wrong? Heck I second guess myself for a lot less than that lol

I just find the theory to be extremely convincing? It's the missing piece that suddenly made everything else about the books lock into place as well. When I discovered it, the series suddenly made sense, in terms of what kind of story GRRM is trying to tell. It's a paradigm shift.

The fandom-at-large isn't an entity I find to be very credible in terms of its widely accepted opinions (especially on Sansa) or theories (dragons being the solution to the ice threat) so why would I care if they disagree? I'm not basing my judgement on theirs. I am basing it on what I personally find plausible. Jonsa is a theory that elegantly ties together a number of disparate plot points and puts groundwork for the future back where the story began (House Stark as a family) which creates a counterweight to the other plot points that are heading toward confrontation. It just really works. To me, it is the only theory that works because it doesn't leave dangling ends, and it fits within his fairly consistent messaging on sustainable v. destructive choices. It just works.

[dduane]

Hi, *insert childhood adoration here* just got home from work and don't really have access to true coherent thought. Um. Okay.

Do you know why sometimes, books in a series, from the same publisher, will be in two different sizes? My sister and I figured out that sometimes the exact same book from the same publisher will have two different thicknesses of paper and so one will be slightly thicker, but we can't work out the height and width thing. Same cover design type, like, same edition. Just. One of them is bigger. Do you know why?

Thanks for the wizard books that first made friends of my cousin and me.

First: you're very welcome. I'm glad to have been of service.

On the size question, though: This is one of the Great Imponderables that drives books' writers at least as far around the bend as their readers.

Now there are some explanations that make at least some kind of sense. Sometimes, for example, even within a single edition of a single book, there may be difference-in-thickness issues for some concrete reason: the challenge is discovering which reason (assuming the publisher hasn't themselves told you about it, which is likely to be the case about 99% of the time). ...A common problem is when, for some reason to do with ongoing geopolitical crap or national/international crises, the price of paper changes suddenly. This will cause publishers to try to reduce costs on a book by (the next time it goes back to press) changing the paper quality for something thinner. One of these changes might come between volumes of a series, which is why you might suddenly get a difference between the paper quality of book 5 and book 6 of what's otherwise supposed to be a unified set.

(There's also a similar weirdness in which going up a level of paper thickness will allow your publisher to shove a book of a given length into a slightly higher price point. So, whammo, it happens, and no one bothers consulting you about this detail.)

Or alternately: All of a sudden, somebody at your publisher decides that your series needs to be packaged in a slightly different format that—for reasons that possibly no one in the field even fully understands—is becoming associated with better sales at some other publisher (or some other imprint at your own publisher). So, bang, between one book of a series and the next, the next volume to come out is a quarter inch taller or half an inch wider. And/or 15% thicker (because the pulp of the paper involved has had more air pumped into it than previously). And your books will continue to look like that until some other fad or trend at the packaging end affects them.

(Or alternately, it doesn't affect them, because your publisher's focus has changed in some inexplicable way—or the in-house accountants have crunched their numbers in some new manner—and they've decided your books aren't worth spending the format-change money on.)

(sigh) Tl:dr; There's no damn telling. (It's vanishingly rare that anybody tells us, anyway.) And I wish I had a clearer answer for you than this. Apologies. :/

[zaprowsdower27]

Project Esther

Okay, Jumblr, we all know about Project 2025, the roadmap the Heritage Foundation wrote for destroying the United States that Operative Krasnov and Mr. Apartheid are using to dismantle the United States.

Well, the Heritage Foundation has another roadmap, Project Esther. Their plan to "help us" by "combatting antisemitism". It even successfully identifies the nightmares going on on college campus "protests" as a problem that needs addressing. Unfortunately, that one sentence elevator pitch is the only sanity it has.

I know we don't trust Wikipedia, and for good reasons, but it's still unfortunately the best resource for summaries on things like this, and to quote the relevant article,

"The effort has received the support of a number of evangelical Christian but no major Jewish organizations. It has been criticized by journalist Steve Rabey for incorporating antisemitic tropes into its rhetoric, and by Slate and Haaretz for not addressing right-wing antisemitism.[1][2][3]"

and

"The project reportedly struggled to find Jewish organizations with which to partner, while sidelining those that do partner with it.[8][9]

The group has targeted eight "masterminds"—George Soros, Alex Soros, JB Pritzker, Angela Davis, Manolo de los Santos, Vijay Prashad, Neville Singham, and Jodie Evans—who it believes are at the center of progressive politics. The Soros family is the subject of a number of longstanding antisemitic conspiracy theories that match the language used by Project Esther.[10]"

To that I would add that not only are the Soros family a popular target of antisemitic conspiracy theory, but JB Pritzker is a popular and prominent Jewish governor who occasionally gets 2028 presidential speculation - and this is a sign that he will get the same antisemitic conspiracy theory as he becomes more prominent outside of Illinois.

So, its pretty easy to see where this is going. They're going to try to perpetuate antisemitism to take out prominent and/or powerful Jews, using opposition to a common enemy (actual antisemites) as a trojan horse to get us on-side.

Two important notes for this, one for each of the major Jewish populations.

1.

My fellow American Jews, we need to be very, very, very careful about this sort of divide and conquer, and choose our allies wisely.

We cannot afford to ally with the pro-Hamas nuts who want to kill American Jews but oppose the fascists, but we absolutely cannot afford to ally with the fascists who have established intent to try to use our fear of the pro-Hamas nuts to get us to subjugate ourselves and destroy of our own voices speaking out for us in favor of the "Jews should all go to Israel to be good little human sacrifices for our summon Jesus ritual" philosemites.

It's already begun in some ways - Operative Krasnov has broken the long-standing tradition of naming a Jewish-American to be Ambassador to Israel, naming a prominent Evangelical instead.

Keep an eye out for what shape their "cracking down on Antisemitism" takes - it may start with punishing openly pro-Hamas folks, but will move on to punishing Jews who don't fit their philosemitic caricature soon enough and if we get caught unprepared, we may not make it. We cannot afford to be surprised, and we cannot afford to either try to make it out of this alone or make allies purely on an enemy-of-my-enemy basis. We need to be prepared, we need to make friends, and we need to be as careful as humanly possible

2.

Israeli Jews, I'm begging you. Watch out for this, we WILL need your help with this. Your current insane government is allying itself to the fascists running America. This is convenient for you geopolitically in the short term, but please, for the love of Hashem, do not let them trick you about us.

The time will come, and its not too far off, when the current American regime tries to move forward with Project Esther and start declaring prominent American Jews who dare not toe the Evangelical Christian definition of what Judaism is line of being "antisemitic" and persecute us to as much of an extent as they can force the law to accommodate, and for the sake of geopolitics I fear that your government is going to back them up instead of fulfilling its promise to be a safe place to flee to and a voice of advocacy and protection for Diaspora Judaism.

We, the Jews of America, are counting on you, the Jews of Israel, to be our voice in Israeli Politics. When America starts implementing Project Esther declaring publicly that prominent Jews are the "real source of antisemitism" and trying to "protect the Real Jews" by persecuting actual real Jews. When your government responds by telling you your kin across the ocean are enemies and to be happy open nazis are oppressing us. When, soon, that day comes, we are depending on you to protest and advocate for us to the Israeli government to make sure it speaks out in our defense as our ancestral home and heart, rather than speaking out against us as a geopolitical ally of our persecutor. If for no other reason, then to make it legal for us to flee to Israel when all other options have been denied to us, to prevent the Israeli government from telling us to get fucked because by voting for Democrats in American Elections we were deemed "antisemites" unworthy of making Aliyah or whatever

This all sounds like conspiracy mongering. So did Project 2025. The Heritage Foundation is very real, very powerful, and very prominent - we cannot afford to take anything they say less than deadly seriously, and so we cannot afford to ignore Project Esther.

Am Yisrael Chai, and Am Yisrael Michpacha.

[tragedyposting]

As a corollary to this post, here is an international version! I tried to be as careful/precise with my wording as possible since the original poll got a bit out of hand but I kindly ask you to read my wording in good faith since we are dealing with complex geopolitical concepts. I made this post from a place of curiosity and social interest, I want to learn about other people and the nature of identity! I love how the internet connects me with the world in a way my parents and grandparents can hardly imagine!

[thatswhywelovegermany]

Interesting facts about today's federal election in Germany

After the coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP collapsed last November due to a lack of common policy ideas, fundamental disagreements over the general idea of the role of the state, and how to fund the Federal budget of 2025, the election was moved forward to February 23, 2025 from its original scheduled date in September.

Thus, the campaign was unusually short. The campaign was dominated by only two major topics, immigration and economy. Other pressing issues on geopolitics and environmental policies played no major role.

Four parties proclaimed Chancellor candidates, more than in any other election in the history of post-war Germany, although only two candidates have e realistic chance to be elected as Chancellor by the next Bundestag (the lower chamber of parliament). One party, the CDU, is leading by a wide margin, so it is very probable that their Chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, will be the next Chancellor of Germany.

The "relegation battle" of the parties who are struggling to make the 5 % of votes necessary to send delegates to the parliament, is particularly suspenseful this time. Three parties are hoping to make it, among them the economic-liberal FDP, the newly formed left-populist BSW, having split from the Left Party only months ago, and the Left Party itself, having the best chances after an uptick in the polls during the last days.

59.2 million German citizens living in Germany are eligible to vote, plus an unidentified number of Germans living abroad. Those living in Germany are automatically registered to vote, those living abroad generally have to register themselves. Because of the short period between the breakup of the coalitions and the snap elections, many Germans living abroad face the possibility that their vote will not count due to postal delays.

2.3 million citizens are first voters, mistly because they have turned 18 since the las election. 23.2 % of the voters is over 70, more than 40 % are over 60 years old. Only 13.3 % of the voters ate younger than 30.

It is carnival season in Germany. Generally, you are allowed to vote in costume as long as your face is recognizable – you have to prove your identity by ID card or passport. Political statements or advertisements for a party are not allowed on the costume or elsewhere on you. It is not forbidden to vote under the influence of alcohol or drugs as long as public order is not disturbed.

You have to use the voting cabins set up in the polling station. Voting elsewhere is not allowed. You are not allowed to take anyone with you into the voting cabin, not even an infant. You are also not allowed to make contact with persons voting in neighboring voting cabins. Taking pictures, videos, or using your phone in the voting cabins is not allowed, the chairman of the polling station has to prevent you from casting your vote in this case. However, you can tear the voting sheet apart and request a new one to make a new attempt at casting a valid vote. You can do the same if you messed up and drew your cross accidentally in the wrong line.

The chairman of the polling station has the right to remove you from the voting cabin if you block it for an excessive amount of time. However, enough time should be granted to fully read the voting sheet.

The Federal Voting Order stipulates that a pen shall be present in the voting cabin. However, you can use any writing utensil, including lipstick or kohl. The only thing that counts is that the ballot paper clearly shows the will of the voter. Otherwise, the vote is invalid according to Section 39 of the Federal Elections Act. It does not always have to be a cross. Other symbols such as dots, check marks or double crosses are also acceptable. This does not include smileys, the swastika or other Nazi symbols. Writing comments does also invalidate the voting sheet.

You have two votes. With the first vote, you vote for a candidate of your voting district. The candidate with the most votes wins, but may not become member of parliament if his party doesn't get sufficient second votes, meaning that your district may not be represented in parliament – this new regulation may end up to be challenged at the Federal Constitutional Court. With the second vote, you determine the percentage of seats the parties get in the parliament. You do not vote directly for a chancellor candidate. The chancellor is elected by the Bundestag depending on the coalition that is formed based on the negotiations between the parties after the election. That means that it is not necessarily the candidate of the strongest party who is elected as Chancellor if a coalition with more votes than the strongest party is formed.

Happy voting!

[globalnewscollective]

Trump’s Greenland Invasion: The War That Could Engulf Europe

What’s at Stake?

It sounds absurd—Donald Trump launching a military invasion to seize Greenland. But given his past interest in purchasing the island and his recent rhetoric about using force to claim what the U.S. “deserves,” it’s a scenario that can’t be dismissed outright. Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, holds immense strategic and economic value. If the U.S. were to invade, it would spark an international crisis, shatter alliances, and push Europe into an unprecedented security nightmare. As Trump himself put it: “The U.S. will take control of Greenland ‘one way or the other’.”

Why This Should Terrify You

An American military assault on Greenland would be nothing short of an act of war against Denmark—an EU and NATO member. This would force Europe and NATO into an impossible position: either defend Denmark and risk open conflict with the U.S. or stand by and watch as a global superpower seizes territory by force, setting a dangerous precedent.

Such an invasion would:

Destabilize the Arctic region, fueling military buildups from Russia and China.

Test NATO’s credibility—if the U.S. attacks an ally, does NATO still function?

Ignite economic chaos as global markets react to war between Western nations.

Drag European nations into an armed conflict they are militarily unprepared for.

Why This Matters to You

If you live in Europe, this scenario isn’t just some distant geopolitical chess game—it’s about your safety, your economy, and your future. A war in the North Atlantic could escalate beyond control, leading to military conscription, economic collapse, and even nuclear threats.

For young people, the consequences would be severe:

The possibility of mandatory military service if Europe is drawn into war.

Economic turmoil, making jobs, education, and stability even harder to secure.

A shift towards authoritarianism as governments seize emergency powers in wartime.

The Bigger Picture

Trump’s hypothetical invasion of Greenland wouldn’t just be about land—it would symbolize the breakdown of international law. If a Western democracy like the U.S. can invade an ally without consequence, what stops Russia from taking the Baltics? What prevents China from seizing Taiwan? This moment would mark the end of the post-WWII global order, ushering in an era where military might trumps diplomacy.

What Can You Do?

Stay Informed – Follow international news and watch for rising tensions.

Pressure Leaders – European governments must take Trump’s threats seriously and prepare diplomatic and military countermeasures.

Support Democratic Alliances – NATO and the EU must be strengthened to deter such reckless aggression.

Vote for Leaders Who Defend Peace – Elections matter. Support politicians committed to diplomacy, not reckless adventurism.

Raise Awareness – Talk about the dangers of authoritarian figures normalizing military aggression.

A war over Greenland may seem like a fantasy—but so did many conflicts before they erupted. When a leader like Trump makes threats, the world must listen. The price of ignoring him could be devastating.

[inquisitorismone]

ok so the point i was going to make re: the circle tower and ferelden geopolitics was that the fact that all of ferelden only having one single circle, is CRAZY. orlais, a country of similar size, has FOUR; each(!!) marcher city has their own. antiva and the anderfels also have 1 circle each and they are respectively #1 a nation the quarter of the size of ferelden and #2 a barren wasteland of a place. and this is pre-blight! and i can believe that ferelden has a lower population than orlais, but i struggle to accept that ferelden has a quarter the population that orlais does. even nevarra, by all accounts an old and dying state, has 2.

there are clearly templars stationed at many chantries throughout ferelden, but the idea that they could possibly find every single mage in the country and send them to the tower is preposterous. ferelden simply does not have the infrastructure for that, neither to spread out over the whole country to hunt apostates nor to contain them all in one place. (how many people can that tower handle???)

this suggests that ferelden is generally more lax about apostates than elsewhere, which is reinforced both in da2 and inquisition when we get word that alistair (in da2) offered refuge to escaped kirkwall mages in ferelden and that alistair and/or anora (in inquisition) allowed the mage rebellion quarter in redcliffe. you could argue that alistair's decision might have been influenced by the events of dao but anora is (i say this lovingly) a bit of a hardass! rather than being moved by mage assistance in dao i would suggest instead that she is reflecting a larger ferelden attitude towards mages, which is less harsh than orlesian or marcher attitudes

we know that mages in the circle can be called upon in times of war to assist their country's army (i think that was mentioned in dao but it's stated several times in the novels). something to consider, then, is that circles are not only for containing mages and protecting people from them; but they are also for the consolidation of magic as a military power. orlais and the marcher states are creating armies. ferelden, with its sort of implicit acknowledgement that the tower doesn't hold all the mages in the country, lacks that military resource. even in the stolen throne there's only one single mage working on the ferelden side in contrast to quite a few on the orlesian side

which is why it's #1 crazy that the fereldens successfully liberated themselves from orlais #2 crazy that they defeated the blight and, most importantly, it's why you should NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A DOG LORD!!!!!

[peoples-media]

Ukraine Strikes Back: Significant Territorial Gains Made in Ongoing Conflict with Russia

In a significant turn of events, Ukraine has announced the recapture of approximately 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of its territory during the 68th week of Russia’s invasion. This progress marks a crucial milestone in Ukraine’s long-planned counterattack, which is now gaining momentum and posing a challenge to the Russian forces. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed…