#steve rosenberg

[tomorrowusa]

Remember Putin's two-day "special operation" to capture Ukraine? It is now into Day 1,020 if I counted correctly. And that has involved Russia suffering hundreds of thousands of casualties.

Putin's adventure in Syria over the past decade has yielded another failure. Instead of making Russia look like a superpower, these engagements show that it is merely a miserable muddled meddler.

For nearly a decade it was Russian firepower that had kept Bashar al-Assad in power. Until the extraordinary events of the last 24 hours. Damascus has fallen, Syria's president has been toppled and has, reportedly, flown to Moscow. Quoting a source in the Kremlin, Russian news agencies and state TV reported that Russia has granted Assad and his family asylum "on humanitarian grounds". In a matter of days, the Kremlin's Syria project has unravelled in the most dramatic circumstances, with Moscow powerless to prevent it. [ ... ] The fall of the Assad regime is a blow to Russia's prestige. By sending thousands of troops in 2015 to shore up President Assad, one of Russia's key objectives had been to assert itself as a global power. It was Vladimir Putin's first major challenge to the power and dominance of the West, away from the former Soviet space.

Russia left behind an air base at Khmeimim and a naval base at Tartus. And in the near future we are likely to hear of smaller cantonments.

We may also be hearing how deeply Russia was involved in internal repression by Syria's al-Assad régime.

Russia looks decreasingly like a place other countries would wish to emulate.

Bashar al-Assad was the sort of person Putin likes to do business with – a mass-murdering autocrat. This report from Amnesty International is from 2017.

Syria: Human slaughterhouse: Mass hangings and extermination at Saydnaya Prison, Syria

[indizombie]

The Orlov trial has sparked international condemnation. The Council of Europe, Europe's oldest political organisation which aims to uphold democracy and human rights across the continent, denounced the case as "a travesty of justice". "The [Russian] government wants to control the thoughts of people. It wishes to have only opinions that are in agreement with their policies, even when it comes to deciding to start a war," the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic tells me. "It's important that the messages coming from all of us who are monitoring what is going on in Russia are strong and clear that this is unacceptable."

Steve Rosenberg, ‘Ukraine war: Oleg Orlov faces jail time for criticising Putin's war’, BBC

[quotesfrommyreading]

We’ve been able to travel across the country and I’ve come to the conclusion from talking to people that public opinion roughly splits into three groups. There’s a small minority which is very publicly and vocally behind the war and Putin; a small minority which is completely against it, totally shocked by what’s happening. And in the middle, the majority, composed of people who are utterly confused by what’s happening, partly because of the stream of propaganda in the state media. They are very anxious about the situation.

  —  The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg: ‘The increasing aggression in Russia worries me – it could get bumpy’

[ammg-old2]

Steve Rosenberg, the BBC’s Russia editor, grew up in Chingford in east London. After studying Russian at Leeds University he moved to Moscow, where he taught English. He worked for CBS News as a translator, producer and reporter on the war in Chechnya before joining the BBC in 2003, initially as its Moscow correspondent. He’s a talented pianist and regularly posts musical updates on Twitter.

Has reporting from Russia become more difficult since the invasion of Ukraine last February? Reporting has become more difficult. Getting access to officials has become more difficult, persuading the Russian people to speak to us has become more difficult. Although, despite the anti-western propaganda and anti-British rhetoric in the state media, out on the street Russians still stop and speak to me. Many are wary of expressing a public opinion about the war and about Putin but still, many people do talk to us.

What is the reputation of the BBC in Russia? The Russian authorities portray the BBC as a British government mouthpiece, which is absolutely not the case. And very often the BBC is criticised in the state media. But on the other hand, last year I was still able to secure an interview with the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. And we’ve been able to ask questions to the director of Russian foreign intelligence, Sergei Naryshkin. I would like to think it’s because there is some kind of respect for us.

Have you been able to get a sense of what level of support there is for the war? We’ve been able to travel across the country and I’ve come to the conclusion from talking to people that public opinion roughly splits into three groups. There’s a small minority which is very publicly and vocally behind the war and Putin; a small minority which is completely against it, totally shocked by what’s happening. And in the middle, the majority, composed of people who are utterly confused by what’s happening, partly because of the stream of propaganda in the state media. They are very anxious about the situation.

Have the sanctions had any tangible effect on day-to-day life? If you go to a supermarket in Moscow, the shelves are pretty full. The selection perhaps isn’t as large as it was a year ago, and a lot of western products that used to be there have disappeared, like Coca-Cola, replaced by new local brands. Imported goods are becoming much more expensive. But for the majority of Russians across the country, they don’t see a huge effect from sanctions. Now that may change this year. I think the economy is going to come under increasing pressure.

Do Russians worry about how their government looks to international eyes? Perhaps in the big cities they do. But for the majority, their priority is not to think of their government’s reputation. Their priority is to get through life, the day-to-day struggle. Real incomes have been falling. Life is tough.

Has the war affected your own feelings for Russia? This is a country that has intrigued and inspired me for years. I fell in love with the language, I fell in love with the people. For the last year, it’s been a country that has shocked and horrified me, and it’s tested my love and my respect to their limits. It’s an alternative reality, it’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Through the Looking-Glass all mixed up. It’s almost as if a huge black cloud has come over the country and everything has gone dark. The whole country has been put on a war footing. It’s a militarised Russia, a more patriotic and more nationalistic place that affects all walks of life.

[hersterical]

I want to do unspeakable things to that fictional character (placing them in states of extreme emotional and physical distress that they’ll never fully recover from)

[hippiegothrecs]

banner by me :)

banner by @cafekitsune

About Me: call me Hippie (or Goth) / 27 / she/her / fic writer / bi / married / minors and ageless blogs DNI

Main Blog: hippiegoth97

divider by @strangergraphics

My Fandoms/Favorite Characters

Stranger Things: Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham

The X Files: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully

Criminal Minds: Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike, Giles, Buffy, Willow, Tara, Faith, Angel, Drusilla

Slumber Party Massacre 2: Driller Killer

Ghostbusters: Egon Spengler

Once Upon a Time: Killian Jones, Regina Mills

Fargo: Gator Tillman

Rec Lists: (Coming Soon!)

Eddie Munson

Steve Harrington

Stranger Things

Fox Mulder

Dana Scully

Spencer Reid

Penelope Garcia

Spike (BTVS)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Gator Tillman

Tagging some lovely writer Mutuals, please check out their awesome work!: @rafeyscurtainbangs @loserboysandlithium @stalactitekilla @sanctumdemunson @jenniquinn

@userchai @violetpixiedust @littlenymphfables @angel-munson @slowandsteddie

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@queenimmadolla @cxrrodedcoffin @keeksandgigz

I'm hoping to see this list grow over time, community is very important!

[terapsina]

Vote for the GREATEST MOST EFFECTIVE USE OF A SONG IN A TV SERIES THAT INSPIRED...

✨ E M O T I O N S ! ✨

Scenes in question: Angel 5x15, Warehouse 13 3x11, 12 Monkeys 4x11, Bones 3x14, Glee 3x06, Buffy 6x08, Lucifer 4x09, Shadowhunters 1x12, The Tomorrow People 1x12, The Magicians 3x09, The Magicians 4x10, The Magicians 4x13.

[nerds-yearbook]

In 1873, aliens attempted to invade Arizona not reckoning on how tough American Cowboys were. (Cowboys & Aliens, Flm)

[mariocki]

Voyage of the Damned (1976)

"Will we ever come back?"

"It's only a temporary madness. Of course we come back."

[thehollywoodnecromancer]

I have a soft spot for a platonic bestfriendships between hopelessly romantic loser straight guys and nerd/theatre kid sapphics

[scentedluminarysoul]

*sigh~* I didn't realize how much I missed Ruth Connell 💜💜💜

Although sometimes I thought about watching Spn again just for her...

[tomorrowusa]

Ukraine is conducting a ground operation inside Russia in neighboring Kursk oblast (region) which is north of Kharkiv – Ukraine's second largest city.

Over the last 29 months, so often we’ve heard senior Russian officials claiming that the operation is going “according to plan.” President Vladimir Putin last said that in May, despite everything that had happened in the preceding two years: the heavy Russian casualties on the battlefield, the destruction of multiple Russian warships in the Black Sea, drone attacks deep inside Russia (even on the Kremlin itself), the shelling of Russian towns and villages near the Ukrainian border, the mutiny by Wagner mercenary fighters who had marched on Moscow. Now there is a new addition to the list: this week’s cross-border Ukrainian assault on Russia’s Kursk region. [ ... ] It’s evident that what is unfolding in Kursk region is further evidence that Russia’s war in Ukraine has not gone "according to plan". Events appear to have taken Russia’s political and military leadership completely by surprise. Don’t expect Moscow to admit that.

The Kremlin is typically hypocritical about what is going on in Kursk oblast. It's fine for Russia to illegally annex Crimea in 2014 and then initiate a full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But Putin squeals like a pig when Ukraine conducts a counter operation on Russian territory.

There’s clearly a big difference in language. When Russia poured its troops across the border into Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin called this a "special military operation" and claimed that Russia was “liberating” towns and villages. Moscow has described Ukrainian troops pushing into Russia as “a terrorist attack” and “a provocation.”

Today is day 896 of Russia's 3-day "special operation". Russia's goal of subjugating Ukraine has failed but Putin irrationally continues wasting vast amounts of money and hundreds of thousands of Russian lives on his goal of restoring the decrepit Soviet Union in all but name.

Putin is just as weird as Trump – albeit in a different way. Only a clear defeat of Putin in this war will restore normalcy to Eastern Europe.

[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 1 - Side A

Propaganda below ⬇️

Steve Rogers

I LOVE HIM SM OKAY THATS WHY AND HIM BEING CATHOLIC FEEDS LIKE. EVERYTHING IN ME WHENEVER I WRITE ABOUT HIM. I NEED HIM TO BE CATHOLICCCC. *SOBS HEAVILY* sorry sorry i'll live i'll live anyways it adds angst and also some additional weight to his own goody-two-shoes sort of persona he adopts, idk

Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg

I think all the characters in this musical are Catholic (or at least go to a Catholic school) but she feels the Most Catholic to me. I don’t actually know the musical that well. Also she’s dead.

She studies many religions, but it seems she may be catholic. From my perspective, she has a Jewish parent and a Catholic parent. She chooses the one she feels like she is the most.

[wwprice1]

You tell ‘em, Cap!

[pollydoodles]

These Endless Days (Are Finally Ending in a Blaze)

Got a Secret, Can You Keep It?

Following the events of Civil War, the Avengers are disbanded, scattered and in hiding - and not coping all that well. The rise of anti-superhuman feeling continues, and it's not only the Avengers who are feeling the effects. Steve Rogers and team are about to discover a whole other world, and with it comes what might be the biggest threat they've ever faced.

The girl leans forward in her seat, propping both elbows on her thighs and dropping her head into her cupped hands as she looks at him. She lets her gaze run across him, toes to chest and then, finally looking at his face, she fixes him with a solemn look.

“So… You staked your first vamp.”

Steve, understanding both the reference and that this girl is making fun of him, opts not to rise to the bait.

“Not my first, actually.”

“Oh, excuse me,” she says, sitting back in the cheap plastic seat and one eyebrow pops toward her hairline. “I didn’t realise we were dealing with a professional.”

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon-A-Day, Day 698 (11/29/23)

Captain America: Steve Rogers 3. On sale 7/27/16.

Writer: Nick Spencer

Artist: Jesus Saiz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Editor: Tom Brevoort

Sharon and Taskmaster don't get along.