Before he invaded Ukraine in 2022, many people also said that he might be insane to try. Well, he is. He can do absolutely anything, and it doesn’t cost him anything. It costs Russians, but there’s still a lot there to such dry of he wants to.

My point: don’t consider him pragmatic. He’s a senile man with bombs and does what he wants.

I come from Russia. Everyone whom I know there were feeling economic strain from 2022 (actually, from covid). It gets worse steadily.

Middle class limits their spending, while people with lower income are calculating every item in a supermarket. (And btw, middle class is a veeeery small group there). And many are deep in dept.

If you think Russian government budges, you’re wrong. The poorer the population, the better! Its great incentive to get enlisted, and keeps people distracted from being naughty. Also increases reliance on the governmental support, which comes with a price.

Oh, and rich keep riching, in case you’re wondering.

What I want to say: don’t get too happy. Increasing poverty doesn’t mean that Russia will stop all its BS. When normal people have no money, Putin will keep drinking their blood, so there’s enough resources for years to come.

Awww! Such a kind protector!:)

I like your position!, there’s beauty in simplicity:)

That’s how I was taught, but it doesn’t seem to capture the many connotations of this concept!

Thank you! The cucumber standards made me smile, but I got your point: the notion changes depends on the context and does not precisely describe a specific geographic region.

Thank you very much for the detailed answer and also for bringing in the linguistic perspective into it!

Thank you your reply! Looks the notion changes with how the world changes, and political alliances.

Haha, it’s surely complicated! Tga k.yoi for your reply.

I thought I kinda understood it intuitively, but it seems I’ve been wrong, since the point of view and the context really change the fuzzy European borders:)

Thank you very much! Only now I realize how contextualised and nuanced those concepts are.

Interesting notion of the fuzzy edges. Europe seems to be a changing, living idea based on how the world changes and the context.

Yeah, I was consulting Wiki too, only now realizing I don’t really understand the contextual nuances.

Than you for the answer! Its really funny about Switzerland:)

Not sure I strictly agree about the take on Russians in general but since you mentioned its about so-called patriots and Putin loyalists, it’s correct. But also for not so “patriotic” Russians Europe was a symbol of freedom and quality, I guess? At least in my bubble years ago.

At the same time as a Russian, would not call myself European as it might be offensive and incorrect. (I mean, I’m still a EU citizen, so it’s a bit tricky as I still vote here).

Thank you for the detailed answer! Seems it’s mainly about political alliances. Unrelated, when I lived in America, people did consider Russia to be Eastern European, and e.g. St Petersburg a European city, but I think in the USA people often generalize locations.

It’s a bit sad to hear about Belarus and Ukraine tho… From my more Eastern standpoint, they are relatively more European, and Belarus seems to me culturally closer to Poland than Russia.

But I understand how some countries on the same continent exist outside of EU/EEA/Balkan discourse. I hope Ukraine will be able to gain their place in the EU.

And I doubt it makes any difference. I mean, I pray it does, but…

That’s a bit weird. I have both Russian and German passports, and they are very close to each other in color.

Germany recycles the most plastic in Europe, while also using the most plastic. So I’m not surprised. I personallyprefer shopping in Turkish supermarkets in Germany to avoid plastic packaging (I bring my own).

Heartbreaking: ( Poor animals:(

People in Germany use personal shopping trolleys, bike carts and kindergarten carts (hand-carried with seats for children inside) a lot.

Is there a petition against it or something? Should be illegal.

They are look-through by the government. Part of the family lives outside of Russia, and I don’t want to put anyone back in the country into any compromising situations because of any innocent comments someone could make, since all of us are not the fans of the current government, which right now could be a criminal offense.

So no, I absolutely won’t use Russian messengers.