Apple Restores Russian Social Network VKontakte and Mail.ru to App Store

[matrix07]

Because he has to, otherwise Russia will fall to pieces and other countries will eat it up. Rest assured, that Western countries have a big appetite, not just the Chinese, the Indians...

If a country falls to pieces just because it’s not ruled by an evil autocrat then maybe it’s deserved to be in pieces?

 

[opeter]

If a country falls to pieces just because it’s not ruled by an evil autocrat then maybe it’s deserved to be in pieces?

You mean, like Lybia?

 

[matrix07]

I believe that the complexity of the situation is that if Russia will ever have a pro-Western government this will mean that both Russian and US nukes will point at China/India and literally force these countries to be a cheap world's factories for life at a minimal wage. Don't forget that there supposedly can be only one power.

So yes the historic mission of Russia is well understood by friends and enemies alike.

If you don’t want to be cheap factories then stop being cheap. Makes premium goods.

 

[matrix07]

You mean, like Lybia?

Libya is Islamic. Since when an Islamic country is stable?

 

[avz]

Libya is Islamic. Since when an Islamic country is stable?

We are probably going off topic but would you say that US has accomplished its mission successfully in the Middle East? Or is it became even worse? Epic success or fail?

 

[avz]

If you don’t want to be cheap factories then stop being cheap. Makes premium goods.

You did not get the point, once Russian and US nukes are pointed at you, you don't get to decide anything. Cheap or premium is irrelevant.

 

[tubular]

So yes the historic mission of Russia is well understood by friends and enemies alike.

The "historic mission of Russia" is revealed to the world every time new Russian torture chambers are exposed when Ukrainians retake Russian-occupied territories.

When you've only got only five nations left standing with you at the UN, and they're all dictatorships, then you know you've blown it on a Putinesque scale.

 

[8CoreWhore]

I'm concerned the next time the US invades a country, Apple and others will ban US apps and prevent Americans from belonging to the international community.

 

[kirk.vino]

No real activist would ever use these platforms in Russia. Especially, VK, which has been in the hands of FSB for a while now. Apple should ban these indefinitely as they’re only used to spread the Kremlin propaganda.

 

[bwillwall]

If Apple blocks an app for any reason except fraud or cyber security, it is just pure censorship. If it is my phone, it should be my choice which apps I install. I still remember when Apple threatened a German newspaper app with blocking because it contained nudity. So Apple treats its customers like kids who should be protected from seeing female nipples.

No kidding. As much as I like Apple I will never defend their censorship. I can't believe in 2022 we can't download an 18+ app properly.

 

[mzeb]

Libya is Islamic. Since when an Islamic country is stable?

I'll bite and point out the gross generalization.

You may not agree with their beliefs and how they run it but take a look at the UAE. In the fifty years since their independence they have been part of one war, The Gulf War, and they were supporting the US. They have built arguably the most modern city in the world. Last year they were the fifth country to launch a satellite to orbit Mars.

Not saying they handle everything perfectly by a long shot but it sure would be hard to call them "unstable."

 

[Lihp8270]

I'll bite and point out the gross generalization.

You may not agree with their beliefs and how they run it but take a look at the UAE. In the fifty years since their independence they have been part of one war, The Gulf War, and they were supporting the US. They have built arguably the most modern city in the world. Last year they were the fifth country to launch a satellite to orbit Mars.

Not saying they handle everything perfectly by a long shot but it sure would be hard to call them "unstable."

Exclusion of morals, ethics, and personal beliefs.

Arguably a lot of the Middle East was “stable” until western powers create power vacuums

 

[ghanwani]

We live in interesting times. Violent swings are the norm everywhere -- financial markets, public policy, etc. Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing makes logical sense.

 

[JosephAW]

Whenever I have to access social media sites I always use Safari. I don't trust any of these apps whether foreign or domestic.

 

[JosephAW]

Most of my friends on VK have move to FB years ago. Only some have maintained dual accounts.

 

[erikkfi]

Makes sense now that Russia has ended the war, apologized, and agreed to a trillion dollars in reparations.

Oh wait...

 

[avz]

We live in interesting times. Violent swings are the norm everywhere -- financial markets, public policy, etc. Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing makes logical sense.

I believe that everybody understood on some level that paper fiat currency pyramid scheme is not going to last forever. Since 2008 money printing machine never stopped working. This process has been stretched in time for a while now.

There was some looting of the assets that helped to stretch it out: Panama offshore papers, now removing the excess fat from the EU.

 

[ninethirty]

You did not get the point, once Russian and US nukes are pointed at you, you don't get to decide anything. Cheap or premium is irrelevant.

I wouldn't worry too much about Russian nukes. Russia has shown itself to be a paper tiger, and isn't a threat to anyone.

 

[avz]

I wouldn't worry too much about Russian nukes. Russia has shown itself to be a paper tiger, and isn't a threat to anyone.

I know. Even Stalin has paid US engineers generously when they helped Soviet Union with the industrial revolution. Some of them remember this as the best assignment of their lives.

 

[avz]

I’m really puzzled at how the same party that cheered the loudest and proclaimed Ronald a political god for his part in the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, could Flipflop 180 degrees and support candidates that support Putin’s effort to recreate the Soviet Union by force and political interference.

A former top Soviet KGB officer skilled in propaganda is at the helm of a dictatorship.

Ronald did not play any role in the end of the Soviet Union, it was purely an internal decision made by a bunch of corrupt communists. The fun fact is that USSR's economy was in much better shape at that time than US economy right now. Corrupt communists engaged in de-funding the police, encouraging racial/nationalistic movements, sabotaging supplies and so on.

Cuban missiles crisis was solved by the US removing its missiles from Turkey, they just did not put it all over the front pages in order "to save face".

 

[matrix07]

You did not get the point, once Russian and US nukes are pointed at you, you don't get to decide anything. Cheap or premium is irrelevant.

Nuke is just there for preventative measure. Nobody in their right mind will threaten anyone with "nukes". Of course Putin is crazy so there's that but that's desperate.
Only fascists talking about using nukes.

 

[matrix07]

I'll bite and point out the gross generalization.

You may not agree with their beliefs and how they run it but take a look at the UAE. In the fifty years since their independence they have been part of one war, The Gulf War, and they were supporting the US. They have built arguably the most modern city in the world. Last year they were the fifth country to launch a satellite to orbit Mars.

Not saying they handle everything perfectly by a long shot but it sure would be hard to call them "unstable."

It's good that there's an exception.

 

[avz]

Nuke is just there for preventative measure. Nobody in their right mind will threaten anyone with "nukes". Of course Putin is crazy so there's that but that's desperate.
Only fascists talking about using nukes.

Unfortunately the precedent of using nukes on civilian cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a fact. There was no military need for it as the Japanese army was not there and remained intact and had to be fought by the Soviets. US tried to put a scare on Stalin and failed miserably.

There is a reason why ninethirty said that he is not afraid of Russia using nukes(attaboy). And as a matter of fact Putin never mentioned nukes, it was actually Biden who mentioned nuclear Armageddon which implies that he is hell bent on refusing to retreat like Kennedy did in Cuban missile crisis by removing missiles from Turkey. There is also an indirect implication that US citizens who don't want to die and go to Valhalla are obviously pro-Kremlin.

Elon Musk obviously understands how serious the situation is and figures that his 2028 presidential election campaign and high tech stuff might become irrelevant very fast once the nukes start flying.

 

[matrix07]

Unfortunately the precedent of using nukes on civilian cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a fact.

That's 70+ years ago. Have no relevance now.

 

[avz]

That's 70+ years ago. Have no relevance now.

And yet Biden talks about nuclear Armageddon! Coincidence? Or fascist?