Dubov: "The only way to change anything in Russia is a revolution"

by ChessBase
3/31/2022 – Vladimir Putin uses athletes for his propaganda. But Russian chess grandmaster Daniil Dubov is standing up to the Russian leader and the war in Ukraine. In an interview with Europe's premier news magazine, the 25-year-old explains why he is willing to take that risk. "Nuclear war could break out and I could miss the end of the world while analysing the Italian opening." | Photo: Jacek Prondzynski/Newspix/Imago

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The interview was conducted by Florian Pütz and posted on Sunday on the SPIEGEL news page. It has thankfully been translated into English and is not behind a paywall. This is what Daniil Dubov said:

  • "You probably think that Russia is a bad country and we are bad people. But there is a large number of people who share the same values as you do in Europe." When the military actions started they were just shocked. 44 Russian chess players published a letter opposing military action on the territory of Ukraine. Daniil confirms that it was partially written by him, "but it came about through teamwork. If it gets me in trouble, so be it." He does not consider himself a political opponent of Putin — he simply loves his country and criticises things because he has the right to do so.
     
  • On the course of the war, Daniil thinks it cannot get any worse for Russia. The consequences will be long and unpleasant, no matter where the conflict will go. He tells his friends that he is Russian, but against what is happening.
     
  • He can feel the West's sanctions against Russia, but can live with them. He was unable to receive his prize money for the first Grand Prix tournament in February because of the problems with banking transactions.
     
  • He was not fully concentrated and motivated when playing in the Berlin Grand Prix. He is depressed, and finds it hard to prepare for games when one has to skim the news every three minutes.

Daniil Dubov, 25, is one of the best Russian chess grandmasters. In 2018, he won the World Rapid Chess Championship. Because of his creative style of play, world champion Magnus Carlsen brought him onto his team as a second. Dubov lives in Moscow. | Photo: ANTON VAGANOV / REUTERS

  • About moving the 2022 Olympiad from Moscow to Chennai, India he thinks that FIDE had to make the decision. And if an opponent refuses to play against him because he is Russian, he would understand their decision.
     
  • About Sergey Karjakin, who has been supporting Putin and Russian propaganda, it is shameful. "I'm pretty sure Karjakin is doing this mainly for his own benefit, to pursue a political career. Maybe because he thinks it's right, maybe because he thinks it's useful, most likely a bit of both."
     
  • On FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich speaking out against the war in Ukraine (and being accused of treason in Russia) Daniil says Dvorkovich is in a "very, very difficult position," especially since the Kremlin has publicly demanded that the FIDE revoke Karjakin's ban. "I really don't want to be in his shoes. Anatoly Karpov is more powerful than Karjakin because he sits in the Duma, while Karjakin is just an Instagram blogger."
     
  • On his (and Alexander Grischuk's) protest for the release of Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny: "You probably think it took a lot of courage, but it doesn't. Basically, you wait for the police to take action and attack people. Then you go home. If you don't leave in time, the police catch you. Then it becomes uncomfortable. It may sound cynical, but quite honestly, I don't want to be beaten for a goal for which I see no chance."

Daniil knows that what he is saying is really dangerous, but thinks the only way to change anything in Russia is a revolution, which he personally doesn't want. "I don't want Russians to kill Russians. Putin and his actions are clearly supported by the majority of Russians."

He finds it hard to think about his future in chess:

Nuclear war could break out. I could miss the end of the world while analysing the Italian opening.

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arzi arzi 4/12/2022 06:35
WillScarlett, the funniest man on earth. Robin Hood´s best mate.
You will not accept any truth other than what came from Putin himself. You don´t even know what truth is. You have heard about truth but never understood its "usefulness". If WillScarlett himself drove a car crash with another motorist, he would be the first to suspect who was driving his own car and whether Zelensky was possibly the driver in the second car, causing the crash.
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/11/2022 03:27
@arzi -- You will never be a source of "fun" for me - a slight irritant, yes, but laughter, if any, of another sort.

I do not accept uncritically anything Zelensky says, CNN says, or you emit. I would warn others to do the same.

Reflect on " ... no independent estimates ... " .
arzi arzi 4/11/2022 02:34
To WillScarlett, have fun with this information, laugh right from the bottom of your heart. This is for you.

"- Mariupol has been isolated by Russian forces since 1 March. It was a city of half a million inhabitants. The occupiers isolated it and did not even allow food and water to be brought there.
- They tried to take it in the most cruel way just to destroy everything. Mariupol has been destroyed. There are tens of thousands dead. But still the Russians do not stop the attack. Mariupol is wanted to be a model for a ruined city, Zelenskyi said.
- A Ukrainian commander currently in Mariupol told CNN last week that the Russian military was trying to wipe out the besieged city.
- It's a humanitarian disaster. The troops involved in the battle here are completely besieged. There are problems with water, food, medicine and general care. The situation is very difficult, said Serhi Volyna, deputy commander of the Mariupol Marine Battalion.
- There are no independent estimates of the number of deaths in Mariupol."
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/9/2022 05:07
The following post, issued as a response to arzi, was removed, by stealth, by ChessBase operatives who peremptorily censor. This deplorable practice is known as "shadow banning" - I can see my post, but no one else can. Apparently it's quite permissible to attack me, but the "monitors" will not permit me to respond in kind.

Here are the words deemed blasphemous by the courageous - and invisible - thought police:

"Many will note that it took arzi an hour from his penultimate post (which he no doubt thought was clever) to conceive the absurd and senseless emission that was his last. It must have exhausted him. It could serve as "exhibit A" for damning evidence at his inevitable sanity trial.

"Child of [the] Soviet Union era" ?? Sounds like Kasparov railing against Karpov - while forgetting about the support and largesse he, Kasparov, garnered from the Politburo member Heydar Aliyev. And it sounds equally irrelevant and stupid. Who is surprised?

Besides being aghast at such a mind on display here, I am certainly not flattered that arzi has begun to entertain thoughts of me without pants on. Where is he going with this? "

Interested readers may compare the above with the last posting by arzi, which prompted it, and perhaps wonder at the "selective" editing perpetrated by persons unknown who decide what you may see.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/9/2022 12:50
@WillScarlett

I think it is safe to say in all wars and this war in particular that both sides try to appear as an angel while they also try to demonize the other side. This is why I take all the news regarding the brutality of either side with a grain of salt. Sadly, I will not know factually what exactly happened, until independent investigation shows reliable results.

So, what I say about Bucha or other places is only an opinion based on what is being presented to me. To me it seems that a lot of people were probably killed, because if they were not killed, then sooner-or-later one of the locals will expose it. So I find it likely that the bodies are real people. It is also likely that the Russian side perpetrated the killings, assuming that the claim about the sattellite footage is authentic. However, I think it is highly unlikely that big players, like Vladimir Putin have provided orders for such actions, because this outraged people against them, so this would be a bad move by Putin. It is much more likely that some local officers and soldiers were the perpetrators. It is unclear to me what the cause might have been. For instance, Ukraine armed its civilians and incited them to fight, so it is difficult, from Russian perspective to differentiate an "innocent" civilian from one who is actively involved into defending his country. Yet, the images showing people with their hands tied behind their backs suggest cold-blooded summary executions.

But all the above is only an opinion, it is quite possible that I misunderstood what happened.

About chemical and biological weapons. We can rest assured that Russia has such weapons and there are also biological weapons in Ukraine, as Victoria Nuland confirmed. So either side has such weapons and the only thing I can say for sure is, that if such weapons are used against the civilians, each side will blame the other, getting all of us closer to WWIII.
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/9/2022 04:06
Please, ChessTalk, I meant Heydar. Perhaps there are alternative spellings ?

https://aze.media/kasparov-once-again-on-heydar-aliyevs-support-he-saw-the-prospects-at-his-behest-we-were-given-an-apartment-a-base-was-built-in-zagulba/
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/9/2022 01:35
Please, Will, I think you mean Hodor.
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/9/2022 12:51
Many will note that it took arzi an hour from his penultimate post (which he no doubt thought was clever) to conceive the absurd and senseless emission that was his last. It must have exhausted him. It could serve as "exhibit A" for damning evidence at his inevitable sanity trial.

"Child of [the] Soviet Union era" ?? Sounds like Kasparov railing against Karpov - while forgetting about the support and largesse he, Kasparov, garnered from the Politburo member Heydar Aliyev. And it sounds equally irrelevant and stupid. Who is surprised?

Besides being aghast at such a mind on display here, I am certainly not flattered that arzi has begun to entertain thoughts of me without pants on. Where is he going with this?
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/8/2022 11:18
Arsi: US consumerism? I'd add Chinese manufacturing. Maybe World War will help.
arzi arzi 4/8/2022 10:00
Do you, WillScarlett, know the difference between you and lajosarpad? Lajosarpad writes what he thinks is true and right, but you don't do it because you don't know about true and right. You are the child of Soviet Union -era who, for safety's sake, wears both suspenders and a belt at the same time, in vain, because you don't even have pants on.
arzi arzi 4/8/2022 09:10
I'm happy you, WillScarlett, are here to prove that there are at least one who is worse than me with his/her writings. Thanks.
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/8/2022 08:07
ChessTalk Just now
"But three U.S. officials told NBC News this week there is no evidence Russia has brought any chemical weapons near Ukraine. " Willnews.
The 1993 treaty pretty much says you shouldn't even have them. Besides, 'near' is irrelevant when you have missiles that can reach areas:

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) prohibits the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and requires the destruction of both chemical weapons production facilities and the weapons themselves.

Russian Federation is part of the treaty.
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/8/2022 04:56
It's no surprise that arzi cannot even keep score properly. He is at least consistent regarding error. We must be grateful to him also for making lajosarpad's posts even more worthy by contrast .

Some random notes:
"A viral tweet that remains unchecked by 'fact checkers' claims to show a Russian-operated ‘mobile crematorium’ in Mariupol, but the image is taken from an 8-year-old YouTube video. "

"U.S. officials said they had indications suggesting Russia might be preparing to use chemical agents in Ukraine. President Joe Biden later said it publicly. But three U.S. officials told NBC News this week there is no evidence Russia has brought any chemical weapons near Ukraine. "

Ukrainian claims of Russian atrocities can be regarded - until investigated and independently confirmed - as roughly equivalent to the claims about Saddam's WMD's.

Caveat emptor.

https://img.ifunny.co/images/4055dab94d3f6329b172b94f77e2ad23a5c6dc8678565bf7c1cec63c6b909eda_1.jpg
arzi arzi 4/8/2022 03:46
arzi 100 -- WillScarlett 0
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/8/2022 03:43
lajosarpad 1 -- arzi 0
arzi arzi 4/8/2022 02:59
lajosarpad:"Basically the EU will have to accept the decision Hungarians have made, unless the EU wants to provoke a huxit."

Actually no. They will send a "bill" to Hungary. Do you think that Hungary is more safe with Russia than EU? Maybe Hungary should ask Russia for permission to join the trade and military alliance formed by Russia and Belarus?

News:" The EU is launching disciplinary proceedings against Hungary for violating the rule of law. - This is a historic decision, as this is the first time that the rule of law has been linked to EU funding received by a Member State. Hungary still has the opportunity to remedy this situation by demonstrably changing its practices. Otherwise, they will be deprived of EU subsidies.
The gap between the EU and the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, who is authorizing Hungary arbitrarily, is tense. For example, few EU leaders congratulated Orban on winning parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Orbánia has been criticized for trampling on democracy, the misuse of EU funds and corruption. During the Orbán era, minorities have been oppressed and there is no longer any real freedom of the press in Hungary."
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/8/2022 12:53
@ChessTalk Having so many false narratives simultaneously leads to this ridiculous, self-contradictory cognitive dissonance.

I can compare this to the anti-Hungarian propaganda that we can see nowadays that the people didn't vote the way the EU wanted, so, in the name of democracy and rule of law, the EU unilaterally changes the agreements and acting as an unreliable ally (maybe the word 'ally' is an overstatement). They accuse Hungary of using the COVID aid money to silence the opposition. Yet, the opposition is not silenced and Hungary never received the COVID aid (so Hungary could not spend the money it never received), because that was also unilaterally blocked by the EU as an attempt to influence the election's outcome from the outside, even though the EU was begging Hungary to be part of the debt. When Hungary was convinced into this, out of solidarity towards other member-states, the EU decided to not send the money to Hungary, but nevertheless, Hungary has to pay back the debt for which it never acquired the money. And now, after the government was elected with a large majority, the EU assumes that we do not know the situation, they know better. In the name of democracy they disrespect the results of the democratic elections. This kind of arrogance is what we can see in the current propaganda and this is what leads to self-contradictions and cognitive dissonance. Basically, Western Europe has the same attitude as it had in June 4th 1920.

Basically the EU will have to accept the decision Hungarians have made, unless the EU wants to provoke a huxit.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/8/2022 11:34
@ChessTalk this is what's happening when someone is not telling the truth and represents false narratives. Karaganov has several audiences, among which we can find:

- Russian people (whom he wants to convince that the military operation is just and WWIII is not approaching)
- Russian soldiers (whom he wants to convince that the war will be won soon)
- Ukrainian people (whom he wants to convince that there will be no large military help and the war will be worse by the day)
- People outside Ukraine (whom he wants to convince that Russia is strong)
- Ukrainian politicians (whom he wants to convince that Russia will not stop until it reaches its goals)
- Politicians outside Russia or Ukraine (whom he wants to convince that should they stand by Ukraine, the USA will not help)

Having so many false narratives simultaneously leads to this ridiculous, self-contradictory cognitive dissonance.
arzi arzi 4/8/2022 06:58
Chesstalk:How will the world deal with climate change if Russia/China need to be imperialists to defend their frail dumb Oligarchs?"

They don´t have to deal with climate change. That is not a threat but the consequence of another bigger problem. Can you guess?
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/7/2022 03:26
Lajosarpad, I read all kinds of sources. One of the more interesting articles was an interview between some architect of Putin's Ukraine War, a Sergey Karaganov, in a progressive rag, The New Statesman:

https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/ukraine/2022/04/russia-cannot-afford-to-lose-so-we-need-a-kind-of-a-victory-sergey-karaganov-on-what-putin-wants
excerpt:
BM You talked about demilitarisation of Ukraine, but it seems that such a goal would not be achieved if the West continues to provide Ukraine with weapons. Do you think Russia will be tempted to stop that flow of arms, and does this risk a direct clash between Nato and Russia?

SK Absolutely! There is a growing probability of a direct clash. And we don’t know what the outcome of this would be. Maybe the Poles would fight; they are always willing. I know as a historian that Article 5 of the Nato treaty is worthless. Under Article 5 – which allows a state to call for support from other members of the alliance – nobody is obliged to actually fight on behalf of others...

It's an interesting mix: Russian Oligarch interviewed by Progressives. The interviewer wasn't bad but Karaganov seemed deluded or full of nonsense. What I noticed is Karaganov treats Ukraine as an existential threat to oligarchs but thinks Ukraine isn't nationworthy. How weak or self-contradictory is that? He thinks Ukraine could rise to be a Nazi like state while forgetting Nazi Germany didn't need weapons sent to them. Germany was an economic juggernaut that could make its own weapons. How naive can one get in making such a comparison. But maybe the biggest mistake Karganov made was to point out how Nato membership of Ukraine will never be accepted by Russia while making the statement that article 5 of Nato makes Nato worthless. So what are the Russians worried about?

How will the world deal with climate change if Russia/China need to be imperialists to defend their frail dumb Oligarchs?
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/7/2022 10:27
@WillScarlett the dead bodies in Bucha were on the streets for weeks. It would be great to find out since when they were lying there. If the Russians were already in the city when the satellites were seeing them for the first time, then it's a proof that the crimes were committed by the Russian side. If the images appeared even before the Russian presence, then it is a proof that the Ukrainian side committed the crime. So, the timestamp of the first image/video footage of the cadavers is of primary interest in the objective evaluation of the case.

Since I do not know much about the case, I only know what the media presented, I refrain from forming a strong opinion about this until some factual proofs are shown. However, the witnesses claim that Russians killed their husband/family member, etc. So, it very much seems to be a war crime committed by the Russian side.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/7/2022 10:24
@ChessTalk even though I daily follow American news, as the USA is the leader of our civilization and alliance-system, but I was not aware of the attempts to redraw the map in California. Thank you for mentioning!

Putin was an autocratic leader prior to the war and ever since the war has started it became clear to me that he is a dictator. Imprisoning people for their opinion is nothing less than dictatorship. And given the fact that "No war" is not only an opinion one should be free to express, but it is also a call for normality and nonviolence, persecuting the people who express pacifism clarifies the political reality of Russia these days.

In central Europe there are tensions between the nations that live here and it is clear to me that given the fact that I'm a Hungarian living as a minority in Romania, I'm more than affected in terms of minority issues and therefore I actively try to keep viewing things in an objective and balanced manner, so, I'm quite open to criticism and disagreement with my views, as long as the opposing view is not presented in ill faith and I see a truth-seeking attitude.

As a matter of fact, I quite welcome opposing views due to several aspects:

1. They provide an opportunity to me to question and rethink ideas and aspects where I have already drawn a conclusion, so, if I was wrong about something, then I might realize it
2. They provide me an opportunity to present my arguments

In short, these discussions help all participants learning.
arzi arzi 4/7/2022 07:32
WillScarlett:"I have to seriously doubt Zelensky's assertion that "most Ukrainians wanted to join NATO"

What do you think about the fact that the Ukrainians want to defend their country and not receive the Russians with flowers? Have you missed something important, like the truth, WillScarlett?

Have you found moving bodies or living deads in Butcha with satellite cameras?
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/6/2022 05:57
Your Highness, Thank god for civility. I love posting and reading posts. You learn so much and the context is rich. Off topic can be enlightening. I kind of live in the here and now and need these reminders of the complexity of issues. Out in California, we occasionally have a ballot measure that seeks to split the state into several parts. Most folks know it's a battle to redraw political lines. Splitting California would lead to minority rule in the States because most people live in cities and State maps can be redrawn to affect electoral politics. But the California ballots measures don't tell the kind of story that arises in Transcarpathia. The European ethnic backdrop is lost to many US citizens. The State of California has a lot of disparity but seems stable and cohesive...until a big event pulls it apart...like maybe a bad draught that pits farmers against people in the cities. I fear we might have a water war in California if things get much worse. So when I talk about going back to 1994, I speak ignorantly but pragmatically ;) I knew issues in Serbia were quite complex in the 1990s. I can't even begin to talk about Israel and Palestine.

I just read a lot on wikipedia about Transcarpathia. It's a great source of information as long as we don't beat each other over the head with it. I understand Putin might ban it because of some things written about Eastern Ukraine. Bad war dictator. Wikipedia also told me something about Ukraine and those nuclear weapons: that Ukraine didn't have operational control over the weapons at the time of the 1994 agreement. At that time, I don't think Russia was nearly as dangerous as they are Today under Putin. Boris Yeltsin was President and there were lots of problems in Russia. I'm sure the old powers were just waiting in the wings.
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/6/2022 05:34
Bad behavior to and fro - what to believe ??

Ukrainian police posted on Facebook that they had conducted a “clearing op” in Bucha the day before videos emerged showing dead bodies scattered around the settlement, as the war of words over the alleged “war crime” continues.
( The police must have missed a few "details". )

And , on the other side ...

Bret Baier Asks Volodymyr Zelenskyy About Azov Battalion Reportedly Shooting POWs

The question was asked during an interview between Brett Baier and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday evening. However, you will not find this segment on the rebroadcast of the interview at Fox News. They took it out. You will also not find this segment on the Fox News upload of the interview to their YouTube account. Again, they took it out.
In fact, if someone had not uploaded a livestream copy to Rumble, there would be no other evidence the question was even asked, let alone the very flippant answer from Zelensky, “They are what they are“; where “they” is the neo-Nazi Azov battalion that have been merged with the Ukraine regular military.

Even FOX is lapsing into censorship ?!

Zelensky? He is what he is .
WillScarlett WillScarlett 4/6/2022 04:33
I am not an admirer of "The Wall Street Journal" despite its vaunted "prestige", and I know nothing of Olaf Scholz. However, I will offer the following for your perusal:

"New Wall Street Journal article shows that Zelensky rejected peace offer days before Russian offensive on February 24, 2022".

"German chancellor Olaf Scholz had offered Volodymyr Zelensky a chance for peace just days before the launch of the Russian military offensive, but the Ukrainian president turned it down, the Wall Street Journal has reported. "

"Scholz had made what the US outlet described as “one last push for a settlement between Moscow and Kiev” less than a week before the Russian forces were sent into Ukraine on February 24.".

The chancellor told Zelensky in Munich on February 19: “that Ukraine should renounce its NATO aspirations and declare neutrality as part of a wider European security deal between the West and Russia". “The pact would be signed by Mr. Putin and Mr. Biden, who would jointly guarantee Ukraine’s security.”

However, Zelensky rejected the offer to make the concession and avoid confrontation, saying that , “[Russia’s President Vladimir] Putin couldn’t be trusted to uphold such an agreement and that most Ukrainians wanted to join NATO.”

I have to seriously doubt Zelensky's assertion that "most Ukrainians wanted to join NATO". But he would say that, wouldn't he ? For one thing, the 14,000 people of the eastern provinces who have died at the hands of the installed Kievan government since 2014 couldn't all have been "for" the coup, the new government, or NATO. And I will suppose that most of the living are not either . But then, I am not a comedian propped up by a crooked oligarch.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/6/2022 12:18
@ChessTalk Ukraine did not provide the autonomy the people voted for in Transcarpathia to this day, but even though this is very problematic, the situation of Hungarians and Ruthenians in Ukraine up to 2014 was much, much better than ever since. Because of the Chrimean crisis, Ukraine had a massive legal crackdown on minorities and introduced severe laws that mainly aimed to oppress and discriminate Russians, but they were affecting the other minorities as well. The new legislation seriously restricts the freedom of using one's own language if it happens to be something different from Ukrainian, for instance, in schools, children must learn several materials in Ukrainian. People having dual citizenship cannot be political leaders. These are some elements of the official oppression, while unofficially, extremist groups are calling for the deportation of Hungarians, their cultural institution was attacked with a molotov cocktail and people having difficulties with the Ukrainian language were called "morons" by a politician. Death lists were created with Hungarian names and addresses on it.

As a result, Hungary tried to pressurize Ukraine into stopping the official oppression and showing greater efficiency against the unofficial extremists who terrorize minorities. Hungary was not helping Ukraine get into the EU or NATO because of this in the last few years, but the war changed everything. Now Hungary also supports Ukraine's EU and NATO membership.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/6/2022 12:16
@ChessTalk

it is normal to stand by Dubov when someone wants his death for his opinion. As a matter of fact, I mostly agree with Dubov's position on the war, even though, he did some things in the past that I disliked. But my disagreement with some of Dubov's past actions is irrelevant when we speak about the war, death of many and someone even wants his death.

I had a typo in my previous comment, I spelled "Transcarpathica", while the English name of the region is "Transcarpathia".

Information about Transcarpathia: It was Hungarian territory for many centuries, until the 4th of June 1920, the Treaty of Trianon, which stripped 66% of Hungarian territories and given them to neighbors. Ever since millions of Hungarians live as a minority. So, these Hungarians are not immigrants. Fast-forward to 1991 (maybe it was in 1992), when a referendum was organized in Transcarpathia and the vast majority (maybe 91%, but I do not remember the exact figure) voted for autonomy to the region. Ruthenians in Transcarpathia are a minority that have no mother country and Ukraine does not recognize them to be a separate nationality/ethnicity, even though, their presence is very relevant in Transcarpathia.
arzi arzi 4/6/2022 06:40
To lajosarpad some news, not mine: Hungary is not alone.

"The Hungarian government is accused of using EU aid to silence the opposition, undermine the independence of the judiciary and gnaw at freedom of the press. - This is a historic decision, as this is the first time that the rule of law and the EU funding received by a Member State are linked - both Hungary and Poland, another Member State accused of violating the rule of law, have tried to overshadow the situation at EU level in Ukraine."

If Hungary and also Poland wants to be a part of EU They must also respect EU values ​​and not just take subsidies. This is NOT attack on you personally, lajosarpad, just a remark that not everything is gold that shines. Shit happens everywhere.
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/5/2022 11:26
Thank you, Lajosarpad (your highness). I have never seen the word transcarpathica. But your context suggests meaning. And thanks for elaborating. You could provide me with more than the internet searches provided. Yes, such transport would be like owning a fuel depot in Ukraine. Most of your posts are okay by me. Glad you stuck up for Dubov without indecision.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/5/2022 06:36
@ChessTalk I'm okay with "he". But if I had to choose a gender pronoun, it would be "your highness". Joking.

Attacking the argument of the other person is perfectly normal in a discussion. It is a valid way to approach a debate. So, if you say that you are "this and that", that's invalid. However, if I say that your argument is "this and that", that's a perfectly legitimate behavior. My take on the Wagner group, as the private army of Vladimir Putin, I consider them to be the servants of a dictator, as Putin is a dictator. It was a strategic error from the part of Ukraine to give up nuclear weapons with a strong neighbor.

"but not because they might be used on Hungarians in that live in Ukraine"

That was not my point. My point is that if we send weapons to the Ukraine, that will inevitably pass Transcarpathica and the Russians will view the ammunition transports as targets, which could cause battles in the regions where Hungarians live. The weapons transported to Ukraine would be used against Russians, but Russians would aim to destroy them.

"It was also a form of Nazi propaganda ... protecting german's abroad..."

That's quite a false comparison. Not sending weapons to Ukraine in order to maintain peace as much as possible in Transcarpathica is a VERY different point from "protecting" Germans by attacking some countries. As about who you compare our position to, it's your decision. Nevertheless, we do not want to endanger anybody, especially Hungarians.

"but they raise eyebrows...mine"

That's good for your muscles (joke).

It would be strange from a Putin-troll to criticize Putin. He cannot take criticism.
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/5/2022 05:14
"I agree with lajosarpad. Lol." me too. LOL. On "he" or "she", maybe we should use "they".
ChessTalk ChessTalk 4/5/2022 04:43
Lajos, you can criticize posters by what they say. Most of us are anonymous cowards so ad hominem is irrelevant. Nobody knows if you are a paid russian troll, but you don't sound like one to me. Still, it would be nice if you addressed Wagner or little green men in Crimea. Or even brought up the context of the 1994 agreement where Ukraine gave up control of the nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances. With 1994 in mind, you know that Russian actions in 2014 were provocations-- they were certainly a violation of the 1994 security assurances. Ofc, I've read here that some think the Orange and Maidan revolutions were US or western sponsored actions. If you were from the US, you would laugh at this. Americans rarely inspire such uprisings anywhere in the world...well, maybe trump was the first to do so in Washington ;)

And I can't get between you and other posters. My comments had to do with your talking points that coincided with Russian talking points. The most recent has to do with protecting Hungarians in Ukraine. Ofc, I agree that it is Hungary's decision on whether to supply weapons to Ukraine but not because they might be used on Hungarians in that live in Ukraine, that is a kind of echo of Putin rhetoric...it's a mitigation of Russian talking points. It was also a form of Nazi propaganda ... protecting german's abroad...I kind of alternative fact supplied to the German people to help them digest war. Your comments are not synonymous with Putin's or H's....but they raise eyebrows...mine.

You know, in this day and age, suspecting someone as a russian troll isn't so unreasonable. They've been kicked off many platforms and have a lot of time on their hands. I couldn't possibly answer all of your points. The time it took would be akin to the time on the hands of a Putin troll. Don't be too insulted by these inferences. It's tongue in cheek really. It's the internet.
arzi arzi 4/5/2022 02:22
I agree with lajosarpad. Lol.
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/5/2022 02:04
@AWKUZ Dubov is a super GM. He plays exceptionally. We should acknowledge that he is a great player. As about your statement about his end of life, I really hope that it will not come to that. He is being critical about the Russian invasion and that requires braveness in Russia now that politicial opposition is being brutally stifled. Ukraine is a sovereign country. Invading it was an egregious act by Russia.
arzi arzi 4/5/2022 01:29
To AWKUZ, who are you? No one, zero, compared to Dubov. He's a brave man, you're just the voice of a little fly. "bbbbbbbbbbaaawwwkkkuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

Who is Putin? Soviet Union gave him an education, KGB- education. No Russia there but Soviet Union.
arzi arzi 4/5/2022 01:18
lajosarpad:"So, Zelensky has taken a position in the Hungarian elections. It is clear to me that Arzi is frustrated, but eventually he will calm down. When he is not angry as now, he is capable to make sensible arguments as well..."

Why should I be angry on you?

lajosarpad:"For instance, Orbán in his victory speech said that his side had to fend off several political actors and among them he listed Zelensky as well. "

Yes, and he CLEARLY said in that same speech that Zelensky is his opponent. Putin is not.

Btw, remember this:"Lajosarpad:"The topic is Dubov's statement about Russia heading the wrong way and, according to him, only a revolution can change this direction. "

You intentionally left an important part of Dubov’s message. He did NOT want the war between Russians. Your statement was DISHONEST.
AWKUZ AWKUZ 4/5/2022 01:16
Who is Dubov?! What significant did he do in chess? What benefit has it brought to people? Russia gave him an education, taught him to play chess, fed and raised him for many years. Dubov is a prodigal son without a Motherland and conscience. And he will end his life like any traitor.
arzi arzi 4/5/2022 01:08
lajosarpad:"The only thing I could fulfill by criticising Russia further than I already did would be some approval by Arzi and others. However, I do not seek Arzi's approval."

lajosarpad, why don´t you write anything about Butcha? You have repeatedly written about Azov battalion. Why not about Butcha? How about Wagner? No approval is needed.

" Atrocities in Ukrainian Butcha began to be revealed over the weekend as Western journalists got to witness the devastation after Russian troops withdrew from the city."
lajosarpad lajosarpad 4/5/2022 12:51
@ChessTalk 6. I do not represent the Russian side here. I represent the Hungarian side. This is not our war and we do not want to get involved into it, send our men to die for a country that oppresses our brethren or risking the safety of the Hungarian minority by sending weapons and potentially converting Transcarpathica into a war zone. Furthermore, we have never been asked whether we wanted this war, so we are not willing to pay the price of war. Instead, we support Ukraine's efforts for self-defense, we send a LOT of humanitarian aids and we take in the refugees and help them as well as Hungary voted the sanctions of the EU (except the energy sector, but we are not alone with that). If Ukraine want us to be more involved into the conflict, then the absolute minimum it needs to do is to stop oppressing Hungarians in Ukraine. Is Russia invading Ukraine and committing war crimes? Sure thing. Is the Ukrainian resistance praiseworthy? Absolutely. Does Ukraine deserve to get humanitarian and political aid? Surely. Does Russia deserve to be sanctioned? Yes. Should we aid Ukraine militarily? That's every nation's sovereign decision. We, Hungarians do not aim to sacrifice basic Hungarian interests, we aim to somehow contribute to the deescalation of this conflict.

You may agree or disagree with me. Yet, if you disagree, then you might want to rather focus on my arguments and show why you consider them to be wrong instead of my person. And, if you cannot resist and absolutely feel the need to criticize me, then I expect sensible criticism.
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