Thread: Stephen Cohen. Distorting Russia. How the American media misrepresent Putin...

Originally Posted by Ramil

There is a Russian idiom 'метать бисер перед свиньями' (to cast pearl before pigs).

Actually it is a quotation from the Bible. It's Matthew 7:6 in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount to be exact.
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."
«Не давайте святыни псам и не бросайте жемчуга вашего перед свиньями, чтобы они не попрали его ногами своими и, обратившись, не растерзали вас».
Alas, he was crucified by the people he was preaching, healing, feeding and quenching and his main disciple renounced him three times.
So he himself contradicted this wisdom, for if there is one reasonable person ready to understand the value of the pearls in a throng of swines, maybe it's worth casting?

And Russian tourists storming local Ukrainian administrations while Russian Militaries are ready to protect them.

There are on-line web-cameras on the border crossing points, for example, this one monitors the main border crossing point Nekhoteevka-Goptovka which is the biggest such a point in Belgorod region and is situated on the road leading from Moscow to Kharkov:
Граница Online Нехотеевка
As you can see it's empty right now. In order to bring a 10-thousand crowd for making "disorders" in Kharkov Russians must have been used at least a hundred buses provided each bus contained a hundred persons. I've been periodically watching this camera for a few days - I've noticed no perceptible activity on this boarder-crossing point.
I also tried to find a single volunteers enlisting point in my native city which is right half-way between Moscow and Kharkov - no luck. Such things simply don't exist. Recent days people were busy with their jobs and buying presents for their women for the celebration of the Women's day, they don't have any reason to go invading Kharkov.
Also think about accommodations where all this "tourists" have to stay. Is there any tents, field-kitchens, as in Kiev's Maidan? There's nothing - nor in Kharkov nor in Donetsk nor in Lugansk which can be explained by the only reasonable presumption that most of those demonstrators are local inhabitants.
Of course nobody can prevent individual persons to cross the border on the legal basis and take part in whatever activities they like, but it's their own personal responsibility - no state or civic institute can be blamed for this.
By the way, I couldn't find such on-line cameras on the Ukrainian side of the border. Why?

Originally Posted by SergeMak

Actually it is a quotation from the Bible. It's Matthew 7:6 in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount to be exact.
"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."
«Не давайте святыни псам и не бросайте жемчуга вашего перед свиньями, чтобы они не попрали его ногами своими и, обратившись, не растерзали вас».
Alas, he was crucified by the people he was preaching, healing, feeding and quenching and his main disciple renounced him three times.
So he himself contradicted this wisdom, for if there is one reasonable person ready to understand the value of the pearls in a throng of swines, maybe it's worth casting?


There are on-line web-cameras on the border crossing points, for example, this one monitors the main border crossing point Nekhoteevka-Goptovka which is the biggest such a point in Belgorod region and is situated on the road leading from Moscow to Kharkov:
Граница Online Нехотеевка
As you can see it's empty right now. In order to bring a 10-thousand crowd for making "disorders" in Kharkov Russians must have been used at least a hundred buses provided each bus contained a hundred persons. I've been periodically watching this camera for a few days - I've noticed no perceptible activity on this boarder-crossing point.
I also tried to find a single volunteers enlisting point in my native city which is right half-way between Moscow and Kharkov - no luck. Such things simply don't exist. Recent days people were busy with their jobs and buying presents for their women for the celebration of the Women's day, they don't have any reason to go invading Kharkov.
Also think about accommodations where all this "tourists" have to stay. Is there any tents, field-kitchens, as in Kiev's Maidan? There's nothing - nor in Kharkov nor in Donetsk nor in Lugansk which can be explained by the only reasonable presumption that most of those demonstrators are local inhabitants.
Of course nobody can prevent individual persons to cross the border on the legal basis and take part in whatever activities they like, but it's their own personal responsibility - no state or civic institute can be blamed for this.
By the way, I couldn't find such on-line cameras on the Ukrainian side of the border. Why?

Nice and interesting post, Serge!
They won't let you into Ukraine though. I watched Rossiya 24 and they said that Ukraine denies entry to any Russian who looks like they might plan to participate in the protests. Probably just as well.

I think it's a bit sad that Russia takes so much interest in Crimea, but pays less attention to the less glamorous cities in Eastern Ukraine. These people have been railroaded for sure. Apparently that region is what keeps the Ukrainian economy afloat.... at the very least they deserve democratic representation in Kiev. And all people anywhere, deserve the right to speak their native language in the area where they were born.

They won't let you into Ukraine though. I watched Rossiya 24 and they said that Ukraine denies entry to any Russian who looks like they might plan to participate in the protests. Probably just as well.

I don't think it's true. I've heard they check more thoroughly the documents and luggage but I don't think they prevent anybody to cross the border unless there are some serious reasons (you are a criminal of some kind and they found your name in their list). By the way, I agree with Ramil that the Russian media are also involved in brain-washing. A few days ago they said there are hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees crossing the border, but I didn't notice them either.

I think it's a bit sad that Russia takes so much interest in Crimea, but pays less attention to the less glamorous cities in Eastern Ukraine.

They say Kharkov is a very beautiful city with a great opera theater and it has the biggest square in Europe. My father (ethnic Ukrainian by the way) studied in Kharkov polytechnic university. He is very fond of these memories.
What a shame I missed the opportunity to see the biggest square of Europe free of charge (joke).

Originally Posted by SergeMak

I agree with Ramil that the Russian media are also involved in brain-washing. A few days ago they said there are hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees crossing the border, but I didn't notice them either.

Yes, Russia Today wrote about it. The figures they gave was 650,000 "refugees".
But you know, "there are lies, damned lies and statistics"
Maybe they counted everybody who crossed the border from Ukraine to Russia since the troubles started, or something like that.

I don't think Russian media deliberately lies. I think they ignore some news, and play with statistics.
As for Western media, it's really no better, and with some stories, it's worse. Just different angles.

From watching Vesti TV, I get the impression that every town in Russia, practically, had a support rally for Ukraine and Crimea, with people chanting slogans. Is that right? Also, Moscow seems to have held a big concert.

The difference between Russian coverage of this, and Ukrainian coverage, is that for Russia, it is their relatives, their family, old friends, history and culture at stake.
That's why I trust Russia more in this, having nobler purposes.

For Western media it's nothing but the old Russophobia, a desire to control Ukraine and the possibility of a NATO base in Crimea. It's all coming from Washington - who in Western Europe even cares about Ukraine or Crimea?! Almost nobody. And all as for controlling it, all major countries already had a go at that, and eventually failed.... As we know!

The Black Sea is not a traditional sphere of influence for any of the big European countries. It's about Washington's agenda with Russia, and the Ukrainians are the pawns and victims. The Western Ukrainians have been duped. The EU can't, won't and doesn't even want to deliver half of what it's promising.
The EU is a useful idiot for America in this.