Meanwhile In Balkans...

[ink]

Serbia continues to generate the only newsworthy content in the Balkans:

https://apnews.com/article/serbia-protests-police-television-students-9007ee8fabade17ed1ba956e51be9c30

Since Western mass media, politicians and EU officials all appear to be pointedly ignoring what's happening in Serbia, by skimming through the above AP article, you'll be in the top 1% of the Western public in terms of how well-informed you are about Balkan news.

[urbanoid]

3 minutes ago, ink said:

Serbia continues to generate the only newsworthy content in the Balkans:

https://apnews.com/article/serbia-protests-police-television-students-9007ee8fabade17ed1ba956e51be9c30

Since Western mass media, politicians and EU officials all appear to be pointedly ignoring what's happening in Serbia, by skimming through the above AP article, you'll be in the top 1% of the Western public in terms of how well-informed you are about Balkan news.

Is this guy losing it?

Quote

During the interview, Vucic insulted the student-led protests, warning that security forces will use force against participants of the big rally planned for Saturday. He pledged never to step down because of the massive nationwide demonstrations.

“You will have to kill me if you want to replace me,” he said,

The TV reporter who interviewed Vucic called the protesting students “a mob,” which the president appeared to approve of. The station, RTS, issued a statement, denouncing the blockade.

“Forcibly preventing RTS employees from coming to their workplaces represents a dangerous step into open conflicts with unpredictable consequences,” it said.

Talk about crossovers...

Quote

Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party

 

[ink]

11 minutes ago, urbanoid said:

Is this guy losing it?

Yeah, he is losing it.

His left hand has been seriously shaking during recent appearances on TV, and he is blurting out more and more unhinged statements.

Btw, the name of the party dates back to it's split from the Serbian Radical Party in the mid-2000s and the "progressive" bit is about as misleading as the "socialist" part of the National Socialist Party. But in reality, they have no ideology, they'll just do or say whatever it takes so they can keep their corrupt networks.

[bojan]

1 hour ago, urbanoid said:

...Talk about crossovers...

Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party

They are not right wing. I describe them as "Self-centrist", as in practice they don't have any real ideology. Well, one could say money and corruption is their primary ideology, but that is common thing all over political spectrum, they just upped it on the whole new level compared to the previous ones...

[ink]

Also, little update (that may or may not mean anything):

Armoured vehicles (Lazar 3s, I think) have been spotted travelling from Loznica to Belgrade.

Still no shots fired. But we're heading in a decidedly unfunny direction.

Edited March 11 by ink

[urbanoid]

1 hour ago, bojan said:

They are not right wing. I describe them as "Self-centrist", as in practice they don't have any real ideology. Well, one could say money and corruption is their primary ideology, but that is common thing all over political spectrum, they just upped it on the whole new level compared to the previous ones...

Absolute kek, I'm sooo stealing it!

[ink]

More internal security forces armour (such as it is) heading for Belgrade for tomorrow's big protest: 

https://x.com/antibotter011/status/1900330207623438671?t=5EdfF22y_5iJcPsyUV85wA&s=19

 

[glenn239]

Protests in Belgrade of whom over what?

[urbanoid]

Just read the article posted earlier.

[bojan]

+/- summarized here:

 

[ink]

1 hour ago, bojan said:

+/- summarized here:

 

Can confirm, this is a fairly good summary.

[Ssnake]

Best of luck!

It's somewhat astonishing how corrupt officials time and again rather double down and dig an even deeper hole than to do the right thing, and admit that they fucked up. Then again, corruption is not so much about the grifting. That's a fringe benefit. It's about abolishing responsibility.

[JWB]

Has it been determined who took bribes?

[Ssnake]

That's why the protesters demand the release of project documentation, as I understand it.

[ink]

Still no shots fired.

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2025/mar/15/serbians-stage-huge-protest-in-belgrade-against-their-president

 

EDIT: although it should be mentioned that the govt. or loyalists aligned to them did use an LRAD against the crowd during a 15 mins of silence for the 15 victims of the incident at the railway station.

https://x.com/alef_pendule/status/1900980300093468844?t=NT4miafT0egHhbbFTfXSeg&s=19

 

Edited March 15 by ink
to add a comment

[bojan]

6 hours ago, JWB said:

Has it been determined who took bribes?

Everyfucking one involved, including Chinese and French companies.

This protest was bigger than the one in 2000. that lead to the Milosevic's downfall. This is just a part of the crowd:

 

[blatob]

Regarding LRAD, the wave could be felt at the distance up to 1km. People standing there complaining about sudden anxiety, heart palpitations, and were confused what have happened. Most of the affected seem to be women and men of smaller stature. Apparently the source was on the presidential pallace.

[urbanoid]

Quite a crowd, methinks

https://x.com/NationalIndNews/status/1900962996068688030

 

[futon]

On 3/15/2025 at 2:15 AM, Ssnake said:

Best of luck!

It's somewhat astonishing how corrupt officials time and again rather double down and dig an even deeper hole than to do the right thing, and admit that they fucked up. Then again, corruption is not so much about the grifting. That's a fringe benefit. It's about abolishing responsibility.

+1

Sad how a beloved train station became the center of a corruption disaster.

[Roman Alymov]

On 3/14/2025 at 8:15 PM, Ssnake said:

Best of luck!

It's somewhat astonishing how corrupt officials time and again rather double down and dig an even deeper hole than to do the right thing, and admit that they fucked up. Then again, corruption is not so much about the grifting. That's a fringe benefit. It's about abolishing responsibility.

That is exactly why i have repeatedly pointed out corruption in Russia is totally dependent on West, as it is both the source of political support and safe haven to escape to. Without West, corruption will gradually die out.

[urbanoid]

4 minutes ago, Roman Alymov said:

That is exactly why i have repeatedly pointed out corruption in Russia is totally dependent on West, as it is both the source of political support and safe haven to escape to. Without West, corruption will gradually die out.

Nah, someone else will be doing the same. The West has corruption scandals involving e.g. the Chinese, Qataris (and other Gulfie Arabs) etc. 

[bojan]

Corruption is universal constant, it is not going to disappear. Corruption in Serbia transcends "east" and "west" (because cunts in power are neither pro "west" or "east" or "left" or "right" but a self-centrist, "make money fast" interest group.

[Roman Alymov]

2 minutes ago, urbanoid said:

Nah, someone else will be doing the same. The West has corruption scandals involving e.g. the Chinese, Qataris (and other Gulfie Arabs) etc. 

We have allready discussed that. "West" is the only collective entity that got combination of following key features: 

1) Long-established (over hundreds of years of colonial empires history) financial infrastructure to welcome and process money stolen abroad;

2) Ability to provide political/legal/media support to their human assets in other countries vila network of NGOs etc.

3) Comfortable living conditions to preemptively accomodate safe haven for family members of corrupt Russian official while family father is busy "making business" in his office somewhere in Siberia or Moscow

4) Ability to provide "escape passport" for the case this official loose  the game and feels the need to get out quick;

5) Ability to provide immunity from extradiction on request from Russia

   Yes some countries got some of this features (for example, living standards in some of China cities are quite comparable or above ones in London for the person with money, and banking system in Emirates are quite developed etc.) but they have hot all this features combined.

     It is quite regular case for some "big boss" in Russia to have family leaving abroad full time ("You see, i am patriot of Russia, but my son/daughter is so gifted he/she is studying in London school of economics/Arts academy in Milano/you name it, and my wife is taking care of she/him there") and to have Israel/Cyprus/Ireland/etc. backup citizenship "just in case" (in theory it is banned, but who cares). But i have newer heard about Russian official having family in China....

[JWB]

18 hours ago, bojan said:

Chinese

That explains much. Relying on them is asking for trouble.

[bojan]

32 minutes ago, JWB said:

That explains much....

Part that collapsed was not touched by Chinese, they did other things on the station, but share responsibility (see down).

French company was doing final control of all works OKed train station.

Problem is that issue was not even worked on, despite the fact that beams carrying whole construction were supposed to be changed almost 10 years ago. Which means that by the relevant law, everyone involved, from a government, ministry, companies that worked on station (including local and Chinese), company that did final control (French) and officials who opened train station after reconstruction are responsible, because they were either incompetent and did not see or "did not see" potential issues.