Well done, Anna! Your vlog is a bright light of truth against orkish propaganda, and you have been consistently bearing that torch. You have my respect and gratitude! 🙏
YES!! Thank you Anna!!! Thank you for addressing this matter!! Corruption is not acceptable in Ukraine today. It exists in every society and takes time to root it out. When it's discovered it needs to be squashed so others see it is not acceptable.
I am super corrupt at home ... I do the dishes and execise the vacum-cleaner ... I then hope for other stuff in return later in the evening ;) Don't say corruption can't be good hehehe
My grandparents also told me that Soviet soldiers stole lots of items (clocks, bicycles,..) and confiscated whole factories which were dismantled and transported to Russia later. There were rumours about living in the USSR, but I had no idea that these were actually facts. A Polish man told me in the early 90’s, when I was growing up, that people in the Soviet Union were very poor. It was difficult to get more and accurate information then, as the language barrier was huge. Thank you for debunking all these myths so that youngsters stop to appreciate communism in "Western Europe"! Kind regards from Austria.
It wasn't just the actions of the Red Army itself. Soldiers, especially if they come from impoverished backgrounds and are poorly led, easily lose discipline. But the looting of the former German territories was state policy and portrayed as reparations and just revenge. And that attitude was extended to Poland (which had resisted Soviet invasion in 1939), the Baltic States (which had refused to join the USSR voluntarily), and the other states which had previously been led by people hostile to the USSR or actually fought against it. It is no chance that the period from 1941 to 45 was labelled the Great Patriotic War - Russia's war against the rest. It effectively became state doctrine hidden behind a veil of fraternal solidarity with the working people of those countries.
Well done as usual, Anna. I know that you probably wouldn’t want to represent Ukraine’s government, but you would be a brilliant representative for your country. Thanks for all you do to make this world a better place, good lady. 💕
"The stronger the civil society you have, the faster the process of reform moves.". My mind tries to imagine how Russia will reform itself; hopefully a maidan revolution there.
Thank you for this episode of SMD, Anna. This series really is well thought out, professional, and very well presented. Thanks go to you and Sasha, for making this possible. You've clearly put a lot of effort and hard work into creating these episodes. 🙏🙏 The idea behind communism was never going to take off in its true sense in russia... it seems they'd first have to get rid of the bulk of corruption there and in their sphere of influence (which is I think slightly depleting because of russia's war). Even if they whittle away at corruption it would be steps taken in the right direction; to have a *fairer* structure and society. How awful to not reward effort of the right kind! It's little wonder people leave russia in modern times. Theft is never going to be seen as an acceptable thing. Whether that's personal belongings, goods, lives, or land... so they should start to understand that and haul their country into the 21st century quick-smart! I don't think they are capable of doing so peacefully. Wishing you peaceful skies 💙🕊💛
Well put, AJ.....whistle blowers generally have a hard time when reporting corruption or abuse,thankfully we have courageous people who do...and crusading journalists to tell the world. Mrs C and I have seen our fair share of bad stuff that has ended in court and prison . Anna, s post is a timely reminder of the freedoms that some here in the free world take for granted..ta ta for a bit....E...
@@eamonnclabby7067 Yes, they do, though they really shouldn't be silenced that way, IMO, it leaves no room for some positive changes that can help a country. The human rights people are remarkable, and dedicate themselves selflessly for the good of mankind. Any country that suppresses that would obviously make themselves questionable. Freedom is a positive thing when it is the freedom of things that are harmless to others... what does that tell us about greed for power in places that silence those who simply want innocent voices to be heard? We should never take freedom for granted. People have often suffered and died for us to have it. Cheerio for now, E! God bless!
Anna, I have heard stories before about "deficit." More than one person has talked about how things like dental anesthesia were sometimes not used because it was "in deficit." Is that true? I cannot think of anything more horrifying than having teeth drilled without anesthetic! 😱
It is partly true. You had a choice whether to have it or not. They asked people. But they didn't not give it to you if you said you needed it. My teeth were not very sensitive and I had a bad reaction to anaesthetic, so I used to opt out for now anaesthetic. And it wasn't painful for me. Everyone is different.
Love this series. I may have said that before, I think. Corruption in communist states is ALWAYS the case. One thing that is interesting is that the Chinese learned the lesson very well from the Soviets.
Hello Anna, Very good video. The only thing is, the dial phone on your desk really should be red, in order to emphasize the urgency of the topic(s). Just joking. Better the black phone than none. Best regards, Ralf
I have lived and worked in Africa and have always been interested in organizational behavior. What is not widely understood is that corruption destroys the organization that provided the opportunity for the corruption in the first place. Without effective organizations it is hard to accomplish much. What we do know is that the more the corruption the worse off we all are!
It was funny to see the picture of the Russian soldier walking away with a small old tube style TV with a big smile on his face. No matter how good or big a tube TV is you cannot even give it away here in Canada because nobody wants it. Flat screens only.
When I was little my grandfather told me that in the WW II, when soviets invaded Romania, they plundered households and everywhere they used to say 'Davai Chasy' (Давай Часы).
Good vlog, Anna. Like Lord Acton said in the late 1800s: "Power corrupts....absolute power corrupts absolutely." Certainly Putin fits that quote. But, Anna it eventually corrupts virtually everyone who has it. Take care.
I am reminded of Kraut's videos on Russian Authoritarianism, what is literally termed Russian 'Lawlessness' or 'Backwardness' where extracting wealth from peasants to satisfy royalty/party-higherups is far and away more important than societal function served by law
Thank you for this, it needs to never be forgotten how we have arrived here and now. Maybe you should collaborate with other people from other formerly Soviet dominated countries and gather and disseminate/podcast their experiences and stories. I'm sure judging by their support for Ukraine, most have disdain and firsthand stories about their experience under Soviet domination. Apparently the only holdouts are some former East Germans who have forgotten about the Stasi, their "high quality standard of living" they experienced, and are having fond memories about their Soviet time. Let's invite and hear stories from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and others about their experience under the Soviet boot...
Thank for newest episode of SMD. Very revealing and actual topic. Quality journalism. Border countries will be always under the influence of these games. Stay safe. Slava Ukraini.
@@eamonnclabby7067 Yes, university journalism programs are very leftist here aswell. Although press are choosing their words more carefully since pro-putinist stamp is on cruise control here these days.
I remember flying into Kiev at Borisapol airport in 1995 through 2004 the corruption even at the airport was blatant just not even trying to hide it . Going through ukrainians and Russians baggage at customs basically taking what they wanted I remember walking away from a customs officer and he was saying hey where's my bribe in Ukrainian and I had to tell him I was going to make change and bring him back his bribe looking back I experienced a lot of things in the Ukraine and the police well Anna you know how they were or maybe still are sometimes it was a crime just to speak English or another language so they could shake you down for money. But if people can change like alcoholics or drug addicts that get help and change their lives I'm sure a country can too.
I lived in Cuba. You're absolutely right. The communist/socialist/Marxism is the worse of the worst. At the high cold war my parents left Cuba. There were so many Russians in Cuba at the high of the cold war. Anna, you're so well educated and knowledgeable. Keep up the good work .
Diakuyu. (In less than 10 minutes I laughed and cried) So we get down to the core of the issue. The longing for Soviet times as motivation for the Rus aggressor represents spreading the base of their ponzi scheme. What you are saying is that the oligarchs live on the cut of the various enterprises they control, keeping everyone working hard leaves little time for any kind of resistance. Russia is the most corrupt country in Europe. You have done superior job of explaining why, professor. Additionally, corruption is compounded by not training altruistic leaders that are willing to work for wages. Kudos to your writers. Your presentation was riveting. Molodets. All the best regards to you 🙏 Slava Ukrayini 🇺🇦👍
@@piseag458 with a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat.....Bernard Cornwell references Brimstage hall....not by name but locations in his Warlord novel....Wirral Archeologists presented him with a dagger retrieved from the site of the great battle of Brunanburh/Bromborough 937AD...I live adjacent to the site which is still intact...and huge....this battle is where England came into existence under Athelstan...I am hoping Scottish history Tours will come and describe the Scottish army of those far off days...
Pryvit, Anna! 💖🌻🌺 Thank you so much for these excellent, educational productions. I continue to learn so much from you. Much love from the USA! Дякую & Молодець. Слава Україні! 🇺🇦🌻🇺🇦🌻🇺🇦
As far as I can tell, Ukraine is the only European country direct and effectively addressing corruption. I am saying so for a long time now. Anna, Glory to Ukraine. Cheers from Portugal.
That cannot be true. Indeed, at least Nordic countries have been successfully addressing corruption, and there are probably more examples. When you have more corruption in the first place, addressing it becomes more visible. This is not in any way a criticism towards Ukraine. This is just the situation they find themselves in at this moment. Recognising that corruption is poison to society, is the key. Cheers to Portugal.
Have you heard of the Nordic countries? The Scandinavians do a great job of governing without professional politicians who are steeped in corruption. Very much unlike my country USA, which has a federal government which is a festering hive of corruption.
If you look at the corruption indx, then will you find that Denmark, Finland and New Zealand shares first spot, fourth spot is shared between Norway, Singapore and Sweden. So among the 6 best placed you find 4 european countries. Feel free to look at the 50 best ranker countries, and then tell me if you still believe Europe do not try to fight corruption.
@@Eli-Just-Eli nice...something that is discussed endlessly..as an arty type ...I agree...however I also believe in our democracy...here in the UK...however flawed...
@@Eli-Just-Eli Yikes...whatever next...actually suggest, the King in the North by Max Adam's,vividly described the British Isles of 400 to 700 AD , Tolkein based Aragorn on saint /King Oswald....
Thank you vykladach Anna. (your set design is genius). I got to experience "blat" a lot in Eastern Europe before 1989'is without knowing what it was: Things just got "fixed" in a way that felt very "mafia". Here comes a question to you that may be interesting to more "westerners" than me: Vlad Vexler always challenge the "western" understanding of oligarchy because the billionaires that Putin "allowed" does not hold any political power. They are not "citizens" but "a privileged, yet submissive (to Kremlin) layer of the population" to paraphrase him. Thus I struggle with truly understanding the terms. "Blat" I get (it is black market powers, simplified). But the society-wide idea of oligarchy (or not) I struggle with. I think Vlad's argument is that a true oligarchy means that rich people "buy political power" while in Russia the situation is that money does not buy influence, they are more like the medieval principles of submitting to the throne for privileges. Can I again say that your studio setup is brilliant for your webcasts? That Sputnik era TV and phone and desk are just beautiful, but not distracting from vykladach Anna speaking clearly. There is so much that is lost in translation (even for brilliant communicators like you and Vlad). Society is a strange entity. I have worked in places like Nepal where "the additional dollar" was kind of needed to make official processes move at all, causing me to sit in all the ethical consideration and cultural appreciation classes. Being from Norway, to hand over a dollar to a police officer in Norway would be insane - in another culture, it may be necessary just to be able to get work done. In the USA you see a cafe with cheap lunch and you will not have any idea how much it will cost you before you have "tipped" the entire staff and paid all the town taxes, state taxes and federal taxes (the USA is kind of crazy like that 😀- nobody in the USA has any idea of what any bill will look like when they enter a store or restaurant. My American friends seem to default to doing mental maths and adding some 20-50% on any price they see. Us Europeans consider that a wildly inaccurate estimate). To end more seriously - yes I think the Soviets exported the system of governed corruption by taking the old feudal system and upgrading it via the Stalinist insanity of understanding "socialism" as you have covered with i.e the catastrophe of Holodomor (or the Chinese version of "the great leap" (etc)). Thank you for your hard work, Anna. It is much appreciated.
Corruption, on a personal level, is alive and well in Ukraine. While driving back from Germany in an expensive car, crossing the border became a $100 charge.....until my Russian speaking brother in law who had been sleeping in the passenger seat woke up and cussed the border guard. I was almost late for my international flight because the final security agent wanted a $50 bribe. When I didnt have the cash, I was required to exit the secure area and go back to a ATM and then return to pay him. Lucky for me, I arrive at the airport a couple of hours early. All this within the last 12 years.
Anna, I wish I could say that corruption is unique to Russia / USSR, but there's plenty of indigenous corruption to be found everywhere, in every country. And it needs to be fought everywhere. One small language point. When you say "deficit," a better English word to convey what you mean is "shortage." When there isn't enough of some commodity to satisfy all needs, it is a deficit, but the word used in that situation is shortage. ДУЖЕ Дякую!
@@rabbi120348 did it supply corruption to South American countries too? What about India? Yes, Russia is corrupted but so are many other countries, not just post Soviet (where it supplied it).
@@OlgaWand If you actually read my original post, you'd know the answer to that question. Clearly you're only interested in defending what little honor Russia has left, if any. Russia has been the thug of Europe for many, many generations, so I suppose we should be grateful that it's a corrupt, and therefore incompetent, thug. End of conversation.
We have an oligarch problem in the United States as well. They control the mainstream media so many Americans aren’t aware of how bad the problem is. They just know life keeps getting harder each year.
Georg Orwell wrote his fable 'Animal Farm' inspired by Stalins CCCP communism. It stated - 'We are all equal but some are more equal than others' as one of the main postulates. I think was very describing for Soviet Union way of thinking. The book was about how pigs trying to organize their community. If you replace pigs with orcs........ - Slava Ukraini!
I always enjoy your vlogs! You had trouble with "guelder rose" the other day. G has tricky pronunciation in English, soft (J) before E, I, and Y, and hard (G) before consonants and other vowels - with many exceptions. One way to force a hard G is to put a silent U between it and the vowel: GUess, GUinea, GUy, and, yes, GUelder. (English is my 2nd language.) Glory to Ukraine 🇺🇦!
❤❤❤to help Anna, watch the commercials all the way thru, it increases greatly what Utube pays.. Also, contact your state and federal reps and Senators with support for the Ukrainian people. This is a once in a lifetime chance to destroy Russia and the evils…who lead it…
Like always, WONDERFUL ANNA! YOU have also wonderful User here. At your Q&A Session "PhillipIttner" was spending memberships for around 15 (what i recognise) watchers! incredibly generous! I, was once of the LUCKY'S ones... Btw I follow you a longer time. Iam thankfull for ur Enlightening work! Please keep it up. You're unbelievable. I would really like to be one of your students.😉Stay healthy and protected. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 СЛАВА УКРАЇНІ 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 ГЕРОЯМ СЛАВА 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Dear Anna, I can only congratulate you for this great explanation of how corrupted and brutal soviet Union was and how devastating the relation with Russia is nowadays for many countries. I come from one of these excommunist countries and I see and experience everything you describe: the strong, agresive oligarchs, trying to look intelligent in their expensive suits, but unable to communicate or transmit meaningful message; the fear in people when it comes to opposing this system, inherited by the time of communism; and what despairs me most in my country is that many people see themselves completely powerless and that nothing depends on them, so they say that it doesn't make sense do anything because their opinion doesn't matter :( Th communism kills the individual and the spirt of independence, not only for the generation which experienced it, but also for several following generations. Stay safe and keep making vlogs!
@Sonification Can you point to recent occurrences of that? Specifics would be appreciated. I am aware that Ukraine is low on the corruption scale, (not as low as Russia) but since Maiden, they have been working to improve on it.
ahhh Minisk .. A United Ukraine a federation like Canada...a hope ..a dream , now long gone Your leaders said no .... no matter . When USSR ended Dec 25 1991 ..Ukraine had a population of 55 million ..manufactured electronics , cool stuff ... Pre invasion ...population 20 million ... after this winter ..12 - 15 million
@@martinandersen1849 Merkel in two German interviews ...Minisk was a plan to buy time for NATO to Arm and dig in ...This was confirmed by Prez Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ..used words like play "Putin " Prez Z .. he said election for it during election ( who know's way too late now )
A kleptocracy type government is not new to geopolitics Anna. Russia is not the origin of a corrupt government. Malaysia is a prime example of this type of corruption. I've lived in Ukraine for several months at a time. I asked some of my friends about developing livestock, and agricultural farms on a grander scale. I was astonished to learn of the high taxes and tariffs imposed by local governments, regional governments, and your federal government. I'm hoping this changes drastically after orcs are beaten out of existence. When Ukraine opened its oil reserve properties for auction, my country was willing and able to develop your resources responsibly. Then the war began, a couple of our "job sites" received open fire from one of the fascist groups and the oil companies pulled out. I hope when your military wins this war and there is an opportunity to develop your resources properly you will experience a better level of prosperity, by investing this new wealth I to the country of Ukraine, not a few entitled individuals. Your current president seems to have a good group of advisors and strong technical individuals to begin a journey to democracy. We in America are hoping for good things for you.
An interesting and relevant book that explains much about Russia, including its systemic corruption: "The Code of Putinism" by Brian D. Taylor, 2018. (can be found on Amazon and Ebay)
A vlog by Pedun showed it all nicely, on paper they have a state of the Art Army with cutting edge equipment, but after 4:5:6 ? Steps of corruption , the reality is very different the $25k armoured super suit evolves into recycled WW2 uniform after everybody tales a cut Corruption explains their poor performance Ironic that Ukraine was perceived to have sub standard equipment but in reality this easily beats the rubbish that they have. Resorting to the missiles is their only option
The Soviets were also guilty of looting Afghanistan, with the last trucks that went across the friendship bridge literally packed up highly with priceless artifacts.
Bravo for shining a light on the Oligarchy in former Soviet states. The war's hidden benefit, if there is any such thing, is the "deoligarchization" (a Carnegie Endowment term) in russia and all former Soviet occupied regions. That along with an increase in the wage base of Ukrainians will disrupt corruption's hold on an economy. At least that is my hope. Thank you for this video.
You spelled out what we have felt for many years! It will take years for Western Europeans to realize how Russian misinformation campaigns have influenced Western Politics: from Nordstream, to Brexit, to Trump election
Anna, I love Ukraine and have a long relationship with Ukraine. I also have a longer relationship with Russia and even the USSR. In Russia, there is a saying. “I don’t have a hundred rubles, but I have a hundred friends” in reference to блат. I would like to know how much блат plays a role in Ukraine. I know in Russia, it never went away after the Soviet collapse, although it took on a somewhat different form. I also know that Ukraine and Ukrainians in general are really working hard at combatting corruption. I know this is an older video (I love the series) but would like to hear a comment if possible. Thanks! You are awesome!
I've said it before Ukraine needs to appoint you as Ukraine's ambassador to the world. Very professional, impeccably dressed, and great explanation of corruption that was, and is still going on. Stay strong and safe -- Slava Ukraine.
Thank you Anna. money and influence to export ruskie mir reminds me of the 45th US administration,right down to the fsb first lady and her family. I also believe his 1st wife was also kgb but the mistress put a stop to that attempt
