35 Comments

Great - and entertaining (: - reporting!

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May 20, 2022·edited May 20, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat

Great reporting Edward and I have to add in a great humorous style! Since I also watch closely current transformation of Russia under probably greatest economic pressure that it ever had (even Soviets weren't pressured as much and in 1930s US went into full scale participation in the famous Soviet industrialization project), I have to add a small correction. Moscow Renault assembly plant does not preserve the right for Renault to come back during 6 years. It is sold (gifted?) to the municipality of the city of Moscow. Period. No come back - otherwise it would have been impossible to get Chinese to partake in that project. It is AutoVAZ plant in Samara where Ladas are produced allowed Renault to re-engage if they'll decide to do so during 6 years. All new Ladas line-up was built using key parts, such as engines and transmissions, using Renault and Nissan components. But at least AutoVAZ has its own engines and transmissions used in older models that can be updated and used in production of the Russia's native passenger vehicles. Russia has a good line-up of pick-up trucks and big trucks, like KamAZ that are built using own parts, but passenger vehicle production was always lagging behind major global manufacturers in the use of modern technology. We'll see - perhaps current crisis gives them a chance to reimagine their auto industry. I have to say that US did that after 2008 crisis. Today's American cars are way better than those produced before 2008, dare to say they are more advanced than many of Japanese models.

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May 21, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat

Thank you! A definitely enjoyable read. You had me chuckling.

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May 21, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat

"Your humble Moscow correspondent has acquired samples of Cool Cola, Fancy and Street, and will publish the results of our intensive taste tests in the coming hours."

NOOOOOOO! EDWARD! You have so much to live for, and so much left to DO!!!!!!

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May 20, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat

Great read! Sorry they couldn’t dump CrapDonalds and Choke-a-cola while the chance was there, testament to their addicting and money-making nature.

Genetic passports what a noble undertaking. Yikes

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May 20, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat

Thanks for the ECO-RIDE through Russia!

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Ha! The first car wheel I ever steered while riding on my grandpa’s lap was a Москвич. So long ago that the car didn’t even come with seat belts.

This was very fun to read. Stay away from those McTriple Bypasses!

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May 21, 2022Liked by Edward Slavsquat

So...yeah. The bastards stole the cables again. MFW. Anyway, that forced me back into trading system development (tbqh the Gulag would be a nicer job) but I finally did it. I finally found a way to beat the markets with low drawdown and maximum profit. I have aged ten years.....but I did it.

My life's work is complete. My magnum opus. I fully expect the ability to trade markets to disappear in two months time....FML.

But I still give you rubles. My brother, I hope all is well. 😀

As I like to say, I am tired. The kind of tired that sleep cannot fix. I need a holiday.

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Mcdonald's is clearly on the side of the West: killing Russians with their burgers in the exact style of the western forces: in an undercover way that doesn't appear to be linked to their actions. "The De-arching Sanctions Model." Talk about virtue signaling.

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People worldwide are NOT aware of the reason why Russia INSISTS on payment for gas in rubles in Russian banks. Please correct me if I am wrong however I understand that the EU pays for Russia gas in euros in an EU bank and then freezes Russia's access to that same EU bank account. There is NO guarantee that the EU will ever unfreeze and allow Russia to withdraw the funds. So essentially free gas for EU. Also, the Russian Ruble is the worlds BEST performing currency in 2022! Why is that? I believe >1) gas payment in rubles creates demand for rubles 2) Russians can NOW buy gold for rubles.

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I wish I could know that there was a way to get back to Russia and relearn my language without fear of goolags and needlerape.

No we have no fuckerberg first amendment in freedom fries americoo

But we can't expect to be able to speak freely anywhere then, nyet?

Why ain't Russia supporting food and general healthy living?

The fake fast foods are about as safe and Effective as the Harmaceuticals hacksxxxxine.

Why I became vegan, after working at both Burger sludge and mcpoisons

But white potatoes, the staple Russian food , are about nearly posion clot shots. Eat some cold french fries.

Now cabbage, that is a super food.

Why not RF Cabbages? Or , tacquerias ?

Beans are good cheap vegan

Chinese food. Not gonna cut no muster at least not the American version

I Doubt the folks in China eat what Americans consider Chinese food

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On a side note - different topic - Mirrored from news source TASS > Very encouraging news! "MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Several Russian pharmaceutical companies told TASS they have suspended production of the coronavirus vaccines due to the absence of orders.

"No orders for the production of the vaccine have come in 2022. As of today, more than 20 million vaccine doses with a finite shelf life are stored at the warehouse. That is why the vaccine production has been suspended," the press service of Biocad, a biopharmaceutical company manufacturing the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, said.

Another pharmaceutical company, Geropharm, also said it has received no orders for the production of the EpiVacCorona vaccine. It recalled that in 2021 orders had come from the Russian health ministry and the National Immunobiological Company, which had been completed in full.

No orders for the Sputnik V production have been received in 2022 by Binnopharm Group either. Its Director General Rustem Muratov said earlier that the country has enough vaccines.

Maxim Stetsyuk, Nanolec first deputy director general, has also said that his company has received no orders for the production of the CoviVac coronavirus vaccine from the Russian health ministry since December 2021. According to Stetsyuk, the company has manufactured around 500,000 vaccine doses and some 2.5 million doses more have been manufactured by the Chumakov Center."

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Thank you for a good coverage of what's going on there on the 'other side' of the globe. Whatever happens there, will surely affect many Russians living in US, who depend on goods supply from Russia, food in particular..

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WHAT!!!!! Electric cars in Russia. I thought Russians were smarter and not fall for this.....

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As I understand it, there are some labs in Ukraine looking for honest work where you could have that Cool-cola tested.

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I love the addition of the film at the end - thanks for the cultural exposé!

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