According to the Soviet Central Statistical Office, trophy brigades dismantled 1,119 factories in Poland. In the Soviet occupation zone in Germany the Soviets dismantled 2,955 factories.
The dismantling and removal of thousands of tons of equipment and materials also took place in other countries captured by the Red Army on its way to Berlin. In June 1944, the looting of Romania began. 2,800 railcars of loot were sent from Hungary, 6,500 from Czechoslovakia, and 31,200 from Austria. By August 1945, 215,000 railcars had been sent from Poland.
A report by the Swiss legation in Budapest describes the Red Army’s entry into the city:
“During the siege of Budapest and also during the following weeks, Russian troops looted the city freely. They entered practically every habitation, the very poorest as well as the richest. They took away everything they wanted, especially food, clothing and valuables… every apartment, shop, bank, etc. was looted several times. Furniture and larger objects of art, etc. that could not be taken away were frequently simply destroyed. In many cases, after looting, the homes were also put on fire, causing a vast total loss… Bank safes were emptied without exception — even the British and American safes — and whatever was found was taken.”
Soviet looting did not only concern large industrial centers, it was experienced by ordinary civilians as well. “On July 26, 1945, when returning by bicycle from work, I was unexpectedly pushed off my bicycle in Baranów by two unknown Soviet soldiers and without any explanation they took my bike. My intervention with the Soviet military authorities did not have any effect as the Soviet officer told me that my report was already the 20th in line…”. Countless reports of that kind were recorded all over Poland.
Apart from possessions and factory equipment, the Red Army also confiscated over 60 percent of Poland’s grain stocks. Farmers suffered hunger and the animals had no feed. The Soviets requisitioned the strongest farm animals, leaving behind only the sick and weak.
Sources: “Great Fear. Poland 1944-47” by Dr Marcin Zaremba; Swiss Legation Report of the Russian Invasion of Hungary in the Spring of 1945
A normal blockade is against imports to hurt your enemy, and not exports on which the literal survival of many completely neutral countries depends on. Now for the very first time in history (as it's a totally globalised world, where something like this was just unbelievable to happen) this is https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/1535617896843452417 and of course you're not outraged. But go and tell me again about "GAE" and "American coup", call the effects of medieval style pillage "grain from Russia" again, you may add some more idiocy about "biolabs" or whatever, go on.
A normal blockade is against imports to hurt your enemy, and not exports on which the literal survival of many completely neutral countries depends on.
This sounds like an ad hoc rationalization, not like something established in ius in bello as we call it, right? Surely, a normal blockade would also include the prevention of exports to hurt your enemy. Hell, the free, democratic, free-press, anti-cluster munitions West is effectively blockading Russia from exporting anything except stuff that it needs.
C'mon man. You really think I want people to starve? Or that I think Russia is good and noble, as opposed to no better - or worse - than the West? Or that Timothy freaking Snyder would ever tell the truth?
BTW, even he says:
"First, it is part of a larger attempt to destroy the Ukrainian state, by cutting off its exports."
Sounds like a legitimate war aim.
But go and tell me again about "GAE" and "American coup", call the effects of medieval style pillage "grain from Russia" again
Even assuming that it is 'medieval-style pillage'. What business is it of the Muricans to tell starving Africans that "this grain is bad because Russia"?
you may add some more idiocy about "biolabs" or whatever, go on.
I mean, V. Coupland admitted it, and George Bush did as well with Vovan and Lexus. So what do you want me to say? I don't know what the hell they were doing in those biolabs, but the panic about them not falling into Russian hands sure suggests that it wasn't exactly decent stuff.
What the fuck? When ever it happened when a country chose to starve large swathes of Africa and also parts of Asia (or any other continents), all neutral countries, to death, just to punish an unrelated country in another continent? When this "legitimate war aim" happened? Is this the "denazification of Africa" now?
No is physically (by force) blockading exports of Russian food to the countries needing it desperately. Only in your weird mind.
Americans can tell anyone not to buy the STOLEN food, they don't enforce it.
They're not like the police who will raid you if you conciously buy from someone you know was stolen from someone who murdered and robbed his neighbour. (And you think it's now just the robber's property. Because you do, calling it "Russian".)
But anyway they only ask and that is all. Theres no US Navy fucking blockading the sea. While THERE IS the Russian Navy blockade of the food they didn't steal yet.
Go and demand Ukraine just give their food to be sold by Moscow. Again, like in the 1930s. Time is a flat circle.
I fucking told you the Americans tried to make them take Yanuk's own compromise offer AND FAILED BECAUSE THE UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION DIDN'T LISTEN TO THEM. Is it in large enough letters for you to finally comprehend?
This is a reccuring theme, the Ukrainians just not listening to Americans. Even if it the. Bites them in the ass badly.
They were dismantling the old Soviet labs, just like they dismantled/blown up/transferred to Russia (with Americans paying for it) all of nuclear weapons and anything related to them earlier in the decades long process of the American disarmament of Ukraine.
And which is something the Ukrainians actually shouldn't have listened to the Americans about. Because the Americans believed Russia can be a friend and a partner, because they're so stupid and naive in their own ways.
Globally means we actually probably never had such a situation where a global supplier of food is being blockaded.
Like by the time the Germans occupied Ukraine it was back to (barely) feed the Soviet Union.
Btw some 2 million Soviets starved already after the war ended, because of the war.
Probably. But does that have an effect as to the actual legality of a blockade?
Quite incredible, especially as IIRC the authorities were even exporting food and sending it to Eastern Europe ass well.
They were stealing all kinds of everything from occupied countries, even entire factories, and people too.
Not much changed since then and now.
From Germany, right - as 'reparations'.
Or did they also do it from the other ones?
According to the Soviet Central Statistical Office, trophy brigades dismantled 1,119 factories in Poland. In the Soviet occupation zone in Germany the Soviets dismantled 2,955 factories.
The dismantling and removal of thousands of tons of equipment and materials also took place in other countries captured by the Red Army on its way to Berlin. In June 1944, the looting of Romania began. 2,800 railcars of loot were sent from Hungary, 6,500 from Czechoslovakia, and 31,200 from Austria. By August 1945, 215,000 railcars had been sent from Poland.
A report by the Swiss legation in Budapest describes the Red Army’s entry into the city: “During the siege of Budapest and also during the following weeks, Russian troops looted the city freely. They entered practically every habitation, the very poorest as well as the richest. They took away everything they wanted, especially food, clothing and valuables… every apartment, shop, bank, etc. was looted several times. Furniture and larger objects of art, etc. that could not be taken away were frequently simply destroyed. In many cases, after looting, the homes were also put on fire, causing a vast total loss… Bank safes were emptied without exception — even the British and American safes — and whatever was found was taken.”
Soviet looting did not only concern large industrial centers, it was experienced by ordinary civilians as well. “On July 26, 1945, when returning by bicycle from work, I was unexpectedly pushed off my bicycle in Baranów by two unknown Soviet soldiers and without any explanation they took my bike. My intervention with the Soviet military authorities did not have any effect as the Soviet officer told me that my report was already the 20th in line…”. Countless reports of that kind were recorded all over Poland.
Apart from possessions and factory equipment, the Red Army also confiscated over 60 percent of Poland’s grain stocks. Farmers suffered hunger and the animals had no feed. The Soviets requisitioned the strongest farm animals, leaving behind only the sick and weak.
Sources: “Great Fear. Poland 1944-47” by Dr Marcin Zaremba; Swiss Legation Report of the Russian Invasion of Hungary in the Spring of 1945
No, from Poland, from other countries.
A normal blockade is against imports to hurt your enemy, and not exports on which the literal survival of many completely neutral countries depends on. Now for the very first time in history (as it's a totally globalised world, where something like this was just unbelievable to happen) this is https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/1535617896843452417 and of course you're not outraged. But go and tell me again about "GAE" and "American coup", call the effects of medieval style pillage "grain from Russia" again, you may add some more idiocy about "biolabs" or whatever, go on.
This sounds like an ad hoc rationalization, not like something established in ius in bello as we call it, right? Surely, a normal blockade would also include the prevention of exports to hurt your enemy. Hell, the free, democratic, free-press, anti-cluster munitions West is effectively blockading Russia from exporting anything except stuff that it needs.
C'mon man. You really think I want people to starve? Or that I think Russia is good and noble, as opposed to no better - or worse - than the West? Or that Timothy freaking Snyder would ever tell the truth?
BTW, even he says:
"First, it is part of a larger attempt to destroy the Ukrainian state, by cutting off its exports."
Sounds like a legitimate war aim.
Even assuming that it is 'medieval-style pillage'. What business is it of the Muricans to tell starving Africans that "this grain is bad because Russia"?
I mean, V. Coupland admitted it, and George Bush did as well with Vovan and Lexus. So what do you want me to say? I don't know what the hell they were doing in those biolabs, but the panic about them not falling into Russian hands sure suggests that it wasn't exactly decent stuff.
What the fuck? When ever it happened when a country chose to starve large swathes of Africa and also parts of Asia (or any other continents), all neutral countries, to death, just to punish an unrelated country in another continent? When this "legitimate war aim" happened? Is this the "denazification of Africa" now?
No is physically (by force) blockading exports of Russian food to the countries needing it desperately. Only in your weird mind.
Americans can tell anyone not to buy the STOLEN food, they don't enforce it.
They're not like the police who will raid you if you conciously buy from someone you know was stolen from someone who murdered and robbed his neighbour. (And you think it's now just the robber's property. Because you do, calling it "Russian".)
But anyway they only ask and that is all. Theres no US Navy fucking blockading the sea. While THERE IS the Russian Navy blockade of the food they didn't steal yet.
Go and demand Ukraine just give their food to be sold by Moscow. Again, like in the 1930s. Time is a flat circle.
I fucking told you the Americans tried to make them take Yanuk's own compromise offer AND FAILED BECAUSE THE UKRAINIAN OPPOSITION DIDN'T LISTEN TO THEM. Is it in large enough letters for you to finally comprehend?
This is a reccuring theme, the Ukrainians just not listening to Americans. Even if it the. Bites them in the ass badly.
They were dismantling the old Soviet labs, just like they dismantled/blown up/transferred to Russia (with Americans paying for it) all of nuclear weapons and anything related to them earlier in the decades long process of the American disarmament of Ukraine.
And which is something the Ukrainians actually shouldn't have listened to the Americans about. Because the Americans believed Russia can be a friend and a partner, because they're so stupid and naive in their own ways.