Russian state TV saying the quiet part out loud - if they can't vassalize Ukraine, they want to "liquidate" it.
A war of annihilation
It is firmly stated by leading Russian voices that the war is holy, against not only Ukraine but also the West, and a matter of the survival of the Russian state, as Kremlin pundits have suggested for some time. The wanton destruction in Ukraine of infrastructure, power stations, dams, harbours, grain storage facilities etc. is clearly intended to break the spirit of Ukrainians and bring civil life to a standstill especially during the coming winter.
By summer 2024, the war had moved further into a campaign of annihilation of all that is Ukrainian; the Ukrainian state, culture, identity, and anything which defines it as a nation or state.
Now, supposedly, ‘the only solution is the total liquidation of Ukraine’.
This blunt assessment is not ours. It is the key message in leading, Russian state-controlled outlets, like the main TV channels, or the RT-Sputnik network, reaching global audiences and indicating the political direction.
It expands on Putin’s erroneous claim from July 2021 that Ukraine is an artificial creation. But there is a considerable distance from Putin’s semi-philosophical, yet ridiculous, concept that Ukraine should in theory not exist, to loud and clear calls for the liquidation of all that is Ukrainian. A precise quote from Sputnik illuminates this imperialist, revisionist position.
“Стратегически может быть достигнуто одно – единственное решение, связанное с Украиной, это полная ее ликвидация как самостоятельной структуры”
Our translation into English:
“Strategically, one thing can be achieved – the only solution related to Ukraine is its complete liquidation as an independent entity”
The words came from the Russian parliamentary deputy, political advisor Anatoly Wasserman. He may not be the most prominent speaker, but his words and similar calls by others are condoned and promoted. Having less prominent speakers push the boundaries of mainstream communication and perceptions is a Kremlin tactic we have already documented.
Don’t be deceived.
I think this is the main reason. Pirate streaming services are now directly competing with Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming platforms (aka the media industrial complex, or MIC), and they offer more content for a more affordable price (or for free). Pirate streaming is also very accessible to a mainstream audience, who are already used to the concept. So, the MIC regards them as the biggest threat preventing them from jacking up prices even more, because people will naturally move to a more afforable option, if one exists.
So the main focus of the MIC is on killing off pirate streaming right now. Usenet and torrents have proven to be more robust piracy options but they also have a higher barrier to entry for mainstream audiences, so are always going to be more niche than streaming. But no doubt they are still tring to kill off usenet and torrent piracy - it's just a lower threat to corporate profits, so wont get as much attention.