Hearted Youtube comments on The Icarus Project (@icarusproject) channel.

  1. As a finn, I highly approve you including the real Finnish Air Force to the intro: the mosquitos.
    3600
  2. I was in the Soviet Military in the 1980s then the Lithuanian Army. Russia's holding of Kaliningrad was always an annoyance to me and not just because of a few armed incidents on the border during the 90s. The behavior of some of its residents when visiting the Courland Spit border where they simply ignored the border is more serious. They were actively encouraged to act as if the border didn't exist and border guards had no authority. Some even acted as if Lithuanian police and soldiers were real. It seemed like this was part of the holiday entertainment. At least until the cuffs came out. I expected there to be shooting with Russians pulling out guns and getting themselves killed. The attitude was always Lithuania being independent was just a temporary nonsense soon to be fixed. That we were play acting at being a country and no country took us serious. Russians have been fed this for decades. It seems to be the foundation of the expectation NATO would do nothing if Russia invaded. Russians within the Baltics have also been subjects of this propaganda. They have in my presence while being arrested said what they expected to happen to us in the militsya and then police "when Russia came back". If you live in Lithuania you generally believe Russia will at some point try to "come back". My opinion was always to act in the belief that attempt would never be successful and would be disastrous for the Russians living here. We still have Russians who refuse to accept Baltic citizenship or even foreign resident status. They carry around tattered Soviet IDs. It's been made to easy for them. Since it was thought forcing them to take citizenship was likely to encourage animosity among that population. That attitude has changed. The interference in Belarus and invasion of Ukraine excited these people and they with a little vodka could not contain their glee filled belief Russian tanks would soon be rolling over borders into the Baltic States again. The ramshackle nature of the Russian military, it's embarrassing failures against a weaker army carrying a smattering of western weapons, killed their enthusiasm. The policy now is to squeeze Russian culture out of state spending. Russians who refused to take citizenship are no longer secure in the belief they will receive state benefits or pensions. If they want Russian pensions they will have to take full Russian citizenship. They have always refused since that would be their primary citizenship and block claims to Baltic state benefits. Receipt of a minuscule Russian pension would stop any chance to a Lithuanian one. They would also likely have to pay for a private medical insurance to access state health resources like any other foreign resident. No access to state nursing homes only available to citizens. There's many difficulties they should have experience just as in any country but were allowed to escape. That permissive attitude has gone just like the willingness of younger Baltic people to acknowledge Russian language in shops and businesses. Like I dd in my twenties, younger people see no reason or value in learning Russian. They don't want to go to Russia and see no gain or profit in dealing with Russians.
    2700
  3. Russian jokes are like their soldiers: They never get old
    2400
  4. "particularly Poland, for some reason" The reason is, that Poland is the largest country in Europe to understand the severity of the current situation and therefore uparming themselves to fight and win a war against Russia without any doubt and if need be, without any allies.
    2000
  5. Everybody gangsta until forest speaks Finnish
    1700
  6. Good grief, how many Americans have read in depth about our own Revolutionary War? It took 8 years!
    1400
  7. Welcome to NATO Sweden 🇸🇪 🎉
    1300
  8. "Counteroffensive is not a Hollywood movie." Even one of Ukraine's officials said this at the beginning of 2023's counteroffensive when the media started speculating about unrealistic expectations
    1200
  9. Speaking of snipers, Finland won the latest sniper competition of NATO (2023)
    1100
  10. A German migrant told me that after the war Russian soldiers, who were the first into Germany, had not ever seen a banana.They gathered up light bulbs to take home thinking they could get light from them. Nothing has changed.
    1000
  11. Never trust Lukashenko. We remember what part Belarus played in the early days of the invasion
    1000
  12. As a Russian troll, this video has made me realize my job is pointless. Unfortunately, there are no better jobs in Russia right now ...
    1000
  13. It's amazing, Russia has tried 3 different economic systems, and they've all been Feudalism.
    981
  14. As a Canadian, it just boggles my mind that Russia, in this ONE battle, lost more soldiers than the entirerity of the Canadian Armed Forces (about 68 000 personnel)...
    968
  15. This war has really inspired me to dig deep into history to understand the hows and whys of Russian history, and It's unimaginably depressing stuff. I really do feel pity for the average Russian being so ruthlessly exploited by their rulers for so long. I truly think nationwide PTSD is actually a thing, and Russian alcoholism is a direct response to being so deeply repressed. Again, fantastic research and presentation!
    929
  16. The "WW2" helmet shown at 2:26 was the Sfera/STSh-81, actually introduced in 1981, which is old but not 1940s old. Other evidence however has shown the Ssh-68 in use, which is a cold war development of WW2 design, especially with LNR & DNR troops.
    925
  17. 1:02 More accurately, Saint Petersburg sits 150 kilometers away from the current Finnish eastern border. It's important to distinct that Russia built their city as late as in the 18th century on lands inhabitated by Finnic tribes. If you insist to build on your neighbor's yard, then don't complain that your neighbor's house is close to you.
    904
  18. All I'll say is know who else went through Lukashenko for negotiations? Prigozhin. And it certainly didn't end up well for him.
    876
  19. Greetings from Finland! Not so great to be russia’s neighbour.
    855
  20. On the topic of corruption in the Russian military. Due to the nation’s size, the military is split into various districts, each with its own autonomous governance of their districts’ military branches. Each district is responsible for providing and equipping their branches. Corrupt officials often pocketed large sums of money allocated by the federal government for supplying the military. What we’ve seen in Ukraine is troops pulled from poorer regions of Russia, where corruption is entirely unchecked vs somewhat. There are some Russian troops with little to no suitable equipment because of this, and on the other hand there are some who are fully kitted out in comparison. Considering most officials are just as bad as each other, money allocated by the federal government to ‘modernise and invest in the military’, has instead been spent on yachts and stocks in oil enterprises. They’re all guilty of greed in varying capacities, so no one official can take the high ground and point the finger, or there’d be no one left to govern the districts. Now the country is trying to adapt and ‘fix’ these decades-long military inadequacies due to underfunding. And that is Russia.
    843
  21. Only some parts of the west are getting "bored" with Ukraine. Support for Ukraine in the Nordic and Baltic countries is as strong as ever.
    830
  22. Thank you for this. It's infuriating that Western leaders are still unable to make the right conclusions about this conflict and at least semi-seriously supply Ukraine with what Ukraine needs.
    761
  23. Correction: they arrested Navalny for having the audacity to not die from their previous poison based assassination attempt.
    744
  24. Every time I think about Russia, I think back to the Chernobyl TV show a couple years ago and one of the most iconic lines that stuck with me since I heard it. When Gobachev is talking to the scientist and he says "Our power comes from the perception of our power." And this sums up Russia's military might in my opinion.
    738
  25. Being a ukrainian I am genuinely surprised by the depth and validity of this depiction. It’s more akin to how we see the Adviivka story from within. Not many western media show this level of understanding. Great job
    687
  26. The bottom line is that people and countries don't like to be blackmailed.
    657
  27. Interesting fact. All major bridges in Finland are build with ready made compartments for easy mining and rumor goes that some bridges nearer to our Eastern border are permanently mined ready to be blown at moment's notice.
    652
  28. During the cold war I worked at NATO HQ. I remember the financial collapse of the Soviet Union. Pooty is doing the exact same thing, based on history forgotten. It's doomed to be repeated.
    652
  29. BREAKING 3 Ruzzian oil tankers on a secret mission to refuel the Moskva
    633
  30. One BIG problem with a Russian attack on Svalbard - especially by sea, is that the Russian Northern Fleet is based in Murmansk..... a city that is supplied by only ONE ROAD. The ONLY way to reach there is a single road that is within EASY striking distance of Finland, which, of course, is now a NATO ally, and, along with Sweden and Norway, have been allied together as part of the Nordic Defence Cooperation. Between the 3 countries, Russia would have an EXTREMELY difficult time.
    633
  31. In reference to the block of wood at 0:03 That was not issued to a Russian soldier. That footage was recorded just after the Russians were forced to retreat from around Kyiv. It was a decoy to take up time and energy of EOD teams. In that same video a bomb is found inside of a rations box left in a civilian home. Many people were killed when they returned to their homes as a result of booby traps set by retreating Russian troops. Many objects were deliberately left behind that appeared to be explosive devices but were actually just decoys, as I said, to waste the time of EOD teams because they have to carefully examine objects that could be explosives before they can confirm whether they are or not.
    629
  32. Russia being the second best army in Russia is absolutely insane
    585
  33. Just a suggestion, but refrain from using the color blue when coloring countries, it's confusing as its mistaken for water, especially when the map is displayed for only a few seconds
    578
  34. Well the Border has been pushed back further from NATO territory, just as Putler wanted. Goals achieved.
    519
  35. using prisoners and mobilized unmotivated people who are basically slaves doesn't make a good fighting force, who would have thought?
    513
  36. I am Ukrainian, and I approve this message 🤜
    474
  37. China doesn't need to invade them conventionally. They do it financially and already are. That's what they do. Russia is now at their mercy
    473
  38. Welcome. My Swedish brothers and sisters.
    468
  39. I am an American & I do care about Ukraine & think the USA should have stated from Day One of this war that "We support Ukraine to WIN this war," not "For as long as it Takes" (for what outcome?). I agree with you: the MSM, including the conservative ones, very rarely cover the war in Ukraine. The only way I am able to stay informed on a daily basis about the war in Ukraine is the various YouTube channels, your's included, that cover the war. Thanks for an informative & excellent perspective in this video!
    457
  40. Would have been worth mentioning that part of Sowjet weapon (and space) systems were developed or built in Ukraine. Ukraine even was supplying Russian arms production up to 2014.
    453
  41. Russia didn't throw disproportional resources into Bakhmut to achieve victory, they threw disproportional resources into Bakhmut to prevent a outright defeat.
    437
  42. 2022 Putler: Russia has no borders! 2024 Putler: Wait....
    424
  43. Slight correction for Chess: For a stalemate, only the player taking his/her turn needs to be out of legal moves for it to be a draw by stalemate. There are other ways to draw a game in chess as well, such as if a position is repeated 3 times in a row, if neither side has enough pieces to checkmate the opposing king, or if 50 moves have gone by without a capture or a pawn move.
    419
  44. "We're gonna do a communism now." How? "We're going to replace everyone in charge with our friends, and change nothing else." "We're gonna do a democracy now." How? "We're going to replace everyone in charge with our friends, and change nothing else."
    418
  45. The assumption that Russia still exists in 2030 is a bold claim indeed
    416
  46. Moving to Sweden this year for many reasons and this is a bonus indeed. Jag älskar Sverige
    413
  47. You were right about germanys mistake when they attacked and destroyed Poland ,But you missed one important part Germany had a partner when it attacked Poland . It had Russia who also attacked Poland from the east.
    385
  48. I'm watching this in an IKEA rocking chair, btw. Greetings to our Swedish friends from Romania.
    365
  49. Once again, it's the usual "All you have to do is completely surrender all of your belongings to me and admit I achieved total victory despite clear indications I am nowhere near such position. It's that easy!"
    360
  50. If Lukashenka's starting to back down, that's bad news for Putin, and good news for the world.
    355