Russia's Geography Problem

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“What if Russia Never Existed” by AlternateHistoryHub: • What If Russia Never E...
“What if the Soviet Union Reunited” by RealLifeLore: • What If the Soviet Uni...
This video was based on a chapter of the book “Prisoners of Geography” by Tim Marshall. It’s the best book I’ve read so far in 2017 so I highly encourage you to give it a read.
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The full script with sources can be found here: drive.google.com/file/d/0B2p-...
Sound by Graham Haerther (www.Haerther.net)
Thumbnail by Joseph Cieplinski (joec.design)
Research by William Mayne, Sam Moran, Ollie Orton, Jakob S.
Big thanks to Patreon supporters: Rob Harvey, Venkata Kaushik Nunna, Josh Berger, Paul Jihoon Choi, Huang MingLei, Dylan Benson, Maximillian van Kasbergen, Victor Zimmer, William Chappell, Eyal Matsliah, Sihien,Joseph Bull, Marcelo Alves Vieira, Jonah Paarman, maco2035, Hank Green, Plinio Correa, Connor J Smith, Brady Bellini

[@Wendoverproductions]

I hope you like this video! I know its a bit more serious than some others ones but hopefully its still an enjoyable watch. Also, people have been asking for them, so I’ve put a link in the description to a copy of the script with sources in footnotes. I’ll be doing that for every video from now on. Please also go and check out backblaze! Sponsors make this channel happen (seriously) and Backblaze is a legitimately good product that I’ve used for a while so at the very least go and try them out with their 15 day free trial. It helps both me and you out.

[@HxH2011DRA]

Wendover Productions Aw thanks for that it's appreciated (the Scripts I mean)

[@PicklePickle7]

RealLifeLore - What If the Soviet Union Reunited Today? Wendover Productions - Russia's Geography Problem AlternateHistoryHub - What if Russia Never Existed? I smell a collaboration ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@amcorgi2630]

yo yo it is a collab.

[@tonibucic4391]

Wendover Productions nice video 👌

[@PicklePickle7]

+Elliott Clauss Yup. Also Why Russia? Did something significant happen today in the history of Russia?

[@1FokkerAce]

“After WWII Germany was administered by the three victorious powers and France.” ...... Dude, I loved that line. 😂😂

[@JeffreyGillespie]

so slick LOL

[@user-fi9iz9sl6t]

Legend has it that seeing the French during the signing of the act of surrender, Keitel sarcastically asked: "And what, these us also won?"

[@1FokkerAce]

Where did my line go?

[@Onibitoo]

I never understood the hate towards France, free France fought and so did the resistance like Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Norway.

[@majidmehmood3780]

@@Onibitoo they give up easily

[@user-zo2nu3rs2z]

Thank you foreigner for explaining me why I'am so poor.

[@Mohammed8778]

kek

[@justpostingsomestuff9574]

Blyat

[@thePronto]

And not a single mention of the word "kleptocracy".

[@user-zo2nu3rs2z]

Yes, there is very lacking of this...

[@persimmon93]

Haha.

[@titanusrodan8344]

4:02 Well, Even Russia Can't Conquer Russia

[@canadianchickens4703]

yo wtf

[@Orange_Kyro]

bruh is this guy immortal

[@GoldTor]

It's our problem the whole history =))))

[@paramjeetsingh9138]

@@GoldTor m learning russian so trued reading ur name is it Vladimir Kaminskii(two i mayb)

[@GolodniiTortuk]

​@@paramjeetsingh9138 Almost. Surnames like this have "iy" suffix - Kamenskiy

[@SomeGuy-lr7ms]

Basically Russia has all the water access it DOESNT need

[@crepesoftime]

Well, it has all that Arctic coastline in the north but that's practically useless. It's something how even Vladivostok on the Pacific even freezes in the winter and it's at about the same latitude as New York City.

[@Unknownmonkey13]

@vann tedd Nuking ships is extremely stupid (and ineffective), hell, using nukes at all is stupid. I'd say you're as much an amateur in military and politics as you claim Wendover to be. There is this thing called Mutually Assured Destruction. The second Russia would deploy a nuke there would be thousands of NATO nukes headed straight towards them and vice versa. Besides, land trade is only a fraction as cheap and efficient as sea based trading so a naval blockade would tear chunks out of the profit margin if not eliminating it entirely.

[@psobbtutorials6792]

@@Unknownmonkey13 the dude you responded to is just plain stupid. In a real scenario the only reason for the nato countries to block Russians is due to Russian aggression. As deluded as its citizens are, both leadership would probably not launch nukes over minor disputes. Hell, during the Kosovo crisis, the US blocked Russian airsupport for its invading Russian troops in Kosovo by demanding Hungary and Romania to close down its airspace for Russian airplanes. No nukes either.

[@pratyushdash7573]

see everything will be solved just by annexing north korea, hot water ports in pyongyang and acess to korea bay and also north korea will solve the population problem and sex ratio problem of russia

[@daffs7166]

@@pratyushdash7573 u think USA and NATO will not intervene that? And there is a chance that North Korea will fight back,and they also have nukes

[@littleredcorvette4491]

Russia is like that scary giant old man neighbor everyone's scared of but really he is equally as scared to come over and ask to borrow a cup of sugar

[@erichkaufmann5284]

Will I’m moving out of Russia 🇷🇺 there’s no money here literally none. I’m gonna head to the USA 🇺🇸 that’s where the money is especially in California

[@erichkaufmann5284]

The USA 🇺🇸 will be my new home once my Application for U.S. citizen ship is approved.

[@weasle2904]

@@erichkaufmann5284 Good luck my friend. Many parts of the US are different from each other. Texas is very very different from somewhere like New York. Make sure you know what job you're gonna have beforehand

[@Marcus-je6bl]

Дмитрий Лебедев what Weasle says is true. Not every part of US is the same

[@denisk5800]

@@erichkaufmann5284 вот это правильно, вали, желательно навсегда, удачи, она тебе понадобится

[@larry7898]

Fun fact: Murmansk, one of Russia's largest warm water (ice-free) ports, is by the Arctic Ocean within the Arctic Circle.

[@simoxk7797]

also murmansk is where the russian stock their nukes, :) PXEFWRKLLVG

[@dallinrichardson284]

"If Russia were ever to shut off gas lines to Germany......" oops

[@joshbreekveldt3741]

That didn't aged well.

[@lucutes2936]

nord stream2 kaboom

[@tycxka3734]

Polands fricking geo problem it is between Russia & Germany

[@uwehansen2915]

Poland is Poland...... Only in War that a bad Point

[@Losangelesharvey]

true-including why there often was no Polish state at all

[@JonathanTaylorThomass]

lol

[@lalkadapper6573]

Kazakhstan same, China and Russia.....

[@prashr4075]

Mongolia too

[@Spreehox]

"Their only natural resource... was manpower" *Soviet intensifies*

[@ziggytheassassin5835]

*Kv1 charges through wall as Soviet anthem plays*

[@beanerwiththebigwiener132]

@@googleaccount93 wrong mantra

[@pepebeezon772]

Not even close, soviets struggled a lot with manpower during ww2. Stop watching enemy at the gates like a fucking documentary you idiot

[@tomasbeltran04050]

@Yup TheTakeOva yes, but many at the time weren't known ir useful

[@roaddog7370]

@San Fransico Sidewalker ,Yes Natural gas is the biggest and Trump stopped the 2nd Nordstream pipe to Germany and cutting Ukraine out..Baltic countries plan to install a different pipeline mainly Poland, with support and courage money is useless.

[@lukarion4118]

"if there was no Norway of Sweden" *proceeds to remove Finland as well* Nice.

[@kerriwilson7732]

Lukarion , Finland is attached, Scandinavia is stuck together like cookies - take 2, 3rd is free?

[@s.a.8548]

Because Finland is the ignored Scandinavian brother

[@Leyrann]

Finland isn't Scandinavia. Ask the Finnish.

[@klulessdood4327]

But Estonia is Scandinavia. Ask the Estonians xD

[@MRroope2000]

Finland doesn’t belong to scandinavia nor does Estonia

[@finni1081]

"In the end, reality is just the confluence of chance and circumstance" Man, you gotta be proud on that quote, aren't you

[@Ilovedoingedits353]

Wat does that quote mean?

[@joni8090]

@@Ilovedoingedits353 icebergs melt Oceans rise . Means you can go Canoeing ! Einstein: cause = effects .

[@user-te9pb2bh1o]

As a russian, I could say that it's intresting explanation, but also I want to mention that one of the reason of modern situation in Russia is a fall of USSR and the liberal reforms of 1990th. The collapse of Soviet Union ruined the old economical communications beetwen different parts of the country + many industrial objects were closed or sold in the result of privatization. So, for that reason standard of living rapidly fell and nowadays most of regular population of Russia called the 1990th as cursed years.

[@christophergood2314]

Everybody has that problem btw. In some form or another. How everyone handles that problem tells you everything you need to know.

[@DifferentVid]

А Польше почему-то удалось восстановиться после приватизации

[@neniksgod6322]

@@DifferentVid Польша не разваливалась на пятнадцать стран.

[@neniksgod6322]

@The Bad Ass What does Chernobyl have to do with it?

[@neniksgod6322]

​@The Bad Ass To think that the USSR fell because of economic problems is stupid. After the revolution and civil war, the Soviet economy was 1000 times more terrible, but it survived and became a superpower. Moreover, when the USSR fell, it spent only 150 billion dollars.

[@haydenstith]

“Germany knows that Russia can shut of their gas” Immediate flashbacks

[@EmperorJukebox]

Hayden Stith 😂 XD

[@ivanandreev1958]

Wow

[@Dog_Knot_]

Flashback about 1945

[@peterongan9655]

German Empire "halt mein bier"

[@tru3820]

Oof

[@Ju-dc3ii]

This guy: mediterranean ocean Mediterranean Sea: “Am I a joke to you?”

[@luisromanlegionaire]

Seems like the only geography problem is the one Wendover has

[@agumon1605]

I mean oceans are greater than sea tho

[@alwayshappy9366]

@@luisromanlegionaire h

[@EdiDrums]

Also, 14:12 The small Caribbean island nation is pronounced GREN-ÉYDA

[@wildmonster1]

ԐԀɪ DԆŮМS ? What do you mean with the time stamp

[@marcmanolache2106]

Russia has a second major geographic flaw to the south. There is a massive gap with perfectly flat terrain between the Ural Mountains and Caspian Sea. The Eurasian Steppe acted as a highway funneling nomadic invaders like the Mongols through this gap into the Russian heartland. This partly explains why the Russian Empire and later Soviet Union annexed all of Central Asia up to the border with Iran. At the present, Kazkahstan is a close Russian ally and Russia maintains influence in the stans. But this could change in the future and could prove a major security liability for Russia.

[@vexile12]

"Reality is a confluence of chance and circumstance" existential crisis intensifies

[@potatonugget5629]

That's only for large groups of people and over long periods of time. For you and me and our personal lives, our choices will affect us more than chance

[@user-rw6xo9jc3n]

what was he explaining tho i dont get it

[@jamesbeavon]

"Mediterranean ocean" **sigh**

[@carolkatrawitz8787]

Yeah, I thought it was a sea...

[@novaryx]

Carol Katrawitz it is

[@carolkatrawitz8787]

Well, it was last time I swam in it!

[@smooth_sundaes5172]

The Med' is choke point heaven. Get past one and there's another. A classic example is Malta, look how many times that place has been besieged; conquered and fought over.

[@LeeMinhaoTheMinsterLee]

Mediterranean lake

[@toucaninterieur8011]

Wendover production, Real Life Lore and Alternate History Hub drank some vodka together.

[@briankelley4568]

Throw in CGP Grey and WonderWhy while you're at it.

[@y__h]

+Brian Kelley suddenly Casually Explained, exurb1a, and You Suck At Cooking joined the party.

[@kawhileonard3745]

HugoH lol

[@uhh7420]

Yup

[@bobinbox1239]

Pelle Apelfeldt fuck off spammer

[@lollertoaster]

Watching this in 2022, feeling like a history teacher reviewing an essay.

[@lessyk2414]

I am russian. Here is many mistakes and propaganda.

[@mrdasa5259]

​@@lessyk2414А где там ошибки и пропаганда

[@bk6010]

I had to check how old this video was when he mentioned German dependence on Russian energy. Yeah dude, that happened

[@4teBeats]

Guys, you made a mistake. There IS an ice free port in the northen part of Russia which have a direct access to ocean. This is the city Murmansk, situated on the top of the Kola peninsular, not far from Norway. Water don't freeze around the Murmansk because of the warm waters of Golfstream. Also Murmansk is the largest city inside the polar circle so I don't know how you missed it.

[@bearpaw7603]

Grigory Khomiak because the video is made to portrait Russia 🇷🇺 as evil weak country

[@vulcan7859]

well, it sort of is becasue of the US sanctions

[@snow6937]

but our goverment looks like don't know that. varlamov.ru/2920767.html?page=15

[@theodorgreisdal8974]

But it is a long way fx. to get to Denmark

[@HSFY2012]

That's why they have Kaliningrad.

[@ihatemath551]

"Sea of Japan, controlled by Japan..." Ooookay

[@Mullet-ZubazPants]

I think what he meant was the Russians don't control it. The USNavy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force can easily deny the Russians access to the Pacific... Just like the the USNavy and Royal Navy can deny Russia access to the Atlantic, at the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap

[@jisookim6904]

It's called Eastern Sea in nearly every country in Eastern Asia. It's confusing why it's still called Japanese Sea in Emglish, we wouldn't call the Mediterranean the Italian Sea either. Calling it Japanese Sea just helps the Japanese argue internationally why islands that are Russian or Korean should be under Japanese authority.

[@lys6295]

@@jisookim6904 Well we call the Inidan ocean eventough it streches alonside a lot more countries

[@ayushchawdhary537]

By your logic Indian ocean is controlled by India

[@lys6295]

And thr gulf of mexico by mexico

[@thecitizenoftheinternet1077]

Russia's history in a nutshell: "Leave me alone!" "Give me some access to the sea already!" "And then things got worse..." (not mine)

[@concept5631]

"Their only resource was... manpower" China: *amatuers*

[@concept5631]

India: *Amateurs*

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Here I can summarize this entire video: Its too big.

[@joetooly8297]

That’s why my girlfriend won’t have sex with me.

[@kensh851]

No, Russia has little room.

[@user-bf1jg2td2q]

​@@joetooly8297 Use some gym dude and stop eating junk food.

[@NoName-yw1pt]

It can get bigger

[@NoName-yw1pt]

@Freak159753 You envy?

[@AlternateHistoryHub]

27th. Also fantastic video! It was great collaborating!

[@xXTheDerpXx]

OMG I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL TOO! DO YOU REPLY

[@ezultra6835]

it's cool but is there another vid coming on your channel

[@ezultra6835]

nvmd

[@Josephoz99]

I got 3 notifications at the same time. I looked at the titles. '' Sovjet'',''Russia''Geography''. I was so confused but I understood it :) Great collaboration!

[@alexanderthompson1086]

Pelle Apelfeldt how?

[@cvkaustubh7521]

"Russia not having warm waters" Climate change:- allow me to introduce myself

[@reallymentalpig1173]

Why do you think the west hates global warming so much.

[@jollyxxl7841]

9:34 "If there was no Norway or Sweden" - Deletes Finland too lul

[@DaviSilva-oc7iv]

Because Finland lies on the ostracism.

[@jollyxxl7841]

@@DaviSilva-oc7iv the sweet desolation

[@sarahirvonen8450]

I take this as an attack to all the finns! We are not a part of Sweden or Norway!

[@RaevenRenard]

As a Dane, I got all sad and lonely without our northern neighboors. Only Island and Denmark left in that scenario.

[@llain000]

Wow a wendover productions video not about planes

[@Wendoverproductions]

Not gonna lie it was a struggle

[@Darklife66]

I can't get enough of planes, please do more of those.

[@unaliveeveryonenow]

How about the great European plain.

[@cpMetis]

*In modern Russia, loop hole find YOU*

[@Lightning48]

CritiqueCat ? Could you explain?

[@stdev.]

"Reality is just the confluence of chance and circumstance." That's deep.

[@DA-bm2mj]

is Adele rolling in there?

[@bradleyweiss1089]

Psssh timing is everything. Hardly new.

[@eugeniauryu1828]

So as other countries

[@ej3016]

happened upon this video February 28, 2022 😕 thnx for helping put current circumstances into context 🙏

[@DarthBiomech]

0:25 Well, maybe geography had its say in why Russian wages are so low, but I suspect that the disintegration of the USSR 30 years ago that annihilated Russia's economy for nearly a decade (And some parts still were unable to recover or keep afloat purely by exploiting the soviet union's heritage to this day), has something to do with this as well.

[@johnzuijdveld9585]

The Russian 'system' was corrupt to the hilt and was broken and bankrupt long before the eventual collapse. You cannot feed ppl. on space junk and dis-used missiles. Russia is not what you think, most of the rural ppl. live an impoverished life, only in Moscow are they better off. They system is still corrupt to the hilt.

[@DarthBiomech]

@@johnzuijdveld9585 Dude, I _live_ here. I think I know the local situation _a little_ better than you.

[@johnzuijdveld9585]

@@DarthBiomech I didn't think I said anything to contradict you? I was just saying that the poor supply factor (the inability of the State to supply the ppl.'s needs had a lot to do with the collapse of the system) and this started long before the collapse.

[@doxit.7313]

@@johnzuijdveld9585 Yeah that's why nearly everbody lives perfectly fine before the collapse.. makes sense

[@alexa.davronov1537]

That's good point. Don't miss it. Current Russian economy is very dependent on USSR's legacy. Of course it's struggling and geography has little business here. Almost. The only thing that has influenced it much is the lack of readily available arable land. My country is kind of restricted in this kind of resource.

[@RepOfAntarctica]

I love phrases like "[this] could be related to geography" because the field is so inclusive that EVERYTHING can be explained through geography if you wanted. That's what makes it so awesome, but there are some in the field that do take it as a level of elitism which I disagree with.

[@wsuppdoublesupp5553]

Hello from Kamchatka! And ye we have a port! I am working here.

[@legolama123]

@@biimeriukko dude chill

[@Exekutioncro]

privjet drusja

[@libertardsbeware4180]

duCC fuck y’all western niggas

[@stanislavgrebenkin9682]

Long live Vilyuchinsk

[@SayoriChr-tz7vn]

Eyy! Im from Kamchatka!!! 👋

[@PrateekPT]

Watching this video after Russian invasion to ukraine....all the possibilities put in the video are proving to be true....UK is openly speaking against Russia, Germany is still silent

[@derinko]

Not true, today Germany sent 1000 anti tanks and hundreds of javelins

[@uzijn]

​@@derinko Still reliant on Russian gas though aren't they?

[@michiru2hell]

"silent" except they announced an increase on military spending and buildup and are one of the nations supplying Ukraine with weapons and tanks. Sooner or later their reliance on Russian gas and oil is to go down the drain.

[@uss_04]

Wow 4 years ago Wendover has a different mood and feel all together. Been watching since the start too.

[@KingSonner]

I like they way you give the information: no emotions, no propaganda, no judgements etc, just analysis. Good job, keep on going man.

[@lessyk2414]

LoL. There is a lot of propaganda...

[@KingSonner]

@@lessyk2414 Haha, maybe! I wouldn't be surprised. It was a long time ago, and I'm lazy to watch it again. The only thing I can say is that Russia's got more problems😅

[@amoliski]

@@lessyk2414 the real propaganda is the comments you've made all over the replies to this video.

[@minifridge337]

Who needs ocean when you have many bears

[@batprofile9183]

Minifridge but they haven't

[@batprofile9183]

They havent any bear

[@proxyepsilon4172]

Minifridge We are have many bear but not over 999999999 m³ of vodka

[@proxyepsilon4172]

Minifridge Bears drink vodka

[@MatthewChenIsAwesome]

ИЛЬЯ СОКОЛОВ indeed

[@lancevivianmarsh4274]

Very informative video, I must say. There is one omission though: the Port of Murmansk just east of the North Cape in Europe. Thanks to an outlier of the Gulf Stream it is ice-free year-round and home to a large naval base, incl. nuclear submarines.

[@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022]

Yes, but also, still vulnerable. The GreenlandIcelandUnitedKingdom Gap, aka GIUK Gap is one of the most closely monitored areas by NATO. Historically, that's where the Royal Navy concentrated to find the German ship Bismarck and they did find her there. And they are also fairly close to the Finnish border (and the railway connecting it to the rest of Russia is parallel to the Finnish border a few hundred kms away). Germans in WW2 tried to invade Murmansk from Finland, they failed of course, but it does demonstrate the vulnerability. And economically, it's isolated and hard to exploit fully as it's so far away from any major commercial routes.

[@jackfullerton5762]

Yeah! Russia has a problem with the geography between Putin's ears.

[@elliotttheneko]

France: /generateterrain France: wow this is great Germany: hey there

[@wdm_maps]

@SpangeBab issa joke

[@zied6456]

@SpangeBab wooooshhh

[@RaidenWard]

@SpangeBab Britain and France are not fully Germanic. They had Germanic upper class. ( franks/saxons/visigoths) France is more German than Britain though if that makes you feel better.

[@dannyd7111]

We are all of the same. But Germany have a more peaceful history. The only reason so many countries speak French and English is due to colonialism. Slavery and raping of countries has helped build French and English economy. Germany has been relatively economically independent in comparison. Considering they lost 2 recent world wars. They are still one of the richest countries in Europe.

[@AB-xe8wv]

@@RaidenWard france is both germanic and latin. It is ethnically more german than latin. However culturally its far more latin than germanic.

[@ChristianJiang]

RealLifeLore - What If the Soviet Union Reunited Today? Wendover Productions - Russia's Geography Problem AlternateHistoryHub - What if Russia Never Existed? Real Engineering - FOREVER ALONE

[@RealEngineering]

I never get invited to parties :(

[@Vitrousis]

Real Engineering Aww ;c

[@SuperSMT]

Should have put out a video on Soyuz rockets or something

[@robertwallen1582]

And yet, every one of those Jews show Open Hate for the state of Israel, openly, and in donations to anti israel groups, Se secular Jews Treat their Ideology as religion, want proof, ask the Jew Ben Shapiro, all of those companies owners hate him, over Ideology!

[@kadenvanciel9335]

You forgot to add 20th Century Fox.

[@pirate123166]

An excellent and powerful conclusion at the end. Much of history determined by chance, not circumstance.

[@anandsamy4132]

Loved this video!!! Ending was impeccable....reality is the confluence of chance and circumstance

[@tacowilco7515]

6:07 - "Sea of Japan" is controlled by Japan. All Koreans disliked that.

[@vegarosa69]

S. Korea doesn't have the Naval power to realistically control any part of the Sea of Japan other than it's coastal waters. Japan on the other hand has the fifth or sixth largest navy in the world.

[@tacowilco7515]

@@vegarosa69 "Sea of Japan" = "Eastern Sea" in Korea.

[@tokyo622nms]

Sad fact, Only Korean care about that

[@longlivegarybusey6409]

Eh, they know they fall lower on the asian hierarchy.

[@martinmendl1399]

Whatever, they act like they don’t like the Japanese but in the end they always end up on the completly same page.

[@jorgetrevino2271]

Just one thing you got it inaccurate. Russia, as a Black Sea country, has free trading and military pass through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits: Montreux Convention 1936

[@vladimirkravchenko1642]

USA is heavily relies on marine trade, and If USA wants to trade, they will not violate treaties. Strategic bombers, long-range missiles and submarines will make any ships very vulnerable.

[@johnhenninger1980]

just one? i think wendover bein bentover; ever heard of Murmansk? facts checked, actually this whole thing is up for grabs.

[@pilotlist6276]

In war time, you can block those straits

[@johnhenninger1980]

@@pilotlist6276 yeah, but not ith ice in Murmansk.

[@stevecherk1022]

@@johnhenninger1980 Murmansk is an ice-free port. During the Second world war, the fighting in the Northern seas were very active. Suffice it to recall the history of the convoys from the UK to Murmansk. But in General, of course, Russia has always had problems with Maritime communications. Trade through the Northern seas was conducted in the middle ages, but even then was subject to sanctions. The wars to reach the Baltic sea were mainly aimed at facilitating trade with Europe. The Crimean war in the Black sea coast chased rather military targets to protect the country from the Ottoman Empire from the South. In the middle ages, the military raids of the Tatar hordes from the Crimea and the surrounding area, supported by the Ottoman Empire, were extremely destructive and caused the devastation of vast lands in the poganichnaya zone, where no one could live and work. Far Eastern ports could not play a significant role in trade simply because of the remoteness from the main territories of Russia in Europe. These Hollywood and now geographically much removed. But in those days it was even more sensitive. Russia abandoned Alaska and territories in California, Jamaica, largely due to problems with communications with them by sea. Many may not know. But in Jamaica, the Russians were earlier and the local population was sympathetic to join Russia.

[@andrey4467]

7:03 It's a funny animal with the sunglasses on a map

[@Bzuhl]

I did quite a jump in time without realizing it, it speaks to the relevance and quality of your video that it is so informative on things happening 5 years later.

[@iskillerz1847]

"Mediterranean ocean" kill me now

[@Yamezzzz]

Lmao did he actually say that? When?

[@storyfilms-videografiedenu2398]

1 min 37 sec....

[@08grad2010]

You’re right!

[@lithiumvids9448]

iSkillerz 3:35 why is Finland Russia? I mean it can wish but no

[@itwowed]

@@lithiumvids9448 finland was part of Russia many years 1809-1917

[@bakersmileyface]

I played this to the Mediterranean sea, and now it's an OCEAN.

[@devoted_eater567]

@LO am I *666**999* tf

[@themusther161]

"France is the most naturally protected country in Europe" Uk being a literal island: Am i joke to you

[@sidharthmohapatro8723]

Germany laughing in blitzkrieg

[@aryaaswale7316]

Brexit*

[@thekito4623]

8:23 the guy on the lower left corner. I saw him in the movie "space balls"

[@PicklePickle7]

RealLifeLore - What If the Soviet Union Reunited Today? Wendover Productions - Russia's Geography Problem AlternateHistoryHub - What if Russia Never Existed? All uploaded at the same minute. I smell a collaboration. Also why Russia anyway?

[@kennethknutson494]

yo yo did you watch the first 15 seconds?

[@PicklePickle7]

+ken knut No XD Any way what happened today in Russian history? anything special?

[@pauljones3017]

Why not Russia?

[@marioprz0476]

yo yo illuminati confirmed 3 there are 3 6s in the devils number so the triangle has 3 sides illuminati is a triangle so illuminati confirmed

[@PicklePickle7]

+Paul jones for fun So just because. Nothing special? alright then.

[@DTB0813]

at 7:25, you said 12 countries of the former USSR joined the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is correct, but not entirely correct. Georgia withdrew in 2008 due to the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflict, and Turkmenistan and Ukraine are associate members. So there are 9 full members of the CIS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There are two associate members of the CIS: Turkmenistan and Ukraine Thanks for your information, I really liked it!

[@danukil7703]

And Ukraine kind of left because of Crimea and Donbas

[@Neotroxian]

Danuki L what about moldova?

[@danukil7703]

NeoTrox I believe that Moldova is still a full member of the CIS, though I have heard that there was a bill in the Moldovan Parliament for leaving the CIS or something like that. Moldova is also a part of the EU's Eastern Partnership, like Ukraine, and I believe that, again like Ukraine, Moldova seeks EU membership.

[@rejvaik00]

Thank you for this comment i was about to make the same correction

[@irones17]

Guys, he knows about it. He just doesn't say it. There's a side note in the right bottom which says exactly the associate members and the former members.

[@parri111]

4:38 Calling UK but Germany has stronger Economy then UK with no really big navy historically

[@larrysilverstein6853]

Yes, the point "naval power=power" isn't simply true.

[@swampfolk2526]

@@larrysilverstein6853 Особенно с изобретения противокорабельных ракет и ядерного оружия флот перестал вообще быть большой силой. Даже Британия его сократила за ненадобностью. Нахера нужен линкор если он тонет от пары ракет. А то и вообще от одной. Флот был силой пока был у одной британии, а теперь он есть даже у Индии и Китая.

[@ushiki2212]

Well for most of history Germany's Geography was more of a disadvantage then an advantage. Its only recently where the Germans joined up and started using its natural defenses and location correctly. Now its the center of Europe and with that European trade. Also it has a but load of rivers and its navel power has always been great, just not as great as France, Spain, or Britain.

[@tsfbaf303]

King Pancakeza What do you mean by recently? Germany has been around for about 1000 years, depending what you consider the start, and it’s always been doing just fine.

[@ushiki2212]

@@tsfbaf303 What? No... The Germany has only been a thing for a couple 100 years. In 1871 they unified in to one state. That's what I mean by Germany.

[@reaganpenner7371]

Thanks for the great video. I was wondering why you did not mention the sea port up at Murmansk?

[@lassisuominen8648]

Wendover productions. Your picture from port of st.petersburg is from actually from Helsinki Finland

[@birbbee1446]

Lassi Suominen I don't see the problem, both are rightfully part of Russia :^)

[@AtomicBlastPony]

@Birb Bee, failed troll attempt :Ь

[@birbbee1446]

Atomic Blast Just banter, don't take it seriously ;^)

[@Kmasse8]

Enjoyed your video! What you are saying is straight from the book of Tim Marshall.

[@srksii]

USAs Geography problem: Who to attack next?

[@Zaitekno]

soon they will fall

[@Trey5Damare]

@@Zaitekno If anyone tries to fight the biggest military in the history of the world they will face only death.

[@Zaitekno]

@@Trey5Damare and why do you even have it in the first place? Same as every Empire: Because of your paranoia. A system run by socio- and psychopaths. That's how they get you into war everytime, feeding your paranoia with fear. You have the most predictable agenda, because as an Empire, there isn't much else to aim for but to sustain your power making the empire always the biggest threat to all the others. Benefiting from the world wars you gained that role as the empire and the means how you try to sustain power and internal order are very often close to how George Orwell would describe it. And we, the rest of the world, for the sake of humanity cannot let you fulfill your agenda because what you all don't see, the path that you'd have to go down as an empire would bring misery upon all of us. Just check our history, the pattern is always the same and don't bother me with your 'US exceptionalism' ffs you are a rather young nation with too much power and behaving like the true youngster you are. Dangerous to let you go without frames.

[@toddharig8142]

@@Trey5DamareYou just proved his point for him with that last comment.

[@Zaitekno]

@@toddharig8142 Thank you!

[@curiousbunny2573]

Shines a very bright light on what is going on now and why.

[@exilefromthefireland]

It would be really interesting if you could do a video about East Mediterranean in relation with the EEZ and the elations between the major players of the region. Israel, Turkey, Greece, Egypt and the collisions that are on the make involving USA, France, Cyprus, Libya and how UK and Russia also have major interests on the region.

[@galaxyveteran9076]

Russia dont have any geography problem. Other country's have problems with russia geography

[@slicemf5347]

Yea, so big problem so they invade in Russia constantly.

[@mikespearwood3914]

@Bondy They already sold off Alaska to the yanks!

[@user-sr6pi5lp3q]

@Русс град very true! Why noone menrions it??

[@garudapenjunjungkebenaran5871]

@Русс град still Russia is the largest country in the world!

[@raitiC1]

yeah! Poor Russians have to live in the world with other countries ;(

[@kostyac6411]

9:22 read that boats name as "STEAL THE GAS"

[@malsa_zej]

Hey, how the food taste? Good?

[@gameexpert2011]

It's stealth gas. It's a company.

[@bradleyweiss1089]

I like steal th gas as it’s the American people’s but we get no break. Some company is making out on it by sending somewhere else. My bill hasn’t gone down any.

[@DavidLinn]

i saw it was stealth gas and jokingly thought they named it that because they were trying to sneak out the gas on that low-profile bigass boat

[@ralual]

Honestly this video still provides a lot of clarification for a lot of the current political stances of the countries mentioned

[@Homer-OJ-Simpson]

The current political situation is because Russia wants to rebuild its empire. This is why so many if it’s former puppet states dislike and fear Russia.

[@joshuawilliams8841]

I remember this is the video that first got me hooked on your channel. Look at it now

[@morganpearson7779]

If anyone is interested in this or more about countries 'Geographical problems' i would recommend book called 'Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics' by Tim Marshal. It's like this video but covers the rest of the world.

[@mohamadchehade3508]

Morgan Pearson thank you captain.

[@doodelay]

Morgan Pearson great comment, I'll read them

[@johnsmith6555]

And there I thought "geographic determinism" was racist, colonialist and a big no-no. Like Guns Germs and Steel was.

[@dotwarner17]

​@@johnsmith6555 Racist/Colonialist proper and/or dangerously adjacent [whatever] determinism aside, geography was definitely a major factor in determining until technology meant we politely (or not so politely) to tell nature to shove it, at which point nature also politely (or not so politely) shoves right back. (From: a Floridian, above to get buzzed by hurricane Dorian.)

[@danielkirpichnikov2007]

So u forgot about Murmansk seaport that is one of the largest ice-free ports in Russia

[@annpettus1775]

True, but being above the arctic circle, there are significant distance-issues!

[@rey6450]

Not forgot. Its just propaganda against russia

[@douglassantet647]

@A. Aalto it is because of warm ocean currents

[@meganlukes6679]

Is it just me, or does it seem like people are unnecessarily bringing up the Jews more? I feel like we need to add that to the internet laws, along with rule 34 and the one about how in an argument eventually someone will get compared to Hitler.

[@meganlukes6679]

Dmitry Terek What on earth do the Jews have to do with which ports remain ice free?? Are you telling me Jews can control the ocean currents? If so, they must be the true master race.

[@peasant8246]

9:47 "Because, in the end, reality..." I was expecting to hear in Thanos'es voice: "...can be whatever I want." :D

[@eskinny21]

Some misinformation. Georgia and Ukraine and been gone from the CIS before this video was made. What about the port of Murmansk which is ice free most of the year?

[@Gorlokki]

Countries that are doing great today had a great naval power, but the it doesnt work the other way: having had a great naval power won't make you a powerful country in the present. see the case of Spain and their great armada.

[@Pablo_Abajos]

Trafalgar was a huge impact, we lose our fleet by the fault of french commanders, without fleet we couldnt keep our american empire, also Felipe VI was a shitty ruler, didnt knew how to deal with the wars on America, and their succesors did it even worse, since then we went from world power to kill between us while getting more and more poor

[@Snakebloke]

Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves...!!

[@miquel4ndroid]

lol

[@Pablo_Abajos]

***** what do you mean by tiny because in the times of the empire we were bigger than uk or france and now a days we are still close to France and bigger than uk

[@jonwo6092]

You need a great fleet to build an empire and you need to have strong economy to wield one. That's about it. There are loads of countries that never had a fleet and are doing great and countries that once had a fleet doing bad. Japan having a fleet something like a thousand years ago makes it great today? That's just stupid. There is no connection between GDP and fleet power, not any serious one anyway.

[@gardemeister]

You forgot Murmansk most important submarine base

[@shoora813]

For submarines, but not for trade fleet.

[@jsteinberg48]

It could be. It is ice free all year around I believe by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. They decided war ships over commerce.

[@leonardolevy3852]

Nicely done! I loved the political commentary as well. Keep it up!

[@user-dc3in3xg1m]

I really like your work) and I would like to see your video about Kazakhstan geopolitics and problems please

[@user-dc3in3xg1m]

Yes, I am Kazakh and we are neighbors of Russia and China

[@Tone32616]

Thanks. It's nice to hear someone's point of view about my country. I mean, without calling us warmongering barbarians.

[@attilavarans5361]

I think Russia is one of the last decent European countries. Kudos from E.U.!

[@mjohns5944]

Russia is so cool. I visited twice last year and am planning to return next year....when its warmer. Loved every minute.

[@iknow287]

Ни слова про порт в Мурманске, которому лёд, кстати, непочём.

[@nick56677]

Russia is a beautiful country. It's one of my top places I want to visit one day. I'm American and have always loved Russia, it's people, and its beauty

[@likira111]

Barbarians? No if you were evil you'd be a clever evil. But in all seriousness you are not all Putin, I just hate how popular he apparently is.

[@AbdelhakSmara]

Wasn't Crimea originally Russian ? given by Krutchef to Ukraine as a gift ?

[@wtfhuman9999]

well, technically, all of former Russian Empire territory was russian, until the bolsheviks took over :)

[@olzhas1one755]

@@wtfhuman9999 Finland was fairly autonomus from the Russian Empire. I don't know much about Poland too

[@johnzuijdveld9585]

I think it was always Ukraine's but taken from them by Russia ( they always saw the Ukraine as their back yard and territory and the ppl. there had no power to stop them) because Russia NEEDS THAT port! It was given back by Krutchiev (spelling?) to Ukraine as a gift I think to keep them onside as they were already leaning towards the west,and for correctness.

[@lunaspyram758]

​@@johnzuijdveld9585 As a native crimean that is very much incorrect, that's mostly western anti-russian propaganda. Crimeia was under some form of official rule from 3 (and a half) different eras and none of those were ucranian, it was part of russia since medieval times when Russia was Rus', and also had ottoman and mongol presence down the road (part of the 3 eras). The only period that Ucraine held crimeia as it's territory was from 1991 to 2014. So no Crimeia wasn't ucranian before, if anything it was russian, ottoman, mongol, italian, byzantinian and ancient greek. It was given as a "gift" to Ucraine probably because it was predicted somewhat that the aftermath of the USSR being absolved was gonna be economically terrible, and since Russia has the huge territory that it has it was gonna be difficult to uphold it, so they gave crimeia to Ucraine, which essentially proceeded to neglect it in the coming 23 years.

[@johnzuijdveld9585]

@@lunaspyram758 Ok, I'm obviously gonna have to research this altho' I barely know how to maximize the benefit of a computer. I understood that the Rus had influence but not necessarily total control over a huge area from the Baltic states including what is now Finland to the East, but not at that time far into Siberia if at all. So the ppl. in the areas now called the Ukraine had administrative control of the Crimea since it's in their backyard and NOT in the Rus's b/yard, there was NO way the Rus could get to the Crimea without going thru' the Ukraine. But the Ukraine being either captive state or a vassal of the Rus meant that they would "bend" to the will of the Rus but were not necessarily a part of the Empire. In modern times the naval port in Sevastopol ? became crucial to the Russian's desire for naval power/influence in the Mediterranean Sea, and while it was a part of the Soviet Union much money was spent to make it a Great naval port. So I can see why Russia now would like to claim that it always was Russian. BTW I have known since I was 16 that we in the west are also conditioned to believe everything we are told! but becoming aware of this IS the first step in learning how to think "critically" and thus being able to analyze so called "facts" with some accuracy.

[@alinaklinskaya3631]

With Russian snowy winters, Murmansk's climate is moderated by the generally ICE-FREE waters around it. Murmansk is a major port on the Arctic Ocean and remains the largest city north of the Arctic Circle.

[@tudorjason]

Interesting! And I think it's great when channels collaborate with each other.

[@4FITNESSARABIA]

08:02 is that Putin in uniform to the right!

[@Spooky4815]

They are all putin

[@VykintasGlodenis]

Great leaders lead by example :D

[@fortune3911]

Ye

[@hunterashwill5766]

Sí

[@martinmendl1399]

Putin is so epic he personally headshotted 30 Ukrainians in Donbass with his trusty Kalach

[@quandaledingle6280]

me this entire video: laughs in murmansk

[@homeemail4288]

What ?

[@alexa.davronov1537]

@@homeemail4288 Murmansk is Russian city on the north with seaport. Google it.

[@JockStud]

There’s a very good shoegaze band that comes from there. Derevyannye kity or something like that?

[@strafniki1080]

Heads up man USSR 2.0 will come

[@theresgottabeagermanwordfo903]

Laughs in frozen

[@harkness1720]

Had to watch this after listening to Revenge of Geography. This explained so much!

[@CloverKapel]

Next up: The globe's geography problem

[@fyurerys]

Author of the video, you are russofob. 1. Crimea - RUSSIA was, is , and ll be. Last crimean khan Shahin Giray decline of Crimea and in 1784 was formed Tavrid region in Russian Empire. 2. RUSSIA HAS A PORT WITH WARM WATER TO THE OCEAN FROM ARCHANGELSK. DELETE UR NONSENSE SHIT VIDEO.

[@jonahwiegand827]

@@fyurerys ice

[@Olich_kin]

@@fyurerys also Russia no need ask lil Japan for go to ocean too lol idk why here japan sea even lol

[@Olich_kin]

@@franziv4593 i prefer watch totally, but its not 1905 or 1941-1945, Japan wont attack us, cuz nuklear weapons...Its need to be stupid for attack us novadays. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGGQaYaliqp4l6M

[@Olich_kin]

@@franziv4593 Russia wont attack, we no need it. Dont wake up us, grumpy bear can become a horror for u. :)))

[@tearlach47]

4:00 Including Russia. lol

[@dennischan1349]

Basically it can't even take over itself if it tried. Just Russian things.

[@kacperwoch4368]

Poland into Russia, Moscow 1610 AD.

[@CaptainDecimus]

I think Napoleon proved it quite fucking well occupying Moscow isn't conquering Russia...

[@SkyguyFilmsZooruvfilms]

Sean Wilson ghhhhhhh

[@doraorak]

Dennis Chan lol

[@panzertee9790]

I’ve seen this video about ten times and still get confused at the last lines there

[@hibiscus6379]

Holy cow, Wendover, Alternate History Hub, AND real life lore? This is the crossover event of the century

[@nickbrewer4385]

I just finished the Russia chapter from Prisoners of Geography just yesterday. That timing's convenient!

[@Wendoverproductions]

I'll hijack this comment to say in general, PLEASE go read Prisoners of Geography everyone. It's a fantastic book that 100% inspired this video.

[@ABhaim]

I swear to god, I was gonna recommend it myself not long after you said IMMENSE. I read it myself a few weeks ago :D

[@benjaminmclaren8782]

Are you referring to the book by Tim Marshall? I cannot remember who recommended that book to me but it is so good. Knowing geography helps out a lot more than you would think, so thanks to you three guys for shedding some much needed light on a barely understood topic. Looking forward to seeing more from you all in the future.

[@RustyPetterson]

The whole time I was watching this, I was wondering if you'd read it. Of course you have! I can also recommend the follow-up "Worth Dying For", if you're into flags & history. Of course you are! Great video as always, thanks very much.

[@KaminariAsakura]

I really enjoyed prisoners of geography, can anyone please recommend books on similar topics ?

[@oneanothercrazyguy]

In Russia we have low average incomes not because of the naval ports, but because of the logistics with the country. High transportation costs, time zone lag and so on. Also, high dependency on exporting natural resources and arms doesn't give us an incentive to innovate in other industries.

[@mohamedn7587]

There is no country where there are no problems, but all developed countries have been able to solve these problems. For example, in Korea, there are no resources, but Korea's economy is comparable to Russia. In Canada there are many natural resources, but they work actively and innovate and do not rely solely on these resources.

[@user-no9eg5ho5c]

Вы оба забыли, как Запад все 90 лет, пока Путин не пришел, чтобы ограбить Россию. По разным оценкам, около 40 триллионов долларов. Вы забыли, что после распада Советского Союза Россия была вынуждена объявить себя правопреемником СССР и царской России. Со всеми долгами прошлых режимов. В том числе все бывшие республики (Эстония, Латвия, Литва, Беларусь, Украина, Молдавия, Грузия, Армения, Азербайджан, Узбекистан, Таджикистан, Туркменистан, Кыргызстан) и Россия выплатили все долги для себя и для этих республик. Кстати, ни один банк и государство Запада и Японии не вернули цент от денег Российской Империи и СССР, хранящихся там, мотивируя это тем, что они не помнят, где они были поставлены. You both forgot how many people Russia lost three times in the last century. Two wars and one restructuring, comparable in scale to the great European war, from which only Russia suffered. This prapagandistic material that you looked at has nothing to do with objectivity. What is happening now: Russia began to rise again economically, and immediately provocation of the west began on all sides: Ukraine, Syria, the Baltic States, Poland, sanctions, terrorism aimed at strangling economically and physically, preventing the potential of Russia and Germany, and together with her other European countries. America and England with their Jews will do everything to prevent Russia from getting back on its feet. Because it will denote their economic decline and death. They will simply be able to compete with Europe. Sorry for my stupid English, I did not invent a Google translator.

[@user-no9eg5ho5c]

Вы оба забыли, как Запад все 90 лет, пока Путин не пришел, чтобы ограбить Россию. По разным оценкам, около 40 триллионов долларов. Вы забыли, что после распада Советского Союза Россия была вынуждена объявить себя правопреемником СССР и царской России. Со всеми долгами прошлых режимов. В том числе все бывшие республики (Эстония, Латвия, Литва, Беларусь, Украина, Молдова, Грузия, Армения, Азербайджан, Узбекистан, Таджикистан, Туркменистан, Кыргызстан) и Россия выплатили все долги для себя и для этих республик. Кстати, ни один банк и государство Запада и Японии не вернули цент от денег Российской империи и СССР, хранящихся там, мотивируя это тем, что они не помнят, куда они были доставлены.You both forgot how many people Russia lost three times in the last century. Two wars and one restructuring, comparable in scale to the great European war, from which only Russia suffered. This prapagandistic material that you looked at has nothing to do with objectivity. What is happening now: Russia began to rise again economically, and immediately provocation of the west began on all sides: Ukraine, Syria, the Baltic States, Poland, sanctions, terrorism aimed at strangling economically and physically, preventing the potential of Russia and Germany, and together with her other European countries. America and England with their Jews will do everything to prevent Russia from getting back on its feet. Because it will denote their economic decline and death. They will simply be able to compete with Europe. Sorry for my stupid English, I did not invent a Google translator.

[@nose123456ful]

Yes the northern country has higher cost almost for everything .

[@magnusmoty]

Every problem we have is due to corruption and legacy of horrible regimes.

[@hstad100]

Question? I thought Finland only got 10% of its natural gas from Russia? In fact, recently Russia cut off Finland's natural gas supply and the Finnish government stated that it gets 80% of its electrical power domestically?

[@tricksor6589]

"Because... In the end, reality can be whatever I want."

[@pwn3dname]

Interesting video. However: 1. Russia's actual economy is weak, but it was the world's second largest during the Soviet Union's days. Unlike other raw material exporters, it has a large, educated people and tremendous industrial power. 2. Russia has a warm water port in Murmansk, which you completely failed to mention. And global warming will probably defrost some other ports - I think Vladivostok freezes a lot less these days, for example.

[@TailoredReaction]

"Russia has a warm water port in Murmansk..." LOL

[@JkaaraKoDi]

When water is liquid it is warm. It's simple as that.

[@TailoredReaction]

LOL ! I should never dispute Russian scientists! You guys practically invented the formula for making 'ice'. :-)

[@TailoredReaction]

LOL No, no, keep talking. LOL

[@TailoredReaction]

Whatever pops into that genius brain of yours! :-)

[@stefankoelsch788]

Marching army is not really modern warfare..

[@richardleonhard3971]

Stefan Koelsch It sure is if you don't have a spot to land your troops closer to the target. It's not like Afghanistan was invaded from the air. Or like the war in Syria is not taking part on the ground. Or look at Ukraine or Georgia or Libya or Yemen. And Russia is so huge that attacks from the air take way more fuel.

[@Ratlins9]

Very informative and enjoyable video.

[@spacet1me]

That guy who did the sub in Russia explanation sounded like a guy who sat in his room for thousands of hour watching that John Green / SciShow dude and tried to not only emulate, but become him.

[@ExilSvensk]

Finland uses almost no natural gas. It's basically energy independent when it comes to power production. Oil etc. comes from all over the place.

[@doublefast989]

he meant that most gas used in finland comes from russia and not that finland main energy resource is russian gas just so you know

[@ExilSvensk]

Well sure, but the way he made the statement suggest something else and I think most people would agree.

[@doublefast989]

that s hell right i ve to say

[@obivan22431]

to me it was more like an example. Finland would have an energy Problem when Russia goes war, but not because of natural gas but because of petroleum etc... he then used germany as an example how this influences political decisions, because germany depends greater on natural gas.

[@shroomyesc]

@obivan22431 yeah energy *imports*, that doesn't mean 64% of all energy used is imported. A maximum of 30% of Finnish energy is reliant on Russia at all times, and that's a maximum.

[@andreemanoel2366]

"Much of history is defined by chance, not circumstance because, in the end, reality is just the confluence of chance and circumstance." Great statement.

[@thebigv5573]

and... deciding not to attack a winter country during winter

[@dvgsun]

silly statement

[@hendricusderuijter9671]

so you mean its defined by both? i mean everybody gets lucky at least once in their life, other people just get lucky at the right time

[@khoichau8316]

Yeah! TAKE THAT Jared Diamond!

[@bradleyweiss1089]

Haven’t you heard.....timing is everything.

[@michaelcuff5780]

Cool video! Taught this old man alot! Thank you.

[@arfriedman4577]

Interesting documentary. I learned some new things. Thanx

[@thegreatcalvinio]

Crimea *Sips tea*

[@kostam.1113]

Crimea river.

[@Pyotyrpyotyrpyotyr]

Have any of you people even been there?

[@unaliveeveryonenow]

It's a crime area of bad food quality control. Have been poisoned twice there.

[@PavelSikun]

I've been there couple of times in early and mid 2000s. Meh, overpriced place with terrible services. Climate and views are fancy tho.

[@archlinuxrussian]

thegreatcalvinio one thing that WendoverProductions glossed over was that Crimea was part of the Russian Empire and RSFSR (Russian State in the USSR) until the late 50's. it doesn't justify, but offers understanding :)

[@ToofaniZindagi]

Not sure if someone said this already, but Georgia isn't in the CIS.

[@Wendoverproductions]

I put a little note clarifying that in the corner of the video, but in that context I was talking about the countries that were part of the CIS at its founding. Georgia was at the beginning but left after the Russo-Georgian war.

[@Pyotyrpyotyrpyotyr]

Wendover Productions CIS is nothing like the Soviet Union in terms of how much alignment there is between its republics.

[@GENIUSGT]

Yeah that threw me off.

[@lashachakhunashvili1399]

As a Georgian I was kinda surprised because of the mistake, the country officially left this stillborn organization in 2009 after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.

[@CHE6yp]

As an ossetian i was also thrown off by this

[@niktv7305]

Большинство канадцев тоже живут на юге страны, на севере меньше пятой части живёт.

[@egosdragonis6149]

Ну у них порты есть + они тоже в НАТО.

[@jedaki1832]

"No Norway or Sweden" *Finland fades away*