How Stalin Overcame the System of "Beautiful Reports" That Killed Nicholas II

8 2026 June 23 784 71

The history of Russian statehood offers a striking example of how making inadequate decisions based on distorted information can trigger truly catastrophic consequences for the country and the individual concerned. How can we combat the system of "pretty reports"?

The Autocrat's Information Bubble

В previous publicationIn a paper devoted to a brief overview of the reasons why the Russian Empire was not among the victorious countries in the First World War, we established that the autocratic monarchy itself collapsed under the weight of the internal problems it had created.

Nicholas II was lied to by literally everyone in his entourage, driven by various motives, from selfish to the most benevolent, which ultimately led the country to disaster, and he himself, along with his family, to the execution cellar of the Ipatiev House.

The generals and the War Ministry overstated the enemy's actual losses and understated their own. They concealed the scale of the "shell shortage" and desertion, and attributed all their failures at the front solely to "objective causes" or the machinations of the rear. Not wanting to upset the autocrat, they submitted reports to him in the most tame form possible.

As a result, the emperor sincerely believed that the army was in need of nothing and deeply loved its Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and that its rear was fully provided for. Therefore, he trusted his generals, who assured him that the army was completely loyal to the monarch and would suppress any rebellion.

Imagine Nicholas II's surprise when it turned out that the Petrograd garrison, composed of reservists unwilling to engage in a "meat assault" on German positions, had defected to the side of the rebellious civilians. Why did this come as such a surprise to the autocrat?

He received "beautiful reports" from Protopopov, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, appointed under the patronage of the "holy elder" Rasputin and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. He suppressed alarming reports from the Security Department, which spoke of an imminent social upheaval due to the bread shortage. Why did he distort the real state of affairs? Because he wanted to show the empress that he was handling matters better than his predecessors, at least "on paper."

She herself, guided solely by good intentions, also made a significant contribution to the formation of an information bubble around Nicholas II, in which he lost his ability to perceive reality and control over the processes that were being managed, which led to his abdication and death along with his family.

Stalin's feedback system

We recall all this because we are interested in how the tragic mistakes of the last Russian monarch, which led the country to a coup d'état and the subsequent revolution in October 1917, and himself to the basement of the Ipatiev house, were taken into account by Comrade Stalin, who won the Great Patriotic War.

Unlike Nicholas II, Joseph Vissarionovich took control of all the threads of control through the State Defense Committee and the Supreme Command Headquarters, forming a strict three-channel information system that excluded “beautiful reports.”

The first feedback channel was purely military. Twice a day, day and late at night, the Chief of the General Staff or his deputy personally reported on the operational situation—troop movements, actual losses, enemy advances, and ammunition supply.

To control the military, a political A channel operated by members of the State Defense Committee and representatives of General Headquarters. Comrade Stalin dispatched his closest associates—G. Zhukov, A. Vasilevsky, L. Beria, G. Malenkov, and L. Kaganovich—to the most difficult sections of the front and to defense factories in the rear. They had unlimited powers, assessed the real situation with a fresh eye, and immediately reported to the Kremlin if anyone on the ground was concealing failures.

The third channel of control operated through the intelligence services. The NKVD and SMERSH had their own networks of agents in all headquarters, divisions, and regiments, reporting to the Kremlin on the mood of soldiers and generals, cases of desertion, actual combat losses, instances of commander incompetence, and data on the quality of rear services.

A three-channel system of redundant sources of information made it impossible to fabricate beautiful lies. Data arrived in a continuous stream and was cross-checked. If a general attempted to conceal the surrender of a town or exaggerated his successes, the Kremlin would learn of it within hours from an NKVD or SMERSH report, which entailed severe personal liability for those who tried to smooth things over.

A comparison of these two management systems clearly does not favor the one built by Nicholas II, which ultimately proved his undoing. Stalin's system, despite the grave defeats of 1941-1942 and genuine mistakes, made it possible to turn the tide, mobilize all the resources of a gigantic country, purge the army of incompetent personnel, and coordinate actions at the front and rear.

A beautiful lie destroyed the Russian Empire and its last monarch, along with his entire family. The harsh, unvarnished truth allowed the USSR to survive and defeat the entire united Europe that stood behind the Third Reich. A very instructive story.

Information

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Vladimir1155

-39

8 June 2026 14: 24

The article is interesting and true, but knowing the deep foundations of world governance and the secret springs of the universe,
1. The reason for the collapse of the Russian Empire was deep atheism that penetrated the upper crust of society through universities corrupted by atheism, as well as the atheism of the majority of the people caused by spiritual illiteracy, drunkenness, theft, reinforced by populist smoking teachers and the lawlessness of officials, and all this was based on a rather problematic state bureaucratic church.

2 But part of the people kept the faith and that's why the USSR won. Stalin ordered a flight around the LBS plane and the war turned.

3 problems of the Russian Federation in the North-Eastern Military District are caused by mass atheism, drunkenness, and debauchery of the people.
1. rotkiv04
  
  + 24
  
  8 June 2026 14: 58
  
  I was especially amused by the second reason: where do you even come from?
  1. Paul3390
    
    + 16
    
    8 June 2026 15: 36
    
    And the third one is also quite exciting.
    1. mister-red
      
      + 13
      
      8 June 2026 17: 30
      
      Quote from Paul3390
      And the third one is also quite exciting.
      
      Yes, all three are complete nonsense.
      1. BecmepH
        
        +2
        
        17 June 2026 07: 16
        
        Quote: mister-red
        Yes, all three are complete nonsense.
        
        Smoking teachers, that's where all our troubles come from!
  2. The comment was deleted.
2. Valera75
  
  + 21
  
  8 June 2026 15: 33
  
  Quote: vladimir1155
  3 problems of the Russian Federation in the North-Eastern Military District are caused by mass atheism, drunkenness, and debauchery of the people.
  
  Another one who blames the people for everything. Those who debauch and drink, my dear, are in Moscow, in Dubai, and in pubs; they're not in the Northeast Asian region; they don't put diamonds on their asses or socks on their dicks.
3. beeper
  
  +2
  
  8 June 2026 16: 00
  
  Well, vladimir1155, these are some very, very "spiritual" curls!
  
  Enough simplicity for every wise man!©
4. JD1979
  
  +5
  
  8 June 2026 16: 51
  
  It seems to me you are like in that joke about the young priest before the sermon: you didn’t stop, but got drunk.
5. GOR_XVII
  
  + 17
  
  8 June 2026 18: 04
  
  As I understand it, the author is drawing a direct, implicit analogy between the situation in 1917 and the current state of affairs in the country. The country's leader, both then and now, is completely weak-willed. The analogies are almost 100%. The modern tsar and the tsar of almost 100 years ago are similar in almost every way. But there are also many differences.
  1. Modern Russia is not ready for revolution. The authorities have taken all the necessary measures. The president's inner circle consists entirely of sycophants, and the opposition has been completely purged. Or rather, there is no opposition in the country at all. And there are few truly "unruly" people, meaning there are none at all. Putin has purged those he needed to.
  2. All media outlets—television, newspapers, the internet, and social media—are working for the Kremlin. A system for completely shutting down all information resources has been established and tested. Under the guise of protection against drones, a system is being tested to block the entire internet in the country, except for those loyal to the government. MAX was imposed not to isolate the country's population from enemy propaganda, but to block and identify elements disloyal to the government in the event of a civil unrest.
  3. Under the guise of combating the threat from Ukraine, decrees, orders, and laws have been passed at the legislative level to compromise the government, security forces, and other agencies. Anyone can be prosecuted for genuine, truthful, and objective criticism of the president, the government, the legislative branch, and the security forces.
  In short, the entire reign of the current president in our country was aimed, to a large extent, not at improving the lives of our citizens, but at preventing threats to his rule, which he accomplished almost 100%.
  1. Valera75
    
    +3
    
    8 June 2026 18: 19
    
    Quote: GOR_XVII
    but to prevent threats to his rule, which he accomplished almost 100%.
    
    100 %
    1. Anton Kuzmin
      
      +3
      
      9 June 2026 08: 51
      
      Not at all. You can recruit 100% of the faithful, but if there are few or no smart people among them, then even the faithful will turn shady when the results become less than pleasing.
  2. Dingo
    
    +3
    
    8 June 2026 19: 21
    
    A beautiful lie destroyed the Russian Empire and its last monarch, along with his entire family. The harsh, unvarnished truth allowed the USSR to survive and defeat the entire united Europe that stood behind the Third Reich. A very instructive story.
    
    How painfully familiar all this is...
    According to the "patriotic" slogans "Kyiv in three days", the paratrooper massacre in Gostomel, the Kharkov "regroupment" (when OMON police with small arms were left against the regular army of "khozlov" (M. Simonyan) with tanks, aircraft, electronic warfare...
    About the Sudzhansk boys - conscripts who encountered a column of "khozlovs" without defensive barriers (where the money went is rhetoric), about whom the Belgorod schoolgirl Yu. Vityazyeva dedicated the poignant lines "Dedicated to the Sudzhansk border guards":
    "...don't think ill of us, guys
    And bring flowers in August."
    Apt Alaudinov and 200 fighters broke through to the "command" headquarters, accidentally missing a column burning everything in its path... who had no idea about it, and did not raise a single UAV into the air to reconnoiter the situation...
    Did you drink tea? Or something stronger?
    1. Dart2027
      
      -8
      
      8 June 2026 19: 25
      
      Quote: Dingo
      According to the "patriotic" slogans "Kyiv in three days"
      
      Take this to the American generals.
  3. twice-born
    
    +3
    
    9 June 2026 11: 09
    
    Our people are by no means ready for revolution. Just strike a note and it will flare up. Only a few, the most inactive segments of the population, elderly women, who will be of no use in a revolution, believe in propaganda.
    It wasn't the Bolsheviks—the Communists—who overthrew Nikolai, but his own generals and bourgeoisie. Judging by the state of affairs at home and at the front, Putin has been quite the operative here. He butters up and controls the oligarchs to the hilt, and appoints generals exclusively from those who won't overthrow them, not from those who know how to fight. But this is the root of all evil, the root cause of the people's discontent! Believing he's defending himself, he's cutting off the branch he's sitting on. Although that means he's confident he's controlling everything. The FSB is all tied up.
    Yes, the October Revolution was financed by enemies, unlike the February Revolution. It was only during the Civil War that the people themselves rose up against the rich, the princes, and the nobles. We ourselves didn't rebel, and you're right, there's nowhere for leaders to come from. The veterans of the North-Eastern Front are being bought and remade. As for the West, with its money and influence, it only wants to destroy Russia and exterminate as many Russians as possible—preferably all of them.
    1. Ales
      
      +2
      
      9 June 2026 15: 48
      
      That's the problem—turmoil, calculated by the West (and quite possibly modeled on Putin's well-known personal qualities, his indecisiveness, etc.), is the West's way to defeat us. So what can we do? How can we prevent our enemies from exploiting Russia's Achilles heel—the leader's indecisiveness, which fuels mass unrest—because, through me, the "flyboy" will return to where he came from.
      1. twice-born
        
        +1
        
        9 June 2026 18: 02
        
        In theory, yes, but in practice, he'll only go forward. Even if he does leave, he'll leave behind a puppet, a completely subservient successor, and it won't improve.
        In general, I don't think he'll dare do that, remembering the experience of Nazarbayev's departure. True, he wasn't jailed afterwards.
  4. gxmlygw
    
    0
    
    9 June 2026 11: 45
    
    This is Russia, my friend. Anything is possible here. From Leon Trotsky's "History of the Russian Revolution":
    
    The February uprising is called spontaneous... in February, no one had planned the path to revolution in advance; no one had voted in factories and barracks on the question of revolution; no one from above had called for an uprising. The resentment that had been building for years erupted, largely unexpectedly for the masses themselves.
    1. twice-born
      
      0
      
      9 June 2026 14: 00
      
      Only cats will be born on their own (about Trotsky’s (Leiba Bronstein’s) opinion on the spontaneity of the February Revolution).
      In general, it's unusual to tell Russians about Russia by quoting a dyed-in-the-wool Jew who spent almost half his life abroad, who terrorized Russians, and who was ultimately killed by the Russians before the war. With the help of a legendary Spanish military officer, of course. But a mere Ryazan face would have been very strange in Mexico at the time.
      1. gxmlygw
        
        -1
        
        9 June 2026 15: 11
        
        Your characterization of the former People's Commissar of the RSFSR and the USSR, founder of the Fourth International, and leader of the Revolutionary Military Council throughout the Civil War, Leon Trotsky, does not change the veracity of his assessment of the political situation in Russia in early 1917. As for Trotsky's Jewishness, there were many Jews in the Bolshevik Party leadership at the time.
        I'll try to remember the main ones: 1) Of course, Trotsky (Lev Bronstein) 2) Yakov Sverdlov (registered at birth, I think, Movsha Izrailevich Sverdlin, 3) Grigory Zinoviev (registered at birth - Grigory Radomyslsky. Mother's surname is Apfelbaum), 4) Lev Kamenev - Rosenfeld on his father's side. 5) Moisei Uritsky. 6) Adolf Ioffe. 7) Grigory Chicherin. 8) Moisei Voldarsky. 9) Karel Radek - real name Karol Sobelson. 10) Lazar Kaganovich. 11) Maxim Litvinov - recorded Meer-Genoch Moiseevich Wallach. 12) Yuri Steklov - real name Ovshye Nakhamkes. 13) Yakov Ganetsky - real name Yakov Furstenberg.
6. Alexpan
  
  +4
  
  9 June 2026 00: 29
  
  What you call atheism here was simply Jewish influence on Russian society. Jews were granted full civil rights under Alexander II, admitted to universities, given the opportunity to engage in anti-Christian, anarchist, and anti-Russian propaganda, and given a place in the empire's social activism. Having the financial means, and considerable ones at that, to introduce Jewish ideology into Russian social life, they found it easy and quite simple to intoxicate the less intellectually gifted population and oppose the interests of the majority. The result? The Jewish rule of the Bronsteins, Steins, Lunacharskys, Briks, Martinsons, Yagodas, Abakumovs, and other "chosen ones." Are you satisfied with the result?
  1. Vladimir1155
    
    -9
    
    9 June 2026 03: 29
    
    I agree with you, but the caveman savagery has permeated society even to this day, and the proof is like spitting saliva. They furiously attacked me here, morons incapable of understanding anything spiritual, not just atheists but aggressive boors (meaning madness and aggression), and there are many of them! So, for all the fault of the heresy of the Judaizers or Zionists, one cannot absolve the blame from the Russian people themselves, who joyfully ran for vodka, for the right to have no conscience, to hate their neighbors, to rob, to become corrupt, to "do whatever I want," and to love no one. The people were given the right to mock the passion of Christ and they joyfully cried out, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." How are such a people worse or better than the Jews, at the instigation of Caiaphas, who proclaimed the same thing? The masses are always a dumb, senseless mob, ignoring the voice of reason and led by goats to their doom. It wasn't the Jews who killed Andrei Bogolyubsky, it wasn't only the Jews and Latvians who robbed and killed their neighbors during the Civil War, it wasn't only the Jews who cried "Hosanna" to Gorbachev and Yeltsin for the sake of the European panties they voluntarily decided to pull over their heads instead of saucepans in 1990, they squandered the country, the majority of people aren't born again, their destiny is to work, or even just to smoke up the sky and, of course, die ingloriously, turning into manure to feed the worms, and they joyfully proclaim "Let us die, let us not become food, but let us not begin to love Christ." "to love someone, I wish someone would love me too" pouring out all the vileness of their vile black souls on anyone who calls for spiritual peace, faith and righteousness, for such a call is a reproach to their shamelessness, and mm it becomes scary, their soul, squeezed in the vice of meanness, begins to manifest itself and they drive it back into the prison cell of their stone heart, and this continues for millennia, but then again, let's not cast pearls before swine....
    
    "Casting pearls before swine" is a phraseological expression that comes from Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount. In the Synodal Translation of the Bible (1816–1862 edition), this phrase reads: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and rend you" (Matthew 7:6).
    
    https://rutube.ru/video/940702a240509a9bb3666796d39ff271/
    
    Now Chipsota will get excited!!! Let's count the downsides
    1. Vladimir1155
      
      0
      
      9 June 2026 04: 14
      
      Anyone who thinks Stalin was an atheist should read his poetry.
      
      He walked from house to house,
      Knocking at other people's doors
      With an old oak panduri
      With a simple song of his own.
      
      And in his song, and in the song -
      How the sun shine is clear
      Great truth sounded
      Sublime dream.
      
      Hearts turned to stone
      Managed to beat
      Many woke up his mind,
      Dozing in deep darkness.
      
      But instead of the greatness of fame
      People of his land
      Outcast Poison
      Presented in a bowl.
      
      They said to him: “Damned,
      Drink, drain to the bottom ...
      And your song is alien to us
      And your truth is not needed! ”
      
      Iveria. 1895. No. 218 (in Georgian. Language).
      Joseph Stalin. Poems. S.
      
      Talk about eternity with you:
      Of course, I'm largely to blame!
      But someone ruled my fate,
      I felt that omnipresent look.
      
      He gave me neither sleep nor peace,
      He lived in me and ruled over me.
      And I, as a slave of the universal spirit,
      Iron will ruled the country.
      
      Who was my secret supreme overlord?
      What did He want by controlling me?
      I, like a slave, judge and executor,
      It was all over this poor country.
      
      And then everything was incomprehensible:
      Where did the strength, will, and power come from?
      My soul is like a wheel of a car
      Shuffling millions of passion.
      
      And only then, in the spring, in 45,
      He whispered softly in my ear:
      - You were my novice, my soldier,
      And your peace is already near!
      1949
      
      He wandered from house to house,
      like a detached demon,
      and in a pensive chant
      I protected the prophetic truth.
      
      Many people have had a revelation
      this song is golden,
      and people thawed out,
      thanking the singer.
      
      But they woke up and staggered,
      were filled with fear,
      a cup filled with poison,
      raised above the ground
      
      and they said: “Drink, you damned one,
      undiluted fate,
      we don't want heavenly truth,
      "Earthly lies are easier for us."
      1. The comment was deleted.
        
        Vladimir1155
        
        0
        
        9 June 2026 09: 20
        
        Thank you! Our people still have strength, faith, and integrity.
        
        The comment was deleted.
    2. beeper
      
      +3
      
      9 June 2026 09: 21
      
      VolodyaNumer, how did you become so proud of your "lofty spirituality" in front of the "lowly serfs"? How did you amuse your bulging inferiority complex with "instructive speeches"?!
      And it doesn’t occur to you, “most luminous and most pure” Volodya1155, “mega-enlightened canonical Holy Scripture expert Christ-lover-denouncer of ignorance,” that your
      
      Pride is one of the deadly sins!
      
      P.S. And so, usually only ignorant people like you speak categorically and, with senile malice, pinch young parishioners in church because, in their opinion, they pray "incorrectly" and do not know all the rules of church services!
      Look at what kind of "church-going unforgiven person" you are, it turns out - "a righteous Christian with a quality mark"?!
      1. Vladimir1155
        
        -3
        
        9 June 2026 09: 40
        
        Quote: pishchak
        don't know all the rules of church requirements
        
        What are you talking about? And what do the services have to do with it? You heard the bell but don't know where it is, showing only your caveman ignorance. You are a typical, stupid victim of the propaganda of Emelya, the Yaroslavl governor.
        
        You are confusing mortal sin, which is subject to repentance and the one who repents will be saved, with eternal destruction for those who rejected Christ. While a believer languishes in his sins but repents and is forgiven, but an unbeliever will die and go to fiery Gehenna breathing fire and brimstone.
        
        beeper
        
        +1
        
        9 June 2026 13: 09
        
        The supposedly "true believer, the pig-bead scatterer" VolodyaNumer, are you, like a mating black grouse, listening to nothing and no one but yourself?!
        Or are you deliberately pretending that you don’t know all the Russian words and that you misunderstand what’s written?!
        It’s precisely about your, Volodya1155, exorbitant pride!
        Here you are pretending to be some kind of "militant non-atheist", a supposed "lover of Christ with a quality mark", a thorough "expert on the Holy Scripture"?!
        Well, so, "the mentor-mentor of the wrong-minded", I only modestly reminded you that this, so pouring out of you, Your, Volodya1155, exorbitant pride is a mortal sin!!!
        If you are such a "true believer," then you should know about this well, as well as about the constitutionally declared freedom of conscience and religion in the Russian Federation!
        And you still don't repent! In that afterlife (you've definitely never been there—I can tell from your words, that's why you don't know about it) there is no Gehenna of Fire; it was created by people themselves in this earthly life!
        And, looking at your idiotic texts, I have some doubts about your adequacy, but I’m not forcing them on anyone, God forbid!
    3. Valera75
      
      +4
      
      9 June 2026 11: 21
      
      Quote: vladimir1155
      Now Chipsota will get excited!!! Let's count the downsides
      
      You wrote so much here, but it turns out you were offended by the downvotes and it got you so carried away?
      And if I tell you to your face that I don’t agree with your opinion, will you pound your fists into the asphalt?
    4. Ales
      
      +2
      
      9 June 2026 15: 58
      
      Vladimir, answer a simple question: do other countries and peoples not have the sins you've written about? Why are we the ones who suffer? What's wrong with Russia?
      1. Vladimir1155
        
        -1
        
        9 June 2026 21: 36
        
        Yes, all other nations have the same problems, so why do you think they live better than you? The life of each individual certainly depends on the nation in which they live, but still, a person's life primarily depends on themselves. Those who choose traditional values achieve victories, while those who take drugs receive their own retribution for their mistakes.
  2. gxmlygw
    
    -1
    
    9 June 2026 12: 04
    
    I'm not a supporter of global Zionism, but I would point out that blaming the Jews for everything isn't worth it. We need to look at ourselves first.
    From the novel "Prologue" by the Great Russian democrat Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky, who dedicated his life to the cause of the revolution:
    
    A miserable nation, a nation of slaves, from top to bottom – all slaves.
    
    That’s all said.
    1. twice-born
      
      +3
      
      9 June 2026 14: 34
      
      Well, yes, and those liberals of those years, like Chernyshevsky, only had free people in Europe! And they even fled to America.
      Wherever you looked, they were all free, cultured, and educated! They didn't obey their tsars or noble lords, and freedom only led to the elite's death in the endless internecine wars, constantly attacking Russia.
7. gxmlygw
  
  +1
  
  9 June 2026 11: 37
  
  I think you'd better stop fooling people with your nonsense, leave worldly affairs, take monastic vows at the monastery closest to your home and devote yourself to serving God.
8. art573
  
  0
  
  13 June 2026 15: 57
  
  Three reasons. Clownish. Completely unrelated to military operations, the work of the rear, and the intelligence services.
  1. Vladimir1155
    
    0
    
    13 June 2026 17: 37
    
    When there is order, decency, honesty, and justice in people's heads, then there is hope for victory, but when there are incorrigible thieves in the rear, and careerists and chaos in the headquarters, then victory is out of sight.
    https://vk.com/video-141529950_456243760
Earl

+ 13

8 June 2026 14: 50

A very instructive story

Especially for the current Master of the Kremlin tablet, to whom Mumu reports daily about great victories.
1. Vladimír Hrabal
  
  +1
  
  8 June 2026 14: 58
  
  Kuzozlev v lednu hlásil Gerasimovi, že osvobodí Kupjansk v lednu nejpozději v únoru. Zapomněl dodat rok osvobození
2. Dingo
  
  +9
  
  8 June 2026 19: 39
  
  Especially for the current Master of the Kremlin tablet, to whom Mumu reports daily about great victories.
  
  Let me remind you how Rostov greeted Prigozhin's column on the march...
  Flowers in the barrels of tanks, people applauding and shouting "Shame" at the policemen who tried to block the tanks with their "tarataikas"...
  ...And how this "Mumu" and the "reindeer herder" Tuvinsky ran ahead of their squeals...
sidorov

+8

8 June 2026 15: 11

Under Nicholas, the country was ruled by people who, like today, had no economic stake in victory. They would have adapted perfectly well to defeat. For example, in Germany, after the collapse of the Reich, large firms continued to operate admirably under occupation, and continue to do so to this day.
1. twice-born
  
  +1
  
  10 June 2026 14: 10
  
  After the destruction of Nazism, Germany wasn't destroyed during the occupation; on the contrary, it was developed to spite its allies, both we and the bourgeoisie. And they'll invade Russia to destroy us, milk the country dry, and discard it (as has already been proven!), not to develop it later, as we did with the Germans!
  1. sidorov
    
    0
    
    1 July 2026 14: 47
    
    Quote: Twice-born
    And they will seize Russia in order to destroy us.
    
    Destroying us isn't an end in itself. It's about business. Maybe not destroying us all, but leaving 20 million, as Hitler wanted? He didn't intend to destroy us all.
    Destroying us is one thing, developing the largest Russian companies, which have already become de facto international, is another. Just like everywhere else, big business has no interest in preserving the state or the people. This is the most important thing to understand, not the idea that "they want to kill us all." No, not all of them. There will be plenty who will adapt... And first and foremost, this applies to today's, supposedly "domestic," big business. So don't put too much faith in its patriotism...
    
    The Germans just got lucky at the end of WWII. They got off surprisingly lightly, considering what they did.
    1. twice-born
      
      0
      
      1 July 2026 15: 03
      
      No, they want to destroy us all, at the very least, and things are working out as they should, but that's what they're aiming for! And whoever adapts is not their concern, as there are always plenty of traitors.
      And what about 15-20 million Russian slaves, as Hitler dreamed of, are you satisfied with?
      When, if they can, they reach 20 million, they will continue to destroy so that there is no source of resistance in the future. They don’t rest on their laurels!
      And under Hitler there simply weren’t any Asian guest workers and emigrants, who have been replacing us for a long time now, that’s why he wanted 15-20 million Russian slaves!
      Now the owners are happy with 15-20 million obedient Asians who will service the "pipeline" and cut down the forest around it in Russia.
Valera75

+ 13

8 June 2026 15: 28

Not wanting to upset the autocrat, reports were submitted to him in the most smoothed-out form possible.

I often hear about our time

The gasoline situation in Crimea is an unfounded hype, says Peskov. And Mr. Peskov wouldn't personally come to Crimea across the bridge and sort out this "unfounded hype" and help the local authorities?

ALIVE

Galya, we've hit a new record! Another rock bottom has been reached. Peskov, while condemning the train attack in Crimea, managed to slip in remarks about our readiness for a peaceful settlement. Once again, a terrorist attack, people died. Peskov claims that this terrorist attack "complicates" the negotiation process. Lord, why did we have to endure all this?!

ALIVE

Reading this, I suspect there are similarities with the reports described in the article.
beeper

+ 11

8 June 2026 15: 32

In principle, it has long been clear to all adequate people who is our "lover of beautiful reports" (out of touch and divorced from reality), a kind of "repetition of history in the form of a farce of the new nobility of their bourgeoisie" and "we are Nicholas II ("we were deceived again" - talking about himself "in the third person")"!
1. I've been sitting for a long time
  
  +4
  
  8 June 2026 19: 33
  
  lover of beautiful reports
  
  This lover is himself a lover of beautiful chatter; listen to the country's enlightenment and prosperity...
  1. beeper
    
    +5
    
    9 June 2026 09: 29
    
    Before this, the SVO thought that VVPutin was so "cunningly" "dodging Minsk agreements" instead of using the favorable opportunity to immediately (practically bloodlessly) put an end to the anti-Russian Maidan coup d'état in Ukraine, caring about the safety of Russian citizens, but it turned out to be completely incapable, absolutely short-sighted, "a strategic advantage (in Strelkov's words)" - Mikha Marked Two!
    1. I've been sitting for a long time
      
      +2
      
      11 June 2026 11: 57
      
      Mikha the Marked Two!
      
      One began the destruction of the country with sweet words, and this one continues the destruction also with sweet words...
Paul3390

+ 20

8 June 2026 15: 35

Comrade Stalin had another trick. Before important meetings, whether military or economic, he had the habit of pulling together low- and mid-level specialists, with whom he would hold long and persistent discussions. This way, he could obtain information directly from the field. And while some reckless People's Commissar might risk a careful lie to Comrade Stalin, some deputy chief engineer at a defense plant—no way. Come on, mislead the Supreme Commander!

Alas, our current guarantor, judging by everything, isn't even trying to obtain truthful information about the state of affairs. He—like his idol, Nicholas II—is perfectly content with beautiful, bravura reports, with all the consequences for us all.
1. sidorov
  
  +3
  
  8 June 2026 15: 49
  
  Quote from Paul3390
  Alas, our current guarantor
  
  He's not a tsar, even though he's a guarantor. The point is, he's still a tsar.
  
  Grand Duke Sergei Romanov told me that in 1913, when the three-hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty was celebrated and Tsar Nicholas was in Kostroma, Nikolai Mikhailovich, also a Grand Duke, ... the author of respectable historical works, said to the Tsar, pointing to a crowd of thousands of peasants:
  “But they are exactly the same as they were in the XNUMXth century, choosing Michael for the kingdom, the same; is it bad, do you think? "
  
  /M. Gorky. "On the Russian Peasantry." 1922/
2. Pavel Mokshanov_2
  
  +3
  
  9 June 2026 10: 02
  
  Going to the people and identifying problems has always been the prerogative of wise rulers. But today's rulers are not familiar with history and, accordingly, don't read history books.
362

+1

8 June 2026 15: 50

But Mekhlis was not only Stalin's informant, but also his special envoy. What kind? Everyone knows.
vlad127490

+4

8 June 2026 15: 55

In Russian history, there's no equivalent to the political power, governance system, or state structure of the Russian Federation. When comparing the performance of state leaders, it's essential to first consider the state's political structure and economic model. How can one compare Nicholas II, Stalin, and Putin? They all know all about "pretty speeches." If "pretty speeches" exist, it means they need them. Why do they need them?
Alexey Kozubovsky

-5

8 June 2026 16: 22

Where do we come from? From the Sunday schools and seminaries of the true Church.
Now regarding the topic: Stalin defeated the Tsar-Martyr and his family with prayer.
Victory must first and foremost be a duo-state. Putin's current Central Military District is a failure because the Darkest One closed churches in 2020 during the epidemic. For an overview of the situation from 1914 to 1922, I recommend Irtenyeva's book "The Colonel's Last Letter," which I bought at a church shop. Regarding the factual part: WWII was a war of engines and communications (wireless and radio). Under Stalin, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief could call a divisional commander or army commander at any time and quickly clarify the situation. Under Nicholas II, this was impossible due to the paucity of communications equipment. For those who criticize the Tsar: he retreated to Pinsk and Baranovichi. Do you need to be told about Stalin's cauldrons near Kiev, Smolensk, and Vyazma? I don't think so. If Stalin hadn't come to his senses (His orders: "Put on your shoulder straps, open the church"), I think you and I would be writing in German. Something matters. kazak.bel
UAZ 452

+ 10

8 June 2026 16: 42

The spiritual heir and admirer of Nicholas now sits in the Kremlin, which means that the country is facing not 1945, but a new 1917.
Platon Verdictov

+1

8 June 2026 17: 29

But both Nikolashka and the current Catherine will be with a richer guy and will certainly not die and will die in the same worn-out boots!
Sergei Fonov

+2

8 June 2026 19: 09

The Tsar was an idealist and believed in "divine providence," while Stalin, despite having studied at a seminary, was a realist and remembered the popular saying, "Trust in God, but don't be a failure yourself." So, both heard what they wanted to hear. Each had their own understanding of the role of the head of state and their own sense of responsibility for the fate of the country. I wonder if we'll also be creating air defense military academies to train oligarchs to protect their facilities from UAVs? Or what?
Dart2027

+2

8 June 2026 19: 26

In fact, the generals simply betrayed.
1. Sergei Fonov
  
  +2
  
  8 June 2026 22: 20
  
  In fact, the generals simply betrayed.
  
  Children aren't even born; there's a process that precedes it all. The process varies, of course, but it's nonetheless present in every endeavor.
  1. Dart2027
    
    -1
    
    9 June 2026 19: 26
    
    Quote: Sergei Fonov
    It’s just that children aren’t even born; there’s a process that precedes all of this.
    
    The process of betrayal.
    1. Sergei Fonov
      
      0
      
      9 June 2026 20: 12
      
      The process of betrayal.
      
      The process of betrayal was preceded by the disintegration of society due to the defeats of World War I. There were no generals on the "barricades" then.
      1. Dart2027
        
        -1
        
        11 June 2026 19: 33
        
        Quote: Sergei Fonov
        There were no generals on the "barricades" then.
        
        If it weren't for the generals, there wouldn't have been any barricades. As for the "defeats," they weren't even close to Napoleon's invasion or the Great Patriotic War, and by the time the coup occurred, it was already clear to everyone that Germany would lose.
twigs

+4

8 June 2026 20: 59

A subtle hint to Putin about the dire circumstances!
Shelest2000

+6

8 June 2026 22: 44

The three-channel system of duplicating sources of information made beautiful lies impossible.

Here's a guy here, as liar as a thousand Trotskys, who recently claimed to be better and more effective than Stalin. Oh, wow! However, he's still been unable to build a similar system for obtaining truthful information for 26 years. Probably because he's a good liar himself...
1. sidorov
  
  -1
  
  9 June 2026 19: 18
  
  Quote: Shelest2000
  There is one character here, a liar like a thousand Trotskys...
  
  Trotsky took Kyiv in 1919 and a second time during the Polish intervention in 1920.
  What did you take?
Flight

+4

8 June 2026 23: 31

How Stalin Overcame the System of "Beautiful Reports" That Killed Nicholas II

I'm more interested in how Singapore dealt with corruption. Because where it exists, you won't get the truth in reports; you'd have to create a triple control system...
1. Vladimir1155
  
  +2
  
  9 June 2026 03: 59
  
  Quote from Voo
  How Stalin Overcame the System of "Beautiful Reports" That Killed Nicholas II
  
  I'm more interested in how Singapore dealt with corruption. Because where it exists, you won't get the truth in reports; you'd have to create a triple control system...
  
  method known tested 1937
vsart

+4

9 June 2026 11: 26

The wise Stalin didn't steal himself and didn't allow others to do so. At the same time, professionalism and talent were highly valued. But demand was also high. Stalin uttered his famous phrase, "Personnel decides everything," in 1935 at a reception honoring graduates of military academies. The role of personality in history cannot be overestimated...

Memory in centuries cannot be bought for gold,
Power and wealth do not bring love.
Only good deeds are sacred to memory,
In them, the worthy honor and conscience are revered...

No one can take away the right to memory,
Thinking and remembering cannot be prohibited.
Nothing can erase human memory,
If you keep good thoughts in it!

More and more often people remember the leaders of justice,
And their ideas and deeds for the happiness of everyone in the Land of Soviets.
And how wretched and worthless, against their background, are the creators of greed,
Those who drove a person into hell, into the abyss of poverty and slavery.

https://stihi.ru/2020/12/18/6193
Glagol1

+1

9 June 2026 17: 48

Today's Kremlin, in terms of its level of information, resembles the Russian Empire of the mid-1910s. The SVR and Naryshkin personally screwed up the assessments they reported to Putin. The Main Directorate of the General Staff also missed the mark by a mile. And the Foreign Ministry also messed up. We also remember the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank—they handed over $300 billion in national reserves to their enemies. So, it's alarming. A draw in the Central Military District would be quite a good outcome now, given the leadership we're under, they could bend us so far that nothing will remain of the country.
And that's why I vote for the LDPR.
1. Flight
  
  +2
  
  10 June 2026 04: 10
  
  Will the Liberal Democrats cope? How will they do it? Will they change the sign to "Patriot Democrats" and then start fixing the problems?
2. Shelest2000
  
  +4
  
  10 June 2026 19: 32
  
  And that's why I vote for the LDPR.
  
  For whom?! For these clowns, these chatterbox entertainers? Oh, what an interesting case.
  Back in the 90s, the LDPR was created to steal votes from the Communist Party. Zhirinovsky was one of those people who says one thing, thinks another, and does a third. He loudly criticized the government from the podium, but when it came to voting on bills and passing laws, the LDPR was ineffective. always, I repeat - always! They voted in favor of the ruling party! They're political prostitutes. They've remained quiet to this day. A typical spoiler party. Just like the so-called A Just Russia and New People. Sorry, but it's the same shit, just different varieties.
Yumico

+1

11 June 2026 06: 38

Nicholas II was lied to by literally everyone in his entourage, which ultimately led the country to disaster. The generals and the War Ministry inflated the enemy's actual losses and understated their own. They concealed the scale of the "shell shortage" and desertion, and attributed all their failures at the front solely to "objective causes" or intrigues from the rear. Not wanting to upset the autocrat, reports were submitted to him in the most tame form possible.

Well, and other nonsense!
And now the correct answer:

Emperor Nicholas II played a key role in World War I: not only did he declare mobilization in 1914, but in August 1915 he personally took command of the Russian Army, assuming the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief...

It reminds me of something, and parallels can be drawn with something...
art573

+1

13 June 2026 16: 13

Under the current government and president in the Kremlin, we won't win the war. They're compromisers and weaklings, and they don't conduct any non-political or special operations abroad. On the contrary, under Vladimir Putin, the Russian army was reduced – under Serdyukov, 145000 service members were dismissed, and under Ivanov, another 40. Military academies were closed en masse, and air defense forces were dismantled. All actions under the current head of state and his deputies have led to a reduction in the state component of Russia. The mere existence of the Federal Agency for State Property Management (Rosimushchestvo) is a means of selling off state assets to private individuals (who don't care about the state or society). In 1944, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Bulganin was appointed to the State Defense Committee instead of Voroshilov (on March 3, 1947, N. A. Bulganin was appointed Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR). As the Military Encyclopedic Dictionary notes, he “directly supervised the transition of the army and navy from a wartime to a peacetime position, the number of which decreased from 11 million people in May 1945 to 2,874 million people by 1948 [9].” From March 5, 1947 to April 7, 1950, he was concurrently Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In addition, from May 1947 to August 1949, he was Chairman of Committee No. 2 (jet technology) under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. What people they were! And now dancing... with a tambourine.