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YSK: Deezer, the music streaming service, is owned by a company whose Founder and CEO is a Russian Oligarch with connections to the Kremlin and donates to the American Republican party. (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago* by to c/youshouldknow@lemmy.world
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The company is Access Industries and the Founder and Owner is Leonard Blavatnik

Along with what's in the title, he is accused of reputation laundering against Ukraine and has been personally sanctioned by Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was also part of a WhatsApp group involving some of the United States' most powerful business leaders with the stated goals of "changing the narrative" in favour of Israel and "helping win the war" against Gaza.

Everything is in the linked Wikipedia article about him, mostly under the "Controversies and disputes" part.

I switched to Deezer after seeing it recommended as a better Spotify alternative here on Lemmy, but after finding all this I immediately stopped using it. It's as bad as the shit Spotify does and has done IMO. I'm not here to recommend or push an alternative, but if I can give info on what I use now if someone asks.

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[–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

YSK that he grew up in Yaroslavl, Russia to Russian-speaking Jewish parents. Calling him "Ukrainian" just because he was born in Odesa during the Soviet Union is misleading. He had/has close ties to the Russian state and became wealthy off of Russian oil and aluminium deposits in the 90s.

So yes, you can blame "the Russians", but you should rather blame the system.

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  • [–] -3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    He emigrated to the US in 1978.
    He has dual US/UK citizenship,like many horrible zionists. Studied at Columbia.
    "became wealthy off of Russian oil and aluminium deposits in the 90s."
    Like many western oligarch who leeched the ex-soviet states under Gorbachev and Yeltzin, the sell outs.
    These are facts, completely ridiculous to demonise Russia for this american-brit POS just bcs he has Russian roots.
    " but you should rather blame the system."
    What system?
    If you mean the US/UK horrible imperialist and colonial warmongers and genocide supporters causing misery in the world then yes.
    Glad they are circling the drain, their time is over.
    You can cry about evil Russia, China or whatever, that won't change reality.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    You know what's completely ridiculous? Your black or white view of the world. Reality is that there is no benevolent state or any kind of financially succesful entity that isn't built on some form of exploitation. The Western system is evil. So is Russia for sure. China. UAE and the Saudis. You have India now rising by building strong ties with USA and Israel. There's no geopolitical force that's built on good. That you're incapable of realising that and just go "West bad so everyone else good" is quite telling about you. Besides, Russian Jews - strongly overrepresented in the oligarchs statistics - traditionally have strong ties to the Israeli state and Zionism. Russia's - like everyone else's - current interests are only based on what they perceive to be the most gainful. If Putin could've benefitted from siding with Israel instead of the China-Iran-Assad axis he would've done so immediately. To even suggest that Russia is anti-Zionist out of benevolence is insane.

    Besides you now say he has "Russian roots" but right before you were attempting to convince people that he was "Ukrainian". So

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  • [–] -3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    There is no discussion which one is the evil one.
    The US (and vasals) with it's eternal wars, meddling and regime changes, 800 bases around the world threatening their enemies.
    Or Russia, that had no choice but to react against NATO and their expansion right up to the border with the inevitability of nukes too close to defend against.
    Oh no, they're so horrible!
    Really give it up, the majority of the world doesn't give a fuck about the western russophobia and knows who's at fault.
    Asia, Africa or S-America know who to xhose between Russia, China or 'the west' who have done nothing their entire existance but colonialism and leeching.
    Now go cry somewhere else, you bore me and haven't got a leg to stand on.
    Might as well be shilling for Shitrael, which I also have no tolerance for.
    Blocking you.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Don't you tell me Russia hasn't been waging wars. That's an insane statement. Even looking past Ukraine, since the breakdown of the Russian Empire 2.0 (aka the Soviet Union) Russia has invaded Georgia twice, Transnistria, Chechnya twice, and Dagestan, as well as having upheld Al-Assad's regime - don't tell me that guy isn't evil even if he stood up to Israel - and are now heavily involved in Burkina Faso, Mali, and the CAR. Now do you want to talk about all the shit Russia got up to between 1920 - 1991? Or the countless genocides of the Russian Empire as well as the continuous oppression of ethnic minorities in the Caucasus and Siberia, including using them as human meat shields in Ukraine?

    The West deserves hate, but so does Russia. Don't be a tankie idiot. No one is choosing Russia because Russia isn't that important anymore. Others are choosing China and that makes sense.

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