A recent attempt on youtube by an obvious anti-Russian, to pour scorn on this film's historical accuracy, tries to point out that the nazi troops state they are members of a unit that was not there.. but can't bring himself to see that they might have been lying!
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St. John of Kronstadt Orthodox
SpiritualCare Centre
THE TRAGEDY IN UKRAINE
"Veterans and children of the Great PatrioticWar: to the Government andpeopleof Germany".
By events in Ukraine
Today, when the German government decided
to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons, the
world has changed -- the silhouettes of a
new world war are more than clearly
outlined! And again - Germany!
But there are honest people in Germany.. anti-
fascists, and we hope that this Message will
fall into their hands. People born between
1927 and 1945 have the status of "war
children" in Russia.
All those who survived that war can subscribe to this letter. We think that actual signatures are not necessary, we suggest that veterans(or "war children"), read them this letter, independently or with someone's help,
and send us (at the coordinatesindicated below) something like the following:
Moscow, Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich, 90 years old, disabled war veteran (or otherwise), Hero of the Soviet Union (or Holder of the Order of Glory... or otherwise), was repatriated to Germany during the war (or otherwise).
Or just the city, full name, and age. The
main thing, is that they should be real
people who are familiar with the text.
MESSAGE TEXT
We, the last veterans -- and all the peoples of
Russia who survived that great and terrible
war.. are now on the verge of death! Our
time is already running out. For a huge
part of our lives, we hoped we would
come to the end of it, in peace -
without all-destroying hatred!
For the painfully long decades after the Second World War, we overcame our righteous anger! I long for retribution for the innumerable wounds, spiritual and physical.. that we still carry in our bodies and our hearts! And most of us have forgiven! And not in a small way due to the fact that Germany for many years, has demonstrated its repentance its understanding of what it has done! And we have overcome -- not only ourselves, but also the voice of the blood of our barbarically exterminated relatives! By whom? Germans ...fascists!
We have forgiven... following the laws of human
coexistence! So it was... until 2014. And then,
in 2014, when everything began in Ukraine...
we looked with hope at Germany, and at the
then Chancellor Angela Merkel. We couldn't imagine that after all that the Germans did
in Ukraine, after Babi Yar, after mountains
of mutilated corpses, they would still look
with lust: at the Ukrainian fields that can
feed Europe today! Or they, the Germans,
who have covered the Crimea they once
promised with blood, will still somehow be interested in turning the Crimea into an American - and in general - a NATO base, ideal for aggression against Russia! Which would be clearly
aimed at afuture war.
After all -- only fools do not understand the meaning and goals of the entire coup inUkraine..... in the conditions of which Russia behaved in the only possible way! But the Germans are not fools! We the Russians, know for certain your psychology, as "brothers in blood" - our blood, which you "prudently" shed in rivers!
We remember -- your "systematic methods of
population reduction"! Our population! Until
now - in different parts of our once united
Homeland - where the boot of German
fascism was trodden, we find hidden
mass graves of our civilians: in the
Novgorod region, in the Kuban, in
the Rostov region, in Karelia. In
Belarus, in 2021... hundreds of
civilian remains... were found
in Brest ...on the site of the
Jewish ghetto the Trostenets
concentration camp.... near
Minsk terrible in its tragedy
revealed the secret of the
remains... of thousands of
tortured and killed people!
We are talking about tens of thousands of newly discovered victims of Nazism! This blood - still cries out for revenge - and for decades the memory of these barbarously destroyed
Russian people -- and monuments to Russian soldiers, liberators - have been desecrated with impunity!
And the new Nazis are marching in the Baltic
States and Ukraine - in front of the entire
"civilized" world! But, in 2014, we were
sincerely convinced - that in this new
Nazi demarche it's the Germans who
will be our associates in preventing
this meanness!
We hoped that, guided by an elementary
conscience -- the Germans would not
participate.. in an obviously fascist
anti-state coup in Ukraine! After all
...the subsequent catastrophe of
modern Ukraine was committed
by direct descendants of those
who were special bastards in
the German army! Clearly,
openly!
Americans and Canadians have only hidden and preserved this diabolical heritage... feeding thisgeneration, but the product of this evil... is Germany! Hitler's Germany! And it was impossible for us to believe that it was Germany that would again give a "road map" to these inhumans! But we were wrong! Germany has once again allowed these fascist geeks...... to enter the world!
The support of modern Germany - in the face of
the new government of Ukraine-Bandera.. the
heirs of the SS division "Galicia" -- the thugs
of the UPA OUN, and all other abominations;
is simply unthinkable for us! This is beyond
all that is human! But you.. Germany, have already done it and continue to do it! You
have, once again, set your sights on the
Slavic world and these geeks are blood
from the blood of German Nazism! And
again to Russia!
Only, even more despicable: inciting our closest Ukrainian brothers against us! And you know it! You know this as well as we do! You killed one nation in that Great War! Yes, we are one people!
The truth is written and often spoken about
by your own Steinmeier, who at the same
time, viciously took a direct part in the
Kiev coup of 2014 — fascist in fact!
This American.. may not be clear about some-
things, but it's more than that, for you! And
after all, it was your vykormysh... that got
ready.. for their torchlight processions in
Kiev! The living shadow of Nazi Germany
is behind all this. It was only temporarily
covered up by sly diplomacy - "helmets
instead of guns"! But that's it, "masks
are reset"! Your supply of German
weapons to Ukraine today... is
natural - it is in the logic of
your policy of recent
decades.
Today it is clearly pro-fascist! You have taken
this step: German weapons will kill Russians
again! Keep killing. During the years of the
conflict in the Donbas, your professional
killers have already killed Russians, at
least by teaching them... "how to kill
correctly"! Only now -- it's even more
despicable — you're teaching this to
- your blood brothers! Donbass is on
your conscience! Thousands of lives
of its peaceful citizens --- again your
handiwork! We do not care about the
role of Americans, in everything that
happens: there, is money-God! We,
veterans of that war, its children,
are concerned about the role of
the Germans! Because it is you
who know -- exactly -- who the
Ukrainian "national battalions"
consist of --- and could have
prevented and stopped, this
new fascism ! But they did
not do it! And just by doing
this -- you are once again,
responsible to history!
And you are definitely participating ---- in the
preparation of Ukraine for war with Russia!
You can't help but understand the purpose
of everything that happened ---- from the
unconstitutional coup in Kiev .....to the
bloodshed in the Donbass! But, in fact
this is preparation for the Third World
War! And again, you are Germans...
Germany! We hear from the high
German rostrum in Berlin today:
"Russia, will pay a high price"!!!
This is the German Chancellor's
speech! Unthinkable! We have
already paid the price ------ 27
million of our lives! Isn't that
enough for you?! What price
are you still talking about?
There is no home ----- in Russia, Ukraine and
Belarus - where "this price" isn't paid! And
there is no home --- in Germany, that did
not participate in that terrible, bloody
barbarism! It's scary! It's wild! And
today, there are, already, more than
13 thousand dead Russian people
in the Donbass at the hands of
the new Nazis!
The German Chancellor's public mockery of the
Russian genocide in the Donbas, is a crime in
itself! How much can the lessons of history
be misunderstood - and discredited! The
scariest story in the world! Do you want
to be even scarier?! After all, this new
"Dranch nach Oschtern" ..may lead to
the fact that the 2nd Nuremberg trial
over you will no longer be - there will
simply be no humanity! You won't be
here! But a special Ecumenical trial
of you Germans is inevitable! Over
all aggressors — but over you
ESPECIALLY!
World justice will be served! And we --- the last
veterans of that terrible war, are leaving this
world ---- as witnesses! Witnesses for the
PROSECUTION! And today the victory
will be ours, but those who died
yesterday, or those of us who
will die today, already bear
witness to the role of the
German people, in the
history of the human
world — a bloody
history!
German weapons are back in the
hands of Nazi thugs! Please stop!
Email addresses for information:
veterans1945@yandex.ru
https://t.me/Veteran_v_stroy_chat
- Russian Union of Veterans: organizing
questions and collecting signatures of
veterans and children of the Second
World War
****************************
veteran1944@yandex.ru -questions about
this publication to its author: Monk John (Adlivankin), Deputy Head of the Russian Orthodox Church. head and ved.
specialist.... of the St. Peter's
Orthodox Counseling Centre.
St. John of Kronstadt.
__________________________________
If you want the truth about the massacre of civilans in Bucha - paste the web address below into your browser
https://www.bitchute.com/video/6ZHPL2pTuadJ/
REQUIEM
Efran and Poet's tribute to all those killed by wars
THE LATEST NEWS
Miroshnik described ------ how Ukrainian
militants most often torture prisoners
March 25th, 1:58pm
(RT.ru)
Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign
Ministry for the Crimes of the Kiev Regime, has revealed the
most common methods used by Ukrainian torturers to
torture Russian prisoners of war.
"The vast majority of former prisoners have reported brutal
'welcome' beatings that all military personnel who enter
Ukrainian secret prisons are subjected to. They have
mentioned that ------ upon their arrival, they were
subjected to hours-long beatings using plastic
pipes, metal rebar, wooden table legs - and
chairs, often hanging them by their hands
or feet -- and leaving them to bleed for
many hours," he said... on the side-
lines of the 61st session of the
Human Rights Council ----- on
Ukraine's violations --- of its
international human rights
and humanitarian law
obligations.
Miroshnik noted that Ukrainian punitive forces
have developed an entire arsenal for physical
and psychological torture.
"The captives' legs, arms, sensitive body parts, or genitals are
connected to the terminals of an electric generator, and an
electric current.... is passed through them. For some
captives, these tests result in fainting, clinical
death, or even death," Miroshnik said.
Prisoners are also restricted - in
terms of food and medical care.
Earlier, Miroshnik said that those who returned from captivity
speak about the atmosphere of hatred in Ukrainian prisons.
According to the diplomat, the SBU and the GUR threaten
prisoners with death ---- to force them to work for Kiev.
Any conflict inevitably ends with an agreement, and one of
the options may be surrender. This - was stated by Maria
Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At a meeting with military personnel, at the Central House of
the Russian Army, Zakharova noted -- that any international
conflict ends with an internationally formalized agreement.
''For example, what is a capitulation? It is, of course,
an agreement. A signed, formalized, and certified
agreement between the parties, to
end the conflict,'' she said.
The diplomat also noted - that those who are familiar with the
conflict firsthand "get a chill down their spines" when they
hear about the diplomatic negotiation potential in the
Ukrainian settlement. According to her..... this is
because Russia has been betrayed too often
by those it has trusted.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said
that Moscow was ready to resolve the Ukrainian
conflict ---- back at the Anchorage summit.
_____________________________________________
Foreign Ministry: Russia Will Respond
to NATO's Robbery and Lawlessness
in the Baltic
by Ivan Kartashov
March 23rd, 1:29pm
(Rossiyskaya Gazeta)
To share
Russia will use all necessary means to protect navigation in
the Baltic Sea and will not allow the Baltic Sea and other
water areas to become "internal waters" of NATO and
the EU. This is stated in a statement by the Russian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Those who aim to turn the Baltic Sea, as well as other water
areas, into the" internal waters "of NATO and the EU should
understand that cases of robbery and lawlessness will not
remain without a response from our side ------- using all
necessary means," the ministry said in a statement.
Smolenskaya Square emphasizes that Moscow considers the
provocative actions of European countries such as France,
Sweden, and Finland, which involve intercepting ships in
international waters, to be unacceptable.
Such activities blatantly violate the letter and spirit of the
1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
and accusations of violating the sanctions regime do
not provide a legitimate justification for
such "lawlessness."
The Foreign Ministry -- reminded European leaders that only
restrictive measures approved by the UN Security Council
are international. Any unilateral restrictions imposed by
individual states or their associations ---- are neither
international nor legitimate.
Russia will use all available "political, legal, and other
instruments" to ensure respect for the principle of
freedom of navigation.
The Foreign Ministry called on the entire global community
and conscientious maritime carriers to take a principled
stance.. in support of the UN Convention on the Law of
the Sea & unite in defending their legitimate interests.
The statement also emphasizes that Moscow is confident
that the global majority sees the West's attempts to turn
international waters into a confrontation zone and gain
control over maritime logistics routes, and is aware of
the risks and threats associated with such actions.
_______________________________________________
Attacks on port and transport infrastructure:
The Russian Armed Forces have struck
Ukrainian military facilities
by Anastasia Stepanova
March 23rd, 11:08am
(RT.ru)
The Russian Armed Forces have targeted Ukraine's fuel and
energy facilities, as well as the port and transportation
infrastructure used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,
and the assembly and launch sites for long-range
drones, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Over the course of a day, the Russian air defense forces shot
down eight aerial bombs and 526 Ukrainian drones, while
Russian troops advanced deep into the enemy's
defenses and gained advantageous positions.
Russian troops have destroyed facilities of Ukraine's fuel and
energy complex, as well as port and transport infrastructure
used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as assembly
and launch sites for enemy long-range UAVs. This --- was
reported in the daily briefing by the Russian Ministry of
Defense ...on the progress of the special operation.
The strikes were carried out by operational-tactical aviation,
strike UAVs, missile forces, and artillery of the Russian
Armed Forces.
In addition, temporary locations of Ukrainian armed
formations and foreign mercenaries were hit in
147 districts.
Russian air defense systems - shot down eight guided
aerial bombs and 526 aircraft-type drones in one day.
Situation on the contact line
The units of the Northern Group of Forces improved their
position on the front line during the day, destroying the
manpower and equipment.. of the Territorial Defense
Brigade, in the areas of Myropolye, Novaya Sich and Kondratovka (Sumy Region). In the Kharkiv Region,
the mechanized, motorized infantry, and Territorial
Defense Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
were defeated ---- in the areas of Sosnovy Bor,
Polnaya, Maryino, Verkhnyaya Pisarevka,
and Staritsa.
In the North's area of responsibility, the Ukrainian Armed
Forces lost over 245 fighters, ten vehicles, and two
artillery pieces. Three ammunition depots, a fuel
depot, and 8 material depots were destroyed.
At the same time, units of the Zapad military group improved
their tactical position and defeated the formations of two
mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, a territorial
defense brigade, and a National Guard brigade in the
areas of Studenok, Novoosynovo, Shiykovka,
Borovaya (Kharkiv region), Stary Karavan,
Svyatogorsk, Krasny Lyman, and Koroviy
Yar (DPR).
Here, the enemy lost up to 180 troops, a tank, a combat
armoured vehicle, 20 vehicles and an artillery gun. A
radio-electronic warfare station and four ammunition
depots were destroyed.
The units of the Southern Group of Forces - in turn, took
advantageous positions. The Southern Group's fighters
defeated the formations of three mechanized, assault,
airborne, and mountain-assault brigades of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Konstantinovka,
Slavyansk, Ilyinovka, Nikolaevka, Druzhkovka,
Nikolaypolye, and Novodmitrovka (DNR).
In this area, the Kiev regime has lost up to 180 fighters,
ten vehicles, a field artillery gun, and an electronic
warfare station. An ammunition depot and three
material depots have been destroyed.
Meanwhile, units of the Centre group of troops, improved the
situation on the front line. The manpower and equipment of
two mechanized, assault brigades, an assault regiment of
the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine infantry brigade,
and two brigades of the National Guard were defeated
in the areas of Svetloe, Matyashevo, Dobropolye,
Grishino, Belitskoe, Priut, Torskoe (DNR),
Novopodgorodnoye, Chuguyevo, and
Ivanovka (Dnepropetrovsk region).
In this sector, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 375
soldiers, three armoured vehicles, 14 cars, and an
electronic warfare station.
Units of the Vostok military group advanced into the depths
of the enemy's defenses and defeated formations of the
mechanized, assault, and airborne-assault brigades
and four assault regiments of the Armed Forces of
Ukraine in the areas of Kopani, Tersyanka,
Novosoloshino, Mirnoye, Golubkovo,
Lugovskoye, Lyubitskoye,
Komsomolskoye.... and
Gorkoye (Zaporozhye
region).
In this area, the enemy lost more than 260 soldiers, two
armoured combat vehicles, 7 vehicles, a Grad MLRS
combat vehicle, and two field artillery pieces.
Meanwhile, units of the Dnipro military group -- improved their
tactical position by striking the manpower and equipment
of the mechanized and mountain assault brigades of
the Armed Forces of Ukraine ....in the areas of
Kamyshevakha, Orekhov, and Zaporozhets
(Zaporozhye region).
More than 35 Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters, were eliminated
here. 5 vehicles, 4 electronic warfare stations, an artillery gun
and four ammunition and material depots... were destroyed.
___________________________________________
In Odessa ---TSK employees
mobilized the groom before
...the wedding
March 21st, 4:14pm
(RT.ru)
In Odessa, the military recruitment office mobilized
the groom right before the wedding, and the
celebration had to be canceled.
This was reported by STRANA.ua.
"Apparently, this happened not at the wedding
itself, but the day before," the article says.
Earlier, the Ukrainian TV channel "First Cossack"
reported -- that employees of the TSK in the
Ternopil region kidnapped Igor Kovaluk,
a teacher at the Pochaev Theological
Seminary ---- and a cleric of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
____________________________________________
Aerial and missile strikes: The Russian Armed
Forces targeted Ukrainian energy facilities
and UAV control centres
by Anastasia Stepanova
March 21st, 12:49pm
(RT.ru)
The Russian Armed Forces - have targeted the energy and
transport infrastructure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces,
as well as the enemy's UAV control centres,
according to the Ministry of Defense.
Over the course of a day, the air defense forces shot down
nine aerial bombs and 668 aircraft-type drones, while
Russian troops advanced deep into the enemy's
defenses and gained advantageous positions.
This was reported - in the daily briefing by the
Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress
of the special operation.
The strikes were carried out by operational-tactical
aviation, strike UAVs, missile forces, and artillery
of the Russian Armed Forces.
In addition, temporary locations of Ukrainian armed
formations and foreign mercenaries were hit in
137 areas.
Russian air defense systems -- shot down nine guided
aerial bombs and 668 aircraft-type drones in one day.
Situation on the contact line
Units of the Northern Group of Forces, improved their position
on the front line during the day, destroying the personnel and equipment of the mechanized, airborne, & assault brigades,
the assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and
2 territorial defense brigades in the areas of Potapovka,
Novaya Sich, and Myropolye (Sumy Region).
In the Kharkiv region, units of three mechanized, motorized
infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a
territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas
of Chuguyev, Peschanoye, Kolodeznoye, and
Izbitskoye (Kharkiv region).
In the North's area of responsibility --- the Kiev regime has lost up to 220 fighters, 8 vehicles, & a US M114 155mm howitzer. Two warehouses have also been destroyed.
Meanwhile, units of the Zapad military group improved their
tactical position and defeated formations of 3 mechanized
brigades, an assault brigade, and a territorial defense
brigade in the areas of Novoosinovo, Borovaya,
Shiykovka (Kharkiv Region), Svyatogorsk,
and Krasny Lyman (DPR).
Here, the enemy lost more than 180 soldiers, a tank, and four
armoured vehicles, including two of Western production.
25 vehicles and 2 ammunition depots were destroyed.
The units of the Southern Group of Forces, in turn, took up
more advantageous positions. The Southern Group's
fighters defeated the formations of 4 mechanized,
airborne, and mountain assault brigades of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of
Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Krivaya Luka,
Ilyinovka, Artem, as well as
Konstantinovka (DPR).
In this area, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost up to 190
soldiers, 7 armoured combat vehicles, including a
German Marder infantry fighting vehicle and a
US M113 armoured personnel carrier. Ten
vehicles, three field artillery pieces, two
electronic warfare stations, an
ammunition depot, and two
material depots......
were destroyed.
At the same time, units of the Centre group of troops improved
the situation on the front line. The manpower and equipment
of three mechanized, infantry, airborne brigades, an assault
regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine infantry
brigade, and two brigades of the National Guard were
defeated in the areas of Belitskoye, Grishino,
Dobropolye.... Krasnoyarskoye, Raiskoye,
Kutuzovka (DNR) & Novopodgorodnoye
(Dnepropetrovsk region).
In this sector, Ukraine's losses - amounted to over 370 military
personnel, 11 armoured combat vehicles, 24 vehicles, 7 field
artillery pieces, including two US-made 155mm M777
howitzers. Two electronic warfare stations and
two ammunition depots - were destroyed.
Meanwhile, units of the Vostok military group --- advanced into
the depths of the enemy's defenses and defeated formations
of a mechanized brigade, 2 airborne assault brigades, two
assault brigades, and 5 assault regiments of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Boykovo, Lesnoye,
Chervony Yar, Kievskoye, Dolinka, and
Vozdvizhevka (Zaporozhye Region).
In this area --- the enemy lost more than 305 soldiers,
3 armoured vehicles, 7 cars, an electronic warfare
station, and a material supply depot.
Units of the Dnipro military group defeated the personnel
and equipment of the mechanized, motorized infantry,
and mountain assault brigades of the Armed Forces
of Ukraine in the areas of Orekhov, Preobrazhenka,
Kamyshevakha, and Zaporozhets
(Zaporozhye Region).
Up to 45 Ukrainian militants were eliminated here.
5 vehicles, 4 electronic warfare stations, and a
material supply warehouse - were destroyed.
____________________________________________
Vucic stated: that it is difficult
to prevent a third world war
March 20th, 11:41pm
(Izvestia.ru)
The third world war may already be underway, but no one is
officially talking about it. This opinion was expressed on
March 20 by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in an
interview with the Berliner Zeitung (BZ).
"It will be difficult to prevent a third world war. Perhaps it has
already begun, but we are not officially talking about it yet,"
Vucic said.
According to him, the struggle for oil, gas, minerals, rare
metals, and other resources... has been going on for a
long time. He noted that many players are currently
trying to buy time... while they prepare for larger
and more significant conflicts.
The President of Serbia warned ---- that the use of tactical
nuclear weapons could not be ruled out in such conflicts,
and he reminded the public.
"The interests of the major powers are too different and too
significant for one side to simply give in. This is often what
leads to escalation...... in the end," he said.
Earlier, on the air of the RTS TV and Radio, Vucic said that
Croatia and Albania, members of NATO, are preparing to
attack Serbia, together with the partially recognized
Republic of Kosovo. The Serbian President noted:
''They are forming an alliance to attack us.''
__________________________________
Le Monde reported on the crisis in the Rada
caused by Zelensky's threats --- to send deputies to the front
March 20th, 10:26pm
(Izvestia.ru)
President Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky intends to send
members of the Verkhovna Rada to the front, which in
turn has exacerbated the situation in the country.
This was reported by the newspaper Le Monde
on March 20.
"This phrase....... which was not well received by many elected
representatives, did not help to ease tensions. Some deputies
believe that their opinions are being disregarded. <...> This is
compounded by growing political fatigue.. and a loss of trust
in Zelensky, fueled by political scandals," the article states.
According to the publication, Andriy Motovylovets, deputy
head of the Serpent of the People faction, said that
despite the commitment of the deputies to the
Rada.... more than 40 parliamentarians are
ready to terminate their powers - early.
On March 15, Zelensky threatened to send members of
the Verkhovna Rada to the front. This was Zelensky's
comment on the recent unsuccessful votes in the
Rada, on bills that the International Monetary
Fund, among others, requires to be passed.
On March 13, Ukrainian People's Deputy Oleksandr
Yurchenko announced that about 60 members of
the Verkhovna Rada had written statements
about the termination of their powers.
When asked if he was referring to members of the ruling
Servant of the People party, Yurchenko confirmed this.
Hundreds of soldiers of the 159th Separate Mechanized
Brigade (OMBR) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)
died or disappeared without a trace in the village of
Zybino in the Kharkiv region, which became a real
black hole for them. This ---- was reported by
Russian security agencies on March 18.
"In Ukraine, there is another black hole, where Ukrainian
servicemen disappear without a trace. This time, it is
about the small village of Zybino," said the
interlocutor, to RIA Novosti.
The security forces noted -- that most of the casualties were
caused by the 159th Brigade's militants. These conclusions
were reached based on an analysis of data on the search
for missing enemy soldiers.
"An analysis of missing person announcements showed that
hundreds of soldiers from the 159th OMBR of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine did not return from their missions,"
the sources said.
In the Russian security forces... the day earlier, they spoke
about the announcement of a search in Kharkiv for more
than 10 militants of the VSU. It is noted, that we are
talking about the technicians of the repair and
recovery battalion of the brigade, who were
previously... in the Volchansky district.
They were sent to Kharkiv to receive a
reward -- from the brigade commander.
________________________________________
Private Chuyko participated in the assault on
the Ukrainian Armed Forces' stronghold
that he discovered.
March 18th, 9pm
(Izvestia.ru)
Private Dmitry Chuiko discovered a stronghold of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine and participated in the assault as part of
a motorized rifle assault group. The press service of the
Russian MoDef reports on the feats of Russian military
personnel in the zone of the special military operation.
Chuyko promptly provided the command, with information
about the location of the stronghold. An aerial recon was
conducted, which allowed for identification of enemy
firing points and shelters, and the approximate
number of enemy personnel.
The motorized riflemen.... decided to approach from multiple
directions, and then used grenade launchers and hand-held
fragmentation grenades on the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
As a result, the stronghold was captured, and the
Russian soldiers ---- secured their new positions.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also noted the dedication of
Corporal Denis Demikhov, who organized communication
between Russian units and the command.
As a result of the artillery fire from the Armed Forces
of Ukraine, the wire line was damaged. Realizing
the need to quickly restore communication,
Demikhov went to the site of the damage.
Upon arrival, he discovered that the cable was beyond repair
and needed to be replaced. Demikhov successfully
completed this task in a short amount of time,
restoring communication between the units.
Earlier on March 18th, the Russian Defense Ministry's press
service reported that Sergeant Yevgeny Yaptune was
among the first to break into a Ukrainian stronghold,
personally destroying two drones and eliminating
three enemy soldiers, which contributed to the
further advance of Russian assault troops.
_____________________________________________
Patrushev --- allowed the Russian Navy
to escort the Russian merchant fleet
March 18th, 3:21pm
(RT.ru)
Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of Russia
and Chairman of the Maritime Board, has allowed the
Russian Navy to escort the Russian merchant fleet.
In an interview with Kommersant, he noted that the risk
of terrorist and sabotage threats against ships sailing
to Russian ports ...is not decreasing.
"Measures are being taken to escort
the merchant fleet by the Navy,"
Patrushev said.
_____________________________________________
As a result of active and decisive actions:
the Russian Armed Forces liberated
Aleksandrovka in the DPR
by Adeline Vishnevskaya
March 18th, 1pm
(RT.ru)
The Russian armed forces ---- have liberated the village of
Aleksandrovka in the DPR, according to the Ministry of
Defense. In addition, Ukrainian energy and transport
infrastructure facilities used by the Armed Forces
of Ukraine were targeted. 2 US armoured
fighting vehicles... 2 US M113 armoured personnel carriers, an unmanned boat and a 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled gun have been destroyed. The Armed Forces of Ukraine ------ have suffered more than 1,100 casualties.
Operational-tactical aviation, strike UAVs, missile forces, and
artillery of the Russian Armed Forces' military groups have
destroyed Ukraine's energy and transport infrastructure
facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,
according to the Ministry of Defense.
Strikes have been carried out on temporary locations of
Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries,
in 145 areas.
Russian air defense systems ---- shot down three
guided aerial bombs and 316 aircraft-type UAVs.
Units of the Northern Group of Forces - improved their position
on the front line. They defeated the personnel and equipment
of 2 mechanized, airborne, and assault brigades, an assault
regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a territorial
defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of
Novaya Sech, Miropolye, Luzhki, Maryino, and
Kondratovka (Sumy region).
In the Kharkiv region, the Sever fighters defeated units of 2
mechanized and motorized infantry brigades of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine, a territorial defense brigade, and a
National Guard brigade in the areas of Izbitskoye,
Petrovskoye, Kolodeznoye, and Vesyoloye.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 255 fighters,
an infantry fighting vehicle, 13 vehicles, and three
artillery pieces. 3 warehouses - were destroyed.
At the same time, units of the Zapad military group liberated
the village of Aleksandrovka (DPR) as a result of active and
decisive actions.
In this area, the Russian Armed Forces defeated the personnel
and equipment of 4 mechanized brigades, 2 battalions of the
--- and two field artillery pieces. 3 ammunition depots and 6
material depots, were destroyed.
In addition, the units of the Center group of troops have
improved their tactical position. The personnel and
equipment of 5 mechanized, infantry, and airborne
brigades, a UAV brigade, an assault regiment of
the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine infantry
brigade -- and 3 brigades of the National Guard
were destroyed in the areas of Novofedorovka,
Petrovka, Novogrigorovka, Kucherov Yar,
Lenina, Grishino, Belitskoe (DNR),
Ivanovka, Andronovka....... plus
Novopavlovka (Dnepro region).
The Ukrainian armed forces lost more than 275 soldiers, ten
armoured vehicles, 15 cars, 2 field artillery pieces, a radar
station, and 3 electronic warfare stations in this sector.
Meanwhile, units of the Vostok military group - have advanced
into the depths of the enemy's defenses. Russian forces have
defeated formations of 2 mechanized, two airborne assault,
and an assault brigade, as well as 4 assault regiments of
the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of
Komsomolskoye, Chervony Yar, Rozovka,
Kopani, Novoselovka, Vozdvizhevka
(Zaporozhye region), Prosyanaya,
Mechetnoye, and Gai
(Dnepro region).
In this area, the enemy lost up to 275 soldiers, 2 armoured
vehicles, 6 cars, & a 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled gun.
Units of the Dnipro military group --------- have destroyed the
manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces'
mechanized brigade, in the areas of Orekhov and
Preobrazhenka (Zaporozhye region).
In the Dnipro's area of responsibility -- up to 55 militants, 11
vehicles, an artillery gun, five electronic warfare stations,
an unmanned boat, an ammunition depot, and three
material depots - were destroyed.
__________________________________
Offensive on Sloviansk and battles for
Krasny Lyman: how the situation in
the SVO zone is developing
by Peter Skubey
March 17th, 10:30pm
(RT.ru)
The command post of the Southern Group of Forces was
visited by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian
Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov.
During the visit, he noted the successes of the Southern
Group of Forces in liberating the territories of the DPR,
set new goals, and awarded state decorations to the
most distinguished soldiers of the Russian army.
In addition, Valery Gerasimov gave a report on the current
situation in the SVO zone. According to him, the Russian
army is advancing in all directions.
In particular, despite the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attempts
to hinder the Russian Armed Forces' advance towards
Slavyansk, the Russian army is pushing back the
enemy from their positions.
"On the right flank ----- units and military formations of the 3rd
Army are actively advancing on a broad front in the direction
of Slavyansk. The front line has been pushed more than 12
kilometres west of the city of Seversk," Gerasimov said.
According to him, street fighting continues in Konstantinovka,
and Russian attack helicopters ------ are advancing deep into
the city.
"More than 60% of the village's territory (Konstantinovka. RT) is under our control. The offensive is also developing in its suburb, the village of Ilyinovka," the Chief of the General Staff emphasized.
In addition, according to the data provided, the Sever fighters
continue to create a "security zone" in the border areas of
the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
At the same time, the Western military forces are finishing off
the remnants of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units that were
blocked on the eastern bank of the Oskol River, near
Novoosinovo. The village itself is more than 85%
controlled by the Russian army.
"The most active fighting - continues in the Krasnolimansk
direction, where the group's assault units are engaged in
battles to liberate Krasny Lyman. More than half of the
city is under the control of the Zapad group,"
Gerasimov said.
Troops of the Centre military group are completing the
liberation of Grishino and Novy Donbas, and fighting
continues for Belitskoye (DNR). Fighting is also
ongoing --- to capture Novopavlivka and
Novopodgorodnoye --- in the
Dnipropetrovsk region.
According to the Chief of the General Staff, the fighters
of the Vostok group are repelling numerous attacks
by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' assault units...
from the directions of Velikaya Mikhailovka
and Pokrovskoye.
The Army General emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed
Forces... lost over 2,500 fighters and 120 pieces of
equipment in this area alone during February
and March.
"The troops of the Vostok group ----- despite the Ukrainian
command's attempts to halt our advance in the eastern
part of the Zaporozhye region... are confidently
maintaining the initiative ---- and actively
advancing in the western direction,"
Gerasimov said.
The situation in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Meanwhile, the plight of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is also
evidenced by the stories of prisoners of war. For example,
the Russian Ministry of Defense shared footage of a
conversation with one of the Ukrainian fighters.
According to him, the command had ordered
their own "brothers" to be shot if they tried
to leave their positions.
"We were brought to Grishino --- we got into the basement and
were watching, passing on (information. RT) We didn't leave.
If I go out, the second one will shoot me. Because that's
the order: if one goes out, the second one shoots.''
___________________________________________
Zelensky gave the British King an
iPad ...to monitor the front lines
March 17th, 8:35pm
(RT.ru)
Vladimir Zelensky presented King Charles III
of the United Kingdom with a "military" iPad.
He announced this at a briefing with
British Prime Minister Kir Starmer.
According to Zelensky, the device allows real-time
tracking of targets in the sky and the situation
on the front lines.
He noted that the Minister of Defense, the Prime
Minister, and several military officials...... have
similar devices.
Earlier, it was reported that Zelensky had arrived
in London, but was not met by British officials...
at the airport.
_____________________________________
Zelensky said that the situation at the front - is
very difficult for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
March 17th, 8:31pm
(RT.ru)
Vladimir Zelensky said that the situation at the front
remains extremely difficult for the Armed Forces
of Ukraine.
He said this in an interview with the Jerusalem Post.
"It's a very difficult situation, and of course, we
face difficulties ----- every day," he emphasized.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the
liberation of the village Sopych in the Sumy region.
It was also reported that the Russian military
cleansed.... more than 300 buildings and
basements in this locality.
_______________________________________
The destruction of the Armed Forces
of Ukraine in the rear areas has been reported
March 17th, 8:30pm
(Izvestia.ru)
RIA Novosti: Deserter gangs destroy
the Armed Forces in the rear areas
Ukrainian special forces - are being destroyed by a band
of deserters in the rear areas. This was announced by
Russian law enforcement agencies, on March 17.
"In social networks, an obituary was identified about the
death ''in a traffic accident'' of the commander of the
Ukrainian group of SSO (Special Operations Forces.
Ed.) R. Fermanchuk, who was involved in combat
operations in the Sumy region. Many in Ukraine
see this.... as a consequence of PTSD (post-
traumatic stress disorder. Ed.) ------ while
others believe - that Ukrainian special
forces, are being destroyed by bands
of deserters who're taking revenge
for the blocking units," according to the security forces' words ...
as reported by “RIA Novosti”.
The publication also mentions - an increase
in combat losses among Ukrainian special
forces - in the rear areas.
On March 16, Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff
of the Armed Forces (AF) of the Russian Federation,
announced --- that the assault units of the West
military group are fighting for Krasny Liman
and more than half of the city is already
under Russian control. As a result of
the fighting, Drobushevo, Yarovaya
and Sosnovoye are now liberated.
According to Gerasimov, the
liberation of the village of
Aleksandrovka, is also
nearing completion.
_____________________
Two Ukrainian soldiers -are charged -
for their actions in the Kursk region
March 17th, 2:54pm
(RT.ru)
The Main Military Prosecutor's Office has approved
indictments against two Ukrainian military
personnel, 37-year-old Vasily Ivanitsky
and 39-year-old Anton Zaitsev, who
are accused of committing a
terrorist act.
According to the version of the investigation, in February
and March 2025, they illegally crossed the border in the
Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region, carrying
automatic weapons.
Together with other militants, the military controlled the
villages of Guevo and Kurilovka, interfered with the
work of local authorities, opposed the Russian
military, and intimidated civilians.
Both have been detained, and are currently in custody.
Criminal cases with approved indictments, have been
transferred to the 2nd Western District Military Court
... for consideration on the merits.
______________________________________
At London Airport, Zelensky was met
only by Zaluzhny ....and the pilot
March 17th, 2:45pm
(Izvestia.ru)
President Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky landed in London, only
to be met by the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Valeriy
Zaluzhny, and the plane's pilot. This was reported by
the Ukrainian publication Strana.ua on March 17.
The publication clarifies that Zelensky will meet with King
Charles III at Buckingham Palace and Prime Minister Kir
Starmer, plus.. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
He will also address the parliament.
Zelensky on March 12 complained about the lack of PAC-2 and
PAC-3 anti-aircraft missiles for Patriot systems in his armed
forces. He also expressed hope that Kyiv would be able
to sign a major drone supply deal with US
manufacturers, which requires
Washington's approval.
Bloomberg reported on March 10 that, at the initiative of
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, a number of
European countries ---- have allocated 35 PAC-3
interceptor missiles to Ukraine for the US
Patriot missile defense systems.
The exact number of countries participating in
the German initiative, has not been disclosed.
Defense Express weapons expert, Ivan Kirichevsky, noted on
March 17 that Ukraine, due to the conflict in the Middle East,
may face a acute shortage of missiles PAC-3 for Patriot
anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) in the next one
to three months.
_______________________________________
The Russian army liberated Sopych
in the Sumy region and Kaleniki
in the DPR
March 17th, 9:33am
(Izvestia.ru)
Russian troops have established control over the settlements
of Sopych in the Sumy region and Kaleniki in the Donetsk
People's Republic (DPR), according to the Russian
Ministry of Defense - on March 17.
"As a result of active operations, the units of the North military
group have established control over the village of Sopych in
the Sumy region," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian Armed
Forces lost up to 270 fighters in this area. 3 electronic
warfare stations, an Israeli-made RADA RPS-42
counter-battery station, plus 2 ammunition
depots and 8 material depots.....
were destroyed.
"As a result of active operations, units of the Southern Group
of Forces liberated the village of Kaleniki in the Donetsk
People's Republic," the ministry added.
In the areas of Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka, and Slavyansk,
the South Group - defeated 3 mechanized brigades of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine. The enemy suffered up to 200
casualties, and an M113 armoured personnel carrier,
2 ammunition depots, and 6 material depots...
were destroyed.
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation Valery Gerasimov on March 16 announced the
liberation of 12 settlements in the SVO zone in March.
According to him, the most active battles are taking place in
the area of responsibility of the Centre group of troops. In
addition, the Russian Armed Forces are completing the
liberation of the settlements of Grishino and Novy
Donbass in the DPR. There are also battles -
for Belitskoye.
_________________________________________________
Pushilin announced that victory in the special
military operation .....will be achieved soon
March 17th, 6am
(Izvestia.ru)
Russia's victory in the special military operation (SVO) is "just
around the corner," and it is being brought closer by both the
feats of the Russian Armed Forces (RF) and the resilience of
the people of Donbass. This was announced on March 17
by Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People's
Republic (DPR).
He noted: that there is already a sense
.........of victory approaching, in Russia.
"Victory is just around the corner.... we can feel it. Thanks
to the resilience of the people of Donbas, thanks to the
Russian spirit of our soldiers --- who are advancing
on the front line on the battlefields every day -
and bringing this victory closer, we can feel
the victory coming," the politician said,
in an interview with TASS.
On March 16, the head of the DPR also said that Russian
servicemen are actively fighting near Novy Donets and
Belitsky, east and southeast of Dobropillya.
A day earlier, Pushilin reported, that the Russian Armed
Forces were only a few kilometres away.. from the city
of Slavyansk in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
The reality of roads: military convoys are
now protected by ground and air drones
These new tactics, allow for the avoidance of military
equipment being destroyed by mines and land mines.
and artillery. In addition, Russian forces have targeted
Ukrainian military and foreign mercenary bases
in 149 locations.
_____________________________________________
Russian special services... gained access to
the smartphone of the Chief of Staff of the
Ukrainian Armed Forces Brigade
March 13th, 5:53am
(Izvestia.ru)
Russian intelligence services managed to gain access
to the smartphone ---- of the chief of staff of the 159th
separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of
Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel G. Murzanovsky. This
was reported by Russian security agencies on
March 13.
"Russian intelligence services.. managed to gain access to
the smartphone .of Lieutenant Colonel G. Murzanovsky,"
the text of the message says, as RIA Novosti reported.
According to the interlocutor, the malicious link was sent to a
Ukrainian officer in a congratulatory message on the second
anniversary of the brigade's formation. By clicking on the
link, Murzanovsky granted access to his device.
It is noted that the officer paid a "generous monetary reward"
to regain access to his account in one of the popular
messaging apps. However, he did not report the
incident to his superiors ......to avoid any
investigations or potential reprisals
from the Ukrainian Security
Service (SBU).
The KillNet hacker group in December last year, received
information about the location of the AFU fighters along
the entire front line, and also put this data on its
interactive Matrix map.
In addition, the representative of the group noted - that the
development of KillNet will be transferred to the Russian
Ministry of Defense, so that the fighters and command
of the Armed Forces (AF) of the Russian Federation
could see various information about the AFU with
one click.
_________________________________________
Evacuees from Krasnoarmeysk spoke
about life in the besieged city
March 13th, 4:55am
(Izvestia.ru)
The evacuation of residents of Krasnoarmeysk continues
with the help of the 5th Main Command Post (MCP) of the
51st Army and the People's Front. Izvestia published
relevant footage, on March 13.
As one of the evacuated women said, life in the besieged city was difficult: she baked bread on her own and searched for food in the destroyed apartments.
"Stores closed last June. Flour, sugar ----- there were supplies. We've cooked everything for ourselves," the evacuee shared.
The woman also added, that the Ukrainian soldiers were
stationed in her building's entrance... and one of them,
who was from Lviv, had tried to escape three times
but was returned to the front each time.
On February 18, servicemen of the Armed Forces of Russia
(AFR) of the 5th OKP of the 51st Army, together with the
People's Front, carried out the evacuation of residents
of liberated Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov. According
to the evacuees, many of whom are minors, they
had to hide ----- during the shelling by
Ukrainian drones.
_________________________________________________
The Russian Armed Forces' unmanned systems
unit ......adjusted its strike on enemy targets
March 13th, 4:15am
(Izvestia.ru)
A Skat-350M reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
operated by the 27th Guards Motorized Rifle Division of the
Centre military group provided adjustment of an air strike
using FAB-250 aerial bombs equipped with a universal
planning & correction module in the Dnepropetrovsk
direction of the special military operation (SMO).
This was reported by the Russian Ministry
of Defense, on March 13.
During the execution of air reconnaissance tasks to detect
enemy strongholds, firing positions, artillery crews and
logistics routes, UAV operators recorded the
movement of a ground-based robotic
complex (G-RCT) of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine (AFU)
transporting food and
ammunition between
the positions -- of a
major stronghold.
"We conduct reconnaissance 24 hours a day - if the weather
conditions allow. We followed the jeep, which arrived.. then
unloaded the equipment onto a trolley, and then continued
on its route. During the next flight we conducted objective
monitoring --- to destroy the identified strongholds," said
Alexey Nikolaev, the senior operator.
After additional verification of the information received, the
coordinates were transmitted for an airstrike against the
enemy's forces. The UAV unit ...provided support and
adjustment for the destruction of the target. As a
result of the joint actions of the unmanned
systems and aviation units --- a major
Ukrainian Armed Forces stronghold
was destroyed. The defeat of the
enemy positions and personnel
created conditions -- for the
advance of the assault
units in the area.
"We observed them from the air, adjusted the FPV drones,
and all the targets were destroyed," says operator
Andrey Ermakov.
The daily work of UAV operators allows for the timely
identification of new targets -- and their destruction
by drone strikes, artillery fire, and aviation assets.
On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported
that the BM-21 Grad MLRS crew of the 90th Guards Tank
Division of the Centre military group ---- carried out an
artillery strike on the positions of the Armed Forces
of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk region in the zone
of the special military operation. After receiving
intelligence data from unmanned aerial vehicle
operators, the crew moved to a prepared firing
position. The military personnel fired a volley
at the identified target ------- at a range of
about 18 km.
______________________________________
Grad missile launcher ---- destroyed
Ukrainian Armed Forces positions
in the Dnepropetrovsk region
March 13th, 2:15am
(Izvestia.ru)
The BM-21 Grad MLRS unit of the 90th Guards Tank Division
of the Center military group's artillery regiment delivered
an artillery strike against the positions of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in
the zone of the special military operation (SVO).
This was reported by the Russian Defense
Ministry on March 13.
After receiving reconnaissance data from unmanned aerial
vehicle operators, the team moved to a prepared firing
position. The soldiers fired a volley at the identified
target at a range of approximately 18 kilometres.
"We inflicted fire damage - on the enemy's manpower. We are
firing rockets. We are working on the enemy's rear, infantry,
ammunition, mortarmen, and BAPELs," said Petr Volkov, a
corporal ...and commander of the vehicle.
Fire control and damage assessment were conducted in
real time. The high accuracy of reconnaissance and
well-coordinated operations ------ allowed for the
destruction of concealed enemy personnel
with the first volley, without the need for further adjustments.
After completing the combat mission, the crew quickly
dismantled the installation and moved to a reserve
position, taking precautions against potential
retaliatory strikes and enemy UAV activity.
"We worked well on the targets. When we started to withdraw
from the firing position, an FPV drone arrived. Two squads
fought back and left for the concentration area and rear
areas," says Dinitslam Yusupov, a junior lieutenant
and platoon commander.
Grad MLRS crews -- continue to carry out 24-hour tasks in the
SVO. Cooperation with reconnaissance units and unmanned
aerial vehicle services ensures the timely identification of
targets -- and effective strikes, against enemy personnel,
equipment, ammunition depots, and command centres.
Currently, the units are providing fire support to
the advancing assault units of the Centre
military group in Dnipropetrovsk region.
"Swarm" of Opportunities: A New
Flamethrower Drone is Being
Used in the SVO Zone
The unmanned vehicle "burns out" enemy fortifications.
On March 12, the Ministry of Defense reported that the crews
of the Hyatsint-S self-propelled guns of the 25th Combined
Arms Army of Zapad military group -- while carrying out
fire missions -- destroyed camouflaged positions with
manpower and communication equipment of the
UAV control centres of the Ukrainian Armed
Forces - in the Krasnolimansk area.
_______________________________________
The Solntsepek system destroyed
Ukrainian military bases in
the SVO zone
March 13th, 2am
(Izvestia.ru)
The TOS-1 Solntsepek calculation of the 35th Army of the
Vostok military group destroyed the deployment points
of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the area of
the special military operation (SVO). This was
reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense
on March 13.
During aerial reconnaissance in a populated area -- in the
Zaporizhzhia region, the enemy's deployment points
and equipped positions --- were identified.
After the coordinates were adjusted, data was transmitted
to the Solntsepek heavy flamethrower system, which
delivered a thermobaric strike against the target.
To ensure effective command and control,
domestic communication equipment
was used to facilitate interaction
between units - at any time of
the day.
As a result of the strikes, enemy positions and strongholds
were destroyed --- along with enemy the personnel, which
significantly reduced the defense capabilities of the
Ukrainian Armed Forces in this area of the Special
Military Operation in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Trumps in the bag: the Postman attack
drone - has appeared in the SVO zone.
These new systems are guaranteed to destroy enemy
firing points - during attacks on enemy fortified areas.
On March 12, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported
that the calculation of the Msta-B towed howitzer of
the howitzer artillery division.. of the 80th Guards
Tank Regiment of the 90th Guards Tank Division
of the Centre military group -- cooperating with
the calculations of 'unmanned aerial vehicle'
systems, destroyed temporary deployment
points of the personnel of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine ------- in the
Dnepropetrovsk direction
of the SMO.
___________________________
Invisible to air defense systems.
Rostec --- has created a drone
with high maneuverability
and range
March 12th, 4:05pm
(DAN)
Rostec specialists have developed a drone with a
new... long-range loitering munition. This was
announced today by the state corporation.
"Rostec continues to actively develop unmanned technologies
for both civilian and military purposes. Today, our portfolio
includes over ten types of serial drones that perform
tasks for various customers. In addition, a number
of unmanned aerial vehicles created by the
Corporation's enterprises, both for
reconnaissance ....and strike
purposes, are being used
in the special military
operation zone.
''The new loitering munition has a delta form factor, and is currently undergoing testing," said Boris Podolny,
Managing Director for the Development of
Unmanned Aerial Systems, at the
State Corporation.
The drone is designed to destroy enemy military facilities in
the deep rear. It is equipped with an internal combustion
engine and can perform missions over hundreds of
kilometres. Its high speed and maneuverability
allow it to use various flight profiles, bypass
air defense zones, and accurately -------
strike targets.
During the development, special attention was paid to
interference immunity. A reliable communication
channel ensures stable control of the drone.....
over the entire range of application distances.
______________________________________________
They -- will spend the rest of their lives
behind bars: the court has sentenced
the participants of the terrorist
attack at Crocus
by Peter Svetov
March 12th, 3:55pm
(RT.ru)
Four of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack at Crocus City
Hall ------ have been sentenced to life in prison. Eleven of their accomplices will also spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Four other defendants have been sentenced to terms ranging
from 19 to 22 years. Following the trial -- the Investigative
Committee stated, that the terrorist attack that claimed
the lives of 149 people in March 2024 was carried out
in the interests of the Ukrainian government to
destabilize the situation in Russia.
The search for two more organizers and four perpetrators of
the terrorist attack is still ongoing. They are internationally
wanted and have been arrested in absentia.
The Second Western District Military Court sentenced all the
perpetrators of the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall in
March 2024 to life imprisonment. The four main defendants,
The units of the Northern Group of Forces, improved their
position on the front line during the day ---- defeating the
formations of the mechanized and airmobile brigades
of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a Territorial Defense
Brigade, and a border detachment of the Ukrainian
Border Service, in the areas of Grabovskoye,
Khoten, Novaya Sech, Katerinovka, and
Miropolye (Sumy Region).
In the Kharkiv Region, the units of the mechanized, motorized
infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine --- and the
Territorial Defense Brigade, were defeated in the areas of
Staritsa, Volchanskie Khutora, and Grafskoye.
In the North's area of responsibility, the Ukrainian Armed
Forces lost up to 225 soldiers, three armoured vehicles,
20 cars, and two artillery pieces. A radio electronic
warfare station, an ammunition depot, and eight
material depots ....were also destroyed.
The units of the Southern Group of Forces, in turn - improved
their position on the front line. The soldiers of the Southern
Group of Forces defeated the formations of 2 mechanized
and mountain-assault brigades of the Armed Forces of
Ukraine in the areas of Lipovka, Kaleniki, Slavyansk,
Konstantinovka, Kramatorsk, Nikiforovka, Krivaya
Luka, Rai-Aleksandrovka, and Golubovka (DPR).
In this area -- the enemy lost up to 135 troops, five armoured combat vehicles - including 2 US M113 armoured personnel carriers and 1 US Stryker, 13 vehicles and 4 field artillery
pieces. 2 electronic warfare stations and four material
supply depots, were also destroyed.
Meanwhile, units of the Centre group of troops, have taken advantageous positions. The personnel & equipment of 3 mechanized, airborne and Jaeger brigades, two assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine
infantry brigade, and two brigades of the National
Guard have been defeated in the areas of Priyut,
Grishino, Zolotoy Kolodez, Volnoye, Belitskoye
in the DNR) and Novopavlovka, Ivanovka,
and Novopodgorodnoye ---- in the
Dnepropetrovsk Region.
In this sector, Kiev lost over 345 military personnel,
seven armoured combat vehicles, 12 vehicles, a
Czech-made Vampire MLRS combat vehicle,
and two field artillery pieces.
Meanwhile, units of the Vostok military group continued to
advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses, and
defeated formations of the mechanized, airborne
assault, and assault brigades - as well as two
assault regiments.... of the Armed Forces of
Ukraine, in the areas of Velikomikhailovka,
Kolomiytse, Novoskelevatoe, Pisantsy
(Dnepropetrovsk Region), Boykovo
and Vozdvizhevka, in the
Zaporozhye Region.
In this area, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost over
280 soldiers, four armoured vehicles, seven cars, and
an electronic warfare station.
At the same time, units of the Dnipro military group improved
their tactical position --- by destroying the manpower and
equipment of the mechanized and mountain assault
brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the
areas of Novoyakovlevka and Zaporozhets
(Zaporozhye region).
More than 50 Ukrainian militants --- were eliminated here. 16
vehicles, an artillery gun, three electronic warfare stations,
and two warehouses - were destroyed.
In addition, the Russian Armed Forces have struck the energy
and transport facilities - used by Ukraine's military-industrial
complex, as well as training and launch sites for long-range
strike drones, and temporary bases for Ukrainian armed
formations and foreign mercenaries in 152 areas.
Russian air defense systems ------ shot down eight guided aerial
bombs, three HIMARS missiles and 410 aircraft-type drones in
a single day. The Black Sea Fleet destroyed four unmanned
Ukrainian boats in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.
People's Deputy from the party of President of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky's "Servant of the People" Roman
Kaptelov, almost became a victim of bussing (forced
mobilization) on the central street of Dnipro city.
The parliamentarian told about this, in his
Telegram channel.
"A bus pulled up to me, and people in balaclavas jumped out. One of them had his hand on the butt of a gun behind his back and threatened to use it, as well as to physically harm me," Kaptelov said.
According to him, he demanded the presence of a police
officer and one of the group of people identified himself
as a law enforcement officer. However.... the other
masked individuals did not provide their names
or identification documents.
"I can't stand it anymore. Every day, the same thing happens:
people in balaclavas --- without documents or introductions,
and armed, intimidate & humiliate citizens," the MP wrote.
He attached a photo of an unknown car with a license
plate to his post.
Earlier, it became known that Roman Kaptev did not declare
information that his wife and children living in Russia have
real estate in Moscow. In addition.. it was revealed that
the parliamentarian's wife works in the capital of the
RF, in an organization that cooperates with the
Russian centre for military and sports
training of young people.
______________________________________
Kelin: London does not deny its intention
to transfer nuclear weapons to Kiev
by Taisiya Zakharova
February 27th, 4:35pm
Vesti.ru)
London does not deny its intention to transfer nuclear
weapons to Kiev, Russian Ambassador to the UK
Andrey Kelin told Vesti.
He noted that he had visited the British Foreign Office.
I was in the Foreign Office and had a rather serious
conversation on this topic. There are no denials
here, as it was at the beginning, [when] the
French Embassy in Moscow said that
all this was a lie, Kelin said.
On Tuesday, February 24, the press bureau of the Russian
Foreign Intelligence Service reported that Paris and
London are working on providing Kyiv with
nuclear weapons.
Earlier, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian
Federation Boris Chernyshov suggested why the head of
the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, needs
nuclear weapons.
The head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, wants to
possess nuclear weapons in order to blackmail those
European countries that do not agree to finance
Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by Boris
Chernyshov, Deputy Chairman of the State
Duma of the Russian Federation, to the
Vesti news service.
According to him, the Kiev regime, which was raised by the
Europeans themselves, is now trying to manipulate them.
Zelensky is actively interfering in European politics,
the parliamentarian emphasized.
He [Zelensky] needs some kind of bright conclusion right now.
The red button, which he will use to keep the Europeans in
check, not Russia. He's blackmailing them with British
nuclear weapons, French nuclear weapons, and he's
already blackmailing - all Europeans who refuse
to provide funding, said Chernyshov.
On February 24, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service
reported that the British and French authorities were
actively working on providing Kiev with nuclear
weapons. The Russian State Duma, then
adopted a resolution -- addressing a
number of European parliaments
over this information.
Later, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Kira Starmer
said that London and Paris do not plan to transfer nuclear
weapons to Kiev. Meanwhile, Russia's President's Press
Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said that the SVR's data ----
is not unfounded.
__________________________________________
Kelin: Russia demands - that Britain
abandon plans to transfer nuclear
weapons to Ukraine
February 27th, 4:18pm
(RT.ru)
Russia demands that Britain abandon its plans to transfer
nuclear weapons to Ukraine, according to Andrey Kelin,
the Russian ambassador to London.
"We demand that the British refuse, if they have such plans...
This is a confrontation at the nuclear level," he said,
reports RIA Novosti.
Earlier, the SVR reported that Britain and France are preparing
to arm Ukraine with nuclear weapons. This is planned to be
done under the pretext of the Kiev regime's alleged
development of such weapons.
Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily
Nebenzya, called ''irresponsible'', plans by London
and Paris to supply Kiev with nuclear weapons.
_______________________________________
"They took advantageous positions":
The Russian Armed Forces have
liberated Krasnoznamenka in
the Dnipropetrovsk region
by Anastasia Stepanova
February 27th, 11:23am
(RT.ru)
According to the Ministry of Defense, the military personnel
of the Russian Center military group have liberated
Krasnoznamenka in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
Over the past week, the Russian Armed Forces have carried
out two massive and six group strikes against targets in
Ukraine, as well as taken control of four settlements.
During this period, the air defense forces have shot down five
Flamingo missiles, four Neptune missiles, and 2,041 aircraft-
type drones.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian Armed
Forces have lost over 8,700 fighters over the past week.
Russian military forces have taken control of the village of
Krasnoznamenka in the Dnipropetrovsk region. This was
reported in the daily briefing by the Russian Ministry of
Defense on the progress of the special operation.
"Units of the Center military group have taken advantageous
positions and liberated the village of Krasnoznamenka in
the Dnepropetrovsk region," the report says.
The Center's fighters also defeated the personnel and
equipment of five mechanized, two Jaeger, two air
mobile units, an assault brigade, an assault
regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
two marine infantry brigades, a
territorial defense brigade, the
Azov special forces brigade*,
and four brigades of the
National Guard.
Over the course of a week, Kiev lost more than 2,480
military personnel, 45 armoured vehicles, 64 cars,
eight field artillery pieces, and four electronic
and counter-battery warfare stations.
During the week, units of the Sever group of troops established
control over the village of Grafskoye in the Kharkiv region. The
Sever troops defeated the formations of four mechanized, two
motorized infantry, an airborne assault unit, and an artillery
brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, plus a marine
infantry brigade, two territorial defense brigades,
and two brigades of the National Guard.
In total, the enemy lost more than 1,485 military personnel,
5 armoured combat vehicles, 78 vehicles, 15 field artillery
pieces, including two US 155-mm M777 howitzers, in the
North's area of responsibility.
Three MLRS combat vehicles, 12 electronic and counter-
battery warfare stations, and 34 ammunition and
material storage facilities, were also destroyed.
Over the past week, units of the Zapad military group have
liberated the village of Karpovka -- in the DPR. They have
defeated the personnel and equipment of 4 mechanized,
assault, and airborne brigades, the Ukrainian General
Staff's guard brigade, and 2 National Guard brigades.
Here -- the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 1,260
soldiers, 20 armoured vehicles, including 11 armoured
vehicles manufactured by NATO countries, 120
vehicles, and 18 field artillery pieces. Six
electronic and counter-battery warfare
stations and 18 ammunition depots
were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved their position
on the front line and defeated the formations of four
mechanized, motorized infantry, airmobile units,
mountain-assault brigades of the Armed
Forces of Ukraine, a marine infantry
brigade, a territorial defense
brigade, and a National
Guard brigade.
In this sector --- the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost more
than 940 military personnel, 37 armoured combat vehicles,
six of which are of Western production. 82 vehicles, 15
artillery pieces, 14 electronic and counter-battery
warfare stations, and 24 ammunition, fuel, and
material storage facilities, were destroyed.
In turn, units of the Vostok group of forces advanced into the
depths of the enemy's defenses and liberated the village of
Rizdviyanka in the Zaporizhzhia region. Over the course of
the week, they defeated formations of three mechanized,
two airborne assault, and an assault brigade, as well as
five assault regiments of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
a marine infantry brigade, and a territorial
defense brigade.
In total, the enemy lost more than 2,205 soldiers,
25 armoured vehicles, 74 cars, and 9 artillery
pieces in this area.
Units of the Dnipro military group improved their tactical
position by defeating the manpower and equipment of
two mechanized and mountain assault brigades of
the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Over the course of the week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces
lost up to 355 fighters, 93 vehicles, 15 electronic and
counter-battery warfare stations, and 11
ammunition and material depots.
"From February 21 to 27, in response to Ukraine's terrorist
attacks on civilian facilities in Russia, the Russian Armed
Forces carried out two massive and six group strikes,
which resulted in the destruction of Ukrainian
military industry facilities, energy, fuel, and
transportation infrastructure used by the
Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as the
production, storage, pre-flight
preparation, and launch of
strike drones," the
MoD reported.
Over the course of a week, Russian air defense systems shot
down 22 guided aerial bombs, 50 HIMARS missiles, four
Neptune long-range cruise missiles, five Flamingo
long-range cruise missiles, and 2,041
aircraft-type drones.
According to TASS, citing Russian security agencies,
the distance from Russian Armed Forces positions
to Kramatorsk in the DPR, does not exceed
15 kms... in some areas.
* Azov is an organization recognized as a terrorist organization by the Supreme
Court on August 2, 2022.
________________________________________
Zakharova: The UN has acknowledged the
fake nature of the provocation- in Bucha
by Maria Feschuk
February 27th, 9:23am
(Vesti.ru)
UN representatives admitted on the sidelines, that the
investigation of the events in Bucha is being ignored,
as everyone - understands their provocative nature.
This was reported by Maria Zakharova, the official
representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Russia has repeatedly stated - that the events in Bucha
are a monstrous fake and provocation, said Zakharova,
whose words are quoted by TASS.
On the sidelines, these UN officials told us: we all know
that this is a provocation, and that's why.. we hardly
ever talk about it, the diplomat said, during the
Moscow-Islamabad media forum
Zakharova recalled that Moscow had asked the UN to act
as an intermediary...... in providing lists of the deceased.
__________________________________________
Putin congratulated Russians on the
Day of Special Operations Forces
February 26th, 9pm (BMT)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, on what is now February 27 in Moscow, congratulated the citizens of the Russian
Federation, personnel and military personnel of the
Armed Forces of Russia ---- on the Day of
Special Operations Forces.
"Dear comrades, I would like to congratulate you on your
professional holiday, the Day of Special Operations
Forces!" he said, in a video message.
Putin stated --- that the creation of mobile units equipped with
advanced weapons was a necessary measure in response to
the serious challenges of the 21st century and to strengthen
Russia's sovereignty and security. He emphasized that the
soldiers of these units can rightfully take pride in their
ability - to quickly establish a leading position in the
Russian military -- building upon the traditions of
the country's special forces and employing the
latest strategies and tactics, significantly
enhancing the combat readiness of the
Armed Forces.
The President emphasized that the soldiers have proven their
ability to effectively solve unique and complex tasks in any
conditions. He also expressed gratitude to the personnel
and veterans of the special operations forces for their
impeccable service, professionalism, and courage.
Special words of gratitude ----- were addressed to the military
personnel currently serving in the special military operation
(SVO). Putin emphasized that they are carrying out 'recon.'
activities, demonstrating courage and determination in
operations behind enemy lines, and neutralizing
enemy sabotage groups in border areas.
The Russian leader also expressed confidence that they will
continue to guarantee the security of our Motherland and
its citizens at the highest level. Their example serves as
an embodiment of loyalty to the oath and military duty,
as well as a model of worthy and devoted service to
the Fatherland.
"Happy holiday to you! Good health and all the best to you
and your loved ones," the head of state concluded.
On February 23, Putin congratulated the country's citizens,
veterans, military personnel, and civilian staff of the
Russian Armed Forces - on Defender of the
Fatherland Day.
According to the Russian leader, Russians cherish the memory
of the country's heroic past and pass it down from generation
to generation. This memory was shaped by the military
prowess of great commanders, the unwavering will,
and the courage of soldiers and officers.
___________________________________
1,000 to 35: Russia and Ukraine
exchanged the bodies of
fallen soldiers
by Anastasia Stepanova
February 26th, 4:11pm
(RT.ru)
Today, Russia handed over 1,000 bodies of deceased
Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers to Ukraine,
according to Vladimir Medinsky, an aide
to the Russian president. In return,
Ukraine handed over 35 bodies
of Russian soldiers
to Moscow.
This is the second such exchange in 2026 — the previous one
took place on January 29. At that time, Moscow gave Kiev
1,000 bodies of dead Ukrainian servicemen and
accepted the bodies of 38 Russian soldiers.
How did past exchanges go?
Moscow and Kiev agreed on the transfer of the bodies of the
deceased during the second meeting, which took place on
June 2 in Istanbul. At that time, Russia proposed to
unilaterally transfer more than 6,000 bodies of
Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers to Ukraine
and expressed its readiness to do so
in the near future.
However, when Russian representatives arrived at the
exchange site on June 6 to hand over the bodies of
the deceased to Kiev, the Ukrainian side
unexpectedly postponed the
exchange indefinitely.
"For some reason, their negotiating team didn't even
arrive at the exchange site. The reasons given
were various and rather strange,"
Medinsky said.
On June 16, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the
implementation of the agreements regarding the transfer of
the bodies of deceased military personnel: Russia carried
out a large-scale humanitarian action to transfer 6,060
bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the Ukrainian side.
In turn, Kiev transferred the bodies of 78 deceased Russian
soldiers to Moscow. Moreover, the Russian side expressed
its readiness to continue working on the transfer of the
bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine.
On July 23, the 3rd round of direct talks between Russia and
Ukraine.... took place in Istanbul. According to Vladimir
Medinsky, all the humanitarian agreements reached
during the second round --- were implemented,
and the Russian side made a number of new
proposals to the Ukrainian representatives.
In particular, Moscow expressed its
readiness to transfer another 3,000
bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev.
After that, the parties held several more rounds of exchange.
In early February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
said that more than 12,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers
had been transferred to the Ukrainian side since last
June. During the same period, Russia received
over 200 bodies of Russian soldiers.
On February the 5th, Russia and Ukraine held a prisoner of war
exchange according to the “157 for 157” formula. In addition,
as part of the exchange, three residents of the Kursk region
who were illegally detained by the Kiev regime... returned
to Russia.
_______________________________________
An elderly man... was seriously injured
when an explosive device detonated
in Donetsk
February 26th, 2:10pm
(DAN)
A civilian in the Petrovsky District of Donetsk was injured
as a result of the detonation of an explosive device. This
was reported by Alexey Kulemzin, the head of the
municipal district of Donetsk.
"According to the information received, a 1958-born man was
injured multiple times in the Petrovsky District as a result of
the detonation of an explosive object in Kantemirovsky
Lane," Kulemzin said.
He added that the victim had been taken to a medical
facility. No details about his condition were provided.
Similarly to the ABM Treaty, the US unilaterally pulled
out of the INF Treaty in 2019. However, instead of
simply stating it wished to develop weapons
beyond the treaty’s limitations, the Trump
administration accused Moscow of
violating the treaty by lying about
the range of its 9M728/9M729
missiles used by Iskander
missile systems.
Nonetheless, within 2 weeks of the US’ formal
departure from the treaty, in August 2019, it
began testing the first of multiple missiles
that violated the treaty’s limitations.
The origins of the INF Treaty lay in a dramatic
showdown, across Europe, in late 1983,
triggered by Washington’s deployment
of ITS Pershing-II intermediate-range
ballistic missiles (IRBM) to Europe.
With a 900-mile range, a flight apogee of just 60 miles,
and a maneuverable, radar-guided reentry vehicle,
the missile could put an 80-kiloton nuclear war-
head on Moscow in between 6 and 11 minutes
...according to Pentagon leaders. Such a fast
strike time gave the Soviets just minutes to
identify, analyze and respond to the threat,
greatly increasing the risk of them mis-
reading a situation and launching a
mistaken nuclear return volley,
believing it to be their
only chance.
In addition, tensions in Europe had already been
ramped up by years of psychological operations
designed to increase Soviet anxieties, such as
US bombers charging Soviet borders and
turning away at the last second
That’s why, when NATO began the vast, ultra-realistic
“Able Archer-83” war games, simulating an all-out
attack on the Soviet Union, in November 1983, it put Soviet fears through the roof.
However, it wasn’t until after the war games had
concluded, several days later, that NATO
commanders discovered key signs: the
Soviets had loaded hundreds of strike
aircraft in East Germany and Poland
with nuclear bombs, and orders to
strike “front-line targets” at a
moment’s notice.
The INF Treaty eliminated missiles like the Pershing-II,
banning land-based missiles with ranges of between
500 klms and 5,500 klms. This significantly cooled
tensions in Europe... although the treaty was only
between the US and Soviet Union -- now Russia --
which left other countries, such as China, free to
develop their own intermediate-range missiles.
The INF’s absence now is especially poignant,
considering the long-standing Russian fears
over a NATO Aegis Ashore missile system,
built on a land base in Deveselu, Romania.
While the US claimed the system was purely
defensive, Moscow noted... that Aegis can
also be used to launch offensive missiles.
Among the missiles tested after the INF Treaty lapsed
was a land-based Tomahawk missile with a range of
1,600 kilometres - a cruise missile US Aegis
cruisers have fired at sea for years.
1992 Treaty on Open Skies
The Open Skies treaty... was an attempt to increase
transparency and put to rest fears of an impending
attack by the other side. The deal allowed 35
partner nations to perform reconnaissance
overflights over other nations... using
specialized aircraft with specialized
equipment. However, flights could
not interfere with other military
activities and could be refused
by the overflown nation, for a
variety of reasons.
The US sent signs it was interested in leaving the
treaty as early as 2019, claiming it was caused
by Russia refusing US Open Skies aircraft
access to several areas almost a decade
earlier - denials Moscow insisted were
within its rights under the treaty.
The US finally made the move on May 21ST 2020,
meaning the six-month cooldown time had the
US leaving the treaty, after the November 2020 elections, that Trump lost.
The decision sparked an outcry across Europe, with Ukraine being one of the loudest critics;
that nation having long used Open Skies to perform overflights in western Russia, to calm its nerves about troops and
installations there.
Indeed, the Open Skies Treaty was drafted precisely to
avoid the type of anxious confrontation... unfolding on
the Russia-Ukraine border, over the last two months.
The Democrats publicly attacked Trump’s withdrawal
as illegal then... although much of their criticism
focused on his refusal to notify Congress before
pulling out. However, in March 2021, a leaked
message --- sent to concerned “international
partners” by the Biden administration said
it was afraid that doing so “would send
the wrong message to Russia and
undermine our position... on the
broader arms control agenda.”
Istanbul, Astana Declarations
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) has its origins in the November
1972 multilateral talks in Espoo, Finland
...intended to further the peaceful
cooperation of the Detente era.
Today, the OSCE has 57 members and 11 observers
and continues to serve as a regional forum for
resolving international issues.
Two of its most important declarations of principles
came at summits in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1999 and in
Astana (now Nur-Sultan), Kazakhstan, in 2010,
which, among other topics, affirmed each
nation’s right to its own security in the
context of an international community.
"The security of each participating State... is
inseparably linked to that of all others. Each
participating State, has an equal right to
security. We reaffirm the inherent right
of each and every participating State
...to be free to choose or change its
security arrangements, including
treaties of alliance, as they evolve.''
''Each State also has the right to neutrality. Each
participating State will respect the rights of all others in these regards. They will not
strengthen their security ...at the
expense of... the security of
other States.'' the Astana
declaration states.
While the OSCE met in Vienna, Austria, 2 weeks ago,
the talks yielded no major breakthrough. Earlier this
week -- when the US and NATO delivered separate
written responses to Russia’s December security
proposal -- the US response was considerably
more intransigent, while NATO’s, sent from
Brussels and speaking for 30 member
states, acknowledged the Russian
security concerns and proposed
mutual briefings in the NATO-
Russia Council and the re-
establishment of their
respective envoys in
Moscow & Brussels.
However, neither reply gave deference to Russia’s
central concern --- the eastward expansion of
NATO and the impact that has on Russian
security, especially since now, the US
explicitly regards Russia as a
challenger to its position ...as leader of the post- Cold War global order.
Speaking on Thursday, about the US response,
in particular, Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey
Lavrov said "The principle that one should not strengthen one's security -- at the expense of
the security of others is deliberately avoided.
Neither the Istanbul or Astana declarations are mentioned by our Western partners in the discussions on European
security that are currently
taking place. We cannot
accept this.”
Morgan Artyukhina is a writer and news editor at
Sputnik’s Washington, DC, bureau... focusing on
international & breaking news. Born in southern Maryland, she studied Russian, Central, and
East European Studies, at the University of
Glasgow and is a former history professor.
At Sputnik, she covers military technology,
the expanding neoliberal police state, and
the ongoing struggles against it in the US
and around the globe.
Image: palestine
Paul Larudee: Zionist Dream
Turning into Nightmare
November 25th, 5:26pm (FNA)
Paul Larudee, political activist and commentator,
says Zionists have come to this understating
- that Zionism is now nearing its predestined
self-annihilation.
Speaking in an interview with FNA, Larudee
said, “Zionism planted the seeds of its own
destruction the moment they created a
plan for a Jewish state in someone
else's homeland. It is increasingly
becoming an international pariah
...contributing to the wars and
conflicts in West Asia, South
America, Africa, and other
parts of the world. It only
creates more enemies
for them.”
Paul Larudee is an - Iranian-born - American political
activist who is a major figure in the pro-Palestinian
movement. Based in the San Francisco Bay area,
he is involved with the International Solidarity
Movement, & was a founder of the Free Gaza
Movement & the Free Palestine Movement.
Larudee was a member of the US delegation
aboard the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla,
which was attacked by Israeli forces.
Below is the full text of the interview:
Q: Yaakov Sharett says “Israel and the Zionist
enterprise were born in sin.” What do we
learn about the nature of Israel?
A: Such words from a Zionist leader's son may help to
gradually sink doubts into the minds of other Zionists,
but we must not forget that many Jews were opposed
to Zionism for decades before 1948. It is unfortunate
that as Zionism became more successful in its
genocidal project, it also became more
acceptable to more Jews. But that is
now being reversed. As Zionism
becomes more racist, violent,
and aggressive, it is starting
to lose Jews who cannot
stomach such behaviour.
Q: Such a significant assertion was made by the son
of a signatory to the Israeli declaration in 1948. Do
you believe settlers will learn a lesson to end their
occupation of the Palestinians’ land?
A: There are two kinds of settlers that are being used
to colonize the West Bank and Jerusalem. The most
aggressive and violent are the ideological settlers,
who think of themselves as conquering soldiers,
much like the Europeans who took the land from
the native peoples in the western hemisphere.
They want to expel all Palestinians by any means
necessary, and take their land. They do not need
Israel to paint a rosy picture. They are ready to
endure hardship, although Israel actually
helps and enables them. The other type
are the opportunists. Israel builds
subsidized housing and industrial
parks on Palestinian land... and
makes it attractive for settlers
to move there. Israel creates
many advantages for them...
so as to increase the Jewish
population in the occupied
territories and push the
Palestinians out.
Q: Yaakov Sharett predicts a dark future for Israel
and asks settlers to immigrate from Israel; like-
wise, Lawrence Wilkerson, former Israeli State
Department aide, said Israel will be gone in
some 20 years. How do you assess
these statements?
A: Clearly, Sharett is being a realist in this case.
Despite Israel's influence, propaganda, bribes
and manipulations of other governments, it is
increasingly becoming an international pariah,
contributing to the wars and conflicts in West
Asia, South America, Africa and other parts of
the world. They believe that this makes them
strong, but it only creates more enemies for
them. Sharett seems to understand that the
Zionist dream is proving to be unsustainable.
It can only be realized by committing greater
and greater crimes, but even many Zionists
consider this too high a price for their dream,
and their dream is turning into a nightmare.
Zionism planted the seeds of its own destruction
the moment they created a plan for a Jewish
state on someone else's homeland.
Image: palestine
UN Must Prevent Normalization of
Israeli Violation of Human Rights:
Iran Envoy
November 20th, 11am (al Manar)
Iran’s ambassador to the UN office in Geneva
put the onus on the United Nations: to take
action: against the normalization of the
systematic violation of human rights
and humanitarian laws, by the
Zionist regime.
In an address to a meeting between ambassadors
of the member states of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation, residing in Geneva,
and to members of the Commission of Inquiry of the UN Council on Human
Rights, held on Friday, Esmaeil
Baqaei Hamaneh called for the
clarification of true and false
narratives, referring to the
stories... that equate the
victims of Israeli crimes
with the perpetrators
of the heinous acts.
“It is the duty of all of us to clarify the true and false
narratives, the narrative that equates the victims
of Israeli crimes, with their killers, which is
humanly shocking, legally unfounded,
and morally shameful,” the Iranian
envoy stressed.
He added that the inquiry commission has an historic
responsibility --- to prevent the normalization of
systematic human rights violations by the
Israeli regime.
The Iranian diplomat invited all the participants in the
meeting to call for justice; and not allow war crimes,
crimes against humanity, and blatant violations of
human rights, to become normal, Press
TV reported.
In May, the UN Human Rights Council agreed to initiate
an international probe into “systematic” human rights
abuses committed during the asymmetrical war
between ‘Israel’ and Palestinian resistance
groups in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The 47-member forum adopted a resolution presented
by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC and the Palestinian
delegation to the UN, by a vote of 24 states in favour, 9 against, and 14 abstentions.
The UN rights body agreed to establish “an ongoing
independent, international commission of inquiry”
into the war to probe the “underlying root causes
of recurrent tensions and instability, including
the systematic discrimination and repression
based on group identity.”
Israeli troops have, on numerous occasions, been
caught on camera, brutally killing Palestinians...
with the videos going viral online and sparking
international condemnation.
The Tel Aviv regime has been criticized for its extensive
use of lethal force against, and extrajudicial killing of,
Palestinians... who do not pose an immediate threat
to the occupation forces, or to the Israeli settlers.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Palestinian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, called
on the International Criminal Court to launch an
immediate investigation into the Tel Aviv
regime’s crimes, in the occupied
Palestinian territories --- after
the Israeli forces shot dead a
young man, in the northern
part of the West Bank.
Source: Iranian Agencies
Image: Bill Dores
China is no threat
to people in the US; Wall Street,CIA & the Pentagon are
-- Analyst
October 16th, 3:14pm (PressTV)
US political analyst and activist Bill Dores says
China is no threat to the people in the US., but
Wall Street, the CIA, and the Pentagon, are.
Dores, a writer for Struggle/La Lucha and a longtime
antiwar activist, made the remarks in an interview
with Press TV on Saturday, after the CIA launched
a new mission centre to address what it calls “the most important geopolitical threat” posed... by China.
CIA Director William Burns said in a statement last week
that the new unit, called the China Mission Centre, will
“further strengthen our collective work on the most
important geopolitical threat we face in the 21st
century, an increasingly adversarial Chinese
government.”
Burns said that his agency will still focus on other threats
as well, including those emanating from Russia, North
Korea and Iran.
The CIA’s renewed attention to China is the latest evidence
of the Biden administration’s focus on Beijing as its main
foreign policy target.
Since taking charge of the White House earlier this year,
the Biden administration has been directing resources
toward countering China.
Why is the CIA targeting China?
“The CIA is grabbing more tax money --- to start a ‘mission
centre’ aimed at China, which it calls the ‘most important
geopolitical threat we face.’ This is ominous news
- considering the agency’s history of 'fabricating'
evidence to start wars, e.g. Iraq’s nonexistent
‘weapons of mass destruction,’” Dores
commented to Press TV.
“US troops have left Afghanistan. But not a dime has been
slashed from the bloated US military budget. Indeed, it’s
being increased to $778 billion from $753 billion to face
the alleged ‘Chinese threat.’ That’s more than the
combined military budgets of China, India,
Russia, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Germany,
France, Japan, South Korea, Italy
and Australia,” he added.
“It’s also been revealed that US Special Forces have been
operating secretly on Taiwan for two years. Meanwhile...
the US Congress will not pass the Build Back Better Act
to modestly extend our social safety net,” he added.
“The People’s Republic of China... has five times the population of the United States. But it spends only
$258 billion on its military. China’s forces are
deployed in - or around - the borders and
coasts of China. By no stretch of the
imagination is China threatening
he US militarily. Why would it?
For what gain?” he asked.
“So, what the Sam Hill is a ‘geopolitical threat.’ It’s a
twisted concept based on the twisted premise that
the United States, with 4 percent of the world’s
population, should dominate the world
politically & economically. And that
really means the billionaires and
millionaires, that Occupy Wall
Street protesters called the
‘One Percent,’” he stated.
China’s economic ‘threat’ to US
“China’s real ‘threat,’ in the minds of the US corporate
ruling class, is economic. China produces more than
the United States, and its economy is growing much faster,” the analyst said.
“It has achieved this, not by destroying the economies of
other countries with war and sanctions, but by growth,
and trade. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has greatly
weakened the stranglehold Wall Street banks once
held on the world economy. An article in the US
magazine Foreign Policy whined: that China is
‘whittling away’ at the murderous ‘sanctions
regime’ the US and West Europe use -- to
‘punish’ countries that defy their
dictates,” he explained.
“US corporations do, of course, invest in China. They make
a lot of money there. But they cannot dictate to China's
government the way US oil companies dictated to the
Shah of Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Or
the way they dictate to their paid servants in the
White House and the Capitol today,”
he observed.
“Politicians and news media tell working-class people in
the US that China’s growth is, somehow, a threat to our
well-being. They conceal the fact: that China’s dynamic
growth is the biggest single factor staving off a global
economic collapse,” he said.
“Yet it is their own Wall Street masters who have shut
down plants all over this country and foreclosed on
millions of homes. It is they who used the techno-
logical revolution as a weapon, to drive down
wages and destroy millions of jobs,”
Dores said.
Washington’s ‘hate China’ campaign
“Washington raises several phony issues in its ‘hate
China’ campaign. One is the alleged persecution of
the Uighur people in Xinjiang Province. There’s
nothing but hypocrisy here,” the analyst said.
“If this claim were true - and I’ve seen no reliable evidence
that it is - Washington would be the last to care. The US
leads the world in mass incarceration and murder
by police,” he noted.
“According to the Equal Justice Initiative... ‘Millions of
Americans are incarcerated in overcrowded, violent,
and inhumane jails and prisons.. that do not provide
treatment, education, or rehabilitation.' A majority
are from the oppressed Black, Latin and Native
nations... targeted by the police,” he said.
“Among the incarcerated are dozens of political
prisoners, such as Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard
Peltier and Jamil Abdullah Al Amin, who have
spent decades behind bars on framed-up
charges,” he stated.
“Last year’s Black Lives Matter uprising..... highlighted
the extent of racist police murder in the US. Between
1980 and 2018, the US police killed more than 30,000
people. Half of those killings were misclassified,
according to a study published in the Lancet
medical journal,” he said.
US supports ‘ethnic cleansing and
murder of Palestinian people’
“We also can't forget that Washington not only supports
but subsidizes --- the ethnic cleansing and murder of
Palestinian people --- by the racist state of Israel,
including the mass imprisonment of 2 million
people in the giant concentration camp
called the Gaza Strip. The US also has
no problem with the oppression of
the majority Muslim people of
Kashmir, by the Indian state,” Dores noted.
“The US accuses China of stealing ‘intellectual property,’
a twisted concept indeed. Perhaps the West should pay
China for inventing paper, iron smelting, the seed drill,
the compass, rockets, gunpowder and other
innovations... that made its economic
development possible,” he said.
“There is the accusation of currency manipulation. But
Washington... has flooded the world with devalued
dollars ever since the Nixon administration took
the dollar off the gold standard in the 1970s.
The US has long used the dollar as an
instrument of financial warfare,”
he said.
Why is the US Navy in the South China Sea?
“And there is the issue of ‘free navigation’ in the South
China Sea. Which raises the question, what is the US
Seventh Fleet doing in the South China Sea anyway?
For that matter, why is the US Fifth Fleet off the
coast of Iran and the US Fourth Fleet off the
coast of Venezuela,” Dores said.
“Every year, ships carry $3.4 trillion worth of goods
through the South China Sea. Most of that is
bound to and from China,” he said.
“The PRC has no interest in stopping that commerce.
It does have an interest in keeping US warships
away from its coast and ports,” he said.
“For the past seven years, the US Navy has helped Saudi
Arabia impose a naval blockade that is starving the
children of Yemen. US sanctions, backed by the
US Navy, are the main obstacle to commerce
between nations in the world today,”
he said.
“Instead of new CIA mission centres, military bases and
fleets of warships and warplanes all over the world, the
US should do what China does: Invest in schools,
health care, housing, railroads and renewable
energy. Bring all the ships, planes, troops
and spies home. The world would be a
much better and safer place,”
he concluded.
Image: Sa’dollah Zarei
Iran won’t let US, Turkey, Israel
create crisis in Caucasus
Sunday, October 3rd, 11:51am (PressTV)
by Sa’dollah Zarei
The fact of the matter is, that if there is no more time for
preventing a conspiracy from taking shape... there is
still time to thwart the conspiracy that has formed.
Here are some points with regards to this issue:
1) What the US, the Zionist regime, the governments of
Turkey and Azerbaijan, and the West in general, are
pursuing in the regions north of Iran is, firstly, a reaction to the great achievements of the
Islamic Republic and the resistance front.
When the criminal Zionist regime refers to the Republic of
Azerbaijan as “Lebanon of Israel,” it means that there is
a “Lebanon of resistance” that has foiled any Israeli
conspiracy over the past forty years and turned
into a major crisis for the occupying regime.
Why is a front led by the US, Zionist regime, Turkey and
Azerbaijan, talking about launching a pan-Turan move
-ment here? Because a powerful religious movement
has, for more than 40 years, disrupted the plots of
colonialists and criminals. So, it is quite clear that the enemy, although very hardworking, is in a state of “passivity.”
Here is another important question: will this evil conspiracy
ever yield any result? The answer is that there is a serious
antidote to prevent the realization of this tension-making
scheme, and if it enters the scene, it will definitely
thwart the plan, as it has happened so far.
2) Some people make a mistake here and say that the Syunik
agreement with North Karabakh... is a matter that concerns
the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia and that Iran’s
objection to it is not a matter of concern. They argue that
the implementation of the agreement is to the detriment
of Iran’s regional situation, but it is a natural
consequence and thus does not create a
right for Iran to legitimize its opposition.
The answer is clear; This is not an agreement between the
two countries on a disputed region, but one on creating a
region meant to undermine the security, political and
economic position of a third country.
While acknowledging their military and political failure, in
Afghanistan, the Americans explicitly speak of pursuing
a proxy war model to make up for their defeat. Shortly
afterwards, it becomes known that they had sent a
signal to Azerbaijan to launch and attack and a
signal to Armenia to, in turn, show tolerance
and accept the post-war reality, and at the
same time, following the end of a recent
44-day Karabakh war, the US stated
that they 'support' the agreements
reached between Azerbaijan and
Armenia. All this suggests that
the US has been standing behind this war and the situation that ensued.
Simultaneously, the Azerbaijani government announced
the widespread use of Israeli attack drones in the war,
and the Armenian army called the UAVs the main
reason for its heavy casualties in the war. This
means that it was an American-Israeli war.
Everyone knows, that the administration of Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is a Christian govern-
ment dependent on the West, but it's interesting that
in this war, the United States and Israel destroyed the forces and facilities belonging to a pro-West
Christian administration, and supported a
Muslim government instead! Isn’t that
a telltale sign?
The question is, what kind of “proxy war” US officials
were talking about in the course of their withdrawal
from Afghanistan? Was it possible for the US to
start such a war in Afghanistan? Which forces
could be used by the US to launch a proxy war
in Afghanistan? Could the US bring the Taliban
- which was taking power - into a proxy war?
Proxy war with whom? The answer is no.
Was the Afghan army able to enter a proxy war? The
answer's clear. Was the army that was not even able
to defend Kabul for an hour, against the Taliban —
which took control of the capital without firing a
single shot — ready to enter a proxy war?
Could the old mujahedeen forces.. serve
as the proxies of the American war? The
answer is clear. The old forces, besides
having an anti-American spirit... have
currently no military capability. Could
the USA... create a ''proxy force'' in
Afghanistan, in the medium term,
with the Taliban et al present on the scene? The answer to this
question is also, no. This is
because... for at least the
next 50 years... US crimes
will be in front of the eyes
of the Afghan people, and
the prospect for any kind
of Afghan-American,
cooperation...
is bleak.
So, what did the Americans mean by a proxy war? In fact,
the Americans wanted a proxy war where there was a
fertile ground... and the required strength. From the
American point of view, the “ethnicity” factor must
be emphasized and turned into a winning weapon
against anti-American revolutionary uprisings.
The Americans have long focused on the
model of racism and pan-Turanism... in
the case of this region, and considered
them as “a possible solution,” or more
accurately, the last “remaining arrow,”
and pinned their hopes on it.
Therefore, the prominent role of this tendency, in the
developments in the north, and its overlapping in the
Caucasus, besides the intention to highlight the anti
Iranian and anti-Islamic edges in the rhetoric of the
officials of these countries, tell us that we are
facing a “semi-hard” proxy war.
When Azeri President Ilham Aliyev speaks openly in an
interview about the widespread presence of Israeli
forces and equipment in the Caucasus, and the
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, he
is, in fact, blowing the lid off a proxy war.
3) Saudi Arabia’s measures are yet another issue that is indicative of the proxy war in the developments
unfolding in Iran’s northwestern frontiers, on
the one side, and its scale, on the other. The
Saudis have explicitly said that they are
working to launch a 24-hour television
network for the Turkish region of the
Caucasus called “Turk national.”
Why is the Saudi regime in the Caucasus trying to launch
such a TV network? The people in this region are neither
Arabs nor Sunnis in order for them to be the audience of
a Sunni Arab country. At the same time, it is obvious that this decision cannot be implemented without the consent and cooperation of the governments in the region.
4) Naturally, on this front, Iran can't remain silent and turn
a blind eye to the dimensions and consequences of the
action that being along its borders; therefore, it has to
react, but what is the due reaction? There is no doubt
that military conflict & dragging Iran into the military
arena is a well-known policy of the American front.
On the other hand... we know that what is intended for the Caucasus region is not even a full-fledged military
war, let alone a regional and multilateral war. We
are thus not talking about a war in the sense
that it is perceived. We are talking about
actions that disturb the peace of this
region and the interests of the
powers around it.
Isn’t it true... that the Azerbaijani government says Israeli
drones and forces have been involved in the recent war
between the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Republic of
Armenia? Isn’t it true that the Israelis explicitly referred
to the Republic of Azerbaijan... as “Lebanon of Israel”?
Since there are talks about the formation of a definite
security threat against the Islamic Republic, Iran has
the right to dismantle and confront the centre of
conspiracy against itself, without coordination
with any place or individual.
This type of Iranian confrontation is not so incomprehensible
to Zionists. Interestingly, an Israeli institution wrote a few
days ago: “Iran may want to retaliate against Israeli attacks
in Syria in Azerbaijan.” The regime is attacking areas in
Syria under the false pretext that Syria has become a
base for the presence of Iranian military personnel.
The Israeli institute asks what problem would arise
if Iran attacked a base in Azerbaijan, where Israeli
force are possibly present?
Of course, Iran knows very well how to use developments
to the detriment of its enemies. The Islamic Republic will
naturally begin with negotiations, to fraternally resolve
the issue between neighbours on Iran’s northwestern
border. Over the past 2 decades, the United States,
Turkey, and the Zionist regime have faced ultimate
defeat in any sedition that they incited and gotten
out of the situation while fraught with humiliation.
They are inciting sedition while they do not have
the power to tolerate and manage the war. If
these acts of sedition are not put aside, they
will face defeat, thanks to Iran’s measures.
(The views expressed in this article.... do
not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)
Image: Boris Malagurski
It’s time for NATO to leave Kosovo
before it does any more damage
October 2nd, 10:36am (RT)
By Boris Malagurski, a Serbian Canadian documentary
film director, known for “The Weight of Chains”,
enlisted in the catalogue of the Library of
Congress, whose work has been show- cased on international festivals...
including Raindance in London.
Follow Boris on Twitter @malagurski
Just as it all ended badly for the West’s military interventions
in Vietnam and Afghanistan, so it will in Kosovo. NATO has
overstepped its mandate, overplayed its hand, and
overstayed its welcome.
As the last US military helicopters were leaving Kabul,
Afghanistan, many, including myself, emphasized the
similarities with America’s embarrassment in Saigon,
South Vietnam – but one parallel that few dared to
draw, was with Kosovo.
When I merely asked “Is Kosovo next?” on Twitter, it
sent Albanian media outlets into a frenzy. Kosovo’s
Albanian majority celebrates the NATO troops as
saviours – NATO bombed Serbia, to take away
control of its Southern province of Kosovo in
1999. Since then, NATO has been sponsoring
a nation-building project... that seemed to have culminated in 2008, when Kosovo’s
provisional authorities declared
independence from Serbia.
It wasn’t an ‘end of history’ moment. Serbia and much of
the world didn’t recognize Kosovo as an independent
country, and Kosovo itself remained heavily
dependent on Western aid... and military
support. Most Albanian politicians are
aware of this and they are highly
obedient with regards to NATO,
whose KFOR troops are
‘keeping the peace’
in Kosovo.
However, NATO has overstepped its mandate. UN Security
Council Resolution 1244, which put an end to NATO’s war
with Yugoslavia, guarantees Serbia’s sovereignty over
Kosovo, while NATO has pushed for an independent
Kosovo from day one of their occupation. The
resolution also called for... the return of an
agreed number of Yugoslav and Serbian
personnel to maintain a presence at
significant sites and key border
crossings.... NATO has never
allowed this to happen. The
last Serbian prime minister
who called for this agree-
ment to be honored, was
assassinated in 2003, a little over a month
after his request.
On the other hand, what are the results of NATO’s nation
building in Kosovo? Close to a 30% unemployment rate.
One of the poorest areas of Europe... with as much as
45% of the population living below the official poverty
line, and 17% being extremely poor. Former Kosovo
Liberation Army terrorists, some accused of
trafficking weapons and human organs,
replaced their military uniforms with
politicians’ suits and are governing
the entity. The previous president
of Kosovo, nicknamed ‘The Snake’
...is currently being tried for war
crimes, and crimes against
humanity, at The Hague.
He’s the one who unveiled the Bill Clinton statue in
Kosovo’s capital. Bill then came to celebrate with
‘The Snake’.
Kosovo’s recent license plate row with Serbia was just
the latest example of a leadership in Kosovo incapable
of dealing with real issues, but rather... going into
conflict... to cover its incompetence. Instead of
negotiating with Belgrade, Kosovo unilaterally
used force --- to implement the removal of
Serbian license plates. And all that NATO
was willing to contribute to deescalate
the tensions... was to offer its KFOR
troops, to replace Kosovo’s special
unit, without even trying to resolve
the essence of the dispute. What
is NATO still doing in Kosovo?
Probably the same thing it was doing in Afghanistan.
Hoping a bad decision to go in, will eventually pay
off somehow. But it won’t. It didn’t in Vietnam, it
didn’t in Afghanistan, and it won’t in Kosovo.
So it’s time for NATO to start packing
its bags.
The statements, views and opinions expressed
in this column, are solely those of the author,
& don't, necessarily, represent those of RT.
Image: Iqbal Jassat
“Normalization":Betrayal of Palestineby Arab despots no easy road
by Iqbal Jassat
October 1st, 11am (PressTV)
Pinning Palestinians down while applying harsh
measures of violent repression -- accompanied
by a fanatical settler movement of arch-racists
given free reign to attack and plunder -- is a
notorious game Israel has elevated to a
daily ritual.
In fact the routine of inflicting war crimes has all
the hallmarks of a rogue regime entirely caught
up in a misplaced belief --- that to engage in ethnic cleansing, is a religious obligation.
Conflating Judaism with a racist political ideology
of Zionism has been part of a strategy designed
to deceive, distort and divert. It has its roots in
the first Zionist congress held on the eve of
the 19th century.
That this is well documented and widely known is
not in dispute. Indeed... awareness of Zionism's
goal to dismember and dislodge Palestinians
from their centuries old homeland and
forcibly impose thereon a foreign
entity known as Israel, has
always been a bedrock
for resistance.
Israel has thus always been considered an enemy
thrust upon a native population through the most
horrific forms of terrorism. The memories of Deir
Yassin remind the world of bloody massacres
committed by Zionist terrorists which didn't
spare hundreds of villages... to
colonize Palestine.
That more than seven decades later the expansionist
goals of Zionism are still being pursued at great
human cost to successive generations of the
indigenous Palestinian population, is
reflected in daily atrocities.
None of these facts, as attested to by historians, as
well as organs of the United Nations, are contested.
Though of course Israel and supporters of it seek
to distort and malign commentators who speak
truth to power, as anti-Semitic.
Yet against this background of terrorism and current
conditions siege, occupation, killings and mass
imprisonment - recorded and broadcast via
mainstream media for all the world to
witness - it is bizarre that a handful
of Arab regimes, have broken rank
with Palestine's freedom struggle.
And at a time when even Haaretz describes
the atrocities by Israel, as a pogrom:
"Residents of the Palestinian communities in the south-
eastern West Bank have experience of settler attacks
- when they graze their flocks, work their fields, or
even have a picnic on their own land.... But they
cannot recall an attack like the one experienced
Tuesday -- by the small communities of Khirbat
al-Mufkara, al-Rakiz and al-Tuwani. On Simhat
Torah, dozens of young Jews, most of them
masked, conducted what can only be
described as a pogrom."
The treachery associated with what has become known
as "normalization" is an outrageous manifestation of
betrayal and collaboration. Limited to the UAE,
Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco,.. these regimes
have in effect confessed that the protection
of their shaky thrones... counts for more...
than legitimate rights of the Palestinians.
As unelected self-imposed despots fearful of democratic
values, they have bargained that "normalization" with
the usurper of Palestine will "guarantee" safety and
protection for them. In other words, just as Egypt
has done, these oligarchs have outsourced their
intelligence networks and security apparatus to Israel, knowing full well that in doing so, they have abandoned Palestine.
Though the abnormality of the implicit recognition of an
illegal colonial enterprise, has been in sharp contrast
to countless Arab League resolutions... the deal of
"normalization" pushed by Trump and vigorously
backed by the Biden administration... has exposed these leaders - as surrogates of western imperialism.
The case of Bahrain's role in the "Abraham Accords"
reveals the soft underbelly of Arab dictatorships.
Besides being financially dependent on its
neighbours especially the UAE and Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain’s alliance with Israel is
designed to entrench its power and
crush any resistance to author-
itarianism or efforts towards
freedom and democracy.
In 2011, during the onset of the Arab Spring uprisings,
Saudi Arabia sent troops to Bahrain to suppress anti
-government protests. This trend continues today
by Israel --- equally committed to maintaining the
status quo, and preventing the success of any
popular uprisings.
In this context, one may justifiably condemn Bahrain’s gross insensitivity and abject abdication of Palestine's freedom struggle... as treacherous.
Showcasing Israeli war criminal Lapid’s visit to Manama
where he is set to open the embassy flying Israel's flag
is utterly outrageous. This follows the opening of a
Zionist embassy in Abu Dhabi, and will likely be
establishing one in Rabat. Sudan thus far has
reportedly said that it has no plans yet to
open an embassy in Khartoum.
Not surprising therefore that the Arab street across these
capitals have vowed to end "normalization". The iron-
fisted grip held by Arab despots notwithstanding,
human rights movements (many banned and
leaders exiled) have declared their outright
rejection of America's much-vaunted
Abraham Accords.
Stirrings in Sudan are becoming more vocal despite
Khartoum's attempts to silence critics. In Bahrain
the main opposition group, al-Wefaq National
Islamic Society declared Lapid’s trip as a
"threat", saying, "This is provocative
news and this trip is completely
rejected, and he (Lapid) should
not set foot on Bahraini soil."
Their message is clear: "Any (Israeli) presence on Bahraini soil --- means incitement."
Iqbal Jassat is an executive at the Johannesburg-
based Media Review Network (MRN), a socio-
political advocacy group, that concerns
itself with media and political analysis.
(The views expressed in this article do
not necessarily reflect those of Press TV.)
Image: Paul Antonopoulos
Greece And FranceTake First Step
Towards European Independence
Following AUKUS Debacle
September 28th (South Front)
by Paul Antonopoulos,
independent geopolitical analyst
Signing of Franco-Greek Agreement is the
beginning of supplanting NATO in Europe.
Of the 30 NATO member states, Greece is one of the few
to spend well over 2% of its GDP on defense, as agreed
upon by NATO Defence Ministers, in 2006. However,
Greece’s high spending (relative to GDP), is not
because it is positioning itself as a buffed-up
military state opposed to Russia, as per the
aims of NATO, but rather, to defend itself
against the threats of another NATO
member, Turkey.
With NATO consistently downplaying Turkish aggression
against Greece and the new AUKUS pact creating
distrust between the Anglosphere and the
Europeans... Greece has ensured new
extra security assurances against
its long-time enemy.
Greece’s strengthened partnership with France highlights
that the immediate consequences of the AUKUS alliance
are already being felt, as the two countries are making
the first serious steps towards a Europe independent
of Washington.
Alexis Papahelas, one of Greece’s top journalists, explained
that the Franco-Greek security pact is Macron’s “revenge”
against the Americans as it will strengthen European
autonomy. He also confirmed persistent rumours
that a defensive pact between France and
Greece was almost reached last year,
but ultimately broke down at the
last minute for “unknown
reasons.”
To put the situation in context, Greece for a year and a half-
received bids from six countries, including France, the U.S.
and UK for brand new navy frigates. The finalization of a
deal was continuously delayed... due to Greece’s
insistence, that a frigate purchase must include a defense agreement.
Greece signed its 12-month Mutual Defense Cooperation
Agreement (MDCA) with the US last year, but ultimately
did not decide on which frigate bid to accept. With
negotiations for a Franco-Greek defence pact
last year stalling, Athens ultimately decided
to sign the MDCA... with Washington. This
was rumored to be partially motivated
as part of 'negotiations' to pressure
the French to accept Greek terms.
However, with the sudden emergence of AUKUS, European
trust in the Anglosphere quickly diminished, and thus
galvanized Franco-Greek discussions on European
independence. And finally, a deal to purchase
three brand-new French Belharra-class
frigates, was stricken.
For his part, Mitsotakis said on Tuesday morning at the
signing of the agreement that:- “It is an historic day for Greece and France. Today’s development is an
initiative that responds to the demands of the
times on our continent. It paves the way for
an autonomous and strong Europe of the
future. Whether there is a timetable for
creating a European army: the debate
on European military autonomy,
evolves. Options such as this
corporate defense partner-
ship, move to this central
strategic choice.”
Effectively, Greece and France are advocating for a pan-
European military that would likely drive out NATO, as
the premier defensive pact in Europe.
Another demonstration that this pact is aimed at
supplanting NATO... is its careful wording.
Although Turkey was not mentioned
explicitly, there is little doubt that
part of the motivation for the
Franco-Greek defense pact
was Turkey’s unilateral
aggression in the
Mediterranean.
Even just minutes after the signing of the Franco-Greek
agreement, former Dutch diplomat Fons Stoelinga
tweeted: “EU autonomy in security and defense.
NATO still does not address the problem of
NATO-member Turkey destabilizing the
whole Eastern Mediterranean region.
France and Greece now react and
signed a security bilateral pact.”
The mutual defense assistance clause of the agreement
ensures that if Greece or France is attacked on its
territory, the other will come to assist, even if the
attacking country is part of other alliances.....
including NATO. This is an obvious message
directed towards Turkey, a NATO member
that on a daily basis violates Greek air-
space and threatens to invade its
Aegean islands.
These violations and threats receive no repercussions from
NATO as individual members are unwilling to risk their
economic relations with the country, whilst many
NATO leaders still believe that Turkey is a
bulwark against Russia.
France for most of its modern history, but especially
galvanized under President Emmanuel Macron.. had
an ambition of creating a more independent Europe.
The European experience under former U.S.
President, Donald Trump, and the recent
snub from President Joe Biden, with the
AUKUS debacle... has only increased the urgency of achieving European
independence from Washington.
Despite this ambition, as well as warning Europe that it will
become secondary in world affairs, if it does not become
independent, it appears that France can finally kickstart
its project alongside Greece.
Achieving EU unity is a difficult prospect, because minnow
states like Lithuania prioritize the interests of Washington
rather than the continent, but as Paris and Athens have
shown --- they will move ahead, in changing the geo-
political balance in the Mediterranean and will not
wait, while member states continuously bicker
amongst themselves on foreign policy issues.
If France and Greece can create strong foundations for an
independent Europe, it will only be inevitable before more
EU member states become interested in also being
integrated into a continental structure that is
independent of transatlantic alliances.
Image: Eric Zuesse
Why did the Taliban win against
the Americans in Afghanistan?
by Eric Zuesse
August 21st, 2021
Why did the communists win
against the Americans in Vietnam?
Why did the communists win
against the capitalists in the
Russian Revolution?
Why did the American Revolutionists
win against the British Empire?
I shall here propose an answer to all of them, because that answer applies to all such cases, as I'll explain:
When an imperialistic society is as corrupt as Britain has been since the creation of the British East India Company in 1600, and as America has been since the end of World War II in 1945, with its takeover and control by the MIC (military-industrial complex), which has inevitably produced the cancerous growth of America’s permanent-warfare state, what, then, is the reason to continue living by staying merely as a colonist or a vassal-regime (or even as the imperialist regime itself), which means, when the imposed regime is so profoundly corrupt --- as any
imperialist power necessarily is --- to accept such corruption, as this?
There’s something that is worse than dying... and it is to continue
living under a regime that one utterly despises. That’s a dragged
-out death, instead of a quick death. A regime which is as
corrupt as any imperialistic regime inevitably is, will be
intolerable for a significant number of the residents in
any one of its vassal-nations or “colonies.” Death, for
them, isn’t such a bad choice, if it means that they'll
go down fighting to overthrow it. They are driven by
the motivation, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”
This is a motivation that few, if any, of the imperialistic regime’s hired
soldiers (regardless of whether conscripted or not) can match. And
when they are foreigners who are fighting on a foreign soil (instead
of locals who are defending their land’s own locally determined
rulers), they especially and certainly cannot match such
motivation, because only the locals can be fighting with
a patriotic spirit. This is an intrinsic weakness in any
empire. And imperialist leaders tend to ignore it,
because they don’t want to understand how
repulsive they are, to virtually anyone but
their own boot-lickers.
Ultimately, the demoralization of a hired soldier’s continuing to place
his very existence in jeopardy so as to continue the war to enslave
and control the resisting local subject-population will mount high
enough to produce self-contempt, desertion, and sometimes
even suicide, in the oppressing power’s forces, especially if that’s a foreign power.
No longer will the rationalizations(that “We are protecting the residents here”) be able to continue fooling the invading-force’s soldier, and the imposed stooge- regime’s soldier. They both (the foreign regime, and its imposed local stooge-government or colony) are there really, to control the local subject-population; and, ultimately, enough of the oppressor’s forces will know this to cause the imposed stooge-government, to be conquered by those indigenous residents there - people who will be recalled as heroes, by the other
residents in that land.
This is an advantage that any revolutionists
have, against the imposed regime.
This is the real meaning of “martyrs,” in the deeper sense than
merely of a religious type — it is instead of the patriotic type; it
concerns the land -- and not necessarily any religion -- such as
Christianity, Islam, or Marxism. Their loyalty is to Afghanistan;
or it is to Vietnam; or it is to Russia; or it is to China; or (before
America became imperialistic) it was to America. And so forth.
It is to the local land, not to any dictators. It is to the country
that the foreign invader’s forces are occupying. The
invader’s forces and their imposed stooge-regimes
can’t match this motivation.
Similarly, when the American invaders were conquered by the
residents of Vietnam, the winners were the Vietnamese, not
really the communists; and, in fact, the Marxist philosophy
(or ‘religion’) subsequently has waned there. America, in
Vietnam, as in Afghanistan, was the invader, in a land
which had not invaded their own.
That similar situation exists in Afghanistan. The Sauds had invaded
America on 9/11, with the assistance of G.W. Bush, Condoleezza
Rice, and perhaps others in the Administration. And so, the U.S.
-imposed soldiers in Afghanistan couldn’t even possibly have
been fighting against Afghanistan for any authentically
patriotic real (factually true) reason, at all. Therefore,
lies were constantly needed by the U.S. regime, not
only against Iraq, but even against Afghanistan.
(Furthermore, if Bush’s objective had really been to identify whom
and how was actually behind the 9/11 attacks, then he would have
pursued that at the U.N. Security Council and would have gotten
unanimous backing for it, which would quickly have isolated
and led to the destruction of Al Qaeda. It could all have been
done without any war between nations, and also fully in
accord with international law. To the extent that 9/11 was state-sponsored terrorism, it was actually being
sponsored by the Governments of the U.S. and
Saudi Arabia.
George W. Bush, who was buddy-close with the Sauds, used 9/11 as
an excuse to trash both the U.S. Constitution and international law
so as to hoist yet higher his own tyranny, his own power - not only internationally but also.. in his own nation. An imperialist would,
of course, like to trash both, and to hoist his personal power as
high as possible. And GWB had the boldness to do it, and -
because America has been imperialistic ever since 1945
(i.e., international aggressions... have been America’s
culture since 1945) — he has been able to enjoy the
success of getting away with doing it. However,
everyone else, and especially outside America’s MIC, suffers from it.
What have the mere soldiers of invading and occupying
imperialist powers actually earned by having placed
their own lives at risk? Maybe a tombstone back
home, in the country that had invaded and
occupied that colony.
By contrast, even if a defending soldier has died as a
hero among the locals in a failed revolution against
the imperialist power, any tombstone will be
unnecessary to be that person’s memorial,
because the true memorial is in the heart,
and in the mind, of the locals there, not
in anything that is in the land of the
invading foreign power.
And, so, I propose that the answer, to the question here, is that,
whereas America’s Founders were waging war as heroes
(because their war was just), today’s Americans are
waging war as villains (because our wars are unjust
- imperialistic aggressions, instead of heroic
defenses against an aggressor). Between
America’s founding and the present time,
America has switched from doing war
against military occupiers, to doing
war as military occupiers.
And this, I maintain, is the reason why: “The Taliban’s 80,000
troops have retaken Afghanistan with cities falling like
dominos while the 300,000-strong government forces,
better equipped and trained, mostly melted and
surrendered with no will to fight.”
What today’s Taliban are to today’s Afghanistan is therefore what
the 1776 American Revolutionists were to the America of that era.
It’s not the ideology; it is the love of that land there, which has
motivated the residents’ forces to victory, against the forces
of the invading-and-occupying foreign power. This can
happen in any land, at any time.
America went into Vietnam focused on the “body counts.” That’s
how stupid America’s imperialistic leaders were, back then. The
only motivation they really understood was fear: “body counts.”
They’ve evidently learned nothing since. That is how corrupt
America is.
Right now in America, the ‘debate’ about Afghanistan is about Joe
Biden, who is basically irrelevant. He wanted to end America’s
military occupation there, just as Trump did, and just as
Obama did. He acted on it, whereas they did not — they
didn’t want to be accused by their political opponents
of having ‘lost Afghanistan on their watch’, but Biden
was evidently willing to risk it.
His only failure in the matter is that he kept lying to the American
people (and probably also to himself) about how chaotic the
evacuation would inevitably be, and about how collapsed
Afghanistan is, and has been, ever since the Soviets
invaded there in 1979.
Throughout America’s imperialistic era, the U.S. Government has
routinely been lying to the American people. Imperialism isn’t as
bad for the imperialistic nation’s public as it is for the conquered
land’s people, but it is very bad, even for them. The only people
who benefit from it are the billionaires, who control companies
such as Lockheed Martin, and ExxonMobil, and Amazon.
Those are the people (the owners), who hire the leading
politicians, including the members of Congress, and the
Presidents, to spread their empire, and their control.
They also hire the ‘journalists’ who shape their nation’s public
to support these invasions and military occupations. The
Government officials of an imperialistic regime represent
not the nation’s public - but its aristocracy - who hire and
appoint millions of the rest, the many agents (employees,
etc.) of the few billionaires. The billionaires really control
their country. After all: America is a thoroughly corrupt
country, just as any imperialistic country is. (All
imperialistic countries, are controlled by their
aristocracy. And every aristocracy is corrupt.)
The public in Afghanistan have long known this fact about America -
that it is corrupt. And this is the main reason why the Taliban now
rule that country. They represent that land. Not this land. It’s a
different culture, and a different place. To most Afghans,
America represents only corruption. There is nothing
unique about what is now happening in Afghanistan.
It has been happening for thousands of years, and
it’s just replaying an ancient script, but in that
particular location.
However, instead, the U.S.-and-allied media are focusing on Biden’s
bit part (which was always in a supporting role) in America’s
invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. So, probably
nothing will be learned from America’s invasion and
occupation of Afghanistan, just as nothing was
learned from America’s invasion & occupation
of Iraq, and from America’s invasion and
occupation of Vietnam, and from the
many other such post-WW-II
American foreign disasters.
For America’s billionaires, these have all been great successes
(very profitable); and, so, probably nothing that’s useful to the
American people will be learned from history; and, instead,
the myths will continue that have caused “The Military” to
be either the highest-respected or the second-highest-
respected of all of the 19 named institutions in America - the world’s permanent- warfare state.
The American military wastes the most money and the most blood
of any institution in America, but Americans nonetheless respect it
enormously. That, too, is a mark of an imperialistic country. The
way to control a public is to sustain the myths. U.S.-and-allied
billionaires make sure that it is done - however much it costs.
As regards the future of Afghanistan itself: On August the 19th,
the most reliable geostrategic reporter and analyst, Alexander
Mercouris, headlined at The Duran, “US Freezes Afghanistan
Reserves, Threatens Economic Crisis. Russia Works to
Establish New Government”, and he explained why the
Taliban will either cooperate with Russia, China, and
Iran, or else will degenerate yet further into a failed
state, especially because the U.S. and its allies will
do everything possible to strangle the fully looted
Government of Afghanistan — the new Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan. So: even after the US
and its allies have all left that land, the war
against the people there will continue, in
full force, from the same people, though
with different methods.
PS: The philosopher Zizek headlined at RT on August 20th, “The
true enemy for Islamists is not the West’s neocolonialism or
military aggression, but our ‘immoral’ culture”, and he said
“it was not neocons who boosted Islamic fundamentalism,
this fundamentalism grew up in a reaction to the influence
of Western liberal secularism and individualism.”
He did not understand that though religious fundamentalists
(including the Taliban) focus especially on sexual and gender
issues, a person didn’t have to be at all religious in order to
consider the financial and economic corruption of the
imperialists and of their stooges to be disgusting.
Americans didn’t invade & occupy Afghanistan, in order to
spread “liberal secularism and individualism,” but in order
for US-and-allied billionaires to expand their wealth, their
empire, and their global control. Even if the Taliban and
other religious persons might object only (or even just
mainly) to the sexual and gender issues... a broader
segment of the Afghan population were repelled by
the rampant financial and economic corruption of
the imperialists, and of their stooge-rulers.
This was not a defeat for “secularism and individualism.”
It was a rejection of imperialism: a rejection of it even by people who don’t understand what “imperialism” means.
(Source: Strategic Culture Foundation)
Image: Iqbal Jassat
Israel is committed to
aggressively pursuing
'Zionist colonialism',
says analyst
August 14th, 9:38am (PressTV)
A political commentator says Israel is relentlessly
following its "Zionist colonialism" in the occupied
Palestinian territories, and the evacuation orders
handed out to indigenous Palestinian families in the West Bank and Jerusalem al-Quds, are in line with the regime’s land
expropriation policies: to build more illegal settler homes.
“Israel aggressively pursues Zionist colonialism, which
has been the bedrock of the regime’s illegal ethnic-
cleansing agenda for the last seventy or more
years,” Iqbal Jassat, an executive member
of Johannesburg-based Media Review
Network, told Press TV, in an
exclusive interview
on Saturday.
He lambasted the Tel Aviv regime’s systematic theft of
Palestinian property as “a reprehensible disregard
for the inalienable rights of indigenous
Palestinians to their own lands
and homes.”
“The racist practice of evacuation, is a misleading
interpretation of forced expulsion, illegal under
the international law. It is also indicative of
the Group Areas Act [of 1950], under the
former apartheid regime of South
Africa,” Jassat noted.
The South African analyst also criticized the United Nations
and the International Criminal Court (ICC), for their
“impotence” ...to prevent Israel's unjust and
blatant violations of international
conventions and principles.
“It also raises serious questions about the inherent biases
existing within these institutions. These biases prevent
the exercise of law --- to halt land grabs, home demolitions, expulsions and incremental genocide,” he pointed out.
Jassat went on to say that Western countries’ decades-long
guilty conscience has prevented these states from
criticizing Israel, for its barbaric and brutal
practices, as such denunciations would
be treated as anti-Semitic.
“The US and its allies in NATO view Israel as a bulwark of
their interests in the heart of the Muslim world. They,
therefore, place their so-called security goals
above injustices against Palestinians,”
the analyst said.
“Moreover, the Arab world is mainly made up of unelected
despots, from Egypt to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates and Bahrain. Their collective view, pivots
on the false notion... that their security is tied
to Israel. That explains the close proximity
between their notorious intelligence
services and Israel's Mossad
and Shin Bet.”
Jassat further noted that the controversial normalization
agreements that several Arab states have struck with Israel, have stifled opposition to the Tel Aviv regime’s colonialist and expansionist policies.
He said the unacceptable betrayal of the Palestinians'
struggle for liberation from the Israeli occupation,
has even resulted in the regime being granted
observer status, at the African Union.
Image: Daniel Patrick Welch
Peak hypocrisy: US is ''concerned'' aboutChina's nukes
by Daniel Patrick Welch
August 7th, 11:45am
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns of
China's nukes, on the anniversary of his own
country dropping the only one ever.
The US empire never disappoints in its endless quest
to project the behavior of a true sociopath. As with
Goebbels’ Big Lie (which he stole from the US's
Bernays anyway), the tried-and-true strategy,
is to attack others, for actions it has itself
performed on a regular basis.
Hence the whole Russiagate charade about foreign
interference in sacred elections by a country other
than the US —reigning and uncontested champion
of regime change campaigns. Now comes Blinken,
the US talking head du jour on the world stage, to
warn Asia about China’s nuclear weapons. Huh?
If irony wasn’t dead, Blinken and crew (Winken, Nod
et al) would track it down and strangle it with their
bare hands. On August 6th, the State Department
announced Blinken’s warning... to China’s
neighbours: THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS
OWN COUNTRY’S DROPPING OF A
NUCLEAR BOMB on Hiroshima.
I would say “not to put to fine a point on it,” but it just
can’t possibly be sharpened any further. Run that
back, with the reverse tape noise and all.
The ONLY country EVER to drop a nuclear bomb on another,
the United States, chooses the very anniversary of the first of those two genocidal crimes against humanity, to express grave concern about China’s nuclear
arsenal. I guess you could just drop the mic
here — there really is so little left to say.
What comes after tragedy and farce?
Even Old Man Marx didn’t mention
a third, though I might venture
Cynicism Made Flesh?
Of course, Blinken--I just can’t stop saying the name… it’s like
DICK Cheney and COLIN Powell, or that library cop Bookman
from Seinfeld—Blinken isn’t to blame for the blasphemy of
rewriting history. He and his cohorts have a generational
head start on stupid. Seventy-five years of relentless
assault on Americans’ knowledge of history and
political consciousness, has left a populace
with a Hollywood understanding of WWII
that has almost no relation to reality.
Even Eisenhower knew (and said) that the bombings were of no
military use. Lost to Americans’ history—but importantly, not
the world’s—is the cold truth that Truman knew as well and
didn’t care. Perhaps the meanest, and most small-minded
of US presidents, he offed a hundred thousand Japanese
in one fell swoop, just to scare the Russkies. And by his
own admission, never lost a night’s sleep. Brrrrrrrr.
But Back to the Future: Blinken’s degenerate idiocy also further
exposes the infantile disorder of the Lesser Evilists and the rest
of the Harm Reduction menagerie. He is himself, of course, no
more than a cardboard clown, or more likely made entirely of
wood, spouting vituperations like a useful ventriloquist’s
dummy while sitting on the knee of whoever plays Edgar
Bergen in this cynical farce. The masters who pay
Blinken, Biden, (O)Bama, Bush and Bacchus
keep them on a short leash. The sociopaths
in charge make the real decisions.
The notion that “getting back to normal” would yield anything other
than a smooth return to the endless killing machine was not just
wishful thinking, but deliberate self-delusion, a lazy and selfish
need to play pretend and self-soothe while the world burns.
Unforgiveable, really. From Iran to Venezuela, Russia, China and
beyond, and with clockwork precision, the Enemies of Humanity
are ramping up war fever, concocting lies & manipulating truth
and fear like never before. The New York Times’ perversion of
the Tokyo medal counts, to pretend the US won, is more than
instructive: it is the stock in trade and lifeblood of the
predator class, honing its exceptionalist rhetoric to
wield when needed. Dark days ahead.
Daniel Patrick Welch is a writer of political commentary and
analysis. Also a singer and songwriter, he lives and writes
in Salem, Salem, Massachusetts with his wife. Together
they run The Greenhouse School. He has traveled
widely, speaks five languages and studied Russian
History and Literature at Harvard University.
Welch has also appeared as a guest on several TV and radio
channels to speak on topics of foreign affairs and political
analysis--around his day job. He can be available for
interview requests as time and scheduling permit.
Despite the price of being outspoken against US foreign policy
and military adventurism -- which can be steep, in today's
circumstances -- he believes firmly, as did Rosa
Luxemburg, that "It will always be the most
revolutionary act, to tell the truth out loud."
Welch wrote this commentary for the Press TV website.
Image: Finian Cunningham
Russia-Chinathe Endgame
by Finian Cunningham
July 3rd, 1:41pm (Sputnik)
The consolidation of the Russia-China alliance this week
spells the endgame for Western imperialism and the
never-ending wars that it spawns.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s leader Xi
Jinping celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Sino-
Russian Treaty of Friendship, first signed in July
2001. The hallmark of that historic accord is a
mutual commitment to peace, prosperity
and global stability.
As Putin commented, the alliance between Russia and China
is a vital source of “stability at a time of increasing geo-
political turbulence”. The latter remark is an oblique
reference to the US-led Western states which are
driven by ratcheting up antagonism and
tensions with Moscow and Beijing,
using all sorts of spurious
complaints.
The attempt by Washington (whether Republican or Democrat)
and its Western minions to make trouble with Russia and
China has become almost frenetic. Step back from the
daily headlines in Western media and it is glaring just
how much the agenda has become irrationally
hostile towards Moscow and Beijing.
Week after week there are unfounded allegations about
Covid-19, & so on. It’s like a mad cacophony to wind
up tensions. Nevertheless, the deranged attitude of
Western ruling cliques is but the death throes of a
world order that has reached its expiration.
Russia and China’s partnership has hugely transformative
geopolitical significance. Both these giant nations straddle
the continents of Asia and Europe, connecting the Pacific
with the Atlantic, ranging from the Arctic to the
Mediterranean. Both are committed to a vision
of a multipolar world where nations cooperate
for mutual development.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) linking Eurasia with
Africa and the Americas is the vision of the future, and
Russia is a key partner in implementing that
ambitious win-win project for global peace
and prosperity.
This vision stands in stark contrast to the prevailing Western
capitalist paradigm which operates through dominance,
control and exploitation for American and European
profiteering. That kind of centuries-old system
necessarily involves imperialist conduct ...
whereby the natural resources of foreign
nations are commandeered by brute
military force, conflict, subjugation,
subterfuge, skulduggery and
other machinations.
The multipolar vision of global relations advocated by Russia
and China is the nemesis of the Western imperialist system.
And that explains why the Americans and their European
vassals make every effort to demonize and distort
Russia and China.
But the geopolitical potential of Russia and China is
unstoppable. There is a force of natural justice that
all nations will inevitably subscribe to as the only
reasonable, feasible & sustainable way forward.
It’s about people-centered development ...
versus profit-driven disorder.
Moreover, the partnership between Russia and China is a
geographer’s wonder study. Russia is the world’s largest
national territory by landmass. With over 17 million sq.
kilometres, it covers 11 time zones out of the world’s
total of 24. The abundance of natural resources that
Russia possesses is astounding, from reserves of
natural gas, oil, metals and minerals, to forestry,
agriculture and fisheries. It also can boast of
highly advanced technology in multiple
sectors. And... it shares a long land
border with China, for easing trade.
Meanwhile, China has a population of 1.4 billion people, ten
times that of Russia. With highly advanced technology and
manufacturing, China is not only a vast market for Russian
resources, it is also a gateway to the world economy.
China has already become the world’s biggest
economy over the United States, according
to some measures.
The US and Europe are post-industrial economies that are
also post-peak of their prime. Their “prime” was always
based on an extractive predatory relationship with the
rest of the world that was predicated on inflicting
conflict and poverty on others.
As China and Russia build on their strategic partnership for
mutual prosperity and peace the upshot will inevitably
entail the endgame for Western imperial powers,
which are atrophying from massive inequality,
indebtedness, moral decadence and
social decay.
Fortunately, too, and this is crucial, Russia and China have
military defenses from new generations of hypersonic
weaponry that make them impregnable against any
warmongering notions by the United States. A
failing empire like the US and its Western
satellites is always a dangerous time, as
it tries to prevent the inevitable collapse,
but starting a war with Russia & China
...is not an option.
The views & opinions expressed in the article
do not - necessarily - reflect those of Sputnik.
Image: Barry Grossman
Barry Grossman:US, Israel
Adopting Bullying Tactics
for ICC War Crimes
Investigation in
Palestine
June 30th (FNA)
Barry Grossman is an international lawyer and political
commentator focused on human rights related issues.
He has been extensively published, on various legal
subjects and is a frequent commentator on political
affairs. He has taught law at the University of
Melbourne’s Faculty of Law and Monash
University’s Faculty of Law.
Below is the full text of the interview:
Q: How do you see the ICC ruling and the
issue of anti-Semitism raised by Israel?
A: To be sure, Benjamin Netanyahu has himself said that
“when the ICC investigates Israel for fake war crimes,
this is pure antisemitism”.
There can of course be no doubt that antisemitism is real;
indeed, every bit as real as Islam-phobia. But the long
standing ruse of conflating antisemitism with any and
all criticism of Zionism or Israel, is no longer taken
seriously, by a growing and very substantial
minority of people in the wider population.
Meanwhile the tactic of tarring everyone who resists Zionism
or criticises Israel with the antisemitism brush is having the
unfortunate, though not necessarily unintended
consequence of discrediting even the most
genuine efforts to draw attention to those
people whose speech is, indeed,
motivated by little more than
hatred for Jews.
Q: There are huge media attacks towards ICC’s probe to
Israeli war crimes in Palestine. Do you believe the ICC
can make a correct ruling under this media hegemony?
A: Propaganda about the ICC case published by the
Atlantic World’s Corporate Media Cartel is of course
preceded by pressure and instructions from think-
tanks, as well as the security/policy making
apparatus, which are, of course, fully
infiltrated by individuals promoting
Zionist agendas.
In that regard, both the US and Israel have openly declared
their hostile intentions towards the ICC and there is already
clear evidence that they're deploying all their usual tactics,
including intimidation, extortion, bribery and garden variety
corruption, to get politicians around the world, lawyers
involved in making Palestine’s case, and members of
the ICC to fall into line.
That said, if the myriad jurisdiction related technicalities
raised by Israel can be overcome, I am quite sure the
ICC is capable of reaching what many of us consider
the correct position regarding ubiquitous war crimes
and other violations of international law, perpetrated
by the occupation.
The real problem is that the ICC is quite limited in its ability
to enforce any ruling against responsible individuals and
Israeli organizations, so long as the key Atlantic World
nations continue to provide unqualified support for
the occupation, or, at the very least, to remain
neutral, in the face of clear evidence of the
occupation’s crimes.
A second very significant strategic issue arises from a
prevailing political reality which dictates that, in order
to make a reasonable finding about the occupation’s
crimes, the ICC will also have to use its authority to
investigate violations of international law alleged
against Hamas and other Palestinian groups ---
bearing in mind that the law of armed conflict
does not concern itself with the order in
which things played out and any finding
against Palestinian groups will certainly
receive far more traction, both in the
international community as well as
in occupied Palestine, than any
finding of culpability on the
part of the occupation.
Indeed, from where I sit, I do not see Palestine as
having much to gain from this process, but it
does stand to lose no small part of the
standing in public opinion, which it
has taken decades to develop, at
the cost of thousands of
Palestinian lives.
Q: Is it hypocrisy that Israel says Palestine is not
a sovereign state to have a delegation at ICC?
A: Hypocrisy hardly even begins to cover it. No nation
is in a position to dictate that Palestine is not a
sovereign nation-state, even if the UN has not
yet extended Palestine’s observer nation
status to full membership --- the way it
quickly recognized Israel’s existence
as a full member, in 1949.
It is also worth remembering that
31 UN member nations still do
not recognize Israel.
Of course, none of this is relevant to the Palestinian
delegation’s participation in ICC proceedings
investigating allegations of war crimes and
other violations of international law
committed against Palestinians by
Israeli nationals & organizations,
even though Israel is not, itself,
a party to the ICC treaty.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority (PA),
whose statehood and sovereignty has been
subject to intense dispute across the
international community... is a
signatory to the Rome Statute
(that is, the ICC Treaty), so it
would be bizarre, if it was
not permitted to have a
delegation present, at
the ICC proceedings.
Image: US Encirclement of China
US Encirclement of China:
A 'Progress' Report
by Brian Berletic
May 22nd (The Saker)
We post this long-read article in full -
as the New Eastern Outlook site has
been down for a number of days.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing are not merely
the recent results of former US President Donald Trump’s
time in office – but rather, just the latest chapter in US
efforts to contain China, that stretch back decades.
Indeed, US foreign policy has, for decades, admittedly aimed at encircling and containing China’s rise, and maintaining primacy over the Indo-Pacific region.
The “Pentagon Papers” leaked in 1969 would admit in
regards to the ongoing US war against Vietnam that:
…the February decision to bomb North Vietnam and the
July approval of Phase I deployments make sense only
if they are in support of a long-run United States policy
to contain China.
The papers also admitted that China, “looms as a major
power threatening to undercut [American] importance
and effectiveness in the world and, more remotely but
more menacingly, to organize all of Asia against
[America].
The papers also made it clear that there were (and still are),
“three fronts to a long-run effort to contain China: (a) the
Japan-Korea front; (b) the India-Pakistan front; and (c)
the Southeast Asia front.”
Since then, it is clear that from the continued US military
presence in both Japan and South Korea, the now two
decades-long US occupation of Afghanistan on both
Pakistan’s and China’s borders, and the emergence
of the so-called “Milk Tea Alliance” aimed at over-
throwing Southeast Asian governments friendly
with China and replacing them with US-backed
client regimes – this policy to contain China
endures up to today.
Assessing US activity along these three fronts reveals
the progress and setbacks Washington faces -- and
the various dangers to global peace and stability
Washington’s continued belligerence poses.
The Japan-Korea Front
Military.com in their article, “Here’s What It Costs to
Keep US Troops in Japan and South Korea,” reports:
In all, more than 80,000 US troops are deployed to Japan
and South Korea. In Japan alone, the US maintains more
than 55,000 deployed troops — the largest forward-
deployed US force anywhere in the world.
The article notes that according to the US Government
Accountability Office (GAO), the US spent “$34 billion
to maintain military presences in Japan and South
Korea between 2016 and 2019.”
The article cites the GAO providing an explanation as to
why this massive US military presence is maintained in
East Asia:
“…US forces help strengthen alliances, promote a free
and open Indo-Pacific region, provide quick response
to emergencies and are essential for US national
security.”
“Alliances” that are “strengthened” by the physical
presence of what are -- essentially, -- occupying US
forces, suggests the “alliance” is hardly voluntary and claims of promoting a “free and open Indo- Pacific region” is highly subjective – begging the question of, to whom, is the Indo-Pacific “free and open”.
And as US power wanes both regionally in the Indo-
Pacific as well as globally, Washington has placed
increasing pressures on both Japan and South
Korea to not only help shoulder this financial
burden, but to also become more proactive
within Washington’s containment strategy
toward China.
Japan is one of three other nations (the US itself,
Australia, and India) drafted into the US-led
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – also
known as the “Quad.”
Rather than the US solely depending on its own military
forces based within Japanese territory or supported by
its Japan-based forces, Japan’s military along with
India’s and Australia’s are also being recruited to
take part in military exercises and operations
in and around the South China Sea.
India’s inclusion in the Quad also fits well into the US
3-front strategy that made up Washington’s contain-
ment policy toward China as early as the 1960s.
The India-Pakistan Front
In addition to recruiting India into the Quad alliance, the
US helps encourage escalation through political
support and media campaigning of India’s
various territorial disputes with China.
The US also targets Pakistan’s close and ongoing
relationship with China – including the support of
armed insurgents in Pakistan’s Baluchistan
province.
Recently, a bombing at a hotel in Quetta, Baluchistan
appears to have targeted China’s ambassador to
Pakistan, Ambassador Nong Rong.
The BBC in its article, “Pakistan hotel bomb:
Deadly blast hits luxury venue in Quetta,”
would claim:
Initial reports had suggested the target
was China’s ambassador.
Ambassador Nong Rong is understood to be in Quetta
but was not present at the hotel at the time of the
attack on Wednesday.
The article also noted:
Balochistan province, near the Afghan border,
is home to several armed groups, including
separatists.
Separatists in the region want independence from the
rest of Pakistan and accuse the government and
China of exploiting Balochistan, one of
Pakistan’s poorest provinces, for its
gas and mineral wealth.
Absent from the BBC’s reporting is the extensive and
open support the US government has provided these
separatists over the years and how – clearly – this is
more than just a local uprising against perceived
injustice, but yet another example of armed
conflict-by-proxy waged by Washington
against China.
As far back as 2011 publications like The National
Interest in articles like, “Free Baluchistan” would
openly advocate expanding US support for
separatism in Pakistan’s Baluchistan
province.
The article was written by the late Selig Harrison
--- who was a senior fellow at the US-based
(corporate-financier funded) Centre for
International Policy --- & would claim:
Pakistan has given China a base at Gwadar in the
heart of Baluch territory. So an independent
Baluchistan... would serve US strategic
interests, in addition to the immediate
goal, of countering Islamist forces.
Of course, “Islamist forces”... is a euphemism for US-
Persian Gulf state sponsored militants used to both
fight Western proxy wars, as well as serve as a
pretext for Western intervention. Citing
“Islamist forces” in Baluchistan,
Pakistan - clearly - serves as an example of the latter.
In addition to op-eds published by influential policy
think tanks, US legislators like US Representative
Dana Rohrabacher, had proposed resolutions
such as (emphasis added),
“US House of Representatives Concurrent Resolution
104 (112th): Expressing the sense of Congress that
the people of Baluchistan, currently divided
between Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan,
have the right to self-determination and
to their own sovereign country.”
There is also funding provided to adjacent, political
groups supporting separatism in Baluchistan,
Pakistan, as listed by the US government’s
own National Endowment for Democracy
(NED) website under “Pakistan.”
Organizations like the “Association for Integrated
Development Balochistan” are funded by the US government and used to mobilize people
politically, constituting clear interference
by the US, in Pakistan’s internal
political affairs.
The Gwadar Port project is a key juncture within China’s
growing global network of infrastructure projects, as
part of its One Belt, One Road initiative. The US
clearly opposes China’s rise & has articulated robust strategies to counter it; everything up to and including, open war, as seen in the Pentagon Papers, regarding the Vietnam War.
The recent bombing in Baluchistan, Pakistan demonstrates
that this strategy continues, in regards to utilizing local
militants to target Chinese-Pakistani co-operation, and
is one part of the much wider, region-wide strategy:
of encircling and containing China.
The Southeast Asia Front
Of course the US war against Vietnam was part of a wider
effort to reassert Western primacy over Southeast Asia
...and deny the region from fueling China’s inevitable rise.
The US having lost the war and almost completely retreating
from the Southeast Asia region saw Southeast Asia itself
repair relations amongst themselves and with China.
Today, the nations of Southeast Asia count China as their
largest trade partner, investor, a ''key partner'' in infra-
structure development, a key supplier for the region’s
armed forces, as well as providing the majority of
tourism arrivals throughout the region. For
countries like Thailand, more tourists
arrive from China, than from all
Western nations combined.
Because existing governments in Southeast Asia have
nothing to benefit from by participating in American
belligerence toward China, the US has found it
necessary to cultivate and attempt to install
into power various client regimes. This has
been an ongoing process, since the
Vietnam War.
The US has targeted each nation individually for years.
In 2009 & 2010, US-backed opposition leader-in-exile,
Thaksin Shinawatra, deployed his “red shirt” rioters
in back-to-back riots - the latter of which included
some 300 armed militants and culminated in city-
wide arson across Bangkok, and the death of
over 90 police, soldiers, protesters, and
bystanders.
In 2018, US-backed opposition groups took power in
Malaysia after the US poured millions of dollars, for
over a decade, in building up the opposition.
Daniel Twining of the US National Endowment for Democracy subsidiary – the International
Republican Institute – admitted, during a talk by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, that same year, that:
…for 15 years working with NED resources, we worked
to strengthen Malaysian opposition parties -- and guess
what happened 2 months ago after 61 years? They won.
He would elaborate on how the NED’s network played a
direct role in placing US-backed opposition figures into
power, within the Malaysian government, stating:
I visited and I was sitting there with many of the leaders
the new leaders of this government, many of whom
were just our partners we had been working with
for 15 years and one of the most senior of them
who’s now one of the people running the
government said to me, ‘gosh IRI you
never gave up on us even when we
were ready to give up
on ourselves.’
Far from “promoting freedom” in Malaysia ---- Twining
would make clear the ultimate objective of interfering
in Malaysia’s internal political affairs, was to serve
US interests, not only in regards to Malaysia, but
in regards to the entire region and specifically
toward encircling and containing China.
Twining would boast:
…guess what one of the first steps the
new government took? It froze Chinese
infrastructure investments.
And that:
[Malaysia] is not a hugely pro-American country. It is
probably never going to be an actual US ally, but this
is going to redound to our benefit, and and that’s
an example of the long game.
It is a pattern that has repeated itself in Myanmar over
the decades --- with NED money building a parallel
political system within the nation and eventually
leading to Aung San Suu Kyi and her US-backed
National League for Democracy (NLD) party
taking power in 2016.
For Myanmar, so deep and extensive is US backing for
opposition groups there, that the elections virtually
guarantee US-backed candidates win.. every single
time. The US National Endowment for Democracy’s
own website alone... lists over 80 programs and
organizations receiving US government money
- for everything from election polling, and
building up political parties - to funding
media networks and “environmental”
groups used to block any Chinese-
initiated infrastructure projects.
The move by Myanmar’s military in February this year,
ousting Aung Sang Suu Kyi and the NLD, was meant to correct this.
However, in addition to backing political groups
protesting in the streets, the US has – for many
decades – backed and armed ethnic rebels
across the country. These rebels have now
linked up with the US-backed NLD and are
repeating the US-backed regime change
tactics used against the Arab World in 2011 --- in nations like Libya, Yemen,
and Syria – including explicit calls
for “international intervention.”
A US-Engineered “Asia Spring”
Just as the US did during the 2011 “Arab Spring” – the US
State Department, in a bid to create synergies across
its various regime change campaigns in Asia, has
introduced the “Milk Tea Alliance” to transform
individual US-backed regime change efforts in Asia, into a region-wide crisis.
The BBC itself admits in articles like, “Milk Tea
Alliance: Twitter creates emoji for pro-
democracy activists,” and that:
The alliance has brought together anti-Beijing protesters, in Hong Kong and Taiwan, with pro-democracy campaigners in Thailand and Myanmar.
Omitted from the BBC’s coverage of the “Milk Tea Alliance”
(intentionally) is the actual common denominators that
unite it – US funding through fronts like the National
Endowment for Democracy and a unifying hatred
of China - based exclusively on talking points
pushed by the US State Department itself.
Circling back to the Pentagon Papers and recalling the
coordinated, regional campaign the US sought to
encircle China with – we can then look at more
recent US government policy papers like the
“Indo-Pacific Framework” published in the
White House archives from the Trump
administration.
The policy paper’s first bullet point asks:
How to maintain US strategic primacy in the Indo-Pacific
region, and promote a liberal economic order, while
preventing China from establishing new, illiberal
spheres of influence, and cultivating areas of
cooperation to promote regional peace
and prosperity?
The paper also discusses information campaigns designed
to “educate” the world about “China’s coercive behaviour
and to influence operations around the globe.” These
campaigns have materialized in a propaganda war
fabricating accusations of “Chinese genocide” in
Xinjiang, China, claims that Chinese telecom
company Huawei is a global security threat,
and that China – not the US – is the single
largest threat to global peace and
stability today.
In reality US policy aimed at encircling China -- is
predicated upon Washington’s desire to continue
its own decades-long impunity upon the global
stage, and the continuation of all the wars,
humanitarian crises, and abuses, that
have stemmed from it.
Understanding the full scope of Washington’s
“competition” with China... helps unlock the
confusion surrounding unfolding individual
crises like the trade war; the ongoing
violence and turmoil in Myanmar;
bombings in southwest Pakistan;
students mobs in Thailand; riots
in Hong Kong; and attempts by
the US to transform the South
China Sea, into an inter- national conflict.
Understanding that these events are all connected - then
assessing the success or failure of US efforts - gives us a clearer picture of the overall success of Washington in encircling China. It also gives governments and
regional blocs a clearer picture of how to manage policy, in protecting against US subversion: that threatens national, regional, and global peace
and stability.
Brian Berletic, is a Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
Australians should be ashamed that they have a regime propped up to serve US racist agendas!
Image: sanctions infograph
How Exceptional America Is
by Eric Zuesse
September 30th, 2020
America is becoming exceptionally exceptional. In some votes
at the UN General Assembly - the Assembly of nations - only
Israel, or one or two other U.S. allies, vote along with it, and
all others either vote against it, or else abstain in order to
prevent U.S. retaliation against their own nation. No other
nation is anything like that. In fact, on many occasions,
the U.S. arm-twists other delegations -- in order to get
them to abstain from voting so as to make less stark,
and less embarrassing, America’s international
isolation. But America is also extraordinarily
exceptional in other ways, which have
nothing to do with the UN.
America is truly an exceptional nation. As the
Republican Party magazine National Review
stated, on September 15th, “Last week,
the US and Israel were the only states to vote against a General Assembly resolution on the coronavirus response. Some have seized upon that vote to paint the
USt as a bad faith actor that stands alone in the world.”
However, this vote wasn’t about only “the global
coronavirus response.” It was — perhaps even
more importantly - about U.S. sanctions against
Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Russia, China, and other
countries that the U.S. regime considers to be
its enemies. (None of these countries ever
invaded or even threatened to invade
the USA; all of those sanctions are
100% U.S. aggression.
They are target-countries that America’s aristocracy
wants to take over. (The world’s U.S.-sanctioned
countries are marked in red -- on the map of the
world below.) Israel strongly supports sanctions
against both Syria and Venezuela, and routinely
invades and bombs Syria just for good measure.
So, it joined America’s position on that.
That UN General Assembly vote was held on September
11th. America’s Associated Press bannered the next day,
“UN assembly approves pandemic resolution; US, Israel
object”, and reported that, “The 193-member world body
adopted the resolution by a vote of 169-2, with Ukraine
and Hungary abstaining. It was a strong show of unity
by the UN’s most representative body, though many
countries had hoped for adoption by consensus.”
The AP further stated:
It calls on governments and international financial institutions
“to provide more liquidity in the financial system, especially
in all developing countries.” It supports recovery plans that
“drive transformative change towards more inclusive and
just societies, including by empowering and engaging all
women and girls.”
And it urges UN member nations “to adopt a climate- and
environment-responsive approach to COVID-19 recovery
efforts”, including by aligning investments and domestic
policies with the UN goals & the 2015 Paris agreement
to combat climate change. …
By a vote of 132-3, the assembly amended the resolution to
urge all countries “to refrain from promulgating and applying
any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures not in
accordance with international law and the Charter of the
United Nations that impedes the full achievement of
economic and social development, particularly in
developing countries.”
The United States was then overwhelmingly defeated in
attempts to remove 2 paragraphs from the resolution,
one referring to women’s rights to “sexual and
reproductive health” --- and the other --- to
“promoting global sustainable transport.”
In addition to arguing against the language on sanctions,
the United States opposed all references to the World
Health Organization, which the US administration had
stopped funding, accusing the UN agency of failing
to do enough to stop the virus from spreading
when it first surfaced in China.
Nowhere in the AP’s article was any mention made that
in the “vote of 169-2,” the two nations which had voted
against the Resolution were the US and Israel, but only
that there had been “objections from the United States
and Israel,” regarding attachment, to the Resolution, of
the Amendment that added the anti-sanctions provision
to it. This omission was not an error. It is a type of
omission that is common in propaganda. America
was more isolated than that ‘news’-report
made clear.
This vote was about only a “Resolution,” a statement of
the various nations’ values, to work toward, not about
any nation’s policy, but the U.S. and Israel don’t share
those goals — not even rhetorically. This opposition
to that Resolution’s goals, was truly exceptional.
In particular, nothing is more abhorrent to the US regime
--- than to stop or impede its sanctions. These sanctions
include, for example, punishments against any company
or government that will, in any way, assist in Russia’s 96%
completed NordStream 2 natural gas pipeline to Germany,
for the EU to buy Russia’s pipelined natural gas instead of
America’s fracked, canned, shipped, natural gas. The U.S.
regime insists that EU nations buy the far costlier trans-
Atlantic-shipped fracked US liquefied natural gas (LNG).
That insistence upon the EU’s wasting money, in order to
prop-up America’s fracking industry, is, indeed, exceptional,
because European nations haven’t customarily been treated
as being mere colonies of other powers. America is treating
purchasers from, or cooperators with, that competitor (Russia),
as being its enemies. The way the U.S. Representative stated
this (after a lengthy diatribe which blamed China for Covid-19
and said that the U.S. had quit the World Health Organization
because WHO lacked “independence from the Chinese
Communist Party”) was: “Economic sanctions are a
legitimate means to achieve foreign policy, security,
and other national and international objectives, and
the United States is not alone in that view or in that
practice.” (That exact same sentence had, earlier,
been stated by the US regarding a different matter,
on 18 November 2019.) Actually, the U.S. regime is
very “alone” on it. Furthermore, the other part was
also a lie: the U.S. regime asserts that coercing
corporations and countries to not buy from the
lowest-cost supplier, is within its sovereign
right to do.
However, as Professor Alfred de Zayas, who until recently was
the UN’s top expert on this topic, explained in depth on 27th
June 2019, that assertion is blatantly false, on many clear
grounds concerning international law. It is a blatant lie, no
matter how many times the U.S. regime asserts it (and
asserts that the US regime isn’t “alone” in asserting it).
Even back when Barack Obama (the man who repeatedly
claimed that “The United States is and remains, the one
indispensable nation”) was America’s President, the US
was exceptional at the United Nations. For example, on
24th November 2014, I headlined “U.S. Among Only 3
Countries Officially Backing Nazism & Holocaust-
Denial”, and reported that - “In a UN vote, on
November 21st, only 3 countries - the US, Ukraine, and Canada — voted against a resolution to condemn racist fascism,
or nazism, and to condemn denial of Germany’s World War II Holocaust against, primarily, Jews.''
This measure passed the General Assembly, on a vote of 115
in favour, 3 against, & 55 abstentions (the abstentions were
in order not to offend U.S. President Obama, who was
opposed to the resolution).” Then, on 21 June 2015,
I headlined “America’s UN Ambassador Continues
Standing Up for Nazis” and noted that, again,
Obama’s UN Ambassador, Samantha Power,
had stood up for nazism; she had just
delivered an address -- in Ukraine --
rallying that country’s supporters
of nazism to war against Russia.
Then, on 21 November 2017, I headlined “Trump
Continues Obama’s Support of Nazism”, and
reported that:
On November 16th, US President Donald Trump, acting
through an agent of his agent, UN Ambassador Nikki
Haley, voted at the UN against a resolution that
condemns bigotry, and especially condemns
nazism & all forms of racism. He thus, yet
again, continues in the tradition from his
predecessors, Presidents Obama, and
Bush, each year, placing this nation in
the company of only one or two U.S.
allies throughout the world who join
with the US in refusing to commit to
opposing and doing everything to
reduce, not just political Nazism
(which, of course, is past), but
ideological nazism, racist
fascism - institutionalized
bigotry (which, sadly, is
not past).
But, be that as it may, the U.S. is also exceptional in
many other ways. I listed some of those on July 13th.
There are two main reasons why the U.S. regime is able
to coerce other nations to not violate its will. One is that
although publicly available reports allege it spends
approximately 37% of the entire world’s military
expenditures, the U.S. regime actually - spends
around 50% of the entire world’s military costs,
and therefore, it possesses an extraordinary
physical capacity to impose its will, if and
when merely economically blockading an
‘enemy’ country (via sanctions) fails to do the job of getting it to comply.
And the other main reason is that, since the US government
is at least as corrupt as the average “third-world” country is,
but is instead one of the world’s richest countries, arranging
pay-offs to other world leaders, in order to obtain their
cooperation, is easily affordable... (These payoffs are
being paid by all US.taxpayers, not by only America’s
billionaires, who reap all of the profits from the
empire that is imposed.)
American exceptionalism is real. It’s not the type of
exceptionalism that the regime’s propaganda claims
to be the case, but, nonetheless, it is real.
(Strategic Culture Foundation)
Image: sanctions map
Please watch the video above... We have never existed in such peril, and yet almost no-one is able to act.
Nuclear words: Putin's FINAL warning:
(People DO need reminding -- unless US, UK and French policy changes, and stops being so 'exceptional' -- that is, outside the UN legal Charter and thus, criminal --- there will be a reaping.)
BREAKING: Russia's State TV Advising Russian Citizens on how to survive a World War ! WAKE UP NOW - AND STOP THE WAR ON CHINA/RUSSIA !
The Doomsday clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists website now has the final singular moment that will bring civilization to final nuclear annihilation, at 90 seconds to midnight.
This is the closest it has ever been. Scott Ritter says it should be 2 seconds
World Will Not Survive the US' Neocons' Doctrine of US World Hegemony - Paul Graig Roberts Wednesday, February 7th, 2018
"The government of the United States is clearly in demonic hands. We are overflowing with proof", writes American well known analytist and ex- official Paul Graig Roberts in his website.
Take today (2-2-18) for example. A report from the House Intelligence Committee was released that is proof that the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice --- and the Democrat National Committee, are now in a conspiracy against American democracy and the President of the United States, with the full support of the presstitute media.
As if that is not enough, also released today, is the Pentagon’s new Nuclear Posture Review. A nuclear posture review specifies a country’s attitude to nuclear weapons and their use. In past posture reviews, nuclear weapons were regarded as unusable except in retaliation for a nuclear attack. The assumption was that no one would use them. There was always the chance that false warnings of incoming ICBMs would result in a nuclear button being pushed - setting off Armageddon.
There were many false warnings during the Cold War
President Ronald Reagan, was very concerned about a false warning, ending in mass death & destruction.
This is why his principal goal was to end the Cold War, which he succeeded in doing. It did not take successor governments long, to resurrect the Cold War.
The new US nuclear posture is a reckless, irresponsible, and destabilizing departure from the previous attitude toward nuclear weapons. The use of even a small part of the existing arsenal of the United States would be sufficient to destroy life on earth. Yet, the posture review calls for more weapons, speaks of nuclear weapons as “usable,” and justifies their use in First Strikes, even against countries that do not have nuclear weapons.
This is an insane escalation. It tells every country that the US government, believes in the first use of nuclear weapons against any & every country. Nuclear powers such as Russia & China must see this to be a massive increase in the threat level from the US.
Those responsible for this document should be committed to insane aslyums, not left in policy positions where they can put it into action.
The neoconservatives are a small group of conspirators. Most neoconservatives are Jews allied with Israel. Some are dual-citizens. They created an ideology of US world hegemony, specifying that the chief goal of US foreign policy, is to prevent the rise of any other power that could serve as a constraint on US unilateralism.
As neoconservatives control US foreign policy, this explains US hostility toward Russia and China and also the neo-conservatives’ use of the US military to remove governments in the Middle East, seen by Israel as obstacles to Israeli expansion. For two decades --- the US has been fighting wars for Israel in the Middle East. This fact proves the power and influence of the insane neo- conservatives. It is certain, that people as insane as the neoconservatives, would launch a nuclear attack on Russiaand China.
The Russian and Chinese governments seem to be completely unaware of the threat that the neo- conservatives pose to them. I have never experienced in interviews with Russians and Chinese, any awareness of the neo- conservative ideology. Possibly, it is too insane for them to grasp.
Ideologues such as the neoconservatives are not fact-based
They are chasing their dream of world hegemony. Russia & China are in the way of this hegemony. Having learned the limits of conventional military power—after 20 years the US “superpower” has been unable to defeat a few thousand lightly armed Taliban in Afghanistan—the neo-conservatives know: conventional invasions of Russia or China, would lead to the total defeat of US forces.
Therefore, the neoconservatives have elevated nuclear weapons to a First Strike, usable, arsenal that in the neoconservative dream of world hegemony can be used to destroy Russia and China.
Ideologues who divorce themselves from the facts create a virtual world for themselves. Their belief in their ideology blinds them to the risks for them- selves and others that they impose on the world.
Thanks to the American liberal/progressive/left, the entirety of the world is faced with a far more likely nuclear demise than ever threatened us during the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
By its collaboration with the military/security complex & the corrupt Hillary DNC, the liberal/progressive/left has forever discredited itself. It is now seen by every thinking person worldwide as an insane propaganda ministry --- for the neoconservatives’ plan to use nuclear weapons to eliminate constraints on US unilateralism.
The liberal/progressive/left has endorsed “hegemony or death.”
They will get death. For all of us.
(Source - DONi News Agency)
According to: PaulGraigRoberts.org
Legendary memorial at Saur-Tomb ''restored by May 2017''
DPR authorities have finished restoring the Saur-Tomb by May 2017. It was announced by the Building Minister, Sergey Naymets.
‘Saur Tomb has been being restored since November, and we planned to finish this by May 2017’, the Minister said.
He said "many people contributed to this project of restoration of the memorial damaged by shelling," Naumets noted.
____________________________
Cool Russia!
[Eng Subs] Children of Donbass, "Toys for Poroshenko" Music Video by Artem Grishanov
POWERFUL - PUT THIS ON HEADPHONES. I guarantee you will cry - and if you don't - please seek psychiatric help.
Full Text: Official Declaration of the Malorossiyan Federation
Zakharchenko announces a new federal state, Malorossiya, (means ''Little Russia'') as the legal successor of Ukraine. DONi News Agency
On 18.7.2017 the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, declared the creation of a new federal state, Malorossiya, which will become the legal successor of 'Ukraine'. The new state formation, will consist of 19 regions of the former Ukraine with the capital in Donetsk city. Kiev remains a historical and cultural centre, without the status of capital city.
Here is the full English translation of the declaration:
Political Declaration
The project of the state of "Ukraine", formulated 150 years ago and implemented in different versions during the 20th century, has reached its logical conclusion --- and led to the country's disintegration, civil war and the death of tens of thousands of people, including children, women, and elderly people.
And this process is irreversible. An attempt to turn the story back will result in "balkanization" of the conflict, expansion of chaos, escalation of civil war and even bigger numbers of casualties.
To stop the civil war and avoid new victims, we representatives of the majority of the regions of former "Ukraine" assembled in Donetsk on July 18, 2017, discussed the current situation and came to the following conclusions:
- the state of "Ukraine" has revealed itself as a failed state and demonstrated its being incapable of granting its inhabitants a peaceful and prosperous present and future;
- the current authorities – elected in Kiev, after the coup d'etat, against the backdrop of political terror and the absence of elections in the Crimea and Donbass, are illegitimate;
- the state of "Ukraine" is on the brink of economic catastrophe and depopulation;
- an ultranationalist coup is brewing in Kiev, as a result of which outright neo-Nazis will come to power insteadof "Banderites with a European face";
- the Ukrainian nationalistic project (the Galician one) has discredited itself, by the shedding of civilians' blood in the country;
- the ideology of "Ukrainism" has proved to be misanthropic, mixed with xenophobia (Russophobia, anti-Semitism, Polonophobia) and neo-Nazism (the ideology of national exclusivity and superiority);
- resulting from historical development and due to the Maidan, the word "Ukraine" is forever associated with the names of the Nazi accomplices, Bandera and Shukhevich, with the tragedies of the Baby Yar, the Volyn massacre & Khatyn, and, nowadays, with the mass murder of people on the Maidan, in the Trade Unions' House in Odessa, and Genocide of the Donbass people.
On the basis of the above, we believe that the state of "Ukraine", in the form it was established, after the collapse of the USSR, is UNSERVICEABLE.
We, representatives of the regions of the former "Ukraine", propose to re-establish the state and to proclaim the state of MALOROSSIYA, under an historical background, out of the former "Ukraine". In this case, it is of fundamental importance to rename the country, since "Ukraine" as a state, is guilty of war crimes, mass terror and the genocide of its own people.
In turn, the new name of the country, based on historical traditions, will enable us to reunify those pieces of the former "Ukraine" that seemed to have parted ways forever, including because of participation in the civil war, on different sides of the front line.
We must turn the page of our people's history, which is flooded with the blood of our brothers and sisters.
Malorossiya is an INDEPENDENT, SOVEREIGN state, with a new name, a new flag, a new constitution, a new state structure, new principles of social and economic development, and new historical prospectives.
But this is NOT A REVOLUTION ! This is a return to history. This is a novelty that restores, not destroys.
In view of the economic plight of the country, the chaos & disintegration potential, and regarding the possibility of launching a "war of all against all", we consider it necessary to declare a state of emergency for the transition period – up to 3 years. During this time, the process of adoption of the new Constitution and the establishment of the rule of law, should be completed.
Under a state of emergency, a ban on the activities of political parties and foreign funds is to be introduced, & penalties for criminal offenses, especially against the person, are to be increased. The fight against corruption will be toughened, as well as the penalties for it.The shadow arms market is to be eliminated, including by registering weapons in accordance with the new law.
In the same period an investigation is to be carried out, with the involvement of foreign specialists –- from Russia, Belarus & the European Union –- into the crimes committed by the Maidan Kiev regime: the murders on the Maidan, the murder of Odessa citizens in the Trade Unions' House on May 2nd, 2014, and the war crimes in Donbass, in the so-called ATO.
In the same period, the People's Tribunal is to be prepared to charge the state criminals who have led the country into disintegration and civil war: V.F. Yanukovich (with a request to Russia for his extradition), P.A. Poroshenko and his clique: Turchinov, Yatsenyuk, Kolomoisky, Paruby, Nalivaichenko and others.
We are sure that, having recovered from the criminal neo-Nazi ideology of "Ukrainism", we will be able to build a new society on the basis of friendship and mutual assistance -- but not hatred and envy. The creative genius of our people will manage to bring Malorossiya to the forefront of global civilization and play a role in history. The role of Good, and Truth.
Official translation by the DONi Donbass News Agency, 07/18/2017
(Source - Russia Insider)
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Nato – A Dangerous Alliance May 24th
As Nato ends its summit in Brussels, Rae Street explains why the military alliance remains a threat to world peace
When the Warsaw Pact ended, after the collapse of communism, some optimists might have expected Nato to be broken up too. After all, the Labour Party in Britain had been opposed to Nato in the mid-1980s. But that was not to be. The US, which had always dominated Nato, quickly began to reinvent Nato and furthermore, to expand it.
Following the end of the Warsaw Pact many central and east European governments wanted to join Nato. This, of course, was music to the ears of the US military manufacturers. Indeed, the chair of the expand Nato committee, Bruce Jackson, was technical director of Lockheed Martin, the largest military manufacturer in the world. So, for the new Nato members because of the policy on “interoperability,” that is Nato personnel being able to use the same military equipment, it was out with the old Soviet military hard- ware and in with sales of, for example, Lockheed’s military aircraft ,costing millions of dollars.
This continues to this day in countries which can ill afford it, with struggling economies. The latter includes Greece. Think of the situation in Greece today.
Expanding Nato up to the borders with Russia, was a provocative policy. The dangers were pointed out but the military industrial complex and the “hawks” in the West, took no notice.
To this day, this helps President Vladimir Putin: more and more of the Russian people believe that “the West” is against them.
Decades later, we read: “British troops have arrived in Estonia, as part of a major Nato mission in the Baltic states, to deter Russian aggression.”
From the start, Nato has always held a nuclear armed policy. It continues to claim that nuclear weapons “preserve peace.” Manifestly, nuclear weapons do not deter conflict.
Governments, including Britain’s, now analyse the main threats to security as cyber warfare and terrorism. Remember September 11th 2001, when New York was attacked by terrorists in planes, brandishing knives?
The US then had and still has, 13 nuclear armed Trident submarines, of which several will be roaming the seas fully operational. Britain has four, with one constantly on alert at sea.
Were these any use in the madman’s attack on Westminster, or in any terrorist attacks?
Trident is “integrated” into Nato. Even worse, Nato still has a policy of “first use of nuclear weapons.”
When the then minister of defence, Geoff Hoon, was asked in Parliament why Britain has a policy of “first use,” he replied: “Because of our obligations to Nato.”
Under the direction of the US administration, with its policy of global domination, Nato has established a string of nuclear-armed bases across Europe, in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey, at Incirlik.
The latter is now causing deep problems as relations between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the US, become more and more fractious.
There is now a real problem for Nato, as Erdogan is a repressive dictator — how can Turkey remain in Nato?
Nato states are supposed to uphold principles of human rights and democracy, notably lacking in Turkey today.
The nuclear-armed bases come under Nato’s “nuclear sharing policy” — in effect a violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Nato continues to expand. The policy of not acting “out of area” was dropped long ago. “North Atlantic” simply means, a domination of policies by the US.
Nato claims in its “strategic concept” that “the promotion of Euro-Atlantic security is best assured through a wide network of partner relationships with countries and organisations around the globe.”
In 1994 Nato established the Partnerships for Peace across Europe, extending as far as Uzbekistan.
Nato surrounds Russia from the west and east. These Partnerships for Peace (note the language again) now include 22 states, including “neutral” Ireland.
Then there is the ''Mediterranean Dialogue,'' with ''arrangements'' with countries in the Middle East. Few people realise that Nato carries out military exercises with Israel.
Nato has also established bilateral relations — named individual partnerships — with Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand and Pakistan.
In this part of the globe, where Nato carried out a military exercise in 2014 with Japan, named Ocean Shield, they are surrounding and menacing China, as the enemy.
Then there was the statement by Nato that “co-operation between Nato and the United Nations continues to make a substantial contribution to security in operations round the world.
“The alliance aims to deepen political dialogue and practical co-operation with the UN, as set out in the Nato/UN declaration, signed in 2008.”
This seems like Nato bidding to be the UN's military arm.
This hardly accords with the UN Charter. It was the Organisation for Security & Co-operation in Europe, set up under Chapter 8, of the UN Charter, to prevent and resolve conflict by non-military means and to promote co-operation in humanitarian and other fields.
The 54 member states stretch from Iceland to Kyrgyzstan and include Russia. Alas, how many times do you read of their work in the press, compared with the times you hear about Nato?
Nato is sold to us as a peace-making body. After all, the US is home to the finest PR companies in the world.
To summarise, Nato is pursuing yet more militarism and war:
- All Nato states are required to increase their military budgets to 2 per cent of GDP. That means stealing more money from social needs. Readers of the Morning Star know those all too well: the NHS, education, adult social services; the list is endless.
- Nato member states will have to spend 20 per cent of defence budgets on military equipment: warships, war planes, drones, bombs. By fuelling the arms race, Nato makes a mockery of moves for conflict resolution.
- Nato and its member states multiply interventions outside their territory and increase their presence through world- wide partnerships and “coalitions of the willing.”
- Nato extends its nuclear policies as a supreme “guarantee for the allies’ security,” notwithstanding that the majority of countries in the world are negotiating a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. In the meantime, nuclear weapons in Europe — under the guise of Nato — and elsewhere, are being modernised at a cost of many tens of billions of dollars and pounds. Think of Trident at a cost of £205 billion.
The Nato summit will be held and activists will beholding a “counter-summit” with protesters organising workshops and a demonstration.
CND activists will be there from the UK, but -- we also need people to raise the issues with their MPs, write letters to the press and raise awareness on social media.
Let’s put pressure on the government to invest in social welfare, not Nato, not war.
(Source - Morning Star)
In 2017 in the Donbass - give the children Peace!
Ethnic Ruthenes of sub-Carpathian Ukraine demand autonomy
Activists of a Slavic ethnic group known as Ruthenes -- or Rusyns -- who reside in the Trans-Carpathian (sub-Carpathian) region of Ukraine, have turned to President Pyotr Poroshenko with a demand:
recognize the results of 1991's regional referendum --- when 78% of the region's residents, voted in favor of granting it the status of a self-governing region.
"We have two main demands - to recognize the Rhuthenes as an ethnos and to acknowledge the regional referendum of 1991, where 78% sub-Carpathians voted for the region being a self-governed territory within Ukraine," Vesti quoted Ivan Palinkash, the leader of the Ruthene movement & a member of the People’s Council's presidium of Sub-Carpathian Ruthenes.
Natalya Magalina, a deputy of Uzhgorod district council, told the meeting of leaders of Ruthene ethnic organizations it is important to maintain the Ruthene language by establishing minimal norms for broadcasting in the native tongue, over the state regional TV Channel Tisa-1.
This isn't the first time that the Ruthenes of the sub- Carpathian area have asked the Kiev government to recognize the outcome of the referendum held 25 years ago. The Coordination Council of Ruthene Organizations of the Trans-Carpathian Region turned to the central authorities with the same requirement, the previous time, in the summer of 2015.
It was also in the summer of 2015 that the activists of Ruthene organizations adopted an appeal to the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe & the UN, as well as to the parliaments of Hungary, the Czech Republic, & Slovakia, to wield pressure on President Poroshenko and force the Ukrainian government towards accepting the result of their referendum.
The Ruthenes are an indigenous sub-Carpathian people. Ukrainian authorities do not consider them to be a separate ethnos, and continue calling them Ukrainians, although the UN has issued recommendations more than once, to recognize their status as a separate ethnos.
More than that, Kiev accuses the leaders of Ruthene organizations of making appeals for encroachments on the territorial integrity of the country.
(source - TASS)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zionist lobby preventing West from criticizing Israel: Analyst Fri Dec 16, 2016
The European Union has censured the Israeli regime for destroying Palestinian shelters and structures in the occupied territories. According to a statement by the European bloc, the Tel Aviv regime has demolished 866 structures so far in 2016 in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli military control.
Anthony Hall, editor-in-chief of the American Herald Tribune from Alberta, says that the European states have been under the influence of the Zionist lobby to go along with Israeli interests - and thus refuse to slam crimes against the Palestinian people.
“Every government within the EU has a very strong Israeli lobby, and this is one of the dilemmas that the Western people are facing,”Hall explained.
“Not only the governing parties but the opposition parties as well, are constraining discussion and discourse within a very narrow range, that puts Israeli priorities at the top of the list in all our Western countries,”he added.
The professor also called on Western citizens to“intervene directly and make contact with the Palestinian people, directly.”
“We, as the citizens in the EU, citizens in Canada, & citizens in the US, have to find ways to bypass the constraints of our governments & the biases and power of this lobby over our governments,” he noted.
Hall criticized the EU for its forensic accounting of homes demolished in Palestine.
“This type of numerical accounting fails to really describe the nature of this destruction of homes in its broader context ------ where thousands of Palestinian people are in dungeons and being tortured in Israeli incarceration facilities,” he said.
“The reality: that the world is letting this happen is very discouraging,” he added.
Hall warned that the prospect of a Palestinian state is no longer viable, given the emphasis on building up settlements, and destroying the structures of the indigenous people of Palestine.
"This goes beyond apartheid,” he said.
The Israeli policy of demolishing houses in the West Bank to build illegal settler units has affected 5,704 Palestinians, of whom, 1,221 have been rendered homeless, including 586 children.
(source - PressTv)
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UN Adopts"Paper Tiger" Resolution, on Israel's Withdrawal from the Syrian Golan
Fahwad Al-Khadoumi -The UN General Assembly adopted yet another resolution demanding that Israel withdraw from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, in line with a resolution of June 4, 1967.
However, UN General Assembly resolutions are non-binding and no more than a paper tiger, with- out a unanimous decision by the permanent UN Security Council members, to enforce them; A highly unlikely prospect.
In its latest resolution, the UN General Assembly again condemned Israel's non-compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 497 (1981).
The General Assembly reiterated that Israel's decision from December 14th, 1981, to impose Israeli laws, administration & custody on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, is null and void -- and has no legality at all.
The latest UNGA resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority of UN member States.
The resolution --- reaffirmed the illegality of acquiring territories ----- through the use of military force. The General Assembly also repeated that Israel's continued occupation & enforcement of Israeli law & administration violates international law, the UN Charter, & the Geneva Convention's principles on the protection of civilians during war.
During the UNGA session, a number of states condemned the Israeli practices in occupied Syrian Golan, calling on Israel to withdraw from Golan, in line with June 4th, 1967.
37 states proposed the now adopted draft resolution. However, UNGA resolutions are non-binding and no more than a paper tiger, unless permanent Security Council members are willing to put their money where their mouth was, when they adopted UNSC Resolution 497 (1981) - decades ago.
Moreover, none of the permanent UNSC members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US - took any tangible steps when the now former Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, defiantly declared that "Israel and the Golan are part and parcel" and that "the international community should get used to facing the fact that Israel will permanently annex the Syrian territory".
Most favourite scapegoat
The favorite scapegoat among permanent UNSC members, with regard to supporting Israel and neglecting Israel's illegal occupation of Golan is the US. However, Russia is in no way more actively pursuing Israel's adherence with UNSC Resolution 497 (1981) -- than any other -- of the self-anointed permanent UNSC members. In April 2016, Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were ominously silent about the Golan when Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited Moscow.
Russia failed to respond to what Netanyahu had declared "a red line" - occupation of the Golan.
A brief review of recent history pertaining to the Israeli occupation, international affairs & Israel's use of the Golan to wage war on Syria, suffices to show that the UN System has failed, utterly, and that it is perverted to the point that many analysts call for abolishing the UN altogether.
In June 2013 an Austrian UN Disengagement & Observer Force (UNDOF) officer told the press that Israel is -- running a joint operations room with the insurgents in Syria in the Golan.The UNSC failed to respond and more importantly, failed to take action. In July 2013, the Syrian permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Dr. Fayssal al-Hamwi, noted how Israel, since it occupied the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967, has displaced about half a million of the Golan´s original inhabitants.
Also in Feb. 2014, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu preempted a public relations quagmire by visiting a field hospital for "Syrian Freedom Fighters" in the Golan to show how much Israel cares and does, on the humanitarian front. It turned out that the "Freedom Fighters" belonged to the Syrian Al-Qaeda franchise, Jabhat al-Nusra.
In March 2014, Israel launched one of many military attacks against Syrian military and security forces, from the Golan, while the UNSC and most media were "silent".
In April 2014 The Director of Israel's Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Aviv Kochavi, a protegé of the now deceased Ariel Sharon, was appointed to head the Israeli Defense Forces Northern Command.
NSNBC international editor-in-chief, Christof Lehmann, reported that the appointment of Kochavi, indicated that Israel was planning large-scale military operations in the Golan in the near future and the widening of the Syria war. Lehmann was right on the money.
In May 2014 Israel denied Syrians in Golan the right to participate in Syrian elections. The UN was "silent". In mid-April 2016, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would hold on to the Golan.
A UNDOF withdrawal has left a 12-16 km wide corridor uncontrolled by the UNDOF... In 2013, it transpired that Israel was giving support to Jabhat al-Nusrah, such as a joint intelligence and military operations room in the Israeli occupied Golan, plus logistical support, weapons, field hospitals, and direct combat support.
In September 2014, Israeli machinations, resulted in the displacement of UNDOF troops from a 12-16 kilometer-wide corridor in the disengagement zone in the Golan by Jabhat Al-Nusra.. The corridor has since been used to supply Al-Nusra and the other terrorists and to launch attacks against Syria.
All permanent UNSC members with the exception of Russia were "silent". Russian diplomats tentatively spoke out against terminating the peace keeping mission in the Golan. The UNSC failed to act.
In 2015 it came out that Israel planned a major hydrocarbon extraction project in the Golan. Partners in crime include Genier Energy.
On the board of directors? Dick Cheney, James Woolsey, Bill Richardson, Jacob Lord Rothschild, Rupert Murdoch, Larry Summers and Michael Steinhardt, among others. Other players involved include the Israeli subsidiary, Afek Oil and Gas, American Shale, French Total and BP. Thus, there exists a broad and powerful nexus of US, British, French and Israeli interests: at the forefront of pushing for the break-up of Syria and control of what's believed to be potentially vast untapped oil and gas resources in the country.
On April 20th, 2016, NSNBC international editor- in-chief Christof Lehmann -- said Netanyahu's "Red Line" would be a litmus test for Russia, as a permanent UNSC member. On April 21st, after talks between Netanyahu and Putin in Moscow, it could be concluded that Russia failed -- spectacularly.
In September 2016, Israel started a wave of home demolitions in the Golan. The UNSC was "silent".
In October 2016, Israel announced plans to build 1,600 settlement units in the Golan, & none of the permanent UNSC members took any action.
So much for the latest UN General Assembly paper tiger.
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The UK Labour MPs who didn’t back the Yemen vote have blood on their hands by David Wearing
Presenting the motion in the Commons, Thornberry was subjected to a series of ill-judged interruptions by Labour MPs, such as Kevan Jones, Toby Perkins and John Woodcock. Indeed, Thornberry received more vocal support in the chamber from the SNP group than from her own supposed comrades.
According to subsequent reports, some Labour members even tried to work with their Tory counterparts, in order to defeat their own party’s motion.
Woodcock, a former 'Progress' Chair, claimed that British support is “precisely focused on training the Saudis” to improve their targeting - so as to “create fewer civilian casualties” - parroting the official government line. The idea that the Saudis’ “widespread & systematic” attacks on civilian targets are just a series of well- meaning errors, is one that, to put it as gently as possible, lacks credibility.
And if decades of training provided by the British to the Saudi pilots hasn’t prevented these supposed errors by now --- it seems rather unlikely that it will in the near future.
In any case, this misrepresents the true nature of the UK's role. When the intervention began, the foreign secretary Philip Hammond, vowed to “support the Saudis in every practical way short of engaging in combat”, including “spare parts, maintenance, technical advice, resupply” and “logistical support”. The reality is that the Saudi Air Force, roughly half UK-supplied and half US-supplied jets, could barely function, without this ongoing assistance from Washington and London.
If there is Yemeni blood on the hands of the Saudi-led coalition - then that blood is also on the hands of the coalition’s western backers, enablers and apologists.
The Saudis and their allies can only wage this war because the Anglo-American suppliers of their air forces are providing active, material support. And British and American politicians can only collude in these outrages, because the political cost on them, so far, has been low. However, it is in the gift of their constituents – you, the reader – to change that equation.
(source - The Guardian)
This could be defeated --- with a UNITED LABOUR PARTY !!!
But unfortunately, there are "entryist" MPs who, for decades, have been groomed by CIA cold war relic organisations -- like the Atlantic Council -- and are now trying to misdirect the Labour Party towards cuts, a militarised police, and a US war agenda... and their anti-peace MPs are hobbling Labour.
129 Labour MPs voted to stop support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign in Yemen. The vote was defeated by a majority of 90.
The motion called for ---- support to be withdrawn from the Saudi government until a United Nations investigation could determine whether the Saudi bombing had breached international law.
The motion didn't explicitly include a suspension of UK arms sales.
100+ Labour MPs didn't vote on the motion. If all of them had voted to support it, the government would have been defeated.
The following, are the Labour MPs who abstained, or weren't present to vote.
Adrian Bailey Andy Burnham Angela Eagle Angela Smith Ann Clwyd Ann Coffey Anna Turley Barry Sheerman Ben Bradshaw Bridgit Phillipson Caroline Flint Catherine McKinnell Chris Bryant Chris Elmore (Teller) Chris Evans Chris Leslie Clive Lewis (ill) Connor McGinn Dan Jarvis David Crausby David Lammy Diana Johnson Fiona MacTaggart Frank Field Gareth Thomas Gavin Shuker Geoffrey Robinson George Howarth Gerald Kaufman Gill Furniss Gisela Stuart Gloria De Piero Graeme Jones Graham Allen Graham Stringer Heidi Alexander Helen Jones Ian Austin Ian Murray Ivan Lewis Jamie Reed Jim Fitzpatrick Joan Ryan John Mann John Spellar John Woodcock Judith Cummins (Teller) Julie Elliott Kate Hoey Keith Vaz Kevan Jones Kevin Barron Liz Kendall Luciana Berger Lucy Powell Madeleine Moon Margaret Beckett Margaret Hodge Maria Eagle Mark Hendrick Mary Creagh Meg Hillier (Paired) Melanie Onn Michael Dugher Mike Gapes Natascha Engel Neil Coyle Nia Griffith Pat McFadden Paul Flynn Peter Kyle Phil Wilson Rachel Reeves Rob Flello Rob Marris Roberta Blackman-Woods Rosie Cooper Rushanara Ali Ruth Smeeth Shabana Mahmood Siobhain McDonagh Stephen Kinnock Susan Jones Toby Perkins Tom Blenkinsopp Tom Watson Tracy Brabin Tristram Hunt Vernon Coaker Wayne David Wes Streeting Yasmin Qureshi Yvonne Fovargue
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‘How Can I Deselect My Labour MP?’ A Short Guideto Reselection and Democratic Accountability by Eric Sim, excellent free advice here:
Nicolas J S Davies is the author of Blood On Our Hands: the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq. He also wrote the chapters on “Obama at War” in Grading the 44th President: a Report Card on Barack Obama’s First Term as a Progressive (Lol) Leader.
In the past weeks, Burundi and S. Africa have joined Namibia in declaring their intention to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). They are likely to be followed by a parade of other African countries, jeopardizing the future of an international court, which has prosecuted 39 officials from 8 African countries, but has failed to indict a single person who is not African.
Ironically, African countries were among the first to embrace the ICC, so it is a striking turnaround that they are now the first to give up on it.
But it is the United States that has played the leading role in preventing the ICC from fulfilling the universal mandate for which it was formed, to hold officials of all countries accountable for the worst crimes in the world: genocide; crimes against humanity; and war crimes - not least, international aggression, which the judges at Nuremberg defined as “the supreme international crime”, from which, all other war crimes follow.
As the ICC’s founding father, former Nuremberg prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz, lamented in 2011: “You don’t have to be a criminologist to realize that if you want to deter a crime, you must persuade potential criminals that, if they commit crimes, they will be hauled into court and be held accountable. It is the policy of the US to do just the opposite as far as the crime of aggression is concerned.
"Our government has gone to great pains --- to be sure that no US citizen will be tried by any international criminal court, for the supreme crime of illegal war-making.”
The US has not only refused to accept the jurisdiction of the ICC over its own citizens. It's gone further, pressuring other countries to sign Bilateral Immunity Agreements (BIA), in which they renounce the right to refer US citizens to the ICC for war crimes committed on their territory.
The US has also threatened to cut off US aid to countries that refuse to sign them. The BIAs violate those countries’ own commitments under the ICC statute, and US pressure to sign them, has been rightly condemned: as an outrageous effort to ensure impunity for US war crimes.
Resistance to US Impunity
To the credit of our international neighbours, this US strategy has met with substantial resistance. The European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution, stating that BIAs are incompatible with EU membership, and urging EU- member states and countries seeking EU membership not to sign them.
Fifty-four countries have publicly refused to sign BIAs, and 24 have accepted cut-offs of US aid as a consequence of their refusal. Of 102 countries that have signed a BIA, only 48 are members of the ICC in any case ----- and only 15 of those countries are on record as having ratified the BIAs in their own parliaments.
Thirty-two other ICC members have apparently allowed BIAs to take effect without parliament- ary ratification, but this has been challenged by their own country’s legal experts in many cases.
The US campaign to undermine the ICC is part of a much broader effort by the US government to evade all forms of accountability under the laws that are supposed to govern international behaviour in the modern world --- even as it continues to masquerade as a global champion of the rule of law.
The treaties US policy systematically violates today, were crafted by US statespersons and diplomats, working with foreign colleagues, to build a world where all people will enjoy some basic protections... from the worst atrocities, instead of being subject only to the law of the jungle or “might makes right.”
So current US policy is a cynical betrayal of the work and wisdom of past generations of US citizens, as well as of countless victims over the world to whom we are effectively denying the protections of the UN Charter & Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and many other multilateral treaties our country ignores, violates or refuses to ratify.
Avoiding jurisdiction in international courts is only one of the ways that the US evades international accountability for its criminal behaviour. Another involves an elaborate, well-disguised, public relations campaign that exploits the powerful position of US corporations in the world of commercial media.
Major Propaganda Funding
The US government spends a billion dollars per year on public relations or, more bluntly, propaganda, including $600 million from the Pentagon budget. The work of its PR teams and contractors is laundered by US news- papers --- and repeated and analyzed ad nauseam, by monolithic, flag-waving TV networks.
These profitable corporate operations monopolize the public airwaves in the US, and also use their financial clout, slick marketing, and the support of the US State Department to maintain a power- ful presence in foreign and international media markets.
Foreign media in allied countries provide further legitimacy and credibility to US talking-points and narratives as they echo around the world. Meanwhile, Hollywood fills cinema and TV screens across the world with an idealized, glamorized, inspirational version of the US that still mesmerizes many people.
This whole elaborate “information warfare” machine presents the US as a global leader for democracy, human rights and the rule of law, even as it systematically and catastroph- ically undermines those same principles. It enables our leaders to loudly, persuasively, demonize other countries and their leaders as dangerous violators of international law, even as the US and its allies commit far worse crimes.
Double Standards
The phrase “aggressive war” is also a no-no in the Western media - when the US government launches wars, across international borders. In the past 20 years, the US has violated the UN Charter to attack at least eight countries (Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya & Syria), and the resulting wars, have killed about two million people.
A complex whirlwind of conflict and chaos rages on in all the countries where the US and its allies have lit the flames of war since 2001, but our US leaders still debate new interventions ---- and/or escalations as if we are the fire brigade not the arsonists. (By contrast, the US government and the Western media are quick to accuse Russia or other countries of “aggression” --- even in legally murky situations, such as after the US-backed coup in 2014, that ousted the elected president of Ukraine.)
Systematic violations of the Geneva Conventions are an integral part of US war-making. Most are shrouded in secrecy: the propaganda machine spins the atrocities that slip through into the public record, as a disconnected series of aberrations, accidents and “bad apples,” instead of as the result of illegal rules of engagement and unlawful orders from higher-ups.
The senior officers and civilian officials who are criminally responsible for these crimes in US & international law -- systematically abuse their powerful positions to subvert investigations, cover up their crimes, & avoid any accountability whatsoever.
Pinter’s Complaint
When UK playwright Harold Pinter was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, he bravely and brilliantly used his Nobel lecture to speak about the real role the US plays in the world, and how it whitewashes its crimes. Pinter recounted a meeting at the US Embassy in London in the 1980s in which a senior embassy official, Raymond Seitz, flatly denied US war crimes in Nicaragua ---- for which the US was in fact, convicted of aggression by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Seitz went on to serve as Assistant Secretary of State, US Ambassador to the UK, and then Vice-Chair of Lehman Brothers.
As Pinter explained: “this ‘policy’ was by no means restricted to Central America. It was conducted throughout the world. It was never-ending. And it is --- as if it never happened.
“The United States supported - and in many cases engendered every rightwing military dictatorship in the world, after the end of the Second World War. I refer to:- Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile. The horror the US inflicted upon Chile in 1973 can never be purged, & can never be forgiven.
“Hundreds of thousands of deaths took place throughout these countries. Did... they take place? & are they in all cases, attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is 'yes', they did take place, and are attributable to American foreign policy. But you wouldn’t know it.
“It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happ- ening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to the US. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power, worldwide, while masquerading... as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant - even witty - highly successful, act of hypnosis.”
If, in 2016, the world seems to be more violent and chaotic than ever, it's not because the US lacks the will to use force or project power, as both major party candidates for President, & their military advisers appear to believe, but because our leaders have placed too much stock in the illegal threat and use of force, and have lost faith in the rule of law, any international cooperation and diplomacy.
After a century of commercial dominance, & 75 years of investing disproportionately in weapons, military forces & geopolitical schemes, perhaps it is understandable that US leaders have forgotten how to deal fairly and respectfully with our international neighbours. But it's no longer an option, to muddle along, leaving a trail of death, ruin and chaos in our wake, counting on an elaborate propaganda mach- ine, to minimize the blowback on our country and our lives.
Sooner, rather than later, US citizens & our leaders must knuckle down and master the very different attitudes & skills that we will need to become law-abiding global citizens in a peaceful, sustainable, multipolar world.
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Russia ends treaty limiting plutonium production in response to recent US escalation of hostility Fort Russ News - Topwar.ru - Lenta - News.Ru - translated by J. Arnoldski
TopWar: On October 3rd, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on suspending compliance with the agreement with the US on disposing weapons-grade plutonium. The main reason for this decision was pointed out as the “unfriendly attitude of the US towards Russia.”
Sources from the State Duma have reported that Russia is ready to resume the agreement, if the US cancels all the anti-Russian sanctions. Plus, Russia demands that the US reduce its military contingent in Europe, before Russia resumes compliance with the protocols. The State Duma’s statement reads:
“Acting according to the agreement and the protocols of the agreement can be resumed after the US eliminates the reasons which led to this radical change in circumstances: after the US reduces its military infrastructure and the number of its troop contingents deployed on the territory of the NATO countries having joined NATO after September 1st, 2000, down to the level at which they were on the day that the agreement and its protocols entered force.
"Since then NATO has grown to encompass 9 states of Eastern Europe. Just around the corner is NATO’s 10th state to be included since 2000 - Montenegro.”
In addition, Russia has demanded, as one of its conditions, that Washington cancel the so-call- ed Magnitsky Act.
We await a reaction from the US.
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Popov: Russia can and should withdraw from 1997 treaty with Ukraine By Eduard Popov for Fort Russ - translated by J. Arnoldski -
The other day, the disturbing news came from Lvov, the unofficial capital of Ukrainian Galicia, that the Lvov regional council has filed a lawsuit to forcibly evict the Pushkin Russian Cultural Centre. As the head of the regional council, V. Girnyak, said in his statement, organizations tied to the Anti-Terrorist Operation are preparing to transfer the building on Korolenko Street. The Lvov deputies hardly expect to earn more money from these “ATOers.” Rather, the eviction of Pushkin Russian Cultural Centre is explained by a different motive: once again, punishing anyone ideologically representative of an “enemy” Russian culture.
This centre’s building was leased to the Russian community of Lvov, in 1990. In 1999, the then mayor Vasiliy Kuybida, set the symbolic rent fee of 5 hryvnia (around $1 back then).
Let us quote one founding document signed by Ukraine, the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership between the Russian Federation and Ukraine from May 31st, 1997. Point 12 of the agreement reads: “The High Agreeing Parties shall protect the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identities of national minorities on their territory and create conditions for the fostering of their identity….they will contribute to creating equal opportunities and conditions for studying the Russian language in Ukraine and the Ukrainian language in the Russian Federation, training pedagogical staff for teaching these languages in educational establishments, and for these purposes, provide equal state support.”
Points 1-2 of the agreement are based on the recognition of the friendly relations between the countries and their territorial integrity. Hence why the agreement is often called a border treaty. For Ukraine, whose territorial sovereignty over some territories (including Galicia, which was part of the Second Polish Republic until September 1939) is quite disputed, this agreement was a real gift. It is no coincidence that a number of patriotic politicians in Russia, demanded that this document not be signed.
Russia’s recognition of Kiev’s sovereignty over territories included in the Ukrainian state is founded on Ukraine’s observance of the rights of its Russian- cultured citizens. After the coup d’etat in 2014, Ukraine began pursuing a policy of cultural genocide (ethnocide) against the Russian-cultured population.
Now Ukraine is discussing the initiative of the scandalously infamous politician Irina Farion, to deprive Russian residents in Ukraine of civil rights.
In fact, this measure is already being implemented. The number of Russian schools has rapidly declined while Russian organizations are being prosecuted and their activities are under close surveillance by Kiev’s intelligence services.
In accordance with the 1997 treaty, an entire network of federal & regional organizations of Ukrainians is funded in Russia. For example, in the Rostov region there is a city-level and regional national-cultural autonomy of Ukrainians.
The organization receives funding from the city and regional budgets. Its head, the businessman Makarchuk, is a member of the Public Chamber of the Rostov region and is proud of his friendship with Rostov governor Vasili Golubev. Meanwhile, Makarchuk is published on the website of the Ukrainian neo-Nazi Svoboda party and frequently makes Russophobic statements.
Unfortunately, Russia is largely to blame for the fact that the civil rights of Russian-cultured people in Ukraine are being massively violated. An example of this is the patronizing policy of Rostov region's authorities. But on the federal level as well, the state does not make sufficient (or any) efforts to defend the Russian population of Ukraine (nearly half of the country’s total population).
Meanwhile, a more responsible attitude towards obligations would lead to discussion of the 1997 treaty. In a situation in which the second country (Ukraine), massively violates the treaty’s basic premises, then Russia has the right to withdraw from the treaty with all the legal and political implications. I see no reason for the Russian budget to support the activities of Ukrainian organizations in Russia, or recognize the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine.
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WHITE HELMETS -- SHAM
The Ron Paul Institute has pointed out: “We have demonstrated that the White Helmets are an integral part of the propaganda van- guard, that ensures obscurantism of fact and propagation of Human Rights fiction that elicits the well-intentioned and self righteous response from a very cleverly duped public. A priority for these NGOs is to keep pushing the No Fly Zone scenario which has already been seen to have disastrous implications for innocent civilians in Libya, for example.”
What better chance to push “the No Fly Zone scenario” than arriving within “moments” of the convoy tragedy, filming it and creating a propaganda scenario before any meaningful forensic investigation could even be started, since the trucks were still burning. And of course, the “White Helmets”, aka “Syrian Defence Force”, were filming, rather than attempting to put out the fire and rescue those in the burning trucks.
[Ed. Yet the UK's Guardian, that snivelling wreckage of a "Liberal" newspaper, lies, & describes them as "the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group," quotes their accusations of Syrian & Russian "constant bombing of civilians" and calls for a "no-fly-zone" now --- as in Libya.]
The Russian Defence Ministry subsequently caused outrage by claiming that their Drone footage: “shows the bombed Syrian aid convoy included a truck full of militant fighters carrying mortar guns.”
However: “The footage emerged as the United Nations rowed back from describing the attack on the aid convoy as air strikes, saying it did not have conclusive evidence about what had happened.”
It must be asked, why on earth, after long and protracted negotiations over the convoy would Syria and or their Russian ally risk the wrath of the US & “coalition”, and of further decimation of the country, by laying themselves open to accusations of bombing aid convoys?
The tragedy has emphatically achieved 1 thing, however. Wiped from the headlines, is another atrocity - the US bombing which killed over 60 Syrian soldiers and wounded over 100 others, just two days earlier, on Saturday 17th Sept. - causing Russian Foreign Ministry spokes- woman Maria Zakharova, to comment: “We are reaching a really terrifying conclusion for the whole world: That the White House is defending Islamic State. Now there can be no doubts about that”, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
Again - Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who will guard the guards?
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US prepares an Islamic army in Kosovo
Pravda.Ru - The US is preparing a reserve echelon in the territory of its Kosova enclave. But to keep a secure strategic space, the Southern Serbian provinces may be separated from Kosovo. Given the total apathy of the authorities of Republika Srpska... this plan is inching closer to its implementation.
The goal of the Americans is clear: if Berlin's discontent ousts US bases from Germany, after all, the US will have a spot in Kosovo. It's no secret that the crime and terrorist mayhem plaguing Kosovo, is under the patronage of the US.
Yelena Guskova, a Senator, and member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), honoured with many Russian and Serbian state awards, commented to Pravda.Ru on this matter, in an interview.
Former Commander of the French foreign legion in Kosovo -- General Jacques Ogar, has recently confirmed to Pravda.Ru, evidence obtained from confidential US sources -- that there are at least five ISIS training camps in Kosovo, which are preparing suicide bombers and an army of Islamists to conquer Europe.
Having found no evidence that proved Milosevic was guilty, the Hague tribunal exonerated him. What do you think of it?
Slobodan Milosevic is a very significant historical person in Serbia's modern history, and the whole of Yugoslavia. In the early 1990s he was seen as the last communist in Europe -- who should be annihilated. His own country turned him over to the Hague; the so-called new government -- after the colour revolution of 2000.
However he was a leader who defended his country and the truth. He combated a large amount of lies at the Tribunal, which tried to prove that only the Serbs were guilty of all the events of the 1990s, as they were charged with collective crimes.
No leader of the Muslim territories of Yugoslavia was convicted, only Serbian ones. The figure of Milosevic was very important, but they didn't manage to find any evidence.
His brother Borislav Milosevic says they secretly took some samples of food and water Slobodan had been given and tested it in Moscow. And it turned out that poison had been added. And it was difficult to breathe for him, which means that something was infiltrated into the air.
Then he stopped eating, but the process had been launched. His death is mysterious but the Tribunal admitted that he was not responsible for crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Colonel Jacques Ogar, who was Commander of a foreign legion in the territory of Yugoslavia in the UN group admits that they were ordered to stand for the Kosovars against the Serbians... Western troops openly supported separatists and participated in punitive actions against the Serbians. Do you have such data?
Surely. I'm a Head of the Centre for the Study of the Contemporary Balkan Crisis at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Our main task is to collect documents and publish them. There occur more and more documents on the events since 1990, which confirm it.
It's absolutely clear that international organizations were biased. The Albanians approach their dream - to create a big country with an Albanian population only. The US has worked a lot to support this movement, as Kosovo is a project of the US.
And they would have got independence long ago, unless it was for Russia. Russia said No to their plans in 2007. it disturbed them, and now they do not influence Russia, but try to govern the Serbian authorities. But I think the process hasn't been completed, & there's a chance to return Kosovo to Serbia.
As they say, there are 8 ISIS training camps in the territory of Kosovo. It is reported that they train suicide bombers to carry out acts in the Western Europe and create a whole army to conquer it. How can you comment on this?
When huge flows of refugees were going across the Balkans in Europe, there were mainly young men and almost no couples. They were well- dressed, were going by three, and had enough means to live in decent hotels. It is clear that there are those among them who should stay in the Balkans & orchestrate implementation of their leaders' aims.
As the Serbian officials struggle to join the EU, they implemented all the terms. And they were told, to not only to let in these refugees, but also to build camps for them. Many stayed in the South, where the population is majority Muslim . A great quantity went to Kosovo and Metohija.
And there's an uncontrolled NATO base Bondsteel there, where enormous resources are deployed. This territory is not controlled by anyone. And when questions of the US military camps in Europe occur, no one speaks of Kosovo.
In Kosovo's camps, where terrorists are trained, they are set absolutely free. It's very dangerous for the whole of Europe, and the Balkans first of all. The US, though, wants to whip Serbia into submission and recognize the independence of Kosovo and Metohija.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska, and Serbians who reside there, are hampering these plans.
There is evidence that, as early as in the mid- 1990s the US aimed to go down to the Balkans when the agreement with Germany terminated if they had to leave. They need a territory in Bosnia & Herzegovina, in Kosovo, Metohija, Montenegro, Serbia & Macedonia. Republika Srpska hampers implementation of this plan today.
They need to annihilate the Republic and make the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina a unitary state. They didn't manage to conduct a colour revolution in the Republika Srpska, while the terror acts, which may be backed by Muslims in other territories, may be fruitful.
These plans may come forward in the nearest future, and it's a threat for the whole of Serbia. As there is a plan to separate the Southern regions of Serbia, where a lot of Albanians and Muslims reside. Today Serbian officials regard these refugees calmly, as well as capable of possible terrorist acts. But it should be paid 'special attention'.
there's a big difference between the news, and the truth - if you want the latest news and the truth, say, on Brazil - then please go to our One Union page.
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US/UK elite bankrolled A. Hitler
Germans were paid in company shares for loans that managed Germany's war reparations -- thus US capital began to actively integrate into the German economy.
The total amount of foreign investment in German industry during 1924-1929 amounted to almost 63 billion gold Marks (30 billion was accounted for by loans), and the payment of reparations — 10 billion Marks. 70% of revenues were provided by bankers from the US, and most banks were from JP Morgan.
As a result, in 1929, German industry was in second place in the world, but it was largely in the hands of the USA's leading financial-industrial groups.
"Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie", main supplier of the German war machine, financed 45% of the election campaign of Hitler in 1930, and was under the control of Rockefeller's "Standard oil".
Morgan, through "General Electric", controlled the German radio and electrical industry, via AEG and Siemens (up to 1933, 30% of the shares of AEG were owned by "General Electric") and through the Telecom company ITT — 40% of the 'phone network in Germany.
In addition, they owned a 30% stake in the air- craft manufacturing company "Focke-Wulf".
"General Motors", belonging to the DuPont family, established control over "Opel".
Henry Ford controlled 100% of the shares of Volkswagen. In 1926, with the participation of the Rockefeller Bank, Dillon, Reed & Co, the second largest industrial monopoly in Germany, after I.G Farben, merged with metals group, "Vereinigte Stahlwerke" (Steel trust) plus Thyssen, Flick, Wolff, Feglera etc.
US co-operation with Germany's military- industrial complex, was so intense and pervasive, that by 1933, the key sectors of German industry, & large banks such as the Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank, Donat Bank, etc, were all under the control of US financial capital.
The political force that was intended to play a crucial role in the Anglo-American plans was being simultaneously prepared.
We are talking about the funding of the Nazi party and A. Hitler personally.
As former German Chancellor Brüning wrote in his memoirs, from 1923, Hitler received large sums from abroad. Where they went, is not known, but they were received through Swiss and Swedish banks.
It is also known that, in 1922 in Munich, a meeting took place between A. Hitler and the military attache of the US to Germany -- Captain Truman Smith -- who compiled a detailed report for his Washington superiors (in the office of military intelligence), in which he spoke highly of Hitler.
Through Smith's circle of acquaintances, A. Hitler was introduced to Ernst Franz Sedgwick Hanfstaengl, (Putzie), --- a graduate of Harvard University who played an important role in the formation of A. Hitler as a politician, rendered him significant financial support, and secured for him, acquaintance & communication with, senior British figures.
Hitler was prepared politically, but, as Germany reigned in prosperity, his party remained on the periphery of public life... The situation changed dramatically with the beginning of 'the crisis'.
In the autumn of 1929, the collapse of the US stock exchange was triggered by the Federal Reserve, and the next stage of the Anglo-US financial circles' strategy, had started.
The Federal Reserve and JP Morgan, decided to stop lending to Germany --- inspired by the bank crisis & economic depression in Central Europe.
In September 1931, England abandoned the gold standard, deliberately destroying international payments systems and completely cutting off "financial oxygen" to the Weimar Republic.
But a financial miracle occurred for the Nazi party: in September 1930 as a result of large donations by Thyssen and I.G. Farben --- the party got 6.4 million votes & took 2nd place in the Reichstag;- after this, more generous investments from abroad were activated.
The main link between the major German industrialists and foreign financiers, became H. Schacht.
On January 4th, 1932, a meeting was held with the largest English financier, a Mr M. Norman, A. Hitler, and von Papen, which concluded a secret agreement on the financing of the NSDAP.
This meeting was also attended by US policy-makers, the Dulles brothers --- something their biographers do not like to mention.
On January 14th, 1933, a meeting between Hitler, Schroder, Papen & Kepler took place, where Hitler's program was fully approved. It was here that they finally resolved the issue of the transfer of power to the Nazis, and on 30th January, A. Hitler became Chancellor.
The implementation of the next stage of the strategy thus began.
The attitude of Anglo-American ruling circles to the new government was very sympathetic. When Hitler refused to pay reparations, which naturally called into question the payment of war debts, neither the UK or France pressed their payment claims.
Moreover, after a visit to the US in May 1933, H. Schacht was placed, again, at the head of the Reichsbank, and, after his meeting with the President and the biggest bankers on Wall Street, the US allocated Germany new loans --- totalling $1 billion.
In June, during a trip to London & a meeting with M. Norman, Schacht sought an English loan of $2 billion and a reduction and then the cessation of payments, on old loans.
Thus, the Nazis got what they could not achieve with the previous government.
In the summer of 1934, Britain signed the Anglo- German transfer agreement, which became one of the foundations of British policy towards the Third Reich, &, at the end of the 30's, Germany became the main trading partner of England.
Schroeder Bank became Germany's main agent in the UK & in 1936 his New York office teamed up with the Rockefellers, to create Schroeder, Rockefeller & Co. investment Bank, which the Times magazine called the Berlin-Rome "economic propagandist axis".
As Hitler himself admitted, he conceived his 4- year plan on the basis of foreign financial loans, so it never inspired him with the slightest alarm.
In August 1934, US Standard oil acquired 730,000 acres of land in Germany... then built large oil refineries which supplied the Nazis with oil.
At the same time, Germany secretly took delivery of the most modern equipment for aircraft factories, from the US, which would begin producing German planes.
Germany gained large numbers of military patents from US firms Pratt and Whitney, Douglas, and Curtis Wright --- and it was US technology, building the Junkers-87.
In 1941 --- as world war ll was raging --- US investments in Germany's economy amounted to $475 million. Standard oil invested - 120 million, General motors - $35 million, ITT - $30 million, and Ford - $17.5 million.
The close financial & economic co-operation of Anglo-American and Nazi business circles, was the backdrop against which, in the 30's, a policy of appeasement led to world war II.
Today, as the world's financial elite begins to implement the 'Great depression 2' plan with its subsequent transition to the "new world order", identifying its key role in the organization of crimes against humanity, becomes a priority.
Yuri Rubtsov is a doctor of historical sciences, academician of the Academy of military sciences, & a member of the International Association of historians of world war II.
Image: Results of UN vote condemning glorification of fascism
Image: Leonard Peltier
FREE POLITICAL PRISONER LEONARD PELTIER NOW!!!
Indigenous rights activist Leonard Peltier,
in prison in the US for 38 years, received the first international human rights prize of Uruguay's Mario Benedetti Foundation.
At a ceremony in Montevideo, where the winner was announced, the human rights group calls Peltier the longest-serving political prisoner in the Americas, AFP reports.
Peltier, a Native American activist who was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), was convicted in 1977 for the alleged murder of two US FBI agents during a 1975 shootout on the
Pine Ridge Reservation in S. Dakota.
He was sentenced to 2 consecutive terms of life imprisonment.
"Leonard Peltier, who on September 12th, 2014, turned 70, has spent over half his life in prison. He's a symbol of resistance to repressive state policies by the US, where there are people in jail for ethnic, racial, religious & ideological reasons," the foundation's statement says.
Ricardo Elena, a member of the foundation's honorary board, says Peltier's case "is one that is repeated over and over: violation (of rights), persecution, eviction, invasion and expropriation of indigenous people, from the time it was 'discovered', until now.
"It doesn't just happen in the United States; it is happening in southern South America, with the (indigenous) Mapuche people, and with indigenous people in North America," he states.
Elena says the United States "likes to think it's the seat of democracy, but it has political prisoners just like a dictatorship might have."
The Mario Benedetti Foundation was founded to support human rights and cultural causes in line with the work of the Uruguayan writer after whom it was named, who died in 2009.
Peltier is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
James Swan, the head of the Black Hills chapter of the United Urban Warrior Society - a nonprofit group that helps Native Americans fight racial discrimination and injustice - describes Peltier as a political prisoner whose case needs to be reviewed by an independent body.
"What we want people to realize is that this is an injustice," AP quotes Swan as saying.
Peltier, 66, was given two life sentences in '77, on false charges of killing 2 FBI agents.
Peltier asserts that he is innocent and the FBI framed him for political reasons, especially for his activities as a member of the Native American Movement. He has lodged numerous appeals against the conviction - but all unsuccessfully.
He's been denied parole again and again, and will not be eligible for it again until 2024, when he turns 79.
Peltier's relatives say he suffers a number of health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, and the loss of vision in an eye after a minor stroke.
Many activists say Leonard Peltier is the most important political prisoner in the US.
In a review of the US' human rights record, at a United Nations Human Rights Council UPR conference in Geneva, a group called for a new trial for him.
The US Human Rights Network filed a 423-page submission to the Geneva meeting about him.
One item, entitled “Political Repression - Political Prisoners,” about 1970's cases, indicts the FBI: accusing COINTELPRO of “maiming, murdering, false prosecutions and frame-ups, destruction and mayhem throughout the country.”
It cites the FBI for targeting the Puerto Rican Independence Front, the Black Panther Party, the Weather Underground, the American Indian Movement, the Black Liberation Army, as well as “peace activists and everyone in between,” and says “many of today's political prisoners” in the US were jailed indefinitely as a result.
Repression has grown since 9/11, it says.
The political repression paper demands an “immediate criminal investigation into the conspiracy,” and also new trials for two aged activists jailed on murder charges, Mumia Abu Jamal and Leonard Peltier.
