Introduction: the broader background to the Ukrainian crisis
Before looking at the latest developments in the Ukraine, I think that it is important to at least mention two major developments involving Russia. First, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus have signed the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and they will soon be joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Second, China has officially called for a new security alliance with Russia and Iran thereby proving that all the naysayers who said that China did not really mean it to form an alliance with Russia were plain wrong. As I mentioned it in a previous SITREP the scope and nature of the recent economic agreements between Russia and China already constituted what I called a crypto-alliance and now we see the first official move by China to drop the ‘crypto’ part of it. Again, this is truly a major tectonic shift in world politics and, arguable, the creation of the most powerful coalition of countries in history. The title of Godfather of this new coalition should really go to the USA and Barak Obama who by his amazingly arrogant and hostile policies towards both China and Russia has greatly contributed to the forging of this alliance.
This process is far from over, by the way. Not only are there discussions to expand the BRICS to other countries (like Argentina), the SCO or CSTO could also be expanded to include countries such as Iran or Pakistan. AS for the Eurasian Economic Union, it will eventually morph into a single political entity, a Eurasian alliance which could include China in economic and/or security agreements.
 |
| Lukashenko, Nazarbaev and Putin sign the EEU |
The entire Eurasian landmass is slowly but inexorably becoming integrated into a zone free from AngloZionist control and free of the dollar. The writing is on the wall for the AngloZionist Empire.
Latest developments in the Ukraine
The Ukrainian offensive has seen yet another dramatic escalation with, for the first time, the use of “Grad” multiple rocket launchers on the city of Slaviansk. At least one Ukrainian helicopter, reportedly carrying a general and 12 other people, has been shot down by the Novorossia Defense Forces (NDF). Sporadic artillery fire, at times intensive, has been heard through the night and casualties continue to be brought into the local hospitals. Several Ukrainian units have put down their weapons and basically surrendered to the NDF. In Sebastopol special headquarters have been set up to deal with the flow of incoming refugees. In Kiev the Parliament is considering declaring martial law which would basically give unlimited power to the junta and suspend most civil rights.
There are two ways to look at these events. You could say that a lot happened, there is an escalation taking place, people on both sides die, helicopters got shot down, units are refusing to obey criminal order, etc. But you could also say that from a purely military point of view absolutely nothing happened at all. Think of it this way:
What have we seen since the junta began its terror operation in Novorossiia? Slaviansk and Kramatorsk have been besieged and shelled. The junta forces have seized the airports near Slaviansk/Kramatorsk and Donetsk. That’s it.
Now let me immediately dispel the notion that these airports are somehow strategically important. They are not. Normally, in most military conflicts, airports are very important objects, especially their runways and radars. But in this case the seizure of the Slaviansk/Kramatorsk and Donetsk airports has not been followed by any use of them by the junta, if only because there is way too much combat still taking place around them to make their use safe. Besides, what need is there for airports when everything can be reached by road anyway? What about denying the use of this airport to either the NDF or the Russians should they decide to intervene? Well, the NDF has no air assets at all, as for the Russians they sure don’t need an airport to land an Airborne Regiment, Brigade or even Division. So why did the junta decide to commit its best forces to seize these airports? Simple – because they are not cities. Or, put differently, because they are located outsides cities. The fact is that the junta simply does not have the forces needed to occupy and control any city, so this is why they go for objectives which are outside cities.
Petr Poroshenko has announced that what the junta calls the “anti-terrorist operation” should not last for weeks, but only hours. So this begs the question: if the entire mix of junta forces (military + death-squads) have not succeeded in taking either Slaviansk (hab: 130’000)or Kramatorsk (hab: 165’000), what are their chances to take Donetsk (hab: 1’000’000)? Zero, of course. And even less than zero if that is to be done in a matter of a few days and hours.
So what is the point of all this?
Is it that the political leaders and the junta are simply stupid or completely miss-informed?
No, it’s not that simple. For one thing, to speak of a “junta’s strategy” or “Poroshenko’s strategy” is plain wrong as this accepts they myth that that is an independent government in the Ukraine. There is none. Truly, all the decisions are taken by Uncle Sam and his representatives in Kiev and the so-called authorities are just the USA’s collaborators who simply take orders form their boss. And for all their sins, the folks in DC are neither stupid not poorly informed. So what is their strategy in this frankly weird civil war?
Ideally, the first objective of the AngloZionists would be to trigger a Russian military intervention in protection of Novorossiia. That would re-create the kind of Cold War tensions these folks are so nostalgic for. It would give a justification for the existence of NATO and, if played well, it could even result in NATO and Russian forces looking at each other across the Dniepr river. Not only would such a situation be a dream come true for the US military-industrial complex, it would make it possible for the USA to achieve one of its most important strategic objective: to keep Europe colonized and to prevent any chance of its integration with the East. Far from being stupid, this strategy is nothing short of brilliant as it gives Putin only two choices: if Russia does not intervene Putin will look weak, indecisive, or even like a traitor to the Russian people, but if Russia does intervene, then Putin will be called the “New Hitler” or “New Stalin”, a crazed Russian nationalist hell-bent on re-building the Soviet Union and crushing the freedom-loving Europeans under his tanks. Are these cliches? Yes, of course, but they will be used. So for Putin its “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t”.
Second option: to wear down the NDF to the point where they will eventually surrender. Not very likely, but in theory possible. Should that happen, this could be presented as a double victory for Poroshenko: he crushed the “terrorists” and he “deterred the Russian Bear”. Again, this is a lot of whishful thinking, but in theory the US might see that as a unlikely but possible outcome.
Option three: the old US strategy of “what I cannot have, I burn down”. Basically, the strategy here is to destroy and damage as much of Novorossiia as possible, making a recovery as long and costly as possible. This is also a lesson to all those who dare defy the Empire: you disobey and we will make you pay.
Russian options:
As I mentioned above, Russia really has very few options to chose from. Any direct Russian intervention in the Ukraine – which in military terms would be a no-brainer – would have huge political consequences for the future of Europe’s stability. In essence, by not intervening Russia is denying the USA the Cold War v2 it wants so badly. Should Russia intervene, and that is very possible, it would mean that the Kremlin accepts that the real price of its intervention is a long term re-submission of all of Europe to US interests.
Russia does, of course, have the option of covertly assisting the NDF and there is no doubt in my mind that it is already doing it, but this can only be done in a very careful and remote manner in order to avoid giving the US any proof of covert support. Still, advanced anti-air and anti-tank weapons are clearly shown on some videos which shows that somebody is helping the resistance.
Russia has also begun leaking information about the Ukrainian units involved in terror operations against the people of the Donbass. For example, Russian TV has announced yesterday that the following units have been involved in the bombing of the Donetsk airport: the 299 Tactical Aviation Brigade from Nikolaev (Su-25) and the 40th Aviation Brigade from Vasilkovo (MiG-29) who use the Ivan Kozhedub Air Force University of Kharkov (Mi-24; Mi-8) as a combat operations basis. Russian bloggers have also leaked the photos and names of the pilots involved.
Russian jurists have created special legal companies who take the testimony of the Ukrainians whose civil or human right have been violated by the junta to file lawsuits in Ukrainian courts. Of course, the Ukrainian courts are fully expected to reject the complaint at which point the Russian can then file their lawsuits at the European Court of Human Rights.
The good news for Russia is that there is no way that the Junta can take Donetsk or Lugansk. And even if junta forces did enter these cities they would not be able to control them. The Russian military strategists understand that very well. After all, the Russians have more urban combat experience than any army in the world: during WWII the Soviet forces liberated 1200 cities form the German Army and that experience has been studied over and over again in the Russian military academies. Furthermore, while currently only a minority of the man of combat age in the Donbass have joined the NDF, the constant shelling and terror of the junta’s assault is motivating more and more of them to join the resistance.
Time is on the side of Novorossiia and of Russia.
My own feeling is that Poroshenko will soon fold and announce some kind of “peace initiative” which would probably not involve a complete withdrawal of junta forces from Novorossiia as demanded by the local authorities, but it will include a “suspension” of combat operations. Poroshenko – who is most definitely not a dumb man – knows that he absolutely must sit down and begin negotiating with the Russian and he also knows that the Russians simply cannot negotiate with him as long as active combat operations continue. I cannot prove that, but I believe that Poroshenko himself already understands all this and that what is happening now is that he is trying to convince the US of the need to accept the facts on the ground. Right now, Poroshenko can hide behind the tiny figleaf excuse that he has not been formally inaugurated, but that pretext will vanish pretty soon (on June 7th) and I suspect that as soon following his inauguration he will announce some kind of peace initiative.
Until then, the Russians will have to wait and grind their teeth at the news of every atrocity committed by the junta’s neo-Nazi death-squads. Payback time will come, but the first priority will have to be to deny the AngloZionists the Cold War they are so desperately trying to trigger..
The Saker
PS: as a small footnote: to those of you who can read Russian and who have an Android device (smartphone or tablet) there is a new and very interesting application called Вежливые Люди available from the Google Play (aka Android Store) called . There are two versions of it, the one supported by ads:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gentle.man.news
and the one costing $1.12 which is ad-free:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gentlemen (which I urge you to chose over the other one).
Вежливые Люди provides updated information from 18 different news sources mostly focused on the events in the Eastern Ukraine. You can browse through them and get a title and a paragraph or so and then, if you click on it, it takes you to the full article. See the screenshot to the right.
This app is only in its version 1.0 but it is already very useful and well designed and I find it one of the best sources of information about what is happening in the Ukraine. I highly recommend it to you, especially the articles from the “Голос Севастополя” which is based in the Crimea provides up to date information from the resistance in the Donbass.
For English speakers my first choice would be RT News English and its excellent Android application:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rt.mobile.english
from voice of russia:
Russian language classes will be compulsory at all secondary schools in Syria, Sergei Stepashin, the president of the Russian Association of International Cooperation, said on Thursday, TASS reports.
“Following a recent visit to Syria by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Syria’s leaders passed a resolution introducing Russian language classes as a compulsory course in the secondary school curriculum. They are pressing us in Ukraine but Syria is an opposite example,” he said at a meeting of the Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots of the Russian State Duma.
Syria, in his words, had always been Russia’s ally. Moreover, “it has been our outpost in the Middle East,” he added.
Why must you insist on calling Americans “Anglo-zionists” and Russians “Russians”?
Why do you not differentiate correctly that the US government is not representative of either the US Constitution or the wishes of the American public?
If you wanted to say ” the Anflo-Zionist usurpers of the Constitution and rule of law in America” I doubt anyone would complain.
Why must you insist on calling Americans “Anglo-zionists” and Russians “Russians”?
Why do you not differentiate correctly that the US government is not representative of either the US Constitution or the wishes of the American public?
If you wanted to say ” the Anglo-Zionist usurpers of the Constitution and rule of law in America” I doubt anyone would complain.
Another possibility, mentioned in comments yesterday, is that the objective is to make a division of Ukraine inevitable – securing Kiev and the western regions for the West and cutting off the troublesome eastern regions. It is rather hard to understand what military objective Kiev would realistically be after other than sparking a wider conflict…
@Tom Burnett:Why must you insist on calling Americans “Anglo-zionists” and Russians “Russians”?
Because it is the correct term! First, it does mean ‘American’. The current empire has grown out of the British Empire and now it unites the so-called Echelon countries also known as “UKUSA Security Agreement” or AUSCANNZUKUS and even “Five Eyes”: the Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These are ANGLO countries which are the successor states to the ANGLO British Emipire.
As for “Zionist” this is the ideological component of the Neocons, the Christian Zionists, the Israel Lobby, etc, whose influence over the current Anglo Empire is crucial. Ergo – this is a AngloZionist Empire.
As for Russia, I would gladly call the Eltsin regime the “Russo-Zionist” regime, but this is simply not applicable to Putin. Besides, Russia is not an empire anyway, so you are getting offended for no reasons and comparing apples and oranges. The term “AngloZionist Empire” is absolutely logical and it is the correct descriptor for the current worldwide hegemon.
The Saker
Saker,
Thank you so much for this, both the news and your analysis. I don’t know how you consistently reason through all this “fog of war” (seems more like mud and blood to me), but everything you said makes perfect sense. Except maybe one thing: Poroshenko actually believing he can a) convince us of anything; and/or b) survive the wrath of Galicia, Tymoshenko, us, the remaining thugs, mercenaries and oligarchs and God knows who else, should he make any concessions to either Russia or Novorossiya. I haven’t a clue what the rest of the Ukraine thinks about all this, but isn’t he rather stuck between a rock and a hard place? Frankly, I would not like to place odds on his dying of natural causes.
CBS has some nice headline “China calls for new security pact with Russia, Iran”. But if you read the article they said that on a CICA conference and that organization contains 24 countries, including Israel. I don’t expect much from a security organization that includes both Israel and Iran.
I read somewhere that things started on Crimea with the occupation of the airport and that for that reason occupation of airports in Eastern Ukraine hit some raw nerves in Kiev.
Among the economic measures taken by Yatsenyuk is cutting in the subsidies that the heavy industry and the mines in the East are receiving. Any idea how long it will take before companies are closed and the workers fired?
Oh, and a little more cheerful news about our intent; I posted it on the other thread but it belongs here too:
This is a must-read for anyone anywhere who thinks the Republicans, or their Tea Party affiliate, will take a different stance than Obama et. al. vis-a-vis Russia, Ukraine, or anywhere else. In short, no. Also too, Rand Paul has neither his father’s smarts nor principles; he’s already made his deal with the devil, so he’s no different than anyone else in D.C.
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/05/26/the-corker-in-us-russian-relations.html
We The People have got to get past the divisions between us, and work together not just to throw the present bums out, but replace them with people who are in fact accountable to us. And that second part is going to be harder than the first. Maybe there are minimal qualifications — skills, values, priorities, whatever — that could be agreeable to both sides? We’d each have to give up some things, so maybe we could start agreeing on what is most urgent, and most important, for all of us?
Saker, very interesting as usual. In order to make sense of the Ukrainian ‘non-strategy’ in their assault on Donbass, you should always bear in mind the primary objective, that is to keep the money flowing from the IMF and others by showing some kind of involvement, presence and ‘success’ in the ‘rebel’ eastern provinces.
The current situation cannot be held long-term or even mid-term, and I speak of both the extensive bombings as well as them holding airports. Yet Kiev forces will be directed to keep some feet on the ground there, so that in no way shape or form they appear to ‘give up’ on that territory. Any peace initiative/proposal is unlikely to go as far as pulling all troops back.
So my main point, the financial imperative, should be kept in mind to make sense of this. After all, this country is hanging by threads.
@Wim Roffel:BS has some nice headline “China calls for new security pact with Russia, Iran”. But if you read the article they said that on a CICA conference and that organization contains 24 countries, including Israel. I don’t expect much from a security organization that includes both Israel and Iran.
Agreed, but it is a first step. Down the line I expect China to negotiate something with the SCO/CSTO. But that kind of deal has to be carefully prepared for such as step. This is where I see thje CICA role as important.
Cheers,
The Saker
Or maybe Poroshenko wants a reason to fire the Svoboda and Right Sector ministers; for incompetence instead of because they are who they are. He may also want the 2,000 most hard core fighters, who could do another Maidan in the future or an assassination, to not be around to do that. Russia has them where it wants them now. There will be no need for an invasion if they no longer exist as a threat to Poroshenko making nice with Russia.
Well, well, well — Saker, how do you do it?
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/733971
Poroshenko has asked the EU to postpone signing of the association agreement. Uh… haven’t we been here before? Apparently he’s afraid naughty, naughty Russia “might impose restrictions” on imports of Ukrainian goods. Uh, you mean like sanctions?
I do not believe in war, I am Quaker-style non-violent, but after crying for almost 24 hours now over the cardboard-covered body of someone’s grandmother just lying there on the blood-spattered street and then reading this, I swear I’d be stopping tanks and lobbing grenades.
Compulsory Russia in Syria?
Come on.
Best wishes
Anonymous in Finland
Too much expectations from Poroshenko:
“According to other dispatches of American deputies, Poroshenko, while being Ukrainian Foreign Minister, did whatever he could to prevent Kiev from cooperating with Moscow. During the conference between Ukraine and NATO Poroshenko asked Western colleagues to “oppose Russia’s attempts to secure any sphere of influence and to veto Ukraine’s aspiration for entering NATO,” the dispatch of December 2009 says.
Another US Ambassador to Ukraine John Tefft said that Poroshenko himself advised Viktor Yanukovych that he firstly visit Brussels and not Moscow. Poroshenko also “called upon the US not to take seriously the words of Yanukovych, who approved the proposal of former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to create a new security system in Europe.” At the same time, Poroshenko was insisting on making Ukraine a member of NATO, in spite of President Yanukovych’s position.”
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_29/US-diplomats-call-newly-elected-Ukrainian-President-Poroshenko-disgraceful-oligarch-WikiLeaks-0773/
My God, after several days of depresing news, seeing corpses piled after assault at Donetsk airport and dead people in the streets, finally a post that brings a chance for hope!
Perhaps the powerful speech of Nasrallah has done it work….
“We will remain steadfast and firm. We will resist and make victory in this era of victories”.
Relentless…..
Hi Saker, as always, thank you so much for insights I’d never have realized!
About Obama being the Godfather, I agree and I also think there might be more to it than the LOL it does, rightly, engender….
There IS the possiblity that some of the New Age (I know, gasp) sources have indicated, that being that there is an extraordinarily extensive “ground crew” of “good guys” in all the organizations, corporations, governments, military, etc, who have been quietly working behind the scenes not only to bring down the AngloZionist cabal, but also readying a complex system of support for it finally does come crashing down.
And Obama may be part of that -though heaven knows if he IS sacrificing his integrity for the greater good, he’s doing a damn swell job.
But it’s something to keep in mind. I go back and forth, thinking he probably is a good guy (as indicated by your analysis) or not (as indicated by a zillion other actions).
But one has to ask, why would he go public about arming Syrian rebels? We’ve done it all along anyway, isn’t the publicity a whistleblowing in effect?
I wasn’t going to leave this comment, but then I read this fascinating older article by Bix Weir indicating that Alan Greenspan is in the same position. It’s worth a glance for anyone who just wants to make sure they’re considering all the options: http://www.roadtoroota.com/public/230.cfm?awt_l=E7c5Q&awt_m=3aEpohzbAiAZ85B
By the way, if anyone’s not familiar with who ROOTA is, it’s SO worth it to look at Bix’s website and find out… it appears the Fed has had seriously effective subversives working in it for a very long time!
Sorry Saker, but Russia is definitely an Empire, albeit a landlocked one like China.
1) airports are important for resupply. the NDF might be able to hold the cities but can they push out to the borders without help? i doubt it.
2) i think you’re missing out the oligarchs. whatever the US plan was i think it back-fired and they don’t know what to do. it’s the oligarchs who are the biggest threat to the NDF now imo.
@Anonymous:airports are important for resupply
Nope, not in this case. The distances are short and air travel is very dangerous. If even helicopters get shot down, imagine ressuppling by air! As for the Russians they are right across the border really nearby and, as I said, Russian Paratroopers don’t need airports to land, not even their heavy gear.
i think you’re missing out the oligarchs.
No I am not. Poroshenko is the formal head of the Ukrainian oligarchy. He is their man and this is their regime. But even they cannot muster a force capable of seriously fighting, hence their bizarre “airports only” strategy.
Cheers,
The Saker
While you’re recommending apps, Saker, here’s one to consider. It’s by a Ukrainian developer and help one avoid buying Russian products. But I don’t see why it won’t work the other way and help people find Russian products to buy.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.smtmobile.boycottrussia.ukr
Description
If you want to support Ukraine – boycott invaders’ products! Our app helps finding out where a product was made – in Ukraine, in Russia or in other countries.
Just press “scan barcode” and use the camera to scan a barcode on a product. The app will help you decide if the product is worth buying.
Hi Saker, I share your concerns about a Russian intervention in Ukraine, and I think that Moscow should really leave Kiev to drown in the mess it created.
Do you think that asking Minsk and/or Sukhumi to send medical (or even military) assistance to Novorossija would be a viable strategy? What do you think of it? I don’t know enough of Belarus/Abkhazia to tell whether these countries are willing to help.
Re Israel.
There is a strange development happening in the relations between Israel and Russia. They want to introduce visa-free travel, or have already. That is something which Israel does not have with the US. Next thing is Israels abstention from condeming the reunion of Crimea and Russia (“annexation” in newspeak). Recently, Russia and Israel agreed on a direct encrypted line on the presidential level (does this indicate deeper coordination?).
I suspect Israel is now going to balance USA with Russia, since the US is receding on the international stage.
(Here the link about the phone line: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_27/Putin-to-communicate-with-Israeli-PM-via-encrypted-phone-line-decree-7647/ )
@astabada:Do you think that asking Minsk and/or Sukhumi to send medical (or even military) assistance to Novorossija would be a viable strategy? What do you think of it? I don’t know enough of Belarus/Abkhazia to tell whether these countries are willing to help.
I think that it would be rather indecent for huge Russia to ask small Belarus or even smaller Abkhazia to help when Russia needs to help first and foremost. Russia can absolutely send in volunteers provided they are really volunteers, of course. Russia can also send meds and emergency supplies. I know for a fact that Russia is already doing all of the above. But right now its the people of Donetsk and Lugansk which absolutely need to do more to help the relatively small numbers of *real heroes* which alone are defending these cities against the neo-Nazi death squads.
But if somebody does intervene it has to be Russia. Let the Belarussians guard their own border and the Abkhazians deal with their current internal problems. Russia should not dump its obligations on others. I even think that Russia should not ask Kadyrov to send in his Chechens (he denies ever sending even one, by the way) as I don’t see why a Chechen from, say, Urus Martan needs to die defending Kramatorsk. How would you explain his death to his family? Right now, the Russian border goes along the border of Crimea and the Lugansk region and Russian forces should be ready to pounce across the border if needed but stay out of the Ukraine for as long as possible.
Believe me, if the Russians do decide to move it the Ukrainians will surrender en masse while the death squads will be wiped out in less than 24 hours: a single platoon of Polite Armed Men in Green (PAMG) can eliminate a full “battalion” of these SOBs in minutes not only because the PAMG are good at what they do, but because death squad thugs only shoot civilians and have no idea how to really fight a capable opponent. GRU operators would make minced meat out of them in no time.
The Saker
@karlof1:Sorry Saker, but Russia is definitely an Empire, albeit a landlocked one like China
I totally and emphatically disagree. Russia is a big country, but it is no empire and it has no imperial ambitions. Empire implies imperialism and that is one thing Russia has (thank God!) renounced because imperialism always ends up hurting the nation which engages in it. So yes, Russia is a superpower (not just a regional one like Obama said) and Russia is a huge country. But its policies are most definitely *not* imperial and I hope that it stays that way.
Cheers,
The Saker
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/05/28-4
Ray McGovern former cia writes about how stupid Amerikan govt. is. Long but a good read.
What success is possible for Poroshenko in the eastern Ukraine?
His forces are unable or unwilling to do more than skirmish indecisively. Even without military resistance, could he control an effective administration in the region? Could his scant and demoralised forces even try to protect the tax collectors and petty officials who would be expected to make things work, and who would be extremely exposed to guerrilla action?
If the locals organised even a small level of secret resistance his forces could do no more than make him and themselves all the more hated by perpetrating massacres.
It looks as if the Russians don’t need to more than give a very small measure of aid and encouragement to such a resistance in order to keep the forces of Kiev mired in a low level Afghan or IRA war.
What can Poroshenko and the oligarchs do but squat on a slowly melting chocolate throne?
On the other hand, they may have a shrewer understanding of the local mentality, and may expect that after brief bluster, their slaves will resume their accustomed servile status.
Will the American oligarchs compensate them if this guess is wrong?
@karlof1, @Saker, Is Russia an Empire?
Must be, as it had an Emperor! Only empires can have monarchs named Tsar, Caesar, Emperor, King of Kings…
Not really. European Emperors all claimed some kind of legal succession from Caesar and the Roman Empire. Charlemagne was followed by the Germanic Holy Roman Empire. Russian emperors claimed succession from Byzantium as the Third Rome. The Austrian and German emperors claimed succession from the Holy Roman Empire. I never figured out why Napoleon would be Emperor other than French law mandated that all “Kings” should have their heads cut off.
The head of the British Empire was never an Emperor – except that Victoria made herself Empress of India, so that she could claim the proper place in the dinner table among her cousins.
Summa summarum: Russia was called an Empire because her monarch had inherited the proper title.
@Petri Krohn:it had an Emperor (…) Russian emperors claimed succession (…) Russia was called an Empire
Exactly. These are all in the past tense. So yes, of course, from Peter I to Nicholas II Russia was an Orthodox Empire, and from Lenin to Gorbachev it was a Bolshevik Empire. Under Eltsin it was just a US colony. But since 2000 Russia has *finally* become a “normal” country. It is no longer an Empire.
Cheers,
The Saker
Sloviansk Residents Flee As Violence Escalates: Russian Roulette (Dispatch 45)
Sloviansk Residents Flee As Violence Escalates: Russian Roulette (Dispatch 45) – YouTube
I have a few points arising fromcomments here and on a previous post:
1. A long comment by Mirror on the Borodai interview thread made a compelling case for the importance of the Ukraine MIC to Russia. I know Saker has largely dismissed this as trivial but Mirror makes it appear very far from trivial; so much so that I am considering posting the entire comment as an article on Wikispooks. Any further views on it?
2. The apparent creeping Russia-Israel rapprochement. I’ve said this before and it bears repeating:Judaics are nothing if not past masters at playing both sides against the middle and making certain they have substantial representation on ‘the winning side’ of any geo-political issue. That’s what I see going on here – with all the devious Machiavellian manouvering that it will entail. I sincerely hope that Putin and his advisers understand the true nature of the people they seem to be cosying up to.
3. I’ve lost the link but late yesterday there was a report of up to 600 naked corpses only lightly covered with earth, discovered by locals just North of Andreevka, Donast Oblast, in disused chalk workings ‘just North of Mount Karachun’ was the location given. I’ve seen no further references to the story. Anyone have further info on this?
I personally get the feeling that Putin is quietly confident about being both well able and well prepared to do whatever has to be done defend to Russia’s vital interest – however they judge them. And I suspect that the Ukie military and the odd oligarch are being well briefed about just how determined Russia is – in process of being ‘made offers that cannot be refused’ is a phrase that springs to mind. No shouting the odds; just calmly and quietly doing what has to be done. I hope I’m right on that one because it’s clear as a bell to me that prevention of a Europe (especially German) – Russia rapprochement is a fundamental aim of Anglo-US-NATO. It has not changed for 100 years and its not about to now. If Russia is to survive with any self-respect it’s multi-polar vision will have to prevail. That means not blinking as the risk of a major military confrontation with US-NATO is cranked up by the Yankee poker-players knee-jerk double-down reflex.
This long article by GEAB is a depressing and sobering reminder of just how much control the US has over the EU and how present EU leaders are being strong-armed to see things the US way.
Not certain this is reliable news but Zero Hedge and RIA report that many Ukrainian soldiers and several helicopters have been downed during the battles near Slaviansk – a disaster for Kiev….. Quote from RIANOVOSTI:
“According to our information, the Ukrainian army has the following losses and damages: 1,200-1,300 people were killed, eight helicopters, 15 armored transport vehicles, and three [artillery] weapons destroyed. They are suffering huge losses. I’m speaking only about Slaviansk,” Ponomaryov said in an interview with the Latvian radio station Baltkom.
@Radik
Interesting. That’s exactly what you would expect to happen at this stage. The Zionists can see that the Anglo Empire is in very deep trouble and are positioning themselves. There are very strong links between Israel and Russia already via the Russian Jewish community and if the Anglos go down the Zionists will do their best to ensure they don’t go down with them. The Zionists don’t control the Duma the way they do Congress but they do have a lot of influence in Russia.
I suspect many Jews are deeply concerned by the possibility of anti semitic blowback because of the alliance between the Neocons, Ukrainian Jewish oligarchs and the Banderite trash and I’m sure many of them are genuinely disgusted by it as well.
well, as usual, here I am at the very end of the discussion…
as to: “from voice of russia:
Russian language classes will be compulsory at all secondary schools in Syria, Sergei Stepashin, the president of the Russian Association of International Cooperation, said on Thursday, TASS reports.”
may I inform you that I have asked a good ol’ friend in Sweden :) to send me his best Russian language courses and in a week I will start studying that language – I wanted to do so 40-odd years ago, but just didn’t have the necessary time – now I have both time and lots of interest –
cannot deny that Putin’s statemenship has a bit to do with that decision as well.
Best regards to you all! Thomas
Saker, any update or comment on this:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-29/over-thousand-soldiers-killed-ukraine-fighting-escalates-russian-media-reports
Josh
In Kiev the Parliament is considering declaring martial law which would basically give unlimited power to the junta and suspend most civil rights.
==============================
LOL!
I can’t help myself but wonder which civil rights are currently enforced or guaranteed in Nulandistan.
The right to be burned alive in Odessa? To be randomly killed in Novorussija? To be indiscriminately massacred in Mariupol? To be pillaged, robbed, starved to death, with your pensions cut in half and your energy bills doubled? To be assassinated in your twenties (and have your organs explanted because you refuse to kill your unarmed fellow countrimen? To be kidnapped at lunatics’ discretion?
(speaking of this last topic, I wish to beg a little more attention to Carpatho-Russia, where father Dimitri Sidor is till missing and nobody knows anything about his place and fate as of today)
Martial law (proper) would be an huge improvement for Ukrainian people!
About the airports, I would agree about their limited strategic importance in Donbass.
Therefore, it’s really hard to understand the reasons why NDF felt the need to force the situation to gain control of the Donetsk airport, suffering its most heavy losses in (much precious) manpower in the attempt.
A simple miscalculation?
@Wikispooks:A long comment by Mirror on the Borodai interview thread made a compelling case for the importance of the Ukraine MIC to Russia. I know Saker has largely dismissed this as trivial but Mirror makes it appear very far from trivial; so much so that I am considering posting the entire comment as an article on Wikispooks. Any further views on it?
Ok, let me try to repeat here. If Russia is cut off from the Ukrainian MIC Russia will lose two kind systems:
1) systems that Russia needs.
2) systems that Russia does not need.
For example, we often hear that Russia is dependent on Ukrainian engines for its helicopters, which is true. But what is not said that that these engines have been built to Soviet-era specs and for a military with a Soviet-style supply cycle, which is very different from the Russian military. For example, for a host of reasons the initial MiG-29 engine had a rather short shelf life, this was not because it was “bad” or “backward” but because of the way the entire supplies/logistics/maintenance system of the USSR was organized. What I am getting at here is that being cut-off from the Ukrainian MIC is a short term problem for Russia but a long term blessing because unlike the Russian MIC the Ukrainian was not only not modernized, it was completely neglected. So, for the first group of systems this is a blessing in disguise as for the second group of systems Russia does not need them at all.
Russia badly needs new engines for both its rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft. And more of the same will not do. Russia needs a new generation of engines something which the Ukrainians cannot offer it. So yes, this is most definitely a problem for Russia, but would have been a problem even if Yanukovich would have stayed in power and if there had been no civil war.
Finally, please consider the AN-70 example. This was a NEXT generation, truly modern system (built in the Ukraine but designed in Russia, by the way!) and it could have been the ultimate success story of Russian-Ukrainian collaboration. And what happened? The Ukies FUBARed it – and they did so before the overthrow of Yanukovich. So here is my key argument here:
The Ukraine never was and never will be a reliable strategic partner to Russia and, therefore, it is in the best interests of Russia to stay away from any strategic partnership with Kiev no matter who is in power there.
India is *already* a strategic partner (it even works on the PAKFA with Russia!) and China has the same potential or better. These are the partners Russia should agree to concentrate on. As long as the Ukraine remains ruled by a mix of oligarchs and nationalists Russia should really sever all ties with it except for gas for money or minor stuff of no strategic value.
Finally – did you notice that “Mirror” spoke of 4-5 years? Well the current armament program goes to 2020, i.e. for the next 6 years. In other words, Russia is completely reforming the technological basis of its military right now and it fully accepts that this process will take 6 years. Any many programs and procurement decisions go even further into the future due to the inherently long procurement cycle of some weapons systems. In this context the “loss” of the Ukrainian MIC is really a only a bump on a much more challenging road which Russia will have to take *anyway*.
I hope that this makes better sense now.
Kind regards,
The Saker
This is a couple of days old but interesting nonetheless.
http://ukraineantifascistsolidarity.wordpress.com/2014/05/29/volhynia-soldiers-mutiny-and-refuse-to-go-to-the-donbas/
According to the article, soldiers from the western region of Volyhnia refused to fight in the east. Perhaps this is a sign that things are changing? Surely western Ukrainians are now beginning to see the facade behind Euromaidan and their leaders? Maybe I’m being optimistic, but I hope I’m right.
Russia is imperialist. It has designs on vassal states in the middle east at least. That is because imperialism is fundamentally tied up with capitalism, and Russia like the US is captalist
Dear Saker
Russia does have the option of just doing nothing at the moment and avoiding making any mistakes. It seems to me that Vladimir Putin is certainly making fewer mistakes at the moment, if any. As mentioned yesterday, the Moon Of Alabama website published this article recently: http://goo.gl/tLQYKo. VP just has to sit it out and wait and the Ukraine, or the useful parts of it, will most likely fall into his lap, if he wants them. He probably doesn’t want to burden the Russian economy with trying to solve their problems. I’m sure he’s calculated that it’s better to have Ukrainian casualties (even if they are friendlies) than Russian ones (it may appear hard-hearted but military commanders have to make these choices). If things start to get too bloody, he could always then invoke R2P and come out smelling of roses, with Professor Drone Kill and the quisling gang smelling of the stuff you put on roses.
The Ukrainian economy is a basket case and its only industrial future is selling its products to Russia. Germany won’t allow its steel production into the EU, nor Poland its coal, they won’t pay that high a price to accommodate Professor Drone Kill’s fantasies. If the Ukraine’s not earning money, how can they repay the IMF and the banks whose bonds will default otherwise. With Russia getting more insistent about payments for gas, both Washington and the EU (aka Berlin) are looking into a potentially bottomless money pit. Wall Street aren’t going to very pleased with Professor Drone Kill if his hubris engineers a bond default, people get whacked for less. There’s also the problem that a bond default could initiate a wider banking problem in the West (get your gold, get your guns and head for the hills).
Further as Pepe Escobar’s article today: http://goo.gl/PcNrba describes, the epoch making deal with China leaves Washington and its satraps in a precarious position, manoeuvring themselves into an economic ghetto that the Eurasian block, the rest of BRICS and the NAM will only deal with on their own terms. Germany (with or without the Iron Hausfrau) may well decide that their interests lie with the future not with the past. Then it’ll be hasta la vista to dollar hegemony and with it, the US Empire.
VP really ought to be a bit more pro-active in fostering Occupy and the state secessionist movements in the US (plus any other anti-Washington elements). Perhaps he should also start advising the Bloods and the Crips on how to really strike back at the Man, and arming them too. About time Washington had to fight a war on its “own” territory. Could keep them busy from overseas meddling for a while.
Wikispooks,
So what this all boils down to is Five Eyes’ desperate attempt to maintain their hegemony over Old Europe, with the Israelis, as is their wont, hedging their bets and playing both sides against the middle. Take a look at what’s really been happening over the past couple of weeks — and don’t forget, not only do we not get much real news, but what little news there is tends to be the public end-point of a much longer, private process. This is by no means to minimize the very real suffering, war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed in the Ukraine, but let’s hold that — and all the other deaths we’re causing everywhere else –off to the side for the moment and ask what else has been going on? Pretty safe to say the real political and economic momentum has been Russia, China and the BRICS. Now, if you were, say, a German businessman looking for longer-term foreign investments and could choose freely between the sinking US and the rising BRICS, which way would you go? So what we’re doing is more about distracting attention from, as well as limiting to the best of our (nasty) abilities, the very real progress being made by Russia and the BRICs. If there’s money to be made, so much the better, if people suffer, who cares? But the main thing is to keep Germany et. al. strictly in our orbit. And their challenge is to escape, safely.
“Saker, very interesting as usual. In order to make sense of the Ukrainian ‘non-strategy’ in their assault on Donbass, you should always bear in mind the primary objective, that is to keep the money flowing from the IMF and others by showing some kind of involvement, presence and ‘success’ in the ‘rebel’ eastern provinces.” I noticed the neocon hack Michael D. Weiss (there’s a neocon for hugging neo-Nazis if there ever was one) gloating on his Twitter feed today about how Putin had to send in the Chechens and Ossetians because the ‘amateurs were getting their butts whipped’. Of course the ‘Free Syrian Army’ Weiss was demanding America intervene to save in August 2013 is in shambles having been defeated on the battle field, and the Kiev junta forces can’t even take Slavyiansk or secure Kramatorsk beyond the airport much less conquer Donetsk and Lugansk driving the rebels to the border. Me thinks the junta and its propaganda organs are whipping up more bravado this week and getting increasingly desperate. Another example is Weiss re-tweeting a denial by Kiev that it has been hiding casulties. Of course since the Novorossiya forces are not parading corpses the way the junta and Western journalists keen to cover for it did after the air strike on the truck load of wounded, Kiev can maintain the charade. But I suspect the Ukrainian Army unit that just mutinied near the Polish border in the far west has heard the rumors about much higher losses and even Pravy Sektor death squads executing Ukrainian Army ‘deserters and traitors’.
American Kulak
Also interesting to me that Weiss and his (allegedly Khodorkovsky funded) crew in New York City can’t hide their plutocrat funders, while faking their leftism. Weiss tweeted out this article by the Spectator attacking the anti-EU opposition which is thoroughly middle and even now working class with old Labourites dumping Blairite globalist New Labour as ‘plutocratic’. Ha! The EU(SSR) was an elitist project from the time it was spawned by ‘former’ SS officer Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in the early 1950s. And now Weiss can’t help but show his masters’ panic that the European branch of the Empire is facing financial ruin and crackup:
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/nick-cohen/2014/05/the-right-loses-as-ukip-wins/
“For Ukip has added a baggage train to the simple demand for the British to have a say on whether they stay or leave, which appals moderate conservatives and many others. It has turned EU membership from a constitutional question into a culture war. Look at the British right today, and you see that Farage’s chicanery has made being against the EU mean being against gay marriage and sexual and racial equality, and in favour of flat taxes and Vladimir Putin as well.”
Everyone from New York to D.C. to Brussels is reading off the same damned Yale Prof. Timothy Snyder song sheet/set of talking points — a vote against the EUrocrats is a vote for Putin. And maybe in this case they’re right. Or maybe not. Even the Scaife-funded CIA/NSA sock puppet Cliff Kincaid is putting out the same points as the supposed Trotskyite (as in linking to the archives of Partisan Review) Weiss:
http://americasurvival.org/2014/05/how-democracies-perish.html
American Kulak
Putin should be using the atrocities of the Ukrainian Army as a weapon, instead he is doing trade deals. He probably thinks he can work some personal diplomacy on the D-Day commemoration. Vlad, this is the New World Order we’re talking about. They’re psychopaths!
You can’t sell out your own people. Period. War is always what the enemy brings to you. If they bring it you must respond. He understood that in Chechnya and Ossetia, here he was hoping that the West would observe norms. They aren’t.
I’m not saying launch an assault now, but, for heaven’s sake, don’t sell out your own people!
@Anonymous 20.33
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the US finds that some other power eventually attempts to engineer a colour revolution in the US. As the leading exporter of canned revolutions the US may find chickens coming home to roost.
The American resistance should take a look at Article Five of the US constitution. If two thirds of the states call a constitutional convention and three quarters ratify you can change the constitution. They could bypass Washington altogether.
They could even dissolve the Union itself and then the states could form new confederations amongst themselves.
Saker,
One of the options I did not see listed for Putin yesterday could be something along the line of a “Putin’s War” (as in Charlie Wilson’s War). Like the Russians in Afghanistan having to fight against the mujahideen armed with Stingers and other U.S.-supplied modern weaponry. IEDs anyone?
Let the Putschists in Kiev play whack-a-mole against the insurgents, indefinitely, while Russia keeps its warm water seaport and the AngloZionists are stuck supporting another expensive “tar baby”.
Maybe Ukraine will become the neocon’s Vietnam? I would love to see a “fall of Saigon” moment in Kiev as the putschists scramble onto roofs for a ride on an escape Blackhawk helicopter.
Instead of playing “sit and wait” Putin could flash gangster hand signs at the TV cameras and say “Wazn’t ME, beeyotches!”.
Bravo3
Ameristan
“VP really ought to be a bit more pro-active in fostering Occupy and the state secessionist movements in the US (plus any other anti-Washington elements). Perhaps he should also start advising the Bloods and the Crips on how to really strike back at the Man, and arming them too. About time Washington had to fight a war on its “own” territory. Could keep them busy from overseas meddling for a while.”
Such talk is dangerous, not because the feds from lots of three letter agencies and the State Dept. read this site (some because it’s their job to monitor or troll, some doing screen grabs in between coffee breaks at work LOL!) but because it plays into the hands of the bankster Establishment minions who are now being exposed as part of a fraudulent Left-Right paradigm. Look at my comment above about Michael D. Weiss the supposed Jewish Trotskyite from Dartmouth and New York by way of London and heart and lung eating Syria jihadistan, and the fat stupid ‘conservative media critic’ Cliff Kincaid. Of course very few people pay attention to Kincaid but he is a reliable weathervane of which way the banksters and their agents want the wind to blow. Look how similar their talking points are. Look how much Cliven Bundy’s stand against the criminals from the BLM who illegally closed roads and brutalized peaceful protesters including middle aged and pregnant women long before supporters with AR-15s showed up…FREAKED…WASHINGTON…OUT. Including many Republicans who frantically had Glenn Beck issue the talking points and exploited Bundy’s own missteps in comparing the modern welfare state for blacks to slavery to push the issue off the front burner for millions of right wing Americans who love their country but loathe their government (including an intelligence military industrial complex they see pointed at them, per the Creedance Clearwater Revival song ‘oooh they point the cannon at you’.
In other words, when the Establishment fake Left and Right are already DESPERATE to link any anti-bankster, anti-EUSSR, or anti-NStasiA/DHSS/useless foreign wars sentiment to the Kremlin, don’t give these bastards ammunition. As I’ve said if USSA continues to crumble economically and the potential for Bundy-style armed confrontation increases, it’s only a matter of time before bastards like Beck and Kincaid start pointing out how much Wolf brand Tula-made Russian ammo patriot movement types are buying for their AR-15s and 30/06s and create their own pro-fascist police state conspiracy theory that Putin is ‘arming neo-Confederate insurrectionists to march on Washington’. I have been watching the feds beta test this talking point among their army of paid Twitter trolls for the past two years, I know of what I speak.
And to those peaceful socialists who post here who hate guns or think guns are the reason so many young black men murder each other in America, I can only say to you that the 2nd Amendment and the deterrance factor it creates for petty servants of the System if not the masters is the only thing that has prevented a total fascist takeover after a false flag. In other words do not demonize the American patriot or 3% or prepper movements because they are increasingly the best allies you lefties have in awakening the American people who like the Russian people lean traditionalist right (but Americans still cling to our rugged individualist mythos which even ‘right wing’ Russians don’t have).
http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/novorossiya/
http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/fusa-meet-feu/
American Kulak
Wind back a bit. Russia imposed sanctions (a customs blockade) on Ukrainian goods last year. It was a major provocation leading to Pinchuk and Poroshenko financing EuroMaidan. The Russian assets of these two and others were then attacked in court. Both own bankrupt businesses. Steel, pigs, sugar, choclate are all important Ukrainian exports that Russian oligarchs managed to blcok. Most are from the East. No way does Russia want to reopen trade with the Donbass. This kind of interference is called imperialism. The US didn’t do it to Canada or nicaragua when these negotiated a deal with the EU. Things are going very well for the US if you think that Brezinzki’s route map is the right one. The EU and Russia are divided. Northern Ireland on Crystal Meth awaits whoever gets Donbass. (There will be no NovoRossia. The Great Russians are tightly packed in a single urban zone where they are about 50% of the population. The countryside is Russian speaking Ukrainian). Meanwhile in Asia, China’s aggressiveness is provoking the Vietnam to discuss repoening Cam Rahm Bay as a US naval base; Japan to change the constituition to rearm and India and Japan to discuss alliance against China. The BJP government does not view China-Russia discussions as a friendly outcome. This is actually more than Brezinzki hoped for. A major pressure on Russia is economics. Growth ahs stopped for fundamental reasons. Stagflation is ahead. Revival in advanced economies will boost interest rates and the BRICS and MINTs will falter. China is at greatest risk because it survived 2008 by investing in State Owned Enterprises to a huge degree. Lower growth or higher interest rates and that debt will hit the economy. Both are on the cards. It’s a bit early to write off the Old World Order just yet. None of which solves the problems of Ukraine. In a decent country the Army would have taken over and shot the oligarchs. (Whoops. They did that. It was called communism. Didn’t work either). The IMF is a more likely saviour and oligarch removeal tool.
I agree with Saker that Poroshenko will soon fold and start to negotiate. I said this before and I’ll say it again: this escalation of the war is the dark before the dawn. I don’t think Poroshenko wants blood in his hand, otherwise it will be really hard for him to govern. He and his Western boss just let current government do the dirty job so that Poroshenko can start fresh.
Klichko just got some respect from Maidan….
:-)
https://www.facebook.com/southfronteng/photos/a.608496692575623.1073741827.608489642576328/632038933554732/?type=1&theater
On the origins of the cold war, see the new, pertinent book by M. J. Carley, _Silent Conflict: A Hidden History of Early Soviet-Western Relations_ It demontrates how little Soviet/Russian-western relations have changed over last nearly 100 years.
For more infn, see http://books.google.ca/books?id=FNemAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Carley,+Michael+Jabara&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_qqHU_LNFIL08AGOrQE&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Carley%2C%20Michael%20Jabara&f=false
Those of you who missed Obama’s recent speech at West Point will be forgiven. Most of us have stopped listening to or caring what the US President has to say.
That said, it is now evident that an enormous shift is underway. Obama’s speech signals the begining of a worldwide retreat for the Empire. Western elites are showing overt signs of panic just as the Bilderberger confab gets underway.
Putin’s calm and measured response to the crisis in Ukraine has revealed the Empire to be badly over-extended. The recent 400 billion (dollar?) energy agreement between Russia and China and more recent talk of an anti-NATO alliance including Iran are further signals that the Anglo-Zionists have crested the hill and are entering the terminal phase of decline.
Europeans haven’t missed the signal:
Obama in retreat
http://www.dw.de/opinion-obama-in-retreat/a-17669827
These are heady days for those of us who would have Big Brother executed.
Clearing barricades in front of Donetsk regional admin building means a) Vostok battalion are confident that for now Ukrainian forces will not attempt the bloodbath of storming the city b) Vostok wants to restore normal city services as much as possible c) if they do have to defend the city block by block admin building is already zeroed in by long range UKR artillery anyway and/or would be hit with air strikes, so useless as a fortress. There are better buildings less known to the attackers and with deeper basements or tunnels in the worst case.
https://twitter.com/PaulaSlier_RT?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.interpretermag.com%2Fukraine-liveblog-day-101-helicopter-shot-down-over-slavyansk%2F&tw_i=471966828399316993&tw_p=tweetembed
American Kulak
The American resistance should take a look at Article Five of the US constitution. If two thirds of the states call a constitutional convention and three quarters ratify you can change the constitution. They could bypass Washington altogether.
==================================
For some strange reasons people thinks there is a Constitution working in the United States…..
@Saker. Did you ever read,’Controversy of Zion’ by Douglas Reed? The last few chapters of that book are very interesting.
http://www.controversyofzion.info/Controversybook/Controversybook_eng_30.htm
@ Elystan
Ok, now turn off TV, get out of the basement and give a look at the reality.
Elystan,
When a long post like yours starts with a nonsense (i.e. that Pinchuk and Poroshenko somehow started to finance Maidan only after Russian economic pressure) and ends with even bigger nonsense (IMF is an oligarch removal tool), the odds are that everything in between is a nonsense too. You most certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard. Since in your fantasy-addicted mind America just keeps winning even when everything it does leads to unfavorable outcomes, arguing with you is pointless. But few more of “victories” like these, and the USA will become a regional power itself.
American Kulak
I really do like a lot that you post but as a gun-owner and Western landowner, I just categorically disagree with your stance on Bundy and the BLM. And frankly, I don’t trust anyone with a gun unless I know them personally and know they’re stable enough to think first, then sight, then shoot. These overarmed, blustery American Patriot types? You’ve got to be kidding.
I hate the banksters and our D.C. overlords every bit as much as you do, but I’d also like to know which BLM criminals brutalized any protesters. Data please — real data.
Elystan
“The IMF is a more likely saviour and oligarch removeal tool.”
What on earth are you smoking?
Porous-Sh-t head’s weird war:
Obama announced a 5B anti-terrorist fund…so this means $$$ for the Kiev regime does not have to be voted by Congress. I’m sure I was not the only one sending challenging emails to Senator Feinstein re: Ukraine and the resurrection of the zombie myths about Russia. So do not be so sure that Kiev will be at all conciliatory anytime soon. Time to mail a few more sword yielding kneeling Generals. Make them become as nervous as Iranian Scientists.
Elystan:
Great Russians are tightly packed in a single urban zone where they are about 50% of the population. The countryside is Russian speaking Ukrainian
A Ukrainian who speaks Russian is nothing other than a Russian, because there is no such thing as a Ukrainian ethnicity in most of Ukraine, only a Ukrainian nationality. A Russian speaking Ukrainian means a Great Russian who identifies his state nationality as being Ukraine as opposed to Russia.
If you are looking for “real” Ukrainians, you will need to squint really hard at Galacia, Volyn, Rivne where they speak a pidgin Russian overwhelmed with Polish vocabulary and grammar and are part of either the Greek Catholic Church or the Autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church or the Kiev Patriarchate and thus eschew the actual Russian Orthodox Church. This is the only place where the speaking of Russian and Russian culture is rejected, Old Church Slavonic is not used in the Liturgy, a western mentality prevails, and Bandera/Shukeyvich worship is accepted.
Saker, there is a something I have been meaning to bring to your attention. You said, “Russia does, of course, have the option of covertly assisting the NDF and there is no doubt in my mind that it is already doing it.” But there is a problem with this sentence: Russia is not an inanimate object. Rather, she is a beautiful, vibrant Lady. Accordingly, you should refer to her using the proper gendered appellation, rather than the neutered pronoun, “it.” I’m sure you agree.
Best to you, Saker!
Ezra Pound’s Ghost
@Robert
You’re right. A colour revolution could be brought to American shores. The so-called American Spring is trotted out from time to time although lately it seems to have been put back in the bag.
Two things would likely have to happened before a US colour revolution would be initiated:
First, an economic crisis including some kind of petrodollar collapse must occurr.
Second, an unexpected turn against the ruling establishment is necessary.
Could the candidacy of Rand Paul represent such a threat? Personally I doubt it but the WAPO and others do seem frightened by his supposed ‘isolationism.’
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/05/28/president-obamas-west-point-speech-reads-like-a-takedown-of-rand-paul/?tid=pm_politics_pop
The Empire is trembling.
weird war:
I just want to object to the use of the word “Trotskyist” to describe anyone who apologizes for today’s techno-capitalist schemes in foreign lands. Trotsky lived and died uncompromisingly a devotee of world revolution of the dispossessed. If you can not honor the truth of history at least do not besmirch the memory of the head of the Red Army of 1917-1920.
Robert, Where-Wolf,
The son is NOT the father — Google Rand Paul Ukraine. He’s all over the place (i.e., sniffing out donors rather than standing on principle).
Dammit.
I don’t know who we’ve got, frankly. I really, truly don’t. Any other ideas? You’d want somebody principled but able to compromise, and smart and savvy enough to recognize which cards to play how, for both sides of our current left-right divide. Your thoughts?
@Anon, 29 May, 2014 20:33:
” If the Ukraine’s not earning money, how can they repay the IMF and the banks whose bonds will default otherwise.”
The IMF is basically an instrument for repaying loans made in foreign currency. So western banks will get their money back via fresh IMF money. Ukraine will then be in the grip of the IMF. It cannot go to anybody else then for new money, except maybe Russia.
Now, when the time comes to repay the IMF loans, Ukraine will have two options: either it sells off its state-owned industries for a low price to most probably western companies (its state-owned oil and gas sector for example, or its agricultural land). Or Ukraine comes back to Russia again and asks Russia for money. But then it has to fulfill Russias political conditions.
Of course the last option is only viable, if the situation in the east does not escalate.
I just found out that poroshenko was instructed by one of USA politicians to get more serious with Donbas operation and he was told that he can go ahead and kill up to 2000 people! They assured him that they will handle ” negative reaction” it may cause in the world!
your assertion that putin woudl be called hitler if he intervened therefore he shoudlnto itnervene is not right in my view because leaders shoudl do what is right for their country nto what their enbemy think of it.
I just found out that poroshenko was instructed by one of USA politicians to get more serious with Donbas operation and he was told that he can go ahead and kill up to 2000 people! They assured him that they will handle ” negative reaction” it may cause in the world!
your assertion that putin woudl be called hitler if he intervened therefore he shoudlnto itnervene is not right in my view because leaders shoudl do what is right for their country nto what their enbemy think of it.
saker =your comment ” by not intervening Russia is denying the USA the Cold War v2 it wants so badly. “
for everyone’s information the cold war 2 started way back in mid 1990s and hot war statred with libyan crisis in 2011 -only sad part is that the real victims (russia,china and India) of this hot war-world war 3 -are still unaware of it.
More on the possibility of an American Spring.
Today the lead story on CBC radio included an impassioned plea for gun control by the Santa Barabara father of shooting victim Chris Martinez. This could be a sign of things to come.
I’ll spare you a direct link to his emotional speech.
Santa Barbara Massacre – Victim foolishly Begs For Gun Control
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkCYAQ2r37E
It was a powerful speech that could signal a possible strategy to deflect attention away from the criminal stupidity of of the Anglo-Zionist Oligarchy. Someone wants to reignite the battle over gun control. After the Bundy Ranch debacle, the shadow elite are looking more desperatee than ever and might prefer to keep citizens under wraps with an engineered controversy.
Here’s the story from a New York Times partner:
Father of Santa Barbara victim pleads for gun control, but opponents say it won’t work
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/05/father_of_santa_barbara_victim.html
At the very least, pro regime Americans are being encouraged to run to their government begging for deliverance from so-called ‘gun nuts.’
As to the commenter who suggested Putin help arm the American Resistance or some derivative thereof, that is the stupidest and most counter productive idea I’ve ever heard. Putin isn’t that foolish nor should anyone in the US wait to be rescued.
Nora,
Any true American patriot will be torn to pieces by mainstream media, and portrayed as “isolationist”, “defeatist”, “Putin’s apologist”, “America-hater”, “naive” etc.
Such a person may eventually emerge, but not any time soon.
I don’t see any young capables.
There are certainly some old wise men (Buchanan, Stockman) who despair at what’s happening to their country, and who would make great Presidents, but they are confined to the fringes and dismissed as cranks.
I personally think that a prospect of disintegration of the USA is much more real than than the prospect of some political fix.
America has got itself too far on the road to perdition to walk its way back to salvation.
Hi Nora,
I agree. The son is definitely NOT the father.
Still, time is running out for Hillary Clinton. She is deeply mistrusted by many powerful people.
The Repugnicans seem confused about who to choose to run against her. Christie is also mistrusted (too much a fat goy pig) and I don’t see any other strong ‘challengers’ as of yet.
We have no reason to think that any change is possible via an election anyway.
Is there another manufactured candidate along the lines of Barry Sotero waiting in the wings? I haven’t seen any evidence but maybe an actor will be tapped. The only thing that seems clear is the Anglo-Zionist establishment is reeling, although they’re far from defeated.
@Elystan
Higher growth in advanced economies?
Are you bloody joking? There will be no such thing for at least 10 years if not more.
Nora – happy to oblige. Here’s the BLM thug who tackled a 57 year old woman who was not attacking anyone.
http://viewpointsofasagittarian.com/bundy-ranch-standoff-meet-the-blm-thug-who-tackled-a-57-year-old-woman/
http://noliesradio.org/archives/81256
Judge rules against BLM in non-Bundy case, says agency engaged in criminal conspiracy for land grab
Also Nora I’ve said to you before the point about the ‘Chinese solar farm’ claim being debunked is itself false, because Bundy’s land was to be used as an offset for a solar farm 40 miles away by the feds.
We agree there are some crazies who don’t need guns. But the ballsy AR-15 wielding guy who pointed his rifle at the BLM thugs only did so after they pointed fully automatic weapons at peaceful nearly all unarmed cowboys in the front row. The distortion of Sheriff Mack’s remarks by Sen. scumbag Reid was itself a lie too, Mack never put women and children in front of armed men, his words were twisted as were Bundy’s. At any rate maybe Bundy was in the wrong. So what? The Feds used excessive force and brutalized people and boo hooed when people pushed back.
American Kulak
Where-Wolf. Think Bloomberg. The stage is set for a transformational political event in 2016. I do not expect Hillary to be the nominee and can’t imagine another Bush would be put up against her, W has ruined that for a generation I suspect. The most sane Republican, Huntsman, and the most sane Democrat, Warren, don’t have the cachet (or in warren’s case too many enemies) to win. The way is clear for a “middle of the road” AngloZionist in sheep’s clothing. Mark my words – Bloomberg is their man.
@I don’t expect much from a security organization that includes both Israel and Iran.
It might be on the contrary a move to neutralize and control Israel. Israel is likely to refuse.
I think that CICA is that kind of organisms ment to make impossible the much longed for by the “West” future Sino-Russian conflict.
> I personally think that a prospect of disintegration of the USA is much more real than than the prospect of some political fix.
> America has got itself too far on the road to perdition to walk its way back to salvation.
Agreed. That’s why I emmigrated in 2003, just like I would have if I lived in 1929 Germany.
It was evident to me the day Reagan became president — especially given the transparently obvious October Surprise (hostages released minutes after the inauguration?! oh come on!) — that it was only a matter of time before America would be jiggling the handle on its own toilet, but not without flushing the world down with it.
Still, I figured my son would have a better chance of a happy future if he were raised outside the pot of boiling frogs. Plus my conscience could not allow me to be complicit in the crimes of my country with my tax dollars.