First, here is a machine translation of a summary of developments by Boris Rozhin:
1. The standard positional war with shelling continued on the front line today. The UAF recognized 2 dead and 4 wounded in a day. They also showed a staged race of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine against the background of artillery shelling. The frontline settlements of the DPR and LPR were subjected to mortar and artillery fire. The response to the Ukrainian shelling is now being given in an adult way, without any sentimentality, which is good.
2. The evacuation of civilians from the DPR and LPR to Russia continues. Already 11 regions have announced their readiness to temporarily accept residents of Donbass on their territory. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation conducts organizational measures for the accommodation of refugees. So far, the evacuation is far in size until the spring-summer of 2014, but in the event of the outbreak of intense hostilities, the flow of refugees will be very significant and the strain on the social security of the Russian regions hosting refugees will be serious.
3. Zelensky rushed to Munich, where he said that “the separators have gone mad and are firing at themselves,” began begging for money and weapons and tried with all his might to inflate his importance, although it initially looked pathetic and worthless. Zelensky’s demands for a meeting with Putin will obviously lead to nothing – Pushilin might as well have started demanding a meeting with Biden in Novoazovsk. Neither one nor the other solves anything at the strategic level anyway, and there is a deadlock in the negotiations between the United States and the Russian Federation on Ukraine and security guarantees. Therefore, all the chatter about negotiations with Ukraine now has near-zero value. The exchange of “answers” between the United States and the Russian Federation showed irremediable contradictions that cannot be resolved within the framework of the existing world order.
4. Russia continues to face various sanctions, including a ban on Russian oligarchs to travel to London. This is not a threat at all, but a bonus attached to the defeat of the APU. Also, some Europeans make it clear by all means that sanctions are sanctions, of course, but they should not touch gas, because the dependence on gas is too great, especially in winter. Gazprom phlegmatically reported that gas reserves in storage facilities in Europe have reached a historic low. Sanctions against the Russian Federation will certainly be imposed, one way or another. Therefore, it is unlikely that this issue will somehow affect certain decisions related to Ukraine. The process of imposing sanctions has long entered the saturation stage. Moreover, further sanctions will lead to further fragmentation of the global financial and economic system, destroying the remnants of the globalist project.
5. The United States continues to play the hurdy-gurdy about the inevitability of an attack, and Blinkin demanded evidence from Russia that it does not want the restoration of the USSR and the Finlandization of Ukraine. “Russia must…” Of course, our anti-Soviet authorities are not going to create any USSR, but in the West this scarecrow is the subject of holy faith. As for the Finlandization of Ukraine, it is just in the West that they mostly talk about it, mainly various Europeans who do not smile at the prospect of a war that the Americans are fomenting.
6. Germany and Austria urge their citizens to get out of Ukraine as soon as possible. Lufthansa stops flights to Ukraine from Monday (the last flights on the weekend). Also, the NATO office was closed in Kiev. Some of the staff has left for Lviv, the rest are being taken to Brussels.
7. Suddenly there was a document with commitments not to expand NATO to the east. And they told me for so long that they only promised verbally, but not in writing. But of course, even in this case, they will say that these obligations were given to the USSR, and since there is no USSR, then the obligations do not count. This is again to the question of the value of papers and obligations in the modern world.
8. The Russian Federation held exercises of strategic nuclear forces today, launching various missiles. In any case, playing with a nuclear baton will not be superfluous in order to preserve the cause of global peace even in the event of intense hostilities in Ukraine. The time of the Caribbean crisis 2.0 has not yet come. But it is approaching – in the conditions of the destruction of the previous nuclear security architecture, a new crisis that will lead to the emergence of new rules of nuclear coexistence is inevitable. The crisis is inevitable precisely because diplomatic methods of developing such rules do not yield results, since the United States does not consider the Russian Federation an equal party to the negotiations, whose position must be taken into account. Exactly for the same reasons, there is a crisis in Ukraine, as an integral part of the crisis generated by the expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe.
***
Next, I decided to share a few videos with you. They are all in Russian, but they are also self-explanatory. Please check out these videos, especially showing what kind of weapons systems Russia will use to obliterate the Ukie forces should they choose to cross the LOC.
Evacuation of civilians from the LDNR:
Here is what the Russian armed forces have been up to:
Russian multiple rocket launchers filed at the firing position:
Here is what this looks like on the receiving end:
Next, here is what a strike by the TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system looks like:
and if that is not enough and the West is dead set on actually taking the fight to Russia, here is what the Russians were doing today (checking their strategic deterrence – nuclear and conventional – capabilities):
Now some news from the “civilized West”:
Pro-Russian language politician sucker punched during a “debate” on Ukie TV:
Next, the German Chancellor declared on TV that it was “laughable” to speak of a genocide in the Donbass.
Coming from a German leader, this was especially “warmly” received in the Donbass and in Russia!
Lastly, and as always, I invite you to check out Andrei Martyano’v latest:
https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-bit-of-broadside-and-misnomer.html
That’s it for today on my end. It is almost midnight in Moscow and I will try to take a few hours off.
Andrei
PS: I dunno if it is because they are clueless or stupid, but the Ukros managed to fire two missiles inside Russia (right across the border, so it is more likely a testimony to how advanced Ukie reconnaissance-strike capabilities really are. Here is a photo from the scene:
Thanks for the update
Yes, a German should never comment on “genocide”.
Just like the NATO chief should never suggest he will move NATO weapons close to the Russian border.
I think we will see a little missile target practice on NATO weapons if they are not moved soon.
And now we have the comedian threatening to get nuclear weapons.
I imagine the moment a nuclear device got into the hands of a Ukie lunatic, we will celebrate the final moments of Kiev as a government and Ukraine as an entity.
The criminally insane are loose on the world, just as the violent criminals are loose in the US.
I don’t think that ANYBODY in the West would give nukes to the Ukros.
Not even the US Americans.
However, I do believe the West capable off setting of some kind of nuke (regular or “dirty”) somewhere in the Ukraine and blame Russia for it.
But I also know that the AngloZionist see the Ukrainians as much as Steppe Niggers as they see Russians as Snow Niggers. The Ukies are idiots if they believe that anybody in the West seriously believes that “the Ukraine is Europe” or somehow that the Aryan Ukies are part of the West.
The Papacy created them, and the West used them ever since, but nobody respects a voluntary colony. Nobody. The same goes for the Poles and the rest of them “pretend Europeans” who know nothing about their own history or how the West used them as mindless canon fodder.
Niggers don’t get nukes.
They only get to get nuked.
they won’t “give it to them” but I’m sure some bloodthirsty neocon would love to eventually welcome Naziland I mean Ukraine into the Nuclear Armed Terrorist Organization and then “station” some nukes in an American bunker in Kiev just like they do with Turkey and other slave/puppet states (Germany, et al)
You underestimate the psychopathic depravity of those responsible for killing millions in the middle east including countless women and children.
This is their primary business model and SOP.
I’m not sure you can just give someone a nuke. I think the material has a certain signature that can be traced back to the facility where it was produced.
Scholz is denying what his nazi collaborators (Scholz is sponsoring them with billions from the German tax payer) are openly admitting. They even admit to wage war against children:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXKFteL5zI4
“Bogdan Boutkevitch: You need to kill 1.5 million people in Donbass”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9SOVarOFJk
“Ukrainian military speak out plainly: “We bombard our cities” – ENG SUBS”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l17KfjtaqpA
“subhumans … cleaning our land from the evil”
https://web.archive.org/web/20140615062948/http://usa.mfa.gov.ua/en/press-center/news/24185-mi-uvichnimo-pamjaty-gerojiv-ochistivshi-nashu-zemlyu-vid-nechistiarsenij-jacenyuk-u-spivchutti-ridnim-i-blizykim-zagiblih-vojiniv-u-lugansyku
“A former history student and amateur boxer, Mr Biletsky is also head of an extremist Ukrainian group called the Social National Assembly. “The historic mission of our nation in this critical moment is to lead the White Races of the world in a final crusade for their survival,” he wrote in a recent commentary. “A crusade against the Semite-led Untermenschen.””
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/11025137/Ukraine-crisis-the-neo-Nazi-brigade-fighting-pro-Russian-separatists.html
Scholz-aus-Holz gets away with this because the extortion racket and the WW2 noises of Zionist propaganda overall is 100% about Israel and Jewish supremacy. By contrast, Nazi barbarism against Slavic peoples is a non-issue altogether. The USSR along with today’s Russia and Belarus had/have no place for extortion as part of their foreign policies.
It’s really amusing to watch how Poland and Ukraine tie themselves up in knots trying to ”behave” like the flunkeys that they are. As long as Russophobia reigns in the West, they will swallow anything.
The Germans are boasting of giving 2 billion Euros to Ukraine at the same time as Annalena Baerbock (German Green party Foreign Minister- who studied 2 years in London at the LSE) is saying “We, Germany, are prepared to pay a high economic price for this”, nodding towards the US and pleased to sacrifice Nordstream 2! It’s like a crazy woman saying she wants to drive nails into her flesh!
Don’t be too harsh on Scholz. You have to realize that he kind of rolled into this function, ans he is not a chancellor representing Germany. He is just a slot machine, throw enough money in it and any statement or action you want comes out, you just have to throw enough money in.
Similar to project Baerbock, it really hurts that Lavrov had to explain the Cuba crisis to her in her first talk with him. Baerbock is not representing Germany, she is a clueless babbling bankers bimbo representing the WEF in Davos.
The painful part is, that here in Zone A the people calling the shots are insane enough to destroy the economy in order to save the banks. And their people realizing this, are stupid enough to not realize that the money they were bought with is worthless then.
Germany was so nice for support to openly send 5000 helmets to Ukraine. Unfortunately they didn’t arrive (gee, how could that happen), and the cynical reaction in some German media was ‘now Ukraine is lost’.
Greetings from Germany, cheers, Rob
Annalena Baerbock = Germany’s rendition of Britain’s Liz Trash. Two clueless babbling harridans to which can be added Ursula von der Leyen and a whole fistful of Russophobes in zone A of the fairer sex. Scholz might not be entirely certified garbage, but it really hurts when looking at what true top-class leaderships elsewhere are capable of.
Olaf Scholz
Dumm und stolz
Redet Scheiße — Kopf aus Holz
This is a distinct possibility – seriously it is, but not in the way most people think of nuclear weapons.
Many people think of nuclear weapons as mushroom cloud producing city destroying devices, but there are many types of “nuclear” weapons that dont produce mushroom clouds or even go off with a big bang.
Ukraine has more than enough material to produce what are called “Radiological” weapons (aka “Dirty Bombs”).
In addition, a nuclear power plant is itself a “Radiological Weapon” if sabotaged or struck by missiles (Chernobyl demonstrates what sabotage could do, and the destruction of Fukishima by natural events highlighted how this level of destruction (both in human and economic terms) could be replicated elsewhere by conventional missile strikes (something Iran regularly reminds Israel about when they talk of air stikes against thier nuclear facilities).
Close (relatively) to the line of contact in Ukraine is the massive “Zaporozhe” nuclear power plant. Neither Ukraine nor Russia would wish to see this plant hit by missiles or sabotaged into meltdown (or its waste vanishing somewhere to be wrapped into an explosive device and detonated inside a city somewhere), but it is vulnerable.
Should Russia manage to route the Ukrainian armed forces it is not beyond reasoning (from a hard military perspective) that some hard-line faction either inside Ukraine or inside NATO (such as the British) could sabotage a nuclear power plant such as Zaporozhe into meltdown in order to deny an area to an enemy for a generation or otherwise cause a region to be unsuitable for human use and occupation.
In ancient times “salting the earth” during a retreat to prevent an enemy planting crops was a genuine military option, as was “scorched earth” up until WW2 (although the US continued this to the Vietnam era).
It is therefore a distinct possibility that Ukraine or another nation could use one or more of Ukraines nuclear reactors to “salt the earth” so to speak, and it is entirely possible that Ukraine could (especially with British and American assistance) create and store safely a small stockpile of highly radioactive material which could be used as a “poor mans nuclear deterant” / weapon of very last resort.
Far fetched? Oh no, this was recognised and discussed as a possibility as far back as 2016, and this “risk” was alluded to again as recently as 2021:
https://www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org/commentary/its-time-to-prohibit-radiological-weapons/
Reactors such as this are very vulnerable:
https://www.world-nuclear.org/reactor/default.aspx/ZAPOROZHYE-6
Scroll down on this link and consider how a meltdown of this power plant would effect Donbass (and Russia!) by “salting the earth” in that region for at least the next 30 years:
https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-t-z/ukraine.aspx
Crazy, I imagine Spetsnaz strike teams will be given the task of securing the Nuclear power stations immediately if hostilities start in earnest.
So the Ukrainian junta has committed two acts of war against Russia.
The truth is that the Ukies have already conducted MANY terrorist attacks not only in the LDNR, but also in Russia proper, including Crimea. The FSB successfully intercepted these groups in Russia. The LDNR security forces are much less capable, but they also intercepted some of these groups.
Such terrorist attacks are considered acts of war (diversionary attacks).
So these two rockets are nothing really new. Horrible? Yes. But new? Alas, no.
Firefight between MGB of DNR against a presumably ukr terrorist group during night time (sat-sun):
https://zen.yandex.ru/video/watch/62121775f9e2f024169088f2
De-Russification is a form of genocide. If not the physical elimination of people it has all the hallmarks of cultural genocide, denial of identity, forced assimilation, especially of children, ban on language, denial of history, and destruction of historical monuments.
De-Russification has been the main aim of NATO for the last 30 years. The de-Russification of Eastern Europe is the greatest act of genocide in the 21st century.
De-Russification is a form of genocide
You are spot on!
That is why it is wrong to call international law “useless”.
It is very VERY useful.
And, again
YES!
The real and only goal of the West is to eliminate Russia and subjugate/murder all Russians.
That is the definition of genocide.
Are we avoiding the suggestion that the “master race” who considers all others mere soulless hulks to be used and manipulated and killed when convenient are behind this? Whose modus operandi is to start major wars between nations of ostensibly Christian peoples? Operating as the brains of the US “deep state”, MOSSAD plots mass murder and chaos. The corruption of the US is horrible, characterized by legal demand that sexual deviants be given special consideration in all things and self-defense being labeled a high crime.
It should not be forgotten that the notion of universal superiority is deeply embedded in the European and, by extension, American consciousness – in all of us.
This is only one consequence of the almost 500-year european Success- and Expansionstory …
It is M15 and 6 which plots all wars.
English are plague on the earth.they distract from their crime by blaming Jews and others.
And who controls MI5 and MI6?
The coup in Ukraine was organised by Victoria Nuland (Nudelman) – who is Jewish. All four of the “leaders” that Ukraine has had since the coup have been Jews, including “Yats”, who she hand-picked as prime minister. Virtually all of the oligarchs who fund these “Neo-Nazi” idiots in Ukraine are Jews, some are even Israeli citizens. The US/UK obsession with starting wars in the Middle East is because of the Jewish control over their governments, in order to pave the way for “greater Israel”. Anyone who denies the leading role that “neocons” (aka Zionist Jews) have played in causing all these wars is either ignorant or deliberately dishonest.
that is true, I wholeheartedly agree that the Ukrop campaign of derussification is something that flies under the radar in most corners of journalism, be it the western MSM or even for many of us here, and it is indeed a form of cultural erasure
the Ukrop campaign of derussification is something that flies under the radar
Look, the west has no such radar and no interest in it.
Any atrocity is not an atrocity if it is against a Russian.
There cannot be an evil did committed against Russia or Russians.
Just remember how the West TOTALLY organized, financed, supported and led the Wahabi campaign of atrocities in Chechnia where people were sold as slaves, tortured on camera, stoned, crucified. etc.
The fucking West only got upset when the Wahabis decapitated a couple of Brits.
Until then, they were all “freedom fighters”
and
by the way
a lot of them now still live in London
Tells you all you need to know about the West and its so-called “values”!
While this is true, I personally don’t think it is a particular or SPECIFIC racial hatred of Russians, I think the West literally dehumanizes the entire world because the ruling elite of the west are pretty much nonhuman, are psychopaths and sociopaths, are bloodthirsty creatures themselves. There is not a single entity, race, cultural identity, country etc one can name me that the west has ever treated in humane fashion. I think the rhetoric appears to us to be ‘exceptional’ towards Russia only because the West fears Russia more than any other and so it has to ratchet it up for political and defensive reasons, but in reality when it comes to actual provable actions, I don’t think their hatred for Russian people is anything exceptional. The U.S. ruling elite hate everyone equally, they only love power and would commit genocide against anyone and everyone to retain their hold on it
your last sentence Nightvision…. with one exception…..they love state of Israel…..
My mistake, there is one global exception after all ;-)
This is true. They hate their own people just as much; “basket of deplorables” remember.
A pile of one millions corpses says a lot too.
Such an exceptional place that kills their own grandparents.
Well said.
I can’t disagree with a single point that you make.
It is hatred. There are forces which Hate everything Russia or Russian.
And there is a very simple reason for it. Russia has consistently and repeatedly defied any and every attempt for subjugation. They simply “do not play ball”.
This is the same psychological effect which makes the Brits hate the hard-working Poles who moved there but NOT hate the Pakistani or Indian workers. The Poles expect and demand respect. And whe they do not get it, they do not bow down but fight it, and often win. So they are hated universally. The people from the former British colonies, however accept the “superiority” if the Brits. Even if only on the surface. So they are accepted.
Is quite logical once one realizes their cultural ethos is of an unconditioned superiority. When challenged, they do not know whay to do – they ethos does not accept outsiders being true “peers” so they throw a tantrum first and then remediate with hate.
If you ever saw how children behave in a kindergarten when a new child /with a strong personality/ arrives to an existing collective. Yeah. This is it.
Your opinion regarding British feelings towards those from the sub continent vs poles/East Europeans couldn’t be more wrong. The National Front, the BNP, the EDL, Britain First, Combat 18 and the rest are prouducts of a deep seated hatred of the ‘browns’. Brexit was ostensibly driven by that hatred rather than hatred towards white Eastern Europeans. You’re also wrong about the passivity of those from Britains former colonies, the Sikhs as an example came out in force regularly in places like Southhall and Bradford to confront NF fascists throughout the 1970’s/80’s. Afro carribean communities in places like Brixton and Tottenham rioted enmasse, in protest at police persecution. Poles demand respect? They’re not alone, your comments are supremacist in nature, imagining other people do not demand respect or accept inferiority. I know a lot of Poles that are employed in the UK by British Asian people, I’ve been to Asian weddings where the entire waiting staff have been Polish/Eastern European, that is simply a consequence of the economic reality of the difference between established and relatively recent immigrants – for the record there is mutual respect between the two as far as I have witnessed, there are of course exceptions, brown Britons who’ve imbibed the Brexit BS but they’re a minority. I think a rule of thumb is to imagine other human beings aren’t very different to you, the idea of proud and not proud races/communities is based on supremacist sentiments. I mentioned the Sikhs because I know the community well, if you’re in any doubt about how they view themselves or how demanding they are of respect look up their military record both against the Brits – Anglo Sikh wars and then their service during WW1 and WW2, amongst the most highly decorated forces, of course they were on the battlefield because they were colonised but they were far from cannon fodder, fighting with no less passion or commitment than any other nations soldiers, Polish included – look up their war records.
I think you took it too literally.
The point is in India there was historically a caste system which is superficially similar to Britian of old where you had the nobility, the middle class etc. etc.
None of the Slavic countries had such an explicit social stratification structure. And what was there was demolished by the communists by now.
This means there is exactly ZERO respect by what would be considered “the lower classes” people in Poland to the more well off. Capability, competence is respected. But “being of a noble/doctor/etc.” lineage is not.
All I say is of course averaged, it is not individual. In all societies you have all kinds of people. But those do not affect the wider demographics.
I work with a LOT of “people of colour”. Both from IN based in IN, from UK, moved to UK, all kinds of. Great people. And I can tell you there is a HUGE difference in self-worth approach between same-skill/position people from UK and IN, even if both are of say, Hindu background. Those who come fresh from IN pr PA are way more respectful to the British – possibly up to their own detriment. Not so with “newcommer” Poles. They are the same assertive as the Brits or second generation of immigrants born in UK.
And that is where the conflicts happen. Also, you will not see the Poles protesting. They are used to fight alone, and they often win. And besides. Their “fights” are about being respected as professionals. And you cannot acquire such respect on the street. Also, they are proud. So if not welcome, most will just pack their ware and move somewhere where they are valued. Different culture.
My point is, I have seen many (5+) scenarios where the Brits complained openly about a Poles in the style of “whe he/she thinks he is!”. I have never seen that vis-a-vis a colleague with Indian roots. For they would simply play their part, accepting (when) they sit in a lower position than would be appropriate and bidding their time. A different approach which the UK society is IMO used to by now and is the norm in Britain for a LONG time. Local people of lower classes behave the same. Eastern europeans, generally, do not. They simply do not respect any class/lineage/etc.-based treatment. They wildly reject it and this upsets the Brits, the French etc.
The root of this hostility is not cultural. It is about social status. In a world of competition, everybody wants to win – and the strongest (military or economically) always wins.
Yes. It is a class war, a global class war: it is them against the rest of us.
NATO is the main force opposing humanity as it is the military arm of the transnational elite. The US, weak as it is in an advanced stage of collapse, can only make huge mistakes, destroying itself even faster.
And here we see a crucial contradiction, with Russia, again, at the center, as the saviour upon which humanity place their hopes. And the reason is clear: historically, Russia is far ahead then any other country (including China, as it followed Russian steps no very long ago).
Yeah, I saw a lot of comments saying Russia was nuts for using the word genocide. I understand that they don’t understand what it means. Thank you for your comment. Glad someone understands.
De-Russification is not unique. De-swedification is the de facto state ideology of Sweden. Our minister of culture refuse to say there is a Swedish culture, while on the same time praising the culture of immigrants (some of which is good, some of which is abhorrent). Official ministries are releasing templates for “new Swedish” with heavy immigrant accent, and to complain is to be a Nazi, while archaic Swedish dialects get new state support. “There is no way back” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoQFUBgAMyo . Monuments of historic Swedes such as Karl VII of Poltava fame or Carl von Linne have been up for debate as to remove.
Swedes will be a minority in their own country- without a war ! – by 2050. Similar in Holland or the Netherlands. The EU/NATO countries that oppose this are punished by the EU leadership.
The cultural luggage Western Europe gets from the Western establishment/USA is toxic and we would all be better off with more exchange and integration with Russia-
Hi all. Apologies to replicate a comment that I just posted at the bottom of the previous Donbass Update thread, but are there concerns about the vulnerability of Transnistria in this tense climate? Given the antipathy towards Russia and its allies from key NATO and partner countries in the region, I just wondered if the people and troops within Transnistria were concerned about moves against them, especially if larger scale fighting erupts in the Donbass and Eastern and Southern Ukraine generally? Regional NATO members or local proxies trying a version of what happened in South Ossetia back in 2008. Thanks.
Transnistria is in no more danger than the Russian task force in Syria.
Yes, they are isolated.
But now Russia has a VERY “long reach”, more than enough to strike at any force attacking the Russian forces, in Transnistria or in Syria.
Appreciate the candid feedback, thanks. There was an article posted in Al Jazeera this month about Transnistria, but generally speaking the English speaking press tends to ignore the territory and its people 99% of the time. After 2008 I often wondered whether our friendly Western Alliance would seek to bring freedom and democracy to this region. It would be heartening to think that Russia’s reach will help prevent such action.
activity in Transnistria already occurring. Do google translate on this article
https://t.co/wUmAi30obE
These are normal exercises the Russian contingent regularly conducts.
If anybody attacks the Russian task force in Transnistria they will have to hunker down and wait for the missile counter-strikes from the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Black Sea Fleet.
By the way, there is a HUMONGOUS weapons depot there, that could be a real problem. If the US/NATO strikes it the explosion will be absolutely huge, comparable with a tactical nuke.
And here is the bad news: it would take YEARS to empty this depot or even move the damn munitions away…
But if NATO hit this depot, I fully expect a major NATO weapons depot to go up in flames within the hour.
Hopefully the folks at Mons understand that.
It makes sense, there should be a military adage of sorts along those lines, that the size of defensive depot should be inversely proportional to size of defended territory due to the fact that the smaller the territory (like Transnistria), the more helpless it appears and thus more tantalizing/tempting it is for the aggressor to try to conquer, and as such, the more of a disproportionate arsenal it should have to ward off such ‘salivating’ aggressors. Same goes for Crimea, very small territory but should be highly militarized in order to ward off salivating wolves
The Peacekeeping contingent of Russia is stationed in Pridnestrovie, armed only with small arms. An attack on him is tantamount to casus belli, or rather to write war.
On 08.08.2008, Georgia attacked Russian peacekeepers in the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, and …. gave rise to direct intervention in the conflict by the Russian Armed Forces.
Would you mind translating? I do not know Russian or whatever language that is. Also, is Moldava a member of the CSTO? It looked like soldiers were deployed to look at something and a flare was sent up or something was burning on the horizon.
The title says it is night exercise. So nothing unusual.
And no Moldova is not member of CSTO.
Well, if I were in Transdnistria, I’d be nervous, but who knows? I’m sure the folks there are on edge, but no reports of shelling or whatnot.
…if I were in Transdnistria, I’d be nervous…
Wouldn’t you be nervous in London or Washington, too, and perhaps somewhere in the Alpes? If anything happens to Transnistria, or to Donbass and Russia, those living in the west should be very nervous indeed.
If Russia feels that sanctions are now inevitable why not preempt this by withdrawing from both say Nord stream and Swift for instance? Reverse the sanctions, take away their punishment and use those that would hurt Europe as well.
Two things here:
1) If Putin orders such a move, both the 5th AND the 6th column are going to go after him with a vengeance.
2) If Putin orders such a move, the Atlantic Integrationists (big money) will also go after him with a vengeance.
So Putin needs to do exactly what he is doing on – building his “case” to take whatever action he plans to take.
I remind you that he himself admitted that there was “a plan” and that Russia will act according to that plan.
What you see right now is the Kremlin preparing the informational space for what comes next.
Saker…..what really make them mad ..they can not figure out what is next move of VVP !!!!!! I hope it will be even more shocking than action of Russian military in the Sept.2015 in Syria….
Every time POTUS Crash Test Dummy or Blinken issues another “we have intelligence that Putin will…” and the Western free press laps it up, never is any notice taken of the actual words really clearly explained by VVP.
Additionally, NS2 and Swift are so far off-table. No need to rock the boat.
Europe (Germany-France-Italy) and the Banksters keeping USD system on life-support are fighting other factions from including these in sanctions.
It is in Russia’s interest to maintain status-quo as it creates huge divisions in enemy ranks, and there is a 3% chance Germany will fight for survival thereby, like a drowning person reaching for the surface. Germany is the true prize behind all this Ukraine fiasco, even if its political leaders are crazy and inadequate. Behind the scenes, the Industrialists are fighting the USUK euthanasia!
And Russia has never played that game – cutting gas/oil to customers, preserving its reputation and reliability unlike some. China and other customers are also watching.
Russia can retaliate without moving a finger:
https://www.rt.com/business/549958-europe-gas-storages-empty/
All they have to do is refuse to accept new spot contracts, since most of Europe foolishly refused long-term stable gas contracts. Some EU countries may go dark in a few days
A common misperception is that Germany has an industrialist class that somehow rules the country from behind the scenes, robber-baron 19th-century style. There is the “Mittelstand” – second-tier industrialists whose companies can run into the low tens-of-thousands of employees. But these people have their hands full keeping their businesses afloat in the face of Chinese competition. They have little direct influence over politics. Then there are a very few traditional, first-tier, industrial families like the Piëchs (Volkswagen), the Krupps, the Thyssens and the Quandts (BMW) that you might think have direct influence over politics but really don’t either. They keep a low profile precisely since they want to avoid the robber baron image. And they have their business empires mainly run by managers. There is no evidence of these families somehow pulling the strings behind the scenes. The Bertelsmanns are the only top notch family that has any kind of direct influence, but they run a media empire. Merkel was famous for being very close to them. She didn’t care about the industrialists. From everything they say and do, the Bertelsmanns are staunchly globalist. You also have to keep in mind the ownerships of large German stock companies. It’s normal that large portions are owned by Wall Street companies like BlackRock, sovereign wealth funds like Quatar’s and in some cases German state entities like the federal state of Niedersachsen owning a large stake in Volkswagen. The Piëchs for example have no majority stake in Volkswagen.
The German system works is that influence flows through other channels than via cigar-smoking industrialists summoning politicians to wooden-panneled offices to tell them what to do. This kind of industrialist simply does not exist in Germany anymore. Important avenues influence are the business associations like the association of middle-tier companies and also the trade unions. It’s especially the latter that have the ears of politicians. German trade unions are very powerful. The metal workers union in particular sits on the boards of all industrial stock companies as decreed by law and rules the shop floors. No manager or industrialist, for that matter, can afford not keeping them happy.
Bottom line is, when it comes to the current crisis, in Germany there is an undercurrent of awareness that the country cannot make do without cheap energy, not withstanding all the green politics. Politicians don’t have to be told about that by (non-existing) cigar-smoking industrialists. Then there are strong atlanticist currents in the other direction, of course, and that’s also the reason why German politicians often say and do things that are inconsistent. Right now, energy realism is winning because reality is all to real, really. It’s not anymore involved than that.
yes, inconsistent politicians and nihilism in Germany make Germany schizophrenic. Germany doesn’t know what it wants. There are many interests that clash, all resulting from a nihilistic and artificial society. Merkel has made Germany even more artificial with immigrants and irresponsible immigration. Germany will hardly reverse its scientific and artificial tendency. Every completely scientific society dies like the USSR did. Take away the spirituality of a people and it will certainly become nihilistic. The fact that Russia is not nihilistic bothers scientific Germany. Merkel doesn’t appear in the media, but she still has a cell phone.
“Merkel doesn’t appear in the media, but she still has a cell phone”.
A cell phone which is famously tapped by the NSA, lol
Merkel always said that NS2 was a private project. This is the correct approach versus NS2,imho.
Scholz has dropped this line of thinking. His foreign minister said that, if needs be, they are willing to put a plug on NS2 and pay more for its gas. This is wrong.
Scholz is a US puddle and doesn’t have control over his ministers or the Green faction. He should publicly defend German interests and protect the investments made by its companies in this project. He is accepting the fact that NS2 might be part of the next package of sanctions.
Nobody in his right mind ever believed that NS2 was only a private project so Scholz did not have to drop this line of thinking because it never existed despite all what was said in public. Scholz is a corrupt opportunist; the opportune thing to do right now is keeping the gas flowing because the lights could very well go out in Germany very quickly in the most literal sense without it. Already today, it’s common that large industrial users of electricity get taken offline on only a few minutes notice to keep the electricity flowing to private households. So, politicians like Scholz and his ghastly minister of foreign affairs Baerbock have hit a roadblock in the form of the energy situation. It’s about pure, hard facts on the ground. So Scholz did not act like Biden’s lap dog when he was visiting the white house because he was forced to. But then he laughed when the Russians spoke about a genocide in the Donbass because he felt he could. He’s worse than a lap dog.
…reality is all to real, really.
This is really a realistic way to look at it. :-))
1) If Putin orders such a move, both the 5th AND the 6th column are going to go after him with a vengeance.
2) If Putin orders such a move, the Atlantic Integrationists (big money) will also go after him with a vengeance.
Is this a case of the “Putin doctrine,” i.e. turning enemies–>neutrals–>friends–>allies? In other words, Putin is telling the pro-West clique “I tried things your way, it failed, here’s the proof…Now will you listen to me?”
If Putin is still worried about 5th column after ten years of 2012 election, then he does not deserve to a leader.
People voted him to power not to pander to 5th columnists.
But it appears putin never bothers about his peoples opinion who want honour for russia. Instead putin action is to look over shoulder as to what anglos will think rather than what Russians want him to do – that is to stand upto western bullying rather than bear insult to Russia.
All due respect. I strongly believe that any timing and go/nogo decisions are NOT taken with the local opposition in consideration. Not in Russia.
Yes, major actions would considered so can be justified to the people. But to the people. Not to the opposition. There is a difference.
More importantly, Russia is also waging an information war. A war which is possibly more important long term.
As Tzu wrote:
Do not interrupt the enemy when making a mistake.
The US is making a LOT of mistakes right now. Both strategic, some tactical. Arrogance is the name of the game.
Yeah–seems like preemptively nixxing Nord Stream 2 by the Russians would be a needless waste of a point.
And simultaenously introduces a gigantic distraction and talking point.
Let the West smash the rock down on its own (that is, Germany/Europe’s) foot.
Keep it simple.
@ Saker
“1) If Putin orders such a move, both the 5th AND the 6th column are going to go after him with a vengeance.
2) If Putin orders such a move, the Atlantic Integrationists (big money) will also go after him with a vengeance.”
I have a question: What stops the 5th and 6th column to do this right now? If they are atlanticists and Putin is standing permanently in their way and causing sanctions even against some of them, what are they waiting for?
It does not seem as if anyone in the west is caring for a legal process anymore. They are constantly violating international law without even blinking.
Why preempt something that will have zero effect? Do you preempt a fly landing on you as you lay on your hammock in your backyard? You generally don’t pay attention to it.
Saker has a point regarding the fact that the Atlantic integrationists are probably lobbying hard for Putin to fold…imagine the fit they would have if UK delists Russian companies in London (and omg! prevents them from accessing their mansions in South Ken?!)
Here are a list of companies that could be targeted:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/18/which-london-listed-russian-firms-could-be-hit-by-sanctions
If this were to happen I imagine Kremlin would retaliate perhaps by suspending NS2, but only in response to sanctions…
What happens if those companies are delisted? Are their share suddenly worthless> Who loses? Well, the companies already have the capital, and they have no obligation to re-pay as far as I can see.
Yes, in case of de-listing it becomes the problem of the owners of the shares.
Atlantic integrationists putting their economic interests and the interests of Russian big business ahead of the interests of the Russian people is how Russia has found itself surrounded by NATO missiles.
Reagan’s trickle down theory never worked in the USA and it hasn’t worked in Russia.
If there is too much mischief then perhaps the Russians will find a technical fault in NS1 and need to cut its volume to 50% with the other 50% having to be diverted into … ahhhh, let’s seee, … the parallel unused ready to go fall-back reserve NS2 line running along side? This whole NS1 & NS2 narrative makes about as much sense as arguing about a 2nd return train line stopping at the same station. If the EU don’t want Russian gas then let them eat coal again for winter.
Do the oligarchs in Russia even have any real power (as in ability to influence Russian politics)? I imagine that might’ve been the case in the mid-90s and early 2000 but not any more. Because they don’t control any more critical assets like media or state companies.
You do if someone is releasing that fly thinking it will scare or hurt you. Take it off them, hold and embrace it so that fly is de-weaponized. Show them it doesn’t scare you and then stuff it down their throats. As the Saker shows though there are always other considerations.
Withdrawing from NS2 or NS1 would be equal to shoot yourself in the foot.
If west do it then Russia can sue it and get the compensation but if Russia withdraw it will not only lose its own money it will be subject for the compensation to the west.
And Russia has all the tools to put the pressure on west anyhow, like having technical difficulties to deliver the gas, playing tough in contract negotiations, delaying/canceling the meetings, sanctioning people involved in negotiation, delaying visas, changing the negotiation team frequently or/and very late in the process (it is usual tactics that British government apply, I experienced it first hand) so it had to be wind back/start over etc.
If Ukranian launch a full scale invasion, the only solution is to target Ukranian leadership with a cruise missile strike. That would send a clear message. All other option one way or another will either harm Russia or will continue for years to come.
personally I would prefer Spetsnaz infiltration and capture of said leadership then exfiltration to Russian territory to stand national televised trial for crimes against humanity, then they can join Navalny in Siberian Penal Colony Unit 666
The videos remind me of a current long lasting claim that the Russians just randomly bomb targets having no idea where the bombs land. Of course the bombs seem to land on children hospitals and kittens. This point was really hammered by the Western media when the Russians were taking out the terrorists in Syria’s Allepo region. I would watch videos from the Russian defense department showing rather precise attacks on Syrian jihadist terrorists. Something does not jive for a country that can send up satellites and astronauts into space but can’t figure the basic math of where stuff falls out of the sky. Of course the Russians know how to target, but that is not the question. The question is whether Western militaries actually believe that BS. Do military planners actually believe the Russians cannot hit the side of a barn? Seriously, after Saker showing how the idiots believe their propaganda, why not on this point.
The video of the TOS-1A has me contemplating the divine, and I am a non-believer. If I had boots on my feet, they would make my trembling feel less out of place, as I am at home comfortably in my slippers.
I have no words.
“6. .. Lufthansa stops flights to Ukraine from Monday (the last flights on the weekend)”
Germany has the same playbook as USUK. This is the day before Feb 22. This reinforces many other indications that 2.22.22 may be a significant date for the satanists. Don’t the Russian nuclear war drills underway also finish just after this date?
https://smallwarsjournal.com/index.php/jrnl/art/us-not-ready-peer-peer-fight-europe
I found this to be an interesting article concerning U.S. military deficiencies in regards to a potential peer to peer conventional engagement with Russia in Europe. The gist of the article is that the U.S. military is woefully unprepared to face Russia in a peer to peer conventional engagement. Not that I think this is going to happen, but it does give context to the current state of US ground forces versus their military peers.
Ukraine goes nuclear now. Ukies will start throwing soil from Chernobyl at Russians.
And nuclear pellets (nuclear fuel elements), which are supplied to them for nuclear power plants by Russia. )))
:-))) At this time, it is better to laugh than to cry…
Thanks again Saker for keeping us up to date. The threat of nuclear holocaust has been with us for a long time – my entire life. So sad that it must remain so and there is absolutely nothing that a single vote cast every couple of years in a country of 350 million for one of two corporate sponsored presidential candidates representing two corporate sponsored parties (Republicraps and Democraps) can do in this so-called democracy.
I believe there is a good chance that the world economy will bifurcate. Russia does not need the West and can sell it’s energy to the East and the Southern hemisphere. It can also barter an arrangement where, in exchange for energy, China builds ships for it (like Ukraine did in the Soviet Union). The two could collaborate on nuclear powered aircraft carriers and other ships – in essence, both Russia and China become “blue water” navies that support each other. And Russia does not need trade with Europe or the Five Eye nations. Trade between countries could be established via China sponsored SWIFT transactions, allowing Russia and China to participate in world trade while bypassing USA banking system and the dollar.
What is interesting about this bifurcation of the world economy is that the USA and Europe produce almost nothing. Europe is a tourist destination and creates brands of goods produced in other countries. The USA is mostly the same – with a few exceptions. It produces weapons, movies and entertainment, digital software and apps, agriculture, and fossil fuels. Everything that is used to build, manufacture, or construct is imported. Neither Europe or the Five Eyes can divorce themselves from the world economy and do so without great harm to their citizens. But when has that mattered to the billionaires and oligarchs, lords and monarchies that control the businesses that comprise their economies?
Back in the 80s, when Reagan began his term in office and simultaneously quadrupled the national debt (while campaigning that it needed to be reduced) by increasing weapon purchases ($400 toilet seats) and cutting taxes for the wealthy (trickle down economics), he set in motion the “Brazilianization” of the USA economy – something that has continued to this day. What do I mean by Brazilianization? I mean USA citizens increasingly being dispossessed, forced into a modern day serfdom, renting everything and not owning anything, and permitting financial interests to bilk huge profits by leasing USA lifestyles to the diminishing few who can afford it. In the George W. Bush “great recession” of 2007-2009, this Brazilianization was accelerated by a rapid surge in unemployment, forcing 5 million household into selling their properties for pennies on the dollar or having them foreclosed on. Today, the bulk of Americans work in low-paying service jobs. The vast majority are being taxed to support a weapons industry and wars that have no benefit to them. And even with these taxes, the USA government cannot pay for its largess and must borrow to finance its outlays for its weapons and wars. Meanwhile, essential investments in the nation’s education and infrastructure are scuttled to permit oligarchs and billionaires (Trump – I’m looking at you) to make huge fortunes while paying ZERO taxes.
Contrast this with China, whose economy is centrally planned and whose investments in infrastructure and education are paying off in spades and will continue to payoff in spades for possibly centuries to come. One eye-opening statistic – the Chinese have more engineers and scientists in their workforce than the ENTIRE USA workforce combined.
The handwriting is on the wall. Russia is free to do what it wants – even if sanctions that the USA and its vassals place on Russia might hurt in the short run. But the USA is likely to implode and we’ve seen a great deal of unrest and dissatisfaction among the citizens of Western countries as a result of this deterioration in quality of life and financial security – Brazilianization. In sum, there is no need for Russia to bend the knee.
What Reagan did is not too dissimilar from what Thatcher did in Rule Brittania. The overwhelming beneficiaries of this form of vulture-crapitalism and wealth extrapolation upwards have been the suits mooching around Canary Wharf and the Corporation of the City of London. When the neocons and neolibs from both sides of the pond wax lyrical about ‘shared values’ and ‘special relationship’ what they’re really talking about is values and relationships a pimp has with one of his whores.
I am Brazilian and I must say: the failure of the West is due to a reason, which is the failure of capitalism as we know it. The capitalism that made man a slave to industries, financialization and profit, is currently exhausted and has died. American capitalism can no longer go on: game over! This satanic mindset needs new people to exploit, and more natural resources to steal. But many countries, countries of the global south, countries of Africa, simply do not want to be killed by the greed of the American Empire of Usury anymore! And with the nuclear threat, it’s hard to see the horizon!
Capitalism has not existed in the US since 1865.
Capitalism has not existed in the US since 1865.
Nonsense.
Capitalism is a function of a free market. A free market is, by definition, free. Everything anyone wants to sell is for sale to the highest bidder. People with money, called customers, “sell” their money to people who manufacture goods or provide services in exchange for that money. Money is that most marketable commodity, something that is universally accepted as a store of value. God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – has declared gold and silver to be money. That is not to say that other rare minerals cannot function as money either if the customer will accept them.
Capital itself is more than merely money. My capital assets are some welders, air compressors, a shop, lifts within the shop, some vertical milling machines, lathe, etc., which I acquired for money and can now combine with my ability to fabricate steel structures, repair equipment, repair automobiles, rebuild engines and transmissions, etc.
What is called “crony capitalism” which is such a repugnant feature of “the West” is not capitalism at all. It is unethical people who through bribes or blackmail or threat of death or torture, harness the brute force of the scum who call themselves “government” to eliminate competition. Elimination of competition in the form of tariffs and regulatory penalties on entrepreneurs eventually causes the “vulture capitalists” or “crony capitalists”, who are the very antithesis of capitalism, to atrophy and die within a few generations. For example, the intent of most of the “legislation” that passes through state legislatures or Congress creates a regulatory hurdle that buries the little guy in red tape, hounded by the SEC, the EPA, OSHA, etc., because the little guy cannot afford to buy Senators, Representatives, and a stable of attorneys to keep the government tied down with their own red tape.
Socialism, collectivism, Communism, all the “isms” you want to pile that have a their core a group of fallible mortals planning what all the disparate individuals within a jurisdiction need or will be allowed to buy cannot succeed. The dissolution of the USSR was the final proof that glorified ant-farm or honey-bee top down management cannot work for mankind. If men were angels bear in mind that a third of the angels chose to rebel against God so that argument doesn’t work either. A free market is the one and only viable structure where the price of goods and services can be ascertained. Nobody can tell what anything is worth until it sells. The amount of time spent in manufacture is not a factor in the sale price: It is a measurement of inefficiency that will bankrupt the inefficient and force competition. I have failed at enough enterprises to know very well this truth, if you want to earn money, you better perform to the customer’s standards.
The Bank of England and the Federal Reserve System and every financial system that pretends “money” can be created out of thin air was started by demons and is maintained by present day demons. I don’t want to go into the ultimate failure of every fiat currency system, but they will all collapse because of the greed of those who are presently getting something – our gold and silver – by threat, duress, and coercion, in exchange for their paper.
tuation in Donbas VIENNA (Sputnik) – Russia’s Permanent Mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Saturday that it is surprised by the reaction of the organization’s leadership to the developments in eastern Ukraine. “Surprised by reaction of OSCE CiO Z.Rau, his Special Rep. for Ukraine M.Kinnunen & OSCE SG H. Schmid on the situation in eastern Ukraine. All them reproduced statements of [Ukraine’s] military command that ‘reports on preparations by #UkrainianArmedForces for an offensive are disinformation’,” the mission said on Twitter. The mission also expressed regrets that Rau and Kinnunen once again did not listen to Russia’s warnings made during their visit to Moscow on Tuesday. “All this instead of calling on Kiev to comply w/ #MinskAgreements & Measures to strengthen ceasefire of 22/07/2020. Meanwhile, they were silent when @OSCE_SMM confirmed in Oct.2021 offensive actions by [Ukraine’s] ArmedForces in southern Donetsk region. Impartiality, you say?” the mission tweeted.
“Next, the German Chancellor declared on TV that it was “laughable” to speak of a genocide in the Donbass.”
Well he should know I guess. True,it doesn’t match (yet) the standards of the German genocide in the USSR during the war,but still the Ukie neo-nazis are trying hard to make the West proud.
Not to mention the genocide they supported against the Serbs in the 1990s. After all, their “allies” in Ukraine speak about “Operation Storm” as the role model for what they want to do in the Donbass.
The Germans were horrified at the atrocities the Croatians committed against Serbs. They reported up the chain of command asking what they should do about this situation of their most demonic allies, the Croats. While the Germans were committed to ending the partisan attacks of Serb Chetniks under Draza Mihailovich, the Croats took full advantage of the German military umbrella to attack Serbs just as the Croats had done in WWI.
Of concern to me, in searching for the history of Draza Mihailovich’s Chetniks, I cannot find one article among twenty hits using the Brave browser and Brave search engine that does not glorify Tito and accuse Draza of atrocities. Yet not a year ago I read the history of the Chetniks and how they prevailed and rescued American airmen who had to bail out over Serbia in an article portraying how Draza was abandoned by the West while Tito had full military backing of Stalin.
Either Brave has sold out to the dark side or Google has succeeded beyond imagination in turning the internet into a socialist echo chamber.
There was no German genocide in Germany or in the USSR.
http://holocausthandbooks.com/dl/HolocaustSkepticism.pdf
As General Patton said, the Germans were the only civilized people in Europe as he lamented that they were all dead. Well, not all, and their invasion of the USSR beat the USSR planned invasion of Germany and all of Europe by about two weeks. As usual, Hitler took the heat for what Stalin under protective media silence.
https://www.solonin.org/en/article_mark-solonin-june-1941-final
Decades earlier, the Kaiser was the only one in Europe who worked very hard to avoid war and he is saddled in school history books as the one who started WWI. Then Germany was beaten and punished as the sole perpetrator of that WWI slaughter and saddled with the war debts to all of Europe as well as loss of territory to Poland and France. All that while Jewish war financiers got money from both sides.
Some 80,000,000 people were killed in WWII, only 20,000,000 more than Lenin’s CHEKA and Stalin’s NKVD managed to kill in the Worker’s Paradise. But, all German forced labor camps had only one crematorium per camp and one room for delousing clothing using the very common Zyklon B gas for that purpose. It would be the height of stupidity to use railroads and trucks to haul Jews all over Germany and Poland when that transportation was desperately needed to fight the war and more and more under continuous Allied bombing. The Germans were not stupid. Dirt cheap to shoot or club or stab a Jew on the spot and throw the body into a local landfill or grave, which, had genocide been the German policy, is exactly what the SS would have done, fast, efficient, cheap. Expensive, time consuming, counter-productive, etc., to waste resources hauling Jews to Auschwitz or Buchenwald or any of the other 150 labor camps just to gas them and cremate them in yet another labor and resource intensive operation. Look who had and has had control of the media since the 1800’s, look at all the 9/11 propaganda, look at the covid hoax and tell me the “main stream media” has ever published anything but what Jewish controlled “government” wants people to believe.
I’ll hand you one more fact to consider: It is illegal – you will be thrown in jail and prosecuted for committing a criminal offense – to publicly doubt “Hitler killed six million Jews”, in Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Czechia, Austria, Slovakia, France, Germany, Poland, Corsica, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Lithuania. You will be hauled before a court in Italy, Sardigna, Canada, the UK, and, increasingly so, in the US for publicly stating there was no holocaust of the Jews in Germany in WWII. Ask David Irving. “Hitler gassed 6 million Jews” is a statement of faith in the worldwide worship of the Jews. Send your money to Israel! They must rearm after expending a few hundred million “Iron Dome” missiles to defend against Palestinian home-made rockets. Why are the Palestinians so pissed at the Jews anyway? Hmmm, I wonder.
Well, the halo of eternal divine righteousness does not hold up in the countries and among the peoples that the Israelis constantly attack such as Syria, Iran, Iraq (back when they had a secular government and attempted to build a power reactor), Libya, Egypt, i.e., their closest neighbors with whom Israel would have a cordial relationship had they not been treacherous exploiters, liars, and land thieves. There is a saying among the victims of God’s supposedly chosen people – which relationship ended forever in AD 70 after the Jews crucified their very Messiah, Jesus the Christ, Son of God, Savior: “Count your fingers after you shake hands with a Jew” and “The Jew cries out in pain as he strikes you”. “Through deception victory” or something like that is the motto of MOSSAD.
But, Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple, were destroyed forever in A.D. 70. The 1948 counterfeit does not have God’s blessing as his evangelist to the world. They still refuse to accept that God in the form of the man Jesus is indeed the Messiah, looking instead for a military conqueror to kill everyone else and hand them the world. They utterly failed in their one divine purpose plus God doesn’t take Jewish atrocities and deceptions lightly. The 1948 Israel is a counterfeit engineered by the descendants and spiritual equals of those Jesus declared to be children of the devil.
So it is the Christian church is the New Israel with the mission once given to the Jews to evangelize the world and institute the Kingdom of God on earth. For this, though never expressed so bluntly, the rabbi and Zionist Jew works to eliminate Christianity. The form of that Kingdom is that God’s law applies to everyone on earth. If there is a “civil government” it’s one purpose will be to enforce God’s law. What is God’s law? The law given to Moses in Exodus 20 minus the ceremonial, dietary, and sacrificial laws which were all either fulfilled by Jesus’ advent or (dietary laws) annulled in the early church. Yes, that means queers get stoned the moment they go public with their sexual perversion: stay in the closet or die. Ditto for adulterers, rapists, murderers, etc.
My God, the ukronazis managed to fire two missiles inside Russia, how crazy! We have a war going on behind the scenes as well. Putin’s life is not easy, he really has to be patient and act wisely. Ukrainians don’t have a mirror at home, they don’t see their reality. Ukraine is destroyed, it has sunk into debt they cannot pay, the economy sinks, there has been no investment, with NS2 the gas transfer money will also go, they will not enter NATO or the EU any time soon. The wealth promised in the 2014 rebellion never came, at least for ordinary Ukrainians. So the only bargaining chip for the regime is to be a constant irritating baton against Russia, of course if the current crisis goes away and there is peace in Donbass it would be bad for them. But things can get very bad, there can be refugees, for example, fleeing not Russia but poverty and becoming cheap labor in the West – maybe that’s the purpose. Yes, this may be one of the purposes of the West: to provide cheap labor for a feminist Europe that is without babies and without children.
Impressive videos, frightening too!
Lufthansa has cancelled all its flights from/to Ukraine for the whole of next week, starting Monday. Not a good sign.
What is the range of the TOS? It doesn’t seem particularly long-range.
Antoinetta iII
You are right, it does not. Range of tos-1 Buratino was just outside of range of Western TOW – 3500m. It sacrifices range for destructive power of heavy warhead. Tos-1A Solncepek has increased range to more realistic 6000m.
If crew isn’t extremely carefull with positioning of vehicle, and alowe to be hit by enemy, massive firepower that TOS pack becomes great danger to anyone in large area around.
When used properly, from cover, TOS works like charm against entrenched and fortified infantry, and light vehicles. It is designed to counter NATO’s favourite – rush tactic.
For longer ranges Russia has other MLRS, of similar devastating effects.
5km for older missiles and 9km for more recent ones. They need to sneak quickly during the night, hit and run, likely supported by electronic warfare, smoke screens and AA systems. Pretty vulnerable systems without support. If they manage to deliver their load on target however… is game over for the enemy as the video (and the older Chechens) would tell you.
TOS-2 “Tosochka” – up to 15 km.
TOS-1 “Pinocchio” and TOS-1A “Sun” – up to 6 km.
Thank you Andrew, I wasn’t able go find foreign range for TOS-2. Did you find data on warhead size difference between those 3 variants? It is unlikely to increase range from original 3500m to 15000m for the single stage rocket of similar size without shrinking payload.
TOS-2 “Tosochka” – up to 15 km.
TOS-1 “Pinocchio” and TOS-1A “Sun” – up to 6 km
An outstanding article by Mr. Rozhin. Every word of his is valuable, such is the level of the article. The machine translation – you must be joking, this machine translation has been improved by a human; it sounds quite good.
Saker : But if NATO hit this depot, I fully expect a major NATO weapons depot to go up in flames within the hour.
Hopefully the folks at Mons understand that.
Hey hold on, Mons is only a few kms from where I live…
Mons is a rural residential locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Buderim urban centre. In the 2016 census Mons had a population of 946 people.
We ain’t storing any weapons of mass destruction here, except perhaps a few remains of fish, crabs and prawns after a jolly good time at the communal barbie… please spare us, we meant no harm to anyone but are sorry about the foul smell and the frigging flies. Make sure you locate Belgium on the world map, although I’m not even certain if they can pinpoint Belgium on the map…
Cheers Dom
Saker means : Mons in Netherlands (or Belgium) a european headquarters of nato! That Mons!
Check this tweet from a Chinese ministry government official to get a sense of where China stands on this conflict. LOL.
https://twitter.com/zlj517/status/1494825404195950592
also these tweets from same Chinese official.
https://twitter.com/zlj517/status/1494824064463949824
https://twitter.com/zlj517/status/1494824192570626049
The spectacle of the two middle aged politico/media personalities locked in a deathly embrace on the floor of the Ukrainian television studio is really quite perplexing. Allegorical even. Among the spectators are the former president and prime minister no less. Both have positively blossomed since last seen. Yats looking positively chilled behind his newly sprouted hipster beard and Porky tanned and toned from his exile in sunnier climes. Some lovely tailoring in evidence. Not sure whether to apply shoe leather or cardiac massage. These are the amateur clowns. Spare a thought for Zelensky the pro entrusted with rescuing this freak show from annihilation. The Servant of the People. An actor. Elected on a peace mandate no less. That boy has been on a learning curve that defies the imagination.
Saker I love your work here and appreciate all your efforts! This place is definitely one of my treasured resources for insight and understanding. Truly appreciate you.
I see the west is getting more and more desperate and have brought out from behind the curtain some of their “political game changers” to turn the tide in their favor!
Here come “The Superstars!”
Look out! Here comes Kamala Harris issuing some stern warnings! OMG!!!
I’m sure just the presence of Kamala Harris has Putin shaking in his boots!
If somehow Putin is able to endure the “voice of reason” herself, Kamala Harris…..the west still has plenty of options!
Perhaps before this is all over with…. the west will be forced to unleash Dennis Rodman himself to try and talk some sense into Putin….just like he did with Kim Jong-Un!
Yeah! The west can send in Dennis Rodman to play some video games with Putin and hang out and everything will be back to normal before we know it!
The west has a very long and storied history of being very very clever when situations like this arise! Right?
If Harris turns up the logic or the pain dial …..or if Rodman himself has to step in ….well then I’m sorry but it’s game, set and match for the US!!!
Right? 😂😂😂😂😂
The US as a civilization has come to an end. Kamala is an incompetent person. US television shows its decadence, that Americans are in trouble with their true heroes. A country that watches porn video creator Kardashians and UFC MMA on TV are completely lost, with their distorted values. The Kardashians have a huge television audience, and they are also celebrities in Europe.
The UFC is explicit violence on TV, with legs being broken and bones broken live on TV, with women getting punched in the face and blood, and also children watching, all in exchange for money and audience for the Zionists. This is UFC MMA. Reason has left America. This explains its current backwardness in military technology.
Democrats are obsessed with having the “first” female president. Biden may be faking his illness, faking his dementia and sleep, so that public opinion will accept mediocre Kamala as president.
The US quest for equality will certainly put in the direction of the US nuclear power a woman who keeps her mouth open showing her teeth smiling, but hides her hatred and cruel nature. The worst thing is that in these dangerous times, we have to deal not only with an incompetent US leadership, but in addition to Biden, we also have the horrendous, mediocre and dangerous Kamala Harris, chosen by American citizens who like the Kardashians and the violent and corrupt UFC MMA.
There was never any possibility of any success of Russian negotiations with Ukraine, because Ukraine is not a sovereign country and cannot make its own decisions. Ukraine is Washington’s pawn used to cause trouble for Russia. Russia brought this upon herself by standing aside while Washington overthrew the Ukraine government and installed a Washington puppet. Biden, Blinken, Stoltenberg, and the rest of the crew have made it completely clear that they intend to make Russia less secure. The West thinks that this is riskless because all the Russians will do is complain and ask for more negotiations. Washington has Russia trapped in the self-defeating process of answering Washington’s accusations.
Perhaps Biden, Blinken, and Stoltenberg are right. But on the other hand, what would you do if you were the government of a vast country allied with China and armed with a military force that can walk through any force NATO can muster as if it were a wet paper bag? Would you sit there wasting time and energy in negotiations that only make things worse while your enemies build up their forces on your borders and Ukraine acquires nuclear weapons?
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2022/02/19/nato-no-longer-a-defensive-alliance-is-a-tool-of-aggression/
USA is the most destructive, degenerate country in the history of the world. When Russia acts militarily and technically, it will not only help itself but it will avenge the millions of deaths caused by the USA since it’s inception beginning with the prairie niggers (Native Americans).
“Russia brought this upon herself by standing aside while Washington overthrew the Ukraine government and installed a Washington puppet.”
Russia probably wasn’t strong enough to stop Washington in 2014. (The coup was during the Sochi Olympics). But Russia is strong enough now which is why both it and China are asserting themselves.
walgelijk that video clip from ukraine tv. If the saker knows his fathers language he knows what i say. i hear applause when it happened. walgelijk. Nothing more to add.
“Abduction of Europa” and Jabeth (ATP)
Russia began to change the Security System, trying to avoid a big war, under the slogan “NATO is the antipode of security!”.
Now we see the collapse of the US strategy of “double containment” of Russia and China at the same time, which is caused primarily by the civil war in “Territory – 404”.
Attempt to start “out of the game” Russia failed.
(That’s right, Xi Jinping will say something weighty soon)))
And a US/NATO defeat in Ukraine would in principle predetermine the fate of Taiwan. And in general throughout the APR.
I recommend preparing for the Peace Conference in Europe under the auspices of the Council of Europe, without which the West managed to do without 30 years ago.
This time, Russia will do everything to ensure that non-regionals are not invited to the European Peace Conference – the United States and Canada, they ate only as observers
PS
The UK admits that the key reason why the Collective West/USA refuses Moscow its main demands is that any satisfaction of them would be tantamount to “refusing to win the Cold War” (!). And he predicts a split in the EU if Russia “does not undertake a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
But Russia does not have to “invade” the territory of the ex-Ukrainian SSR or the EU, it can achieve its goals without crossing borders, at least with troops (Israel is an example of this).
Perhaps Putin should give Zelensky the meeting he requests but with the following ground rules. i) Either Ukraine grants the Donbas oblasts complete home rule or ii) Putin acts on the Russian Dumas’ vote to annex the territory which has already held a plebiscite. If the Ukie army crosses into a free Donbass or a Russian Donbass they will be annihilated. Simple choice.
If the US or NATO consequently takes up arms against Russia anywhere on the world map, their command and control centers will be attacked with hypersonic missiles ASAP. Stupid choices have consequences. It is Washington’s call. They will either i) decide to fight Russia now or, ii) unless they agree to stand down and accept Moscow’s terms on neutering NATO and banning all missiles from Europe, Russia will assume they intend to attack later. Hence, as long as Russia possesses a present weaponry advantage, they will be attacked now regardless of any empty promises. It seems to be basically the strategy that Paul Craig Roberts is suggesting.
Washington is forcing an implementation of Russia’s red lines, sufficiently outlined and explained quite thoroughly at this point. What does Russia achieve by “trusting” Washington and kicking the can down the road? Nothing. Washington has made its point as world’s most dangerous warmonger several times over. Putin has seen them absolutely demolish several entire countries already. If Putin gives them more time, they will simply attack once the missile gap is breached. It’s their nature, like the scorpion that bites the frog in midstream. Besides, Lord Biden seems to be begging for this. I don’t think he’s bluffing, he’s just damned crazy. I am usually a peacenik, but Biden is clearly not and he is out of control at this point.
“Putin arrange”?!! )))
And who is Zelensky? – round zero, US slave.
Channel your wet dreams into something worthy of fantasy.
Blagodaryu, chto nasmeshili, Realist. )))
To fire missiles accros the border seems to me as a provocation not a mistake. Maybe fired not by Ukees but by their Anglo handlers.
First off, as a frequent reader of this blog: thanks to Saker for all the enormous effort these last weeks.
For the record, I live in the US (Pacific Northwest), was raised on a steady diet of American exceptionalism that took me decades to wean myself off, finally after 65 years.
A lot of the comments here assume that because the US is dying empire (it is), that it has exceedingly mediocre/idiotic leaders (it does), and that its military is no match for the RF (true, at least in the sense that it cannot defeat it in Europe), that it must follow that its policies are stupid and unsuccessful. They may be dangerous and destructive for the world in general and even most of its own people, but they are working as intended.
The US is getting exactly what it wants right now, which is a new Iron Curtain that will exclude Russia and China from Europe, and especially its industrial powerhouse, Germany. This is absolutely imperative to maintain the petro-dollar as reserve currency, without which this country’s economy will collapse. But as long as it can keep Europe from joining with the rest of the Asian economies under China’s direction it can survive, or course at the cost of Europe’s economic impoverishment.
To accomplish this, it has successfully put the RF into an impossible position with Ukraine: it will force it attach/invade to protect itself and its people, then, through the West’s complete control of the information space, tar it with the brush of aggression that will stick in the minds of most of the brainwashed populations, and not necessarily only in the West either.
It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t actually invade with lots of soldiers or not, simply attacking the innocent Ukrainians will be enough to set the court of opinion against it. Then the US will continue demonizing all things Russian, continue arming the countries surrounding Russia, setting them against the RF and closing off Europe forever from dealing with Russia.
What can the RF do, actually attack Nato? That seems too risky; Putin is no gambler. What then?
Please someone tell me where I’m wrong here.
I will answer an American guy from Moscow, Russia )))
I’ll start from the end:
– Putin is not just a player, he is a grandmaster in chess and Go, he is a strategist and tactician. And the Russian School of Diplomacy and the Russian General Staff are considered the best in the world even today.As well as intelligence, by the way.
– It’s not Russia that was put in zugzwang, on the contrary, Putin has squashed you. More precisely, the United States themselves sat down in a twine, deciding at the same time to “restrain” Russia and China. Without counting resources, having lost all the advantages in the military and economic spheres, in the era of Uncertainty – the transition to a New industrial order. In addition, depending on Russia for the supply of rocket engines, hydrocarbons, titanium, metal … see the US-RF trade balance.
– If by some miracle you force the Ukrainian cowards to fight, you will lose both Ukraine and Europe, and the rest of your authority. And the Biden/Democrats are the White House. Impeachment will then be secured.
– If you do not start a war, then we will force you to agree to our terms – to sign and comply with the new INF Treaty, move NATO infrastructure to the 1997 borders … And generally get out of the EU, but we will decide this at the Europf Peace Conference, where you will only observers.
PS Read about the Russian project “Greater Eurasia” and “One Belt – One Road” of China and you will immediately understand everything. The construction of the New Security and Economic Structure has begun. And you are powerless to change something, you can try, but this will only worsen your situation. Which is so shaky today.
Thanks for your reply. My conjecture is that the the war in Ukraine is exactly what the US wants, and it looks like it’s going to get it. And while it may cause the loss of Ukraine, or some part of it, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that is won’t cause the loss of Europe, but the reverse, it will bind it to the US ever more firmly. And, no US president will ever be impeached for starting a war. That’s what I predict.
I do know all about the one belt/one road, am in favor of it, and believe that is the future. Believe me, I am fully against what my government is doing. I am only talking about the immediate outcome of the current events.
The US wanted Russia to respond militarily. In Judo, if your opponnent pushes you, you do not push back. Instead, you allow your opponent to over commit, and you help, then when he is off balance, you take him to the mat.
Neither of the scenarios are a valid outcomes. Those are the extremes, the boundaries of what is possible in theory.
Reality will be in between.
The bad thing for the “West” is that the more extreme the outcome, the worse for them. This is combined with the imbecilles in US thinking the more extreme the outcome the better (for them).
This is why the situation is dangerous. Russia has little incentive in preventing the “West” to blow up its leg. Yet it is pretty much only Russia who can prevent the “West” doing so. DEFR have the will to try prevent the same, but not the leverage needed. And they too will not mind much should the US blow up it ukie finger. As long as it stays with the US finger and does not take their leg … Dangerous.
I’ll tell you exactly where you’re wrong.
You’re simply not seeing what’s happening behind the scenes. This is done by reading between the lines and also following the events very closely. The most important factor of what’s going on behind the scenes right now, is that many of the most important institutional “elite” of europe/nato, or at least in particular of the nations that MATTER i.e. Germany, all know what the current charade is, and are in fact secretly siding with Russia behind the scenes.
Let’s take Germany as an example. They are pinned between a rock and hard place also because they are an occupied nation and to some extent have to show the “correct face” in the media in order to keep their American occupiers contented, but in reality behind the curtain, the German elites support Russia and Nord Stream 2. There are many examples and proofs of this, just to name some of the most recent:
1. the fact that Scholz has stated explicitly “Ukraine will never join NATO” https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/olaf-scholz-betrays-ukraine-and-the-west
2. the “voice of Germany” Der Spiegel has been the one to now published the “recently unearthed documents” shattering the myth that Nato never promised to expand. Why would Germany’s most powerful media source suddenly be publishing proof in support of Russia/Putin that NATO in fact lied and betrayed Russia? Clearly Der Spiegel here is trying to drum up support amongst the German citizenry/public for this view
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/nato-osterweiterung-aktenfund-stuetzt-russische-version-a-1613d467-bd72-4f02-8e16-2cd6d3285295
Btw, as per wikipedia, Der Spegel is the largest publication by circulation in all of Europe. “Der Spiegel (German pronunciation: [deːɐ̯ ˈʃpiːɡl̩], lit. “The Mirror”) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg.[1] With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it is the largest such publication in Europe.[2][3][4]” So the largest most significant publication in Europe suddenly sides with Russia?
3. If you’ve been following the events behind the scenes, you’ll know German elites have been chattering that “nothing will stop Nord Stream 2 from becoming operational.” I don’t have link for this off the top of my head but it was only days ago that German elites have stated that NS2 is set and nothing will change it.
So with that said, these examples are a microcosm meant to represent a larger secret sentiment that prevails behind the scenes, which is the main reason why mouthpieces like Stoltenberg talk very tough about “European Unity” on these issues involving Russia but in fact you don’t see much European “action” in the way of real significant militaristic escalation, defense budgets etc. Because the fact of the matter is, many countries’ elites behind the scenes do not really buy most of this propaganda and only do the bare minimum token support in the media that they must do to keep their CIA masters appeased, but there is only so much and so far they will go in this direction.
So in regard to your statements about the “iron curtain” that the U.S. is ‘successfully’ implementing between Russia and Europe, I believe this is greatly exaggerated and that much of Europe, at least the most important segments of it like Germany, are not as deeply entrenched in the U.S. propaganda as you might think. Behind the scenes they are in fact working with Russia to some large extents because their industrialists know that Russia is needed for ongoing European development and energy issues.
I do hope you’re right, but am afraid you’re not. I’ll read those links, thanks.
I think after so many years of evil emanating out of the west and putrefying everything it touches, the stench has finally reached epic proportions and is ready to boil over. The capstone of its evil was realized when the west put in place a plan to murder over 6 billion people through massive, forced injections. They are so evil that they have now set their sights on killing the innocent children. Everything taking place now is, I believe, God’s justice in action. I believe that Russia is the tool by which we will be delivered from their hands.
Well said. God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – creator of the earth, the universe, living things, and mankind in six literal days for his own good pleasure, is in charge. He uses Satan and the fallen angels to chastise his apostate people.
Well said. Events in Ottawa and in the Donbass are two sides of the same coin. Ordinary people against oligarchs.
Sadly, a few billion people have been fooled by those pushing these destructive injections. I hope that when enough people wake up, there will be a reckoning. Funny how the Ukraine charade started as soon as the vaccine mantra fell apart. Clearly, the same psychopaths are behind both of them.
Guy from US,
As a fellow “guy from US”, I’ll tell you where you went wrong. Here:
“The US is getting exactly what it wants right now, which is a new Iron Curtain that will exclude Russia and China from Europe, and especially its industrial powerhouse, Germany. This is absolutely imperative to maintain the petro-dollar as reserve currency, without which this country’s economy will collapse. But as long as it can keep Europe from joining with the rest of the Asian economies under China’s direction it can survive, or course at the cost of Europe’s economic impoverishment.”
Germany may be an industrial powerhouse now. But what happens when it no longer has reasonably priced energy? In fact that is true of all of Europe. They are being forced through USA/NATO aggression again Russia into a future where their energy supply is at risk, where the cost of energy will skyrocket without Russian gas, and their industry will no longer be competitive.
This bifurcation I spoke of above and which you believe will work against Russia will not work against Russia. Russia can turn East and South with its energy. China is the “industrial powerhouse” of the world. And the entire supply chain network China has built and is expanding across Asia and increasingly Africa and South America will continue. Think of it as a giant feedback loop where resources from the BRI participants are extracted and manufactured for China’s domestic industries while, unlike the USA in the 20th Century, China in turn invests in the local communities of these countries who form its supply chain, building infrastructure that enables them to develop their own export capabilities – to China. This is what the whole Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is about.
You are correct that the USA will continue to demonize Russia, but there is nothing the USA can do if Russia builds pipelines to the South. The one key player missing in action is India. India has had issues with China and is a Russian partner. However, it holds hands with the USA only tentatively. Should India decide to join forcefully the BRI, Katy bar the door!
That said, Russia must act firmly to neuter Ukraine. According to Saker, this can be done with stand-off weapons. There is no need to invade. It can also supply the “rebels” in the Donbass. Perhaps Ukraine will fall like Cuba fell in the 50s. Cuba demonstrated that even with the USA at the height of its post WWII powers, it could still be outflanked.
I would argue that China and Russia should team up. Russia should share technology that would permit both countries to field more nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Russia should allow the Chinese to build ships for them that would strengthen their Pacific and Arctic fleets. China would be allowed to purchase energy from Russia, in exchange, at reasonable prices, or perhaps as a barter arrangement.
Furthermore, China and Russia should explore the possibility of building joint naval bases in Venezuela, Nicaragua and possibly Cuba. This would signal to the USA and NATO that what is good for the goose is good for the gander.
The impoverishment of the vast majority of USA citizens while USA oligarchs and billionaires are allowed to escape paying taxes on huge earnings, receive huge subsidies from the government (at the common citizen’s expense), and are permitted to sell weapons and other goods (health insurance for example) to USA citizens at excessive profits will continue until the USA implodes. We have already lost many of our freedoms. We are all subject to mass surveillance (in violation of our 4th amendment rights) and many of us have files in an FBI office even though we’ve never broken any laws. These files are created because we practice our first amendment right to free speech – such as I’m doing now. Nothing burns me up more than the fact that I am paying for someone in DC to monitor everything I write and watch or read.
The bifurcation of the world economy is coming. One side believes in multi-polarity and global development. The other side believes in winner take all and supporting wealthy parasites over its citizens and world peace. It’s not hard to understand which side will win in the long run.
I completely agree with everything you’re saying, and in fact our arguments are the same. My point is that this is what the US has decided to do, to split the world into two, and that the fact that this will cause Germany to lose some of its industrial strength is all the better for the US.
The question then is, as Nightvision claims above, is whether or not Germany can be made to go along with this.
Our arguments are not the same. You said that the USA is getting exactly what it wants. The USA does not want a bifurcated economy. It wants control of the world economy just like it wants full spectrum dominance over military activities on the planet. The USA wants Russia to bend the knee – not to go East or South. None of this is better for the USA. As I explained above, China will dominate the world economy for the rest of this century and beyond. What the USA wants is not what it will get. The future of the USA is that of “Great” Britain, a long downhill slide into irrelevance. Please note – an economy like Brazil, with a huge chunk of their population in poverty and a small segment of extremely wealthy billionaires and oligarchs is not what the USA citizenry want for their economy. it’s what DC and its masters want.
I forgot to respond to your statement: “The question then is, as Nightvision cliams above, is whether or not Germany can be made to go along with this.”
Germany is a vassal state. As long as it has USA troops on its soil it really has no true sovereignty. Germany has been emasculated. It’s ability to wage war has been sidelined. It’s weapons come from the USA and it’s energy comes from Russia. But if the USA wills it, Germany will be forced to accept oil from the USA at high comparative cost to Russia. Why? To hurt Russia. The USA uses relentless pressure to subdue its enemies (adversaries). It got it’s butt handed to it in Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. Many countries are on alert for color revolutions and will not permit the CIA and its offshoots like the NED to fund revolution within their borders. The playbook is now well known. Germany will never be permitted a sovereign opinion – it has been ensconced within the European architecture. The only way it secedes from this situation is to pull the rest of Europe with it. That is simply not going to happen…. at least not in our lifetime.
So you are saying that Europe will not be allowed to break with the US, and that the masters of the US would prefer turning the US into Brazil (in your analogy) than to lose control. That is exactly what I was saying. That the actual people in this country don’t want that I never said otherwise, but that is irrelevant, as they’re not in charge.
You missed the part about the Russian hypsersonic long range missiles that can launch from Russia and sink the entire surface US Navy in about an hour and a half. Putin announced these weapons in 2018 AFTER they had been in development and tested for range and accuracy. The US Navy has no defense against them. Putin was hoping someone in the Pentagon would take notes, but apparently such stuffed shirts as Miley only listen to Al Sharpton and the other race grifters and the queers currently celebrated as a new species in the US. Raytheon and Lockheed and Boeing took notes so they could lobby for a few hundred billion of the “defense” budget, but that is as far as that has gone.
The point being, why would Russia spend a dime on an aircraft carrier? Yes they carry aircraft and are useful against a defenseless people, but with the S-400 on the export market now, and with the “Western” (read Zionist) propensity to attack people living on top of natural resources, those “defenseless” peoples are awakening to the fact they better look to their defense against Zionist-motivated predators. I say Zionists because as I now see the situation there is a double purpose in everything the Zionists have done so far: (1) Get Christians to kill each other in horrible wars and (2) make money on the slaughter.
Quite a bit of waffle in response to your very fair hypothesis regarding the new Iron Curtain. I think the key factor you are overlooking and is mentioned in one of the responses is the issue of energy supply. The US is trying to bully Germany and the rest of Europe into buying its far more expensive hydrocarbons which have to be shipped in by tanker and are generally bought on the spot market, where price can fluctuate significantly (as opposed to cheaper pipeline gas that is bough on long term contracts). Germany’s entire export portfolio would become uncompetitive overnight if its industries had to switch to US gas. This is why NS2 is such a big deal for the US; in order to draw the new iron curtain it needs to cut Europe’s umbilical cord of gas supply to Russia. Ukraine has been a key tool in this, but it looks like the last accreditation hurdle lies with Germany. The US needs those hydrocarbons purchased in $US, but it won’t happen if Germany / Europe buys from Russia.
So I think your argument is a good one, but it does not take into consideration the above. Which is why the US is desperate for Russia to invade; it will then do everything to shut it out of Europe, but Germany simply can’t let this happen.
I agree. Will Germany assert its independence from the US or not? Can it? What will the US try to do to it if it does?
The US has proven that it will stop at nothing to keep control of as much of the world as it can, for as long as it can, at whatever cost.
My thesis is that, so far, it is actually working, although the cracks are getting bigger, but it is far from defeated. That is my point.
@ Saker
“…That’s it for today on my end. It is almost midnight in Moscow and I will try to take a few hours off.”
Hopefully, you will.
We need your input to understand a reality we have to dig from under a pile of manure, every day. And every day they just add more. Between you and Andrei Martyanov, there is some hope we will not go delusional, can aspire to some degree of sanity.
@ Mr. Martyanov
“…It is really cringe-worthy to read and watch these “stars” from the fraudulent BS narrative mongering “think-tank” who parade own ignorance, if not malice, publicly covering their real war-mongering goals with sophomoric pseudo-military psychobabble…”
From your standpoint, obviously these “stars” are idiots, however, Napoleon counseled to “never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.” All these “stars,” whose main purpose is not to defend their motherland (they have none), but to fatten their bank accounts, are the ones that have allowed Russia to come from behind and militarily surpass the US at a strategic, non-nuclear level.
Their work is to bring money to the MIC, which is stuck in their conveyor belt mindset with contracts worth billions of dollars producing trash like the F-35. All the MIC wants is money, and the Petraeus, Keane and the like, are the purveyors of fear who go to Fox Moooos to yell “the Russians are coming” every other day to keep the money coming to the Matrix. They are reproducing an idiotic, vicious cycle, from which they have no way out. And Russia has taken full advantage of it.
Of course, you could see the “secrets,” and more, years ago, as your quotes let us see, “…And that’s the secret to your impotent anger…”
Lone Wolf
I was reading Andrey Martyanov’s post today.
https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-bit-of-broadside-and-misnomer.html
Dr. Philip Karber. Dear Lord, that’s what they teach? Chasing after a T90 with an rpg around the airport? That airport, I was welcomed by a dear friend and was there with my wife. This guy is full of it. Though he did reveal that US/NATO was envolved in everything all along. What is the nonsense about being talked down from counter battery fire, but Germans and French didn’t want to shell Russia. Then saying Ukraine belongs with the West. I love how he also never considered the fact a breakthrough didn’t happen to allow them into a kill box. Russians aren’t smart enough for that.
But but, NATO isn’t in Ukraine
https://www.rt.com/russia/549995-nato-evacuates-ukraine-staff/
Meanwhile, its all Russia. Well, if there has been NATO office in Ukraine, the Junta regime put the goal of joining NATO as part of the constitution without vote, and have all these advisors. When will people realize these are plans made and executed by the US long before 2014. In Ukraine, Ukrainians with some volunteers die, while US directly controls and attacks Russia through proxy.
Disgusting. Media is just noise in support of this. I regret listening to most Western speakers like Dr. Philip Karber
I will enjoy cultural enrichment that they wish to destroy
https://youtu.be/K21yj2lEgrA
Enjoy
Lovely!
To Moderator, not for publication.
I submitted a post that was supposed to go here, addressed @Saker and @Martyanov, which I may have posted in “Donbass war – quick update,” where it is not on subject. Sorry about the confusion. I posted it before my reply to @Victor. If you would be so kind as to place it here, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.
Lone Wolf
Thanks!!!
Very much appreciate it.
Lone Wolf
Update from 2-19-22 from Donbass:
“Ukraine Attacking Infrastructure Of Anti Ukraine Government DPR”
Ukraine Forces Continue to clearly target civilian infrastructure. I have seen the results of this with my own eyes. I have been to 2 electric power stations that the Ukraine Army targeted and damaged knocking out power for multiple villages and over 800 people. In this report, you will see this. The attack took place 18/02/2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icgYDrUfpmQ&ab_channel=PatrickLancaster
Uncle Bob, your updates and info on Russia are greatly appreciated. The vid above so reveals the despondency of the reporting soldier, or however he is titled. Despair seemed close at times, less so further on, perhaps through the sharing of news,and filming of the senseless destruction. Who are their leaders and inspirers now, who is there to lift the spirits of the fighters, the voices of Givi, Motorola and Zakharenko are heard no more.
Nothing so reveals the utter loss of reason for why he stands in this current, whole, wretched debacle.
Why didn’t the Russian anti-missile defense take them out? Are the Russians not on alert?
Dude, Russia is not at the moment overtly involving itself in a sovereign country’s territory. Russia just signed a memorandum recently with China several weeks ago, reinforcing the commitment of the United Nations to territorial integrity of sovereign nations. It is only at the absolute most dire, no choice left circumstances that Russia will violate the border and fire its missiles, be they anti-air or offensive.
Now if I’m mistaken and you’re asking about why didn’t Russian AA respond to the Ukrop projectiles that actually allegedly landed on RUSSIAN territory, that is actually a much better question. And my only response to that is that 1. the incident so far is unconfirmed and sent to some sort of investigation so we don’t know what really happened and 2. the area of impact is of such low significance (to my understanding) some uninhabited farmland where the projectiles landed that it must not be of utmost priority for them to waste expensive AA missiles that are hundreds of thousands $$$$ each in order to shoot down a $50 Ukie mortar fired randomly into a field. But I don’t know for certain
Exactly what I want to know: Can the Russians counter such rockets before they hit houses on Russian soil?
If so, why didn’t they take them out? Are there no Pantsirs on the border? Is not the S-400 system automatically in operation?
I could understand if the Russians deemed the two rockets (or missiles? were they guided?) not worthy of a response, not cost effective to expend more expensive weaponry. On the other hand, surely bullets are cost effective to the loss of a Russian family’s house?
I can also understand the trajectory was noted, deemed another overt provocation by an enemy desperate for a pretext for war, and therefore to be ignored.
Because this has been a high stakes game of chicken for quite some time now. Both sides have different reasons to not overtly assert presence, though.
The US/NATO-side cannot risk unmasking their presence in Banderastan without “legitimate” denial, of course.
Russia does not want escalation of any sort and would rather settle the matter through peaceful means, for reasons pretty obvious.
So for time being the US/NATO has the initiative to decide WHEN and to some small extent HOW a conflagration takes place. Maybe this and the fact that the inital kinetic response will happen so far from their doorsteps lures the US/NATO-elites into some false sense of security. I doubt it, though, because they also have capable personel, which should be aware of Russias strategic capabilities.
So in the end one very likely scenario is (as has been writtenhere alot) that the WEst will simply sacrifice Ukraine to ensure the compliance of the EU for another decade or two.
Dear Saker
I know you consider an attack on NATO as non-productive (similar to non-agreement-capable), but what seems logical to me is that from current momentum, “military-technical means” will have NATO finding itself located back in the 1990s and not being able to do a damned thing about it. That is, a cold hard dose of reality-politik and no invasions required. To parodize Clausewitz (via Alastair Crooke) “war…politics by other memes”.
Not what I would wish for; selling weapons is bad enough, using them, abominable.
The coup in 2014 was the catalyst for a failed state!
There is a lot of opinion to the effect that this is not about Ukraine but about Germany. The first NATO Secretary General said the organization’s purpose was to keep the Soviets out, the Americans in, and Germans, down. Nordstream II would enable Germany to grow its economy and be independent of the US/NATO and maybe even kick US out eventually.
It looks to me like Zelensky is trying to provoke enough of a retaliatory strike from Russia to sanction Russia and stop Nordstream II without invading Ukraine. I doubt Zelensky wants Russia to invade as Western countries will not provide troops.
Putin could recognize the Donbass republics. That would probably be enough to get the sanctions without an invasion.
You might be interested in some of the photos and comments at this Facebook page: “Russische Nachrichten” (Russian News).
I have copied here some intro text to suggest what the topic is.
The flag seen on the trucks/equipment is the UK’s Union Jack.
“Jacobsdorf… Residents are concerned! No one is allowed to report this. Orders from the military. UPDATE: Message from an acquaintance in the area: “In the Frankfurt Chats, everything you wrote was confirmed.” Were they standing/standing? at the expopark in Jacobsdorf and no pictures should be taken. “” (about 10 hours ago)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/701546690022477/
https://www.facebook.com/axel.ilkov/posts/10219565734126977
A short video here (but still images also show more): https://www.facebook.com/axel.ilkov/videos/470673691184044
I’m betting on 22-02-2022, or 22022022. it fits the 7-7-07, 8-8-08 type pattern.
This is pretty much coincidence. For example the Georgian war started on 1st of August (reasons reaching way before that of course) and only became formal on 07/08th. Numbers truly don’t have the meanings humans tend to assign to them (because our brains are conditioned to find meaning in even the most chaotic patterns), beside their inherent property in a mathematical sense.
That does not exclude the possibility that some dates were deliberately chosen for whatever reasons.
But I would really caution against assigning some mystical meaning to number patterns, this is mostly our brain trying to find order where there is none.
Exactly: One shouldn’t try to find order where there is none. This is especially true in times of ever growing insanity, stress, and strain.
If the Ukronazis have any say in the matter, we are now exactly 2 months away from their yearned for major conflagration: April 20 is the Führer’s birthday (133 years).
In your opinion…. but look around ….. order everywhere .
And whether you or I believe in Thor, or Allah etc is irrelevant to the people who do believe…..millions believe in ” the virgin birth” and millions have been murdered specifically because they dont ……
So of course these numbers are highly relevant and important to those that believe ….
imo-or just emergency…09-11- 2001
This is an example of the mindless propaganda the media whores of the UK excrete on a continuous basis, just saying what they have been provided by Govt./’Security Services’, with out an form of ‘due diligence’ or God forbid actual ‘investitive journalism’
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-crisis-russia-planning-biggest-war-in-europe-since-1945-pm-warns-as-loud-explosions-heard-in-donetsk-12546847
(apologies for the expletive and posting this utter shite here, but it goes to show part of the reason the majority of the population hold the view they do, [tell a lie often enough, with conviction it becomes the truth])
It’s impossible to have a conversation/discussion with anyone about this as, (believe me I’ve tried, many times), you get shouted down as a ‘Putin lover’, ‘Russian Shill’, ‘Russian Apologist’, etc etc. as they just know that ‘Putin is evil incarnate who does what he wants and he wants to invade Europe and enslave us all in communism’
The majority don’t have the power to investigate, read for themselves, consider and then form their own opinion. Anyways they just know the truth cos the BBC/Sky/Boris told them…..
Here is BoJO explaining why NATO can’t defend Ukraine but will do what they can to help them fight off the Russians i.e. fight Russia to the last Ukrainian. Starts around 7:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDMiB9AuIBI
Sorry Andreï,
I’ve quasi always been ok with you all the past years.
However today …
There’re some few things that sound strange to my ear.
I’ve learned, since the shamefull shelling of Serbia by NATO , to perceive lies and propaganda in “information”.
And it’s always, always, always a matter of consistency.
And since 2 or 3 days, the script of a full scale invasion by Ukies sound not right.
Since 1916 battle of the Somme, we know that a too much long shelling before a major assault against strong adversary is a true suicide. Even when massive.
Ok, I Can believe that Ukies are dumb but not enough to alert their ennemy with 2 or 3 days of rather small shelling with mortars (maxi 120…) and small artillery, just before a major assault. Especially when Russia warned them of intervention in this kind of case.
The whole operation should during less than two days, better one, and not go to the frontier wich is a true suicide, but just take a big part of Donbass, Donetz and Lugansk cities for exemple. No Time for Russia to retaliate , a major victory for Ukies, a terrible blow for Russia. In this case, a shelling should be massive, accurate and very short.
Therefore, the shelling we see is too weak and too long to precede an assault.
More, we see Ze and Ukies head of defense running everywhere in saying that” no, there will be no Russian attack.”
Absolutly none warlike claims as usual and mandatory before an offensive. We don’t see valiant and proud Ukies soldiers ready to “drang nach osten” and tear out motherland piece from the horrible russian bear claws.
No, just worried(terrified?) and resigned soldiers waiting for something possibly terrible.
That don’t sound right.
More.
Poutine says that war or not, sanctions will be there.
The evacuation of civils( with people quiety wait in queue, even textoting on their smartphone with absolutly no sound of explosion or shot. I remember Sarajevo and Beyrouth… It was every day really worse without any fullscale assault). really looks like a propaganda film for motivate russian people.
And the mass graves…
Seven years, seven years there and suddendly, in middle of growing tensions, pfuiiit, ho we just found mass graves …
If US did that, I laugh.
I love Russia.
I love Russians.
I have the greatest respect and admiration for Putine and Lavrov.
I have the greatest respect for you.
I know that West deceit and arrogance must be stopped .
And I know that Russian heads really do what they think at the best for Russia
But.
As we say in France:
” On ne me fera pas prendre les enfants du Bon Dieu pour des canards sauvages”
Cheers
Meanwhile, back in Munich, RT reported Ukraine president Zelensky threatened to drop their non-nuclear status and claim right to go nuclear via old Soviet weapons or through newly acquired means. This is bigger than if Ukraine was to be allowed into NATO, no? Thoughts?
Also Minsk & Moscow have decided to continue drills, due to escalation in Eastern Ukraine
https://sputniknews.com/20220220/russia-belarus-to-continue-joint-checks-of-response-forces-amid-escalation-in-donbass-1093197697.html
One can only pray that the evil NATO forces will be defeated.
Same as 1941 – and they obviously had to have these pandemic lockdowns in place in EU UK US to stop their domestic populations from protesting about this unjustified war the EU elites want to start with Russia.
I think it is easy to over anylyse the situation to try and predict outcomes. For the US, actions don’t inform decisions, it’s the other way around. Take sanctions, the US decides which sanctions it can take which will most harm Russia but not harm the US. Obama had to ”twist arms” in 2014 because the sanctions imposed upon Russia hurt the Europeans. Biden said at the press conference with Scholz – with the German Chancellor standing a few metres away – that in event of Russia invading Ukraine Nord Stream 2 would be shut down. This was belittling to Scholz & made it clear who makes the final decision on German energy security.
There is only one sure way to find out what is going to happen in the future………….wait & see.
Belarusian MoD: Minsk, Moscow Have Decided to Continue Drills Due to Escalation in Eastern Ukraine:
https://sputniknews.com/20220220/russia-belarus-to-continue-joint-checks-of-response-forces-amid-escalation-in-donbass-1093197697.html
The security situation in the Ukrainian breakaways of Donetsk and Lugansk deteriorated significantly in the second part of the past week, with OSCE observers reporting hundreds of violations of the Minsk ceasefire. Donbass authorities responded by starting an evacuation of their civilian populations to Russia, and by mobilizing reserves.
Russia and Belarus will continue military drills due to the escalation of the situation in the Donbass, Belarusian Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin has announced…..
“….”The idea of the inevitability of war with the ‘eastern neighbour’ has been firmly embedded in the consciousness of the Western man in the street. At the same time, Russia and Belarus are accused of militaristic aspirations. The West refuses to accept the ‘red lines’ outlined by Russia in the security architecture of Europe, with these red lines also relevant to Belarusians. We can see how the fundamental principle of the indivisibility of security is being rejected,” the minister said.
Instead, Khrenin suggested, the West is seeking to “bypass” these red lines, including with concepts about new formats for the military absorption of Ukrainian territory…..”
“The West refuses to accept the ‘red lines’ outlined by Russia in the security architecture of Europe, with these red lines also relevant to Belarusians. We can see how the fundamental principle of the indivisibility of security is being rejected,” the minister said”
Well,
the fireworks were launched at the Beijing Winter Olympics closing ceremony.. Face has been preserved and the nuisance is now concluded. We are good to go.
Emperor Alexander I of Russia enjoyed his parade in Paris not too long ago. Time for another processional sightseeing trip to the Channel? If they refuse the 1997 delineation, the next offer will be much less generous.
So many enlighted posters here.
I just would like to add my 2 cents.
In any sense the West (institutional piracy) sees Ukraine as some Russian province seized by warfare (Maidan).
Destroying it thoroughly either by plundering (done) or scorched earth (ongoing) is just fair game.
Still from yesterday and walking a little on the other side of the street.
Zelensky’s speech at the Munich Security Conference. So, it was a speech that included the wildfires in Australia right up to pretending that he represents the ‘voice of the people across the world’. (Just for the record, the clown does not speak for me! – He tried an ‘epic’ statesman speech but failed – Nevertheless he got a standing ovation.)
https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/vistup-prezidenta-ukrayini-volodimira-zelenskogo-na-myunhens-59817
But his comments not in his speech to other western leaders were quite spectacular. The guy ‘worked the room’
. He demands to be allowed into NATO
. He demands ‘security guarantees’ for the Ukraine (NATO and the US must come and help him fight the war)
. And he is working according to the ‘Paris Agreement’ whatever that is
. He wants a new election to take place
. Deterrent sanctions because OK .. Russia did not invade yet, and they’re probably not going to invade, but just in case they invade let’s have those sanctions
. And to push his message into the stratosphere he said that the Ukraine may just decide to become a nuclear country again.
(There are more demands but I’m typing from memory).
What he absolutely does not want, is to speak to the leaders of the breakaway republics and that means that he absolutely does not want a ceasefire.
The Western spin is that:
I was waiting for this to surface but have no idea if it could be feasible – but rumors are circulating that CSTO peacekeepers could be sent to the contact line.
So, as we see the efforts to make the Ukraine the burning issue of Russia’s security guarantees demand are continuing. This is already falsely flagged.
There is a continual stream of announcements by China to the effect that War Talk is being hyped up, the Ukraine is being exĺoited for US and NATO purposes. Washington and NATO said they did not see the pullback of Russian military and are insistent on their claims of imminent war to prevent an easing of tensions.
Chinese FM Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202202/1252641.shtml
Overall the only threat to Russia really still is ‘sanctions from hell’. Nobody is willing to close with Russia militarily and the chat at the security conference is that everyone will support the Ukraine and Zelensky but nobody is willing to pick up a weapon or send sizable numbers of soldiers. The message looks to me like: “Sorry my friend, you’re on your own but here are some weapons. See Ya!” (Subtext – And if you win, we’ll be in there like ravenous beasts to steal what we can and profit from the spoils of war under the guise of rebuilding.)
Overnight extended periods of very heavy shelling continued: evacuation of people (car, bus and train): and conscription of soldiers continue.
The previous day/night OSCE monitors report 1,500 ceasefire violations in east Ukraine.
The question is why is the shelling continuing? OK, it is intensifying, but why are the Ukies not moving? Are they scared to be found on the other side of the line of contact? Is it a military error to keep them dug in? Well, these are not questions that I can answer and I leave that to the analysts.
Oh, I forgot a few pieces of information.
Zelensky – there is no shelling into the Donbass – those are mad people firing on themselves.
And it is filtering through that specifically Germany and France are getting very unhappy, saying that the US is not sharing their intelligence as to when Rusia will invade the Ukraine – so, they are not so sure any longer as they do not see the intelligence.
In the Euro circles apparently, they did not want Zelensky to visit Munich at all. (How long will he last?)
Yes, the bastard fool child no one wants to own.
When will he (& his lot) realise the musical has stopped and everyone has a chair except him.
The Ukarine he has fronted into this mess is now largely three legs and no stool.
Would not Minsk II have been an easier option?
But I suspect that “solving” the problem was never the point or purpose….
And all the Biden gang want is their plantation to payout big $dividends (MIC kickbacks etc) and protect the Clinton gang (but I risk repeating myself) from domestic front-page news outrage following the recent Durham report findings — at least until the mid-terms selection charade is over.
With all these poltical rats scurrying over themselves on the fraying tighropes surely one or two are going to mistep and precipitate a nasty mess on the “killing” floor.
“Chris Thomas King “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues””
https://youtu.be/laWj4OOGo7c
@ Amarynth
“…The question is why is the shelling continuing? OK, it is intensifying, but why are the Ukies not moving?…”
To the first question, my best guess (we can’t have answers, unless we pretend to be soothsayers) is, there are several reasons. One is, their shelling creates a necessary counter-shelling from LDNR, to neutralize 404 artillery aimed at strategic locations/inhabited areas. This counter-shelling is being used to magnify the concoction they are using to keep the aggression against Donbass, pointing at the Russian-back LDNR as the aggressors.
Second reason is, they need to keep the pressure up on Donbass because, as Saker pointed out, their main purpose is to unleash the trap to force Russia to intervene. There might be lesser tactical military reasons for the shelling, like targeting vital infrastructure (what’s left) in LDNR, or harassment.
As for the second question, their time to move forward is yet to come, Ze had a circus tour at Munich, now that he’s back, we can expect a crescendo to the attacks on Donbass, which may or may not lead to a substantial operation. They are watching Russia’s moves, and Putin and Lukashenko just made the decision to keep troops in Belarus until mid-year. That flank threatens Kiev directly. My best guess, they are afraid of Russia, calculating whether Russia will not move due to the threats of “sanctions from hell,” so they can invade with impunity.
Decisions, decisions, decisions…
Lone Wolf
Thanks for the update, Amarynth. On your initial statement regarding Zelensky receiving a standing ovation, I don’t doubt it. It was a whole circus from the beginning to the end.
To those who have the stomach to endure it, here are some of the speeches. They are comical on their own way. I certainly had some laughs watching the theatrical way they behaved. There is a whole youtube video with the speeches. Not for the faint of heart, though, since hypocrisy abounds. It turns a decent person’s stomach to see those people congratulating one another…
BoJo is on his own class.
I found Stoltenberg one of the funniest of all (here is the link to part of his speech). He managed to match his awkward body movements to the silliness of his speech.
I can’t avoid imagining this same meeting made into a gothic, dark cartoon, with all those folks drawn in a caricature way, some as vampires, others as buffoons, and so on. Had I the talent, I would at least draw some of those
Interestingly, in the youtube video we can see the audience was not completely full, even taking into account the social distancing. You can see quite a few empty chairs there. Guess not everyone wants to be seen as belonging to this ensemble…
Are there any sources for Ukraine armed forces deployments around Donbass? I mean numbers, obviously some individual brigades were mentioned in the Colonelcassad website in conjunction with that offensive plan, and I’ve also seen numbers like 150k but just wondering.
What form of admission to the State Secret do you have? )))
I understand that 87 percent of classified information is obtained from open sources, in particular the Internet, but … we must share the fee!
Let me remind the “talkers”, just in case:
Law of the Russian Federation “On State Secrets” dated July 21, 1993 N 5485-1
http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_2481/
Article 283 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Disclosure of state secrets
http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_10699/b4dacd3a0bcbd2f7a4aeacd096abda9322100f0d/
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of 06.02.2010 N 63 (as amended on 03.02.2022) “On approval of the Instructions on the procedure for admitting officials and citizens of the Russian Federation to state secrets”
http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_97474/4ed29ad47731ddea75f76a2c6904f32b54391087/
I was not talking about Russian deployments, but UAF deployments. They must have well over 100k on Donbass border, apparently if it’s true they are going to “throw in everything they got and ready to go”. But these are just speculative numbers thrown around, either way – it can get serious.
Then accept apologies, I was mistaken.
The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Deniska Pushilin, initially stated about 150 thousand (the number of personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stationed on the border of the LDNR). Then I heard from him – 160. )))
“Shutdown of MGP Nord Stream-2 (NS-2)”
I want to draw the forum’s attention to an error that is constantly encountered in reasoning. Not in analyses, namely in reasoning, more precisely in assumptions. (The media still has a bad influence on minds…)))
NS-2 cannot be blocked, for a simple and obvious reason – there is nothing to replace 35 percent of the supplied “Russian” gas to the Western, from Russia, part of Europe.
Kaktar, Iran, Norway, and the US cannot!
In the next 5 (five) years, there are no resources for this – the volume of produced gas, terminals, LNG tankers, gas pipelines …
And there is no investment, probably there won’t be any – everything is for the “green” US scam.
Russia will start pumping gas through SP-2 when it is beneficial for it/Gazprom. Perhaps already by May 9, 2022 – the Day of the Great Victory of the USSR over Euro-American fascism of the Third Reich.
But by the end of 2022, SP-2 will definitely turn on – otherwise the energy death of Europe is inevitable.
The US knows this, which is why they are working on alternative supplies. And if they are not quite sufficient such that this causes economic pain in Europe, the US is ok with that. The question is at what point the European people will say “enough”.
Their plan to increase production, build terminals and increase the number of LNG tankers in their pink dreams will start working no earlier than 3 (three) years.
And this is subject to investment – financial subsidies for the program, but there is no money! Today there is no money for the implementation of the “plan” and it is not clear where to get it from. Printing is no longer possible, so inflation creeps into stagflation.
They / the United States at a bad time for themselves decided to wrestle for Europe with the Asia-Pacific region, and then it will only get worse. )))
And there is only one way out of the situation – to abandon or sell problematic risky assets (Ukraine, EU / EuroNATO, Taiwan … APR))).
Now we are only at the beginning of the Great redivision of the world by Russia and China with the USA.
I respectively disagree that there “is no more money”. As long as the reserve currency of the world is the dollar (which it still is, although declining), they can continue to print and export the inflation. Yes eventually this will cause severe inflation for the common folk, but they don’t care.
So if according to you they need to buy a couple of years before the LNG infrastructure is in place, that seems very doable. It is a race, but it seems to me that the expectation of the eminent demise of the US is premature.
They are perfectly willing to abandon Ukraine, in fact I rather think they would prefer to dump most of it on Russia to take care of, but not the EU, Nato, or Taiwan (which will be the next battleground). IMHO
First, try to increase the volume of recoverable gas, but you buy both oil and gas from us and resell it! )))
Then sell cheaper than Russian and Iranian, Turkmen and Azerbaijani, which will be delivered via Nord Stream 1; 2; 3; 4; five; 6.
All the gas that is produced has already been contracted for years, and in Asia the margin will always be higher. So your EU will die by candlelight if Russia turns its back.
Go for tools-subtitles-auto generate Russian- translate and pick a language from there.
Telegram Channel “Intel Slava” shows significant movements of mechanized forces near Russia-Ukrainian
border.
All are marked with identifying symbol “Z”.
INDY
Two questions:
1: where? This frontier is about 1500km long.
2:where? What side of this frontier?
Within 7 km of border…. depending upon place photographed…
INDY
Quote: Dr. George W Oprisko on February 20, 2022 · at 8:33 am EST/EDT Telegram Channel “Intel Slava” shows significant movements of mechanized forces near Russia-Ukrainian
border. All are marked with identifying symbol “Z”. INDY :Quote
So what? A scotch tape ‘z’ means nothing but for that one convoy in Sovereign Russian Territory. And in all your, and other’s, breathless pontifications about a ‘z’, you missed one tiny detail that says far more than a scotch tape ‘z’. And kindly define ‘significant movements’. One Rota, half a Rota, half a regiment, one unit route marching back from the FTX’s in Byelorus?
Calm down, all of you. The North Wind and South Wind is blowing gently…of the moment. Mother will not, repeat not, ‘invade’ orcland nor will she send troops in to defend Novorossiya. NAF can well take care of themselves.
Auslander
Author http://rhauslander.com/
Never The Last One, paper back edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521849056 Never the Last One: a Novel of Spetznaz, opens your eyes to the Russian world not described in American news or fiction.
An Incident On Simonka paperback edition. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1696160715 NATO Is invited to leave Sevastopol one way or the other.
Apparently, my report was not sufficiently thorough.
I am referring to video(s) taken by netizens at the location(s) where these units were observed.
I subscribe to Telegram for the express purpose of receiving the latest updates from those at the scene… in Western FSU.
Were I able to do so, I would post screen shots of the relevant images, but this forum does not permit that.
What I do not understand, is why this forum does not use the many telegram channels, most of whom are Russian, and post in the Russian language for source material.
Intel Slava is one of the few posting in multiple languages. They now boast 30,000 members.
Why don’t you join telegram, and subscribe to Intel Slava, Inside Donetsk, Colonel Cassad, Pepe Escobar, etal. and get this material directly??
INDY
I don’t use Telegram because it is an NSA feed. Is there any other such site where I can get the images? Also I run Linux, not Gatesware so if you know of a Linux app I can use, I would appreciate it.
I use MxLinux…..
Your claim that Telegram is NSA feed is spurious….
Even this forum has a telegram channel….
Again, I find Telegram to be the most up to date source of information WRT events in the FSU, and in other flash points…
INDY
Dr. George W Oprisko,
You are in FSU (I presume you meant Former Soviet Union, not Florida State University). I am in Russian Federation, Sevastopoleh to be exact.
I, like a surprising number of locals although not including my bride of 17 years, do not do any ‘social media’ and never will and the only reason my wife does ‘social media’ is the left over from previous times elderly women in the dog show circuit who are all on ‘social media’. If someone wants to contact me it is not difficult to do so. If someone wants to talk me, that’s what I have that antique device called a ‘telephone’ for. It’s actually a cell phone, not an ‘eye’ phone, not some miniature computer on a plastic plate, it’s a cell phone, aka wireless semi mobile miniature telephone. We also have (gasp!) a telephone connected by wire to the Sevastopol telephone exchange.
Images, time if image, locations, all can be manipulated and you should know this. I won’t go in to a long discourse about how to ID a photo as to date, time and location. Your post said, and I quote:Telegram Channel “Intel Slava” shows significant movements of mechanized forces near Russia-Ukrainian border.:Quote. I did view the images hence my ‘so what’.
1. Define ‘significant movements’. A Rota, a Regiment, a Brigade, a Corp, an Army?
2. Define ‘near Russian-Ukrainian border’. Kindly state exact verified date, time and geographical location.
3. Define ‘mechanized’. Armor, arty, foot slogers catching a ride, trash haulers, exactly what were they?
4. Define ‘movements’. Direction of travel, date and time.
And you still missed that one tiny telltale that says who with 95% certainty they really are but even that is not an absolute. Not where they are going, not their assigned task, not even their location besides ‘probably somewhere in Russian Federation’. And I say again, so what?
Auslander
Since the Russian and Ukrainian alphabets do not have a latin Z, but the Byelorus alphabet does AFAIK, I think it is related to the military exercises.
The Russian intervention is subsidiary. The defenders of the Donbass must be defeated and risk the envelopment of at least one of the two republics. Then Russia will intervene with its long range weapons.
On the South Front site, I read that a mass cleansing of the population will be ordered, and that russian-loyalists are the primary target. Is this a serious challenge for Russia? This cleansing could take place also between the Donbass and a rough Kharkow – Odessa line. This could replace the dreaded false flag operation.
If the general offensive has not yet started, it is because the Russian deterrence is working. Perhaps the Ukies have no guaranteed communication in the fog of Russian electronic warfare. And/or the Russian intel as send message to every ukies command post that their exact position is known. Only the infantry like ”Azow” seems to have been engaged for the moment.
The Russian strategic depth goes from its border to Syria through Kaliningrad. And because of Russia’s superiority in missile technology, NATO always has someone behind its back ready to hit it hard. A very uncomfortable situation, in fact almost desperate in case of a large-scale war.
Something could also be brewing in Yemen and Syria. The Houthis could shoot down a plane. Ditto with the Israelis in Syria. All this with a series of serious blockades of US bases in Syria and Iraq. Not to mention Chinese military pressure and the announcement of strategic deals with Brazil and/or Argentina. The financial terror of the IMF is turning against its initiators.
The disconnection of Swift no longer seems to be on the list of sanctions. This would be too serious a blow to the $ as an alternative has been developed.
An attack on the Donbass could well accelerate these offensives against the empire. It would accelerate its collapse. But the pace must remain slow enough that the empire’s leadership has time to see its impotence and not be too desperate to escalate to nuclear.
All this to say that the situation is insanely complex. And that the empire’s least bad option to try to gain some time is in Ukraine. And that a defeat there will be devastating for the cohesion of its network of domination. Holding Europe allows to hold the Middle East which allows to hold positions until Central Asia and Africa. The empire is in fact playing for its survival in the Donbass.
No, the least bad option is to admit defeat, apologize for the last five centuries or so pillaging, and become normal countries in a multipolar world that all trade with one another. This means dropping the transhumanism and other assorted forms of madness infecting the ruling elite. Instead they seem hellbent in playing out some collective Masada fantasy, and sacrificing everyone in their “heroic” last stand. Negotiate a settlement and a truce. That’s always the least bad option.
What they’re doing instead? The worst option.
Dear Krungle,
What a wonderful proposal! Personally, I actually find it very moving; you have expressed perfectly my thoughts and feelings about our world’s present geopolitical situation. I’d like to interpret the word “trade”, as you have used it, in the broadest sense of exchanging not just goods and services, but also ideas and feelings, in a kindly and understanding manner. Let us all pray that this very positive outcome comes to fruition!
Your last paragraph says it all, and it hinges on being able to marshal public opinion in the US and Europe to break completely with Russia/China, thus the complete demonization of both in the media. This is existential to the Empire, which is what makes it so dangerous.
Many of those around the world who were heraing a ‘noise’ about the meanness of the american Empire had now the opportunity to watch, get some info and see the words and sequence of events in that region, Donbass, ukraine and southwest russia. Now they see live and colorful the absolute
perversity, the inner meanness and the inexcusable inborn imorality of them all :the Bidens circle, the neocon filthiest core, the pentagon, the MSM channels and mouthpieces.
And of course the sheeple and guys next door as well.
The internet at least will work in everwidening concentric circles, widening the waves whichever waves are blown from the Center. And today the center in Donbass, DC and Kiev is pretty powerfully loud. And ugly.
I was discussing the evacuation with a Ukrainian friend and we both agreed that the move was brilliant. When Novarussia was attacked Russia didnt start a war. Their response was one of the most massive and completely humanitarian operations in human history. This is irrefutable for the entire world to see. It clearly exposes the false flag narrative as insane Zionazi propaganda for anyone with even a few brain cells.
That’s right – a great move.
But no one attacked the DPR, they only intensified the shelling.
And the rest …. you understand – local amateur performances played according to the American scenario – plagiarists ! )))
It is necessary to somehow work out salaries and “combat allowances”, in the same place, the entire adult population is formally military personnel, with the exception of children and some pensioners.
PS Although taxes are paid to Kiev. ))) And the referendum “For joining Russia” was never held in the LDNR, there is no majority when voting. Tried at first – didn’t work. And there is no need to dream about the Crimean 96.57% percent – smugglers live there quite well.
Thank you for your insights. But I believe that being shelled by artillery seriously meets the definition of ˈbeing attacked.ˈ Perhaps you meant that Novorussia are not being ˈinvaded.ˈ That seems to be accurate. Peace.
Brother, when they’re shooting at you they’re trying to kill you. Deepest regrets, but is there anyone who would not regard a murderous and on-going firing as an attack? It helps if one has actually been shot at, I suppose, in order to understand.
I love military strategists from the sofa!
Artillery duel (destruction of ammunition with expired state storage) has been going on there since 2015. They shoot at the fields, but the shells fly into the evicted, uninhabited villages, from which pensioners do not want to leave and they are still given grandchildren for the summer! The trunks of the APU are crooked and there is nothing to replace them with. Therefore, shells fly anywhere. But! within the specified affected area.
This shooting is beneficial to both sides, everyone receives bonuses, salaries and creates the appearance of a threat. The US and the EU pays one, and we support others – Russian speakers. Who have never fought anywhere! Yes, and do not ask to Russia.
PS And stop teaching me – I only have two combat for the Donbass, and in the army I am from Afghanistan – from the assault on Amin’s palace there, went through the Chechen and the whole mess on the territory of the ex-USSR and further on the map. By the way, I visited Tartus in the 80th – a business trip, instead of a vacation.
Today I remember the days of old. (((
Here is what its like to be on the recieving end of a Russian anti personel artillery volley. Its real and its one of the most terrifying vids Ive seen. The volley continues for over 60 seconds and obviously covers the area very thoroughly. A literal meat grinder. Ive seen vids of WP incinderary submunitions used but those vids are now removed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YegxUegrI_4
Watching several recent videos demonstrating Russian MRL’s in action, I was recalling exactly that video you posted (it had been tempting to try to find it again, but I decided not to bother – thank you for the reminder).
My pleasure. IMO Russia isnt keen to release videos of their most advanced weapons. This one is a pompus propaganda videos by her enemies.
Zelensky and other Ukrainian politicians wouldn’t have talked about going nuclear if not encouraged by the most rabid Neocons in the USA. If I remember right there have already been such demands by congressmen.
” If I remember right there have already been such demands by congressmen.”
More a refusal to rule of use of first nuclear strike, which is pretty much the same thing.
““Well, military action could mean that we stand off with our ships in the Black Sea and we rain destruction … on Russia military capability. It could mean that we participate, and I would not rule that out, I would not rule out American troops on the ground. Do you know we don’t rule out first-use nuclear action,” – Sen Roger Wicker, (R – Mississippi; 117th Congress, Senate Armed Services Committee)
https://www.rt.com/usa/542508-senator-nuclear-strike-russia/
Idiots! Only mobile coastal missile systems “Bastion” and “Bal” block the waters of the Russian / Black Sea and the straits. These complexes are armed with interspecific cruise missiles “Caliber” (range up to 3000 km.), “Zirkon” (up to 1500 km.), “Onyx-M” (600-800 km (depending on the warhead). And this is just the coast! without aviation, missile boats and ships, submarines …
About interspecies Iskanders, Daggers (0.5 Iskander))), Gremlins, Wits, Petrels, etc. they do not know? – of course they know, but they lie for the public, for the media.
Why not allow the Syrians to fire back against the constant and illegal attacks by Israel?
1. Do not confuse Hamas and Hezbollah with “Syrians”.
2. It depends on the behavior of the US. If it’s bad, then there will be no Israel, and Turkey (Kurds, Turkomans, Turks), Qatar … and the future kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be a big question.
This is an interesting development that’s going to make Washington & London apoplectic! :)
https://www.rt.com/russia/550045-putin-macron-call-ukraine/
“According to the French presidency, it would involve all the stakeholders, i.e. the Europeans, allies, Russians, and Ukrainians, and would be poised, subject to conditions met, to make possible “a meeting at the highest level to define a new order of peace and security in Europe.” ”
So potentially cut UK/US out, although they use the term ‘allies’ in this quote, which allows for them to worm their way in. But a new order of peace & security with Russia being included and gas flowing through NS2? Just what the US/UK have been hell bent on stopping, so will there be major escalations/provocation’s in the light of this announcement?
Speaking of genocide…and what the term means…quite explicit>
From 2014, nazi stooge calls for extermination of useless eaters in the Donbass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9SOVarOFJk (quite brief)
Not quite recent news, but explicit. Interesting he speaks of the resources there, as in frack-gas, I suppose.
Thus liquidate the owners and steal their stuff. Gee whiz, like the Syrian oil?
The collective helplessness of the West )))
U.S. Department of State
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Ekaterina Kotrikadze of Dozhd TV
Interview. February 19, 2022
https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-with-ekaterina-kotrikadze-of-dozhd-tv/
Secretary Blinken: … And we’ve said we’re fully prepared to talk on a reciprocal basis about what we can do to improve security for everyone – for Russia, for the United States, for Europe.
We do have a planned meeting on the 24th, next week in Europe, but as I said to Foreign Minister Lavrov in the note I wrote back to him …
… there are many areas where we actually could work together to improve everyone’s security. There are confidence-building measures. There are ways to reduce risks.
There’s further arms control.
There’s the question of placement of weapons and forces that, again, on a reciprocal basis could improve everyone’s security.
And I’ve already met with Foreign Minister Lavrov, including in Geneva a couple of weeks ago. We’re fully prepared to work on that.
(At the end of next week, Anton Blinkin will hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov)))
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what do you think President Zelenskyy should do in this situation and the circumstances?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, he has to make his own decisions as the democratically- elected leader of Ukraine (!))).
… We’re very confident in the information we have, and we bring it forward not to start a war, but to prevent a war ))) – a war that’s in no one’s interests, starting with the Russian people.
…President Biden is always fully prepared to meet if we think that can advance the cause of diplomacy and the cause of peace.
https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-with-ekaterina-kotrikadze-of-dozhd-tv/
This man could play the role of a henchman in a remake of The Godfather. Russia needs to pay us tribute, or else it will be very bad for the Russian people.
@ common man
Excellent post.
We arrived at the same conclusion (in different words) re: 404 general offensive and the Russian factor, which you correctly defined as “deterrent,” and I portrayed it as “fear of.”
“Insanely complex” is a good definition of this conundrum, however, I disagree on “the least bad option” for the empire is to try to gain time. In reality, the empire has no good options, and has no time left. Once Russia put out the draft proposals back in December, time started running out for the empire and its minions.
The empire is feverishly working at taking back the geopolitical initiative from Russia, hence the demand of guarantees in reversal from Russia that they will not invade Ukraine, for then Russia will “prove us wrong” (Blinken) at their utterly stupid predictions of invasion, a concoction of the highest magnitude. At the same time, they launch their rabid dogs on Donbass with the clear intention of starting a war and getting Russia to intervene.
As I write, War, Inc. is making calculations about Russia’s next move as a response to their provocations, and at the possibility their investment, 404 army + rag tag militias, will be destroyed in a couple of days once Russia’s MLRS + cluster bombs enter the fray (see video shared by another poster)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YegxUegrI_4
As Saker has repeated ad nauseum, invading Ukraine would be a political defeat for Russia, and you can add to that the economic fallout will take an unpredictable toll on Russia. LDNR can be a geopolitical domino for either side, even if Russia has already secured a military victory.
Lone Wolf
I have yet to see a convincing argument why Russia does not have to move into Ukrainian territory in the long run. The Saker points out that Russia does not want Ukraine or the Ukrainians, and does not need them according to any objective measure either. There is no reason to doubt that The Saker is right about how the Russians think, but are the Russians unquestionably right in thinking like that? In the age of missilery it’s not necessary to hold on to territory, or so the argument goes, however, territory as such cannot be all-unimportant since sacrificing whichever territory could be justified otherwise. This means that there must be something intrinsic to territory despite of all the long-range technology that exists today. It has to do with history, geography, demographics, landscapes, religion, the arts, lifestyles and other such vague things that are, nevertheless, fundamental to how we define our lives as cultured social beings on the lands of our ancestors. Slightly more practically, it has to do with maintaining a mental buffer around our heartlands, which is necessary to live these lives. Even more practically, the prospect of NATO strike weapons stationed just a few minutes of flight time from Moscow is just too much. So many of such factors coalesce in and around Ukraine that moving into it seems imperative all things considered. Putin himself has written at length about it though without taking the conclusion.
It would clearly be of supreme folly to attempt the kind of invasion that the west is longing for so badly but taking over Ukraine up until the Dnepr and maybe also Odessa in principle? There are all these objections about so many Russian-speaking Ukrainians not wanting to be Russians, not to mention all the other ones, and about the place being too run down to be governed profitably. These points hold mostly if moving into Ukraine aimed at making these parts parts of Russia. But what if a Belorussian model were attempted? No part of Ukraine would become part of Russia. Rather, a Russia-friendly portion of Ukraine would arise under the hegemony or Russia. That would relieve much of the burdens, buttressed by major investments out of the deep pockets of Russia’s sovereign wealth funds. Russia could even maintain that its ultimate goal was a united but federalized and above all peaceful Ukraine. Sanctions would still be imposed but what if sanctions are inevitable anyway? Putin thoughts might follow similar lines. The best chance of gaining Ukraine might consist of beating back the current offensive with minimal effort and especially with minimal Russian involvement, and waiting for the political fallout in Kiev that ought to follow in the aftermath. Regimes like the one in the Ukriane are at their most vulnerable when they have lost a war, preferably a war against an adversary that was deemed inferior, and that might be precisely what Putin is aiming for by trying to leave beating back the offensive to the LDPR.
RT reports on news:
https://www.rt.com/russia/550045-putin-macron-call-ukraine/
Let’s cross our fingers for this to work.
I think the French understand what’s going on in Ukraine, as do the Germans, only the Germans are living in an occupied or castrated state without real sovereignty or the ability to act independently.
The French want to stop a vicious war starting in Ukraine, a new Afghanistan in the heart of Europe, with the Ukrainian ultra-nationalists, or Fascists, playing the role of the Islamic fundamentalists, and look how they spread out from Afghanistan!
The Americans and British are now openly threatening to turn Ukraine into a new Afghanistan, by saying they will arm the Ukrainians so they can form a ‘resistance’ to carry on the conflict for years even if they are defeated on the battlefield and withdraw from most of Ukraine, to re-group in the far west.
The question is, can the French and Germans stop a war that Washington and London want to start? Can they do it without mobilizing public opinion against the war? Have they the power to do this? How would the Americans and London react?
The DEFR duo does not need people to become anti-war. The mostly are and the current narrative is even fueling the anti-war view by trying to portray RU as the “war instigator”.
What the DEFR need is allow the UKUS to comprehensively delegitimise themselves. And that needs time. You first need the people to start doubting, only when they are in doubt, you can present them the evidence confirming the same.
If people are in a belief of the narrative, presenting even the hardest of proofs will be shrugged off as propaganda. Actually, the stronger it is supported by evidence, the less the crows will believe it.
Reports from the militia of Novorossiya in Telegram stated today that Russia is closing off part of the air space over the Azov Sea from midnight tonight to end of Sat 26/02/22.
https://t.me/s/swodki/
Moon of Alabama
Ukraine – Who Is Firing At Whom And Who Is Lying About It?
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/02/ukraine-who-is-firing-at-whom-and-who-is-lying-about-it.html
OSCE observer mission report links:
OSCE Press Releases
https://www.osce.org/press-releases
OSCE Daily and spot reports from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
https://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/reports
(Longer Term) OSCE Trends and observations from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
https://www.osce.org/special-monitoring-mission-to-ukraine/417620
@ Kimbal
“…The best chance of gaining Ukraine might consist of beating back the current offensive with minimal effort and especially with minimal Russian involvement, and waiting for the political fallout in Kiev that ought to follow in the aftermath…”
Bingo!
You pose critical questions for which there may or may not be answers, but the conclusion to your post is in the right direction. I am sure we all who follow the latest current showdown Russia vs West, have asked ourselves the same questions at one point or another. I have also seen them posed here in different contexts.
On “…the age of missilery it’s not necessary to hold on to territory…” statement, what came to mind was Germany after WWI. Russia can bomb 404 back to the stone age, take out the encirclement of Donbass, even destroy 404 army + Nazi militia, without setting boots on the ground, what could be the result? An enraged, resentful, Ukrainian population whose emotions could be exploited into building a greater security risk for Russia, as Nazi Germany emerged from the ashes of WWI.
On “…taking over Ukraine up until the Dnepr and maybe also Odessa in principle?…,” I have given 404 map the death by a thousand cuts several times, and no matter how you divide it, it doesn’t add up. A friend of mine, expat Ukrainian whose close family is still in Ukraine told me recently the Ukrainians are (roughly) divided in 1/3 who has already packed their suitcases to move to Poland, 1/3 that does not care whatever happens, they are not going anywhere, and another third who has the Russian flags ready to greet them on entrance. His family is staying, no matter what.
Whatever Russia does, it has to be both moral and practical.
I share your concern about NATO missiles placed a few minutes from Moscow, and I am all for cutting 404 to size, plus taking out R+P Aegis Ashore systems in one blow, then sit down to wait what NATO does, however, the consequences are unpredictable. Ukraine is just part of the puzzle, which our colleague poster “common man” accurately defined as “insanely complex.”
I am sure Russia has a plan, and that plan is being developed, against all odds. I am sure Russia has also contemplated the defeat of the Ukronazis with minimal (open) intervention, as you posted above. The sanctions, as you pointed out, will come anyway. The EU just threatened Russia with a “diplomacy is not forever” warning, adding that sanctions can start if Russia does not remove troops from the border.
This is as much a psychological war, as it is geopolitical, diplomatic, and kinetic.
Whoever blinks, loses.
We just have to wait and see…
Thanks for your reply.
Lone Wolf
Russia claims five Ukrainian soldiers killed in border firefight
https://www.rt.com/russia/550119-moscow-claims-five-ukrainian-soldiers-killed/
Moscow says its forces also destroyed two armored personnel carriers
Donbass leaders call on Putin to recognize regions as independent
https://www.rt.com/russia/550128-donbass-leaders-ask-putin-recognize-independence/
Will the latest escalation in Dobass succeed in sabotaging the prospects of a EU–Russia summit?
If so, was this foreseen by Russia?