Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Israel, Iran, Turkey, Putin, China, and World War III

[Morbid]

Posted by Cidersomerset (here)
I have not been posting on this thread much as there is to much info at the
moment , but the psyop against Russia is well and truly on as the BBC aired an
odd programme 11.30 pm last night on BBC 2. It was basically similar to
the they put up a year or so before the 7/7 bombings.

The ' Elites' have to tell us what they are planning before hand and hide it in plain
sight. I have been seeing this for years and researchers have been pointing this out
for decades. It has been ramping up more since Russia occupied Ukraine and
intervened in Syria.

=========================================


This World

World War Three: Inside the War Room

A committee of senior former British military and
diplomatic figures comes together to war-game a
hypothetical 'hot war' in eastern Europe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...e-the-war-room

==============================================
==============================================



What if Putin invaded Latvia & nuked UK? New BBC show fantasies will tell

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=P8X00VpsoOc

Published on 3 Feb 2016


Russia invading Latvia - and then launching a nuclear strike on the British military.
That's the fictitious vision of the future, in a new show from the BBC.

RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air

====================================================

Deja Vu .... Or more sinister.

BBC Panorama_ London Under Attack (the show that predicted 7/7 bombings in London

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=AIYu6QN5MH4

man, bbc has gotten full retard in the last few years! i cant believe them spending uk's tv tax money for such blatant fear & lies propaganda spread. seeing bbc news has become a comedy show..

[Hervé]

Peace Talks “Paused” After Putin’s Triumph in Aleppo

by Mike Whitney February 5, 2016

“This is the beginning of the end of jihadi presence in Aleppo. After 4 years of war and terror, people can finally see the end in sight.”
— Edward Dark, Twitter, Moon of Alabama

A last ditch effort to stop a Russian-led military offensive in northern Syria ended in failure on Wednesday when the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) backed by the National Defense Forces (NDF) and heavy Russian air cover broke a 40-month siege on the villages of Nubl and al-Zahra in northwestern Aleppo province. The Obama administration had hoped that it could forestall the onslaught by cobbling together an eleventh-hour ceasefire agreement at the Geneva peace talks. But when the news that Syrian armored units had crashed through al Nusra’s defenses and forced the jihadists to retreat, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura suspended the negotiations tacitly acknowledging that the mission had failed.

“I have indicated from the first day that I won’t talk for the sake of talking,” the envoy told reporters, saying he needed immediate help from international backers led by the United States and Russia, which are supporting opposite sides of a war that has also drawn in regional powers.” (Reuters) De Mistura then announced a “temporary pause” in the stillborn negotiations which had only formally begun just hours earlier. Developments on the battlefield had convinced the Italian-Swedish diplomat that it was pointless to continue while government forces were effecting a solution through military means.

After months of grinding away at enemy positions across the country, the Russian strategy has begun to bear fruit. Loyalist ground forces have made great strides on the battlefield rolling back the war-weary insurgents on virtually all fronts. A broad swathe of the Turkish border is now under SAA control while the ubiquitous Russian bombers continue to inflict heavy losses on demoralized anti-regime militants. Wednesday’s lightening attack on the strategic towns of Nubl and Zahraa was just the icing on the cake. The bold maneuver severed critical supply-lines to Turkey while tightening the military noose around the country’s largest city leaving hundreds of terrorists stranded in a battered cauldron with no way out.

For the last two weeks, the Obama team has been following developments on the ground with growing concern. This is why Secretary of State John Kerry hurriedly assembled a diplomatic mission to convene emergency peace talks in Geneva despite the fact that the various participants had not even agreed to attend. A sense of urgency bordering on panic was palpable from the onset. The goal was never to achieve a negotiated settlement or an honorable peace, but (as Foreign Policy magazine noted) to implement “a broad ‘freeze’ over the whole province of Aleppo, which would then be replicated in other regions later.” This was the real objective, to stop the bleeding any way possible and prevent the inevitable encirclement of Aleppo.

The recapturing of Nubl and Zahraa leaves the jihadists with just one route for transporting weapons, food and fuel to their urban stronghold. When loyalist forces break the blockade at Bab al Hawa to the northeast, the loop will be closed, the perimeter will tighten, the cauldron will be split into smaller enclaves within the city, and the terrorists will either surrender or face certain annihilation. Wednesday’s triumph by the Russian-led coalition is a sign that that day may be approaching sooner than anyone had anticipated.

It’s worth noting, that a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Michael O’Hanlon– whose plan to “deconstruct Syria” by using “moderate elements” to “produce autonomous zones”–advised Obama and Kerry “not to pursue the failed logic of the current Syria peace talks but to explore a confederal model and seek buy-in from as many key players and allies as possible.” In other words, the main architect of the US plan to break up Syria into smaller areas, (controlled by local militias, warlords and jihadists) thought the peace talks were “doomed” from the very beginning.

According to O’Hanlon the US needs to commit “20,000 combat troops” with “the right political model for maintaining occupation”. The Brookings analyst says that “Any ceasefire that Kerry could negotiate…would be built on a foundation of sand” for the mere fact that the “moderate” forces it would support would be much weaker than either the SAA or ISIS. That means there would be no way to enforce the final settlement and no army strong enough to establish the authority of the new “unity” government.

O’Hanlon’s comments suggest western elites are deeply divided over Syria. The hawks are still pushing for more intervention, greater US, EU, and NATO involvement, and American and allied “boots on the ground” to occupy the country for an undetermined amount of time. In contrast, the Obama administration wants to minimize its commitment while trying desperately to placate its critics.

That means Syria’s troubles could resurface again in the future when Obama steps down and a new president pursues a more muscular strategy. A number of powerful people in the ruling establishment are as determined-as-ever to partition Syria and install a US puppet in Damascus. That’s not going to change. The Russian-led coalition has a small window for concluding its operations, eliminating the terrorists, and reestablishing security across the country. Ending the war as soon as possible, while creating a safe environment for Syrian refugees to return home, is the best way to reduce the threat of escalation and discourage future US adventurism. But Putin will have to move fast for the plan to work.

Excerpts from: “Deconstructing Syria: A new strategy for America’s most hopeless war“, Michael O’ Hanlon, Brookings Institute.

[Redstar Kachina]

..........

[Morbid]

Posted by Redstar Kachina (here)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=-HbjizKEqG4

this reminds me of illuminaty project 'global goals'. obviously this claim to have 0 nuclear weapons is strong, but can be politically directed at certain countries. its obvious where this is coming out of. do you recon they would disarm themselves? highly doubt american controllers would start first - they can claim whatever they want.. but lost all trust and credibility.

[Cidersomerset]

End of ISIS? Russian Jets Hit 900 Targets in Last Three Days and Jihadists are Fleeing

By David on 6th February 2016 War and Terror

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=IuzUAi8EPbc

‘Russia’s intervention in Syria has produced many astounding results since it began late
last year, and they seem to be continuing into the new year too.

Major General Igor Konashenkov is reporting that the Russian airstrikes have hit almost
900 targets from 1-4 February in Aleppo, Latakia, Homs, Hama and Deir ez-Zor, which
have caused the terrorists to sustain heavy losses:

“In order to retain at least some semblance of a fighting capacity, the militants’ forces in the
Syria’s northern regions continue abandoning their positions and falling back to the Turkish border.”’

Read more: End of ISIS? Russian Jets Hit 900 Targets in Last Three Days and Jihadists are Fleeing

http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/02/0...dists-fleeing/

[Cidersomerset]

this reminds me of illuminaty project 'global goals'. obviously this claim to have 0 nuclear weapons is strong, but can be politically directed at certain countries. its obvious where this is coming out of. do you recon they would disarm themselves? highly doubt american controllers would start first - they can claim whatever they want.. but lost all trust and credibility.

Just a thought the nuclear threat has kept the status quo with the major countries
in check since the end of WW11 and the atomic bombs dropped on Japan . There
has still been many wars and conflicts since then to keep the Banksters , mil ind
complex's around the world in profit . keeping the elites in power with the ever
looming threat of mutual destruction which keeps our possible ' overlords' well
supplied with fresh human 'essence/souls' to feed on , then you go off into the
realms of mainstream ridicule and what we speculate in the alternate community.

Jordan Maxwell: "The Elites Use War To Make Blood Sacrifice To Extra Terrestrial Gods!"

https://projectavalon.net/forum4/show...85#post1044185

There were several reports of ET's switching off nuclear missiles and other possible
demonstrations that they could interfere if necessary. Going on from there if the
secret space feet does exist and they have exotic weaponry , possibly
demonstrated on 9/11 ? Nuclear weapons , like oil and other corporate control
memes may be obsolete and if we get to the stage of nuclear war , which may just
be a control meme , they may have the means to destroy or disrupt them aka
the 'Star Wars ' programme was postulated to do , and may of just been cover for
the real space fleet who have developed ET tech or their own. Speculation I know
but based on the various threads we speculate about.

The other option is , well ' sad ' its all down to humanity......

[Cidersomerset]

Back to the good old days of the Cold war mark 2
just as those dam Russky's have scuppered ISIS
in Syria we will target them again and keep our
corporate masters happy....
--------------------------------------------------------------

US Now Overtly at War Against Russia

By David on 7th February 2016 War and Terror



‘NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on February 2nd that he approves of U.S. ‘Defense’
Secretary Ash Carter’s proposal to quadruple U.S. armaments and troops in Europe, against ‘Russian aggression.’

Secretary Carter said earlier that same day, in his announcement of America’s arming for war against Russia:

We are reinforcing our posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia’s aggression. In
Pentagon parlance, this is called the European Reassurance Initiative and after requesting about $800 million
for last year, this year we’re more than quadrupling it for a total of $3.4 billion in 2017.’

Read more: US Now Overtly at War Against Russia

http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-ne...gainst-russia/

[Hervé]

In the beginning... there was a False Flag...

The ICTY Tribunal in Hague: The grenades at Sarajevo Markale market (1994.) were shelled by Muslim Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina , by order of Alija Izetbegovic

by Grey Carter Posted on February 17, 2014

HAGUE – During his testimony in defense of Radovan Karadzic, former Bosnian Muslim policeman stated before the Hague Tribunal that the grenade that murdered 66 and left 140 persons injured at Markale market in Sarajevo, was actually fired by (Muslim) Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina , by order of then – leader Alija Izetbegovic.

Albright-Clinton-Izetbegovic

Under the coded pseudonym KW -586 , the witness, hidden behind the adjusted voice , stated that he was member of the Bosnian Muslim special unit “Pearls “, (1992-1994) , when he was in charge of securing the Presidency in period when the Body held sessions at the National Bank building in Sarajevo.

The Witness KW -586 claimed that due to his duty he have had the opportunity to hear what the then – Bosnian Muslim President Alija Izetbegovic, together with his son Bakir and the head of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina Reis- ul- ulema Mustafa Ceric and other officials spoke at meetings . The witness accused Izetbegovic for planning terrorist attacks on Bosnian Muslim, in order to cause civilian casualties in Sarajevo, Markale as well as in Srebrenica in order to accuse Serbs and extort NATO intervention in favor of the Muslims.

” Izetbegovic was under extremely strong influence of local Muslim cleric with strong Turkish ties, Reis- ul- Ulema Ceric . Izetbegovic’s main goal was to gain the Western intervention in behalf of the Muslims by causing “mass suffering in Sarajevo and Srebrenica, provoking the Serbs to fire back and shell civilian targets , including hospitals:”

KW -586 testified that he heard Izetbegovic and religious leader Ceric to consider ” what would happen if a shell would hit the Markale market” .
“Only few days later , on February 5. 1994 , it really happened “, said the witness , arguing that the ABiH (Muslim army) fired a grenade at Markale from area of the village Mrkovići;

“It was done by orders of General ABiH (Bosnian Muslim army, NATO protege) Sefer Halilovic, and the Unit who accomplished the task was under the command of General Mustafa Hajrulahović called the Italian.”

According to the indictment against Karadzic , the first explosion of a mortar shell at Markale took place on 5 February 1994 , when 66 people were killed and more than 140 injured.

[...]

Full article: https://theremustbejustice.wordpress...a-izetbegovic/

Also here, at The Saker: Bosnian-Muslim witness confirms that the Markale Massacre was a false flag

[Hervé]

Posted by Hervé (here)
Euromaidan unmasked: Europe shocked by the bitter truth on Ukraine

Wed, Feb 3, 2016
Anti-Human Rights, Phenomenon of Terrorism, Ukraine

By ORIENTAL REVIEW

The hard-hitting documentary by Paul Moreira “Ukraine, les masques de la révolution” [Ukraine: Masks of the Revolution], released on Monday night by Canal+, created a turmoil both in Ukraine and France well before the premiere. On Sunday the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported in Facebook that their Ambassador in France had sent an outraged letter to Canal+ where he condemned the documentary as a “a pamphlet at the height of the worst disinformation traditions” “using primitive methods of journalistic manipulation, including the handling of comments of respondents, distorted in translation and facts and purely fabricated images“. The same day Le Monde doubled the pressure on Canal+. Paul Moreira has calmly and respectfully responded to his critics by a detailed post translated into English here. To the credit of Canal Plus’ management, the documentary was screened in time:

(the English subtitles are available)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=JwbbxrtNoaU

Please watch it attentively. And let’s try to understand why it has infuriated so much the official Kiev.

To be fair, the masterpiece did not reveal anything new. So far there were a lot of separate investigations by international organizations, NGOs, concerned individuals etc on different aspects of the “Revolution of Dignity“: who actually killed the “heavenly hundred“, what happened in Odessa in May 2014, what is going on in the zone of “anti-terrorist operation” in the South-East of Ukraine, where are the “Russian troops” and where are the Western mercenaries there… But most of them were successfully ignored by the mainstream Western media, stick to their comfortable myths about Euromaidan.

The principal danger of Paul Moreira heartbreaking 50-minutes long documentary is that it exposed all critically important lies and silenced facts about “Revolution of Dignity” and its agents in a concentrated form at the established French TV channel.

Paul Moreira did not do anything but showed a simple and honest truth – there was no dignity in that “revolution”. There is no “free civilizational choice” and “independent and legitimate authorities” in today’s Ukraine. There are gangsters licensed to kill and rob, psychopaths and criminals in the “democratic parliament”, parallel Nazi-inspired army, foreign officials who manipulate the political process in a sovereign country, media under total nationalist control etc. His argumentation and picture are so evident, eloquent and bright that there is no reasonable way to refute them. Here is the cause of hysteria and calls to ban (which paradoxically has triggered unprecedented public attention to the movie far beyond France) – they understand that an open and fair discussion would lead further undesirable revelations against the interim rulers in Kiev.

One more pleasant outcome of this story is that the rumors about clinical death of the independent journalism in the West are apparently somewhat exaggerated…

Video can be viewed here at The Saker: http://thesaker.is/documentary-ukrai...tion-eng-subs/

[Hervé]

"Masks of the Revolution" to Be Shown a Third Time

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ, 8th February, 2016

The film "Masks of the revolution" will be shown on French Canal+ for a third time, according to "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", citing the production company Premieres Lignes. This step will be chosen by the direction of TV channel because of the unprecedented stir caused by the film within audience.

Because Canal+ is a paid service available only to subscribers, many French people were recording the film on DVDs and other media to give it to friends and acquaintances afterwards, the newspaper writes.

The second screening of the film by Paul Moreira took place yesterday, February 7th, the third is scheduled for 14th of the current month. The management of Canal+ did not hesitate in the face of a stream of destructive criticism that was aimed at the Director.

"The fact that Paul Moreira was the target of an aggressive and politically correct audience because of his effective documentary, is no surprise. Those who have the courage to express a point of view about Russia or the conflict in Ukraine, other than what is generally accepted, are systematically defamed. Moreira said that, for example, it has long been known that the difference is that his movie dared to appear on an important national TV channel. And this is a good news", - commented the French political scientist Philip Migo.

As a reminder, earlier, human rights activists from the Moscow Bureau on human rights decided to give the authors of the film "Masks of the revolution" a prize "For courage and professionalism", but the Ukrainian authorities intend to sue Canal+ due to the failure of TV to remove the film from the air.

==========================================

Moreira's earlier rebuttal to French MSM newspaper Le Monde

Translated by NewColdWar.org

When I started this investigation on Ukraine, I was astonished to discover the degree to which the massacre in Odessa [May 2, 2014] had faded from memory. Forty five people were killed in a huge fire in the heart of a major European city in the middle of the 21st century. Everything was filmed by dozens of cameras and cell phones. Yet around me, no one remembered.

Forty five Ukrainians of Russian origin died in a fire inside a building [the Trades Union House in the city center of Odessa] caused by the Molotov cocktails of Ukrainian nationalist militias. After a quick investigation, I discovered that the event had not been censored. It had been addressed, discussed, but never investigated. As though too embarrassing to discuss.

Why no investigation? Probably because the victims were of Russian origin. These victims were reported as "persons" but without knowing who they were, who killed them and why they were dead. "Persons" who were nobodies.

In speaking of these deaths, our democracies should have expressed some sympathy, officially, solemnly. There should have been strong reactions by chancelleries. Press releases by ministries of foreign affairs. [However], following the Russian invasion of Crimea, Russian-speaking populations in the conflict were assigned the roles of villains.

What happened on that May 2, 2014, in Odessa? I discovered the answer after viewing hours of video shootings, interviewing dozens of witnesses, finding victims and aggressors and comparing the stories until I pieced together facts that make sense of this fury. Important fact: I interviewed and have broadcast only direct witnesses of events - the people I saw on videos - in order to filter to some extent the exaggerations and lies that arise in such a circumstance, on the side of the attackers as well as victims. The result of this painstaking work is at the heart of the film to be broadcast Monday evening [February 1] by Canal Plus [Canal +].

During my investigation into this massacre of little exposure, I saw the importance of Ukrainian nationalist militias. They were at the forefront of street fighting on Maidan Square (January-February 2014], and later formed battalions to fight Russian troops in the east of the country. But these battalions were merged into the army. They did not exercise the same discipline. They were able to serve as auxiliaries to the government; or become a parallel police. And, yes, in their ranks, the signs of neo-Nazi ideology were obvious.

My investigation went against the commonly accepted narrative. I knew I was going to meet strong opposition, that we would be accused of playing into the hands of Putin, to voice elements of Russian propaganda. I did not expect to meet with such huge denial, bordering on hysteria at times. On a Ukrainian website, I am called a "terrorist" in the pay of the Russian secret service. The site calls for a ban on the film. Even the Ukrainian ambassador to France pressured Canal Plus [not to screen the film]. That is what surprises me the most. For it seems to me that Ukraine must ask itself about these paramilitary groups. They are, as stated in the film, the greatest threat to Ukrainian democracy. To renounce saying what one knows to be the truth because "it plays into Russian propaganda" is to become a propagandist oneself. One omits, not because we are liars but because we are full of good intentions. But never forget that from such omissions, the worst conspiracy theories are born.

In France, the accusations against the film have come mainly from two militant blogs and an unusually violent writing by the reporter in charge of Ukraine in Le Monde, Benoit Vitkine. In all three publications, the arguments are similar. It is said I did not nuance enough my perception of the extreme right, which ranges from dark brown neo-Nazism to light-beige nationalism. I exaggerated the importance of the paramilitary groups, armed with Kalashnikovs and sometimes with tanks. I have not stressed enough their heroic role in their fight against the Russians. I exaggerated the influence of Americans in the regime change [of February 2014].

And then certain factual errors are pinpointed. I'll try to answer them here.

To question the rigor of my documentary, Benoit Vitkine cites one, sole example. He accuses me of having created out of my imagination the manufacture of a new generation of tanks by the nationalist battalion Azov (for which he seems to feel a fond indulgence). But it's the truth. Andriy Biletsky, the head of the battalion, sang to me its praises [manufactured tank] with much pride. 1.2 meters of armored shield in the front and steering video cameras used to steer it. The technical details of this new beast of war can be found here.

Benoit Vitkine is well aware that Andriy Biletsky comes from the most radical extreme right. His electoral standing is low (although he is a Rada deputy), but his standing in steel and in battle-hardened men is strong.

Then Benoit Vitkine insinuates, without citing anything in support, that my purpose is to highlight "the installation of a new fascism in Ukraine". Vitkine must be very angry to write such things. I never said that fascism had settled in Ukraine. The key phrase of my documentary is: "The Ukrainian revolution has created a monster that will soon turn against its creator." And then I tell how far-right groups attacked the parliament and killed three policemen in August 2015. I have never suggested that the attackers were in power. Even if those who are in power were able to use them.

The only "good point" which Benoit Vitkine wants to award me is that I worked on the massacre of Odessa, a "frequently overlooked episode". You said it yourself, dear colleague...

Anna Colin Lebedev writes a blog on Mediapart.fr. She, on the other hand, reproaches me precisely for my treatment of the "drama" of Odessa. She is careful to never write the word "massacre" or "butchery", to never precisely name the savagery of the murders. Anna Colin Lebedev affirms that this "drama" is not at all ignored. The only proof she offers are papers published ... a year after the fact. Those of Le Monde (Benoit Vitkine) and The Economist. A blogger, Olivier Berruyer, conducted an analysis of article headings in the days immediately following the massacre. This analysis is available on his website. It is most eloquent.

Anna Colin Lebedev accuses me of creating a story "centered on the tears of victims". That's true, I gave voice to a mother who lost her 17 year old son, Vadim Papura. She spoke reluctantly, she was certain that I would not use her statements, that the West does not care about their fate. I also give voice to Ukrainian nationalists, some of whom even voice remorse. I interviewed eyewitnesses from all sides. According to Anna, everything is the fault of the police, who were not sufficiently effective [in stopping the violence that day]. This is what the film should have focused on, she says. Not on militiamen who threw Molotov cocktails on the trade union building or who finished off the wounded lying on the ground [after jumping from windows to escape the burning building]. Not on the fact that none of the killers has been imprisoned and that the Ukrainian government has sabotaged any judicial inquiry, as recalled in the article in The Economist [May 8, 2014] which she kindly quotes as reference but which she probably has not taken the time to read.

That's it for the specific criticisms. From there, we descend into tiny details.

Thus, Anna Colin Lebedev tells me that I mention the presence of the symbol of Azov on Maidan while the battalion had yet to be created. It will be formed three months later. Sure, but for me, it was just a name change: the symbol was everywhere on Maidan, it is the same symbol as the group 'Patriots of Ukraine', who have the same leader, Biletsky, the same men and who will go on to form a military battalion to fight in Mariupol [Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine].

So for clarity, I made the editorial decision not to go into such levels of detail. The fact that this famous [Azov] symbol is borrowed from an SS division, Das Reich, does not seem to move my critics.

Igor Moysichuk, according to Anna Colin-Lebedev, was not the spokesman for Pravy Sektor [Right Sector] however he was introduced as such in this televised debate. Igor Moysichuk is a member of nationalist splinter groups that sailed between Azov and Pravy Sektor but he was mostly a crook playing for his personal account. He joined the Radical party of Oleg Lyashko and he was arrested, in front of our camera, after extorting 100,000 Hryvnia from some guy from his party.

In the blog Comité Ukraine [Ukraine Committee] by Renaud Rebardy, I am accused of not reporting that the Azov battalion had integrated into the regular army. Renaud Rebardy will have misheard and, especially, misunderstood the nature of relations between the Ukrainian government and Azov. Here is a verbatim commentary from the film when I talk to Azov: "Officially, this brigade obeys the Ukrainian national army. And yet, many of them remain masked."

And this is what their leader Andriy Biletsky told me about their financial means: "Well, if we talk about finances, for acquiring armaments, it is provided by the state, as is part of our equipment. The rest comes from the work of activists among whom there are small and medium businessmen. They invest money and make all of this possible. "

During the interview and in comments that I finally edited out, Biletsky utters a veiled threat against the government he deems too corrupt. The subtlety of Azov is that they are officially in the army but they retain a wide margin of autonomy.

Then Renaud Rebardy says that there have "never been talks" to remove Russian as an official language in 13 Ukrainian regions. The facts: the Ukrainian parliament proposed to do so on February 23, 2014, and the day after, the war started. Russian-speaking populations were worried about their future and Putin took advantage of that to launch military manoeuvres. On February 28, the [interim] Ukrainian president repealed the measure. But it was too late, the devil had escaped from the box.

The same Renaud Rebardy chides me for reporting that the new Ukrainian Minister of Finance is a former U.S. diplomat. Natalie Jaresko became a naturalized Ukrainian in December 2014 in order to join the government. Before that, she worked first as a diplomat at the State Department, specializing in Eastern European countries, from 1989 to 1995, and then she maintained a strong relationship with the U.S. government after taking over the presidency of the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), an investment fund that invests money from a U.S. state agency (USAID) in the Ukrainian economy. She remained there (in addition to her position at the private investment fund she ran, Horizon Capital) until she took a job in the Ukrainian government [as finance minister]. These are not trivial matters, correct?

Benoit Vitkine accuses me of reporting that the new ministers of the economy are "pro-business". Yet this is the politics from which they declare themselves "aggressively pro-business," I have it in my video recordings. This explains, for example, the fourfold increase in natural gas prices. Among other things.

Rebardy also accuses me of being too harsh with Oleh Tyahnybok, the leader of the Svoboda Party. I describe him: "Historically, he belongs to the neo-Nazi movement." This man has many times said that he wants to rid the country of the "Muscovite-Jewish mafia"; he often uses the term "Yid". He was also the founder of the Social National Party (does that name remind you of something?).

Another criticism came from the militant Euromaidan blog: I gave voice to Alexis Albu, a communist activist of Odessa whom they accuse of being homophobic and red-brown.

Why did I interview Albu? Not because of his opinions but because I discovered on amateur video his presence in the building of Odessa on the famous May 2, 2014. And let me remind you, my goal was to find people who are seen in videos and then gather their comments on what they saw. I try to establish the facts. What interested me in Albu is that we see him walking out of the union building intact and shortly thereafter, he is laying on the ground, gravely wounded in the head. What happened in between?

Finally Anna Colin Lebedev noted a sentence written in the presentation of the website of Premières Lignes announcing my documentary: "No one has really asked who they (the Ukrainian nationalist paramilitaries) were." This sentence is obviously factually false. But if she saw the movie and, most of all, listened to it, she knows that this sentence is not in there. It was written to "sell" the film on the website of the production house and can therefore be attributed to clumsy marketing.

All this said, if one sits at the level global public perception, it is clear that the general public knows nothing about the importance of Ukrainian neo-Nazi groups, nor the existence of the massacre of Odessa of May 2, 2014. That's because this issue has been underreported (which is not to say not reported at all). We know from the Russian side, it is said that far-right nationalists went to fight in the Donbass. But we know less on the other side.

To conclude, I invite everyone to watch the film on Monday night on Canal Plus and make your own judgment. Because the people who insult me and threaten me on social networks are precisely those who have not seen the documentary. They imagined it. Faith is a powerful drug.

[Hervé]

US Can't Afford to Let Kiev Fulfill Minsk Peace Deal - French Politician

Sputnik
Politics 20:36 10.02.2016
(updated 23:12 10.02.2016)

© AFP 2016/ Sergei Supinsky

On Wednesday, Sergei Lavrov blasted Kiev for skirting its responsibility to fulfill the Minsk agreements, aimed at ending Ukraine's civil war; France and Germany, the foreign minister added, fully understand that Kiev is 'playing the fool'. Speaking to Sputnik, French MEP Philippe de Villiers warned that Moscow should look for Washington's trace.

© Sputnik/ Grigoriy Sisoev Kiev Can't Keep 'Playing the Fool' in Skirting Minsk Obligations - Lavrov

Interviewed by Russian daily newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets on Wednesday, Lavrov said that Kiev is deliberately dragging its feet on fulfilling the Minsk Agreements, signed in February 2015 by Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany and aimed at bringing peace to eastern Ukraine. "Ukraine is currently in a political and economic situation of complete disorder. But from the point of view of the Minsk agreements, the less [Kiev's leadership] tries to fulfill them, the longer sanctions will remain against Russia, and they say this freely," Lavrov said.

"Everyone understands that this is abnormal, especially the Germans and the French, who are in direct contact with the participants of the negotiations of the so-called Normandy format, where details are scrupulously reviewed [regarding] who needs to be doing what, and what has and hasn't been done in the execution of the points written in the Minsk agreements. There's already an understanding that 'playing the fool' cannot last for long," the foreign minister added.

Asked to comment on Lavrov's remarks, Philippe de Villiers, MEP, former presidential candidate and leader of the conservative eurosceptic Movement for France party told Sputnik that unfortunately, Kiev's decisions are not made independently of their political benefactors in Washington.

"It's clear that Russia is trying to fulfill the Minsk agreements, and that the Ukrainian side is trying to evade their responsibility. Why? Because if the Minsk agreements were fulfilled, the US would no longer be able to oppose Europe lifting its sanctions against Russia," the politician noted.

© REUTERS/ Alkis Konstantinidis 'Sinking' Minsk Agreements May Ruin France’s Reputation

"After all, Kiev today is being managed by the Americans, who promise them membership in the EU and especially in NATO. Such a thing is unacceptable to Russia, to the Europeans, and for Frenchmen such as myself," Villiers emphasized. Categorically opposed to Europe's sanctions against Russia, the politician reiterated that in the present situation, "at a time when we in the West need Russia, sanctions are madness – they are a disgrace."

"France's authorities were mistaken when they thought that sanctions would not affect France's economy. In everyone's interests, and in particular for the sake of our farmers, it's time to put an end to these endless sanctions."

Asked whether, in time, Paris and Berlin will be able to put more pressure on Kiev to fulfill its obligations, Villiers suggested that "unfortunately, the answer to that question cannot be found in Paris or Berlin, but in Washington. The Ukrainian question is an American issue. As for myself, I would like to see Paris and Berlin stop being Washington's puppets."

At the same time, the politician emphasized that on the societal level, "more and more French people are beginning to believe that our friendship with Russia is infinitely more valuable to the future of the European continent than our relationship with America, which pushes us into unfortunate diplomatic adventurism, in Syria, for example, where we find ourselves on the wrong side. There, we should fight on the side of Assad, like the Russians. But as things are, we are on the side of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, together with Al-Qaeda; it is truly immoral."

© AP Photo/ Vadim Ghirda Kiev May Resort to Military Provocations to Evade Minsk Deal

Concluding with a dose of optimism, Villiers suggested that today, "finally, common sense seems to be returning. It took two years for this to happen. I called Francois Hollande and told him the following: 'Mr. President, come to your senses; remove the sanctions. France must demand from Germany and the US, which are driving this game, to restore friendly relations with Russia. Europe's future is created not in the United States, but on the European continent."

[Redstar Kachina]

..........

[Calz]

Hard to imagine Joseph Farrell's Febr 4th "news from the nefarium" not being posted on this thread but if it has I missed it going back passed Febr 4th.

Farrell's assessment of some of what has already been posted the last couple pages.

*Very* interesting vid which makes some powerful points and has me rethinking my opinion(s) of the overall global situation.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ex9kEezGpfk

Streamed live on Feb 4, 2016


Henry Kissinger was in Russia visiting President Putin, a week after a very interesting press conference from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov:
http://tass.ru/en/politics/854286

http://russia-insider.com/en/politics...

[Hervé]

Russia’s Kurdish Gambit: US Ally in Syria Takes Moscow’s Side

Middle East 09:59 10.02.2016
(updated 10:53 10.02.2016)

© AFP 2016/ DELIL SOULEIMAN

The announcement of the leadership of the Syrian Kurds that they would open their first foreign office in Moscow is telling: their choice of Russia over Washington or Western Europe signals that Russia is allying with the Kurds in the Middle East, which will certainly undermine US and Turkish policy in the region, according to the Israeli media.

Wednesday is set to see an inauguration ceremony of the first European office of the Syrian Kurds, which will be located in Moscow. The ceremony is to be attended by Russian foreign ministry officials as well as representatives from several other countries, according to Abdulsalam Ali, the Syrian Kurdish envoy in Moscow. “The choice of Moscow and not Washington or Western Europe is telling,” says The Jerusalem Post.

“Putin appears to be making another shrewd play for power in the Middle East by allying with the Kurds, in a step that undermines United States and Turkish policy in the region,” states the Israeli newspaper.

The US has established its cooperation with Syrian Kurdish fighters against Daesh (ISIL/ISIS). It has developed working relations with the Syrian Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units) – the military wing of the Syrian Democratic Unity Party (PYD) – the most dominant force among the Syrian Kurds and an affiliate organization of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish group located in Turkey which remains listed as a terrorist organization by the US, Turkey, and the EU.

Meanwhile, Turkey has denounced the move. Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued what can be considered as an ultimatum to the US this week, saying that its, that it’s “either us or the PYD”, Gallia Lindenstrauss, a Turkey expert and research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University told the newspaper.

“Russia’s Kurd gambit”, the outlet says, takes advantage of US hesitancy in fully supporting the Kurds because of worries about angering Turkey.

This “makes Ankara’s life much more difficult as it continues fighting a Kurdish insurgency at home.”

“It is highly likely that Russia will take advantage of the trend and support the Kurds, effectively turning an American ally into a Russian one,” the newspaper quotes Shmuel Bar, a senior research fellow at the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Studies at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, as saying.

This opinion is also echoed by The Guardian, which says that the possible alliance between Russia and the Syrian Kurds “puts Erdogan in a corner”.

© www.jpost.com Kurd fighters on the march, part of the Syrian game change.

“A big, new military operation against Kurdish strongholds, in defiance of both Russia and the US, would be a sign of Erdogan’s desperation, marking a potentially catastrophic spreading of the Syrian conflict,” the outlet states.

Related:
Why so Much Hate? Closer Look at Erdogan’s ‘Kurdophobia’
Is the Honeymoon Officially Over? Turkey Summons US Ambassador Over Washington’s Stance on Kurds
Blackmail Continues: Turkish FM Says US Must Choose Between Turkey, Syrian Kurds

[Hervé]

Russia Has Destroyed the CIA's Arms Smuggling Operation in Syria

Rudy Panko 11 minutes ago


No wonder Washington is suing for peace

No more CIA-supplied guns for 'moderate' rebels

Let's cut to the chase: The closing of the Azaz corridor, a major supply artery for the "moderate rebels" in Syria, should be viewed as a crippling military defeat for the United States.

As analysts have pointed out, US Secretary of State John Kerry repeatedly implored Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to keep the Azaz corridor open.

The New York Times now explains why Kerry was so anxious:

Mr. Kerry enters the negotiations with very little leverage: The Russians have cut off many of the pathways the C.I.A. has been using for a not-very-secret effort to arm rebel groups, according to several current and former officials. Mr. Kerry’s supporters inside the administration say he has been increasingly frustrated by the low level of American military activity, which he views as essential to bolstering his negotiation effort.

For at least the last three years, the CIA has been smuggling arms into Syria via Turkey and Jordan. Not anymore. The rebels are increasingly cut off from their arms suppliers -- and the US is now begging for peace.

This conflict is far from over, and despite reports of a tentative peace agreement, escalation still remains a very grim possibility.

But the US has been outplayed in Syria. Period. The CIA will have to go crawling back to Langley with its tail between its legs -- until it finds a new country to destabilize. Maybe Turkey?

[Hervé]

Aleppo Before and After: Syrians Sick of War, Tired of 'Marauding' Rebels

Middle East 13:39 13.02.2016
(updated 13:47 13.02.2016)

© REUTERS/ Abdelrahmin Ismail

The Syrian Army offensive to liberate the city of Aleppo and its surrounding province continues; RT Syria correspondent Murad Gazdiev returned home to share his impressions about the situation on the ground there, the city's history before the war, and its fate since the ill-fated Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.

"Before the civil war began," Gazdiev recalled, "Aleppo was Syria's largest city [population 2.3 million]. It is really something of a mixing pot; you had all sorts living together there – Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Turks, all living together peacefully."

Before the war, the city's ancient splendor and cultural diversity made it a source "of hundreds of thousands of tourists; there was also business, industry, finance, jobs – it was a bustling metropolis. And then of course, the civil war began…"

raya ‏@xrayaax

Before and after pictures of Aleppo, Syria.

​

Unfortunately, the correspondent noted, "there's not a street left unmarked by fighting in Aleppo." None of the factions which emerged during the course of the so-called Arab Spring could stay out of the conflict, even though many tried.

​"As for the belligerents – given how much of a mixing pot the city was, you had all flavors of rebels in Aleppo at one point or another, from the 'moderate' FSA [Free Syrian Army], the Nusra Front [Al-Qaeda's Syrian franchise], to even ISIS [Daesh] in the city at one point."

​Recalling that the city was also once a prosperous industrial hub, Gazdiev pointed to a video by the Eretz Zen Syria news channel showing "rebels moving heavy machinery across the Turkish border, apparently selling it, [saying] they 'liberated' this machinery – you know, stole it."

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=uOSUh87WA20

​"Apparently, according to the Syrian government, one year into the 'revolution', a thousand factories just in and around Aleppo were robbed –pilfered, stripped of all valuables, and all the stuff sold across the border in Turkey."

"And this is not even going into the roving bands of bandits or 'rebels' – whatever they were at that point, walking around the city when they first went into it, robbing whoever they didn't like. And if they didn't like you enough, it didn't just stop with robbery or mugging –it could be fatal," the journalist said.

"Mass executions in Aleppo were not a rarity, – they weren't a unique thing They happened often," Gazdiev added, pointing to a gruesome video from 2012 showing rebels "throwing postal workers off of a roof because they worked for the government."

"At one point, rebels actually turned off electricity and water supplies to the entire city, because they couldn't just [turn off] just the government-controlled areas – so they disconnected everything, even areas that they controlled. So it is at all surprising that so many people fled Aleppo?"

​​Commenting on the one-sidedness of Western media coverage of the situation in Aleppo, Gazdiev complained that they have devoted "nowhere near as much" coverage to the rebels' misdeeds, described above, as they have for example to government forces' alleged barrel bombing.

Ultimately, the journalist noted, "Syrians themselves have grown tired of the war; all they really want is just an end to it all – just an end to the fighting."

[Redstar Kachina]

..........

[Calz]

US can't win in Syria so they've resorted to drowning the world in propaganda instead

Sputnik
Sat, 13 Feb 2016 22:22 UTC


The success of the ongoing Russian airborne campaign in Syria has prompted Washington to launch an information war against Moscow.

While Moscow proposed that all warring sides in Syria declare a ceasefire starting on March 1, the US continues to insist on an immediate cessation of hostilities, claiming that Moscow is stalling in order to allow the Syrian army to complete its ongoing offensive.

Also, on February 10 US warplanes carried out an airstrike against the Syrian city of Aleppo, with Washington immediately blaming Russia for the deed.

According to Araik Stepanyan, executive secretary of the Presidium of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, faced with the success of the Russian airborne campaign in Syria the US resorted to information warfare.

"We need to understand that an information war was declared against Russia, so such statements shouldn't come as a surprise," Stepanyan told Radio Sputnik. "The fact that these statements are easy to refute matters little for the US leadership because its goal is to create an information phantom for the electorate. They're well versed in the art of fooling the masses; the creed of their propaganda is 'the more terrifying the lie is, the more people believe in it'."

Stepanyan added that the US had to resort to this strategy because its own campaign in Syria has so far failed to produce any meaningful results. He also mentioned the recent incident when TV Channel France 2 showed footage of Russian airstrikes in Syria as the work of the US-led international coalition, remarking that apparently the US can now claim credit for Russia's successes.

"These are all elements of hybrid warfare, its integral component — psychological warfare," he concluded.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama sought to increase the budget of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the US federal agency responsible for the Voice of America and Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, among others, requested a substantial budget increase. If the newly proposed budget for fiscal year 2017 is approved, the agency will receive nearly $778 million - a vast sum, especially compared to Russia's foreign media budget.

For example, MIA Rossiya Segodnya, the parent company of Sputnik News, operates on a budget of $75 million, including both domestic and foreign media — 10 times less than the BBG. Comment: The more blatant the lies become the more the US has to spend in order to get anyone to actually believe any of them.

Further reading: 'We need more lies!' - Obama's new budget calls for massive increase in propaganda spending

http://www.sott.net/article/312180-U...aganda-instead

[Hervé]

Road To World War III: Turkey Shells Syria For Second Day As Saudi Warplanes Arrive

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 02/14/2016 09:43 -0500


On Saturday, the geopolitical world was shocked when Turkey began shelling Aleppo, where the Syrian opposition has its back against the wall in the face of an aggressive advance by Hezbollah and the IRGC supported, of course, by Russian airstrikes.

To be sure, everyone knew Ankara and Riyadh would have to do something quick if they wanted to preserve the rebellion. Their proxies are being rolled up rapidly by Hassan Nasrallah’s army and Vladimir Putin’s air force juggernaut. But few expected the escalation would come so quickly.

But Recep Tayyip Erdogan is unpredictable (just ask the lone surviving pilot of the Su-24 Turkey shot down in November) and this weekend, he decided that there’s no time like the present when it comes to starting World War III.

Officially, Turkey says it’s shelling Kurdish positions in Syria in self defense. It’s all about securing the border against hostiles, Ankara says. Of course the idea that the YPG are set to invade Turkey is laughable. The Syrian Kurds have secured enough space in their own country to declare an autonomous proto-state, and they needn’t aspire to capturing Turkish territory.

But for Erdogan, that’s precisely the problem. Ankara fears the YPG’s gains will embolden the PKK militarily and the HDP politically and last June’s elections clearly suggest that an emboldened Kurdish minority has the power to shake up the political scene.

And so, Turkey is set to take the fight to Syria in the name of fighting “terrorists”, which for Erdogan, means eradicating the Kurds. As we noted on Saturday, the challenge for Ankara and Riyadh is this: somehow, Turkey and Saudi Arabia need to figure out how to spin an attack on the YPG and an effort to rescue the opposition at Aleppo as an anti-ISIS operation even though ISIS doesn’t have a large presence in the area.

Incredibly, Turkey seems less concerned about the optics than we thought. In short, Erdogan looks as though he’s prepared to simply enter the war on the pretext that Turkey needs to roll back the YPG which, you’re reminded is explicitly backed by the US.

In a way that makes sense. You can’t very well shell Aleppo and use ISIS as an excuse. The group’s presence isn’t large enough in the area. But what you can do is say “the PKK are terrorists, they’re allied with the YPG who are in Aleppo, and therefore, we need to shell Aleppo.” Put in the simplest possible terms, what Erdogan is really doing is trying to reopen supply lines closed by Russia and Iran by wiping out Kurdish forces who dominate the northern border with Turkey.

The shelling continued on Sunday. "The Turkish army shelled positions held by Kurdish-backed militia in northern Syria for a second day on Sunday, killing two fighters," Reuters reports, citing the admittedly dubious Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The YPG controls nearly all of Syria's northern frontier with Turkey, and has been a close ally of the United States in the campaign against Islamic State in Syria, but Ankara views the group as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-old insurgency for autonomy in southeast Turkey."

Jaysh al-Thuwwar, an allied group warned Turkey against further attacks, saying if the country "has goals in our dear nation, we will defend our land and our people, and view it as a hostile party". Again, this comes from the very same groups the US is overtly supporting with arms and air power. So not the CIA-sponsored opposition. Turkey is shelling fighters who literally have the clearance to call in US airstrikes from warplanes that, in an irony of ironies, are flying from Incirlik, the Turkish air base.

And speaking of Incirlik, the Saudis are moving into position.

They're also conducting "exercises" dubbed "North Thunder" or, "Road North." Here's SPA (translated):

Witnessing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the next few hours the arrival of troops participating in the military exercise largest and most important in the history of the region, "Raad north," In the King Khalid Military City Hafr al-Batin in the northern kingdom will be implemented exercise which is the largest military maneuver in terms of the number of countries, with the participation of 20 Arab, Islamic and friendly country, in addition to the Peninsula shield forces, and these countries are: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Senegal, Sudan, Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco , Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, the moon, Djibouti, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, Egypt, Mauritania, Mauritius, in addition to the Peninsula shield forces. Islands constitute Raad north, the largest military exercise of its kind in terms of the number of participating countries, and military equipment quality of weapons and military equipment diverse and sophisticated, including fighter jets from different models reflect the large quantitative and qualitative spectrum, which show him those forces, as well as the participation of a wide range of artillery and tanks, infantry and air defense systems, naval forces, in a simulation of the highest level of high alert for the armies of the countries 20 participation.

Exercise Raad North represents a clear message to the Saudi brothers and brothers and friends of the participating countries stand united to face all challenges and to maintain peace and stability in the region, in addition to the emphasis on many of the goals, all in full readiness circle and maintain the peace and security of the region and the world .

Analysts say that the exercise Raad North confirms that the leaders of the participating countries, are fully in line with the vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the need to protect the peace and stability in the region.

A lot of words to say this: "We're flexing our muscles on the way to invading Syria."

"What is present now is aircraft that are part of the Saudi forces," Brigadier General Ahmed al-Asiri told Al Arabiya News Channel on Sunday, referencing the Saudi presence at Incirlik. "The kingdom is ready to participate in any ground operations that the coalition (against ISIS) may agree to carry out in Syria," he added.

درع الوطن Verified account ‏@diraalwatan

#North_Thunder, the biggest military exercise in the region led by #Saudi

Remember, Turkey also shelled the Syrian army on Saturday.

“Turkish artillery shelled Syrian territory, targeting Syrian Kurdish positions and the positions of the Syrian Arab Army,” SANA news agency reported, citing a letter from Damascus to the UN. Expect those attacks to continue in the name of "self defense."

Meanwhile, the Russians aren't letting up. Aleppo will be recaptured and that, as they say, is that. "Russia is determined to create facts on the ground, and when they have accomplished this, then they will invite the West to fight a common enemy, this is ISIS," Norbert Roettgen, head of the foreign affairs committee in the German parliament says, underscoring our contention that Russia is determined to negotiate from a position of absolute strength. "Let's be clear about what this agreement does. It allows Russia's assault on Aleppo to continue for another week," John McCain exclaimed. "Mr Putin is not interested in being our partner. He wants to shore up the Assad regime, he wants to establish Russia as a major power in the Middle East, he wants to use Syria as a live fire exercise for Russia’s modernizing military."

Right. And America is seemingly powerless to stop him.

In the short term, the only question now is this: how long will it be before Turkey or Saudi Arabia kills a Hezbollah fighter or an IRGC general?

Or worse: what happens when a Russian ends up dead at the hands of the region's Sunni powers?

[Hervé]

Meanwhile... business as usual...

Dozens of guns, 20,000+ ammo seized from 2 Britons in Greece near Turkey border

Published time: 14 Feb, 2016 07:28
Edited time: 14 Feb, 2016 07:37

© Jaime Saldarriaga / Reuters

Greece’s coast guard has reportedly arrested two “heavily armed” British men carrying more than a dozen guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from Turkey, a top security official said.

A high-ranking security official told AP that the suspects were both Iraqi-born British subjects in their 20s. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the ongoing investigation.

The two were arrested Saturday night by coast guard officers near the port of the Greek city of Alexandroupolis, off the Turkish border.

The two suspects were driving a trailer loaded with more than a dozen guns of an unspecified type and well over 20,000 rounds of ammunition, the security official said. According to preliminary reports, the load included “3,357 handguns.” The number has not yet been confirmed by any other sources or official statements.

The two suspects are reportedly not on any terrorist or criminal database.

Police counterterrorist elements and National Intelligence Agency officers were scrambled to head for Alexandroupolis, AP reported.

Some previous reports say Greece’s territory was previously utilized for smuggling arms and ammunition. In May 2015, border guards in northeast Greece arrested a 28-year-old man from Syria at the Kipoi border crossing, said to be carrying a fake British driver’s license.

He was traveling to Turkey in a car with Austrian license plates. During a search, officers found more than 95,000 rounds of ammunition hidden in special compartments inside the vehicle.