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‘Bye-bye, Kiev, Hello Cote d’Azur’ – How Ukraine’s Elites Are Profiting from Western Aid
November 28, 2022
by Olga Sukharevskaya (RT International)
Since the beginning of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, the US, EU, and their allies have provided Kiev with $126 billion worth of aid, a number almost equal to the country’s entire GDP. Moreover, millions of Ukrainians have found refuge in the EU, where they were given housing, food, work permits, and emotional support. The scope is huge, even by Western standards. Considering that the bloc has been funding Kiev while coping with an economic and energy crisis of its own, the assistance is perhaps especially notable.
Kiev bases its endless funding requests on the collapse of its economy, due to the war, and its need to “resist Russian aggression.” But is the aid reaching its intended destination?
The Monaco Battalion
While Ukraine has undergone a general mobilization affecting all men under the age of 60, many former and current high-ranking officials, politicians, businessmen, and oligarchs have moved to safety abroad – mainly to the EU.
The mass flight of Ukrainian elites started even prior to the armed conflict. On February 14, 2022, 37 deputies from the Ukrainian president’s parliamentary faction (Servant of the People) suddenly went missing. Had MPs not been banned from leaving the country the very next day, others would have definitely joined them. Meanwhile, former officials and oligarchs enjoyed more freedom to move around. According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, 20 business jets took off from Kiev’s Boryspol airport on the 14th as well.
Tycoons were at the front of the line. Entrepreneur and MP Vadim Novinsky, businessmen Vasily Khmelnitsky and Vadim Stolar, Vadim Nesterenko, and Andrey Stavnitzer all left the country on charter flights. Millionaire politician Igor Abramovich booked a private flight to Austria for 50 people – taking relatives, business partners, and fellow party members aboard. Oligarchs flew from Kiev to Nice, Munich, Vienna, Cyprus, and other EU destinations. Another group of businessmen took off from Odessa on private planes. The owner of Vostok Bank departed for Israel, while the head of the Transship group flew to Limassol. An ex-governor of the Odessa region, Stalkanat’s Vladimir Nemirovsky, also left the country.
In the summer and early fall of 2022, Ukrainska Pravda prepared several investigative documentaries about fit-for-service Ukrainian billionaires and officials spotted vacationing on the Côte d’Azur during the war. A movie with the ironic title ‘The Monaco Battalion’ shows Ukrainian oligarchs resting at their villas, mansions, and on yachts. In the first part, we see businessman Konstantin Zhevago, who is included on Interpol’s wanted list, relaxing on his private yacht worth $70 million. The yacht graces the shoreline of the Côte d’Azur as Zhevago’s family disembarks. Kharkov entrepreneur Alexander Yaroslavsky, who promised to sell his yacht and transfer the funds towards the restoration of Kharkov, can be seen sailing alongside.
CONTINUE: https://21stcenturywire.com/2022/11/...m-western-aid/
The video has been in the Avalon Library for a few weeks now too :muscle:Quote:
Posted by Richter
Here it is:
https://sputniknews.com/20221220/mos...105637187.html
Moscow Condemns UN's 'Inadequate' Reaction to Execution of Russian POWs: Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow is extremely dissatisfied with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk's response to the shooting of Russian prisoners of war (POWs) in Donbas, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told Sputnik on Tuesday.
"To say that we are not satisfied with such a reaction of the main UN human rights defender is to say nothing. We consider the high commissioner's assessment of the atrocities of Ukrainian troops inadequate and his position on this tragedy cynical and unprincipled," Vershinin said.
There has been no further reaction from the OHCHR, the diplomat noted.
"Despite this, we will continue to seek from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as from the relevant OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] structures, a principled and harsh condemnation of the actions of Ukrainian executioners," Vershinin added.
A video circulated on the internet in November showing what appeared to be execution of Russian soldiers taken prisoner by Ukrainian soldiers. Russia sent it to all relevant international rights organizations, including Turk's office, the OHCHR. On November 25, Turk said that the incident should be investigated to the fullest and those responsible should be brought to justice.
On November 18, the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into the execution of Russian POWs by the Ukrainian military.
On November 19, UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the United Nations was calling for a full investigation of all reported human rights violations related to the execution of Russian POWs by Ukrainians.
https://sputniknews.com/20221121/rep...inked-brigade-
1104517237.html
Report: Ukrainian Soldiers Involved in Murder of 10 Russian POWs Tied to NATO-Linked Brigade
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian soldiers that executed 10 Russian prisoners of war belong to a brigade based in the city of Lvov that works closely with NATO, Russian broadcaster RT reported on Monday, citing a former Ukrainian soldier.
The soldier used to serve in this brigade, but switched to the Russian side after his father was executed by Ukrainians, the report said. According to the former Ukrainian soldier, those deployed in the 80th brigade were taught to hate everything Russian long before the start of the special operation, RT said.
US troops, including forces with the Marine Corps, were involved in the training of the brigade, the soldier said.
The report came as the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov vowed that Russia would search for the killers, underscoring that the individuals must be found and punished for the crimes. At the time, the official highlighted the need for an international investigation on the matter.
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https://twitter.com/SputnikInt/statu...00502366830592
https://tass.com/world/1553193?utm_s...m_social_share
Serbian Defense Minister calls for stop to violence against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija
"Serbia will not allow a new Operation Storm," Milos Vucevic said
BELGRADE, December 20. /TASS/. Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic called on the International NATO mission in Kosovo and Metohija (KFOR) to stop the violence and terror against Serbs in the region.
"I call on the KFOR to stop the violence and terror against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and urgently react to the dangerous threats made by [Prime Minister of the partially recognized Kosovo] Albin Kurti, who has no respect either for human rights, or existing European values," Vucevic said in a written statement published Tuesday.
"Serbia will not allow a new Operation Storm," the Minister said, referring to the operation that resulted in Serbs being expelled from Croatia, "or a new pogrom like in March 2004, because Serbia is a part of a civilized world, a driver of peace and stability."
Previously, Kurti opined in an interview for the Guardian that the removal of barricades in the northern part of the region "may cause casualties" and "the sooner it is completed, the better."
The situation in Kosovo escalated abruptly on December 6, when Kosovo special forces, accompanied by EU mission patrols started capturing electoral commission buildings in the northern parts of the region. The Serbian population organized itself and repelled the Kosovars, pushing them past the River Ibar. On December 8, some 350 Kosovan policemen invaded the Serb-populated northern part of the region using armored vehicles and blocked the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica.
On December 10, the Kosovan police arrested Deyan Pantic, a Serb and former policeman, under contrived charges. In response, the Serbian population started mass protests and barricaded highways in several settlements.
On December 15, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that the Cabinet had made a decision to send a request to the NATO mission in the region to return Serbian military and police to Kosovo and Metohija in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1244.
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https://tass.com/world/1553285
Ukraine not an ally, absurd to give it membership candidacy — Croatian President
"This is an American war, fought on the backs of Ukrainians, but with American money," Zoran Milanovic believes
BELGRADE, December 20. /TASS/. Ukraine is not the EU’s ally and it is ridiculous to provide it with EU membership candidate status, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said, speaking at a ceremony in Zagreb, dedicated to the anniversary of the Tudjman Croatian Military Academy.
"Ukraine is not an ally, but they are trying to make an ally out of them. It is laughably being presented with EU membership candidate status, a horrible stunt. Poor Bosnia and Herzegovina had to wait, a horrible humiliation. This is the European Union of today, a calamity, nil," the Croatian President said, according to the Jutarnij List.
Milanovic believes that the conflict in Ukraine "was inevitable."
"The entire Western and American philosophy of war […] - is to attack someone much weaker and drink its blood, batter them, destroy their country," he said, claiming that Russia and the US went into this conflict deliberately.
"This is an American war, fought on the backs of Ukrainians, but with American money," the Croatian President believes.
Milanovic also stated the catastrophic state of Croatia’s combat readiness, pointing out that the republic is being forced to give all its weapons to Ukraine.
"And who will defend us? The Americans? Like how they defend Ukraine? […] I am concerned about the combat readiness of the infantry in case of a crisis, because the infantry is everything," the President underscored.
Earlier, the Croatian parliament did not support the government’s proposal to provide the Ukrainian military with the opportunity to train in the republic. Milanovic also spoke against training Ukrainian servicemen on Croatian territory. He is convinced that the training of Ukrainian servicemen in several EU countries poses dangerous consequences.
https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/im...20df3.jpg.webp
This company has been in operation since 1688. Currently:
Meanwhile, demand for the company's products is at its highest.
"The situation is paradoxical: our seven plants are running at full capacity, but we are not optimistic about the financial outcome, as energy costs have risen sharply," Hermann Bühlbecker, the managing director, said.
Is that not humiliating?
Stollen is one of the few things that might keep Germany relevant. Take that away and you're down to Liverwurst and a bunch of people who wish they could import almonds and sugar. Wurst is completely intra-German, nobody else knows what it is, and usually cannot stand to be in the same room with it. I don't see "Stollen is vanishing" due to a gender change or some other politically-correct "don't eat Nazi food" or whatever...it might be "don't buy Russian gas unless you use the English definition".
Talk about erasing your culture.
Or sending seven facilities of workers home.
The Vatican and Herbert Hoover were terrified about anyone finding out their support for the Nazis, and now you need more NATO because of China and because Turkey does not want to bloc against Russia. Aren't you tired of all the American boots walking all over your faces yet??