Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
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🇺🇦🤑 UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR SEIZES HOUSE WORTH HALF A MILLION DOLLARS, THEN MOVES IN - In 2021, Kiev court seizes several land plots due to alleged land and environmental problems. A year later, same court changes its mind, releasing the lands after a letter from Kiev Regional Prosecutor's Office stressed "not enough evidence".
Shocking investigation finds, six months later, Alexander Gutsulyak prosecutor of same prosecutor's office responsible for environmental cases, MOVES IN and occupies one of the previously-seized 180 square meters, 2-story luxury home worth about $500,000.
When confronted by journalists, Gutsulyak explained both house and new 2022 BMW are in his father's name (whose salary can't afford), and built the house himself - except aerial footage proves house built a year before the move - his father with contradiction claims "he bought the land but didn't register it".
No surprise here, corruption is now part of Ukraine's national identity.
IntelRepublic
https://x.com/dana916/status/1780217200520888594
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🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦Krasukha electronic warfare system thwarts AFU attempt to conduct electronic surveillance of Russian positions
📍 Belgorod direction
During combat work, electronic warfare specialists of the State Border Covering Force timely detected and suppressed onboard GPS systems, radio navigation systems, and radio communication channels, disrupting the reconnaissance activity of Ukrainian aviation.
'Our crew detected an enemy aircraft that was trying to conduct radar reconnaissance of Russian facilities. Repeater jamming was used, and within three to four minutes the enemy ceased its activities and disappeared from our screens,' said the operator of the Krasukha jamming module with the call sign Vesyoly.
Russian Defense Ministry
https://x.com/dana916/status/1780210936483065938
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
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‼️🇺🇦🏴☠️ Right Sector Nazi Brigade disbanded after fleeing from positions in Chasov Yar
▪️ Today, the AFU ground forces essentially admitted that: "The consequences of the loss of positions by our unit and the exposure of the flanks of other brigades and battalions are considered lost lives, a change in the situation not in favour of the AFU," the AFU said in a statement.
▪️ Earlier it was reported that another reason discovered during the inspection was problems within the brigade. The directorate encouraged hazing and strictly separated the backbone of the brigade (made up of members of the Nazi Right Sector) from young recruits.
▪️ The latter were called "pixelated", disadvantaged in every way, and sent first to the positions from which they had fled.
▪️ During Zaluzhny's time, the Nazis of the "Ukrainian Volunteer Corps" (later reformed into the 67th separate mechanised brigade) retained some autonomy and had the support of the General Staff, but everything changed with the appointment of Syrskyy as head of the AFU.
http://t.me/ukraine_watch
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780270766077948182
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780272428138066102
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🇷🇺 Chasov Yar is nearing liberation.
The Russian Armed Forces continue to pound AFU positions in Chasov Yar and its surroundings.
A video of air strikes on the town has emerged today. According to reports, a group of AFU equipment was hit with "Grom" guided bombs.
It is particularly interesting that the town is perfectly visible through the lens of UAV.
http://t.me/ukraine_watch
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780275894172455174
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https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780259652162195664
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https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780261460188246480
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https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780260768006488472
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🇺🇦💀 National Medical University to be liquidated in Kharkov
This is reported by local sources. The liquidation will affect all institutes of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Some institutes will be transferred to other departments, and some will be completely liquidated.
Half of the staff of the Medical University will be employed at Kharkov University named after Karazin.
The dismissed teachers will be mobilised and sent for medical retraining.
Today Zelensky signed a new law deepening mobilisation. It will come in force on 16 May, and the mobilisation plan must be carried out.
http://t.me/ukraine_watch
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780248178404491324
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
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https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780193697650344046
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An internal audit by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has uncovered violations amounting to more than 10 billion UAH!
This was reported by the deputy head of the ministry, Yuriy Dzhygir. According to him, one third of humanitarian aid to military units has not arrived since the beginning of 2023.
It was also revealed that Kiev tried to illegally sell off funds and land belonging to one of the Defence Ministry's state enterprises.
http://t.me/ukraine_watch
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780195149798117795
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🇱🇻Who is the main corrupt official in Latvia?
Prime Minister? The president? No, the head of the Latvian border guard, Guntis Pujats.
Today, despite being persecuted in numerous criminal cases, he not only remains in office, but also abuses and kills migrants on the Latvian-Belarusian border with the help of security forces. (At least 15 people have died there since 2021).
Back in September 2020, Pujats was detained as a defendant in a corruption case related to the construction of engineering infrastructure on the eastern border of Latvia. He was accused of inaction, which caused the loss of several million euros.
However, Pujats is incredibly released on the day of his arrest. And as a punishment, they apply a measure - a ban on holding the position of head of the border guard.
In March 2021, Pujats was reinstated and all charges were dropped. Believing in his impunity, Pujats demands 7 thousand euros for moral damage. But he received a symbolic 32 euros.
In October 2022, the Bureau of Homeland Security completed an investigation into another high-profile criminal case.
It turned out that in the spring of 2020, Latvian border guards entered into a secret conspiracy with representatives of local businesses to “cut up” the state forest. The damage was estimated at more than 100 thousand euros.
Pujats' secret is simple. Firstly, he previously headed the criminal investigation department. Secondly, he has a patron in the government who carefully protects him and, for a reward, allows him to carry out criminal schemes on the border.
by
@BALTNEWS
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780247163575943574
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🇺🇦 AFU fighters allowed to set up bases in civilians' best apartments
The head of Kiev regime's occupational forces in Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, has allowed AFU fighters to settle in civilians' flats. This was reported by the head of the Kherson Oblast (Russia), 🇷🇺 Vladimir Saldo, on his telegram channel.
At the same time, Prokudin ordered the soldiers not to engage in looting, but according to Saldo, the opposite is happening.
"The militants happily rushed to carry out his order: they are occupying the best apartments in the houses on the side opposite to Dnieper, so that if it comes to shelling, it will not fall on them, but on civilians. They use the possessions in the flats at their own discretion. They walk around in civilian clothes, leave their cars far away from the flats - in yards," writes the head of the Kherson Oblast.
http://t.me/ukraine_watch
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780248023311716433
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
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❗️Ukrainian special services are behind the attempted assassination of Anatoly Shariy, a source told Sputnik.
According to the received data, the preparation of the assassination attempt on March 6, 2024 was carried out by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR).
The GUR, in close cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), developed a "false flag" operation. They planned to physically eliminate the blogger while blaming Russia for his murder. The head of the GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, directly supervised the operation.
Ukrainian agents recruited participants for the attempted murder of Shariy from among ethnic Ukrainians living in Spain and representatives of local criminals, a source told Sputnik.
At the same time, Spanish law enforcement officers openly took a formal approach to the investigation of the circumstances of the attempted murder of Shariy, not even bothering to go to the place to inspect it.
https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/1780215952027664665
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Anatoly Shariy knew about the attempted murder a week ago, he said in his Telegram channel.
"I repeat - a week before the machine gun with a silencer on the windshield of the car, I gave the Spanish police even the names and phone numbers of those who were planning the murder. I have a recording of my statement and documents about it in my hands."
https://x.com/SputnikInt/status/1780216009128821192
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
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Posted by
christian
Quote:
Posted by
Vicus
The servicemen complain of atrocious treatment in the army, the Russian Defense Ministry has said
I have no doubt this is true. And I know for a fact that there are tons of reports, just the same, from the other side. I listened to Russian soldiers who defected who tell exactly the same stories.
What does it mean? It means that "war is a racket," and we all should know that, cause Smedley Butler said it in 1935.
Poor people are treated like expendable cannon fodder, both in Russia and Ukraine, and elsewhere. It's terrible, and we should do everything to stop it. The system wants to draw us all into a war mindset, cause war is collective ritual abuse, it's their game, and they want us to play it. In the end, it's not even that important for them which side we're on as long as we choose a side, act like people on one side are humans and people on the other side are not, and collectively play the ritual abuse game. The only way out is to see the war racket for what it is and to reject it completely. Psychopaths profit from poor people killing each other, and in the bigger picture, they benefit from humanity entering the ritual abuse matrix. Let's get out of there, let's not follow psychopathic leaders, let's not put on uniforms and kill each other, let's instead develop empathy for the common people, for ourselves, and do what's in our best interests, and it's certainly not war.
It may be honorable to have a pacifist mindset but IMO it's also naive. How can you stop/avoid/escape these type of scenarios if we don't get rid of the psychopaths? And how can you get rid of the psychopaths without using violence? It appears people have been trying that for ages by praying Kumbaya and meditating for world peace (or channeling XYZ ;-)) but somehow that doesn't seem to work....
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
It is cheaper to buy a Patriot for Ukraine than to restore the thermal power plant destroyed by Russia - head of European diplomacy Borrell
"Before we talk about rebuilding Ukraine, we must avoid its destruction. It is cheaper to buy Patriot systems than to rebuild a power plant that the Russians have targeted," he said.
@ukr_leaks_eng
https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1780241534308237455
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
Israel Strike Coming,
Ukr Troops Encircled Berdychi,
Budanov Panics,
Ukr War West's Suez Moment
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
Nine years since Ukrainian opposition journalist Oles Buzina was assassinated in Kiev
Published Russian MFA - April 16, 2024
Source: Telegraph
https://telegra.ph/file/0244f231f1a65778b6655.jpg
Exactly nine years ago, Ukrainian writer and opposition journalist Oles Buzina was assassinated in front of his home in Kiev. He became one of the many victims of the Kiev criminal regime because he posed a threat to it – he publicly criticised and exposed the true nature of the neo-Nazi forces that had gained power as a result of the bloody coup d'état in Ukraine.
Buzina urged the then Ukrainian leadership to establish a dialogue with the inhabitants of Donbass and spoke about the need to consolidate the rights of the Russian language, which seriously irritated the official Kiev. He also received threats from Ukrainian radicals because his interpretation of Ukraine's historical path did not coincide with the nationalist ideology. Such an active and firm civil position of Oles Buzina cost him his life.
A few days before his death, the journalist's personal data, including his home address, appeared on the Myrotrvorets (Peacemaker) extremist website, which contains personal information about all public figures, publicists, reporters, and journalists undesirable to the Kiev regime, a resource created literally as a practical guide for preparing terrorist acts.
Despite the fact that condemnation of the murder, condolences to the victim's family and demands for a comprehensive investigation were voiced by the UN Secretary General, OSCE and US State Department officials and many civil society organisations, the perpetrators of his murder were never identified and the suspects were released.
After almost a decade, it is clear that the situation with freedom of speech in Ukraine has degraded to a critical level. All media outlets in opposition to the Kiev regime are banned, and any manifestations of dissent are brutally suppressed and erased from the information space. Unwanted journalists, primarily Russian ones, are being hunted down with all possible weapons. In the past two years alone, the Kiev regime has killed journalists Darya Dugina (Platonova), Oleg Klokov, Vladlen Tatarsky (Maxim Fomin), Rostislav Zhuravlyov and Boris Maksudov. Terrorist methods are being used to implement these criminal plans, while Ukraine's Western handlers and biased human rights organisations continue to turn a blind eye to these evil deeds.
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/0...tion.html#more
Ukraine SitRep: The Power Plant War - Ideological Losses - More Signs Of Corruption
April 16, 2024
The Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenski is lobbying Congress through U.S. media for more weapons and monetary support. It requires him to finally depict the situation as dire as it is:Speaking to the PBS news hour on Tuesday, April 16, Zelensky underlined Ukraine’s air defences' critical condition. “I'll give you a very simple example,” he said.
“Eleven missiles were launched towards the Trypillya [thermal power] station, upon which the electricity supply in the Kyiv region depends. We managed to intercept the first seven, but the remaining four hit Trypillya. Why? Because we had zero missiles left. We have exhausted all the missiles that were defending Trypillya,” the President added.
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In response to the targeting of critical infrastructure, Zelensky used this example to once again call upon Ukraine’s allies to urgently supply the weapons Kyiv needs, particularly air defense launchers and missiles.
“Frankly speaking, without this assistance, we stand little chance of victory, because we need to be significantly stronger than our adversaries. The current ratio of artillery shells stands at 1 to 10. Can we endure for much longer? No,” Zelensky said.
It is good to see that Zelenski is finally noticing the situation Ukraine is in.
The electricity infrastructure is indeed a critical point. John Helmer, via Naked Capitalism, suggest that Russia is using the destruction of Ukrainian power plants to press for its unconditional surrender.
Helmer quotes the Colonel Cassad blog site:Boris Rozhin, whose Colonel Cassad military blog broadly represents General Staff thinking, reports the operational breakthrough demonstrated on April 11, and explains what the maps of current targeting foreshadow for the next round of strikes, and the rounds after that. Rozhin republishes his analysis from RT, the state media organ. “By the evening of April 11, Ukrainian sources reported that air-launched X-69 missiles could be used to hit the Tripolskaya TPP [Thermal Power Plant]. So far, there is no confirmation of this information, but it is worth studying these missiles in more detail. Their range is almost 20 times less than that of the X-101 missiles [equivalent to about 250-500 kilometres], the carriers of which are strategic aircraft of the Aerospace Forces [Tu-95]. In their [X-69] function, they are closer to the foreign [Anglo-French] Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, which are being attempted for strikes on the Crimean Bridge. The [X-69’s] long range of the 300 km could be enough if the launches of missiles were carried out from the territory of the Bryansk region. If the use of missiles is confirmed in the future, it will mean that no energy facility of the Ukraine on the Dnieper River can work safely, and the strike capabilities of the Aerospace Forces have multiplied.” https://t.me/rt_russian/197065
The lack of power supply is not the only unsolvable problem Zelenski has.
The situation at the frontline is deteriorating. One of the critical sectors in now Chasiv Yar, some 10 kilometer west of Bakhmut, where the Russian forces recently managed to make some crucial progress.
Chasiv Yar - April 1 2024:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/18i/ch...20240401-s.jpg
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Chasiv Yar - April 16 2024:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/18i/ch...20240416-s.jpg
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Ground that had been held by parts of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade had been given up very quickly.
The Ukraine command investigated and found the root cause in the ideological framework of the 'nationalist' brigade:After losing some positions on the Chasiv Yar front in Donetsk Oblast, where heavy fighting has been ongoing since the beginning of 2024, the 67th Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps is being investigated and the military personnel who served as the brigade’s backbone are being transferred to other units.
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One of the factors revealed by the audit was issues within the brigade. The leadership allegedly separated the soldiers from the Right Sector and those who were transferred from other parts during the recent replenishment (they were referred to as "pixels", in reference to the pattern on the Ukrainian military uniform). The attitude toward the "pixels" was even worse; they were the first to be sent into combat, and their lack of experience made them lose territory. According to a source of Ukrainska Pravda, this was not the only reason for the brigade's combat capacity deficiencies, as revealed by the audit.
According to a former Ukrainian Volunteer Corps fighter who served in the unit during the 2014-2018 anti-terrorist operation in Ukraine's east and the first year of the full-scale invasion, the current problem stems from the inability to reform the former volunteer unit into a regular brigade of the Armed Forces.
Following the reformatting of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps into the 67th Brigade, volunteers were forced to live "according to military tenets", as determined by the newly formed army command. The former Ukrainian Volunteer Corps leaders lacked the military experience necessary for high positions.
The street gangs and hooligans of the fascist Right Sector, who played a major role during the so called Maidan revolution, were not keen to be real soldiers. They put the least experienced mobilized men into the frontline and kept their ideological brethren in the back.
Such behavior had been fine under the former Commander in Chief General Zaluzhni who has a well known affinity for the hard right 'nationalists' units. But the new Commander in Chief General Syrski needs real soldiers, not amateurish terrorists:During the tenure of former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the backbone of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps, particularly Andrii Stempitskyi, was able to maintain some autonomy in the brigade while receiving assistance from the General Staff. Quote: "And when Sirskyi was appointed, they were confronted with the fact that they must only do activities that are appropriate for their official position. They saw it as political persecution. For highly ideological Ukrainian Volunteer Corps combatants, this appears to be the end of a movement, but it is actually the system bringing its combat units up to standard."
Strana adds a bit of history (machine translation):Recall that the" Ukrainian Volunteer Corps "(DUK) was formed in 2014 by the "Right Sector" during the anti-terrorist operation. After that, for a long time he was not a member of any of the official law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, which raised questions about the ambiguity of his legal status. This continued until 2018, after which most of the DUK joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Like other fascists groupings in Ukraine, i.e. Azov, the DUK or 'Right Sector has multiplied during the war. It has infiltrated more units:In 2023, the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps was split into two parts: one joined the Special Operations Forces and the other formed the 67th Separate Mechanised Brigade. In February 2024, a portion of the Da Vinci Wolves Unit transferred from the 67th Brigade to the 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade.
'Reforming' the 'nationalist' brigades will be quite a task for the new command under Syrski. As he was born in Russia they may in the end declare him to be their ultimate enemy.
Another problem Zelenski should, but wont, care for, are the signs of corruption which due to the war have only increased:By law, Ukrainian officials such as lawmakers, prosecutors, and judges must declare their assets to the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP). The NACP received some 664,000 documents by March 31, which was the submission deadline for 2023, Economic Pravda reported.
The news site reported Wednesday that it randomly selected declarations for 2,200 officials to see how their fortunes had changed from 2022 to 2023.
It found that every sixth official had bought an apartment or house, and every third one a car. They purchased 721 cars, 268 apartments, and 90 new houses.
Meanwhile, even with the new asset purchases, the officials’ savings increased.
Economic Pravda found that the cash and bank deposits of the declarants increased by about a quarter during the two years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The dire economic situation of Ukraine leaves no explanation but corruption for this (machine translation):In Ukraine, record sales of luxury foreign cars were recorded last year. Some premium brands were included in the top 10 best-selling cars, which was not even in peacetime. And the number of Tesla cars in Ukraine has increased almost 10 times compared to 2021. Such a boom in demand for expensive cars in a warring country, at first glance, looks at least strange. But there are explanations for this.
Used Teslas have become a bit cheaper in Ukraine. But the main reason why the sales of luxury cars in Ukraine is booming is this:Third (and this is the main thing), there is a category of new applicants for luxury cars-people whose welfare has grown significantly since the beginning of the war. "Before the war, a man drove a modest Volkswagen. And then he sat down on the stream, got money, decided to upgrade the car, bought a Range Rover. And there are a lot of them," one of the car dealerships in Kiev told us.
According to employees of the salon, massively upgrading cars to something "more decent", are in particular, the security forces.
In addition, a whole layer of people appeared in the country, who became very rich during the war. Including on corruption schemes for supplies to the army. They are also a major category of luxury car buyers. Yes, and other expensive things. For example, one of the dealers of luxury watches told Strana that in the last year its sales are breaking records for the entire existence of the business.
While Zelenski is begging Congress it should consider that someone will have to pay for those who 'sit down on the stream' and gain from it.
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
Quote:
Posted by
christian
Ukraine has been formally sovereign since 1990...
Well, yes, at the tail end of extensive western collusion to break up the Soviet Union, and, i. e., re-draw maps arbitrarily. Isn't that a bit coercive in accordance with some historical status?
I'm trying to find that historical state--what was Ukraine that was absorbed and then released?
An arbitrarily re-drawn map?
Quote:
Besides, using the argument that Kyiv was the first Russia, you might as well say that Kyiv should be in charge of Russia.
Not exactly. There is a reason why Rus came to power in Kiev--the locals kept killing each other for property and literally invited a Big Brother to teach them civilization.
As to why it was removed or moved to Moscow is a bit more complicated.
Between the departure of the Rus and the re-drawn map of a periodical state in the 1900s, what is Ukraine?
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Regarding your argument that Russia stood up against invasive forces, I don't see how Ukraine tried to invade Russia.
It was something like a quarter million troops stationed in the south, appearing to have the intent to go outside its own borders, Crimea, that master map re-drawing by British strategists notwithstanding. That is on top of a Fascist coup and shelling civilians for years, while stripping labor rights and many kinds of rather brutish changes internally. Maidan is not violent interference by outside states? 1990 is a gift to the Nazis on a silver platter for every kind of exploitive scheme known to man. Organ harvesting, child trafficking? Ticket to paradise? Safaris for the pleasure of human slaughter? What is it exactly we would be championing the rights of here?? Biolabs to shuck cholera into Poland? That was one of the jobs.
Without going into all the details, it may be interesting that Ukraine's "Russian defectors" brigade has never had more than about fifty Russian citizens; the bulk of it consisting of Ukrainians and Europeans.
I would agree that it is unfortunate that force is required to deal with these regimes, but, that is nothing new. The fact that one of them had its border legally recognized in 1990 is not adequate to justify its behavior, certainly not in terms that I might consent with political will or tax money. That is because I would denounce almost everything America stuck a finger in. If there were cases of such events occurring on their own, I would probably consider it none of my business. America can't take care of America, but it has answers for the whole world. That's a very serious problem. Generally I don't like Americans, because this is a non-culture, perhaps like Ukraine. Just a bunch of rabid nationalism swirling the drain with secular interpretations of scriptures. If you have a strong stomach, look at the new thing in the Dating Sites thread...
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
Quote:
Posted by
SoulValor
It may be honorable to have a pacifist mindset but IMO it's also naive. How can you stop/avoid/escape these type of scenarios if we don't get rid of the psychopaths? And how can you get rid of the psychopaths without using violence? It appears people have been trying that for ages by praying Kumbaya and meditating for world peace (or channeling XYZ ;-)) but somehow that doesn't seem to work....
Yes, unfortunately, "nothing for peace" is a way to sit you on a shelf and keep you out of the way.
Works great until you really need to do something.
I tend to follow the Russian strategy, which says "the enemy is Conflict".
That's very practical, right? It doesn't amount to an ideology. Least of all one which says the non-Russian is livestock fit for slaughter. Such was the teaching of Aristotle: foreign humans are animals, kill them all.
When legal efforts are exhausted, then, relief most likely comes in the hands of Outlaws. That is the simple meaning of a Tyrant. For example, the general who took rule in Niger by throwing out the legally-elected government is a Tyrant. Superficially similar to the Maidan Coup, let's see if the results are the same.
How can one be sympathetic to "legal systems" which are themselves the source of conflicts that have killed hundreds of millions?
I'm not. I think these "legal systems" are daft fictions of the man who believes his words are superior to nature.
War Is a Racket definitely pertains to Capitalism, and has nothing to do with Resistance, the only means of protection against Zion, or the Ukronazis, or other legalized industrial death factories.
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
Quote:
Posted by
SoulValor
It may be honorable to have a pacifist mindset but IMO it's also naive. How can you stop/avoid/escape these type of scenarios if we don't get rid of the psychopaths? And how can you get rid of the psychopaths without using violence?
I don't think we get rid of psychopaths by obeying psychopaths, putting on uniforms, and killing other poor people in uniforms who also obey psychopaths. I think people everywhere better clean up their own governments first. And I think more than violence, it takes creativity, civil disobedience, and moral courage. Violence may be necessary sometimes in self-defense, but it's certainly not the main tool to bring about peace and create a better world.
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
@Christian - War is terrible. But there are even worse things.
Because it only takes one side to go to war; therefore, for a nation there may be only a choice between war and permitting genocide of oneself.
In the case of Russia, now, I believe the choice was/is war against the West/NATO - or allowing cultural genocide: i.e. destruction of Russia as a state, and culture - including the destruction of Russian Orthodoxy. (Note: I believe that Russia is a genuinely Christian nation - that that is what the spirit of the nation aspires towards. Naturally, this is my spiritual, not empirical, judgment.)
My understanding is that the destruction of Russia was the definite plan of the West, indeed absolutely explicitly so - over a period of thirty years, and indeed for more than a century (e.g. see the work of Terry Boardman); and that this plan had gone a long way, and was indeed accelerating.
For me the destruction of Russia would be the destruction of an essentially good-affiliated entity (one on the side of good); by another entity (the totalitarian globalist ideology, centred in The West) that is literally ruled by demonic values.
Therefore - on the basis of what I understand and believe - I regard the Russian case for fighting a war as valid. It was either that, or allowing their own cultural annihilation - when that culture is (IMO, so far as I know) a valid one (which is not something I would say for very many other nations in the world).
Re: WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia
"Our enemies constantly insist that Russia’s main goal is to “seize” Ukrainian lands, some “countless treasures of Independence”: wheat, steel, gas, coal. But in fact, it turns out that there is nothing special in Bandera’s “Ukraine” in terms of economics that Russia – unlike the West – would not possess itself and in much greater quantities.
In “Ukraine” the main wealth for us is of a completely different kind. The great value that we will not give up to anyone for anything is people. Those close to us and our family. The Anglo-Saxons consistently zombify them. A considerable part of the residents of “Ukraine” are now confused, embittered, experiencing extreme stress and completely disoriented. Our task is to clearly show them who is who. Remove the anti-Russian intoxication from them. Bring people back to our perimeter. The concept of “Ukraine is not Russia” proposed by one of the former leaders of this “Independence” should disappear forever. Ukraine is, of course, Russia.
If “Ukraine” had not fallen into the stupidest trap set by the United States and its allies to confront our country by creating “anti-Russia,” everything would have been different. As our president rightly noted, if Russia had not begun to be destroyed on its own historical territories, indeed, nothing would have happened."
- Dmitry Medvedev
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Source: EXPERT
Dmitry Medvedev: “Russia, like any great power, has strategic borders that lie far beyond the geographical ones.”
April 15, 2024
Editors: Russia's strategic borders, like any great world power, lie far beyond its territory. And they are based not on military force and the desire to remake the political map, but on the principles of equality, mutual benefit and partnership. This is the essence of the new international order, which is gradually replacing the unipolar world. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev spoke about Russia’s approach to the formation of a new world order at the “Knowledge.First” marathon of the Russian Society “Knowledge”. The “expert” considered that readers should familiarize themselves with the theses reflecting Russia’s policy in international relations. With the consent of the author, we publish the text of this speech with minor abbreviations.
No state in the world can exist without borders. And not only those depicted on official maps, but also in a broader sense. When it comes to Russia, it is important to understand where and how its borders are delineated in our time. And what they might become in the future.
These questions are not rhetorical. And the answers to them are not as clear as they might seem at first glance. This is the basic coordinate system in which our Motherland lives and, together with it, we all live. We don’t just exist—we think, we act, we fight, we win. We are building the future of a country that fulfills a special, fateful mission in the global world.
There are several obvious things that our friends and allies understand very well, and our enemies should notch on their own noses.
First. We don't need someone else's land. We will never give up on ours. So it was and so it will be. This is the principle by which our state border policy is based.
March 31, 1814 is a significant date in our history. 210 years ago, Russian troops took Paris. Having established order in Europe, having achieved a change of power in Paris to one acceptable to ourselves and the other allied states, we returned to our home with unfurled banners.
We have never gone so far to the West either before or since. Why did we need this? Yes, it was necessary to eliminate the direct military threat. But, in addition, Russia also pursued greater geopolitical goals. One of the most important was the global security of our borders for a long time. And it can be effectively ensured only if the country is confident in the stability of the situation outside the direct perimeter formed by the border pillars. That is, on a much larger scale. Moreover, the larger the country, the greater the scale of external stability that is needed for this.
The authors of various geopolitical theories in various countries (from China to Europe and America) proceed from one obvious thesis. Any state as a sovereign subject of international relations has two types of borders - geographical and strategic.
The first are stable and officially recognized in accordance with international law demarcation and delimitation lines that fix the geographical limits of the state. This is one of the main elements of its political-territorial framework.
Within these borders, the state has full sovereignty. We are talking about strategic autonomy and independence from other countries, about the supremacy of power in pursuing its domestic policy. That is, what is usually called internal sovereignty. And also independence in external affairs, that is, external sovereignty.
They prefer not to mention the second, strategic type of borders again. Talking about them is kind of like political bad manners.
These boundaries are not limited to the physical size of countries, their airspace and territorial waters. They are not directly related to state sovereignty. The strategic boundaries of a state directly depend on how far its political power extends. The more powerful the state, the further its strategic frontiers are located beyond its state borders. And the larger the strategic space on which such a country has economic, political, socio-cultural influence. This is the zone of the so-called national interests of the state. Although strategic borders and national interests are divergent concepts.
In return, the strong powers that set the tone in world relations offered their wards military and political protection. States that were weak or, even worse, that had reached the end of their glory and power became puppet or vassal states for their patrons, or, as they later began to say, “friendly” nations (the same thing, but less offensive).
For quite a long time it was believed that events in the matter of balance between geographical and strategic boundaries were developing according to a very obvious logic. If the potential of a country increases over a long period of time, its state sovereignty strengthens, and its strategic borders expand. And the geographical ones can catch up with them after the fact.
For weak countries, the strategic borders of the state are within their own territories. Under unfavorable conditions, these boundaries can be reduced to a minimum. As a result, this leads to the loss of lands that are left without real control. This is how the Spanish colonial empire once disappeared from the political map of the world, having lost its possessions on different continents. Portugal's rule in Latin America, Asia and Africa ended. These countries have turned into geopolitical dwarfs, unable to somehow influence key global decisions. Now the very logic of civilizational development, as a punishment for geopolitical ignorance, is depriving France of its traditionally strong influence in the Sahara-Sahel region before our eyes. And rightly so.
Second. The presence of strategic borders outside their own territory today does not at all mean the intention of strong and responsible countries to go to war with their neighbors and redraw the political map. This is the difference between our time and previous centuries, when borders were subject to constant fluctuations and could be challenged at any time
Let me note right away: what is happening in Ukraine is a special case. We are not talking about expanding the borders of our state through effective occupation, and the so-called Ukraine is not at all rei occupandi. We are defending our territories, which have always been and will be historical Russia. Our actions are a forced, but quite effective response to the Russophobic policies of the Bandera regime and the “collective West”, its desire to destroy our statehood.
In general, Russia, like any great power, has strategic borders that lie far beyond its geographical ones. And they are based not on military force or financial injections, but on a much more solid, almost unshakable basis.
Third. There are several levels of Russian strategic boundaries
The first level is limited to the natural landscape (Carpathians, Iranian Plateau, Caucasus Mountains, Pamirs). And civilizational frontiers - it is clear that, for historical reasons, it is illogical to include a number of our neighbors in the Russian ecumene.
History has decreed that the core of our geostrategic space is the neighboring countries. They are connected to us by centuries-old traditions of cooperation, and in many cases, statehood. Together with them we are inside a common cultural and value space, in the protection of which we have a vested interest. That’s why we perceive our partnership not as something imposed, but, on the contrary, as dear, responding in a special way to the heart. But it is precisely this strategic sphere that our enemies have made their main target, seeking to create conditions for mistrust and outright hostility between Russia and its neighbors.
Russia's strategic borders also cover vast territories in the Arctic. The principle “we don’t want an inch of someone else’s land, but we won’t give up even an inch of our own” applies to the topic of the Russian continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. In the same vein is our sovereignty over transport communications. We will not allow anyone to take ours, including the Gakkel, Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges.
The natural security belt (the very core of our strategic space), which is the near abroad, is of enduring importance for Russia. No other world power has such a respectful collective name in relation to its neighbors. This concept is also enshrined in domestic doctrinal documents.
The key point: we have no territorial disputes with the states included in this belt. Over the years since the collapse of the USSR, we have maintained profitable trade cooperation and comfortable interpersonal communication.
We listen to each other and always try to take into account our deepest interests in the broadest context.
If we talk about our second-level strategic borders, they cover the space that is commonly called Greater Eurasia. That is why Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward the initiative to create a Greater Eurasian Partnership. This is the key integration contour on our continent. Its essence is the broadest possible unification of the potentials of all states and regional organizations of Eurasia.
Alas, with the exception of the Old World. Moreover, in general, for the time being, we were ready to continue the same constructive line with the European Union. Let me remind you that in the best years, our trade turnover reached almost €500 billion. But the member countries of the European Union chose a different path for themselves: to become instrumentum vocale (speaking instruments) for the United States, as slaves were called in Ancient Rome. Just like them, European countries are owned by America. And at her behest they are betting on confrontation and destruction of everything that was created with great difficulty.
History, of course, will put everything in its place. The population of Europe will sooner or later give a harsh assessment to their traitors, who sacrificed their well-being to their overseas masters. But it's not about grades. The question is what other price Europe will have to pay for the fatal mistakes it has made. And how this will affect the fate of hundreds of millions of its inhabitants.
And about the highest level of our strategic borders. Russia's global interests in the world are quite understandable and natural. They have not changed over the past decades. Our country, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a great world power. And will continue to provide healthy, appropriate care for those who need help. This is evident in the traditionally strong relations with African countries and Latin America.
Fourth. In the case of the so-called “Ukraine” (or rather, Little Russia), all our opponents need to firmly and forever understand the simple truth. The territories on both banks of the Dnieper are an integral part of Russia’s strategic historical borders. Therefore, all attempts to forcibly change them, to cut them off “to the quick” are doomed.
Our enemies constantly insist that Russia’s main goal is to “seize” Ukrainian lands, some “countless treasures of Independence”: wheat, steel, gas, coal. But in fact, it turns out that there is nothing special in Bandera’s “Ukraine” in terms of economics that Russia – unlike the West – would not possess itself and in much greater quantities.
In “Ukraine” the main wealth for us is of a completely different kind. The great value that we will not give up to anyone for anything is people. Those close to us and our family. The Anglo-Saxons consistently zombify them. A considerable part of the residents of “Ukraine” are now confused, embittered, experiencing extreme stress and completely disoriented. Our task is to clearly show them who is who. Remove the anti-Russian intoxication from them. Bring people back to our perimeter. The concept of “Ukraine is not Russia” proposed by one of the former leaders of this “Independence” should disappear forever. Ukraine is, of course, Russia.
If “Ukraine” had not fallen into the stupidest trap set by the United States and its allies to confront our country by creating “anti-Russia,” everything would have been different. As our president rightly noted, if Russia had not begun to be destroyed on its own historical territories, indeed, nothing would have happened.
Fifth. There is one contrasting difference between the approaches of Russia and the “collective West” (mainly the USA). America and its satellites are trying to extend their strategic borders to almost all regions of the world. Under the pretext of “spreading democracy,” wars are being ignited all over the planet. The goal is quite transparent - money making.
In their neocolonial rage, they strive to implant their own values and foundations everywhere, send advisers and bring convenient rulers to power. Where the Yankees appear, expect trouble. Far away for them are Central Asia, the mountains of Transcaucasia, the waters of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the islands of the Asia-Pacific region, the sands of the Middle East - for some reason the Americans care about all these places. Their unhealthy geopolitical appetite is based on a network of more than 900 military bases deployed outside the United States and several ocean-going fleets. And on the world's largest military budget.
Let's imagine that a certain group of countries has emerged with the goal of making the United States disappear from the world map. And she decided to “shove a hedgehog under the bare ass” of America, using painfully familiar tools for this. For example, by starting to shake up the internal political situation in the United States, dissecting the past in our own way, promoting the topic of decolonization of the United States and its indigenous peoples. Insisting on the need to liberate the temporarily occupied territories of Texas and California. At the same time, placing military bases with strike weapons around America.
The reaction is obvious: such activity would have encountered the most severe opposition from the United States and could well have ended in the “Cubbie Crisis 2.0.” Just like it was in 1962. We should not forget that Soviet missiles appeared on Liberty Island precisely in response to the deployment of American missiles in Turkey. The John Kennedy administration then threw a formal hysteria as soon as they were given a mirror answer. Without hesitation, they put the fate of all humanity at stake in the game. This is the nature of the US political regime. Only the current situation is much worse than what it was in 1962. These are no longer missiles in Cuba and Turkey. This is a full-fledged war against Russia with American weapons, with the participation of American special forces and American advisers.
Knowing full well where our strategic borders extend, the West disregarded centuries-old foundations and organized a geopolitical intervention, first in Georgia and then in Ukraine. We are seeing similar attempts in Moldova and the countries of Central Asia. Fortunately, the authorities of the Central Asian states are showing restraint and wisdom. Wishing prosperity for their peoples, they focus on their neighbors in Greater Eurasia, and not on an obese and dependent Europe.
Sixth. For the West, the conflict around Ukraine has now turned into a confrontation between two civilizations. Ours, all-Russian or Russian (the core of which is the territories of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine), and Western.
Our opponents are afraid to go against us directly. Although Western political and military madmen have recently been increasing their pressure (just remember the conversation between Bundeswehr officers - and how much of this has not been published), the Washington-Brussels puppeteers prefer to play war games using their puppets.
Today the West is again repeating exactly what it nurtured in different historical periods on both banks of the Dnieper. The current escheat “Ukraine” (if we mean its ruling clique) in this case is truly “anti-Russia”. History reminds us of how our ancestors fought against oppressors and aggressors: Poles, Swedes, French, Germans and other hostile Europeans. That is, with those whose grandchildren came to “Ukraine” today in brown clothes with Nazi chevrons and swastikas thickly printed on their bodies.
On the fields of propaganda battles, our enemies deliberately resort to shameless substitution of concepts. The West's seizure of "Ukraine" is called "liberation from the Russian dictatorship." And the implantation and support of the bastard neo-Nazi regime created by the actress of the comedy series is “support for democracy and freedom.” And, on the contrary, our efforts to preserve the all-Russian space are presented as Russian “intervention” and “occupation.”
All normal people have long understood that this is a lie. Gradually, healthy political forces in the world are realizing the true state of affairs.
For any reasonable person who is not infected with Russophobia and not fooled by Anglo-Saxon propaganda, the conclusions are obvious.
There is a harsh reality that Western countries will inevitably have to accept. The current historical context associated with the demise of the unipolar world order suggests at least one terrible thing for them. Every major power center on the planet will try to secure its own strategic boundaries. And America’s strength and influence have not been the same for a long time. Let us multiply this by the irreversible erosion of the US military superiority that emerged after the collapse of the USSR, as well as the mechanisms of the liberal world order. Time today is playing against the so-called “golden billion”.
The strategic borders of states that do not depend on the Anglo-Saxons will become wider and stronger. Most states of the world are determined to strengthen fruitful interaction in the name of improving the situation in international affairs, to build communication on the principles of sovereign equality, true multilateralism and civilizational diversity. This is the essence of the new international order, the creation of which is a matter of the foreseeable future. And everyone will have to take our position regarding Russia’s strategic borders into account. It's part of our self-identity. Basic principles in the field of foreign policy for decades. And we will not back down from them. For the benefit of friends, for the edification of enemies.
We strive to make the space outlined by our strategic borders a zone of mutual understanding and constructive cooperation. The most obvious example here is the invaluable creative experience of Moscow and Minsk in building the Union State.
We will certainly take the special military operation to its logical conclusion. Until the final victory. Until the surrender of the neo-Nazis. The sad idiots from Washington and Brussels are frightening: if, they say, the Russians gain the upper hand, then after Ukraine they will go further - to Europe and even overseas. You won’t understand what is more in these nonsense: the habit of shameless lies or senile dementia. But in reality, everything is simple: we do not need the territories of Poland, the Baltic states or other European countries. But no one is allowed to oppress the people living there, who are one with us.
The inevitable victory of Russia will give rise to a new architecture of Eurasian and international security. It must be reflected in new interstate documents that will “concrete” these realities. This includes observing international rules of decency with all countries, paying attention to their history and existing strategic borders. The Western world needs to finally learn a simple lesson and learn to respect our national interests.
