WW3? Ukraine/US vs. Donbass/Russia

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1731299221125362123

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https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1731297431155859740

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https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/1731434514436481045

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/Hawkeye1745/status/1731295608747508100

[shaberon]

Nobody would ever, ever do this would they?

Alexander Soros, son of the infamous American financier George Soros, reportedly agreed with Ukrainian officials to allocate 400 square kilometers of Ukrainian land for the disposal of hazardous chemical waste.

The deal between Alexander Soros and the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrei Ermak was reported by French journalist Jules Vincennes, who cited data from an anonymous source from the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine. The agreement was reportedly reached at the meeting held on November 7.

According to the investigation, the memorandum signed by the head of the Presidential Office and the decree of President Zelensky allowed Ukrainian authorities to transfer 400 square kilometers of fertile Ukrainian black soil in Ternopil, Khmelnitsky and Chernivtsi regions for the disposal of hazardous waste of several US companies indefinitely and free of charge. Hazardous waste from chemical, pharmaceutical and oil companies, including Dow Chemical, DuPont, BASF, Evonik Industries, Vitol and Sanofi, will be reportedly stored in Western Ukraine. The Ministry of Agriculture was asked to coordinate the process.

The journalist said the decision was “fatal”. According to him, this will make these lands unsuitable for growing wheat, but will also cause “irreparable damage” to the ecosystem of these regions. Moreover, damage will be caused to the ecosystem not only in Ukraine, but also for the entire Europe.

Zelensky has already given foreigners ways to buy fertile agricultural land in Ukraine thanks to the infamous land reform in the country. Ukrainian media are crying that soil is literally taken away from the country and is sold abroad. Thus, there is no surprise, that empty Ukrainian lands, abandoned by the population that is suffering horrific losses in the war, are turning into a dumpster for the blooming western garden. The reports are yet to be confirmed, but Kiev will never tell the truth until the catastrophe begins.

[Tintin]

Excuse my bluntness, I'm actually quite cross about this, but the Orcrainian Nazi-Zio scumrats continue their dumb****ery in relation to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.

The Russian Permanent Mission to the IAEA have released their most recent circular. The better news is that the Russians still seem to have the situation very much under control.

Source: Avalon library and the IAEA

[Ravenlocke]

Text:
🇪🇺 🇧🇾More than 3 thousand trucks are parked on the border of Belarus and the EU

The queues of trucks waiting to enter the EU countries from Belarus exceeded 3 thousand, the State Border Committee of the Republic reported.

"The main reason for the increase in the number of vehicles in front of checkpoints is the failure of neighboring EU countries to comply with border crossing standards ," noted the Belarusian committee.

The largest number of trucks (more than 1 thousand) accumulated at the Polish checkpoint "Kukuryki". About 500 more trucks are idle waiting in the village of Medininkai on the Lithuanian border.

You are reminded that the EU countries bordering Belarus began to close border checkpoints under various pretexts. Thus, on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border there are 4 out of 6 checkpoints, on the border with Poland - 2 out of 6. There is one border checkpoint between Latvia and Belarus.

BALTNEWS

https://x.com/dana916/status/1731650141042462767

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https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/1731709541958439064

Text:
Russian Defense Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation

4 December 2023

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.

▫️ In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery repelled one attack of assault groups of the AFU 57th Mechanized Brigades close to Sinkovka (Kharkov region).

Up to 35 Ukrainian troops, three armored fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, and one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system have been eliminated.

▫️ In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces, helicopters, and artillery repelled five attacks of assault groups of the AFU 63rd and 67th mechanized brigades close to Yampolovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic).

The enemy losses amounted to up to 280 troops, five Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, and three motor vehicles.

▫️ In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 24th, 93rd mechanized brigades near Kurdyumovka and Kleshcheyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The enemy lost up to 300 Ukrainian troops, two armored personnel carriers, and three motor vehicles.

▫️ In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the AFU 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade close to Priyutnoye (Zaporozhye region).

The enemy losses amounted to up to 100 Ukrainian troops, four armored fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles.

▫️ In Zaporozhye direction, one attack launched by assault groups of the AFU 118th Mechanized Brigade near Nesteryanka (Zaporozhye region) was repelled by the Russian Group of Forces, air strikes, and artillery fire.

The enemy lost up to 40 Ukrainian troops, two armored personnel carriers, and three motor vehicles.

▫️ In Kherson direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on clusters of manpower and hardware of the AFU 36th, 37th marines brigades near Tyaginka (Kherson region).

Up to 50 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M777 artillery system, as well as one Giatsint howitzer have been neutralized by fire.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged AFU manpower and hardware in 107 areas during the day.

Air defense units shot down 30 unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Novovodyanoye, Lisichansk (Lugansk People's Republic), Peski, Spornoye, and Aleksandrovka (Donetsk People's Republic), Novaya Zburyevka, (Kherson region) and Tokmak (Zaporozhye region), as well as one HIMARS MLRS projectile.

📊 In total, 545 airplanes and 256 helicopters, 9,391 unmanned aerial vehicles, 442 air defense missile systems, 13,775 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,187 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,227 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 15,894 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

Russian Defense Ministry

https://x.com/dana916/status/1731649274025255290

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https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/1731713997022318768

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1731575289833042265

https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1731575763730645178

https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1731691980407644303

https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1731645612561445094

https://x.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1731630159273292073

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/its_maria012/status/1731345084438950124

https://x.com/its_maria012/status/1731344005282271658

https://x.com/its_maria012/status/1731344011686981813

[Ravenlocke]

https://x.com/KitKlarenberg/status/1731678929398755604

[Ravenlocke]

Posted by shaberon (here)
Nobody would ever, ever do this would they?

Alexander Soros, son of the infamous American financier George Soros, reportedly agreed with Ukrainian officials to allocate 400 square kilometers of Ukrainian land for the disposal of hazardous chemical waste.

The deal between Alexander Soros and the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrei Ermak was reported by French journalist Jules Vincennes, who cited data from an anonymous source from the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine. The agreement was reportedly reached at the meeting held on November 7.

According to the investigation, the memorandum signed by the head of the Presidential Office and the decree of President Zelensky allowed Ukrainian authorities to transfer 400 square kilometers of fertile Ukrainian black soil in Ternopil, Khmelnitsky and Chernivtsi regions for the disposal of hazardous waste of several US companies indefinitely and free of charge. Hazardous waste from chemical, pharmaceutical and oil companies, including Dow Chemical, DuPont, BASF, Evonik Industries, Vitol and Sanofi, will be reportedly stored in Western Ukraine. The Ministry of Agriculture was asked to coordinate the process.

The journalist said the decision was “fatal”. According to him, this will make these lands unsuitable for growing wheat, but will also cause “irreparable damage” to the ecosystem of these regions. Moreover, damage will be caused to the ecosystem not only in Ukraine, but also for the entire Europe.

Zelensky has already given foreigners ways to buy fertile agricultural land in Ukraine thanks to the infamous land reform in the country. Ukrainian media are crying that soil is literally taken away from the country and is sold abroad. Thus, there is no surprise, that empty Ukrainian lands, abandoned by the population that is suffering horrific losses in the war, are turning into a dumpster for the blooming western garden. The reports are yet to be confirmed, but Kiev will never tell the truth until the catastrophe begins.

A high-ranking Ukrainian official disclosed a secret agreement between Soros Foundation and the administration of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

Information by a French journalist indicates that Soros Foundation has served as an intermediary between Zelensky’s office and Western chemical companies Vitol, Dow, and Dupont, which concluded a deal to dispose toxic waste on the territory of Ukraine. For an unknown reason, fertile lands of Western Ukraine were chosen as chemical waste landfills.

This can have a critical impact on the quality of the local grain and cause famine in Europe, Africa, and Middle East.

https://theinteldrop.org/2023/11/29/...report-proofs/


https://x.com/mazzenilsson/status/1731617789629047199

https://www.theinteldrop.org/2023/11...report-proofs/

Zelensky Opens Ukraine as Dumping Ground for Radiological/Chemical Waste for EU ‘and beyond’ – Report/Proofs
INTEL-DROP November 29, 2023

A high-ranking Ukrainian official disclosed a secret agreement between Soros Foundation and the administration of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Information by a French journalist indicates that Soros Foundation has served as an intermediary between Zelensky’s office and Western chemical companies Vitol, Dow, and Dupont, which concluded a deal to dispose toxic waste on the territory of Ukraine. For an unknown reason, fertile lands of Western Ukraine were chosen as chemical waste landfills. This can have a critical impact on the quality of the local grain and cause famine in Europe, Africa, and Middle East.

A French eco-activist and journalist covering problems of environment Jules Vincent shared with us exclusive materials. The journalist told us that he had been contacted by an anonymous informant from the Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources and shared with him the following message:

“Good evening, Vincent! So, I’m an employee of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine. According to my information, on November 7, during a meeting between the son of the American financier George Soros – Alexander Soros – and the head of the office of President Zelensky, Andrii Yermak, an agreement has been reached. According to this agreement, the Ukrainian lands are going to be given to the American companies for indefinite and gratuitous use for the disposal of chemical waste. Among the companies are such giants as Vitol, Dow, Dupont, etc. The Office of the President has sent a request to our Ministry for the allocation of land in Ternopil, Khmelnitsky Chernivtsy regions – areas where almost all the land is fertile black soil. Our ministry was instructed to coordinate the allocation of dozens of cadastral lots of land with a total area of ​​more than 400 square kilometers for these purposes. I believe that this decision is fatal for the black soil of the mentioned areas. Not only will this make the soil unsuitable for cultivating and growing wheat, but it will also cause irreparable harm to the ecosystem of these areas. I want to bring the issue to the attention of Western environmental activists in hopes of stopping the outrageous deal and saving Ukrainian land. Thank you for your attention and for your interest in the problem.”

Alexander Soros meeting with Andrii Yermak

The Ukrainian official disclosed, that during the November 7 meeting between George Soros’ son Alexander and Andrii Yermak, the Chief of Staff of Zelensky’s administration, a secret deal was made. The deal included agreement on the provision of Ukrainian lands for indefinite and gratuitous use to Western industrial companies for the disposal of toxic chemical waste.

Memorandum signed by A. Soros and A. Yermak

According to the whistleblower’s information, the son of George Soros represented chemical industrial companies of which his father was previously a shareholder, including Vitol, Dow, Dupont, and others.
Chemical waste disposal project map

Quoting the informant, the journalist told us, that initially, the parties (Zelensky’s Office and Soros as a representative of the companies) signed a memorandum, which was later followed by a presidential decree on the transfer of the relevant lands.

Zelensky’s decree

Ministry informant alleges, that more than 400 square kilometers of fertile lands of Ternopil, Khmelnitsky and Chernivitsi regions will be transferred to chemical industry waste dumps. It is these lands that serve as the main sown areas, they grow the lion’s share of grain crops exported to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Map of agricultural lands of Ukraine

“Our ministry was instructed to coordinate the allocation of dozens of cadastral plots of land with a total area of more than 400 kilometers for these purposes,” the informant said. “I believe that this decision is deadly for the chernozem soil of the mentioned areas.”

French journalist Vincent was outraged by the secret agreement between Zelensky’s Office and Soros, which will lead to devastating consequences for the environment and for people. His statement is provided below:

The journalist notes, that chemical industry companies which will receive the control over Ukrainian chernozem, manage waste disposal of PFOA, Perfluorooctanoic acid, which increases the risk of cancer and disrupts the hormonal system as a whole. Moreover, the companies intend to dispose of a carcinogen in Ukraine, which is a chemical compound of PVC. Many medical experts consider it to be a destroyer of the endocrine system and the cause of various forms of cancer. The composition of the chemicals that will be disposed of in Ukraine include heavy metals that can infect the soil, making it unsuitable for growing food crops and pasturing for decades to come.

“Ukraine is a massive exporter of grain to Europe, Middle East and Africa. The contamination of Ukrainian soil can result in the infected grain will end up on the shelves of stores in many countries of the world, including European ones,” Vincent said.

The question arises, to which end the chemical industry companies linked to George Soros in the past decided to dispose chemical waste specifically in the Ukrainian chernozem region. Vincent clarifies, that “It is entirely possible, that this is but a part of George Soros’ plan to create artificial worldwide famine for the sake of reducing Earth population.” Previously, Conservative media has repeatedly reported on the malicious plan of some of the world’s elites associated with the creation of a global shortage of food.

“With 400 square kilometers size of chemical waste dump, the actual area of harmful influence is many times larger. The consequences of this decision will be catastrophic for the soil, groundwater, people and animals. We can’t let this happen!” the journalist declares. We join his concerns and call on international organizations to investigate this incident.

[Bill Ryan]

From the BBC, published today. The extracts below are worth reading.

• https://bbc.com/news/world-europe-67565508

Ukraine war: Soldier tells BBC of front-line 'hell'

Outnumbered and outgunned, one front-line soldier has given a sobering account of Ukraine's struggle to cling on to its foothold on the east bank of the vast Dnipro river.

Several hundred Ukrainian soldiers have made it there as part of a counter-offensive launched six months ago.

Under relentless Russian fire, the soldier spent several weeks on the Russian-occupied side of the river as Ukraine sought to establish a bridgehead around the village of Krynky. The BBC is not naming him to protect his identity.

His account, sent via a messaging app, speaks of troop boats blown out of the water, inexperienced reinforcements and a feeling of abandonment by Ukraine's military commanders.

It highlights growing tensions as Ukraine's defence against Russia's invasion grinds to the end of another year.

Ukraine's military told the BBC they are not commenting on the situation in that area for security reasons.

The Ukrainian soldier's quotes are below in bold.

"The entire river crossing is under constant fire. I've seen boats with my comrades on board just disappear into the water after being hit, lost forever to the Dnipro river.

"We must carry everything with us - generators, fuel and food. When you're setting up a bridgehead you need a lot of everything, but supplies weren't planned for this area.

"When we arrived on the [eastern] bank, the enemy were waiting. Russians we managed to capture said their forces were tipped off about our landing so when we got there, they knew exactly where to find us. They threw everything at us - artillery, mortars and flame thrower systems. I thought I'd never get out."

[...snipped...]

"Every day we sat in the forest taking incoming fire. We were trapped - the roads and paths are all riddled with mines. The Russians cannot control everything, and we use it. But their drones are constantly buzzing in the air, ready to strike as soon as they see movement.

"Supplies were the weakest link. The Russians monitored our supply lines, so it became more difficult - there was a real lack of drinking water, despite our deliveries by boat and drone.

"We paid for a lot of our own kit - buying generators, power banks and warm clothes ourselves. Now the frosts are coming, things will only get worse - the real situation is being hushed up, so no-one will change anything.

"No-one knows the goals. Many believe that the command simply abandoned us. The guys believe that our presence had more political than military significance. But we just did our job and didn't get into strategy."

[...snipped...]

"Mostly our losses were mistakes - someone didn't climb in that trench quickly enough; another guy hid badly. If someone isn't switched on, he'll be immediately targeted from everywhere.

"But thanks to our doctors, if we can get an injured soldier to the medics - he'll be saved. They're titans, Gods. But we can't get the remains of the fallen out. It's just too dangerous.

"At the same time our drones and missiles inflict a lot of losses on the enemy. We took prisoners of war once, but where to put them, if we have no way to cross the river even with our own injured comrades?"

[...snipped...]

"Several brigades were supposed to be posted here, not individual companies - we just don't have enough men.

"There are a lot of young guys among us. We need people, but trained people, not the green ones we have there now.

"There are guys who had spent just three weeks in training, and only managed to shoot a few times.

"It's a total nightmare. A year ago, I wouldn't have said that, but now, sorry, I'm fed up.

"Everyone who wanted to volunteer for war came a long time ago - it's too hard now to tempt people with money. Now we're getting those who didn't manage to escape the draft. You'll laugh at this, but some of our marines can't even swim."

[...snipped...]

"I got out after getting concussed from a mine, but one of my colleagues didn't make it - all that was left of him was his helmet.

"I feel like I escaped from hell, but the guys who replaced us last time got into even more hell than us.

"But the next rotation is due. My time to cross the river again is soon."

[Tintin]

Clever! I think I want one in my Christmas stocking

Via SIMPLICIUS The Thinker Ѱ on X

Three-time world champion in practical shooting Roman Khalilov has developed an invisibility cloak for snipers 👻

The development works on the principle of a “thermos” - it does not release heat. In addition, it performs the most important function - it helps to blend into the surrounding area, and is also capable of hiding a soldier from an enemy thermal imager.

[Tintin]

"In what follows, I will consider

1. why Seymour Hersh was the chosen vehicle of American intelligence operatives for bringing this remarkable story to the broad American and Western publics.

2. how elements in the story have been appearing in the writings of other more consciously (com)pliant journalists in recent weeks as a face saving ‘exit ramp’ from the failed Ukrainian adventure is being prepared by the White House

3. what from among the incredible elements exposed by Hersh may actually have some factual basis and give us a foretaste of the end-game in Ukraine as it is currently envisioned in Washington, and maybe even in Moscow."

- Gilbert Doctorow

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From Gilbert Doctorow who addresses the recent Hersh article and also the narrative management that will inevitably now occur in the western media attempting to spin this as a 'victory' for NATO, and her constituent concubines. There is also a German translation for our German friends both member and guest.

Source: https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2023/12/...iming-victory/

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Seymour Hersh, Anatol Lieven and the desperate DC gambit to end hostilities in Ukraine while claiming ‘victory’

gilbertdoctorow | December 3, 2023

Several days ago, the renowned, Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published on his substack.com account an article entitled “General to General. A potential peace is being negotiated in Ukraine by military leaders.”

To be specific, Hersh said that secret talks about a possible peace are presently being conducted by Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief General Valery Zaluzhny and Russia’s highest military officer Valery Gerasimov.

The main attention grabbing paragraph in the article was the following:

“The driving force of those talks has not been Washington or Moscow, or Biden or Putin, but instead the two high-ranking generals who run the war, Valery Gerasimov of Russia and Valery Zaluzhny of Ukraine.”

The next most sensational point in the article was that part of the settlement foresees Russian acceptance of Ukraine joining NATO on condition that NATO formally commits ‘not to place NATO troops on Ukrainian soil’ or to put offensive weapons in Ukraine.

And the final key element in the settlement that would reward Russia for its acquiescence on NATO membership would be Ukraine’s recognition of Crimea as irrevocably Russian and the holding of a referendum in the Donbas and Novorossiya (Zaporozhie and Kherson) oblasts that were liberated by Russia and then joined the Russian Federation, a measure which in effect would be a fig-leaf for formal settlement of the fate of these territories as Russian once and for all.

This article has been widely commented upon in anti-establishment media outlets, which for the most part find Hersh’s revelations to be so incredible as to be unworthy of serious discussion. In a review article carried by the unofficial Chinese journal Asia Times, Stephen Bryen suggests that ‘Hersh has been sold a bill of goods, or duped…’ See “Is Hersh story on secret Ukraine peace talks true?”

In what follows, I will consider

1. why Seymour Hersh was the chosen vehicle of American intelligence operatives for bringing this remarkable story to the broad American and Western publics.

2. how elements in the story have been appearing in the writings of other more consciously (com)pliant journalists in recent weeks as a face saving ‘exit ramp’ from the failed Ukrainian adventure is being prepared by the White House

3. what from among the incredible elements exposed by Hersh may actually have some factual basis and give us a foretaste of the end-game in Ukraine as it is currently envisioned in Washington, and maybe even in Moscow

*****

After passing through a number of years in relative obscurity, after being blacklisted by all U.S. mainstream media outlets, Seymour Hersh emerged center-stage this past February when he published on his substack account a lengthy article which set out in great detail how the bombing of the Nordstream I pipeline was planned and carried out under instructions from the White House and Biden’s close advisers. Though Washington formally denied any involvement in what was arguably the biggest act of state terrorism in history, and though Germany and other interested states in Europe have since done their utmost to divert attention to a cock-and-bull story of Ukrainian responsibility for the bombing of Nord Stream I, Hersh’s account was an expose worthy of the journalistic exploits that once won him the Pulitzer and it remains highly persuasive.

Of course, at age 86 Hersh did not go out and track down the story he published in February. It was brought to him on a silver platter from unidentified sources, i.e. actors within the Administration whose motives remain unclear.

The unidentified sources who have now brought the story of secret negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian generals to end the war could count on Hersh’s profound ignorance of Russia and his desire to again win plaudits for a ‘scoop.’ Here the motives of the ‘leakers’ are not hard to find: Hersh was indeed being duped in an operation to condition Western publics for an end to the Ukraine war under conditions that present defeat as victory.

Let me be perfectly clear: the notion that Russia’s General Gerasimov could on his own volition enter into talks with his Ukrainian opposite number to end the hostilities is a notion that can be entertained only by someone who fails to comprehend what the ‘vertical of power’ in Russia is all about.

At the same time, presumably to illustrate the high standing of Gerasimov, Hersh has placed at the very start of his article a photo of Putin and Gerasimov seated face to face under which we read the following caption:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with General Valery Gerasimov at the headquarters of the Russian armed forces in Rostov-on-Don in October”

This photo is more interesting than Hersh and most readers of his article could imagine. Indeed, this very meeting in October was given video coverage on prime time Russian television on the day it occurred. We saw how Putin arrived by car well after dark following a flight to the Rostov headquarters by helicopter, how he shook hands with Gerasimov and with Defense Minister Shoigu who was also present; then we were shown how Putin departed. There was not a word about the content of these top level talks. Only a couple of days later in a dedicated television news segment did we learn that Russia had just carried out a full scale test of the battle readiness of all three arms of its strategic nuclear triad, which may be described as a direct message to Washington to proceed with great care in the Ukraine war and to think twice before authorizing any further escalation of its deliveries to Kiev of advanced offensive weapons.

A similar news report on Russian state television less than two weeks ago showed Putin, Gerasimov and Shoigu holding talks in secret at the Rostov-on-Don military headquarters. However, in the time since then no extraordinary event in the war or in overall military activities that could be matched with the talks in Rostov. I believe that Putin’s preparing Gerasimov for a meeting with Zaluzhny would fit that description.

At the same time, it is fantasy to think that Ukraine’s general Zaluzhny would risk accusations of treason if he were on his own, acting out of ambition or out of motives to save what is left of the Ukrainian armed forces, to defy President Zelensky and the standing decree prohibiting talks with the Russians so long as Putin remains in power. To suggest that he was doing so because he received backing from Washington as the Americans seek to bypass the obstinate or delusional Zelensky and find an escape path from the Ukrainian disaster is also to misunderstand how things work even in Ukraine, however dysfunctional the ruling elites may appear to be. Let us instead, turn things around: Zaluzhny would assume the role of savior of the nation only at the urging and with ironclad guarantees of protection coming from the Biden administration.

*****
The elements of a possible peace set out in the Hersh article have been circulating for weeks now in the publications and television appearances of mainstream U.S. journalists and academics. There are numerous variations in the combinations of compromises that both Ukrainian and Russian sides are called upon to make according to which academic or pundit is penning any given article.

Let us pause for a moment to look at what one widely read academic / journalist is saying. I have in mind Anatol Lieven and his latest article published on responsiblestatecraft.org: “Biden’s role in Ukraine peace is clear now.”

In popular estimation, Lieven is a middle of the road expert with great depth of experience reporting on Russia. In my estimation, he is a chameleon who speaks out of both sides of his mouth to win over the maximum number of fans. Lieven wallows in the celebrity he enjoys while saying what the bosses in the Administration want him to say.

Going back more than a year, Lieven was especially sympathetic to the Ukrainian side in the war, never more so than when he returned from a visit to Ukraine during which he landed in a hospital and soaked up the anti-Russian vitriol of his fellow patients. He was a longtime defender of Ukrainian resilience and moral strength in standing up to the Russian bully. He was a seeming believer in ultimate Ukrainian victory. Now he has shifted to a position acknowledging the failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive and the hopelessness of the Ukrainian military prospects.

His message today has changed 180 degrees and yet he seeks to find a way to present defeat as victory, in keeping with the boys in the White House staff. I quote at length:

A ceasefire and negotiations for a peace settlement are therefore becoming more and more necessary for Ukraine. Indeed, if the fighting stopped along the existing battle lines, more than 80 percent of Ukraine would be fully independent of (and bitterly hostile to) Russia and free to do its best to move towards membership of the European Union.

Given the Kremlin’s original aims when it launched the invasion last year, and of the history of Russia’s domination of Ukraine over the past 300 years, this would be not a Ukrainian defeat, but, on the contrary, a tremendous Ukrainian victory. If, on the other hand, the war continues indefinitely, there is a real possibility that Ukrainian resistance may collapse, whether through the exhaustion of its manpower or because Russia’s additional forces allow it to reopen the fronts in northern Ukraine that it pulled back from last year and that Ukraine lacks the troops to defend.

Following from this, Lieven argues for a settlement now, well in advance of the U.S. elections, when a Ukrainian collapse would be very damaging for any Democratic candidate.

He says that to bring the Russians around, Washington will have to make major concessions to the fundamental Russian demands from before the start of the war:

[Russia] will need to be assured that Washington is prepared to discuss seriously a final settlement involving neutrality for Ukraine (of course, including international security guarantees), mutual force limitations in Europe, the lifting of sanctions, and some form of inclusive European security architecture to reduce the danger of more wars in the future.

Lieven hopes that the Global South and China, in particular, can be induced “to issue a strong collective call for a ceasefire and peace talks.”

The elements in the concessions to Russia that Lieven proposes are somewhat vague. They are considerably more generous than what Seymour Hersh is proposing. No matter. Both gentlemen and dozens of their peers are being encouraged by the policy formulators in the Administration to prepare the Russians to enter into talks and to prepare the American and European publics for an end to the war that is a defeat dressed up as a victory.

*****

As I intimated above, it is entirely possible that there have been direct talks about ending the war between Gerasimov and Zaluzhny in the past couple of weeks, though neither would be an independent actor as Hersh mistakenly believes.

I will go one step further and say that it is entirely possible that the Russian side suggested that it could accept Ukraine’s entry into NATO if there was a public commitment never to post NATO forces on Ukrainian territory and not to deliver offensive weapons to Ukraine. Such things can be monitored and if there are violations they can lead directly to revocation of the agreement before any harm is done to Russian security interests.

The possible advantage to the Russian side would be to offer the Americans a face-saving exit ramp, thereby ending any possibility of dangerous escalation of American – NATO involvement on the ground should the Ukrainian forces collapse.

Vladimir Putin has been very cautious in conducting this war precisely because the Russians have a decidedly low opinion of the professionalism, and at times even of the sanity of their American counterparts. Putin is strong enough in his entourage of elites and in the broad Russian public to make a persuasive case for any settlement that ensures Russian security interests are served and that the sacrifices in men and fortune that this war has cost will be justified by the outcome.

Even in the less attractive peace terms set out by Hersh, the positive results for Russia would be the definitive liberation of most of the Russian speaking territories of Ukraine from rule by Kiev and their incorporation into the Russian Federation, the de facto demilitarization of Ukraine given its losses on the order of one million men dead or incapacitated, and the confidence that Ukraine can no longer be used as an advance attack platform of NATO against his country.

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2023

[Tintin]

From Armchair Warlord on X discussing Russian buildout and focusing here on tank production:

To follow up my post yesterday about the Russian force buildout - which was largely about personnel - let's talk about equipment. I'll use tanks as a yardstick because everyone loves tanks and they remain highly relevant on the battlefield.

With this latest expansion the Russian Army can now be expected to field approximately 480 maneuver battalions, up from 180 before the war and 400 earlier this year. This is an enormous expansion enabled by formidable industrial capacity and a deep stockpile of Soviet-era hardware. Let's see how they're actually equipping this force.

First of all let's construct a notional "2023 Motor Rifle Regiment" for this force buildout, consisting of:

- 3 heavy infantry battalions (30x IFVs each)
- 1 tank battalion (40x tanks)
- 1 light infantry battalion (trucks) <- "Storm Z"

Thus one out of every five of these new battalions can be expected to be a tank battalion. You notice, by the way, that the Russian Army has actually gotten lighter and begun fielding more infantry as a result of the Ukrainian War - this also happened in WWII. At 300 new battalions this means 60 tank battalions, requiring 2400 machines.

The Russians set a production target for 2023 of 1500 tanks, and it's reasonable to expect that they manufactured (mostly re-manufactured existing hulls, really) half of this, or some 750 tanks, in 2022. This would give a total of 2250 fully modernized machines, either T-90Ms, T-80BVMs or T-72BZs.

At the same time they've lost around a thousand tanks in combat that need to be replaced, leading to an actual requirement for an additional 1,150 machines to complete this force buildout. There's a few ways they could make this up:

1. Many tanks pulled from storage are going to be in acceptable condition and are not going to need factory rebuilds but can instead be fitted out for combat at depots. It's worth noting that the Ukrainians do exactly this (their actual tank factories are long out of operation) and are able to consistently get old T-64Bs refitted to T-64BV standard and deployed. I would expect this to produce "B" divisions with somewhat out-of-date equipment such as T-72B1s and T-80BVs. It's worth noting that many Russian units at the front are equipped at this level.

2. As was quite clear early on, the Russians had a significant number of combat-ready replacement vehicles on hand prior to the war, meaning loss replacement did not need to come entirely out of new builds. These were generally prewar models at the "B" standard, however.

3. Some units can be equipped irregularly. The 114th Brigade fighting north of Avdeevka, for instance, is an ex-DPR unit using a large number of captured Ukrainian T-64s. Similarly it's quite likely the Russians will stand up a few "C" divisions with old equipment, T-62s and the like, for less-demanding missions.

Last edited 6:36 AM · Dec 5, 2023

[Ernie Nemeth]

The slaughter of innocents in the Russia/Ukraine war is acceptable because it is not in our faces, unlike the Israeli war that forcibly pushes into our awareness relentless pro-Palestinian media bias, which this site promotes.

Like Trump says, when Russia brings down an apartment building, you can bet there were more than two deaths...but we are not told and so we conveniently ignore the obvious.

No one laments the killing of civilians in Ukraine, or the slaughter of its military forces.

[Tintin]

Source: https://www.mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy...18688/?lang=en

Sergey Lavrov answers media questions following the recent OSCE meeting in Skopje, Macedonia. He's finding himself having to repeat what has been stressed by Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian political representatives right throughout, well, certainly this iteration of the conflict.

It's worth repeating here too:

Question: Is there a chance to reach an agreement with Ukraine? What needs to be done to get one signed?

Sergey Lavrov: We have discussed this issue many times over many years. There has not been a single major speech by President Putin where he has not been asked this question, and where he has not provided an exhaustive answer.

I will say it again: an agreement was reached in late March 2022 in Istanbul after several rounds of talks. There were three rounds of talks in Belarus and a final round in Istanbul. The fact that it happened exactly that way and an agreement was reached was confirmed by David Arakhamiya who took part in these talks, and currently leads Zelensky’s parliamentary party. He was a member of the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul.

In one of his recent interviews, he said they were ready to sign what we had agreed upon. He said that now, in retrospect, he realised the deal was largely beneficial for them. However, Boris Johnson came and said, “No, let’s do some more fighting.” Everyone knows this. We have discussed this many times. Now, even the Ukrainians have admitted it. So far, we have not seen any signs from Kiev or its handlers that would tell us they are ready to start a political process. Moreover, a year and a half ago, Zelensky signed a special executive order making illegal talks with the government led by Vladimir Putin. It is a punishable offence. He has no plans of rescinding it.

Listen to what the leaders of NATO and the EU are saying: they have to support Ukraine because if Ukraine is defeated, it will be a defeat for all of the West. Lately, they started saying that after Ukraine, Putin will go to the Baltic States, Poland, and other neighbouring countries. This was not some marginal politician who said that, but the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin. He said Russia will not stop at Ukraine, so they have no right to lose in Ukraine. They will either win or lose. They do not hide the fact that they are the ones waging this war.

Just like tango, it takes two to get a political process underway. The guys on the other side, though, are not dancing tango; they are break dancing which takes only one person.

We want to hear answers to the questions that we asked our Western colleagues repeatedly. Yesterday, in my speech, I quoted the Constitution of Ukraine which is still in effect, and which both Petr Poroshenko and then Vladimir Zelensky placed their right hands on when they took the oath. It includes a description of the obligations that the state of Ukraine guarantees to “Russian and other national minorities”: it promotes the consolidation and development of the Ukrainian nation, its historical consciousness, its culture and traditions, as well as cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious identity.

The content and the scope of existing rights and freedoms cannot be diminished. There may be no privileges based on ethnic, linguistic, or other attributes. The right to receive instruction in the native language is guaranteed. Maybe someone out there will compare these commitments and guarantees provided by the Ukrainian state with the havoc they are wreaking now with regard to the Russian language and ethnic Russians who are citizens of Ukraine? I’m not sure why no one is paying attention to this. Not a single honest journalist, in particular, our German colleagues, have ever thought about it. Maybe they have, but they never spoke their minds or published a word about it.

For example, the first thing the Kiev regime did following the February 2014 coup was announce their plans to revoke the status of the Russian language in Ukraine. This was the first thing they said in 2014 when they grabbed power in complete disregard of Germany, France, and Poland, whose ministers gave guarantees as the foundation for the settlement agreement between the opposition and the president. The opposition trampled upon the guarantees and seized power. We asked our German and French colleagues later why they didn’t call the Ukrainian opposition to order. They didn’t give us a straightforward answer, just hinted that democratic processes sometimes take “unusual zigzags.” Something to that effect.

In 2014, too, a coup was attempted in the African nation of Gambia. It failed, but the US State Department minced no words, making it clear that the United States would never come to an agreement with the authorities in any country that came to power by unconstitutional means. In 2015, there was a coup in Yemen. President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia.

For many years, the entire progressive Western community demanded that he return to Yemen and retake the presidential office. They’ve been pushing for that for seven long years and eventually decided to create a “transitional presidential council.” We asked why the president of Yemen enjoyed such support, whereas no one is demanding the return of President Yanukovich in order to start the political process. Yanukovich was also toppled, and he is also an absolutely legitimate head of a UN member state. They told us he left Kiev, that’s why. He left Kiev for Kharkov (everyone knows this) to participate in a congress of his party. This still does not exonerate our Western “friends” with their double standards. Simply put, they needed this anti-Russian, neo-Nazi coup in Ukraine, while in Yemen, they needed to fight to preserve the existing regime. That’s all there is to it.

I already quoted Ukraine’s Constitution. This is what adviser to Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, Mikhail Podolyak, said in May 2022: “As I see it, people in the Kharkov, Lugansk and Donetsk regions should forget the word ‘Russians’ for good.” Ukrainian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Petr Vrublevsky said in an interview: “We are trying to kill as many Russians as possible. The more Russians we kill now the fewer will be left for our children to kill.” Has any influential media outlet in the West paid attention to this? No. Vladimir Zelensky said: “Those in the Kremlin will come to a bad end. I don’t know how but I wish this could happen as soon as possible. They definitely will not die in their beds.”

It is interesting, isn’t it? I can continue quoting. Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Alexey Danilov said: “Everything will be ablaze, burning, until Moscow has been burnt to ashes.” The President of Ukraine’s chief of staff Andrey Yermak said: “The Russians are inhuman beings and have no right to rank among the civilised people of Western countries.” In this one sentence he classified all others, except people in the West, as “uncivilised people”. Did the West utter a word, based on its historical achievements, regarding its claims to be a global leader? The West did not take the trouble to respond in any way.

Vladimir Zelensky was asked what he thought of people living in the east of Ukraine where they refused to recognise the [2014] coup and with whom the Minsk Agreements were signed. He asked in response if they could be called human beings. There do exist representatives of people but not all of them are human beings, rather they are subhuman, “specimen”. How do you like racist language like this? No one paid attention to this. The pinnacle of Vladimir Zelensky’s approach is what he said in August 2021, long before a special military operation began.

Quote: “I believe, for the sake of the future of your children and grandchildren, that if you love Russia and while living all your life in Ukraine you regarded it as Russia, you should realise, for the sake of your children and grandchildren, that you need to go to Russia and find a place there to settle in.” That is, get out of here! Here is a man whom members of the Western political elite call “the hope of democracy” and a man who stands up for “European values” in his fight against Russia; the values of Nazism, fascism which are now being given a new lease on life through the Ukrainian elite with active encouragement from quite a few NATO and European Union member countries.

Maria Zakharova: Surprisingly, the question about Ukraine was not the first or the second to be asked but the seventh. Vladimir Zelensky is deeply afraid that he will be forgotten. We will not allow this to happen.

[avid]

Posted by Ernie Nemeth (here)
The slaughter of innocents in the Russia/Ukraine war is acceptable because it is not in our faces, unlike the Israeli war that forcibly pushes into our awareness relentless pro-Palestinian media bias, which this site promotes.

Like Trump says, when Russia brings down an apartment building, you can bet there were more than two deaths...but we are not told and so we conveniently ignore the obvious.

No one laments the killing of civilians in Ukraine, or the slaughter of its military forces.

You could not be more wrong Ernie, the failure of the MSM to highlight their failures in promoting this proxy war is evidence of the corruption involved. Epic fail by warmongerers, to the ghastly unnecessary demise of hundreds of thousands of conscripts - not unlike Israel v Palestine = genocide, yet also supported by US armaments etc. Damn the globalists - may they fester in hell.

[Bill Ryan]

Most reading this will already be aware of these political machinations, but here's a video update on the entire thing, mostly from Alexander Mercouris. One only needs to listen to the first part of this to get the picture of what's currently happening. (Summary: the vultures are circling around Zelensky.)

Zelensky—Zaluzhny power struggle

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=DwU-Z4vF3LE

[Tintin]

The dimwits in the West continue with their vacuous drivel, bull-horning it ( ) through their usual acquiescent medias to which their even dimmer audiences pay obeisance. Give me strength

In many ways we may actually be at the most interesting stage of the conflict here. I'll leave that to you, the observer, to decide either way: how else does the West try to sell a 'win' from an obvious military - and geopolitical - humiliation?

I'll not post the entire excellent article from Simplicius' Garden of Knowledge save for his eloquent deconstruction of the beyond lame propagandizing from the usual morons - the not-so silent moronity, skulking behind their keyboards and propagating this total nonsense.

Go get 'em Simpl

***

Updates: Ukraine Funding Again Collapses as Increasingly Isolated Zelensky Grows Despondent

SIMPLICIUS THE THINKER
6 DEC 2023

Source: https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/...gain-collapses

"But their clumsy narrative-hopping exposes a major flaw in this new Western propaganda train.

They, like others, argue that Russia is massively expanding its militar, earmarking gigantic new budgets for 2024 and beyond, which is used to adumbrate some looming future conquests. Yet in the same breath, they comically argue that the push for ceasefire is a major Russian propaganda thrust which serves Russia’s interests in ending the war and cementing the new territorial gains. Therefore, they argue, the West should at all costs continue funding Ukraine militarily to thwart this insidious Russian plan to use the ceasefire triumph as a major validation of its conquest.

Think that through for a second. Russia is vastly expanding its budgets and planning to conquer all of Europe, yet at the same time, it is Russia that is clamoring to end the war, and that a ceasefire is a “Russian propaganda” directive? How does that make sense?

That’s on the same order of stupidity as the earlier posted Tweet which highlights how Ukraine claims that only joining NATO would protect it by deterring Russia from ever attacking again, yet at the same time absurdly propounding that Russia is set to attack other NATO members after it conquers Ukraine. So what possible protection can NATO offer?

It’s just risible bile, and shows the utter moral and intellectual barrenness and superficiality of the declining West’s late stage propaganda efforts—they’re not even trying anymore. Just observe doltish Stoltenberg who pantomimes concern with his bovine blinks while expectorating some nonsense like: “We must bring peace by continuing to arm Ukraine!”

It’s a veritable gallery of clowns!

But they do bring up one good point: which is that Russia’s earmarking of vast defense funding for 2024 and beyond appears to fairly refute the notion that Putin and Russia is wont to bend the knee and sign the ceasefire in the near future. If Russia was getting ready to end the war, why would they invest billions in ramping up the entire defense industry while pumping next year’s defense budget to near-unprecedented levels? It implies they aim to continue this war to the end and, unlike the West, are laying the real groundwork."

[Vicus]

NATO planes ‘legitimate target’ in Ukraine – Moscow 6 Dec, 2023

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that the F-16 fighters provided to Kiev could fly from NATO airfields...


FILE PHOTO: An F-16. © Getty Images / Stocktrek Images

Russia will not hesitate to destroy US-made F-16 jets sent to Kiev even if they operate from bases outside Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Speaking at a regular briefing on Wednesday, Zakharova warned that Russia was aware that the West would soon provide Ukraine with advanced fighters, the first delivery of which is expected next year.

However, the spokeswoman pointed out that “a significant part of Ukraine’s airfield infrastructure has been destroyed, and those American fighters may be operating from airfields outside the country,” including in Poland, Slovakia and Romania.

Zakharova further added that the upcoming F-16 deliveries lead NATO to “become even more mired in the Ukraine conflict,” adding that by sending arms to Kiev the US-led military bloc is in fact “waging a hybrid war [against Russia] under the guise of saving Ukraine.”

Ukraine has long requested advanced jets from the West, arguing that they would be crucial in countering Russian air superiority. In May, after months of hesitation, the UK and the Netherlands announced “an international coalition” to help Kiev procure F-16s.

In August, the US cleared the way for Denmark and the Netherlands to re-export the fighters to Kiev – which vowed to send up to 61 jets – while also allowing European countries to train Ukrainian pilots. In October, Belgium also said it would provide Ukraine with an undisclosed number of US-made fighters starting in 2025.

The US itself has also joined the effort to train a “small number” of Ukrainian pilots on its soil, with about 200 additional personnel scheduled to receive maintenance training.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that all political decisions regarding the F-16 deliveries had already been taken and that the planes would arrive in the country once all technical issues had been resolved.

Russia has repeatedly warned the West against arms deliveries to Kiev, noting that they would only prolong the conflict, but would not change its outcome. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also said that Moscow would deem the shipments of F-16 a “nuclear threat,” given that some modifications could carry atomic weapons.

https://swentr.site/russia/588618-f1...timate-target/

[Vicus]

Scott Ritter: Zelensky in Dire Straits as Ukraine Won't Get Operational Pause in Winter 2 hours ago (Updated: 1 hour ago)



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unexpectedly cancelled his appearance via video-link at a secret US Senate briefing. What does the last minute hiccup say about the situation in Ukraine's power circles?

It was expected that Zelensky would inform American congressmen about the latest developments on the ground in Ukraine and urge them to disburse over $60 billion for Ukraine.
On the same day, the upper chamber failed to vote on a Ukraine aid bill because Democrats threw out GOP border reforms from it. In response, Republicans made it clear that they will not support any further assistance to Kiev unless border measures are included in the legislation. Meanwhile, the current Ukraine military package has almost been exhausted. There are also rumors in the Western press that NATO allies want Zelensky either to hold the talks or to freeze the conflict along the line of contact. Will the Kiev regime be forced to take a pause during the winter season?

"Well, what we won't see is a pause," Scott Ritter, former Marine intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, told Sputnik. "I mean, the Ukrainians and even the collective West, they’re throwing terms out there like: 'You know, it's a frozen conflict. We fought them to a standstill.' No, it's not a frozen conflict and they haven't fought the Russians to a standstill. Last winter, you know, the Ukrainians had their victory in Kharkov and Kherson. The Russians were consolidating their defenses, they had mobilized 300,000 men, and they were building the defenses. And so there was a pause that allowed [Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valery] Zaluzhny to plan an operation. They had the luxury of time to build the nine, I think they actually built 12 brigades, equipped them, prepared them for this counteroffensive, etc."

"Right now, we have a situation where the Russians are ready. Those 300,000 are fully trained. The majority of them have not been committed to the battlefield. In addition to that, over 450,000 volunteers and contract soldiers were absorbed. The Russians are at full strength with all the equipment, all the wherewithal. There will be no operational pause. The Ukrainians, on the other hand, have nothing to replace what's happening. They're now literally grabbing teenagers and pregnant women and putting them on the battlefield to fill the holes in the lines. There's nothing coming behind, and the West is out of money. There's no equipment. The Russians are not going to hit the pause button to give Ukraine a chance to catch their breath. The entire purpose of the Russian approach has been to grind the Ukrainians down to the point of exhaustion. And now we're there."



"We're going to see increasingly the elimination of cohesion on the battlefield as Ukrainians will retreat, as holes will be punched in the line. The Ukrainians are, I believe, in a very short period of time, going to be compelled to make a precipitous retreat back to more defensive positions. And that in itself is a very difficult military maneuver, one which Russia could exploit. You know, if they're prepared to push them back even further, but this winter will be a winter of continued death and destruction for the Ukrainians. And the Russians will continue to put the pedal to the metal and keep putting the pressure on the Ukrainians. The goal and objective of Russia is demilitarization. Demilitarization could have been done peacefully. Right now it's being done violently. And it means the absolute destruction of the Ukrainian military. And that is going to happen this winter. It will be destroyed in its totality."

Scott Ritter
former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231206/sc...115426496.html