Strange Diplomacy: Victoria “F*ck the EU” Nuland’s Ukraine Debacle was Strategic Incompetence
After losing 20% of Ukraine w/1.5 million casualties she absconded to a Columbia University sinecure & a National Endowment for Democracy Board of Directors’ Chair
(Scroll down for news updates)
“What’s going on here is the West is leading Ukraine down the primrose path, and the end result is that Ukraine is going to get wrecked.” (Professor John Mearsheimer 9/25/15)
“Victoria Nuland exemplifies the neocons who have led US foreign policy from one disaster to another for the past 30 years while evading accountability. It is a bad sign that President Joe Biden has nominated Victoria Nuland for the third highest position at the State Department, Under Secretary for Political Affairs.” (ronpaulinstitute.org 2/11/21)
“The war began with the violent overthrow of Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, a coup that was overtly and covertly backed by the United States government in the service of NATO expansion.” (Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia, Jeffrey Sachs 3/8/23)
Never any accountability in Washington, DC: Since Victoria Nuland overthrew the democratically elected government of Ukraine in 2014 during the Obama/Biden Administration (along with then Deputy Director of National Security Anthony Blinken), the aggressive anti-Russian policies of the former Assistant Secretary of State for European & Eurasian Affairs & formerly President Biden’s Acting Deputy Secretary of State have led to the loss of 1/5th of the country: Crimea, Kharkov, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye & Kherson.
On December 13, 2013 Nuland claimed during a speech at the US-Ukraine Foundation the US had spent $5 billion on a “secure, prosperous and democratic Ukraine”, then passed out cookies to protestors in Kyiv before her color revolution (with the help of pro-Maidan snipers) created the bloody scenario necessary to remove democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych from office on February 22, 2014.
“Ukraine’s Viktor Yanukovich, a strong candidate for president, said he would keep the country out of NATO if he wins the January 17 election but said he remained committed to taking it into the European mainstream. The 59-year-old Yanukovich, a former prime minister, told the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda Ukraina that he would keep Ukraine out of military blocs, including the NATO alliance, membership of which has been one of Yushchenko’s goals.
‘Ukraine, quite simply, has been and will be a state outside any blocs. We will not aspire to enter either NATO or the ODKB,’ he said, referring to the Russian-dominated Collective Security Pact that brings together some ex-Soviet allies.” (reuters.com 1/07/10)
Almost a month before the Ukrainian president was overthrown, a January 28, 2014 phone call between Nuland and US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt discussing who they wanted to replace Yanukovych post-Maidan was taped and released on YouTube February 4th. After Victoria stated, “So that would be great, I think, to help glue this thing and have the U.N. help glue it and you know...fuck the EU”, Pyatt responded “Oh, exactly”; they then agreed “Yats” (Arseniy Yatsenyuk) would become the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Russia likely released their call to enlighten the world as to who was behind the coup d’état.
Soon after Nuland’s coup, The Guardian newspaper wrote about another phone call: It is the audio of a telephone conversation between Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton. The call was initiated by Paet on 25 February 2014 and only he can be heard speaking:
“In the call, Paet said he had been told snipers responsible for killing police and civilians in Kiev last month were protest movement provocateurs rather than supporters of then-president Viktor Yanukovych. The Estonian foreign ministry confirmed the leaked conversation was accurate. It said: ‘Foreign minister Paet was giving an overview of what he had heard in Kiev and expressed concern over the situation on the ground.’
During the conversation, Paet quoted a woman named Olga – who the Russian media identified as Olga Bogomolets, a doctor – blaming snipers from the opposition shooting the protesters. ‘What was quite disturbing, this same Olga told that, well, all the evidence shows that people who were killed by snipers from both sides, among policemen and people from the streets, that they were the same snipers killing people from both sides,’ Paet said.
‘So she also showed me some photos, she said that as medical doctor, she can say it is the same handwriting, the same type of bullets, and it's really disturbing that now the new coalition, that they don't want to investigate what exactly happened. So there is a stronger and stronger understanding that behind snipers it was not Yanukovych, it was somebody from the new coalition,’ Paet says.
‘I think we do want to investigate. I didn't pick that up, that's interesting. Gosh,’ Ashton says.” (the guardian.com 3/5/14)
In a December 19th interview in the Russian magazine Kommersant, George Friedman, who was the founder and CEO of Stratfor, the ‘Shadow CIA’ firm, said of the overthrow of President Yanukovych on February 22, 2014: “It really was the most blatant coup in history.”
The Pentagon’s think tank, the Rand Corporation, published the game plan to weaken Russia in 2019: Extending Russia - Competing from Advantageous Ground
Its summary says:
“This report examines a range of possible means to extend Russia. As the 2018 National Defense Strategy recognized, the United States is currently locked in a great-power competition with Russia. This report seeks to define areas where the United States can compete to its own advantage. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from Western and Russian sources, this report examines Russia's economic, political, and military vulnerabilities and anxieties. It then analyzes potential policy options to exploit them — ideologically, economically, geopolitically, and militarily (including air and space, maritime, land, and multidomain options). After describing each measure, this report assesses the associated benefits, costs, and risks, as well as the likelihood that measure could be successfully implemented and actually extend Russia. Most of the steps covered in this report are in some sense escalatory, and most would likely prompt some Russian counter-escalation.”
The Neocon playbook against Russia was laid out in the National Interest six months before the Special Military Operation began: “The equivalent of Port Arthur or Afghanistan today is Ukraine. The United States should wish to see Russia suffer a military rebuff of sufficient magnitude to prompt its leaders to reassess their assumptions about the permissiveness of the post-Soviet space as a preferred zone of strategic expansion. America can help bring about this outcome much as it did in Afghanistan: by providing locals the means to better resist Russia at higher volumes than it has done to date and encouraging European allies to do the same. And we should significantly raise the costs for cyber and other attacks on the United States, including via reciprocal attacks on Russian critical infrastructure and by sanctioning Putin’s inner circle and the secondary market for Russian bonds.
This pain, however, must have a goal beyond simply punishment; namely, to inflict a defeat for strategic effect, with the calculated aim of convincing Russia that its chosen path of westward expansion is closed. By contrast, U.S. policy toward Russia-in-Asia should be calibrated to encourage a redirection of Russia’s focus and energies in this direction. Such a policy would consist of economic, military, and political planks.” (Wes Mitchell, nationalinterest.org 8/21/21)
“The massacre by snipers of anti-government activists and police officers in Kiev’s Maidan Square in late February 2014 was a defining moment in the US-orchestrated overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government. The death of 70 protesters triggered an avalanche of international outrage that made President Viktor Yanukovych’s downfall a fait accompli. Yet today these killings remain unsolved.
Enter Ivan Katchanovski, a Ukrainian-Canadian political scientist at the University of Ottawa. For years, he marshaled overwhelming evidence demonstrating that the snipers were not affiliated with Yanukovych’s government, but pro-Maidan operatives firing from protester-occupied buildings.
Though Katchanovski’s groundbreaking has been studiously ignored by the mainstream media, a scrupulous study he presented on the slaughter in September 2015 and August 2021 and published in 2016 and in 2020 has been cited on over 100 occasions by scholars and experts. As a result of this paper and other pieces of research, he has been among the world’s most-referenced political scientists specializing in Ukrainian matters.” (thegrayzone.com 3/12/23)
“In November 2017, Italy’s Matrix TV channel published eyewitness accounts by three Georgians who say they were ordered to kill protesters by Mamuka Mamulashvili. Then the top-ranking military aide to Georgian president Mikhael Saakashvili, Mamulashvili later founded the infamous mercenary brigade known as the Georgian Legion, whose fighters were widely condemned after they published a gruesome video of themselves gleefully executing unarmed and bound Russian soldiers in April 2022.
The documentary, ‘Ukraine: The Hidden Truth,’ features an Italian journalist’s interviews with three Georgian fighters allegedly sent to orchestrate the coup. All described Pashinsky as a key organizer and executor of the Maidan massacre, even alleging the corrupt arms dealers provided weapons and selected specific targets. The film also featured footage of him personally evacuating a shooter from the Square, after they had been caught with a rifle and a scope by protesters and surrounded.
One of the Georgian fighters recalled how he and his two associates arrived in Kiev in January, ‘to arrange provocations to push the police to charge the crowd.’ For almost a month, however, ‘there were not many weapons around,’ and ‘molotov [cocktails], shields and sticks were used to the maximum.’
This changed around mid-February, they said, when Mamualashvili personally visited them alongside a US soldier named Brian Christopher Boyenger, a former officer and sniper in the 101st Airborne Division, who personally gave them orders they ‘had to follow.’
Pashinky then personally moved them along with sniper rifles and ammunition to buildings overlooking Maidan Square, they alleged. At that point, Mamualashvili reportedly insisted that ‘we have to start shooting, so much, to sow some chaos.’
So it was that the Georgian fighters ‘started shooting two or three shots at a time’ into the crowd below, having been ordered to ‘shoot the Berkut, the police, and the demonstrators, no matter what.’ Once the killing was over, Boyenger moved to the Donbas front to fight in the ranks of the Georgian Legion, which Mamulashvili commands to this day.” (thegrayzone.com 9/6/23)
“The war began with the violent overthrow of Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, a coup that was overtly and covertly backed by the United States government in the service of NATO expansion. During his presidency (2010-2014), Yanukovych sought military neutrality, precisely to avoid a civil or proxy war in Ukraine. But this stood in the way of NATO enlargement to Ukraine and Georgia that the US had pushed for from 2008 onward.” (Dr. Jeffrey Sachs: ekathimerini.com 3/8/23)
It didn’t take long for Vladimir Putin to respond to Nuland’s coup d’état, because he knew NATO’s goal was to seize Sevastopol, Russia’s Black Sea naval base on the Crimean Peninsula. Just five days later, on February 27, 2014, he installed a pro-Russian government with a declaration of independence declared on March 16th. Russia reunified Crimea on March 18, 2014, formally reclaiming the strategic Black Sea peninsula Catherine the Great captured from the Ottoman Turks in 1783, but was transferred to Soviet Ukraine by Nikita Khrushchev in 1954. A referendum was then held based on UN statutes of self-determination, with 90% of the population voting to rejoin Russia.
Ethnic Russian provinces in Eastern Ukraine unhappy with Nuland’s coup initially sought the same autonomy enjoyed by Quebec & Catalonia, but were rebuffed by the US puppet government in Kyiv, with Ambassador Pyatt declaring them terrorists. Armed militias in Donbass & Luhansk then seized government buildings and called for independence. In April 2014 Ukraine launched an Anti-Terrorist Operation against the separatist forces and reclaimed most of Donbass. In response, Russia launched a “humanitarian convoy” including military personnel and equipment, which pushed Ukrainian forces back from its border. On May 2, 2014 dozens of “separatists” were burned to death in the Odessa Trade Unions Building by “nationalist” Ukrainians after demonstrations in the city, a rallying point for ethnic Russians to this day.
On September 5, 2014 Ukraine, Russia, Donetsk Peoples’ Republic (DPR) & Luhansk Peoples’ Republic (LPR) signed the first of the infamous Minsk Agreements, which required Ukraine to recognize limited autonomy for Donbass and enshrine it in a new constitution. Instead of granting that autonomy, Ukraine continued to exert its authority over Donbass by force.
In January 2015, DPR & LPR troops seized Donetsk Airport, the last bastion of Ukrainian forces in Donbass. Retreating Ukrainian troops were then caught in a cauldron at Debaltseve by those same DPR & LPR troops. In panic, German Prime Minister Angela Merkel flew to Moscow to stop the massacre and along with Presidents Putin & François Hollande of France agreed on a Minsk II Agreement under the Normandy Format to halt the carnage.
As we now know from recent statements by Merkel and Hollande, the Minsk II Agreement was a ruse to rescue the encircled Ukrainian Army and allow them to rearm for a future campaign against Russia:
“In an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit last week, former German chancellor Angela Merkel revealed the West's real intention behind its negotiation with Russia and Ukraine to promote a ceasefire in 2014. She admitted the Minsk agreements were an ‘attempt to give Ukraine time’ and that Kiev had used it ‘to become stronger.’
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Merkel's remarks were ‘completely unexpected and disappointing.’ As the US media New York Post pointed out, Putin felt betrayed by the West following the Minsk agreements. ‘It has turned out that no one was going to implement the agreements,’ the Russian leader pointed out.” (globaltimes.cn 12/12/22)
“Hollande came clean on Wednesday about the fact that the international agreements for which France acted as guarantor were little more than a ruse to buy the Ukrainian regime some time while it upgraded its military with equipment and training from NATO.
‘Since 2014, Ukraine has strengthened its military posture. It is the merit of the Minsk Agreements to have given the Ukrainian Army this opportunity,’ the former French president told a Ukrainian outlet.” (english.almyadeen.net 1/2/23)
As if to reconfirm the Minsk Agreements went as planned, Hollande was duped by pranksters Vovan and Lexus (pretending to be former Ukraine President Poroshenko) into stating: “Everyone thought it was Putin who was playing for time. No, we were playing for time to strengthen Ukraine.” (Vladimir Kuznetsov & Alexei Stolyarov 4/5/23)
Despite UN Security Council Resolution 2022 (2015) voting to make the Minsk Agreements international law, the ruse worked, with Ukraine building Europe’s largest army while shelling its Donbass region from layered, interlocking & mutually supporting hardened fortifications developed & enhanced over 9 years. Training and preparation by NATO instructors over this period, to include satellite support and AWACS feeds, created the most formidable military in Europe on the Russian border.
“In 2016 the United States deployed a land based air defense system — i.e. Aegis Ashore — in Deveselu, Romania. Aegis Ashorek is a land-based version of the missile system now on Aegis cruisers in the U.S. Navy. Then, last year, the United States set up the same system in Redzikowo, Poland. Only one little problem — the Aegis Ashore system can also be used to launch nuclear tipped Tomahawk Cruise missiles. These two systems have the potential to put a nuke in Moscow within 10 minutes of launch from Poland or Romania.
This threat situation is similar to the one the United States faced in 1961 when the Soviets deployed nuclear missiles to Cuba. Just as the United States correctly viewed those missiles in Cuba as an existential threat, Russia also sees that U.S. placement of missiles as an existential threat to Moscow.” (Larry Johnson sonar21.com 5/10/23)
“Your fight is our fight. 2017 will be the year of offense. All of us will go back to Washington and push the case against Russia.” Senator Lindsey Graham (@ 1:20) to Ukrainian troops while meeting President Poroshenko in 2016.
The Neocon plan to “weaken” Russia was laid out for the world to see by Wes Mitchell in The National Interest in August 2021:
“The United States should wish to see Russia suffer a military rebuff of sufficient magnitude to prompt its leaders to reassess their assumptions about the permissiveness of the post-Soviet space as a preferred zone of strategic expansion. America can help bring about this outcome much as it did in Afghanistan: by providing locals [Ukrainians] the means to better resist Russia at higher volumes than it has done to date and encouraging European allies to do the same. And we should significantly raise the costs for cyber and other attacks on the United States, including via reciprocal attacks on Russian critical infrastructure and by sanctioning Putin’s inner circle and the secondary market for Russian bonds. This pain, however, must have a goal beyond simply punishment; namely, to inflict a defeat for strategic effect, with the calculated aim of convincing Russia that its chosen path of westward expansion is closed.” (nationalinterest.org 8/21/21)
According to the UN, from Nuland’s February 2014 coup d'état to Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukraine shelling of the separatist Donbass region resulted in over 14,000 casualties (news.un.org 9/9/22).
For example, on November 30, 2021, President Putin warned NATO against stationing troops and weapons in Ukraine, saying it would cross a red line. Western media outlets reported on December 7, 2021 that President Biden told Putin “where to shove his red lines” during their two-hour video summit.
In the months before the invasion, Russia reached out to the West, requesting security guarantees as NATO marched towards its border: continuing to supply Ukraine with military advisors, billions in advanced equipment as well as funding numerous bio-labs. On December 17, 2021 Russia proposed the “Treaty between The United States of America and the Russian Federation on security guarantees” & “Agreement on measures to ensure the security of The Russian Federation and member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” but received no response from Washington or Brussels for a month.
After receiving an official non-response concerning NATO expansion from the US State Department on January 27, 2022, Foreign Minister Lavrov diplomatically stated, "The content of the US response on security guarantees allows you to count on a serious conversation, but on secondary topics. There is no answer to the most important question - about the non-expansion of NATO to the east and deployment of strike weapons that can pose a threat to the territory of Russia, which we consider unacceptable."
Following January 2022 talks between the US, NATO, OSCE & the Russian Federation in Geneva & Brussels respectively, the State Department chose to ignore Russia’s request for security guarantees to not expand into Ukraine and Georgia, stating: “Washington will not consider Russian proposals on no expansion of NATO, and has no intention of even discussing the idea”.
In retrospect, however, the tipping point for Russia most likely was President Zelensky’s suggestion at the Munich Security Conference two weeks before the invasion that Ukraine might pursue nuclear weapons.
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to suggest late last week that his country could pursue nuclear weapons as a way to defend itself from Russian aggression as Russian President Vladimir Putin sends forces into separatist regions of Ukraine that he recognized as independent as of this week.
‘Ukraine has the nuclear technologies created back in the Soviet times and delivery vehicles for such weapons, including aircraft, as well as the Soviet-designed Tochka-U precision tactical missiles with a range of over 100 kilometers. But they can do more; it is only a matter of time. They have had the groundwork for this since the Soviet era,’ Putin said. ‘In other words, acquiring tactical nuclear weapons will be much easier for Ukraine than for some other states I am not going to mention here, which are conducting such research, especially if Kiev receives foreign technological support. We cannot rule this out either.
If Ukraine acquires weapons of mass destruction, the situation in the world and in Europe will drastically change, especially for us, for Russia,’ Putin continued. ‘We cannot but react to this real danger, all the more so since, let me repeat, Ukraine’s Western patrons may help it acquire these weapons to create yet another threat to our country.’” (dailywire.com 2/23/22)
Speaking of weapons of mass destruction, Victoria Nuland confirmed the existence of bio-labs across Ukraine at a Congressional hearing on March 8, 2022, with subsequent reports confirming the DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency) had been funding them for decades.
Sen. Marco Rubio: Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons?
Victoria Nuland: Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, we’re now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how we can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach.
“Judicial Watch announced today it received 345 pages of records from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), a component of the U.S. Department of Defense, revealing that the United States funded anthrax laboratory activities in a Ukrainian biolab in 2018. Dozens of pages are completely redacted, and many others are heavily redacted. The records show over $11 million in funding for the Ukraine biolabs program in 2019.
The records were obtained in response to a February 28, 2022, Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for records regarding the funding of Black & Veatch involving work of any manner with biosafety laboratories in the country of Ukraine.” (judicialwatch.org 11/10/22)
Confirmation of DTRA funded bio-labs in Ukraine wasn’t all, Nuland’s guarantee of the Nord Stream pipeline destruction signaled that destroying Russia is her obsession, to the point of ideological blindness.
“‘If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,’ undersecretary of state for political affairs Victoria Nuland told a press briefing.
Asked how she could make that assertion with confidence, Nuland replied, ‘We’ve had extensive consultations at every level with our German allies. I’m not going to get into the specifics here today, but we will work with Germany to ensure that the pipeline does not move forward.’” (cnsnews.com 1/28/22))
In a January 2023 Senate hearing a year after her Nord Stream 2 pipeline destruction promise, Nuland bragged about blowing up critical infrastructure in Europe on 9/26/22: “Senator Cruz, like you, I am and I think the Administration is gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea.”
“Russia has spent months pummeling the country with missiles, seeking not only to cause destruction but also deplete Ukraine’s air defense stocks. Ukrainian soldiers have described acute shortages of basic ammunition, including mortar rounds and artillery shells. And upwards of 100,000 Ukrainian forces have died in the year-long war, U.S. officials estimate, including the most experienced soldiers.” (politico.com 3/15/23)
Nuland graduated from Brown University in 1983 and served as Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot from 1993-96 before becoming Deputy Director for former Soviet Union affairs.
“Nuland served as Vice President Dick Cheney’s deputy national security adviser from 2003-2005, during the illegal U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, a painful chapter in U.S. history that left over a million Iraqis dead and thousands of U.S. soldiers in body bags.
In 2005, Nuland became ambassador to NATO, where she lobbied Europe to participate in the disastrous U.S. occupation of Afghanistan. In persuading other governments the U.S. could win that war, she sold a lie across Europe to prolong a near 20-year occupation that left Afghanistan broke, with 6 million children and adults at risk of starvation.
Nuland has repeatedly stated that she wants to destabilize other regions in Russia’s nuclear neighborhood: Belarus and Kazakhstan, because they are too friendly with Russia. What critics say she really wants is regime change in Russia, a country of 193 million people, 150 different ethnic minorities and 6,000 nuclear weapons.” (consortiumnews.com 3/8/23)
According to Wikipedia, Victoria is married to Robert Kagan, a foreign policy commentator for the Brookings Institute. Apparently, the Kagan/Nuland family business is manufacturing consent for continuous war among the DC political elite: that’s some strange diplomacy:
“In the summer of 2011, Nuland became special envoy for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe[14] and then became State Department spokesperson.[15]” (wikipedia) In May 2013, Nuland was nominated to act as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, where she was supposed to employ diplomacy in relations with Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet states.”
“In 1997, Kagan co-founded the now-defunct neoconservative think tank Project for the New American Century with William Kristol.[4][6][14] Through the work of the PNAC, from 1998, Kagan was an early and strong advocate of military action in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan as well as to ‘remove Mr. Hussein and his regime from power’.[15][16] After the 1998 bombing of Iraq was announced Kagan said ‘bombing Iraq isn't enough’ and called on Clinton to send ground troops to Iraq.[17] In January 2002, Kagan and Kristol falsely claimed in a Weekly Standard article that Saddam Hussein was supporting the ‘existence of a terrorist training camp in Iraq, complete with a Boeing 707 for practicing hijackings, and filled with non-Iraqi radical Muslims’. Kagan and Kristol further alleged that the September 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta met with an Iraqi intelligence official several months before the attacks.[18] The allegations were later shown to be false.”
“We are at the edge of war with Russia and China on issues which we partly created, without any concept of how this is going to end or what it’s supposed to lead to.” (Henry Kissinger to wsj.com 8/12/22) Why did Kissinger & Nixon go to China in 1971/72, to keep China & Russia from allying. What has Victoria Nuland accomplished: fused China & Russia together in a military alliance.
“Eight years before his death in 2005 at 101, George Kennan marshaled his Russia expertise again when he warned that in extending ‘NATO’s borders smack up to those of Russia we are making the greatest mistake of the entire post-Cold-War era.’
Kennan continues: "I think it is the beginning of a new cold war. I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. I think it is a tragic mistake. There was no reason for this whatsoever. No one was threatening anybody else. This expansion would make the Founding Fathers of this country turn over in their graves. Of course there is going to be a bad reaction from Russia, and then (the NATO expanders) will say that we always told you that is how the Russians are — but this is just wrong. This has been my life, and it pains me to see it so screwed up in the end.” (foreignpolicy.com 1/23/23)
Not only did Victoria Nuland ignore State Department legend George Kennan’s sage advice, but also that of the current CIA Director in a 2008 cable when he was Ambassador to Moscow:
“Russian Opposition Neuralgic and Concrete: Ukraine and Georgia’s NATO aspirations not only touch a raw nerve in Russia, they engender serious concerns about the consequences for stability in the region. Not only does Russia perceive encirclement, and efforts to undermine Russia’s influence in the region, but it also fears unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences which would seriously affect Russian security interests. Experts tell us that Russia is particularly worried that the strong divisions in Ukraine over NATO membership, with much of the ethnic-Russian community against membership, could lead to a major split, involving violence or at worst, civil war. In that eventuality, Russia would have to decide whether to intervene; a decision Russia does not want to have to face.” (Wikileaks)
“Direct negotiations between a Ukrainian and a Russian delegation had already been underway since late February 2022, and in the third week of March, “only a month after the outbreak of the war, they (had) agreed on the broad outlines of a peace settlement. Ukraine promised not to join NATO and not to allow military bases of foreign powers on its territory, while Russia promised in return to recognize Ukraine’s territorial integrity and to withdraw all Russian occupation troops. Special arrangements were made for the Donbas and Crimea.” (Cf. Michael von der Schulenburg: UN Charter: Negotiations! In: Emma of March 6, 2023)
“‘After my appointment as the defense minister, my first visit is made to Russia in order to demonstrate to the outside world the high level of Chinese-Russian relations,’ Li Shangfu said before the beginning of talks. The trip is also intended to stress Beijing’s ‘firm determination to strengthen strategic cooperation between the militaries of China and Russia,’ he added.” (rt.com 4/19/23)
Alexander Mercouris of The Duran described the DC War Party best: “If you’re a neocon you have no reverse gear, they are going to double down, triple down, quadruple down,” and right on cue:
“The (spring) offensive is largely the brainchild of US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland. She is the éminence grise in the Biden administration when it comes to Ukraine.
Nuland has not made any secret of her ambition for Ukraine to take back Crimea. Nuland, who is rigidly anti-Russian and anti-Putin, would like to see the Putin government collapse: achieving that in her view requires an absolute victory by Ukraine over Russia, meaning that Ukraine will retake every square meter of its lost land. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agrees.” (asiatimes.com 4/12/23)
If there was ever any doubt about the Nuland/Neocon plan for the future of Russia, they defined it clearly in Foreign Policy magazine: “Russia’s poor performance on the Ukrainian battlefield, and the growing belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threat shouldn’t be taken at face value, has emboldened Western analysts and Russian dissidents to publicly call for ‘decolonization’ of Russia itself. They are referring here to the vast Russian Federation, the successor of the Soviet Union that consists of 83 federal entities, including 21 non-Slavic republics.
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, an independent U.S. government agency with members from the U.S. House of Representatives, Senate, and departments of defense, state, and commerce, has declared that decolonizing Russia should be a ‘moral and strategic objective.’” (foreignpolicy.com 4/17/23)
“If Zelensky’s cowardice allows America’s foreign policy neocon scum to push Ukraine into a doomed offensive, it will be the most wasted effusion of blood yet in this catastrophic ‘proxy war.’ And it will be the most disgraceful ending possible to the Neocon’s 30 years ‘forever war’ that dropped the United States from a half century illusion of dominant hegemony to an also ran with an obsolete defense establishment and a wrecked economy, all in less than 2 years…” (Thomas Lipscomb domigood.com 5/3/23)
“This has not, as Vladimir Putin and others claim, become a proxy war between the United States or the ‘collective West’ (the U.S. and its European and other allies) against Russia. In the current geopolitical arena, the war is now effectively the reverse—a proxy for a rebellion by Russia and the ‘Rest’ against the United States. The war in Ukraine is perhaps the event that makes the passing of pax Americana apparent to everyone.” (Fiona Hill news.err.ee 5/14/23)
“The same people, the neocons, who ran that [Iraq] operation, lied to us about weapons of mass destruction, tricked us into that war, and who we thought were now out of government forever, pariahs, in disgrace, they're now all back in the Biden administration with a new project.” (RFK jr, Joe Rogan Experience 6/14/23)
“Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has resigned, and her last day in office is June 30. Her departure has triggered near panic inside the State Department about the person many there fear will be chosen to replace her: Victoria Nuland. Nuland’s hawkishness on Russia and antipathy for Vladimir Putin fits perfectly with the views of President Biden. Nuland is now the undersecretary for political affairs and has been described as ‘running amok,’ in the words of a person with direct knowledge of the situation, among the various bureaus of the State Department while Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on the road.” (seymourhersh.substack.com 6/15/23)
“Blinken’s speech highlights once again that the Biden Administration has no intention of ending this conflict peacefully. The plan, which members of the administration including Blinken have explicitly admitted on numerous occasions, is to use Ukraine to achieve the larger geopolitical goal of weakening Russia. In other words, the Ukrainians are cannon fodder in a U.S. proxy war against Russia.
Blinken’s statement is consistent with reports in Foreign Affairs magazine last September citing numerous American former security officials that Russia and Ukraine had actually reached a tentative peace agreement in April 2022. That deal was scuttled after Boris Johnson, doubtless at the behest of the Biden Administration, visited Kyiv on April 9. Later, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who was trying to mediate between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenski, stated that the U.S. and its allies blocked his mediation efforts.
The pattern here is clear. Not only is the administration deceiving the American people about the motives for this costly and tragic war, but by continually escalating it they put the whole world at risk of nuclear conflagration.” (RFKjr 6/19/23)
“In an interview with Germany’s Welt am Sonntag published on Sunday, Stoltenberg declared that ‘peace cannot mean freezing the conflict and accepting a deal that is dictated by Russia.’ Stoltenberg added that ‘only Ukraine can define the conditions that are acceptable,’ an explicit endorsement of Kiev’s vow to drive Russian forces back to pre-conflict borders and seize the Russian territory of Crimea.
‘If NATO, through the mouth of Stoltenberg, once again declares that they are against freezing, as they say, the conflict in Ukraine, then they want to fight,’ Lavrov told a press conference. ‘Well, let them fight, we are ready for this, we have long understood the goals of NATO in the situation around Ukraine, which have been formed for many years.’” (rt.com 6/20/23)
“According to the latest intelligence reports, Russia believes that the Ukrainian armed forces now intend to cover their failed counter-offensive in the Donbas by using US-supplied Himars multiple launch artillery and UK-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, possibly in the longer range domestic version, to attack the Crimea.
If this happens, says Shoigu, Russia will consider both the United States and Britain to have fully entered the war as co-belligerents. And Russia will immediately respond to any such attack on its territory by destroying ‘the decision making centers’ of the Kiev regime. This is a fairly transparent threat to ‘neutralize’ their government apparatus and personnel, logically including President Zelensky.” (gilbertdoctorow.com 6/20/23)
We have 30 years of Victoria Nuland to thank: “Moreover, America’s ability to rally the world is much diminished, in no small part because respect for the US is much diminished, the result of internal divisions and widespread global opposition to the US interventions in Iraq in 2003 and in Libya in 2011.” (Richard Haass: foreignpolicy.com 6/22/23)
“The point of the F-16s, in my opinion, is to specifically make sure they take off from NATO territory in order to bait Russia into going after the airfields located in Eastern Europe, I think that’s what the Neocons really want. I think the Neocons know the F-16s are not going to be a game changer, they know the Russians will deal with the F-16s, but they want to make sure those F-16s take off from airfields in Eastern Europe to go to Putin and say what are you going to do about it now? We have F-16s taking off from Romania. Here’s another red line, are you going to hit Romania? I think the Neocons want to get to that point.” (Alex Christoforou, The Duran 6/23/23)
Neocons have no reverse gear: “American intelligence officials briefed senior military and administration officials on Wednesday [June 21] that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, was preparing to take military action against senior Russian defense officials, according to officials familiar with the matter. U.S. spy agencies had indications days earlier that Mr. Prigozhin was planning something and worked to refine that material into a finished assessment, officials said.” (nytimes.com 6/26/23)
Following Prigozhin’s coup attempt: “Blinken has piled up a consistent record for being horribly wrong on his assessments on Russia — starting from the deathly blow the ‘sanctions from hell’ were expected to give to the Russian economy; Putin’s hold on power; Russia’s catastrophic defeat in Ukraine; Russian military’s deficiencies; Kiev’s inexorable military victory, and so on.
In this case, he has reason to feel embittered particularly because of the spectacular unity of the Russian state, political elite, media, regional and federal bureaucracy, and the military and security establishment in rallying behind Putin. Arguably, Putin’s political stature is now unchallengeable and unassailable in Russia and the Americans have to live with that reality long after Joe Biden’s departure from the scene.” (M.K. Bhadrakumar indianpunchline.com 6/26/23)
“‘They [the West and Ukraine] wanted Russian soldiers to kill each other, so that soldiers and civilians would die, so that in the end Russia would lose, and our society would break apart and choke on bloody civil strife,’ the president [Putin] said. ‘They rubbed their hands, dreaming of getting revenge for their failures at the front and during the so-called counteroffensive, but they miscalculated.’” (rt.com 6/26/23)
“Western nations must have helped businessman Evgeny Prigozhin organize his brief insurrection last week, according to Viktor Zolotov, commander of the National Guard of Russia. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday on the sidelines of a ceremony at the Kremlin awarding decorations, the senior official expressed certainty that the mutiny ‘was inspired by Western special services, because, as they said, they knew about it several weeks ahead of time.’
Media reports claimed that the US intelligence community had prior knowledge about possible trouble coming from Prigozhin and his private military company Wagner Group. Washington has vehemently denied any involvement in the turmoil, which it called a domestic Russian affair.
Zolotov claimed that ‘Prigozhin’s camp’ has been deliberately leaking ‘focused’ information about a possible mutiny coming sometime between last Thursday and Sunday. He suggested that Western agents may have been directly involved in conducting the operation.” (rt.com 6/27/23)
“According to Lavrov, the Americans have been too vehement in their denials about having nothing to do with the June 24 mutiny in Russia, while ‘the Europeans were much more explicit about their interests in this particular situation.’ For example, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the main conclusion he drew from what happened in Russia was confirmation of the fact that the EU had to continue arming Ukraine to ‘finish off’ Russia.” (tass.com 6/28/23)
“The fact that the CIA briefed the Gang of Eight in Congress on Prigozhin’s planned uprising two days prior means that the CIA had information from a human source. It could have been a recruited CIA asset or someone recruited and controlled by a foreign intelligence organization. But someone close to Prigozhin was blabbing. Or maybe it was Prigozhin himself.
I find it noteworthy that the Biden Administration went to extraordinary lengths to insist it knew nothing about the coup and certainly did not encourage it or support it. Oh no. Biden, Blinken and Nuland do not want Putin overthrown by force. Perish the thought.” (sonar21.com 6/28/23)
“Pity the Washington columnists and national security correspondents who seem to rely heavily on official backgrounders with White House and State Department officials. Given the published results of such briefings, those officials seem unable to look at the reality of the past few weeks, or the total disaster that has befallen the Ukraine military’s counter-offensive.
There is an enormous gap between the way the professionals in the American intelligence community assess the situation and what the White House and the supine Washington press project to the public by uncritically reproducing the statements of Blinken and his hawkish cohorts.
The Washington press in recent days seems to be slowly coming to grips with the enormity of the disaster, but there is no public evidence that President Biden and his senior aides in the White House and State Department aides understand the situation.”(seymourhersh.substack.com 6/29/23)
The Neocons are going to double down, triple down, quadruple down: “CNN reports the Biden administration is strongly considering approving the transfer of cluster munition warheads to Ukraine. The weapons are banned under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which has been signed by U.S. allies including the U.K., France and Germany. Ukraine, Russia and the United States never signed the treaty.” (democracy now.com 6/30/23)
And if the Neocons quintuple down by sending F-16s: “U.S. or NATO personnel tasked with maintaining any F-16 fighter jets sent to Ukraine would become ‘legitimate military targets’ for Russian strikes, a former U.S. Air Force commander has told Newsweek.
Countries that supply fourth-generation fighters such as F-16s to Kyiv will likely also need to send contractors or military personnel who have experience maintaining the sophisticated jets, according to retired Lt. Gen. Charlie "Tuna" Moore, former deputy commander of the Cyber Command.” (newsweek.com 7/6/23)
“Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned the US against supplying Ukraine with cluster munitions which have been banned in more than 100 countries due to the severe risk they pose to civilian populations.
In a statement released on Thursday, the NGO sounded the alarm over media reports that the US government is considering whether to approve deliveries of the deadly weapons, which Kiev has been requesting for months. The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing a senior White House source, that Washington was expected to greenlight the move. CBS said on Wednesday that the US could make a decision as early as this week.” (rt.com 7/6/23)
“President Biden has approved the provision of U.S. cluster munitions for Ukraine, with drawdown of the weapons from Defense Department stocks due to be announced Friday. The move, which will bypass U.S. law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions with a failure rate of more than 1 percent, comes amid concerns about Kyiv’s lagging counteroffensive against entrenched Russian troops and dwindling Western stocks of conventional artillery.” (washingtonpost.com 7/7/23)
“The US is willing to offer Kiev a sort of security arrangement currently offered to Israel instead of membership in NATO, President Joe Biden told CNN in an interview previewed on Friday. ‘I don’t think it’s ready for membership in NATO,’ Biden said of Ukraine. ‘I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war.’
Membership in the US-led military bloc means the commitment to defend all of its territory, so ‘if the war is going on, then we’re all in a war. We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case,’ Biden told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria.” (rt.com 7/7/23)
“The allies will give political approval to the first detailed war plans on how to defend all of NATO territory since the end of the Cold War…Those plans, drawn up by General Christopher Cavoli, the American commander of allied forces in Europe, cover more than 4,000 pages and tell countries in specific terms what is required of them to defend themselves and their allies.” (nytimes.com 7/10/23)
“Many of the foreign mercenaries who flocked to fight for Kiev have met an inglorious end on the battlefields of the Ukrainian conflict. While Western governments appear rather tight-lipped when it comes to discussing their nationals fighting alongside Ukrainian militants and neo-Nazi gunmen employed by Zelensky, Western media outlets periodically run stories about this or that foreign ‘volunteer’ getting killed while fighting Russian troops.” (sputnikglobe.com 7/11/23)
“Russia on Tuesday said France's decision to send long-range missiles to Ukraine is ‘erroneous,’ and countermeasures will follow to mitigate risks. ‘Of course, it remains to be clarified and found out exactly what (effective casualty) radius we are talking about. This, from our point of view, is an erroneous decision, fraught with consequences for the Ukrainian side. Because, naturally, this will force us to take countermeasures,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.
He added that the West's supply of new weapons to Ukraine ‘only aggravates its fate. These decisions (to supply heavier weapons) cannot, are not able to turn the course of the special military operation. They can only aggravate the fate of the Ukrainian, Kyiv regime,’ he said.” (aa.com.fr 7/11/23)
Of course Victoria Nuland and the Neocons were always going to escalate by quintupling down, they have no reverse gear: “Kiev will ‘likely’ get F-16 fighter jets from Washington’s allies in Europe who may have some to spare, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday. While many NATO countries have offered to train Ukrainian pilots, so far none have pledged to send actual airplanes.
‘On the F-16 fighter jets, President [Joe] Biden took the decision some weeks ago, working in close consultation with allies, to begin the training of Ukrainian pilots on those jets,’ Sullivan told Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos from Vilnius, Lithuania, where he is attending the NATO summit. ‘That training will take some time, and then there will be the transfer of F-16s, likely from European countries that have excess F-16 supplies,’ Sullivan added.” (rt.com 7/12/23)
“By continuing to provide more sophisticated arms to Kiev, ‘the US and its NATO satellites create the risk of a direct armed confrontation with Russia, and this may lead to catastrophic consequences,’ Lavrov warned in his interview with Lenta.ru on Wednesday. The plans to supply F-16s to Kiev is yet another example of an escalatory move by the West and in itself is ‘an extremely dangerous development,' he stated.
‘We have informed the nuclear powers – the US, UK and France – that Russia can’t ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons,’ the foreign minister continued. ‘No assurances [by the West] will help here,’ he warned. In the midst of fighting, the Russian military isn’t going to investigate whether any specific jet is equipped to deliver nuclear weapons or not, he added. ‘The very fact of the appearance of such systems within the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be considered by us as a threat from the West in the nuclear domain,’ Lavrov said.” (rt.com 7/13/23)
“There are other signs of internal stress, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland has been blocked from being promoted to replace the much respected Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. Nuland’s anti-Russian politics and rhetoric matches the tone and point of view of Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken,” but Democrats are worried about their Ukraine policy ahead of next year’s elections. (seymourhersh.substack.com 7/13/23)
As the Neocons continue to escalate in Ukraine, the Russians counter in Cuba: “A Russian navy ship docks in Cuba as tough times bring the old friends together. ‘We are condemning, we are rejecting, the expansion of NATO towards Russia’s borders,’ Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel told Russian-controlled network, RT, in a rare interview in May. He also blasted US economic sanctions on Russia, while heralding Russian ‘projects of cooperation and collaboration’ under development in Cuba.” (cnn.com 7/13/23)
We know Victoria Nuland and the Neocons have no reverse gear, after the Cluster Bombs & F-16s were green lighted: “President Joe Biden has authorized the deployment of up to 3,000 U.S. military reservists to Europe as part of a long-term operation in response to Russian actions in Ukraine. Biden issued an executive order on Thursday authorizing military leaders, including the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, to mobilize ‘select reserve forces’ in an effort to augment Operation Atlantic Resolve, which began in 2014.
The move comes shortly after Biden attended a two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week where the president recommitted to the alliance, and amid Ukraine's continued push to join NATO.” (newsweek.com 7/14/23)
“By ordering the deployment of 3,000 more reservists to Europe, US President Joe Biden is preparing to fight Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said. ‘Biden has lost his way,’ Kennedy tweeted on Friday, arguing that the president should focus on America’s domestic problems instead of trying to achieve ‘global military dominance. I want people to understand what this troop mobilization is about. It’s about preparing for a ground war with Russia,’ he said.” (rt.com 7/15/23)
“The West is evidently disappointed that Kiev’s much-lauded counteroffensive has failed to produce any results and has led to high levels of Ukrainian casualties, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Kiev has received ‘colossal amounts of resources,’ including all kinds of Western weapons and ‘thousands of foreign mercenaries and advisers,’ but has still failed in its campaign, Putin stated during a government meeting on Friday. The leader praised the bravery, resolve, and professionalism of Russian soldiers and officers. He also argued that Western military equipment had proven to be inferior in some ways even to Soviet-era weapons.” (rt.com 7/21/23)
This is what they mean by failing up: “US President Joe Biden requested that Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland serve as acting Deputy Secretary of State following current officeholder Wendy Sherman's upcoming departure from the role, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday.” (urdupoint.com 7/24/23)
“The Biden Administration played a vital role in both recent deadly attacks on the Crimean Bridge, providing Ukraine with the necessary technology, US journalist Seymour Hersh reported on Thursday, citing a US official. ‘Of course it was our technology,’ the US official was quoted by Hersh as saying. ‘The drone was remotely guided and half submerged—like a torpedo.’
When Hersh asked if there was any thought before the bridge attacks about the possibility of Russia’s retaliation, the official responded with ‘What will Putin do? We don’t think that far. Our national strategy is that Zelensky can do whatever he wants to do. There’s no adult supervision.’” (sputnikglobe.com 7/27/23)
“At least 15 people sought medical aid after an explosion rocked the Russian city of Taganrog on July 28. The Russian Ministry of Defense described this incident as a terrorist attack perpetrated by the Kiev regime. Ukrainian forces carried out the attack using an S-200 surface-to-air missile converted into a surface-to-surface munition, the ministry said in a statement. The missile was detected and destroyed in mid-air by Russian air defense units, with the debris landing within the city limits.” (sputnikglobe.com 7/28/23)
“Western countries have spent years steering Ukraine towards a conflict with Russia, as they planned to use Kiev as a tool to undermine Russia's national security, President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday. He argued that Russia’s retaliation, including its ongoing military operation in the neighboring state, was justified.
‘This problem was not created yesterday. It was instigated by certain forces in the West, which for a long time were preparing a hybrid war against our country, and did everything to transform Ukraine into an instrument of undermining the foundations of the security of the Russian Federation,’ Putin said during a meeting with the members of the African peace mission in St. Petersburg, following the two-day Russia-Africa Summit.” (rt.com 7/28/23)
“Even if Moscow will be somewhat strategically weakened, whatever the outcome, it’s the US – in the view of Chinese scholars – that may have committed its greatest strategic blunder since the establishment of the Empire: turning the Ukraine Project into an existential conflict, and committing the entire Empire and all its vassals to a Total War against Russia.
That’s why we have no peace negotiations, and the refusal even of a cease fire; the only possible outcome devised by the Straussian neocon psychos who run US foreign policy is unconditional Russian surrender.” (Pepe Escobar, Zerohedge.com 7/30/23)
"‘NATO has been training the Ukrainian army since 2014, NATO partners have been providing the Ukrainian armed forces with the necessary weapons and training since 2014,’ the head of the military bloc [Stoltenberg] said.” (@smotri.media 7/30/23)
“NATO expansion in Europe has eroded the continent’s security and was the key reason for the Ukraine conflict, Zhang Hanhui, China’s ambassador to Moscow, said in an interview released on Thursday. Speaking to the TASS news agency, Zhang stated that the US-led military bloc had been ‘fanning the flames everywhere, destroying stability and engaging in separatism,’ with turmoil in Kosovo, Libya, and Afghanistan being prime examples.
“The five [NATO] expansions to the east seriously affected the post-Cold War order and security in Europe and became the main reason for the escalation in the Ukraine crisis,’ he said.” (rt.com 8/3/23)
“Yet in casualties-to-population terms, Ukrainian military losses, after more than 500 days of war, are approaching those sustained by Germany in World War I over more than 1,500 days. This is a catastrophic attrition rate, compounded by all three negative feedback loops that can break an army and a nation. Throughout the spring and summer, Ukrainian forces were thrown into battle and ground down. By autumn, the fighting army will have been spent—the tragic fate of Ukraine’s Best in 2023. By September, what is left will be twisting, and bending toward breaking, in the remorseless winds of war.” (Michael Vlahos compactmag.com 8/3/23)
As if fomenting the destruction of Ukraine wasn’t enough, Nuland is in Niger: “A senior U.S. diplomat said coup leaders in Niger refused to allow her to meet Monday with the West African country’s democratically elected president, whom she described as under ‘virtual house arrest.’ Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland also described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to U.S. pressure to return the country to civilian rule.
‘They were quite firm about how they want to proceed, and it is not in support of the constitution of Niger,’ Nuland told reporters. She characterized the conversations as ‘extremely frank and at times quite difficult.’” (boston25news.com 8/7/23)
“Rarely mentioned in current commentaries on the war in Ukraine, in the early weeks that followed the February 24, 2022, Russian invasion, Russia and Ukraine engaged in three separate and significant attempts to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Those negotiations had several important things in common. All three could have ended the war before the devastation of Ukraine’s infrastructure, the massive Ukrainian loss of lives, and the increased risk of unchecked escalation. All three featured an offer by Ukraine not to join NATO. And all three were stopped by the United States.” (Ted Snider theamericanconservative.com 8/16/23
“Ukraine was ready to make peace with Russia and give up its plans to join NATO during negotiations in March 2022, but eventually abandoned the idea due to pressure from the United States, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told the German newspaper, Berliner Zeitung.” (sputnikglobe.com 10/22/23)
“Let us now turn to Victoria Nuland, an architect of the 2014 overthrow of the pro-Russian government in Ukraine, one of the American moves that led us to where we are, though it was Putin who initiated the horrid current war. The ultra-hawkish Nuland was promoted early this summer by Biden, over the heated objections of many in the State Department, to be the acting deputy secretary of state. She has not been formally nominated as the deputy for fear that her nomination would lead to a hellish fight in the Senate. Wishful thinking is still the rule among Biden's foreign policy team, as the slaughter in Ukraine continues...The White House’s wishful approach to the war, when it comes to realistic talk to the American people, will continue apace...But the end is nearing, even if the assessments supplied by Biden to the public are out of a comic strip” (seymourhersh.substack.com 8/17/23)
“Attempts by the ‘collective West’ to preserve its hegemony have had the opposite effect, encouraging the real ‘world majority’ to dismiss and reject the exploitation of their resources by foreign states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has argued.
‘Tectonic shifts are taking place in the world today… We are witnessing the emergence of a more just multipolar world order,’ Lavrov wrote in an article for South Africa's Ubuntu magazine ahead of the BRICS Summit, which opens in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
‘The international community is tired of the blackmail and pressure from the Western elites and their colonial and racist manners,’ Lavrov wrote. ‘That is why, for example, not only Russia, but also a number of other countries are consistently reducing their dependence on the US dollar, switching to alternative payment systems and national currency settlements.’ (rt.com 8/21/23)
Victoria Nuland and the Neocons’ disastrous policies over 30 years have convinced 40% of the world to join the BRICS alliance: “At this week's BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the future of the world's leading non-Western economies is at stake. Russia and China are seeking to remake the alliance, which promotes economic cooperation between members, into a power bloc to challenge the dominance of the US and the dollar.
Addressing the BRICS summit by video link Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin took swipes at the West, and said the summit represented the ‘global majority.’” (business insider.com 8/23/23)
“Russia’s opponents in the West are pushing everyone towards World War III, ignoring signals from Moscow, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with TASS and RT.
‘Frankly speaking, it would have definitely been better if they had heard them [the signals]. In any case, the world would not have to face the threat of World War III. In fact, this is where our opponents are actively pushing everyone,’ he said, commenting on the idea that Russia’s tough response to Georgia’s 2008 aggression should have served as a strong signal to the US and its NATO allies of the need to listen to Moscow’s concerns. However, ‘they failed to hear our signals,’ Medvedev emphasized.” (tass.com 8/26/23)
“As Biden administration officials assess Ukraine’s slow progress in this summer’s counteroffensive, they have been candidly discussing with Kyiv what they see as ‘lessons learned.’ The bottom line for the administration is that this war will probably grind into next year — and that the United States and its allies must remain steadfast in helping Ukraine keep pushing forward.
I heard this same sentiment across all levels of the U.S. government in recent days. The summer has been frustrating and, in some ways, disappointing for Ukraine and its Western backers. But rather than look for a quick diplomatic exit ramp, most senior U.S. officials appear more convinced than ever of the need to stand fast with Kyiv. The United States, in their view, cannot be seen to abandon its ally.” (David Ignatius washingtonpost.com 8/27/23)
“A recent claim by a top aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that Western nations support Kiev’s attempts to ‘destroy everything Russian’ increases the risk of all-out war between Moscow and NATO, former president Dmitry Medvedev has said.
Commenting on Mikhail Podoliak’s statement, the former Russian leader wrote on his Telegram channel: ‘If this is true, and we have no reason to doubt that it is, then it constitutes direct, legally significant proof of Western involvement in a war against Russia’ and serves as a reasonable casus belli to justify corresponding actions by Moscow against ‘everyone in NATO states.’ Medevedev went on to warn that ‘the predictions of the Apocalypse are getting closer.’” (rt.com 8/29/23)
“Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Thursday that the country has produced long-range weapons domestically, while his top security official claimed that a new missile program is in place.
‘Successful use of our long-range weapons: the target was hit 700 kilometers away!’ Zelensky posted in a Telegram message, referring to an exercise by the Ministry of Strategic Industries. Zelensky did not specify what kind of weapon was used, or what the target may have been.” (rt.com 8/31/23)
“Two squadrons of US-made F-35A jets capable of carrying out nuclear strikes will soon arrive at the US-rented Lakenheath base in the United Kingdom to replace F-15s already deployed there, news outlet reported, citing a defense source.
‘F-35s will be based [at the base]. They have [been] deployed and will be moving in at the end of this year, if not sometime in 2024,’ the source told the newspaper, adding that a total of 54 such jets would replace ‘significantly’ inferior F-15s also capable of carrying nuclear bombs, but with lesser range and stealth.” (sputnikglobe.com 8/31/23)
“The United States will reportedly provide Ukraine with depleted uranium munitions in a new military aid package set to be announced within the next week.
The US will provide Ukraine with the armor-piercing munitions shot from Abrams tanks, US media reported, citing a document and two American officials. The United Kingdom has provided Ukraine with depleted uranium munitions, although the package will mark the first US commitment of the arms.
The US is providing the munitions despite controversy over the use of depleted uranium, which critics argue may impact the health of civilians and create an environmental disaster that will affect the region for years.” (sputnikglobe.com 9/2/23)
“Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive has not ‘stalled’ but failed, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Monday. With Ukrainian losses mounting and Kiev ramping up its conscription efforts, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu affirmed his commander-in-chief's assessment.
The Ukrainian operation ‘is not stalled; it is a failure,’ Putin declared, following talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the resort city of Sochi. ‘At least, this is how it looks today,’ he continued. ‘Let’s see what happens next. I hope this will continue to be the case.’” (rt.com 9/4/23)
“Ukraine has suffered heavy losses during three months of its summer counteroffensive against Russia but has failed to achieve its goals at any part of the front line, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has reported. Kiev’s forces have lost more than 66,000 troops and over 7,600 heavy weapons since launching their push in early June, the Russian official estimated on Tuesday.
Despite the ‘colossal’ cost in manpower and equipment, the Ukrainian government continues its operation because it desperately needs to show some kind of success to its Western sponsors, Shoigu also claimed.” (rt.com 9/5/23)
“The head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has claimed a third world war is already underway, with the Moscow-Kiev conflict pulling in countries far beyond the region. Speaking at the Kiev Security Forum on Tuesday, Aleksey Danilov argued that NATO needs Ukraine as a member, as global turbulence is set to continue. ‘We’re going to strengthen the alliance,’ he insisted.
‘If somebody thinks that World War III hasn’t started then it’s a huge mistake. It has already begun. It had been underway in a hybrid period for some time and has now entered an active phase,’ he said. Sitting on stage beside former CIA Director General David Petraeus, Danilov said that ‘if somebody thinks that it [the conflict in Ukraine] is about settling the scores between Kiev and Moscow then it’s a mistake. Things are much more complicated.’ Petraeus also highlighted the scale of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying: ‘I haven’t seen anything like it since World War II,” he said.” (rt.com 9/6/23)
““The background was that President Putin declared in the autumn of 2021, and actually sent a draft treaty that they wanted NATO to sign, to promise no more NATO enlargement. That was what he sent us. And was a pre-condition to not invade Ukraine. Of course, we didn’t sign that.
The opposite happened. He wanted us to sign that promise, never to enlarge NATO. He wanted us to remove our military infrastructure in all Allies that have joined NATO since 1997, meaning half of NATO, all the Central and Eastern Europe, we should remove NATO from that part of our Alliance, introducing some kind of B, or second-class membership. We rejected that.
So, he went to war to prevent NATO, more NATO, close to his borders. He has got the exact opposite.” (Jens Stoltenberg nato.int 9/7/23)
“US Acting Deputy Secretary of State and Russophobic hawk Victoria Nuland appears to have let slip that the Biden administration supports Ukraine’s strikes targeting Russian territory. In a video clip circulating on social media, Nuland, who just recently visited Ukraine’s capital, can be heard saying that one ‘axis’ of Washington’s strategy in its proxy war with Moscow in Ukraine is to ‘put some of Russia's most precious assets at risk.’ (sputnikglobe.com9/11/23)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday indicated he was bracing for a long war in Ukraine, saying that Kyiv could use any ceasefire to rearm and that Washington would continue to see Russia as an enemy no matter who won the 2024 U.S. election. Speaking for several hours at an economic forum in Russia's Pacific port city of Vladivostok, Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces had so far failed and the Ukrainian army had sustained heavy losses of 71,000 men in the attacks. Only when Ukraine was exhausted when it came to men, equipment and ammunition would it talk peace, he said in reply to questions from a Russian television presenter acting as a moderator.” (reuters.com 9/12/23)
“Russia has managed to overcome sanctions and export controls imposed by the West to expand its missile production beyond prewar levels, according to U.S., European and Ukrainian officials, leaving Ukraine especially vulnerable to intensified attacks in the coming months.” (nytimes.com 9/13/23)
“The US controls the military actions in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a commentary for the program called ‘Moscow. Kremlin. Putin’ that comes out on the Rossiya-1 television channel, adding that Washington is in fact pursuing a war against Russia by supplying weapons.
‘No matter what it says, it (the US - TASS) controls this war, it supplies weapons, munition, intelligence information, data from satellites, it is pursuing a war against us," the minister said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) as he commented on statements by the US on readiness to supply long-range shells with depleted uranium to Ukraine. An excerpt of the commentary was posted by journalist Pavel Zarubin on his Telegram channel.’” (tass.com 9/17/23)
“The United States, however, would be wise to adjust its policies to reflect the reality of Ukraine's slim chances against Russia's fortified lines. Washington has spent nearly $113 billion over the course of this war, provided Ukraine with an astounding volume of modern arms and ammunition, and delivered an impressive array of training and intelligence support. After almost a year of preparation, it hardly dented the Russian lines.” (Daniel L. Davis, newsweek.com 9/18/23)
“Ukraine has expended up to 71,000 troops, hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles and tens of billions of dollars’ worth of Western-provided hardware and ammunition on its counteroffensive with seemingly little to show for it as far as Kiev and NATO’s strategic goals of retaking lost territory and ‘weakening Russia’ are concerned.”
A retired Bundeswehr colonel [Wolfgang Richter] and military expert has dismantled the outright lies and half-truths he says are being told in Western media about the ‘success’ of Kiev’s counteroffensive.” (sputnikglobe.com 9/19/23)
“There are significant elements in the American intelligence community, relying on field reports and technical intelligence, who believe that the demoralized Ukraine army has given up on the possibility of overcoming the heavily mined three-tier Russian defense lines and taking the war to Crimea and the four oblasts seized and annexed by Russia. The reality is that Volodymyr Zelensky’s battered army no longer has any chance of a victory.” (seymourhersh.substack.com 9/21/23)
“US President Joe Biden plans to give Ukraine advanced long-range missiles to help Kyiv with its ongoing counter-offensive, US media report. They quote US officials familiar with the issue as saying Ukraine will get some ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 190 miles (300km).
This would enable Kyiv to hit Russian targets deep behind the front line. At least one Ukrainian missile hit the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in annexed Crimea on Friday. A Ukrainian military source told the BBC the attack in the port of Sevastopol was carried out using Storm Shadow missiles, which are supplied by Britain and France, highlighting the importance of Western weaponry to Kyiv.” (bbc.com 9/22/23)
“Why America Should Send Military Advisors to Ukraine: Washington should therefore lift the strict restrictions on the number of U.S. government personnel allowed in Ukraine and begin stationing military advisers within the country and across its defense apparatus. Sending advisers would increase the number of Ukrainian soldiers who receive top-of-the-line training. It would enhance Washington’s understanding of Kyiv’s material needs, allowing U.S. policymakers to fine-tune the aid they already provide and offer psychological assurance to Ukraine. Positioning U.S. advisers inside Ukraine would let Washington better champion crucial defense reforms that could pave Ukraine’s path toward NATO and EU membership. Advisers would give the United States an added layer of oversight, as well, ensuring that aid is both optimized and employed responsibly. And, critically, deploying advisers would deliver these results at a reasonable cost.
Chinchilla and Rosenberg argued that on-the-ground training and advising would ‘send a powerful message of reassurance to Kyiv.’
The United States would have ‘skin in the game’ by sending its own service members, signaling to the Ukrainians that Washington is truly dedicated to helping them win. In a long-term war of attrition, such psychological support may prove decisive in helping Kyiv outlast Putin,’ they argued.” (foreignaffairs.com 9/22/23)
“The US and its allies are de-facto engaged in a conflict with Russia, Lavrov told the press conference. ‘We call it a hybrid war but it does not change things,’ he said. Western nations are sending arms to Kiev and training its troops, he explained, so ‘They are de-facto fighting against us with the hands and bodies of Ukrainians.’
Western nations also openly say that ‘Russia should be defeated on the battlefield,’ Moscow’s top diplomat said, adding that Moscow is ready for such a development. ‘Under such circumstances, [if they want it] to be on the battlefield, let it be on the battlefield,’ he said.” (rt.com 9/23/23)
Neocons have no revere gear: “More M1 Abrams tanks will be sent in the coming months, the officials said, noting that those that were shipped into Ukraine on Saturday represented the first of 31 that the Biden administration has promised to send. The officials would not say how many have been delivered so far.
The Abrams will be among other tanks in Ukraine’s arsenal that it could use to push into, and possibly reclaim, Russian-held territory in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions, where fighting has ground on for months without major breakthroughs. But Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, has warned that the Abrams would need to be deployed ‘in a very tailored way, for very specific, well-crafted operations,’ or risk being destroyed.” (nytimes.com 9/24/23)
“Ukraine is fated either to capitulate on Moscow’s terms or cease to exist as a state, Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament), said.
‘When speaking about the conflict in Ukraine, [US President Joe] Biden, [NATO Secretary General Jens] Stoltenberg and other Western officials have started calling it a war of attrition. They have put huge amounts of money into militarizing the Kiev regime. Where has it gotten them? The simple facts are these: the West is experiencing weapons and ammunition shortages, people in Europe and the US have lost trust in politicians, and the Kiev regime’s counteroffensive has failed,’ Volodin stated.
According to him, the outcome of the ‘war of attrition’ also includes economic problems in Europe and the US, a lack of manpower for the Ukrainian armed forces, and ultimately bankruptcy and demographic disaster for Ukraine. ‘These seven facts speak for themselves: Ukraine will cease to exist as a state unless the Kiev regime capitulates on Russia’s terms,’ Volodin stressed.” (tass.com 9/25/23)
“It was no surprise to the agency’s secret planning group when on January 27, 2022, the assured and confident Nuland, then undersecretary of state for political affairs, stridently warned Putin that if he invaded Ukraine, as he clearly was planning to, that ‘one way or another Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.’ The line attracted enormous attention, but the words preceding the threat did not. The official State Department transcript shows that she preceded her threat by saying that with regard to the pipeline: ‘We continue to have very strong and clear conversations with our German allies.’ The German leader was considered then—and now—by some members of the CIA team to be fully aware of the secret planning underway to destroy the pipelines.
‘We realized that the destruction of the two Russian pipelines was not related to the Ukrainian war’ — Putin was in the process of annexing the four Ukrainian oblasts he wanted — ‘but was part of a neocon political agenda to keep Scholz and Germany, with winter coming up and the pipelines shut down, from getting cold feet and opening up’ the shuttered Nord Stream 2. ‘The White House fear was that Putin would get Germany under his thumb and then he was going to get Poland.’” (seymourhersh.substack.com 9/26/23)
“In an interview with TASS published on Thursday, Lavrov speculated that Kiev’s backers are likely seeking a few months’ respite to supply Ukraine with more weapons. He suggested that this was the pattern first tried back in 2014-2015 when France and Germany brokered the Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 agreements, putting an end to the fighting between Ukrainian government forces and the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass. Ukraine, however, never kept its side of the deal, with Berlin and Paris fully aware that Kiev had no such intentions in the first place, Lavrov recounted, citing last year’s admissions made by former French President Francois Hollande, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko.
According to Lavrov, the West used the accords as a mere ploy to buy time and beef up the Ukrainian military. ‘If they had complied with the Minsk agreements, then Ukraine’s territorial integrity would have been ensured,’ the diplomat alleged, adding that this was the whole point of the accords, which also called for a special status for the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Lavrov went on to say that Russia was ready to negotiate with Ukraine as recently as last April, but that London and Washington had intervened.” (rt.com 9/28/23)
“In an interview with The Telegraph, [Defense Secretary] Grant Shapps said that he had held talks with Army leaders about moving ‘more training and production’ of military equipment into Ukraine. He also called on more British defence firms to set up factories in Ukraine.
Following a trip to Kyiv last week, Mr Shapps also reveals that he has talked to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, about how Britain’s Navy could play a role in defending commercial vessels from Russian attacks in the Black Sea. Both moves would mark a significant escalation in the UK’s involvement in defending Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s onslaught.” (thetelegraph.com 9/30/23)
“Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has slammed UK plans to deploy its armed forces in Ukraine to train the local troops.
‘One freshly-appointed cretin – UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps – decided to relocate British training courses for Ukrainian soldiers onto Ukrainian soil. Thus making their military instructors a legitimate target for our [Russian] Armed Forces. And he obviously understands that they will be eradicated mercilessly. Not like mercs, but like NATO personnel from Britain,’ Medvedev said.” (sputnikglobe.com 10/1/23)
“Ukraine can also play its part. The average age of the soldiers at the front is over 40. I understand President Zelensky’s desire to preserve the young for the future, but the fact is that Russia is mobilising the whole country by stealth. Putin knows a pause will hand him time to build a new army. So just as Britain did in 1939 and 1941, perhaps it is time to reassess the scale of Ukraine’s mobilisation.” (Ben Wallace telegraph.co 10/1/23)
“‘Every meter’ Kiev’s forces seize from Russian troops is ‘paving’ Ukraine’s way into the bloc, German foreign minister has said.
Ukraine’s future ‘lies in’ the European Union, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday, adding that the bloc would soon incorporate regions that had joined Russia in 2022 but are still claimed by Kiev.
‘[The EU] will soon stretch from Lisbon to Lugansk,’ Baerbock told journalists on the sidelines of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in the Ukrainian capital.” (rt.com 10/2/23)
“The US neocons carry much blame for undermining Ukraine’s 1991 borders. Russia did not claim Crimea until after the US-backed overthrow of Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Nor did Russia annex the Donbas after 2014, instead calling on Ukraine to honor the UN-backed Minsk II agreement, based on autonomy for the Donbas. The neocons preferred to arm Ukraine to retake the Donbas by force rather than grant the Donbas autonomy.” (jeffreysachs.org 10/4/23)
Something the Neocons never imagined: “Western militaries are running out of ammunition to give to Ukraine, NATO and British officials warned Tuesday, as they urged the bloc’s nations to ramp up production to ‘keep Ukraine in the fight against Russian invaders.’
The news of possible ammunition shortfalls comes after money to buy weapons for Ukraine was not included in a stopgap spending bill the US Congress passed at the weekend to avoid a federal government shutdown.” (cnn.com 10/4/23)
“NATO has published an article by a retired American defense official, which calls on the bloc to fight and win a limited nuclear war against Russia. Should the US and China clash over Taiwan, the author claims that a full-scale war in Europe would likely follow.
The article was written by Gregory Weaver, who served as the principal nuclear and missile defense advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In it, Weaver argued that, counter to Moscow’s long-standing nuclear doctrine, Russia may use tactical nuclear weapons either to stave off a battlefield defeat or bring about a swift victory to a conventional conflict, such as that in Ukraine.
In such a scenario, the Russian military leadership would assume that the West would not respond in kind, for fear that the situation would ‘escalate uncontrollably to a large-scale US-Russia homeland exchange.’” (rt.com 10/5/23)
“We are compelled to respond to ever-increasing military and political pressure. I have said many times that it was not us who started the so-called ‘war in Ukraine.’ On the contrary, we are trying to end it. It was not us who orchestrated a coup in Kiev in 2014 – a bloody and anti-constitutional coup. When [similar events] happen in other places, we immediately hear all the international media – mainly those subordinate to the Anglo-Saxon world, of course – this is unacceptable, this is impossible, this is anti-democratic. But the coup in Kiev was acceptable. They even cited the amount of money spent on this coup. Anything was suddenly acceptable.” (Putin’s Valdai Club speech 10/5/23)
“Clashes between Hamas and Israel on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War come as an expected development. This is what Washington and its allies should be busy with. The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been going on for decades, with the US the key player in it. But instead of actively working at Palestinian-Israeli settlement, these morons have interfered with us, and are providing the neo-Nazis with full-scale aid, pitting the two closely related peoples against each other. What can stop America’s manic obsession to incite conflicts all over the planet? Looks like, nothing short of a civil war on the US territory.” (@MedvedevRussiaE X 10/7/23)
“Ukrainian and Western officials in recent weeks have focused on reshaping the narrative to manage expectations and shore up support through the winter...Four months of brutal fighting and steep losses have not yielded the results that Kyiv and its Western backers hoped for...Controlling the narrative is crucial to maintaining public support for Ukraine’s fight, which has begun to waver in some Western countries including the United States...Debate over the high spending on Ukraine already has factored into national election campaigns in Poland and Slovakia”. (washingtonpost.com 10/8/23)
“Weapon supplies to Kiev may have come back to bite Ukraine’s donors as they potentially fall into the hands of groups around the globe. Adviser to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Yan Gagin, has suggested that weaponry sent to aid Ukraine could be being used against Israel.
‘It is quite bizarre that it was Israel, along with its NATO counterparts, that recently supplied all kinds of arms to Ukraine. Some of the military aid ended up being resold (...) by Ukraine’s military personnel and army officials. The great number of it was resold in a completely unmonitored way. Ironically, Israeli soldiers are now being shot with their own guns and weapons, transferred to Ukraine by NATO,’ alleged Gagin.” (sputnikglobe.com 10/8/23)
“Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not going according to schedule, Kirill Budanov – head of the KIev's Main Intelligence Directorate – admitted in an interview with the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper published on Thursday.
According to the spy chief, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not just behind schedule but have completely ‘fallen out of it’ after several things did not go as ‘smoothly’ as Kiev had hoped. He refused to explain what ‘falling out of schedule’ actually meant, stating that everyone should ‘draw their own conclusion.’” (rt.com 10/12/23)
“The possibility that some weapons sent to Ukraine by its Western backers have ended up in the hands of Hamas militants probably has more to do with corruption than deliberate deliveries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
‘I doubt that there were deliveries of weapons from Ukraine, but I have no doubt there were leaks of weapons from Ukraine,’ Putin explained at a press conference in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.
‘We know the level of corruption in Ukraine is very high. The black market arises when there are many who want to buy, and in Ukraine there are many who want to sell,’ he added, noting that Ukrainians were definitely selling weapons on the international market through countries in Africa and the Middle East.
‘Why, they even sell [weapons] to Russia, and if they can sell them to Russia, nothing surprises me anymore,’ the Russian president said.” (rt.com 10/14/23)
“Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive attempt early in June, and quickly ran up against solid Russian defenses and minefields. According to the latest data, the Kiev regime lost over 90,000 troops, 557 tanks and almost 1,900 armored vehicles
Ukraine's counteroffensive has failed completely, but the Zelensky regime is preparing new active offensive operations in certain zones of the conflict, which Russia is aware of and is responding accordingly, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured.
‘As for the counteroffensive, which is apparently stalling - it has failed completely. We know that in certain areas of the hostilities, however, the opposing side is preparing new active offensive operations. We see this, and we know it. And we are also responding to this accordingly,’ Putin said in an interview with reporter Pavel Zarubin, published on Sunday.” (sputnikglobe.com 10/15/23)
“The US-promoted concept of a ‘rules-based order’ is colonialism in disguise, Putin argued, as Washington decides on what those rules are on a case-by-case basis. ‘How can one talk about order based on rules that no one has ever seen? In terms of common sense, it’s nonsense. But it is beneficial to those who promote this approach.’
Colonial powers of the past claimed they were ‘bringing enlightenment’ and ‘benefits of civilization’ to the territories they held, the Russian president said. US exceptionalism implies that Americans perceive the rest of the world as ‘second-rate people’, just like the colonialists of history.” (rt.com 10/16/23)
"My following message is not a threat, it is an update....in the background of the Middle East conflict all this is happening, the US is heating up the atmosphere. They brought two aviation groups to the Mediterranean...Per my instructions, the Russian Aerospace Forces will begin constant patrolling of the neutral space over the Black Sea...our MiG 31 are armed with Kinzhal systems which have a range over 1,000 KM and a top speed of Mach 9. This is not a threat.” (Putin Beijing speech 10/18/23)
“‘We have definitely lost the battle in the Global South,’ one senior G7 diplomat was quoted as saying. ‘All the work we have done with the Global South [over Ukraine] has been lost… Forget about rules, forget about world order. They won’t ever listen to us again. What we said about Ukraine has to apply to Gaza. Otherwise we lose all our credibility,’ the official added. ‘The Brazilians, the South Africans, the Indonesians: why should they ever believe what we say about human rights?’
Meanwhile, an Arab official noted an apparent lack of consistency: ‘if you describe cutting off water, food and electricity in Ukraine as a war crime, then you should say the same thing about Gaza.’” (ft.com 10/19/23)
“‘I believe that in our current course with regards to the continued – indeed, expanded and expedited – provision of lethal arms to Israel – I have reached the end of that bargain,’ [Paul] explained his decision. Washington was repeating the same mistakes that it made for decades, he wrote. The policy is ‘an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia.’” (Josh Paul, State Department Director of the Bureau of Political/Military Affairs resignation letter RT.com 10/20/23)
“The CIA has spent ‘tens of millions’ of dollars on transforming Kiev’s Soviet-style spy services into ‘potent allies against Moscow,’ The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing multiple sources in the US and Ukrainian intelligence communities:
“These operations have been cast as extreme measures Ukraine was forced to adopt in response to Russia’s invasion last year. In reality, they represent capabilities that Ukraine’s spy agencies have developed over nearly a decade — since Russia first seized Ukrainian territory in 2014 — a period during which the services also forged deep new bonds with the CIA. The missions have involved elite teams of Ukrainian operatives drawn from directorates that were formed, trained and equipped in close partnership with the CIA, according to current and former Ukrainian and U.S. officials. Since 2015, the CIA has spent tens of millions of dollars to transform Ukraine’s Soviet-formed services into potent allies against Moscow, officials said. The agency has provided Ukraine with advanced surveillance systems, trained recruits at sites in Ukraine as well as the United States, built new headquarters for departments in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, and shared intelligence on a scale that would have been unimaginable before Russia illegally annexed Crimea and fomented a separatist war in eastern Ukraine. The CIA maintains a significant presence in Kyiv, officials said.” (washingtonpost.com 10/23/23)
The US foreign intelligence service has been heavily involved in Ukrainian affairs since at least 2015, according to the report. The agency maintains a ‘significant presence’ in Kiev amid the conflict with Russia. (rt.com 10/23/23)
“Russia has conducted a major exercise aimed at testing its strategic nuclear forces, the Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday. The drills involved all three components of the nuclear triad: intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-armed submarines, and strategic bombers, the statement said.
According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, the drills focused on the simulated delivery of ‘a massive nuclear strike by the strategic offensive-oriented forces in response to a nuclear strike by a [simulated] enemy.’
The test also evaluated military leadership readiness capacity to command the strategic nuclear forces, the Kremlin added. All forces involved ‘followed through’ with their goals, it added.” (rt.com 10/25/23)
“Twenty months into the war, about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory remains under Russian occupation. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed, and Zelensky can feel during his travels that global interest in the war has slackened. So has the level of international support.
Since the start of the invasion, Ukraine has refused to release official counts of dead and wounded. But according to U.S. and European estimates, the toll has long surpassed 100,000 on each side of the war. It has eroded the ranks of Ukraine’s armed forces so badly that draft offices have been forced to call up ever older personnel, raising the average age of a soldier in Ukraine to around 43 years. ‘They’re grown men now, and they aren’t that healthy to begin with,’ says the close aide to Zelensky. ‘This is Ukraine. Not Scandinavia.’” (time.com 10/30/23)
‘Since as recently as 4 June - that is, since the beginning of the widely publicized Ukrainian counteroffensive that has been so generously supported by the West - Kiev has lost more than 90,000 servicemen killed and wounded, about 600 tanks and almost 1,900 armored vehicles of various classes. At the same time, no tactically significant successes have been achieved on the battlefield,’ Sergei Shoigu said.” (sputnikglobe.com 10/30/23)
“The US and its allies are the ‘main beneficiaries of the global instability,’ the Russian president said, arguing that the West was making ‘blood money’ from various conflicts. ‘The American-run world, with its single hegemon, is falling to pieces. It is gradually but irreversibly becoming a thing of the past,’ Putin said.” (rt.com 10/31/23)
So after 20 months of unnecessary Neocon death and destruction: “U.S. and European officials have begun quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might entail to end the war, according to one current senior U.S. official and one former senior U.S. official familiar with the discussions.” (nbcnews.com 11/3/23)
“Russia has secured an edge over its rivals in the realm of nuclear weapons, Nikolay Patrushev, secretary of the country’s Security Council, has said. He warned earlier this year that while Moscow had never used its military advantage to intimidate other countries, it could annihilate any foe if its very existence was at stake.
Speaking at the ‘Znanie’ (Knowledge) education marathon in Moscow, Patrushev stated that ‘for the first time in the history of the existence of nuclear missile weapons, our country is ahead of its competitors in this domain.’” (rt.com 11/5/23)
"‘We are indeed going through an acute crisis in relations, the likes of which we have never seen before. We need to carefully calibrate and verify the steps we are taking to prevent further escalation. Our leadership encourages the Foreign Ministry and other federal government agencies to act this way, which is what we are guided by. However, we have seen the Americans take a series of irresponsible and escalatory steps with regard to Ukraine, and not only there,’ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with RTVI. ‘That is why, if we look at Washington’s current behavior model from this perspective, I don’t rule out anything at all. The level [of diplomatic ties] may be lowered; and the severance of diplomatic relations is also possible,’ he added.” (tass.com 11/9/23)
“Ukraine’s shift from offense to defense reflects a move to a new phase in the conflict as Ukraine’s top commanders acknowledge that the counteroffensive didn’t achieve the desired progress...Ukraine’s top military officer, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, described the war as a stalemate in an interview with The Economist, saying there would most likely be no significant breakthrough...Russian officials have characterized the shift as a sign Moscow is gaining the upper hand and that its bet on the long game is paying off...Russian President Vladimir Putin has geared his country’s economy to war and has more than 400,000 men deployed in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, while Kyiv depends on Western military and financial support, which is facing an uncertain future”. (wsj.com 11/12/23)
“A conflict is brewing between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the country’s top military brass over the former’s reluctance to admit that Kiev’s counteroffensive has ground to a halt, Aleksey Arestovich, a former aide to the Ukrainian leader, told El Mundo on Monday.
‘There is a conflict between the president and the military. But it is Zaluzhny who told the truth. Now we have a situation in which the commander-in-chief says one thing about the war and about the prospects for victory, and the president says something completely different. It is not a normal situation.’” (sputnikglobe.com 11/14/23)
“The Pentagon is bypassing Washington’s own sanctions against Russia as it continues to buy petroleum products made from its oil, which takes a circuitous route to a US military supplier despite an ongoing embargo, a Washington Post investigation revealed on Tuesday.
Petroleum products made from Russian oil have continued to flow via a key Pentagon fuel supplier, the Motor Oil Hellas refinery on the Aegean Sea in Greece. The vital fuel is sent from Russian Black Sea ports through an oil storage facility in Türkiye, the outlet said, citing ship-tracking data. The route reportedly helped disguise the Russian origin of the oil products, as they ‘changed hands multiple times before they reached Greece.’” (rt.com 11/15/23)
“It’s Time to End Magical Thinking About Russia’s Defeat: Putin has reason to believe that time is on his side...At the front line, there are no indications that Russia is losing what has become a war of attrition...Western officials’ promises of reinvigorating their own defense industries have collided with bureaucratic and supply-chain bottlenecks...Meanwhile, sanctions and export controls have impeded Putin’s war effort far less than expected...Russian defense factories are ramping up their output, and Soviet legacy factories are outperforming Western factories when it comes to much-needed items like artillery shells...”(wsj.com 11/16/23)
“‘We need a new foreign policy team, and we need a new foreign policy approach, and we need to negotiate before Ukraine is completely destroyed. [Professor Jeffrey] Sachs noted that he and other observers predicted the Ukraine debacle in the early days of the conflict. ‘This one was not very hard to see,’ he said. ‘Like you said, how can you beat Russia? It was very obvious. These people just are not very clever. Biden, Nuland, [National Security Advisor Jake] Sullivan, [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken – they’ve been at this since 2014.’” (rt.com 11/17/23)
“Ukraine’s counteroffensive appears to have stalled, just as wet and cold weather brings to a close the second fighting season in Kyiv’s effort to reverse Russian aggression. At the same time, the political willingness to continue providing military and economic support to Ukraine has begun to erode in both the United States and Europe. These circumstances necessitate a comprehensive reappraisal of the current strategy that Ukraine and its partners are pursuing.
Such a reassessment reveals an uncomfortable truth: namely, that Ukraine and the West are on an unsustainable trajectory, one characterized by a glaring mismatch between ends and the available means.
The United States should begin consultations with Ukraine and its European partners on a strategy centered on Ukraine’s readiness to negotiate a cease-fire with Russia and to simultaneously switch its military emphasis from offense to defense. Kyiv would not give up on restoring territorial integrity or holding Russia economically and legally accountable for its aggression, but it would acknowledge that its near-term priorities need to shift from attempting to liberate more territory to defending and repairing the more than 80 percent of the country that is still under its control.” (foreignaffairs.com 11/17/23)
“What if Ukraine loses the war against Russia? The question is taboo, among the Ukrainians and their Western allies, as it is fraught with implications...But after twenty-one months of war, when the military fronts have been frozen since the failure of the counter-offensive, some are discreetly asking the question...For several weeks, bad news has been piling up about Ukraine, against which all the dark winds of politics and diplomacy have begun to blow.” (lefigaro.fr 11/20/23)
“Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson played a key role in derailing a peace deal between Moscow and Kiev, telling Ukraine to ‘just continue fighting,’ top Ukrainian MP David Arakhamia has said.
Russia was ready to stop the fighting had Ukraine agreed to remain neutral, but the West advised Kiev to keep going, the head of President Vladimir Zelensky’s parliamentary faction – and the chief negotiator at the peace talks in Istanbul – David Arakhamia admitted.
Arakhamia, who heads the ‘Servant of the People’ parliamentary group, told the TV channel 1+1 that Moscow had offered Kiev a peace deal in March 2022, but the Ukrainian side did not trust Russia. ‘Russia’s goal was to put pressure on us so that we would take neutrality. This was the main thing for them: They were ready to end the war if we accepted neutrality, like Finland once did. And we would make a commitment that we will not join NATO. This was the main thing,’ said Arakhamia.” (rt.com 11/25/23)
“The West wants to finish everything ‘on the sly,’ in a cunning way. Freeze, buy time (as was the case with the Minsk agreements), again arm the Nazi regime in Kyiv and continue their hybrid (or non-hybrid) aggression against the Russian Federation. But even when everything is over, most of the sanctions will remain. We need to live by our own mind.” (Sergey Lavrov, Primakov Readings 11/27/23)
“The Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4. Kiev sent into battle brigades trained by NATO instructors and armed with Western equipment. Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Kiev's push had failed and that Ukraine had suffered heavy casualties.
The Ukrainian armed forces have lost more than 125,000 people and 16,000 units of weapons over the six-month counteroffensive, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday.” (sputnikglobe.com 12/1/23)
“The conflict between Russia and Ukraine will not have a purely military solution, Charles Brown Jr., the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has suggested.
During his appearance at the Reagan National Defense Forum at Simi Valley, California on Saturday, Brown was asked about the possible outcome of the fighting in Ukraine – whether it would end with Kiev ‘retaking everything that they’d like to get back’ or with ‘some other kind of a negotiated truce with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. ‘The US top general replied by saying that in ‘any military conflict, you don't solve it completely by military means. It ends up with a diplomatic solution.’” (rt.com 12/3/23)
Victoria Nuland’s brainchild: “Miscalculations, divisions marked offensive planning by U.S., Ukraine, This examination of the lead-up to Ukraine’s counteroffensive is based on interviews with more than 30 senior officials from Ukraine, the United States and European nations...It provides new insights and previously unreported details about America’s deep involvement in the military planning behind the counteroffensive and the factors that contributed to its disappointments.
The year began with Western resolve at its peak, Ukrainian forces highly confident and President Volodymyr Zelensky predicting a decisive victory. But now, there is uncertainty on all fronts. Morale in Ukraine is waning. International attention has been diverted to the Middle East. Even among Ukraine’s supporters, there is growing political reluctance to contribute more to a precarious cause. At almost every point along the front, expectations and results have diverged as Ukraine has shifted to a slow-moving dismounted slog that has retaken only slivers of territory.” (washintonpost.com 12/4/23)
“‘President [Vladimir Putin] has repeatedly stated that achieving our goals [in the conflict with Kiev] is our top priority. And we would prefer to do that through political and diplomatic means,’ Peskov said on Tuesday, commenting on potential talks with Ukraine. ‘We are still ready for negotiations,’ he added.
The Kremlin spokesman then said that Kiev itself had derailed the talks with Moscow that were held in spring 2022. ‘They [the Ukrainian officials] have themselves admitted that it was done on the orders of the UK… The situation is pretty obvious,’ he told RTVI.” (rt.com 12/5/23)
"‘If Putin takes Ukraine, he won't stop there,’ Biden warned. And then, ‘We'll have something that we don't seek and that we don't have today: American troops fighting Russian troops,’ Biden said evenly. The American president has consistently said he will not send American troops to fight in the Eastern European war, and polling has just as consistently shown that the American public does not want to send the U.S. military to fight there.” (usnews.com 12/7/23)
“Touting the scenario of a Russian attack on NATO, Biden stressed that then American troops will have to get involved directly. The Russian leadership has not expressed an intention to ‘take Ukraine,’ let alone invade any NATO member.
[Ambassador] Antonov dismissed the narrative, accusing those who repeat it of ‘myth-making and [the] propagation of dangerous lies’ about his nation. ‘In an attempt to ‘add fuel’ to the fire of the Ukrainian proxy war, [US] authorities have finally lost touch with reality,’ he claimed in remarks posted by the embassy. ‘Washington and [the] insatiable US military-industrial complex are direct beneficiaries of the bloodshed in Ukraine,’ Antonov added.” (rt.com 12/8/23)
“Since 2007, Russia has repeatedly warned that NATO’s armed forces on Russian borders were intolerable – just as Russian forces in Mexico or Canada would be intolerable to the U.S. now, or as Soviet missiles in Cuba were in 1962...Russia further singled out NATO expansion into Ukraine as especially provocative...The Russians made their red lines clear. In Georgia and Syria, they proved they would use force to defend those lines...In 2014, their immediate seizure of Crimea and their support of Donbas separatists demonstrated they were serious in their commitment to defending their interests...Why this was not understood by U.S. and NATO leadership is unclear; incompetence, arrogance, cynicism, or a treacherous mixture of all three are likely contributing factors” (eisenhowermedianetwork.org 12/8/23)
"‘It’s certainly important that everyone realize that the tens of billions of dollars that were previously pumped into Ukraine did not help it achieve any success on the battlefield. The tens of billions of dollars that Ukraine wants to be pumped into its economy will be equally doomed. We understand perfectly well how this process goes,’ Peskov noted.
‘It cannot change the situation on the battlefield or the course of the special military operation. Of this we are certain,’ the Russian presidential spokesman said, when asked what effect the Biden-Zelensky meeting could have on the special military operation.” (tass.com 12/12/23)
“With Ukraine's counteroffensive obviously failing, the United States has taken up a new rallying cry, which is to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from winning in Ukraine so that ‘NATO is not conquered,’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
‘After the collapse of the so-called counteroffensive, [people] in Washington stopped talking about Russia’s strategic defeat on the battlefield and, during Zelensky’s latest visit, activated a new mantra: 'don't let Putin win in Ukraine', otherwise all of NATO will be conquered and then America won't sit through it,’ Lavrov said during the ‘government hour’ in the Federation Council, upper house of the Russian parliament.” (sputnikglobe.com 12/13/23)
“Russia will resort to response measures, if Kiev uses NATO airbases for sorties of western-made planes, handed over to Ukraine, says Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation to the military security and arms control talks in Vienna.
‘We already hear comments that, amid the significant destruction of Ukraine’s airstrip infrastructure, the F-16s handed over to Ukraine may carry out their missions from airbases in Poland, Romania and Slovakia,’ he said during the OSCE Forum meeting on cooperation in security. According to the diplomat, Moscow will view this as these countries’ participation in the conflict and will force Russia to resort to ‘response measures.’” (tass.com 12/13/23)
“The Kremlin spokesman also criticized America’s current role in the Ukraine conflict by saying that Washington only throws taxpayer money ‘into the wind’ and is unnecessarily prolonging the hostilities by sending conflicting signals to Kiev, which end up just leading to more Ukrainian deaths.
A much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive has largely failed to bring about any notable changes to the front lines over some six months of the operation. According to Russian Defense Ministry estimates, Ukraine has lost over 125,000 troops and 16,000 pieces of heavy equipment in failed attempts to advance over the past half year.
‘You have to understand your responsibility for this,’ Peskov said. ‘You are telling them [Ukrainians] — go and die,’ he continued, adding that ‘you know pretty well that they cannot win’ but still offer Kiev more money and armaments.” (rt.com 12/15/23)
“Details have become known about the consequences of the attack on the airfield in Starokonstantinov on December 14...According to MK and a number of Telegram channels, as a result of a hit on a military facility, 28 high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as 12 NATO officers, were killed...According to preliminary data, all officers, mainly from the Czech Republic and Poland and possibly from Germany were killed...After arrival, Security Service of Ukraine officers tried to keep the information as secret as possible - they turned off cellular communications in the area of the airfield and bunker and drove away strangers” aif.ru 12/16/23)
“As for the peace agreement, it is already well-known that it was initialed by negotiators of Ze [Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky], and its copy was shown by [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin. And this story, as well as the direct involvement of the UK and the US in persuading Ze to reject [the agreement], has been corroborated by numerous witnesses. However, you have nothing to worry about, as Ze’s Ukraine has blown its chances for such a favorable outcome, and therefore any possible deal will now reflect its capitulation,” the Russian diplomat wrote on his Twitter page.” (Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky: tass.com 12/16/23)
“In an autistic manner, NATO refused to listen to Russia's legitimate security concerns and also did not bother about the fact that there was only a tiny minority among the Ukrainian people in favour of membership of NATO. Instead, a regime change in Kiev was all that was needed: installing a pro-Western leadership, paying it well and giving it an offer it could not refuse by wooing it step-by-step into the ever-expanding alliance.
Russia then put its foot down, and insult had to be added to injury: We will help you, Ukraine, for as long as it takes for you to win "our" war against Russia and ‘weaken’ it; you'll be covered the whole way, just fight for us to the last Ukrainian.” (globaltimes.cn 12/16/23)
“Ukraine goes into the new year short of ammunition, money and diplomatic support. Underlying these critical shortages, there is another important deficiency. The country and its western backers no longer have a convincing theory of victory. Unless they can come up with one, western support for Ukraine will continue to waver.” (Gideon Rachman ft.com 12/18/23)
“According to Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Ukraine has suffered a devastating blow in the ongoing conflict, losing over 383,000 soldiers. In addition, the Ukrainian forces have incurred significant losses, including 14,000 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers. Furthermore, the Kiev regime has lost 553 aircraft, 259 helicopters, 8,500 field artillery guns, and multiple launch rocket systems. These staggering figures highlight the immense toll the conflict has taken on Ukraine.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned that ever-deepening Western involvement in the conflict unnecessarily increases the chances of a direct military confrontation between NATO and Moscow.
The Russian defense chief went on to claim that more than 5,000 foreign fighters have been killed since hostilities broke out in February 2022, with 1,427 Polish, 466 US, and 344 UK nationals among them. ‘Working in the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ interest are 410 NATO military and dual-purpose space devices,’ Shoigu estimated.” (sputnikglobe.com 12/19/23)
“‘They are thievish, we realized this a long time ago. They have been treacherous all along in political terms, you know: in the sense of reneging on agreements and trying to deceive someone. Now they have turned out to be thieves in the literal sense,’ Lavrov told journalists following his visit to Tunisia.
The top Russian diplomat said the West is ‘laser-focused on the idea of finding some legal way to confiscate Russia’s assets,’ starting with redirecting the interest from the currently frozen funds to Ukraine.
‘The Europeans still have some rudimentary respect for their own laws, so they are delaying these decisions. But according to our sources, behind the scenes the Americans are advising them on how to change these laws to steal everything,’ he explained.” (rt.com 12/21/23)
Alexander Mercouris spoke about the legal sanctity of property rights and asked his guest what happens if the US and its allies begin seizing Russia’s assets: “It seems like they would be going full rogue if that’s the case.” (Daniel McAdams, Ron Paul Center, Duran Report 12/22/23)
“Nobel Prize-winning economist and Yale University professor Robert Shiller said seizing [Russian] assets would give the global community, especially countries which, like Russia, ‘convert their savings into dollars and thus entrust them in the reliable hands of Uncle Sam,’ grounds to doubt the US currency.
‘If America does this to Russia today…then tomorrow it can do this to anyone. This will destroy the halo of security that surrounds the dollar and will be the first step towards de-dollarization, which many are increasingly confidently leaning toward, from China to developing countries, not to mention Russia itself,’ the economist warned. ‘I can’t convince myself that this [confiscation of Russian assets] is the right way,’ he explained.” (rt.com 12/25/23)
"‘Everyone has seen the Kiev regime's lack of confidence about its own future amid growing Western fatigue with their failures,’ Maria Zakharova said at a news conference. ‘The begging of their Ukrainian underlings is causing ever more irritation in Washington, London and Brussels.’
‘There is a growing reluctance among ordinary people in Western society to nurture the corrupt regime from their own pockets,’ the diplomat went on to say. ‘The sooner the collective West realizes that the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, which it provoked, is possible only through achieving the goals of the special military operation, the sooner peace will come.’” (tass.com 12/27/23)
“Ukraine was never a U.S. national security priority - it simply was never our fight. The entire escapade was a farcical project for the 'color revolution dominatrix' Victoria Nuland, and her ilk in the globalist deep State Department. The goal was to weaken America and her ability to defend herself, for whatever they have planned in 2024. The goal was also to harm Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ability to make war. This latter goal failed miserably.” (armedforces.press 12/29/23)
“The stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine and affect the security of both NATO and Europe...When dictators and autocrats are allowed to run roughshod in Europe, the risk rises that the United States gets pulled in directly...And the consequences reverberate around the world”. (President Joe Biden rt.com 12/30/23)
“Kiev is now gripped by crisis politics. With the Ukraine’s defense lines and army in slow-motion collapse and extreme discontent among top military commanders and across the political elite, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy is fighting for his political and personal survival. More importantly, the stakes could not be higher for the Maidan regime’s coalition of nationalists, neofascist, corruptionaires, new oligarchs, and the occasional republican.
Meanwhile, the young Ukrainian state, based on still poorly consolidated quasi-republican institutions and a nationalist ideology, is at risk of disintegration, dissolution, and even disappearance. It surrounded by growing threats: the Russian army, angry Ukrainian soldiers and commanders, Kiev’s financial and economic insolvency and dissipation, popular desperation, and the risk of palace or military coups, even a new ‘Galician’ civil war.” (gordonhahn.com 1/2/24)
“Ukrainian artillery struck the central square of the Russian city with cluster bombs on Saturday, injuring over 100 civilians and killing 25, including children. Asked about it on Wednesday morning, a spokesman of the Foreign Ministry in Paris said that Ukraine was ‘acting in self-defense’ while Russia was ‘an aggressor state’ responsible for any ‘human tragedies that accompany’ the conflict. ‘We never liked the French,’ Medvedev said in a Telegram post. ‘The frogs fought a war against us,’ he added, referring to Napoleon Bonaparte’s ill-fated 1812 invasion.
‘Now we are convinced of this. The French Foreign Ministry said that the strike on Belgorod using cluster munitions was ‘self-defense’,’ he added. ‘Scum. Bastards. Freaks.’ The French response to the Belgorod massacre echoed the official position of the European Union, which has fully endorsed Kiev.” (rt.com 1/3/24)
“Groupings of Russian troops are methodically reducing the combat potential of the Ukrainian armed forces. Over the past year, enemy losses exceeded 215,000 servicepeople and 28,000 weapons systems. We maintain the strategic initiative along the entire line of combat contact," Shoigu said at a working meeting with military leaders on Tuesday.”(sputnikglobe.com 1/9/24)
“Ukraine lost 500,000 soldiers, killed or seriously wounded, since the beginning of the Russian special military operation/invasion, former Prosecutor General and ex-head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko said on the YouTube channel.
‘I think that they should name the number of dead Ukrainians. I know that they don’t want this, and it will be taken seriously. Yes, it will be a shock,’ he said. According to Lutsenko, Ukraine loses tens of thousands of fighters per month, which is why the Ukrainian military proposed to mobilize half a million people.
‘We must honestly say that the 500,000 that are now being talked about if divided into months, is 30 thousand a month, and then we will approximately understand what is happening at the front,’ he highlighted.” (eurasiantimes.com 1/10/24)
"On the evening of January 16, the Russian armed forces carried out a high-precision strike on the temporary deployment location of foreign fighters in the city of Kharkiv, and the majority of fighters were French mercenaries. As a result of the strike, the building in which the mercenaries were located was completely destroyed. More than 60 fighters were killed, and more than 20 were taken to health facilities," the ministry said in a statement.” (sputnikglobe.com 1/17/24)
“Moscow has never closed the door to dialogue to end the Ukraine conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, reiterating that the country's key goal remains stopping NATO’s unchecked expansion towards its borders.
In a rare interview with CBS News in New York, where he arrived to take part in UN meetings on Ukraine and the Middle East, Lavrov rejected a recent claim by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who alleged that Moscow has shown no ‘willingness… to engage, to negotiate in good faith’ to end the conflict with Kiev.
’It’s not true,’ Lavrov stressed, adding that Russia has always been ready to discuss ‘any serious proposal’ that addresses the situation on the ground and the root causes of hostilities. Moscow is also willing to reach a solution ‘which would guarantee legitimate national interests of Russia and the Ukrainian people,’ the diplomat stated.” (rt.com 1/13/24)
“Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing. ‘The maneuvers [of Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024] are openly provocative in nature. For several months, a 90,000-strong group of forces from 31 NATO member countries, as well as Sweden, will be actively operating near Russian borders on the territory from Norway to Romania. This step is deliberately aimed at escalating things. It increases the risk of military incidents and could ultimately lead to tragic consequences for Europe.' The diplomat stressed that the Russian side 'has no plans to attack NATO countries.'” (tass.com 1/26/24)
“In a post on Telegram, Zhuravlev, who is first deputy chairman of the Russian parliamentary defense committee and leader of the Rodina (Motherland) party, pointed out that Britain has its own nuclear weapons, and that the US has already deployed part of its atomic arsenal to several European countries close to Russia.
‘Therefore, it’s unlikely that additional deployment [of nuclear weapons to the UK] would have an effect on the military-political landscape,’ Zhuravlev surmised.
Nevertheless, the politician suggested that Moscow should consider deploying its own nuclear weapons closer to the US and send them to ‘friendly countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.’” (rt.com 1/29/24)
“U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland is inspired by Ukraine's determination for 2024 and is confident that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will get some ‘nice surprises’ on the battlefield. She stated this at a briefing in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
‘I have to say that I leave Kyiv tonight more encouraged about the unity and the resolve about 2024 and its absolute strategic importance for Ukraine. I also leave more confident that even as Ukraine strengthens its defenses, Mr. Putin is going to get some nice surprises on the battlefield and that Ukraine will make some very strong success this year,’ Nuland said.” (Barrons.com 1/31/24)
“‘As a rule, Victoria Nuland’s visit to Kiev does not bring anything good. We remember this from 2014, when she was handing out cookies,’ Peskov stated.
The spokesman referred to the infamous episode of the Ukrainian Maidan turmoil. At the time, Nuland, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, showed up in Kiev amid the unrest in early December 2013, giving out snacks to protesters.
The official has been widely perceived as one of the key figures behind the Maidan events, which ultimately brought down Ukraine’s democratically-elected president, Viktor Yanukovich. ‘Nuland’s cookies’ have become a well-known example of direct US involvement in the coup.” (rt.com 2/4/24)
“In the event of a war with NATO, Russia would have to ‘respond asymmetrically’ and use missiles ‘with special warheads,’ Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on his Telegram channel.
He noted that, ‘if, God forbid, such a war happens, it will not follow the scenario of the special military operation’ and it ‘won’t be waged in trenches with the use of artillery, armor, drones and means of radio-electronic warfare. NATO is a huge military bloc, the population of the countries of the alliance is almost one billion people and their joint military budget may reach one and a half trillion dollars,’ Medvedev explained.
‘Therefore, due to the incommensurability of our [respective] military potentials, we simply won’t have a choice. The response will be asymmetrical. In order to protect the territorial integrity of our country, ballistic and cruise missiles with special warheads (nuclear arms - TASS) will be used. This is based on our doctrinal military documents and is well-known to everyone. And this is precisely [equivalent to] the proverbial Apocalypse [or End Times depicted in the Biblical Book of Revelation]. The end of everything,’ Medvedev stressed.” (tass.com 2/7/24)
Was this the reason for Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland’s recent visit to Kyiv? “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted to give his military a shakeup by appointing General Oleksandr Syrskyi as commander-in-chief: many of his troops reacted with despair. ‘Syrskyi will kill us all,’ said one soldier, who like others in this story spoke on condition of being granted anonymity.
The 58-year-old Syrskyi, who until Thursday was the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, has a reputation as a hard-driving Soviet-style general who puts his men in danger to reach his military goals, said a person with knowledge of Syrskyi’s operating style. On hearing of his appointment, a Ukrainian soldier tweeted a message in a group chat of veterans of the Bakhmut fight: "We're all fucked."
Another officer posted on X that Syrskyi's leadership ‘is bankrupt, his presence or orders coming from his name are demoralizing, and he undermines trust in the command in general. His relentless pursuit of tactical gains constantly depletes our valuable human resources, resulting in tactical advances such as capturing tree lines or small villages, with no operational goals in mind.’” (politico.eu 2/9/24)
“The United States is creating instability in region after region in a strategy of controlled chaos, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the State Duma (lower house of parliament).
‘Creating instability in region after region, the Americans want, so to speak, controlled chaos. However, I actually don’t think they know what they are doing,’ Lavrov said. ‘The [Russian] president said at a plenary session of the World Russian People's Council last November: The dictatorship of the lone hegemon is on the decline and it’s simply dangerous for everyone around. Every day, we see more confirmation of this assessment,’ the top Russian diplomat noted.” (tass.com 2/14/24)
“The 2014 Ukraine team, including Biden, Nuland, Jake Sullivan (then and now Biden’s national security advisor), Geoffrey Pyatt, and Antony Blinken (then the deputy national security advisor), remains the Ukraine team today. It is a team of bunglers.” (Jeffrey Sachs commondreams.org 2/14/24)
“Russia should have started active actions in Ukraine earlier, but it tried for a long time to resolve the conflict peacefully and relied on the honesty of its opponents, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin, the video of which was uploaded to the Kremlin's Telegram channel.
‘The only thing we can regret is that we did not start our active actions earlier, believing that we were dealing with decent people,’ the president said, describing the situation around Ukraine. Putin went on to say that at the first stage, Russia tried to settle the conflict in Donbas ‘by peaceful means, namely the Minsk Accords.’
‘It turned out later that we were being deceived in this regard, because both the former German chancellor and the former president of France admitted straightforwardly in the public that they never planned to fulfill the agreements. Instead, they were buying time to deliver more weapons to the Kiev regime, which is exactly what they did,’ the Russian leader said.” (tass.com 2/14/24)
“The United States is openly engaged in pumping resources out of European countries, while Europe in its obedient submission is losing strategic autonomy and the sense of dignity, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
‘Against the backdrop of economic problems, the Americans have openly engaged in pumping resources out of Europe. They are cutting off promising markets and reliable energy sources. For the sake of this, they blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines without hesitation and ordered Germany and the rest of Europe to swallow this humiliation. Europe quietly obeyed, forgetting about its former timid speculations about strategic autonomy and dignity,’ Lavrov emphasized. He pointed out that now ‘the European industry is literally being forced to choose between transferring operations overseas and ruin.’” (tass.com 2/16/24)
"‘Attempts to restore Russia's 1991 borders will lead only to one thing - a global war with Western countries with the use of our entire strategic (nuclear) arsenal against Kyiv, Berlin, London, and Washington. And against all other beautiful historic places that have long been included in the flight targets of our nuclear triad,’ Medvedev said in a reference to the triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers with nuclear weapons.” (yahoo.com 2/18/24)
"‘NATO military personnel, under the guise of mercenaries, participate in hostilities. They control air defense systems, tactical missiles and multiple launch rocket systems, and are part of assault detachments,’ Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.” (tass.com 2/19/24)
“These days mark the tenth anniversary of the unconstitutional armed coup d'état in Kyiv. Then, in February 2014, skillful provocateurs, led by American and European instructors, brought crowds of people to street protests under the attractive slogans of a better ‘European’ life, democracy, human rights and the fight against corruption. In reality, these were well-choreographed and externally paid mass riots to overthrow the legitimate government.
The price of Western ‘guarantees’ regarding Ukraine is well known.
- In February 2014, Berlin, Paris and Warsaw ‘guaranteed’ the fulfillment of the agreement between Yanukovych and the opposition, but did nothing to implement it.
- In February 2015, Germany and France assumed the role of ‘guarantors’ of the Minsk Package of Measures, which they themselves buried together with Kiev, deceiving the entire international community.
Today, once again extending the carrot to the Kiev regime, the Westerners pursue one goal - to turn Ukraine into a powerless colony and use it as a tool against Russia. Their ‘guarantees’ are worth nothing.” (Maria Zakharova 2/21/24)
“With this money ($60 billion) Ukraine will be able to fight back in the east, but it will also be able to accelerate the asymmetric warfare that has been most effective on the battlefield.” (Nuland CSIS 2/22/24)
“Ukraine will be free to use F-16 fighter jets it will receive from NATO against military targets 'inside Russia,' or beyond Kiev's claimed borders, the US-led bloc's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has told American state-run media.
Russia has repeatedly warned such a deployment would be an escalation of the conflict and may even risk nuclear war, as the F-16 is capable of delivering B61 gravity bombs.
‘So, if one of those planes takes off from a NATO nation – what would that be? An attack on Russia. I shall not describe what could happen next,’ Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and deputy head of Russia’s National Security Council, said in an interview on Thursday.” (rt.com 2/23/24)
“The CIA’s partnership in Ukraine can be traced back to two phone calls on the night of Feb. 24th, 2014, eight years to the day before Russia’s full-scale invasion. The government’s new spy chief, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko…went to an office and called the CIA station chief & local head of MI6. It was near midnight but he summoned them to the building, asked for help in rebuilding the agency from the ground up and proposed a three way partnership.
CIA built a network of 12 secret bases along the Russian border in Ukraine: The CIA and other American intelligence agencies provide intelligence for targeted missile strikes, track Russian troop movements and help support spy networks...But the partnership is no wartime creation, nor is Ukraine the only beneficiary...It took root a decade ago, coming together in fits and starts under three very different U.S. presidents, pushed forward by key individuals who often took daring risks...It has transformed Ukraine, whose intelligence agencies were long seen as thoroughly compromised by Russia, into one of Washington’s most important intelligence partners against the Kremlin today.” (nytimes.com 2/24/24)
“Sending Western troops to Ukraine ‘cannot be ruled out,’ French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday after hosting a conference in Paris where European leaders discussed the prospect. There was ‘no agreement this evening to officially send troops onto the ground but we cannot exclude anything,’ he told reporters.
The aid conference for Ukraine brought together representatives of the European Union’s 27 member countries including 21 heads of state and governments, he said. ’We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war,’ Macron said. ‘And I say this with determination, but also with a collective humility that we need to have, in the light of the last two years.’” (edition.cnn.com 2/27/24)
“A direct military conflict between NATO and Russia will be inevitable if Western troops are sent to Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. ‘In that case, it’s not going to be about probability, but inevitability - that's how we assess it,’ he said, when asked how the Kremlin assesses the probability of a direct conflict between NATO and Russia in the event that Western troops are sent to Ukraine.
Peskov also said NATO countries ‘should also assess’ the consequences of such actions and be aware of them. They should ‘ask themselves whether this corresponds to their interests, and most importantly, to the interests of the citizens of their countries,’ Peskov said.” (tass.com 2/27/24)
“The West has provoked conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions around the world while consistently propagating falsehoods. Now they have the audacity to say that Russia harbours intentions of attacking Europe. Can you believe it? We all know that their claims are utterly baseless. And at the same time, they are selecting targets to strike on our territory and contemplating the most efficient means of destruction. Now they have started talking about the possibility of deploying NATO military contingents to Ukraine. But we remember what happened to those who sent their contingents to the territory of our country once before.” (Putin’s annual address to the Federal Assembly 2/29/24)
“According to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, NATO will have to battle Russia next if Ukraine loses the current conflict, as he ‘really believes’ on Thursday. Austin stated before a House Armed Services Committee hearing, ‘Quite frankly, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia if Ukraine falls.’
Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the State Duma's Defense Committee, responded to Austin's remarks by telling Sputnik that NATO would end up like Ukraine if they carry on with their aggressive strategy.” (english.almayadeen.net 2/29/24)
“US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, by saying that NATO and Russia could end up fighting each other if Ukraine is defeated, proved that the US has a plan for it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a diplomatic conference in Antalya.
‘The meaning of this statement is that if Ukraine loses, NATO will have to go against Russia. In a Freudian slip he blurted out what they had in mind. Before that, everyone was saying: We can't let Ukraine lose, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will not stop at this and will take over the Baltics, Poland, Finland. But it turns out, according to Mr. Austin's open, unambiguous statement, it's the other way round. We do not have such plans and cannot have them, but the Americans do,’ the minister said.” (tass.com 3/1/24)
“Russia is not trying to expand its territory by its actions in Ukraine but has to react to the Russophobic policy by Kiev and the West and protect its sovereignty, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in a lecture at the Knowledge. First educational marathon on Monday.
‘What is happening in Ukraine is a special case. This does not mean expanding the borders of our state, the Russian Federation, by the effective occupation method,’ Medvedev said in his lecture titled: ‘Geographical and Strategic Borders.’
‘Our actions are a forced but quite an effective response to the Russophobic policy by the Banderite regime and the collective West and its desire to destroy our statehood, undermine independence and sovereignty,’ the politician said.” (tass.com 3/4/24)
After destroying Ukraine over ten years, Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland “retires”: “‘It is Victoria's leadership in Ukraine that diplomats and foreign policy scholars will study for years to come. Her efforts were indispensable in resisting Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in forging a global coalition to ensure his strategic failure, and in helping Ukraine reach the day when it can get back on its feet - democratically, economically and militarily,’ Blinken wrote.” (kron4.com 3/5/24)
“Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Maria Zakharova, declared yesterday. Nuland is responsible for ‘the fiasco of American foreign policy’, Zakharova said. ‘The bet was a huge one. Everything was staked by the liberal Democrats starting with Barack Obama. That bet has now been lost. An absolute fiasco — the rush by V.A. Zelensky begging for at least something more — the White House rejecting his requests — discord everywhere in NATO… No one has a clear idea what to do…A complete fiasco.’” (johnhelmer.org 3/6/24)
"‘My best guess here is that the CIA and the Defense Department and the NSA got this message around saying, 'look, Victoria's got her own agenda here,’ said Ray McGovern.
The former CIA official continued to speculate: ‘The president doesn't really want to strike these ammo depots in Russia or knock down the [Crimean] Bridge. So we got to rein her in, I guess it's time for her to go to early retirement.’” (Judge Napolitano: Judging Freedom 3/8/24)
“‘They won’t tell you the reason [for Nuland’s “resignation”], but it is simple - the failure of the anti-Russian course of the Biden Administration. Russophobia, propped by Victoria Nuland as the main foreign policy concept of the United States, is dragging the Democrats to the bottom like a stone.’ spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.” (apnews.com 3/9/24)
“Ambassador Victoria Nuland, a US diplomat for more than three decades who served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs for the last three years, and as Acting Deputy Secretary of State from July 2023 to February 2024, will join SIPA as the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor in the Practice of International Diplomacy effective July 1.” (sipa.columbia.edu 3/6/24)
"‘The American political engineers cornered themselves with their tales that the Crocus City Hall attack was carried out by the ISIS terror group,’ Maria Zakharova noted. ‘Hence Washington’s daily bailing out of its wards in Kiev, and the attempt to cover itself and the Zelensky regime they created with the scarecrow of the outlawed ISIS.’
‘What is the logic, you may ask? Money and power. And, considering the international legal ban on direct interventions, it is also about sowing a ‘controlled chaos’ and reshaping the world order by the hands of terrorists,’ she continued. ‘Attention, a question for the White House: are you sure it was ISIS, won’t you change your mind later?’” (tass.com 3/24/24)
“Russia knows who the perpetrators are, but is more interested in who commissioned the attack. ‘This attack was carried out by radical Islamists,’ Putin said in the opening remarks of a video call with law enforcement officials.
The US and its allies are now trying to cover for their proxies in Kiev, insisting that Ukraine had nothing to do with the terrorist attack and that the party responsible was Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), the Russian president noted.
‘But we know who carried out the attack. We want to know who ordered it. This may be part of the war that has been waged against the Russian Federation via the Kiev regime since 2014.’” (rt.com 3/25/24)
“The deadly terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall was a clear attempt to intimidate Russia and serves the interests of the Ukrainian government, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
‘This atrocity may be only a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been fighting our country since 2014, using the neo-Nazi Kiev regime as their hand,’ Putin said. ‘And the Nazis, as is well known, never hesitated to use the most dirty and inhumane means to achieve their goals.’” (rt.com 3/26/24)
“Let’s start with the possible chain of events that may have led to the Crocus terror attack. This is as explosive as it gets. Intel sources in Moscow discreetly confirm this is one of the FSB’s prime lines of investigation.
December 4, 2023. Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen Mark Milley, only 3 months after his retirement, tells CIA mouthpiece The Washington Post: ‘There should be no Russian who goes to sleep without wondering if they’re going to get their throat slit in the middle of the night (…) You gotta get back there and create a campaign behind the lines.’
January 4, 2024: In an interview with ABC News, ‘spy chief’ Kyrylo Budanov lays down the road map: strikes ‘deeper and deeper’ into Russia.
January 31: Victoria Nuland travels to Kiev and meets Budanov. Then, in a dodgy press conference at night in the middle of an empty street, she promises ‘nasty surprises’ to Putin: code for asymmetric war.
February 22: Nuland shows up at a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event and doubles down on the ‘nasty surprises’ and asymmetric war. That may be interpreted as the definitive signal for Budanov to start deploying dirty ops.
February 25: The New York Times publishes a story about CIA cells in Ukraine: nothing that Russian intel does not already know.
Then, a lull until March 5 – when crucial shadow play may have been in effect. Privileged scenario: Nuland was a key dirty ops plotter alongside the CIA and the Ukrainian GUR (Budanov). Rival Deep State factions got hold of it and maneuvered to “terminate” her one way or another – because Russian intel would have inevitably connected the dots.
Yet Nuland, in fact, is not ‘retired’ yet; she’s still presented as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs and showed up recently in Rome for a G7-related meeting, although her new job, in theory, seems to be at Columbia University (a Hillary Clinton maneuver).
Meanwhile, the assets for a major ‘nasty surprise’ are already in place, in the dark, and totally off radar. The op cannot be called off.
March 5: Little Blinken formally announces Nuland’s ‘retirement’.
March 7: At least one Tajik among the four-member terror commando visits the Crocus venue and has his photo taken.
March 7-8 at night: U.S. and British embassies simultaneously announce a possible terror attack on Moscow, telling their nationals to avoid ‘concerts’ and gatherings within the next two days.
March 9: Massively popular Russian patriotic singer Shaman performs at Crocus. That may have been the carefully chosen occasion targeted for the ‘nasty surprise’ – as it falls only a few days before the presidential elections, from March 15 to 17. But security at Crocus was massive, so the op is postponed.
March 22: The Crocus City Hall terror attack.” (strategic-culture.su 3/26/24)
“Everyone asks me. What to do? They were caught. Well done to everyone who caught them. Should they be killed? Necessary. And it will be. But it is much more important to kill everyone involved. Everyone. Those who paid, who sympathized, who helped. Kill them all.” (Quote by Dimitry Medvedev. Telegram 3/26/24)
"‘The very fact that within the first 24 hours [after the Crocus City Hall attack], even before the fire was put out, the Americans started screaming that it wasn't Ukraine, I think, is a piece of incriminating evidence. I can't classify it otherwise; it is evidence in and of itself,’ the diplomat [Zakharova] said on air during a Sputnik radio broadcast. ‘The second fact to note concerns the clamor by the US that this assuredly was the work of ISIS.’
‘I think they’ve boxed themselves into a corner, because as soon as they started screaming that it was ISIS, all those people who work in international relations, who are political scientists and experts, recalled and reminded everyone else what ISIS really is,’ the diplomat said. ‘You are behind all those ISIS-type structures, you - the United States, Great Britain - yourselves brought them into being,’ she concluded.” (tass.com 3/27/24)
Or was Israel behind the attack on the Crocus City Hall, using its ISIS proxies? “Amir Weitmann, the head of the libertarian caucus in Israel’s Likud Party, appeared on Russia’s state-run RT News network this week and spoke about fighting between Israel and Hamas militants, as well as Russia’s war with Ukraine.
While speaking about recent claims relating to al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, Weitmann criticized Russia, saying that ‘we’re gonna finish this war, we’re going to win because we’re stronger. After this, Russia will pay the price, believe me, Russia will pay the price.’
‘Russia is supporting the enemies of Israel. Russia is supporting Nazi people who want to commit genocide on us and Russia will pay the price,’ Weitmann said. ‘We’re gonna win this war. Afterwards, we’re not forgetting what you’re doing, we’re not forgetting, we will come, we will make sure Ukraine wins. We will make sure that you pay the price for what you have done, you as Russia.’” (newsweek.com 10/20/23)
“Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party, one of the MPs who filed the original notice, insisted that Western nations have ‘benefited’ from the terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow earlier this month. Russia's geopolitical opponents stood to gain from the tragedy, and counted ‘on their inaccessibility and impunity.’
‘The US and its allies are today conducting terrorist acts on Russian territories with the hands of ISIS and Ukrainian special services,’ Kharitonov claimed on Telegram last week. ‘We demand that the political leadership of the US and Ukraine, as well as the intelligence services of these countries, be held criminally liable for organizing, financing, and conducting terrorist operations directed against Russia and the entire modern world.’” (rt.com 4/2/24)
“Speaking at an international event in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, Nikolay Patrushev said Washington is determined to ‘impose’ its preferred narrative regarding the [Crocus City Hall] attack.
‘Identifying the mastermind and sponsor of the monstrous crime is what is most important. The trace leads to the Ukrainian special services,’ he claimed.
‘It is well known that the Kiev regime is not independent and is fully controlled by the US. We should also take into account that ISIS, Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations were created by Washington,’ the senior official added.” (rt.com 4/3/24)
“For every NATO soldier killed on Ukrainian territory, Russian soldiers should receive the maximum reward. This statement was made by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.
The Russian politician commented on the latest statements by NATO representatives about the likely deployment of alliance troops to Ukraine with assurances that they will not fight there, but ‘only help.’ Medvedev called for all military personnel of the alliance to be considered part of the regular forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fighting against the Russian army and to be treated as an enemy. According to him, Russian troops should be ordered not to take NATO soldiers prisoner, but to reward each killed to the maximum.
‘In relation to these overseas nits, in contrast to some of the unfortunate Ukrainians who were forcibly conscripted to war, only one rule can apply. Take no prisoners! And for each killed, blown up or burned NATO member, the maximum bonus should be given. And don’t give them the corpses. Let relatives suffer in a foreign land.’” (dmitry medvedev en.topwar.ru 4/5/24)
“Ukraine does not have sufficient weapons to conduct offensive operations against the Russian army or to disrupt its progress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday.
‘As for thwarting the Russians' counteroffensive actions — there are not enough appropriate weapons [in Ukraine],’ the Ukrainian president said during an appearance on a national news broadcast.” (sputnikglobe.com 4/6/24)
“Well, well, you respected leaders of the US and European countries! Terrorists stating that they were promised one million rubles in Kiev, and that to get there they were to go through a gap in the Russian-Ukrainian border was not enough for you? So, the terrorist attack was ordered by ISIS, right? The real employers are the ukrainian bandera bastards, your fosterlings. And the accomplices to this murder are all of you, Biden, Macron, Sunak, Scholz, and other henchmen. We won’t forget that!” (@MedvedevRussiaE 4/8/24)
“Nato countries will soon have to send soldiers to Ukraine, or else accept catastrophic defeat. The British and French, along with the Nordic countries, are already quietly preparing to send troops — both small elite units and logistics and support personnel — who can remain far from the front. The latter could play an essential role by releasing their Ukrainians counterparts for retraining in combat roles. Nato units could also relieve Ukrainians currently tied up in the recovery and repair of damaged equipment, and could take over the technical parts of existing training programmes for new recruits. These Nato soldiers might never see combat — but they don’t have to in order to help Ukraine make the most of its own scarce manpower.” (Edward Luttwak unherd.com 4/24)
“An investigation into terrorism funding by Russian intelligence agencies and law enforcement is focusing on selected Western government officials, the country's national Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday.
Investigators are currently looking at the potential involvement of ‘specific individuals from among government officials, people with civic and commercial organizations of Western countries,’ said committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko.
It has already been established that funding for terrorist attacks inside Russia has been funneled through Ukrainian companies, including the notorious Burisma Holdings – former employers of US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter – Petrenko added. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia has also said it would follow the evidence leading to ‘persons and structures located in the US, Germany, France and Cyprus.’
Investigators are establishing the connections between the direct perpetrators of terrorist acts and ‘foreign curators, organizers and sponsors,’ Petrenko added.” (rt.com 4/9/24)
Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland’s legacy: “Russia's armed forces have grown larger and not dwindled during its war in Ukraine, a top US general said on Wednesday.
‘The Russian army is actually now larger — by 15 percent — than it was when it invaded Ukraine,’ US Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told the House Armed Services Committee in a hearing.
‘Over the past year, Russia increased its front-line troop strength from 360,000 to 470,000,’ Cavoli continued, adding that the bolstered numbers stemmed from Russia raising its conscription age from 27 to 30.
The increase, Cavoli said, meant that Russia was able to enlarge ‘the pool of available military conscripts by 2 million for years to come. In sum, Russia is on track to command the largest military on the continent,’ Cavoli said in his opening statement to Congress.
‘Regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine, Russia will be larger, more lethal, and angrier with the West than when it invaded," he added.” (General Cavoli House Armed Services Committee hearing 4/10/24)
“Ukraine’s previous attempt to defeat Russia on the battlefield was a total disaster and Kiev should not expect anything different the next time, a top official at the Russian Ministry of Defense told reporters on Thursday.
‘I would remind you that the implementation of the previous counteroffensive plan in 2023, which Commander-in-Chief Zelensky has delicately called ‘not successful’, resulted in the death and serious injury of more than 166,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the loss of 789 tanks, 2,400 other armored vehicles and 132 aircraft,’ the MOD official said.
With Ukrainians unwilling to volunteer for the cause of ‘Zelensky’s madness,’ Kiev has updated its mobilization rules to recruit ‘new cannon fodder,’ the official added.” (rt.com 4/12/24)
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs: “Zelensky said, okay, okay, we'll be neutral. Russia said, okay, we can discuss everything, but you'll be neutral. And then the United States stepped in because we're incompetent. And the British stepped in because they are vulgarly cynical, imperial and incompetent, and said to the Ukrainians, keep fighting.” (@Judgenap 4/17/24)
Victoria Nuland’s legacy, cont’d: ‘Our high combat potential allows us to constantly strike the enemy and prevent him from holding the defense line,’ Shoigu noted, estimating Kiev’s losses at half-a-million troops since the start of the conflict.
He also recalled that last year’s much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive, prepared with the help of NATO instructors, had been a failure. ‘Our servicemen have dispelled the myth of the superiority of Western weapons,’ he said.
The Russian minister also hailed the national defense industry, saying it had ramped up output repeatedly. This ‘has significantly increased the combat capabilities of our armed forces. This is evidenced by the situation in the special military operation zone,’ Shoigu said.” (rt.com 4/23/24)
“Ukrainian military losses since the beginning of the year have surpassed 111,000 troops, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Friday, as he shared Moscow’s latest estimates from the conflict.
Russian forces ‘continue to break up’ Ukrainian defensive positions along the entire front line, the senior official reported during a ministerial meeting. Russia’s territorial gains this year have amounted to 547 sq km, he added.
Shoigu accused the US and its allies of pressuring Kiev into disregarding the cost of continued fighting. As a result, Ukraine suffered 1,000 casualties daily throughout April, the minister claimed.” (rt.com 5/3/24)
"‘We cannot ignore the fact that these planes [F-16s] are dual-purpose platforms that can be used both for nuclear and non-nuclear tasks … No matter what modification of the aircraft will be supplied [to Ukraine] we will treat them as nuclear-capable and we will consider this step of the United States and NATO as a purposeful provocation,’ the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.” (sputnikglobe.com 5/6/24)
“We should have never got into the whole stupid situation...Ukraine is a corrupt shithole that doesn’t matter at all...This is not a replay of 1940 with the pumpkin Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky as the Churchillian underdog...This whole Ukrainian corrupt mafia state has basically conned us all and we’re all going to get fucked as a consequence” (Dominic Cummings, former PM Boris Johnson advisor rt.com 5/10/24)
Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland after losing 20% of Ukraine with 500,000+ killed in action: “Life is wonderful. I am doing a lot of projects that I had put off, seeing a lot of people that I love, and I’m staying involved in ways that are meaningful. I’m speaking on foreign policy issues I care about — whether it is Ukraine or ensuring that the United States leads strongly in the world. I’m getting a chance to prepare for my classes in the fall and work with the next generation of foreign policy leaders. I’ll be at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.”
Can Ukraine win this war against Russia? And how do you define winning?
“Let’s start with the fact that Putin has already failed in his objective. He wanted to flatten Ukraine. He wanted to ensure that they had no sovereignty, independence, agency, no democratic future — because a democratic Ukraine, a European Ukraine, is a threat to his model for Russia, among other things, and because it’s the first building block for his larger territorial ambitions.
Can Ukraine succeed? Absolutely. Can Ukraine come out of this more sovereign, more economically independent, stronger, more European than it is now? Absolutely. And I think it will. But we’ve got to stay with it. We’ve got to make sure our allies stay with it.” (politico.com 5/11/24)
“First, the truly alarming news next to no one seems to care about: Day by day, the war in Ukraine is tipping ever closer to triggering a nuclear strike.
Earlier this week, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once again waved the warning flag on this pending cataclysm, posting: ‘The situation in Ukraine is on the brink of calamitous escalation. Do the military imperialists in Washington and their lackeys in Europe have any idea the danger they are courting? They are conducting foreign policy as if it were a game of chicken.’” (Douglas McKinnon thehill.com 5/11/24)
And Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland can’t stop lying: “What we've also learned is that Putin went to negotiations called Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 in 2014, 2015, and 2016, but he did not negotiate in good faith, so it became a frozen conflict, and it became a platform for him to launch a second, bigger invasion.” (meduza.io 5/13/24)
“To wit, Washington has morphed into a freak of world history – a planetary War Capital dominated by a panoptic complex of arms merchants, paladins of interventionism and Warfare State nomenklatura. Never before has there been assembled and concentrated under a single state authority a hegemonic force possessing such unprecedented levels of economic resources, advanced technology and military wherewithal.
Not surprisingly, the world’s War Capital is Orwellian to the core. Its endless pursuit of war is always and everywhere described as the promotion of peace.” (David Stockman antiwar.com 5/15/24)
Victoria Nuland’s Ukraine policy drove Russia & China together, ignoring George Kennan, Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski’s sage advice: “Restrictions against China, complementing the thousands of sanctions Washington and its allies have slapped on Russia over the past decade, threaten to put the last nail in the coffin of the grand strategy Washington has pursued in relation to both countries through much of the second half of the 20th century. The vision, laid out by foreign policy gurus Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski, centered around efforts to keep Russia and China divided to prevent them from combining their respective strengths to challenge American hegemony.
‘A grand coalition of China and Russia united not by ideology but by complementary grievances’ would pose ‘the most dangerous scenario’ as far as threats to US hegemony are concerned, Brzezinski wrote in his 1997 treatise The Grand Chessboard, echoing and building on work begun by Kissinger in the early 1970s to institute his famous triangular diplomacy doctrine in relation toward Moscow and Beijing.” (sputnikglobe.com 5/16/24)
“NULAND: They need more air defenses. They need to be able to stop these Russian attacks that are coming from bases inside Russia. So, I think there's also a question of whether we, the United States and our allies, ought to give them more help in hitting Russian bases, which heretofore we have not been willing to do.
RADDATZ: And do you think they should?
NULAND: I think if the attacks are coming directly from over the line in Russia, that those bases ought to be fair game, whether they are where missiles are being launched from or where they are where troops are being supplied from.
I think it’s time for that because Russia has obviously escalated this war, including, as you said, at the beginning, attacking Russia’s [sic] second city, Kharkiv, which is not on the front lines, and trying to decimate it without ever having to put a boot on the ground. So I think it is time to give the Ukrainians more help hitting these bases inside Russia.” (abcnews.go.com 5/19/24)
“This will be the first time in a proxy war [between two nuclear powers] where one side is assisting its proxy to conduct attacks on the national territory of another super power. That breaks a convention that has existed ever since the end of WWII and which has been considered sacrosanct. It tells you how far some people in the Biden Administration are prepared to go.” (Alexander Mercouris, The Duran 5/25/24)
“A defeat of Ukraine would be a humbling episode for the West, a modern Suez moment. America and Europe have—perhaps inadvertently—put their own credibility on the line. (https://econ.st/3UrkMtv 5/26/24)
“NATO nations are preparing for possible nuclear strikes on Russia, a senior Moscow general has warned.
Vladimir Kulishov, the first deputy director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), and head of the country’s Border Guard Service, outlined threats that his branch has to deal with in an interview with RIA Novosti.
”NATO intelligence operations close to the Russian border are on the rise. Forces of the alliance are intensifying military training, in which they work out military scenarios against the Russian Federation, including nuclear strikes on our territory,” he told the news agency on Tuesday.” (rt.com 5/28/24)
"‘All their military equipment and specialists fighting against us will be destroyed both on the territory of former Ukraine and on the territory of other countries, should strikes be carried out from there against Russian territory,’ Dmitri Medvedev warned.
He added that Moscow proceeded from the fact that all long-range weapons supplied to Ukraine were already ‘directly operated by servicemen from NATO countries’, which is tantamount to participation in the war against Russia and a reason to start combat operations.
Therefore, said Medvedev, NATO would need to legally qualify the destruction of its equipment, facilities and servicemen in case of ‘possible retaliatory strikes in the context of articles 4 and 5 of the Washington Treaty.’” (tass.com 5/31/24)
“The West is escalating the situation in Ukraine and Russia will take all necessary measures to neutralize threats, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told TASS.
‘We are aware that Western countries are moving to escalate. Therefore, all measures that are necessary on our part will be taken in order to neutralize threats associated with this escalation,’ the senior Russian diplomat said, commenting on speculation that Kiev is planning to use the Patriot missile system over Russia.
‘No matter what is supplied to [the battlefield], beginning from ground-based weapons, all this is being ground down by our fighters. The same will happen this time again,’ Grushko said.” (tass.com 6/3/24)
“Russia is considering ‘asymmetric’ measures against Kiev’s sponsors due to Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons against its territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
‘We have no illusions in this regard,’ Putin added, repeating his prior comments that Ukrainian troops might be pulling the trigger but the US and its allies are providing the intelligence and targeting information.
Russia will respond by boosting air defenses and destroying these missiles, Putin said.
“Secondly, if someone deems it possible to supply such weapons to the war zone, to strike our territory… why shouldn’t we supply similar weapons to those regions of the world, where they will be used against sensitive sites of these countries?” the Russian president added. “We can respond asymmetrically. We will give it a thought.” (rt.com 6/5/24)
"‘Now let the US and its allies feel the direct impact of the use of Russian weapons by third parties,’ Medvedev said, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remark on the issue. ‘This could be anyone who considers Yankeeland as their enemy, regardless of their political beliefs or international recognition,’ he added.
‘If the US is their enemy, then they are our friends,’ the Russian Security Council deputy chairman noted. ‘And let the use of Russian weapons in the so far unidentified regions be as devastating as possible for their and our adversaries. Let ‘the sensitive facilities of countries providing weapons to Ukraine burn in hellfire, along with those who operate them,’ Medvedev said.” (tass.com 6/6/24)
“A Russian Navy flotilla currently sailing to Cuba has conducted drills in the Atlantic Ocean, the Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.
The tactical naval group deployed by Russia’s Northern Fleet includes two of the most modern Russian military assets: the Yasen-class nuclear-powered submarine Kazan and the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, the lead vessel in its class.
According to the statement, the two ships have delivered simulated long-range strikes against enemy naval targets located over 600km away.” (rt.com 6/11/24)
“And I will say once again: as soon as Kiev agrees to a similar course of events as is being proposed today, agrees to a complete withdrawal of its troops from the DNR and LNR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, and actually starts this process, we are ready to begin negotiations without postponing them. I repeat, our principled position is as follows: the neutral, non-aligned, non-nuclear status of Ukraine, its demilitarization and denazification. All the more so because these parameters were generally agreed upon by all in the course of the Istanbul talks in ’22.” (Vladimir Putin speech to Ministry of Foreign Affairs 6/14/24)
“Moscow’s central demands are the same as those put forth during previous rounds of negotiations sabotaged by the United States: Ukraine must become a neutral state not aligned with Western powers’ crusade against the Russian nation. Additionally, Kiev must be demilitarized and de-Nazified, Putin stated, and the country must formally renounce plans to join NATO.
The offer was rejected almost as soon as it was extended, leading Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to jokingly ask whether it had even yet been translated into Ukrainian. ‘With such statements they want to deprive the citizens of Ukraine of a real chance for peace,’ said the Russian official.” (sputnikglobe.com 6/15/24)
“Guided by the neocon game plan, the U.S. has refused to negotiate on every occasion, while trying to pin the blame on Russia for the lack of negotiations. The neocon approach to Russia, delusional and hubristic from the start, lies in ruins. NATO will never enlarge to Ukraine and Georgia. Russia will not be toppled by a CIA covert operation. Ukraine is being horribly bloodied on the battlefield, often losing 1,000 or more dead and wounded in a single day. The failed neocon game plan brings us closer to nuclear Armageddon.” (Jeffrey Sachs commondreams.org 6/19/24)
“The Ukrainian military launched several US-made ATACMS long-range missiles armed with highly controversial cluster munitions on Russia’s Crimea on Sunday, resulting in numerous civilian casualties, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
The strike was first reported by Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev. He said that the attack killed at least three people, including two children. The death toll later rose to four. According to Russia’s Health Ministry, 124 people were injured, including 27 children.
The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed the Ukrainian attack, which it said took place at around noon local time. Officials said that the shelling involved five ATACMS missiles, four of which were destroyed mid-air.” (rt.com 6/23/24)
“The West’s sense of impunity on the world stage will eventually force Russia to retaliate more decisively, if the situation does not change...Our adversaries must know that, with every step, they are moving closer to the point of no return.’ Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov accused Washington of helping Ukrainian forces pick targets when using US-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory. Last week, four people were killed when cluster munitions from a missile hit a packed beach in Crimea. The incident prompted Moscow to summon the American ambassador. ‘It was a flagrant case of a direct [US] involvement in the conflict,” Ryabkov said. ‘The complicity in a terrorist act committed by the Kiev regime will not go unanswered.’” (rt.com 6/27/24)
“The sanctions and targeting of property practiced by the United States and its allies could be considered acts of aggression and grounds for declaring war.” (Dmitri Medvedev rt.com 6/29/24)
Victoria Nuland’s Ukraine policy drove Russia & China together despite warnings from George Kennan & Henry Kissinger: “Moscow and Beijing are acting in the interests of their people, and building their relations on the principles of equality and mutual respect, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
‘We have repeatedly stated with good reason that Russia-China relations, our comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, are going through the best period in their history,’ the Russian leader said, adding that they are ‘guided by the principles of equality, mutual benefit and respect for each other’s sovereignty.’” (rt.com 7/3/24)
“In Ukraine, Killings of Surrendering Russians Divide an American-Led Unit:
A German medic said he was so troubled that he confronted his commander. Others boasted about killings in a group chat. Caspar Grosse, a German medic in that unit, said he saw the soldier plead for medical attention in a mix of broken English and Russian. It was dusk. A team member looked for bandages.
That is when, Mr. Grosse said, a fellow soldier hobbled over and fired his weapon into the Russian soldier’s torso. He slumped, still breathing. Another soldier fired — ‘just shot him in the head,’ Mr. Grosse recalled in an interview. Mr. Grosse said he was so upset by the episode that he confronted his commander. He said he spoke to The New York Times after what he regarded as unwarranted killings continued.
In a second episode, a Chosen member lobbed a grenade at and killed a surrendering Russian soldier who had his hands raised, video footage reviewed by The Times shows. In a third episode, Chosen members boasted in a group chat about killing Russian prisoners of war during a mission in October, text messages show.” (nytimes.com 7/6/24)
“The appearance by Orban and Xi represented a diplomatic triumph for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long called for a multipolar, non-Western world order. Putin has insisted that the West, particularly the United States and Britain, are responsible for prolonging his war in Ukraine by not pressuring Kyiv to give in to his territorial demands. Orban’s surprise visit to China took place just hours before Putin was due to receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a state visit to Moscow.” (washingtonpost.com 7/8/24)
“Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow needs to ramp up efforts to keep Ukraine out of the North Atlantic Alliance - and put an end to both the former Soviet republic and the bloc.
The Russian politician commented on the Washington Summit Declaration, specifically on the paragraph reading: ‘We will continue to support it [Ukraine] on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.’
‘One thing is for certain. We must do all we can to make sure that Ukraine’s 'irreversible path' to NATO ends in the demise of either Ukraine or NATO. Or - even better - both,’ Medvedev said.” (tass.com 7/11/24)
No wonder Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland absconded to a Columbia University sinecure: Here's Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, supreme allied commander Europe and commander of U.S. European Command: "We can't be under any illusions: At the end of a conflict in Ukraine — however, it concludes — we are going to have a very big Russia problem, We are going to have a situation where Russia is reconstituting its force, is located on the borders of NATO, is led by largely the same people as it is right now, is convinced that we're the adversary, and is very, very angry.” (Aspen Security Forum 7/19/24)
“‘Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that the Defense Department has been tracking cooperation between Russia and China but spotting military aircraft from the two countries flying together near Alaska was new. “This is the first time that we’ve seen those two countries fly together like that. They didn’t enter our airspace,’ Austin told reporters during a news conference at the Pentagon. ‘This is a thing that we track very closely. If it happens again … I have every confidence in [U.S. Northern Command] and [North American Aerospace Defense Command] will be at the ready.’” (stripes.com 7/25/24)
‘Washington continues to burn huge amounts of money in the flames of the Ukrainian conflict, while today, it was announced that the national debt had surpassed the all-time high of $35 trillion,’ Ambassador Antonov pointed out, commenting on Washington’s announcement of a new military aid package for Ukraine totaling about $1.7 bln.
‘Clearly, this is not what the US ruling circles plan to do. They are fully stuck in the past, torn between the concept of ‘Ukraine within the 1991 borders’, which does not and will never exist - and the forlorn hope of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,’ the envoy noted.
‘US weapons supplies to Kiev cannot change the situation on the battlefield; they will only prolong the conflict, leading to more casualties, including among civilians,’ Antonov added. ‘However, the profit mongers who are making money on military preparations and put their own interests above the interests of countries and peoples don’t care about that,’ he said.” (tass.com 7/30/24)
“The Telegraph reported on Wednesday that the F-16 fighter jets recently delivered to Ukraine have begun their initial flights in an ‘air defense’ role. The newspaper also noted that Ukrainian officials confirmed the jets have started their first combat missions.
Bloomberg reported moments ago, citing sources familiar with the situation, that the initial batch of NATO-supplied F-16s had arrived in Ukraine, although the exact number of aircraft was not specified, only described as a small quantity.” (english.almayadeen.net 7/31/24)
Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland’s legacy, cont’d: “Since the beginning of the special military operation of the Russian Federation, the Ukrainian army has lost more than 700 thousand people killed. This was stated by the deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, commander of the Akhmat special forces, Major General Apty Alaudinov. According to him, only in the last six months the irretrievable losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exceeded the mark of 100 thousand people.
’The irretrievable losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the beginning of 2024 probably exceeded 600 thousand people, but now, most likely, they have risen above 700 thousand. This is unprecedented’, said Alaudinov.” (en.topcor.ru 7/30/24)
"‘Russia informed the IAEA about the situation at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in light of Ukraine’s attack of the Kursk Region,’ the mission said in a statement on its Telegram channel.
‘On August 8, fragments and remnants - presumably fragments of downed [Ukrainian] missiles - were found at the station, including in the area of the radioactive waste processing complex,’ the statement read, adding that Ukraine's reckless actions threaten not only the Kursk power plant but put the entire global nuclear industry at risk.” (sputnikglobe.com 8/10/24)
“There used to be an unspoken rule – the Americans and Western Europeans didn’t want an escalation, let alone a direct conflict with Moscow, so Ukraine was allowed to fight back but not attack; Western weapons are not used on Russian territory and, of course, the border was not to be crossed. In this scenario, the conflict was manageable, and played out within a set framework. You don’t have to be an expert to see that this is now impossible.
In general, this is a trend. All over the world, red lines are being crossed, the old rules of the game are being broken and things are getting out of control.” (Dmitry Drize, political observer at Kommersant FM rt.com 8/14/24)
“Ukrainian troops have used British Challenger 2 tanks in their offensive inside Russia, Sky News understands. It is believed to be the first time British tanks - operated by Ukrainian soldiers - have been used in combat on Russian territory.” (news.sky.com 8/15/24)
“Ukrainian forces have attempted to strike Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), President Vladimir Putin has said during a cabinet meeting.
Kiev sent thousands of troops into Russia’s Kursk Region earlier this month, attempting to reach the town of Kurchatov, where the nuclear facility is located. Moscow has declared the incursion an act of terrorism and has deployed additional troops to repel the invaders.
‘Last night, the enemy attempted to strike the atomic power plant,’ Putin said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday afternoon. ‘The International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] has been informed. They promised to come themselves and send specialists to assess the situation. I hope they actually do so.’” (rt.com 8/22/24)
“Who is in charge? It seems to me that no-one really has control of everything that happens and that there are independent chaotic elements in play here with aims and strategies that are hard to fathom. The possibilities in this new Kursk theater are therefore scary. For example, it is an obvious Great Game strategy to pop a cruise missile into the critical Kursk reactor, cause a nuclear explosion and then call in NATO to 'save' Europe. That’s the one [thing] I fear. And having Grossi visit Kiev seems to me to have no real value except to keep the issue on the front pages for a while. Grossi is not a policeman. We do not need Grossi to tell everyone that there are serious downstream effects associated with firing missiles at a vulnerable and operating nuclear reactor.
What is the solution? It is to do whatever it takes to stop Ukraine or those actors inside (or outside) Ukraine from arranging attacks on either of the nuclear plants. If one of those reactors goes up, Europe is in deep trouble.” (sputnikglobe.com 8/28/24)
“The West has always been concerned that Russia is ‘too strong, too independent,’ and has wanted to do something about it, ‘preferably breaking it up,’ said Lavrov.
‘A very indicative story is repeating itself because today, 50 countries have gathered against Russia under Nazi banners, considering the essence of the [Ukrainian leader Vladimir] Zelensky regime,’ he continued, referring to the military assistance provided by the US and its allies to Kiev amid the conflict with Russia.
The foreign minister noted that Ukrainian troops have on numerous occasions been filmed wearing Nazi patches or carrying banners similar to those used by Adolf Hitler’s forces during the World War II.” (rt.com 9/2/24)
“Two ballistic missiles blasted a military academy and nearby hospital Tuesday in Ukraine, killing more than 50 people and wounding more than 200 others, Ukrainian officials said.
The missiles tore into the heart of the Poltava Military Institute of Communication's main building, causing several stories to collapse. It didn't take long for the smell of smoke and word of the deadly strike to spread through the central-eastern town.” (cbsnews.com 9/4/24)
“The most obvious evidence of the effectiveness of the missile strike on Poltava was the swarm of NATO medical aircraft (USA, Germany, Poland, Romania). They are evacuating both wounded instructors and corpses.” (@slavyangard 9/5/24)
“The US, UK and other backers of Ukraine told Kiev to reject the deal reached at the 2022 Istanbul peace talks with Russia, former US under secretary of state Victoria Nuland has said.
In an interview with Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar, former editor-in-chief of the liberal news channel Dozhd, which aired on Thursday, Nuland was asked to comment on reports that the peace process between Moscow and Kiev in late March and early April 2022 collapsed after then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson traveled to Ukraine and told Vladimir Zelensky to keep fighting.
‘Relatively late in the game the Ukrainians began asking for advice on where this thing was going and it became clear to us, clear to the Brits, clear to others that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's main condition was buried in an annex to this document that they were working on,’ she said of the deal being discussed by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Türkiye’s largest city.
The proposed agreement included limits on the kinds of weapons that Kiev could possess, as a result of which Ukraine ‘would basically be neutered as a military force,’ while there were no similar constraints on Russia, the former diplomat explained.
‘People inside Ukraine and people outside Ukraine started asking questions about whether this was a good deal and it was at that point that it fell apart,’ Nuland said.” (rt.com 9/9/24)
“Trump makes a point that I hope everyone hears: Russia has nuclear weapons. The Biden administration’s policy of maximum confrontation, seeking Russia’s humiliating defeat and regime change, is a recipe for nuclear immolation,” “@RobertKennedyJr 9/11/24)
“NATO countries would ‘start an open war’ with Russia if they allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons, Nebenzia told the UN Security Council on Friday.
‘If such a decision is made, that means NATO countries are starting an open war against Russia,’ Moscow’s envoy said. ‘In that case, we will obviously be forced to make certain decisions, with all the attendant consequences for Western aggressors.’
‘Our Western colleagues will not be able to dodge responsibility and blame Kiev for everything,’ Nebenzia added. ‘Only NATO troops can program the flight solutions for those missile systems. Ukraine doesn’t have that capability. This is not about allowing Kiev to strike Russia with long-range weapons, but about the West making the targeting decisions.’” (rt.com 9/13/24)
“Veteran U.S. diplomat Ambassador Victoria Nuland is joining the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Board of Directors effective immediately. Ambassador Nuland previously served on the NED Board of Directors from 2018 to 2021, before her appointment as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs at the State Department.
‘We are delighted to welcome Ambassador Nuland back to the NED Board,’ said NED Chairman Kenneth Wollack. ‘With a distinguished career across multiple administrations, she brings the experience and expertise that will contribute measurably to NED’s mission and work.’” (ned.org 9/13/24)
"We have said a hundred times that there can be no nuclear war between nuclear states, especially between the United States and Russia. And there will be no winners. But there is some kind of illusion here that if there is a conflict, it will not spread to the territory of the United States of America. I am constantly trying to convey one thesis to them - the Americans will not be able to sit it out behind the waters of the ocean, this war will affect everyone. Therefore, we constantly say: do not play with this rhetoric.” (Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, rt.com 9/14/24)
“Ukraine is bleeding out...Its will to fight is as strong as ever, but its army is exhausted by a ceaseless drone war that’s unlike anything in the history of combat...The Biden administration’s rubric of support — ‘as long as it takes’ — simply doesn’t match the reality of this conflict...Ukraine doesn’t have enough soldiers to fight an indefinite war of attrition”. (washingtonpost.com 9/15/24)
“‘Please remember that Ukrainians have many problems with their history. This is not only the problem of the Volyn massacre, but also service in SS units, collaboration with the authorities of the Third Reich, and participation in the Holocaust,’ Polish President Duda said.” (rt.com 9/24/24)
“Aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power should be treated as their joint attack...We reserve a right to use nuclear weapons in case of aggression against Russia and Belarus...Nuclear weapons can be used if an enemy poses a critical threat to either state’s sovereignty through the use of conventional weapons.” (Vladimir Putin, rt.com 9/25/24)
“Russia tried to resolve tensions with Kiev and its Western backers peacefully, but the other side did not negotiate in good faith...You all know how those negotiations ended: with lies, fraud, deceit from the Western elites, who have since turned Ukraine into their colony, a military foothold against Russia...They deliberately fostered hatred and radical nationalism, incited enmity towards anything Russian, supplied weapons, sent mercenaries and advisers, prepared the Ukrainian Army for a new war, to again, like it did in the spring and summer 2014, conduct punitive action in the southeast...Russian military action was warranted...The truth is on our side...All of our objectives will be reached”. (Vladimir Putin, rt.com 9/30/24)
Columbia “Professor” Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland ignored decades of sage US policy makers and drove Russia & China together: "‘Today, Russian-Chinese cooperation has acquired the nature of a comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction that enter a new era,’ Lavrov said speaking on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations establishment.
‘According to the leaders of our countries, bilateral relations are currently at an unprecedentedly high level,’ he continued. ‘At the same time, they are constantly being enriched with new content. We are convinced that Russia needs a prosperous and stable China while China needs a strong and successful Russia.’” (tass.com 10/3/24)
“‘The Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, has ended his service in Washington and is on his way to Moscow,’ the Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement carried by Russian news agencies. The ministry did not provide any additional details and has so far not named his successor.
Antonov previously told reporters that it had become increasingly difficult for Russian diplomats to work in the US as bilateral relations were ‘falling apart.’ He said earlier this week that he and his colleagues have been subjected to ‘threats of physical violence.’” (rt.com 10/6/24)
“In the present state we cannot do anything else. A war has begun. It is the outcome of this war that will decide the fate of Europe. If Russia is defeated in Ukraine, European submission to the Americans would be prolonged for a century. If, as I believe, the United States is defeated, NATO will disintegrate and Europe will be left free. The psychological shock awaiting Europeans will be to realize that NATO does not exist to protect us but to control us.” (Emmanuel Todd, corrieredibologna.corriere.it 10/8/24)
“Behind closed doors, the British military has grim expectations for the Ukraine conflict and believes that Kiev is about to lose, the tabloid Daily Express claimed on Tuesday. As one of the key suppliers of arms to Ukraine, Britain has publicly supported Kiev’s uncompromising position in the conflict with Russia. But private assessments by its generals say the situation is bad for Ukraine, a military source cited by Daily Express said.
‘I was speaking to a very senior British Army officer today,’ the source was quoted as saying. ‘He told me that Ukraine is on the verge of losing the war against Russia. It’s very serious.’” (rt.com 10/16/24)
“One of the fundamental facts about Neocon thinking in the US is that Neocons never look at capabilities, they always assume them. They always assume American capabilities will suffice for any scenario.” (Alexander Mercouris, YouTube.com 10/16/24)
“If we do not expel Russia completely from Ukraine, then to some extent we will allow Putin to achieve what he wants. And if we manage to kick them out, we risk nuclear war. Putin will not allow himself to be driven out of here without the use of nuclear weapons. So we're stuck. Too much success - nuclear, too little - incomprehensible long-term consequences,” Bob Woodward quotes President Joe Biden in his new book, War: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press
Not only has Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland’s failed Ukraine policy driven Russia & China together, it’s driven more countries to join BRICS. ‘BRICS is strengthening as most world nations are tired of the West's diktat seeking to impose its own neo-colonial vision on them, Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexey Labetsky has said.
‘The BRICS group has become an association that evokes not only political, but also economic and national interest, as the majority of the world's peoples and nations are tired of Western neocolonial diktat,’ the diplomat told the SBT Brasil TV channel.” (tass.com 10/22/24)
“‘Is it fair to lie to our faces about NATO not expanding, and then expand it anyway?’ Putin asked, referring to assurances given to Russia in the 1990s. He also criticized the 2014 US-backed Maidan coup in Ukraine – which ousted the country’s democratically elected president Victor Yanukovich – saying it was a violation of international law. He added that it had led directly to the ongoing conflict between Kiev and Moscow. ‘There is no justice here,’ Putin remarked. ‘We want to change this situation. And we will achieve it.’” (rt.com 10/24/24)
Robert Kagan resigned as editor-at-large from the Washington Post after its Editorial Board did not endorse Kamala Harris for President. He will no doubt join his wife Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland in a Columbia University Neocon sinecure alongside Hillary Clinton.
“Moscow will not repeat its past mistakes and agree to another conditional Minsk-type deal that would only serve to pause the Ukraine conflict, instead of resolving it once and for all, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has insisted.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday, Nebenzia warned that ‘there will be no repetition of the Minsk agreements scenario, no freezing of the front so that Zelensky’s regime can lick its wounds. Just as there will be no entry of Ukraine into NATO, in one way or another.’” (rt.com 11/1/24)
“‘Just look at what is happening now at the front line… They raided the Kursk Region. Well, their losses are colossal – in just three months of fighting, the Kiev regime suffered more casualties than in the whole of last year: over 30,000,’ Putin said at the 21st annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi.
Putin asserted that the decision to invade Kursk made little military sense and was rather dictated by purely ‘political considerations’ imposed on Kiev by its ‘overseas’ sponsors.
‘Why are they sitting there, bearing such losses? Because they were ordered – from overseas – to hold on at any cost, at least until the US elections, to show that all the efforts of the Democratic administration to support Ukraine were not in vain,’ the Russian leader said.
‘That’s the price. A terrible tragedy, I think, both for the Ukrainian people and for the Ukrainian army,’ Putin stressed.” (rt.com 11/7/24)
“The UK cannot let Ukraine suffer a defeat in its ongoing conflict with Russia, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told GB News in an interview published on Tuesday. London could go as far as sending in troops if Kiev ‘goes down,’ he warned.
According to Johnson, Russia’s success in Ukraine would spark a security crisis for the US and its allies on a multitude of fronts. ‘It’ll be the Baltic states. It’ll be in Georgia. You’ll see the impact of a Ukrainian defeat in the Pacific theater. You’ll see it in the South China Sea,’ the politician said, without specifying what exactly could happen in those regions.” (rt.com 11/12/24)
“US President Joe Biden has reportedly approved Ukraine’s first use of American-provided long-range missiles for strikes deep within Russia, the New York Times (NYT) has claimed, citing anonymous officials in Washington.
Authorization to use the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) was reportedly prompted by Russia’s alleged move to utilize North Korean troops in the conflict, the outlet said. ‘Russian and North Korean forces operating in Kursk Region’ of western Russia are apparently the intended targets for the weapons, the officials told NYT.” (rt.com 11/17/24)
Russia’s new nuclear doctrine: “An aggression of any single state from a military coalition (bloc, alliance) against the Russian Federation and/or its allies will be regarded as an aggression of the coalition (bloc, alliance) as a whole.
An aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies of any non-nuclear state with the participation or support of a nuclear state will be regarded as their joint attack.
The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear arms and/or other weapons of mass destruction against itself and/or its allies, as well as in the event of an aggression against the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus as constituents of the Union State using conventional arms, if such an aggression creates a critical threat for their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity.” (rt.com 11/19/24)
“Moscow signaled to the West that it’s ready for a nuclear confrontation after Ukraine was given permission to attack Russian territory — and appeared to quickly act on that greenlight — using U.S.-made long-range missiles.
Kyiv appeared to waste little time after reportedly being given the go-ahead by Washington on Sunday to use U.S.-made ATACMS missiles against specific targets. Ukrainian news outlets reported early Tuesday that the missiles had been used to attack a Russian military facility in the Bryansk border region.” (cnbc.com 11/19/24)
“‘Between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. on Nov. 21, Russian troops attacked the city of Dnipro, hitting enterprises and critical infrastructure,’ the Air Force stated. ‘The assault included an ICBM launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, a Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile fired from a MiG-31K jet in the Tambov region, and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles launched by Tu-95MS bombers near the Volgograd region.’” (kyivpost.com 11/21/24)
“We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against the military installations of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities. And in case of escalation of aggressive actions, we will also respond decisively and in a mirror manner. I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that have plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously think twice about this.” (Vladimir Putin 11/21/24)
“Any escalation scenario is possible in the Ukraine conflict because of what the West is doing, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.
‘If the escalation scenario continues to unfold, it won’t be possible to exclude anything because NATO countries have in fact joined the conflict,’ he pointed out in an interview with the Al Arabiya TV channel.
According to Medvedev, Western nations need to understand that they are fighting on Ukraine’s side. ‘They are not just fighting by providing them (the Ukrainians - TASS) with weapons and funds. They are directly involved in military operations because they identify targets in Russia and guide US-and European-made missiles. They are fighting against Russia. And if so, nothing can be excluded,’ the politician maintained.” (tass.com 11/23/24)
“‘Missile strikes deep inside Russian territory are an escalatory step,’ Lavrov told Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. ‘All of our warnings that these unacceptable actions will be met with an appropriate response have been ignored.’
Those behind attacks on Russian citizens and infrastructure will face a ‘well-deserved punishment,’ the minister warned. He added that ‘no escalation coming from the enemy will force us to abandon our goals’ in Ukraine.
Lavrov reiterated that Moscow remains committed to neutralizing ‘threats to Russia’s security,’ including Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO.
In a video address last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow ‘reserves the right’ to strike countries that allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied arms against Russia.”(rt.com 11/27/24)
Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland’s legacy: "The message which we wanted to sell in testing, in real action, this hyper-sonic system [Oreshnik) is that we will be ready to do anything to defend our legitimate interest. We hate even to think about war with the United States which will take nuclear character...[but] since some people in Washington...seem to be not very capable to understand [Russia’s interests], we will send additional messages if they don't draw necessary conclusions.” (tuckercarlson.com 12/5/24)
“The human factor is the most disturbing. Ukrainian casualties (deaths and wounded unable to return to the battle) easily exceed 650,000 and could rise to 1 million by year’s end. Surveys by Ukraine’s Kyiv International Institute of Sociology for the U.S. Democratic Party’s National Democratic Institute this summer revealed that 77 per cent of respondents have lost during the war family members, friends or acquaintances, four times as many as two years earlier. 22% of respondents said they have lost a relative. Two-thirds said they were finding it difficult or very difficult to live on their wartime income (https://archive.is/Ylpt9#selection-4781.0-4785.257).”(gordonhahn.com 12/10/24)
“‘The combat potential of [Kiev’s troops] has been undermined. This year alone, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces exceeded 560,000 servicemen, either killed or wounded,” Defense Minister Belousov stated, adding that during Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, Kiev lost more than 40,000 soldiers.
‘The Russian Armed Forces firmly hold the strategic initiative along the entire line of combat contact. The average daily advance of troops has significantly accelerated and is about 30 square kilometers. The enemy is being forced to go on the defensive and use its remaining reserves,’ the minister stressed.” (rt.com 12/17/24)
Victoria Nuland’s catastrophic legacy: “The West did not pour hundreds of billions of dollars into Ukraine to lose, quite the opposite. Yet that is clearly what is happening as the tempo of Russian gains in the east has quickened and the noose slowly tightens around tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk salient. After a string of recent victories in the east, Russian forces are at the gates of Pokrovsk as well as approaching the last of the major fortified lines between them and the Dnieper river.” (Eugene Doyle, johnmenadue.com 12/20/24)
“‘The reality is that Ukraine is not winning on the battlefield,’ Orban said during the interview. ‘Leaders in Brussels are living in a self-created bubble, refusing to acknowledge that this war cannot be won in the way they imagine.’
He argued that continued military support and sanctions against Russia are counterproductive, harming European economies more than achieving their intended goals. ‘The sanctions have failed,’ Orban claimed. ‘Instead of crippling Russia, they have weakened Europe. Yet, Brussels refuses to face this truth.’” (rt.com 12/25/24)
“The Ukrainian state has essentially ceased to exist, is plagued by endemic institutional failure and corruption, with Kiev's troops continuing to hold on by sheer will alone, a former commander has argued. He also warned that Ukraine’s defenses could collapse, allowing Russia to march all the way to the Dnieper River.
In an interview with Novyni Live on Monday, Vladimir Shylov, former commander of the 3rd Company in the 134th Separate Territorial Defense Battalion, lashed out at Ukraine’s political leadership, stating that the country has ‘ceased to exist’ as a functional state due to widespread graft and mismanagement.
Shylov expressed concern that these woes could allow Russian forces to increase their gains, warning that they may be able to overrun frontline positions in Donbass and reach as far as the Dnieper River. The advances could be facilitated by internal chaos, he added, stating ‘In our country, everything is a mess...the front is holding only thanks to the Ukrainian people.’” (rt.com 12/31/24)
"In 2022, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are estimated at 118.5 thousand people, and in 2023 - at 405.4 thousand people. The increase in losses in 2024 was especially significant: Kiev lost more than 595 thousand people killed and wounded, which exceeded the total losses of the first two years of the special operation” (tass.com 1/1/25)
“Merely supplying advanced weaponry, including long-range missile systems, will not be enough to stabilize the front lines, the SVR said.
‘Countries in Eastern Europe bordering Ukraine are quietly preparing to receive new waves of Ukrainian refugees, who this time will be fleeing not from an imaginary threat posed by Russia, but from the real danger of getting a one-way ticket to the front lines,’ the press release claimed.
According to the SVR, Western leaders are acutely aware that the conflict represents an ‘existential’ challenge for Russia, and retreat is not an option.”(rt.com 1/3/25)
“Ukraine is also losing troops at a rate far beyond what it can sustain and continue fighting. The official casualty estimate of 400,000 killed or wounded is considered a vast undercount. Thousands of exhausted Ukrainian soldiers are deserting the front lines.” (washingtonpost.com 1/7/25)
“Moscow has repeatedly stated even before President Vladimir Putin came to power that it does not want to see NATO in Ukraine...It has been written in stone...Biden nonetheless insisted that they should be able to join NATO...I could understand how Russia was feeling about having a foreign military bloc right on their doorstep...When I heard the way that Biden was negotiating, I said you’re going to end up in a war, and it turned out to be a very bad war.” (Donald Trump rt.com 1/8/25)
Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland’s husband Robert Kagan: “Ukraine will likely lose the war within the next 12 to 18 months. Ukraine will not lose in a nice, negotiated way, with vital territories sacrificed but an independent Ukraine kept alive, sovereign, and protected by Western security guarantees. It faces instead a complete defeat, a loss of sovereignty, and full Russian control.” (theatlantic.com 1/2/25)
“The US has completed the installation of its primary thermonuclear weapon in military bases across Europe, according to National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Director, Jill Hruby.
While she did not elaborate on the term ‘full forward deployment,’ previous B61 variants have been stored in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye under NATO’s nuclear sharing program. Moscow estimates that at least 150 of these bombs are deployed across Europe, lowering the nuclear threshold.
‘The new B61-12 gravity bombs are fully forward deployed, and we have increased NATO’s visibility to our nuclear capabilities through visits to our enterprise and other regular engagements,’ Hruby said in remarks at the Hudson Institute on Thursday.” (rt.com 1/18/25)
“When Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago, President Joe Biden set three objectives for the U.S. response. Ukraine’s victory was never among them. The phrase the White House used to describe its mission at the time—supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes”—was intentionally vague. It also raised the question: As long as it takes to do what?” (time.com 1/19/25)
“US journalist Tucker Carlson said on Monday that the former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had actually led the Biden administration, trying to fuel a war between the United States and Russia.
‘I know that in the last two months, Blinken did everything he could to accelerate the war between the US and Russia, which should be illegal,’ Carlson said in an interview with journalist Matt Taibi. Carlson said that Blinken was ‘demonstrably evil and also stupid.’ He pointed out that he saw ‘Blinken’s fingerprints’ everywhere.” (sputnikglobe.com 1/28/25)
“It also happens to be the reality on the ground. First, let me say this. We think what Putin did was terrible: invading a country, the atrocities he’s committed. He did horrible things. But what – the dishonesty that has existed is that we somehow led people to believe that Ukraine would be able not just to defeat Russia but destroy them, push them all the way back to what the world looked like in 2012 or 2014, before the Russians took Crimea and the like. And then the result, what they’ve been asking for the last year and a half, is to fund a stalemate, a protracted stalemate, in which human suffering continues. Meanwhile Ukraine is being set back 100 years; their energy grid is being wiped out. I mean, someone’s going to have to pay for all this reconstruction after the fact. And how many Ukrainians have left Ukraine, living in other countries now? They may never return. I mean, that’s their future, and it’s in danger in that regard.” (SecState Marco Rubio, state.gov 1/31/25)
“‘When it is said that Ukraine received $200 billion to support the army during the war – that’s not true. I don’t know where all that money went. Perhaps it’s true on paper with hundreds of different programs – I won’t argue, and we’re immensely grateful for everything. But in reality, we received about $76 billion. It’s significant aid, but it’s not $200 billion,’ Zelensky said.” (apnews.com2/2/25)
“‘The problem that Ukraine is facing is not that they are running out of money, [it] is that they are running out of Ukrainians,’ U.S. `Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during his confirmation hearing.” (politico.eu 2/4/25)
“It’s obviously good news for the world that the US has finally ended its perverse policy of anti-diplomacy (its absurd essence: When there’s a really dangerous problem, do not try to solve it by communicating) regarding Russia, the other great power with a massive nuclear arsenal.
But let’s not forget the even bigger picture: US President Donald Trump will not (and cannot) admit it – and Russian President Vladimir Putin is wise enough to not rub it in – but the single most important take-away from yesterday’s phone conversation is that Russia has won a war against the West.” (Tarik Cyril Amar, rt.com 2/13/25)
“Let me remind you that it was precisely the leaders of EU countries—German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande—who not long ago openly admitted that they never actually intended to implement the Minsk agreements, despite previously assuring the world otherwise. Their official position now is that the Minsk agreements were merely an attempt to rearm Kyiv and ‘buy it time.’
Let me repeat: The West betrayed Ukraine when it obstructed its democratic transition and independence, interfered in its internal affairs, pitted Ukrainians against Russians, incited Slavs against Slavs, then initiated an unconstitutional coup, lied about implementing the Minsk agreements, and ultimately provoked a bloodbath in the region.“ (Maria Zakharova 2/14/25)
The Minsk agreements became part of international law through their approval by the UN Security Council. This means they were legally binding.
“ U.S. has asked European countries to outline their potential security and peacekeeping contributions to Ukraine as part of any future peace negotiations with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Feb. 15, citing undisclosed sources.
The countries have been asked to indicate proposed amounts of military aid and peacekeeping forces, as well as other defense measures. According to the sources, the U.S. State Department sent a formal request to European governments this week. The request seeks explicit details on types of military equipment and troop brigade number commitments from the countries.” (kyivindependent.com 2/15/25)
“European allies knew their relationship with the second Trump Administration would be challenging. Even so, the shocks they’ve received from Washington in recent days constitute a crisis. The warning, more or less: Shape up or the Americans are shipping out.” (wsj.com 2/17/25)
“European and Ukrainian weapons warehouses are empty due to insufficient weapon stockpiles on the continent, Armin Papperger, chief executive of Rheinmetall, said in an interview with the Financial Times (FT).
Rheinmetall’s CEO said that demand for arms will remain strong – even if a ceasefire is reached between Ukraine and Russia. ‘The Europeans and the Ukrainians have nothing in their depots,’ he said.” (kyivindependent.com 2/18/25)
“The Ukraine conflict was ‘provoked’ and it is wrong to solely blame Russia, Steve Witkoff, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, has said. Moscow had to respond to a security threat created by the West’s promises to accept Ukraine into NATO, he stated.
The situation is not black-and-white, with Russians being ‘the bad guys,’ Witkoff told CNN’s Jake Tapper. ‘The war didn’t need to happen, it was provoked,’ he added. ‘It doesn’t necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians.’
According to Witkoff, ‘there were all kinds of conversations…about Ukraine joining NATO’ prior to the conflict that were treated by Moscow as a direct threat to its security and prompted it to respond.” (rt.com 2/25/25)
“A Trump administration official said later on Friday that all U.S. aid to Ukraine — including the final shipments of ammunition and equipment authorized and paid for during the Biden administration — could be canceled imminently.” (nytimes.com 3/1/25)
“‘Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed or wounded in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight,’ [Trump] said, adding that he has been ‘working tirelessly’ to bring about a truce. ‘It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,’ Trump said.
He criticized US allies in Europe, claiming that they are spending more money on buying Russian energy than on assistance to Kiev. He claimed that the American funding of Ukraine has been disproportionately high, given that the conflict poses relatively limited risk to the US.” (rt.com 3/5/25)
The new Secretary of State admits the Ukraine debacle is a US proxy war against Russia: “It’s been very clear from the beginning that President Trump views this as a protracted, stalemated conflict. And frankly, it’s a proxy war between nuclear powers – the United States, helping Ukraine, and Russia – and it needs to come to an end,’ Rubio said. He argued that the West should move away from the previous strategy of sending Ukraine aid ‘for as long as it takes’ without a clear resolution in sight. ‘That’s not a strategy,’ he said, urging all parties involved to commit to negotiations and peace.” (rt.com 3/6/25)
“Ukraine says it is ready for a 30 day cease fire. If this is what Washington ‘extracted’ from the Ukrainians, it is operationally meaningless. With Russia on the brink of winning in Kursk and elsewhere, the Russians won’t accept any such deal. If it is a ruse to allow the US to resume arms shipments to Ukraine, knowing Russia will reject it, the so-called peace initiative is a dead letter.” (asiatimes.com 3/12/25)
“Short history of Ukrainian peace negotiations:
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are killed in the Ilovaisk encirclement (2014) - "We're ready for peace! Let's negotiate!" (Minsk-1 is concluded and they break it immediately)
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are killed in the Debaltsevo encirclement (2015) - "Stop the war! We want peace!" (Minsk-2 is concluded and they break it immediately, and afterwards openly state that they never even intended to honor it)
Russian troops are outside Kiev (2022) - "We are ready for negotiations" (They sign a peace deal, then shoot their own negotiator in the head & break the peace immediately)
The Ukrainian army suffers a collapse in Kursk oblast (2025) - guess what?” (Russians with Attitude 3/12/25)
“On Friday, Putin guaranteed merciful treatment to Ukrainian fighters encircled in Kursk Region if they surrender. ‘If they lay down their arms and surrender, we will guarantee them their lives and dignified treatment in accordance with international law and Russian legal norms,’ the president said. He indicated, however, that Kiev should order them to do so.
Putin’s statement was a response to US President Donald Trump’s call to spare the lives of the ‘thousands of Ukrainian troops’ who are ‘completely surrounded by the Russian military.’
‘This would be a horrible massacre, one not seen since World War II,’ he commented on Truth Social.” (rt.com 3/15/25)
“I would like to say that they - the people of Ukraine and the state of Ukraine - were betrayed by the people in Washington, and the way they were betrayed by Washington, by Biden, by Nuland, by Blinken and others is unprecedented. They were deceived, they were betrayed, they were destroyed.” (Maria Zakharova, tass.com 3/18/25)
“A New York Times investigation reveals that America was woven into the war far more intimately and broadly than previously understood...At critical moments, the partnership was the backbone of Ukrainian military operations...Side by side in Wiesbaden’s mission command center, American and Ukrainian officers planned Kyiv’s counteroffensives...A vast American intelligence-collection effort both guided big-picture battle strategy and funneled precise targeting information down to Ukrainian soldiers in the field...One European intelligence chief recalled being taken aback to learn how deeply enmeshed his N.A.T.O. counterparts had become in Ukrainian operations...’They are part of the kill chain now’, he said...Time and again, the Biden administration authorized clandestine operations it had previously prohibited...American military advisers were dispatched to Kyiv and later allowed to travel closer to the fighting...Military and C.I.A. officers in Wiesbaden helped plan and support a campaign of Ukrainian strikes in Russian-annexed Crimea...Finally, the military and then the C.I.A. received the green light to enable pinpoint strikes deep inside Russia itself.” (nytimes.com 3/30/25)
Neocons want more death & destruction: “Russian President Vladimir Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who is visiting Washington this week, said on Thursday that unidentified forces were trying to sow tension between Russia and the United States.
‘Today, numerous forces interested in maintaining tension stand in the way of restoring constructive cooperation. These forces are deliberately distorting Russia's position, trying to disrupt any steps towards dialogue, sparing neither money nor resources for this,’ Dmitriev said on Telegram.
‘Opponents of the rapprochement are afraid that Russia and the United States will find common ground, begin to understand each other better and build cooperation both in international affairs and in the economy,’ he said.” (reuters.com 4/3/25)
“Formally, this peace deal concerns the so-called five territories [Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions], but in reality it is much more. It is about security protocols, about NATO, about the fifth article of NATO. There are many details. The situation is complicated. But I think we are on the threshold of something very important for the whole world.” (Steve Witkoff, foxnews.com 4/15/25)
“It is not our war...We didn’t start it...The United States has been helping Ukraine for the past three years and we want it to end, but it’s not our war...President Trump has spent 87 days at the highest level of this government repeatedly making efforts to bring this war to an end...We are now reaching a point when we need to decide and determine whether this is even possible or not...We will decide in a matter of days whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks...If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on”. (SecState Rubio, nytimes.com 4/18/25)
“Historically in many conflicts, peace negotiations lasted years, even as the war raged on, such as during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Thus, the balance of power, measured in resources, losses and quality of strategic leadership are critical to the outcome of negotiations.
For Western powers, this [Ukraine crisis] carries serious consequences. They have staked their reputation on this conflict and with it, the fate of the rules-based world order. The Global South and the multipolar world order is waiting in the wings to take over. Failure to achieve victory has the potential to fatally undermine that order and remove the West from global leadership, which it has enjoyed for the last several centuries.” (Alex Vershinin, responsiblestatecraft.org 5/5/25)
“As is known, the head of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, ignored the proposal for a three-day ceasefire made by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Instead, he orders the Ukrainian Armed Forces to attack drones Moscow and other Russian regions.
Citing sources, Telegram channel Mash claims that the Russian Federation is preparing a harsh response to these actions of the Ukrainian authorities.
In particular, the resource claims, Vladimir Putin gave the order to the Russian Defense Ministry to identify targets in Kyiv for the Oreshnik strike. The strikes will be carried out if the Kiev regime decides to provoke during the celebration of May 9.” (en.topwar.ru 5/7/25)
“Oleksandr Shyrshyn, battalion commander of the 47 Separate Mechanized Brigade, has submitted his resignation, sharply criticizing Ukraine’s military leadership for what he described as senseless orders and unnecessary casualties.
‘I have never received more stupid objectives than in the current direction,’ Shyrshyn wrote in a blunt Facebook post announcing his decision on May 16. ‘Someday I will tell you the details, but the stupid loss of people, trembling in front of a stupid generals, leads to nothing but failures. I hope your children will also serve in the infantry and carry out your orders,’ he added.” (kyivindependent.com 5/17/25)
“This is not our war. This is not my war…I mean, we got ourselves entangled in something that we shouldn’t have been involved in. And we would have been a lot better off – and maybe the whole thing would have been better off – because it can’t be much worse. It’s a real mess,” Trump said after speaking with Putin.
The president stated that Washington has provided ‘massive’ and ‘record-setting’ levels of military and financial assistance to Kiev – far exceeding what the EU and other NATO countries have contributed.
‘We don’t have boots on the ground, we wouldn’t have boots on the ground. But we do have a big stake. The financial amount that was put up is just crazy,’ he added. ‘Again, this was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation. But we got involved – much more than Europe did – because the past administration felt very strongly that we should,’ he said. ‘We gave massive amounts, I think record-setting amounts, both weaponry and money.’” (rt.com 5/19/25)
“‘You need to understand that we weren’t the ones who orchestrated the coup in Ukraine,’ Putin said. “[The West] has always told us that there should be democracy and elections… but they carried out a coup – a bloody one, in fact – as if it were normal. They later went on to suppress the Donbass, killing people with helicopters and jets. They practically forced us into doing what we’re doing today, and now they’re trying to blame us for it,’ he said.” (rt.com 5/26/25)
“Germany is already a participant in the conflict: its equipment and specialists are directly fighting Russia. And these are not just military supplies. In essence, this is a full-fledged, not hybrid, participation in the military conflict. Thus, Germany is again an enemy of Russia, again taking part in the war, guided by the Nazi ideology they created, and Merz is a loyal descendant of his relatives who fought in the Wehrmacht.” (Dmitry Medvedev 5/28/25)
“In an interview with RT on Wednesday, Scott Ritter stressed that ‘if the Ukrainians drones actually targeted the Russian president, they did not do so in a vacuum... there would have been assistance provided by the West, which means that the West is targeting the Russian president.
If you read the Russian nuclear doctrine, this is a trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation or preemptive strikes. So, who is playing with fire here? It is not Vladimir Putin who is playing with fire. It is Ukraine and the West that are playing with fire,’ he added.” (rt.com 5/29/25)
“NATO's eastward expansion is a ‘fair’ concern for Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said in an interview with ABC News on May 29.
As one of the conditions for ending the full-scale war against Ukraine, Putin demanded a written pledge by NATO not to accept more Eastern European members, which would effectively block Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova from joining, Reuters reported earlier this week.
Moscow has claimed that Ukraine's NATO aspirations were one of the key causes of its invasion. Russian aggression against Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, a time when Kyiv had little prospect of joining the alliance in the foreseeable future.” (kyivindependent.com 5/30/25)
“The president accused Ukraine and its Western backers of having sought a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield. Now, he said, Kiev is shifting tactics amid mounting losses and setbacks along the front line.
‘Today, amid heavy losses and retreating along the entire line of contact, the Kiev leadership has turned to organizing terrorist acts in an attempt to intimidate Russia,’ Putin said.
Despite this, he added, Ukrainian officials are requesting a pause in the fighting and proposing meetings at the highest level. ‘But how can such meetings be held under these conditions?’ Putin said. ‘What is there to talk about? Who conducts negotiations with those who rely on terror – with terrorists?’” (rt.com 6/5/25)
“During almost all of the post-World War II period, and certainly since the establishment of the CIA in 1947, unelected dark establishment forces have acted to destabilize the world, bringing death, famine, assassinations, violence, coups, riots, revolutions, and destruction to our planet. Currently, these forces are working to provoke Russia into a major --- perhaps a final --- military conflict with the West.” (@GenFlynn 6/5/25)
“Moscow should take very seriously reports that certain circles in the United States want to see Russia destroyed, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said at a news conference at TASS dedicated to the upcoming 11th Primakov Readings International Scientific and Expert Forum in Moscow.
‘The fact that certain circles in the United States have been and are still hatching plans to move towards eradicating Russia as a state is also undeniable. It is enough to follow the discussions that are taking place, including on political science platforms. We should not underestimate the consequences of such a mindset,’ the deputy minister noted.” (tass.com 6/7/25)
“Senior Russian diplomat Sergey Ryabkov has said that NATO expansion is the root cause of the current breakdown in Euro-Atlantic security, warning that the West ignored clear warnings from Moscow and dismantled the foundations of post-Cold War stability.
In a wide-ranging interview, Ryabkov asserted that NATO's encroachment on Russia’s borders has contributed directly to the ongoing conflict and strained US-Russia relations.
The issue of NATO expansion and Russia's red lines has become a central theme in Moscow's diplomatic posture, particularly following the alliance’s continued attempts to expand to Ukraine and Georgia, as well as Sweden and Finland’s recent integration. ‘The current state of affairs in the Euro-Atlantic area is a direct consequence of the West’s unilateral actions and failure to respect our concerns,’ Ryabkov said.” (english.almayadeen.net 6/9/25)
“The idea that Russia might still lose the war in Ukraine has become a kind of security blanket for Western elites – a comforting illusion clutched in think tanks, editorial pages, and official briefings long after the battlefield realities have changed. We are now well past the phase where optimism could be excused as ignorance. The facts are in. Ukraine is exhausted. The West is demoralized. And Russia, despite its many internal challenges, is grinding toward its war aims with brutal consistency.” (Andrew Latham, nationalsecurityjournal.org 6/11/25)
“A Vladimir Putin general claimed today that World War 3 has already started following Israel’s strikes on Iranian soil on Thursday night. Maj-Gen Apti Alaudinov, 51, urged the Kremlin to carry out mass mobilization of up to one million fresh troops.
In a message published on the social media platform Telegram on Friday, the deputy chief of the Russian armed forces' main military-political directorate wrote: ‘We need to declare mobilization. We need to prepare at least half a million people in advance. But realistically one million people. We need to call them up and start preparing them for the fact that the war has already begun, which we already know is happening - World War 3. But it has already taken on a new turn and a new momentum.” (express.co.uk 6/13/25)
Ukraine & Israel both launched drone attacks within Russia & Iran days before scheduled peace negotiations: Why do CIA, MI6 & Mossad desperately want WWIII?
Victoria Nuland has not only “fuck[ed] the EU”, but Ukraine as well:
“I say it loud and clear and will do so: The war in Ukraine didn’t start yesterday or last year. It began in 2014 when the Ukrainian Nazis and fascists started to murder Russian citizens in Donbass and Lugansk.” (Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia, 10/23)
“The collapse of U.S. influence over Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom’s new alliances with China and Iran are painful emblems of the abject failure of the Neocon strategy of maintaining U.S. global hegemony with aggressive projections of military power. China has displaced the American Empire by deftly projecting, instead, economic power. Over the past decade, our country has spent trillions bombing roads, ports, bridges, and airports. China spent the equivalent building the same across the developing world.
The Ukraine war is the final collapse of the Neocon's short-lived ‘American Century.’ The Neocon projects in Iraq and Ukraine have cost $8.1 trillion, hollowed out our middle class, made a laughingstock of U.S. military power and moral authority, pushed China and Russia into an invincible alliance, destroyed the dollar as the global currency, cost millions of lives and done nothing to advance democracy or win friendships or influence.” (RFK Jr. 4/3/23)
Chronology of US aggression against Russia:
1994: Clinton co-signs Budapest Memorandum enshrining Ukrainian neutrality;
2001: Bush withdraws from Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia;
2003: Bush oversees overthrow of the Georgian government;
2003-2008: US begins arming and training Georgian forces;
2008: In April, Bush invites Ukraine to join NATO in violation of the Budapest Memorandum;
2008: In August, Georgian forces attack Russian peacekeepers triggering Russian-Georgian war;
2009: Under the Obama administration Secretary Clinton organizes a "reset" with Russia;
2011: Following the US-engineered "Arab Spring," US Senator McCain claims Russia is next;
2014: Obama oversees overthrow of the Ukrainian government;
2014-2019: US begins training Ukrainian forces;
2019: Trump withdraws from the INF Treaty with Russia;
2019: Trump begins arming Ukrainian military;
2022: US trained and armed Ukrainian troops begin intensifying operations in the Donbass along Russia's border followed by the start of Russia's Special Military Operation;
2022-2025: US exhausts arms/ammunition in proxy war with Russia;
2025: Trump seeks "reset" with Russia while proposing Western troops enter Ukraine to freeze conflict as the West expands arms/ammunition production. (Brian Berletic’s New Atlas 2/17/25)
“The West claims it did not provoke the war, but Russia has repeatedly asked for a stop to NATO's eastward expansion.
In 2007, Putin warned that NATO expansion was a serious provocation that threatened trust between countries.
In 2008, the United States supported Ukraine's entry into NATO, which caused outrage in the Kremlin and probably became one of the reasons for the war.
In 2014, the West supported the illegal coup in Ukraine that overthrew the elected president Yanukovych.
The West lies about Russia starting a war with Georgia in 2008. In fact, the conflict was provoked by Georgia's actions.
European countries are manipulating legislation and financing the war in Ukraine.” (Peter Hitchens, dailymail.co.uk 4/27/25)
© 2023 James B. Angell All Rights Reserved
"Russia annexed Crimea on March 18, 2014"
There is no evidence for Russian troops "annexing" Crimea. According to Jacques Baud, a Swiss intelligence analyst working with the Ukrainian army on behalf of Nato in 2014, 20,000 of the 22,000 troops of the Ukrainian territorial army based in Crimea joined the separatist movement to police the territory in the period up to the referendum. They removed the insignia from their uniforms, which led to Western claims that Russian troops (the "little green men") had occupied Crimea. In reality, they were Ukrainian troops who had changed sides. The remaining 2,000 Ukrainian troops were allowed to return to Ukraine without their weapons. 20,000 troops are more than enough to police a territory the size of Crimea. There was no need for additional Russian troops.
Thanks for putting the pieces together so we can see through the curtain...