QueenStreet

BBC in India, tax avoidance: RT has received the exclusive comments from India's ruling BJP party while BBC offices are being raided in the country on suspicion of tax evasion, following a scandal over a documentary criticizing India's Prime Minister. Wednesday was the second day of raids on the BBC's offices. Runjun Sharma reports. (QS: Talking of taxes and not paying them, Britain has a record of tax avoidance in the ruling elite https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/apr/09/rishi-sunak-akshata-murty-accused-avoiding-millions-taxes-labour and https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nadhim-zahawi-tax-hmrc-investigation-b2262565.html to name but two) - Britain is desperate to ramp up it's arms production as according it's defence secretary its stockpiles have been depleted "as NATO was caught off guard by the conflict in Ukraine". Report and analysis from Rachel Marsden. - Russian troops could encircle the city of Artyomovsk within the next two months. RT's Igor Zhdanov speaks to Russia's Wagner military group chief and his fighters, as they report further advances on the key city of Artyomovsk (also known as Bakhmut). - Iran/China: As China pledges support for Tehran in protecting its sovereignty and resisting what it calls 'unilateralism and bullying' Washington urges Beijing to join US efforts to restrict and isolate Iran. (QS: listening to the arrogance of US as it tries to convince China to cooperate with it's ambitions against Iran, whilst simultaneously demonising China to the rest of the world is absolutely flabbergasting. How do they get away with it?) Uunfei Zhao of CGTN reports on the visit so far which seems to be going well, with mutually beneficial memorandums signed along with trade and security discussions. - Israel/Palestine: Harsher conditions should be imposed on the murderers of Jews, according to Itamar Ben Gvir and he is also eager to ensure they don't get better conditions to live in, as more new prisons are built. Many Palestinians are held in Israel's prisons without charge. - Syria, earthquake appeal. $400 million has been requested by Antonio Gueterres UN secretary general to United Nations as people struggle to survive after the deadly and devastating aftershocks of the earthquakes in Türkiye. Five million people are in desperate need of aid as a result of the quakes, it works out at about $80 each as they remain without homes or means of support. 8,000 people are now thought to have died as a result of the quakes in Syria. (QS - It's still extremely hard to get donations from the public to get to Syria. With many people eager to donate, including me, I would have thought this was the first place to start. Some of those C-17's which fly aimlessly across Britain's and Europe's skies could also take humanitarian aid to Syria and make themselves properly useful for a change). Nikki talks to Bradley Blankenship, as more $billions of "aid" is set to be given to Ukraine. Pres. Erdogan said Tuesday that 35,418 have died in Türkiye. It's much easier to donate to Türkiye than Syria for political reasons in this awful tragedy. - ================================== Below, via RT website A) --- Armenia offers peace to Türkiye – FM 1) --- EU adds Russia to tax haven blacklist 2) --- Andrey Sushentsov: Here’s why Ukraine’s Zelensky wants a long war with Russia. Analysis 3) --- Zelensky decorates military unit with ‘Nazi’ title 4) --- Kiev accuses Russia of using spy balloons 5) --- More Nord Stream ‘bombshells’ to come – Seymour Hersh 6) --- Kiev's treatment of minorities to be investigated — Budapest =================================== 15 Feb, 2023 19:46 A) --- Armenia offers peace to Türkiye – FM Yerevan says it is ready to “normalize relations” with Ankara Armenia is ready to restore peace in the region and fully normalize relations with Türkiye, its Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in Ankara on Wednesday. The two neighbors have struggled to define their relationship since Armenia declared independence in the 1990s. “At this difficult time for Türkiye, I would like to reiterate our readiness to restore peace in the region, as well as to fully normalize relations with Türkiye in order to establish diplomatic relations,” Mirzoyan said after meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Yerevan’s top diplomat was referring to last week’s catastrophic earthquakes, which have claimed over 41,000 lives, with many more feared dead under the rubble. “I would like to express my condolences to those who died as a result of these earthquakes and a speedy recovery to the injured,” Mirzoyan added, according to TASS. “We survived the earthquake in 1988, and we really know the pain that Türkiye and its people are now experiencing. Such natural disasters are a tragedy for all mankind, and we need to show solidarity in order to fight humanitarian crises in such situations.” While Türkiye recognized Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the two neighbors never established diplomatic relations. A major bone of contention has been the disagreement on characterizing the mass murder of ethnic Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, with the Turkish republic rejecting the Armenian claim it was a genocide. Ankara closed its border with Armenia in 1993, in solidarity with Azerbaijan in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan’s successful offensive against the Armenian-majority region in 2020 had Turkish military support. A 2009 attempt to establish diplomatic relations resulted in normalization protocols, but the Turkish and Armenian legislatures never ratified them. With Moscow’s mediation, the two countries reopened normalization talks in December 2021. https://www.rt.com/news/571541-armenia-turkiye-peace-normalization/ ========================================== 14 Feb, 2023 16:03 1) --- EU adds Russia to tax haven blacklist The bloc accused Moscow of failing to amend a ‘harmful’ preferential tax regime Russia has been added to the EU’s list of “non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes,” the European Council announced on Tuesday. The bloc has accused Moscow of maintaining harmful tax practices. According to a statement published on the Council’s website, Russian legislation introduced in 2022 failed to ease concerns over the alleged preferential tax treatment for international holding companies. “In addition, dialogue with Russia on matters related to taxation came to a standstill following the Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the statement said. Three more jurisdictions were added to the blacklist of tax havens alongside Russia for alleged non-compliance with international standards, including the British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, and the Marshall Islands. The list now comprises 16 jurisdictions. “We ask all listed countries to improve their legal framework and to work towards compliance with international standards in taxation,” said Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson. The EU list of tax havens was first introduced in 2017 with the aim of tackling tax evasion and avoidance schemes. According to EU law, blacklisted countries face reputational damage and are forbidden to apply for aid from certain EU funds. The bloc’s member states are also tasked with treating financial transactions with tax-registered individuals and firms from blacklisted countries with special scrutiny. Moscow has yet to comment on the matter. https://www.rt.com/business/571476-eu-russia-tax-haven-blacklist/ ============================================== 15 Feb, 2023 14:10 2) --- Andrey Sushentsov: Here’s why Ukraine’s Zelensky wants a long war with Russia. Analysis. The Ukrainian leader has shown no interest in seeking a peace deal with Moscow, and it’s all part of a big gamble By Andrey Sushentsov, Valdai Club program director It is unlikely that President Vladimir Zelensky expects to win militarily. But it seems that he genuinely believes that he will succeed in turning Ukraine into something like Israel - a paramilitary state living with a sense of constant military threat. Ukraine doesn’t have the military or economic resources of its own to achieve victory, and the resources provided by the West will never be enough to inflict a final defeat on Russia. Zelensky's calculation is likely based on the belief that by offering Ukraine as a tool for NATO to use against Russia, he will constantly mobilize Western support and thereby ensure his own survival, and that of his associates. In the worst-case scenario, as he sees it, Zelensky is probably counting on emigrating to the West with his closest associates, where they will advocate a continued policy of Russian containment. But does he care about the interests of ordinary people in Ukraine? The unprecedented hardships of war that the country now faces could have been significantly reduced if Zelensky had been willing to settle the crisis diplomatically. Russia has repeatedly taken diplomatic initiatives to resolve this conflict. In the first phase, for example, negotiations took place in Belarus and Turkey. However, under the influence of the US and the UK, Kiev has set a course to prolong the conflict, banking on Western military assistance to achieve its goals. As Ukraine's own military and economic resources have dried up, the country has become increasingly dependent on Western supplies, and has ultimately become a tool to fight Russia. Nevertheless, Kiev still has the opportunity to begin talks with Moscow. Zelensky could take the initiative to negotiate a status quo that is still comfortable for Ukraine. Of course, as the Russian military campaign progresses, the situation will change in ways that are far from favorable to Kiev. And the solutions put forward by the Russian delegation at the beginning of the crisis will no longer be on the table. However, there is still the possibility of a sustainable peace, with reduced risks of escalation into Europe's biggest military conflict since the Second World War and a nuclear catastrophe. Zelensky could still claim the laurels of a peacemaker who sacrificed some of his personal ambition in the name of saving Ukrainian lives and ensuring a peaceful future for his country. A truce would alleviate the economic difficulties of Kiev’s supporters in the West, and thus generate some gratitude. Ukraine would also save a considerable amount of its military resources. Peace would obviously limit them, as deliveries would dry up, but those resources in situ would still be at the disposal of the Ukrainian government. Yet, Zelensky’s government acts as if it sees no value in preserving Ukrainian statehood. The administration is squandering citizens’ lives and the economic fabric of the country in the belief that this sacrifice is necessary to gain some possible, rather indefinite, advantage in the future. Instead of acting as a peacemaker, as someone who is prepared to make sacrifices to save the lives of his people, Zelensky acts like a gambler, while feeding the population military propaganda. The unprecedented military, political and economic support Ukraine is receiving from abroad essentially covers up all of the mistakes by Zelensky's government. A strategy which is based on the axiom "war will pay for everything". At home, the militarist line has allowed the president to establish a political dictatorship and persecute his opponents in all spheres of state life, including religion. As a result, he has secured an unprecedented concentration of power in his hands and, for the first time in Ukrainian history, silenced all centers of opposition. Zelensky need not worry about Ukraine's economic well-being in the short term: the foreign economic aid being handed to the Ukrainian government will suffice. Meanwhile, Kiev is still actively betting that Russia's $300 billion in foreign currency reserves, frozen in the West, will fall into its hands. What would amount to state-piracy would also allow it use the money as it sees fit. As a result, Zelensky expects that even if he is defeated and loses part of his territory, he will remain in power as the military leader the West needs for the new Ukraine, which will be the main anti-Russian outpost on NATO’s eastern borders. One that will be armed to the teeth, saturated with Western economic aid and that will provide its citizens with an acceptable standard of living. I believe that Zelensky is genuinely convinced he will succeed in turning Ukraine into something like Israel, a paramilitary state in a hostile environment, and living with a sense of constant military threat. I do not exclude the possibility that even in the worst-case scenario, where there is a complete collapse of his government, Zelensky expects to find himself and a group of his closest associates in exile in the West. Once there, they will actively advocate a continued policy of containment and defeat of Russia. History shows that this prospect has every chance of materializing. https://www.rt.com/russia/571525-zelensky-wants-long-war/ ============================================= 15 Feb, 2023 12:26 3) --- Zelensky decorates military unit with ‘Nazi’ title A Ukrainian mountain brigade will now be called ‘Edelweiss,’ a moniker recalling a German unit involved in mass atrocities during WWII Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has awarded one of the country's combat units an “honorary title” that harkens to a notorious Wehrmacht division that was involved in numerous war crimes during World War II. In a presidential decree published on Tuesday, Zelensky granted the name ‘Edelweiss’ to the 10th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade due to “exemplary performance of assigned tasks during the protection of the territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine” amid Kiev’s conflict with Moscow. The newly bestowed title bears similarity to the one used by Nazi Germany's 1st Mountain Division, which took part in the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 and raised a swastika flag on Mount Elbrus in a propaganda stunt during an advance into the Caucasus in 1942. The name ‘Edelweiss’ stuck because the chevrons on the unit’s uniform bore a depiction of the edelweiss flower. The division’s history is besmirched by numerous war crimes. Among other atrocities, it was responsible for executing hundreds of partisans in Yugoslavia in July 1943. Two months later, Edelweiss also murdered more than 5,000 Italian soldiers who had surrendered to them on the Greek island of Cefalonia The Ukrainian brigade that now bears the same name was formed in 2015 and for about a year incorporated the nationalist battalions ‘Aidar’ and ‘Donbass’. The unit has seen combat first against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and then against Russia after Moscow started its military operation in February 2022. Zelensky has on numerous occasions found himself in hot water over Nazi-related controversies. Over the most recent weekend, he posted a photo to his Instagram account showing a Ukrainian soldier wearing the ‘totenkopf’ (death’s head) insignia, which is associated with the notorious 3rd SS Panzer Division, a unit infamous for committing war crimes during World War II. Last May, he marked Victory Day over Nazi Germany by sharing an image showing a Ukrainian service member sporting the same symbol, prompting a public outcry. The photo was later removed. https://www.rt.com/russia/571517-zelensky-brigade-nazi-title/ ============================================= 15 Feb, 2023 20:17 4) --- Kiev accuses Russia of using spy balloons At least six of the devices were detected above the Ukrainian capital, an air force spokesperson claimed Air defense systems near Kiev allegedly detected and shot down as many as six air balloons believed to have been used by Russia, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military claimed during a televised appearance on Wednesday. According to Yuri Ignat, the balloons, which were detected flying above the Ukrainian capital, may have been equipped with reconnaissance equipment meant to identify and exhaust Kiev’s air defense systems. Kiev city officials also announced on their Telegram channel that the balloons, which appear to have been propelled by the wind, may have been carrying corner reflectors and other intelligence equipment. They noted that a final determination of the intended use of these devices would be made after a study of the remains of the downed objects. While Moscow has yet to comment on the incident, Ignat told a Ukrainian TV channel that the balloons may be a new tactic deployed by Russia to preserve its stocks of reconnaissance drones. "Reconnaissance drones like the Orlan-10 are now being used more sparingly, and so they thought 'Why don't we use these balloons?' So now they are using them," the official said. Earlier on Wednesday, air raid sirens were triggered throughout the Kiev region after unidentified flying objects were detected above the city. Shortly after the alert, explosions could be heard across the capital. City officials later stated that air defense systems detected several targets in the air and shot them down. https://www.rt.com/russia/571543-ukraine-russian-baloons-kiev/ ==================================== 15 Feb, 2023 16:34 5) --- More Nord Stream ‘bombshells’ to come – Seymour Hersh The legendary reporter slammed the mainstream media for ignoring his story, which pinned the act of sabotage on the US Journalist Seymour Hersh has promised to reveal more incriminating information linking the US to the demolition of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. President Joe Biden ordered the lines destroyed to prevent Germany from resuming the purchase of cheap Russian gas, he claimed. In a post to his Substack page on Wednesday, Hersh slammed the mainstream media – singling out the New York Times and Washington Post – for refusing to “run a word” on the pipeline story, and for ignoring Russia and China’s calls for an international investigation. Both papers, he said, published his exposés on the US military’s war crimes in Vietnam, but are now seemingly uninterested in “national security or matters of war and peace.” Nord Stream 1 and 2, which connected Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were damaged in a series of underwater explosions last September. Hersh, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, released a report last week blaming the US for the attack and detailing how the Biden administration and the CIA planned the operation. The White House dismissed the allegation as “utterly false and complete fiction.” The article backed up Moscow’s repeated assertions that the US carried out the strike in order to prevent rapprochement between Russia and Germany, while making Berlin dependent on more expensive American liquefied natural gas. Germany halted certification of Nord Stream 2 in the days before Russian troops entered Ukraine, and EU sanctions throttled the flow of gas through Nord Stream 1 since late summer by impeding vital repairs. However, Hersh told Germany’s Berliner Zeitung newspaper on Tuesday that the Biden administration feared Berlin would lift these sanctions and resume gas transit as temperatures dropped over the winter. “The President of the United States would rather see Germany freeze than [see] Germany possibly stop supporting Ukraine,” he asserted. “There may be more to learn about Joe Biden’s decision to prevent the German government from having second thoughts about the lack of cheap gas this winter,” Hersh wrote on Wednesday. “Stay tuned,” he said. “We are only on first base…” https://www.rt.com/news/571532-new-nord-stream-report-hersh/ ============================================ 15 Feb, 2023 18:54 6) --- Kiev's treatment of minorities to be investigated — Budapest Ukraine has stripped the language rights of more than 150,000 Hungarians living on its territory The Council of Europe will release a report this summer on Ukraine’s alleged discrimination against ethnic Hungarians and Romanians living on its territory, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Wednesday. Hungarian inhabitants of the Transcarpathia region have lost the right to education in their language and have been forcibly drafted into Kiev’s military. In a post on Facebook, Szijjarto said that the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission – which scrutinizes constitutional law and democratic reforms – will give its opinion on the matter in July. “When war broke out next door, we decided not to mention the case of violations of rights against national communities,” Szijjarto wrote. “Unfortunately, in Ukraine, a new law was recently adopted, which further restricts minority rights.” Szijjarto was referring to a law passed in December which mandated that the Ukrainian language be used in most aspects of daily and public life, including in schools. Previous language laws passed by Kiev were criticized by the Venice Commission for failing to safeguard minorities’ linguistic rights, and the latest legislation has been condemned by human rights organizations. Around 156,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Ukraine, most of them in the region of Transcarpathia. Once a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this region fell under Soviet control after World War II and remained in Kiev’s hands when the Ukrainian SSR became modern Ukraine after the fall of the USSR. Ukraine is also home to around 150,000 ethnic Romanians and more than 250,000 Moldovans, and Bucharest has joined Budapest in demanding that the language law be revised. The Ukrainian government's forcible drafting of Transcarpathian Hungarians into military service has further inflamed tensions between Budapest and Kiev. As videos surfaced last month showing Ukrainian troops press-ganging recruits into service, Szijjarto condemned the “brutal” nature of the draft. Should the Council of Europe fail to resolve Hungary’s grievances, Szijjarto wrote in a separate Facebook post that Budapest will take its case to the European Court of Human Rights – itself a body of the council – as a “last resort.” https://www.rt.com/news/571538-hungary-ukraine-minority-europe/ ===========================================

False friends and allies: The President of the United States would rather let Germany freeze than let it stop supporting Ukraine. That's according to award-winning American journalist Seymour Hersh, who earlier revealed a US plot to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines. (QS for those of us living in Britain and Europe, the saying "When Germany sneezes we all get a cold" would seem very appropriate, as the U.S. charges Europe to deindustrialise, detrimentally impacting every country and citizen) The BBC in India is reportedly accused of tax evasion, as massive raids on the network's offices continue in New Delhi. U.S. Congress is being urged to investigate a train derailment in Ohio which is feared to have caused an environmental disaster in the area for both wildlife and local residents. The chemical materials were burned, subsequently wildlife has been falling ill and dying. Residents are also concerned about the drinking water. The residents haven't been told the full story as to what was contained in the derailed carriages. Caleb Maupin reports. (also see i below for background) An Israeli soldier has been jailed after assaulting a Palestinian activist during an interview with the New Yorker magazine. Issa Amro, another journalist involved, talks to RT. New provocations and tensions flare each day between Israel and Palestine. It's getting very complicated, as Israeli defence don't just beat up and kill men, but women and children too. 224 civilian Palestinians were killed by Israeli police or soldiers in 2022. The White House urges citizens not to panic over recent UFO incidents as hysteria over the possible alien origin of the mysterious objects, spirals in the US. We take a closer look at what's really behind the story as US officials that they have shot down three such UFOs. Steve Sweeney reports on all strange things recently flying over America "Don't Look Up". Lionel also comments. Donbass: Russian forces have caused an unruly retreat of Ukraine troops as they gain an extra three kms in their advance. Igor Zhdanov reports from (very, very close to) the front line. South Africa, Johannesburg - cricket world cup. Will they host the Netherlands? (QS I have absolutely no idea about cricket) Karabo Letlhatlha reports. ============================================ Below, via RT website A) --- Ukraine stepping up terror attacks – Moscow B) --- US training terrorists to target Russia – Moscow - 2) --- Biden willing to let Germans freeze – Seymour Hersh 3) --- Swedish PM gives update on NATO prospects 4) --- Western diplomacy is immature and incapable of dialogue – Russian ambassador to India (interview readout) 5a) --- Western sanctions bring Russia and India closer – diplomat 6) --- Latvia invests in Nazi commander biopic 7) --- Two EU states refuse to send Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev – media 8) --- EU to force banks to reveal Russian assets – Bloomberg 9) --- Russia wants UN probe into Nord Stream blasts 10) --- Lithuanian politician quotes Hitler in mayoral debate 11) --- US wants to send ‘Iranian’ weapons to Ukraine – WSJ i) --- Train carrying hazardous chemicals derails ============================================ 14 Feb, 2023 11:44 A) --- Ukraine stepping up terror attacks – Moscow Additional safety measures have been taken at key transport, fuel and energy facilities, the head of the Russian security service says The number of terrorist incursions by Ukrainian special services and nationalist formations, targeting key Russian civilian and military infrastructure as well as government bodies, has significantly increased, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov has claimed. Speaking at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee on Tuesday, Bortnikov announced that additional safety measures had been taken at transport facilities as well as fuel and energy complexes. He also raised the issue of strengthening anti-terrorist protections and intensifying efforts to prevent the involvement of citizens in terrorist activities. "The enemy is making efforts to launch a propaganda campaign aimed at radicalizing the population, involving young people in terrorist and extremist activities,” said Bortnikov. “Under these conditions, the authorities and anti-terrorist commissions are taking additional measures aimed at ensuring reliable protection of facilities from terrorist attacks and intensifying preventive work in general,” he stated, also alleging that Kiev’s actions were being assisted by the “collective West.” Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) reported on Monday that the US has turned to Islamist extremists to plan terrorist attacks in Russia and other ex-Soviet republics, claiming that one group was being trained for this purpose at a base in Syria. According to Moscow, Washington has recruited some 60 terrorists who have already been active in the Middle East and is currently training them at the Al-Tanf American military base, where they are being taught how to manufacture and use improvised explosive devices. Back in December, SVR Director Sergey Naryshkin claimed that the White House was pursuing policies to create an “instability belt along Russia’s external perimeter” and that the security services in Russia and CIS countries had a common goal of “counteracting” the West’s “destructive actions.” https://www.rt.com/russia/571452-fsb-ukraine-terrorist-attacks/ ============================================= 13 Feb, 2023 09:24 B) --- US training terrorists to target Russia – Moscow 60 militants at a base in Syria are being prepared for attacks on officials and security personnel, the Foreign Intelligence Service claimed The US has turned to Islamist extremists to plan terrorist attacks in Russia and other ex-Soviet republics, Moscow’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on Monday. A group is being trained at a base in Syria for the purpose, the agency claimed. “The US military is actively recruiting militants from jihadist groups affiliated with Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS] and Al-Qaeda to commit terrorist attacks in Russia and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States [CIS],” the SVR stated, citing “credible reports.” Established after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the CIS incorporates some of its former republics, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. According to the SVR, the US has enlisted 60 terrorists who have already been active in the Middle East. They are undergoing training at the Al-Tanf American military base in Syria, where they are learning how to manufacture and use improvised explosive devices, it added. “Particular attention is paid to planning attacks on well-protected facilities, including foreign diplomatic missions,” the agency stated. It added that Washington is aiming to “deploy the militants as part of small groups to the territory of Russia and the CIS states in near future.” They will then target “diplomats, public officials, law enforcement officers, and military personnel,” the SVR claimed. “We see that US security agencies have lost all moral principles... Obsessed with the crazy idea of ‘bleeding Russia dry’, Washington strategists presume it is acceptable to directly use terrorists for their dirty purposes,” the agency said. It asserted that “such actions put Washington on a par with the largest international terrorist groups.” In December, SVR Director Sergey Naryshkin claimed that the White House was pursuing policies to create an “instability belt along Russia’s external perimeter.” Naryshkin had previously stated that the security services in Russia and CIS countries have the common goal of “counteracting Western countries’ destructive actions on the territory of our states.” https://www.rt.com/russia/571391-us-recruits-terrorists-target-russia/ =========================================== ============================================ 15 Feb, 2023 09:52 1) Hungary clarifies split with EU over Ukraine Budapest seeks to end the conflict without delay, while the bloc wants Kiev to hold out for more favorable terms, the foreign minister has said Hungary stands out among other European states for not believing that Kiev should wait for battlefield successes to start peace negotiations with Moscow, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday. Speaking after a meeting with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna in Paris, Szijjarto noted that both France and Hungary aspire to peace in Ukraine. However, the two countries disagree about how and when such an outcome could be achieved. “The French position differs from ours, just as the position of almost all other European countries,” he said, adding that some nations expect “that maybe there will be a better war situation from the Ukrainian point of view, when it will be better to conduct negotiations.” “We don’t believe in this, we think that people’s suffering must end now,” the foreign minister stressed. Hungarian officials have repeatedly urged Moscow and Kiev to strike an immediate ceasefire and start peace negotiations. On Sunday, Szijjarto told local media that “Hungary, as a country neighboring Ukraine, has faced all the immediate consequences of the war in the last year,” which include “more than one million refugees, skyrocketing inflation” and soaring energy costs. However, he also noted that recent developments in the conflict signal that “the war will drag on,” which is “the worst possible news we can receive” in the current situation. Since the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Hungary has opposed the sanctions the West has imposed on Moscow, claiming that they have damaged the EU’s economy more than Russia’s while failing to stop the hostilities. Budapest has also spoken out against sending arms to Ukraine, warning that it could lead to an escalation or prolongation of the hostilities. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is open to talks with Kiev, if it “recognizes the reality on the ground,” including the new status of the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye, which overwhelmingly voted to become part of Russia – as Crimea did in 2014. However, last year Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a decree prohibiting talks with the current Russian leadership. https://www.rt.com/news/571509-hungary-ukraine-peace-eu/ ============================================ 15 Feb, 2023 08:03 2) --- Biden willing to let Germans freeze – Seymour Hersh The US blew up Nord Stream fearing that Berlin would lift sanctions on Russia during a cold winter, the journalist claims The US conducted a covert operation to destroy the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines based on doubts that Germany would stick to a hard line on Russia, renowned American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has alleged. Last week, he published a bombshell report laying blame on Washington for several blasts that severely damaged the energy conduits in September 2022. In an interview published by the Berliner Zeitung on Tuesday, Hersh suggested that Washington went ahead with the sabotage because the Ukraine conflict “was not going well for the West.” He added that Nord Stream 2 “was put on hold by Germany itself, not international sanctions, and the US was afraid Germany would lift sanctions because of a cold winter.” The point is that Biden has decided to let the Germans freeze this winter. The President of the United States would rather see Germany freeze than [see] Germany possibly stop supporting Ukraine. According to Hersh, the bombs were planted in June 2022 during NATO naval exercises in the Baltic Sea. “But at the last minute, the White House got nervous. The President said he was afraid to do it. He changed his mind and issued new orders to get an opportunity to remotely detonate the bombs at any time,” he noted. Explaining possible motives for the attacks, Hersh suggested that some people in the US thought that the operation was going “to give the American economy a long-term boost,” while the White House was more focused on politics. “I think they've always been obsessed with re-election, and they wanted to win the war… they wanted Ukraine to somehow magically win,” he said. Nord Stream 1 and 2, which connected Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea, were damaged in a series of underwater explosions on September 26. On February 8, Hersh, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, released a report blaming the US for the attack. The White House dismissed the allegation as “utterly false and complete fiction.” However, in early February 2022, some two weeks before the Ukraine conflict began, Biden stated at a press conference with Germany’s chancellor that “if Russia invades… we will bring an end” to Nord Stream 2. In the aftermath of the report, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov called for “an open international investigation into this unprecedented attack,” saying that instead, Russia is witnessing “attempts to silently wind down” such probes. https://www.rt.com/news/571502-biden-freeze-germany-nord-stream/ ============================================== 15 Feb, 2023 09:53 3) --- Swedish PM gives update on NATO prospects Stockholm has indicated it is willing to abandon its goal of synchronizing accession with Finland Sweden may be forced to abandon its plan to join NATO alongside Finland and instead become part of the military alliance at a later date, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has admitted. The Swedish premier claimed that such a path would not constitute a failure. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Kristersson described the potential entry of his country to NATO separately from Finland as an “unfortunate” scenario, resulting mainly from “Türkiye making Turkish decisions.” However, this route into the alliance “would not be a failure,” he added. Kristersson’s remarks came shortly after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted that the “main question is not whether Finland and Sweden are ratified together,” but “that they are both ratified as full members as soon as possible.” Sweden and Finland tendered their official NATO applications in mid-May of 2022, citing Russia’s offensive against Ukraine. Until recently, the bloc had spoken in favor of both Nordic nations being admitted simultaneously. Twenty-eight of the 30 NATO member states gave the green light to immediate enlargement. However, Hungary and Türkiye refused to grant their approval, stalling the process indefinitely as the unanimous consent of all nations in the alliance is required. While Budapest is expected to give the go-ahead in the coming weeks, Ankara’s grievances have yet to be addressed in full, especially in the case of Sweden. Türkiye has accused the Scandinavian country of harboring terrorists, and relations were further strained last month when a far-right politician publicly burned a copy of the Koran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. In late January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that his country “may respond differently to Finland if necessary,” which could leave Sweden “shocked.” Publicly, Helsinki has insisted on joining NATO together with its neighbor. However, Finland’s Iltalehti newspaper has cited sources as stating that the authorities would be prepared to proceed alone. In a report last Monday, Iltalehti quoted one source as explaining that “we are Russia’s border neighbor,” with officials in Helsinki believing that Sweden’s geopolitical situation is different, and does not require such urgency. https://www.rt.com/news/571504-sweden-premier-nato-membership-finland/ =========================================== 15 Feb, 2023 07:19 4) --- Western diplomacy is immature and incapable of dialogue – Russian ambassador to India (interview readout) 'The epicenter of world politics and economic development has shifted eastwards, towards a more equal and balanced dispensation of power' The Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, assumed office early in 2022, having worked in the country in various diplomatic capacities for decades. On the occasion of Russian Diplomats’ Day, which was observed at the nation’s missions around the world on February 10, Alipov spoke with RT on a host of issues, ranging from the challenges faced by diplomats following the launch of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine, to Indo-Russian defense deals and the journey towards a multipolar world, as well as the rise of the Global South. RT: This year was certainly not easy for Russian diplomacy after the start of the military operation in Donbass. But did Russian diplomats in India and other Asian countries feel it? How did the operation affect your work personally? Denis Alipov: Last year was indeed unusual. The intensity, the challenges, and the scope of work for the Russian foreign service have substantially increased. In India, the Russian Embassy operates in a completely different environment as compared to Europe and the US, which chose to almost completely freeze the relationship with Russia. In my view, it reflects the immaturity of Western diplomacy, which is incapable of dialogue and compromise at the time of crisis, which it itself created – as is evident from the deceitful subversion of the negotiation process over Ukraine. We have maintained close communication with the Indian government and continuously expand our engagement with the public. It is indicative of the friendly and strategic nature of our traditional partnership. In 2022, we have seen notable upward dynamics of various exchanges and an increase of interest to explore new avenues in trade. Our dialogue on political and strategic matters as well as in defense and other sensitive areas is extremely candid and intense. RT - Do you have the feeling that a new world order is being formed? If so, what will it be like? And what place in this world will be occupied by BRICS, SCO, and other organizations in which Russia and India act as equal partners? - Obviously, the progress towards the multipolar world order has accelerated. The clout of India, China, Brazil, South Africa in global decision-making has increased dramatically. There is no turning back to the Western-centric globalization model, which failed to ensure lasting stability and sustainable development. The US, on the contrary, seems unable to relinquish its hegemony and continues to promote a confrontational agenda, resorting to double standards and interference in domestic affairs. Acting a little more subtly by engaging with other countries on the notion of the so-called rules-based order, it doesn’t conceal the intention to set up a new international order on Western patterns. Needless to say, these actions undermine the existing system of international law which rests on the UN Charter, where all countries are deemed equal. On the contrary, Russia and the majority of likeminded countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America stand for an equal multipolar world arrangement based on the central role of the UN and international law. BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa] and the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization] agenda is very much focused on that, as reflected by a growing number of new candidates aspiring to join these associations. Importantly, the current Indian G20 presidency is a case in point. India is resisting the attempts to politicize this crucial forum and puts forward the role of developing countries, which are suffering the most from the energy and food crises and supply chain disruptions caused by the Western unilateral sanctions. RT - India is already an important partner for Russia. Do you expect its role to increase in the coming years alongside Moscow’s renewed focus on the Global South? - Throughout the 75 years of diplomatic relations, India retained a special focus in Russian foreign policy that is evident in proud landmarks in industry, science, defense, energy, nuclear power, space, and humanitarian ties. Our cooperation has always been mutually beneficial and complementary. We have no political differences but a common desire to further deepen and diversify our partnership, which got special and privileged status in 2010. Obviously, India’s role in regional and global affairs is on the rise as Russia has put emphasis on its partners in the East and Global South. The epicenter of world politics and economic development has clearly shifted eastwards and this will facilitate a more equal and balanced dispensation of power. Russia, being itself a nation of the East and the Pacific, is set together with India to take a major part in that process. RT - What’s the latest update on the production of T-90 tanks, Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter jets, AK-203 assault rifles, and other weapons under New Delhi’s “Make in India” initiative? What’s the status of the joint project on the creation of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and the supply of S-400 missile systems? - Russia-India defense cooperation is the strongest pillar of the bilateral special and privileged strategic partnership. It has a decades-long and time-tested background and remains unprecedented. It reflects a unique and deep-rooted trust between our countries and dedication to go ahead. Unlike other countries, Russia offers the maximum level of transfer of advanced defense technologies. We are indeed proud of our achievements, which go far beyond traditional buyer-seller relations. Among them are very successful licensed production in India of T-90 tanks, Su-30 MKI fighters, and other armaments and components, as well as joint ventures of BrahMos missiles and AK-203 assault rifles production. Importantly, this cooperation significantly contributes to the Indian defense capabilities and fully complies with the requirements under “Make in India” and “Self-reliant India” (“Atmanirbhar Bharat”) initiatives. We are committed to implement all our deals in a timely manner, including S-400 missile systems’ delivery. Our dialogue is comprehensive and forward-looking. We carry it on in the framework of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on military and military-technical cooperation. Our participation in dedicated international events in both countries is huge. In this sense, Russia is among the most active participants in the current Aero India 2023 exhibition taking place in Bangalore(February 13-17, 2023). RT - How is Russia helping India’s bid for a permanent seat in the UNSC? - Our two countries maintain intense and thorough dialogue and coordination within the framework of the UN to address the challenges facing the international community, including on the issues of the UN reform. We share the point that the UNSC needs to be adapted to new realities of emerging multipolar world order with increased representation of developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Russia consistently supports India’s bid for permanent membership in the expanded UNSC. The Indian non-permanent membership in the Council in 2021-2022 including its chairmanship in August 2021 and December 2022 strongly reaffirmed India’s credentials. We are engaged in trusted and in-depth discussions on that, keeping in mind that it should be a comprehensive process. It requires a maximum possible consensus to avoid divisions in the UN as well as over-representation of the Western countries, which already dominate in many bodies, including the UNSC. - https://www.rt.com/india/571464-interview-russian-ambassador-india/ ========================== 15 Feb, 2023 10:17 5a) --- Western sanctions bring Russia and India closer – diplomat The two countries have been deepening economic ties despite the pressure, Ambassador Denis Alipov says The West’s sanctions on Russia have led to closer trade and economic cooperation between Moscow and New Delhi, according to the Russian ambassador to India, Denis Alipov. “Talking about the explosive, record growth of our cooperation in the energy field, our oil supplies, it would be appropriate to say that the sanctions that were introduced and expanded against us, in this case, had the opposite effect and became a catalyst for our trade relations,” Alipov told Channel One on Tuesday. The ambassador suggested that New Delhi “will continue to be interested in maintaining this high level” relationship. “Of course, we are also interested in this… We have a very extensive, comprehensive cooperation, including in the field of economy and trade,” he said. The Russian diplomat hailed the positive dynamics in the two nations’ cooperation in the construction sector, as well as in petrochemicals, railway, and heavy engineering. The mining industry, agriculture, and information and communication technologies are also examples of strengthening cooperation, he said. According to Alipov, bilateral trade has been developing dynamically, hitting a record $35 billion. “There has never been such cooperation in the history of Russian-Indian relations,” the envoy stated. https://www.rt.com/business/571481-russia-india-trade-sanctions/ ============================================== 15 Feb, 2023 08:53 6) --- Latvia invests in Nazi commander biopic Moscow has accused Riga of trying to whitewash war criminals The Latvian government is pouring hundreds of thousands of euros into a feature film about the Waffen-SS unit called the Latvian Legion and one of its Nazi-decorated officers. A top Russian diplomat said it exemplified a lack of conscience and historic memory in the Baltic nation. The film titled ‘Neredzamais Cietoksnis’ (The Invisible Fortress) has been in the works for a couple of years now. The Latvian Culture ministry decided last month that the project qualified for its program to support cultural heritage projects and allocated €300,000 ($320,000) from the scheme’s €1.4 million budget, the television program ‘De Facto’ reported on Sunday. The movie will be about Ernests Laumanis, a Latvian-born Nazi officer. He volunteered after Germany invaded during World War II, rose through the ranks to major, and served as commander of a recon unit in the Latvian Legion, a Waffen SS force composed of ethnic Latvians. He was awarded several decorations for his service, including two grades of the Iron Cross. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rebuked Latvia over the news, adding that the Latvian Legion was involved in war crimes, including executions and torture of POWs and civilians. “The Latvian authorities plan to valorize and whitewash those criminals in a film shot for taxpayers’ money,” she claimed in a post on Monday. She said European politicians in general “have lately shown problems with memory and conscience.” Normunds Pucis, the creative talent behind the project, has previously received small grants from Latvian authorities. The chairman of the council of the Ogre Municipality said the story of the legionnaires needed to be told “fully,” when the body awarded €5,000 for the film last year. “Yes, our grandfathers wore foreign uniforms, but they fought for Latvia to be free,” Egils Helmanis stated. “We have to tell this story to the end to ourselves and also to the foreigners living in Latvia, in order to understand what the Latvian Legion is and what it fought for.” Pucis has directed two works so far, set in Latvia in the aftermath of World War II and showing the Red Army and the Soviet government as the villains. After Zakharova’s criticism, he sneered at the fact that both the Russian government and ‘De Facto’ journalists took issue with ‘Neredzamais Cietoksnis’. The Latvian report questioned the way the funding would go through the Latvian Museum of National History, which normally would not be involved in cinematography. The director denied any impropriety. https://www.rt.com/russia/571503-latvian-legion-film-zakharova/ ========================================== 15 Feb, 2023 08:23 7) --- Two EU states refuse to send Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev – media The Netherlands and Denmark will not transfer modern tanks to Ukraine, Die Welt reports The Netherlands and Denmark will not send their German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, Die Welt newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing government officials in both countries. The news comes as Kiev’s backers have tried to form a ‘Leopard coalition’ of countries that would supply Ukraine with enough tanks to fight Russia. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said last month his government was considering purchasing the 18 Leopard 2s that have been leased from Germany and transferring them to Ukraine. However, that option has now been scrapped, according to Die Welt. “The decision was made in close coordination between the Netherlands and Germany,” Dutch officials were quoted as saying. Denmark and the Netherlands previously agreed to fund the refurbishment of Leopard 1A5 tanks from German stocks that would be donated to Ukraine. The Leopard 1A5 is an older model and the predecessor of the Leopard 2. Finland, meanwhile, has 200 Leopard 2s, but hammering out the specifics of Helsinki’s participation in the coalition is “still an ongoing process,” Die Welt quoted the government spokesman as saying. The Wall Street Journal cited a senior NATO official this month who said that Finland would likely transfer the tanks only after it officially joins the alliance. Speaking at a summit of Ukraine’s supporters in Brussels on Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that “a consortium” of states, including Canada, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Poland, were working to supply Kiev with the Leopards. However, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius acknowledged the same day that the coalition was not moving “so astonishingly, to put it mildly.” Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-15 Minsk peace accords. Moscow has warned that foreign arms would not change the course of the conflict and that Western tanks would “burn” on the battlefield. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that NATO’s close involvement in the conflict has been becoming more obvious, with a slew of new pledges of military aid to Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/news/571505-denmark-netherlands-tanks-ukraine/ ============================================= 15 Feb, 2023 08:57 8) --- EU to force banks to reveal Russian assets – Bloomberg The tenth sanctions package will reportedly target accounts belonging to the Central Bank of Russia as well as sanctioned companies and individuals The European Union plans to order its banks to provide information about Russian assets as part of the next package of Ukraine-related sanctions against Moscow, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing draft proposals. According to the news agency, European banks would be required to report on frozen funds that belong to the Central Bank of Russia and those linked to sanctioned Russian companies and individuals. Banks that fail to disclose information will reportedly face fines of up to €50,000 ($53,500) for individuals and 10% of annual turnover for entities. The move is seen as the first step in efforts to seize the funds in question for the reconstruction of Ukraine, despite the EU currently having no legal capability to do so. Brussels has thus far adopted nine sanctions packages against Russia, targeting numerous sectors of the economy, as well as businessmen, politicians, and journalists. The tenth set of sanctions will reportedly include more Russian lenders, adding Alfa Bank, Rosbank, and Tinkoff Bank to the EU blacklist. It will also ban Russian residents from holding posts in the governing bodies of critical European companies, and restrict the provision of gas storage capacity to entities established in Russia. Brussels plans to adopt the tenth sanctions package next week. As with previous measures, it will need the backing of all EU member states to be adopted. https://www.rt.com/business/571501-eu-sanctions-frozen-russian-assets/ ============================================== 14 Feb, 2023 18:57 9) --- Russia wants UN probe into Nord Stream blasts A legislative proposal cites Seymour Hersh’s expose to blame US for the pipeline attack The Russian parliament’s committee for international relations has approved a motion to ask the UN Security Council for an investigation into last September’s explosions on the Baltic Sea pipelines, for which they blame the US. The motion was introduced on Tuesday and is expected to be approved by the State Duma later this week. The proposal describes the blasts as “an act of international terrorism” and a “monstrous sabotage,” calling on the UN to hold accountable both those who gave the order and those who carried it out. The criminal act has threatened the security of all Eurasia, TASS reported, quoting the text of the document. US President Joe Biden’s administration “gave the illegal order and bears full responsibility for the multi-billion-dollar damage to the infrastructure of Russia, Germany, France and the Netherlands,” according to the document. It describes the pipeline sabotage as inflicting long-term damage to the security, economy and environment of the entire region. The lawmakers are referring to last week’s expose by American investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, who described how the pipelines were damaged in a joint operation between the US and Norway. US actions require “a thorough international investigation, punishment of those responsible and compensation for the damage caused.” The committee has requested putting their proposal on the agenda of Thursday’s session of the State Duma, where it may be up for a vote. A series of explosions heavily damaged both Nord Stream pipelines, which were built under the Baltic Sea to deliver Russian natural gas to Germany and the rest of the EU. The blasts happened near the Danish island of Bornholm, in an area where the US Navy and its NATO allies conducted BALTOPS 22 exercises several months prior. Last week, Hersh described how American divers planted the explosives under the cover of the naval exercise, saying they were later activated by a Norwegian patrol airplane. When Hersh asked the US government for comment, it denounced the story as “fiction” and “false.” It has received little to no media attention in the West since. On Monday, NATO’s secretary-general – and former Norwegian prime minister – Jens Stoltenberg announced the formation of a new “coordination cell” to work on securing undersea infrastructure. https://www.rt.com/russia/571484-duma-un-nordstream-probe/ - QS - also see yesterday's post re NATO concentrating on pipelnes) ============================================= 14 Feb, 2023 21:23 10) --- Lithuanian politician quotes Hitler in mayoral debate The TV contest for candidates to run the EU member’s cultural capital took an unexpected turn One of the candidates for mayor of Kaunas in the upcoming local elections dropped a quote from Adolf Hitler during Monday evening’s debate on Lithuanian state television. The EU member state’s Jewish community has condemned the remarks as inappropriate in any context. Darius Treciakauskas of the Christian Union was among the six candidates who faced off in the first debate, which was broadcast by LRT. He chose to invoke the “wisdom” of the Nazi German leader to criticize the current city government for the slow pace of renovating the housing blocks. “A man known to everyone, Adolf Hitler, said the rulers are happy when people don’t think. Unfortunately, this is our situation today,” Treciakauskas said on air. “Fish rots from the head, our people say, and it is so. These repairs could have been done long ago, but in reality the government didn’t feel the need.” Lithuania’s Jewish community reacted to the remarks on Facebook, saying that “quoting the murderer, regardless of the context, is promoting his crimes.” Over 90% of Jews in Lithuania were killed in the Holocaust, and fewer than 2,300 remain today. “Quoting Hitler during the Kaunas mayoral debate is too much,” said Culture Minister Simonas Kairys, who used to be a member of the municipal council. The Lithuanian Human Rights Center has called on the Christian Union to denounce its candidate’s remarks and apologize to the public, according to LRT. Located in central Lithuania, Kaunas was the country’s first capital (1920-1939) and is still considered a center of cultural, academic and business life. Monday’s debate was also controversial because the draw did not include the current mayor, Visvaldas Matijosaitis, meaning that he could not respond to criticism. The rest of the candidates are supposed to debate on February 22, with the local elections scheduled for March 5. The former Soviet republic joined the EU and NATO in 2004. Treciakauskas’s party was founded in 2020, as a splinter of the ruling Homeland Union, and has no parliamentary representation. https://www.rt.com/russia/571486-lithuania-hitler-kaunas-debate/ =========================================== 15 Feb, 2023 00:22 11) --- US wants to send ‘Iranian’ weapons to Ukraine – WSJ With NATO stocks running low, Washington eyes loot from the Yemen blockade The US government is trying to find a legal way to send Ukraine weapons allegedly sent to Houthis in Yemen by Iran but which were confiscated en route, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Citing anonymous US and European officials, the WSJ said the White House is looking for “wiggle room” in UN regulations so that the rifles, rockets, and ammunition seized on the high seas can be redirected to Kiev. Though the number of weapons seized is small compared to what the US and its allies have sent Ukraine over the past year, the unnamed officials say it would be a symbolic punishment for Iran supplying Russia with drones – which both Tehran and Moscow have denied. “It’s a message to take weapons meant to arm Iran’s proxies and flip them to achieve our priorities in Ukraine, where Iran is providing arms to Russia,” one unnamed US official told the WSJ. According to the Journal, the cache amounts to 5,000 rifles, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition for them, a score of anti-tank rockets, and around 7,000 proximity fuses. The loot came from three fishing boats boarded by US and French sailors over the past several months in the Gulf of Oman. “What change can this make to war?” the Houthi deputy information minister, Nasr al-Din Amir, told the Journal when asked about the idea of sending the weapons to Ukraine. “They’ve been sending much heavier weapons.” Washington, Berlin, and London announced last month they would deliver heavy tanks to Kiev. As of this week, according to the Pentagon, the US alone has provided Ukraine with over 100 million bullets. At Monday’s meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted that “the current rate of Ukraine’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production,” which he said was putting a strain on the West’s military industry and “depleting allied stockpiles.” Russia has warned the US and its allies that continuing to send weapons to Ukraine risks involving them in the conflict directly and only delays the inevitable. https://www.rt.com/news/571489-us-seized-yemen-weapons-ukraine/ ============================================ 5 Feb, 2023 10:08 Recap i) --- Train carrying hazardous chemicals derails 50 cars went off the tracks sparking a massive blaze in the state of Ohio A train carrying chemicals derailed in the US state of Ohio late on Friday, causing a massive fire and triggering an evacuation of residents in the area. Some 50 cars from a 140-car train went off the tracks in the village of East Palestine not far from the state border with Pennsylvania, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Saturday. There were no reports of fatalities or injuries as a result of the derailment, but a massive blaze broke out at the site, which continued burning into Saturday. “It's an active fire scene,” NTSB board member Michael Graham said. Several explosions were heard at the crash site on Saturday, according to media reports. Firefighters in East Palestine were forced to work in hazmat suits as the ill-fated train had been transporting chemicals, among other things. - https://twitter.com/ismithKDKA/status/1621941466355441665 - According to the NTSB, ten of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials, including five carrying vinyl chloride, a colorless gas used to make tubes for plumbing and other plastic products. The US National Cancer Institute warns that exposure to vinyl chloride is associated with the risk of several forms of cancer. So far, only a small amount of vinyl chloride was released through special pressure release devices, which are set up on train cars to prevent explosions, the NTSB said. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency told CNN that as of Saturday evening it hadn’t discovered any dangerous levels of air contamination in the area around the crash. Experts will remain on site “as long as necessary,” the agency assured. The massive fire and the threat of chemical explosions prompted local authorities to order an evacuation of residents living within 1 mile (1.6km) of the site of the incident. Around 2,000 people, roughly half of East Palestine’s population, had to leave their homes, with the remaining inhabitants told to stay indoors. An investigation is currently underway to determine the causes of the derailment. https://www.rt.com/news/570986-ohio-chemicals-train-derailment/ ===============================================

NATO, Norway: Norwegian authorities claim Russia may sabotage their energy infrastructure, if relations with the West deteriorate. This comes just days after a prominent American journalist revealed a report that Oslo colluded with Washington, to blow up the Nord Stream pipelines. (see also 4 below). Gunnar Beck discusses. - Ukraine, Kiev: Kiev is planning "a great event" where they plan to accuse Russia of radioactively contaminating their territories. According to Russian MOD, the EU and Norway will assist Kiev in these actions. Kiev have requested specialist equipment and "antidotes" to be shipped to Ukraine. Igor Zhdanov reports on this planned provocation. - Indian tax authorities raid BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai - reportedly over allegations of tax evasion, according to RT sources. A BBC spokesperson said: "The income tax authorities are currently at the BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and we are fully cooperating. "We hope to have this situation resolved as soon as possible." Runjun Sharma reports. - Iran/China: Beijing and Tehran sign a series of new bilateral agreements, in defiance of US pressure seeking to isolate Iran and keep China from expanding its influence. Yunfei Zhao reports. - Israel/Palestine: Following the stabbing of an Israeli policeman, residents of a refugee camp in Jerusalem have gone on strike. Israel raided the refugee camp and one man has died. In another raid another man has been killed. Tensions are rising. Maria Finoshina reports. - Africa, Tanzania: Russia's ambassador to Tanzania, Andrey Avetisyan, talks to RT about Russia's relationship with the African country and areas of mutual interest in development and cooperation. Russia and Tanzania already have partnership in minerals and bi-lateral exports could be further developed, with businesses eager to trade with Russia. Tanzania is also a very beautiful country for holidays and before the pandemic it attracted 80,000 Russian tourist a year. BRICS is a possibility for Tanzania and other African countries. - Iraq, 20 years on: RT continues it's coverage of one of the deadliest and illegal wars of the century. A war based on lies and fabrication. Nikki presents the gruesome and rotten facts of this unjust, deadly war. =========================================== - QS Please see earlier post of today for important cross ref and copious amounts of info. - Below via RT website 1) --- Hungary wants apology for ‘outrageous’ claims by US official 2) --- Kremlin warns about NATO’s role in Ukraine conflict 3) --- Snowden labels UFO craze a distraction 4) --- NATO to focus on ‘undersea cables and pipelines’ 4a) --- Glenn Diesen: There's only one way to find out who destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines OP-ED 5) --- Türkiye has message for other nations 6) --- Serbians back nonexistent Kosovo ‘proposal’ – survey 7) --- US to tap oil reserves to offset Russian production cut =========================================== 14 Feb, 2023 16:33 1) --- Hungary wants apology for ‘outrageous’ claims by US official Washington’s UN envoy has made “baseless” allegations regarding anti-Semitism, Budapest says Hungary blasted the US over what it says are “outrageous” and “false” accusations of anti-Semitism, leveled by a senior diplomat against Budapest. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mate Paczolay added that while Washington later admitted the mistake, it has not issued a public apology. On Tuesday, speaking to the Index news site, Paczolay slammed Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN. During a UN event on Thursday, Thomas-Greenfield cited Hungary as an example of a place where anti-Semitism is on the rise, noting that “a Holocaust memorial was vandalized” there. In a transcript later released by Washington’s mission to the UN, this phrase was crossed out. An explanatory note said that Thomas-Greenfield was referring to a statue in Sweden of diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis in Hungary during WWII. “It is quite outrageous that the US ambassador made baseless and false claims about Hungary in front of the… public,” the spokesman said, adding that the Hungarian delegation was not given an opportunity to speak, and was able to complain only after the event had ended. Paczolay noted that “the American side admitted behind closed doors that it made a mistake.” However, it never issued “a clarifying or an apologetic statement,” which he said is the “minimum expectation in diplomacy” in this type of situation. If the mistake was indeed unintentional and resulted from a “lack of preparation,” then it is “incomprehensible why the representation does not issue a statement in order to resolve the situation,” he said. Earlier this month, Hungarian-US relations were marred by another diplomatic spat. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called out David Pressman, Washington’s ambassador to Budapest, over alleged “interference” in the nation’s internal affairs. Pressman had commented that local decision-makers “continue to push policies endorsed by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” referring in particular to Hungary’s opposition to the Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. https://www.rt.com/news/571469-hungary-us-false-antisemitism/ ========================================== 14 Feb, 2023 15:00 2) --- Kremlin warns about NATO’s role in Ukraine conflict The bloc displays its hostility to Moscow on a daily basis, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said NATO’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict is becoming more obvious by the day, despite claims to the contrary, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. “NATO is an organization that is hostile to us,” Peskov told reporters. “They are confirming this hostility every day and are going out of their way to make their involvement in the conflict around Ukraine a lot clearer.” Peskov said the military bloc’s activities demand “certain precautionary measures” from Moscow. He noted that the US-led alliance has shared intelligence with Ukraine, and that “all of NATO’s military infrastructure is working against Russia.” Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-2015 Minsk agreements. NATO has since supplied Kiev with heavy weapons, including multiple rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles, and artillery. The bloc has also trained Ukrainian troops. Despite this, NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg claimed at a press conference on Monday that the alliance was not a “party to the conflict.” However, Stoltenberg noted that since 2014, NATO has “implemented the biggest reinforcements of collective defense in a generation,” deploying additional forces close to Russia’s borders. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it considers the military sites on the bloc’s eastern flank as a threat. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated at a parliamentary debate last month that the EU was “fighting a war against Russia.” She later claimed she had made a mistake, but also argued that her words had been misconstrued. Kiev’s backers are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss further support. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters upon arrival that Western countries were aiming to “help Ukraine hold and advance during the spring counter-offensive.” Several states, including the US, Britain, and Germany, earlier pledged to supply Kiev with modern main battle tanks. Moscow has warned that more foreign weapons will further escalate the conflict, vowing that tanks and other Western-supplied arms would be treated as legitimate targets for Russian troops. https://www.rt.com/russia/571468-kremlin-nato-hostile-organization/ =========================================== 14 Feb, 2023 00:37 3) --- Snowden labels UFO craze a distraction Talk of aliens is intended to misdirect from real scandals, the NSA whistleblower says The media frenzy over “spy balloons” and unidentified flying objects over North America is sadly not about first contact with extraterrestrials, but an engineered panic for political misdirection, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said on Monday. “It’s not aliens. I wish it were aliens. But it’s not aliens. It’s just the ol’ engineered panic, an attractive nuisance ensuring [national security] reporters get assigned to investigate balloon bulls**t rather than budgets or bombings” such as the Nord Stream, Snowden tweeted. Award-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh published a story last week describing how the US and Norway blew up the pipelines transporting Russian natural gas to Germany last September. The US government denounced it as false. Over the next several days, the US military began shooting down “objects” in the sky over North America. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that the US government still doesn’t know who owns the three objects brought down over the weekend. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said there was “no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity,” however. Kirby had announced the downing of a “high-altitude object” off the coast of Alaska on Friday. US fighter jets brought down an “unidentified, unmanned object” over the Yukon in northwest Canada on Saturday. The third object was shot down on Sunday afternoon over Lake Huron as it approached Michigan. “While authorities don’t yet know what the objects are, they are not a threat,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Monday. “They do not present a military threat to anyone on the ground. They do however present a risk to civil aviation and potentially an intelligence collection threat. And we’ll get to the bottom of it,” he added. Austin also said the three objects were different from the Chinese ‘spy balloon’ the US shot down over South Carolina last week. The aerostat, which Beijing described as a weather balloon blown off-course by the winds, had passed over most of the continental US before it was destroyed by a F-22 fighter jet. The Pentagon’s reluctance to describe the ‘objects’ or show any debris that may have been recovered has fueled speculation about their potential extraterrestrial origin. Space magnate Elon Musk joked about “friends of mine” stopping by. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers have expressed frustration at the lack of official explanations by the White House. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, demanded the Pentagon and the president “tell us what they know – and what they don’t – immediately.” “What in the world is going on?” wondered fellow Kentuckian and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate floor. “The administration has still not been able to divulge any meaningful information about what was shot down,” he said, asking if the radar sensitivity may have been turned up after the Chinese balloon incident. https://www.rt.com/news/571437-snowden-aliens-nord-stream/ ============================================== 13 Feb, 2023 22:13 4) --- NATO to focus on ‘undersea cables and pipelines’ Stoltenberg vows to “prevent and counter threats” after Nord Stream expose blames US and Norway NATO will set up a new coordinating body to address threats to undersea infrastructure, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. His announcement comes just days after legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh claimed the US and Norway were behind the September explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea. “Protection of critical undersea infrastructure will also be high on our agenda,” Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels, following the meeting of NATO defense ministers. The US-led bloc “has been working on this for many years,” Stoltenberg added, “and we are now taking it to the next level.” A new “coordination cell” will be established at NATO Headquarters to “map our vulnerabilities, and engage with industry,” which will “support our efforts to prevent and counter threats to critical infrastructure, including undersea cables and pipelines,” according to Stoltenberg. He said further measures will be decided at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July. Stoltenberg, who was the Norwegian prime minister before taking over NATO leadership in 2014, did not address Hersh’s story from last Wednesday. Neither did any of the reporters NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu called on. The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist had accused the US of ordering the destruction of the pipelines running from Russia to Germany and Norway of helping to carry out the bombing. The White House denounced it as “utterly false and complete fiction.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed to the words of US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to say that Americans were “basically admitting” the pipeline blasts were their doing. Meanwhile, Beijing said that Washington owed the world an explanation. “If Hersh is telling the truth, what he revealed is clearly unacceptable and must be answered for,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday. As Hersh noted, both Nuland and US President Joe Biden had made very specific threats against Nord Stream 2 prior to the escalation of hostilities in Ukraine last year. After the blasts, US officials blamed Russia but said the situation presented an “opportunity” for Europe to cut ties with Moscow. https://www.rt.com/news/571434-nato-undersea-cables-pipelines/ ============= (RE-POST) 9 Feb, 2023 18:33 4a) --- Glenn Diesen: There's only one way to find out who destroyed the Nord Stream pipelines OP-ED Veteran reporter’s latest exposé appears to back up earlier assertions that Washington was behind the blasts By Glenn Diesen, Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and an editor at the Russia in Global Affairs journal. Last September, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany was blown up, followed by its older-sibling line, Nord Stream 1. This was an attack on European infrastructure, on its energy security, and on the environment, too, as large amounts of natural gas leaked into the Baltic Sea. The immediate argument from the Western political-media class was that Moscow had likely attacked its own pipelines despite Nord Stream being an important source of revenue and influence. Instead of presenting evidence or any coherent motivation, they claimed it was part of the mythical “Russian playbook.” Across the West it was deemed to be conspiracy-theory peddling, and Russian propaganda, to even suggest the US would benefit from the situation. In an ultimate display of bloc discipline, or of Stockholm syndrome, the Americans were able to celebrate the destruction of the pipeline while the Western Europeans fervently denounced any allegation against their ally as disinformation. The incident has seemingly gone down the memory hole as the political-media class have no interest in an open investigation and public awareness has been diluted. Seymour Hersh, the investigative journalist who exposed the 1968 US My Lai massacre coverup in Vietnam and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq circa 2004, has now released a report blaming the US for the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines. Will the report result in according the attack the serious debate and investigation it deserves, or will they attempt to move along by denouncing Hersh as an old, senile “Putinist?” US interest in destroying Nord Stream 2 America’s historical fears about economic integration between Germany and Russia were realized with the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which sent energy directly between the two European giants. The US was remarkably open about its desire and intention to disrupt the German-Russian pipeline project. Washington resisted the construction of Nord Stream 2 for years, condemned Germany for its participation, and even sanctioned European companies which participated in the project. The RAND Corporation published a report in 2019, ordered by the US Army, on how to extend and weaken Russia. Energy cooperation between Berlin and Moscow was identified as a key source of Russian economic revenue and influence in Europe, and the report advocated that “A first step would involve stopping Nord Stream 2.” In July 2020, then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned: "We will do everything we can to make sure that that pipeline doesn’t threaten Europe.” https://www.rferl.org/a/pompeo-u-s-will-do-everything-to-stop-nord-stream-2/30757543.html The Nord Stream pipeline was frequently threatened as the conflict in Ukraine intensified. US Senator Tom Cotton stated in May 2021 that “there is still time to stop it… Kill Nord Stream 2 now, and let it rust beneath the waves of the Baltic”. https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/speeches/kill-russias-nord-stream-2-let-it-rust-in-the-baltic On 14 January 2022, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan asserted: “We have made clear to the Russians that pipeline is at risk if they move further into Ukraine.” https://archive.org/details/CNNW_20220117_160000_At_This_Hour_With_Kate_Bolduan On 3 February, Senator Ted Cruz called for the end of Nord Stream: “This pipeline must be stopped and the only way to prevent its completion is to use all the tools available to do that.” https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-cruz-on-the-crisis-in-ukraine-president-biden-and-the-democrats-have-imperiled-ukraine-and-put-europe-on-the-brink-of-war On 7 February 2022, President Biden stood next to German Chancellor Scholz as he warned that if Russia invades Ukraine then “there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.” Asked by a journalist how he would destroy something under German control, Biden responded: “I promise you, we will be able to do that”. Undersecretary of State for Policy, Victoria Nuland, also repeated the threat: “I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.” On 26 September 2022 the threat seemingly materialized as the German-Russian Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed in an underwater explosion. The next day, on 27 September 2022, leaders from Poland, Norway, and Denmark attended a ceremony in Poland to mark the opening of the new Norway-Poland Baltic Pipe that would replace the dependence on Nord Stream. After the Nord Stream attack, former Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski tweeted “Thank you, USA,” accompanied by a picture of the destroyed pipeline. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken then, in no uncertain terms, argued that the destruction of Nord Stream presents “a tremendous opportunity. It’s a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy.” Blinken also offered to assist Western Europe by replacing Russian gas with much more expensive American fuel. Recently, Nuland also weighed in as she argued “I am, and I think the Administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea.” https://www.newsweek.com/sergei-lavrov-us-nord-stream-pipeline-attack-1778499 Investigating the attack - The US has rejected any involvement in the destruction of Nord Stream, and instead pointed the finger toward Moscow as the likely culprit. Russia has not received access to the Swedish investigation, and then there is the strange incident of Stockholm refusing even to share its findings with Germany and Denmark as the results are “too sensitive.” https://nord.news/2022/10/14/sweden-explains-the-rejection-of-the-joint-nord-stream-probe/ The media has also been very diligent in defending Washington’s narrative. Case in point, when professor Jeffrey Sachs accused the US of sabotaging the pipeline and citing the radar evidence, he was swiftly pulled off air. https://nypost.com/2022/10/04/jeffrey-sachs-yanked-off-air-after-accusing-us-of-sabotaging-nord-stream/ This week, Seymour Hersh published an article titled “How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline.” Hersh cites a source within US intelligence, who offered very specific details about the decision-making and the operation of destroying the pipeline. Allegedly, the US was assisted by Norway in attacking the pipeline. The report by Hersh has renewed Moscow’s calls for openness and its insistence that the culprits must be punished. https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-02-09/russia-calls-for-international-probe-into-nord-stream-blasts-after-blogger-report The allegations in Hersh’s report are based on a single source and are not hard evidence, although the report certainly warrants a debate and an investigation. One way or other, we deserve to know who was responsible. "...The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.... " ============================================== 14 Feb, 2023 18:07 5) --- Türkiye has message for other nations President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has thanked the countries that provided assistance after two terrible earthquakes The assistance Türkiye has received from the global community following devastating earthquakes once again proves how important international solidarity is, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. He addressed the participants of the World Government Summit in a video message on Tuesday. The president stressed his country “will not forget the helping hand extended in difficult times,” as he thanked all of those who assisted in relief efforts after Türkiye was rocked by the disaster last week. “Some states sent rescuers to Türkiye, some showed solidarity by initiating campaigns to collect aid. Some states have issued statements of support for Ankara,” noted Erdogan. A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the province of Gaziantep in southeastern Türkiye on the morning of February 6, followed hours later by a magnitude 7.6 quake in nearby Kahramanmaras Province. The earthquakes wrought unbelievable destruction across nine Turkish provinces and in neighboring northern Syria. Relief efforts are still ongoing, with rescuers from around the globe flying in to help. Erdogan said that a total of 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the earthquakes, which scientists have compared to the explosion of 500 atomic bombs. According to the president, that makes them not only one of the largest natural disasters ever in the country, but also in all of recorded history. Turkish officials have yet to reach a final estimate of how many people lost their lives in the disaster, but the latest figures suggest that over 33,000 people were killed. However, Erdogan stated that a large number of the 81,000 people who were injured in the catastrophe have already been discharged from hospitals. He also said that some 8,000 people have been rescued from under collapsed buildings. Meanwhile, the economic toll of the earthquakes has been estimated at a staggering $84 billion in Türkiye alone – over a tenth of the country’s GDP, according to a business group cited by Bloomberg. https://www.rt.com/news/571479-turkey-erdogan-thanks-support/ ============================================== 14 Feb, 2023 18:04 6) --- Serbians back nonexistent Kosovo ‘proposal’ – survey A poll shows that most favor a French-German plan – but oppose its key demands A new poll published on Tuesday showed that 57% of Serbians favor accepting a proposal floated by Paris and Berlin. The only catch is that respondents said that the proposal can’t involve recognizing the breakaway province of Kosovo as independent or giving it a seat in the UN – which it does. While the misleading topline made headlines across the pro-Western press in Belgrade, the rest of the poll showed no change in Serbia’s position on the breakaway province. Asked if they would support the proposal if it included de facto recognition and the UN seat – as it does – 80% said no and only 9% were in favor. When asked if they knew what was in the proposal, only 21% said yes, while 61% of respondents said no. The pollster, Faktor Plus, based its findings on a survey of 1,100 respondents. NATO took control of Kosovo in 1999, after months of bombing Serbia on behalf of an ethnic Albanian insurgency. The provisional government in Pristina declared independence in 2008, with Western support. Backed by Russia and China, Belgrade has so far managed to resist pressure to recognize the province. The EU has openly demanded recognition of Kosovo as a prerequisite for further negotiations on Serbia joining the bloc, however, along with “harmonization” of Belgrade’s foreign policy with that of Brussels, in particular when it comes to sanctioning Russia. French and German diplomats presented President Aleksandar Vucic last month with a plan to “normalize relations” with Pristina. When Vucic brought it up in the parliament, the chamber erupted into fisticuffs amid cries of “treason” and “capitulation.” Vucic vowed to stay true to the Serbian constitution, which includes Kosovo in the preamble. Serbia is well aware of its national interests, which are “not subject to negotiation,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday, adding that Moscow was keenly aware of the pressure the West was putting on Belgrade. Russia’s position on Kosovo was “principled and unchanged,” Moscow’s ambassador in Belgrade tweeted on Monday, denouncing “a series of twisted representations of my words by some experts and media outlets” suggesting otherwise. The only just and durable solution would be based on the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 – which guarantees Serbia’s sovereignty over Kosovo – and be in line with international law and Belgrade’s legitimate interests, said Ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko. https://www.rt.com/news/571480-serbia-poll-kosovo-proposal/ ============================================== 14 Feb, 2023 16:38 7) --- US to tap oil reserves to offset Russian production cut The country’s emergency stockpile is currently at its lowest level since 1983 The administration of US President Joe Biden said on Monday that it will go ahead with a scheduled sale of 26 million barrels of crude oil from the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). The move comes on the heels of Russia’s announcement that it will curtail output by half a million barrels per day next month. The release has been mandated by Congress and is in line with budget directives enacted in 2015 for the current fiscal year, a spokesperson for the US Department of Energy said. Last year, the Biden administration sold a record 180 million barrels of crude from the SPR in an effort to tame rising fuel prices. However, the Department of Energy had previously been considering canceling the scheduled sale of the 26 million barrels this fiscal year in order to refill the emergency reserve after last year’s record draw saw the SPR reduced to just 371 million barrels, the lowest level since 1983. The announced sale will bring reserves down to about 345 million barrels. “Biden is front-loading SPR barrels to avoid a summer gasoline price spike,” Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group, said. He added that “there are growing concerns among the Biden administration that gas prices are headed back to $4 a gallon and the president is fearful of the political heat he will have to take.” The latest release comes after Russia unveiled plans to curb oil production by 500,000 barrels a day, or about 5%, next month in retaliation for Western sanctions. Many analysts see the move by the US authorities as a measure to offset Moscow’s output cut. The US was seeking to repurchase oil for the emergency reserve once the price stabilized at about $70 per barrel. However, WTI crude prices surged to nearly $80 per barrel after Russia’s announcement. A number of economists also believe that the EU has downplayed the importance of Russia’s production cut, which comes at a time of rapid economic recovery and growing energy demand in China. https://www.rt.com/business/571474-us-strategic-oil-reserve-release/ ==============================================

Iran visit to China: The Iranian president's first visit to China is planned for Tuesday as the two countries seek to expand their economic cooperation amid growing pressure from the West. The visit will last three days and sees some of the highest ranking Iranian officials accompany Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian president. Many memorandums of cooperation will be signed as well as trade and practical cooperation memorandums of mutual interest. Yousef Jalali reports. - - Press "see more" for x-ref, links and background. Major cross ref + below - Donbass, Donetsk. Five people were injured by Ukraine shelling on Monday. The bombing/shelling of Donbass villages, towns and cities civilian only areas has become an almost daily occurrence in the past year. Sami Abu Diab from RT Arabic reports from Donetsk and talks to some of the people who are forced to accept this terrorism (QS: yes, the intentional bombing of civilians is terrorism) as part of daily life. "Ukraine has lost it's mind" (QS I couldn't agree more) - NATO - weapons and ammunition for Ukraine. Jens Stoltenberg announced that NATO is to ramp up supplies to Kiev. Stoltenberg pointed out that the consumption of weapons by Ukraine out-paces NATO countries (primarily U.S.) production. Stoltenberg confirmed NATOs plans to fuel the proxy war against Russia commenced in 2014 (QS - this isn't true; it began in 2008 when NATO countries began to groom and grow the Nazi elements in Ukraine and begin to incite what they hoped would be a mass hatred of Russia, in particular Pres. Putin. It was successful enough to enable the deadly Maidan coup and to have ready enough "soldiers" to commence trench warfare and create the blockade between the rest of Ukraine ("Kiev") and Donbass. - Many think Maidan "just happened" at the wave of the hands of Nuland and Biden. It was at least six years in the planning. - It was all entirely paid for by the citizens of Britain and Europe. The cost paid by the citizens of UK and EU is estimated in tens of £€ billions. This funding has never received a debate in any parliament, nor was there a list of any .gov objectives. In effect it was embezzlement and state terrorism, as well as state sponsored terrorism and funding of known fascist elements in a foreign country, without ever informing the citizens of what vast quantities of their money was going on. Unlike regular .gov debt this money immediately becomes external debt and cannot be printed away. It was also mass deception with countries such as Britain externally, hypocritically decrying Nazis. A blogger's joke post of training his pug to do a "Nazi salute" became big news and subject for debate in British parliament (as if a pug dog understood the salute and was familiar with Hitler.) Whilst it was in poor taste it was a joke to wind up his girl-friend whom the blogger thought had become a bit too bossy. It was headlines and debates for weeks, all whilst the grooming and growing of a dangerous, known Nazi movement was undertaken in Ukraine. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-43864133 There has never been so much hypocrisy or so many lies and spun stories. No country's political parties would have received election votes had their citizens been made aware of those posing as .gov in political parties actions. It was literally criminal. On the days of the deadly coup, there were terrorists from all of the "Liberal Democracies" in place; snipers, activists, paid activists, people posing as activists, antagonists, murderers and arsonists. Please see twitter thread with links to peer-reviewed documents https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611196287122116609 The Nazi elements grew strong enough to literally take over the democratically elected Ukraine government.) As Ukraine shells cities in the Donbass using NATO-supplied weapons the bloc's Secretary-General urges the alliance to ramp up production. (QS: Only around 1/3rd of the weapons and ammo reach the front lines; the rest "disappears" with much of it reaching the dark web and sold for a fraction of it's cost. These weapons end up in the hands of anyone who has enough money to buy them. The "stolen" weapons have reached every country in the world. Of the 1/3rd left, a huge proportion is used to attack the civilians of Donbass, with daily, high quantity shelling/bombing. If only that 1/3rd of the weapons that the citizens of NATO are forced to fund were used in combat and not in the war crimes against civilians and daily shelling of civilian only regions, Ukraine would already have enough weapons and ammo for years to come) Jens Stoltenberg said the proxy war in Ukraine has made NATO stronger. In the midst of what can only be called a wartime economy, with most of the citizens in NATO/EU countries and Britain suffering personal financial meltdowns, unable to pay bills - security tags placed on supermarket cheese, meat, fish and poultry, 15 minutes cities and the announcement of digital currencies without so much as consultation for either, NATO announces that they will be installing satellite surveillance and intelligence systems. The cost has yet to be announced but it will be in the €£billions. Martin Dolzer explains the feathering of the nests of NATO to the detriment of everyone else in the world (QS: NB - NATO is not our military. It is a political-only alliance of the most corrupt debtor nations in the world with hundreds of $£€trillions of unaccountable debt which can't be printed away) Non-Zero target: The principal 24 companies fail to meet pledged emission cuts. Rachel Marsden reports Israel/Palestine: An Israeli policeman was killed at a checkpoint in a stabbing attack, however the deadly bullet which killed him came from an Israeli security guard. It's complicated. Maria Finoshina reports. World: Three people have been killed in a shooting at a Michigan Uni campus, five more were injured, the suspect is reported dead. Albania: Protesters are demanding the resignation of their government, there are clashes with police. in Moscow a massive fire broke out at a car service centre, the cause is unknown, two may have perished. Crypto, Binance: the Paxos crypto company is to face charges of Binance U.S. dollar security allegations. Chris Emms reports and discusses with Nikki. (good explainer) Iraq: the illegal, constructed war, 20 years on. Today marks 20 years since the UN report on the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq which was insufficient to stop the US from starting the war, actively justified by western media. One war reporter shares her memories of the events. RT continues with it's excellent coverage of the most deadly of illegal wars, created and fought by NATO on entirely false pretexts and lies, in world history. Presented by Donald Courter. (essential viewing) ================================================ Todays links (casual) 1) --- Caleb Maupin (rightfully) rants about the skewed nature of big tech taking over even search results https://youtu.be/JRxvOVOcnl8?t=58 - you don't need to watch it all, everything is clear and present from a few minutes. Sorry this isn't on Rumble - 2) --- The best pieces of journalism of the century to bookmark(whether you agree with them or not) Nord Stream 2 https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream - 2a - How journalist and propagandists in the pay of our governments (thus paid for by you and me) set about literally wasting four years of our time - this is a very long read in four parts - once again it doesn't matter if you are pro or anti Trump, this is about how we are entirely manipulated - in my opinion it's one of the best reads and pieces of investigative journalism of the decade https://www.cjr.org/special_report/trumped-up-press-versus-president-part-1.php (and if you like it or hate it, please take the time to read it and share it - it's a small but important book - read time say 1+ hours v.v.v. important no matter which side or political flavour you are) - ========================================= via RT website 1) --- Washington pushing Kiev to fight harder, sources tell WaPo 2) --- Host of Eurasian bloc military drill announced 3) --- Dollar crash coming – Robert Kiyosaki 4) --- High US inflation could last a decade – investment expert 4a) --- Warning issued for petrodollar (RE-POST, from Jan 31st post) 5) --- Washington ally wants missiles ahead of schedule 6) --- Australia accused of holding ex-US marine in ‘inhumane conditions’ 7) --- NATO eyes fighting two wars – Bloomberg 8) --- Moscow weighs in on ‘spy balloon’ saga 9) --- ‘Brave Ukrainians doing dirty work’, ex-Pentagon chief says in prank call 10) --- Russia ready to help India with tanks – senior official 10a) --- India's defence spending reaches a crossroads: Will New Delhi buy Russian or American weapons? LIST 11) --- Wheat prices surge on Ukraine harvest concerns – media 12) --- US has no long-range missiles for Ukraine – Politico 13) --- The man behind the curtain: A new report exposes how George Soros’ propaganda machine has corrupted the media - 24 Feb, 2022 02:54 *** Archive) --- Pres. Putin announces 'special operation' in Donbass - Kremlin website Pres. Putin address/announcement of special operation http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67843 ============================================= 14 Feb, 2023 09:08 1) --- Washington pushing Kiev to fight harder, sources tell WaPo The US is pursuing a “Western war with Russia to the last Ukrainian,” Moscow commented after the claims Ukraine has a diminishing window of opportunity to make territorial gains against Russia before military assistance from the US and its allies dwindles, senior American officials have told the Washington Post. “We will continue to try to impress upon them that we can’t do anything and everything forever,” a senior member of President Joe Biden’s administration was quoted by the newspaper as saying about the Ukrainian leadership. Publicly, Biden has pledged to support Kiev for “as long as it takes” to defeat Russia. However, that stance does not apply to the extent of resources that Washington is prepared to send, according to the story published by the Post on Monday. “‘As long as it takes’ pertains to the amount of conflict,” the unnamed official said. “It doesn’t pertain to the amount of assistance.” The newspaper cited a shift in mood in the US House of Representatives, where the Republican majority appears increasingly skeptical of Biden’s Ukraine aid policy. It also referenced fatigue in Europe as another key threat for Kiev, as nations struggle with volatile energy prices and rampant inflation. The Ukrainian military likely has until summer to make progress, before the current US weapons package is exhausted, the Post added. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the newspaper had effectively described what officials in Moscow have called a “Western war against Russia to the last Ukrainian.” “US neoliberals have destroyed Ukraine and are exterminating the Ukrainian people. American hegemonic ambitions lead to a colossal loss of life,” Zakharova stated on Tuesday. According to the Post, senior US officials have relayed the Biden administration’s position to the Ukrainian leadership. Its sources said that on occasion it had been difficult to convince Kiev to take Washington’s preferred course of action. One example cited was the conduct of the Ukrainian military in Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut by Ukraine), where Kiev’s forces are clinging on even though US officials have told them it is not worth the sacrifice. President Vladimir Zelensky “attaches symbolic importance” to the city, the newspaper wrote. The report stated that the US wants Kiev to launch a counteroffensive using new deliveries of weapons in the coming months, in an effort to seize as much land as possible before entering into negotiations with Russia. Moscow has accused Kiev’s Western backers of derailing peace talks in the early weeks of the conflict. Four former Ukrainian regions have since joined Russia after the local populations voted for the move in referendums. Russian officials have repeatedly asserted that the status of the new territories is non-negotiable. https://www.rt.com/news/571445-us-pressures-kiev-fight/ ============================================== 14 Feb, 2023 10:58 2) --- Host of Eurasian bloc military drill announced Kyrgyzstan will substitute for Armenia as the site of annual regional military exercises involving Russia Kyrgyzstan will be the location of this year’s military exercise of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after Armenia pulled out as host, the top military commander of the regional defense bloc has announced. Kyrgyzstan skipped its turn last year due to border tensions with Tajikistan. The change of site of the ‘Indestructible Brotherhood-2023’ exercise was confirmed by Russian general Anatoly Sidorov, who serves as chief of joint staff of the CSTO, during a press conference on Tuesday. In addition to Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, the bloc also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan. The drill is normally conducted by the organization’s peacekeeping forces annually in the autumn. The exercise that was set to take place in mid-October 2022 was canceled at the last moment by the intended host, Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz government made the decision in September, citing short but deadly border clashes with Tajikistan, a fellow CSTO member. Kyrgyzstan’s Vice Prime Minister Edil Baysarov confirmed that the instability was the reason for scrapping the exercise. In January, Armenia announced that it had decided not to host any CSTO drills in 2023, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan calling it “inadvisable.” Yerevan had previously complained about the bloc’s negative response to its request to deploy troops amid a border standoff with rival Azerbaijan. The flare-up last September left dozens of soldiers killed on both sides. The CSTO opted for a diplomatic approach and offered to deploy a border observer mission after the hostilities were over. The Pashinyan government snubbed the organization and called in EU monitors instead. Moscow expressed displeasure with the development, accusing the EU of trying to “get a foothold in Armenia and sideline Russia” on behalf of NATO. Azerbaijan and Armenia have a decades-old conflict over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly ethnic Armenian part of Azerbaijan, which considers itself a sovereign state. During a 44-day war in early 2021, Baku made some territorial gains. The fighting ended with a Moscow-brokered truce and the deployment of a Russian peacekeeping force. Pashinyan said last month that his country may want it replaced with a UN one after its mandate expires in 2025. https://www.rt.com/russia/571447-csto-drill-armenia-kyrgyzstan/ ============================================= 14 Feb, 2023 10:00 3) --- Dollar crash coming – Robert Kiyosaki By 2025, faith in the greenback will be destroyed, the famed author claims Famed writer and economist Robert Kiyosaki has warned investors that the stock markets are about to crash and the US economy is heading into a “depression.” According to the ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ co-author, this will be fueled by the fact that the US Federal Reserve will print billions in “fake money.” “Giant crash is coming. Depression possible,” Kiyosaki tweeted late Sunday. He also wrote that by 2025, Bitcoin will hit $500,000, followed by $5,000 and $500 price marks for gold and silver respectively. He explained that this will be “because faith in the US dollar, fake money, will be destroyed,” adding that Bitcoin is the people’s money, and gold and silver are “God’s money.” https://twitter.com/theRealKiyosaki/status/1624988584267894784 ============================================= 14 Feb, 2023 12:04 4) --- High US inflation could last a decade – investment expert The Federal Reserve will find it tough to rein in soaring prices, according to Smead Capital Management The high rate of inflation in the US is likely to be “far stickier” and longer-lasting than many have predicted, the chief investment officer at Smead Capital Management, Bill Smead, told CNBC on Tuesday. The comments come ahead of a much-anticipated US inflation report by the Labor Department due later in the day. “The enthusiasm… right now is the hope that we’ll get a friendly Fed out of a soft landing, and we do not believe that is going to be the case,” Smead stated. “We think the inflation is going to be far stickier and longer-lasting – in fact, a decade, because in the United States, we have incredibly favorable demographics,” he said. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point. Fed Governor Michelle Bowman has warned the regulator will need to continue to hike interest rates to bring inflation back down to the central bank’s 2% target. According to Smead, the Fed will find it tough to tame inflation despite the recent rate hikes. “We have 92 million people between 22 and 42, and they’re all going to spend their money on necessities the next 10 years, whether the stock markets are good or bad,” he noted. “They’re just going to be living their life. The economy should be pretty good and the Fed’s going to have a hard time controlling inflation.” Investors polled by Reuters have forecasted that the consumer price index (CPI), which measures the cost of dozens of goods and services spanning the economy and is a widely-followed inflation gauge, has risen 0.5% on the month in January. The core index, which strips out food and energy, is expected to increase 0.4%. https://www.rt.com/business/571448-high-us-inflation-decade/ ========================= Related 4a) --- Warning issued for petrodollar (RE-POST, from Jan 31st post) Refusal to use the greenback for oil payments around the world could undermine the US economy, a former White House official has said The US is facing serious economic risks as more countries around the globe move away from the dollar in energy trade, according to former White House official Paul Craig Roberts. Roberts, who served as US Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy during the Reagan administration, cautioned in an article published on Monday that the end of the petrodollar would have severe adverse effects on the value of the dollar, as well as on US inflation and interest rates. He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s recent announcement that it was open to accepting payment for oil in currencies other than the dollar. According to Roberts, if that happens the demand for dollars and the currency’s value will fall. By billing for oil in dollars, the Saudis guaranteed worldwide demand for the greenback, he explained. “This is a major threat to Washington’s power and to the financial power of American banks,” the economist added. Roberts noted that for half a century the petrodollar has supported the value of the US dollar and ensured financing for America’s large budget and trade deficits. “The petrodollar supported the continuing role of the dollar as world currency after President Nixon closed the gold window in 1971, in effect ending the Bretton Woods system following WWII that gave the US dollar the reserve currency role.” However, according to Roberts, in recent years Washington has so abused the dollar’s reserve currency role with sanctions and asset seizes that many countries desire to settle trade imbalances in their own currencies, “in order to escape Washington’s ability to threaten and punish them for serving their own interests rather than Washington’s.” The article stated if the Saudis do drop the petrodollar, Americans will face stiff inflation and high interest rates necessary to finance US budget deficits, unless the Federal Reserve itself finances the deficits by printing money. In that case, monetary inflation would be added to inflation caused by the drop in the dollar’s foreign exchange value resulting from declining foreign demand for the greenback. “Should this come to pass the implication for the US is massive austerity,” Roberts warned. ======================================= 14 Feb, 2023 11:20 5) --- Washington ally wants missiles ahead of schedule The weapons will be acquired in fiscal year 2023, Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada has said Japan will buy US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles in fiscal year 2023, much earlier than originally planned, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said on Tuesday. The statement comes as Japan aims to radically boost its military, and has looked at revising its post-World War II pacifist constitution. Tokyo will procure “all the required quantity” in the year starting April 1, the defense minister said, as quoted by Kyodo News. Japanese media reported last year that the country was planning to acquire up to 500 missiles by fiscal year 2027. In December, Japan approved a defense budget of $51.4 billion, the country’s largest ever, which is an increase of more than 26% from the previous budget. The country’s ruling parties have also advocated for Japan acquiring “counterstrike capability” amid tensions with China and North Korea. Pyongyang has stepped up missile tests in recent years, which has rattled Tokyo. North Korea maintains that the launches were a response to US military drills in the region, which it sees as a threat. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is also seeking to strengthen ties with Washington, as both Japan and the US accuse China of making threatening moves around Taiwan. Beijing says the cause of the escalation is Washington’s military and diplomatic aid to Taiwan. In 2017, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a plan to make the status of the country’s self-defense forces more “explicit” in the 1947 constitution, which formally bans Tokyo from maintaining a standing army. Some politicians have criticized Japan’s turn to militarization. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki warned that obtaining weapons to “attack enemy bases placed in Japan’s southwest area… strays from the purpose of the constitution.” The southwestern island of Okinawa is home to several US military bases. Local politicians and residents often hold protests near the installations, demanding their removal and citing numerous offenses committed by American troops. https://www.rt.com/news/571450-japan-tomahawk-missile-schedule/ ============================================ 13 Feb, 2023 21:43 6) --- Australia accused of holding ex-US marine in ‘inhumane conditions’ Daniel Duggan, now an Australian citizen, has allegedly been held by Canberra for 115 days without conviction The family of detained Australian citizen and former US marine Daniel Duggan plans to petition the UN Human Rights Committee to intervene to stop his “inhumane treatment,” his wife, Saffrine Duggan, said in a statement on Sunday, calling the imprisonment of her fighter pilot husband an “affront to Australia’s rule of law.” “The father of six children has been held in a tiny cell in Sydney under extreme conditions without any conviction for 115 days, based on unproven charges from the United States,” she said, adding that he is classified as an “extreme high risk restricted inmate” at the Silverware Correctional Complex despite having no criminal history. The cell measures just two by four meters, she said. Duggan was arrested in October and accused of training Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers, evaluating Chinese military pilot trainees, and providing aviation services in China, all without the required authorization from the US State Department. He is alleged to have received at least A$116,000 ($81,000) in 2011 and 2012 for the training work, which took place at a flight academy in South Africa, during a period when he was still an American citizen, according to a 2017 indictment unsealed in the US in December. He relinquished his US citizenship in 2012 and became a naturalized Australian citizen. Canberra approved a US extradition request for Duggan in December. He faces another hearing next month on whether he can be extradited. Duggan maintains his innocence of all charges. Saffrine Duggan previously filed a complaint with the Australian Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. Her husband’s lawyer, Dennis Miralis, lamented last week that both the Australian and US governments have been reluctant to hand over documents relevant to the case “on the basis of secrecy provisions,” hinting that Duggan might have to launch separate legal proceedings himself. “Dan strenuously rejects all charges against him as being of a political character and politically motivated,” his wife said in her statement. “His indictment contains half-truths, falsehoods and gross embellishments.” Australia’s extradition treaty with the US prohibits extradition if the charges are of a “political character” and requires that the offense in question be a crime in both countries. https://www.rt.com/news/571435-australian-pilot-inhumane-wife-un/ ============================================= 14 Feb, 2023 13:16 7) --- NATO eyes fighting two wars – Bloomberg The US-led bloc is reportedly drawing up contingencies for a defensive “Article 5 conflict” and an "out-of-area" battle NATO is set to adopt a guidance that lays out plans for a scenario in which member states find themselves fighting on the home front and beyond the borders of the alliance at the same time, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. This comes as the US increasingly shifts its priorities to confronting China. The classified document is to be discussed and signed off on by NATO defense ministers during a two-day summit in Brussels that starts on Tuesday, the news outlet reported. Members will be asked to prepare national plans for future military engagements. The guidance will map out ways for NATO to engage in a “high-intensity so-called Article 5 conflict” – defending a NATO nation attacked by a foreign party under the treaty’s mutual defense provision – and “an out-of-area, non-Article 5 event.” The contents of the guideline were revealed to Bloomberg by “people familiar with the matter.” While NATO bills itself as a defensive alliance, it has an extensive record of engaging in hostilities on foreign soil, including in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and against Libya in 2011. Critics regard the bloc as a tool of US foreign policy that is aligned with Washington’s goals and in rivalry with China and Russia. “The Americans get what they were aiming for,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov remarked in an interview earlier this month, discussing NATO’s increasing reach. “There are military blocs being created against China and Russia in the Asian Pacific region, like AUKUS. There is a drive to drag new members into them.” The ability to fight a two-theater war was at the core of US military planning during the Cold War. Think tanks and US officials pushed the strategic objective of having a military force strong enough for two simultaneous ground conflicts, arguing for higher Pentagon budgets and against spending cuts. According to Bloomberg's sources, NATO defense ministers will also discuss in Brussels a boost in military spending by member states. Countries that fail to meet the target of 2% of GDP would be pressured to accept this level as a mandatory floor rather than merely as a recommendation. Such a change may be adopted during a summit of NATO leaders in Vilnius in July, the outlet said. The structure of spending would be pushed towards increased procurement of weapons by European allies, according to the article, since the US “may decide to move some of its assets” from the continent closer to China. 14 Feb, 2023 13:35 8) --- Moscow weighs in on ‘spy balloon’ saga America should resolve the matter on its own, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said The US should not make accusations regarding the alleged spy balloons recently shot down over North America, and would be better off “figuring out” the issue on its own, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, Peskov was asked to comment on remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who claimed on Monday that the unmanned flying objects downed over the US and Canada could be “part of a pattern where China but also Russia are increasing their intelligence and surveillance activities against NATO allies.” “Regarding this balloon issue, which the whole of America is dwelling on, willingly or unwillingly, I doubt that anybody should be blamed,” Peskov said. “It would be better if the Americans figured it out on their own.” The presidential press secretary went on to describe NATO as “a hostile organization.” The US-led military bloc “reaffirms its hostility every day, and is doing its best to signal its involvement in the conflict over Ukraine as clearly as possible,” Peskov added. The US military has downed four objects flying over North America this month. The first, which was destroyed by a fighter jet off the coast of South Carolina on February 4, was described by officials in Washington as a Chinese high-altitude balloon used to “surveil strategic sites.” Beijing dismissed that allegation, asserting that the object was a civilian airship which had strayed into US territory due to “force majeure.” It also accused American politicians and media of “hyping” the incident to “attack and smear” China. On Friday, the Pentagon announced the downing of a “high-altitude object” off the coast of Alaska, and the following day a US jet destroyed an “unmanned object” over Yukon in northwest Canada. Another flying object was shot down on Sunday over Lake Huron. While the authorities did not say where the three aerial objects came from, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claimed that they “present a risk to civil aviation and potentially an intelligence collection threat.” Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the American media’s “impulsive reaction” to the incident involving the Chinese balloon, arguing that it “can’t be described as anything other than hysterical.” https://www.rt.com/russia/571463-kremlin-us-spy-balloons/ ============================================ 14 Feb, 2023 11:18 9) --- ‘Brave Ukrainians doing dirty work’, ex-Pentagon chief says in prank call In its conflict with Moscow, Kiev has taken up the job that Washington never wanted to do, Mark Esper said The US should make every effort to arm Ukraine in its conflict against Russia, because the nation is doing the dirty work Washington has shied away from, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Monday. He added that Ukraine has every right to attack Russian military targets, including those located within the country. Esper, who served as the Pentagon chief in the administration of former President Donald Trump, spoke his mind in a phone call with the Russian pranksters who go by the names of Vovan and Lexus, believing that he was talking to former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko. Several clips of the conversation were uploaded to Russia’s Rutube video platform. “Brave Ukrainian people are doing the dirty work of what we never wanted to do here in the United States, which is why we should continue to support you with everything we can, whether it’s munitions or arms or intelligence,” he said. The ex-official recommended that Ukraine conduct more strikes on Russian military warehouses and logistics centers. He also told the pranksters that Kiev had “a sovereign right to conduct strikes on any targets you see fit,” including within Russia, explaining that an adversary with an off-limits “sanctuary” has an advantage. Esper added, however, that he assumed that Kiev would still stick to a “strategic approach” that would not undermine NATO’s support for the country or make Russians rally around President Vladimir Putin. In December, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that Washington had “neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia.” Last week, however, Celeste Wallander, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said that the US had “no objections” to Kiev attacking targets in Crimea, the peninsula that overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2014 but is still claimed by Ukraine. Esper is not the first Western official to have been tricked by Vovan and Lexus. In a call earlier this month, former US national security advisor John Bolton stressed the need to “stop efforts by whether it’s the French or the Germans or whoever it might be to try negotiating with the Russians” over Ukraine. The stunts by the pair have not gone over well with the West. In March 2022, YouTube banned their channel on the platform following indignation from the UK’s Defense Ministry after the pranksters released a call in which British defense chief Ben Wallace disclosed information about arms deliveries to Ukraine https://www.rt.com/news/571451-ukrainians-dirty-work-esper/ =============================================== 14 Feb, 2023 07:58 10) --- Russia ready to help India with tanks – senior official Moscow can share its Armata tracked platform with New Delhi, the deputy director of the military cooperation agency has said Moscow is ready to provide technology for India’s new tanks, Vladimir Drozhzhov, the deputy director of the Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS), said on Tuesday. According to Drozhzhov, Russia can share its advanced Armata modular tracked platform with India. “The Russian side is planning to participate in joint development of the Indian main battle tank with the use of modern Russian technology,” Drozhzhov told RIA Novosti news agency at the Aero India 2023 expo in Bangalore. He added that India plans to launch an international tender for the new tank. Indian media reported last year that New Delhi was seeking to procure tanks under its Future Ready Combat Vehicle project in order to replace the aging fleet of Soviet-designed T-72s. The Armata platform serves as a base for Russia’s T-14 heavy tank and the T-15 armored infantry fighting vehicle (AFI). The same modular technology can be used for other hardware, including self-propelled howitzers. The Armata tanks and AFIs were first shown to the public in 2015. The T-14 is equipped with a 125mm gun mounted on an unmanned turret. According to several reports, the tank has been used in Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Moscow and New Delhi have worked together in the past to design India’s BrahMos medium-range supersonic cruise missile. https://www.rt.com/russia/571441-russia-help-india-tanks/ ================= 11 Feb, 2023 15:20 10a) --- India's defence spending reaches a crossroads: Will New Delhi buy Russian or American weapons? LIST Will Moscow's long term partner bite the bullet and embrace Washington at its expense? By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia Editor India ranks third globally in terms of defense budget and will increase its military spending this year. The country is facing challenges from Pakistan and China on its borders to the west, north and northeast, and New Delhi’s military might is in critical need of a technological upgrade. The problem is that India’s defense capabilities in recent years have oscillated in their dependency between Moscow and Washington. The moment is fast approaching when the world’s most populous country, one of its fastest growing economies, will have to choose between two rivals. India’s new defense budget - India seeks to become a $5 trillion economy by 2025, which could have been achieved earlier had it not been for the Covid-19 pandemic. While bidding to achieve a growth rate of 6.1% despite the global headwinds due to the inflationary pressures that the West is facing, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled her fifth consecutive Union Budget in early February. Total federal spending under the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget, which starts in April, will be 45 trillion rupees, the equivalent of nearly $550 billion. Capital expenditure (capex) is being increased 33% year-on-year, to $122 billion, with a view to boosting India’s infrastructure. Data compiled by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent resource on global security, showed India’s military spending of $70.6 billion last year ranked third highest in the world, after the US’ and China’s. This year, Sitharaman has allocated 12.95% more to the armed forces and the total amount of military spending will be 5.94 trillion rupees ($72.6 billion). According to the minister, 2.77 trillion rupees will be spent on salaries and benefits for the military, 1.38 trillion on pensions for retired military personnel, and the remaining amount on other expenses, including the purchase of new weapons, air assets, warships and other military equipment. According to the latest budget document, India plans to spend about 242 billion rupees ($3 billion) on the navy and 571.4 billion rupees ($7 billion) on procurement for the air force, including aircraft. New Delhi’s military needs - The capital budget, which caters to the modernization needs of the armed forces such as buying new equipment and firepower, has seen a modest increase of 6.57%, research and development (R&D) brings out the rear, despite a growing accent on indigenization. Army veterans have been clamoring for R&D, speedy orders, creation of testing facilities, an ecosystem to support innovation for the defense and aero industry coupled with non-lapsable funds to expedite the modernization process. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the penultimate year of his second successive term, has been laying emphasis on the country’s self-reliance, including the domestic manufacture of state-of-the-art weapons. This is a vital part of his vision of ‘Amrit Kaal,’ a term that comes from the ancient Vedic astrology as practiced by the country’s Hindu majority and means ‘golden era,’ during which India aims to “ascend to new heights of prosperity,” according to Modi. The Indian government has implemented several changes to boost its defense sector and military might. For instance, data shows that the total capital allocation for the defense services sector has risen over 75% since 2013. The Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020, released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has put forth a turnover of $144 billion by 2025, including export of $4.3 billion in aerospace and defense goods and services. The cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) into India’s defense sector via the “automatic route” (without requiring government approval) was increased in 2020, from 49% to 74%. Russia, the US – the best of both worlds - Historically, India has been importing weapons from Russia since the 1950s after it gained independence from Great Britain in 1947 –first the Ilyushin II-14 cargo transport aircraft and, later, MiG-21 fighters. Now, the Indian Army is equipped with Russian-made tanks and Kalashnikov rifles. Indian Air Force uses Sukhoi fighter jets and Mi-17 transport helicopters, while the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, also known as the Admiral Gorshkov, was formerly part of the Russian fleet. India has spent $12.4 billion between 2018 and 2021 in defense procurements, with Russia accounting for $5.51 billion, according to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database. Similarly, India has been buying arms from the US since the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and significantly more in the past decade. India has bought aircraft, helicopters and missiles worth $22 billion in the last decade or so. Talks are on to purchase military hardware and software worth close to $10 billion, including repeat orders for six P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime patrol aircraft and six C-130J transport aircraft. Also, negotiations are underway for the purchase of 30 MQ-9 Predator-B drones worth $3 billion, as well as NASAMS-II, a missile shield meant to protect vital installations in New Delhi from aerial threats, and two intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) aircraft. Is Washington wooing New Delhi? - The US and India have been forging a partnership in a bid to share advanced defense and computing technology. The Biden administration appears to be assiduously wooing New Delhi to wean it off Russian military hardware and simultaneously offer a way to counter a resurgent China, with which India has unresolved border disputes. Last May, the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, which aims to strengthen military, technology and political links between the two nations, was launched. Recently US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan rekindled that initiative and singled out India over China’s aggressive overtures that had a “profound impact on the thinking in (New) Delhi.” India is known to be keen to jointly manufacture, and domestically, the General Electric Co jet engines it uses in its combat aircraft. A proposal to that effect is pending before Washington. The bilateral initiative also includes transfer of technology on artillery systems, armored infantry vehicles and maritime security, coupled with semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Sullivan acknowledged the long-standing weapons trade between India and Russia, and New Delhi’s reliance on Moscow. Ending that partnership is apparently one of the intended goals of the US’ own advances towards India. “I’m not going to say that facilitating the movement of India off of Russian equipment to other equipment is an irrelevant consideration – of course it is not,” he was quoted as saying by an international wire service. However Sullivan’s overtures are unlikely to be a deciding factor in India’s foreign policy, where pragmatism has often triumphed over ideological moorings. Putin or Biden? - Modi is likely to get face time with US President Joe Biden over the next few months. They will attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) security partners’ summit in Sydney, Australia, in the middle of this year, which also includes Japan. In September, Biden is expected to travel to India for the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in New Delhi. However, ahead of Modi’s scheduled meeting with Biden, the Indian PM will have a one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in May, in Goa, India, on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization headquartered in Beijing. He will likewise have an opportunity to meet Putin during the G20 summit. India, whose hands are tied because of limited defense budget for arms procurement, needs to make an informed choice – whether time-tested Russian military wares or those of ‘newfound ally’ the US make the cut. Earlier, India’s refusal to join any camp over the Russia-Ukraine conflict earned PM Modi generous praise from Putin, who called the Indian leader a “true patriot” for following an independent foreign policy. https://www.rt.com/india/571335-worlds-third-biggest-defense-spender/ ============================================== 14 Feb, 2023 11:03 11) --- Wheat prices surge on Ukraine harvest concerns – media March futures are near their highest level in over two months Wheat prices have soared to two-month highs this week amid fears that Russia’s military operation may jeopardize this year’s planting and harvesting season in Ukraine, several media outlets have reported, citing traders. March futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed at over $8.0075 a bushel on Monday, the highest since November 23. Quotes were slightly down on Tuesday but are still up for the year. Wheat prices initially jumped on Friday, with analysts attributing the surge to Russia’s latest missile strikes in Ukraine. Traders warn that infrastructure damage from the missiles or a potential worsening of the conflict would jeopardize Black Sea shipments, which are already a third below the previous season. “Wheat has been the leader linked to increased tension in Ukraine, which could slow the Ukrainian exports and the planting for the 2023 crop and it could also lead to increased sanctions against Russia,” Mark Polowy, a senior account executive at Archer Financial Services, told Reuters. Concerns about the supply of wheat to the global market emerged right after the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine just under a year ago. The two countries together are responsible for over a quarter of the global supply of grains. Shipments were halted in mid-2022 due to the conflict and Western sanctions against Russia, but Ukraine was able to resume exports under the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative. The agreement, which was reached last July between Ukraine, Russia, and Türkiye, allowed shipments of wheat and other agricultural products interrupted by the conflict to be restored. Under the deal, the UN was also expected to help Russia resume its own grain shipments via the Black Sea, which, although not directly targeted by Western sanctions, have faced problems due to the restrictions. Russia’s ambassador to the UN said earlier this month that Moscow has not been able to export any grain as part of the agreement. Meanwhile, Russia’s grain crop last year was the largest on record, according to Rosstat, the country’s official statistics agency. The overall grain harvest amounted to 153.8 million tons, a 26.7% increase year-on-year against 2021, with the wheat harvest alone reaching a historic high of 104.4 million tons. https://www.rt.com/business/571444-wheat-prices-surge-ukraine-crisis/ =========================================== 14 Feb, 2023 05:48 12) --- US has no long-range missiles for Ukraine – Politico Multiple rounds of arms shipments to Kiev have already dwindled US arsenals The US will not supply Ukraine with its Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) due to concerns it will not have enough for itself, officials told Politico. Kiev continues to demand longer range missiles and other heavy weapons, despite $30 billion in military aid already authorized by the White House. Ukrainian officials were informed that Washington has no ATACMS missiles to offer during a recent meeting in the US capital, with the Pentagon concluding that transfers would “dwindle America’s stockpiles and harm the US military’s readiness,” the outlet reported on Monday. “With any package, we always consider our readiness and our own stocks while providing Ukraine what it needs on the battlefield. There are other ways of providing Ukraine with the capabilities it needs to strike the targets,” a senior military official said on condition of anonymity. While it is unclear how many ATACMS remain in US stocks, weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin has produced only about 4,000 units of various makes over the last 20 years, with around 600 used up by US forces during the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War. A number of those missiles have also been sold to allies, including Bahrain, Greece, Poland, Qatar, Romania, South Korea, and Turkey. Short of obtaining the weapon directly from the US, Kiev is considering whether to ask one of those allied countries to provide the ATACMS instead, a move that would have to be approved by Washington. Arms transfers to Ukraine have stressed US stocks over the last year, with shortages in Javelin and Stinger missiles reported as early as last March, just weeks after the conflict with Russia kicked off. As of February 3, Washington has sent at least 1,600 Stinger systems and more than 8,000 Javelins, in addition to a massive quantity of other arms, including drones, mortars, howitzers, armored combat vehicles, and dozens of HIMARS multi-launch rocket systems. In addition to concerns about shrinking arms inventories, US officials also fear that Ukrainian forces would use the ATACMS to “attack deep inside Russian territory” given their range of 190 miles, according to Politico. Though the White House has approved increasingly heavy weapons for Kiev – including the M1 Abrams main battle tank – it believes strikes on Russian soil mean crossing a “red line” with the Kremlin. The NATO bloc has urged member states to “ramp up production” of weapons and ammunition to keep up with Kiev’s needs, with the alliance’s head, Jens Stoltenberg, warning on Monday that the Ukrainian military is consuming an “enormous amount” of materiel. A recent NATO assessment obtained by Reuters found that arsenals across the alliance have been significantly depleted thanks to the conflict, with one official telling the outlet that “If Europe were to fight Russia, some countries would run out of ammunition in days.” (QS Possible Paywall - worked fine for me as only occasional user https://www.newsweek.com/nato-allies-would-run-out-ammunition-within-days-war-russia-report-says-1780851) Moscow has repeatedly urged against foreign arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying they would only prolong the fighting without changing the outcome of the conflict. The Kremlin has also warned that the aid creates a greater risk of escalation, especially if Western weapons are used to strike Russian cities or to try to seize Russian territory. https://www.rt.com/news/571440-us-ukraine-atacms-missile/ ============================================ 14 Feb, 2023 10:27 13) --- The man behind the curtain: A new report exposes how George Soros’ propaganda machine has corrupted the media The Budapest-born billionaire has constructed an incredible global network of influence A new report from the US-based Newsbusters has exposed a vast web of media and activist organizations, funded with millions of dollars, annually, by the billionaire George Soros. The outlet bills itself as “an online rapid-response vehicle for documenting, exposing, and neutralizing liberal bias in the media.” (open this in a new tab, it's apdf https://cdn.mrc.org/static/pdfuploads/PropagandaPowerhouse_Part1_FINAL.pdf-1670340182273.pdf ) The extensive global influence of the Hungarian tycoon is well-known, and Soros himself has admitted it on countless occasions – including boasts about his efforts in Ukraine. Soros openly declared his role in promoting the 2014 US-orchestrated Maidan coup in Kiev, stating at the time: “I set up a foundation in Ukraine before Ukraine became independent of Russia [sic]. The foundation has been functioning ever since. And it played an important part in events now.” https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/25/soros-on-russian-ethnic-nationalism/ In a lengthy interview with the New York Times in October of 2019, Soros explained: “The arc of history doesn’t follow its own course [and] needs to be bent,” and he was “engaged in trying to bend it in the right direction.” (paywall https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/25/business/dealbook/george-soros-interview.html#click=https://t.co/mzmGG7tok9) The Newsbuster report identifies the hundreds of media, humanitarian, and social justice organizations that Soros funds annually and asserts that his donations allow him to “wield massive power over information in international politics,” and “mold public opinion on practically every continent and in many languages.” Who gets the money? - Newsbusters lists Project Syndicate as the biggest propaganda platform funded by the Hungarian. It styles itself as “the world’s opinion page” and has a “global audience” that includes “prominent politicians, policymakers, scholars, business leaders, and civic activists from six continents” and “over 140 heads of state.” From 2016 - 2020, he funneled at least $1.5 million to the outlet. It actively promoted abortion, criticism of Israel and pushed for global climate lockdowns during this period. The Poynter Institute is also at the top of this list, which Newsbusters condemns as “a global Soros-backed Ministry of Truth.” It received $492,000 during the same period. This money was used to finance Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network, which brings together 100 so-called “fact-checkers”. The network includes the controversial PolitiFact, and actively works with major social media platforms to boost their operations, while censoring alternative voices and opinions. Newsbusters argues that these initiatives in reality serve only to restrict opinions on issues like abortion, transgenderism, and COVID-19. The reports also points out that there is significant academic research to suggest fact-checking does not stop the spread of false information online, raising questions about why so many organizations and wealthy individuals pump huge amounts of money into such entities in the first place. UK-based openDemocracy also received $1,633,457 from 2016 - 2020. The website attracts over 11 million visits per year, publishes in a variety of languages, and its content is picked up by a variety of newspapers and magazines in many countries. However, Soros isn’t just funding content creators. His foundation supports a broad range of social justice activists, who often become media and online influencers. For example, in July 2021, he pledged $100 million to advance the cause of radical feminism worldwide over the next five years. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/newsroom/open-society-foundations-commit-100-million-to-support-feminist-political-mobilization-and-leadership Organizations receiving cash secure major news coverage for events and activities they orchestrate on his dime, and influence public perception along the way. Soros has explicitly stated that his goal is to ensure “more women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people in positions of leadership in politics and governance,” are drawn from these recipients. The individual donations from the tycoon, his foundations, and network may appear minor based on their size, but the total volume of financial support over the entire network of nearly 300 organizations is highly significant. How does this propaganda network operate? - The Newsbusters report contains numerous examples of how these allegedly independent information sources not only publish articles reflecting the US government’s line, but also influence policy and statements by White House officials, and often reinforce false information. In mid-2022, the Biden administration announced that despite two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the technical definition of a recession, the country was not in fact in a recession. This announcement immediately followed a Project Syndicate column by a Harvard economist Jeffrey Frankel, which argued that even if official estimates pointed to two quarters of negative growth, “it does not necessarily mean that the US has entered a recession.” Then, days after the White House denied the US was in recession, the Soros-connected Politifact published a “fact-check” arguing the Biden administration hadn’t changed the definition of recession. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/us-recession-bea-release-second-quarter-gdp-growth-by-jeffrey-frankel-2022-07 and https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/jul/27/instagram-posts/no-white-house-didnt-change-definition-recession/ For its report, Newsbusters consulted Matt Palumbo, author of the 2022 book The Man Behind the Curtain: Inside the Secret Network of George Soros. He stated that “one of the biggest consequences” of Soros funding and effectively controlling major media outlets is “creating a filter on what we can see” in the general public. It’s not merely individual news outlets, but journalists at highly influential Western publications – including The New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, CNN, and ABC – who are influenced by his money. Soros assets identified in the Newsbusters report,substantiated by Palumbo, help insulate him from inquiry “as reporters see him as an ally, not a target for investigation.” "That’s going to influence your coverage. Just type in Soros’ name in any of the major liberal publications he’s linked to and see how they cover him,” Palumbo assesses. He believes this clout means Soros “can create any impression” he wants about any issue - including the false narrative that any criticism of him is anti-Semitic. “If they’re ever covering him in a negative way, it’s framed as if his critics are the bad guys for noticing.…but because it’s convenient for them on the left, they can do that and the media goes along with it,” Palumbo explained. Soros’ latest project - In 2020, Project Syndicate published an op-ed from economist Marianna Mazzucato. She argued that if Earth’s population were not prepared to accept a “green economic transformation” truly revolutionary in scope, with huge consequences for human rights and citizens’ daily lives, then the world should trial “climate lockdowns”, a completely new and untested concept in science, to counter global warming. Government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were said to show they were possible. https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/business/joseph-vazquez/2020/09/25/sorosgates-funded-org-65m-world-may-need-climate-lockdown “The world is approaching a tipping point on climate change, when protecting the future of civilization will require dramatic interventions. In the near future, the world may need to resort to lockdowns again - this time to tackle a climate emergency,” Mazzucato, whose research was funded by none other than Soros, insisted. That same year, Soros told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that the COVID-19 pandemic was a “revolutionary moment when the range of possibilities is much greater than in normal times,” and “what is inconceivable in normal times becomes not only possible but actually happens” because “people are disoriented and scared.” *** According to Newscasters, it remains unclear which movement Soros will fund next, what catastrophe he will exploit, or create, in order to advance his ideological and financial interests. Feature - By Felix Livshitz https://www.rt.com/news/571293-man-who-bends-arcs/ =========================================== *archive* --- ) 24 Feb, 2022 02:54 Archive) --- Pres. Putin announces 'special operation' in Donbass The special military operation is aimed at "the defense of" the newly recognized republics of Donetsk and Lugansk Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he ordered his country's military to conduct a special operation in the Donbass region after the leaders of the breakaway republics asked Moscow for military assistance in response to what they claim is an increase in “Ukrainian aggression.” “Circumstances require us to take decisive and immediate action," the order reads. “The People's Republics of Donbass turned to Russia with a request for help. In this regard, in accordance with Article 51, part 7 of the UN Charter, with the sanction of the Federation Council and in pursuance of the friendship treaties ratified by the Federal Assembly and mutual assistance with the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, I have decided to conduct a special military operation,” Putin stated. At the same time, in an address to the public, the Russian president said he wanted to "demilitarize" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine. According to him, "we have no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory." Within moments of the speech, a series of explosions were reported in cities across Ukraine, with CNN, CBC and a number of Ukrainian media outlets reporting a blast in the capital, Kiev. In a statement, US President Joe Biden said that “the prayers of the world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by the Russian military forces.” The decision comes days after Moscow recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk breakaway republics in the Donbass, alleging Kiev had not lived up to its obligations under the Minsk agreements struck in 2014 and 2015 to resolve conflict between separatists and the Ukrainian government. Officials later authorized what they described as a "peacekeeping operation" in the region. Western leaders for months had predicted a looming incursion, claiming Russia has amassed troops near its border with Ukraine and in neighboring Belarus, where Moscow has conducted joint drills in recent weeks. Russia has so far denied plans for an attack, however, and maintains its actions in the Donbass will be defensive in nature. The US and its European partners have already imposed sanctions on a series of Russian financial institutions, officials and lawmakers following the recognition of the break-away states, vowing to bring more penalties should Moscow “further invade” Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/russia/550408-special-operation-putin-donbass/ Pres. Putin address/announcement of special operation http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67843 ==============================================

Nord Stream sabotage: Seymour Hersh, the journalist behind an investigation into the US role in the Nord Stream pipeline blasts, reveals the pressure he's facing by mainstream media to divulge his sources. The Europeans seem to be far more concerned in tracing his sources than the US. (QS : much more to hide. In the main the governments in the "Liberal Democracies" could find very little to support their policies without the say so of the "approved press" - they in turn are often paid to publish what their governments offer them, as well as being "appropriately briefed". Most of the approved media should have died a natural death with the advent of the internet and social media. Government payments (of our money, via communications departments) encourage them to cling on). The source, if they were to be named, would be put in jail, as the perpetrators just stay free. Donbass; Artyomovsk, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, advances of the Russian troops: Kiev restricts civilian and media access to the embattled city of Artyomovsk, a.k.a. Bakhmut as Russian forces advance on entrenched Ukrainian positions there. RT follows Russian troops as they advance in a battle for one of the key Ukrainian strongholds outside Donetsk. A Ukrainian soldier asks Kiev to withdraw, calling Kiev murderers. Janus Putkonen explains the strategic and moral importance of Artyomovsk and says "we haven't seen the truth in Western media over how the situation in Ukraine unfolded" NATO: Jens Stoltenberg says the conflict in Ukraine shows the importance of NATO (QS: NATO is a political-only alliance of the most indebted nations in the world with hundreds of $£€trillions of debt; many of it's citizens also believe them to be some of the most corrupt countries in the world) Jens Stoltenberg also pointed out that the "war" didn't start out in 2022 but in 2014 (QS: Since 2008 at least, NATO countries - in particular Britain and EU, paid to groom and grow a NAZI element in Ukraine to overthrow the democratically elected government in Ukraine and cause mass "propaganda hate". It cost citizens of EU several $billions to effect this during/for Maidan, during a time of austerity. Not a single government had had a vote for this, it hadn't been discussed or debated in any parliament. There had never been a list of any .gov objectives for this funding. - Would any of us have cast a vote for any MP or party if we had known they were "growing and supporting" Nazis? - would there have been proper accountability of our money?) See articles below for details, including surveillance. Martin Dolzer reports (but everyone forgets about what happened BEFORE Maidan and how it was prepared, at the expense of the citizens) Ukraine, Kiev: An elderly woman faces prosecution for saying that Ukraine (Kiev) government started the civil war in 2014 against the citizens of Donbass. Dan Kovalik discusses. Russia, Mariupol: An incoming missile has been shot down Russia's MOD publishes a video of Russian troops on the frontline and said that 250 Ukraine troops were lost in the recent battles along with a lot of weapons and military equipment. Igor Zhdanov reports. Russia, Siberia, Krasnoyarsk. A major warehouse fire, 150 firemen are fighting the blaze. Space: Progress MS-21 is repaired after the pressure "glitch" on the International Space Station. ============================================ Below, via RT website -- A) --- Nord Stream blast story was ‘not hard to find’ – author B) --- NATO sounds alarm over Ukraine’s ammo consumption - 1) --- Key Russian ally to host major war games 2) --- Leading ‘politically biased’ corporations identified – watchdog 3) --- Report alleges grim scale of child abuse by clergy in EU state 4) --- NATO flag defaced as ‘thousands’ rally in Paris 5) --- NATO launches new ‘surveillance’ network 6) --- EU to target media in latest anti-Russian sanctions – Politico 7) --- EU preparing more economic sanctions against Russia – Politico 8) --- Star Wars legend says he ‘follows orders’ from Zelensky 9) --- Academic responds to ‘mass suicide’ outrage 10) --- EU spending on energy crisis approaching $1 trillion – think tank 11) --- Berlusconi floats cash-for-ceasefire deal in Ukraine 12) --- Here’s why the China-US confrontation is so strange. Analysis by By Fyodor Lukyanov ============================================= 13 Feb, 2023 16:36 A) --- Nord Stream blast story was ‘not hard to find’ – author Media outlets like the NYT and WaPo “don’t seem to have anyone inside” among their sources, Seymour Hersh claims Legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh claimed on Saturday that his latest bombshell report, which suggests the CIA was responsible for the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines in September, was not a hard story to find. It was obvious that there was more to the issue than was being reported by most media outlets, Hersh said. In his first interview since he published the story on Substack last Wednesday, the Pulitzer-prize winning journalist was asked by Radio War Nerd to comment on his source for the story, who still remains anonymous. Hersh refused to expose any details about who he spoke to and noted that it was his job to protect his sources and take the heat when a story went live. But those within the media who criticize him for using anonymous sources should “understand the business a little better,” the journalist suggested. “The problem is, it’s all been cheapened. Because now the New York Times and the Washington Post think an unnamed source can be a press guy, a press secretary, that whispers something to them on the side. I don’t know, they don’t seem to have anyone inside,” Hersh said. He also noted that major news outlets are failing to report a lot of things about the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev. “The war I know about is not the war you’re reading about,” Hersh observed. “It’s amazing to me how they fall in line, my colleagues,” he added, lamenting that many outlets such as the NYT, WP, CNN and MSN have become a front for the White House and the Biden administration. As for the Nord Stream expose, Hersh insisted it was “not a hard story to find” and that it was obvious that some NATO country was involved, especially after top US officials, including President Joe Biden, issued clear threats that the Russian-German project would be stopped “one way or another” if Moscow chose to send troops to Ukraine back in February 2022. Hersh also pointed out that the entire international pipeline industry knew “who did what” and that this was a reality that “nobody thinks about.” “But I did, so there you are,” he concluded. The White House, as well as officials from the CIA and State Department, have all vehemently dismissed Hersh’s report since it was published. Moscow, meanwhile, has called for an open international investigation into the attack, saying it was “impossible to leave this without finding the perpetrators and punishing them.” https://www.rt.com/news/571420-seymour-hersh-nord-stream/ =============================================== 13 Feb, 2023 14:41 B) --- NATO sounds alarm over Ukraine’s ammo consumption The US-led bloc needs to increase production to keep up, Jens Stoltenberg has said Ukraine is consuming an “enormous amount” of ammunition, and the West needs to boost production to keep up, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday. Stoltenberg also called on the bloc’s members to increase their intelligence efforts, accusing China and Russia of spying on them with balloons. “The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of ammunition,” he said ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. “This puts our defense industries under strain,” he continued, adding that “we need to ramp up production and invest in our production capacities.” Stoltenberg then pledged, as he has repeatedly since Russia’s military operation in Ukraine began, that “NATO stands with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” “Standing with Ukraine” has proven costly for NATO, particularly its European members. After decades of underinvestment, the German military rapidly emptied its stockpiles for Ukraine and reportedly has only enough ammunition for two days of warfare. Furthermore, Berlin will not be able to send its full complement of 187 Leopard 1 tanks to Kiev until refurbishment is complete in 2024, and even then, reports suggest that ammunition for these tanks is in short supply. The situation in the UK is similar, with the British Army reportedly having just enough ammunition for days or even hours of full-scale fighting. Meanwhile, multiple European nations have walked back promises of tanks for Ukraine, citing shortages and the vehicles’ state of disrepair. Stoltenberg has repeatedly called on NATO members to boost arms and ammo production since the conflict in Ukraine began. On Monday, however, he also urged them to increase their intelligence gathering and sharing capacities, claiming that China and Russia are “increasing their intelligence and surveillance activities against NATO allies.” The NATO chief claimed that both nations are using “balloons” to spy on the West, referring to four aircraft shot down over the US and Canada in recent days. One of these airships came from China, while the origin of the other three is unclear. US authorities have not linked any of the four to Russia, and Beijing insists that the first was a “civilian airship” that veered off course. Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against sending weapons to Ukraine, arguing that continued arms deliveries will prolong the bloodshed without changing the conflict’s outcome. https://www.rt.com/news/571416-stoltenberg-ammunition-shortage-nato/ ============================================== 13 Feb, 2023 14:05 1) --- Key Russian ally to host major war games The members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will send troops to Belarus for three-part maneuvers Belarus, a key Russian ally, will host this year’s Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military exercises, the regional defense alliance’s head announced on Monday. The plans for joint exercises by the organization, which consists of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, were shared by Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov during a visit to Minsk. Tasmagambetov, whose tenure at the CSTO started last month, met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to discuss preparations for the drills. The host stressed the need for all six member states to boost cooperation due to what is “happening around” their borders. “If somebody thinks that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not our conflict, that we can quietly sit it out – no, that won’t happen,” Lukashenko stated. Minsk has allowed Moscow to use its territory in its military operation against Kiev, but has declined to contribute forces. The Belarusian leader previously accused NATO nations of creating a threat to his nation by amassing troops close to its border. Minsk and Moscow set up a joint military force last year, which was touted as a way to mitigate the risks faced by Belarus. The three-part CSTO exercise on Belarusian soil will be one of the practical steps to “ensure military readiness of the collective force of the organization,” Tasmagambetov said. The annual exercise of the CSTO's operative response force has three components, each of which has its own designation. The drills comprise a regular exercise for troops and their commanders called ‘Vzaimodeystvie’ (Interaction), a military intelligence training dubbed ‘Poisk’ (Search) and a logistics exercise ‘Eshelon’ (Echelon). In the autumn of 2022, Tasmagambetov’s home nation of Kazakhstan hosted the drills. The mission involved over 6,500 troops and more than 850 military vehicles, including warplanes, helicopters and drones, the organization reported at the time. During his visit to Minsk, the secretary general did not share with the public the timing of this year’s event or the size of the military contingent that the member states will deploy to Belarus. https://www.rt.com/russia/571407-belarus-csto-military-exercise/ ============================================== 13 Feb, 2023 14:01 2) --- Leading ‘politically biased’ corporations identified – watchdog Apple, Coca-Cola, and Disney are among the companies prone to “canceling” those they disagree with, a report claims More than 140 major corporations operating in the US are more likely to target people and businesses for political reasons, according to a report from conservative non-profit organization 1792 Exchange. The research was released last month, but only recently gained media interest. In its Corporate Bias Rating, the group assessed over 1,000 entities based on “the likelihood a company will cancel a contract or client, or boycott, divest, or deny services based on views or beliefs.” The non-profit also tracked hiring practices, as well as whether a company uses corporate reputation and charity donations to “advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of religion or speech.” The corporations placed on the red “high-risk” list include giants such as Amazon, Disney, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Johnson & Johnson, Starbucks, Unilever, Nike, and Walmart. The group also rated Google’s parent company Alphabet and Facebook owner Meta as highly prone to bias, together with Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. The companies rated as “medium risk” have “generally demonstrated willingness to advance one-sided ideological agendas,” and lack protections against discrimination of dissenting views, 1792 Exchange said. This category includes streaming service Netflix, clothing giants Adidas and H&M, video game publisher Activision Blizzard, and dairy and yogurt producer Danone. Covid-19 vaccine-maker AstraZeneca, as well as Barnes & Noble, Wendy’s, Acer, and Siemens were among the entities rated as being at “lower risk” of bias. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, 1792 Exchange President Paul Fitzpatrick said activists use the companies’ environmental, social, and governance policies to “fill and weaponize” them in order to promote their own agenda. In recent years, several major companies have been accused of introducing “woke” ideas into their workplace training programs. In 2021, Coca-Cola’s internal training course was leaked, revealing that employees were being advised to try to be “less white.” Last year, Disney vowed to fight a law in Florida that bans teachers from including the issues of sexual orientation and gender identity in classroom discussions in kindergarten through third grade. Governor Ron DeSantis responded by stripping the Walt Disney World theme park of its special tax and self-government status in the state. https://www.rt.com/news/571409-companies-political-bias-rating/ https://www.rt.com/news/571409-companies-political-bias-rating/ ============================================= 13 Feb, 2023 14:53 3) --- Report alleges grim scale of child abuse by clergy in EU state An independent committee examined misconduct allegations in Portugal from 1950 onwards Almost 5,000 children have suffered sexual abuse by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church over the last 70 years, according to a report released on Monday. The Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Catholic Church, which was set up over a year ago to look into alleged offenses committed by the Portuguese clergy, said that 512 victims had come forward. The commission examined cases dating from 1950 onward. Psychiatrist Pedro Strecht, who headed the panel, estimated that the total number of those who had suffered abuse could be more than 4,815, although he did not elaborate on how that figure had been reached. “It is not possible to quantify the total number of child victims,” Strecht said, adding that any contact with the panel had been voluntary. On average, victims were 11 years old, with most of them allegedly abused more than once. According to sociologist Ana Nunes de Almeida, 58% of the victims were male. Of the alleged abusers, 96% are said to be male, with 77% being priests. Strecht noted that among other locations, offenses allegedly took place in Catholic schools, at priests’ homes, and in confessionals. The commission has no plans to publish the names of the victims or alleged abusers. However, the report includes a confidential annex of all the names of the clergy reported to the panel, which was shared with the Portuguese Bishops Conference and the police. While the statute of limitations has expired on most of the alleged cases, 25 files were still sent to prosecutors. Bishop Jose Ornelas said that the Portuguese Church would need time to study the report before giving an official response, but added that “we have seen and heard things we cannot ignore.” In recent years, the Catholic Church has been beset by sexual abuse scandals and claims that senior clergy have attempted to cover up offenses. In 2021, a commission investigating sexual misconduct cases found that since 1950, members of the French clergy have abused some 216,000 children, with around 3,000 priests and others allegedly involved. The same year, Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church’s laws to explicitly criminalize sexual abuse, in a bid to “reduce the number of cases in which the... penalty was left to the discretion of authorities.” https://www.rt.com/news/571410-portugal-church-children-sexual-abuse/ ============================================= 13 Feb, 2023 13:26 4) --- NATO flag defaced as ‘thousands’ rally in Paris The organizers claim that some 10,000 people protested against sending weapons to Ukraine A major rally against the membership of France in NATO and the supply of weapons to Ukraine took place in Paris on Sunday. Florian Philippot, the head of the right-wing Les Patriotes party, which organized the march, claimed that it had gathered some 10,000 people and was the largest such protest to date. He said 25 smaller anti-NATO rallies were held elsewhere across France on the same day. Videos from the French capital did capture a significant crowd of at least several thousand people, carrying French national flags and a large banner reading: “For peace.” The crowd chanted slogans, including “No planes, no tanks, no missiles for Ukraine,” “Let’s get out of NATO,” “Macron, we don’t want your war,” and “No to World War III” among others. At some point during the event, Philippot got on stage and used scissors to cut the blue NATO flag in half to the cheers of the demonstrators. “NATO means war,” he proclaimed. - https://twitter.com/f_philippot/status/1624816387679047685 - The politician has been staging protests against French membership in NATO and the EU since the fall, while also harshly criticizing weapons deliveries to Ukraine throughout the present conflict. Between 2012 and 2017, Philippot was the deputy head of the biggest opposition party in France, Rassemblement National (National Rally), which until last year was led by Marine Le Pen. After leaving National Rally, the 41-year-old established his own party, Les Patriotes. French President Emmanuel Macron has been one of the few Western leaders to maintain contact with Vladimir Putin during the fighting in Ukraine. He has also spoken about the need to achieve a ceasefire that that wouldn’t “humiliate Russia,” much to the displeasure of the Ukrainian government. France has nevertheless been one of the main suppliers among EU states of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Paris provided Kiev with Caesar howitzers and other equipment early in the conflict. In January, Macron announced that Vladimir Zelensky’s government would be getting dozens of French-made AMX-10 armored personnel carriers, often described as ‘light tanks.’ He also didn’t rule out the delivery of Rafale fighter jets, but said it wouldn’t happen “in coming weeks.” Russia has stated many times that by providing arms, Western nations have made themselves de facto participants in hostilities. “The line between indirect and direct involvement is gradually disappearing,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week. https://www.rt.com/news/571400-france-nato-ukraine-rally/ ============================================= 13 Feb, 2023 16:21 5) --- NATO launches new ‘surveillance’ network The new satellites will facilitate the sharing of intelligence data between commercial and national systems NATO will launch a new “virtual network” comprising national and commercial satellites, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg revealed in a press conference on Monday ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers. “This will improve our intelligence and surveillance. And support NATO missions and operations,” he said, adding that it would allow for “better navigation, communication, and early warning of missile launches.” The move comes several months after the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that Western commercial satellites being used in the Ukraine conflict are valid military targets. Stoltenberg acknowledged that the new network – as well as the much-needed replenishment of member nations’ weapons stores after a year of fighting in Ukraine – would require increased military spending from those nations. The day’s meeting would thus include discussions of how to “maintain and step up defense spending across the alliance,” he said. In addition to “stand[ing] with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” he hinted at an expansion of NATO’s efforts in Eastern Europe, explaining that “ministers will also address how to step up our practical support for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova,” whom he called “valued partners which face Russian threats.” While none of the three named countries are NATO members, the bloc has encouraged them to cozy up to it as the conflict in Ukraine drags on. Moldova received EU candidate status in June, Bosnia in December, and Georgia applied for EU membership in March, though none have officially applied for NATO membership. Russia has adamantly opposed NATO expansion, viewing the military alliance’s efforts to encroach on its borders and place missiles on its western flank as a direct threat. Moscow has sought a promise from Kiev that it will never join the bloc, though such a pledge has not been forthcoming. https://www.rt.com/news/571421-nato-military-commercial-satellites-network/ =========================================== 13 Feb, 2023 14:52 6) --- EU to target media in latest anti-Russian sanctions – Politico The bloc is seeking to slap restrictions on some 130 entities and people, including media workers, according to the news outlet The EU is seeking to further intensify pressure on Russian media by targeting the nation’s journalists as part of its tenth sanctions package against Moscow over the Ukraine conflict, Politico reported on Monday, citing sources. Speaking to the outlet, a number of unnamed officials and diplomats offered insight into the new raft of sanctions against Russia, which, according to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is supposed to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev. Apart from new economic restrictions, the sanctions are expected to include some 130 entities and people, with the lists proposed by Poland, the Baltic countries, Germany, France, and other countries, the report says. The planned restrictions are intended to be applied to Russian military leaders, local officials in the new Russian territories, and journalists, including those working with RT. The outlet did not identify the names of media personalities who might be facing restrictions. In recent years, the EU has unleashed a campaign against Russian media that only escalated since the onset of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. The bloc has suspended the broadcasting activities of several channels, including RT and Sputnik. Earlier this month, RT DE Productions, which produces content for RT DE, said that it had been forced to halt its journalistic activities in the country due to “the repressive state of media freedoms within the EU.” It also noted that the bloc’s sanctions had “effectively cut off oxygen for staff," adding that it had “betrayed the reliance on the fundamental rights and freedoms recognized in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.” Last week, Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, defended the crackdown on Russian media, suggesting that the bloc was “not attacking the freedom of expression,” but rather protecting it. This statement prompted outcry from Russia, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying that Moscow has regarded such actions as “a manifestation of liberal dictatorship.” https://www.rt.com/russia/571408-eu-sanctions-russia-journalists/ ============================================= 13 Feb, 2023 11:10 7) --- EU preparing more economic sanctions against Russia – Politico The tenth package will reportedly include new financial restrictions and additional trade bans, among other penalties The EU is set to propose a new package of sanctions on Russia, Politico reported on Monday, citing unnamed European officials and diplomats. The sources told the outlet that the latest set of measures would include proposals for new financial sanctions against four Russian banks, including the country’s largest private lender, Alfa Bank. Russian nationals are also expected to be banned from serving on the boards of critical infrastructure companies in the EU, such as electricity grids or gas providers. Additional trade bans could be imposed on imports into the EU of Russian rubber and asphalt or bitumen (an oil product) and on exports to Russia of a range of EU goods such as trucks, other heavy vehicles, construction machines, pumps, and other machines used in the construction sector. The package reportedly also includes additional export bans on electronic components that Russia could use to make weapons. It’s unclear whether Russian diamonds will be included in the package, the sources said. The report indicated that Brussels is also planning to blacklist a Dubai-based shipping company, “suspected of helping Russia circumvent sanctions on oil exports.” The company is believed to have bought several Russian oil tankers, which were no longer allowed to ship oil because of the Western sanctions on Russian-owned entities, Politico wrote. Under their new Emirati ownership, the tankers can again ship oil, the outlet explained. Meanwhile, one EU country has asked Brussels to list that company in the new sanctions package, in order to prevent it from increasing Russia’s capacity to export oil, according to two people involved in or briefed on the sanctions discussions. The report, however, noted that shipping countries could oppose the move. Two diplomats and one official reportedly cautioned there had been some opposition from Mediterranean countries. Brussels has so far adopted nine rounds of sanctions on Russia that have affected various sectors of the country's economy and targeted many businessmen, politicians, and journalists. The latest measures, announced in December, introduced a number of export bans, and extended restrictions to include more banks. A further 168 Russian entities came under export restrictions, bringing the total number of sanctioned companies to 410. The new sanctions package will be discussed by the EU ambassadors on Wednesday. https://www.rt.com/business/571392-eu-more-sanctions-russia/ ============================================ 13 Feb, 2023 15:56 8) --- Star Wars legend says he ‘follows orders’ from Zelensky Mark Hamill has described himself as the Ukrainian president’s “good soldier” Actor Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, has called himself a “good soldier” of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. In September, Hamill became an ambassador of Kiev’s Army of Drones campaign, which is in charge of acquiring reconnaissance UAVs, according to its website. In an interview published on Monday, the actor told Politico that his role in helping Kiev during its conflict with Russia was “much more meaningful than what I’m used to doing.” - https://twitter.com/MarkHamill/status/1622315647060566016 - Hamill was quoted as saying that he was a “good soldier” who would do anything Zelensky or his team asked him to. “I follow orders,” he added. The actor, who often comments on political issues on Twitter, has been selling signed Star Wars posters in order to raise funds for Ukraine. While some social media users have praised Hamill’s involvement, others have argued that he could have been raising money to help those in the US. Mark Hamill is not the only Hollywood actor to openly support Kiev in its conflict with Moscow. American actor Ben Stiller met with the Ukrainian leader and called Zelensky his “hero.” Hollywood star Sean Penn brought Zelensky his Oscar, telling his “great friend” to hold on to his award until “he wins.” https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/571412-mark-hamill-soldier-zelensky/ ========================================== 13 Feb, 2023 16:12 9) --- Academic responds to ‘mass suicide’ outrage Dr. Yusuke Narita says his suggestion that the elderly kill themselves was “taken out of context” Yale University professor Yusuke Narita has retracted his claim that old people in Japan should commit mass suicide to solve the country’s problem of a rapidly aging society. Narita suggested what he said was the “only solution” to the crisis during an appearance on a Japanese YouTube news show back in 2021. “In the end, isn’t it mass suicide and mass ‘seppuku’ of the elderly?” he said, referring to the practice of ritual disembowelment performed by dishonored samurai between the 17th and 19th centuries. His comments went largely unnoticed until they surfaced online last month and were quoted in a New York Times article on Sunday. The Times revealed Narita’s long history of promoting suicide, including his suggestion to a group of students last year that people could simply throw themselves off cliffs, and an interview in which he said that “making [euthanasia] mandatory” will one day “come up in discussion.” According to last year’s data, Japan had the highest senior population ratio in the world, with almost 30% of its people being over the age of 65. The country also has one of the lowest birth rates and the highest public debt in the developed world. The Times did not directly endorse Narita’s “solution,” but noted that his comments may open the door “to much-needed political conversations about pension reform and changes to social welfare,” and that a majority of the Japanese public supports legalizing voluntary euthanasia. In the West, however, the damage was done. Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller declared that the “American press is rapidly on their way to endorsing…euthanasia,” as hundreds of outraged comments piled up under a tweet by the Times promoting the story. Narita’s fellow academics and writers accused him of being “irresponsible” and inciting “hatred toward the vulnerable.” In a response to the newspaper, Narita said that his words were “taken out of context,” and that he wasn’t talking about old people in general, being “primarily concerned with the phenomenon in Japan, where the same tycoons continue to dominate the worlds of politics, traditional industries, and media/entertainment/journalism for many years.” Phrases such as “mass suicide” and “mass seppuku” were just “an abstract metaphor,” he insisted, adding that he already made a decision stop using such terms altogether last year. In January, the Japanese government released data for the number of suicides in the country in 2022. It revealed that 21,584 people took their lives last year, which was 577 more than in 2021. “The rise in men in their 40s through 60s, as well as pensioners or those who are unemployed, stands out,” a health ministry official said as he commented on the figures. https://www.rt.com/news/571415-yale-japan-elderly-suicide/ ============================================= 13 Feb, 2023 15:18 10) --- EU spending on energy crisis approaching $1 trillion – think tank The cost to protect households and businesses from soaring prices keeps growing, analysts at Bruegel say European nations have splashed out nearly €800 billion ($855 billion) on support measures as the region continues to reel from climbing energy costs, researchers at Brussels-based think tank Bruegel said on Monday. The analysts have urged governments to be more targeted in their spending aimed at subsidizing bills for households and businesses, in the face of wild swings in prices for gas and electricity over the past year. EU member states have so far allocated €681 billion to energy spending since September 2021, according to the researchers at Bruegel. Meanwhile, the UK and Norway have reportedly earmarked the equivalent of €103 billion and €8.1 billon, respectively. The total of €792 billion marks a nearly €86 billion increase in spending since Bruegel's last assessment released in November. The think tank attributes the boost to the region’s continued need to turn to more expensive supplies through winter after most EU states opted to stop importing gas from Russia. Germany reportedly topped the spending chart, allocating some €270 billion, while the UK, Italy and France – the next highest – each spent almost €150 billion. Most EU states spent a fraction of that. Luxembourg, Denmark and Germany were the biggest spenders on a per capita basis. The update on energy spending comes as EU member states are debating proposals to ease state aid rules further for green technology projects, as the region seeks to compete with subsidies in the US and China. The think tank cautioned that most of the support so far had been non-targeted and urged governments to change their approach. Analysts said that dynamic needed to change, as countries are running out of fiscal space to maintain such broad funding. “Instead of price-suppressing measures that are de facto fossil fuels subsidies, governments should now foster more income-support policies targeted towards the lowest two quintiles of the income distribution and towards strategic sectors of the economy,” according to Bruegel analyst Giovanni Sgaravatti. https://www.rt.com/business/571396-eu-spending-energy-crisis-bruegel/ ============================================ 13 Feb, 2023 07:40 11) --- Berlusconi floats cash-for-ceasefire deal in Ukraine Washington should offer a new Marshall Plan to Kiev, but only after the hostilities are brought to an end, the ex-Italian PM said US President Joe Biden should agree to continue sending aid to Ukraine, but only on the condition that Kiev immediately agrees to a ceasefire with Moscow, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Sunday. Speaking after a regional election in Lombardy, Berlusconi, who leads the Forza Italia party, slammed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, saying: “If I had been the prime minister, I would never have gone [to talk to him] because we are witnessing the devastation of his country and the slaughter of his soldiers and civilians.” The former Italian leader stated that “it would have been enough for him to stop attacking the two autonomous republics of Donbass and this would not have happened,” adding that he views “this gentleman’s behavior very, very negatively.” Berlusconi was referring to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which, along with two other former Ukrainian territories, voted overwhelmingly to join Russia last autumn. In order to bring the conflict to an end, he continued, Biden should offer Zelensky a new Marshall Plan to the tune of several billion dollars to rebuild the country, but only on condition that Zelensky “orders a ceasefire tomorrow.” Because starting from tomorrow we will no longer give you dollars and we will no longer give you weapons. Only such a thing could convince this gentleman to reach a ceasefire,” he said. Following the remarks, his coalition ally, current PM Giorgia Meloni, appeared to distance herself from Berlusconi, with her office saying that Rome’s support for Kiev remains firm. The former Italian prime minster, who served four terms from 1994 to 2011, developed close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He even visited Crimea in 2015 after the peninsula voted in a referendum to join Russia, despite the fact that Western countries refused to recognize the results. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Berlusconi has urged Moscow and Kiev to agree to a ceasefire, while offering to act as a mediator between the two sides. In November, he claimed that he could “lure” Putin to the negotiating table. Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said at the time that Moscow welcomes any peace-making efforts, but noted that it would be better to try to “lure” Zelensky. https://www.rt.com/news/571381-berlusconi-us-ukraine-cash-ceasefire/ ============================================ 13 Feb, 2023 13:38 12) --- Here’s why the China-US confrontation is so strange. Analysis by By Fyodor Lukyanov Trade is booming as military tensions increase, where is all this headed? These are interesting times. At a time when everyone is discussing another political escalation between Washington and Beijing (see the balloon over American territory and the cancellation of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit), the US Bureau of Statistics has reported a record trade turnover between the two countries. In 2022, it exceeded $690 billion. It is time to get used to paradoxes. To describe contemporary processes, derivatives of the term "hybrid" (something derived from the crossing of different breeds, varieties, species) are often used. So why shouldn't normal economic logic be combined with contradictory motives of geopolitical rivalry? However, the question is: How long can this coexistence last? US-China relations are one of the most interesting phenomena of the last half century. Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Richard Nixon-Henry Kissinger U-turn, when the United States recognized Communist China, which had previously been a symbol of red radicalism. There had been no reform at all in Beijing, unless you count the Cultural Revolution, which was still raging. In a Washington bereft of today's obsession with “values,” they thought: If Maoist China is in opposition to Brezhnev's USSR, why not join forces? It would be an exaggeration to say that Sino-American normalization decided the outcome of the Cold War in favour of the US, but it certainly made the Soviet Union's position much more difficult. However the convergence of geopolitical interests at that time was not matched by economic interaction - Washington and Beijing were in different universes. It was only after Mao's death that the Chinese miracle happened - the world's then second-most important socialist country embarked on a market transformation. The US-China political understanding proved beneficial - America became the Asian country’s caring and gentle guide through the capitalist jungle. The economic cooperation that began at the turn of the 1980s turned into a financial and industrial symbiosis in the early 21st century. More importantly, it became the backbone of the global economy as it emerged at the end of the century. Since then, as Beijing’s rise continued, the question of potential conflict with the US, while ever-present, was not pushed too hard. On the one hand, Americans did not believe that impressive growth rates would make China an equal in the foreseeable future. On the other hand, for a long time (almost until the 2010s), American intellectual discussion was dominated by the view that as capitalist transformation progressed and the middle class grew, the Chinese political system would turn towards and align with its Western “inspiration.” In other words, they expected something like Japan - with its own peculiarities, but generally understandable and loyal to US political structures. The fact that American troops were stationed in Japan and South Korea when each of those countries ‘transformed’, and that the whole process took place under external control, was considered important but not decisive. In China, they believed, it will work the same way, but just take longer. The past decade has seen a line drawn in the sand. Xi Jinping's rise to the top of the party and the state has shown conclusively that China is heading in the wrong direction from Washington’s point of view. And Donald Trump has legitimized the blatantly anti-Chinese course that Barack Obama had already implicitly pursued. Now, for the first time in forty years, political incompatibility has come into conflict with economic interdependence. All current strategic planning in the United States is based on an imminent confrontation with China in the coming years, or perhaps decades. There is a bipartisan consensus on this, and these scenarios are discussed openly and frankly. Taiwan, which, if Biden is to be believed, the US intends to defend at all costs from absorption by the mainland, is seen as a pretext for a direct clash. It is noteworthy that the recognition of Maoist China actually began with a deal on Taiwan - Washington would not question the unity of the country under Beijing, and the latter would take no steps to implement unification in practice. Both sides committed themselves to the ambiguous restraint that has been in place for decades. However, now the framework is bursting at the seams, and it’s fair to say that it’s the Americans who were first the abandon the magic formula. At the same time, the US is imposing restrictions on the Chinese economy - targeting its goods and companies. Some of these measures are commercial and protectionist, but the majority are political and strategic. The aim is to slow down and ideally block technological development. This is paired to efforts to militarize the entire region and increase the armed presence of the United States and its allies there. Yet, against this backdrop, trade is growing and the benefits of cooperation remain strong. And there even seems to have been a softening, at the end of last year, which some cheerfully interpreted as a return to pragmatism. Blinken's visit to Beijing this week was supposed to cement this. But then came the balloon. A seemingly trivial event, but enough to derail the whole thing. What did the balloon mean - was it a signal or an accident? What difference does it make in a hybrid age? ANALYSIS - By Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and research director of the Valdai International Discussion Club. - https://www.rt.com/news/571404-china-us-confrontation-strange/ =================================================

Donbass, Maryinka: RT follows Russian troops as they advance in a battle for one of the Ukrainian strongholds outside Donetsk. The village is all but destroyed. Russian MOD Ukraine has an estimated 250 troop loss. Russia now controls around 2/3rds of the village. Igor Zhdanov reports. Pres. Zelensky has posted controversial images on his social media accounts. Earthquakes, Turkiya and Syria: The death toll after the earthquakes and aftershocks is now mow than 31,000. As Türkiye and Syria struggle with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, humanitarian help is being delivered from all over the world, including from one of the most crisis-stricken states. Rt has spoken to some of the survivors who have lost loved ones and their homes. Aid has come in from all over the world, even the poorest countries. In Palestine, there's been a blood drive for instance as well as other aid donated. Yousef Jalali reports from Iran. Small amounts of aid are now arriving from the west, who waited 6 days before allowing aid to be transferred to Syria and they still haven't lifted sanctions. Seyed Mohahhad Marandi comments on western sanctions. Palestine, Gaza: Israeli forces have launched airstrikes on alleged Hamas missile factory in response to an alleged rocket launch by Hamas. "Nothing ruled out" - that's the comment of a US Air Force official on whether the mysterious object shot down in Canada overnight could be extra-terrestrial. USA/China - South Dakota: The U.S. bans a $700,000 Chinese farm construction investment calling it a national security threat. Caleb Maupin reports. Africa, Ethiopia: The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is at heads with the government. Karabo Letlhatlha reports about the possible schism. It's complicated. =========================================== Below via RT website 1) --- Big Oil rakes in record profits 2) --- Russia's trade with African country up more than 50% – ambassador 3) --- Elon Musk addresses UFO reports 4) --- Chechen leader explains when Russian borders will change 5) --- China announces visit of Iranian president 6) --- German minister urges equal distribution of Ukrainian refugees ============================================== 13 Feb, 2023 05:40 1) --- Big Oil rakes in record profits Western oil supermajors made nearly $200 billion last year while households struggle to pay their energy bills Oil giants Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil, Chevron and TotalEnergies posted a combined profit of $196.3 billion last year, according to the companies’ earnings reports. A record-high result for the oil industry, the sum tops the economic output of most countries. French oil giant TotalEnergies was the last to report on its earnings, announcing on Wednesday that its full-year profit in 2022 was $36.2 billion, double its total for 2021. US oil major Chevron and British giants BP and Shell also reported record-high results earlier this month, while Exxon’s $56 billion-profit marked a historic high for the entire Western oil industry. The record-setting earnings came as a result of a spike in fossil fuel prices last year. However, criticism of the industry for hoarding money while consumers are struggling to pay soaring energy bills has intensified. “Given that we’re entering a global recession and that most of us know people who are struggling, we must all call out profiteering like this,” Alice Harrison from advocacy group Global Witness, told CNBC, calling for “an increased windfall tax to help those struggling to pay their bills.” Human rights group Amnesty International said the oil majors’ profits are “patently unjustifiable” and “an unmitigated disaster.” “The billions of dollars of profits being made by these oil corporations must be adequately taxed so that governments can address effectively the rising cost of living for most vulnerable populations,” said the group’s secretary general Agnes Callamard. US President Joe Biden called Big Oil's record earnings “outrageous” in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. The head of state noted that the companies invested “too little of that profit” into efforts to stem the surge in energy prices, and proposed raising the tax on corporate stock buybacks four times to boost long-term investment. Oil companies, however, have been arguing that windfall taxes could hinder investment. “Windfall taxes or price caps simply erode confidence in that investment stability and so I do worry about some of the moves being made. I think there is a different approach that needs to be had which is to really draw investment capital at a time when we need to be able to embed energy security into the broader energy system here in Europe,” Shell CEO Wael Sawan said last week. This opinion was mirrored by Amin Nasser, head of the world’s largest energy company Saudi Aramco, who told CNBC that higher taxes are “not helpful for [the companies] in order to have additional investment.” “They need to invest in the sector, they need to grow the business, in alternatives and in conventional energy, and they need to be helped,” he added https://www.rt.com/business/571157-big-oil-record-profit/ ================= British oil major BP has reported record high annual profits in 2022, more than doubling its earnings amid soaring energy prices, the company announced on Tuesday. According to the disclosed data, BP’s underlying profits reached $27.7 billion in 2022, against $12.8 billion in the previous year. The earnings were the highest in the company’s history. Its previous annual profit record was $26.3 billion, reached in 2008. BP CEO Bernard Looney called the earnings a “good set of results.” ============================================ 13 Feb, 2023 05:31 2) --- Russia's trade with African country up more than 50% – ambassador Tunisian goods are commercially viable and show full potential for replacing EU products, Russian envoy says Trade turnover between Tunisia and Russia saw an enormous growth of 63% in 2022 despite the Ukraine-related sanctions imposed on Moscow by the Western allies, Russian Ambassador to Tunisia Aleksander Zolotov said on Sunday in an interview with RIA Novosti. According to the diplomat, the trade volume in monetary terms reached $692 million and is expected to further grow, as Tunisian goods, including food and textile products, are commercially viable and able to easily replace EU products that have left the Russian market. “Volume of mutual trade grew significantly in 2022 despite the well-known artificial obstacles,” Zolotov said, adding that the increase is “an obvious example of our ability to successfully cooperate under the current difficult circumstances across the world.” He added that the two nations are planning to discuss possibilities of improving logistics services for import and export exchange, as well as expanding the scope of supplies in the near future. According to the envoy, Russia and Tunisia are also cooperating in the sphere of manned space flights. Zolotov also expects the Russian tourist flow to the country to gradually return to previous levels. The ambassador said he hopes for deepening relations between the two nations, and to take further steps towards this during the Second Russia-Africa Summit, which will take place in St. Petersburg in July. https://www.rt.com/business/571371-tunisia-russia-trade-soars-sanctions/ ======================================== 12 Feb, 2023 21:02 3) --- Elon Musk addresses UFO reports The Twitter CEO said that his extraterrestrial “friends” are “stopping by” SpaceX and Twitter CEO Elon Musk referred on Sunday to a rash of UFO reports as his alien “friends” visiting Earth. A series of unidentified objects have been spotted around the world since the US shot down an alleged “Chinese surveillance balloon” and two other objects. “Don’t worry,” the billionaire tweeted. “Just some of my [alien] friends of mine stopping by…” Earlier on Sunday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) shut down a sector of the airspace above Lake Michigan, lifting it shortly afterwards. The restriction came less than a day after NORAD closed off the airspace over central Montana in response to a supposed “radar anomaly.” Further north on Saturday, US fighter jets shot down an unidentified and unmanned aircraft over Canada. A similar object was shot down over Alaska on Friday, while a Chinese balloon was downed off the coast of South Carolina last Saturday. US officials referred to the latter object as a Chinese “surveillance balloon,” while Beijing insisted that it was a “civilian airship” which veered off course. Speaking to Fox News, US officials described one of the objects shot down since Friday as a “small metallic balloon with a tethered payload,” while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told ABC News on Sunday that both craft were “balloons.” Elsewhere, China’s Global Times newspaper said on Sunday that authorities in the coastal city of Rizhao were preparing to shoot down an “unidentified flying object,” while the Uruguayan Air Force said on Saturday that it had dispatched investigators to the area of Termas de Almiron to gather information on reports of “flashing lights in the sky” on Friday night. There is no evidence that airspace closures in the US and UFO reports in China and Uruguay are connected. However, the glut of reports generated excitement among UFO enthusiasts online. Despite once referring to himself as “an alien trying to get back to my home planet,” Musk is skeptical about the existence of intelligent life outside Earth. In a speech at last year’s G20 summit in Indonesia, he said that humankind may one day discover “alien civilizations or civilizations that existed millions of years ago.” However, he declared in 2018 that the existence of these civilizations is not certain, and that humans should “preserve the light of consciousness by becoming a spacefaring civilization.” - https://twitter.com/RealBababanaras/status/1624861677140443136 - https://www.rt.com/news/571379-elon-musk-ufo-balloon/ ========================================== 12 Feb, 2023 22:09 4) --- Chechen leader explains when Russian borders will change The map will only be redrawn when Moscow decides, Ramzan Kadyrov says Western hopes that Russia will be divided into smaller states are in vain as only Moscow can decide on the country’s borders, the leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has said. “As for the break-up of Russia, such attempts have been made by the West since the 1990s,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram on Sunday. “Russian borders change only when it wants this itself,” the Chechen leader said. Kadyrov noted that he was writing in response to an “overconfident expert” from Ukraine who predicted that Russia would break up into several parts. The ‘expert’ in question was most likely Aleksey Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who claimed on Saturday that Russia is a colonial state that will soon split up. “There will be free Ichkeria [the name given to Chechnya by the separatists in the 1900s], Tatarstan, Dagestan. It will happen in the near future, and we need to prepare for this and not pretend that if they [Russia] have nuclear weapons, this won’t happen,” Danilov said. Russia’s borders recently changed after the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions voted overwhelmingly in referendums last autumn to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. https://www.rt.com/news/571380-kadyrov-borders-ukraine-danilov/ ============================================ 12 Feb, 2023 20:35 5) --- China announces visit of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is coming to Beijing at the invitation of Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry says Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will make an official visit to China next week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said. Raisi’s planned visit will take place between February 14 and 16 and is at the invitation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the ministry announced in a statement on Sunday. The three-day trip will include talks between Raisi and Xi, a joint meeting of the leaders with Iranian and Chinese businessmen, and the signing of cooperation documents between the delegations of the two countries, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. Also reporting on the upcoming visit, US outlet Politico said that it is “expected to deepen ties between the two political and economic partners that are opposed to the US-led Western domination of international affairs.” Xi and Raisi last met during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit last September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During the talks, the Chinese leader said that strengthening their strategic partnership was the decision of both Beijing and Tehran. In December, Chinese Vice President Hu Chunhua visited Iran and met with Raisi, with both sides expressing eagerness to boost bilateral ties further. China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the main buyer of its oil amid US sanctions on Tehran. According to Iranian data, its exports to China reached $12.6 billion in the last ten months. The country also bought $12.7 billion worth of Chinese goods during the period. Last year, Iran was formally included in the SCO as a permanent member, and it applied to join BRICS – two international organizations in which China and Russia play a major role. https://www.rt.com/news/571378-china-iran-raisi-xi/ ======================================= 12 Feb, 2023 19:56 6) --- German minister urges equal distribution of Ukrainian refugees "It can’t remain this way," Nancy Faeser says of disparity in numbers taken in by various member states Some EU nations should do more to relieve pressure from fellow member states that have taken in large numbers of Ukrainians fleeing the conflict with Russia, Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has said. Better coordination between EU countries would be required if the escalation of the situation in Ukraine causes another wave of refugees, Faeser said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday. "Poland has so far taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees – Spain 160,000. It can't remain this way," she stated. Germany itself has accepted more than one million Ukrainians since the outbreak of the conflict almost a year ago. According to Faeser, eight in ten refugees who came to the country in 2022 were from Ukraine. Figures released by the UN earlier this week suggested that some eight million Ukrainians became refugees due to the fighting, with at least 4.8 million of them applying for temporary registration in the EU. Security sources told TASS news agency in late January that Russia had taken in more than 5.2 million refugees from Ukraine, including some 730,000 children, since the start of the conflict. Around 4,000 people from the country have been entering Russian territory on a daily basis, with 987 temporary housing facilities set up for them, the sources said. https://www.rt.com/news/571376-germany-eu-ukraine-refugees/ ============================================

Donbass: The head of Russia's Wagner group says his fighters have taken the Donetsk Republic village of Krasnaya Gara. A key foothold near Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, which the Ukrainians have been fiercely defending for months. Igor Zhdanov reports and explains the relevance of this small settlement. Kiev: Pres. Zelensky has been posting controversial images on his social media pages. Nikki and John Mark Dougan discuss February 6th 2023 earthquake, Türkiye and Syria: Over 30 thousand are now confirmed dead after catastrophic earthquakes and aftershocks hit . As the death toll continues to rise, both countries struggle to cope with the fallout. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors, round the clock. Peter Scott reports from Türkiye, Hussein Iyad from Syria. It took USA and the allies 5 days to lift their sanctions to allow aid into Syria and simultaneously blamed Russia (QS I know this to be true as I couldn't make donations to any Syrian fund or give duvets I'd bought specially, for any trips going to Syria. There were "none allowed") Mohahad Ali explains about the sanctions. (QS: USA/NATO or whatever guise they are in at the moment in Syria, take $billions worth of Syrian oil, without payment, ever month from Syria) Nord Stream 2 Sabotage. Nikki presents the findings of Seymour Hersh and asks "why are the western press so quiet" about this act of terrorism by the NATO bloc. Lionel also comments. A bombshell report by an American award-winning journalist uncovers US involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipelines explosion, using NATO drills in the Baltic Sea to cover their tracks. Afshin Rattansi also comments. Malaysia: Malaysia has produced the highest growth rate at 8.7%, since 2,000. Malaysia is the fastest growing economy in Asia. The EU has imposed restrictions on the palm oil trade from Malaysia (QS: I can't find any such restrictions elsewhere, I will keep looking) ======================================== Below via RT website 1) --- Polish leader warns of Russian victory 2) --- US officials basically admit they blew up Nord Stream – Russian FM 3) --- UK holds ‘secret’ cross-party Brexit summit – media 4) --- China prepares to shoot down UFO – state media 5) --- Food will cost more this year – survey 5a) --- Food prices in Britain hit record highs – data Consumers will pay an extra £1,000 for groceries this year, a survey shows 6) --- Zelensky shares photo of Ukrainian soldier with Nazi insignia, again ========================================= 12 Feb, 2023 17:41 1) --- Polish leader warns of Russian victory Ukraine will lose without "urgent help" from the West, Andrzej Duda says Russia may win the conflict in Ukraine if the Kiev government isn’t supplied with Western weapons in the coming weeks, Polish President Andrzej Duda has said. During an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro on Saturday, Duda was asked if he thought the Russians could achieve victory in Ukraine. "Yes, they can, if Ukraine doesn’t receive help very urgently," the Polish leader replied. The Kiev authorities "don't have modern military infrastructure, but they have people," he explained. "If we do not send military equipment to Ukraine in the coming weeks, [Russia’s President Vladimir] Putin may win. He can win and we don’t know where he’ll stop," Duda warned. His comments didn’t go unnoticed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who took to Telegram on Saturday to point out that even if Western weapons are supplied to Ukraine hurriedly – they won’t be able to change the outcome of the conflict. The Kiev government and its foreign backers are "condemned" to defeat, she insisted, adding that the arms deliveries "won’t help you. They’ll only make things worse." "Repentance for what they have done is the only way out for the West," Zakharova wrote. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that NATO members, who in January promised to send dozens of main battle tanks to Ukraine, have developed "sudden misgivings" about fulfilling the pledge due, apparently, to not having enough armor to spare. Germany said that 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in late March. Berlin also announced that it was buying up almost 190 decommissioned Leopard 1s to be refurbished and sent to the front. Poland, which has been one of the biggest backers of Ukraine among EU states, vowed to provide its neighbor with 14 Leopard 2s and 60 of its modified Soviet-era T-72 tanks. However, such countries as the Netherlands and Denmark, which had been pressuring Germany to send its armor to Ukraine, are now claiming that they themselves can’t part with any of their Leopard 2s. Finland said it may only supply "a few" tanks, but most likely only after it joins NATO. Western countries have also ruled out delivering F-16 fighter jets, a new demand made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. On Thursday, the deputy head of Zelensky’s office, Igor Zhovkva, complained to Bloomberg that the Kiev forces had "like almost zero ammunition" left due to the high intensity of fighting with the Russians in the Donbass area. https://www.rt.com/news/571375-duda-poland-ukraine-weapons/ ============================================= 12 Feb, 2023 14:31 2) --- US officials basically admit they blew up Nord Stream – Russian FM The pipelines were sabotaged because Washington saw Russian-German cooperation as a threat, Sergey Lavrov has claimed US officials are basically admitting that they were behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, which was perpetrated to prevent rapprochement between Moscow and Berlin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. “The US decided that we [Russia] have been cooperating too well with Germany over the past 20 or 30 years; or rather, the Germans cooperated with us too well,” he said in an interview published on the Foreign Ministry’s website on Sunday. The “powerful alliance” based on Russian energy resources and German technology “began to threaten the monopoly position of many American corporations,” Lavrov explained. So, Washington decided to destroy this alliance between Moscow and Berlin, and did it “literally” by attacking the pipelines, which were built to deliver Russian gas to Europe through Germany, he added. “American officials are basically admitting that the explosions that occurred at Nord Stream 1 and 2 were their doing. They even speak about it with joy,” the foreign minister stated. Lavrov was likely referring to a confession made by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland during a Senate hearing in late January. “I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now... a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea,” she said at that time. “The vileness of Western politicians is well known,” Lavrov continued, suggesting that “the plan, which is now being implemented through ‘inciting’ Ukraine against Russia and waging a war by the entire West against Russia by means of Ukraine, is to a large extent aimed at preventing a new rapprochement between Germany and Russia.” The comments by Russia’s top diplomat come just days after iconic American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh released a bombshell report, blaming Washington for sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines last year. According to an informed source who talked to Hersh, explosives were planted at the pipelines in the Baltic Sea back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of a NATO exercise. They were detonated in late September, rendering the key European energy infrastructure inoperable. US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson denied the report by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, calling it “utterly false and complete fiction.” No one among high-ranking American officials has even commented on the accusations made by Hersh. For months, the Russian authorities have been pointing to the fact that the only side to benefit from the destruction of Nord Stream was the US, which has seen supplies of its more expensive liquefied natural gas to Europe increase massively since the explosions. https://www.rt.com/news/571372-lavrov-nord-stream-sabotage/ ============================================= 12 Feb, 2023 13:20 *** See post from this morning *** 3) --- UK holds ‘secret’ cross-party Brexit summit – media London has discussed Brexit’s failings as it grapples with the fallout of its decision to leave the EU, reports The Observer High-ranking officials from opposite ends of the UK political spectrum have held ‘secret’ discussions designed to navigate a path out of various economic and strategic problems posed by Brexit, according to a report by The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/feb/11/revealed-secret-cross-party-summit-held-to-confront-failings-of-brexit Documents from the meeting obtained by the British newspaper say that the talks were held under the primary topic: “How can we make Brexit work better with our neighbours in Europe?” The newspaper quoted a source who stated it to have been a “constructive meeting” which discussed at length economic problems presented by Brexit which come at a time of rising inflation and energy prices. “The main thrust of it was that Britain is losing out, that Brexit is not delivering, our economy is in a weak position,” the source said. The summit, which reportedly took place on Thursday and Friday, was attended by members of both the ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ campaigns, including senior Tory Michael Gove and several members of Keir Starmer’s Labour shadow cabinet. It also included figures from investment banking company Goldman Sachs and Angus Lapsley, the NATO assistant secretary general for defense policy and planning. Gove, who was a central voice in the ‘Leave’ movement in 2016, is also understood to have been “honest” about problems presented as a result of the vote, though he maintained a position that Brexit will prove to be a good choice long-term. The documents detailing the summit also said that “rejoining the EU will not be on the agenda” but noted that the UK and EU share common goals when it comes to the energy and technology sectors, the relationship with Washington, and “containing Russian aggression”. They also raised questions about the benefits of closer links between the UK and the 27-member European bloc. The Northern Ireland protocol, which aims to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without affecting trading ties between the UK and EU, is currently a central issue in Brussels and was also prominently discussed at the summit, The Observer wrote. The matter remains unresolved several years after Brexit came into effect. The nature of the talks reflects wider concerns from within the UK political ecosystem that Brexit will continue to damage the UK economy, as well as its strategic influence across the globe. The Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted that Brexit will reduce the UK’s GDP per capita by a factor of 4% over 15 years from 2016. https://www.rt.com/news/571366-uk-brexit-cross-party-summit/ =========================================== 12 Feb, 2023 15:01 4) --- China prepares to shoot down UFO – state media The unidentified aircraft was reportedly spotted off the coastal city of Rizhao, after the US shot down three similar objects Chinese authorities are preparing to shoot down an “unidentified flying object” near the coastal city of Rizhao in the eastern province of Shandong, state media reported on Sunday. The encounter comes after US warplanes shot down three similar devices in a week, one of which originated in China. The UFO was spotted by “local maritime authorities,” the Global Times newspaper reported, adding that the same authorities were making preparations to open fire on it. Fishermen working near the port city were sent messages advising them to “be safe.” No further description of the aircraft was given, and it was not explained exactly how the authorities planned on bringing it down. The UFO was discovered hours after a US F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified and unmanned object over Canadian airspace. Speaking to Fox News, US officials described the object as a “small metallic balloon with a tethered payload,” while other media reports described it as “cylindrical” in shape. US forces shot down two other unidentified aircraft earlier in the week. One was taken down near Alaska, while the first was hit by a missile off the coast of South Carolina. The latter aircraft – described as a Chinese “surveillance balloon” – had made its way across the entire country from west to east before it was downed, allegedly gathering intelligence on “strategic sites” along the way, according to the Pentagon. Beijing denied the accusations of espionage, insisting that the craft was a “civilian airship” that had veered off course. China’s foreign ministry has since condemned US politicians and media outlets for using the incident to “attack and smear China,” while the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on six firms it accused of aiding Beijing’s “aerospace programs.” https://www.rt.com/news/571373-china-shoot-down-ufo/ =========================================== 12 Feb, 2023 13:47 5) --- Food will cost more this year – survey Stores and suppliers will reportedly continue passing rising costs on to consumers Shoppers around the world will have to pay even more for groceries this year than they did in 2022, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing retailers, consumer goods firms and investors. The report indicated that tough price negotiations have been unfolding between retailers and consumer goods producers for more than a year now, “with friction beginning in 2021 over Covid-related supply chain logjams.” The situation worsened in 2022 as the skyrocketing prices of basic foodstuffs have exacerbated a cost-of-living crisis in the EU and the UK. Data by research firm Kantar shows that Britons paid a record 16.7% more for food in the four weeks up to January 22 this year, compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the US food index, which includes meals eaten at home and in cafes and restaurants, jumped 10.4% for the year ending in December. Food giant Nestle’s CEO Mark Schneider told media outlets last week that the company would have to hike the prices of its food products further this year to offset higher production costs that it has yet to fully pass on to consumers. Another leading manufacturer of consumer goods, Unilever, is also expected to increase prices for some products in 2023. “The last time we heard from Unilever, it was made clear that they prefer to sell fewer products at higher prices, to keep prices below peers and gain market share,” said portfolio manager at Waverton Investment Management Tineke Frikkee. The world’s biggest retailer, Walmart, warned in December that some “packaged goods suppliers are still pointing us towards more inflation next year on top of the mid-double digits this year.” According to Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne, consumer goods manufacturers will continue to raise prices until they recover their profitability. “The only thing that can stop this is … consumers starting to trade down to private-label products at a more rapid pace ... (and) if commodities keep declining, then there may be no need for more price increases,” he explained to Reuters. https://www.rt.com/business/571174-food-will-cost-more-globally/ ========== RECALL 1 Feb, 2023 05:11 5a) --- Food prices in Britain hit record highs – data Consumers will pay an extra £1,000 for groceries this year, a survey shows Food inflation in the UK soared to a new record of 16.7% in the four weeks of January; even basics such as milk, butter, cheese, eggs, and dog food became much more expensive, according to new figures released by market researcher Kantar on Tuesday. The report says that grocery price growth is at its highest since the firm started tracking the figures in 2008, adding nearly £800 ($1,000) to the typical annual shopping bill and forcing households to change their shopping habits to save costs. “Late last year, we saw the rate of grocery price inflation dip slightly, but that small sign of relief for consumers has been short-lived,” Kantar’s head of retail and consumer insight, Fraser McKevitt, said, noting that the current reading jumped a “staggering” 2.3 percentage points from December’s 14.4%. The latest increase will take the average annual food shopping bill to £5,504 ($6,781), up £788 ($974), according to Kantar. The data comes as British consumers face an even tighter squeeze on their finances this year amid the worsening cost-of-living crisis. Although overall inflation has started to ease in the UK from its highest levels in more than four decades, food prices continue to rise, the economists said. https://www.rt.com/business/570768-uk-food-costs-rising/ ============================================= 12 Feb, 2023 14:04 6) --- Zelensky shares photo of Ukrainian soldier with Nazi insignia, again The skull-head symbol was used by one of Adolf Hitler’s elite SS units Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has posted a photo of a soldier sporting a symbol used by a notorious German unit that killed civilians in World War II. It's not the first time Ukrainian soldiers and paramilitaries were photographed displaying insignia and tattoos associated with Nazism. On Sunday, Zelensky posted several photos on his Instagram account, including an image of a Ukrainian soldier resting in a trench. The black-and-white skull-head patch on the soldier’s left shoulder is similar to the ‘totenkopf’ (death’s head) insignia used by the 3rd SS Tank Division, an elite unit infamous for massacring civilians in France and the Eastern Front, including Polish Jews. The unit’s first commander, Theodor Eicke, had managed the Dachau concentration camp before the war. “If we don’t stop the struggle, sooner or later a united and independent state will be restored. If true unity is not achieved, independence will be lost,” Zelensky, who is himself of Jewish origin, wrote in a post that accompanied the photos. In May, Zelensky shared an image of another soldier with the skull-head patch, which was then deleted. In October, the Ukrainian president was photographed while he visited the frontline and was flanked by a security guard wearing the same patch. Ukraine’s Azov Regiment is known for welcoming fighters with openly nationalist and neo-Nazi views. The regiment, which is part of the National Guard, uses the wolfsangel (wolf’s hook) – the rune also used by two SS units – as its official symbol. The Anti-Defamation League lists the totenkopf and the wolfsangel as hate symbols. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said “denazification” is one of the reasons Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago. He also cited the need to protect the people of Donbass, as well as Kiev’s failure to implement the 2104-2015 Minsk peace accords. https://www.rt.com/russia/571369-zelensky-posts-nazi-symbol/ =============================================

Donbass, Donetsk: An RT crew reports from the scene of the latest shelling of Donetsk City that killed one civilian, leaving at least three more wounded, getting caught in the bombardment while filming. In terrorist style, the Ukrainians are waiting for emergency services to arrive and fire again. (QS NB HIMARS rockets are very precise; these are no accidents. See post below (i) If the Ukraine troops were to use their $100,000 a time HIMARS rockets for combat as intended and not for the constant bombing of civilian's homes in the residential only areas of Donetsk and Lugansk, villages, towns and city centres they would have had enough to last years. This applies to the plethora of other shells and rockets supplied by NATO as well) - Press "see more" for extended related background and related news articles, which also posted on each archive throughout the week where possible. - Canada: An unidentified object spotted over Canada is shot down by the US air force. That's amid tensions simmering between Washington and China over its weather balloon crossing US borders. - Over 25 thousand are confirmed dead after catastrophic earthquakes hit Türkiye and Syria, as the death toll continues to rise and both countries struggle to cope with the fallout. Unbelievably, USA and allies are blaming Russia for the delay in sending aid. - Nord Stream 2 Sabotage. Marina Kosareva presents the findings of Seymour Hersh and asks "why are the western press so quiet" about this act of terrorism by the NATO bloc. Lionel also comments. A bombshell report by an American award-winning journalist uncovers US involvement in the Nord Stream gas pipelines explosion, using NATO drills in the Baltic Sea to cover their tracks. https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream - Africa scheduled tour by FM Lavrov, part 2: Karabo Letlhatlha reports on the weeks meetings with heads of Sudan, Mali and Mauritania. - (not on this video post) Pres. Zelensky has dismissed Ruslan Dziuba as deputy commander of the National Guard, by a decree issued by the presidential office. No reasons were given. - ========================================= Below, via RT website 1) --- Britain could produce weapons in Ukraine – Telegraph 2) --- UK has secret plans for EU – Bloomberg 3) --- German foreign minister admits blunder 4) --- US shoots down another ‘unidentified object’ 5) --- Russia issues warning to US over special ops in Ukraine 5a) --- Pentagon seeking to resume top-secret programs in Ukraine – WaPo 5b) --- US role in Kiev’s artillery warfare identified – media i) --- Kiev sounds alarm over ammunition 6) --- Brazil wants Russian investment in energy sector – envoy 6b) --- What a Latin American single currency could mean for the US dollar 7) --- India's defence spending reaches a crossroads: Will New Delhi buy Russian or American weapons? - List 8) --- Russia and Iran to boost transactions in national currencies – official 9) --- Revenge of the Chinese ‘spy balloon’: The US takes the scandal global and turns it into a tool OP-ED 10) --- The West thought oil sanctions would cripple Russia, here's why the plan backfired ========================================== 12 Feb, 2023 08:09 1) --- Britain could produce weapons in Ukraine – Telegraph British defense executives are reportedly worried about being outperformed by German and French rivals Senior British defense industry officials are discussing the possibility of manufacturing weapons and armored vehicles in Ukraine under a local license, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. Some executives have already visited Kiev to explore options for setting up joint ventures, the newspaper wrote. According to the report, British manufacturers are concerned that their French and German rivals could be the first to seal a deal with Kiev. One executive was quoted as describing the negotiations as a race to put London “at the front of the queue.” It was also said that such a licensing deal would likely require the approval of the British government. The news comes as Ukraine’s Western supporters step up their military aid to Kiev amid its armed conflict with Russia. Britain pledged last month to deliver a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks for the first time. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who hosted Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky during his unannounced visit to the UK on Wednesday, instructed the Ministry of Defence to study the issue of supplying Kiev with fighter jets. “We take these decisions carefully and we do it thoughtfully. We are aware of potential escalatory risks,” Sunak’s spokesperson said this week. Moscow has repeatedly warned that “flooding” Ukraine with foreign weapons would only lead to further escalation and that Western arms would be treated as legitimate targets. “These actions will not substantially change the outcome of the conflict,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday. He added that military aid to Kiev would only make the conflict “more painful for Ukraine.” Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-2015 Minsk peace accords. https://www.rt.com/news/571358-uk-arms-production-ukraine/ ============================================= 11 Feb, 2023 20:44 2) --- UK has secret plans for EU – Bloomberg London is quietly planning to boost cooperation with Brussels in defense, migration and the economy, officials told the agency British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has privately asked members of his cabinet to work out ways of rebuilding connections with the EU that had been severed after Brexit in 2020, government sources have told Bloomberg. Plans are currently being put together at 10 Downing Street to boost ties between London and Brussels in such areas as defense, migration and the economy, including trade, energy and international standards, the agency reported on Saturday. According to British ministers, diplomats and officials, who all spoke on condition of anonymity, the rapprochement is being prepared in order to compensate for the fallout of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in which London positions itself among the prime backers of the Kiev authorities. In the coming days, Sunak’s government is hoping to announce a solution to the longstanding dispute with the EU over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland. London’s plan is to capitalize on this development and make it the basis for further improving ties with the 27-member bloc. Bloomberg pointed out that by moving in this direction, the PM is risking causing anger among the anti-EU lawmakers from his ruling Conservative Party. Another challenge for Sunak would be overcoming the skepticism of European leaders, who got tired of top British politicians using the bloc as a "punch bag for their domestic audience" since the Brexit vote in 2016, it added. One of the sources assured Bloomberg that the alleged turn towards Europe didn’t mean that Brexit was a mistake but was merely a reflection of the changing geopolitical situation. According to another official, Sunak’s subordinates were able to persuade the Prime Minister, who has been in office since late October, that in the current reality of "a more dangerous world, rising authoritarianism and protectionism," closer cooperation with allies was absolutely essential for the UK. Achieving this would require Britain to give up on its "madman strategy" of resisting the EU, in favor of a stable relationship with the bloc as critical friends, he said. By standing together, London and Brussels would be able to withstand economic turbulence and threats posed by Russia and China more effectively, the source explained. https://www.rt.com/news/571341-sunak-uk-eu-brussels/ =========================================== 11 Feb, 2023 16:20 3) --- German foreign minister admits blunder Annalena Baerbock clarified a remark made at the European Council about “fighting a war against Russia” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has conceded that her controversial comment about the European Union being at war with Russia, which she made late last month before the European Council, was a mistake. The diplomat noted, however, that the general message itself – that the continent should unite in its support for Ukraine – still stands. In an interview with Der Tagesspiegel newspaper, which was published on Saturday, Baerbock was asked whether she thought Germany was “at war with Russia.” She replied in the negative but added that, by attacking Ukraine, Moscow was also attacking “our European peace order.” Clarifying her previous remark, in which she said the EU was “fighting a war against Russia,” the foreign minister claimed that context was key to understanding it correctly. Baerbock recounted how she had to parry accusations that Germany was not doing enough to shore up Ukraine at the time, with critics citing Berlin’s refusal to provide Kiev with tanks. “That’s why I made it clear that we do support Ukraine in its self defense,” the diplomat explained. She added that she was also trying to communicate another point, that Moscow’s offensive had targeted the whole security architecture of Europe, and not merely its neighbor. According to Baerbock, her words had been deliberately misinterpreted by the “Russian regime’s propaganda.” She concluded by quoting a German saying: “The one who doesn’t make mistakes, doesn’t live.” Commenting on Baerbock’s remark, Moscow said at the time that it had only served to show that the West had been planning the current conflict for years. Her choice of words did not sit well with a number of politicians at home either, both on the right and left of the political spectrum. Bild claimed that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office was growing increasingly dissatisfied with Baerbock’s performance, and was reportedly logging her missteps. https://www.rt.com/news/571338-german-foreign-minister-mistake-war-russia/ (QS: Bild reported “In the chancellor’s office, Baerbock’s mistakes are being carefully noted” during an interview with Scholz on 29th January) ============================================= 12 Feb, 2023 06:35 4) --- US shoots down another ‘unidentified object’ The action was authorized by Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “out of an abundance of caution” A US fighter jet has brought down an unidentified object in Canadian airspace, on orders from President Joe Biden and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The incident marks the third time the US has destroyed a flying object in the region in recent weeks. In a statement on Saturday, the White House said the two leaders spoke about “the unidentified, unmanned object” spotted in North American airspace. It noted that the craft “was closely tracked and monitored by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) over the last 24 hours,” with Biden constantly briefed on the matter. “Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized it to be taken down,” the statement read. The operation was carried out using a US F-22 fighter jet. In a separate tweet, Trudeau said that the device was brought down over Yukon in northwest Canada. He also stated that Ottawa would “recover and analyze the wreckage of the object.” Commenting on the incident, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said “it’s far too early” to say whether the aircraft came from China or not. She noted that the device, which was “flying at an altitude of approximately 40,000 feet (12,000 meters), had unlawfully entered Canadian airspace and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight”. However, she described the item as “potentially similar to the one that was shot down off the coast of North Carolina though smaller in size and cylindrical in nature.” Last week, the Pentagon destroyed a suspected Chinese “spy balloon” over the Atlantic, claiming that Beijing was using it to “surveil strategic sites” in the US. China described the balloon as a “civilian airship” that strayed into the US airspace due to force majeure circumstances. Beijing also accused Washington of using the incident as a pretext to “attack and smear China.” On Friday, the White House claimed that another “high-altitude object” was destroyed by US warplanes near Alaska. It did not identify its origin, but stated that it “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.” https://www.rt.com/news/571343-canada-us-unidentified-object/ ============================================= 11 Feb, 2023 04:54 5) --- Russia issues warning to US over special ops in Ukraine The deployment of such troops would carry “indescribable risks,” Moscow's ambassador claims Russia’s envoy to Washington has responded to recent reports that the US is seeking to resume its “top-secret programs” in Ukraine, warning that it would mean direct American involvement in the conflict. Asked to comment on a report published in the Washington Post on Friday which said the Pentagon may restart its clandestine operations in Ukraine, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said that while the claim has not been confirmed by officials, it would mark a major escalation. “Discussions on the pages of one of the leading American media about the possible sending of Special Forces to Ukraine are very remarkable,” he said. “Such publications once again testify that here in Washington there is an obsession with an unrealizable dream to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia and readiness to face indescribable risks in this pursuit.” If the US leadership decides to resume activities of the Special Operations Forces on the Ukrainian territory, it will represent undisguised participation of the regular army in the current conflict. The Post report noted that military officials are now “urging Congress” to approve funding for top-secret programs, which were paused after the conflict with Russia kicked off nearly one year ago. Though no decision is expected until the fall, the Pentagon reportedly hopes to resume the projects sometime in 2024. It remains unclear whether President Joe Biden will authorize deployments by American commandos, with the Post suggesting they may operate from a neighboring country. Prior to the conflict, US Special Operations troops ran two “irregular warfare surrogate programs” in Ukraine, one of which sent local Ukrainian operatives on “surreptitious reconnaissance missions in Ukraine’s east.” Antonov went on to accuse Washington of acting as an “accomplice” to Ukraine, saying US involvement in the conflict is driving the world toward “unpredictable consequences.” Washington has approved more than $30 billion in direct military assistance to Kiev since last year, supplying a long list of heavy weapons and other gear. The Kremlin has repeatedly urged against outside involvement in Ukraine, stating the weapons would only prolong the conflict, while vowing to destroy any Western military hardware shipped to the battlefield. https://www.rt.com/news/571313-russia-us-special-operations/ - =============== --- 10 Feb, 2023 16:39 5a) --- Pentagon seeking to resume top-secret programs in Ukraine – WaPo Local operatives may be hired and overseen by US Special Operations troops, the paper reports The US Department of Defense is trying to convince lawmakers to fund two top-secret programs in Ukraine, which were put on hold after Russia launched its military operation in the country last year, the Washington Post reported on Friday. If the Pentagon gets its way, the operations involving US Special Forces could resume in 2024, the newspaper claimed. The Post, citing unnamed current and former US officials, alleged that the schemes in question would allow US commandos to employ Ukrainian operatives to “observe Russian military movements and counter disinformation.” It said the programs are considered to be a form of “irregular warfare” intended for use against adversaries with whom Washington is not engaged in a military conflict. While the Pentagon has already begun preparing its case for the resumption of these operations, Congress is unlikely to make a decision on the matter before the fall of 2023, the paper reported. The article also noted that a big question mark remains over whether the Biden administration would allow US commandos to actually reestablish a physical presence in Ukraine to oversee surrogates’ activities. According to the Post, American special operations forces could end up having to oversee activities from a neighboring country – a format they have reportedly become accustomed to in recent years. However, it is unknown whether lawmakers will give the programs a green light as a number of critics remain unconvinced, the article claimed. Some of these are reportedly concerned that such operations may risk dragging the US deeper into the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. “What started as a reconnaissance mission can quickly turn into combat when the surrogates start getting shot at,” one official told reporters on condition of anonymity. They went on to add that it is not clear “how the [defense] department is going to change people in Congress’ minds about that.” Representatives of the Senate and House Armed Services committees, as well as the White House and the Pentagon, declined to comment, citing the programs’ classified status, the Post reported. Since the start of the military conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Washington has pledged to support Kiev with arms, money and other forms of assistance “for as long as it takes” to defeat Russia strategically. Moscow, meanwhile, has called the conflict a proxy war waged against it by Washington and its allies to preserve Western dominance. https://www.rt.com/news/571300-us-special-operations-ukraine-programs/ ============== RE-POST 10 Feb, 2023 08:40 5b) --- US role in Kiev’s artillery warfare identified – media The American military is “controlling every shot” with Pentagon-supplied rockets, a Ukrainian official told the Washington Post The Ukrainian military requests precise coordinates from the Pentagon for almost every rocket fired from US-made artillery systems, and would not fire a shot without getting them, according to a report by the Washington Post. Three Ukrainian officials and one senior US official spoke to the newspaper, on condition of anonymity, about America’s involvement. One Ukrainian source implied that Washington has the final say on every action, making the case for the delivery of longer-range rockets to Kiev. “You’re controlling every shot anyway, so when you say: ‘We’re afraid that you’re going to use it for some other purposes,’ well, we can’t do it even if we want to,” the senior official was quoted as saying. The US official disputed the characterization, claiming that Ukraine selected targets and that the American side simply provided intelligence to make best use of the GPS-guided munitions. But the Ukrainian official said that when the US fails to provide coordinates as requested, Ukrainian troops simply don’t open fire. The US has supplied the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to prop up the Ukrainian military against Russia, while the UK has sent the M270 Multiple-Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Both systems can fire various types of rockets, but the US has declined to provide the longest-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) tactical ballistic missiles. Washington reportedly has concerns that Kiev would use them to attack targets in Russia, while Kiev has been lobbying for lifting the restriction. Russian officials have accused Washington of waging a proxy war against it, citing, among other things, its role in targeting Ukrainian strikes. HIMARS launchers were reportedly used in attacks on civilian targets, such as the October 2022 strike on a river crossing in Kherson Region, which killed four and injured 13 others. A Ukrainian military spokesperson claimed at the time that the victims were Russian troops disguised as civilians. Another incident occurred in January, and involved a HIMARS strike on a hospital in the city of Novoaydar in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The attack killed 14 people and injured 24 others, according to the Russian military. https://www.rt.com/russia/571265-us-coordinates-ukrainian-strikes/ ============================================ 10 Feb, 2023 12:52 re-post i) --- Kiev sounds alarm over ammunition Top Ukrainian official Igor Zhovkva told Bloomberg the country’s stocks are “almost zero” Intense fighting in Ukraine has caused its military to almost run out of ammunition, with stocks not being replenished in time, Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s office, told Bloomberg. The official also called on the West to provide Kiev with long-range artillery systems, tanks and fighter jets. In an interview with the outlet on Thursday, Zhovkva lamented that “now we are having like almost zero ammunition,” a situation that makes it harder for the Ukrainian military to respond to Russian shelling. “We are running [out] of the ammunition very quickly because the fighting is intensive,” he explained, adding that Russian forces boast more firepower. Zelensky’s staffer also noted that Kiev needs long-range missiles to “de-occupy Ukrainian territory,” as opposed to hitting targets inside Russia. According to the official, this type of weaponry would be crucial to launch a counteroffensive against Moscow’s forces. On the subject of fighter jets, Zhovkva named several reasons why Ukraine is seeking to get hold of them. He pointed out that, among other things, such aircraft are “very good in intercepting the ballistic missiles.” He expressed hope that the upcoming Ramstein format meeting on February 14 will see Kiev’s Western backers pledge more weapons, adding that “it’s high time” they stopped caring about Moscow’s reaction to such deliveries. Commenting on the military aid already provided by the West, Zhovkva said that it was “too late, too little, and too slow.” On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted to the news that the British government was considering donating some of its warplanes to Ukraine, by warning that the UK and several other European nations are becoming increasingly involved in the conflict. “The line between indirect and direct involvement is gradually disappearing,” he stressed, adding that this fuels further escalation. Peskov pointed out, however, that while unnecessarily prolonging the fighting, Western arms shipments will not be able to change the outcome of the conflict or prevent Russia from achieving its goals. https://www.rt.com/russia/571284-zelensky-advisor-ukraine-ammo-shortages/ ========================================== 12 Feb, 2023 05:03 6) --- Brazil wants Russian investment in energy sector – envoy South America’s largest economy is aiming for more cooperation with Gazprom, according to its ambassador Brazil is seeking investment in its energy sector from Russian gas major Gazprom, the country's ambassador to Russia, Rodrigo de Lima Baena Soares, has revealed. “We have a new legal framework for the Brazilian gas sector, we expect investments from Gazprom in Brazil so that we have a serious presence of a large Russian company,” he told RIA Novosti at the Prodexpo exhibition on Thursday. According to Brazil's National Confederation of Industry, foreign investment in the country could reach about $29 billion by 2030 thanks to the new law. Both BRICS member states, Brazil and Russia have been strengthening energy relations. Brazil said last year it was looking to buy as much Russian diesel as it could, calling Moscow a strategic partner and a “very reliable supplier.” The sides could significantly strengthen cooperation in the energy sector, especially in production and processing of oil and natural gas, as well as in the area of peaceful nuclear development. Last year, during a telephone call with Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised the South American country a steady supply of fertilizers, which are crucial for Brazil’s vast agribusiness sector. https://www.rt.com/business/571269-brazil-wants-russian-investment/ ============= 2 Feb, 2023 09:24 6b) --- What a Latin American single currency could mean for the US dollar - Two major players are planning to launch a new settlement mechanism for non-dollar-denominated trade The two biggest South American economies, Brazil and Argentina, have recently unveiled plans to create a common currency, sparking speculation about a new global monetary union. RT looks at what the real plan is all about. - 1 What’s known about the potential Latin American currency? - The new currency will reportedly be called ‘sur,’ which translates from Spanish as ‘south.’ It won’t replace the Brazilian real and Argentine peso, but will rather run beside them. It is not clear yet how the new monetary unit would be valued, but the Brazilian government is reportedly looking at stablecoins as a possible reference. If successful, the sur could become the second most widely-used international currency, considering both its circulation market (about 260 million people) and the volume of GDP of the two nations. - 2 Why do the two countries need a new currency? - The presidents of Brazil and Argentina, Lula da Silva and Alberto Fernandez, explained while meeting in Buenos Aires last week that the 'sur' is intended to act as an accelerator for the process of regional integration in South America. According to Lula, the focus is on developing a shared unit of value for bilateral trade to reduce dependence on the US dollar. - 3 What does this mean for the US dollar? - The move by South American nations to create a single currency would not be the end for the greenback, but it would further undermine its status as the world's reserve currency. The dollar's dominance has been declining lately, partly due to Russia and China shunning it in trade. - 4 Is this idea new? - The idea of a joint currency has long been floated across the region, with Brazil and Argentina discussing the creation of a “unit to enable regional payments,” known as the gaucho, back in the late 1980s. Talks on the matter intensified in 1991 with the creation of the Mercosur trade bloc, which also includes Paraguay and Uruguay. However, the plans never materialized. - 5 How realistic is the project now? - Argentine Economic Minister Sergio Massa recently said that Brazil and Argentina would invite other Latin American countries to join, but urged patience, citing the difficulty of trade integration. Economists confirm that the formation of a joint currency is not an easy task, with Massa pointing to the fact that it took the European Union 35 years to create the euro. - 6 What are the major hurdles for the plan? - The idea of a shared currency between Brazil and Argentina has been met with skepticism by many, mostly due to the discrepancies between the two economies. Brazil, which is a member of the BRICS group, has enjoyed relative economic stability in recent years. Argentina, meanwhile, has been plagued by economic instability for decades. The country has defaulted on its debt several times, most recently in 2020, and has had to resort to capital controls to protect its currency. - 7 What would the new currency mean for the global financial system? - A joint currency would help integrate regional trade between two of the world’s leading food exporters, experts say, noting that the move would mean more control over key resources. A major agricultural power, Argentina is also one of the world's largest sources of lithium, dubbed the “new oil.” Industrialized Brazil has abundant resources of oil, metals, fresh water, and so on. This could make the new currency a major player in the global financial system. - 8 Could this lead to the creation of a new global monetary union? - If established, the new currency union could become the world's second largest after the 20-nation Eurozone. Latin America accounts for 5% of the world's gross domestic product, while the Eurozone accounts for around 14%. However, Brazilian and Argentinian officials have downplayed the idea of a monetary union, saying the real aim of their proposal is to boost bilateral trade. Analysts claim a full-on currency union is a distant prospect. https://www.rt.com/business/570706-single-latin-american-currency-dollar/ ============================================ 11 Feb, 2023 15:20 --- LIST --- 7) --- India's defence spending reaches a crossroads: Will New Delhi buy Russian or American weapons? - List Will Moscow's long term partner bite the bullet and embrace Washington at its expense? By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia Editor India ranks third globally in terms of defense budget and will increase its military spending this year. The country is facing challenges from Pakistan and China on its borders to the west, north and northeast, and New Delhi’s military might is in critical need of a technological upgrade. The problem is that India’s defense capabilities in recent years have oscillated in their dependency between Moscow and Washington. The moment is fast approaching when the world’s most populous country, one of its fastest growing economies, will have to choose between two rivals. India’s new defense budget India seeks to become a $5 trillion economy by 2025, which could have been achieved earlier had it not been for the Covid-19 pandemic. While bidding to achieve a growth rate of 6.1% despite the global headwinds due to the inflationary pressures that the West is facing, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled her fifth consecutive Union Budget in early February. Total federal spending under the fiscal year 2023-2024 budget, which starts in April, will be 45 trillion rupees, the equivalent of nearly $550 billion. Capital expenditure (capex) is being increased 33% year-on-year, to $122 billion, with a view to boosting India’s infrastructure. Data compiled by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent resource on global security, showed India’s military spending of $70.6 billion last year ranked third highest in the world, after the US’ and China’s. This year, Sitharaman has allocated 12.95% more to the armed forces and the total amount of military spending will be 5.94 trillion rupees ($72.6 billion). According to the minister, 2.77 trillion rupees will be spent on salaries and benefits for the military, 1.38 trillion on pensions for retired military personnel, and the remaining amount on other expenses, including the purchase of new weapons, air assets, warships and other military equipment. According to the latest budget document, India plans to spend about 242 billion rupees ($3 billion) on the navy and 571.4 billion rupees ($7 billion) on procurement for the air force, including aircraft. New Delhi’s military needs The capital budget, which caters to the modernization needs of the armed forces such as buying new equipment and firepower, has seen a modest increase of 6.57%, research and development (R&D) brings out the rear, despite a growing accent on indigenization. Army veterans have been clamoring for R&D, speedy orders, creation of testing facilities, an ecosystem to support innovation for the defense and aero industry coupled with non-lapsable funds to expedite the modernization process. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the penultimate year of his second successive term, has been laying emphasis on the country’s self-reliance, including the domestic manufacture of state-of-the-art weapons. This is a vital part of his vision of ‘Amrit Kaal,’ a term that comes from the ancient Vedic astrology as practiced by the country’s Hindu majority and means ‘golden era,’ during which India aims to “ascend to new heights of prosperity,” according to Modi. The Indian government has implemented several changes to boost its defense sector and military might. For instance, data shows that the total capital allocation for the defense services sector has risen over 75% since 2013. The Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020, released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has put forth a turnover of $144 billion by 2025, including export of $4.3 billion in aerospace and defense goods and services. The cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) into India’s defense sector via the “automatic route” (without requiring government approval) was increased in 2020, from 49% to 74%. Russia, the US – the best of both worlds Historically, India has been importing weapons from Russia since the 1950s after it gained independence from Great Britain in 1947 –first the Ilyushin II-14 cargo transport aircraft and, later, MiG-21 fighters. Now, the Indian Army is equipped with Russian-made tanks and Kalashnikov rifles. Indian Air Force uses Sukhoi fighter jets and Mi-17 transport helicopters, while the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, also known as the Admiral Gorshkov, was formerly part of the Russian fleet. India has spent $12.4 billion between 2018 and 2021 in defense procurements, with Russia accounting for $5.51 billion, according to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database. Similarly, India has been buying arms from the US since the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and significantly more in the past decade. India has bought aircraft, helicopters and missiles worth $22 billion in the last decade or so. Talks are on to purchase military hardware and software worth close to $10 billion, including repeat orders for six P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime patrol aircraft and six C-130J transport aircraft. Also, negotiations are underway for the purchase of 30 MQ-9 Predator-B drones worth $3 billion, as well as NASAMS-II, a missile shield meant to protect vital installations in New Delhi from aerial threats, and two intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) aircraft. Is Washington wooing New Delhi? The US and India have been forging a partnership in a bid to share advanced defense and computing technology. The Biden administration appears to be assiduously wooing New Delhi to wean it off Russian military hardware and simultaneously offer a way to counter a resurgent China, with which India has unresolved border disputes. Last May, the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, which aims to strengthen military, technology and political links between the two nations, was launched. Recently US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan rekindled that initiative and singled out India over China’s aggressive overtures that had a “profound impact on the thinking in (New) Delhi.” India is known to be keen to jointly manufacture, and domestically, the General Electric Co jet engines it uses in its combat aircraft. A proposal to that effect is pending before Washington. The bilateral initiative also includes transfer of technology on artillery systems, armored infantry vehicles and maritime security, coupled with semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Sullivan acknowledged the long-standing weapons trade between India and Russia, and New Delhi’s reliance on Moscow. Ending that partnership is apparently one of the intended goals of the US’ own advances towards India. “I’m not going to say that facilitating the movement of India off of Russian equipment to other equipment is an irrelevant consideration – of course it is not,” he was quoted as saying by an international wire service. However Sullivan’s overtures are unlikely to be a deciding factor in India’s foreign policy, where pragmatism has often triumphed over ideological moorings. Putin or Biden? Modi is likely to get face time with US President Joe Biden over the next few months. They will attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) security partners’ summit in Sydney, Australia, in the middle of this year, which also includes Japan. In September, Biden is expected to travel to India for the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in New Delhi. However, ahead of Modi’s scheduled meeting with Biden, the Indian PM will have a one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin in May, in Goa, India, on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization headquartered in Beijing. He will likewise have an opportunity to meet Putin during the G20 summit. India, whose hands are tied because of limited defense budget for arms procurement, needs to make an informed choice – whether time-tested Russian military wares or those of ‘newfound ally’ the US make the cut. Earlier, India’s refusal to join any camp over the Russia-Ukraine conflict earned PM Modi generous praise from Putin, who called the Indian leader a “true patriot” for following an independent foreign policy. https://www.rt.com/india/571335-worlds-third-biggest-defense-spender/ ============================================ 11 Feb, 2023 14:48 8) --- Russia and Iran to boost transactions in national currencies – official Economic cooperation between the two countries has been gaining momentum, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry Moscow and Tehran intend to further increase the share of their national currencies in mutual settlements, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said on Friday, adding that the sides have been strengthening cooperation in the banking sector. “We will continue to work with Iran, stimulating trade operations in national currencies. In 2021, the share of settlements in national currencies exceeded 60%. The positive trend continued last year,” Rudenko told Interfax news agency. He noted that interaction with Iran through central banks and credit institutions has been also actively developing. “At the end of January, the creation of a direct communication channel between Russian and Iranian banks was fixed on paper through the synchronization of national financial messaging systems, which are the SPFS and SEPAM,” the diplomat said. The move would allow cross-border transactions without using the Western financial messaging system SWIFT. Cooperation between Russia and Iran accelerated last year amid Western sanctions on the two countries. Throughout 2022, the countries reached a number of agreements expanding cooperation, from barter supply deals for Iranian turbines, spare parts and aircraft equipment, to contracts for the joint construction of natural gas pipelines. Trade between Moscow and Tehran surged by 15% last year, reaching $4.6 billion, official data shows. The Islamic Republic has recently signed up to the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which ensures the free movement of goods, services, and capital between member states. https://www.rt.com/business/571271-russia-iran-transactions-national-currencies/ (QS info: Trade between Russia and Iran surged by 15% last year, reaching $4.6 billion) ============================================== 11 Feb, 2023 00:33 9) --- Revenge of the Chinese ‘spy balloon’: The US takes the scandal global and turns it into a tool OP-ED Washington is warning its partners about the ‘danger’ of Beijing’s supposed surveillance craft to manufacture consent for more sanctions By Timur Fomenko, political analyst After the outburst of paranoia triggered by the so-called ‘Chinese Spy Balloon’, the US has now reportedly briefed the diplomats of 40 countries about the supposed threat. https://www.reuters.com/world/us-briefed-40-nations-china-spy-balloon-incident-diplomats-official-say-2023-02-08/ Washington has apparently sent American missions around the world information about the incident and presented to foreign diplomats gathered in Beijing information to demonstrate that it was indeed an espionage aircraft, and not a weather-monitoring balloon as China claims. In addition to the domestic political motivations for Washington to whip up a frenzy about the Chinese balloon (covered here), we now see the US deliberately weaponizing the story to attack China on a global scale, aiming to instill greater fear, suspicion and paranoia of Beijing worldwide. The incident itself might be nothing more than hot air, but Washington is willing to gaslight its allies and “partners” into greater alignment with American goals and preferences. The American foreign policy machine is a master of a process known as ‘manufacturing consent’, the term famously coined by Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman. The US uses an array of aligned think tanks and cherry-picked experts, as well as a monopoly over information and press access, in order to perfectly craft a narrative which promotes their goals and preferences. Simply speaking, the topics, areas of interest and points of view which the US government focuses on are given funding (often from government departments), press access and regular airtime. Those it does not care for are simply ignored. As a key example of how this works: Earlier this week, the Washington Post ran a story that cited unnamed US officials to confirm the Chinese balloon was indeed used by Beijing’s military for spying and was part of a wider aerial surveillance effort. Not only is this a direct official-to-media report, but no evidence or facts were given, neither was any possible agenda behind the story highlighted or scrutinized, nor any ‘alternative’ point of view presented. Of course, these are beyond the scope of a simple news story – and we don’t get anything other than this news story, sourced from US officials, speaking to the media on condition of anonymity but most likely with the direction of their superiors. This is how the US government shapes the narrative and manufactures consent through the media. So what’s the agenda behind the US raising the ‘spy balloon’ alarm internationally? It’s one thing to make it a scandal at home, trading some political points over who is the most hard-line on China, but to publicize it internationally like that, there must be a bigger goal behind it. By claiming that the balloon was being used for military and espionage purposes, and therefore constitutes a ‘national security threat’, the US is clearly eyeing up an opportunity to impose new sanctions against Chinese firms. It has been a running theme of US sanctions against China to blacklist a company, either from receiving US technology exports, or from US investment, by claiming that it is owned or operated on behalf of the Chinese military, even when it isn’t. This has been a key part of Washington’s growing technology war against Beijing. These assumptions are made on insinuations and ‘guilt by association’ logic, rather than clear-cut proof. Therefore, the US could be preparing to blacklist the companies involved in constructing the balloon, claiming they are a military threat. In addition to that, it should be noted that the US is also trying to push G7 to collectively sanction China for “supporting” the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which would also involve blacklisting Chinese firms. As this requires consensus, Washington is looking to get more partners on its side, and creating a political capital of mass paranoia against China is one way to do it. History shows that if the US cannot get allies to comply with a given foreign policy course of action, its response is to deliberately escalate tensions until they do. We have seen this many times in its approach to China and Russia. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3209565/ukraine-war-g7-weighs-sanctioning-chinese-firms-aiding-russias-military Given this, the conclusion is that the US is manufacturing outrage over the Chinese balloon in order to manipulate international discourse to procure support for its foreign policy objectives. This is not just a domestic policy squabble, and not at all a matter of national security; the US is actively aiming to amplify the threat of the balloon to leverage its allies into following suit with anti-China objectives. In addition, it is clear from circumstantial evidence that the Biden administration is also eyeing up new sanctions on China, and what better opportunity is there to do so than a hyper-dramatic incident like this? The US always, always exaggerates threats to shape its agenda, at home and abroad. " ... The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT ... https://www.rt.com/news/571309-chinese-spy-balloon-us-agenda/ ============================================ 10 Feb, 2023 11:52 10) --- The West thought oil sanctions would cripple Russia, here's why the plan backfired The G7 and EU believed that tightening the screws would mortally wound Moscow, but the plan has failed. By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia editor. In late December, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the price cap imposed by Western nations on Russian seaborne crude oil by signing a decree banning its supply from February 1 to nations that support the curb. The US-led measure, which prohibited countries from paying more than $60 per barrel of Russian oil, came into effect in December. Putin’s response was an unequivocal declaration that Russia would not bow to sanctions pressure. His decree, however, includes the possibility of “special permission” to supply to countries that come under the purview of the ban – potentially a window of hope for some of those 27 EU members that are believed to have been coerced into supporting the price cap. - Redirecting supplies - The West’s cumulative bid to choke the Russian economy has not had the desired effect so far, as latest figures show. Russia’s budget revenues from the oil and gas industry grew 28% last year, amounting to $36.5 billion. Oil production in Russia rose 2% last year to 535 million tonnes, while exports of the fuel increased by 7.5%. This was achieved in no small part, thanks to Moscow’s decision to redirect its supplies to India and China, while at the same time incentivising them to buy Russian energy with hefty discounts. While the country’s net energy export revenues declined by $172 million per day in December, supply quantities to Beijing and New Delhi have surged to an all-time high. Most of the decline came not from oil export revenues, but from pipeline natural gas exports that were eliminated by the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. China imported record quantities of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in November – 852,000 tonnes, which is double the amount in the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. Sales of Russian crude oil and coal also surged. Overall purchases of energy by China, including oil products, hit $8 billion in November, from a revised $7.8 billion a month earlier, meaning Russia overtook the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to make it China’s largest supplier. Coal imports from Russia, including brown coal, rose 41% to 7.2 million tonnes of which 2.1 million tonnes (twice the amount a year ago) was coking coal for the Chinese steel industry. Similarly, India, which is the world's third-biggest crude importer, bought a record amount of Russian oil in December, importing a whopping 33 times more than a year earlier. It purchased an average of 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) from Russia in December 2022, compared to just 36,255 bpd in December 2021, according to data from Vortexa Ltd, an energy intelligence firm. Imports from Iraq and Saudi Arabia over the same period were about 1M bpd each. In the year before March 2021, 0.2 per cent of India’s oil purchases came from Russia. Currently, it’s over 25% of the total. Interestingly, the US, the prime mover behind the G7 shenanigans, has all along been a big consumer of a refined Russian product called virgin gas oil (VGO). Now, Washington is buying VGO from Indian refineries run by Reliance Energy and Nayara Energy – whose raw material is Russian crude oil. - A ‘weak’ idea - In hindsight, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky appears to have been right when he called out the G7 oil price cap as a “weak” idea that was not “serious” enough to hurt Russia. Despite the boycott call and amid fears of a global recession, demand for Russian crude oil – the world’s second-largest producer – didn’t taper off. Oil prices went up in the months following February 2022 because of supply concerns, but eventually ended the year at about the same levels as they had started. Russia not only didn’t slow production, but it stood to make more. For instance, on the final trading day of last year, the spot price of Brent crude oil, a global benchmark, closed at $85 per barrel, just $7 higher than the price on January 3, 2022. Similarly, the spot price for West Texas Intermediate (WTI), a benchmark price for US crude oil, followed the same pattern, finishing the trading year at $4 per barrel higher than on January 3. The Brent crude oil spot price averaged $100 per barrel last year, and the WTI spot price averaged $95. - More sanctions, more pain – but for whom? - On February 5, the EU’s additional ban on Russian petroleum products, especially diesel fuel, came into effect. At the same time, the G7 instituted a global price cap – $100 on premium petroleum products such as diesel and $45 on products such as fuel oil. The stated goal behind these new sanctions is the same – to deprive Russia of one of its most important sources of revenue in a bid to choke off its ability to finance the conflict in Ukraine. However, analysts have questioned the sanctions’ efficiency, predicting that Russia could simply redirect its supplies like it did with crude oil. The Western ban on refined products may even boost Russian crude supplies to China, which is a large refiner itself. The measure could also prove to be more disruptive for Western European nations, which relied on Russia for about 40% of their refined product imports. Perhaps most importantly, Russian diesel made up for a deficit in their own production. Diesel is primarily used for truck transport in ferrying massive consignments to consumers and to run agricultural machinery. The EU has deliberately shut down over 1 million bpd of refining capacity in the past few years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and global climate change concerns, and it remains to be seen how the bloc will replace nearly 500,000 bpd, which it used to import from Russia. https://www.rt.com/russia/571117-russia-west-asia-oil/ ============================================ -

Donbass: Continued shelling of civilian only areas in Donetsk City has killed one civilian and at least three more wounded, according to local officials, who say Kiev used US-supplied MLR HIMARS rockets. Several residential areas were hit by Ukrainian shelling on Friday. Roman Kosarev reports (and came under fire). In terrorist style, the Ukrainians are waiting for emergency services to arrive and fire again. NB HIMARS rockets are very precise; these are no accidents. Belgorod: Shebekino: Residential areas have come under Ukraine shelling again; three civilians have been wounded and buildings and cars were struck. Zaporozhye: One civilian was killed and one wounded as HIMARS rockets fragmented and damaged homes. - Ukrainians who have moved to Poland talk about the broken promises of Pres. Zelensky and how this has resulted in the failure to bring peace in Donbass. - Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties and forced conscription is now the order of the day; the west is ignoring it as "Ukrainians are fighting for European values". An activist talks about the Kiev regime. - Russia's ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia, spoke to RT about the arms being supplied to Ukraine and says they are fuelling the conflict. Last week he and Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) spoke in the UN security council about the dangers of this conflict continuing (QS excerpt - here is the full interview https://rumble.com/v2952wc-you-will-never-erase-russia-from-the-world-map-we-are-a-major-player-vassil.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=7 ) - In an exclusive talk, RT hears from Russia's ambassador to the UN about rising global condemnation of weaponry supplies to Kiev and how western powers are turning a blind eye to the criticism. Iran marks the 44th anniversary of its Islamic revolution commemorating the country's unity, while also sending a message, they say, that the US has failed to contain the will of Iranian citizens. Yousef Jalali report from Tehran. Africa, Nigeria: Late last year the Nigerian government decided to change the bank notes but haven't allowed enough time for the old ones to be exchanged, leaving people without cash to live. There's also a problem with getting fuel for vehicles etc in Africa's largest oil producing country. There's an election coming up and people there aren't a bit happy. Poloum David reports. Earthquakes, Türkiye/Syria: More than 24,000 people have been confirmed dead since last Monday's Earthquake/s and aftershocks. Rescuers continue in the search for survivors but their chances are fading as time passes. There is more than just searching to be done. Those who have survived need shelter and food and counselling. Many have lost some or their entire family. It's bitter cold. Peter Scott reports from Diyabakir and talks to survivors. Syria: The areas hit by the aftershocks are devastated which was made worse by sanctions imposed by US and allies in the form of embargoes and inability to transfer any aid from anyone in the bloc. Some sanctions have now been lifted, days after the tragedy. Russia and the Arab countries of the middle east were there to help with volunteers and humanitarian aid. Whole families are sleeping outside in the bitter cold as their homes are collapsed or unsafe. Hussein Iyad speaks to survivors and reports. Pres. Assad arrived to Jableh to help and thank the volunteers and official crews. Olympics: 35 countries demand that Russia is banned from the Olympics in 2024 (QS these are the same countries who refused to condemn the glorification of Nazism in the United Nations vote of December, 2022 https://twitter.com/DontDenyThe/status/1613597395597799425 - also see yesterday's post for news article https://rumble.com/v291o54-rt-news-february-10th-2023-late.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=6 news articles 8 and 9 ) Alan Moore reports. =========================================== 11 Feb, 2023 15:20 A) --- Russian military shares details of ‘massive’ strikes on Ukraine All intended targets were hit, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov says Large-scale Russian missile strikes on Friday brought the operations of Ukraine’s key defense enterprises to a halt and prevented Kiev from redeploying reserves and foreign hardware to the battlefield, Russia’s Defense Ministry has said. The attack involved high-precision, long-range air, sea, and land-based weapons as well as drones, the ministry’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, told reporters during his daily briefing on Saturday. It targeted critically important energy facilities, providing power to Ukraine’s defense enterprises and the country’s transport system, he said. “The goals of the massive strike were achieved. All of the intended facilities were hit,” Konashenkov said. As a result of the bombardment, “the operations of energy-intensive enterprises of the [Ukrainian] military-industrial complex were stopped. The redeployment of foreign weapons, ammunition, and reserves by rail to the areas on the front lines was also blocked,” the spokesman noted. Air-raid warnings had been activated all across Ukraine since early Friday. Reports of explosions came from the capital Kiev, along with the regions of Kharkov, Odessa, Dnepr, Nikolaev, Lviv, Ivano-Frankovsk, and other locations. Ukraine’s Air Force said that at least 71 cruise missiles were fired by Russian long-range bombers and navy vessels from the Black Sea. Most of those missiles were shot down by air defenses, it claimed. Ukraine’s energy operator, Ukrenergo, has confirmed that several of its high-voltage sites nationwide were hit. The company said it had to implement emergency shutdowns to preempt possible damage to the power grid from overload. The country’s railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, also said the power cuts had delayed a number of trains and led to some electric locomotives being replaced with backup diesel engines. Moscow has stepped up the pressure on Ukraine since October last year, when it accused Kiev of using “terrorist tactics” and of targeting Russian infrastructure, including the strategic Crimean Bridge. Since then, a number of large-scale missile strikes have been carried out against Ukrainian military installations and energy facilities, leading to rolling blackouts across the country. https://www.rt.com/russia/571336-ukraine-strike-energy-transport/ ============================================== 11 Feb, 2023 09:53 1) --- Russia explains stance on peace talks with Ukraine Any conflict ends with negotiations, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin has said Russia remains ready for peace talks with Ukraine but these should take place with no preconditions and ought to account for realities on the ground, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin has said. “There have already been negotiations” between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Minsk and Istanbul, several weeks after the outbreak of the conflict in February last year, Vershinin told broadcaster Zvezda on Saturday. “As you remember, they were interrupted by the Ukrainian side.” Decisions on such issues as a peace process “aren’t made in Kiev. The decisions are made in other capitals, first of all in Washington and Brussels. And that's whom one should address” about talks, the senior diplomat pointed out. As for Russia’s stance, he reiterated that “any military action concludes with negotiations and, as we’ve said earlier, we’ll obviously be ready for such negotiations.” However, Vershinin stressed that talks should take place “without preconditions, based on the reality that exists” and “taking into account the goals that had been voiced publicly” by Moscow. On Friday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby insisted that it was “really up to [Ukrainian] President [Vladimir] Zelensky to determine if and when negotiations are appropriate, and certainly under what circumstances.” Washington will “stay at the task of supporting Ukraine so that they can succeed at the battlefield” against Russia as that will allow Zelensky to have “the wind at his back” when such talks begin, Kirby pointed out. Last week, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who'd mediated contacts between Moscow and Kiev, claimed that the negotiations that took place between the sides in Istanbul in late March were “blocked” by Kiev’s Western-backers. “I think there was a legitimate decision by the West to keep striking [Russian President Vladimir] Putin… I mean the more aggressive approach,” he said. Russia and Ukraine haven’t met at the negotiating table since then, with Zelensky signing a decree in autumn officially banning him from any dialogue with Putin. The Ukrainian leader is currently pushing forward with his ten-point “peace plan,” which, among other things, calls for Russian forces to withdraw to borders claimed by Ukraine, to pay reparations and to submit to war-crime tribunals. Moscow has turned down those demands as “unacceptable,” saying that they were actually a sign of Kiev’s unwillingness to solve the crisis through diplomatic means. https://www.rt.com/russia/571324-ukraine-peace-talks-vershinin/ ============================================== 11 Feb, 2023 09:40 2) --- US defense official flags 'no objections' to Kiev attacking Crimea Washington will not limit Ukrainian strikes on territory it claims as its own, Celeste Wallander said The US would have no objections to Ukrainian forces striking targets inside Crimea with American-supplied weapons, a senior defense official said on Friday. Dr Celeste Wallander, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, was asked whether Washington supports Kiev in seizing Crimea, or at least in striking Russian targets there. The peninsula overwhelmingly voted to become part of Russia in 2014 following a Western-backed coup in Kiev. Speaking at the Center for a New American Security, Wallander reiterated that the US “supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty over its internationally recognized borders, and that includes Crimea.” With this in mind, the official argued that Kiev “has the right to defend every inch of its territory.” As long as Ukraine “identifies operational value in targeting Russian forces on Ukrainian territory… we don’t have objections and do not seek to limit Ukrainian military operations to achieve their objectives.” She also commented on remarks made by Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, who warned in January that it would be “very difficult” for Ukraine “to militarily eject the Russian forces” from all the territories they currently control. “I am not going to contradict general Milley, and I think he was giving a hard-headed assessment of the scale of the challenge,” she said. In January, The New York Times reported, citing sources, that the administration of US President Joe Biden was warming to the prospect of helping Ukraine to target Crimea, “even if such a move increases the risk of escalation.” On February 3, the US announced a new $2.17 billion security package for Ukraine which included ground-launched, small-diameter bombs (GLSDB) with a range of up to 150 kilometers (93 miles). While the Pentagon said that this long-range capability would enable Ukrainians “to take back their sovereign territory,” it declined to speculate about Kiev's future potential operations. Last week, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as Deputy Chair of the nation’s Security Council, warned that any attack on Crimea would be interpreted as an attack on the country itself. Kiev, he said, must understand that such moves would be “met with inevitable retaliation using weapons of any kind.” https://www.rt.com/russia/571323-us-no-objections-crimea-attack/ =========================================== 10 Feb, 2023 17:56 3) --- UN condemns executions of Russian POWs by Ukrainians The UN human rights watchdog is aware of a new graphic video purportedly showing the execution of Russian POWs by Ukrainians and has raised the issue with Kiev The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is aware of recently-emerged footage apparently showing the execution of Russian soldiers who had surrendered by Ukrainian troops, a spokeswoman for the UN watchdog, Marta Hurtado, has said. “We have raised concerns about the treatment of prisoners of war, including alleged killings of POWs by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense,” Hurtado told TASS in a statement on Friday. The graphic video in question surfaced earlier this week, filmed by an armed individual speaking Ukrainian and demanding answers from three men in military uniforms lying on the ground. After failing to elicit a coherent response from them, the man shoots one of the men in the head multiple times at point blank range. One of the men, lying motionless on the ground, also has visible blood around his head, apparently getting shot and killed before the video started. A fellow Ukrainian soldier appeared to try to reason with the gunman, pointing out that the third captive was holding a grenade. The killer briefly showed his face at the very end of the video, concluding it with an obscenity and ‘Glory to Ukraine’ slogan, which is commonly associated with World War II-era Nazi collaborators but is widely used in present-day Ukraine. Additional footage seemingly filmed in the immediate aftermath of the incident showed the killer trying to provide excuses to justify his actions. The UN is aware of this footage as well, Hurtado said, adding that none of the excuses actually have merit. “We are also aware of another video that has appeared on social media platforms that includes additional footage of the original incident and also appears to show a Ukrainian soldier confessing [to] the killing and trying to justify it by alleging that the victims refused to surrender or that they were part of the Wagner Group military and security contractors fighting on behalf of the Russian Federation,” the spokeswoman said. “These excuses do not provide justification for the soldier's actions under international humanitarian law.” According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the killing of unarmed soldiers who surrendered is a “widespread practice” by Kiev’s troops, and multiple incidents of this sort have occurred amid the ongoing conflict, with some of them published online by the killers themselves. The Russian Investigative Committee said on Thursday that the footage appeared to show the recent murder of three Russian POWs by “Ukrainian nationalists,” pledging to investigate further and identify the perpetrators. https://www.rt.com/russia/571297-un-ukraine-pow-execution/ ============================================ 10 Feb, 2023 21:55 4) --- Wagner boss estimates how long Ukraine conflict will last The hostilities between Moscow and Kiev might drag on for three more years, Yevgeny Prigozhin believes The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine will likely continue for up to three more years, depending on the goals Moscow actually pursues, Wagner private military group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has said. The businessman made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Semyon Pegov of the independent WarGonzo project on Friday. “If we need to cover the DPR and LPR, then we need to work for at least another year and a half or two,” Prigozhin stated, referring to the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which were recently incorporated into Russia. Should Russia seek to “go toward the Dnepr,” a major river separating Ukraine into roughly two halves, the conflict will last even longer and drag on for up to three more years, Prigozhin suggested. At the same time, the founder of the private military group noted that in any conflict, the destruction of the enemy’s army must be the priority, rather than a desire to seize territories from the adversary. Prigozhin also revealed, apparently jokingly, that should Moscow also seek to reach all across Europe toward the English Channel, he already has a perfect plan for such an endeavor. To achieve that goal, everyone in Russia must drop any leisure activity, put on their “working suits,” and work tirelessly. Some spoils of the campaign, however, including “France, Italy, Bulgaria and something else,” should be ceded afterwards to Ukrainians, since they are set to “suffer here with us” much more. Founded in 2014, Wagner has mainly operated as a security contractor in Africa and the Middle East until now. The precise details of its deployments have not been made public, while Prigozhin denied his ties to the group and its very existence until last year. The group has been an active participant in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, scoring several victories against the Ukrainian troops. The achievements have also earned the company wide international attention, with the US declaring Wagner a “transnational criminal organization” last month. https://www.rt.com/russia/571310-wagner-boss-ukraine-conflict/ ============================================= 11 Feb, 2023 13:58 5) --- Russia reveals who calls the shots in Ukraine conflict Only Western capitals can force Kiev into holding serious talks with Moscow, Russia's UN envoy has said Ukraine has shown no interest in finding a diplomatic solution to its ongoing conflict with Russia, Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Friday. He noted that, while the West could bring Kiev to the negotiating table with Moscow, it has so far been reluctant to do so. Speaking in an interview to RT’s Caleb Maupin, Nebenzia was asked about the prospects for a settlement of the Ukraine conflict in the situation where Western leaders insist that the conflict could end only in Moscow’s defeat. The envoy noted that the West is "now talking about dismembering... and destroying Russia," adding that some statements by Western officials on the matter "go beyond not just simply diplomacy but civilized communication." He reiterated that Russia is still ready for serious negotiations, which were interrupted by Kiev "on the order of their masters and sponsors in April last year." Against such a backdrop, the high-ranking diplomat noted that Moscow did not see any Ukrainian attempts to conduct meaningful dialogue, pointing out that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky himself had signed a decree prohibiting talks with the current Russian leadership. Nebenzia went on to blast Kiev’s diplomatic initiatives on the matter as a "joke," referring to a ten-point "peace formula" proposed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that, in particular, demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from all territories claimed by Kiev and that a tribunal to prosecute Moscow’s alleged war crimes be established. Besides, Moscow knows for sure that Kiev is "not calling the shots," Nebenzia said. Those who can force Kiev to conduct serious negotiations, "they live in this country [the US], somewhere in Europe, on one of the islands across the English Channel," he added. "If they are willing to do so, they will engage, but we don’t see any willingness on the part of the sponsors of Kiev to go to negotiations with Russia and do it seriously," the ambassador pointed out. Russia believes that Western countries are waging a proxy war against it in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu claimed that the US and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict between Moscow and Kiev by supporting Ukraine with heavy weaponry, warning that such policies could "lead to an unpredictable escalation." In spring 2022, Russia and Ukraine held several rounds of talks, with Moscow initially voicing optimism about the peace process. However, Ukraine abruptly withdrew from the negotiations shortly after a visit by then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Kiev on April 9. https://www.rt.com/russia/571332-russia-west-calls-shots-ukraine/ ============================================ 11 Feb, 2023 18:24 6) --- Serbia may soon be forced to sanction Russia – Vucic Western pressure on Belgrade will drastically increase as the Ukraine conflict escalates, the Serbian president said The moment is approaching when Serbia will have no choice but to give in to Western demands to sanction its ally Russia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said. In an interview with Prva broadcaster on Friday, Vucic said he expects “a major escalation” in the conflict in Ukraine over the next six months. The fighting to date will feel like “almost nothing, compared to what’s coming,” he warned. This situation “will affect our country as the pressure on Belgrade, in terms of its relations with Russia, will become two or three times tougher – despite already being very strong now,” the president said. Sanctioning Moscow over its military operation in Ukraine and recognizing the independence of the breakaway province of Kosovo have been singled out by Brussels as key conditions for Belgrade’s bid to join the EU. Vucic, who has been rejecting both demands for months, now says the moment may eventually come when Belgrade would have to join the EU’s curbs on Moscow. “Let us push like this as long as we can, I will know when the moment is right, and I will not hide anything from people. That moment [when Serbia sanctions Russia] has been approaching for a long time, I am afraid that it’s not even months away,” he said. The Serbian president revealed that he used to believe that the West, which is backing the Kiev government with weapons, funds and intelligence, was getting the upper hand in Ukraine. However, “at this moment, it’s no longer entirely clear who is winning in Ukraine,” he added. Moscow’s chances of succeeding have been boosted by the fact that there is now “unity” among the Russian people regarding the conflict, especially after the announcement by Berlin and some other countries last month that German-made Leopard tanks would be supplied to Kiev, he said. According to Vucic, it’ll be “difficult” for Serbia no matter who prevails in Ukraine. “The West doesn’t want a country allied with Russia in the middle of Europe. On the other hand, Russia doesn’t want to lose everything it has in the Balkans,” he said. That’s why Belgrade remains among the few international players who speak about the need for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but “no one is allowed to mention peace anymore,” he stated. https://www.rt.com/news/571340-vucic-serbia-sanctions-ukraine/ ============= 19 Jan, 2023 18:09 --- RECALL 6) --- Serbia urged to align with EU The European Parliament says it regrets Belgrade’s low level of compliance with the bloc's position on Russia The European Parliament (EP) has adopted a resolution calling on Serbia to align with the EU’s common foreign and security policies (CFSP), especially those dealing with sanctions against third countries, such as Russia. The EP stressed that Belgrade's candidate status obliges it to adhere to the EU’s values and rights, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic believes the bloc to be hypocritical. The resolution, published on Wednesday and based on the annual CFSP report for 2022, stressed that it was important that Western Balkan countries be brought into full alignment with EU policies. The document’s authors drew special attention to Serbia’s relationship with Russia, its lack of condemnation of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, and the "consequences of this relationship in the Western Balkans." The EP insisted that any "new accession negotiation chapters" regarding Belgrade’s EU membership, should only be opened after "Serbia bolsters its commitment to reforms in the areas of democracy and the rule of law." Serbia was also urged to normalize relations with Kosovo based on "mutual recognition," and Belgrade was chastised for its "continuous pattern of escalatory actions." The EP reiterated its position that Kosovo’s independence is "irreversible" and urged the five EU member states that have yet to recognize it, Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania, and Greece, to do so "with immediate effect." Vucic has blasted the resolution as hypocritical and has called it a prime example of the West’s "shameless" behavior. "They organized violent secession of our territory. How far could this shameless behavior go? I do not have the words." Vucic said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. "Everything I heard, no one wants to hear or see that there is a different point of view, the only thing they are interested in is an independent Kosovo, sanctions on Russia, there is no opposition," he added. Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic also condemned the report and stated that "before lecturing Serbia on its failure to align with EU foreign policy, the EP should align with the fundamental principles of international law regarding the protection of the territorial integrity of world states." NATO took control of Kosovo in 1999, after months-long bombings of Serbia on behalf of ethnic Albanian insurgents. The province’s provisional government declared independence in 2008, with US and EU backing. With support from Russia and China, Serbia has resisted pressure to recognize it ever since. https://www.rt.com/news/570159-serbia-align-eu-policies/ =========================================== 11 Feb, 2023 11:09 6a) --- Serbia responds to 'cancel-Russian-culture' calls Aleksandar Vucic told the media that his government, despite being “on the European path,” will not cancel the Russian classics Serbia will not jump on the Russia-bashing bandwagon and cancel the country’s culture, President Aleksandar Vucic has told media. He explained that preserving the Russian classics in the public domain is as important as guarding national financial interests. In an interview with Serbia’s Prva news channel broadcast on Friday, Vucic acknowledged that his country largely depends on the West in terms of investment. For this reason, the president noted, those who call on Belgrade to cut these ties “don't know how the country works.” Vucic went on to argue that the notion that Serbia should “break completely with Russia,” and “throw out [novelist] Dostoyevsky, [composer] Tchaikovsky and [writer] Tolstoy” is equally absurd. “That can't be Serbia, we have to take care of the soul of our people,” the president clarified. Last month, during a press conference in the Russian embassy in Belgrade, President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on international cultural cooperation, Mikhail Shvydkoy, announced that Belgrade and Moscow were discussing holding a year of cultural exchange in 2024. Several renowned Russian musicians will visit Serbia already this year. On top of that, a meeting of Russian and Serbian academia is also in the pipeline, Shvydkoy revealed. Following the start of Russia’s military operation against Ukraine in late February 2022, a number of European cultural venues have canceled the staging of artworks which have Russian origins and have also barred some Russian performers who have refused to denounce Moscow’s actions. Certain politicians in the EU have also spoken in favor of such bans. As recently as early January, Lithuanian culture minister Simonas Kairys spoke in favor of a “mental quarantine” on Russian culture, claiming the latter is being used by Moscow as a “weapon.” Earlier, the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra in Wales erased music by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky from a concert program, while Britain's Royal Opera House called off a tour by the Bolshoi Ballet. Netflix, in turn, put on hold the production of ‘Anna K,’ an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel ‘Anna Karenina’. Commenting on these tendencies, Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn parallels between Western efforts to cancel Russian culture to the Nazi practice of book burning. https://www.rt.com/russia/571322-serbian-president-russian-culture/ ============================================ 1 Feb, 2023 02:37 7) --- Biden meets with Brazil’s president The two leaders remain split on the conflict in Ukraine, with the White House questioning whether peace talks are “appropriate” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has met with his US counterpart Joe Biden, their first face-to-face discussion since Lula’s election win last year. While Brazil’s leader proposed a path to end fighting in Ukraine, the Biden administration all but rejected the idea. Meeting at the White House on Friday, the two leaders put a heavy focus on climate change and the “defense of democracy,” in view of Brazil's wave of chaotic unrest that followed last year's presidential election. “Both our nations’ strong democracies have been tested of late – very much tested – and our institutions were put in jeopardy,” Biden said at the beginning of the talks, referring to the US’ own bout of unrest following its 2020 presidential race. “But both in the United States and Brazil, democracy prevailed.” Lula thanked Biden for showing “solidarity” after his election victory amid protests and rioting, going on to compare the attack on Brazil’s National Congress by protesters earlier this year to the “Capitol invasion” in the United States on January 6, 2021. The Brazilian leader also outlined several areas on which Brazil and the US could work together, including the preservation of democratic institutions, curbing climate change and fighting racial inequality. After the meeting concluded, Lula told reporters that he would like to make efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, calling to bring together a “group of countries that aren’t directly or indirectly involved in the war… so that we can have a possibility to build peace.” “That is, I'm convinced that we need to find a way out to end this war,” he continued, adding: “I found Biden shared the same concern.” While the two leaders did not publicly discuss the conflict raging in Eastern Europe on Friday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby appeared to throw cold water on Lula’s peace talks proposal. Asked about the idea during a press briefing, Kirby said an end to the fighting “doesn’t appear to be in the offing,” arguing that the US would have to “stay at the task of supporting Ukraine so that they can succeed at the battlefield.” “It’s really up to President [Vladimir] Zelensky to determine if and when negotiations are appropriate and certainly under what circumstances,” he said. “As President Biden has said countless times, ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.’” Since taking office, Lula has declined to follow the US lead in supplying arms and other military hardware to Kiev, and previously voiced skepticism over the Western sanctions campaign targeting Russia’s economy. During an interview with Time magazine last year, while he was still a front-runner in Brazil’s presidential race, Lula said both Ukraine and Russia bore responsibility for the conflict, a view starkly at odds with Washington and its allies. https://www.rt.com/news/571311-biden-meets-brazil-president/ ===================== - RECALL ---- 31 Jan, 2023 08:26 7a) --- Brazil makes proposal on Ukraine peace talks - Countries should form a group dedicated to brokering negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said The world should form a club of countries focused on achieving a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday. He added that, unlike many Western nations, Brazil would not offer weapons to Kiev. “It is necessary to constitute a group with enough strength to be respected at a negotiating table, and sit down with both sides,” the president, who is commonly known just as Lula, stated. He was speaking in Brasilia, the nation’s capital, after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Lula mentioned the G20, an informal club of the world's biggest economies that began meeting regularly after the start of the 2008 financial crisis. “We want to propose [a type of] a G20 to put an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.” “Brazil will make an effort,” Lula declared, adding that he had discussed the matter with Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. He claimed he would also speak about the issue with US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders. At the same time, the Brazilian president stressed that his country would not be sending weapons to Ukraine. Brazil has no interest in passing on ammunition to be used in the war between Ukraine and Russia. Brazil is a country of peace. At this moment, we need to find those who want peace, a word that until now has been used very little. Last week, Germany, together with the US and several other NATO members, pledged to provide Kiev with heavy armor for the first time. The Kremlin has maintained that the deliveries will only further escalate the conflict, and that Western tanks will “burn” on the battlefield. Brazil also decided not to impose sanctions on Russia after Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine last February. Lula’s predecessor, former President Jair Bolsonaro, said at the time that restrictions imposed on Russia by the US and EU “did not work.” =========================================== 11 Feb, 2023 07:40 8) --- US unveils new sanctions on China - The restrictions come days after the Pentagon brought down a suspected Chinese ‘spy balloon’ The US announced new sanctions against China on Friday, targeting six companies linked to Beijing’s suspected surveillance program. The move comes after a Chinese “spy balloon” was spotted and shot down in US airspace. In a statement, the US Commerce Department said the entities were being blacklisted for supporting China’s “military modernization efforts, specifically those related to aerospace programs.” These included airships, balloons and related materials used by Beijing for intelligence and reconnaissance. The new restrictions will make it harder for the sanctioned companies to obtain US technologies. The targeted entities include Beijing Nanjing Aerospace Technology and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation’s 48th Research Institute. China’s “use of high-altitude balloons violates our sovereignty and threatens US national security,” Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez stated. He said the sanctions would make clear that entities seeking to undermine Washington’s national security “will be cut off from accessing US technologies.” The ‘spy balloon’ saga started last week when the Pentagon said it was tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance airship over the US state of Montana. Two days later, it was brought down by a F-22 fighter jet over the water off the coast of South Carolina. While the Pentagon accuses China of using the balloon to “surveil strategic sites” in the US, Beijing described the vessel as a “civilian airship” which strayed into the US territory due to force majeure circumstances. China’s foreign ministry said some US politicians and media outlets had “hyped” the incident as a pretext to “attack and smear China,” reiterating that Beijing has “never violated the territory and airspace of any sovereign country.” It described claims that China was targeting the US with an airship surveillance system as nothing but “information warfare.” US President Joe Biden found himself in hot water over his handling of the incident, with many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle complaining that the balloon should have been downed sooner. However, Biden said he did not want to destroy the aircraft over land due to safety concerns, adding that he didn’t view the incident as a major security breach. On Friday, the Pentagon also said the president had ordered an unidentified high-altitude object near Alaska to be shot down “out of an abundance of caution.” The department said it did not know to whom the object belonged, but noted that it “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.” https://www.rt.com/news/571314-us-sanctions-china-spy-balloon/ =========================================== 11 Feb, 2023 13:59 9) --- Tulsi Gabbard slams ‘dangerous’ Clinton following India trip The noted Hillary Clinton critic said that the visit shows she is ‘envious’ of the Biden presidency Former Democratic US Representative Tulsi Gabbard has continued her long-running feud with Hillary Clinton following the ex-Secretary of State’s recent visit to India. She told Fox News that the trip served little purpose, and shows that former presidential candidate is a “dangerous character” who is “envious” of Joe Biden. Clinton arrived in India on February 5, visiting salt pan workers in Gujarat where she announced a $50-million initiative intended to empower women and communities to fight against climate change. However, Gabbard – who left the Democrat Party last year – has since said that Clinton’s visit to drum up support for alternative clean energy shows that she still covets diplomatic authority and is “envious” of Joe Biden's presidency. “Her desire to be commander-in-chief that she’s had for a very long time has nothing to do with ensuring the safety and security of the American people,” Gabbard said on FOX News’ ‘Jesse Watters Primetime’ show Thursday. “It has everything to do with the fact that if there’s a war to be fought, she wants to be the one with her finger on that proverbial trigger.” She added that she believes Biden to be “channelling her warmongering ways.” Clinton has previously referred to Gabbard as a “Russian asset,” which prompted the former Hawaii Democrat to launch a defamation lawsuit. Gabbard also stated that Clinton’s visit to India did nothing to address India’s more pressing issues, such as tensions with its neighbor Pakistan, and that its only benefit was to increase her own public profile. “This is what makes her such a dangerous character,” Gabbard said. “She feels that she’s not accountable to anyone because she’s not suffering those consequences.” While in India, Clinton said that the country was ideally positioned to implement clean energy methods, which, she claimed, would increase economic growth. She referenced solar power facilities at a salt pan farm she'd visited in Surendranagar as evidence of this. Clinton also used the visit to praise self-employed Indian women who have chosen to work in roles such as street vendors, farmers and laborers. https://www.rt.com/news/571330-gabbard-hillary-clinton-india/ ============================================== 11 Feb, 2023 14:44 OP-ED 10) --- The new US plan for calming Palestine-Israel tensions is already failing Washington’s proposal looks like mutual de-escalation between Palestine and Israel, but fails to acknowledge facts on the ground - Robert Inlakesh The US Biden administration has reportedly presented a plan to cool tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, which have dramatically escalated since the formation of Israel’s new right-wing government. As reported by Axios, following up on a request made by US secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to the Middle East late last month, his Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, stayed behind and worked on presenting a roadmap towards preventing a violent escalation in the region. Antony Blinken had urged both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to “pause” provocative steps in order to avoid further hostilities. The requests made by the Biden administration were originally geared towards the Palestinian Authority (PA) taking significant steps, whilst minimal requirements were put on the Netanyahu government. Antony Blinken urged Mahmoud Abbas to implement a “security plan” presented by US security coordinator Lt. Gen. Michael Fenzel, who proposed creating a special PA Security Force wing that would be trained by the US to fight Palestinian militias that have formed over the past two years in the Jenin and Nablus areas. Later on, the US also requested that Israel reduce the number of raids on Palestinian towns and refugee camps, in addition to halting their plans for significant settlement expansion; both of which Israel refuses to follow through on. Rogue militias - In September of 2021, the Jenin Brigades armed group announced its formation out of the Jenin refugee camp, later growing and expanding its areas of operations to the wider Jenin area. The armed group does not have any traceable command-and-control structure. It consists primarily of men between the ages of 18 and 25, mostly formed of members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement and Fatah Party members who are no longer loyal to the ruling clique in the party that commands the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority. Later, in September of 2022, the Lions’ Den armed movement also announced its formation in the old city of Nablus, claiming to belong to no political party. Due to the rise of newly formed armed groups, which hasn’t happened in the West Bank since the early 2000s, the Palestinian Authority’s security forces have lost control of much of the northern West Bank. The US proposal for the Palestinian Authority to form a special force to fight against the armed militias is an extremely dangerous intervention in the affairs of the region. It is reminiscent of the UK-backed “peace bands” formed under the British Mandate in the late 1930s, when the British took the initiative to use Palestinians to fight each other. However, unlike then, there is no support for anti-militia activities from the Palestinian public today. In fact, the overwhelming majority support the Jenin Brigades, Lions’ Den and other armed groups, according to all available polling data. The PA has been significantly weakened over the past three years due to a financial crisis, corruption, the lack of any diplomatic breakthroughs, the postponement of national elections, and the killing and detention of Palestinians for the sake of Israeli security. Third Intifada coming? - The Palestinian Authority has even been engaged in limited armed exchanges with the newly formed militias in the West Bank over the past year, triggering mass protests from angry West Bank residents. The number one issue that Palestinians in the West Bank have with the PA is its ‘security coordination’ with Israel, which essentially means that the PA’s security forces work with the Israeli military, intelligence and border police, in order to combat Palestinian threats against Israelis, but not the other way around. When Israel raided the Jenin refugee camp last month, killing 10 Palestinians, including three civilians, one of whom was an elderly woman, the PA announced the suspension of security coordination in response. The US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs met last week with Israel’s National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, and President Abbas’ senior advisor, Hussein al-Sheikh, to propose that the Palestinian Authority return to security coordination with Israel, in exchange for Israel slowing down settlement expansion. The US also sought for the PA to pause its attempts to take Israel before the International Court of Justice and the UN for alleged war crimes – a move for which the PA has been punished with Israeli sanctions. Last Thursday, CIA director Bill Burns expressed his concern over the possibility of a ‘third intifada’ [Palestinian uprising] erupting inside the West Bank, stating that “a lot of what we’re seeing today has a very unhappy resemblance to some of those realities that we saw then [during the Second Intifada] too”. His concern is congruent with the reality on the ground, where last year was the deadliest for West Bank Palestinians since the end of the Second Intifada in 2005, according to the United Nations. Palestinian attacks against Israeli settlers and soldiers are also a daily occurrence now. Two-state solution blocked - Despite the US government clearly identifying the nature of the escalation, it shows complete ignorance of its own role in creating the current hostilities. The bulk of the US secretary of state’s visit to Palestine-Israel was tailored to forwarding Arab-Israeli normalization efforts and to expanding the ‘Negev Forum’, which Morocco, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt form with Israel, in order to advance their own ties. At the same time, Antony Blinken spoke of reaching a “two-state solution” between Palestinians and Israelis as being the only path to any lasting peace. Under the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 (also known as the Saudi Initiative), a “two-state solution” (meaning the recognition by Israel of a Palestinian state and the end of occupation of Palestinian territories) is a precondition for the normalization of ties between Israel and Arab states. By pushing for normalization without that precondition, Blinken effectively seeks to deprive the Palestinian Authority of its best bargaining chip and leaves it powerless to extract any concessions from the Israeli government, whose officials will not even consider sitting down for meetings with their Palestinian counterparts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already stated that he is not willing to halt settlement expansion, as proposed by the US government, with Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, openly announcing that there will be no freeze on settlement construction, which is considered illegal by the UN and most world powers. Israel has also announced its intention to increase raids and further military activities in the West Bank, in what it deems to be a preparation for likely hostilities during the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan. Hope for Palestinians is the only way to peace - Despite the PA having announced the end of its security coordination with Israel, it is clear that some coordination is still occurring and that the announcement was more of a public relations move for President Abbas, who is feeling the pressure from a disgruntled Palestinian population. This in itself is a key indicator that the PA is feeling the pressure from Palestinian society at large and a sign that any US-trained PA force to combat the militia groups could lead to a disaster, whereby the Ramallah-based authority could even be overthrown due to the outrage such a step would cause. When the CIA worked to create the “new PA security force” during the latter years of the Second Intifada, it only worked after the PA itself had participated in the fight against the Israeli military and still maintained some degree of popular support. In addition to this, the Israeli army had conducted ‘Operation Defensive Shield,’ which led to the assassinations or arrests of the most prominent militia leaders inside the West Bank. The only way the PA could possibly regain control of Jenin and Nablus is by proving to the Palestinian people that it is on their side, and not fighting for the US and Israel. It is also the reality that many of the leading fighters in the militia groups, especially in Jenin, are actually members of the PA’s security forces that have gone rogue. Armed militias also seem to be forming in areas like Bethlehem, al-Khalil and even Jericho, which proves that the re-emergence of the armed struggle in the West Bank is not only limited to the north of the territory. The only way to properly combat the escalation and to stop this from growing into a much larger confrontation, is to provide hope for the Palestinian people inside the West Bank, something that the US will not even consider. Instead of the US working as an objective mediator, it works solely for Israel’s immediate interests and accepts the political restraints of each Israeli government as an excuse for repeatedly violating its own red lines. The US considers every single Palestinian political party as a terrorist organization, other than the mainstream branch of the Fatah Party, meaning that they will not even talk to any Palestinian representatives other than those that adhere to their own demands. The obsessive pursuit of Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel, seemingly for political gain on behalf of the Biden administration, also contributes to robbing Palestinians of any hope for peace. The situation inside the West Bank cannot be resolved using bombs and bullets. Even if every single member of all the armed groups were to be killed, the same problem would again emerge for Israel in the future. Despite this, Washington will never look critically at what is going on and realize that there are two sides to this conflict. At this time the US government is dealing with the escalation as if Israel has a termite problem and not that there are people who are rising up in an ongoing struggle for statehood. Robert Inlakesh is a political analyst, journalist and documentary filmmaker currently based in London, UK. He has reported from and lived in the Palestinian territories and currently works with Quds News. Director of ‘Steal of the Century: Trump's Palestine-Israel Catastrophe’. " ...The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.... " https://www.rt.com/news/571334-us-israel-palestine-peace/ ===============================================

Warning: Disturbing images. Moscow slams international organizations and the West for their silence over Kiev's alleged war crimes, as more footage emerges online showing the execution of Russian soldiers by Ukrainian troops. The United Nations has verified the footage and is set to investigate. Ukraine/Russia, Crucial Moments: The Russian advance continues in Artyomovsk and Ugledar. Igor Zhdanov reports from (very) near the front line and talks to some soldiers fighting there. Israel, Jerusalem: Two are killed, including a six-year old child as a car ploughs into a bus station in Jerusalem. Israeli police are treating it as a terror attack. Maria Finoshina reports. India: India's ministry of mines has announced they have discovered a record amount of lithium deposits in the Kashmir region, Reasi, giving hope to a boosting of the 'electric vehicle industry' and other sectors. The find is around 5.9 million tons. Report of significance for India by Runjun Sharma. European Union Summit with Ukraine, Brussels: The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni has lashed out at France and Germany over an "inappropriate" meeting with Pres. Zelensky which she wasn't invited to. Rachel Marsden reports on a lot of hugging in Belgium. UN peacekeeping forces kill eight civilians and wound nearly 30 more in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after protesters attack a convoy over frustration at the lack of progress in combatting terrorism in the region. Starlink, Ukraine: Elon Musk's company is to set limits on the use of it's Starlink satellite system for Ukraine's drones saying the system was supposed to be used for humanitarian purposes only. Mikhail Podolyak has tweeted out a moan giving Starlink and ultimatum perhaps? Mike Jones discusses the implications with Eunan. Africa: DRC. UN peacekeeping forces have killed eight civilians and wounded almost 30 others in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after protesters vented outrage about a lack of progress in combatting terrorism in the region. The "peacekeepers" opened fire to "protect the convoy" which was returning from a re-supply trip to Goma. The UN peacekeepers are supposed to be helping eliminate the continued terrorism from Rwanda's M23 "rebels" (Please see previous posts to catch up). Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria: Update report as many remain trapped under the rubble. The latest reports say 20,000 have been killed in the two countries, unknown thousands have been injured, 400,000 building are structurally damaged. Peter Scott reports from Adiyaman. (also see posts below) ========================================== - Pres. Putin will deliver his annual message to the Federal Assembly on February 21 =================================== - Below via RT website A) --- US ‘lying’ about Nord Stream expose – Moscow B) --- Missile strikes reported across Ukraine C) --- Russia comments on prospects of peace treaty with Japan D) --- US role in Kiev’s artillery warfare identified – media - 1) --- Pentagon seeking to resume top-secret programs in Ukraine – WaPo 2) --- Russia to cut oil production in response to Western sanctions 2a) --- Oil prices jump after Russia announces production cuts 2b) --- EU embargo on Russian oil products kicks in 3) --- Kiev sounds alarm over ammo 4) --- China comments on bombshell Nord Stream report 5) --- EU applicant government to be replaced 6) --- Over 20,000 dead from Türkiye-Syria earthquakes 7) --- UN condemns executions of Russian POWs by Ukrainians 8) --- IOC president blasts Ukraine – media 8a) --- Olympic chiefs react to ‘defamation’ from Kiev 9) Western sanctions will make sure more Syrians die after the earthquakes - ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 16:57 A) --- US ‘lying’ about Nord Stream expose – Moscow The Russian Foreign Ministry has reminded the State Department about its own history of misleading claims Attempts by the US State Department to brush off Seymour Hersh’s article about the sabotage of Nord Stream pipelines as “nonsense” are overt lies that display shocking ignorance of American history, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Friday. The veteran investigative journalist reported on Wednesday that the US was behind the destruction of the Baltic Sea pipelines in September 2022. American divers planted charges under the cover of a NATO exercise, and a Norwegian airplane detonated them remotely when the time came, Hersh wrote. “It would not be typical for us to engage allies and partners on something that is utter and complete nonsense,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday, answering a question about Hersh’s article. Zakharova said she was astonished by Price’s audacity to call “nonsense” what US President Joe Biden and Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland openly described as their preferred outcome. “The US is once again lying live on air, openly mocking journalists who asked fully justified questions,” Zakharova said. Washington also has a history of targeting civilian petrochemical infrastructure, Zakharova noted, citing the 1983 CIA sabotage of a pipeline in Nicaragua as an example. “You did this, you do this, and you will do this until you’re stopped,” the spokeswoman added. As for bringing allies and partners into “nonsense,” Zakharova argued that this was precisely what “trans-Atlantic solidarity” means in practice, referring to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as one example. “Twenty years ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell brought to the UN Security Council a vial of something, and called [on] allies and partners to invade a sovereign state, without any evidence, over claims that proved to be utter nonsense. Ned, do you know your own department’s history?” Zakharova said. “I have no doubts that at the State Department they are bad with the history of their own country. That’s why we are where we are.” Explosions that damaged both Nord Stream pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm cut off the flow of Russian natural gas to Germany. US officials tried to blame Russia for the blasts, while expressing delight at the destruction and calling it an “opportunity” for Europe. The White House has denounced Hersh’s report as “utterly false and complete fiction.” Zakharova noted that Denmark and Sweden had refused Russian offers to assist with the investigation, while Norway declined to provide aid citing EU sanctions, adding that this shows the three governments were not interested in finding out the truth, but rather covering it up. https://www.rt.com/russia/571298-zakharova-american-lies-nordstream/ ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 10:42 B) --- Missile strikes reported across Ukraine An air-raid alert was declared in all parts of the country Ukrainian officials and media reported a series of Russian drone and missile attacks targeting the country’s critical infrastructure, on Friday. Several barrages reportedly caused power outages and disrupted train services. The attacks are said to have started early in the morning, and air-raid warnings have since been activated all over the country. The Ukrainian Air Force command claimed it intercepted five kamikaze drones and five sea-launched Kalibr missiles. Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, claimed that two Kalibr missiles fired from the Black Sea had crossed the airspace of Romania and Moldova. Moldova’s defense ministry reported detecting a missile flying over its territory towards Ukraine, condemning the violation, but would not immediately blame Russia. However, its foreign ministry attributed the action to Moscow and said it would urgently summon the Russian ambassador. The Russian Defense Ministry has so far not commented on the strikes. Ukrenergo, Ukraine’s energy operator, stated that several high-voltage sites around the country had been hit. Emergency shutdowns are being implemented to preempt possible damage to the power grid from overload, it reported. Railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia said the power cuts had forced several trains to be delayed, with some electric locomotives being replaced by backup diesel engines. The administration of Kiev Region reported air-defense action and urged people to stay in shelters. According to Vitaly Klitschko, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, missile debris damaged a car and the roof of a building. In Kharkov, several strikes hit industrial and infrastructure objects, according to Igor Terekhov, the head of the region. He warned that residents may experience blackouts and water shortages. The Russian military has been targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which it considers essential for the country’s military capabilities, since October last year. Moscow stepped up pressure after it accused Kiev of using “terrorist tactics” and targeting Russian infrastructure, including the Crimean Bridge. Russian investigators said Ukrainian military intelligence had masterminded the bomb attack on the strategic crossing. The degradation of Ukraine’s energy system has forced the introduction of rolling blackouts. https://www.rt.com/russia/571272-ukraine-drone-missile-strikes/ =============================================== 10 Feb, 2023 14:44 C) --- Russia comments on prospects of peace treaty with Japan The issue of ending a decades-old war dispute with Japan is “closed” for Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Any plans to strike a peace treaty with Japan are off the table for Moscow, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said, citing Tokyo's hostility towards Russia. “As for the subject of a peace treaty, as you know, it has been closed for us,” Maria Zakharova said during a regular media briefing on Friday. The spokeswoman noted that the Foreign Ministry clearly articulated its position on the issue last March, stating that the “unfriendly” stance of Japan makes any further negotiations impossible. The remarks came shortly after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to prioritize reopening talks with Moscow on the peace treaty, and resolving the territorial dispute over the South Kuril Islands, referred to by Tokyo as the “northern territories.” “The fact that 77 years after the end of the war, the issue of the Northern Territories has not been resolved and there is no peace treaty between Japan and Russia is extremely regrettable... The Japanese government is committed to resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty,” Kishida said on Tuesday during a ceremony to commemorate the day of the “northern territories.” During the event, Japan referred to the four southern islands of the Kuril chain as “illegally occupied” by Moscow for the first time in five years. “It is completely unacceptable that the Northern Territories have yet to be returned since the Soviet Union’s illegal occupation of them 77 years ago,” a joint statement adopted by the government and civic groups at the ceremony stated. Russia and Japan have technically remained at war with each other for almost eight decades, after failing to reach a post-WWII settlement. Tokyo disputes Russian sovereignty over four of the islands in the Kuril Archipelago, which the Soviet Union captured during the war. In the San Francisco Treaty of 1951, Japan relinquished its claims to the Kurils, but later claimed the “northern territories” were never a part of the archipelago. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow offered some compromises to Japan on the issue, namely a simplified visa mechanism for separate Japanese families and joint economic development of the islands. However, the two countries have never reached a final settlement on the issue. https://www.rt.com/russia/571288-japan-peace-treaty-prospects/ ========= - (RE-POST from 3 Jan, 2023 16:42) recall: Japan's militarization a 'security threat' – Russia Tokyo’s plan to deploy supersonic missiles on the island of Hokkaido represents a “serious challenge,” according to Moscow Moscow stands ready to thwart threats from a Japanese military buildup near Russian islands in the Far East, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko has said. The statement came after Japanese broadcaster NHK cited the country’s Defense Ministry in late December as saying that Tokyo was planning to deploy supersonic missiles on the island of Hokkaido, which borders Russia’s Kuril Islands, the southern part of which Japan claims as its “Northern Territories.” Moscow condemned the move at the time. “We consider Tokyo’s activities a serious challenge to the security of our country and the Asia-Pacific as a whole,” Rudenko stated, in an interview with TASS news agency on Tuesday. “If such practices continue, we will be forced to implement appropriate retaliatory measures in order to block the military threats Russia faces,” the diplomat added, condemning the “expedited militarization” of Japan and the “unprecedented” increase in its military budget. In 2017, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a plan to revise the country’s pacifist constitution, adopted shortly after World War II under the auspices of the US. Although the document bans Tokyo from maintaining a standing army, Japan has formidable self-defense forces. Abe said at the time that the reform would make their status “explicit.” Last month, the Japanese government approved a record $51 billion draft defense budget for fiscal year 2023. Tokyo also revised its National Security Strategy, allowing for the acquisition of “counterstrike capabilities.” It has become “increasingly difficult to fully address missile threats with the existing missile defense network alone,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in December, citing threats from China and North Korea. Japan, together with many Western countries, imposed sanctions on Russia following Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine launched last February. It also sent military supplies to Kiev, including flak jackets and helmets. Russia has since blacklisted several top Japanese officials, including Kishida, for waging “an unprecedented anti-Russian campaign.” https://www.rt.com/russia/569341-russia-japan-military-threat/ =============================================== 10 Feb, 2023 08:40 D) --- US role in Kiev’s artillery warfare identified – media The American military is “controlling every shot” with Pentagon-supplied rockets, a Ukrainian official told the Washington Post (paywall: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/09/ukraine-himars-rocket-artillery-russia/) The Ukrainian military requests precise coordinates from the Pentagon for almost every rocket fired from US-made artillery systems, and would not fire a shot without getting them, according to a report by the Washington Post. Three Ukrainian officials and one senior US official spoke to the newspaper, on condition of anonymity, about America’s involvement. One Ukrainian source implied that Washington has the final say on every action, making the case for the delivery of longer-range rockets to Kiev. “You’re controlling every shot anyway, so when you say: ‘We’re afraid that you’re going to use it for some other purposes,’ well, we can’t do it even if we want to,” the senior official was quoted as saying. The US official disputed the characterization, claiming that Ukraine selected targets and that the American side simply provided intelligence to make best use of the GPS-guided munitions. But the Ukrainian official said that when the US fails to provide coordinates as requested, Ukrainian troops simply don’t open fire. The US has supplied the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to prop up the Ukrainian military against Russia, while the UK has sent the M270 Multiple-Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Both systems can fire various types of rockets, but the US has declined to provide the longest-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) tactical ballistic missiles. Washington reportedly has concerns that Kiev would use them to attack targets in Russia, while Kiev has been lobbying for lifting the restriction. Russian officials have accused Washington of waging a proxy war against it, citing, among other things, its role in targeting Ukrainian strikes. HIMARS launchers were reportedly used in attacks on civilian targets, such as the October 2022 strike on a river crossing in Kherson Region, which killed four and injured 13 others. A Ukrainian military spokesperson claimed at the time that the victims were Russian troops disguised as civilians. Another incident occurred in January, and involved a HIMARS strike on a hospital in the city of Novoaydar in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The attack killed 14 people and injured 24 others, according to the Russian military. https://www.rt.com/russia/571265-us-coordinates-ukrainian-strikes/ ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 16:39 1) --- Pentagon seeking to resume top-secret programs in Ukraine – WaPo Local operatives may be hired and overseen by US Special Operations troops, the paper reports The US Department of Defense is trying to convince lawmakers to fund two top-secret programs in Ukraine, which were put on hold after Russia launched its military operation in the country last year, the Washington Post reported on Friday. If the Pentagon gets its way, the operations involving US Special Forces could resume in 2024, the newspaper claimed. The Post, citing unnamed current and former US officials, alleged that the schemes in question would allow US commandos to employ Ukrainian operatives to “observe Russian military movements and counter disinformation.” It said the programs are considered to be a form of “irregular warfare” intended for use against adversaries with whom Washington is not engaged in a military conflict. While the Pentagon has already begun preparing its case for the resumption of these operations, Congress is unlikely to make a decision on the matter before the fall of 2023, the paper reported. The article also noted that a big question mark remains over whether the Biden administration would allow US commandos to actually reestablish a physical presence in Ukraine to oversee surrogates’ activities. According to the Post, American special operations forces could end up having to oversee activities from a neighboring country – a format they have reportedly become accustomed to in recent years. However, it is unknown whether lawmakers will give the programs a green light as a number of critics remain unconvinced, the article claimed. Some of these are reportedly concerned that such operations may risk dragging the US deeper into the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. “What started as a reconnaissance mission can quickly turn into combat when the surrogates start getting shot at,” one official told reporters on condition of anonymity. They went on to add that it is not clear “how the [defense] department is going to change people in Congress’ minds about that.” Representatives of the Senate and House Armed Services committees, as well as the White House and the Pentagon, declined to comment, citing the programs’ classified status, the Post reported. Since the start of the military conflict between Moscow and Kiev, Washington has pledged to support Kiev with arms, money and other forms of assistance “for as long as it takes” to defeat Russia strategically. Moscow, meanwhile, has called the conflict a proxy war waged against it by Washington and its allies to preserve Western dominance. https://www.rt.com/news/571300-us-special-operations-ukraine-programs/ ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 13:00 2) --- Russia to cut oil production in response to Western sanctions Output will be reduced by 500,000 barrels per day in March Russia will voluntarily reduce oil production in March by 500,000 barrels per day as it halts sales to buyers complying with a Western-imposed price cap, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak announced on Friday. Novak said the move should help restore market relations shattered by the price ceiling, which he branded “illegal.” “Russia believes that the mechanism of price caps on Russian oil and petroleum products is an intervention in market relations and an extension of destructive energy policies of the collective West,” the deputy PM said in a statement. The EU and the G7 nations introduced a price cap on Russian supplies on February 5, setting a limit of $100 per barrel for diesel, jet fuel and gasoline coming from Russia, and a $45 per barrel for other oil products that trade below the crude price, such as fuel oil used in industry. Fuel exports priced over these limits will be barred from insurance and shipping services from companies located in Western countries. The caps follow a previously introduced $60-per-barrel price ceiling on Russian crude oil. Russia has repeatedly warned of potential output cuts since the EU and G7 began discussing capping the price of Russian exports. Economists say the production reduction, which is the equivalent of about 5% of January’s output, may trigger volatility on the oil market, which has taken in its stride the EU ban on seaborne imports of Russian oil. Russia is currently able to sell “all volumes of oil produced” to foreign markets, Novak said, adding that “we will act based on how the market situation is developing,” when making further decisions. There are concerns that Moscow’s decision will deepen the 2 million barrel-a-day supply curbs announced late last year by OPEC+, which Russia leads along with Saudi Arabia. An analyst at UBS Group, Giovanni Staunovo, told Bloomberg that in the short term there is nobody to fill the supply gap created by the Russian cuts. Crude prices jumped on the news, with the international benchmark Brent rising more than 2% to $86.60 a barrel as 13:00 GMT on Friday. https://www.rt.com/business/571270-russia-oil-production-cut-sanctions/ ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 15:45 2a) --- Oil prices jump after Russia announces production cuts Crude is on course for a 10% weekly gain as Moscow plans an output cut of 500,000 barrels per day in March Oil prices jumped more than 2% on Friday, heading for weekly gains, as Moscow announced plans to reduce crude production next month in response to Western price caps. Brent crude futures were trading 2% higher to $86.21 a barrel while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up 2% at $79.63. Both contracts are on course for weekly gains of around 10%. Earlier on Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak announced that Moscow will voluntarily reduce oil production in March by 500,000 barrels per day as it halts sales to buyers complying with a Western-imposed price cap. Novak said the move should help restore market relations shattered by the price ceiling, which he branded “illegal.” The EU and the G7 nations introduced a price cap on Russian refined oil products on February 5, setting a limit of $100 per barrel for diesel, jet fuel and gasoline coming from Russia, and a $45-per-barrel cap for other oil products that trade below the crude price, such as fuel oil used in industry. Fuel exports priced over these limits will be barred from insurance and shipping services from companies located in Western countries. The caps follow a previously introduced $60-per-barrel price ceiling on Russian crude oil. Moscow has repeatedly warned of potential output cuts since the EU and G7 began discussing capping the price of Russian exports. Economists say the move may trigger volatility on the oil market. “Lower Russian production together with China’s reopening should tighten the oil market further over the coming quarters,” UBS Strategist Giovanni Staunovo said in a Friday note to clients, seen by CNBC. There are also concerns that Moscow’s decision will deepen the two-million-barrels-a-day supply curbs announced late last year by the OPEC+ alliance. https://www.rt.com/business/571292-oil-prices-spike-russia-sanctions/ ========================================= 6 Feb, 2023 12:19 2b) --- EU embargo on Russian oil products kicks in The measure is entering force along with a Western price cap on Moscow’s refined petroleum products The EU has placed an embargo on Russian refined oil products, including diesel. The measure came into force on Sunday, February 5, and provides for a 55-day grace period for the fuel loaded on tankers before this date. The ban follows previously introduced embargos on Russian coal and crude oil, and is aimed at further lowering the bloc’s reliance on Russian energy and slashing Moscow’s profits from energy exports. The embargo has reignited warnings of diesel supply disruptions and price spikes across the bloc. The EU relied on Russia for about half of its diesel imports last year, some 700,000 barrels a day, and will now have to find alternate sources. At the same time, Russia will have to find new buyers for its fuel exports, and may be forced to cut production if this doesn’t happen quickly, which would lower supply on the global market. Meanwhile, diesel prices, which are currently around $110-$120 a barrel, may rise in the short term while the EU is securing supplies from new sources. However, later on, as many experts point out, the bloc may start buying processed fuel from countries still able to import Russian oil, with the cost of such products much higher than direct imports from Russia. The latter scenario may keep global diesel prices elevated for a long while. “The system will find its equilibrium sooner or later. At a cost for everybody, of course,” Dario Scaffardi, former CEO of Italy’s Saras SpA oil refinery, told Bloomberg. The EU ban coincides with a Western price cap on Russian petroleum products, which also came into force on Sunday. The measure sets a price limit of $100 per barrel for diesel, jet fuel and gasoline coming from Russia, and a $45-per-barrel price cap for other oil products that trade below the crude price, such as fuel oil used in industry. The fuel exports priced over these limits will be barred from getting insurance and shipping services from companies located in Western countries. The caps follow a previously introduced $60-per-barrel price ceiling on Russian crude oil. Moscow has been opposed to any attempts to cap prices on its energy exports. Russia has banned crude sales to buyers that mention the price ceiling in their contracts. A similar restriction is expected to be introduced regarding the EU’s latest cap on oil products. https://www.rt.com/business/571028-eu-embargo-russian-oil-products/ ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 12:52 3) --- Kiev sounds alarm over ammo Top Ukrainian official Igor Zhovkva told Bloomberg the country’s stocks are “almost zero” Intense fighting in Ukraine has caused its military to almost run out of ammunition, with stocks not being replenished in time, Igor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s office, has told media. The official also called on the West to provide Kiev with long-range artillery systems, tanks and fighter jets. In an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday, Zhovkva lamented that “now we are having like almost zero ammunition,” a situation that makes it harder for the Ukrainian military to respond to Russian shelling. “We are running [out] of the ammunition very quickly because the fighting is intensive,” he explained, adding that Russian forces boast more firepower. Zelensky’s staffer also noted that Kiev needs long-range missiles to “de-occupy Ukrainian territory,” as opposed to hitting targets inside Russia. According to the official, this type of weaponry would be crucial to launch a counteroffensive against Moscow’s forces. On the subject of fighter jets, Zhovkva named several reasons why Ukraine is seeking to get hold of them. He pointed out that, among other things, such aircraft are “very good in intercepting the ballistic missiles.” He expressed hope that the upcoming Ramstein format meeting on February 14 will see Kiev’s Western backers pledge more weapons, adding that “it’s high time” they stopped caring about Moscow’s reaction to such deliveries. Commenting on the military aid already provided by the West, Zhovkva said that it was “too late, too little, and too slow.” On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reacted to the news that the British government was considering donating some of its warplanes to Ukraine, by warning that the UK and several other European nations are becoming increasingly involved in the conflict. “The line between indirect and direct involvement is gradually disappearing,” he stressed, adding that this fuels further escalation. Peskov pointed out, however, that while unnecessarily prolonging the fighting, Western arms shipments will not be able to change the outcome of the conflict or prevent Russia from achieving its goals. https://www.rt.com/russia/571284-zelensky-advisor-ukraine-ammo-shortages/ =========================================== 10 Feb, 2023 17:04 4) --- China comments on bombshell Nord Stream report The US owes the world an explanation on the sabotage of the Russian gas pipelines, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry says The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday that Washington owed the world an explanation, following the publication of journalist Seymour Hersh’s report, claiming the US was behind the September 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. “We have noted the reports,” Mao Ning said, responding to a question from Dragon TV. She added that the two Nord Stream pipelines were “vital transnational infrastructure” and that their destruction caused a serious economic and environmental impact. “If Hersh is telling the truth, what he revealed is clearly unacceptable and must be answered for. The US owes the world a responsible explanation,” Mao stated. A follow-up question from the Beijing Youth Daily pointed out the sparse coverage of Hersh’s report by the “free, professional and impartial” US outlets. Mao responded: "...It only proves that some media outlets care little about the truth. They pretend not to see the truth that really matters and, more often than not, try to sell false narratives rather than the truth...." Hersh, an investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize laureate, published a report titled “How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline” on Wednesday. He cited a “source with direct knowledge of the operational planning” of the attack on the Russia-Germany pipelines. He claims a bomb was planted by the US during the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercises, and the explosive was then detonated by Norway dropping a sonar buoy from a military plane. US Department of State spokesman Ned Price was asked about Hersh’s report on Thursday and dismissed it as “utter and complete nonsense.” He went on to label it as “propaganda” that he did not want to see “aired in the briefing room." In Germany, which jointly funded the construction of the Nord Stream pipelines, members of the AfD party demanded a discussion on the article and its claims in the country’s parliament on Friday. “The Bundestag has a right to know what the federal government knows,” said the party’s official Twitter account, citing parliamentary group leader Tino Chrupalla. https://www.rt.com/news/571304-china-comment-nord-stream-report/ ============================================ 10 Feb, 2023 13:58 5) --- EU applicant government to be replaced Moldova’s prime minister has stepped down amid allegations of crackdowns on dissent Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita resigned on Friday, precipitating a change in government for the economically-troubled and politically-unstable nation. Gavrilita did not divulge the reasons behind her decision in her farewell speech, which focused on what she described as the achievements of her team during her short-lived tenure. “I am proud to have accelerated infrastructure projects that were stagnating due to incompetence and corruption,” the politician said. Her government “preserved peace and economic stability” despite efforts by “agents of destabilization,” she added. Gavrilita announced her resignation after holding a meeting with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who accepted it immediately. In a Facebook post, the president thanked the former PM for her efforts in governing Moldova at a time of “unprecedented challenges.” The outgoing cabinet took the helm in August 2021, after the Sandu-founded Party of Action and Solidarity won a snap election a month earlier. Rumors about the government’s imminent collapse have been swirling in Moldova since Monday. For months last year, the government in Chisinau faced mass protests over rising energy prices and worsening standards of living, which followed a feud with Russian gas giant Gazprom over the terms of fuel supplies. The demonstrations also had a political aspect, as the government was accused of cracking down on the opposition. Former president Igor Dodon, whom Sandu beat at the ballot box in 2020, is facing a number of criminal charges, ranging from corruption and illegal campaign financing to falsifying medical documents. His supporters believe the investigations are politically motivated, since Dodon, an advocate of good relations with Russia, has been criticizing Sandu’s pro-Western stance. Amid the protests, the government forced several Russian-language media outlets to go off air when it refused to renew their broadcasting licenses in December. Since October, Moldova has been living in a state of emergency, which the opposition claims is just a method of preventing mass gatherings of discontent citizens. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov assessed last week that Moldova may become “a new Ukraine” in the sense of adopting anti-Russian policies despite how much they may hurt the country. He said Sandu was a major factor, because she was ready to do “practically anything” to further her pro-Western agenda. Last June, the EU granted Moldova a candidate status alongside fellow applicant Ukraine. (QS see post from yesterday - plans by EU for Moldova to become "the next Ukraine") https://www.rt.com/russia/571290-moldova-prime-minister-resigns/ =========================================== 9 Feb, 2023 20:33 6) --- Over 20,000 dead from Türkiye-Syria earthquakes The odds of finding more survivors are dwindling with the passage of time and cold temperatures More than 20,000 people have lost their lives and almost 80,000 have been injured from the series of catastrophic earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria beginning on Monday, according to the latest official figures. Meanwhile, tens of thousands have been left homeless in the winter cold. On Thursday evening, the Turkish Health Ministry updated the death toll to 17,406, with 71,866 people with documented injuries from the quakes. Syrian authorities put the number of dead at 1,347, while the Western-backed rebels claimed almost 1,800 more in territories under their control. A 7.7 magnitude quake struck Türkiye’s Kahramanmaras Province in the early hours of Monday. The two strongest aftershocks in Gaziantep Province came in at magnitudes of 6.4 and 6.5, respectively. Survivors are struggling with the lack of shelter in the bitter winter temperatures, and some have reportedly asked the Turkish government to evacuate them elsewhere. “Especially in this cold, it is not possible to live here,” Ahmet Tokgoz, a resident of Antakya in the Hatay province, told AP. “People are warming up around campfires, but campfires can only warm you up so much.” “If people haven’t died from being stuck under the rubble, they’ll die from the cold,” Tokgoz added. Visiting Hatay on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that no one could have been prepared for a disaster of this magnitude, but that Ankara “will not leave any of our citizens uncared for.” More than 110,000 rescuers were working in Türkiye, backed by over 5,500 vehicles, including bulldozers, cranes, excavators and tractors. Among them were Russian Emergency Ministry crews, which were also deployed in Syria. Russian troops operating in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Latakia and Hama have rescued 47 people from the rubble, rendered medical aid to 225 more, and delivered 38.5 tons of humanitarian aid, Major-General Oleg Yegorov told reporters. The World Health Organization has estimated that the earthquakes may impact as many as 23 million people in the long run. The situation in Syria is particularly dire, after 12 years of armed conflict and an economic blockade imposed by the US and its allies. Charities and international organizations have repeatedly called on the West to lift or at least suspend its sanctions, to make it easier for aid to get in. “We just hope that the political considerations will get out of the way and let us do our job,” El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria, said at a press conference on Wednesday. https://www.rt.com/news/571253-syria-turkiye-quake-death-toll/ ============================================ 10 Feb, 2023 17:56 7) --- UN condemns executions of Russian POWs by Ukrainians The UN human rights watchdog is aware of a new graphic video purportedly showing the execution of Russian POWs by Ukrainians and has raised the issue with Kiev The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is aware of recently-emerged footage apparently showing the execution of Russian soldiers who had surrendered by Ukrainian troops, a spokeswoman for the UN watchdog, Marta Hurtado, has said. “We have raised concerns about the treatment of prisoners of war, including alleged killings of POWs by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense,” Hurtado told TASS in a statement on Friday. The graphic video in question surfaced earlier this week, filmed by an armed individual speaking Ukrainian and demanding answers from three men in military uniforms lying on the ground. After failing to elicit a coherent response from them, the man shoots one of the men in the head multiple times at point blank range. One of the men, lying motionless on the ground, also has visible blood around his head, apparently getting shot and killed before the video started. A fellow Ukrainian soldier appeared to try to reason with the gunman, pointing out that the third captive was holding a grenade. The killer briefly showed his face at the very end of the video, concluding it with an obscenity and ‘Glory to Ukraine’ slogan, which is commonly associated with World War II-era Nazi collaborators but is widely used in present-day Ukraine. Additional footage seemingly filmed in the immediate aftermath of the incident showed the killer trying to provide excuses to justify his actions. The UN is aware of this footage as well, Hurtado said, adding that none of the excuses actually have merit. “We are also aware of another video that has appeared on social media platforms that includes additional footage of the original incident and also appears to show a Ukrainian soldier confessing [to] the killing and trying to justify it by alleging that the victims refused to surrender or that they were part of the Wagner Group military and security contractors fighting on behalf of the Russian Federation,” the spokeswoman said. “These excuses do not provide justification for the soldier's actions under international humanitarian law.” According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the killing of unarmed soldiers who surrendered is a “widespread practice” by Kiev’s troops, and multiple incidents of this sort have occurred amid the ongoing conflict, with some of them published online by the killers themselves. The Russian Investigative Committee said on Thursday that the footage appeared to show the recent murder of three Russian POWs by “Ukrainian nationalists,” pledging to investigate further and identify the perpetrators. https://www.rt.com/russia/571297-un-ukraine-pow-execution/ ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 13:37 8) --- IOC president blasts Ukraine – media Pressure from Kiev for countries to boycott the Paris 2024 Games goes against the Olympic Charter, Thomas Bach reportedly said International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has reportedly urged Kiev to cease its calls for a boycott of the Paris 2024 Games. Ukraine has claimed that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete would promote Moscow’s military operation – an allegation that the IOC has dismissed as “defamatory.” In a letter sent to the president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), Vadim Guttsait, and seen by several media outlets, Bach called on the authorities in Kiev to end their threats regarding the next edition of the Summer Games, and to refrain from pressuring other countries into a boycott. Bach noted that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag at the 2024 Games had “not even been discussed in concrete terms yet.” He also suggested that a letter from Guttsait to other NOCs had been sent prematurely and had caused dismay among numerous IOC members. “Your letter at this premature stage to your fellow NOCs, to the International Federations, IOC Members and to future Olympic hosts, pressuring them in an attempt to publicly influence their decision making, has been perceived by the vast majority of them as, at the very least, extremely regrettable,” Bach is said to have written. The IOC president reportedly reminded Kiev that a boycott is a violation of the Olympic Charter, which “obliges all NOCs to ‘participate in the Games of the Olympiad by sending athletes.’” Bach also condemned “defamatory statements” made by several Ukrainian officials who have accused the IOC of being a “promoter of war, murder and destruction.” Last month, the organization denied allegations that it took bribes from Moscow and warned that such claims would not lead to “constructive discussion.” In January, the IOC announced it was looking at ways to permit athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Paris 2024 Games under a neutral flag. Senior Ukrainian officials, including President Vladimir Zelensky, responded to the news by vowing to lobby for a boycott of the event. They have repeatedly insisted on isolating Russian and Belarusian athletes from any international sporting events. https://www.rt.com/sport/571287-ioc-ukraine-paris-boycott/ ================== Related 31 Jan, 2023 07:49 8a) --- Olympic chiefs react to ‘defamation’ from Kiev Hurling accusations at the committee won’t lead to a “constructive discussion,” the organization warned The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has denied claims by an aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that the sporting body took bribes from Russia and was “promoting war.” Mikhail Podoliak lashed out at the IOC after it floated the idea of allowing Russian athletes to compete again. “The IOC rejects in the strongest possible terms this and other defamatory statements,” a release quoted by Reuters on Monday said. “They cannot serve as a basis for any constructive discussion.” Last week, the IOC announced that it was exploring “a pathway” for athletes from Belarus and Russia to take part in international events under a neutral flag with certain restrictions. In February, it urged organizers of all events not to invite athletes from the two countries, ostensibly to protect the integrity of sports and to show solidarity with Kiev. In response, Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee threatened to boycott the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. The proposal was harshly criticized by senior Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky. Podoliak called the IOC a “promoter of war, murder & destruction” that takes “pleasure” in watching his country being hurt. He also claimed that the body takes “Russian money” to “platform [Russia] to promote genocide.” Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said last week that the IOC wants “to sweep Russian war crimes under the rug” and “trample on the graves of thousands of innocent” Ukrainians. Zelensky said he had sent a letter to his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to put pressure on him. “We must be certain that Russia will not be able to use this or any other international sports events to propagandize aggression or its state chauvinism,” he said in a video address on Sunday. The Kremlin declined to comment on the IOC’s proposal before formal measures are adopted. International sports has been affected by politics, spokesman Dmitry Peskov observed, adding that even the wording of the IOC’s initiative reflects this. https://www.rt.com/news/570738-ukraine-defamation-ioc-response/ ========================================== 10 Feb, 2023 16:26 OP-ED 9) Western sanctions will make sure more Syrians die after the earthquakes The economic stranglehold and selective approach to aid will mean more death and displacement OP-ED by Eva Bartlett Following the devastating earthquakes that rocked Türkiye, Syria and their neighboring countries on February 6, leaving more than 20,000 dead, Damascus is struggling to deal with this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe as it remains under brutal Western sanctions that have brought the country to its knees. The West’s war on Syria that began in early 2011 failed to topple its elected president, but the subsequent years of increasingly cruel sanctions – all in the name of ‘helping the Syrian people’ – have succeeded in rendering life miserable and near impossible, with most unable to afford to properly feed their families, much less heat their homes. Now, in a time of crisis, the Syrian people cannot even receive donations or emergency support from abroad. One supporter set up a GoFundMe campaign, only to have it taken down due to the sanctions. Type the word “Ukraine” into the search field on PayPal or GoFundMe and you’ll see countless appeals for sending money to Ukraine. But for Syrians, Western platforms like these are off-limits, and have been for years. Adding to the destruction left by war On February 6, southern Türkiye and northern Syria were hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, followed by dozens of aftershocks and then another earthquake. While the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and others were affected, the worst of the damage was in Türkiye and Syria. As of February 9, the official death toll in Syria was 1,347, with more than 2,300 injured. Nearly 300,000 Syrians have been displaced due to the earthquakes. The scenes initially coming out of Türkiye and Syria were heartbreaking and catastrophic, with buildings collapsing in front of people, and piles of rubble with the dead and the maimed trapped below. In Syria, the earthquakes added to already extensive damage from the war. Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, was tragically prone to building collapses because of the terrorist occupation that had lasted until 2016. The militants had frequently tunneled under buildings, in many cases in order to lay explosives and destroy them, as they did with the Chamber of Industry in April 2014. With the Syrian population already struggling to just survive prior to the earthquakes, now Aleppo and the coastal regions of Syria affected by the earthquakes face even more death, injury and displacement. Sanctions were already killing Syrians - Even without the earthquakes, Syrians struggled to get medication, hospitals struggled to get or maintain critical machinery and equipment, and the population as a whole suffocated as the country’s economy steadily worsened, all by design. Western leaders are adamant that the only ones to blame for the Syrians’ suffering before the earthquake were President Bashar Assad and his government (or “regime,” as Washington calls any undesirable foreign government it hasn’t yet toppled), whose “dictatorship” caused the people to rise up and start a civil war (actually a US-led proxy war against Syria to overthrow said government). The sanctions, ostensibly aimed at the “regime,” are, by this logic, intended to helpand protect the general population. In reality, they are strangling Syrian civilians. Here’s what life is like for many Syrians now, according to British journalist Vanessa Beeley: “The US and its proxy Kurdish separatist forces are occupying Syrian resources in the northeast which includes their oil, which means of course that the bulk of Syria is reliant upon Iranian oil to keep any kind of electricity running. At the moment, we have basically about two or three hours of electricity per day. There is no heating in the majority of homes across Syria.” As Beeley notes, earthquake-displaced Syrians – unless they receive emergency aid – face freezing and wet conditions, “without any alternative shelter, without any electricity, without any heating.” And thanks to the sanctions, desperately needed humanitarian aid and fundraising is difficult. International cargo planes can’t land in Syria, and crowdfunding services and even credit cards are unavailable. The virtue-signaling Western nations – the main cause of suffering in Syria since 2011 – have not only persisted in keeping the sanctions in place; most of them haven’t offered any meaningful help since the earthquake, just hollow words. - thread : https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1623019008743157763 - The Chinese Foreign Ministry blamed the sanctions for amplifying the miserable situation, and likewise pointed out that the US’ illegal presence in Syria and theft of Syrian resources was also exacerbating the economic situation. “Frequent [US] military strikes and harsh economic sanctions have caused huge civilian casualties and taken away the means to subsistence of the Syrians. As we speak, the US troops continue to occupy Syria’s principal oil-producing regions. They have plundered more than 80% of Syria’s oil production and smuggled and burned Syria’s grain stock. All this has made Syria’s humanitarian crisis even worse.” A friend in need is a neighbor on the sanctions list All of the above has left Syrians to rely mostly on the country’s friends for help. Incidentally, many of those nations and groups are among the most vilified by the West. The Chinese Foreign Ministry blamed the sanctions for amplifying the miserable situation, and likewise pointed out that the US’ illegal presence in Syria and theft of Syrian resources was also exacerbating the economic situation. “Frequent [US] military strikes and harsh economic sanctions have caused huge civilian casualties and taken away the means to subsistence of the Syrians. As we speak, the US troops continue to occupy Syria’s principal oil-producing regions. They have plundered more than 80% of Syria’s oil production and smuggled and burned Syria’s grain stock. All this has made Syria’s humanitarian crisis even worse.” A friend in need is a neighbor on the sanctions list All of the above has left Syrians to rely mostly on the country’s friends for help. Incidentally, many of those nations and groups are among the most vilified by the West. thread - https://twitter.com/EvaKBartlett/status/1622933425362505730 - Following the earthquake, Russia’s Ministry of Defense dispatched “over 300 personnel, and 60 military and special vehicles” for rescue and aid efforts in Syria. The Russian Emergencies Ministry sent more than 100 rescue workers to Türkiye and Syria, including an airmobile hospital with 40 medics. Iran sent a plane with 45 tons of medical, food and sanitary aid to Syria, and has pledged to send more. Even battered Libya, itself largely destroyed by another Western regime-change project, sent a plane with 40 tons of medical and humanitarian aid, as well as an ambulance, to Aleppo International Airport. Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance movement, sent convoys of humanitarian aid to Syria. Lebanon’s army said it would send members of its Engineering Regiment to Syria, to contribute to the search and rescue operations. Not everyone who offered their help to Syria are on Western sanctions list, of course. Algeria sent 115 tons of aid of food and medical supplies, tents and blankets, as well as 86 specialized civil protection personnel. The United Arab Emirates will apparently send $50 million to Syria for relief efforts, and Indian, Emirati and Jordanian planes carrying humanitarian and medical aid for Syrian victims arrived in the capital on Wednesday. Even New Zealand pledged to contribute NZ$500,000 “for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to meet humanitarian needs.” Meanwhile, Western corporate media stuck to the narrative of blaming the Assad government, with a New York Times article on the issue apparently saying initially that Western sanctions had hampered relief efforts to Syria – before quickly changing the line to say the government “tightly controls what aid it allows into opposition-held areas.” This is in-keeping with the old trope that the Syrian government denies aid to civilians in areas occupied by terrorists, which in most Western media are dubbed “rebels” and “opposition fighters.” This is something I and other journalists on the ground have repeatedly debunked, visiting liberated areas and hearing time and again that locals had been starving because terrorists had been hoarding humanitarian aid, denying it to civilians or selling it at massively inflated prices. - https://twitter.com/EvaKBartlett/status/1623232012982136832 - Western aid is not for everyone On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned about a looming “secondary disaster” in Syria, pointing to “major disruptions” to basic life supplies, but failing to highlight the role of Western sanctions or the terrorist presence in northwestern Syria as the underlying causes. Reports on UN aid reaching northern Syria via Türkiye also downplayed the presence of Al-Qaeda terrorists in the areas mentioned, as well as Türkiye’s years-long support for Syrian anti-government forces. Such reports likewise neglected to mention the need for emergency relief in government-controlled areas of Syria, and the government’s efforts to bring that relief in. Some 12 years into the West’s proxy war on Syria, the continued denial of the very basics of emergency humanitarian relief to Syrians outside “rebel-controlled” areas, shows how little the West’s claim to care for Syrians really matter. The lack of concern by the UN, WHO, and affiliated aid agencies for the Syrians of Aleppo, among other government-controlled areas, is not at all surprising, given these bodies over the years systematically downplayed terrorism against Syrian civilians. As the humanitarian disaster continues, it is also worth remembering that, over the decades, Syria has taken in refugees from numerous countries. Yet, in spite of the current emergency situation and the very dire need to lift the West’s sanctions, it is unlikely the “benevolent” West will change its crippling anti-Syria policies to allow Syrians to merely survive. -- Eva Bartlett is a Canadian independent journalist. She has spent years on the ground covering conflict zones in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Palestine (where she lived for nearly four years). "... The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT...." https://www.rt.com/news/571295-western-sanctions-syria-earthquake/ =============================================

Many powerful explosions from apparent drone strikes are reported in major Ukrainian cities early this morning, destroying electrical power infrastructure. The Russian advance continues, Igor Zhdanov reports from the front lines where the Russian military say it's now easier to work. - Africa: South Africa's president is mocked by the political opposition as he delivers his state-of-the-nation address and brawls break out in parliament. That's as he declared a 'state of disaster' in the country over its crippling energy shortages which he warned about in previous weeks. Karabo Letlhatlha reports. - Africa: DRC. UN peacekeeping forces have killed eight civilians and wounded almost 30 others in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after protesters vented outrage about a lack of progress in combatting terrorism in the region. The "peacekeepers" opened fire to "protect the convoy" which was returning from a re-supply trip to Goma. The UN peacekeepers are supposed to be helping eliminate the continued terrorism from Rwanda's M23 "rebels" (Please see previous posts to catch up). - Africa: Burkina Faso. France will continue to withdraw from Burkina Faso after continued protests from it's citizens. 22 more civilians and 3 policemen have been killed in the latest terror attack, previously they have said they consider France to be assisting the terrorists. It's been going on for at least 8 years. Ouezen Louis Oulon reports. Please catch up on previous posts. - The Wagner Group explained why they no longer need to use prisoners as volunteers. Steve Sweeney explains and talks to one of the Wagner Group recruits. - Earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria: More than 18,000 are now reported dead after the quakes and aftershocks of this week. More than 70,000 have been injured in Turkiye. Rescue efforts continue and aid from countries kind and thoughtful enough to send it is welcomed with open arms and huge thanks. USA continues to impose sanctions and the embargo whilst simultaneously saying things like this https://twitter.com/RepJoeWilson/status/1623703800396537861 Peter Scott reports from Turkey - Western sanctions on Syria make it all but impossible to send aid. (QS I know this personally as I wanted to send a modest donation and some duvets - it's impossible). Waseem Mohamed also tried and reports. Just this week (after the earthquake) OPCW decided to publish a very illegal report regarding "findings" of chemical weapons - USED IN 2018 and the source was not official or from OPCW. QS posted text and website references about this on 8th Feb, plus a report from Donald Courter, last report on this https://rumble.com/v28qzmg-rt-news-february-8th-2023.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=3) - The west are using the disaster to further destabilise Syria. Afshin Rattansi's Going Underground show will be available on Rumble soon, (QS I will post it a.s.a.p; I haven't seen it yet - can't find it on the website yet either to link) - ============================================= Below via RT website 1) --- German inflation accelerates 2) --- Republicans push to end Ukraine aid 3) --- Zelensky takes credit for derailing Minsk agreements 3a) --- Ukraine is taking care of Europe – Zelensky 3b) --- UK offers to train Ukrainian pilots 3c) --- Zelensky reveals what he does to Scholz 4) --- Kremlin reacts to Nord Stream sabotage claim 4a) --- Top Russian lawmaker labels US president a ‘terrorist’ 4b) --- White House responds to new Nord Stream investigation 5) --- Record investment helped Russia survive sanctions – Bloomberg 6) --- Russia continues to boost forex reserves 7) --- Russia didn’t start the fight but will finish it – Putin ============================================ 10 Feb, 2023 05:14 1) --- German inflation accelerates Consumer prices rose 8.7% year-on-year in January, official data shows Germany’s inflation rate rose 8.7% on the year in January and 1.0% on the month, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said in a press release on Thursday. According to the preliminary data, consumer prices, harmonized to compare with other European Union countries, rose by a less-than-anticipated 9.2% year-on-year. Compared with December, prices increased by 0.5%, Destatis said. Analysts had expected harmonized data to grow by 10.0% on an annual basis and increase by 1.2% on the previous month, according to Reuters. “Because core inflation will remain high in 2023, a fundamental easing of inflation is not in sight,” chief economist at Hauck Aufhaeuser Lampe Privatbank, Alexander Krueger, told the media outlet. The EU’s largest economy suffered from record inflation last year due to a surge in energy prices brought about by a drop in gas deliveries from Russia amid Ukraine-related sanctions. Issues with pipeline maintenance and then the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines further exacerbated the tight supplies. Last month, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the German economy would avoid a sharp decline but is set to enter a technical recession. https://www.rt.com/business/571221-germany-inflation-accelerates-report/ ============================================= 10 Feb, 2023 04:47 2) --- Republicans push to end Ukraine aid The lawmakers argued continued US military aid to Ukraine is “inadvertently contributing to civilian casualties” Republicans in Congress have introduced a resolution seeking to halt US aid to Ukraine, citing the massive cost to taxpayers, the risk of escalation with Moscow, and the toll on America’s own arsenal after some $30 billion in arms transfers. Led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, 11 Republicans put forward the “Ukraine Fatigue Resolution” on Thursday, which states that Washington “must end its military and financial aid to Ukraine” while urging “all combatants to reach a peace agreement.” “President Joe Biden must have forgotten his prediction from March 2022, suggesting that arming Ukraine with military equipment will escalate the conflict to ‘World War III,’” Gaetz said in a press release announcing the resolution. “We must suspend all foreign aid for the war in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict reach a peace agreement immediately.” Arguing that the United States is in a period of “managed decline,” Gaetz said the problems will only get worse if the government continues to “hemorrhage taxpayer dollars” in a foreign conflict. The resolution includes a list outlining the staggering American military largesse for Ukrainian forces since last year, stating that “munitions donated to Ukraine have severely depleted United States stockpiles, weakening United States readiness in the event of conflict.” It went on to cite a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies which found that, at the current rate of production, it will take more than 12 years to replenish the US stock of Javelin missiles, underscoring the strain on American arsenals. Moreover, the lawmakers argued military support to Kiev was “inadvertently contributing to civilian casualties” on all sides, echoing previous comments from Gaetz, who has said the weapons would only “prolong the killing.” Long a vocal critic of US aid to Ukraine, Gaetz’s resolution was joined by 10 Republican co-sponsors, among them Reps. Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, Anna Paulina Luna, Mary Miller, Barry Moore, Ralph Norman and Matt Rosendale. Though a growing number of House Republicans are increasingly wary of the aid – among them House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – senior lawmakers in the Senate have been more supportive. In December, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell declared that “providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now,” claiming that view was broadly shared among the GOP. https://www.rt.com/news/571262-republicans-ukraine-aid-resolution/ ============================================ 9 Feb, 2023 18:52 (QS comment - Zelensky was told he would "hang on a some tree in Khreshchatyk" by the fascists controlling Ukraine .gov on behalf of western interests. Also please read https://www.kyivpost.com/post/6652 ) 3) --- Zelensky takes credit for derailing Minsk agreements The Ukrainian president claimed he personally refused to implement the deal for peace in Donbass Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky personally refused to implement the 2015 Minsk agreements – a roadmap for peace in the east of the country, which was co-sponsored by Germany and France. He made the admission during an interview with Der Spiegel published on Thursday as he continues his tour across Europe. Zelensky said he viewed the agreements as a “concession” on Ukraine’s part, and never once actually sought to implement them. Instead, they were merely used to exchange prisoners with the two breakaway Donbass republics. The president claimed he openly told that to then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President Vladimir Putin back in 2019, with all of them acting “surprised.” “But as for Minsk as a whole, I told Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel: ‘We cannot implement it like this,’” Zelensky stated. “I told [Putin] the same as the other two. They were surprised and said: ‘If we had known beforehand that you would change the meaning of our meeting, then there would have been problems even before the summit.’” The Minsk agreements, originally brokered in 2014 and further expanded in 2015, envisioned a roadmap for reconciliation between Ukraine and the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The two regions rebelled against the country’s new authorities in the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev, which ousted democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovich. Ukraine’s failure to implement the agreement, which would have seen the breakaway territories reintegrated with the country but retain a special status, ultimately led to the ongoing conflict. Since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, multiple politicians have taken credit for the failure of the Minsk agreements, admitting they were merely a ruse to give Ukraine time to build up its military. Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko was the first to admit last year that Kiev never intended to abide by them and used the deal to “create powerful armed forces.” Merkel and another original signatory of the Minsk agreements, former French president Francois Hollande, have also since confirmed that this was actually the true goal of the deal. Moscow considers these admissions to be evidence that the negotiations were conducted in bad faith and that the Ukrainian government and its backers had always intended for the Minsk agreements to flop and for the Donbass crisis to be resolved by force. Russia claims that its military campaign in Ukraine, launched last February, preempted an offensive planned by Kiev with NATO’s help. Ukraine, Germany, and France “lied to the people of Donbass, as they had a terrible fate planned for them, which Russia prevented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said back in January. “Germany, France and Ukraine were playing a swindle game with the Minsk agreements. Now is payback time,” he stated at the time. https://www.rt.com/russia/571243-zelensky-minsk-agreements-failure/ =============== related 9 Feb, 2023 16:10 3a) --- Ukraine is taking care of Europe – Zelensky The Ukrainian president used a controversial slogan before alleging Moscow wants to destroy the “European way of life” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has claimed to EU lawmakers that Moscow poses to a threat to the entire continent. The leader was speaking at the European Parliament on Thursday as part of a tour to rally support and weaponry for Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia. Starting his address with the slogan ‘Glory to Ukraine’, which is commonly associated with World War II-era Nazi collaborators but is widely used in present-day Ukraine, Zelensky reiterated Kiev’s aspirations to join the EU, describing it as “home.” “We want to come home to Europe,” the Ukrainian leader told the assembled lawmakers in Brussels, adding: “I’m here in order to defend our people’s way home.” Zelensky went on to describe Russia as “the most anti-European force” in the world, alleging that Moscow is intent on destroying the “European way of life” for all 27 members of the EU. “This is our Europe, these are our rules, this is our way of life,” Zelensky stated, earning applause from the audience. “Europe will always be, and remain Europe as long as we are together and as long as we take care of our Europe, as we take care of the European way of life.” Joining the EU has been a significant talking point for pro-Western Ukrainian politicians for decades. Yet little to no actual progress had been made along that path prior to hostilities breaking out between Moscow and Kiev last February. The conflict has greatly sped up the accession process, with Ukraine receiving EU candidate status in June. Zelensky’s European tour began a day earlier when he traveled to the UK, meeting leaders and lawmakers in London. The president inspected the ongoing training of Ukrainian troops on British soil and secured additional support from the UK. “I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future,” said a statement from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after he met Zelensky. Ukraine has consistently increased its demands for advanced weaponry from the West, including tanks, drones, fighter jets, and longer-range missiles. Kiev has insisted that the hardware is needed to drive Russian forces out of territories that Ukraine claims as its own. Moscow has repeatedly urged the West to stop “pumping” Ukraine with weaponry, maintaining that continuous military aid will only prolong the hostilities, rather than change their ultimate outcome. https://www.rt.com/news/571234-ukraine-russia-european-life/ =============related 8 Feb, 2023 11:36 3b) --- UK offers to train Ukrainian pilots PM Rishi Sunak has announced plans to expand assistance to Kiev’s marines and aviators The UK will step up its military assistance to Ukraine in the coming year and will expand its training program to include fighter pilots and marines, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office stated on Wednesday. The announcement comes as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky visits London. The training will be in addition to the recruit training program already running in the UK, which has already seen 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers brought to battle readiness in the last six months, Downing Street said, stating that it hopes to upgrade the skills of a further 20,000 troops in 2023. “I am proud that today we will expand that training from soldiers to marines and fighter jet pilots, ensuring Ukraine has a military able to defend its interests well into the future,” said Sunak in a statement. His office also noted that last week a number of Ukrainian troops had arrived in the UK to learn how to command the Challenger 2 tank after Sunak announced the delivery of the hardware to Kiev last month. Additionally, London said it will offer longer-range capabilities to Ukraine in the hopes of helping Kiev relieve the pressure on its frontlines. Ukraine has repeatedly demanded more advanced weaponry from the West, including tanks, drones and longer-range missiles, arguing that it needs such capabilities to push back Russian forces and take control of territories that it claims as its own. After the US, Germany, and UK announced the delivery of Leopard 2, M1 Abrams and Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine last month, the Kiev stepped up its demands to also include US-made F-16 fighter jets. Berlin and Washington, however, have so far refused to send them, fearing they could be used to strike Russian territory and thus escalate the conflict further. Downing Street’s statement comes as Zelensky is making his first trip to the UK since fighting broke out between Moscow and Kiev in late February of last year. The president is expected to address the British parliament and hold talks with Sunak about further military aid to Ukraine. Sunak’s office also said it would soon announce more sanctions on Russia, which will target individuals who are accused of helping President Vladimir Putin “build his personal wealth,” as well as companies who are “profiting from the Kremlin’s war machine.” watch https://rumble.com/v28rb06-zelensky-arrives-at-downing-street-with-rishi-sunak.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=4 https://www.rt.com/news/571162-uk-ukraine-pilot-training/ =========================================== 9 Feb, 2023 22:06 3c) --- Zelensky reveals what he does to Scholz The Ukrainian president admitted he keeps needing to “force” the German chancellor to send military aid Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has revealed he keeps needing to “force” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to send arms to Kiev, constantly reminding him the deliveries are purportedly beneficial for the whole of Europe. The president made the revelation in a lengthy interview with Der Spiegel published on Thursday. Germany did a “good job” of delivering Iris-T anti-aircraft systems and ammunition for them last year, Zelensky said, while appearing to admit that Kiev has been actively spying on Berlin. “We have changed our relationship and understanding. We received IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems, for which I am very grateful to Germany. You saved a lot of lives. I told the chancellor: Olaf, listen, we’re short on rockets. I know that you don’t have any more yourself, we also have an intelligence service. I know you give us everything you have,” Zelensky stated, adding that Scholz somehow managed to push manufacturers into producing munitions for Iris-T faster. The looming supply of modern tanks to Ukraine has also proved to be a “difficult” issue for Kiev and Berlin, as Scholz was reluctant to do so. Zelensky claimed he has had to constantly remind the chancellor about the purported importance of such support and its alleged value for the whole of Europe. “Now we are yet again in a difficult phase with this debate about the German tanks, it is emotional and complex. I have to force him to help Ukraine and constantly convince him that this help is not for us, but for the Europeans,” Zelensky stated. Germany has long been reluctant to deliver modern tanks to Kiev, with Scholz giving in to Kiev’s demands on January 25 and pledging to send in 14 Leopard 2 armored vehicles, as well as allowing other European operators of the German-made tanks to re-export them to Ukraine. Apart from that, Berlin also pledged to send in some 187 older Leopard 1 models to Ukraine from its stocks as well. Moscow has repeatedly urged the west to stop “pumping” Ukraine with assorted weaponry, maintaining that continuous aid would only prolong the hostilities rather than change the ultimate outcome of them. https://www.rt.com/news/571252-zelensky-scholz-forced-aid/ ============================================ 9 Feb, 2023 14:08 4) --- Kremlin reacts to Nord Stream sabotage claim A fresh article alleging a US role in the explosions highlights the need for an international probe, Dmitry Peskov says Russia is concerned by attempts to silently wind down the investigation into last year’s explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has said. A report by renowned American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, blaming the US for the sabotage, should spur attempts to find out what happened, he stressed. Articles such as the one by Hersh show “the need for an open international investigation into this unprecedented attack on this critical infrastructure,” Peskov told the media on Thursday. “It’s impossible to leave this without finding the perpetrators and punishing them.” Russia has already spoken about data which “points to the involvement of the Anglo-Saxons [the US and the UK]” in this incident, and there is “certain overlapping” between this information and the report by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the Kremlin spokesman said. Peskov argued that although Hersh’s journalistic investigation cannot be viewed as source material, “it’s a very important piece, which… must provoke the acceleration of the international probe. But we, on the contrary, witness attempts to silently wind down such international investigation.” The bombshell report, which came out on Wednesday, claimed the US was behind the blasts on the Nord Stream pipelines. An informed source told Hersh that explosives were placed on the pipelines in the Baltic Sea back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of a NATO exercise, and were detonated in late September. The sabotage of Nord Stream 1, which delivered Russian natural gas to Europe through Germany, along with the newly completed Nord Stream 2, rendered the infrastructure inoperable. Separate probes into the explosions being carried out by Germany, Sweden and Denmark have yet to produce any concrete results. German Public Prosecutor General Peter Frank said last week that even the suspicion “that there had been a foreign sabotage act [in this case], has so far not been substantiated.” What happened to the Nord Stream pipelines was a “very dangerous precedent” because “if someone committed such a thing once, they can do it anywhere in the world a second time,” Peskov warned. “There aren’t that many countries in the world that are capable of carrying out such sabotage,” he added. https://www.rt.com/russia/571231-kremlin-nord-stream-us/ ============= 9 Feb, 2023 07:42 4a) --- Top Russian lawmaker labels US president a ‘terrorist’ Joe Biden has earned the title by ordering the destruction of Europe’s energy infrastructure, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin claims Speaker of the Russian parliament Vyacheslav Volodin has branded US President Joe Biden a “terrorist” after a report by iconic American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh blamed Washington for sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines last year. Volodin said on Thursday that Biden’s State of the Union address, in which he claimed that the US was “a nation that stands as a beacon to the world,” reminded him of “statements by the leaders of the Third Reich.” The ramifications of this “ideology of exceptionalism” were uncovered in the investigation by Hersh, the Russian MP wrote in a post on Telegram. The State Duma speaker was referring to a report published by the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist on Wednesday, in which he claimed that the US was behind the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines last September. According to an informed source who talked to Hersh, explosives were planted at the key pipelines in the Baltic Sea back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of a NATO exercise. They were later detonated remotely. Nord Stream 1 and 2 had been important routes for the delivery of Russian gas to Europe through Germany. “If [Harry S.] Truman became a criminal, who used nuclear weapons against civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then Biden became a terrorist, who ordered the destruction of the energy infrastructure of his strategic partners: Germany, France, the Netherlands,” Volodin said. The sabotage of the pipelines by the Americans was “an act of intimidation of its vassals, who decided to develop their economy in the interests of their own citizens,” he wrote. The revelations by Hersh should be grounds for an international investigation to “bring Biden and his accomplices to justice,” and to make sure that the nations affected by this “terrorist attack” are paid compensation, Volodin added. The Biden administration has denied the report by Hersh, with the National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson calling it “utterly false and complete fiction.” The Russian authorities have for months been pointing to the fact that the only side that benefited from Nord Stream being rendered inoperable was the US, which saw its supplies of liquified natural gas to Europe increase massively following the sabotage. https://www.rt.com/russia/571210-biden-volodin-nord-stream/ =============== 8 Feb, 2023 18:46 4b) --- White House responds to new Nord Stream investigation Officials have categorically rejected reporting by a legendary US journalist who claimed Washington blew up the pipelines US President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday blasted Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh for claiming that Washington was behind last year’s sabotage of Russia’s Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, saying reporting by the veteran investigative journalist was “utterly false and complete fiction.” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson denied the report, hours after Hersh posted his article on Substack. The former New York Times journalist, who rose to fame when he exposed the My Lai massacre of Vietnamese civilians in 1969, claimed that US Navy divers planted explosives on the Nord Stream conduits under cover of the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise last June in the Baltic Sea. The bombs were remotely detonated three months later, rupturing three of the four Nord Stream natural gas pipelines, Hersh said, citing an unidentified “source with direct knowledge of the operational planning.” Biden personally approved the sabotage plan, according to the report, and the Norwegian navy helped pick the locations for placing the explosives. Biden’s decision to destroy the pipelines came after more than nine months of secret debate among US national security officials, Hersh said. The president told reporters in early February of 2022 that the US would “bring an end” to Nord Stream 2 if Russian forces launched an offensive against Kiev. Asked how, exactly, that would be achieved, given that the pipeline was in Germany’s control, he said, “We will, I promise you, we’ll be able to do it.” https://youtu.be/OS4O8rGRLf8 Hersh has won several major awards for his newspaper and magazine articles, as well as his books. He was credited with exposing the Abu Ghraib torture scandal in 2004 and claimed in 2015 that President Barack Obama’s administration fabricated the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden. After the Nord Stream explosions in September, US officials denied involvement and suggested that Russia may have sabotaged its own pipelines. In light of Hersh’s reporting, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that the White House “must now comment on all these facts.” - https://www.rt.com/news/571193-white-house-denies-nord-stream-sabotage/ ============================================ 10 Feb, 2023 05:13 5) --- Record investment helped Russia survive sanctions – Bloomberg Domestic companies have been boosting capital spending to adjust to new economic realities Russia has weathered Ukraine-related Western sanctions by boosting investment in domestic production and new supply routes, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing statistics and analysts. According to the report, capital expenditure rose 6% last year, while many economists expected it to drop by as much as 20% shortly after the Ukraine conflict broke out. The Bank of Russia said in a recent report that most Russian businesses either increased investment in 2022 or kept it at the same level as in the previous year. As a result, output shrank by merely 2%, much lower than economists predicted when the latest sanctions were first introduced. The restrictions have left Russia cut off from many imports, and Russian companies were forced to either boost spending to replace now unavailable foreign equipment and software, or invest into setting up new routes to secure supplies from alternative markets. Four out of five of the most capital-intensive sectors of the Russian economy increased investment spending, including transportation, mining, real estate, and science and technology, according to the Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat). One of the country’s biggest steelmakers, Severstal, shifted investment away from projects that were at risk of disruptions due to sanctions, and is currently investing in domestically produced information technology for the metals industry. Major banks, like Sber and VTB, are also investing to replace foreign software. Last month, reports emerged that the lenders plan to start issuing stickers containing NFC (Near-Field Communication) chips to replace foreign contactless payment services, like Apple Pay and Google Pay, which are no longer working in Russia. The volume of investments in commercial real estate last year hit a historic high of 487.2 billion rubles ($6.8 billion), 21% higher than in 2021, according to a study by real-estate firm NF Group. “The volume of investments was record-breaking with a minimal share of foreign capital. Russian investors are becoming owners of the vast majority of premium properties in various segments and this trend is likely to continue until the outgoing companies sell all their assets,” the broker said. Gas and oil producers, meanwhile, also boosted spending on either transport infrastructure or to fund a reorientation of exports from the West. “This trend should support fixed investment in the years to come,” Tatiana Orlova of Oxford Economics told Bloomberg. Many businesses also profited from government grants and programs supporting import substitution. According to Rosstat, state financing was among the biggest sources of capital expenditure, amounting to some 17.8%. “Difficult times will pass, while projects will remain – they are long-term, so we aren’t stopping anything,” Sergey Yanchukov, head of Mangazeya group, a diversified company whose main activities are gold mining, construction and development, told the news outlet. He noted that the company sees it “necessary to move forward” and invest for the future. https://www.rt.com/business/571154-record-investment-russia-sanctions/ =========================================== 6 Feb, 2023 05:30 6) --- Russia continues to boost forex reserves The country’s holdings are approaching $600 billion, according to the central bank Russian foreign exchange reserves surged by $3.1 billion last week, the Bank of Russia revealed on Thursday. The holdings amounted to $597.7 billion, having increased by 0.5% during the week ending January 27, driven by a positive revaluation of currencies, the central bank reported in its regular update. As of January 20, Russia’s forex reserves totaled $594.6 billion. Russia’s international reserves, which are highly liquid foreign assets held by the Bank of Russia and the country’s government, consist of monetary gold, Special Drawing Rights (SDR) with the IMF, and foreign currency held within the country. Roughly half of the holdings were frozen by Western central banks in early March as part of anti-Russia sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. In addition to freezing the funds, Western countries banned operations related to their management. The remaining holdings consist of gold and foreign currency held within the country, as well as Chinese yuan assets. Prior to the conflict, Russia’s forex reserves had reached a historical high of $643.2 billion. https://www.rt.com/business/570876-russia-forex-reserves-rising/ ============================================ 9 Feb, 2023 19:19 7) --- Russia didn’t start the fight but will finish it – Putin Ukraine began the war in 2014 by targeting civilians in Donbass, the Russian president said Moscow is trying to end the conflict in Ukraine, which was started by Kiev following the 2014 US-backed coup, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. “Let me repeat: we did not start the military activities, we are trying to end them,” the president said in a meeting with aviation industry executives in Moscow. Ukrainian nationalists first resorted to force in 2014, with the coup d’etat in Kiev, followed by events in Crimea and in Donbass, he argued. “They started the war,” Putin said. “For eight years, that war continued – a war to exterminate people who live there, who feel themselves related by blood to Russia and Russian culture. How long were we supposed to tolerate that?” The Russian president also accused Ukraine of violating the agreements and commitments made with Western mediation, in an apparent reference to the Minsk Protocols. The Franco-German proposal officially aimed to peacefully resolve the conflict between Kiev and Donbass, but leaders of both Western countries at the time – as well as the Ukrainian government – have since admitted the Minsk accords were a ploy to buy time. Putin has previously said the Ukraine conflict could have been avoided had the US not backed the nationalist coup in 2014. He has also accused the West of not caring for Ukrainian lives, using them as “cannon fodder” and pawns in a geopolitical proxy war against Russia. Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, launching a military operation in aid of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR/LPR), which it recognized as independent states. Moscow has since accepted their request to become part of Russia, along with the formerly Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye. The US and its allies imposed economic sanctions against Moscow and sent over $120 billion worth of money, weapons and supplies to Ukraine, while insisting they are not a party to the conflict. Putin noted the West did not expect how effectively Russia would counter their economic war, and that even Western analysts are now forced to admit it. https://www.rt.com/russia/571248-putin-ending-ukraine-war/ =============== 25 Nov, 2022 22:10 7a) --- Putin weighs in on root cause of Ukraine conflict The Western-backed Maidan lit the fuse for almost a decade of turmoil, the president claims The ongoing conflict in Ukraine would never have happened if there hadn't been a coup in Kiev in 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted on Friday. He was referring to the violent overthrow of the elected president Victor Yanukovich. Speaking to mothers of Russian soldiers, Putin stressed that the Maidan resulted in direct foreign control over Ukrainian institutions, which Russia has no choice but to oppose. At the turn of the century, Russians were told everything would be great if they accepted outside control, and started “playing on someone else’s field,” Putin said. It was those outsiders seeking to control Russia that have created the current situation, “including in the zone of the special military operation,” he added. Without naming the West specifically, Putin said the outsiders had significant influence in Ukraine as well, but after 2014 they gained total control over the country. I understand that we have not gathered here for serious discussions of political issues, but still, if there had not been a coup d'état in Ukraine in 2014, none of this would have happened. Simply none of it. The US “midwifed” the Maidan protests, in the infamous words of Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, resulting in a successful power grab, fueled by nationalists. Putin described them as “open neo-Nazis” who glorify WWII Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera, killer of Russians, Poles, Jews and “everyone down the line, on Hitler’s orders.” “That’s who, that’s what, our boys in the zone of the special military operation are fighting,” the Russian president said. He argued that many Ukrainians opposing them “do not even understand what they are doing." “They are playing someone else's game, but we have to fight for our interests, for our people, for our country. And that’s what we’re doing,” the Russian president said. Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.” In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked. https://www.rt.com/russia/567197-putin-ukraine-operation-avoided/ ===========================================

Africa, Sudan. Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov mocks the West over its diplomatic push in Africa, as he visits Sudan on the last stop of his scheduled regional tour. The west is trying to get Africa to condemn Russia, FM Lavrov says "if the west are having to try this hard then they know they must be wrong." He also said had the west honoured the UN mandated Minsk agreements, the special operation would have not been necessary. "geopolitical games", Russia is prepared to always help Africa. Vera Gaufman reports from Khartoum, Sudan, Komla Klutse from Accra, Ghana. - (Gruesome, horrible, warning) Disturbing footage appears online reportedly showing a Ukrainian soldier executing a captured Russian POW, in yet another instance of alleged war crimes committed by Kiev's forces. - 75 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the Ugledar standoff, Russian MOD said. Ukraine armoured transport/weapons were also destroyed. RT observes a Russian Special Forces unit operating close to a key Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk Republic, as the Russian army ramps up its offensive in the area. Igor Zhdanov reports from Ugledar. - China to European Union: Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassador to European Union says the west providing weapons to Ukraine will not solve the problem. The way forward is through negotiations. Rachel Marsden reports on the EU's slippery slope. - Russian oil and sanctions: India, Energy week forum: India is committed to looking after the needs and interests of India and her citizens. Ranjit Rath, MD of Oil India talked to RT and says India continues to enjoy a cordial relationship with Russia. - As US sanctions block vital assistance getting to earthquake victims in Syria, Washington tries to shift the blame, claiming Damascus is responsible for the aftermath of the natural disaster. People are still being found under the rubble despite all the odds. Rescue teams continue to dig, aid and volunteers from non-NATO allies continue to come in. As well as other aid and personnel, Russia has now sent planes to help put out the fires arising from the quakes. According to TASS "the earthquake death toll in Syria rises to 1,347". On February 6th Ned Price Ned Price held a press conference https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-february-6-2023/. (QS: I hope he understands he and his bosses won't be forgiven, not by me anyway) - Peter Scott reports from Diyabakir, Türkiye about the dire situation after the earthquake in Türkiye. Russian emergency workers demolished seven weakened structures in order to ensure safety during search and rescue activities. Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are being used to monitor the situation from the air. The death toll in Turkey exceeds 16,500, Pres. Erdogan says. 66,132 people have also suffered injuries. Many people are still stuck under the rubble, the rescue operation continues without stopping. - Global terror, Sub-Sahara Africa: The United Nations says it's now the world's new global terror epicentre and says it's to do with unemployment. France has recently been asked to leave the region having made no impact on the problems. It's more about what the report doesn't say, according to Ali Khalifa Dikwa. =================================== - Below via RT website 1) --- Here’s eight reasons why the US has no interest in pushing for peace in Ukraine 2) --- Russia cautions against Western warplanes for Kiev 3) --- Death toll in Turkish-Syrian quakes surpasses grim benchmark 4) ---‘They used axes to spare the ammo’: How modern Ukraine's Nazi heroes massacred civilians during WWII - 80th anniversary of the beginning of Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. ============================================ 1) --- Here’s eight reasons why the US has no interest in pushing for peace in Ukraine Washington’s priority is to contain Russia and how the fighting ends for Kiev is a sideshow to the main objective By Andrey Sushentsov, Valdai Club program director It now appears that the US is not even remotely interested in supporting a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict, preferring to see the military campaign continue. Overall, strategic planning in Washington gives little thought to the parameters for ending the crisis: Whether Ukraine will remain within its current borders, lose its territories or disappear altogether. Despite mounting casualties and the destruction of Ukraine's military, appetite for military action has not diminished, neither in Kiev nor in Washington. Many international experts rightly identify the US as the key player in a large coalition advocating for continued hostilities in Ukraine. In less than a year of crisis, Kiev has exhausted its own military resources and the means to replace them, and is totally dependent on external assistance. Though the US is taking the lead in coordinating and strategizing support from the West, it would be wrong to equate Ukrainian and American interests. While continuing to pay lip service to Kiev's political demands, Washington is carefully assessing the right moment to initiate negotiations. The need for diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict has been increasingly emphasized by US military leaders, most notably the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. The idea continues to circulate in the British press that the American tactic is to escalate the conflict in order to later de-escalate it: to pressure Russia with a wave of large-scale deliveries of military equipment and to put Kiev in a more favorable negotiating position. However, it cannot be overlooked that the continuation of the military crisis in Ukraine is in line with US military and political interests. There are a total of eight arguments suggesting that the Americans intend to prolong this conflict. First, there is the relative weakening of Russia, which has had to devote considerable resources to eliminating the military threat from Ukraine, as well as to achieving its political objectives of securing equal status in post-Cold War European security architecture. The Western media narrative that Russia is on the verge of defeat, while far from reality, gives the impression that all the West needs to do so is adopt a wait-and-see attitude. The lack of decisive Russian military victories leads to the perception that Ukraine is winning. Second, the US has a vested interest in breaking up EU-Russian energy cooperation. This has developed over many decades, beginning during the Cold War. The sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, apparently conducted with the assistance of another NATO state, was the culmination of a long-term American strategy to dismantle the extensive links between Moscow and key West European economies. The Americans want to shift European energy consumption away from Russia and create a more difficult environment for broader European industry, so that American goods face less competition, thus strengthening their own position. Third, the US wants to eliminate any impulse for strategic autonomy among EU states. The Ukrainian crisis provides a golden opportunity for this, as the US and its allies in Eastern Europe have managed to create a moment of moral panic in the information space, preventing any reflection on the causes and consequences of the crisis. Strategic decisions on arms transfers are being taken under pressure from the media and a radicalized section of the public, without any analysis of the consequences. Leaders and elites who might have been able to reflect with detachment and sobriety on the consequences of the slide of EU-Russia relations into a deep crisis, are now outnumbered and essentially voiceless. Fourth, the US does not want to see the defeat of Ukraine, into which much financial, political and symbolic capital has been invested over the past year. In the eyes of the West, Ukraine is its "champion". The old narrative of European civilization struggling against the barbaric East, going back to the days of ancient Greece and its confrontation with the Persian hordes, is being played out here. Ukraine's defeat would be a sensitive symbolic defeat for the West and would leave an "open wound" in the minds of many intellectuals. Fifth, the US has not retreated from the ideological imperative to defend what it interprets as "freedom". In the situation around Ukraine, there is a Manichean presentation of the struggle for "freedom against unfreedom". Washington also sees this ideological imperative manifest in the domestic situation in Ukraine, which of course is only possible if you look at the political processes in Kiev "through your fingers". By playing along with this narrative, Vladimir Zelensky's government seeks to present itself to the West in such ideological categories. The sixth US objective is to encourage Western Europe to remilitarise. Washington is aware that prolonged military competition is not possible using American forces alone. Moreover, the US is conscious of the growing threat from China and realizes that its resources will soon be diverted to a confrontation in the Pacific. In the European theater, Washington is therefore looking for ways to strengthen the EU's military-industrial complex so that national defense budgets can be raised to at least 2 percent of GDP. Seventh, the US seeks to consolidate its European allies around a platform of fighting its "rising" adversaries such as Russia, China and Iran. Here, the US is trying to be resourceful in building coalitions willing to produce and sell expensive, high-tech weapons. Eighth, the US is also pursuing its own re-industrialisation through Ukraine. The expansion of the military-industrial complex is seen as an important goal for America. After the Cold War, it was reoriented to produce a limited number of high-tech products, whereas modern conventional warfare requires the large-scale production of relatively inexpensive generic artillery, tank and aircraft systems. - All this makes the US extremely uninterested in working for a peaceful solution to the conflict in the short term. The Americans believe that time is on their side and that the eight objectives listed above will be achieved. This makes their strategy rather flexible and demonstrates that their priority is to contain Russia rather than secure the future security and prosperity of Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/news/571220-eight-reasons-us-war-ukraine/ =============================================== 9 Feb, 2023 14:01 2) --- Russia cautions against Western warplanes for Kiev The Kremlin warned that some European nations are inching closer to direct military involvement Russia will achieve its goals in the conflict with Ukraine regardless of whether the UK provides Kiev with fighter jets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. The comments came after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky pleaded with British MPs for warplanes. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Peskov said the UK, Germany, and France are becoming increasingly involved in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. “The line between indirect and direct involvement is gradually disappearing,” said the presidential spokesman, adding that this fuels further escalation. According to Peskov, Western arms shipments are “prolonging this conflict, making [it] more painful and torturous for Ukraine.” Western efforts to shore up the Ukrainian military will not change the outcome of the hostilities or the “trajectory that our country is following in terms of reaching [its] goals,” he stated. President Zelensky paid an official visit to London on Wednesday. Speaking to British lawmakers in the House of Commons, he asked the UK to provide combat aircraft for Ukraine, describing fighter jets as “wings for freedom.” Despite those pleas, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not committed to sending warplanes, but did state that “when it comes to co-operation and military assistance to Ukraine, nothing is off the table.” Sunak also announced that Ukrainian pilots will receive training on British soil. Downing Street later revealed that Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had been asked to examine “what jets we might be able to give [to Ukraine].” It noted, however, that this was a “medium- to long-term” possibility. Unnamed UK officials cited by the Financial Times estimated that it would take at least six months to train experienced Ukrainian pilots to fly Western jets, such as Eurofighter Typhoons. Taking logistics into consideration, that could mean warplanes would be unlikely to arrive in Ukraine before early 2024. One British cabinet minister was quoted by The Times as saying: “Everyone will remember the phrase ‘wings for freedom’ and I don’t see how [Zelensky] isn’t going to end up getting what he wants on that.” After several Western nations agreed to supply tanks to Ukraine, officials in Kiev began pleading for fighter jets. They have repeatedly called for US-made F-16s that can intercept cruise missiles and drones. https://www.rt.com/russia/571230-kremlin-comments-uk-warplanes-ukraine/ ============================================ 9 Feb, 2023 16:03 Loss of Western brands is Russia’s gain – Putin The businesses they leave behind will survive, the head of state assures Many foreign brands and businesses are leaving Russia not of their own volition but because they are feeling pressured to do so, and suffer financially as a result, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting of the supervisory board of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. Moscow, however, will not force anyone to stay, according to the president. “Many of them, as you know, under pressure from their governments, are leaving our market. Well, all the best to them. However, because of the loss of our market they incur huge losses. It’s their choice, it’s their decision,” Putin said, noting that many of those companies “do it without any pleasure.” “Who wants to lose a well-established business in which they invested effort, money? It’s not even about the money sometimes – many have invested their hearts – but under pressure from their governments are forced to leave.” According to Putin, Russia will not allow the varied assets and infrastructure these companies leave behind to go to waste, and domestic industries may even benefit from the situation. “They leave behind a good legacy, so to speak, they leave behind production infrastructure, well-trained personnel. Perhaps someone thinks that all of this will immediately crumble and fall apart – nothing of the sort is happening. Our companies, our entrepreneurs are picking up these enterprises and businesses and continuing this work. And quite successfully,” the Russian president assured. After Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine began, many major Western brands announced their withdrawal from the Russian market and the suspension of investment. According to economists from Switzerland’s University of St. Gallen, more than 1,400 companies decided to quit Russia over the past year, including electronics manufacturers, automakers, hotels, banks and restaurant chains. However, Russia managed to secure supplies of goods through alternate routes – via the so-called ‘parallel imports’ – where products continue to be delivered to Russia through third countries without a brand license from the rights holder. In addition to this, the Russian government has launched a number of programs and initiatives to support domestic manufacturers, which fall within the framework of ‘import substitution’. According to Putin, the country produces a lot of quality products, which until recently had a hard time making their way to the domestic market due to competition from global players. However, the departure of Western brands means “our domestic manufacturers received unique opportunities for development and we must take advantage of them,” Putin stated. https://www.rt.com/business/571229-western-brands-exit-russia-gain/ =========================================== 9 Feb, 2023 07:58 3) --- Death toll in Turkish-Syrian quakes surpasses grim benchmark The devastating tremors have killed at least 15,000 people in both countries The death toll continues to rise after the powerful earthquakes that shook Türkiye and Syria on Monday. AFAD, Türkiye’s disaster management agency, put the number of fatalities in the county at 12,391 in an update on Thursday. The Syrian Health Ministry recorded 1,262 deaths, as of Wednesday. The White Helmets, a Western-funded group operating in parts of Syria that are not controlled by Damascus, has put the figure at more than 1,900. Combined with the Turkish tally, the death toll has surpassed 15,500. The series of powerful tremors in southern Türkiye and northern Syria flattened thousands of buildings and caused severe damage to infrastructure. Rescuers in both nations, including those sent by foreign nations to assist in the response, have been in a race against time to clear the rubble, in search of survivors. Cold weather adds urgency to their work, making the need to provide shelter to survivors a matter of life and death. https://rumble.com/v28uzqs-rescuers-dig-through-rubble-in-quake-hit-hatay-province.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=6 The World Health Organization has estimated that in the long run, the disaster may impact as many as 23 million people, five million of whom are already in a vulnerable state. Syria is already suffering from a decade-long armed conflict, which has degraded its healthcare system and put some parts of the country under self-rule. El-Mostafa Benlamlih, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Syria, called the situation “a crisis on top of a crisis” during a press conference on Wednesday. Stockpiles of food and medicine that aid groups had pre-positioned in Syria are being rapidly depleted, he warned. “Whatever we can do, we have to do it together, driven by humanitarian needs. We just hope that the political considerations will get out of the way and let us do our job,” he said. Governments and international aid organizations have renewed pressure on the US to lift sanctions on Syria, to facilitate relief efforts in the country. Aside from economic restrictions, Washington has for years been supporting various militant groups seeking to overthrow the Syrian government. While the US allows exceptions for humanitarian assistance, aid groups say that in practice they face long delays before shipments are approved by US officials enforcing the sanctions regime. https://www.rt.com/news/571211-t%C3%BCrkiye-syria-death-toll/ ============================================== 9 Feb, 2022 12:54 4) ---‘They used axes to spare the ammo’: How modern Ukraine's Nazi heroes massacred civilians during WWII Tens of thousands innocent Poles were massacred in Volyn. To this day, the torturers are still not condemned This feature was first published on February 9, 2022. Today is the 80th anniversary of the beginning of Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. The Second World War is usually seen as a confrontation between giant military alliances. However, in reality, many smaller separate conflicts unfolded within this epic war, and the struggle between peoples and countries was often conducted without compromise or mercy. One of the darkest and least-known pages of the Second World War is the Volyn massacre – an ethnic cleansing carried out by pro–Nazi Ukrainian nationalist groups in the Volyn region, which is now almost entirely part of Ukraine. Volhynia has historically been a border zone. These swampy forests were part of Russia in the Middle Ages and later became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – the Polish state in its heyday. The partitioning of Poland brought Volhynia into the Russian Empire. After the First World War, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the Russian Civil War, Volhynia was once again part of an independent Poland. In short, this region, although a bit of a backwater, has changed hands often. By the beginning of the Second World War, it was a good agricultural region with a diverse population. Approximately 70% of the region’s inhabitants were Ukrainians, 16% were Poles, and another 10% were Jews. In the first two decades of Poland’s renewed independence, Ukrainian national organizations were banned in Volhynia, and, most importantly, poverty was a very acute problem. The level of urbanization was extremely low, and there was little good land for peasants in Volhynia. National tensions had already existed, but their roots stemmed from economic problems. The Polish minority was, on average, more prosperous, and the central authorities distributed Volhynia’s best plots of land among Polish veterans. In 1939, Germany began World War II by attacking Poland. Within a couple of weeks, the Polish army’s main forces were defeated. Against this background, on September 17, 1939, Soviet troops entered the territory of western Ukraine and Belarus. Though the Poles considered this a treacherous blow, Poland itself had acquired its eastern provinces by forcibly capturing them at the end of the Russian Civil War. From Moscow’s point of view, it had protected the local population from the Nazis while creating a buffer for itself in case of a major war. From whatever angle you look at these events, the national republics within the USSR were formed from territories with their own native populations. The borders of the ruined Russian Empire had evolved not according to some national principle, but were the results of hostilities. Now populated mainly by Ukrainians, Volhynia became part of Soviet Ukraine. Naturally, redrawing the borders did not make national tensions disappear. The Polish minority was not happy about this at all, and the Polish government sitting in exile in London was not prepared to give up even an inch of land. The Polish government continued to see the ‘Kresy’ – the disputed territories in western Belarus and Ukraine – as its own territory. In 1941, the Nazis began a grandiose campaign of conquest against Russia. The beginning of the war was disastrous for the Soviet Union. The Red Army immediately suffered a series of heavy defeats, and the Germans occupied Volhynia within literally one or two weeks. However, the Nazis’ grip on Volhynia was not that tight. It wasn’t very important to them from a strategic or economic standpoint, so only a few cities were actually held by German forces. Moreover, there were a number of different guerrilla-insurgent groups operating in the countryside. The Polish ‘Home Army’ saw its task as restoring Polish rule. Soviet partisans fought against the Nazis in the interests of their own country. Volhynia was also one of the key centers of activity for the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. Although it tried to play an independent role, the OUN initially operated under the patronage of the Nazis and the organization itself was divided into factions. However, all of the Ukrainian nationalist movements were united in their opposition to Volhynia’s non-Ukrainian populations. The OUN’s policy paper, ‘Instructions for the First Days of the Organization of State Life’, explicitly stated: “National minorities are divided into those friendly and hostile to us.” The latter included “Muscovites, Poles and Jews.” “Friendly” differed from “hostile” only in that “friends… can return to their homeland.” According to this document, “hostile” national minorities were subject to “destruction in the struggle.” This masterpiece of rhetoric was accompanied by the remark: “Our government should be terrible to its opponents. Terror for alien-enemies and their traitors.” In the text that follows, the ethnic cleansing program is described in detail. It is curious that this cannibalistic manifesto was actually compiled before the beginning of the Soviet-German war in May of 1941. Initially, there was a kind of segregation – the anti-Semitism of the Ukrainian nationalists brooked no exceptions, while the Poles planned to destroy “only” the intelligentsia and assimilate the ordinary peasants. With the outbreak of the war, the nationalists followed the Wehrmacht with calls to destroy “Moscow, Poland, Magyars and Jews”, accompanied by demands that the population obey the OUN and its leader, Stepan Bandera. In fact, nationalist auxiliary units began killing Jews even before the Nazis did. The attitude of the nationalists towards national minorities was generally more vicious and uncompromising than the Germans’, and the range of people subject to unconditional murder was wider. The nationalists even tried to use the Gestapo to organize ethnic cleansing. However, the honeymoon of the Nazis and the Ukrainian nationalists turned out to be short-lived. The Germans came to see nationalist leader Bandera and his plans to create an independent Ukraine as obstacles to their own plans, which didn’t envision any independent states within the occupied territories of the USSR. Bandera was quickly arrested. The Germans used the nationalists within their own units, and the OUN decided to change course. So as not to play into the hands of Moscow, they did not fight the Nazis. In fact, clashes with the Germans were random and rare. The nationalists operated underground and were mainly engaged in propaganda for quite a long time. They had enough weapons – some were received from the Germans in the summer of 1941, some were retrieved from battlefields, and others were obtained by bribing the occupying forces. By the end of 1942, it became clear that Germany was losing the war, and the nationalists’ plans changed. They were still planning an armed uprising, but the solution to the “issue of national minorities” was updated again. The attitude towards the Russians softened – now only “activists” were to be destroyed. Jews were only to be deported since they were considered to have “great influence.” But the Poles – the largest national minority in Volhynia – were to be dealt with in the most brutal way: “to evict everyone and destroy those who refuse to leave.” At the beginning of 1943, the Ukrainian auxiliary police formed by the Nazis began to desert en masse and join the ranks of the OUN. In total, up to 5,000 former policemen went underground. These people had already managed to participate in the extermination of Jews as part of the Holocaust, as well as the murders of Russians and Belarusians. The Nazi occupation of the USSR was insanely cruel. Without exaggeration, the population of the occupied territories spent two to three years inside a meat grinder. In many areas, up to a quarter of the population was killed through executions and village burnings, as well as organized famines and humanitarian catastrophes. Many villages and even small towns were completely massacred. Auxiliary nationalist units were often directly responsible for perpetrating these acts of intimidation and genocide. As is easy to guess, these people did not suffer from an excess of scruples or moral principles. In the spring of 1943, the situation in Volhynia forebode disaster. The fragile balance of power between Soviet, Polish, and Ukrainian partisan groups was broken and, for a while, the nationalists became the main force in the forests. The theoretical framework for killing a lot of people had already been created, and the nationalist underground was replenished by a horde of Nazi policemen unburdened by a humane worldview. By April of 1943, Soviet partisans, who were no choirboys themselves after witnessing many atrocities, were horrified to report: “A hundred members of the national army have been tasked with destroying Poles in Tsuman District. The local population was slaughtered and settlements in Zaulok, Galinovsk, etc. were burned down. On March 29, 18 people were hacked to death in the village of Galinovk. The rest fled into the forest. Bandera nationalists were led to a Polish doctor by his wife, and they cut off the doctor’s ears and nose. Up to 50 Poles were shot in the village of Pundynki.” After a short discussion, the leadership of the OUN approved the mass extermination of Poles. The key instigator of this purge was Dmitry Klyachkovsky, aka ‘Klim Savur’, who had previously been arrested for extremism in both Poland and the USSR. Having escaped from a Soviet prison during the Wehrmacht offensive, he now became the architect of the massacre as one of the key commanders of OUN forces. The attacks were preceded by primitive propaganda campaigns. One of the rioters, Juhim Orlyuk, later told the USSR’s secret police during interrogation: “In approximately May or June of 1943, two people arrived in the village of Mogilnoye. There was one named Vladimir Volynsky who the villagers called ‘Iron’. He was from the village of Ostrovok, which is about 1 kilometer from the mountains. I didn’t know the other person. They gathered all of Mogilnoye’s Ukrainian residents at the village school and announced that they had been sent by the Ukrainian insurgent army. Next, ‘Iron’ asked those present if they wanted to or were willing to fight the enemy (against whom specifically, he did not say). Those present replied that they were ready. He went on to say that the Germans would lose the war, that a revolution would break out in Germany, that the Red Army would only reach the old border, and that, at that time, the Ukrainian insurgent army, which had a lot of people in it, would rise up, and an independent Ukrainian state would be created.” Volhynia was not a major area of activity for either Polish or Soviet partisans. The partisan forces in Volhynia were small. The Poles had few weapons, and the Russians were mainly focused on other areas. The Soviet partisan detachments were waging a desperate war against the Germans, and the appearance of a new front was an unexpected problem for them. The Poles created self-defense detachments called plyatsuvki, as well as mobile partisan groups to aid them. Groups of ethnic Poles also operated in Volhynia as part of the Soviet partisan movement. However, all these forces suffered from a severe shortage of weapons and ammunition and were often simply powerless to stop the killers. The Soviet partisans focused mainly on sabotage against German military installations and did not have enough forces or equipment to protect villages. To make matters worse, there was a distinct lack of trust between the Soviet and Polish partisans. Meanwhile, events were rapidly developing. The incident that kicked off what would later be called the Volyn massacre is considered to be a raid on the village of Paroslya on February 9, 1943. The militants did not waste bullets: Poles were hacked to pieces with axes. A number of villages were dealt with in a similar fashion. In March, the village of Lipniki was destroyed. Among the survivors was a one-and-a-half-year-old baby, who had been accidentally overlooked. The infant, whose grandfather had been stabbed with a bayonet, was found the next morning by chance, lying in the snow among the dead and dying. He would grow up to become the first Polish cosmonaut, Miroslav Germashevsky. The blood was intoxicating, and the carnage became more and more ferocious. Polish women were raped, and many Poles were brutally tortured before being killed. The murders were mainly carried out using farming equipment or other improvised means. As is often the case, political violence begot criminal violence. The most unscrupulous of peasants tried to appropriate other people’s land by nefarious means, often employing the simplest method – killing the owners. In addition, the nationalists bound ordinary peasants together by blood. They drove prisoners into a pile and forced the Ukrainian peasants to kill them. The Nazis used the massacre with truly diabolical ingenuity. Police detachments made up of Polish collaborators who had already killed Ukrainians were brought into Volhynia, so many peasants took the Germans’ atrocities to be revenge by the Poles. The ethnic cleansing of Volhynia went on for several months, gradually shifting from east to west. The experience the killers had acquired in punitive operations with the Nazi police was not wasted: the massacre was carried out methodically, with the discipline of an army operation. For example, it was characteristic of the Nazis to gather villagers in one building and then burn them alive, and about forty Poles were killed in Guchin in the same manner. A Ukrainian who had hidden a Polish woman was executed along with the Poles. Another common technique was to appear friendly to the Poles at first, so they would not immediately flee, and later gather the victims together in one place under some plausible pretext. Victims were thoroughly robbed, houses were burned. The murderers tried not only to execute the people but destroy their cultural values as well. After about a hundred Poles had been shot en masse in Poritska, nationalists blew up an 18th-century church with the help of an artillery shell and then set fire to what was left of the building. The commanders did not hesitate to personally participate in the killings. For example, Pyotr Oleinik, aka ‘Aeneas’, who led the OUN forces near Rivne, executed captured Poles himself. Gender and age were no protection – 438 people were killed in the village of Ostrovki, of whom 246 were children under the age of 14. “The entire Polish population, including infants, was destroyed (cut and chopped up). I personally shot 5 Poles there who were fleeing into the forest,” a captured militant later told Soviet investigators during interrogation about his participation in an attack on another village. As a rule, the main murder weapons were peasant tools – axes, pitchforks, knives, and hammers. In some cases, places were swept a second time to find people who had managed to hide during the first attack and returned to the ashes. The Poles’ attempts to organize negotiations failed. The Home Army sent Sigmund Rummel, an officer and poet who spoke Ukrainian well, to parlay with the leaders of the OUN. He, as well as the officer and guide accompanying him, were seized and tortured to death. The peak of the atrocities fell on July 11, 1943, when nationalists ravaged up to a hundred Polish villages at once – villages were cordoned off, after which designated groups entered and carried out reprisals The killings continued on a smaller scale until the winter of 1944. According to various estimates, from 40,000 to 60,000 Poles were killed in total. Up to 7,000 people escaped by joining Soviet partisan detachments or taking refuge in cities where OUN detachments were not active. In addition to Poles, almost a thousand ‘disloyal’ Ukrainians, more than a thousand Jews, and about 135 Russians were killed. In addition, the forces of the Polish Home Army, as well as pro-German collaborators, killed more than 2,000 Ukrainians. In the 1944 campaign, the Wehrmacht was defeated, and Volhynia was liberated by the Red Army. For the Soviet government, the OUN and the ‘Ukrainian Insurgent Army’ (UPA), which had been formed during the Volyn massacre, became a major headache, as the numerous armed groups posed a serious problem. By 1945, the main forces of the nationalists had been defeated. The Volyn massacre was certainly a crime from the standpoint of the Soviet authorities. Consequently, Yuri Stelmaschuk, who had been one of the key OUN commanders during the massacre in Volhynia, was arrested in January of 1945 and brought before a tribunal. At the trial, Stelmaschuk tried to dodge the charges, claiming that he had tried to sabotage Klyachkovsky’s order to massacre the Poles. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of murdering 5,000 Poles, sentenced to death, and shot. Pyotr Oleinik, the commander of the OUN forces near Rivne, was shot during a special NKVD operation in February of 1946. Finally, Dmitry Klyachkovsky, the leader and organizer of the massacre, was eliminated thanks to the capture of Stelmaschuk, who revealed his hiding place under interrogation. A large NKVD detachment surrounded and defeated Klim Savura’s detachment, and the executioner himself was mortally wounded during the pursuit. For modern Ukraine, the Volyn massacre is an inconvenient story. Ukrainian nationalists of the Second World War are considered national heroes, and the fact that these people stained themselves with horrific crimes creates a serious problem – especially since the victims were Poles, and modern Poland is seen as an ally and even a patron of Ukraine. However, this hero worship is unlikely to change anytime soon. Ukraine’s entire public agenda is heavily influenced by nationalists who revere the OUN, so the murderers are destined to remain on a pedestal for now. By Evgeniy Norin, a Russian historian focused on Russia's wars and international politics https://www.rt.com/russia/548672-ukrainian-murdered-poles-wwii/ =========================================== Volyn : https://youtu.be/7qdwUmI6hAw ================================== https://twitter.com/DontDenyThe/status/1623739076066025472

Shelling of civilian-only areas has continued in Donbass and two more people have been killed in Donetsk, others have been wounded including children. More than 100 artillery rounds were fired into civilian areas. They created a massive fire, apartment blocks were targeted, right in the centre of the capital city. 75 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the Ugledar standoff, Russian MOD said. Ukraine heavy transport/weapons were also destroyed. RT observes a Russian Special Forces unit operating close to a key Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk Republic, as the Russian army ramps up its offensive in the area. Igor Zhdanov reports from Ugledar. (warning) A disturbing video appears online reportedly showing a Ukrainian soldier murdering a captured Russian POW, in yet another instance of alleged war crimes committed by Kiev's forces. Central Russia, Novosibirsk: A gas explosion in an apartment block has left two dead. Three people may still be trapped under the rubble. Russia says new revelations about US involvement in the Nord Stream explosions were no secret, as Washington had previously been open about its intensions to take out the key Russian pipeline in Europe. Chris Hedges comments. Marina Kosareva reports. "There was no way politicians didn't know the U.S. was behind the pipeline attack, given the previous threats" - Scott Ritter briefly discusses. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Sudan after a successful trip to the West African nation of Mauritania. It's part of his scheduled tour of Africa. Sudan is the last stop on his tour of Africa, as Russia works with African nations to strengthen their ties, in view of new economic horizons. In the wake of his visit, all sorts of other "diplomats" etc., are rushing to Africa too, having been absent for years. Karabo Letlhatlha reports. Earthquake and aftershocks: China has demanded all sanctions be lifted from Syria, saying that the embargo only makes the humanitarian aid situation worse. The U.S. is in Syria illegally, without mandate and is literally stealing $billions worth of Syrian oil each month. "U.S. is obsessed" Mao Ning, China's foreign minister says. Russia continues with assistance in Syria and Türkiye and China has sent substantial aid and money for the Red Cross to start relief operations (QS: equivalent to $286,000 for each and around $9 million of humanitarian aid went out on Tuesday). Bassem Abu Adballah talks about the sanctions and embargoes on Syria. The Green Agenda, Joe Biden and Big Oil and the foot stays in the mouth. Rachel Marsden reports. India, Energy week forum: India is committed to looking after the needs and interests of India and her citizens. Ranjit Rath, MD of Oil India talked to RT and says India continues to enjoy a cordial relationship with Russia. **STOP PRESS** An assassination attempt on the life of Berdyansk head of city has been thwarted. (More info later) ======================================== Below, via RT website --1) --- Snowden comments on Nord Stream revelations 2) --- Why Joe Biden is more dangerous than Donald Trump 3) --- China’s growth revised higher 4) --- Roger Waters calls for ceasefire in Ukraine at UN Security Council 5) --- Russia sanctions 77 Americans 6) --- Austria demands stronger EU border protection 7) --- NATO chief reveals size of Ukraine funding ==================================== 8 Feb, 2023 21:19 1) --- Snowden comments on Nord Stream revelations The NSA whistleblower seemed skeptical of White House denials that the US was responsible Edward Snowden, who exposed the US government’s mass surveillance program a decade ago, appeared unconvinced by Washington’s stringent denial on Wednesday that it had anything to do with the bombing of both Nord Stream pipelines. The explosive story, which was published earlier in the day by the legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh, described the September 2022 explosions as the work of US intelligence. He dutifully included the responses he received from the CIA and the White House, which denied everything and called the story “completely and utterly false” and “false and complete fiction,” respectively. “Can you think of any examples from history of a secret operation that the White House was responsible for, but strongly denied?” Snowden tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. “Besides, you know, that little ‘mass surveillance’ kerfuffle.” He attached a lede from an April 1961 news story, in which US Secretary of State Dean Rusk denied the Bay of Pigs had been “staged from American soil.” Rusk also told reporters that “the Cuban affair was one for the Cubans themselves to settle” but that the US was sympathetic to enemies of “Communist tyranny.” Contrary to Rusk’s denials, the 1961 invasion was a CIA operation that used Cubans opposed to Fidel Castro’s government as proxies. In a social media post in May 2021, the US spy agency showcased a commemorative coin minted for “an anticipated (but never realized) Bay of Pigs victory.” The agency’s museum described the operation as “an unqualified disaster” which ended with most of the 1,400 invaders captured or killed within three days. In addition to describing the details of the Nord Stream operation, Hersh’s article recalled the statements by US President Joe Biden and Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland suggesting the US would “bring an end” to the natural gas pipeline connecting Germany with Russia. After the explosions, Western media quickly accused Moscow of blowing up its own pipeline to somehow spite the US and its allies, though never offering any evidence to back up that claim. Snowden’s “kerfuffle” was a reference to his own experience in 2013. The former CIA and National Security Agency (NSA) contractor handed over a trove of classified documents to several media outlets proving that the government was warrantlessly spying on Americans, in direct violation of US laws. The top intelligence officials testified in Congress that this was not the case, only for evidence to later prove their perjury. Washington responded by charging Snowden with theft of government property and giving classified information to unauthorized persons, among other things. The US also revoked his passport, stranding him in Russia, where he eventually received political asylum. https://www.rt.com/news/571199-snowden-nord-stream-story/ ============================================= 8 Feb, 2023 22:17 2) --- Why Joe Biden is more dangerous than Donald Trump The President’s State of the Union address shows he is a symptom of America’s problems, just like his predecessor OP-ED By Timur Fomenko, a political analyst Joe Biden conducted his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. A staple trait of Biden’s presidency is that he repeatedly claims that he is making things better for ordinary Americans. In his own words, he is creating jobs, bringing down inflation and “delivering for families”. He frames himself as an FDR style titan who is reinvigorating the US following troubled times, and, in his words, making it “more competitive” than ever. In reality, his statements could not be further from the truth.The United States is in chaos and the Biden administration faces painfully low approval ratings, crippling levels of inflation, weak 2022 GDP and a looming recession. Whatever the expectations of Joe Biden were, he has proved himself to be the most dangerous and hawkish Democrat leading the US since Harry Truman. As America tears itself apart at home, it is also doing so abroad. When Joe Biden entered office, many people expected he would be different than Donald Trump. After four years of what the media described as chaos and internal turmoil in America, Biden was heralded as a breath of fresh air who would be normal, sane and moderate. What these arguments actively overlooked was that Donald Trump was not the problem, but rather a symptom of broader American failure and decline. As the world has changed, in particular through the lingering impact of globalized neoliberal capitalism, digitization and shifts in the geopolitical balance of power, the United States has struggled to assert a coherent identity amidst a changing world which has produced deep divisions and large-scale political conflict. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/us/biden-approval-rating-poll.html (paywall - approval rating) https://www.forbes.com/sites/qai/2023/01/10/recession-fears-2023-what-lies-ahead/ - This is the era of “post-truth”, and as a result, Joe Biden is not in fact better than Trump, he is infinitely worse. While Donald Trump was a populist figure who railed against the political establishment, Joe Biden is a long-standing member of the political establishment. As such, he has used his reign in office to reassert its influence and give it “Trumpian characteristics”. That includes the same brand of conceited bragging, populism and political squabbles at home, but with a foreign policy abroad which is dangerously more aggressive than anything Trump ever conceived. America’s increasingly dangerous involvement in the Ukraine conflict is a prime example. The underlying factor here is the effort by the United States to resuscitate its unconditional hegemony over the rest of the world by force, having sensed that a political shift has taken place. This change is reflected in the anger and resentment of blue collar, white Americans, and a primary driver for Trump’s election. The product of the Trump and Biden administrations has been to project those changes into resentment of China, culminating in events like the recent “Chinese spy balloon” saga that have been hyper-dramatized. China has become the designated enemy, and it appears there is a political consensus in the US around this, irrespective of the consequences. There are some critical differences between the two administrations in how this is being pursued. While Trump operated US foreign policy on “quid-pro-quo” terms, stressing the “America First” philosophy, the Biden administration sees opportunity not through trade wars or bargaining, but through the escalation of geopolitical conflict. Biden’s team is sacrificing stability on every front for the sake of power. As such, the Biden White House, despite fawning over American jobs and prosperity, has thought nothing about tearing up global supply chains, driving up prices, accelerating geopolitical bloc confrontation, pursuing large scale sanctions and whipping up global uncertainty for hegemonic gain. While Trump was hyper-dramatic, he cared about markets and growth, and he also knew when to compromise. Surrounded by neoconservatives like Mike Pompeo on China policy, he was more interested in making deals with Beijing in the American interest and could restrain them if he wished to do so. Biden on the other hand, cares for nothing, and has no guardrails. Sure, he might wear a smile, he might not call people nasty names on Twitter, but it is this façade which hides the dangerous policymaking in the White House that has actually left Americans worse off than Trump ever managed to do. It seems unlikely given the circumstances that Trump would have ever allowed the Russia-Ukraine war to happen, and he has made it clear multiple times that if he were President, it wouldn’t have happened. https://www.axios.com/2022/07/04/donald-trump-inflation-ukraine-war-wouldnt-happen-president - In some ways, the sheer incompetence of the opposition has, despite dire circumstances, allowed Biden to also be incredibly lucky. For a President who has low approval ratings, overseeing a dire economic situation, he landed on his feet in the November midterm elections, his party even seizing control of the Senate. The fact that he continues to proclaim victories where there are none is only indicative of how the US is suffering from a leadership deficit. In this sense, Biden and Trump’s methodologies may differ but they are both a product of the same broken system that rewards falsehood and ultimately focuses on domestic political point scoring as opposed to real results. If things have changed at all in America throughout the two years of Biden’s tenure, they have ultimately changed for the worse and pose a threat to the world as a whole. Yet, you would never believe that if you sat and watched his State of the Union address. "...The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT...." https://www.rt.com/news/571182-biden-trump-us-sotu/ ============================================ 9 Feb, 2023 04:59 3) --- China’s growth revised higher Fitch Ratings improved its outlook due to a faster-than-expected recovery in economic activity The Chinese economy will perform better than expected and is projected to grow 5% this year, Fitch Ratings reported in a revised forecast published on Wednesday. The growth prediction for the world’s second-largest economy was raised from December’s expectations of 4.1% due to “evidence that consumption and activity are recovering faster than initially anticipated” as Beijing lifted its stringent Covid-19 restrictions. This comes after a weaker-than-expected performance last year, when the country’s GDP grew by 3%, hampered by severe lockdowns. The ratings agency expects economic activity to be strong in the first half of the year, driven by a “swift rebound” from the pandemic. “We believe stabilizing the recovery will remain the key focus in the near term, but do not anticipate aggressive macro-policy easing,” the economists wrote in a release. China’s latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a measure of business activity for manufacturing and services, also soared, indicating growth. The country’s manufacturing PMI rose to 50.1 in January from a previous reading of 47, while its services PMI climbed to 54.4, the highest level since June 2022. A value above 50 indicates an expansion of economic activity, while a reading below points to a contraction. UBS expects China’s consumption to improve moderately, predicting that spending will be rather “cautious” due to strains in consumer confidence. “With employment and household income still in need of recovery, consumer confidence may not recover completely but instead remain cautious,” the chief China economist for the investment bank, Wang Tao, said in a note. Excess savings of China’s households are estimated to be worth 4 trillion to 4.6 trillion yuan ($590 billion to $678 billion), but according to UBS, these savings may not be spent this year. “Further normalization of consumer behavior and more release of excess savings could help underpin future consumption recovery in 2024 and beyond,” Wang added. UBS expects China’s household consumption growth to surge 10-11% in nominal terms and 7.8% in real terms in 2023. https://www.rt.com/business/571175-china-economy-growth-upgraded/ ============================================= 8 Feb, 2023 21:17 4) --- Roger Waters calls for ceasefire in Ukraine at UN Security Council The British rock icon has urged all sides of the conflict to stop fighting, warning the world is heading toward disaster Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters spoke at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday where he urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. The rock icon was invited to participate in the meeting, which was convened to discuss peace prospects and weapons deliveries to Kiev, by Russia. Waters said in his address that he spoke on behalf of the “voiceless majority,” delivering a broader anti-war message. The musician slammed profiteers of the ongoing hostilities and those striving for “unipolar world domination,” warning that such goals would only lead to a global catastrophe. “The voiceless majority is concerned that your wars – yes, your wars, for these perpetual wars are not of our choosing – that your wars will destroy the planet that is our home,” Waters stated. Along with every other living thing, we will be sacrificed on the altar of two things: profits from the war to line the pockets of the very, very few and the hegemonic march of some empire or other towards unipolar world domination. Please reassure us that that is not your vision, for there is no good outcome down that road. That road leads only to disaster. He said the Russian offensive, which began last February, was “not unprovoked.” “So I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms,” Waters stressed. “President Biden, President Putin, President Zelensky, USA, NATO, Russia, the EU – all of you – please, change course now. Agree a ceasefire in Ukraine today. That, of course, will only be the starting point. But everything extrapolates from that starting point,” Waters stated, adding that such a move would prompt a worldwide “sigh of relief,” with the prospects of perishing in a global “nuclear Holocaust” thus reduced. Waters has been an outspoken critic of the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, slamming it previously as an “unnecessary war,” and repeatedly calling for a peaceful resolution to it. He has also condemned the West’s role in provoking the hostilities in the first place, as well as its enduring military support to Kiev, accusing the US and its allies of “war profiteering” and prolonging the conflict. - Watch right on Rumble https://rumble.com/v28s28c-agree-to-a-ceasefire-in-ukraine-today-waters.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=15 - https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/571190-roger-waters-ukraine-ceasefire/ ============================================= 8 Feb, 2023 21:07 5) --- Russia sanctions 77 Americans The measures target US governors, officials, and businessmen responsible for arming “the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev” Moscow has unveiled retaliatory sanctions on 77 US nationals, including 33 governors and the relatives of Democrat and Republican leaders. The new measures came a week after Washington sanctioned 22 individuals and entities that it accused of aiding the Russian military. All of the individuals listed are permanently banned from entering Russia, the Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on Wednesday. The ministry said that the list was compiled in response to “Washington’s continued expansion” of its anti-Russian sanctions program, and is “based on the principle of reciprocity.” Governors of US states – both Democrat and Republican – make up almost half of the list. Also named are the daughters of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, all of whom have been enthusiastic supporters of the Biden administration’s policy of arming Ukraine. Five Leidos executives are included on the blacklist. This Virginia-based defense contractor has deployed an electronic surveillance plane to the skies near Ukraine to provide the US with information on Russian military movements. Desert Tech CEO Nicholas Young, whose firearms are used by Ukraine’s national guard, was also blacklisted. These companies, the ministry said, are “involved in the supply of weapons to the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev.” The sanctions came a week after the US Treasury Department announced that it had blacklisted 22 individuals and entities it accused of being tied to a “global sanctions evasion network supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex.” The list included alleged arms dealer Igor Zimenkov and a list of companies supposedly involved in importing and exporting weapons from Russia. Earlier rounds of US and EU sanctions have targeted Russian politicians, businessmen, military figures, and their families. In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that any further “hostile actions against Russia” would be similarly “rebuffed” by Moscow. https://www.rt.com/russia/571198-russia-sanctions-us-governors/ ============================================== 8 Feb, 2023 19:22 6) --- Austria demands stronger EU border protection Karl Nehammer has threatened to oppose a bloc-wide statement on migration if Brussels doesn’t fund prevention Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has warned EU leaders that he is willing to block a European Council summit declaration on migration this week if the bloc does not pay to fortify its external borders against illegal entry. Nehammer's demand for concrete action on border protection came in an interview with Die Welt on Wednesday. “Empty phrases will not suffice,” he said. “A clear and unequivocal commitment to strengthening external border protection and the use of appropriate financial resources from the EU budget is needed.” If no “concrete measures” are agreed to, the chancellor said, Austria cannot back the summit declaration. Nehammer and the leaders of seven other countries called for stronger protections against illegal migration in a letter to the presidents of the European Commission and European Council on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s migration summit. The heads of Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and Slovakia also signed the message, denouncing existing European policies and the low rate of return they engender as a “pull factor” encouraging violators. “The current asylum system is broken and primarily benefits the cynical human smugglers who take advantage of the misfortune of women, men and children,” the letter reads, calling for an increase in deportation and sending asylum seekers to “safe third countries” in addition to increasing physical border fortifications. Last month, Nehammer called for the European Commission to pay €2 billion ($2.17 billion) to build a border fence between Bulgaria and Türkiye. Austria blocked Bulgaria from joining the visa-free Schengen Area in December, citing concern that the country would not be able to adequately police its borders. Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested a “pilot project” that would allow for “immediate returns” of failed asylum seekers to their home countries. EU migration ministers have recommended restricting visas for countries that refuse to accept returned nationals, though Gambia is the only country to be punished this way since the policy was first proposed. EU countries recorded over 330,000 illegal entry attempts last year, border control agency Frontex reported – the most since 2016 and a figure that does not include legal asylum applicants or Ukrainian refugees. More than 80% of these were adult men. https://www.rt.com/news/571196-austria-nehammer-migration-summit-fences/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 22:27 7) --- NATO chief reveals size of Ukraine funding Jens Stoltenberg said Kiev has received $120 billion from the West so far NATO has sent Kiev over $100 billion over the past year, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday in a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington. Since last February, the US-led military bloc has provided “unprecedented support to Ukraine, around 120 billion dollars in military, humanitarian and financial assistance,” Stoltenberg told reporters at the State Department. While the US has played an “indispensable role,” Canada and the European members have contributed “over half” of the overall assistance, “including tanks, advanced air defense systems” and other weapons, he added. According to Blinken, the US has contributed “nearly $30 billion” worth of military aid, while other NATO members gave $13 billion, as well as “tens of billions more in humanitarian and economic support.” Blinken also said that “tilting the battlefield in Ukraine’s favor” is the key to an eventual diplomatic solution of the conflict. After their joint press event, Stoltenberg and Blinken went to meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, with even more funding for Ukraine on the agenda. In December, the Russian Defense Ministry estimated that the West had provided Ukraine with $97 billion worth of weapons, ammunition and supplies. Moscow has repeatedly warned that arming Ukraine only prolongs the conflict and risks a direct confrontation. Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements for peace in the Donbass and insisting that its neighbor pledge to never join any Western military bloc. Ukrainian, German and French leaders have since admitted that the Minsk negotiations were a ploy to buy Ukraine time to prepare for war with Russia. Though multiple Western officials have publicly said Ukraine is fighting for their “values” and world order, and Ukraine’s own defense minister said Kiev is carrying out a NATO mission, the US and NATO maintain they are technically not participants in the conflict. (Aleksey Reznikov has argued that Kiev is shedding blood for the military bloc and expects weapons in return) https://www.rt.com/news/571203-nato-us-arming-ukraine/ ============================================

Nord Stream 2 sabotage: An American Pulitzer Award-winning journalist, Seymour Hersh, reveals a US-Norwegian operation to attack the Russian Nord Stream gas pipelines. It was reportedly done under the guise of NATO naval drills in the Baltic Sea to cover their tracks. (4 below) Marina Kosareva and Eunan discuss the details. Rachel Marsden also reports and analyses. Syria earthquake aftershocks tragedy: The Syrian Arab Red Crescent says sanctions imposed on Damascus prevent vital aid deliveries from getting to the country, after devastating earthquakes leave at least 16-hundred people dead in the Middle Eastern nation. (QS: also see https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-february-6-2023/ for a bit of the callous nature of US despite them robbing Syria of $billions a month in oil). Citizens are still being found as rescue teams locate and dig them out of the rubble, but it's a race against time with cold and other factors, dangerous structures etc In Türkiye, the situation is also grim as rescue teams work round the clock to locate and dig out the people from the rubble and then care for them. The death toll is more than 10,000 in Türkiye and Syria, Peter Scott reports Diyarbakir. Iran is set to join the world's largest regional bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The bloc has 40% of the world's population and covers 60% of Eurasia. Prof Sayed Mohammad Marandi talks about the benefits of joining and explains more about the SCO. Nord Stream 2 - Martin Jay comments. China balloon, USA shoot down, relations and a phone call rejected: 'Your request has been denied' - that's the message from China who rejected to take a call from the US defence minister, after Washington shot down what Beijing has called a weather balloon. Victor Gao reports and it seems (rightly) that China is ticked off. The U.S. Defence Department submitted a request for a call between Lloyd Austin and China’s Minister of National Defence Wei Fenghe immediately after the US fighter jets shot down the balloon on Saturday afternoon but China declined the request, according to the Pentagon. ============================================ Below via RT website A) --- Russia warns of direct clash with US B) --- Moscow assesses prospects for peace with Kiev C) --- Moscow says it’s ready for ‘normal talks’ with West - N1) --- 10,000+ killed in Türkiye-Syria earthquakes - 1) --- Exiled opposition leader accuses Western-backed forces of using neo-Nazis in Ukraine 2) --- German defense minister admits Ukraine doubts 3) --- Сhechen leader predicts end of Ukraine conflict 4) --- US behind Nord Stream sabotage – legendary NYT journalist 5) --- Ukraine purges libraries of Russian-language books – official 6) --- India sends massive aid package to Türkiye and Syria 7) --- Moscow reveals time frame for response to Western oil sanctions 8) --- MH17 probe suspended 9) --- Majority of Canadians say their country is ‘broken’ – poll 10) --- Museum explains why it’s removing Chinese cameras FEATURE) --- Lasers, spaceflight, surgery, nuclear power and the secrets of Mayan civilization: How Russian scientists changed the world ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 14:26 A) --- Russia warns of direct clash with US Washington is seeking a deterrence advantage over Russia, which could cause an outright war, Moscow has warned The US has “unleashed a total hybrid war” against Russia and is putting the two nuclear nations on a path to direct confrontation, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. It claims Washington’s demands for nuclear inspections in Russia are “cynical”, considering its “obvious” assistance in Ukrainian attacks against Russian strategic nuclear forces. The allegations were part of the Ministry’s public comments on the status of the New START treaty, the last remaining US-Russian agreement on nuclear weapons reduction. According to US media, the Department of State notified the Congress last week that Russia was in “noncompliance” due to a refusal to facilitate inspections on its soil. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that was not true, since the treaty allows suspension of inspection. Washington was the first to start barring Russian monitors from doing their job in the US, it alleged. The ministry said that “created obvious unilateral benefits” for the US and prompted a response in kind by Moscow. The 2010 treaty was signed in a different environment and is based on the notion that the US and Russia are equal partners who seek to build trust and improve global security through disarmament, as reflected in its text, the ministry explained. But now that Washington has declared the “strategic defeat” of Russia as its goal and ramped up tensions in all aspects of bilateral relations, there can be no “business as usual” with the US, according to the statement. "Until Washington revises its hostile stance regarding Russia and drops the policy of increasing the threats towards our national security,” Moscow will consider any proposed gestures of goodwill under the nuclear treaty “unjustified, untimely and uncalled for.” The Russian ministry didn’t elaborate on which “strategic nuclear forces objects” the Ukrainian side attacked with US help, which allegedly involved “military-technical and information-intelligence” aspects. The Russian Defense Ministry has previously blamed Ukraine for two attacks against Engels air base in Saratov Region. Both happened in December and reportedly involved Soviet-made long-range drones. The first incident coincided with a similar attack against the Dyagilevo airfield in Ryazan Region. Both Russian airfields host strategic bomber planes, which can carry and deploy nuclear weapons in addition to conventional air-launched missiles. https://www.rt.com/russia/571172-nuclear-treaty-breach-russia/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 08:47 B) --- Moscow assesses prospects for peace with Kiev Russia’s UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia has called on the West to stop using Ukrainians in a “proxy war” The West is only prolonging the bloodshed in Ukraine by supplying Kiev with weapons and waging a proxy war against Moscow, Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, said on Tuesday. The statement came the same day US President Joe Biden vowed to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” “The prospects of peace will be closer when the flooding of Ukraine with weapons stops… and when they realistically listen to our concerns,” Nebenzia told reporters at a press conference. He urged Ukraine’s Western backers to stop “using Ukrainians to wage a proxy war against us.” Asked by a reporter if a peaceful resolution to the conflict could happen in 2023, the diplomat replied: “We all hope for peace.” Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-2015 Minsk peace accords. Many Western countries and NATO members have since supplied Ukraine with heavy weapons, including anti-armor systems, multiple rocket launchers, howitzers and combat drones. Last month, the US, Britain and Germany pledged for the first time to deliver tanks. In his annual address to Congress on Tuesday, President Biden described Russia’s military operation in Ukraine as “a test for the ages” and threat to “our security and prosperity.” “Together, we did what America always does at our best. We led. We united NATO and built a global coalition… We stood with the Ukrainian people,” Biden said. Russia, meanwhile, maintains that foreign arms will not change the course of the conflict and only lead to further escalation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in December that the US and NATO were “directly involved” by providing weapons and training to Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian officials insist that peace can only be achieved if Russia agrees to surrender its newly incorporated territories. Moscow has rejected these terms as unacceptable. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, together with two other former Ukrainian territories – the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions – became parts of Russia after holding referendums on the matter in September. Crimea did the same shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev. https://www.rt.com/russia/571156-russian-envoy-ukraine-peace/ ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 21:19 C) --- Moscow says it’s ready for ‘normal talks’ with West There’s no point, however, in reading “statements that have already been voiced in public,” a senior Russian diplomat believes Moscow is ready for a substantive discussion with the collective West as a whole or any party, Sergey Belyaev, the director of the Second European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, has said. The senior diplomat made the remarks in an interview with RTVI published Tuesday. Russia is prepared to talk to “anyone, with the British and, in general, with the Finns, Swedes, anyone,” Belyaev stressed. “If there is a desire to sit down and have a normal talk about ways to normalize the situation, about ways to minimize risks – and there are risks.” At the same time, there’s no point in any negotiations if the “conversation with us is needed only in order to sit down at the table and read to us, as it sometimes happens, those statements that have already been voiced in public,” he added. The diplomat pointed to the inability of Western nations to negotiate in any meaningful way, recalling the aftermath of the blasts that heavily damaged the Nord Stream pipelines last September. Despite Moscow’s repeated calls for a joint probe into the incident, the West has exhibited a very suspicious reluctance to perform a transparent investigation, Belyaev noted. “To all our proposals [on the potential probe] there was either no answer, or the answer was a categorical ‘no.’ The question arises: if they do not want to conduct an investigation together with us, then why?” he wondered. Relations between Russia and the West had been fraught for some time but entered a downward spiral last February after Moscow launched its military operation in neighboring Ukraine, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, which were designed to give Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian, German, and French leaders have since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the agreement to buy time for Kiev to build up its military. The operation was preceded by Moscow having called for a comprehensive, multiparty security guarantees agreement, but this was squarely rejected by Washington. https://www.rt.com/russia/571136-moscow-west-normal-talk/ ============================================= 8 Feb, 2023 13:03 N1) --- 10,000+ killed in Türkiye-Syria earthquakes Rescuers in both countries continue to clear the rubble and look for survivors 48 hours after the disaster The death toll from the catastrophic earthquakes in southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria has now moved past 10,000, officials said on Wednesday. Rescuers, meanwhile, continue to clear the rubble and look for survivors. Teams from dozens of countries are helping locals in both states. In Türkiye, over 8,500 people were killed and nearly 50,000 injured, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after arriving in Kahramanmaras, a city in the province where the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake was recorded. According to Erdogan, nearly 6,500 buildings were destroyed. Vice President Fuat Oktay said earlier that more than 450,000 residents who had lost their homes were being housed in student dormitories. People are still being found alive under the rubble. Anadolu news agency reported that two women were rescued after spending 48 hours trapped in the debris of a destroyed apartment block in Hatay Province. On Monday morning, a series of powerful earthquakes ravaged the southern part of the country, leveling houses in several cities. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described it as “the biggest disaster” since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. A three-month state of emergency was declared in the ten affected provinces on Tuesday. All schools across the country were closed for a week. In neighboring Syria, more than 1,260 were killed and nearly 2,300 injured, Health Minister Hassan al-Ghabbash said. Separately, over 1,400 dead and around 2,700 injured were reported in the northwestern parts of Syria not controlled by the government, according to the Washington Post. Al Ghabbash said officials were working “around the clock” to maintain the flow of medical and other supplies to Aleppo, Latakia and Hama, the regions hit hardest by the quake. More than 70 mosques have been equipped to function as shelters, according to the government. see https://rumble.com/v28qs92-children-pulled-out-of-rubble-hours-after-horrific-quakes-in-trkiye.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=3 - https://www.rt.com/news/571168-turkiye-syria-earthquakes-casualties/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 10:12 1) --- Exiled opposition leader accuses Western-backed forces of using neo-Nazis in Ukraine The US and EU have a vested interest in the country, no matter how radical the government becomes, Viktor Medvedchuk said Radical political forces are a weapon routinely used by Western-backed actors in Ukraine to stifle opponents, exiled opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk believes. The US and its allies are willing to overlook this as long as it serves their interests, he said. “Neo-Nazism is the cudgel that pro-Western forces turn to when they lose. Then, the mask of democracy and peacemaking comes off instantly, and opponents find themselves back in the harsh reality of political cannibalism,” the Ukrainian politician wrote in an analysis of the ongoing conflict, which was published on Wednesday by RIA Novosti. Medvedchuk’s Opposition Platform – For Life party was the largest opposition faction in the Ukrainian parliament before a government crack down led by President Vladimir Zelensky banned the bloc for supposedly being pro-Russian. The party was targeted because it had every chance to topple Zelensky at the ballot box, he said, citing opinion polls, but a “system of oppression” was deployed against it. Historically, in Ukraine “as soon as a non pro-Western force gains ground, scores higher approval, pro-Western forces do everything to ban it,” he wrote. Radicals in the media “slander opposition politicians, threaten their supporters and urge a mass crackdown.” Today, any speech in the pro-Western media is hailed as freedom of expression, whereas outlets allowing dissent are “declared propagandists, and its journalists branded traitors” and blacklisted. The West never sees this as incitement, as a call for violence and lawlessness, as it never sees the ensuing violence and lawlessness. Meanwhile, thugs who are used to suppress the opposition act with impunity in Ukraine, even maiming and killing their targets, Medvedchuk asserted. Any attempt to defend oneself is treated as “aggression and separatism.” “Today, Ukraine is in the hands of people, who don’t speak Ukrainian [as their mother tongue] and who are mostly not ethnic Ukrainians,” the politician stated. “They turned the Ukrainian language into a ‘friend-or-foe’ designator to cover up their true intentions.” READ MORE: Zelensky ‘set fire’ to Ukraine – exiled opposition leader The Ukrainian case stands out because of the resources that the US and its allies have invested into tearing the country away from Russia and showcasing it as an example of pro-Western development, Medvedchuk believes. If Kiev fails, the “political bankruptcy” of Washington’s global leadership would be exposed, as will the failure of EU expansion, which the politician compared to the construction of the Tower of Babel in terms of the chaos it produces. https://www.rt.com/russia/571158-medvedchuk-west-neonazis-opposition/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 10:01 2) --- German defense minister admits Ukraine doubts Boris Pistorius said it was “difficult” to determine if Kiev could retake Crimea and Donbass German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has expressed uncertainty over Ukraine’s ability to achieve its goal of retaking Crimea and Donbass. The official claimed that the West’s continued support for Kiev would be key in determining the outcome of the conflict with Russia. Speaking to Germany’s Bild newspaper on Tuesday during an official visit to the Ukrainian capital, Pistorius was asked if Kiev would manage to restore control over all the territories within its 1991 borders. The minister described the question as “difficult” and likened it to a “look into the crystal ball.” While stopping short of a prediction, Pistorius commended the bravery of Kiev’s forces, adding that “it is vital that we continue to support Ukraine to the best of our ability.” “This is an intense war of attrition. There are insanely high losses,” the German official said. When asked if he stood by his previous maxim that “Ukraine must win the war,” Pistorius replied: “Yes, of course.” According to the German minister, much like Ukraine’s ability to make territorial gains, the prospect of peace negotiations remains uncertain. Pistorius, who took office on January 19, confirmed Berlin’s commitment to providing Kiev with 14 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks by late March, with the training of Ukrainian personnel expected to start in the near future. Pistorius stressed that he sees the delivery of air defense systems in the coming months as crucial, while calling into question the potential usefulness of submarines, should Kiev request them further down the line. Responding to Western nations’ plans to supply Ukraine with tanks and other heavy weapons, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu warned on Tuesday that “such moves are essentially dragging NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to an unpredictable escalation.” However, he expressed confidence that the Russian military would destroy the hardware. Top Russian officials have consistently argued that Western arms deliveries only serve to prolong the conflict unnecessarily. https://www.rt.com/news/571155-german-defense-minister-ukraine-crimea-donbass/ ============================================= 7 Feb, 2023 14:39 3) --- Сhechen leader predicts end of Ukraine conflict The hostilities will subside by the end of the year, Ramzan Kadyrov has said The Russian military operation against Ukraine will be wrapped up by the end of the year, according to the head of Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. He also predicted that the West would be forced to admit its mistakes regarding relations with Moscow. “European nations will acknowledge that their actions were wrong. The West will kneel. And, as usual, European states will have to cooperate with Russia in all spheres. There can be and will be no other outcome,” Kadyrov said in an interview on Tuesday. Units of ethnic Chechens have been on the frontline in Ukraine since the start of the campaign. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised them in September for showing “valor and exceptional courage,” noting the tradition of military service alongside other peoples from their nation. Kadyrov regularly posts videos showcasing Chechen troops in action and reports on their progress on the ground. On occasion, he has publicly questioned some of the decisions taken by the Russian military leadership, including the withdrawal of troops from Kharkov Region in September. At the time, the Chechen leader urged the Russian Defense Ministry to adopt a bolder offensive strategy. The ministry explained the partial pullout as helping to minimize Russian battlefield losses. Moscow deployed troops against Ukraine in late February 2022, citing the creeping expansion of NATO and Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk Agreements of 2014-15, which were intended to form a roadmap for peace in Donbass. Russian officials have argued that the military operation preempted an attempt by Kiev to retake by force the territories that broke away from Ukraine after the 2014 armed coup in the capital. https://www.rt.com/russia/571116-kadyrov-ukraine-operation-end/ ============================================= 8 Feb, 2023 13:35 4) --- US behind Nord Stream sabotage – legendary NYT journalist Washington “took out” the Russian gas pipelines, Seymour Hersh has claimed The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed last September by the US in a covert operation, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has claimed. The legendary reporter made the bombshell revelation in an article posted to his newly launched blog on Substack on Wednesday. The explosives were planted at the pipelines back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of the BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise, Hersh reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning. The journalist noted that he had reached out to the White House and CIA for comment, with both firmly rejecting the claim that the US “took out” the pipelines as “utterly false.” The bombs were detonated three months later on September 26 with a remote signal sent by a sonar buoy. The buoy was dropped near the Nord Stream pipelines by a Norwegian Navy P8 surveillance plane, according to the report. The operation came to fruition following months of back-and-forth between the White House, CIA, and military, with officials focusing on how to leave no trace of US involvement in the attack. The planning process began back in December 2021, when a special task force was created with the direct participation of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. “The Navy proposed using a newly commissioned submarine to assault the pipeline directly. The Air Force discussed dropping bombs with delayed fuses that could be set off remotely. The CIA argued that whatever was done, it would have to be covert. Everyone involved understood the stakes,” the report read. The source told Hersh that everybody involved understood the operation was not some “kiddie stuff” but was actually an “an act of war.” Throughout “all of this scheming” certain officials urged the White House to drop the idea entirely. “Some working guys in the CIA and the State Department were saying, ‘Don’t do this. It’s stupid and will be a political nightmare if it comes out,’” according to the source. Originally, the explosives were to have a 48-hour timer and were set to be planted by the end of BALTOPS22, Hersh reported, citing the same source. The two-day window, however, was ultimately deemed to be too close to the end of the exercise by the White House, which ordered the task force to come up with an on-demand method of detonating them. This ultimately turned out to be the sonar buoy. The administration of President Joe Biden has been “focused” on jeopardizing the Nord Stream pipelines – initially through sanctions, and, ultimately, by direct sabotage – seeing it as key to swaying Europe to its cause amid the then-looming conflict in Ukraine, Hersh noted. “As long as Europe remained dependent on the pipelines for cheap natural gas, Washington was afraid that countries like Germany would be reluctant to supply Ukraine with the money and weapons it needed to defeat Russia,” he wrote. Moscow provided a similar take on the incident shortly after the blasts, branding them a “terrorist attack” and stating that the US was the nation that benefited most from it, by accelerating Europe’s attempts to wean itself off of Russian gas. Throughout his career, Hersh has reported on numerous explosive stories, including war crimes by the US military and high-profile political scandals. Exposing the My Lai massacre by US troops in Vietnam scored the journalist the Pulitzer Prize in 1970. Other notable stories Hersh reported on include the Watergate scandal, the CIA illegal domestic spying, as well as the American military's torture and abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. https://www.rt.com/news/571173-hersh-us-nord-stream/ ============================================ 7 Feb, 2023 11:56 5) --- Ukraine purges libraries of Russian-language books – official More than 10 million volumes have been pulled from the shelves, a senior Rada MP has said Ukraine has removed millions of copies of Russian-language books from its public libraries, Yevgeniya Kravchuk, a senior member of the country’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, said on Monday. She stated that the Culture Ministry had provided recommendations on what titles should be taken off the shelves. This move was provoked by an initiative declared by the Ukrainian government to “overcome the consequences of Russification,” which in practice means purging schools of certain literature, renaming streets, and dismantling monuments to Russian historical figures. According to Kravchuk, the deputy chair of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, 19 million books had been removed as of November, including 11 million in Russian. “Some Ukrainian-language books from the Soviet times are being removed as well,” Kravchuk said. The MP noted that there was not enough literature available in the Ukrainian language. “The ratio of books in the Russian and Ukrainian languages in our libraries is very disheartening. We are talking about the need to update the stocks more quickly and procure books in the Ukrainian language.” Ukraine has a sizable Russian-speaking minority, and many Ukrainian speakers are fluent in Russian. In June, the Ukrainian Education Ministry proposed removing more than 40 books by Russian and Soviet authors from the curriculum. The list included the works of such renowned classical writers as Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Alexander Pushkin, as well as Boris Pasternak and Mikhail Sholokhov, both of whom won the Nobel Prize for literature. Ukrainian Culture Minister Aleksander Tkachenko urged the world in December to “boycott” Russian culture, arguing that Moscow has been using it for propaganda. Since 2014, Kiev has adopted several laws aimed at restricting the use of the Russian language in the public sphere. Moscow, meanwhile, has described these moves as discriminatory. Last year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned “Kiev’s policy of aggressive de-Russification and forced assimilation.” Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass, a predominately Russian-speaking region, and Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk 2014-2015 peace accords. https://www.rt.com/russia/571099-ukraine-purges-russian-books/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 17:41 6) --- India sends massive aid package to Türkiye and Syria Over 100 tonnes of equipment and 200 personnel have been sent to areas affected by the devastating earthquakes By Joydeep Sen Gupta, Asia editor India has dispatched 130 tonnes of aid to Türkiye and another six tonnes to Syria to help with the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that hit the countries on Monday. On Tuesday, four C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) airlifted equipment and medicine, as well as 101 National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel and 99 military medics to the disaster-hit areas. The aid packages are part of New Delhi’s human assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mission called ‘Operation Dost’, which means ‘friends’ in Hindi. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the NDRF teams are self-contained rescue units. They carry a range of equipment necessary to search collapsed structures and rescue trapped survivors, such as angle cutters, rotary rescue saws, life detectors, lighting, air-lifting bags, chainsaws, hand and power tools and more. They are also accompanied by sniffer dog squads. The medical team will set up a 30-bed field hospital with operation theaters, X-ray machines and ventilators. “One team went to Adana and another to Urfa. They will later converge at Nurdağı, one of the worst-hit areas. A third team of 51 operatives is on its way and the local administration will decide on its deployment,” NDRF Director-General Atul Karwal said at a media briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday evening. India’s assistance was on its way even before Türkiye officially requested it, thanks to the initiative of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said Air Marshal Balabhadra Radha Krishna. “The rapid response of the Indian administration stemmed from its annual exercise and standard operating procedure for HADR, which helped them mobilize resources within 12 hours from when the disaster occurred. Our interoperability and synergies among key government departments were on display as this is the farthest — up to nine hours of flying time — that we’ve managed to take our HADR initiative to date,” Krishna explained. India boosted its disaster relief capabilities after the devastating tsunami that hit the coastal part of southern India, the Andaman and Nicobar islands, Sri Lanka and several other countries in the Indian Ocean region in December 2004, killing over 227,000 people. Since then, HADR has emerged as a security provider in emergencies across the region, as well as for Indians elsewhere in the world. One of its most recent efforts was ‘Operation Ganga’, which evacuated thousands of Indians stranded in and around Ukraine in March last year. The current death toll from Monday’s devastating earthquakes that hit southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria stands at over 11,000 people. Other affected countries include Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Georgia and Armenia. Türkiye’s ambassador to India, Firat Sunel, praised New Delhi’s assistance. “India’s reaction was important and critical because the first two-three days are very important as it’s a matter of life and death. India’s response was swift,” he said in an interview to abplive.com. https://www.rt.com/india/571191-india-turkiye-earthquake-aid/ ============================================= 8 Feb, 2023 17:01 7) --- Moscow reveals time frame for response to Western oil sanctions Russia will decide on countermeasures by the end of this month, according to Deputy PM Aleksandr Novak Russia will unveil retaliatory measures to the price ceiling introduced by the EU and G7 on its oil products by March, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak stated on Wednesday. “We are now studying the new decisions made [by the EU and the G7 on the embargo and the price cap on fuel from Russia] in order to understand the feasibility [of a response],” Novak said. “Of course, there will be decisions before March,” added the minister. The EU’s restrictions on Russian refined petroleum products came into force on February 5, setting a price limit of $100 per barrel for diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline coming from Russia, as well as a $45-per-barrel cap for other oil products that trade below the crude price, such as fuel oil used in industry. The price caps, together with an EU ban on Russian oil product imports, are part of a broader agreement among the G7 countries. It follows a $60-per-barrel cap on Russian crude that the G7 along with the EU and Australia imposed on December 5. The measures prohibit Western companies from financing, insuring, trading, brokering or carrying cargoes of Russian crude and oil products unless they were bought at or below the set price caps. On Tuesday, however, Brussels issued exceptions to the embargo, saying Russian crude blended with petroleum products in a third country will be exempt from a price cap. The measures will allow EU countries to continue buying Russian petroleum products such as diesel from third countries, since Moscow has prohibited any sales under the price cap scheme. The Kremlin has called the price ceilings a non-market instrument. The Russian government has banned crude sales to buyers that mention the price caps in their contracts, promising a similar restriction regarding the EU’s latest limits on oil products. https://www.rt.com/business/571189-moscow-response-western-oil-sanctions/ =========================================== 8 Feb, 2023 16:47 8) --- MH17 probe suspended The international investigation team says it cannot determine who operated the missile that shot down the Malaysian Boeing Investigators behind the criminal probe into the July 2014 downing of Malaysian flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine said on Wednesday they had not been able to find sufficient evidence that could lead to new prosecutions and are therefore suspending the investigation. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) stressed, however, that the case will be resumed if new information comes to light. “The investigation has now reached its limit. All leads have been exhausted,” said Dutch prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer as the JIT issued its latest report on the tragic incident. According to the JIT, the Malaysian Boeing was shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile. In their report, the team claims there are “strong indications” that the air defense system was provided to anti-Kiev rebels in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on the personal orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They admit, however, that there is not enough information to meet the “high bar of complete and conclusive evidence,” which is why the investigation cannot make any definitive accusations. The team also stated that it has been unable to confirm the identities of the Russian officers believed to have been operating the BUK system allegedly responsible for the tragic incident. The Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down as it flew over the east of Ukraine in July 2014. All 298 people on board were killed. The incident took place at a time when Ukrainian government forces were engaged in fierce battles against the rebels who opposed the outcome of an armed coup in Kiev. Back in November, the JIT’s investigation, which was launched in 2019, was used by a Dutch court to hand out life sentences to two Russian and one Ukrainian nationals who held high-ranking positions within the DPR’s forces at the time of the incident. The court accused them of being responsible for downing the civilian airliner. All three denied the allegations and were tried in absentia. Moscow called the ruling a “politically motivated verdict” that was handed out under “unprecedented pressure” and refused to extradite its citizens. Russia has repeatedly denied responsibility for the downing of MH17 and has insisted that Ukraine possessed the same type of weapons system used to shoot down the airliner. Moscow has also blasted the JIT probe for neglecting to include evidence provided by Russia and failing to take into account Ukraine’s failure to provide raw radar data from the day of the tragedy. Kiev insists this information is not available. https://www.rt.com/news/571185-jit-suspends-mh17-investigation/ ======================================== 8 Feb, 2023 16:05 9) --- Majority of Canadians say their country is ‘broken’ – poll Half of the people are ‘angry’ about what they view as the country’s mismanagement, a new survey shows Over two-thirds of Canadians – 67% – believe their country is “broken,” according to poll results published Monday by the National Post and Leger. Respondents across the political spectrum see a large divide between the issues they deal with in their daily lives and the issues their government chooses to focus on. Respondents were asked whether they agreed with Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s claim that “It feels like everything is broken in this country right now,” though Poilievre’s name was not mentioned. Just 25% disagreed with the statement, with the remainder undecided. Half of respondents reported feeling “angry” with the way Canada was being managed, with two out of five of those being “very angry.” Women were slightly more likely to be angry than men, and inhabitants of the midwestern provinces – Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan – were more upset than those on either coast. More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents named “rising costs and inflation/interest rates” as the primary issue affecting Canadians, with “the state of healthcare” also commanding 59% of the vote. “Affording a place to live” came third, named by 43% of respondents, and “jobs and the economy” rounded out the top four with 40%. This contrasts with where Canadians believe the federal government is focusing its energies. Just 28% see Ottawa concentrating, like them, on rising costs and inflation, while 27% said “environment/climate change” was the government’s primary focus. Another 25% said the government was chiefly concerned with “Canada’s response to the war in the Ukraine [sic],” while only 14% of poll respondents listed the Ukraine conflict as a significant issue affecting their own lives. Fully 22% of respondents confessed they had no idea what the federal government was prioritizing. Local government was seen as slightly more in touch, with 37% of poll respondents reporting their provincial leaders were most focused on healthcare, 28% on rising costs and inflation, and 27% on jobs and the economy. However, 17% of respondents said they did not know what their local government was prioritizing. Conducted late last month, the poll surveyed 1,554 Canadians randomly recruited from an online panel. Canadians are far from alone in their economic malaise. Recent polls show two-thirds of Americans believe their country is on the wrong track, and the economy is widely considered to be the primary challenge facing the US. https://www.rt.com/news/571186-canadians-poll-broken-economic-concerns/ =========================================== 7 Feb, 2023 22:13 9a) Nearly two-thirds of Americans say US headed wrong way – poll President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains low, though up on last year's ratings Nearly two out of three Americans – 65% – believe their country is on the wrong track, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. It’s a marked increase over last year, when just 58% of respondents expressed similar misgivings. With the president set to address Congress on Tuesday evening, Biden’s public approval rating remains underwater at 41% – not quite the low of 36% it repeatedly hit last spring and summer, but still problematic for a leader looking to convince voters to award him a second term. Biden’s State of the Union speech touted his legislative efforts in infrastructure and inflation, the latter remaining (along with ‘the economy’ in general) at the top of the list of Americans’ concerns in recent polling. The White House had told reporters Biden would lay out a ‘unity agenda’ emphasizing bipartisan cooperation on cancer research, veterans’ health, mental health in general, and the opioid epidemic. None of those issues made Reuters’ list of the five problems most concerning to Americans, however. After the economy – which includes unemployment and jobs – the pollsters’ most recent results rank crime/corruption, immigration, environment/climate, and inequality/discrimination as the most important issues concerning Americans. In a rare show of bipartisan unity, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents agreed the economy is the nation’s number-one challenge. Just 37% of Democrats want Biden to run for a second term as president, according to an Associated Press poll published earlier this week. Respondents cited his age, his perceived mental decline, and what they viewed as his ineffectiveness at governing in their reasons for wanting new leadership, with just 13% saying they had a lot of confidence in the president’s ability to accomplish major policy goals. Despite his low approval ratings, however, Biden’s party pulled off a surprisingly strong showing in the 2022 midterm elections. While Republicans gained control of the House, Democrats avoided being swamped by a ‘red wave’ and maintained control of the Senate. https://www.rt.com/news/571143-americans-wrong-track-poll-biden/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 14:44 10) --- Museum explains why it’s removing Chinese cameras A local senator has deemed the foreign-made devices a ‘national security’ risk The Australian War Memorial in Canberra is taking down security cameras made in China as a precaution, the museum chair said on Wednesday. This comes during a rise in suspicion of PRC-made electronics in Australia. The institution will be removing all security cameras made by Hikvision, a Hangzhou-based state-owned manufacturer of CCTV surveillance devices. “It’s not because we’ve had any notice of anything untoward but it’s an abundance of caution,” the newly-appointed Australian War Memorial chair Kim Beazley told the Canberra Times. The museum will gradually take down the eleven Chinese-made cameras throughout the year, stating that the Hikvision models made up a small fraction of the 200 other cameras and were not filming any “significant historical exhibits.” Australian opposition senator and Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and Countering Foreign Interference James Paterson welcomed the decision. “A Chinese government-linked surveillance company has no place on the grounds of our most sacred monument to Australians who fought and died for freedom,” Paterson told the Canberra Times. The politician added when speaking to ABC TV that he was working on a “full audit” of the government’s departments and agencies to assess exposure to possible surveillance by Beijing. Paterson is certain that Chinese-made cameras pose “national security risks.” Hikvision has yet to comment on the decision by the Australian museum, but it denied similar “spying” accusations from the UK in November. In a statement to news agencies, the company guaranteed that it had no visibility into end users’ video data nor did it store or sell it. Similarly, Australia’s National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) decided to remove all cameras made by Chinese company Dahua from their head office in Geelong, Victoria, according to reports by the Daily Telegraph. Beijing has also yet to comment on the matter. When faced with these kinds of accusations from the US over Dahua and Hikvision in the past, Beijing denied that the companies were being used for spying. Australia has previously expressed suspicion towards Chinese electronics, when Canberra barred international tech giant Huawei and ZTE from creating a 5G communication network in the country in 2018. Beijing’s ambassador, Cheng Jingye, described the measure as politically-motivated discrimination against a Chinese company. This development comes as Washington, London, and Canberra signed the AUKUS security pact in 2021, with the proclaimed goal of “sustaining peace and stability” in the region by acquiring nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Tan Kefei slammed the agreement in December, calling it a source of nuclear proliferation as the US was “vigorously” deploying nukes in the region in December. He added that Washington needed to “abandon the Cold War mentality.” https://www.rt.com/news/571178-australia-museum-chinese-cameras/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 11:34 FEATURE) --- Lasers, spaceflight, surgery, nuclear power and the secrets of Mayan civilization: How Russian scientists changed the world The country’s contributions to research and discovery impact all our lives February 8 marks the day of Russian science, when past achievements are celebrated to inspire new generations for the future. The list of Soviet and Russian specialists who have made crucial contributions to physics, chemistry, medicine and biology amongst others is too long to outline, but their work is used every day around the world. The Periodic Table -------------------------- The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, a basic tool used by scientists to explore matter and foresee the existence of new elements, was created by Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleev in 1869. In 2019, the UN celebrated The International Year of the Periodic Table, to mark the 150th anniversary of the discovery it called“a window on the universe.” Humanity has known about several chemical elements since ancient times. In the 17th century, German alchemist Hennig Brand accidentally discovered a new element – phosphorus – and triggered a wave of scientific experiments. A hundred years later, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier wrote ‘Elementary Treatise of Chemistry’, considered to be the first modern chemistry textbook. Mendeleev was only 35 years old when he made the greatest discovery of his life. He had suspected a relationship between the elements since he was a student, and over the years, this idea became an obsession. “...The anticipation of the imminent resolution of a question that tormented me put me in an excited state,” he recalled. “For several weeks I slept fitfully, trying to find that magical principle… And then one fine morning, after spending a sleepless night… I lay down on the sofa in the office and fell asleep. And in a dream, a table appeared to me quite clearly.” Mendeleev arranged the elements by atomic weight and noted periodicity of properties. Then, he grouped the elements with similar properties below each other. This system allowed Mendeleev to predict the existence of further elements. In the middle of the 19th century, only about 63 elements were known whereas now 118 elements currently populate the periodic table. The latest addition, oganesson, is named after Russian nuclear scientist Yuri Oganesyan, who assisted in the discovery of several superheavy elements, now added to the table. - Field Surgery ------------------- Doctor Nikolay Pirogov made an immense contribution to medicine worldwide and is often described as the “father of Russian medicine”. He is considered an innovator and was the founder of field surgery – or offering complex treatment to the wounded in the middle of combat. Pirogov became the first surgeon to use ether as an anesthetic in 1847 while working in a field hospital. He was the main surgeon in the besieged city of Sevastopol through the Crimean War in the 1850s and was also one of the first to use orthopedic casts from plaster, which helped prevent amputation of limbs. Pirogov further improved Russian field medicine by applying the innovations and practice of his contemporaries. During the Crimean War, Pirogov emulated Florence Nightingale by training a Russian group of female nurses. Additionally, after meeting the famous French surgeon Dominique Jean Larrey in Paris, Pirogov introduced Larrey’s triage system to the Russian army’s medical corps. - Classical Conditioning ------------------------------- Even if you’ve never heard about Russian neurologist and physiologist Ivan Pavlov, you’re probably familiar with ‘Pavlov’s dog’. While researching the digestion process of animals, Pavlov realized that dogs began to salivate when they saw the assistant who fed them. The scientist presented a stimulus – the sound of a metronome – and then fed the dog. After several attempts, the animals started to salivate in response to the stimulus. The experiment became a base for the classical conditioning theory: An unconditioned stimulus (in Pavlov’s case – food) caused an unconditioned response (dog’s salivation). A neutral stimulus (the metronome’s sound without food) didn’t cause any reaction, but after conditioning (offered with food), the metronome’s sound became a conditioned stimulus and caused a conditioned reaction (salivation) even if food didn’t follow. Classical conditioning helps understand the basic form of learning and is often used in behavioral therapies. Specialists also use it to investigate and treat addictions. In 1904, Pavlov became the first Russian to be awarded The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “in recognition of his work on the physiology of digestion, through which knowledge on vital aspects of the subject has been transformed and enlarged.” - Deciphering the Maya Script ---------------------------------------- “You don’t need to jump across the pyramids to understand how to work with texts” – Yuri Knorozov. Knorozov was a Soviet linguist and ethnographer who managed to decipher the script of the Maya civilization. He published an article in 1952 proclaiming his achievement. At the time, he was just 30 years old, but perhaps more remarkable is that he had never visited Central America. Knorozov studied Egyptology at Moscow State University, and was fascinated by the Mayan culture. As he recalled, he was heavily influenced by a 1945 article by German researcher Paul Schellhas titled, “Is deciphering of the Maya hieroglyphs an unsolvable problem?”. While working on the Maya scripts, Knorozov demonstrated that the hieroglyphs represent sounds. Later, he composed a catalog of 540 symbols, and explained the method on how to use them to read and understand the Maya texts. Knorosov’s work was translated into many languages and sparked discussions in the scientific community for decades. Soviet scientists led by Knorozov went on to work on the decipherment of other historical mysteries such as the rongorongo script of Easter Island and the Indus script. In Mexico, there are monuments to Knorozov in the capital and in the Yucatan peninsula city of Merida where the Mayan civilization existed. The scientist is portrayed together with his cat Asya that Knorozov called his “co-author”. - Development of Lasers It’s extremely difficult to imagine the modern world without lasers. They are used everywhere – in medicine, industry, electronic devices and beyond. ‘Laser’ is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The creation of such devices was predicted by Albert Einstein in 1917, when he described the process of ‘stimulated emission’ – the release of energy from an excited atom by artificial means. Before scientists developed a laser, they worked on the ‘maser’ concept (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). The research was done simultaneously in the USSR and in the US. In 1952, Soviet physicists Nikolay Basov and Alexander Prokhorov described the theoretical principles for maser operation. Later, they proposed a principle for achieving population inversion by pumping a three-level system. This technique proved to be highly effective and is now widely used in various lasers and spectral ranges. Simultaneously, American physicist Joseph Weber described how to use stimulated emissions to make a microwave amplifier. Using this method, physicist Charles H. Townes built the first maser. In 1964, Basov, Prokhorov and Townes shared the Nobel Prize “for fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle.” - Optical Holography -------------------------- Holography is generally best known as a method to create a 3D image, which can be seen without any special glasses or other devices. Holography itself was invented by Hungarian-British physicist Dennis Gabor in 1947. While trying to improve an electron microscope, he discovered a method to record the entire field information – amplitude and phase – and not just the usual intensity. The breakthrough in the technology followed laser invention and development, which were distinguished from other light sources by their coherence (meaning that the wavelengths of the laser light are in phase in space and time). In the 1960s, Soviet physicist Yuri Denisyuk created a single-beam technique to produce a high quality image. This method became widely known as “Denisyuk holography”. When a Denisyuk hologram is recorded with at least three lasers, full color holograms can be obtained. Interestingly, Denisyuk took inspiration from the Lippmann color photography technique (interferential photography), which is a color-only technique that records the entire visible color spectrum. When a Denisyuk hologram is recorded with at least three lasers, full color holograms, depicting a very realistic image of an object, can be obtained. - Linear Programming ---------------------------- Soviet economist Leonid Kantorovich was the first to describe the method now known as ‘linear programming,’ used in industry and business planning, having developed the idea in the 1930s. As Kantorovich recalled, he faced a formidable task to find the optimal loading for peeling machines. While searching for an effective solution, Kantorovich took into account many other similar problems, such as the effective use of agricultural land, which all seemed to fit a certain mathematical model. In 1975, the scientist shared a Nobel Prize with Dutch economist Tjalling C. Koopmans “for their contributions to the theory of optimum allocation of resources.” Linear programming methods have since been improved by many scientists around the world. It is widely used in microeconomics and can be applied to planning, production and transportation to minimize production costs and maximize income. - Space Exploration ------------------------- It’s nearly impossible to imagine the Soviet and Russian space programs without Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, universally recognized as the “father of human spaceflight.” Apart from being a brilliant scientist, Tsiolkovsky was quite an extraordinary man. At the age of 10, he almost completely lost his hearing and was forced to dedicate himself to self-education. Most of Tsiolkovsky’s ideas outpaced his time. In 1895, he predicted artificial satellite development and use. In 1903, he published a mathematical equation, now known as the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation, describing rocket travel in space which is still used by aerospace engineers. Tsiolkovsky also envisioned and explained how future spaceships would overcome Earth's gravity, described their flight path and how they would land. Decades later, his theories became reality, brought to life by new generations of scientists and engineers. In the 20s, schoolboy Valentin Glushko wrote several letters to Tsiolkovsky, detailing his dreams about space flight, which later became the point of his life. Glushko would go on to design rocket engines that took Soviet satellites and cosmonauts to space, as well as the “Buran” spaceplane. Sergey Korolev is also a significant figure in the history of space exploration. He led the Soviet space program and worked on the launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite. Korolev’s guidance oversaw many other aerospace achievements including Yuri Gagarin’s ground breaking space flight, Alexey Leonov’s first human spacewalk, the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, and a number of other groundbreaking space missions. - Nuclear Reactions -------------------------- Soviet and Russian atomic scientists have always been frontrunners in researching nuclear energy, and Igor Kurchatov is one of the most prominent. Kurchatov worked on the peaceful application of atomic energy while leading the Soviet nuclear weapons project. His work led to the first grid-connected nuclear power plant launched in the city of Obninsk in 1954, near Moscow. Modern-day nuclear fusion relies heavily on the research of another globally-known Soviet physicist – Andrey Sakharov. Together with Nobel Prize-awarded scientist Igor Tamm, they developed the tokamak concept – a device that uses a powerful magnetic field to confine plasma and produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. Their research forms the base of fusion reactor development today. Both Kurchatov and Sakharov played key roles in the development of Soviet nuclear weapons. In 1949, a team led by Kurchatov tested the first Soviet nuclear bomb. Six years later, the first hydrogen bomb designed by Sakharov and his team was tested in the same area. - The Denisovans ----------------------- In the late 2000s, Russian archeologists made a surprising discovery: They found a new species of archaic human. They named it “The Denisovan”, after the Denisova cave where it was found. The cave’s location is in the Altai mountains in Siberia. Archeological work at the site began in the 1970s. In 1990, Anatoly Derevyanko from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Science established a special research center in the area. In 2008, a group of scientists led by Mikhail Shunkov found a finger bone of a young female. The bone contained well-preserved DNA, which was sequenced by the team of Swedish researcher Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany. Following a series of tests, in 2010 they announced that the genetic material belongs to a previously unknown hominin. Scientists now believe the Denisovans may have lived in the cave some 200 thousand years ago. The work in the Denisova cave continues, and likely holds even more secrets of human history. https://www.rt.com/russia/571060-day-of-russian-science/ =============================================

The Russian Defense Ministry says Ukraine has lost more than six thousand of its soldiers over the past month - and states the US and its Western allies are seeking to prolong the conflict. Meanwhile, the MoD reports Russian troops are facing fierce resistance around the Donbass town of Maryinka but have captured at least 10 prisoners. We'll hear exclusively from fighters on the frontline, ahead. More aftershocks hit Türkiye after a set of devastating earthquakes ravaged parts of the country, destroying homes and leaving thousands dead. An historic trip as the Russian foreign minister visits his counterpart in Mali. Increased strategic and security cooperation are discussed, while western interference on the continent is criticized by both. to be properly written up and x-ref'd

Ukrainian troops have reportedly resumed artillery shelling of civilian only areas of the city of Donetsk and destroyed a nearby gas pipeline. An RT crew observes a Russian training camp where local Donbass forces are taught the skills of modern warfare. In freezing conditions, Roman Kosarev reports. In Artyomovsk, Russian advances are cutting off the main supply routes for this strategically important territory. The Wagner Group are leading this operation, RT talks to some of them, they say the $1,500 a day mercenaries push the Ukraine conscripts to the front and run away themselves. CBS and other media outlets continue to slur the Wagner Group whilst simultaneously showing Nazi emblems/symbols on Ukraine's uniforms. Daniel Lazare comments. - Press "see more" to expand details and reports - - Pres. Biden made comments about peace in his State of the Union address, having sent more than $110 billion of taxpayer-paid weapons to Ukraine from February 2022 to December 2022. More money is allocated for weapons and Abrams tanks have also been allocated, this whilst support for the funding has significantly decreased since Feb. last year. Pres. Biden also spoke of China competition. Caleb Maupin reports and analyses. Commentator Steve Gill also gives some analysis. "Little of what Biden says reflects the truth" - India's oil minister tells RT that his country will continue to buy Russian fuel as much as it wants. That is despite demands from Western countries to cut off imports from Russia. India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri says he's not interested or concerned with the pressure from the west. Runjun Sharma reports. - Earthquakes: Update. Israel has recently felt a minor earthquake. The death toll from devastating earthquakes and aftershocks in Türkiye and Syria has surpassed seven thousand people, with many victims believed to still be trapped among the rubble of collapsed building. Russian emergency workers have been providing assistance in the search and rescue efforts. Kadir Gunes reports from Gaziantep. Threats of sanctions are hampering aid to Syria. Safaa Mkanna reports from Latakia, Syria. More than 1,000 people have died so far from the devastating aftershocks. - Zimbabwe and Iran strengthen ties as pressure of sanctions impact both countries. Frederick Shava, Zimbabwe's minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said "Our two countries are resolutely united against unilateralism, illegal sanctions and other unjust measures that have been imposed on us by some western countries". Iran and Zimbabwe have issued a Memorandum of Understanding during the meeting of their joint economic committee to include mining, tourism and trade. Foad Izadi discusses the attempts by the west to isolate countries. - Syria/OPCW. The OPCW have made more allegations that Syria has used chemical weapons in southern Syria's Douma. Aleksandr Shuglin, the Russian representative to OPCW says normal rules of evidence collection have been bypassed. (QS: Please listen to this detailed report carefully.) Donald Courter reports. Robert Patillo, civil rights attorney also reports. (QS: NB USA is still literally stealing $billions of Syrian oil each month and has no mandate to even be in the country) - =================================== QS: I couldn't get hold of the late video news report for 7th Feb 2022 but below please find lead news as reported below. Also find below (incomplete) usual headlines expanded for today - I apologise for so much reading in one post. =================================== ============= From 7th Feb Late ================= Below via RT website A) --- Moscow provides update on Ukrainian losses B) --- Kiev inching closer to conceding defeat – ex-Russian president C) --- Russia warns of ‘unpredictable escalation’ in Ukraine - 1) --- Iran reveals underground air force base 2) --- Top seismologist warns Russian region may suffer similar quake as Türkiye 3) --- New York state hit by strongest earthquake in decades 4) --- 4,000+ killed in powerful Türkiye-Syria earthquakes 4a) --- The most devastating earthquakes of this century (List) 4a) --- Global impact of massive Türkiye earthquake 4b) --- Millions to be impacted by Türkiye-Syria earthquakes – WHO - N1) --- Сhechen leader predicts end of Ukraine conflict N2) --- Finnish president speaks on chances of NATO bid without Sweden N3) --- Ban on Russian media protects ‘freedom of expression’ – Borrell N4) --- US clarifies stance on talks with Assad amid devastating earthquake N5) --- US Congress’ anti-socialism resolution is both meaningless and ironic (legislation) OP-ED - 5) --- Important) --- Musk doubts public awareness of WWIII risk ========from 8th Feb (incomplete) 6) --- West using chemical weapons watchdog to justify its aggression – Moscow 7) --- Biden heckled during State of the Union address 8) --- Zelensky burning down Ukraine for Western applause – exiled opposition leader 9) --- India will buy oil ‘from wherever is beneficial’ – energy minister 10) --- Nearly two-thirds of Americans say US headed wrong way – poll ============================================= 7 Feb, 2023 12:31 A) --- Moscow provides update on Ukrainian losses More than 6,500 soldiers were killed in January, with hundreds of tanks and other military vehicles destroyed, according to the Russian MoD The West’s unprecedented military aid to Ukraine has failed to prevent significant losses among Kiev’s forces, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday during a ministry conference call. “In the first month of this year alone, their losses amounted to more than 6,500 military personnel, 26 aircraft, seven helicopters, 208 unmanned aerial vehicles, 341 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, and 40 combat vehicles with multiple launch rocket systems,” Shoigu reported. With such losses, and realizing that they cannot militarily defeat Russia, Shoigu said Ukrainian authorities have continued to resort to criminal acts aimed at terrorizing the civilian population in Russia’s newly acquired territories, referring to the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine strike at residential areas, hospitals, and places where civilians gather, and commit terrorist acts at state and social facilities," the defense minister continued, saying such acts were evidence of the Ukrainian authorities “barbaric nature.” Shoigu also noted that the Ukrainian side had refused to agree on a temporary ceasefire during orthodox Christmas in early January, and continued to carry out intense shelling of civilian targets during the holiday. Kiev’s forces fired over 500 artillery shells during this period, he said. He stated that Russian forces, meanwhile, had successfully liberated a number of villages in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions despite the US and its allies’ continued efforts at prolonging the conflict. The minister vowed that Moscow would continue to ensure the safety of all Russian citizens in the newly acquired territories as well as all Ukrainian citizens that are being subjected to genocide by the Kiev “regime.” Last month, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley admitted that Ukraine was in a “very, very difficult fight” from a military standpoint and noted that it was unlikely that Russian forces would soon be pushed out of the territories Kiev claims as its own. https://www.rt.com/russia/571103-shoigu-ukraine-losses-update/ ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 11:19 B) --- Kiev inching closer to conceding defeat – ex-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev cited talks about a ‘Korean scenario’ in Ukraine as evidence of a growing acceptance of “reality” Discussions of a “Korean scenario” in Ukraine are a sign that Kiev is on the way to recognizing the reality on the ground and accepting its losses, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said. The idea of a Korean-style division of Ukraine has been discussed by current and former officials in Kiev, who claim that this is what Russia is pursuing. The idea that Ukraine could be divided up the way Korea was after the war in the 1950s is “for domestic consumption” and constitutes “wishful thinking,” Medvedev added, citing unnamed “propagandists” as peddling the notion. What is notable is that “they coyly tested the statement that there can be no victory” and that “being split is the best-case scenario,” the former president said. The ‘Korean scenario’ means that a smaller, US-backed Ukraine could eventually develop to the level of South Korea while maintaining its claims over lost territories, Medvedev explained. “In essence, this is the first step towards accepting the realities on the ground,” he said. Korea was split into two parts after a three-year civil war, in which the opposing factions in the north and south were backed by the USSR and China, and the US respectively. Both Pyongyang and Seoul claim sovereignty over the entire Korean Peninsula, and each considers the other government to be unlawful. Unlike South Korea, Donbass voted in a referendum to become part of Russia rather than forming a sovereign state, Medvedev said, arguing that a ‘Korean scenario’ is not feasible for Ukraine. The former president currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Russian National Security Council. The idea was floated to the Ukrainian public last month by Medvedev’s counterpart in Kiev, Aleksey Danilov, who claimed that Russia is lobbying EU nations to accept a Korean-style split of his nation, and stated that Kiev would reject it. The Kremlin dismissed the report as a “hoax.” This week, the Korean scenario was also brought up by Aleksey Arestovich, the former aide to the office of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Speaking at an expert panel discussion on Monday, he stated that Ukraine does not have enough manpower to beat Russia on the battlefield anytime soon, and claimed that a Korean scenario may become an acceptable off-ramp for the parties involved. Like Danilov before him, Arestovich claimed that Russia is seeking this type of outcome, while noting that the Western nations which Kiev depends upon “think the same way.” https://www.rt.com/russia/571094-medvedev-korean-scenario-ukraine/ ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 13:45 C) --- Russia warns of ‘unpredictable escalation’ in Ukraine The defense minister has urged the US and its allies not to send heavy weaponry to Kiev The US and its allies are actively trying to prolong the conflict between Moscow and Kiev for as long as possible, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated on Tuesday. In order to ensure that the fighting continues, the West has begun delivering heavy weapons to Ukraine, while openly urging Kiev to capture Russian territories, Shoigu said, warning that “such moves are essentially dragging NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to an unpredictable escalation.” Last month, the US, Germany, and a number of other NATO states announced that they will supply Ukraine’s forces with modern main battle tanks such as the Leopard 2 and the M1 Abrams. Washington also said it will supply Kiev with ground-launched small diameter bombs (GLSDB) with a range of up to 150km – which would allow Ukraine’s forces to strike targets deep within Russian territory. Commenting on these deliveries, Shoigu stated on Tuesday that the Russian forces continue to “grind up” all the weapons and equipment being supplied to Kiev, noting that the equipment is being destroyed both on the routes of delivery and in combat positions. Moscow has warned against providing increasingly advanced weapons to Ukraine, arguing that this will only lead to more bloodshed and will ultimately fail to change the outcome of the conflict. Russia has also said that the West’s increasing involvement and Washington’s “reckless neo-colonialist expansionist policy” have put the world at risk of a devastating global war. On Monday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the world is “sleepwalking” into a “wider war,” and called on all countries to recommit to the UN Charter and put human rights and dignity ahead of short-term thinking focused on economic interests and power https://www.rt.com/russia/571104-shoigu-nato-ukraine-escalation/ ============================================ 7 Feb, 2023 15:32 1) --- Iran reveals underground air force base Built in an unknown location, the ‘Eagle 44’ site can launch fighter jets and drones The Iranian Army unveiled a new underground air base on Tuesday. Constructed in an undisclosed mountainous location, the base is impervious to bombing and can service, fuel, arm, and launch fighter jets, bombers, and drones. Video footage of the ‘Oqab 44’ (Eagle 44) facility was shown on Iranian state media. The footage shows what appears to be an F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber emerging from behind blast doors, before taxiing through a wide tunnel and taking off from an external runway. The base is equipped with command posts, hangars, maintenance sites, fuel depots, and navigation equipment, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported. The Iranian military has constructed several such sites across the country, IRNA added, noting that while their locations remain a secret, all are built “under the mountains.” https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/1622915509049036802 Footage from one of these bases – a drone site named ‘Strategic UAV Base 313’ – was revealed by the Iranian military last year. However, ‘Eagle 44’ is the Islamic Republic’s first publicly-revealed underground base capable of hosting fighters and bombers. Any attack on Iran from our enemies, including Israel, will see a response from our many air force bases including Eagle 44,” Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri told reporters during a visit to the base on Tuesday. The unveiling of the base comes at a time of increased tension between Iran and Israel, with Tehran blaming the Israeli military for a drone strike on a military site in the city of Isfahan last month. While Israel neither confirmed or denied its involvement, media reports claimed the attack was masterminded in Tel Aviv, while Ukrainian officials cryptically suggested that the strike was somehow connected to Iran’s alleged supply of ‘kamikaze’ drones to Russia. Moscow and Tehran have both denied that Iranian drones are being used in Ukraine, with the Kremlin stating that it uses domestically-made UAVs to target Ukrainian military and infrastructure targets. https://www.rt.com/news/571121-iran-underground-air-base/ (recall post of 31st Jan Late post 11 “War logic is inexorable and murderous. It bills the authors and accomplices strictly … Explosive night in Iran – drone and missile production, oil refineries. Ukraine did warn you,” Podoliak tweeted on Sunday, commenting on the blast at the military facility in Isfahan ) ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 16:43 2) --- Top seismologist warns Russian region may suffer similar quake as Türkiye The Russian Academy of Sciences’ Aleksandr Gorshkov predicted Crimea may one day face a disaster akin to Monday’s earthquake The Crimean Peninsula in southwestern Russia could one day see an earthquake comparable to the natural disaster that struck Türkiye and Syria on Monday, a scientist has warned. The last time the region was struck by a major quake was nearly 100 years ago. In an interview with Russian news outlet RIA Novosti published on Tuesday, Aleksandr Gorshkov from the Russian Academy of Sciences explained that “Crimea belongs to the Alpine-Himalayan belt, the same structure as Türkiye,” and “a repeat of such an event is possible in Crimea in principle.” The most powerful series of earthquakes recorded on the peninsula in recent history took place in 1927. And while the death toll was nowhere near as high as that seen this week in Türkiye and Syria, multiple buildings were leveled. Since then, there have been several minor quakes in Crimea which have not caused significant damage, including two in January 2021 of less than magnitude 3. According to the Turkish authorities, more than 3,500 people have been confirmed dead so far, with 22,100 more injured. In neighboring Syria, the Health Ministry said that more than 800 have perished and around 1,500 sustained injuries in government-controlled areas. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the earthquake as the strongest the country has seen since 1939. The World Health Organization has warned that as many as 23 million people could end up being affected by the quake. https://www.rt.com/russia/571126-seismologist-predicts-crimea-earthquake/ ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 09:15 3) --- New York state hit by strongest earthquake in decades The 3.8-magnitude tremor occurred near Buffalo on Monday Buffalo, the second-largest city in the US state of New York, was shaken by a 3.8-magnitude earthquake on Monday. The tremor was the most powerful in the area for four decades but did not cause any material damage, local authorities said. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), nearly 3,000 local residents felt the quake, which occurred at about 6:15am. It struck 1.24 miles (2km) east-northeast of West Seneca, a suburb of Buffalo, with a depth of 1.86 miles (3km). Governor Kathy Hochul posted a tweet confirming the tremor, writing that “no damage has been reported at this time.” The deputy commissioner of Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Gregory J. Butcher, said shockwaves were felt as far north as Niagara Falls, and in Orchard Park to the south. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz described the quake as feeling “like a car hit my house in Buffalo,” adding that he had “jumped out of bed.” https://twitter.com/CWaley/status/1622562105147772928 Yaareb Altaweel, a seismologist at the National Earthquake Information Center, was quoted by NBC News as saying that earthquakes “happen all the time” in the US Northeast. https://twitter.com/WBEN/status/1622725643686273025 Since 1983, seismologists have recorded 24 tremors above a magnitude of 2.5 in the West Seneca region, with Monday’s being the most powerful. Also on Monday, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc thousands of kilometers away as it hit southeast Türkiye and northern Syria. Less than 12 hours later, a 7.5-magnitude aftershock struck in the same area. According to the latest reports, the natural disaster has claimed more than 4,000 lives, with the death toll expected to rise further as rescuers clear the rubble. https://twitter.com/luis_insausti/status/1622681430240202753 =============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 08:26 4) --- 4,000+ killed in powerful Türkiye-Syria earthquakes Rescue teams continue to look for survivors among leveled buildings The death toll from catastrophic earthquakes in southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria surpassed 4,000 on Tuesday morning. According to Turkish authorities, over 3,500 people were killed and over 22,100 were injured. The country’s disaster management officials said that almost 6,000 buildings were destroyed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a seven-day period of national mourning for the victims of the disaster, which he called the strongest the country has seen since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday that a woman and her three children were rescued after spending around 28 hours under the rubble in Gaziantep. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the Armed Forces established an air corridor to deliver rescue teams and aid to the disaster zone. “We have maximized the readiness of our aircraft to provide the necessary transportation service,” Akar told reporters. A 7.7 magnitude quake struck Kahramanmaras Province shortly after 4am local time on Monday, with the epicenter in the Pazarcik district. It was then followed by two earthquakes in Gaziantep Province, recorded at 6.4 and 6.5 magnitude, respectively. In neighboring Syria, the Health Ministry said more than 800 were killed and roughly 1,500 injured in government-controlled areas. Massive destruction and hundreds of casualties were separately reported in Idlib Province, which is not controlled by the government. Syrian Assistant Health Minister Ahmad Dumeira said additional ambulances and mobile clinics had been dispatched to the affected regions. The Syrian government has appealed for help to UN members and international organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross. Many countries have offered assistance to Ankara and Damascus and sent teams to help with the rescue efforts. Russia has sent over a hundred emergency response specialists, who will work around the clock in the affected areas. https://rumble.com/v28mes0-apartments-crumbling-in-trkiye-and-syria-after-earthquake.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=2 - https://www.rt.com/news/571085-turkiye-syria-earthquake-disaster/ ============================================= 6 Feb, 2023 16:58 4a) --- The most devastating earthquakes of this century (List) In light of the tragedy that has wrought devastation in Türkiye and Syria, RT looks at the most powerful seismic events of recent years - The earthquake that hit Türkiye on Monday has killed thousands of people and left over thousands more injured, prompting Ankara to describe it as the most destructive the nation had seen in decades. The disaster was not confined to Türkiye, however, as Syria has confirmed hundreds dead and many injured. RT looks at the most tragic earthquakes seen so far this century. - 1] 2004: Indian Ocean horror - The early 2000s saw a spate of devastating earthquakes. In December 2004, a quake with a magnitude of 9.3, the third most powerful one ever recorded, struck with an epicenter just off the western coast of Indonesia. The jolt provoked a giant 30-meter-high tsunami that devastated communities along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing a total of 227,898 people in 14 countries, thus making it the deadliest natural disaster recorded in history. In addition to the massive death toll, infrastructure was destroyed and economic activity was disrupted throughout coastal regions such as Indonesia’s Aceh and India’s Tamil Nadu provinces. The earthquake was so powerful that it even triggered smaller seismic events as far away as Alaska. 2] 2010: Catastrophe in the Caribbean - In January 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. The epicenter was located near the town of Leogane, just 25km away from the capital of Port-au-Prince. Aftershocks caused by the quake continued for almost two weeks and included at least 52 smaller tremors measuring 4.5 or greater. The disaster affected some 3 million people. The Haitian government also said that the calamity claimed around 220,000 lives. About 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings were destroyed, while major damage was caused to Port-au-Prince and several other cities. 3] 2011: Worst disaster since Chernobyl - In March 2011, an undersea megathrust earthquake struck with an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, some 72km east of Japan. Having a magnitude of 9.1, it was the second most powerful earthquake of the 21st century and the fourth biggest ever recorded since modern record-keeping practices were established in 1900. The earthquake claimed the lives of more than 19,700 people and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. A tsunami caused by the quake led to the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, which has been described as the worst nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl in 1986. Three of the Japanese facility’s reactors melted down, leading to a discharge of radioactive water in the area surrounding the plant. Residents within a 20km radius of the Fukushima plant were evacuated. The estimated economic damage from the event amounted to $235 billion, according to the World Bank, making it the costliest disaster in history. 4] 2008: ‘Great Sichuan earthquake’ - In May 2008, a powerful earthquake struck the province of Sichuan in southwestern China. Having a magnitude of 8.0, the quake caused the largest number of geohazards ever recorded, including some 200,000 landslides. It was felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in Thailand and Vietnam. The disaster claimed over 80,000 lives and left almost 5 million people homeless, making it the deadliest earthquake in China since 1976. 5] 2005: Kashmir earthquake - In October 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the western part of the Kashmir region administered by Pakistan, as well as some areas of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir territories. The disaster claimed the lives of 86,000 people and left just as many injured, while millions were displaced. The catastrophe is considered the deadliest in South Asia. - https://www.rt.com/news/571058-most-devastating-earthquake-century/ =============================================== 6 Feb, 2023 14:12 4a) --- Global impact of massive Türkiye earthquake The quake was felt in Greenland and triggered a tsunami warning in Italy, while causing shaking in Egypt, Israel and Lebanon The earthquake that caused widespread devastation in Türkiye and Syria on Monday was felt as far away as Greenland, a Danish seismologist said. The quake, which was followed hours later by a second tremor, was the most powerful to hit Türkiye this century. "The large earthquakes in Türkiye were clearly registered on the seismographs in Denmark and Greenland," Tine Larsen, a seismologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, told France’s AFP news agency. Seismic waves from the first quake reached the Danish island of Bornholm “approximately five minutes after the shaking started,” Larsen said, adding that the waves then reached the east coast of Greenland three minutes later. Greenland is more than 5,700 kilometers from the Turkish city of Gaziantep, close to the epicenter of the first quake. The 7.8 magnitude tremor struck shortly after 4am local time, destroying thousands of buildings as their occupants slept inside. At least 912 people were killed and more than 5,300 wounded, according to preliminary figures announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday morning. More than 300 people were killed and 1,000 wounded in neighboring Syria, according to government figures. The quake was followed by a magnitude 7.5 tremor in the early afternoon, which authorities said was not an aftershock. The first quake triggered a tsunami warning in Italy, as authorities worried that it could send enormous waves across the Mediterranean Sea toward Italy’s Adriatic coast. However, the warning was lifted several hours later. Its effects were felt in Israel and Lebanon, with residents of Tel Aviv being “jostled awake,” according to the Times of Israel. Residents of Cairo in Egypt – located nearly 1,000 kilometers from Gaziantep – also felt the quake, the Associated Press reported. No casualties were reported in any of these countries. Pres. Erdogan said that the earthquake is Türkiye’s “biggest disaster” since a 7.8 magnitude quake that killed more than 30,000 people in 1939. https://www.rt.com/news/571042-turkiye-earthquake-felt-greenland/ ============================================ 7 Feb, 2023 12:44 4b) --- Millions to be impacted by Türkiye-Syria earthquakes – WHO The UN’s health body has warned of the challenges of providing aid to vulnerable people The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that up to 23 million people could be affected by the earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria. the death toll has already reached 5,000 and may cause harm to many more in the long run, including five million people who are already vulnerable, a senior official warned. The tremors caused significant damage to civilian and health infrastructure in the affected region, Dr. Adelheid Marschang, the WHO’s senior emergency officer, reported during a meeting of the international body’s executive committee on Tuesday. The organization believes that Syria may suffer most from “unmet needs” in the immediate and mid-term, Marschang told the meeting in Geneva, as cited by AFP. WHO Secretary General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged that the agency will “work closely with all partners to support authorities in both countries in the critical hours and days ahead, and in the months and years to come as both countries recover and rebuild.” A 7.8-magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc across southern Türkiye and northern Syria on Monday, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks and a second quake on a nearby fault, which caused further destruction. Many buildings collapsed, killing thousands of people and trapping many others under the rubble. The rescue effort in Syria has been hampered by the damage that the nation’s civilian infrastructure has suffered during a decade of foreign-influenced conflict. Washington has economic sanctions in place against the government in Damascus, which it sought to replace during the hostilities. The measures have been blamed for hindering aid, recovery and reconstruction efforts in areas under the government’s control. Many critics, including UN officials, have said the restrictions violate Syrians’ human rights. It is estimated that troops from the US and its allies hold roughly one third of Syrian territory, including parts that are rich in oil and fertile land. ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 14:39 N1) --- Сhechen leader predicts end of Ukraine conflict The hostilities will subside by the end of the year, Ramzan Kadyrov has said The Russian military operation against Ukraine will be wrapped up by the end of the year, according to the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. He also predicted that the West would be forced to admit its mistakes regarding relations with Russia. “European nations will acknowledge that their actions were wrong. The West will kneel. And, as usual, European states will have to cooperate with Russia in all spheres. There can be and will be no other outcome,” Kadyrov said in an interview on Tuesday. Units of ethnic Chechens have been on the frontline in Ukraine since the start of the campaign. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised them in September for showing “valor and exceptional courage,” noting the tradition of military service alongside other peoples from their nation. Kadyrov regularly posts videos showcasing Chechen troops in action and reports on their progress on the ground. On occasion, he has publicly questioned some of the decisions taken by the Russian military leadership, including the withdrawal of troops from Kharkov Region in September. At the time, the Chechen leader urged the Russian Defense Ministry to adopt a bolder offensive strategy. The ministry explained the partial pullout as helping to minimize Russian battlefield losses. Moscow deployed troops against Ukraine in late February 2022, citing the creeping expansion of NATO and Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk Agreements of 2014-15, which were intended to form a roadmap for peace in Donbass. Russian officials have argued that the military operation preempted an attempt by Kiev to retake by force the territories that broke away from Ukraine after the 2014 armed coup in the capital. https://www.rt.com/russia/571116-kadyrov-ukraine-operation-end/ ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 14:55 N2) --- Finnish president speaks on chances of NATO bid without Sweden The idea of separate bids reportedly came up due to a diplomatic spat with Türkiye Helsinki is still determined to join NATO alongside Stockholm, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has said. The two Nordic countries applied in tandem, but due to the differences in their relationships with alliance member Türkiye, their bids may be viewed separately by Ankara. “We have received different signals from Türkiye. Our stance is clear: We will join NATO with Sweden. Our goal is that both Finland and Sweden move forward together,” Sauli Niinisto said on Tuesday, during a joint press conference with Canadian Governor General Mary Simon. Finland and Sweden both announced their bid for NATO membership after Russia began the military operation in Ukraine in February of last year. Türkiye, along with Hungary, are the last two NATO member states who have yet to ratify the applications of Sweden and Finland to join the alliance. Problems arose after Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan, who also holds Swedish citizenship, led a protest in Stockholm and burned the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy last month. The rally was officially approved by Swedish officials, despite Türkiye’s repeated warnings. Due to this, Ankara is putting the brakes on Stockholm’s NATO bid, with Finland caught in the crossfire. Citing insider sources, Daily Iltalehti wrote on Monday that the Finnish government was ready to join the military alliance without Stockholm. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in late January: “We may respond differently to Finland if necessary. Sweden will be shocked when we give a different response for Finland.” Erdogan added that Helsinki should not “make the same mistakes” as their neighbor. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday that Stockholm was prepared to talk to Ankara when it is ready. https://www.rt.com/news/571119-finlands-president-speaks-nato-bid-sweden/ =============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 14:11 N3) --- Ban on Russian media protects ‘freedom of expression’ – Borrell Moscow is using “manipulation and interference as a crucial instrument” during the Ukraine conflict, the EU’s top diplomat claims The EU’s crusade against Russian media does not seek to curb free speech but in fact pursues the opposite goal, the bloc’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday. His remarks triggered criticism from Moscow, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying that Russia has viewed the media crackdown as a sign of a dictatorship. Speaking at a conference dedicated to the EU’s response to foreign disinformation, Borrell said that the sanctions on Russian media “effectively banned them from operating” within the bloc. “In doing that, we are not attacking the freedom of expression, we are just protecting the freedom of expression,” he argued. Borrell also noted that the EU is trying to support those media organizations that Russia has classified as ‘foreign agents’, a designation meaning that an entity is either funded from abroad or is under “foreign influence.” “What I’m saying is not just rhetoric. I cannot go into detail, but believe me, we try to support them in practical terms,” he said, adding that he would not say how in order not to do them “a bad favor.” In an attempt to defend the EU’s media policies, Borrell claimed that Russia is using “manipulation and interference as a crucial instrument” in the Ukraine conflict. In light of this, the diplomat said that the EU would launch a platform called the Information Sharing and Analysis Center to combat falsehoods. “We need to understand how these disinformation campaigns are organized ... to identify the actors of the manipulation,” he stressed. Commenting on Borrell’s remarks, Zakharova stated that in the past Moscow regarded the media crackdown as “a manifestation of liberal dictatorship.” But the way the diplomat described these policies in his latest speech made them “sparkle with fresh colors with a shade of delusion,” she added. In recent years, the EU has unleashed a campaign against Russian media which only intensified when Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. In March, the EU suspended the broadcasting activities of Sputnik and RT, with the number of blacklisted channels only growing in the following months as the bloc introduced new sanctions against Russia. https://www.rt.com/news/571111-russian-media-ban-free-speech/ ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 14:21 N4) --- US clarifies stance on talks with Assad amid devastating earthquake The State Department claims it would be counterproductive to reach out to the leadership of the country amid relief efforts The US has ruled out contacting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad despite this week’s devastating earthquake. Türkiye and Syria have been offered aid from numerous other countries around the world after the natural disaster caused widespread destruction. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday that Washington is “a partner to the people of Syria” but claimed it would be “ironic, if not even counterproductive, for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now.” Instead, Price insisted that the US has “humanitarian partners on the ground who can provide the type of assistance in the aftermath of these tragic earthquakes.” He also argued that Washington has provided “more humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria than any other country going forward.” Southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria were hit by a series of catastrophic earthquakes on Monday that have so far resulted in over 4,000 deaths and left tens of thousands of people injured. A number of countries have offered assistance to Ankara and Damascus, including sending teams to help with rescue efforts. Russia has already sent over a hundred emergency response specialists to both countries. Rescue efforts in Syria, however, have been hampered by damage that the country’s civilian infrastructure has sustained over the course of a decade-long war, as well as economic sanctions imposed by Washington. The US severed relations with Damascus back in 2011 after nationwide protests escalated into a civil war that continues to be waged. Washington has sided with rebel factions in Syria, which include jihadists that have traveled to the country from elsewhere. The Syrian government has described Washington’s assistance to rebel groups as a military intervention. The US and its allies are estimated to be in control of roughly one third of Syrian territory, including parts that are rich in oil and fertile land. https://www.rt.com/news/571113-us-syria-earthquake-talks/ ============================================ 7 Feb, 2023 16:40 N5) --- US Congress’ anti-socialism resolution is both meaningless and ironic The bipartisan denunciation of the ‘horrors of socialism’ exposes American imperialism - Bradley Blankenship The newly minted 118th Congress just took office and they’ve hit the ground running on essential issues concerning the American people. Days ago, the House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res.9 - Denouncing the horrors of socialism, which was met with bipartisan support. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/9https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/9 The resolution itself is totally symbolic. It doesn’t actually do anything to take action against “socialism.” What it probably is, underneath all the frills, is bait by Republicans for Democrats. Democrats that voted against it (and there were many) will probably face a slew of attack ads in the future from Republican challengers in their respective elections. But the text of the resolution itself is a complete joke. It denounces the tens of godzillions of Chinese deaths that supposedly happened during Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward. It lists a host of communist leaders that committed similar atrocities. And it says that nations like Cuba and Venezuela were once prosperous before succumbing to communist ideology. What’s ironic is that many of the nations listed, such as North Korea, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela, have actually suffered far more from American imperialism than from “socialism.” For instance, the Americans slaughtered millions in their military campaign in Korea and leveled virtually every building in the North higher than a story. They committed atrocious war crimes and mulled over using tactical nuclear weapons to block Soviet and Chinese supply lines. Looking at Cuba, the embargo alone is taking a massive toll on the local economy. It has been routinely denounced each and every year by most of the world’s countries at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), even with US allies joining. The US also runs a gulag for suspected terrorists, without due process, on the island of Cuba at Guantanamo Bay. Nicaragua has been under a constant barrage of US-sponsored terrorism for decades. In the 1980s, the US-sponsored Contras committed unspeakable crimes against the Sandinista government of President Daniel Ortega, and they refused to participate in the democratic process. The US lost a case before the International Court of Justice during that time for sponsoring paramilitaries and planting mines in Nicaragua’s harbors. https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/70/judgments As for the Soviet Union and the deaths the resolution mentioned, the USSR was the most sanctioned nation on earth during its foundation and was a technologically backward country fraught with internal contradictions. Doubtless, millions of Soviet people lost their lives due to food insecurity during the early days of the USSR – but to say that this was artificially induced is contentious. That is not to say, however, that communist ideology, mainly as it existed in the Eastern Bloc, was perfect. It was plagued by ever-growing contradictions that led to its eventual collapse. And indeed, just because the country was isolated by Western countries did not require it to transform into a virtual dungeon. Not all of socialism’s issues can be pinned on American intervention. Yet despite this, the crimes of American imperialism cannot be ignored when deliberating the history of the socialist movement. If allowed to flourish without outside interference, likely, the oppressive institutions created to subjugate outside influence may not have existed in the first place. In the example of Nicaragua, the explicit goal of the US government was to impede the rate of social progress and force the Sandinistas to funnel money into its military thereby creating the conditions for social unrest. In denouncing the horrors of socialism, the US Congress has only proven that the true horror that exists in today’s world is American imperialism and its unfettered inclination toward subjugation and domination. As stated before, these horrors are virtually denounced every year before the UNGA, e.g., a more representative body of the world’s total population. The US should be ashamed of its actions in and toward each of the example countries listed in the resolution. And as for its concluding line about resisting all forms of socialist policies in the United States, this is horrible for the American people. While, of course, the resolution is meaningless, policies championed by the socialist movement – universal health care, universal education, universal parental leave and much more – are policies that the American people desperately need and yearn for. " ... The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.... " Bradley Blankenship is an American journalist, columnist and political commentator. He has a syndicated column at CGTN and is a freelance reporter for international news agencies including Xinhua News Agency. https://www.rt.com/news/571115-us-congress-anti-socialism-resolution/ ============================================= 7 Feb, 2023 17:57 N6) --- EU top diplomat can’t hide his racist worldview – Lavrov While criticizing Moscow, the EU foreign policy chief predictably insulted Africa, Russia’s foreign minister has said Calling African countries easy to manipulate is on brand for Josep Borrell, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, responding to the EU foreign policy chief’s remarks that accused Moscow of “spreading misinformation.” Borrell had addressed EU diplomats earlier in the day, accusing Russia of using “information manipulation and interference” as weapons of war. Noting that Lavrov was visiting Mali and Eritrea, Borrell called them “easy countries” for Moscow to “spread lies about who is guilty for what is happening” in Ukraine. “So speaks a man who can’t hide the racist essence of his worldview,” Lavrov said when asked about his EU counterpart’s accusations. “Not so long ago he openly spoke about Europe being a garden surrounded by a jungle that threatens it, so the garden needs to be careful with the jungle. That says it all about who actually relates to the needs and interests of African countries, and how.” “We have nothing to hide or to be ashamed of,” the Russian foreign minister added. “We were at the source of Africa’s liberation from the colonial yoke. The Soviet Union was one of the main initiators of the declaration to grant independence to colonized countries and peoples in 1960. And it was not an imitation, as [former UK PM] Boris Johnson recently called the Minsk agreements, but a real historical act that sealed the end of colonial rule.” Speaking to EU diplomats, Borrell lamented that some African countries do not support the bloc’s position that Ukraine is fighting “for the values on which we are basing our understanding of the world.” In his view, the current conflict is not only being fought on the battlefield with troops, but “in the information space, trying to win the hearts and minds of people.” For that purpose, the EU is “protecting the freedom of expression” by banning Russian media, while providing support to “independent” outlets that Moscow has designated as foreign agents, he added. While accusing Russia of spreading disinformation, Borrell apparently did so himself – by saying Eritrea was among the “easy” countries Lavrov was currently targeting. The Russian diplomat actually visited that country last month, along with Angola, Eswatini and South Africa. His current trip includes stops in Mali, Mauritania and Sudan. https://www.rt.com/news/571125-lavrov-borrell-africa-racism/ ============================================= 7 Feb, 2023 09:38 5) --- Important) --- Musk doubts public awareness of WWIII risk Most people are “oblivious” to the fact that such a conflict could be imminent, the entrepreneur said The majority of people are not even aware that a new world war may erupt soon, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has stated. The risk of a global catastrophe was highlighted this week by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The UN head said in a speech to the General Assembly on Monday that he feared that humanity was marching toward a “wider war” with its “eyes wide open” and urged preserving peace. “Could we please not do WWIII,” pleaded conservative political commentator Luke Rudkowski, reacting to the speech. Musk responded: “Most are oblivious to the danger.” The Twitter and SpaceX CEO previously warned against “relentless escalation” of the conflict in Ukraine, stating that it was dangerous for the country itself and the world. Musk won praise for supplying SpaceX Starlink satellite internet systems to the Ukrainian government, with some experts assessing that they were a game-changer in the fight against Russia. But he also suggested that Kiev would have to make concessions to Moscow in order to achieve peace, a notion that prompted some Ukrainian officials to harshly criticize and even insult the businessman. Mikhail Podoliak, an aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, claimed last week that Musk was using his control of Twitter to reduce the reach of Ukrainian official accounts and help “Russian propaganda.” “Maybe a regulator is needed to explain competition rules to the owner?” Podoliak mused. The Ukrainian official offered no evidence to support his claims or explanation of how his regulatory threat could be carried out. https://www.rt.com/news/571091-musk-world-war-risk/ ========================================== 7 Feb, 2023 21:06 6) --- West using chemical weapons watchdog to justify its aggression – Moscow The US and its allies are trying to replace international law with their own “made-up rules” in the OPCW, Russia’s representative to the organization told RT The latest report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) accusing Damascus of carrying out a chemical attack in Douma in 2018, looks like a political hit piece meant to justify the West’s continued military aggression against the Syrian government, Alexander Shulgin, Russia’s permanent representative to the organization, has claimed. Speaking to RT, Shulgin vehemently dismissed the report, which was released in late January by the so-called Investigation and Identification Team (IIT). Calling the IIT “completely illegitimate,” he claimed the group’s creation was pushed through by the US and its allies in order to undermine the core principles of the OPCW and international law and replace them with their own “made-up rules.” The IIT’s report, according to Shulgin, is riddled with inconsistencies and factual gaps, and barely holds together. Furthermore, none of Russia’s or any other country’s “uncomfortable” questions regarding the details of the IIT’s findings were even remotely addressed during an OPCW briefing on the report, the ambassador added. Shulgin also noted that the report highlighted the double standards currently present within the OPCW. When Russia presented evidence of a chemical attack in Aleppo back in 2016, every minute detail of Moscow’s findings was heavily scrutinized by the organization, he said. However, when it comes to the attack in Douma, OPCW officials seem to turn a blind eye to basic questions such as how and when the evidence was gathered and presented during the investigation. “For instance, they referred to the fact that some new sample has appeared, provided by a third party. What is this third party? Nothing is said about it. They just say ‘trust us’,” said Shulgin, noting that the sample in question had never been reported on in previous investigations. “So before, there was no sample, but now, suddenly, it has somehow appeared. Without any explanations,” the ambassador stressed, suggesting its sudden appearance can only be explained by the need for the US, France, and UK to escape international accountability for their aggression against Syria. The three NATO states launched a series of airstrikes against civilian and military targets in Syria in April 2018 after the so-called ‘White Helmets’ – an NGO operating in rebel-controlled areas of Syria – published a series of videos supposedly showing the aftermath of a chlorine attack on the residents of Douma. Syria has vehemently denied any responsibility for the incident, and both Damascus and Moscow have repeatedly pointed to evidence, including testimonies from alleged victims, that suggests the incident was staged in order to justify a Western attack. https://www.rt.com/russia/571141-west-chemical-weapons-opcw-russia/ ============================================ 8 Feb, 2023 04:58 7) --- Biden heckled during State of the Union address The president was jeered by rival lawmakers after claiming some Republicans would like to take the US economy “hostage” US President Joe Biden was interrupted by boos and shouting during his State of the Union address, with Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene calling him a “liar” after he criticized the GOP’s economic agenda. Putting heavy emphasis on his domestic policies, Biden touted his administration’s efforts against inflation, unemployment, climate change, Covid-19, and a range of other issues during Tuesday’s speech, at one point accusing lawmakers across the aisle of conspiring to end welfare benefits for Americans. “Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage – I get it – unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what those plans are,” he said. “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset.” The comment immediately triggered an uproar, with Republicans loudly booing and hissing at the president, who attempted to appease the angry crowd. https://twitter.com/DrewHLive/status/1623151755017224192 “I’m not saying it’s a majority of you,” he continued, going on to offer a copy of a GOP proposal on Medicare and Social Security benefits for “anybody who doubts it.” Amid the heckling, Congresswoman Greene – known to critics and supporters alike as ‘MTG’ – was heard shouting “liar” toward the podium, also repeatedly giving Biden a thumbs-down. Other lawmakers joined in the display, though some, such as House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, refrained from open disruption and merely shook their heads in disapproval. While largely focused on economic issues and problems at home, Biden’s speech also touched on foreign affairs, declaring that the US would continue to seek fierce “competition” with China. “Before I came to office, the story was about how the People’s Republic of China was increasing its power and America was failing in the world. Not anymore,” he said, adding “Today, we’re in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world.” The president noted that his administration would cooperate with Beijing wherever possible, but insisted “if China threatens our sovereignty we will act to protect our country, and we did,” referring to the recent shooting-down of a Chinese high-altitude balloon which passed over the US. Washington has suggested the device may have been intended for surveillance, though Chinese officials have rejected the charge. The conflict in Ukraine was also briefly discussed, with Biden claiming to have “united NATO” and “built a global coalition” to oppose Russia, labeling the hostilities a “test for America.” The president introduced Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, as a special guest, and reiterated vows to support Kiev with weapons and other aid for “as long as it takes,” having authorized some $30 billion in direct military assistance since last year. please see https://rumble.com/v28qp8u-liar-biden-heckled-by-republicans-during-state-of-the-union-address.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=5 - https://www.rt.com/news/571145-biden-heckled-sotu-speech/ =========================================== 8 Feb, 2023 08:34 8) --- Zelensky burning down Ukraine for Western applause – exiled opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk blames the president and his ego for the destruction of the country President Vladimir Zelensky condemned Ukraine to destruction in the name of Western interests because he is too incompetent and ambitious to govern it properly, exiled opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk believes. Zelensky was elected in 2019 as a “peace candidate” who pledged to put an end to the warmongering policies of his predecessor, Pyotr Poroshenko, Medvedchuk, who was the leader of the banned Opposition Platform – For Life, wrote in an article published by RIA Novosti on Wednesday. But instead of becoming “a sentence” for Poroshenko, which was his campaign promise, Zelensky became a sentence for Ukraine, the politician said. The new leader had a mandate to rebalance Ukraine’s political system and make the country neutral and peaceful, Medvedchuk wrote. But this required a boring routine and difficult work. Zelensky “failed to put the nation in order, and found that blaming Russia rather than his own incompetence for the problems” was easier, he said. By the end of 2020, polls showed a decline in the popularity of Zelensky’s party, and likely defeat in the next presidential election by a candidate proposed by the party led by Medvedchuk, he noted. An escalation of tensions with Russia and later open hostilities saved Zelensky’s career, the politician said. “The country was plunged into a fire for the inflated ego of this man,” Medvedchuk wrote. "Today, the West flatters him at every opportunity. What luck! A ruler who would destroy his country for a photo op, boost his ratings on the blood and suffering of his citizens. Zelensky slaughtered law and stability for the sake of applause and posturing." The actual role of the Ukrainian president is that of a “fifth columnist” for his own nation – and Europe, considering that it pays a lot for the Ukraine conflict, Medvedchuk stated. Zelensky hopes that a military victory would wash away all the things he has done to crush his political opponents and to “lease his nation as a battlefield.” But Ukraine has “already lost,” and soon this reality will catch up with him, according to Medvedchuk. The president “acts like a winner, speaks like a winner, poses like a winner. But victory is nowhere near,” he said. Continued conflict is the only thing that delays the reckoning for the president, the politician said. Medvedchuk led the largest opposition political party in Ukraine before the Zelensky government cracked down on it and its senior figures for supposedly being pro-Russian. He now lives in exile, after being charged with treason at home. https://www.rt.com/russia/571153-medvedchuk-zelensky-ego-ukraine/ ========================================== 8 Feb, 2023 05:24 9) --- India will buy oil ‘from wherever is beneficial’ – energy minister New Delhi has been criticized by the West over its reluctance to back anti-Russian sanctions India will continue to import oil from suppliers it deems reliable, despite mounting pressure from the West to stop buying the commodity from Russia, according to the country’s energy minister, Hardeep Singh Puri. In an interview with CNBC, Puri said New Delhi “didn’t allow the geopolitical turbulence or the pandemic or anything else to come in the way of our ability to supply to our consumer.” The minister added that India has no plans to change this approach. “Today we feel confident that we’ll be able to use our market to source from wherever we have to, from wherever we get beneficial terms… Beneficial terms in this situation is: you have to be sure of your supplies,” Puri explained. India significantly increased purchases of Russian oil last year, taking advantage of steep discounts that Moscow offered to attract new buyers amid Western sanctions. India recently became Russia’s top importer of crude, while Russia also outpaced India’s former largest suppliers, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, in terms of delivery volumes. New Delhi’s oil imports from Russia surged to a five-month high in December, and some 70% of January’s cargoes of Russian oil were also destined for India, according to Reuters. Puri reiterated that India will not reject Russian oil, and cautioned that restrictions could disrupt the global oil market and cause a surge in prices. “Can you imagine a situation, [where] Iran oil is sanctioned, Russia has problems, Venezuela cannot supply its oil. Then the oil price will not be $200 – it will be $480 [per barrel],” Puri warned. https://www.rt.com/business/571082-india-oil-imports-russia/ ============================================ 7 Feb, 2023 22:13 10) --- Nearly two-thirds of Americans say US headed wrong way – poll President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains low, though up on last year's ratings Nearly two out of three Americans – 65% – believe their country is on the wrong track, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. It’s a marked increase over last year, when just 58% of respondents expressed similar misgivings. With the president set to address Congress on Tuesday evening, Biden’s public approval rating remains underwater at 41% – not quite the low of 36% it repeatedly hit last spring and summer, but still problematic for a leader looking to convince voters to award him a second term. Biden’s State of the Union speech touted his legislative efforts in infrastructure and inflation, the latter remaining (along with ‘the economy’ in general) at the top of the list of Americans’ concerns in recent polling. The White House had told reporters Biden would lay out a ‘unity agenda’ emphasizing bipartisan cooperation on cancer research, veterans’ health, mental health in general, and the opioid epidemic. None of those issues made Reuters’ list of the five problems most concerning to Americans, however. After the economy – which includes unemployment and jobs – the pollsters’ most recent results rank crime/corruption, immigration, environment/climate, and inequality/discrimination as the most important issues concerning Americans. In a rare show of bipartisan unity, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents agreed the economy is the nation’s number-one challenge. Just 37% of Democrats want Biden to run for a second term as president, according to an Associated Press poll published earlier this week. Respondents cited his age, his perceived mental decline, and what they viewed as his ineffectiveness at governing in their reasons for wanting new leadership, with just 13% saying they had a lot of confidence in the president’s ability to accomplish major policy goals. Despite his low approval ratings, however, Biden’s party pulled off a surprisingly strong showing in the 2022 midterm elections. While Republicans gained control of the House, Democrats avoided being swamped by a ‘red wave’ and maintained control of the Senate. https://www.rt.com/news/571143-americans-wrong-track-poll-biden/ =============================================

Warning: Earthquakes. Disturbing images/footage. Türkiye/Syria Earthquake updates. 2921 have been confirmed dead and more than 15,000 injured in Türkiye in the worst earthquakes in 100 years. 711 confirmed dead in Syria caused by aftershock tremors, many thousands injured. A new tremor hits Türkiye just a day after one of the strongest earthquakes ravaged parts of the country, destroying homes and leaving thousands dead and injured. Children are pulled from the rubble as disastrous aftershocks hit Syria. More than three thousand people have been confirmed dead in Türkiye and Syria, and the death toll is still rising. The awful situation is being hampered by the cold and lack of readily available equipment - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits Mali to improve relations, after tensions erupted between the West African nation and the UN, as Mali expelled the UN's human rights envoy. - Russian troops have gained advantage in Artyomovsk. Murad Gazdiev reports. - Israel's FM is visiting Kiev as the Israeli embassy reopens there. Kiev wants more arms from Israel and has issued "a list of demands". See recent previous posts for written catch up. Maria Finoshina discusses. - Africa: The EU has interests in Africa's resources to enable it to produce "green energy". Meanwhile the EU demands that Africa goes green and bribes it with loans and threatens them with sanctions. South Africa is just about to (or already has done) declare a state of disaster with power only available for a few hours a day. Africans are pretty ticked off with it all. ============================================== Below, via RT website N1) --- Russia sends rescue teams to Türkiye and Syria N2) --- Hundreds killed, infrastructure and historic sites damaged: What is known about horrific quakes in Türkiye and Syria (RECAP) - 1) --- Bank of England blames Brexit for excess inflation 2) --- World heading into ‘wider war’ – UN chief 3) --- UK military running out of money and ammo – media 4) --- India and Russia ditching dollar in energy deal – Novatek 5) --- India wants Russian LNG – Reuters 6) --- Palestinians killed in West Bank raid 7) --- Google reveals new ‘conversation’ AI ======================================= 6 Feb, 2023 22:00 N1) --- Russia sends rescue teams to Türkiye and Syria Four aircrafts with more than 100 emergency response specialists onboard set off for the earthquake-hit regions Russia has dispatched over a hundred emergency response specialists to aid in the search and rescue efforts in Türkiye and Syria in the wake of powerful earthquakes that struck the nations, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Monday. Four of the ministry’s transport planes with more than 100 rescue workers on board in total have been sent to the affected countries at the direct order of President Vladimir Putin, the ministry’s spokesman, Roman Okhotenko, said. watch them leaving yesterday right here on Rumble https://rumble.com/v28jf0q-russian-rescuers-prepare-to-deploy-to-quake-stricken-trkiye-and-syria.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=2 The group includes seven canine teams and an airmobile hospital with 40 medics capable of providing “qualified medical assistance” on the spot, the spokesman said. All specialists sent to Türkiye and Syria were supplied with the necessary equipment needed for search-and-rescue missions, Okhotenko added. The teams include professionals with extensive experience in natural disaster management who are prepared to carry out their missions under the most difficult circumstances, the ministry said in a Telegram post. Two powerful earthquakes claimed more than 1,600 lives in Türkiye and 968 in neighboring Syria, as well as leaving thousands injured and destroying thousands of buildings. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the quake the “biggest disaster since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake,” which killed an estimated 32,000 people. Ankara declared the highest nationwide emergency level in the wake of the disaster. According to Erdogan, priority has been given to search and rescue efforts, with over 9,000 people involved in these efforts. The Turkish government also issued a statement on Monday requesting aid from any nation that could provide it. https://www.rt.com/russia/571068-russia-rescue-teams-turkiye-syria/ ============================================= 6 Feb, 2023 12:45 RECAP N2) --- Hundreds killed, infrastructure and historic sites damaged: What is known about horrific quakes in Türkiye and Syria (RECAP) Powerful tremors continue to hit both countries, compounding the death and devastation On Monday morning, a powerful earthquake struck in southern Türkiye, causing significant destruction across the country and in neighboring Syria. Over a thousand people were reported killed, as buildings collapsed and infrastructure was damaged on both sides of the border. Here is what is known about the disaster so far. Worst in decades The quake was detected at 4:17am (0117 GMT), according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). It was centered in the Pazarcik district in the southern province of Kahramanmaras at a depth of 7 kilometers. The agency initially measured the quake at 7.4 magnitude, but later revised it to 7.7. Dozens of aftershocks were detected later in the day in southern Türkiye, the Gulf of Alexandria and Syria, according to quake monitors, with the strongest spike reported at 7.5 magnitude. https://twitter.com/amitsahujourno/status/1622548757542998017 The earthquake was felt across the region, with tremors noted by people as far as Baghdad, Iraq, and Beirut, Lebanon, hundreds of kilometers away. Hundreds killed, thousands injured Türkiye is located in a seismically active part of the world, but Monday’s quake was one of the strongest in its history, with more than 1,000 people killed, according to Turkish authorities. President Recept Tayyip Erdogan said the disaster destroyed some 2,800 buildings. He called it the worst earthquake in the country since 1939. https://twitter.com/amitsahujourno/status/1622559608668852224 The wave of destruction swept through 10 Turkish provinces, including Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis. In Syria, the health ministry said it recorded over 400 deaths and over 1,000 injured people, with damage reported in Northern Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus. Crucial infrastructure damaged In both Türkiye and Syria, the quake caused damage to key infrastructure. In the Turkish Kilis Province, natural gas pipelines ruptured, with the fuel bursting into large plumes of flame, according to footage circulating online. Operator BOTAS said it cut the flow, but pressurized gas in the pipeline continued to feed the fires. In Syria, a refinery in the city of Baniyas, one of the largest in the country, had to be shut down for at least 48 hours due to cracks in the chimney of its power unit, the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources reported. https://twitter.com/guyelster/status/1622483850705108995 The Syrian government also ordered all trains to be stopped as a precaution following the earthquake. Turkish authorities closed the Hatay Airport due to the damage it sustained and suspended all civilian flights via the Gaziantep International Airport amid the emergency. The ports of Ceyhan and Iskenderun were reportedly closed too. National heritage at risk The Gaziantep Castle, a hilltop fort located in the center of the city of Gaziantep was heavily damaged by the quake, according to Turkish media. The structure dates to the second and third centuries, though it was repeatedly renovated over the course of history, and is considered the symbol of the city. https://twitter.com/gazzetecii/status/1622473062917500928 In Syria, the quake reportedly caused a crack to appear in the Citadel of Aleppo, a UNESCO heritage site located in Aleppo’s old city. Houmam Saad, who heads the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums in the Culture Ministry, told media that a team had been dispatched to assess the scale of the damage. International assistance Many nations, including Azerbaijan, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Russia, Serbia, Spain, the UK and the US, have offered their assistance in responding to the disaster. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent messages of condolence to Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar Assad and said his government was ready to help. Russian rescue teams have been sent to both countries to assist at the disaster sites. https://www.rt.com/news/571034-t%C3%BCrkiye-syria-powerful-quake/ ============================================ 7 Feb, 2023 05:23 1) --- Bank of England blames Brexit for excess inflation The country’s withdrawal from the EU free-trade area has fueled the surge in prices, the BoE’s Catherine Mann claims Britain’s departure from the EU and the subsequent trade barriers have contributed to the inflation crisis in the country, Bank of England (BoE) policymaker Catherine Mann has claimed. According to Mann, as cited by Bloomberg, there were signs that the cost-of-living crunch was beginning to abate in the US and the EU, but not yet in the UK. All three had faced shocks to demand and supply driven by the “Covid and lockdown-induced global demand rotation and subsequent supply bottlenecks,” and the energy shock caused by Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia, Mann reportedly said on Monday at the Lamfalussy Lectures Conference in Budapest. “However, the UK has also been affected by a third type of shock which makes it unique: no other country chose to unilaterally impose trade barriers on its closest trading partners,” she pointed out. Mann’s comments come as inflation in the UK, which hit a four-decade high of 11.1% in October, has slightly cooled down to 10.5%, staying well above the BoE’s 2% target. Meanwhile, in the Eurozone, inflation has fallen back to 8.5%, while in the US it has declined to 6.5%. Addressing inflation rates, Mann wondered: “Is there a turning point already visible in the data? For the US and the euro area, yes; for the UK, maybe stabilization.” Last week, the BoE slashed its estimate of potential output, or the economy’s growth speed limit, to 0.7% for the next three years, blaming a “constellation of economic shocks” including Brexit. The figure is down from its 0.9% estimate in November. The central bank has reiterated its predictions that the UK’s “level of productivity would be around 3.25% lower in the long run” because of its withdrawal from the EU free-trade area. https://www.rt.com/business/571035-uk-brexit-inflation-driver/ ============================================= 6 Feb, 2023 20:43 2) --- World heading into ‘wider war’ – UN chief Nations need to “wake up” if they hope to preserve peace, Antonio Guterres has said The world has come close to a global conflict, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Monday. The global community is not “sleepwalking” into “a wider war” but marches towards it “with its eyes wide open,” he stressed in a speech to the General Assembly. “The prospects for peace keep diminishing. The chances of further escalation and bloodshed keep growing,” Guterres said, denouncing the lack of “strategic vision” and “bias” that prevent political decision-makers from taking steps in the right direction. “This near-term thinking is not only deeply irresponsible – it is immoral,” he argued, adding that politicians and entrepreneurs became too absorbed with clinging to power and their business cycles. The secretary-general also blasted the erosion of international law and order based on UN principles, which, according to him, led to the present sorry state of affairs. “If every country fulfilled its obligations under the [UN] Charter, the right to peace would be guaranteed,” he noted, calling on UN members to “to transform our approach to peace by recommitting to the Charter – putting human rights and dignity first, with prevention at the heart.” “We need to wake up – and get to work,” Guterres said, adding that 2023 had placed humanity in front of a “confluence of challenges unlike any in our lifetimes.” The UN chief also pointed to the fact that scientists have moved the symbolic “Doomsday clock,” which reflects the potential annihilation of humanity, to 90 seconds to midnight – the closest it has ever been to a possible Armageddon. The UN chief’s words came after the US and its allies vowed to send dozens of Western-designed modern battle tanks to Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev. The Pentagon also announced supplying the Ukrainian forces with munitions that have a 150-kilometer range, adding that it would allow Kiev to use them as it sees fit. Moscow has previously repeatedly warned that continued weapons supplies to Ukraine by the US and its allies risk further escalation that might spiral into a direct conflict between Russia and NATO. watch on Rumble https://rumble.com/v28m9v2-world-is-marching-into-wider-war-with-eyes-wide-open-un-chief.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=5 - - https://www.rt.com/news/571065-world-wider-war-un-chief/ ============================================= 6 Feb, 2023 18:44 3) --- UK military running out of money and ammo – media Britain is “under-delivering” on its NATO commitments, a source told Sky News The UK does not have enough money to fulfill its military commitments after digging deep into its stockpiles to fund and equip the Ukrainian war effort, unnamed defense sources told Sky News on Monday. Britain’s self-defense is in jeopardy because the government is giving away critical military assets to Kiev, including tanks and artillery, sources warned, explaining that “it is no good having a small number of high-end, exquisite platforms when you have not got capacity around it.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently promised Ukraine 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks and 30 AS90 artillery guns – the remainder of the British army’s artillery stocks – leaving the home front vulnerable, according to the sources. While Sunak inherited a “refresh” of defense policy formulated in 2021, prioritizing investment in high-tech submarines and the development of a new fighter jet, the sources who spoke to Sky argued this plan ignores the military’s immediate needs — a lack of ammunition, artillery, and missile defense systems. The sources said they had already urged the Treasury to add £3 billion annually to the defense budget and ease restrictions on arms procurement, but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was playing “hard ball.” “[The Treasury] recognize[s] the threats. They recognize the pressure defense is under from inflation, the nuclear deterrent, stockpiles, and Ukraine. But despite recognizing the threats and the pressure, they say there is no more money,” one source told Sky. Making matters worse, the government is actually cutting the size of the military from 82,000 to 73,000 troops. London will thus only be “credibly” able to supply a brigade, numbering between 5,000 and 10,000 soldiers plus supporting equipment, to a new NATO force that would normally expect three to six times that number from a major bloc power such as the UK. Retired General Richard Barrons warned earlier this month in an op-ed that the country’s army had been so “hollowed out by spending cuts” that it could run out of ammunition “in a busy afternoon” and was by no means prepared to withstand a “surprise attack.” Sky’s insiders at the Ministry of Defence confirmed the military would “already run out of ammunition within a few days if called upon to fight” and warned that putting together a “modern warfighting division of some 25,000 to 30,000 troops” would take “up to ten years.” ============================================= 7 Feb, 2023 05:52 4) --- India and Russia ditching dollar in energy deal – Novatek Payments for LNG supplies could be settled in national currencies, the head of the Russian firm has revealed Russia’s largest independent gas producer, Novatek, is in talks with India over long-term contracts on supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG), the company’s CEO, Leonid Mikhelson, announced on Monday. Negotiations with several Indian companies are underway as Russia is keen to invest in the country’s energy sector and further expand cooperation, he told reporters on the sidelines of the India Energy Week forum. “We want to be not just LNG suppliers, Indian engineering companies are already taking part in our projects and there’s a certain share of Indian suppliers in equipment. We want to expand and increase it,” Novatek’s CEO pointed out. Mikhelson added that his company was interested in a broader investment into the Indian market, including the construction of regasification terminals for LNG production. He also revealed that the sides were considering settling LNG supply payments in national currencies – rupees or rubles – bypassing US dollar transactions. “We discussed it with the energy minister [Hardeep Singh Puri],” Mikhelson confirmed without specifying exact numbers. Earlier, Reuters reported that India’s main gas distributor GAIL was discussing the terms of a long-term contract on LNG imports with Novatek. The companies are close to signing a preliminary agreement, according to sources in the industry. https://www.rt.com/business/571040-india-russia-lng-rupee-ruble/ ============================================= 6 Feb, 2023 08:23 5) --- India wants Russian LNG – Reuters New Delhi is looking for a long-term contract to ensure its energy security Russia’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, Novatek, is poised to clinch a deal with India’s main gas distributor GAIL on long-term supplies, Reuters reported on Friday, citing industry sources. A preliminary agreement may be signed as early as this week during a visit by Novatek Chairman Leonid Mikhelson to India for an energy conference, people familiar with the matter told the news outlet on condition of anonymity. The news comes as GAIL struggles to recover from its 93% slump in profits in the three months to December compared to a year earlier, resulting from a supply disruption on the part of a former unit of Russian energy giant Gazprom. GAIL had a 20-year contract with Gazprom Marketing and Trading Singapore (GMTS), a former unit of Berlin-based Gazprom Germania. Last year, German authorities took over Gazprom’s subsidiary, now called Sefe, as part of anti-Russia sanctions, without providing compensation payments. The Indian utility company was forced to resort to gas rationing, and slashed output at its petrochemicals plants after supplies under the deal with GMTS fell through. Novatek and GAIL are now negotiating terms, and will have to decide on the volume of supplies, which will depend on insurance and shipping. “We are actively in discussion with a couple of long-term LNG suppliers... Hopefully, we should be able to conclude at least one contract shortly,” the executive director of GAIL, A Kaviraj, stated. According to Reuters, Novatek is offering monthly LNG supplies to GAIL under a long-term deal on a free-on-board basis, meaning the buyer has to charter ships, and pay freight, insurance and delivery costs. The Indian company, however, is asking Novatek to ensure the transfer of cargo to Indian ports and cover insurance and freight expenses, as insurance companies are reluctant to provide shipping services for Russian energy cargoes due to Western sanctions. India is keen to expand its energy cooperation with Russia as a means of boosting its energy security. New Delhi has been Russia’s top oil consumer for several months, having imported a record 1.17 million barrels a day in December. https://www.rt.com/business/570926-india-russia-lng-supplies/ ============================================== 7 Feb, 2023 04:44 6) --- Palestinians killed in West Bank raid Israeli forces say they were searching for militants suspected of plotting a mass shooting Several people were killed by Israeli troops during a raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, claiming the slain men were “armed terrorists.” The Palestinian Authority condemned the operation as a “crime,” while local militants vowed to respond in force. The IDF said it carried out the raid in the early hours of Monday morning alongside members of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, targeting a home inside the Aqbat Jabr refugee camp near the city of Jericho. Gunfire allegedly erupted from the house as Israeli troops approached, resulting in a firefight. “The purpose of the operation was to stop a Hamas terrorist cell that carried out the shooting attack on a restaurant in Jericho on January 28, 2023,” the military added, claiming the gunmen had planned a “mass murder campaign.” The IDF also shared footage captured during the mission, filmed from soldiers’ helmet cameras. At one point, the sound of gunfire can be heard amid the chaos. https://twitter.com/idfonline/status/1622570336582508544 Though the January 28 incident ended with no casualties, as the assailants quickly fled after one of their guns jammed, the IDF said the suspects had been hiding away in the Aqbat Jabr camp in the days since “while declaring their intention to continue to attack.” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later noted the raid, saying “The new Israeli government is continuing its series of crimes against our Palestinian people.” Following a similar violent incursion in another refugee camp in Jenin last month which left ten people dead, the Palestinian Authority – a governing body which exercises limited control in the occupied region – declared that it would halt all security cooperation with the Israeli government. The earlier raid prompted clashes between Palestinian fighters and the IDF, seeing a salvo of rockets fired from Gaza, while Israel responded with airstrikes. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that five people were killed in the raid on Monday, while Hamas, the political party and militant group which controls Gaza, said all were members of its armed wing. “Our people and their resistance will not delay in responding to this crime,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said. According to the governor of Jericho, Jihad Abu al-Assal, eight people were arrested in addition to the five killed, and the bodies of the dead are still in the IDF’s custody. Violence has continued to spiral since the deadly raid on Jenin last month, which Israeli officials say targeted a “terror squad” that had been planning an attack. Soon after the operation, a Palestinian man opened fire on Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in occupied Jerusalem, leaving seven dead, while a Palestinian teenager shot and wounded two Israelis the following day. In addition to its retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza, the IDF has carried out a flurry of raids in the West Bank in recent months, killing a total of 41 Palestinians so far in 2023, according to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem. https://www.rt.com/news/571070-israel-raid-refugee-camp/ ============================================= 6 Feb, 2023 22:26 7) --- Google reveals new ‘conversation’ AI Dubbed Bard, the service will compete with the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT An “experimental conversational AI service” named Bard will be made available to “trusted testers” on Monday, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has announced. Google will also start using AI technology to improve and expand searches. “Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models. It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses,” Pichai wrote in a blog post. The AI is powered by Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) technology, which Google unveiled two years ago. Pichai said the testing was intended “to make sure Bard’s responses meet a high bar for quality, safety and groundedness in real-world information,” after which the AI can be made “more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.” According to Pichai, Google “re-oriented the company around AI six years ago,” and developed a set of AI technologies that are “creating entirely new ways to engage with information, from language and images to video and audio.” The company is now rolling out these technologies to its signature web search service. “Soon, you’ll see AI-powered features in Search that distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats, so you can quickly understand the big picture and learn more from the web,” Pichai wrote. LaMDA previously made headlines in June 2022, when Google engineer and ethicist Blake Lemoine claimed that the program had become self-aware. The company said Lemoine’s claims were “wholly unfounded” and fired him for violating “employment and data security policies.” The Bard reveal comes less than three months after ChatGPT, developed by the Microsoft-backed OpenAI, became available to the general public. Within weeks, the AI became wildly popular – and caused alarm at schools and universities, due to its ability to mimic the academic style of writing. It has also raised questions about the political and cultural bias of the humans training it to “think,” as well as ethical concerns about hiring low-paid African labor to help with censorship. Pichai sought to head off criticism by saying that Google’s AI will be developed “responsibly” and in line with the principles published in 2018. The company also provides “education and resources” for everyone involved with the project in order to “make AI safe and useful,” he said. https://www.rt.com/news/571067-google-ai-bard-chatgpt/ ============================================

A second massive earthquake rips through south-central Türkiye and neighbouring Syria with the tremors felt hundreds of kilometres away in several other countries. The devastating quakes are the most powerful Türkiye has seen in 84 years, leaving more than 1,500 confirmed dead and over 9 thousand injured there. At least 538 people die from the quake, in neighboring Syria, which has been ravaged by some of the heaviest aftershocks leaving thousands injured, with scores more trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings. Alper Kucuk reports by phone and says the disaster is complicated by other factors including cold and snow. Kenan Akbayram reports and says urgent international assistance is needed. In Syria the situation is truly dire and hampered by lack of equipment. Vanessa Beeley reports from Damascus. "The most terrifying night ever, having suffered from the war" - Russia has sent aid and emergency rescue teams to Syria and Turkiye (and is dispatching more) Pres. Putin sent condolences to both countries over the tragedy / disaster. Shocks from the earthquake could be felt in Israel who are sending aid to Turkiye and have offered help to Syria too. - Tremors could be felt also in Iraq where Russia's FM Lavrov is meeting President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani and with his counterpart Fuad Hussein to discuss trade, bilateral ties and political, military and cultural cooperation. He is grateful to Iraq for not imposing sanctions. It's part of a scheduled tour. Vera Gaufman reports on the day, which is almost exactly 20 years since NATO invaded Iraq on false pretences. (see "the Weekly" from yesterday for series part 2, which will continue for a while to report on million and more dead in the illegal Iraq War.) - Palestine (Gaza) / Israel. Palestine accuses Israel of not allowing cancer patients to travel abroad for treatment. Ahed Imtirat (Physicians for Human Rights) reports. - Africa: Kenya. Four volunteers have been killed by Al-Shabaab militants from South Sudan. A joint effort with Ethiopia is needed to eliminate the terrorists. Ngala Chome (political analyst) reports. - Rolling news is available on RT Rumble's channel for updates on the earthquake tragedy and more, including excellent documentaries. https://rumble.com/vwbbjn-putin-announces-special-operation-in-donbass-special-coverage.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=13 ============================================ Below via RT website N) --- Death toll in Turkish quake surpasses 1,000 – authorities N1) --- Quake ruptures gas pipeline in Türkiye N2) --- Syria stops rail service 1) --- Moscow offers condolences and aid to quake-stricken nations 2) --- Ukraine accused of chemical warfare 3) --- Kremlin reacts to ‘Zelensky elimination’ comment 4) --- Kiev sanctions Russian nuclear industry 5) --- Abrams tanks might be poor fit for Ukraine – FT 5a) --- Germany met with ‘silence’ over tanks for Ukraine – politician 6) --- Largest healthcare strike in UK history begins ============================================ 6 Feb, 2023 10:44 N) --- Death toll in Turkish quake surpasses 1,000 – authorities The disaster has also left over 7,600 injured and destroyed several thousand buildings A powerful earthquake that hit Türkiye on Monday morning has killed more than 1,000 people and left over 7,000 injured, according to the latest figures released by the nation’s authorities. Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said that casualties had been reported in several provinces and that the death toll had reached 1,121. The agency estimated the number of injured across the provinces at 7,634, adding that at least 2,834 buildings have been destroyed. AFAD President Yunus Sezer also noted that, “there have been 105 aftershocks so far”. Despite the powerful jolts, for now there is no tsunami threat that could affect Türkiye’s Eastern Mediterranean, the AFAD noted. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated earlier that local authorities “have mobilized all their means,” adding that the response efforts involved not only officials in the ten provinces hit by the disaster but in ten other provinces as well. He said that priority had been given to search and rescue efforts to reach those still stuck under the rubble. In total, 9,000 people are involved in such efforts, a number that is constantly increasing, Erdogan added. He described the quake as “the biggest disaster since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake” in eastern Türkiye, which killed an estimated 32,000 people and injured 100,000. The calamity has also hit neighboring Syria, with the nation’s health ministry saying that the death toll has surpassed 300 people in several provinces, with over 1,000 injured. https://www.rt.com/news/571029-at-least-912-killed-quake-erdogan/ 6 Feb, 2023 18:07 *** Update *** Türkiye earthquake death toll rises More than 1,500 people have been killed by two quakes in Türkiye The death toll in Türkiye following two historic earthquakes has risen to 1,541, Vice President Fueat Oktay announced on Monday. Some 9,733 people were injured, and hundreds of deaths were reported in neighboring Syria. Oktay announced the revised casualty count in a press conference on Monday evening, hours after a preliminary count recorded 912 people dead and around 5,300 injured. https://www.rt.com/news/571062-turkiye-earthquake-death-toll-rises/ ============== N1) --- 6 Feb, 2023 07:55 N1) --- Quake ruptures gas pipeline in Türkiye Key infrastructure was damaged and hundreds killed by the powerful tremor The powerful earthquake that struck southern Türkiye on Monday morning has damaged a natural gas pipeline in the region, state energy company BOTAS has confirmed. Videos circulating online show massive plumes of flame erupting into the air. The 7.4-magnitude quake has killed scores of people and caused significant damage to civilian and municipal infrastructure, according to Turkish officials. BOTAS said it has cut supply in the wake of the tremor, but the rupture in the Kilis province is being fed by the gas inside the pipeline. Videos purportedly shot on the scene show massive plumes of fire rising high into the sky in at least two locations. https://twitter.com/Lerpc75/status/1622430411681931266 https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1622431528176259072 The quake hit at around 4am local time in central Türkiye. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 912 people were killed and 5,385 injured. https://www.rt.com/news/571016-t%C3%BCrkiye-quake-gas-pipeline/ ============================================ 6 Feb, 2023 12:31 N2) --- Syria stops rail service A powerful quake killed at least 371 in the Arab country and at least 1,014 in neighboring Türkiye Rail traffic has been suspended across Syria after the country was hit by a deadly earthquake, the Transport Ministry said on Monday. In a statement on its website, the ministry said technical teams were inspecting roads, tracks, bridges, and ferries for damage. A powerful earthquake struck southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria on Monday morning, causing destruction in both countries. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, over 400 people were killed and over 1,300 injured. The Syrian Oil and Mineral Resources Ministry said that the Banias refinery on the Mediterranean coast, the country’s largest, was shut down after tremors caused a leak of petroleum products. According to the ministry, the repairs are expected to take 48 hours. It said that gas facilities in Aleppo were also damaged. Officials said several historical sites and artifacts were damaged, including Aleppo’s medieval citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cracks appeared on the facade of the ancient city’s main museum, according to the authorities. The army has been deployed to the areas affected to help rescuers clear the rubble and look for survivors. In neighboring Türkiye, over 1,100 people were killed and over 7,000 injured, the authorities said. According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the disaster was the strongest earthquake the country has seen since 1939. https://www.rt.com/news/571037-syria-rail-service-earthquake/ ============================================== ========================================== 6 Feb, 2023 08:41 1) --- Moscow offers condolences and aid to quake-stricken nations President Putin has pledged assistance to the governments of Türkiye and Syria after a deadly earthquake Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences and offered support to his Turkish and Syrian counterparts, after a powerful earthquake caused devastation in both nations on Monday morning. In a cable to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin asked to relay “words of earnest sympathy” to the families of people killed in the disaster and wishes for a swift recovery to the survivors. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay reported that the quake killed at least 284 people in his country and injured at least 2,324 others. A separate message from Putin to Syrian President Bashar Assad said Russia “shared the grief and pain” of Syrians affected by the quake and is ready to help in responding to it. The Syrian Health Ministry reported a death toll of at least 237, with at least 648 other people injured by the disaster. The Russian Emergencies Ministry said it has placed on alert around 100 airmobile rescuers and two Il-76 transport planes which can transport them and their gear to Türkiye on short notice. The ministry said it is always prepared to come to the aid of a friendly nation in peril. The epicenter of the 7.4-magnitude quake was located in the Kahramanmaras Province of Türkiye, where it also affected the provinces of Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis. In neighboring Syria, Northern Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus were hit worst. https://www.rt.com/russia/571021-putin-quake-t%C3%BCrkiye-syria/ =============================================== 6 Feb, 2023 14:33 2) --- Ukraine accused of chemical warfare Toxic compounds have reportedly been used against Russian troops in Donbass Russian military commanders have reported that Ukrainian troops deployed a type of chemical weapon against their units in Donbass, according to a local official. Speaking to Russian television on Monday, Denis Pushilin, the acting governor of the Donetsk People’s Republic, said his office has been receiving reports about possible chemical warfare “for at least two weeks.” Ukrainian troops have reportedly been deploying “chemical compounds that make our military service members ill,” he said. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, declined to discuss the allegation with journalists, saying that his office didn’t have accurate information about the issue. He said the Russian military would pass such incidents up the chain of command and suggested contacting the Defense Ministry with further inquiries. The Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the claim. Speculation that some Ukrainian units may use air-dropped munitions with a chemical agent has been swirling on social media since mid-January. The rumors were apparently triggered by a video that surfaced showing people in Ukrainian military uniforms assembling small quad drones carrying small containers, with the payload apparently taken from a refrigerator. Some military experts suggested that whatever was used must have been volatile if it had to be stored at a low temperature. Chemical warfare is forbidden under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), an international treaty that took effect in 1997 and to which both Ukraine and Russia are signatories. The military prohibition applies even to riot control agents, colloquially known as tear gas, though unlike other chemical weapons, the CWC allows such substances to be manufactured and used in law enforcement. https://www.rt.com/russia/571039-ukraine-donbass-chemical-warfare/ ========================================== 6 Feb, 2023 14:36 3) --- Kremlin reacts to ‘Zelensky elimination’ comment Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied a claim by Israel's former PM that Putin promised not to kill the Ukrainian leader Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has refused to confirm or deny an allegation that President Vladimir Putin promised not to assassinate his Ukrainian counterpart, Vladimir Zelensky. Peskov said Moscow did not wish to reveal details concerning sensitive conversations with foreign leaders. On Saturday, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated in an interview that during his meeting with Putin last March, the Russian leader repeatedly reassured him and gave his word that Zelensky would not be “killed” or “eliminated.” Asked to respond to this claim on Monday, Peskov confirmed that the two leaders held “a very intensive dialogue” and “frequently communicated” during Bennett’s tenure as PM. However, the spokesman refused to share confidential information. “Indeed, on the agenda, in addition to bilateral relations, was the topic of Ukraine,” Peskov told journalists. “But you know that we are not in favor of disclosing the details of the talks between heads of state. We do not want to do this now. Therefore, I will neither refute nor confirm what Mr. Bennett said.” The then-PM traveled to meet with Putin in the early phases of Moscow’s military operation against Kiev, which was launched in late February. Bennett had hoped to broker an early ceasefire between the two sides as Russian forces were encroaching on the Ukrainian capital. At that point, Zelensky was reportedly in an undisclosed location and had allegedly asked Bennett to secure assurance from Putin that he would not be targeted for assassination. Bennett said he called Zelensky immediately after leaving the talks with Putin, telling him he would not be killed. Two hours later, the Ukrainian leader posted a video from his office in Kiev, explaining that he was “not hiding,” and “not afraid of anyone.” https://www.rt.com/russia/571044-kremlin-putin-zelensky-promise/ =========================================== 6 Feb, 2023 07:57 (includes links to tweets and documents) F) -- The Maidan sniper killings were pivotal for the 2014 Kiev coup – why is research into the massacre being censored in the West? Evidence that external forces were involved has been suppressed for ‘political reasons’ ‘The evidence is solid’ In a lengthy Twitter thread posted on January 6, Katchanovski first laid out the circumstances behind the rejection of his article, and the bombshell evidence included in it. The paper was initially accepted with minor revisions after peer review, and the journal's editor offered a glowing appraisal of his work, writing: “There is no doubt that this paper is exceptional in many ways. It offers evidence against the mainstream narrative of the regime change in Ukraine in 2014… It seems to me that the evidence the study produces in favour of its interpretation on who was behind the massacre of the protesters and the police during the ‘Euromaidan’ mass protests on February 18-20, 2014, in Ukraine, is solid. On this there is also consensus among the two reviewers.” As the editor noted, the massacre was a “politically crucial development,” which led to the “transition of powers in the country” from the freely elected Viktor Yanukovich to the illegitimate and rabidly nationalistic administration of Aleksandr Turchinov, a former security services chief. It was endlessly cited in Western media as a symbol of the brutality of Ukraine’s government and an unprovoked attack on innocent pro-WesternMaidan protesters, who allegedly sought nothing more than democracy and freedom. Rumors that the killings were a false flag intended to inflame tensions among the vast crowds filling Maidan, and provoke violence against the authorities, began circulating immediately. No serious investigation into what happened was ever conducted by the Western media, with all claims that the sniper attacks were an inside job dismissed as Kremlin “disinformation.” However, even NATO’s Atlantic Council adjunct admitted in 2020 that the massacre was unsolved and that this “cast a shadow over Ukraine.” https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/unsolved-maidan-massacre-casts-shadow-over-ukraine/ Thread with all links https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611196287122116609 https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1611196287122116609.html e.g. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337947623_The_far_right_the_Euromaidan_and_the_Maidan_massacre_in_Ukraine Ask the witnesses It may not remain unsolved for much longer though, due to an ongoing trial https://khpg.org/en/1608809505 of policemen at the scene on the fateful day. The legal action has been unfolding for well over a year and has received no mainstream news attention at all outside Ukraine. Katchanovski drew heavily on witness testimony and video evidence that has emerged over the course of the trial in his suppressed paper. For example, 51 protesters wounded during the incident testified https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx9P7IlU0ow&ab_channel=IvanKatchanovski at the trial that they were shot by snipers from Maidan-controlled buildings, and/or witnessed snipers there. Many spoke of snipers in buildings controlled by Maidan protesters shooting at police. This is consistent with other evidence collected by Katchanovski, https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611429010440863744 such as 14 separate videos of snipers in protester-controlled buildings, 10 of which clearly feature far-right gunmen in the Hotel Ukraina aiming at crowds below. In all, 300 witnesses https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611435153104207872 have told much the same story. Synchronized videos show that the specific time and direction of shots fired by the police not only didn’t coincide with the killings of specific Maidan protesters, but that authorities aimed at walls, trees, lampposts, and even the ground, simply to disperse crowds. Among those targeted https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611470762657079296 by apparently Maidan-aligned snipers were journalists at Germany’s ARD. They weren’t the only Western news station in town at the time – so too were Belgian reporters, who not only filmed Maidan protesters screaming towards Hotel Ukraina for snipers not to shoot them, but also participants being actively lured to the killing zone. This incendiary footage was never broadcast. CNN likewise filmed https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611522068440301574 far-right elements firing at police from behind Maidan barricades, then hunting for positions to shoot from the 11th floor of the Hotel Ukraina, minutes before the BBC filmed snipers shooting protesters from a room where a far-right MP was staying. The network opted not to report this at the time. We needn’t rely purely on video footage. Over the course of the trial, no fewer than 14 self-confessed members of Maidan sniper groups testified they had explicitly received massacre orders, Katchanovski claims. By contrast, no police officer at the scene has said they were directed to kill unarmed protesters, no minister has come forward to blow the whistle on such a scheme, and no evidence Yanukovich approved of the killings has ever emerged. Separate from the trial, leaders of the far-right Svoboda party have openly stated https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611769756989759494 that Western government representatives expressly https://twitter.com/I_Katchanovski/status/1611773555556995073 told them before the massacre that they would start calling for Yanukovich’s ouster once casualties among protesters reached a certain number. This figure was even actively discussed by both sides – were five enough, or 20? Or even 100? The latter was the final total reported, and indeed led to calls for the Ukrainian government’s abdication. *** Katchanovski previously published a landmark study on the Maidan massacre in 2021, which has been referenced over 100 times by scholars and experts, already making him one of most cited political scientists specializing in Ukraine, according to Google Scholar. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356691143_The_Maidan_Massacre_in_Ukraine_Revelations_from_Trials_and_Investigation Whatever the nature and source of the political pressure applied to the journal that led to the censoring of the dynamite paper, the move may well backfire massively, in the spirit of the Streisand Effect. Indeed, it could help the truth of what happened on those deadly days come out, and assist in those responsible for the killings being brought to justice. It should also prompt a wider reconsideration of the nature of Maidan too, and the government it produced. The banning of opposition parties, attacks on the Orthodox Church, the closure of dissident media outlets, and the war on Russian culture and language are all consequences. https://www.rt.com/russia/570921-maidan-sniper-killings-censorship/ ============================================ 5 Feb, 2023 21:53 4) --- Kiev sanctions Russian nuclear industry Some 200 entities have been blacklisted for 50 years Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has introduced sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry, President Vladimir Zelensky said in a statement on Sunday. The list of entities subject to the restrictions includes the Rosatom nuclear agency, as well as the company operating the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) – Europe’s biggest nuclear power station. Zelensky accused Russian troops of shelling nuclear power stations in Ukraine and using them as “cover” for strikes. “These are sufficient reasons for the Russian nuclear industry to be subjected to global sanctions,” he said. The president issued a decree on Sunday, which blacklisted a total of 200 entities for a period of 50 years. The ZNPP once belonged to Ukraine but fell under Russian control in the spring of 2022. It is located in Zaporozhye Region, which formally joined Russia in autumn 2022 following a referendum, along with three other former Ukrainian territories, including the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Kherson Region. The plant has been repeatedly subjected to artillery shelling and suicide drone attacks over the past year while Moscow and Kiev trade blame over the incidents. Moscow insists that damage to the facility is attributable to Kiev’s forces, while Ukraine has claimed that Russia, for unnamed reasons, has itself been targeting the site it controls. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has only established that attacks on the plant have occurred, but has refused to assign blame to either party. Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-15 Minsk peace accords. Ukraine has said the attack was entirely unprovoked. https://www.rt.com/russia/571007-ukraine-russia-nuclear-industry-sanctions/ ============================================== 5 Feb, 2023 18:51 5) --- Abrams tanks might be poor fit for Ukraine – FT Maintenance and logistics needs reportedly make the US armor a dubious asset for Kiev The M1 Abrams tanks that Washington recently promised to Ukraine might end up being a liability rather than a boost to Kiev’s war effort, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Such a view is explained by the armor’s overcomplicated logistics and maintenance needs. The 70-tonne tank has a gas turbine engine, which allows it greater acceleration than a diesel engine but requires meticulous maintenance and consumes larger amounts of fuel, the FT explained. The paper cited former US Army platoon commander John Nagl, who said his soldiers “spent a whole lot of time literally banging our air filters” during the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 US invasion of Iraq amid “big concerns” about the tank engine “ingesting sand and not working.” Maintaining the combat readiness of the Abrams tanks would require “completely different types of machinery” relative to other Western-designed tanks promised to Kiev, as well as crews trained for special gadgets, the FT highlighted. The mechanics crews for the tanks would also take longer to train, the paper reported. The tanks will need a steady supply of spare parts and have their “500-gallon tank refilled every day” with jet fuel given that it cannot run on diesel, it added. The M1 Abrams “is a terrific tank, but it is an American tank and the American way of war demands all the logistics in the world,” Nagl told FT. The paper then noted that the logistics and supply network for the Abrams tanks would remain in the US. The logistical shortcomings might eventually turn the Abrams into something of a liability for Ukrainian troops as they could easily fall prey to Russian attacks, Josh Kirshner, a managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, a strategic advisory firm, warned. Kiev’s forces “don’t want the Cadillac of defense items, they just need ‘good enough’ gear,” he argued. Back in December 2022, the Pentagon also argued that M1 Abrams tanks were just too difficult to operate as it refused to supply them to Ukraine at that time. Washington then changed its stance in January, promising 31 Abrams tanks to Kiev. Yet, the hardware is expected to arrive in Ukraine no sooner than in several months. Russia has repeatedly warned the West against supporting Kiev with weapons, arguing that doing so will only prolong the conflict. Commenting on the deliveries of modern tanks to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that they will “burn like the rest” of the Western weapons. https://www.rt.com/russia/571001-abrams-tanks-poor-fit-ukraine/ ============== 6 Feb, 2023 11:02 5a) --- Germany met with ‘silence’ over tanks for Ukraine – politician The Bundeswehr’s weapon supplies are scarce, the Social Democratic Party leader has said Germany’s European allies have been suspiciously “quiet” after it promised to send Western-made tanks to Ukraine, the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Kevin Kühnert, said on Sunday. Berlin is struggling to find Leopard 2s for Kiev to use in the conflict with Russia, according to the politician. “Over the last couple of weeks, there has been an impression that everyone wants to supply [Western-made tanks to Ukraine] and that Germany was the only one not doing so,” Kühnert said in a ZDF interview. “Now we see that Germany made specific obligations to deliver a tank company. And suddenly it got very silent around us.” The SPD leader also noted Berlin’s low supplies of the Leopards and ammunition for them, explaining that there is not a “big warehouse” where all the tanks are ready and waiting to be ordered. “The supplies are scarce,” Kühnert told ZDF. Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed the shipment of 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev in late January. In addition to this, the government gave permission for other operators of the German-made tank to transfer their stocks. https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/suche/bundesregierung-kuendigt-lieferung-von-leopard-2-panzern-an-die-ukraine-an-2160236 US President Joe Biden confirmed on the same day that America would send 31 of its M1 Abrams tanks. However, as was the case with Germany, no timeline was provided for the shipments. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said last week that Washington simply “doesn’t have these tanks available in excess” in their stocks. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Nikkei Asia last week that Athens cannot spare their Leopard 2 tanks, as they are “absolutely necessary for our defense posture.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has commented on the Western tank shipments for Ukraine numerous times, saying in late January that they will “burn” like every other weapon in the conflict zone. Peskov said at a press briefing last week that the more weapons the West sends, the more Russia will utilize its military potential to counter them. https://www.rt.com/news/571030-bundeswehr-tanks-shipment-silence/ ============================================ 6 Feb, 2023 17:31 6) --- Largest healthcare strike in UK history begins Nurses and ambulance staff say they are not being paid enough to survive Tens of thousands of British nurses and ambulance workers walked off the job on Monday, in what is the largest strike in the 75-year history of the National Health Service (NHS). While the government has offered a pay rise, workers and unions say their earnings haven’t kept up with inflation. While nurses and ambulance staff have participated in separate strikes in recent months, Monday’s work stoppage involved both members of the Royal College of Nursing and ambulance workers who are members of the GMB and Unite trade unions. Nurses are set to strike again on Tuesday, while physiotherapists will stage a walkout on Thursday. Seven additional strikes are planned by ambulance workers before the end of March. The workers are demanding that the government reopen pay negotiations, insisting that a planned 4.8% pay rise isn’t enough to compensate for the UK’s spiraling inflation rate, which stood above 10% in December. Unions have demanded that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak get involved in the negotiations, something he has thus far refused to do. Sunak can demonstrate that his government “is on the side of the hardworking, decent taxpayer” by negotiating, Royal College of Nursing chief Pat Cullen wrote in a letter to the PM on Sunday. “There would be no simpler way to demonstrate this commitment than bringing the nurse strike to a swift close,” she concluded. A spokesperson for Sunak called the strikes “deeply regrettable,” while the NHS noted that industrial action would place its services “under increased pressure” at an already busy time. The health service noted on its website that October and November were already the busiest months on record for emergency room visits and ambulance callouts. https://www.rt.com/news/571056-nhs-nurses-ambulance-strike/ ==============================================

Devastating earthquake hits Türkiye with at least 76 people reported dead and hundreds injured. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Türkiye early Monday morning, followed by several powerful aftershocks that were felt across the region. The jolts caused widespread destruction, knocking down multiple residential buildings. The Turkish government may call for international help. At least 6 deadly aftershocks have affected neighbouring countries, including Syria where 237 people have now been reported dead and hundreds more injured. Mohammed Ali reports from Syria. China: China says shooting down the weather balloon has undermined U.S. / China relations. Russia's FM Lavrov has arrive in Iraq as part of his scheduled tour of Africa and regions. Talks with President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani for bilateral ties and political, military and cultural cooperation. Later in FM Lavrov's tour he will visit Mali, Sudan and Mauritania. Maria Finoshina reports. Africa: Nairobi, Kenya. A young fashion designer creates magic and a stir. RT talks to David Ochieng from "Lookslike Avido" fashion. ======================================= Below via RT website N) --- Devastating earthquake hits Türkiye N1) --- Death toll piling up in disastrous quake 1) ---West ‘blocked’ Russia-Ukraine peace process – former Israeli PM 1a) --- Putin promised not to kill Zelensky – former Israeli PM 2) --- EU taking ‘big step towards military escalation’ – Hungarian official 3) --- Microplastics found in human veins 4) --- Wildfires kill dozens in Chile 5) --- Iran pardons ‘tens of thousands’ of convicts – media 6) --- British sailors hospitalized after water contaminated 7) --- EU member to face electricity shortage – grid operator 8) --- Sanctions put global energy supplies at risk – Gulf state 8a) --- Saudi Arabia ready to ditch dollar in trade – Finance Minister 9) --- Ukraine to replace defense minister – lawmaker 10) --- Ukraine issues demands to Israel – media ============================================= N) --- Devastating earthquake hits Türkiye 6 Feb, 2023 02:30 Dozens of buildings collapsed, burying people under the rubble A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Türkiye early Monday morning, followed by several powerful aftershocks that were felt across the region. The jolts caused widespread destruction, knocking down multiple residential buildings, according to disturbing footage captured by survivors. The most powerful jolt, measured at 7.8 by the USGS and 7.4 by the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, happened around 4:17am local time, and was centered 33km northeast of Gaziantep, a major provincial capital with a population of over 2 million people. There was no immediate estimate of total casualties, but according to Turkish media reports, scores are feared killed, as dozens of buildings were damaged or destroyed across ten provinces, including Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Osmaniye, and Malatya, with residents trapped under the rubble. The Turkish authorities declared the highest level of emergency, with all rescue services and first responders mobilized to aid the affected provinces, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences to the victims, confirming that search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to affected areas, while all other government institutions are coordinating their response. see : https://twitter.com/anadoluagency/status/1622435344443383811 https://twitter.com/MilvaGauto/status/1622436160109690883 https://twitter.com/eha_news/status/1622415143970738179 Across the border in Syria, several residential buildings reportedly collapsed in Aleppo, as well as the city of Hama, according to local media. The quake was so powerful that shaking was felt all across the region, as far as Israel, Lebanon, and Cyprus. https://sana.sy/?p=1832034 - https://www.rt.com/news/571010-turkiye-earhquake-buildings-collapse/ =============== 6 Feb, 2023 04:29 N1) --- Death toll piling up in disastrous quake Turkish provinces have reported initial casualty estimates amid ongoing rescue efforts More than 70 people have been killed, and many more are feared dead or trapped under the rubble of their collapsed houses, after a series of powerful earthquakes struck central Türkiye shortly after 4am Monday morning. By 6:30am, Türkiye’s crisis response center, SAKOM, confirmed that at least 76 people were killed and another 440 injured in the provinces of Kahramanmaras, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Adana, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis. At least 34 buildings were destroyed and five people killed in the province of Osmaniye alone, according to the governor, with more casualties expected as rescuers work to find survivors. Another 15 people were killed and at least 16 buildings destroyed in Sanliurfa, according to initial estimates by the provincial governor. The governor of Malatya reported at least 140 destroyed or badly damaged buildings, with the bodies of 23 victims pulled from the debris so far. Over 420 have suffered various injuries across the province, according to Anadolu news agency. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/gundem/kahramanmarasta-7-4-ve-gaziantepte-6-5-ile-6-4-buyuklugunde-deprem/2807085 In Diyarbakir province, the authorities have so far confirmed six people dead and 79 injured, with at least half a dozen buildings destroyed. The Turkish authorities have declared the highest level of emergency, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mobilizing all rescue services and first responders to aid the affected provinces, while other government institutions are coordinating their response. https://www.rt.com/news/571011-turkiye-earthquake-death-toll/ =========================================== 5 Feb, 2023 15:06 1) ---West ‘blocked’ Russia-Ukraine peace process – former Israeli PM Both Moscow and Kiev appeared to have been ready for a ceasefire, Naftali Bennett says Peace might’ve been agreed between Russia and Ukraine shortly after the start of the conflict, but Kiev’s Western backers blocked the negotiations between the two neighbors, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who mediated those contacts, has said. Bennet, who gave an almost five-hour-long video interview to Israel’s Channel 12 on Saturday, claimed that his efforts as a middleman came close to succeeding as both Moscow and Kiev appeared to be ready to make concessions and agree to a truce. It didn’t happen because “I think there was a legitimate decision by the West to keep striking [Russian President Vladimir] Putin… I mean the more aggressive approach,” he said. When asked by the host if the US and its allies “blocked” the peace process between Moscow and Kiev, the former PM replied: “Basically, yes. They blocked it.” “I claim there was a good chance of reaching a ceasefire. But I’m not claiming it was the right thing,” he clarified. (interesting, long video https://youtu.be/qK9tLDeWBzs) Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reacted to the revelations by the Israeli politician on Telegram, saying that they were “yet another confession” that the West wasn’t interested in peace in Ukraine. According to Bennett, his mediation “was coordinated down to the last detail with the US, France and Germany.” After the conflict broke out last February, there was no unified approach on how to deal with it among Western leaders as “[British PM] Boris Johnson adopted the aggressive line; [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz and [French President Emmanuel] Macron were more pragmatic, and [US President Joe] Biden was both,” he said. Some 17 or 18 drafts of the peace deal between Moscow and Kiev had been prepared with his involvement, the former PM said. Bennet claimed that, among other things, he managed to secure a pledge from Putin that he was “not going to kill [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky,” who feared for his life. The Russian leader was also ready to retract his demand for the demilitarization of Ukraine, while Zelensky promised to give up on his aspirations to join NATO, he added. All discussion about peace ended on April 1, 2022 when the Ukrainian authorities accused the Russian military of killing civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, Bennet pointed out. The claim by Kiev – which Moscow rejected and described as being fabricated – came shortly after the two sides held a high-profile meeting in Istanbul and appeared to have been making progress towards an agreement. Russian and Ukrainian representatives haven’t met at the negotiating table since then. Moscow maintains that it’s ready to resolve the crisis through diplomatic means but says that the peace proposals being voiced by Kiev and its Western backers have so far been unacceptable. https://www.rt.com/news/570994-bennett-israel-ukraine-talks/ ============================================== =========================================== 5 Feb, 2023 15:55 1a) --- Putin promised not to kill Zelensky – former Israeli PM The Ukrainian leader sought assurance before posting a video declaring he wasn’t “afraid of anyone,” Naftali Bennett claims Russian President Vladimir Putin told former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that he would not have Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky assassinated, Bennett revealed to Israeli media. The former PM flew to Moscow at the request of Zelensky, who declared that he was “not afraid of anyone,” only after Putin assured his safety. Bennet traveled to Moscow last March, in a failed bid to broker an early ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. That trip was made at the request of Zelensky, he told Israel’s Channel 12 on Saturday. With Russian forces surrounding Kiev, Zelensky was reportedly hiding in an undisclosed location at the time of the meeting. Bennett told Channel 12 that the Ukrainian leader had tasked him with securing an assurance from Putin that he would not be targeted for assassination. “Are you going to kill Zelensky?” Bennett asked Putin. The Russian president said that he would not, to which Bennett again asked for his word that he wouldn’t have the Ukrainian president killed. Putin gave his word, Bennett said. Bennett said that he called Zelensky immediately after leaving the Kremlin, telling him “he’s not going to kill you.” Zelensky asked for confirmation, and Bennett told him that he was “one hundred percent” sure that Putin would not have him eliminated. Two hours later, Zelensky posted a video from his office in Kiev, explaining that he was “not hiding,” and “not afraid of anyone.” The video address was described as “defiant” by Western media outlets, but it was unknown until now that Zelensky essentially asked Putin permission – via Bennett – to reveal his location before making his statement. Bennett described Putin as “smart and sharp,” and a supporter of the Jewish people. However, he said that the Russian leader’s demeanor became cold when Zelensky and his officials were mentioned, with Putin describing them as “Nazis” and “warmongers.” The former PM – who shared office with Yair Lapid until stalwart conservative Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in December – said that “everything” he did on his trip to Moscow was “coordinated with the United States, Germany and France.” Bennett’s interview came a day after French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre confirmed that President Emmanuel Macron “mainly” spoke to Putin by phone at the request of Zelensky. Meanwhile, as the leaders of France and Israel carried his messages to Moscow, Zelensky himself publicly declared that he would never talk to Putin, and forbade his officials from engaging in any negotiations with the Russian leader. https://www.rt.com/russia/570996-bennett-putin-kill-zelensky/ =========================================== 5 Feb, 2023 14:44 2) --- EU taking ‘big step towards military escalation’ – Hungarian official Calls for more weapons for Ukraine do not contribute to peace, Csaba Domotor has said The new EU Parliament resolution calling for more Western arms for Ukraine and a full energy embargo on Russia will only add fuel to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev and prove detrimental to the European economy, Csaba Domotor, the secretary of state in the Hungarian prime minister's office, has said. On Thursday, the bloc’s legislature approved a non-binding document encouraging member states to adopt a tenth package of sanctions against Moscow as soon as possible. Among the measures being proposed are an embargo on imports of fossil fuels and uranium from Russia, further arms shipments to Ukraine, and for the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines to “be completely abandoned.” The EU Parliament is also seeking to target oil company Lukoil and Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom. In a Facebook post on Saturday, Domotor blasted the resolution, noting that it includes two “most serious” points. The first provision calling for military aid to Ukraine to be increased and accelerated is “anything but a call for peace. Rather, it is a big step towards military escalation,” he said. Meanwhile, an embargo on fossil fuels and uranium from Russia would essentially mean a complete ban on imports of gas and nuclear fuel from the country, Domotor pointed out. Should the European Parliament impose these restrictions, they would “not only support the previous sanctions, but also inflation,” which is largely attributable to skyrocketing energy prices, the official warned. “If a total embargo is announced, it is a guarantee of further price increases. I think this is [going in] a very bad direction,” Domotor stressed. Hungary, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy, has long been critical of the sanctions the West has imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. It has argued that the restrictions have adversely impacted the EU economy but failed to meaningfully weaken Russia. Budapest has also refrained from supplying Ukraine with arms while signaling last month that it would veto any EU sanctions targeting Russian nuclear energy. https://www.rt.com/news/570992-eu-resolution-escalation-inflation/ ============================================ 5 Feb, 2023 18:50 3) --- Microplastics found in human veins Researchers discovered 15 particles of the contaminants per gram of vein tissue in the first study of its kind Microplastics have been found for the first time in human vein tissue, a team of researchers from the University of Hull revealed last week. Five distinct types of microplastic were discovered in samples taken from the saphenous (leg) veins of patients undergoing heart bypass surgery. “We were surprised to find them,” Professor Jeanette Rotchell said in a press release accompanying the paper’s publication in the journal PLoS One. “We already know microplastics are in blood…but it was not clear whether they could cross blood vessels into vascular tissue and this work would suggest they can do just that.” The UK-based researchers found an average concentration of 15 particles of plastic per gram of vein tissue, similar to or higher than the levels found in lung and colon tissue, but observed that the shape and types of plastic found in the vascular tissue was markedly different from other tissue types. “These first human tissue analyses suggest that the distribution of the microplastics’ predominant types may be tissue-specific,” Rotchell observed. The most common types of plastic found in the samples include alkyd resin, which is found in synthetic paints and varnishes; polyvinyl acetate, an adhesive used in food packaging and shipping; nylon, and EVOH-EVA, used for food packaging and watertight lamination. While Rotchell stressed that “we don’t yet know the implications of this on human health,” she acknowledged that microplastics had been shown to cause “inflammation and stress responses” in laboratory settings. Co-author Professor Mahmoud Loubani added that the presence of the microplastics might contribute to the failure of coronary artery bypass surgery involving grafts from the saphenous veins, suggesting the contaminants “may well play a role in damaging the inside of the vein leading to it becoming blocked with the passage of time.” Removing the microplastics was a possibility, he said in the press release. The team has previously discovered the ubiquitous pollutants in blood and lung tissue, as well as in surgical operating theaters. By some estimates, 15 tons of plastic waste enters Earth’s oceans every minute, breaking down into smaller particles and entering the body through the food chain and through the air people breathe. https://www.rt.com/news/571000-microplastics-found-veins-tissue/ ============================================= 5 Feb, 2023 15:56 4) --- Wildfires kill dozens in Chile Scorching summer temperatures have helped spread the flames, some of which were apparently started intentionally At least 23 people have died and nearly 1,000 have been injured in wildfires raging across several regions of Chile, the country’s government said. A state of emergency was extended on Saturday, and officials expect the situation to worsen. The death toll was announced at a briefing shortly after the government extended the emergency order to the region of Araucania, located roughly halfway down the country’s 2,700 miles (4,300 km) of Pacific coastline. Similar orders, which allow for the deployment of the military, were given in the regions of Biobio and Nuble earlier in the week. "Weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out (the fires) that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse," Interior Minister Carolina Toha told reporters at the briefing, according to Reuters. https://twitter.com/HotshotWake/status/1621541946794582017 Some 76 fires took hold on Friday, while a further 16 began on Saturday, Toha stated. These blazes spread rapidly across forests and farmland as temperatures climbed above 40 degrees celsius. Among those killed were a Bolivian helicopter pilot who was working to put out the fires in Araucania. Both the pilot and his mechanic died when their aircraft crashed. In addition to the 23 killed and 979 injured, more than 1,100 people from the sparsely-populated provinces have sought emergency shelter. As of Saturday, 231 fires in total were burning, and an area of 40,000 hectares had been scorched. In a press conference on Friday, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said that there were “signs” that some of the fires were started intentionally. “In case there is intentionality we will move heaven, sea and earth to find those responsible,” he warned. https://www.rt.com/news/570991-chile-wild-fire-deaths/ ========================================== 5 Feb, 2023 15:47 5) --- Iran pardons ‘tens of thousands’ of convicts – media Iranians sentenced for participating in mass protests were among those granted amnesty by the supreme leader Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has agreed to grant amnesty to “tens of thousands” of prisoners, among which are people convicted for their role in the recent protests and riots, state media reported on Sunday. The move coincided with the 44th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, which is celebrated in Iran between February 1 and 11. Those who participated in the protests and riots could have their sentences reduced or be pardoned altogether, as long as they were not accused of espionage, contacting foreign intelligence agents, did not damage state property, and did not injure or kill anyone during the riots, state news agency IRNA said. Khamenei reportedly approved a request for the pardons that had been made by Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei. The supreme leader regularly issues similar verdicts on occasion of various religious festivities. The exact number of those covered by the amnesty has not been revealed, but IRNA reported “tens of thousands” could be pardoned. It is also unclear how many of those were convicted over participation in the protests. Iran experienced months of protests and riots sparked by the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody in September. Amini was arrested for wearing an “inappropriate” hijab and died in police custody hours later. Her family insisted that she was beaten to death while the Iranian authorities said she died due to a medical condition. The US, EU and some other nations accused Tehran of a violent crackdown on the protesters and imposed a series of sanctions against Iran. The EU Parliament adopted a resolution last month calling on Brussels and EU member states to blacklist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. The move sparked an angry reaction in Tehran, with the Iranian parliament warning the EU that if it did so, Iran would retaliate by declaring all EU armies as terrorist organizations. Iran also denied claims that Amini’s death was the result of police brutality and has insisted that the unrest in the country was incited from abroad. Washington and Brussels used the protests as an excuse to impose additional sanctions and stir up social tensions in Iran, Tehran said. https://www.rt.com/news/570998-iran-pardon-convicts-protesters/ ============================================ 5 Feb, 2023 14:20 6) --- British sailors hospitalized after water contaminated The frigate HMS Portland had to return to its base after a crew member used the wrong chemicals on the water supply A “small number” of sailors have been hospitalized “as a precaution” after a crew member on board the HMS Portland added the wrong chemicals to the system meant to convert sea water into drinkable water, officials confirmed on Saturday. The frigate returned to its base in Portsmouth on Friday after the sailor responsible for the mixup realized the mistake and notified superiors, the Daily Telegraph reported. A Navy source confirmed to the outlet the nature of the “poisoning” and commended the individual responsible for coming clean right away. “We can confirm that HMS Portland has returned to HMNB Portsmouth as a precautionary measure, following an issue with one of the ship’s fresh water systems,” a Royal Navy spokesman told the Telegraph. “The health and safety of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we are taking a number of measures to safeguard the ship’s company while the issue is investigated.” The Navy said “a small number of personnel were taken to hospital as a precaution.” The HMS Portland left port last month. It was monitoring the activities of a Russian frigate and tanker in international waters and tracking Russian submarines in the North Sea. https://www.rt.com/news/570995-royal-navy-crew-poisoned-water/ ============================================= 5 Feb, 2023 15:20 7) --- EU member to face electricity shortage – grid operator Industrial demand in Sweden is growing faster than energy production, Svenska kraftnat says Sweden will have to reckon with a dearth of electricity starting in 2027, as industrial power demand is growing faster than energy production, Mattias Jonsson, a manager for electricity market analysis at the country’s grid operator, Svenska kraftnat, said on Sunday. The projection takes into account the latest report prepared by the country's energy agency in cooperation with state regulatory bodies, including the Swedish Transport Agency, Energy Markets Inspectorate and Svenska kraftnat. “We see a risk that large industrial investments won't be possible if we do not get a faster expansion of electricity production started,” Johansson told Swedish national public television broadcaster SVT. Sweden's power consumption is on the rise after years of remaining steady, which was accompanied by growing power availability, according to a five-year outlook report issued earlier this week. The report outlines that demand for electricity in Sweden could double by 2035. Analysts expect onshore wind power to be technically and economically feasible in the short-term, but highlight that in the long run new nuclear power facilities will be needed. It says existing wind power capacities should be expanded According to the estimates, electricity generation in Sweden will grow by about 17 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2027, while consumption will grow by 44 TWh. The current energy surplus of 33 TWh will decrease to about 6 TWh. The outlook also predicted that electricity consumption in Finland would increase slightly, while production would expand as well, helping the country to move from deficit to surplus. Meanwhile, the growth of solar and wind energy in Denmark is expected to keep pace with demand. Norway, however, should move from surplus to deficit. In total, the available electricity surplus in the Nordic region will reportedly decrease from 38 TWh in 2023 to 13 TWh in 2027. The lower reserve is anticipated to lead to a bigger power crunch during adverse weather conditions. https://www.rt.com/business/570990-sweden-electricity-shortage-energy-production/ ============================================ 5 Feb, 2023 11:53 8) --- Sanctions put global energy supplies at risk – Gulf state The restrictions against Russia will lead to shortages, a Saudi minister warns The sanctions policies pursued by the US, EU, and allies against Russia, one of the world’s top producers of crude oil, will result in energy shortages in the future, according to Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. EU member states have imposed ten rounds of sanctions on Russia in an effort to reduce the country’s revenues from energy exports, in response to the military operation in Ukraine. The latest measures, backed by the Group of Seven and Australia, came into force on February 5. “All of those so-called sanctions, embargoes, lack of investments, they will convolute into one thing and one thing only, a lack of energy supplies of all kinds when they are most needed,” the minister warned on Saturday, responding to a question over how trade measures will affect the energy market. The latest penalties imposed on Russia, the world’s third-biggest oil exporter after the US and Saudi Arabia, include a price cap for refined petroleum products of $100 per barrel of diesel and $45 per barrel of fuel oil. The caps followed similar measures targeting Russia’s seaborne oil exports, which came into force on December 5 and ban Western companies from providing services for Russian oil cargoes unless they are purchased at or below $60 per barrel. Asked what lessons have been learned from the energy market dynamics in 2022, the Saudi prince said the most important thing was for the rest of the world to “trust OPEC+.” “We are a responsible group of countries … we don’t engage ourselves in political issues.” In 2022, the alliance, which includes members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other oil producers, including Russia, agreed to reduce its production target by 2 million barrels per day, or 2% of global demand. The measure came into effect in November and will be valid until the end of 2023 to support the market. https://www.rt.com/business/570988-saudi-sanctions-shortages-lack-supplies/ =================== RELATED 18 Jan, 2023 11:11 8a) --- Saudi Arabia ready to ditch dollar in trade – Finance Minister Shift from US to Chinese currency has previously been discussed between Beijing and Riyadh Saudi Arabia is ready to discuss trading in currencies other than the US dollar, according to the Kingdom’s finance minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, as cited by Bloomberg. Al-Jadaan's comments come a month after China’s President Xi Jinping said that Beijing is ready to make energy purchases in yuan instead of the US dollar in trade exchanges with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). China's leader highlighted the necessity of the shift while speaking at a Chinese-Arab summit hosted by Saudi Arabia earlier this week. “There are no issues with discussing how we settle our trade arrangements, whether it is in US dollar, in euro or in Saudi riyal,” Al-Jadaan said on Tuesday during an interview with Bloomberg in Davos, Switzerland. The oil-rich kingdom is seeking to deepen its ties with vital trade partners, including China. The readiness for talks on the issue expressed by Riyadh may signal that the world’s biggest oil exporter is open to diversifying away from the US dollar after decades of pricing crude exports in the US currency. The riyal, the Saudi national currency, has been pegged to the greenback, too. The trend towards the shift to national currencies that is recently being observed among the major participants in global trade chains is partially attributed to the policies of secondary sanctions that Washington is pursuing. Initially, the steps towards ditching the US currency in trade, particularly in the energy sector, were intensified in the wake of the sweeping sanctions introduced by Western nations against Russia, one of the world’s major energy producers and exporters, over the military operation in Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/business/570056-saudi-arabia-dump-dollar-trade/ =========================================== 5 Feb, 2023 22:13 9) --- Ukraine to replace defense minister – lawmaker Aleksey Reznikov is expected to be reassigned following a corruption scandal within the military Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov will be relieved of his duties and instead appointed minister for strategic industries, according to David Arakhamia, who heads the parliamentary faction of President Vladimir Zelensky’s political party. The planned reshuffle follows multiple corruption scandals and resignations by other officials, including Reznikov’s deputy. The chief of the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Kirill Budanov, “will head the Defense Ministry, which is absolutely logical in wartime,” Arakhamia announced in a Telegram post on Sunday night. Arakhamia did not offer a timeline, but according to RBC-Ukraine news agency sources, the parliament is expected to finalize the reshuffle during the next session. Asked about his rumored dismissal on Sunday, Reznikov said that it was up to President Zelensky to decide his fate, but he was “ready for anything” and his conscience was “absolutely clear.” Multiple senior Ukrainian officials have resigned or have been fired in recent weeks, with an alleged graft scandal affecting the Defense Ministry as well. According to a Ukrainian media investigation published last month, various foodstuffs for the military ended up costing several times more than average retail prices. Reznikov has dismissed the allegations, stating that the documents cited in the investigation were inaccurate and some prices ended up inflated due to a “technical error.” However, Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who was in charge of logistics, took the fall and was dismissed on January 24. The situation also threatened Reznikov, one of the most prominent faces in the Ukrainian defense apparatus, but the profile committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decided to keep him in office at the time. Arakhamia said on Sunday that Reznikov is the most “logical” candidate to head the Ministry of Strategic Industries, given his “expertise” in securing Western military aid at Ramstein Air Base meetings and directing the endless flow of weaponry for the Ukrainian army. Reznikov, however, said there must have been a mistake, as he had not heard anything about the new appointment, and would reject the offer even if it came from the president himself, arguing that he is not qualified for the job, according to ICTV Facts. Budanov, who is tapped to become the new defense chief, is best known for his veiled threats of more strikes and terrorist attacks deeper into Russian territory, while refusing to confirm or deny Ukraine’s responsibility for previous strikes inside Russia. In October 2022, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) called Budanov a suspect behind the car bombing attack on the Crimean Bridge, which killed three people. https://www.rt.com/russia/571008-ukraine-defense-minister-reznikov/ (QS: his "resignation" was predicted/inevitible? see post from 27th January 2023) ============================================== 6 Feb, 2023 02:12 10) --- Ukraine issues demands to Israel – media Kiev wants money and public condemnation of Moscow Ukraine has laid out a set of requests to “test” Israel’s support and commitment during a planned visit of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to Kiev, according to several media reports citing unnamed Israeli and Ukrainian officials on Sunday. Kiev sees the visit by the highest-ranking Israeli official in over a year as an opportunity to verify the new Israeli government’s “intentions and policy” towards Ukraine, a diplomatic source told Axios. Cohen apparently asked for a meeting with President Vladimir Zelensky, but it may depend on whether the diplomat is ready to denounce Moscow in a public speech. “The president won’t meet Cohen for a photo-op,” the Ukrainian source allegedly said, while the Israeli side expects the meeting to take place regardless. Israel has tried to walk a diplomatic tightrope between Moscow and Kiev since the conflict erupted last year, refusing to impose sanctions on Russia. Former PM Yair Lapid took a harder stance on the conflict, condemning Moscow publicly, and Kiev apparently hopes for a similar pledge of allegiance from the new Israeli administration. Ukraine also requested the approval of a $500 million loan, according to a separate report by the Walla news site. Israeli officials cited by Axios said that Cohen was ready to offer only $50 million. In a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitry Kuleba, last month, Cohen accepted an invitation to visit Kiev, but the exact date of the trip remains unknown. He also reportedly pledged to fully reopen the Israeli Embassy in the coming months. Cohen signaled after his appointment as foreign minister in late December that West Jerusalem would “talk less” about the ongoing hostilities, while vowing that Israel would continue to send “significant humanitarian aid” to Ukraine. Some Ukrainian officials expressed concerns that Israel could take a more “pro-Russian” line on the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his new cabinet would revise the country’s foreign policy in a way to make it more suited to its national interests instead of “giving in to dictates from the international community.” Unlike many Western countries, Israel has thus far not sent weapons to Ukraine and has only supplied Kiev with protective equipment, such as gas masks, flak jackets, and helmets, as well armored ambulances and various humanitarian aid. In several recent interviews, Netanyahu dodged questions about whether Israel would provide any military aid to Kiev, saying he will “look into” everything as part of a policy review. https://www.rt.com/russia/571009-ukraine-israel-cohen-demands/ ============================================ 5 Feb, 2023 19:24 11) -- EU and US threaten ex-Soviet republic with sanctions Georgia will be punished if it resumes flights to Russia, Western officials warned American and EU officials have threatened Georgia with economic sanctions if Tbilisi resumes air travel with Russia. No planes have flown between Russia and the former Soviet republic since 2019. “The European Union calls on Georgia to join the sanctions…against Russia in the aviation sector and to remain vigilant against any possible attempts to circumvent the sanctions,” a spokesman for the bloc’s External Action Service told Georgia’s Netgazeti news site on Saturday. He added that the EU is “considering imposing sanctions” on countries attempting to circumvent its sanctions on Russia – including by allowing air travel. The US State Department has taken a similar line, with a spokesperson telling Voice of America on Thursday that companies servicing Russian aircraft at Georgian airports would be hit with import and export controls. https://www.amerikiskhma.com/a/6944996.html “Now is not the time to increase engagement with Russia,” the spokesperson said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raised the prospect of resuming air routes between the two countries last month, when he praised Georgia for declining to impose sanctions on Russia in the wake of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. "The fact that a small country and its government has the courage to say that they will be guided by their own interests…that inspires respect," he said. Hailing the deepening trade ties between Russia and Georgia, he added that “I hope we will soon be able to resume direct air links as well.” The ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi welcomed Lavrov’s statement, with party chairman Irakli Kobakhidze calling the resumption of flights a “welcome” move that would be “important for our fellow citizens.” However, Georgia’s pro-Western president, Salome Zurabishvili, called the idea “incomprehensible,” and accused Moscow of attempting to drive a wedge between her country and the West. Brussels in particular has some leverage over Georgia, given that the former Soviet republic applied for EU membership last year and is awaiting a decision on receiving formal candidate status. Russia unilaterally suspended air links with Georgia in 2019, after a mob of nationalists and pro-Westerners attempted to storm the country’s parliament building during a speech by Russian lawmaker Sergey Gavrilov. https://www.rt.com/russia/571002-georgia-sanctions-russia-travel/ ============================================

Iraq: 20 years on. Lies that have claimed lives of hundreds of thousands innocent Iraqis. The RT special series continues. Press "more" below 20 years since the US pushed the invasion of Iraq at the UN. RT continues their special coverage of the legacy left behind by the devastating war. Chief UN weapons inspector to Iraq unveils the true goals of Washington in the conflict. An Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at then-president George Bush became a symbol of protest against US invasion across the world. He told RT his message to the man responsible for thousands of Iraqis deaths. (QS: not on this report - more than 2,000 tons of deplete uranium (D.U. - dirty bombs) was used to bombs Iraqi civilians. DU is "supposed" to harden shells to pierce armoured vehicles, etc but just as in Belgrade, etc, Yugoslavia, it was used to bomb civilians, their homes and other civilian infrastructure. More than 300 sites in Iraq remain contaminated. This is a link to some of the consequences - it hasn't been updated for some time https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23729095/ ) - Two more people have been found dead after the strike on an apartment block in Donetsk bringing the death toll to 3 (see 1/1a below). NATO supplied weapons were used. The area was, once again, entirely civilian only. (QS: how can this continue to be ignored. I can barely remember a day that these shellings haven't happened) - China slams the US for shooting down its weather balloon, which floated over US territory. Despite its numerous warnings that the airship does not pose any threat to American security. - Africa, Nigeria: Terrorism (masquerading as Islamism/jihad but likely foreign state sponsored terrorists with alphabet names) has plagued and terrified the citizens of Nigeria for years. Kidnappings and killings, ransoms happen with hardly a mention in western press. In one of the most mineral rich countries in Africa, 1 Dollar a day poverty continues and many people can't read and write, this is the legacy of colonialism. Electricity is hap-hazard to say the least, petrol/fuel is expensive despite Nigeria being Africa's top oil producer. Late last year the government decided to change the bank notes but haven't allowed enough time for the new legal tender to be swapped. Foreign, colonial-style interference and corruption has continued for years. It's worse chaos there than usual at the moment. Links to Sahara Reporter's article on currency (v. reliable, please follow them on twitter https://saharareporters.com/2023/02/05/spn-lambasts-buhari-labour-congress-over-scarcity-fuel-new-naira-notes-backs-protests ) link to another source (can't vouch for them https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2023/02/03/cbn-authorises-over-the-counter-payment-of-new-naira-notes/ ) and there is the usual stuff from the BBC etc, which aren't (in my opinion) reliable at all - search them out for yourself. - Russian POWs are returned and talk about how they feel to be back home. Ukraine are now making POW swaps intentionally difficult. Sofia Nunes reports. - Please see posts each day for expansion on the topics of the week, you need to press "more" if you want to open them up. They are kept for archive purposes and are searchable by keyword and date. Please see RT website if you live in a country which doesn't have censorship imposed. Please follow RT's Rumble channel for live video news https://rumble.com/vwbbjn-putin-announces-special-operation-in-donbass-special-coverage.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=6 (24 hours a day) This channel is not monetised and is for archive purposes only. Update from last week - Israel collects Palestinian taxes 3rd Feb Late https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_State_of_Palestine and (unchecked) https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230107-israel-seizes-39m-from-tax-revenues-collected-on-behalf-of-pa/ ====================================== Below, via RT website 1) --- Death toll in Ukrainian strike on Donetsk rises – authorities 1a) --- Donetsk apartment block hit by Ukrainian artillery – mayor 2) --- Is the FBI secretly running dark web terrorist recruitment? 3) --- US ‘empire of lies’ should be investigated – top Russian MP 4) --- Moscow ‘legitimate’ target for Ukraine – MP 5) --- US officials pressing Africans over Wagner Group – media 6) --- US announces first transfer of seized Russian assets to Kiev 7) --- Putin did not threaten Germany – Scholz 8) --- US inmates could soon be trading their organs for freedom ============================================ 5 Feb, 2023 09:53 1) --- Death toll in Ukrainian strike on Donetsk rises – authorities Two more bodies were recovered from the debris of a residential block, the mayor has said A Ukrainian artillery strike on the Russian city of Donetsk which took place on Saturday killed at least three people, according to the local authorities. Writing on Telegram on Sunday, Mayor Aleksey Kulemzin said that while clearing the debris of a residential block in the northern Kievsky District, the body of a 30-year-old woman was found. Two hours later, he said that another body was uncovered from the rubble, describing the deceased as a man, but providing no further details. The Emergencies Ministry of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) confirmed the information, adding that rescue operations are still underway. A day earlier, Kulemzin stated that a 36-year-old man’s body was recovered from the rubble, noting that preliminary data indicates that up to five people could be stuck under the debris. This came after the mayor said that 155mm-caliber rounds and ten missiles were fired at the city. Kulemzin said projectiles landed on several streets, hitting a four-story residential block among other buildings, destroying the roof. The DPR and LPR, along with two other former Ukrainian regions, joined Russia following referendums last year. The city of Donetsk has been shelled continuously by Ukrainian forces since 2014, when the DPR and the neighboring Lugansk People’s Republic refused to recognize the Western-backed coup in Kiev. The attacks intensified after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. In January, the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC), which monitors attacks on the two Donbass regions, reported that since the large-scale hostilities broke out, Kiev’s strikes have killed more than 4,000 civilians in the DPR alone. The JCCC has put the death toll for the LPR for the same period at 169 civilians. https://www.rt.com/russia/570985-death-toll-ukraine-strike-donetsk/ ============RECAP related (for those who didn't see original post) 4 Feb, 2023 13:12 1a) --- Donetsk apartment block hit by Ukrainian artillery – mayor The city was bombarded by NATO-caliber rounds, Aleksey Kulemzin said An apartment block in the Russian city of Donetsk was shelled with NATO-caliber munitions by Ukrainian forces on Saturday, Mayor Aleksey Kulemzin said. Kulemzin posted photos of a four-story building, which he said had sustained a direct hit. The official later confirmed that a 36-year-old man's body was pulled from the rubble. Regional emergency officials believe several more people may still be trapped. According to the mayor, 155mm-caliber rounds were fired at the city. Kulemzin said projectiles landed on several streets, damaging at least one other residential building. He later added that a 30-year-old woman had been wounded. Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukraine of using Western-supplied weapons to indiscriminately fire on cities in Donbass. Late last month, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had destroyed a hospital in the city of Novoaydar in the Lugansk People’s Republic with a US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launcher. According to officials, 14 people were killed and 24 wounded in an attack on the facility, which had been treating both military personnel and civilians. https://t.me/kulemzin_donetsk/13325 Kiev has also accused Russian troops of targeting civilians. On Wednesday night, three people were killed and 20 injured after a missile hit a house in the Ukrainian-held Donbass city of Kramatorsk, according to Kiev-appointed regional official, Pavel Kirilenko. Moscow, meanwhile, has maintained that its forces only strike military targets and sites that are being used for military purposes. Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-15 Minsk peace accords. Ukraine has said the attack was entirely unprovoked. https://www.rt.com/russia/570957-donetsk-shelling-nato-caliber/ ============================================ 1 Feb, 2023 14:03 OP-ED 2) --- Is the FBI secretly running dark web terrorist recruitment? US law enforcement is known for entrapment tactics, and the secrecy around a recent terrorism case is suspicious By Felix Livshitz A high-level conspiracy of silence surrounding a US terrorism prosecution raises serious questions over whether the FBI possesses technological means to bypass dark web user anonymity, or alternatively manages extremist group recruitment sites in secret, in order to entrap unsuspecting visitors. US citizen Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari was charged in May 2020 with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. He came to the attention of the FBI due to a series of visits he made to a dark web site, which hosts “unofficial propaganda and photographs related to ISIS” in May 2019. The Bureau pinpointed specific pages of the site Al-Azhari perused including sections on making donations, ISIS media assets, photos and videos, and stories of military operations allegedly conducted by ISIS fighters in Iraq, Syria, and Nigeria. These actions were linked to him directly by uncovering his IP address, and therefore his identity and location. Al-Azhari accessed the site via the TOR browser, which theoretically provides anonymity to users, and makes it difficult if not impossible for a site’s owner or external prying eyes to track visitor IPs. A recent court filing by Al-Azhari’s lawyers reveals that’s precisely what the FBI did though and exactly how they achieved this is being withheld by government decree. “[Using TOR] onion-like layers of additional IP addresses prevent the true IP address of the user from being visible like it would typically be on a clear-web site,” the filing states. “However, as the government’s complaint affidavit indicates, the government was able to bypass TOR’s protections to identify the IP address of the visitor to the ISIS website. In discovery, the government has declined to provide any information related to its TOR operation.” Al-Azhari’s legal team attempted to compel the US government to disclose the method by which the FBI unearthed his IP address, but authorities without explanation requested the prosecuting Court treat their formal request as a “highly sensitive document.” This is a file containing “sensitive or confidential information that may be of interest to the intelligence service of a hostile foreign government and whose use or disclosure by a hostile foreign government would likely cause significant harm.” While the filing records that “few documents” filed in US courts ever qualify as “highly sensitive,” the government’s request was granted, again without any explanation. However, the filing hints at a possible explanation chanced upon by Al-Azhari’s lawyers. In researching how to legally compel the government to release details of their client’s identification, they discovered “at least two federal cases” in which authorities blocked disclosure of similar information on the grounds “network investigative techniques” - a euphemism for hacking - were used by investigators. The filing suggests these techniques might have been one of the ways in which the FBI “may have bypassed TOR’s protections in the operation,” and determined Al-Azhari’s IP address. The FBI’s use of “network investigative techniques” is well-known and openly admitted. Yet, the “highly sensitive document” designation is, the lawyers acknowledge, only employed “when necessary to protect highly classified or highly confidential information.” The filing suggests this means the FBI is attempting to classify publicly-available information as “top secret”, but another interpretation is the FBI could be actively running the website Al-Azhari visited for the purposes of entrapment. How the FBI uses “network investigative techniques” was revealed in a 2016 affidavit, related to an extraordinary Bureau operation that ensnared the users of Playpen, then one of the largest child porn sites on the dark web. A year earlier, the FBI seized Playpen’s servers, and indicted its founder and owner, but kept the site operating from government servers rather than closing it, installing tracking viruses on the computer of each and every visitor. Then, with just one search warrant, they were able to hand over the locations of Playpen’s users across the US, leading to their mass arrest. While it only remained open for two weeks after the FBI’s takeover, it’s estimated the Bureau distributed over one million images of child abuse during this time, and the affidavit indicates Playpen was just one of 23 child porn sites where it had the ability to identify users. Cybersecurity researchers believe it to be “a pretty reasonable assumption” that this figure meant the FBI was running around half of the dark web’s child porn sites at the time. This led University of Kansas law scholar Corey Rayburn Yung to argue the FBI had “actively participated in the revictimization of those depicted in child pornography,”and the operation was “immoral and inexcusable,” particularly given that there was no control over whether the material was then sold and/or shared again once downloaded. While no one at the Bureau was ever penalized, let alone prosecuted, for the ruse, it created a large number of prosecutorial issues in other ways for the Department of Justice. While the FBI accumulated 1,300 separate IP addresses through its management of Playpen, less than 100 cases actually made it to court. Judges in several US states ruled the operation was absolutely illegal, and the evidence gathered on suspects was inadmissible. In one successful trial, despite the defendant being convicted of grave crimes, the presiding justice condemned the Bureau’s “outrageous” tactic of using “child victims as bait.” To say the least, the FBI would have every interest in concealing its deployment of the same highly controversial and likely criminal strategy from the public, its targets, and their legal teams to catch terror suspects. Alternatively, it could be the case that the Bureau has developed an entirely new technology for deanonymizing dark web users it does not want the world to know about. In June 2021, the FBI achieved perhaps the biggest, most elaborate and successful sting in its history, which resulted in over 500 arrests all over the globe. The Bureau pulled off this coup by setting up a front company, ANOM, which sold encrypted devices that were marketed to criminals as unbreakable by any law enforcement entity or security or intelligence agency. Over 12,000 ANOM devices were sold to over 300 criminal syndicates operating in over 100 countries. Little did the users know that every message they sent and received was stored, making a very simple matter of tracking the movements and activities of, and building cases against, major drug traffickers and mafia clans. This is particularly relevant given that European and North American sanctions on Russia have forced millions of people all over the world to turn to the dark web to use the internet as normal, and many of the tools being promoted to people to circumvent these measures in the mainstream, such as Psiphon VPN, are quietly funded by the US intelligence community, and only provide users privacy from their own governments. " ... The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT..... " https://www.rt.com/news/570371-fbi-dark-web-terrorist/ =========================================== 5 Feb, 2023 11:34 3) --- US ‘empire of lies’ should be investigated – top Russian MP The US was never held to account over its 2003 invasion of Iraq, which was based on deception, Vyacheslav Volodin has said The UN should open an investigation into Washington’s crimes against humanity, Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin suggested on Sunday. Writing on Telegram on the 20th anniversary of the infamous 2003 speech by then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the UN Security Council, during which he justified the ill-fated invasion of Iraq, Volodin offered a scathing criticism of what he described as the American “empire of lies.” According to the speaker of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, this date marks “one of the biggest deceptions of the global community by the United States.” He recalled that during the landmark Security Council meeting Powell “accused Iraq of producing weapons of mass destruction, providing a vial with ‘white powder’ as proof.” At the time, the US secretary of state said the vial could be used to store anthrax. While the UN did not approve the Iraq invasion, the US attacked the country anyway, he added. “Half a million civilians fell victims, the president was executed, the country was gone,” Volodin wrote, pointing out that Powell later admitted that the vial stunt was “a hoax,” but Washington was never held to account. All policies of the United States and the collective West are based on lies,” the Duma speaker stressed. He noted that the same applied to NATO’s promises not to expand eastwards after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc, as well as to the 2014 and 2015 Minsk Agreements. The latter were signed by Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany in a bid to pave the way for peace in Ukraine by granting the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics special status within the Ukrainian state. These accords “also turned out to be a deception – but [former German Chancellor Angela] Merkel and [former French President Francois] Hollande acted as Powell did", Volodin said. He was referring to the bombshell confessions by the two ex-leaders, who admitted in December that the Minsk Agreements were simply meant “to give Ukraine time” to strengthen its army. “The UN should investigate Washington’s crimes against humanity. And the decision-makers should be punished for the millions of victims, refugees, broken destinies, destroyed states,” Volodin added. https://www.rt.com/russia/570989-russia-american-empire-lies/ ================== 4 Feb, 2023 07:49 3a) US must get over its ‘sense of entitlement’ – Moscow Washington has lost its ability to use force on the global stage without facing serious pushback, a senior diplomat said Washington shouldn't expect the world to forget that it fabricated its justification for the 2003 Iraq invasion, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told RIA Novosti on Saturday. The Russian diplomat made the remark on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the now-infamous speech by then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations Security Council, during which he presented alleged evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, including biological ones. To support his case, Powell exhibited a tiny vial of white powder, which was supposed to represent anthrax, and told the council that the US had no other choice but to go to war. However, no weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq. Powell’s UN stunt “has long become the epitome of hypocrisy and the conviction of the US ruling elite in its own entitlement and its unchallenged right to arrogantly teach the rest of the world,” Ryabkov stated. He added that it was also emblematic of Washington’s willingness to “use force against an obviously weaker opponent in order to preserve its own global hegemony.” However, the diplomat suggested that – unlike in the 2000s and during the 1999 NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia – Washington could not get away with “international banditry” under current conditions. “In the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, the US is now objectively unable to resort to a use-of-force scenario every time it feels like it, without facing serious consequences,” he noted, pointing to the “humiliating flight” of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021. However, as Washington’s “meddling” in the Ukraine conflict has shown, this setback has not stopped the US from embracing its old ways, the diplomat continued. “The Americans will have to adjust to the new rails and get rid of the entitlement syndrome that so clearly manifested itself during the [anthrax] vial scandal. The same applies to taking into account Russia and China, as well as other major international players that are shaping a more just multilateral world order,” Ryabkov said. The US should not cherish any hope that “the memories of what happened 20 years ago would be buried in the shifting sands of modern history,” he concluded. https://www.rt.com/russia/570943-us-iraq-war-impunity/ ============================================= 4 Feb, 2023 21:30 4) --- Moscow ‘legitimate’ target for Ukraine – MP Kiev won’t rule out using Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia, a Ukrainian lawmaker has said Kiev’s forces will not hold back when it comes to hitting locations inside Russia, according to Fyodor Venislavsky, a member of the Ukrainian parliament’s National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee. Speaking to Germany’s Bild tabloid on Saturday, he also described Moscow as a “legitimate military target.” Anyone who believes that Kiev should commit to not using the arms supplied by its Western backers in attacks on Russian territory are living in a “parallel world,” claimed Venislavsky, who is also Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s representative in the Constitutional Court. Venislavsky insisted that any munitions depots as well as other military facilities on the territory of Russia are “legitimate military targets,” adding that the same goes for Moscow. The Russian capital is the country’s most populous city, with around 13 million people, according to official data. Moscow hosts the General Staff headquarters as well as Russia’s National Defense Management Center, which are both in the city center. Venislavsky stressed that he has no issue with Ukraine potentially attacking any command center in the Russian capital. The MP did not say whether Kiev already has specific plans regarding targets, adding that it was for the Ukrainian military leadership to decide whether to strike locations inside Russia, including Moscow. Venislavsky’s remarks come a day after the Pentagon announced it was supplying Kiev with ground-launched small diameter bombs (GLSDB) – munitions consisting of a rocket motor and an airplane bomb, with a range of up to 150km (93 miles). It is unclear if Kiev has obtained any weapons capable of striking Moscow, since the capital lies some 500km (310 miles) away from Russia’s nearest border with Ukraine. Washington previously stated that it would not prevent Kiev from using the new weapons to strike targets deep within Russia. The developments sparked an angry reaction from Moscow. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Saturday that Ukraine would “burn” if it decided to attack Russian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula. https://www.rt.com/russia/570969-moscow-legitimate-target-ukraine-mp/ ============================================== 4 Feb, 2023 16:27 5) --- US officials pressing Africans over Wagner Group – media The CIA and State Department have reportedly tried to pressure governments into kicking out the contractors The Biden administration has attempted to pressure African nations into expelling the Wagner private military company, with the firm’s presence in Sudan and Libya “at the top of every meeting” between American and Egyptian officials, the Associated Press reported. CIA Director William Burns focused on the group during recent trips to Egypt and Libya, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Wagner with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi during a jaunt to Cairo last month, the news agency reported on Saturday. “Wagner obsesses [the American officials],” said an Egyptian senior government official. “It is at the top of every meeting.” Egypt is a key conduit for American policy, with the Biden administration going as far as using Cairo to pass messages to Moscow, rather than communicating through direct channels. According to the report, the Egyptians reached out to their Sudanese and Libyan counterparts to relay Washington’s displeasure with Wagner. Abbas Kamel, the director of Egypt’s Intelligence Directorate Agency, urged the head of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan to address Wagner’s “use of Sudan as a base” for operations in Central Africa, a Sudanese official said. Burns himself visited Libya to speak to the country’s competing governments, discussing Wagner with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, the report claimed. Egypt reportedly asked that Haftar not station Wagner soldiers near its borders, while the US demanded that Wagner fighters be removed from their posts safeguarding Libyan oil facilities. Founded in 2014, Wagner has mainly operated as a security contractor in Africa and the Middle East. The precise details of its deployments are not made public, although Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has confirmed that his forces fought in Libya. He denied involvement in Sudan when asked by American journalists last year, saying at the time that he was “not aware of any evidence that the Wagner Group exists,” and that he had personally donated humanitarian aid to the conflict-stricken country. “Who arranged wars and revolutions in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Mozambique, Central Africa, and so on?” he told RT last month. “Some of these countries later turned to the Wagner PMC, which put an end to these wars with an iron fist.” The US declared the Wagner Group a “transnational criminal organization” last month, after Wagner forces notched up a series of victories against the Ukrainian military in Donbass. Despite Washington’s apparent “obsession” with the group, “there is no evidence yet that the Biden administration’s pressure has yielded results in either Sudan or Libya,” the AP report noted. https://www.rt.com/news/570963-wagner-group-sudan-libya/ ============================================= 4 Feb, 2023 08:58 6) --- US announces first transfer of seized Russian assets to Kiev Money confiscated from a Russian businessman will be made available to 'support the people of Ukraine' US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Friday the first transfer of assets, confiscated as part of anti-Russia sanctions, to Ukraine to pay for the country’s reconstruction. The measure affects $5.4 million expropriated from Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev on charges of sanctions evasion, according to the top official. “With my authorization today, forfeited funds will next be transferred to the State Department to support the people of Ukraine,” Garland said, adding that the funds were confiscated following an indictment against Malofeyev, issued last April. Earlier this week, a federal court in New York allowed prosecutors to confiscate $5.4 million belonging to Malofeyev, paving the way for the funds to be used to help rebuild Ukraine. In June, millions were seized from a US bank account belonging to Malofeyev, against whom the US Treasury Department announced sanctions in April “for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly” the Russian government. The businessman, who owns Russian Orthodox Christian channel Tsargrad TV, has been on the US sanctions list since 2014. Malofeyev previously claimed that he had no holdings in the West since then. In December, US President Joe Biden signed legislation allowing the Department of Justice to transfer some forfeited assets to the State Department to aid Ukraine. US law restricts how the government can use such assets. https://www.rt.com/business/570949-us-russia-assets-ukraine/ ============================================= 5 Feb, 2023 02:26 7) --- Putin did not threaten Germany – Scholz German tanks are also not a threat to “Russian territory,” the chancellor has said Chancellor Olaf Scholz has claimed that a “consensus” was reached with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that Kiev will not use Western weapons, including German Leopard tanks, to stage attacks on Russian territory. The West, however, still considers Crimea and four other new Russian regions to be parts of Ukraine. In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper published on Saturday night, Chancellor Scholz once again placed all of the blame for the conflict on Moscow, arguing that Russia’s “unprovoked aggression” justified the collective West’s intervention with military aid to protect the “European peace order.” “Together with our allies, we are giving battle tanks to Ukraine so that they can defend themselves,” Scholz argued. He added that Berlin “carefully weighed every arms shipment, closely coordinating… first and foremost with America.” Scholz pledged 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine from the Bundeswehr’s own stocks last month, after the US promised to send some of its own M1 Abrams tanks sometime later this year. In the interview, the German leader dismissed any concerns about his country’s weaponry once again being used against Russian soldiers as “abstruse historical comparisons.” At a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of victory at the Battle of Stalingrad on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was “unbelievable but true – we are once again threatened with German Leopard tanks, with crosses on their hull. And once again seeking to battle Russia in Ukraine with the help of Hitler’s followers, the Banderites.” “Those seeking to defeat Russia on the battlefield apparently do not realize that a modern war with Russia would be entirely different for them,” he added, promising a response that goes beyond armored vehicles. “No, Putin didn’t threaten me or Germany,” Scholz said regarding phone conversations with the Russian leader when the interviewer brought up recent claims by ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Kremlin stated that Johnson had either deliberately lied about a “missile threat” or simply did not understand what Putin was talking about. When asked if there is any kind of agreement with President Vladimir Zelensky that Western weapons will only be used on Ukrainian territory, Scholz said there is a “consensus.” He did not elaborate on whether there is a consensus regarding which territories are considered Ukrainian. The US has also reportedly provided military aid to Ukraine on condition that it will not be used to strike targets in Russia. However, American officials have said this restriction does not apply to Crimea and other new Russian territories, and has repeatedly stated that Kiev is free to pick its own targets. Crimea and the city of Sevastopol joined Russia in 2014 following a referendum. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, did the same last year. Kiev has dismissed the referendums as a “sham.” On Wednesday, Putin tasked the military with “eliminating any possibility” of Ukrainian strikes against Russia. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov clarified that this includes the territories that Ukraine still considers to be its own, saying that Moscow will “push back” the Ukrainian troops to a range at which they will not be a threat, and that “the longer range the weapons supplied to the Kiev regime have, the further the troops will need to be moved.” https://www.rt.com/news/570971-scholz-russia-ukraine-german-tanks/ ============================================ 4 Feb, 2023 16:31 8) --- US inmates could soon be trading their organs for freedom A proposed bill in New England could see vulnerable convicts making decisions out of desperation - OP-ED by Bradley Blankenship State legislatures around the United States are keenly watching the fate of a Massachusetts bill allowing prisoners to receive up to one year off their jail sentence by donating their organs. According to reports, Bill HD.3822, called the "Act to establish the Massachusetts incarcerated individual bone marrow and organ donation program," would allow participating prisoners to receive a minimum of 60 days and up to a whole year off their sentence. It would be set up in a special parole hearing based similarly on commuted sentences for “good behavior.” https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2023/02/01/massachusetts-bill-prison-time-bone-marrow-organ-donations/ However, it would also encourage repeat donations, and since those incarcerated in the US are disproportionately minorities and low-income earners, it bears similarities to the country’s blood and plasma donation scheme. That system preys on low-income earners and students, encouraging them to consistently donate their blood at for-profit collection centers, effectively selling it in a sort of vampiric version of capitalism. In a 2019 piece titled ‘Harvesting the Blood of America’s Poor: The Latest Stage of Capitalism,’ Alan MacLeod observed that “around 130 million Americans admit an inability to pay for basic needs like food, housing or healthcare, buying and selling blood is one of the few booming industries America has left.” “The number of collection centers in the United States has more than doubled since 2005 and blood now makes up well over 2% of total US exports by value. To put that in perspective, Americans’ blood is now worth more than all exported corn or soy products that cover vast areas of the country’s heartland,“ he said. According to MacLeod, “The US supplies fully 70 percent of the world’s plasma, mainly because most other countries have banned the practice on ethical and medical grounds. Exports increased by over 13 percent, to $28.6 billion, between 2016 and 2017, and the plasma market is projected to ‘grow radiantly,’ according to one industry report. The majority goes to wealthy European countries. Germany, for example, buys 15% of all US blood exports. China and Japan are also key customers.” But low-incomers giving blood for money is a very different scenario from prisoners literally giving their organs for freedom. The most important difference is that the proposed organ donations by prisoners would be the result of a criminal penalty. The US Constitution prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment” of convicts, and one could argue this makes the bill unconstitutional. But the way it is framed means the organ-for-freedom contract is not technically a punishment — but simply a voluntary system that can reduce a convict’s actual punishment. Neither is it necessarily cruel, since a person can live a normal everyday life without a kidney, nor unusual, because healthy people donate organs all the time. The United States has slavery as a form of punishment codified in its constitution, via the 13th amendment. It is also a country where the death penalty is legal at the federal level, but mainly implemented by states in capital offenses, such as murder. US prisons also routinely implement long-term solitary confinement, recognized by the UN as a form of torture. The threshold to prove “cruel and unusual punishment” is thus exceptionally high. One of the primary arguments put forward by proponents of the bill is that prisoners have no way, as of now, to donate organs even if they choose to. That is a pretty sound case. After all, shouldn’t they be able to exercise that right if everyone else has it? And what’s the argument against them losing this right – especially if it helps everyone, including Massachusetts’ jammed-up donor waiting list? Unfortunately, the easily foreseen problem is that it incentivizes people to literally give up organs, parts of their bodies, for their freedom. This is inherently immoral. The people locked up in US prisons are disproportionately from minority groups, subject to awful conditions, with little access to economic aid or rehabilitation. This is one of the main reasons why the US has the highest recidivism rate in the world, with 76% of prisoners released being rearrested within five years and an astounding 44% returning to prison within only one year. The entire system is set up for failure and for people to return to prison, thus pushing them to donate their organs but without any financial compensation, only a reduced sentence. This is another step in America’s descent into, as MacLeod described, a horror story of late-stage capitalism that one might dub vampiric and where the wealthy feed on the blood of the poor. " ... The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.... " Bradley Blankenship is an American journalist, columnist and political commentator. He has a syndicated column at CGTN and is a freelance reporter for international news agencies including Xinhua News Agency. https://www.rt.com/news/570918-us-inmates-trade-organs-freedom/ ==============================================

Donbass: Deadly shelling. At least one person is killed and up to four are feared trapped under rubble after the latest round of Ukrainian shelling hits residential-only civilian areas of Donetsk. At least 11 apartment blocks have been hit, some people may still be under the rubble. Roman Kosarev reports. (also see "Analysis" and (1) below) - Washington intends to send Kiev long range missiles which will allow Ukraine forces to strike further into Russian territory. (3 and 3a below) - Murad Gazdiev is at the front lines and explains the use of Russia's "heavy flame thrower system" in battle (description of thermo-baric weapons - gruesome) - POWs: 63 Russian service men have been returned as part of a prisoner exchange. The exchange was brokered by U.A.E. - The Balloon over America: China says it has 'never intentionally violated any sovereign country's territory', as Washington accuses Beijing of spying on the US with a balloon that's floating across America. Sec of State Blinken cancelled a trip to China because of it. Caleb Maupin discusses. - The G7 nations impose a new price cap on Russian oil to cut Moscow's revenue, while President Putin says the country will not export fuel to states supporting the restrictions. Chris Emms analyses and discusses. - Africa, Nigeria: A teenage boy has been killed and election materials stolen. There's an election coming up and the electoral commission says it's worried about safety during the election processes. There are many issues including energy, as Africa's biggest oil producer, it still faces energy problems and increasing prices. Poloum David and Joe Nwakwue report. - Pakistan: Peace protests continue in Peshawar, after a mosque was attacked last week (see previous posts). RT talks to some protesters. - ======================================== Below, via RT website A) --- Ukraine ‘will burn’ if it strikes Crimea, ex-Russian president warns Analysis ) --- The logic behind the terror: Why does Ukraine keep attacking civilian areas in Donetsk? 1) --- Donetsk apartment block hit by Ukrainian artillery – mayor 2) --- US must get over its ‘impunity syndrome’ – Moscow 3) --- Pentagon will allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at will 3a) --- Kiev is set to receive American Patriot missile batteries. How will this change the battlefield in Ukraine? 4) --- France comments on Ukraine’s NATO prospects 5) --- Russia wants ‘revenge’ – Zelensky 6) --- Russia responds to calls for international tribunal 7) --- Zelensky behind Macron’s calls to Putin – Paris 8) --- Türkiye gives timeline for Russian-proposed gas hub 9) --- Germany considers diverting ‘green’ subsidies to arms production – Bloomberg 10) --- Dozens of Russian soldiers return from Ukrainian captivity – Moscow ======================================== 4 Feb, 2023 15:57 A) --- Ukraine ‘will burn’ if it strikes Crimea, ex-Russian president warns Moscow could retaliate “in any way possible” should Kiev decide to attack Crimea, Dmitry Medvedev has said Washington’s decision to supply Ukraine with longer-range missiles and allow Kiev to use them at will can only lead to further escalation, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday. He added that the US appears to not want the Ukraine conflict to end. In an interview with Russian journalist Nadana Fridrikhson, Medvedev denied that Ukrainian strikes against the Crimean peninsula would force Moscow to sit down at the negotiating table. “The result would be exactly the contrary. There would be no talks in such a case. There would only be retaliatory strikes,” he warned . Medvedev insisted that if Washington wanted peace in Ukraine, it could simply urge Kiev to engage in talks with Moscow, but that US President Joe Biden’s administration and “hawks” in Congress are “simply not interested in it.” Russia could “retaliate in any way possible” should Ukrainian forces strike targets in Crimea or deep inside Russian territory, the former president warned. “We do not set any limits depending on the nature of threats, and are ready to use all types of weapons,” he insisted, adding that Russia would only be guided by its own doctrines, including the nuclear protocol. “I can assure you a response would be swift, hard and convincing.” Medvedev also accused European leaders, who have been supporting Kiev through various means, including weapon shipments, of acting at the behest of Washington and to the detriment of their own people. The cost of sanctions, military aid to Ukraine, trade wars, and embargoes are borne by ordinary EU citizens, he added. Medvedev’s remarks came a day after the Pentagon announced it was supplying Kiev with ground-launched small diameter bombs (GLSDB) – munitions consisting of a rocket motor and an airplane bomb, with a range of up to 150 kilometers. According to US Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, Washington will not prevent Ukraine from using these munitions to strike targets deep within Russia. Moscow has repeatedly warned that providing heavy weapons to Ukraine could see the US and its allies directly involved in the conflict, and spiral into a military standoff between Russia and NATO. https://www.rt.com/russia/570962-ukraine-strike-crimea-burn-medvedev/ ============================================= 4 Feb, 2023 13:13 Analysis ) --- The logic behind the terror: Why does Ukraine keep attacking civilian areas in Donetsk? Rockets have hit peaceful neighborhoods once again. Why does Kiev continue its policy, if not purely out of hate? By Vladislav Ugolny, a Russian journalist based in Donetsk At least ten rockets hit central areas of Donetsk on Saturday morning, damaging three residential buildings, a local Russian official has reported in his Telegram channel. One of the projectiles fired by Ukrainian forces hit an apartment building in the Kievsky district. While rescuers continue to search for survivors under the rubble, preliminary information suggests that there were three people in one of the apartments. There was no information on casualties at the time of writing, but the absence of victims would be unusual; indeed, Ukrainian shelling of the capital of the Donetsk People's Republic intensified weeks before the Russian attack in February 2022, and has taken a heavy toll ever since. The suffering of Donbass residents According to the human rights commissioner of the DPR, Daria Morozova, at least 1,091 civilians were killed and another 3,533 were recorded as injured last year as a result of combat operations. The figures do not include places such as Mariupol, where the full scale of the tragedy has yet to be assessed. The 4,624 people mentioned above were victims of regular artillery strikes on urban areas of Donetsk and Gorlovka. When Donetsk residents are asked why the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to attack civilians, people usually have no explanation other than the desire of the Ukrainian government and military to destroy Donbass and its people. This is supported by a massive campaign to dehumanize local residents and a number of hateful statements by Ukrainian politicians. “We will kill them with nuclear weapons,” warned former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, while ex-president Pyotr Poroshenko has vowed: “Our children will go to school, while their children will go sit in basements. That’s how we will win this war.” Ukrainian forces continue to bomb Donbass despite the shortage of shells experienced by both sides of the conflict. However, while Russia can solve this issue by activating its military-industrial complex, Ukraine is entirely dependent on foreign supplies. It should make a lot more sense for Ukraine to use scarce ammunition on military targets rather than on peaceful residential areas. Even if a lot of the time, Kiev's forces misfire. A typical example is a Ukrainian shell landing in the frozen Kalmius River that divides Donetsk. How Ukraine explains the attacks --- Whenever Ukrainian artillery hits a civilian object – for example, a flower market – or kills civilians, officials in Kiev deny it. Unofficial voices resort to false claims that no such thing ever happened. Over the past eight years, the latter have come up with several memes allegedly proving that the Ukrainian Army wasn’t involved – with explanations such as “the air conditioner exploded.” Even if Ukrainian forces manage to hit a military facility, such as a warehouse, they usually deny involvement, claiming that “someone smoked in the wrong place” and that the explosion wasn’t related to the conflict. Thus, an information environment is created that denies the fact that Kiev attacks cities. The Ukrainian side claims the attacks on civilians are “self-inflicted” – implying that the Russian Army attacks cities under its control, supposedly to blame Ukrainian forces and demonize them in the eyes of the population, as well as for propaganda purposes. This kind of post-truth has given rise to a whole area of fact-checking, where journalists collaborate with open-source intelligence to calculate the trajectory of the strikes. For Donbass residents, all this is extremely painful. Discussions of terrorist attacks on civilian infrastructure often end in profanities. According to Donbass locals, Ukrainians keep on attacking Donetsk simply because they can. Meanwhile, people are just trying to survive and are waiting for the front to move away from the area. Other details don’t concern them. However, this is a distorted view of the situation; there is every reason to believe that the regular shelling of cities in Donbass is part of Ukrainian strategy and follows military logic. Perhaps Kiev’s “hybrid war” era military doctrine has adopted terrorist methods. So, how do these attacks on the civilian population help Ukraine? Psychological pressure -- Let’s take a clear example. In June 2022, the units of the first corps of the People’s Militia of the DPR were dislodged from their permanent locations because of the battle for Lisichansk – they had to storm a huge section of the front from Popasnaya to Verkhnekamenka, moving from south to north. The Russian Armed Forces then lacked personnel and had to use troops from Donetsk. Ukraine intensified strikes on the city to force the leadership to return the units back to their locations. A similar thing is happening now. Some areas are under pressure – in particular, the fighters of the Wagner Group are pressing in Soledar and Artyomovsk (known in Ukraine as Bakhmut). They are advancing backed by the artillery of the Russian Armed Forces. Ukrainians use civilian strikes to provoke politicians, hoping that they will influence the military and interfere with the army’s plans. In June, this plan failed and the Ukrainians, taking advantage of the lack of counter-battery fire in the Donetsk region, committed a number of atrocities. Commenting on the situation in a private conversation, one fighter explained why the army didn't take the bait: “Normally, no military man – from simple soldier to general – suffers if the enemy attacks the city. This sounds harsh, but it’s better for the enemy to attack the city than the army’s manpower. This would be the usual military logic, but there is one key detail: 95% of our corps are made up of local residents who are worried about their cities. So, after completing the mission in Lisichansk, our soldiers were very angry when they got back to Donetsk.” This is all very close to home for fighters from Donbass. In the case of a fast-paced conflict without a stable front line, such attacks would have motivated the soldiers, by enraging them. Perhaps this explains the near-complete silence of the Ukrainian artillery in the first month of the Russian military campaign. In those days, when the front line was mobile, it was better not to further motivate the enemy. However, in positional warfare, fighters are conscious of a permanent threat to their relatives and other civilians in their hometowns. Motivated warriors who identify themselves as “defenders” feel as if they don’t have enough strength to break through. This acts to discourage. Concern for those who are not on the front line returns the soldier to his other life, behind the front lines, and distracts him from battle. By itself, this does not break morale, but soldiers are also affected by constant adrenaline swings, a risk of death or injury to themselves or their brothers in arms, the cold and damp conditions, the monotony of their work (for example, a good soldier digs more often than shoots), and numerous other factors. Russia doesn’t have a strong memory of World War I – it has been replaced by that of World War II. However, the current fighting resembles the trench warfare of the early 20th century. With the possibility to adjust and fine-tune firing using Chinese drones and the chance to search the internet for how to repair military equipment. The rest of it – mud, trenches, the frozen front line – is like World War I, including politicians demanding a large-scale and ambitious offensive. Why can’t the strikes be stopped? -- At the end of July 2022, such an event began in the Donetsk region. Its main goal was to free the city from artillery strikes. The Donetsk corps were successful for several days, but then became stuck in positional battles. By the end of January, six months into the operation, the army had barely advanced 10km (6 miles). The fighters were unable to break through the pre-established line of defense, and the forces only managed to wedge and slowly push through the three lines of fortifications near the villages of Vodianoye and Opitnoe, north of Donetsk airport. However, the fighters cannot give up on storming these fortifications – the strikes on Donetsk and Makeyevka must end for good. As a result, there have been signs of an emerging contradiction. On the one hand, military leaders who are interested in achieving military goals and saving manpower, and on the other, politicians who express the interests of the civilian population and want to put a swift end to the artillery terror. Politicians want the public to like them. They don’t want to deal with the consequences of hostilities, hoping for things to return to normal so they can receive funding to restore the affected regions. As a result, they view the situation quite differently from the military. Through manipulation, propaganda and informational and psychological influence, Ukrainians have made cunning use of the differences between civilian and military interests. This comes down to a grotesque choice between “killing the army in Avdeevka” and “allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to wipe Donetsk off the face of the Earth.” If politicians push the army to force the assault, the latter will make more mistakes, which will reduce their power. This, in turn, favors Kiev. Perhaps seeking rational reasons behind the artillery strikes in Donbass is pointless – maybe it’s just the manifestation of rage on behalf of Ukrainian nationalists. However, if we ask ourselves “who benefits from this,” there is a creeping suspicion that terrorizing the population with NATO ammunition is a strategy initiated by Ukraine’s top military leadership. Firstly, these attacks tie up the forces of the Russian Army and distract it from concentrating on other areas. Secondly, they negatively affect the combat spirit of the fighters from Donbass. And finally, they allow political factors to intervene in military strategy, dealing a serious blow to its quality. https://www.rt.com/russia/570954-logic-behind-ukrainian-terrorism/ ======== Article from the Washington Post which I had kept from when I had the magazine, parts may be behind pay-wall : By Adam Taylor from March 25, 2014 Washington Post (fair use) In latest wiretapping leak, Yulia Tymoshenko appears to say ‘nuclear weapons’ should be used to kill Russians https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/03/25/in-latest-wiretapping-leak-yulia-tymoshenko-appears-to-say-nuclear-weapons-should-be-used-to-kill-russians/ On Monday night, a leaked recording purporting to be of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko appeared on the video sharing Web site YouTube. According to the Moscow Times, the recording, apparently made March 8, details a conversation between Tymoshenko and Nestor Shufrych from Ukraine's National Security Council, and has Tymoshenko suggesting that Ukrainians should kill Russians, and, in particular, Russian President Vladimir Putin. The recording, which may have been altered, also apparently features Tymoshenko suggesting that the 8 million Russians living in Ukraine should be killed with "nuclear weapons." The video containing the recording was initially uploaded to a YouTube account under the name Sergiy Vechirko, and has since been widely shared on pro-Kremlin media outlets, with Russia Today producing its own version with translation: https://youtu.be/6RxSzSWbcxo While the Moscow Times reports that Shufrych has denied the recording is real, a tweet from Tymoshenko appears to suggest she believes at least part of it is: https://twitter.com/YuliaTymoshenko/status/448100004407029761 It says "There was a conversation, but about 8 million Russians in Ukraine - montage. In fact, she said: Russians in Ukraine are Ukrainians. Hello FSB :) Sorry for the obscenity " In the above tweet, Tymoshenko says that the recording has been edited, and that she in fact said that the Russians in Ukraine "were Ukrainian." She also added "Hello FSB :)" in reference to Russia's security agency. Tymoshenko, widely considered a potential candidate for the Ukrainian presidential election in May, does not have a reputation for being anti-Russia, which has struck some as strange, and had enjoyed a working relationship with Putin in the past. The incident is the latest in a series of leaks that appear to show officials involved in Ukraine have been targeted by wiretaps. In February, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland was recorded saying “F--- the E.U." in a in a private conversation with the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, that was apparently recorded and uploaded to YouTube. Another leaked phone call between Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton appeared to show Paet raise the possibility that snipers who shot dead protesters in Kiev could have been working under orders from Maidan opposition leaders. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-purported-recording-of-us-diplomat-blunt-talk-on-ukraine/2014/02/06/518240a4-8f4b-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_13 http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/world/europe/ukraine-leaked-audio-recording/ http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/05/us-estonia-eu-ukraine-idUSBREA2423O20140305 While all these calls appear genuine, there are suggestions that they have been presented to appear more controversial than they should: Estonia later released a statement that said: "We reject the claim that Paet was giving an assessment of the opposition's involvement in the violence." ============================================= 4 Feb, 2023 13:12 1) --- Donetsk apartment block hit by Ukrainian artillery – mayor The city was bombarded by NATO-caliber rounds, Aleksey Kulemzin said An apartment block in the Donbass city of Donetsk was shelled with NATO-caliber munitions by Ukrainian forces on Saturday, Mayor Aleksey Kulemzin said. Kulemzin posted photos of a four-story building, which he said had sustained a direct hit. The official said one person believed to have been in the location at the time of the strike was unaccounted for. Regional emergency officials, meanwhile, said two people may still be trapped under the rubble. According to the mayor, 155mm-caliber rounds were fired at the city. Kulemzin said projectiles landed on several streets, damaging at least one other residential building. He later added that a 30-year-old woman had been wounded. Russian officials have repeatedly accused Ukraine of using Western-supplied weapons to indiscriminately fire on cities in Donbass. Late last month, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had destroyed a hospital in the city of Novoaydar in the Lugansk People’s Republic with a US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launcher. According to officials, 14 people were killed and 24 wounded in an attack on the facility, which had been treating both military personnel and civilians. https://t.me/kulemzin_donetsk/13325 Kiev has also accused Russian troops of targeting civilians. On Wednesday night, three people were killed and 20 injured after a missile hit a house in the Ukrainian-held Donbass city of Kramatorsk, according to Kiev-appointed regional official, Pavel Kirilenko. Moscow, meanwhile, has maintained that its forces only strike military targets and sites that are being used for military purposes. Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine nearly a year ago, citing the need to protect the people of Donbass and Kiev’s failure to implement the 2014-15 Minsk peace accords. Ukraine has said the attack was entirely unprovoked. https://www.rt.com/russia/570957-donetsk-shelling-nato-caliber/ ============================================ 4 Feb, 2023 07:49 2) --- US must get over its ‘impunity syndrome’ – Moscow Washington has lost its ability to use force on the global stage without facing serious pushback, a senior diplomat said Washington shouldn't expect the world to forget that it fabricated its justification for the 2003 Iraq invasion, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told RIA Novosti on Saturday. The Russian diplomat made the remark on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the now-infamous speech by then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations Security Council, during which he presented alleged evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, including biological ones. To support his case, Powell exhibited a tiny vial of white powder, which was supposed to represent anthrax, and told the council that the US had no other choice but to go to war. However, no weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq. Powell’s UN stunt “has long become the epitome of hypocrisy and the conviction of the US ruling elite in its own impunity and its unchallenged right to arrogantly teach the rest of the world,” Ryabkov stated. He added that it was also emblematic of Washington’s willingness to “use force against an obviously weaker opponent in order to preserve its own global hegemony.” However, the diplomat suggested that – unlike in the 2000s and during the 1999 NATO bombing campaign of Yugoslavia – Washington could not get away with “international banditry” under current conditions. “In the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, the US is now objectively unable to resort to a use-of-force scenario every time it feels like it, without facing serious consequences,” he noted, pointing to the “humiliating flight” of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021. However, as Washington’s “meddling” in the Ukraine conflict has shown, this setback has not stopped the US from embracing its old ways, the diplomat continued. “The Americans will have to adjust to the new rails and get rid of the impunity syndrome that so clearly manifested itself during the [anthrax] vial scandal. The same applies to taking into account Russia and China, as well as other major international players that are shaping a more just multilateral world order,” Ryabkov said. The US should not cherish any hope that “the memories of what happened 20 years ago would be buried in the shifting sands of modern history,” he concluded. https://www.rt.com/russia/570943-us-iraq-war-impunity/ =========================================== 3 Feb, 2023 23:37 3) --- Pentagon will allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles at will Munitions with 150-kilometer range are part of the newest weapons gift package It is up to the government in Kiev to decide how to use new rockets being delivered for the US-supplied HIMARS launchers, the Pentagon said on Friday. The statement is a confirmation that the latest batch of munitions the American taxpayers are funding will include Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB). The Boeing-manufactured munitions consist of a rocket motor mated with an airplane bomb, with an estimated range of up to 150 kilometers. While Friday’s announcement listed “additional ammunition” for the HIMARS and “precision-guided rockets,” Brigadier-General Patrick Ryder told reporters that this indeed included the GLSDB, confirming the information leaked to Reuters earlier this week. Ryder also confirmed that the US won’t stand in the way of Ukrainians using the missiles to strike deep inside Russia. “When it comes to Ukrainian plans on operations, clearly that is their decision. They are in the lead for those,” he said on Friday. “So, I'm not going to talk about or speculate about potential future operations, but again, all along, we've been working with them to provide them with capabilities that will enable them to be effective on the battlefield.” The GLDSB are produced by Boeing in cooperation with Sweden's Saab AB, and combine the GBU-39 small-diameter bomb with the M26 rocket motor. It was unclear how many of the munitions the Pentagon intended to send, or whether they would come from the US military stockpile or need to be freshly produced. Reuters claimed to have seen a Boeing document saying the first deliveries could be “as early as spring 2023.” Meanwhile, Bloomberg cited unnamed officials who said the timeline could be as long as nine months, depending on when the US Air Force issues the contract. Bloomberg also reported the GLSDB order would account for $200 million of the $1.75 billion in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding, referring to contracts for weapons and ammunition not coming out of the Pentagon stockpile. Whenever the missiles actually arrive, Russia has already hinted at how it will respond. On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin tasked the military with “eliminating any possibility” of Ukrainian artillery strikes on Russian territory. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on Thursday that Moscow will “push back” the Ukrainian troops to a range at which they will not be a threat. “The longer range the weapons supplied to the Kiev regime have, the further the troops will need to be moved,” Lavrov said. Ukraine has used the US-supplied HIMARS launchers against both military targets and civilians in Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye. Kiev has repeatedly asked for the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rockets, which have a range of some 300 kilometers. Moscow has repeatedly warned Washington that providing heavy weapons to Ukraine risks crossing Russia’s “red lines” and involving the US and NATO in the conflict directly. The US and its allies insist they are not parties to the hostilities, but continue to arm Kiev. By the Pentagon’s own admission, the US has committed $32 billion in military aid to Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/news/570935-pentagon-ukraine-glsdb-missiles/ ==============RELATED (previously posted) from post on 17 Jan, 2023 21:05 3a) --- Kiev is set to receive American Patriot missile batteries. How will this change the battlefield in Ukraine? The complex systems will become a high-priority target for Russia, as the West ups the ante on supplies This month, the Ukrainian military is set to start training to use the US-built Patriot missile system. Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, has said the process will take “several months.” This means that the technology may soon take a full part in combat operations between Moscow and Kiev. But will the high value equipment tip the balance of power on the battlefield? A short wait Discussions around the supply of Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems to Kiev intensified after major strikes on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine by the Russian Armed Forces and subsequent blackouts. An incident in the Polish city of Przewodow, when a missile from a Ukrainian S-300 air defense system resulted in the death of two farmers, also played a part in the discussions. The chairman of the ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, suggested that Germany should send its Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, not Poland. At the time, Berlin noted that it would prefer the missile defense systems to remain on NATO territory. Yet in less than two months, things changed. At the beginning of January, the United States and Germany agreed to send a Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery to Ukraine. The announcement was made in a joint statement by U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after their first phone conversation in 2023. The training will be conducted both Washington and Berlin. The transfer of the battery is scheduled for the first quarter of the year. This will be Kiev’s second Patriot battery. As was announced at the end of December 2022, the first will be handed over to Ukraine by the US. It was included in the latest military aid package, totaling $1.8 billion. Experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies note that, so far, the Patriot has been the most expensive weapons system provided to Ukraine by the US. They estimate that the total cost of one Patriot system can reach a billion dollars: $400 million for the equipment and $690 million for the missiles. Ukraine will become the nineteenth country in the world that uses or plans to use this kit. The first Patriot systems were deployed by the US Army back in the 1980s. They were first used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991, and then during the illegal Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Patriot system has undergone significant changes since then: its latest modification includes more accurate and high-performance radars and advanced surface-to-air interceptor missiles – PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability). It is still unclear which version of the Patriot system Ukraine will receive. But we’re probably talking about the PAC-3. When is the Patriot system coming to Ukraine? In wartime conditions, training Ukrainian Armed Forces specialists to use the Patriot system isn’t likely to take a long time. Moreover, Ukraine has much expertise in using the S-300 surface-to-air missile system – one that structurally resembles Patriot. The procedure for acquiring new missile technology is virtually the same in the Anti-Aircraft Missile Troops of Russia and Ukraine. First, the army personnel are retrained at a specially equipped center. Then the weapons, military equipment, spare parts, and tools are accepted by the anti-aircraft missile batteries (or divisions). The next stage comprises of the first live firing of anti-aircraft guided missiles (under the current circumstances, this will possibly be carried out from places of permanent deployment under the supervision of U.S. instructors). Then, the anti-aircraft missile system is folded, prepared for transport, and sent to a loading station, such as an airfield or port. At the final point, divisions and units that have received the new equipment travel to the place of deployment and upcoming combat operations by air, sea, rail, or on foot. Considering the time needed for preparation, we can expect the Patriot systems in Ukraine to be ready for combat in March. What will happen after the Patriot is transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces? The Patriot missile system (especially PAC-3) is, without any exaggeration, a state-of-the-art product of the US military industrial complex. Presumably, if the White House decided to send such advanced missile defense weapons to Ukraine, the issue of supplying Kiev with Western-type battle tanks like the German Leopard 2 won’t take long to resolve. Along with the second Patriot battery, Berlin will also send 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, as reported by German Federal Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit. This is another big step towards equipping the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Western weapons. It’s worth noting that after receiving Patriot missile systems and heavy armored vehicles, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be just a step away from getting F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. The Patriot batteries are invaluable for Kiev. These systems have, as military specialists say, the potential for non-strategic missile defense. This capability will be particularly useful for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It’s an effective means of combating manned aviation, sea-based and air-based cruise missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, and operational-tactical ballistic missiles. Most probably, the systems will be deployed to shield the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and to defend this decision-making center from the attacks of various types of cruise missiles. However, it will take dozens of Patriot batteries to cover all the administrative and political centers of Ukraine, including regional cities and key energy facilities. And Ukraine is unlikely to receive that many MIM-104 Patriot systems in the foreseeable future. The Patriot’s “Achilles' heel” Presently, the key concern is the number of anti-aircraft guided missiles that will be supplied along with the Patriot system, since the number of missiles used during the repulse of massive air attacks by the Russian Armed Forces exceeded all expectations. If Ukraine does not receive enough missiles, its two Patriot batteries will simply stand idle. The Patriot missile defense system also has its weak spots or rather, its particular features. For example, the Patriot AN/MPQ-53 multifunctional radar has rather low search capabilities. This feature is native not only to the Patriot system, but also to the target illumination and missile guidance radar and the multifunctional radar of the Russian S-300/400 missile defense system. In Russian systems, this shortcoming is compensated for by providing the S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile divisions with either 5N66M-type low-altitude detectors, or 96L6E-type high-altitude detectors. Moreover, anti-aircraft missile divisions receive searchless target designation from system command posts equipped with a detection radar (RLO 64N6, S-300) or a radar complex (RLK 91N6E, S-400). As a result, if it’s deployed near Kiev, the Patriot missile battery will have to be provided with additional search and targeting capabilities. Obtaining data from the Boeing E-3 Sentry, an option mentioned by some experts, is not particularly useful since it means that a certain number of E-3 aircraft will have to relocate to Ukrainian airfields. It is unlikely that the US and its allies will agree to this. But in some way, the Ukrainian military will have to solve the system’s issues. And that may really be a problem. How will Russia fight the “Patriots?” The capture of a Patriot air defense system is a highly unlikely scenario. The system is not a front-line weapon. It will probably be placed in the rear of the Ukrainian Army, covering Kiev or Right-bank Ukraine. It would require an offensive operation to capture the Patriot system, and even so, success is far from guaranteed. Not a single M142 HIMARS combat vehicle has yet fallen into Russian hands. Meanwhile, a detailed examination of the system is only possible following its capture and disassembly. The Patriot air defense systems delivered to Ukraine will become a high-priority target for the Russian Armed Forces, but the task is hardly simple. The Patriot is a highly mobile system (it takes no more than 25 minutes to deploy/fold). This means the system does not remain in the same position for long. After several missile launches, it can relocate. And finding the Patriot won’t be easy. After February 24, the Armed Forces of Ukraine kept several divisions of the S-300PT air defense system in service. The “PT” abbreviation means that it’s a container-type system (by the way, the weight of some containers, such as F9, exceeds 16 tons). It takes several hours to fold /deploy this modification of the S-300. Yet despite its low mobility, the container-type system is still used in the Ukrainian army. Surely, a highly mobile anti-aircraft missile system has a much higher chance of survival. As for the Patriot missile defense system, Russian troops may use anti-radar missiles of the X-31P type, guided air-to-surface missiles such as X-29T, X-38Mxx, X-59MK, etc., and free-fall bombs (OFAB-250-270 and FAB-500-type) to target and destroy it. One way or another, it will be up to the Russian army to solve https://www.rt.com/news/569797-kiev-will-receive-two-patriot/ ============================================ Feb, 2023 15:24 4) --- France comments on Ukraine’s NATO prospects Kiev’s membership in the US-led military bloc is not on the table for now, the French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not being discussed right now, given the ongoing hostilities between Moscow and Kiev, the French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Saturday. Speaking to the Russian RTVI Channel, Anne-Claire Legendre was asked about Ukraine’s bids to join the European Union and the US-led military alliance. She described the EU’s decision to grant Ukraine candidate status in June 2022 as “very important,” sending a signal of “serious political support” for Kiev’s course and reflecting Ukrainians’ desire to embrace European values. However, she refrained naming exact dates for Kiev to become part of the EU, saying Brussels is formulating a roadmap which could take “more or less time.” The spokeswoman noted that EU members are seeking to “move towards a very specific cooperation with our Ukrainian friends.” The spokeswoman’s comments came after the European Commission determined on Thursday that Ukraine was only at an “early stage” of readiness to meet EU standards in many key areas. The bloc’s top executive body notably highlighted Kiev’s shortcomings in labor and gender equality legislation. Legendre also signaled that Ukraine should not expect to join NATO in the near future, cautioning that accession is “is not on the agenda now. There is a war going on now.” However, she stressed that the alliance still adheres to its open-door policy, citing the 1975 Helsinki Accords, which stipulate that every state is free to choose its own allies. Ukraine’s potential accession to NATO has long been a key security concern for Russia, and was cited as one of the factors prompting Moscow to launch its military operation in February 2022. In December 2021, before large-scale hostilities broke out, Moscow submitted draft documents on security guarantees to NATO and the US, demanding that Ukraine be barred from entering the alliance, and insisting that the bloc itself should retreat to the borders of 1997. The initiative, however, was rebuffed. https://www.rt.com/russia/570959-france-ukraine-nato-eu-accession/ ============================================ 3 Feb, 2023 19:12 5) --- Russia wants ‘revenge’ – Zelensky Kiev will go on the offensive if the West delivers more weapons soon, the president said Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has claimed that Russia wants “revenge” and is preparing for a major offensive in late February or early spring. Speaking after a meeting with visiting EU officials on Friday, Zelensky said Kiev was already preparing for the blow. “We think there will be increased pressure in the east,” said the Ukrainian leader. “Russia wants revenge in the exact place where it previously failed. It wants to take the east,” he added, referring to areas east of Kharkov where Ukrainian troops advanced in the fall. “Our mission is to prevent that and hold them off until our army is equipped with adequate weapons. I think we have every chance of that,” Zelensky asserted. The US and its allies have promised main battle tanks to Kiev, such as the American M1 Abrams, the British Challenger, and the German Leopard 2, but said that delivering them would take weeks or months. Ukrainians need to remember the “motivation and spirit” from the start of the conflict, Zelensky added, noting that some parts of the country feel like they’re “on vacation” instead of at war. Asked about the embattled city of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut by Ukraine), Zelensky insisted that the Ukrainian military does not intend to withdraw. “Nobody will surrender Bakhmut,” he said, adding that if Ukraine’s Western partners speed up deliveries of long-range weapons, Kiev will instead launch an operation to “liberate the territories occupied since 2014.” A key Donbass crossroads, Artyomovsk has seen heavy fighting for months and is close to becoming encircled by advancing Russian troops. The Wagner Group private military company has been at the forefront of Russian efforts in the area. Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin sent a message to Zelensky on Friday, urging him to keep fighting in Bakhmut to the last. “Dear Vladimir Alexandrovich, many people are asking you to withdraw troops from Bakhmut. Do not do that,” Prigozhin wrote. “Artyomovsk is the main event of this war. We must keep fighting. You will show cowardice. You will no longer be respected. The Ukrainian people will not forgive you for surrendering Artyomovsk to a private military structure. Resist. Fight to the end.” https://www.rt.com/russia/570930-zelensky-ukraine-revenge-offensive/ ============================================== 3 Feb, 2023 12:34 6) --- Russia responds to calls for international tribunal The initiative by the Organization of American States chief serves his own personal agenda, Moscow says Russia’s Embassy in Washington has suggested that the Organization of American States (OAS) should find a new leader, after Secretary General Luis Almagro voiced support for an international tribunal on Moscow’s military action in Ukraine. “With such comments, the international official is clearly seeking the support of his masters from Washington in the context of the OAS internal investigation in his regard,” the embassy wrote on its official Telegram channel on Friday. On Thursday, Almagro posted a series of pictures on Twitter of him meeting with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andrey Kostin and Ambassador Oksana Markarova. He accompanied the post by expressing his support for the creation of a “Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.” Almagro, 59, has headed the OAS since 2015, but is currently facing an internal investigation for allegedly violating the organization’s code of ethics by having a relationship with a staffer two decades his junior. Under OAS rules, employees are forbidden from having intimate relationships with co-workers that may interfere with their duties or disadvantage other colleagues. Any managers who enter such relations must back out of roles that could benefit the other individual. The embassy pointed out that Almagro had never made any attempt to “condemn the crimes of the nationalist ‘Maidan’ authorities” or criticize their “incessant shellings of Donetsk and other cities of Donbass” which claimed the lives of civilians. The Russian diplomatic mission accused the secretary general of bringing a potential conflict into his region with a “proactive Russophobic position” and trying to push his personal opinion as that of the entire OAS, which includes most governments of North and South America and the Caribbean. The OAS was initially founded in 1948 and intended to bolster solidarity and cooperation among member states. However, under Almagro’s leadership, the organization, headquartered in Washington, DC, has faced accusations of serving North American interests at the expense of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Russian embassy urged Almagro to instead focus on issues that are more important to his bloc, such as migration, the post-COVID economic recovery, and the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. https://www.rt.com/russia/570909-russia-oas-chief-tribunal/ ============================================== 4 Feb, 2023 15:13 7) --- Zelensky behind Macron’s calls to Putin – Paris Despite ruling out talks with Moscow, the Ukrainian leader reportedly uses his French counterpart as a go-between French President Emmanuel Macron’s phone calls with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, mainly took place “at the request of President Zelensky” of Ukraine, a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday. Zelensky has publicly declared that he will never speak to Putin in person, and has made peace talks with the Russian leader illegal. “Mr. Macron calls President Putin mainly at the request of President [Vladimir] Zelensky, and always in coordination with our allies to maintain a channel for dialogue,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said during an interview with RTVI. Kiev has never admitted that Zelensky presses his Western backers into speaking to Putin, and the Ukrainian leader himself signed a decree in October forbidding negotiations with Moscow unless “another president of Russia” replaces the current Kremlin occupant. With negotiations officially off the table, Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to use force to seize Russian territory that is claimed by Ukraine, including Crimea. Among Western leaders, Macron is one of a small minority who maintain contact with Putin. Both he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have held regular phone calls with the Russian leader since Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine began almost a year ago. Legendre said that at some point “Ukrainians will decide that the time has come for negotiations. That is why we consider it useful to maintain this channel of dialogue.” Macron and Scholz have been condemned by their Eastern European allies for holding discussions with Putin. “Why talk to him? He’s a war criminal,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas declared last summer. “I feel that if everybody is constantly calling him, he doesn’t get the message that he’s isolated.” Although Macron has defended his conversations with Putin, and has spoken publicly of the need to reach a ceasefire deal that doesn’t “humiliate Russia,” he has still supplied Kiev’s military with progressively heavier weapons. France announced last month that it would send infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, and Macron last week refused to rule out the eventual transfer of fighter jets. Western nations that supply weapons to Ukraine have made themselves de facto participants in the conflict, Moscow has repeatedly stated. https://www.rt.com/news/570961-macron-calls-putin-zelensky/ ============================================== 4 Feb, 2023 13:04 8) --- Türkiye gives timeline for Russian-proposed gas hub The major gas project is expected to handle supplies previously directed through the Nord Steam 1 pipeline A major natural gas hub in Türkiye, proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and backed by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is expected to start operating as soon as this year, according Ankara’s energy minister. Fatih Donmez also said the issue had been discussed with several nations, which expressed their readiness to support the Turkish gas hub project, adding that ensuring energy security remained a priority for Türkiye. “A common opinion has been formed on doubling supplies via TANAP (Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project),” the minister said, according to Anadolu news agency, adding that the work was ongoing. He predicted an increase in gas production over the next few years, contributing to energy security for both Türkiye and Europe. In January, Donmez said work on the gas hub had begun, and that the country's interest in the project could grow over time. In October, the Russian head of state proposed the Türkiye-based project, saying Moscow could redirect gas transit from the two Nord Stream pipelines, which were damaged by explosions classified by Kremlin as an act of terrorism. Ankara embraced the plan, saying it would link Russia and Türkiye through Europe. The hub’s TurkStream pipeline starts on the Russian coast, runs over 930 kilometres under the Black Sea, and comes ashore in the Turkish region of Eastern Thrace. It directly connects the largest gas reserves in Russia to the Turkish gas transportation network, providing reliable energy to Turkey, and southern Europe. https://www.rt.com/business/570952-turkiye-russian-gas-hub-timeline/ =========================================== 4 Feb, 2023 10:07 9) --- Germany considers diverting ‘green’ subsidies to arms production – Bloomberg The move would allow more weapons and ammunition to be manufactured for the Ukraine conflict Germany may use funds intended for the phasing out of coal-fired power plants to help defense companies build additional production facilities, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. According to the report, the measure is being discussed between the government in Berlin and regional authorities in Germany’s individual states. The move would allow manufacturers to make more weapons and ammunition, as well as create jobs in the areas worst affected by the shift from coal. It comes as Western countries are ramping up military aid to Kiev. Germany pledged last month to deliver Leopard 2 main battle tanks and Marder armored vehicles to Ukraine. Berlin also allowed companies this week to transfer the older Leopard 1 tanks. However, according to multiple reports, the efforts to assist Kiev and ensure that the Bundeswehr remains combat-ready have been impeded by munitions and equipment shortages. Business Insider cited defense industry and parliamentary sources in October as saying that the army had enough ammunition for only one or two days of warfare. The continuing energy crisis prompted Germany to relaunch several reserve coal-fired plants last year. The government has also extended the operation of existing plants up to the end of March 2024. The decisions came as Berlin was looking for ways to conserve energy during winter. In June, the German Economy Ministry said that, despite concerns over energy supplies stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Germany would stay committed to phasing out coal as a power source by 2030. https://www.rt.com/news/570951-germany-green-subsidies-ammunition/ ============================================== 4 Feb, 2023 10:02 10) --- Dozens of Russian soldiers return from Ukrainian captivity – Moscow The release of 63 POWs was possible partly thanks to mediation efforts from the UAE, the Defense Ministry said More than 60 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity, it was announced on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry said the swap deal included “persons of a sensitive category” who were released following mediation efforts by the United Arab Emirates. According to the ministry, 63 service members of the Russian Armed Forces have returned from Kiev-controlled territories “as a result of a complex negotiation process.” All the freed service members are now in Russia and are being provided with “all necessary physiological and medical assistance,” officials stated. The former captives have also had the opportunity to contact their families. The Defense Ministry released a video of what appeared to be POWs boarding buses in Russia’s Belgorod Region, which borders Ukraine. https://t.me/mod_russia/23950 Later on Saturday, Andrey Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, stated on Telegram that Kiev had secured the release of 116 people. He said 87 of them were Ukrainian Army service members, including two special forces troops. The rest belonged to territorial defense forces, the National Guard, police, the State Border Guard, the Navy, and the State Emergency Service. According to the official, Kiev also retrieved the bodies of two foreign volunteers, as well as one Ukrainian soldier who served with the French Foreign Legion. Since the start of the conflict last February, Russia and Ukraine have negotiated numerous POW swaps, with the agreements often being brokered by third parties, most notably Türkiye and Saudi Arabia. In mid-January, Türkiye’s chief ombudsman for human rights, Seref Malkoc, said that Kiev and Moscow had compiled a list for a potential prisoner exchange involving around 1,000 people. However, Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova indicated at the time that no agreement had been reached. The previous prisoner swap took place in early January, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying it had secured the return of 50 service members who had been facing “deadly danger” while in captivity. https://www.rt.com/russia/570950-russia-ukraine-prisoner-swap/ =============================================

Zaporozhye car bomb/terrorist attack. A police officer has died in the explosion this morning in the city of Energodar. No group has yet taken responsibility. - Donetsk republic authorities say Russian troops have nearly encircled the Ukrainian-held town of Ugledar, as intense fighting in the area continue. Eight civilian only regions were shelled by Ukraine forces yesterday, leaving one person dead. Report from Roman Kosarev. - Israel PM Netanyahu says the Palestine issue should not interfere with the normalisation of relations with other Arab states. He went on to say there are other things to talk about with Palestine apart from "security issues" and he rejects the notion of Palestinian "full sovereignty". (QS: good luck with that then Mr. N ) Musab Ibrahim talks about what's needed for peace to thrive. Israel is intending to double Palestinian taxation. Human Rights Watch class this as collective punishment and says this is war crime. Mustafa Al-Barghouti reports. (QS: I hadn't realised until now, that Israel collects the taxes of Palestine... I will try to find out more.) - Germany has closed down RT DE - the German language programme and news outlet for Germany. It will continue to work and broadcast from Moscow. (QS : I can't say what I feel on this page) Nikki and Sonja Van Den Ende discuss (QS what can only be called desperate censorship.) - India: Russia has backed India's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Currently China, France, Russia, UK and USA are the only permanent members of UNSC which was founded in 1945. (more info https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/content/current-members) Dr. Swati Rao, foreign affairs expert, gives context and benefits of being a permanent member. - U.S. Sec of State Blinken cancelled his trip to China because a Chinese weather balloon entered U.S. air space (QS: it has no engine or method of steering - bearing in mind the $$billions spent of tracking satellites the worrying thing is that it took until the balloon (where ever it's from) to get over Montana for it to be spotted, if it was from China, several thousands of miles away) - Africa: Burkina Faso and Mali join forces to counter the ongoing threat of terrorism, amid frustration at French force's failure to tackle militant insurgencies in the region. "creating a new federation should be undertaken now". RT talks to citizens who have come under constant terror and threat over the past years. Ouezen Louis Oulon, a local correspondent talks of recent horrors and some history. (Please also catch up on previous posts on this channel or better still on the RT website where there is much more detail www.rt.com if your country hasn't censored RT and other Russian media ) - Leaked documents claim a British intelligence project spied on Palestinian refugees, using a group, previously alleged to have provided funds to Al-Qaeda. Asa Winstanley, who broke the report, talks about the findings. (QS: hope to give links to this report tomorrow) ============================================== Below via RT website A) --- ‘Terrorist attack’ kills one in Russia – official B) --- EU nation slams US ambassador over ‘interference’ 1) --- US should get ‘filthy hands’ off Türkiye – minister 1a) --- Key NATO member state accuses allies of ‘psychological warfare’ 1b) --- NATO member condemns Sweden’s response to Koran burning 2) --- John Bolton shares stance on talks with Russia in prank call (includes links to call) 3) --- Ukraine announces new ‘Attack Guard’ 4) --- Trump calls for restraint in arming Ukraine 5) --- Calls of ‘treason’ as Serbian parliament debates Kosovo 6) --- China responds to spy balloon claims 7) --- Lavrov identifies root of US-Russia tensions 8) --- Kiev’s ombudsman calls for more curbs on Russian language 9) --- Sanctions on Russian oil not working – analysts -- Extra - Iconic fashion designer dead ============================================= 3 Feb, 2023 07:00 A) --- ‘Terrorist attack’ kills one in Russia – official A car bomb detonated in the frontline city of Energodar A powerful car bomb has exploded in the city of Energodar in Russia’s frontline Zaporozhye Region, a senior local official reported. According to Vladimir Rogov, the blast occurred in the morning, killing at least one person. He described the incident as a terrorist attack. The local police force identified the victim as one of its officers in a preliminary report, TASS news agency said. The explosion struck a residential area and was powerful enough to shatter glass as high as at the ninth floor in nearby apartment complexes, and to obliterate a car parked nearby, the official said. Rogov posted footage purportedly shot at the scene, in which a firefighter can be seen dousing flames at the site of a car wreckage. -- https://t.me/vrogov/7452 Zaporozhye Region, formerly a part of Ukraine, joined Russia last year after people living there voted in a referendum for the transition. Kiev dismissed the ballot as a “sham.” Energodar is notable as the site of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the largest atomic facility in Europe. https://www.rt.com/russia/570889-energodar-car-bomb-rogov/ ============================================= 3 Feb, 2023 07:30 B) --- EU nation slams US ambassador over ‘interference’ Nobody can tell Hungary’s citizens how they should live, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto asserts Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto issued a scathing rebuke of the US ambassador to Budapest on Thursday, asserting that he has no business meddling in the nation’s internal affairs. The minister’s comments came after Ambassador David Pressman, who has represented Washington in Budapest since September 2022, told Politico earlier this week that Hungarian policymakers “continue to push policies endorsed by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.” He was referring to Budapest's opposition to anti-Russia sanctions and support of Moscow’s proposals for a ceasefire. When asked to respond to the statement at a press conference, Szijjarto said, “Nobody can tell us from the outside how to live, so it is of no interest what a citizen of another country – be it an ambassador – thinks about the domestic political processes in Hungary. “We ask for more respect for the Hungarians, even from the ambassador,” he added. It is not Pressman’s “job to interfere in the internal affairs of Hungary,” the minister declared. “If he wants to use his stay in Hungary to qualify the activities of the government elected by the Hungarian people with a fairly clear majority… then he will have a very difficult time,” he added. Szijjarto noted that when Hungary receives foreign ambassadors, it expects them to behave appropriately and work to improve bilateral relations. “We welcome non-governors and non-regents,” he stated, emphasizing that the era of foreign envoys telling Hungarians how to live in their own country “is over.” Hungary, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy, has repeatedly voiced opposition to sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West in response to the ongoing Ukraine conflict. It has argued that the restrictions have wreaked havoc on the EU economy, but failed to meaningfully weaken Russia. Last month, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also slammed Germany’s decision to support Ukraine by supplying 14 Leopard 2 tanks, noting that such steps make Western countries active participants in the conflict. According to Orban, instead of arming Kiev, the West should pursue “a ceasefire and peace talks” in Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/news/570891-hungary-us-ambassador-meddling/ ============================================= 3 Feb, 2023 14:08 1) --- US should get ‘filthy hands’ off Türkiye – minister Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu accused Washington of working to hurt his country amid consulate closure row Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu accused US ambassador Jeffry Flake of trying to “confuse” people in the host nation and told him to get his “filthy hands” off of it. He has previously claimed that Western nations were waging “psychological warfare” to undermine tourism in Türkiye. “I’m telling you very clearly, get your filthy hands off Türkiye. I know clearly what you have done, what steps you have taken, and how you want to confuse Türkiye,” the minister said in a speech on Friday. Soylu claimed the first questions “every US ambassador” arriving in Türkiye was asked were “How can I stage a coup” and “How can I harm Türkiye.” The minister also stated that European nations were “run” by American diplomats. The remarks came a day after the US and several EU nations decided to temporarily shut down their consulates in Istanbul due to “security considerations.” The foreign governments also advised their citizens to avoid tourist hotspots in Türkiye, citing a terrorist threat. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the nations involved failed to convey to Ankara any evidence that would justify the shutdowns. “They tell us, ‘We have concrete information, there’s a threat. That’s why we’re closing’. Who did it come from? Where? Who will do it? There’s no information about that,” Cavusoglu said on Thursday. The top diplomat described the move as “deliberate” and possibly designed to put the incumbent government into a “difficult situation” before the upcoming general elections. Soylu assessed on the same day that the Western governments actually reacted with “psychological warfare” to Turkish plans to boost tourism in the country. The Friday event in Antalya, during which the interior minister blasted the US ambassador, was dedicated to migration issues. In his speech, Soylu accused Western nations of aggravating the problem that Ankara faces because of the mass migration. In particular, he expressed concern with instability in the neighboring nations of Iraq and Syria, where “state authority has completely disappeared,” according to the minister. https://www.rt.com/news/570910-t%C3%BCrkiye-minister-us-ambassador/ ============ 2 Feb, 2023 16:24 1a) --- Key NATO member state accuses allies of ‘psychological warfare’ Türkiye’s interior minister claims the US, the UK and several other nations are behind it Several of Türkiye’s NATO allies are engaged in hostile activities against Ankara, the country’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has claimed. His comment came shortly after the US issued a warning to its citizens in the country about the possibility of “imminent” terrorist attacks. Speaking on Thursday, Soylu said: “On the day when we announced our target to attract 60 million tourists annually, they started psychological warfare against Türkiye.” The UK, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and several other nations also announced their decisions to temporarily shut down their respective consulates in Istanbul, citing a terrorist threat. Last Friday, the US diplomatic mission in the country cautioned its citizens of “possible imminent retaliatory attacks by terrorists” targeting places of worship in Türkiye. According to the message, the heightened security risk was due to fears of reprisals by extremists “in the wake of recent Koran-burning incidents in Europe.” The consulates of the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Germany and France in Istanbul announced temporary closures for security reasons a short time later. Soylu also singled out the US for its continued support of the YPG Kurdish militia, which Ankara suspects of being behind a deadly terrorist attack in Istanbul in November last year. “Don’t we know that you are hand in hand with those behind the attack on Istiklal Avenue?” the Turkish minister asked. He went on to argue that, if Türkiye had acted this way, it would already be labeled a terrorist state. Relations between Ankara and the West have soured of late, following the Koran-burning stunt by Danish-Swedish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan late last month. Swedish authorities, which later condemned the controversial performance outside of the Turkish consulate in Stockholm, did not stop the protest at the time, citing freedom of expression. Following the demonstration, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear that Ankara would not support Sweden’s bid to join NATO. Sweden and Finland applied for membership of the US-led military bloc last May in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Since the unanimous support of all NATO member states is needed to accept new countries, the accession process has effectively been in limbo since then. In setting out conditions for Sweden and Finland joining the bloc, Türkiye had demanded that the two nations cease providing support to groups that Ankara has designated as terrorists, to extradite terrorism suspects, and to end their arms embargoes. https://www.rt.com/news/570874-t%C3%BCrkiye-west-psychological-warfare/ =================== 31 Jan, 2023 20:15 1b) --- NATO member condemns Sweden’s response to Koran burning Hungary’s top diplomat has argued that Stockholm should “act differently” if it wants to join the US-led military bloc Sweden’s response to a Koran-burning demonstration that angered Türkiye was "just plain stupidity" and jeopardized a key approval needed for the Nordic country's bid to join NATO, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has claimed. The top diplomat made his comments to reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday in Budapest, where he hosted his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. The incident in question was a Koran-burning stunt at a January 21 political rally in Stockholm. Swedish authorities permitted the event and provided police protection, citing the country’s protections for “far-reaching freedom of expression.” “As a Christian and as a Catholic, I must say that burning of a holy book of another religion is an unacceptable act,” Szijjarto said. He added, “Stating that the burning of a sacred book is part of freedom of speech is just plain stupidity.” -- https://youtu.be/0zgAKPji67M Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last week that he had ruled out approving Sweden’s application to join the US-led military bloc. “If you are that respectful to rights and freedoms, you will respect the faith of the Republic of Türkiye or the Muslims in the first place. If you do not show this respect, then, no offense, but you will not receive any support from us with regard to NATO,” he stressed. Sweden and Finland launched bids last year to join the Western military bloc, citing security concerns raised by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Approval from all 30 members of NATO is required to expand the group. Erdogan, who previously demanded that Sweden and Finland stop supporting Kurdish groups that Turkish officials consider to be terrorists, said the Koran-burning incident violated an agreement signed last June to address Ankara’s security concerns. Hungary is the only other NATO member that hasn’t yet officially approved the Nordic countries’ applications. Budapest had been expected to vote on the alliance’s proposed expansion by the end of last month. Szijjarto said the issue will be taken up by Hungary’s parliament at its first 2023 session, in February. As for Türkiye’s decision, Szijjarto said Hungary won’t attempt to influence the outcome. “I never urge any other foreign governments to do things which are not of our concern,” he said, adding that “perhaps they [Sweden] should act differently than that” if they want to secure Ankara’s backing. Addressing Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO bids, Russia has said the expansion of the bloc would not make the European continent more stable or secure. https://www.rt.com/news/570778-hungary-blasts-sweden-koran-burning-response/ ============================================ 3 Feb, 2023 09:00 2) --- John Bolton shares stance on talks with Russia in prank call Any attempts by EU nations to negotiate with Moscow must be snuffed out, the Republican hawk and former US national security adviser believes As long as the Ukraine conflict can still be won military, Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be allowed to achieve his goals through political means, former US national security adviser John Bolton has said. He made the claim during a call with notorious Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, who tricked the hawkish Republican, an arch-critic of the Kremlin, into thinking he was talking to former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko. “To me the important thing is to continue to push the Russians militarily – I think it's a winnable war – and to stop efforts by whether it’s the French or the Germans or whoever it might be to try negotiating with the Russians,” Bolton said in the recording of the conversation released by the pranksters on Thursday. He noted that French leader Emmanuel Macron has spoken several times since the start of the conflict about the need to find a deal that would be “acceptable” to Russia. Such statements allow Putin to suggest that “he can break Western resolve,” Bolton, who served as national security advisor under President Donald Trump and previously worked in different roles in the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush and George W Bush, said. “I think he [Putin] really hopes to win politically what he can’t win militarily on the battlefield. That’s where the real test is. And I think we are vulnerable,” he warned. The Republican hawk suggested the assistance that Kiev received from the West in the run-up to the conflict was “acceptable, but not great.” “The politicians in the West are taking more credit for NATO unity, frankly, than we deserve... Many NATO partners haven’t participated fully… our performance on sanctions enforcement [on Russia] hasn’t been what it should be,” he concluded. Bolton is the latest of many public figures to fall victim to Vovan and Lexus, who previously managed to prank Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Polish President Andrzej Duda, the author of Harry Potter books J.K. Rowling, former US President George W. Bush and many other politicians and celebrities. https://www.rt.com/news/570892-bolton-ukraine-talks-prank/ Links to prank call (QS: I think I have them in the right order) https://www.reddit.com/link/10rlb81/video/wcxu0slpoqfa1/player https://www.reddit.com/link/10rlq9c/video/34iqio9utqfa1/player https://www.reddit.com/link/10sg3sl/video/f1qp3td4yxfa1/player https://www.reddit.com/link/10rmzb1/video/8fy6i96h8rfa1/player https://www.reddit.com/link/10rp6uf/video/ljv9p8jqvrfa1/player https://www.reddit.com/link/10rsoyz/video/yl59hvonosfa1/player https://www.reddit.com/link/10rv3bl/video/hxzdq97b5tfa1/player https://www.reddit.com/user/VovanxLexus/ ============================================ 3 Feb, 2023 12:09 3) --- Ukraine announces new ‘Attack Guard’ The Interior Ministry has urged “patriots” to enroll in volunteer brigades and “dispose of enemies” Kiev has called on citizens to enroll in newly-created ‘storm brigades’, with acting Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klimenko saying that the government expects serving police officers, border guards, and members of the National Guard to form the core of the units. The force, dubbed ‘Attack Guard’, is intended for Ukrainians “who have enough rage to beat the enemy,” the minister said on national television on Thursday. “First of all, they are the people who went through the furnace of 2014-2015,” Klimenko explained as he described the intended recruits. “Some of them went to war in 2022, too. Some of them were injured.” After the 2014 armed coup in Kiev, the new authorities relied on so-called ‘volunteer battalions’ – militia units formed predominantly from far-right Ukrainian nationalists – to fight rebel forces in the east of the county who rejected the new Ukrainian government. Those units were given access to heavy weapons and later partially incorporated into the newly-formed National Guard. The notorious Azov Regiment is arguably the best-known entity to have followed that path. Moscow stated the need to remove extremist forces and protect people in Donbass from a new onslaught by Kiev as among the reasons why it sent troops into Ukraine last February. The ‘Attack Guard’ website lists eight brigades that recruits can choose from, including one named ‘Azov’. Klimenko said six of the units are meant for national guardsmen, while the other two are for police officers and border guards respectively. Applicants can expect financial compensation, social benefits, and other perks, as well as “an opportunity to dispose of enemies,” Klimenko promised. The forces’ “immediate goal” is to fully secure Ukraine’s “internationally recognized borders.” When asked about the new force on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Donbass has yet to be fully secured by Russian troops, “which is why the special military operation continues.” However, Peskov added that the security of Crimea, another former part of Ukraine, “is well provided for.” Ukraine has reportedly ramped up military mobilization due to heavy frontline losses, although Kiev denies this. Aleksey Danilov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, claimed in an interview this week that Ukrainians are lining up at conscription centers every day to submit information for possible mobilization. He dismissed videos circulating online which purportedly show a heavy-handed approach by mobilization officials, claiming they showed the detentions of dangerous criminals. https://www.rt.com/russia/570908-ukraine-offensive-guard-ministry/ =========================================== 3 Feb, 2023 08:59 4) --- Trump calls for restraint in arming Ukraine The US should send less military aid to Kiev and instead focus on a diplomatic solution to the conflict, the former president said The US should do its best to pave the way for a peace settlement in Ukraine while scaling back the military assistance Washington is sending to Kiev, former President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday. During an interview with American radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, Trump was asked whether he believed the US should send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to help in its fight with Russia. “I think the United States should negotiate peace between these two countries, and I don’t think they should be sending very much,” the former president stated. However, he also complained that the US had committed much more resources to prop up Kiev than the EU has. “The other thing is Europe has to do much more, because Europe is doing probably just a small fraction of what we’re doing,” he said, explaining that the Ukraine crisis “affects Europe more than it affects our country.” Trump dodged the question when asked whether he wanted to completely cut off aid for Ukraine, stating instead that he wanted “to make it so that Ukraine and Russia have to… fight for the last day.” “This thing has to stop, and it’s got to stop now. And it’s not going to stop if we continue to just load something up,” he said. The former US leader has on numerous occasions criticized the way the administration of President Joe Biden is handling the Ukraine conflict. Last week, Trump said his successor “has brought us to the brink of World War III” through “weakness and incompetence.” He doubled down on his claim that, if he were president, the conflict between Moscow and Kiev would have never started. On Monday, Biden stated that the US had no plans to send F-16s to Ukraine. The delivery of modern fighter jets is also said to be off the table for the EU, with the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell pointing out that this idea had caused a lot of division among member states. As of January 25, the US has committed more than $27 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including heavy artillery and tanks, air defense systems and infantry fighting vehicles. Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against arms shipments to Ukraine, arguing that they will only prolong the conflict while making NATO a direct participant to the hostilities. https://www.rt.com/news/570894-trump-restraint-ukraine-support/ ============================================ 2 Feb, 2023 21:10 5) --- Calls of ‘treason’ as Serbian parliament debates Kosovo President Vucic is caught between pro-NATO parties and nationalists accusing him of treason Several members of the Serbian parliament scuffled and almost came to blows on Thursday, amid a speech by President Aleksandar Vucic about the Western proposal concerning the breakaway province of Kosovo. “I have never seen such savages, this is incredible, shame on you,” Vucic said from the podium as lawmakers almost came to blows. The fracas broke out after Vucic said he intended to keep negotiating with the US and the EU, while staying loyal to the “Holy Writ” of the Serbian constitution. “I will always choose the Constitution, but I will fight as long as I can, I refuse to isolate Serbia and have our people suffer, to play the hero on someone else’s back or be the donor of someone else’s blood,” Vucic said. Several members of the nationalist opposition held up printed signs that read “Treason” and “No to capitulation!” Meanwhile, the pro-Western parties insisted the government should recognize Kosovo as independent and impose sanctions against Russia. At issue was the Franco-German proposal for Kosovo presented to Belgrade last month, which still hasn’t been made public. That hasn’t stopped the lawmakers from describing it as either an unacceptable ultimatum or an offer Serbia can’t refuse. https://t.me/European_Insider/2178 Leader of the New Serbian Democrats Milos Jovanovic called it a carbon copy of the 1972 Two Germanies pact, saying that it would in practice lead to the establishment of “Greater Albania” and the total disappearance of Serbs from the province. The plan cannot be amended and needs to be rejected entirely, Jovanovic argued, while the Democratic Party’s Zoran Lutovac insisted it was not actually an ultimatum and should be accepted. Marinika Tepic of the Freedom and Justice Party called on Vucic to “harmonize foreign policy with the EU and sanction Russia … to avoid sanctions being imposed on us.” NATO took control of the province after months of bombing Serbia in 1999 on behalf of an ethnic Albanian insurgency. The provisional government in Pristina declared independence in 2008, with Western support. Backed by Russia and China, Belgrade has so far managed to resist pressure to recognize Kosovo. Vucic blamed the Democrat-led government for “giving away” Kosovo, calling some opposition lawmakers “thieves and traitors” amounting to an “anti-state coalition.” He also insisted he hadn’t signed anything yet. “I am not for Kosovo in the UN and I will never recognize an independent Kosovo,” he repeated several times. Meanwhile, nationalist group People’s Patrol has called for a mass rally outside the presidential offices on February 15 – a state holiday celebrating Serbia’s first constitution – to “take down the treasonous Vucic regime” and reject any kind of recognition of Kosovo. https://www.rt.com/news/570880-serbia-kosovo-parliament-fight/ ============================================= 3 Feb, 2023 11:35 6) --- China responds to spy balloon claims Beijing has warned against speculation and efforts to hype up the story China is a responsible nation and doesn’t violate the airspace of other countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning has said following speculation that a spy balloon spotted over the US had been launched by Beijing. The Chinese authorities are aware of reports of a surveillance balloon being discovered over American territory and are currently working to verify them, Mao stated during a briefing on Friday. “Speculation and hype are not conducive until the facts are clear,” the spokeswoman said, as quoted by Chinese broadcaster CGTN. She expressed hope that the relevant parties would be able to resolve the issue in a “cool-headed way.” “China is a responsible country. We act in accordance with international law. We have no intention of violating other countries’ airspace,” the spokeswoman insisted. On Thursday, the Pentagon claimed to have discovered a spy balloon over the northern US during the previous day. The last confirmed sighting of the object was in Billings, Montana, while its current location remains disclosed. In comments cited by the US media, an unnamed senior US defense official said Washington was “confident” that the balloon belonged to China as similar incidents had already occurred in the past few years. The same official claimed that the flight path of the balloon had crossed “a number of sensitive sites,” but added that the craft had “limited additive value” from the perspective of intelligence gathering. The US authorities considered shooting down the balloon, but decided against it due to concerns that people on the ground could be hurt by falling debris, the source added. According to reports, the balloon made it to the US through Canadian territory. Canada’s defense department said it had been taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including monitoring for “a potential second incident.” The balloon incursion comes just days before a planned trip to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Mao declined to comment when asked whether the development would affect the visit in any way. https://www.rt.com/news/570905-china-us-baloon-canada/ ============================================ 2 Feb, 2023 08:51 7) --- Lavrov identifies root of US-Russia tensions The notion of American exceptionalism drives antagonism with Russia, Moscow’s top diplomat has said The root cause of the conflict in Ukraine is linked to Washington’s belief that the US is exceptional and the contention that this supposedly justifies its dominance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Speaking during an interview with Russian television on Thursday, the top diplomat urged people to “dig deeper” in their analysis of the confrontation. American officials believe the US is “an exceptional nation, unlike any other in the world,” and that it has a duty to lead, because otherwise “there will be chaos.” Lavrov cited an opinion piece by Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to President Joe Biden, which was published in The Atlantic magazine in 2019. “No vision of American exceptionalism can succeed if the United States does not defeat the emerging vision that emphasizes ethnic and cultural identity,” he wrote at the time. The phrase referred to US domestic politics and how it affects the “core purpose of American foreign policy.” Lavrov called the remark “terrible” because it denies other peoples “the right to remember their history.” The US government applies this principle globally, he suggested. “Just like they melted in a pot everyone who arrived in America, they now want to melt everyone else, so they essentially become Americans,” the minister said. “This exceptionalism, this absolute conviction of their infallibility and superiority – I am certain that it is the main reason why we are now confronting the nations that wage a proxy war against us through the Kiev regime.” Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February last year, citing NATO’s creeping expansion into its neighbor and Kiev’s failure to implement an EU-mediated roadmap to peace. The US claimed that the move was an act of “unprovoked aggression” and pledged to support Kiev with arms, money and other forms of assistance “for as long as it takes” to defeat Russia strategically. Lavrov called the conflict a proxy war waged against it by Washington and its allies to preserve Western dominance. https://rumble.com/v282566-the-us-prepared-kiev-so-it-could-start-proxy-war-against-russia-lavrov.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=7 - https://www.rt.com/russia/570846-american-exceptionalism-ukraine-lavrov/ ============================================= 1 Feb, 2023 10:07 8) --- Kiev’s ombudsman calls for more curbs on Russian language Universities should set an example by ditching the use of Russian, the commissioner for protecting the Ukrainian language says Speaking Russian should be banned on all university campuses in Ukraine, in and outside lectures, the ombudsman in charge of protecting the Ukrainian language, Taras Kremen, has said. Last week the renowned “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” (NaUKMA), one of the oldest universities in Ukraine, officially forbade students and educators from using Russian within its grounds. “While teaching in Russian hasn’t been conducted at the university for a very long time, now the ban also applies to communicating with each other in the language of the occupiers,” the head of the institution's supervisory board, Gennady Zunko, announced. Kremen reacted to the move by NaUKMA in a Facebook post on Monday, saying it was “a rather powerful initiative, which I hope will be replicated by other universities in Ukraine.” “I support this decision and believe that every university should have the best opportunities for bringing up truly patriotic, strong-willed, educated citizens of Ukraine,” the ombudsman wrote. He pointed to a 2019 law, stating that the only language that can be used in the education process in the country is the state language, which is Ukrainian. Kremen urged the Ministry of Education and other relevant agencies to do their best to make sure that the law is strictly fulfilled as “violations unfortunately still occur in some higher education institutions.” In view of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, “the issue of protecting the language and its affirmation is among the top priorities, so the field of education should be an example in matters of protecting national interests,” he stressed. Since the fighting started in February last year, a campaign to remove all links to Russia and its culture has intensified in Ukraine. Among other things, a statue of Catherine the Great was torn down in Odessa in November, even though the city was founded on the order of the Russian Empress in 1794. Several cities, including Dnepr and Chernovtsy, have removed statues and memorial plaques dedicated to classical Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Moscow has denounced such policies by Kiev, saying that attempts to cancel Russian culture and the “forced Ukrainization” of the country violate international norms and infringe upon the rights of around a quarter of Ukraine’s population, who are Russian-speaking. https://www.rt.com/russia/570798-ukraine-russian-language-kremen/ =========================================== 3 Feb, 2023 16:48 9) --- Sanctions on Russian oil not working – analysts The restrictions were invented by bureaucrats who do not understand how oil markets work, industry experts tell CNBC Sanctions imposed by the West on Russian crude oil exports have so far “failed completely,” and new price caps could also prove ineffective, according to a CNBC report on Friday, citing analysts. The conclusions come as the European Union plans to ban imports of Russian refined petroleum products, including diesel and jet fuel, from February 5. The bloc had already prohibited imports of seaborne crude oil from Moscow in December. The EU, G7 countries, and Australia have also set a $60-per-barrel price cap, which blocks Western companies from providing insurance and other services to shippers of Russian oil unless the cargo is purchased at or below the set price. The price cap “was invented by bureaucrats with finance degrees. None of them really understand oil markets,” Paul Sankey, president and lead analyst at Sankey Research, told CNBC. “It’s been a total bomb; it has failed completely,” he stressed. According to Sankey, Russian oil supplies have not been significantly interrupted and “they’ve sustained exports at high levels.” “I heard it from a great source that the Saudis have been asking around as to how come Russian oil is still flowing,” he said. “That brings the question of what will happen with the sanctions coming up on products, because it just doesn’t seem to work.” The founder of analytics firm Vanda Insights, Vandana Hari, also told the US broadcaster she was skeptical about the upcoming restrictions on Russian refined oil products, noting that “the crude price cap was pretty inconsequential.” “I think the refined product caps that they’re planning – about a $100 [per barrel] for diesel and clean products and perhaps around $45 for dirty fuels like fuel oil – are probably going to be immaterial as well,” the analyst explained. According to Hari, Russian oil will find its way into the markets that are “still welcoming it” such as China and India. “China and India have benefited quite a big deal last year from heavily discounted Russian crude prices and the same’s going to happen to Russian refined products,” Hari predicted, adding that it could be more complicated for Moscow to find markets for such products. Paul Sankey also noted that “oil friendships are greasy” and there’s a lot of different ways to move Russian oil around the world, bypassing the price caps. Meanwhile, the EU has been struggling to agree on the price cap for Russian oil products, with some members reportedly claiming the proposed level is too generous for Moscow, and seeking a lower ceiling. The measures are expected to come into effect on February 5 after gaining the approval of all 27 EU member states. https://www.rt.com/business/570896-western-sanctions-russian-oil-fail/ ============================================ 3 Feb, 2023 15:54 ++ Extra ++ Iconic fashion designer dead Paco Rabanne was best known for his eccentric space-age designs and best-selling perfumes Spanish-born fashion designer Paco Rabanne has died aged 88 in the French town of Porstall, where he lived. His death was confirmed by Puig, which controls the fashion house and fragrance business bearing his name. In a statement, Puig president Jose Manuel Albesa said Rabanne “marked generations with his radical vision of fashion and his legacy will live on.” Rabanne, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, was best known for eccentric futuristic styles using materials like plastic, metal and paper, making him a major figure in the space-age fashion movement of the 1960s. His first collection using plastics was presented in 1966 and was titled “12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials.” Rabanne “made transgression magnetic” with his “radical, rebellious spirit,” Paco Rabanne was born in 1934; Rabanne’s father was a colonel in the Republican military who was shot dead by Francoist troops during the Spanish Civil War. His mother was a chief seamstress at Cristobal Balenciaga’s first fashion house in the Basque country. The family later moved to Paris, where Rabanne studied architecture and began creating sketches for Dior and Givenchy. Over the course of his career, Rabanne dressed stars from Audrey Hepburn to Lady Gaga. He retired in 1999 and had rarely made appearances in public since. The cause of Rabanne’s death was not confirmed. https://www.rt.com/news/570924-paco-rabanne-dead-fashion/ ======================================

Donbass offensive: Donetsk republic authorities say Russian troops have almost encircled the Ukrainian-held town of Ugledar, as intense battles in the area continue. - Enerdogar: One person has been killed after a car bomb explosion, terror attack, more info to follow. - Donetsk: Ukraine forces have continued to shell residential-only regions of Donetsk and at least one civilian has been killed and an apartment building destroyed. Eight towns came under attack from Ukraine forces on Thursday - all areas hit were civilian only. Roman Kosarev reports on the almost daily attacks which are war crimes, directed at civilians with no military or strategic targets anywhere in sight. Most attacks are with U.S. or NATO supplied weapons. - RT visits a refugee centre in Lugansk and talks to the people staying there. - European Union / Ukraine summit: Attendees are instructed not to wear anything brightly coloured to distract from Pres. Zelensky. - USA / Ukraine: A leaked phone call recording shows (then) Vice Pres. Biden warning Ukraine's Pres. Poroshenko on "banking policy", suggesting there could be financial and physical consequences if Biden's instructions were not followed. Caleb Maupin reports and Earl Rasmussen analyses the losing of Ukraine's "independence" entirely. - Africa: Burkina Faso and Mali join forces to counter the ongoing threat of terrorism, amid frustration at French force's failure to tackle militant insurgencies in the region. "creating a new federation should be undertaken now". RT talks to citizens who have come under constant terror and threat over the past years. Ouezen Louis Oulon, a local correspondent talks of recent horrors and some history. (Please also catch up on previous posts on this channel or better still on the RT website where there is much more detail www.rt.com ) - Israel/Palestine: 224 people were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and Gaza in 2022. Maria Finoshina continues with reports of what can only be described as legalised murders with the international community deliberately turning a blind eye. - Yemen: "Houthi tactics 'made it difficult' for Saudis to avoid war crimes in Yemen" That's according to British barrister James Eadie telling a London high court. A judicial review was brought by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and Mwatana for Human Rights, challenging the UK's continued licensing of arms sales to Riyadh despite concerns about Saudi war crimes in the eight-year conflict. Over 20 million people in Yemen need humanitarian help. Hunger has reached extreme levels, with 2.3 million children needing treatment for malnutrition. 161,000 Yemenis are face famine and more than double that is expected this year, 2023. UN estimates, over 377,000 people have been killed in the war so far and millions have been displaced from their homes. Medicines are in short supply too, all because of the blockade created by NATO during Obama's presidency and the continued supply of weapons to Saudi, plus training and other administrative assistance by Britain (including loading up the bombs on the planes). Alexander McKay reports; Britain is still operating as an "imperial power" in the region. - Russia - Lessons of History. 80th Anniversary of Russia's Victory over Nazi Germany - Battle of Stalingrad: Pres. Putin was at Volgograd and delivered a speech at the ceremony honouring the heroes of the Stalingrad Battle. In his speech he said "“Unbelievable, but true, we are once again threatened with German Leopard tanks, with crosses on their hull. And once again seeking to battle Russia in Ukraine with the help of Hitler’s followers, the Banderites” RT's Igor Zhdanov was there and reports. =========================================== Below, via RT website A) --- Putin issues warning to West at Stalingrad event 1) --- ‘Chinese spy balloon’ breached US airspace – Pentagon 2) --- Kremlin reacts to calls to bring back Stalingrad 2a) --- Operation Uranus: The day Hitler’s Nazis were smashed and the Soviet Union began to take the upper hand in WW2 3) --- White House denies Biden offered Putin ‘20% of Ukraine’ 3a) --- CIA head briefs Zelensky on ‘Russia’s next steps’ – media 3b) --- Pentagon think tank warns against ‘long war’ in Ukraine 4) --- EU state’s incoming president urges ‘unlimited’ aid for Ukraine 4a) --- Ex-NATO commander wins Czech presidential election =========================================== 2 Feb, 2023 14:51 A) --- Putin issues warning to West at Stalingrad event The Russian president has condemned Western tank deliveries to Ukraine, promising a response that goes beyond armored vehicles Russian President Vladimir Putin has hit out at the looming deliveries of Western-made tanks to Ukraine, warning that Moscow’s response to the threat will span far beyond armored vehicles. The Russian leader made the comments during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of victory at the Battle of Stalingrad. “Unbelievable, but true – we are once again threatened with German Leopard tanks, with crosses on their hull. And once again seeking to battle Russia in Ukraine with the help of Hitler’s followers, the Banderites,” Putin said. “Those seeking to defeat Russia on the battlefield apparently do not realize that a modern war with Russia would be entirely different for them. We’re not sending our tanks to their borders. Yet we have something to respond with, and it would not be limited to armor use only, everyone must realize that,” he added. Last week, Berlin changed its stance on supplying modern armor to Kiev, pledging to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks as well as allowing European countries to re-export German-made vehicles from their own inventories. The number of Leopards expected to be funneled to Ukraine amounts to some 112 vehicles. Separately, Washington pledged to send 31 Abrams tanks, but doesn’t expect to deliver them until late 2023 at the earliest. Moscow has repeatedly urged the collective West to stop “pumping” Ukraine with modern weaponry, warning that the ongoing military aid would merely prolong the hostilities and inflict more suffering on everyday Ukrainians, rather than change the ultimate outcome of the conflict. https://www.rt.com/russia/570872-putin-response-to-threats/ =============================================== 3 Feb, 2023 03:36 1) --- ‘Chinese spy balloon’ breached US airspace – Pentagon The military has confirmed taking immediate action to protect “sensitive” homeland intelligence The Pentagon has spotted what it believes to be a surveillance balloon in the northern US and is monitoring it closely, though the White House has advised not to take military action to shoot it down. The balloon, which senior officials say belongs to China, was first spotted on Wednesday. Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced on Thursday that the US government “has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” and is watching it closely. The balloon was last confirmed sighted in the skies above Billings, Montana, but its current location has not been disclosed. In a Wednesday meeting commanded by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, top military officials discussed how to respond to the balloon and briefed the White House on its location, assuring that it posed no threat to aircraft due to its high elevation. The military is still considering the option of shooting it down. “Currently we assess that this balloon has limited additive value from an intelligence collection perspective over and above what the PRC can do through other means,” a senior defense official said at a press briefing. “Nevertheless we are taking all necessary steps to protect against foreign intelligence collection of sensitive information,” he assured. The Defense department has stated it is confident the balloon belongs to China, and US officials have been in communication with Beijing as all options remain on the table as to next steps. Beijing, as of Friday, has not taken responsibility for the balloon. The incident comes days ahead of a planned trip to Beijing by US Secretary Antony Blinken, the first such high level visit to China since 2020. https://www.rt.com/news/570886-pentagon-china-spy-balloon/ see also https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3287204/senior-defense-official-holds-a-background-briefing-on-high-altitude-surveillan/ (QS: where not one of them had the brains to ask how this "Chinese balloon" is managing to steer itself or why it picked Montana) =============================================== 2 Feb, 2023 16:01 2) --- Kremlin reacts to calls to bring back Stalingrad Restoring Volgograd’s Soviet-era name is not currently being considered by the Kremlin, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says Calls to rename the Russian city of Volgograd back to Stalingrad should be treated with caution, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. The idea has been proposed by several activists ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the key events of World War II, marked on February 2. “There are no discussions in the administration or at the presidential level” regarding the proposed name change, Peskov told journalists on Thursday. The spokesman referred to a recent survey by state-run pollster VTSIOM, showing most locals “didn’t share the opinion” that their city should be called Stalingrad again. “That’s why one must be very careful and weigh all pros and cons” when deciding the issue, Peskov said. Some 67% of Volgograd residents who took part in the study published on Wednesday said that they were against restoring the name ‘Stalingrad.’ The most popular grounds for objection were that it would be too costly for the city budget. Those in favor of the name change made up 26%, according to the poll, viewing it as a means of preserving historical memory. Volgograd, home to around a million people, sits on the Volga River in southern Russia and was established in the late 16th century with the original name Tsaritsyn. It was renamed Stalingrad in 1925 after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and received its modern-day name in 1961. Between July 17, 1942 and February 2, 1943, the city was the venue of the Battle of Stalingrad, believed to be the biggest and bloodiest standoff of World War II. The events played a decisive role in turning the tide of the conflict in favor of the USSR. According to some estimates, the fighting between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany resulted in up to two million casualties, with more than a million dead. The city was razed to the ground during the hostilities, and had to be rebuilt almost from scratch. The idea of bringing back the name ‘Stalingrad’ has repeatedly been mooted in recent years. Last month, a group called the International Union of Former Juvenile Victims of Fascism made the proposal in letters to former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who is in charge of the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, and to Volgograd Region Governor Andrey Bocharov. Some of the signs in Volgograd have temporarily been replaced with those reading ‘Stalingrad,’ a change made for nine days every year on the anniversary of the historic battle. https://www.rt.com/russia/570865-volgograd-stalingrad-kremlin-peskov/ ============================================ Originally posted on 20 Nov, 2022 10:53 (History Feature) 2a) --- Operation Uranus: The day Hitler’s Nazis were smashed and the Soviet Union began to take the upper hand in WW2 Berlin didn’t expect Moscow’s maneuver, which came at roughly the midpoint of the five-month long Battle of Stalingrad On February 2, Russia celebrates the Day of Military Honor. Exactly 80 years ago on this day, the Red Army won the bloodiest fight in human history – the Battle of Stalingrad. The victory of the USSR was brought about by the successful counter-offensive operation ‘Uranus’. This feature was first published on November 20, 2022, the 80th anniversary of the beginning of that counter-offensive. Early in the morning, exactly 80 years ago, the soldiers of the 3rd Romanian Army were awakened in their cold dugouts on the right bank of the Don River by the roar of artillery hitting their positions. By lunchtime, Commander Petre Dumitrescu reported to the leadership of Army Group South that it was impossible to prevent the enemy from crossing the river. A day later, his group was shredded by massive tank strikes. Two weeks later, it practically ceased to exist. At that point, the Soviet troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of Nikolai Vatutin began their part of Operation Uranus, which resulted in the first major strategic defeat for the Axis countries – the beginning of the end. For the Allies, the Battle of Stalingrad would long stand as a symbol of military fortitude and Russian military genius. What were the key mistakes of the German command? What revolutionary warfare methods did the Soviet generals employ during the Battle of Stalingrad? What non-obvious consequences did the disruption of the German offensive in southern Russia have? A decisive November The autumn of 1942 is considered the turning point in World War II. The seemingly relentless offensive of the Axis powers and their seizure of new territories and resources were finally put to an end in all theaters. By December, the strategic advantage had swung to the Allies. After this, only they would dictate the course of the war, and the Germans and the Japanese could only react. Of course, the British would claim that the tide was turned in Egypt near El Alamein on October 24, when Bernard Montgomery managed to beat the Desert Fox Erwin Rommel and his African Corps, who were exhausted by a shortage of supplies. This put an end to German attempts to invade Egypt and block the Suez Canal, which would have significantly complicated the situation for England, since the island nation was extremely dependent on food and resources supplied by its colonies. Two weeks later, the British in North Africa were already supported by the Americans in the West, who were conducting Operation Torch – a large-scale troop landing in Morocco and Algeria, which were formally under the control of France’s pro-Hitler Vichy government. Despite Rommel’s stubborn resistance in Tunisia, the outcome of the campaign was a foregone conclusion. However, the Americans themselves tend to believe that the outcome of the war in the fall of 1942 was decided not in North Africa, but on the opposite side of the world – on the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific. The landmass was of great strategic importance, as control over it made it possible to secure commercial shipping between Australia and the United States and threaten the large Japanese naval base in Rabaul (New Britain). In August, US Marine Corps units landed on the island and immediately captured an important airbase, later called Henderson Field. Throughout the autumn, the Marines successfully defended this site with the support of aviation and the navy. The decisive battle was on November 13-14, when the Japanese lost their entire landing force, which was supposed to support the garrison of Guadalcanal, as well as several large ships, including the battleships Hiei and Kirishima. Japan’s expansion to the south was checked at the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, and it only lost previously captured territories after December of 1942. But, in point of fact, neither Hitler nor Stalin had any doubts that the future of the world was being determined on the Volga steppes from November 19 to 24, when 270,000 Wehrmacht troops under the command of Friedrich Paulus were forced into a cauldron by a heavy blow from the Southwestern and Stalingrad fronts. The subsequent failure to unblock the encircled units doomed the Blau plan and killed any hopes Berlin had for a successful outcome to the war. Blue is the color of (Hitler’s) sadness The German General Staff called the plan of action on the eastern front ‘Fall Blau’, or Blue. The main goal of the campaign in the summer of 1942 was initially to capture the oil fields of Maikop and Grozny. The fuel reserves stored in Germany before the war were coming to an end, and synthetic fuel and Romanian oil from Ploiesti were not enough to service all of the Wehrmacht’s tanks and Luftwaffe’s planes. Therefore, the offensive in the Caucasus was considered a priority. Stalingrad was a secondary goal, and storming the city was not envisaged. It would be enough to pummel it with constant artillery fire, as was the case with Leningrad. However, at first things went so well for the Germans that capturing the industrial and transport center on the Volga began to look like an easy and even natural task. This deceptively low-hanging fruit eventually buried the Third Reich. The Red Army’s failures in the spring and summer were primarily due to Stalin’s and the Soviet High Command’s mistakes in assessing the enemy’s plans. The fact is that the invasion of the USSR was initially dictated by the need to seize the resources of Ukraine and the North Caucasus. It was the seizure of the Lebensraum im Osten – the living space in the East – that Hitler and Rosenberg first thought about when authorizing the Barbarossa plan. This was also anticipated by Stalin, who concentrated his main forces in the west of Ukraine in 1941. Due to the suddenness of the attack and catastrophic errors in management, these troops were destroyed in the Battle of the Border and later near Odessa and Kiev. But the German generals, led by Chief of General Staff Franz Halder and Paulus – the main drafter of the Barbarossa plan (such is the historical irony) – were able to convince the Fuhrer of the need to repeat the blitzkrieg that brought victory in France. They considered it possible to destroy or trap the main part of the Soviet army in cauldrons with tank spearheads, after which they could take the enemy’s capital and force a surrender. However, the stubborn resistance of the Red Army near Smolensk and Moscow proved that such calculations were a mistake, even if not yet fatal. In the 1942 campaign, Stalin was sure his adversary would try to finish what he had begun and take Moscow. Therefore, the main forces of the Red Army were concentrated in the central part of the country. But this time Hitler had no choice – he had to urgently ensure the safety of the Kuban agricultural fields and the mines of Donbass, get Grozny oil, and prepare an offensive on the Baku and Azerbaijani oil fields. The Red Army forces’ weak position in the south deteriorated further after an incompetent attempt by Semyon Timoshenko’s troops to retake Kharkov in May. As a result of a counteroffensive conducted by the 6th Paulus Army and 1st Panzer Group Kleist, 240,000 Soviet soldiers and officers were captured in the Barvenkov cauldron alone. The front actually collapsed, and what official reports called a strategic retreat was, in practice, more like an escape. It was at this moment that Hitler, inspired by this success, decided to divide Army Group South into two parts. The first was sent to the south to fulfill the main mission of capturing the oil fields, which by that time had already been set on fire by Soviet oilmen, with a subsequent strike on Rostov-on-Don. The second – consisting of the 6th Paulus Army, the 4th Goth Tank Army, and two armies made up of Romanians, Hungarians, and Italians – was to pursue the Soviet units retreating to the east with the aim of besieging Stalingrad and capturing Astrakhan by winter. While controlling Astrakhan would have completely cut central Russia off from Caucasian oil, Hitler saw the attack on Stalingrad more as a personal blow to the enemy’s leader, as the city bore his name. It was here in 1918 that Stalin found his most loyal political ally, Voroshilov, as well as his main enemy, Trotsky. It was also here that American engineers had built one of the symbols of Stalin’s industrialization policy, representing the industrial power of the USSR – a colossal tractor plant. The resistance to the main onslaught, which was organized by the 62nd and 64th Armies on the distant approaches to the city, was weak and clearly ineffective in steppe conditions. It seemed to the German command that the Russians were about to finally run out of strength, and the last defenders of the city would die in its ruins amidst the smoke and fires from incessant bombing. How wrong they were. Father of modern warfare Lieutenant General Vasily Chuikov was recalled to Stalingrad from China, where he had served as a military attaché and chief military advisor to Chiang Kai-shek since December 1940. He had thus missed the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War, although he had been asking to be sent to the frontlines ever since the fighting started. It may just be that not having the weight of the bitter defeats of the first year of the war on his shoulders gave Chuikov the moral fortitude to keep defending Stalingrad till the end. What made him famous though was his personal courage, doggedness, strictness bordering on rudeness, and even a certain daredevil attitude. Back in July 1942, his plane was shot down by a German fighter while he was inspecting his defense positions. Three months later, on October 14, as the city was being stormed for the third time, even his nerves of steel were beginning to rattle as the army headquarters was hit with a projectile. Chuikov suffered a blast injury, dozens of army staff members died. And yet he remained firmly committed to his motto: "There is no land for us behind the Volga." What did Stalingrad look like in September-October 1942? It was a narrow strip, hardly more than 1km wide, of densely built residential and industrial areas that had been devastated by bombing and shelling. Buried in the rubble were the corpses of several thousand civilians – and soldiers from both sides. The air was foul with the stench of burning factories: Red October, Barrikady, the brick plant, and, of course, the giant Stalingrad Tractor Plant. Oil was burning and seeping from storage tanks into the Volga, as barges and boats carried reinforcements from the left bank to the right and wounded soldiers from the right bank to the left at night under relentless enemy aircraft fire. By mid-November, the Soviet 62nd Army’s line of defense had been split into several islands. It is difficult to give exact numbers because fighting continued nonstop, but experts say there were no more than 20,000 Soviet troops along the actual line of contact and about three times as many German soldiers from General Paulus’ Sixth Army (with the total size of the German group estimated at about 270,000). A lot of the action was almost hand-to-hand combat. Trapped by rubble and barricades, German tanks couldn’t maneuver and became an easy target for antitank guns and Molotov cocktails. Frontlines would run across staircases in apartment buildings, with Soviets often mounting counteroffensives at night approaching from basements, attics, or sewer pipes. Snipers attracted a lot of attention, with Soviet propaganda extolling Vasily Zaitsev as a hero. His legendary, albeit not entirely corroborated by historical evidence, duel with the chief instructor of a German sniper school was the inspiration for ‘Enemy at the Gates’, a Hollywood movie, where Zaitsev, a simple lad from the Urals region of Russia, is played by Jude Law. According to veterans’ reports, however, it was not the sniper rifle that decided the outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad but the simple PPSh submachine-gun, with its very high rate of fire and close combat effectiveness. Before Stalingrad, there had been virtually no historical precedent of fighting in big, built-up cities, except perhaps the siege of Madrid by General Franco’s forces. There were no manuals or guidelines describing urban fighting. Chuikov and his soldiers wrote those rules with blood on the destroyed walls of buildings. The general and his army, later renamed the 8th Guards Army, drew on that experience later during the Battle for Berlin, which fell within a week. Since then, cities rather than fields and woods have increasingly seen the fiercest fighting, from Warsaw, Konigsberg, and Seoul to Grozny, Fallujah, and Mariupol. Modern warfare was born in Stalingrad. Ghost of an executed marshal Temperatures fell sharply to 18-20 degrees Celsius below zero at night in early November. As the German Sixth Army, worn out by a months-long offensive, freezing, decimated by bloody urban fighting, and suffering from inconsistent supplies along the few steppe roads, which autumn rains had turned into mud, was persevering in its attempts to carry out Hitler’s orders and push Chuikov’s army into the river, its fate was decided hundreds of kilometers away from Stalingrad at the flanks of the overextended front that were protected by poorly equipped and under-motivated Romanian armies. It was there that the main strikes of Operation Uranus were delivered on November 19 and 20. Uranus was the first in a series of brilliant Red Army operations, which already bore many of the hallmarks that came to define the strategy of the Soviet General Staff. First was the highly unpredictable choice of the main strike areas, as the attacks were not aimed at the flanks of the Sixth Army itself but rather at areas deep behind it. Second, maximum secrecy was adhered to during the preparation period to conceal the true intentions from the enemy. The perceived hopelessness of the resistance on the part of the defenders of Stalingrad lulled Hitler into assuming, until the very last, that the Red Army was fighting at the top of its capabilities and had no resources for a counteroffensive. Third, unorthodox solutions were found to complex problems and ample supplies were provided to the attacking forces. A case in point is the airborne mission to supply antifreeze to the mechanized units of the 51st and 57th Armies that were being deployed in the steppes south of Stalingrad. The cold snap was forcing armor crews to dig pits under their tanks, cover them with tarps for protection and keep fires burning under them to prevent water coolant from freezing and destroying the engines. In the absence of a proper road system, it was impossible to deliver enough antifreeze within the short period of time left before the launch of the offensive. Eventually, over 60 tons of antifreeze coolant was brought from the Moscow region by air using cargo gliders. In the course of a week, pilots completed about 60 resupply missions, flying in a semi-reclined position inside plywood contraptions in freezing cold, often at night. Finally, Uranus was the first major operation executed in accordance with the deep operations theory developed by Vladimir Triandafillov in the 1920s. The theory, which emphasizes destroying enemy forces not only at the line of contact but throughout the depth of the battlefield, was refined and introduced into the Red Army manual by Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky. After Stalin’s purges of the military in 1937 and Tukhachevsky’s execution, the theory was declared wrong and even harmful. Yet it was borne out by practice and was crucial for the success of the Battle of Stalingrad. The same approach was used with the Battle of Kursk, the Battle of the Dnieper, Operation Bagration, the Vistula-Oder offensive, and many others. Close call for the allies Traditionally, the main outcomes of the Battle of Stalingrad are said to be the frustration of Germany’s offensive plans, Moscow retaining control over oil supplies from Baku along the Volga, the Wehrmacht’s large-scale retreat, the protection of the Caucasus from further German advances, the fact that the Red Army now had the strategic initiative, and a major boost to the Soviet troops’ morale after such a decisive victory culminating in the capture of a German field marshal. The foreign-policy dimension is also frequently discussed, as it paved the way, in the winter of 1943, for the first negotiations between the Allies about the post-war spheres of influence, which eventually led to the Tehran Conference. However, there is one important consideration that is usually ignored because it goes way beyond one theater and has to do with the bigger picture of the war. What if, instead of getting bogged down in Stalingrad, Hitler had continued with his initial plan of capturing the Caucasus? What if he and his high command had been more realistic in assessing their capabilities? What if the Germans had succeeded in crushing Chuikov’s 62nd Army after all? Just before the Second Battle of El Alamein, Erwin Rommel had to leave his army and return to Europe to treat his diphtheria. As he was preparing to hand over command to his subordinate, Rommel wrote a detailed memo for the Fuhrer describing the situation at hand and asking him to advance into the Caucasus as soon as possible. If the German troops had not been immobilized in Stalingrad in the summer of 1942 and had instead moved into Transcaucasia, Britain would have been forced to transfer its troops from Africa to northern Iran. Pro-German sentiment was strong in Iraq, while Syria and Lebanon were controlled by the collaborationist French Vichy regime. Turkey, which remained neutral until almost the very end of the war, had strong economic ties to Germany. After the defeat in World War I stripped Berlin of its colonies, the revival of the country’s economy was mainly due to new markets in the Balkans and Turkey. Surrounded by the Germans on all sides, Ankara would likely have joined the Axis, especially given the prevalence of nationalist and revanchist sentiment in the country, as well as the age-long dream of seizing control over southern Azerbaijan from Iran. This development would have changed the situation globally, creating a new theater and threatening British oil production in Iran. Ultimately, it would have improved Germany’s chances of winning the war, or at least protracting it by a year or two. In any case, November 1942 would certainly not be seen as the turning point of World War II today. By Anatoliy Brusnikin, Russian journalist https://www.rt.com/russia/566785-the-bloodiest-battle-in-human-history/ ============================================= 3 Feb, 2023 00:52 3) --- White House denies Biden offered Putin ‘20% of Ukraine’ The CIA also quickly disavowed explosive claims by the Swiss-German paper of record President Joe Biden allegedly sent CIA chief William Burns on a secret mission to Moscow and then Kiev in mid-January, according to a report in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NNZ) on Wednesday. The White House and CIA both addressed the allegations on Thursday, saying it was not true that the US had offered Russia 20% of Ukrainian territory as part of a peace proposal. According to confidential conversations with two German lawmakers dealing with foreign policy – one from the ruling coalition, the other from the opposition – Burns reportedly offered a “land for peace” deal in which Russia would keep some “20% of Ukraine’s territory” – about the size of Donbass. The Swiss-German newspaper mentioned the supposed proposal in passing, focusing on the chain of events that led to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden announcing they would send Leopard 2 and Abrams heavy tanks to the government in Kiev. The NZZ report is “not accurate” and the CIA will say the same, deputy spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Sean Davett, told Newsweek. A CIA official then told the US outlet that reports of a secret Moscow trip by Burns, or a peace proposal on behalf of the White House were “completely false.” https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-vladimir-putin-ukraine-territory-end-war-nzz-report-1778526 The Washington Post reported earlier that Burns had taken a secret trip to Kiev ahead of the tank announcement, in order to meet and brief Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. From what the two German politicians told NZZ, the peace offer hinted at a split in Washington regarding the conflict. While Burns and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan want to wrap up the fighting in Ukraine quickly to focus on China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are committed to backing Kiev. The Swiss outlet further pointed to a recent report by the Rand Corporation, urging Washington to avoid a “long war” in Ukraine – among other reasons, so the US can focus on China. Both Ukraine and Russia refused the US proposal, NZZ claimed. Kiev said it was unwilling to give up any territory, while Moscow was confident of victory. Asked about the NZZ report, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy told Newsweek he found it “interesting” but declined to comment on “speculation.” https://www.rt.com/news/570884-cia-russia-ukraine-land-peace/ ================== 20 Jan, 2023 04:39 3a) --- CIA head briefs Zelensky on ‘Russia’s next steps’ – media The US intel chief reportedly made another trip to Kiev last week CIA Director William Burns quietly visited the Ukrainian capital for a classified meeting with President Vladimir Zelensky and his intelligence apparatus, multiple outlets reported on Thursday. Besides sharing Washington's intelligence analysis, the official also allegedly warned that US military aid could wane in the coming months amid opposition from Republicans, who recently took control of Congress. Burns arrived in Kiev sometime late last week and discussed “his expectations for what Russia is planning militarily in the coming weeks and months,” emphasizing “the urgency of the moment on the battlefield” for Ukrainian forces, according to the Washington Post. “Director Burns traveled to Kiev where he met with Ukrainian intelligence counterparts as well as President Zelensky and reinforced our continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” an unnamed US official confirmed in a statement to Reuters. During the talks, Ukrainian officials reportedly raised concerns about US support and asked how long they could expect the aid to continue. Burns allegedly acknowledged that “at some point assistance would be harder to come by” with Republicans again holding a majority in the House, as a number of conservative lawmakers have grown increasingly critical of the American largesse. Since taking office, President Joe Biden has authorized more than $27 billion in direct military assistance to Kiev, with the latest $2.5 billion aid package approved on Thursday. Last week’s trip was not Burns’ only visit to Ukraine over the last year, having met with Zelensky in January 2022 – weeks before Russia sent troops into the neighboring state – and again in November. He is said to be a “respected figure” among officials in Kiev due to his intelligence briefings, which have included warnings about plots to assassinate the Ukrainian leader and information about Russia’s military plans According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Burns also met with the head of Moscow’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, in Turkey last November, around the same time he visited Kiev. While Lavrov said “no revelations” were made during the talks, he noted that the sit-down came at Biden’s request. Naryshkin, meanwhile, said he is ready for another round of talks with Burns earlier this week, provided the two sides can agree on the details. A career-long diplomat before becoming CIA director, Burns previously served as the US envoy to the Russian Federation under President Barack Obama. As ambassador, he issued warnings behind the scenes about NATO’s continued expansion toward Russia’s borders, penning a 2008 memo obtained by WikiLeaks which discusses the subject in detail. Nonetheless, Burns remains vocally critical of Moscow in public comments, telling PBS last month that Russia is not “serious” about “real negotiation” to end the conflict with Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/news/570171-cia-burns-zelensky-kiev/ ====================== RELATED (previously posted) from 27 Jan, 2023 20:42 3b) --- Pentagon think tank warns against ‘long war’ in Ukraine Costs of continued conflict outweigh further benefits to the US, a RAND Corporation study says While both Moscow and Kiev think they will benefit from continued fighting, such a turn of events does not serve Washington’s best interests, the Pentagon’s think tank RAND Corporation argues in a new report published on Friday. Authored by Samuel Charap and Miranda Priebe, “Avoiding a Long War” accepts the prevailing premises about the conflict, but notes that US interests “often align with but are not synonymous with Ukrainian interests.” According to the authors, the conflict has already inflicted significant economic, military and reputational damage on Russia, so its “further incremental weakening is arguably no longer as significant a benefit for US interests.” The price to the West has not been insignificant either, from the disruption to energy, food and fertilizer markets to the cost of “keeping the Ukrainian state economically solvent,” which will only “multiply over time.” NATO’s military aid to Ukraine “could also become unsustainable after a certain period,” while Russia may “reverse Ukrainian battlefield gains,” they said. The conflict is “absorbing senior policymakers’ time and US military resources,” distracting Washington from other global priorities, such as China, while pushing Moscow closer to Beijing. "In short, the consequences of a long war – ranging from persistent elevated escalation risks to economic damage – far outweigh the possible benefits." The study describes President Vladimir Zelensky’s vision of victory, in which Ukraine would recover all the territories it lays claim to and force Russia to submit to war crimes trials and reparations, as “optimistic” and “improbable.” Moscow, “perceives this war to be near existential” and has signaled “a high level of resolve,” the authors caution, raising the probability it might use nuclear weapons if it feels threatened. Prospects for some kind of negotiated peace are “poor in the near term,” the report acknowledges, as Kiev believes Western support will continue indefinitely, while Moscow has been given no reason to believe the sanctions will ever be lifted. The US could “condition future military aid on a Ukrainian commitment to negotiations,” while giving Kiev security commitments, but “not as binding as US mutual defense treaties” or NATO membership, the report suggested. Washington should also give Moscow assurances regarding Ukraine’s neutrality and set “conditions for sanctions relief.” Founded in 1948 by the US military-industrial complex, RAND has provided the Pentagon with policy advice for decades. In 2019, the think tank provided a blueprint for “overextending and unbalancing” Russia that included economic sanctions, sending weapons to Ukraine, promoting uprisings in Central Asia and even deploying more nuclear weapons to Europe. By contrast, the advice on how to avoid escalation with Moscow while arming Kiev, from July last year, seems to have had little to no effect. https://www.rt.com/news/570589-rand-russia-ukraine-pentagon/ ============================================ 2 Feb, 2023 21:36 4) --- EU state’s incoming president urges ‘unlimited’ aid for Ukraine The West should provide Kiev with whatever it needs to fight Moscow, new Czech leader Petr Pavel has argued There should be “no limits” on Western military aid for Ukraine, according to Czech president-elect Petr Pavel. The former NATO general, who was elected as head of state in late January, made the hawkish remarks in an interview with AFP published on Thursday. “When it comes to conventional weapons, I really can see no reason for any limits,” Pavel stated, arguing that Kiev needs more aid to defeat Russia. “We should provide Ukraine with all means to help it push the Russian Army out,” he added. Ukraine cannot fight a tough opponent like this without armored technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles, artillery and longer-range rockets, but maybe also supersonic aircraft. Pavel argued that Kiev’s Western backers should show more courage in delivering advanced arms to Ukraine, asserting that “some countries have a bit of a reserved stance” on sending newer weaponry. The president-elect did not specify the nations that he believes to be lacking in resolve. Pavel also voiced support for Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, stating that its potential membership within the US-led military bloc was only “a matter of political will.” Kiev has already met all the requirements to join the bloc “in terms of agreement on values, long-term strategic interests, [and] technological interoperability” with NATO, the incoming Czech president said. “If we perceive NATO and the EU as a zone of stability, cooperation, [and] good relations, then we should allow another large European country to join,” Pavel added, claiming that Kiev’s forces are set to become “the most experienced, best prepared army in Europe.” The Czech Republic has been among the most active supporters of Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, sending dozens of older Soviet-made tanks, self-propelled artillery, and other military hardware to Kiev. So far, the nation has funneled military aid to Ukraine worth $217 million, the country’s defense ministry told AFP. Moscow has repeatedly urged the West to stop “pumping” Ukraine with modern weaponry, warning that continued aid would only prolong the hostilities and inflict more suffering on everyday Ukrainians, rather than change the ultimate outcome of the conflict. https://www.rt.com/news/570881-ukraine-unlimited-military-aid/ (QS: how did Petr Pavel get elected with this going on and a massive (80%) objections o involvment in Ukraine conflict : https://rumble.com/v1v8xz2-prague-protesters-rally-over-energy-crisis-against-arms-shipments-to-ukrain.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=2 ) ================= 28 Jan, 2023 18:48 4a) --- Ex-NATO commander wins Czech presidential election Petr Pavel has beaten former PM Andrej Babis in a second-round runoff, according to preliminary results Former NATO commander Petr Pavel won a second-round runoff election to become president of the Czech Republic on Saturday, beating former Prime Minister Andrej Babis with 58% of the vote to the latter’s 42%, according to the Czech Statistical Office. The ballots from 99% of nearly 15,000 polling stations have been already counted. Representing the poll as a “clash of two worlds,” Pavel’s campaign declared he opposed “the one represented by Babis and [incumbent president Milos] Zeman,” which he described as “a world of chaos, failure to solve problems, personal gain, and behind-the-scenes influences.” Pavel thanked voters for their support, declaring that “values such as truth, dignity, respect and humility have won in this election.” He will take office in March. Pavel, who chaired NATO’s military committee from 2015 to 2018, touted those credentials and pledged to “restore integrity” to the role of president, accusing his predecessor Milos Zeman of “stretching the constitution” and “bringing us to the brink with pro-China and pro-Russia policies.” The former NATO bigwig and his opponent were both members of the Communist Party prior to the end of its rule over the former Czechoslovakia. However, Pavel’s training to become a spy became a subject of controversy. He insisted he never got a chance to actually work in espionage. Babis, a billionaire who was acquitted of fraud charges earlier this month, had campaigned with the support of Zeman. The outgoing president served for the legal maximum of two terms, defeating multiple impeachment attempts during his tenure. He has also urged caution regarding the conflict in Ukraine lest it expand into World War III. While neither candidate secured a majority during the first round of voting, the other seven candidates rallied around Pavel after they were knocked out in the first round of voting. Voter turnout reached a higher than usual 70%. While Babis and his family reportedly received death threats, Pavel was himself declared dead in a last-minute hoax for which his opponent’s campaign denied responsibility. While the presidential role in the country is described as being largely ceremonial, the office is responsible for formally naming the government, picking the central bank governor and judges, and commanding the armed forces. https://www.rt.com/news/570624-nato-commander-czech-election-president/ ===========================================

FM Lavrov interview: Russia's Foreign Minister says Moscow has all it needs to complete its military operation and is pushing to secure its own territory from Ukrainian attack. "Ukraine is a means to an end" Report from Marina Kosareva. (also see recap below) - Game of Drones: Iran accuses Israel of a drone attack on a military facility near the central city of Isfahan. Tehran pledges to respond, saying that Israel's actions violate international law. Maria Finoshina reports. - Africa: South Africans protest against the country's largest utility company, accusing it of failing to provide reliable power despite a recent energy bill hike. South Africa is so energy rich with a young, well educated workforce and all this talent is being prevented from being let out with "massive" unemployment. 16 years of unreliable energy and South Africa may soon declare a "state of disaster". Karabo LetLhatlha reports. - Yemen: "Houthi tactics 'made it difficult' for Saudis to avoid war crimes in Yemen" That's according to British barrister James Eadie telling a London high court. A judicial review was brought by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and Mwatana for Human Rights, challenging the UK's continued licensing of arms sales to Riyadh despite concerns about Saudi war crimes in the eight-year conflict. Over 20 million people in Yemen need humanitarian help. Hunger has reached extreme levels, with 2.3 million children needing treatment for malnutrition. 161,000 Yemenis are face famine and more than double that is expected this year, 2023. UN estimates, over 377,000 people have been killed in the war so far and millions have been displaced from their homes. Medicines are in short supply too, all because of the blockade created by NATO during Obama's presidency and the continued supply of weapons to Saudi, plus training and other administrative assistance by Britain (including loading up the bombs on the planes). Alexander McKay reports. - Peru: Protests continue despite the move to bring the elections forward. Many have been killed as protesters demand the reinstatement of President Castillo. Roman Migus, a local jounalist, reports from Lima. - Volgograd, Russia: President Putin was honouring the heroes. He laid a flowers at the memorial and then gave a speech where he said " he couldn't believe we're once again threatened by German tanks". There was a parade where thousands attended. There was a reenactment of the last days of the Stalingrad battle. - Pakistan: A court order restricting access to Wikipedia has been issued citing unlawful (blasphemous) content. Shazad Raza reports and expands. ==================================== Below via RT website A) --- Russia outlines response if Ukraine gets longer-range weapons B) --- Russian ambassador comments on ‘normal’ US diplomacy (recap) B) --- (continued) Lavrov reveals message from Blinken C) --- Russian spy chief weighs in on ‘fighting to the last Ukrainian’ 1) --- Putin threatens tough response to Western tank supplies for Kiev 2) --- Moscow warns of new ‘anti-Russia’ 3) --- Top EU diplomat speaks out on fighter jets for Ukraine – media 3a) --- Britain reveals Ukraine tank delivery timeline 4) --- Declassified docs reveal why the US snubbed Russia 6) --- EU member kicks out Russian diplomats 7) --- Mozart Group training Ukrainian troops has ‘ended’ – founder ------------twitter stuff 8) --- Ukrainian official alleges Twitter conspiracy 8a) --- Musk mocks left-wing think tank over Russiagate claims 8b) --- Creators defend failed Russiagate platform 8c) --- Key ‘Russian bots’ claim was false – Twitter documents ======================================= 2 Feb, 2023 10:36 A) --- Russia outlines response if Ukraine gets longer-range weapons The greater Kiev’s capabilities become, the further its troops will be pushed back, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has asserted Ukrainian forces will be pushed further back from Russian territories in response to the West’s decision to provide Kiev with longer-range weapons, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has claimed. Ukraine’s foreign sponsors are getting more bogged down in the conflict with every step, he told the media on Thursday, and Russia will react accordingly. “Now our goal is to push the artillery of the Ukrainian Armed Forces back to a distance, where they would not create a threat to our territories. The longer range the weapons supplied to the Kiev regime have, the further the troops will need to be moved,” Lavrov stated. The Pentagon’s next package of military assistance to Ukraine will reportedly include Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDBs), munitions for rocket artillery, and munitions that have a range of 150km (94 miles). Kiev has long been lobbying donors to provide weapons with greater capabilities, such as MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles, which can strike targets up to 300km (190 miles) away. The approach described by the Russian foreign minister will apply to territories that Ukraine considers to be its own, including Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Crimea and the city of Sevastopol joined Russia in 2014, while the four other provinces did the same last year. Kiev dismissed referendums in which people living in those territories voted for the move as a “sham.” The US has reportedly provided its military aid to Ukraine on condition that it is not used to strike targets in Russia. However, American officials have said this restriction does not apply to Crimea and the other new Russian territories. The West’s arming of Ukraine is “snowballing,” Lavrov said, having started with helmets and escalated to current proposals for the supply of fighter jets. He dismissed statements by some Western officials that Kiev won’t get Western-made warplanes, citing a lack of coherence in their policy. Kiev says it needs modern military aircraft for protection, but US President Joe Biden and the leaders of some EU countries, such as Germany, say it’s not on their agenda. “[German Chancellor Olaf Scholz] stated that NATO would never go to war against Russia. But his foreign minister, [Annalena] Baerbock, said ‘We already are at war with Russia all together,” Lavrov remarked, referring to remarks made by his German counterpart last week. https://www.rt.com/russia/570849-lavrov-western-arms-ukraine/ ============================================ 1 Feb, 2023 22:55 B) --- Russian ambassador comments on ‘normal’ US diplomacy Anatoly Antonov wondered why the State Department chose secret messages via Egypt instead of picking up the phone (QS recall post January 31st 2023 Late : Message from U.A. to Russia: Russia's top diplomat Sergey Lavrov says he's received a message from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, delivered by his Egyptian counterpart who's now in Moscow. The message says the conflict in Ukraine must be ended peacefully - that is, after Russia is defeated. Marina Kosareva reports from Moscow about Sameh Hassan Sooukry's visit to Moscow) Anatoly Antonov, Moscow’s ambassador to Washington, said in an interview on Wednesday that he was baffled that the US chose to pass a message to Russia via Egypt, instead of using the normal and available diplomatic channels. Appearing on the Channel One news show ‘Great Game’ on Wednesday evening, Antonov was asked about the message US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked his Egyptian colleague Sameh Shoukry to pass on to Moscow. “The US considers it normal for Blinken to send some kind of messages to Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov via Shoukry or some other messenger,” Antonov told the show. “What, he can’t pick up the phone and call our minister to discuss serious matters?” Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow has always been willing to listen to a “serious proposal” from Washington when it came to the conflict in Ukraine. What Shoukry passed along from Blinken was nothing of the sort, the Russian foreign minister said. Americans, Antonov told Channel One, are “not inclined to resolve the situation in the Ukrainian territory by diplomatic means.” Instead, Washington keeps “stuffing” the Ukrainian military with weapons and keeping the conflict in a state of “controlled heat.” The Russian ambassador predicted the US will continue to increase weapons deliveries to Kiev, while “steadily testing the reaction of the public at home.” However, he said, Washington is “well aware” that Western weapons and “cannon fodder in the form of Ukrainian military personnel” are not enough to achieve victory. According to Antonov, the conflict in Ukraine is just part of a broader struggle for a new, multipolar world order, “whose outlines can already be seen.” The ambassador also noted that contacts between the US and Russia have been reduced to space exploration and maintaining the New START nuclear arms control treaty. Last August, when he called the ruined relationship “crumbs” of what used to exist, Antonov mentioned a deconfliction hotline in Syria as well – notably missing from Wednesday’s interview. Meanwhile, the State Department has accused Russia of violating the New Start with its “refusal to facilitate inspection activities.” Moscow suspended inspections last summer, citing the inability of Russian inspectors to do their job on account of US sanctions. While Russia values the treaty, further discussions within its scope are impossible so long as the US keeps sending weapons to Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in November. https://www.rt.com/russia/570834-antonov-blinken-lavrov-diplomacy/ =============== RELATED 31 Jan, 2023 14:39 B) --- (continued) Lavrov reveals message from Blinken The information contained no “serious proposals,” the Russian foreign minister said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has conveyed a fresh message to Moscow on the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, although the statement offered nothing of value, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russia’s top diplomat made the remarks on Tuesday following talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry. While Moscow has been always ready to hear a “serious proposal” from Washington “aimed at resolving the current situation,” the message from Blinken contained no such information, Lavrov stated. “Minister [Shoukry] said that he conveyed a certain message from Secretary of State Blinken, who was recently on a visit to Cairo. I can confirm that,” Lavrov said. The Russian diplomat added that the message once again urged Moscow to “stop” and “leave,” and “then everything will be fine.” The real goals of the US and the collective West, however, have been articulated much more clearly by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Lavrov continued. “In one of his speeches, he said that Russia must lose, Russia must be defeated, and the West cannot allow Ukraine to lose, because then the West will lose. And the whole world will lose,” Lavrov explained, referring to the NATO chief’s comments. “That is, he took it upon himself to speak not only on behalf of three-dozen NATO members, but also on behalf of all other countries of the world, [including] Asia, Africa, and Latin America.” Multiple senior US officials have repeatedly urged Moscow to end its military campaign in Ukraine, as well as to cede the former Ukrainian territories which were incorporated into Russia following referendums. US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland signaled last week that doing so might prompt Washington to consider easing anti-Russian sanctions. The proposal, however, was dismissed in Moscow. “We still don’t see anything [new] in Madame Nuland’s words. We are absolutely not inclined to exaggerate their importance,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at the time, adding that the remarks once again showed “the lack of flexibility in the position of the US.” Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, which were designed to give Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the agreement to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.” The idea was confirmed by then-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and then-President of France Francois Hollande. https://www.rt.com/news/570754-lavrov-gets-blinken-message/ ============================================ 2 Feb, 2023 08:37 C) --- Russian spy chief weighs in on ‘fighting to the last Ukrainian’ Moscow understands that most people in Ukraine are normal and just want a peaceful life, Sergey Naryshkin says Russia has no desire for the conflict with Kiev to continue until the last Ukrainian, the head of Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has said. Sergey Naryshkin went on to accuse the West of keeping up arms supplies to Vladimir Zelensky’s government in order to prolong the hostilities. Since the fighting broke out in February last year, Russia’s top officials including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have suggested that Kiev’s Western backers wanted the conflict continue “to the last Ukrainian.” The comment implied that the US and its allies were ready to sacrifice Ukrainian lives for their declared goal of weakening Russia. Naryshkin told the RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday that Moscow does not want to see this scenario occur. “If we talk about Russia, then, of course, we wouldn’t want to wage war to the last Ukrainian,” he insisted. The spy chief reiterated Moscow’s stance that the people of Ukraine are not the enemy. “We understand that most of the population of Ukraine are normal people, who want to live a peaceful life, but those people became both hostages and victims of the totalitarian Kiev regime, and victims of the aggressive policies of the NATO bloc,” he said. According to Naryshkin, the US-led military alliance “poses the main threat to stability and security in Europe and beyond.” Making sure that Ukraine officially declares itself a neutral country that will never join NATO – a development that would gravely undermine Russia’s security – has been mentioned by Moscow among the reasons for launching the military operation almost a year ago. Russia has long insisted that the fighting in Ukraine is actually a “proxy war” waged against Moscow by Washington and its allies. Last month, the chief of the Russian General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, said the country’s armed forces were “opposed by almost the entire collective West” in the conflict. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Lavrov said Russia was always ready to consider any “serious proposal” on resolving the crisis in Ukraine through diplomatic means, but the Americans have so far been unable to formulate one. The latest message from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was “stop” and “leave” Ukraine, and “then everything will be fine,” the Russian diplomat said, calling the idea unacceptable to Mosсow. https://www.rt.com/russia/570843-ukraine-nato-west-naryshkin/ ============================================ 2 Feb, 2023 14:51 1) --- Putin threatens tough response to Western tank supplies for Kiev The Russian president has promised a reaction that goes beyond armored vehicles Russian President Vladimir Putin has hit out at the looming deliveries of Western-made tanks to Ukraine, warning that Moscow’s response to the threat will span far beyond armored vehicles. The Russian leader made the comments during a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of victory at the Battle of Stalingrad. “Unbelievable, but true – we are once again threatened with German Leopard tanks, with crosses on their hull. And once again seeking to battle Russia in Ukraine with the help of Hitler’s followers, the Banderites,” Putin said. “Those seeking to defeat Russia on the battlefield apparently do not realize that a modern war with Russia would be entirely different for them. We’re not sending our tanks to their borders. Yet we have something to respond with, and it would not be limited to armor use only, everyone must realize that,” he added. Last week, Berlin changed its stance on supplying modern armor to Kiev, pledging to deliver 14 Leopard 2 tanks as well as allowing European countries to re-export German-made vehicles from their own inventories. The number of Leopards expected to be funneled to Ukraine amounts to some 112 vehicles. Separately, Washington pledged to send 31 Abrams tanks, but doesn’t expect to deliver them until late 2023 at the earliest. Moscow has repeatedly urged the collective West to stop “pumping” Ukraine with modern weaponry, warning that the ongoing military aid would merely prolong the hostilities and inflict more suffering on everyday Ukrainians, rather than change the ultimate outcome of the conflict. https://www.rt.com/russia/570872-putin-response-to-threats/ ============================================= 2 Feb, 2023 14:01 2) --- Moscow warns of new ‘anti-Russia’ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the West is pushing the ex-Soviet republic of Moldova to align with NATO Moldova could follow in Ukraine’s footsteps and become a new “anti-Russia,” Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suggested in an interview with the Russian media. The diplomat claimed that the West had installed a president in Chisinau who is hell-bent on bringing the former Soviet republic into the US-led fold. On Thursday, Russia’s RIA Novosti and Rossiya 24 media outlets published an interview with Lavrov. He was asked which country, in his opinion, could go down the same path as Ukraine and become an “anti-Russia.” The foreign minister responded by claiming the West was “currently considering Moldova for this role.” He said the country had been chosen primarily because the West succeeded in installing “through some very peculiar methods, far from free and democratic [ones],” a pliant president at the helm there. Maia Sandu is “rushing into NATO” and “has Romanian citizenship,” Lavrov noted. The diplomat concluded that the Moldovan head of state is ready to merge her country with neighboring Romania and to “do practically anything.” Lavrov said the West and Moldova’s leadership have effectively put on hold the normalization process regarding the breakaway region of Transnistria in the 5+2 format. This involves the US and Russia, along with the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as Moldova and Transnistria. He claimed that the new Moldovan government is no longer interested in the process and is considering retaking the region by force and booting Russian peacekeepers out of Transnistria. Late last month, President Sandu told Politico “there [was] a serious discussion” underway in Chisinau “about our capacity to defend ourselves, whether we can do it ourselves, or whether we should be part of a larger alliance.” While she did not identify NATO directly, Sandu has consistently been pursuing pro-Western policies since coming to office back in 2020. Moldova was granted EU candidate status last year. It has also been actively cooperating with NATO in recent years, sending its troops to participate in the military bloc’s force in Kosovo. The Moldovan president held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in New York in September 2021, and the country’s foreign minister attended a meeting of the organization in Romania last December. However, the outstanding issue of Transnistria precludes Moldova from becoming a member state of the US-led organization, as NATO requires all aspiring entrants to resolve all territorial and ethnic disputes first https://www.rt.com/russia/570859-lavrov-names-new-ukraine/ =========================================== 2 Feb, 2023 11:39 3) --- Top EU diplomat speaks out on fighter jets for Ukraine – media The delivery of warplanes to Kiev is a “highly controversial” issue for the bloc, Josep Borrell has explained The idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine amid its conflict with Russia is causing divisions among EU states and isn’t on the agenda at the moment, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has announced, according to media reports. The delivery of warplanes to Kiev is a “highly controversial” issue for the 27-member union, Borrell said during his conversation with the media in Brussels on Wednesday, as cited by El Pais Spanish daily. According to the diplomat, combat aircraft are “a different matter” compared to the main battle tanks that Germany, Poland and some other EU nations agreed to provide to Ukraine in late January, despite ruling out such possibility for months. Borrell advised the bloc’s members to focus on fulfilling their promise of delivering these tanks to Kiev instead. He also regretted that countries had agreed to supply armor “one by one,” saying “it would’ve been better to make a European decision,” EFE news agency cited. The diplomat also declined to reveal his own stance on the issue of fighter jets. “My job is to try to maintain consensus and one of the best ways is not to take positions that could put it at risk,” he explained. After securing pledges from EU countries, the US and UK to provide dozens of Leopard 2, M1 Abrams and Challenger 2 tanks, respectively, Kiev has intensified calls for NATO to also supply it with fighter jets, in particular, US-made F-16 aircraft. While France and the Netherlands said they were open to sending warplanes to Ukraine, some other countries, including Germany, have ruled out such a possibility. Much like Borrell, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck pointed out earlier this week that “there is a difference between battle tanks and fighter jets.” Giving Kiev planes would “probably” mean crossing a line and risking Berlin being drawn into direct conflict with Moscow, he said. Outside of the EU, the US and UK have also said the supply of tanks to Vladimir Zelensky’s government won’t be followed by warplanes. US President Joe Biden said “No” when asked if Kiev would be getting F-16s, while the British government pointed out that the planes were “not practical” for Kiev. Moscow has long decried deliveries of Western weapons to Ukraine, arguing that they won’t change the course of the conflict, but only prolong it and increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. https://www.rt.com/news/570857-ukraine-jets-eu-borrell/ =============== recall on 30th January, French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine had not been “excluded,” as Kiev ramps up its campaign to pressure the West into donating combat aircraft to its military. Asked about the possibility of transferring jets to Kiev’s military, Macron told reporters that “nothing is excluded in principle,” according to France’s AFP news agency. The president added that Kiev would be forbidden from using French jets to attack Russian soil. Macron was speaking after a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who told reporters that his government saw “no taboo” around sending US-made F-16 fighters to Ukraine, but admitted it would be a "big step.” https://www.rt.com/news/570720-macron-fighter-jets-ukraine/ ============================================= 30 Jan, 2023 18:25 3a) --- Britain reveals Ukraine tank delivery timeline The Challengers will arrive on the battlefield “this side of summer,” the defense minister said Ukraine will receive 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks from the UK before the summer, Defense Minister Ben Wallace told Parliament on Monday. This timeline means the Challengers will likely arrive after Germany’s Leopard tanks reach the battlefield amid Kiev's hostilities with Russia. Asked when the tanks would be deployed in Ukraine, Wallace told lawmakers "It'll be this side of the summer, or May – it'll be probably towards Easter time." For Western Christians, Easter Sunday falls on April 9 this year. Wallace said that he could not provide further information on the training process for the tanks’ Ukrainian operators. Kiev’s ambassador to the UK, Vadim Pristaiko, told Ukrainian media last week that this process “will not take much time.” Wallace’s timeline is close to that provided by Alex Chalk, the Defense Ministry minister of state, who said last week that the Challengers should be deployed “at the end of March.” The UK announced that it would send the Challengers nearly two weeks before Germany confirmed it would donate an equal number of Leopard 2 tanks. However, the German armor will likely reach Ukraine just before its British equivalents, with Berlin stating on Thursday that its tanks would arrive by the end of March or beginning of April. Germany also granted other European countries permission to ship their own fleets of Leopards to Ukraine. Poland, which had threatened to send the tanks with or without Berlin’s permission, will deliver around 14 Leopards “within a few weeks,” Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz told local media on Thursday. The last heavy Western armor to reach Ukraine will be the US’ M1 Abrams tanks, the deliveries of which were announced by Washington alongside Germany’s Leopards. The announcement came despite earlier statements from the Pentagon that the Abrams tanks are too complex to maintain and consume too much fuel for use in Ukraine. According to recent reporting by the Washington Post, the tanks were only offered as “cover” for Germany to send the Leopards, and will not arrive until the end of the year at the earliest. Russia has maintained that foreign weapons, including heavy tanks, will not change the course of the conflict. “As we said in the past, these tanks will burn just like the rest. They just cost a lot [to make],” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, referring to the Abrams specifically. https://www.rt.com/news/570717-challenger-tank-delivery-date/ ============================================== 2 Feb, 2023 10:57 4) --- Declassified docs reveal why the US snubbed Russia Unresolved issues prevented Washington from considering Moscow an 'ally', according to minutes from a meeting in 1992 The US rejected Russian suggestions to describe the pair as “allies” during a meeting of the then-presidents of the two nations in 1992, newly declassified transcripts have revealed. George H.W. Bush explained to his counterpart Boris Yeltsin why he was reluctant to use the word, asserting that not all issues between the countries had been ironed out. On Monday, the US National Security Archive published a trove of declassified minutes of several meetings between the two presidents just over three decades ago. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in late December of 1991, there were high hopes among the new Russian leadership that the former arch rivals could become allies. One such conversation took place on February 1, 1992, at the US presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland, during Yeltsin’s first state visit to the country. Toward the end of the meeting, the Russian president asked Bush: “Are we still adversaries or not?” “No, we are not,” the US leader replied, adding that a statement had been prepared that moved “us away from the old era.” He then suggested that the Russian head of state take a look at the message. Upon doing so, Yeltsin remarked: “You have nothing here which says that we are no longer adversaries and are moving to be allies.” “It says friendship,” Secretary of State James A. Baker interjected. However, the Russian president insisted that the document should state that the US and Russia “are moving from a stage of adversaries to allies.” Such wording, according to Yeltsin, would add a “new quality” to the message. President Bush, in turn, clarified that his administration was “using this transitional language because we don’t want to act like all our problems are solved.” In addition to the episode, Yeltsin told his American counterpart that while the Russian government was committed to democracy and market reform, the country was going through “hard times.” He argued that Washington “must provide aid” to the former Soviet republics, including Russia, unless it wanted to see a return of “conservative forces [and] hawks” to power in Moscow. Yeltsin warned that would lead to Russia becoming a “police state,” with “repression” and an “arms race” recommencing. The Russian leader also made a number of bold nuclear arms reduction proposals which Bush did not accept, with the US president refusing to scrap submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which formed the core of America’s strategic triad. Yeltsin’s idea of creating a joint global missile defense system was likewise not received enthusiastically by the Americans. Despite the differences of opinion, both leaders described the meeting as extremely positive at the time. https://www.rt.com/news/570845-declassified-transcript-us-russia-allies/ ============================================= 2 Feb, 2023 16:26 5) FM Lavrov interview with state media Geopolitical battles, Ukraine, and US exceptionalism: main take-aways Highlights from Lavrov’s big interview The Russian foreign minister sat down for a discussion on a wide range of issues Moscow is locked in a geopolitical struggle against Washington and the crisis in Ukraine is at the forefront, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. The diplomat added that Western nations are not keen on hostilities to end. Lavrov made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with Russian state media on Thursday, in which he also accused the US of stripping the EU of any semblance of independence. Here are some of the key comments from Lavrov’s TV appearance. Ukraine as epicenter of geopolitical battle ---------------- Western nations want to cripple Russia with sanctions to bring a “decade of regression,” Lavrov stated, referring to the words of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “We are in the center of a geopolitical battle. There is no doubt about it,” the foreign minister said. Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine are “heroes” whose “deeds are for the future of mankind, in which there will be no conditions for full US hegemony,” added Lavrov. US belief in its exceptionalism ------------------- The US “has subjugated” European politicians, taking the “last traces of independence” from the EU, the diplomat argued. The kind of “democracy” they advocate boils down to “a right for them to impose on others what democracy should look like,” Lavrov said. The Russian foreign minister argued that Washington pressures other nations to do its bidding, offering no benefits for compliance and threatening punishment to any dissenters. He called the approach “the pinnacle of pragmatism, but also cynicism.” The core of US foreign policy is American exceptionalism and Washington’s belief in its “infallibility and superiority,” according to Lavrov. Western intentions in Ukraine -------------------------------- The conflict in Ukraine continues to rage because Western nations, led by the US, refuse to stop “until they conclude that they have eliminated threats to their hegemony,” Lavrov insisted. According to the leading Russian diplomat, Kiev has been barred by the West from seeking peace with Moscow. “Nobody objected when [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky prohibited negotiations with Russia by law. Nobody scolded him when he… claimed that he doesn’t understand who makes decisions in Russia and who he should talk to.” Zelensky likely feels ashamed to be controlled and manipulated by the West and resorts to psychological projection, Lavrov suggested. The next ‘anti-Russia’ ------------------------ Lavrov was asked which nation could next be turned into an “anti-Russia” – a term that the Russian leadership has used to describe Ukraine in its current state. The Russian minister said Moldova could be cast in that role due to the personality of its president, Maia Sandu. Sandu was “installed at the helm of the country through specific methods that were far from freedom and democracy,” Lavrov assessed. “She has Romanian citizenship, is ready to merge [Moldova] with Romania and to do pretty much anything.” In addition, Sandu is “rushing into NATO,” argued the diplomat. Georgia fitted the description under former President Mikhail Saakashvili, Lavrov said, but he added that the current government in Tbilisi has put national interest first. No help needed in Ukraine ----------------------------- Russia did not have and does not have any intention to ask its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for military assistance in Ukraine, Lavrov stated, referring to the regional defense group of which Russia is a member. “We have everything we need to achieve the goals of the special military operation, to end this war, which the West started through the Kiev regime after the [2014] coup [in Ukraine],” he stressed. China’s take on US-designed globalism ---------------------------------------------------- Lavrov described current Russian-Chinese relations as the strongest ever, adding that they have “no restrictions, no limits, and no issues banned for discussion.” Both Moscow and Beijing simply want to pursue national development “within the framework of existing norms of international trade.” “China beats America on its own turf under its own rules,” the diplomat assessed. According to Lavrov, this is why the US is reneging on the economic principles that it spread across the world and benefited from in the past. In Moscow’s eyes, the current form of globalization “no longer has positive traits,” Lavrov said, adding that “we realized it sooner because we were the first to take a punch.” Russia had “less immersion” than China in the US-influenced global financial system and other mechanisms, which Washington now abuses, he explained. It will take China some time to reduce its involvement with those mechanisms and create alternative tools to defend its interests, but it is moving in that direction, Lavrov predicted. https://www.rt.com/russia/570861-lavrov-interview-ukraine-china/ ============================================ 2 Feb, 2023 14:14 6) --- EU member kicks out Russian diplomats Moscow has vowed a proportionate response to the move Vienna has revoked the diplomatic status of four Russian representatives and ordered them to leave Austria within one week, the country’s foreign ministry announced in a statement on Thursday. Two of the diplomats being expelled are members of Moscow’s permanent mission to the UN in Vienna, while the other two are employees of the Russian embassy. According to the Austrian MFA, the embassy staff were found guilty of committing actions “inconsistent with their diplomatic status” and declared persona non grata. Members of the mission allegedly violated the “headquarters agreement,” it claimed. Russia’s ambassador in Vienna, Dmitry Lyubinskiy, has stated that the Austrian authorities have yet to explain what exactly the diplomats did to earn the expulsion and have not presented any specific charges other than “vague references to the opinion of special services.” Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has told the media that it intends to have an “appropriate response,” which likely means it plans to expel an equal number of diplomats from Vienna’s embassy in Moscow. Back in April, Austria made a similar move and expelled four Russian diplomats, again accusing them of committing actions “incompatible with their diplomatic status.” In response, Russia also declared four employees of the Austrian embassy in Moscow persona non grata. Lyubinskiy says that last year’s exchange happened just 24 hours after he met with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, who assured him that Vienna would not unreasonably expel Russian diplomats. The latest expulsion of Russian diplomats from an EU state comes just one day after Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis suggested that all European countries should kick out their Russian ambassadors as there is “little point left in keeping” them. He claimed that Russian embassies were no longer diplomatic institutions, but “institutions of propaganda” that “promote genocide.” Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have already expelled their Russian ambassadors and lowered the level of diplomatic relations with Moscow. The West and Russia have been in a sort of “diplomatic war” and have mutually expelled a number of diplomats since February last year, when Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine. https://www.rt.com/russia/570862-austria-expels-russian-diplomats/ ========================================== 1 Feb, 2023 15:50 7) --- Mozart Group training Ukrainian troops has ‘ended’ – founder The scandal-plagued mercenary group is set to be rebranded, Andrew Milburn has announced The Mozart Group, a private military company that has been providing training for Ukrainian troops, is set to change its name, the group’s co-founder, Andrew Milburn, announced on Wednesday. “Today was the last day for the Mozart Group. The Mozart Group ended today. The name and entity had become the subject of litigation and a distraction from our core mission: training Ukrainian soldiers and rescuing civilians. But, the mission and the people continue,” Milburn wrote in a social media post. The retired Marine commander did not reveal the name of the rebranded group. Founded by US citizens Andrew Milburn and Andrew Bain last March, the Mozart Group has been viewed by some as a Western response to the Wagner Group – the Russian private military company taking part in the ongoing hostilities between Moscow and Kiev. The group has been extremely ambiguous about its goals, insisting it has been engaging in exclusively “humanitarian” work, but, at the same time, admitting it has been training Kiev’s forces to “kill Russians.” The Mozart Group has also become the subject of multiple controversies lately. Late last year, for instance, Milburn delivered explosive remarks on the Team House podcast, stating that there were “f****d up people running Ukraine” and admitting he was “not a big fan” of the country altogether. The mercenary leader also condemned “a number of things” that Kiev’s forces do with Russian POWs in violation of the Hague Convention on the Laws of Armed Conflict. The group has also been damaged by a conflict between its co-founders, with Bain accusing Milburn of violating US arms trafficking regulations and seeking to expand Mozart’s training operations into Armenia. The pending lawsuit also accused Milburn of embezzling money, staging burglaries of humanitarian supplies in Ukraine, bribing Ukrainian military leaders and even sexually harassing a female co-worker. Milburn, in turn, accused Bain of seeking to extort money from the Mozart Group and alleging his close ties with Russia, which the latter denies. https://www.rt.com/russia/570810-mozart-group-rebranded-ukraine/ ============================================ 1 Feb, 2023 20:51 8) --- Ukrainian official alleges Twitter conspiracy An aide to President Vladimir Zelensky has claimed that Elon Musk is suppressing the Kiev government’s accounts on the platform Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podoliak has blasted Twitter owner Elon Musk as a sympathizer for Russian propagandists, accusing the billionaire entrepreneur of “forcibly reducing” the reach of the Kiev government’s accounts on the social media platform. “Maybe you should stop pessimizing Ukrainian official accounts and forcibly reducing their reach,” Podoliak told Musk on Wednesday in a Twitter post. “It’s too obvious.” He went on to suggest that Musk has tried to help “talentless” purveyors of Russian propaganda. “It won’t help them, and Twitter’s reputation is dying,” Podoliak claimed. “Maybe a regulator is needed to explain competition rules to the owner.” It’s not clear which regulatory agency Podoliak wants to unleash on Musk or which antitrust law he has supposedly violated. Many Twitter users have complained in recent days of declining reach and engagement of their posts. The company’s engineers are reportedly working to resolve a glitch that apparently arose when the platform tweaked some of its features last month. https://twitter.com/Podolyak_M/status/1620785169740468225 Musk provided Ukraine free use of his Starlink satellite communication service after Russia launched its military offensive against Kiev last year. Media outlets, including the Economist, have credited Musk’s satellites with having “saved Ukraine and changed warfare.” However, Zelensky’s regime has clashed with the Tesla CEO, such as when Musk suggested last October that the conflict could be ended by offering such concessions as allowing UN-monitored secession elections in separatist regions. “F**k off is my very diplomatic reply to you,” Ukraine’s then-ambassador to Germany, Andrey Melnik, told Musk in response. “The only outcome is that now no Ukrainian will ever buy your f**king Tesla crap.” Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October, vowing to make it a bastion for free speech. But he has also made enemies on the Russian side of the conflict. Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent Russian television host, recently denounced the Twitter owner as a “war criminal” for his support of Ukraine’s military. Podoliak has a history of making unsupported allegations, such as his claim last week that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took bribes from Russia to “promote genocide.” He made the accusation after the IOC floated the idea of allowing Russian athletes to return to competitions. In December, he accused Twitter of hiding trends related to the Ukraine crisis, apparently dismissing the possibility that public interest in the conflict had declined. https://www.rt.com/news/570832-ukraine-official-claims-musk-suppressing-tweets/ ============================================ 30 Jan, 2023 11:57 8a) --- Musk mocks left-wing think tank over Russiagate claims Hamilton68’s operations were the biggest journalism scam in a long time, the billionaire said Elon Musk has hit out at the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) and its so-called “Russian bot dashboard” Hamilton68 for labeling Twitter accounts that it disagreed with as assets supposedly linked to the Kremlin. The billionaire illustrated his point with a mockup of a children’s book on justifying political failures in the media and government, titled ‘Everyone I don’t agree with is a Russian Bot’. His response comes after internal Twitter messages published by journalist Matt Taibbi on Friday revealed that the Hamilton68 dashboard knowingly mislabeled the accounts of real Americans as “Russian Bots.” The creators of the tool at one point claimed to be tracking over 600 accounts with alleged ties to the Kremlin to provide the West with an authentic view on Russian “influence operations.” Hamilton68 was later used as a source by numerous major Western media outlets and even academic publications to claim that Russian bots were pushing conspiracy theories and promoting terms like “deep state” as well as hashtags such as #ReleaseTheMemo, #SchumerShutdown, #AlabamaSenateRace, and #ParklandShooting. https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1619058860131602434 see https://www.racket.news/p/move-over-jayson-blair-meet-hamilton (refers) However, the latest Twitter Files have revealed that the social media platform’s employees analyzed Hamilton68’s list of supposed “Russian bots,” only to find that these accounts were “neither strongly Russian nor strongly bots” and primarily consisted of real people living in the US, Canada, and the UK. “It was a scam. Instead of tracking how ‘Russia’ influenced American attitudes, Hamilton 68 simply collected a handful of mostly real, mostly American accounts, and described their organic conversations as Russian scheming,” wrote Taibbi. The ASD has since attempted to defend its dashboard, claiming it was not meant as a list of Moscow-backed opinion leaders, but was a “nuanced” tool that was misunderstood by journalists. However, the committee’s own members have previously been on record as claiming that the Hamilton68 list included accounts used by Moscow to “discredit the FBI… attack ABC news... critique the Obama administration… and warn about violence by immigrants.” “This is the biggest journalism scam in a very long time,” replied Musk, who criticized the ASD’s attempts to shrug off any responsibility as a “disingenuous response.” https://www.rt.com/news/570689-musk-twitter-hamilton68-bots/ ============================================ 29 Jan, 2023 19:39 8b) --- Creators defend failed Russiagate platform Hamilton68 was no list of Moscow-backed opinion leaders, but a “nuanced” tool misunderstood by journalists, its founders now claim The US think tank Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) sought to clarify its activities on Friday, after internal Twitter messages published the same day by journalist Matt Taibbi called into question the accuracy of its “Russian bot” dashboard, Hamilton68. The released communications show employees knew many of the listed accounts on the dashboard were neither Russians, nor bots. ASD is now seeking to recast Hamilton68 as a “nuanced” tool misinterpreted by reporters. The creators of the dashboard, which once claimed to track over 600 Kremlin-linked accounts to provide the West with an authentic window on Russian “influence operations,” published a statement on Friday insisting Hamilton68 never pretended the accounts it monitored took their orders from Moscow – only that they were “wittingly or unwittingly” amplifying Russian narratives. Advised by a bipartisan panel consisting of Weekly Standard editor and Iraq war proponent Bill Kristol, Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, and former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, the ASD launched the dashboard in 2017 “to track Russian disinformation on Twitter,” according to its website. Hamilton68’s primary architect, former FBI agent Clint Watts, admitted the following year he was “not convinced on this bot thing.” The group blamed “members of the media, pundits and even some lawmakers” for failing to include the necessary context explaining that Hamilton68’s conclusions weren’t drawn from real Russian bots, even though its own advisory committee members are on record in 2017 claiming “Moscow used [the accounts included in Hamilton68] to discredit the FBI…to attack ABC news…to critique the Obama administration...and to warn about violence by immigrants.” Internal messages between Twitter employees published by Taibbi revealed that the social media platform’s executives had analyzed Hamilton68’s list of 644 putative Russian bots back in 2017, only to find “these accounts are neither strongly Russian nor strongly bots,” in the words of Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth. Roth recommended Twitter “just call this out on the bulls*** it is” as “virtually any conclusion drawn from [the dashboard] will take conversations in conservative circles on Twitter and accuse them of being Russian.” However, he was discouraged from calling out the group by Twitter's head of global policy communication, Emily Horne, who reminded him “we have to be careful in how much we push back on ASD publicly.” https://www.rt.com/news/570659-hamilton68-russian-bots-fake-twitter/ ============================================= 12 Jan, 2023 21:32 8c) --- Key ‘Russian bots’ claim was false – Twitter documents As media and Democrats labeled organic content Kremlin propaganda, the platform chose silence Twitter executives knew that several hashtags denounced by leading congressional Democrats and corporate media as “Russian disinformation” were a product of authentic Americans, but chose not to say so in public, journalist Matt Taibbi revealed on Thursday. Taibbi has been publishing the “Twitter Files,” internal company documents provided by the company’s new owner, Elon Musk, since early December. Evidence published so far shed light on the censorship of key stories ahead of the 2020 presidential election, FBI pressure, direct White House interference on Covid-19 matters, and the banning of Donald Trump – the sitting US president at the time. Thursday’s revelations concern the events of January and February 2018 and the memo by Republican Congressman Devin Nunes of California detailing how the FBI used the “Steele Dossier” to spy on Trump’s campaign and presidency. Democrats and major media outlets denounced Nunes in what Taibbi described as “oddly identical language,” while attributing the calls to #ReleaseTheMemo to “Russian bots” and “trolls.” Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Adam Schiff – ranking Democrats in the Senate and House intelligence committees – wrote to Twitter on January 23, 2018, claiming that #ReleaseTheMemo “gained the immediate attention and assistance of social media accounts linked to Russian influence operations.” Another Democrat, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, followed up with a letter denouncing as “reprehensible that Russian agents have so eagerly manipulated innocent Americans.” Twitter, however, “found no evidence, as in zero, that Russians were anywhere near this story,” Taibbi wrote on Substack. Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth personally reviewed the accounts that started the hashtag and found “none of them show any signs of affiliation to Russia.” The engagement was “overwhelmingly organic” and driven by prominent real people, Roth found. He also noted that Schiff, Feinstein and Blumenthal all pointed to the same source – the “Hamilton68 dashboard,” run by an outfit calling itself the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD). “All the swirl is based on Hamilton,” he wrote. Documents show that Twitter executives eventually realized that Democrats weren’t looking for solutions, but were just using the Russia accusation to push them further. One executive even compared it to the children’s book ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’. Yet for some reason, the company chose not to say so publicly, allowing Democrats and the media to continue blaming “Russian bots” for any problems in US society – government shutdowns, school shootings, gun control, etc. “By spreading the Russia collusion hoax, they instigated one of the greatest outbreaks of mass delusion in US history,” Nunes told Taibbi when reached for comment, referring to the Democrats. The memo itself was published on February 2, 2018. Justice Department Inspector-General Michael Horowitz confirmed its findings in his report, published in December 2019. https://www.rt.com/news/569778-twitter-russiagate-false-taibbi/ ==============================================

Donbass: Lugansk three people have been killed in shelling overnight by Ukraine forces using nine US supplied HIMARS rockets directly into a residential only area. HIMARS are precise weapons, it was no accident. In Krematorsk, two are killed and eight more are injured. There are no military targets in the area, Ukraine blames Russia but Russia says they only target military and has been caused by Ukraine air-defence. - Human rights watch says Kiev has failed to investigate its use of banned, rocket-launched landmines, which have injured hundreds of civilians. RT speaks to a doctor in Donetsk who says victims, including children, continue to be hospitalized. Roman Kosarev reports (see previous posts about the landmines, intended only to maim civilians, fired directly into civilian only areas, including towns and cities) - Crimea, Sevastopol. Seven people have died and two more injured after a fire broke out in worker's accommodation. More to follow. - The IMF predicts the Russian economy will grow in 2023. That's despite western leaders declaring sanctions imposed on Moscow would bring the nation to its knees. Eunan O'Neill and Chris Emms discuss the resilience of Russia's economy despite all the odds and extreme efforts from the west. - India is set to overtake major world economies this year, surpassing the United States and solidifying its role on the global stage. - Africa/Belarus: Pres. Lukashenko is on a scheduled tour of southern Africa. It's the first time Belarus has visited Zimbabwe. He was warmly greeted by Zimbabwe people and was given a stuffed lion amongst other gifts, he took them over tractors and Belarus secured a deal to ship 3,500 Belarus tractors to the country (QS I don't know if the dog he's holding was a gift or if he was just cuddling it for show😎) He pointed out that US (etc) sanctions Zimbabwe because they have taken control of their own wealth. Multipolar world. Mary Mundeya, a local correspondent reports. - Palestine: Israeli Defence Forces strike a Palestinian target in the Gaza Strip, following a rocket launched from Palestinian territories overnight. The demolition of Palestinian homes continues without commentary from US or any other backers of Israel. Maria Finoshina reports from the demolition sites. - Twitter: Caleb Maupin reports on how the press were able to get away with complete fabrications about Russia (QS: watch report and I will try to find and post more details and written reports for next post) - Africa: Somalia and her neighbours (Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti ) are to join forces to eliminate Al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group. (QS: let's hope they take some "live ones" and find out who is funding them and bring them to task, including governments - in fact especially governments) - full write-up on this evening's post ========================= Below, via RT website A) --- Putin sets mission for Russian military 1) --- Israeli jets strike Gaza 1a) --- Russia issues warning to Israel ============================================= 1 Feb, 2023 17:47 A) --- Putin sets mission for Russian military The president said he wanted to “eliminate the possibility” of Ukraine bombing the country’s border regions Ukraine should not have the ability to target Russian border regions, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, adding that this was a mission for the defense ministry in Moscow. His comments came a day after Ukrainian shelling struck near a pipeline in Bryansk Region, and amid rumors the US is preparing to give Kiev longer-range projectiles. “Of course, the priority mission is to eliminate the very possibility of attacks, but that’s a task for the military,” Putin said during a videoconference about infrastructure work in the border regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk, as well as Crimea. Some 3,700 residents of the border villages in Belgorod Region have been displaced by Ukrainian artillery attacks, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said at the meeting, adding that the government had set aside funding to provide them with housing and everything else they need. Authorities in Belgorod and Bryansk registered two Ukrainian artillery strikes each on Tuesday. In Bryansk Region, one projectile fell into a field near a substation of the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline. The flow of oil has not been affected, but pipeline staff are on high alert, Transneft said in a comment about the incident. Three villages in the region of Belgorod and one in Kursk were also targeted by Ukrainian cannons and rockets on Tuesday, according to reports from the zone of combat operations. This was in addition to more than 150 rounds fired on the Donetsk People’s Republic. The government in Kiev has repeatedly asked its Western backers for longer-range missiles, such as the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a range of some 300km. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US had secretly sabotaged the HIMARS rocket artillery systems delivered to Ukraine, so they cannot launch the ATACMS even if Kiev somehow manages to obtain them. On Tuesday, however, Reuters reported that Washington was preparing to include a different missile with a range of up to 150km, still enabling Kiev’s forces to strike deep inside Russia. The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) consists of an airplane bomb mounted on a rocket engine and can be fired from the HIMARS. Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence chief Kirill Budanov threatened that “there will be problems inside Russia” until Kiev restores the borders it lays claim to. Budanov’s words follow the public comments of Alexey Danilov, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, who spoke in December about the prospect of “blasts” all over Russia. Moscow has repeatedly warned Washington that providing heavy weapons to Ukraine risks crossing Russia’s “red lines” and involving the US and NATO in the conflict directly. The US and its allies insist they are not parties to the hostilities, but continue to arm Kiev. https://www.rt.com/russia/570821-putin-military-ukraine-shelling/ ============================================= 2 Feb, 2023 01:59 1) --- Israeli jets strike Gaza The IDF said it targeted “chemical material production” and “weapon manufacturing” sites Israel launched airstrikes against several “terrorist” targets in Gaza on Thursday morning, hours after a rocket fired from the area was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. “The IDF is currently striking in Gaza,” the Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a tweet around 3 am on Thursday morning. About 30 minutes later it shared some details about the targets of the raid, claiming that “IDF fighter jets struck a production site for raw chemical material production, along with a weapon manufacturing site belonging to the Hamas Terrorist Organization.” There were no immediate reports of casualties, but video clips circulating on social media purportedly showed several explosions in central Gaza, one of the world's most densely populated areas. On Wednesday afternoon, the Israeli military intercepted one rocket fired from the strip, and missile warning sirens reportedly blared again in Sderot and nearby towns shortly before the overnight strikes. Last Friday, several rockets fired from Gaza into Israel also triggered retaliatory strikes against Hamas targets. https://twitter.com/JoeTruzman/status/1620948733361008641 “The IDF holds Hamas responsible for all terrorism activity emanating from Gaza and it will face the consequences of the security violations against Israel,” the military added. The latest flare-up of violence comes after Israeli security forces raided the Jenin refugee camp in the northern part of the West Bank last Thursday, killing ten Palestinians, according to local authorities. Israeli officials said the army intended to arrest terrorist suspects, who opened fire and were killed. On Friday night, seven people were killed and three more injured outside of a synagogue in East Jerusalem, before the gunman, a 21-year-old Palestinian, was killed by police. In another incident in the city’s Silwan neighborhood just hours later, a 13-year-old Palestinian attacker was “neutralized” by two armed civilians who carried licensed guns https://www.rt.com/news/570838-israel-idf-gaza-strikes/ =========================================== 1 Feb, 2023 21:37 1a) --- Russia issues warning to Israel PM Netanyahu told CNN he was “looking into” sending the Iron Dome to Kiev, prompting a reaction from Moscow Anyone so much as speculating about sending weapons to Ukraine is escalating the conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview to CNN on Tuesday, Netanyahu said he did not rule out the possibility of sending Iron Dome missile defense systems to Kiev – something his predecessor rejected outright. “All countries that supply weapons [to Ukraine] should understand that we will consider these [weapons] to be legitimate targets for Russian armed forces,” Zakharova told reporters in Moscow. “Any attempts – implemented or even unrealized but announced, for the supply of additional, new or some other weapons – have led and will lead to an escalation of this crisis. And everyone should be aware of this,” she added. Zakharova was responding to claims by multiple media outlets that Netanyahu was “certainly looking into” the possibility of dispatching Iron Dome systems to Ukraine. The quote does not appear in CNN’s writeup of the interview, or the two video segments posted online, however. Netanyahu, who recently returned as prime minister after 18 months out of power, sat down for an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. The network did quote him on the possibility of mediating the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, and the cryptic answer about the recent drone attack on Iranian military industry. “I never talk about specific operations … and every time some explosion takes place in the Middle East, Israel is blamed or given responsibility – sometimes we are, sometimes we’re not,” Netanyahu told Tapper. Tehran has unofficially blamed Tel Aviv – and Kiev – for the attack on Isfahan over the weekend. While the top aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky cheered the attack, the foreign ministry in Kiev claimed ignorance of it. Iron Dome is a short-range system Israel has used against rockets launched by Hezbollah and Hamas. The previous government rejected Ukraine’s demand to send them over last October. Defense Minister Benny Gantz explained in November that Israel doesn’t have “a large enough production base” to satisfy Ukraine’s needs, while a senior military adviser said the country was loath to antagonize Russia, which has a large military presence in neighboring Syria. Israel’s hypothetical change of course might have something to do with the US, which funds the Iron Dome to the tune of $1 billion a year. Washington recently announced it would raid the stockpile of artillery ammunition intended for Israel in order to supply Ukraine instead, which Netanyahu told CNN he was perfectly fine with. https://www.rt.com/news/570829-russia-israel-iron-dome-ukraine/