RT News - February 17 2023 LATE

Pakistan: There's been a "shoot out" between law enforcement and terrorists outside a Karachi police station. The TTP, Pakistan's #1 terrorist outfit says it's behind the attack on the station. They have taken up base and the police are trying to take them out floor by floor. There are 2 dead and more injured. Developing story.
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Press *** "see more" *** below for expanded information on the articles in this post
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Star wars, NATO threat. NATO is planning to create a fleet of spy satellites to boost the bloc's military missions. (please see also "valentines post" on this channel https://rumble.com/v29i8y4-rt-news-february-14th-2023-major-extra-info-and-links-main-post-archive.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=6). Russia has responded, stating it views them as lawful targets if the probes are used to help Ukraine on the battlefield.
Somehow NATO is denying all of this when it was announced by Jens Stoltenberg himself.
Moscow says "this conflict could escalate all the way to outer-space." Please see posts below in "see more"
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Renowned American political commentator Jimmy Dore breaks down what the West's narrative on the conflict in Ukraine is lacking. "Truth" and all the citizens of the west are being offered are hidden fact. (QS: He's right - how many times have we said that this proxy war against Russia loses all it's "legitimacy" once the Russian press and media becomes un-censored. The censoring of Russian and independent media happened because the governments of the collective west knew full well they could never get away with it if the truths were being told)
Jimmy Dore talks to Afshin Rattansi on his excellent show "Going Underground" which will be available in full tomorrow, link coming tomorrow.
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New Delhi says India's state of democracy is under threat by George Soros, who calls the Billionaire hedge-fund manager an ‘Economic War Criminal’. See 8 below and Soros article below
Many people commenting - inc. RT's Runjun Sharma and Ranjeet Rai (see also post on this channel from 30th January https://rumble.com/v27pbao-rt-news-january-30th-2023.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=8 )
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Syria: Hundreds of students and others have taken to the streets demanding that the sanctions imposed on it by US and the allies are to be lifted, especially in light of the deadly earthquake of February 6th, 2023 which claimed more than 3,500 Syrian lives. The UN is blaming Pres. Assad. (QS: Now we know that isn't true as we made efforts to even transfer money to Syria and we were prevented (along with hundreds of thousands of others)). If there is anything good to have come from this tragedy, Arab states have started to formally "normalise" relations with Syria. Eunan reports.
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This weekend marks 15 years of "Kosovo independence." RT talks to some people who lived through it. Se also reports below. Nikola Jovic reports.
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Presidents Putin and Lukashenko met today, Donald Courter reports on the visit and press conference. (QS: This was a very important meeting, especially with the timing. I wonder if Belarus will request repatriation with Russia? Just a thought...)
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The moon's a balloon? As we had already predicted, the balloons people were getting fussed about in USA and Canada were "most likely" to be local civilian balloons. (QS If China had any sense they would tell Biden to sling his business-hook in China and burger off entirely)
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Don't forget to follow RT's live stream on Rumble for latest news and brilliant shows. https://rumble.com/vwbbjn-putin-announces-special-operation-in-donbass-special-coverage.html?mref=6zof&mrefc=9
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Show more

Below, via RT website ---- A) --- Russia reacts to US ‘support’ for strikes on Crimea
Washington is fueling Kiev’s ambitions to attack Moscow’s territory, embassy warns
B) --- Nuland outlines US goals for Ukraine conflict
C) --- Moscow warns EU over seized assets
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1) --- Ukraine ‘peace petition’ backed by nearly half a million Germans
2) --- ‘Patriotic’ civilians must leave key embattled city – top Ukrainian official
3) --- Russian spring offensive has already begun – Zelensky
4) --- US training Ukraine to conserve ammunition
i) --- US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT
Publicly, Washington has so far avoided endorsing Kiev's attacks inside Russian territory
ii) --- Ukraine can use American weapons to bomb Crimea – FM
5) --- Russia issues space warning
5a) --- Musk explains purpose of Starlink in Ukraine
6) --- Ukrainian fighter’s terrorist insignia featured on EU state TV channel
6a) --- Ukrainian ‘commander’ pictured with ISIS patch
6b) --- Isis involved in Ukraine since at least 2013
7) --- The man behind the curtain: A new report exposes how George Soros’ propaganda machine has corrupted the media
9) --- No Nazis in Ukraine - according to the "approved media"
10) --- After 15 years of ‘independence’, it is clear that Kosovo was a stepping stone for NATO’s imperial goals OP-ED
11) --- US governor trolled with Zelensky image
11a) --- US transport head blames Trump for toxic train disaster
8) --- links to India and what George Soros came out with this week
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17 Feb, 2023 07:37

A) --- Russia reacts to US ‘support’ for strikes on Crimea
Washington is fueling Kiev’s ambitions to attack Moscow’s territory, embassy warns

The US has again confirmed its direct involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow's Embassy in Washington has claimed. The statement came after US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said military sites in Crimea were “legitimate targets” for Ukraine, and that her country was “supporting” strikes on them.

Nuland “has admitted that the [Biden] administration is fueling the ambitions of the Kiev regime to attack our country,” the Russian Embassy argued in a statement on Friday.

The words of the high-ranking American official were “clear confirmation of Russia’s position that the US is directly involved in the conflict” between Moscow and Kiev, it said.

The statement added that Washington is not just using rhetoric but is also taking “concrete actions” by supplying modern weapons and advising Ukrainian military leaders, and that “de facto, they plan operations together.”

Citing American and Ukrainian officials, the Washington Post reported last week that Kiev’s forces would not fire a single shot from artillery systems provided by the US without first confirming the coordinates of the target with the Americans.

“Inciting Kiev criminals to attack Crimea is the same as pushing them to attack Moscow or Vladivostok,” the embassy insisted, adding that Russia would defend its territory in any case.

Crimea overwhelmingly voted to reunite with Russia in 2014 after a violent coup in Kiev. Ukraine still views the peninsula as part of its territory, with the US sharing that stance.

In her interview on Thursday with American think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Nuland said the US believes that Kiev is “owed and due all of their territory within their international borders,” including Crimea. “Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is – at a minimum, at a minimum – demilitarized,” she asserted, adding that the Biden administration backed Kiev’s attempts to target the peninsula.

Washington’s support for attacks on Crimea is “an undisguised manifestation of the bellicose attitude of the US towards our country,” the Russian Embassy insisted.
https://www.rt.com/news/571622-crimea-us-nuland-ukraine/
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17 Feb, 2023 01:01

B) --- Nuland outlines US goals for Ukraine conflict

The Maidan “midwife” hopes for conquest of Crimea and regime change in Russia

Unless the Crimean peninsula is at the very least “demilitarized” Ukraine won’t feel safe, while the ideal end to the current conflict is with a revolution in Moscow, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said on Thursday.

Ukrainians “have to get to a map that is more sustainable for them,” Nuland said in a video interview with the Washington think tank Carnegie Endowment. They have “significant chunks of territory they need to be a viable state, before you even get to the question of Crimea, and that’s what they’re focused on now.”

The US position is that Ukraine is “owed and due all of their territory within their international borders,” which means Crimea as well, Nuland added.

Assigned to Ukraine by the Soviet Union in 1954, Crimea voted to rejoin Russia in March 2014, after the violent coup in Kiev that Nuland helped “midwife,” according to an infamous phone call intercept.

“Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is – at a minimum, at a minimum – demilitarized,” Nuland insisted on Thursday, claiming that Moscow had turned the peninsula into a military base, with command posts, logistics depots and airfields for “Iranian drones.”

“Those are legitimate targets, Ukraine is hitting them, and we are supporting that,” she said.

Earlier this week, Politico quoted two anonymous officials to imply that Nuland’s boss, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had admitted the US was not “actively encouraging” Ukraine to seize Crimea and that any moves on the peninsula would be “Kiev’s decision alone.”

Nuland, however, told Carnegie that the battlefield objectives of Washington and Kiev overlap “in terms of what the Ukrainians want to do on the battlefield, and what we’re enabling them to plan to do.”

Asked how she saw the conflict ending, Nuland said the West “must never trust, as long as Vladimir Putin is in power, or somebody like him, that this is truly over.” Even if the fighting ends on Ukraine’s terms, there “has to be a long-term plan” to build up Ukraine’s military as a deterrent. She also expressed a preference for Russians overthrowing their government for a “better future” offered by the West.

The US has committed more than $100 billion in military aid to Ukraine over the past year alone, but Washington officially insists it is not a party to the conflict.
https://www.rt.com/news/571614-nuland-crimea-legitimate-targets/
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17 Feb, 2023 12:59

C) --- Moscow warns EU over seized assets

Russia will respond in kind if its funds are given to Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said

Any Western attempts to transfer seized Russian assets to Ukraine would be “barbarism,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has claimed. If necessary, Moscow is ready to impose a tit-for-tat response, she added.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Zakharova noted that EU nations had invested heavily in Russia, meaning a significant amount of European-owned assets remain in the country. Their value is larger than that of the Russian assets seized by foreign nations, the spokeswoman argued.

Zakharova insisted that Russia wants to operate within the law and would give the US and its allies “every last chance” to reconsider any plans to confiscate Russian property. However, she added that Moscow was fully prepared to defend its interests, including through the use of “equal compensatory measures.”

The remarks referred to a new EU working group, established to explore ways to make Russia fund the future reconstruction of Ukraine.

“This must be done in accordance with EU and international law, and there is currently no direct model for this,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, commenting on the new group. Stockholm currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

Western nations have frozen hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Russian sovereign reserves, as well the assets of Russians whom they consider close to the government. Moscow has branded the measures an act of robbery.

Zakharova stressed that property rights should not be subject to the whims and geopolitical needs of a handful of nations, adding that US foreign policy was often prone to wild swings. She claimed that a case in point is Venezuela, where Washington previously referred to Juan Guaido as a legitimate leader with the right to manage the nation’s wealth.

“Now Western delegations visit [Nicolas] Maduro, whom we always considered the legitimate president, as if nothing happened,” Zakharova said. “So everything they say now about Russia, their accusations, threats, and blackmail… can flip-flop in a moment. Mark my words.”

The spokeswoman warned that the international community should oppose the push for the expropriation of Russian property. Countries could otherwise find themselves on the receiving end of the “ostensibly impartial” Western-controlled financial system, Zakharova cautioned.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571636-zakharova-eu-frozen-assets/
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17 Feb, 2023 15:25

1) --- Ukraine ‘peace petition’ backed by nearly half a million Germans

The document co-authored by prominent left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht suggests weapons deliveries should stop

Almost 500,000 Germans have supported a petition urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to spearhead efforts for peace negotiations in Ukraine. The appeal is authored by journalist Alice Schwarzer and Sahra Wagenknecht, a prominent member of Germany’s Left Party (Die Linke), and implores officials in Berlin not to provide Kiev with more weapons.

The document, which was published last Friday and has since gathered an increasing number of supporters, claims that the conflict in Ukraine has already cost the lives of more than 200,000 military personnel and 50,000 civilians.

“If the fighting goes on like this, Ukraine will soon be a depopulated, destroyed country,” the authors warn. Wagenknecht and Schwarzer also argue that “a lot of people in Europe fear an expansion of the war.”

The petition asserts that Ukrainians need solidarity from Germany, but questions whether Berlin’s current policies truly reflect the support they require.

“What is now, one year on, the actual goal of this war?” the authors ask, citing German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s recent comment about Europe being at war with Russia.

The petition expresses skepticism over whether Scholz’s government will keep its word and not provide Ukraine with fighter jets. According to Wagenknecht and Schwarzer, the German chancellor has already crossed multiple “red lines” in recent months.

The pair also warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin could unleash a “maximum counterstrike,” should Ukraine retake Crimea – which is among the goals set by senior officials in Kiev.

“Are we then inexorably sliding down a chute leading to a world war and nuclear war?” the petition asks, adding that numerous major conflicts have begun this way, and that another could end up being the last for mankind.

The petition stresses that “to negotiate doesn’t mean to capitulate,” but rather to “make compromises on both sides.” The authors claim that half of the German population wants immediate peace talks, and suggest that the government should heed their calls.

“We demand that the federal chancellor stop the escalation of weapons deliveries,” the document states, urging officials in Berlin to focus on peace efforts and form an international alliance to this end.

The petition had received 496,008 signatures at the time of writing.

Moscow has repeatedly signaled it is open to talks with Kiev, provided that Ukrainian leaders accept Russia’s conditions and recognize what the Kremlin calls the “reality on the ground.”

In early October 2022, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky ruled out negotiations with his Russian counterpart. Kiev is insisting on a military victory over Russia, and refuses to make any territorial concessions to its neighbor.
https://www.rt.com/news/571648-half-million-germans-peace-ukraine-petition/
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17 Feb, 2023 12:30

2) --- ‘Patriotic’ civilians must leave key embattled city – top Ukrainian official

“Sane, law-abiding” people should evacuate Artyomovsk immediately, Kiev has urged

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk has warned civilians who remained in the contested frontline city of Artyomovsk to leave immediately. The official expressed surprise at the thousands of people reportedly still in the area as the battle rages.

“Frankly, I wonder what 6,000 civilians are still doing there,” Vereshchuk wrote on Facebook on Friday. “If you are a sane, law-abiding and patriotic citizen, you should evacuate immediately.”

The politician argued that by remaining in the city, civilians are risking their own lives and those of the people trying to help them, and are standing in the way of Ukrainian troops defending the area.

Last week, the authorities in Kiev announced further restrictions on access to Artyomovsk, which is known as Bakhmut by Ukraine. Starting from Monday, only civilians with special single-day permits are allowed in, and only military-accredited journalists qualify for entry.

There has been intense fighting for several weeks for the control of the city, which is in the People’s Republic of Donetsk and forms part of the Donbass defense line prepared for years by Kiev. Russian troops have made advances, and according to reports have significantly disrupted Ukraine’s ability to resupply troops in the city.

Washington has downplayed the importance of Artyomovsk to the broader situation on the battlefield. Even if the city were to fall, “it would not have a strategic impact on the overall war,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said this week.

The US government has reportedly urged Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to withdraw troops and prepare for a future counteroffensive. However, the Washington Post reported this week that Zelensky refuses to do so because he “attaches symbolic importance” to the city and fears a setback to morale, should it be surrendered.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571635-artyomovsk-civilians-evacuation-vereshchuk/
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16 Feb, 2023 21:13

3) --- Russian spring offensive has already begun – Zelensky

The Ukrainian president has reiterated calls for more weapons from the West in a UK state TV broadcast

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has vowed that his country will not make any territorial concessions or compromises with Russia as Moscow has allegedly already launched its predicted spring offensive. Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, he stated that “Russian attacks are already underway in several directions.”

Zelensky noted that Kiev’s forces will hold back Moscow’s attacks until they are able to launch their own counter-offensive. To that end, he reiterated his pleas for more Western arms, explaining to the British state broadcaster that “weapons are the only language that Russia understands.”

The president went on to stress that Ukraine wanted security guarantees and that any territorial compromises would “weaken” his country. He also insisted that Kiev would never make any deal with Putin because “there is no faith.”

Zelenksy’s comments come as Pentagon officials have also reported that Russia has been sending a large number of additional troops into the combat zone. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated on Thursday that Russia’s forces have increased artillery fire in the area of Artyomovsk/Bakhmut - a key city in the Donetsk region that has seen some of the most intense fighting in recent months.

Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would not surrender the city and would fight for it as much as they could, despite the US allegedly advising Kiev against making such an unnecessary sacrifice.

Senior US officials, meanwhile, have warned that Ukraine has a diminishing window of opportunity to make territorial gains against Russia before Western military aid runs dry, the Washington Post reported earlier this week.

Moscow, in turn, has pointed out that the ongoing conflict with Kiev is essentially the West’s “war against Russia” that uses the Ukrainian people as cannon fodder and has accused Ukraine’s Western backers of intentionally derailing peace talks in the early weeks of the conflict.

“US neo-liberals have destroyed Ukraine and are exterminating the Ukrainian people. American hegemonic ambition leads to a colossal loss of life,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Tuesday.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571603-russia-spring-offensive-zelensky/
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15 Feb, 2023 15:19

4) --- US training Ukraine to conserve ammunition

As Western stockpiles dwindle, Kiev’s forces need to ration artillery rounds, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned

The US and its European allies are training Ukrainian troops to use less artillery ammunition, American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Tuesday. Kiev has received millions of shells from the West, leaving NATO stockpiles depleted.

“We’re working with the Ukrainian soldiers in various places throughout Europe to emphasize additional training on maneuver,” Austin said after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. “As they place more emphasis on maneuver… there’s a good chance that they’ll require less artillery munitions, but that’s left to be seen.”

Fighting in and around the Russian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk has been defined by grinding artillery duels, and Russia has held a firepower advantage since the conflict began. The Ukrainian side is currently firing between 5,000 and 6,000 shells per day, Norwegian arms industry executive Morten Brandtzaeg estimated last week. Assessments of Russian fire have varied hugely from anywhere between 5,000 and 60,000 artillery rounds per day.

The US alone has given Kiev’s forces more than a million 155 millimeter artillery rounds, and 160 M777 howitzers with which to fire them. Washington has donated an additional 491,000 rounds of other calibers, and has reportedly raided its stockpiles in Israel and South Korea to keep the shells flowing.

“In terms of munitions, this has been a tough fight throughout,” Austin said. “We're going to do everything we can, working with our international partners, to ensure that we get them as much ammunition as quickly as possible.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Monday for the military bloc’s members to “ramp up” their munitions production to keep pace with the “enormous amount of ammunition” consumed by Ukraine, after months of media reports suggested that European and American stockpiles are nearly depleted.

The US Army has already planned to increase its monthly production of 155mm shells from 14,000 to 20,000 this spring, still only enough for four days of firing. France and Australia agreed last month to jointly manufacture 155mm ammunition for Ukraine, although neither state said how many shells will be made per month, or when production will begin.
https://www.rt.com/news/571527-ukraine-training-less-ammo/
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19 Jan, 2023 04:13 --- RECAP ---

i) --- US may assist Ukrainian strikes on Crimea – NYT
Publicly, Washington has so far avoided endorsing Kiev's attacks inside Russian territory

The US government is weighing whether to supply Ukraine with the capability to attack the strategically important Crimean Peninsula, according to the New York Times. The discussions highlight a gradual shift among US officials toward more brazen support for Kiev, even as Washington insists it does not seek confrontation with Moscow.

Following months of hesitation, the White House is now warming to the idea that Ukraine may “need the power” for strikes deep inside Russian territory, namely military targets in Crimea, the Times reported on Wednesday, citing several unnamed US officials.

“American officials are discussing with their Ukrainian counterparts the use of American-supplied weapons, from HIMARS rocket systems to Bradley fighting vehicles, to possibly target … Crimea,” the outlet said, adding that Washington “has come to believe that if the Ukrainian military can show Russia that its control of Crimea can be threatened, that would strengthen Kiev’s position in any future negotiations.”

Despite Moscow’s heavy fortifications on the peninsula, which hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and other military bases, Crimea remains a “major focus” of Ukrainian battleplans, according to the Times. It is unclear exactly how Washington hopes to assist attacks on the region, but the outlet suggested the decision to supply Kiev with Bradley infantry fighting vehicles showed willingness to help Ukraine “go on the offense – including targeting Crimea.”

Alongside troop transports provided by France and Germany, the military vehicles “could be the vanguard of an armored force that Ukraine could employ in a counteroffensive this winter or spring,” unnamed “government and independent analysts” told the Times.

However, even as the White House allegedly considers supporting attacks on Russian soil, President Joe Biden continues to refuse Ukrainian requests for longer-range missiles and heavy battle tanks that could be used in a future offensive. He has previously warned that such aid could provoke direct hostilities with Moscow and even kick off a nuclear war, though such concerns appear to be slowly waning as the conflict drags on.

“The fear of escalation has changed since the beginning,” an unnamed US defense source told a British newspaper last month, suggesting the Pentagon had “given a tacit endorsement of Ukraine’s long-range attacks on targets inside Russia.”
While State Department spokesman Ned Price insisted on Wednesday that the US is not placing any “limits” on Ukrainian strikes or “making targeting decisions” on Kiev’s behalf, the latest discussions at the White House may indicate a shift in opinion among some officials.

Historically a Russian territory from the late 18th century until its transfer to Ukraine under Soviet authorities in 1954, Crimea held a referendum to reunify with Russia following the Euromaidan coup of 2014. Kiev and its Western backers have refused to recognize the vote, however, and say the peninsula is still rightfully Ukrainian land, with President Vladimir Zelensky reiterating hopes for the “reconquest” of the region last month.

Russian officials have repeatedly stated that the goals of the military operation in Ukraine would be completed no matter how long it takes. Amid Kiev’s repeated requests for longer-range weapons, Moscow warned Washington and other NATO states that such supplies would cross a “red line” and make them “a direct party to the conflict.”

President Vladimir Putin made it clear, following referendums in Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions in September, that Moscow would defend not only Crimea but all new territories “with full force and all means at our disposal.”
https://www.rt.com/news/570108-us-ukraine-crimea-strikes/
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9 Dec, 2022 15:35 --- RECAP ---

ii) --- Ukraine can use American weapons to bomb Crimea – FM

Kiev has agreed not to attack most Russian territory with US weapons, but this does not apply to the peninsula, Dmitry Kuleba insists

The United States has not barred Ukraine from using American-made weapons to conduct strikes on the peninsula of Crimea, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba claimed on Thursday.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Kuleba described the peninsula, which overwhelmingly voted to become part of Russia in 2014, as an internationally recognized Ukrainian territory. While Kiev had promised Washington it would refrain from striking Russian soil with American-supplied weapons, this deal doesn’t apply to Crimea, the minister said.

“Crimea is no different from the rest of Ukraine,” he said, adding that Kiev will “take all of its territories” back, including the peninsula, either by military or by diplomatic means.

“It’s too premature to make any forecasts on the balance between the two,” Kuleba added.

He also accused Russia of not being interested in peace talks, arguing that Moscow is “preparing for new battles” instead. Russian officials have on numerous occasions stated that they are open to diplomatic engagement with Ukraine “without any preconditions” except that Kiev show good will.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also dismissed accusations that Moscow is seeking peace talks with Ukraine as a ploy for a military build-up as a “blatant lie.”

Following the start of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine in late February, the US and its Western allies have been providing Kiev with massive amounts of weaponry. However, Washington has been reluctant to support Ukraine with long-range arms, particularly ATACMS missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, over concerns that such a move could escalate the conflict.

To prevent possible complications, Washington secretly modified its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) sent to Ukraine to prevent Kiev from conducting strikes deep into Russian territory, The WSJ reported earlier this week.

In mid-September, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned the US that, should it provide Kiev with long-range weapons, this would cross a “red line” and make America “a direct party to the conflict.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/567969-us-allowed-ukraine-strike-crimea/
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16 Feb, 2023 13:22

5) --- Russia issues space warning

Civilian satellites used by the military could become targets, a senior Moscow diplomat has cautioned

The US and its allies are exposing civilian space assets to potential attack by utilizing them for military purposes, a senior Russian diplomat has warned. The warning came after NATO unveiled plans for a space monitoring fleet that will use commercial and military satellites for its missions.

Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the non-proliferation and weapons control directorate in the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday that the US is weaponizing space and blurring the boundaries between military and civilian infrastructure in orbit.

American use of spacecraft to benefit other nations on the battlefield “is in fact a form of participation in [conflicts] by proxy,” Vorontsov said, adding that “quasi-civilian space infrastructure” in particular could face “retaliation.”

“At the very least, such provocative use of civilian satellites is questionable under the [1967] Outer Space Treaty,” he stated.

Vorontsov’s warning came at a round table discussion in the Russian parliament which focused on the legacy of the Reagan-era Strategic Defense Initiative, and how it influences current US military planning

Ahead of the announcement of NATO’s new space project on Wednesday, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the US-led bloc will use commercial satellites as a military booster.

“This will improve our intelligence and surveillance, and support NATO missions and operations,” Stoltenberg said, adding that this would allow for “better navigation, communication, and early warning of missile launches.”

The NATO chief revealed the project as he reported on what the organization was doing to assist Ukrainian forces against Russia.

The fusion between civilian and military equipment in the Ukrainian conflict came to the forefront last week, when SpaceX announced that it was restricting the functionality of its Starlink space internet system, meaning Kiev’s troops could not use it to pilot drones.

CEO Elon Musk explained that Starlink was a commercial product not intended for military purposes, and that he did not want it to be used to escalate the hostilities, potentially unleashing a “third world war.”

The system remains available to the Ukrainian military for communication, even though SpaceX as a private company could simply switch off the terminals, he added.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571585-quasi-civilian-satellites-nato/
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13 Feb, 2023 08:26 --- RECAP EXPLAINER ---

5a) --- Musk explains purpose of Starlink in Ukraine

SpaceX will not allow its system to be used to start World War III, the CEO has said

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed the rationale behind the company’s decision to restrict the use of its Starlink internet system by the Ukrainian military. He doesn’t want the conflict to escalate into World War III, he said.

The explanation was part of Musk’s response to astronaut Scott Kelly, who is a vocal supporter of the Ukrainian cause. Kelly urged restoration of full functionality of the system.

The restriction announced last week bars the Ukrainian military from using Starlink to pilot drones, which SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell described as “weaponization” of the product.

Musk said Kelly was “smart enough not to swallow media & other propaganda bs” and pointed out that Starlink remained available for military communications in Ukraine, even though as a private company SpaceX had the right to switch the terminals off.

“We’re trying hard to do the right thing, where the ‘right thing’ is an extremely difficult moral question,” Musk stated.

"We will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3."

The Starlink system was hailed by US officials as a gamechanger for the Ukrainian military, providing a reliable communication system that Russia allegedly could not disrupt through hacking. But Musk has provoked the ire of Kiev on several occasions, including by proposing a peace plan in October that would have required Ukraine to make concessions to Russia. He faced criticism and insults from Ukrainian officials in response.

Responding to the Starlink change, Mikhail Podoliak, an aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, declared that Musk and Shotwell had only two options: they could either be on Ukraine’s side and not seek “ways to do harm” or be counted as pro-Russian.

The same official previously claimed that the Musk-owned social media platform Twitter was limiting the reach of Ukrainian government accounts and helping “Russian propaganda.” Podoliak offered no evidence to support the claim, but threatened regulatory action.
https://www.rt.com/news/571383-starlink-ukraine-world-war/
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16 Feb, 2023 11:43

6) --- Ukrainian fighter’s terrorist insignia featured on EU state TV channel

The footage had been acquired from the Associated Press (AP)

A Danish television channel has aired footage from the Associated Press (AP) showing what the news agency had referred to as a Ukrainian frontline commander wearing a patch of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

The clip was part of a story broadcast on Tuesday by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, a state-funded public service broadcaster, which was reporting on NATO efforts to boost weapons production to sustain the bloc's support of Ukraine against Russia. Among other things, it showed Ukrainian troops, one of whom issued a plea to Western nations to supply fighter jets and missiles to his nation.

The Ukrainians were originally filmed a day earlier by AP at an undisclosed location in the Kiev-controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic. The commander of the unit, whose nom-de-guerre is ‘Kurt’, according to the agency, was the one whose uniform bore the terrorist symbol.

His shoulder patch, which was clearly shown by the Danish station, was the black-and-white flag of IS. Fellow EU member Germany banned use of the symbol in 2014.

"Kurt" was also the person who pleaded for weapons, “so that Ukrainian servicemen will not be killed, as is happening now”.

AP photos from the same day also include images of Kurt without a face mask wearing the same ISIS patch on his shoulder.
https://www.rt.com/news/571570-ukraine-isis-danish-tv/
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15 Feb, 2023 21:50

6a) --- Ukrainian ‘commander’ pictured with ISIS patch

The AP has published images of a supposed unit leader sporting terrorist insignia

The Associated Press (AP) has released a series of photographs - as well as a video clip - purportedly showing several of Kiev's fighters on the frontline in the Donetsk region. One of the soldiers, identified by the outlet as a Ukrainian unit commander named "Kurt", can be seen wearing an ISIS (Islamic State) insignia on his left arm.

This isn’t the first time Kiev’s servicemen and paramilitaries have been caught on camera wearing extremist insignia, with many displaying Nazi tattoos or patches.

In fact, these have often been personally associated with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Earlier this week, he published several photos of Kiev’s soldiers on his Instagram account. One of the images featured a serviceman resting in a trench while wearing a ‘totenkopf’ (death’s head) skull patch – a symbol of the 3rd SS Tank Division, infamous for massacring civilians in France and the Eastern Front, including Polish Jews.

In May, Zelensky also shared an image of a soldier with a similar skull-head patch, but later deleted it. In October, he was photographed on a visit to the frontline while being surrounded by security guards wearing the same insignia.

Kiev has denied the presence of any neo-Nazi elements in the country’s military, bluntly dismissing such assertions as “Russian propaganda.”

Moscow, however, has repeatedly pointed to the fact that Kiev openly welcomes fighters with radical nationalistic and neo-Nazi views. One such example is the incorporation of the infamous Azov Regiment – which openly uses the SS-affiliated wolfsangel (wolf’s hook) rune as its official symbol – into Ukraine’s National Guard.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that the “denazification” is one of the primary reasons Moscow ultimately decided to launch its military operation in Ukraine in late February of 2022.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571542-ukraine-commander-isis-patch/
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6b) --- Isis involved in Ukraine since at least 2013

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/isis-leaders-ukraine-tukey-syria-caliphate-al-bara-shishani-a9211676.html

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14 Feb, 2023 10:27

7) --- 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.” 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.”

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.” (paywall) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/25/business/dealbook/george-soros-interview.html#click=https://t.co/mzmGG7tok9

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. (possible paywall) https://akademie.dw.com/en/is-fact-checking-effective-a-critical-review-of-what-works-and-what-doesnt/a-55248257

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.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. https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/business/joseph-vazquez/2020/07/15/ny-times-drools-over-soross-open-society-foundations

“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.” https://rep.repubblica.it/pwa/intervista/2020/08/11/news/soros_l_europa_piu_fragile_degli_usa_i_vostri_nemici_sono_i_populisti_all_interno_e_la_cina_all_esterno_-264430601/

***
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.
-
By Felix Livshitz
https://www.rt.com/news/571293-man-who-bends-arcs/
===============================================
8)

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/george-soros-all-you-need-to-know-about-billionaire-and-what-he-said-on-pm-modi-3790573 George Soros: All You Need To Know About Billionaire And What He Said On PM Modi

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/george-soros-billionaire-inverstor-narendra-modi-8451219/ Who is George Soros, the billionaire investor who has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/bjp-slams-billionaire-investor-george-soros-for-comments-on-adani-and-pm-modi/articleshow/98004667.cms
BJP slams billionaire investor George Soros for comments on PM Modi

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bjp-lashes-out-at-investor-george-soros-says-he-is-targeting-indian-democratic-system/article66520249.ece

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9) --- No Nazis in Ukraine - according to the "approved media"

The video is from 2018. In 2022 NBC and other western media news outlets explained there were no Nazis in Ukraine.

How children are indoctrinated (sorry, it isn't on Rumble)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpV16BQfbrQ

The "nationalists" are out of control ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMMXuKB0BoY&t=399s

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17 Feb, 2023 12:22 --- OP ED ---

10) --- After 15 years of ‘independence’, it is clear that Kosovo was a stepping stone for NATO’s imperial goals

Similar to Ukraine, Serbia’s breakaway province is an exercise in the ‘rules-based order’, where rules are made up for the convenience of Western powers

By Aleksandar Pavic, political analyst

On February 17, 2008, a group of US-backed “democratic leaders” headed by a former Western-sponsored terrorist declared the independence of Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo and Metohija (its full legal name under Serbia’s constitution).

It seemed oh so simple and straightforward at the zenith of the “unipolar moment,” and Kosovo Albanians were “confidently awaiting Western recognition for their state despite the anger its secession provoked in Serbia and Russia’s warnings of fresh Balkan unrest,” as a Reuters report drily noted.

Their confidence was more than justified, as 22 of 27 EU and 26 of 30 NATO member states eventually recognized this unilateral act of secession, pulling along many other smaller, mostly Western-dependent countries to follow suit. UN Security Council Resolution 1244, according to which the province is to remain an autonomous province of Serbia pending a mutually agreed final settlement, was ignored, just as the UN and international law were ignored in the spring of 1999, when NATO unilaterally engaged in a 78-day bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, under the familiar pretext of protecting “democracy, human rights and the rule of law.” This resulted in NATO’s military occupation of the province that lasts to this day.

The case of “independent Kosovo” is in many ways the perfect embodiment of the post-Cold War West’s “rules-based order.” In contrast to international law, which derives from the UN Charter and numerous universally accepted post-WWII treaties and agreements, the “rules-based order” is pretty much anything its propagators deem it to be in accordance with their political interests du jour. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov put it, these “rules” are “created from scratch for each particular case. They are written within a narrow circle of Western countries and palmed off as the ultimate truth.”

In the case of Kosovo and Metohija, the “rules” were to be tailored to the ambitions of the unipolar hegemon and its vassals. This formed the base of the collective West’s failed attempt to declare this instance sui generis, i.e., unique and incomparable to any other case, in order to prevent others from referring to it as a precedent – South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Crimea, the Donbass, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, among others, begged to differ. And, no, the original goal of this unique “rule-setting” was not to protect “democracy, human rights and the rule of law” in Serbia’s historic province, which hosts not only the site of the legendary Battle of Kosovo of 1389, the only battle in which an Ottoman sultan was killed, but also hundreds of Serbian Orthodox medieval churches and monasteries. The true US interest was much bigger and less benevolent. And it was revealed in a document memory-holed by Western mainstream media, a May 2000 letter to then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder by Willy Wimmer, a member of the German Bundestag and vice president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE.

Wimmer’s letter contains a description of a security conference that he had attended in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava that was co-organized by the US State Department and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a Washington-based think tank. A list of participants and the agenda could at one time be found on the AEI website but are no longer available at the time of writing. Almost all of the information available nowadays about it comes from Wimmer’s account. According to him, the conference not only exposed the true causes of NATO’s brutal attack on Yugoslavia and subsequent occupation of Kosovo and Metohija, but also the purpose behind NATO’s further enlargement toward the borders of Russia, and, most importantly from the aspect of global security, the US aim of undermining the international legal order as part of its drive for global domination. In essence, Wimmer’s report revealed the criminal plan that has brought the world to the brink of global, possibly nuclear, conflict.

According to senior US officials at the conference as cited by Wimmer, Yugoslavia was bombed “in order to rectify General Eisenhower’s erroneous decision during World War II,” when he failed to station US troops there. Naturally, as Wimmer recorded, no one at the conference disputed the claim that, having engaged in the bombing of a sovereign country, “NATO violated all international rules, and especially all the relevant provisions of international law.” Furthermore, NATO’s unilateral intervention outside its legal domain represented a deliberate “precedent, to be invoked by anyone at any time,” and “many others” in the future

The ultimate imperial goals were clearly stated: “To restore the territorial situation in the area between the Baltic Sea and Anatolia such as existed during the Roman Empire, at the time of its greatest power and greatest territorial expansion. For this reason, Poland must be flanked to the north and to the south with democratic neighbor states, while Romania and Bulgaria are to secure a land connection with Turkey. Serbia (probably for the purposes of securing an unhindered US military presence) must be permanently excluded from European development. North of Poland, total control over St. Petersburg’s access to the Baltic Sea must be established. In all processes, peoples’ rights to self-determination should be favored over all other provisions or rules of international law.”

In short, the tragedy that is unfolding in Ukraine today can be clearly traced back to NATO’s trampling of international law in the case of Kosovo and the “victorious” West’s building of a new (“rules-based”) order by expanding its military alliance all the way to Russia’s borders. If we were to apply the Nuremberg Principles of International Law formulated under UN General Assembly Resolution 177 on the basis of the post-WW II Nazi war crimes trials, NATO’s decision-makers would stand a very good chance of being found guilty of crimes against peace: “(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances,” and “(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).”

In other words, international law is inconvenient for today’s collective West not just for practical but for legal and moral reasons. Not to speak of the obvious historical parallels with a previous militaristic attempt at forming a “new order” that ended in a Berlin bunker after tens of millions of lives were extinguished. Wimmer’s (almost) forgotten correspondence is an indictment far deeper than the collective West’s current marriage of convenience with Kiev’s neo-Nazi element.

However, even as the Ukraine crisis continues to escalate, the new Battle of Kosovo is far from over. Because, 15 years on, the collective West still hasn’t been able to find a political accomplice in Belgrade ready to grant it retroactive amnesty by recognizing “independent Kosovo” and/or agreeing to its UN membership. That is why, even as they stubbornly press on with the latest Drang nach Osten on the military field, Western powers are also doubling down on their diplomatic pressure on Serbia, which not only refuses to formally recognize its own dismemberment but also to join the illegal sanctions against Russia. The latest ploy, informally called the Franco-German plan, is to try to force Serbia to recognize its province’s statehood in all but name, in return for foggy promises of financial aid and (distant) future EU membership. As a result, the current onslaught of Western diplomats on Belgrade is only slightly less intense than the parallel inflow of Western mercenaries to Kiev.

The problem for the collective West is that, despite its intense, decades-long pressure, substantial investment in the Serbian media and NGO sector, and threats of renewed international isolation, Serbian popular opinion remains stubbornly independent-minded. According to a recent report by the uber hawkish, London-based Henry Jackson Society, 53.3% of Serbian citizens wish their country to remain neutral in the Ukraine conflict (with a further 35.8% supporting an overtly pro-Russian stance), while 78.7% oppose sanctions against Russia and 54.1% think that Serbia should rely on Russia first when it comes to foreign policy (as opposed to 22.6% opting for reliance on the EU). Furthermore, the EU has definitely lost its luster, with 44.3% saying they would “definitely” or “probably” vote against EU membership (as opposed to 38.1% ready to vote for) if a referendum were to be held tomorrow. Finally, according to a recently released independent Serbian poll, 79.2% oppose EU membership as a “reward” for recognizing independence for Kosovo.

It can thus be argued that, much as Hitler’s march into the Rhineland broke the post-WW I world order, NATO’s unprovoked attack on Yugoslavia in 1999 was a deliberate move to destroy the post-Cold War order, while the Western-inspired declaration of Kosovo’s independence 15 years ago was an attempt to legitimize a new, “rules-based” order, which is now reaching its ugly culmination in Ukraine. And, taking the parallels a bit further, just as the attempted new order may meet its military Stalingrad in Ukraine, it might meet its diplomatic Stalingrad in Kosovo, well before the 20th anniversary of that occupied territory’s purported independence.

"... 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/571590-independence-kosovo-nato-ukraine/
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17 Feb, 2023 15:19

11) --- US governor trolled with Zelensky image

Donald Trump Jr. suggested Ohio’s Mike DeWine should have dressed up as the Ukrainian leader to secure disaster assistance

Former US president Donald Trump’s son, Donald Jr, has shared an image trolling Ohio governor Mike DeWine for failing to secure disaster assistance from the Biden administration, following a catastrophic train derailment that spilled hazardous materials near the town of East Palestine.

In the image, originally posted to Instagram by an account with the handle that_southern_dude, the governor is illustrated wearing a mask of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky with the caption: "Ohio’s governor after Biden denied his request for disaster assistance.”

On Thursday, the Biden administration turned down a request for federal disaster aid from the state of Ohio, stating it was not eligible for help as the incident does not qualify as a traditional disaster, such as a tornado or hurricane. That’s while the US continues to spend billions of dollars on military assistance to Ukraine.

Last week, a 150-car train carrying ten cars of hazardous materials derailed, allegedly due to mechanical issues involving a rail car axle and emergency brake failure. As a result, a significant quantity of chemicals, including carcinogens, spilled into the air, water and soil.

Norfolk Southern, the train’s operator, then initiated a controlled release and burnoff of the highly toxic gas vinyl chloride from one of the cars, stating that failure to do so would have turned the derailed train into a “bomb.” One issue with burning vinyl chloride, however, is that the process turns it into hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a chemical weapon used in World War I.

Although authorities in Ohio’s East Palestine village have already lifted the initial evacuation order and declared the area safe, a number of residents have complained of alarming physical symptoms, as well as dead pets, livestock, and fish. The Environmental Protection Agency has also pointed out that the water in the area remains unsafe to drink, despite state officials claiming the contrary.

At least five lawsuits have so far been filed against Norfolk Southern over the derailment and failure to properly dispose of contaminated soil, following the leak of toxic butyl acrylate into the Ohio River, which supplies drinking water to about 10% of the US population.

Meanwhile, after over a week of silence, the US Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, who is ultimately in charge of all the country’s railroads, refused to take responsibility for the incident on Wednesday and shifted the blame for the toxic train disaster to the Trump administration.
https://www.rt.com/news/571649-ohio-governor-zelensky-troll/
===============

15 Feb, 2023 23:27

11a) --- US transport head blames Trump for toxic train disaster

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claimed his department was ‘constrained’ by his predecessor’s actions

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg blamed the rollback of safety regulations under President Donald Trump for the catastrophic derailment of a Norfolk Southern train earlier this month in East Palestine, Ohio. After over a week of silence on the subject, Buttigieg suggested the Trump administration was responsible for the accident and the subsequent controlled chemical explosion.

Insisting his agency had improved railroad safety through “historic investments,” Buttigieg claimed the Department of Transportation was nevertheless “constrained by law on some areas of rail regulation (like the braking rule withdrawn by the Trump administration)” in a tweet on Tuesday. Ten days earlier, the 150-car train carrying ten cars of hazardous materials derailed, allegedly due to a mechanical issue with a rail car axle and an emergency brake failure on a straight stretch of railroad.

The braking rule in question required trains carrying some hazardous materials to use high-tech electronically-controlled pneumatic brakes. It was rolled back in 2017, after a law passed in 2015 – long before Trump became president – initiated a requirement for cost-benefit analysis for new safety regulations.

The Department of Transportation explained in a statement on Wednesday that the 2015 legislation “makes it challenging to reinstate the rule in its previous configuration – due to threats of litigation and opposition in Congress.” The agency nevertheless promised to “evaluate action to prevent this from happening again.”

As the derailed cars released the chemicals, including carcinogens, into the air, water, and soil, Norfolk Southern initiated a controlled release and burnoff of the highly toxic gas vinyl chloride from one of the cars. The company insisted that failing to do so could turn the derailed train into a “bomb” that would send shrapnel and poisonous fumes rocketing through the surrounding community. When burned vinyl chloride turns into hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a chemical weapon used in World War I.

While the local authorities lifted the initial evacuation order and declared the water safe to drink, some residents have complained of alarming physical symptoms, as well as dead pets, livestock, and fish.

The Environmental Protection Agency has accused Norfolk Southern of failing to properly dispose of contaminated soil and has found toxic butyl acrylate in the Ohio River, which supplies drinking water to about 10% of the US population. At least five lawsuits have been filed against Norfolk Southern over the derailment accusing the company of negligence.
https://www.rt.com/news/571550-buttigieg-blames-trump-ohio-train/

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