The mainstream media is, without exception, repeating the unevidenced claim from the Biden administration that Russia is about to invade Ukraine. They do this with no proper journalistic questioning or scepticism. They do this despite the fact that, in the last month, not only have we had repeated cries that invasion is “imminent”, we have had specific secret intelligence sourced claims from the Americans, that a Russian staged false flag attack was about to happen, and from the British, that there was about to be a coup in Kiev led by very minor figures. Both claims turned out to be nonsense.
Perhaps more pertinently, the media do this as though the invasion of Iraq had never happened and they had never before been misled by US and UK governments, citing intelligence sources.
Last night I watched the Press Review of today’s papers on both Sky and BBC News. They showed all of today’s front pages, all of which repeated, without qualification, the warning that Russia will invade in the next few days. The discussion, like the news output all day, took the accuracy of this as certain.
Wars are of course good for the media; wars bring news viewers and sell newspapers. They are also very good for the arms industry. Pity the poor arms manufacturers and arms dealers, who haven’t had a really full-throated NATO military action since Libya. Massacring women and children in Yemen and through drone strikes throughout Middle East and Asia is a nice little business, but nothing like as profitable as proper all out war.
It’s An Ill Wind – BAE Share Price
A BBC reporter on Radio 4 this morning stated that the USA was sending troops to the Baltic States and elsewhere in Eastern Europe “to deter Russian aggression”. What a stupid thing to say. The “aggressive” Russian forces are inside Russia. The American troops are 5,000 miles from home.
One swallow doth not a summer make; I was hopeful that this reporter’s following example might lead others to engage their brains, but that was fanciful:
It is interesting that a number of people lost their jobs for not supporting the Iraq War, both in the media and civil service. Greg Dyke lost the leadership of the BBC, because the BBC had questioned the non-existence of the Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction. David Kelly was murdered for giving them information.
But not one single person suffered any career detriment at all for supporting the Iraq War and for spreading the lying narrative of the Iraqi WMD. In the UK, Blair, Campbell and Straw are treated as gurus by the media. The journalists who now shill for war with Russia are precisely the same journalists who shilled for war with Iraq. Why would they not push fake intelligence now, when pushing fake intelligence then boosted their careers, as they enabled so many of the powerful to get richer still from war?
The UK’s “Dirty dossier” on Iraqi WMD consisted more or less entirely, where it used intelligence sources, of declassified human intelligence rather than signals intelligence. “Human intelligence” simply means something an informant told us, usually for large sums of cash. The “intelligence” on Iraqi WMD did exist – there was no shortage at all of Iraqi colonels willing to make up stories about WMD in return for briefcases full of dollars or krugerrands. What Blair and Straw did, with the practical help of fellow war criminals like Sir Richard Dearlove and Sir John Scarlett, was to ignore the filters that assess such “intelligence” for credibility, in favour of presenting the picture the government wished to show to the world to justify war.
Signals intelligence, by contrast, is communications intercept, and is generally more accurate (though of course there can be planted misleading communications). I can tell you that the NSA have shared with GCHQ no communications intelligence that indicates an imminent Russian attack. As those two deeply integrated agencies share everything, this “imminent attack” knowledge is therefore human intelligence, like the Iraq dossier. Alternatively it issimply a surmise from satellite and other monitoring of the movement of Russian assets.
Biden and Johnson both have an interest in stoking the fires of conflict to try to improve (well deserved) terrible poll ratings at home. NATO has an interest in promoting Cold War, its traditional raison d’etre. The disastrous results of NATO’s attempts to expand its role in Afghanistan and Libya have led to the organisation needing an apparent success.
For all these western political interests, they see a win-win over Ukraine, because when Putin does not invade, they can claim it is a victory and that they forced Putin to back down.
There is a real problem here. By taunting Putin with the position that Johnson and Biden will claim Putin lost if he does not invade, they are effectively daring him to invade.
This is terrible diplomacy, unless the USA and UK actually want a war – and that takes us back again to the interests of the military and security services and the arms industry.
I maintain the view that Putin is far too wily to be pushed into an invasion. If Putin really wished to escalate matters, he would be much more likely to cut gas supplies than to invade Ukraine. There are two points to make on this.
Firstly, Ukraine is said to be less dependent now on Russian gas because, rather than buy direct from Russia, it buys from third countries. But it is still Russian gas, which is being sold on by another state merely on paper. The multi-invoicing may provide some diplomatic cover and some protection against price sanction, but not against the tap being turned off.
Secondly, it is argued that if Russia cut gas to Ukraine, Ukraine could cut off transit supplies to much of the rest of Europe, reducing Russian income. But that would almost certainly happen more seriously if Putin did indeed invade Ukraine, which would almost certainly trigger Ukrainian destruction of transit infrastructure.
There remains much else Putin can do before invading. NATO’s ultra-aggressive attitude to Russia, insisting on encircling it with missile systems ever creeping closer, is unlikely to be changed in the short term. But Russia has already achieved the exodus of many NATO “trainers”, diplomats and nationals from Ukraine in the last few days.
While the West was looking the wrong way, Putin has also, with a tiny use of troops, greatly increased Russian influence in Kazakhstan, a massively resource rich country. That may well prove to be the most important diplomatic move of the year.
As for Ukraine itself, I annoyed some Putin fans when I posited that Russia’s annexation of Crimea was a pyrrhic victory for Putin. After 30 years of contention, it swung Kiev much more firmly into the Western diplomatic orbit and made the coup of 2014 irreversible, when it had been shaky.
The Minsk Agreements appear to be a very sensible way forward in Ukraine; in fact the principles embodied in the Minsk agreements appear to be essential to a settlement. They are really very simple, covering Ukraine gaining control of its borders, devolution and a high degree of autonomy for the Russian speaking areas in the East, disarmament and the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Ukraine, release of prisoners and an amnesty.
The western media ignores or dismisses the Minsk agreements. But these were negotiated by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which both the UK and the USA are members, together with Russia and Ukraine. They were lodged with the United Nations as a binding international agreement.
The First Minsk Agreement is very short:
Upon consideration and discussion of the proposals put forward by the
participants of the consultations in Minsk on 1 September 2014, the Trilateral
Contact Group, consisting of representatives of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), reached an
understanding with respect to the need to implement the following steps:
1. Ensure the immediate bilateral cessation of the use of weapons.
2. Ensure monitoring and verification by OSCE of the regime of non-use of
weapons.
3. Implement decentralization of power, including by enacting the Law of
Ukraine on the interim status of local self-government in certain areas of the
Donetsk and Luhansk regions (Law on Special Status).
4. Ensure permanent monitoring on the Ukrainian-Russian State border and
verification by OSCE, along with the establishment of a security area in the border
regions of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
5. Immediately release all hostages and unlawfully detained persons.
6. Enact a law prohibiting the prosecution and punishment of persons in
connection with the events that took place in certain areas of the Donetsk and
Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
7. Continue an inclusive national dialogue.
8. Adopt measures aimed at improving the humanitarian situation in
Donbass.
9. Ensure the holding of early local elections in accordance with the Law of
Ukraine on the interim status of local self-government in certain areas of the
Donetsk and Luhansk regions (Law on Special Status).
10. Remove unlawful military formations and military hardware, as well as
militants and mercenaries, from the territory of Ukraine.
11. Adopt a programme for the economic revival of Donbass and the
resumption of vital activity in the region.
12. Provide personal security guarantees for the participants of the
consultations.
The second Minsk Agreement fleshes this out a little
Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements
1. Immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions
of Ukraine and its strict implementation starting from 00.00 AM (Kiev time) on the 15th of
February, 2015.
2. Withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides on equal distances in order to create a security
zone at least 50 km wide from each other for the artillery systems with caliber greater than
100mm and more, a security zone of 70 km wide for MLRS and 140 km wide for MLRS
“Tornado-C”, “Uragan”, “Smerch” and Tactical missile systems “Tochka” (“Tochka U”):
– for the Ukrainian troops: from the de facto line of contact;
– for the armed formations from certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk oblast of Ukraine
from the line of contact according to the Minsk memorandum of September 19, 2014.
The withdrawal of the heavy weapons as specified above is to start on day 2 of the ceasefire at
the latest and to be completed within 14 days.
The process shall be facilitated by the OSCE and supported by the Trilateral Contact Group.
3. Ensure effective monitoring and verification of the ceasefire regime and the withdrawal of
heavy weapons by the OSCE from the day 1 of the withdrawal, using all technical equipment
necessary, including satellites, drones, radar equipment, etc.
4. Launch a dialogue, on day 1 of the withdrawal on modalities of local elections in accordance
with Ukrainian legislation and the Law of Ukraine “On interim local self-government order in
certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions” as well as on the future regime of these
areas based on this Law.
Adopt promptly, by no later than 30 days after the date of signing of the document a
resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine specifying the area enjoying the special regime, under
the Law of Ukraine On interim local self-government order in certain areas of the Donetsk and
Lugansk regions”, based on the line of the Minsk Memorandum of September 19, 2014.
5. Ensure pardon and amnesty by enacting the law prohibiting the prosecution and punishment
of persons in connection with the events that took place in certain areas of the Donetsk and
Lugansk regions of Ukraine.
6. Ensure release and exchange of all hostages and unlawfully detained persons, based on the
principle “all for all”. This process is to be finished on the day 5 after the withdrawal at the
latest.
7. Ensure safe access, delivery, storage, and distribution of humanitarian assistance to those in
need, on the basis of an international mechanism.
8. Definition of modalities of full resumption of socio-economic ties, including social transfers,
such as pension, payments and other payments (incomes and revenues, timely payments of all
utility bills, reinstating taxation within the legal framework of Ukraine).
To this end, Ukraine shall reinstate control of the segment of its banking system in the conflict
affected areas and possibly an international mechanism to facilitate such transfers shall be
established.
9. Reinstatement of full control of the state border by the government of Ukraine throughout the
conflict area, starting on day 1 after the local elections and ending after the comprehensive
political settlement (local elections in certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on the
basis of the Law of Ukraine and constitutional reform) to be finalized by the end of 2015,
provided that paragraph 11 has been implemented in consultation with and upon agreement
by representatives of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the framework of
the Trilateral Contact Group.
10. Withdrawal of all foreign armed formations, military equipment, as well as mercenaries from
the territory of Ukraine under monitoring of the OSCE. Disarmament of all illegal groups.
11. Carrying out constitutional reform in Ukraine with a new Constitution entering into force by
the end of 2015, providing for decentralization as a key element (including a reference to the
specificities of certain areas in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, agreed with the
representatives of these areas), as well as adopting permanent legislation on the special status
of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in line with measures as set out in the
footnote until the end of 2015
12. Based on the Law of Ukraine “On interim local self-government order in certain areas of the
Donetsk and Lugansk regions”, questions related to local elections will be discussed and
agreed upon with representatives of certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the
framework of the Trilateral Contact Group. Elections will be held in accordance with relevant
OSCE standards and monitored by OSCE/ODIHR.
13. Intensify the work of the Trilateral Contact Group including through the establishment of
working groups on the implementation of relevant aspects of the Minsk agreements. They will
reflect the composition of the Trilateral Contact Group.
The Minsk Agreements were endorsed by the UN Security Council. The UK and USA are therefore obliged in law to support them. Yet they have abandoned them in favour of the highly intransigent position of the government of Ukraine in refusing to accept any devolution to administrations in Eastern Ukraine. Instead the Ukrainian government insists on on a highly centralised Ukrainian nationalist state.
I choked on my tea two days ago when a BBC correspondent reported that Ukraine could never implement the Minsk Agreements, because it could result in some pro-Putin MPs being elected to the Ukrainian parliament from the Eastern areas. Remember that when they tell you they are starting a war for democracy.
Western warmongering is always disgusting, but still the more so when it involves abandonment of an entirely sensible framework for peace which they themselves initiated. The press and politicians all want a war. We have been here before, and we know that neither the people nor the truth can stop them.
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Britain, US and EU withdraw their observers from the OSCE mission in Ukraine.
Rodion Miroshnik, History PhD candidate and honoured journalist from Ukraine. He represents Lugansk in the conflict resolution group.
“The West, without the decisions of the OSCE, will close the international monitoring eye (although not all-seeing), but presenting official data on the situation in Ukraine.
Since March 2014, when OSCE decided on the formation of the Special Monitoring Mission… Its representatives were on the territory during periods of tough hostilities in both 2014 and 2015. Therefore, (*todays withdrawal) is not a matter of military danger.”
Denis Pushilin, the leader of Donetsk, reports something similar on his territory. American inspectors from Special Monitoring Mission have already packed up, but have not yet left Ukraine. He also reported yesterday:
“The explosion occurred on the territory controlled by Ukraine, about one and a half kilometers from the line of contact, near the village of Opytnoe. What have exploded is unclear. Visibility is poor, fog prevented our servicemen from finding out what really happened there. For our part, we do not rule out that this may be some kind of provocation that was filmed by journalists, or something else.”
Ukrainian journalists tried to find out what happened, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces refused to comment.
[ Mod: Sockpuppet of ‘FredFromDredd‘
Kindly use a single identity. ]
—
The very serious issue of the OSCE monitors leaving the Donbass contact line – is it gives the Ukrainians cover to attack, and deniability.
There is a Ukrainian army of 100,000 + on the contact line – never mentioned in the western press. My understanding is that they were preparing to attack the Donbass this time last year already – but the Russians brought large military forces close to the borders to discourage them, back then already, and it worked.
The West is still trying it would seem. But now, within these forces will be western special forces, US military contractors, and of course the Ukrainian neo-nationalist battalions such as Azov.
Remember that the OSCE left Kosovo before it all kicked off there. And the famous Operation Storm (where the Croats & Muslims kicked all the Serbs out of Slavonia & Krajina – 100’s of thousands of them – they’d lived there for centuries) was all organized by top western military strategists & experts.
I suspect that this is the grand plan of the West (US, UK) – and what is behind all their hysterical warnings.
They are preparing the ground to act – and will blame the Russians when they retaliate.
Even if there are videos of the Ukrainian attacks, they have prepared the ground for that as well with the talk of Russian misinformation videos etc.
The Russians will be aware of all of this of course. So we shall see how it plays out.
It is very very scary stuff. The West is engaging in Brinkmanship
Everything I’m reading about Russia & the Ukraine – is that Russia absolutely does not want any part of it.
It is broken & bankrupt – they often refer to it as country 404 (in computer-speak – not found, error). It is a money-pit.
The Russian attitude to it now is to say to the West – you broke it, you fix it.
It is ironic to think that the Ukrainian republic was amongst the brightest and wealthiest parts of the former USSR.
replying to Craig Murray’s comments on Crimea:
Well if the Russians hadn’t intervened in Crimea back in 2014, Crimea would likely by now be:
a. A NATO base. Can you imagine?
b. A blood bath every bit as bad as Eastern Ukraine – and potentially worse.
Crimea was the jewel in the crown of the American sponsored coup / revolution of 2013/2014. It is a military fortress which dominates the Black Sea – turns it into a Russian lake. The Americans can’t have been happy about not getting it for their own – it was likely the main thing they were after. And the way it was taken – without hardly a shot being fired and no fatalities – was pretty impressive IMO, a peaceful transfer.
Crimea may have been a part of the socialist republic of Ukraine for some decades – due to USSR administrative shenanigans back in the 50’s – none of which mattered much at the time as they remained in the same country – the USSR.
But Crimea is historically Russian, it looms large in their culture & their history, the people there are Russian – as shown in the referendum where they voted to leave the “new” Ukraine & rejoin the Motherland.
In terms of recognizing the current status of Crimea, there is actually a lot more going for it than there ever was for Kosovo for example – where they didn’t even have a referendum.
There are reports in Russian media that a new group of OSCE observers arrived: https://iz.ru/1290812/2022-02-13/novaia-gruppa-obse-pribyla-v-shtab-kvartiru-v-donetcke (in Russian)
I see countries are now ending flights to Ukraine. So let’s just hope Ukrainians are grateful for the damage their NATO ‘friends’ are inflicting on their economy by fabricating fear of an imminent Russian invasion; an invasion that even their president is pouring cold water on.
Interestingly, Keir Starmer seems to be to the right of the Germans and French and even the Americans and Tories in suggesting that Russia intends not just to invade Ukraine but to outright ‘annexe’ it.
‘Russian tanks sit, engines revving, on the verge of annexing Ukraine…’
One wonders what additional evidence the knight has seen to make his singular claim. Perhaps some sexed up doctoral dissertation slipped to him by Alastair or Tony?
Incidentally, I see Sir Tony has now made his weekly ‘rare intervention’ across MSM. Given his proud record in these critical circumstances they decided it was vital to clear the stage for him.
Russia and China should take the evidence and advice from Iran as to the validity of ” Cast Iron legally binding guarantees ” signed by US. Ray McGovern on the Schiller Institute has an interesting take on events: “Putin is Being Heard on US Russia Policy“.
Thank you for this, Wikikettle. Despite its length it was a most interesting and (paradoxically) optimistic conversation, Well worth the time to either watch it or read it.
Bp. Yes, Ray McGovern is a brave American and together with his friend from NSA William Binney, are true patriots, telling truth to power, the other different one percenters.
What a disgrace
Keir Starmer accuses Stop the War coalition of siding with Nato’s enemies: Exclusive: Labour leader affirms support for transatlantic alliance and attacks organisation in which Jeremy Corbyn is leading figure – by Heather Stewart (The Guardian, 10 Feb 2022)
And this is what makes the situation so dangerous, there are NO parties – in the west as a whole – that are against the drumbeats of war.
He had dinner with his Israeli handlers no doubt. They will have told him what to say….
Spot on Rhys.
In fact, the situation in Ukraine resembles the situation in Georgia 2008. They were also promised NATO membership and filled up with weapons, and Saakashvili decided that now he is a big king and everything is allowed for him. He attacked Tskhinvali, Ossetia.
Now a comedian and unfamous pianist, who is also extremely vain, has been put in charge of Ukraine. The country was stuffed to the top with weapons, Britain have alredy supplied anti-ship missiles. I’m afraid that this fool will decide to perpetuate his name in history and try to subdue Donbass and Lugansk by force, and possibly Crimea too.
This “president” is also criticized by Ukrainian opposition “Pro Life” party, who demand the fulfillment of Minsk or resignation.
This guy came to power from a media business and is a bit of a media tycoon himself, so all opposition voices in Ukraine are easily suppressed.
Ordinary people in Ukraine say, they then only had choice Poroshenko or Zelensky. They didn’t want Poroshenko because he started the civil war. They only voted for Zelensky, because their hopes were for peace and Zelensky promised exactly that.
I remember he said “I will do anything, I will talk to anyone, if needed I’ll stand on my knees”. And now he refuses to implement Minsk agreement. Many foreign leaders confirmed their position, that Minsk is very good way to settle the conflict. Erdogan, Biden, Putin, all European leaders.
I’m afraid this boy may just turn to be uncontrollable, like Saakashvili.
Probably the case that ‘The Boy’ far from having any control of events, is now being swept along by a narrative created by western politicians trying to cover their own behinds ?
Yes, the Ukrainians absolutely need to implement the Minsk agreement in full.
The West seem to be setting the stage for a Ukrainian invasion of the separatist republics and trying to scare Russia off from defending these republics. If this is the case, the Ukrainian government is complicit and derelict in their duty to their own citizens if they are going along with such a conspiracy.
I should think that Russia has the moral right to defend the separatist republics from attack. Importantly, not a right to invade and secure more territory beyond the Minsk agreements.
Photos like this are ridiculous and point to western warmongering:
“Ukrainians Will Resist: Say NO to Putin”
(The Guardian, 13 Feb 2022)
Re the Grauniad picture: for people who disapprove of symbolic representations on murals this picture is a nightmare, the fascist flaming torches, the bloody (but poorly drawn) bears paw, the broken chain, the weird ‘Fig’ hand gesture: see https://www.languagetrainers.co.uk/blog/the-top-10-hand-gestures-youd-better-get-right/ Talk about unsophisticated propaganda, this is why the paper has lost so many readers.
Now I know we all want a war to boost the economy, but this is the wrong kind of war. We need a war on poverty, inequality and exploitation rather that a new pile of corpses. What is so difficult to understand about that?
The problem with Minsk agreements and with both Poroshenko and Zelensky is that they agreed and signed it, but they are not implementing it, and they don’t propose anything instead of it. Lughansk and Donetsk don’t know what to expect. Their fear is that blockade, firing and bombing actually has not stopped since 2014; so Ukraine’s unwillingness to fulfill Minsk might aim to continue extermination at slow pace.
Hope you’re not busy on the sixteenth, Tatyana.
Nato has even given a date that Russia will invade Ukraine, here the press parrots that date. There’s at least another ten links to newspapers that parrot the 16th of Feb date, as the day that Russia will invade, search it for yourself if you like.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2022/feb/12/putin-planning-to-invade-ukraine-on-february-16-report-2418654.html
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2022/02/11/putin-could-attack-ukraine-on-feb-16-biden-told-allies-00008344
I hope we will have it finished by 18th, I can’t miss my wedding.
Best wishes Tatyana.
Good luck Tatyana I hope your wedding goes smoothly, meanwhile;
U.S. State Department Counselor Derek Chollet said that Biden made “very clear” to Putin that the U.S. and its allies would “continue to bolster and build military capacity along NATO’s eastern flank.” that’s not good, also Russian naval ship chased a US sub out of Russian waters.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russia-claims-it-chased-american-submarine-out-of-its-waters/ar-AATLVd3?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.newsweek.com/putin-russia-ukraine-sanctions-does-not-give-st-ambassador-1678762?amp=1
Thank you! Nothing really big, same husband, we’re just renewing old wedding vows. However, I wouldn’t want a ruined day.
Tatyana.
A bit of food for thought, as Russian forces have amassed inside their own border, as the Western lickspittle media never tires of telling us, what they don’t tell us is that Ukrainian forces which have been armed to the teeth by Whitehall, are nowhere near the Russian forces but have instead amassed on the demarcation zone facing Donbas.
British and US special forces are known to be in that area, and could easily cause a kick-off of hostilities, from past form around the globe we know this is a possibility.
Meanwhile, the withdrawal of EU, UK and US representatives from the OSCE special monitoring mission in Ukraine under the pretext of insecurity would mean that a large-scale provocation by Ukraine and its Western handlers is coming.
I know. I’m very scared already. Somewhere DiggerUK mentioned they are preparing popcorn and this really gave me an unpleasant feeling. Well, I understand it was a piece of humour. Yet I was saddened to realise that russians and ukrainians killing each other are nothing but entertainment for some of you there in the West. In general, all the talks and predictions rarely refer to people, mostly to territories, quantity of weapons, death toll and the like. Like a football match.
I promised myself I wouldn’t joke on popcorn in case if you experience similar threat.
Tatyana, I think the “popcorn” meme is really just a reflex – not really a laughing matter. Andrei Martyanov often uses it when suggesting that some conflict would be one-sided.
Along the same lines, I was thinking what might happen in a conventional battle, and glanced at the map. The whole of Ukraine constitutes a tapering salient between Russia and the Black Sea. The classic response to an enemy salient is to attack the “shoulders”; and Ukrainian units attacking Donetsk and Lugansk would be several hundred kilometres East of any hypothetical Russian encircling forces from Crimea and the Belgorod region.
In the 2014-16 war, the Ukrainian army suffered terrible defeats in the cauldrons of Ilovaisk, Debaltsevo, etc. But those were relatively small fiascos compared to what might happen if the entire Ukrainian army were encircled once it was committed to attacking the republics.
It’s also noticeable on the map that Kiev is very, very close to the Belarusian border.
Of course it is clear that Russia does not want to invade, let alone occupy or annex, Ukraine. That is on the strategic and political levels. But tactically, the Ukrainian commanders must be feeling very vulnerable indeed if they are asked to advance on Donetsk and Lugansk.
Yes – all best wishes!
How inappropriate do the secretary of state for defence Ben Wallace’s reported ‘Whiff of Munich’ comments seem?
In World War II fighting the Nazis, Russia’s combined losses were 13.9m (Military 6.7m, Civilian 4.1m and deaths to famine/disease 3.1m)
And to think some have been promoting Wallace as sensible. It appears he’s gaffe prone and as big an ignoramus as Truss.
Another hawk is Conservative chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee, Tobias Ellwood. US-born Ellwood, tipped as a future leader, is listed as a Lieutenant Colonel in The 77th Brigade which according to wikispooks “has played a central role in the government’s massive psychological warfare operation to force through drastic restrictions”.
Ellwood recently claimed Boris Johnson ‘more Chamberlain than Churchill’ and Britain should lead the call to move a Nato division into Ukraine.
While he’s happy to put UK troops in harm’s way, in 2021, following the murder of Sir David Amess, Tobias Ellwood advised his fellow MPs that they should stop offering face-to-face meetings with constituents, saying they instead “could achieve an awful lot over the telephone”.
Anyone questioning Lt Col. Ellwood’s bravery should know that he was willing to step into the breach to confront a gang of youths playing football in a (probably quite leafy) street in Bournemouth in 2009. Unfortunately, one of them then kicked the shit out of him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8111489.stm
He has no bravery: bravery would be standing up to the US warmongers and enunciating the truth.
But he knows that being a supine wastrel doing what Washington says will put him in place to be the next puppet before earning squillions as a paid whore on the after-dinner speaking circuit.
What’s really sick is the BBC et al giving him so much coverage. It’s about time someone said: ‘Do you guarantee that you will kill yourself if you are lying to order and fabricating this ‘war risk’ to do the bidding of psychopaths who control the US President?’
Thanks for your reply Rhys. I was being slightly facetious, as I often am – though not always.
It did get me thinking though: Do they not do basic self-defence training in the officer corps – or does it interfere too much with the Which-spoon-goes-with-which-course-at-dinner-so-you’re-not-subjected-to-any-disparaging-‘Who-let-the-oiks-in?-Who-who-who-who?’-chanting-in-the-mess-How-embarrassing! classes?
I doubt whether Lt Col. Ellwood will be raking in squillions from tedious after-dinner speeches, as you can currently get odds of 99-1 on him being the next prime minister on Betfair, and he’s not getting any younger. But if he does, as least he should know which spoons to use beforehand.
He’s always banging on about Russia pumping out misinformation, disinformation to justify his own ever expanding empire of online propaganda operations. He’s stymieing free speech and intimidating ordinary Brits online, infringing basic human rights.
When is someone going to call out his nonsense and ask him to produce the evidence?
Maybe Russia is active in the Baltics ? Idk? But making the claim it’s happening here, without proof, then spawning big online operation to counter these non-existent adversaries, is the biggest utterly preposterous conspiracy theory of all. Joseph McCarthy must be looking down chucking to himself.
Thanks for your reply Goose.
Re: ‘When is someone going to call out his nonsense and ask him to produce the evidence?’
Perhaps our reporters think they’re just going to be given the Ned “I’ve just shown you the evidence” Price treatment (see embedded Utube vid in our host’s blogpost if you haven’t already). Usually get more sense out of most Scots neds.
“When is someone going to call out his nonsense and ask him to produce the evidence?”
About thirty years.
“Conservative chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee, Tobias Ellwood. US-born Ellwood, tipped as a future leader, is listed as a Lieutenant Colonel in The 77th Brigade..”
We know something is true when it is clear that you couldn’t make it up: “a Lieutenant Colonel in The 77th Brigade..”
He himself boasted of this fact in his twitter
Ellwood is a toy solder, a reservist in the TA. He likes the fancy uniform, title and Mess events. You will never find him on the front line.
What are 77th Brigade, most of it is focused on internal UK events.
He also likes dining at the Cavalry & Guards club, in breach of lockdown regulations that he urged the government to impose on the populace, telling detractors that it was a “business meeting”.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/17/priti-patel-dont-travel-to-see-people-this-christmas-covid
Again, what has eluded all so callled journalists, is fleshed out here by Craig, the only one who, afaik, has published the 2 Minsk agreements, agreed to be implemented by the OSCE at the moment of a ceasefite in 2015. Since then Nuland’s Nazi machinations, with all those pushing her behind in the Mil. Ind. Complex, have supplied the means for Ukraine to bomb the Dombass east for 9 years now.
We have not defeated fascism in Germany: we copied it hook, line and sinker – to a point that we have developed a split personality that is manifest in a two-faced expression of anti-Semitism.
When it suits us to weaponise it via a media to get rid of a popular idea that had the support of millions, we used it to harangue and persecute those speaking about what the public wanted and needed.
And when it suits us to ignore the worshippers of a fascist past, to ignore and not speak about the thousands of Jews killed by the likes of Bandera in Ukraine’s past, those killed in Estonia and Lithuania, or the annual marches and commemorations at memorials erected to these murderers, whilst arming them with whatever they desire, we are showing our fascist-supporting policies here in the west.
We should all start discussing this on the social media sites we frequent, pose the question whether people support a war America and the UK so dearly have talked up, ask as to who would like to see a major war, not just in Ukraine, but here in the UK and in America. Are these mouthing puppets speaking for us? their people? Is NATO a fascist-supporting organisation that must do as America and the UK says? Or is it obsolete – a mere attack dog for warmongers and arms-pushers who do not give a flying f..k about anybody but themselves and their establishment’s blood profits?
Wars should have featured at COP-26, because it is one of the greatest threats to our climate; destruction and rebuilding is a polluting affair that is avoidable. It is believed that the majority of us in the world realise that we need to change our unsustainable, but avoidable, practices. Now is the time, let’s make it a public discussion.
Thanks for speaking up for peace, Craig. I hope many more will see reason to support you. Take care, all.
I know nobody who supports the war and one of the village worthies said last week: ‘I don’t trust anything that any politicians say any more’. They are the sort of middle of the road worthies who make village life go round.
Of course, I don’t know anyone in the ‘Westminster Village’ where it is probably de rigeur for absolutely everyone to support the war. I’m just waiting for James Forsyth to give us his unrivalled knowledge of foreign politics, just like he did over North Korea a couple of years back….
I agree with Craig Murray that taking Crimea was a pyrrhic victory for Russia, in that it secured the 2014 coup. It also made it impossible for pro-Russian Ukrainians ever to win another presidential election. However, one needs to understand that it was necessary for Russia to take back Crimea in order to save face. They have a deep emotional attachment, and so while it may not have been good geopolitics, it was good domestic politics, and domestic politics is always more important.
I also agree with Mr Murray that Putin has no intention of invading Ukraine. Biden and other Western leaders are posturing and sharing fake news when they talk about an imminent invasion. However, what Putin is indubitably doing is demonstrating that he has the capacity to invade Ukraine at any time. The fact your neighbour waves an automatic weapon at you from his side of the garden fence does not make it any less threatening. It is the fact that it is a threat, rather than an actual invasion, which gives the clue to its interpretation. As the great Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi said, “Threats are useless.” Russia certainly knows this. It has acted decisively before, taking the airport at Pristina, intervening in Syria, and so on. So what is Russia hoping to achieve? Mr Murray does not talk about Russia’s intentions.
Russia’s intentions are to be read in their demands–to roll back NATO to its position of 1997. This means that Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia and Albania should all have to rely on themselves for their own defence, or else make some agreement with Russia. That’s most of the former Soviet Empire restored. Fair enough, you might say. Their populations may have voted in referendums or through national parliaments to join NATO, but what is the national will of a small country far away, about which we know little and care less, compared to the prize of peace? And how else can peace be secured except by agreeing to Russia’s demands? This is the logic of Neville Chamberlain. He may have been a good man, and a better Prime Minister than Churchill, but we all know how that story ends…
Leaving aside the chancy historical comparisons, Russia has around 1600 nuclear war heads pointed at the West, the same number that the US has pointed at them. They have one of the largest, most sophisticated and most experienced armies in the world. They have a reputation as ferocious fighters, almost “ideal soldiers” as one Israeli officer commented on the Russian recruits in his ranks. So what are they afraid of? I don’t think they are afraid of being invaded. They must be afraid that the US and its allies will continue to behave stupidly, pursuing the ideology of liberal internationalism. But that hen has flown its coop. One other thing they might be afraid of is that the Russian population will wake up to the relative lack of freedom in their country, the stagnating living standards, the enormous inequality, the chaotic handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, and Russia’s diminishing prospects as an energy exporter in a world gradually turning away from fossil fuels. Now, those are things that probably do keep Putin awake at night.
What better way to keep Russians under control than to constantly magnify the threat posed by NATO, to mystify the population with a one-sided view of geopolitics, to equate the Ukrainian regime with the forces of Bandera, the Ukrainian nationalist who fought alongside the SS, and to export rightwing cultural politics to Western countries, with the aim of destabililzing them. It’s Cold War II, and like the first Cold War, it will ultimately require everyone to take a side. So, yes, Mr Murray is right, the US and UK are up to their usual tricks, but those same tricks are played in the Russian media, day in and day out, and there is no right of reply there.
The best thing people in a small country like Scotland can do is to stick to our principles. International law, human rights, sovereignty — these are things which are laid down in black and white across countless European and global agreements. Russia is telling Ukraine that it cannot join NATO or there will be a war. That is an infringement of Ukraine’s sovereignty, just like confiscating Crimea was an infringement of sovereignty.
The Minsk agreements are quoted at length above. Bravo! But what do they mean in practice? Russia keeps a boot on the throat of the Ukrainian government forever. Sovereignty is permanently shared. Who believes that the Russian special forces and mercenaries who soundly thrashed the Ukrainians in 2014 and 2015 will just go back across the border and let Ukraine establish its own writ in its former territories of Donest and Lugansk. The Minsk agreements were signed at gunpoint and any normal Ukrainian nationalist will denounce them at the first opportunity.
Mr Murray callls himself a Scottish Nationalist. Let’s imagine that the referendum in Scotland was won by Alex Salmond’s SNP in 2014. Then let’s suppose that a band of unionist mercenaries flung the Scottish state out of the Borders and declared their own independent statelets. Let us suppose that the fledgling Scottish state sent in troops, but the unionist mercenaries went back across the border into England, where they were given arms and supplies, and the British army even sent some of its own troops to reinfoce the mercenaries in the Borders, under the pretence that they were Scottish. And let’s imagine that all of this was done not because the UK cared a jot about the Borders, lovely though they are, but because they wanted to use the region as a bridgehead to control what was going on in Edinburgh. That’s pretty much the situation in Ukraine right now.
So what is the solution? The solution is to accept things as they are. The line of control between Russian-controlled Donbas and the rest of Donbas should become a new international border, and the “people’s republics” on the Russian side be given the status of Russian oblasts.. Ukraine should accept the fait accompli of the loss of Crimea, and both countries should get back to restoring normal trade and diplomatic relations, with the border becoming gradually demilitarised through mutual confidence-building measures. Russia should pay Ukraine for the Black Sea fleet it took by force of arms, and Ukraine should stop stealing Russian gas to feather the nests of its politicians. That’s what should happen in an ideal world, and that is the kind of thing people in a small, principled and democratic country like Scoland should be arguing for, even if it’s not going to happen any time soon..
Of course the easiest solution would be to disband NATO.
I mean, what is this corrupt, US controlled organisation really about ? Nothing to do with ‘protection’ its’s all about ensuring the US can project it’s deviant agenda against it’s imagined enemies and drag all it’s puppets along with it to give it some kind of imagined legal consensus; and, in the name of ‘interoperability’ and ‘conformity’ it enables the US MIC to force all the puppet regimes to only buy american arms, thus supporting the bankrupt US economy whilst destroying their own.
Neil
You must be adorable person and big heart, you come to such a peaceful conclusion working with such a set of wrong facts.
I only comment on the Black Sea fleet, which you seem to believe was taken by force.
Ukraine after USSR became an independent state and Russia paid for naval base in Crimea, for OUR Black Sea fleet. For 23 years.
The rest of 240 years Crimea was Russian and hosted Russian Black Sea fleet, with no payment to Ukraine (that is rather obvious for 2 major reasons: 1. It was our fleet 2. there was no a state Ukraine). Somewhere in 17 century some slavic people rebelled against Poland-Lithuania, and appealed to Russia for protection. They formed ‘minor-Russia’ outskirt of the empire. Under USSR they were given status of a republic. After WW2 ended they found themselves larger by several regions, won for them by USSR. Then, Khrushchev gifted them with the Crimea.
I am not disagreeing except that after 1991 RF recognised Ukraine and gave them part of the fleet as well as Crimea. Maybe it was a mistake?
I’ve never heard we ever took Black Sea fleet from Ukraine by force.
Crimea in USSR was an autonomous republic, more, its city Sebastopol had special status. It wasn’t governed by the regional authorities, but only Moscow. Strategic place, as I understand. Crimea with Sebastopol were assigned to Ukraine in 1954 and it was made on economy reasons. To account the expences which Ukraine had supplying the peninsula with fresh water and electricity, because of Geograpy 🙂
After 1991 USSR broke. Ukraine found itself holding Crimea, but nobody was worried about it, because we still considered us all friends and very good neighbours. All former USSR republics except for the Baltics formed the Commonwealth of Independent States. It turned out that only Russia recognised itself the USSR successor state, that obligated to pay out all the debts for all now independent states.
That background, of course, provoked a lot of debate on money, who owes what and to whom. But it always was the question of fair share-out, always about money and never about force.
The USSR’s Black Sea fleet was divided between Ukraine and Russia. There was a treaty between Russia and Ukraine on Crimea, hosting Russian fleet there, for money. Together with russian troops, to serve in this fleet and to maintain on-land infrastructure. So, Crimea was the russian Black Sea fleet’s naval base always, since Katherine 2, for russian ships and for russian troops.
What we had in 2014 was described in Western media as abrupt appearance of russian troops in Crimea, and this way it goes on and on up to today.
In fact, the local Crimean administration didn’t want to submit to the new Ukrainian government after the coup. And Ukraine, supported be the West, demands that Russia remain inactive, watching how Russians in Ukraine will be forced to obey by military force. And now they play the same in Donbass too. F*ck them.
F*ck them indeed, but easier said than done. Putin is very worried that Ukraine’s flirtation with NATO may turn into something more serious. Rather than threatening his rival, or even worse, his “beloved,” would it not be advisable for the suitor to improve his offer?
Neil
Two opinions from which you proceed.
In fact, the mood in Russia is such that
Look, according to all our Russia-NATO agreements, weapons were placed at a certain distance from each other. In the event of an erroneous launch, so that there is time to make a decision. I don’t know how to describe it, well, like to blow it up in the air over the ocean, before it reaches the target.
With NATO in Ukraine, it would be literally a gun to the temple. It violates absolutely all our agreements.
Tatyana, as to Russia not wanting Ukraine, I think that’s just sour grapes. I have heard many Russians say that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, and I believe Putin himself has repeated this. Kiev is one of the cradles of Russian civilisation. Plus they have an educated population, fertile soil, useful minerals, and I believe still some quite impressive industries, left over from the Soviet period, which have been or could be restored. Russians would be mad not to want Ukraine back in the fold.
As to this idea that NATO can fire missiles to hit Russian targets at short range only if they have the ability to site the missiles in Ukraine, that is nonsene. The shortest distance to hit a Russian city is not from somewhere near Kharkiv but from directly above, from a satellite stationed only 150km up, for example. I am not a military strategist, but it seems to me that Russia is not so much worried about NATO’s first strike capability. After all, Russia is big enough and has enough weapons to make a retaliatory strike 100% certain. More likely is that they are worried about the tactical nuclear weapons which NATO could use against Russian groundforces if Russia were to attack NATO. So it is a balance of power thing,.
One of the Greek myths tells about a hero, I think Bellerophon is his name, who is put under a spell by a magician who makes him fight his mirror image. That is the fate of Russia in Ukraine, unless they can find some way to transcend the current situation.
“Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia and Albania should all have to rely on themselves for their own defence, or else make some agreement with Russia.”
I feel sure that Russia would agree not to invade them if they agreed not to invade Russia. Germany had alreadty invaded Checheslovakia when Chamberlaun made his remarks whilst Russia shows no sign of invading anywhere.
“One other thing they might be afraid of is that the Russian population will wake up to the relative lack of freedom in their country, the stagnating living standards, the enormous inequality, the chaotic handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, and Russia’s diminishing prospects as an energy exporter in a world gradually turning away from fossil fuels. “
Who has told you these things?
“magnify the threat posed by NATO,”
NATO has nuclear missiles on Russia’s border minutes away from Moscow. How could this threat be magnified?
“to mystify the population with a one-sided view of geopolitics,” The Russians have a different view of geopolitics.
” to equate the Ukrainian regime with the forces of Bandera, the Ukrainian nationalist who fought alongside the SS,”
Those people were decisive in bringing the regime to power and remain prominant. The president is scared of them.
” to export rightwing cultural politics to Western countries, with the aim of destabililzing them.” No export is required since those things are home grown.
“and there is no right of reply there.” Russia has some western leaning media.
” International law, human rights, sovereignty — these are things which are laid down in black and white across countless European and global agreements.” But not observed by NATO countries.
” Russia is telling Ukraine that it cannot join NATO or there will be a war.” Or there willbe ‘military/technical’ measures. This is a warning to NATO.
” confiscating Crimea was an infringement of sovereignty.” Approved by Crimea’s population.
“let Ukraine establish its own writ in its former territories of Donest and Lugansk. ” It writ will be established if it can reach an agreement with the population of those areas. How else should it be established?
” a band of unionist mercenaries flung the Scottish state out of the Borders and declared their own independent statelets”.Amore accurate analogy would be if a population of unionists existed in the borders and revolted against their ill-treatment by nationalists and the English helped them with arms and training even though they did not want anything to do with Scotland.
The Guardian still beating the war drums today.
What has happened to that once great newspaper under the dreadful Kath Viner?
It’s like some British Pravda wannabe, angling to be the official mouthpiece for the security state. Luke Harding is their man in Kyiv and defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh’s reports, along with those of Julian Borger – the Guardian’s world affairs editor, are pretty much indistinguishable from those in the Times or Telegraph. Nothing even remotely sceptical in their coverage. The Guardian should note the response to Matt Lee – the AP Diplomatic Writer’s quizzing of officials, the public are crying out for journalists willing to question authority more. Politicians and officials aren’t popular and the Guardian is pretending they are.
Even Zelensky is complaining and questioning why the US/UK won’t share this supposed ‘intelligence’ that allows them to confidently predict the time of this Russian full-scale invasion. Shouldn’t the leader of a country, where the US /UK and NATO have pumped billions worth of advanced weaponry, be given that basic information?
US UK invaded Afghanistan and Iraq to “protect itself”. Japan AFTER being blockaded by US attacked Pearl Harbour. (Not that its copy cat brutal Empire building and invasions were war crimes.) Japanese war planners knew they would lose eventually. Russia and China have the capacity to destroy all US aircraft carriers and attack the US homeland, which Japan never did. Russian and Chinese strategists would have concluded that US UK Nato will never consider their security interests. That every former Soviet Republic will be set on fire by the neocons. That the policy of MAD mutually assured destruction and ABM anti ballistic misssile treaty being scrapped. Means they are faced with relentless “pressure and containment”. Now just imagine if we in the West were sanctioned and under pressure of containment??? Not allowed to buy or sell oil???? We would consider it an act of war! Well Russia and Iran has had to stomach these acts of war for decades. China won’t! Russia is now gaining confidence in its ability to demand respect.
How dare Zelensky question the almighty, honest US/UK, he must be some kind of Russian Troll/Anti-vaxer/Novichok peddler/Trump supporter.
“Even Zelensky is complaining and questioning why the US/UK won’t share this supposed ‘intelligence’ that allows them to confidently predict the time of this Russian full-scale invasion. Shouldn’t the leader of a country, where the US /UK and NATO have pumped billions worth of advanced weaponry, be given that basic information?”
Maybe at the same time they can be prevailed upon to tell him the present whereabouts of the Skripals and what was really done to them, the truth about MH17, and who really controls Kiev.
“The press and politicians all want a war. We have been here before, and we know that neither the people nor the truth can stop them.”
If these people – the warmongers – are known, their whereabouts, their assets, all things dear to them, are known. Then, I suggest it becomes very easy to stop them.
Whether by direct sanctions imposed on their freedoms or direct destruction of their personal and financial security.
It is a simple offer ‘they cannot refuse’ unless they are psychotic punks who feel lucky against the most powerful weapons in the world that really can find them anywhere from Park Avenue to Ohio to their bunkers to their superyachts and private islands to their palaces in the Gulf States.
I guess with hypersonics and drones I’d say within a couple of hours they would be smouldering piles of ashes no matter how far behind the frontlines they set on fire.
Their dynastic ambitions and fortunes as destroyed as these poor civilians being targeted by their war lust.
It just takes a majority of nations and real leaders to reach out and flatten these nasty bunch of murderous scumbags once and for all.
War ain’t popular with ordinary citizens, never has been throughout history, because ordinary folks know they suffer while elites protect themselves and even profit from the capital flight (to the west and away from the regions affected) and rising defence company stock market prices. They’ve taken to dressing up online opponents as part of some huge Russian misinformation campaign that inexplicably just happens to fly right under the noses of the most well-funded, sophisticated intelligence surveillance apparatus the world has ever seen in FVEYs.
Go on any major UK comment forum and be met by obvious UK/US narrative enforcers, those who accuse the very few number posters who proffer a different opinion, even neutral opinions, of being subversives operating out of Russian troll farms.
These liars are polluting the west and destroying the last vestiges of free speech using exaggerations of Russian influence and false accusations against their fellow citizens.
Mc jobs..for dishonest incompetent people.
Mc Prime Minister
Mc Leader if the opposition
Mc Telegraph
Mc Guardian
Mac BBC
McMacron
McTrudeau
All paid for by banker(s) greedy to grab
..again…russian spoils before their show goes up in flames.
Who calls the tunes they dance to?
Depressing as hell isn’t it.
It’s as though no one in the UK HoC, or MSM, knows about the Normandy Quartet talks, Minsk agreements, and how that framework offers a viable ready-made path to peace with the necessary reassurances for Donbas residents and Ukraine’s govt in Kyiv.
Most of the HoC hawks couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag, yet they’re so up for a fight; falling back on lazy, non-applicable World War II rhetoric.
It is indeed a stain on our national character that those named here have not been subject to a proper trial for their criminal actions over Iraq.
On the same consistency of application of such general, rather than [potentially] selectively applied principles, the question arises as to the meaning of Point 6 in the Minsk 1 Protocol and Point 5 in the Minsk 2 Protocol?
Just what is being referred to in the wording “in connection with the events that took place in certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.”?
Should it be the case this wording refers to criminal acts which meet the normal accepted criteria of war crimes, by any actor involved, the existence and acceptance of such provisions would on the one hand undermine the concept of war crimes and the ability to pursue and deter them; and on the other hand, as a result of selectively applying the principle, undermine the war crime argument against Blair, Straw, Campbell among those associated with the Iraq War.
If, however, this is referring to something else the problem described doe not occur. Though it would be useful to know either way what acts those points are referring to?
Most of us were not properly around (if at all) when big things happened in the world. WWII, Bay of Pigs, Kennedy assassination, fall of the Berlin Wall even, so we don’t really have our own personal perspective on how things unfolded.
Most adult folks don’t even have an objective view on why Iraq War I & II happened, or why Gadhaffi was toppled. They steadfastly currently refuse to see the mischief behind Covid 19, 20 and 21, even when it’s staring them right the face.
They get all the news from ‘approved’ sources and swallow it hook,line and sinker.
It will be interesting to see how history explains this absoloute fiction of a crisis, if the idiot Biden let his kindegarten kids get it out of control.
Putin, who effectively controls most of Europe’s energy supply now, who wants to open the valves on Nordstream II but Washington and Wall St say the Germans can’t have cheap gas, apparently wants to roll his tanks into Ukraine in mid February???? Didn’t anybody watch the World at War and Stalingrad the movie? 200 miles east and 1 degree North of Donetsk it is. Nobody is going to have boots on the ground in February, and without boots, you don’t hold territory.
The Agenda here is nothing to do with Putin.
As an aside.
The Sky Documentaries channel has been broadcasting Oliver Stone’s new four part documentary series: “JFK: Destiny Betrayed”, covering the JFK assassination. Recommended viewing.
To see what JFK wanted to do will make you weep for the opportunities the world lost in 1963, cruelly taken away by the usual suspects still plaguing us now.
“To see what JFK wanted to do will make you weep for the opportunities the world lost in 1963…”
It will also show you clearly why JFK and RFK had to be killed. The powers that be could not tolerate such disruption to their plans – and their values. Decent, honest people who had time for the poor and even foreigners, running the USA?
Unthinkable!
I suspect that all presidents since Johnson have been well aware of what would happen to them if they made the mistake of emulating the Kennedys.
Wally Jumblatt. Russia won’t need to put boots on anyone’s ground. They will just politely ask their neighbouring countries to assert their own Sovereignty by asking occupying foreign forces, missiles and bases to leave. Then they will politely give them an ultimatum date, after which those areas will be cleared of said offensive weapons. They will also ask Germany if they could give them a clear yes or no by a certain date if they want NS2. China will also ask Japan and South Korea the same.
Craig. Really. You insist that Crimea was “annexed” by the Russians. But they voted and now they are happy to be Russians, again. As a fervid Scots secessionist, your view on this is extremely weird.
It’s analogous to:
Maybe Craig would (?) insist that Faslane, NI or Valencia had been ‘annexed’ and maybe only the right sort of people should be allowed a vote ? Never Black and White is it.
As Valencia is currently part of an ‘autonomous community of Valencia’ and not a part of Catalunya, I’m not sure the voting options you were suggesting are the most likely ones to be put before the people of Spain’s third city.
But I get your point….
You are wrong: Crimea was assigned to the Ukrainian Republic in 1954 by Krushchev as part of his campaign to increase Soviet support in the UN by boosting the independence and sovereign powers of Ukraine and, I believe Belarus, which were accepted as UN members in their own right. It didn’t hurt that Ukraine was K’s power base.
Crimea has been part of Russia for 239 years; the period in which Ukraine exercised sovereignty – of a very limited kind, the Sevastapol base and the 20,000 member forces contingent were always under Kremlin rule.
The clinching argument in my view, absolutely justifying the referendum and its result, was the Kiev coup government’s decision to outlaw the use of Russian in official and educational employments.
Dear Simon (and Bevin, and others),
We keep beating CM over his insistence about Crimea being “annexed” by Russia by quoting and linking to various sites including Wikipedia that show about 80% voter support for Crimean independence from Ukraine in the 2014 referendum (at least 80% turnout with 97% in favour of independence) and mentioning the 1997 treaty signed by Ukraine and Russia allowing up to 25,000 Russian military personnel stationed in the peninsula. At the time of the referendum, 23,000 such personnel were present so the numbers were well within the limits set by the treaty.
I’d have thought by now CM would at least be curious to find out why some of us including you bang on this issue and find out for himself if there is substance to what we say.
It’s kind of you to offer to educate Mr Murray about the result of the Crimea referendum, but I hardly think this former ambassador to an ex-Soviet Republic requires such basic tuition. He posted numerous articles about it at the time, e.g.:
“Crimea Referendum” (6/3/2014) – where he predicted the result in advance and explained why it wouldn’t be valid: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/03/crimea-referendum/
“When Lavrov was Right” (17/3/2014) – where he discusses the result, saying “You couldn’t get 97% of any group of people to vote for free ice cream. Interestingly enough, Putin is claiming in the Crimea precisely the same percentage – 97% – that Hitler claimed in his Plebiscite in Austria to ratify the Anschluss.” – https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/03/when-lavrov-was-right/
I believe that the reason for the percentage being so high was that the referendum was largely boycotted by the 15% or so ethnic Ukrainian population, whereas the majority ethnic Russian population had just seen a democratically elected president favourable to their interests have to flee for his life from a neo-Nazi-led mob.
Trump received well over 90% of the vote in several US ‘flyover-country’ counties in 2016’s presidential election, despite having no previous political experience, coming across as people’s blowhard uncle even though he doesn’t drink, and making comments about wanting to date his own daughter on the campaign trail.
Craig is correct to highlight on twitter how it’s revealing that the guardian chose of all images to to use, an image of a banner showing the Minsk agreement as treason with a bloody Russian bear paw mauling it. The guardian are siding with Ukraine’s version of hardline “No surrender” unionists, ultra nationalists who’d rather destroy Ukraine than compromise for peace, encouraged by the US and UK.
Why is the guardian so pro-war? Because it fell for the Russiagate conspiracy nonsense, going big on the idiotic idea Hillary was robbed by Russia then the collusion hysteria. The very fact Trump is favourite to win again, if he runs, doesn’t seem to register.
Our own US and UK govts have sadly done nothing but stoke up the prospect of war, and flood Ukraine with lethal weaponry; seeing all this as a chance to further their long-running campaign against Russia. It’s left to France and Germany to do the diplomacy, Minsk is the best, possibly only hope, for peace and the guardian decides to show an image trashing it. Typical of how far they’ve fallen under the woeful Viner.
WION, reporting an estimated 17,000 foreign fighters now in Ukraine from all over the world. Idlib must be very quite just now ?!
The EU leadership aren’t playing a proper mediatorial or pacifying role.
Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell could play a crucial role, by stating to Kyiv implementation of Minsk is an essential prerequisite if Ukraine wishes for future closer EU links. Instead they too are in lockstep with Washington, as if controlled by Washington?
European security, including energy security and furthering US global hegemony are mutually incompatible aims. Which of these do von der Leyen and Borrell wish to protect?
They are every bit as treacherous and two-faced as Mr Erdogan. (Maybe that’s an understatement – n-faced?)
People like that fancy themselves as Machiavellian. They would do well to remember what happened to Machiavelli’s idol Cesare Borgia.
The Guardian is so pro-war because it was bought up by US neo-cons. It’s not a British newspaper any more….
The fact that it is in English should be enough evidence of how it is not aimed at locals.
The Minsk Agreements are absolute rubbish and serve one purpose only: stalemate, they were never crafted for anything else, it was Putin putting ukraine into a legal straightjacket. What part of “(by) end of 2015” do people NOT understand? ukraine had/has NO desire at all to comply, and certainly the cursed warmongering, controlling yank govt doesn’t either. This is yank arrogance & pride at work, the deluded yank morons thought – after the end of the USSR – that they were the ONLY superpower, and wanted to keep it that way, hence PNAC. Look it up, with the original wolfowitz (neocon jew, pnac member) doctrine, as published in the nyt in 1992.
Also FJB is the MAIN cause of the crisis in ukraine, it is HIS mess, created by him and his sick sidekick jewland ‘midwifing’ yet another cursed yank ‘color revolution’. Why was he so much in kiev, giving orders, making threats, interferring in the govt there, basically treating it as his own fiefdom. This is all part of using ukraine as a thorn in the flesh of Russia, in line with wolfowitz’s doctrine, of containing Russia, trying to stop it in its own geographical/political backyard.
I find the ‘coverage’ in the mainstream media, both disturbing and depressing. They paint an incredibly primitive and simplistic picture of the situation in Ukraine, but I suppose this is normal for war propaganda.
Our press is supposed to be ‘free’ and functions in a democratic society. Is any of this really true anymore? Take the liberal/left leaning Guardian , their reports read like press releases from MI5 and the MOD, which are probably what they actually are. There’s no scepticism, no criticism, but mountains of propaganda designed to groom the educated middle class for war with Russia.
Can we really be said to be living in democratic society anymore when the press is so closely in line with government policy, with barely a whisper of dissent or questioning allowed?
And politics is even worse! Whatever happened to the role of the opposition in Parliament, whatever happend to the Liberals and the Labour Party? If anything Labour is positioning itself to the right of the Conservatives.
Increasingly we seem to be living in and seeing the emergence of a de facto one-party state where the difference between Labour, Liberals and Conservatives is mostly one of style and rhetoric, not political ideology. On foreign policy and economic and social policy they are twins from the same mother’s womb.
And then they all, like dumb chorus, brag about our values and how democratic and free we are compared to other people living under the yoke. The hypocrisy is staggering.
The EU’s unelected official bureaucracy is no better.
And who elected and/or which country does Stoltenberg represent? Who does he speak for? He’s touring Europe playing an insidious role.
The whole world’s fate and whether there’s WW3 may hinge on the mood of some, puerile official like Victoria Nuland, in the US.
Michael K
Maybe this Westminster consensus in idiocy, could provide an opportunity for a new anti-war, anti-NATO party to emerge?
A party that openly wishes to end the so-called ‘special relationship’. The 1946 UKUSA Agreement was after-all, negotiated in secret, like some act of treason. Voters never got a democratic say on the matter to endorse or reject. It’s a very lopsided arrangement due to relative size and strength.
The UK Press has never been free during wars, not in the main. I remember the Falklands war as a 17 year old and it was absolutely amazing how the Press suddenly all fell into line. The same with Iraq and Afghanistan.
The UK hasn’t had a ‘free press’ for several decades. If you look at its ownership, you’ll understand why….
“Our press is supposed to be ‘free’ and functions in a democratic society”.
Well, the media in the UK have mostly been bought up by corporate interests. But they have also run out of profitable business plans. Readers and subscribers have been falling away for years. Even advertising no longer satisfies. Who fills the gap? Government, of course, with truckloads of our money. Every newspaper and magazine is stuffed with government advertising and advertorials. The BBC, of course, falls over itself to please its masters.
As for “democratic society”… well, I don’t want to exhaust your patience. It just isn’t. Not remotely. What democratic society can lock up all its citizens for months on end and make them wear masks one year after strictly forbidding them to cover their faces a year or so previously?
Oliver Cromwell chased the MPs out of Parliament in 1653 at sword point with the following marvellous words:
It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice.
Ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government.
Ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess?
Ye have no more religion than my horse. Gold is your God. Which of you have not bartered your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defiled this sacred place, and turned the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices?
Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation. You were deputed here by the people to get grievances redressed, are yourselves become the greatest grievance.
Your country therefore calls upon me to cleanse this Augean stable, by putting a final period to your iniquitous proceedings in this House; and which by God’s help, and the strength he has given me, I am now come to do.
I command ye therefore, upon the peril of your lives, to depart immediately out of this place.
Go, get you out! Make haste! Ye venal slaves be gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
In the name of God, go!
I wouldn’t change a single word of that today, except that in 2020 the MPs didn’t wait to be chased out by soldiers: they ran home and hid under their beds for fear of a flu-like virus that mainly kills off the elderly and infirm.
This is the heart of Cromwell’s diatribe; please note that every word of it is exactly appropriate today.
“Ye have no more religion than my horse. Gold is your God. Which of you have not bartered your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?”
Furthermore, the DPR & LPR had referendums to become independent, and now want to rejoin Russia, and it would be INSANITY for them to go back to being part of ukraine, because kiev would renege on all of the Minsk points, and massacre the residents there. Putin also knows this, and has issued over 720 000 Russian passports to residents of the 2 republics, and has REacted to satanic yank provocations, including dc egging on ukraine to strike at the Donbass Defenders, who have NOT attacked kiev, but their capitals have been attacked by ukraine. In addition, ukraine FIRST amassed a military force over over 150 000 troops in the East of ukraine, to which Russia responded with a DEFENSIVE military force as a counter.
My family, or a big part of it, comes from Ukraine. They were part of the Austrian ruling class in the west of the country. Put simply, in terms people in the UK might understand more easily, what’s happening in Ukraine resembles, in complexity, the ethnic strife in Northern Ireland or Israel/Palestine. There are competing ethno-nationalist stories and loyalties, enough to go around for all! So, what we are seeing is really a kind of civil war in a geographic area that’s ill-defined and an ethnic mosaic.
An example of this is probably the language question in Ukrainian culture. Russian is the dominant language and has been for centuries. All art, literature and culture was conducted in Russian and most people speak Russian as their first language. Ukrainian is a dialect, mixing Polish and Russian, mostly, along with some other stuff. If national identity is closely linked to the language one speaks, then Ukrainian identity is obviously a hybrid too. I dunno. When I look at what the British press typified by the BBC and the Guardian, which are supposed to be the ‘best’ on offer; I shake my head and feel depressed. How can people, the journalists, who clearly know so little about Ukraine’s past or present, speak with such conviction and authority?
In reality Ukraine and the people living there mean nothing to the British or Americans. They are mere pawns on a chessboard. They are expendable. Events there are merely an excuse, a pretext for confronting Russia for our own narrow interests, that have nothing to do with freedom or democracy at all.
Thanks for the insight, Michael. Sorry you have witnessed the coverage of our quality press and world-beating broadcaster. They do actually know a lot more than they tell their propagandized audiences. The Nazi stuff in particular is assiduously buried.
The Guardian, amongst others, is in reciept of Bill Gates’s money.
Michael, I’m a bity surprised you think that the BBC and the Guardian are supposed to be ‘the best on offer’. Traditionally, the Times of London was regarded as the ‘best on offer’. That’s much more contentious after three decades of ownership by K. Rupert Murdoch, of course.
The BBC hasn’t engaged in journalism for at least 20 years now. It’s been a pure propaganda channel since 9/11 and before. And the Guardian was taken over by US neocons in the past decade, completely gutting it from its origins as a left-wing paper emanating out of Manchester (it’s original name was ‘The Manchester Guardian’).
I learn more about Ukraine reading thesaker.is than I ever have reading the UK media. In fact, I stopped reading the UK MSM pretty much about 5 years ago.
As far as The Times is concerned, this Private Eye cover says it all for me.
https://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers/cover-499
Thirdly, Putin has NO plan to stop the gas supply through ukraine; he, through Gazprom, abides by legal agreements, and wants to be – as he is – a reliable and trustworthy business partner of the eu, and is ready to pump gas to Germany. By the way, the ukrainian gas system is over 30 years old, has received minimal maintenance/repairs by ukraine, and is only getting 40 bcm pa (to end of 2024) of Russian gas (down from a peak of 300 bcm pa). NS2 is a much better pipeline, and will further reduce the need to pump gas through ukraine, except for domestic use, and hence reduce even more the transfer fees of a few $bn. So the stupid ukraine gets gas indirectly at a higher cost.
Crimea was an absolute, strategic necessity for Russia, it basically had no choice – not so much to ‘annex’ – but to reincorporate it into Russia, via a democratic referendum. So far from being ‘pyrrhic’, it was a long term positive move to enhance Russia’s security. ukraine, esp the crazy, hate-filled western part, was always going to be anti-Russia & anti the Russian speaking DPR & LPR, fanned by the hellish usg, they were also not going to stop.
Explain the Nord Stream 2 situation to other people and the US’s objections. And the first reponse will be, ” What the fuck does any of this have to do with the US? ” and /or ” Why don’t they mind their own fucking business?”.
When Biden said recently ‘We will stop Nord Stream 2″ alongside Germany’s Scholz , Scholz should have said “No you won’t! That’s our sovereign decision.”
Can you imagine the US response were Europe telling the US just where they could lay pipelines in the US mainland. The level of US arrogance is off the scale , WE AREN’T YOUR COLONIES! This needs to be hammered home. And if they pull the plug on NATO and bring their troops home, well, good riddance.
Well said, Goose. My sentiments entirely. I’ve been expressing them across the blogosphere for a few years now.
The US elite – note. not the US people – the elite, genuinely think they own Europe and have a right to interfere at all levels. And Europe’s dependence on NATO for its defence, is a big part of that US sense that meddling is fine.
I think historically France, more recently Macron and Merkel realised Europe(EU) will never be free until it breaks the yoke of the US’s military hold. Brexit may create the conditions where that is a realistic proposition.
US politics has been completely corrupted by ‘campaign finance’ money, the very idea of latching ourselves to foreign policies coming out of that corrupt system should be seen as horrifying to Europeans.
Well nearly all European countries are occupied by US troops, so the US elite could be forgiven for thinking that way.
If anything this has showed me just how much control the US has on Europe.
The UK although ideologically similar is trying to be relevant and supportive, probably to get that trade deal Biden resists. France and Germany although clearly disagreeing with the US still comes out with the same rhetoric, even if the result of it all damages them. Even Zelensky now questioning Biden but powerless to change the course.
The smaller NATO countries have absolutely no choice in the matter.
St Pogo – also (of course) the UK probably wants to ensure that Nordstream 2 is duffed and force the EU generally to stop importing Russian oil and gas, so that they can sell more to the EU. The oil and gas fields in the North Sea aren’t completely used up – what is left is more difficult to access and hence not cost effective if there are cheap reserves available from Russia. So the UK has a strong vested interest here – making the North Sea oil and gas fields profitable and exporting the stuff to the EU.
Uk does’t import much of Russian gas or export gas to EU. But high gas price is of benefit to gas exploration companies. Uk is about 50% self reliant.
Interesting that Zelensky’s man, Ukrainian parlamentary from their ruling party has written on Facebook:
“The United States is conducting one of the largest information special operations against Russia in history. And we must clearly understand this when we hear about the imminent invasion. The tasks of this special operation lie on the surface:
The purpose of this special operation is also clear – to finally push Putin out of Europe and prevent the creation of a single Eurasian space “from Vladivostok to Lisbon” and the project “One Belt – One Road”, where Russia would play a key role and Ukraine would be its vassal…”
He further describes how much Putin will suffer in any case, so Ukrainians must be patient and tolerate some economic loss etc.etc. He finishes with the slogan in English
Keep calm
🙂
https://www.facebook.com/cherneve/posts/5015568358481906
The comments under this piece are fun, indeed! Some people ask why they should lose money. Others accuse him of being Kremlin agent. More, saying he just gave away secret information publicly. And on top of that, a proposal to ask Biden to push IMF to forgive all Ukrainian debts, as a compensation. I believe it is most likely may be implemented!
Similar opinion from another part of our planet, China.
“The Russian government has reiterated it has no plan for an “invasion” into Ukraine – no such threat has been made from lips of any Russian politician. On the other end of the spectrum, American media outlets have already named a date for the looming “attack” – the U.S. military warned NATO allies that Moscow was gearing up to invade its neighbor on February 16.”
The source is in English, you may be intersted to read the whole article
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-02-13/Who-really-needs-a-war-on-Ukraine–17CqJtCIAjS/index.html
Yegor Chernev, chairman of permanent delegation of Ukraine to NATO.
Says it all.
Even boasts the US and Europe are compensating Ukraine’s losses.
St. Pogo, thank you!
I didn’t know he is close to Nato. Must this man know something.
Compensation, I see it is always the most discussed topic. I guess the country is on the verge of bankruptcy. People can’t find enough means to live on.
It’s a deal on using Ukraine as an anti-Russian weapon, of course, US and EU and UK should compensate. The problem with ukrainians is that their character is russian, ok, partly russian. They are naive. If they are not compensated, what will they do then? Crawl into a corner and cry?
The logic seems to be, “Don’t you dare buy cheap reliable gas from Russia, because it might threaten to cut off the supply”.
Although neither the USSR nor Russia has done so in the past 60 years.
What the Americans really mean is, “Threatening to cut off your supplies of energy is _our_ job”.
The main reason why other nations dance to Washington’s tune is apparently very simple: their leaders are systematically bribed. From Paul Craig Roberts’ address to the Conference on the European/Russian Crisis, Delphi, Greece, June 20-21, 2015:
‘Sanctions are contrary to Europe’s interests. Nevertheless European governments accommodated Washington’s agenda. The reason was explained to me several decades ago by my Ph.D. dissertation committee chairman who became Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. I had the opportunity to ask him how Washington managed to have foreign governments act in Washington’s interest rather than in the interest of their own countries. He said, “money.” I said, “you mean foreign aid?” He said, “no, we give the politicians bags full of money. They belong to us. They answer to us.”’
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/06/19/paul-craig-roberts-address-international-conference-europeanrussian-crisis-created-washington/
Mr Roberts has not been sued for defamation once, by anyone, in the intervening 6 years. I think that speaks for itself.
Interestingly, none of this is in any way new. Exactly the same system of wholesale bribery controlled everything in the USA as early as 1840. In his superb book “The Great American Fortunes”, Gustavus Myers wrote:
“As capitalists they ascribed their success to a rigid application and practicality; and being practical they went about purchasing laws by the most short-cut and economical method. They had the money; the office-holders had the votes and governmental power; consequently the one bought the other… It worked like an endless chain; the land, charters, franchises and privileges corruptly obtained in one set of years yielded vast wealth, part of which was used in succeeding years in getting more law-created sources of wealth…
““Laws were sold at Albany to the highest bidder. ‘It was impossible,’ Tweed testified after his downfall, ‘to do anything there without paying for it; money had to be raised for the passing of bills’…
“Every one who could in any way be used, or whose influence required subsidizing, was, in the phrase of the day, ‘taken care of’. Great sums of money were distributed outright in bribes in the legislatures by lobbyists in Vanderbilt’s pay. Supplementing this, an even more insidious system of bribery was carried on. Free passes for railroad travel were lavishly distributed; no politician was ever refused; newspaper and magazine editors, writers and reporters were always supplied with free transportation for the asking, thus insuring to a great measure their good will, and putting them under obligations not to criticize or expose plundering schemes or individuals”.
Great Education from Aaron Matè –
Shaun Attwood – Aaron Matè – 30 mins –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2kUppgJDjQ
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Thank you Craig for this excellent article and analysis. The first bit of common sense I have read about the whole thing.
Thanks Craig for this eminently sensible analysis. The best I’ve read so far.
This is one important news
https://twitter.com/DmytroKuleba/status/1492914240486879232
“Russia failed to respond to our request under the Vienna Document. Consequently, we take the next step. We request a meeting with Russia and all participating states within 48 hours to discuss its reinforcement & redeployment along our border & in temporarily occupied Crimea 1/2
If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfill its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all 2/2″
One good diplomatic step to sort the things out! Bravo! Oh, I hope so much they are able to just talk the whole situation away.
They ask it be done within 48 hours, apparently to have it done before February 16 🙂
“If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space”
Poland has taken over as the chair of the OSCE so they’ll be no comfort there, as there was none in Kazakhstan from the OSCE.
https://www.oneworld.press/?module=articles&action=view&id=2390/
Then there is this bizarre piece from TASS. A President asking journalists if they have any information ( he does n’t have presumably) about his country being invaded.
“Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky asked, when speaking to journalists on Saturday, for information on the alleged Russian invasion planned for February 16, if such information is available, and pointed out that the information space was abundant in reports related to a potential incursion.
“Should you or anybody else have additional information about a 100% invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, starting on [February] 16, please give us such information,” Zelensky asked”.
Well the propaganda push ain’t working because even on the Daily Mail’s comments section the vast majority are wise to the obvious rush to war propaganda being peddled by the US and its lapdogs of state and media.
Too many people clearly remember the Iraq WMD 45 minute guff.
That’s the thing: these politicians and media prostitutes live in an alternate reality, but ordinary human beings don’t.
If there’s one thing that is happening faster than ever, it is the ordinary people’s realisation that the MSM is a waste of time, space and money.
That’s a very, very good thing in my opinion.
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The US may be right in saying that invasion is imminent – because they plan to provoke it. If they can get Ukrainian forces to attack separatists and overwhelm them, Russia will step in openly. Then a new agreement will replace Minsk, treating it as a conflict between Russia and Ukraine – freeing Zelensky from the Minsk pickle. Nord Stream 2 will be cancelled and further sanctions placed on Russia, crippling both Russia’s and Europe’s economies.
That has always been the plan, even since the first Banderists committed genocide upon their own nationals half a dozen years ago with mercenaries from who knows where. Russia was supposed to invade but didn’t: they just got the Crimea. It was supposed to do again last spring. Again no bite.
All the strategists of the West really believe that the Russians would behave as they were forced to in Afghanistan or back in WW2.
The Russians and Chinese instead of being put off balance by the Covid onslaught have instead collectively agreed their treaty of friendship and good neighbourliness; completely ignored since its launch just a week or so ago.
Which follows Russia’s double treaty proposal, which followed very clear English language communications with western governments and the MSM – I’d say the war of words is already won jointly by the Xi and Putin. And their very able ministers who obviously are doing great jobs unlike our shower who are happy to be humiliated in the worlds eyes.
Now there is just the wailing and the gnashing left and a withdrawal – leaving the useless Trojan horse ‘state’ Ukraine behind. It won’t be pulled in through the Russian gates. Because the Russians are defending their own borders unlike the decrepit Empire.
And there are still these 10,000 or so head choppers to be dispensed with – perhaps expecting the Russians and Chinese to do the dirty work by forcing them to exterminate the now useless baggage.
And the crazies from Canada. They and the Azov would need to be disappeared back to the wilds of Alberta! Or not.
Nordstream2 is a red herring. It is built infrastructure it can’t be ‘unbuilt’ just like all the other pipelines which are guaranteeing Europe’s future energy security. Or the Channel Tunnel for example as a consequence of U.K. storming out of the EU.
Any attack on such infrastructure means tit for tat responses would follow and escalate – if joe really blows up a private pipeline; keystone would start looking over its shoulders. The current Ukrainian pipeline is old and has not been maintained under the US run government and fascists it will fail soon and need major work to upgrade. Nordstream2 then becomes a vital replacement just in time it would seem, for still being able to supply even Ukraine with the gas it needs and Poland and yes even the U.K.
the whole petro chemical industry as a causus belli seems to be part of the same false narrative – why for instance is the US still importing large amounts of Russia Oil product?
Bottom line is that Russia will, if absolutely necessary, abandon Europe and just look East.
Their economy will NOT be crippled by not selling gas to Europe, they have alternative customers in Asia and the USA can’t stop those customers. China will ignore them, so will Iran and most likely, so will India.
Russia has been de-dollarising for a decade now and it will be aligning its economy to be free of the USA and Europe if necessary. It isn’t a battered wife, it is one consulting divorce lawyers as a tactic to try and bring an errant husband into line. But the divorce WILL go through if necessary….
If absolutely necessary- that means if physical delivery is stopped. That means military efforts.
Russia like the RoW will always stick to the commercial leagal contracts they enter into freely.
Trade can’t be exceptional rules based – never has been.
I love Tulsi Gabbard… So clear and straightforward in her articulation around this.. This is the woman who should be president of the USA.. It’s no wonder she was prevented from running by the powers that be..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=209ohlbB4to&t=2s
I agree with you. But I don’t think she’ll have any chance short of a new Civil War/Revolution in the USA.
Even if she raised lots and lots of money it still wouldn’t be enough.
The big donors(corporate and private) control the Democratic party infrastructure and the corporate media. Look at the way they closed ranks to stop Bernie Sanders’ in 2016 and 2020. It took a lot of effort and money to move Biden from an early Primaries no-hoper to Presidential nominee. Remember Iowa and the “damn liar” and “fat” exchange with a voter, in which Biden challenged said voter to press-ups challenge. Or the New Hampshire “lying dog-faced pony soldier” exchange with a young female voter? Either of those exchanges would have finished the campaign of anyone else.
Trump was a bit of a unique occurrence in that he brought his own funding and needed no introductory promotion given he was already well known – basically, he just steamrollered opponents and party hierarchy objections among the GoP.
In Washington money controls: the parties, the candidates and ultimately the policies – as donors and lobbyists can dictate any future president’s appointees to his/her administration.
This isn’t new information, people have been talking about campaign finance reform and getting the big money out of politics forever. Even popular US TV acknowledges the problems; the recent Ozark series showed Wendy Byrde expanding the Byrdes’ influence by using their foundation to rig elections and bribe politicians including Senators.
In this time when it has become so difficult to know what to believe, if anything, I was reminded of a previous time when it didn’t seem so difficult and journalism was not so discredited. The program ‘After Dark’ was an early innovation on channel 4. I’m sure there will be some who remember the series. https://www.thedossier.info/video/after-dark-secrets.htm
So the Ukrainian government is seeking talks with Moscow in the next 48 hours to discuss stepping back from its demand to join NATO in order to deescalate the situation and seek a long term settlement.
Could it be that they themselves anticipate a US false flag operation and are seeking to preclude it and a war on their own territory which they surely don’t want?
No, this would be not exactly talks. Under Vienne Convention they want to come to Russia and to check our military forces 🙂
I only hope they recognise Russian sovereignty over Rostov and Voronezh, unlike Ms.Truss. Otherwise, it would be total mess in the media, telling you about Russian troops stationed here and there everywhere in neighbouring countries and Russian fleet rushing at full speed along the strait between the Baltic and Black Seas.
@ Tatyana Ah, ok, I see. BBC R4 Today is reporting the Ukrainian offer to step back from its NATO demand and conflating that with its demand for a meeting within 48 hours, when in fact they are two separate issues.
Thanks for that.
Nonetheless, the NATO offer is a hopeful sign.
You summed it up very nicely! It’s simply hilarious :):) 🙂 If only the whole situation was not so serious…..
Ps. I should add that the “seek a long term settlement” part of my comment is my own supposition as I have not seen that specific part of my comment reported. Apologies for perhaps extrapolating a little too far.
My guess is that Ukraine seeks for every opportunity to avoid implementing Minsk agreements. They hurry to make some footage of russian troops, no matter where they are stationed. Then they’ll bring this photos en masse in your media, and in the UNSC on February 17.
They’d say – you see how many military forces Russia has, it’s a threat for us, we cannot withdrow Ukrainian army away from Donbass. Thus, Minsk agreement cannot start implementation.
I wonder how this news is viewed by Zelensky?
Ukraine president’s ratings fall as crisis with Russia brews
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/ukraine-presidents-ratings-fall-as-crisis-with-russia-brews/articleshow/89562859.cms
Will he back down or will he keep drive towards war to get higher approval?
Sadly, if he falls he will be replaced by someone orders of magnitude worse. The Americans and the Western backed Ultras already have that in play.
Great article. Second week in a row you have done the most unforgivably unBritish thing imaginable. This week that is questioning, even gently, the warmongers who roared us into the Afghan, Iraq and Libyan catastrophes. Last week of course it was to suggest Sir Keir Starmer might have had some sway in his CPS not prosecuting Jimmy Savile. You have proven decisively now that you are an enemy of Britain. Their instinctive reaction would be to say: “if you hate Britain so much why don’t you f@#k off and found your own country!!!” But they will never say that to you, will they? ?
Sarge at 14 February 2022 at 10:51 – the response of:
“if you hate Britain so much why don’t you f@#k off and found your own country!!!”
demonstrates clearly the intolerance and intellectual feebleness of those incapable of actually engaging and dealing with criticism of a corrupt system. Countries can’t hate or be hated; it is governments and individuals as well as institutions that are culpable and can be hated.
Gas is important, after all German industry needs cheap gas to remain competitive. If the Germans were denied cheap Russian energy they’d have to turn to their industrial competitors (including the US) to supply, which means the German economy becomes a hostage to that competition.
Money is important, too. Nord Stream gas was to be paid for in Euros. Interestingly, the Russians have just signed a 10 billion cubic metres of gas contract with China which will also be settled in Euros. The primacy of the dollar is in question.
Keeping the Germans down and the dollar high, that’s why they are banging the drums of war.
The reality is that the US cannot supply sufficient Gas to the EU to make up for what the Russians supply. Biden’s suggestion that other nations (ME, etc) could supply Gas to the EU would mean that those nations would have to cut off and divert supplies from their existing customer base. In short, it’s all BS, the EU needs Russian Gas. It’s cheaper, it’s available and there is no real political issues, apart from the fake ones. Just like the fake Ukraine invasion panic, this is all US generated lies that have the sole aim of hurting Russia and bolstering the bankrupt US economy.
Just as Lord Ismay said, right at the beginning of NATO, its purpose was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down,”
Jeremn, mainland Europe doesn’t even have sufficient liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker terminals to import enough US (or Qatari) gas to keep the lights on.
The UK cut its gas-powered electricity generation in May, so it could sell gas imported through its LNG terminals by exporting it to Europe through the pipelines that usually flow the other way. The UK is lucky that it’s been a warm winter with plenty of wind for the wind turbines:
https://gridwatch.templar.co.uk/
Had it been cold and/or calm, Westminster would be begging the EU for gas and being very polite to the Kremlin. As it is, Westminster can brag about Brexit and support the US and hence the US dollar versus the euro, but what about next winter?
Indeed, agreed. I think we should think of US and UK attempts to stop Russian energy from coming to Germany as an attempt to sabotage or have leverage against German industry. Market share is key here.
they do have the port in Emden, Clark, but more importantly, they have a 120 day + deep storage emergency contingency, kept in massive underground salt caverns, something we can only dream of here. Have linked to it in the past.
Those who think that the UK eschews Russian gas….far from it, the EU spot market deals mostly in Russian gas and our Bacton terminal is getting enough of it.