2022-02-25
It is our policy on this site to encourage everyone to think for themselves - but if one is perpetually immersed in a sea of one-sided commentary, that becomes very difficult.
So today, at the risk of being accused of being traitor to our beloved country (not true at all) I present an alternative view of the current situation from LaRouchePAC, founded in memory of American senator Lyndon LaRouche who viewed the UK influence on American affairs as something akin to clandestine subversive post-colonial control in the interests of the City of London and others (I simplify for brevity).
That doesn't mean that I accept or reject this viewpoint - it means that I consider it a sensible contribution to our understanding of current events, and one that is worthy of our attention.
Mr Putin's opening remarks bear scrutiny:
"In the morning of February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in Ukraine aimed at 'de-nazifying' and 'de-militarizing' Ukraine but 'not to occupy it.'
He warned: 'To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside: if you do, you will face consequences greater than you have faced in history. All relevant decisions have been taken.
I hope you hear me.' "
Concise and to the point I feel - an object lesson in brevity.
So that's enough prattling from me, except to say that the LaRouchePAC contribution is worth reading.
As always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
LaRouchePAC have released a timely but distinctly non-mainstream view of what is going on.
Moving on, as we would expect targets attacked first seem to have been limited to military installations, warehouses, airfields and aircraft etc - ground troops will probably be used to take control over hazards such as the biolabs and the infamous Chernobyl nuclear disaster site.
It is probably not commonly known that the US maintains Biological "defense" labs abroad (not limited to the Ukraine) however, that may now have changed:
(64 minutes) (Ukraine topic starts at the 2 minute mark)
I'm sure that there are other reasons also ...
Our own British News Outlet, on target as usual.
(90 minutes)
Marcel Irnie (of Canadian Truckers in Ottawa fame) provides some input from Ukraine and surroundings. It's not very focused, but does provide a flavour of events from the front line.
He also includes Mr Putin's full statement (with English subtitles) at around the 58 minute mark - which is my primary reason for including this here.
Frankly, this is absolutely necessary viewing if we would understand the Russian position. Even if we disagree, "know thine enemy".
(otherwise long and rambling)
2022-02-26
Update from Vladimir Putin:
(2 minutes)
Update from the Daily Sceptic on how the UK MSM views Mr Putin:
"According to the Council for Foreign Relations in the U.S., Vladimir Putin may have lost his marbles due to a combination of Long Covid and prolonged bouts of isolation during lockdown"
"Rumours surrounding the Russian leader’s health have been swirling for years, with repeated reports suggesting that he is suffering from cancer and Parkinson’s disease"
"What’s more, the isolation caused by the pandemic itself could have left the 69 year-old even further detached from reality, with one neuropsychologist claiming the ‘progressive isolation’ could have led to hubris syndrome, which 'diminished his ability to weigh up risk' "
Then consider how this diagnosis may be supported by the speeches in the above two videos, or whether they are simply attacking the man rather than engaging with the message.
It's your judgement that counts.
The Epoch Times reports:
Russian Forces Slowed by Strong Ukrainian Resistance, Officials Say
based upon reports from "defense officials in the United States and the United Kingdom"
Kiev not yet taken.
"Zelensky has refused to leave Kyiv, rebuffing a U.S. offer of evacuation and urging Ukrainians to fight"
2022-02-27
Patrick Henningsen (21st Century Wire) reviews the state of play for GB News
(7 minutes)
2022-02-28
UKRINFORM (Ukrainian multimedia broadcasting platform) reports that "the Ukrainian delegation has arrived in the area of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border to take part in talks with representatives of the Russian Federation".
As western MSM report that Russian forces continue to be held back, talks are about to commence.
"The President's Office said the key issue of the talks would be an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine"
Perhaps we are seeing, if not the beginning of the end, at least the end of the beginning.
Putin has said that he doesn't want control of the Ukraine, and Zelensky has offered to talk about a non-aligned status for the Ukraine. So there should be scope for agreement here.
Let us hope so - Putin is not about to retreat with his tail between his legs and invite comparison with Biden's retreat from Afghanistan. He has plenty of weapons so far unused remaining in his arsenal.
Off Guardian sheds some light (27th February) on a number of reports supposedly emanating from the Ukraine conflict:
"In just the last 48 hours dozens of stories, images, narratives and videos have circulated as being taken from the fighting in Ukraine, a huge percentage of which are fake"
"a video alleged to be 'the Ghost' in combat – shared by the Ukrainian Armed Forces – is confirmed to actually be footage taken from a video game"
That's just one of seven examples ....
Worth a look. If only to admire their ingenuity.
We shouldn't be surprised - in war the truth is always the first casualty.
Real Raw News reported (Feb 25th) that Putin's forces are destroying Ukrainian bio-weapons labs. Worth reading, as it seems definitely something that should be on the list of Putin's objectives.
On the other hand there are reports that the inhabitants of Snake Island didn't pointlessly sacrifice themselves for a sound-bite, but sensibly surrendered to live another day (what would you do?).
Maybe these reports are not as accurate as might be wished.
All part of the great fog of war.
They might be on firmer ground with this report though - at least the action is on home ground in the USA so should be more easily verifiable.
And from the Slog - a well-reasoned speculation on what really caused Vladimir Vladimirovitch to mount his military intervention in the Ukraine. He may not be right but he certainly appears well-informed and asking the right questions.
Meanwhile, Epoch Times reports that President Zelensky has called on the European Union to quickly admit his country into the bloc.
“We appeal to the European Union for Ukraine’s immediate accession under a new special procedure,” Zelensky said in an address. “We are grateful to our partners for being with us. But our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I am sure we deserve it. I am sure that all this is possible”
I'm not convinced that Mr Putin will agree with that, and the EU may discover that they don't either - after all, rules is rules ...
The Epoch Times also reports that the Ukraine - Russia talks have begun, the BBC says that a ceasefire has been requested, and
"The war in Ukraine should encourage the world to accelerate the switch to renewable energy, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said"
You couldn't make it up.
Now for a speculation from Gateway Pundit that seems to me to be highly likely true:
"You won’t hear this on CNN, but Putin’s Army of Darkness, in the most complex and ambitious ground maneuver operation since World War 2, following the Soviet “deep war” playbook, is also working on cutting off the Ukrainian army group in the Donbass"
Sounds rather like the tactic used in WW2 to surround and crush the German forces outside Stalingrad, except that Russia wants Ukraine for a friend so is unlikely to do any unnecessary crushing this time around. It will more likely be tea and biscuits around the samovar once the arms are laid down.
At the very least such a move would knock the wind out of any real Ukrainian resistance and give Russia what it wants in the peace negotiations.
2022-03-01
Putin clears for Nuclear response ...
21st Century Wire reports:
Putin Places Russian Nuclear Forces On High Alert
Further reports this afternoon that Russia is targeting precision targets in Kiev and advising civilians to leave.
Many UK papers are carrying the story.
In the same vein the BBC reports Deadly Blast at Kyiv TV tower.
2022-03-04
Epoch Times reports that Russian forces now control "Europe's largest Nuclear Plant":
Russian Forces Take Control of Europe’s Largest Nuclear Plant, Located in Ukraine: Regional Admin
Reports of shelling are not obviously confirmed by the released video (presumably from CCTV at the plant?). Looks more like a flare descending by parachute? Probably just one of many unanswered questions about this incident.
2022-03-05
Epoch Times reports Olaf Sholtz, the German Chancellor, has confirmed that NATO membership for the Ukraine is not on "the agenda".
Republic World reported the same assertion on 19th February, prior to the Russian action that commenced on 24th February, so I'm not convinced that this is topical news. It does include the qualification "will not happen any time soon" which is rather less definitive than "will not take place" as noted in the current Epoch Times report.
I guess nuances can be important.
Unherd today brings us an article by Arta Moeini, Director of Research at the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy. This is an assessment, not of the war situation, but of the western war reporting situation.
"Bombs are not raining down on our cities; instead, what we are experiencing is the psychological weaponisation of war — and its exploitation as a tool of indoctrination and statecraft in the hands of the establishment"
"The Ukraine crisis is ... merely the latest in a series of geopolitical events stretching back at least 20 years"
Epoch Times reports:
Russia-Ukraine Negotiations to Resume Monday After Partial Humanitarian Ceasefire Breached
"the evacuation in Mariupol was halted because Russian forces allegedly breached the ceasefire.
The Mariupol City Council said Saturday in a statement on Telegram that the evacuation has been postponed and asked residents to seek refuge in bomb shelters"
Meanwhile Mr Putin gave has warned:
“The current government in Kyiv has to realize that if they continue to behave like this, they will endanger the future of Ukraine’s statehood"
The Kremlin also warned: "Western sanctions against Russia [amount] to a declaration of war and warned imposing a no-fly zone is the same as participating in the Russia–Ukraine conflicts"
2022-03-06
Today's review of the Ukraine and how we got here comes from Barbara Boyd of LarouchePAC.
The Nazis Among Us — The Nuclear War Threat Isn’t Coming from Russia
Barbara has been following the goings-on in the Ukraine for many years, and it shows.
Worth reading.
Epoch News reports that Russia Issues New Warning to Countries Who Want to Help Ukraine
"Russia’s Defense Ministry on Sunday warned that any country that offers the use of its airfields to Ukraine’s military for attacks on Russian assets could be considered as having entered the conflict"
I suspect that any combatant country engaged in hostilities would say the same.
2022-03-10
Epoch News reports that US Won’t Give Poland’s Jets to Ukraine Over Concerns Putin Would See the Move as ‘Escalatory’
"The United States won’t act on a proposal from Poland to take fighter jets from the ally and transfer them to Ukraine because of concerns Russian officials would view the move as “escalatory,” a U.S. official said March 9"
" ... the Ukrainian Air Force was also said to have several squadrons of fully capable aircraft already, and a U.S. assessment concluded “giving them more is not likely” to make a big impact ..."
2022-03-11
An admirable report by Greg Hunter (reporting from the front line in Missouri) of USA Watchdog:
Bio-weapons labs
Broken weapons treaties
Fake news and propaganda
Fake video footage
Ukrainians caught in the middle
Jets from Poland - Oh wait - the Russians won't like that - maybe not ...
Facebook allows threats of violence against Russians
Russia to default on foreign debt?
2022-03-19
CAF and KW knit together the goings on in Ukraine, the EU, NATO, and the UN, which wants an international treaty to subject us all to UN control in the event of another "pandemic".
"When Fitts and van Wolferen speak, their emotions are subjugated to their knowledge, not vice versa"
You won't find this in the mainstream then.
2022-03-26
A shift was announced by Russia's Defence Ministry on Friday:
" ... it has completed the first phase of its “special military operation” in Ukraine and will now focus on the eastern Donbas region"
“The combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which, I emphasize once again, makes it possible to focus on the main efforts to achieve the main goal … [the] liberation of Donbas”
Whilst I can believe that the first sentence is likely true, there's lots of speculation in the press in general about the reasons for this new focus but nothing strikes me as definitive.
I also note the MonkeyWerx assessment of the same date that NATO has recently been significantly building its forces in the area, so maybe some new initiative is afoot, military or otherwise.
2022-04-02
The fog of war persists, but this report from the pro-Russian front in Mariupol demonstrates the devastation of Mariupol:
2022-04-06
Ukraine Unlikely to Take Back Crimea–Donbass Corridor Through Military Means: Zelenskyy
The Epoch Times notes that Zelenskyy concedes that the Ukraine is unlikely to regain control of Russian occupied territory "in the short term".
" 'Donbass, and the south of Ukraine, and the corridor to Crimea, and the Kherson region, and the Zaporizhzhia region,' he said. 'We basically understand what they are doing' "
2022-04-08
Larry C Johnson talking to the Daily Exposé says that Russia has neutralised Ukraines's army, and can now concentrate on the mopping up operations.
2022-04-09
UN General Assembly suspends Russia from Human Rights Council
"The UN General Assembly voted Thursday to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine"
"93 voted in favor of suspension as proposed by the United States while 24 voted against and 58 abstained"
2022-04-15
Moskva, the Russian warship, sinks.
Ukraine claims that its missile strike was the cause.
More to follow as events unfold ...
