Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Thu Nov 03, 2022 10:53 pm

Russia prevents attack on Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

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The situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the third largest in the world, worries Russia due to constant attacks by Ukraine. | Photo: @producersUY
Published 3 November 2022

From Russia they denounced that the attacks against the nuclear power plant have not stopped despite the presence of an IAEA delegation.

Russia announced Thursday that it managed to prevent a suspected terrorist attack at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

The statement was made by the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, during a meeting with his counterparts from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

According to Nikolai Patrushev, the attack on the nuclear power plant was prevented by special service forces charged with monitoring and protecting the power plant.


He added that the visit to the plant by the IAEA delegation did not mean the end of the Ukrainian attacks on the nuclear power plant in the Donbas region.


"Ukrainian neo-Nazi forces continue to fire Western weapons at the nuclear power plant, which could lead to a global catastrophe," the Russian military official said.

The situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the third largest in the world, worries Russia due to constant attacks by Ukraine.

The plant's facilities have suffered attacks since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in the south of Ukrainian territory on February 24, of which Ukrainians and Russians accuse each other.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/rusia-im ... -0005.html

Türkiye confirms departure of six ships with grains from Ukraine

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Russia announced on Wednesday the revival of the grain export agreement from Ukrainian ports. | Photo: cover_up8d
Published 3 November 2022 (1 hour 54 minutes ago)

The Turkish Defense Minister said that the six ships will sail through an established maritime corridor in the Black Sea.

The Defense Minister of Türkiye confirmed on Thursday the departure of several ships loaded with grain from Ukrainian ports when the corridor that had been agreed between Russia and Ukraine was restarted last July.

According to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, he confirmed to Turkish media that at least six ships set sail from Ukraine, a day after Russia announced that it had received sufficient guarantees that kyiv would not use the sea corridor to launch attacks.

The Turkish minister commented that the ships will sail through the Black Sea, which has already allowed the export of 9.7 million tons of grain and other Ukrainian agricultural products.


Upon confirming the departure of the group of ships loaded with grain from Ukrainian ports, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, thanked the United Nations and Türkiye for their role in reactivating the grain export agreement from Ukraine by the Black Sea.

“Food should never be used as a weapon of war. Cereal exports are crucial to address the global food crisis exacerbated by Russia," Borrell said in a message on Twitter.


Russia announced on Wednesday the reactivation of the grain export agreement from Ukraine, after it was suspended last Saturday alleging that kyiv had launched an attack on its ships in Crimea.

To return to the agreement, Moscow announced that it has received guarantees through the UN and Turkey that kyiv will not use the grain export corridor for military purposes.

The agreement mediated by the United Nations and Türkiye allows food exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world to resume despite the war.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/turkiye- ... -0007.html

Google Translator

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Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, speaks at a gathering of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in a Winnipeg Delta Hotel, on October 28, 2022. (Image Credit: CBC/Google Images)

Canada prepares war bonds for Nazi-infested Ukrainian government
Originally published: Canada prepares war bonds for Nazi-infested Ukrainian government on October 31, 2022 by Daniel Xie (more by Canada prepares war bonds for Nazi-infested Ukrainian government) (Posted Nov 03, 2022)

During the Second World War, the Canadian government appealed for Canadians to buy war bonds to fight fascism in Europe. This came only after Hitler came into conflict with Britain before the Soviet Union, with Canada’s government previously being an enthusiastic supporter of fascism in the 1930s. Canada would almost instantly go back to working with fascists after the end of World War II, importing many from Europe. In 2022, the Canadian government has once again reintroduced war bonds, this time for a Nazi-infested Ukrainian government used by NATO to wages a proxy war against Russia.Appeals for war bonds during the Second World War manifested through calls for Canadians to buy “Victory loans” funding Canada’s war effort. From 1941 to 1945, there were nine victory loans with total cash sales totaling almost $12 billion. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that “about 52% of these bonds were bought by corporations and the rest by individuals.”
On October 28 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a plan to raise further money for Ukraine as the eight year NATO-led proxy war against Russia rages on. This plan involves Canada selling a government backed 5-year bond for Ukraine, NATO’s primary means used to target Russia. Canada calls it a “Ukrainian Sovereignty Bond”. Trudeau’s plan would also in turn make Canada the first country to provide war bonds to Ukraine.

This time around, the war bonds are meant to help the Ukrainian government “continue operations”, while targets of this money would include “providing essential services to Ukrainians, like pensions, and purchasing fuel before winter.” The Canada Files reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to ask: “Can you guarantee that none of the funds raised from these bonds will go to the Ukrainian military or police?” We have not received a response. Regardless, a Canadian government bond has been created to support a Nazi-infested government in Ukraine.

In a meeting with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Trudeau discussed how Canadians can now “go to major banks to purchase their sovereignty bonds which will mature after five years with interest”. These bonds will support the government of Ukraine in fighting NATO’s proxy war against Russia and allow it to continue further operations targeting the Russian Special Military Operation in the Donbass.

In addition to a war bonds for the Ukrainian government, the Canadian government also announced a new round of sanctions targeting various senior Russian officials. These senior Russian officials were tied to the Russian energy sector, including Gazprom and its subsidiaries. Furthermore, Canada plans to impose even further sanctions on Russian justice and security sectors building off of the sanctions for Gazprom. Canada’s announcement of these sanctions signifies further commitment to NATO’s strategy of economically strangling Russia by isolating Russia from the global market. This is to be carried regardless of the effectiveness of these sanctions or the imminent consequences for Europe as the winter commences.

A Very Canadian history of working with Ukrainian Nazi Collaborators

Canada’s preparation of war bonds for the Nazi-Infested Ukrainian government is yet another instance of Canada’s collaboration with pro-fascist elements of the Ukrainian diaspora in establishing an anti-Russian foreign policy. This collaboration with fascist elements of the Ukrainian diaspora goes back to the end of the Second World War. Following the end of the Second World War and the start of the Cold War, Canada provided refuge to Ukrainian Nazi collaborators fleeing the Soviet Union. These Nazi collaborators belong to the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, specifically the OUN-B faction of the movement. The OUN-B, headed by Stephan Bandera, sought to create an ‘ethnically pure’ Ukraine, purged of all Jews, Russians, and Poles. During the Second World War, they enthusiastically collaborated with the Nazis to exterminate both Communists along with Ukraine’s Jewish, Polish, and Slavic populations. Some members of the OUN collaborated with the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier division. The 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier division was responsible for the massacre of more than 1,000 Polish civilians in Huta Peniatska in 1944.

These fascist groups would find a new home in Canada as anti-Communism became an integral part of Canadian foreign policy in the Cold War. According to investigative historian Peter Vronsky, U.S.-financed groups such as the Canadian Christian Council for the Resettlement of Refugees lobbied the Canadian government to take in former SS collaborators in the war against Communism.

The Canadian government would admit more than 2,000 members of the Galician Waffen SS Division in order to crush the left wing of the Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora. In many cases, simply showing an SS tattoo to officials was enough to be admitted in Canada. These Nazi collaborators worked with the Canadian government and Canadian corporations to suppress leftist movements in Canada. The RCMP paid suspected war criminals such as Radislav Grujicic to provide intelligence reports on left-wing immigrants. Canadian mining companies such as INCO would use Ukrainian Nazi collaborators to purge unions of leftist militants.

The Ukrainian Nazi collaborators settling in Canada would set up various organizations to spread their ideology. These organizations included the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the League of Ukranian Canadians (LUC), both of which glorify Nazi collaborators such as Bandera and his right-hand man, Yaroslav Stetsko. The UCC would even go as far to consider Bandera one of Ukraine’s national heroes. In addition to setting up organizations promoting Ukrainian ultranationalism, the ultranationalist elements of the Ukrainian diaspora wouldalso erect memorials to various Nazi collaborators. These memorials include a monument commemorating the 14th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division in Oakville, as well as a statue of Nazi collaborator Roman Shukhevych in Edmonton.

Trudeau continues Canada’s history anti-Russia collaboration with Ukrainian Ultranationalists

The Canadian government’s collaboration with the Ukrainian-Canadian far right would continue under Justin Trudeau. As prime minister, Trudeau would appoint Ukrainian ultranationalist Chrystia Freeland as foreign minister and later as deputy prime minister and minister of finance. Freeland was the granddaughter of Michael Chomiak, who ran a Nazi propaganda newspaper in Ukraine. Freeland has both defended the U.S.-instigated Maidan coup and whitewashed her grandfather’s willing complicity in the Holocaust, along with his efforts to spread far-right ideas within the Canadian Ukrainian diaspora.

In addition to the appointment of Freeland, the Trudeau government both permitted the sale of light arms to Ukraine and continued Operation UNIFIER. Operation UNIFIER was the Canadian Armed Forces’ mission providing military training for the Neo Nazi-infiltrated Ukrainian army as they waged war on the Russian population of Ukraine. While Operation UNIFIER was started under the Harper government, it would be extended twice by the Trudeau government. The first extension of Operation UNIFIER occurred in March 2019, when it was extended to March 2022, and the second extension occurred in January of 2022, when the mission was extended to March of 2025. As tensions worsened between Russia and Ukraine, the Trudeau government prepared the further expansion of sanctions in February of 2022 targeting Russia.

With the commencing of Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine, the Canadian government would push for immediate escalation of the conflict. On March 3, 2022 the Canadian government would place sanctions on Russian companies Rosneft and Gazprom. This would be followed by the removal of Russia and Belarus from favored nation status, thereby imposing a mandatory 35 per cent tariff on all imports from the two countries. In addition to increasing sanctions, Canada would provide artillery and light armored vehicles for Ukraine. On April 7, 2022, the Canadian parliament would also echo trumped-up claims from the Ukrainian government that Russian actions in Ukraine constituted an act of genocide.

Canada’s attempts to escalate the Ukrainian conflict drives world closer to Nuclear War

The Canadian government’s decision to provide war bonds for Ukraine is yet another indication of its willingness to work with Ukrainian ultra-nationalists in fermenting an anti-Russia foreign policy. For decades since they were offered refuge in Canada, pro-Nazi elements of the Ukrainian diaspora have worked with the Canadian government and Canadian corporations against first the Canadian left and the USSR, and now the Russian government. In the years following the Maidan coup, Canada has escalated tensions further with both sanctions on Russia and military support for Ukraine both before and after the Russian Special Military operation.

As the NATO-instigated proxy war in Ukraine against Russia drives the world closer to nuclear war, an anti-imperialist movement in Canada is needed more than ever to oppose further escalation of the war in Ukraine by the Canadian government.

https://mronline.org/2022/11/03/canada- ... overnment/

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‘Let’s get out of NATO’: Protests across Europe
November 3, 2022 Gary Wilson

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Dresden, Germany, October 30, 2022.

Mass demonstrations continued across Europe in October. Primarily they were protests against skyrocketing energy prices and soaring inflation. They were also against war and the sanctions on Russia that are seen to be directly responsible for the cost of living crisis across Europe.

Tens of thousands of people have marched in cities in France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany. Most are fed up with sanctions on Russia that have sparked economic ruin. Also, support for the U.S./NATO proxy war in Ukraine is falling.

Here are some of the protests in Europe:

Another massive protest against NATO and the EU on the streets of Paris, France today.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1584029180219777025

Thousands of Germans fill the streets of Dresden, protesting against sanctions on Russia and the rise in the cost of living caused by the war in Ukraine. https://twitter.com/i/status/1586717229546184706

TODAY: Thousands of protesters in Prague call for early elections and talks with Russia to address the energy crisis ahead of the winter.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1586086945197002753


Mass protests continue in #Moldova calling for the removal of the pro-EU regime of Maya Sandu.

The Western media has completely blacked out these mass protests in Moldova. They are peddling the CIA nonsense instead blaming Russia for this.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1586080828622503936

On October 28, local time, Czech people took to the streets to protest and demonstrate, advocating to withdraw from the European Union and #NATO: "Russia is not our enemy, the belligerent Czech government is" slogan! https://twitter.com/i/status/1586382062902448129

Mass protest in Prague, for Peace, elections and the right not to freeze for NATO. https://twitter.com/i/status/1586086945197002753

Thread of protests that are erupting all over Europe against EU, NATO, inflation, politicians, governmental control, arm sales, etc about which mainstream media is completely silent https://twitter.com/i/status/1585173830913310720

Post by Juan Sinmiedo on telegram. Rome, Italian's protest Nato and their sanctions on Russia https://twitter.com/i/status/1586699559694131200

Germany 🇩🇪 HAMBURG Peace and Freedom Demonstration 🔥🔥🔥 in Protest against the Governments Restrictions, Mandates, Anti-NATO, Inflations cost of Living and Energy (29/10/2022) https://twitter.com/i/status/1586499141055950848

https://struggle-la-lucha.org/2022/11/0 ... ss-europe/

Edited, more at link.

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German Trade Balance
November 3, 16:38

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German trade balance. Just recovered from covid and here you are. Merkel's entire legacy is safely fucked up.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7951765.html

Google Translator

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THIEVES’ PARADISE IN KIEV — IMF ADMITS IT DOESN’T KNOW HOW MUCH UKRAINE HAS RECEIVED OF $35 BILLION IN PROMISED FOREIGN CASH, OR WHERE THE MONEY WAS SPENT

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By John Helmer, Moscow @bears_with

A new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reveals that the Ukraine has become a thieves’ paradise in which corporate loan defaults are written off; embezzlement from banks is not traced; the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) no longer audits the country’s bank liabilities and reserves; and the IMF admits it cannot tell how much of the $35 billion in foreign cash grants and loans promised to Kiev has been disbursed, or to whom.

“Disbursements of all committed funds over the remaining months of the year is urgently needed and will make a difference,” declares Kristalina Georgieva (lead image), the IMF Managing director since 2019, “especially in light of the recent horrific damage to energy infrastructure.” Georgieva was speaking in Berlin on October 25.

“In a best-case scenario,” she added, “we estimate that Ukraine’s financing needs would be about $3 billion per month. When we incorporate some additional financing for higher gas imports and some repair of critical infrastructure, we quickly reach $4 billion per month. The recent missile attacks, which have clearly caused much more damage, not only confirms the validity of these estimates but leads us to consider $5 billion upper range.”

However, in a 32-page IMF staff report on the state of Ukrainian budget finance and the risk of system-wide financial collapse, the Fund experts have concluded that “large-scale forbearance with a delayed recognition of NPLs [commercial bank non-performing loans] and the suspension of NBU enforcement actions and audits of financial statements make a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the war difficult and uncertain.” The report has been released at this link on the IMF website.

“Uncertainty” is IMF officialspeak for black hole. “The balance of probabilities,” according to the staff paper dated October 3, “would suggest that Ukraine has an unsustainable level of debt.” According to the Fund rules, this should suspend or stop IMF and all other foreign government cashflows.

Georgieva and the IMF board, dominated by the US, say otherwise. The black hole, the staff report goes on to say, is “unique to the extreme circumstances now prevailing in Ukraine, [so] very high uncertainty makes it difficult, at present, to estimate with sufficient precision the impact of the war on the debt outlook, and what would be required to restore sustainability.”

Instead, they have accepted a promise issued in a letter to the Fund dated October 1 from the Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergei Marchenko and NBU Governor Kirill Shevchenko. “We commit to undergoing a new safeguards assessment of the National Bank of Ukraine and will continue providing IMF staff with the NBU’s audit reports and authorize its external auditors to hold discussions with staff.”

This is a future promise. The NBU audit reports already received by the Fund in Washington ought to show exactly how much foreign cash has been received at the NBU, and what has happened to it in the disbursement throughout the Ukrainian public finance system. They don’t. In fact, the staff report tables show “disbursed and prospective official financing” conflating the two numbers together, and treating both as imprecise and unreliable because they are “2022 proj[ected].”

On October 7 the Fund’s Executive Board met to agree to the despatch of a fresh $1.29 billion in cash, and to accept the NBU’s promissory note for future accountability. The staff report says the new money is to be paid through the “food shock window of the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI)”. The black hole promise has been assigned an IMF acronym; it’s to be called the PMB – “Project Monitoring with Board involvement.”

Once PMB is put into operation, Marchenko and Shevchenko told the Board in their letter, “we expect [it to] help eventually pave the way for an Upper Credit Tranche arrangement in the near future”. This is Ukrainian officialspeak for turning “eventually” into the “near future”; and for throwing more good money after bad.

Since the present Ukrainian government was installed in Kiev in February 2014, the IMF has demonstrated a long record of failing to audit the NBU and commercial banks and of refusing to stop the multi-billion dollar diversion, fraud and embezzlement of the foreign funds by the oligarchs close to the regime and to Washington.

Read that archive here.

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Source: http://johnhelmer.net/

Last March, shortly after the Russian special military operation had begun, Georgieva said at a press conference that “Ukraine has audited how the money was spent and has provided a very good account on the role this emergency financing played.”

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Source: https://www.imf.org/

This wasn’t true at the time; the latest staff papers show it hasn’t been true over the interval of seven months and it isn’t true now.

“As the economy adapts to the now prolonged war, macroeconomic policies have forcefully adjusted to reduce non-priority expenditures, ease pressure on the hryvnia and FX reserves, and preserve financial stability. The authorities have also adopted wide-ranging emergency measures since Russia’s invasion including administrative FX and capital controls, a suspension of regulatory and supervisory enforcement actions, postponement of audits of banks’ financial statements, and forbearance with respect to restructured loans.”

“Asset quality is deteriorating, but large-scale forbearance with a delayed recognition of NPLs and the suspension of NBU enforcement actions and audits of financial statements make a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the war difficult and uncertain. Banks can access unsecured funding with a maturity of up to one year for an amount up to 30 percent of their late-January retail deposits. NBU enforcement actions have been suspended for breaches of prudential requirements regarding capital, liquidity, credit risk, net open positions in FX and for delays in prudential reporting. Audits of banks’ financial statements and regular bank stress testing have been postponed. Loans restructured during the martial law period are exempt from reclassification for credit risk, some regulatory risk weights have been decreased, and banks have been prohibited from related party lending, capital distributions (dividend payments and share buy-backs), and bonus payments.”

That last line is comprehensively contradicted by the preceding admissions. In plain language, Ukrainian corporate borrowers can default with impunity on their loans, and the banks are no longer required to report the sum of these defaults, set aside loan loss provisions, or increase their shareholders’ capital to compensate for actual or projected losses. These normal balance-sheet operations are no longer being audited by finance ministry regulators, the central bank, or the state’s prosecutors and financial police.

The IMF staff concede they are six months out of date on the sums. By calling them “official”, the IMF is admitting it doesn’t know if the sums they have been given by the NBU are a fraction of the truth.

“The official NPL ratio as of end-May was 16.5 percent. Banks have also granted payment holidays on retail [individual] and corporate loans for the duration of the Martial Law and cancelled fees and commissions on cashless payments as well as cash withdrawals. Prospects for banking system profitability are therefore significantly weakened. Although outstanding credit to GDP is relatively low at 14 percent, banks’ loan portfolios are also vulnerable to several adverse developments including rising interest rates; a declining exchange rate (a third of bank lending is denominated in foreign currency); and damage to real collateral used for credit enhancement. The banking sector recorded US$1.1 billion (UAH 33 billion) of loan loss provisions for credit losses between March and May, a four-fold increase over the previous year. Banks’ retail loan portfolios shrank by around 10 percent and mortgage lending came to a halt, but corporate lending has grown slightly due to various government support schemes.”

The state budget coffers, filled with foreign cash, are being emptied to “support” the defaulting banks as their cash disappears. This, the IMF accountants say, is their budget deficit red line. “The fiscal deficit is projected to reach close to 20 percent of GDP at end-2022, subject to a high degree of uncertainty.” After recording that this year $530.1 million is projected to be “non-tax revenue” – that is , US and other foreign cash to pay for the military – an increase of $364.2 million over 2021, it appears this money isn’t enough to cover the projected expenditure on “compensation of employees”, which should increase by $418.1 million over a year ago. The deficit must be covered by more US and foreign cash, the report recommends.

The uncertainties are tabulated in the staff report this way:

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Source: Staff Report, “Request for Purchase under the Rapid Financing Instrument”, -- page 17.

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Source: Staff Report -- page 12.

The operative term in these tables is “proj.”

Georgieva has admitted publicly this “uncertainty” and “proj.” On October 25 she told the press “the international community has acted decisively — it came together to commit $35 billion in grant and loan financing in 2022 for the people of Ukraine. Building on the laudable efforts of the Ukrainian authorities, this has put a floor under the Ukrainian economy. Disbursements of all committed funds over the remaining months of the year is urgently needed and will make a difference, especially in light of the recent horrific damage to energy infrastructure. From our side, we are acting—the IMF has disbursed $2.7 billion of own resources to Ukraine this year through emergency financing, and channeled an additional $2.2 billion through our Administered Account. But we also need to plan ahead. Ukraine’s financing needs in 2023 are enormous. The country will do its part, but it also needs a strong effort from its partners.”

Georgieva is admitting the only disbursements to the Ukraine she is sure of are the ones the IMF has paid itself. Georgieva’s use of the future tense camouflages the gap between commitments and disbursements on the part of the US, the European Union and Canada. When she urges a “strong effort from [Ukraine’s] partners”, the IMF chief is warning that US and NATO promises to deliver money have not materialised on time.

The staff report uses the euphemisms “assuming” and “timely” to concede the same point. “The fiscal financing gap for 2022 has narrowed thanks to sizeable support from international partners and coordinated suspension of debt service due by Ukraine. The deferral of debt service obtained from private bondholders, the G7 and Paris Club members is estimated to save about US$6 billion in debt service through end-2023. Assuming [sic] the authorities continue to tap limited purchases of war-bonds by the NBU (allowed under the Martial Law) and [assuming] timely [sic] disbursement of the US$31.5 billion of committed external loans and grants (including the proposed purchase under the RFI and about US$ 2.2 billion in loans and grants already disbursed through the Administered Account established by the Fund in April), the residual financing gap would be about US$4 billion (2.8 percent of GDP). This gap is primarily driven by needs to support the energy sector and additional defense spending.”

The following tabulation by the IMF experts of the Kiev regime’s “financing gap” of $4 billion is pure guesswork

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Source: Staff Report -- page 11.

The western press coverage of the Ukraine has almost totally ignored the IMF staff reports and data tables. The Financial Times of London, for example, lists 74 publications on the IMF in Ukraine; not one of them reveals this year’s IMF staff reports.

The Wall Street Journal has attempted to portray itself as doing better than its rival by publishing a front-page interview on August 12 – ahead of the arrival in Kiev of the IMF staff – with Finance Minister Marchenko. However, Marchenko wasn’t asked to clarify how much of this year’s foreign commitments had been received in Kiev, nor how he and his government are accounting for their outlays to creditors, lenders, state employees, and the troops. Like the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times has been promoting Kiev’s demands for more money, portraying its financial management “since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on February 24 [as] meeting its obligations in full in order to maintain the confidence of international investors.” The IMF staff reporting indicates this is false.

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Source: https://www.wsj.com

The Financial Times has published two interviews with Marchenko -- in April and July of this year.

Social media from the Ukrainian troops on the battlefield indicate that surviving soldiers are not being paid on time and in full, while dead, wounded or missing soldiers are having their pay and benefits diverted and stolen by unit commanders and paymasters. Theft of cash and military equipment is rife.

The Pentagon has recently announced that it will – future tense – send inspectors to check what is happening to US weapons deliveries and prevent the black market diversion. A leak this week to the Washington Post has revealed that at best only 10% of US arms deliveries to the Ukraine have been confirmed as in stock – 2,200 of a total of 22,000 weapons delivered.

The newspaper also reported State Department sources as blaming the Russian Army for the arms resale and black market smuggling. “Since late February’s invasion, which prompted the closing of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv for several months, U.S. officials have been able to conduct just two in-person inspections of items requiring enhanced oversight at weapons depots where U.S. arms had been brought in from Poland. ‘The conflict creates an imperfect condition for us to have to adjust quickly,’ a senior State Department official said. ‘We want to put some of those resources to working with our allies and partners to mitigate risk however, wherever we can.’ The scramble to adapt oversight rules designed for peacetime has taken on greater importance as the volume of American assistance reaches dizzying levels and congressional scrutiny intensifies. U.S. and Ukrainian officials say they have not documented any instances of illicit use or transfer of American arms in Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on Feb. 24. The State Department has acknowledged that Russian forces’ capture of Ukrainian arms could lead to those weapons being smuggled on to other countries. Other weapons have gone missing; a Swedish grenade launcher, apparently pilfered from a battlefield in Ukraine, exploded in the trunk of a car in Russia in May.”

The Pentagon and State Department have told reporters their new auditing effort “hope[s] to achieve a ‘reasonable’ level of compliance with U.S. oversight rules for those high-risk items [Stinger anti-air and Javelin anti-tank missiles] , but also acknowledge that they are unlikely to achieve 100 percent of normal checks and inventories as the country’s escalating war with Russia strains systems for ensuring weapons are not stolen or misused.”

The US Government terms “reasonable” and “normal” are the equivalent of the IMF’s “assuming”, “timely”, and “proj.”

Until now, however, the US Government’s official auditor, the independent General Accounting Office (GAO), has refused to audit Ukrainian expenditure of US military aid funds.

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Source: https://www.gao.gov/

“Looking ahead,” the IMF staff declared last month, “it is crucial to implement policies that do not reverse hard-won gains from past Fund-supported programs to maintain donor confidence and pave the way for the eventual recovery. Effective transparency and accountability safeguards are critical to sustaining continued donor support, preventing misappropriation, and eventually ensuring high quality reconstruction efforts. Key measures should aim to promote procurement transparency in spending and investment, preserve key functions of the anticorruption enforcement framework, and maintain good corporate governance, including in state-owned enterprises and banks. More broadly, a successful reconstruction effort will require a timely and well-coordinated normalization of fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies, restoring financial sector health, gradually liberalizing capital flows, strengthening governance, and tackling key structural challenges, including restoring a well-functioning PFM-system which includes fiscal risk management.”

This is an admission that there are no accountability safeguards, no effective transparency audits, no prevention of misappropriation in the present Ukrainian government, banking system, and military operations. Promising there will be is a battery torch shining on a black hole – for as long as there is electricity to recharge the battery before the light goes out.

http://johnhelmer.net/thieves-paradise- ... more-70130

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From Cassad's Telegram account:

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Colonelcassad
Special operation, November 3rd. The main thing from RIA Novosti :

▪️One hundred and seven Russian soldiers have been released from Ukrainian captivity, the Russian Defense Ministry said;

▪️Over the past day, Russian air defense systems shot down 8 Ukrainian drones, as well as 13 HIMARS, Alder and Uragan MLRS shells;

▪️Russian combat aviation shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter in the Kherson region;

▪️In the Dzerzhinsk region (DPR), a US-made AN / TPQ-37 counter-battery radar was destroyed;

▪️The Russian military defeated two companies of foreign mercenaries in the village of Novoselovskoye (LPR), 130 enemy people were killed;

▪️In the Kharkiv region, the Russian Armed Forces in the course of a counter-battery fight defeated a Ukrainian platoon of Grad multiple launch rocket systems;

▪️IAEA inspectors completed inspections at three sites in Ukraine and found no undeclared nuclear activities or materials there;

▪️The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed a strong protest to the British Ambassador to the Russian Federation in connection with the participation of British military specialists in the training and supply of units of the special operations forces of Ukraine.

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forwarded from
Voenkor Kitten Z
Military expert Boris Rozhin on the main points during the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine at 21.00 Moscow time on 03.11.2022, specially for the Voenkor Kotenok Z @voenkorKotenok channel :

1. Avdiivka direction.

Fights for Vodyanoye , Pervomayskoye and Experienced . There are no significant promotions. The battles develop in a positional manner with small advances of the assault groups.

2. Carbon . The offensive of the RF Armed Forces gets bogged down in Pavlovka . It has not yet been possible to dislodge the enemy from the rest of the village. Also, it has not yet been possible to establish full-fledged fire control over the road to Ugledar . Fights for fortified areas continue

Novomikhailovka .

3. Artemovsk .

Fights for fortified areas near Experienced and in the area of ​​the industrial zone on the eastern outskirts.
Promotion to Kurdyumovka has not yet brought any special dividends. The enemy is rotating the battered units in Artemovsk . Attempts to counterattack north of the city ended unsuccessfully for the APU.

4. Soledar / Seversk .

The situation has not changed much. Positional battles continue without much progress.
Street fighting in Soledar and positional fighting in the area of ​​​​Disputed and Belogorovka.

5. Kremennaya .

Local battles near Terna andTorsky continue to tie down the enemy's initiative in the direction of Kremennaya . The Armed Forces of Ukraine are regrouping in the Svatovsky direction in order to try to break through the front in the direction of the Svatovo-Kremennaya highway , as well as repeat the attack on Tavolzhanka .

6. Kherson .

Situation without significant changes. The enemy continues to carry out small attacks and reconnaissance in combat, but without significant results. Our troops continue to stand in the same positions against the background of rumors about the withdrawal from Kherson . The enemy intensifies shelling of the Antonovsky bridge area and settlements on the Dnieper .

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forwarded from
Joker DNR
16:19
We continue to humiliate self-confident Ukrainians with the DELTA command and control program, which, as Yurochka Butusov correctly noted, was highly appreciated by NATO experts at their event on October 26. Especially NATO experts noted its reliability and security, yeah. It seems that NATO has the same specialists as the Ukrainian circus.
Yurochka sometimes tells the truth, and he correctly noted that my hackers hacked into DELTA in August. For the rest, he brazenly lies. For example, that phishing was used and, as Yura wrote: “two adults with titles and positions” simply opened a virus program. Yura also lies that they received access only for 13 minutes and only regarding the southern part of the former Ukraine. I just demonstrated the south because your bouncer, who humiliated "stupid Russians who are far from such technologies," also demonstrated the south. Thought you'd understand. But you are too dumb.
So, Yurochka, I want to upset you. We visited those adults through DELTA, and not vice versa. We also visited and left gifts with other “adults” who use such logins in DELTA: VadimFox, Santiago, Boris, Metodist, Balamut, Odessa, ofelia20 and some others. To all, in short. By the way, the American owners should conduct an investigation themselves, otherwise we often visit them through Ukrainian resources. By the way, remember the Sea Breeze 2021 joint exercises with NATO and the lists of all participants published by me, including those from NATO. Then my hackers hacked many websites of the Ukrainian security forces, and a cloud with all the lists and documents of all participants was attached to the website of the Ukrainian Navy . Everything turned out to be easier than we expected.
In short, here's another video from DELTA. It is short, 16 minutes and a half, and Kharkiv is considered there, and we ran through Donetsk. No, well, if Yura recognizes Kharkov and Donetsk as a legitimate historical part of Russian lands, then yes, they are also the South ... South of Moscow for sure.
I have only one question. Will the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine again deny the fact of the DELTA hack?

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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Fri Nov 04, 2022 12:16 pm

positional lock
POSTED BY @NSANZO ⋅ 04/11/2022
Original Article: DonRF

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It is common that, by focusing on the details, the trees prevent people from seeing the forest. That is the peculiarity of human perception. In general, these eight months have shown the following picture: the original plan drawn in the American style did not work. And he did not do it for reasons that go beyond the military, problems that were not in the army but in politics and intelligence. Then it started to be… different. The objectives and priorities were changed, an attempt was made to prevent everything from becoming what it has finally become and an attempt was made to seek a diplomatic solution, since nothing had worked otherwise.

The consequence is that we are faced with a situation similar to that of a century ago. In the First World War, the situation was determined by the fact that the means of defense (machine guns and rapid-firing artillery) outnumbered the means of attack. Right now we are faced with exactly the same thing: Russia cannot afford to pay the price of victory with hundreds of thousands killed, it cannot afford to bombard the enemy back to the stone age, it cannot afford to go all the way, while kyiv does not have the strength or the means to attack in places where there is a real defense.

If you forget the propaganda for a moment, Western supplies have disappointed. Western artillery is good, but low in quantity and has the problem of losses and repair, for which the systems have to be sent to the European Union. And the HIMARS were effective mostly at first, but air defenses have learned to work against them, and over time, attacks on the front have shown moderate efficiency of these systems. The West could have delivered several hundred chemical weapons to kyiv, supplemented them with a thousand artillery systems, more tanks, it could have covered the skies with US planes and put up hundreds of air defense systems…but they are not going to give that much either. Never to anyone.

In the same way, it can also be said that if the Russian army had received the order to advance and demolish all the infrastructure, if the mobilization had not been partial, if the objectives had been clear and it had not been decided to play the boy well…but the Russian Federation cannot afford it. As a result, everything has turned out as it has and we have an offensive in Ugledar and they in Kremennaya-Svatovo. In our case, four days of hard fighting has meant that the enemy has dragged reserves in large numbers and trades every meter for time. Also, losing a thousand or two thousand people is not a problem for them. It never has been.

The picture is reversed in the case of the Ukraine attacks. Inspired by the Kharkov vacuum strike, which caused panic and the flight of lightly armed units and low-motivated conscripts, the enemy began to strike repeatedly in this way along the defense line, where units were located. stronger. The result has been predictable: on the Ukrainian side, the participation of assault units is perceived as a deadly verdict. And the progress here is like that of any NATO army: little. Not even China could take the line of defense in the Great War by drowning it in troops. And he had many.

What is the way out? Moscow is sincerely looking for a diplomatic way out, simply because it does not dare to commit itself to an open war with an unpredictable outcome and which would involve mountains of corpses. The West is focused on prolonging the conflict, knowing that turning it around is expensive and unrealistic. In addition, he bets on internal destabilization in Russia. What will happen from here? That is something, in principle, unknown. There may be an attempt to haggle, Moscow may decide. kyiv may cause a nuclear accident by bombing a plant or NATO may send troops to Ukraine and cause World War III. Or it may be that Moscow provokes the worst possible scenario by being excessively constructive and maintaining the policy of Leopold the cat ., or he may cause the exact opposite by behaving harshly. Or you may try to freeze the conflict.

We have reached a kind of twilight zonein which there are no good options, only bad and very bad options remain. Like the dance around the grain arrangement, for example. Cases in which "the non-compliance cannot be forgiven". Doing nothing after the Sevastopol wake-up call would have been like a slap in the face, but you couldn't give up either because there are no tools to block a coastline saturated with weapons. It would have meant the need to sink ships flying a neutral flag and thus expand the conflict. That cannot be and it has become a classic trap whose way out is the firm decision to go to the end. Either victory or defeat. But can Moscow and kyiv afford it? The question remains in the air. War is the continuation of politics by other means. For now we have politics. November and December will decide.

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Russian Foreign Mimistry Statement on UK Involvement in Terrorist Attack in Sevastpol
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Foreign Ministry statement on the United Kingdom’s involvement in the terrorist attack against the Black Sea Fleet ships in Sevastopol

2260-03-11-2022

In connection with the Defence Ministry’s reports about the United Kingdom’s involvement in the October 29 terrorist attack against the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, British Ambassador to Russia Deborah Bronnert was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on November 3.

A strong protest in connection with the British military specialists’ active participation in training and providing supplies to the units of the Ukrainian special operations forces, including with the goal of conducting acts of sabotage at sea, were expressed to the Ambassador. Concrete facts of that kind of activities by London were provided.

The demarche emphasised that such confrontational actions by the British pose the threat of an escalation and can lead to unpredictable and dangerous consequences.

It was pointed out that such hostile provocations were unacceptable and a demand was put forward to stop them immediately. Should these acts of aggression that are fraught with direct implication in the conflict continue, the responsibility for their harmful consequences and the mounting tensions in relations between our countries will lie entirely with the British side.

It was noted, in particular, that an agreement was reached in September 2020 between London and Kiev to expand the British instructors’ training programme for Ukrainian military divers. In late 2020, the parties began implementing the Naval Training Initiative for the Ukrainian Navy, which included training courses for combat swimmers.

British-Ukrainian naval cooperation is further reinforced under the Joint Multinational Training Group – Ukraine programme. This work is carried out at a separate Ataman Golovaty Spec Ops Centre “South” of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (Military Unit A3199, former 73rd Marine Special Operations Centre) in the city of Ochakov, Nikolayev region, and includes the training of underwater spec ops operatives for conducting operations in the Black Sea and Azov Sea. A military diving school in Odessa (which is part of the Ukrainian Navy’s 198th training centre, Military Unit A3163, Nikolayev), is training special operations divers, including in deep-sea subversive skills, among others.

With the participation of British specialists, the Ukrainian Navy carried out dives and a training detonation of a target on the coast and in the Black Sea near the cities of Odessa, Nikolayev and Ochakov.

In August-September, on Pervomaisky Island in the Dnieper estuary 3 km south of Ochakov, British military instructors (about 15 men) taught servicemen from the Armed Forces of Ukraine to operate unmanned underwater vehicles designed to destroy ships.

In August-September, the British trained the crews of minesweepers that were transferred to Ukraine.

We have information that the British Navy has also transferred a certain number of UAVs to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... sevastpol/

Russia Calls Other Nuclear Powers to Join Their Commitment to Prevent Nuclear War
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 3, 2022
Statement of the Russian Federation on preventing nuclear war

02-11-2022

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and one of the nuclear-weapon powers, in accordance with the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Russian Federation bears a special responsibility in matters related to strengthening international security and strategic stability.

In implementing its policy on nuclear deterrence Russia is strictly and consistently guided by the tenet that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Russian doctrinal approaches in this sphere are defined with utmost accuracy, pursue solely defensive goals and do not admit of expansive interpretation. These approaches allow for Russia to hypothetically resort to nuclear weapons exclusively in response to an aggression involving the use of weapons of mass destruction or an aggression with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy.

Russia proceeds from the continued relevance of the existing arrangements and understandings in the field of cutting and limiting nuclear weapons, as well as reducing strategic risks and threat of international incidents and conflicts fraught with escalation to nuclear level. We fully reaffirm our commitment to the Joint statement of the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states on preventing nuclear war and avoiding arms races of January 3, 2022. We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers.

We urge other states of the “nuclear five” to demonstrate in practice their willingness to work on solving this top-priority task and to give up the dangerous attempts to infringe on vital interests of each other while balancing on the brink of a direct armed conflict and encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences.

Russia continues to advocate for a revamped, more robust architecture of international security based on ensuring predictability and global strategic stability, as well as on the principles of equal rights, indivisible security and mutual account of core interests of the parties.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... clear-war/

The Destruction of Nord Stream 1 and 2 is a Crime That Must Be Solved
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 3, 2022
James ONeill

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In a recent article the excellent author Pepe Escobar (28 September 2022) declared that the attack on the Russian pipeline (Nord Stream 1 and 2) propelled disaster capitalism to a new, toxic level. The attack upon the two Russian pipelines took place in international waters in the sea off the coast of Sweden. Escobar labelled the attack as representing the absolute collapse of international law. It is difficult to disagree with his assessment. The question is: who did it?

On this question there are limited possible answers. Some elements of the Western media, unsurprisingly, have suggested that it was the Russians themselves who carried out the attack on their own, very expensive, infrastructure. Such suggestions were of course predictable. The fact that such a suggestion completely lacks an even remotely possible reason does not seem to deter those western writers who rejoice attributing every evil act in the world as having a Russian authorship.

The fact that these authors cannot come up with an even remotely possible reason as to why Russia should attack its own, very expensive, infrastructure, is apparently not a reason to dismiss the suggestion out of hand.

As is the case with any criminal investigation, one asks the obvious questions. These revolve around the classic trilogy of means, motive and opportunity. Let us look at each of these elements in turn. First, who had the means to carry out this exercise. It was not a simple exercise. It requires the culprits to have the means to not only lay the explosives, but also to provide the logistical support for them to do so.

Presuming the mines to be physically laid, the perpetrators had to have the means to approach the infrastructure to be attacked; the logistical support to carry the several hundred weight of explosives, and the provision of support vehicles to carry both the men and the equipment to where they could lay the mines. The men also had to be removed safely after the exercise.

The logistics of the operation provide the first clues as to who did it. The pipelines are not simply laid on the ocean floor, but are the subject of constant camera surveillance from satellites. Although those cameras do not operate underwater, they maintain a constant visual over the ocean under which they lie. The identity of the attackers is therefore almost certainly known to the Russians.

Next is the question of motive. Here the classic question is: qui bono? That is, who benefits. The United States secretary of state Anthony Blinken in an unguarded moment, recently admitted that the damage created enormous opportunities for the United States. The Americans are ready to sell the Europeans their own LNG, at a price that has been calculated at eight times the cost of the Russian gas. It represents an enormous economic benefit to the United States. This basic fact has rapidly been reflected in the share price of companies which would benefit from supplying Europe with American gas. Those prices have risen substantially since the sabotage occurred. The prospect of making huge profits has always been a key motivating factor for United States companies, and this is no exception.

Thirdly, we come to opportunity. Here the evidence presented thus far is less certain. There have been reports of United States naval vehicles in “the vicinity” in the days preceding the attacks. This is less than satisfactory. One waits for more definitive images, including from Russian satellites, as to exactly who was in the immediate vicinity just prior to the attacks. One should bear in mind that this was not a single operation. The explosions occurred close to each other in terms of time, although that does not require them to have been mined at the same time. That part of the operation could have been extended over a number of days, so who was in the immediate facility at the actual time of the explosions is less important.

The activity of the vessels who carried the saboteurs and the explosives must be known, not only to the Russians who had satellite surveillance, but also the Danish and Swedish authorities in whose waters the sabotage occurred. It defies credibility that they were unaware of the movement of ships in the relevant area, although they may not have been precisely aware or what they were doing. To suggest that however, implies that they observed the actions of the ships that carried the explosives without raising their curiosity at the very least requires an acceptance of their lack of curiosity that defies belief. As one who lived in Scandinavia for several years that they should be a party, even a passive one, to such international lawlessness, is a matter of profound sadness.

There is, of course, the intemperate comments of the former Polish politician who was quick to praise the Americans for carrying out the sabotage. That such an act of international criminality should be praised by a responsible figure is a matter of concern. Presumably in his years in the Polish cabinet he was exposed to some basic notions of legally correct behaviour. That he should publicly exult in such an act of international lawlessness is a matter of concern.

Not too much should be taken from his remarks however. They may be seen as a rather crude attempt to deflect attention from his own government. Polish animosity to Russia is well known and while one seriously doubts that they had the courage to act on their own initiative, that they could be willing participants is a whole lot more believable.

To have the Poles actually carry out the operation has a number of advantages. Not the least of these is that it did give a degree of deniability to the United States. Having someone else carry out the deed may give a measure of deniability to the Americans but it does not absolve them from ultimate responsibility.

What is the actual evidence that enables one to point the finger at the American’s? First and foremost are the actual words of United States president Joe Biden who is on the record as uttering a promise that Nord Stream 2 would never be operational. He could not have relied upon simply being able to exert the requisite pressure upon the Germans not to commit themselves to North Stream 2. His actual words were more explicit than that and neither he nor any of his staff tried to explain what he meant when he promised the interviewer that North Stream 2 would never be operational.

That United States companies are the immediate and substantial financial beneficiaries of the cancellation of North Stream 1 and 2, provides, in the United States context, a well- established record of motivations to engage in such a terrorist act. Unless the perpetrators are brought to account for this deed it would be pointless to make the pipelines operational again. There would be nothing to prevent them from repeating the exercise safe in the knowledge that they will never be held to account.

I do not believe that will happen because I am sure that the Russians already know exactly who was responsible. The current attempts to even exclude the Russians from the investigation is another telling clue. There will be enormous support around the world for bringing the perpetrators to account. It is in Europe’s, as well as Russia’s interests, that that inquiry is conducted rapidly and the perpetrators held to account for what is truly one of the great international crimes of modern times.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... be-solved/

I just wish people would get off this 'disaster capitalism' thing. Capitalism is a disaster, period. No need for adjectives.

Grain at the Center of the Global Geopolitical Dispute
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 3, 2022
Yoselina Guevara López

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Turkish President Erdogan informed this November 2 that at 12 Moscow time, grain exports from Ukraine through the humanitarian sea corridor were resumed. The restoration of naval transit was possible thanks to the intervention of the Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, who contacted his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, to urge him to comply with the “purely humanitarian effort”. Following the Ukrainian air and sea drone attack on the base in Sevastopol (Crimea), Moscow had announced on Saturday, October 29, the “indefinite” suspension of the grain agreement signed in July 2022 thanks to the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations, which expires on November 19, 2022.

Erdogan’s diplomatic victory

The return to the agreement on grain export from Ukrainian ports continues to have President Erdogan in the limelight, with the leader not only winning a new diplomatic victory at the delicate and increasingly narrow negotiating table between Kiev and Moscow but also the gratitude of the United States, Ukraine, Russia all the way to Africa. This is an issue that should not be underestimated, because in this phase of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict in which everything seems to be heading towards a paralysis of negotiations, at least in public, the only leader who is recognized by all parties not only as an interlocutor, but also as a mediator, is precisely President Erdogan, who has earned this position surprisingly above any other leader.

This positioning on the world scene of the first leader of Turkey and his government team can be seen, for example, through the communications he received on November 2. From Kiev, President Zelensky said that he had “thanked President Erdogan for his active participation in the preservation of the grain agreement, for his firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. For his part, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken again spoke with his counterpart, Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu, to thank him for “his country’s efforts to ensure the resumption of the Black Sea Wheat Initiative, encouraging Russia’s return and reminding Moscow of the importance of continuing to adhere to UN-mediated agreements and its commitments to support global food security.” Sudan’s Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, coordinator of the Black Sea Wheat Initiative, wrote via the social network Twitter that he was “grateful for the Turkish facilitation.” From the Russian Federation in addition to the praise that President Vladimir Putin dedicated to the Anatolian head of state during the past week, this Russian willingness to resume the wheat agreement can already be considered a certificate of esteem towards the Turks.

Combat-free grain corridor

It should be noted that the Russian Federation agreed to retrace its steps, but on condition that Ukraine guarantees that “it will not use the grain corridor for combat operations”. On the other hand, whatever happens, little changes for the Kremlin, the agreement expires on November 19, 2022. If Kiev does not respect the security clauses inherent in the Istanbul agreement, Moscow will simply not renew it. In the eyes of the countries most exposed to food shortages, the blame would fall on Kiev and Western governments that support or orchestrate naval attacks through the space reserved for the safe transit of merchant ships; as in the case of the United Kingdom, openly accused by Russia of being part of the attack on Sevastopol.

Likewise, it is no coincidence that President Putin himself has recently denounced the hoarding and “predatory” bias in favor of the West in the food issue. After the signing of the Istanbul agreement, of the 455 ships that left Ukrainian ports loaded with grain (9.3 million tons), up to 350 went to Western countries (6.1 million tons, 66% of the total); only 11 ships (0.36 million tons, 4%) went to African nations, despite the fact that these were indicated as priority destinations at the signing of the agreement.

Moscow and Ankara joint geopolitical interests

This “goodwill” and “purely humanitarian effort” can also be read in geopolitical terms in a more objective way. Russia and Turkey share an interest in exporting Ukrainian wheat to countries in Africa and the Middle East, where Moscow and Ankara’s influence is growing and dependence on Eurasian grain is constant. It is no coincidence that President Erdogan has revealed that “mainly the corridor will work for deliveries to poor African countries, especially the Djibouti Republic, Somalia and Sudan”.
In this sense the African continent is a very important arena; this has been confirmed, albeit in different ways, by the leaders of both countries, Erdogan and Putin. The Russian president had stated, during a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart, that Russia was “ready to supply Africa with significant quantities of grain and fertilizers free of charge”. This point had already been developed by some members of the Moscow executive, who had stressed that the Federation would find a way to respect the commitments undertaken with states not only in the Middle East, but also in Africa, implying that it was always very willing to fully comply with partners from other continents.

In the communications of Ankara and Moscow in defense of sending grain to the African continent hides one of the perhaps decisive factors for understanding part of the relationship between Russia and Turkey not only in the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict and the Black Sea, but also in Africa itself. There, where the old European colonialism has gradually left its mark by abandoning the territory, except for the military presence in certain regions, the two old empires, the Turkish and the Russian, have tightened the accelerator of insertion in Africa precisely to wrest advantageous positions to the detriment of the Western ones. One of the elements in which both Moscow and Ankara have decided to invest is that of propaganda, and it is no coincidence that both forces bordering the Black Sea speak of selling cereals and fertilizers to African countries. Which in the end is a choice dictated not so much by philanthropy as by precise geopolitical rules, both powers want to dominate the continental political scene and in this Africa remains a continent rich in resources and a point of strength in the world configuration.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... l-dispute/

UN Security Council Votes Against an Investigation into US Biolabs in Ukraine
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 3, 2022

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Explanation of vote by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy before UNSC vote on a draft resolution on establishing a SC Commission to investigate into claims presented in the complaint lodged by the Russian Federation under Article 6 of the BTWC

Mr.President,

The vote that we are about to have will mark an important milestone for the Security Council. We will need to determine whether the Council reiterates its readiness to act in accordance with international law, in this particular case – the Convention on Biological and Toxin Weapons (BTWC).

We provided a detailed elaboration of our position at the meeting on 27 October, so I will not repeat it now. Then we hosted two rounds of expert consultations on the draft resolution. However all we heard were the dated points of our former Western partners regarding the “Russian propaganda” and claims that our evidence was allegedly little convincing and not worth further consideration. They articulated those findings unilaterally and preempted any conclusions of the Council. Basically, they substituted the decisions of the key UN body, which is responsible for maintaining the international peace and security, with their biased assessments made in national capacity.

We regret that our Western colleagues in fact sabotaged the negotiations process on the draft resolution. It is now obvious that Western states are simply afraid that a Commission may be created to look into the materials submitted by the Russian Federation and conduct a relevant investigation as envisaged by the BTWC. What they are particularly unhappy about is that the Commission would include all members of the Security Council, which would not let the Western countries try and make decisions unilaterally on behalf of the entire international community. As for other forms of international cooperation, they dismiss them as something incompatible with the “rules-based order” concept that they are promoting ardently, and that should let them set all the rules by themselves. The accusations of Western countries or Ukraine against us without providing any evidence are immediately presented as the ultimate truth. But as soon as we raise our concerns having backed them with concrete evidence, we become blamed for spreading propaganda. As for the UN Charter and international law in general, Western countries only remember about those when they need to. Thereby they strongly reject the idea that these norms can and should be applied to the West as well. The engagement on our draft resolution vividly confirms this.

We hope that respect for the norms of international law, including the BTWC, will prevail in the Council today, and that those delegations who are committed to international law and do not fear pursuing an independent policy that may anger Washington, will support our draft resolution.

Thank you.

Explanation of vote by First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy after UNSC vote on a draft resolution on establishing a SC Commission to investigate into claims presented in the complaint lodged by the Russian Federation under Article 6 of the BTWC

Mr.President,

We regret that the Council failed to invoke the mechanism provided for in Article 6 of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). I remind that according to the BTWC, “each state party to the Convention undertakes to co-operate in carrying out any investigation which the Security Council may initiate, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, on the basis of the complaint received by the Council.”

During the elaboration process of this draft resolution, Western states demonstrated in every possible way that they placed themselves above the law and were not going to implement this provision. They proved ready to trample on every norms and infringe on every rule – in line with the colonial thinking that they are accustomed to. We have long ceased to be surprised by that.

Regardless of the results of today’s vote, we retain our questions to the United States and Ukraine. The materials that were attached to our complaint still require clarification.

We will continue to act within the BTWC framework and make the necessary efforts to establish all the facts related to the violation by the United States and Ukraine of obligations under the BTWC in the context of the activities of biological laboratories on Ukrainian territory. Sooner or later, all perpetrators will have to be accountable for such illegal activities in front of the global community anyway. We will continue taking efforts to strengthen the BTWC regime in the interests of ensuring our national, as well as regional and global security. In particular, we will take such efforts during the Ninth Review Conference of the Convention that is scheduled to take place in Geneva on November 28 – December 16, 2022.

Thank you.

PERMANENT MISSION
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... n-ukraine/

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Another Prisoner Swap Between Russia and Ukraine

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This is the second major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine in less than a week. Nov. 3, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@aabdou48511563

Published 3 November 2022

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the prisoner exchange that returned 107 Russian soldiers.


According to the Ministry, the returned soldiers were airlifted for medical treatment at Armed Forces facilities in Moscow.

"As many as 107 Russian service members, who faced mortal danger in captivity, returned from Kiev-controlled territory on November 3 due to negotiations." "All those released are receiving the necessary medical and psychological assistance," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Of the released Russian soldiers, 65 are from the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk People's Republics (LPR), the Acting Head of Russia's DPR Denis Pushilin said via his Telegram channel.

The exact number of prisoners were handed over to Ukraine, Pushilin said, noting that they are "mostly members of the Armed Service of Ukraine."

This is the second major prisoner exchange between the warring nations in less than a week. On October 29, 50 Russian and 52 Ukrainian soldiers were exchanged, according to authorities in both countries.

Also, on October 17, Russia and Ukraine carried out another exchange. This time, many returnees from the Russian side were civilian sailors. 110 Russian citizens returned home, while 108 Ukrainian female soldiers were sent to Ukraine.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ano ... -0014.html

Europe Could Risk Gas Shortage in 2023: IEA

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Diesel and gasoline prices are seen on a board at a gas station in Brussels, Belgium, March 29, 2022. | Photo: Xinhua/Zheng Huansong

Published 3 November 2022

Gas storage sites in the European Union (EU) are now 95 percent full, but the cushion provided by current storage levels, as well as recent lower gas prices and unusually mild temperatures, should not lead to overly optimistic conclusions about the future.


Europe could face a shortage of as much as 30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas during the key summer period for refilling its gas storage sites in 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Thursday.

"Europe needs to take immediate action to avoid the risk of natural gas shortage next year," meaning urgent action is required by governments to reduce gas consumption amid the global energy crisis, IEA said.

IEA noted that the European Union (EU) gas storage sites are now 95 percent full. However, it warned that the cushion provided by current storage levels, recent lower gas prices, and unusually mild temperatures should not lead to overly optimistic conclusions about the future.

According to the IEA, filling the European Union's gas storage sites this year benefited from key factors that may not be repeated in 2023.

The IEA added that Europe "could face a challenging supply-demand gap" in the event of a full cession of Russian pipeline gas supplies to the EU.

For the Russian pipeline gas supply, "it is highly unlikely that Russia will deliver another 60 bcm" for 2023.

"Russian deliveries to Europe could halt completely," IEA said.

"With the recent mild weather and lower gas prices, there is a danger of complacency creeping into the conversation around Europe's gas supplies, but we are by no means out of the woods yet," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Eur ... -0015.html
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Sat Nov 05, 2022 11:51 am

What happens in Kherson?
POSTED BY @NSANZO ⋅ 05/11/2022

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Yesterday, Russia celebrated the Day of National Unity, a newly minted holiday that, for the time of year, replaces the old commemoration of the October Revolution. With a speech by President Putin and videos in which people from different regions and nationalities, dressed in their regional costumes, congratulated the date, Russia experienced its strangest November 4 yesterday. At war, waiting to see the results of a partial mobilization that has been chaotic and problematic -as has also happened in the many waves of mobilization that Ukraine has carried out in recent years-, the Russian Federation yesterday celebrated its diversity and its multi-ethnic nature with a message of a great country that “has gotten even bigger”.

Apart from the problems that the Russian troops are experiencing on a front that, since the start of the Ukrainian lightning offensive in Kharkov, they have not been able to completely stabilize, the Russian discourse maintains the idea of ​​taking the accession of the four regions for granted from Donbass and southern Ukraine that held referendums in September. Russia then controlled the entire LPR, the vast majority of the Kherson region, much of the territory but not of the population of Zaporozhie, and about half of the DPR. Since the holding of the referendums and the formalization of the accession of these territories to the Russian Federation, the Russian troops on the ground have prevented the continuation of the lightning advance achieved by the Ukrainian troops in Kharkov, but at no time have they managed to completely stabilize the front nor, of course,

Vladimir Putin announced yesterday the result of the partial mobilization decreed due to the evidence of the failure of the special military operationas it was raised and the certainty that changes were necessary if Russia aspired, not to win the war, but to fight to avoid losing it. According to the Russian president, 318,000 people have joined the ranks, including a significant number of volunteers. It is likely that a part of them is due to the recruitment process of Evgeny Prigozhin, owner of the private security company Wagner, in the country's prisons, in which he has offered inmates amnesty in exchange for six months of service in The front. The difficulties in recruiting and equipping these troops, which even the authorities have admitted, are a reminder that increasing the number of troops in the combat zone will not solve all the problems.

Moreover, although a part of these mobilized troops has already been sent to the front, the situation of the Russian troops has not improved since the beginning of this process or since the change of personnel that resulted in the appointment of Sergey Surovikin as commander of the troops. of the special military operation. The changes in Russian strategy during this time have been palpable and it is now that, after more than 200 days of military intervention, Russia has begun to attack critical infrastructure in Ukraine to try to limit communications and hinder military progress. However, the difficulties of the attacks on the country's electricity distribution infrastructure have not translated into a crisis for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which continue to attack the same areas that they already attacked last September: Ukrainian pressure against the line continues of Russian and Republican defense in the LPR, although without succeeding in repeating the advance from Kharkov towards Lisichansk or Severodonetsk, and the daily attacks against Donetsk persist, the threat in the Zaporozhye region and, above all, the danger in Kherson increases.

In recent days, speculation has increased even more about what is happening in the only Ukrainian regional capital still under Russian control. The authorities appointed by Russia had already ordered the evacuation of the right bank of the Dnieper River and this week they have increased the evacuation zone to the first 15 kilometers of the left bank due to fears of a possible detonation of the Kajovskaya reserve or advance of the Ukrainian troops.

On Thursday, Russian journalists showed the image of the old regional administration building, from which the Russian flag had been removed. Alexander Kots, who in this war has given an account of the Russian withdrawal from Kiev and the Ukrainian offensive that led to the strategic withdrawal from Kharkov, confirmed the absence, but to deny that the Russian troops had withdrawn, he already explained that the tricolorwas still present in the other administrative buildings. To this must be added that military experts in media close to the Kremlin have stated this week that Russia "is preparing for the worst." But the question still persists as to whether "the worst" refers to an urban battle to try to hold the city or to a withdrawal, which would undoubtedly be presented as strategic and would confirm the making of a "difficult decision", according to the words of a few days of Sergey Surovikin, on whose shoulders now rests the planning of the next steps. In charge of another hot zone of the front, Pavlovka-Ugledar, the commander of the Vostok battalion, Alexander Jodakovsky, wrote this week that, for better or worse, the battle for Kherson will be part of Surovikin's biography, whatever the option taken. .

Until now, official Russian information has alleged that its troops are holding the front and insist on the high number of Ukrainian casualties, a picture of the facts that contrasts with what local authorities warned yesterday. Yesterday, the Kherson regional administration announced a 24-hour curfew due to the possibility of a Ukrainian advance. The moment is thus approaching when the tactics of each of the parties will be confirmed in the face of the situation in Kherson, located on the right bank of the Dnieper, practically isolated from the bulk of the territory controlled by Russia due to Ukrainian attacks, that have left the bridges that cross the river unusable for military traffic.

On Friday, Vladimir Putin insisted on the need to evacuate the population of Kherson, a process already advanced in which thousands of people have crossed the left bank of the river. Russia has also removed monuments that he considers historical and important and whose security was not guaranteed in the face of the battle or the arrival of Ukraine, which in recent months has boasted of its mistreatment of Russian and Soviet symbols. All this, added to the image of the building of regional power lacking a Russian flag, made the Western press see as a whole the withdrawal, imminent or already carried out, of the Russian troops. The Spanish state agency, EFE, even published at the last minute that Ukraine stated that its flag was already flying over the building again.

The Ukrainian authorities, for their part, have reacted by stating that it is all a Russian trap, seeking a Ukrainian advance to trap the troops in the urban battle. kyiv also adds a dose of fiction in the form of the accusation that Russian soldiers dressed as civilians are scattered around the houses in the area to allege that Ukraine bombs civilians, something that does not need to be falsified since it happens daily in Donbass. In any case, all options are dangerous for Russia. A "strategic" withdrawal would mean the loss of important territory and the reaffirmation that Moscow does not have the capacity to defend the new borders it has marked.

Trying to recover Kherson in the future against a much better armed Ukraine than last February, when the Russian advance on the city was easy before the opponent fled, seems an uncertain option. So is the possibility of trying to defend the city in the face of logistical difficulties, as Russia would risk a situation similar to the one Ukraine experienced in Mariupol. The capture of Kherson with a significant loss of troops -either in number of casualties or soldiers captured- for Russia would make it easier for Ukraine to activate the Zaporozhye front to try to cut the southern territory under Russian control in two, thus putting endangering the entire grouping in the westernmost area and stalking Crimea.

The uncertainty must be resolved in the coming hours, in which the parties will have to show their cards. The only certainty at this point is that Russia has had enough time to prepare its plans for Kherson. The Ukrainian offensive on the most vulnerable point of the immense front line has been announced and anticipated for months. Ukraine, which aspires to recover its borders prior to February 2022 -or perhaps March 2014- militarily, cannot afford not to attack Kherson. It remains to be seen what the timing and form of that attack will be and what the Russian response will be. At the moment, the same media that 48 hours ago took Russia's unilateral withdrawal for granted, using the absence of a flag as definitive proof, understand the curfew imposed yesterday as proof that Russia will fight for the city.

https://slavyangrad.es/2022/11/05/que-p ... more-25879

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War In Ukraine - U.S. Creeping Towards Ever Deeper Involvement

The number of Republican voters who are against the war in Ukraine has steadily increased. In March only 6% said that the U.S. is doing 'too much' for Ukraine. That number is now 48%. The Republicans in Congress have been pressing the Biden administration to better safeguard the enormous amount of weapon and money it is sending to Kiev:

Following concerns in Congress and accusations by Russia about weapons smuggling, the Biden administration released its blueprint on Thursday for ensuring that the $17 billion in arms it has so far sent to Ukraine were making it to the battlefield — and not the black market.

On October 27, nine months after the U.S. sponsored war started and after $17 billions in weapons and ammo have been send, the U.S. State department published a:

U.S. Plan to Counter Illicit Diversion of Certain Advanced Conventional Weapons in Eastern Europe:

The plan will be a whole-of-government effort implemented broadly across three phases: now through Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, FY 2024, and beyond FY 2024. It will focus on three lines of effort:

*Bolstering the ability of security forces in Ukraine and its neighboring states to account for and safeguard their arms and ammunition during transfer, in storage, and when deployed;
*Strengthening border management and security in Ukraine and its neighboring states; and
*Building the capacity of security forces, law enforcement officials, and border control agencies in Ukraine and its neighboring states to deter, detect, and interdict illicit trafficking of certain advanced conventional weapons.

End-use monitoring (EUM) measures, as traditionally conducted by State, DoD, and Commerce, while different in their scopes and methodologies, are generally designed to mitigate the risk of illicit diversion in peacetime or low-intensity conflict environments, as they normally rely on in-country presence of U.S. government personnel. Conducting EUM in an active war zone such as Ukraine requires different approaches, as the conflict makes it impractical to request the return of equipment from the front lines to depots or other locations where U.S. government personnel can inspect them in a safer environment.


So the U.S. can not really account for the weapons it delivers to Ukraine, says the State Department, but it can teach the Ukrainians how to count and guard them.

Good luck with that.

Three days later the Pentagon claimed that it had started to do what the State Department had called 'impractical'.

US military now doing onsite weapons inspections in Ukraine

A small number of U.S. military forces inside Ukraine have recently begun doing onsite inspections to ensure that Ukrainian troops are properly accounting for the Western-provided weapons they receive, a senior U.S. defense official told Pentagon reporters Monday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide a military update, would not say where the inspections are taking place or how close to the battlefronts the U.S. troops are getting. The official said U.S. personnel can’t do inspections “close to the front lines,” but said they are going where security conditions allow.

The official said there have been several inspections, and they are being done by the U.S. Defense attache and the U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation team that is in Kyiv. So far, the official said, Ukrainian officials have been transparent about the weapons’ distribution and are supporting the inspections.


But a day later we are told that in reality nearly zero inspections get done.

U.S. races to track American arms in heat of Ukraine war - WaPo / MSN
U.S. monitors have conducted in-person inspections for only about 10 percent of the 22,000 U.S.-provided weapons sent to Ukraine that require special oversight.

Since late February’s invasion, which prompted the closing of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv for several months, U.S. officials have been able to conduct just two in-person inspections of items requiring enhanced oversight at weapons depots where U.S. arms had been brought in from Poland.
“The conflict creates an imperfect condition for us to have to adjust quickly,” a senior State Department official said. “We want to put some of those resources to working with our allies and partners to mitigate risk however, wherever we can.”

The scramble to adapt oversight rules designed for peacetime has taken on greater importance as the volume of American assistance reaches dizzying levels and congressional scrutiny intensifies.
...
The Biden administration is trying to highlight a new oversight push to account for any potential leakage from the large flow of U.S. weapons — particularly as congressional Republicans voice growing concerns about aid accountability and the overall volume of assistance to Ukraine.


A day later things apparently look different.

Ukraine live briefing - WaPo https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/20 ... t-updates/

U.S. personnel based at the embassy in Kyiv have for months inspected weapons deliveries at unspecified locations in Ukraine, the Pentagon said Thursday, at sites described as “not near the front lines.” The inspections were standard accountability measures, and there is no evidence of widespread weapons diversion, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement. It is unclear whether the United States has detailed its activity to Russia, which has said it would view any U.S. military activity within Ukraine as a provocation.


What is it? Inspections have been done 'for months' but only 'two in-person inspections' were made?

Most likely this is all hogwash. The U.S. is obviously not really interested in monitoring where the weapons it delivers end up. But it now admits that it has boots on the ground in Ukraine though allegedly for a good purpose. But the soldiers sent there to count weapons, which they really don't do, are most likely just a cover for the real forces the U.S. is deploying there:

Very innocuously, the Biden Administration has ‘sensitised’ the world opinion that American troops are indeed present on Ukrainian soil in Russia’s immediate neighbourhood. Washington made a “soft landing” with an unnamed senior Pentagon official making the disclosure to the Associated Press and the Washington Post.
The official gave an ingenious explanation that the US troops “have recently begun doing onsite inspections to ensure” that Ukraine is “properly accounting” for the Western weapons it received. He claimed that this was part of a broader US campaign, announced last week by the State Department, “meant to make sure that weapons provided to Ukraine don’t end up in the hands of Russian troops, their proxies or other extremist groups.”

In effect, though, President Biden is eating his own word not to have ‘boots on the ground’ in Ukraine under any circumstances.


The U.S. is increasing the temperature that will - in the end - boil the proverbial frog. The frog here being the Russian leadership as well as the U.S. public. It has increased, slowly slowly, the quality and number of weapon systems it delivers to Ukraine. It had also silently pushed more and more of its own soldiers into the country. It now started to do so openly.

The Biden administration is creeping towards a full fledged war with Russia:

Plainly put, wittingly or unwittingly, the US is going up the escalation ladder. So far, the US intervention involved deployment of military advisors to the Ukrainian military command, supply of intelligence in real time, planning and execution of operations against Russian forces and allowing American mercenaries to do the fighting, apart from steady supply of tens of billions of dollars worth weaponry.
The qualitative difference now is that the proxy war may turn into a hot war between the NATO and Russia. The Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said today at a joint board meeting of the Russian and Belarusian defence ministries that the number of NATO forces in Eastern and Central Europe had risen by two and a half times since February and might increase further in the near future.


Colonel Douglas Macgregor, who still has his connections inside the Pentagon, is warning of this creep towards war :

Today, the Biden White House appears to be considering the use of a multinational force aimed at Russia. The NATO alliance is unable to reach a unanimous decision to intervene militarily in support of Ukraine in its war with Russia. But as signaled recently by David Petraeus, the president and his generals are evaluating their own “coalition of the willing.” The coalition would allegedly consist of primarily, but not exclusively, Polish and Romanian forces, with the U.S. Army at its core, for employment in Ukraine.
...
Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO insists that Ukraine’s failure to prevail in its war with Russia would be interpreted as a defeat for NATO. Would heavy losses inflicted on U.S. ground forces in a confrontation with Russian military power not also signal Washington’s defeat? How rapidly could U.S. and allied forces replace their losses? Would severe U.S. losses raise the specter of a U.S. nuclear response? When does support for Ukraine put NATO’s security and survival at risk?
...
In his fight with Russia, Bonaparte not only badly misjudged his opponent, but he also grossly misjudged his allies. President Biden and his generals should not make the same mistakes in Ukraine.


As the U.S. involves itself more and more into the war so do the Brits. They plotted how to blow up the Kerch bridge, helped with the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines and have been constructing a secret terror army in Ukraine. How many of its SAS troops have been deployed in Ukraine is not publicly known. But we can be sure that some are, likely for 'training' purpose.

This creeping towards more involvement can easily lead to a catastrophic war between superpowers. The best Russia can do to prevent that is to speed up its operations in Ukraine. A fast and decisive defeat of Ukraine's army is the only way to prevent a deeper U.S. involvement.

Posted by b on November 4, 2022 at 15:11 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/11/w ... .html#more

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Leaked Documents: British Spies Constructing Secret Terror Army in Ukraine
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 4, 2022
Kit Klarenberg

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Documents obtained by The Grayzone reveal plans by a cell of British military-intelligence figures to organize and train a covert Ukrainian “partisan” army with explicit instructions to attack Russian targets in Crimea.

On October 28th, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged the Russian Black Sea fleet’s flagship vessel in the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Moscow immediately blamed Britain for assisting and orchestrating the strike, as well as blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines – the worst acts of industrial sabotage in recent memory.

The British Ministry of Defense issued a blustery denial in response, branding the accusations “false claims of an epic scale.” Whoever was behind those specific attacks, suspicions of a British hidden hand in the destruction are not unfounded. The Grayzone has obtained leaked documents detailing British military-intelligence operatives inking an agreement with the Security Service of Ukraine’s Odessa branch, to create and train a secret Ukrainian partisan terror army.

Their plans called for the secret army to conduct sabotage and reconnaissance operations targeting Crimea on behalf of the Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) – precisely the kind of attacks witnessed in past weeks.

As The Grazyone previously reported, the same coterie of military-intelligence operatives was responsible for drawing up plans to blow up Crimea’s Kerch Bridge. That goal was fulfilled on October 8th in the form of a suicide truck bomb attack, temporarily disabling the sole connecting point between mainland Russia and Crimea, and triggering a major escalation in Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

These blueprints were produced by a military veteran named Hugh Ward, at the request of Chris Donnelly, a British military-intelligence operative best known for hatching the covert, Foreign Office-funded Integrity Initiative information warfare program.

The plans were circulated throughout Donnelly’s private transnational network of military officials, lawmakers and intelligence officials. Such high-level connections underline that he is far from a passive observer in this conflict. He has used his position and contacts to secure the resources necessary to train up the secret saboteur battalion in order to attack Russian targets in Crimea. This wrecking strategy is certain to escalate the war, and undercut any momentum toward negotiation.

Branded “support for maritime raiding operations,” the planned assault on Crimea aims to “degrade” Russia’s ability to blockade Kiev, “erode” Moscow’s “warfighting capability”, and isolate Russian land and maritime forces in Crimea by “denying resupply by sea and overland via Kerch.”

The documents obtained by The Grayzone show that these plans are conducted in close coordination with the Odessa-SSU, while a politically influential Ukrainian oligarch was tapped to fund the malign endeavor.

Since a Western-backed coup toppled Ukraine’s elected government in 2014, Donnelly has worked tirelessly to foment proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Private memos authored by Donnelly and obtained by The Grayzone this October reveal his lust for escalation has only intensified since the Russian military invaded Ukraine in February.

In a September 21st letter to his inner circle, Donnelly fretted that the Biden administration was not wholly committed to total war with Russia. Citing public statements by officials in Washington hoping for a negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, Donnelly declared (see below): “This US position must be challenged, firmly and at once.”

In a separate communique, Donnelly blasted Biden as “so unwise as to beggar belief” for warning the Ukraine conflict could lead to “armageddon.”

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While The Grayzone cannot verify that the Ukrainian attacks on Crimea are the direct handiwork of Donnelly’s team, recent events closely mirror the strategies and tactics outlined in the documents this outlet has obtained. What’s more, the attacks have helped achieve the escalatory objectives pursued by both Donnelly and the British government, which successfully scuttled negotiations between Kiev and Moscow this April.

Ukrainian “partisans” trained to “shoot, move, communicate, survive”

According to the documents reviewed by The Grayzone, a private UK military company named Prevail Partners has been contracted to recruit and train the secret Ukrainian partisan fighters. Prevail was founded by special forces veterans, including former Royal Marine Brigadier and Special Boat Service commander Justin Hedges.

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The company is headquartered not far from RM Hamworthy, an elite British military training centre, replete with grounds resembling city streets and an “improvised explosive device lane” to trial combat scenarios.

The program’s genesis was the product of covert lobbying conducted over the course of several months by Donnelly, an MI6 veteran named Guy Spindler, and Audrius Butkevičius, a former Lithuanian Defense Minister with longstanding ties to the Ukrainian security, military and intelligence apparatus.

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Several obstacles appeared as the Prevail team launched its effort to form the secret army. First, Ukrainian officials expressed reluctance to rustle up the sizable sums demanded by Donnelly’s team, especially while Western states were pumping billions into the war effort. British officials were also skittish about farming out training services to private contractors, perhaps out of fear they would be caught in the act or even prosecuted for engaging in such provocative activity.

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Within Donnelly’s clique, concerns were also raised about Prevail’s initial proposal. Alex Finnen, a member of the British Army’s Specialist Group Military Intelligence spy cell and the Foreign Office’s shadowy Russia Unit, commented in a late March email that Prevail’s offering was “very expensive for what it is,” with a forecast cost of $600,000 per partisan fighter per year – an indication the company was “in a sellers market.”

“I suspect that they have taken the first figure they thought of and then doubled it. So, there needs to be more discussion as to how and what these people are going to do,” Finnen cautioned. “Partisans live in and amongst the people. That suggests that you need people from across Ukraine, in small teams to take part as Prevail suggest ‘oblast by oblast’. How are they going to achieve this?”

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After some maneuvering, a provisional agreement was drawn up on April 18th between Prevail and its implementing partner, a self-described “London-based crisis management company” named Thomas in Winslow. According to the contract, Prevail would conduct a “capacity assessment” of the Odessa-SSU’s operations, “then of other major regional SSUs and finally of the Security Services of all Ukraine,” free-of-charge.

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Although this round was on the house, the assessment would ultimately be leveraged to justify a major investment in the partisan program.

This objective was clearly emphasized in a Prevail appraisal of a battalion of the Ukrainian Army’s 24th Brigade “being mobilised for deployment to the frontline.” The memo was authored by Justin Hedges after a visit he paid to a military training base in the western city of Yavoriv, near the Polish border, in late May. Hedges was accompanied to the base by British military intelligence veteran Darren Liddle and two Ukrainian special forces operatives.

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The invitation to attend “did not emanate” from the Ukrainian General Staff, but “at a regional level” – a reference to the Odessa-SSU. Over the course of 36 hours at the Yavoriv base, Hedges and company observed a portion of what he described as an “inadequate” 12-day training session given to conscripts aged between 20 – 58, none of whom had prior military experience, and who would eventually be sent to Popasna, “where the Russians are currently breaking through [Ukrainian] lines.”

Hedges noted a “very low number of instructors; no set syllabus and doctrine; no in-unit experience; no planning training” on the course, with “unsound tactics being taught by inexperienced foreign trainers,” leaving the battalion “not prepared for what they face.”

He appraised that many of those present “know that when they deploy to the frontline…it will be carnage,” particularly given the previous battalion to receive the same 12-day training “suffered 60 killed within the first 3 days.”

“[This leads] to arguably unsustainable casualty rates. In my view, unsustainable from a human capital and therefore political perspective over the long-term,” Hedges complained. “This problem cannot be left unaddressed any longer; the training gap must be closed now otherwise unsustainable casualty rates, owing to inadequacy of training, may become politically decisive by forcing Zelensky to concede ground to Putin.”

By contrast, he described Prevail instructors as “all qualified and experienced” with “combat experience,” and posited Yavoriv as “suitable and secure with appropriate discipline and tradecraft.” In other words, we can help, and you need us urgently.

As an email earlier that May from Spindler to Donnelly revealed, plans were already in the works to use the base to school 40-strong groups of partisans every four weeks over six months on how to “shoot, move, communicate, survive,” along with living in the woods, and “surviving.” Trainees “with aptitude” were to be identified and tutored in “specialist modules.”

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As the plan developed, the training ground at Yavoriv was transferred to undisclosed sites in Greece and Poland.

Until now, the secret British partisan program has never been mentioned by the mainstream media. And as this report makes clear, significant efforts were undertaken by all actors involved to keep the initiative concealed from public view.

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Hedges, the special forces veteran, considered government funding “essential to place this programme on a very firm footing.” He imagined that sponsorship could come from Britain, the US, Ukraine, “or even from the Baltics/Nordic countries.” If “separation of government funding from the activity” was necessary, finance could be “provided by flowing ‘donations’ through Prevail’s established NGO, Rhizome Insights Ltd,” a front that serves as the company’s “current route for funding equipment and training,” and therefore allows it to remain hidden from public view.

“This is how Prevail is receiving donations from NGOs/private individuals to fund equipment and low levels of other support at this time,” Hedges explained, noting that Prevail was also discussing financing with the office of Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, one of the wealthiest oligarchs in Ukraine and the owner of the country’s Channel 24 news network.

Donnelly takes aim at Biden for warning of nuclear “armageddon”

Chris Donnelly’s efforts at escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict have not gone unnoticed by British officials. As recently as October 8th this year, he was enthusiastically invited by Brigadier Julian Buczacki of the British Army’s elite 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade to serve as key advisor to London’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Nick Carter, and David Williams, London’s principal civilian guide on defense matters.

In an email that afternoon, mere hours after the Kerch Bridge bombing, Buczacki noted he had recently been “deep in the maelstrom of crisis work” – and “on that subject,” he had recommended that Donnelly serve as “counsel of the wise” to Carter and Williams on the grounds that they would benefit from an expert in “deterrence/escalation and all that.”

“It would be pretty soon given context…I will shortly be stepping up to be ACDS [Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Military Strategy] (not yet public),” Buczacki concluded.

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Donnelly promptly responded that he would be “delighted” to take up such a pivotal role in Britain’s prosecution of the proxy war. “Short notice” was “no problem,” he wrote, attaching his official British government security clearance, and two recent commentaries on the conflict in Ukraine he had circulated to his network.

The content of his commentaries makes clear Donnelly views the untold billions in weapons shipments flowing to Ukraine by Biden’s decree as insufficient, and that he worries that Biden might soon appease Putin by authorizing negotiations.

President Joseph Biden generated international headlines when he commented during a fundraiser at the home of James Murdoch, the son of right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch, that Putin is ​​“not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons,” and there was a very real prospect the conflict in Ukraine could “end up with Armageddon.”

In his October 8th email exchange with Brigadier Julian Buczacki, Donnelly complained that the US president’s “off-the-cuff remarks” were “so unwise as to beggar belief.”

“I’m not sure what the opposite word to ‘deterrence’ is, but Biden is actively doing that, alas,” Donnelly lamented. He argued that Putin’s threats of nuclear warfare should be considered a bluff aimed at weakening the West’s will to escalate until total victory is achieved.

Evidently, from his perspective, something had to be done to prevent Washington from authorizing a negotiated solution that would satisfy any of Russia’s terms.

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A ‘human bomb’ strikes Kerch Bridge

On May 25th, Guy Spindler emailed Donnelly to report that he had spoken “a couple of times” to Butkevičius, the former Lithuanian Defense Minister. He commented that Butkevičius had “done an excellent job of unpicking Ukrainian hesitation over training support, and has now caused Prevail’s name to be fed” into the British government and its Embassy in Kiev – and therefore the Foreign Office and MI6 – “as a potential supplier.”

Spindler judged Hedges to “be feeling positive,” as British defense ministers were “reportedly no longer in principle against private sector training solutions.” The only things left to do were secure official approval for some kind of guerilla-style operations, and “ensure that our contributions” – including those of Butkevičius – were “properly compensated.”

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The MI6 journeyman added that he had “very partial sight” of Hugh Ward’s “various plans” – a reference to “support for maritime raiding operations,” inviting Donnelly to “play me in as you will.” It seems the blueprint’s assorted sabotage plots are so secretive and sensitive, even senior British intelligence officials charged with overseeing the operations aren’t fully party to their details.

The Grayzone previously exposed Ward’s blueprint for attacking the Kerch Bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland. According to those plans, cruise missiles, specially trained scuba teams, or underwater drones would destroy the bridge’s concrete pillars, as Ward saw them as the “weakest part” of the structure.

Though Ukraine’s SBU security services ultimately opted for a truck bomb attack, a commemorative postage stamp issued by Kiev within mere hours of the bombing depicted two explosions at precisely the points suggested by Ward. The speed with which the stamp became available strongly implies it was prepared well in advance of the attack.

Prevail fleshed out plans for alternative strategies as well. A presentation produced by the company – entitled “Kerch Bridge information pack” – proposed blowing up a vessel carrying ammonium nitrate under a portion of the bridge overlaying a shipping lane.

Prevail’s model for this attack was the August 2020 Beirut blast, in which a massive and mysteriously detonated explosion destroyed the Lebanese capital city’s port, exacting significant damage throughout surrounding neighborhoods. The private military firm approvingly noted the 552 tons of ammonium nitrate that exploded in Beirut “produced a 140m wide crater and an earthquake of a 3.3 magnitude on a Richter scale,” a quantity “much less than the 2,754 tonnes” that purportedly arrived in Crimea on a Russian-leased cargo ship in 2013.

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It is unclear why the truck bombing scenario was ultimately chosen – perhaps because it provided a degree of plausible deniability to those behind the attack. Ukrainian officials, after initially celebrating the incident, are now claiming it was a Russian false flag operation.

Furthermore, in late August Russia beefed up protective measures in and around Crimea, such as moving an S-300 missile defense system to the peninsula, which may have necessitated an alternate course of action than the one originally chosen.

The bombing of the Kerch Bridge involved a vehicle packed with explosives and transported from Odessa, Ukraine to Crimea, via Bulgaria, Georgia, and Armenia, using different drivers at separate stages of the journey. The last driver was allegedly unaware of their suicide mission.

If British agents had indeed orchestrated the attack on the Kerch Bridge, they likely drew on past operations that bore eery similarities. In 2006, an NGO known as British Irish Rights Watch published testimony by anonymous former British intelligence informants revealing that MI6 had spearheaded a false flag terror strategy known as the “human bomb” in Northern Ireland.

Civilians were strapped into explosive-packed vehicles, then coerced to drive into military checkpoints, inflicting incendiary attacks on targets that killed soldiers and civilians alike. The wave of bombing strikes inflamed local tensions, and provided justification for draconian British state repression of the province’s Catholic population.

“It is known that at least two security force agents were involved in these bombings and allegations have been made that the human bomb strategy was the brainchild of British intelligence [emphasis added],” British Irish Rights Watch stated in an accompanying report.

Given the contents of the leaked material reviewed by The Grayzone, it is striking that the explosives used to target the Kerch Bridge originated in Odessa. Located just across the Black Sea from Crimea, this city hosted the SSU unit that served as the basis for Donnelly and Prevail’s secret terror army.

Russian officials have long stated that they consider Crimea to be Russian territory, and that any attack on it would cross a bright red line and elicit an escalatory response. When Donnelly and his team outlined plans to establish a secret Ukrainian “partisan” army, it seems this was precisely what they set out to do.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... n-ukraine/

Canada Whitewashing the SS: The Attempt to Re-Write the History of Hitler’s Collaborators
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 3, 2022
David Pugliese

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SS Oberfuhrer Fritz Freitag (left), a fanatical Nazi who was directly involved in the mass murder of Jews, takes a salute from the newly formed 14th SS Division Galicia. Supporters of the 14th SS falsely claim that division members never supported t…SS Oberfuhrer Fritz Freitag (left), a fanatical Nazi who was directly involved in the mass murder of Jews, takes a salute from the newly formed 14th SS Division Galicia. Supporters of the 14th SS falsely claim that division members never supported the Nazis.

Over the years some Ukrainian Canadians have staunchly defended the 14th SS Division Galicia. They have falsely claimed that Ukrainians who served in the division were conscripted, when in reality 80,000 volunteered and 13,000 were selected. Other apologists argue that the division fought only to protect Ukrainian territory. This too is false.

Then there are the claims that reports about 14th SS Division Galicia are the result of Russian disinformation or propaganda. Marcus Kolga, an Estonian activist with the right-wing Macdonald Laurier Institute in Ottawa, falsely claimed that articles linking the division to the SS and wartime criminal activity have “parroted the Kremlin’s tailored narratives.”

But the most common method that Nazi apologists use to defend the 14th SS Division Galicia is to cite the 1986 Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada, often referred to as the Deschênes commission after its chairman, judge Jules Deschênes.

Supporters of 14th SS say the Deschênes commission cleared the division and all its members of any involvement in war crimes. “Charges of war crimes of Galicia Division have never been substantiated, either in 1950 when they were first preferred, or in 1984 when they were renewed, or before this Commission,” Deschênes concluded. “Further, in the absence of evidence of participation or knowledge of specific war crimes, mere membership in the Galicia Division is insufficient to justify prosecution.”

At the time critics labelled the commission’s report as a whitewash. The decades since have further reinforced that view as additional information about the 14th SS Division Galicia’s war crimes have emerged.

Deschênes either ignored or appeared to be unaware the Waffen SS – which the Galician Division was part of – had been declared a criminal organization by the International Military Tribunal during the Nuremberg Trials. This omission is particularly incredible as Canada participated as one of the allied nations in the prosecution of war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King actually visited the court and attended some of the trials.

Even a cursory glance at SS Galicia reveals its links to the Nazi campaign of destruction against the Jews and murder of civilians. Its commander was Oberfuhrer Fritz Freitag, a fanatical Nazi, who was directly involved in the mass murder of Jews.

Among the commanding officers of SS Galicia was Ukrainian-born SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Heinrich Wiens, who served with the Einsatzgruppen D murder squad and personally took part in mass executions of Jews. Another division officer, SS Obersturm-bannfuhrer Franz Magall, was also a seasoned killer of Jews.

SS Galicia worked alongside SS-Sonderbattalion Dirlewanger, a unit that contained rapists, murders and the criminally insane and the two organizations, at times, transferred officers between each unit, noted Per Anders Rudling, a historian of Eastern European history and Associate Professor at the Department of History at Lund University, Sweden.

In addition, SS Galicia had officers and NCOs who came from the Nachtigall battalion, a Ukrainian collaboration organization that had taken part in the mass killings of Jews in the summer of 1941, added Rudling, who has extensively studied the division.

In 2003 a Polish government commission into Nazi war crimes concluded the 14th SS Galicia was responsible for the massacre of women and children in the village of Huta Pieniacka. Based on eye witness accounts, the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, pointed out that members of the 14th division, entered the village and began executing civilians.

In 2005 the Institute of History at the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences arrived at the same conclusion. The main difference between its investigation and the earlier Polish government investigation was the number of civilians murdered, added Rudling.

The Ukrainian investigation estimated around 500 people were killed. The Polish commission put the number of those murdered at 700 to 1,500.

Deschênes and his commission stayed in Canada, never travelling to Europe to interview those who suffered atrocities at the hands of 14th SS Galicia and the Nazis. Even a cursory examination of British government archives would have revealed the report the Polish underground sent to the Polish government-in-exile in London about the massacre at Huta Pieniacka. “The 14th Division of the Ukrainian SS surrounded the village Huta Pieniacka from three sides,” the report to Poland’s government- in-exile explained. “The people were gathered in the church or shot in the houses. Those gathered in the church – men, women and children – were taken outside in groups, children killed in front of their parents. Some men and women were shot in the cemetery, others were gathered in barns where they were shot.”

The 14th SS Galicia is also implicated in other atrocities in four other Polish villages, according to historians.

During part of 1944 the unit was stationed in Slovakia where it was involved in fighting partisans and took part in crushing the Slovak National Uprising. The division then moved to Slovenia in early 1945 where it continued fighting anti-Nazi partisans. These actions undercut claims by some in the Ukrainian-Canadian community that the SS Galicia Division only defended its Ukraine homeland. The division’s operations hunting down partisans, killing civilians, and burning down villages clearly show their actions were part of the greater Nazi war machine.

More concerning is the fact that Deschênes concealed a report prepared for his commission that concluded, “At least some persons who served with the Nazi-sponsored Ukrainian police/militia units that participated in killing actions (of Jews) in 1941-1943 would have found their way into the ranks of the (Galician) Division.” The commission kept that report secret and it was only years later that a heavily censored copy was released through the Access to Information law.

Some have defended Justice Deschênes, stating he was under pressure from the Canadian government to clear the division and appease the Ukrainian Canadian community.

But over the decades as Holocaust historians publish more details about the atrocities of those who served in the SS Galicia Division, it has become clear to critics that the Deschênes commission was simply a whitewash of a military unit that subscribed to and served the ideology of Adolf Hitler and SS leader Heinrich Himmler.

Deschênes died in the year 2000. But his report lives on to be used by those who want to continue to whitewash the Nazi regime’s crimes and the eager collaborators who helped in those atrocities.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... aborators/

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From Cassd's Telegram account:

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Colonelcassad
🗂 Chronicle of the special military operation
for November 4, 2022

🔻Belgorod and Kursk regions

▪️Ukrainian formations shelled the border villages of Tetkino and Gordeevka in the Kursk region , damaging civilian infrastructure and several residential buildings.

▪️In the Belgorod region , the Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted several blows on the Oktyabrsky village, as a result of which the windows in houses nearby were shattered by the blast wave.

🔻Belarusian direction :

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▪️In Starychi in the Lviv region , 67 OMBRs are under staffing, and it is also planned to start training courses for gunners of Western-made air defense systems.

▪️In the Chernihiv region , Western instructors and foreign mercenaries are equipping a position on the basis of the 169 training center in Desna, which has already been hit by the Russian Armed Forces.

▪️In the Gomel region of Belarus, employees of the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus intercepted a Ukrainian drone designed for reconnaissance and surveillance of the border. The incident happened on November 2nd.

🔻Starobelsk direction:

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▪️In the Kupyansky sector, Ukrainian forces again attempted an offensive in the Kislovka-Yagodnaya sector, but failed and retreated. Soldiers of the 14th ombr of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the unsuccessful lost three tanks and several armored vehicles.

▪️In the Svatovsky sector , the enemy is strengthening positions and carrying out a rotation of personnel.

▪️In the Limansky section of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they tried to storm the positions of the RF Armed Forces in the Krasnopopovka-Ploschanka direction, but, having come under fire from rocket and cannon artillery, they retreated.

▪️In the Lisichansky sector , Russian artillery hit the positions of 54 Ombr and 80 Osh Brigade near Belogorovka and Serebryanka . In this regard, the enemy evacuates units to reserve positions.

🔻Soledar direction:

▪️Russian forces are moving from Otradovka towards Andreevka and Kleshcheevka, continuing to cover Bakhmut (Artemovsk) from the southwest.

▪️Fighting continues for Mayorsk and the Mayorskoye station near Gorlovka.

🔻Donetsk direction:

▪️The RF Armed Forces, using the Geran-2 UAV, hit the enemy's ammunition depot in the area of ​​the Pokrovsk railway station . As a result of the impact, a powerful detonation of ammunition occurred.

▪️During the day, Ukrainian formations conducted a massive shelling of the Donetsk agglomeration: in Makiivka , a woman was killed by a HIMARS MLRS, and an elderly man was killed in Donetsk as a result of an AGM-88 HARM missile. In total, at least 4 people

died in the DPR per day .

🔻Zaporozhye direction:

▪️At night, the RF Armed Forces carried out several strikes on the objects of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zaporozhye.

▪️At the same time, artillery duels continue along the line of contact: the Russian Armed Forces fired at enemy positions in Zaliznichny, Gulyaipole, Orekhovo, Olgovsky and Shcherbak.

🔻Southern Front: Nikolaev-Berislav direction

▪️In the Mykolaiv sector , Ukrainian forces are massively shelling Russian positions near Soldatsky, Krutoy Yar, Ternovy Pod, Novokievka, Lyubomirovka, Komsomolsky and other settlements.

▪️At the Berislav sector , a commission from Apostolovo arrived in Novovoskresenskoye to assess the condition of the troops. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are shelling the area at the turn of Sukhanovo - Polyanka - the southern outskirts of Dudchan.

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***

Colonelcassad
The United States will transfer another 45 tanks (T-72 early modifications), 250 M1117 armored personnel carriers, 40 armored boats, 1,100 UAVs and additional ammunition to Ukraine as part of the next arms deliveries.

The Biden administration was in a hurry to pass this package before the midterm elections, after which intra-elite bargaining is expected over future supplies to Ukraine.

***

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Russia to Evacuate People From Kherson's Most Dangerous Areas

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Russian troops patrol the outskirts of Kherson city, Nov. 4, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/ @JacquesFrre2

"Civilians should not be subjected to shelling, offensives, counter-offensives, and other activities related to the military operation," President Putin said.


On Friday, the Russian President confirmed that some 70,000 people are being evacuated from the left bank of the Dnieper River to prevent them from being affected by the Ukrainian attacks.

“Those living in Kherson must be evacuated from the most dangerous areas of activity. Civilians should not be subjected to shelling, offensives, counter-offensives, and other activities related to the military operation," Putin said during the Russian National Unity Day ceremony, which was carried out at Moscow's Red Square.

“Military engineering transports up to 1,200 civilian vehicles, trucks and cars every day, as well as over 5,000 civilians on the left bank of the Dnieper,” the Defense Ministry added.

The Deputy head of the Kherson Military-Civilian Administration, Kirill Stremousov, recommended citizens to leave the right bank "as a massive shelling of Kherson is possible soon."


To clarify news spread by international agencies, he confirmed that there are no restrictions on movement for residents other than the seven-hour nightly curfew.

"In Kherson right now everything is under the full control of the military and police agencies. There is a 24/7 fight against possible provocations," Stremousov explained.

On Nov. 4, Russians celebrate the National Unity Day on the Red Square, remembering the 1612 popular uprising that expelled the Polish-Lithuanian occupying forces from Moscow.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Rus ... -0010.html

Free Grain Delivery to Poor Countries Agreed by Türkiye-Russia

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Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan will be the first to receive grain supplies. Nov. 4, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/@nexta_tv

Published 4 November 2022

An agreement between Türkiye and Russia for the free shipment of grain to "countries in need" has been announced by the Türkish president.



In a speech from Istanbul on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan would be the first to receive grain supplies.

"During our talks with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, we agreed to send grain free of charge to countries in need. We will ensure that bulk grain ships will reach the countries currently suffering from a severe food crisis and famine," Erdogan said.

The Türkish leader has already discussed the grain supply situation with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. About the upcoming G20 summit, he said that Türkiye would raise the issue of food supply to the neediest countries.

In this regard, Erdogan criticized a Europe oblivious to the suffering of the peoples of Africa. "This distorted vision, which divides peoples based on language, color and country, led our world to disaster."


The grain deal has previously drawn criticism from Russia, which claims that of the total volume exported by Ukraine under the agreement, only 3 percent has reached the world's poorest countries.

On Wednesday this week, President Vladimir Putin resumed Russia's participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, mediated by the UN and Türkiye, after receiving guarantees from Ukraine that it will not use the Black Sea grain corridor for military purposes.

The indefinite suspension of Russia's participation in the initiative on October 29 was due to Ukraine's attack on Russian military and civilian vessels in Sevastopol (Crimea). On that occasion, Russia expressed its readiness to supply grain to the most vulnerable countries.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Fre ... -0012.html
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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Sat Nov 05, 2022 9:59 pm

The History of Fascism in Ukraine Part I: The Origins of the OUN 1917-1941
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 4, 2022
Hugo Turner

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A march of the Azov Battalian, Svoboda, and other far-right radical groups in Kiev, October 14, 2017. (Reuters / Gleb Garanich)

With the war in Ukraine raging, it is time to trace the history of fascism in Ukraine. Once believed to be an anachronistic Cold War relic, the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) has emerged as the most successful post-war fascist group. Politicians around the globe shout its fascist slogan “Slava Ukraini”, a phrase that originated with the League of Ukrainian Fascists, was adopted by the OUN and popularized by Stepan Bandera while he and the OUN were on trial for the assassination campaign the OUN were waging in Poland. In Ukraine, the United States, Canada and Britain, monuments are built to the Ukrainian SS veterans who killed over a million Jews, hundreds of thousands of Poles, and countless Ukrainians, Russians, Byelorussians. Today Israel and Poland are among Ukraine’s biggest sponsors. In Ukraine itself it is illegal to criticize these mass murderers. In the West their history has been whitewashed for decades by Cold War academics who allowed escaped Ukrainian war criminals to shape the history of Ukraine and the Soviet Union. Most importantly thanks to two CIA backed coups or “colour revolutions” the first in 2004 and the second in 2014 the heirs of the OUN were given almost total control of Ukraine. OUN ideology has become the official ideology of Ukraine and Nazi thugs are given total impunity to terrorize anyone who complains. Fascist paramilitaries have been incorporated into the police and military while others like the Azov battalion have retained a certain autonomy answering only to Ukrainian Intelligence the SBU or the Interior Ministry. Even Ukrainian presidents have difficulty reining in these fascist groups who openly defy them when the presidents are not busy pandering to them.

This article will trace the origins of the OUN and explain its history up to the eve of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. By then the OUN, working closely with both German military intelligence (the Abwehr) and the SS, had begun to plan their genocidal takeover of Ukraine. From Nazi occupied Poland the OUN/B controlled over 20,000 underground activists ready to take up arms to exterminate Jews, Poles, and Russians and organize a warm welcome for the Nazis in Soviet Ukraine. Part two will cover the horrific war crimes the OUN carried out during the war. In part one I will be relying mostly on the definitive “Stepan Bandera The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist: Fascism, Genocide, and Cult” by Grzegorz Rossolinski-Liebe, which I recommend to anyone looking to do an in-depth study of the history of the OUN.

The early Ukrainian nationalists were socialist leaning moderates. They were poets, romantics and intellectuals who drew inspiration from the peasants and Cossacks and their unique Russian dialect, which was also spoken in Southern Russia. The name Ukraine simply meant borderland and its people were known as Malorussians, which meant “little Russians”. Yet as the craze for nationalism swept Europe some intellectuals began to think of Ukraine as a separate nation. Of these the main influence on the later fascist Ukrainian nationalists was the historian Mykhailo Hrushev’sky his monumental history of Ukraine portrayed Ukrainians as a completely separate race from Poles or Russians and attempted to sever the historical ties between the closely interlinked Russia and Ukraine. Russians traced their origins to the Kievan Russ (centred in modern day Kiev, Ukraine) and viewed Ukrainians and Byelorussians as close cousins to the Russians. Many Ukrainians viewed themselves as Russians. Also many Russians moved to Ukraine during the 18th and 19th centuries. Even today most Ukrainians speak Russian. The Russian empire encouraged this merging of the two identities and tried to discourage the use of Ukrainian.

Hrushevs’kyi’s work would inspire another far more extreme Ukrainian nationalist in Russian-controlled Ukraine, Mykola Mikhnovs’kyi, who would preach a worldview that saw a Ukrainian race surrounded by enemies that needed to be eliminated. He inserted 19th century Social Darwinism and scientific racism into Ukrainian nationalism, writing in the majority Russian city of Kharkov. He labelled “Russians, Poles, Magyars, Romanians and Jews as enemies of Ukraine” (as long as they ruled or exploited Ukrainians) and hoped to create a Ukrainian state stretching from the Caucuses to the Carpathian Mountains. His Ten Commandments of the UNP (Ukrainian National Party) founded in 1904 would be a major influence on the OUN. It included such memorable lines as “Do not marry a foreign woman because your children will become your enemies.” Elsewhere Mikhnovs’kyi wrote “Ukraine for Ukrainians, and as long as even one alien enemy remains on our territory, we are not allowed to lay down our arms.”

80% of Ukrainians lived within the Russian empire. The other 20% lived in an area that had once been controlled by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and, after Poland was dismembered and ceased to exist in the late 18th century, were ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They were known as Ruthenians and their language was closer to Polish than to the dialect spoken in Russian Ukraine. The Austro-Hungarian Empire encouraged extreme Ukrainian nationalism seeing Ukrainians as a vital counterbalance to the rebellious Poles. The area the Ukrainians or Ruthenians lived in was known as Eastern Galicia. This was the situation when Stepan Bandera was born in 1909. The OUN had its origins entirely in this western controlled part of Ukraine. In the wake of World War 1 and the Russian Civil War this territory would be controlled by a reborn Poland once again in the form of Poland’s Second Republic. The Second Republic also included the Western Ukrainians in Volhnyia part of Russian Ukraine conquered in its war against the Soviets.

Over the centuries Ukrainian aristocrats in Poland had decided to assimilate and become Polish nobles. Thus most of the Ukrainians were peasants. Poland also encouraged the creation of the Greek Catholic Church, which continued to follow the Orthodox Christian rite while subordinate to the Roman Pope instead of the Orthodox Patriarch. By Bandera’s time the Greek Catholic Church was an important element of Western Ukrainian identity and many OUN leaders like Stepan Bandera were the children of Greek Catholic priests, who were also hard-core Ukrainian nationalists. While swearing loyalty to the Polish state the Greek Catholic Church would enrage the Polish government by acting to support the OUN ringing church bells when OUN members were executed, or as a warning when police were on the way to disrupt Ukrainian nationalist events and holding memorial services, called Panakhydas, for various “heroes of Ukraine”. They were adopted as nationalist martyrs in the OUN cult.

Ukrainians in western Ukraine were mostly peasants (until 1848 they were serfs) working for Polish landlords and their Jewish managers. West Ukraine thus gave birth to a nationalism that was full of hatred for Jews and Poles. The OUN would target both for extermination. The OUN would combine traditional Ukrainian anti-Semitism with Nazi “racial science.” However Poland was an authoritarian military dictatorship. This was another major influence on the OUN who lived in Poland. Dmytro Dontsov found it much safer to vilify the Russians and the Soviet Union who were enemies of Poland then to risk the wrath of the Polish state. Dontsov was a former Marxist who argued that Ukrainian nationalism should purge itself of all elements of socialism or democracy both of which he blamed for the failure to establish a Ukrainian state. By 1922 Dontsov had found his model in Mussolini’s fascist Italy. He was even more impressed by Hitler and the Nazis. Dontsov translated these fascist thinkers into Ukrainian. He also wrote the introductions for fawning biographies glorifying Mussolini and Hitler. He popularized fascism, anti-Semitism and Russophobia among the students of Bandera’s generation. His vulgarized version of the philosophy of Nietzsche, Fichte, and Rousseau argued that Ukrainians must cast aside conventional morality and be willing to commit any crime if it meant the birth of a Ukrainian state. Dontsov praised fanaticism as a virtue. However he resisted numerous invitations to join the OUN for fear of being arrested by the Polish government.

Having introduced some of the intellectuals who developed or inspired Ukrainian fascism, let us go back in time to World War 1 and the Russian Revolution to introduce the historical origins of the OUN. The OUN were made up of two generations. The older generation had fought on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War 1. Some formed the Sich Riflemen, which included future OUN leader Levhen Konovalets. They were from Western Ukraine. During World War 1, Galicia would be a battleground between Russia and the Austrian and German forces. Russia captured Galicia only to be forced back out again.

When in 1917, the February Revolution overthrew the Tsar and installed a mildly left wing “democracy” ruled by Kerensky, Ukrainian Nationalists in Russian Ukraine created a Rada and declared their autonomy within the Russian Empire. It was headed by the left wing Vinnichenko as Prime Minister. Later that year the October Revolution overthrew the Kerensky government in Russia. The Rada decided to take advantage of the chaos and declare a Ukrainian People’s Republic (UNR) on 20 November 1917. The head of military affairs was Symon Petliura who would become infamous for his mass murders of Jews during the civil war, killing 50-60,000 of them. The OUN would adopt him as a hero of Ukraine. In 1926 Petlura would be assassinated by a Jewish survivor who had lost his family, anarchist Sholom Schwartz. Exposing the horrific crimes of Petliura’s forces at the trial Schwartz was declared not guilty by the sympathetic jury. Today Petliura has once again been declared a hero of Ukraine.

The Soviets were desperate to end the war with Germany and had been negotiating what would be known as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Ukrainian People’s Republic had sent envoys to the negotiations and the Germans and Austrians recognized their claims, as did the Soviet negotiators. The Soviet Union was also backing a self-proclaimed Soviet Ukrainian republic. When this Soviet Ukraine sent envoys the Germans refused to let them participate. Tensions were rising between the Soviets and the Ukrainian People’s Republic or UNR. The UNR were allowing the white Russian army (the Counter-Revolutionaries), led by General Kornilov, and their allies among the Don Cossacks, lead by Hetman Kaledin, to operate on their territory while disarming Red Army troops and forces loyal to the Ukrainian Soviets and urging Ukrainian troops serving in the Red Army to return to Ukraine. On 15 December 1917 the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed giving Germany and Austria control of huge swaths of Russian territory in exchange for peace. Freed from the German threat on 17 December 1917, the Soviet Government sent the Ukrainian People’s Republic an ultimatum demanding that the UNR cease shielding the white army, disarming Soviet troops, and blocking the passage of the Red Army. British and French envoys promised to aid the Rada if it resisted the Soviet ultimatum. The Soviets were backing Ukrainian communists attempt to set up a communist parallel government in Kharkov while officially recognizing the Ukrainian People’s Republic.

The detail is too complicated to discuss here. However Ukraine became a battleground between the Red Army, the Germans, the Polish, and the white Russian counter-revolutionary forces. Also fighting were the West Ukrainian army, Petlura’s forces, the forces of the Ukrainian Anarchist Makhno, and various bandit warlords and Cossacks. Kiev would change hands more then a dozen times. Initially the Ukrainian People’s Republic rejected the Soviet ultimatum to allow the Red Army to pass through to attack the white forces. However war was avoided for a couple months. Soon the Red Army was occupying Kiev as the Rada lacked popular support. People wanted land reform not Ukrainization, something viewed as annoyance by many Russian speakers. The Rada forces had deserted to the Red Army. However the Soviets would control Kiev for only three weeks. The Rada turned to the Germany and Austria who recognized the UNR. The Germans invaded Ukraine forcing the Red army to withdraw. Symon Petliura’s forces took power. In April 1918, the Germans disbanded the Rada and installed a puppet Government under Hetman Skorpadsky. Germany was under an economic blockade with its people facing starvation. The Germans proceeded to loot Ukraine’s grain, angering the peasants. In November 1918 the German military collapsed and they abandoned Ukraine. Skorpadsky retreated with them. Petliura and the new Rada government called “The Directorate” seized power in Kiev yet again before being forced out by the Red Army. As Petliura’s forces retreated they carried out massive pogroms against the Jews. Petliura’s forces often dressed up as communist forces to carry out these Pogroms murdering the communist sympathizers who came to greet them first, and then spending days robbing, raping, and murdering the rest of the Jews. With Germany out of the war, Britain and France were free to back the even more bloodthirsty white General Denikin in his attempt to destroy the Soviet Union. Ironically Denikin was a Russian nationalist who viewed Ukraine as inseparable from Russia. Denikin’s forces carried out equally horrific pogroms. Petliura allied with Denikin and then with Poland.

In western Ukraine they declared their own Ukrainian republic the ZUNR on 1 November 1918 in Lvov. The backbone of its military (the UHA) was veterans of the Sich Rifleman. At the same time Poland proclaimed the independent Second Republic The war began in Lvov as Ukrainian and Polish militias battled for control of the city. A Polish Ukrainian war began for control of Galicia. Poland eventually would crush and absorb the West Ukrainian republic. The ZUNR leaders would go into exile and form the UVO. Ironically many of the men from its army would desert to the Red Army. This was because the Red Army was waging war against Poland and the Ukrainian People’s Republic (in Russian Ukraine), which had signed a deal with Poland surrendering Polish control of Western Ukraine. The complex story of the Russian civil war in Ukraine would need its own article or book to do it justice. However there are a couple of lessons that can be learned. Ukrainian nationalists were happy to become tools of foreign powers while supposedly seeking independence. Ukrainian nationalists were willing to see their country exploited economically by foreign powers. Ukrainization had little appeal in Russian Ukraine. The Soviets won because the Ukrainian people were more concerned with their economic situation. Although briefly united by treaty on 22 January 1919, the Western Ukrainian ZUNR and the Russian Ukrainian UNR ended as bitter enemies. Ironically the OUN, with their dreams of genocide, still considered the mass murderer Petliura a hero although he had sold out to Poland, recognising the Polish claim to eastern Galicia in exchange for Polish support. Ten years after Petliura’s assassination, the OUN issued a pamphlet urging Ukrainians to beat or kill a Jew to avenge Petliura.

Finally the Polish-Soviet War ended on 18 March 1921. Poland and the Soviet Union signed the Treaty of Riga awarding Poland control over Eastern Galicia and Volhynia with around 5 million Ukrainians. Ukrainians were Poland’s largest minority making up 16% of the population. In Galicia, which the OUN would plot to turn into a Ukrainian state, the population was 47% Polish, 42% Ukrainian and 11% Jewish. In Eastern Galicia, Ukrainians comprised 62% of the population along, with 25% Poles and 12% Jews. The rest of Ukraine became a Soviet republic within the USSR with 26 Million Ukrainians (or Russians) living there. Around 500,000 Ukrainians would live in Czechoslovakia and 800,000 in Romania. Czechoslovakia was supportive of Ukrainian nationalism allowing Ukrainian schools and universities. Ukraine was home to many other ethnic groups including Hungarians, Romanians, and Germans. After the civil war ended, Soviet Ukraine was relatively stable. During the 1920s, the NEP (New Economic Policy), a rollback of socialism, favoured the peasants. Lenin gave the Soviet republic of Ukraine a huge swath of Russian territory along the Black Sea coast called Novorossiya along with the industrial areas of Donetsk and Lugansk. To this day, Lenin is still condemned by Russian nationalists for the decision; one Russia appears intent on reversing in the current war. Lenin strongly promoted Ukrainization, forcing government officials to learn Ukrainian and building Ukrainian schools and universities. In 1923 the Soviets even convinced the nationalist Ukrainian historian Hrushevs’kyi to serve in the new government as head of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

In the 1930s, collectivization would lead to a famine and a low level civil war throughout the Soviet Union including Ukraine. Western historians love to demonize the Soviet Union for collectivizing agriculture ignoring the fact that it was collectivization that finally ended the periodic famines that had rocked Russia for centuries. Collectivization was necessary in order for the Soviet Union to industrialize and establish the military strength it would need to resist the coming genocidal German invasion. The OUN diaspora has mythologized the famine during collectivization as an attempted genocide “The Holodomor” and used it to justify their horrific crimes during World War 2. The OUN claim that the famine was deliberately engineered to wipe out Ukrainians. This ignores the fact that Russia and Kazakstan were equally hard hit. Moreover it overlooks the role of grain speculation and export of masses of grain to the West by Ukrainian merchants, offered high prices by Western buyers. The famine was the result of bad weather and economic warfare waged by the West. Mainstream historians, especially in the English language literature, continue to promote the view that the economic troubles in the Soviet Union and their consequences were always and entirely of the government’s own making.

Today the OUN justify their crimes by vilifying the Soviet Union but in reality they had no presence in Soviet Ukraine and operated only in Poland and from exile in Europe. It was only after the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, when the Soviets would occupy Western Ukraine as part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was Ukraine briefly united. The Soviets would launch a crackdown on the OUN, a fascist terrorist group spying for Nazi Germany, arresting thousands of suspected members and executing hundreds. This would continue until the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941.

It was in Poland’s Second Republic that the OUN would have its origins. In 1920 the veterans of the Sich Riflemen who had fought for the ZUNR in western Ukraine founded the UVO an underground terrorist army. UVO stood for Ukrainian Military Organization in Ukrainian. Its founders were Levhen Konavalets, Andrii Melnyk and Roman Sushko. Konavalets would head the UVO and later the OUN until his death. Melnyk would head the OUN after Konavalets. The UVO was not a mass political organization but instead a terrorist group that funded itself by spying for the German Abwehr (Military Intelligence). Initially the main political party of the Ukrainian nationalists were the UNDO who sought to win independence through legal and democratic means and initially were opposed to fascism and terrorism. By the 1930s however, the right wing of UNDO secretly worked closely with the OUN. The UVO founded the OUN the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists at the 1st Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists in Vienna held between 28 January and 3 February 1929. The OUN were to be a mass political organization recruited from Ukrainian nationalist youth groups that were popular in Poland. The OUN were to indoctrinate the public and wage a terror war against the Polish authorities. The older generation of OUN leaders in exile formed the PUN while young recruits like Stepan Bandera worked for the Homeland Executive back in Poland. The PUN tried and failed to unite all Ukrainian political parties but they did manage to infiltrate and gain control of many Ukrainian youth groups. The younger generation of OUN were even more radical then their elders and their elders were openly fascist. The younger generation had joined nationalist youth groups at age 8 and at age 15 graduated to groups for teenagers. As teenagers they had devoured the works of Dontsov and other fascists. The younger generation included names that would later become infamous for their crimes like Stepan Bandera, Yaroslav Stetsko, and Roman Shukhevych. At the beginning of the 1930s, the younger generation of OUN were highly motivated, fanatical, reckless youth. Historians call them the “Bandera Generation.”

Stepan Bandera was born on 1 January 1909 to Andrii and Myroslava Bandera. His father Andrii Bandera was a Greek Catholic priest and an ardent Ukrainian nationalist who had served as a deputy in the short-lived ZUNR (West Ukraine) had helped raise armed units of Ukrainian nationalists and had served as a chaplain in the ZUNR’s army the UHA. Stepan’s mother Myroslava was the daughter of a Greek Catholic priest. The Bandera family had four sons and 3 daughters. Stepan Bandera didn’t attend elementary school because the village teacher had been drafted. Instead his parents home-schooled him, raising him to be a fanatical nationalist and a devout Greek Catholic. However, unlike his father, Stepan would value his nation even more than religion.

Young Stepan Bandera joined the nationalist scout group Plast where he befriended the future head of the OUN Homeland Executive Vasyl Okhrymovich. That friendship would lead Bandera’s quick rise through the ranks of the OUN. Bandera joined the nationalist youth group OVKUH where he met future infamous OUN members Roman Shukhevych and Yaroslav Stetsko. By his teen years Bandera and other young future OUN leaders were fanatical fascists who spent their time reading the works of Dontsov and Mykhnovs’kyi. Bandera’s hobbies included singing, hiking, doing impressions, sticking pins under his fingernails, whipping himself, burning himself, and smashing his fingers in door jambs. He was attempting to train himself to resist torture. For young Ukrainian nationalists the Polish high schools were a battleground. Poland was determined to teach them loyalty to the new Polish state. Ukrainians like Bandera were determined to resist by destroying symbols of Polish nationalism and disrupting class as much as possible. For Bandera education was secondary. The cause was everything. Once he became head of the Homeland executive Bandera would have one of his former high school teachers Ivan Babii assassinated for being a Ukrainian who followed Polish government orders.

By 1927 Bandera had joined the UVO and was doing reconnaissance work for them. In the fall of 1928 Bandera headed for University in Lviv a hotbed of Ukrainian nationalism. Bandera would never graduate because his studies were constantly interrupted by arrests for nationalist agitation and ties to murders. Bandera had a sort of split personality. He was deadly serious when it came to organizing. Yet when his work was done loved to joke and play pranks with his fellow OUN members. Physically unimpressive he was a captivating speaker. In the Spring of 1929, Bandera joined the OUN. He was a talented organizer and rose quickly through the ranks. By 1930 Stepan Bandera was in charge of distributing OUN propaganda. He was nicknamed “Baba” which meant woman because he often cross-dressed as a woman while carrying out his OUN missions. In 1931 Bandera was put in charge of smuggling OUN propaganda in from Czechoslovakia and Gdansk. That was also the year his best friend and the head of the OUN’s Homeland Executive Okhymovich died after being arrested and possibly tortured by the Polish authorities. Ivan Habrosevych would became the new head of the Homeland Executive and when he was forced to flee wanted Bandera to replace him. However Bandera was in prison until June of 1932 and had to settle for being deputy leader upon his release. By January of 1933 Bandera was the de facto head of the OUN Homeland Executive and he became the official head during the OUN conference in Berlin in June of 1933. Bandera’s leadership would see a massive escalation in OUN activity and high profile assassinations. He was acting on the orders of the PUN the OUN leadership in exile.

The PUN needed Bandera to stage spectacular attacks that would help their fundraising efforts among Ukraine’s diaspora in the United States and Canada. OUN power and influence in the form of the Ukrainian lobby would continue to grow in the United States and Canada in the decades that followed. Originally Canada’s Ukrainian population had been notoriously left wing and after the Russian October revolution were considered a serious national security risk because of their widespread support for the new communist regime. However at the end of the Russian civil war many white Russians and Ukrainian nationalists would relocate to Canada and the US. Veterans of the west Ukrainian UHA army formed the Ukrainian War Veterans Association, which along with the Ukrainian National Federation raised over $40,000 for the OUN. In the US Henry Ford used a group of Ukrainian fascist thugs to terrorize labour organizers.

The main sponsors of the OUN were Germany, Lithuania, and Italy. Germany and Lithuania provided funding, military training and passports. In the border wars that followed World War 1, Poland had captured an important chunk of Lithuania including its main city. Lithuania funded the OUN in revenge. Italy provided OUN training bases and Stepan Bandera’s brother Oleksandr spent years in fascist Italy studying for a degree in political science and engaging in fascist activism. Italy was a major backer of the Croatian Ustashi. The OUN were close allies with the Croatian Ustashi and the two groups trained and conspired together. Both groups would later have the distinction of carrying out atrocities that were so horrible that even the Nazis were shocked. During the Cold War both groups would be among the most influential fascist émigré groups. Both groups would also return to power at the end of the Cold War. A revived Ustashi in Croatia, under Franjo Tudjman in the early 1990s, and the OUN in 2004 and 2014 both incited civil wars and NATO interventions. The former would be instrumental again in the destruction of Yugoslavia, while the latter would re-ignite war against Russia. Nazi Germany would become the OUN’s most important sponsor. The UVO/ OUN’s espionage no doubt helped the Germans when they invaded Poland. We will return to the Nazi-OUN alliance later. It is interesting to note that Poland also discovered that the OUN were being backed by Britain’s MI6.

Before turning to the OUN terror campaign in Poland let us examine the OUN ideology. The OUN would later spend decades trying to rationalize or deny their collaboration with the Nazis. Yet in reality they carried out their crimes not just to please their German masters but because it was also fully in accord with their own ideology. The OUN were openly fascist, although there was some debate in their early years whether fascism was possible without control of a state. Eventually they decided that they would need a fascist movement in order to create a state. This movement would have to be like those Hitler and Mussolini had created to seize control of pre-existing states. The OUN believed in two types of revolution. The first was a “permanent revolution”, what the OUN called their endless war to indoctrinate the masses with their version of Ukrainian nationalism. Ukrainians were to be constantly mobilized in the struggle with the Polish government in the process becoming ever more radicalized.

The second revolution was to be a “national revolution”. Unified by the OUN the Ukrainian people would found a fascist dictatorship and create a Ukrainian state. The OUN despised democracy even more than communism. They wanted a dictator known as a Providnyk or a Vozhd the Ukrainian version of a Führer. Once a national revolution had been succeeded, the OUN would proceed to eliminate all their enemies: Jews, Poles, Russians and the rest of the ethnic minorities. The cities where Jews often outnumbered Ukrainians would be cleansed. Intermarriage between Ukrainians and other ethnicities would be banned. Every area of life sports, culture, religion, and economics would be reorganized in support of the OUN goals. All other political parties were to be banned. The OUN ideology had become interchangeable with the Nazi ideology. Their plans had been inspired by the Nuremberg racial laws of Nazi Germany. By the late 1930s Hitler was considered a hero in west Ukraine and the OUN hoped Germany would invade Poland and allow the Ukrainians to establish their own fascist dictatorship. Hitler however had other plans for Ukraine.

In order to wage their permanent revolution, Bandera and the homeland executive waged a terror campaign that became a low intensity civil war. The OUN correctly predicted their terror campaign would lead to mass imprisonment of Ukrainians. Bandera was ordered to set up an OUN stay behind network that would operate from the forests. The UVO had tried to assassinate the future Polish dictator Pilsudski back in 1921. It was the OUN assassination campaign that would launch Stepan Bandera into fame or infamy. During the 1930s the OUN would claim hundreds of victims. Poles who mocked Ukrainian nationalists would often end up dead. So would Ukrainians who dared to criticize the OUN. Bandera was also obsessed with killing suspected traitors within the OUN. Bandera was especially skilled at setting up mass propaganda campaigns. Any OUN member killed was turned into a martyr and a whole cult was set up around the person with the aid of the Greek Catholic Church. This had begun before Bandera’s time but he was very successful at popularizing it. In addition to foreign financing the OUN relied on armed robbery to raise cash. Their favourite targets were banks and post offices. If one of the robbers happened to be killed he was turned into a hero of Ukraine. Every OUN trial or arrest was also used to gain publicity for the cause. The Ukrainian nationalists had built mounds to honour the fallen UHA soldiers of the short-lived ZUNR government of Western Ukraine. Bandera ordered all Ukrainian villages to build mounds whether or not there were any soldiers buried there so that they could gather for OUN events. The Polish government in turn ordered the mounds destroyed. Soon all over Galicia Ukrainian villagers were battling police with hoes and pitchforks in defence of the mounds. The OUN also began destroying the tombs of Polish soldiers and police. If the government succeeded in destroying the mounds they were often quickly rebuilt.

Bandera neither smoked nor drank. In the Summer of 1933 Bandera decided to launch a national boycott of alcohol and tobacco. However his goals went beyond health concerns. His real targets were the Jewish merchants who sold alcohol and tobacco, and the Polish Government that got a cut of the sales. Bandera ordered any Ukrainian caught drinking during the boycott beaten and also ordered a campaign of arson to burn down Jewish-owned taverns. The OUN launched another anti-Semitic campaign where gangs of OUN thugs would go around and break all the windows in Jewish neighbourhoods. They also went around burning down Jewish houses and destroying Polish farms. The OUN also tried to destroy Polish rail lines and telecommunications infrastructure. Bandera launched a massive campaign to destroy Polish nationalist symbols in schools and ordered the assassination of teachers. The OUN bombed a newspaper they thought was pro-communist. Most of the hundreds of OUN victims killed during this period were thus ordinary people whose names are lost to history.

It was the OUN’s high profile assassinations that would make the OUN infamous and nearly end Bandera’s career. On 22 October 1933, the OUN attempted to kill the Soviet Consul in Lvov to protest the famine in Ukraine. However in a case of mistaken identity the assassin killed the secretary to the consulate Aleksei Mailov instead, also wounding a Polish janitor. The assassin Mykola Lemyk received a life sentence for his crime. On 31 March 1934, Bandera ordered the assassination of OUN member Bachyns’kyi whom he suspected had ties to Polish intelligence. The assassins were close friends with the victim; so they all got drunk together and then killed their friend. On 15 June 1934, the OUN carried out their most successful assassination, killing Polish Interior Minister Bronislaw Pieracki in Warsaw. The assassin Hryhorii Matseiko first tried to kill Pieracki in a suicide bombing. However he failed to press the trigger hard enough to detonate the bomb. Instead Maitseko followed Pieracki and shot him twice in the back of the head. He then opened fire on his pursuers, wounding a policeman. Managing to escape with the help of the OUN, he was smuggled into Czechoslovakia and then fled to Argentina with a Lithuanian passport. The morning of his death Pieracki had met with Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, raising awkward questions after Germany offered refuge to some of the escaped OUN plotters. Initially the police suspected the Polish fascist group UNR was responsible. However the sloppy assassin had left clues like the unexploded bomb and his clothes with a yellow and blue Ukrainian flag sewn into them. Stepan Bandera had actually been arrested the day before the assassination in a raid that captured 20 other OUN members, including the bomb maker. Apparently the Poles did not yet realize that Bandera was the head of the OUN Homeland Executive. Bandera denied everything including being an OUN member.

By 17 June 1934, the police had solved the Pieracki case. However they kept quiet. Instead Pilsudski turned Pieracki into a national martyr with all the pomp and circumstance that America uses to bury an assassinated president. A state of national mourning was declared in Poland. All theatres were closed and festivities cancelled while the coffin was carried around the country by train to be greeted everywhere by mourning crowds. Thus Poland was at a fever pitch when the government announced that the OUN were responsible on 10 July 1934. Two weeks later the OUN would carry out another assassination on Bandera’s orders, killing a Ukrainian high school director and teacher Ivan Babii. Babii had once punished Bandera for helping a fellow student cheat on an exam. The assassin, Mykhailo Tsar, shot himself in the head when he realized escape was impossible. The murder enraged even the Ukrainian nationalist press, which denounced the OUN as terrorists. On 9 October 1934, the OUN were accomplices in the Ustashi assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia and the French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou in Marseilles, France. Mussolini was so embarrassed when his ties to both groups were exposed that he ordered the Ustashi and the OUN confined to two small separate villages in Sicily. The trial of the Ustashi assassins would take place in 1935, at the same time as the OUN trials in Poland.

Poland held two big trials of the OUN leadership. The Warsaw trial dealt with the assassination of Pieracki and lasted from 18 November 1935 until 13 January 1936. The Lvov trials dealt with the OUN’s other murders and crimes and lasted from 25 May 1936 until 27 June 1936. Together some 20 defendants were tried. Czechoslovakian intelligence had raided an OUN leaders home, seizing thousands of pages of OUN documents to which they gave the Polish government access. This “Senyk archive” revealed a great deal about the OUN’s goals and structure. Stepan Bandera and many OUN members continued to deny everything. However a few OUN members turned on the group and as state’s evidence agreed to testify, knowing the OUN would no doubt seek revenge by killing them. Some OUN defectors felt guilty for the murders of fellow Ukrainians especially fellow OUN members. Others caved in under interrogation. The Polish prosecutor, Zelenski, performed well in proving the state’s case against the OUN. At the Warsaw trial Bandera and other defendants refused to testify in Polish (in which they were all fluent) while the court refused to hear testimony in Ukrainian. Bandera was dragged out of the courtroom kicking and screaming for his contempt of court. It was at the Warsaw trial that the OUN first started using the slogan “Slava Ukraini” publicly in combination with the Roman (Nazi) salute. Vira Svientsitska was the first to shout the slogan with salute in court as she was being dragged from the courtroom for refusing to testify in Polish. Bandera and Mykola Lebed would shout the slogan at their sentencing. Lebed would later be the main OUN figure backed by the CIA, after carrying out horrific crimes for the Germans during the war. Stepan Bandera, Mykola Lebed and the bomb maker Iaroslav Karpynets’ would all receive death sentences when the Warsaw trial ended on 13 June 1936. The other defendants received long prison sentences of between 8 and 15 years. Luckily for the OUN the Polish Parliament had abolished the death penalty on 2 January 1936. This act spared the lives of the leaders of a movement that would go on to murder hundreds of thousands of Poles. Instead they were sentenced to life imprisonment. Poland used the Pieracki murder as a pretext to build a prison camp for Ukrainians. Many low level OUN members were given local trials. By 1938 when Ukrainian owned agricultural firms were refusing to supply the cities—in the wake of a Polish police crackdown on nationalist demonstrators—Poland gaoled some 30,000 Ukrainians.

The Lvov trials were more relaxed. The defendants were allowed to testify in Ukrainian and instead of denying their crimes the OUN sought to justify them. Bandera was allowed to give a long courtroom speech where he portrayed himself as a Robin Hood figure helping the poor Ukrainian peasants against the evil Poles and Russians. He put himself forward as the OUN’s Providnyk or Führer ignoring the OUN leader in exile Konavelets. In his speech Bandera argued the true measure of the OUN was not their willingness to die but their willingness to kill and that not hundreds but thousands of people needed to die to in order to fulfil their goals. Full of self-serving lies Bandera’s legendary Lvov courtroom speech is still read and reread by fascists in Ukraine today. The Lvov trial made Bandera a superstar among Ukrainians in Poland and the diaspora.

Arrested the day before the Pieracki assassination Bandera would remain in Polish prisons until his eventual escape in September 1939. Bandera and other OUN prisoners used their time in prison to study and organize. They taught some of their fellow Ukrainian prisoners to read and write and each OUN leader gave lectures on a different academic topic. In prison Bandera and the OUN mentored Hryorii Perehinak, who would go on to play a major role in the mass murder of Poles in Volhynia during the war. Bandera and the OUN waged three hunger strikes which the Polish prison guards ended by force-feeding them through their noses. The OUN also plotted to free Bandera. One plot involved impersonating monks to help Bandera escape. The Polish authorities however were reading the OUN’s mail and arrested the plotters. Another scheme involved bribing his prison guards to release him with money raised from overseas Ukrainians. The OUN cancelled the plan either because they feared it was a trick to kill Bandera while escaping or they feared reprisals against other OUN prisoners if Bandera escaped. The authorities were so concerned about these OUN plots that they built guard towers at one prison and also kept moving Bandera around. The Bandera escape plans became even more intense after the OUN head Konavalets was assassinated in Rotterdam on 22 May 1938. Bandera’s supporters wanted him free so he could gain control of the OUN. Poland had him transferred to a prison in Brest.

Finally on 1 September 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland and World War 2 began. In the chaos Bandera was finally able to escape on 13 September 1939. Bandera headed for Lvov. A small part of the German military was occupying Galicia. The OUN had risen up and begun by massacring 3,000 Poles and an unknown number of Jews. The remnants of the Polish military were massacring Ukrainians and Jews. However Bandera quickly realized that the time was net yet right for the OUN to seize power because western Ukraine was about to become part of the Soviet sphere of influence as part of the Molotov and Ribbentrop Pact. Bandera and many of the OUN headed for the German occupied portion of Western Poland called the General Government. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland and despite years of OUN propaganda many West Ukrainian’s welcomed them as liberators. Bandera’s family would eventually get caught up in the Soviet crackdown on the OUN in western Ukraine. In March 1941, a couple months before the German invasion of the USSR, they arrested Stepan’s father Andrii and two of Stepan’s sisters for harbouring an OUN member. His sisters were deported to Siberia while his father was sentenced to be shot.

Bandera headed for Cracow, which was to become home to 30,000 OUN members and their sympathizers. Along the way Bandera stopped in the town of Iavoriv where the OUN and the German military engaged in a brutal massacre of local Jews and burned down the local synagogue. Bandera never mentioned the incident or other OUN mass murders. Arriving in Cracow, Bandera soon met his future wife, OUN member Iaroslava Oparivska. They would marry in June of 1940. Bandera had more than romance on his mind. He wanted to seize control of the OUN.

In November 1939 Bandera headed for a spa in Slovakia for an OUN meeting. Then he headed for Vienna where he met up with the current head of the Homeland Executive Lopatyns’kyi. They decided to head to Rome to confront the new OUN head Andrii Melnyk. Melnyk had been a founding member of the UVO and OUN but was not as well known in Western Ukraine as Bandera. Melnyk had been made the OUN head at the 2nd congress of Ukrainian Nationalists held in Rome in August 1939. The assassinated OUN head Konovalets had named Melnyk as a successor in his will. Bandera’s followers claimed the will was a forgery. Bandera considered Melnyk’s top advisers to be traitors. Bandera and Lopatyns’kyi arrived in Rome mid January 1940. Stepan reunited with his brother Oleksandr, who had earned a PhD in political economy since arriving in Rome in 1933. They then met with Melnyk and demanded that he fire his advisers, appoint Bandera’s picks to OUN leadership and then go into exile in Switzerland. Melnyk in return offered to make Bandera one of his advisers but demanded the obedience of the Homeland Executive. Bandera believed that Melnyk also ordered his assassination so Bandera went into hiding.

The OUN was moving towards its split into the OUN/M headed by Melnyk and the OUN/B headed by Bandera. On 10 February 1940 Bandera and his supporters like Roman Shukhevych declared a revolutionary leadership in the OUN. Soon each side was expelling the other from the OUN. Each side was accusing the other side of being married to Jews and being secretly controlled by the Soviet Union. It became a bit of a comedy that would turn dark. During the war Bandera would have many of his OUN/M rivals assassinated including Melnyk’s advisers whom he had labelled as traitors. Today the Ukrainian nationalist obsession with traitors in high places remains a defining characteristic of post-Maidan Ukraine. Bandera’s OUN/B would ultimately win the power struggle since they enjoyed better connections to OUN activists in Soviet-controlled Western Ukraine, were more popular among Ukrainians in German-controlled Poland and with the young. The Nazis would work closely with both the OUN/M and the OUN/B. They seemed to favour the OUN/M as more easy to control. Ideologically there was little difference between the two and the OUN/B and OUN/M fought over who was the more pro-Nazi.

From 31 March until 3 April 1941, the OUN/B held their own second Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists at Cracow, deliberately ignoring the Second Congress convened in Rome that had appointed Melnyk head of the OUN. Bandera was declared Providnyk of the OUN. The OUN/B published a pamphlet expressing their ideology. In the months leading up to the invasion of the Soviet Union they were planning with their German handlers in the Abwehr. The OUN/B claimed “Jews in the USSR are the main pillars of the Bolshevik Regime, and the avant-garde of the Moscow imperialism in Ukraine.” They announced that they were planning to ally with Byelorussians, Finns, Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians and other “enslaved nations” to destroy the USSR. They announced that they would destroy the collective farms and replace them with a free enterprise system. They created a red and black OUN/B flag symbolizing blood and soil. They announced their policy as “one people, one Party, and one Leader”. On 10 April 1941, the OUN expressed elation when the Nazis allowed the Ustashi to carve a Croatian puppet state out of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. That clerical-fascist state, to which the first Croatian president in 1991, Franjo Tudjman, belonged, waged a genocidal campaign against Jews, Gypsies, and Serbs and Orthodoxy. The OUN/B sent Croatian dictator Ante Pavelic their personal congratulations by telegram. The Nazis had already created a fascist puppet state in Slovakia. Hence the OUN/B were convinced that the Nazis would allow Bandera to rule Ukraine as dictator after the German invasion.

Throughout 1939-1941 both factions of the OUN were working closely with Germany’s military intelligence the Abwehr headed by Wilhelm Canaris, as well as with the SS. Their Abwehr handlers were Wilhelm Canaris, Theodor Oberlander, Hans Koch, and Alfred Bisasz. Oberlander would become infamous for his role with Ukrainian and Pan-Turkist SS units. The Abwehr provided resources for the OUN to train and arm it’s forces in German-occupied Poland and Soviet-controlled West Ukraine. The Abwehr recruited 350 OUN members into the Nachtigal Battalion and 330 OUN members into the Roland Battalion. A further 800 OUN/B members were trained at the Ievhen Konovalets Military School in Cracow to form task forces that would seize control of local governments and raise Ukrainian militias to carry out genocide. The Abwehr recruited OUN members as spies, translators and soldiers. The Abwehr also trained refugees from west Ukraine and sent them back to infiltrate the Soviet Union. The Soviets managed to capture 486 of them as they crossed the border. The Abwehr planned to have the OUN attack Soviet forces from the rear.

In May of 1941, after weeks of work, the OUN/B finalized plans for their role in the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa), which would begin 22 June that year. The Germans would tell the OUN the exact date of the invasion so the OUN underground in the Soviet Union could be ready. Their plan was recorded in the “Struggles and Activities of the OUN in Wartime.” or Struggles and Activities plan for short. It was written by Stepan Bandera, future war criminal Roman Shukhevych, Lenkavs’kyi and Yaroslav Stetsko (later head of the World Anti-Communist League’s Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations, who would be invited to the Reagan White House). Its goal was to “establish the totalitarian power of the Ukrainian Nation in all Ukrainian territories.” It listed the OUN/B’s future allies, other minorities in the Soviet Union like the Baltic States, Belarus, plus the Finns. Of course their key ally was the Nazi Germans themselves. OUN activists were to travel the countryside proclaiming an independent Ukraine and welcoming the Germans in the name of Stepan Bandera. They would avoid combat with the Red Army leaving that for the German Wehrmacht. Instead they would organize the countryside. The plan identified its enemies clearly as Poles, Russians, Jews, and Ukrainians who failed to support the OUN. These enemies were to be liquidated. The plan called for forming militias in the countryside comprising all males aged 18-50. These gangs would drag off their enemies to forests and other desolate places to be massacred. All Jews were to be registered and then eliminated. The OUN/B was to compile a death list of Poles and NKVD informers. The OUN/B planned to recruit the countryside to purge the cities that were full of Jews, Russians, and Poles. The OUN/B would seize control of all local government; remake the education system along Ukrainian fascist lines. The plan called for the creation of youth groups that would indoctrinate children starting at age 6. At age 10 they would join the next group and at 18 the next group until at 21 they would join either the OUN, one of its paramilitary formations, cultural or sporting fronts. The plan provided for a huge list of OUN/B fascist slogans to mobilize the masses like “death to Muscovite Jewish Communism.” and “Ukraine for Ukrainians.” In other words the OUN/B were planning on creating a fascist dictatorship lead by Stepan Bandera that would then eliminate Jews, Poles, and Russians as well as anyone in Ukraine who was an obstacle to their plans.

Hitler however had his own plans for Ukraine and the Soviet Union. In Hitler’s insane dreams Ukraine was destined to become Germany’s version of America’s Wild West or British India. He envisioned German settlers hardened and transformed by the colonization of Ukraine. Hitler was a big fan of Westerns and cowboys. Ukrainians were in his view just like the Russians inferior Slavs who were to be massacred and enslaved. Ukraine would become part of Greater Germany. He planned to enslave the populace. The more pragmatic Nazi view was championed by Alfred Rosenberg and by the Waffen SS who saw many useful allies in Eastern Europe like the Ukrainians and championed an international view of fascism. During the war, as the tide turned against the Nazis, they would increasingly adopt this more pragmatic view; relying increasingly on their Ukrainian fascist allies.

On 22 June 1941, Germany would invade the Soviet Union and the OUN would follow the Wehrmacht into Ukraine. The next years would bring untold suffering and horror to the Soviet people. The history of the OUN would enter its bloodiest phase. They would play a vital role in helping the Germans commit mass murders and other crimes throughout Ukraine and the other occupied territories. These I will discuss in Part 2 of this series.

(Sources at link.)

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... 1917-1941/

Why Isn’t Canadian Media Condemning Nazi Collaborator Roman Shukhevych?
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 4, 2022
Owen Schalk

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The Roman Shukhevych statue at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in Edmonton. Photo courtesy CTV News.

Shukhevych was a perpetrator of the Holocaust who participated in the genocide of 100,000 Polish and Jewish people


Last year, a statue in Edmonton honouring Roman Shukhevych, a Nazi collaborator and a perpetrator of the Holocaust who participated in the genocide of 100,000 Polish and Jewish people, was vandalized. In August 2021, somebody painted the words “ACTUAL NAZI” over the bust of Shukhevych, who in addition to taking senior roles in the ultranationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) also helped organize and lead the Nazi army’s Nachtigall Batallion and the Schutzmannschaft Battalion 201.

Even Yale professor Timothy Snyder, a vocal supporter of Ukrainian nationalism and a proponent of the anti-communist “double genocide” theory of the Second World War, has asserted that the organizations to which Shukhevych belonged participated in genocide in order to support their vision of a “totalistic” form of Ukrainian statehood in which the new Ukraine “required ethnic homogeneity, and the Polish ‘occupier’ could be defeated only by the removal of Poles from Ukrainian land.”

As Snyder writes, the OUN-B’s actions in Poland were “not military operations but ethnic cleansing.” The UPA also participated in these pogroms. Snyder writes:

Ukrainian partisans and their allies burned homes, shot or forced back inside those who tried to flee, and used sickles and pitchforks to kill those they captured outside. Churches full of worshipers were burned to the ground. Partisans displayed beheaded, crucified, dismembered, or disemboweled bodies, to encourage remaining Poles to flee.

In Canada, there are still numerous statues honouring Nazi collaborators like Shukhevych. One of them, a cenotaph to a Ukrainian volunteer division of the Waffen-SS in Oakville, Ontario, was also vandalized in June 2020 with the words “Nazi war monument.” Disturbingly, Ontario police announced that they were investigating the attack as a “hate crime” because, in a spokesman’s words, “the graffiti appeared to target an identifiable group.” After news coverage of the police labelling anti-Nazi graffiti a hate crime began to spread, the police apologized and reclassified the graffiti as simple vandalism.

In Ukraine itself, statues honouring Shukhevych have been a source of tension both domestically and internationally. Allied and enemy governments alike have contested the continued existence of these monuments. While the Russian state has doubtlessly emphasized their presence in order to justify its invasion of Ukraine, both the Israeli and Polish ambassadors also protested the construction of a statue honouring Shukhevych in the Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankisvsk. After its construction, the Israeli and Polish ambassadors issued a joint letter noting that Shukhevych was “personally responsible” for killing tens of thousands “by bullets, fire, rape, torture and other beastly methods—only because they prayed to God in Polish or Hebrew.”

The monuments in Canada have faced similar pushback. One group that has called for the removal of the Shukhevych state is the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC). In August 2021, the FSWC endorsed the removal of all statues honouring Nazi collaborators in Canada, singling out the Shukhevych bust in Edmonton and the SS-Galicia division cenotaph in Oakville. The organization wrote: “One [example] is a statue of Roman Shukhevych, a Ukrainian military leader who collaborated with the Nazis and whose units massacred Jews and Poles between 1941-1944. The second is a memorial to the ‘freedom fighters’ of the SS’ 14th Waffen Division, who carried out massacres of women and children.”

For some reason, the CTV article that quotes the FSWC’s condemnation of the statues feels the need to “play both sides.” It includes a quote from the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, the group that erected the Shukhevych statue, stating the vandalism is “part of the decades long Russian disinformation campaign against Ukraine and Ukrainians to create a false Nazi image of Ukrainian freedom fighters.”

In late October of this year, Edmonton police revealed that they were charging Duncan Kinney of Progress Alberta with the vandalism of the Shukhevych statue. He was handcuffed in his office by the Edmonton police’s hate crimes unit and charged with one count of mischief in connection to vandalism. Canadian media has mainly focused on the allegation that Kinney himself, a journalist whose organization had previously covered the vandalism of monuments to Nazi collaborators, has been charged with the crime rather than the fact that statues honouring Nazi collaborators are standing in Canada in the first place.

NEW: In an email to @ProgressAlberta supporters, Duncan Kinney provides some details of his arrest and announces he will be pleading not guilty #ableg pic.twitter.com/5JT3n1KuVz

— Jeremy “Subscribe to The Orchard” Appel (@JeremyAppel1025) October 31, 2022


In fact, recent Canadian news coverage of this incident has been shockingly quiet on Shukhevych’s actual actions. A November 2 piece in CTV News does not mention Shukhevych’s name until the twelfth paragraph, and it does not reference his role in the Second World War at all except to quote the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy:

The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy—which says it erected the Shukhevych statue in the 1970s to honour veterans who fought for Ukraine’s independence in the Second World War—has dismissed accusations that Shukhevych collaborated with Nazi Germany and was involved in massacres of Jewish and Polish people as “Russian disinformation.”

While this is perhaps the most egregious example of Holocaust revisionism to appear in mainstream Canadian media in relation to this story, other CTV and CBC articles fall into a similar pattern: they frontload the article with paragraphs on Kinney and the accusations against him, before briefly mentioning Shukhevych and noting his “controversial” role in history.

For example, a CBC article from October 25 claims that Shukhevych has “fallen under increased scrutiny” in recent years. A CTV News article from October 26 notes: “While Shukhevych is celebrated by some as a Ukrainian military leader, he is also criticized by others as being involved in massacres of Jewish and Polish people.”

Why is Canadian media using the passive voice to describe Shukhevych’s actions rather than calling them what they were: the genocidal actions of a Nazi collaborator who led fascist forces against ethnic minorities and partisan resistors?

When presented as clearly as this, it is hard to imagine most Canadians would take issue with the vandalism or outright removal of these monuments.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... hukhevych/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Sun Nov 06, 2022 2:02 pm

Life in Lisichansk
POSTED BY @NSANZO ⋅ 11/06/2022

Image

Recovered by Russian and Republican troops last summer after eight years of Ukrainian rule, Lisichansk, destroyed in the battles of the war, is still experiencing a dramatic situation. Faced with the greater attention given to the reconstruction of Mariupol, where the DPR and Russia announce the delivery of apartments to families who lost their homes in the war, cities such as Lisichansk or Severodonetsk have fallen into oblivion by the media. However, the situation there continues to be dangerous: in addition to the dangers of a winter that the population will have to overcome in far from acceptable conditions, there is the threat of Ukrainian troops, a few kilometers from the area.

Original Article: Antifashist

According to the acting mayor of Lisichansk, Andrey Skorogo, the city's population is ready to put up with difficulties because they believe in unity with Russia. This is how he commented to journalists in Lugansk during the commemoration of the Day of National Unity. “Infrastructures are destroyed, but we are working. The population is prepared to endure, because they are with Russia, they know that everything will turn out well, ”he affirmed. The acting mayor assessed the situation in Lisichansk as "tense, but stable" due to the bombardment by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which destroys communal infrastructure, including some recently rebuilt.

The sources of Antifashistin Lisichansk confirm that the situation in the city is tense and that the population is not satisfied with the work of the local administration. Right now, there are no communications in the city center and work is underway to restore power. There is no information about the resumption of the supply of running water at the moment. “The market and some shops have started to work. The minibuses are beginning to circulate and there are two hospitals running, but they do not leave staff at night because there is no heating. There are only two ambulances left in the city, but since there are hardly any communications, it is impossible to find them. There is no running water; water is brought in by truck according to a schedule, although it is not always followed. There is no light, there have been tests recently, but in general, the light is a problem.anti-fashist .

In his opinion, an important part of the population is already desperate and believes that this year will not see the return of communications to the flats. “Many floors are now at a temperature of eight degrees. It is very cold. Many have been made with radiators and those who have received gas are lucky. The city is devastated,” he added. The resident explained that in the humanitarian aid centers of United Russia, residents receive bread and humanitarian aid and volunteers regularly come to the city to help those who have remained in it. In the Melnikov mine, currently paralyzed, the delivery of humanitarian aid has been organized in the form of a basket of products for the company's employees and their families. The population can get 20 kilograms of potatoes, carrots, onions and beets per person.

Coal has recently been delivered to Lisichansk, although it is not distributed free of charge but has to be paid for. The population that has not been connected to the central gas system and has stoves can request compensation for the payment of coal, but that requires enduring long queues.

“We survive the best way we can. Many people need materials for repairs, for construction. They tell us to leave, but I have nowhere to go,” Alyona explained.

The population of Lisichansk is really willing to put up with adversity, but the authorities should be asked to speak to the population, not about how they can “sacrifice themselves for Russia”, but about what is being done right now to improve their lives.

https://slavyangrad.es/2022/11/06/la-vi ... more-25886

Google Translator

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From Cassad's Telegram account:

***

Colonelcassad
🗂Chronicle of the special military operation
for November 5, 2022

🔻Kursk region

▪️The Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled the village of Guevo in the Sundzhansky district of the Kursk region, damaging the power supply line and several residential buildings. There were no casualties among civilians.

🔻Starobelsk direction:

Image

▪️In the Kupyansky sector , the enemy rotates and restores the strength of the 14th Ombre after several unsuccessful attempts at an offensive at the Kislovka-Yagodnoye line .

▪️On the Svatovsky site in the vicinity of Kolomychikha-Kuzemovka , Ukrainian DRGs from the 71st Obr. The Armed Forces of Ukraine conduct reconnaissance of the positions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation with the help of UAVs.

➖It is planned to transfer the 128th brigade of the territorial defense to the Stelmahovka area in order to carry out a rotation of personnel.

➖The Armed Forces of Ukraine, in turn, once again fired at Svatovo from the HIMARS MLRS , damaging several civilian buildings.

▪️In the Liman sector , Ukrainian formations attempted an offensive towards Ploschanka , but failed and retreated.

➖The RF Armed Forces, with the help of UAVs, revealed the movement of the APU supply convoy in this area and hit one of the vehicles with enemy ammunition.

🔻Soledar direction :

Image

▪️The Ukrainian formations attempted a counterattack near Experienced and Kurdyumivka, but the RF Armed Forces repulsed the attack, knocking the enemy back to their starting lines.

▪️The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is preparing for a possible attack by Wagner PMC assault units on Belogorovka from Shipilovka.

🔻Donetsk direction:

▪️The enemy once again fired at the settlements of the Donetsk agglomeration: Donetsk, Gorlovka, Makeevka and Yasinovataya were hit.

🔻Zaporozhye direction:

▪️Artillery duels continue along the line of contact in the Zaporozhye region: the Russian Armed Forces have worked on targets in the area of ​​Olgovskoye, Gulyaipole, Zaliznychny, Maly Shcherbakov and Novodanilovka .

🔻Dnipropetrovsk region:

▪️In Dnepropetrovsk , on the right bank of the city, the electrical substation Elektrovoznaya caught fire. The cause of the accident was probably network overload.

▪️The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation worked on the location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in one of the Nikopol lyceums , as well as on positions in the Marganets community.

🔻Southern Front: Nikolaev-Berislav direction

▪️In the Nikolaevsky sector , the Armed Forces of Ukraine are shelling the positions of the RF Armed Forces along the entire line of contact with high intensity.

▪️On the Andreevsky sector , a column of 20 enemy tanks advanced towards Davydov Brod. Another, consisting mainly of armored vehicles, is directed to the Snigirevsky site.

▪️In the Berislav direction , the Armed Forces of Ukraine fired at the positions of the RF Armed Forces from the vicinity of Petropavlovka and Dudchan.

▪️Ukrainian formations fired from MLRS HIMARS Kherson . Most of the shells were shot down by air defense systems, but two of them hit one of the transport enterprises of the city.

Image

***

Colonelcassad
Special operation, 5 November. The main thing from RIA Novosti :

▪️Russian aviation, missile forces and artillery hit 87 Ukrainian artillery units in firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 179 districts, including the weapons and equipment storage base in Zaporozhye, the Russian Defense Ministry said

▪️The Russian Armed Forces shot down a MiG-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force in the Nikolaev region

▪️Russian troops destroyed the firing mount of the Ukrainian Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system and the radar station of the S-300 complex

▪️on the territory of the DPR, Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter, as well as nine drones

▪️Russian Armed Forces eliminated more than 320 Ukrainian militants in the territory of the DPR and LPR in a day, 80 in the Kherson region

▪️The United States will not be able to exhaust Russia by helping Ukraine, and the West needs to seek a negotiated solution, said Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov

▪️The NATO Secretary General said that the risk of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine is small, but the alliance takes it very seriously

***

Colonelcassad
The Nikolaev-Berislav direction the situation as of 16:00 on November 5, 2022

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The command of the united group of troops "Nikolaev" restores the combat capability of the units.

In the past few days, the intensity of shelling of forward positions along the line of contact has increased. It is likely that the Ukrainian formations are preparing artillery before a possible offensive.

🔻In the Nikolaev sector of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, massive mortar and artillery shelling of the areas of Aleksandrovka , Pravdino , Ternovy Pod , Blagodatny , Vasilka from positions in the Stepovaya Dolina , Chervonom , Luparevo and Novogrigorovka is carried out .

▪️To combat Russian drones, KVSG-6 anti-drone guns have been delivered to the front lines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

🔻Mutual shelling continues in the Andreevsky sector. A mortar battery of the 61st brigade in Sukhoi Stavka and an artillery battery of the 46th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Malaya Aleksandrovka fired on the lines of Karlo-Marxovskoye - Staritsa and Sadok - Borozenskoye .

▪️Artillery return fire from the RF Armed Forces hit the stationing point of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the vicinity of Davydov Brod . The exact number of deaths is unknown.

A couple of hours ago, two Mi-8 helicopters from Davydov Brod carried out the removal of the bodies of the dead and wounded (about 20 people) to Bereznegovatoe .

🔻In the Berislav sector, the fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are spreading information about the imminent arrival of significant reinforcements for the assault on Kherson .

▪️Artillery crews of the 60th brigade from the position area in Petropavlovka are firing indiscriminately at the Pyatikhatki - Polyanka line south of Dudchan .

https://t.me/s/boris_rozhin

Google Translator

*************

US Sending Antiquated Gear to Ukraine as Russian Reinforcements Continue to Gather
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 5, 2022



Update on Russian military operations in and around Ukraine for November 5, 2022

– US assistance to Ukraine increasingly depends on “refurbishing” antiquated weapons kept in storage as current inventories of weapons run low;

– Russian tanks continue to roll out of factories while those in storage are also being upgraded and deployed;

– British state media admits Ukraine faces difficulties in taking Kherson city;

– Russian forces continue preparing for protracted combat while Ukraine races against the clock in terms of energy, economics, and material support for combat operations

References:

US DoD – $400 Million in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine (November 4, 2022): https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases

Defense News – US, Netherlands go Dutch to refurbish Czech tanks for Ukraine: https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/

Dmitry Medvedev (Telegram) – Uralvagonzavod visit: https://t.me/medvedev_telegram/198

Defense Blog – Syrian Army receives the upgraded T-62M main battle tanks from Russia: https://defence-blog.com/syrian-army-

Michael Kofman on Russian T-62s being brought out of storage: https://twitter.com/kofmanmichael/sta

Military Watch Magazine – Building a Mechanised Corps for the Donbas: Why Russia is Modernising its T-62 Tanks For Re-Commissioning: https://militarywatchmagazine.com/art

BBC – Russia-Ukraine war: At the front line of Ukraine’s struggle for Kherson: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... to-gather/

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SCOTT RITTER: A ‘Dangerous, Bloody & Dirty Game’
November 3, 2022

Vladimir Putin’s address at the Valdai Club last week, coming on the heels of the Biden administration’s release of its National Security Strategy, shows how the battle lines have been drawn.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Oct. 27. (Kremlin)

By Scott Ritter
Special to Consortium News

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s keynote address at the Valdai Club last Thursday appears to have put Russia on a collision course with the U.S.-led “Rules Based International Order” (RBIO).

The Biden administration two weeks earlier released its 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS), a full-throated defense of the RBIO which all-but declares war on “autocrats” who are “working overtime to undermine democracy.”

These two visions of the future of the world order define a global competition that has become existential in nature. In short, there can be only one victor.

Given the fact that the main players in this competition comprise the five declared nuclear powers, how the world manages the defeat of the losing side will, in large part, determine whether humanity will survive into the next generation.

“We are now in the early years of a decisive decade for America and the world,” U.S. President Joe Biden wrote in the introduction to the 2022 NSS. “The terms of geopolitical competition between the major powers will be set … the post-Cold War era is definitively over, and a competition is underway between the major powers to shape what comes next.”

The key to winning this competition, Biden declared, is American leadership: “The need for a strong and purposeful American role in the world has never been greater.”

The 2022 NSS laid out the nature of this competition in stark terms. Biden claimed:“Democracies and autocracies are engaged in a contest to show which system of governance can best deliver for their people and the world.”

American goals in this competition are clear:

“[W]e want a free, open, prosperous, and secure international order. We seek an order that is free in that it allows people to enjoy their basic, universal rights and freedoms. It is open in that it provides all nations that sign up to these principles an opportunity to participate in, and have a role in shaping, the rules.”

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President Joe Biden conferring with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, at left, during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 25. (White House, Adam Schultz)

Standing in the way of the accomplishment of these goals, Biden says, are the forces of autocracy, led by Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “Russia,” he declared,

“poses an immediate threat to the free and open international system, recklessly flouting the basic laws of the international order today, as its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has shown. The PRC, by contrast, is the only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to advance that objective.”

Russia & China

Of course, Russia and China take umbrage at Biden’s world view, and in particular their role in it. This objection was voiced back on Feb. 4, when Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the two leaders released a joint statement that served as a veritable declaration of war against the RBIO.

“The sides [i.e., Russia and China] intend to resist attempts to substitute universally recognized formats and mechanisms that are consistent with international law [i.e., the Law Based International Order (LBIO)],” the joint statement read, “for rules elaborated in private by certain nations or blocs of nations [i.e., the RBIO], and are against addressing international problems indirectly and without consensus, oppose power politics, bullying, unilateral sanctions, and extraterritorial application of jurisdiction.”

Image
Russian President Vladimir Putin holding talks in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb. 4. (Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

Far from seeking confrontation, Russia and China, in their joint statement, went out of their way to emphasize the need for cooperation among nations:

“The sides reiterate the need for consolidation, not division of the international community, the need for cooperation, not confrontation. The sides oppose the return of international relations to the state of confrontation between major powers when the weak fall prey to the strong.”

Russia and China believe the problems confronting the world come from pressures brought on by the collective West, led by the United States. This point was emphasized by Putin in his Valdai address.

It can be said,” Putin noted, “that in recent years, and especially in recent months, this West has taken a number of steps toward escalation. Strictly speaking, it always relies on escalation; that is not new. These are the instigation of the war in Ukraine, the provocations around Taiwan, and the destabilization of global food and energy markets.”

According to Putin, there is little that can be done to avoid this escalation, since the root of the problem is the very nature of the West. He said:

“The Western model of globalization, neocolonial at its core, was also built on standardization, on financial and technological monopolism, and on the erasure of all differences. The task was clear: to strengthen the unconditional domination of the West in the world economy and politics, and to this end to put at its service the natural and financial resources, the intellectual, human, and economic capacities of the entire planet, under the guise of the so-called new global interdependence.”

Western Supremacy

There can be no longer any concept of cooperation between Russia and the West, Putin said, because the American-dominated West steadfastly adheres to the supremacy of its own values and systems, at the exclusion of all others.

Putin took aim at this exclusivity. “Western ideologists and politicians,” he said, “have been telling the whole world for many years: There is no alternative to democracy. However, they talk about the Western, so-called liberal model of democracy. They reject all other variants and forms of democracy with contempt and – I would like to emphasize this – arrogance.”

Moreover, Putin noted, “[T]he arrogant pursuit of world domination, of dictating or maintaining leadership by dictation, is leading to the decline of the international authority of the leaders of the Western world, including the United States.”

Image
U.S. President Joe Biden meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, June 14, 2021. (NATO)

The solution, Putin declared, is to reject the exclusivity of the American RBIO model. “The unity of humanity is not based on the command ‘do it like me’ or ‘become like us,’” Putin said, noting rather that “it is formed taking into account and based on the opinion of all and with respect for the identity of each society and nation. This is the principle on which long-term engagement in a multipolar world can be built.”

Battle Defined by Ideas

The battle lines have been drawn — American-led singularity on one side, and a Russian-Chinese led multipolarity on the other.

A direct military-on-military clash between the proponents of the RBIO and those backing the LBIO would, literally, go nuclear, destroying the very world they are competing to control.

As such, the looming Armageddon won’t be a battle defined by military power, but rather of ideas — of which side can sway the opinion of the rest of the world to come over to its side. Herein lies the key to determining who will win — the established RBIO, or the up-and-coming LBIO?

The answer increasingly seems clear — it’s the LBIO by a long shot.

America is in decline. The American model of democracy is failing at home, and as such is incapable of being responsibly projected on the world stage as something worthy of imitation. The RBIO is coming apart at the seams.

On every front, it is being confronted by organizations which embrace the LBIO vision and failing. The G-7 is losing against BRICS; NATO is fracturing while the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is expanding. The European Union is collapsing, while the Russian-Chinese vision for a trans-Eurasian economic union is thriving.

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Map of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, December 2021. (Firdavs Kulolov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)

“Power over the world,” Putin declared at Valdai, “is exactly what the so-called West has been betting on. But this game is certainly a dangerous, bloody and, I would say, dirty game.”

There can be no avoiding the coming conflict. But, as Putin noted, paraphrasing the Biblical passage from Hosea 8:7, “He who sows the wind will, as the saying goes, reap the storm. The crisis has indeed become global; it affects everyone. There is no need to be under any illusions.”

To this should be added Matthew 24:6: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

All things must come to pass.

But the end is not yet.

The decline of American hegemony in global affairs does not require the four horsemen of the apocalypse to be unleashed on the planet.

America has had its moments. As Paul Simon sang in his classic song, American Tune, “We [America] come in the age’s most uncertain hour.”

History will never forget the American Century, where the strength of its industry and people not once, but twice, came to the aid of the world “in its most uncertain hour.”

But the age of American supremacy has passed, and it’s time to move on to what the future holds — a new age of multi-polarity where America is but one among many.

We can, of course, decide to resist this transition. Indeed, Biden’s 2022 NSS is literally a roadmap of such a resistance. We can, as the poet Dylan Thomas penned, opt not to “go gentle into that good night”, but rather “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

But at what cost? The end of American singularity does not have to mean the end of America. The American dream, once removed from the need to dominate the world to sustain it, can be an attainable possibility.

The alternative is grim. Should the U.S. opt to resist the tides of history, the temptation to use the final weapon of existential survival — America’s nuclear arsenal — will be real.

And no one will survive.

In the end, the decision of whether to “burn the village in order to save it” is up to the American people.

We can buy into the flawed “democracy versus autocracy” suicide pact inherent in the 2022 NSS, or we can insist that our leaders use what remains of American leadership and authority to help guide the planet into a new phase of multilateralism where our nation exists as one among equals.

https://consortiumnews.com/2022/11/03/s ... irty-game/

***********

A humiliating sum
November 6, 14:29

Image

At the congress of national traitors in Warsaw, they did not share 230 euros for the "criminal regime act"

The "1st Congress of People's Deputies of Russia" has opened in Warsaw - trans-Ukrainian freaks who declared themselves the power of the Russian Federation in exile. The hall was attended, in particular, by former State Duma deputies Ilya Ponomarev and Gennady Gudkov, economist Andrei Illarionov, former head of the St. Petersburg Kasparovites Olga Kurnosova and others.

The very first day was marked by an epic conflict between Ponomarev and the former deputy of the Semiluk village council, Elena Belyaeva. According to the TG-channel of the Sota publication (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation), she prepared acts on the criminal regime and lustration for the congress, and in order to focus on their preparation, she asked Ponomarev for 230 euros as a friend. But he, according to Belyaeva, brazenly appropriated the results of her work:

“We did not have an employment relationship and I did not provide you with any paid services. Yes, and I would never agree to such a payment. Before the Congress, because the amount is humiliating (in Russia, my legal work was estimated at 2,000-3,000 euros per month), but now I would not work with you in principle.”

In response, Ponomarev stated that, firstly, as a person of left (!) views against copyrights, and secondly, he considers the work done on his order and, therefore, he can dispose of it.

In general, the price of formidable lustrators is shown in the most obvious way. Well, the old swindler Ponomarev, who was accused of drinking when creating the Skolkovo technopark, greatly crushed and slid from multimillion-dollar hacks to wiring for 230 euros. This is reminiscent of an anecdote about the late General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Mikhail Gorbachev: the collapse of his Social Democratic Party was compared with the collapse of the USSR on a scale of 1: 10,000,000.


http://www.apn-spb.ru/news/article36048.htm

- zinc and yelled. Version 2.0

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7956599.html

Offensive in the Chernihiv direction
November 6, 13:48

Image

Offensive in the Chernihiv direction


In one or two previous posts, it was mentioned that today the Chernihiv direction is protecting about 7 thousand military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. What creates a well-known temptation to repeat the offensive here at the end of February 2022 (when the special military operation - NVO) began.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that in practice this may again not be such an easy walk as when entering the sample start of the campaign. Then, in the Chernihiv direction, this was sitting:

Chernigov (commander - Major General Nikolyuk) - headquarters of OK "Sever", 1st tank brigade, 12th separate tank battalion, 169th training center (300th training tank regiment, 354th mechanized training regiment , 6th Artillery Training Regiment, etc.), 3rd Battalion, 27th National Guard Brigade, 8th Aviation Post, 22nd Rifle Battalion, and 119th Territorial Defense Brigade;
TOTAL: in fact, a tank division, 8 tank battalions (250 tanks in the state), 10-12 artillery battalions (within 200 guns and MLRS), 10 thousand people in the state. In fact. taking into account the shortage, apparently, about 7-8 thousand people

https://schneider-krieg.livejournal.com/51720.html

I note that the state is even more than stated. And, taking into account the State Border Guard Service, even more: at least 15 thousand people. However, the same 1st Tank Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of 3,500 in the state had only 2,000 people in service, for example. And with the rest of the Ukrainian units and formations, things were no better. So, on a circle - no more than 10 thousand people. True, many of the best things that were in the Ukrainian army - the best tanks, the best command staff - were here.

Russia has concentrated a rather weighty fist here to attack Kyiv, mainly from the troops of the Central Military District (Central Military District), the reinforced ZVO, the Airborne Forces and the Aerospace Forces. In total, only the army, at least 30 notorious BTGs - moreover, BTGs, better equipped than those of the "neighbors" from the Western Military District operating near Kharkov - parts of brigade, divisional, army and district subordination. In total, there are about 30 thousand military personnel from the RF Ministry of Defense alone, reinforced by 15-20 thousand Russian guardsmen.

In practice, a combined-arms army of 45-50 thousand fighters with 300-350 tanks, 250-300 artillery pieces and a certain number of helicopters. By the way, in terms of the number of personnel, this is approximately twice as much as was then advancing on Kyiv along the right bank of the Dnieper through Chernobyl, from Belarus. And somewhat more than the "neighbors" - "Western", who attacked, moreover, from the Belgorod region in divergent directions.

This detachment of forces reached Chernigov on the very first day of the operation (or rather, in the first half day). However, having bumped into advanced units, he did not storm, but passed by, rushing to Kyiv. The local Ukrainian command took advantage of this - and began to ambush the lagging behind and pulling up columns. As a result, we had to return with the main forces and for two weeks fiddle with the encirclement and encirclement of Chernigov. In fact, the 283,000th city from March 10 was completely surrounded and besieged until April 6.

The fighting was sluggish, the losses were small. Finally, on April 6, the siege was lifted. Russian troops lost at least 130 people killed, 400 wounded, 200-250 prisoners and at least 30 tanks. Ukrainian losses turned out to be noticeably more significant: about 300-350 only killed.

The irony of fate is that today here, in the Chernihiv direction, Russia is confronted by almost the same forces as on February 24, 2022. The 1st Tank Brigade, it seems, had been withdrawn here in advance, where it replenished and rested. It is supported by the same 169th training center, as well as other units.

That is, in total, up to 10 thousand people can lock themselves in the city, with the backbone of the most combat-ready troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Who are not willing to give up.

At the same time, only for the complete blockade of Chernihiv, without external actions, 20-30 thousand people may be required, as at the beginning of the campaign. For a full-fledged assault, for a period of at least a month, you need at least 40-50 thousand people - a minimum four to five times superiority. Not counting the forces that will have to be left to protect messages, cover the border, and also to create an external contour of the environment (in case of attempts to deblockade).

That is, in total, 80-100 thousand people are needed for the Chernihiv military operation today. Twice as many as it entered at the beginning of the NWO. The 80,000-100,000 people that Russia has here today do not seem to exist.

These are thoughts out loud.

https://schneider-krieg.livejournal.com/56942.html - zinc

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7956266.html

Google Translator

******

SABOTAGE AS PART OF EURO-ATLANTIC MILITARY DOCTRINE
5 Nov 2022 , 12:46 pm .

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The attack on the Russian gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 is an example of NATO's military actions with which it subordinates Europe to its interests for its hegemonic interests (Photo: AFP)

The hegemonic dominance of the United States is at stake. Even when the axis of its strategy is to escalate the conflicts without limits until imposing its interests, the economic conditions will not allow the support of its allies to be extended in an unlimited way.

The violation of military actions and the manipulation of public opinion, via confusion and false information, have served to foment chaos. They seek that with this the reflective capacity and dissent on the part of the citizenry become fear and instability that lead to subliminal and passive acceptance.

Both at a strategic and operational level, sabotage fits perfectly into this hegemon's reaction to the loss of conditions to prevail.

NOTHING IS NEW IN THE NORD STREAM

The suspicious attack on the Russian Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines increased the control of Washington and its corporations over the European gas supply. They are currently contemplating the possibility of cutting exports to control domestic gas prices. However, Russian gas sabotage is not a new event.

In September 2007, the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro published one of his reflections entitled "Deliberate lies, strange deaths and aggression against the world economy", an extensive review of how the United States used war and sabotage as tools to generate change and subjugate the people of the former Soviet Union (USSR).

In the text, he describes how science and technology have been used for hegemonic purposes from Washington and refers to an article by the former US National Security official, Gus W. Weiss, entitled "Deceiving the Soviets." There the author attributes the idea of ​​sending to the USSR the software that he needed for his industry, but already contaminated with the aim of collapsing the economy of that country.

Since the Nixon administration, the United States has considered relaxing relations with Moscow, which in reality was a strategy to capture Soviet agents and officials accompanied by a "huge transfer of technology in radars, computers, machine tools and semiconductors from the United States to the sovietic Union". The results were reflected in the so-called Farewell Dossier, which reveals the various activities of working groups in agriculture, civil aviation, nuclear energy, oceanography, computers and the environment to begin building "bridges of peace" between the superpowers. Its members were to exchange visits to their centers.

The sabotage that did take effect was on oil and gas production and transportation, in particular the Trans-Siberian pipeline that was to carry natural gas from the Urengoi gas fields in Siberia through Kazakhstan, Russia, and Eastern Europe to the Western Hemisphere. The Soviets penetrated and bought software from Canadian providers to automate the operation of valves, compressors and storage facilities that were seized by US intelligence.

All accompanied by psychological warfare, sabotage, economic warfare, strategic deception, counterintelligence, cyber warfare, according to an article published in The New York Times . The operation used almost every weapon available to the CIA and destroyed Soviet intelligence, its economy and destabilized its state. Castro adds that "If it had been done the other way around (the Soviets to the Americans), it could have been seen as an act of terrorism."

NEW MILITARY CONCEPTS ON INFRASTRUCTURE

As is evident, Biden's new military doctrine does not come from nothing, the United States has unlocked that not-so-new level of warfare for more than 40 years and has recently focused on seeking to "stop" a possible cybernetic threat that has been stimulating ever since he decided to use information as a battlefield.

In fact, cybersecurity has risen to the top of the Biden administration's agenda after a series of high-profile attacks against entities such as the network management company SolarWinds, the company that owns the Colonial Pipeline, the meat processing company JBS and the software company Kaseya that severely affected fuel and food supplies in several regions of the United States while Congress discussed a budget of between 1 billion and 3.5 billion to modernize the national infrastructure.

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Cyber ​​warfare is part of US military concepts that include infrastructure as a "problem" beyond physical structures and that "enters the realm of people and the services they provide" (Photo: File)

The document " Insurgencies and fight against insurgencies " published by the US Army proposes a debate regarding the concept of infrastructure used by each of the different military and civil entities of the North American country. One of the "serious problems" they find in the definition is exemplified by the fact of considering a civilian school as a piece of infrastructure unless it is being used by the military in some way.

When questioning whether a military mission should assume a campus as a neutral space, they affirm that it could be a "key terrain" because it could be the most influential structure in a network of connections that unite the people with the government and keep the enemy at bay. They add that "ignoring its role as infrastructure or assuming it doesn't impact the mission is a problem."

Another passage: "Within counterinsurgency doctrine, we see some militaries understand how infrastructure extends far beyond physical structures and into the realm of people and the services they provide . "

The debate seems to seek a rethinking of war, and this includes a more central role for facilities (buildings and equipment), personnel and services necessary for the functioning of a community or society. "Societies have different infrastructure needs. For example, expectations of available electricity hours vary greatly," the manual notes.

The text continues:

"Infrastructure can be important to the population and the government's role in maintaining civilian control and security. An attack on infrastructure can undermine the legitimacy of the government in an area. However, the reverse is also true. An attack infrastructure can also undermine the insurgency if the population blames the insurgency and turns to the government.

So the concepts that guide war, conventional or not, have as a critical aspect something more than the daily logistics of the population under siege, but by having control (or lack of control) of the infrastructure "it can change the way in which a person sees the world and change that person's values.

Biden has sought to transcend the so-called Positive Aggression Doctrine (or Bush Doctrine ), based on which the policy of preventive war was implemented, which held that the United States should invade or depose governments that represented a possible "threat to national security". , even if that threat was not immediate and uncertain, as it was with Iraq.

Biden's new military doctrine, published in 2021, proposes more diplomacy and less military force, however he points to China and Russia as the main threats. Alexei Fenenko , of the International Security Problems Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (PAH, for its acronym in Russian), assured in 2017 that Washington's methods to reduce Russia's power and influence in the world include "wars, sabotage and revolutions".

THE DISMANTLING OF NATION-STATES AS A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY

The general long-term strategy is to be able to demolish as many nation-states as possible to secure allies and boost their own economic industry. This involves imposing policies to implement the US concept of democracy throughout the world and standardizing imaginaries in accordance with their worldview and interests .

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The Venezuelan electrical infrastructure was attacked by sectors linked to the group of satellite countries that seek to overthrow Chavismo from the government (Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP)

In various recent war scenarios, conventional or not, sabotage has been repeated as a destabilization tactic. Venezuela has seen repeated cyclical escalations of sabotage of electrical infrastructure accompanied by media campaigns, not to mention attacks on the oil industry. All from the decree issued by Obama in 2015 in which he declared Venezuela an "unusual and extraordinary" threat.

Some data:

*The siege by the United States and its satellite countries has caused an intermittent shortage of gasoline due to years of disinvestment and maintenance in the state refining network, with a capacity to produce 1.3 million bpd, to which are added the limitations to import fuel.
*The United States has stolen oil and other assets from Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela, countries whose populations it besieges to bring about regime change.
*Sectors of the national anti-Chavismo and allied governments unleashed attacks on the Venezuelan telecommunications network by cutting and removing fiber optics and setting fire to equipment storage facilities.
*Neighboring countries and the economic interests that have governed them participated in the generation of significant, and even extraordinary, damage to the Venezuelan infrastructure. Such is the case of the smuggling stimulated by the administrations of Juan Manuel Santos and Iván Duque and the extraction of copper to Aruba that caused a rebound in its exports of the mineral between 2015 and 2019.

THE SEED OF CHAOS FROM UKRAINE

The actions around the Russian Special Military Operation (OME) in Ukraine have revealed the intention behind the expansion to the concept of infrastructure. The media has reported little on a terrorist attack on global food security perpetrated by kyiv under British direction. These are the 16 drones, both aerial and maritime, that attacked Russian ships, some of them involved in the export of Ukrainian grain from the port city of Sevastopol, in Crimea.

Its masterminds and material authors took advantage of Ukraine's cereal export corridor through the Black Sea, agreed last July and celebrated by the United States and the United Kingdom. Given this, the Russian Ministry of Defense denounced the possibility that the launch was carried out "from a civilian ship transporting agricultural products from Ukrainian ports", after having analyzed a navigation receiver found among the remains of the destroyed drones.

Russian intelligence sources claim that the so-called corridor was also used to smuggle the explosive that damaged the Crimean Bridge , prompting Moscow to withdraw from the Ukrainian grain export deal, prompting statements such as "Moscow uses a false pretext to block the grain corridor that guarantees food security for millions of people".

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According to Russian sources, the attack on the Crimean bridge was coordinated by US-trained Ukrainian intelligence (Photo: BTA)

Meanwhile The New York Times reported that the drones that attacked Sevastopol were supplied to Ukraine by the United States and the European Union , while European media claim that criminal gangs are exporting "a significant amount of firearms and ammunition" to Europe. The German television channel SWR has quoted a confidential report from Europol (International Police of the European Union) sent to the Council of the EU.

The most significant terrorist attack against European energy security occurred on September 26 when the company Nord Stream 2, operator of the Russian gas pipeline, warned of a drop in pressure in the sections of the gas pipeline in Danish waters of the Baltic Sea near the island of Bornholm (island of Denmark). Later, it was reported that, in addition to Nord Stream 2, two lines of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline had been sabotaged.

There has been a lot of secrecy regarding responsibility, but European media and governments pointed to Russia without concrete evidence. The secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, recently announced that representatives of the British naval forces participated in the planning and implementation of the explosions, while condemning the United States for using the most modern technologies, and forming a field of information that benefits himself, thus transferring responsibility for such explosions to Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert to present her with alleged evidence of UK involvement in the sabotage.

More diplomacy, in terms of US interference, means more funds for disruption and sabotage activities. It is what the United States can do in the face of the impossibility of the usual military deployments, a symptom of its dangerous decline.
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:35 pm

Cynical diplomatic strategy
POSTED BY @NSANZO ⋅ 07/11/2022

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Over the last few days, they have appeared in media as relevant as The New York Times or Foreign Affairs.articles aimed at putting back on the table the possibility of using diplomacy to achieve a solution to the conflict in Ukraine. To these movements we must add the repeated attempt to promote diplomacy carried out, generally from pro-Ukrainian positions, by supporters of the different slopes of realism from John Mearsheimer to Henry Kissinger through the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. The current initiatives come at a time when it has become clear that Ukraine's lightning offensive in Kharkiv has not been able to be repeated and when a winter is approaching that will be harsh for the population of the entire territory that Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union in 1991.

First of all, these proposals come just a few days before mid-term legislative elections in which the Biden administration and the Democratic Party are playing for their position in Congress, with a whole series of relevant confrontations that could fall on the Republican side. . Historically, foreign intervention has been one of the common points of the American bipartisanship and important figures of the Republican Party have supported the Ukrainian cause since 2014, before and after the Russian military intervention. Moreover, in the face of Obama's reluctance to deliver or sell offensive weapons to the Ukrainian Army, Donald Trump was the first to give approval to sell the long-awaited Javelin anti-tank systems to Ukraine. Although it is being used as an argument to ask the Democratic Party for a vote, it is unlikely that this week's election results will radically change the US position on Ukraine. Both Washington and London, Paris, Berlin and Brussels have actively supported Russia's military defeat in Ukraine and it will be difficult for them to back down.

However, war fatigue is evident and, faced with a winter in which Ukraine cannot even guarantee its population to avoid major blackouts, Washington, kyiv's main benefactor, needs arguments to maintain the chosen path. The statements by Klitschko, mayor of kyiv, about the possibility of evacuating the entire population of the Ukrainian capital in the event of a collapse of the energy system, whether or not it is a viable plan, are further proof of the weakness of the Ukrainian state, whose economy depends exclusively on subsidies from its partners to stay afloat. These millionaires and constant subsidies occur at a time of high inflation in the contributing countries, with the implications that this entails in the form of a loss of purchasing power for the population.

Ukraine can provide the arguments that justify the continuation of this long-term economic and financial aid in two ways: by presenting real possibilities of defeating Russia at the front or by showing its willingness to negotiate a resolution to the conflict with Russia. The evacuation of civilians from the Dnieper area, the removal even of animals from the zoo, which could be flooded in the event of an attack on the Kakhovskaya dam, and the removal even of statues that Moscow considers valuable show that Russia is preparing to the first option, that of a Ukrainian attack with which kyiv would like to show its partners that it is capable of achieving a military victory. Nothing is guaranteed and the battle for Kherson, despite the fact that the Russian authorities warn of the significant accumulation of Ukrainian troops prepared for the attack, has not started and Ukraine shows its doubts about Russia's performance. The Ukrainian military authorities fear they are being lured into a trap, and Russia has yet to show definitively what its plans are for Kherson.

kyiv, which needs to keep the speech of a military victory at its fingertips, could only afford not to carry out a large-scale attack with the aim of retaking Kherson, the most vulnerable area for Russia for logistical and geographical reasons, in the event of a wager on diplomacy. In other words, in the event of a negotiation with which Ukraine would achieve through diplomatic means what it aspires to achieve through military means. That is the essence of the plan published by The New York Times, according to which Russia should withdraw to the borders on February 24 in order to subsequently proceed to direct negotiations with Ukraine on the fate of not only Donbass, but also Crimea. In essence, it is the plan presented by Mario Draghi, which did not obtain the favor of any of the parties as it was absolutely unfeasible without one of the two countries militarily or economically defeated.

Ukraine rejected the negotiation with Russia last March, when it was able to recover all the lost territories with the exception of Donbass and Crimea, it is unlikely that diplomacy can have a go right now. Contrary to March, when kyiv and Kharkov were still besieged and the Ukrainian Armed Forces were in retreat in various areas, Ukraine is now militarily stronger and only economic pressure or lack of support from its partners could force it to sit on the negotiating table with Russia. It should be remembered that Zelensky approved by decree the ban on negotiating with Vladimir Putin proposed by the National Security and Defense Council.

In these months of war between Russia and Ukraine, the kyiv troops have not been militarily defeated, nor do they currently run the risk of being so in the short and even medium term. However, as the economic media Bloomberg stated a few weeks ago , its economy is. Hence Western financial and economic support is even more important than military assistance. To maintain it, Ukraine must face the possibility of growing war fatigue in Western countries. It is not surprising that what was published last weekend by The Washington Post, which cites anonymous executive sources that the United States is encouraging Ukraine to be open to a negotiation process. The article coincides with the recent visit of national security adviser Jake Sullivan to kyiv, a high-level visit in which it is hoped that the strategies of both countries will have been coordinated.

However, as with the peace plans presented in the West, which actually propose the surrender of Russia for a subsequent negotiation in which it must give even more, the plan does not really seek peace or negotiation. “The request of US officials is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, these people say. Instead, they called it a calculated attempt to ensure the kyiv government maintains the support of other nations facing a population wary of fueling a war for years to come.” A display of extreme cynicism that, like many other political and diplomatic phenomena in this war, is not new. This is the same action already maintained by the United States, and also favored by Germany and France, in relation to the Minsk agreements.

The demand for a gesture solely for the gallery has been a constant in the actions of the United States in this process: both Victoria Nuland and Kurt Volker demanded that Ukraine approve or extend a special status law for Donbass, aware that it would never enter in force. The objective was none other than to maintain the fiction that there really was a peace negotiation process within the framework of the Minsk agreements. In this way, Ukraine could continue to claim to have fulfilled its part of the political points of the Minsk agreements. Despite the fact that it was false - to begin with because that special status had to be negotiated with Donetsk and Lugansk - kyiv, Paris, Berlin and Washington could thus continue to demand concessions from Moscow. The same strategy is repeated now.

https://slavyangrad.es/2022/11/07/cinic ... more-25891

Google Translator

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War in Ukraine. Summary. 11/06/2022
November 6, 22:32

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War in Ukraine. Summary. 11/06/2022

1. Avdeevskoe direction.

The battles for Pervomayskoye, Vodyanoye and Experienced continue. There are no significant advances during the day. Fights are positional in nature.
The enemy continues shelling the Donetsk agglomeration, and also rotates battered units.

2. Carbon.

The offensive of the RF Armed Forces on Ugledar stalled in Pavlovka. The village has not yet been taken.
The offensive near Novomikhailovka was similarly slowed down. The redeployed reserves allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine to stabilize the situation and prevent a breakthrough of the front.
Both sides, according to reports from the field, suffered serious losses.

3. Artemovsk.

Fights continue for Experienced and fortified areas east of Kurdyumovka. Also, our troops are trying to advance to the northwestern outskirts of Artemovsk, which is increasingly turning into an analogue of Popasnaya.
To stabilize the front, the enemy used part of the reserves that he had accumulated in the Chasov Yar area.
The assault on Artemovsk will most likely begin after our troops take Experienced.

4. Soledar/Seversk.

No significant changes. The front here is quite stable.
In Soledar itself, street fighting continues to the west of the Knauf factory. There are no special moves yet. Just like the counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the enemy does not give any special results.
Under Disputed and Belogorovka - no changes.
5. Matchmaking.

The enemy continues probing our defenses in the direction of the Kremennaya-Svatovo highway. As in recent days, the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine do not give any special results with significant losses in people and equipment. The situation in this direction is close to stabilization.
In the area of ​​Kreminnaya, the enemy is tied up by battles in the area of ​​Torskoy and Terna.
For the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, it is beneficial to maintain current trends until the second half of November - early December, when the situation in this area may change in our favor due to the attracted reserves for mobilization.

6. Kherson.

On the front line - without any changes, enemy attacks are repulsed quite confidently with losses for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the enemy is accumulating forces in the Krivoy Rog, Nikopol and Nikolaev directions for the expected attacks on Berislav and Kherson. The RF Armed Forces are preparing for defense.
Nevertheless, rumors continue to circulate about the retreat to the left bank and the surrender of Kherson.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, in turn, continue to state that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are trying to lure the Armed Forces of Ukraine into an attack on Kherson.

7. Zaporozhye.

On the front line - no significant changes. There are signs of the preparation of the landing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine across the Dnieper near Energodar and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, as well as the preparation of a strike in the direction of Pologi and Tokmak.

https://t.me/boris_rozhin/69530 - zinc

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7957517.html

Google Translator.

***************

History of Fascism in Ukraine Part II: The OUN During World War 2, 1941-1945
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 5, 2022
Hugo Turner
With Special Thanks to T.P. Wilkinson

The History of Fascism in Ukraine Part I: The Origins of the OUN 1917-1941 https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... 1917-1941/

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The 14th Waffen-SS Galician Division | Weapons and Warfare

The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists or OUN is the most successful post-war fascist group. During the war the OUN played a major role in helping the Germans carry out the Holocaust, which claimed 1.2 million Jewish lives. They also attempted genocide against the Polish population in Volhynia and Galicia in what is today Western Ukraine. These mass murders were carried out in the most brutal manner imaginable. Jews were beaten to death with iron bars. Poles were chopped up with axes or cut in half with saws. The OUN took a sadistic delight in humiliating their victims and torturing them to death. Russians were sometimes skinned alive. The 2014 CIA coup in Ukraine made the OUN ideology the official ideology of the Ukrainian state. Even Ukraine’s current Jewish president Zelensky, whose family were victims of the mass murder in Ukraine, said of Stepan Bandera “He is a hero for a certain percentage of Ukrainians, and it’s normal, and it’s cool.” Ukrainian history has been falsified to portray the OUN as heroes who battled both the Nazis and the Soviets.

Yet it is not only in the madhouse that is post-Maidan Ukraine that the history of Ukraine has been falsified. Because of the close ties of the OUN to the American, British, German, Polish and other governments the OUN have also been able to make their twisted mythology into the accepted mainstream version of events. The OUN were considered too valuable by the CIA and other intelligence agencies to have their wartime crimes exposed. Equally importantly the OUN became a major source for anti-Soviet propaganda, which then became mainstream history. During the Cold War academia became a major weapon in the battle between capitalism and communism. Today nothing has changed and in the new cold war with Russia Ukraine is currently the most important battleground. Shielding Western publics from the truth about the insanity and cruelty of the Ukrainian fascists the West are supporting is the main goal of the media and academia when it comes to Ukraine. Ukraine is only the most extreme example of the “memory wars” being waged across the former Soviet Union and the former Warsaw pact countries of Eastern Europe where pro-western governments seek to turn Nazi collaborators into heroes, demonize the Soviet Union, and destroy all monuments to the role the Soviet Union played in defeating fascism. I will be relying mainly on the brilliant work, “Stepan Bandera: The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist Fascism, Genocide and Cult“, by Grzegorz Rossolinski-Liebe, the first critical and scholarly account of the history of the OUN. Ironically his book was released just before the start of the 2014 civil war and Ukrainian nationalists did everything they could to prevent the book from being published, waging a public campaign against the author.

In part one of this series I described the origins of Ukrainian nationalism and its transformation into a fascist movement. I explained how present day Ukraine had long been divided with Central and Eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia. Western Ukraine, which was originally part of Poland, became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire when Poland was dismembered in the 18th century. After World War One it became part of a reborn Poland known as the Second Republic, which had absorbed the short, lived Republic of Western Ukraine. I traced the origins of the OUN and its terrorist campaign within Poland. The OUN engaged in assassinations, massacres, arson and other crimes. This landed the leader of the OUN’s Homeland executive Stepan Bandera in prison although his two trials made him famous. The OUN was controlled by its leaders in exile. After Stepan Bandera escaped from prison, thanks to the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, he tried to seize the leadership of the OUN. This led the organization to split into an OUN/M answering to Andrei Melnyk and an OUN/B answering to Bandera. During the brief two-week window after the German invasion of Poland, but prior to the Soviet invasion, the OUN massacred thousands of Jews and also murdered many of the defeated Polish army who were trying to escape or return home. The OUN leaders then headed for Western Poland. Eastern Poland became Western Ukraine. Once the Soviets arrived they reunified Ukraine and cracked down hard on Polish nationalists as well as on the OUN.

The exiled OUN leaders in German-occupied Poland, known as the General Government, along with tens of thousands of their supporters who had fled the Soviets, were busy working closely with the Germans, who had been their sponsors for decades, to plan the invasion of the Soviet Union. Stepan Bandera and the other OUN/B leaders wrote down their plans in the months before the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was known as the “Struggles and Activities” plan. It called for the OUN/B to activate its networks to give a welcome the Nazis and form militias for elimination of Jews, Poles, and all non-Ukrainians as well as any Ukrainians who opposed the OUN. The OUN/B came up with a bunch of fascist anti-communist and anti-Semitic slogans with which to blanket the country. The OUN/B and OUN/M were both working closely with the Abwehr, German military intelligence, who provided military training, police training, and political training. 800 OUN/B members joined special task forces who were to follow the Wehrmacht into the Soviet Union and mobilize Ukrainians to support their planned Nazi puppet Government. 800 other OUN/B members joined the Nachtigall battalion, which was controlled by the Abwehr. The OUN/B also had a network of 20,000 active members in Soviet western Ukraine along with 1.5 million supporters that could be mobilized. The OUN/B planned to declare an “independent” Ukrainian state with Stepan Bandera as its Providnyk or fascist dictator. Hitler however had other plans for Ukraine. Hitler viewed Ukrainians as sub-human Slavs, like the Russians, who would have to be massacred or enslaved to make way for German settlers. Ukraine’s rich black soil would feed the German Reich. Hitler thought Ukraine would be for Germany what India was for the British or America was for the U.S. who wiped out the Native Americans. The OUN did have a major Nazi ally in the form of Alfred Rosenberg, Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories. Rosenberg saw the potential of an OUN-controlled Ukraine as a valuable ally.

This was the situation on the eve of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, which began on 22 June 1941. The war would lead to the death of 27 million people in the Soviet Union. 5.2 million civilians would die in Ukraine. 2.3 Million Ukrainians would be deported to German slave labour camps. Of Ukraine’s 2.7 million Jews 1.6 million would be killed. 700 cities and town were destroyed in Ukraine along with 28,000 villages. The impact of the OUN on the success of the Nazi plans to exterminate the Jews was dramatic. In areas that had been long subjected to OUN propaganda in Western Ukraine local Jews had much less chance of survival. In Ternopil in Western Ukraine 97% of the Jews were killed. In contrast, in Kharkov in eastern Ukraine 91% of the Jews managed to survive.

The OUN/B had been warned in advance of the invasion date and had smuggled the “Struggles and Activities” plan into Ukraine with its blueprint for the coming genocide. OUN activists spread out across the countryside setting up militias, and local governments. On 25 June 1941, the OUN/B tried to stage an uprising in Lvov but it was crushed by the Soviets. Sometimes the OUN/B forces would attack the retreating Red Army. However they usually waited until after the Red Army retreated before entering an area. On 30 June 1941, the Wehrmacht entered the city including the Ukrainian Nachtigall battalion whom locals greeted with flowers, calling them the Stepan Bandera battalion. The Nachtigall battalion seized control of the radio station and began broadcasting Nazi and OUN propaganda. That morning the Germans and the OUN discovered that the Soviet secret police the NKVD had massacred its political prisoners when the German invasion began to prevent them from collaborating with the Germans. Many were doubtless OUN members killed before they could carry out horrific crimes, like Roman Shukhevych’s brother. This happened in a number of areas and was used by the OUN to scapegoat the Jewish population for the killings. They were falsely accused of being NKVD informants and blamed for the victims’ deaths. This would be the pattern across western Ukraine and where there had been no recent executions those executed in the terror years earlier were dug up to enflame the masses. Thus already on 30 June 1941 small-scale massacres of the Jews of Lvov began. That night at 8 PM Yaroslav Stetsko held a ceremony in which he declared a new Ukrainian state under the leadership of Stepan Bandera. The day would be celebrated by OUN exiles until today as a national holiday. With Stetsko were the Metropolitan of the Greek Catholic Church in Lvov Andrei Sheptyts’kyi, clergyman and Nachtigall battalion member Ivan Hryn’okh and two officers in the German Abwehr Hans Koch and Wilhelm Ernst zu Eikern. Metropolitan Sheptys’kyi endorsed the idea of a Ukrainian state led by Bandera but paid lip service to the idea of tolerance for minorities. His church would later be implicated in inciting genocide against both the Jews and Polish Catholics. The German Abwehr officers welcomed the celebration but warned that it was not time to declare independence and that only Hitler could decide.

Hitler had already decided against an “independent” Ukraine, which was why Stepan Bandera had been forbidden from returning to Ukraine. According to OUN mythology and to the OUN’s western apologists Stepan Bandera was immediately sent to a concentration camp because of Stetsko’s premature declaration of independence. Actually he and Stetsko were placed in “honourable confinement” which initially meant simply that he was confined to Berlin where he could roam freely and was even allowed to carry a pistol for self-defence. It was the later OUN/B murders of leaders of the OUN/M carried out in broad daylight that then provoked a mild German crackdown on the OUN/B. I will return to this topic later. Even when Bandera was sent to a concentration camp he was incarcerated in a special section reserved for prisoners who might prove useful later, like the leader of the Romanian Iron Guard or Stalin’s son. Bandera was given special privileges and needless to say was not treated like the other inmates in a concentration camp. He was not gassed, enslaved, shot, tortured, experimented on or starved to death. On the contrary he was allowed conjugal visits from his wife who served as his go between to the OUN. Bandera received weekly care packages, and was not even confined to a cell.

To return to Lvov by 1 July 1941 the OUN/B and the Germans had whipped the populace up into a fury directed at the city’s Jews. An angry mob rounded up thousands of Jews and brought them to the prisons where the NKVD’s victims had been found. The Jewish men were made to move the rotting corpses while they were brutally beaten to death. Jewish women were made to wash the rotting corpses and kiss their hands before being beaten to death, often after being raped. Others were shot by German military units. The OUN/B had formed a Ukrainian militia to conduct the executions on the day they arrived. They would soon be transformed into the Ukrainian police on the orders of Heinrich Himmler, the leader of the SS. They would answer to the SS but remained loyal to Stetsko. It was in their role as auxiliary police recruits that the OUN/B would play a major part in the Holocaust. It was their role to round up the victims, to enforce all the anti-Jewish laws. They often also acted as executioners. Much of the killing in Lvov was carried out by angry mobs fired up by OUN propaganda. They loved to humiliate their victims before killing them. Women were stripped naked and often raped in the streets. Jews were forced to clean up broken glass, with their bare hands and clean streets in front of jeering crowds, whipping them with steel cables. Jews were forced to sing communist songs before being shot or they were forced to shout Slava Ukraini before being beaten to death. Everywhere there were Nazi and Ukrainian flags and the walls were plastered with genocidal OUN slogans. The pogrom would last until 3 July 1941. On 2 July, the Germans took thousands of Jews out to the forest for a mass execution. Ukrainian peasants streamed in from the countryside with carts to carry the loot they planned to steal from their victims. Greed is often a major motivator in genocide. At the high end it involved German corporate takeovers of Jewish-owned business, often financed by American investors. In the Soviet Union there were no big businesses. Yet genocidal Ukrainians and other collaborators or German soldiers were able to loot their victims’ personal property. Robbery and extortion were a constant in these Ukrainian pogroms. Always the victims were threatened into turning over their valuables then murdered anyway. Banderites became synonymous with bandits in the view of their potential victims. Around 8,000 Jews were killed in a couple days during the first Lvov Pogrom but the Nazis and the OUN were just getting started. During the Lvov Pogrom the OUN/B also supplied a death list of Polish professors, their families and hundreds of their students. The professors were shot along with some of their family members and 100 Polish students. A month later to please the OUN/B, angry about Germany’s refusal to recognize Ukraine’s independence and the arrests of Bandera and Stetsko, the Germans gave them permission to hold a second Lvov Pogrom from 25-28 July 1941, known as the Petliura days in honour of the mass murdering Symon Petliura. Petliura was infamous for his army’s massacres of Jews during the Russian Civil War, which I discussed in Part 1.

All across the countryside the same pattern was repeated. The OUN/B held Independence Day ceremonies, destroyed all communist symbols, put up Ukrainian flags and Nazi Swastikas and then launched pogroms. There were up to 140 Pogroms in Western Ukraine in July 1941 and they claimed 35,000 to 39,000 victims. The biggest pogroms besides Lvov were in Ternopil and Zolochiv. During this period the OUN/B were not merely carrying out German orders but were enthusiastically carrying out genocide in line with their own ideology. They conducted massacres of Jews in places where there was no German presence. When the Hungarian forces forbade the OUN from carrying out a big pogrom, they defiantly carried out a little one and then complained to the Germans. Across the countryside the OUN erected triumphal arches welcoming the Nazis and praising Stepan Bandera and Adolf Hitler. The Nazis were greeted by adoring crowds and their invasion was blessed by the Greek Catholic clergy. OUN/B activists had the crowds sign “plenipotentiary letters” which praised Hitler and the German Army while also asking for the release of Stepan Bandera and Yaroslav Stetsko.

During the early days of the German invasion, Stepan Bandera had set up his headquarters close to Ukraine and used couriers to communicate his orders to the OUN/B. He had ordered and approved of the massacres of Jews. Stetsko’s 30 June 1941 declaration of independence had angered the Germans. Bandera did his best to repair relations with the Nazis. On 3 July 1941, Bandera attended a meeting in Cracow with the Undersecretary of State for the General Government Ernst Kundt (German occupied Poland). Bandera argued that as leader of the OUN it was the will of the people that he head Ukraine. Kundt countered that only Hitler could decide such matters. Bandera conceded that he could only create a Ukrainian state with German permission. On 5 July 1941, Bandera was sent to Berlin and placed in “Honourable Captivity”. On 8 July 1941, someone tried to assassinate Yarsolav Stetsko and on 9 July 1941, Stetsko was arrested and escorted by the Abwehr to Berlin. On 12 July 1941 Stetsko was freed. On 14 July 1941 Bandera was freed. They were confined to Berlin and lived together in an apartment. Bandera was allowed to carry a gun and held an ID issued by the RSHA (Heidrich’s “Homeland Security” department). These two networked with the Lithuanian fascists in exile and the Japanese ambassador. Stetsko kept busy writing his autobiography for his German handlers: writing that, while he considered Moscow his main enemy, he fully endorsed exterminating the Jews since he considered them tools of Moscow.

On 19 July 1941, Hitler decided to incorporate Eastern Galicia into the General Government. This offended the OUN/B who wanted to rule a united Ukraine. Now their territory was being absorbed back into German-occupied Poland. Actually it turned out to be beneficial to the OUN/B’s interests as Ukrainians in Galicia were favoured over the Poles and Jews and they were allowed to continue to carry out Ukrainization of Polish educational institutions. Ukrainians in East Galicia were treated like fascist allies Slovakia and Croatia. The Nazis set up UTSK in the Ukrainian Central Committee run by Volodymyr Kubiiovych in the General Government area. Kubiiovych had been a close ally of the OUN in the 1930s and shared their ideology while being more flexible. He lobbied for the creation of a Ukrainian National Army to fight alongside the Nazis and argued that all Jewish property should be turned over to Ukrainians. In 1943 he would get his wish with the creation of the Waffen-SS Galizia division, composed of Ukrainians. Ukrainians in the former Soviet Ukraine on the other hand were mercilessly exploited. All education beyond the 4th grade was banned. The Germans modelled their behaviour in Soviet Ukraine on American plantation owners treating Ukrainian peasants like Black slaves who could only be kept in check with whips and clubs. The main goal was to loot Ukraine’s grain. The result would be very different attitudes towards the memory of the Nazis in Western and Eastern Ukraine.

On 30 August 1941, the OUN/B assassinated the OUN/M leaders Melina Senyk and Mykola Stibors’kyi in broad daylight on the streets in Zhytomyr. This outraged the Germans and other Ukrainian nationalists. The Germans were further outraged when the OUN/B tried to blame Germany for the killings. The OUN/M provided the Germans with names and addressees of OUN/B leaders who were then arrested. The Germans also shot some OUN/B members as looters and closed their offices in Berlin and Vienna. They tried and failed to purge the administration and police of OUN/B members. On 13 September 1941, Bandera and Stetsko were arrested again. Despite this both continued efforts to repair relations with the Germans. Both sent orders to the OUN/B not to resist the Germans and to continue to supply recruits for the police and the puppet government. Even after being sent to a cushy concentration camp and even after two of his brothers died in a concentration camp, Bandera never ceased attempts at reconciliation with the Germans. Even when it became clear the Germans were losing in 1944, Bandera was more committed then ever to allying the OUN/B with the Nazis. The German purge was totally ineffective. The OUN/B was continually flooded with new recruits and continued to grow in power. The head of the Ukrainian police simply ignored orders to get rid of OUN/B members. In other words even when the Nazis turned on the OUN/B the organization continued to supply recruits for the police, which would play a major role in carrying out the holocaust. Many Ukrainian police would also go on to join the Waffen SS Galizia division. Others would later join the UPA, using their experience in mass murder to massacre Poles.

The Ukrainian police were formed from the Ukrainian militias that the OUN/B had recruited in the wake of the German invasion. They were known as the Schutzmannschaften or auxiliary police. In March 1942, despite the Nazi’s earlier crackdown, the OUN/B ordered its members to join the police en masse. The Ukrainian police answered ultimately to Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, overall commander of the SS. It was ordered that they be given two hours of Nazi indoctrination every day. In the cities the Ukrainian police assisted in raids, deportations, and shootings. They also patrolled the ghettoes. They enforced the anti-Jewish laws, forced Jews to wear identifying arm bands, created death lists by interviewing locals, rounded up the victims, guarded the prisoners, escorted them to the site of the execution and often shot the victims, especially if they were children. The Nazis had their own killing squads, the Einsatzgruppe C that also carried out many of the mass executions. In the countryside there were few German forces or German police and the Ukrainian Police played the leading role in destroying the Jews and then spent years hunting down the survivors. The Ukrainian police often displayed the same sadistic brutality the OUN/B had shown in the Lvov pogroms. One survivor recounted being locked in a bathhouse with dozens of victims who were forced to desecrate their holy books. Some had had their beards set aflame. The fire then spread to their clothes and they were burned alive. Others were beaten to death. Throughout it all the victims were forced to sing to entertain their Ukrainian tormentors. The Ukrainian police were used not only to terrorize Ukraine but also to terrorize Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and other areas. Particularly infamous was Battalion 201, which included Roman Shukhevych. He would also join the Waffen-SS Galizia division and become leader of the UPA. Shukhevych, a monster like Bandera, is now widely promoted as a “Hero of Ukraine.” In addition to carrying out mass murders of Jews, Byelorussians and Poles; Shukhevych loved to have Eastern Ukrainian’s shot for little or no reason and privately contemplated exterminating them all. Many recruits to Battalion 201 like Shukhevych had been part of the Abwehr’s Nachtigall and Roland battalions and carried out mass murders of Byelorussian civilians as part of their anti-partisan warfare in 1942.

Early in 1943 Heinrich Himmler created the Waffen-SS Galizia division, also known as the 14th Grenadier Division of the Waffen-SS. It was called Galician instead of Ukrainian to pander to Hitler. Hitler, born in Austria-Hungary, felt that since Galicia had once been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, there was probably some German blood in them. Over 80,000 Ukrainians volunteered to join the SS Galizia but only 8,000 were accepted. It soon expanded to 14,000 men by recruiting members of the Ukrainian police. The Ukrainian general commanding the SS Galicia was Pavlo Shandruk. The SS Galicia was established to battle the Red Army. It was also deployed to crush the Slovakian national uprising and played a major role in the destruction of Warsaw after the Warsaw uprising. On 22 July 1944 the Waffen SS Galicia division, by then much larger, was encircled and destroyed by the 1st Ukrainian Front of the Red Army under the command of Pavel Rybalko. They were decimated by the Soviet artillery and Katyusha rocket batteries. However the Germans were able to replace the units by recruiting more members and the SS Galicia division went on to wage dirty wars against partisans and civilians in Italy, Yugoslavia, France and Czechoslovakia. They surrendered to the British two days after the war ended and with the help of the Vatican were able to avoid deportation back to the Soviet Union by claiming to be Polish citizens. Eventually they would end up in Britain before being resettled in Canada and America strengthening the OUN diaspora during the Cold War. Unknown to most citizens of Canada and the US there are public monuments to these Waffen SS veterans in both countries.

In 1943 at the same time that the OUN/B were joining the Waffen SS en masse, and while they were setting up the UPA to exterminate the Poles, the OUN/B was publicly distancing themselves from the Nazis and secretly trying to forge an alliance with the western allies for a future struggle with the Soviet Union. Here the considerations were the Soviet victory at Stalingrad foreboding Germany’s ultimate defeat. The more farsighted Nazis were already planning their escapes, and their deals with Western intelligence agencies. The hardliners in American and British Intelligence like Allen Dulles were already gearing up for a covert war against the Soviet Union using committed anti-communists and anti-Russians among their current fascist “enemies” (for men like Dulles they were friends and business partners).

When Poland was investigating the Pieracki assassination in the mid-1930s, it discovered that the OUN had ties to MI6 as well as the German Abwehr. When it comes to such matters the historical evidence is always a sanitized version or some sort of limited hang out. The CIA spent decades destroying incriminating records and declassifying misleading or altered records. Which is my way of saying we will never know the early history of the ties of the OUN with MI6 and the OSS and US military intelligence during the war.

The OUN/B was already trying to improve their image in the west in April 1942. At their second OUN/B conference they claimed that they would no longer take part in anti-Jewish actions. At the same conference they still condemned Jews as “a tool of Russian Bolshevik Imperialism. In addition the OUN/B did not quit the police and so continued to be a vital element in carrying out the mass murder of Jews. By 1943 the Jews had largely been eliminated in western Ukraine. The survivors were being hunted by the Ukrainian police, which was full of OUN/B members. At their third Conference from 17-21 February, the OUN/B was now claiming that it would fight both Germany and the USSR and that they were now democrats ruled by a triumvirate, led by the (war criminal) Roman Shukhevych. In July 1944 the OUN sent emissaries to attempt to make a deal with the Western allies, including Mykola Lebed, head of the OUN internal security branch or SB, known for its bloodthirsty assassinations of alleged OUN traitors. Lebed would later receive decades of backing from the CIA. In July of 1944 the OUN/B furthered their “Democratic” rebranding, creating the front group UHVR, the Supreme Liberation Council of Ukraine. It would later provide many recruits for the CIA and MI6.

A few months before the February 1943 OUN conference, the OUN started what was to become the UPA. Contrary to myth the UPA only attacked Germans when it needed to steal arms. It made a secret deal with the German military to avoid confrontations. The UPA was formed for the purpose of exterminating the Poles and despite the OUN’s public statements that it would fight the Germans, the UPA was secretly funded by the Abwehr (German military intelligence). When the Germans retreated the Abwehr secretly turned over the Wehrmacht’s huge arms stockpiles to the UPA. Still the OUN’s two-faced strategy to win Western support would be very useful later for muddying the historical record and creating the myth that the OUN had battled both the Nazis and the Soviet Union. The UPA would later become a CIA proxy army run with the help of war criminal Reinhard Gehlen. It would wage an anti-Soviet war for five more years after the end of World War 2. Seventy years later the return of Ukrainian fascism to power via the Maidan coup would be universally celebrated as the triumph of “Democracy.”

The UPA was founded at the November 1942 OUN conference although it originally was called the UVV the Ukraine Liberation Army. The OUN/B stole the name UPA or Ukrainian Insurgent Army from a rival group of Ukrainian fascists lead by Taras Bulba-Borovets who led his own armed group in Ukraine with a similar ideology and methodology to the OUN/B. It too shared responsibility for mass murders of Jews and other Ukrainians. The OUN/B waged war on this rival group assassinating Bulba-Borovets’ wife and many of his top officers. When he went to the Germans for help they instead sent him to the same cushy concentration camp as Bandera and Stetsko. In March and April of 1943 OUN/B sent out word that its many members in the Ukrainian police should quit and join the UPA. Of 12,000 police, 5000 quit to join the UPA. Other Ukrainian police joined the Waffen-SS Galizia division. The new UPA recruits brought their experience in mass murder of Jews to the new plan for ethnic cleansing of Volhynia and Galicia of Poles. Poles were given the ultimatum leave or die. Often the threat was posted on a murdered Pole who had been unspeakably tortured and mutilated.

In February and March of 1943 the UPA began experimental massacres that claimed hundreds of lives. Whole Polish villages were wiped out. Soon Mykola Lebed ordered the complete cleansing to begin. The UPA would arrive in carts to carry away the loot and often recruited local Ukrainian peasants to join their massacres. The massacres were often carried out in the most horrific way possible with axes, pitchforks and saws. The UPA would sometimes spend hours sadistically torturing their victims to death. The aim was both to save bullets and to terrorize the Poles into fleeing. Another of their favourite methods was to attack churches with hand grenades or set them on fire when the whole town was attending. They also liked to gather all their victims up for a town hall meeting and burn them alive. The UPA would usually return again a couple days after their massacre so that they could kill all the survivors. They even slaughtered nuns who were caring for Polish orphans. On 11 July 1943, the UPA launched attacks on 96 different Polish villages in a single day killing 10,000 Poles. The UPA killed between 100,000 and 250,000 Poles during this genocidal campaign. The UPA would often pretend to be Soviet partisans and in addition to carrying out false flag attacks that could be blamed on the partisans they were probably playing their role for German intelligence, gathering information on which villages were sympathetic to the partisans.

The UPA also continued to hunt the few remaining Jews who were hiding out in the forests or in Polish villages. The UPA had learned from the Germans how to exploit their Jewish victims. Some were kept as slave labour working the farmlands of massacred Poles and then killed before they could be liberated by the Red Army. Others Jews who were doctors, dentists, nurses or tailors were conscripted into the UPA and then murdered when the Red Army was approaching. Later these facts would be spun by OUN apologists into the myth that the UPA wasn’t allied to the Nazis because it had Jewish members or that the UPA had acted to “save” the Jews. By 1944 the UPA had grown to 25,000-30,000 members. With Soviet forces advancing the UPA was now openly allied with Nazi Germany. The UPA attacks on the Jews hiding in the forests were so terrible that some Jews actually fled to German concentration camps believing their chances of survival would be better as slave labourers. In the summer of 1944 the Red Army would liberate Western Ukraine. The UPA would continue to kill Poles and increasingly began to target any Ukrainians who submitted to Soviet authority. Anyone who paid their taxes or joined a collective farm could be killed or have their home burnt down by the UPA. The UPA would become a sort of proto-Gladio, a stay-behind network behind enemy lines, created first by the Nazis and then absorbed by MI6 and the CIA. The UPA war with the Soviet Union would continue until 1950. Their network would survive into the 1960s. The UPA war was not only waged in Ukraine but also in Poland, Byelorussia, and Czechoslovakia. The story of the UPA will be continued in Part 3 of this series dealing with the Cold War.

As the war turned in favour of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany faced defeat, the Germans increasingly realized that they needed the OUN/B. The Nazis granted an OUN/B request to be allowed to meet with Stepan Bandera. The details of Bandera’s imprisonment are clouded in mystery. It is not clear when exactly he was transferred from Gestapo custody following the OUN/M murders to his cushy Sachenhausen concentration camp, where he received care packages and visits from his wife. Stetsko claimed it was in January 1942. Bandera claimed it was in 1943. Records claim it was October 1943. On 28 September 1944, the Germans released Stepan Bandera and soon thereafter also released Stetsko, Melnyk, Bulba-Borovets and 300 more OUN/B prisoners. Melnyk had been arrested when the OUN/M tried to contact Western intelligence in 1944. The OUN/M had had much better relations with the Nazis and was appointed to serve in the puppet government. It had supplied many recruits to the Waffen SS Galicia division. Bandera would spend the rest of the war working with the Nazis to recruit Ukrainian support to their cause. However Bandera would refuse to merge OUN forces with the Vlasov army’s KONR- the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia- created 14 November 1944. Bandera claimed they were “Russian Imperialists.” Instead Rosenberg set up the separate Ukrainian National Committee (UNK), which included Bandera, Melnyk, Kubiiovych and was headed by Shandruk, the general commanding the Waffen SS Galicia division on 23 February 1945. Prior to this, in December 1944, Bandera and Stetsko helped train the Abwehr Commando’s unit of Ukrainian paratroopers who were to be dropped into Lvov with one million rubles for UPA head Roman Shukhevych to continue the fight against the Soviet Union. Bandera sent the message that he would return soon, a promise he never kept. Stetsko claimed that he was still Prime Minister of Ukraine because of his earlier declaration back in 30 June 1941; the one that had unleashed a wave of OUN/B massacres.

Bandera’s next stop, after celebrating Greek Catholic Christmas with his family, was Weimar, Germany. Bandera argued that the OUN/B must give its “full support” to Nazi Germany until the end. He was busy recruiting for the soon to be created Ukrainian National Army (UNA). Bandera spent three weeks in Berlin. He then headed for Vienna where he was elected head of the Foreign Units of the OUN (ZCh OUN). On 5-6 February 1945, the OUN in Ukraine elected Bandera as their leader but decided he should remain in exile. On 17 March 1945, the Germans announced the creation of the Ukrainian National Army (UNA). The Waffen SS Galicia division was rebranded the 1st division of the UNA and its commander, Shandruk, was named commander of the UNA. Meanwhile Bandera fled Vienna as the Red Army approached, escaping to Czechoslovakia and then Innsbruck in Austria. Eventually Bandera would end up under the protection of the infamous Reinhard Gehlen, the first president of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), the espionage service founded by the US Forces in the American occupation zone. Gehlen had been recruited by the US intelligence services because he had been responsible for occupied Eastern Europe in the Abwehr. When German forces fled the Red Army back in the first half of 1944 over 120,000 Ukrainian collaborators and war criminals fled west with them. During the Cold War many of these escaped Ukrainian war criminals would work for Western intelligence services. Many would eventually be resettled in the US and Canada. Ukrainian fascism would live on in exile for decades. Eventually with the help of its Western sponsors it would seize power in Ukraine yet again sparking a new covert war and triggering the on-going proxy war between NATO and Russia.

For Ukraine the war would not truly end until 1950. However that is the subject for Part 3. This is only a scratch to the surface of the history of Ukraine during the war. The crimes of the Nazi Germany would require their own articles or books. The Nazis created massive machinery for genocide. However they relied on Ukrainian collaborators every step of the way. An article also needs to be written just about the German conquest of Ukraine and the Soviet liberation of Ukraine. These were huge battles between millions of men.

However the crimes of the OUN are clear. They propagandized the Ukrainians to carry out mass murder. The OUN/B created militias that carried out genocide in 1941 and again in 1943. They supplied recruits to the Ukrainian police, which played a major role in the Holocaust. They joined the Waffen SS Galicia division along with the OUN/M. They formed the UPA to carry out genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Poles. Bandera was unable to supervise this directly but he came up with the plans before being imprisoned and after his release he worked enthusiastically for the Nazis. Bandera never admitted to the OUN/B’s crimes, let alone apologizing or condemning them. His OUN followers took an active role carrying out unspeakable atrocities. Banderite became a synonym for murderous bandits. There has been shamefully little written about the history of the OUN and much of what was written was from a pro-OUN perspective. Sadly due to the nature of academia the more relevant the story of the OUN becomes the fewer people will dare to tell it for fear of being labelled “Russian propagandists.”

After the Orange revolution of 2004 Stepan Bandera was declared a “Hero of Ukraine”. Even a postage stamp was issued commemorating him. During the 2014 Maidan coup, a huge poster of Stepan Bandera hung on the stage. Few in the west had ever heard of Stepan Bandera or the OUN back in 2014. Now in 2022 the world is on the brink of nuclear war and the global economy is collapsing all because CIA and other western intelligence agencies have been using Ukrainian fascists as proxies for nearly 80 years. In Parts 3 and 4, I intend to trace the history of the OUN and its ideological heirs through the Cold War and post-Cold War eras up to the Maidan coup and the Ukrainian civil war.

Sources:

My main source is “Stepan Bandera: The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist: Fascism, Genocide and Cult“, an in depth history of Stepan Bandera and the OUN. It is a must read although written with the standard academic anti-Soviet bias.

I also read “Children of the Borderlands” by Lucyna Kulinska, a collection of survivors’ testimonies from the Polish victims of the UPA genocide. An English translation is available on EBay. It gives a vivid and horrifying picture of events. However it is edited from a strongly anti-Soviet perspective. Still the author should be applauded for exposing a forgotten genocide, which the strongly pro-Ukrainian Polish government is intent on covering up.

“Hitler’s Shadow Nazi, War Criminals, U.S. Intelligence and the Cold War” by Richard Breitman and Norman J.W. Goda has a chapter on Mykola Lebed and the CIA ties to the OUN. Based on declassified U.S. intelligence files, it provides a limited hangout version of events.

Nazi Empire Building and the Holocaust in Ukraine by Wendy Lower provides a horrifying picture of the German occupation and the complex machinery that carried out the genocide. However it is extremely misleading whenever discussing the OUN/B, always portraying it as hostile to the Nazis. Perhaps that is because the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute funded her work. Worse still, she worked closely with the archetypical Cold War propagandist/historian Timothy Snyder, who helped her edit the book. Generally if you want to uncover an author’s shady connections look in the acknowledgments section which most people skip.

Moss Robeson on the history of the OUN



One of my favourite documentary series the Unknown War had an episode on Ukraine while it doesn’t mention the OUN/B it does describe the epic battle to liberate Ukraine



https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... 1941-1945/

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From Cassad's Telegram account:

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Colonelcassad
🗂 Chronicle of the special military operation
for November 6, 2022

🔻Belgorod region

▪️Ukrainian formations fired at an oil depot in the Grayvoron city district. A solvent tank caught fire at the site, no casualties were reported.

🔻Starobelsk direction:

▪️At the Svatovsky section of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they are trying to push through the Russian defense in the area of ​​​​the village of Kuzemovka . The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation detect the movement of small groups of the enemy and strike at them.

In the evening Ukrainian MLRS HIMARS fired at Svatovo and Melovatka , damaging residential buildings.

▪️In the Limansky sector , two companies of the 66th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to storm the positions of Russian troops in the Kremennaya area. Units of the 20th Army of the RF Armed Forces organized an ambush for the enemy forces and their reserves, launched artillery strikes and forced them to retreat to their original lines.

🔻Soledar direction:

▪️Detachments of "PMC Wagner" completely knocked out the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the outskirts of the village of Ivangrad, located in close proximity to the city blocks of Bakhmut . To the west, fierce battles continue for Experienced .

🔻Donetsk direction:

▪️In the Ugledar sector, the battles in Pavlovka have finally acquired a positional character, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to dislodge the RF Armed Forces from their positions. Near Marinka and Novomikhailovka , Russian troops also do not conduct active assault operations and dig in on the lines they have taken.

▪️Ukrainian formations fired at Donetsk , Gorlovka , Spartak , Yasinovataya and other settlements of the agglomeration. Among the civilians there are dead.

🔻Lugansk People's Republic:

▪️The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched strikes from the HIMARS MLRS on Alchevsk and Stakhanov , damaging residential buildings and social infrastructure facilities. One civilian was killed.

🔻Zaporozhye direction:

▪️During the night, Geran-2 kamikaze drones hit a repair base of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Motorostroiteley Avenue, as well as an object near the Zaporozhye-levove railway station in Zaporozhye .

▪️Russian artillery worked on enemy positions in the area of ​​Zaliznichny , Gulyaipol , Shcherbakov and Olgovsky .

🔻Southern Front: Nikolaevsko-Berislavskoe direction

▪️In the Berislav sector, enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups tried to penetrate the positions of Russian troops at the turn of Sadok - Dudchany - Pyatikhatki . All of them were detected in advance, came under fire from the RF Armed Forces and retreated.

▪️Ukrainian formations fired from the HIMARS MLRS Kakhovskaya HPP . Russian air defense systems intercepted five missiles, one ammunition hit the airlock and caused minor damage to it.

▪️During the day, Ukrainian saboteurs blew up power lines on the Berislav-Kakhovka highway. Power went out in Kherson , and a surge in looting began in the city, exacerbated by problems with law enforcement.

***

Forwarded from
Readovka

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Map of hostilities and the situation on the fronts on the evening of November 6

😌Kherson is a Russian city, period! It was the Kherson region that became the symbol of the “new territories” after being incorporated into Russia. Therefore, the news about the possible abandonment of the only regional center liberated by the Russian army is unlikely to please the patriots. But not everything is so simple, because the stakes are high. Why? Readovka explains .

⚔️The situation on the fronts for the past day:

⚫️Svatovo-Kremennaya direction

In the area of ​​Kupyansk , Ukrainian militants tried to move forward to Novoselovskoye with the support of nationalists. Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to advance in the Kotlyarovka area. But as a result of the well-coordinated work of the Russian forces and the strikes of army aviation and artillery, the enemy was stopped. In the Krasnolimansky sector, the militants tried to attack in the direction of Ploshchanka, Artemovka, Stelmakhivka of the LPR and Yampolovka of the DPR.

⚫️Donetsk direction

Active artillery actions of the RF Armed Forces inflicted fire damage on the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of ​​Pavlovka, Novomikhailovka and Vremevka, and the battles for Vodiane and Pervomaiskoye continue.

The attack on Ugledar stalled in Pavlovka . The same situation near Novomikhailovka . At the moment, both sides are suffering serious losses.

⚫️Kherson direction

In the area of ​​Davydov Brod , Russian troops were able to destroy a convoy of armored vehicles that were preparing for an attack. In the area of ​​​​Sablukovka and Pyatikhatka, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to go on the attack with forces up to a company, but they were not successful here either. Enemy losses amounted to 50 people killed, 8 armored vehicles and 10 vehicles.

Also, Ukrainian DRGs staged a terrorist attack on power lines. Three reinforced concrete poles of power lines on the Berislav-Kakhovka highway were damaged. 10 settlements were left without electricity.

💡In the Kursk and Belgorod regions, militia training centers will now operate under the leadership of Wagner PMC. This was confirmed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who himself will deal with the financing. In his opinion, it is the local residents, thanks to the knowledge of their land, who will be able to fight the DRG and offensive forces.

***

Forwarded from
Russian tarantass
Today I was 2.5 km away from this fucking Pavlovka all day today. During the day, according to the totality of the shooting battle, there were at most 30 minutes there. The artillery worked, the crest answered - five times per daylight hours. Somewhere to the left of us fell.
Helicopters flew, flew and hovered. Another drone also flew. Everyone is on guard - from the "exit" to the arrival at the position of 4 seconds, and everyone knows this.
Our min. battery was given the coordinates, the sight was set, but the fire was never opened. From Ugledarovsky skyscrapers of ours in Pavlovka they are birding. Why these skyscrapers are still standing is unclear. crests have armor rolling around Pavlovka. Ours calculate it. How much they took from that Pavlovka - opinions are very different. From the unpleasant, the crest unwinds the rear, and even deep ones. The precision with which he does this is amazing. There are losses, I saw several of our fighters. Ours shoot, often +500, and then minus 750 m.
In the fields there was a crop of wheat, rotting on the vine. Mice have experienced a population explosion. They eat everything - gunpowder, cigarettes, unloading, beret tongues, etc. My comrade Tema went to the hospital, presumably with tularemia (he was sick, I know what it is). It's cold, it's getting close to zero, and the mud has dried up.
Yes, that's all.

https://t.me/s/boris_rozhin

Google Translator
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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blindpig
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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Mon Nov 07, 2022 6:00 pm

Who actually ran out of rockets?
November 6, 18:31

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Who actually ran out of rockets?

The only tactical missile system (TRK) in service with the so-called. Ukraine, at the time of the start of the special military operation (SVO) was the Tochka complex (1975) and its further modernization Tochka-U ( https://t.me/zastavnyii/2038 ) (1989).

The development of the complex, as well as the production of all its components, was carried out by enterprises of the RSFSR ("Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering" (Kolomna), PO "Barricades" (Volgograd), JSC "Votkinsky Plant" (Votkinsk), CJSC "Bryansk Automobile Plant" (Bryansk)). Therefore, the maintenance of missiles of the complex, produced both in the mid-70s and in the early 90s. the last century, the APU was not carried out.

As a result of the lack of proper maintenance by the manufacturer, the venerable age of the complex itself (some launchers and missiles are already 47 years old at the moment), as well as its active use during the war in Donbass in 2014-2015. out of 90 launchers (PU) inherited by the former Ukraine from the Soviet army, no more than 20 were in combat strength by the beginning of the NMD ( https://fraza.com/analytics/259327-ukra ... sy-tochka- u ).

Immediately before the start of the armed conflict in Donbas in 2014, about 300 missiles were stored in the arsenals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( https://3polk.com.ua/articles/military/ ... basse.html) TRK "Tochka-U". The main storage base had 94 missiles from 1989-1991. release, which, as relatively new, were used primarily against the People's Militia of Donbass. Total during 2014-2015. APU was issued from 60 ( https://fraza.com/analytics/259327-ukra ... y-tochka-u ) to 95 ( https://www.dsnews.ua/blog/tochka-ui -tayfun-kak-v-ukraine-moderniziruyut-rakety-i-prichem-tut-kitay-03082021-432857 ) Tochka-U missiles. A number of rockets were used during the exercises ( https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/43821 ... t-tochka-u ).

In the period from February to November 2022, the RF Ministry of Defense announced the interception of 194 missiles, as well as the destruction of 18 launchers and 2 transport-loading vehicles (TZM) of the Tochka-U TRK of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the NVO zone. The peak of interceptions occurred in June (57 missiles), after which the number of interceptions steadily decreased every month. The frequency of application of the complex has also significantly decreased. In November, the shooting down of 1 Tochka-U missile was announced, and the previous statement ( https://t.me/mod_russia/20714 ) about the interception was 3 weeks behind the November one.

Taking into account the above, as well as the data of the report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation of September 30, 2022 ( https://t.me/mod_russia/20360) about the strikes of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the assembly shops of the Grom-2 and Tochka-U TRKs of the enemy on the territory of the Yuzhmash plant, we can talk about the actual cessation of the use of the discussed missile system by the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In our opinion, this circumstance is caused by the exhaustion of stocks of Tochka-U missiles, and not by the destruction of a critical number of its serviceable launchers.

Taking into account the deliveries of Soviet military equipment from countries that previously or currently operate them, we can assume that the operators of the Tochka-U TRK (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Poland and the Czech Republic) can supply a certain number of missiles of this so-called complex . Ukraine. We also assume that a small number of missiles remained with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But all these probabilities practically exclude the possibility of launching 10 missiles a day, as the Russian Defense Ministry announced in June and July 2022.

Thus, using the example of the Tochka-U TRK, we can observe the natural cessation of the operation of one or another type of Soviet military equipment. Unable to replenish missile stocks through stable external supplies, as well as in the absence of its own full-fledged military-industrial production, an acute shortage of ammunition makes dozens of pieces of equipment that are part of the Tochka-U complex absolutely useless.

Arkady Repkin, military observer of the Telegram channel Ꙃstavny, retired colonel, doctor of military sciences, director of the Eurasian Institute for War Problems and Geopolitical Studies.

https://t.me/zastavnyii/2039 - zinc

Interceptions of "Points", as well as arrivals of "Points", have become really few in the last couple of months. At the same time, no critical number of videos with destroyed launchers (unlike various self-propelled guns and towed howitzers) was observed.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7957022.html

On the XXII International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties
November 7, 8:43

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Interesting material about the 22nd international meeting of communist and workers' parties held in Cuba, where the main topic was the question of evaluating the war in Ukraine from the communist positions, which revealed a serious difference of opinion among communist organizations around the world.

On the XXII International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties

After a three-year forced break caused by the pandemic, on October 28-29, 2022, the XXII International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties was held in person on Liberty Island in Havana. This meeting was preceded by a meeting of the Working Group, which met the day before, October 27, 2022, to resolve organizational and technical issues related to the event. The working group discussed the drafts of the final declaration, the work plan for the next period, the proposals received for joining SolidNet and the Working Group itself. These questions are not very simple, since the range of opinions among the participants is very wide. Hence the long periods of consideration of applications submitted by parties for joining Solidnet (already since 2010), and rather vague (without specific clear, clear assessments of the most important events,

At the end of the meeting of the Working Group, a reception was held at the presidential palace. Representatives of the parties that personally participated in the International Meeting were invited to get acquainted and informally communicate with the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, the President of the Republic of Cuba, Comrade Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudos. The reception lasted about 2 hours and ended with a friendly dinner.

The morning of October 28 began with a solemn rally in memory of Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos, who tragically died in a plane crash in Cuba in 1959. He is one of the participants in the landing on the ship "Granma", an ally of Fidel and Raul Castro, Che Guevara, after the Revolution became the chief of staff of the Cuban army. Having lived only 27 years, he managed to do a lot in the construction of a new, revolutionary Cuba. According to the tradition that has developed in Cuba, after a short rally, the participants of the International Meeting and representatives of Cuban public organizations in memory of the revolutionary threw flowers into the ocean, which became the last refuge of the Comandante.

Representatives of 77 parties from 60 countries from all continents took part in the XXII International Meeting. The program of the meeting was so intense that on the first day the delegates worked over 14 hours and finished around midnight. Solidarity with the people of Cuba, condemnation of the blockade - this sounded in every speech of the delegates and united the hall. However, in assessing the events in Ukraine, the opinions of the meeting participants differed significantly. Two lines were clearly and clearly identified, which converged in some way, but at a number of points they opposed each other.

The position, which the RCWP recognized as a form of modern opportunism, was defended by representatives of the Communist Party of Greece. The other one is delegates from the RKRP, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Communist Party of Ukraine. In particular, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCRP Stepan Malentsov, following the instructions of the Central Committee, in his speech called for a dialectical distinction between the interests of big capital and the interests of the proletarian strata in the ongoing struggle of classes, nations and states in Ukraine. And not to mix everything into one pot, as the supporters of the views of the KKE do.Further, the representative of the RCWP suggested that the meeting participants support the Statement on Ukraine with their signatures, which was prepared on the initiative of the RCWP, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, supported by the Communist Party of Ukraine, as well as other communist and workers' organizations of Ukraine and Donbass. In conclusion, the speaker conveyed greetings to the participants of the International Meeting from the Communist Workers' Organization of the LPR, the Workers' Front of Donbass and the Workers' Front of Ukraine. In this appeal, the comrades pointed to the anti-fascist just character of the armed struggle in Ukraine by the allied forces and assured that they would not leave their section of the class front!

The speech of the head of the Communist Party of Ukraine Petro Symonenko was, for obvious reasons, very emotional. He openly and directly told the meeting participants and stressed that the current Kyiv regime is fascist. Which was very helpful for many doubters. He not only criticized the line of non-warriors being imposed on the world communist movement, the main conductor of which is the Greek comrades, but also expressed bewilderment that this line was developed by a narrow circle of parties and behind "closed doors", without prior consideration of the opinions and assessments of the Communist Parties of Ukraine and Russia. If consulted, perhaps a number of erroneous provisions could have been avoided.

It should be noted that the sounded comradely criticism provoked a sharp reaction from the representative of the KKE. He began to demand a second speech for himself, not only violating the accepted long-term regulations, but in fact, showing some disrespect for the chairman, entering into a public skirmish with him, and for the representative of the RCWP already announced to speak and standing on the podium. The representative of the KKE still got the floor. Speaking at the end of the plenary session, the comrade recalled that the Ukrainian authorities included the leaders of the KKE in the list of “terrorists” for their position (but forgot to mention that the leaders of the parties with which he opposes are also included in this list, and members of the Communist Party are also tortured and physical destruction), called the criticism of the position of the KKE unacceptable.According to this comrade, it turns out that apparently there are those who are the owners of the truth and whose verdict is not subject to criticism. It is unfortunate that the party, respected by us and having undoubted merits in assessing the events in Ukraine, not only showed political short-sightedness, but also took the path of banning public criticism of its erroneous, in our opinion, assessments.

An alternative draft statement on Ukraine was also prepared by supporters of a different line. It was introduced by representatives of the ICU, the very organization that resolutely demanded military assistance from the Russian Federation to the miners and tractor drivers of Donbass fighting the Nazis. However, after the death of the leader of the UCU, a member of the Central Committee of the RKRP Comrade Yabrova T.I., this organization apparently lost its orthodox Marxist character, is experiencing internal differences and, following the leadership of the KKE, has switched to opportunistic positions in assessing current events in Ukraine.

It can be stated that with the general support of the final declaration, all the participants of the meeting in their assessments of the events in Ukraine were divided into three groups. Behind the first stands the RKWP with allies, behind the second - the so-called. "committee of four" (communist parties of Greece, Turkey, Spain (workers), Mexico) and comrades who joined them. The third group is undecided or hesitant. The collection of signatures continues on both sides, and it must be noted that our opponents sometimes use methods that are not entirely correct.(We have already reported that the statement on Ukraine, prepared by the "committee of four" in March-2022, was signed on behalf of the youth organization RKRP by provocateurs and political crooks waging war against the party. And, unfortunately, finding support for their actions from the leadership of the KKE , which not only continues to receive them, but even blocks the placement of information from the RCWP on this situation on the Solidnet website).

Returning to the International meeting, let us also note some curious moments that occur due to the difficulties of translation and the technical inadequacy of duplication of documents. After the speech of the representative of the Communist Party of South Africa, who announced that he unequivocally supports the position of the RCWP, the CPRF and the KPU, delegates from the RCWP approached him and offered to sign the Statement. To which the comrade said that he had already put his signature under the statement on Ukraine - apparently, it was a statement that was hastily prepared, submitted by the SKU and quickly distributed for signing.

Most of the supporters of the RCWP line so far represent countries that the Russian authorities now classify as “friendly”. The obvious exception to this list was the representative of the Communist Party of Germany, who stated in her speech that "the war is being waged at the military and economic level in order to destroy Russia." The comrade recalled that the war in Ukraine did not start on February 24, 2022, but already in 2014. The goal of NATO remains Ukraine, as a foothold against Russia. In the context of the high cost of energy resources, the comrades support the emerging movement in Europe against the impoverishment of workers in order to fight against shifting the crisis onto the shoulders of working people, against NATO. They plan to carry out this work together with the youth organization.

Of the speakers, a comrade from the Communist Party of Brazil showed a sensitive understanding of the situation around Donbass, who supported the Statement of the RCRP-CPRF-CPU “Imperialism is the cause of the current tragedy in Ukraine, where a fascist regime has now been established, which is a danger to everyone. The actions of the Russian Federation to suppress fascism should be supported.” The comrades also reported on their participation in the electoral campaign for the presidential elections in Brazil and the support of the left-wing candidate Lula. The first round of elections has already passed, the second round is scheduled for the day following the end of the meeting of the parties.

It should also be noted the speech of the representative of the Syrian Communist Party (united), who, in fact, opened the discussion on Ukraine at the meeting of the working group. He correctly pointed out the threat of the world plunging into darkness in the event of the defeat of bourgeois Russia.The delegate of the Communists of Catalonia noted that NATO is waging war on behalf of Ukraine. And although there are ambitions of Russian nationalism to become a superpower, on the example of Donbass we see the hypocrisy of European values ​​to the highest degree, and NATO in the current situation is the main enemy.

Thoughts in support of the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and against world imperialism were voiced in the speeches of other comrades. For example, the representative of the Irish CP condemned the expansion of NATO around Russia, also condemned the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and assured that they would continue to fight British, European and American imperialism on their shores.

Of the parties that were skeptical about supporting actions to suppress fascism in Ukraine.The rapporteur of the Austrian Communist Party declared that they did not choose sides in the imperialist war. A comrade from the Communist Party of Belgium spoke out against the thesis that the USA is the main imperialist. A comrade from the Belgian Labor Party said that the EU had transferred over 500 million euros in support of the war in Ukraine and that the United States remained enemy No. 1, but immediately called Russia's actions "annexation of the territories of Ukraine", unacceptable from the point of view of international law.

Representatives of the parties of China, North Korea and Vietnam took part in the work. In their speeches, the comrades expressed support for the people of Cuba and spoke about the successes achieved in solving the problems of socialist construction, but the comrades avoided assessing the events in the Ukraine.

At the end of the speeches of the representatives of the parties, the stage of adoption of the documents prepared by the working group began. It should be noted that at this stage, Comrade Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, President of the Republic, joined the work. The procedure for adopting the documents was quite democratic and consisted in the fact that representatives of the communist parties of Cuba, Turkey, South Africa went to the podium and read out the draft documents. After that, the presenter, having found out that there were no comments, put it to the vote. Thus adopted:

Final Statement of the XXII International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties;
Statement of solidarity with the Cuban people and Cuba;
Action plan and draft activities for the next period (2023-2024).
A new composition of the members of the working group was approved and the place of the next XXIII meeting was determined - Turkey, at the suggestion of comrades from the Communist Party of Turkey.

Comrade Miguel Diaz-Canel delivered a closing speech to the participants. He spoke about the difficulties that the country is experiencing in building socialism, about the intrigues of the enemies of the Cuban people, about the results of the party congress held in April 2022, and assured that the party and people continue the Cuban revolution. At the end of the speech and the closing of the XXII International meeting, the hall unanimously performed the "Internationale". At the closing of the 22nd MVKRP, comrades from our party presented comrade Miguel Diaz-Canel with a badge with Lenin on it.

The delegation of the RCRP expresses gratitude to the Cuban Communist Party and the Cuban people for their hospitality, for the organizational work done in the face of the difficulties that the country is experiencing due to the ongoing blockade by the United States, as well as as a result of the negative consequences of the devastating hurricane. And although the organizers did not manage to foresee everything, there were rough edges and restrictions in the reproduction of printed materials (statements, texts of speeches), but all this was compensated by the warmth of the Cuban people and the friendly attitude towards the participants of the meeting organizers.

So the meeting took place. Positions have become somewhat clearer, but the situation of confusion and vacillation in the international communist movement persists. Events in Ukraine are leading the world to upheaval. Whether the proletariat will be able to fulfill its historical mission also depends on you and me.

Information of the International Department of the
Central Committee of the RKRP

https://rkrp.rus/2022/11/01/about-xxii- ... communist/ - zinc

Google Translator.

***************

Dead Hand’s Revenge: What Would Happen if the West Strikes Russia?
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 6, 2022
Abbas Duncan

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Moscow has a Soviet-era system which can even hit back if NATO succeeds in taking out key decision makers

Imagine if one day we suddenly get a news alert to say the button’s been pushed and nuclear war has been unleashed?

Within hours, millions would be dead and hundreds of millions more would die in the following days. Gray ashes would soar into the air and scatter upon the ruins of what used to be Moscow. The US would have blown up all the ‘decision-making’ centers in today’s Russia. But what about Washington? The very same thing, but not only just the American capital – other key NATO cities would probably be destroyed as well.

That’s the horrific reality for mankind if atomic weapons are ever used. Because, as modern Russian leaders often point out – there can be no winners in such a conflict.

Recently, the US army’s former European commander, Ben Hodges, warned that his country would retaliate with “a devastating strike” against Russia if Moscow used its nuclear capability in Ukraine. Hodges, now a lobbyist at CEPA (a pressure group funded by US arms makers to promote, and maintain, NATO expansion in Europe) said Washington could target the Black Sea Fleet or destroy Russian bases in Crimea.

Living dead in charge of a superpower

In 1984, Konstantin Chernenko, a 72-year-old party worker and former head of Leonid Brezhnev’s apparatus, sick with end-stage emphysema, became the leader of the Soviet Union. Ironically, given today’s events, one was Ukrainian from Ukraine and the other a Russian-born ethnic Ukrainian.

“The leader of a great power turned out to be not just a physically weak, but a seriously ill person, actually a disabled person,” his successor, Mikhail Gorbachev, wrote in one of his books. Anatoly Chernyaev, who served at the time as deputy head of the International Department of the Central Committee, recalled that, when Chernenko was supposed to meet with the King of Spain, his assistants prepared pieces of his speech on small paper cards. “But Chernenko couldn’t even read a piece of paper, he stuttered, not understanding a thing he was reading.”

Four years prior to his coming to power in the USSR, amid heightened Cold War tensions owing to the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, across the ocean US President Jimmy Carter signed the notorious Directive 59 (pD-59), ‘Nuclear Weapons Employment Policy’, which was aimed at giving US leaders more flexibility in planning for and executing a nuclear war. However, leaks of its ‘top secret’ contents gave rise to front-page stories in the New York Times and Washington Post that stoked widespread fears about its implications for unchecked nuclear conflict.

The document presupposed the use of advanced technology to detect Soviet nuclear facilities, including in Eastern Europe and North Korea. The Americans planned to carry out precision strikes on these sites and, having received data on the damage done as quickly as possible, to strike again if necessary. The authors of Directive 59, among whom was the presidential military adviser William Odom, believed that the use of nuclear weapons against regular units of the Soviet army would not lead to a nuclear apocalypse. Yet, Odom and his colleagues warned that the war would be prolonged – in their estimation, it could take “days and weeks” to find all the targets worthy of a precision nuclear strike.

In 1983 – a year before Chernenko ascended to Kremlin leadership – the US delivered its new Pershing II nuclear missiles to West Germany. This significantly increased the possibility of such weapons reaching the USSR in a matter of minutes.

So, what if Chernenko – “a bent figure, trembling hands, a breaking voice calling for discipline and selfless work, sheets of paper falling from his hands,” as described by Gorbachev – had to make a decision on a nuclear counter-attack? What if the whole leadership was dead before they had the chance to order a retaliatory strike? Who would contact remote command posts and submarines?

That exact fear, of a country beheaded, a country denied a chance to respond, a vulnerability leaving no space for reacting, had made the Soviets start considering their options. The ‘if I’m going down, I’m taking everybody with me’ approach was a way of proving that there could not and should not be winners in future world wars. This argument was supposed to make war so meaningless that it would become impossible.

The Doomsday system

In 1984, right after Chernenko became the new Soviet leader, Valery Yarynich, a colonel in the Elite Strategic Missile Forces, acquired a new position, that of deputy head of the Main Directorate of Missile Weapons. It was this colonel who was entrusted with perfecting a flawed system, partially automated, that would launch intercontinental ballistic missiles in a retaliatory strike if the Soviet leadership had been decapitated in a nuclear bombing.

The system – probably the deadliest project of the Cold War – was called Perimeter, or ‘the Dead Hand’, informally. It was put on combat duty in 1983.

The Soviet Union could not have been the one to launch a nuclear ICBM at the Americans first. In this scenario, the US would have had enough forces left to inflict significant damage in a retaliatory strike with the remaining means at its disposal. It was also dangerous to launch missiles after detecting American warheads heading toward the USSR, since by that time there had already been several cases of false alarms from the warning systems. The only way left was to strike back only after confirming an attack by the enemy. But this was overly dependent on the state of mind of the general secretary. He could be frightened, confused, or too slow to act, or could believe it to be another false alarm.

The developers of Perimeter tried to minimize human interference. All that the general secretary had to do after receiving any information about an enemy strike was to place Perimeter on alert. After that, the fate of humankind passed into the hands of officers, who would have to make a decision. They were isolated in special spherical bunkers so deep underground that even a nuclear strike could not destroy them. These officers had a list of three criteria for launching an attack:

– Status of the Perimeter system. If it was activated, it meant that either the general staff or the Kremlin had put it on alert.

– Communication with commanders and party leaders. If this was lost, it was to be assumed that the leadership had been killed.

– The fact of a nuclear strike. At the same time, a network of special sensors was used to measure the level of radiation and illumination, seismic shocks, and an increase in atmospheric pressure.

If the system was activated, the leadership was dead, and a nuclear strike had indeed taken place, the officers had to authorize the launch of the command missiles. In 30 minutes, they would have given the order to launch all nuclear missiles that were still intact. The target was the US, along with other major NATO capitals.

According to Yarynich, the system also served as insurance against hasty decisions by the country’s top leadership based on unverified information. Having received a signal from the missile attack warning system, the top officials could activate the Perimeter system and wait for events to evolve, being fully confident that even the destruction of everyone who had the authority to issue a command to retaliate would not be able to prevent a retaliatory strike.

One of Perimeter’s developers, Alexander Zheleznyakov, described a possible scenario for using the system as follows:

“Two hours after the start of hostilities, when it seemed that there was nothing and, most importantly, no one to fight, in the remote Siberian taiga, in the Kazakh steppes, in the swamps of central Russia, the hatches of mine launchers almost simultaneously opened, and dozens of silver giants rushed into the sky. Thirty minutes later, the fate of Moscow and Leningrad, Kiev and Minsk, Berlin and Prague, Beijing and Havana was shared by Washington and New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Bonn and London, Paris and Rome, Sydney and Tokyo.

“Having suddenly started, the nuclear war ended just as suddenly, destroying everyone. There were no winners or losers. Only small groups of people who did not understand anything somewhere on the islands of the Pacific Ocean, in remote areas of Africa and Latin America, feverishly turning the knobs of silent radios at once, watching with fear the lightning flashes blazing over the horizon.”


However, it was still the officers who had to make the last call on the strike that would destroy most of humankind. The question remains whether Perimeter’s developers went further and made the system completely autonomous, turning it into a true Doomsday Machine. Yarynich claims that the generals did not agree to this, although the opinions of his colleagues differ. He also told journalist David Hoffman he believed that it was utter stupidity to keep the Dead Hand secret, since such a system was useful as a deterrent only if your adversary knew about it.

Is the Dead Hand dead?

Yarynich was the one to blow the whistle on Perimeter after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the early 1990s, he spoke cautiously about the key details of the Dead Hand system with American nuclear security expert Bruce Blair, who revealed the existence of the system in a New York Times op-ed, not mentioning the Russian colonel, though his colleagues were well aware who had leaked the information. In 2003, Yarynich himself wrote a book, ‘C3: Nuclear Command, Control, Cooperation,’ providing even more details. He had spent the rest of his life fighting for transparency within the nuclear command and control mechanisms of Russia and the US. “Nuclear weapons should not be viewed as a political instrument,” he believed.

“Today, we are facing an obvious absurdity,” Yarynich wrote in the introduction to his book. “On the one hand … the United States and Russia have become unprecedentedly open with each other, exchanging information that used to be completely secret during the Cold War.”

“Now publicly accessible computer databases include information about the various types of American and Russian ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads, their numbers, characteristics, location, design bureaus and production facilities … The results of such decisive steps is evident: the process of nuclear arms reduction has started and is successfully continuing.”


However, Yarynich argued, this isn’t enough: absolute secrecy still reigns when it comes to command and control of nuclear weapons.

“Two issues are of greatest importance here,” he explained.

“First, what measures have been taken by the nuclear powers against accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons, and how reliable are those measures? Second, what is the ideology for hypothetical authorized deployment of nuclear weapons?”


In 2007, Yarynich gave a detailed interview to Wired magazine. In it, he repeated his story about the technical features of the Perimeter, and most importantly, confirmed that the system is constantly being updated, and that he’s proud to have been involved in its development: it successfully managed its task in the Cold War and can continue to serve. All he wanted was for the system to be talked about. Yarynich believed that publicity around the system would be useful to Russia: no one wants to die in vain.

According to Pyotr Kazulsky, a former researcher at the Research Center for Applied Informatics, today the Perimeter system has been updated and the new control center is equipped with a neural network. There is no confirmation of this. There are no other sources who would talk about it, so the ‘singularity’ upgrade remains a rumor – and will probably stay this way, since all information about the system (and its analogue) is classified. Bruce Blair has also repeatedly claimed that the system is constantly being updated.

In December 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Karakaev, stated that the Perimeter system exists to this day and is on alert.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... es-russia/

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Russia Calls West’s Stance on Nazism Hypocritical

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"The essence of it [resolution] can only be questioned by the immoral," the diplomat wrote. Oct. 05, 2022. | Photo: Twitter: @pueblopatriota

Published 5 November 2022

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, described as political hypocrisy the vote of Western countries against the resolution on the fight against the glorification of Nazism.


Russia described as hypocritical the position of the European Union (EU) countries in rejecting the resolution promoted by Moscow - at the United Nations Organization (UN) - to condemn the glorification of Nazism and racism.

On her Telegram channel, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that last year the EU countries abstained from voting on this resolution, as they usually do.

The only exception took place in 2011, with a split in the EU "when one part of the states voted against (they were the majority), while the other abstained."


"The essence of it [resolution] can only be questioned by the immoral," the diplomat wrote.

On November 4, the third committee of the UN General Assembly adopted the draft resolution on "combating the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to reinforcing contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and similar forms of intolerance."

This resolution has been adopted by the UN General Assembly every year since 2005, and this 2022, 106 countries voted in favor, including, as always, Israel.

However, this year the document was opposed not only by the USA and Ukraine (as in recent years): among those who did not support the draft were Germany, the UK, France, Japan, Italy, Georgia, the Baltic States and Hungary.

Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, among other things, to denazify paramilitary groups and the Kiev government, as well as to protect the Russian-speaking population, victims of these groups.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Rus ... -0002.html

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‘Bot armies’ are on the march in the Ukraine-Russia war, with automated ‘bot’ accounts sending up to 80% of tweets in the study sample size of over 5-million tweets, with anti-Russia accounts comprising 90.2% of all accounts. Here, shelves of confiscated GSM gateways, containing hundreds of sim cards using the mobile network to create thousands of fake bot accounts to distribute millions of fake tweets. (Photo: Ukraine Security Service, SBU)

Massive anti-Russian ‘Bot army’ exposed by Australian researchers
Originally published: Declassified Australia on November 3, 2022 by Peter Cronau (more by Declassified Australia) (Posted Nov 07, 2022)

A team of researchers at the University of Adelaide have found that as many as 80 percent of tweets about the 2022 Russia-Ukraine invasion in its early weeks were part of a covert propaganda campaign originating from automated fake ‘bot’ accounts.

An anti-Russia propaganda campaign originating from a ‘bot army’ of fake automated Twitter accounts flooded the internet at the start of the war. The research shows of the more than 5-million tweets studied, 90.2 percent of all tweets (both bot and non-bot) came from accounts that were pro-Ukraine, with fewer than 7 percent of the accounts being classed as pro-Russian.

The university researchers also found these automated tweets had been purposely used to drive up fear amongst people targeted by them, boosting a high level of statistically measurable ‘angst’ in the online discourse.

The research team analysed a massively unprecedented 5,203,746 tweets, sent with key hashtags, in the first two weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine from 24 February this year. The researchers considered predominately English-language accounts, with a calculated 1.8-million unique Twitter accounts in the dataset posting at least one English-language tweet.

The results were published in August in a research paper, titled “#IStandWithPutin versus #IStandWithUkraine: The interaction of bots and humans in discussion of the Russia/Ukraine war“, by the University of Adelaide’s School of Mathematical Science.

The size of the sample under study, of over 5-million tweets, dwarfs other recent studies of covert propaganda in social media surrounding the Ukraine war.

The little-reported Stanford University/Graphika research on Western disinformation, analysed by Declassified Australia in September, examined just under 300,000 tweets from 146 Twitter accounts. The Meta/Facebook research on Russian disinformation reported widely by mainstream media, including the ABC a fortnight later, looked at 1,600 Facebook accounts.

Reports on the new research have appeared in a few independent media sites, and in Russia’s RT, but not much else, so revealing the burial of stories that don’t fit the desired pro-Western narrative.

This ground-breaking study, exposing a massive anti-Russia social media disinformation campaign, has been effectively ignored by the mainstream Western establishment media. It’s become almost routine during the Russia-Ukraine war.

The disinformation blitz krieg

The Adelaide University researchers unearthed a massive organised pro-Ukraine influence operation underway from the early stages of the conflict. Overall the study found automated ‘bot’ accounts to be the source of between 60 to 80 percent of all tweets in the dataset.

The published data shows that in the first week of the Ukraine-Russia war there was a huge mass of pro-Ukrainian hashtag bot activity. Approximately 3.5 million tweets using the hashtag #IStandWithUkraine were sent by bots in that first week.

In fact, it was like someone had flicked a switch, when at the start of the war on 24 February, pro-Ukraine bot activity suddenly burst into life. In that first day of the war the #IStandWithUkraine hashtag was used in as many as 38,000 tweets each hour, rising to 50,000 tweets an hour by day three of the war.

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Graph showing the hourly frequency of the selected ‘StandWith’ hashtags. The anti-Russia #IStandWithUkraine hashtag pushed mainly by automated bots flooded Twitter in the first week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Image: University of Adelaide)

By comparison, the data shows that in the first week there was an almost total absence of pro-Russian bot activity using the key hashtags. During that first week of the invasion, pro-Russian bots were sending off tweets using the #IStandWithPutin or #IStandWithRussia hashtags at a rate of only several hundred per hour.

Given the apparent long-range planning for the invasion of Ukraine, cyber experts expressed surprise that Russian cyber and internet responses were so laggard. A researcher at the Centre for Security Studies in Switzerland, said: ‘The [pro-Russian] cyber operations we have seen do not show long preparation, and instead look rather haphazard.’

After being apparently left flatfooted, the #IStandWithPutin hashtag mainly from automated bots, eventually fired up a week after the start of the war. That hashtag commenced appearing in higher numbers on 2 March, day 7 of the war. It reached 10,000 tweets per hour just twice over the next two days, still way behind the pro-Ukraine tweeting activity.

The #IStandWithRussia hashtag use was even smaller, reaching only 4,000 tweets per hour. After just two days of operation, the pro-Russian hashtag activity had dropped away almost completely. The study’s researchers noted the automated bot accounts ‘likely used by Russian authorities’, were ‘removed likely by pro-Ukrainian authorities’.

The reaction against these pro-Russian accounts had been swift. On March 5, after the #IStandWithPutin hashtag had trended on Twitter, the company announced it had banned over 100 accounts using the hashtag for violating its ‘platform manipulation and spam policy’ and participating in ‘coordinated inauthentic behaviour’.

Later that month, the Ukraine Security Service (SBU) reportedly raided five ‘bot farms’ operating inside the country. The Russia-linked bot operators were reportedly operating through 100,000 fake social media accounts spreading disinformation that was ‘intended to inspire panic among Ukrainian masses’.

Unfiltered and independent research

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The war of the ‘bot armies’. Ukrainian security forces unearthed a pro-Russian automated ‘bot army’ operating out of an apartment in March 2022. The raid found 100 sets of GSM-gateways, left, and 10,000 sim cards, right, operating 100,000 fake bot accounts. (Photos: SBU)

The landmark Adelaide University research differs from these earlier revelations in another most unique and spectacular way.

While the Stanford-Graphika and Meta research was produced by researchers who have long-term deep ties to the U.S. national security state, the Adelaide University researchers are remarkably independent. The academic team is from the university’s School of Mathematical Science. Using mathematical calculations, they set out to predict and model people’s psychological traits based on their digital footprint.

Unlike the datasets selected and provided for the Stanford/Graphika and the Meta research, the data the Adelaide University team accessed didn’t come from accounts after they’ve been detected for breaching guidelines and shut down by Meta or Twitter.

Joshua Watt is one of the lead researchers on the university team, and is a MPhil candidate in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from the university’s School of Mathematical Sciences.

He told Declassified Australia that the dataset of 5-million tweets was accessed directly by the team from Twitter accounts on the internet using an academic license giving access to the Twitter API. The ‘Application Programming Interface’ is a data communication software tool that allows researchers to directly retrieve and analyse Twitter data.

The fake tweets and automated bot accounts had not been detected and removed by Twitter before being analysed by the researchers, although some were possibly removed in the March sweep by Twitter. Watt told Declassified Australia that in fact many of the bot accounts behind the 5-million tweets studied are likely to be still up and running.

Declassified Australia contacted Twitter to ask what action they may have taken to remove the fake bot accounts identified in the University of Adelaide research. They had not responded by the time of going to press.

Critical tool in information warfare
This new research paper confirms mounting fears that social media has covertly become what the researchers call ‘a critical tool in information warfare playing a large role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine’.

The Adelaide University researchers tried their best to be noncommittal in describing the activities of the fake Twitter accounts, although they had found the vast majority—over 90 percent—were anti-Russian messages. They stated: ‘Both sides in the Ukrainian conflict use the online information environment to influence geopolitical dynamics and sway public opinion.’

They found the two main participating sides in the propaganda war have their own particular goals and style. ‘Russian social media pushes narratives around their motivation, and Ukrainian social media aims to foster and maintain external support from Western countries, as well as promote their military efforts while undermining the perception of the Russian military.’

While the research findings concentrated on automated Twitter bots, there were also findings on the use of hashtags by non-bot tweeters. They found significant information flows from non-bot pro-Russian accounts, but no significant flows from non-bot pro-Ukraine accounts.

As well as being far more active, the pro-Ukraine side was found to be far more advanced in its use of automated bots. The pro-Ukrainian side used more ‘astroturf bots’ than the pro-Russians. Astroturf bots are hyper-active political bots that continuously follow many other accounts to increase follower count of that account.

Social media role in boosting fear

Crucially, the University of Adelaide researchers also investigated the psychological influence the fake automated bot accounts had on the online conversation during those early weeks of the war.

These conversations in a target audience may develop over time into support or opposition towards governments and policies—but they may also have more instant effects influencing the target audiences’ immediate decisions.

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Word clouds for ‘angst’, left, and ‘motion’, right, demonstrate the frequency of words in particular linguistic categories, that were used in the 5-million tweets studied. (Image: University of Adelaide)

The study found that it was the tweets from the fake ‘bot’ accounts that most drove ‘an increase in conversations surrounding angst’ amongst people targeted by them. They found these automated bot accounts increased ‘the use of words in the angst category which contains words related to fear and worry, such as “shame”, “terrorist”, “threat”, “panic”.’

By combining the ‘angst’ messaging with messages about ‘motion’ and geographical locations, the researchers found ‘the bot accounts are influencing more discussion surrounding moving/fleeing/going or staying’. The researchers believe this effect may well have been to influence Ukrainians even away from the conflict zones to flee from their homes.

The research shows that fake automated social media ‘bot’ accounts do manipulate public opinion by shaping the discourse, sometimes in very specific ways. The results provide a chilling indication of the very real malign effects that mass social media disinformation campaigns can have on an innocent civilian population.

Origins of the Twitter bot accounts

The researchers report that the overwhelming level of Twitter disinformation that was anti-Russian was from bots ‘likely [organised] by pro-Ukrainian authorities’.

The researchers asserted no further findings about the origin of the 5-million tweets, but did find that some bots ‘are pushing campaigns specific to certain countries [unnamed], and hence sharing content aligned with those timezones’. The data does show that the peak time for a selection of pro-Ukrainian bot activity corresponded with being between 6pm and 9pm across U.S. timezones.

Some indication of the origin and the target of the messages, could be deduced from the specific languages used in the 5-million tweets. Over 3.5-million tweets, or 67 percent, were in the English language, with fewer that 2 percent in Russian and Ukrainian.

In May 2022, National Security Agency (NSA) Director and U.S. Cyber Command chief, General Paul Nakasone, revealed that the Cyber Command had been conducting offensive Information Operations in support of Ukraine.

‘We’ve conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum: offensive, defensive, [and] information operations,” Nakasone said.

Nakasone said the U.S. has been conducting operations aimed at dismantling Russian propaganda. He said the operations were lawful, conducted through policy determined by the U.S. Defense Department and with civilian oversight. Nakasone said the U.S. seeks to tell the truth when conducting an Information Operation, unlike Russia.

U.S. Cyber Command had deployed to Ukraine a ‘hunt forward’ cyber team in December to help shore up Ukraine’s cyber defences and networks against active threats in anticipation of the invasion. A newly formed European Union cyber rapid response team consisting of 12 experts joined the Cyber Command team to look for active cyber threats inside Ukrainian networks and to strengthen the country’s cyber defences.

The U.S. has invested $40 million since 2017 in helping Ukraine buttress its information technology sector. According to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the investments have helped Ukrainians ‘keep their internet on and information flowing, even in the midst of a brutal Russian invasion’.

Wars and lies in our pockets

With the rise of the internet, war and armed conflict will never be the same again. Others have noted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has ushered in ‘a new digital era of military, political and economic conflict’ being manipulated by ‘laptop generals and bot armies’.

‘In all dimensions of this conflict, digital technology plays a key role—as a tool for cyberattacks and digital protest, and as an accelerator for flows of information and disinformation,’ wrote one.

‘Propaganda has been a part of war since the beginning of history, but never before could it be so widely spread beyond an actual conflict area and targeted to so many different audiences.’

Joshua Watt, one of the lead researchers on the University of Adelaide team that conducted the landmark study, summed it up. ‘In the past, wars have been primarily fought physically, with armies, air force and navy operations being the primary forms of combat. However, social media has created a new environment where public opinion can be manipulated at a very large scale.’

‘CNN brought once-distant wars into our living rooms,’ another stated, ‘but TikTok and YouTube and Twitter have put them in our pockets.’

We are all carrying around with us a powerful source of information and news media—and also, most certainly, disinformation that’s coming relentlessly at us from influence operations run by ‘bad actors’ whose aim is to deceive.

https://mronline.org/2022/11/07/massive ... searchers/
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:17 am

The battle in the DPR
POSTED BY @NSANZO ⋅ 08/11/2022

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Already failed, as the commander of the Vostok battalion Alexander Khodakovsky foresaw, the Pavlovka-Ugledar offensive, for which a large-scale action was required to accompany the frontal assault, the Russian authorities are trying to maintain the sense of progress by now highlighting the zone of Artyomovsk. An important communications hub that should be one of the keys to a future assault on Slavyansk -currently impossible after the loss of Izium last September-, Artyomovsk is one of the three cities in Donetsk on which Russia and the republican troops are trying to advance since last July, so far without success and with an undetermined number of casualties that can hardly be low.

Original Article: Vzglyad

“In Artyomovsk, local residents with whom I still have a connection say that the gunshots are going on for the second day in a row in a way that has not been seen before. It seems that our troops are taking decisive steps in the assault on the city. In the Ugledar area, our offensive has stalled, and in the Kupiansk area the front has stabilized," military expert Yuri Podoliaka told Vzglyad , commenting on the situation in the most active places of the special military operation zone .

“It seems that our troops are making the decisive assault on the city of Artyomovsk. The success of this assault will depend on whether we can destroy the strong points of resistance, which are located in the northeast of the city. If I'm not mistaken, this is the meat processing plant area."

"If we manage to break through the enemy's defenses where the Ukrainian Armed Forces have created heavily fortified areas, we will be able to occupy the entire northeastern part of the city of Artyomovsk and reach the Bakhmutka River from the north," Podoliaka said. “Today there is also an intensive assault on the town of Opitnoe, south of Artyomovsk. If we manage to take Opitnoe, we will proceed to assault the southern part of the city. Many things depend on those results, but it is evident that the assault has begun and that it has entered its second day, ”he summarized.

In Ugledar, the offensive of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has stalled because the troops have not been able to break through the enemy front. “The enemy has managed to stabilize the front. At the same time, being on the high hills in Ugledar, they are capable of inflicting losses on our grouping,” admitted Podoliaka. “There is something that needs to be resolved, either with a quick regroup to achieve a decisive success in this zone or withdraw the lines to their starting points in the Pavlovka zone to avoid unjustified casualties.”

As for the situation along the Kupiansk-Krasny Liman line, that is, along the eastern border of the Kharkov region and the north of the DPR, one can speak of a stabilization of the front for a time long enough. “Our troops are constantly building up strength in this area,” Podoliaka believes. “The enemy has already formed his own entire grouping. It is possible that a part will be transferred to other areas. The enemy may not be able to attack more intensively here.”

In front of Kupiansk it has stabilized, both our side and the enemy have tried to move the line of contact in one direction or the other, but no one has achieved significant changes. “The mud, which is being created for the second week in a row, forces us to stabilize the front. Over the last week, the enemy has been carrying out fewer and fewer attacks,” the expert explained. However, it is impossible to move seriously here. The Ukrainian troops will not be able to advance according to the Balakleya example , since the Russian troops have created, according to Podoliaka, a fortified zone. "This leads to stabilization until one side builds up enough forces to advance or weather conditions allow for more effective advancement," he said.

“A week ago, I spoke to the guys who arrived at the hospital near Kupiansk and they say that the battle is still intense, but with limited groups. Our troops managed to advance minimally, to occupy the territory of advanced enemy positions, but everything was decided by artillery and as a result there were several dozen wounded," military analyst Mikhail Onufrienko explained. "There are no attempts by the Ukrainian troops to carry out an offensive and break through the front, what is happening now is not even reconnaissance by combat, but destructive fire and attempts to attack by small groups, not even with armored vehicles, but with trucks" , he thinks "Also, the front line is consolidating in the Kupiansk area and even crossing the river is becoming more difficult for small groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is also possible that the main efforts of the enemy are now directed at amassing forces and even moving a part to Artyomovsk or Kherson. So it seems that the enemy has given up on Kupiansk in terms of attack,” Onufrienko believes.

"According to the information I have about the situation in the Kupiansk area, it can be concluded that the enemy is somewhat tired," says the expert. “In recent weeks, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have carried out constant attacks trying to drive us out of towns and even broke into Svatovo, cut off the road, for which they went in battalions with armored vehicles and worked many sabotage groups. In recent days, the intensity has decreased significantly. There has been only one serious attack with a group of practically a battalion, two companies reinforced with tanks tried to go on the attack in the Krasny Liman area, but the attempts were unsuccessful. Basically, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are operating right now in small groups,

According to Podoliaka, a change in the climate, mainly the arrival of frosts, could lead to adjustments. “At the moment, as far as we know, no frosts are expected before December or the last days of November. The only issue is the rains. It is not clear if there will be or not. At the moment, according to forecasts, no rain is expected in the next ten days. Keep in mind that when the ground dries up, an intensification of military operations should be expected.”

https://slavyangrad.es/2022/11/08/la-ba ... more-25896

Google Translator

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Ukraine - U.S. Deceives Allies To Keep Them In Line
The Biden administration launched a make-believe campaign that is supposed to calm those European 'allies' who press for peace talks over Ukraine.

But, as the Washington Post provides, the alleged Biden push towards negotiations is a sham:

The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The request by American officials is not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, these people said. Rather, they called it a calculated attempt to ensure the government in Kyiv maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a war for many years to come.
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While U.S. officials share their Ukrainian counterparts’ assessment that Putin, for now, isn’t serious about negotiations, they acknowledge that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ban on talks with him has generated concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, where the war’s disruptive effects on the availability and cost of food and fuel are felt most sharply.


If Zelensky will now start to offer talks we know that it will not be serious but just for show.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has just visited Kiev. He is likely the one who has put up this scheme. It would be consistent with another recent story planted in the Wall Street Journal about talks between Sullivan and some Russians:

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has in recent months held secret talks with high-level Russian officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing unnamed US and allied officials.

The officials said that the talks were aimed at reducing the risk of the war in Ukraine turning into a broader conflict and that Sullivan warned Moscow against using nuclear weapons. They said Sullivan held talks with Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev.


The reason to plant that story is likely the same one as above - to calm down allies who are getting nervous about an endless war.

It is obvious that the U.S. does not want the war to end anytime soon:

The U.S. is sending Ukraine $400 million more in military aid and establishing a security assistance headquarters in Germany that will oversee all weapons transfers and military training for Ukraine, the Pentagon announced Friday.
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The new command post, called the Security Assistance Group Ukraine, signals a more permanent, long-term program to continue to aid Kyiv in its fight against Russia, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters at the Pentagon.
The new command post that will oversee this aid will be led by a three-star-level senior officer and have about 300 personnel based in Germany who will monitor the weapons assistance and training programs, said U.S. Army Europe spokesman Col. Martin O’Donnell.


Such a command points to an effort over multiple years. Likewise some of the weapon systems the U.S. has promised to Ukraine have not yet been produced. They will reach Ukraine only 2023 or 2024 - if ever.

But I doubt that this plan for a years long war can work. Russia's recent attack on the electricity systems of Ukraine has shown that it has the escalation dominance, that it could do much more to destroy Ukraine and to make it incapable of further pursuing the war.

The U.S. is also pushing Ukraine to attack the Russian positions on the right bank of the Dnieper river:

Ukrainian forces can retake the strategic southern city of Kherson from Russian troops, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday, in what would be a major defeat for Russia in its invasion of its neighbor.
Austin’s remarks coincided with a Russian-installed official in Kherson region saying Moscow was likely to pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River, signaling a significant retreat, if confirmed.
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“On the issue of whether the Ukrainians can take the remaining territory on the west side of the Dnipro river and in Kherson, I certainly believe that they have the capability to do that,” Austin told a news conference at the Pentagon.

“Most importantly, the Ukrainians believe they have the capability to do that. We have seen them engage in a very methodical but effective effort to take back their sovereign territory.”


There are also rumors from Ukraine that Sullivan has pressed Zelensky to launch a Kherson campaign as soon as possible. Zelensky is said to have agreed to do so.

But the Ukrainian army does not want to do that - at least not now. The Russian troops in the area have been reinforced. The fields are muddy and can not be crossed by heavy vehicles. Russian artillery attacks destroy equipment pre-positioned for the attack before it is ready to come near the front line.

The Ukrainian military has for weeks tried probing attacks in the Kherson region. These had no significant results while the attacking units had high losses. The units deployed around the region have been there since early October or longer. The Military Land deployment map shows only one unit that arrived just five days ago. The 98th Azov battalion, one of the fascist volunteer forces, has been positioned in the back of 128th Mountain Assault Brigade which, in recent weeks, has had some of the most serious losses.

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The use of such 'nationalist' forces to prevent the retreat of exhausted front line units has been a regular occurrence in this war.

Ukraine has for weeks had no success on the battle field. Washington wants it to show such a success so that it can tell its allies that the war can be won by the Ukrainian side. The push for an attack on Kherson is again part of the overall campaign to convince Europeans that they should sustain the efforts to arm and support Ukraine.

The campaign is misleading. Ukraine is losing the war badly. But the U.S. wants to fight Russia down to the last Ukrainian - and down to the last Euro.

Posted by b on November 7, 2022 at 15:42 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/11/u ... .html#more

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Canadian Professor Attacked by Mainstream Media for Opposing NATO Narrative on Ukraine
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 6, 2022
Aidan Jonah

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The “Carley Affair” can act as a warning of what to expect as the U.S. harbors more Ukrainian refugees.

A highly regarded Russia specialist in Canada, Professor Michael Carley at the University of Montreal, has refused to support the NATO narrative on the Ukraine conflict and has since been subjected to a vicious smear campaign.

Canada’s role in the Ukraine conflict and the power of the right-wing Ukrainian diaspora in Canada may be underestimated, according to the vitriol we have seen directed at Professor Carley. He is among the first in Canada to feel the wrath of the country’s mainstream media, after Russia’s special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.

To grasp why the gripes of this diaspora have received such attention and consideration from Canadian media, it is first necessary to understand how the right-wing element of Ukrainian-Canadians gained dominance over the diaspora. While the experience is similar in the U.S., Canada has been a haven par excellence for Ukrainian fascists. Thus, the “Carley Affair” can act as a warning of what to expect as the U.S. harbors more Ukrainian refugees.

Canadian Parliament and media united in anti-Russia attitude

Canada’s parliamentarians have been united in condemnation of Russia and support for Ukraine.

This intensified following Russia’s recognition on February 21, 2022, of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The next day, the Liberal government imposed “new prohibitions on direct and indirect dealings in Russian sovereign debt” and promised to send “up to an additional 460 personnel” to join Canadian military forces participating in NATO’s Operation Reassurance in Europe.

The government has “authorized approximately 3,400 Canadian Armed Forces personnel across all branches of the service to deploy to the NATO Response Force should they be required by NATO.” After Russia’s SMO began, on the same day, the Liberal government sanctioned additional Russian government officials and further restricted exports to Russia.

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Canadian Armed Forces after their arrival in Ukraine. [Source: theglobeandmail.com]

On March 15, Canada’s Parliament invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to deliver a speech. It received unanimous applause and complete support.

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed parliamentarians about the plight of his country and its people on Tuesday, March 15, 2022.Volodymyr Zelensky addressing Canadian Parliament. [Source: sencanada.ca]

On April 27, MP Heather McPherson of the New Democratic Party (Canada’s social democratic party, the third largest in Parliament and currently in a governing agreement with the Liberal Party of Canada) succeeded in passing a motion in Parliament with unanimous support declaring that Russia was committing a “genocide” in the midst of its SMO in Ukraine.

International lawyer Chris Black noted in an article for The Canada Files: “McPherson is always ready to assist the Americans in their attempt to dominate the world. She made similar allegations against China regarding the Uighurs based on ‘evidence’ produced by CIA-front, National Endowment for Democracy-funded groups and other U.S. government funded organizations.”

Black went further, noting the farcical nature of McPherson’s claims and demands:

“There is no point in discussing the examples the Canadian MP referred to in presenting her motion; it was just a litany of false claims, most already disproved, and none of which could amount to genocide under any legal definition. She even (at 2:27 in the clip) admitted this when a reporter for one of the mass media pointed out that the American government has refused to condemn Russia for genocide as there is not sufficient and reliable evidence of such actions and none of intent which is required to found such a charge. But, she stated, again displaying her motion was meant as a propaganda exercise against Russia, that she knew that but that “someone had to take action.” In other words, the Americans know they could not make such a claim and have any credibility, so they got their flunkies in Canada to do it along with their flunkies in Latvia, who soon followed suit.

She then added that Canada should send more money to the International Criminal Court so that the prosecutor there would take action, not seeming to blush at the fact she was really calling for offering a bribe to the ICC prosecutor for his cooperation. But then again, Canada’s government and parliamentarians are used to trying to control prosecutions and trials at tribunals as they did at the ICTY and ICTR, both of which were essentially NATO tribunals designed to fix blame on scapegoats for the crimes of the western nations involved in those wars.”

The Canadian mainstream media joined in the parliamentary obedience, refusing to challenge NATO narratives on Russia’s SMO. This obedience from both Parliament and the mainstream media set the table for the Canadian government to go heavy on sanctions against Russia and provision of military aid to Ukraine.

The Canadian government drove the coalition-building process necessary to have the West cut Russia off from the SWIFT international banking payment system. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland personally reached out to the U.S. government on the day Russia’s SMO began, to propose cutting off Russia from foreign reserves worth $640 billion USD. On the same day, Prime Minister Trudeau pitched the idea to other G7 leaders, and the day after to European leaders.

As of September 25, 2022, the Canadian state-run Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News noted that Canada has “committed or delivered $626 million in military aid to Ukraine” since the beginning of Russia’s SMO. It further noted that “Canadian forces have been responsible for delivering four million pounds of cargo since March,” which includes Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) Turrets, Infantry Mobility Vehicles (IMVs), assault weapons, ammunition and more. Canada is promising to boost its capacity at a Scotland-based shipping hub that was once the site of a CIA rendition way-station, to speed up arms deliveries to Ukraine, to include 39 armored troop carriers.

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Combat support vehicle provided by Canada’s Liberal government to Ukraine. [Source: oryxspioenkop.com]

How did Canada’s far-right Ukrainian diaspora, whose influence on Canadian politics drives coverage by Canadian MSM, form?

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is the prime right-wing Ukrainian diaspora group in Canada and has had significant influence on Canadian policy toward Ukraine for decades.

The UCC is mainly the product of right-wing Ukrainian ex-Nazi battalion members and their families, who were welcomed into Canada after World War II.

Richard Sanders, founder of the Coalition Against the Arms Trade magazine, has explained that the Canadian government orchestrated the founding of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (originally called Ukrainian Canadian Committee) in 1940. Its purpose was “to rally all anti-Communist Ukrainians into one body in order to squash the then-powerful influence of left-wing Ukrainians whose forebears had come to Canada during earlier waves of migration.”

The UCC’s website reveals that its founding was ensured by the support of Canada’s National War Services body, which Sanders explains “was anxious that young Ukrainians enlist in military services.”

After World War II, in opposition to the UCC, the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC), “a progressive organisation which includes social democrats, socialists and communists,” opposed the Canadian government’s desire, supported by the UCC, to allow the immigration into Canada of thousands of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators into Canada.

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As Sanders explained, the AUUC was viciously punished due to its left-wing politics: “Tons of books from AUUC libraries were literally burned, its leaders arrested, and its printing presses and Labour Temples (meeting halls) were seized [via the War Measures Act]. In some cases, these were even turned over to ultranationalists associated with Ukrainian Canadian Congress.”In addition to an initial welcoming in 1950 of between 1,200 to 2,000 Ukrainian Waffen SS members in 1950 (the SS was the “elite” guard of Nazi Germany’s military), the Canadian government “had released thousands of Ukrainian SS veterans from UK internment camps by granting them Canadian citizenship.”Over the following decades, the Canadian government would continue to support the Nazi-collaborator sympathizing and -collaborator Ukrainian right in Canada while secretly plotting (via Operation PROFUNC) to round up thousands of left-wing Canadians, including citizens who were active in the AUUC.

Thanks to Canadian government support, the UCC and its member organizations were able to gain hegemony over the Ukrainian-Canadian diaspora. With its hegemony, the UCC and right-wing Ukrainian Canadians have been able to ensure that Canadian media coverage of Ukraine-related stories is to its liking.

Carley Under Fire

Michael J. Carley is a professor in the University of Montreal’s Department of History. He is a specialist in the history of the USSR and Russia. Carley’s politics are expressly progressive. He was born in the United States and was involved in protests against the Vietnam war and for civil rights of Black people during the 1960s, before he came to Canada in 1967.

The Canada Files Contributing Editor, Arnold August, explained Carley’s work extensively in a May 2022 article for TCF titled “Ukraine-Russia: Sanctions against a ‘pro-Russian’ professor from the University of Montreal, or freedom of speech?”

August writes, “Professor Carley is a specialist in international relations in the 20th century and on the history of Russia and the Soviet Union. His research interests focus on relations of the Soviet Union with Western Europe and the United States between 1917 and 1945. He is the author of three books (two of which have been translated into several languages) and about 100 articles and essays on French intervention in the Russian Civil War (1917-1921), on Soviet relations with the Great Powers between the two world wars, on questions of ‘appeasement,’ on the origins and conduct of the Second World War, and on topical issues. He is the author of over 115 book chapters, and his articles has been the recipient of some 15 awards. His works have been published in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia and elsewhere, and translated into a dozen languages.”

Before Carley came under attack, he was a member of the Centre d’études et de recherches internationales de l’Université de Montréal (CERIUM, the Centre for International Studies and Research at the University of Montreal).

August’s article—whose conclusions were endorsed by Alfred de Zayas and Holocaust survivor Suzanne Weiss,–continued: “Professor Carley has recently worked on two major book projects. The first deals with the confrontation between Soviet Russia/USSR and the West from 1917 to 1930. This work, entitled Silent Conflict: A Hidden History of Early Soviet-Western Relations, was published in 2014 by the American publisher, Rowman & Littlefield. The French translation, Une guerre sourde : L’émergence de l’Union soviétique et les puissances occidentales was published by PUM (Presses de l’Université de Montréal) in 2016. A Russian translation was published in 2019.

The second project, supported by a major research grant from the Canadian government think tank, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, focuses on the origins and creation of the ‘Grand Alliance’ against Nazi Germany during World War II. Writing of this second work is now complete in three volumes (1930-1941). Vol. 1 of his trilogy has been accepted for publication. The working title of the trilogy is ‘A Near-Run Thing: The Improbable Grand Alliance of World War II.’ He speaks, reads, and writes English and French, and he reads Russian.”

Carley did not come under fire until Russia began its Special Military Operation in Ukraine. The furor against him began via journalist Romain Schué Radio-Canada (RDI), the French language, state-funded CBC radio and television outlet in Canada. Schué’s hit-job article (translated from French here) on Carley was published on March 23.

The anger against Carley came because he refused to back away from the facts on the true nature of the Ukrainian Maidan regime that came to power in the violent coup of 2014 in Ukraine. He had stated that neo-Nazi militias, including the “Azov Battalion,” were blocking civilian evacuations and that Russia’s SMO involved clearing out the Azovstal factory and both the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics of neo-Nazis.

Carley also stated that the Maidan regime is extremely reliant on neo-Nazi militias to maintain control and fight Russia and allows the targeting of dissident Ukrainians by neo-Nazi militias. He says the narrative of a Russian “massacre” in the small city of Bucha in March 2022 was false, since all Russian troops were gone three days before Ukraine claims a massacre of civilians took place.

Facts indicate that the anti-Carley offensive was the result of collaboration of the state-funded media outlet with vigorous promoter of the Nazi-infested Ukrainian government, Ukrainian-Canadian University of Montreal student Katia Sviderskaya.

She was favorably quoted in Schué’s original article and has co-sponsored a petition (English version attached here) against Carley based on that same article, and in its turn promoted by Schué in a later update to the article, implicitly suggesting that Carley be removed from CERIUM and be suspended or fired from the university proper.

This entanglement, with a common objective, consists of open collaboration of the state-funded media with a Ukrainian Nazi-promoter in Canada, bringing into question the “journalism” of Schué, and thus the state-funded outlet.

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In a Facebook post by Sviderskaya, she exposes herself as a right-wing nationalist and apologist of the Nazi-infested Zelensky regime. She states “Ukraine was, is, and always will be the center of the free world.”

Her petition included another line of attack against Carley: that he is willing to engage with, and share or utilize where valuable, information from Russian media such as Sputnik and RT and Russian government institutions. Comically, Sviderskaya’s petition claims that it does not ask the University of Montreal to take a political position and is in line with the values of academic freedom.

Carley’s lawyer noted that, in Canada, the Cloutier Commission report of 2021 (a commission set up to focus on questions around academic freedom in Quebec) defined “academic freedom as the freedom to teach and discuss, but also as the freedom to express one’s opinion.”

Sviderskaya’s petition and the coordinated efforts with Schué were the perfect excuse for other Canadian mainstream media outlets to join the campaign against Professor Carley (all referenced articles viewable in English). Soon the most important French language daily in Quebec, the online La Presse, would cover this petition, followed by The Globe and Mail (the largest national-circulation newspaper and one of the two main English-language outlets in Canada), the daily Journal de Montreal and then the Montreal Gazette (the city’s English-language print daily). The case would even reach the attention of U.S.-based news outlet Newsweek.

Sviderskaya and all the news outlets that ganged up on Carley had a unified implicit goal: to get him fired from the University of Montreal and ruin his professional career for daring to reject the NATO narrative on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This would serve as a warning for academics in Canada and also in the U.S.

While Carley has managed to fight off any attempts to suspend or fire him, he was removed from CERIUM by its director as a result of the pressure campaign against him. Needless to say, many dozens of Russia “experts” (and not even experts) from Canada and the U.S. are regularly paraded by the Canadian media. They all have in common the promotion of the U.S.-Canada-NATO narrative. On the other hand, we never see one of the real top experts—if not the top one—in Canada and the U.S. and that speaks English and French: Professor Carley.

After more then five months of resistance by Carley and his supporters at the university and elsewhere, a significant breakthrough finally took place. On September 7, 2022, the second most important French-language daily in Quebec, Le Devoir, published an op-ed that courageously challenged the NATO/U.S./Canada airtight narrative on Ukraine. Titled “From endless wars to permanent war” (PDF English version here), the authors are Samir Saul (Professor of History, Université de Montréal) and Michel Seymour (Retired Professor of Philosophy, Université de Montréal).It is important to note that Carley has been vocal in writing about the Maidan regime for alternative media outlets such as Strategic Culture Foundation, which has been targeted and intimidated by the U.S. government itself. Canada, and the far-right Ukrainian diaspora here, has a less well-known role in getting the Maidan regime in power.

The far-right Ukrainian diaspora’s role in Canada and Ukraine, from the end of the Cold War onwards

When Mikhail Gorbachev betrayed socialism in the USSR and implemented his “Perestroika” policies seeking peace and accommodation with the rapacious Western powers during the mid-1980s, the right-wing Ukrainian-Canadian organizations took advantage of the opportunity in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic to insert spies and Ukrainian nationalists there. They would go on to lead protest movements against the Soviet Union and cheer with joy when the USSR was dissolved.

When an independent Ukraine still retained close trade and relations with the Russian Federation, the right-wing extremists in the UCC chose to collaborate yet again with Canada’s government with a view to getting Viktor Yuschenko elected in the highly contested 2004 Ukrainian election. He was brought to power on the back of the Western-backed and financed “Orange Revolution,” which the Canadian government and the UCC backed. The “Orange” protests sought to block the election of Viktor Yanukovych, who was supported by those opposing the militant, anti-Russia politics of the far right.

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Viktor Yuschenko leading Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. [Source: atlanticcouncil.org]

A 2007 article from The Globe and Mail revealed the extent of Canadian interference in Ukraine’s 2004 elections. Canada’s ambassador to Ukraine collaborated with 28 other countries for donor coordination sessions. Canada’s embassy raised funds to help veterans of Otpor (Serbia) and Kmara (Georgia), color revolution specialists, to train Ukrainian groups that planned to protest if Yuschenko did not win the upcoming election. Pora, the civic youth organization which was a key organizer of the Orange Revolution, received its first donation of $30,000 USD via Canada’s embassy in Ukraine.

Canadian election observers were also extremely partisan in favor of Yuschenko. An election re-run came after the first round of Ukrainian election results had neither candidate hitting the required 50%-plus-one percentage to win. For that re-run, which culminated on December 26, Canada sent 500 observers to oversee it at a cost of $3 million CAD. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress sent another 500 observers on its own dime. Canadian election observers were openly cheering on the Orange Revolution, and one even spoke at a Yuschenko rally.

In the aforementioned Globe and Mail article, Mychailo Wynnyckyj, who served as an election observer, admitted that “we were told not to arrive wearing orange, but there was no doubt who everybody was supporting. Of the 500 observers supported by the Canadian government, maybe 100 were, in their hearts, truly impartial.” Many observers showed up in Ukraine in orange, the opposition’s signature color.

The Globe and Mail article notes that one election observer, former Canadian MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, “also invested some of his own fortune, funding election observation missions to Ukraine through the University of Alberta with $250,000 from his family foundation. He opened his spacious apartment in central Kyiv so those sleeping in tents could get an occasional shower.”

Wrzesnewskyj acted as “a conduit between Mr. Martin and Mr. Yushchenko, whom he had introduced in Canada several years earlier, and persuaded the prime minister to read a dramatic statement in the House of Commons” that condemned Russia’s alleged meddling in Ukraine. Election observers such as Wrzesnewskyj would be praised by Prime Minister Paul Martin at the opening of a Ukrainian Canadian Congress office in Winnipeg.

On January 23, 2005, after months in the street, the Orange Revolution won out, and Viktor Yuschenko was declared president of Ukraine. Still, by 2006, the “pro-Russian” politician Viktor Yanukovych’s party got a parliamentary majority, and in 2010 he was elected as president of Ukraine. In 2013, Yanukovych’s government chose to accept a condition-free $15 billion bailout deal from Russia, where Russia cut gas prices by one-third. The EU had offered a far worse deal for further trade integration into the bloc, which would have forced Ukraine to hike prices of fuel and other key goods. The Canadian government and the UCC found this unacceptable.

Then came the U.S.-orchestrated Euromaidan protests in favor of the EU trade deal. These protests, which called for Yanukovych’s resignation, began in November 2013. These protests turned into a violent right-wing coup whose force was mainly provided by neo-Nazi militias, which even tried to assassinate former President Yanukovych. They installed the Maidan regime into power in February 2014.

Ken Stone, treasurer of the Canada-based Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, explained Canada’s open support for the Maidan coup in an article for The Canada Files:

The Canadian government spent $1 billion CAD promoting the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004 and the Maidan coup of 2014. During the Maidan insurrection, the Harper Government strongly supported the Nazi-ridden insurrection in the Maidan square:

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Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in the Maidan Square uprising in Kyiv in December 2013. [Source: cbc.ca]

Stone notes that “Following the coup, successive governments of Canada recognized the junta and proceeded to pour Canadian taxpayers’ dollars, to the tune of at least $700 million. CAD, plus arms, into Ukraine from 2014 to the present. It also sent over 200 trainers for the Ukrainian army, dispatched Canadian special forces to Ukraine, and supported Ukraine with Canadian warships in the Black Sea.”

Though Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president in 2019 on the promise of peace with breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, formerly oblasts (provinces) in eastern Ukraine before the 2014 coup, the authoritarian Maidan regime remained in place and his policy and military decisions soon closely mirrored his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko.

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has remained steadfast in its support of Zelensky, after he quickly broke his vague election promises of peace. It has lobbied the Canadian government and met with Canadian government officials consistently since 2020 to urge them to increase aid and cooperation with Ukraine.

Danger for the United States

Moss Robeson, an activist and writer who opposes the influence of extreme right-wing Ukrainians, has written extensively about this element of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States. The difference is that the U.S.-based diaspora does not have as direct an influence on the government in the way that Canada’s right-wing Ukrainian diaspora does.

As uncritical NATO narratives are parroted across the U.S. mainstream media and even some left media bows to the pressure to condemn Russia, this is an opportunity for right-wing Ukrainian diaspora organizations to seek direct connections and funding from the U.S. government.

Grave danger is already faced by the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) in the U.S. for rejecting the NATO narrative on Ukraine. APSP was targeted by multiple FBI raids on July 29, 2022, with the Biden administration enabling assaults on anti-imperialist organizations in the U.S., a stance condemned by the Black Alliance for Peace. As of September 22, a delegation of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion was visiting the USA.

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Scene from military-style raid outside Omali Yeshitela’s home on July 29. Yeshitela is head of the African People’s Socialist Party in St. Louis. [Source: Photo courtesy of Burning Spear Media]

With entire anti-imperialist organizations under attack, individual academics in the U.S. could very easily face similar waves of attack as Carley did, but even worse because of a xenophobic FBI on the prowl for “Russian interference.”

Carley and resistance to NATO narratives

Professor Michael Carley has faced serious attacks on his reputation and career and was even dropped from the University of Montreal’s research institute (CERIUM) for standing strong on his principles and condemning the Nazi-infested Maidan regime, as even many left writers and organizations bow to the pressure to condemn Russia.

Attacks on Carley come in the context of a right-wing Ukrainian diaspora in Canada that has been backed by the government since its head organization, the UCC, was founded in 1940.

Originally used as a battering ram against communism and left-wing Ukrainians in Canada, the UCC has grown to significantly influence Canadian politics and the two major Canadian political parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives, with Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland being a direct UCC connection to the very height of Canadian political power.

There is no guarantee that Carley will not face further attacks. The hysteria that will accompany Ukrainian military failures may get directed against those who reject the NATO narrative on Russia’s Special Military Operation. Carley is among those who can face ire yet again. If Carley isn’t defended, the door swings open for similar campaigns against any North American academic who speaks up.

At a time when there is so much discussion and confusion in North America and elsewhere on the spurious so-called equivalence of “communism and fascism,” supposedly as a result of the 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov Non-Aggression Pact, the University of Toronto just announced the publication of Carley’s latest book: “Stalin’s Gamble: The Search for Allies against Hitler, 1930–1936.”

People may justly wonder: What kind of a world are we living in when a Nazi collaborator and a U.S. State Department stenographer such as Schué is allowed to predominate over an expert such as Professor Carley?

All this comes amid a shift toward a multipolar world, regardless of the delusions of NATO countries and their puppets who claim otherwise. Anti-imperialist countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, Vietnam, the DPRK, Syria, Yemen and more are seeking to de-dollarize and ignore U.S. sanctions that could previously cripple nations.

The ability of maintaining U.S. hegemony, prized by Washington, is slowly slipping away, a clear example being how China ramped up trade with Russia as Western sanctions piled up, and succeeded in significantly softening the impact of Western sanctions. Meanwhile, Iran, in 2020, joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, after striking a 25-year, $400 billion economic cooperation deal with China.

The multipolar world is coming; the people in the imperial core such as Professor Michael Carley, who genuinely support this goal for the future, should be firmly supported.

Act now or live in regret later.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... n-ukraine/

*****

Ukraine Population Estimation and Demographic Prospects
November 7, 15:22

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Ukraine Population Estimation and Demographic Prospects

Initial data

The State of Ukraine for February 2014 publishes information about the population of all regions - 45245.9 thousand people. Subtracting 2384 thousand (the population of Crimea and Sevastopol as of February 2014) we get 42861 thousand - the list population of Ukraine as of February 2014.

Further, in subsequent years, all published tables of Ukrstat report on the population of Ukraine, excluding Crimea and Sevastopol.

It should be noted that even Ukrstat for the reporting periods shows figures that differ by almost + -100 thousand on an annualized basis when taking into account those born or living on the reporting date.

Yes, we know that in the DPR and LPR half of the population actually does not live in the republics, we know that in Ukraine a million people live permanently in Poland and other countries. But in the absence of other figures, we take the benchmarks indicated by official statistics. And we keep the rest in mind as correction factors.

Population of LDNR

Ukrstat believes that as of January 2022, the population of Ukraine is 40,997 thousand. What catches your eye when looking at data by region at the beginning of 2022? The population of the Donetsk region (4059 thousand), Luhansk (2102 thousand). We compare the data of Ukrstat for January 2014, in which the population of the Donetsk region (4338 thousand), Luhansk region (2236 thousand). Too little difference since 2014, given that half of the territories of the regions are not controlled. Thus, all these years, Ukrstat took into account the entire population of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the total number of inhabitants.

For 2022, there is information on the Internet about the population of the DPR - 2.2 million, LPR - 1.4 million. The calculation of the population was carried out according to the All-Ukrainian census of 2001, taking into account the data of the registry office of the Ministry of Justice of the DPR and the Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR, so no particular reliance should be placed on their reliability. However, this figure may suggest how many residents can be excluded from the count of the number of residents in the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by Ukraine.

If we subtract from the figure of Ukrstat 40997 thousand published by the authorities of the DPR and LPR the number of inhabitants in the republics for 2022, then we get 37397 thousand of the population of Ukraine.

Some of the LiveJournalists also keep their own records ( https://sevabashirov.livejournal.com/371599.html, for example) .... for 2019 - 38.217 million (LJ author's note: this figure was obtained by subtracting the population in cities and districts of Donbass outside the control of Ukraine, using regional data on pop-stat.mashke.org).

Estimation before the start of the SVO

The publication of Ukrstat data on the birth of 271,000 people in 2021 and the birth rate of 7.3 per 1,000 people can suggest the population of the controlled territory of Ukraine. Consequently, the population for calculating the specific birth rate is just over 37,000 thousand people (271,000/7.1=37,123 thousand people).

We can add to this number the official number of IDPs recorded by Ukrainian authorities in 2014-2017, approximately 700 thousand people. Based on this, we obtain an average figure of 38 million of the actual population of Ukraine before the start of the NWO.

After the start of the SVO

At the beginning of 2022, Ukrstat reports about 40997 thousand people (including the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and excluding the population of Crimea and Sevastopol). Let's subtract some of the territories not controlled by Ukraine.
By the end of 2022, the Russian Federation controls the Lugansk region (-2102 thousand from the population of U. At the beginning of 2022).

From the list of the population of the Donetsk region (Ukrstat data 4059 thousand), we subtract the list number of residents of the DPR (-2200 thousand), also in the DPR, a number of large settlements got out of control of Ukraine: Mariupol (-461 thousand people), Volnovakha (- 20 thousand), Svetlodarsk (-11 thousand), rural areas are not counted. Excluding the territories not controlled by Ukraine, we will agree on 1360 thousand people. in the Donetsk region controlled by Ukraine on a list, or -2699 thousand people. of the population of Ukraine at the beginning of 2022.

Kherson region, we consider it sailed away in full force (-1001 thousand people).

Of the total population of 1638 thousand Zaporozhye region, part is controlled by the Russian Federation, except for Zaporozhye (770 thousand people), Orekhov (13 thousand), Gulyaipol (13 thousand), Volnyansk (14 thousand). It turns out over 810 thousand controlled by Ukraine (without accounting of villages), Total -800 thousand people. for Ukraine in the Zaporozhye region from the beginning of 2022.

Approximately so on the papers of statisticians: from January 2022 from 40997 thousand -2699 thousand (DPR); -2102 thousand (Meadow); -1001 thousand (dick); - 800 thousand (Zap) = 34395 thousand of the population assigned to the list for the regions, communities controlled by Ukraine. As always, we can spin + -1 million in any direction, that is, 34-35 million. Rounding up: 35,000 thousand people. This is 85% of the headcount of Ukraine at the beginning of 2022. We can stop at this number.

The Refugee Factor

Novaya Gazeta reports:S

According to the UNHCR, 14,325,424 people have arrived in neighboring countries since the start of the special military operation of the Russian Federation from Ukraine on February 24. At the same time, 6,941,852 people crossed the border in the opposite direction. (difference 14325 thousand-6941 thousand = 7384 thousand has not returned yet).

Here is such a spread, we believe that a small number left the territories controlled by Kyiv in the Russian Federation. Among the 2,852,395 refugees in the Russian Federation, the vast majority are people from territories controlled by the Russian Federation.

Thus, from the number of 34,395,000 people registered outside Ukraine, we can subtract a maximum of 7,384,000 and a minimum of 4,406,000 refugees who left outside the Russian Federation. And an average of 6 million.



Now the list fork of the population located on the territory of Ukraine, after excluding refugees from the count of refugees, is from 27,011

thousand to 29,989 thousand. It's not just for now, it's for the future.

Ukrstat divides the population into age groups

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Here you can see 7348.5 thousand children (0-17 years old), active labor population (18-59 years old, subtract 60+ category from the 18+ category) 23496.8 thousand people, and population over 60 years old (10152.4 thousand people).

We looked at how the population of Ukraine is divided by age. Let's look to the future. That, in fact, for which the SVO was started. From the second France to make the second Romania, but better than Bulgaria.

Ukrstat reports that in 2021, 7.3 people were born per 1000 nayavnyh population.

We count at the end of 2022.

Option 1: counting the number of inhabitants of Ukraine as 35,000 thousand, 255 thousand people will be born next year.

Option 2: counting the refugees who left to the maximum (-6,000 thousand people) and a population of 29,000 thousand people. 211 thousand people will be born on the territory controlled by Ukraine.

Option 2.1: counting the refugees who left at a minimum (-4,000 thousand people) and a population of 31,000 thousand people. 226 thousand people will be born on the territory controlled by Ukraine.

Option 3: pure guesswork.

The number of inhabitants converges with Option 1 (approximately 35,000 thousand people). There is a nuance in the gender composition.

We take from Ukrstat the number of live births per 1000 women of the second half of life in 2021, which was 31.3 for the age of 15-49 years and calculate the estimated number of remaining women aged 15-49 years to estimate the birth.

We accept the assumption that refugees abroad are highly mobile people / hunkers with incomes. Then pensioners, people over 60 years old, may not be included in the category of those who have left. Let's also accept the fact that a disproportionately large number of women of childbearing age went abroad, since men were not allowed out, they were drafted into the army and TD.

https://inosmi.ru/20220920/bezhentsy-256213607.html for example writes the following:

……..So, what is it, a portrait of a refugee? A woman with children and a diploma.

This is a woman (only 18% of Ukrainians who came to the EU are men), her age is from 25 to 44 years, and it is likely that she is married (every second left her spouse in Ukraine). It is very likely that she came from a city or small town (88%) and took one or two children with her (three-quarters of the refugees). She is also looking for an opportunity to verify her diploma of higher education in Europe - 58% of all migrants have it……….

The version about the mass departure of fertile women is confirmed. The article describes that 18% of the refugees are non-women, so 82% are women. Even if they are counted as women and children, they are the vast majority. As the lowest threshold, we consider the figure of 2/3 of the number of women among the refugees to be acceptable, we will try to use this proportion in the future.

The first Internet link that came across on the proportions of the population of Ukraine reports that for the population of Ukraine at 43,000 thousand people (counting with the Crimea and the Novorossiysk regions). This is a demo counter, but there is no other data.

Women of Ukraine by age

0-14 years old 3,238,950 15-29 years old

3,246,591

30-44 years old 5,038,221

45-59 years old

4,764,875 60-74 years old

4,584,147 75-89 years old 2,000,233

90+ years old 162 726

It is interesting that from 45 to 49 years old in Ukrainian women the birth rate is 0.8 per 1000 women of this age (1 million such women will give birth to an average of 800 people), we suggest removing ages 45-49 from the calculation, their weight in the total number of births is small. We leave women aged 15-44.

3246+5038=8284 thousand women of childbearing age (with a coefficient of 31.3, they would give birth to 259 thousand people, which approximately +- corresponds to the birth rate of Ukraine in recent years). This is with the number of women per population of 43,000 thousand.

Hocus pocus voila:

If there are 6,000 thousand refugees. and at least 2/3 of the refugees out of 6,000 thousand people. If these are women of childbearing age, then about 4300 thousand women aged 18-44 (8284-4000) will remain on the territory of Ukraine, with a coefficient of 31, and the number of births on the territory of controlled Ukraine will be about 130 thousand.

If there are 4,000 thousand refugees, and at least 2/3 of the refugees from 4,000 thousand people. If these are women of childbearing age, then about 5680 thousand people will remain on the territory of Ukraine. women (8284-2600), with a coefficient of 31, and the number of births in the territory of controlled Ukraine will be about 180 thousand.

However, it is worth considering that the figures from the two paragraphs above are taken for a population of 43,000 thousand people, since other data on the number there are no women aged 15-44. The approximate number of the resident population of Ukraine in the controlled territories has been established as 35,000 thousand people. Which is about 20% less than 43,000 thousand (43,000*0.8=35,000). If we take into account the number of women aged 15-44 in relation to 35,000 thousand of the existing population, and not to 43,000 thousand, then there should be 0.8 of the base number of fertile women, which is 6600 thousand people. age 15-44 from a population of 35,000 thousand

We apply focus-pocus voila to Ukraine with a population of 35,000 thousand people (what Ukraine controls):

- with 6,000 thousand refugees (2/3 of them women), then it remains on the territory of Ukraine (8284 * 0.8-4000) = 2600 thousand women of childbearing age and 80 thousand births

- with 4000 thousand refugees (2/3 women), then remains on the territory of Ukraine (8284 * 0.8-2600) = 4000 thousand women of childbearing age and 125 thousand births

, as you can see, the uncertainty with the number of millions of refugees gives a wide spread.

Not taken into account: increased mortality during the database, mass departure of guest workers in previous years, postponement of births due to the unstable situation, death of potential fathers.

Results. Perspectives.

By the beginning of 2022, 38 million people lived on the territory of Ukraine, by the end of 2022 there will be a maximum of 30 million people, a minimum of 27 million people.

If we complete the NWO with Minsk-3 now, then in 2023 about 250 thousand people will be born.

If refugees of different ages do not return during the winter, the number of births will be approximately 210 thousand people.

If there are 6 million refugees to the West, and most of them are women and children, then about 130 thousand people will be born on the territory of Ukraine. And since all demographic figures are published taking into account the population of all of Ukraine and its former parts, we confidently put on 100 thousand.

The most negative demographic scenario, the departure of 6,000 thousand people. as refugees of the non-pension population for a period of at least a year, respectively, reducing the number of births to double digits.

From the negative. In 2023, someone in Ukraine will need to support more than 10 million people over the age of 60, I hope this is not our budget.

If there is a statesman in Russia who has implemented a program to move to the Russian Federation from each controlled region of Ukraine at least 50 thousand people. aged 0-40 years, and restricting the movement of persons over 40 years of age to the Russian Federation, then in the next 10-15 years the problem of the South-Western center of power will be solved.

From the goals of the NWO: the future is determined not by the number of deaths, but by the number of births. This is a human resource living on the ground in 10-20-30 years.

https://lostarmour.info/articles/ukraine-population - zinc

Refined calculations https://sevabashirov.livejournal.com/534254.html give 23-26 mln.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7958596.html

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"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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blindpig
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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:18 pm

blood and hypocrisy
POSTED BY @NSANZO ⋅ 09/11/2022

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While the fate of Kherson is still being discussed, whether the city will be abandoned by Russian troops or fought for, and what will happen later, whether Russia will seek a negotiation with Ukraine, which can currently only be in a position of weakness , or if the conflict will continue without any sign of cooling down, the population of Donbass continues to suffer from a war that, for them, began eight and a half years ago. This week, Ukrainian troops have again used Western artillery to burn down the Donbass capital Donetsk, where they attacked the train station building. An attack with no more sense than to destroy: carried out at night, the building was empty and the attacks on the adjacent buildings are not going to paralyze the little railway traffic in Donbass. This is just one more attack of the many that take place daily in a city whose life is now more dangerous than ever and in which the population suffers from deficiencies that are criticized in the case of taking place in Ukrainian cities, but that it is hidden when they occur only in Donbass. The lack of water, the extreme economic difficulties, the doubt about whether or not there will be heating in the apartments this winter or the constant trickle of death and destruction do not cause surprise or outrage when they occur on that side of the front line.

Original Article: Denis Grigoriuk

In the last six months, thanks to the efforts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there is practically no place or building left in the center of Donetsk that has not been hit by shells from NATO countries. Yes, also in the very center of the city, whose photos the liberals have wanted to use (which coincide with what the Ukrainian manual says) when they want to prove that no one has bombed Donetsk in these eight years. I hope that now you are satisfied with the fact that Donetsk has acquired the visual image that many people have when thinking about what state a military city should really present itself in.

However, for some strange reason, these same people ignore the images of the Donetsk airport, the residential buildings on Stratovnavtov Street, the Iversky monastery, the chipped Khrushchevkas , apartment buildings or single-family homes destroyed by the acts of the Armed Forces. of Ukraine around Donetsk. The picture may not be juicy enough, it may not have been published in the Times , so it seems that it has not happened.

They also do not perceive the damage in the Donbass Arena, attacked for the first time in 2014 and now the Ukrainian soldiers continue to attack. They will have forgotten what happened in the Faner Plaza (whose real name is Green Plaza), a shopping center and office center that has long protected its windows with wood. They do not remember the destroyed wing of the Donetsk Local Museum, which was restored from the rubble, but where explosions still regularly take place.

Not to mention a whole series of smaller towns, such as Uglegorsk, Ilovaisk or Debaltsevo. And Gorlovka and the towns around it, which have been practically wiped off the face of the earth. But it seems that for liberals Donetsk had to look like Grozny, an example of what the holy 90s were like, or even like London under Luftwaffe bombing. Only then would they be satisfied.

Even then they would not have demanded that Ukraine implement the peace accords. It has been seven years [of the Minsk process] and not a single liberal visitor who has come to Ukraine from Russia has made the slightest gesture on the issue of pacifism. Everyone was satisfied with what was available. So you can cry for the fate of the Ukrainian population. Only when they killed only in Donbass, the custom was to keep silent and not say anything about it, but when the battle touched kyiv, Lviv and other cities, it was necessary to shed a tear.

Hypocrisy and bloodlust in the same package. How does it fit in your head?

https://slavyangrad.es/2022/11/09/sangr ... more-25902

Google Translator

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THE NETHERLANDS HAS ISSUED 91 EXEMPTIONS TO EUROPEAN "SANCTIONS" AGAINST RUSSIA
Nov 4, 2022 , 1:21 p.m.

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The port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is one of the most important in Europe (Photo: File)

The Dutch government issued 91 exemptions from the "sanctions" against Russia that it had imposed since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, reports NLTimes . According to the media, the government protected the names of the companies involved, the value of the transactions that were exempt, and the business sectors involved as being "sensitive" information.

According to the officials interviewed, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Affairs, Finance, Infrastructure and Education can grant exemptions to the sanctions to "allow a degree of flexibility in specific cases".

Something similar happened in April when the European Union (EU) banned ships flying the Russian flag from its ports. At that time, exemptions were issued so that 34 ships could access Dutch ports, for example, because they were carrying important cargoes such as aluminum and food.

On this occasion, the Netherlands applies a pragmatism that goes beyond what the European bloc to which it belongs decides. "In the isolated case, transactions were allowed to be carried out in which Russian banks, mostly state-owned, participated," the Dutch media reports.

The Ministry of Finance granted 13 exemptions and the Ministry of Climate and Energy, which reports to Economic Affairs, issued 25 for Dutch organizations to still obtain energy from former Gazprom companies. At least 150 companies and organizations depend on Russian gas.

The Netherlands is among the leading economies in Europe for its nominal and per capita GDP. That it issues exemptions against the "sanctions" imposed on Russia is an indication of how even the most economically powerful cannot follow the logic of the Atlantic bloc.

https://misionverdad.com/paises-bajos-h ... ntra-rusia

Google Translator

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Strikes cut off Kherson's power, water
By REN QI | China Daily | Updated: 2022-11-08 06:53

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Workers remove debris outside a railway administration building damaged in shelling in Donetsk on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]

Kherson was cut off from water and electricity supplies on Sunday after airstrikes on the city, and a key dam in the region was also damaged, local officials said. It is the first time that Kherson has gone without power since the conflict began.

"In Kherson and a number of other areas in the region, there is temporarily no electricity or water supply," the city's administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

It said the loss of power and water was the "result of an attack organized by the Ukrainian side on the Beryslav-Kakhovka highway that saw three concrete poles of high-voltage power lines damaged".

Energy specialists were working to quickly resolve the issue, the Russian-backed authorities said, as they called on residents to "remain calm".

But Yaroslav Yanushevych, a Ukrainian official, blamed Russia for the power outages.

He said that in the city of Beryslav around 1.5 kilometers of electric power lines had been destroyed, leaving the area without power entirely because the "damage is quite extensive".

News of the outage followed reports that the Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region was damaged by a Ukrainian strike.

Russian news agencies quoted local emergency services as saying that six HIMARS rockets struck on Sunday morning, and air defense units shot down five missiles. But one hit a lock of the dam.

The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam was captured by Moscow's forces at the start of the conflict. It supplies Crimea with water. Ukraine in recent weeks warned that Russia's forces intended to blow up the strategic facility to cause flooding.

In an address on Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is gearing up for renewed attacks on its energy infrastructure as 4.5 million residents of Kyiv and nearby towns were left without electricity.

He said the country was aware that Russia is concentrating its forces for a possible repetition of recent massive attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, primarily energy.

In another development, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has held undisclosed talks with top Russian officials in hopes of reducing the risk that the conflict in Ukraine spills over or escalates into a nuclear conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The newspaper cited US and allied officials as saying that Sullivan, President Joe Biden's top aide on national security, held confidential conversations in recent months with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Sullivan's counterpart, that were not disclosed publicly.

Neither the White House nor the Kremlin confirmed the newspaper's report and The Wall Street Journal said the officials did not provide the dates or the number of calls.

Agencies contributed to this story.

REN QI in Moscow

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/20221 ... 74964.html

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Russia announces capture of Ukrainian terrorist commando

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Russian security forces seized a car bomb, five kilograms of plastic explosives and other sabotage materials. | Photo: Latin Press
Published November 8, 2022 (6 hours 4 minutes ago)

The nine-man group was planning attacks on high-ranking officials in Kherson.

The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) announced on Tuesday that it had dismantled what it identified as a Ukrainian sabotage command that projected attacks against senior officers and administrative in the province of Jersón.

According to the statement, nine Ukrainian citizens were captured, but not their three alleged supervisors, agents of the special services that were out of Russia.

The entity reports more than five kilograms of seized plastic explosives, execution devices, electric detonators, three grenades, light weapons, ammunition and means of espionage.


According to the source, the detainees will remain in custody while the investigation is carried out for an alleged crime of "international terrorism", contained in article 361 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.


In addition, they say they have located and deactivated a car bomb that would have been used for their actions.

The territory of Kherson passed from the Ukraine to Russia at the end of last September, as a result of a referendum with incontestable results.

That same day and by similar means, the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk were also incorporated into Russia, as well as the province of Zaporizhia.

https://www.telesurtv.net/news/rusia-an ... -0008.html

Google Translator

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'Putin's Chef' Ridicules U.S. News Outlets - Adds 'Election Interference' Comedy Sketch
A number of news outlets are spreading this nonsense:

Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin admits interfering in US elections — and promises to do it again - Nov 7, 2022 - NYPost

Russian oligarch and Kremlin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin said Monday that he had interfered in US elections in the past — and intends to keep it up.

Prigozhin, the money-man behind Moscow’s brutal Wagner Group paramilitaries, made the admission in a statement released by his business, the Concord catering firm.

“We have interfered [in US elections], we are interfering and we will continue to interfere. Carefully, accurately, surgically and in our own way, as we know how to do,” read the statement posted to Russian social media platform VKontakte.

“During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once,” the statement added, without further explanation.

The post, made one day before mid-term elections in the US, was in response to questions put to Prigozhin from Russian news outlets.

Prigozhin — colloquially known as “Putin’s Chef” due to his catering firm’s Kremlin contracts — is also thought to be the financier behind Russian internet troll farms.


The White House even remarked on it:

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that the oligarch’s comments “do not tell us anything new or surprising.
“It’s well known and well documented in the public domain that entities associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin have sought to influence elections around the world, including in the United States,” she said.

“Yevgeny is a known bad actor who has been sanctioned by the United States, the United Kingdom and also the European Union,” she added.

“We also know that part of Russia’s efforts include promoting narratives aimed at undermining democracy and sowing division and discord — it’s not surprising that Russia would be highlighting their attempted efforts and fabricating a story about their successes on the eve of an election,” Jean-Pierre said.


This is of course great nonsense. Prigozhin remarks did not admit anything but were pure sarcasm.

They appeared on the Telegram channel https://t.me/s/Prigozhin_hat/. That channel is not directly associated with Prigozhin himself.

This is post number 1974 on that channel (https://t.me/s/Prigozhin_hat/1974):

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A Google translate of that post results in this:

Prigozhin's cap
Request from Utro.ru news agency and response:
REQUEST:
Dear Evgeny Viktorovich, we noticed a certain discrepancy between the statements in the telegram channels "Prigozhin's Cap", "Evgeny Prigozhin in Telegram" and the group "Press Service of the Concord Company" in VKontakte.
Can you please clarify which telegram channel is the official channel of the press service, if any?
ANSWER:
Evgeny Viktorovich wanted to answer this question personally:
“I found out about the existence of the telegram channels “Prigozhin’s Cap” and “Evgeny Prigozhin in Telegram” after your question. More precisely, I heard about the existence of "Prigozhin's Cap", but did not bother with the question whose it was. Therefore, I answer. The Telegram channels “Prigozhin’s Cap”, “Evgeny Prigozhin on Telegram” and the rest have nothing to do with the press service of the Concord company and have nothing to do with me. However, we do not see anything harmful in the information they convey. Moreover, many of them - thanks. But in order to maintain purity in relations with content consumers, I instructed the press service to create a telegram channel “Prigozhin’s Press Service”, in which I guarantee that all statements are published from me personally.”

We publish the comment of the press service:
Link to the telegram channel "Prigozhin's Press Service":
https://t.me/s/concordgroup_official

65.9K views 15:58


Prigozhin's cap clearly isn't an official outlet of Prigozhin.

The first visible post on the new Concord group Telegram channel (https://t.me/s/concordgroup_official/3) is the same as the above one but edited earlier at 15:49. It is headlined: "#897 Request from Utro.ru news agency and response:".

Now onto the post by Prigozhin's cap various news outlets reported on which is number 1978 (https://t.me/s/Prigozhin_hat/1978):

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Google translation:

Prigozhin's cap
Request from the editors of the Russia News portal and response:
REQUEST:
Hello!
Question to Evgeny Viktorovich.
Radio Liberty, citing a Bloomberg article, announced a new interference by Russia in the elections to the US Congress, which will be held on November 8. Journalists of the publication associate attempts of intervention with your name. Can you comment?

ANSWER:
We publish a comment by Evgeny Viktorovich:
“I will answer you very subtly, delicately and I apologize, I will allow a certain ambiguity. Gentlemen, we interfered, we interfere and we will interfere. Carefully, precisely, surgically and in our own way, as we know how. During our pinpoint operations, we will remove both kidneys and the liver at once.”

46.0K views 08:06


This is an obviously sarcastic remark made "subtly, delicately, .. allowing a certain ambiguity". The unserious nature of the response is confirmed by its last sentence "pinpoint operation ... remove both kidneys and the liver at once". That anyone would take this seriously, and sell it as 'news' only shows how much the intellectual level of the people in that business has degraded.

The same remark can be found as post number 5 on Prigozhin's new company channel (https://t.me/s/concordgroup_official/5) headlined "#899 Request from the editors of the Russia News portal and response:" It was posted at 8:04, two minutes before the Prigozhin's cap post, and has a movie citation added to it that makes it absolutely clear that Prigozhin thinks the whole issue is bare nonsense:

#899 Request from the editors of the Russia News portal and response:
...
We publish the comment of the press service:
See the story of "interference" in the American elections in the movie "16th":
https://www.ivi.ru/watch/477950
www.ivi.ru
16th (2021)
Comedy about the interference of Russian hackers in the course of the American elections. In 2016, Donald Trump became President of the United States, which came as a surprise to many voters. Public dissatisfaction with the outcome of the vote gave rise to many versions of what happened, ...


The two minutes long trailer of that hilarious 'election interference' comedy can be watched here.

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Its fast cut scenes are funny even when one does not understand the Russian language dialogues. I am sure that Prigozhin had a good laugh about all this and is happy about the additional PR-value it is giving to him.

Posted by b on November 8, 2022 at 9:36 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/11/p ... .html#more

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European People Will Not Accept Paying for Ukraine’s “Reconstruction”
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 7, 2022
Lucas Leiroz

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Faced with so much waste of money by authorities to defend a neo-Nazi and dictatorial regime abroad, it was expected that European citizens would revolt…

The dissatisfaction of the European people with the EU’s policy of aid to Ukraine seems clear. One of the current biggest discussions among European bureaucrats is how to raise enough money to “rebuild Ukraine”. According to a US media outlet, politicians are concerned that a large-scale fundraising campaign could generate anger among citizens and inspire new mass protests, considering that many people have already shown that they are not pleased with the financial aid provided so far. However, the bloc seems resolute in continuing to send money to Kiev, regardless of what the population thinks about it.

On November 3, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, presented data concerning European financial support to Ukraine. So far, more than 22 billion euros have been provided by Brussels to Kiev, making the current funding campaign one of the most expensive in Western history. Borrell also emphasized that this amount concerns only what was given to Ukraine by the bloc itself, not including the various packages of military aid, whose values ​​are still uncertain, since military partnerships are made bilaterally between the member states and the Ukrainian government, without EU’s involvement.

Faced with so much waste of money by authorities to defend a neo-Nazi and dictatorial regime abroad, it was expected that European citizens would revolt against the bloc’s bureaucracy, as has been happening for months, with a wave of protests affecting the main cities of the continent. With the high prices of energy, fuel and food, the proximity of winter becomes an existential threat to many European citizens, who demand an immediate end to support for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, despite the Western media trying to minimize or even ignore the existence of such protests.

However, even in the face of the evident worsening of the people’s living conditions and the strong popular unrest, the EU’s attitude has been very clear in showing resoluteness about the decision to provide every possible form of support to the NATO proxy. In addition to what has already been done, the Union plans to create a new project, focused not on assisting Kiev in the conflict, but on “rebuilding” Ukraine. Such a “rebuilding” plan would require an even greater amount of money than what has been sent to Kiev so far, which worries European leaders about possible negative popular responses.

In a recent article published on German media, Olaf Scholz and Ursula von der Leyen made some considerations about the Ukrainian reconstruction and affirmed that the bloc would have been able to mobilize a fundraising of 35 billion euros so far. Although greater than the previous aid packages, this figure represents only 10% of the 350 billion that Von der Leyen believes is needed for “rebuilding”, as she suggested considering the World Bank’s calculations of the average cost of damage generated by the conflict.

It is important to emphasize that there are estimates of even higher values. For example, Ukrainian economist Yuriy Gorodnichenko, who is a professor at the University of California, claims that the cost of reconstruction could reach the mark of 1 trillion dollars. In the same sense, but in a more “optimistic” result, the Kiev School of Economics pointed to a cost of 600 billion dollars – a value that may be updated, since the School studied the conflict scenario until late May.

In other words, Western leaders want to give to Kiev amounts that they simply cannot afford – at least not without letting the European population go cold and starve. Pro-Kiev propaganda has been more and more discredited by the European people, who increasingly see the conflict as something that does not concern them and in which the EU should not intervene. Some analysts believe that the liberal leaders themselves are aware of the anti-strategic and anti-popular aspect of the strategy they adopted on Ukraine, which is why such authorities have not yet elaborated concrete proposals to collect the estimated values.

In fact, in the article, Scholz and Von der Leyen ask a series of questions about the best path to follow – and seem to have no answer yet: “What can we – together with our Ukrainian partners – learn from past reconstruction experiences? How can such a huge long-term project be organized and financed? Which structures are important in order to ensure the necessary transparency and the indispensable trust of investors?”

According to Bradley Devlin, columnist for The American Conservative, the reason for the lack of response is the simple fact that European leaders know that any measure taken to raise hundreds of billions in aid to Ukraine will be met with dissatisfaction and unpopularity by the people, who correctly prioritize their own material interests over the reconstruction of foreign nations.

“Again, these world leaders know this, but refuse to say it for fear that citizens of various European nations would decide that Ukraine’s democracy simply isn’t worth forking over hundreds of billions of their hard-earned money, much less going without heat or other necessities this winter. They refuse to say it because they know the people are right”, he says.

In fact, there is only one way to effectively help Ukraine and contribute to its restoration: stop assistance to the current regime, allow the conflict to end as quickly as possible, and establish future cooperation agreements with Russia to work together in allowing Ukraine to return to normality, without further political interventionism.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... struction/

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From Cassad's Telegram account:

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forwarded from
Operation Z: Military commissars of the Russian Spring
0:38
.‼️🇬🇧🇺🇦Is there a breakthrough in the defense of the Russian army in Snegirevka and what kind of column is on the video
▪️Now all the media write that the Armed Forces of Ukraine and foreign mercenaries went on a large-scale offensive and broke through the front in Snegirevka.
❗️Because the unverified messages of bloggers were LITERALLY repeated by the deputy head of the administration of the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, and the information became, as it were, an official statement by the authorities of the region.
▪️Initially, the mistake came from a video of Shariy with a column of 6-7 vehicles that came under artillery fire. At first it was stated that these were vehicles of the RF Armed Forces, which allegedly left Snegirevka, then the vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (???) in Snegirevka itself, which allegedly broke through the front.
⛔️Now it is already reported that this is an old video from the LPR, filmed several months ago.
Bloggers have already refuted themselves both about the column and about the breakthrough, and the fake about the breakthrough of the front is already flying through the media, Ukrainian resources have picked it up with pleasure.
▪️We also want to note that no mythical 205 regiment from the reports holds the defense in this area, the 205th separate motorized rifle Cossack brigade from Stavropol is stationed there, which is very well dug in and for many months does not give the enemy a chance to break through the front line.
▪️The trenches of the brigade really run along the railway line. on the outskirts, they are on the map of V. Coal, but the breakthrough has already been refuted.
▪️We repeat that in the area of ​​​​Snegirevka there is completely no connection, therefore all messages on the Web are now unverified, based on speculation and already obvious errors with videos and locations.

***

Colonelcassad

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Battle for Kherson: the situation on the Snigirevsky sector of the front
by the end of November 8, 2022

Against the backdrop of rumors about the imminent withdrawal of the Russian Armed Forces grouping from the right bank and leaving the north of the Kherson region, Ukrainian formations undertook reconnaissance in force in three sectors: Posad-Pokrovsky, Berislavsky and Snigirevsky.

And if in the first two the enemy suffered losses and retreated, then heavy battles unleashed on the Snigirevsky sector of the front in the morning.

▪️The enemy made an attempt to break through, transferring reserves from Wisunsk and Bereznegovaty . Partially defensive formations were broken through and one column of the enemy managed to pass through the entire Snigirevka .

▪️The video published by Anatoly Shariy with the destroyed equipment is the same column of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Using a solar calculator, we determined that the video was recorded around 16.00 and set the exact location: 47.045305, 32.785938.

The video features three Kraz-63172 vehicles . It could be captured Ukrainian cars. But three identical Ukrainian Krazas in the same Russian convoy, one behind the other, are hardly enough to confirm that this is a Russian convoy.

▪️Given the lack of communication in Snigirevka, some details were obtained in the late afternoon. The enemy managed to gain a foothold on the northern outskirts of Snigirevka along the railway lines.

The settlement is now in the combat zone, aviation, artillery and equipment are working on the enemy. The defense is held by the 205th regiment .

▪️The offensive involved Polish and English-speaking mercenaries.

▪️The Armed Forces of Ukraine really launched a missile attack on Russian equipment near Snigirevka: they tried to cover the area where columns were formed. The equipment, according to preliminary information, is on the move, there were no victims, they got off with a slight fright.

***

Colonelcassad

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Consequences of the fire destruction of the substation "Vinnytska" 750 kV - analysis of satellite images from Rybar

Russian troops continue systematic fire impact on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine. We have repeatedly presented our analytical notes and observations on the results of fire damage from open sources.

But there is no information on some objects that could possibly become the target of Russian strikes. Therefore, we decided to use images from the Maxar company : if the enemy analyzes the consequences of a fire defeat on them, then why can't we do this?

🔻The infographic shows an analysis of a snapshot of the 750kV Vinnitskaya substation dated November 1, 2022.

▪️Two craters were recorded from blows to the last autotransformer with traces of damage to the conductors to it and, presumably, signs of burning oil around.

▪️Another autotransformer damaged . The building is lined with sandbags.

▪️All the most valuable equipment was surrounded by fire and splinter screens , which will definitely reduce the effect of subsequent strikes.

▪️For some unknown reason, one shunt reactor is missing (it was on the pictures earlier).

🔻Based on what we saw, we can conclude that the substation suffered some damage, but its performance, most likely, was not impaired . Repeated strikes are required to disable the remaining group of 750/330 kV autotransformers.

***

forwarded from
Brussels connection
📌In recent days, unreliable information has appeared about the state of affairs in the Bakhmut direction.

Therefore, I contacted the guys on the ground and I report to you the true state of affairs as of November 8, 2022:

▪️detachments of PMC "Wagner" eliminated one of the two strongholds on the section of the highway Nikolavka-2 - Gorlovka and advanced towards Kurdyumovka;

▪️the musicians also eliminated four strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the west of Otradovka, moving significantly towards Andreevka and Kleshcheevka;

▪️the suburb of Soledar - Bakhmutskoye was completely cleared, the "Wagner" united on the right flank with units of the 6th Cossack regiment of the NM LPR at the KNAUF-Gypsum plant;

▪️the assault on Belogorovka continues. Detachments of PMC "Wagner" expanded the zone of control in the village to the north of the highway. In Belogorovka itself, the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine created a large nodal stronghold - the advance was complicated by a heavy mine situation, private buildings, in which long-term firing points were equipped, dugouts connected by communications.

▪️fighting continues in the area of ​​Berestovoye, Disputable, Verkhnekamensky, in the east and southeast of Bakhmut, as well as in the area of ​​northern Belogorovka (west of Lysichansk).

***

Colonelcassad
Starobelsk direction

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situation as of 19.00 November 8, 2022

🔻In the Kupyansky sector, units of the 14th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, due to significant losses in manpower, switched to positional defense. Ukrainian UAV crews are reconnaissance of the positions of the RF Armed Forces in the area of ​​Liman 1st and Olshan .

🔻In the Svatovsky area, the combined assault groups of the 1st battalion of the 92nd ombr and the 233rd battalion of the 128th troop detachment attempted to storm Kuzemovka . Russian troops stopped the advance with artillery and aviation fire.

🔻In the Limansky sector, the assault group of the 1st battalion of the 66th Ombre, reinforced with armored vehicles, attacked the positions of the RF Armed Forces in the direction of Makeevka . The attack was repulsed.

▪️At the same time, strike detachments of the 90th battalion of the 81st airmobile brigade and the 2nd battalion of the 25th airborne brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to break through the defensive lines in the direction of Rubizhne . Artillery fire from the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation drove the formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to their original positions.

🔻In just a day, as a result of unsuccessful attempts to attack on the front line, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost 20 people killed and 38 wounded.

https://t.me/s/boris_rozhin

Google Translator

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Saudi Brokered Prisoner Exchange Reveals Large Number of Foreign Mercenary Fighters in Ukraine—Some With Background Fighting in Syria
NOVEMBER 7, 2022

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Aiden Aslin joining the Ukrainian armed forces in 2018. Photo: twitter.com.

By Christopher Helali – Sep 29, 2022

Confirms Vladimir Putin’s claims about Russia being under foreign attack while raising question about extent of U.S. and UK black intelligence operations in dirty war

This is part one of a three-part series.

Ang Wood took to the airwaves of the British state media BBC to appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Her son, Aiden Aslin, had surrendered to Russian military forces days earlier.

“Aiden is a serving member of the Ukrainian armed forces and as such is a prisoner of war and must be treated with humanity,” she pleaded. “I’m in bits. My son will be scared just as we are.”

Aslin, a 28-year-old British national from Nottingham, England, who joined the Ukrainian military, had been fighting in the coastal city of Mariupol. His unit surrendered after it ran out of supplies against a vastly superior Russian military and its Chechen fighter brigades.

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Aiden Aslin [Source: telegraph.co.uk]

Aslin, who also uses the name Johnny Wood, is no newcomer to Ukraine. In 2018, as Ukraine’s war in the Donbass entered its fifth year and then-U.S. President Donald Trump authorized lethal weapons shipments, Aslin left Syria to join the fight. He had been in Ukraine since 2018, having obtained Ukrainian citizenship and becoming engaged to a Ukrainian girlfriend with long-term plans to stay in Ukraine.

When Aslin arrived in Ukraine in 2018 from Syria, he joined the Georgian National Legion. He was picked up at the airport by Alexander Tobiassen and taken to the Georgian National Legion base. According to Tobiassen, they served over the years in combat operations in the Donbas against the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics.

Aiden made a post on Instagram on January 21, 2019, regarding his military training in Ukraine saying, “Day 1 of orbital, learning about Nato standards in the British army.” He was decorated with the green beret of the Ukrainian Marines in May 2020.

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Alexander Tobiassen describing his relationship with Aslin. [Source: instagram.com]

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Aiden (left) with Shaun Pinner (center) as they conduct airborne training. [Source: twitter.com; facebook.com]

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Shaun Pinner (right) with Aiden to his right during airborne training in Ukraine. [Source: facebook.com]

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Aslin earned his Ukrainian Marine green beret in May 2020. [Source: instagram.com]

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Aiden’s Ukrainian veteran’s card (UBD) with Ukrainian “Veteran of War” medal. The veteran’s card is a necessary document to obtain Ukrainian citizenship. It is important to note that the medal depicts the Motherland Monument, a Soviet monument in Kyiv, Ukraine, dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. The shield of the physical monument depicts the state emblem of the Soviet Union. This was altered for the medal which depicts the coat of arms of Ukraine. [Source: instagram.com]

Aiden along with Shaun Pinner and Alexander Tobiassen, all Ukrainian Marines at this point, took part in Exercise Sea Breeze 21 from June 28 to July 10, 2021, in Odessa, Ukraine. Exercise Sea Breeze is an annual NATO Partnership for Peace (PFP) maritime exercise held in the Black Sea which brings together Black Sea nations and NATO allies and partners.
It is co-hosted by the Ukrainian Navy and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy.

The exercise included, according to the U.S. Navy, “multiple warfare areas including amphibious warfare, land maneuver warfare, diving operations, maritime interdiction operations, air defense, special operations integration, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue operations.” Additionally, there were 5,000 troops, 32 ships, 40 aircraft, and 18 special operations and dive teams that participated in the exercise.

Exercise Sea Breeze 21 had the largest number of participating nations in the exercise’s history, with 32 countries participating, including: Albania, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

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The composition of NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PFP) from 1997 to 2021. [Source: media.defense.gov]

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Ukrainian and U.S. Marines during Exercise Sea Breeze 2021. Shaun, Aiden, and Alexander are holding the U.S. Marine flag. [Source: facebook.com]

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Screenshot of the same photograph as above, from Aiden’s Facebook page. [Source: facebook.com]

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Aiden (right) with a U.S. Marine (left) tagged as deaannoo0 on Instagram. [Source: instagram.com]

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Lance Corporal Josef Mason (left), from New York City is a rifleman with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). Here he learns how to use an RPG-7 from Ukrainian Marine Aiden Aslin, a rifleman with Air Assault Company, 1st Marine Battalion, 36th Naval Infantry Brigade during Exercise Sea Breeze 21 at an undisclosed location on July 5, 2021. Photo taken by U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jacqueline Parsons. [Source: dvidshub.net]

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Official tweet from the U.S. Mission to NATO with the picture of Aiden and Josef in the lower right-hand corner. The official Twitter page of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa also commented on the tweet. [Source: twitter.com]

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Ukrainian Marines and U.S. Marines with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, and 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group pose for a photograph during Exercise Sea Breeze 21 on July 5, 2021. Photo taken by U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jacqueline Parsons. [Source: dvidshub.net]

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Close-up of the group picture. Circled in yellow from left to right, Shaun Pinner, Aiden Aslin and Alexander Tobiassen. Notice the racist logo of the Apache. [Source: dvidshub.net]

Following Exercise Sea Breeze 21, Aiden continued serving with the Ukrainian Marines. Recent media reports stated that Aiden was fighting Russian forces in Mariupol where he stated that he would never surrender. Not only did he surrender but now his mother and others are pleading that he be treated in line with the Geneva Convention.
Appearing before television cameras in Moscow, Aiden was asked if he had killed anyone during the fighting. “No, I didn’t do any fighting,” he responded.

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Aiden after surrendering showing his Happy Days tattoo. [Source: telegraph.co.uk]

This contradicted the past months of reporting both in the Western media and on Aslin’s social media that he was on the front lines of Mariupol fighting day and night against Russian forces. Prior to the special military operation, he was fighting on the front lines of Donbas and soon thereafter was on the front lines in the city of Mariupol itself.

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Aiden (Johnny Wood) on the front lines in a Sky News newsclip. [Source: news.sky.com]

Ukraine was not the first place Aiden had seen combat. In 2015, the native of Newark, Nottinghamshire, left the United Kingdom and traveled to Syria to join the YPG, the People’s Protection Units, a Kurdish militia that, under the banner of the “Syrian Democratic Forces,” has long collaborated with the United States military and its coalition.

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From left to right, unknown, Justin Schnepp, Taylor Hudson, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin in Syria. [Source: facebook.com]

In 2016, upon his return, he was detained at the airport and held on bail for months. He was promoted in the media regarding his fighting in Syria, going on Good Morning Britain with his grandmother to speak about his experience.

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Aiden Aslin with his grandmother speaking on Good Morning Britain. [Source: mirror.co.uk]

He eventually was able to leave the UK, returning to Syria to fight with the YPG in the Tactical Medical Unit (TMU), or YBT in Kurdish. In late 2017, Aslin was detained in the UK for traveling to Syria to fight with the YPG, charged with engaging in terrorist acts under the Terrorism Act. ​​ After a supposed five-year investigation into his fighting in Syria, the UK dropped the charges and closed the case.

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Screenshot of an email Aiden received from the Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands (CTPEM) Nottingham Special Branch saying that there was “insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction,” thus effectively closing the case. Aiden mentions how taxpayer money was wasted as a result after a five-year investigation. [Source: facebook.com]

In numerous interviews after his surrender, Aiden spoke of crimes committed by the Azov Battalion in Mariupol. He described how two civilians were captured by Ukrainian forces for allegedly spying for Russian forces. They were hog-tied, blindfolded, and taken into a room in a bunker. Aiden, who was on guard duty at the time, never saw them again.

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Aiden Aslin being interviewed after his surrender, wearing an Azov Battalion t-shirt. [Source: t.me]

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Aiden Aslin, wearing an Azov Battalion t-shirt, being interviewed after his surrender. [Source: thetimes.co.uk]

Aiden was interviewed by Graham Phillips who questioned him on the crimes committed against Russian Prisoners of War (POWs). Aiden admitted to the horrible acts he had seen online, claiming that he did not promote this behavior and that, had he seen these atrocities in person, he would have tried to intervene. He also mentioned how these atrocities were committed by “the Nazi groups like Azov Battalion and Right Sector and lots of Nationalists as well.” Aiden claimed that he never worked with Azov prior to arriving in Mariupol to fight Russian forces. He claimed that it was not until he was in Mariupol that he realized that the Azov Battalion was a Nazi organization.

After surrendering, Aiden, during an interview with Graham Phillips, stated that he was scared to surrender to Russian forces for fear of “being lined up and shot.” He stated that he had been treated well, much better than he had expected. Aiden even asked for access to speak to journalists, and was granted the request by Russian authorities. Overall, his treatment was in line with the Geneva Convention whereas the treatment of Russian POWs has been brutal with Ukrainian forces brutalizing the soldiers and committing heinous crimes.

Aiden Aslin pleaded guilty in court for crimes including “terrorism, committing a crime as part of a criminal group, and forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power.” The court sentenced Aiden Aslin to death on June 9, 2022. He indicated through his lawyer that he would appeal the ruling.

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Aiden Aslin (left) and Shaun Pinner (right) during the court proceedings. [Source: e3.365dm.com]
On September 21, 2022, Aiden Aslin, John Harding, Shaun Pinner, and other foreign fighters were released in a Russian-Ukrainian prisoner exchange mediated by Saudi Arabia.


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John Harding gives the thumbs up with Shaun Pinner (orange shirt) and Aiden Aslin (far right). [Source: instagram.com]

Deep Internationalism Links Ukraine and Syria

Aslin is one of the many foreign fighters who have gone back and forth between both Syria and Ukraine, some of whom have ties to Western militaries, NATO forces and neo-Nazi groups.

The role of internationalists in Ukraine and Syria raises serious concerns about the role of U.S.-EU-NATO forces and intelligence operations on the ground in both countries coupled with their ongoing regime change operations. Aslin is one of many foreign fighters who have fought both in Syria and Ukraine.

While in Syria, he befriended other internationalists, including Shaun Pinner, who would later reunite with him in Ukraine as a member of the Azov Battalion and later fellow Ukrainian Marine.

Three days after the Russian Federation began its special military operation to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for international assistance: “Anyone who wants to join the defense of Ukraine, Europe and the world can come and fight side by side with the Ukrainians against the Russian war criminals.”

The Ukrainian government transformed its diplomatic embassies worldwide into recruiting stations for its legion of international mercenaries. This request for international volunteers was heralded by many in the Western media who started to focus on the stories of those traveling to Ukraine to fight Russia.

The call for international fighters reminded many of other ongoing conflicts around the world that have also relied on the recruitment of foreign fighters to join the ranks of local forces on the ground. Most notably, this has and continues to occur in Syria where international fighters had their pick of groups to join, from the Kurdish People’s Defense Forces YPG to various jihadist groups including most notoriously ISIS. This diversity of groups represented the various ideological tendencies of various groups on the ground, ranging from communist and anarchist to Wahhabi-salafist.

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The Resistance Committee, a group of anarchists, seeks to create an International Legion of Territorial Defense to fight against “Russian Imperialism” and “Putin’s Aggression.” [Source: anarchistfederation.net]

The parallels between internationalists traveling to Ukraine and to Syria is striking. Overnight, units were formed comprising various political tendencies in Ukraine including anarchist units fighting alongside neo-Nazi ones. The anarchist group CrimethInc. re-published an article from anarchists and antifascists in Ukraine which stated:

“Due to the lack of a massive organization, the first anarchist and anti-fascist volunteers went to war individually as single fighters, military medics, and volunteers. They tried to form their own squad, but due to lack of knowledge and resources, this attempt was unsuccessful. Some people even joined the Azov Battalion and the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists). The reasons were mundane: They joined the most accessible troops. Consequently, some people converted to right-wing politics.”

The same was true in northeast Syria, known to some as Rojava, where various groups appeared with a variety of political ideologies. Some joined explicitly anarchist, Marxist-Leninist, or Maoist formations including MLKP, TKP/ML, MLSPB, and BÖG. Others joined the YPG under the SDF, fighting alongside people with a variety of political ideologies.

Those with far-right politics gravitated toward explicitly Christian militias or, as in the case in Shengal (Sinjar), created an international formation under the YBS composed of fighters who espoused Falangist politics and a new “crusade” against Islam.

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Soria Monfort, a former neo-Nazi leader of the Alianza Nacional in Valencia, who was also arrested for being the leader of a neo-Nazi armed gang, Pánzer. It is also claimed that he was in the Spanish military. He traveled to fight in Iraq in Sinjar (Shengal), Iraq against ISIS, declaring himself a knight for Christ the King. He is pictured here with a flag that depicts the Sacred Heart of Jesus and says “Reinaré en España” and “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” He helped form an international unit that actively recruited Falangists and other neo-Nazis. [Source: facebook.com]

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Pablo Garrido Mancebo, aka “Turbito,” is a Valencian neo-Nazi and well-known militant who was imprisoned for a period of time. He has numerous fascist tattoos including a swastika tattoo on his chest. and is seen in various photographs shared on far-right social media with various weapons, including RPGs and AK-47s. In 2021, he left Spain and joined Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria. After leaving Iraq, he returned to Spain where he was monitored by the Spanish Security Forces.

While communists from the Marxist–Leninist Party (Communist Reconstruction) who traveled to Syria to join the International Freedom Battalion (IFB) or aided those who did were arrested and imprisoned, Turbito had no legal issues upon his return. Turbito traveled to Ukraine in 2022 to join the war against Russia and was videotaped joking around while reloading his AK-74M.

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Pablo Garrido Mancebo, aka “Turbito,” with RPG and Spanish flag behind him in Iraq/Syria. His swastika tattoo on his chest is visible in this picture. [Source: eldiario.es]

The following list of people associated with both Ukraine and Syria is not complete but highlights the information that is available to the public along with other corroborating evidence. It is certain that there are others who have fought in Ukraine as well as other fascist groups like the internationalists from Spain who have gone to Iraq and Syria for a “new Crusade” against Muslims.

In an ironic twist, the units of foreign fighters both in northeast Syria as well as in Ukraine have been likened to the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War. This historical connection helps provide the necessary justification for people to demand military aid, humanitarian support, and political and economic pressure like sanctions.

This historical parallel is inverted since it is the foreign fighters coming to the aid of Ukrainian neo-Nazis and ultra-nationalists supported by the U.S.-EU-NATO. Even Lucas Chapman (Armanc Bawer), one of the anarchists profiled in Rolling Stone who, after working for a Kurdish organization in Washington, D.C., moved back to northeast Syria to work for the PYD, posted on his social media “Silava Ukraine.”

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Lucas Chapman, who lives in northeast Syria, supporting Ukraine. [Source: facebook.com]

Ukrainian women serving in the armed forces and various paramilitary formations have also been lauded by the Western media in the same way Kurdish women were. In one propaganda piece, Ukrainian women observed International Women’s Day by “vowing to gun down Russian invaders ‘like rabid dogs.’” This mirrors the media’s portrayal of Kurdish women fighting against ISIS which was criticized by some observers. The regime-change playbook feels eerily similar in both conflicts.

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Mama Tanya, a Ukrainian female fighter, speaking to Vanity Fair in 2015 in front of the Nazi collaborationist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) flag. [Source: vanityfair.com]

This three-part series has been years in the making and has been part of an ongoing research project since 2018. Now with the ongoing Russian military operation in Ukraine, there is a need to expose the connection between U.S.-EU-NATO military operations in Ukraine and Syria. This is only made more prescient given the Ukrainian government’s request for more international volunteers to go to Ukraine.

Numerous individuals have been identified who have fought in both Ukraine and Syria. This was done by speaking with former fighters, using social media and news sources, as well as screenshots, photos, and corroborating evidence from personal blogs, YouTube channels, and other news outlets. This report is in no way a complete compilation of the numerous individuals with links between Ukraine and Syria. Others who are not listed include Josh Wilmeth and Kevin Benton.

https://orinocotribune.com/saudi-broker ... -in-syria/

Fuckin' anarchists....
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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blindpig
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Re: Footnotes from the Ukrainian "Crisis"; New High-Points in Cynicism Part IV

Post by blindpig » Wed Nov 09, 2022 11:31 pm

Kherson hand over
November 9, 18:20

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That's all. A decision was announced to withdraw the group of troops from the bridgehead to the Right Bank and leave Kherson.


Shoigu : The defense in the Kherson direction is stable, but there are some peculiarities Losses of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Kherson direction are 7-8 times less than those of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The city of Kherson and adjacent settlements cannot be supplied and function. The most expedient option is to organize defense along the barrier line of the Dnieper River."

Shoigu: I agree. Proceed with the withdrawal of troops

https://t.me/boris_rozhin/69794 - video of Surovikin's report

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7962744.html

On departure from the right bank
November 9, 19:39

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On departure from the right bank.

1. From a military point of view, this is the most serious purely military defeat of the Russian Federation since 1991. In our case, this is already the 3rd serious military defeat after Balakleya and Krasny Liman. There are a number of issues related to the safety of the Kakhovskaya HPP after the withdrawal, the future of the Antonovsky Bridge and the North Crimean Canal, the evacuation of military equipment to the left bank, etc. etc.

2. The described reasons for the withdrawal of troops to the left bank are the result of problems that have taken place since the beginning of summer and, for various reasons, have not been eliminated. They stem from the failure to capture Nikolaev at the very beginning of the NWO, when the city was in a semi-encirclement, but due to various mistakes it was never taken.

3. Now the stake is obviously being placed on increasing the total strength of the grouping and releasing part of the forces operating on the right bank in the interests of offensive operations, which can be expected in late November-early December. If any operational successes are achieved there, they will, of course, justify the withdrawal from Kherson. But it is worth remembering that not only we "release" troops from the right bank, but also the enemy.

4. It is obvious that the surrender of the regional center of the Russian Federation will have tangible consequences for the public consciousness and the enemy will certainly use it. In the absence of foreseeable success with the occupation of large settlements and advancement during the winter offensive, a series of military failures will accumulate much more serious internal discontent than sanctions.

5. Of course, there is also a version about some kind of agreement with the Americans "ala Minsk-3", but so far there are no concrete actions on the part of the United States that would indicate this. So far, there are much more prerequisites for the continuation of intense hostilities.

6. It is possible to forget about any offensive actions in the direction of Odessa and Nikolaev in the foreseeable future at this stage.

7. The NWO obviously continues, there is no refusal from the stated goals of the NWO. Looking forward to the winter season.

All in all, a gloomy day. It has to be experienced. The scar on the heart will remain.

https://t.me/boris_rozhin/69797 - zinc

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7962886.html

Kirill Stremousov died
November 9, 16:09

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It is reported that Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, died as a result of an accident.
The circumstances of the incident are still unknown.

Peace to ashes.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7962401.html

road accident in Zhytomyr
November 9, 20:10

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It became known about a strange story in Zhytomyr. On November 3, there was an accident.
Brigadier General Artem Kotenko, the former commander of the 46th and 81st airmobile brigades, the current deputy commander of the airborne troops of Ukraine, died in a mutilated SUV in the background. Together with him, Colonel Volodymyr Levchuk, who, before the start of the NMD, served as Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs, died.

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According to one version, the cause of the death of high-ranking officers was a green serpent, which led to the fact that the driver lost control.
According to another version, the possibility of their liquidation for internal political reasons cannot be ruled out - Kotenko and Levchuk were associated with General Krivonos, who has been in opposition to Zelensky since the beginning of the SVO.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/7963222.html

Google Translator

************

Western Air Defense Arrives in Ukraine: Too Little, Too Late
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on NOVEMBER 8, 2022



Ukraine’s deteriorating air defenses are a much larger problem than the Western media is admitting.

– Ukraine boasts of receiving NASAM systems from the US;

– NASAMS have inferior spects compared to Ukraine’s dwindling supply of S-300s;

– Western analysts admit that if the West cannot resupply/replace Ukrainian air defense systems, Russia will be able to establish air superiority over the country;

– Western analysts also admit that the West is incapable of resupplying or replacing Ukraine’s air defense systems.

References:

Reuters – Ukraine receives first delivery of NASAMS air defence systems: https://www.reuters.com/business/aero

Kongsberg – NASAMS Air Defense System: https://www.kongsberg.com/kda/what-we

RUSI – The Russian Air War and Ukrainian Requirements for Air Defence: https://rusi.org/explore-our-research

RUSI – Funding: https://rusi.org/about/support-rusi/f

CSIS – Can the United States Do More for Ukrainian Air Defense?: https://www.csis.org/analysis/can-uni

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2022/11/ ... -too-late/

****

Pentagon moves to consolidate control and command of Ukraine war
November 9, 2022 David Sole

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HAWK surface to air missiles part of new aid to Ukraine.

The United States military is moving quickly to centralize its control over the Ukraine proxy war against the Russian Federation. The Pentagon is establishing a new, high-level command called the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine to be based in Germany. The command, with around 300 personnel, will “oversee how the United States and its allies train and equip the Ukrainian military” according to the New York Times.

The announcement from the Defense Department also included another $400 million in heavy weapons for Ukraine, including 45 heavy tanks, 1,100 drones, and boats. The stated goal is “to ensure we are postured to continue supporting Ukraine over the long term” said Pentagon press aide Sabrina Singh.

The true nature of the Ukraine proxy war was revealed months ago by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin when he admitted the U.S. aim is to “weaken Russia.” In June almost 5,000 U.S. troops from the 101st Airborne set up camp on the Romanian side of the Ukraine border where they have been carrying out war games.

It has been revealed that U.S. troops are being stationed inside Ukraine to reportedly help keep track of the arrival and deployment of billions of dollars worth of military equipment.

It is also known that the Pentagon and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have personnel situated with the command and supply departments of the Ukrainian military. They are supplying military intelligence and advising on military tactics.

Heavy fighting in the northeast theater has continued. The rapid advance of Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv area ended after the withdrawal of Russian Federation forces to more defensible lines. Russian troops have counter-attacked in several areas making some gains.

Fighting may intensify greatly in the southern front around the Russian-held city of Kherson. Ukraine has made the taking of Kherson a major military and political goal and both sides seem to be preparing for a major battle. Despite most western media hype about the Ukraine military, Aljazeera gave a more balanced assessment. Quoting a Ukrainian army commander on the ground, the news agency reported that the Ukrainian “counteroffensive had slowed in recent days, partly because Russian troops were heavily dug into fortified positions….we are lacking in equipment to move forward….The Russian army should not be underestimated.”

An aide to Ukraine President Zelensky estimated that Russia has positioned 30 battalions around Kherson, each consisting of 800 soldiers.

The Russians have an overwhelming superiority in air, missile and artillery support for their troops, who are heavily dug into defensive positions in three layers around Kherson. A large percentage of Kherson’s civilians have been evacuated to the east bank of the Dnieper River and there are reports of Russian troops setting up defenses inside buildings throughout the city, should the Ukrainians break through the outer defense lines.

Running short of equipment and trained military personnel, Ukraine may be gambling everything on a victory in Kherson. But even should that happen, it isn’t clear that Ukraine could follow up a costly battle having depleted much of its military strength. In the rear areas, Ukraine’s entire electric grid is being destroyed day by day by Russian drones and cruise missiles. Recently an official of the Kyiv municipal government admitted that 450,000 people in the capital city were without power.

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine passed a bill banning any negotiations with Russia as long as President Putin remained in power. Zelensky signed the bill into law on October 4. He has ruled out any talks until Ukraine drives Russia out of the 20% of the country it occupies and has annexed into the Russian Federation – goals that are unlikely to transpire no matter how much money, weaponry and intelligence the U.S. and NATO supply.

Zelensky knows that his position is untenable. That is why, in a speech on October 6, he called “upon NATO to consider ‘preemptive strikes’ against Russia, rather than ‘waiting for the nuclear strikes first.’” Russia’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denounced the statement “essentially a call for the start of a world war.” Zelensky’s own press secretary backtracked, saying that the call was for NATO to strike the Russians with conventional weapons. Either way, it exposed the complete dependence of the Ukrainian puppet regime on the U.S. and NATO.

https://struggle-la-lucha.org/2022/11/0 ... raine-war/

***********

Ukraine: Dialogue Possible After Russia’s Withdrawal

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Photo taken on Feb. 25, 2022 shows an empty street in Kiev, capital of Ukraine. | Photo: Xinhua/Lu Jinbo

Published 8 November 2022 (17 hours 20 minutes ago)

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kiev could resume dialogue with Moscow only after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, the presidential press service reported Tuesday.


In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Podolyak said that a potential ceasefire deal at the current stage of the conflict would provide Russia with time to strengthen its positions.

"The ceasefire for Russia is a tactical pause for reinforcement," Podolyak said.

While commenting on the reports that the representatives of the U.S. Pentagon and the Russian Defense Ministry are involved in talks, Podolyak said that "there are no negotiations between Russia and Western countries regarding Ukraine."

"Our partners adhere to the principle of 'nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.' Neither side will be able to ensure the implementation of agreements without the support of the Ukrainian people," he said.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict started on Feb. 24.

Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held the latest round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul, Türkiye, on March 29.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ukr ... -0014.html

What complete bullshit.

************

From Cassad's Telegram account:

***

forwarded from
Readovka
Map of hostilities and the situation on the fronts on the evening of November 9

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😌An extremely difficult and dramatic day - due to the difficulty of supplying the group of our troops in the Kherson region, the very difficult decision was made to leave the right bank of the Dnieper and build a line of defense along the left bank. Emotions stifle, without exaggeration, almost everyone - until the last there was hope that this would not happen. But in fact, there really was a military reason for this, and politically this is the biggest defeat. Kherson - documented Russian city, we have lost the capital of the new region.

On the same day Kherson region lostin the car accident of Deputy Governor Kirill Stremousov, whose death shocked many who knew him. We will have to survive this day, for the sake of future victory and the return of the flag to the Russian city of Kherson.

⚔️The situation on the fronts for the past day:

⚫️The Svatovo-Kremennaya direction

of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is once again trying to break through to Kuzemovka (LPR), but Russian aviation and artillery successfully repulsed the attack. Also, Ukrainian militants rushed to Makiivka, Ploshanka, Golikovo and Kremennaya. But our soldiers successfully coped with this offensive.

⚫️The Ugledar direction of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine is trying to put a spoke in the wheels of the advancing Russian troops, trying to counterattack in the area of ​​Novomikhailovka, Pavlovka and Vremovka. But the competent interaction of Russian troops with artillery bore fruit - the enemy was stopped and scattered.

⚫️Kherson direction

According to some sources, Russian troops are leaving their positions in the area of ​​Pravdino, Posad-Pokrovsky and other settlements, blowing up bridges over the Ingulets behind them . The abandonment of Kherson was announced by General Surovikin, based on the results of the meeting with Shoigu.

💡"Generalissimo Suvorov" on guard of Russia. Sounds like the title of a historical movie, but it's much simpler. The fourth-generation nuclear submarine Borey-A has completed all its tests and is preparing to be handed over to the Russian Navy. How important this is for Russia's defense capability, Readovka explains .

***

Colonelcassad
The Nikolaev-Berislav direction, the
situation as of 15.00 on November 9, 2022

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Against the backdrop of news about important statements about Kherson , the Armed Forces of Ukraine resumed the offensive tonight.

Confirmations have appeared on the Web of undermining bridges on the withdrawal routes of troops: Russian engineers disable communications in order to slow down the advance of the enemy.

🔻In the Nikolayevsky sector, there are unconfirmed reports of the withdrawal of Russian units from Ternovy Pod , Pravdino and Aleksandrovka .

🔻On the Snigirevsky site in the morning, the formation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the support of artillery and army aviation, resumed the assault on the settlement, transferring additional reserves.

▪️Servicemen of the 205th brigade of the RF Armed Forces still hold positions in Snigirevka . During the battles for the city, Russian soldiers destroyed more than a dozen armored combat vehicles, and the calculation of the MANPADS of the Russian Airborne Forces shot down a Mi-8 helicopter, which evacuated the wounded to Nikolaev .

🔻In the Berislav sector, at 0600 on November 9, the combined assault groups of the 60th Opbr Brigade, 128th Rifle Brigade, reinforced by armored vehicles of the 17th Tank Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, resumed the offensive at the Polyanka - Dudchany line .

▪️The self-propelled artillery battery of the 60th infantry brigade provides fire support to the strike force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the position area north of the village of Dudchany .

▪️The Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to gain a foothold in a stronghold southwest of the village, however, minefields and counterattacks by the RF Armed Forces did not allow them to develop success. One of the companies of the 17th brigade refused to go into battle. Now Ukrainian sappers are demining the area.

▪️To the north of Dudchan , the formation of the second echelon of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, headed by the 9th consolidated battalion of the territorial defense, and the creation of fortifications are underway.

https://t.me/s/boris_rozhin

Google Translator
"There is great chaos under heaven; the situation is excellent."

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