War In Ukraine

"NATO chief sees ‘some signs’ China could back Russia’s war"

https://apnews.com/article/russia-u...-stoltenberg-e8874580698b31cdfac96a60f13eef5b

"WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO’s chief said Wednesday that the military alliance has seen “some signs” that China may be planning to support Russia in its war in Ukraine, and strongly urged Beijing to desist from what would be a violation of international law.

"China has pointedly refused to criticize the invasion of Ukraine while echoing Moscow’s claim that the U.S. and NATO were to blame for provoking the Kremlin. China, Russia and South Africa are holding naval drills in the Indian Ocean this week."

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https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/02/22/china-russia-ukraine-support-wang-yi-lethal-aid/

"Attempts to establish a so-called floor for U.S.-China relations have crumbled, revealing a gaping abyss beneath. The spy balloon controversy earlier this month seems to have strengthened hard-line anti-U.S. views within the Chinese leadership. One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Beijing is signaling ever stronger support for Moscow, despite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s warning that any lethal aid would bring 'serious consequences.'

"The result is a barrage of diplomacy and propaganda against Washington and in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Over the last week, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi visited Europe, participating in the Munich Security Conference before traveling on to Moscow. In Munich, Wang refused to apologize for China’s intrusion into U.S. airspace and called Washington’s reaction 'weak' and 'near-hysterical.'

"Anti-U.S. sentiment in Chinese state media has ramped up since the spy balloon crisis began. Much of it has focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Chinese outlets portray as a righteous response to NATO aggression. This week, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a clumsy communique on U.S. hegemony to Western journalists, seeking to draw attention to the 'perils of the U.S. practices to world peace and stability and the well-being of all peoples.'

"China may already be providing non-lethal military aid to Russia, according to U.S. officials. Supplying weaponry would be a major escalation—but a plausible one in the current geopolitical context. It’s also possible that China sees the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to test its weaponry, which hasn’t been used on the battlefield since the Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979, save for brief skirmishes in the mid-1980s. But the lethal aid Russia could use in Ukraine wouldn’t bear much resemblance to the components needed for a naval and air war over Taiwan."
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With all wars and especially this Russia vs Ukraine thing, what is going on behind the scenes is pure evil -- thick politics while young people are losing their lives.

"Self-styled creator of pro-Russian ‘Z’ symbol reportedly assassinated"

https://intelnews.org/2023/02/07/01-3253/#more-21814

"A LEADING RUSSIAN NATIONALIST, who styled himself as the originator of ‘Z’, the symbol of the Russian campaign in Ukraine, has reportedly died after being shot in the head in an apparent assassination. Igor Mangushev, 36, is a prominent figure in Russia’s nationalist circles. A vocal supporter of Russian premier Vladimir Putin, Mangushev’s hardline and unapologetically nationalist social media presence has helped popularize the Kremlin’s policies among younger Russians.

"The Ukrainian government has not commented on the alleged assassination attempt, though the story has been widely circulated in Ukrainian news websites and social media platforms."

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"When the Plan Fails"

https://voxday.net/2023/01/29/when-the-plan-fails/

"A Rand report published in April 2019 laid out US strategy vis-a-vis Russia, which as you can see in hindsight, was followed fairly closely to the letter. Note that 'extending' Russia is shorthand for 'causing the Russians to overextend and unbalance themselves'.

"What’s fascinating is that now RAND is rapidly backtracking on the idea of extending Russia, because the US attempts to extend Russia have turned out to extend the USA, its NATO proxies, the other European states, and Clown World itself. Remember what I said in the previous post about NATO needing to win fast? That’s why Rand wants to pull a Vietnam/Afghanistan, call it a win, and get the US military out of Eastern Europe as quickly as possible."

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Meanwhile ...

"Russia covertly mapping key energy infrastructure for sabotage, Dutch report warns"

https://intelnews.org/2023/02/21/01-3257/

"THE RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES are 'covertly mapping' the energy infrastructure of the North Sea, in preparation for acts of disruption and sabotage, according to a new report form the Dutch government. The 32-page report was published this week, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was authored collaboratively by the two main intelligence agencies of the Netherlands, the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) and the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD).

"According to the report, Russian intelligence and espionage activities in the North Sea indicate preparatory acts of disruption and sabotage. These appear to be aimed at energy systems, but also other vital infrastructure, such as undersea power and communication cables, and even drinking water facilities. Consequently, physical threats toward any and all of these facilities should be viewed as conceivable, the report warns."

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"Whitewashing Ukraine’s Corruption"

https://www.cato.org/commentary/whitewashing-ukraines-corruption#

"Statements from U.S. and other Western officials, as well as pervasive accounts in the news media, have created a stunningly misleading image of Ukraine. There has been a concerted effort to portray the country not only as a victim of brutal Russian aggression, but as a plucky and noble bulwark of freedom and democracy. The conventional narrative would have us believe that Ukraine is an Eastern European version of Denmark.

"The promoters of that narrative contend that the ongoing war is not just a quarrel between Russia and Ukraine over Kiev’s ambitions to join NATO and Moscow’s territorial claims in Crimea and the Donbas. No, they insist—the war is part of a global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a leader worthy of nothing less than Winston Churchill’s legacy. President Biden, in his March 26 remarks on the war, said the conflict was 'a battle between democracy and autocracy, between liberty and repression, between a rules‐based order and one governed by brute force.'

"The notion that Ukraine was such an appealing democratic model in Eastern Europe that the country’s mere existence terrified Putin may be a comforting myth to U.S. politicians and pundits, but it is a myth. Ukraine is far from being a democratic‐capitalist model and an irresistible magnet for Russia’s groaning masses. The reality is murkier and troubling: Ukraine has long been one of the more corrupt countries in the international system. In its annual report published in January 2022, Transparency International ranked Ukraine 123rd of the 180 countries it examined, with a score of 32 on a one to 100 point scale. By comparison, notoriously corrupt Russia ranked just modestly lower, 139th, with a score of 29.

"Ukraine’s track record of protecting democracy and civil liberties is not much better than its performance on corruption. In Freedom House’s 2022 report, Ukraine is listed in the 'partly free' category, with a score of 61 out of a possible 100. Other countries in that category include such bastions of liberal democracy as Rodrigo Duterte’s Philippines (55), Serbia (62), Hungary (59), and Singapore (47). Interestingly, Hungary—which has been a target of vitriolic criticism among progressives in the West because of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s conservative social policy—ranks eight points higher than Ukraine, which is the recipient of uncritical praise from the same Western ideological factions.

"Even before the war erupted, there were ugly examples of authoritarianism in Ukraine’s political governance. Just months after the 2014 Maidan revolution, there were efforts to smother domestic critics, which accelerated as years passed. Ukrainian officials also harassed political dissidents, adopted censorship measures, and barred foreign journalists whom they regarded as critics of the Ukrainian government and its policies. Such offensive actions were criticized by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and other independent observers. The neo‐Nazi Azov Battalion was an integral part of President Petro Poroshenko’s military and security apparatus, and it has retained that role during Zelensky’s presidency.

"Indeed, some repressive measures deepened under Zelensky even before the outbreak of war with Russia. In February 2021, the Ukrainian government closed several (mostly, but not entirely pro‐Russia) independent media outlets. They did so on the basis of utterly vague, open‐ended standards. Zelensky has now used the war as a justification for outlawing 11 opposition parties and nationalizing several media outlets. Those are hardly appropriate measures in a democracy, even in wartime.

"It is entirely appropriate to sympathize with Ukrainians who are experiencing terrible suffering as a result of Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a war. Whatever the level of provocations from the United States and its NATO allies, and Ukraine’s willingness to collaborate in those provocations, Russia’s response was over‐the‐top. It created a dangerous breach of the peace in Europe and a humanitarian catastrophe. However, one can condemn Putin’s actions and even cheer on Ukraine’s military resistance without fostering a false image of Ukraine’s political system. The country is not a symbol of freedom and liberal democracy, and the war is not an existential struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. At best, Ukraine is a corrupt, quasi‐democratic entity with troubling repressive policies.

"Given that sobering reality, calls for Americans to 'stand with Ukraine' are misplaced. Preserving Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity most certainly are not worth the United States risking war with a nuclear‐armed Russia."
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https://crackittoday.com/current-affairs/kinzhal-missile-russia/

Begin quote

Russia recently fired hypersonic Kinzhal missiles as part of a massive wave of strikes on Ukraine.

• The Kh-47M2, nicknamed “Kinzhal” is a nuclear-capable, Russian air-launched ballistic option with a 10-50 kt warhead.
• It has a reported range of 1,500-2,000 km.
• It is designed to be launched from MiG-31 fighter jets at altitudes of about 18 km (59,000 ft).
• This missile maneuvers during all stages of its flight to overcome hostile air defense systems.
• A hypersonic missile is a weapon system which flies at least at the speed of Mach 5e. five times the speed of sound and is manoeuvrable.
• These missiles are extremely fast and far harder for surface-to-air missile defence systems to target.

End quote

 

i read that the ukrainians are going to hold on to makbut because all the top russian and wagner units are pinned down and suffering huge losses . sort of like a stalingrad in reverse. Without the top unit the spring offensive with not be possible .

 

"Ukraine short of skilled troops and munitions as losses, pessimism grow"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/13/ukraine-casualties-pessimism-ammunition-shortage/

Here are some quotes from the article; however, I encourage readers to go the link and read the entire report. All I've done is to pick-out some salient paragraphs. American military brass statements paint a better picture for the Ukraine, but then, they cannot express anything that is contrary to the official script / U.S. government propaganda. All world leaders lie to the people. Matters are going sideways on our planet and the overlords do not want to see "the little people" break rank. The herding must continue.

Begin quotes:

DNIPROPETROVSK REGION, Ukraine — The quality of Ukraine’s military force, once considered a substantial advantage over Russia, has been degraded by a year of casualties that have taken many of the most experienced fighters off the battlefield, leading some Ukrainian officials to question Kyiv’s readiness to mount a much-anticipated spring offensive.

U.S. and European officials have estimated that as many as 120,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the start of Russia’s invasion early last year, compared with about 200,000 on the Russian side, which has a much larger military and roughly triple the population from which to draw conscripts. Ukraine keeps its running casualty numbers secret, even from its staunchest Western supporters.

Statistics aside, an influx of inexperienced draftees, brought in to plug the losses, has changed the profile of the Ukrainian force, which is also suffering from basic shortages of ammunition, including artillery shells and mortar bombs, according to military personnel in the field.

“The most valuable thing in war is combat experience,” said a battalion commander in the 46th Air Assault Brigade, who is being identified only by his call sign, Kupol, in keeping with Ukrainian military protocol. “A soldier who has survived six months of combat and a soldier who came from a firing range are two different soldiers. It’s heaven and earth.”

“And there are only a few soldiers with combat experience,” Kupol added. “Unfortunately, they are all already dead or wounded.”

And the situation for Russia may be worse. During a NATO meeting last month, U.K. Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that 97 percent of Russia’s army was already deployed in Ukraine and that Moscow was suffering “First World War levels of attrition.”

One senior Ukrainian government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid, called the number of tanks promised by the West a “symbolic” amount. Others privately voiced pessimism that promised supplies would even reach the battlefield in time.

“If you have more resources, you more actively attack,” the senior official said. “If you have fewer resources, you defend more. We’re going to defend. That’s why if you ask me personally, I don’t believe in a big counteroffensive for us. I’d like to believe in it, but I’m looking at the resources and asking, ‘With what?’ Maybe we’ll have some localized breakthroughs.”

“We don’t have the people or weapons,” the senior official added. “And you know the ratio: When you’re on the offensive, you lose twice or three times as many people. We can’t afford to lose that many people.”

After a year of war, Kupol, a lieutenant colonel, said his battalion is unrecognizable. Of about 500 soldiers, roughly 100 were killed in action and another 400 wounded, leading to complete turnover. Kupol said he was the sole military professional in the battalion, and he described the struggle of leading a unit composed entirely of inexperienced troops.

“I get 100 new soldiers,” Kupol said. “They don’t give me any time to prepare them. They say, ‘Take them into the battle.’ They just drop everything and run. That’s it. Do you understand why? Because the soldier doesn’t shoot. I ask him why, and he says, ‘I’m afraid of the sound of the shot.’ And for some reason, he has never thrown a grenade. … We need NATO instructors in all our training centers, and our instructors need to be sent over there into the trenches. Because they failed in their task.”

He described severe ammunition shortages, including a lack of simple mortar bombs and grenades for U.S.-made MK 19s.

Ukraine has also faced an acute shortage of artillery shells, which Washington and its allies have scrambled to address, with discussions about how to shore up Ukrainian stocks dominating daily meetings on the war at the White House National Security Council. Washington’s efforts have kept Ukraine fighting, but use rates are very high, and scarcity persists.

“You’re on the front line,” Kupol said. “They’re coming toward you, and there’s nothing to shoot with.”

Dmytro, a Ukrainian soldier whom The Post is identifying only by first name for security reasons, described many of the same conditions. Some of the less-experienced troops serving at his position with the 36th Marine Brigade in the Donetsk region “are afraid to leave the trenches,” he said. Shelling is so intense at times, he said, that one soldier will have a panic attack, then “others catch it.”

The first time he saw fellow soldiers very shaken, Dmytro said, he tried to talk them through the reality of the risks. The next time, he said, they “just ran from the position.”

“I don’t blame them,” he said. “They were so confused.”

The challenges stem from steep losses. Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s commander in chief, said in August that nearly 9,000 of his soldiers had died. In December, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky, said the number was up to 13,000. But Western officials have given higher estimates and, in any case, the Ukrainian figures excluded the far larger number of wounded who are no longer able to fight.

A German official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid, said that Berlin estimates Ukrainian casualties, including dead and wounded, are as high as 120,000. “They don’t share the information with us because they don’t trust us,” the official said.

Meanwhile, a Russian offensive has been building since early January, according to Syrsky. Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, told The Post last month that Russia had more than 325,000 soldiers in Ukraine, and another 150,000 mobilized troops could soon join the fight. Ukrainian soldiers report being outnumbered and having less ammunition.

Despite reports of untrained mobilized Russian fighters being thrown into battle, Syrsky said those now arriving are well-prepared. “We have to live and fight in these realities,” he said. “Of course, it’s problematic for us. … It forces us to be more precise in our firing, more detailed in our reconnaissance, more careful in choosing our positions and more detailed in organizing the interaction between the units. There is no other way.”

A Ukrainian official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the battle for Bakhmut was depleting Russian forces there — mainly Wagner fighters who have been Moscow’s most effective of late — and that Ukrainian units defending the city were not slated to be deployed in upcoming offensive operations anyway.

Ukraine has lost many of its junior officers who received U.S. training over the past nine years, eroding a corps of leaders who helped distinguish the Ukrainians from their Russian enemies at the start of the invasion, the Ukrainian official said. Now, the official said, those forces must be replaced. “A lot of them are killed,” the official said.

End quote

 

I've learned more detail about the Ukrainian war....from this fellow...Douglas Macgregor in one session than I've learned via the MSM....including the vaunted Fox News...in a year.

Some of you might find this fellow interesting.

Here he is being interviewed by a fellow named Scott Ritter..


Scott Ritter: Ukraine JUST Made A FATAL MISTAKE - YouTube

again here...

Col. Macgregor: UKRAINE WILL BE DESTROYED - YouTube

Douglas Macgregor: The Russian Advance in Ukraine - YouTube


My non Ishmaelite .02,
Watcherchris

 

Things that I believe could be expected, but that will be unimaginably dangerous to any sort of world status-quo:

> Russia using theater nukes

> China and/or North Korea sending-in troops

Talk about upsetting the apple cart! China has military advisers there mainly as information gatherers. China needs to understand how to fight back against American military technology due to their expectation that war with America is pretty-much inevitable.

Currently, Russia is using the Wagner Group mercenaries. Wagner gets soldiers from all over the planet.

Here's a few quotes from within an article; however, the total article is a great read and I deeply encourage anyone to read the entire article. Fascinating how evil and greasy this Wagner Group is! And it's leader, wow, what an anti-Christ!

"Wagner Group lures foreign mercenaries with bumped-up salaries as Russia suffers losses"

"Russian paramilitary outfit liaising with organised crime groups in Latin America and Europe to recruit more fighters, sources tell MEE"

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/wagner-group-russia-foreign-mercenaries-salaries-suffers-losses

"The Wagner Group, Russia’s state-backed private military organisation, has increased its recruitment efforts outside of Russia after suffering heavy losses in southern Ukraine, two sources familiar with the paramilitary group told Middle East Eye.

"The sources said Wagner is rapidly losing fighters and equipment due to disarray within the Russian army itself.

"According to the sources, Wagner has sought to replenish its forces by recruiting mercenaries from Turkey, Serbia, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Canada, Moldova and Latin American countries. The foreign fighters are being lured with higher than usual incomes.

"Pre-war, Wagner paid its fighters between $3,000 to $5,000 a month, but the sources said those rates had now been bumped up to $10,000.

“'They would usually recruit people with solid military experience, but the invasion has changed Wagner,' one of the sources familiar with the issue told MEE. 'Now they are trying to reach the individuals who will not hesitate to kill people and are in need of cash.'

"The new recruitment campaign has been channelled through Russian oligarchs living in Europe and their intermediaries, who are in contact with the local organised crime groups, the sources said.

"Wagner publicly started to recruit prisoners from Russian jails earlier this year and sent them to the frontlines in Ukraine. According to the sources, the recruitment efforts in prisons, where inmates are offered amnesties and salaries to take up arms, are continuing."
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by Artic Bill...

What I am picking up is that spring offensive will be later in the year as in spring defrost things will turn to mud...not conducive to heavy Armour and such.

By Lonewolf...

I think that they keep threatening to nuke Britian because they know something the average Brit and American both do not know...

And that is that so many world events have been stage managed from the Olde City of London...wherein are to be found the world class merchants....behind the Bank of England and the world class insurance company...Lloyds of London.

Also control of much of world wide media....

It is these Merchant classes who have been fomenting economic conditions and also in the process subverting whole governments to do their bidding.

I am not talking about Parliament here...nor the King/Queen...but the merchants out of Olde London...sometimes called The City.

It is these British Merchants group/groups who cultivated world slavery ...only to give it up because they found a better way to make slaves in the world opium trade.....a very covered up history.

Hong Kong was their private investment as are Crown Colonies..

And I believe today...their Hong Kong investments have been quietly moved to Taiwan. Some mayhap to Singapore..

Banking and Insurance....


My non Ishmaelite .02,
Watcherchris[/quote]

 

London stores lots of the world's gold. Or at least it used to. There are all manner of conspiracy stories concerning where the world's gold is currently being stored.

Shiny metals, shiny gemstones -- these may seem petty, yet thousands die each year in the surreptitious transfer of wealth via these forms of "money". Central governments, the mega-wealthy, and drug lords have to have their special currencies.

Were Russia to dump the diamonds it stores, the international price of diamonds would utterly collapse. Russia could do this to severely injure the Israeli economy. Mega-wealth is often transferred via super-precious gemstones of color such as sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. This way, the size of a tremendous amount of value is in a small container, or inside a human being (not their clothing; inside their body ... use your imagination; doesn't show up on a body-scan at airports).

This woman was smuggling diamonds:
https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/02/26/canadians-nab-female-66-with-10000-diamonds-in-body/

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A warm & fuzzy article from back in 2001:

"Conspiracy Theory • Gems & Junkies in Burma"

https://ruby-sapphire.com/articles/760-gems-junkies-in-burma-gem-smuggling-conspiracy-theory

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022...ll-ties-with-thailand-after-gem-theft-dispute

"Saudi Arabia and Thailand have announced the resumption of diplomatic ties following more than 30 years of frozen relations linked to the theft of jewels from a Saudi palace.

"In 1989, Thailand-born janitor Kriangkrai Techamong stole $20m worth of precious gems from the home of a Saudi prince, triggering a spate of murders in Bangkok and a feud between the countries dubbed the Blue Diamond Affair."

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Russia is plundering gold in Sudan to boost Putin’s war effort in Ukraine

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/29/africa/sudan-russia-gold-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

Days after Moscow launched its bloody war on Ukraine, a Russian cargo plane stood on a Khartoum runway, a strip of tarmac surrounded by red-orange sand. The aircraft’s manifest stated it was loaded with cookies. Sudan rarely, if ever, exports cookies.

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Before the Russian invasion:

"Ukrainian Diplomats Accused Of Smuggling Gold, Cash, And Goods"

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-diplomats-smuggling-gold-cash-goods/31127882.html

"According to the statement, the group of diplomats illegally moved foreign currency, gold, and tobacco items across the border.

"Officials of the Foreign Ministry had tried to use the truck to smuggle to the European Union $140,000, 67,200 euros ($81,100), 11,600 Polish zlotys ($3,060), 16 kilograms of gold worth some $530,000, tobacco goods worth of $53,000 at black market, it added."

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"Ukraine Politician's Wife Caught at Border With $29Million in Cash: Report"

https://toofab.com/2022/03/22/ukrai...ught-at-border-with-29million-in-cash-report/

"The wife of one of Ukraine's wealthiest politicians has been accused of attempting to leave the country with almost $30Million in cash, according to reports.

"Anastasia Kotvitska, spouse of former MP Igor Kotvitsky, was allegedly discovered carrying $28million, as well as €1.3million, as she crossed the border into Hungary, The Times reported, citing local outlet Obozrevatel.

"Kotvitska's 54-year-old husband, who reportedly controls Nuclear Energy Systems of Ukraine and a number of uranium deposits, said his wife was leaving the country to give birth — but denied she was carrying the seven-figure sum."

 

I have difficulty believing this kind of thing Lonewolf....the Russians have to do nothing....

The ICC thing is pure Deep State Politics...Ishmelites run wild... Manufacturing bad guys....

Very few people in the west...relying on standard western propaganda ...know much about what is happening in the Ukraine...by design. Good Cop/Bad Cop...again.

I do not trust our MSM on much ...but also listen carefully to foreign broadcasts on the subject.


This conflict in the Ukraine has been going on since 2014....not just in the last year or so...I do not believe most Americans are even aware of this history...by Ishmaelite design....and mostly in the Eastern Donbas region.....until the Russians spoke up.

This puts a very very diffierent understanding on the nature of this conflict...


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmelite.