Cont. reading: Twitter Fun With Dan Rivers

This was the weather in my hometown over the last week.

Source – bigger

40-50° F, somewhat sunny, spring was in the air.

And this is what I woke up to today. Two inch of snow with more falling as I write this. "What the f***?"

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Those who have lived on a diet of 'western' news over the last weeks may have the same feeling when waking up to the real data.

Overthrowing Putin?

Cont. reading: Then I Woke Up And Saw This. WTF?

Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …

News and views NOT related to Ukraine …

This map of the situation in Ukraine on March 29 is provided by the French Ministry of Defense.

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It is likely the most realistic and neutral one available. It comes with short notes about the numbered theaters.

Here are my own situation report notes:

Overview:

The Russian military operation in Ukraine began with a rather small force of some 150.000+ men against a much larger (including reservist and territorial forces) Ukrainian force of some 400.000. The Russian force used maneuver warfare to fix the larger Ukrainian forces into place. It attacked on a large front and threatened major population concentrations, i.e. cities.

The Russian operations started with the destruction of the Ukrainian command and control network. Over the last four weeks the Ukrainian navy, its airforce, its radars and air defenses and a huge number of its armored vehicles were destroyed. Throughout the last week fuel depots all over the Ukraine were attacked and destroyed over night. Ukraine's large ammunition depots are gone. Military production and repair facilities have likewise been destroyed. The Ukraine is no longer able to move large numbers of troops between the various fronts. Its army has lost its mobility.

While this was ongoing threats to Kiev, Odessa and other large Ukrainian cities have held significant numbers of Ukrainian troops in place and prevented reinforcements to move to the east. There units from the Donetsk and Luhansk republics attacked the 60,000 strong main force of the Ukrainian army to keep it in place.

This allowed Russian forces from Crimea and from the Russian border in the north to move into positions that will now enable them to envelope the east.

Cont. reading: Ukraine SitRep – Part II Of Russia’s Military Operation Unfolds

The disinformation department of the British MI6 secret service and its 'non-government-organization' Bellingcrap are offering another of their laughable 'chemical weapon' and 'poisoning' fairy tales:

Roman Abramovich and two Ukraine peace negotiators 'suffered a suspected POISONING that caused the skin to peel off their faces after attending talks this month' …

The Chelsea FC owner was reportedly poisoned just weeks ago after a meeting in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv whilst he acted as a 'peacemaker' in the Russian war in Ukraine, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Following the meeting in Kyiv, Abramovich as well as two senior members of the Ukrainian team developed symptoms that included red eyes, painful streaming eyes as well as peeling skin on their faces and hands, sources told the newspaper.

Abramovich, who accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also 'lost his sight for several hours' and was treated at a hospital in Turkey, a source told The Guardian.

Analysts at Bellingcat confirmed that three members of the delegation – including Abramovich – attending the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on 3 March experienced 'symptoms consistent with poisoning with chemical weapons'.
…
Abramovich, another Russian entrepreneur and Ukrainian MP Rustem Umerov had been taking part in the negotiations, with the talks lasting until about 10 pm, investigative news site Bellingcat said.
…
The three members of the delegation left the talks on 3 March to an apartment in Kyiv later that night.

Whilst there, they were all suffering from eye and skin inflammation and piercing pain in their eyes until the next morning. The three men had consumed only chocolate and water in the hours before the symptoms appeared.

A fourth member of the team who also consumed the same food and water did not experience symptoms.
…
The symptoms experienced by Abramovich and the two other negotiators subsided by the end of the following week.

The peace talks on Thursday, March 3, between Ukraine and Russia took place in Brest region of Belarus:

Cont. reading: Ukraine – Smoke And Mirrors Around Poisonous Peace Talks

Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …

Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama:

(Another week of all out Ukraine. I'd love to write on other stuff, but it is the world moving story of these day.)

• Mar 21 – Bits Of Interest From The War In Ukraine
• Mar 22 – Lavrov's History Lesson – Germany's Downfall – Russian Forces Develop Routine
• Mar 23 – More Sanctions On Russia Will Destroy Europe
• Mar 25 – Propaganda Does Not Change The War – The Ukraine Is Still Losing – Updated
  Related:
  – Diesel Crisis In Europe Worsens As Austrian Energy Giant Limits Sales – Oilprice
  – Why there is little support for Russia among pro-Russian Ukrainians – Strana.uaOne month – Yasha Levine

• Mar 26 – Some Likely Longterm Effects Of The War In Ukraine
  Related:
  – The Potential Catastrophe of Misperceiving ‘Total War’ as Tactical War – Alaistair Crooke / SCF
  – Poland Just Proposed A Ten-Step Plan For Waging Hybrid War On Russia – Zulubrothers
  – SIMPLETON’S PRIMER ON THE LONG WAR THE US AIMS TO WAGE AGAINST RUSSIA – John Helmer

Biden:

• Biden says of Putin: 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power' – NPR

Michael Tracey @mtracey – 19:46 UTC · Mar 26, 2022

In the span of 24 hours, Biden has declared that US troops are headed to Ukraine, and declared his intention to impose regime change on Russia. Really doing a fantastic job.

Scott Ritter @RealScottRitter – 20:33 UTC · Mar 26, 2022

Our President calls for regime change in Russia the same week he promulgates policy that embraces preemptive nuclear strikes in non-nuclear situations. His administration is planning on deploying Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles in Europe later this year. A madman rules America.

More Biden:

Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review – OT 2022-35 (NOT Ukraine)

Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand – 4:44 UTC · Mar 26, 2022

What are the biggest game-changers of the Ukraine war so far?

I see three:
1) The freezing of Russia's central bank assets
2) China and India's rapprochement
3) The cementation of the EU's vassalage to the U.S.
Small 🧵

I agree with these but would add that it is also likely to lead to 4) the long term demise of NATO and 5) a shrinking role for the U.S. in the Middle East will also shrink as a consequence of the war.

1) The freezing of Russia's (and Iran's, Venezuela's, Afghanistan's) assets will have severe consequences for the U.S. dollar. The U.S. essentially defaulted by holding back Russian assets that it had the fiduciary duty to give back. China and everyone else will move its reserves to countries or into commodities that are not under U.S. control. See the Michael Hudson's interviews here and here:

Cont. reading: Some Likely Longterm Effects Of The War In Ukraine

Updated below (17:30 UTC)
—

This map of the situation in Ukraine on March 24 is provided by the French Ministry of Defense.

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It is likely the most realistic and neutral one available. It comes with short notes about the numbered theaters.

Here are my own takes:

1. The Russian forces around Kiev are making no offensive moves but defend against minor unsuccessful counterattacks from the Ukrainian side (see below). I have seen no hint that Russian forces strives to get into Kiev. It would be too costly to do that and for little strategic gain.
   But the forces east and west of Kiev are binding a big part of the Ukrainian army and prevent it from sending reserves towards Donbas.
   Yesterday an air attack or missile strike destroyed the largest Ukrainian fuel depot left near Kiev. The Ukrainian army will soon lose its mobility (if it hasn't yet done so).
2. Kharkiv is about to get encircled.
3. Dnipro is a strategic target that the Russian forces will like to isolate or take by coming up from the south on both sides of the Dnieper river as well as from the north.
   Russian forces destroyed a railway station between Dnipro and Donbas from where resupplies were flowing to the Ukrainian forces fighting there.
4. After large progress yesterday Mariupol is now in a mop-up situation. The Azov forces still there have no chance to survive.
5. Russian passage through Mykolayiv towards Odessa has proven to be difficult. Artillery is now softening up the Ukrainian defense lines.
   There are unconfirmed reports of large Ukrainian losses in Mykolayiv (300+) due to a missile strike on their barracks.

Cont. reading: Propaganda Does Not Change The War – The Ukraine Is Still Losing – Updated

Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …

News and views NOT related to Ukraine …

On February 21 Russia announced that it would recognize the Donbas republics. A day later it did so. The 'west' immediately announced sanctions which in fact had been prepared in advance. On February 24 Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine.

The Russian ruble immediately took a big hit. It has since recovered a bit.

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Today's news will bring the ruble to a new heights.

Kommersant reports (machine translation):

Putin instructed to convert gas contracts with unfriendly countries into rubles

Cont. reading: More Sanctions On Russia Will Destroy Europe

Th Saker has reproduced the transcript of a talk Russia's Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov has given three days ago. It is quite long with a Q&A at the end but it is a very good history lesson on how we got to the point that Russia felt it had to intervene in the Ukraine.

Here are just a few graphs of it. I recommend to read all of it:

This meeting takes place against the backdrop of events now occurring in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken at length about the origins of this crisis. I would like to briefly reiterate: this is not about Ukraine. This is the end-result of a policy that the West has carried out since the early 1990s. It was clear back then that Russia was not going to be docile and that it was going to have a say in international matters. This is not because Russia wants to be a bully. Russia has its history, its tradition, its own understanding of the history of its peoples and a vision on how it can ensure its security and interests in this world.

Cont. reading: Lavrov’s History Lesson – Germany’s Downfall – Russian Forces Develop Routine

Below are various bits of interest from the war in Ukraine.

• Zelensky says 'western' leaders said no to Ukrainian NATO membership, but rejected to do so publicly.
• U.S. supported 'activist' commits publicly to war crimes.
• CNN promotes leader of neo-Nazi Azov Battalion.
• Arch Zionists are pissed off by Zelensky's holocaust revisionism.
• Destroyed Kiev shopping mall was used as weapon and ammunition depot.
• Despite a hopeless situation the government in Kiev rejects to end war in Mariupol.
• Unconfirmed: Zelensky rejects Ukrainian military request for retreat from the Donbas front.

In two draft treaties, which Russia had sent to the U.S. and EU in December, it demanded written declarations that the Ukraine would never join NATO. The U.S. and the EU publicly rejected that demand. It was a major reason for Russia to start its intervention.

Consider the above in light of this interview Zelensky gave yesterday to CNN. He said:

I requested them personally to say directly that we are going to accept you into NATO in a year or two or five. Just say it directly and clearly or just say no, and the response was very clear, you are not going to be a NATO or E.U. member, but publicly the doors will remain open.

The cowards just didn't want to say it publicly, even as it could have avoided a war.

Cont. reading: Bits Of Interest From The War In Ukraine

Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …

Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama:

(Another week of all out Ukraine. I'd love to write on other stuff, but it is the world moving story of these day.)

• Mar 14 – Ukraine – Officials Announce False Flag Attack – Sanctions Hit Back
• Mar 15 – Gonzalo Lira – A False Flag Is Coming
• Mar 17 – Neo-Nazis In Ukraine Fake Incidents To Gain More 'Western' Support – Updated
  Related:
  (First headline breaks Batteridge's law)
  – Was bombing of Mariupol theater staged by Ukrainian Azov extremists to trigger NATO intervention? – Grayzone
  – Ukraine President Zelenskyy bans 11 opposition parties over alleged Russian links – Op India
  – Citing Martial Law, Ukraine President Signs Decree to Combine National TV Channels Into One Platform – US News

• Mar 19 – What Will Be The Geographic End State Of The War In Ukraine
  Related:
  – US wrong to confront Russia over Ukraine (2014!) – Clifford A. Kiracofe/Global Times

—
Other issues:

Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review – OT 2022-31 (NOT Ukraine)

The Ukrainian National Security Advisor has sent a letter to the White House and the CIA to request money in support of an insurgency in Russian held areas:

The document, dated March 6, asked the U.S. "to allocate additional funds for the organization of the resistance movement and voluntary formations of territorial communities throughout Ukraine."

The White House and the Ukrainian embassy vehemently deny that the letter is real. I however do not believe that it is faked. It just was not meant to become public. The CIA has been training 'resistance' militia in the Ukraine since 2015. To request new money for more of it is only natural.

The U.S. will finance a resistance in Ukraine through the CIA just as it did in Syria and just like it did from 1949 until the early 1950s when the U.S. financed anti-Soviet insurgency in Ukraine ended in misery.

But resistance against whom?

The premise seems to be that Russia wants to occupy the Ukraine.

It can be seen in an English language interview the Turkish state TV channel TRT had with Vitaly Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev. Klitschko accuses Russia of wanting to recreate the USSR. He rejects any negotiations for peace and wants the Ukraine to keep fighting.

Cont. reading: What Will Be The Geographic End State Of The War In Ukraine

Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …

News and views NOT related to Ukraine …