Latest briefing from Russian MoD Telegram channel…
Briefing by Russian Defence Ministry

The grouping of troops of the Russian Armed Forces, continuing a successful offensive, has penetrated 2 kilometres deep into the defence of the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and reached the southern outskirts of Novoselovka.
Units of the Lugansk People’s Republic advanced 5 kilometres during the offensive, capturing Ivanovka and Novosadovoye and reaching Novolublino and Terny line.
Aviation and air defence means of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down 4 Su-24 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force over Chernigov region, including 2 near Repka and 2 more near Gorodnya. 1 Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet has been shot down near Kramatorsk, Donetsk region.
During the day, 19 Ukrainian unmannes aerial vehicles were destroyed near Kapitonovka, Prishib, Andreevka, Balakleya, Bulgakovo, Bezymyanoe, Gorodnya, Zgurovka, Krasnogorlovka, Mandrykino, Mariupol, Termakhovka, Tolkachi, Chernobaevka and Yakovlevka.
In addition, 5 missiles of the Ukrainian Smerch multiple launch rocket system were shot down in the air near Chernobaevka airfield, Kherson region.
During the day on March 27, operational-tactical and army aviation hit 36 military assets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Among them: 2 command posts, 2 anti-aircraft missile systems, 1 multiple launch rocket system, 3 ammunition depots and 2 fuel depots, as well as 23 areas of military equipment concentration.
In total, 308 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,713 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 170 multiple launch rocket systems, 715 field artillery and mortars, as well as 1,557 units of special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.
#MoD #Russia #Ukrainian #Briefing
@mod_russia_en

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Mar 28 2022 7:49 utc | 203

RE Richard Hack – 201
German minister tells people to turn the heating thermostat down to 15 degrees C to stuff Putin
This is pretty hazardous for the people freezing, particularly the elderly and ill. – this article from the energy matter blog looks at excess winter deaths in England vs temperature – Key point – indoor temperature matters and 16 degrees is a respiratory disease threshold – http://euanmearns.com/the-influence-of-temperature-on-uk-death-rates/

Posted by: Aslangeo | Mar 28 2022 8:14 utc | 205

@K | Mar 28 2022 4:21 utc | 160

I was watching Lira today when he commented that Africans and certain south American peoples are lazy and had no motivation but the Ukrainians were “very hard working”. This is blatantly racist language and assumptions. Is this not similar to NazI ideology? A belief that some races are superior by birth or genetics? I just turned it off at that point.

Gonzalo Lira is from Chile, South America.

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 28 2022 8:18 utc | 207

Ruble payments to be implemented by March 31
https://t.me/intelslava/23784
Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government, Central Bank and Gazprom to implement measures to switch to ruble payments for gas for unfriendly countries by March 31, the Kremlin says.

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 28 2022 8:37 utc | 209

The consequences of the conflict in Ukraine are increased prices – gas, electricity, gasoline – and scarcity – empty shelves where there used to be milk or vegetable oil.
In a country, it is easy to embellish the numbers for unemployment, GDP, inflation, growth of the economy. Lying about energy and electricity production – that is more difficult. When electricity becomes scarce, lights dim, flicker or go out, and that’s harder to hide. If Europe were socialist, electricity would be cheap, but rationed. Instead, europe is capitalist, so we are seeing rationing by price: the cost of electricity is increased until consumer demand drops.

Posted by: Passerby | Mar 28 2022 8:43 utc | 211

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Mar 28 2022 7:46 utc | 201

LOL The frickin’ Germans have lost their minds.

If ze Eskimos can do it, ze Germans can too!

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Mar 28 2022 9:01 utc | 213

German minister tells people to turn the heating thermostat down to 15 degrees C to stuff Putin?
That German minister should check his rental agreements. But he probably owns his own house, and may not know or care: many standard agreements require the person renting a flat or house to keep the rooms above a minimum temperature. I have seen some requiring the tenant to keep temperature above 16°. 18° and even 19° are more common.

Posted by: Martina | Mar 28 2022 9:52 utc | 215

More and more stories of Ukrainian atrocities on Russian POWs and by Azov battalion on ethnic Russian Ukrainian civilians in Mariupol. Horrific torture and inscribing a swastika on a dead young woman: https://southfront.org/category/all-articles/world/europe/ukraine/

Posted by: PJB | Mar 28 2022 10:10 utc | 217

Sometimes when I write something, I have a couple of phrases bouncing around in my mind, but I really have no clue what else I’m going to say because aside from a phrase, an image or a sentence, all I have is instinct, and the less I have to work with, the more instinctual feeling I need to release what’s missing. This is one of those moments, so I really don’t know where this is heading.
I’m not going to reveal which phrases or sentences were disrupting my peace of mind. Let’s just say they led to an irresistible urge to express myself no matter what comes of it.
I’ll start by confessing that I didn’t boycott the Oscars after all, and I’m really glad I didn’t, because this was the strangest Oscars I’ve ever witnessed and I’ve seen a lot because I love great filmmaking like all other art forms.
So to begin with, the scheduled Oscar Ukraine moment came and went almost like it never happened, and I was so relieved. People were thankfully not dressed in blue and yellow, nor waving Ukrainian flags that I saw, and by chance there were a few actresses wearing yellow, but more than a few dressed in red, and I really don’t doubt it was merely by preference; totally devoid of any political statement. Again, that too pleased me.
However, recapping the Oscars event is not at all my objective.
Before I get to the grain, I must add this: Anthony Hopkins and Kevin Kostner (and I’m not particularly a fan of Kostner, but I am now!) – displayed such class and believe me; their elegant demeanor and comments rescued the entire event for me. Although, a few women impressed me as well, but not for their gowns. I pick up on nuance and authenticity easily.
Also, either I’m an excellent judge of artistry, or I’m psychic or both, because I predicted every important category, except one: best actor. It’s very interesting, because you could say that the one I did not predict would win had what can only be described as an embarrassing and even spontaneous, shocking fall from grace during the show and then afterwards went on to win Best Actor. I’m referring to Will Smith. You could say he was provoked. We’ll see what fallout is generated in the coming days from his behavior, and whether he’ll be cancelled for the next Awards ceremony.
So I saw something in that moment that I found to be quite redeeming within a context of the socially intolerable. When someone has a fall from grace; usually they become persona non grata. Therefore, they may be cancelled temporarily or permanently in the eyes of society or the world in general. A fall from grace does not happen in isolation both on the social and personal level.
So it got me thinking on the Russia and especially Putin situation. Yesterday, Zelensky and his West media backers were claiming that Russia/Putin abducted 2000 children from Mariupol. At the same time, Ukrainians have been torturing and humiliating Russian POWs, and nowhere on the mainstream news is this brutal crime being investigated or reported even though there is video proof.
Not for one minute do I believe that Putin is ordering the abduction of children from Mariupol. Are children being taken to a safe location? It’s possible; but that’s a far cry from abduction.
Do I believe Ukrainian forces are torturing Russian soldiers? Hell yes! These same Nazi criminals forced Russian-speaking coup resisters into a building and lit it on fire burning them alive. It’s known as pattern of behavior.
So getting back to the Oscars, why am I redeeming Will Smith, when I don’t necessarily think his behavior was appropriate or even like the guy that much? It’s because Chris Rock, whom Will Smith punched in the face on live T.V., humiliated his wife in a joke on a show watched around the world. Smith also yelled out after returning to his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.” He was provoked. Will’s wife has alopecia and had to shave her head bald, and Chris joked about that? Bad move.
Now, I’m going to draw an analogy here on a higher level. Putin is trying to protect Russia and he’s defending the Russian speakers in Ukraine who have been deprived of their rights and systematically brutalized for resisting the 2014 coup.
When Putin ordered Russian troops to enter Ukraine he shocked/surprised even b here, Saker and many who always believed he could do no wrong. While in the past I sometimes regarded Putin with reserved skepticism, when he moved in on Ukraine, instantly, I was 100% behind his decision and have not wavered since. He was provoked into using military force after exercising restraint for years, and after repeated attempts at diplomacy with USNATO closing in on Russia’s borders and clearly threatening to use Ukraine as a sword.
It’s obvious that Putin at this moment is the most hated, demonized man by the West and with some U.S. allies in the East as well. I really don’t see the Putin they see.
You know, sometimes it rains for a reason, and I’m not referring to the rain that dampens the soil to make things grow. I’m referring to painful, life altering rain.
A man reacts to protect what and whom he loves and we should be shocked and rush to judgement when he was provoked again and again instead of trying to understand? All this could have been avoided, but something is so wrong with this world to drive a man like Putin to this point, and then tear him down and cancel with hate, and attempt to destroy Russia economically.
The world right now needs a major correction, so I’m in the minority who wants Putin to: Make it rain.
Back to the Oscars for one more point: The odds were in favor of Beyoncé’s song winning the Oscar, and she brought it to win, but I was certain it would go to:
No time to die.
I was right to I trust my instincts on everything. Make it rain; please, make it rain!
MAKE IT RAIN

Posted by: Circe | Mar 28 2022 10:21 utc | 219

Passerby #115

Too much of a coincidence. Russia shifts focus away from Kiev to concentrate on Donbass, and suddenly videos appear where Russian soldiers are tortured – exactly what would be needed to motivate a push towards Galicia. Someone really wants Russia to stay.

It is highly likely that Russia will stay from east to west and north to south.
It is going to sit on the face of the nazi murderous clique until death. It will no doubt exit when it has sufficient trusted trained Ukrainians recruited for the civil guard and police to complete the task of hunting down every last fascist killer and destroying every last weapons stash. The Russians have considerable experience in these things.
There is no rush to leave. Rather an urgency to crush the nazi state and its military and destroy all surplus weaponry.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 28 2022 10:37 utc | 221

Precise technical details are lacking, but regional media reports indicate it will likely dwarf the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River and generate three times as much electricity for distribution in China while robbing India of water from Himalayan and Tibetan snowmelt.
Technical details are not lacking…. if you go to Chinese sources, that is…
The Project is a Run-of-the-River Hydro Dam which raises the river level to cover the intake of a twin tunnel system bored SE thru a mountain at a 45 degree down angle to intercept the river on the other side of an oxbow which changes it’s direction from East to SW. The very large power production is due to the 2000m drop in elevation between inflow and outflow. Outflow is back into the river.
Virtually all the rest of your assertions are CIA/NSA/MI6 obfuscation.
INDY

Posted by: Dr. George W Oprisko | Mar 28 2022 10:42 utc | 223

@JB | Mar 28 2022 10:38 utc | 224
I don’t think denial of racial differences is the solution for racism. So what if “white men can’t jump”, or Asians are more intelligent on average than Caucasians. It doesn’t mean we have to hate each other for it.

Posted by: WhyCantWeJusGetAlong | Mar 28 2022 11:15 utc | 225

Interesting.
In China, lectures for teachers “How to cover the situation in Ukraine in schools and universities” are successfully held. The main theses of the lectures: 1) The war in Ukraine was provoked by the actions of the United States and NATO 2) Ukraine is a corrupt and failed country, which only degraded after the collapse of the USSR 3) Russia’s mission is humanitarian 4) The cult of fascism has penetrated all layers of Ukrainian society.

Posted by: alaff | Mar 28 2022 11:45 utc | 227

“I was watching Lira today when he commented that Africans and certain south American peoples are lazy and had no motivation but the Ukrainians were “very hard working”. This is blatantly racist language and assumptions.”
Based on experience he may have facts on his side. Why the uproar. ?
28 of the last 38 record holders in 100-Metre race have been Black and it is down to physical build compared to Whites. Accept differences and move on

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 28 2022 12:01 utc | 229

Posted by: Virgile | Mar 28 2022 11:55 utc | 230
They share the responsibility of his acts and it’s conséquences. Too bad but this is what democracy is supposed to be..
Zelensky won with 75% of the vote because he promised to better relations with Russia and originally intended to implement Minsk accords. THAT is what the majority of Ukrainians support. Once elected Zelensky was quickly made a pawn of the ultranationalists–who threatened his life if he attempted to demilitarize the Ukrainian line in the Donbass zone–and the CIA. The rest is history.
Ukrainians as a whole clearly wanted to avoid war. You can’t call Ukraine an actual democracy. THis is true for most regimes advertising themselves as democracies but it is *certainly* true for Ukraine. The average Ukrainian doesn’t want any part in this.

Posted by: WJ | Mar 28 2022 12:05 utc | 231

Posted by: Jo Dominich | Mar 28 2022 12:06 utc | 234
I agree with this in part. What is crucial in my opinion is that we avoid blaming average Ukrainians for all this. Most voted for Zelensky because they wanted better relations with Russia. They didn’t get what they voted for because Ukraine is not a democracy except in name, much like most of the countries in the “West”.

Posted by: WJ | Mar 28 2022 12:18 utc | 233

151 – Ukrainian flag pulled down and Russian and DPR flags hoisted. According to Russians organised resistance collapsed on the left bank and the only place where there is still organised resistance is in part of Azovstal and they have no means of escape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzwkRg-_Iew&ab_channel=%D0%91%D0%95%D0%9B%D0%A0%D0%A3%D0%A1%D0%98%D0%9D%D0%A4%D0%9E

Posted by: Waldorf | Mar 28 2022 12:20 utc | 235

Cadence Calls | Mar 28 2022 6:06 utc | 184
Hey Cadence Calls. I appreciate your reply.
“The why, what, where, when, how is all over the internet PJKar.
The answers are everywhere.
They are just hard to swallow for some of us.
I’ve been coming to grips with it.
Slowly.”

Posted by: PJKar | Mar 28 2022 12:36 utc | 237

Richard Steven Hack | Mar 28 2022 6:07 utc | 185
Richard, thank you for those suggestions, actually I follow all those sources closely. I guess the problem is the stark contradictions between them and the US/NATO side represented by CNN/MSNBC and for a large part Fox. I mean there is like zero intersection between the two. This whole thread in response to my initial questions was an attempt to resolve try and resolve those contradictions.
Richard Steven Hack | Mar 28 2022 6:12 utc | 187
That’s good to hear seems like a very signifcant task in time and energy but I hope you can accomplish it.

Posted by: PJKar | Mar 28 2022 12:47 utc | 239

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-by-the-united-kingdom-poland-and-ukraine-17-february-2022
The United Kingdom, Poland and Ukraine enjoy deep historical ties, built on shared values, a shared commitment to peace and security and a shared history of standing together against aggressors who threaten freedom in Europe.
To this end, we agreed today to develop a Trilateral Memorandum of Co-operation. This will demonstrate our commitment to further strengthening the strategic cooperation and engagement between our 3 nations on the highest priority issues in support of Ukraine.
We will work together to advance our cooperation, which includes but not limited to co-ordinating support to the International Crimea Platform, increasing our collaboration on cyber security, energy security, and boosting strategic communications to counter disinformation.

……………

https://twitter.com/PanasiukPiotr/status/1507807336043356161
Polish television @PolsatNewsPL
broke the silence and reported the terrible crimes of the Azov Nazi regiment in Mariupol and the planned extermination of the Russians living there

……….

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10652127/Hunter-Biden-helped-secure-millions-funding-military-biotech-research-program-Ukraine.html
EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden DID help secure millions in funding for US contractor in Ukraine specializing in deadly pathogen research, laptop emails reveal, raising more questions about the disgraced son of then vice president

………….
Perfidious albion hard at work to put Harris on the US throne?

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 28 2022 13:00 utc | 241

Cyberhorse | Mar 28 2022 6:08 utc | 186
Thanks Cyberhorse. “I don’t think that any time frame has ever been given by Russia.” That’s what I thought but to a man the MSM tells you they are way behind schedule and the like but I don’t believe Russia ever gave a schedule.
As I write this, CNN is finally reporting on Russia disrupting Ukrainian supply lines and the Russians basically on the verge of taking Mariupol so maybe they’re starting to see reality.
Anyway thank you for the info.

Posted by: PJKar | Mar 28 2022 13:11 utc | 243

@oldhippie | Mar 28 2022 12:49 utc | 242

Gonzalo is Spanish and German.

No he is not.

If he has Indio blood at all it is very minor. He is part of the Carrera family which rules Chile. He is a complete jerk.

My only point is that he is from Chile. What someone thinks of his personality is irrelevant if his information is likely to be true.

The reason to listen to him is not that he is a nice guy or that we like what he said this morning.

Who says that is the reason for listening to him? I did not hear such claims. The reason why he is a useful source is based on his location plus what he says is coherent and makes a lot of sense. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant, what is relevant is if he is able to put some light on what is really going on, and I think he does. Of course, anyone may argue that the truth is different, but calling him a jerk is not an argument even if true.
So I guess this is a case of someone speaking too much truth. It is often not popular.

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 28 2022 13:21 utc | 245

James, it looks to me as if this is not just a CIA project but one of epic incompetence. My guess, following Sue Mullen, is that the Trump years, with the constant Russiagate hobbling of his ability to intervene in Cold War policies, meant that Pompeo had enormous power. But only on condition that he pursued neo-con initiatives.
It is obvious that the US expected a coup in Russia. So obvious that it is almost certain that they had paid people to carry it out. Nothing the US has done in Ukraine makes any sense at all unless a coup was regarded as certain.
The question now is what happened to the plot and where are the plotters? Of course there is a good chance that the US employed double agents, perhaps in the Russian army.
On the other hand the State Department and its media-total MSM hegemony- continue to act as if a coup were coming. So do the Germans who look determined to put the cold into Cold War, by refusing to pay for their gas imports.

Posted by: bevin | Mar 28 2022 13:37 utc | 247

PJKar | Mar 28 2022 13:36 utc | 248
Virtually anything in what is termed as mainstream media is propaganda. That didn’t happen by chance, rather a planed strategy by the CIA and Reagan. There are a number of sites and writers like this by people with either military or diplomatic backgrounds that give a good idea of what is going on. On events that occur in various parts of the world, although there is a lot of chaff to sort through, social media accounts from people that live there and see what is occurring can also be found.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 28 2022 13:54 utc | 249

The only reason I know Gonzalo is German is I heard it from his mouth within the past couple of days.
A Frenchman who lives in Algeria is still French. He is called a French colon and he might be called Metropolitan French and there are a host of unpleasant names for him. He is not Algerian. If he goes native and has children with an Algerian woman the children are not Algerian. The colonial ruling class of Chile are not Chilean.
First mention of Gonzalo on this page came from me. His information has value. He is a capitalist, a racist, a misogynist and mentally stuck in high school. He is a jerk.

Posted by: oldhippie | Mar 28 2022 14:01 utc | 251

@uncle tungsten #219
Iran is the big boy in the Middle East. They have the largest population and the strongest military, and they also have oil albeit not as much as Saudi Arabia – but more than enough to make a lot of money.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have, for generations, pushed to keep Iran bottled up in order to be the big boys in Iran’s sanctioned absence in the world oil markets and in the world, overall. For example: Saudi Arabia and the UAE subsidized Saddam heavily when he was fighting Iran in the 1980s.
That’s why those 2 countries (or more specifically, the ruling families in those 2 countries) don’t like JCPOA – it unlocks Iran from both.
The JCPOA also tells the Emiratis and the Saudis that they no longer enjoy a special and exclusive relationship with the US.

Posted by: c1ue | Mar 28 2022 14:05 utc | 253

c1ue | Mar 28 2022 14:05 utc | 255

The Persian Gulf Region – Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) – is the most important single geographical zone in the world. 50% of the world’s oil reserves are located here. With 22% of the world’s proven reserves Saudi Arabia is typically considered to be the most relevant actor in global oil markets. But Iran and Iraq also account for significant reserves – circa 13% and 12% respectively.
The region’s oil has historically been appreciated for being ‘sweeter’ than the alternatives and thereby easier to refine. Moreover, the region also accounts for some of the countries with the lowest costs of production, with Saudi Arabia and Iran reported to produce at less than $10 per barrel.

Posted by: Oui | Mar 28 2022 14:19 utc | 255

Robert Lindsay | Mar 28 2022 10:14 utc | 218
Study the results and implications of class war, Robert, and others, who still think race is a viable category.

Posted by: donten | Mar 28 2022 14:21 utc | 257

Celtic, Trump would have done nothing, he did nothing to address the bio-labs, nothing to deter NATO’s actions in Ukraine. Trump is empty lip service; people delude themselves. He suffers ADD, doesn’t follow through with anything, does no due diligence; doesn’t bother, doesn’t care. He did NOTHING to address NATO expansion except bitch to get more money. Trump in a moron; the whole black and white, false dichotomous message is moronic; fodder for morons. There is full bi-partisan support for our Deep State. Much more than Hunter, the kids of Senators from both parties have their fingers in the cookie jar. Trump is an adolescent, and anything he did was about that well thought out and effective. He did some damage to whatever he touched, but it was all indicative of the maxim; “Hates makes waste” That some revere that pathetic joke of a “man” is an indictment of their own depth of understanding and maturity.

Posted by: ScottinDallas | Mar 28 2022 14:33 utc | 259

@ptb #260
There’s no “firming up” because those nations have been against Iran since at least the Iranian Revolution.
The only difference today is that Israel is officially friendly with the Saudis and Emiratis – where before all 3 were unfriendly to Iran but officially, separately.
I doubt Saudi Arabia or the UAE were the least bit displeased with Israeli jets bombed Iran’s nuclear power facilities in 1981, for example.

Posted by: c1ue | Mar 28 2022 14:41 utc | 261

@Oui #257
Indeed, and I wouldn’t be shocked if UAE/Saudis were draining Iranian oil via the “There Will Be Blood” milkshake/straw thing either – as if the ego/religion thing were not enough:
Salman oil and gas field, Persian Gulf

Salman oil field extends across the maritime border between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Approximately 66% of the field’s hydrocarbons producing structure is situated in Iranian waters.

Posted by: c1ue | Mar 28 2022 14:44 utc | 263

@ScottinDallas #261
You said

There is full bi-partisan support for our Deep State.

Quite true.
Which is why I find it so amusing that you can’t seem to link the MSM, bipartisan hate for Trump with the reality that his being President was a departure from WH control by the Deep State.
In this context, it doesn’t matter if Trump is/was a moron – it still is better than the alternative.

Posted by: c1ue | Mar 28 2022 14:47 utc | 265

@ Scott
In my experience it is precisely the people that have been told they have ADD that go around diagnosing it in others. Not that we can’t all appreciate the diversity. “Hates makes waste” is indeed a gem

Posted by: Platero | Mar 28 2022 14:50 utc | 267

@Republicofscotland
Did any reporter at that press conference point out to the NZ minister that Russia shares the timezone with NZ ?

Posted by: Platero | Mar 28 2022 14:53 utc | 269

Brief as it was, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Delhi on Friday appears to have left behind more questions than answers on its purpose.

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/talking-and-listening-the-hindu-editorial-on-chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yis-india-visit/article65264784.ece

Posted by: Antonym | Mar 28 2022 14:59 utc | 271

@John Goss | Mar 28 2022 14:46 utc | 266

I am urging people to get in touch with their government representatives to find out why, after our forefathers fought this evil, we are on the side of the Nazis.

In the Norwegian language we have a word for people fighting on the side of the Nazis, it is “frontkjemper”. https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontkjemper (in Norwegian only)
Key passage translated to English (my emphasis):

In Norway, “frontkjemper” refers in particular to Norwegians who voluntarily participated in German military service during World War II, primarily in Regiment Nordland (January 1941), Norwegian SS (May 1941), Germanic SS Norway (July 1942), SS-skijegerkompani (later-Battalion) (august 1942) and four police companies (1942-45).[1] there were a total of over 5,000 Norwegian “frontkjempere”, including several hundred “front sisters” (nurses).[2] These were convicted as traitors after the war.

But now it is suddenly ok to fight along with the Nazis against the Russians in the same places the traitors did it in WWII? Something is seriously wrong….

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 28 2022 15:08 utc | 273

Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, confused on Russia wanting Rubles for their gas, Japan is the third largest consumer of Russian gas in Asia, Japan is joined at the hip with the USA, Edward Snowden revealed that Japan’s entire infrastructure had been hacked by the USA, so it comes as no surprise that the Japanese are self-harming their economy by imposing sanctions on Russia.
I think the USA is willing to damage the economy of all its minions before it own, in order to damage that of Russia’s.
“Asian importers of Russian gas expressed confusion this week regarding Moscow’s demand to pay for deliveries in rubles. The new requirement concerns countries that have imposed sanctions against Russia over its military operation in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said “unfriendly countries” would continue to receive Russian natural gas in volumes and prices fixed in contracts, but are now to pay for the commodity in the country’s national currency. In Asia, these countries include Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, which import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia’s Sakhalin-2 and Yamal LNG projects.”

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 28 2022 15:11 utc | 275

Platero (271).
Yes I agree with that, Russia covers quite a few time zones I think, maybe Nato and the EU wanted to find a way to pull New Zealand into the fold, though with New Zealand already being one of the Five Eyes, its already in the fold.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 28 2022 15:16 utc | 277

Japan and Korea can quietly buy gas from China who purchases it from Russia at a cut rate.

Posted by: Platero | Mar 28 2022 15:18 utc | 279

Platero (281).
A couple of points, would China sell it back to Japan and South Korea at a higher cost than it purchased it from Russia, I think the answer would be yes, and would Japan and South Korea be breaking the terms of their contract with Russia, if it went elsewhere for its gas, difficult to say I think.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 28 2022 15:26 utc | 281

@274 scottindallas
Re: EU gas demand seasonality
Yep, no immediate pressure for a few months. But October would be way too late, they have to start filling underground storage for the 2022-2023 heating season sooner or later. Even under pre-war conditions, EU was on track to exit the 2021-2022 heating season with storage barely above the minimum-fill levels of the system.
The continental natgas futures market does a good job translating these material+time factors into the strip of monthly prices. For now the gas is flowing, the market price is outrageously high but at least stable, and there’s a lot of chest thumping. If the valves get turned off on April 1 (might not become totally clear until April 2 for technical reasons), look out. It was pointed out the other day, that some of the more recently-signed contracts post-2015-sanctions (eg via Black Sea pipelines?) already have backup payment clauses that could be activated, and it would be overwhelmingly in the interest of fixed-price customers to activate those clauses and keep their old cheap pricing, rather than force a default and kill the contract.

Posted by: ptb | Mar 28 2022 15:30 utc | 283

Peter AU1 @258–
That’s an excellent question. Here’s the unfriendly nations list, and I see that Hungary isn’t specifically mentioned but gets included because it’s an EU member. Hungary recently renegotiated its contract with Gazprom. I know the government facilitated the process but don’t know the specifics regarding private or government gas corp. Hungary as you know is one of the few EU nations siding with Russia. An RT article says:
“The agreement was sealed by Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller and Hungarian energy group MVM executives at the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.” [My Emphasis]
From MVM’s website, it appears to be a private corp. I don’t see any news regarding the change to rubles on its website. IMO, Hungary won’t be affected because of its actual friendly status. And that’s one of the big cracks in the pottery.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 28 2022 15:36 utc | 285

@286
Japan have their own unique situation. They could manage to remain off the unfriendly countries list – there was minor concession in that BOJ stated “current law doesn’t allow seizing central bank reserves”, and with a bit of contortionism, they can get their LNG from Australia, and let any Russian ship cargoes (if they even booked any) go elsewhere in East Asia. US and Canada, don’t import gas from Russia.
Italy/UK/FR are exposed indirectly, but with big financial risk, via continental natgas prices. Fortunately, they get infinite credit from the central banks.
Germany is really the only one in G7 who takes the direct hit. If they remain true to the stereotype as the best planners of the bunch, they may have arranged purchase options in the integrated continental natgas market, to protect themselves from a cut-off scenario. This would transfer the problem for their counterparties in the market. Worst case, they join IT/UK/FR in outbidding the less fortunate Europeans, and have the central bank cover the bill.
Of course there is then the huge problem of trading partners everywhere having their energy supply killed, but who has time for that?

Posted by: ptb | Mar 28 2022 15:47 utc | 287

@Norwegian 275
now it is suddenly ok to fight along with the Nazis against the Russians
We don’t hear “Nazis” from the US government, and googling “nazis ukraine” doesn’t reveal much on the media. Sure they’re Nazis, but nobody’s perfect sort of thing. This issue is really key to Russia and should be to Europe in general, as well as the US, but it isn’t by a long shot.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Mar 28 2022 15:53 utc | 289

@Don Bacon | Mar 28 2022 15:53 utc | 291

We don’t hear “Nazis” from the US government, and googling “nazis ukraine” doesn’t reveal much on the media. Sure they’re Nazis, but nobody’s perfect sort of thing. This issue is really key to Russia and should be to Europe in general, as well as the US, but it isn’t by a long shot.

This is really a no brainer, so when they hide the fact that they are fighting with Nazis, it tells you who they are.
And (my emphasis):
https://t.me/intelslava/23807

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 28 2022 16:02 utc | 291

I’m reading more about false flags again. Magnier has a whole piece up on this possibility here:
https://ejmagnier.com/2022/03/27/the-prospects-of-a-wider-war-beyond-the-ukrainian-borders-are-dangerously-growing/
The gas will be cut off, if neither Russia nor the EU are bluffing, in roughly three days time.
I realize some people continue to deny that the US will actually stage a false flag. I hope they are right.
I however still perceive that factions in the US–basically the state department together with the neocon media–are itching maniacally to get NATO involved in the war one way or the other. I am not alone in this assessment, as Magnier and other commentators demonstrate.
With the timing of the false flag have anything to do with the timing of the gas shutoff, or will it have more to do with Russia grinding out its offensive over the next two months? Hard to say I guess.
I imagine that although the European domestic demand for natural gas is lower in the summer than in the winter, natural gas is still required for the production of any large industry. I doubt that sufficient amounts of LNG will be able to be shipped, at a low-enough cost, to Germany and other European countries to allow production to continue. The blow to industry should be felt within a month or two, no?

Posted by: WJ | Mar 28 2022 16:06 utc | 293

Peter AU1 @258–
That’s an excellent question. Here’s the unfriendly nations list, and I see that Hungary isn’t specifically mentioned but gets included because it’s an EU member. Hungary recently renegotiated its contract with Gazprom. I know the government facilitated the process but don’t know the specifics regarding private or government gas corp. Hungary as you know is one of the few EU nations siding with Russia. An RT article says:
“The agreement was sealed by Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller and Hungarian energy group MVM executives at the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.” [My Emphasis]
From MVM’s website, it appears to be a private corp. I don’t see any news regarding the change to rubles on its website. IMO, Hungary won’t be affected because of its actual friendly status. And that’s one of the big cracks in the pottery.
Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 28 2022 15:36 utc | 287
Hungary’s currency is not the EUro but the FORINT.
1 Hungarian Forint equals
0.0027 Euro
as of today.
It could be of interest to Russia to own some currency convertible to Euro or Dollar and so forth accept payments in forint. Especially after Hungary elections. Who knows…

Posted by: Greg Galloway | Mar 28 2022 16:18 utc | 295

@ bevin | Mar 28 2022 13:37 utc | 249 and @ Jo Dominich | Mar 28 2022 12:06 utc | 234
bevin, those are interesting speculations and you might be right.. they had a plan, but it didn’t work… no russian regime change…
zelensky is just a useful tool being used by a number of players, but i think the main player is the cia… is nuland cia? she’s a neo con fanatic, but i she isn’t cia.. there is no way for zelensky to survive all of this and as someone else pointed out – he got in with 75% of the vote saying he wanted better relations with russia and that he would accept the minsk agreement…. in so far as the cia and the nazis are in agreement on having a war with russia – zelensky is in no position to talk about finding a solution for peace… in fact – it is the opposite… i am sure russia reads this loud and clear as well.. zelensky is a useful idiot for all intensive purposes… a mediocre washed up actor, but a useful tool for the moment..
i do agree with @ Richard Steven Hack | Mar 28 2022 12:37 utc | 240 …. cia isn’t the only one pulling zelensky’s strings, but they are the main one as i see it.. i will be surprised if he makes it to the other side of all this alive, let alone retires to florida in the condo kolomoisky has for him.. here is zelenskys role clearly defined for anyone who is interested – https://twitter.com/v13155800/status/1506778475360882696?s=21

Posted by: james | Mar 28 2022 16:22 utc | 297

RE YouTube Posted by: bubbles 109
If you do not want to give your personal information to Google then install < HREF="https://freetubeapp.io/">FreeTube to watch YouTube videos anonymously and without adverts.
For Android there is NewPipe
They are both OpenSource.

Posted by: Delboy | Mar 28 2022 16:24 utc | 299