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Media Are Now Whitewashing Nazis They Had Previously Condemned
Recently the New York Times, like many other 'western' outlets, has changed its language when reporting about the fascist Ukrainian Asov Battalion.
What was once "a Ukrainian neo-Nazi paramilitary organization" which even the FBI said is notorious for its “association with neo-Nazi ideology” was first relabeled as merely "far right" before it became a normal "unit in the Ukrainian military".
New Zealand Massacre Highlights Global Reach of White Extremism – Mar 15 2019 – New York Times
Scrawled on his rifle was a white nationalist credo popularized by the American domestic terrorist and neo-Nazi David Lane. On his flak jacket was a symbol commonly used by the Azov Battalion, a Ukrainian neo-Nazi paramilitary organization.
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We Once Fought Jihadists. Now We Battle White Supremacists. – Feb 11 2020 – New York Times
Defenders of the Ukrainian Azov Battalion, which the F.B.I. calls “a paramilitary unit” notorious for its “association with neo-Nazi ideology,” accuse us of being part of a Kremlin campaign to “demonize” the group.
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Why Vladimir Putin Invokes Nazis to Justify His Invasion of Ukraine – Mar 17 2022 – New York Times
Facebook last week said it was making an exception to its anti-extremism policies to allow praise for Ukraine’s far-right Azov Battalion military unit, “strictly in the context of defending Ukraine, or in their role as part of the Ukraine National Guard.”
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From Battered Mariupol Steel Plant, Fighters Share Desperate Videos to Push Out Story – Apr 29 2022 – New York Times
These scenes are from videos shared online in recent days by the Azov regiment, a unit in the Ukrainian military, which says they were taken in the mazelike bunkers beneath the sprawling Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.
It is not that Azov has de-radicalized over time. It has in fact grown more extreme.
Cont. reading: Media Are Now Whitewashing Nazis They Had Previously Condemned
Ukraine – Doubling Down
The Russian side is making some progress in the war in Ukraine. While the differences on the map look small the repositioning of forces that had threatened Kiev is finished and the Russian military is now seriously degrading and grinding down the Ukrainian forces in Donbas.
March 31 2022
Source: Liveuamap – biggerApril 29 2022
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According to the daily reports of Russia's Ministry of Defense the Ukraine is losing several hundred soldiers and some 30 armored vehicles per day, most of them to artillery. A flood of gruel pictures posted on Telegram by both sides confirm this. Several Ukrainian attempts to counterattack Russian forces have failed.
'Western' propagandists are noting that their side is losing.
Cont. reading: Ukraine – Doubling Down
Ukraine Open Thread 2022-56
Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …
Open Thread 2022-55 (Not Ukraine)
News and views NOT related to Ukraine …
Politico: “Germany approves tank sales to Ukraine, bowing to pressure”
Did Germany really decide to deliver tanks to the Ukraine?
The German government said Tuesday it will deliver anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine after facing strong pressure at home and abroad to abandon its reluctance to supply heavy weapons to Kyiv.
The decision to provide the “Gepard” tanks, which come from German defense industry stocks, was made at a closed-door government meeting on Monday, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht told reporters at a Ukraine security conference at a U.S. airbase in Ramstein, Germany. There was no immediate information on how many tanks Germany would deliver.
The announcement marks a notable shift for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who as recently as last week was still ruling out sending German tanks to Ukraine, insisting it would make more sense for Eastern NATO countries to give Kyiv old Soviet-era tanks already familiar to the Ukrainian military. Scholz promised Germany would then send those countries replacement German tanks.
I find it amusing how many misunderstand this move. First off – the Gepard (Cheetah) is not a tank as the turret has very little protective armor.
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It is a short range (5 km / 3 miles) anti-air system on a tank chassis useful against helicopters, drones and low flying planes.
Cont. reading: Politico: “Germany approves tank sales to Ukraine, bowing to pressure”
A Recap Of The War In Ukraine – by Gonzalo Lira
Gonzalo Lira just delivered a decent recap of the war in Ukraine.
Gonzalo Lira @GonzaloLira1968 – 10:28 UTC · Apr 26, 2022
Quick recap for those who haven't followed what's been going on in Ukraine but want to understand: 02/24: The Russians invaded from the south, south-east, east and north, in a lightning campaign. The Russians invaded with 190K troops—against 250K combat troops from Ukraine.
The RF put 30K troops near Kiev—nowhere near enough to capture the city—but enough to pin down some 100K AFU defenders. The RF also launched several axes of attack, with reinforcements on standby (including a famed 40km long tank column), to see where they might be needed.
Crucially—the Russian's blitz on several axes pre-empted an imminent UKRAINIAN blitzkrieg. The AFU had been about to invade the Donbas. This was the immediate motivation for Russia's invasion: To beat them to the punch and scuttle Ukraine's imminent invasion—which they did.
Cont. reading: A Recap Of The War In Ukraine – by Gonzalo Lira
Ukraine – Railway Hits, U.S. War Aims, Ops Report
Updated below at 17:45 UTC
Last Thursday the first destruction of bridges along Ukrainian railway routes in eastern Ukraine took place. These were important for Ukraine's war effort and especially for the resupplies flowing from west towards the eastern front:
The Ukrainian military, like Russia's, depends on railways for all long distance mass supplies as both have relatively few logistic trucks.
The U.S. and others have said they would give the Ukraine dozens of 155mm towed artillery guns plus tens of thousands of shells with them. The U.S. guns come with one truck each to tow the gun.
That is all manageable so far but now let's look at the logistics (especially without railways). …
I have estimated that the Ukraine does not have enough trucks to replace railway logistics and those logistics are now falling apart:
The Eurasianist @Russ_Warrior – 10:09 UTC · Apr 25, 2022
The Russian Armed Forces hit 7 substations in western #Ukraine:
_ Zdolbunov (trains stopped in Dubno area, delay of the trains to Kovel), _ Kazatin-2, _ Krasnoye, _ Podolskaya, _ Sknilov, _ Slavuta (decommissioning of the entire area of Zdolbunov and Slavuta stations), _ Fastov
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The attacks have been confirmed:
Cont. reading: Ukraine – Railway Hits, U.S. War Aims, Ops Report
Ukraine Open Thread 2022-54
Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …
The MoA Week In Review – NOT Ukraine OT 2022-53
How Not To Report On Ukraine
Sitting in New York and London three New York Times writer penned a current above the fold piece on events in Ukraine. It is headlined:
As Western Arms Pour Into Ukraine, Zelensky Promises Victory
A version of the piece also appeared in print on April 24, 2022, Section A, Page 1 of the New York edition with the headline:
As Heavy Arms Arrive, Ukraine Gets a Boost In Defending the East.
The 'report' seems to be an attempt to summarize the current situation in Ukraine. But the choice of voices quoted in it does not give me any confidence that it is painting a realistic picture:
President Volodymyr Zelensky … expressed …
Mr. Zelensky said …
Mr. Zelensky said …
The Pentagon and the State Department declined to comment
Mr. Zelensky said …
Military analysts said …
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said …
The ministry said …
Canada on Friday announced …
… after President Biden announced …
Mr. Zelensky reiterated …
… the Ukrainian defense intelligence agency warned …
It also said …
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said …
… The Associated Press reported.
… an aide to the city’s mayor said.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, said …
… Ukrainian officials said.
… said Andriy Yermak, the head of the presidential administration.
Mr. Zelensky reacted angrily … denouncing … and asking …
Photographs and video from the scene appeared to show …
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said on Twitter …
… the region’s governor said.
… the Ukrainian military claimed
Mr. Zelensky seized on a Russian general’s statement …
… Mr. Zelensky said.
Military and political analysts have cast doubt …
But the commander’s hint …
… the Moldovan government summoned …
Poland, … , said …
Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker, shared a photograph on Twitter … that she said …
… she wrote …
To me it seems that there is something amiss with this piece.
The ‘Rules Based Order’ Knows No Distance
Remarks by President Biden Providing an Update on Russia and Ukraine, Feb 15 2022
Nations have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity. They have the freedom to set their own course and choose with whom they will associate.
The distance between the U.S. (New York) and the Ukraine (Lviv) is 7,194 kilometer (4,470 miles). The distance between Russia and Ukraine is zero kilometer (zero miles). They are neighboring countries.
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Readout of Senior Administration Travel to Hawaii, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands, Apr 22, 2022
The two sides engaged in substantial discussion around the recently signed security agreement between Solomon Islands and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Solomon Islands representatives indicated that the agreement had solely domestic applications, but the U.S. delegation noted there are potential regional security implications of the accord, including for the United States and its allies and partners. The U.S. delegation outlined clear areas of concern with respect to the purpose, scope, and transparency of the agreement.
If steps are taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence, power-projection capabilities, or a military installation, the delegation noted that the United States would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly.
The distance between the continental U.S. (Los Angeles) and the Solomon Islands is 9,845 kilometer (6,118 miles). The distance between the continental China (Shanghai) and the Solomon Islands is 5,901 kilometer (3,667 miles).
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EU Commission, U.S. Submit To Reality
Me stating the very obvious on Feb 28:
All energy consumption in the U.S. and EU will now come at a premium price. This will push the EU and the U.S. into a recession. As Russia will increase the prices for exports of goods in which it has market power – gas, oil, wheat, potassium, titanium, aluminum, palladium, neon etc – the rise in inflation all around the world will become significant.
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On February 4 Russia and China declared a multipolar world in which they are two partnering poles that will counter the American one. Russia's move into the Ukraine is a demonstration of that.
It also shows that the U.S. is unwilling to give up its supremacist urges without a large fight. But while the U.S. over the last 20 years has spent its money to mess up the Middle East, Russia and China have used the time to prepare for the larger conflict. They have spent more brain time on the issue than the U.S. has.
The Europeans should have acknowledged that instead of helping the U.S. to keep up its self-image of a unipolar power.
It will take some time for the new economic realities to settle in. They will likely change the current view of Europe's real strategic interests.
I admit that it has been amusing me to watch the process predicted above through the ever evolving headlines:
Europe Rejects Putin’s Demand for Natural Gas Payments in Rubles – Mar 24, 2022, Bloomberg
(Bloomberg) — European Union leaders rejected Vladimir Putin’s demand to pay for natural gas in rubles …
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EU payment in roubles for Russian gas would violate sanctions regime – document – Apr 14, 2022, Reuters
BRUSSELS, April 14 (Reuters) – Payment for Russian gas in roubles by European Union buyers would break the EU's sanctions regime against Moscow, an internal European Commission note said.
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EU Sees Way to Pay for Russian Gas Without Breaching Sanctions – Apr 22, 2022, Reuters
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU companies may be able to work around Russia's demand to receive gas payments in roubles without breaching sanctions if they pay in euros or dollars which are then converted into the Russian currency, the European Commission said on Friday.
Even the U.S. had to submit to reality:
Yellen warns European ban on Russian energy could harm economies – Apr 21, 2022, rfi / AFP
Cont. reading: EU Commission, U.S. Submit To Reality
Ukraine – Gonzalo Lira, War Aims, Railway Supplies And Incoming Fire
1. Gonzalo Lira is alive
Lira had been arrested on April 15 by the SBU, the Ukrainian Gestapo, but is now at some private place in Kharkov under a kind of house arrest. He is not allowed to leave the city. It seems that the public attention the case had caught has helped to hold back the nastier side of the Ukrainian authorities. Last night Alex Christoforou of The Duran published a short video talk with Gonzalo Lira (vid).
2. Russia's war aims
In a talk at a defense industry meeting Major General Rustam Minnekaev, Deputy Commander of the Central Military District, named areas of Ukraine which Russia wants to secure (machine translation):
Cont. reading: Ukraine – Gonzalo Lira, War Aims, Railway Supplies And Incoming Fire
Ukraine Open Thread 2022-52
Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …
Open Thread 2022-51 (Not Ukraine)
News and views NOT related to Ukraine …
Some Of The Weapons Delivered To Ukraine Will Be Used Against Us
The U.S. and its proxies in Europe are moving an enormous amount of weapons into Ukraine. But no one has an idea where those weapons will end up. It is likely that many of those will proliferate outside of the Ukraine and some of those weapons will inevitably hit those who now deliver them.
In a review of the U.S. war on Syria Aaron Maté details how the Obama/Biden team empowered terrorist networks in Syria:
Based on declassified documents, news reports, and scattered admissions of U.S. officials, this overlooked history of how the Obama-Biden team's effort to oust the Assad regime – in concert with allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey – details the series of discrete decisions that ultimately led the U.S. to empower terror networks bent on its destruction.
The U.S. pushed an enormous amount of weapons into Syria. Those weapons did not end up with the 'moderate rebels' the U.S. propaganda had elevated but in the hands the most ideological committed and most brutal actors on the ground:
Although the Obama administration claimed that the weapons funneled to Syria were intended for "moderate rebels," they ultimately ended up in the hands of a jihadi-dominated insurgency. Just one month after the Benghazi attack, the New York Times reported that "hard-line Islamic jihadists," including groups "with ties or affiliations with Al Qaeda," have received "the lion’s share of the arms shipped to the Syrian opposition.
In a repeat of that 'strategy' the U.S. is currently pushing an enormous amount of weapons as well as mercenaries into Ukraine. The bigger stuff it delivers is not of much concern. But the huge amount of small arms and small ammunition, the anti-tank weapons and the handheld anti-air systems are of serious, long term danger. These fit into a car trunk and can easily be smuggled across boarders.
Cont. reading: Some Of The Weapons Delivered To Ukraine Will Be Used Against Us
Russia Has Launched Phase Two Of Its Operation In Ukraine
The neo-conservative 'Institute for the Study of War' (ISW) releases daily 'Russian offensive campaign assessments'. A lot of people in Washington DC seem to read them.
They are of course pure propaganda only slightly aligned with the actual tactical situation in the Ukraine. I confess that I read them once a while purely for my amusement.
Their main source seems to be the Ukrainian defense ministry which is of course lying left and right about the state of the war.
This for example is from their assessment from Sunday, April 17:
Russian forces continued to amass on the Izyum axis and in eastern Ukraine, increasingly including low-quality proxy conscripts, in parallel with continuous – and unsuccessful – small-scale attacks. Russian forces did not take any territory on the Izyum axis or in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts in the past 24 hours. Russian forces deploying to eastern Ukraine reportedly continue to face significant morale and supply issues and appear unlikely to intend, or be able to, conduct a major offensive surge in the coming days. Deputy Ukrainian Minister of Defense Anna Malyar stated on April 17 that the Russian military is in no hurry to launch an offensive in eastern Ukraine, having learned from their experience from Kyiv – but Russian forces continue localized attacks and are likely unable to amass the cohesive combat power necessary for a major breakthrough.
I have no idea how anyone could have come to those conclusions.
Cont. reading: Russia Has Launched Phase Two Of Its Operation In Ukraine
The Ukraine Is Still Losing So What Is Its Plan?
Russian and Donbas forces have cleared the city of Mariupol except for the giant metallurgic complex of Azovstal which is held by some estimated 4,000 men, including many from the fascist Azov battalion.
On Sunday Russia opened corridors across the front line and asked for those forces to surrender. However the Zelensky government ordered them to stay and to continue to bind Russian forces which otherwise could be used elsewhere:
Russia had given the Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol until Sunday morning to lay down their weapons or be “eliminated.” On Sunday, the forces at the plant ignored the deadline, and Ukrainian officials vowed that they would not surrender. In response, the Russian assault intensified, with missiles and bombs hitting the city and new attacks occurring near the plant, according to the Ukrainian military.
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Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that the struggle was not over for Mariupol, which for two months has tied up Russian troops and resources that are badly needed elsewhere.
The Azovstal complex is a 2 by 2 miles industrial area. It can be surrounded and controlled by a relatively small force. Those within the area no longer have heavy artillery ammunition and presumably little other supplies. The Russian forces can see and bomb anything that moves on the open ground and can otherwise sit back and wait their enemies out.
I do not believe that holding on to Azovstal will significantly delay the upcoming second phase of the Russian operation which will surround and destroy the Ukrainian army on the Donbas front.
Cont. reading: The Ukraine Is Still Losing So What Is Its Plan?
Ukraine Open Thread 2022-50
Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict …
The MoA Week In Review – NOT Ukraine OT 2022-49
Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama:
Not really related but fitting:
> Shortly, the public will be unable to reason or think for themselves. They'll only be able to parrot the information they've been given on the previous night's news. <
Zbigniew Brzezinski, 1972
> He could undermine the messaging so much that he could actually control what people think. And that is OUR job. <
Mika Brzezinski, 2017
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Other issues:
Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review – NOT Ukraine OT 2022-49
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