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Media Tune Down Ukraine Hysteria – Continue To Print Falsehoods
The Ukraine war has fallen below the fold of the New York Times and the Washington Post. It is not the only sign that the 'western' war rage and cheer leading for Ukraine has ended. When one scrolls down though there are still Ukraine headlines on the NYT front page.
One is to its "live" coverage with the current headline saying:
Ukraine Live Updates: Russian Forces Move Into Center of Sievierodonetsk.
That 'live update' is two week behind the real news. As Reuters reported on May 31:
Russia takes most of Sievierodonetsk city in eastern Ukraine.
KYIV, May 31 (Reuters) – Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russia had taken control of most of the eastern industrial city of Sievierodonetsk, a bombed-out wasteland whose capture Moscow has made the principal objective of its invasion.
Some 'western' analysts had since falsely claimed that Ukraine had launched a counteroffensive into the city. That counterattack in fact never has taken place. The forces who were supposed to launch it where shelled to clumps before they could set off.
The NYT live update also includes this headline and report:
Amnesty says Russia’s use of cluster munitions caused widespread civilian deaths in Kharkiv.
Reading a bit into it one finds:
Amnesty said 606 civilians were killed in the Kharkiv region between Feb. 24 and April 28, citing the head of the regional medical department.
In investigating 41 strikes that killed more than 60 civilians, Amnesty said its researchers found fragments of cluster sub-munitions as well as parts of rockets known to carry such weapons. Cluster munitions are banned under a 2010 treaty because of the risk they pose for noncombatants, but Russia, Ukraine and the United States are not among the more than 100 countries that have signed the convention. Ukraine has also used cluster munitions in the war.
Some 600 civilians died in Karkiv over a month. Debris from cluster bombs, which both sides use, was also found. That must mean that Russian forces must have killed those civilians?
Really?
This reminds me of 2008 when Amnesty's sister organization Human Rights Watch published a fake cluster bomb report during the Georgia war. Back then the HRW analyst Marc Garlasco falsely identified 'western' produced cluster bombs which had been fired by Georgia as Russian ones. It was easy to debunk that claim simply by checking HRW's own cluster bomb identification charts. (Shortly thereafter Garlasco was suspended and then fired over his fondness for Nazi memorabilia. His false and debunked report however is still on HRW's website.)
The Washington Post front page also links, below the fold, to live coverage. The current headline being:
Ukrainian forces pushed from Severodonetsk city’s center; NATO chief to Sweden
Again, the claim about Severodonetsk' city center is false. The Ukrainian forces have been 'pushed out' of it 14 days ago. Aside from the industrial western part, the Azot factory, the city has been under Russian control since May 31.
The WaPo live coverage includes this part:
Update from key battlefields: Russia makes gains in Severodonetsk, targets bridges
Slovyansk area: Russian forces are advancing toward this city in the Donetsk region and have made minor gains north of it. Russian troops have sought to destroy bridges over the Siverskyi Donets river to disrupt the flow of supplies and reinforcements between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, but the destruction has made it difficult for them to successfully attack Slovyansk because of challenges crossing the river, according to analysts.
Here is a map of east Ukraine with red marking the Russian held territory.
bigger
Slovyansk is on the very left side of the map. Severodonetsk and Lysychansk are on the very right side of the map. A crow will have to fly 60 kilometer (37 miles) to reach from one to the others. Now please reread the WaPO paragraph above and see if it makes any geographical sense. How would destroyed bridges between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk hinder any attack on Slovyansk?
The 'analysts' WaPo linked as sources for that paragraph are the neo-conservative Institute for the Study of War which is the widely quoted prime outlet for Ukraine slanted propaganda about the war. It believe that it is also the source for the false claim both papers print about Severodonetsk's city center.
Now on towards real news: U.S. president Joe Biden has told NATO to end the proxy war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Dr. David Lütke @DrLuetke – 20:33 UTC · Jun 12, 2022
Today #NATO's #Stoltenberg stated that #negotiations are needed for #peace in #Ukraine.
Quote:
"Peace is possible. The question is how much territory, how much independence…are [Ukraine] willing to sacrifice for peace."
Rhetoric is changing:
What happened to Ukraine winning?
video
This is the same Stoltenberg who in early April said that NATO must prepare for a ‘long haul’ in Ukraine. Who then said that the war could drag on for years. Jens Stoltenberg, who told us in May that we must put values over profits, is now talking about peace for territorial and sovereignty concessions.
It seems that someone has told Biden that there is zero chance for the Democrats to win in the midterm elections if gas prices stay beyond 5 dollar per gallon. Or maybe this Saturday NYT piece really got under his skin:
Should Biden Run in 2024? Democratic Whispers of ‘No’ Start to Rise.
In interviews, dozens of frustrated Democratic officials, members of Congress and voters expressed doubts about the president’s ability to rescue his reeling party and take the fight to Republicans.
Whatever.
Russia is winning the war. The Ukraine has lost the war and will also lose a large chunk of its territory. Its western fueled 'resistance' against the inevitable has seen to that. The U.S. and NATO now acknowledge that much.
Unfortunately some of Zelenski's advisors are still unable to recognize that:
Михайло Подоляк @Podolyak_M – 7:12 UTC · Jun 13, 2022
Being straightforward – to end the war we need heavy weapons parity:
1000 howitzers caliber 155 mm;
300 MLRS;
500 tanks;
2000 armored vehicles;
1000 drones.
Contact Group of Defense Ministers meeting is held in #Brussels on June 15. We are waiting for a decision.
"To end the war" … Ukraine needs as many weapons as it had when the war started? What happened to those weapons? Will it also need 50 pink unicorns?
It is over. How much territory Ukraine will have to give will be decided by Russia.
⚡️ From the very beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, military experts undertook to analyze the tactics and further strategy of the RF Armed Forces. The guesses turned out to be wrong due to the dynamic development of events and the fact that our army tried different models of warfare. Today it is already possible to conduct an intermediate analysis of the situation that is developing within the framework of the NWO. In my estimation, everything is going as it should.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have completely switched to the tactics of mobile assault groups and complex fire engagement, shifting the focus from high speed of advance to minimizing losses while maintaining damage to the enemy.
Now an approximate algorithm of actions looks like this: Ukrainian positions are opened by UAVs and reconnaissance groups, then artillery and aircraft hit at the identified objects, after critical damage to the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, assault groups consisting of several tanks, other armored vehicles and infantry platoons are advanced in the direction of key objects. Point support is provided by artillery forces and mortars. If Ukraine tries to counterattack, or the offensive of our troops is slowed down, and the enemy’s points are again “polished” by artillery and fighters. Such tactics are systematically squeezing the Armed Forces of Ukraine out of cities, villages and fortified areas.
❗️In general, the Russian troops adopted a strategy to deplete the enemy’s resources. After the final retirement of the combat-ready backbone of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the deprivation of the Ukrainian troops of the minimum number of heavy weapons, repair and fuel and lubricant resources, things will go faster.
At the moment, the actions of Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been almost completely neutralized. First of all, due to the counter-ambush actions of our special forces. In addition, extensive work is being carried out in the rear of the RF Armed Forces to identify and capture / destroy Ukrainian DRGs. Additionally, there is a checkpoint system.
As for the losses of Ukraine as a whole. With a change in tactics, the effectiveness of the liquidation of the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine increased. On average, it is 300-500 people per day. The total amount of Ukrainian combat losses today is, in my opinion, up to 100,000 people. Of these, approximately 25-30 thousand were killed and up to 70 thousand were wounded and surrendered. To these 100 thousand one can add several tens of thousands more deserters.
Russian long-range aviation and the Navy continue to regularly strike with long-range cruise missiles at enemy military targets, including deep in the rear. The calculation of Kyiv and the Western side that the Russian Armed Forces would run out of missiles did not materialize – our military industry provides a sufficient rate of production of these products.
Speaking of aviation, our Air Force has now achieved operational air supremacy. It eliminates the possibility for any effective actions of Ukrainian aviation over the territories controlled by the Russian Federation, and also allows Russian pilots to operate effectively. At the same time, pockets of Ukrainian air defense remain, creating a high danger for our aircraft. The air defense system of the Ukraine was created according to Soviet principles, with deep separation, extensive use of maneuver and camouflage, and the use of anti-aircraft ambush tactics. In the history of wars, such a powerful and diverse air defense system operates for the first time.
With regards to the supply of Western weapons. They turned out to be a tangible help for the Ukrainian troops, but not enough. There are few foreign weapons, ensuring their operation suffers due to the extremely short training period for Ukrainian combat crews. There is an ammunition shortage. In addition, a number of European countries are sabotaging supplies initiated by the United States, which leads to a low density of heavy equipment per kilometer of front and does not have a significant impact on hostilities.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation use the theater of operations within the framework of the NMD to develop the latest weapons. At a minimum, the use of BMPTs, the Tornado-G and Tornado-S MLRS systems, and a flight of Su-57 fighters was noticed. For the first time, the Buk-M3 air defense system is used in combat conditions.
– Colonel Khodarenok
(machine translation)
Posted by: ostro | Jun 13 2022 13:19 utc | 9
How much territory Ukraine will have to give will be decided by Russia. #1
True, but just half the story. UA must “give territory” to pay the war debt, I’m sure.
Credits that cannot be paid back never are “gifts” but entail bankrupcy and liquidation of assets. Same here. No money, no problem. UA has land, much of it being fertile black earth. That’s better than paper money. Even better than gold. Ask Soros, who sold gold to buy 1 million acres in Argentina.
Agrarian land has appreciated between 2000 an 2011 by 1200% alone. And UA has 42.7 million hectares of that (70.8 percent of its territory) [1], 32 million ha being arable [2]. Nova Russia must be discounted, though. The remaining territory is an incentive to stop the war now and not let Russia occupy/free more of the country.
Zelensky has (pre-SMO) ordered the Verkhovna Rada to open the land market [1]. Western finance is the driving force as they want to get a slice of that pie: “…behind the land reform,… there were financial lobbies in the West. Western pension funds and investment funds wanted to invest money that was depreciating. Looking for assets to invest in, they enlisted support of the IMF, the World Bank, EBRD, and various lobbying groups to promote their interests and lay out all necessary groundwork”. [4] – In contrast, “…Ukraine’s rural population is on the verge of poverty. 44 percent of people earn an income below the subsistence level, and 7 percent suffer from malnutrition.” [1]
The land grab has been going on for two decades by neoliberal land reform and plainly illegal practice. “Oligarchs and transnational capital take over the land…” [2]. As many nationalists oppose international ownership, clandestine operations flourished. For 5 million ha (the size of Slovakia), Ukraine’s land register is lacking information on the new owners. This land has “disappeared” [3].
The longer the war rages, the more debt is mounting. An increasing fraction of the population will go down 6ft under, be crippled, go out into exile (youth in the first place), or simply get desperate enough to sell at a dictated price.
A president who evisions Israel 2.0 and has plenty of thugs -paramilitary and parliamentary- at hand could even re-enact Nakba 2.0 and “accelerate the land sale”, if need be. – Add the denial of the right to citizenship/return a lá Israel (already in UA in place for males of draftable age) and/or the unwillingness to return for those who grew roots abroad…
It is the dream of the financial oligarchs of the West to acquire UA, just as they did with Romania, Hungary, Argentina etc., and lease the land back to those who work it. Purebred neo-slavery. Well, Hungary differs a bit, since Orbán “illegally” undid some of that. Brussels cries foul -> reading sample: “Orbán expropriates German Entrepreneurs” [5]. To own land in the EU is lucrative. The EU shells out 58 bn EUR anually (2019) for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). That is 38% of the total EU budget, or 130 EUR of taxes/subsidies for each of the 445 million citizens.
41.5 bn of that (i.e. 27% of the total EU budget) are “CAP income support”, disseminated via area key. In contrast, in Germany, the number of employees in the agrarian sector accounts for a meager 1.2% of the total workforce.
The area key is, by the way, the main obstacle for EU membership of UA; Not “democracy” nor “institutions” or the lack thereof. The current subsidy profiteers simply don’t want to share and fear a re-definition of distribution quota. A tax hike of this magnitude rightfully seems risky.
The same is the reason why Turkiye has been duped by the EU for decades. Too powerful agrarian lobbies at work.
An unprecetended bonanza is looming. Foodprices deliberatedly driven up in the last years, UA (=wheat exporter #2 (sunflower seed #1)) acquired on the cheap, exporter #1 excluded by sanction from selling on their lucrative home turf.
Conclusion: Whenever the fate of 404 after the SMO is discussed, its land is a major aspect. It will be interesting to watch which vulture (from which part of the world) is getting which chunk when the corpse is eaten, and how they behave among each other.
References (I had difficulties posting links)
[1] “Legislating Land Reform in Ukraine”, Taras Bilous at al., 2020
[2] “Land Grabs in the Black Earth: Ukrainian Oligarchs and International Investors”, Christina Plank , 2013
[3] “How did 5 million hectares disappear? Secret land privatisation in Ukraine”, Sławomir Matuszak, 2020
[4] “The real Zelensky: from celebrity populist to unpopular Pinochet-style neoliberal”, Natylie Baldwin, 2022
[5] “Orbán enteignet deutsche Unternehmer, Matthias Kamp, 2018
Posted by: OttoE | Jun 13 2022 15:07 utc | 42
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