Yeah, for sure. Always more under the table than over the table. What I am watching is the huge shift underway to appeal to conservative elements of the US, reversing abortion rights, reinstalling prayer in schools, why so much and why all of a sudden?
A distraction from the war?
A distraction from something else?
Posted by: HelenB | Jun 30 2022 3:54 utc | 200
Under tabke: agreed, but what’s getting my goat of late is the consistent and surreal levels of seeming incompetence. It’s extremely extreme and so suspicious.
I think the Scotus timing has more to do with the States waiting for Trump’s last appointment and then launching the suits. It’s a slow process.
Maybe the shift is election season getting underway?

Posted by: Scorpion | Jun 30 2022 4:31 utc | 204

michaelj72 | Jun 30 2022 3:59 utc | 201
part of the “image factory” is not only manufacturing empty fireworks displays but also hiding the real consequences of war from a gullible, lazy public. no discussion will be allowed of the eco- and socio-cide committed against Iraq and Afghanistan, the horrifying effects on the soldiers, etc. hell, as we all know, we hide the military casualties from the public as much as possible.
produce a fake, suppress the real via distraction. it’s a magic act.

Posted by: rjb1.5 | Jun 30 2022 4:40 utc | 206

The UK is planning to cut the gas pipeline to the EU if the gas crisis intensifies, I bet that will be reassuring to the EU.
https://www.ft.com/content/175ef927-efa2-439e-8ede-1dfc7edd23a6?sharetype=blocked

Posted by: MarkU | Jun 30 2022 5:02 utc | 208

RSH, I have a question for you. I saw somewhere in the past 6-8 hours some posting title saying 144 troops getting exchanged and now I can’t find it. Are you see anything about prisoner exchanges? It is curious to me that we have heard nothing of the Azvostal prisoners that must/should IMO have some value to be known by the public that they were in there. Are there going to be prisoner exchanges that cover up the biolabs, for example?
I think there are things going on above my pay grade and keep seeing hints that raise lots of questions.
MSM headlines report lots going on in Ukraine so it will be interesting to read your reporting over the next few days.
Thanks!

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 30 2022 5:39 utc | 210

I am also going to throw my $0.02 out here about what might be a target for the next level of Russian escalation/response to aggression.
Floating tin cans have been sunk before and even covered up about, correct? Seems to me that one or more tin can could see Davy Jones locker and not take us to nuke land……but then maybe taking out orbiting tin cans w/o humans on board could have the same effect.
And any escalation is not necessarily about Ukraine. It is about taking out the bully behind NATO and Ukraine. I roll my eyes at the commenters that write about when the SMO is going to stop within the bounds of Ukraine when the goals stated include Poland. If empire has not capitulated by the time Russia has met it goals in Ukraine, I fully expect Russia to move against the NATO threats to them in Poland as they stated at the beginning of their SMO.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 30 2022 5:52 utc | 212

Perhaps the MSM in West are right and Putin is omnipresent? – https://t.me/Slavyangrad/2415

Posted by: eyeswideopen | Jun 30 2022 5:53 utc | 214

Answered my own question
from Xinhuanet

KIEV, June 29 (Xinhua) — Ukraine and Russia carried out their largest prisoner exchange since the start of the conflict on Feb. 24, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday in a statement on Telegram.
The agency said 144 Ukrainians aged 19 and 65 years returned home as a result of the exchange.
According to the statement, under the swap, Russia released 59 soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, including 43 from the Azov regiment which fought for Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant.
Most of the released Ukrainians have severe injuries, it said.
Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 30 2022 5:59 utc | 216

Doesn´t seem to work:
Try agan:
tf1info.fr
Top of page: Sections –> Ucraine

Posted by: Goingo | Jun 30 2022 6:09 utc | 218

Posted by: Hermit | Jun 30 2022 1:26 utc | 180
Many of the actions you have listed represent domestic conduct of the present US, Canadian, UK, and German governments.
(a) Killing members of the group;
– US government daily police conduct
– UK NHS policies
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
– as regards mental harm the MSM in almost all western nations.
– Listening to Trudeau in CANADA
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
– The German Heat Nazis – no heat for you this winter!!
– The US Gas Nazis – Walk the 120 mile daily round trip between your place of work and place of residence!!
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
– TLGB++ measures almost everywhere.
– The Cut off Your Penis Because its Fun movement in many school districts
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
– Sending the impressionable adolescents of the 101 Airborne Division to 404

Posted by: Sushi | Jun 30 2022 6:38 utc | 220

Belarus was gifted a significant portion of the port of Bronka, which is at St. Petersburg, which Lukashenko discussed with Putin during their meeting on the 25th.
Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 29 2022 21:41 utc | 119
———————————————
But, it’s still nice to have own sea line, so all Belarus has to do is move over to Lithuania, which is a headache in that part of the world, with its Russo-hate.

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 6:51 utc | 222

@1Does ergoden still want Gullen?!
gis head on a golden platter!
would the cia langley give up gullen for anything other than replacomg ergoden on the turkish throne!? hell no!

Posted by: CryptoAlchemist Bern | Jun 30 2022 7:23 utc | 224

HelenB | Jun 30 2022 3:54 utc | 200
“What I am watching is the huge shift underway to appeal to conservative elements of the US, reversing abortion rights, reinstalling prayer in schools, why so much and why all of a sudden?
A distraction from the war?”
As far as US domestic politics the imperial leadership certainly isn’t trying to appeal to any “conservative element”. On the contrary the Covidian anti-spiritual scouring is being used to push most aggressively the whole “woke”-transhumanist agenda, as radically antichristian as it’s possible to get, whatever else one thinks of it.
Sure, the “supreme court”, itself and its superannuated staff being residue of prior orders of the day, is doing its best to stay on with propaganda circuses like this.
Meanwhile every real measure is toward the real goal. Deep down the elites all know they can’t actually win a conventional war with Russia, and most of them are too cowardly to roll the nuclear dice, but they do believe some combination of soft power, brinksmanship and proxy wars will bring them total victory in the end, the disarming and partition of Russia and China followed by total economic, cultural and spiritual enslavement.
The imperial elites are happy to immiserate their own populations toward this goal, not to mention the endless pretexts for domestic censorship and repression this goal affords once they open up World War III, so far mostly in the propaganda space, as the overwhelming social imperative unto which all must conform.
The fake “Covid” pandemic was the way they first mobilized this psychotic conformist mass (after several previous failed attempts at “pandemic” propaganda going back to the 80s), and now the propaganda machine moves this trained cultist mass toward its ultimate war goal.
But since man does not live by bread alone, and wingnuts, however abjectly conformist, do not live by distant hate alone, so the cabal uses the same old divide-and-conquer “political issues” for the same old purpose of keeping the average cult fanatic – obsessed with “Covid” and hating “Russia” – in a state of play while these elites cling to power amid a doomed and plummeting system.
So that’s why all of a sudden they’ve ambulated the hoary old “Roe v Wade” zombie. (For what it’s worth, here too there’s a consensus among US elites: Abortion should be easily available for those who have money, while it’s OK to constrain availability for those who lack money. This elite consensus is bipartisan and goes back decades.)
The purpose is domestic divide and conquer while the US imperial elites coordinate their flunkeys worldwide for WWIII amid increasing domestic hardship as the clock is running out on them.

Posted by: Flying Dutchman | Jun 30 2022 7:29 utc | 226

The Baltic countries: Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Finland and Sweden. They have to share the smallish Baltic Sea, and for some of them, it is their only water outlet.
They MUST suck it up and get along. They should do it without outside interference.

Posted by: HelenB | Jun 30 2022 7:37 utc | 228

@ Seer | Jun 29 2022 18:06 utc | 53
Thanks for your feedback on this article.
The main issue there is that RF has not overwhelming 4th or 5th-gen air power.
In units, that would mean that the West has 3:1 planes in theory.
The other issue is that land forces of RF are not currently sufficient to capture the whole Ukraine.
However, nobody publicly knows the real number of the RF hi-tech equipment and planes.
I would just assume that everything reported about the real strength should be multiplied by 2 or even 3. Also, when RF says that they will deploy the latest nuclear delivery systems towards the end of the year, be assured that those are already deployed.
And that is probably related to everything else.
Ruse, ‘maskirovka’ and disinfo at work on all fields, as we speak.
Ability to flow, adopt and improvise around the original plans are one of the RF specialities.
I think, as probably everybody else is, that doubling-down by NATO posturing and aggressively preparing for a direct conflict is a fatal and a very expensive mistake with dire consequences.

Posted by: whirlX | Jun 30 2022 8:03 utc | 230

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/06/29/us-to-establish-permanent-base-in-poland-as-part-of-europe-military-expansion/
A blatant violation of the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act but we all knew that escalation was on the cards.

Posted by: MarkU | Jun 30 2022 8:12 utc | 232

Posted by: MarkU | Jun 30 2022 8:12 utc | 233
Also irrelevant, since the Aegis Ashore installations are the real issue. The article also notes that the US already has bases, but technically they are on a “rotational basis” – which means it’s a real base, they’re just faking the “permanence”.
The rest of the moves Biden is taking described in that article are also irrelevant. Russia can counter all of them. As Mercouris notes in his video Wednesday, the “300,000 NATO troops” are already there – they’re EU national army troops just being promoted to the Rapid Reaction force. Big frickin’ deal…
Biden’s going to continue posturing and PR’ing until his term is over, as well the EU and NATO leaders. Meanwhile, Russia will continue to achieve its aims.
Posted by: whirlX | Jun 30 2022 8:03 utc | 231
“In units, that would mean that the West has 3:1 planes in theory.”
While in reality, those planes probably can’t overwhelm Russian air defenses, or at least that will reduce the disparity considerably. Not to mention that planes that don’t have functioning air fields or jet fuel depots – due to hypersonic missiles – aren’t that useful.
“The other issue is that land forces of RF are not currently sufficient to capture the whole Ukraine.”
People keep saying this without any real comprehension of what that means, either in actual numbers or in how it can happen. It’s getting boring responding to these rote recitals. Either come up with an actual physical reason with numbers attached, or take that crap down the road.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 30 2022 8:26 utc | 234

Biden has one leg in the grave, so he can talk anything, but why are the EU “leaders” listen to him? Even, if Abraham (or Satan) takes him, before his potus term, who’d really believe Kamala?

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 8:36 utc | 236

Opport Knocks (Jun 30 2022 3:24 utc | 196 ) I completely agree, it is a piece of stale USSR propaganda which actually supports fascism, in this case Argentinian fascism. The obvious parallel example is to Spanish fascism which (with Franco long dead) keeps harping on about Gibraltar with real or feigned ignorance about what Gibraltar is and has been for hundreds of years and why no one but a small group of Spaniards actually truly wants Spain to have it or be anywhere close to getting it.

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jun 30 2022 8:49 utc | 238

Posted by: Sushi | Jun 29 2022 15:55 utc | 8
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
That’s why I try to be myself……..Joe Tzu”
Thanks Sushi, that must be one of Joe’s best quotes.
Could he try that with a side serve of psycho cybernetics?

Posted by: Paul | Jun 30 2022 9:10 utc | 240

US Armament Replenishment?
Does anyone know what the US plans are (and/or progress) for replenishing supplies of equipment and ammunition delivered to Ukraine? For example, US ostensibly delivered some 90 M177 howitzers and hundreds of thousands of rounds to Ukraine. Is there a line item in the 2023 Defense Budget to replace those systems and munitions?

Posted by: Hotdog 1948 | Jun 30 2022 9:23 utc | 242

Quite obvious that the island is too small to defend from continuous long-range missile, drone, and artillery attack.
Western media is hyping this up as a huge victory and a dramatic example of how weapon supply to Ukraine will succeed in driving Russians out of Ukraine entirely.
Next stop Kherson, apparently.

Posted by: moaobserver | Jun 30 2022 9:27 utc | 244

Posted by: moaobserver | Jun 30 2022 9:27 utc | 245
—————————————————
Kherson, by the way is Russian territory, so will never be given back.

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 9:32 utc | 246

Kherson will be taken back is the obvious implication.
Even before Snake Island, I noticed there is still an air of cockiness around Western leadership and propaganda, like they have “something in the works” for autumn.
Hope Stavka knows a lot more than we do.

Posted by: moaobserver | Jun 30 2022 9:37 utc | 248

@MarkU | Jun 30 2022 5:02 utc | 209
The link is behind a paywall, but based on the headline it is bluster from someone who seems clueless on the subject. Which is typical in modern day ‘journalism’.
Slightly simplified numbers to make it easier to understand.
The North Sea has several NG (natural gas) fields, most are in the UK (Scottish), Dutch and Norwegian regions. These NG fields are (almost) all interconnected with pipelines. These make landfall in the UK, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Norway hardly consumes any NG themselves, they produce it for export, almost all of which goes to the EU.
The NG produced by the Scottish fields has in previous years been roughly equivalent to the need of the UK at roughly 80bcm (billion cubic meter). This production has been decreasing, the Scottish fields are running on their last legs. The Dutch fields are mostly empty, the Norwegian fields are still producing, but also past their peak.
The fields that are still in production produce year-round, the pipelines are delivering year-round. The consumption of the UK is not stable, similar to the rest of Europe. The UK consumes roughly 20bcm (25%) in the six warmer months and roughly 60bcm (75%) in the six colder months.
Total consumption of the EU is over 400bcm of NG each year, total NG storage capacity in the EU is a bit over 100bcm. Roughly 100bcm of the NG delivered during the warm months to the EU is put in storage and is used during the colder months. The EU consumes 100bcm in ‘summer’ and 300bcm (of which 100bcm from storage) during ‘winter’.
How much NG storage does the UK have?
The Guardian, 2011: “The UK’s stores hold enough gas to meet the demand of four to five winter days, or just 1% of Europe’s total available storage.”
During ‘winter’, which for NG consumption starts around November 1 and ends late April, the UK is a net importer of NG. It imports about 20bcm of NG from Norway in this period. During ‘summer’ the UK is a net exporter of NG. It exports about 20bcm of NG to the EU.
Norway produces and exports about 120bcm of NG annually. During ‘summer’ Norway exports 60bcm to the EU. During ‘winter’ Norway exports 40bcm to the EU and 20bcm to the UK.
So what does the UK want to cut? The pipelines to Europe in summer? Then what are they going to do with the NG that is produced? They don’t have any storage capacity.
During winter there is no export from the UK to the EU. Closing the pipeline at this time is an empty gesture.

Posted by: Loocust | Jun 30 2022 9:39 utc | 250

An easy and concise card-deck detailing Russian counter-sanctions ==> https://www.alrud.com/upload/%D0%A4%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D1%8B/2022_newsletters/%D0%A1ounter-sanctions_summary_ALRUD_18.04.2022.pdf

Posted by: too scents | Jun 30 2022 9:43 utc | 252

The UK had gas storage in the Rough Field (off the Yorkshire coast). Closed in 2017 due to “technical issues” – commensurate with trying to maintain a collection 35yr old gas platform. It held 9 days of peak supply, which wad 70% of the UK’s storage. Basically what should have been one if a number of crucial storage infrastructure facilities was never a consideration of any UK government for 40 years
If ever there is a guide of what NOT to do when you find oil and gas, then the UK should be the case study.

Posted by: Al Dossary | Jun 30 2022 9:56 utc | 254

@Don Bacon 187
The USA is an oligarchy (See https://www.greanvillepost.com/2021/01/25/the-usa-is-an-oligarchy/). The only people represented by the US government are the oligarchs, and the oligarchs indubitably seek war, as they always have.

Posted by: Hermit | Jun 30 2022 10:09 utc | 256

… Typical Guardian, deceit by misdirection.
Posted by: T Paine | Jun 29 2022 18:40 utc | 63
It’s trolling, they’re trolls.
They reek of bad faith and squirm under cross examination.
They are pathetic, s**tty creeps, yet their grifter self-whoring is actually a little concerning.
Just how far would they go?

Posted by: anon2020 | Jun 30 2022 10:12 utc | 258

Peter Hitchens has provided a timeline of events leading to Ukraine breaking away from the USSR, but preventing Crimea from breaking away from Ukraine. Yeltsin was aware that existing borders were undoubtedly unfitted for use as international frontiers, but dropped the issue, possibly under pressure from the Americans. https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2021/04/i-thought-i-would-re-post-this-discussion-of-the-recent-history-of-crimea-more-than-five-years-after-i-first-wrote-it-i-ha.html

Posted by: Shakesvshav | Jun 30 2022 10:14 utc | 260

what could the west possibly do more?
Posted by: Jonathan W | Jun 30 2022 10:18 utc | 262
—————————————————-
Stay out of Russian (and Asian, African, South American) affaires…

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 10:29 utc | 262

Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine (30.06.2022)
On June 30, as a step of goodwill, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation completed the fulfillment of their tasks on Zmeiny Island and withdrew the garrison stationed there.
Thus, it has been demonstrated to the world community that the Russian Federation does not hinder the efforts of the UN to organize a humanitarian corridor for the export of agricultural products from the territory of Ukraine.
This decision will not allow Kiev to speculate on the impending food crisis, referring to the impossibility of exporting grain due to Russia’s total control of the northwestern part of the Black Sea. Now it is up to the Ukrainian side, which has not yet cleared the Black Sea coast off its shores, including the port waters.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue a special military operation in Ukraine.
On June 28, a high-precision long-range sea-based weapon destroyed the control point of the operational-strategic group “Khortytsia” near the city of Dnepropetrovsk.
Over the past day, as a result of high-precision strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the command post of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade, the location of foreign mercenaries in the city of Nikolaev, as well as the ammunition depot of the 79th airborne assault brigade in the settlement of Shevchenko, Mykolaiv region, more than 20 Ukrainian servicemen and more than 80 foreign militants were destroyed, six units of armored and automotive equipment, more than a thousand artillery shells, three hundred mortar mines and one hundred rounds for MANPADS.
In addition, two temporary locations of the 113th Territorial Defense Brigade, where up to 140 personnel were stationed, were destroyed in Kharkiv.
As a result of the fire damage to the AFU positions in the areas of the settlements of Berestove and Avdiivka of the Donetsk People’s Republic, irretrievable losses in the units of the 14th Mechanized and 56th Motorized Infantry brigades amounted to more than 50 percent. These units are assigned to the rear to restore combat capability.
Due to high losses and unsatisfactory supply of the 34th battalion of the 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade, 13 servicemen, including officers, voluntarily left their positions during the day.
High-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed five warehouses with ammunition and weapons in the districts of Kharkiv, Zelenodolsk, Dnipropetrovsk region, as well as Seversk and Bakhmut of the Donetsk People’s Republic, manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 34 districts.
As part of the counter-battery struggle, two platoons of multiple launch rocket systems “Hurricane” and “Grad” in the areas of Svetlodarsk and Avdiivka, as well as two artillery platoons “Hyacinth-B” in the area of Avdiivka of the Donetsk People’s Republic were hit by high-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery hit: 39 control points, as well as manpower and military equipment in 218 districts.
Two Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force were shot down in the air by the operational-tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the areas of the settlements of Shirokoye, Dnipropetrovsk region and Arkhangelsk, Kherson region, the Buk-M1 self-propelled fire installation was destroyed at a firing position near Odessa and the S-300 radar station near the settlement of Slavgorod, Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russian air defense means shot down a Su-27 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force near the settlement of Sofiyivka, Donetsk People’s Republic, as well as nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the areas of the settlements of Berestove, Petrovenki, Donetsk People’s Republic, Zhovtnevo, Bayrak, Hetmanovka, Ivanchukovka, Peremoga, Kharkiv region.
In addition, five multiple rocket launchers were intercepted in the Stakhanov area of the Luhansk People’s Republic and in the area of Zmeiny Island.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 224 aircraft, 134 helicopters, 1,400 unmanned aerial vehicles, 353 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,859 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 698 multiple rocket launcher combat vehicles, 3,059 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 3,916 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed.

Posted by: noname | Jun 30 2022 10:33 utc | 264

donten @ 115
“Hahaha! Even that would be better that being subject to the Rentier Capitalist Oligarchy…As they know by now: they were hollowed out not long ago by such vampires.”
People of the Baltics clearly don’t know any such thing.
They are overwhelmingly opposed to Russia.

Posted by: Joe6pack | Jun 30 2022 10:39 utc | 266

Latest news is Nazis have forced Russia to abandon Snake island.
Awesome!

Posted by: Surferket | Jun 30 2022 10:42 utc | 268

NemesisCalling | Jun 30 2022 8:50 utc | 240
“If the Allies were really on the Nazis side during WW2, they should have just steamrolled the Soviets with the Germans like Patton thought was a good idea.
But, unfortunately, there was the little influence called the Jews among the Allies that hated Hitler.
But go on believing what you want. It doesn’t matter.”
“If the Allies were really on the Nazis side during WW2…”
I said no such thing, just that this is where sympathy always lay. Stalin always correctly surmised this.
“they should have just steamrolled the Soviets…”
Which was physically impossible, as the Russians would have kicked the shit out of them and rolled pretty effortlessly to the channel, and with a little effort to London, now that their entire war machine was at full power. If it had been possible to “steamroll the Soviets” then Patton’s delusion would have been a real idea and far more broadly shared.
“there was the little influence called the Jews”
Back then this influence wasn’t as large as you fantasize and at any rate was ambivalent toward the diaspora as opposed to Zionism. At any rate it wasn’t enough to get the rail lines to Auschwitz on the bombing list.
“go on believing what you want. It doesn’t matter.”
If only that were true. I just hope the Russian political leadership truly does understand the scope of the denazification imperative.

Posted by: Flying Dutchman | Jun 30 2022 10:47 utc | 270

Denmark is self-sufficient with gas through the gas field Tyra in the North Sea. Unfortunately, for Denmark the field is redeveloped. It should have been up and running in 2022. But due to Corona postponements this has been pushed to 2023.

Posted by: Rune Denmark | Jun 30 2022 10:49 utc | 272

Posted by: Rune Denmark | Jun 30 2022 10:49 utc | 273
——————————————————
Some of those North Sea gas fields might suddenly blow up…come winter…

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 10:54 utc | 274

Posted by: whirlX | Jun 30 2022 9:51 utc | 254
The article referenced is written by someone called Vasily Kashin, whose described credentials are: Candidate of Political Sciences, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.”
In other words, as Martynov constantly points out, someone with ZERO military knowledge. The claim in the piece that Ukraine has 700,000 men under arms, and can produce one million, is risible bullshit. This is probably where Ritter got his BS.
Don’t waste my time with nonsense.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 30 2022 10:58 utc | 276

As for Snake Island, as rk said, drop an Iskander on it every week or so to drain the Ukies of even more troops and equipment.
The island is meaningless. If it ever becomes used for anything the Russians don’t like, they’ll destroy it. I’m not sure why they even bothered to put equipment and forces there in the first place. Odessa and the forces there are the problem, not this tiny island.
All this tactical back and forth is completely meaningless, but everyone jumps on each minor incident. There are a lot of people here who are very eager to find some way Russia can’t win this. They’re delusional, concern trolls, morons or all three.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 30 2022 11:03 utc | 278

Posted by: Linda Wood | Jun 30 2022 3:50 utc | 198
PMCs
All governments recruit their SpecOps soldiers as mercenaries – it keeps them off the open market and gives them a “pension plan” and it gives politicians a secret army off the books.
Rumour has it CIA has a 60,000 strong secret army.
“Sandline” was one of British governments former vehicles – go read up on Simon Mann, Old Etonian
Sandline
If Russia operates ‘Wagner’ as an arms-length contractor it is no surprise. There were more PMC personnel in Afghanistan than regular soldiers in the final years before the rout.
Governments are out of control. Men died in the past trying g to bring arbitrary government to account and install proper oversight – now people are too fat and lazy and are simply grazing until they are sent to the slaughterhouse.
Government now treats population as cattle – injects them, prods them, rounds them up, and disposes of them

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Jun 30 2022 11:29 utc | 280

Posted by: HelenB | Jun 30 2022 3:54 utc | 200
I think you may be insane. Where on earth is there a CONSTITUTIONAL right to Abortion ?
There may be laws which regulate and permit abortion, but if it was essential to the US Constitution it would have had its own Article and not need Harry Blackmun, school friend of Warren Burger, and resident counsel at Mayo Clinic, to fabricate a supposed “constitutional” aspect in a very dodgy legal argument without credibility.
If you want a Constitutional Court don’t let it make up “principles” that exist in no constitution – because it is not a “constitutional principle”
As for Prayer in schools – so what ? Best thing is to privatise ALL schools and then it is not a problem, or abolish Jewish schools……..

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Jun 30 2022 11:35 utc | 282

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 11:32 utc | 282
Put up or shut up. Where is your evidence? It’s easy to make accusations. Martyanov proves his knowledge via his books and his words. All you prove is a tendency to character assassination when you can’t offer anything else.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | Jun 30 2022 11:46 utc | 284

https://sputniknews.com/20220630/mod-russian-military-withdraws-forces-from-zmeiny-island-as-gesture-of-good-will-1096826022.html
I think a deal was made. Is Lithuania gonna play nice now? And Russia looks good on the famine issue while EU look like fanatics. I think Putin gave up a pawn and captured a bishop.

Posted by: Eighthman | Jun 30 2022 11:56 utc | 286

UK PM Boris Johnson pledges a whopping £1 billion pounds extra in aid and weapons for Ukraine, some folk in the UK are struggling to heat or eat in this cost of living crisis that’s further compounded by idiotic sanctions applied to Russia that backfire on Europe.
Thank f*ck the Scottish government is organising a way out of this rancid union.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 30 2022 12:06 utc | 288

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 30 2022 12:14 utc | 290
———————————
The collective west is now nicely outplayed. But, only commercial ships will be allowed.

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 12:19 utc | 290

Prisoner swaps are underway, and seriously injured Azov Battaion troops are also being swaped in prisoner exchanges as well.
“The exchange of 144 for 144 prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine took place on June 29 on the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Thursday.
“Yesterday, on June 29, the exchange of 144 for 144 prisoners of war took place. It was organized and carried out on the direct order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces”
https://tass.com/politics/1473835
https://tass.com/politics/1473841

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 30 2022 12:24 utc | 292

Seen the Liz Truss cartoon?

Posted by: Don Bacon | Jun 30 2022 12:31 utc | 294

We know the Kramatorsk train station incident was carried out by the Ukrainian forces, as was the Bucha one, both parroted by the Western media, so this latest incident should come as no surprise.
“The faked incident in Kremenchug was conceived by Kiev on the eve of international events to make the West provide more weapons, Russia’s OCSE envoy Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.”
https://tass.com/politics/1473829

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 30 2022 12:41 utc | 296

NATO believes that Russia should stop the special operation in Ukraine and completely withdraw its troops from there.

–
Stoltenberg
One can imagine how foolish are these Norwegian politicians, even the retired ones…

Posted by: ostro | Jun 30 2022 12:51 utc | 298

Looks like we are heading for another long drawn out Cold War with Russia as Nato’s numero uno enemy. It will be a time of spreading fear and hatred of all things Russian, restrictions on travel and constant reminder that Russia is always seeking to invade YOUR country and rape and kill your family.
All the meanwhile the Military Industrial Complex makes an absolute fortune from the lies deceit and far, whilst the MIC’s compliant politicians receives their bribes and backhanders for keeping the fearmongering going. The sanctions against Russia more to come I presume will severely impact on the civilians of Europe as we’ve seen the price of everything is on the rise and will continue to do so as your countries government give your hard earned taxes to Ukraine to keep the war going, and services in your community that were once free or cheap will become expensive or disappear altogether.
Nato aggression will regress our living standards for years to come.
“NATO has officially declared Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to the security of its members, marking a radical strategic shift spurred by the Russian military offensive against Ukraine.
In a document that defines the alliance’s strategic outlook for the next decade, titled Strategic Concept 2022, NATO said Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine “has shattered peace and gravely altered our security environment.”
“The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area,” the 30-member NATO said in the text.”
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/06/30/684793/NATO-steeply-downgrades-Russia-from-strategic-partner-to-most-direct-threat

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jun 30 2022 12:58 utc | 300