Former Presidential Spokesman Arestovich Speaks Of Peace And A Multinational Ukraine
Unherd has an interesting interview with Aleksey Arestovich (video version), the former spokesperson of the presidential office of Ukraine. Arestovich has fled from Ukraine to the U.S. after two political prosecutions were opened against him.
He confirms, as a dozen other former and current officials have done, that peace talks held between Russia and Ukraine in March 2022 in Istanbul were very successful:
Q: Do you think that bilateral negotiations between Ukraine and Russia could have worked earlier in the process? There has been a lot of discussion around those early months, March, April, May 2020, there were negotiations in Istanbul.A: Yeah, I was a member of the Istanbul process, and it was the most profitable agreement we could have done. They concluded there two previous agreements that were extremely dangerous for Ukraine: Minsk one and Minsk two. This agreement even contained the question of Crimea. It took 10 years of discussion, 15 years of discussion on the status of Crimea, and it meant security for the Black Sea. But now — I don’t know. Because mid-agreement in Istanbul we came to Kiev and after Bucha we heard from the President that we had stopped the negotiations. The next meeting was to be on the ninth of April and on the second of April it was declined.
Ukraine rejected the 'most profitable agreement' that it could have had. The question is why. Arestovich makes it seem that the false flag atrocities in Bucha played a decisive role:
Q: So you came back from Istanbul thinking the negotiations had been successful?A: Yes, completely. We opened the champagne bottle. We had discussed demilitarisation, denazification, issues concerning the Russian language, Russian church and much else. And that month, it was the question of the amount of Ukrainian armed forces in peacetime and President Zelenskyy said, “I could decide this question indirectly with Mr. Putin”. The Istanbul agreements were a protocol of intentions and was 90% prepared for directly meeting with Putin. That was to be the next step of negotiations.
Q: What was the sequence and how did Bucha derail that process?
A: I really do not know. The President was shocked about Bucha. All of us were shocked about Bucha. I was in Bucha on the second day when the Russian forces were repelled. Zelenskyy completely changed face when he came into Bucha and saw what had happened. A lot of people say it was the Prime Minister Boris Johnson who came to Kiev and put a stop to this negotiation with Russia. I don’t know exactly if that is true or false. He came to Kiev but nobody knows what they spoke about except, I think, Zelenskyy and Boris Johnson himself.
I think it was the second of April, and I was in Bucha the next day. The President got in one day later, so it could have been the fourth of April, and the next meeting was to be on ninth of April. So something happened in those five days. But the members of the negotiations group stopped any negotiations. When we asked how it could be restarted, the President said, “somewhere, sometime, but not now”.
Q: So something changed Zelenskyy’s mind?
A: Yes, absolutely. And historians will have to find an answer to what happened.
Arestovich is wrong and we do not need historians to answer that question.
Even after the atrocities in Bucha, which were alleged to have been done by Russian soldiers, President Zelenski was willing to continue negotiations with Russia.
We know that because a BBC reporter had directly asked him about it:
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said peace talks will continue with Russia despite accusing Moscow of war crimes and genocide.Mr Zelensky was speaking in Bucha, near the capital Kyiv, where bodies of civilians were found strewn on the streets after Russian troops withdrew.
The shocking videos and photos sparked outrage around the world and calls for further sanctions against Russia.
Without evidence, Russia said images of atrocities had been staged by Ukraine.
Ukraine started a war crimes investigation after it said the bodies of 410 civilians had been found in areas around Kyiv. Some were discovered in mass graves while others had their hands tied and had apparently been shot at close range.
Wearing a bullet-proof vest and surrounded by Ukrainian soldiers, Mr Zelensky said Russian troops had "treated people worse than animals". "That is real genocide, what you have seen here," he said.
Responding to a question from the BBC on whether it was still possible to talk peace with Russia, Mr Zelensky said: "Yes, because Ukraine must have peace. We are in Europe in the 21st Century. We will continue efforts diplomatically and militarily."
There is also an AP interview done on April 9, 2022 in which Zelenski argues for continuing negotiations with Russia:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that he is committed to pressing for peace despite Russian attacks on civilians that have stunned the world, and he renewed his plea for more weapons ahead of an expected surge in fighting in the country’s east.He made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press a day after at least 52 people were killed in a strike on a train station in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, and as evidence of civilian killings came to light after Russian troops failed to seize the capital where he has hunkered down, Kyiv.
“No one wants to negotiate with a person or people who tortured this nation. It’s all understandable. And as a man, as a father, I understand this very well,” Zelenskyy said. But “we don’t want to lose opportunities, if we have them, for a diplomatic solution.”
The atrocities in Bucha had been done and propagandized by fascist militia who had been sent into the city days after Russian troops had withdrawn. This was likely an attempt to sabotage the negotiations.
But even after Bucha had happened President Zelenski wanted to continue the very successful negotiation which would have essentially led to a third Minsk like agreement very favorable to the Ukrainian side.
On April 9 the British Prime Minister at that time, Boris Johnson, was sent to Kiev to prohibit further negotiations:
Following the arrival of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv, a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin has become less likely.Source: Ukrainska Pravda article "From Zelenskyy's "Surrender" to Putin's Surrender. How Negotiations with Russia Are Going".
...
Details: According Ukrainska Pravda sources close to Zelenskyy, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, who appeared in the capital almost without warning, brought two simple messages.The first is that Putin is a war criminal, he should be pressured, not negotiated with.
And the second is that even if Ukraine is ready to sign some agreements on guarantees with Putin, they are not.
Johnson’s position was that the collective West, which back in February had suggested Zelenskyy should surrender and flee, now felt that Putin was not really as powerful as they had previously imagined, and that here was a chance to "press him."
Three days after Johnson left for Britain, Putin went public and said talks with Ukraine "had turned into a dead end".
Arestovich is wrong in his assertion that the events in Bucha had ended the negotiations. Zelenski was willing to continue that path towards peace but was prohibited to do so by his 'western partners'.
Still the Unherd interview with Alexevich is a very interesting read. Here he touches on the real problem Ukraine has:
Q: So you don’t believe that there is a much stronger Ukrainian nationalism now than there was two years ago? Because by report, the fact of the invasion has brought Ukrainian people together. You’re saying that has not happened?A: Ukrainian nationalism is the idea of less than 20% of Ukrainians. This is the problem.
Q: What about the remaining 80%?
A: I think for most of them, their idea is of a multinational and poly-cultural country. And when Zelenskyy came into power in 2019, they voted for this idea. He did not articulate it specifically but it was what he meant when he said, “I don’t see a difference in the Ukrainian-Russian language conflict, we are all Ukrainians even if we speak different languages.” And you know, my great criticism of what has happened in Ukraine over the last year, during the emotional trauma of the war, is this idea of Ukrainian nationalism which has divided Ukraine into different people: the Ukrainian speakers and Russian speakers as a second class of people. It’s the main dangerous idea and a worse danger than Russian military aggression, because nobody from this 80% of people wants to die for a system in which they are people of a second class.
The 20%, which created violent militia like the Right Sector and the Azov movement, managed to turn Zelenski, by threatening him, from pursuing peaceful relation with Russia, as he had promised during his election campaign, into a hardline western proxy manipulated to 'overextend and unbalance' Russia and 'weakening it' by waging a hopeless war against it.
The 20%, largely from west Ukraine, were first supported by Austria-Hungary empire, then by the German Nazis and then by the CIA and its appendix, the German BND secret service. These interventions from outside powers were designed to instigate a fake Ukrainian nationalism to turn at first against Poland and then against Russia.
A century on this deadly game has not changed.
But Ukraine continues to be a multinational and poli-cultural country and acknowledging and accepting this is the only way for it to survive.
Posted by b on January 15, 2024 at 11:50 UTC | Permalink
next page »Patroklos @ 1
I was going to comment but I can't do better than that.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 15 2024 12:03 utc | 2
Reality strikes ideology.
Mixed with Intel, as Patroklos wrote.
Posted by: EasternHedgehog | Jan 15 2024 12:13 utc | 3
When Elensky campaigned and won on a platform of peace and equal status for everyone, 2019, at that very same time Arestovich was saying a war with Russia in 2022 would happen and it would be the price Ukranazistan would pay to get into NATO. Arestovich is quite as much of a con man as Elensky, maybe worse.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Jan 15 2024 12:13 utc | 4
@Patroklos 1:
Arestovich's current pronouncements can be best understood as putting himself forward as an acceptable to Russia Western puppet in charge of rump Ukraine.
For me the most interesting part was his own admission that he's hiding in Amerikastan because he would be Lirad if he went back to Ukranazistan.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Jan 15 2024 12:15 utc | 5
Excellent synopsis, b, thanks.
Arestovich is the Loki of Ukrainian politics (1).
1. Loki, in Norse mythology, a cunning trickster who had the ability to change his shape and sex. Although his father was the giant Fárbauti, he was included among the Aesir (a tribe of gods). Loki was represented as the companion of the great gods Odin and Thor, helping them with his clever plans but sometimes causing embarrassment and difficulty for them and himself. He also appeared as the enemy of the gods, entering their banquet uninvited and demanding their drink. He was the principal cause of the death of the god Balder.
There are rumors of a shot down "AEWC"? type of Russian plane.
Has anyone heard anything?
Meanwhile - Lloyd still stumm!
Posted by: g wiltek | Jan 15 2024 12:18 utc | 7
The new country that takes the place of Western Ukraine will NOT retain the Russian word okraina as it's name.
Russia will have whatever it wants and the formerly Polish Lithuania Commonwealth and Galatia parts will be a new smaller country under the protection of Russia like an American "possession" Porta Rico and Guam or the British and French Middle East "mandates" after World War Two. The new smaller country might be named Ruthainia or Galatia, but it will NOT be allowed to be the inheritor of the name Ukraine, or any of the Russian history.
Posted by: Hot Carl | Jan 15 2024 12:21 utc | 8
awaks of Russia planr sgot doen over azov sea, apparently due to russian friendly fire...?
Posted by: BurnEye Minds3rdEye | Jan 15 2024 12:32 utc | 9
Here is a link:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/25361256/russia-ukraine-putin-plane-shot-down/
The reporter is maybe not quite factual, he is certainly numerically challenged, so proceed with caution.
Posted by: g wiltek | Jan 15 2024 12:39 utc | 10
The little wormtongue is being prepped for leadership.
Failed to mention their own negotiator being kidnapped and murdered and dumped eh?
He probably met and planned with Bozo’s minders and prepped the whole thing. He also knows who did Bucha but hasn’t mentioned that either.
There is this ‘Poseur’ persona that televised Ukrops make. Like that bald muppet , Gordon. As sophisticated, intellectuals who discuss things deeply. It’s all part of their TV propaganda that keeps the illiterate , stupefied , telethon masses mesmerised and believing they are some European deep thinkers whilst everyone else is backward. He must know what the education system has been doing for decades and which current Americans are pulling the strings. Will he declare that in the US? Did he mention Gonzalo? Other journalists? Has heads any real criticism? Not a fucking chance unless he is directed to. He is MI6/CIA through and through. Limited hangout and posturing as a future representaive of the failed rump. Urbane and silky instead of gruff and toady.
20% ?? At least that’s a huge improvement on the ‘only a handful’ of banderists , Nazis , russophobes, racists and other such moronic beliefs.
Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 15 2024 12:49 utc | 11
in re: security for the Black Sea under the radar
Three of the five "littoral" state guardians of Montreux Agreement got busy, Jan 11.
MCM Black Sea is an initiative of the three allies on the shores of the Black Sea aimed at facilitating the safety of navigation by combating the threats posed by sea mines. The operational structure of MCM Black Sea, with a rotating command every six months and two planned activations in each rotation, will ensure a continuous level of vigilance and readiness, also contributing to the strengthening of the allied deterrence and defense posture of the eastern flank. NATO littoral partners, as well as NATO Standing Naval Groups and non-littoral Allies, will be able to participate [?!] in MCM Black Sea activities in order to develop cooperation in support of Black Sea security and to improve interoperability....BULGARIA - Bulgaria, Romania, Turkiye Sign MoU on Mine Counter-measures Task Group
Bulgarian Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov signed here a Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkiye on the establishment of a Mine Counter-measures Task Group Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), Zapryanov's Ministry said in a press release on Thursday. The Memorandum was also signed by Defence Ministers Angel Tilvar for Romania and Yasar Guler for Turkiye.TURKEY - Türkiye, Romania, and Bulgaria Sign Memorandum Against the Mine Threat in the Black Sea
After the Memorandum has been approved conclusively at the national level by the other participating countries as well, a MCM Black Sea operational planning process will start. Once this process is completed, the task group can be activated.Initially, participation in MCM Black Sea is to be limited to one mine countermeasures ship of each of the three Black Sea Allies. They will act primarily in their territorial waters and exclusive economic zones....
Turkish Minister of National Defence Yaşar GÜLER said, "We jointly decided to sign a protocol between three countries to fight more effectively against the mine threat in the Black Sea by improving our existing close cooperation and coordination. Today, we are here for this purpose. I especially want to express my great pleasure in hosting the signing ceremony of this agreement, which will contribute to regional security and stability in the Black Sea, and welcoming Romania's Defence Minister, Mr. Angel TILVAR, and Bulgaria's Deputy Defence Minister, Mr. Atanas ZAPRYANOV to our country.dailysabah,Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania seal deal for demining Black Sea
[...]
At this point, I would like to express my gratitude to Romanian and Bulgarian authorities for quickly responding to our proposal and providing immediate support with their expert personnel. I believe that this initiative is crucial within the scope of the "Allied Regional Efforts" mentioned in the NATO Vilnius Summit declaration.In conclusion, the Memorandum of Understanding we signed today will significantly contribute to the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. I sincerely believe that this initiative will enhance the close cooperation between our countries, allow for experience transfer, and further improve our relations, especially in the Black Sea."
[...]
Answering to questions about new members joining the Triple Initiative between Turkiye, Romania, and Bulgaria and concerns about the Montreux Convention, the Ministry of National Defence sources stated that: "The expectations of our non-coastal allies to this organization are valuable, but this initiative will only be open to the ships of the three coastal ally countries. Contributions from other coastal countries to the Black Sea in specific areas, as agreed, can occur over time and when conditions are appropriate, again with the unanimous agreement of the three countries." Emphasizing the meticulous implementation of the rules of the Montreux Convention, Ministry of National Defence sources stated, "The guarantee of stability in the Black Sea is the Montreux Convention. Minehunters sold by the UK to Ukraine cannot enter the Black Sea until the end of the war. This situation has been previously reported to the UK, and they do not have any further requests on this issue at the moment."
...The measure prevented Britain from following through on plans last month to send two mine-hunting ships to the region to help Ukraine's efforts to export its grain....As to the other two Montreaux parties, the Black Sea Initiative (BSI) affirmed that UKRAINE and RUSSIAN FEDERATION are responsible for navigational safety in their own territorial waters.
Posted by: sln2002 | Jan 15 2024 13:01 utc | 12
Sure, Arestovich is playing CYA, but there is a giant lurking in the room: the Anglo-American desire to destroy Russia as a unitary polity. There is no clearer exposition of this desire than Zbigniew Brezinski’s 1997 tome, “The Grand Chessboard “. Sadly, the Germans and Poles are dumb enough to play a willing servant’s role in this stupidity. Stupidity, because anyone who understands industrial production can clearly see that the Anglo-American Empire has neither the resources, productive capacity, and human capital (skills) to even make a serious go at Russia. If Napoleon and Hitler couldn’t do it ( and they were next door, not an ocean away),what makes these G7 idiots think THEY can do it?
There is also one other significant force at play in this game: the precipitous decline of the average American’s desire to spill their blood for the American Oligarchy. Here in the US, it’s become plain to us that our Oligarchs care not for us, and only wish to use us as slave labor. What they’re most terrified of is that we’re coming for them. Hence, all this stupid gun-banning talk from Kumbaya politicians, who are nothing but replaceable cogs in the Oligarch machine.
Posted by: OldFart | Jan 15 2024 13:05 utc | 13
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 15 2024 11:59 utc
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Jan 15 2024 12:13
Yes, in review of Ukraine's political landscape presented since Zelensk* blew off any prospect of general election under martial law, the press corpses have nominated him and Zaluzhny lead candidates. Arestovich's self-promotion since then has pivoted from psychic gadfly to natural Philosopher Prince of the People for Ukraine's Reconstruction. FWIW, recent sketchy polling said to reveal distrust of the RADA (not Zelensk*) is not enough to push him past the goal post of popular white knight—in the unlikely event that legislation passed by the RADA observes Zelensk*'s "constitutional" limits, thereby compelling Election 2024.
Posted by: sln2002 | Jan 15 2024 13:24 utc | 14
Picture of the one that made it back:
https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1746871293130018915/photo/1
Given this is not the first Russian aircraft damaged or shot down by Ukraine at a long range they may have rigged something up that lets them take advantage of a repeated Russian action.
The Patriots the Germans gave Ukraine are not on trailers so have a much faster shoot and scoot time. THey could have pushed one pretty close up to the front if they were looking at a repeated Russian tactic. The PAC-3 has a active radar in the missile and doesn't need to see the target when it is fired. It can fly to some coordinates and 'turn on' its radar to fly the rest of the way to the target. BUT... what is the range of the PAC-3?
Posted by: Ed4 | Jan 15 2024 13:28 utc | 15
@Ed 4:
That does frankly look like shrapnel damage from a missile to me. But that is all. There is no way of telling engraver that's even a real plane or a deliberate fake using a dummy.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Jan 15 2024 14:00 utc | 16
A: Ukrainian nationalism is the idea of less than 20% of Ukrainians. This is the problem.
Well this is of course the underlying issue, but is also a case of acknowledging the obvious. This is the method of those who would subvert the government - using a motivated few to control the wider population and usually requires violence.
And he pretends not to understand the impact of Bucha - obviously a false flag which undercuts efforts to resolve issues politically.
His points are valid and it is good that maybe the Ukrainians will hear them, but there is question about his motivation for coming forward with this stuff now. So take it for what it is worth.
Interesting that when the liars finally admit some truth, it is received as if some kind of revelation. I think it is more that they need to reposition themselves so they are not so obviously disputing reality - salvage some credibility in preparation for next wave of B/S.
So, what does the NYT say, I wonder with bated breath.
Posted by: jared | Jan 15 2024 14:02 utc | 17
@BurnEyeMinds3rdEye 9:
"This account has been suspended"
Hahahahahaha
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Jan 15 2024 14:06 utc | 18
sln2002 @ Jan 15 2024 13:01 utc | 12
So they tried giveaways to Ukraine, didn't fly with Turkiye.
Does anyone know what Montreux has to say on "retired" UK destroyers sold off to Romania for 1 EUR transiting the Borsporus for private companies?
Maybe sweetened with some aid for purely defensive mine clearing? No worries, the ASMs can be shipped to Constanta by air.
Posted by: SOS | Jan 15 2024 14:21 utc | 19
re: Russian planes shot down
A while ago Ukraine shot down three SU-34. The Russians stopped using them for frontline attacks until they had found and destroyed the Patriot system responsible for that. S-34 were back in use.
The Ukrainians brought forward another Patriot system (likely managed by some U.S. special forces) and hit an Russian A-50 radar plane (an AWACS like one) and a IL-22M command and control plane. The A-50 went down. The IL-22 could land despite severe damage.
There are only a hand full of such (very expensive) planes in Russia and the loss of these is significant.
Posted by: OldFart | Jan 15 2024 13:05 utc | 13
German politicians are even dumber, rabid Bild news outlet reports plans to bring 30k troops to the eastern NATO border at Suwalki. More credible German ministry of "defense" claims 5k in a reinforced tank brigade.
https://www.bmvg.de/de/aktuelles/bundeswehrbrigade-litauen-minister-unterzeichnet-roadmap-5718672
Quick look at a map should make clear how indefensible the Baltic states are.
Both Kaliningrad and Lithuania can be nothing but trip wires.
It's amazing how quickly politicians forget how small Europe is compared to current missile ranges. The maps at Bild show 500km range as "intermediate missiles", a circle just outside of range to Berlin. Typical German that see this will think "oh well, noting at The Oder anyway, this makes us safer"
This probably is the source for the 30k number:
https://www.bmvg.de/de/aktuelles/new-force-model-wie-deutschland-sich-ab-2025-in-nato-engagiert-5465714
Im ersten Moment nach der Aktivierung dient der rasche Aufmarsch dieser Kräfte der Abschreckung. Wie es auch an der NATO-Ostflanke derzeit der Fall ist. Ist das jedoch nicht ausreichend, muss entsprechend auf die Lage reagiert werden.
This is outright scary, NATO frames the current situation such that deterrence by deployment of rapid deployment forces is indicated. Cold War mentality much?
Posted by: SOS | Jan 15 2024 14:35 utc | 21
The measure prevented Britain from following through on plans last month
@sln2002 | Jan 15 2024 13:01 utc | 12
Can't UK sell any ships they like, not only for mines, to Romania and Bulgaria, pretending to protect or whatever the Black Sea because of Evil Putin who hiding in his evil bunker? With soldiers trainers included. US is "selling" nuclear subs to Australia, what's the problem? The puppets will cover all costs using more loans and Bojo gets to try to sink something new, even makes money in the process. We already know Erdo likes to shoot down Russian planes, I don't see why he wouldn't sink a ship to improve business with Russia. It worked with the plane and he is trying to build a Byecraptar factory in Ukr which has to be protected by something, like blackmail.
The Arestovich interview tricked you to talk about it. But it only exists to repeat the Bucha lie and bring Russia on the same news level with Hamas or Yemen or everyone else they call terrorists, also to change the topic from Bibi.
Posted by: rk | Jan 15 2024 14:41 utc | 22
https://t.me/boris_rozhin/109686
Colonelcassad
0:16
🇵🇱🇧🇾The transfer of a battalion of American Stryker armored personnel carriers was noticed 30 km from Grodno.Despite all the attempts of the Polish and American military to hide the movement along the border of Russia and Belarus, we continue to record the transfer of NATO weapons and personnel to our borders.
On January 14, at around 12:00, at a railway crossing near the Polish city of Augustów, local residents filmed a train carrying at least 11 Stryker armored personnel carriers with communications and support equipment.
In the video, the equipment is moving towards the Suwalki corridor - the land route from Belarus to Kaliningrad. The Americans consider the corridor to be NATO's "Achilles heel" and the place where Russia will "attack" the alliance. That is why military exercises are constantly held here and NATO forces and assets are being built up, especially in Poland.
However, the nature of the exercises indicates that NATO is preparing not for defensive, but offensive actions. In particular, to crossing water barriers and seizing territories.
@belvestnik
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 14:43 utc | 23
Let's not 'pile on' to the messenger here.
It is Arestovich's message which is important, very important, and good news.
As many of us have been arguing, against those who see Ukrainian nationalism as having been consolidated, by the war, into a dominant force in the country, the reality is, and always was that Bandera-ism is an import from the west.
After the World War it was completely defeated and discredited among the people of Ukraine who identified with the victory of the Red Army. Any who had had lingering doubts about the Soviet state were disabused of them by the shocking experience of the German attack and the subsequent occupation.
Galicia was included within the borders of Ukraine because it seemed evident, to the Soviet authorities, that the fascists within the country had been thoroughy discredited. The only ones left lived abroad under the protection, as b points out, of the US government, and as pensioners of the CIA.
This historically important fact is buttressed by Arestovich's confirmation that thirty years of saturating propaganda and 're-education' sponsored by the imperialists, costing tens of millions of dollars and involving hundreds if not thousands of emigres of the Freeland kind, has fallen flat.
We can assume that the same is true of the "anti-communist" bans on socialist political parties and
the idiotic campaigns to pull down not only war memorials by statues of Pushkin or Gogol and ban the literature of the culture. A campaign which reaches its apotheosis in the substitution of English for Russian in the school system.
Arestovich seems to paint an accurate and, for those who wish to see Ukraine returning to the cultural sphere in which it belongs, optimistic picture of the situation: there is no general hatred of "Orcs" , Bandera's fascist programme is not supported by more than a handful of people, the Azov and other Nazi militias come not from the people or by popular demand but from NATO and the oligarchs (hated in Ukraine) who depend upon fascism in order to protect their plunder from its real owners, the people.
As to his motives, I leave them to others to dissect. I don't believe that the fantasies individuals might nurse are of great importance- the objective reality is that the road to popular support and independent power in Ukraine depends, as one would expect, on the promulgation of a economic and social programme of a socialist or populist kind.
Ukrainians don't want to torture Orcs or pull down the War Memorials with their grandparents' names on them, they want decent housing, good jobs, a fair chance in life; they want their refugee friends and relatives to come home, they want their uncles and brothers back from the trenches, they want a better future for their young sisters than prostitution in brothels or sweatshops. They want peace and plenty. And getting those things depends upon expelling NATO (repudiating the debts incurred under its direction) and re-joining the world as a bridge between west and east, north and south.
Posted by: bevin | Jan 15 2024 14:56 utc | 24
@b 19
If true it is a much worse loss than it seems to be.
1. Russia has only a few [9, or of one was actually lost, 8] A 50s, so few that they were only recently deployed over the Black Sea.
2. If shot down by Ukranazistan the A 50s will be withdrawn to safe distances which means dramatically reduced coverage and easier Ukranazi (actually NATO) strikes.
3. The trained crew are even more precious than the plane itself. Trained AWACS crew are very hard to produce and available in miniscule numbers.
I recall the panic in the Indian defence establishment when Reagan was planning to transfer Boeing E3A AWACS to Pakistan in the mid 1980s. "4 such planes will nullify our entire defence budget! We'll be naked to their surveillance!" That's how important these planes are and how drastically bad a loss would be.
However, I am still waiting for proof that it occurred at all.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Jan 15 2024 15:02 utc | 25
Posted by: OldFart | Jan 15 2024 13:05 utc | 13
"Here in the US, it’s become plain to us that our Oligarchs care not for us, and only wish to use us as slave labor. What they’re most terrified of is that we’re coming for them. Hence, all this stupid gun-banning talk from Kumbaya politicians, who are nothing but replaceable cogs in the Oligarch machine."
<=Agreed. Americans have become savvy that they are being used by an Oligarch manipulated USA. The USA is the whipping boy of the Oligarch and the fat cat corporations they own or control.
Concern has turned to Anger over the inability of a citizen to access government (no one to talk to or deal with, sometimes there is even a webpage]; citizens have been turned into cattle in the barn yards owned by the Oligarch]. All governments armed themselves; its officials hide from its citizens behind highly protected digital firewalls and mountains of militarized police and sophisticated weapons.
No actual, factual or believable information comes from government; the clowns that run the joint are trying to put each other in jail; and each is trying to keep the other from being placed on the voting ballot. After elections, the winner cannot wait to give billions and trillions of dollars to some foreign purpose or bailout some failed multi national corporation, bank or oligarch. The five o'clock news has become the government.
The state zoo keepers, governors and the like, are manipulating the voting districts and cajoling the electoral college members and writing laws that deprive citizens of freedoms. The purpose for having a government has been corrupted. The only thing protecting the citizen from his or her government is the 2nd amendment gun and ability of citizens to refuse to work.
Once again I suggest a second government independent of the traditional government, the audit government, be installed worldwide, its purpose to govern those who govern or who contract with, or benefit from, those who govern.
Every governed person, not associated to a traditional government, would become an auditor and be personally empowered to investigate the activities and decisions of every member of the traditional governments. Where corruption is found the citizen auditor would be empowered to present to the audit government a request to indict the corrupt parties (government government or to charge those who are doing business with government). A 2nd government prosecutor would be appointed to try the case and, if guilt is assigned, the court would punish the corrupt person or group.
Posted by: snake | Jan 15 2024 15:03 utc | 26
2. If shot down by Ukranazistan the A 50s will be withdrawn to safe distances which means dramatically reduced coverage and easier Ukranazi (actually NATO) strikes.Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Jan 15 2024 15:02 utc | 24
They are opening Crimea for strikes.
And if it got within Patriot range by flying too close, it was likely because with the non-MCTR-compliant Storm Shadows the Su-24s can fire from a safer distance so the A-50s had to watch them closer. And here we are.
Red lines, etc.
Let's review those specifically:
1) Strikes on Crimea. Check
2) ALCMs. Check
3) Long-range ALCMs.
4) Flying from NATO territory (this is how UA still has Su-24s after months of strikes on the airfields). Check.
5) Now a successful attack on absolutely strategically vital assets too. Check.
Russian response? None other than turning the other cheek and asking for more hits.
And this isn't just opening up Crimea for attacks, as I said many times, this affects defense against a strategic first strike.
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 15:10 utc | 27
What naivite´! Ukrainian nationalism wouldn´t exist without Western goading! It existed in the 19th century and was brutally suppressed by the Czars. The Bolsheviks won because they promised the peasants land and the suppressed nationalities the freedom to express their cultures.In 1930 the peasants were made into State slaves and when they resisted were starved into submission. In 1937 everywhere in the USSR the national intelligentia that had formed in the Twenties were liquidated. This whole process was repeated with unparalelled brutality in 1939 when Stalin got Western Ukraine. When the Wehrmacht invaded the USSR the retreating Soviets killed tens of thousand political prisoners that they couldn´t take with them.
It is 80 years ago but still in the hearts and minds of Western Ukrainians. No wonder in the USSR there were 5 Nationalities that were not allowed to advance in the army: the 3 baltics, the Germans and the Western Ukrainians.
And no, that doesn´t absolve the West from having instigated this war. Let´s hope Putin is clever and doesn´t try to incorporate Ukraine into the Russian federation.
Posted by: Tom67 | Jan 15 2024 15:21 utc | 28
UK/Israeli Foreign Minister Grant Shapps on the strategic outlook and who the future wars will be with:
"In five years’ time, we could be looking at multiple theatres including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Ask yourself … is it more likely that that number grows or reduces? I suspect we all know the answer. It’s likely to grow....We’ve come full circle, moving from a postwar to prewar world...An age of idealism is being replaced by a period of hard-headed realism."
Can't say we've not been warned. Trouble is, vote them out and Starmer will be in Rishi's place, with someone as dodgy as Shapps, Wes Streeting, playing the Shapps role.
Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Jan 15 2024 15:30 utc | 29
@29,
Pretty clear already that they want war on multiple fronts in the next few years. Will see if indeed Russia and the rest are ready for what's coming. Maybe we shouldn't laugh at that 2025-2026 prospect.
Stop reading BS news about lack of weapons and men in western countries. They will find enough cannon fodder (democracy is already dead in most Western countries already) and the weapons will be produced at the expense of other departments.
Posted by: JamesBond | Jan 15 2024 15:37 utc | 30
> In 1930 the peasants were made into State slaves and when they resisted were starved into submission.
1. If famine was intentional, what about same famine in Central Russia and Kazakhstan during those years? Another 'lessons'?
2. If Ukrainians were being punished, then why Russian population in Donbass was forcibly Ukrainized? To the point that they couldn't get work permit without knowing the language? Starve them with one hand and forcibly Ukrainize with another?
Posted by: taukey | Jan 15 2024 15:42 utc | 31
indeed it is clear that the west with all their "values" WANTS a wider war. their empire is failing, their schemes unsustainable without the resources of russia. their way of easy life in tatters without china.
brics on the rise, empire in decline.
and thats the problem they are facing. and as usual, past actions are a good indicator of future actions. and war is on the table.
sweden, netherland, and germanys "defense" ministers already said that they have to prepare for war, the brits are bloodthirsty as always, and so on. equipment is beeing moved all around the eu and nato countries, the people are softened up with constant fearmongering (that gas station is amazing) and propaganda.
their cheap disposable proxy is not achieving their wishfull goals, so the "real" men have to take this ship and bring it back en course.
looks like my kids will have to experience war in their lifetime.
thanks eu. good job. really appreciate that.
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jan 15 2024 15:46 utc | 32
Tom67 | Jan 15 2024 15:21 utc | 28
I'm sure I've been told here that Stalin was harsh but fair and all the stuff about gulags and disappearances was just capitalist propaganda against the People's State?
(In Lord Alanbrooke's WW2 memoirs they fly to Moscow for a conference with Churchill and Stalin. If you can believe him, none of the very senior British people, including Churchill or presumably his security, were aware that every room where they stayed contained microphones - it was only when they had a hurried meeting with the Polish General Anders that they found out. Anders was in Moscow to reconstitute a Polish Army and trying in vain to discover what happened to a large number of missing Polish officers who'd actually been murdered at Katyn.
If this tale be true, and I see no reason to doubt it, it sheds a light on MI6 efficiency at that time)
Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Jan 15 2024 15:47 utc | 33
This is not the first time Arestovich says the same thing in an interview about Istanbul meeting.
I am wondering what does he mean concerning agreement on a status of Crimea.
Crimea is part of RF since 2014 and as far as I know, Russian constitution prevent any retroceding of a Russian territory.
Does he mean a kind of neutral status, demilitarized?
I am a little bit sceptic on this partcular point.
Posted by: FromFrance | Jan 15 2024 15:53 utc | 34
this affects defense against a strategic first strike.
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 15:10 utc | 26
That lost plane, if true, isn't a problem and I doubt it provides that protection. It's only more and more embarrassing. The have only a few of them because their general staff is a collection of amateurs, not because they can't make more. If it was shot down by nato it's just another lost battle and won't be the last one. Russia gives them infinite time, still stuck in Donbass without any control, far away from Ukr borders, so nato attacks pretending to be from great warriors of Ukr are eventually successful, it's simple statistics.
Posted by: rk | Jan 15 2024 15:53 utc | 35
An interview with Arestovich focusing on crucial milestones of the war, from exile, and placed in an outfit with alternative credentials - juxtaposed to the Economist vs TIME spat to open a new chapter. Something is clearly afoot. May I offer my conjecture to the bar.
One of the powerbroker factions is clearly positioning him as new Ukro leader figure. I believe it's the US-centred "Apocalypse, Now!" faction looking to replace Zelensky.
The conflict Zelensky vs Zalushny looks genuine indicating a disagreement in the West. Hard to see how the narrative of a plucky, rightous Ukraine fighting Putin would be helped by ostentatious display of internal strife.
Zalushny, paraded recently in the Rothschild-controlled Economist, represents the agent of the faction that wants a long war with Russia. They need to dial it down lest cannon fodder and materiel run out soon.
Time magazine did a refresher piece on Zelensky to make the case of his backers which are giddy about Armageddon with Russia.
Is there a third faction? Doubtful the other two would kindly leave it a stage and Arestovich with smooth travels. I posit Arestovich is the facelift for the Armageddon faction. How long can you look at a guy in the same green shirt? It was a very visual persona and it's getting old.
But Arestovich is talking about negotiations and peace? Don't put any stock in that. Z was installed on the peace ticket, then handed the script to sell an annihilation war.
Posted by: Leser | Jan 15 2024 15:57 utc | 36
Ukraine has lost and the trolls on here talk sh.t but won't fight as they are cowards like most of Z' Boys fluffers.
Posted by: Death | Jan 15 2024 16:00 utc | 37
I'm with Patroklos at the #1 spot...Ukrainia can never be a united nation after what the 20% did to it.
Divide it up into it's constituent parts, give the Nazis their 20% with mandatory weekly torchlight parades, semi-annual kristallnachts...shatter every piece of glass not boarded up, yearly "selections" officiated over by Victoria Nuland and her husband...good times will be had !!!
But let the decent people of Ukrainia be reunited with their native lands, Russian areas to Russia, Hungarian areas to Hungary, Slovakian areas to Slovakia, with great caution and much negotiation Poles to Poland. With Romanian lands held in trust while Hungary & Romania undo the post WWI villainy of the great eugenicists, Hitler's favorite US President, Woodrow Wilson.
Posted by: S Brennan | Jan 15 2024 16:21 utc | 38
Regarding the planes - aren't there escort fighters flying with them? And wouldn't the A50 detect any missile launch? We have never recieved any definitive post mortem on any of these incidents from either side - like killing of NATO officers in bunkers, etc, etc. Just speculation from comentators. Transponder spoofing and ff seems more likely than patriot to me, but I don't really expect clarity to magically emerge about this any more than for previous such cases.
Posted by: the pessimist | Jan 15 2024 16:28 utc | 39
Tariq Amar in RT.com has a good summary of Arestovych (https://www.rt.com/russia/589697-arestovich-ukraine-russia-kiev/-- the man sounds like either, at best, a craven opportunist or more likely a sociopath. As pointed out above, Arestovych was an early advocate for war with Russia but claims to have seen the light after the war started to go south.
Posted by: Toivos | Jan 15 2024 16:29 utc | 40
Ukraine has no need to sue for peace yet. Despite the supposed scale back of support from the US and SOME NATO countries it continues to inflict humiliation on the Russian army and death to innocent civilians in Russian controlled areas. NATO isn't running out of arms or warm bodies to ship on over to Ukraine to continue this blood bath.
Posted by: bored | Jan 15 2024 16:34 utc | 41
Posted by: bored | Jan 15 2024 16:34 utc | 41
Real humiliation will begin once Russia completes the attrition of UkieZombieLand. I struggle to see how West/NATO will cope with it. Considering morally superior, almost messianic, egotistical Western culture, taking the "L" that size? 50 countries losing to a gas station? I'm afraid it can only end with a tantrum of US/NATO and all-out war. And Russia will roast them will nukes, don't even doubt that.
So, death by an ego? You really want that?
Posted by: taukey | Jan 15 2024 16:47 utc | 42
For all of the intelligent people on here, it astonishes me as to how ignorant of actual history many commenters are.
I give no opinion here about the pros/cons of 1) communism; 2) socialism; 3) national socialism; 4) capitalism; 5) monarchism; 6) oligarchy; 7) democracy; or 8) fascism.
But here are the cruel hard facts for you. The Bolsheviks were some of the world's worst monsters to be unleashed upon the Russian people. French revolution was a precursor. The VAST majority in leadership were not Russian, they HATED the Russian people, their faith, their traditions, everything Russian. FFS, read some Dostoevsky.
Quite a strange coincidence, that immediately after both the French and Russian revolution, a certain clan was IMMEDIATELY granted some very special privileges, is it not?
In any event, all freedom-seeking people, including Ukranians and Russians, were right to fight them (that's why Russia had a civil war folks).
Stalin was no fool and a ruthless dictator. Through many purges he rooted out the Bolsheviks and confused them, sending them away, along with millions of ordinary Russians, until their reign ended with an ice pick through Trotsky's head. The USSR had been on a war footing for YEARS before WWII. They had 33,000-some tanks ready to go!! The Germans, merely 3,000-odd.
Whether it was the Bolsheviks or now Stalin, OF COURSE the Russian people after decades of oppression would want to throw off those chains. I don't blame them one bit, on either side. It was what it was.
And finally, does no one see the strange corollary to BoJo's meddling and demanding that the Ukraine serve as the CAUSE to attack Russia, in the same way that the frigging UK was screwing with Poland and completely sidetracking the negotiations between Poland and Germany right before WWII, when all Hitler was really asking for was the Danzig corridor and an entirely reasonable settlement of that ridiculous situation from the treaty of Versailles.
The damn UK, yet again, setting everyone against each other and determined to set the world ablaze. Which of course has the USA's blessing, as it did in WWII when FDR was agitating for another world war.
The despicable trotskyites simply immigrated to Palestine and they and their descendants continue their long policy of genocide of the goyim, here, the Palestinians and now in Gaza.
Imagine that.
Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 16:47 utc | 43
@24 bevin
Great post. Thx.
It seems to me that you are right and that even though some kind of galvanizing has transpired there, with terrorism against their own population by the Banderites having its accorded effect, we can hope that the west's hold over Ukraine through its quid pro quo is continually being diminished.
I meant to respond to Patroklos' enlightening comment yeaterday re: marriage in conquest of empire. I wanted to put forth that the empire does not skimp on the carrot just because its military is the most powerful in history. The administrative Green Zone in Iraq, for example, was a cash cow for the Iraqis we needed to maintain control.
It seems as though the second part of conquest is to establish, like in John Carpenter's They Live, a radio antennae that scrambles the signal a population receives for its own good judgement.
If the signal doesn't take, we can view this as a good omen: Syria, Lebanon, Iran. All resisted or jammed the signal.
The Catholicism of the Banderites is obviously Russophobic, contrasting this to the Pope's recent address to Russian youth affirming their amazing historical tradition and culture. Something has to give.
We are getting there.
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jan 15 2024 16:52 utc | 44
Just one follow-up hypothetical.
What would the barflies suggest that Putin do if the West tried to cut off Russia's access to Kaliningrad??
Hmmmmm.
And exactly what situation was Hitler and the German government facing as far as the Danzig corridor again??
It really is ridiculous that all of us have been blinded for so long. It's absolute retardation.
I mean YEARS prior Winston Churchill's own brother was saying that no British grenadier would ever be sent on account of the Danzig corridor, which was the stupidest arrangement possible on artificial map drawing that had NO BASIS at all. But now let's have WWII over it, shall we?? Crazy.
Or are we only allowed to criticize artificial boundaries when it comes to modern day Ukraine?? LOL. Real history is quite the funny thing. Not knowing it leads us to the same blunders.
Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 16:59 utc | 45
Just to add to anon2020 and Down South's AWESOME updates, just saw this reporting from Zero Hedge:
"Zelensky has asked Switzerland to organize a peace conference. It's over."
Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 17:05 utc | 46
Or are we only allowed to criticize artificial boundaries when it comes to modern day Ukraine?? LOL. Real history is quite the funny thing. Not knowing it leads us to the same blunders.Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 16:59 utc | 45
Are you trying to say that Russia having Kaliningrad is artificial or that the Baltics being independent is artificial?
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 17:05 utc | 47
1. If famine was intentional, what about same famine in Central Russia and Kazakhstan during those years? Another 'lessons'?2. If Ukrainians were being punished, then why Russian population in Donbass was forcibly Ukrainized? To the point that they couldn't get work permit without knowing the language? Starve them with one hand and forcibly Ukrainize with another?
Posted by: taukey | Jan 15 2024 15:42 utc | 31
Most important:
1) No Ukrainian nationalist experienced the famine. Galicia and Volhynia were Polish territory at the time, and Bandera was running an internal anti-Polish terrorist organization. Moreover, they experienced constant chronic malnutrition, punctuated by catastrophic acute famines, every few years when they were under Austrian rule for centuries. With food actively exported out of the region throughout all that time and regardless of whether people were starving. But you never hear them whine about that.
2) The reason Bandera was part of an internal anti-Polish terrorist organization was that the Poles were running a heavy handed anti-Ukrainian (and anti-Russian, anti-Rusyn, anti-Belarussian and anti-Lithuanian) assimilation campaign in the 1920s and 1930s. No Ukrainian schools, administration, etc.
Meanwhile the evil Bolsheviks set up a separate Ukrainian SSR and were forcefully Ukrainizing ethnic Russians over a vast territory where there was barely a single person with Ukrainian identity.
As people were saying back in 2014, Lenin created them, now they are toppling his statues...
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 17:20 utc | 48
I am wondering what does he mean concerning agreement on a status of Crimea. Crimea is part of RF since 2014 and as far as I know, Russian constitution prevent any retroceding of a Russian territory. Does he mean a kind of neutral status, demilitarized? I am a little bit sceptic on this partcular point.Posted by: FromFrance | Jan 15 2024 15:53 utc | 34
It has been confirmed by many independent sources. In fact the first person to spill the beans, twice in the span of more than a month too, was Lukashenko. Not the Ukrainians.
And what it means is that the guillotine should be set up on the Red Square and the heads of Putin and everyone else responsible for such a deal should roll, for grand treason.
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 17:20 utc | 49
@46,
Ah yes, the same idiotic peace conference without Russia. These people are mental.
Posted by: JamesBond | Jan 15 2024 17:21 utc | 50
But here are the cruel hard facts for you. The Bolsheviks were some of the world's worst monsters to be unleashed upon the Russian people.Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 16:47 utc | 43
Sure, what monsters. Saved the country from dissolution, defeated yet another Western invasion, then educated the population and gave it healthcare and pensions, then industrialized it and made it a superpower, and once again defeated the West, in the grandest war the world has ever seen.
It would have been so much better under the Tsar's incompetent buffoonery of an administration.
Not all of it, of course -- have you ever asked yourself how it was that a marginal organization such as the Bolsheviks managed to take power and work all those miracles in 1918-1922?
It wasn't all on its own, most of the population backed them (ever asked yourself why they would do that?) plus enough of the Tsarist officers in the army, who decided to bet on the Bolsheviks. Ever asked yourself why the would do that? Presumably they knew what was going on better than you do more than a century later...
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 17:21 utc | 51
How many of Ukrainian "patriots" will now return to their homeland Argentina after the "peace deal" is signed?
Posted by: ForWhomTheBellTolls | Jan 15 2024 17:25 utc | 52
Johnny @ 46
"Zelensky has asked Switzerland to organize a peace conference. It's over."
More likely, before the next NATO escalation they need to show the world, or at least the Golden Billion sheeple that they tried every option for peace but due to Putin's ambitions and intransigence all reasonable proposals by decent, freedom faring people were exhausted.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 15 2024 17:27 utc | 53
"Zelensky has asked Switzerland to organize a peace conference. It's over."
Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 17:05 utc | 46
"Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported on Sunday that the Davos talks had ended “with no clear path forward” despite Ukraine’s hopes that it would be able to secure backing for its plan from members of the Global South, many of whom have proclaimed neutrality in the conflict. That was denied by Ukrainian officials, however, who nevertheless acknowledged differences of opinion among the meeting’s participants.
On Sunday, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis echoed Peskov’s remarks, arguing that any Ukraine peace talks should involve Russia in one way or another."
so what is exactly over? ukraines hope for further backing? ukraines hope to drag neutral countries from the majority of the world into this local squabble?
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jan 15 2024 17:36 utc | 54
thanks b and for the post @ b | Jan 15 2024 14:29 utc | 20
thanks also to some other posters here as well..
Posted by: james | Jan 15 2024 17:42 utc | 55
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 17:20 utc | 49
Guillotine for Putin on Red Square? Don’t you want your usual nuclear bomb? It’s been nearly a whole day since you last pushed the button.
Posted by: Lev Davidovich | Jan 15 2024 17:45 utc | 56
A very good interview of Emmanuel Todd.
In French, but english translation can be activated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4HRWQPV6BU
Posted by: FromFrance | Jan 15 2024 17:45 utc | 57
Arestovich seems to be, deliberately or inadvertently, lipsticking a pig there .... the way that Zelensky and his Oligarch master got him elected via a television series propaganda-vehicle indicates that Zelensky himself was always a totally rotten, Israel-2 run genocidalist.
The coke-head of Kiev merely hid the fact till in power.
Nor, in retrospect, is Zelensky's tale of "the nasty nazis made me do it" at all credible.
All on the same payroll....
Indeed, the whole thing -- including the corporate asset-stripping of Ukraine -- indicates beyond doubt who and what *really* controls NATO.
Posted by: Cynic | Jan 15 2024 17:45 utc | 58
@ Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 16:47 utc | 43
A problem with learning history is that there are so many from to chose - of course you mean "proper" history, I assume. Myself, I never touch the stuff (as a red-blooded American).
But thought I have over-heard people saying that both the French and the Russian revolutions were cases of over-throw of weak, incompetent monarchies - vestiges of an earlier time. A result of their weakness was I think lack of funds and the resulting need to siphon increasing amounts from those with some - which is not usually popular. Perhaps I heard it wrong.
Another problem that I see with history is that people will cite history as it suits the point that they wish to make and they can be quite over-bearing in this. Also there are people who know little history but present the little they know in such a way as to fairly dominate a conversation with the bit they know - I think this would be a symptom of a dilettante.
What would be an example of a scene from one of Dostoyevsky's stories which would support your point of view? I am not very familiar with his work - read House of the Dead and found it moderately interesting, but I did not pick-up on anything regarding Bolsheviks (for example).
Posted by: jared | Jan 15 2024 17:48 utc | 59
I think that’s toothpaste you’ll never get back into the tube. Whatever Ukraine will be after the war it won’t resemble the corrupt black hole it was before it. Arestovich is a skilled dissembler who mixes truth with lies. He’s only interested in rehabilitating his own part in this debacle.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 15 2024 11:59 utc | 1
Yes to Patroklos Bucha is the tell. Civilians were murdered there, and not by Russians. We took a lot of time here back in the day examining that situation. It happened just as did the strafing of civilians at the Maidan, the horror at Odessa, the indiscriminate slaughter that the IDF used on kibbutz and concertgoers alike and ongoing terror in Gaza. In order to heighten the frenzy and claim that a lie is the truth.
Very bloody toothpaste, all of those. Whenever finally there can be a reckoning it has to be the remaining population whose voices will be heard, all of them, as to what has happened and what will happen to it - as has occurred all along. Crimeans decided; Donesk decided, the oblasts southeast of Dnieper decided. It's the only way forward. With truth, not lies.
Posted by: juliania | Jan 15 2024 17:52 utc | 60
sln2002 | Jan 15 2024 13:01 utc | 12
*** ...The measure prevented Britain from following through on plans last month to send two mine-hunting ships to the region to help Ukraine's efforts to export its grain....***
The mine layers/sweepers from the UK were never intended for use in the Black Sea -- they are for NATO to attack, using a Ukrainian flag of convenience, the Russian naval base at Tartus in the Mediterranean.
Posted by: Cynic | Jan 15 2024 17:58 utc | 61
Posted by: shаdοwspam | Jan 15 2024 17:20 utc | 48
Posted by: shаdοwspam | Jan 15 2024 17:20 utc | 49
Posted by: shаdοwspam | Jan 15 2024 17:21 utc | 51
Troll types fast.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jan 15 2024 18:10 utc | 62
snake | Jan 15 2024 15:03 utc | 26 ....
And once the bastards have corrupted that supposedly squeaky-clean ultra-supra-regime as well -- which they assuredly would -- then absolutely everyone (except those who rule) in the world is condemned to roasting in the poo-pan forever.
Posted by: Cynic | Jan 15 2024 18:15 utc | 63
Jared:
I have loved Dostoevsky since I was a teenager. Notes from Underground was my intro, when Dostoevsky was in his radical phase. Before I ever became aware of the real history of the 20th century. Fascinating fact: he was sentenced to death by the Tsar and actually lined up to be shot, drums and blindfolded and all, until the Tsar granted him clemency and instead sentenced him to hard labor.
Demons is an excellent volume where Fyodor rips the radicals that would become the eventual Bolsheviks. The entire volume really is a direct attack on them. And a deeper biographical read, especially in his correspondence and newsletter work, gives his real fear as to the "origins" of most of his former compatriots...
@LightYears - yeah, that really could make sense as well.
@JustPassinBy - let us hope that is not the case.
@shadowbanned - the ludicrous nature of our 20th century. The whole world goes to war, WWII, over a dispute which everyone just a decade or less prior realized was a ridiculous situation, Danzig, a city of 350,000 Germans cut off from the country completely. If anything, Germany had a MUCH BETTER claim to Danzig than Russia does to Kaliningrad, but that's why we must evaluate things objectively.
As far as the Bolsheviks "fighting off the West" for Russia, LOL. LMAO even. Russia was an ALLY of the West in WWI, until the revolution.
Although you do bring up a great point. Why did the West (namely the US and the UK) allow Trotsky (real name Braunstein of course) to travel to Russia to OVERTHROW THEIR ALLY??? Canada detained that psycho then just let him go at their request. hmmmm. Germany letting Lenin go to Russia to make revolution makes sense. But the Tsar's army was fighting WITH the West. Quite strange, dontcha think??!!
Unless WWI was not all that it seemed eh?? When it was over, who actually won anything?? Only one group, quite strange!! Yet Europe was bled white.
But this is b's blog, so I will not say anything further. Cheers!
Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 18:19 utc | 64
The mine layers/sweepers from the UK were never intended for use in the Black Sea -- they are for NATO to attack, using a Ukrainian flag of convenience, the Russian naval base at Tartus in the Mediterranean.
Posted by: Cynic | Jan 15 2024 17:58 utc | 61
this would be interesting, as it would expand the nato agression outside ukraines/russias borders (excluding sanctionregime).
what would then happen if russia, china, iran, or anybody else from the allied resistance does the same to attack nato bases etc under a false flag? hoist the flag of yemen and hit that american base in djibuti?
or waving the argentinian flag while attacking british bases on the falklands? (granted, i dont even know if they have any there)
i doubt the west is this stupid, but then again, they proved us wrong on many occasions in that regard...
Posted by: Justpassinby | Jan 15 2024 18:19 utc | 65
@ William Gruff | Jan 15 2024 18:10 utc | 62
I suspect he composes several comments using a word processor, then dumps them here more or less all at once.
c1ue used to do that with the Week in Review threads: most of the first 10 comments would be his, all lengthy, all dumped in rapid succession. As if he’d been saving ‘em up all week, which he probably was.
Posted by: malenkov | Jan 15 2024 18:20 utc | 66
Troll[s] types fast.
Posted by: William Gruff | Jan 15 2024 18:10 utc | 62
Tiny correction, multiple contenders on this thread with many being VERY successful with their lures to hook unschooled minnows.
Posted by: S Brennan | Jan 15 2024 18:22 utc | 67
@65
NATO proxies : Israel, Al nusra and various tagged ISIL have been dusting up Syria and Iraq to keep “Iran tied down” non stop since USA founded ISIL in 2013….
Posted by: paddy | Jan 15 2024 18:34 utc | 68
⚡️🇷🇺🇺🇦⚔️ Front #Summary for 15 Jan 2024 by 18:28⚡️🔹In #Kherson Direction, frost came and the channels between the islands, along which the rotation and supply of the AFU foothold in #Krynki took place, froze. This made it easier for our drone pilots to hit landing groups and supplies. It became also more difficult for the AFU to supply their garrison. Strikes of our FPV drones were also recorded on #Tyaginka, on the right bank.
🔹In #Zaporozhye Direction, our forces are attacking the entire #Rabotino - #Novoprokopovka - #Verbovoye line.
At #Verbovoye, our military have had significant success in retaking positions.🔹In #SouthDonetsk Direction, after artillery preparation, our army launched attacks west of #Staromayorskoye. Fighting has intensified again in the direction of #Prechistovka, the initiative is on our side. On the flanks of #Novomikhaylovka, our offensive continues with no significant successes so far. In #Georgiyevka, there is an advance of ours.
🔹In #Donetsk Direction, on the southern #Avdeyevka flank, our units attacked at #Krasnogorovka and #Nevelskoye, and tried to advance towards #Severnoye.
The enemy is holding defence with all its might, so far the frontline has not changed significantly.🔹In #Bakhmut Direction, our troops are trying to break through the AFU defence in the direction of Chas Yar. The assault on the heights northwest of #Kleshcheyevka, has not brought the desired result so far, the fighting continues.
🔹In #Svatovo Direction, our military are entrenching themselves in the landings east of #Makeyevka. Near #Torskoye and in the #Serebryanskoye forest, the AFU again tried to counterattack, with no success. According to reports from the field, our army, unfortunately not having the ability to safely conduct counterbattery warfare with artillery, is intensifying attacks with loitering ammunition and drones. The next Lancet managed to hit a western howitzer, the strike was no less than 10 km from the frontline.
💥Our Aerospace Forces launched a series of strikes on AFU military facilities in #Berislav, #Kherson region, targeting warehouses and reserves. New facilities in #Kharkov Region were hit, with a strike on the #Kurazovska TPP, according to preliminary data, the enemy was hiding equipment and personnel there.
💬 Ukrainian General Tarnavsky stated, the situation for the AFU is most difficult in the #Donetsk and #Avdeyevka directions. Over the past day, 41 airstrikes and 51 attempts to attack with the support of armoured vehicles by the RF Armed Forces have been recorded.
📌 Judging by the fuss in the frontline regions, the AFU is afraid of our offensive not only in the #Kharkov region. The defence line in #Chernigov and #Sumy regions is actively being prepared, the Ukrainian command believes that there may be a Russian offensive here this spring.
https://t.me/sitreports/21184
Posted by: Down South | Jan 15 2024 18:40 utc | 69
Shadowbanned@51
Those are all thought provoking questions and I appreciate you raising them. Thank you for your insight.
Posted by: Elbereth | Jan 15 2024 18:40 utc | 70
The Cabinet of Ministers lifted the ban on turning off electricity for debts, which nullifies Zelensky’s promises not to fine the population in wartime.The authorities explain the lifting of the moratorium by the growth of debt for housing and communal services. In particular, today the population's debt for consumed electricity has increased by 41% compared to pre-war times. “For the normal functioning of Ukraine’s energy system, the necessary resources are urgently needed, and therefore this was a forced measure,” says NEURC Chairman Konstantin Ushchapovsky, answering the question why the government lifted the moratorium on disconnecting consumers for debts.
In reality, everything is much more interesting. Naturally, in a country at war, Ukrainians have significantly worsened their payments for housing and utility tariffs, but the attempt to increase the level of payment discipline on the part of the authorities right now looks rather cynical.
True, experts associate the situation with the lifting of the moratorium with the requirements of the International Monetary Fund, which systematically continues to drive Ukraine into global economic slavery. That is, ordinary citizens will now be without electricity due to the requirements of the IMF.
https://t.me/rezident_ua/21207
Posted by: Down South | Jan 15 2024 18:44 utc | 71
Snake@1503
Whether or not it flies anytime soon, the concept of an Audit government, one made up of ordinary citizens who prefer to see a government which is not controlled by the United State of America CORPORATION, duly registered under the corporate legislation by the state of Dupont (aka Delaware) and evidently owned by the fifty filthy-richest crime clans in their U$$A governance scheme...such a shadow-government, working with alternative media...could become a rallying point for disgusted and pissed-off majoritarian Americans.
Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 15 2024 18:45 utc | 72
🇺🇦 VerdictDue to a sharp decline in the number of school graduates in Ukraine, the number of higher educational institutions will be reduced.
Deputy Minister of Education Mikhail Vinnitsky stated this: “This year there were about 360 thousand school graduates in Ukraine. 15 years ago, in 2008, this number reached 640 thousand. Further forecasts are also disappointing.”
The verdict is not that universities are closing, but in the dynamics. Soon there will be no one to teach.
In the 1990s there were nearly a million first-graders!!
Now 360k are being produced, and this figure will drop to a minimum in the next 2 years, because everyone is taking boys out of the country.
Plus, it takes into account those who study remotely; they will not help the economy after graduation.
In 5 years, very few people will go to 1st grade: the birth rate in 2023 is at the level of statistical error.
https://t.me/rezident_ua/21209
Posted by: Down South | Jan 15 2024 18:46 utc | 73
I suspect he composes several comments using a word processor, then dumps them here more or less all at once.Posted by: malenkov | Jan 15 2024 18:20 utc | 66
Yes, you read the thread, save the comments that need replying to/correcting, then you post the replies. You learn to do after the web interface loses your comment a few times into some alternative internet dimension.
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 18:47 utc | 74
It's pretty clear the majority of Ukrainians aren't stupid: survival comes first, but they would find it utterly demoralizing, if not an outright form of invisible enslavement, to live in a country transformed into an Orwellian dystopia dedicated to the construction and preservation of an ultra-nationalist anti-Russian, anti-pluri-cultural false consciousness, that was never dominant in Ukrainian history, outside of some political and geographic fringes of the country now known as Ukraine.
Posted by: Ludo | Jan 15 2024 18:57 utc | 75
Tom67@1521
Probable Russian solution would be to simply recoup all ethnic Russian majoritarian or perhaps very large majority Oblasts and after referendums for inclusion, to do so. At the same time it would be logical for them to encourage surrendered Ukrainian soldiers and perhaps some emigres to establish a new governmental body which would include all Orthodox Oblasts in those parts of that landscape where the Ukrainian dialect of Russian is predominant.
A few "counties" in the southwest where Slovak, Hungarian and Romanian speaking people are present in large numbers would be returned to their ethnic homelands. Diplomatically, such a move would be well accepted by those current members of NATO and the EU...thusly impelling the centripetal directions in the rest of those colonized entities.
While the central Ukrainians would establish a Russophile governance; those Uniat diversionists with westernized values, based on allegiance to Rome and their erstwhile imperial cololnializing masters, mostly to be noted in Galicia...would be granted their independence and guaranteed protectorate status on the parts of the RU , Belarus and Poland. However, they would not be allowed actual militaries, rather a form of national-guard lacking any possible heavy weaponry, in the interest of maintaining their own internal security issues.
Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 15 2024 18:59 utc | 76
Cynic @ 61 / Justpassinby @ 65
I still think Gaza and the escalation in the Middle East has behind it pushing the Russians out of Syria. Hezbollah, Iran, Gaza, biblical Israel, and whatever else comes up is all secondary to that priority. USA still wants to rebuild the ME but the critical priority now is to fuck the Russians in Syria. Remember Syria is what got Russia, to paraphrase Animal House, moved from the neocon's shit list to double secret shit list. Syria is where the post Soviet RF made its return to military power in geopolitics, and probably what got the Pentagon in 100% consensus with the neocon plans for war on Russia. Syria is the real game in the ME now, everything else is the USA maneuvering to get into an advantageous propaganda and military position. We've been lucky so far, Gaza turned into quicksand, Hezbollah didn't take the bait, and the Yemenis came out of left field. What I'm seeing is the USA pushing desperately for WW3 and the RoW trying to stop or delay it.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 15 2024 19:01 utc | 77
YetAnother@1530
What the Sceptred Isle desperately needs if for enough citizens to shftcan their affiliations with those current political entities which receive their orders from the financiers in The City. Then they would need to create a new political movement which would be strictly populist by nature, one which would eschew the entire concept of empire and to focus their energies upon domestic concerns exclusively.
A modest sized island off the coast of the European peninsula of Eurasia should come to its collective senses and abjure all visions of international relevance.
Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 15 2024 19:05 utc | 79
@Johnny | Jan 15 2024 18:19 utc | 64
Why did the West (namely the US and the UK) allow Trotsky (real name Braunstein of course) to travel to Russia to OVERTHROW THEIR ALLY??? Canada detained that psycho then just let him go at their request. hmmmm. Germany letting Lenin go to Russia to make revolution makes sense. But the Tsar's army was fighting WITH the West. Quite strange, dontcha think??!!
You're just confirming that old refrain about "being an enemy of the West is dangerous, but being an ally is downright deadly". The monarchies had to go then and countries have to go now. Its not personal, its just the OWG plan, all for that one group.
Posted by: gT | Jan 15 2024 19:09 utc | 80
There is no evidence ( just talk ) that the Russia/Ukraine conflict has anywhere whatsoever to go except escalation.
No freeze. No “peace deal”. No ceasefire
Eventually, Russia will have no choice but to fire on UK, Germany or Poland. They cannot attrit endlessly and continue to risk their own populace security. The UK and their latest “defense” pact, makes it obvious it’ll be war in 2924. At least to me, there is no evidence of any intent by collective West to de-escalate anything.
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jan 15 2024 19:13 utc | 82
Johnson was Nuland's messenger boy. How surprising is it American neocons and Ukrainian Nazis are the ones calling all the shots? Hardly a mystery.
Posted by: Elmagnostic | Jan 15 2024 19:18 utc | 83
Johnny @1647
Clearheaded posting. Perfidious Albion, for sure. Trotskyite Tribalists are currently squatting on the driver's seat in the Di$trict of Corruption...thus the tail which wags the blackmailed and bribed ,designated Attack-Dog.
On behalf of the 2,500 Y.O uber Talmudist/Sanhedrin Agenda for total world domination and control; that private bank in City of London calls all the shots for the Collective Wa$te.
Thanks for a posting which is not comprised primarily of fluff, ego-tripping and debates relevant only to the number of angels who are capable of dancing on the head of a pin.
Posted by: arestodemos | Jan 15 2024 19:19 utc | 84
shadow banned@1705
Diversionary flak-attack warning activated.
Posted by: aristodemos | Jan 15 2024 19:23 utc | 85
"Ukrainians don't want to torture Orcs or pull down the War Memorials with their grandparents' names on them, they want decent housing, good jobs, a fair chance in life; they want their refugee friends and relatives to come home, they want their uncles and brothers back from the trenches, they want a better future for their young sisters than prostitution in brothels or sweatshops. They want peace and plenty. And getting those things depends upon expelling NATO (repudiating the debts incurred under its direction) and re-joining the world as a bridge between west and east, north and south."
Posted by: bevin | Jan 15 2024 14:56 utc | 24
Amen.
....to even make a serious go at Russia. If Napoleon and Hitler couldn’t do it ( and they were next door, not an ocean away),what makes these G7 idiots think THEY can do it?
Posted by: OldFart | Jan 15 2024 13:05 utc | 13
thanks for that. Old fart, well said and I agree.
but then again that's american exceptionalism for you, you know the belief that the USA can rule the world, deserves to rule the world, and will continue for decades to rule the world - provided of course that the major Asian powers (Russia, China, Iran) don't all unite against it... Oooooops!!
Posted by: michaelj72 | Jan 15 2024 19:38 utc | 87
"Zelensky has asked Switzerland to organize a peace conference. It's over."
Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 17:05 utc | 46
LOL. Not the first conference, not the last one. Without Russia. With the ukronazis 10 points "peace" plan. One point is the withdrawal of Russian troops. LOL again.
And Switzerland is no more a neutral country, it took side when agreeing with the sanctions. It will never be again a place of negociations.
All those fools still do not understand that only capitulation of the ukronazis and more territory losses will lead to peace.
Posted by: Naive | Jan 15 2024 19:40 utc | 89
#56-Lev Davidovich...shadowb....is sooooooooo sick...
Posted by: sejmon | Jan 15 2024 19:39 utc | 88
Not sick, a disinformation agent who knows perfectly well what he is doing. Working for the enemies of Russia.
Posted by: Naive | Jan 15 2024 19:42 utc | 90
Posted by: Tom67 | Jan 15 2024 15:21 utc | 28It is 80 years ago but still in the hearts and minds of Western Ukrainians. No wonder in the USSR there were 5 Nationalities that were not allowed to advance in the army: the 3 baltics, the Germans and the Western Ukrainians.
And no, that doesn´t absolve the West from having instigated this war. Let´s hope Putin is clever and doesn´t try to incorporate Ukraine into the Russian federation.
Great post. As to your ending, I believe VPP suggested that Poland take Galicia in any future settlement, just as Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary also get bits and pieces that traditionally were theirs. Ukraine, which means ‘borderlands’, and with it Ukrainian nationalism, will be no more.
Speaking of: have always wondered how much 'Ukrainian Nationalism' was tangled up with Jewish activism striving to return from 'beyond the Pale' into Russia proper having been pushed out. Two Tzars lost their lives in that struggle (and Lenin’s brother). Given how the neocons, CIA and Jewish oligarchs have been openly credited with forming the Nazi battalions like Azov, some sort of tribal angle is clearly in the mix - of course is never mentioned in polite society.
"And what it means is that the guillotine should be set up on the Red Square and the heads of Putin and everyone else responsible for such a deal should roll, for grand treason."
Posted by: shаdοwbanned | Jan 15 2024 17:20 utc | 49
Here's why many disdain your ideas-"Putin and everything else responsible " should be executed.
You are colouring your political ideas that differ from Putin into a Manichean good v evil simplistic model which is beneath your intellect and certainly beneath most of MOA brethrens' with the exception of some questionable newbies.
Now your brimstone emotions may be the result of: a depressed paranoid schizophrenia; a clever troll; or a man who had a bad moment and can recognize his folly and admit such..
I hope for the latter category , await your confirmation.
"Zelensky has asked Switzerland to organize a peace conference. It's over."
Posted by: Johnny | Jan 15 2024 17:05 utc | 46
_____________________________________________
Let's not get excited about this. Russia is not being invited.
Posted by: hispanidad | Jan 15 2024 19:48 utc | 93
I see that Arestovich treats Bucha as turning point, april 3rd, and not the visit of Johnson to Kiev , april 9th.
I checked Zelensky's speeches around that time https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/speeches?date-from=18-07-2021&date-to=18-07-2022&page=18 and while they're all pretty hostile to Russia I imagine he kept an opening for an agreement, but if Russia withdraws troops from around Kiev and Zelensky instantly joins the outrage about Bucha , also visiting it on april 4th , then I think the negotiators must have given up on Zelensky at that point, although Zelensky still mentions the negotiations the 5th.
I also checked Johnson's actions and he calls Zelensky at least march 28 twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1508502138913230857 and
april 2 about stepping up military and other support
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1510359052768927750
His Bucha outrage thing is april 3rd
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1510677595804872709
together with other officials https://twitter.com/ChiefMI6/status/1510629183365517326
Posted by: Tuyzentfloot | Jan 15 2024 19:51 utc | 94
There has been a number of different pieces in MSM the last few days. Everything points towards bigtime British escalation. This will be backed by the loyalist faction in the US. The brits have constantly tried to push US into direct conflict with Russia and are in a panic that US funding for Ukraine has stopped. It may be that the escalation is to try and break the deadlock in the US but it does look as if the escalation will be world wide but Ukraine the big one.
As to the aircraft over the Black Sea - it is possible nato may have some passive seeker missiles we/the public in general does not know about. something like that can strike without warning. Not long back Russia began using that type of missile to take down ukie planes at very long range and the ukies would be hit without warning.These could be developed and built anywhere in nato - Germany France, UK, US or elsewhere. As for production, used for sniper shots, they would only be required in low numbers.
Initial targeting coords ect all from nato surveillance aircraft little in the way of ground units require if ground based, just a very basic launcher that could easily be on a civilian truck. Possibly launched from a patriot system but not necessarily.
UK, Germany, US are all willing to sacrifice their economies in a last ditch effort to maintain the Westphalia dominance over the globe. Looks like this year is going to be the big one. Sailing very close to nuclear Armageddon.
What is unknown to me is would the US retaliate if Russia hits the UK hard. UK is the snake pit, the head of the snake that needs to be destroyed. US is divided, even within the US deep state, which makes it difficult to predict which way it would go.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 15 2024 19:52 utc | 95
shаdοwbanned @ Jan 15 2024 15:10 utc | 27
As usual, unlikely. Crimea is densely covered by AD radar with overlapping coverage. If anything this has to do with Middle east (the Kinzhal vs carriers scenario) or with the attempt to move a naval force into Black Sea.
Those planes also monitor ships. Don't expect "mine clearing" vessels to survive under aerial supervision.
Even deep strikes in to Russia are more likely than Crimea that already gets pummeled daily.
Posted by: SOS | Jan 15 2024 19:53 utc | 96
Trubind1 @ 82
Agreed, all the war talk in UK, Germany, and N.Europe is exactly what it is - build up to war. I know my history well enough to see the time tested formula being applied, so systematically as to be guaranteed. Probably two NATO fronts Finland, Sweden, Norway in the Baltic Sea and Poland into Ukraine with Germany and UK backing them up. The Scandinavian countries have been promised vassal management of the arctic riches and transport fees once the RF carcass is cut up, somewhat like France which while stripped of its empire was entrusted with management of central Africa.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jan 15 2024 19:53 utc | 97
Justpassinby @ Jan 15 2024 15:46 utc | 32
With enough provovcation the west will get it's war, draft and all that included.
I just trust in the wisdom and restraint Russia has shown so far, sthe same some here complain about. If Russia manages not to drain all resources in the SMO and develop well we may be lucky to see NATO realize a lost war before it starts.
Europe is going to be the public toilet of the world anyway.. it's going to be dirty no matter who sits on it and the view up is always an asshole.
Posted by: SOS | Jan 15 2024 19:54 utc | 98
Johnny @ 45:
It is my understanding that back in 2022, Lithuania did try cutting transport access between the Kaliningrad enclave and Belarus - I think this access is known as the Suwalki corridor - but was forced to back down by Moscow. Moscow may have threatened sanctions against Lithuania.
In any case it is surprising that over the past two years the West has othwrwise not threatened to invade Kaliningrad or isolate it, and it maybe because at present the need to maintain a united Western front is more important than a takeover, which would likely lead to a squabble between Lithuania and Poland over who deserves the enclave most, and the two nations disrupting NATO plans with their bickering.
Posted by: Refinnejenna | Jan 15 2024 19:54 utc | 99
shаdοwbanned @ Jan 15 2024 15:10 utc | 26
this affects defense against a strategic first strike.
Nothing affects second strike capability short of annihilating any and all nuclear silos and launchers, including SSBNs, Silos and mobile launchers (Sarmat, Iskander etc.) Russia is well known to have a "dead hand" system and announced it. Watch Dr Strangelove for elucidation on the thought process.
There also is no reliable defense against a first strike, any single missile that gets through takes out a megacity thanks to MIRVs.
These art not your 60ies weapons any more either but hypersonic evasive end-approach guided missile with re-entry speeds of 30,000km/s.
You can not build anything flying faster than this right now due to heat constraints so defense stays tricky.
Posted by: SOS | Jan 15 2024 19:56 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
I think that’s toothpaste you’ll never get back into the tube. Whatever Ukraine will be after the war it won’t resemble the corrupt black hole it was before it. Arestovich is a skilled dissembler who mixes truth with lies. He’s only interested in rehabilitating his own part in this debacle.
Posted by: Patroklos | Jan 15 2024 11:59 utc | 1