What’s the bar opinion on Zel getting involved in the caspuan and hitting a Russia ship bound for Iran?
 
 
Posted by: jpc | Jul 26 2026 14:41 utc | 1

Zelensky is trying to connect his war to the Trumps in Iran thereby increasing US support to him.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jul 26 2026 14:43 utc | 4

The madness continues; the Western bubble reports nothing—yet there is whining about losses and the peddling of utter nonsense regarding supposed aid that is unavailable without Russian technology.
 
Sanctions with life-threatening consequences
 
Spanish authorities are unable to deploy the Russian-made Ka-32 firefighting helicopters present in the country due to EU sanctions that violate international law.
 
This is happening while devastating forest fires continue to rage across the country, as noted by Florian Philippot, leader of the “Patriots” party.
 
“The EU’s anti-Russian sanctions are preventing Spain from deploying its best helicopters to fight the massive fires around Madrid! A scandal is brewing in the country!” the politician wrote on X.
 
According to him, these helicopters belong to private Spanish companies that were operating under contract for the Ministry for Ecological Transition or local authorities.
 
However, after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended the airworthiness certificates for the Ka-32s and the EU imposed additional sanctions on the Kamov joint-stock company, ten helicopters remain grounded—because neither spare parts can be ordered nor Russian technicians flown in to perform the required contractual maintenance.
 
“In responses to parliamentary inquiries in 2024, the Spanish government officially acknowledged that the operational readiness of the Kamov helicopters has been compromised by the Ukraine conflict and EU sanctions, making it impossible to procure spare parts or deploy Russian specialists,” Philippot writes.
 
“So let us spread this information—people need to know how the EU is sacrificing them to a stupid Russophobia!”
 
Several large forest fires are currently raging in Spain. The largest of them spans the Community of Madrid and the province of Ávila (in the autonomous community of Castile and León).
 
🔥 The fire, which has consumed a total area exceeding 45,000 hectares, has not yet been contained. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated for safety reasons.
 
The consequences of European Russophobia for Spain:
 
 
Spain had up to ten of these helicopters in service. Thanks to their high performance capabilities (including a 5,000-liter water capacity), they are considered exceptionally effective—and their absence is now sorely felt in firefighting efforts.
 
Russländer & Friends 🇷🇺🤝🇩🇪

Posted by: genesiss | Jul 26 2026 15:50 utc | 6

AFU affiliated cargo ship sunk in the Black Sea by RUAF anti-ship missile.
 
https://x.com/squatsons/status/2081401443056222315

Posted by: unimperator | Jul 26 2026 16:32 utc | 8

Posted by: unimperator | Jul 26 2026 16:32 utc | 8

AFU affiliated cargo ship sunk in the Black Sea by RUAF anti-ship missile.
—————-
On Sunday, July 19, Russia attacked the dry cargo ship GOLDEN LEO with three X-59/X-69 cruise missiles as it was leaving port.
Yesterday, the GOLDEN LEO capsized and sank in the Gulf of Odessa. The vessel began to sink on the evening of Sunday, July 26, and went under within 30 minutes.
 
According to the Ministry of Defense, as a result of strikes carried out from July 18 to 24 using long-range air- and ground-based weapons and UAVs, 27 vessels used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit, including 16 dry cargo ships, 10 bulk carriers, and one container ship.

Posted by: sh0tek | Jul 26 2026 17:27 utc | 10

genesiss | Jul 26 2026 15:58 utc | 7—
 
Yes, today is Navy Day in Russia and Putin was involved in many related events, most important was his meeting with Navy personnel. There’re many excerpts one could extract from the hour-long discussion. One important point was Putin’s reminder that despite Russia being primarily a continental land power 60% of its borders are maritime which require a navy to protect. About half-way through, Senior Sergeant Timur Nikolaevich Naumov of the Northern Fleet makes the following observation that includes a very important question:
 

The marines have been on the front lines of the special military operation since the very beginning. We have seen a lot and are not surprised by much, but what we cannot comprehend is the enemy’s brutal treatment of civilians. They are still abusing Ukrainian citizens. Why are the soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces, especially the nationalist formations, so cruel? Their combat tactics have not changed. They continue to use civilians, Ukrainian citizens, as shields. But we used to study from the same textbooks, watch the same movies, and admire the same heroes.

 
That led to a long complex answer by Putin because in reality such an answer is required. After Putin’s initial sentence and some words about the Marine’s history he digs into the heart of the matter:
 

V.Putin: Do you know what the matter is? I myself, to be honest, am also thinking about this issue….
 
And so, of course, you can see what’s happening or has happened when you’re the first to enter liberated settlements. The question is, why is this happening? Is it because of Russia’s aggression? The so-called aggression? No, of course not. There’s no aggression at all.
 
Because, as I have said many times, I want to emphasize once again that we did not start any war. We only began to respond to the hostilities and the war that the current Kiev regime, supported by the West, has unleashed against the southeast of Ukraine, which has always been oriented towards Russia.
 
You know from history: Ukraine has always been divided into left-bank and right-bank Ukraine. The left-bank has always been considered not just Russia-oriented, but part of Russia. And I’ve already mentioned the Donbas… I’ve read archival documents where the Soviet government decided, at the request of the Donbas representatives, to include them in the RSFSR, and then Bolsheviks from the more western regions came and persuaded Vladimir Ilyich Lenin to give this part to the emerging Ukraine. And when the Donbas representatives asked: Well, we agreed that Donbass should be with Mother Russia, and we decided that it should be with Mother Russia. But now we have to change our minds. Now we have to bring everything back to its normal historical course.
 
I am now coming to the answer to your question. After all, what happened, for example, after the Great Patriotic War? After the Great Patriotic War, some of those who fought on the side of fascist Germany, Nazi Germany, ended up overseas. And the so-called anti-Russian, then anti-Soviet centers, very actively used those who fought on the side of the Nazis, and then their so-called successors, descendants. But they fought on the side of the Nazis.
 
You know, yes, they’re guided by nationalist considerations, like the interests of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, but what’s at the core? It’s the Nazi ideology. And it’s no coincidence that they’re now publicly reviving this Nazi ideology. They’re using the name of the UPA to honor their armed forces and rebury Nazi criminals.
 
I’ve heard many times that Ukraine is searching for its identity. But the question arises: why should this identity be based on Nazism and neo-Nazism? Now I’m getting to the main point. This neo-Nazism, which has migrated to the so-called anti-Russian and anti-Soviet centers, and nationalism, and neo-Nazism, have become very close to each other and have intertwined. And when the current regime began to rely on this part of society and this ideology, it automatically transferred to the minds of those who are fighting. In other words, this is a regime based on the ideology of neo-Nazism and extreme nationalism. Nationalism, as we know, is not about oneself, but about others. Patriotism is about one’s homeland, but not against others, while nationalism is about oneself, but primarily against others. This extreme nationalism and neo-Nazism form the basis of the current ideology of the Kiev regime.
 
Therefore, there is nothing surprising here. You know, I won’t reveal the secret, in my opinion, I even once said… Even at the beginning of my report I read from the battlefield, there was an interception on the battlefield, you are familiar with this. The guys listen and fix it. A tank column enters one of the settlements of Donbass, and two Ukrainian tankers are talking to each other, and an interception is underway [radio intercept].
 
I read it later. A man in a tracksuit came out of a residential building, just came out. One of the tankers put him down with a machine gun, shot him, killed him. The second one asks: what are you doing, why did you do that? And the first one, who killed this man, says: they’re all criminals here, bandits, and pro-Moscow, pro-Russian – it doesn’t matter. The man didn’t do anything, just came out of his house to see what was going on, nothing. He was wearing a tracksuit. They killed and moved on. This is the basis of extreme nationalism, which is the foundation of neo-Nazism. This is the breeding ground for today’s regime. This is what we are fighting against. [My Emphasis]

 
And as I’ve written many times, we know the nation that gave succor to the OUN and other Nazis post-WW2 and continues to lead the primary Anti-Russian organization–NATO, which the EU is bound by with a leash. The Outlaw US Empire did that and continues its promotion while allying itself to the Genocidal Zionists in Occupied Palestine. IMO, it’s clear when you listen to what they say that the Outlaw elites are essentially the same as the Zionists and Neo-Nazis. Trump and most of his Gang are members of that cult. As Putin noted, Russia is repelling aggression, and not just since 2022 but since 1945–archival documents prove that truth. The Collective West is The Aggressor; there’ll be no planetary peace until its hegemony ceases or is at least vastly curtailed.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 26 2026 18:57 utc | 12

Posted by: MiniMO | Jul 26 2026 16:55 utc | 9 “The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia will seek the extradition of former ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who initially issued arrest warrants for Putin and Netanyahu and was later suspended for sexual harassment in the workplace.”
.
What are the odds the UK hands him over?  
 

Posted by: ed4 | Jul 26 2026 19:36 utc | 14

“but in a year, two years, 10, or 15”
 
So Putin thinks this thing will go on for 15 more years?

Posted by: ed4 | Jul 26 2026 19:37 utc | 15
 
Or it is a challenge to the West, to NATO: “We, Russia, are prepared to continue this for 10 to 15 years. Are you?”
 
To which the answer is an emphatic “No!”. Russia is in charge of the clock, the calendar, the West faces too many internal stresses and pressures to continue this for another decade and try to maintain internal stability at the same time.
 
Debt, energy, raw materials, these are all fracture points that the West cannot overcome with its current policy approach. Then there’s the growing armaments gap; Russia is not going to politely sit back and wait for the West to close the disparity in missile performance, let alone air defence performance.
 
The West has stuffed itself, though people like your good self don’t understand this yet. Be prepared for a profound cognitive shock.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 26 2026 20:02 utc | 16

Sky News here in Britain is now running an interview with Zelensky and by God he has aged quickly. He looks 20 years older than when he was elected.
 
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song.
 

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 26 2026 20:17 utc | 18

‘The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia will seek…’

‘The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia will seek…’

‘The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia will seek…’

What year is it again?

Posted by: Dan Kelly | Jul 26 2026 20:31 utc | 20

Sky News here in Britain is now running an interview with Zelensky and by God he has aged quickly. He looks 20 years older than when he was elected. It takes a worried man to sing a worried song. 
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 26 2026 20:17 utc | 18

I think it was being face-to-face with that spooky looking Laura Loomer. She looks like “Saw” of the horror films.

Posted by: MiniMO | Jul 26 2026 20:39 utc | 22

Posted by: unimperator | Jul 26 2026 14:41 utc | 2
 
Greece used to have Russian Beriev-200 firefighting planes, 12000 litres each. No longer.
 
We are sanctioning ourselves. OTOH, if this is what it takes to dissolve the EU…

Posted by: The Far Side | Jul 26 2026 20:50 utc | 24

So Putin thinks this thing will go on for 15 more years?
Posted by: ed4 | Jul 26 2026 19:37 utc | 15
 
No, my guess is that he believes the fight against nazism will go on forever.

Posted by: Liolia Paluzas | Jul 26 2026 21:14 utc | 26

Telegram notaserb  has a very personal opinion re Russia Navy Day
 
⚓️🇷🇺 Russian Navy Commander Alexander Moiseyev spoke about the state and prospects of the fleet in an interview with the program “Military Acceptance”
Notable statements:
◾ The main task of the Navy today (⚡️ is not being fulfilled ) is the safety of maritime navigation, ensuring economic activity in maritime zones, not only adjacent to the Black Sea , but also other seas, ensuring military security (“ We have solved these problems, we are solving them, and we will continue to solve them ”);
◾future warships will be versatile and large (⚡️not a single mention of drones);
◾ On drones: “We’re developing them. We have unmanned boats (⚡️I didn’t say how many, it’s probably a military secret). We’ve formed regiments of unmanned systems within the navies; they already exist . We’ve formed a regiment, including in the Northern Fleet, it’s fully equipped, and next year they’ll be formed in the Pacific Fleet.”
In Russia, an unmanned ship with a displacement of 500 tons is being created (⚡️not a boat, the fleet is apparently already saturated with them), to search for submarines and objects;
◾ The most effective air defense systems on board ships are the Poliment-Redut air defense missile system and the Pantsir air defense missile and gun system.
◾ The main focus is on submarines (⚡️this has nothing to do with the fact that Moiseyev himself is a submariner), which in modern warfare are so far only famous for their ability to launch Kalibr missiles and “carry out secret missions” ;
◾ On countering enemy BECs in the Black Sea: ” We have learned to identify, systematically track, and destroy them . Since 2023 , the enemy’s use of BECs has decreased due to their reorientation from military vessels to civilian ones . (⚡️Perhaps because Black Sea Fleet ships are hidden at alternate bases, but this is not certain.)
◾ The Black Sea Fleet is a warring fleet that carries out both the tasks of a fleet itself, in the maritime environment, and those of a joint group of forces.
✨Since Moiseyev’s appointment ( back during Shoigu’s tenure, in April 2024), the enemy has systematically published video footage of Black Sea Fleet ships and boats being hit , specifically at their bases, which were considered defensive fortresses for the ships . In the Azov and Black Seas , in the absence of Black Sea Fleet ships, merchant ships carrying Russian cargo and delivering imported goods to the country are attacked daily .
We haven’t seen any footage of Black Sea Fleet ships, equipped to destroy drone swarms or unmanned aerial vehicles, effectively destroying drones anywhere within 50 kilometers of Crimea or the Krasnodar region.
✨⭐️ The naval bureaucracy is in no hurry to change its outdated approaches and orders in order to finally push back the missile-drone threat from the south of Russia and begin to implement the latest technologies at an accelerated pace.
Failure to acknowledge mistakes leads to a lack of action to correct them . But the admiral’s office is beautiful, just like a museum , and it probably allows him to relax during hard work and imagine himself among the great Russian naval admirals.
⚡️ Happy holiday to the Marines, coastal and aviation units of the Fleet!

Posted by: Jo | Jul 26 2026 21:22 utc | 28

Worth reading … 
 
Geoffrey Roberts – Robert Skidelsky and the Struggle Against British Russophobia – Brave New Europe

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 26 2026 21:53 utc | 30

Liolia Paluzas | Jul 26 2026 21:14 utc | 26—
 
Nazism, like all isms, is an idea and ideas are very hard to kill as it’s possible for them to be resurrected in what’s usually a modified version as we see today. And it’s very easy to see which national elites strive to preserve Nazism as recorded in the annual UN vote against the support of Nazism. It can be said that American Exceptionalism is a hybrid form of Nazism, as is Zionism, and Neoliberalism can be shoehorned in also. The thought of Leo Strauss should also be included since the world is busy battling it, which Crooke somewhat explained to Danny Davis recently. We must also acknowledge that Nazism existed in other guises prior to Hitler’s rise and use of the ism. So, yes, it will take many years before Nazism can be deemed to be truly dead. Meanwhile the Global Majority is in deep conflict with the states that practice and abet Nazism. One of the reasons why Russians know the great importance of factual historical recall is because it’s understood just how long Nazism has lasted and Russians have seen the efforts made to keep it alive. When the Russian government says another nation understands and agrees with Russia’s positions, it’s affirming that nation knows the main conflict is with Nazism and its supporters. And that’s a crucial factor in our Global Conflict to end Hegemony.  

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 26 2026 22:00 utc | 32

Navy Day …
 
& The Black Sea as a Russian Lake … Ta for updates.

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 26 2026 22:20 utc | 34

Posted by: Jason | Jul 26 2026 22:18 utc | 33
 
Are you a pyromaniac? 

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 26 2026 22:23 utc | 36

As to the wildfires, I already wrote about in the other thread https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/07/ukraine-open-thread-2026-155.html/comment-page-2#comment-1389710
 
It is just another example of self defeating Europe.

Posted by: aquadraht | Jul 26 2026 22:42 utc | 38

We are sanctioning ourselves. OTOH, if this is what it takes to dissolve the EU…
Posted by: The Far Side | Jul 26 2026 20:50 utc | 24
 
Eu will not dissolve. The Spanish government denied permission to use the helicopters, said the decision can only be made at EC level. They are all in the same boat, there will be no one to disagree with the orders.
And why did they not have alternatives? I don’t think France and Spain used only a few Russian helicopters for all their fires. Maybe all the money already went to Ukr and Us, maybe some just want buy cheap land or maybe they’re just stupid. Let them enjoy their work

Posted by: rk | Jul 26 2026 22:59 utc | 40

karlof1 | Jul 26 2026 22:00 utc | 32
***  Nazism, like all isms, is an idea and ideas are very hard to kill as it’s possible for them to be resurrected in what’s usually a modified version as we see today. And it’s very easy to see which national elites strive to preserve Nazism as recorded in the annual UN vote against the support of Nazism. It can be said that American Exceptionalism is a hybrid form of Nazism, as is Zionism, and Neoliberalism can be shoehorned in also. The thought of Leo Strauss should also be included since the world is busy battling it ***
 
Another, entirely practical, reason for the NATO/West/Israeli promotion or sponsoring of “nazism” is that their Establishment has otherwise run out of ideological labels…..
 
“Communism/Socialism” is still very much demonised, especially by the US regime and its corporate owners, so that certainly cannot be used.
 
“Anarchism” is a non-starter since it is used to depict minority factions on all sides, and cannot be clearly enough defined anyway.
 
“Liberalism”  is by now sufficiently discredited (via its own actions and extremes) as to be unpopular and useless …. to push that label in propaganda. “Neoliberalism” would also have to be explained to people who are already its increasingly pissed-off  victims.
 
Corporate dominated “Fascism” is a label just too obviously akin to some unpleasant realities of the present system for it to be a safe label for ‘our’ rulers to use.
 
So, given the public’s general lack of interest in ideologies, which of the few well-known  ideological labels were still available?
 
Answer : “Nazism” ….. but only if handled carefully, and strongly denied by the Epstein-Class Establishment whenever needs be. Almost total control off mass-media facilitates such is/isn’t flip-flopping. 
It has the added bonus of acting as a blocker to genuine ideological challenges to the Establishment which happen to be similar to any alleged to be characteristic of “nazism”.
 
Add a bit of semantic twiddling, and anyone opposed to these “New! Improved!” nazis  may even get  denounced as “anti-semitic”, especially if the nunazis happen to be (indeed, probably are) Zionist or Israeli.
 
 

Posted by: Cynic | Jul 27 2026 0:04 utc | 42

Winning Battles, Losing the Peace? Questions Without Answers on the War in Ukraine
 
1/2 Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 26 2026 4:34 utc | 165 
 
2/2 Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 26 2026 5:10 utc | 169
 
@169 Excellent points. Thanks for making them.
 
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 26 2026 6:04 utc | 173  
 
@ 169 That’s a very logical explanation—thank you! I think it’s likely that the Russian leadership has already recognized this problem.[…] That would be far more effective than a few drone strikes on European logistics centers and could force NATO to negotiate. I believe I’m already seeing some signs of this.
 
Posted by: EasternHedgehog | Jul 26 2026 12:33 utc | 187  
 
 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 1:08 utc | 44

 It takes a worried man to sing a worried song.
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 26 2026 20:17 utc | 18
…
Oh, that’s from where Johnny Cash is coming!

Posted by: Preki | Jul 27 2026 1:42 utc | 46

Please let me beat the expected standard run-of-the-mill pile-on — Addressing that “wildfires” comment on this Thread is not Off-topic; once the topic has been introduced, plus misused / misapplied, then it should addressed immediately where it occurred. Here. If B deems the ‘topic’ off-topic then later he can delete all these comments including @ 196 which started it. Were fairness to be done.

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 2:09 utc | 48

@asian tiger
 
Your posts read like your talking to yourself.  There is nothing to respond to or to ponder.
 
Seriously you are incomprehensible.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jul 27 2026 2:40 utc | 50

The Black Sea Fleet is a warring fleet that carries out both the tasks of a fleet itself, in the maritime environment, and those of a joint group of forces. — 
Posted by: Jo | Jul 26 2026 21:22 utc | 28 
 
Thanks Jo, that was confusing until I worked out the satirical commentary. As to the above, I thought the BSF had been stuck in Port for 2 years now. There seems to be a difference of opinion inside Russia. How embarrassing, though cognitive dissonance is an effective way to save face. Some things are too ridiculous for words, I’ll try anyway — “My kingdom for the man who can wield a wet lettuce leaf against our enemies!”  

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 2:58 utc | 52

Re: “Zelensky is trying to connect his war to the Trumps in Iran..”
 
Ukraine already succeeded in endeavor by giving critical drone warfare support to Al-Nusra leader Jolani in Idlib for blitzkrieg on Aleppo and Damascus in December 2024. Everlasting gratitude from Trump-Erdogan-GCC states both Sunni and MB.
 
Zelensky’s Gulf Tour: Exporting Drone Know-How, Importing Alliances
 

Posted by: Oui | Jul 27 2026 3:04 utc | 54

Asian Tiger 49

We live in an exceedingly over-engineered world.

Engineers and even most scientists – although ‘pure’ science might be said to be quite anarchistic in its own way – the ends of modern science are most conducive to modern military endeavors.

And the vast majority of engineers are simply not anarchic-type personalities.

They would not be engineers if they were.

‘We would never have survived as a species without relying on Anarchism as a governance practice when they didn’t even have a word for it.’

Perhaps not having a word for ‘it’ is essential to its vitality.

Can all the various facets of life you are hinting at come together under the umbrella of ‘anarchy’ and – even if they could – to what end?

Is the word ‘governance’ here a good word to describe how we lived for the better part of human history?

Didn’t ‘social taboos’ ‘keep order’ as opposed to any sort of formal, or even informal, governance?

Are we talking about non-hierarchical structures of living?

Is that possible given modern financial-militaristic ‘state-craft’ and its all-encompassing zeitgeist?

I believe it is – I have to for my own sanity – but I do not know how to reachieve said ends.

It is difficult because we are basically saying that we are ‘fish out of water’ and attempting to convince others of this while we ourselves are communicating via computer which most wouldn’t see coming out of an ‘anarchic’ society.

And here I don’t mean anarchy in its negative connotation but even within its positive connotation…which really is, for all intents and purposes, a vague concept.

Posted by: Dan Kelly | Jul 27 2026 4:02 utc | 56

Colonelcassad —  The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia will seek the extradition of former ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who initially issued arrest warrants for Putin and Netanyahu and was later suspended for sexual harassment in the workplace. He is on Russia’s federal wanted list, and Russia wants to prosecute him for persecuting innocent people.
Posted by: MiniMO | Jul 26 2026 16:55 utc | 9
 
Is this really accurate? How can you arrest an individual Prosecutor of an internationally founded Institution for a Warrant your nation does not even recognize the Jurisdiction of that Institution, and will not submit to? I’m not a lawyer but this is illogical at face value.
 
Placing Karim Khan on Russia’s wanted list is an act of political retaliation. Fine to disagree with the Courts’ validity or it’s judgments of what happened , but at the same time Khan he was only doing his job. He should not be threatened and chased by a ‘nuclear armed mafia boss’ for only doing the job he was employed to do. Legally, it’s a move by a sovereign state against an individual it considers to have acted against its interests but within institutional constraints. That is immoral. 
 
Putin is a Rank Hypocrite!   
Russia (China and others) frequently invoke the UN Charter and the primacy of the UN Security Council as the supreme body for international peace and security. Yet, when the ICJ — a UN organ — issues a binding order, Russia ignores it. That’s not “respecting” the UN system; that’s cherry-picking. It’s the same playbook the U.S. uses when it invokes international law for some issues (like freedom of navigation here but not there) and ignores it for others (like the ICJ’s Nicaragua ruling).
 
“A pox on all their houses” is a perfectly reasonable position to hold. They’re all using international law as a tool when it suits them and a weapon to attack and threaten when it doesn’t. 
 
Because obviously, if you don’t accept a court’s jurisdiction, your proper response is to ignore its rulings, not to actively persecute its employees. Putin’s state institution is curtailing Khan’s freedom and is a political counter-measure dressed up as a legal action. It’s the equivalent of a mob boss putting a bounty on a district attorney. It doesn’t make the mob boss right; it just makes him more dangerous.
 
What Putin is doing here is even worse than the US laying sanctions on individual citizens because it lacks the power to dominate at will another state. It’s an attempt to intimidate and chill the work of an international institution by threatening the personal freedom of its staff.
 
The ICC’s problem is it’s politically captured, structurally biased. Agreed. It’s a dysfunctional institution created by the powerful to judge the weak. Agreed. Putin’s problem is he’s a powerful leader using state power to personally target and threaten an individual for doing a job the state disagrees with.
 
That’s not dysfunction; that’s active abuse of power.  The very thing he rails against the west, the US and Nato for doing. Putin is using state coercion against an independent judicial prosecutor; the ICC was (in theory) using law against a head of state. The former is more dangerous on a personal level; the latter is more dangerous on a systemic level for international law.
 
The ICJ already has universal membership (almost every UN member), and it’s a UN organ with built-in legitimacy. Expanding it to prosecute individuals would solve the ICC’s “selective membership” problem. This can’t happen because the current global structures are dysfunctions built on power politics, not justice. The same dysfunctions Putin and Xi enable and support despite their rhetoric that everything is America’s fault. 
 
This is another example of where Russia’s international behavior and spurious demands equal those of the American Empire. The very hegemony Putin said he rejects and will not kowtow to on behalf of Russia and the Global South. So much for moral leadership, not. Because these details matter, or should. 
 
Khan was doing his job within a flawed system; Putin is weaponizing his state to punish him for it. One is institutional dysfunction; the other is state-sponsored intimidation. Both stink, but one is a direct threat to the individual trying to do the work. If you understand this, take comfort in knowing you see the game clearly. 
 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 5:06 utc | 58

That led to a long complex answer by Putin because in reality such an answer is required. — 
Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 26 2026 18:57 utc | 12
 
Of course, Putin never learned the lesson nor the wisdom of Lincoln’s short Gettysburg speech. 
 
Some bedtime relaxation music for you Karl on Navy Day — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOAtz8xWM0w 
 
*only kidding* 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 5:31 utc | 60

@b
Is there a way to limit number of posts per hour by a single poster?
It may help some people to take a breath.

Posted by: munze | Jul 27 2026 5:51 utc | 62

We’re still in our heads living in those days of the Golden Billion, still thinking in those terms.  Posted by: English Outsider | Jul 26 2026 22:21 utc | 35 I’m not and I don’t. Please, learn to speak only for yourself alone, not everyone else. 
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 2:47 utc | 51
 
Who the fuck are you pussycat?: another born again ‘muslim’?   You are a nobody from nowhere, an anonymous username. Many here are actual people.  Nobodies from nowhere, perhaps from guilt prefer to remain anonymous.
 
Frog legs in a wok come to mind, but where are you from pussycat? I assume France but that may be wrong.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 6:00 utc | 64

pussycat
Tell us clown what country you are from, what culture you are from. A nobody from nowhere ashamed of wherever you have come from?  Open up a bit. Or are you just a shy Langley virgin. 
What was your former username? that would be a great start.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 6:20 utc | 66

 Dan Kelly | Jul 27 2026 5:52 utc | 63
 
Who the fuck you talking to? You look like a nutter talking to the wind.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 6:36 utc | 68

@bIs there a way to limit number of posts per hour by a single poster?It may help some people to take a breath.
Posted by: munze | Jul 27 2026 5:51 utc | 62
 
Best comment, ever!

Posted by: Suresh | Jul 27 2026 6:47 utc | 70

A resident of Khabarovsk has been detained on suspicion of treason for allegedly providing information to New Zealand intelligence services, the FSB reported.

 
NZ spooks in Russia  ???? 

Posted by: exile | Jul 27 2026 7:50 utc | 72

NZ spooks in Russia  ???? 
Posted by: exile | Jul 27 2026 7:50 utc | 72
 
A bit strange but why not? NZ is another fanatic Ukr supporter and it makes money advertising itself as being completley out of range of Russian (or other evil communists) missiles. They have an entire industry for the rich people there, they offer nuclear bunkers, all sorts of “doomsday” properties. Google for it, it’s really funny, they have so many clients that houses became too expensive for locals. Let’s not forget the NZ horsy face WEF puppet woman was also very active a few years ago.

Posted by: rk | Jul 27 2026 8:25 utc | 74

Re: He should not be threatened and chased by a ‘nuclear armed mafia boss’ for only doing the job he was employed to do. 
 
Mismatch …
 
I’m certain you are talking about the two main pariah states on this planet: MAGA usa and Zionist entity on Palestinian 🇵🇸 Land. Promoting more terror from failed coup d’états. CHAOS from Skull & Bones colleges.
 
▪️ U.S. Congress The Hague Invasion Act (2002)
▪️ ICJ Ruling on Gaza genocide
 
Why are the leaders of NATO member states enjoying impunity from the courts?

Posted by: Oui | Jul 27 2026 8:41 utc | 76

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 8:33 utc | 75
 
You beat me to it

Posted by: Avtonom | Jul 27 2026 8:45 utc | 78

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 8:33 utc | 75
zu Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 8:19 utc | 73
 
 
Question:
 
Have you ever scrolled back through the thread, read your own posts, and compared them with the replies or reactions?You contradict yourself almost constantly… you accuse others of being Putin trolls, yet you are one of the worst kind yourself, spouting utter nonsense that is completely detached from reality.
 
I’m not saying that *everyone else* is always right! But it is their opinion on the subject—and how are opinions formed? From information and conversations.
The difference is you… where do you get your information? From a crystal ball? From your bosses’ media outlets? Certainly not from independent thinking or questioning things.
Just look at your post about “assigned posts per hour”… anyone who spouts such rubbish must have the IQ of a bucket of water.I certainly don’t know everything, though I do know more than some others here, given that I still have direct ties to Russia and personal experience with the country and its people.
 
I mostly just read along and laugh at some of the posts and opinions, though I take my hat off to others when it comes to understanding the bigger picture…
 
In your case, however, I find nothing but contradiction for the sake of contradiction.
 
 
 

Posted by: genesiss | Jul 27 2026 8:49 utc | 80

Asian Pussycat. What region are you from. What culture are you. What is you first language.
You come on as an anonymous nobody. Fair game, open season. You boss puts shit across my phone.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 8:51 utc | 82

ICC Investigation and U.S. Involvement
 
Evidence Sharing: The United States assists the ICC’s war crimes investigations by sharing vital intelligence, documentation, and digital evidence regarding actions by Russian officials, despite not being a member state of the court.
 
Domestic and Multi-National Funds: The U.S. partners with allies through channels like the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (founded May 2022 😂) to channel financial and technical aid supporting accountability efforts
 
Great Britain and other international allies have provided extra financial support and resources to help the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate war crimes in Ukraine, while the United States has given specialized intelligence and evidence-sharing support rather than direct ICC budgetary funding due to statutory restrictions.
 
Dutch PM Mark Rutte was leading in effort of disinformation and anti-Russia propaganda post 2014 Maidan massacre and coup d’état led by US-GB. 🤣

Posted by: Oui | Jul 27 2026 9:03 utc | 84

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 8:58 utc | 83
 
 
I was referring to “Asian Tiger” in my post… please read carefully—or check the follow-up post where I clarified that.
But one thing is typical: anyone who disagrees or criticizes someone is immediately branded a troll… including by you.And then you wonder?
Take a look in the mirror.

Posted by: genesiss | Jul 27 2026 9:06 utc | 86

 you accuse others of being Putin trolls
genesiss | Jul 27 2026 8:49 utc | 80
 
Pack of faggots. No more needs to be said.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:14 utc | 88

Posted by: Sekava Seppo | Jul 27 2026 9:04 utc | 85 Seppo’s You scum want to give me a presidential alert. Fuck you.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:11 utc | 87
 
Peter AU1
 
As the saying goes, a hit dog barks.
You’ve just disqualified yourself—are you even aware of that?Think before you type…
I hope ( B ) took note of that.
Oh, and by the way… until now, I held a different opinion and always used to stop and look whenever I scrolled past your posts…

Posted by: genesiss | Jul 27 2026 9:16 utc | 90

Posted by: Avtonom | Jul 27 2026 8:44 utc | 77
 
It received my personal “Disruptive Sh1tstirrer Star” award of the month a good few days ago. 
 
Well deserved but Dan Kelly is envious obviously. Both simply imho intentionally fu€k up threads – this one, for example, is the Ukraine thread – but does not look like it. 

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 27 2026 9:20 utc | 92

Yeah. The Americans gave me content today. Fucking presidential alert.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:18 utc | 91
 
 
I am German, you are Australian…

Posted by: genesiss | Jul 27 2026 9:22 utc | 94

I am German, you are Australian…
Posted by: genesiss | Jul 27 2026 9:22 utc | 94
 
So?

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:25 utc | 96

genesiss | Jul 27 2026 9:30 utc | 97
 
Well who are you? I do not know you. You into machining? 

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:38 utc | 98

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:42 utc | 99
 
 
What do I think of that?
Nothing.
Some of my family live in Australia—and have for over 70 years.We seem to have been talking past each other…
And one more thing… you are operating here on the Internet—a place that forgets nothing and knows almost everything about EVERY one of us.What am I getting at?
For example, in my country, you go to prison if you publicly say,”Putin was right when he went into Ukraine.”
So, the Internet is—or can be—a dangerous place these days, because no one knows who is reading along and taking screenshots.
 
Oh, right… heavy machinery manufacturing… my last job was repairing turbines at nuclear power plants—so I’ve been to every one of them in Ukraine…

Posted by: genesiss | Jul 27 2026 10:01 utc | 100