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WAR Ukraine

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2022 at 1:02pm

7m ago18:19
 Daniel Boffey

The European parliament will on Tuesday adopt a resolution calling on the EU institutions to work towards granting EU candidate status to Ukraine and in the meantime to continue to work towards integration into the EU single market, the Guardian’s Daniel Boffey writes.

The call from MEPs follows images from Kyiv of president Volodymyr Zelenskyy signing the formal letter of application for EU membership.

An EU official has explained the process. The letter of application is written to the president of the council of the EU which is currently held by France.

Member states, the European parliament and national parliaments are then informed of the application by the council.

A meeting of the 27 EU affairs ministers, known as the general affairs council, needs to take a decision to formally seek the European Commission’s opinion on the application.

It would normally take 15 to 18 months for a commission to issue its opinion although that period could be significantly shortened “depending on the political considerations”, the official said.

There is a pre-accession period of varying length, during which the candidate country adapts its institutions, standards and infrastructure to enable it to meet its obligations as a member state. The accession process involves compliance with the accession criteria including adoption and implementation of EU law
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2022 at 1:03pm

2m ago13:42

Finland will provide weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, the country’s prime minister Sanna Marin said.

The shipment will include 2,500 assault rifles, 150,000 bullets, 1,500 anti-tank weapons and 70,000 food packages, Finland’s defence minister Antti Kaikkonen added.

Speaking after a government meeting today, Kaikkonen told reporters:
The anti-tank weapons can be used to fight armoured vehicles.
Kaikkonen hinted yesterday that the Finnish government was considering scrapping Finland’s long-standing policy of not allowing weapons to be exported to war zones.

The minister also said that Finland, which is not a Nato member and shares a long border with Russia, had given the green light to Estonia to send previously Finnish-owned field guns to Ukraine

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2022 at 1:18pm
BREAKING: And wow!!! After BP, the deluge. Shell announces it's exiting all its joint-ventures with Gazprom, including its 27.5% stake in the Sakhalin-2 LNG facility. Shell carries those JV at $3 billion valuation on its books, and it's warning of impartments #Ukraine
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2022 at 1:20pm

BP is exiting its share in Rosneft, a state-controlled Russian oil and gas company, in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

BP has held a 19.75% stake in Rosneft since 2013, a holding valued at $14 billion.




London-based BP also said Feb. 27 that CEO Bernard Looney and former BP executive Bob Dudley will immediately resign from Rosneft’s board.

“Like so many, I have been deeply shocked and saddened by the situation unfolding in Ukraine, and my heart goes out to everyone affected. It has caused us to fundamentally rethink BP’s position with Rosneft,” Looney said in a statement.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2022 at 1:44pm







Jason Corcoran

@jason_corcoran
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Apple Pay and Google Pay no longer work on Moscow's metro system, leading to long queues as people fumble about for cash


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Bulgaria will give Ukraine 14 Su-25 & 16 MiG-29 fighter jets, Poland will give it 28 MiG-29s & Slovakia will give it 12 MiG-29s. More importantly--given Russian missile strikes on military airbases--they can fly missions over Ukraine from Poland
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote WitchMisspelled Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2022 at 4:01pm

Josh, you can have any opinion you want.  Just don't make the mistake that its been missed that you've illustrated opinions in the past that have been decidedly and consistently anti-American.  Which is also okay.  You can be anti-American if you want.  But going forward, if I notice that you apply those ethics of yours in a way that is hypocritical I will call you out on it.  Such as Ukraine being a "failed state" (it's not by any definition a failed state), giving Putin some kind of permission to invade, but criticize American intervention into the middle east failed states.  Just sayin'...  That is if I notice. Sadly I read you less these days. I see no reason to waste my time.  Your posts have less and less value since you've diverged into world politics with a plethora of links from op-ed blogs.  I prefer to read the news and make up my own mind than be spoon fed someone else's opinion.

On the bright side, you seem to be in the vast minority that supports Putin's invasion of a sovereign country. Even non-NATO countries which have been traditionally neutral recognize and are taking steps to sanction Putin and lend assistance to Ukraine.  

Yeah... there's a reason they call me WitchMisspelled...

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2022 at 8:03pm

First of all a few remarks;

If in a democracy there is only room for one point of view you have a democrazy...not a democracy ! If on this forum there is only room for one opinion this is not a "forum"...a marketplace with different opinions...in all modesty, no one has a perfect view of reality...

History is full of inconvenient truths...also todays world has lots of aspects we may not like...like most of the Israel-Arab wars "we" (US-UK-EU) finance the Russian agression in Ukraine...By buying oil and gas...in times of crises often prices go up....We may hate it-should hate it-but WE !!! are paying for the Russian invasion of Ukraine....

We kick Russia out of SWIFT but exclude energy deals from it....and Russia has no problem selling oil and gas to "the West"....while it is working on more pipelines (a.o. via Mongolia) linking China-as the world largest energy consumer with Russian energy export...

No doubt BP, Shell will sell their interests in Russia to Chinese/Russian oil companies...(to nuance "western oil companies stepping out of Russia...). 

DJ-This Russian invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if NATO did not want to move east....Somehow this reality is a "political no-go zone"...crazy !!!

I am a pacifist...did see to much violence in my life...have had enough of it for decades...So NO!!!! I am against "Putin" (if it would be only Putin then why sanctions for most high ranking Russians ?) invading Ukraine...I think it makes the world an even worse place to be...However trying to understand the motives is NOT providing excuses...

I think Russia did have other (energy !) options to keep Ukraine out of NATO...(sanctions by Russia, China...the west may need them harder then they need us...O...that idea is also not welcome...sorry, may just be reality !). 

[url]https://nltimes.nl/2022/02/28/rutte-doesnt-makes-sense-talk-ukraine-joining-eu-right-now[/url] or https://nltimes.nl/2022/02/28/rutte-doesnt-makes-sense-talk-ukraine-joining-eu-right-now ;

There is little point in discussing Ukraine's accession to the European Union right now, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke out on Sunday in favor of the beleaguered Eastern European country becoming a part of the Union in the long-term.

It is "not a good discussion" to have right now, Rutte said during a debate in the Tweede Kamer. "We're not going to help Ukraine that way." Expanding the European Union is a very complex, time-consuming and complicated process, the prime minister said..

DJ....there are criteria for EU membership on corruption, level of democracy, good functioning legal system...Ukraine did not fulfill those criteria...so it is "in the EU waitingroom" since 2016. Given the problems we have with "newer EU members" (Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Malta...often corruption, sometimes also freedom of press, legal system, new members may have to wait even longer...one other criteria for EU membership includes taking the Euro as currency...old members (like Denmark) did not have to follow that rule...Poland was supposed to be the next country switching to the Euro...but that proces has been delayed by years...). 

[url]https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/world-health-organization-warns-that-medical-oxygen-supplies-are-critically-depleting-in-ukraine-as-russia-invades-it-but-covid-19-is-not-over[/url] or https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/world-health-organization-warns-that-medical-oxygen-supplies-are-critically-depleting-in-ukraine-as-russia-invades-it-but-covid-19-is-not-over ; with the pandemic far from over in Ukraine getting medical oxygen to the right places is a logistical growing problem...

A look at [url]https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/[/url] or https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ showing Ukraine is one of a growing number of countries not reporting cases...Trend cases -54%, deaths -42%...part-if not all- of the problem will be the war conditions...

[url]https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/28-february-the-un-expects-4-million-refugees-to-flee-ukraine[/url] or https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/28-february-the-un-expects-4-million-refugees-to-flee-ukraine ;

The @UN expects 4 million refugees to flee Ukraine in the coming weeks. Over 520,000 have fled already, not counting the ones that went to Russia

DJ, Like all refugees also these refugees need to be treated as humans with human rights...since there is allready an EU/Ukraine treaty Ukrainians are allowed into the EU for 90 days...this time could get expended to two years...however...the EU is very divided over refugees...countries on the outside of the EU are seeing a lot of refugees getting in and not moving any further...

[url]https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/28-february-alarming-video-from-the-western-part-of-the-belarusianukrainian[/url] or https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/28-february-alarming-video-from-the-western-part-of-the-belarusianukrainian Belarus may be preparing for an attack on the west of Ukraine...cutting of supplylines from the west (but also effecting the lines of refugees trying to get into western Europe...30 hrs waiting for the Polish border. Ukraine may stop men 18-50 or 60 y/o they need in their army...Poland may try to stop "other non-Ukraine refugees"...only allowing entry to those with EU or Ukraine passports...

Hungary allready declared it would NOT send weapons over the border to Ukraine...There have been some transports from SE Poland into Ukraine by truck (taking three days...refugees on the road may make transport into Ukraine difficult). 

DJ-"The west" did promise "lots of weapons" including aircraft...however sending weapons into a conflict zone makes the countries doing so part of the war...So words may come easy, weapons may come very limited...

Maybe something on Ukraine-Polish history (I also did not know) [url]https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/over-100000-slaughtered-with-axes-pitchforks-scythes-and-knives-the-wolyn-massacre-started-76-years-ago-today-and-lasted-for-two-years-6714[/url] or https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/over-100000-slaughtered-with-axes-pitchforks-scythes-and-knives-the-wolyn-massacre-started-76-years-ago-today-and-lasted-for-two-years-6714 Ukraine "nationalists" during world war two killed around 100,000 Poles...in a reaction the Polish did kill over 20,000 Ukrainians...

One of the points in "secret diplomacy" may be creating a "safe zone" east of the EU in the west of Ukraine...For the EU it could mean keeping refugees out...for Russia it would mean keeping supplies out (for the rest of Ukraine..unless controlled). Even more cynical; it would provide the west with an excuse why it could not send the promised weapons...Ukraine may not like this idea...but Ukraine is not in a good position to negotiate...

For that matter-Ukraine may be in the same position Poland was in most of history...in between two major powers; Germany and Russia...often, also under the czars, being split up between them...For that matter Poland, but also France, UK, NL may have second thoughts about a German (left wing !!!! the green party is in the cabinet !!!) plan for rearmament, a stronger German army...

DJ-In most of Europe there may come a "political crisis" (if there is not one allready)..."left wing parties" that allways were critical of NATO now "switching to pro-NATO" may lose much of their support...I do expect a very serious backlash in a lot of European countries...the gap between "politics" and the public is getting much to wide...

[url]https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraine-frustrated-low-level-russian-delegation-ceasefire-talks-kick-belarus[/url] or https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraine-frustrated-low-level-russian-delegation-ceasefire-talks-kick-belarus DJ-The only "no fly zone" above Ukraine will be a Russian one...However, not only did Biden rule out sending American troops to Ukraine in a Monday statement, but press secretary Jen Psaki also stressed that a no-fly zone is also ruled out, given that either scenario would bring Washington into direct war with Russia, and likely lead to WW3. 

On Turkey ; 

An additional major development Monday is that Turkey as expected has invoked the Montreux Convention and has now closed the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to all Russian warship traffic. This means Russian vessels cannot enter the Black Sea from the vicinity of the Mediterranean. But this also applies to all warships at this time...

"When Turkey is not a belligerent in the conflict, it has the authority to restrict the passage of the warring states’ warships across the straits. If the warship is returning to its base in the Black Sea, the passage is not closed. We adhere to the Montreux rules. All governments, riparian and non-riparian, were warned not to send warships across the straits."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt ÇavuÅŸoÄŸluhas since declared that "all countries, that have coast to Black Sea, or not, not to let warships pass through the straits" according to state-run Anadolu. It follows Turkey issuing formal recognition of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a "war" - which in turn triggers the Montreux Convention.

DJ, Turkey wants to maintain good relations both with Ukraine and Russia (it needs Russian energy and tourism...) DJ-My idea is that Ukraine could join "TIP", Turkey, Iran, Pakistan block...as a sort of compromise...(To be realistic; Ukraine is very unlikely to become either member of NATO or EU...)

Update(1449ET): Already Putin has previously been on record as saying Western actions such as sanctioning a sitting head of state or targeting the central bank would be viewed as an "act of war". But now another red line has been drawn, following more and more European governments - most notably Germany ditching their policies of neutrality when it comes to shipping their weapons into foreign conflicts:

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS THOSE SUPPLYING LETHAL WEAPONS TO UKRAINE WILL BEAR RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD THESE WEAPONS BE USED DURING RUSSIA'S MILITARY OPERATION - IFAX

More than likely, US and UK-supplied weapons, particularly anti-tank missile systems as well as possibly Stingers, are already being used by Ukraine forces against Russian tanks and armored vehicles. Unverified footage circulating widely online suggests as much at this early stage.

But it appears Russia's military is taking steps - or at least threatening action - against any external supply lines coming from NATO countries in support of Ukrainian forces. This clearly has the potential to quickly spiral into direct military conflict with the US and West...

DJ, One could argue that "allowing refugees to go west" Russia may hope to stop supplies to go east...Russia treid to destroy all Ukraine airbases...but a limited number of Ukraine aircraft (fighters, helicopters, transport) may be able to use roads...Maybe low flying planes could escape Russian/Belarus radar and drop (limited) supplies...

China has on Monday issued a strong statement urging a cessation to the conflict and for negotiations toward a ceasefire to continue. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing Monday:

"We call on all parties to return to the path of diplomatic negotiations and a political settlement as soon as possible. We also suggest undertaking a comprehensive settlement of the Ukraine problem through negotiations and consultations," he said.

"We call on all parties concerned to demonstrate calmness and restraint and to avoid further escalation," he emphasized. This as Russia heightened its nuclear readiness posture once again. While calling it an unnecessary "escalation" 

DJ China is a "strategic partner of Russia", that will not change...it needs energy...but may need to do trade with the EU to go via Pakistan-Iran-Turkey (so excluding Russia). China (and India ? Arab world ?) may "see a role" for Ukraine as "a link" between the EU and them...willing to do investments...

And Ukraine NEEDS investments ! [url]https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/why-is-ukraine-such-an-economic-failure?utm_source=url[/url] or https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/why-is-ukraine-such-an-economic-failure?utm_source=urlUkraine is a middle-income country. Its GDP per capita (PPP) is somewhere around $13000, which is similar to Libya or Paraguay. That’s not terrible, but what is terrible is how Ukraine has stagnated since the fall of the Soviet Union. By the World Bank’s reckoning, Ukraine is about 20% poorer now than it was in 1990!

DJ...some still want to claim Ukraine is a "good functioning democracy" simply ignore the facts...

[url]https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russian-propaganda-latest-excuse-expand-censorship[/url] or https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russian-propaganda-latest-excuse-expand-censorship

Whoever controls the narrative controls the world. Humans are storytelling creatures, so whoever can control the stories the humans are telling themselves about what’s going on in the world has a great deal of control over the humans. Our mental chatter tends to dominate such a large percentage of our existence that if it can be controlled the controller can exert a tremendous amount of influence over the way we think, act, and vote.

The powerful understand this, while the general public mostly does not. That’s all we’ve been seeing in these attempts to regulate ideas and information as human communication becomes more and more rapid and networked. An entire oligarchic empire is built on the ability to prevent us from realizing at mass scale that that empire does not serve us and inflicts great evil upon our world. The question of whether our species can awaken to its highest potential or not boils down to whether our dominators will succeed in locking down our minds, or if we will find some way to break free.

DJ, Freedom of information, freedom of expression is at risk at this moment ! Very unhealthy hysteria is dominating both media and politics ! With that democracy is at risk ! 

I still feel safe enough to write down my opinions on this forum...I would feel I lost something very valuable if I did not feel safe any longer to espres myself...

Stay safe & sane !


We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 4:54am

"Russian propaganda" [url]https://www.rt.com/russia/550916-ukraine-receive-nato-jets/[/url] or https://www.rt.com/russia/550916-ukraine-receive-nato-jets/ ;

Three NATO countries will deliver more than 70 warplanes for the use of Ukraine, military representatives in Kiev announced on Tuesday morning.

According to a statement published on Facebook, Poland, Bulgaria, and Slovakia will provide over 70 Soviet-era MiG-29 and SU-25 aircraft that can be based at Polish airfields.

Sixteen MiG-29 fighters and 14 SU-25s will be provided by Bulgaria. Poland will send 28 MiG-29 warplanes, and Slovakia can deliver 12 MiG-29 jets, the officials stated.

Our partners gave us MiG-29 and SU-25! If needed, they can be based on Polish airfields from which Ukrainian pilots can carry out combat missions,” the statement read, also suggesting that there will be more “Ghosts of Kiev” soon.

The ‘Ghost of Kiev’ became a media legend following reports that a Ukrainian pilot “managed to single-handedly take down 6 Russian fighter jets.” However, the footage showing the ‘Ghost’ was soon revealed to be a clip from the computer game ‘Digital Combat Simulator’.

Russia invaded Ukraine last Thursday, stating it was necessary to “demilitarize” the country to protect the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Moscow's own security interests. The majority of Western countries condemned the attack and imposed tough sanctions on Russian officials, and the country at large. 


DJ, So the idea is those planes woulf "fight Russia" from Polish bases / And if Russia would attack those bases article 5 of NATO would have to see that as "an attack on NATO" ?

[url]https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/france-we-will-wage-economic-war-against-russia-and-collapse-its-economy[/url] or https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/france-we-will-wage-economic-war-against-russia-and-collapse-its-economy ;

Yesterday's blazing headlines about European countries deciding to "give" fighter jets to Ukraine, to be based at an airfield in Poland, has completely fallen apart.  As of this morning, NO country will be giving ANY fighter jets!  

It's official - Europe won't transfer fighter planes to Ukraine. Poland decided not to, and Slovakian defense ministry spokesperson confirms to me just now: “Slovakia will not provide fighter jets to Ukraine."  Yesterday, shortly after the spectacular claim by Ukraine, one of the countries, Bulgaria, flatly denied it saying they don't have enough planes to defend their own country, never mind giving some to another country.

So once again, a spectacular claim by Ukrainian officials turns out to be an outright lie.

DJ....even with all the brainless hysteria...no sane person is willing to start World War Three (I hope) over Ukraine/NATO moving east...

 [url]https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/01/caitlin-johnstone-the-single-most-important-question-in-the-world-right-now/[/url] or https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/01/caitlin-johnstone-the-single-most-important-question-in-the-world-right-now/ ; 2014 study by Earth’s Future found that just a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would throw 5 Tg of black carbon into the stratosphere, blocking out the sun for decades and potentially starving everything to death. India and Pakistan have 160 and 165 nukes each, respectively. The U.S. and Russia have 5,550 and 6,257. 

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So I repeat again the world’s most important question: is what the U.S. and its allies are trying to accomplish in Ukraine worth continually risking nuclear armageddon for?

Well? Is it?

It’s not really a question you can just compartmentalize away from if you have integrity. It demands to be answered.

Is it worth it to continue along this trajectory? Is it? Is it really? Perhaps there might be some things that would be worth risking the life of every creature on earth to obtain, but is refusing to concede to Moscow’s demands in Ukraine one of them?

Whatever your values are, whatever your analysis is, whatever beliefs you’ve been holding to justify your support for the west’s side of this conflict, will you still proudly stand by them if you look outside and see a mushroom cloud growing in the distance?

Well? Will you?

Here’s a hint: if your answer to this question is premised on the assumption that nuclear war can’t or will never happen, then you don’t have a position that’s grounded in reality, because you’re not accounting for real possibilities. You’re justifying your position with fantasy.

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There are things Russia has been permitted to do that weaker nations would have been forcefully stopped from doing, like annexing Crimea and intervening in Syria, exactly because they have nukes. If those weren’t the line, why specifically does Ukraine have to be? Surely there’s a line somewhere, but it would have to exist at a point where it would be worth risking the life of every living creature for.

So is it? Is keeping the possibility of NATO membership open and retaining control of the Donbas really so important that we should roll the dice on the existence of the entire human species on it? Is maintaining a hostile client state on Russia’s border truly worth gambling the life of every terrestrial organism for? Are the desperate unipolarist grand chessboard maneuverings of a few powerful people in Washington, Langley and Arlington really worth risking the life of everyone you know and love?

If the answer is no, then building some opposition to what we’re seeing here becomes a very urgent matter. Very urgent indeed.

DJ, is there ANY reason for starting a nuclear war ? If there is not, should we then not get rid of nuclear weapons ? ALL of us ? 

[url]http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2022/02/what-the-ipcc-impacts-report-is-hiding.html[/url] or http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2022/02/what-the-ipcc-impacts-report-is-hiding.html 

DJ, "The Powers That Be deny climate change, while it may be close to killing us all...those same powers deny the worst pandemic in centuries...they even close their eyes for the risks of nuclear war....

Tulsi Gabbard 🌺@TulsiGabbard·Feb 28

In direct opposition to the Constitution, the Power Elite suppresses voices, opinions, & information they don’t like. Those who dare to question ‘the authority’ are accused of spreading misinformation and targeted, smeared, silenced.  Full speech -> https://youtu.be/EOJB_IUB5ko

The Powers That Be claim to defend freedom while they destroy freedom...

All of the cable news military “experts”are just now waking up to the fact that Russia’s “failed” invasion is on the cusp of encircling the main Ukrainian military concentration in the east, and knocking at Kiev’s door. CIA propaganda can only be sustained for so long.

As far as I can see the Russian goal is keeping Ukraine out of NATO...not to occupy Ukraine...Even the present Ukraine government may stay in power as long as Russia can have its safety...But claiming the main problem is "NATO moving east" has become treason almost...Have we lost our minds ????

I think this video is interesting and thought I could share it with you.

DJ, a person getting into a bodybag and acting dead...full propaganda war....what is the goal of it all-nuclear war ? 

[url]https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/stocks-tied-chinas-swift-alternative-are-soaring[/url] or https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/stocks-tied-chinas-swift-alternative-are-soaring ;

As the Western world still obsesses with how Russia's expulsion from SWIFT will impact the Russian economy, commodity prices and the global funding markets, a quick note on how forward looking markets are reacting.

While we wait for US cash markets to open (as futures reverse a modest bounce and trade at session lows), China's micromanaged "market" is already up and running in what so far appears a boring session where the SHCOMP is flat, but where shares tied to China’s Cross-Border Inter-Bank Payments System (CIPS) are surging after Saturday's decision by Western nations to exclude some Russian lenders from the SWIFT messaging system. Why? Because of what Bloomberg notes is growing speculation that China's CIPS could become an alternative for those banks.

What is CIPS? It is a payment system which offers clearing and settlement services for its participants in cross-border yuan trades. Indeed, it is a Chinese version of SWIFT, and one which most Russian banks will likely soon be forced to adopt.

And since China will quickly brush off any threats of sanctions if it were to accept Russia banks into its orbit, it is now clear that instead of driving a wedge between Russia and the country that is true the biggest US challenger on the global scene, China, the West has succeeded into bringing the two powers even closer together while putting the fate of the world's reserve currency in jeopardy, as Dylan Grice explained earlier...

never seen weaponization of money on this scale before…you only get to play the card once. china will make it a priority to need no USD before going for Taiwan. it’s a turning point in monetary history: the end of USD hegemony & the acceleration towards a bipolar monetary order

— Dylan Grice (@dylangrice) February 27, 2022

DJ, There are alternatives for SWIFT...does "the west" realize what they are doing ? 

Some other news;

While the EU wallows in the hysteria swamp, Pakistani PM Imran Khan announced he will be buying 2 million tons of wheat and a lot of natural gas from Russia. This is how the Greater Eurasia Partnership works.

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For those of you who are not aware, Erik Prince (Blackwater/Academi) personally sold to the CIA the concept of a mercenary army to conduct hybrid war ops and/or crypto-guerrilla war against Russia.

-

Washington badly wants the JCPOA back for ONE reason: to stop Iran from closing down the Strait of Hormuz - in coordination with Russia and China. That would totally crash the US economy.   The deal itself is a lie: null and void IF Russia was ever “neutralized”.

"The world united against Russia"...propaganda ! Iran is part of RIC...Russia-Iran-China...


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote WitchMisspelled Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 6:55am

Originally posted by Dutch Josh Dutch Josh wrote:

First of all a few remarks;

If in a democracy there is only room for one point of view you have a democrazy...not a democracy ! If on this forum there is only room for one opinion this is not a "forum"...a marketplace with different opinions...in all modesty, no one has a perfect view of reality...

History is full of inconvenient truths... <snip>

DJ-This Russian invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if NATO did not want to move east....Somehow this reality is a "political no-go zone"...crazy !!!

I am a pacifist...did see to much violence in my life...have had enough of it for decades...So NO!!!! I am against "Putin" (if it would be only Putin then why sanctions for most high ranking Russians ?) invading Ukraine...I think it makes the world an even worse place to be...However trying to understand the motives is NOT providing excuses...

I think Russia did have other (energy !) options to keep Ukraine out of NATO...(sanctions by Russia, China...the west may need them harder then they need us...O...that idea is also not welcome...sorry, may just be reality !). 

[

The inconvenient truth is that I'm realizing you are not a pacifist.  You're just playing Devil's Advocate.  You're also being untruthful when you say you do not support Putin's efforts.  Look back to your previous post when you supported Putin in his invasion of Ukraine because it was a failed state.  

As I said, you are entitled to any opinion you want to hold on to after reading your little op-ed blogs.  They don't reflect the reality, just support your opinion.  What is not welcome is your claim you are a pacifist.  Not that I'm calling you a war-monger.  But your rhetoric and repeating of propaganda makes you worse... it makes you an enabler to conflict.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 7:41am
Breaking news: China signalled it was ready to play a role in finding a ceasefire in Ukraine as it 'deplored' the outbreak of conflict in its strongest comments yet on Russia's invasion https://on.ft.com/35lqSGu


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France's finance minister Bruno Le Maire said the global sanctions targeting Russia for its invasion of Ukraine were proving powerful and effective at putting pressure on Vladimir Putin’s government. Follow our live blog for the latest updates https://on.ft.com/3huAxNu



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 12:22pm

There was a very interesting article in the UK's Daily Telegraph about 3 days ago, written by a colonel in the British Army about the Ukrainian situation. He made a few excellent points, and the one that really stuck in my mind was that this invasion wasn't a surprise to anyone. For a long time Putin has been saying don't let the Ukraine into Nato because I don't want nuclear weapons parked in my back yard. 

All the West had to do was to assure Putin that they wouldn't do this. Instead, and just to poke the bear in the opinion on this colonel, Nato said we have no interest in letting Ukraine into Nato but we might change our minds at some point and so won't give you that guarantee. Then the president of Ukraine announced that he wanted to join Nato and again Nato poked the bear. Putin gave plenty of warning that he wouldn't tolerate this and then he backed up those threats with action. 

The point is, that the West had every opportunity of averting this war. All they had to do was to meet Putin half way. This colonel made the excellent point that it's not just Putin who is to blame for this situation, but the leaders of a number of Western countries too, who in their determination to look like they are calling the shots, were unwilling to assuage Putin's fears. 

I don't agree with Putin's invasion of the Ukraine, but I do understand why he did it.

Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 12:32pm

DJ, I fully agree with you about only one opinion being allowed on a subject. We've seen that a lot recently. It appears that society has recently developed to a point where unless you support the instant popular narrative being shouted from the media, you are the devil himself. Rational discussion and debate has gone out the window. And it's not just just on this war, but prior to that and still ongoing, Covid. Prior to that Brexit. 

What on earth has happened to make everything so black and white? It's a form of extremism. 

Without a shadow of a doubt, terrible things are happening in Ukraine right now and there are awful stories and photos of the effects of this military action on the general population. Those poor people. We can all see that. But if debate and understanding are not allowed to happen, then this situation will never be resolved. Even now, a promise that Nato will never allow the Ukraine to be a member and Nato weaponry will never be on Ukrainian soil would probably end this conflict. Personally I think that certain world leaders would see it as an affront to masculinity to make such a concilatory promise. They've decided to use this as an opportunity to kick Putin's arse and put him in his place and to hell with the consequences. 

The video clip that really affected me was that of a woman in Kiev saying that their media constantly downplayed the threat of invasion and was backed up by the government assuring them that it was all bluster and sabre rattling, to such an extent that when the invasion happened, she and everyone she knew were completely blindsided. It was too late for them to escape with anything other than what they could carry, and no men were allowed to leave. They were hoodwinked. I felt so sorry for her.

Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 12:35pm

And yes it's laugh out loud funny the hyprocritical nature of the financial sanctions being levied against Russia. Kick them out of the Swift system but then fret that Russia might decided to cut off the fuel supply to the West? Send out of date armaments out to the Ukraine to be used against Russian forces but continue to buy as many Russian weapons and ammunition as possible? It's laughable. 

Either trade with them, or don't. Don't be so secretively selective.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 1:07pm

Now before anyone misinterprets what I've said as support for Putin and jumps down my throat about this, let me clarify. I, in no way support Putin's invasion of the Ukraine but I do think that the West must share some of the responsibility for the current situation. There was a perfectly reasonable back door out of this situation but the West chose to paint themselves into a corner instead of taking it. I don't support Putin's actions but I do understand why he has invaded the Ukraine.

Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 4:59pm

This is an excellent piece of writing and a must read

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-10566673/MARK-ALMOND-mustnt-drive-Vladimir-Putin-far-corner.html

MARK ALMOND: A rat with nuclear weapons... That's why we mustn't drive Vladimir Putin so far into a corner he will do anything to save his own skin

          

Vladimir Putin likes to tell a story about how, as a boy from a poor family in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), he used to hunt and kill rats in the basement of the flats they lived in.

Once, wielding a stick, he cornered a big one. It fought back, launching itself at his face.

The implication of the tale is that the Russian president sees himself as a big rat who will take on any aggressor if trapped.

And right now he is backing himself into a corner — a rat with nuclear weapons that he hints he will not hesitate to use.

This is the image that Western leaders and generals must keep to the forefront of their minds in the coming days. 

The chances of Armageddon have, in less than a week, gone from zero to 4-5 per cent in my view. That may not sound very much but it is very worrying indeed.


The emotional pressure is huge. News footage from Ukraine, much of it captured by brave civilians on their camera phones, is horrific.

Cities rocked by volcanic bomb blasts; children huddled in shelters; body bags being carried from burning apartment blocks; and dead soldiers on street corners. Scenes that were unthinkable in a European capital just days ago are a blood-soaked reality.

For people to see this and know that Western governments are holding back from acting to stop the carnage is deeply frustrating. Our natural human urge is to help in any way we can.

But there is a terrible danger that by taking dramatic action to halt the slaughter we could actually make it worse.

At a press conference in Poland yesterday, a Ukrainian journalist pleaded with Boris Johnson to call on Nato allies to impose a no-fly zone across her country to stop Russian bombers from carrying out raids on the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities.

But if we took this course of action, RAF pilots and their Nato counterparts would have to be prepared to shoot down Russian jets. 

It is highly probable that Putin would regard that as an open declaration of war rather than a humanitarian intervention to protect innocent civilians.

 

Sanctions are causing an internal crisis in Russia. He has to achieve his war aims or face political and personal disaster — and Putin would see a no-fly zone as posing a direct threat to him.

No doubt he remembers the fate of Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, who was lynched at the end of a Nato 'humanitarian intervention' in 2011.

So Boris Johnson and his fellow leaders are right to resist calls to deploy war planes. 

However well intentioned, such a move would inevitably inflame an already unstable conflict. 

For the horrors in Ukraine today are nothing compared to what could happen if the war spread to full-blown hostilities against Nato.

The West's immediate goal is to get Putin out of Ukraine. Somehow, anyhow — be it by face-saving diplomacy, a retreat in the face of Ukrainian resistance or the consequence of sanctions in Russia.

In the short-to-medium term, we want to see him prised from power. It's clear that while he remains in the Kremlin, global peace is threatened.

But what we cannot do is help drive him even further into that corner to the point where he decides that ten million deaths are a price worth paying to save his own skin.

The Ukrainians have resisted with far greater courage than the Kremlin's generals and yes‑men predicted. If the war continues to go badly for Russia, then a nuclear strike becomes increasingly likely.

Yesterday there were signs that Russia is abandoning its initial 'softly-softly' approach (although it may not have felt like that to Ukrainians) and opting for heavy bombing.

Ukrainians are being warned to evacuate areas of Kyiv — to 'flee or die' says the Kremlin — so the Russians can bomb 'technical facilities'.

In the worst-case scenario, if the Ukrainians continue to hold out and Russian casualties mount, Putin might sanction a nuclear assault on Kyiv to wipe out resistance there.

 

Ukrainians are being warned to evacuate areas of Kyiv — to 'flee or die' says the Kremlin — so the Russians can bomb 'technical facilities'

This will result in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Then pressure for a nuclear retaliation from Nato would be huge.

But can we sacrifice millions of innocent Russians just as casually as a ruthless dictator?

Of course not. Yet somehow we must make it clear there are limits to the West's patience. Putin cannot be allowed to think he can hold the planet to ransom.

There is another chilling possibility — that the Russians will use a battlefield nuke, a tactical weapon to wipe out military resistance or key Ukrainian facilities.

This would create comparatively fewer casualties but would put incalculable amounts of nuclear waste into the atmosphere — and it risks other potential consequences.

The Ukrainians might decide to use nuclear rods from the nation's power stations to build a 'dirty' bomb for a strike in revenge or desperation.

Threat

This war has rapidly escalated into a life-or-death struggle for Putin. If he is forced from power, he faces trial and possible execution at home, or prosecution for war crimes at The Hague over, for example, the use of cluster bombs.

And he is not alone. He is surrounded by hardliners, men who are as steeped in blood as their president.

Unless the entire Russian government is overthrown by a people's revolution, with ordinary citizens rising up against the police, bureaucrats and oligarchs, the only way Putin can be brought down from within is by his own generals.

It is not impossible. But they will expect concessions from the West, including absolution for war crimes and probably geopolitical gains, such as UN recognition that parts of Ukraine, including Crimea, are officially Russian.

This is not a conflict with easy solutions.

Yes, sanctions will exert pressure on Russia to back down. But not instantly.

One of Putin's cronies, Dmitry Medvedev, tweeted a barely veiled threat yesterday: 'Some French minister has said that they declared an economic war on Russia. 

Watch your tongue, gentlemen! And don't forget that in human history, economic wars quite often turned into real ones.'

And while the cost of the war is extraordinary — one estimate puts it at £12 billion a day — the Kremlin is paying for it in roubles, and can simply print more.

Atrocity

In the long run, this will lead to hyper-inflation. But again, that takes time to kick in and impact living standards.

Russians are, however, already suffering some of the consequences. Many found this week they can no longer use Western smartphone apps to pay for Metro tickets and other everyday purchases. 

And those who rely on money from family members overseas will not be getting their cash.

Over time, all this will increase the pressure on Putin at home, but not immediately.

For now, however much the West feels provoked, we have to avoid rash reactions. Voices in Ukraine say World War III has now begun, but we cannot allow this to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

No, we must not appease Putin, but we must avoid giving him any excuse to expand the conflict.

We have to support the Ukrainians' right to resist invasion, and give them the means to do that. Yet we must not blunder into the tripwire of all‑out war.

The awful reality is that even when confronted by the worst of the pictures from Kyiv and other scenes of atrocity in Ukraine, ice-cold rationality is the only option.

Mark Almond is Director of the Crisis Research Institute, Oxford.

Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 9:42pm

KiwiMum, thanks for the very welcome nuanced reaction....You dared to write what now seems to be a "denied reality"...NATO moving east as the reason for this war. In Russian (not only Putin) perspective to prevent an even worse war if Ukraine did become a NATO member and nuclear weapons were based inside Ukraine (and for that matter it would not make a difference if those weapons were American or Ukraine did get its own nukes...However when Zelinsky started talking about Ukraine getting nuclear weapons of its own he could/should have known this was crossing a Russian red line. One question is who "advised" Zelinsky to start talking about Ukraine getting its own nuclear weapons....).

What I find most shocking is that asking why NATO has to move east...just that question alone...has become allmost a form of treason...beyond crazy ! And even more far beyond acceptable in any democratic country-if you are not allowed to ask those questions what does "democracy" mean ???

[url]https://www.rt.com/news/551005-china-japan-nuclear-weapons/[/url] or https://www.rt.com/news/551005-china-japan-nuclear-weapons/ (Somehow in "western democrazies" watching info from Russia, China HAS TO BE disinformation....The US did take over the site of Press.tv -Iran state media...because the public would be to stupid to see what is propaganda and what is not....but it should not be seen as "US democratic totalitarian...") Chinese officials have rebuked Japan over former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s call to ease the country’s non-nuclear principles and consider hosting strategic US weapons to boost security amid rising geopolitical tensions.

-

Wang said Japan’s leaders must be “cautious in words and deeds on the Taiwan issue to stop provoking trouble.” He added, “We strongly ask Japan to deeply reflect on its history.”

DJ Do we get another "Ukraine-scenario" in East Asia ? Putting nuclear weapons in Japan and then blame any reaction from China as "agression" ? 

Maybe another point, understanding why some steps are taken is not supporting them...only understanding those steps...Russia does (still) have energy as a "basic weapon"...I think it may have been wiser if the Russian government (again-not only Putin...) had choosen that weapon...

-Now a reaction on the (rather bad informed) article;

Russia may have gone-so far-for a "more soft" form of warfare in urban area's, they did use (lots of) heave weapons, cruise missiles most-against military targets...It has the option to increase artillery/drones/bombing in urban areaÅ› however why ??? It is NOT !!! the Russian goal to occupy Ukraine but to make Ukraine stay out of NATO !

In the east of Ukraine a major part of the Ukraine armed forces have been encircled - they may become a target for "more heavy weapons" ...i think Russian heavy weapons on (most) military targets in Ukraine did result in large numbers of people being killed - a bloodbath...

In western propaganda (no other words for it...) the picture they want to create is "Putin is a crazy dictator" ...He most likely is not...He-and his very experienced ministers-know what they are doing...(I doubt if western leaders understand what they are doing...). The west now going for "regime change in Moscow" is playing with fire...

Because the article mentions Russian nuclear weapons...the disinformation is that Russia did prepare ICBM's ..Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles...NOT for use in Ukraine (why should they ? If even the-bad-article mentions the use of more non-nuclear weapons as the more likely option...) but against western targets....In Russian eyes the US is behind these crises...

DJ-What would make Russia go for using nuclear weapons (against NATO-NOT Ukraine !!!) ? A full NATO intervention into Ukraine most likely would...I fear NATO could be thinking of R2P Right to Protect excuses...for some kind of intervention(s) (in West Ukraine). 

It would be yet another major mistake to believe Russia would NOT be willing nuclear weapons....

The outcome of western confrontation politics since 1991-end of the Soviet Union-has resulted in Russia-Iran-China in many ways becoming "strategic partners"...India did have good relations with the Soviet Union/Russia since independence in 1947...Pakistan switched from the US to China as major ally (a.o. after insults from trump...Pakistan was involved in the "dirty work" in Afghanistan since the 70's...trying to create "a Vietnam for the Soviet Union"...with Pakistan being ruled by brutal dictators...).

Still some in the "West"  seem to think "we are the world" -while they are no longer in the most strategic positions...that is a very major risk and may cause very serious even bigger mistakes bringing us even closer to World War Three....(What is the point of US nuclear weapons in Japan ???? Other then to further provoke China, Russia, North Korea...)

-Maybe some more words about the war inside Ukraine. Civil wars are the worst kind of wars people can do to eachother...Ukraine nationalists killing ethnic Russians...Ethnic Russians killing nationalists or "foreign fighters" they do not trust...

IS was able to recrute a lot of people in western Europe around ten years ago...most likely both the cia and Turkish secret services were involved (maybe without even informing their governments...). Now Ukraine is calling for volunteers to enlist for an "International Brigade"...(NL a.o. is trying to limit/stop that however...NL, a.o. also pointing out Ukraine becoming an EU member is something ALL EU present members decide on...so not in a hurry)....

In the east of Ukraine "western volunteers" are allready facing eachother...On the pro-Russian side they only want people with military experience speaking Russian...The Kiev regime has a.o. the Azov-regiment...untill recent seen as neo-nazi....with all kinds of nazi symbols...now somehow "acceptable" for "the west"...in the south of Ukraine there have been reports of IS...(most likely supplied by the cia/turkey...but the jihadi's "may have been used" in other wars allready; Libya, Armenia...).

I did se the woman in Warsaw asking bojo questions on why "the west" now is refusing a no-fly zone...I fear she may be right...we are allready in World War Three...."bringing democrazy to Russian oil and gas".....

DJ-If I would mention those we supported the nazi's in the 20's/30's also supported NATO in 1949 [url]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar[/url] or https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar

George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany.

The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism.

I start an other "inconvenient truth" story ..."we do not want to learn from history" , history is a mirror-once we face ourselves we have to drop all the illusions we had....

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 01 2022 at 10:57pm

Do "western sanctions" work ? 

[url]https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/market-starting-fail-buyers-balk-buying-russian-oil-despite-record-discounts[/url] or https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/market-starting-fail-buyers-balk-buying-russian-oil-despite-record-discounts ;

While in their unprecedented broadside of sanctions on Russia, the U.S. and Western allies went out of their way to spare Russian energy shipments and keep economies humming and voters warm, the oil market has gone on strike anyway. Acting as if energy were already in the crosshairs of Western sanctions officials, refiners have balked at buying Russian oil and banks are refusing to finance shipments of Russian commodities, the WSJ reports citing traders, oil executives and bankers.

This self-imposed embargo which has effectively halted a majority of Russian oil shipments, threatens to drive up energy prices globally by removing a gusher of oil from a market that was tight even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia, waging war and in need of revenue with its financial system in turmoil, is taking extreme steps to convince companies to buy its most precious commodity.

We previously reported that owners of oil tankers had already started to avoid Russian ports because of both the military invasion of Ukraine and apprehension that sanctions for oil could also come soon, and as a result rates for oil tankers on Russian crude routes had exploded as much as nine-fold in the past few days.

But now, amid growing fears they will fall afoul of complex restrictions in different jurisdictions, refiners and banks are balking at purchasing any Russian oil at all, traders and others involved in the market say. Market players also fear that measures that target oil exports directly could land as fighting in Ukraine intensifies.

“This is going to make it very complex to trade with Russia,” Sarah Hunt, a partner at law firm HFW who works with commodities traders, said of the sanctions laid out as of Monday. “These sanctions against Russia will have an incredible effect on global trade and on trade finance.”

Brent-crude futures, the benchmark in international energy markets, rose nearly 8% Tuesday to above $105 a barrel. But in a sign that demand for Russian oil has evaporated, prices for the country’s flagship Urals crude moved in the opposite direction.

On Tuesday, traders offered Urals brent at a record discount of around $15 a barrel below the price of Brent - with the discount at one point hitting as much as $18.60 - and even then not finding buyers. A drop in the price of Espo, a grade of Russian crude popular in Asia, suggests refiners in Japan and South Korea are hitting pause on purchases alongside those in Europe and the U.S.

DJ, so (pro)western countries are even allready stopping to buy Russian oil...When you look at how Iran oil got "renamed" as coming from Iraq I expect some Middle East countries may be willing to import Russian oil and export the same oil as "Arab oil" with enough western buyers willing to be fooled...

Besides that-the most important energy consumer is China...however if "the west" was seen as "one buyer" that west was the major buyer for Russian oil...so...yes...financial sanctions do effect Russian energy trade...however it may hurt us much more...make us weaker not stronger...

The west still has lots of energy reserves. Companies could not make profits out of them with "low" energy prices. Now prices are that high lots more energy sources can offer profit. (Here in NL there is renewed discussion on gas-exploration in the north of NL...stopped because of earthquakes...we may restart gas exploration and have extra funds to rebuild houses in the north of NL more earthquake proof). 

Most of OPEC is "not in a hurry" to increase production...some countries may however be willing to increase exports...

So "will the west run out of energy" because of sanctions against Russia ? No, but prices will go up ! Transports/logistics will get more expensive. 

Will it hurt Russia very hard ? To be honest...NO...there are enough Asian buyers-overland pipelines...

-The US had the (silly) idea that India would join the US, Australia and Japan in an anti-China coalition....China and India are on their way to become the #1 and #2 global economy...wich would leave the US at #3 (if you would see the EU as one that may be at #3...US at #4...). However ignoring reality still the US wants to go for not only a confrontation with Russia but also with China...

India has its own interests in EurAsian trade...if it wants to grow Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America have to bring that growth...Both India and China have to go global with their automobile, aircraft industry....for that matter BRICS still matters....Boeing, Airbus face competition from Brazil, India, China with most of the growth of markets no longer in "the aging US, EU, Japan"...

Australia still exporting raw materials...(and facing climate change problems getting extreme)...

The US putting nukes in Japan is-again-sending the wrong signal...not only to Russia and China but all of Asia....(North and South Korea are united in anti-Japan hate...).

The present situation only underlines the importance of knowing international history...China did see 400,000 Chinese being killed-most by the US-in the Korea War...The way the US is dealing with both Taiwan and Japan most likely will "worsen dramaticly" international relations even more...

-The link between the US dollar and global energy once may have been very strategic in the early '70's...Now it has become a major weak spot. The US has to think of something better !

Confrontationalism mixed with denialism is a very dangerous mix. On top of that "exceptionalism"; the idea of being above any international law-in my opinion made the US to a global risk....

You may not like that vision/idea...see it as anti-US...but the US should make better choices, has a lot to offer ! Communication and cooperation may bring much more results then-always-confrontation...

"Brittania rules the waves" illusion ended after world war 2 (for most, bojo may still not get it...)...Spain, NL did see their "global dominance" vanish earlier...it is the way history works...US was the #1...but in reality no longer is the #1...get used to it...stop fighting it !

This is a friendly advice...NL was a major player in early US history...We did learn some lessons the hard way...still have to learn a lot more! Live is learning...(that is why we get old...). 

Stay safe and sane !

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 12:03am

DJ, 

Russia hoped talks with the Ukraine government-under pressure-would result in Ukraine giving up the idea of Ukraine joining NATO....so far Ukraine does NOT give up that idea...

It may be one of the weak spots in the Russian "war-strategy"....To "convince" the Kiev government "neutrality is better"....via a "peace keeping intervention" (Russia does not want it to be seen as an "invasion" or "war"...people using those kinds of words in Russia face serious problems...). 

What if Ukraine does not give up its idea of joining NATO ? What if NATO refuses to exclude Ukraine becoming a member ? Did Russia think of that option ? I think they did...

-Russia does not "want to occupy" Ukraine is the story now (untill recent Russia did not have invasion plans...was the Russian story...).  But if it can not get its goals in another way an outcome may be Russia does occupy Ukraine...

In the south and east of Ukraine a lot of ethnic Russians live...Most likely the Russian idea is they may be willing to become "part of Russia"....or a "Russian Ukraine"...In Kiev, the north-west of Ukraine ethnic Russians are a minority...

Still Russia's goal will be to "limit NATO becoming a risk for Russia"....however that part of the Ukraine may be very strong anti-Russian...Occupying it would bring long term conflict...the Russian strategy will be to "keep this war as short as possible" and also "winning hearths and minds"...(sounds familiair...). 

One way NATO still could go "east" is by NATO member states going for "new borders" so parts of western Ukraine becoming part of Poland, Hungary, Romania....allready in NATO...at least for some time "protecting" western Ukraine...

Dividing a country has been often the way out of a conflict in history...(Korea, Sudan are recent examples...). 

DJ-Russia most likely not only will be having talks with Ukraine...but may have (indirect) talks with "(some countries of) the west". Both Russia and the West needs to claim they did win...it is allready clear Ukraine did lose...

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 2:43am

DJ, Since I think the Ukraine war is an "East-West confrontation" increasing risks of a nuclear war I will put some extra attention on that...The pandemic is far from over (but my time is limited...)

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmbHj-sY2kI[/url] or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmbHj-sY2kI Another good informed opinion from Alexander Mercouris (AM); 

China Takes First Steps to Mediate Between Russia and Ukraine


China Takes First Steps to Mediate Between Russia and Ukraine News Topic 431 https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt... https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt...

DJ, my reaction;

China is positioning itself to offer a way out of the Ukraine war. AM mentioning "War is another way of diplomacy" referring to [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz .

China FM Wang Li had talks with German and Ukraine FM.

AM see the present conflict has ;

1-A military aspect; Russia's goal is keeping Ukraine out of NATO...not to take over Kiev...(The US wanted the Kiev government to move to Lviv-Western Ukraine...Ukraine refused). 

2-Economic warfare, the West learning the hard way sanctions may damage the west more then it harms Russia...the fall-out of it is on its way...may be very dramatic and some EU "leaders" may regret the hard words/choices they made...

3-Diplomatic warfare. China underlining the basis of this conflict is NATO moving east. NATO should rethink its goals if the cold war was supposed to be over....

DJ; The US does NOT !!!! want the Ukraine government to be talking with Russia...(by the way, the Russian delegation is led by a former Russian minister of culture-very anti-communist, friend of Putin...The head of the Ukraine delegation is a politcal veteran that was in a leading position in the last days of the Soviet Union....AM in an earlier video). 

My words (DJ); China wants Ukraine to give up its plans for joining NATO...The talk with German FM may be underlining the question why NATO has to move east....

DJ-I have very serious concerns about the "wisdom" of western leaders...they may have no idea of what they are doing...have become a risk for democracy itself !

Again-DJ-my words; China and Russia may be looking at what price Ukraine is asking for giving up its NATO-plans...(The US/UK/EU may try to offer a "better deal" but so far only in words...). Kiev knows it can not win this war..."moderates" in the Ukraine government may want to get rid of "hardliners/extremists" and may not mind if Russia would be willing to do the dirty work....

China may be one of the countries willing to invest in Ukraine...DJ-Ukraine needs investments more then weapons....

DJ-China is not the only country trying to "solve the conflict"....Turkey, Iran, the Arab World...even Israel may be-more or less-on the same "road"....NATO expension is the problem...a neutral Ukraine may fit in their plans/interests...

AM mentions a.o. that if this Chinese mediation would be succesfull it would; 1- increase Chinese influence, 2 embarrase both the US/UK/EU...

DJ Ukraine giving up plans for joining NATO may NOT be accepted by "some" NATO members (hardliners US/UK in a different position then most of the EU...)

What AM does NOT mention is that if Ukraine is unwilling to give up its ideas China may even more move towards the Russian side....Also US plans/ideas on putting nuclear weapons in Japan do NOT improve US-China allready very bad relations....

DJ-The way I see it the US and UK do NOT want to give up the idea of including Ukraine in NATO....may even go that far to create "another Ukraine government" seeking NATO membership...That road only will bring us close to nuclear war. 

AGAIN !!!!! IF THE US AND UK DO NOT GIVE UP NATO MOVING EAST WE WILL HAVE NUCLEAR WAR !!!!!

DJ-The problem is NOT Putin but NATO moving east....Not willing to see that problem will result in even worse problems soon !

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 3:50am

DJ-The problem is NOT Putin 

Delusional... He drew first blood, and the solution is his elimination. Hopefully from within.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 5:55am

Russian Newspapers Condemn Ukraine War: 'This Madness Must be Stopped'

BY

Anewspaper group in Russia has risked the wrath of government authorities by publishing editions that carry a stern anti-war message.

The publishing group VK-media, which is not connected to social media giant Vkontakte, published editions of their papers in the Urals region with a cover dedicated to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The message "This madness must be stopped" sits above the fold of Wednesday's editions of Vecherniy Krasnoturinsk, Vecherniy Karpinsk, Pro Severouralsk and Globus.

In the left-hand corner, the papers issue a direct challenge to Russia's media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, which has ordered media outlets in the country to delete reports using the words "assault," "invasion," or "declaration of war" to describe the conflict.

"Roskomnadzor prohibits Russian media outlets from calling what is going on in Ukraine in the last few days a war," the papers' message said. "But if you call black white, then it won't stop being black."

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 5:57am

Kazakhstan takes distance from Russia’s Ukraine war

Kazakhstan, one of Russia’s closest allies, has denied a request for its troops to join the offensive in Ukraine and will not recognise the so-called republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Instead, an aeroplane carrying humanitarian assistance will leave Kazakhstan for Ukraine on 3 March.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 6:00am

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Voice of the Mirror

Deploying the most brutal military tactics with no concern for civilians, Vladimir Putin is a war criminal.

Kyiv’s TV tower is one of many civil sites to have been targeted by barbarous assaults from the Kremlin tyrant’s military machine.


Despot Putin is not only sacrificing Ukranians but his own country’s soldiers in a ruthless drive for what would be an empty victory.

Deploying overwhelming force to overcome courageous resistance and occupy cities would come at such a cost that he would be the loser.

It is why megalomaniac Putin must not and will not win this war.

Kyiv may fall within days but Putin will never fully control the city or country, while mounting unrest in a Russia crippled by economic sanctions will forever be his legacy.

Strategically, he is already beaten, his place in history guaranteed – as the paranoid pariah who destroyed a neighbouring nation as well as his own. We salute the spirit of Ukrainians and Britain’s mission is to fight authoritarianism until Ukraine is free and Putin is gone.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 6:15am

Russian troops 'in disarray and crying’ as some mutiny on warship, reports claim 

Young and scared Russian soldiers are crying as they go into war where they are being asked to “ fire at everyone, even civilians”, claim reports.

Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine has not appeared to have gone according to plan against stiff resistance and major cities have yet to fall to Vladimir Putin ’s troops.


The attack on its neighbour, with many Russian’s seeing Ukrainians as brothers, has been vilified around the world, and reported to have left some of Putin’s army unhappy.

Russian troops have been bombarding ill-equipped Ukrainians, some of whom are making home-made weapons, and civilian areas have been hit by bombs.

"Looking at the Russian operation so far, they're having tremendous problems with logistics and communications. The whole effort seems shambolic," Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military at Washington's Wilson Center, wrote in a tweet.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote WitchMisspelled Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 8:03am

Originally posted by KiwiMum KiwiMum wrote:

There was a very interesting article in the UK's Daily Telegraph about 3 days ago, written by a colonel in the British Army about the Ukrainian situation. He made a few excellent points, and the one that really stuck in my mind was that this invasion wasn't a surprise to anyone. For a long time Putin has been saying don't let the Ukraine into Nato because I don't want nuclear weapons parked in my back yard. 

All the West had to do was to assure Putin that they wouldn't do this. Instead, and just to poke the bear in the opinion on this colonel, Nato said we have no interest in letting Ukraine into Nato but we might change our minds at some point and so won't give you that guarantee. Then the president of Ukraine announced that he wanted to join Nato and again Nato poked the bear. Putin gave plenty of warning that he wouldn't tolerate this and then he backed up those threats with action. 

The point is, that the West had every opportunity of averting this war. All they had to do was to meet Putin half way. This colonel made the excellent point that it's not just Putin who is to blame for this situation, but the leaders of a number of Western countries too, who in their determination to look like they are calling the shots, were unwilling to assuage Putin's fears. 

I don't agree with Putin's invasion of the Ukraine, but I do understand why he did it.


I'm not going to jump down your throat, Kiwimum.  Like Josh, you are entitled to whatever opinion you choose.  That being said, you are not expecting the rest of us to own that opinion.  Josh's spamming of this board with links to all his little blogs and personal opinions is ramming it down the throat of anyone reading.

What I will point out is that Putin's NATO narrative is false.  Ukraine has been in a sort of partnership with NATO since 1992.  Yet, Ukraine is not part of NATO, nor will it ever be. If Putin's narrative were true, Ukraine would already be a member.  Member or not, the partnership would have enabled NATO to place nukes in Ukraine.  That would have been negotiated and already done decades ago.

In terms of negotiation.  Putin does not have a history of negotiating in good faith.  (Read up on Putin's Crimea land grab in 2014.) Historically, Putin gives a list of demands and made them non-negotiable.  Further, they threaten to strong-arm those who are non-compliant or attempt to interfere. It's Russia that has walked away from the table.  It is Russia that has threatened other nations with military intervention and possible Nukes if they "interfere" with Putin's agenda.  It is all or nothing.  So, the "meeting half-way" argument is also a false narrative.  

What Putin did not expect was for Biden and other EU leaders to play his hand.  Macron tried, bless him, but there again, Putin's word that he would re-enter negotiations was proven to be a false narrative.  

There will be no cease fire, here Kiwimum. That choice is Putin's. No matter what anyone believes here.  The fate is cast.  Putin will ruin his economy, his people will starve and Ukraine will become Russia's Vietnam.  A war he can not win.  


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 10:18am

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted at an emergency special session Wednesday to demand an immediate halt to Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine and withdrawal of all Russian troops, with very strong support from the world organization’s 193 member nations that sparked sustained applause.

The vote on the resolution, entitled “Aggression against Ukraine,” was 141-5 with 35 abstentions.

Russia got support for its appeal to vote against the resolution only from Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea, a powerful indication of the international isolation that Russian President Vladimir Putin faces for invading his country’s smaller neighbor. Emphasizing that isolation was a major goal of the resolution’s supporters.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 10:22am

BREAKING - EU to include crypto currencies in Russia sanctions - French Finance Minister

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$1 million bounty on Putin offered by Russian businessman

The Russian entrepreneur said the Russian president came to power by "blowing up apartment buildings in Russia."

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 10:56am

Did anyone see Russell Brand yesterday? It really was excellent. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ZXTF2phNU

Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 11:20am

A true comedian...

Russell Brand is an award-winning comedian, writer, actor and presenter. He is one of the most recognisable and best-loved comedy performers in the world

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 11:25am
Four Russian Air Force fighter jets (2 Su-24s & 2 Su-27s) violated Sweden’s airspace over the Baltic Sea today and were intercepted by Jas-39 Gripen’s.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiminNM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 1:19pm

Thanks WitchMispelled (agree with every word you wrote) and KSC.  Hadn't seen the news about Russions violating Sweden's airspace - yikes. A couple of other things I hadn't seen also - appreciate them! 

DJ - I've greatly valued your contributions during the pandemic.   Thank you for your time presenting a ton of information. I found new sources to follow thanks to you.    But this? Nah. I'm with Witch. 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 10:21pm

NATO governments block the content of this writing-just like they block Russian media ([url]https://www.rt.com/[/url] or https://www.rt.com/ ) because they do not like it....

Wake up...western governments are attacking democracy-or what is left of it !!!

Tulsi Gabbard 🌺@TulsiGabbard·20h

This power elite operation to crush freedom of speech IS the enemy attack from within – it threatens the very core of our democratic republic. It’s a complete betrayal of the vision of the American Founders, and a direct attack on…the mission statement in the Declaration of Independence. Instead of a government ordained “to secure these rights,” we now face a government determined to take them away.

DJ [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJB_IUB5ko[/url] or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOJB_IUB5ko ,

Tulsi Gabbard's CPAC full speech - Our freedom comes from God, not from any other person or government

A comment; Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard should be the first female US President. Tulsi is a great Patriot who loves this great country. God bless Tulsi Gabbard. God bless America

How crazy will it get ? If you state" the Ukraine War is the outcome of NATO moving east" will it get me in prison...because our NATO-o so democratic leaders never give up expansion...

The much bigger 'rest of the world' has not condemned Russia but understands how the conflict came about. They blame, like political scientist John Mearsheimer, the U.S. for causing the crisis. This includes, as far as I can tell, all of Africa (54 states), South America, Central America, the Middle East, and all of Asia ex Japan and Singapore.

This rest of the world that did not condemn Russia includes several notable U.S. allies and 'partners' like Turkey (Nato's second biggest army!), India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel.

The case shows how much the standing of the once unilateral superpower has been diminished.

Since 2014 the war in east Ukraine against the people of the Donbas regions has cost more than 14,000 lives. Some 10,000 of those were civilians on the Donbas side. The dying there continues as the Ukrainian army and its nazi battalions continue to shell the cities of Donetzk and Luhansk:

At least 136 civilians have been killed, including 13 children, and 400 have been injured since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, a United Nations agency said on Tuesday.

"The real toll is likely to be much higher," Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office (OHCHR), told a briefing, adding that 253 of the casualties were in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine.

Over the last days I also read several commentators claiming that that the Russian 'regime change' incursion into Ukraine would not have the support of the Russian people and would set them up against their president. Here is news for them:

Maxim A. Suchkov @m_suchkov - 19:14 UTC · Mar 1, 2022
Meanwhile #Putin's approval rating has raised from 60% to 71% (survey by FOM)

DJ; War is a crime...ANY WAR is a crime ! NATO bombing a Belgrade-Serbia TV station was a crime...NATO bombing Yugoslavia, Iraq, Syria infrastructure-because military could use it-was a crime...But who does not accept the ICC [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court the US !

[url]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/could-international-criminal-court-bring-putin-to-justice-over-ukraine[/url] or https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/02/could-international-criminal-court-bring-putin-to-justice-over-ukraine (DJ-The guardian is a UK propaganda tool-NOT free press !) Russia withdrew from the ICC in 2016 after the court published a report classifying the Russian annexation of Crimea as an occupation. On the face of it, proving Russia has committed the crime of aggression would appear straightforward. The definition includes invasion of another state, bombardment and blockade of ports. However, if a state is not a party to the ICC, its individuals cannot be prosecuted by the court for this specific offence. 

DJ...The West is blocking access to Russian info on this.....Ukraine also not in the ICC...

"The West" is in a very dangerous tunnelvision...this can not end well...

Even if the present Ukraine government would accept neutrality..."The West" would come up with an "alternative Ukraine government" still pushing Ukraine towards NATO membership...even if that would start a "very major war"...The end goal of "The Free West" seems to be regime change in Russia, Iran, China and all other countries not doing what the west is telling them...

If the West does not change that goal we are on our way to World War Three !!!

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote KiwiMum Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 10:32pm

I've often wondered when we will know that World War 3 has started. I wonder at what point the world will agree that it has (or hasn't)? I've seen people say we're already in it, and others who are saying that it might start. 

I guess it's one of the things for which there isn't a definite starting point.

Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 02 2022 at 11:34pm
I love my country, but the collective ignorance of the American people empowers so-called public servants who abuse their positions of trust to push policies that further individual agendas at the expense of the nation they ostensibly serve. Fact-based logic no longer matters.

Do WE still live in a democracy or has it all gone "democrazy"??? 

Scott Ritter
@RealScottRitter
Former United Nations Weapons Inspector, former Marine Corps Intelligence Officer, author, analyst.

did write his words in july 2019...another US government...but at least NOT at the brink of starting World War Three !








Putin’s perspective: it is impossible to reason with a political counterpart whose policy formulations need to conform with ignorance-based narratives.

DJ-link [url]https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/02/putin-crazy-like-a-fox/[/url] or https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/02/putin-crazy-like-a-fox/ Why we STILL have NATO ? 

If NATO was supposed to be "defensive"...and the Warsaw-pact-formed in reaction to NATO (started in 1949..including a.o. Portugal under fascist military...) allready gone for decades...

The most likely answer-allthough hard to swallow-NATO is NOT defensive...it is agressive...nazi-germany may have ended in 1945 but anti-Russian sentiments-around most of western history-did not. 

One of the secrets of World War Two [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Unthinkable[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Unthinkable is the "diplomacy" between the UK, US and nazi-Germany, Italy...

Germany hoped the UK would give up the war, join Germany in fighting Russia...Most likely one of the reasons [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess#Attempted_peace_mission[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Hess#Attempted_peace_mission ...it is one version to claim r.hess was "sidelined" before he flew to Scotland in 1941...Another view could be-since the mission was not a German succes-hess got sidelined later on...

Big Industry financed hitler (also from the US, UK, NL etc...) -with "royals" being major shareholders...The bolsjevist had killed the Russian czar+part of the family in 1918...by doing so-it did get personal....most of the European royals are family linked...[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia ;

Nicholas was related to several monarchs in Europe. His mother's siblings included Kings Frederick VIII of Denmark and George I of Greece, as well as the United Kingdom's Queen Alexandra (consort of King Edward VII). Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, and German emperor Wilhelm II were all first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom. Nicholas was also a first cousin of both King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, as well as King Christian X of Denmark and King Constantine I of Greece. Nicholas and Wilhelm II were in turn second cousins once-removed, as each descended from King Frederick William III of Prussia, as well as third cousins, as they were both great-great-grandsons of Tsar Paul I of Russia. In addition to being second cousins through descent from Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and his wife Princess Wilhelmine of Baden, Nicholas and Alexandra were also third cousins once-removed, as they were both descendants of King Frederick William II of Prussia.

DJ, Western royals also had lots of investments in Russian railways, oil...All getting nationalized in the bolsjevik revolution...

Since Germany did enable Lenin to start the Russian revolution [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin#February_Revolution_and_the_July_Days:_1917[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin#February_Revolution_and_the_July_Days:_1917He decided to return to Russia to take charge of the Bolsheviks but found that most passages into the country were blocked due to the ongoing conflict. He organised a plan with other dissidents to negotiate a passage for them through Germany, with whom Russia was then at war. Recognising that these dissidents could cause problems for their Russian enemies, the German government agreed to permit 32 Russian citizens to travel in a sealed train carriage through their territory, among them Lenin and his wife.[129] The group travelled by train from Zürich to Sassnitz, proceeding by ferry to Trelleborg, Sweden, and from there to the HaparandaTornio border crossing and then to Helsinki before taking the final train to Petrograd in disguise.[130]

So Germany started the problem...Germany had to solve the proble...[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_career_of_Adolf_Hitler#Army_intelligence_agent[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_career_of_Adolf_Hitler#Army_intelligence_agent

In May 1919 Karl Mayr became commander of the 6th Battalion of the guards regiment in Munich and from 30 May as head of the "Education and Propaganda Department" (Dept Ib/P) of the Bavarian Reichswehr, Headquarters 4.[36] In this capacity as head of the intelligence department, Mayr recruited Hitler as an undercover agent in early June 1919. Under Captain Mayr, "national thinking" courses were arranged at the Reichswehrlager Lechfeld near Augsburg,[36] with Hitler attending from 10–19 July. During this time Hitler so impressed Mayr that he assigned him to an anti-bolshevik "educational commando" as 1 of 26 instructors in the summer of 1919.[37][38][39][A 7]

As an appointed Verbindungsmann (intelligence agent) of an Aufklärungskommando (reconnaissance commando) of the Reichswehr, Hitler's job was to influence other soldiers and to infiltrate the German Workers' Party (DAP). While monitoring the activities of the DAP, Hitler became attracted to the founder Anton Drexler's antisemitic, nationalist, anti-capitalist, and anti-Marxist ideas.[40] Impressed with Hitler's oratory skills, Drexler invited him to join the DAP, which Hitler did on 12 September 1919.[41]

DJ (as a side line [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Mayr[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Mayr

Captain Karl Mayr (5 January 1883 – 9 February 1945) was a German General Staff officer and Adolf Hitler's immediate superior in an army Intelligence Division in the Reichswehr, 1919–1920. Mayr was particularly known as the man who introduced Hitler to politics. In 1919, Mayr directed Hitler to write the Gemlich letter, in which Hitler first expressed his anti-semitic views in writing.[1][2]

Mayr later became Hitler's opponent, and wrote in his memoirs that General Erich Ludendorff had personally ordered him to have Hitler join the German Workers' Party (DAP) and build it up.[3] As far as it is known, his last rank was major. In 1933, he fled to France after the Nazis came to national power. Mayr was tracked down by the Gestapo, arrested, imprisoned, and later murdered at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in 1945.

A fact-based portrayal of Mayr is dramatized in the 2002 film Max, a fictional account of Hitler's life in Munich just prior to joining the German Workers' Party.

)

A part of re-written history is nazi-germany as a western tool to end the Soviet Union....hitler came to power in 1933 (never had a majority of German votes...most of the support from the catholic south part of Germany...his party nsdap was part of a coalition - still that coalition let Dachau happen...first concentration camp for communists, socialists, trade union members...).

Also important [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Br%C3%BCning_administration[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#Br%C3%BCning_administration ...the crash of 1929 did boost nazism...(hitler Time men-of-the-year 1938...not very welcome to remember...how you can learn from history if you denie history ?)

Linking nato with nazi's [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Heusinger[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Heusinger is one of the persons...wanted in the Soviet Union for warcrimes he did get a very high position in NATO...[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnez-Truppe[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnez-Truppe 

Another leading person was Dutch...[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Luns#Early_life[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Luns#Early_life

Like his father, Luns demonstrated a preference for conservative and authoritarian political parties and an interest in international politics. As a young student he positioned himself on the political right, favouring a strong authority for the state and being of the opinion that socialism, because of its idealistic ideology, had fostered the rise of fascism and nazism.[4] Luns joined the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) in 1933 and left three years later but when questioned about it in later years, never admitted that it might have been "a youthful misjudgment".[5]

His choice for a diplomatic career was inspired by his father. He joined the Dutch Diplomatic Service in 1938 and, after a two-year assignment at the Private Office of the Foreign Minister, was appointed as attaché in Bern (Switzerland) in 1940. In late 1941, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal. In both countries, he was involved in assistance to Dutch refugees, political espionage and counterintelligence. In 1943, he was transferred to the Dutch embassy in London.

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Luns was more successful in the normalisation of the bilateral relations with West Germany. Luns shared Dutch public opinion in demanding that Germany recognise the damage it had caused during the Second World War, and so a mea culpa required. He demanded that before any negotiations on other bilateral disputes could start, the amount of damages to be paid to Dutch war victims had to be agreed upon. During the final stages of the negotiations on bilateral disputes between the two countries, Luns decided to come to an arrangement with his German colleague on his own accord. He made concessions and so the Dutch parliament threatened not to ratify the agreement. With the full support of the government however, Luns was able to overcome the crisis.[9]

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In 1971, Luns was appointed as NATO Secretary-General. At the time of his appointment, public protests against American policies in Vietnam were vehement throughout Western Europe and among European politicians the credibility of the American nuclear protection was in doubt. Though there were initial doubts about his skills for the job he soon proved that he was capable of managing the alliance in crisis. 

DJ [url]https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velser_Affaire[/url] or https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velser_Affaire like many other governments the NL government did not only fight germany during world war two...they also did fight communism-even when those people themselves were fighting the nazi-occupation...(When the germans moved in Dutch police gave all the info they had on communists to the germans...In civil administration the germans had no problem to find out where Jews lived...it was all in the administration...). 

It goes to far to write all of the links between nazism, nazi's and nato...Most military serving NATO will be anti nazi ! Not aware of the historic links....

But NATO history is "as rotten as dead fish"....now again moving east we have to get rid of NATO !!! 

Just my opinion...hope I do not get banned or blocked for sharing it...do not get shot for having that opinion...

The west has gone crazy...again...

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
~Albert Einstein
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2022 at 1:46am

Ukraine war: Kremlin adviser is shocked by Putin’s actions, and cannot understand logic of Ukraine invasion

‘My advice today, given the situation on the ground, would be to turn a ceasefire into the top priority. We have to stop the conflict.’ says foreign policy analyst Andrey Kortunov

https://inews.co.uk/news/ukraine-war-russia-kremlin-adviser-putin-actions-invasions-1493128

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2022 at 3:25am

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian rouble slid to new record lows against the dollar and euro on Thursday, after ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's downgraded Russia's sovereign debt to "junk" status.

At 1012 GMT, the rouble was more than 9% weaker against the dollar at 116.8 and down almost 8% against the euro at 125.1 on the Moscow Exchange, marking the first time the rouble has traded weaker than 110 to the dollar in Moscow and the first time it has breached 123 to the euro.

The Russian central bank imposed a 30% commission on foreign currency purchases by individuals on currency exchanges - a move brokers said appeared designed to curb demand for dollars - but that did little to halt the rouble's slide.


The finance ministry said it was halting purchases of foreign currency and gold this year as part of a suspension of parts of its fiscal rule - a move also aimed at easing pressure on the rouble.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2022 at 3:29am

World’s largest shipping companies suspend bookings to and from Russia

  • Shipping giants including Switzerland-based MSC, Denmark’s Maersk and France’s CMA CGM all announced on Tuesday that they would halt cargo bookings to and from Russia until further notice.
  • The move exempted deliveries of essential supplies, such as food, medical equipment and humanitarian goods.
  • The confluence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the barrage of punitive Western sanctions has triggered a mass corporate exodus from Moscow.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dutch Josh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2022 at 5:14am

[url]https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/03/disarming-ukraine-day-7.html#comments[/url] or https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/03/disarming-ukraine-day-7.html#comments ;

Emergency statement of the official representative of the People's Militia of the DPR at 15.30 02.03.2022

According to operational information received in the city of Mariupol, on the territory of the Azov-Stal plant, the commander of a separate special forces detachment "Azov" of 12 armored units of the National Guard of Ukraine is preparing for a mass provocation with the death of civilians. For this purpose, the civilian population is brought into the territory of the Azov-Steel plant, which is placed in mined workshops and office premises. Military equipment is placed in the courtyard of the enterprise. In the event of a breakthrough in the defense of the city of Mariupol by units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the nationalists plan to blow up the plant's buildings, with further accusation of the Russian side of destroying civilians and civilian infrastructure with artillery fire.

In the basement and premises of school No. 34 on 17 Gastelo Street, more than 60 civilians are forcibly detained, of which more than half are women and children. All civilians who tried to leave the city through the provided humanitarian corridors are forcibly brought to the school. According to information from the teachers of the Priazov State Technical University, located along Universitetskaya Street, 7, militants from the Azov unit began to mine the building, as well as the approaches to it with controlled explosive devices.

DJ...a western false flag....So far "media" has show themselves to be going for the most crazy stories...most likely only will get worse....

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2022 at 6:20am

Russian intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, has plans to conduct public executions in 🇺🇦 after cities are captured, according to a European intelligence official - Bloomberg

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2022 at 6:23am
EU says it is picking up signs Russia may bring in martial law - Reuters http://dlvr.it/SL0Kwl

Russia likely to impose martial law on Friday according to this. Today they passed a law with a punishment of 15 years for anyone writing "wrong" (the truth) about the war. It's already a police state. Domestic crackdown coming.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ksc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 03 2022 at 6:50am


PUTIN TOLD MACRON HE WAS FIGHTING AGAINST A NEO-NAZI REGIME, DENIED HE WAS HITTING CIVILIANS IN UKRAINE, DENIED BOMBING KYIV - FRENCH OFFICIAL MACRON REPLIED TO PUTIN HE WAS MAKING A "MAJOR MISTAKE" ABOUT UKRAINE AND ITS PRESIDENT - FRENCH OFFICIAL

MACRON TOLD PUTIN UKRAINE WAS NOT A NAZI REGIME, THAT PUTIN WAS DELUDING HIMSELF AND NOT DESCRIBING REALITY  MACRON TOLD PUTIN WHAT YOU'RE DOING WILL COST YOUR COUNTRY DEARLY, RUSSIA WILL BE ISOLATED, WEAKENED AND UNDER SANCTIONS FOR A VERY LONG PERIOD - FRENCH OFFICIAL 

THERE WAS NOTHING REASSURING IN WHAT PUTIN TOLD MACRON, PUTIN SHOWED HIS DETERMINATION TO CARRY ON OPERATIONS - FRENCH OFFICIAL MACRON THEN SPOKE TO UKRAINE'S ZELENSKIY WHO TOLD HIM UKRAINE WILL NOT SURRENDER, THAT NEGOTIATIONS CAN'T BE HELD WITH GUN TO HIS HEAD - FRNCH OFFICIAL 

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