Forwarded from Slavyangrad (Commissar Baron von Münchhausen)
Sanctions against "pro-Russians," former Swiss colonel Baud: "The Albanese method applied to me" - By Lorenzo Giarelli
How do you find out you can no longer travel freely? Or use credit cards? Not because of a criminal conviction, but because of ten lines in a European Commission statement that defines as dangerous, and therefore sanctions, certain people accused of promoting Putin's Russia. This is the story of Jacques Baud, a former Swiss colonel who worked for the United Nations and NATO, and who was sanctioned by the EU a couple of weeks ago for being deemed pro-Russian.
Jacques Baud, how did you find out the EU had sanctioned you?
"I found out because a journalist told me on Friday, December 12th. The sanctions were published on Monday the 15th and have been in effect since then. No one from the European Union called me. I'm Swiss but live in Belgium, so I tried to contact my embassy, but I didn't get a response. I haven't heard anything from Switzerland either."
In In Italy, we had the experience of Francesca Albanese, who ended up under US sanctions. What happens to those under sanctions?
"I can't use the bank accounts I have in Belgium, I can't buy anything or withdraw money. I can't leave Belgium. Or rather: I could return to Switzerland, because it's allowed to return to one's country, but I have my family and my home here, and so a paradox is created: in Switzerland, I could have access to the money I have there, but then I'd have to stay there without leaving. Here in Belgium, I have a home and family, but no money."
Did you expect to be punished?
"No, also because these types of sanctions are usually designed for those who live outside the EU."
You've announced an appeal, but what will you do in the meantime?
"Perhaps I'll ask for access to a humanitarian measure that at least allows me to have the money I need for daily life. I'll have to apply to a registry in Belgium."
Do you support Putin?
"I don't defend any cause; it's about having the most honest and objective reading of conflicts possible. They tell me I'm a A propagandist, but I did everything I could to avoid being accused. Over the past four years, Russian media outlets have contacted me many times, such as Sputnik, but I have always refused interviews. Sometimes Russian media outlets report my thoughts, but I'm not the one who spoke to them."
Did you take money from the Russians?
"Absolutely not, I've never received a ruble. I was in Russia long before the conflict, when I participated in bilateral discussions between Switzerland and the Kremlin. If anything, I was in Ukraine after 2014, partly because I was the only Swiss with a NATO assignment and therefore participated in several missions."
Are you concerned about the climate of censorship in Europe?
"It's an attack on free expression, and it's interesting that it's growing now. The situation in Europe has worsened, there are internal divisions, and many countries are starting to criticize von der Leyen's stance. Therefore, they are very wary of anything that could destabilize."
Do you think the war is almost over?
"I don't know how it will end, but I hope for these talks. of the negotiations. But whatever the outcome, it will be in Russia's favor, whether you like it or not, whether Europe likes it or not. The reality of the ground is the reality of the ground. The illusion that Russia could lose is over; perhaps it only persists in the minds of Kallas and von der Leyen. This explains their relentlessness; they feel threatened by comments and analyses, they hunt for disinformation."
But Europe has always prided itself on defending freedoms. Isn't that the case anymore?
"The other day, a German journalist told me he could understand my situation, because he's originally from East Germany. I replied that it's worse here, because in East Germany they at least gave you a few days' notice before taking everything away from you. I was sanctioned with ten lines of explanation and without any deadline for something I didn't do."
@Slavyangrad
How do you find out you can no longer travel freely? Or use credit cards? Not because of a criminal conviction, but because of ten lines in a European Commission statement that defines as dangerous, and therefore sanctions, certain people accused of promoting Putin's Russia. This is the story of Jacques Baud, a former Swiss colonel who worked for the United Nations and NATO, and who was sanctioned by the EU a couple of weeks ago for being deemed pro-Russian.
Jacques Baud, how did you find out the EU had sanctioned you?
"I found out because a journalist told me on Friday, December 12th. The sanctions were published on Monday the 15th and have been in effect since then. No one from the European Union called me. I'm Swiss but live in Belgium, so I tried to contact my embassy, but I didn't get a response. I haven't heard anything from Switzerland either."
In In Italy, we had the experience of Francesca Albanese, who ended up under US sanctions. What happens to those under sanctions?
"I can't use the bank accounts I have in Belgium, I can't buy anything or withdraw money. I can't leave Belgium. Or rather: I could return to Switzerland, because it's allowed to return to one's country, but I have my family and my home here, and so a paradox is created: in Switzerland, I could have access to the money I have there, but then I'd have to stay there without leaving. Here in Belgium, I have a home and family, but no money."
Did you expect to be punished?
"No, also because these types of sanctions are usually designed for those who live outside the EU."
You've announced an appeal, but what will you do in the meantime?
"Perhaps I'll ask for access to a humanitarian measure that at least allows me to have the money I need for daily life. I'll have to apply to a registry in Belgium."
Do you support Putin?
"I don't defend any cause; it's about having the most honest and objective reading of conflicts possible. They tell me I'm a A propagandist, but I did everything I could to avoid being accused. Over the past four years, Russian media outlets have contacted me many times, such as Sputnik, but I have always refused interviews. Sometimes Russian media outlets report my thoughts, but I'm not the one who spoke to them."
Did you take money from the Russians?
"Absolutely not, I've never received a ruble. I was in Russia long before the conflict, when I participated in bilateral discussions between Switzerland and the Kremlin. If anything, I was in Ukraine after 2014, partly because I was the only Swiss with a NATO assignment and therefore participated in several missions."
Are you concerned about the climate of censorship in Europe?
"It's an attack on free expression, and it's interesting that it's growing now. The situation in Europe has worsened, there are internal divisions, and many countries are starting to criticize von der Leyen's stance. Therefore, they are very wary of anything that could destabilize."
Do you think the war is almost over?
"I don't know how it will end, but I hope for these talks. of the negotiations. But whatever the outcome, it will be in Russia's favor, whether you like it or not, whether Europe likes it or not. The reality of the ground is the reality of the ground. The illusion that Russia could lose is over; perhaps it only persists in the minds of Kallas and von der Leyen. This explains their relentlessness; they feel threatened by comments and analyses, they hunt for disinformation."
But Europe has always prided itself on defending freedoms. Isn't that the case anymore?
"The other day, a German journalist told me he could understand my situation, because he's originally from East Germany. I replied that it's worse here, because in East Germany they at least gave you a few days' notice before taking everything away from you. I was sanctioned with ten lines of explanation and without any deadline for something I didn't do."
@Slavyangrad
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Forwarded from East Calling (Zinderneuf)
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Costumes for Zelensky, Ursula von der Leyen, and Macron:
AI reached Santa-Trump with gifts
Source
🌒 @EastCalling
AI reached Santa-Trump with gifts
Source
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Forwarded from Intel Slava
Tomorrow, a meeting between Trump and Zelensky is expected in Florida, as well as a video call with European leaders.
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Forwarded from Tim Kirby Russia Hardcore
Guys if I every just make blanket bold declarations as a form of political argument, please point it out because that is when senility has set in.
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Forwarded from DONBASS NEWS
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Forwarded from Stas Was There...In English (Станислав)
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Forwarded from Xoaquin Flores - New Resistance
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💢 Zelensky wants to dictate 'RED LINES' to Russia
'Territories and the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant'
Brazenly states he’ll REFUSE to 'legally recognize anything under any circumstances' - [RT]
[ ❗️Zelensky is cornered and the fake news campaign is in collapse, as we approach tomorrow's media hyped Mar a Lago meeting with Trump - XF]
Subscribe @NewResistance
'Territories and the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant'
Brazenly states he’ll REFUSE to 'legally recognize anything under any circumstances' - [RT]
[ ❗️Zelensky is cornered and the fake news campaign is in collapse, as we approach tomorrow's media hyped Mar a Lago meeting with Trump - XF]
Subscribe @NewResistance
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Forwarded from TRN
📚 A font designed for people with ADHD has gone viral online — it allows readers to get through books several times faster.
The trick is that the first letters and syllables are highlighted, helping the brain predict the word without reading it in full. As a result, books can be devoured almost effortlessly, without losing the meaning of the text 🧠⚡️
It works on PCs and computer-based e-readers — definitely worth trying.
Original Post
Join @TranslatedRussianNews
The trick is that the first letters and syllables are highlighted, helping the brain predict the word without reading it in full. As a result, books can be devoured almost effortlessly, without losing the meaning of the text 🧠⚡️
It works on PCs and computer-based e-readers — definitely worth trying.
Original Post
Join @TranslatedRussianNews
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Forwarded from Slavyangrad (Andrei)
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Putin:
The liberation of Dimitrov and Gulyaypole are important results of combat operations. As for Dimitrov, this is a significant step towards the full liberation of the DPR. Gulyaypole, the second-largest city in the Zaporozhye region, and after its liberation, good prospects for the development of the offensive in the Zaporozhye region are opening up. I congratulate all of you on these results.
@Slavyangrad
The liberation of Dimitrov and Gulyaypole are important results of combat operations. As for Dimitrov, this is a significant step towards the full liberation of the DPR. Gulyaypole, the second-largest city in the Zaporozhye region, and after its liberation, good prospects for the development of the offensive in the Zaporozhye region are opening up. I congratulate all of you on these results.
@Slavyangrad
❤10
Forwarded from East Calling (Zinderneuf)
The Washington Post writes,
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Washington has offered to “provide Ukraine with ‘Article 5-like’ guarantees” as part of a deal to end the war. “If Russia invades Ukraine, a coordinated military response will be launched,” he said. Though some of the details remain vague, the invocation of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, NATO’s founding document, suggests that the United States would treat a future Russian attack on Ukraine as an attack on itself and respond accordingly, including possibly with the direct deployment of U.S. military forces. According to the terms under discussion, this guarantee would be ratified by the Senate and made legally binding.
But those celebrating this turn of events should hold off on the champagne toasts. There’s a problem with the emerging plan: It promises too much.
...
First is the complicated question of credibility. If putting U.S. boots on the ground in Ukraine was necessary to protect vital U.S. interests, they would have been there years ago. Instead, three successive presidents — Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump — have declined to send American soldiers to defend Ukraine, a clear indication that they assess the U.S. stakes to be too low to warrant the costs and risks of war with the possessor of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.
Advocates of extending an Article 5-style security guarantee to Ukraine claim that it is the lack of a treaty commitment that has kept U.S. forces at home. Historical evidence suggests otherwise: The U.S. has never hesitated to deploy its military abroad when it perceives a direct threat to U.S. interests. The U.S. did not have a formal security treaty with Kuwait when it intervened to liberate the country from Iraqi invaders, nor did it have an obligation to defend South Korea when it sent troops there in 1950.
Any commitment made to Ukraine that obligates the U.S. to act differently in the future than it has in the past would be a promise of questionable value for deterring future Russian aggression. Proponents point out that Russia has thus far refrained from testing NATO. But prior U.S. unwillingness to fight for Ukraine colors any future commitments to do so. If Russian President Vladimir Putin perceives strategic gains from calling what he may see as a U.S. bluff, he just might do it.
Second, if the U.S. made an Article 5-type commitment to Ukraine and did not honor it, that would raise questions about the reliability of all similar U.S. guarantees, undermining the security and confidence of key allies in Europe and Asia. Even if Russia did not test the U.S. by invading Ukrainian territory for a third time, U.S. credibility would be badly damaged. If Washington extends one guarantee that it appears unlikely to uphold, allies and adversaries alike would have legitimate doubts about the strength and dependability of other U.S. commitments.
It is therefore counterintuitive that some NATO members are pushing hard for Ukraine to receive expansive security guarantees from the U.S.; their security would be undermined if Washington ultimately agrees to provide them. Still dependent on the U.S. military for their defense, European allies should fear anything that would weaken the credibility of NATO’s own Article 5 guarantee and its ability to deter potential Russian aggression.
The third and perhaps most important reason that Washington should refrain from offering Kyiv an Article 5-type commitment is the core reality of what that obligation implies: a readiness to go to war with Russia over Ukraine. While no U.S. security guarantee absolutely requires the deployment of U.S. military forces, if the U.S. were to make a similar commitment to Ukraine and deterrence were to fail, Washington would face significant political pressure to follow through by sending U.S. soldiers to the front line. At that point, the U.S. would be at war with Russia, an outcome that would include the potential for nuclear escalation.
🌒 @EastCalling
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Washington has offered to “provide Ukraine with ‘Article 5-like’ guarantees” as part of a deal to end the war. “If Russia invades Ukraine, a coordinated military response will be launched,” he said. Though some of the details remain vague, the invocation of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, NATO’s founding document, suggests that the United States would treat a future Russian attack on Ukraine as an attack on itself and respond accordingly, including possibly with the direct deployment of U.S. military forces. According to the terms under discussion, this guarantee would be ratified by the Senate and made legally binding.
But those celebrating this turn of events should hold off on the champagne toasts. There’s a problem with the emerging plan: It promises too much.
...
First is the complicated question of credibility. If putting U.S. boots on the ground in Ukraine was necessary to protect vital U.S. interests, they would have been there years ago. Instead, three successive presidents — Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump — have declined to send American soldiers to defend Ukraine, a clear indication that they assess the U.S. stakes to be too low to warrant the costs and risks of war with the possessor of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.
Advocates of extending an Article 5-style security guarantee to Ukraine claim that it is the lack of a treaty commitment that has kept U.S. forces at home. Historical evidence suggests otherwise: The U.S. has never hesitated to deploy its military abroad when it perceives a direct threat to U.S. interests. The U.S. did not have a formal security treaty with Kuwait when it intervened to liberate the country from Iraqi invaders, nor did it have an obligation to defend South Korea when it sent troops there in 1950.
Any commitment made to Ukraine that obligates the U.S. to act differently in the future than it has in the past would be a promise of questionable value for deterring future Russian aggression. Proponents point out that Russia has thus far refrained from testing NATO. But prior U.S. unwillingness to fight for Ukraine colors any future commitments to do so. If Russian President Vladimir Putin perceives strategic gains from calling what he may see as a U.S. bluff, he just might do it.
Second, if the U.S. made an Article 5-type commitment to Ukraine and did not honor it, that would raise questions about the reliability of all similar U.S. guarantees, undermining the security and confidence of key allies in Europe and Asia. Even if Russia did not test the U.S. by invading Ukrainian territory for a third time, U.S. credibility would be badly damaged. If Washington extends one guarantee that it appears unlikely to uphold, allies and adversaries alike would have legitimate doubts about the strength and dependability of other U.S. commitments.
It is therefore counterintuitive that some NATO members are pushing hard for Ukraine to receive expansive security guarantees from the U.S.; their security would be undermined if Washington ultimately agrees to provide them. Still dependent on the U.S. military for their defense, European allies should fear anything that would weaken the credibility of NATO’s own Article 5 guarantee and its ability to deter potential Russian aggression.
The third and perhaps most important reason that Washington should refrain from offering Kyiv an Article 5-type commitment is the core reality of what that obligation implies: a readiness to go to war with Russia over Ukraine. While no U.S. security guarantee absolutely requires the deployment of U.S. military forces, if the U.S. were to make a similar commitment to Ukraine and deterrence were to fail, Washington would face significant political pressure to follow through by sending U.S. soldiers to the front line. At that point, the U.S. would be at war with Russia, an outcome that would include the potential for nuclear escalation.
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🎙️Stan Filin shows the entire Forum and My Speech.🇺🇸🌎🇷🇺
https://youtu.be/-HXOTqo6XKE?si=zhvfOlaxD306ugEr
https://youtu.be/-HXOTqo6XKE?si=zhvfOlaxD306ugEr
YouTube
РОССИЯ ЗОВЁТ ИММИГРАНТОВ с ЗАПАДА? 2й Екатерининский Форум - @sfilinom #иммиграция
Россия говорит…. Мы новая мечта! Переезжайте к нам. 2й Екатерининский форум собрал самых интересных экспертов по переселению и переезду в Россию из США, Канады, Германии, Англии, Италии, Франции и много других стран. Но все ли так легко и просто? Нет конечно.…
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EXPAT American pinned «🎙️Stan Filin shows the entire Forum and My Speech.🇺🇸🌎🇷🇺 https://youtu.be/-HXOTqo6XKE?si=zhvfOlaxD306ugEr»