The Future of American Warfare Is Unfolding in Ukraine
Aid to Ukrainian forces is achieving more than the long U.S. intervention in Afghanistan did.

By Phillips Payson O’Brien for the Atlantic
...
America’s failure in Afghanistan, by contrast, seemed so complete in 2021 that it may have encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The American response to this year’s crisis—providing a high level of military support without deploying American forces—is not just the best way to help Ukraine secure its independence and thwart Putin. It also offers a model for how the U.S. should define its international military involvement.
...
Although the decline of U.S. power has been significantly overstated in some quarters, America’s economic decline relative to the rest of the world is real. Economic strength and technological strength have become more dispersed around the globe, and over time military strength is likely to follow the same pattern. This is one reason avoiding boots-on-the-ground interventions will become ever more of an imperative.

#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
It is amazing how that American analyst may found moral grounds for fighting until the last Ukrainian in the interests of the USA. Masterclass in hypocrisy and double standards... Actually, he is not even arguing, just assuming that what is good for the American elites is universally good and worth dying for (for somebody else). What a naïve primordial selfishness!
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Global Economy Out of West’s Control, Professor Fabio Massimo Parenti Tells RT

As the EU challenges China for refusing to sanction Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, we hear from Fabio Massimo Parenti, an associate professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, who says Moscow and Beijing are emerging powers that are transforming the global economy.

RT
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NASA has banned China from cooperating on the International Space Station

Therefore, China has built its own Tiangong Space Station.

Now the US is saying that China is threatening America by having its own space station.

Something must be done with this unscrupulous, tightly closed country. And I'm not talking about China right now.

imsindi_z
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Putin – Scholz: strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure were "inevitable"

The conversation between President Putin and Chancellor Scholz, which took place for the first time since September, caused an explosion of emotions among Figaro readers. The general conclusion is this: Ukraine's strikes on Crimea caused Russia's retaliatory actions. Nevertheless, everything that is happening is trouble and madness. But they have been brought closer by the collective West for more than one year.

Vva22
Without the USA, we would have behaved smarter. After all, Europe's real interest is in appeasement, in having normal relations with all its neighbors... Proof that Europe had more peaceful intentions than the United States is the fact that it was French President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel who helped formulate and guarantee the Minsk agreements. But the Ukrainian authorities, who were "under the influence" of the Americans, did not make the slightest effort to fulfill these very Minsk agreements. And so, this winter Ukrainians will die of cold, and we, Europeans, will pay 8 times more for Russian gas, for American shale LNG.

Mens sana
It seems that for Putin, an acceptable condition for negotiations is only the unconditional surrender of Ukraine. And all Putinists adhere to the same line.

LUCA COSTA
Do you expect the Russians to be calmly joking and joking about the prospect of the appearance of even "informal" NATO bases with Tomahawk missiles at a distance of 500 kilometers from Moscow? Strategy is a cruel thing. And you, with your alleged naivety in the style of Bernard-Henri Levy, make me laugh, and nothing more.
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Jihad of Dagestan Muvvahids will continue until not one SALOfite is left alive. Inshallah.

🇪🇺 Ursula gives out pearls again:

"The EU agreement on limiting oil prices will significantly reduce Russia's revenues. This will help us stabilize global energy prices, which will benefit developing economies around the world."...OPEC+ is about to have meeting soon on this matter.
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Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto: "The European Union is introducing a ceiling on oil prices. However, it's time for Brussels to realize that this and similar measures harm the European economy the most. An increase in the number of energy carriers is necessary, because this would lower prices. During negotiations on a price ceiling for oil, we fought a lot for Hungarian interests and in the end we succeeded: Hungary was exempted from the application of the oil price ceiling."
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Macron - promises the French power cuts, but persuades not to panic: No need to panic. Panic does not help, and it is groundless. The government is working to prepare as a last resort if a power outage of several hours is required. It is right to prepare in advance, because experience shows that sometimes the unbelievable comes true. But I tell you with all responsibility that if we all follow the rules of “energy sobriety” and reduce consumption by 10%, we can safely go through the winter period even in the case of very cold December and January. It's up to us. My message is to act responsibly and never panic."

- Are you serious? Have you been to America to bring this advice to your country and voters?
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Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas: "At the moment, we are in a situation where there is not enough electricity in the entire region. One of the reasons is that 1000 megawatts of electricity are no longer coming from Russia, so much is not enough. Estonia's problem is that we still we consume as much electricity as if we don't have these problems. In the short term, we have two options — power outages or savings. I'm not scaring anyone, I'm stating the fact that we need to reduce consumption. If we don't, then we should be forced to produce regional blackouts for several hours. So I really urge everyone to consume wisely."

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The feat of a Russian soldier.

After a truck with ammunition caught fire as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a Russian fighter jumped into the burning cabin and drove him away from the house where his comrades had taken refuge.

The feat of an ordinary soldier caught on a drone camera.

"Stronghold"

Sorry, Russia's Winning the War

by James Rickards for The Daily Reckoning

Here’s the mainstream narrative:The status of the war in Ukraine is best understood as a competition between the narrative and reality. The narrative consists of what you hear from mainstream media, the White House, the Pentagon and official sources in the U.K., France, Germany and both EU and NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The reality consists of what’s actually going on based on the best available sources. Let’s consider the narrative first.

According to the White House, EU and NATO, things are going relatively well for Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have advanced in eastern Ukraine along a line that runs parallel to the Russian fortified lines between Donetsk and Luhansk.

Ukraine has also reoccupied the regional capital of Kherson, which lies strategically on the Dnieper River, and is Kyiv’s main access to the Black Sea and international trade.

Based on these advances, the narrative says that Russia is in retreat, Russian troops are demoralized, Putin is in jeopardy of being replaced and complete victory for Ukraine is just a matter of time.

The narrative is then used as a basis for increased financial aid from the United States (over $60 billion and growing) and increased weapons shipments from NATO members. President Zelenskyy touts these accomplishments in his customary green T-shirt on video presentations to the U.N., G20 and other international audiences.

Here’s the reality…

The actual situation on the battlefield is almost completely at odds with the narrative. Ukraine did make advances in the east, but they were against lightly defended Russian positions on or near open terrain.

The Russians organized an orderly retreat to fortified lines and let the Ukrainians have the open land. Russia withdrew from Kherson because they regarded it as a nonstrategic salient.

They withdrew to the east bank of the Dnieper River while allowing Ukrainian troops to reoccupy the center of Kherson. Russia avoided a fight over a city of little strategic value while retaining a chokehold on river traffic from the east bank. Russia regarded Kherson as a nonstrategic salient.

The Russians withdrew to the east bank of the Dnieper River while allowing Ukrainian troops to reoccupy the center of Kherson. Russia avoided a fight over a city of little strategic value while retaining a chokehold on river traffic from the east bank.

The Russians essentially organized an orderly retreat to fortified lines and let the Ukrainians have the open land, which will become a killing field for Russian artillery.

Even with that withdrawal, almost all the industrial, technological and natural resource capacity of former Ukraine is in the Donbas now under Russian control.

In the meantime, Russia is now preparing to launch a massive counteroffensive. Russia has completed its 300,000-person mobilization. Over 180,000 of those troops are now deployed behind Russian lines in combat formations. The remaining 120,000 troops will arrive soon. This brings total Russian strength up to about 30 divisions.

They are being supplemented with Iranian drones, a major force multiplier. The major objectives of this counteroffensive are Kharkiv in the northeast, Odesa in the southwest, and Zaporizhzhia in the center part of the country on the Dnieper River.

Completion of these missions will give Russia control of the entire coast from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. It will also give Russia control of the Dnieper River and the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Russia will incorporate all of this territory into the Russian Federation and will likely move further into Moldova to reunite with a pro-Russian corridor called Transnistria with its capital in Tiraspol. At that point, Russian strategic objectives will be complete. Ukraine will be left as a rump state between Kyiv and Lviv.

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Continuation from above ⬆️⬆️⬆️
Ukrainian officials are preparing for a brutal winter ahead by evacuating civilians from cities likely to be the scene of new battles with Russian troops. These Ukrainian expectations seem at odds with the mainstream narrative of victorious Ukrainians on the offensive against demoralized Russian troops.

Meanwhile, AFU strength has been greatly diminished due to high casualty rates. Meanwhile, advanced weapons supplied to the AFU will be of little use because the AFU has not been trained to use them and there are logistical obstacles to moving them to the front lines.

Many so-called Ukrainian troops are actually Polish forces in Ukrainian uniforms. Again, Russian forces are well-rested and well-supplied, and are being supplemented with Iranian drones, a major force multiplier.

The economic impact of these developments is momentous. Biden has vowed that the sanctions will not be lifted until Russia leaves Ukraine. But Russia is not leaving. This implies that sanctions will continue indefinitely.

The sanctions have had little economic impact on Russia. But the effect on Europe and the U.S. has been devastating including energy shortages, inflation and supply chain disruption. These effects will persist and cause the EU and U.S. to fall into a severe recession in the first half of 2023.

These effects will persist and cause the EU and U.S. to fall into a severe recession in the first half of 2023.

The dollar will remain strong for reasons independent of the war in Ukraine, having to do with a growing global liquidity crisis. Stocks will fall significantly due to recessionary conditions.

Bonds will perform well as interest rates decline alongside economic decline. Gold will remain strong as more countries look for ways to avoid U.S. economic sanctions and as central banks diversify away from dollars toward gold.

Brace yourself for more volatility as we head toward the winter months. Moving cash to the sidelines is a prudent thing to do.

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An action was held in Tel Aviv in memory of the children who died due to the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass.

It is noted that the protesters protested against the policy of Kyiv and honored the memory of the dead children. It was organized by the public association "Israeli Anti-Nazi Front".

People came with the flags of Russia, DPR and LPR, Israel, brought candles and children's toys. The organizers prepared stands and posters with photos of children killed in Donbass and information about the conflict in the region.

Časopis argument (Czech Republic): The ultra-nationalist Ukrainian regime, 2022

quote:
Awarding the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought: "the brave Ukrainian people represented by Volodymyr Zelensky" is like a punch in the face...

It is crazy that although today the Ukrainian liberals are in fierce opposition* to Zelensky, our progressives and all Western and EU liberals support the ultra-nationalist Ukrainian regime instead.
...
remember the year 2015, when the parliament voted on a special status for Donetsk and Lugansk (as required by the Minsk I), while a supporter of the Ukrainian fascist party Svoboda tossed a grenade between policemen – the result was four dead and dozens injured as a result.
...
After the Maidan, democracy did not become stronger, but the ultra-right and the oligarchy did.
...
In Ukraine we see an absurd mixture of ultra-nationalism, neoliberalism and Atlanticism as a coalition of pro-European attitudes.

*There is no opposition:
The Guardian:Ukraine bans 11 political parties 2022

#TransFormatorBuzzes : 💤
Edward Snowden took the oath and received Russian citizenship. And now he lives safely in Russia.
Julian Assange did not take the oath and did not go to Russia to obtain Russian citizenship. And now he is rotting in a British prison expecting extradition to the US.
Choose right.

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🇷🇺🇧🇾 Russian Defence Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu meets President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksander Lukaskenko

@mod_russia_en

Ukraine is preparing a provocation to disrupt the transit of Russian ammonia from Togliatti to Odessa

MOSCOW, December 4 - RIA Novosti. The Kiev regime is preparing a provocation to disrupt the UN initiative to resume the transit of ammonia through the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline, a military-diplomatic source told RIA Novosti.
According to him, it is planned to arrange explosions on the domed roofs of ammonia storage facilities on the territory of the Odessa port plant in order to destroy suspended ceilings, as well as the infrastructure of the reloading shop. All this is supposed to be presented under the legend of a missile strike allegedly inflicted by the Russian army.

"The provocation was planned and is being implemented under the control of representatives of the British special services located in Odessa. Contract soldiers of the Canadian PMC GardaWorld are also involved in the implementation of this provocation, who, under an agreement with the Ukrainian seaports administration, perform the functions of protecting the port infrastructure in the Odessa region," the agency's interlocutor said.
He added that the main goal of the provocation, by analogy with the sabotage at Nord Stream, would be to deprive Russia of the opportunity to supply ammonia, which is necessary for the production of nitrogen fertilizers, to various regions of the world, primarily to developing countries.
"The planned destruction of storage facilities for ammonia in Odessa will lead to a further increase in its value on the world market. This will increase the volume, as well as the profitability of the production and export of ammonia by UK and US enterprises to the European Union and developing countries in the face of high natural gas prices," he said.
The Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline was built in the late 1970s. About 2.5 million tons of raw materials are pumped through it annually. Since February 24, after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the transit was stopped.
The resumption of exports of Russian fertilizers is provided for by the grain deal signed by representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN at the end of July. This week, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths called it close to reaching an agreement to resume supplies of ammonia, which could begin within a week or two.

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Ukraine aid and stealth bombers: Pentagon lays out consequences if Congress can’t pass a budget deal
A yearlong continuing resolution would hit weapons programs across the board, an internal document says.

By LARA SELIGMAN for POLITICO
...
A yearlong continuing resolution, or CR, would slash funding for DoD by $29 billion, or 3.7 percent, compared to President Joe Biden’s request for fiscal 2023, according to conversations with senior DoD officials and internal documents exclusively obtained by POLITICO.

Operating under a short-term spending bill is nothing new to the Pentagon, which has seen CRs 13 out of the last 14 years. Every year, DoD leaders warn that the stopgap measure — which limits funding to the previous year’s levels and bars the department from starting most new programs — erodes military readiness and puts key programs at risk. It’s a common tactic to pressure lawmakers to come to an agreement before any significant damage is done, and it’s typically successful.

But this year is different, officials said: A longer, one-year CR would be a major crisis for DoD.
...
In that case, McCord said his top priorities would be the nuclear triad, particularly the B-21, hypersonic programs, and potentially a multiyear contract for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. In addition, DoD would have to “look hard” at industrial base concerns for munitions needed for the Ukraine conflict and a possible Indo-Pacific contingency, he said.

Senior DoD officials are also concerned that a yearlong CR could halt military aid to Ukraine that comes from the department’s base budget, including replacing munitions expended in the fight. The bulk of the funding for Ukraine has been through supplemental funding bills, which could be attached to a CR. But if lawmakers can’t get a deal on a funding bill or a Ukraine supplemental, DoD will run out of money for Kyiv in the spring, McCord said.

“Ukraine is in a kinetic fight, and we are their No. 1 helper,” McCord said. “If they run out of ammo, they’re in a bad place.”

A yearlong CR could also delay industrial base improvements for several key systems, including the Abrams tank and the M777 towed howitzer, which is among the weapons the U.S. military is donating to Ukraine.

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Dump of elements of the hull of used rockets in Kharkov

https://t.me/infantmilitario/88721



@Slavyangrad
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#RussianHistory

➖ The Brandenburg Gate Ballerina - The Ukrainian Soviet soldier who became a WW2 star.

➖ Lydia Spivak join the Red army after the liberation of her village in Donetsk Oblast and reached Berlin with the liberators Army, she spent the rest of her life as a teacher of Ukrainan Language in her native Donetsk. (Yes, a teacher of Ukrainian language, contrary to the Nazi propaganda spread in the west today, in the USSR Ukrainian culture was promoted in schools).

https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses
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