Holland on the 11 of March

More democracy in action.

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Oleg Tzarov comments that the police behaviour is very much different from the police acting in similar situation during numerous "unrests" in the post-Soviets space.
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American resources report that during a recent attack on Kyiv, Kinzhal/Dagger missiles hit a control centre with NATO officers, among whom there were killed and wounded.

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There are multiple reposts of this message, though what are those "American resources" nobody quotes... Could be a real "leak" or just a wishful thinking. However, the point is, that many people are really looking forward with anticipation to it. Nobody is afraid of further escalation with NATO, but many wants NATO officers' blood on Ukrainian soil. And you know, if you want something so strong for a certain time, it is likely to happen.
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Pope Francis: There is a third world war. Battlefield — Ukraine

Pope Francis believes that not only Russia is interested in the war in Ukraine.
He said this in an interview with the Swiss-Italian television and radio company RSI, which should be aired on March 12 (as reported by Risu.ua).

Some quotes from it were published on March 9 by the Italian Corriere della Sera.

As Pope Francis noted, there have been three world wars since the last century: 1914-1918, 1939-1945, and today's Russian-Ukrainian war, which he also considers "world war".

“It started bit by bit, and now no one can say that this is not a world war. All the great powers are drawn into it. The battlefield is Ukraine. Everyone is fighting there,” he said.

The pontiff added that this situation makes us think about the arms industry. “A war is being waged, old weapons are being sold, new ones are being tested. This is the market,” he explained.

The Pope also added that he was ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moreover, according to him, already on the second day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he came to the Russian Embassy at the Holy See, where he announced his readiness to go to Moscow. However, then the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov, refused him, noting that "now is not the time."

“I would speak to him as clearly as I speak in public. He is an educated person. Putin knows that I am available,” he said.

At the same time, the pontiff is confident that the war in Ukraine is being led not only by Russia's imperial interests.

“But there are imperial interests there, not only imperial interests of Russia, but also of other empires. It is natural for an empire to put nations second,” the Pope added.

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Russian tankers spoke about the use of T-90M "Proryv" ("Break-through") tanks in the direction of Kupyansk

This tank managed to prove itself as the best during the special operation.

"We are 100% confident in this tank," says the tanker nicknamed "Azer".

▪️Characteristics — mass 48 tons; power — 1130 horsepower; speed up to 70 km/h; range — 550 km; crew — 3 people.

"We are ready to meet with Western tanks," says the driver with the call sign "Big".
Text and footage from Anna-News
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"Controlled, limited and tactical withdrawal" becomes a "death road" for Ukrainians in Bakhmut/Artemovsk

Footage of the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the vicinity of Bakhmut is published by Ukrainian servicemen.

This happens with difficulty because of the spring thaw.

The only remaining supply routes — country roads — are constantly being barraged by the Russian artillery.

The rest of the routes in the vicinity of Bakhmut are under the fire control of the Russian army.
Translated from Anna-News
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The Foreseeable End of Ukraine
https://www.sott.net/article/478163-The-Foreseeable-End-of-Ukraine

Ukraine has become a victim of its own nationalism. In Soviet times, this was only kept under the surface in a makeshift manner, only to be vigorously fanned by American foundations soon after 1991, with an anti-Russian bias from the start. Today, Ukraine is a pseudo-state consumed by national hatred, which is no longer viable in its current form. If one wants to apply historical perspective, similarities with Czechoslovakia and Poland before the Second World War come to mind. Both countries proved incapable of getting along with their ethnic minorities in a sensible way.

—“We don’t want to die for Bandera!”
— “This is not our war!”
— “The Pole is the master in Poland!”
— “This is Poland, not Ukropol”

In Bydgoszcz, the Poles took to the streets against the actions of the Polish government to drag the country into the war for the sake of the US goals that ordinary Poles do not need.

Translated from RVvoenkor

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Life in the trenches. Ukrainian prospective.
Also an answer to those, who are asking about offensive/counteroffensive now.

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West will not give a quiet life to Russia's neighbours
RIA Novosti

Communist historiography loved the sonorous names inherited from the rhetoric of the Civil War. For example, "Young Soviet Republic in the fiery ring of fronts."

Now geopolitical terms are more in vogue: "Indirect actions on the enemy's periphery", as well as "Creating an arc of instability." All these actions are called the struggle for democracy on the territory of the former USSR.
The activation of peripheral actions began a year and a half before the official start of the current Ukrainian campaign. It began at the end of the summer of 2020 in Belarus, where, after the presidential elections, which expectedly renewed Lukashenko's mandate, with the active participation of Poland, there was a hiccup that lasted about six months. Lukashenko firmly defended his post, proceeding from the fact that concessions to the revolutionaries are disastrous — and the attack was repulsed, the opposition fled to Poland.

A new struggle for democracy has unfolded not in the northwest, but in the southeast. At the very beginning of 2022, Kazakhstan flared up, where the eastern specificity was revealed, that is, the great cruelty of the fighters. Alma-Ata was directly terrorized. The response was a pacifying special operation by the CSTO, which neither freedom fighters nor their Western sympathizers expected. And a year later, relations with Kazakhstan have difficulties, the United States puts pressure on President Tokayev with all their might, wanting to make this country completely unfriendly to Russia. Tokayev manoeuvres painfully, but, in any case, the complete victory of democracy, that is, the final inclusion of Kazakhstan in the American sphere of influence, has not yet happened.

Finally, at the beginning of this year, two more post-Soviet states, Moldova and Georgia, were placed on the altar of democracy.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu resolutely abandoned the previous policy of flirting with Russia and firmly took the European path, seeing as her goal the Anschluss of Moldova by Romania. Which could not but affect relations with Transnistria (and Gagauzia). Sandu is working to unfreeze the armed confrontation between Chisinau and Tiraspol, reasonably counting on the help of Kyiv, which has long professed the principle "the worse, the better." The recent bombing attempts on the leadership of the PMR (in the past, serving as a sufficient casus belli) now fit into European integration. As well as the tightening of the regime, the persecution of the opposition. Without this, there is no true democracy.

Finally, in Georgia, the government's attempt to adopt a law on the registration of foreign agents (generally copied from the American one, but, unlike the original source, much less draconian) led to the traditional Georgian fun — the storming of the parliament by the peaceful public with Molotov cocktails, pogroms on Rustaveli Avenue, etc. Everything we have loved since the era of democratic perestroika.

It is not known whether it was worth starting a story with foreign agents at all, not being ready to, if necessary, give a tough rebuff in the style of Lukashenko. After all, it was clear that the clients of the American embassy would react accordingly, since there is a tradition, and a stable one. Now the situation is unpleasantly reminiscent of the Kiev Maidan of 2013-2014: the authorities are indecisive, making concessions, and generosity, instead of softening hearts, only inflames and hardens them.

The dream was much more modest and particularistic: to stay away from a big dump, not to let yourself be drawn into the war and, pursuing a policy of "ours and yours, we will sing and dance," to extract profit from neutrality. And in the First and Second World Wars, European neutrals did not exactly this?

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Continued below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Yes, and the policy of Yanukovych, Nazarbayev-Tokayev, numerous Moldovan leaders, for the time being, and Lukashenka came down to the same thing. Neutral multi-vector or "affectionate calves suck two cows". Everyone wanted to be Switzerland.

Russia, seeing that the real alternative to the crafty neutral is an open enemy like the Baltic republics, preferred the first option. But, besides Russia, there were also democratic forces of good who rejected such double-dealing and wished to build Russia's neighbours, at least, according to the Baltic model. Because neutrality is immoral.

After all, the transformation of former neutrals into open enemies means for enemy Russia the complication of economic relations with the rest of the world and the need to keep troops on the border. Which makes her position worse and brings benefits and pleasantness to the forces of good. A blow to the soft underbelly.

So Georgia is another attempt to teach the neutrals a lesson and force them to obey the will of the only ruler, but hardly the last. There are two more countries in Transcaucasia, there are four more countries in Central Asia, and everywhere there are American embassies and all kinds of NGOs.
Everyone wonders who will be taught next that neutrality is immoral.

Continuation from above ⬆️⬆️⬆️

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A militarized foreign policy is forcing the US to careen toward a war with China
By Franz Gayl for the Global Times

Why does the US secretary of state appear to be a mere impotent advisor in the shadow of the Secretary of Defense? The answer is of course not a coincidence, but the result of a toxic combination of the defense industry, retired military officer interests, and the atrophy of the professional foreign service. Together they have gutted the relevance of traditional US diplomacy.

Many will object and insist on the continued primacy of diplomacy in all US foreign policy. One prescient test would be to query the Secretary of State's depth of familiarity with the perspectives of our main competitor China on the sensitive issue of Taiwan island.

Since alternative futures of war or peace are at stake, has the US secretary of state taken the time to read the Peoples Republic of China white paper titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era?" If so, has he met with his Chinese counterpart to jointly develop a responsible way forward to avert an otherwise certain war?

There was a time when learned American statesmen had decisive influence. From Thomas Jefferson and Daniel Webster to George C. Marshal and Henry Kissinger advised presidents on foreign policy, with sustainable peace and the greater good as their only motives.

However, following the 1st Gulf War, something changed. After military indecisiveness in Korea, defeat in Vietnam, followed by the humiliation of the failed rescue of US hostages in Iran and the tragic bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon, Americans were rightfully hungry to recover lost military clout on the world stage.

The overwhelmingly one-sided victory of the US over Iraq during Operation Desert Storm gave Americans a taste of greatness and fueled a sense of patriotism not seen since their victory in WWII.

Generals and admirals became objects of public reverence, relegating controversies of Vietnam era Generals to history. Combatant commanders, empowered with the Goldwater Nichols Act and some educated at Ivy League schools, began to eclipse the influence of ambassadors.

All the while the State Department became more politicized with presidential appointees coming to fill posts as far as five levels down. Preferring to do the bidding of elected officials for career survival, the exercise of independent professional judgment became rare. Today the under- valued and resourced US foreign service appears to be in decline.

In contrast, even in their retirement senior Flag officers remain ambitious and refuse to simply fade away as General Douglas MacArthur once preferred of old soldiers. General Collin Powell was the first to ride the euphoric wave of the 1st Gulf War victory to a new career as Secretary of State.

More recently Generals James Mattis and Lloyd Austin took leave from their well-compensated positions as defense industry board members to serve as Secretary of Defense. The retired four- star revolving door between industry and government employment is now the norm. These elite positions are taken for granted as entitlements, even though the operational performance of most has been miserable.

Generals and admirals, both active duty and retired, are now turned to as the most coveted presidential advisors on foreign policy. Naturally, their cultural toolbox contains mostly hammers and most foreign policy challenges appear as nails. Fewer nonmilitary courses of action are offered the presidents, even when they are called for.

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Read the full version here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

How Quickly The West Forgot It Was Their 2020 Regime-Change Project That Drove Belarus Into Russia’s Arms

March 5, 2023  Eurasia Review
By Mark Ames

The world should be careful when US arms dealers laugh
By Global Times

How great is the risk of war in the world? It is easy to answer. One only needs to look at the total amount of US arms spending right now to make a roughly correct judgment.

The US has the strongest military industry in the world, with the ability to extend its long arms of the military into any corner of the globe quickly, and often volunteers to act as the world's policeman.

The Biden administration just released a budget for US military spending in 2023 of $842 billion, four times the military spending of China. But moreover, the fundamental difference is that China adopts a defensive policy, while in the US foreign military strategy, pre-emption is a principle.

Higher US military spending indicates a higher risk of war in the world.

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan recently said that increasing global military spending shows that the last seven to eight decades of the peace dividend after the World War II is over.

To find out the reason, we must first make clear who is profiting the most from the global increase in military spending, and whose interests the disappearance of the peace dividend best serves.

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Read complete version here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

New York-based Signature Bank closed Sunday due to systemic risks after SVB collapse

WASHINGTON March 13 — RIA Novosti. New York's Signature Bank was closed on Sunday due to systemic risks, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) chairman Martin Grunberg said in a joint statement.

"We are also announcing a similar systemic risk exemption for New York, New York-based Signature Bank, which was closed by the state today," California-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) said in a filing.
As noted, all investors of the New York company will have access to their deposits — the same as in the case of SVB.

Earlier it was reported that all depositors of Silicon Valley Bank from March 13 will be given access to their savings.

The New York Times reported Saturday that SVB's failure had raised concerns that other US banks could also run into trouble. Against this backdrop, there was a "dumping" of shares of similar SVB banks, such as First Republic, Signature Bank and Western Alliance, on the market. Many of these financial institutions cater to first-time clients and have investment portfolios similar to those of SVB.

California regulators closed SVB on March 10, the largest bank failure in the US since the 2008 financial crisis. All insured deposits were transferred from SVB to a separate structure — Deposit Insurance National Bank of Santa Clara. The collapse of the SVB turned out to be associated with an increase in the Fed's key rate, which led to the depreciation of assets on the balance sheets of many financial institutions. The combined losses of banks in 2022 were $620 billion, according to the FDIC.

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I think I know why Biden will never visit Odessa…

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They say that Trump is offering to sell Ukraine to Russia

On the one hand, it's like selling a stolen phone to the owner

And on the other hand…

Given the amount of frozen Russian assets, Poland, Moldova, all three Baltic mutts plus Finland can enter there as a bonus.

Let's restore the Russian Empire together! 😂😁😃😅😂😊

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