Glenn Greenwald* about the US obsession with Ukraine

Why is the US willing to risk a nuclear war over who rules Eastern Ukraine?

"There was a generally accepted opinion in Washington, including that formulated by President Obama, that Ukraine does not represent any vital interests for the United States, either from the point of view of resources or from the point of view of politicians, but it will always be of vital interest to Russia. So this is her weak point."

* Columnist for The Guardian and The New York Times. In 2013, he was included in the list of one hundred world thinkers compiled by the magazine "Foreign Policy".

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❗️ The presidential budget has put me in a stupor.

"The President says his budget will solve our Medicare and Social Security financial problems. It is not true. Everything seems possible when you have no idea what you're talking about. This budget will add $11 trillion to the gap in welfare and medical care. The only way I know of to improve a presidential budget is to shred it."

John Kennedy, Senator from Louisiana.

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Banking Troubles on the Horizon?

The failure of Silicon Valley Bank (16th largest bank in US) last Friday resulted from depositors withdrawing their funds in response to a drop in value of the bank’s bond portfolios caused by the Federal Reserve’s ill-considered hikes in interest rates. The mindless policy implemented by the Federal Reserve cures inflation by producing bank runs, failed banks, and unemployment. The Federal Reserve and neoliberal economists are still stuck in the worn out thinking of 20th century Keynesianism.

By Paul Craig Roberts

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❗️China has accused the US, UK and Australia of "driving further down a dangerous path" following the AUKUS submarine treaty.

sky news
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Chinese public opinion on aiding Russia

Overall, many in China believe that in the current international situation, China’s supporting Russia is actually supporting itself and hence the wider public support for China going the extra mile to circumvent sanctions against Russia.

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▶️Our premiere is about the heroes who volunteered to go to the front - our brothers, husbands, fathers, colleagues, friends. Every day hundreds of ordinary men all over Russia come to sign up to volunteer in the special military operation zone. Some have combat experience, others have never served in the army or are in their seventh decade. Who are they and why are they rushing to the front?

See how volunteer battalions are formed, how combat training is organized and why yesterday’s workers, programmers and businessmen go to Donbass to help their own people.

Share the documentary so that as many people as possible can learn the stories of the special operation volunteers.

#premiere #Donbass
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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Channel One’s The Great Game political talk show (March 10,2023). Part VI

#WorldWarII

Key points:

🔹There can be no return to the old order. The West also says that business as usual is out of the question. There is no need to persuade us of that. We drew all the conclusions quite a while ago. The world has learned nothing from a period of history between the two world wars in the 20th century. We, our leaders have never, directly or indirectly, called into question at the official level the alliance that made it possible to defeat Adolf Hitler.

☝️True, there were numerous studies; scientists, politicians, opposition figures wrote that the [US] lend-lease plan had not been of much help for us and that [the Allies] had opened the Second Front when it became clear that the Soviet Union would win single-handedly. It was recalled that France and England were negotiating a non-aggression arrangement with Hitler even before the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, sought to get him to strike east, and much else. Historians are studying this. But we have never – not in any speech by our leaders (including the Victory Day addresses by the President of Russia on Red Square) – allowed ourselves to cast a shadow of a doubt on the alliance that had rallied us in the fight against Hitler.

‼️ But our Western colleagues began doing just that at the official level long before the Ukraine events, putting equal blame on the Soviet Union and Hitler. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact allegedly “triggered” World War II. They do not even mention the fact that Paris and London signed the same pact with Hitler a year earlier. The Munich Betrayal and Poland’s role in it is a taboo subject. History textbooks have long interpreted the opening of the Second Front as a turning point in World War II.

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Vladimir Putin at the meeting with the workers of the aviation plant in Ulan-Ude.

🔸Russia is fighting for the existence of its statehood, this is the task of survival;

🔸The geopolitical interests of the West turned out to be much more important for them than even the ideological contradictions with the USSR;

🔸Russia patiently tried for decades to improve relations with Ukraine, but the situation changed after the 2014 coup d'état;

🔸Russia has been trying to solve the problem of Donbass peacefully for 8 years, but it is being deceived

🔸Russia is a multinational country, but still in Ukraine it is fighting for the Russian world, it cannot leave this people;

🔸The West expected that Russia would collapse in two or three weeks or a month after the imposition of sanctions;

🔸A multiple increase in Russia's economic sovereignty is the most important result of 2022;

🔸The fundamental foundations of Russia's stability have turned out to be much stronger than anyone previously thought.

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Watch "Tucker Carlson: This is why our big banks are incompetent" on YouTube 👈

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Watch "“This could be a long war ahead” if NATO keeps pushing Putin | Redacted with Clayton Morris" on YouTube 👈

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There has been a major shift in the mainstream media narrative on Ukraine:

War mongering Washington Post now reports Kiev is "short of skilled troops and munitions" due to catastrophic losses.

Ukrainian forces are now so degraded a major "spring offensive" is a fantasy, with effectively defenceless, untrained #conscripts are being sent to the front.

Ukrainian Battalion commander warns experienced Ukrainian soldiers "all already dead or wounded".

Without ramped up US support, he foresees a massacre should a counteroffensive be attempted.

And WaPo admits it's far from certain more weapons and training would change anything anyway...

++++++++++++++++++

Ukraine short of skilled troops and munitions as losses, pessimism grows.

The quality of Ukraine’s military force, once considered a substantial advantage over Russia, has been degraded by a year of casualties that have taken many of the most experienced fighters off the battlefield, leading some Ukrainian officials to question Kyiv’s readiness to mount a much-anticipated spring offensive...... MORE

🇷🇺Putin's statements regarding the NordStream terrorist attacks

Putin called the version that the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream was arranged by some Ukrainian activists complete nonsense

Apparently, several explosive devices were planted under Nord Stream

The US is theoretically interested in incidents like Nord Stream explosions to supply its own LNG

Gazprom has discovered an object similar to an antenna for detonation, not far from the explosion site of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

The Russian Federation wants to get permission from Denmark to neutralize, possibly, another bomb on the Nord Stream, but so far the answer is "uncertain".
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Two Russian Su-27 aircraft conducted an intercept with a U.S. Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance unmanned MQ-9 aircraft that was operating within international airspace over the Black Sea today.

At approximately 7:03 AM, one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters.

“Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa. “In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash.”

“U.S. and Allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct themselves professionally and safely,” Hecker added.

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🇬🇪 Anti-European demonstrations In the center of Tbilisi Georgia.
Activists of the "Conservative Movement" tore down the EU flag and burned it. They also demanded that the government hold a national referendum on the repealed law on foreign agents.

🚩Later, Georgian Interior Ministry officials again raised the EU flag in front of the Parliament building. Those who dropped it and burned it are promised to be fined 1,000 lari ($380).

Translated from Блокнот
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Steven Seagal: "I am one hundred percent Russophile and a million percent Russian"

Actor Steven Seagal, participating in the founding congress of the International Movement of Russophiles, again spoke about his "Russian" origin, RIA Novosti reports .

"My father was Russian, and I grew up in a Russian family, my mother was also immersed in Russian culture ... My father was an educated person, and we knew Russian literature, culture and traditions, all the great authors. I am one hundred percent Russophile and a million percent Russian,” said Segal.

Recall that in February this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Steven Seagal the Order of Friendship. The award was given to Seagal "for his great contribution to the development of international cultural and humanitarian cooperation." At the same time, he was named "special representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for humanitarian relations with the United States and Japan" (this status of Seagal was not recognized by the US authorities). Read more 👈

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🇸🇾🇷🇺Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived on an official visit to Moscow

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Assad (the one that "should go") will survive all... 😂👍

The Ministry of Defence spoke about the incident with the American MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea

MOSCOW, March 14 — RIA Novosti. An American MQ-9 drone fell into the Black Sea due to its own sharp manoeuvring, Russian fighters did not come into contact with it, the Ministry of Defence said.
They specified that the incident occurred this morning in the Crimean region. According to the agency, the drone with transponders turned off flew in the direction of Russia, violating the borders of the area of ​​the temporary regime for the use of airspace established for the purpose of conducting a special military operation.

After the discovery of the drone, fighters from the duty air defence forces took to the air.

"As a result of sharp manoeuvring around 9:30 Moscow time, the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle went into uncontrolled flight with a loss of altitude and collided with the water surface," the Defence Ministry said.

The department emphasized that the Russian fighters did not use airborne weapons and did not come into contact with the drone. After departure, they returned safely to their home airfield.

Earlier today, the US European Command announced that a Russian Su-27 fighter jet allegedly collided in the sky over the Black Sea with an American MQ-9 drone. They specified that after that the drone fell into international waters. It was alleged that shortly before the incident, the Su-27 allegedly made "unsafe" manoeuvres.

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident. The State Department also summoned Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov. State Department spokesman Ned Price said US officials would express "sharp dissatisfaction" to the diplomat over the "unprofessional interception." In addition, he said that Ambassador to Moscow Lynn Tracy "earlier today conveyed a serious statement to the Russian Foreign Ministry" in connection with the incident.

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Red ram: how two Soviet patrol ships drove US cruisers out of the Black Sea

In the late 1980s, the armed forces of the USSR often faced provocations from their American colleagues. The notorious Sixth Fleet of the US Navy was especially distinguished during this period, the ships of which regularly tested the Soviet borders for strength. But on February 12, 1988, two patrol ships of the Black Sea Fleet discouraged American sailors from entering the territorial waters of the Soviet Union for a long time.

The command of the Black Sea Fleet learned in advance about the next tour of US Navy ships near its zone of control and their likely violation of the border. These were the cruiser Yorktown (Ticonderoga class) and the destroyer Caron (Spruance class).

The headquarters developed a plan of action to escort American ships and potentially counter them. The tasks were assigned to the crews of the patrol ships "Bezzavetny"/"Selfless"and "SKR-6". The group commander, Captain 2nd Rank Nikolai Mikheev, was instructed to first warn the Americans about entering the territorial waters of the USSR, and in the absence of a reaction, carry out a "bulk" — this is a manoeuvre similar to a ram, when the ship tangentially touches the side of the intruder, forcing him to change course.

To extreme measures, as expected in the command of the Black Sea Fleet, it came. In response to a warning about entering the waters of the USSR, the American commanders replied that they were not violating anything and would not change course in accordance with the "norms of free passage."

The goal of the "Selfless" with a displacement of 3 thousand tons was the Yorktown, which was three times larger than she (a displacement of 9.2 thousand tons). The small "SKR-6" with a displacement of only 1.3 thousand tons got the "Caron" of 7.8 thousand tons. The captains of the patrol ships faced an extremely dangerous task — a cruiser and a destroyer could easily crush them. But the crews of the American ships did not expect decisive action from the Soviet sailors and felt their advantage. According to the memoirs of Nikolai Mikheev, the personnel of the Yorktown gathered on the deck — the sailors and officers laughed, showed obscene gestures, photographed and filmed. Footage of the situation on the ship and the moment of bulk, by the way, are widely disseminated on the Internet.

Approaching first at a distance of 40 meters, and then reducing it to 10 meters, the captains of the Soviet ships received confirmation of the order "to act according to the plan of operation." The first bulk of the "Selfless" fell at an angle of about 30 degrees on the port side of the American cruiser. Upon impact, the anchor of the guard tore the skin of the side of the Yorktown, in which the paint caught fire from friction. The crew members of the cruiser, having fun a few moments ago, ran from the decks to the compartments, the commander rushed to the bridge.

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See bellow ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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Continuation from above ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Vladimir Bogdashin, who commanded the "Bezzavetny"/"Selfless", brought the ship out of a critical situation after the collision and carried out a second bulk, which became more powerful and productive. The blow fell in the area of the helipad, where all the rails were cut down. The patrol ship tore the plating of the side of the superstructure, broke the commander's boat, then slid to the stern, where he damaged the "Harpoon" missile launcher. Two of its containers were destroyed, and the warheads were torn off from the missiles. Later it became known that a fire broke out in the area of the cellars of the Harpoon installations and the "Asrok" anti-submarine missiles.

The bulk of "SKR-6" on "Caron" did not cause such serious consequences. The destroyer approached the "Selfless" in order to clamp it in pincers together with the "Yorktown". In response to these actions, Nikolai Mikheev ordered the RBU-6000 rocket-propelled launchers to be prepared for launch with depth charges in the direction of both US ships. Noticing this, the American ships turned away, but on the cruiser they began to prepare a couple of helicopters for take-off.

Reporting this to the command post, Nikolai Mikheev told his opponents that their helicopters would be shot down if they took off as violators of Soviet airspace. The warning did not work, the Americans turned off their cars only when two Mi-24s hovered over them with a full range of weapons on a combat suspension. A group of Soviet helicopters was just nearby.

"Yorktown" and "Caron" had no choice but to leave the Soviet territorial waters. The command of the American ship group negotiated with its leadership for about a day, and the next day headed for the exit from the Black Sea.

This incident has been called by military historians the "red battering ram", "and the last incident of the Cold War", and "the day when the Third World War could begin." But regardless of the name, the result of the decisive actions of the Soviet sailors was obvious — provocations from the US Navy came to naught.

There are no more ships involved in that incident. In 1997, "Bezzavetny"/"Selfless" was transferred to Ukraine (what a shame — #TransFormator) and renamed "Dnepropetrovsk". It was no longer included in the operating ships, and in 2005 the ship was dismantled and sent to Turkey. On the way, the guard ship sank.

"SKR-6" back in 1990 was expelled from the Navy, in the same year it was disposed of.

The cruiser Yorktown was decommissioned in 2004. It is located in the sludge zone at the reserve ship maintenance base.

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Well, that is a video of the times long gone. However, given the situation with the American drone it does not look so different.