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Russia News - Nov 28, 2015
VIDEO: See the moment the Russian S-400s arrived in Latakia, Syria - YouTube
Reports: Russia launches electronic warfare in Syria as tensions rise - Fox News
Ankara Suspends Air Force Flights Over Syria After Attack on Su-24: Media - sputniknews.com
Erdogan warns against use of S-400 against Turkish fighter jets over Syria - News.Az
VIDEO: Erdogan interview: We won't apologize for downing Russian plane - CNN
US Hopes Russia Respects Safety Memorandum After S-400s Deployed in Syria - armscom.net
US special forces begin training Kurdish and Arab fighters to take on Isis - ibtimes.co.uk
Israeli Air Force says direct line to Moscow prevents possible air incidents - RT News
Chinese media: Russian S-400 undermines Turkey's plan to impose safe zone in Syria - Xinhua
Russia retaliates with air strikes near Turkey border - World Tribune
Russia ready to coordinate steps to block Turkish-Syrian border: FM Lavrov - TASS
Turkey Masses Tanks on Syria Border Amid Rising Russia Tensions - Antiwar.com
Erdogan denies Turkey buys oil from ISIL - Al Jazeera English
Russian PM Pushes For Economic Sanctions Against Turkey - huffingtonpost.com
Russia scraps visa-free regime for Turks amid bitter dispute - France 24
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Coal cutoff escalates Russia-Ukraine tensions, Yatsenyuk says not enough coal for winter - POLITICO
Ukraine seeks imports of anthracite coal from South Africa as shortages loom - Platts News
Ukraine Energy Minister Backs Compromise on Energy Supplies With Russia - sputniknews.com
Crimea starts receiving electricity from Russia: RIA - Reuters
Russia cuts gas flow, Ukraine closes airspace as trade war expands - The Washington Post
Yatsenyuk: Ukraine to Respond Likewise to Russia's Upcoming Food Embargo - sputniknews.com
Ukraine's agricultural exports to Russia down 72.9 pct in first 10 months of 2015 - GlobalPost
Ukraine’s export to decrease 30.8% in 2015: ministry - TASS
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An invisible US hand leading to war?: Turkey’s Downing of a Russian Jet at the Turkish/Syrian Border was an Act of Madness
By Dave Lindorff
In considering the terrifying but also sadly predictable news of a Russian fighter jet being downed by two Turkish fighters, let’s start with one almost certain assumption -- an assumption that no doubt is also being made by the Russian government: Turkey’s action, using US-supplied F-16 planes, was taken with the full knowledge and advance support of the US. In fact, given Turkey’s vassal status as a member of US-dominated NATO, it could well be that Ankara was put up to this act of brinksmanship by the US.
Where’s the truth, and how can you find it?: The US Corporate Media are Essentially Propaganda Organs of the US Government
Are the American corporate media largely propaganda organs, or news organizations?
No more veterans!: November 11 or Armistice Day Began as a Time to Contemplate Peace, Not to Celebrate War and Warriors
By Dave Lindorff
The proof is in the proofs: US Spy Sats See Everything, Except when the Government Says They Didn’t
By Dave Lindorff
There is something fishy going on in the way the US is talking about civilian plane crashes that are in some way linked, or said to be linked to Russia.
Why Peace Activists Should Stop Cheering for Russian Bombs in Syria
By David Swanson, originally published at teleSUR
There's a view of Syria, common even among peace activists in the United States, that holds that because the United States has been making everything worse in Syria and the entire Middle East for years, Russian bombs will make things better. While the actions of the United States and its allies will lead to victory for ISIS, horror for millions of people, and chronic chaos in Syria along the lines of post-liberation Iraq and Libya, Russian bombs -- this view maintains -- will destroy ISIS, restore order, uphold the rule of law, and establish peace.
I've been informed repeatedly that because I'm opposed to Russian bombing I'm opposed to peace, I'm in favor of war, I want ISIS to win, I lack any concern for the suffering Syrian people, and my mind is either overly simplistic or somehow diseased. This line of thinking is a mirror image of the many self-identified peace activists in the United States who for years now have been insisting that the United States must violently overthrow the government of Syria. That crowd has even found itself alligned with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry who in 2013 told the U.S. public that if we didn't support bombing Syria we were in favor of Syria murdering children with chemical weapons. To our credit, we rejected that logic.
Advocates for U.S. bombs and advocates for Russian bombs each see a particular evil and wish to remedy it. The evil of the Syrian government, while often exaggerated and embellished, is real enough. The evil of the U.S. government, and what it has done to Iraq and Libya and Syria, can hardly be overstated. Both groups, however, place their faith in violence as the tool for remedying violence, revealing deep beliefs in the power of force, clearly at odds with professed commitments to peace.
Dropping bombs kills and injures civilians, traumatizes children who survive, harms infrastructure, destroys housing, poisons the environment, creates refugees, fuels bitter commitments to violence, and wastes massive resources that could have gone into aid and rebuilding. These are all well documented facts about every past bombing campaign in the history of the earth. In theory, peace activists agree with these facts. In practice, they are not outweighed by other concerns of realpolitik; rather, they are avoided entirely.
When the U.S. bombs a hospital in Afghanistan we're outraged. When Russia is accused of bombing a hospital in Syria, we avoid knowing about it. (Or, if we're from another camp, we put on our outrage for Syrian bombs but imagine U.S. bombs planting little flowers of democracy.) In wars that we oppose, we debunk claims to precision from the bombers. But good bombs are imagined has hitting just the right spots. After so many endlessly drawn-out U.S. wars that were advertised as quick and easy, we've begun to recognize the unpredictability of campaigns of mass murder -- and yet awareness of war's unpredictability doesn't seem to play at all into praise for Russian bombers joining in an already chaotic civil/proxy war.
The United States is accusing Russia of murdering people it armed and trained to murder different people. Some of those people are now asking for missiles with which to shoot down Russian planes. Russian planes have nearly come into conflict with Israeli and U.S. planes. A major figure in the Ukrainian government wants to help ISIS attack Russians. Congress members and pundits in the United States are urging conflict directly with Russia. Warmongers in Washington have been working hard to stir up conflict with Russia in Ukraine; now their hope lies in Syria. Russian bombs only heighten U.S.-Russian tensions.
When you unscramble the chaos of forces, and questionable claims about those forces, on the ground in Syria, some facts stand out. The United States wants to overthrow the government of Syria. Russia wants to maintain the government of Syria, or at least protect it from violent overthrow. (Russia in 2012 was open to a peace process that would have removed President Bashar al Assad from power, and the United States dismissed it out of hand in favor of his imminent violent overthrow.) The United States and Russia are the world's major nuclear powers. Their relations have been deteriorating rapidly, as NATO has expanded and the U.S. has orchestrated a coup in Ukraine.
A war with Russia and the United States on different sides, and all sorts of opportunities for incidents, accidents, and misunderstandings, risks everything. Russian bombs solve nothing. When the dust clears, how will the war be ended? Will Russian bombs leave behind generous good-willed people eager to negotiate, unlike U.S. bombs which leave behind anger and hostility? We've learned to ask the U.S. government to spell out its "exit strategy" as it dives into each new war. What is Russia's?
Here's my position. Murder is not moderate. You cannot find "moderate" murderers and engage them to kill extremist murderers. You cannot bomb the extremist murderers without producing more murderers than you kill. What's needed now, as in 2012 when the United States brushed it aside, is a peace process. First a cease fire. Then an arms embargo. And a halt to training and providing fighters and funding by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United States, and all other parties. Then major aid and restitution, and a negotiated settlement in which, in fact, Russia should be included as it is located in that region of the world, and the United States should not as it has no legitimate business being there.
This is what has been needed for years and will continue to be needed as long as it is avoided. More bombs make this more difficult, no matter who's dropping them.
Worst president ever?: History Should and Probably Will Judge President Obama Harshly
By Dave Lindorff
President Barack Obama is on track to go down in history as one of the, or perhaps as the worst and most criminal presidents in US history.
The Mystery of Maylasian Airlines Flight MH17
Propaganda, Intelligence and MH-17
Editor Note: Propaganda is the life-blood of life-destroying wars, and the U.S. government has reached new heights (or depths) in this art of perception management. A case in point is the media manipulation around last year’s Malaysia Airlines shoot-down over Ukraine.
By Ray McGovern
During a recent interview, I was asked to express my conclusions about the July 17, 2014 shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, prompting me to take another hard look at Official Washington’s dubious claims – pointing the finger of blame at eastern Ukrainian rebels and Moscow – based on shaky evidence regarding who was responsible for this terrible tragedy.
Cold War redux: Could war games spark a European conflict?
By MARK MacKINNON, LONDON — The Globe and Mail
War between Russia and the NATO alliance should be unthinkable. But a new study of recent military exercises suggests both powers are preparing for just that possibility.
Researchers at a European think tank warned that while there was no evidence that either side intended to go to war, the increasing frequency and size of military exercises on both sides of the NATO-Russia border heighten the possibility of an unplanned incident that could spark a wider conflict (Read the report PDF). The finding raises the spectre of a continent-wide clash of conventional armies, the sort not seen since Russia and the Western allies combined to defeat Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
Make deal not war!: Obama’s, and Washington’s, Absurd Choice of a Nuclear Deal or War on Iran
By Dave Lindorff
I don’t know which is worse: President Obama asserting, in defense of the nuclear deal he and his Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated with Iran, that “The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy and some form of war, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now, but soon,” or the fact that most Americans, and most American pundits, seem to accept that limited choice of options as a given.
Ukraine News - July 19, 2015
'Normandy Four' leaders agree to implement Minsk accords on Ukraine by end of 2015 - UNIAN news
Russia calls Ukrainian constitutional changes inadequate, decentralization does not include defense, foreign policy, national security - rferl.org
Ukraine calls local elections but not in rebel-held east - US News
Russia says US Nuland ‘jumping to conclusions’ backing Ukraine constitutional law - TASS
Nuland: In case of escalation in Donbas costs for Russia will go up - interfax.com
Victoria Nuland Press Conference in Ukraine - Embassy of the United States Kyiv, Ukraine
Separatist: Kiev didn't submit new draft law on constitution to Contact Group for discussion - TASS
Ukrainian law on local elections has nothing to do with the DPR: Pushilin - Novorossia Today
Lavrov and Steinmeier call for soonest Ukrainian troops’ withdrawal from Shyrokino - TASS
Ukraine Rebels Claim Readiness To Pull Back Tanks, Smaller Arms - rferl.org
Savchenko moved to Russia's Rostov region: lawyer (VIDEO) - uatoday.tv
Right Sector to hold popular assembly in Kyiv on Tuesday - interfax.com
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MH17 investigators to analyse footage of Russian-backed rebels at crash site in Ukraine - news.com.au
The moment Russian-backed rebels realise their momentous mistake after shooting down flight MH17 - news.com.au
VIDEO: Footage reveals Russian-backed rebels arriving at the wreckage of MH17 - news.com.au
TRANSCRIPT: Russian-backed rebels ransack the wreckage of MH17 in shocking 17-minute video - news.com.au
MH17 Victims' Families Suing Igor Girkin, AKA Strelkov, For $900 Million - Interpreter_Mag
VIDEO: MH17 investigator: ‘Buk Missile strike most credible scenario' - BBC News
Unraveling the mystery of MH17: A full recount of the event (PHOTOS, VIDEOS) - mashable.com
MH17 In Their Own Words: Witness Testimonies on Social Media from July 17th, 2014 - bellingcat
Separatist communications discussing the Buk intercepted by the SBU - MH17 Live on Twitter
Russia’s Colin Powell Moment – How the Russian Government’s MH17 Lies Were Exposed - bellingcat
Zaroshchens’ke Launch Site: Claims and Reality: A Bellingcat Investigation - bellingcat
Evidence the Russian Military Supplied the Type of Missile Used to Shoot Down MH17 - bellingcat
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Talk Nation Radio: Andre Vltchek on Exposing Lies of the Empire
https://soundcloud.com/davidcnswanson/talk-nation-radio-andre-vltchek-on-exposing-lies-of-the-empire
Andre Vltchek is a writer, reporter, playwright, photographer, and filmmaker. He has reported from around the world. His latest book, which he discusses, is Exposing Lies of the Empire. His website is http://andrevltchek.weebly.com
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Music by Duke Ellington.
Download from Archive or LetsTryDemocracy.
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Syndicated by Pacifica Network.
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Russia News - June 20, 2015
Putin: Russian economy has stabilized, now time to focus on the future - Russia Beyond The Headlines
Russian economy shrank by 3.2 % in first five months: minister - The Economic Times
Despite Tensions, U.S. Company Officials Attend Russian Economic Forum - The New York Times
Europeans return to business in St. Petersburg - DW.DE
Greek leader tells Russia he seeks 'new harbors' from European storm - LA Times
Russia and Greece Band Together to Build Turkish Stream Pipeline - The Moscow Times
Putin: Russian pipeline project to help Greece pay its debt - StarTribune.com
EU to extend Russia sanctions to January 2016 - Yahoo News
Russian sanctions to 'cost Europe €100bn' - newsweek.com
Exclusive: Gazprom building global alliance with expanded Shell - Reuters
Russia angered by freezing of accounts in Belgium and France in $50 billion Yukos case - US News
Russia's relationship with China deepens following the fallout from sanctions imposed by the West - cnbc.com
China, Russia boost investment, financial cooperation - Chinadaily.com.cn
Chinese firm to rent Russian land in Siberia for crops - BBC News
Saudi Arabia, Russia sign nuclear power cooperation deal - Reuters
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Cold war 2.0? Russia, NATO edge toward high-risk military standoff - CSMonitor.com
Russia not acting as responsible nuclear power: NATO top commander Breedlove - Reuters
Russia warns Sweden over joining NATO - Business Insider
Norway's NATO Missile Defense Aid Irks Russia - defensenews.com
How Russia's most advanced military equipment stacks up against NATO's hardware - Business Insider
Russia to Ink Deal to Supply China with 24 Su-35 Fighter Jets - Defense Tech
Russia, China do not create military blocs: Putin - TASS
Putin says autonomy for Ukraine's east, amnesty, local elections key for ending conflict - Fox News
Putin reaffirms Russia's support for Syria's Assad - Reuters
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Had He Not Been Murdered!
Barack Obama: No Jack Kennedy
Editor Note: A half century ago – at the peak of the Cold War – President Kennedy appealed to humankind’s better nature in a daring overture to Soviet leaders, a gamble that brought bans on nuclear testing and a safer world, a bravery that President Obama can’t seem to muster.
By Ray McGovern
Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen’s “you’re no Jack Kennedy” put-down of Republican Sen. Dan Quayle in the 1988 vice presidential debate springs to mind on a day on which I cannot help but compare the character of President Barack Obama to that of John Kennedy, the first President under whom I served in the Army and CIA.
Will Allies Fold Again on Ukraine
Will “Junior Partners” Act Like Adults at G-7?
By Ray McGovern
President Barack Obama arrives in Germany Sunday to meet with the leaders of Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Japan, and Canada for the “G-7 summit” at a resort in Bavaria.
This particular genre of summit was formerly known as the “G-8.” But that was before the U.S. succeeded in blaming Russia for the violent aftermath of the U.S./EU sponsored coup d’état in Kiev on Feb. 22, 2014, and managed to get Russia disinvited last year.
Stakes Higher Than Usual
We shall have to wait until the two-day gathering in Bavaria is over to gauge the results. But the stakes are high and – for once – it is conceivable that the U.S. will suffer a significant setback in its continuing, if increasingly quixotic, effort to exploit recent violence in Ukraine to isolate Russia.
Ukraine/Russia News - May 16, 2015
Shadow economy in Ukraine in 2014 up to record high since 2007, to 42% of GDP: Trade Ministry - interfax.com
Due to worsening of the balance of payment Ukraine to hold WTO consultations on additional import tax on June 11 - interfax.com
Ukraine eyes strategic investors in sell-off of state-owned assets - The Economic Times
Ukraine says creditors must accept debt proposals - Reuters
Ukraine minister Natalie Jaresko says ‘all options on the table’ for debt (VIDEO) - FT.com
VIDEO: Natalie Jaresko on Ukraine Debt Restructuring - YouTube
Military confrontation in Eastern Ukraine costs state coffers $5-7 mln a day: Finance Minister Jaresko - interfax.com
IMF calls deadline for Ukrainian state debt restructuring by June - Ukrinform
IMF mission commences work in Ukraine: Finance Ministry - TASS
Russia-Ukraine conflict overshadows EBRD meeting - Business New Europe
EBRD To Invest More In Central Europe, Ex-Soviet Union, But Not Russia - rferl.org
Russia votes against EBRD financial plan for 2016-2020 - TASS
Gas purchases from EU to account for at least half of all imports: Yatseniuk - interfax.com
Yatseniuk hopes for cut in price of EU gas after Paris talks - interfax.com
Kiev insists on revision of gas transit agreement with Russia: Ukraine’s PM - TASS
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Ukraine president enacts controversial laws banning Soviet symbols - digitaljournal.com
Ukraine navy left high and dry after Crimea losses - Yahoo News
US Senator McCain turns down Ukraine advisor role - Yahoo News
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Russia hopes NATO will stop attempts of absorbing Georgia, Ukraine: envoy - TASS
Russia says to boost military presence in Crimea in response to NATO E. Europe expansion - RT News
Russia Says It Can Deploy Nuclear Arms to Crimea - Washington Free Beacon
Russia backs legislation to force out ′undesirable′ foreign groups - DW.DE
Evidence Mounts That Russia Supplied Buk Missiles To Ukraine Separatists - rferl.org
VIDEO: A 60 Minutes Australia Exclusive This Sunday: Who shot down MH17? - amp.twimg.com
Russia: More than 200 Russian Soldiers Killed in Ukraine, Says Nemtsov Report - occrp.org
Russian Defense Ministry Dismisses Claim of Russian Troops in Ukraine - Russian peacekeeper
Top Russian Detective Removed From Nemtsov Murder Case - rferl.org
PayPal Blocks Russian Account For Nemtsov Report On Ukraine War - rferl.org
Facebook Is Pro-Russia, Senior Aide To Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko Says - ibtimes.com
Putin Buying Dollars Again Shows Worst of Crisis Is Over - Bloomberg Business
Ruble Up Against U.S. Dollar, Despite Central Bank Forex Purchases - The Moscow Times
France offers Russia 785 mn euros to ditch warship deal: report - Yahoo News
Russia remains EU’s third biggest trade partner: Foreign Ministry review - TASS
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An "Indispensable" Snub
Obama's Petulant WWII Snub of Russia
Editor Note: Russia will celebrate the Allied victory over Nazism on Saturday without U.S. President Obama and other Western leaders present, as they demean the extraordinary sacrifice of the Russian people in winning World War II – a gesture intended to humiliate President Putin.
By Ray McGovern
President Barack Obama’s decision to join other Western leaders in snubbing Russia’s weekend celebration of the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe looks more like pouting than statesmanship, especially in the context of the U.S. mainstream media’s recent anti-historical effort to downplay Russia’s crucial role in defeating Nazism.
40 years after Vietnam: Celebrating the End of One War, and Witnessing the Start of a New One Here at Home
By Dave Lindorff
It was 40 years ago today that the last troops from America’s criminal war against the people of Vietnam scurried ignominiously onto a helicopter on the roof of the US Embassy in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and fled the country where US forces had killed some 3-4 million people in the name of “fighting Communism.”
Ukraine: Coup, Couth, and Consequences
The West Snubs Russia over V-E Day
April 20, 2015
Editor Note: Last year’s U.S.-backed coup in Ukraine – followed by violence and tensions – has soured plans for the May 9 commemoration in Moscow of World War II’s V-E Day, the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany, a war which cost the Russian people nearly 27 million dead.
By Ray McGovern
The controversy over alleged Russian “aggression” in Ukraine is already raining on the Kremlin parade with which Russia will mark the 70th anniversary of the Allies’ victory over Adolf Hitler and the Nazis on May 9. U.S. President Barack Obama set the tone by turning down the Kremlin’s invitation to take part in the celebration, and allies in Western Europe have been equally uncouth in saying No.
What? Air Defense Missiles to Iran? An Outrage!
Russia Impinges on Israeli 'Right' to Bomb Iran
Editor Note: American neocons are in a lather over Russia’s decision to go ahead with the sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. The apparent outrage is that Iran thinks it has a right to protect its citizens from Israel’s right to launch airstrikes into Iran’s territory.
By Ray McGovern
The front page of the neocon flagship Washington Post on Tuesday warned that the Russians have decided, despite U.S. objections, “to send an advanced air-defense system to Iran … potentially altering the strategic balance in the Middle East.”
So, at least, says the lede of an article entitled “Putin lifts 5-year hold on missile sale to Iran” by Karoun Demirjian, whose editors apparently took it upon themselves to sex up the first paragraph, which was not at all supported by the rest of her story which was factual and fair – balanced, even.
Ukraine News - Apr 10, 2015
Decommunisation: Dismantlement of monuments, all cities and streets with Soviet names to be renamed - EN.Censor.net
Poroshenko: Hitler and Stalin to blame for World War II - UNIAN news
VIDEO (English Subs): Poroshenko blames Hitler and Stalin for outbreak of WWII - YouTube
Ukraine’s Parliament Votes To Open Soviet-Era KGB Archives To Public - ibtimes.com
Martial law bill passed in first reading by Verkhovna Rada - Russia Beyond The Headlines
New Martial Law Lets Poroshenko Seize Assets at Will - offguardian
Ukraine sets sights on joining NATO - Reuters
Ukraine to sign new cooperation agreements with NATO: PM - Global Times
Ukrainian Armed Forces working towards meeting NATO military standards: Poltorak - interfax.com
Ukroboronprom to shift to NATO arms production standards by 2019 - Russia Beyond The Headlines
US, Russian war games rekindle Cold War tensions in Eastern Europe amid Ukraine crisis - Fox News
Russian Defense Ministry: NATO needs Ukraine crisis to justify its existence - TASS
Russia Warns US That It Can Counter Its Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems: Sees PGS Of US As A Serious Threat - ibtimes.com
Russian Missile Operators Brought Up to Speed on Iskander-M - Sputnik International
As Russia Improves Its Surface-to-Air Missiles, US Looks To Counter - Defense One
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Amnesty International reports execution-style killings of captured Ukrainian soldiers - Reuters
Interview with Amnesty official on the executed Ukrainian soldiers, 'I must emphasize that we have evidence of this happening on both sides' - rferl
'I kill if I want to': Russian rebel commander ‘Motorola’ says he shot dead 15 Ukrainian POWs (VIDEO) - mashable.com
Ukrainian rebel ‘Motorola' can officially be considered a war criminal now (VIDEOS) - Ukraine@war
Ukraine separatist leader Zakharchenko warns of possible return to war - Yahoo News
Pro-Russian Rebels Told: Major Attack on Ukraine Imminent - newsweek.com
East Ukraine Ceasefire Violations Increase Near Mariupol As Pro-Russian Rebels Prepare For Combat - ibtimes.com
OSCE: Ukrainian forces moving new heavy weaponry to buffer zone in Donbas - InSerbia News
OSCE mission reports increase in ceasefire violations in Donbas - interfax.com
Two Ukrainian servicemen killed in past 24 hours-military spokesman (VIDEO) - uatoday.tv
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Main players in Ukraine debt battle prepare to face off - Reuters
Ukraine Creditor Group Has Plan to Avoid Writedown in Debt Talks - Bloomberg Business
IMF expects Ukraine agreement with creditors by June - Reuters
Ukraine’s Tanking Economy, Car-Production Plunges 96% And Many Banks Also Fail - Dissident Voice
Ukraine’s exhausted economy to rely on agriculture in Q2 - Reuters
Ukraine: Another crisis for ′Europe′s bread basket′ - DW.DE
Ukraine's cash-strapped Metinvest announces default, seeks breather from debt repayments - Reuters
Ukraine Seeks to Scrap Utility Sales in Move Against Tycoons - Bloomberg Business
Ukraine: Poroshenko earned $16 mln last year: report - InSerbia News
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Ukraine News - Apr 7, 2015
Poroshenko denounces federalization at the constitutional reform commission, Rebels say 'these things are absolutely unacceptable…we did not receive any invitations' - NYTimes.com
Poroshenko: the Ukrainian language is and will remain the only state language of Ukraine - interfax.com
Poroshenko: defense, national security and foreign policy of Ukraine not affected by decentralization - interfax.com
Poroshenko: tougher punishments for separatist statements, let alone actions, so that people are afraid to even think about it - interfax.com
Poroshenko: I won’t allow people carrying illegal weapons to walk around free - interfax.com
Poroshenko submits presidential bill on legal regime of martial law - interfax.com
Yatseniuk: Russia has no right to dictate to Ukraine form of its constitution - UNIAN news
Donbass leaders to Germany, France: Make Kiev pay pensions approved by Minsk deal - RT News
Lavrov says constitutional reform must agree with militants - molbuk.ua
Ukraine far-right leader made army advisor in move to control militias - THE DAILY STAR
Donetsk Separatists Release 16 Captured Ukrainian Soldiers - rferl.org
Over 150 children killed or injured by landmines in east Ukraine: UNICEF - Novorossia Today
Russia's Role in Ukraine Seen Shifting to Training Rebels - The Moscow Times
Ukraine bans broadcast of many Russian films - The Washington Post
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After a year at war, Ukraine at financial breaking point - Yahoo News
Ukrainian government approves framework for $15 billion debt-swap: Finance Ministry - Reuters
Cabinet approves list of eurobonds to be restructured: finance ministry - interfax.com
Russia expects Kiev to pay off debt in late 2015: deputy finance minister - TASS
Ukraine bank in plea for loan relief - The Sunday Times
Ukraine Pension Fund Is Bankrupt: Social Policy Minister - russia-insider.com
Naftogaz imports gas from EU at average of $304 per 1,000 cubic meters in Q1 2015 - interfax.com
Ukraine reduces gas imports from Hungary in early April - interfax.com
Russia steps in as job losses, closures ravage east Ukraine - timesofindia
Russian state companies face bans from Ukraine investment - RT Russian politics
The American Woman Who Stands Between Putin and Ukraine - businessweek
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Credit where credit's due...but only where it's due: How Can Obama Claim the Alternative to a Nuclear Deal with Iran is War?
By Dave Lindorff
A kudo to President Obama. But just one.
If he manages to pull off an agreement with Iran on limiting that country's nuclear fuel enrichment program in the fact of determined resistance from Republicans, Neocons, the Israel Lobby and the warmongers in both the GOP and his own Democratic Party, he will have finally earned at least some small portion of the gold in his Nobel Peace medallion.
Cold War 2.0
By William Blum
Cold War 2.0, part I
In last month’s Anti-Empire Report I brought you the latest adventure of US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki trying to defend the indefensible. She said then: “As a matter of longstanding policy, the United States does not support political transitions by non-constitutional means,” which prompted me to inform my readers: “If you know how to contact Ms. Psaki, tell her to have a look at my list of more than 50 governments the United States has attempted to overthrow since the end of the Second World War.”
On March 13 her regular attack on all things Russian included this exchange with Associated Press writer Matthew Lee:
Lee: On this issue, did you get any more about this request to the Vietnamese on Cam Ranh Bay and not allowing the Russians to - and not wanting them to allow - you not wanting them to refuel Russian planes there?
Psaki: Well, just to be clear - and maybe I wasn’t as clear yesterday, so let me try to do this again - it’s - our concern is about activities they might conduct in the region, and the question is: Why are they in the region? It’s not about specifically refueling or telling the Vietnamese not to allow them to refuel. [emphasis added]
Lee: So there hasn’t been a request to stop refueling them, or there has?
Psaki: It’s more about concerns. It’s not as much about Vietnam as much as it - as it is about concerns about what activities they would be in the region for.
Lee: Okay. Well, you - I mean, there are U.S. planes flying over there all the time.
Psaki: Sure, there are.
Lee: So you don’t want Russian planes flying there, but it’s okay for U.S. planes to fly there? I mean, I just - it gets to the point where you - the suggestion is that everything the Russians are doing all the time everywhere is somehow nefarious and designed to provoke. But you can’t - but you don’t seem to be able to understand or accept that American planes flying all over the place, including in that area, is annoying to the Chinese, for one, but also for the Russians. But the suggestion is always that the American flights are good and beneficial and don’t cause tension, and that other people’s flights do cause tension. So can you explain what the basis is for your concern that the Russian flights there in the Southeast Asia area are - raise tensions?
Psaki: There just aren’t more details I can go into.
Cold War 2.0, part II
On Saturday, the Obama administration released a series of satellite images that it said showed the Russian army had joined the rebels in a full-scale assault to surround troops in the area around the city. Russia has denied that it is a party to the conflict, and it was impossible to verify the three grainy black-and-white satellite images posted to Twitter by the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt.
According to the United States, the images, commissioned from the private Digital Globe satellite company, showed artillery systems and multiple-rocket launchers Thursday in the area near Debaltseve.
“We are confident these are Russian military, not separatist, systems,” Pyatt tweeted. (Washington Post, February 15, 2015)
When the time comes to list the ways in which the United States gradually sunk into the quicksand, slowly metamorphosing into a Third-World state, Washington’s campaign of 2014-15 to convince the world that Russia had repeatedly invaded Ukraine will deserve to be near the top of the list. Numerous examples like the above can be given. If I were still the jingoistic nationalist I was raised to be I think I would feel somewhat embarrassed now by the blatant obviousness of it all.
For a short visual history of the decline and fall of the American Empire, see the video “Imperial Decay” by Class War Films (8:50 minutes).
During Cold War 1.0 the American media loved to poke fun at the Soviet media for failing to match the glorious standards of the Western press. One of the most common putdowns was about the two main Russian newspapers – Pravda (meaning “truth” in Russian) and Izvestia (meaning “news”). We were told, endlessly, that there was “no truth in Pravda and no news in Izvestia.”
As cynical as I’ve been for years about the American mainstream media’s treatment of ODE (Officially Designated Enemies), current news coverage of Russia exceeds my worst expectations. I’m astonished every day at the obvious disregard of any kind of objectivity or fairness concerning Russia. Perhaps the most important example of this bias is the failure to remind their audience that the US and NATO have surrounded Russia – with Washington’s coup in Ukraine as the latest example – and that Moscow, for some odd reason, feels threatened by this. (Look for the map online of NATO bases and Russia, with a caption like: “Why did you place your country in the middle of our bases?”)
Cold War 2.0, part III
Following the murder of Russian opposition leader, and former Deputy Prime Minister, Boris Nemtsov in Moscow on February 27, the West had a field day. Ranging from strong innuendo to outright accusation of murder, the Western media and politicians did not miss an opportunity to treat Vladimir Putin as a football practice dummy.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution urging an international investigation into Nemtsov’s death and suggested that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Council, and the United Nations could play a role in the probe.
US Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham introduced a Senate Resolution condemning the Nemtsov murder. The Resolution also called on President Obama and the international community to pursue an independent investigation into the murder and redouble efforts to advance free speech, human rights, and the rule of law in Russia. In addition, it urged Obama to continue to sanction human rights violators in the Russian Federation and to increase US support to human rights activists in Russia.
So it went … all over the West.
Meanwhile, in the same time period in Ukraine, outside of the pro-Russian area in the southeast, the following was reported:
- January 29: Former Chairman of the local government of the Kharkov region, Alexey Kolesnik, hanged himself.
- February 24: Stanislav Melnik, a member of the opposition party (Partia Regionov), shot himself.
- February 25: The Mayor of Melitopol, Sergey Valter, hanged himself a few hours before his trial.
- February 26: Alexander Bordiuga, deputy director of the Melitopol police, was found dead in his garage.
- February 26: Alexander Peklushenko, former member of the Ukrainian parliament, and former mayor of Zaporizhi, was found shot to death.
- February 28: Mikhail Chechetov, former member of parliament, member of the opposition party (Partia Regionov), “fell” from the window of his 17th floor apartment in Kiev.
- March 14: The 32-year-old prosecutor in Odessa, Sergey Melnichuk, “fell” to his death from the 9th floor.
The Partia Regionov directly accused the Ukrainian government in the deaths of their party members and appealed to the West to react to these events. “We appeal to the European Union, PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe], and European and international human rights organizations to immediately react to the situation in Ukraine, and give a legal assessment of the criminal actions of the Ukrainian government, which cynically murders its political opponents.”
We cannot conclude from the above that the Ukrainian government was responsible for all, or even any, of these deaths. But neither can we conclude that the Russian government was responsible for the death of Boris Nemtsov, the American media and politicians notwithstanding. A search of the mammoth Nexus news database found no mention of any of the Ukrainian deceased except for the last one above, Sergey Melnichuk, but this clearly is not the same person. It thus appears that none of the deaths on the above list was ascribed to the Western-allied Ukrainian government.
Where are the demands for international investigations of any of the deaths? In the United States or in Europe? Where is Senator McCain?
Torture via sanctions
Discussions on constraining Iran’s nuclear program have been going on for well over a year between Iran and the P5+1 (the five nuclear powers of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany), led by the United States. Throughout this period a significant stumbling block to reaching an agreement has been the pronouncements of Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA is the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, and its inspections are considered a key safeguard against countries using civilian nuclear energy technology to produce weapons. Amano has consistently accused Iran of failing to reply fully and substantially to queries about “possible military dimensions” of present and past nuclear activities, or failing to provide sufficient access to nuclear facilities.
Failure by Iran to comply fully with IAEA demands undermine Tehran’s efforts to win the lifting of crippling UN, US and other sanctions, which currently prohibit foreign companies from doing business with Iran and deny access to the global financial system. Media coverage of the negotiations regularly emphasize Amano’s claims of Iran’s insufficient responses to IAEA’s demands. It is thus worth inquiring just who is this man Amano.
In 2009 Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano became the head of the IAEA. What the Western media routinely fail to remind its audience is that a US embassy cable of October 2009 (released by Wikileaks in 2010) said Amano “took pains to emphasize his support for U.S. strategic objectives for the Agency. Amano reminded the [American] ambassador on several occasions that … he was solidly in the U.S. court on every key strategic decision, from high-level personnel appointments to the handling of Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program.”
Even if Iran makes a superior effort to satisfy IAEA and Washington’s demands on all issues, it would remain questionable to what extent and how rapidly the sanctions would be removed, particularly under a Republican-controlled Congress. Iran specialist and author Gareth Porter recently wrote that “the United States and its allies have made no effort to hide the fact that they intend to maintain the ‘sanctions architecture’ in place for many years after the implementation of the agreement has begun. Last November, administration officials explained that US sanctions would only be removed after the International Atomic Energy Agency had verified that ‘Tehran is abiding by the terms of a deal over an extended period of time’ in order to ‘maintain leverage on Iran to honour the accord’.”
To appreciate the extraordinary degree of pressure and extortion the United States can impose upon another country we should consider the case of Libya in the decade-plus following the destruction of PanAm Flight 103 in 1988 over Scotland. To force Libya to “accept responsibility” for the crime, Washington imposed heavy sanctions on the Gaddafi regime, including a ban on international flights to Libya and payment of billions of dollars to the families of the victims. Libya eventually did “accept responsibility” for the crime, although it was innocent. As difficult as this may be to believe, it’s true. Read my account of it here.
Even after Libya accepted responsibility it still took years for the US to wipe out the sanctions, and it’s not clear that at the time of Gaddafi’s death in 2011 all of them had been removed. Once a nation becomes an Officially Designated Enemy of the empire the methods of torture can be exquisite and endless. Cuba is presently negotiating the end of US sanctions against Havana. They will need to be extremely careful.
“Like others of his ilk - such as David Horowitz and Christopher Hitchens - he learned too much in college and too little since.” Sam Smith
I’ve never been too impressed by what college a person went to, or even if they attended college at all. Gore Vidal did not attend any college; neither did H. L. Mencken; nor did Edward Snowden, who has demonstrated a highly articulate and educated mind. Among the many other notables who skipped a college education are George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemingway, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Then we have graduates from Ivy League colleges like George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Tom Cotton. I don’t have to present the case for Bush’s less-than educated mind; we’re all only too familiar with its beauty. But Obama has matched Georgie Boy for stupidity and inanity time and time again. My favorite, which he’s used on at least five occasions, is his reply to questions about why his administration has not prosecuted Bush, Cheney, et al for torture and other war crimes: “I prefer to look forward rather than backwards”. Picture a defendant before a judge asking to be found innocent on such grounds. It simply makes laws, law enforcement, crime, justice, and facts irrelevant. Picture Chelsea Manning and other whistle blowers using this argument. Picture the reaction to this by Barack Obama, who has become the leading persecutor of whistleblowers in American history.
Is there anyone left who still thinks that Barack Obama is some kind of improvement intellectually over George W. Bush? Probably two types still think so: (1) Those to whom color matters a lot; (2) Those who are very impressed by the ability to put together grammatically correct sentences.
And now we have Mr. Cotton, Senator from Arkansas and graduate of Harvard undergraduate and law schools. He’ll be entertaining us for years to come with gems like his remark on “Face the Nation” (March 15): “Moreover, we have to stand up to Iran’s attempts to drive for regional dominance. They already control Tehran and, increasingly, they control Damascus and Beirut and Baghdad. And now, Sana’a as well.”
Heavens, Iran controls Tehran! Who knew? Next thing we’ll hear is that Russia controls Moscow! Sarah Palin, move over. Our boy Cotton is ready for Saturday Night Live.
Notes
- Washington Post, February 15, 2015, “Amid doubts, truce in Ukraine appears to take hold”
- RT, March 12, 2015, “EU lawmakers demand international investigation into Nemtsov’s death”
- John McCain website, Press Release, “Senators John Mccain And Lindsey Graham Introduce Resolution Condemning Murder Of Russian Opposition Leader Boris Nemtsov”
- Research for this section was done by a person who was raised in the Soviet Union and now lives in the United States.
- Middle East Eye, March 27, 2015, “Sanctions and the fate of the nuclear talks”
The Russian Military Asked Me to Publish Its Propaganda
On Friday, March 20th, I spoke at the University of the District of Columbia Law School in Washington, D.C., as part of a series of teach-ins about peace organized by SpringRising.org. While there, a young man in a suit with a Russian accent approached me. He gave me his card, which says at the top "Embassy of the Russian Federation." It identifies him as a Major and as The Air Attaché Assistant. His name: Alexsei G. Padalko. The card includes the address of the Russian Embassy in Washington, two phone numbers, a fax number, and a gmail email address. His name appears on lists of diplomats on the websites of the Russian Embassy and the U.S. State Department.
Alexsei bought one of my books, which I signed, but he said he had another he hadn't brought with him and wanted signed, and he wanted to discuss working together for peace. I said I'd meet him the next day at a coffee shop. When we met, he began talking about having information about Ukraine. He wanted to slip me articles already written and pay me to publish them under my name. He claimed a personal interest in peace and a desire to keep this secret from his employers. It was fine to email him, he said, but he'd have to give me the articles in person. I told him that I would not post articles as by me if not by me, and I would not post them with a pseudonym for someone working for the Russian (or American or any other) military, but if he wanted to give me information to report on under my name in articles I researched with multiple sources, I would keep the confidentiality of any source entirely. I, of course, had told him I wouldn't take any money for anything. And he didn't explain where the money would have come from. He said the information was not secret. He had no interest in using secret email. Nothing was less than above board, he said. But then why the secrecy? And who would be writing the articles? (This man's English was not up to the job.) I told him what I considered proper journalistic behavior and he expressed surprise and concern that I would bring up journalism since I was a blogger. Apparently a blogger is someone you can feed propaganda to, while a journalist is someone who's out to get you. I tried to tell him I was actually interested in communicating the facts about Ukraine to the U.S. public and that I thought that doing so would benefit both Russia and peace. We parted with the understanding that I would email him a time to meet in Washington, and that he would give me information that I could use as a reporter.
I gave it some thought. I could not believe that he was acting against the wishes of his employers. Where was the money to have come from? Who was writing the articles? Why so openly give me his card and meet with me? And what would he want known in the interests of peace that his employers wouldn't? No, he was doing his job. I decided that I would avoid any of the secrecy, and if he wanted to tell me anything that I could report he could do that openly. I would, of course, seek to confirm it with other sources, give the State Department its chance to comment, and report it.
Later that same day I emailed him this:
"Alexsei,
"I'd like to write an article on Ukraine that includes Russian points of view, regarding any of the following: the history of NATO expansion, the coup, Malaysian Flight 17, Crimea, recent conflict, U.S. and NATO allegations, possible peaceful resolution.
"If you or anyone you know can provide any perspective on the matter, please just email or call."
He replied:
"No problem, deal"
Late that night, I wrote:
"Also, would Ambassador Kislyak like to explain Russia's view of Ukraine on a radio show that airs on lots of stations? See http://TalkNationRadio.org I'm the host, and the shows are pre-recorded by telephone at the guest's convenience. An interview can be anywhere from 1 to 28 minutes. I recommend 28 minutes. I would simply ask him for his view of the situation in Ukraine and let him talk. You can just let me know a day and a time and a phone number."
Alexsei has not yet replied to that offer.
Now, I'd like to call the Russian Embassy's main number and ask to be connected to Alexsei and make sure it's the same person. But a friend warns me that doing so produces "meta-data" to be used in framing people with crimes. And I don't seriously doubt the man's identity.
I write this in order to protect myself from any misunderstanding or frame-up, and in order to offer my unsolicited advice to the Russian government: My friends, independent media and small media outlets that are interested in the truth and in considering your points of view are in that position because of their honesty. When you approach them with secrecy and money you ruin the opportunity to have information shared in a credible and effective way. I and countless other bloggers and freelancers who could never bring ourselves to write the Pentagon propaganda that passes for journalism in major U.S. newspapers are not on your team. We're on the side of truth and the side of peace.
Many of us are well aware of the lie that NATO and the U.S. told Russia upon the reunification of Germany to the effect that NATO would not expand eastward. We're outraged by the expansion to your borders. We condemn the U.S.-backed violent coup in Kiev. We denounce the Nazi and foreign-imposed government of Ukraine. We oppose the U.S. arms shipments, the U.S. "National Guard" now guarding the wrong nation, the war games, the baseless characterizations of Russia's behavior, the lies about your aggression.
But you can't fix lies about your aggression by behaving aggressively. If the truth is on your side, don't imagine that it can't be reported and understood at least by some.
I'm aware that most of the military commentators in U.S. media outlets are in the pay of the U.S. military or its private contractors or their think tanks. I'm aware that matters of life and death cause rash decisions. But I encourage you to openly publish your views and to send them to me and anyone else open to them. I encourage you to place guests on my and other radio shows. Don't give those who have twisted reality beyond recognition an excuse to accuse you of the same.
Ukraine/Russia News - Mar 19, 2015
Poroshenko: we will deal [only] with representatives of Donetsk and Luhansk elected legitimately, according to the Ukrainian law - interfax
Ukraine plans to regain control over Donbas by all means: PM Yatsenyuk - TASS
Ukrainian rebels make new threat to abandon cease-fire - Fox News
1 Soldier Killed And 5 Wounded With Attacks Near Donetsk And Mariupol - Interpreter_Mag
APA - Ukraine to build fortifications along contact line with rebels
Poltorak: Size of Ukrainian armed forces to reach 250,000 in a month - UNIAN news
The Making of a Christian Taliban in Ukraine - The Intercept
Hot water rates to increase by 55-57% from April 1, heating by 73% - UNIAN news
Cold water rates may increase by 25% - UNIAN news
Ukraine may cancel state regulation of food prices - UNIAN news
Corruption in Ukraine Aids Organized Crime Syndicates: US State Department - Sputnik International
Why Economies Of Ukraine and Russia Are Almost Inseparable - Hromadske International
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Russia Says Kyiv Violates Ukraine Peace Deal Over Autonomy Laws - rferl.org
External Influence Could Bring Kiev to Reason: Russia's Envoy to OSCE - Sputnik International
What's behind Russia's massive muscle-flexing? Virtually every unit, from paratroopers to antisubmarine forces, appears to be on drills - CSMonitor
Russia says drills prove ability to quickly deploy forces - Yahoo News
VIDEO: Russia sends nuclear capable 'Iskander' missile system to Kaliningrad - uatoday.tv
VIDEO: Russian nuclear submarines takes part in large-scale military drills - uatoday.tv
Russia Kicks Off Tank Drills With 1,500 Personnel in Western District - Sputnik International
Putin sends spy ships to Britain to intercept military communications - Daily Express
100,000 gather in central Moscow to celebrate the anniversary of Crimea reunification - RT News
VIDEO (English subs): 'Crimea - Way Back Home' documentary, TV announcement - YouTube
VIDEO (English subs): 'Crimea - Way Back Home' documentary, Part 1 - LiveLeak.com -
VIDEO (English subs): 'Crimea - Way Back Home' documentary, Part 2 - LiveLeak.com
Boeing was hit by Buk: Submunitions that hit Malaysian Boeing coincide with warhead filling of the newest Russian anti-aircraft missile (PHOTOS) - EN.Censor.net
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US Army Delays Ukraine Training in Effort to Preserve Ceasefire - Military.com
Top US General in Europe: Arming Ukraine 'Isn't a Strategy' - Foreign Policy
Why Pentagon is hesitant to arm Ukraine - Yahoo News
Don’t send weapons to Ukraine, top Russian Kremlin critic says - The Washington Post
How The Ukrainian Diaspora In The US Is Funding The War Effort In East Ukraine - ibtimes.com
US Plans Show-of-Force Exercise in E. Europe - defensenews.com
U.S. To Conduct Patriot Missile Test in Poland In Response to Russian Aggression - Interpreter_Mag
Here are all the NATO military ships in the black sea (SLIDESHOW)- Business Insider
Germany to send 500 troops for drills in Lithuania - The Peninsula Qatar
Merkel Not Going Along with Poroshenko - EIRNS
Seven EU Countries to Oppose New Anti-Russian Sanctions at Summit - Sputnik International
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Obama Flunking Foreign Policy 101; In Desperate Need of New Teachers
Guiding Obama into Global Make-Believe
Editor Note: The Orwellian concept of “information warfare” holds that propaganda can break down enemies and decide geopolitical outcomes, a strategy that has taken hold of the U.S. government’s approach to international crises, especially the Ukraine crisis.
By Ray McGovern
CIA Director John Brennan told TV host Charlie Rose on Friday that, on assuming office, President Barack Obama “did not have a good deal of experience” in intelligence-related matters, adding – with remarkable condescension – that now “he has gone to school and understands the complexities.”
