Putin Recognizes Donbass Republics, Sends Russian Military to 'Denazify' Ukraine

[lilies]

Trey Gowdy - my US former federal prosecutor "hero" - interviews Colonel Abbott Macgregor, who says it how it is in 3 and a half amazing minutes!!
Backup Link:
Colonel Douglas Abbott Macgregors sober summary about Ukraine.

The Amazing Colonel does it again here.

Then our dazzling heroine - Fox News National Security Correspondent - Jennifer Griffin steps in and spews her toxic saliva on Colonel Macgregor for saying the truth. She is despicable in her delusional ignorance and is clearly leading the US Lemmings off the cliff.

I dunno, what is Trey Gowdy doing: in the past famous videos were posted about him on YT, where he was succinct and well spoken in his scathing critique about the criminal Obama administration itself ignoring the laws that it forced on the Unwashed Masses. Well.. this proves that highest academic education doesn't protect people from getting dragged into the future Twilight Zone USA.

Its like a devil painted by Picasso opened its great mouth and is swallowing former excellent US Intelligentsia into its bestial maw..

 

[grini]

Sorry for being a selfish (and lazy) person, but does anybody know where it is stated that NATO would honor the agreement not to move east after the collapse of the Soviet Union? Is there an article or some such?

Maybe this one will help:

US, UK, France promised USSR not to expand NATO east of Germany, newly discovered document proves - Multipolarista

Notes from a 1991 meeting prove that the US, UK, France, and Germany promised the Soviet Union not to expand NATO east.

multipolarista.com

 

[Thebull]

Well RT has now gone from My sky TV package. Channel 511 no longer available.
I saw the post about China trading as normal with Russia. Does anyone know if China said anything else about the events and the bashing Russia are getting?

 

[lilies]

No troops & weapons for Ukraine, Hungary confirms ​

Hungary has deployed additional troops to its eastern borders to prevent a potential infiltration by unspecified armed groups [???] from neighboring Ukraine, Szijjarto added.

Hungary will not allow transit nor supply weapons to Ukraine amid the ongoing military conflict with Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday, reiterating Budapest’s stance.
“We have decided, just like our allies, not to send troops, not to send weapons. And we do not allow the transit supply of lethal weapons through Hungary,” the minister said during a meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

What infiltration? I was merely mulling earlier about the refugee crowds that they maybe will contain UkroNazis to start chaos in EU - as per CIA plan.. to create War Zone EU.. But seeing it being alluded to in an RT article is another thing!

 

[XPan]

The Green Party in Sweden
Naiveté at it's "best"

 

[lilies]

Well RT has now gone from My sky TV package. Channel 511 no longer available.
I saw the post about China trading as normal with Russia. Does anyone know if China said anything else about the events and the bashing Russia are getting?

Only an earlier article is available:
24 Feb:
China comments on Russian operation in Ukraine
The Chinese Foreign Ministry says Moscow does not need Beijing’s backing

then this:
27 Feb:
China speaks out against sanctions over Ukraine

Beijing believes the West should address Moscow’s “legitimate security demands”
China said on Saturday that Western sanctions slapped on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine will not solve the crisis. Many countries have imposed sweeping restrictions on Moscow, hitting its banks, trade, and largest airline, among other things. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made his comments during a phone call with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang said “China doesn’t support the use of sanctions to solve problems, and even more so opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.”

“It’s been long proven that sanctions not only fail to solve [existing] problems, but create news ones, resulting ‘lose-lose’ effects on the economy and interfering in the process of political settlement,” he added.

China to continue trade relations with Russia​

Speaking on Monday at an emergency UN session, China’s permanent representative Zhang Jun said that it’s possible to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through direct dialogue and negotiations.

China will maintain normal trade relations with Russia despite international sanctions, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday during a regular press conference.
“China and Russia will continue to carry out normal trade cooperation following the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit,” he said.
According to the spokesman, China’s position was to oppose any “illegally imposed” unilateral sanctions, believing that “sanctions are not an effective solution to solve problems.”

The Tuesday statement repeats the ones made during a press conference on Monday. Answering a question from a Reuters journalist about China buying energy and other commodities from Russia after the recent sanctions, Wang Wenbin said the two countries were to “continue to conduct normal trade cooperation,” according to the official transcript.
During that press conference, the spokesman also stated that China’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine had not changed. Replying to a question about humanitarian aid, he said China was “ready to play a constructive role in easing the situation in Ukraine.”

China responds to idea of Japan hosting US nukes​

Chinese officials have rebuked Japan over former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s call to ease the country’s non-nuclear principles and consider hosting strategic US weapons to boost security amid rising geopolitical tensions.

“Japanese politicians have frequently spread fallacies related to Taiwan and even blatantly made false remarks that violate the nation’s three non-nuclear principles,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Tuesday.

Those principles include bans on possessing, producing or permitting the introduction of nuclear arms. Japan, the only country ever to be attacked with nuclear weapons, adopted a pacifist constitution after its crushing defeat in World War II.

However, Abe said in a television interview on Sunday that Japan should no longer consider it “taboo” to consider having nuclear weapons on its soil. He noted that multiple NATO members host US strategic weapons under nuclear-sharing agreements with Washington, adding, “We need to understand how security is maintained around the world.”

Abe has also called for the US to commit to intervening militarily if Taiwan is attacked by China, ending its strategy of “ambiguity” on the issue. A military conflict between China and Taiwan would constitute a security emergency for Japan.

Wang said Japan’s leaders must be “cautious in words and deeds on the Taiwan issue to stop provoking trouble.” He added, “We strongly ask Japan to deeply reflect on its history.”

 

[Aeneas]

The Russian Ministry of Defense has explained what the letters means:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1499122590232764419

 

[Benjamin]

Thats recent turkish drone given to ukraine and thats not all. The bomb used is air to ground.

From RT:

May 24, 2021- Poland to become first EU country to import Turkish drones after agreeing deal with Ankara​

Poland has agreed to purchase 24 attack drones from Turkey, becoming the first EU state and NATO member to sign such a deal with Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

The contract, first announced by Poland's Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak over the weekend, was officially confirmed during President Andrzej Duda's visit to Turkey on Monday.

“We are one of the best three, four countries in the world” when it comes to UAVs, Erdogan said during a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart in Ankara.

“We're really happy to share this experience, capability and opportunities with our NATO ally,” he said, adding that the sale of two dozen Bayraktar TB2 drones to Warsaw will boost the Turkish defense industry.

Duda called Turkey his country's “strongest ally” in the region, and expressed confidence that the two states can fend off any “inside or outside” threats while working together as part of NATO.

TB2 drones have been used by Turkey in its military operations in Syria and Libya, as well as during last year’s conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, in which Ankara supported the Azeris. The hardware has also been sold to Ukraine, Qatar and Azerbaijan.

The Bayraktar TB2 drone is equipped with radar and surveillance systems, while its armaments include four laser-guided “smart munitions”, according to the manufacturer. With an operational altitude of around 5,500 meters, the UAV can allegedly hit speeds of up to 220 kph and run for over a day without refueling.

During the press conference with Duda, Erdogan also announced that Turkish F-16 jets will “soon” be deployed to Poland as NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission – a move which could further complicate relations between Ankara and Moscow as NATO planes patrol the skies above Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania as a deterrence against what it has framed as the 'Russian threat’.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized the US-led military bloc’s presence near its borders, saying that it endangered European security and only increased the possibility of a conflict on the continent.

Oct. 27, 2021- Ukraine claims first-ever use of state-of-the-art Turkish combat drone in country’s Donbass region, violating ceasefire agreement​

Ukraine’s Army announced on Tuesday that it had successfully fired a missile from a Turkish Bayraktar drone in the Donbass for the first-ever time, publishing a video that allegedly shows a piece of artillery being destroyed. (Note: this is the reference to the "Orion" video you posted)

Ukraine first purchased Bayraktar TB2s in 2019 and has reportedly bought more since. The drone was first used in an active conflict zone this year when it conducted a reconnaissance flight over the Donbass without firing any missiles. If confirmed, the October 26 drone strike will be a new milestone for the Ukrainian military.

According to the general staff of the country’s armed forces, the drone was fired near the village of Granitnoye, close to the city of Mariupol, in response to the shelling that allegedly killed a Ukrainian serviceman.

The conflict in the Donbass began following the events of the 2014 Maidan, when a democratically elected government was toppled by violent street protests. This eventually led to the two self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk (DNR) and Luhansk (LNR) declaring independence, a move recognized by neither Russia, Ukraine or any UN state. According to Kiev, the regions are under the direction of the Kremlin. Moscow vehemently denies this charge.

Seven years later, the war is still ongoing, with separatists from the DNR and LNR wishing to be independent states outside of Kiev’s control.

The new drone attack, if confirmed, is in violation of the ceasefire agreed in July that specifically banned the use of drones near the line of contact. Only the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission is allowed to use unmanned aircraft.

Leadership from the LNR has also criticized the strike as a “deliberate violation of the Minsk agreement,” a ceasefire signed in 2014.

Mar. 2, 2022- Kiev announces arrival of more Turkish attack drones​

The news of the latest shipment has not yet been confirmed by Ankara

Turkey has delivered additional Bayraktar TB2 strike drones to Kiev, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov claimed on Wednesday in an emotional Facebook post. The Turkish government did not immediately comment on the statement.



“New Bayraktars have already been delivered and deployed for combat. There will be more Stingers and Javelins,” the minister said, referring to Turkish-made Baykar Bayraktar TB2 drones and US-made man-portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon systems. He said the provision of foreign military aid to Kiev was being ramped up.

“Europe is becoming our rear and provides what we need critically for defense. We are at the forefront of the free world,” he added.

Individual European Union member states, as well as the UK and US, have promised shipments of military assistance to Ukraine in recent days, with the EU announcing a €450 million package of “lethal aid.”

Reznikov’s post was mostly devoted to raising the morale of Ukrainians and denouncing Russia for its attack against his country. He called Ukraine’s neighbor a “terrorist state” and claimed that, during a phone call with Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense had praised the fighting spirit and professionalism of Ukrainian troops.

Ukraine purchased 12 Bayraktar TB2s in 2019 and placed additional orders after testing them. Kiev has reportedly pinned its hopes on the Turkish weapons, having seen examples of their successful use by Azerbaijan during its brief armed conflict with ethnic Armenian rebels in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, which ended in a victory for Baku.

Ukraine first deployed a Turkish drone against its own breakaway eastern regions in October 2021. Kiev claimed the deployment did not violate the terms of the Minsk agreements, which required both Ukraine and the rebels to pull back heavier weapons from the front line. The rebels took the opposite view of the strike.

Last week, Russia recognized the separatist Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics as independent states and pledged to use force to protect them from Ukraine.

Days later, after Kiev refused to withdraw its troops from what the two republics claim is their territory, Moscow launched a massive military offensive against Ukraine. It accuses Kiev of refusing to implement the Minsk Protocol and of making preparations for a large-scale attack against the rebels.

Turkish drones have been listed by the Russian Defense Ministry as being among the Ukrainian military equipment destroyed by its forces during the ongoing conflict.

Being from Canada, I found this report from 2020 to be rather funny since the sensors on those drones are from Canada.

Oct. 6, 2020- Canada halts sale of drone gear to Turkey over alleged use in Nagorno-Karabakh, Ankara dubs it 'double standards'​

Canada has halted sales of drone sensors to Turkey over fears they could be used to help Baku fight Armenians in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. Ankara responded by recalling Ottawa's arms exports to states involved in the Yemeni war.

The surprise decision by the Canadian government – announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Monday – "is an indication of the double-standard approach of this country," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Turkish diplomats also recalled that Ottawa has been less principled when it comes to exporting arms to other warring parties around the world. Canada "did not see any problem in exporting weapons to countries that were militarily involved in the crisis in Yemen, which was one of the greatest humanitarian tragedies of this century," Ankara noted.

Thriving Canadian weapons exports to Saudi Arabia have almost doubled since 2018, amounting to $2.9 billion in 2019, according to estimates. Riyadh is leading an air campaign by the coalition of Gulf states in war-torn Yemen against Houthi rebels. The UN recently accused Canada – along with France, the UK, the US, and Iran – of perpetuating the conflict that has killed roughly 112,000 people, among them 12,000 civilians, since its outbreak in 2014, creating a humanitarian crisis.

"There can be no explanation for preventing exports of defense products," Turkish diplomats insisted.

Champagne, meanwhile, justified the suspension of arms sales to Turkey by reference to concerns over Canadian technology "being used in the military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh." Since September 27, the ethnic-Armenian-populated region has been engaged in heavy hostilities against Azerbaijan – which has the unwavering the support of Turkey.

"In line with Canada's robust export control regime and due to the ongoing hostilities, I have suspended the relevant export permits to Turkey, so as to allow time to further assess the situation," the minister's announcement read.

The move was reportedly made in response to calls from arms control advocates who alleged that Canadian-made drone optics and laser targeting systems were mounted on the TB2 Bayraktar, the Turkish armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Azerbaijani military announced that it sought to purchase the drone back in June, although details of its operations with the air force are unclear.

Previously, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told TRT broadcaster that Turkish-made drones have helped the military to reduce human losses. Yerevan reported downing several Azerbaijani drones in combat.

Meanwhile, Armenian diplomats have piled pressure on Israel, one of Baku's major arms vendors. Last week, Yerevan recalled its ambassador to the Jewish state for consultation, demanding that it stop selling arms to Azerbaijan.

The demarche apparently yielded some results, with Ambassador Armen Smbatyan saying on Monday that Israel had given "a verbal promise" to halt arms supplies in the coming days.

 

[Zee Ley]

The Russian Ministry of Defense has explained what the letters means:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1499122590232764419

That's what I've managed to screen from Instagram.

Z - Southern forces of RF
Z squared - Crimean forces
O - forces from Belarus
V - marines
X - Kadirov forces
A - special forces (SOBR, ALPHA etc. ...)

 

[Cosmos]

Dont know if the video has been already uploaded but at 2 -3 sec we can see a bomb fall. From what I found its probably a drone. Funny enough I looked up and very quickly I found on youtube

Thats recent turkish drone given to ukraine and thats not all. The bomb used is air to ground.

I searched for several russian drones and I found the most recent applied in russian military was tested in Syria. It has both been tested air to air which is more a propulsion rocket. Air to ground is more like a bomb being drop like you can see in the videos.

"Orion" reconnaissance and attack drone​

The funniest part is that I cant find any info on drone action from russian side. Youtube by coincidence is full of ukraine latest drone blowing up convoys and like that. Coincidence maybe who knows.

That was one of the many atrocities that russia was quickly blamed for, although it makes very little sense that russia did it:

In the same city (second-biggest city) two big explosions happened again today, that are now also used to blame the russians, although a lot again speaks against the russians, including this eyewitness report from the same reliable source above:

Gonzalo Lira

There have been two incredibly loud explosions about 1 mile away from me, in Kharkiv’s main square. The first explosion drew my attention to the window, and the second explosion was strong enough even at this distance to make me feel the shock wave through the window.

I do not know what got hit, but whatever it was, it got hit hard.

Edit: When I heard the first explosion, I went to the window to see outside. I am in a high floor, so I have a fairly panoramic view of the city. I quickly spotted where the first explosion had taken place, as I could see the smoke rising up. So I was looking right at it when the second explosion happened. I could not tell you if it was a bomb or a missile, but I saw the fireball on the second one very clearly as it rose up over the buildings.

I am not posting a picture for two reasons: 1. From my location, all you see is some smoke rising up amidst the buildings. And 2., I don’t want to post a picture that would give away my location.

Edit 2 — iMPORTANT: I was looking right at the first explosion when it happened, from a >10 floor, and I can definitely say that I did not see any missile or shell coming in. I have seen shelling and missile strikes in real time on video, and you can see the missile or shell. You can certainly hear the missile or shell. And I can say unequivocally that I did not see or hear any missile or shell. It sounded like a bomb — no preamble, just an explosion.

Gonzalo Lira

About the explosions I just heard at around 8 AM: I am posting all of these details without any analysis or any commentary. I’m writing it because the details are fresh in my mind, and I want to get them down before they start to fade. I was talking on my Telegram to my assistant, who had left...

t.me

About the explosions I just heard at around 8 AM: I am posting all of these details without any analysis or any commentary. I’m writing it because the details are fresh in my mind, and I want to get them down before they start to fade.

I was talking on my Telegram to my assistant, who had left her shelter to go back to her apartment and get some things. She was walking back to the shelter as I was talking to her (she lives about 3 miles away in a different direction from the two explosions). I was standing in my kitchen and I had earlier opened the windows to let in some light and see outside. I was pacing in my kitchen as I was talking to her when I heard the explosion outside.

I did hear, however, a sound similar to an aircraft just prior to the first explosion, only lower in volume and very brief — like a short preamble to the main explosion.

Then I heard this incredibly loud banging sound, I immediately went to the window and could see the smoke rising from the first explosion. I live in a high-rise building above the 10th floor, so I although I could not see the location of the explosion, I had a panoramic view of the sky above where the smoke was rising.

I was looking directly at the rising smoke when I saw a fireball rising from the same location. My immediate first thought was that the building that had been attacked was catching fire. But this was not the case because then I clearly saw a rising and mushrooming fireball. A second or two later I heard the explosion of the fireball — but I did not hear any whistling sound of a shell or missile. There was the flash of fire, a fireball, and then one or two seconds later the very distinctive rumbling of an explosion — absolutely no prior whistling noise or jet noise. Shortly after the sound of the explosion (maybe three or four seconds later, it was a surprisingly long amount of time, or perhaps that was just my subjective perception), I felt the shockwave of this second explosion through my hand, which I had not realized was pressed palm open against the glass. I distinctly felt the double paned glass of my window bulge against the palm of my hand, something which I have never experienced before.

For the second explosion, I did not see anything fly across the sky. I had a 70° angle view to the left of the site of the two explosions, a 90° view to the right of the site, and a completely unobstructed view of the horizon upward. I would swear on a stack of Bibles that I did not see anything flashing across the sky, or any sound of a minijet before the explosion, like what I heard prior to the first exposure. Outside it was completely quiet, and there was absolutely no sound of any aircraft. There weren’t even any cars.

Shortly thereafter, smoke began to rise from the site of these two explosions. And within not more than a couple of minutes, I started hearing the distinctive sirens of emergency personnel.

That is what I saw and heard.

 

[XPan]

'Wars are won by people who show up': Foreign fighters head to Ukraine​

'Wars are won by people who show up': Foreign fighters head to Ukraine

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a call to arms for any foreigners who wish to help his country fight the Russian invasion, a wave of volunteers have taken up the call – many with little to no military training.

www.ctvnews.ca

So let me get this straight, foreign governments won't send any of their trained and properly equipped military to Ukraine but will allow and encourage any unskilled/untrained people who want to fight, to go?

Supposedly 400 Swedes have signed up

to join the Foreign Legion of Ukraine. However, the information comes via Telegram, and there is absolutely no telling, on what ground or source the info is or would be based on. Let me check.... I read on Reddit, "~400 Swedes with military background applied to join, first of them arrive on Thursday".

Ah, here it is, it all does have substance: Based on a Swedish article from newspaper "Göteborgs-Posten"

Hundreds of Swedish volunteers to UkraineTT
18:04 - 1 Mar, 2022 / Göteborgs-Posten

SwedenHundreds of Swedes are reportedly interested in fighting for Ukraine's international brigade. On Thursday, the first Swedish volunteers will go there.

- They will be placed in an English-speaking group and take part in the defence, says the group's Swedish coordinator.

Ukraine is building an international brigade of foreigners willing to defend the country "against the Russian invaders and protect global security," as the state news agency Ukrinform puts the mission. Ukrinform has drawn up a seven-point checklist for those wishing to join the brigade, and the first step is to contact the Ukrainian embassy in their home country.

Looking for volunteers

The Ukrainian embassy in Sweden says it is looking for volunteers with military training and refers all other questions to Swedish coordinator Philip Brännvall.

- About 400 people have contacted us. Some of them will leave on Thursday and then more will leave. I don't want to give more details for security reasons, says Brännvall, who is the coordinator between the embassy and the brigade group.

The Swedes will fly to Krakow in Poland and are then expected to make their way to Ukraine.
- They will be employed by the Ukrainian army and sign contracts with it, this is not a mercenary job.

Background checked

The volunteers' backgrounds are checked before they are cleared to go to the brigade, according to Philip Brännvall.
- They have to take a personality test and a political test. And we check that they have no criminal record. All religions and political views are welcome as long as they are not extreme," he says.
- We check them out on Facebook and Twitter too. As we see it now, a lot of ordinary guys are going.

Translated with DeepL

 

[thorbiorn]

China responds to idea of Japan hosting US nukes

Does Japan wish to be another Ukraine? Shanghai to Kagoshima is about 900 km.

 

[Cosmos]

Does Japan wish to be another Ukraine?

Well, apparently so...

 

[Cosmos]

The detail you're missing is that Putin looks to be trying to limit the loss of life on both sides and for both soldiers and civilians. He doesn't want to take over Ukraine, he wants to de-CIAify it. Sitting down to talk is not weak when you have your enemy completely surrounded and have air and land superiority. I would think his actions over the last 8 years show that he does not view diplomatic solutions over war as a sign of weakness. He seems to be doing all he can to keep Ukrainian infrastructure intact. This is not at all a typical war, so I'm not sure that applying "Russian doctrine" is useful. This is a "special operation" after all.

I think you're wrong here. The reports are that Russia has held back at least half its troops that were stationed on the western front next to Ukraine. If Russian objectives were to quickly overrun Kiev, they would not have done that. Again, that speaks to Putin's objective not to destroy Ukraine's infrastructure and limit the loss of life.

Ukraine's navy and air force was crippled the first night. It took the Russians 3 whole days to encircle Kiev. I don't see any way they can do anything close to "forcing their will".

They are in a position of overpowering strength

You don't think encircling Kiev in 4 days is quick???

There is zero chance that Russian forces will go back home. Kiev will be taken, although if the Ukies have their way, it will be with as much Ukrainian civilian bloodshed as possible.

Exactly.

I highly recommend the following summary of the situation, both in terms of what is actually going on and how the west is spinning it and how far too many people (especially in the west) are essentially fools and children in adult bodies:

 

[bjorb]

The old Russian oligarchy that looted billions from Russia in the 1990s is sanctioned by the West. Putin drove them safely away into the arms of the West. Now they must flee back to Russia with their billions before the Empire takes it all. Russia will soon receive a capital injection of hundreds of billions of dollars because the only safe place to invest is the motherland. How cool is that.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1499133783135694853