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

I hope that their arrogance will make it clear to europeans that the real target of all the shenanigans against Russia is really the European Union, there's really no other clear target for their games.
I'm thinking we here in the good ole USA are targets as well:

The US Is Now Sending the Bulk of Its Export Gas to Europe

The US sent nearly three quarters of all its liquefied natural gas to Europe in the first four months of 2022, up from one third last year.

How Joe Biden Made the War in Ukraine a Gift to the Gas Industry

Within weeks of the invasion, his administration had adopted the sector’s policy demands.

[...], the Biden administration has vowed to supply the European Union with at least 15 billion cubic meters of gas, equivalent to about half the amount of gas burned by Spain each year, by the end of 2022. The Department of Energy did not respond to questions as to how the new gas operations fitted with Biden’s goal of slashing US emissions in half this decade.

The US only began shipping LNG overseas in 2016 but has now become the largest exporter in the world, surpassing longtime export leaders Qatar and Australia. The majority of the gas is fracked in the Permian basin, an oil- and gas-rich area in Texas and New Mexico, before being taken in pipelines and by train to the Gulf of Mexico coast, where it is chilled and loaded on to ships.

Three export facilities under construction on the coast are set to further cement American dominance of the sector when they are fully operational by 2025, sandwiched in a landscape already thick with petroleum refineries and plastics companies that cause severe air pollution and noise that blights nearby residents, mostly people of color.

Much of the new gas infrastructure won’t be operational for several years, which may be beyond the timeframe of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has squeezed supplies and caused gas prices to spike. So much LNG export is planned or under construction, adding up to about half of all total US gas production, that it will probably cause gas prices to climb for domestic American users, according to Clark Williams-Derry, analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

“It’s beginning to eat into the amount of gas available to domestic consumers,” said Williams-Derry. “We will see very severe impacts on domestic US gas prices. We will see the impacts for as long as the eye can see.”

The crisis in Ukraine has, however, helped several LNG companies record bumper profits this year. The export company Cheniere earned $3.8bn more in cash from its operations in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year, while Sempra, a gas liquifying company, has enjoyed an eightfold increase in LNG sales to Europe.
[...]
But the extraction, transportation and liquefaction required to create LNG for export creates almost as much emissions as burning the gas itself, according to a 2020 analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The NRDC said these extra emissions mean LNG’s greenhouse gas impact is “at best, only modestly smaller than that of other fossil fuels.” A key problem is that gas drilling produces a large amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is far more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

I read somewhere exactly how much LNG Biden's been sending to Europe, but don't remember now where I saw it. Meanwhile:

A fire broke out at a refinery operated by BP in Toledo, Ohio, on Tuesday, with two people injured [they died], according to a spokeswoman for the company.

The refinery was shut down soon after the fire broke out, the spokeswoman also said, as quoted by NBC News.

First responders are at the scene, working to put the fire out. The cause remains to yet be determined, media reported, citing emergency service officials. Reuters noted in its report that the refinery had just come out of maintenance.

The facility has a capacity of close to 160,000 bpd of crude oil and is co-owned by BP and Canada’s Cenovus. Last month, Cenovus agreed to buy BP’s 50-percent share in the facility and become its sole owner. The Canadian company inherited the stake from Husky, with which it merged last year.

The Toledo facility also suffered a fire in November last year, and an explosion in January this year. Neither of the incidents resulted in any injuries.

The Toledo refinery employs more than 840 people and can produce 3.8 million gallons of gasoline, 1.3 million gallons of diesel, and 600,000 gallons of jet fuel, according to the company’s fact sheet on the facility.

This is the second refinery fire in a BP-operated facility in the last two months. In late August, a fire broke out at the Whiting refinery in Indiana and sparked fears of a gasoline shortage across four states just as fuel prices were on a recovery curve after soaring earlier this year to all-time highs.

The electrical fire led to the shutdown of several units at the facility and prompted a declaration of emergency across four states, including Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. All four states get their gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from the Whiting refinery. The 435,000-bpd refinery, which is the largest in the Midwest, restarted a week later.

Oil Prices Set To Spike Again Due To Struggling Global Supply Chain
A short respite from rising oil and gasoline prices is about to end as 2022 comes to a close. The reasons are numerous, but almost all of them relate directly to the supply chain. Mainstream estimates suggest a return to $100 per barrel for the Brent which would inflate gasoline prices back to around $5 per gallon on average in the US. These projections are likely conservative.

It should be noted that it's unusual for the mainstream financial media or mainstream analysts to suggest the idea of a renewed energy price spike. With mid-term elections closing in, higher gas prices would put a damper on any chances democrats might have in maintaining a political majority. Stagflationary pressures already top the list of public concerns in the US, far above social issues and geopolitical conflicts. Higher energy costs would be more than unwelcome going into winter.
This is the reason why Joe Biden has been so exuberant about releasing oil supplies from the US strategic reserves for the past several months. Biden's plan unleashed 1 million barrels per day into the supply chain and is set to end in October. The reserves are now depleted to the lowest levels since 1984, with gas prices STILL nearly double what they were when Biden entered the White House. It is essentially market manipulation at the expense of US strategic readiness and for the express purpose of political gain.

More:

Ohio electric bills to increase in summer amid high natural gas prices

Ohioans may spend more on electricity this summer as the weather warms up and utilities contend with a surge in natural gas prices.
It's not just gas prices at the pump rising: Expect an 'extremely volatile' year for natural gas

It’s not just gas prices at the pump that are rising. The cost of natural gas has spiked this year, too, creating another concern for consumers as inflation lingers at a 40-year high.

The benchmark price for U.S. natural gas jumped to the highest level since 2008, closing at $7.82 per million British thermal units on April 18. Prices have since eased – settling at $6.67 this Monday – but remain at levels not seen in more than a decade.

Though this won’t immediately affect consumers’ wallets, experts say it could lead to higher heating costs in winter 2023.

In certain regions of the country, "a double-digit percentage increase is not out of the question" if high prices persist, says Eugene Kim, a research director focusing on natural gas with energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie.
Standard electric generation rates will increase beginning next month based on prices that were set in the latest auction for utilities. Ohio allows consumers to shop for their energy suppliers, but those who don't are charged a default rate negotiated through the bidding process.

Reminder: Your electric bill represents the total costs of supply and delivery.

The proposed generation hikes vary by utility and must first be confirmed by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

American Electric Power in Columbus, for example, is poised to increase its rate by about 2 cents per kilowatt hour. That means people using 1,000 kilowatt-hours each month would spend $18 more on their bill.

So, food and energy costs are escalating along with hints of possible future shortages - and oh, add water to the mix - it appears intended for all of us:

Water And Energy Shortages Are Fueling A Global Food Crisis

  • The ongoing energy crisis is weighing on the global economy.
  • High energy costs are also sparking a fertilizer shortage and in turn, food shortages.
  • North America, Europe, and China are all facing unprecedented droughts.
The Colorado River drought is so bad you can see it from space. Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which supply drinking water to millions of people in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, and California, are each currently down to just 27% of their capacity, a near-complete collapse from being 95% full in 2000. In China, record heatwaves and drought have dried up the Yangtze River. Yale Environment 360 is warning that the drying up of Europe’s great rivers, which function as the arteries of the continent's economy, could be the new normal. Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population, or about four billion people, suffer from severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, and half of the global population could face water scarcity by just 2025. This is terrifying for a wide number of reasons. We’ve all heard that water is life, and most of us can’t fathom our day-to-day tasks without abundant potable water at the twist of a tap. But water scarcity isn’t just water scarcity. It’s food scarcity and energy scarcity too. Scientists and academics are increasingly approaching issues of food, water, and energy not as separate fields of study and development but as one water-energy-food nexus which is inherently interdependent and interrelated. We can’t hope to address the crises facing any of these sectors without discussing all of them.

Yeah - just picture humanity with this on our backs:

shopping
 
photo_2022-09-27_09-50-14.jpg

An expeditionary detachment of US Navy ships led by the universal amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge days ago was in the Baltic Sea and was spotted following the Baltic Straits into the North Sea.

It was 30 kilometers from the site of the alleged sabotage on the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline and 50 kilometers from the threads of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.
 
The MSM here (mainly sky news I've seen) although not covering the Nord pipeline explosion in great detail are starting to suggest that Russia were to blame for the leaks.
It's clear already whom they're going to blame even though it makes no sense what so ever. I'd love to think the USA have over stepped the mark but I expect business as usual. It's time to get the thermals out for winter. Joking aside it's scary. There's nothing they wouldn't do to stay in control.
Here's hoping that something is disclosed to the world that shows who's responsible. I won't holdy breath.
 
The gasleak this morning in the Danish media:
The state media DR.dk has: Ukraine on gas leak in the Baltic Sea: Russian terrorist attack and that is a front page kind of display. Like this:
Screenshot 2022-09-28 091224.jpg
One should think that that Danish Government, and Sweden should know better than Ukraine, but since the flag of Ukraine is still held high in front of many public buildings, maybe the difference is less than one should think.

Besides, as in this Russian video shared earlier, Starikov says in this Russian video, Denmark is under the complete control of the US. While many would like to disagree, they would be hard pressed to find convincing examples of real independence.
If you know Russian, you can listen to Starikov's opinion on the North Stream gas pipelines sabotage. But this video is still interesting even if you don't know Russian. It shows how these pipelines look like, how they are being prepared, and how they are being put underwater.


Starikov also holds that the place was chosen with care. Had in been in Germany, he says, they would have had their own investigations, but now they have to deal with the Danish Government too, and it becomes more complicated.

I would imagine, any official statement is likely to be negotiated between Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the US, so we have an idea of where this could lead. In the meantime, they are preparing the ground:

28/09/2022 KL. 06:30
Military researcher: Sabotage will be a violation of the rights of Denmark
[...]
If Russian sabotage is the cause of the three gas leaks in the Baltic Sea, it would be a violation of Denmark's internal affairs. And the war in Ukraine would thus have moved directly into Denmark's backyard, says a military researcher.
The EU countries now agree on tough reactions - when they have found a culprit

Another paper, the one that is usually the most vitriolic with regard to Russia, has perhaps realized that there is no way they can ignore the signs, so they choose a US paper that is less often quoted than the usual NYT, WP etc
Fox News speculates that the United States is behind it and below:
Mayor: It renews concerns on Bornholm
It looks like this, and really can't be missed:
Screenshot 2022-09-28 095544.jpg
When you click the link above, there is a paywall and:
LIVE: Gas leak in Nord Stream 1 and 2
Three leaks were detected on the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday evening that the authorities believe that this is a deliberate act. Follow the situation here.
So that is up front and low-key at the same time. Don't want to offend anyone, do we?

The PM now says that the FM will meet with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. If anyone would like a view of the strategic situation of the Danish Straits, then there are posts from another thread, this one is from June of this year, and this from 2018 is more about the history and plans during the Cold War from both sides.
 
The plot thickens.

We have this from early August (German newspaper):

US Navy
Large battle group active in the Baltic Sea

The largest U.S. Navy battle group since the end of the Cold War is currently transiting the Baltic Sea. Observers see this as a "sign of support" for the Baltics and Scandinavia.
Editorial


More than 4,000 U.S. troops, including helicopter pilots, Marine infantrymen, medics as well as military advisors have been on their way to the eastern Baltic Sea since Tuesday evening. Among them are the "USS Kearsarge" and "USS Arlington" - the former represents a ship for amphibious operations, the latter a dock landing ship. On Wednesday morning, the unit passed the Danish island of Bornholm and deactivated the transponders. Since then, they have been unable to be located.

"A message"

Kiel naval expert Sebastian Bruns recognizes a "controlled escalation" in the action. The deployment of the convoy is a double message, he said. "On the one hand, to Sweden and Finland, as well as the Baltic states, that the U.S. will protect them from Russian threats," Bruns described to NDR. The Russian government should be made aware that the U.S. and NATO have enough resources. In July, two Russian nuclear submarines were deployed to the Baltic Sea and participated in an exercise off Kaliningrad/Königsberg with other Russian forces. So the U.S. Navy's move could be interpreted as a reaction and response to Russian action, Bruns said. However, according to German officers, the Russians are interested in not crossing any red borders, NDR said. Thus, a major escalation could be ruled out.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Then, a strange article from today in a German local newspaper:

Large U.S. Navy fleet unit passes through Fehmarn Belt

Created: 28.09.2022, 04:46 Uhr

By: Andreas Höppner


Fehmarn Belt Fleet USS Kearsarge USS Arlington

The "USS Kearsarge" (r.) and the "USS Arlington" were part of the U.S. Navy fleet convoy that passed the Fehmarn Belt heading west Thursday morning. © Rolf Dunkel

A U.S. Navy fleet unit passed Fehmarn on Thursday morning. The "USS Kearsarge" as flagship was the largest warship.

Russian nuclear submarines as well as NATO formations in the Fehmarn Belt.
Ships again heading west.
40 helicopters and fighter planes on board.

Fehmarn - At the latest with the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, which began in February, as well as the resulting change in security policy with the NATO membership applications of Finland and Sweden, the Baltic Sea has become a deployment area for the naval forces of Russia and NATO. This is well illustrated by the increasing number of warships that have passed through the Fehmarn Belt in recent months. This applies to Russian nuclear submarines as well as NATO formations. On Thursday morning, a U.S. Navy fleet unit passed through Fehmarn.

NATO maneuvers in the Baltic Sea

The amphibious assault ship "USS Kearsarge," accompanied by the landing ships "USS Arlington" and "USS Gunston Hall," was on its way west Wednesday morning. Previously, the ships were part of U.S. units participating in NATO maneuvers and calling at numerous ports in Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic States.

The "USS Kearsarge," flagship of the unit and the largest U.S. Navy warship to deploy to the Baltic Sea in the past 30 years, has 40 helicopters and combat aircraft and more than 2,000 soldiers on board, and the escort ships have about 1,000. For the approximately 4,000 soldiers, they are heading back toward their home on the U.S. East Coast after their six-month deployment.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

I have no idea what they mean by "Thursday" and "Wednesday" since the article was apparently published today. But as a commentor on the article says: "And today NS1 and NS2 are broken. Coincidences do exist."

Here I marked the island of Fehmarn where the US ships were "heading west" Thursday morning or Wednesday morning, as well as Bornholm, where in August the US ships "deactivated their transponders":

Screenshot 2022-09-28 105608.png
 
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The market reacted with a 4% drop in natural gas spot prices. I don't know what to make of that.

Maybe anticipating reduced demand because many industries are going bye bye. That's the flip side of the 'energy crisis', people think it will cause an increase in prices, but it can also cause a marked decrease in production leading to demand decrease and therefore price drop. The entire situation is obviously manipulated in one way or another, all, it seems, to the end of "squeezing" the civilian population.
 
Russia steps in to clean up the US' destructive mess:

The Taliban reported that an agreement had been reached with Russia on the supply of goods to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. As part of the agreement, Afghanistan will annually buy from Russia:

1. 2,000,000 tons of wheat
2. 1,000,000 tons of gasoline
3. 1,000,000 tons of diesel fuel
4. 500,000 tons of LNG

Afghanistan will also receive a discount relative to current world prices.
 
Yes, his pipeline news should be in the focus of all MSM - instead, it is on a side with "Putin did it" tone. :violin:

Also, I think that a lot of people are not even aware of the consequences and ramifications of this act. I saw that when talking to a friend who was totally oblivious to what has happened!

Nevertheless, I'm quite surprised when reading the readers' comments on (Croatia) MSM portals (for people who understand Croatian, i.e. here :-D) - all the anti-Putns are quite silent and people are laughing at the version the MSM are presenting, A LOT of them pointing to US hand.
 
False flag? 9/11 Flashbacks?
Do some recall how they played the planew crashing into the Twin Towers for days on end, or was that just my perception? Anyway, previously on the Danish State Media they were showing:
The state media DR.dk has: Ukraine on gas leak in the Baltic Sea: Russian terrorist attack and that is a front page kind of display. Like this:
Screenshot 2022-09-28 091224.jpg
And now, they have the same text but with a video, as if for people to connect the visual image and the text message more clearly. Current link.
Screenshot 2022-09-28 105122.jpg
It does look as they will be using it as a false flag event. The talk of investigation from yesterday is toned down, if not gone.
 
The narrative is taking shape. It was Russia. Putin blew it up to put pressure on Europe.
Yes, it is too predictable. In the Danish media today, I saw a headline in the main Danish newspaper, saying that only one country according to military 'experts' would have the ability to do this and then indirectly pointing to Russia at the end of the article.

The Danish newspaper also mentioned that if it was found to be Russia, then it would signal a Russian aggression on Danish territory which would allow for upping the ante. They are doing all for fueling the war.

As for getting it repaired, then I don't see that happening any time soon. The pipelines are in Danish territorial waters and the area currently blocked off. I imagine that Russia will not get close to inspect the damages as the West has already framed Russia as being the culprit. It would only be Russia who would be able to repair it as it is their project and even if they after a very lengthy investigation would be allowed to do it, then there is currently no incentive to do it. Europe has made it clear until now, that it doesn't want the gas, so commercially Russia would be better off spending time, money and energy promoting energy deals with reliable partners.
 
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