Tag Archives: Ukraine

German-Japanese military cooperation does little to deter China at sea

Germany and Japan revive WWII alliance with new military cooperation.

Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher

On March 18, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Tokyo and promised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that their countries would strengthen military cooperation, even by sending German ships and planes to the Pacific region. Then, only three days later – and a day after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow – Kishida made a surprise trip to Kiev and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Kishida even visited the town of Bucha, the site of an infamous fake news campaign of alleged Russian war crimes.

The visit of the Japanese prime minister to the Ukrainian capital was undoubtedly timed to be immediately after the visit of Scholz to Tokyo and to nearly coincide with the Xi-Putin meeting, a clear expression that Japan is now fully behind the Western bloc in opposing Russia and China.

In a joint statement, Germany and Japan said that they will work on establishing “a legal framework for bilateral defence and security cooperation activities,” including on ways to protect critical infrastructures, trade routes and to secure future supply of sustainable energy.

For his part, Kishida said that the agreement with Germany was to “counter economic coercion, state-led attempts to illegally acquire technology and non-market practices,” an obvious reference to China.

With Japan embroiled in several disputes with China, and Germany pursuing a policy of aggression against Russia, it is rather surprising that they are teaming up to expand their hostile efforts considering their limited capabilities for global power projection, especially when compared to Russia and China.

None-the-less, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Emine Dzheppa, said the country was “happy to welcome” the Japanese premier in a way as if his visit was a gamechanger.

“This historic visit is a sign of solidarity and strong cooperation between Ukraine and Japan,” she tweeted. “We are grateful to Japan for its strong support and contribution to our future victory.”

This is obviously just another opportunity for a photoshoot. Japan has increasingly become hostile against Russia and China, and by Kishida visiting Kiev to take his photo alongside Zelensky, he is signalling to the West that Japan is prepared to do its part for Ukraine if they will do their part against China.

Tokyo’s decision will please the US, however, it is Germany’s reaction that is most telling. Although Kishida’s visit to Kiev was certainly a surprise to the unsuspecting public, undoubtedly Scholz would have been notified about the impending trip, perhaps from even before he arrived in Tokyo.

None-the-less, despite Germany and Japan having seemingly revived their World War II era alliance, it will do very little to deter China from defending its interests in the East and South China Seas or Russia from its military operation in Ukraine. This is for the simple fact that they, even in alliance, do not have the capability to challenge either country, let alone if Russia and China were in military alliance.

Although Japan is rapidly militarising, it is incalculably behind the Russian and Chinese militaries. The German military is in an even more pathetic state. Germany once had a very powerful military that was capable of instigating two world wars, but today the Bundeswehr only has 264,400 personnel, including 183,200 soldiers and 81,200 civil servants. 

For comparison, even in 1989 the Bundeswehr numbered 486,000 personnel. After the reunification of the country in 1990, the great disarmament began.

Today, the German military has been exposed for having a severe lack of combat readiness, in terms of personnel numbers and the condition of military equipment. Germany not only faces serious problems in ensuring the combat effectiveness of its army, but also in the production of new military equipment and weapons. Although additional funds have been allocated for this, German experts still doubt that this will help.

Following the Russian intervention in the Ukraine conflict, the Bundeswehr made serious efforts to support the Ukrainian military. From January 2022 to March 13, 2023, arms, ammunition, and military equipment worth 2.7 billion euros were delivered to Ukraine. In addition, the Bundeswehr was forced to reinforce weaker NATO allies directly bordering Russia. About 1,000 German soldiers were sent to Lithuania and formed a fighting group with Lithuanian and Polish troops.

Yet, despite the pathetic condition of the German military, Scholz has promised to send forces to help Japan confront China. Although the statement is bold, it does raise the question on how many ships, soldiers, tanks and planes the Bundeswehr can send to the Pacific several thousands of kilometres away when a war is waging just a little more than a thousand kilometres away in Eastern Europe.

Sending such a force could signify a German presence in the region. But to say that a thousand or so German soldiers could possibly make a difference against the People’s Liberation Army of China is ludicrous, even if alongside Japan and the US. In this way, although the German-Japanese alliance is not a credible threat to Russia and China, it is an expression of intention that they will collectively pressure and provoke the two countries.

UK violates new red lines by sending depleted uranium weapons to Kiev’s neo-Nazi regime

The situation could lead to a major escalation, possibly having nuclear impacts.

Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant. 

On March 21, UK Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie stated that London would supply Ukraine with weapons containing depleted uranium (DU). This type of technology, as well known, is extremely dangerous and has serious chemical, radioactive effects among its consequences. For Moscow, this is yet another provocation that violates clear red lines in the conflict.

Sending these weapons to Ukraine significantly changes the way the conflict has been conducted so far, as the Westwould openly supply weapons with radioactive power to Ukrainian forces. DU is the by-product of enriching or reprocessing uranium for nuclear energy. In the defense sector, this component has been attached to ammunition and artillery weapons by British forces for decades. The objective is to take advantage of its high density to make it possible to penetrate tanks and armored vehicles during attacks.

Although significantly less toxic than enriched uranium, DU is actually radioactive and its effects on human health have been denounced for a long time, mainly with regard to the long-term consequences of inhaling the product. Deformities of fetuses, tumors and other serious problems have affected the civilian population of regions where these weapons were used by the British military during their participation in NATO operations. Obviously, it is of central importance for the Russian government to prevent this scenario from occurring in Ukraine and in the regions that have recently joined the Federation.

In this sense, commenting on the subject, the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Maria Zakharova, emphasized the irresponsibility of the West in acting in this way and warned about the dangers of using these weapons – both for those who are attacked by them and for the soldiers who operate them. She also said that the supply of DU ammunition qualitatively changes the dimension of the conflict, generating new escalations.

“This is a matter of the absolute recklessness, irresponsibility, and impunity of the Anglo-Saxons, the Anglo-Saxon duo, primarily London and Washington, in international affairs. This is another British provocation, which is aimed at bringing the situation around Ukraine to a new round of aggression, conflict and confrontation, and giving a qualitatively different dimension to it (….) All conversations that they see the well-being of Ukraine in the future end with their statements about their intention to supply depleted uranium shells (…) I am not sure that the British lady [Goldie] who made the statement is fully aware of the consequences of the use of these weapons. Not only will those against whom they are used and those who are in the affected area at this historical moment suffer, but also future generations who live on these lands… This component [depleted uranium] also strikes those who use these weapons”, she said.

In the same vein, Russian President Vladimir Putin himself stated: “I would like to note in this regard that if all this happens, then Russia will be forced to react accordingly – I mean that the Collective West is already starting to use weapons with a nuclear component”.Previously, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also warned that “another step [towards nuclear collision] has been taken, and there are fewer and fewer left”.

However, the UK ignored the warnings and reiterated its plans to send such weapons. British officials claim that DU munitions are not nuclear arms, which would “invalidate” the Russian narrative of nuclear escalation. In fact, in addition to being irresponsible and bellicose, the British stance also sounds inconsistent with reality, since the legal status of such weapons is not completely defined.

Because they are stronger than conventional chemical weapons and less powerful than nuclear ones, DU ammunitions do not have a very clear definition under international law. Some experts believe that they should be considered nuclear weapons according to the legal principle of analogy, since they contain radioactive material. Others believe that in fact they cannot be seen as nuclear, but that they should be banned based on the principle of proportionality, since their side effects are much more significant than their military advantage.

This uncertainty creates a margin for the offended side to interpret the situation freely. In other words, Moscow could understand the use of the DU as an actual nuclear aggression, which, according to its military doctrine, would allow it to respond using its atomic arsenal. For the West, the Russian authorities are bluffing when they warn about the escalation, but the message has been clear, and the Russian president has said that the country has the right to react “accordingly” to any aggression suffered.

Avoiding nuclear war should be a number one priority for all world leaders, but unfortunately the West has embraced the total war policy against Russia and launched a wave of escalation that could lead the world towards catastrophe. The more red lines are violated, the harder it is to stop the worst case scenario from happening.

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Downing US drones saves thousands of lives

Only a few days before the downing, Kiev regime forces conducted numerous attacks on civilian settlements in the Donbass. Apart from the regular indiscriminate shelling, the Neo-Nazi junta is using US-made PGMs (precision-guided munitions) to attack the people of Donbass, with NATO drones providing the targeting data.

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

As we all know now, on March 14, a United States Air Force MQ-9 “Reaper” drone (presumably the latest Block 5 variant) was downed approximately 70 km off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula in southern Russia. The political West keeps insisting that a pair of Russian Su-27 jets (most likely the heavily modernized SM3 version) shot it down through “reckless, unprofessional and environmentally unsound” maneuvering. Needless to say, the latter is most likely the “gravest crime” of the Russian pilot, as he should’ve certainly taken climate change prevention as a priority over protecting his own country. It should also be noted that the Russian military probably had nothing to do with the aforementioned jets.

New intelligence reviewed by anonymous Russian officials suggests that “a pro-Russian group from within the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) hijacked two Su-27s and went on a vigilante mission to patrol Russian airspace”. At least that’s what the New York Times would be claiming if its latest report on the Nord Stream terrorist attack were to be taken into account. However, in all seriousness, the Russian military rejects the allegations that one of its Su-27 jets supposedly dumped fuel on the US drone, claiming that it went down due to its erratic maneuvering, while the Russian jets never came into direct contact with the drone or used weapons to intercept it.

The Russian VKS also noted that the UAV had its transponders off while heading toward Russian airspace. Moscow slammed Washington DC for violating the agreed protocols for avoiding escalation. However, the US insists that its drone was “merely conducting routine operations in international airspace over the Black Sea and posed no threat to anyone”. However, as the Pentagon claims that the MQ-9 was unarmed, this leaves us only with the option that it was carrying out ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) over critically important Russian military infrastructure. Considering this information is then shared directly with the Neo-Nazi junta forces, enabling precision strikes, it can hardly be considered a “nonthreat”.

Quite expectedly, Washington DC warhawks were quick to call for a world-ending thermonuclear war over a single drone, with the “famously pacifist” Senator Lindsey Graham calling for the downing of Russian fighter jets. “What would Ronald Reagan do right now? He would start shooting Russian planes down, if they were threatening our assets,” he told Sean Hannity during a Fox News interview. On the other hand, top Russian officials, such as Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, are adamant that the incident proves America’s direct involvement in the conflict. And indeed, as previously mentioned, the US battlefield data is directly shared with the Neo-Nazi junta, causing thousands of Russian military and civilian deaths.

Only a few days before the incident, the Kiev regime forces conducted numerous attacks on civilian settlements in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. This includes the intentional targeting of the grain warehouses and farms in what can only be described as an attempt to cause famine in the affected areas. Apart from the regular indiscriminate shelling, the Neo-Nazi junta is using US/NATO-made PGMs (precision-guided munitions) to attack the people of Donbass, including bus stations. The only logical conclusion one might come to is that this is entirely intentional, as civilian areas are of no military significance and do not impact Russian military operations in any conceivable way.

https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday/1620?single

On March 12, a bus station in the town of Perevalsk (LPR) was struck by a single rocket fired from the US-made HIMARS. At least three civilians were killed, including a 17-year-old, with at least 16 others injured. A day before, the Kuybishev district of Donetsk (DPR) was also targeted, resulting in the death of an eight-year-old boy and his father. The child, Nikita Safonov, was killed on his birthday on March 11. The family was about to celebrate the occasion when they were killed. The father, just under the age of 30, was instantly killed, while his son died on the way to the hospital.

Weapons such as the rockets used by the HIMARS are PGMs and, as the name suggests, are designed for precision strikes. This means that the aforementioned civilian deaths were entirely intentional, making them an unadulterated war crime. And while the Neo-Nazi junta has been openly threatening to conduct its genocidal policies towards the people of Donbass for nearly a decade, the US claims it’s “merely helping Ukraine defend itself”. However, how exactly does providing targeting data for the senseless murder of civilians going to school, work or celebrating their child’s birthday help “defend Ukraine”? The only logical conclusion is that it’s all intentional.

The belligerent thalassocracy claims that it “doesn’t seek direct confrontation with Russia” and that it would “prefer to avoid escalation”. Considering the aforementioned war crimes, such statements are monstrously hypocritical. On the other hand, NATO ISR assets have also contributed to the vast majority of Russian military deaths, while prolonging the conflict. This means that the US and NATO don’t even need to fire a single bullet to kill Russian soldiers and civilians. However, while the Kiev regime forces are pulling the trigger, it is the political West’s “eyes” that are targeting them. And, according to the Neo-Nazi junta itself, they are also the ones issuing commands. Considering these facts, Mr. Patrushev is certainly right. NATO is a party to the conflict and downing its ISR platforms is certainly saving thousands of lives.

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Canada’s Foreign Minister proposes regime change operation in Russia

Russian authorities want clarification from the Ministry on whether this is the guidelines given to Canadian diplomats in Moscow.

Editors Note: Keep in mind this is part of the script designed to inflame the reasons to go to war on both sides. All of this insane rhetoric is designed to put people’s minds into a war footing by justifying it with this kind of propaganda. All of the Wests’ “isolate Russia” plans have failed miserably and have actually strengthened the Russian economy. All of this leads to an expanded world war, more depopulation and the “great reset” they keep talking about. Johnny

Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.

Increasingly, blackmail and direct threat become the main mechanisms in Western foreign policy towards Russia. Recently, Canada’s Foreign Minister said that her country hopes to overthrow the Russian government, suggesting that Canadian intelligence would be planning some kind of maneuver to destabilize Moscow through a regime change operation. The case is further evidence that on the part of NATO’s powers there is no sign of respect in bilateral relations with Moscow.

The threat was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Mélanie Joly. According to Joly, only “isolating” Russia would not be enough for the West to achieve its goals, which is why she expects something more disabling to be launched against Moscow. Joly believes Russia should be attacked economically, politically, and diplomatically, so that it becomes absolutely unable to continue its operation in Ukraine. In this sense, she also hopes that, as a consequence, the Putin government will be overthrown, and he and his allies will be considered guilty of war in the future.

“We’re able to see how much we’re isolating the Russian regime right now — because we need to do so economically, politically and diplomatically — and what are the impacts also on society and how much we’re seeing potential regime change in Russia (…) The goal is definitely… to weaken Russia’s ability to launch very difficult attacks against Ukraine. We want also to make sure that Putin and his enablers are held to account (…) I always make a difference between the regime and the people of a given country, which is fundamental”, she said.

As expected, Canadian animosity was praised by the leader of the Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime. Vladimir Zelensky came to media to express his support for Joly’s irresponsible words and ensure that Kiev is working in the same direction, seeking to encourage international society to further sanction Russia, especially concerning aluminum and steel – sectors in which Canada recently imposed new sanctions. The goal is to increase coercive measures until Moscow eventually becomes unable to continue fighting.

“We are also working to add new sanctions against Russia (…) Recently, Canada took a significant step by expanding sanctions on imports of Russian aluminum and steel. I thank Canada for this decision – for this signal to the international community”, Zelensky said.

Obviously, the Russian reaction to the Canadian minister’s words were severe. On social networks, Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokespersons commented that Canadian elites encourage a pro-drugs and anti-family liberal agenda in the country while supporting the Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime, thus showing the obvious difference both in moral values and political principles between Russia and Canada.

“Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly declared regime change in Russia foreign policy goal of Canada… officially (…) Sorry to see the ruling liberal clique having subdued Canada with decadent anti-family, pro-drug & support for Ukrainian Neo-Nazis agenda”, spokespersons published on the Ministry’s official Twitter account.

In the same vein, the Russian Ambassador in Canada responded to the Minister’s words by stating that he was “perplexed” with her speech, and asking for clarification on whether she guides the Canadian embassy in Moscow to work for a regime change in the country.

“Quite perplexed to hear from Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly that her goal is ‘regime change’ in Russia. Is this how she instructs the Canadian Embassy in Moscow? (…) And by the way, what reaction would we expect if, for example, someone in Moscow had said that Russia’s goal is ‘regime change’ in Ottawa?”, he said. In another occasion, he also emphasized the popularity of Russia’s government, saying: “What Joly or other decision-makers in Ottawa don’t want to recognize is that the current Russian policy is supported by the ultimate majority of the nation” – the goal apparently was to respond to Joly’s statement that she makes “a difference between the regime and the people of a given country”.

It is not surprising that the Canadian state acts this way. In practice, Canada works much more as a 51st American state than as an independent country – and, as well known, the US is currently at a proxy war with Russia. However, the case shows how relations between Russia and the West are deeply broken, close to a point of non-return. It is absolutely unacceptable for a state officer to publicly affirm that she plans to carry out a regime change operation in another country. This is a serious and frontal threat that could justify various retaliatory measures on the part of Russia.

Regarding sanctions, the strategy of “suffocating” Russia has already been failed due to the resilience of the Russian economy. It remains to be seen now whether Joly’s words are only bluffs or if the US-Canada (and allies) axis will actually encourage some kind of “color revolution” in Moscow in the coming months. Knowing the threat in advance, certainly Russian intelligence will act in a preemptive way to avoid any mutiny.

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US keeps sending tens of billions to Kiev despite ongoing banking collapse

The interests of not just the current US administration, but virtually the entire political establishment have been connected to foreign regimes, particularly Kiev, where the DNC’s top leadership (including the Biden family) has a vested interest.

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

It has been over a year since the political West started boasting about Russia’s “inevitable collapse”. The mainstream propaganda machine would make one think that Russia shouldn’t even exist anymore, as by now its currency should have been “worth less than toilet paper”, economic activity in single digit percentage of what it used to be before February 24, 2022, and the banking system essentially nonexistent. The Russian people were supposed to be starving, angry, resenting President Putin, eventually deposing him in a “democratic uprising against authoritarianism” and begging Washington DC and Brussels to “come and save them”.

And yet, not just that none of this has happened, but it’s the political West facing most of the aforementioned issues it has so “generously” tried to cause in Russia. After the brief initial shock Western sanctions caused, the people quickly realized that the country is not only stable, but that it’s anything but “isolated and irrelevant”. Perhaps for the very first time, Moscow’s importance as one of the world’s largest suppliers of key commodities, whether it’s food, energy, rare earth minerals, heavy machinery, chemical products, etc. was proven beyond doubt. One might say “not bad” for a “Burkina Faso with nukes”, as many Western observers boastfully claimed for decades.

Russia’s banking system, despite enormous sanctions pressure, including what can only be described as stealing of its forex reserves, is doing quite well. And while Russian banks have been operating under siege for over a year now, the banking system in the US is dangerously close to a 2008-style collapse, forcing Washington DC to respond with the ever so “uncapitalist” bailouts. This essentially means working-class Americans are once again giving out their funds and resources to multibillionaire oligarchs. The most striking example is the recent collapse of SVB (Silicon Valley Bank), followed by Signature Bank on Sunday.

Economist Michael Hudson, the Director of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET) and the Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, argues that “banks like the SVB have behaved in a selfish and greedy way, yet get de facto US government bailouts, while regulatory capture and campaign contributions prevent the systemic change needed to stop these crises.” The Fed, short for the US Federal Reserve, also holds a lot of responsibility for the ongoing chaos. With the rising interest rates, bond prices start falling, closely followed by stock prices. However, for the most part, banks usually simply hold onto their securities.

According to Hudson, banks only have to reveal the market-price decline when there is a run on the bank and they have to actually sell these bonds or packaged mortgages to raise the cash to enable withdrawals. SVB essentially gambled to make a capital gain by buying long-term US Treasury Bonds, whose interest rates were being raised sharply by the Fed’s tightening. The bank expected that the Fed couldn’t keep rates high without bringing on a serious recession — and indeed, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said that a recession was exactly what he was aiming for. However, instead of lowering interest rates, the Fed chief announced that not enough Americans were unemployed, so he planned to raise interest rates even more than expected, causing bond prices to fall.

According to the Financial Times, the result was that the SVB was left with an unrealized loss of close to $163 billion. As this was more than the bank’s equity base, the deposit outflows then “started to crystallize into a realized loss”. Hudson reiterated that “this was because banks have behaved in such a selfish and greedy way that, as they have made soaring profits on rising interest rates — the rates they charge borrowers, and the rates yielded by their investments — they have been paying depositors only about 0.2%”. In simpler terms, the banks were acting as monopolies, refusing to pay depositors a fair rate, resulting in a widening gap between them and the investors earning by buying risk-free Treasury securities. Thus, the depositors simply took their money to get better deals elsewhere.

The resulting loss of liquidity is often called a “bank run”, but the depositors can hardly be considered irrational for withdrawing their money due to such conditions. Hudson warned that the threat of a “bank run” applies more to foreign depositors, adding that the USD index fell by 1% on March 13, which is “quite a lot in a single day”. And it was the Europeans who were selling US stocks. Hudson also considers President Biden responsible for doing “everything that he could to confuse the public as to what is happening”, arguing that his March 13 speech which assured voters that the SVB would not be bailed is not true and that precisely this is happening.

Silicon Valley’s deep political ties with the DNC are another important segment of the controversy. The Democrat stronghold is a lucrative source of campaign financing, prompting the troubled Biden administration to try and save its major financial backers. As the campaign for the 2024 election is starting to heat up, we’re likely to see more bailouts for DNC backers. As the administration is squandering state resources for internal political gain, the American people are facing actual economic and financial issues (in addition to many other problems), including the now astronomical student debt, which is inflicting generational damage on the lives of tens of millions of Americans who will never be bailed out.

An estimated 50 million of them have accrued approximately $1.8 trillion in student debt, most of it owed to the government. The debt is delaying marriage and real estate purchases, further causing plunging birthrates. Many students are left bankrupt on the very day of their graduation and will be stuck in debt for decades to come. Lower-income students forced to borrow heavily to graduate usually end up having middle-class incomes without ever being able to lead middle-class lives. Worse yet, approximately 40% of them never even graduate, while the Department of Education projects that at least a third of the debt will never be paid off, according to the NYT’s last year analysis. Given such issues, a financial crash is virtually inevitable. Various monopolies, the fallout of anti-Russian sanctions that cause energy and food price spikes and internal US power struggles are bound to cause further instability. All the while, the interests of not just the current administration, but virtually the entire political establishment have been also connected to foreign regimes, particularly Kiev, where the DNC’s top leadership (including the Biden family) has a vested interest. This would explain why Biden is willing to waste hundreds of billions to keep a failed Neo-Nazi regime on perpetual life support, not only causing the aforementioned issues in the US, but also prolonging the Ukrainian conflict and getting the world dangerously close to WW3

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Europe’s military is in “appalling state” – experts

The next generation of American politicians will be more consumed by China than Russia.

Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher

Western pressure to provide Ukraine with military support has not only exposed the “appalling state” of Europe’s defence capabilities, but has also demonstrated the overreliance that the continent has on the US, Foreign Affairs magazine wrote in a scathing article titled “Why European Defense Still Depends on America: Don’t Believe the Hype—the War in Ukraine Has Led to Little Change.” In addition, the authors believe that the next generation of American politicians will be more consumed by China rather than Russia.

According to the publication, the conflict over Ukraine has exposed the “appalling state of European defense.” This is because European countries “underinvested in its armed forces for the past 20 years, and what little funding it did commit was focused on building forces for humanitarian, counterinsurgency, and counterterrorism missions far from the continent, such as in Afghanistan.”

“European militaries thus lack the basics needed for conventional warfare in their own backyards. Most countries lack basic ammunition stockpiles,” added the authors of the article, Max Bergmann (Director of the Stuart Center and the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies) and Sopia Besch (Europe Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace).

As an example, the German Armed Forces only have enough ammunition reserves to last a few hours or days of combat. Spain, like Germany, has more than 300 Leopard tanks, but a third of them are no longer active and in poor condition. In addition, it is Europe’s own fault for having a lack of artilleries due to their decision to empty their stockpiles for the sake of supporting an illiberal Nazi-sympathetic regime in Kiev.

“NATO sets targets that it hopes its member states will meet on their own—and no one explained how the organization would collectively meet such an ambitious goal. And even those European leaders who are determined to support Ukraine and ramp up their own capabilities to deter Russia do not have the kind of arsenals, supply chains, production capacities, and procurement procedures that the task at hand requires,” the article states.

Meanwhile, the European defence industrial base has been depleted – the root cause being low European defence spending. This is compounded by the fact that Europe does not have a common defence market that meets European security needs. The European defence sector is also under pressure because American military industry profits from signing contracts with the EU, meaning that European companies lose out. 

European forces also use different equipment from each other, which makes it much more difficult to operate together.

The authors highlight that because the Europeans use 29 different destroyers, 17 tanks or personnel carriers, and 20 fighter planes, “yawning gaps” are created and thus it “then falls to the United States to fill these gaps, meaning that European militaries remain dependent on Washington for even the most basic military tasks.” They cite the example that during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, American troops were responsible for airlifting European evacuees.

Beyond highlighting that “European forces are in worse shape than previously thought,” perhaps the most damning conclusion from the authors, and remembering that Bergmann served in a number of positions at the US Department of State (such as a member in the Policy Planning Staff), the EU’s militarization has not been as “transformative” as we are led to believe.

Although European countries are self-sabotaging their own economies to sanction Russia amid skyrocketing energy prices and high inflation; maintain widespread support for Finland’s and Sweden’s admission into NATO; and provide billions in military equipment, the authors believe that “the current spending bonanza might suggest a transformation, [but] it may amount to little if underlying issues plaguing European defense remain unaddressed.”

If the authors are to be believed, “a generational change will eventually come to American politics.” Future generations taking leadership positions in the US will be grown up on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, counterterrorism, and now China – not the Cold War and the Balkan Wars, like President Joe Biden.

The immediate issue is that it means another generation of Russians have grown up experiencing immense American and European racism, othering, and disdain. Although the next generation of American politicians might prioritise their focus on China, and many likely realize the mistake in having hostile relations with Russia, the damage has already been done, especially as Moscow and Beijing continue to deepen their ties, something that the US will find difficult to untangle, particularly as their European partners are in economic and military disarray.

Kiev’s neo-Nazi regime continues its persecution against the Orthodox Church

Now, Ukrainian authorities demand that an important religious place in Kiev be abandoned by Orthodox monks, which sounds unacceptable to the Christian people.

Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.

Kiev’s neo-Nazi regime continues to persecute Christians and impose severe restrictions on the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Now, Ukrainian authorities are demanding that an important spiritual site in Kiev be abandoned by local monks, which sounds unacceptable to the Orthodox population. The threats made by the regime raise concerns in the Russian government, which hopes that the case will be investigated, and Ukraine will be punished internationally.

The place being now targeted by the Ukrainian regime’s ambition is the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of the most important spiritual centers for the Slavic Christendom, where several Orthodox monks live, and thousands of people make pilgrimages every year. Until the end of 2022, the site was administered under a joint jurisdictional system between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow) and the Ukraine’s National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, a state entity designated for the preservation of historical heritage.

However, with the rise of religious intolerance in the country, the situation in the Lavra began to deteriorate. As well known, the Ukrainian government has used anti-Russian rhetoric to attack the Orthodox Church, claiming a supposed “necessity” to combat institutions linked to Moscow, whether state, private or ecclesiastical. This even led to the formal prohibition of the Patriarchate of Moscow in the country, making the Orthodox faith (professed by the majority of the Ukrainian people) illegal. In this sense, as expected, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra became the target of the regime’s attacks on the Church.

Since the end of last year, the Patriarchate of Moscow has lost its share in the administration of the Lavra, which is now fully in the hands of the Ukrainian government. On March 10th, a definitive step towards the desacralization of the site was taken: the government issued an order for all monks to evacuate from the Lavra by March 29th, alleging without any proof that the clerics had violated terms of use of the site. Obviously, the decision was not accepted and the local religious leaders are still in the Lavra, begging for their right to freely practice their faith that is rejected by the neo-Nazi regime, which sees simple citizens of Ukrainian ethnicity as true enemies for the mere fact of being linked to the Patriarchate of Moscow.

Patriarch Kyrill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, publicly condemned the attitude of the Ukrainian authorities, calling Kiev’s decision “repressive”. He reminded the historical importance of the Lavra and emphasized that there was no transparency in the alleged investigation of “violations” committed by the monks and denounced that the Ukrainian authorities do not hide their clear objective, which is to absolutely eliminate Orthodoxy. He further commented on Ukraine’s hypocrisy in implementing dictatorial acts while claiming to defend European “democratic” values.

“The Kiev Lavra of the Caves is the first monastery of the Kievan Rus. It is the founder of the common spiritual and monastic tradition of the Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian peoples. It is the cradle of our civilization and national cultures (…) The work of a certain commission for searching violations in the accounting procedure was not transparent, and its repressive aim – the full banishment of the monks from the Lavra – was not concealed by state officials and representatives of other Ukrainian religious organizations influenced by secular authorities (…) It is regrettable that while the Ukrainian state leaders declare their commitment to democratic norms, to the European way of development and adherence to human rights and freedoms, these rights and freedoms are violated in the most glaring way”, the Patriarch said.

In the same vein, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on March 12 that the Russian State views Ukrainian maneuvers against the Church with concern. Peskov stressed that for Moscow these acts are unacceptable and urged the international community to investigate the situation, thus continuing the constant Russian calls for Kiev to be held accountable and internationally sanctioned for its crimes.

“It causes [concern]. This is an absolutely unprecedented attitude toward representatives of the church, the Russian Orthodox Church. We consider this unacceptable. We believe that the world community should respond appropriately to such an outrageous decision”, he said.

Unfortunately, the West has repeatedly made it clear that Kiev has a kind of “carte blanche” to commit war crimes, ethnic persecution, religious intolerance, and political repression. The Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime will certainly continue to carry out its acts of terrorism against Orthodoxy. Unfortunately, the most likely thing is that the Lavra will have the same fate that other important Orthodox cathedrals and monuments have had in recent months: desecration, destruction, or donation to ultra-nationalist schismatics allied to the regime.

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Russia’s hypersonic response to latest NATO and Kiev regime escalation

The Kiev regime troops tasked with air defense recently reported that the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) used at least six 9-A-7660 “Kinzhal” air-launched hypersonic missiles at once, complaining that they have no means of intercepting such weapons.

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

In the last several days, multiple sources have published information regarding the Kiev regime’s usage of a number of NATO weapons and munitions, including the JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bombs. JDAMs are standard unguided freefall/gravity bombs (so-called “dumb bombs”) equipped with a guidance kit that converts them into all-weather PGMs (precision-guided munitions). Guided by an integrated inertial guidance system combined with a GPS receiver, JDAMs have a declared range of up to 30 km, although this has been extended with newer versions, such as the JDAM-ER (up to 70 km). Precisely this type was given to the Neo-Nazi junta in recent weeks, according to the US Air Force Europe (USAFE) command.

According to The War Zone, USAF General James Hecker, head of USAFE, as well as NATO’s Allied Air Command and US Air Forces Africa (AFAFRICA), confirmed this during last week’s media roundtable.

“Recently, we’ve just gotten some precision munitions [to Ukraine] that had some extended range and go a little bit further than the gravity drop bomb and has precision [guidance],” Hecker said, adding: “That’s a recent capability that we were able to give them probably in the last three weeks.”

The exact type of the JDAM-ER provided to the Kiev regime is not entirely clear, although General Hecker himself used the designation GBU-62. The original weapon is used exclusively in naval warfare, but this one seems to have been modified for use against ground targets. And while it’s not entirely clear what platform the Neo-Nazi junta forces are using to deploy these weapons, General Hecker hinted that they were most likely integrated on existing Soviet-era jets in the same way as the US-made AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles). Since last year, HARMs have been used by the Kiev regime forces’ MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets to target Russian air defenses. It’s very likely that this is the case, although it’s not impossible that the Su-24 and even Su-25 jets could be used for this purpose.

Local sources have reported the use of JDAMs on March 10, specifically in the vicinity of Bakhmut (Artyomovsk). It should be noted that such weapons require extensive ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) assets, which the Kiev regime simply doesn’t have. This only leaves NATO as the side directly providing targeting data. And while this is nothing new, as the United States and its NATO vassals have been doing this for over a year now, it does represent a new level of escalation, prompting Russia’s express response. According to the latest battlefield reports, Moscow responded with its own PGMs, specifically smart bombs used by the now legendary Su-57, as well as mass usage of air-launched hypersonic weapons.

The Kiev regime troops tasked with air defense recently reported that the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) used at least six 9-A-7660 “Kinzhal” air-launched hypersonic missiles at once, complaining that they have no means of intercepting such weapons. Deployed since at least 2017 and used by modified MiG-31K/I superfast interceptors and Tu-22M3 long-range bombers/missile carriers, “Kinzhals” are some of the most advanced weapons in the history of warfare, being capable of not just using standard and thermonuclear warheads, but also their sheer speed and the resulting kinetic energy to neutralize targets of both tactical and strategic importance. Not even NATO itself has any means of intercepting such weapons, while it is yet to deploy anything remotely similar.

The Russian military previously announced that the scale of production of the hypersonic missile is being streamlined and expanded significantly, most likely by using the same production lines for the ground-launched “Iskander” hypersonic missile with which it has a high commonality in terms of design. The weapon has been used at least since March 18, 2022, when it obliterated Neo-Nazi junta facilities near the Polish border. And while it can certainly be considered an “overkill” against the Kiev regime forces, launching up to six “Kinzhals” at once is most likely a clear message to the increasingly aggressive US-led political West. This possibility is further reinforced by reports from certain DPR sources which are claiming that a command center packed with NATO personnel was one of the targets for the hypersonic weapon.

In addition, the Su-57 was also confirmed to be using new types of PGMs specifically designed for the stealth jet. The weapon in question is a derivative of the Kh-38M air-to-ground missile. On March 12, various local Ukrainian sources shared footage showing the remains of what appears to be the “Grom” (“Thunder” in Russian) PGM. The Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV) developed two versions of the weapon. The first (“Grom-1”) is a tactical cruise missile with a range of 120 km. The second version, dubbed “Grom-2”, had its engine removed and additional explosive payload added instead, turning it into a high-precision glide bomb. Its range is up to 50 kilometers. In addition to key battlefield advantages, both weapons can also be considered a clear message to NATO, whose massive mainstream propaganda machine has been insisting for over a year that Russia is both running out of weapons and unable to produce advanced PGMs.

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Unipolar hegemony is in its “death throes” – American expert

The US became “a destabilising bully” instead of “a peacekeeper and honest ‘world’s policeman’.”

Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher

Americans should stop believing propaganda and reconsider their idea of ​​​​Washington’s world leadership, writes George D. O’Neill Jr., a member of the board of directors of the American Ideas Institute, which publishes The American Conservative.

“We are experiencing the death throes of the United States’ unipolar hegemony over large parts of the world. Until citizens begin to realise the magnitude of their government’s policy deceptions, it will become increasingly difficult to understand the United States’ changing global position and adjust to the effects of the growing negative perception of our country held by many people around the world,” wrote O’Neill Jr in his article “Death of a Myth”.

The author stressed that although the US emerged as the “dominant and unrivalled world power” after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country became “a destabilising bully” instead of “a peacekeeper and honest ‘world’s policeman’.”

Writing about the situation in Ukraine, O’Neill Jr mocks the idea “that the Russians would collapse from the shock and awe of the ‘sanctions from Hell’,” or how “the rouble has not turned into rubble as Joe Biden predicted.” He adds that “the US and its NATO clients are running out of ammunition and arms to send to Ukraine, which is being bled white at their behest. It appears that Russia will steadily grind down the Ukrainian military.”

In effect, the author is providing a bleak but realistic situation in Ukraine and the global system. In fact, he is so frank with his analysis that he calls out slogans like the “exceptional nation,” a “nation that sets aside its interests for the benefit of the world,” and an “important source of good” as examples of the propaganda that American citizens are constantly exposed to.

American citizens are led to believe in the idea that US leadership on the global stage, backed by its military might, are a categorical imperative needed so its own values ​​and self-interests can be imposed all around the world. Successive military failures over the last two decades should have functioned as a self-reflective moment for not only US citizens, but especially foreign policymakers in Washington.

This did not occur because Washington continues to cling to the myth that the world needs more US military might, despite many failures. Rather than learn lessons from the humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the US encouraged renewed conflict in Ukraine, clearly indicating that the Biden administration is just continuing Washington’s long held policy of global war and destruction.

US President Joe Biden and his administration routinely describe the Ukraine crisis in ways that suggest an old-fashioned, self-righteous, and a grandiose view of American power. Biden’s portrayal of Ukraine as a crucible for a new era of military-backed American dominance could lead to an entirely different and more disastrous reckoning.

The conflict with Ukraine has led the US to believe that it must once again take the helm of history, despite the fact that Russia does not pose a threat to the well-being of its citizens. This is precisely the kind of arrogance that has led the US astray and it is the same arrogance that their Anglo brethren had before the collapse of the British Empire in the early 20th century.

It is for this reason that O’Neill Jr stresses that “as US stature and power declines, large parts of the world have been seeking arrangements to protect themselves from US predation.”

He explains that we are entering a period, without giving it a title (such as Multipolar), where countries no longer ignore the US’ destructive behaviour and “may decide that being subject to American hegemony is not in their interests.” The author directly lists the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and BRICS as “alternative alliances outside US influence” that are seeing an “increasing numbers of countries” wanting to become members as they “believe their interests are better protected by these non-US affiliated alliances.”

O’Neill Jr highlights that the “tragic and unnecessary Ukraine war has accelerated this movement to seek other cooperative associations. As America’s European allies are learning, there can be huge political and economic costs to being associated with the US. The populations of Europe have watched their own economies suffer and paid dearly for energy because of the ten rounds of self-destructive sanctions imposed on Russia.”

For now, though, most of Europe has fallen in line with Washington’s demands. However, many experts are sceptical that Europe will want to experience another brutal winter with high energy costs that are directly attributed to their own self-destructive sanctions policy against Russia.

None-the-less, what O’Neill Jr does highlight is that regardless of Europe falling deeper into US control, there are many non-Western countries that are moving towards greater sovereignty and autonomy without fear when taking into consideration the interests of Washington, which are nothing more than self-serving. He essentially calls on American citizens to wake up from their inertia and realise that they are being fed a lie that the US is a force for good and the sole superpower in the world.

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Russian Aerospace Forces failing in Ukraine? UK military thinks otherwise

The range of the missiles used by Russian fighter jets is considered a dangerous challenge for their NATO rivals. This is particularly true when it comes to the unrivaled R-37M hypersonic air-to-air missile with its staggering maximum engagement range of 400km.

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

Even before the start of Moscow’s counteroffensive against NATO aggression in Europe, Russia and its military were often denigrated and underestimated by the mainstream propaganda machine. This decades-old (or should we say centuries) practice has escalated dramatically since February 24 last year. The Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) are particularly targeted, being presented as a supposed “failure” despite obliterating most of the Kiev regime’s air force in mere weeks. This is also illustrated by the Neo-Nazi junta’s desperate pleas and so-called “begmanding” to get fighter jets from NATO, including the US-made F-16, despite even the Ukrainian pilots themselves knowing they are vastly inferior to their own Soviet-era Su-27s.

Russian VKS dominates the skies over Ukraine with its state-of-the-art Su-35S and superfast, high-flying MiG-31. However, what caught the attention of NATO is the usage of Moscow’s next-generation Su-57, a platform that has essentially transcended the notion of so-called “fifth generation” aircraft. Being at the forefront of Russia’s investment in aviation technology, the jet is one of the world’s most advanced aircraft. Bristling with sensors, new advanced technologies and using the latest missiles and bombs, Su-57 can truly be defined as an “overkill” against the vastly outmatched Kiev regime’s air force. Its most important mission so far has been SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses), most likely using Kh-59MK2 and Kh-31 cruise missiles, in addition to using its advanced electronic warfare capabilities.

However, it should be noted that aircraft such as the Su-25 attack/CAS (close air support), Su-30 multirole and Su-34 strike jets are the “bread and butter” of Russian VKS operations in Ukraine, conducting the vast majority of missions. These have been at the center of a targeted mainstream propaganda machine campaign, aiming to underestimate their performance and capabilities. And yet, the UK Ministry of Defense is rather unconvinced, as it has “expressed concern” with Moscow’s capabilities. Back in early January, the UK MoD confirmed the reports that Russian jets have managed to shoot down Kiev regime aircraft from ranges exceeding 200 kilometers, including with platforms such as the Su-57.

The “Felon’s” (NATO reporting name for Su-57) sensor suite of six AESA (active electronically scanned array) radars and advanced IRST (infrared search and track) systems allow it to simultaneously track more targets over extreme ranges than any other fighter jet in the world. And while the VKS operates only a dozen serial Su-57s, these have been a major force multiplier. The UK military is rather worried that “Felon’s” numbers have more than tripled since 2021 and are further expected to swell to 24 aircraft this year. Combined with the Su-35S and MiG-31, the Su-57 is a deadly challenge for NATO, according to the aforementioned January 2023 assessment by UK MoD that reported the fighters were “launching long-range air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles into Ukraine since at least June 2022”.

The range of the missiles used by the aforementioned Russian fighter jets is considered a dangerous challenge for their NATO rivals. This is particularly true when it comes to the unrivaled R-37M hypersonic air-to-air missile with its staggering maximum engagement range of 400km. It is precisely this missile that was most likely used in the record-breaking 217 km shoot-down, fired by either Su-35S or Su-57. Other UK outlets, such as The Conversation, have also reported that the UK military confirmed this in mid-February, stating that “the Russian MiG-31 and Su-57 operating the R-37M long-range hypersonic missile have engaged Ukrainian aircraft at a range of over 200 km from the safety of Russian airspace”, reluctantly admitting just how hopelessly outclassed the Kiev regime forces are.

The performance of the Su-57 is of particular concern for NATO. Its usage in Ukraine already made it the first and only next-generation fighter jet to engage in high-intensity operations. Of course, unless we count the decisive victory of the US Air Force F-22 “Raptor” over a Chinese weather balloon. However, in all seriousness, the USAF has operated fifth-generation aircraft for nearly 18 years, but it has never used them against advanced adversaries, as its aggression against the world is nearly always conducted against mostly helpless opponents. Although the Su-57 was also delayed for several years before it entered service, the Russian military used this time to ensure that the jet was as close to full readiness as it could possibly be, which is further reinforced by its combat use in Syria years before it was officially inducted.

Engaging and easily neutralizing formidable targets such as the Su-27, which, as previously mentioned, far exceeds the capabilities of US-made F-16 fighters, is a clear indicator of just how dangerous Russian jets are. In the case of Su-57, it also shows that the jet is not limited to an initial operating capability (IOC), despite its small numbers and having been inducted into service only 2 years ago. This stands in stark contrast to the best US/NATO jets, such as the F-22, which took years to reach IOC. This lasted for nearly five years before “Raptor” reached FOC (full operational capability). The case of the F-35 is even worse, as the troubled jet is yet to reach even IOC despite being in service for almost eight years now and nearly a quarter of a century since it made its first flight.

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