We know the United States has long engaged in dangerous experiments offshore. Under Dr. Anthony Fauci’s direction, the US government enriched his corporate and research cronies with grants to conduct dangerous gain-of-function experiments offshore. More likely than not, related experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology set loose a murderous pandemic.

So, should we be surprised that Hunter Binden, point main for “Biden Inc.”, takes a cut of research involving dangerous pathogens in Ukraine — the country Joe Biden ran under Barack Obama?

Just as we can count on US media to dismiss Biden’s Laptop as “Russian disinformation”, count on them to bury the Ukraine biolab story.

So, here is RT – a Russian media company taking Russian Federation money – and their story about US biolabs.

RT: https://www.rt.com/russia/552177-ukraine-biolabs-weapons-military/

Russia presents new evidence from US-funded Ukraine biolabs

Pentagon-backed facilities made “biological weapons components” and tried to cover it up, Russian military says

Materials relating to the military biological activities of the United States in Ukraine which were presented by Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov are seen on a screen during a briefing in Moscow, Russia.

Moscow believes that laboratories in Ukraine funded by the US military were making biological weapons components, but that local staff was being kept in the dark about their research, a senior Russian general said on Thursday. 

Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, who commands the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces of Russia, presented documents and imagery showing why the military has come to such a conclusion.

“We believe that components of biological weapons were being made on the territory of Ukraine,” said Kirillov. 

He noted that the documents he was presenting “have the signatures of real officials and are certified by the seals of organizations,” for those journalists and experts in the West doubting their veracity. 

One document, dated March 6, 2015 confirms the “direct participation of the Pentagon in the financing of military biological projects in Ukraine,” Kirillov said. The US officially funded the projects through the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, according to the Agreement on Joint Biological Activities. However, the evidence shows that the real recipients of some $32 million in funds were Ukrainian Defense Ministry laboratories in Kiev, Odessa, Lvov and Kharkov.

READ MORE: Russia promises more disclosures on Ukraine biolabs

These facilities were chosen by the US Department of Defense’s Threat Reduction Administration (DTRA), and the contractor Black and Veatch, to carry out the U-P-8 project, aimed at studying the pathogens of Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis, and hantaviruses, Kirillov said, pointing to a slide with the Pentagon’s request. 

“From our point of view, the interest of US military biologists is due to the fact that these pathogens have natural foci both in Ukraine and in Russia, and their use can be disguised as natural disease outbreaks,” the general said.

According to the evidence, the labs isolated three bacterial pathogens (causing plague, brucellosis and leptospirosis) and six families of viruses, including coronaviruses, all of which were drug-resistant and spread rapidly from animals to humans. A number of documents confirmed the samples taken in Ukraine to other countries – Georgia, Germany, and the UK.

Kirillov showed official documents confirming the transfer of 5,000 samples of blood serum taken from Ukrainian citizens to the Pentagon-backed Richard Lugar center in Tbilisi, Georgia. Another 773 biological assays were transferred to the UK, while an agreement was signed for the transfer of “unlimited quantities” of infectious materials to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Germany’s leading center for animal diseases.

READ MORE: US-funded labs in Ukraine dealt with bat coronavirus, Moscow claims

However, the analysis of the obtained evidence suggests that Ukrainian specialists were not aware of the potential risks of transferring these materials, and may have been kept in the dark about the true goal of the ongoing research, Kirillov noted.

Documents from Project P-781, a study of ways of transmitting diseases to humans through bats, showed it was carried out by the Kharkov laboratory and the Lugar Center in Georgia, but Ukraine received most of the $1.6 million grant for the project. Kirillov said that “systematic” research in this area has been carried out since 2009, under the supervision of US specialists – referencing projects P-382, P-444 and P-568.

As one of the key people involved, Kirillov named the head of the DTRA office at the US Embassy in Kiev, Joanna Wintrol.

“Maybe she’s worth talking to, journalists?” he said.

Wintrol left Kiev in August 2020. In her parting interview, she insisted no US scientists worked in Ukrainian biolabs and accused Russia of spreading “false information” about the program. 

Kirillov pointed to mass outbreaks of avian flu in Russia and the EU in 2021, causing billions in damages, while the Kharkov Institute of Veterinary Medicine was studying wild birds as transmission vectors and assessing conditions under which the spread could cause economic damage and food insecurity. Evidence now shows the institute collected strains of avian flu capable of jumping species, Kirillov said, calling for an international investigation into the matter.

READ MORE: Russia claims Ukraine destroying evidence of US-funded bioweapons program

Some of the documents at the Kherson laboratory appear to be missing and may have been destroyed, Kirillov said, suggesting it was related to the 2018 outbreak of a mosquito-borne parasitic disease in that region, and a possible cover-up.

Four cases of dirofilariasis were detected in February that year, which is not typical for mosquito life cycles, the general said. Pentagon representatives visited the local hospitals in April, collecting medical records and getting briefed on the epidemiological investigation. However, “no documentary evidence regarding this outbreak has been found in the Kherson laboratory,” leading the Russian military to believe that “the urgency of destroying such documentary evidence is explained by the desire to prevent access to them by Russian specialists.”

There was also an outbreak of drug-resistant tuberculosis in 2018, among the citizens of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, with 70 cases detected around the village of Pesky – on the frontline with Ukrainian troops – alone.

“This may indicate a deliberate infection, or an accidental leakage of the pathogen from one of the biological laboratories located on the territory of Ukraine,” Kirillov said.

The Russian general brought up the long history of US conducting banned biological research in other countries, noting as an example that in 2010 Washington apologized for syphilis experiments in Guatemala.

“We will continue to examine the evidence and inform the global community about the illegal activities of the Pentagon and other US government agencies in Ukraine,” Kirillov said.

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Great Game India picked up their own thread: https://greatgameindia.com/list-americans-bioweapons-biolabs-ukraine/

List Of Americans Coordinating Bioweapons Research At Pentagon Biolabs In Ukraine

April 1, 2022

Russian military uncovered US-operated biolabs in Ukraine while conducting a special operation in the nation. Some very interesting findings in the form of list of Americans coordinating bioweapons research at Pentagon biolabs in Ukraine have been revealed as well.

On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) released new files procured by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, which include communications between American financier Hunter Biden – the son of US President Joe Biden – and figures engaged in biological research in Ukraine that his investment company aided in financing.

The documents revealed an intent to create a “Central Depository of Especially Dangerous Microorganisms in Kiev,” according to Russian MoD spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, as well as ways to distribute biological agents via drone.

The emails disclosed the identities of numerous key American leaders from Metabiota and Black & Veatch, and also officials from the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), who were involved in biological research initiatives. Those named include:

Robert Pope

From 2017 to 2020, Pope served as the DTRA’s deputy director of operations, readiness, and exercises. He formerly worked at the Pentagon, the US Air Force European Command (USAFE), and the US Central Command (USCC). Pope was essential in the creation of radiochemical methods for monitoring international nuclear weapons treaties (Air Force Technical Application Center).

Between 2016 and 2019, Pope corresponded with Ukraine’s acting health minister, Ulana Suprun, an American-born Ukrainian who travelled to Ukraine to take part in the US-backed revolution in 2014.

Rhys M. Williams

Williams, who was formerly the agency’s director of development, test, and evaluation, ended up taking over for Pope as acting DTRA director in 2020. He oversaw the Pentagon’s project to establish capabilities for detecting, locating, and neutralizing foreign weapons of mass destruction and improvised explosive devices. Williams was also Assistant Deputy Administrator for Nonproliferation at the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is in charge of the country’s nuclear arsenal.

Joanna Wintrol

At the Defense Threat Reduction Office of the US Embassy in Kiev, Wintrol oversaw DTRA programs in Ukraine until 2021.

According to emails released by the Ministry of Defense, she oversaw projects such as the UP-2 Project for “mapping highly infectious diseases in Ukraine,” including anthrax; the UP-4 Project for “risk assessment of particularly dangerous pathogens transmitted by birds in Ukraine during migration”; and the UP-8 Project for studying “spread of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and hantaviruses in Ukraine and the potential need for differential diagnosis of patients with suspected leptospirosis.” She also headed Project P-782, which investigated disease transmission through bats, according to previously disclosed records.

In early 2021, Wintrol switched to Chemical Security and Elimination (CSE). CSE was previously known as the Chemical Weapons Elimination (CWE) and Chemical Weapons Destruction (CWD) programs, according to a DTRA document. The effort “started in 1992 to build the capacity of the states of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) to reduce the threat from chemical weapons (CW) by securing and eliminating CW stockpiles, chemical research capabilities, and production facilities, while also redirecting scientists to peaceful purposes,” the agency said.

Steven L. Edwards

Edwards has been the CEO of Black & Veatch, an American engineering business that has long been a Pentagon contractor for a range of building projects, since 2013. He joined the firm in 1978 and previously served as its Chief Operating Officer.

Black & Veatch has long been known to collaborate on Pentagon initiatives in Ukraine, but records procured by Russian forces earlier this month divulged the company’s role in supervising biological programs in the country, including the UP-8 project, which analyses Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, leptospirosis, and hantaviruses.

Lance Lippencott

Since 2011, he has served as the project manager and biological project coordinator for Black & Veatch in Ukraine. He informed the Kansas City Business Journal in August 2021 that his efforts in Ukraine on airborne biological agents had aided Black & Veatch in developing a system for cleaning air of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, the pathogen that induces COVID-19. Lippencott is a West Point graduate of the United States Army Military Academy.

A report from Ukraine’s Kherson region’s Security Service was included in one of the papers disclosed by the MoD, and it mentioned “a potential threat to the epidemiological and epizootic situation in our country that has recently come to light as a result of DTRA’s intentions through Black & Veatch to establish control over the functioning of Ukrainian microbiological laboratories that conduct research into particularly dangerous pathogens that can be used to create or upgrade new types of biological weapons.”

Another paper addressed to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense by Lippencott addresses the extension of the UP-8 project previously described.

David Mustra

“Issues of biomonitoring and transfer of information were supervised by David Mustra, who is closely associated with another Pentagon contractor, Metabiota,” Konashenkov said. “Previously, he led military bio-projects in Ukraine and Eastern Europe as part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.”

Mustra was the firm’s biosafety recruitment manager in Ukraine, as well as the biosurveillance and control managers and the research and development director.

Mary Guttieri

Guttieri, who holds a doctorate in microbiology from UMass Amherst, served as Metabiota’s Executive Vice President from 2014 to 2019, and was formerly the company’s Vice President of Technology and Science Administration. At Labyrinth Global Health, she has become the head researcher.

Guttieri was the integrator of research programs for the US biology program in Ukraine, and she oversaw the implementation of biological programs involving the study of animals as disease vectors.

Nita Madhav

Since 2019, Madhav has led Metabiota as its CEO. With a PhD in Public Health, she focuses in epidemiology and pandemics. The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, claims that there was no evidence in the records that she was in charge of any particular biological activities in Ukraine.

Scott Thornton

Between 2006 and 2016, Thorton worked for Metabiota as a senior microbiologist and lab start-up coordinator. He served as a research microbiologist and the chief of the Navy’s Threat Assessment Department for the past 20 years in the US Navy. Thornton “conducted research on disease agents of military relevance, especially enteric pathogens” at covert sites, as per his CV, one of which is in Cairo, Egypt.

Thornton advised local workers in DTRA projects in Ukraine on extremely hazardous pathogens and other epidemic disease-related concerns, and organized the update of reference labs in Ukraine to biosafety level 3 (BSL-3), which can be used to research contagious agents or toxins that can be spread via the air and induce potentially deadly infections.

*********************************************************************************************

Lastly, there’s this RT update – you decide: https://www.rt.com/russia/553067-ukraine-biolabs-hunter-biden-documents/

Russia presents new evidence on Ukraine biolabs, comments on links to Biden and US

Documents detail fate of US-funded deadly pathogens that may have been tested on Ukrainians

The Russian military has presented documents showing Ukraine’s interest in using drones to deliver weaponized pathogens developed in US-funded biolabs. Names of US officials involved in the biolabs projects, and the role the current US president’s son played in the program, were also made public during the special briefing on Thursday.

One of the key pieces of evidence was a letter from the Ukrainian company Motor Sich to the  Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar Makina – makers of the Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci UAVs – dated December 15, 2021. The Ukrainians specifically asked if the drones could carry 20 liters of aerosolized payload to a range of 300 kilometers – putting them in range of a dozen major Russian cities and almost all of Belarus. 

“We are talking about the development by the Kiev regime of technical means of delivery and use of biological weapons with the possibility of their use against the Russian Federation,” said Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces.

©  Russian Ministry of Defense

Kirillov also referenced a US patent (No. 8,967,029) for a mechanism to deploy aerosolized pathogens from a drone. The US response to a 2018 Russian inquiry about this patent did not deny its existence, but claimed that it technically did not violate Washington’s obligations under the treaties banning chemical and biological weapons, he pointed out.

Kirillov showed signed contracts between US government agencies – Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the Pentagon, the Department of State – and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, as well as the specific facilities inside Ukraine. The Pentagon spent more than $30 million for biological research at just one Ukrainian facility, the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health, according to the Russian military.

READ MORE: Russia makes new allegations about US-funded biolabs in Ukraine

DTRA official Robert Pope was “one of the key figures” in the program, and “the author of the idea of creating a central depository of especially dangerous microorganisms in Kiev,” Kirillov said. The Pentagon’s biological projects in Ukraine were coordinated by Joanna Wintrol, head of the DTRA office in Kiev, until she left in August 2020. She directly supervised projects UP-4, UP-6, and UP-8 to study deadly pathogens, including anthrax, the Congo-Crimean fever, and leptospirosis, according to Kirillov.

The US agency’s point of contact was Ukraine’s Health Minister (2016-2019) Ulyana Suprun, herself a US citizen, Kirillov noted, while a major go-between was the private contractor Black and Veatch, whose Kiev office was headed by Lance Lippencott. Another Pentagon contractor, Metabiota, also had a role in the project.

Kirillov said that Hunter Biden – son of the current US President Joe Biden – played “an important role in creating a financial opportunity to work with pathogens on the territory of Ukraine,” pointing to several emails between him and executives of Metabiota and Black and Veatch. In particular, he described the Metabiota VP as “a confidant of Hunter Biden,” based on  their correspondence. According to the general, the “Western media” has confirmed the authenticity of these emails – presumably a reference to materials published last week by the British newspaper the Daily Mail.

©  Russian Ministry of Defense

Even Kiev was concerned about the biolabs, according to a memo Kirillov showed. A 2017 letter from the Kherson department of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said that DTRA and Black and Veach intend to “establish control over the functioning of microbiological laboratories in Ukraine conducting research on pathogens of particularly dangerous infections that can be used to create or modernize new types of biological weapons.”

Pointing to a June 2019 document from the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Kirillov wondered why it insisted on secrecy and required that “serious” incidents “including the death of the subjects” had to be reported to the US bioethics authorities within 24 hours – when other documents about that specific program only reference standard blood sampling work.

READ MORE: Russia presents new evidence from US-funded Ukraine biolabs

“We do not exclude that the official research program is only the ‘visible part of the iceberg’, while in practice, volunteers were infected with the Congo–Crimean fever virus, hantaviruses and the causative agent of leptospirosis,” the general said, accusing the US of “a dismissive attitude towards the citizens of Ukraine,” and treating them as guinea pigs for biological and medical experimentation.

The US has long claimed that allegations about Pentagon-funded biolaboratories in Ukraine were “Russian disinformation.” Earlier this month, however, US diplomat Victoria Nuland testified before the Senate that “biological research laboratories in Ukraine” did exist, and that Washington was working with Kiev “to ensure that the materials of biological research do not fall into the hands of Russian forces.”

According to Kirillov, all pathogenic biomaterials stored in Ukraine were “transported by military transport aircraft to the United States via Odessa,” in early February 2022. On February 24, as Russian troops entered Ukraine, the ministry of health in Kiev ordered the remaining strains to be destroyed, the general said.

Kirillov said that the Russian intervention halted activities at five Ukrainian biolabs that had been working with anthrax, tularemia, brucellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, and African swine fever.

https://dailyreckoning.com/rickards-ive-never-heard-so-many-lies/

I’ve had the good fortune to have been exposed to enough defense and national security matters in my career to learn at any early age (and reinforced along the way) the role of information in conflict.

“Believe everything and believe nothing.”

Always remember what Kenny Ortiz famously said: “There’s a war going on for your mind.”

So here is James Rickards who says it all so well:

All wars are full of lies.

Winston Churchill famously said, “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”

We accept that idea broadly. Secret invasion plans should be closely held. The identities of spies must be kept under wraps. New weapons and defensive tools should not be revealed because enemies will be alerted to their potential and begin offensive workarounds.

Still, just because the government has legitimate reasons to deceive the public in wartime does not mean that citizens don’t have a duty to find the truth to the extent they can.

The Russian-Ukraine kinetic war and the broader U.S.-Russian economic war are full of more lies than any public events I’ve seen in my lifetime including Vietnam, Watergate and the Iraq War.

That’s how big the lies are.

The Bodyguard of Lies

Here’s the official U.S. narrative as echoed by the mainstream media: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked, Putin’s three-day blitzkrieg of Kyiv has failed, Russian forces are bogged down and valiant Ukrainian troops are putting up a powerful defense and regaining lost ground with the help of weapons from NATO.

In this version, President Zelenskyy is the new Churchill rallying patriots against an evil dictator. All of that is either entirely or mostly false.

Here’s the real story: Russia’s invasion is the end result of 14 years of provocation by the West, including repeated declarations that Ukraine will join NATO and a U.S.-backed coup d’état in 2014 that displaced a pro-Russian president.

Russia never planned a blitzkrieg on Kyiv. That’s a Western invention intended to make Putin look like a failure. In fact, Russia is slowly and methodically taking territory in the south and east of Ukraine in order to control the seacoasts, eliminate pro-fascist elements in Mariupol and establish pro-Russian autonomous zones in Donbas.

Churchill? Really?

A full assault on Kyiv, if it ever comes, is last on the list. Ukraine may reoccupy a village here and there, but they’re losing ground in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Melitopol, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk and surrounding areas.

Moreover, Zelenskyy is no Churchill.

He’s succeeded in presenting himself as a strong wartime leader, standing up to the big, bad Putin. But in reality, he’s a corrupt oligarch with millions of dollars hidden offshore. His acting skills have enhanced his propaganda efforts, but it doesn’t take much training to see how phony he is.

Innocent civilians, including women and children, are dying under his failed leadership and inability to come to terms with Putin before the invasion began. In a nutshell, Zelenskyy bet on support from Biden and the West and lost.

There is ample evidence from numerous sources to support this analysis. Some of the best sources come from Switzerland, where military experts are infuriated that traditional Swiss neutrality has been cast aside.

Most tellingly, Pentagon leaks say the same thing. The story from inside the Pentagon is that Putin is not acting recklessly but is being patient and methodical. It also says that, despite some civilian casualties, Putin is actually using a restrained approach. Furthermore, there are no signs he is preparing for the use of chemical or biological weapons.

So what about the economic sanctions? Are they working?

The Most Severe Sanctions in History

Payments in and out of Russia have been blocked. The Central Bank of Russia has been banned from the global dollar payments systems. The same is true for the 10 largest Russian banks and a long list of oligarchs and Russian government officials.

Accounts of Russian targets in Western banks have been frozen. Exports of critical technology and high-tech equipment to Russia have been banned. U.S. and European airspace has been closed to Russian airlines.

Secondary sanctions have been imposed so that if another nation like China sells goods to Russia made with U.S. technology or machines, that nation will be punished also. The list goes on.

Economic sanctions of these kinds sound powerful when they’re announced and do have some impact. But in the long run they never work. In the end, the costs are real but the effects of the sanctions are nil. It’s a lose-lose proposition.

Sanctions Against Oligarchs Are Doing Putin a Favor

Some losses are incurred by those whose accounts are frozen or whose businesses are handicapped. A few Russian oligarchs may lose their yachts, but guess what? Putin doesn’t like the oligarchs anyway.

We’re actually doing Putin a favor by clipping the oligarchs’ wings. Putin’s power comes from the military and security services, not the oligarchs.

Tellingly, the strategic goals that justified the sanctions are never achieved. At most, they are slowed down temporarily. It’s just a matter of time before the affected parties devise workarounds to the sanctions.

The bottom line is Russia has not stood still. Russian exports of critical strategic metals such as nickel, titanium, palladium and aluminum have been cut off. Russian (and Ukrainian) wheat and other grains have also been cut off.

This will result in starvation in certain parts of the world and massive food price inflation everywhere. Given the extent of these sanctions and the retaliation, the damage to world trade, supply chains and even the availability of goods will be massive.

But what about the strategic aims of the sanctions?

Sanctions Won’t Stop the Ukrainian War

Here, the sanctions are a complete failure. They have had zero impact on Russian advances on the battlefield and Russian goals in Ukraine. In fact, Putin has proved to be a master chess player as he runs rings around the sanctions.

When the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russian banks, the value of the ruble collapsed. Still, oil and natural gas exports from Russia were allowed because Europe is dependent on them and the world is facing an energy shortage independent of the war in Ukraine.

Oil and natural gas are paid for in dollars. In a masterpiece of judo, Putin is now demanding that Russian oil and natural gas bought by states imposing sanctions be paid for in rubles. This mystified many. If Russia needs dollars (they do), why be paid in rubles?

The answer is that the only way for Europe to get rubles quickly is to buy them from the Central Bank of Russia using dollars. Under Putin’s plan, Russia still gets the dollars, still sells oil and natural gas but he has the added benefit of making rubles stronger because Europe has to buy them to pay for the energy exports.

Cutting off Russian exports of oil and natural gas is pointless because Russia will just sell the same energy to China and India. But the price will go up. It’s a world market, after all.

Putin’s Many Moves Ahead of Biden

This is how judo works. You use your enemy’s power against him by avoiding the main attack and turning the tables. Putin’s a judo expert in real life and he just demonstrated that he can practice it in economic warfare. The West will now be engaged in propping up the ruble after they did so much to destroy it.

Putin thinks many moves ahead on the chessboard while Biden is playing pin the tail on the donkey, blindfolded.

Sanctions ultimately harm everyday citizens and consumers most. Inflation is surging in Russia and the United States because of the sanctions. But the pain on the American people has only begun. It’s about to get much worse.

U.S. consumers and investors will suffer as prices soar, growth lags and stocks collapse.

This is all unpleasant news for Western warmongers. But it’s critical for investors to know what’s actually going on so they don’t lose money in the chaos to come.

The best information is that the war in Ukraine will last longer than most expect, will produce supply chain disruptions and will amplify the inflation that’s already present.

In the end, Putin will prevail in Ukraine, while the Ukrainian people and Western consumers will pay the heaviest price.

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“But the rumor, sell the news”

Combat footage in the Azov stronghold in Mariupol below from within the last 24 hours as DPR, Russian Marines, and Chechen allies secure the Azov Bastion.

Not shown but published films include the wreckage of an emergency evac helo shot down with top staff killed in the failed escape attempt.

Chechen forces in Mariupol firing NATO anti-tank (presumably captured on the battlefield) and Russian RPGs at Azov sniper position.

I guess they will fight to the end for Mariupol – price for freedom and peace.

— Corner Croft (@cornercroftart) March 31, 2022

Mish explains the ineffectiveness of the Biden Regime sanctions: https://mishtalk.com/economics/the-ruble-regains-100-of-its-loss-after-russia-invaded-ukraine-why

The Ruble Regains 100% of Its Loss After Russia Invaded Ukraine, Why?

Conventional wisdom on why the ruble has rallied is simply wrong. Let’s discuss the theories and what is really happening.

Key Points

• When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, it took 84 rubles to buy 1 US dollar.
• On March 7, it took 131.2 rubles to buy 1 US dollar.
• That’s a 36% decline in the rubble vs the US dollar.
• The ruble is now back where it started on February 24.

Conventional Wisdom 

Ironically, your sarcasm is actually correct!

There is indeed nothing to this. And it is not related to Ruble rally.

— Mike "Mish" Shedlock (@MishGEA) March 30, 2022

Putin and Italy’s Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, have discussed payments for gas in Russian rubles. 

What’s the Difference?

People just don't get this

Ruble rally totally unrelated to demand payment for oil and gas in Rubles.

Rather, it's other things Russia is doing to avoid sanctions and internally force demand for rubles. https://t.co/kqv4GsEHVk

— Mike "Mish" Shedlock (@MishGEA) March 30, 2022

Weiner correctly notes the imagination. 

Oil for Rubles, Who Cares?

Case 1: To get rubles to buy oil, Europe sells Euros to Russia central bank. Europe immediately send the rubles it received straight back to Russia to pay for the the oil. Russia central bank accumulates euros.

Case 2: Russia sells oil for euros. Russia central bank accumulates the exact same number of Euros as in case number one.

The currency exchange takes place in seconds. Europe does not have to hold rubles to buy oil.

This is just more of the “oil priced in euros” stupidity. No one will have to hold rubles to buy Russian oil. Or gas. The Ruble does not become a reserve currency.

There is perhaps some small psychological impact, but there is no real impact unless Europe actually held ruble reserves, and here’s a hint: Europe wouldn’t.

What About European Sanctions?

Europe has no real sanctions.

Look at the exclusion list.

Oil, NG, food, fertilizer, all the metals it needs.

Hells bells, all French companies are still doing business in Russia.

With euros, Russia can buy US parts from China.

Who is the winner here? https://t.co/cwq2GoYsMp

— Mike "Mish" Shedlock (@MishGEA) March 30, 2022

President Biden

As a result of our unprecedented sanctions, the ruble was almost immediately reduced to rubble.

The Russian economy is on track to be cut in half.

It was ranked the 11th biggest economy in the world before this invasion — and soon, it will not even rank among the top 20.

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 26, 2022

Biden says “Ruble reduced to Rubble because of sanctions.”

It took another three days from that Tweet for the ruble to regain all of its losses. Why? 

In three words: Sanctions Don’t Work. Here are some examples.

Parallel Credit Card Payment System

The Wall Street Journal reports Russia Built Parallel Payments System That Escaped Western Sanctions

Visa and Mastercard pulled the plug on Russia’s credit cards. But following the 2014 war in which Visa and Mastercard did the same, Russia took measures to not let that happen again.

Instead, Putin implemented a National Payment Card System—known by its Russian initials NSPK. Visa and Mastercard went along with it.

In 2015 Russia then forced the use of Mir cards based on NSPK. 

Those cards do not use the US payment system.  

One irony is that instead of Visa and Mastercard getting the fees, Russia’s central bank collected 8.2 billion rubles in net profit, or about $94 million at current exchange rates.

Russia actually profited from Visa and Mastercard sanctions.

Price of Oil and Natural Gas

The price of oil and natural soared after the invasion. 

The US banned Russian oil, and that influenced the price. But trading never totally stopped. Instead, Russia traded oil to China for a discount, but at a price higher than the pre-war price. 

In the hoot of the “We are completely against any kind of blackmailing,” Germany’s Finance Minister Christian Lindner told CNBC Monday.

Gold-Backed Ruble?

Putin offering oil sales in rubles only, and backing the currency in gold will have a bigger impact on the US dollar than all of the worlds sanctions.

— Don (@Donnydad) March 29, 2022

So only accept payment for oil and gas in rubles

And offer to buy gold in rubles@LukeGromen having a good day with his frequent predictions of forcing oil sales to effectively be made in gold

Not at the crazy ratios he’s thrown out but happening nonetheless, this is big! https://t.co/L94R56xPYj

— TheHappyHawaiian (@ThHappyHawaiian) March 25, 2022

Russia is offering to buy gold at a discount. It certainly is not selling gold at a discounts. 

The amount of total nonsense generated over those Tweets and payment in rubles is staggering.

What Does Payment in Rubles Really Mean?

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Please consider What Would Paying for Natural Gas in Rubles Mean?

The article quotes Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University and a former official at the International Monetary Fund.

In theory, requiring ruble payments could support demand for the currency and its exchange rate. But not by much, Prasad says. As it stands, euros and dollars are already being used to purchase rubles when Gazprom exchanges its foreign earnings.

Note that last sentence. This is what Weiner implied in his Tweet above.

What Russia actually did is force exporters to trade 80% of its euros and dollars into rubles at a discount. That creates a huge artificial demand for rubles. 

Currency and Stock Market Restrictions

Russia also restricted currency trades. People who wanted out of the ruble could not get out. 

In addition, Russia Banned Foreigners From Selling Russia Stocks. 

Russia’s Real Power

Russia’s real power is to shut off the supply of natural gas, oil, fertilizer, and grain.

Russia and Ukraine account for 30% of the world’s wheat exports, 17% of corn, 32% of barley & 75% of sunflower seed oil. Russia also exports about 15% of the world's fertilizer.

Now all of that food and fertilizer are stuck.

My story on a looming crisis:https://t.co/mIuWPkqDD9

— Jack Nicas (@jacknicas) March 20, 2022

List of Companies Still Doing Business in Russia

The list of US companies still doing business in Russia is huge. We hear about meaningless reactions. 

France would not go along, at all. “We are not at war with Russia,” said French President Emanuel Macron.

Russia seized 847 McDonald’s. Who did that hurt? 

Eight Reasons For Ruble Rebound

1. Russia escaped Visa and Mastercard
2. Russia still trades oil and gas with Europe
3. Russia halted currency trades
4. Russia enacted stock market restrictions
5. Of Russian exporters, Russia demanded 80% of euros and dollars be traded for rubles.
6. Russia threatens to stop exporting key commodities including aluminum, natural gas, fertilizer, rare earth minerals, etc., driving up prices and the need to stockpile.
7. Sanctions cannot take away Russia’s natural resources. 
8. The Fed can print dollars, it cannot print commodities. Likewise, the ECB can print euros, it cannot print commodities

Two False Reasons People Key On

1. Russia demands payment in rubles
2. Gold-backed ruble

I am surprised Robin Brooks messes this up so badly.

An embargo of Russian energy would see Russia's GDP completely collapse. Our baseline forecast has GDP fall -30% by end-2022 and does NOT yet put a 100% weight on an energy stop. This number would be MUCH worse in the event of an embargo, making war harder to sustain for Putin… pic.twitter.com/6ZMJceyjH9

— Robin Brooks (@RobinBrooksIIF) March 26, 2022

Economists saying that a complete EU embargo of Russian oil would crush Russia’s economy but not the EU’s economy (followed shortly thereafter by the US & global economies) are missing the forest for the trees IMO. https://t.co/JS1N3RJDZG

— Luke Gromen (@LukeGromen) March 27, 2022

Luke Gromen gets that aspect correct, Robin Brooks doesn’t. 

Twelve and Three-Word Summations

A twelve-word synopsis of the above is Misguided Souls Still Do Not Understand This Simple Truth: Sanctions Don’t Work

The last three of those twelve words emphasize the key point.

Meanwhile, Biden Doing Everything Possible to Drive Up the Price of Oil, Some of It’s Illegal

Finally, US Sanction Policy Drives China Into Russia’s Loving Arms.

China is the big winner in global sanction policy.

There is one more key aspect: Weaponizing the US dollar has totally backfired on the US. War views aside, we should all cheer that aspect. Yet, misguided souls want to escalate what is proven not to work. 

This post originated at MishTalk.Com.

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A source from Kiev further has reported that “Russia now has MORE armor units accumulated on the border than it did prior to the war…”

If true, a clear sign that a major phase 2 operation is in the preparatory stages. And there’s many sightings/videos of new forces coming in such as this one:

15:15
A large column of more than 30 armored fighting vehicles of the Russian Armed Forces with “V” marks and Airborne forces flags was moving along the M10 highway towards the interchange to Gomel / Chernihiv / Dobrush. pic.twitter.com/AKHvGHCPGz

— MotolkoHelp (@MotolkoHelp) March 29, 2022

Scott Ritter published a series of tweets today summarizing his view of the Second Front emerging as Russia completes Phase 1 of its operation.

1/Big Arrow War—a primer. For all those scratching their heads in confusion, or dusting off their dress uniforms for the Ukrainian victory parade in Kiev, over the news about Russia’s “strategic shift”, you might want to re-familiarize yourself with basic military concepts.

2/ Maneuver warfare is a good place to start. Understand Russia started its “special military operation” with a severe manpower deficit—200,000 attackers to some 600,000 defenders (or more). Classic attritional conflict was never an option. Russian victory required maneuver.

3/ Maneuver war is more psychological than physical and focuses more on the operational than on the tactical level. Maneuver is relational movement—how you deploy and move your forces in relation to your opponent. Russian maneuver in the first phase of its operation support this.

4/ The Russians needed to shape the battlefield to their advantage. In order to do this, they needed to control how Ukraine employed it’s numerically superior forces, while distributing their own smaller combat power to best accomplish this objective.

5/ Strategically, to facilitate the ability to maneuver between the southern, central, and northern fronts, Russia needed to secure a land bridge between Crimea and Russia. The seizure of the coastal city of Mariupol was critical to this effort. Russia has accomplished this task.

6/ While this complex operation unfolded, Russia needed to keep Ukraine from maneuvering its numerically superior forces in a manner that disrupted the Mariupol operation. This entailed the use of several strategic supporting operations—feints, fixing operations, and deep attack.

7/ The concept of a feint is simple—a military force either is seen as preparing to attack a given location, or actually conducts an attack, for the purpose of deceiving an opponent into committing resources in response to the perceived or actual actions.

8/ The use of the feint played a major role in Desert Storm, where Marine Amphibious forces threatened the Kuwaiti coast, forcing Iraq to defend against an attack that never came, and where the 1st Cavalry Division actually attacked Wadi Al Batin to pin down the Republican Guard.

9/ The Russians made extensive use of the feint in Ukraine, with Amphibious forces off Odessa freezing Ukrainian forces there, and a major feint attack toward Kiev compelling Ukraine to reinforce their forces there. Ukraine was never able to reinforce their forces in the east.

10/ Fixing operations were also critical. Ukraine had assembled some 60,000-100,000 troops in the east, opposite Donbas. Russia carried out a broad fixing attack designed to keep these forces fully engaged and unable to maneuver in respect to other Russian operations.

11/ During Desert Storm, two Marine Divisions were ordered to carry out similar fixing attacks against Iraqi forces deployed along the Kuwaiti-Saudi border, tying down significant numbers of men and material that could not be used to counter the main US attack out west.”

By the way, von Manstein, considered one of the greatest German WW2 generals famously employed such tactics, particularly in the same Donbass region against the Soviet forces, where he utilized feints and strategic retreats in order to capture a much larger encroaching force by way of misdirection and diversions). You can watch videos such as this one to see how an extremely agile mechanized force can employ diversionary tactics and misdirection to bait a much larger force 

Evidently, at least 3 distinct groups operating in several directions which have finally ‘linked’ at central points in Mariupol and are now often operating together.

• DPR forces from the north,
• Chechen forces from the East,
• Russian Marine force from the West

Here are some combat videos of the Russian Marines and Chechen regulars assaulting the the Azov Battalion bastion at the Azov Steel Plant.

Brutal.

I had the good fortune to have met John Mearsheimer decades ago. John is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Chicago.

We had several conversations that helped me shape my path. So it’s not entirely surprising to me that he appears on my screens to share a point of view regarding an issue in our time.

Against this backdrop, consider the “Ukraine Playbook” published by Rand and reported in Antiwar.com: https://original.antiwar.com/Rick_Sterling/2022/03/27/rand-report-prescribed-us-provocations-against-russia-and-predicted-russia-might-retaliate-in-ukraine/

Rand Report Prescribed US Provocations Against Russia and Predicted Russia Might Retaliate In Ukraine

by Rick Sterling Posted onMarch 28, 2022

According to a 2019 Rand report titled “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia”, the US goal is to undermine Russia just as it did the Soviet Union in the cold war. Rather than “trying to stay ahead” or trying to improve the US domestically or in international relations, the emphasis is on efforts and actions to undermine the designated adversary Russia. Rand is a quasi-US governmental think tank that receives three-quarters of its funding from the US military.

The report lists anti-Russia measures divided into the following areas: economic, geopolitical, ideological/informational, and military. They are assessed according to the perceived risks, benefits and “likelihood of success”.

The report notes that Russia has “deep seated” anxieties about western interference and potential military attack. These anxieties are deemed to be a vulnerability to exploit. There is no mention of the cause of the Russian anxieties: they have have been invaded multiple times and had 27 million deaths in WW2.

Significance of Ukraine

Ukraine is important to Russia. The two countries share much common heritage and a long common border. One of the most important leaders of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, was Ukrainian. During WW2, Ukraine was one of Hitler’s invasion routes and there was a small but active number of Ukrainian collaborators with Nazi Germany. The distance from the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, to Moscow is less than 500 miles.

For these same reasons of geography and history, Ukraine is a major component of a US/NATO effort to undermine Russia. Current Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, said that over 20 years the US invested $5 billion in the project to turn Ukraine. The culmination was a violent coup in February 2014. Since 2015, the US has been training ultra nationalist and Neo-Nazi militias. This has been documented in articles such as “U.S. House admits Nazi role in Ukraine” (Robert Parry, 2015), “The US is arming and assisting neo-nazis in Ukraine while the House debates prohibition.”(Max Blumenthal, 2018), “Neo Nazis and the far right are on the march in Ukraine” (Lev Golinken in 2019) and “The CIA may be breeding Nazi terror in Ukraine” (Branko Marcetic Jan. 2022).

Rand suggested provocations

Prior to 2018, the US only provided “defensive” military weaponry to Ukraine. The Rand report assesses that providing lethal (offensive) military aid to Ukraine will have a high risk but also a high benefit. Accordingly, US lethal weaponry skyrocketed from near zero to $250M in 2019, to $303M in 2020, to $350M in 2021. Total military aid is much higher. A few weeks ago, “The Hill” reported, “The US has contributed more than $1 billion to help Ukraine’s military over the past year”.

The Rand report lists many techniques and “measures” to provoke and threaten Russia. Some of the steps include:

• Repositioning bombers within easy striking range of key Russian strategic targets
• Deploying additional tactical nuclear weapons to locations in Europe and Asia
• Increasing US and allied naval force posture and presence in Russia’s operating areas (Black Sea)
• Holding NATO war exercises on Russia’s borders
• Withdrawing from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

These and many other provocations suggested by Rand have, in fact, been implemented. For example, NATO conducted massive war exercises dubbed “Defender 2021” right up Russia’s border. NATO has started “patrolling” the Black Sea and engaging in provocative intrusions into Crimean waters. The US has withdrawn from the INF Treaty.

Since 2008, when NATO “welcomed” the membership aspirations of Ukraine and Georgia, Russia has said this would cross a red line and threaten its security. In recent years NATO has provided advisers, training and ever increasing amounts of military hardware. While Ukraine is not a formal member of NATO, it has increasingly been treated like one. The full Rand report says “While NATO’s requirement for unanimity makes it unlikely that Ukraine could gain membership in the foreseeable future, Washington’s pushing this possibility could boost Ukrainian resolve while leading Russia to redouble its efforts to forestall such a development.”

The alternative, which could have prevented or at least forestalled the current Russian intervention in Ukraine, would have been to declare Ukraine ineligible for NATO. But this would have been contrary to the US intention of deliberately stressing, provoking and threatening Russia.

Ukraine as US client

In November 2021, the US and Ukraine signed a Charter on Strategic Partnership. This agreement confirmed Ukrainian aspirations to join NATO and rejection of the Crimean peoples decision to re-unify with Russia following the 2014 Kiev coup. The agreement signaled a consolidation of Washington’s economic, political and military influence.

December 2021 Russia red lines followed by military action

In December 2021, Russia proposed a treaty with the US and NATO. The central Russian proposal was a written agreement that Ukraine would not join the NATO military alliance.

When the proposed treaty was rebuffed by Washington, it seems the die was cast. On February 21, Putin delivered a speech detailing their grievances. On February 24, Putin delivered another speech announcing the justification and objectives of the military intervention to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.

As Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov later said, “This is not about Ukraine. This is the end result of a policy that the West has carried out since the early 1990’s.”

Afghanistan again?

As earlier indicated, the Rand report assesses the costs and benefits of various US actions. It is considered a “benefit” if increased US assistance to Ukraine results in the loss of Russian blood and resources. Speculating on the possibility of Russian troop presence in Ukraine, the report suggests that it could become “quite controversial at home, as it did when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.” (p 99 of full report)

That historical reference is significant. Beginning in 1979, the US and Saudi Arabia funded and trained sectarian foreign fighters to invade and destabilize the Afghan government. The goals were to overthrow the socialist inclined government and lure the Soviet Union into supporting the destabilized government. It achieved these Machiavellian goals at the cost of millions of Afghan citizens whose country has never been the same.

It appears that Ukrainian citizens are similarly being manipulated to serve US goals.

A “disadvantageous peace settlement”

The Rand report says, “Increasing US military aid would certainly drive up the Russian costs, but doing so could also increase the loss of Ukrainian lives and territory or result in a disadvantageous peace settlement.”

But who would a peace settlement be “disadvantageous” for? Ukrainian lives and territory are currently being lost. Over fourteen thousand Ukrainian lives have been lost in the eastern Donbass region since the 2014 coup.

A peace settlement that guaranteed basic rights for all Ukrainians and state neutrality in the rivalry of big powers, would be advantageous to most Ukrainians. It is only the US foreign policy establishment including the US military media industrial complex and Ukrainian ultra-nationalists who would be “disadvantaged”.

Since Ukraine is a multi-ethnic state, it would seem best to accept that reality and find a compromise national solution which facilitates all Ukrainians. Being a client of a distant foreign power is not in Ukraine’s national best interest.

The Rand report shows how US policy focuses on actions to hurt Russia and manipulates third party countries (Ukraine) toward that task.

Rick Sterling is an independent journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He can be contacted at rsterling1@protonmail.com.

The Moscow Times, January 21, 2015: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2015/01/21/obama-says-western-sanctions-have-left-russias-economy-in-tatters-a43069

Before going “back to the future” in 2015, here is the ₽-USD exchange rate – note the recovery to date.

Obama Says Western Sanctions Have Left Russia’s Economy ‘In Tatters’

U.S. President Barack Obama in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday said Western sanctions had left Russia isolated and its economy “in tatters.”

Speaking before the country’s Congress in Washington, Obama hailed 2014 as a year in which the U.S. had defended “the principle that bigger nations can’t bully the small,” referring to Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis.

“Today, it is America that stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated, with its economy in tatters,” Obama said, according to a transcript of the speech published by the White House.

The U.S. and its allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia in response to its annexation of the Black Sea Crimea peninsula and the country’s support of pro-Kremlin separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Low oil prices and Western sanctions have put Russia’s economy on course for an economic recession this year, with Finance Minister Anton Siluanov saying in December that the economy could shrink by 4 percent in 2015.

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Don’t you know the crime rate is going up, up, up, up, up
To live in this town you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough!
You got rats on the West Side
Bed bugs uptown
What a mess this town’s in tatters, I’ve been shattered
My brain’s been battered, splattered all over Manhattan

Sha oobie, shattered, shattered, what say
Sha oobie, shattered
Sha oobie, shattered
Sha oobie, shattered

Uh-huh, this town’s full of money grabbers
Go ahead, bite the Big Apple, don’t mind the maggots, huh
Sha oobie, my brain’s been battered
My friends they come around they
Flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter
Pile it up, pile it up, pile high on the platter

As the map above reports, the Donbass pocket is operationally closed. Ukrainian units inside the cauldron are cut off from resupply of ammunition and food, and isolated from reinforcements.

Russian units continue to expand their control while bottling up remaining Ukrainian ground forces in major cities.

Recall Russia’s tactical strategy: (1) cutoff the bulk of the Ukrainian Army in Donbass from resupply and reinforcement, and (2) isolate back-up Ukrainian units in major cities to avoid urban combat.

We saw Russian forces employ this same strategy as it broke the back of US-supported ISIS forces in Syria.

Yet, despite no change in the Russian strategy, we continue to be inundated by Western media declaring the Russia assault stalled at the gates of Kyev, Mariupol is holding, with strange silence regarding the condition of the bulk of Ukrainian forces in Donbass.

We see no evidence of any AFU air operations. Nor do we see Ukrainian ground forces engaging Russian units outside major cities.

Sure, the occasional assault on a mobile position. But, no concentrated units. No replay of the Battle of 73 Easting from the Iraq War.

A few facts that can easily be inferred even from Western news reports:

• Within the first 24 hours of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, all Ukrainian Ground Radar Intercept capabilities were wiped out thereby eliminating AFU air to air intercept capability, and enabling the Russian Air Force to establish a “no-fly” zone over Ukraine.
• No ground attack aircraft, missile or massed artillery capable of disrupting supply or blunt offensive operations by Russian ground units.
• As a result, Russia has been able to capture and control in 3 weeks a land area larger than the United Kingdom – outpacing US performance against Iraq in Desert Storm.
• Plus, stand-off Russian missile strikes on NATO supply and mercenary training camps at Yavoriv and Zhytomyr — it’s stunning that these attacks were mounted without Ukrainian forces able to detect incoming, sound timely warnings, and defeat the inbound missiles with point defense weapons.

Is Russia losing?

Or, simply running out of targets while awaiting the destruction of Ukrainian forces in Donbass?

We know that on March 26, at 4:16 a.m., Russian tanks were shown in action in Mariupol, said to be going towards the city center on an identified street, Troyiczka.

The Mayor announced early Monday the city was in Russian hands.

Here are Russian Marines entering the Azov Battalion’s position in the Azov Steel Plant (first built during Stalin’s time):

Russian Marines & DPR troops entering an Azov base in Mariupol. Abandoned but probably full of traps & mines, says war reporter Andrey Filatov, clearing it will be complicated. Tanks are useful here pic.twitter.com/hvbqjauRxb

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) March 28, 2022

At 5:20 pm March 27, the white-bearded Chechen commander of “Kadryov’s spetsnaz” stood in front of the city hall of Mariopol and announced that the city was taken by his Rosvgardia troops. There would only be a “sweeping clean operation” left to do. The announcement was celebrated with a burst of gunfire from a Chechen who stood next to his commander for the purpose of this obligatory Asiatic celebration. The police station was also shown.

Then another Twitter account showed the Ukrainian Deputy Commander of 503 Battalion of Marines captured and interviewed. He was caught trying to escape. He said that his entire battalion had broken up into small groups who were trying to find a way out of the trap. Outside the city, there were Russian roadblocks. Men in cars were being ordered to take off their shirts to see if they had any tattoos. (Just like the SS armpit blood-type tattoo.)

The commander of all Azov forces in Mariupol was reportedly captured which, if true, means we will likely see his image on the news.

For another point of view contrary to US government views, here is Larry Johnson from sonar21.com sharing his take of Russian military operations.

You decide.

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Sending new arms to Ukraine (a popular talking point among U.S. and British politicians) is a stupid and empty gesture. Why? There is no organized, intact Ukrainian military force capable of receiving and using these weapons. You want evidence? I want to remind you again of the breathless reports that filled Western media two weeks ago about Russian tank and truck columns “stalled” north of Kiev. Some media claimed the column was 40 miles long while others reported it as 40 kilometers (for the math challenged among you, 40 kilometers equals 24 miles).

That is a big fat target that a functional, competent military force would consume. But that column sat in place for at least a week. My Air Force buddy who flew missions against North Vietnamese vehicle columns back in 1970 described how he would first hit the lead vehicle, then the trailing vehicle and then destroy everything in between. We did not see that in Ukraine. There was no significant destruction rained down on the Russian column from the air. And where was the Ukrainian cruise missiles. Those should have been launched (if they existed) and could have caused enormous damage. That did not happen. There also was no Ukrainian artillery barrage on the supposedly “stalled” column.

And where was Ukraine’s infantry? Ukrainian soldiers have received thousands of anti-tanks weapons (e.g., Javelins and NLAWs). The NLAW has an effective range of 800 to 1000 meters. Here’s a brief:

How difficult would it be to have a several battalions of Ukrainian soldiers strung out along the 40 mile column to fire NLAWs at the Russian sitting ducks? Yet that did not happen. Why?

The explanation comes from Friday’s briefing by the Head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy (Colonel General is equivalent to at least a three star general in the U.S. Army):

• Currently, the Ukrainian air forces and the air defense system have been almost completely destroyed. The naval forces of the country ceased to exist.
• Sixteen main military airfields were defeated, from which combat sorties of the AFU aviation were carried out. Thirty nine storage bases and arsenals were destroyed, which contained up to 70% of all stocks of military equipment, materiel and fuel, as well as more than 1 million 54 thousand tons of ammunition.
• All 24 formations of the Land Forces that existed before the start of the operation suffered significant losses. Ukraine has no organized reserves left.
• Losses are replenished at the expense of mobilized persons and personnel of the territorial defence forces who do not have the necessary training, which increases the risk of large losses.
• At the time of the start of the special military operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with the National Guard, numbered 260,200 servicemen. During the month of hostilities, their losses amounted to about 30 thousand people, including more than 14 thousand – irretrievable and about 16 thousand “sanitary” or wounded.
• Of the 2,416 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles that were in combat on February 24, 1,587 units were destroyed; 636 units out of 1,509 field artillery guns and mortars; 163 out of 535 MLRS; 112 out of 152 aircraft, 75 out of 149 helicopters; 36 Bayraktar TB2 UAVs – 35;
• 148 out of180 S-300 and Buk M1 air defence systems; 117 out of 300 117 radars for various purposes. [Edited]

[Comment: combat units taking more than 10% are considered degraded; units suffering more than 20% losses are considered incapable of sustained counteroffensive or defensive combat.)

The destruction inflicted on the Ukrainians by Russia is vast. If Ukraine still had a viable air force they would be challenging Russian combat aircraft and carrying out airstrikes on Russian positions. I have seen no reports in Western media about such actions.

In cities, such a Mariupol, that are besieged by Russian forces there has been no visible attempt to provide air support, artillery fire or reinforcements. The AZOV battalion left in an ever shrinking perimeter in Mariupol have no way out and are running out of ammunition and food. No soldier in the world survives long without ammo and chow.

There is evidence that a growing number of Ukrainian soldiers in other parts of the battlefield are surrendering (hat tip to Andrei Martyanov. If Andrei is not on your daily must read you should add him):

The delusional, wishful thinking that infects Western media was on full display yesterday (Friday). Sky News put up this article, Ukraine war: Russia appears to scale back invasion ambitions – but UK warns bombardment of cities will continue. Here is how Sky News reported on General Rudskoy’s briefing cited above:

Russia’s defense ministry claimed it would now concentrate on the “liberation” of the Donbas region.

“The main objectives of the first stage of the operation have generally been accomplished,” said Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate.

“The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been considerably reduced, which makes it possible to focus our core efforts on achieving the main goal – the liberation of Donbas.” . . .

Russia has previously pointed to far bigger ambitions but stiff resistance from Ukraine forces, logistical problems and reported low morale may have taken their toll.

Here is what Rudskoy actually said:

With the beginning of a special military operation, air supremacy was won during the first two days.

Offensive actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are carried out in various directions.

As a result, Russian troops blocked Kiev, Kharkov, Chernigov, Sumy and Nikolaev. Kherson and most of the Zaporozhye region are under full control.

The public and individual experts are wondering what we are doing in the area of blocked Ukrainian cities.

These actions are carried out with the aim of causing such damage to military infrastructure, equipment, personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the results of which allow not only to shackle their forces and do not give them the opportunity to strengthen their grouping in the Donbass, but also will not allow them to do so until the Russian army completely liberates the territories of the DPR and LPR.

Initially, we did not plan to storm them in order to prevent destruction and minimize losses among personnel and civilians.

And although we do not rule out such a possibility, however, as individual groups complete their tasks, and they are being solved successfully, our forces and means will concentrate on the main thing – the complete liberation of Donbass.

Rudskoy delivered a very pointed warning to NATO as well:

We are closely monitoring the statements of the military and political leadership of individual countries about their intention to supply aircraft and air defense systems to Ukraine. In case of implementation– we will not leave it without attention.

We also hear assurances from NATO leaders about non-interference in the conflict. At the same time, some member states of the North Atlantic Alliance propose to close the airspace over Ukraine. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will immediately respond accordingly to such attempts.

In order to prevent the restoration of weapons and military equipment of the AFU that have received combat damage, the Russian Armed Forces are disabling repair enterprises, arsenals, storage bases, logistics warehouses with high-precision weapons.

At the moment, 30 key enterprises of the military-industrial complex have been hit by cruise missiles X-101, Kalibr, Iskander, and the Kinzhal aviation complex, which carried out repairs of 68% of weapons and equipment disabled during combat operations.

This does not sound like a whipped Russian General licking his wounds. The briefing is concise, factual and instructive. Today’s actions in Western Ukraine–the missile attack on a fuel storage facility in Lviv and missile attacks on a military airfield in Lutsk–reinforce General Rudskoy’s briefing that Russia will continue to demilitarize Ukraine while trying to limit civilian casualties. I take him at his word.

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What is truth?

I have no idea. But I suspect we will begin to know the truth soon.

You don’t have to choose sides in the Invasion/”Special Operation” (depends on who you are).

But, it’s pretty clear US psyops are in overdrive with full support of the American Pravda.

Ukraine is not an innocent in all of this nor is the US.

In war, truth is the first casualty. In war, including economic, it’s important to know what the other side is saying because it messages their point of view which you ignore at your own peril.

So, here is the Putin case, courtesy of donsurber.blogspot.com

Before reposting donsurber, I watched Putin’s speech on the eve of the “Special Operation”. It was impressive.

So, here we go

The cable channels have granted Zelensky billions of dollars worth of free air time to sell the public on having Americans finance his war with Russia. So far, he’s received commitments to $13.6 billion in U.S. aid, money he will gladly share with the children of congressmen.

Anyone who questions this is labeled a Putin puppet.

Well, I have been called worse.

There is another side of the story, weak as it may be.

In a speech Power Line called, “The Madness of Vlad the Inhaler,” Putin made a Zelensky-style plea.

Putin’s side of the story about to his colleagues. Most of it was BS. There is no
rationalization for the invasion. See for yourself.

But this resonated with me: “I want ordinary citizens of Western countries to hear me too: they are now persistently trying to convince you that all your difficulties are the result of some hostile actions of Russia, that you have to pay for the fight against the
mythical Russian threat from your own wallet. All this is a lie.

“And the truth is that the current problems faced by millions of people in the West are the result of many years of actions by the ruling elites of their states, their mistakes, myopia and ambitions. These elites are not thinking about how to improve the lives of
their citizens in Western countries. They are obsessed with their own vested interests and super profits.

“Evidence of this is the data of international organizations, which directly say that social
problems, even in leading Western countries, have only worsened in recent years, that inequality is growing, the gap between rich and poor, racial and national conflicts are making themselves felt.”

He lashed out at economic sanctions which he has countered by limiting grain and fertilizer exports, which will send soaring food prices even higher. $5 gasoline? Hah. Wait till we have $5 milk.

He pointed out the amorality of the economic sanctions that drew blood.

He said, “All verbal tinsel about political correctness, inviolability of private property, freedom of speech — all this flew off overnight. Even the Olympic principles were trampled on. They did not hesitate to settle scores with the Paralympic athletes – this is such a sport outside of politics.”

That is a reference to a New York Times report, “In Reversal, Paralympics Bars Athletes From Russia and Belarus.”

Those cheering the firing of an opera soprano or requiring a Denunciation of Putin Card for a Russian to play at Wimbledon need to realize that they are next. You can never be woke enough because the rules are constantly changing. Tennis champ, Martina Navratilova, a pioneer in lesbian rights, is now an outcast because she dares question transgenderism.

Putin knows this and he plays against it. He lashed out at oligarchs who have been Westernized.

He said, “I am not at all judging those who have a villa in Miami or the French Riviera, who cannot do without foie gras, oysters or so-called gender freedoms. The problem is absolutely not in this, but, I repeat, in the fact that many of these people, by
their very nature, are mentally located precisely there, and not here, not with our people, not with Russia.”

Of course the cable channels label his nationalism as evil while Zelensky’s nationalism is saintly.

I don’t think this war will do in Putin or Zelensky.

Patriotism rings true in sane countries.

History shows that Russians may be dumb as bears but they do love their country. They call World War 2 the Great Patriotic War. Millions of deaths did not bring Stalin down because he saved the country in the eyes of his countrymen.

Putin is of course KGB. That means he knows of the world outside of Russia. He knows it well.

His line about “so-called gender freedoms” echoes across the globe. Many see Uncle Sam now as a drag queen.

In journalism, there are at least two sides of every story or else it is not journalism.

The collapse of the Soviet Union liberated hundreds of millions of people in Poland, Ukraine and all those Stans.

But the collapse also humiliated the Russian people, just as the World War I reparations humiliated Germany.

Russia had no business invading Ukraine.

We have no business being in Ukraine. But we are up to our necks in it because a corrupt government and its corrupt corporations pay Hunter Biden and other offspring of politicians well.

Writing off Putin’s speech as madness may make you feel good and superior, but it also makes you look shallow and weak.

Here is some speeches you won’t likely see – you decide:

Here is the speech in Russian: http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67996

The speech in English, translated as it goes: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67996

March 16, 2022 18:10

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“I want ordinary citizens of Western states to hear me too: they are now persistently trying to convince you that all your difficulties are the result of some kind of hostile actions of Russia, that you have to pay for the fight against the mythical Russian threat from your own wallet. All this is a lie.

“And the truth is that the current problems faced by millions of people in the West are the result of many years of actions by the ruling elites of their states, their mistakes, myopia and ambitions. These elites are not thinking about how to improve the lives of their citizens in Western countries. They are obsessed with their own vested interests and super profits.

“Evidence of this is the data of international organizations, which directly say that social problems, even in leading Western countries, have only worsened in recent years, that inequality is growing, the gap between rich and poor, racial and national conflicts are making themselves felt. The myth of the Western welfare society, of the so-called golden billion, is collapsing.

“I repeat, today the entire planet has to pay the price precisely for the ambitions of the West, for its attempts by any means to maintain its elusive dominance.

“The imposition of sanctions is a logical continuation, a concentrated expression of the irresponsible, short-sighted policy of the governments and central banks of the US and EU countries. It was they who, in recent years, with their own hands dispersed the spiral of global inflation, with their actions led to an increase in global poverty and inequality, to new flows of refugees around the world. And the question arises: who is now responsible for the millions of starvation deaths in the world’s poorest countries due to the growing food shortage?

“I repeat, a serious blow has been dealt to the entire global economy and trade, to confidence and to the US dollar as the main reserve currency.
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“the policy of containing and weakening Russia, including through economic isolation and blockade, is a conscious, long-term strategy. The leaders of the West themselves no longer hide the fact that the sanctions are not directed against individuals or companies, their goal is to strike at our entire domestic economy, our social and humanitarian sphere, every family, every citizen of Russia.

“In fact, such steps aimed at worsening the lives of millions of people have all the signs of aggression, war by economic, political, and informational means. It has a total, undisguised character, and, I repeat, the so-called Western political beau monde does not even hesitate to speak about it in plain text.

“All verbal tinsel about political correctness, inviolability of private property, freedom of speech – all this flew off overnight. Even the Olympic principles were trampled on. They did not hesitate to settle scores with the Paralympic athletes – this is such a “sport outside of politics”.

“In many Western countries, people are subjected to real persecution just because they come from Russia: they refuse medical care, expel children from schools, deprive their parents of their jobs, ban Russian music, culture, and literature. Trying to “cancel” Russia, the West tore off all the masks of decency, began to act boorishly, demonstrated its true nature. It just begs a direct analogy with the anti-Semitic pogroms that the Nazis staged in Germany in the 30s of the last century, and then their henchmen from many European countries who joined Hitler’s aggression against our country during the Great Patriotic War.

“A massive attack has also been launched against Russia in cyberspace. An unprecedented information campaign has been unleashed, which involves global social networks and all Western media, the objectivity and independence of which turned out to be just a myth. Access to information is limited, people are stuffed with a huge number of fakes, propaganda forgeries, in other words, linden. It got to the point that one of the American social networks directly announced the possibility of publications calling for the murder of Russian citizens.