Ukraine and World Affairs: Weekly Update
13th June 2025
The event that many of us have been dreading for a long time happened today as Netanyahu finally got his war with Iran. I have to admit that I didn’t expect it just yet. Early on the morning of Friday June 13th Israel launched Operation "Rising Lion" with massive attacks on Iranian strategic facilities at Natanz, Isfahan and Hondabe. Several cities, military bases and missile bases were attacked. Marco Rubio has made a statement which denies any involvement - which is clearly nonsense. The US had started to pull non-essential personnel from the Middle East so was aware that the attacks were coming. According to this report, Israel employed around 200 aircraft and more than 330 bombs and missiles but the strikes will last at least 2 weeks according to this source. This report, claims that Mossad had created a drone base within Iran prior to the attacks which is reminiscent of the drone strikes on Russian airfields. Trump has said that the US will assist Israel if Iran retaliates. No surprise there. He is also telling Iran to accept a deal on Sunday or things will get worse. Things will get worse but not only for Iran.
Among those targeted and killed were IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, Chief of the General Staff Major General Mohammad, Chief Nuclear Physicist Iran Fereydoun Abbasi Davani, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi - Head Islamic Azad University, the largest in the Middle East. General Baqeri Iran’s Chief of Staff was among those killed.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry:
The Zionist entity and its supporters bear the serious and far-reaching consequences of this aggression against our country.
Zionist attacks against us cannot take place without coordination or authorization from the United States. The United States will be responsible for the consequences of Israel's adventurism, as it is its primary supporter.
The aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of Article 4, Clause 2, of the UN Charter. Responding to aggression is Iran's legal and legitimate right under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Our armed forces have the right to respond with all force and in the manner they deem appropriate.
On the morning of June 13th, the Israelis reported that Iran has launched 100 missiles into Israel which turned out to be nonsense.
In the Middle East, the ‘freedom ship’ Madeleine, along with 12 activists, including ‘rock star’ Greta Thunberg, were illegally seized in International waters on the way to Gaza. Altogether, 40 activists were arrested as part of the ‘freedom flotilla’ for attempting to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza and were made to watch propaganda film about Oct 7th, 2023. I imagine that their supporters will pursue legal action against Israel.
In the meantime, the Israelis continue to massacre Palestinian civilians as they gather to receive aid but their soldiers are paying a high price for their attempts to occupy Gaza. The Israelis have now achieved a level of barbarity rarely seen in warfare: they are using an organisation meant to bring relief and comfort as a mechanism for killing. When Palestinians gather for aid they present the Israelis with a ‘turkey shoot’ - and the soldiers go along with it. They are deserving of a ‘Nuremburg trial’ just as much as the Nazis were in 1945. I sincerely hope they get it.
149 members of the UNGA voted for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza on June 12th.
However, it must be said that some soldiers have sufficient humanity and courage to refuse to obey what they consider to be ‘illegal orders'.
The Israelis are also working to dismember the towns and cities on the West Bank and are establishing 22 new settlements there.
As well as hitting Iran, they are also striking targets in Yemen, Syria and in Lebanon where they continue to break the ceasefire. Ansar-Allah is continuing its attacks, disrupting air travel and sending millions of Israelis to the shelters.
In Los Angeles, rioters/protesters fought with the National Guard on the streets amid burning cars and water cannon. They were originally protesting against deportations but this developed into something akin to insurrection led by Democrats and Marxist groups, according to some who will no doubt suspect that this has been orchestrated by Trump’s opponents. Anyway, 700 marines have been deployed alongside 4,000 National Guardsmen. This is causing some tension between California’s governor Gavin Newsom and the Federal Government. Newsom has promised to sue Trump for undermining state sovereignty by deploying the National Guard. You can read more at Zero Hedge. Protests against ‘Ice’, the force responsible for deportations, have erupted in Dallas and in Austin. One report claims that Ice has been ordered to arrest 3,000 illegal immigrants a day.
Back in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian source, Zelensky is sacking officers who have revolted against Syrsky. ‘We are watching’, as some at Legitimny say.
In a major breakthrough on the fronts this week, the Russians have entered Dnepropetrovsk. They are creeping closer to the Dnieper. According to Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, this is being done in order to create a security ‘buffer zone' along the border with Ukraine. The Russians continue to advance in the direction of Sumy and are close to breaking through in Pokrovsk and Toretsk.
It is amazing that the ‘motiveless, press ganged’ Ukrainians, in spite of casualties, desertions and an incapacity to replace losses, are holding on. A collapse at some point in the near future would not surprise me yet I don’t expect it - if that makes sense.
A Ukrainian source, acknowledges that Russia is taking records amounts of territory while morale is lower than ever among the Ukrainian forces. People’s deputy Maryana Bezugla has complained that the planned fortifications in the Sumy Direction were never built, which is making things easier for the Russians.
The TCC continues to come under attack as the residence of one member was burned down in Kharkov. Elsewhere, in Kamyanets-Podolsky (Khmelnytsky Region), a fight broke out between more than a hundred local residents and employees of the TCC.
By the way, residents of Sumy, who are not necessarily loyal to Zelensky and co, are being asked to leave. However, many are reluctant to do so for fear of the TCC and because some may also want to be in Russia when this ends. Russian speaking people in many oblasts, including Kharkov and Odessa, may also want to be part of Russia rather the Ukraine which has become a ‘basket case’ - many of these people see themselves as Russian.
Ukraine continues with its terrorist attacks on civilians and on Russian infrastructure while the Russians have launched some of their largest drone/missile attacks of the war. These have been particularly devastating for Ukraine’s airfields and supplies. It is not clear whether these attacks are in retaliation for the terrorist attacks on trains or the attacks on Russia’s strategic air force. Some believe that the retaliation for the latter may be more significant and is yet to come. I discuss this in detail below. I think some overestimate the Russian inclination to retaliate - as an emotional response. They may respond so as to satisfy public demand but will not be doing anything new. That describes the response so far.
But the response to an infringement of the SALT 2 agreement, which is one way of perceiving the Ukrainian airfield attacks (assuming the US had some involvement) demands a stronger response, some say, including John Helmer. Time will tell.
According to a recent poll, only 38% of Ukrainians are willing to give up territory for peace. This figure was 87% in the fall of 2022. I think this shows how ill informed the Ukrainian people are. But it also shows that a resurrection by the people is not on the cards just yet.
Ukraine Terror Attacks - Fallout
In the Kremlin and in military circles, they will be asking: ‘how do we respond to an attack on our nuclear Triad?’. ‘Our nuclear doctrine appears to allow or even prescribe a strong, or even a nuclear response. How can we respond in a manner that makes a point without provoking WW3 or upsetting our allies?’.
This week, the Russians responded to the terror attacks on the trains with missile/drone attacks that may have been in the pipeline for some time (see below). These were among the most intense of the war but do not amount to the ‘asymmetrical’ attack Russia is entitled to make following the attacks on nuclear facilities which may have been carried out with CIA involvement (rogue or not). However, the Russian MoD is claiming that the recent strikes on airfields such as Dubno (see below) have been made in retaliation for the attacks on Russian airfields. b and commentators at the MoA discuss the matter here. If you enjoy a little speculation this will provide it.
According to Alastair Crooke, Russia is treating the attacks on the railways and on the bombers as separate terrorist operations rather than being part of the SMO. Once this status has been changed then it will become permissible for the Russians to assassinate the leaders of the Kiev regime - which is not permissible under the rules governing the SMO.
A source close to Alexander Mercouris claims that a special Russian committee has secretly authorised the assassination of certain top Ukrainian officials, as Alexander discusses here. This fits with Crooke’s view.
Crooke believes that Trump knew about the attack beforehand and that Putin also knows this - though he may not have confronted Trump during their phone call to avoid humiliating him.
Having said that, Trump may not have been given details, according to Crooke, so that he could have ‘plausible deniability’.
Sergei Lavrov has stated that he is 100% convinced that the British were involved and will continue to be involved in future terrorist attacks. Here in the UK, our taxes are paying for this! Of course, Lavrov may have sacrificed honesty for political considerations. This is part of his job, after all.
Former Trump advisor General Mike Flynn was horrified by the attacks on Russia’s nuclear Triad which constitute a provocation that would permit or even oblige Russia to respond with a nuclear attack. He does not believe Trump knew about the attacks beforehand and he is urging the Donald to get rid of the Deep State actors he believes to be responsible for this, as you can read here.
In an embarrassing press interview, Trump described the war in Ukraine as similar to a fight in the playground involving two boys who hate each other. Sometimes, he said, it is better to let them fight for a while before pulling them apart - and in his recent talk with Putin he appeared to be accepting that the Russian President must fight a little longer. It is very worrying that the President of the United States has so little understanding of the conflict that he can make this sort of comparison. In his defence, some are saying that Trump was attempting to explain the conflict in terms that, he believes his supporters will understand - which I find hard to believe. Trump must know, surely, that his supporters are better informed than this.
For Russia, this war is not about beating a hated rival; it's about a threat to Russia’s existence. But this is typical Trump obfuscation seeking to hide the fact that the US is very much involved with the scrap in the dirt.
However, not everyone agrees that the Ukrainians needed help to attack the bombers. In this video, Gilbert Doctorow discusses an article from The Financial Times which claims that the Ukrainians are quite capable of carrying out such drone attacks on their own. Drones rather than Western assisted satellite surveillance are used to identify targets and to guide attack drones onto their target, so it is claimed. This will spark some debate.
It appears that Trump tends to look at things from a personal perspective, which is often honest in its presentation, and I’m not sure how good he is at dealing with issues at a conceptual level. It would be good to hear views on this.
Medinsky Reflects on Talks
Leader of the Russian negotiating team, Vladimir Medinsky has given an interview in which he compared the current Ukrainian negotiating team with the one he engaged with in 2022. Back then they appeared more autonomous and willing to engage, he said, whereas the current team appears to have limited decision making authority. Medinsky explained that the 2022 agreement had been initialed with only minor details to be ironed out but then the British intervened refusing to grant security guarantees if the Ukrainians refused to fight. Umerov told Medinsky back then that he serves three masters rather than just one. Any suggestions as to who he is talking about? You can read more at Sputnik.
Russian Security Council Meeting - Novo Ogarevo
On June 10th the Russian Security Council met in Moscow and agreed to ‘ improve state policy to protect traditional spiritual and moral values, strengthen social unity, and preserve the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War’ - according to Tass. Among Russia’s core values are unity, a commitment to truth, mercy and family. Speaking at the meeting Vladimir Putin said that to deprive people of these values is to take away their sovereignty. Russia must teach these values to the young and guard against neo-liberal values which are, in fact, totalitarian.
Prisoner Exchange
Zelensky Totally Deluded
We have come close to the moment when we can force Russia to stop the war. Our actions on their territory are producing results - despite their rage, they understand everything.
He appears to believe his own propaganda claiming 40 Russian bombers destroyed. Zelensky is also bemoaning the fact that twenty thousand anti-drone missiles, previously promised to Ukraine by Sleepy Joe, have been sent to the Middle East. Still, I hear that Renault will be opening a drone factory in Ukraine soon.
Zelensky has refused to talk about territory with anyone but Putin.
The Russians Will Kill You All - Tymochko
Tymochko is an administrator in the Army Reserves section. In his bid to prevent desertions or draft dodging he warned that the Russians will get you even after the war and they will chase you even if you flee abroad. Scary Stuff - I wonder how many will believe it?
Kiev Regime Threatens Whole World - Sachs
Commenting on the terrorist attacks committed by Zelensky’s regime, installed as part of a coup, Harvard Professor Jeffrey Sachs said:
This small group, ruling under martial law, is endangering the entire world. That is why the President of the United States must put a stop to this behaviour!
Desertions Ukraine
In January 2025, there were 18,145 desertions; February 2025, 17809 desertions; March 2025, 16,349 desertions; April 2025, 18,331 desertions and May 2025 a record 19956 desertions. In addition, irretrievable battlefield losses stand at 30,000 per month and mobilisation is not able to keep pace with losses. Some say these figures are underestimates.
Around 100,000 Ukrainians have fled (deserted) the country during the past six months. The number is probably much higher than this because commanders continue to receive pay checks for those who have not been reported as missing. Everyone is on the take in Ukraine.
Body Exchange
Last week I reported that Russia agreed with the Ukrainians to hand over 6,000 frozen bodies of dead soldiers. I reported that Zelensky wasn’t fussy on the idea since he would have to pay out to the families of identified, dead soldiers.
Anyway, it appears that the Ukrainians initially refused to accept the bodies, according to chief Russian negotiator Medinsky who is asking them to honour the agreement they made.
I can’t help suspecting that the Russians knew that Zelensky would not accept the bodies before they made the offer. Having refused when the bodies turned up, he does not look good in front of his own people or the watching world. Furthermore, the Russians, who probably do not want to negotiate in spite of appearances, can say that the Ukrainians do not honour agreements. Russia is learning to fight the optics war. It is estimated that Zelensky would have to pay widows a total of $2.2 billions which the Ukraine treasury cannot afford. Of course, the number of dead may not be consistent with Zelensky’s much lower estimate of casualties and the Ukrainian people will notice this.
The Mayor of Zaporozhye region has published a list of the dead Ukrainian soldiers on his Telegram Channel.
Many women in Ukraine haven’t heard from their husbands or boyfriends for many months after being told that they had been sent on a combat mission. This video shows a woman who is asking a soldier just returned from the front whether he has seen her husband. Unfortunately, he was in body bag number 1198 in the freezer.
There has been outrage among the Ukrainians on social media at Zelensky’s refusal to take the bodies. In response to this, perhaps, Budanov has announced that the bodies will be received during the course of the week commencing 9th June and on the 11th of June the Ukrainians accepted 1212 bodies. The Russians accepted 27 of their own dead from the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian Colonel Assassinated
According to the Two Majors:
Yesterday morning, information emerged about a car explosion in Odesa, and by the evening it became known that the victim was Colonel Oleg Nomerovskyi - the head of the fourth department of the city's military commissariat. The explosive device fixed under the bottom of the car was remotely detonated. Despite the announced interception plan and searches, the direct perpetrator was never apprehended.
Ukraine Terrorist Attacks
6th/7th June
Five drones headed for Moscow were destroyed overnight when Tula and Kursk also came under attack. In Belgorod, two civilians were injured when a drone attacked their car while in Kherson a civilian was injured by cluster munitions. According to the Russian MoD:
Since 00:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty have intercepted and destroyed 36 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles over the territories of the Kursk, Bryansk, Kaluga, Smolensk regions and the Moscow region.
7th/8th June
Overnight, a total of 61 drones were shot down over Belgorod; Kaluga; Tula; Orel; Kursk and Moscow. In Kursk, one civilian was injured by a drone and another by a mine blast. In Kherson, a man was injured by cluster munitions and damage was caused to electricity substations causing outages. In Nikolskoye, Belgorod, a man was killed when the Ukrainians attacked a parking lot at a store. At least five were injured.
8th/9th June
According to the Majors:
At night, 49 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs were shot down over the Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Oryol, Bryansk, Belgorod regions, as well as the Chuvash Republic.
In Belgorod, 8 people were injured by drone attacks on a number of villages while in Kherson one man was injured by shelling. In Kursk, one man was killed and another five injured by missile/drone attacks.
9th/10th June
Overnight, a total of 102 drones were shot down: 46 over Bryansk; 20 over Belgorod; 9 over Voronezh; 4 over Kaluga; 4 over Tatarstan; 3 over Moscow; 2 each over Leningrad, Oskol and Kursk and one over Smolensk. The attacks prompted temporary closure of some airports. Belgorod suffered drone attacks which damaged vehicles and injured an eight year old boy. Also in Belgorod, a strike on a gas station killed one and injured four.
10th/11th June
Overnight, a total of 32 drones were shot down: 16 over Voronezh, 5 over Rambov; 2 over Rostov and 8 over Kursk where three children were injured by drones.
11th/12th June
Overnight, 41 drones were shot down over Belgorod and 6 over Bryansk and 2 over Moscow. In Bryansk, 2 civilians were injured by drones while in Belgorod another was injured when a drone hit his car. In Borisovka (Belgorod) a 2 year old child was killed and 2 adult civilians injured by a drone attack on their house. Kherson suffered shelling which injured a 51 year old woman while a 53 year old man was injured by drone attack in Rylsky (Kursk).
12th/13th June
Overnight, 2 civilians were injured by shelling in Kherson while two civilians were killed by a Western assisted HIMARS attack on Makeyevka (DPR). 15 drones were destroyed over Oryol; 11 each over Kursk and Saratov; 9 over Belgorod and 1 each over Bryansk and Voronezh.
The Sea War
6th/7th June
4 unmanned sea drones were destroyed over the Black Sea at night.
7th/8th June
Several drones were shot down over Crimea at night.
9th/10th June
Nine drones were shot down above Crimea overnight.
10th/11th June
One drone was shot down over the Black Sea at night.
11th/12th June
Two drones were shot down over Crimea at night.
12th/13th June
70 drones were destroyed over Crimea at night and another 7 were destroyed over the Black Sea.
The Air War
Russian Missile/Drone Attacks
6th/7th June
Overnight, the Ukrainians shot down at least 50 Geraniums over Kharkov which was also attacked by missiles. The Zeus plant, which produces war materiel was hit and the Kommunar plant north of the city was hit 30 times while an oil depot was also struck. Ukrainian air defences were too weak to prevent the destruction. Many explosions were heard over Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa where warehouses were attacked. In Western Ukraine a warehouse housing NATO long range missiles and power supply systems was hit. Poltava Vinnytsia and Pavlograd were also attacked. Geraniums hit the Ternopol plant for a second night in a row, while 'explosions also thundered in Starokostiantyniv, Mirgorod, Shostka, and Kanev’.
This is one of the biggest attacks of the war and involved at least 400 Geraniums, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles launched at 12 region of Ukraine. The ‘Bolshevik’ factory in Kiev was also damaged.
You can see a full report here.
7th/8th June
On the evening of 7th June, 3 KH-101 cruise missiles hit a factory producing fortification equipment in Lvov. Missiles also struck the base of the 808th Dniester Support Brigade at Salgany, Odessa while in Chernigov a Radio Equipment plant was hit. In Kremmenchug (Poltava) a reinforced concrete plant was hit by 12 drones along with a training centre for drone operators and light aircraft pilots. In Lutsk (Volyn) the ‘Motor’ repair plant was hit.
Overnight, missiles hit an underground bunker in Ternopil which had just received a delivery of Western goods:
The strikes hit assembly plants for attack drones, weapons repair points and ammunition depots.
One of the main goals was the destruction of the underground storage facility in Ternopil, which contained:
– 56 Storm Shadow missiles
— 53 ATACMS operational-tactical missiles
— 32 Patriot air defence missiles
The Penoboard military plant was hit by five X-101 cruise missiles.
For those who are interested and have Telegram, Slavyangrad provides a blow by blow account of Russian air attacks here.
8th/9th June
According to the Two Majors:
Geranii and missile weapons were operating on enemy territory. Explosions were reported in Cherkassy, Kiev, Ternopil, Rivne, Poltava, Chernigov, Kirovohrad, Vinnytsa, and Sumy regions. Separately, it should be noted that the enemy reported that at about 01:50 , explosions thundered in the area of gas platforms in the Black Sea (allegedly our Kh-22 missiles). Numerous landings in the Rivne region were characterized by the enemy as the strongest attack on the region since the beginning of the war.
The authorities in Rivne (Rovno) claimed that this was the largest attack of the war. According to the Military Chronicle, Dubno airfield in Rivne was hit by 50 missiles which damaged airfield infrastructure, an SU-27 and an AN-26 transport plane. The Ukrainians claim to have shot down or electronically suppressed 277 out of 479 drones along with 20 missiles - some say this claim is a ‘fairytale for Pink Ponies’.
9th/10th June
Overnight, more than 40 Geraniums attacked ammunition depots and drone assembly shops in Kiev (many situated in residential buildings). Mayor Klitschko reported that the strikes continued all night but injured only 4 people. The port in Odessa was also attacked. It appears that two ballistic missiles also attacked Kiev where airport fuel tanks were set alight. The Artem factory in Kiev, which produces missiles, was also hit.
11th/12th June
Overnight, the Russians targeted, warehouses, foreign mercenaries and military facilities in Kharkov with 12 strikes. Odessa; Zaporozhye; Sumy; Dnepropetrovsk and Poltava were also attacked.
12th/13th June
Overnight, the Russians attacked Dnepropetrovsk; Sumy; Kharkov and Nikolaev.
Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks
6th/7th June
On the 6th June, several fuel tanks were set ablaze at Engels airport, according to Zero Hedge. Dyagilevo air base was hit along with an electronics plant at Tambov.
7th/8th June
Overnight, the Eurochem plant at Novomoskovsk was attacked. injuring two civilians. Overnight, a warehouse storing gas cylinders and flammable liquid was set alight in Pushkino near Moscow. The blaze covered 8,000 square metres.
8th/9th June
According to the Majors:
Footage of a UAV strike on Cheboksary is circulating, the enemy identified the hit object as "ABS Electro and VNIIR-Progress".
Overnight, electricity substations were attacked in Kherson.
10th/11th June
Overnight, the Ukrainians attacked the gunpowder plant at Tambov (Kotovsk).
The Ground War
Grand Strategy
Colonel Jacques Baud, in a recent discussion with Nima, highlighted the very noticeable differences between the Russian approach to war and that of the Europeans. The latter believe that wars are fought to gain ground and obtain resources, whereas the Russians view war as a Clausewitzian alternating between diplomacy and battlefield gains in order to achieve wider objectives than territory or resources could satisfy. Baud believes that the rights of the Donbass people was a factor guiding their actions. Not everyone will agree on this, I know.
Russian MoD Reports - Ukrainian Losses
w/e 23rd May 2025 8,905 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 487
w/e 30th May 9,420 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 571
w/e June 6th 10,045 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 599
w/e June 13th 9,570 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 427
The Fronts
Front Line Cats
Sumy
On the 11th June, according to the Majors:
In Sumy Oblast, our motorized riflemen are advancing in the border forests and fighting on the southern outskirts of the village of Novonikolaevka. Airborne units are advancing toward Yablonovka and Yunakovka. The 177th Marine Regiment is working in the Andreevka/Alekseevka direction, taking the Pisarevka-Yunakovka highway under fire control of our FPVs.
By the end of the week, the Russians had moved into the villages of Kondartivka and Yablunivka.
The Ukrainians are still fighting towards Tyotkinksy and Glushkovsky in Kursk
Kupyansk
Toretsk-Chasiv Yar-Konstantinovka
By the end of the week, fighting continued in the Stupochki area of Chasiv Yar, while on the right flank of Konstantinovka the Russians are advancing towards Belaya Gora.
Toretsk Detail
Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk-Mirnograd
Novopavlovka
By the end of the week, the Russians had reached the border with Dnepropetrovsk having captured Zelny Nut and Novoukrainka while the battle for Komar continues (see map below).
Novoselivka
The situation in this direction is becoming increasingly critical for Ukrainian units. Simultaneous attacks on the Novoselivka and Novopavlivka sectors are enabling breakthroughs in the Ukrainian defensive line across multiple sectors on the approaches to the administrative border of Dnipro Region. This creates risks for the stability of the entire AFU line of defensive fortifications along this stretch of the front.
The Economic War
US Could Default On Debt
The United States could face a default on its $36.9 trillion national debt in the second half of the summer, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said. Oh Dear!
Ruble Best Performing Currency of 2025
The ruble has increased 40% against the dollar this year alone.
World Politics
Iran and Russia Team Up in Space
In a recent meeting between Iranian ambassador Kazem Jalali and Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov:
the sides exchanged views and discussed the following aspects of space cooperation between Russia and Iran: development of advanced technologies, joint design and creation of satellites, joint construction of infrastructure, conducting training courses and knowledge sharing, combating Western sanctions, supporting joint initiatives in the field of maintaining international peace and stability,
Bonkers Britain
According to this report, the UK authorities are investigating people who are worried about mass immigration as ‘potential terrorists’. They’ll be coming for you Nigel.
Pacifists
Tulsi Speaks Out On Nuclear Threat
Tulsi Gabbard has spoken out against unnamed people who are ‘inflaming tensions’ between nuclear powers::
Today, more than ever, we stand on the brink of nuclear annihilation, while the political elite and warmongers irresponsibly stoke fear and tensions between nuclear powers. They may be confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and their families - shelters that ordinary people will not be able to get to. So it is up to us, ordinary people, to speak up and demand that this madness stop.
Tulsi had been visiting Hiroshima.
SPD Members Call for Negotiations With Russia
Several senior members of the German Social Democratic party have had an attack of rationalism and are calling for negotiations with Russia as a cheaper option to rearmament.
Hawks
Geert Wilders
'Mothers in the West sleep peacefully because mothers of Israeli soldiers lie awake'
He also claimed that Israel is fighting the West’s battle and that if Judeo-Christian Israel falls Europe will be next. This guy is off his trolley.
Invest Now or Learn Russian - Rutte
Increase defence spending by 400% or the Russians cannot be stopped, according to the NATO chief. What a plonker.
Tobias Ellwood
Ex MP/Soldier, Colonel Ellwood said:
We are at war in Europe. We need to move to a war footing. It is time for Britain to fight Russia directly rather than let Ukraine do all the work.
Crazy Ellwood even called for Martial Law - as you can read here.
Alexey Roslikov - Graffiti in Riga
Following his parliamentary speech in the Russian language, which I reported on last week, Latvian MP Alexey Roslikov has been charged with ‘providing assistance to the Russian Federation’ and ‘inciting ethnic hatred’. He did nothing but support the Russian language which is spoken by half the population but he did warn that without the Russian speaking people the country had no future.
Iran Knows
Prior to the June 13th attacks, the Iranians had discovered some Israeli intelligence which is quite damning. According to this report:
Iran has obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence, including files related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans, the Islamic Republic state broadcaster reported on May 7.
“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime (Israel),” said the broadcaster, citing informed regional sources.
The intelligence included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it adds.
The Iranians have revealed very little thus far but they did advise that European countries assisted Israel in constructing its nuclear weapons program, according to Sputnik. I suspect that the unnamed countries are France and Britain.
This Telegram source provides an indication of the sort of details the Iranians may have uncovered.
The Iranians warned prior to the Israeli attacks that they will respond by directing long range missiles at Israel’s secret nuclear facilities - according to Zero Hedge.
Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, was killed along with 4 four other nuclear scientists in the attack. He has said that Iran was able to produce a nuclear bomb 20 years ago. If US/Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities, he suggested, this would not prevent Iran from producing a bomb. Tactical nukes could be produced which are not included in Iran’s self-imposed nuclear weapons ban, he advised.
Even before the attacks, in response to US bullying, Iran increased enrichment.
Protests
London
Around 10,000 protesters (according the Socialist Worker figures) gathered in London to protest against government spending on war and cuts in welfare. ‘Nurses, not nukes’, they chanted along with the familiar ‘welfare not warfare’. The demonstrators were part of The Peoples’ Assembly.
Hamburg
Members of Palestinians and Yemeni communities joined forces with German activists in Hamburg to protest the genocide in Gaza.
Switzerland
Hundreds gathered in Geneva and Lausanne to protest the genocide in Gaza and demand that the war criminals be brought to justice.
Morocco
Hundreds gathered in the western city of Salé, to protest US involvement in the genocide in Gaza.
Solidarity Convoys - Breaking the Siege on Gaza
On the 8th June, 500 volunteers departed Algeria to meet up with a similar number from Tunisia headed towards the Rafah crossing to break the blockade. The journey of these ‘caravans of resistance’ has been coordinated with that of the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ which was headed to Gaza by sea. The Madeleine, which was part of the flotilla, has been illegally intercepted in international waters by the Israelis who have unlawfully arrested Greta Thunberg and eleven others.
The emerging Multi-Polar World
Forum of the Future 2050
The forum involved experts in politics, intelligence and journalism who shared bold ideas. Among those attending were Pepe Escobar, Larry Johnson, Jackson Hinkle and George Galloway. You can read more at Sputnik.
Bolivia
It’s been another amazing week which ended with Israel’s attack on Iran - something we have all been dreading. Many thanks for your views, subscriptions, shares, restacks, follows, comments and likes. Have a good week - Best Rob
Great update Rob of a very eventful week.
Regarding Trump, he is all over the attack on Iran while pretending to be trying to restrain Israel. He is ramping up the threats to Iran at this very moment. I would guess it is the same double-dealing for Russia as well. I can't see either of these ending well.
Jacques Baud is on the money regarding the Ukraine conflict. When he was with NATO he was part of the body that was supposedly ensuring that the Minsk agreements were being upheld. He was also looking for Russian soldiers as part of the breakaway armies of the Donbas, who he stated were never there. The armies were made up of ex-Ukraine Army units who defected due to the continual attacks on the Russian speaking populations. Thus a civil war was ongoing.
The Russian responsibility to protect Russian speakers is no different to the NATO excuse of the same when they wanted to attack Serbia in the name of protecting the Kosovars except that for NATO it was a pretext for the destruction of Yugoslavia. Putin wanted to stay out of the conflict with the breakaway Republics, telling them to sort it out with Kiev however this was not possible as Kiev wanted a war with Russia and this was their means to achieve it. Sorry about the recapitulation of these events but Jacques Baud was on the ground and saw what was happening and it wasn't Russia trying to steal a few oblasts from Ukraine.
Thanks for the update Rob. I cant really believe they attacked Iran so soon, especially whilst talks were ongoing with the US. Well nothing the zionists do any more surprises me really.
The West's fingerprints. as usual, are all over it including pro Israel Trump. They have given Israel a licence to kill and they wont care if it costs millions of lives.
The writing was sort of on the wall when the message came through for evacuation of diplomats and foreigners from Iraq etc.
God help the world.