Ukraine and World Affairs: Weekly Update

2nd May 2025

Following seven days of relative respite from tension, this week has seen what could be an escalation by Israel on Iran and the possibility of a major conflict between India and Pakistan - both of whom have nuclear weapons. Furthermore, talks between the US-Iran and US-Russia are not going well.

On Saturday, massive explosions ripped through the Rajai Port, Bander Abbas in Iran. 70 people are dead while 1,139 were injured according to Tass. This comes closely after the latest talks between Iran and the US ended with ‘serious disagreements’ and the hypocritical war criminal Netanyahu (who has at least 300 nukes) called for the total dismantling of Iran’s peaceful capacity to enrich uranium. Why should that be demanded of any country? The US may think this is reasonable, just as the playground bully believes that it is reasonable to beat weaker boys, but this will not be viewed as reasonable by the Global South and BRICS countries. Trump has imposed secondary sanctions on Iran as he attempts to punish two BRICS countries at the same time. This will not please China which obtains much oil from Iran¹.

The Bander Abbas explosions also follow claims that Israel wanted to make commando raids into Iran - as I reported here. According to journalist/blogger Mahmoud OD some officials in Iran claim to have evidence that Israel was behind the attack. The official Iranian position is that an investigation will now be carried out to determine the cause, which, they claim, could have been due to negligence. Many commentators believe that Israel is involved - which is more than likely.

Further South, according to this report from Ansar Allah (the Houthis), the USS Harry S Truman has been withdrawn to the northern part of the Red Sea to avoid Houthis attacks. Prior to this, a $60 millions F-18 jet parked on the Truman was lost. The US claimed that the jet fell into the sea as the carrier maneuvered to avoid a Houthi drone - which I find hard to believe. The Houthis also claim to have attacked The USS Carl Vinson which has also retreated north.

In Israel, Ami Ayalon, one time leader of the Security Services (i.e. Shin Bet), has called for mass peaceful civil disobedience following Netanyahu’s dismissal of his successor Ronen Bar. Some believe the country is close to civil war. Netanyahu is regarded by some as an enemy of the Israeli State who is threatening its very existence. He has started escalating the conflict by attacking southern Beirut, thereby breaking the ceasefire agreement. Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, has called upon the US and France to honour their commitment to force Israel to abide by the agreement. But they won’t do that will they!

I have seen a number of reports, including this and this that all is not well with the Israeli army and air force. The army is in disarray, according to the first report, and the Israelis are now using rockets according to the second. Not long ago I saw reports claiming that Israeli pilots were refusing to hit civilian targets - so maybe this is why rockets are being used. There could be other reasons for this, of course.

Clashes continue in Syria where minorities, such as the Druze, are being murdered while Israel is telling HTS to stop the killing and has bombed an area close to the Syrian Presidential palace as a warning.

In Ukraine, Kursk and Belgorod were completely liberated and the Russian offensive continues apace. Once more this week, the Russians appear to be having most successes around Pokrovsk, Kupyansk-Lyman, Toretsk and Chasiv Yar. Fierce fighting is also taking place further south as the Russians attack towards Orikhiv (Zaporozhye). Zelensky is attempting to deal with political opponents such as Arestovich, who has been sanctioned along with the scientist Bondarenko. Kiev mayor Klitschko could be next.

Donald Trump, the new self professed ‘ruler of the world’, has accused Putin of deliberately striking civilian areas in Kiev which shows how ignorant he is since Russia does not target civilian facilities unless they are being used for military purposes - which happens frequently. He is also hypocritical since he is allowing the Israelis to deliberately target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and is directly responsible for murdering civilians in Yemen. The most recent slaughter was an attack on a migrant centre in Saada which killed 68 innocent civilians using banned ‘bunker buster’ bombs on civilian infrastructure. Stop the deliberate killing of civilians, Donald. If you were Pope, as you claim to wish, then you wouldn’t allow this would you!

And it’s not just the killing you are responsible for Orange man: due to Israel’s policy of weaponising food, 65,000 Gazan children have been hospitalised for malnutrition. You had the power to prevent this, Donald. You ‘could have been a contender’² but you loused it up.

It is hard to see where and when peace will come in Ukraine with Zelensky and co unwilling to give up territory - not even Crimea (see below). There are at least some sections of the Ukrainian armed forces determined to make sure that the once great Z sticks to his guns (on threat of death) and the civilian population appears to be a long way from revolt. So, even though Putin is calling a 72 hour truce for the 9th May celebrations (which Zelensky rejected), I can’t see a longer ceasefire happening until Ukraine’s army collapses. And I have no idea when that will happen. Some commentators are criticising Putin and his army for failing in their bid to defeat Ukraine - but I am not going to pass judgement on a form of warfare that has no precedent and I’ll leave it to future military historians to debate the issues. Their conclusions will be more valuable than ours.

It is interesting that unlike Marco Rubio, however, Trump is not warning that the US will pull out of Ukraine but claims to believe that a peace settlement is not far away. He is just saying what people want to hear. A ceasefire will be a long time in the making imho. Rubio has become interim National Security Adviser after Mike Waltz was sacked following the Signal group leaks scandal and will now serve as ambassador to the UN.

Chey Bouz

In Romania, RT journalist Chey Bouz was arrested while attempting to cover the Romanian elections which begin on the 4th May. You will know that the Romanian authorities have already cancelled an election and arrested Calin Georgescu who was the leading candidate in that vote. The journalist was deported.

Finally, following a terrorist attack in Kashmir, India and Pakistan appear to be close to conflict. They may be persuaded to exercise restraint when they begin to appreciate that they are being played by the hegemon as part of its attack on BRICS which will intensify once it realises what a huge challenge it represents to its dominance. You can read more at Tass.

Berlin Falls 2nd May 1945

May 2nd was also the 11th anniversary of the massacre in Odessa. You can read more here or here.

Putin-Witkoff Meet - 25th April

The meeting lasted three hours and was described as ‘constructive and useful’. The positions of both sides came ‘closer together’ on Ukraine and international issues. Direct talks between Ukraine and Russia were considered. Putin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that US-Russian dialogue will now move forward ‘in the most active manner'. All these politicians: Trump, Putin and their ‘negotiators’ must provide an impression of movement to appease people when they know that such things take time. According to this report, Witkoff tried to persuade Putin to freeze the conflict along the current lines but the latter insisted that Ukraine leave the sections of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye they still occupy - as a precondition for a ceasefire.

North Koreans In Kursk - True

I have to be honest, I never believed the stories about North Koreans in Kursk but Russia never denied them and no evidence was provided by the Ukrainians - though some Russian soldiers teased about DPRK forces being present. However, Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s Chief of Staff has now admitted that North Koreans fought side by side with the Russia in Kursk though they lived separately. You can read more here

The Moscow Choson³ Choir gave performances for the Koreans in February, March and April.

Vladimir Putin said of the Korean soldiers:

We commend the Korean soldiers’ heroism, their excellent training and dedication they showed while fighting, shoulder to shoulder with Russian soldiers, defending our Motherland as their own. They fulfilled their duty with honour and valour, covering themselves with ever unfading glory.

OK - maybe Putin is overdoing it a bit here - but he is a politician!

Russia and North Korea have a military alliance that permits their soldiers to fight for their allies if they are attacked. The alliance also obliges Russia to put boots on the ground to defend North Korea in the event that it is attacked.

Russian instructors training North Korean troops.

In admitting to North Korean involvement in a battle that is now completed Putin is telling the world about this alliance which will be a warning to South Korea and the US. North Korea could reinforce the Russian army considerably if it becomes desperate - which I doubt will happen.

The North Koreans can even sing the Katyusha in their own language as you can see at X.

Crimea - Some Clarification - Jacques Baud

There has been much talk about Crimea of late, including Trump’s offer to recognise it as Russian. But there is no need for this.

Many of you may not know that before Ukraine became independent in 1991, Crimea became an autonomous region though subordinated to Moscow: the Crimean people voted for this in a referendum in January 1991 while the Soviet Union was not dissolved until December 1991. In 1992, Crimea declared total independence but Ukraine refused to recognise this and its special forces toppled the Crimean government and took control of Crimea in 1995. Russia did not intervene but following the Maidan Coup in 2014 the Crimeans conducted another referendum in which the people voted to leave Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Therefore, Crimea is already de jure part of Russia whether the Western World recognises it or not. In its arrogant hubris, The West appears to take the view that anything of which it disapproves is illegitimate - Romanians know all about this - see below.

Peskov - Withdraw from the 4 Oblasts To Achieve Peace

I reported on this last week but didn’t appreciate the significance of Peskov’s statement. Perhaps he is offering this to Trump as bargaining chip to indicate Russia’s minimum territorial requirement. Daniel Davis talks about it here with guests.

Nikolai Petrushev

For a while I have been suggesting that Russia will demand referenda in a number of Ukrainian Oblasts not currently occupied. Some time ago Putin referred to Odessa as a Russian City and now Presidential aid, Petrushev, has said:

Residents of the regions of Ukraine, including the Black Sea region, must determine their own future.

He pointed out that Odessans have nothing in common with the Kiev regime and will not weakly submit to a neo-Nazi government. I think the same could apply to other regions, including Nikolaev and Kharkov. Putin and Petrushev know this only too well.

Lavrov-Rubio Phone Call

On April 27th, Sergei Lavrov and Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation devoted mainly to the Ukraine conflict. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry the two diplomats:

….continued a productive exchange of views on key aspects of the Russian-US political dialogue, which has been significantly intensified as of late. The main focus was on the Ukrainian crisis

[The Ministry] stressed the importance of consolidating the emerging preconditions for the start of negotiations aimed at agreeing on a credible path to long-term sustainable peace.

Battle of the Ceasefires

Real ceasefires last for 30 days and must accord with Ukrainian rules.

There has been much discussion of ceasefires in recent weeks/months and two of these have been put into effect recently - by the Russian side at least. Just like the Israelis, the Ukrainians believe that ceasefires are for the enemy only and feel no obligation to abide by them. On April 28th, Putin announced a 72 hour ceasefire for the period covering the 80th anniversary victory celebrations on May 9th. But for some on the Ukrainian side, this is not a ‘proper’ ceasefire. Andrey Sigiba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, lambasted Putin for calling a ceasefire ‘just for a parade’. If Russia wants peace it should agree to an unconditional ceasefire immediately - so that the Ukrainians can recover and continue the war: though Sigiba was too shy to admit this. The Ukrainian leadership, rather than the people⁴, want war, even if they are in favour of a temporary ceasefire, whereas the Russians want peace even though they don’t want a temporary ceasefire. Confusing, I know.

Speaking at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brazil (see below), Sergei Lavrov made it clear that Ukraine has shown itself incapable of conforming to a ceasefire as the recent Easter ceasefire demonstrated - when almost 4,000 violations were recorded.

But Ukrainian MP, Kostenko, openly promises terrorist attacks, before, during and after a ‘full or partial ceasefire’ - which will not be reported on the front pages of the legacy media. Zelensky himself has hinted at terror attacks on May 9th. The message is the same - the war will continue. I have long suspected but now I’m convinced that the Ukraine conflict will be decided militarily - unless the Zelensky administration is overthrown soon. The ‘sociologies’ (i.e. surveys) I have seen over the last six months consistently report that the majority of Ukrainians want the war to end even if it means giving up territory. I can’t be certain that these reports are accurate but they come from Ukrainian sources. However, popular dissatisfaction does not appear to be strong enough to influence events - not yet.

Russia’s UN Representative, Vasily Nebenzya had this to say about negotiations and the 9th May ceasefire:

Russia is ready for direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions, despite the problem with Zelensky’s legitimacy.

If Ukraine agrees to the upcoming ceasefire, this could become a “prelude” to direct negotiations.

Russia expects the West to stop arming Kyiv and convince Zelensky of the need to enter into constructive dialogue.

Zelensky must fulfill the promises he made to voters - to work towards peace with the Russian Federation and respect the rights of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine

This was an appeal to those who oppose Zelensky and are willing for some compromise. However, those who voice such opinions will be placing their lives and those of family at risk.

In calling the ceasefire, Putin will be aware that many in Ukraine speak the Russian language and see themselves as Russian. Perhaps he is hoping for a patriotic response at a time that stimulates patriotism. But I believe that Putin’s main reason for calling a ceasefire is to honour the importance of the occasion to the Russian people. He wants his soldiers as well as his people to celebrate the event as fully as they are able. May 9th is huge for the Russians, including many inside Ukraine. But he may have other, less honourable, motives associated with psychological warfare which I touched on last week.

It is a pity that the significance of the ‘parade’ Sigiba referred to isn’t appreciated by Ukraine, Poland and the West generally. Russia will be celebrating its own survival and the defeat of a malign force which would have imposed oppressive rule on all of Europe and enslaved the people who were then part of the Soviet Union.

The celebration was always going to be difficult for the Germans and those countries who supported Germany - including France to an extent. But under the current circumstances, even those who were Russia’s allies at the time - such as Britain - will not acknowledge the significance of the celebration or the dominant role Russia and Russians played in the victory. It’s a shame really. Russia deserves better. Germans would not have welcomed the event anyway but now they have an excuse to ban Russian flags from what they must see as a ‘commemoration’ rather than a celebration. The Donald is boastfully spreading false news about the dominant role the US played in defeating the Nazis. His refrain of ‘we are the greatest’ has now become boring.

Make Russia ‘Fish Food’ - Senator John Kennedy

Putin will do as we say!

I think he [Putin] - thinks we're afraid of him. He has jacked around President Trump at every turn. He has disrespected our president. I don't think it's gonna get any better until we make it clear to Mr. Putin that we are willing to turn him and his country into fish food.

The problem with this pal is that the whole world will become fish food if you do this. No one epitomises the rotting, decaying, hegemon more than a man, who ironically, bears the name ‘Kennedy’.

I think Kennedy deserves on of these.

Hit Them Over The Head With A Bottle - Benyuk

In recent times Ukrainian children have been speaking Russian just to be defiant. In order to make them forget the Russian language, actor and Nazi Bogdan Benyuk recommends hitting the younger ones with a stick on the butt and using a bottle to smash the older ones over the head - after which they will probably not be able to speak any language at all. Ukraine is such a progressive society: a mix of Nazism and Woke!

Freedom is Being Able to Kill Russians

In an interview, female AFU medic Yanchevskaya said:

How can you say that we have no freedom when we can kill Russians? My stepfather tells me: why do I need a psychotherapist if I have the legal opportunity to kill Russians? What else do I need to be happy?

If you were free, you would never have allowed Zelensky to take you into this disastrous war.

Zelensky - Nothing to Hide Here

‘There’s nothing to hide, we’re absolutely open’

In an interview with Ben Shapiro, the once great Z declared that every penny of US taxpayer’s aid to Ukraine can be accounted for. Elon Musk responded with: ‘Funniest thing I’ve read all day’. Congratulations to Zelensky’s acting skills and his ability to keep a straight face while telling such a big lie.

Rome - Macron and Starmer Push Zelensky Onto Trump

Many of the world’s leaders gathered in Rome on the 26th April along with 250,000 others who attended the Pope’s funeral. Above is a historical photo showing how desperate the globalists are as Starmer and Macron engage in a last gap attempt to get Trump to talk with Zelensky. Zelensky and Trump talked, but for only 15 minutes. Macron wanted to be involved but Trump wasn’t having it.

According to this Ukrainian source, Trump told the once great Z that he has ten days to agree a temporary ceasefire or the US will pull out altogether. The source claimed that Zelensky agreed. But agreeing is not the same as doing and Zelensky knows that he can do nothing if he wants to live.

Please Mr. President, you’re my only hope

UK Troops to Ukraine?

You cannot be serious - surely.

British Defence Secretary, John Healey, has confirmed that the UK will send troops to the West of Ukraine to help restore ‘the combat ability of the Ukrainian forces’. Air and sea support will also be provided by the Air Force and the Navy. You can read more at the Express. What can I say?

Territorial Concessions Forbidden - Brovdi

Wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of him!

Major Robert Brovdi (call sign ‘Maydar’), has warned that anyone attempting to negotiate with Russia and give up territories will regret it. He claimed to be speaking for the Ukrainian army where the influence of the Banderite⁵ Nazis continues to grow.

Ukraine Sold - the Minerals Deal

According to the Two Majors:

Ukraine has been sold. The subsoil of the former Ukrainian SSR has been given away to Washington for free by Zelenskyy, and an "investment fund for the restoration of Ukraine" (a "money laundering" scheme) will be created. The deal gives the US priority rights to Kyiv's resources, and Kyiv is obliged not to sell them elsewhere for a year. Complete colonial dependence, no security guarantees or military aid.

The deal will pay for Ukraine’s future aid. You can read more at Tass or Zero Hedge. This Ukrainian source, claims that the deal has made Ukraine a ‘colony’ of the US. I think that the deal must go through the RADA but Ukrainian sources claim that this is not needed. Anyway, we could be witnessing the start of legal proceedings that will take decades to resolve. It appears to me that anything the Ukrainian administration does now could be the subject of future legal challenges. Putin must surely know this - and perhaps Witkoff does: they are both lawyers.

Ukraine Terrorist Attacks - That Target Civilians

25th/26th April

Overnight, a drone attack on a car in Belgorod killed two and injured one. Further drone attacks on vehicles near the village of Dunayka injured four. Drone attacks over Rostov were repelled by air defences and one man was injured in the DPR by drone drop. In total, 27 drones were destroyed over Kursk, 16 over Belgorod and 1 each over Rostov and Lipetsk.

26th/27th April

Overnight, the New Jerusalem Temple in Belgorod was burned down by Ukrainian drones. So sad.

27th/28th April

Gorlovka market

On Sunday, the Ukrainians shelled the market at Gorlovka (DPR), killing one and injuring four. Drones also attacked residential apartment blocks in the area. In Bryansk, dozens of drones were destroyed but one civilian was killed and another injured. In total, according to the Russian MoD, 102 drones were shot down over Bryansk; two over Kursk and one over Belgorod.

28th/29th April

Overnight, drones were destroyed over Kursk (40), Oryol (7), Belgorod (2), Nizhny Novgorod (8) and Kaluga (1). Many villages in Bryansk suffered drone and artillery attacks which damaged civilian dwellings, agricultural premises, a phone tower, cars and trucks. One civilian was injured by shrapnel. In the DPR, two men were injured by drone attacks while in Belgorod two people were killed and three injured when drones attacked their vehicle. 11 drones were shot down over Ryazan, 2 over Moscow and 1 over Bryansk.

On the morning of the 29th a school bus was targeted by drones in Melitopol causing damage and injuring a child.

29th/30th April

In Bryansk, overnight, a man was injured by drone attack while in Kursk another three civilians were injured when a drone hit an apartment block. A private house and a kindergarten were also damaged. In Belgorod, five people were injured by drone attacks on vehicles. In Zaporozhye, 17 people were injured by American guided HIMARS, including a four month old child. Note: the Americans are still helping the Ukrainians to target civilians. A total of 34 drones were destroyed/disabled: 15 over Kursk; 8 over Bryansk; 7 over Oryol: 3 over Vladimir and 1 over Belgorod.

30th April/1st May

Oleshki market

Overnight, two drones were destroyed over Kursk, Voronezh, Vladimir and Belgorod. Drones also attacked the market at Oleshki (Kherson) where 7 were killed and more than 20 were injured.

Note that two markets were hit this week at times when the Ukrainians knew they would be busy. They also attack the rescue workers they know will come out to help.

1st/2nd May

Belgorod suffered artillery and drone attacks overnight which damaged agricultural enterprises, vehicles and private dwellings but no casualties were reported. Four drones were shot down over Krasnador; 2 over Oryol and 1 over Bryansk.

The Sea War

Sevastopol

27th/28th April

Overnight, 9 drones were destroyed over Crimea and 1 over the Black Sea.

28th/29th April

Overnight, two drones were destroyed over Crimea and three over the Black Sea.

1st/2nd May

According to the War Chronicle:

At night, the enemy staged a combined attack on the Crimea. Several groups of unmanned boats at once left the mouth of the Danube into the sea and attacked in the area of Cape Tarkhankut, Yevpatoria, the largest group went to Sevastopol. From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., more than 10 UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were shot down. The governor added that no objects were damaged either in the city or in the water area.

In total, 89 drones were destroyed over Crimea; 23 over the Black Sea and 1 over the Sea of Azov. This was the largest attack on Crimea for some time.

The Air War

NASAMS - Could be in Ukraine by now.

Russian Missile/Drone Attacks

25th/26th April

Pavlograd

Overnight Geraniums attacked Dnepropetrovsk; Kirovograd; Kharkov and Kiev. On the morning of the 26th April, the base of the Nazi ‘Medical’ battalion in Pavlograd was completely destroyed. Explosions were reported at the Burevestnik plant in Kiev which specialises in marine instrumentation, and the production/repair of radars.

26th/27th April

Overnight, Russian Geraniums and missiles struck Donbass; Sumy; Kharkov; Zaporozhye; Nikolaev; Kiev; Dnepropetrovsk; Pavlograd; Zhitomir; Cherkasy; Chirnihiv; Odessa and Kherson.

28th/29th April

Overnight, explosions were heard in Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Kiev and Odessa.

29th/30th April

Overnight, Geraniums attacked targets in Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov.

30th April/1st May

Overnight, 9 explosions were heard in Odessa where many buildings/facilities caught fire. According to Slavyangrad:

Yesterday, day and night, the Aerospace Forces and missile forces struck targets in the Donbass, in the Sumy, Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Kherson regions (the entire spectrum of weapons), the environs of Zatoka and Akkerman in the Odessa region (Iskander-M), the Nikolaev region (Banderol), Odessa, Belaya Tserkov and the environs of Kiev, Kirovograd, Shepetovka and Starokostiantynov in the Khmelnytsky region, the environs of Dubno in the Rovno region, Uman, Kamenka in the Cherkasy region and the environs of Cherkasy, the environs of Pavlograd (Gerani/Gerberas).

Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks

28th/29th April

Overnight, the Ukrainians attacked an oil depot in Novorossiysk, according to the War Chronicle.

The Ground War

Ukrainian tank

Russian MoD Reports - excludes Kursk

w/e 11th April 2025 10,635 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 552.

w/e 18th April 2025 10,040 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 638.

w/e 25th April 2025 8760 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 526.

w/e 2nd May 2025 9,740 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 551.

The Fronts

Coloured maps were drawn by Mikhail Popov - c/o Marat Khairullin.

Front Line Cats

Just a little bit higher - that’s it!

Kursk-Sumy

By the end of the week, according to Weeb Union., the Russians had reached the northern outskirts of Bilovody. They also continued to attack toward Gornal.

Kupyansk

According to Weeb Union, by the end of the week the Russians took control of Kamenka and had captured Doroshivka which will negatively impact logistics towards Kupyansk.

Svatove-Kreminna

On April 30th, according to Marat Khairullin:

In the Liman direction, the Russian Army continues to advance successfully. In the area of Novomikhailovka, a major enemy stronghold was captured, which practically leveled the bulge south of Makeevka. Operations to eliminate this bulge are being conducted simultaneously from two sides: from Novomikhailovka and west of Makeevka, where our attack vectors are moving south into the pocket and west toward the settlement of Grekovka (Hrekovka on the map).

Novoe has also been liberated.

Seversk

Chasiv Yar

According to Rybar:

In the Chasiv Yar direction, Russian forces are advancing against enemy positions on both the northern and southern flanks, as well as within the eponymous city itself, situated on elevated terrain.

Once Chasiv Yar is captured the Russians will move onto Konstantinovka (or around it).

Toretsk

Novopavlovka

Pokrovsk

By the end of the week, the Russians continued to advance to the west of Pokrovsk and were pushing towards the borders with the Dnepropetrovsk region. One report claims that the Russians have entered Pokrovsk City.

Zaporozhye

According to Rybar, fighting continues in the direction of Orikhiv across a broad front. By the end of the week, Lobkove had been liberated and fighting was taking place on the eastern outskirts of Malaya Tokmachka. It appears that the Russians are attempting to take Orikhiv in a pincer movement.

Kherson

It appears that the Russians are creating a bridgehead near Kherson where they are attempting to land on the islands of Bugaz and Kozulyisky as a prelude to forcing the Dnieper.

The Economic War

We’ve been around a lot longer than you mate!

US Stock Market Performance - Trump’s 1st 100 days

Military Expenditure Increases by 9.4%

Global military expenditure increased to record level of $2718 billions in 2024; the 10th year of consecutive increases.

Iran Sanctioned

Trump and co are all over the place on Iran. This is the stick wielded because Iran doesn’t want to talk about dismantling its nuclear energy program. China buys only some oil from Iran so will face limited sanctions. This is an attack on BRICS countries which will probably accelerate as Trump tries to save the Hegemon.

World Politics

Krazy Kellogg

Putin is losing, I tell you!

Poor Keith Kellogg is stuck with a narrative which used to dominate but has now become anachronistic:

Russia is not winning this war. Russia has not made any significant progress in the last year and a half. They have lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers and have not really moved anything. They [Russia] are moving in meters, not miles. And the Ukrainians are fighting on their own soil, and they are fighting hard..

Other members of the Trump team, including Trump himself, are saying the opposite so I’m not sure why someone doesn’t tell him to shut up.

Mad Merz

At night, you should check under the bed.

German Chancellor in waiting Friedrich Merz was heavy on the anti-Russian propaganda when he said:

We are under immediate threat from Russia. We see daily sabotage, destruction of data lines and submarine cables, systematic disinformation of our population. We also see poisonings and murders in many cities of Europe. This is the work of the Russian government and its accomplices.

I just hope the German people can see through this nonsense.

US-Iran Talks Oman 26th April

Indirect talks between the US and Iran took place in Oman last Saturday between Witkoff and Araghachi. They did not go well, unfortunately. It was to be expected, however, since it was known prior to the meeting that the US had hardened its position on uranium enrichment which I am sure will be seen as unreasonable by most of the world. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, said that there are still ‘differences in major issues and details..[but they are] hopeful but cautious’ about reaching an agreement - according to this report. That sounds pretty damning to me even when nestled in this ‘protective’ diplomatic legalese. I imagine that both men are disappointed after a promising start to their talks. It’s disappointing to everyone who has been following the story. The next set of talks were due to be held on May 3rd but have now been postponed for ‘logistical and technical reasons’. Araghachi posted the following statement:

Wise Westerners - David Sacks

Russians are not our enemies. We shouldn’t be helping to kill them.

Trump’s Crypto Czar, Sacks, also said that the US taxpayers didn’t agree to get involved in a ‘forever war’; ‘they didn’t sign up for this bloodbath'.

Protests

Ireland-Dublin

At least five thousand people⁶ gathered in Dublin last weekend to protest against migrants, and cuts in housing, healthcare and education. Elsewhere in the city, 2,000 people protested in favour of migrants and against racism. ‘Refugees are welcome here’, they chanted. The connection between migrants and racism is not clear.

Paris

Thousands rallied in Paris last weekend chanting ‘Macron Resign! and ‘not one Euro, not one weapon, not one soldier for Ukraine. Peace’.

Further protests took place on May Day where police clashed with Demonstrators.

Germany

Dortmund

Peace demonstrations took place in 22 German cities on April 26th which were marred by the presence of neo-Nazis and Antifa.

May Day - Berlin

Thousands protested in Berlin against the rising cost of living, the rise of fascism, militarisation and the genocide in Gaza.

Moldova - May Day

20,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Chisinau in Moldova to protest against its pro-West and pro-EU government.

I should say that some of my younger readers may not be aware that the world wasn’t like this 60 years ago. Back then, people generally accepted what we call liberal democracy⁷ as a fair system. Furthermore, people generally shared a world view in spite of class differences - so the divisions we see now, exacerbated by cultural differences following mass immigration in many places - did not exist back then. People trusted the system sufficiently to support governments even if their preferred political party was not in power. People rarely protested on the streets in great numbers because they trusted governments to get things done - or maybe they thought that they couldn’t make a difference. Whatever the reasons - this is no longer the case.

The World has changed.

The divisions we now see have been carefully nurtured by our ruling classes who have infiltrated and manipulated radical forces that threaten them, many of whose adherents became part of a ‘controlled opposition’. Political Correctness/Wokeness along with false scientific narratives such as Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) infested the world with pseudo science and false moral systems. In fact, science and morality are sometimes conflated as we are being persuaded to judge the former on the basis of the latter - e.g. AGW. When this happens - the world has literally gone mad.

After December 2018 I began to become hugely sceptical about the way the world was being presented to us through all media and all the insights I gained from this exploration were used to examine and critique the whole Covid/Lockdown experience.

I am sure that many others out there can relate to this.

The World has gone Mad.

The emerging Multi-Polar World

BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Rio de Janeiro on April 28th. They condemned Trump’s Tariff Wars, called for peace in Gaza and Ukraine and reform of the UN Security Council where, they agreed that Africa, India and South America should be represented. A commitment was made to strengthen the multilateral Trade system and cooperation between members of the Global South. You can read more at TeleSur. The BRICS summit will be held in Rio on July 6th/7th.

Lavrov in Brazil - Conditions

There has been lots of disinformation coming from the legacy media and politicians about so called ‘concessions’ made by Putin. The truth is that Russia has not and will not compromise on the original objectives of the SMO. Western leaders appear to be deaf when it comes to these Russian objectives which have been stated frequently but most recently by Sergei Lavrov in Brazil where he attended a BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting and used the opportunity to acquaint the world with Russia’s conditions for peace:

1. Ukraine must lift its ban of negotiating with Russia

2. Ukraine will remain neutral and will not join NATO.

3. The consequences of Ukraine’s Nazi rule including its persecution of Russians, their language, culture and religion must be reversed.

4. International, legally binding and permanent recognition of Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson.

5. Lifting of sanctions on Russia.

6. Demilitarisation of Ukraine.

7. Unfreezing of Russian assets and the return of monies stolen.

If these conditions are not met, Russia will continue the conflict. As far as I am aware, Russia wants agreement on these issues prior to a 30 day ceasefire. This position is far removed from the so called ‘Trump Plan’ I reported on last week. Lavrov said that Russia is willing to negotiate with Ukraine ‘without preconditions’ which could be an olive branch extended to those in Ukraine’s administration who are willing to make territorial concessions.

It’s been an incredible week for me as a reporter but I feel privileged to be doing this and trying to share it - especially since so many people out there don’t have an alternative view such as that provided by The Busker. That’s why your shares are especially welcome. But thanks also for your views, your restacks, your subscriptions, your pledges, follows, comments and likes.

Have a good week. Best - Rob.

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1. China will not abide by Trump’s instructions but the vast majority of its oil comes from Russia. At the moment, the Donald appears to be flailing his arms around while not really having any appreciation of what consequences will ensue from his blows. It’s as if he is operating according to a philosophy that demands ‘let’s try this and see how it works’. I don’t think it is much more sophisticated than that.

2. For the Peace Prize.

3. Korean

4. I have seen several Ukrainian surveys in which more than 50% want peace even if it means territorial concessions.

5. Followers of Stepan Bandera who supported the Nazis during their invasion of Russia in 1941.

6. According to Zero Hedge, figures vary between 5,000 and 100,000.

7. The term ‘democracies’ is sometimes used to label political systems that would more accurately be described as ‘representative governments’. In practice, these are neither democratic nor representative of the people.