It’s been an eventful week both inside and outside of Ukraine. But the changing fortunes of two US politicians linked with Ukraine have probably generated more analysis and debate among commentators than most things during the last seven days. First, Anthony Blinken broke the news that Victoria Nuland, the arch neo-con hawk and US Deputy Secretary of State had resigned. Nuland is famous, as you may know, for giving out cookies to anti-government protesters during Maidan and for shaping the Ukrainian state following the coup. Her ‘resignation’ (if that’s what it was) could be a sign that less belligerent voices are now holding sway in Washington and that Nuland does not fit neatly with the new narrative they are creating. It is possible that recent developments on the battlefield of Ukraine have forced politicians to swallow a substantial but overdue dose of reality leading to a modified approach to the conflict.
On the other side of the political divide, a less hawkish Donald J Trump has been supported by the Supreme Court in his efforts to stay on the ballot of all states come November. This is momentous in terms of US Party Politics because Sleepy Joe (who just delivered the worse State of the Union Address of all time), can’t beat Trump, according to the polls (i.e. to anyone with half a brain). The only way he can be stopped now is by assassination or election rigging. It is well known that Trump is not in favour of funding Ukraine and is not keen on the continued existence of NATO. However, Trump’s attitude towards Israel and Gaza may not be helpful to Palestinians.
On the battlefields, the Russians continue to advance and to inflict heavy losses on the Ukrainians whose efforts to build defences and reinforce their lines have managed only to slow the Russians down rather than stopping them. Political infighting continues within Ukraine as Zaluzhny moves to London as Ambassador and terror attacks against Russian targets are on the rise.
In the Middle East, no Gaza ceasefire has been agreed and the Israeli war with Hezbollah appears to be intensifying. Meanwhile, the Houthis continue to achieve unlikely successes.
Finally, the Kerch Bridge has been unsuccessfully targeted again. With so many gunning for it, maybe its only a matter of time before we see it in flames again (see below).
Russians Ain’t That Bad
The propaganda telling us how evil Russia and Russians are has increased exponentially since the start of the SMO. I have been exposed to this nonsense for decades but that hasn’t prevented me from reading Russian history and Russian authors. Anyone doing this will inevitably come to admire Russia and its peoples. The following stories show that I am not alone in my admiration for Russia.
Some Russians Have Pet Bears
Sorry, couldn’t resist including this short clip of a Russian couple who ‘adopted’ a bear. These people can’t be bad, can they?
I’m Moving to Russia - Ex - Austrian Foreign Minister
Former Austrian Foreign Minister, Karin Kneissl, is moving to Russia - because ‘the people are friendly’, she claimed. This is not always the case in Europe, she explained. Given her background, she will know that Russia is not as evil as the constant propaganda wants us to believe. Now, if the Russian people are friendlier than they are in Europe and around 80% approve of Putin - what conclusions should we draw?
World Youth Festival - We Love Russia
The World Youth Festival was convened in Sirius (Sochi) this week between March 1st and 7th. Speaking at the beginning of the festival, Putin said that Russia welcomed young people and is creating opportunities for them. He also said: “You are the young generation. You dream of what a safe world can and should be and it is up to you to create it’’. This is very astute of Putin to let the world know that Russia needs people, especially young people, who can grow with their families as Russia grows around them.
20,000 young people from Russia and 190 different countries attended the event including 360 from India.
At the end of the festival Putin had this to say:
You have come to Russia, you have many friends here, I want you to know that all of Russia is now your friend. We are always open to you, to all your noble undertakings…If we are all equal, there is no place in the world for any kind of exclusivity, no place in the world for any arrogance, segregation, or similar things that are based on this distorted ground of anyone's exclusivity.
Putin emphasised that there are no unfriendly countries in the world: only unfriendly elites.
Ukrainian Issues
Zelensky - Mark My Words: ‘The World Will Remember’
Zelensky has blamed the West for the failed Ukrainian Counter offensive last summer and after a recent Russian air strike had killed a number of people in Odessa, he had this to say:
When lives are lost, and partners are simply playing internal political games or disputes that limit our defense, it’s impossible to understand. It’s unacceptable. And it will be impossible to forget – the world will remember this.
It appears that the once great Z had left his script at home, and, encouraged by his nasal indulgences was inspired to say what he felt? This could be a statement from someone who has realised, finally, that he has been stuffed. I would guess that both pro and anti-Russian people will agree that Zelensky has justified and justifiable grievances against the West. And I think that he is correct in his judgment (if it was his judgement) that history will remember and judge the West’s failures in its support for Ukraine. The emotional ‘We will back you forevermore’ narrative has yielded to the excusatory ‘we did our best to help you but you simply weren’t good enough’ narrative. ‘The West has failed you miserably’ narrative is simply unimaginable and therefore unimagined by the West’s leaders. That’s the way it is at the moment.
Zelensky Rises Again
And so - the once great Z is trying to make himself great again in the only way possible for an actor (especially this actor): i.e. through a dramatic production. And so Z is making a film about his life from comedian to ???? (insert your own suggestions here). It has been labelled, without any sense of irony: ‘The Price of Victory’ and has a budget of $115 millions. What film producer in his independent sane mind would believe that profit could be extracted from such a project? But what do I know?
Zaluzhny Should Not Have Been Sacked - Klitschko
The Mayor of Kiev has criticised the once great Z for sacking a popular general when the country needed to unite around people with the highest support (Zaluzhny’s support was higher than that of Z). His replacement, Syrsky, is not one of those. The new supremo has started sacking commanders, maybe because they are Zaluzhny supporters, which is making him even less popular. A recent poll shows that in the event of a second round election between the two Z’s, Zaluzhny would score 67.3% to Zelensky’s 32.5%. So it does not seem likely that the latter will call elections but his legitimacy will be called into question once his term of office expires in May.
Rumours that Zaluzhny could be appointed ambassador to Britain have turned out to be true, according to the Two Majors who reckon he is pleased with his new post. RT provides more detail here.
Bye, Bye Abrams
Four down and counting (8th March).
Rubbish Defences
Last week I mentioned the apparent inadequacy or non-existence of Ukrainian defences west of Avdeevka. Reports coming in since then confirm that this is indeed the situation. b writes about it on the MoA, March 2nd. It appears that a combination of incompetence and corruption has left the poor Ukrainian soldiers exposed once again. This is one of the reasons the Russians have been able to advance so quickly after the fall of Avdeevka. Ukrainian soldiers are complaining that defence lines that should have been built have not materialised. CNN reports on it here (5 mins). Ukrainian Telegram channels are talking about the West’s concern about the inadequacy of Ukraine’s defences and Z has belatedly allocated resources to digging. But as these Ukrainians point out, such defences will be vulnerable to air attack. Rybar is reporting that Ukraine does not possess the industrial capacity to build fortifications equivalent to the Surovikin Line.
Mobilization Stalled
The Ukraine mobilization bill has still not passed through the Ukraine parliament because a consensus cannot be reached. Syrsky is trying to find other ways of securing cannon fodder within the existing mobilisation parameters - and his need is desperate.
Meat Grinder Needs Feeding
The Meat Grinder is running out of male meat, actually but females are being sold the idea that being cannon fodder is somehow fashionable. Vogue appears to be saying ‘wear this and look good when you get blown apart’ or ‘join the army and sex deprived males will be your constant shadows’. But as long as you look good, who cares.
Kharkov
Last week I suggested that some Ukrainians fear that Kharkov may fall to the Russians. In an interview this week, Zelensky said that he could not advise people to return to Kharkov because the Russians have four corps assembled in the area and could attack at any time.
The Bridge
The Crimean Bridge has been hit twice and attacked many times. Zelensky has vowed to destroy it and now some leaked audio suggests that German military officers have been discussing its planned destruction with Taurus Missiles and a Dassault Rafale fighter jet. According to Tass, four senior officers were involved in the discussion, (which has been accepted as genuine) including the man pictured below.
This was an embarrassment for Olaf Scholtz who has recently tried to reassure people that NATO is not and will not be involved in the Ukraine war. He is still refusing to approve the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine (though some are saying that they have been delivered already).
Other Germans are not happy with plans to attack Russia. According to one source:
A lawsuit against German officers who planned an attack on the Crimean Bridge...flew to the Federal Prosecutor General's Office of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was submitted by the Free Saxony party, because negotiations between Bundeswehr employees fall under Article 13 of the International Criminal Code of the Federal Republic of Germany (“Crime of Aggression”).
Scott Ritter, talking to Sputnik, believes that this incident raises questions about how much power in Germany actually resides with the military. It appears that Scholtz was appalled by the apparent designs of the military to become involved in an attack on the non-military Kerch bridge - which would inevitably kill civilians. We can’t know whether he is being genuine or not but if he is then this is a huge issue for Germans who are paying attention.
Much effort is being made to divert attention away from the fact that German military personnel were planning an attack on a civilian target (which is tantamount to terrorism) in the territory of a country with which they are not at war!
It seems that all the rules and laws we thought were in place are slowly evaporating: ‘all that is solid melts into air’. Or, maybe, they were never there in the first place?
CIA - MI6 Involvement in Ukraine
The New York Times has reported that the CIA has 12 secret bases all over Ukraine from which they have been training SBU operatives and supporting terrorist attacks on Russia, including the assassination of Daria Dugina. RT has more here and the Grayzone provides some analytical exposition here (22 mins)
Ukraine Terror Attacks (attacks targeting civilians)
The planting of Ukrainian bombs underneath vehicles has increased this week alongside shelling, mortar, missile and drone attacks against civilians. The ICC should be paying attention to this. Many of us expected more terror attacks following Ukraine’s continued failure on the battlefields - so it’s no surprise.
1st/2nd March Overnight
Two people were killed and another two injured by shelling in the DPR on the 1st March. In Belgorod five villages came under attack from 4 ‘aircraft type’ drones, a kamikaze drone and shellfire, while in Kursk region one village was attacked by explosives dropped from a drone and another village was shelled.
Early on the morning of the 2nd March, an apartment building in St. Petersburg appears to have been attacked causing damage but no casualties, according to Tass. But a later report indicated that 8 people were killed.
2nd/3rd March Overnight
Ukrainian drones dropped explosives onto a civilian car in Gorlovka (DPR) killing the married couple inside.
3rd/4th March Overnight
Belgorod was attacked overnight with drones, grenade launchers, mortars and shelling while a single drone attacked a village in Kursk. The DPR received 40 shells which wounded two civilians.
The attacks on Belgorod and Kursk have increased substantially this week, according to the Two Majors.
4th/5th March Overnight
Villages in Belgorod were attacked overnight with drones and shells while Kursk was shelled causing damage to commercial and domestic premises. Fifty shells were lobbed into the DPR injuring one man.
5th/6th March Overnight
Belgorod district came under attack from drones and shelling overnight but no casualties were reported. 62 shells were lobbed into the DPR where a woman was injured by shelling while a man suffered injury from a drone attack. In Berdyansk, a female member of the Russian election commission was killed by a bomb planted underneath her car. In the LPR, Kirovsk came under attack when a bus exploded on a mine, killing five and wounding three while a strike in Kremennaya killed two and injured another two.
6th/7th March Overnight
The shelling of Belgorod continued and a private house received a direct hit. Two ‘aircraft type’ drones were shot down over Bryansk and 114 shells were lobbed into the DPR.
7th/8th March
At 12.00 noon Moscow time on the 8th, two drones were shot down over Belgorod and one over Kursk. The governor of Belgorod reported two deaths and one seriously injured from drone attacks. In Bryansk, two houses were damaged by shelling on March 8th but there were no casualties. 15 drones were destroyed over Volgograd at night and on the morning of the 8th.
Some reports suggest that terrorist attacks on Moscow have been planned.
The Sea War
1st March
According to the Military Chronicle:
The airfields of Belbek and Gvardeyskoye were attacked. Another missile landed in the Chornomorske area, and one in the Kacha area. All the missiles were shot down.
Interestingly, one Western missile went off course and went to Turkey.
They also gave this report:
MAT attempted to carry out a combined strike with Storm cruise missiles Shadow and U.S. ADM-160 MALD decoy missiles. As usual for a few hours before the attack, an RQ-4 Global Hawk rose into the sky over the Black Sea, and then the Boeing P-8A Poseidon AWACS aircraft. At 2 p.m. there was the first attack ADM-160 MALD decoy missiles, to identify the positions of our air defenses, and followed by Storm Shadow. Our air defense shot down all 12 missiles, there was no destruction Noticed.
The Two Majors reported that Ukraine lost a MiG-29 and an SU-24M bomber in the attack. There were no reports of damage or casualties.
2nd/3rd March Overnight
38 drones were destroyed over Crimea, according to the Russian MoD. 36 were shot down, one hit an oil depot causing a fire that was quickly extinguished while the other fell on a highway near Feodosia.
4th/5th March Overnight
Overnight, the patrol ship Sergey Kotov was hit by unmanned sea drones in the Feodosia area. According to this report the crew, some of whom were wounded, was unable to save the ship. Kerch was also attacked with drones and unmanned boats: all of which were destroyed. While this was happening, the Kerch bridge was closed. Some commentators, such as Alexander Mercouris, have speculated that a number of these drones were aimed at The Bridge - hence my opening remarks.
The Air War (Map)
Russian Missile/Drone Attacks
March 1st
The Zarutsky lime plant in Sumy was attacked overnight along with deployment points for Ukrainian troops in Konstantinovka, according to Rybar.
March 2nd/3rd Overnight
Geranium drones attacked facilities in Kharkov and Odessa overnight.
4th March
Cherkasy, Nikolaev and Kirovograd all came under attack on the 4th March.
4th/5th March Overnight
Odessa was attacked overnight causing damage to the Ukrainian Marine Corps and its 28th Mechanised Brigade. The Hydroport airfield was also attacked and an air defence system was destroyed. The ports of Odessa and Yuzhny were also attacked.
5th/6th March Overnight
Overnight Geran drones attacked facilities in Odessa. Kiev, Poltava, Nikolaev, Kirovgrad, and Khmelnytsky were also attacked along with Ternopol, Rovno and Starokonstantinov airfield.
Slavyangrad reported that:
The AFU strongholds in the areas of Sinkovka, Petropavlovka, Kislovka were destroyed, ammunition depots, equipment and personnel were also targeted. In Volchansk, Kazachya Lopan and Kupyansk, accumulations of weapons and military equipment were destroyed, while in Basovo, Kolodeznyy, Olshany, Dergachy and Chuguev temporary deployment points were hit.
The Odessa attack coincided with a visit to the area by Z and the Greek Minister of Defence. I am not going to speculate about this though others will do so.
6th/7th March Overnight
A missile attack was carried out overnight on Mirgorod airfield in Poltava. At 11.30 pm Moscow time, a hanger in the industrial port of Odessa was hit destroying some unmanned boats being prepared for launch.
7th/8th March Overnight
On the 7th March, the HQ of the Ukrainian Border detachment in Sumy was attacked with ballistic missiles while a meeting was taking place. Geraniums were reported to be aloft overnight, targeting, Kharkov, Uman in Kirovograd and Dnepropetrovsk. Meanwhile, Shaheeds attacked Nikolaev. Later, Slavyangrad reported that an assembly facility for armoured vehicles and a warehouse in Dnepropetrovsk were hit by Iskander missiles at 14.30 Moscow time on the 8th March.
Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks
5th/6th March Overnight
Ukrainian drones attacked a fuel and lubricants storage facility in Kursk region causing a blaze. In Voronezh region, drones targeting a military airfield and an oil depot were jammed by electronic means. An oil depot in Belgorod was also attacked
The Ground War
Russian MoD Reports
11th-16th February 5550 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 385.
w/e 23rd February 7505 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 433 (includes 6 motor boats)
w/e 1st March 7395 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 429 (includes 4 motor boats)
w/e 8th March 7285 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 351.
The Fronts
Ukrainian losses this week peaked at over 1400 killed/wounded on the 4th March - according to the Russian MoD. Many of these casualties were a consequence of Syrsky’s decision to counter-attack. Willy OAM provides a good Sitrep here (35 mins).
Luhansk
According to Geroman, on the morning of the 7th March:
In the Kupyansk direction, the Russian Armed Forces came close to Sinkovka. Fierce clashes occur in the Tabaevka area. 15 km west of Kremennaya, our troops are fighting on the outskirts of the village of Terny, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are sending reserves. At Seversky, Russian troops, supported by armored vehicles, attacked the eastern part of Belogorovka.
At Artemovsky, Russian units noted advances in the Bogdanovka area. The assault on Krasny continues, and there are positive results. In the areas of Kleshcheevka and Andreevka the situation remains unchanged.
Avdeevka
Fighting is still going on west of Avdeevka as the Russians attempt to occupy the villages of Orlovka and Tenenke while the Ukrainians are bringing in reserves. On March 5th, Rybar reported that the Russians had completely occupied both villages. But by the end of the week the Ukrainians had control of the western outskirts of Orlovka and most of Berdychi came under their control after they fed lots of reserves into the battle.
Zaporizhye - Rabotino - Orikhiv
According to the Military Chronicle, the Ukrainians are dominating the skies with their drones around Rabotino-Orekhov where fierce fighting is taking place. It seems that the Ukrainians are determined to push the Russians out of Rabotino at any cost and are feeding their reserves into the battle.
Artemovsk (Bakhmut) - Chasiv Yar
The Russians have been destroying Ukrainian positions in a strongly fortified Chasiv Yar all week with Fab bombs. They are also clearing the Ukrainians from Ivanovskoye and Krasnoye while fighting for Bogdanovka in the north.
South Donetsk
On March 5th, Rybar reported that: ‘In the Yuzhnodonetsk direction, Russian troops are pushing forward in their assault on Novomikhailovka from two directions and are strengthening their positions in the populated area’.
The Economic War
Ukraine Aid Declines
Military aid to Ukraine from Western sponsors dropped by 40% in 2023.
Opec+ Reduces Production
Opec+ countries, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, will continue to reduce oil production during the second quarter of 2024 in order to stabilise oil prices.
Ukraine Destabilising European Agriculture
French newspaper Le Figaro reported that:
Lithuania and Latvia saw their markets flooded with Ukrainian milk, the Netherlands condemned the influx of eggs, and Italy saw wheat arrive on its territory. French grain producers are also decrying the drop in prices due to abundant Ukrainian supply. In total, agricultural exports from Ukraine to the EU jumped 176% between 2021 and 2023. Moreover, these are products that are considered not to meet European standards and are much cheaper than local food. Before the war, the EU imported 20,000 tons of sugar from Ukraine, compared to 400,000 tons today.
So, for economic/trade reasons, Polish farmers have extended their campaign until April 30th. This week farmers clashed with police in Warsaw where arrests were made, according to RT.
Protests in Europe - Map
World Politics
Aaron Bushnel
Last week I reported on Aaron Bushnel’s suicide/burning. Now it appears that he has become a hero for some - probably many - such as the Yemeni above.
Shattered Confidence
The Humiliating Houthis have been at it again in a story that is stranger than fiction - i.e. they struck a US bulk carrier in the Red Sea with a ballistic missile. The ship was reported to have been abandoned but unfortunately two people died and another six were wounded. Some hawks in the US will recommend nuking the length and breadth of Yemen to get at the perpetrators. Why use a fly swatter when a sledge hammer will do?
But the ‘stranger than fiction’ element in this drama also relates to the name of the ship: i.e. True Confidence! It could be said of the West that it is confident in name only. The US has denied that the ship belongs to it, according to Tass.
US Aims in the Ukraine Conflict
Many commentators over the years have judged that the US started the conflict in Ukraine in the hope that it would lead to regime change in Russia and open up the opportunity for Westerners to carve the country up into manageable bits and exploit all those lovely resources. A few have also considered the possibility that the real aim is to separate Europe from cheap Russian resources forcing much of it to de-industrialise and become dependent on the US for it energy. As part of this process, the US would benefit from the relocation of Europe’s industry to the US - which would revive its own industrial base. The US would also benefit from the collapse of European competition. Honzo from the MoA has written a short piece on this (Ukraine Sitrep Thread 119 March 2nd). He believes this process will take four years.
Throwing Stones
An ex-Belgian army General, in an interview with a German broadcaster, has revealed some uncomfortable facts about NATO countries and their capacity to fight Russia. Marc Thys said that the supply of ammunition and military hardware is very limited and that Belgium would need to resort to throwing stones at the Russians after a few hours when ammunition supplies would have become exhausted. The provision of war materiel to Ukraine has made the situation worse but European countries have neglected their military capacity for decades. Germany, for example, had 5,000 tanks in the 1980s but can field only 200-300 at present. Furthermore, Europeans and Americans have little if any experience of fighting an opponent (such as Russia) who can match their own military capabilities and the EU and the US can’t compete with Russia in terms of shell production. They don’t even have sufficient quantities of the special Chinese cotton needed to produce gunpowder.
Medvedev
My favourite troller has been at it again, speculating that only a rump Ukraine will be left once Russia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Moldova have picked at the carcass, reclaiming lands lost to ‘Ukraine’ in the past. Russia must reclaim its historic lands, he said, on both banks of the Dnieper. The map he shows has been around for a long, long time. This is pure showbiz.
George Galloway Wins in Rochdale
To the annoyance of a panicking British establishment, not only did ‘ex Labour’ left winger George Galloway win the Rochdale by-election; he dedicated his victory to the Palestinians. Galloway received 12,335 votes (i.e. 40%), the Tories 3731 and Labour, which formerly held the seat, received only 2402. That is a record margin of victory showing how little support there really is for the two main parties in some parts of the country. His opponents called George a ‘threat to democracy’. Congratulations George. This was a victory for humanity against genocide. You can read more at RT. Over the years, George has made considerable contributions to debunking the Russia is Evil narrative, especially during the Skripal affair here in the UK.
Nuland Leaving
US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken has announced the resignation of his deputy Victoria Nuland. Nuland played a key role in Ukraine prior to, during and after the Maidan coup. She is the first of the Biden White House Hawks to fall on her sword. There will be lots of speculation about her resignation (or sacking?)
Maria Zakharova had this to say about it:
Nuland has notified Blinken of her intention to resign in the coming weeks. They won't tell you the reason. But it is simple - the failure of the anti-Russian course of the Biden administration. Russophobia, proposed by Victoria Nuland as the main foreign policy concept of the United States, is dragging the Democrats to the bottom like a stone. It doesn’t let you tear yourself away from it. By the way, remembering the candles in Orthodox churches, if you suddenly want to go to a monastery to atone for your sins, let’s put in a word.
Telegram Channel geromanat speculated that:
The resignation of Cookie Nuland is primarily due to the upcoming investigation by the FBI and the Office of Special Operations. investigations of the US Department of Justice, where 10.5 billion dollars were spent on Maidan in Ukraine (the public was told about 5 billion), as well as where 120 billion dollars were spent on open items and almost the same amount on secret items of the budget of the CIA and the Pentagon with 2018.
RT has more detail about the resignation here. Her departure will probably be seen by analysts as a sign of divisions within the Biden Administration. b dedicates an article to the story on the MoA (5th March) and the discussion that follows is worth a look.
In my very humble opinion, Victoria (in view of her past) does not fit the less bellicose narrative that could be under construction in the US - but that’s the optimist in me speaking. Nuland’s reputation as an arch neo-con hawk has not helped her in diplomatic relations with some countries in the South - so I have heard. Maybe she has become a liability. And she has probably been a naughty girl with skeletons in the cupboard that her detractors will expose when it suits them. Some are speculating that there could be some connection between the resignation announcement and the leaked audio of German officers discussing the bombing of the Kerch Bridge. One of my subscribers believes that Blinken, acquainted with the realities on the battlefields, panicked and used her as a scapegoat for the catastrophe that the Ukraine project has become. RT has an article speculating that Nuland’s resignation was linked with the appointment of Kurt Campbell to a high ranking position in the US State Department. Campbell is responsible for the Indo-Pacific, so the appointment could be indicative of a shift in Biden’s priorities from Ukraine to Taiwan. Who knows!
Steve Bannon, former Trump strategist, is gunning for Nuland. Preserve your documents and get ‘lawyered up’, he advised her, because ‘we are coming for you’ as the ‘fountain head of everything about this Ukraine situation'.
EU Envoys Refuse to Meet Lavrov
Maria Zakharova was on form this week as she echoed Sergei Lavrov’s accusations of the ‘cowardice’ of EU ambassadors who refused to meet with him. She pointed out that these people are mere ‘functionaries’ enlisted to convey information from one state to another but they are not doing their jobs, she complained. I’m sure there’s much more to this story.
ICC Charges Russian Commanders with War Crimes
Two Russian commanders have been found guilty of war crimes by the ICC for their part in attacking Ukraine’s electricity system. The Kremlin stated that it does not accept the jurisdiction of the court because it never signed the ‘Rome Statute’ which created it. As far as I am aware, the court has never convicted any Ukrainians for the thousands of deaths they committed in the Donbass over ten years, when civilians were targeted specifically - neither has the court charged Israel with genocide. So it’s hard to take its decisions seriously. You can read more at RT.
John Kerry Wades In
On behalf of the global warming cult, John Kerry, the US ‘climate’ guru, has announced an addendum to Woke morality. It appears that countries such as Russia can atone for their sins (i.e. invading another country) by agreeing to reduce CO2. Is this why Western politicians are being so tolerant of genocide in Gaza? Did Israel promise a massive reduction in CO2, I wonder?
The Propaganda War
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT and Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, spoke about the West's superiority in propaganda tools. Russia does not have its own internet so can’t help being subject to propaganda directed at it from Western sources. This is a problem for the Russians: in some ways, they can’t let go of the West just yet. But Russians are patient people, unlike many of us Westerners.
The emerging Multi-Polar World Order
Russia a ‘Role Model’ for Global South
Billy Mambrasar, representing Indonesia at the World Youth Festival in Sochi, described Russia as a role model for the global South. Russia has shown that other countries can take the path towards Multi-Polarity, he said.
India Doesn’t Need ‘Certificate’ to Engage With Russia
Indian spokesman Jaiveer Shergill, responding to Western criticism regarding its relations with Russia, declared that the country does not need ‘certificates’ or ‘dictations’ from the Western world regarding its ties with Russia. Jaiveer reminded the West that:
Russia has been there for India and India has been there for Russia. In all sectors – from defense, investment in hydrocarbons, oil, [and] procuring oil from Russia.
In future, he said, India will seek to expand its cooperation with Russia. Two fingers up to the Uni-Polar World Order then! India has sovereignty. And it is this idea that formerly colonial and neo-colonial countries should be free from Imperial influence that is anathema to some in the Globalist establishment.
That’s it for another eventful week. Many thanks for your views, subscriptions, likes, shares and comments. Thanks also to substackers who are supporting me. Best wishes Rob.
Non subscribers can view Updates on Telegram: https://t.me/UWUupdate.
Thank you for this. I found it interesting, exhaustive and pleasant to read. Learned a few facts I hadn't been aware of. Yep. Rewarding.
:)
Another excellent recap.
"an RQ-4 Global Hawk rose into the sky over the Black Sea, and then the Boeing P-8A Poseidon AWACS aircraft."
At this point, given Germany's threats against Crimea and the bridge and Macron's threats to send troops into Ukraine, it would behoove Putin to issue the following statement: "Effective such-and-such a date, any military drone or military aircraft within 500 miles of the eastern half of Ukraine or the Russian Black Sea borders will be shot down whether it is in international airspace or not."
And then do it. NATO and the US keep thinking Russia is bluffing. Time for Putin to call their bluff. What are they going to do about it? Immediately start WWIII? I don't think so. If they send warplanes up to defend their AWACS, Russia should simply swarm them with their own aircraft without actually shooting them down. That would humiliate the West.
There comes a point where you have to punch the bully in the nose - or kick him in the groin.