Ukraine Weekly Update

15th March 2024

Even reindeer are trying to vote in the elections!

Today, on the 15th March, voting in the Russian Presidential elections began in earnest and will continue until the 17th. Predictably, the level of Ukrainian terrorist attacks, including DRG incursions onto Russian territory in Kursk and Belgorod, have increased in a vain effort to disrupt the electoral proceedings at a very high cost. There is nothing major to report on the battlefronts but Ukrainian casualties and losses are roughly the same as previous weeks. There is growing acceptance among Western elites that the war is lost and a panic of sorts has afflicted some of them. They simply do not know what to do apart from letting off steam. They have made a huge gamble which didn’t come off and now they are facing the stark realisation that it was all for nothing. In the Middle East, the tragedy continues and a land war in Lebanon could be on the cards. A ceasefire in Gaza appears as far away as ever, unfortunately, as the genocide continues. In the US, Biden continues to blunder as his Trumpian opponent’s popularity increases. Commentators continue to speculate regarding the departure of Victoria Nuland and the mess she left behind in Ukraine, where some believe another coup is coming.

Ukraine Matters

We Need A Rest - Ukrainian Troops

I want a f….ing rest pal - OK!

A Kiev spokesman has told the Financial Times that 330,000 troops on the front lines desperately need a rest. But the mobilisation bill will not be passed until later this month, according to RT. Around 48% of candidates are unwilling to fight. When asked why they were reluctant to join the military, Ukrainians cited ‘concerns about the quality of equipment, inadequate training, the risk of death or disability, uncertainty over how long they would have to serve, and the fear of being assigned to a unit led by a poor commander’. Given the demise of the officer corps, this latter fear is well grounded. I have also seen reports of untrained troops entering the front lines.

You’re Not Listening - Pentagon Tells Z

It seems that the ‘we tried to help but you didn’t listen’ narrative is being aired as the Pentagon claims that Z will not listen to battlefield advice such as focusing on ‘one big fight at a time’, so the NYT is reporting - according to RT. Men and materiel have been wasted attempting to hold towns and villages with little or no strategic value and Ukrainian forces should have left Avdeevka much sooner. The Ukrainians are complaining about the lack of funding from the West and the delay in receiving war materiel.

We’ve Given You Enough!

Shame on you! Social media pundits are saying.

Social media pundits on Twitter have been ripping into Zelensky for continuing a war when he could have negotiated for peace back in March 2022. He is accused of having the blood of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers on his hands. His claims to be defending democracy have also been criticised since Z has cancelled elections. Russia is holding elections in which Russian citizens in the war zones will be voting - so why can’t that happen in Ukraine? And some are pointing to his deluded view that the Ukrainians can win.

Zaluzhny

Is that a growl?

Slavyangrad has reported some interesting facts about Zaluzhny’s dismissal. First, he has been declared unfit for military service and second, after six months in the UK he will lose eligibility for political office in Ukraine. Thus Z appears to have crippled his opponent both militarily and politically. One report suggests that Zaluzhny’s severance package amounted to $53 millions.

Zelensky v Zaluzhny (the Sequel)

Achilles dragging Hector’s body away after defeating him

Just when you thought the rivalry between the two had been sorted by Zaluzhny’s move to the UK - which may not have happened yet - a story emerges in Sputnik claiming that discontent is growing among elite Ukrainian units who want their former general back. These people are also discussing the removal of the once great Z. According to Slavyangrad, RIA Novosti is reporting that a group of discontented military people will be seeking support to attack the parliament building (Verkhovna Rada) in Kiev as part of a coup. The plotters, who were overheard, are hoping that the people will rally around those in uniforms.

We Won’t Listen to You - Kiev Tells Pope

He kissed the Ukraine flag in April 2022.

Pope Francis has called for negotiations on Ukraine and upset Z with the following statement: ‘The strongest one is the one who thinks about the people and has the courage to raise the white flag and start negotiations’. Dmitry Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, was scathing in his judgement of this, stating that Ukraine has its own flag and will not be raising other flags. The Pope’s call for peace has not been supported by many Western leaders - unsurprisingly.

Civilians on the Move

On March 9th, Slavyangrad reported that:

Due to the deterioration of the situation at the front, the civilian population of the Kharkov region began to be transported to the Poltava region, and Donetsk residents to the Dnepropetrovsk region.

The arrows at the bottom of the map show the latter movement while those at the top represent the former. This is a clear sign of where the Ukrainians believe the Russians are headed.

Ukrainian Ministries to be Axed

5 of the 19 ministries that form Ukraine’s administration are to be axed in order to save money. The ministries affected will likely be those relating to the ‘social sphere’ according to Sputnik. I have no further details at the moment.

Ukraine to Block Russian TV

$4 millions dollars has been set aside by Ukraine to block Russian TV, according to RT. Ukraine has also talked about banning Telegram channels (which would not suit me). German authorities have also caught the censorship virus by threatening to stop Russian journalists from entering the country by refusing to renew their visas. If that happens, Maria Zakharova said, German journalists will be expelled from Russia.

Russian Concerns

Presidential Elections - 15th-17th March

Vladimir Putin conducted an interview this week ahead of the Presidential elections which started today. When asked about Polish troops entering Ukraine, Putin said that if this happens they will never leave because Poles will want to take back the lands that were taken from them and given to Ukraine by Joseph Stalin many years ago. He also said that other countries which also had lands taken from them to give to Ukraine will follow suit. Following accusations from Macron, Putin said that Russia ‘did not squeeze France out of the continent’. He also said that Russia is willing to engage in talks with Ukraine but on the basis of reality rather than a ‘drug filled wish list’, he said. He mocked the Ukrainians for sacrificing troops purely in the interests of PR (referring to the border raids on Kursk and Belgorod - see below) and he made it clear that if Russia’s sovereignty it threatened it would employ their nuclear weapons, which, he said, are more advanced that anyone else’s.

Russian soldiers are casting their votes in Donetsk:

Even reindeer are trying to vote in Yamal:

They are also voting in remote Tuva on the Mongolian border.

Zaporizhye Nuclear Power Plant Under Attack - Again

According to Pravda, the plant came under attack in which one bomb fell just five metres short of a fuel storage facility. The IAEA has stated that these attacks are unacceptable and yet they continue.

US Directly Involved in Ukraine

Anatoly Antonov, Russian ambassador to Washington, has accused the US of direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict. According to Antonov:

The situation has reached a point where some high-ranking [US] officials are saying: we need to help Ukrainians ‘strike deep in Crimea.’ In other words, the direct involvement of the United States in the conflict has been officially recognized.

The US’s involvement in the conflict has been obvious for some time but US officials are now making statements that make this clear to the whole world - including the global South.

Yuri Gagarin

In 1961, Gagarin became the first man in space but died in a plane crash at only 34 years of age. He would have celebrated his 90th birthday on the 9th March.

Russia Bans Baltic Ministers

Russia has banned ministers from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from entering Russia. This includes the Prime Minsters of all three states from which 347 citizens have already received bans.

Iskanders Destroy Patriots

Iskander being launched

Sputnik is reporting that Russia has destroyed two Patriot systems this week using Iskander short range missiles. A Ukrainian officer said that the loss of launchers or radar was less important than the loss of the experienced crews (probably NATO people) who were operating them. But replacement systems are unlikely to be provided for several months, according to Sputnik. Slavyangrad reported that:

Over the past two weeks, while trying to bring 6 S-300 air defense systems, 3 Patriots, 2 Buk, 2 NASAMS, and 1 Gepard to the front line in different regions, they were detected by Russian UAVs and destroyed.

The cost of the lost Patriots and ammunition amounts to $17 billions or more and seven radar systems were also destroyed.

Some suspect that the location of the Patriot systems was betrayed to the Russians. Anyway, needless to say, the Pentagon is not pleased and Syrsky is being scolded for using the systems as mobile defence close to the front lines where they are vulnerable.

Shells Matter

Russia is outproducing the combined shell production of Europe and the US by a factor of three, according to Rybar.

Kremlin Demands Explanation from Germany

It appears that the leaked audio from German Generals to which I referred last week, included not only plans to attack the Kerch Bridge but also to attack airfields deep in Russia. Such planning could be construed as an act of war and the Kremlin gave Germany until Monday 11th March to provide an explanation (not sure what happened after that). It is possible that Nuland’s departure was linked to her unfulfilled responsibility to prevent the breeches in security that allowed the audio to be hacked. It appears that she may also have been responsible for the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine behind Scholtz’s back. This raises concerns, voiced by people such as Scott Ritter, that German politicians do not have full control of their military. You can find discussion of this at Andrei Martyanov’s blog.

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern believes that Nuland was sacked because she had her own bellicose agenda that risked nuclear war with Russia. Professor of national security at Bowie State University, Dr. Matthew Crosston, believes that Nuland bailed out because she could see that Ukraine will inevitably lose sooner rather than later. You can read more at Zero Hedge.

Crimeans Sue Ukraine

The Crimean people have launched a second lawsuit against Ukraine demanding compensation for ‘moral damage’ caused by an ‘energy blockade’ which began in 2015. Electric lines and transmission towers to Crimea were destroyed by Ukrainian terrorists but power has now been restored, according to Sputnik. Compensation of $33 billions is being sought.

Mercenaries

The Russian MoD has provided a report on mercenaries who have been involved and killed during the SMO:

Since 24 February 2022, the total number of foreign mercenaries who have arrived in Ukraine is 13,387. At the same time, the destruction of 5,962 foreign mercenaries has been confirmed to date.

Nearly 1500 Poles, 500 Americans and 360 Brits have been killed. South Front reckons that 40% of mercenaries have been destroyed.

Ukraine Terror Attacks (those that target civilians)

8th/9th March Overnight

Taganrog (Rostov) suffered a huge drone attack overnight but only one person was injured. 41 drones were involved in the attack on Taganrog and another 15 attacked Belgorod (killing two and injuring one), Kursk (where a Polyclinic building was damaged) and Volgograd.

9th/10th March Overnight

Damaged house in Kulbaki

In Kulbaki (Kursk) overnight a shell hit a residential building killing a woman and severely burning her husband who was taken to hospital. Gordeevka was also attacked, damaging a house and a car but sparing civilians.

10th/11th March Overnight

Overnight, an aircraft-type drone was shot down over Novgorod but caused no damage or casualties. Two people were injured when an airport hanger in St. Petersburg was attacked causing a fire. It appears that several drones were shot down over the city and over Leningrad region (St. Petersburg was once known as Leningrad).

There was also an attempt at a ground attack on Russian territory. According to the Two Majors:

Yesterday, in the Grayvoron direction of the Belgorod region, the enemy was preparing to break through the State border of Russia. A detachment of the Ukrainian MoD's GUR with attached equipment and manpower (5 tanks, self-propelled guns, MLRS, more than 10 IFVs and pickups with heavy machine guns) was discovered and destroyed (video) at the moment of taking up battle formation. The RF Armed Forces used all kinds of weapons of destruction: FABs, Lancets, Iskanders.

The Majors also reported that:

In the Belgorod region, 2 aircraft-type UAVs hit the Stroitel settlement of the Yakovlevsky city district, a truck caught fire. 3 kamikaze drones attacked the Gorkovsky settlement of the Grayvoron urban district, 2, the Polyana and Maslovopristan settlements of the Shebekinsky urban district. On the the DPR's peaceful population, the enemy fired 225 shells, 8 civilians were injured, including one child.

The village of Goncharovka in Kursk was attacked by drones damaging a house and a car while injuring one civilian seriously. Six drones also attacked Bryansk and Oryol. A kamikaze drone hit the Belgorod Administration building causing some damage and injuring two civilians. One drone hit the wall of a shop in Belgorod while another hit the roof of a Shopping Mal causing damage to some cars - but there were no casualties. According to Sputnik Africa, a total of 25 drones were shot down altogether.

11th/12th March Overnight

According to the Two Majors:

In the Bryansk region, the Kamensky Farm of the Klimovsky district was shelled yesterday. In the Belgorod region, in the village of Novoye in Volokonovsky district, a car moving along the road was attacked by a AFU kamikaze drone. In the Kursk region, the village of Vnezapnoye in Korenevsky district was shelled. In the DPR, 11 civilians were wounded from Nazi shelling, incl. three children. In the morning, 3 enemy APCs tried to break through the border in the southeast of the Grayvoronsky urban district [in Belgorod region]. The enemy's equipment was destroyed.

A Ukraine incursion into the Kursk border region was also made using several tanks but this was thwarted by Russian defences. Tass has more detail here. The Ukrainians lost 100 men, six tanks, a Caesar self-propelled gun and 20 AFVs. Only two civilian casualties were reported on the Russian side.

A later Tass report claimed that 234 troops were killed/wounded while seven tanks, three Bradleys and two armoured combat vehicles were lost.

Russian air defences shot down eight shells of the RM-70 Vampire MLRS and one Tochka-U missile over the Belgorod Region, according to Sputnik. Belgorod governor provides a detailed report here.

12th/13th March Overnight

30 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Voronezh region. Some damage was caused to a house and an electric substation but there were no casualties. On the evening of the 12th March, Ukrainian ground forces attacked the border region in Belgorod but quickly retreated to their original positions after losing several tanks, IFVs, anti-aircraft guns and scarce engineering vehicles. The Russian MoD denies that the Ukrainians have breeched to border defences at any point.

Geroman provided this brief report for March 13th:

At 03:56, 3 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones were shot down over Kursk. At B 04:43-04:56 4 UAVs shot down in the Kursk region. 2 UAVs were shot down near the village of Serebryanka, Belgorod region, a barn is on fire in a private household. 1 drone fell in the private sector in the village of Bogoslovka, the gas supply line was damaged - Gladkov. Another drone crashed into a tree in the city of Gubkin in the private sector, damage to two households. Another drone fell outside a populated area near the village of Bogoslovka. In the village of Krugloye, Belgorod Region, a power line was damaged as a result of a UAV attack, Gladkov reported. Residents of the villages of Krugloye and Zalomnoye remain temporarily without electricity.

13th/14th March Overnight

In Belgorod region, drones attacked the building of the Federal Security Service of Russia, according to the Two Majors. Border areas in Belgorod and Kursk were subjected to heavy shelling. In Belgorod city one person was killed in his car, some residential buildings were damaged and three people injured.

Here is a report (14th March) of an Ukrainian special forces attack on the Belgorod border region from a Russian participant:

The reeling attacks continue. At the moment we are repelling an attack on the Spodariushino border post. The enemy is 50 meters away, throwing grenades at us. Tanks, BMP "Bradley" are being pulled up, aviation and MLRS are working. At the settlement Kozinki - opposite Velikaya Pisarevka - from there are trying to break through with armored vehicles. The situation is tense. But our guys are fighting like tigers. They are both units of the mobile action department "Hunzakh", and storms, and the Ministry of Defense. Repelling of the attack is underway, at the moment - small arms combat.

It was later reported that the Ukrainians lost 195 men and 5 tanks during this engagement.

14th/15th March Overnight

Ukraine attacked border villages in Kursk and Belgorod overnight with motorised infantry. The attacks were repelled and the Ukrainians took losses in personnel and IFVs. Troops were delivered to the village of Kozinka (Belgorod) but were driven out while the helicopters were destroyed.

The Two Majors provided this report of drone attacks and shelling:

The AFU, at night, tried to attack the Kaluga region with drones, 4 UAVs. In the evening, a drone was shot down in the Oryol region. In the Bryansk region, Khinel of the Sevsky district and Solovyovka of the Klimovsky district were shelled. At night, the governor of the Belgorod region reported the shelling of the Gruzsky Borisovsky district. At night, a UAV attack danger mode was introduced in a number of regions.

Two people were injured when their car was attacked by a drone in the village of Glotovo (Belgorod), according to the governor. A total of 13 houses and ten cars were damaged overnight in Belgorod and a small number of civilians were injured. In the Petrovsky district of the DPR, a hit on a private house killed three young children.

The Russian MoD reported that the Ukrainians have lost 1500 men including 500 kia since they started these border raids on March 12th. 18 tanks and 23 AFVs were also destroyed. These attacks have not eased the pressure on other sections of the front and are not reaching their objectives so can gain nothing but some publicity - at such a high cost. Mad really.

The Air War

Iskanders

Russian Missile/Drone Attacks

8th/9th March Overnight

Ovidiopol - 2

During the night of the 8th March, the Ovidiopol-2 space and electronic reconnaissance complex was destroyed near Odessa. It is thought that the facility, originally under the control of Soviet Russia was being operated by NATO intelligence officers when it was hit. I have no idea why this complex was allowed to exist for so long.

9th/10th March Overnight

Odessa and Kharkov oblasts came under attack from Geraniums overnight. According to one report, Odessa was attacked for 90 minutes.

10th/11th March Overnight

Odessa and Kharkov were attacked overnight. The Kharkov airport hotel was attacked and it is thought that it was being used by foreign forces or advisors.

11th/12th March Overnight

The Russian air forces struck Ternopil, Kharkov, Khmelnitsky, Kiev, and Odessa regions overnight. An air field in Korotychi (Kharkov) was also attacked.

13th/14th March Overnight

According to Slavyangrad:

This night, the Russian Armed Forces launched a powerful combined missile strike on enemy military facilities in Sumy, Kharkov and both regions. They used Geran-2 (Sumy, Shostka, Trostyanets and Bilopolye, about 40 units), Iskanders (Shostka, Trostyanets), KAB-500, MLRS. UAV launch sites, enemy deployments, armored vehicles, firing points, and other important infrastructure used by the enemy were destroyed.

But the most important result is the hits on EW and EWR centers used by the enemy for reconnaissance operations and having irreplaceable strategic importance - both in Kharkov and Sumy TV centers and TV towers were hit.

14th/15th March Overnight

Overnight, the Russians attacked Vinnitsa International Airport, where a repair and restoration base was located. Explosions were heard in Starokonstantinov, Khmelnitsky region and in Kharkov. The logistics centre for the 37th Brigade in Odessa was hit, according to this report but only one guard was in place at the time.

Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks

9th/10th March Overnight

Several drones attacked an oil depot in Kursk city causing a fire which was subsequently extinguished.

10th/11th March Overnight

Warehouses in the Ramensky district of Moscow were set alight but there were no casualties.

11th/12th March Overnight

According to the Two Majors:

Enemy UAVs hit the Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Moscow, Oryol and Tula regions at night. Mainly for oil industry facilities. An oil depot in the Nizhny Novgorod region was also hit. At the time of writing, a number of regions were expecting a second wave of drones.

12th/13th March Overnight

An oil refinery in the Ryazan region in Russia was set alight by a drone but there were no casualties. Drones also attacked oil refineries in Leningrad and Rostov regions.

13th/14th March Overnight

In the Rostov region, drones attacked the Novoshakhtinsky Oil Products Plant overnight.

The Ground War

M777 Howitzers - Problems

Ukrainian companies do not have the necessary licenses to repair the barrels of US made M777 howitzers because it would violate intellectual property rights. Unfortunately, US companies are not permitted to go into Ukraine to repair them - so this has become a problem for the Ukrainians.

FAB-1500 UMPK Guided Bomb

It is being reported that the introduction of these powerful guide bombs are causing the Ukrainian many headaches. A Ukrainian soldier had this to say about them:

[The FAB-1500] destroyed the Ukrainian defense and changed the balance at the front.

The Military Chronicle added:

Previously, they were shelled only by our artillery, but now they are simply demolished with all the fortifications of the FAB-1500. Moreover, this bomb puts a lot of pressure on the morale of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. If they are already used to the FAB-500, then the 1500 is a real hell.

Those Ukrainian soldiers who are not killed are suffering concussions from the massive shockwaves the bombs create. They can be launched by aircraft 60-70 km from their intended targets which places the jets outside the range of Ukraine’s air defences.

Russian MoD Reports

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.

w/e 15th March 6745 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 411.

The Fronts

Krasnohorivka - West of Donetsk

There is fighting in the areas of Novomikhaylovka, Pobeda and Nevelskoye. As a result of assault operations, the Russians were able advance in Krasnogovka (i.e. Krasnohorivka).

Kupyansk

According to Slavyangrad, the Daily Beast is reporting that the people of Kupyansk want the Russians to ‘liberate’ the city. The people don’t want Ukrainian soldiers there. These soldiers are running out of ammunition and weapons, apparently.

Berdychi - Avdeevka

Following the fall of Avdeevka, General Syrsky poured reserves into the line Berdychi to Tonenkoe and this has managed to slow the Russians down - though at terrible cost. According to Miroslav, writing for Slavyangrad, roughly 30,000 troops were fed into the area and for a time the Russian were stopped at Berdychi where, it is claimed, 5,000 died in just ten days. But the Ukrainian forces have been exhausted by this struggle. The fighting on this line was of a positional nature by the end of the week.

Artyomovsk - Chasov Yar

By the end of the week, fighting was of a positional nature around Kleshcheyevka and Ivanovskoye (Krasnoye), according to this report.

Kherson - Krynki

There have been few changes this week as the Ukrainians continue to maintain a foothold at Krynki.

Zaporizhye - Rabotino - Verbove

This week fighting has continued around Rabotino and Verbove but there has been no change in the line of contact.

Luhansk

On the Lugansk Front, the Russians repulsed an AFU counterattack near Terny and conducted successful assault operations in Belogorovka.

The Economic War

War Shaping Russian Economy

Defence spending in Russia has increased to 7.5% of GDP and this is likely to increase by 70% in the coming year. The war economy is providing well paid jobs for many who are now entering the Russian middle classes. According to Rybar, Western planners underestimated Russia’s ability to sustain a long-term war. The alarming increase in Russia’s military production has also surprised them. For the first time since the Soviet era, military spending is set to outstrip social spending. Unemployment is down 20% over the past six years, according to Tass and real earnings have increased by 30% over the same period.

German Entrepreneurs Fed Up

German small to medium size business are closing at an alarming rate - according to RT. High energy prices and ridiculous regulations are forcing many out of business as the Middle Classes take another hit following the lock down catastrophe. Some believe this is part of a plan to eliminate the Middle Classes altogether so that we all become wage slaves - which could be true. Children in family businesses have shown a reluctance to take over from their parents; hence the high closure rate.

German Defence Budget Hole - up to 6 Billions Euro

German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, has advised Olaf Scholtz of the deficit which may prevent Germany from meeting its NATO spending obligations.

Ukraine’s Budget Deficit

Ukraine is facing a budget deficit of around $37 billions to which the US and the EU will contribute half - but it is not clear where the rest of the money will come from. According to Roksolana Pidlasa, chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s budget committee (pictured above) any solution will be unpleasant. Spending cuts, tax hikes or even money printing (with attendant inflationary problems) are being considered. But mobilisation has become problematic because it will cost $8.6 billions to mobilise 500,000 recruits.

World Politics

French ‘Coalition of the Willing?’

Come mon amis, we can take the bear. Amis!! Amis!! Où êtes-vous

Macron is attempting to form a coalition of European countries willing to take their troops into Ukraine. Poland’s PM is all for it but Olaf Scholtz is more cautious and more sensible. Italy’s Defence minister, Guido Crosetto pointed out that neither France nor Poland can speak on behalf of NATO and that the involvement of NATO troops on the ground would rule out any chance of diplomacy/negotiations.

Stoltenberg

‘We must sit down and agree on a solution in which Ukraine will be recognised as an independent country’. If this is true, it seems that NATO expectations have certainly declined in recent weeks. The question is ‘which bits of Ukraine will be recognised as independent and by whom?’ You won’t get a say in that Jens.

Green Madness in Germany

In the not so distant past, I had a good working relationship with the Greens while I was chair of a Labour Constituency in Mid Wales. At that time, the Greens I knew were very much anti-war - i.e. anti any war. But Greens in Germany are amongst the most hawkish political group in the country. Indeed, 53% of them wish to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which, they must know, will prolong the conflict and could lead to escalation. The so called ‘right wing’ AfD, on the other hand, is firmly against this with 84% of its members opposed. The Greens have also been responsible for outright vandalism such as setting alight the electric power line to the Tesla plant in Berlin and deflating the tyres of SUVs. The youth section of the movement wishes to destroy all cows. I am personally offended by this latter: some of my neighbours are bovines!

German Farmers Protest in Schleswig Holstein

The protesters, who included Danish activists in their ranks as well as Germans, called for a reduction in support for Ukraine and an increase in aid to farmers. Sound sensible to me. Antifa thugs attempted unsuccessfully to disrupt the event.

Canada

A Waffen SS Galicia Division monument was taken down from a cemetery on the outskirts of Toronto. The monument has caused much controversy since it was erected in 1988 and has been defaced a few times - according to RT.

Berlin

Anti-war protesters gathered in Berlin over the weekend at a memorial to fallen Soviet soldiers. They carried placards with the slogans: ‘Get out of NATO’ and ‘Peace to Russia’. These people look like old style lefties - just like me.

Conservative Coalition Defeats Socialists in Portugal

Andre Ventura, leader of the Chuga Party celebrating with a Portuguese actress.

The Centre Right AD Party won most seats (79) in the latest Portuguese elections with the Socialists on 78 seats. The former will form a coalition with the populist Chega (meaning - enough!) Party which came from nowhere to win 48 seats - according to Zero Hedge. I am not sure what stance the coalition will take on the Ukraine war.

The emerging Multi-Polar World Order

I have already said that in my view the emerging Multi-Polar World Order is the shiny side of a coin that has the fading Uni-Polar World Order on the other side. But this isn’t the only dichotomy to be associated with the phenomenon. Another conflict has been going on for decades between the ruling elites of the Old World Order and the people they are trying to control. The fightback that is happening places ordinary people at odds with their elites and in harmony with the emerging Multi-Polar World Order. Opposition to globalism and Woke morality are examples of this: hence the following stories appear in this section.

Killing the Wolves

Thanks to TEXAS Bentley for the image

If we don’t kill the wolves our civilizations will die.

Ireland Rejects Woke Language

I have been fighting Woke language (formerly political correctness) since 1991 when I began studying in University. I had many a battle with Radical Feminists and linguistic determinists over the next 8 years. In 2003, I wrote a song about the huge London Demo in February of that year and the Director of the choir of which I was a member wrote four part harmonies so that the choir could perform the song. However, someone complained about my use of the term ‘wife’ as in: ‘They recall the soldier’s life show his grieving widowed wife; but Iraqis are nameless, their conquerors blameless’. Here I was simply reflecting on what the newspapers were saying. But ‘wife’ is part of the ‘oppressive institution’ of marriage, this woman complained, so refused to sing the line. There was a huge argument among choir members who were divided 50-50 on the issue. But it was agreed that the song should be dropped so I left the choir.

Some people went along with this woman’s unjustified complaint out of a lack of courage which has been responsible for the encroachment of Woke ‘morality’ into all of our lives. So it is good to hear stories of successful fightbacks against this insanity such as this from RT. In a referendum, 67.7% of the Irish people voted to keep what some have described as ‘sexist language’ in their constitution. So, for example, the term ‘marriage’ will stay in spite of requests to change this to ‘durable relationship’. I am married rather than being in a ‘durable relationship’. I have a ‘durable relationship’ with my dog but it isn’t a marriage. And the woman I married is not a partner but a wife. I have a songwriting partner and have had a durable relationship with him for many years - but we are definitely not married. My wife and I have been married for 25 years come August 7th, btw.

War Games

Russian cruiser Varyag.

Naval exercises have been carried out in the Gulf of Oman by the fleets and air forces of Russian, China and Iran. Observers from India, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Oman and South Africa were in attendance. The exercise was meant to ‘ensure the safety of maritime economic activities’ - no doubt with the Houthis in mind. The ships practiced sailing in formation.

That’s all for this week. Many thanks for you views, subscriptions, likes, shares and comments. The second Philosophical Short will be out next week.

Best Rob

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