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Last Friday I was struggling to name the most important event or news item of the week - but I have no such problem today. The fall of Avdeevka is without doubt the most important development of the week but the nature of its fall was even more significant. It seems that the City’s Ukrainian warriors did not exhibit the courage of their predecessors at Bakhmut/Artemovsk when a more respectful and orderly withdrawal from that City was conducted. The relative ease with which the City eventually fell could tell us something about the weakening resilience of the current group of Ukrainian soldiers operating on the front lines. Elsewhere, the slaughter at Gaza continues, the Humiliating Houthis are still having successes and the risk of escalation in the Middle East is about the same as it was a week ago - in my humble opinion. The UN Security Council continues to remind us that it is not fit for purpose as the US used its veto to condemn thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women and children to death. The world will not forgive this: history will not forgive this.
In the US of A, the Trucker Movement is asserting itself with its ‘boycott New York’ campaign while the Orange man who inspired it continues to be crucified a nail at a time. I should say that I am neither a detractor nor a supporter of the Donald - but I can’t help feeling that he doesn’t deserve the opprobrium that’s being dumped on him. For me, Trump is simply one actor in this quite fascinating play we are all watching: a play that I have the privilege to report and record. His opposite number, Sleepy Joe, in the meantime, is showing signs of decay while the moral standing of America - that once great America - is falling to somewhere near zero. The American establishment finds itself defending war, violence and even genocide as part of the Unipolar world’s heritage and the emerging MPWO is showing the way forward, pointing to an end of enmity and embarrassing its more bellicose Western opponents. I should say congratulations to the Russian forces on a famous victory: the people of Donetsk City, especially, will be well pleased.
Finally, the tenth anniversary of the Western backed Maidan Coup was commemorated on 22nd February while the second anniversary of the SMO will be commemorated tomorrow (24th Feb). Sandwiched in between is Defender of the Fatherland Day which celebrates the achievements of the Russian military.
Russian Concerns
Putin v Sleepy Joe
The above photos show President Putin test flying a strategic bomber, while this video shows Sleepy Joe stumbling while attempting to board Air Force One. What more can I say.
Latvia To Deport Russians
Russians residing in Latvia face deportation if they fail the dreaded language exam - according to RT. Why is there not a liberal outrage, you may ask.
Alexey Navalny
Alexei Navalny was a Russian dissident with ‘unsavoury views’ - so they say - who died in Russian custody. He had been imprisoned on corruption charges. The other day, he collapsed on a daily walk and could not be resuscitated. A Russian investigation into his death judged that he died of natural causes. If you would like to know more about the man and the way the West is using his death for propaganda purposes look here and here. You may need to use Brave and New Private Window in Tor to access RT. The above chart from RT shows how ridiculously biased the Western media is. The EU has called for an international investigation into Navalny’s death - which is fair enough. But why not do the same for Gonzalo?
Jens Stoltenberg has suggested that we should all donate to Ukraine and defeat Russia in memory of Navalny. A German MP went further to suggest that the West should steal Russian assets in Navalny’s name. Excuse me, I can feel a bout of nausea coming on!
Maidan - 10th Anniversary Feb 18th
February 18th marks the tenth anniversary of a pivotal moment in the Maidan Coup (Feb 18th-23rd 2014). This is when peaceful demonstrations turned violent, possibly through the actions of ‘planted’ activists. Maria Zakharova talks about it here.
Dead Russian Documents Sold in OZ
Disgracefully, documents from dead Russian soldiers are being sold to Australians as souvenirs - which confirms Ukraine as probably the most corrupt country on earth. Maria Zakharova had this to say about it:
The depth of their moral decline is such that they do not hesitate to sell the belongings of dead Russian servicemen, including personal documents - passports and military IDs. We know that one of the residents of the city of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria received from Ukraine and sold through local social networks items that belonged to fallen Russian soldiers.
Tucker Radicalised
Tucker Carlson did some grocery shopping in Moscow this week and has been ‘radicalised’ by the fact that groceries are much, much cheaper than in the US. Why is that, he is asking. If you have Telegram you can watch his report here.
UK Behind Destruction of Il-76 Military Transport Plane
On January 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a Russian Air Force Il-76 military transport plane over the Belgorod region that was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners set for exchange. A source close to Sputnik claims that the attack was carried out at the insistence of British advisers. It sounds as if this could have been a mistake rather than a deliberate act designed to kill POWs. I have heard it rumoured that all Ukrainian air defence systems are operated by NATO people. That would not surprise me.
Ukraine Using Chemical Weapons
Sputnik is reporting that the Ukrainians have employed US supplied chemical weapons on a number of occasions. Substances such as Ricin and Tabun have been used. You can read more here.
Russia May Abandon ‘Two Plus Four’ Treaty
This treaty, between Germany, France, the UK and the US allowed East and West Germany to unite but on condition that:
Article 2 - A united Germany will never use the weapons at its disposal.
Article 3 - Refusal from the production, possession and disposal of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
Article 5 - Only German forces will be stationed on the territory of the former GDR, from which Soviet troops will be withdrawn, and foreign forces (troops integrated into allied structures, such as NATO) and nuclear weapons will not appear there.
Article 7 - emphasizes Berlin's complete sovereignty over internal and external affairs.
The use of weapons against Russia appears to be in breech of this treaty and Berlin’s sovereignty is a joke.
Ukrainian Concerns
Ukrainian Poll Reveals Declining Trust in Leaders - Really!
A recent poll shows that only 40% of Ukrainians trust General Syrsky, the new commander of the armed forces. His predecessor, Zaluzhny had the trust of 94% of the people. Trust for the once great Z has declined from 77% in December to 64% - according to RT. The fact that Z still has so much support is flabbergasting to use an old fashioned term; the propaganda must be really good. Former PM of Ukraine, Nikolay Azarov, makes the same point in this article. Another poll showed that only 36% of Ukrainians believe the country is headed in the right direction - this is down 10% from a previous poll.
Zelensky/Macron Military Deal?
Macron has promised Z $3 billion in aid and ‘cooperation with artillery’ during 2024. But there has been no formal military alliance. The above photo is from May 14th 2023, I’m not sure that the apparent cordiality exhibited here still exists. The photo below was taken on February 16th 2024.
Macron could be be saying ‘ Hard luck kid - Don’t worry, I believe Florida is pleasant this time of year’.
Give Them Shovels
The Ukrainian Minister of Justice has suggested that convicted criminals be released and given shovels so that they can participate in the war. Giving them guns would be too risky, Denis Malyuska said. But they could dig defence works.
Ukrainian Terror Attacks (attacks that target civilians)
16th/17th February
According to Slavyangrad:
During the night, air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones over the Kaluga, Voronezh, Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk regions, the Ministry of Defense reports.
According to Tass:
The air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 4 UAVs over the territories of the Belgorod region, 4 UAVs - over the Voronezh region, 1 UAV - over the Kursk region, 18 UAVs - over the Bryansk region, and 6 UAVs - over the Kaluga region
At 6.30 am on the 17th Feb, the village of Panteleymovka in the DPR was attacked killing four (including a 15 year old girl) and injuring many more - according to RT.
18th/19th February
According to the Two Majors:
The AFU hit the centre of Donetsk with a Slovakian shrapnel rocket. Fortunately, no one was injured. In Donetsk a resident blew himself up on a "petal", in Gorlovka two wounded from detonation of a previously unexploded cluster bomb. Belgorod region was attacked by 16 AFU drones. About 28 shells were fired at settlements in the region, a civilian was injured.
Another report claimed that Bryansk was attacked by 19 drones which were destroyed. One drone fell on the grounds of the nuclear power plant at Kursk and another caused some damage after being shot down over Voronezh. Some drones reached Kaluga but were shot down.
19th/20th February Overnight
A civilian facility in Mariupol was attacked overnight but the drones were shot down before they could cause damage. In Bryansk region, 7 aircraft type drones were shot down while villages in Belgorod and Kursk came under heavy shelling. Finally, in Donetsk a civilian was injured by explosives dropped from a drone while shelling killed one and injured another three. The Belgorod governor’s detailed report can be viewed here.
20th/21st February Overnight
According to the Two Majors:
The enemy struck the civilian population of Donetsk twice yesterday, 1 civilian was killed and 10 were injured. In the Kursk region, Gogolevka, Oleshnya, Troitskoye and Gordeyevka settlements were shelled. Attacks on the Belgorod region are continuing.
Another source reported that 2 more civilians were killed and three wounded in Donetsk. Here is Belgorod Governor’s detailed report.
21st/22nd February Overnight
According to the Two Majors:
At night, an enemy S-200 missile (converted for strikes on ground targets) was destroyed over the territory of the Rostov region. An aircraft-type UAV was shot down over the Bryansk region. The shelling of the Belgorod region continues, the locality of the Stachny Khutor of the Valuysky urban district was attacked by an AFU kamikaze drone. In Donetsk, two women were injured from AFU shelling.
22nd/23rd February Overnight
According to the Two Majors:
The Nazis continue to strike at the civilian population of the Belgorod region. In Glotovo, Grayvoron urban district, two UAVs dropped charges on trucks, two civilians were injured. In Kozinka, also Grayvoron urban district, an UAV dropped an explosive device near a grocery store. In the Bryansk region, cluster munitions fired from MLRS at the settlement of Borok in the Pogarsky district, and an aircraft-type UAV was destroyed in the Surazhsky district. In Donetsk, the enemy fired 104 rounds of ammunition, four civilians were wounded.
Saboteurs In Lvov
According to Slavyangrad:
On the night from Saturday to Sunday, Lvov underground activists slaughtered the guards at the Lvov factory at Antonovycha/116, after which they doused the facility with gasoline and burned it to the ground. The fire covered an area of more than 400 square meters.
It is claimed that the factory was producing 5,000 drones per month. I have no idea who carried out these attacks but I am assuming that they are pro-Russian. Maybe a resistance movement is growing in Ukraine.
Albert Kruchinin Attacked in Odessa
Far Right Sector activist Albert Kruchinin and his wife were seriously injured when their car exploded in Gvardeyskoye, Odessa. These are two isolated incidents but they could be part of a trend - who knows?
The Sea War
16th/17th February
Four drones were shot down over the Black Sea at night.
The Air War (Map)
Russian Missile/Drone Strikes
16th/17th February
Mirgorod and Kirovograd were attacked overnight.
17th/18th February
Poltava, Kharkov and Sumy regions came under heavy missile attack overnight, according to Slavyangrad.
19th February
Explosions were heard in Poltava and Kirovograd. The Kanatavo airfield at Kirovograd was among the military targets attacked.
19th/20th February Overnight
According to Slavyangrad:
During the night, enemy UAVs attacked Poltavshchyna. The sounds of explosions were heard in the Kremenchug district. An industrial facility came under attack.
At 23.31 Moscow time on the 20th, Geraniums struck the airfield at Mirgorod.
22nd/23rd Overnight
Geraniums attacked Odessa overnight while kamikazes were used to attack Poltava. Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk were also attacked. Here’s a short report from SouthFront which is really well done.
Ukrainian Missile/Drone Strikes
19th February
An oil depot in Makeyevka (Donetsk) was damaged overnight injuring one civilian.
The Ground War
I think it would be fair to say that the intensity of Russia’s attacks has without doubt increased recently. The fall of Adveeka illustrates this but Russian MoD reports also support this view. Alexander Mercouris reported that Putin has asked for the army to capitalise on the Avdeevka breakthrough. So it sounds as if Russia will be putting its foot on the gas - maybe.
Russian MoD Reports
w/e 2nd Feb 6230 Casualties killed and wounded: Equipment losses 356 (including 11 motor boats)
w/e 9th Feb 6030 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 257 (including 7 boats).
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)
The Fronts
Avdeevka Falls
So - the formidable fortress from which the Ukrainians have been killing thousands of civilians in Donetsk City and the DPR over the past ten years has finally fallen. The Russians are now advancing westward - beyond it.
The Military Chronicle provided this report:
At night [i.e. 3 am on the 17th February], the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Syrsky, ordered the Armed Forces of Ukraine to abandon the city and retreat as best they could. The information was confirmed by the commander of the Tavria group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tarnavsky. Moreover, the latter has already managed to announce the withdrawal of the entire Ukrainian army from the settlement, confirming that many are being taken prisoner.
Individual units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine most likely do not even know about this order yet - they are surrounded, have lost communication, are disorganized and have lost control. Most of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fleeing from the city are accumulating in the Khimik area, from where they are already running to the west through fields and plantings. Ours are advancing on the shoulders of the retreating and are already in this area, meeting the fleeing Armed Forces of Ukraine from the flanks.
The Two Majors summed it up as follows:
The enemy is defeated and flees. There is still a lot of combat work to be done in the direction, but Avdeevka was fortified by the enemy for about 10 years. Entire enemy institutes developed special types of reinforced concrete, fortified areas were conceived as impregnable.
The withdrawal from Avdeevka was not an orderly one and much heavy equipment and many wounded were left behind. Some say that Azov’s 3rd Brigade was in Avdeevka, lost 600 men in four days and left without permission, thereby contributing to a collapse rather than a planned retreat. They say that Syrsky caught up with events by ordering a retreat rather than being in control of them. Some Ukrainian Telegram Channels lend support to these claims by citing evidence of flight rather than organised withdrawal. They also express a resigned acceptance that ‘there will more and more Avdeevkas’.
Another Ukrainian channel reported on an agreement that was allegedly made by the Ukrainians with the Russians in relation to their wounded. These Ukrainians expressed concern that in future, soldiers could make deals with the Russians that would secure their surrender rather than their deaths. I agree, I think surrenders could become a problem for the Ukrainian army before very long.
If you would like some interesting speculation about what the Russians will do next you may enjoy a shortish summary by Honzo, Feb 18 (post 26) Moon of Alabama (Ukraine thread).
The Russian MoD reckons the Ukrainians suffered at least 1500 casualties on February 17th. Many more Ukrainian ‘strays’ will be picked up as part of the Russian ‘clearing’ operation underway and one report suggests that at least 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been captured.
The Duran boys (32 mins) provide some political analysis in which they reveal Zelensky’s anger that the City was abandoned. They confirm that there was a mass exodus even before Syrsky gave the order to leave. The political infighting is likely to increase.
By the end of the week, Russian forces had pushed further west and were fighting for the villages of Lastochkino and Severnoye. The capture of Avdeevka, which is key to the Ukrainian defences of the Donbass, will give the Russians access to a railway line that will allow them to bring supplies to the area more easily.
Personally, I think that Avdeevka will have a very prominent place in the Russian historical memory - especially for those in the Donbass. Even though the people in Donetsk city and the DPR will certainly suffer more shelling, they will feel elated at the capture of the main source of their distress since 2014. This short video from 2015 shows what the local people felt about the Ukrainian fascists who had surrounded their Avdeevka, placed military bases in shopping centres and started shelling their neighbours in Donetsk. 90% wanted to be part of the DPR.
Zaporozhye - Rabotino - Verbove
On February 17th, immediately after the defeat of Avdeevka, the Russians attacked at Rabotino. According to the Two Majors:
At the moment there are fierce battles near Rabotino. The forces of the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle and 76th Guards Air Assault Divisions of the Russian Armed Forces, under the cover of artillery fire, destroy Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who are trying to hide in landings and strongholds. Mortar crews and FPV drone operators strike at detected enemy personnel. Russian aviation is carrying out massive attacks on strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Rabotino area and the outskirts of Orekhov with FAB-500 bombs with UPMK.
One report suggests that 50,000 Russian troops have been deployed in this direction.
Kherson - Krynki
On 21st February it was reported that Krynki had been completely captured by the Russians. One report suggests that the Ukrainians lost 3,500 men attempting to create a bridgehead here since last October. But some reports suggest that some Ukrainians are still holding out in Krynki.
Kupyansk - Sinkovka
According Slavyangrad to on 22nd February:
The Russian Armed Forces continued to destroy the enemy near Sinkovka and in the populated area itself. The enemy is not going to leave this point, he snaps with all his might. Our artillery and aviation are working without stopping. The TOS-1 crew burns out Ukrainian dislocation points in the central and western parts of Sinkovka.
South Donetsk
According to Rybar on 21st February 14.00 hrs:
A few hours ago, Russian military personnel raised the Red Banner over one of the houses in the center of the village of Pobeda, where fighting had been ongoing for months. The settlement is now under Russian Armed Forces control. Around Pobeda, the AFU constructed a defense line along Marinka - Pobeda - “Menagerie”. This fortified area near the village had been hindering Russian troop movement towards Kostyantynivka, a location on the logistics route to Ugledar.
So, the capture of Pobeda may cut supplies to Ugledar - a strong fortress on a hill - which has been a thorn in Russians’ side for a long time.
The Economic War
US Steals Russian Assets Worth $500,000
The assets in question have been stolen by the US and sent to Estonia rather than Ukraine due to some ‘inconvenient’ legislation that prohibits a more direct line of transit - according to RT. The money is earmarked to repair the Ukraine electric grid so that the Russians can destroy it again.
Europe Relies on Russian Energy - in Spite of Sanctions
The EU purchased 29.1 billion Euros of Russian oil and gas during 2023. It also purchased ferrous metals, nickel, aluminum, platinum group metals, fertilizers, and inorganic chemical products (including nuclear fuel, ammonia, etc.). This proves that that the whole sanctions shit show is nonsense. The US is also buying plenty of stuff from Russia. It’s as if the EU and the US want to give the impression that they are not buying anything from Russia but reality dictates that they need to do so. The same sort of logic underpins the selective virtue signaling inherent in Green politics.
Russia Donates Free Wheat to Six African Nations
Russia is donating 200,000 tons of wheat to Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Eritrea. Somalia and the Central African Republic (CAR). You can read more here. Someone in the West is bound to say that this is bad for Africa, that the Russians will use wheat to blackmail African nations or some such nonsense.
Russian Bank Receives Credit Rating From China
Alfa Bank is the first Russian bank to receive a credit rating from China. A spokesman for the Chinese credit agency said:
The agency attributed its decision to a number of factors such as Alfa-Bank’s systemic importance, efficient corporate management, high asset quality, and strong lending capacity.
The bank hopes to open branches in Shanghai and Beijing.
World Politics
The Scary Narrative Strikes Again
Stephane Sejourne
French Foreign and European Affairs Minister Stephane Sejourne, in an appeal to French farmers perhaps, has warned that they could come under ‘attack’ from the Russians if they are allowed to win in Ukraine.
Allowing Russia to seize the Ukrainian black lands, which are among the most fertile in the world, would be to abdicate a part of food sovereignty, accept unbridled inflation, and provide Russia with unprecedented means of pressure and extortion.
The French people would suffer an enormous economic shock, he claimed. These people really do believe that we are complete idiots. The French farmers won’t fall for it, to be sure. Next, the French health minister will be telling the elderly that their teeth will fall out if Russia wins in Ukraine!
Can I highlight something here: it is pointless for politicians to talk about ‘not allowing the Russians to win’ when they do not have the resources and power to stop them. Anyone who has taken even a cursory glance at Russian v Ukrainian resources will know this. Ukraine is a middleweight boxer fighting a heavyweight and it can’t win. Sometimes politicians must accept reality but those who have immersed themselves for so long in the fantasy of Woke politics and (scary) global warming (among other things) can’t get oriented to the real world. They have lost their bearings, so to speak. Therefore, their actions never produce the outcomes they expect of them (yes I’ve probably said this before). Claiming that the Russians can’t be allowed to win is a moral imperative which is very different from we will stop Russia winning which is a statement of intent - yet the former statement is very often used by the legacy media and politicians.
Munich Security Conference
As you would expect, there was plenty of scaremongering in the air at this conference including this statement by Senator Pete Ricketts:
The world is polarized between authoritarian countries, leaders. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran - these are authoritarian leaders who are trying to change a system that has been in place since 1945, has provided peace and prosperity. We believe that liberal values are very important, we represent democracies that provide peace and prosperity.
Note that he repeated the ‘peace and prosperity’ line which we all know is nonsense. He also warned that if Russia defeats Ukraine it will invade Western European countries, therefore people must be prepared to make sacrifices so that more money can be spent on defence. But wouldn’t it be more grown up to seek to make friends rather than enemies?
Regarding the question of authoritarianism, Peter, can I remind you that here in Scotland we suffer the most draconian anti-free speech laws in the world. Here, in the land of the brave, we can’t even speak our minds let alone brandish a claymore.
Pistorius or Pissed
German Defence Minister Pistorius had this to say at the Munich Security conference:
Ladies and gentlemen, after the end of the Cold War, we tried to build an inclusive pan-European security system. Unfortunately, we failed. And today we know that all our attempts were in spite of the Kremlin's strategy in Central and Eastern Europe. Our responsibility now is to help Ukraine restore its territorial integrity and make it more resilient. Ukraine's future lies in NATO and the EU. I want to see this country there, and Ukraine itself wants to see itself there too. That means we will support them in fighting and winning this war.
Clearly the insanely irrational ‘Ukraine can win’ narrative which I thought was dead and buried, still survives in the deluded minds of some.
At the conference, Kaya Kallas, equally deluded, said: ‘When Russia attacks NATO, it will attack us all, because we are all equal members of the Alliance’ (my emphasis). These people want the world to be nice and cuddly but the reality is very different. All members of the alliance are equal but some are more equal than others.
Finally, can I just say that Munich was the location of Hitler’s Beer Hall Putch in 1923. In the light of events subsequent to this, is it not a strange place to hold a security conference. Anyway, that just my humble opinion.
Russian Nukes in Space
The US government is promoting a story that accuses Russia of having developed a nuclear weapon that targets space satellites. Analysts claim that the Russians now have ‘a nuclear-powered device to blind, jam or fry the electronics inside satellites [rather] than an explosive nuclear warhead to shoot them down’. Sounds scary. The Kremlin suggested that this is yet another fear-mongering device to persuade congress to pass a Bill to give Ukraine lots of money.
Zelensky to Ditch US
In a recent speech, the once great Z warned the US that unless its House of Representatives agrees to provide Ukraine with aid the US will be dropped as a strategic partner. This will have Congressmen and Senators quivering in their boots. Does Z really think that Ukraine is anything but a plaything to be kicked around in the US political arena. Doh!
Lindsey Added To Russian Terrorist List
Republican hawk Lindsey Graham, who recently called for Russia to be labelled a state sponsor of terrorism, has himself been added to Russia’s list of terrorists and extremists. No US politician who is supporting the genocide in Gaza has any right to throw mud at anyone else. What a plonker. Graham is entry number 3967, apparently.
Zombie Joe
Have a look at this: https://twitter.com/i/status/1759653137026003249
Unbelievable.
Protests
London - Glasgow - Pro -Palestine Protests
It is estimated that 250,000 protested in London and 10,000 marched in Glasgow on the 17th February.
US Truckers
US truckers are flexing their muscles by blocking deliveries to New York City from Monday 19th Feb - according to Zero Hedge. This is meant to remind the elites that it is working men and women who run the country. One trucker said: ‘MAGA patriots make this country run; liberals make our coffee’.
Greek Farmers
Farmers demanding support for agriculture collected in the centre of Athens this week with their tractors. Police used water cannon against the protesters and police buses blocked the way to the Presidential palace.
Spanish Farmers
Several hundred tractors entered the Madrid this week. Police attempted to disburse the crowd with batons.
French Farmers
According to the Two Majors:
In France , non-union farmers have become more active, resuming blocking highways, dumping manure in front of government buildings and destroying imported produce in stores.
Farmers’ Protests 22nd February
Farmers from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and Latvia protested on February 22nd, according to the Two Majors. They objected to cheap Ukrainian grain imports and climate taxes/regulations. Slogans included: “No to NATO!” and “Putin, bring order to Ukraine, Brussels and our leadership’’.
ICJ
Egypt is to lodge ‘a note’ over Israel’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories on 21st Feb but the hearings will last until Monday 26th Feb. A lawsuit has been submitted by the UN General Assembly questioning the legitimacy of Israel’s control over the West Bank. However, the court does not have the power to force Israel to act in accordance with its rulings: it can only advise. You can read more detail at Tass.
The emerging Multi-Polar World Order
Egypt
The Egyptians are planning a move away from the dollar in their trade with fellow BRICS countries. You can read more at RT which includes the following observations:
The BRICS countries are actively boosting the use of national currencies in mutual trade, and have even signaled the possibility of introducing a new single trade currency at the next summit in August. While such a currency is still a work in progress, some Western officials have admitted that the newly enlarged BRICS, which, in addition to Egypt, now also includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, has the power to topple the US dollar’s dominance even without its own currency.
Maduro
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that the country will be joining BRICS in the near future.
The old colonial world with wars, interventions, genocide and a superiority complex [is being replaced by] a new world with BRICS. This world already exists and is irreversible.
Sergei Lavrov is paying Maduro a visit this week as part of his South American tour. In a speech, Maduro said: ‘Today, Russia is stronger economically. Today, Russia is winning the war on the battlefield, it’s defeating the entire West on the battlefield’.
Medvedev
In a recent interview, Dmitry Medvedev described the ‘rules based order’ as a myth employed by the West to secure conformity to its own version of liberalism. But where are the rules? Has anyone seen them? Medvedev also had this to say:
Not long ago, nations of Asia, Middle East and Latin America were arrogantly labeled ‘the Third World,’ or at best ‘developing nations’ at the behest of the collective West. Now these nations are rapidly developing to become the framework, nodes of growth for a multipolar world.
In another interview he hinted at the Russian intention to capture Kiev and Odessa. In a trolling mood, he called European leaders ‘dim lackluster technocrats’. Come on Dmitry, don’t pull your punches - that’s much too kind!
Anyway, that’s it for another eventful week. Thanks for your views, subscriptions, likes, shares and comments. Best Rob
Non subscribers can view Updates on Telegram: https://t.me/UWUupdate.
There is only one Rule in the Rules Based Order: All the Way With The USA (bugger international law).
Another comprehensive review.
"A source close to Sputnik claims that the attack was carried out at the insistence of British advisers. It sounds as if this could have been a mistake rather than a deliberate act designed to kill POWs."
Well, you know what Andrei Martyanov says about that: British troops (and Mi6) these days only know how to kill civilians and conduct terror attacks since they've ceased being a functioning army (and government). Couple that with historic British hatred of Russia and, well, I think it's difficult to give them the benefit of the doubt. OTOH, Martyanov also always says western militaries are incompetent, so there's that.
Nice pic of Christopher Lambert as Connor McCleod from the "Highlander" franchise - one of my favorite movie franchises (absent the second in the series which was utter garbage and is now considered non-canonical.) It also spun off two TV series: "Highlander" - which lasted 6 seasons - and "Highlander - The Raven" which was only one season.