Eastern Europe/Ukraine [Feb 6th 2015]

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 13 Feb 2022 22:08

Flights to Ukraine halted or redirected as crisis brews

MOSCOW -- Some airlines have canceled or diverted flights to Ukraine amid warnings from the West that an invasion by Russia is imminent despite intensive weekend talks between Moscow and Washington.

In an hourlong call Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden said an invasion of Ukraine would cause “widespread human suffering” and that the West was committed to diplomacy to end the crisis but “equally prepared for other scenarios,” the White House said. It offered no suggestion that the call diminished the threat of an imminent war in Europe.

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 14 Feb 2022 02:34

https://twitter.com/RichardEngel/status ... 9427190788

American propaganda for manufacturing public consent in the USA for war against Russia.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 14 Feb 2022 05:31

The US beats the war drums to deflect from its domestic failures. It will continue to do so until various fund managers can buy low and sell when equity markets return to normal.

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 14 Feb 2022 09:06

what is even less surpising is that congressi media in India is pushing american interests instead of Indian. These traitors in the Indian media should be rewarded with a bullet in the head for their service to the country.

https://indianexpress.com/article/expla ... e-7772177/

The entire article ignores the AUKUS/EU provocation that is causing russia to respond.

This is similar to how hindus are made the culprits in India when Muslims and Christians push the buttons to cause social conflict.

Y. Kanan · Post by **Y. Kanan** » 14 Feb 2022 10:02

Some kind of dramatic false flag has to be in the works from the Americans and their minions. There is no other explanation for Washington's bizarre claims and behavior. They're up to something. What will it be? A sudden chemical attack on the Donbas? A nuclear blast in Ukraine? I have a feeling something big and unexpected is going to happen in either Ukraine or Russia, something terrible.

kit · Post by **kit** » 14 Feb 2022 12:22

Y. Kanan wrote:Some kind of dramatic false flag has to be in the works from the Americans and their minions. There is no other explanation for Washington's bizarre claims and behavior. They're up to something. What will it be? A sudden chemical attack on the Donbas? A nuclear blast in Ukraine? I have a feeling something big and unexpected is going to happen in either Ukraine or Russia, something terrible.

Most likely the Brits., they were the ones to put boots in Ukraine "advisors" .. i think they will provoke the Russians in Crimea,

kit · Post by **kit** » 14 Feb 2022 13:39

srikandan wrote:https://twitter.com/RichardEngel/status ... 9427190788

American propaganda for manufacturing public consent in the USA for war against Russia.

the same pic duly picked up by british newspapers now !!

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/west ... -tr9n32nfj

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 14 Feb 2022 14:00

It would be interesting to see what the Russian media is actually saying.

The western media and governments have absolutely no credibility

Cyrano · Post by **Cyrano** » 14 Feb 2022 14:07

Funny no one is making statements like "Nuclear armed western nations on the brink of war, haven't learnt any lessons from WW2". Perhaps N weapons are dangerous only in the hands of the non-west.

nam · Post by **nam** » 14 Feb 2022 15:26

If Russia was serious about the war, you will never see the reams of photos & videos of kit being moving around.

Russia has been mobilizing for months now, with every tom, dick & his father in law knowing where the forces !

We mobilised for war after Pulwama. There is not a SINGLE image of our mobilisation after Pulwama. Not even for Feb 27, when we were about launch missile strikes on Pak.

People could see C17 after C17 on Flight radar, moving resources to forward locations. Entire strike force of IN was deployed, yet till this date not even ONE image is available.

kit · Post by **kit** » 14 Feb 2022 19:27

nam wrote:If Russia was serious about the war, you will never see the reams of photos & videos of kit being moving around.

Russia has been mobilizing for months now, with every tom, dick & his father in law knowing where the forces !

People could see C17 after C17 on Flight radar, moving resources to forward locations. Entire strike force of IN was deployed, yet till this date not even ONE image is available.

I think all this is about posturing , but also quite dynamic., Western leaders esp Biden were initially ok for a "small" incursion , then quickly backed off looking at the backlash from the deep state powered by the trillion dollar war machine salivating at the prospect of a full conflict, that could very well see all the European state rearm.. and guess who they are going to buy weapons from ?!!

Public opinion has been primed in one way now and neither the US and Russia can do anything now.. for Russia the best option would to play the long game.. sit it out till the time of its own choosing

A very high risk scenario and indeed with a high probability of happening is a false flag operation by one of the western agencies inside Ukraine.. lets hope THAT does not happen

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 14 Feb 2022 20:07

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-is ... 1644781247 Ukraine Is a Distraction From Taiwan

since it is behind paywall posting in full

A Russian invasion of Ukraine would be the most substantial use of military force in Europe since World War II and could put Moscow in a position to threaten American allies in Europe. Many in the US foreign policy establishment argue that the appropriate US response to such an invasion is a major deployment of US troops on the continent. It would be a big mistake.

The United States can no longer afford to expand its military across the globe. The reason is simple: an increasingly aggressive China, the most powerful state to rise in the international system since the United States itself. By some measures, the Chinese economy is now the largest in the world. And he built an army to match his economic weight. Twenty-five years ago, the Chinese military was backward and obsolete. But extraordinary increases in Beijing’s defense budget over more than two decades and the unrelenting concentration of top political leaders have transformed the People’s Liberation Army into one of the strongest armies the world has ever seen.

The new Chinese military is capable not only of territorial defense but also of power projection. In addition to having the largest navy in the world by number of ships, China has certain capabilities, such as certain types of hypersonic weapons, that even the United States has not developed.

More urgently, China poses an increasingly imminent threat to Taiwan. Xi Jinping has made it clear that his platform of “national rejuvenation” cannot succeed until Taiwan unifies with the mainland, whether it likes it or not. The PLA is increasingly confident in its ability to conquer Taiwan even if the United States intervenes. Given China’s military and economic might, Chinese leaders reasonably doubt that the United States or anyone else would mount a meaningful response to an invasion of Taiwan. To give an idea of his determination, Mr. Xi warned that any “foreign force” that stands in the way of China will have “the head. . . bloody battle against a Great Wall of steel forged by more than 1.4 billion Chinese.

The United States must defend Taiwan to maintain its credibility as the leader of a coalition for a free and open Indo-Pacific. From a military point of view, Taiwan is a vital link in the first chain of islands in the Western Pacific. If Taiwan falls to the Chinese, the United States will have a harder time defending critical allies like Japan and the Philippines, while China will be able to project its naval, air and other forces near the United States and its territories. Taiwan is also an economic powerhouse, the United States’ ninth largest trading partner for goods, with a virtual monopoly on the most advanced semiconductor technology, to which the United States would almost certainly lose access after a war. .

The Biden administration this month ordered more than 6,000 additional U.S. troops to deploy to Eastern Europe, with many more potentially on the way. These deployments would entail the innumerable additional commitments of air, space, naval and logistical forces necessary to activate and protect them. These are precisely the types of forces needed to defend Taiwan. The essential resources – ammunition, high-end aviation, submarines and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities – needed to fight Russia or China are scarce. For example, stealth heavy bombers are the crown jewel of American military power, but there are only 20 of them in the entire Air Force.

The United States has no hope of competing with China and defending Taiwan if it is distracted elsewhere. It is an illusion that the United States can, as Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby recently put it, “walk and chew gum at the same time” against Russia and China. Sending more resources to Europe is the very definition of getting distracted. Rather than increasing its forces in Europe, the United States should move towards reductions.

There is a viable alternative for the defense of Europe: Europeans themselves can step up and do more for themselves, especially when it comes to conventional weapons. This is well within Europe’s reach, as the combined economic power of the NATO states eclipses that of Russia. NATO allies spend much more on their armies than Russia. To help its European allies, the United States can provide various forms of support, including lethal weapons, while remaining committed to NATO defense, albeit in a more constrained way, by providing high-end military capabilities and fungible. The United States can also continue to extend its nuclear deterrent to NATO.

The United States must remain committed to the defense of NATO, but spare its essential resources for the main combat in Asia, and in Taiwan in particular. Denying China the ability to dominate Asia is more important than anything happening in Europe. To be frank: Taiwan is more important than Ukraine. America’s European allies are in a better position to deal with Russia than America’s Asian allies to deal with China. The Chinese cannot be allowed to think that America’s distraction in Ukraine provides them with a window of opportunity to invade Taiwan. The United States must act accordingly, crisis or not.

Mr. Colby is director of the Marathon Initiative and author of “The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict.” Ms. Mastro is a Central Scholar at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford and a Nonresident Senior Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

As more US troops arrive in Eastern Europe, NATO has strengthened its defensive positions around Ukraine, while Moscow has been warned that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline deal will be canceled in the event of a invasion

kit · Post by **kit** » 14 Feb 2022 20:51

Rubbish.., America has deployed B52 bombers , currently 4-6 being deployed in UK.( and not the Stealth bombers) , only one carrier group is right up near Russia., 4-5 carrier groups are deployed right now in Indo pacific.. look at the actual deployments to understand who is the bigger threat

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 14 Feb 2022 20:56

This is basic american skulduggery: Taiwan is to be handed to china without a fight, and once the troops are around Russian borders, and China takes over taiwan, then the inability of the US to fight China has a convenient excuse "stretched too thin".

The overall effect of the above scenario is an other step in the direction of US-China G2 detente, as envisioned by the war criminals Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzyzinski. The latters books outline exactly what is going on right now.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 15 Feb 2022 00:58

srikandan wrote:... as envisioned by the war criminals Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzyzinski. The latters books outline exactly what is going on right now.

srikandan avargal, what has transpired when a bunch of stinktankers, including HK, met PM Modi ji a few years back? It would have been 2015 or 2016 IIRC.

We never heard anything about what was talked about from the GOI.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 15 Feb 2022 01:07

IndraD wrote:https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-is ... 1644781247 Ukraine Is a Distraction From Taiwan
...

A small tidbit about Elbridge A. Colby

, lead author of the 2018 US National Defense Strategy and supporter of the Republican efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, is his (Ed: William Egan Colby) grandson.

Who is William Colby you ask?

He was the DCI under Nixon. When he died George H. W. Bush took over.

(from Wikipedia).

So what @srikandan ji is saying might very well turn out to be the case. Taiwan's status might change real soon now.

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 15 Feb 2022 01:18

vayutuvan ji: what has transpired when a bunch of stinktankers, including HK, met PM Modi ji a few years back? It would have been 2015 or 2016 IIRC.

We never heard anything about what was talked about from the GOI.

vayutuvan saar, HK (Nixon NSA) is one of the two intellectual drivers of US foreign-policy even at this age (96?) and Zbigniew Brzyzinski (Carter NSA) until his death in 2020 (consulted by the very top in both GOP and Democrat adminstrations, with the exception of Trump). ZB wrote a book called "the grand chessboard" which is relevant to what's going on. Edward Luttwak erstwhile cattle farmer and ex-professor of History who was a consultant for the US govt. in the past decade is very clear that the US-China G2 detente is still on, and there is little chance of reversal. Check his twitter timeline at eluttwak

Blurb on the book:

Eurasia is the ”grand chessboard” on which America's supremacy will be ratified and challenged in the years to come. The task facing the United States, he argues, is to manage the conflicts and relationships in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East so that no rival superpower arises to threaten our interests or our well-being.The heart of The Grand Chessboard is Brzezinski's analysis of the four critical regions of Eurasia and of the stakes for America in each arena—Europe, Russia, Central Asia, and East Asia. The crucial fault lines may seem familiar, but the implosion of the Soviet Union has created new rivalries and new relationships, and Brzezinski maps out the strategic ramifications of the new geopolitical realities. He explains, for example: Why France and Germany will play pivotal geostrategic roles, whereas Britain and Japan will not. Why NATO expansion offers Russia the chance to undo the mistakes of the past, and why Russia cannot afford to toss this opportunity aside. Why the fate of Ukraine and Azerbaijan are so important to America. Why viewing China as a menace is likely to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"Managing conflicts" (Created by the US) all over the world is a central part this dbag's plan. ZB is same fellow who used the pakis to take down the soviets in 1978 -- something he is very proud of.

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 15 Feb 2022 02:06

, lead author of the 2018 US National Defense Strategy and supporter of the Republican efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, is his (Ed: William Egan Colby) grandson.

Anything during Trump years have to be ignored because the caterwauling in both parties against Trump was largely due to his overt reversal of Kissinger's China policies and Zbigniew's Plans of Pushing NATO all the way to Alaska. Trump also broke relations with the EU that the US had cultivated to implement Brzyznski's wet dream that he details in his book -- now that Trump has been replaced, things are "back on track".

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 15 Feb 2022 03:24

Sochi Olympics: February 7, 2014 - February 23, 2014

Color revolution: Anti-government protesters guard the perimeter of Independence Square, known as Maidan, on February 19, 2014 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Beijing olympics: Feb 4 - Feb 20, 2022

False flag should be this week or next, since the jokers seem to run by some timetable.

Roop · Post by **Roop** » 15 Feb 2022 07:45

srikandan wrote:This is basic american skulduggery: Taiwan is to be handed to china without a fight, and once the troops are around Russian borders, and China takes over taiwan, then the inability of the US to fight China has a convenient excuse "stretched too thin".

You know, I've been worrying about exactly this sort of thing (or something along these lines) for weeks now. It seems the fix is in -- Taiwan is to be sacrificed to China, using the "stretched too thin" excuse. There are too many powerful interests in the US who are completely in the tank for China -- serving and retired politicians (likely including Biden himself, and the Clintons), academia, entertainment/sports industries, govt. functionaries like Fauci and Collins.

China has its claws deeply into American society at the decision-making level. American elites despise their own fellow-citizens from the working class and love/adore Chinese oligarchs.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 15 Feb 2022 08:21

srikandan wrote:Sochi Olympics: February 7, 2014 - February 23, 2014

Color revolution: Anti-government protesters guard the perimeter of Independence Square, known as Maidan, on February 19, 2014 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Beijing olympics: Feb 4 - Feb 20, 2022

False flag should be this week or next, since the jokers seem to run by some timetable.

The American jokers are saying Feb. 16th including Bloomberg. Germany, France, and even the UK are saying hold on.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 15 Feb 2022 09:00

srikandan wrote:Sochi Olympics: February 7, 2014 - February 23, 2014

Color revolution: Anti-government protesters guard the perimeter of Independence Square, known as Maidan, on February 19, 2014 in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Beijing olympics: Feb 4 - Feb 20, 2022

False flag should be this week or next, since the jokers seem to run by some timetable.

False flag for what? Do they really want to push the russkis? The bear has prepped for this for ages with just one option....new killer. I think it's just a show to distract public from economic woes and perhaps secure the midterm election... And more importantly, massive orders for the mic.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 15 Feb 2022 09:03

Mort Walker wrote:The US beats the war drums to deflect from its domestic failures. It will continue to do so until various fund managers can buy low and sell when equity markets return to normal.

This.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 15 Feb 2022 09:13

Roop wrote:... There are too many powerful interests in the US who are completely in the tank for China -- serving and retired politicians (likely including Biden himself, and the Clintons), academia, entertainment/sports industries, ...

Roop ji,

you are forgetting the avaricious silly-con valli folks!

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 15 Feb 2022 11:55

Russian envoy warns of right to counterattack in eastern Ukraine

Russia’s ambassador to the EU has said Moscow would be within its rights to launch a “counterattack” if it felt it needed to protect Russian citizens living in eastern Ukraine.

The comments in an interview with the Guardian will do little to calm fears of a major Russian assault on Ukraine, given one of the key scenarios suggested by western intelligence was Russia launching a “false-flag” operation to provide a pretext for invasion.

“We will not invade Ukraine unless we are provoked to do that,” said Vladimir Chizhov, who has represented Russia in Brussels since 2005. “If the Ukrainians launch an attack against Russia, you shouldn’t be surprised if we counterattack. Or, if they start blatantly killing Russian citizens anywhere – Donbas or wherever.”

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 15 Feb 2022 11:57

France warns Russia ready for 'major offensive' against Ukraine

France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Monday that "all the elements" were in place for Russia to wage a "major offensive" against Ukraine after Moscow massed thousands of troops on its borders. "Are there all the elements for a major offensive by Russian forces in Ukraine? Yes there are, it's possible, it's possible quickly," Le Drian told France 5 television.

But there was nothing to suggest Moscow had yet taken a decision, he added. "There is still a diplomatic solution (possible), yes that's for sure," said Le Drian.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 15 Feb 2022 11:59

Ukraine Seeks Urgent Russia-OSCE Meeting Over Troop Buildup

Ukraine said Sunday it is seeking urgent talks with Russia and the several dozen members of Europe’s top security body to discuss the buildup of some 130,000 Russian troops near Kyiv’s borders.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the meeting follows Russia’s failure to respond to Kyiv’s request late last week for detailed explanations on its military activities near Ukraine.

“We request a meeting with Russia and all participating states [of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] within 48 hours,” Kuleba tweeted.

The 57-member OSCE meeting will seek to discuss Russia’s “reinforcement and redeployment along our border and in temporarily occupied Crimea,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.

Kuleba urged the Kremlin to fulfill its commitment toward military transparency under the OSCE’s confidence-building measures “if Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space.”

Journalists said Russia did in fact respond to Ukraine's request, but did so after the 48-hour timeframe had ended.

kit · Post by **kit** » 15 Feb 2022 13:24

Cain Marko wrote:
Mort Walker wrote:The US beats the war drums to deflect from its domestic failures. It will continue to do so until various fund managers can buy low and sell when equity markets return to normal.
This.

Remember Buffet and SOROS

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 15 Feb 2022 14:04

Apparently 16 feb is the day of the attack as predicted by US. Zelensky has promptly declared it to be a day of unity. I hope the US has provided a time of attack as well

In other news Biden and the 51st state had a 40 min meeting. Johnson said he will do everything it could to help… which is what exactly?

Cyrano · Post by **Cyrano** » 15 Feb 2022 14:17

My gut feel is its China which will try something aggressive while everyone is fixated with Russia/Ukraine. On Taiwan/India. Our forces and GoI should be on full alert.

kit · Post by **kit** » 15 Feb 2022 14:21

Cyrano wrote:My gut feel is its China which will try something aggressive while everyone is fixated with Russia/Ukraine. On Taiwan/India. Our forces and GoI should be on full alert.

true., but if not for the olympics !!

madhu · Post by **madhu** » 15 Feb 2022 14:32

i know India stupidly likes to follow dharma in war too. but what if china is busy with Taiwan can we grab some land on aksai chin just line what they did during kargil war? that will be the best case scenario for India, just enough land that it will not push us into war but enough to consolidate our position for future.

SRajesh · Post by **SRajesh** » 15 Feb 2022 15:15

^^^Come to think of it, Madhuji all this Hijab/Nikab tamasha has been created to keep us distracted while China grabs Taiwan and Russia a slice of Ukraine???

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 15 Feb 2022 15:20

Russian military says drills finished, some troops returning to bases

Ukraine Crisis News Today: Moscow wants guarantees from the West that NATO won't allow Ukraine and other former Soviet countries to join as members https://indianexpress.com/article/world ... a-7774499/

kit · Post by **kit** » 15 Feb 2022 15:22

madhu wrote:i know India stupidly likes to follow dharma in war too. but what if china is busy with Taiwan can we grab some land on aksai chin just line what they did during kargil war? that will be the best case scenario for India, just enough land that it will not push us into war but enough to consolidate our position for future.

Interesting thought., chini needs to pivot forces towards taiwan., India could utilise that window of opportunity and break off Aksai Chin

.. only thing needed is political spine., the forces seem to be confident..and ah nothing better for the elections, if India could give a sound thrashing to cheen

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 15 Feb 2022 20:11

The 57-member OSCE meeting will seek to discuss Russia’s “reinforcement and redeployment along our border and in temporarily occupied Crimea,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.

"temporarily occupied crimea" it seems.

srikandan · Post by **srikandan** » 15 Feb 2022 22:17

"If German citizens don't want to pay four or five times as much as they do for gas, they should be grateful to Mr Schröder" - Putin at press conference with Olaf Scholz.

If US/EU and the rest of the colonial dbags want to create war and misery, then Germany will get what's coming to it. Should be easy to do once they no longer have Russia as a supplier -- the pipelines to EU from the south are ISIS territory or just as politically unstable. The US/EU game of denial of space to other countries by funding violent yahoos, as they are doing in Afghanisthan/Ukraine, can be played against them.

kit · Post by **kit** » 15 Feb 2022 22:24

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russ ... -z95q0krfs

looks like they wont let go the tigers tail even when it tries to walk off

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 15 Feb 2022 22:34

Mort Walker wrote:

The American jokers are saying Feb. 16th including Bloomberg. Germany, France, and even the UK are saying hold on.

Oh, fantastic. Tomorrow (Feb 16th) I will be on a non-stop AI flight from Newark to Mumbai. Usual flight path clips eastern Ukraine. Both sides use those Buk ADS platforms which are not known to discriminate between civilian airliners and bogies very well

Atmavik · Post by **Atmavik** » 15 Feb 2022 22:44

I took the direct flight to Delhi last year and flight path was over the urals . Maybe it’s diff for Mumbai as it’s further south

Btw. As someone predicted here this is a repeat of op parakram. Co erosive diplomacy or some other chanakya. Thing. I doubt any direct invasion will happen