Light humor concerning Russian propaganda------
Counterbalancing "Western propaganda" by watching RT is like healing drug addiction with vodka.
A great article written in 2014 that is proving to be quite accurate—worth reading.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/04/21/...e-of-the-mind/
How Russia's president morphed from realist to ideologue -- and what he'll do next.
By Mark Galeotti, Andrew S. Bowen
April 21, 2014
Putin’s Empire of the Mind
A specter is haunting Europe, the specter of Russian imperialism.
When Vladimir Putin first came to power in 1999, he talked ideologically but acted rationally. He listened to a range of opinions, from liberal economist Alexei Kudrin to political fixer Vladislav Surkov — people willing to tell him hard truths and question groupthink. He may have regarded the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century, but he knew he couldn’t re-create it. Perhaps the best metaphor is that while he brought back the Soviet national anthem, it had new words. There was no thought of returning Russia to the failed Soviet model of the planned economy. And as a self-professed believer who always wears his baptismal cross, Putin encouraged the once-suppressed Russian Orthodox Church.
He was a Russian patriot, but he also was willing to cooperate with the West when it suited his interests. One of the first leaders to offer his condolences after the 9/11 attacks, Putin shared Russian intelligence on al Qaeda with the United States. He did not hesitate to protect Russia’s interests against the West — in 2008 Putin undercut any thought of NATO expansion into Georgia by launching a war against its vehemently pro-Western president, Mikheil Saakashvili — but Putin’s challenges were carefully calibrated to minimize repercussions while maximizing gains. He shut off gas to Ukraine, unleashed hackers on Estonia, and, yes, sent troops into Georgia, but he made sure that the costs of asserting regional hegemony were limited, bearable, and short term.
But that was the old Putin. Today, the West faces a rather different Russian leader.
After all, the annexation of Crimea, by any rational calculation, did not make sense. Russia already had immense influence on the peninsula, but without the need to subsidize it, as Ukraine had. (Russia has already pledged $1.5 billion to support Crimea.) The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s position in the Crimean seaport of Sevastopol was secure until 2042. Any invasion would anger the West and force it to support whatever government took the place of Viktor Yanukovych’s administration in Kiev, regardless of its composition or constitutionality.
Continued...............................
Light humor concerning Russian propaganda------
Counterbalancing "Western propaganda" by watching RT is like healing drug addiction with vodka.
Notorious "destroyed" Debaltsevo railway junction fully operable at DNR. Now Russia lacks marine port. Guess a name. https://twitter.com/InfoResist/statu...13468398379008 …
Tanks in Donetsk http://liveuamap.com/en/2015/30-july-tanks-in-donetsk … #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/w2YMrBlXR5 via @666_mancer
British journalist from Sky News asks militants to shoot at Ukrainian positions for ‘action’
Unbelievable (if true)
http://joinfo.com/world/1006857_brit...ns-action.html …
In last day, militants fired on Heorhiivka CP with artillery and mortars. Also fired on Berezove CP - Border guards
http://dpsu.gov.ua/ua/about/news/news_8029.htm …
Very good article on a serious question by a Russian speaking specialist who understands Russia and Putin well and their drivers.
Well worth reading..............
http://warontherocks.com/2015/07/tim...ybrid-defense/
Time to Think About “Hybrid Defense”
Mark Galeotti
July 30, 2015
If the new threat is so complex, political, and subtle, shouldn’t the response be the same?
Much is made these days of the new challenge to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from “hybrid warfare” — the kind of blended military-political-intelligence-economic operations Russia has launched in Ukraine. Whether or not this really is something new can be debated, as should whether it ought really be called something else. In any case, it certainly now shapes the Western defense agenda. But if the threat is so complex and political, maybe Western countries need to be thinking more sharply and imaginatively about counter-measures? A “hybrid defense”?
After all, given that NATO is a military alliance, it is hardly surprising that it is concentrating on military means. Thus, U.S. heavy armor is to be prepositioned in the Baltic states, and a rolling series of exercises are seeing NATO troops and special forces in particular wargaming various scenarios, including the kind of unacknowledged, unidentified Russian “little green men” who took Crimea.
This is all admirable and useful, but Moscow’s current approach is based on the guerrilla’s basic maxims: avoid doing the obvious, play to your strengths rather than your opponent’s, and never get caught in a straight fight with a stronger enemy. If Russia ever does decide to make any moves against NATO, it will be with the intention of avoiding any direct war with an alliance that can outfight, outgun, and outman it. And it will try to avoid making a move for which the West is ready.
Crimea and the Donbas should not be considered playbooks we can expect the Russians to follow directly. Estonia’s senior military commander, Lt. General Riho Terras, has an uncompromising but effective answer to the little green men: “You should shoot the first one to appear.” Fair enough, but the Russians are unlikely to make it quite so easy.
The first little green man, after all, might instead be a 15-year-old Russian-Estonian girl waving a “Russian-speakers have rights, too” placard in the border city of Narva. Shoot her? Of course not. The second might be her older brother, throwing rocks at the police coming to arrest her. Shoot him? Hopefully not, especially as you can guarantee that footage of the incident would promptly be blasted across Russian TV channels. Meanwhile the Kremlin-backed Night Wolves motorcycle gang tries to force the border into Narva, unarmed but in numbers. At the same time, a bomb explodes in Tallinn’s railway station at rush hour, creating panic and chaos, while anonymous calls warn of other bombs around the city. A tanker truck gets into an unexplained accident just past the Luhamaa border crossing to the southeast, bursting into flames. As a noxious chemical cloud drifts across the border, Russian fire and hazmat trucks, escorted by police, demand to be allowed to deal with the scene.
Continue.................................
Boeing was shot down according to CIA agent orders.
http://matveychev-oleg.livejournal.com/2464098.html
Well worth going through this to understand the direct Russian military actions and their physical activities inside the Ukraine.
Russian officer Starkov explained how Russian soldiers get recruited.
VIDEO+TRANSCRIPT at http://lugansk-news.com/captured-rus...-of-the-video/ … pic.twitter.com/wf4v8NN3h2
Reactive Flamethrower Schmel, captured in Mariinka http://liveuamap.com/en/2015/30-july...ed-in-mariinka … pic.twitter.com/hagMSLHCMZ
Russian-Terrorist Forces Accumulate Equipment Lying About Its Withdrawal https://en.informnapalm.org/urtf-acc...ts-withdrawal/ … pic.twitter.com/fUA3f2TnvY
Militants don't let OCSE monitors approach the border. pic.twitter.com/1MxLSY9CVe
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 07-30-2015 at 04:32 PM.
The Ukraine has now set into motion the necessary legal moves to demand estimated 400B USDs in damages from Russian reference the Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Similar demands were made on Saddam in his Kuwait adventure and the courts ruled in the favor of Kuwait for Billions which they did collect.
At first they will go the route of civil rights violations but that sets the stage for financial compensation later against Russia.
That is the key reason the Russians are changing their own Constitution to not recognize the EHRC decisions.
European Court recognizes Crimea and part of Donbas as occupied territory, - Agent of Ukrainian Government in the Affairs of ECHR
30.07.2015 18:08
For Russia to ignore the EHRC they will have to pull out of the Council of Europe and PACE and potentially any connection's to the EU in order to avoid any decisions by the EHRC, BUT then if they do that they potentially not get investors into Russia as there will be no legal protections for such investments.Agent of the Ukrainian Government in the Affairs of European Court of Human Rights Borys Babin stated in the course of the round table, Censor.NET informs citing Ukrainski Novyny.
"The Court has accepted such terminology. These areas (Donetsk and Luhansk regions as well as Crimea annexed by Russia) are referred to as the occupied in official court's correspondence," he said.
Babin said that the absence of the official proclamation of war between Ukraine and Russia was not an obstacle for the recovery of compensation from Russia for violation of human rights in the occupied territory and its recognition as the aggressor state.
Read more: Ukrainians residing in the territories occupied by Russia are now able to file lawsuits against the aggressor state, Justice Minister says
According to him, the main purpose of lawsuit against Russia, which the Ministry of Justice expects to prepare and submit to the ECHR in September, is to stop violations of rights in the occupied territory but not recovery of financial compensation.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 07-30-2015 at 05:08 PM.
The Strange Story of the Ten Million Dollar MH17 Investigation https://www.byline.com/column/13/article/217 … pic.twitter.com/NP6KQpa2l4Originally Posted by kaur
Another day and another night of intensive Russian shellings and ground attacks.
now
Donetsk outskirts: black smoke plume, conflicting information on location: maybe Vodyane or Petrovka area pic.twitter.com/9tWA6nXY5d
Reports that fire is near Karlivka - too unusual, and may be a sign of new stage of war http://liveuamap.com/en/2015/30-july...7.50801&zoom=8 … pic.twitter.com/9s7F2nK7Jw
same smoke from Yasinovataya https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/sta...14815281897472 … @sterion75
20:27 #Donetsk @14720Maro In Gvardeyka(Makeevka) dir'n intense black smoke plume
@tatyana17112009 There was a blast at Kalinova mine,no dead
20:25 #Krasnohorivka @hyeva_maryinka [vk] About 10 volleys more
20:33 #Donetsk @relictDon Smolyanka-Azotny are not calming down. Shot sounds became variuos.
Krasnohorivka @hyeva_maryinka [vk]
20:37 Sounds like AGL has fired,frightfully
Hits at Zhukivka near Zoryany
21:45 MG at Borysivka,Stalinka
HAMMERTOSS: Stealthy Tactics Define a Russian Cyber Threat Group
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE9suwyuic8 …
20:29 #Donetsk @donetskye 2 more outgoing, Hornyak-Teplichny: 2 more
20:32 Azotny: damn lots of outgoing
22:39 #Maryinka-#Krasnohorivka @AMykhailova Very heavy impacts [now]
Mariinka is under shelling with MLRS Grad and howitzers http://liveuamap.com/en/2015/30-july...-and-howitzers …
Avdeevka today @Garik_Youmar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3y4ZoqLp7g …
22:33 @pinokioner Lots of heavy incoming south-eastward of #Kurakhove
#Donetsk smoke @666_mancer One more report on smoke: it's not Avdeevka, Zelenstroy behind Umansky lane, tidy shot
23:01 @AMykhailova RUS artillery works at #Maryinka, #Grad|s and SPG are audible. We cannot get there
23:10 #Kurakhove @pinokioner One can hear fr/K both #Maryinka direction & further south, blasts are clearly heard. Constantly
23:16 #Donetsk @666_mancer [vk] Ongoing battle in #Trudovski-#Maryinka, RUS shellw/arty once & again like from Petrovka
as for "Donetsk smoke" @AMykhailova "Having flubbed, RUS conflagrated w/projectiles someone's estate. No casualties, house is still on fire"
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 07-30-2015 at 08:35 PM.
youtube.com/watch?v=6qG1UBgEI1w … #Donbas Battalion. 'Demilitarized' out of #Shyrokyne. Hopefully, not to retake it. pic.twitter.com/RJ5ZzaPDRc
U.S. adds more entities and individuals to #Russia sanctions
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-cen.../20150730.aspx …
Military echelon in Rostov-on-Don pic.twitter.com/jnCbSIHzdh http://liveuamap.com/en/2015/30-july...in-rostovondon …
Russian military production is hurting as it is not getting the Ukrainian products they need.
Rus MilIndC suffering fr lacking Ukr input. Рогозин сообщил о перебоях с новыми кораблями без комплектующих с Украины
http://top.rbc.ru/politics/03/06/201...79472dacc98378 …
[EN] The 4th Armor Division is Ready to Wade.
Our friends found a photo of unloaded equipment on the train... http://fb.me/4lWKKtKk0
Our friends found a photo of unloaded equipment on the train station of Neklinovka (village of Pokrovskoe, Rostov Oblast, Russia) in a Russian soldier online profile. At first glance this is a common picture – another train with military machines is unloaded at the Ukrainian border. But our attention was drawn by the hull numbers covered with paint and the ‘Brod’ [Wade] system tubes attached to the tanks.
Last edited by OUTLAW 09; 07-30-2015 at 08:36 PM.
Massive shellings all night long all along the eastern front coordinated with ground attacks
Donetsk 6:53AM
Tekstilshchik ds hears rumble of guns from W. 120mm cannon, houses tremble. Outgoing fr Petrovka ds https://twitter.com/666_mancer/statu...83038262640640 …
Maryinka 6:40AM
There was shooting at night, then calmed down. Now quiet. https://twitter.com/hyeva_maryinka/s...75415362547712 …
#Maryinka 1:05AM
Traffic police post or hospital area - shootout! Mortars and small arms. https://twitter.com/hyeva_maryinka/s...74374898311168 …
Donetsk
6:33AM Single volley, probably area of mine 29
6:41AM Another 5 rounds https://twitter.com/ropogckou/status/626959888946737152 …
In addition to #Shchastya and #Stanytsia_Luhanska the night was hot at #Toshkivka and the outskirts of #Popasnaya https://twitter.com/100007182042214/...69185139183616 …
Horlivka
5:15AM volleys
5:23AM quiet https://twitter.com/UA_Gorlivka/stat...41317642362880 …
5:19AM #Dzerzhynsk
Powerful and intense volleys to south https://twitter.com/blessmaster/stat...40115542274048 …
2:28AM
Outgoing. #Kirovske https://twitter.com/kish_fish/status/626897078585819136 …
2:29AM - Minimum three D30 firing tow. checkpoint 25.
@stels967 - it's checkpoint 29 https://twitter.com/thisnameerror/st...97420736155648 …
After the Obama, Kerry, Nuland, Hollande and Merkel unilateral pressure on the Ukrainians to do a political implementation of Minsk 2 in order to tell the world hey they are the only ones fulfilling Minsk 2--THIS was all done without reciprocal demands on Russia to fulfill even a single point of Minsk 2.
AND as usual all western leaders seem to think that will work--wrong.
During the last day, July 30, the russian-terrorist forces carried out 105 attacks along the contact line http://www.ukrinform.ua/ukr/news/boy...triliv_2080295 …
Any attack number of 50-55 per day means actual combat ops--anything over 100 attacks per day is in fact full war operations.
AND any comments from the West--not a single uttered word--why is that????
AND did anyone notice any comments by Obama, Holland and Merkel after the capture of a "true Russian officer" inside the Ukraine---not a word by any of them.
The US, France and Germany together with Putin --with Putin demanding actually that the Ukrainians offer a "sign of good faith" and demilitarize the town of Shyrokyne. Actually the proposal first came from a former Russian General assigned to the JCCC who then convinced the OSCE that this was a good idea.
After the West's unilateral pressure on the Ukraine they did pull back and created a so called 30 km buffer zone--15km on each side of the front line.
The Ukrainian Azov Regt and the Donbas BN which had been fighting there for over four months were replaced by Ukrainian Marines. And the UA pulled out all tanks and artillery.
The Russians actually only pulled back 1.4 kms and their tanks and heavy artillery are parked only 7kms away--so much for the demanded by Putin "sign of good faith" and the pressured unilateral move on the Ukraine by the West.
Col. Andriy Lysenko: Brief armed mlitant provocation registered near Shyrokyne during the evening
Militants fired at Ukr positions in #Shyrokyne. Ukr troops returned fire w/ small arms to suppress firing points http://www.0629.com.ua/news/909103
SO in theory it should remain quiet if in fact Russia is adhering to the actual ceasefire there BUT guess what---they are not.
And it just keeps on coming...--not a single comment by Obama, Hollande and or Merkel--they seem to no longer really care about the constant Russian violations of Minsk 2.
Col. Lysenko: Two Ukrainian servicemen KIA, 7 were wounded in action in last 24 hours
Col. Lysenko: Two Ukrainian servicemen KIA, 7 were wounded in action in last 24 hours
ATO spokesperson: Mariupol sector: Starohnativka was the epicenter of fighting in the region. 6-hour-long combat.
ATO spokesperson: 2/3 of ceasefire violations occur b/w Avdiivka & Maryinka
Col. Lysenko: Heavy hostile shelling of the front line stretching from Mykolaiivka Druha to Novhorodske
ATO spox: Donetsk sector: 12-hour-long mortar attack against UA troops near Svitlodarsk. Not a single servicemen was injured
ATO spokesperson: Militants were firing at Ukrainian forces between villages Zolote and Pervomaisk in the evening
ATO spokesperson: The enemy continued using 120 mm mortars in the nighttime.
Col. Lysenko: Luhansk sector: Incessant militants fire at Ukrainian positions near Stanytsia Luhanska continued throughout the whole day
Col. Andriy Lysenko: More than 100 militant attacks over the last day – disproportionately high number as a sign of escalation.
Kadyrov says the Chechens fighting against Kiev have left Donbas https://meduza.io/news/2015/07/31/ka...ov-iz-donbassa …
In tonight's shelling in #Stanytsia_Luhanska 5 houses and one shop burned down http://informator.lg.ua/?p=109255#.Vbs8Lr7IEPw.twitter …
News
2 civilians (23-year old man, 80-year old woman) were injured in a #Russian #artillery attack on #Toshkivka. pic.twitter.com/lKwwitShj2
Map. Situation in eastern #Ukraine, July 31, 00:00 EET pic.twitter.com/Ysg8uqoMMI
Militants attack east Ukraine's town of Dzerzhynsk (video update) http://uatoday.tv/society/militants-...te-466282.html …
The OSCE constantly complained to Russia about the shipping of new heavy military weapons into the Donbas for their May Victory parades and the Russian response was they are only there for the parades BUT then we see them in the field ready for combat operations.
Again so much for "trusting Russian statements" and yet Obama continues to apply pressure on the Ukraine to do unilateral appeasement moves to help save "Putin's face".
Difference between Russian army star symbol in Luhansk parade (red, L) and Donetsk parade (red/white, R) pic.twitter.com/MFJ9IPbf6H
(L) Two Russian BM-21 Grad MLRS from 9 May Victory Day parade in Luhansk (R) on active service in Donbas pic.twitter.com/DrVxf16KYW
For those that doubt just how many heavy weapons systems Russia has shipped into the eastern Ukraine—just a small overview in this photo…..and no it was not “captured from the Ukrainians” or bought in a local miner and truck driver store.
The fleet of the DNR. Born from a few guns and rifles in Slavyansk. Coincidence? pic.twitter.com/Ayg3d7OtBa
Col. Andriy Lysenko: Ukraine’s Security Service detained courier with piece of military equipment at UA-RU border pic.twitter.com/cAWr5JlHWL
ATO spox: @USTreasury imposes new sanctions on Russia targeting arms, oil, bank industries, RU & UA businessmen incl Oleksandr Yanukovych
http://sputniknews.com/military/2015...#ixzz3hSzgGH74
Russia Controls Arctic Airspace, Waters Over 300 Miles Off Coast
09:00 31.07.2015(updated 09:18 31.07.2015)
Russia is monitoring the situation in the Arctic Region at a distance of 310 miles from the coastline, the Defense Ministry said.
Russia to Deliver 140,000 Tonnes of Cargo for Troops in Arctic
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia is monitoring the Arctic waters and airspace at a distance of over 300 miles from the coastline, a representative of the country’s Defense Ministry told journalists on Friday.
"The system of control of the situation in the Arctic is active at a distance of 500 kilometers [310 miles] from the shore," the representative said, adding that monitoring the situation in the region is key to ensuring Russia’s security in the north.
In 2013, Moscow announced a strategy to increase its presence in the Arctic and to boost the region's development by 2020. Since then, Russia has been particularly active in exploring opportunities in the Arctic and is planning to build a unified network of military facilities in the region in order to strengthen its border defense.
https://twitter.com/tassagency_en/st...09897826267136 …
Ukraine's self-proclaimed republics urge Kiev to agree on Donbas special status
July 31, 9:51 UTC+3
MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. Chief negotiators of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics (DPR and LPR) have urged Ukraine’s representatives in the Contact Group on the Ukrainian crisis resolution and the sub-group on political issues to make the final agreement on the special status of Donbas.
"We request that you reach the final agreements on issues of enactment of the law on the special status, granting amnesty to the combat operations’ participants both from the side of the militias and Ukraine, as well as the organization of local elections in Donbas under a separate special law," the DPR and LPR negotiators, Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego, said in the run-up to a meeting of the Contact Group and its working sub-groups in the Belarusian capital Minsk due on August 3.
They also said that they have "once again sent to the Contact Group proposals on the settlement of these issues."
The LPR and DPR representatives said the republics were committed to fulfilling all the requirements of the Package of Measures to implement the Minsk agreements within the established deadlines.
"Therefore, we consider it necessary to accelerate our work. If we fail to settle these issues on August 3, we propose to Ukraine’s representatives to continue the work in Minsk until August 4 and August 5, if need be. If it takes a week, we are ready to stay in Minsk for the whole week," the LPR and DPR representatives said in a joint statement posted on the website of the Luhansk Inform Center.
Russian Foreign Ministry: London arbitrarily interprets facts in Litvinenko case
July 31, 15:05 UTC+3
Moscow says the British side does not intend to swerve from its course towards politicizing the entire process
Kremlin has no faith in UK Litvinenko probe — spokesman
NOTICE just how Russia “has no faith" in UK probe or the Dutch MH17 probe or just about any probe where Russia and or Putin are deeply involved in—seems to be a standard mantra from them this year.
ALL the time declaring they are for open and transparent and thorough investigations and in the case of the MH17 even were the first to call for investigations by the UN of MH17 as they pushed “it’s the Ukrainians fault" never believing it could come back at them.
NOTE: Moscow refused to allow the main suspect to testify via teleconference after he had initially started to---and the UK is not transparent????MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. The British side does not intend to swerve from its course towards arbitrarily interpreting the facts of the death of former Federal Security Service agent Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Friday.
"The selective nature of the organizers of this ‘public inquiry’ and their stubborn unwillingness under any pretexts to professionally perceive the grounds of the Russian competent bodies serve as another proof that the British side does not intend to swerve from its course towards politicizing the entire process and arbitrarily interpreting the facts of the ‘Litvinenko case,’" Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department Alexander Bikantov said.
"Further hearings with the unknown composition of participants will be held behind closed doors, which is apparently designed to achieve the results necessary for the prosecutors," the statement said.
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