Wars & Rumours of Wars

nivek

As Above So Below

Massive explosion hits major Russian gas pipeline - amid suspicion it's payback for Putin's onslaught in Ukraine

The fireball was visible for miles in every direction after hitting about 14 miles east of St Petersburg, the nation's second largest city and Putin's hometown. Ambulances and emergency vehicles were rushing to the scene this afternoon. Eyewitnesses reported intensive care vehicles also drove to the site of the explosion. One working theory is that the explosion may have been linked to the war in Ukraine. Russia has deliberately targeted Ukraine's vital energy supply lines in recent attacks which have been condemned around the world. And yesterday, a Swedish prosecutor said sabotage was behind the Nord Stream pipeline blasts of September 26, sparking fears this explosion may have been a 'tit-for-tat' by people sympathetic with the plight of Ukraine. One source said: 'Everything is automatic there, and such explosions by themselves, without external influence, are impossible.'

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Standingstones

Celestial

Putin 'will announce massive new mobilization and martial law' in desperate move that could hasten coup - as first Ukraine trains arrive in liberated Kherson

A desperate Vladimir Putin will seek to massively boost mobilisation by sending more troops to fight in Ukraine, and impose martial law in many Russian cities, it was forecast today. Yet the draconian moves could trigger a coup from within the elite even before his 'poor health' incapacitates him, says one expert. And he is now using body doubles who are so like him, it is impossible to tell the difference, it is claimed. The 70-year-old Kremlin leader - who is believed to be suffering from cancer and possibly other ailments - is actively discussing a new forced enlistment to swell yet further the size of the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.

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This mobilization will be made up of old men and young boys. There is no one left. Essentially they will be cannon fodder serving no purpose whatsoever. More death and destruction will all that happens.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Ukraine says negotiating with Russia would be 'capitulation': Zelensky's presidential advisor condemns West's 'bizarre' attempts to persuade them to enter peace talks as they refuse to stop offensive against Putin's forces

Despite Russia's heavy military defeats in recent weeks, including Ukraine retaking the key southern city of Kherson, President Vladimir Putin still thinks 'he can destroy Ukraine, this is his obsession' and negotiating with him 'makes no sense', presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak argued. The West cannot pressurise Ukraine into negotiations, he insisted, adding: 'Our allies still think that it is possible to return to the pre-war era when Russia is a reliable partner'. The adviser's comments came as stunning footage emerged of the moment Ukrainian soldiers detonated a Russian tank, creating a huge fireball which sent chunks of metal soaring hundreds of feet into the air.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
So what does the Ukrainian government want if not peace?...

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nivek

As Above So Below

NATO Parliamentary Assembly declares Russia to be a ‘terrorist state’

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly has passed a resolution declaring Russia to be a “terrorist state” and calling for the creation of a Special International Tribunal to investigate its crimes, a Ukrainian MP reported on Facebook on Nov. 21. Yegor Chernev from the Servant of the People faction, who heads the Permanent Delegation of Ukraine to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said the resolution, which was put forward by the Ukrainian delegation, was passed unanimously.

“All 30 NATO countries supported the proposals of our delegation,” Chernev said. According to the MP, such a Special International Tribunal would be able to convict not only the direct perpetrators of war crimes, but also Russia’s top leadership.

Chernev added the resolution considered other wishes of Ukraine, including:

• an increase in arms supplies to Ukraine;

• the development of specific steps regarding Ukraine’s accession to NATO;

• the creation of a mechanism for collecting reparations from Russia for damage caused to Ukraine.

The resolution also established the principle that NATO will support Ukraine as long as necessary. “The adoption of this resolution is an important political step that reflects the mood in Western parliamentary circles, and therefore influences the leadership of the countries in decision-making,” Chernev said. “I’m also very pleased with the fact that the Ukrainian position, such as the creation of a tribunal, the payment of reparations, or the recognition of Russia as a terrorist state, is gradually becoming mainstream at the highest international platforms.”

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Oct. 13 passed a resolution supporting Ukraine and declaring the Russia to have a “terrorist” regime. The UN General Assembly on Nov. 14 passed a draft resolution on Russia’s payment of compensation to Ukraine for the damage caused. The relevant decision was backed by 94 countries, 14 opposed it, and 73 abstained.

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Typically I’ve got my nose in another book about Pearl Harbor and this isn’t written by an historian rather a feature writer so the thing flows nicely. I like to salt in books like this because they present more accurate pictures of personalities, feelings etc. Just interested in topics like this and like to do the Deep Dive.

What gave me a chill at four in the morning was reading over what the US ambassador in Japan in November 1941 thought about the likelihood of war. First, both the Japanese and U.S. generally held one another in contempt for various reasons mostly based in racial prejudice. Most who have a passing familiarity with this period take their cues from things like Tora Tora Tora and Yamamoto’s statement that he can run wild for several months on the Pacific but that a negotiated settlement had best follow before Japan is overwhelmed. That was a view shared by many Japanese at the time at the highest levels of power and yet the shit hit the fan anyway didn’t it? The prevailing view here was that the Japanese would have to be insane to go to war with such a substantially larger opponent. Ambassador Grew correctly pointed out to his superiors that although many Japanese understood the futility of such a war that it was a drastic mistake to think they might not just undertake one. From the Japanese p.o.v national hari kari made a sort of twisted sense, there was some cultural logic to it based on their history. I interpret it loosely as ‘better to die on your feet than your knees’ or something like that.

Dawned on me that we might just be applying the same calculus to North Korea for exactly the same reasons. Kim Jon Fatass isn’t crazy and you would think he’d have to be to start a conflict of any kind but crap, we’ve heard that all before haven’t we? Can’t help but think that even in these Woke times we still use the same racial lens to look at things like this. North Korea is foreign and weird and Asian and nuts, right? Of course, this all applies to Putin’s Russia as well but somehow we come up with a slightly different answer when we apply the formula to Europeans.

The people living though history are rarely aware of its import at the time.
 
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nivek

As Above So Below
I think Ukraine is just as responsible for its devastation as Russia, perhaps more...Their government was/is pursuing goals which are unattainable without a huge upheaval to the entire region, including Russia at the cost of thousands if not minions of lives...EU membership and NATO membership are unreasonable and unattainable goals for Ukraine without a huge shift in power in the region...The cost is too high, but here we are, witnessing a catastrophe unfolding in Eastern Europe...

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nivek

As Above So Below

Biden's fumbled Afghanistan withdrawal was a propaganda gift to China, Defense Department finds

President Biden's fumbled withdrawal from Afghanistan was a propaganda gift to China, his Defense Department found Tuesday.

The DOD's claim came as part of its annual report to Congress on national security developments relating to China, which it released Tuesday. The report suggests that China capitalized on the withdrawal to convince world leaders that the U.S. is not a reliable ally.

"The PRC employed multiple diplomatic tools in an attempt to erode U.S. and partner influence," the report reads, including "highlighting the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan."

Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan was among the lowest points in his presidency, with 13 soldiers dying in a suicide bombing while protecting the Kabul airport in the evacuation.

Biden's DOD has focused on China as America's top global adversary throughout his time in office. The report says the PRC is working toward "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" by 2049, and is also vastly expanding its nuclear arsenal.

Biden defended his handling of the withdrawal both during and after the process, arguing there was no clean way to end U.S. deployment in the region. He and other administration officials argued the process would be "safe and orderly" in the months leading up to the operation, but it turned out to be both chaotic and deadly.

Americans and global allies were subjected to scenes of Afghans clinging to U.S. planes as they took off from the Kabul airport, with some plummeting to their deaths.

Biden had initially claimed that the U.S.-backed government in Kabul could stand against the Taliban for months or longer without U.S. support. That government fell before the U.S. withdrawal was even complete, however, and the final U.S. planes took off from Kabul while it was under Taliban control.

When the withdrawal was complete, at least 100 U.S. citizens and thousands of Afghan allies were stranded in the country under Taliban rule.

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AD1184

Celestial
So what you are saying mass media simply had hidden all this stuff?
No, it was reported at the time. It just seems that we have collectively forgotten that it happened. I do not recall the 'targetting civilian infrastructure is a war crime' narrative being pushed by the media until this year, however. It was fine when we did it to Iraq, apparently. Just like it was fine when armed insurrectionists overthrew the democratically elected Ukrainian government in 2014 (they were called 'pro-democracy activists' by the BBC), but the much more limited, and much less serious, attempt in January 2021 in the US was one of the most unspeakable acts of political violence in history. There is an awful lot of western media hypocrisy where the perpetrators of acts that happen in one time and place are condemned, and with similar actions happening elsewhere, the perpetrators are excused, or even lauded.
 

pepe

Celestial
Don't fret Dejan many who have lived the good life in countries like ours tend to not give those who live in hell or shit holes, ( which ever takes your fancy) much thought. I don't even though I'm trying to, it doesn't come naturally to many.

Life's worth is a big problem as it doesn't matter if one pretends equality is now screening at a cinema near you, it's Hollywood style conditioning and not a reality. Not to say I disagree with the concept but it has to come from within to work and we haven't arrived yet.

I know you dislike my style which is fine but I have seen you display this fault on a few occasions which is also fine, some just own it and others attempt to bury it.

Truth be told a life doesn't always equal another's and that is one of the reasons we have religious back drops to set the scene for our collective goal.
 
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