Category Minsk Protocol 2014 and Minsk II 3015

Jun 16 2022

First American Mercenary Contractors Captured in Ukraine by Russian Military


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 15, 2022 | Sundance 

A contracted mercenary has no legal recognition or protection as a prisoner of war.  Two American mercenary soldiers have been captured by Russian forces and now present a rather unique issue for the Biden administration.   The traditional end result for captured mercenaries is execution; however, Russian President Vladimir Putin may not want to hang these two State Dept. conscripts.

(Via Telegraph) – Two former US servicemen have been captured during fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine, The Telegraph has been told. The pair were taken prisoner during a fierce battle outside the north-east city of Kharkiv last week, according to comrades who were fighting alongside them.

Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, had been serving as volunteers with a regular Ukrainian army unit. They are believed to be the first US servicemen to end up as Russian prisoners of war. They join a growing number of Western military volunteers captured by Russian forces, including at least two Britons.

Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner have already been told they face the death penalty as “mercenaries”. The capture of the two Americans will be diplomatically sensitive as the Kremlin may seek to use it as proof that America is becoming directly involved in the war. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, is likely to demand significant concessions to release them. (read more)

Jun 13 2022

Russia Gains More Ground in Donbas Region as Desperate Zelenskyy Arranges Emergency Meeting with France, Germany, Italy


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 12, 2022 | Sundance 

The constant and strategic pressure by Russian military in eastern Ukraine is slowly and methodically taking more ground each day.  Russian troops have now encircled and captured the city of Severodonetsk, which will join Lysychansk under full Russian control within days, according to the Washington Post.

Ukraine forces are running out of supplies as the U.S. State Dept. tries to organize the battle formations on behalf of U.S. interests in the country.  The Russian advances are slow, methodical and very deliberate.  The Ukraine military is losing ground and Zelenskyy is calling for more western help urgently.

LVIV, Ukraine—The leaders of France, Germany and Italy plan to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv this week, officials said, as reports showed Russia making gains in the country’s east and Ukrainian officials urgently sought arms from Western nations to hold Russian forces at bay.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi were planning to visit the Ukrainian capital on Thursday, said two European officials, who cautioned that plans could yet change. The trip would be the first to Ukraine since the beginning of the war for the three Western leaders.

News of the planned meeting came as Ukrainian officials said Russia had made fresh gains in its efforts to encircle and capture the city of Severodonetsk, which would bring Moscow significantly closer to its goal of controlling the Donbas area in the country’s east, its foremost target recently in the war.

Serhiy Haidai, the Ukrainian governor of the Luhansk region, which includes Severodonetsk, said on Sunday that Russians had destroyed a second bridge connecting Severodonetsk to Lysychansk, a Ukrainian stronghold just across the Siverskyi Donets river. Russian forces also shelled a chemical plant in the city’s industrial section, where civilians had taken shelter in bunkers, Mr. Haidai said.

The battlefield advances were the latest evidence that Russia is outgunning Ukrainian forces, using its superior artillery power to steadily take territory. Its gains have thrown added focus onto Ukraine’s pleas for more powerful and longer-range artillery and other weaponry from the West, as well as on Ukraine’s lack of capacity to manufacture ammunition for the Soviet-era heavy weapons in its arsenal. (read more)

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Jun 9 2022

Former Brazilian President Accuses Zelensky of Using War for Fame  


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics Re-Posted Jun 9, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

Former Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks at Forca Sindical Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil December 8, 2021. REUTERS/Carla Carniel

Former Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks at Forca Sindical Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil December 8, 2021. REUTERS/Carla Carniel

Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who plans to run again in the 2022 Brazilian Presidential Election, believes Zelensky is equally responsible for the ongoing war. “I see the president of Ukraine, speaking on television, being applauded, getting a standing ovation by all the [European] parliamentarians,” he said when speaking to Time. “This guy [Zelensky] is as responsible as Putin for the war.”

Lula believes Zelensky made a fatal misstep by failing to promise he would not seek to join NATO. Furthermore, he believes that he should have negotiated a settlement with Russia’s Putin long before the fighting began. “We should be having a serious conversation. OK, you were a nice comedian. But let us not make war for you to show up on TV,” Lula said, claiming the Ukrainian president simply wants more fame and attention.  

Current Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has not condemned Putin’s actions.  Vice President Hamilton Mourão claimed, “Brazil was not neutral,” but Bolsonaro quickly corrected that statement. “It is my decision, but I want to hear from people who are actually ministers to deal with these issues. We are for peace, we want peace. We traveled in peace to Russia. We had an exceptional interaction with President Putin,” he said, stating that Brail will not be taking sides. In fact, Bolsonaro traveled to Russia a week before the conflict began and spoke highly of his “friend” Putin.

Regardless of the West’s stance, Brazil does not appear poised to enter the conflict anytime soon. Brazil is likely more interested in securing lucrative deals with Russia now that they have been shunned from the global economy.

Jun 8 2022

Interesting Video, A Walk Through a Russian Supermarket


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on June 7, 2022 | Sundance

I found this 8-minute video to be quite interesting.  As we consider the scale of food price increase in the United States, this video of a Russian supermarket yesterday is fascinating.

Considering the sanctions levied upon Russia by the western alliance, it would appear that they are coping quite nicely.  The guy who uploaded the video shares, “I took my camera with me on a quick Beer run to give you folks an idea of what a small local supermarket in a village South of Saint Petersburg, Russia looks like. How do the prices compare to where you live?”  WATCH:

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This is the kind of real information the U.S. media would never mention.

May 31 2022

Putin & Ukrainian Propaganda


Armstrong Economics Blog/Russia Re-Posted May 31, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The rumors keep flying that Putin has cancer and has a maximum of three years to live. The stories are claiming he is ‘losing his eyesight’ but all of this is unconfirmed coming reports in recent weeks have suggested the 69-year-old president’s health has been deteriorating quickly. Much of this propaganda from Ukraine has been talking about a coup and all sorts of stuff.

Our model does not show that Putin will run again in 2024. That year will be monumental for the US presidential election is then as well and even Zelensky, the WEF’s puppet, will stand for election. Why people are putting out this propaganda that somehow if Putin dies, Russia can be vanquished is total nonsense. The second tier behind Putin are far more nationalistic and will definitely use nuclear weapons whereas Putin is at least far more rational.

Putin did NOT invade Ukraine to conquer it.  Even when the US attacked Iraq, the first thing you do is take out the power, communications, and then the water supply. Putin has done none of that has is doing what he said, defending the Russians in the Donbas. Crimea was always Russian and it was allocated to Kyiv (Russian: Kiev) by Khruschev in 1954 because (1) he grew up in the Donbas, and (2) he was in charge of Ukraine post-World War II and rebuilt it. It was his home.

The Eastern region of Ukraine was historically always Russian. Ukraine was created by the USSR – it did not exist as a country before. This idea put out by the Ukrainians that keep trying to paint Putin as dead or just put down a coup is all propaganda. Yes, he is sick. But this nonsense that somehow replaces Putin and Ukraine wins is tempting far worse a fate than anyone can imagine. The next level will be far worse and our model turns up sharply with civil unrest and war in 2023, but the worse is yet to come post-2024.

May 29 2022

Russia Takes Control of Key Railway Hub in Lyman, Solidifying Gains in Eastern Ukraine


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 28, 2022 | Sundance 

If you were to read the play-by-play of information in the U.K. Telegraph [SEE HERE], you could get whiplash from the diametrically opposed narratives coming from both sides in the propaganda war.

On one hand the western narrative is that Russia is losing, getting weaker, running out of money and weapons.  On the other hand, France and Germany are asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to release all of the captured soldiers he is gathering, while western media claim all the Ukraine retreats are “strategic”.  It would appear the Monty Python knight has lost all his appendages and is yelling, “come back coward, I’ll bite your kneecaps.”

(Via Telegraph) – Russia said its forces were in full control of the Ukrainian town of Lyman, a railway hub in the Donetsk region, on Saturday in a gain that would help set the stage for the next phase of the Kremlin’s offensive in the eastern Donbas.

Ukrainian and Russian forces had been fighting for Lyman for several days. The town lies 40 km (30 miles) west of Severodonetsk, the largest Donbas city still held by Ukraine but now under heavy assault from Russian forces.  The governor of Luhansk region, which along with Donetsk makes up the Donbas, said on Friday that Russian troops had entered Severodonetsk.

The Russian gains indicate a shift in momentum in the war. (read more)

Meanwhile the U.S. State Department, the actual combatant command center for the U.S. proxy war, along with internationally aligned diplomatic corps and the U.S. intelligence apparatus, are continuing to push the propaganda as if we cannot see how clearly staged it is.

Indeed, with the Pentagon preferring a ceasefire and peaceful negotiations while the State Dept demands more war, these are very remarkable times on the other side of the looking glass.

In the narrative tweet below….. If you ignore the new and clean uniform, to include the fresh out of the package gloves and helmet; and if you ignore the clean, groomed and well presented appearance of the “soldier”; carefully chosen for the youthful connection needed with the targeted audience; then it’s possible to admire the cinematography as well contextualized and constructed for social media delivery.  The background music is a generally good selection, and has the ‘feels’ as they say.

However, the Ukraine narrative engineers consistently run in to a problem when people start looking at the marketing aspect.  World War Reddit, becomes transparent.

May 26 2022

The Ukrainian Solution: Money, Weapons, and Embargo


Armstrong Economics Blog/Uncategorized Re-Posted May 26, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The Kremlin has made it known that they will not evacuate troops from Ukraine until their victory is declared. “We are sure that everything will be fine, and we are sure that we will win, we will achieve all the goals,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Russia has already downgraded “unfriendly states” to “hostile states” as Western countries are now directly involved. “Sometimes it seems that the very existence of Russia is a significant irritant for the collective West, and they are ready to do anything to prevent us from developing and living the way we want,” Peskov stated.

Kissinger suggested that Ukraine surrender some of its territories to Russia, as it is land that is composed of mostly Russian-speaking individuals who have not been allowed to vote on whether they’d like to remain under Ukrainian rule. “Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome. Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante,” Kissinger said, ““pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine … but a new war against Russia itself.” Furthermore, Kissinger is concerned that the West’s hostility will cause Russia to form a closer alliance with China.

Kissinger’s suggestion could end the war. Russia would feel as if they achieved the objective, and Ukraine would remain an independent country. Western nations would not need to spend billions of taxpayer funds on war while teetering on their own recessions. The food shortages due to the lack of wheat coming from Russia and Ukraine would end. Most importantly, the threat of the next world war would dissipate.

Zelensky’s advisor adamantly rejected the peace offer. “The shortest way to end the war – weapons, money, embargo,” Mykhailo Podolyak declared on Twitter. That may be the easiest solution for those in power, but it comes at the expense of the people. Ukraine and its Western allies will continue throwing money and fuel on the problem until the global economy crumbles so that they can reset it to their liking.

May 23 2022

With $40 Billion Secured, Zelenskyy Says Ukraine War Must be Solved Through Diplomacy and Negotiations


Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 22, 2022

Heh, it’s almost as if Team Zelenskyy read the tea leaves inside the New York Times editorial opinion recently [SEE HERE] that warned Joe Biden he better get to a negotiated peace deal quickly or the administration will look even worse than it already does.

Two days after the New York Times editorial board says, “it is still not in America’s best interest to plunge into an all-out war with Russia, even if a negotiated peace may require Ukraine to make some hard decisions; and the U.S. aims and strategy in this war have become harder to discern, as the parameters of the mission appear to have changed,” now Zelenskyy is saying he needs to enter diplomatic talks with Russia.

(BBC News) – The war in Ukraine can only be resolved through “diplomacy”, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Speaking on national TV, he suggested his country could be victorious against Russia on the battlefield. However, he added that the war could only come to a conclusive halt “at the negotiating table”.

Meanwhile, heavy fighting is taking place in and around Severodonetsk, as Russian forces step up efforts to seize the whole of the Luhansk region.

The end of fighting in the southern port city of Mariupol has freed up Russian troops for redeployment elsewhere and allowed them to intensify their onslaught in the east. Local governor Serhiy Haidai said the Russians were “destroying” Severodonetsk as they gradually surrounded it. (read more)

Don’t forget there was a critical point made two weeks ago by Defense Intel Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, that not a single media outlet or politician discussed.  During his briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Berrier was asked “can Ukraine win” the conflict against Russia?

Lt. General Berrier replied: “That is a difficult predication to make. I think where the assessment is at, is a prolonged stalemate should no factor change on either side. In other words, the Russians continue to do what they’re doing, and we continue to do what we are doing for the Ukranians.” [link]

The facts on the ground show that Russia has gained almost all of the territory they were trying to achieve.  The Ukrainians are getting crushed, and they’ve lost the ports and cities they were fighting hardest to defend.  “BBC correspondent James Waterhouse said Russia had increased its artillery and air strikes as well as missile attacks – gaining ground mile by mile in Luhansk while the Ukrainians are forced to retreat.”

Comrade Zelenskyy is like the idiot knight in the Monty Python skit who gets his arms and legs chopped off and shouts, “merely a flesh wound.”

In another development, Russia has switched off its gas supply to Finland after it refused Moscow’s demand to pay for fuel in Russian roubles.

May 16 2022

Switzerland Joining the Warmongering Crowd


Armstrong Economics Blog/Switzerland Re-Posted May 16, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

The propaganda machine has been working at full speed. Sweden and Finland have been convinced to join NATO and now we have reports from within Switzerland that they too are contemplating surrendering their neutrality and joining the end times for Europe. Switzerland’s defense ministry is moving closer to NATO. They have violated their neutrality already by confiscating Russian assets. So in for a penny, in for a pound as they say. Switzerland is contemplating joint military exercises with NATO and they will be joining the fun and games post-2024 as well. So you better stock up on the Swiss chocolate. They may end up extinct after 2024. Perhaps they should recall the Swiss guards they lend to the Vatican. They may come in handy.

Markets never lie. The Swiss franc has gone into a free fall ever since we heard from behind the curtain that the Swiss government is yielding to the pleas from the West to join NATO. That is surrendering their neutrality and the markets are warning that Switzerland is no longer the safe harbor for capital.

Indeed, we certainly have the worst possible crop of world leaders EVERYWHERE. There is not a single political decision that anyone can possibly even call reasonable. We even had the insanity of Boris Johnson threatening to strike Russia with nukes outside of NATO. Just one nuke from Russia will take out all of Great Britain. This pounding of chests is not going to do anything but hurl us toward war so they can do this Great Rest and default on world debt because they have run the largest Ponzi scheme in human history.

I have a lot of European friends who have asked if they can flee here to Florida and hide under my bed. Unfortunately, I don’t think my bed is big enough to meet all the requests.

As I have written before, there are NO peacemakers – only warmongers. There is a better way. We can restructure the debt as I would do for a corporation in crisis. We do not need this warmongering and Klaus Schwab’s grand plan will fail just as Marx did. The United Nations will NEVER rule the world despite their thirst for power which was even mentioned in the charter of UNESCO.

Switzerland is in serious trouble. Going into 2023 is crazy then a Panic Cycle comes into play for 2024. This is not my personal opinion. I have created a computer that has NEVER been wrong on its geopolitical forecasts. I know I cannot scream loud enough to change the cycle. All I can do is plead for the world to look and just maybe we can live with the cycles post-2032 and create a better world just for once.

As for my friend in Switzerland – sorry, you can’t hide under your beds there. And yes, I got a dog I named Napoleon because I looked at my computer and knew I will not be visiting Europe again in my lifetime. So it was time to settle down. She’s always by my side.

May 16 2022

Sweden & Finland Joining NATO


Armstrong Economics Blog/Scandinavia Re-Posted May 15, 2022 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Hi Marty, hope all is well.

All indications are that Sweden and Finland will join NATO. However, both countries refuse to allow nuclear weapons to be placed in their countries.

Russia still threatens reprisals.

Does Putin have any reasons to attack Sweden and Finland before their respective NATO applications are a fact?

If no nuclear warheads are placed in Finland nor Sweden, what do you think the Russian response will be against Sweden and Finland in the end?

Kind Regards/MS

ANSWER: We do not see any indication that Russia will attack Finland and Sweden before joining NATO that would involve a prolonged event.  However, note that the computer did have a Double Directional Change here in 2022 which reflects the political change that is unfolding. War does not appear in that region until 2027-2028.

I am working feverishly to get what I hope will be a book on the coming World War III based upon the computer projection rather than my opinion. Unclassified documents have surfaced confirming that actually Putin is correct – NATO had promised not to move one inch eastward and that Eastern Europe was to be a buffer zone of nutrality. NATO has been the agressor and they are NOT ever interested in peace because if there was really peace, then there is no need for NATO and all those people would lose jobs.

As most people know, my sources are dammed good. When the Russians were building a secret unground facility, even Margaret Thatcher asked me if I had any information since their intelligence was coming up short. Our clients are of a like mind regardless of the nation in which they reside. There are always people in every country who oppose whatever current government is in power. That is just humanity. Even during the American Revolution, there were people who supported the king and they confiscated their property to fund the war.

There is so much behind the scenes that people just do not know like why Crimea was handed to Ukraine in 1954? Nikita Khrushchev was raised in the Donbas and actually considered himself from that region being born just 7 miles from the border between Ukraine and Russia. It was Khrushchev who rebuilt Kyiv after World War II for he was in charge of that province before he rose to national power. Khrushchev also was redrawing borders elsewhere. He was removed in 1964 for his hair-brain ideas and his confrontation with the US over stuffing missiles in Cuba in 1962. What Ukraine wants to do pushing the world into war over territorial grab, the world needs to know the Truth. All of Khrushchev’s redesigning borders was reversed and that included Crimea which they ruled was an illegal act.

I am putting together the full story covering both sides. We all have a right to know. NATO wants war and this is a war to exterminate Russia. Ukraine is the proxy war as our computer forecast back in 2013 that this would be the place where it all begins. The West could care less how many Ukrainians die – civilians or otherwise. Their purpose is to weaken Russia and only then will NATO act. Next will then be China.