Posted originally on the CTH on November 25, 2023 | Sundance
Speaking to our CTH audience following direct conversations in the EU, I can assure you that privately it is well known that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is at a designed stalemate. Russia has solidified the western frontlines in Ukraine in exactly the position originally intended. Additionally, the fortifications are of such strategic scale no one in the Western alliance would dare to propose any effort for direct confrontation.
This is the reality on the ground in Ukraine, and if you look carefully at western reporting, you will see indications of the unspoken truth.
Bild reported that inside the German govt, there are leaks about conversations between U.S and German officials. “While outwardly expressing full support for Ukraine, behind closed doors in Berlin and Washington plans are being hatched to force Ukraine into talks with Russia to freeze the war on its current front lines, German newspaper BILD said in a report published on Nov. 24.” {link}
The Biden administration, specifically the Dept of State and CIA are now managing the narrative. The Eastern EU bloc (NATO realists) well understand the dynamic, although you will see opaque indications from traditional western media. However, if you look carefully, you will note one of the indications of this dynamic can be found in the unwillingness of the U.S. to provide logistical support for advanced M1A2 tanks to engage the Russian lines {link}.
Bradleys arrived sooner and have made their presence felt on the battlefield already. For now, because of winter conditions, sending small Bradley-and-Abrams groups would be “inefficient” and “hard to support” logistically, he said.
Sumlenny cited the July offensives by the 47th Mechanized Brigade in the Zaporizhzhia region, where he said Ukrainian troops suffered heavy losses of Bradley armored vehicles against Russian defenses. At the time, 34 of the 100 Bradley tanks the US had provided had been destroyed, according to Oryx, an open-source military research group. {link}
The Russian military have long ago positioned their strategic assets to take out any advanced armored columns. All of the primary routes for U.S. provided Ukrainian tank deployment have been field targeted by proactive artillery placement. Any advancing U.S/Ukraine armor would be walking directly into previously sighted positions. It is a literal stalemate with air combat as the only solution to break the hardened fortifications. The Russian air defenses are also positioned against this approach.
You cannot gather a comprehensive understanding of this dynamic without traveling to the epicenter of the discussion; so, that’s what I did. From those discussions, and from discussions with actual Russians who know the strategic intent of the front line (Russian) fortifications, you can easily see how the Western alliance is having to face the reality of a stalemate yet needing to save face given the nature of the prior expenditures.
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are not a matter of “if”, but “when”, and that means politics drives the decision making.
This is the reality of the situation.
The overwhelming majority of the Russian people stand in support of the efforts by Vladimir Putin. They do not necessarily align with the man, but they do align with the intention of national defense against western/NATO encroachment.
Winning is not the western/NATO objective. Saving face is the priority.
Posted originally on Nov 22, 2023 By Martin Armstrong
(image from Reuters/Bernadett Szabo)
Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary wants the people to know that the European Union is controlled by the globalists. His government has begun a campaign to explain this message, placing billboards depicting European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen with Open Society Foundations heir Alex Soros.“Let’s not dance to their tunes,” one billboard stated.
There are also signs showing Open Society found George Soros with Jean-Claude Juncker, showing that the globalists have had their grip on the European Union since its creation. European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen is allegedly unphased by the advertisements, for she knows they are true. Alex Soros proudly declared that he is more political than his father and plans to influence worldwide governments with billions in funding.
Orban does not want to leave the EU, but he does want to change the organization and insists other European countries “must say no to the current Europe model built in Brussels.” Orban has been in a quarrel with the EU after they blocked billions in euros due to his administration’s policies. Orban does not want to send additional aid to Ukraine, insisting the money is needed at home. Furthermore, he opposes inviting Ukraine to join the EU. “Correcting the mistaken promise (by Brussels) to start talks (with Ukraine about EU membership) will also be our task, as Ukraine is light years away from the EU now,” Orban said.
Posted originally on the CTH on November 5, 2023 | Sundance
First things first. Did you notice the byline on the NBC report we discussed about U.S. and EU officials beginning talks with Ukraine about peace-talks to end the stalemate. For those who didn’t notice, Kristen Welker was one of the reporters who wrote the article {NBC LINK}. Then today, Zelenskyy appears on NBC Meet the Press, with Kristen Welker, to discuss the status of the Ukraine war and say there is no “stalemate.” Funny, but not accidental, how that happens.
The full interview link is here (and below); however, during the interview Welker asked Zelenskyy about President Trump saying he would end the conflict within 24 hours. Zelenskyy scoffs at the possibility and rejects that any peace negotiations could take place. WATCH (3 mins):
I’m going to try and put the absurd nature (literally his World War Reddit disposition) of Volodymyr Zelenskyy over there on the side for a moment [that’s not easy], and accept his pronouncements are with what he genuinely believes, with the full weight and support of the U.S. State Dept/CIA to frame his reference.
KRISTEN WELKER:
On Saturday, I sat down with an emotional President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who spoke to me in both Ukrainian and English and acknowledged his people are tired but undeterred. His plea to U.S. lawmakers: give Ukraine one more year of aid and it will be able to close its funding gap or, he warned, the price for the United States will be even higher.
KRISTEN WELKER:
President Zelenskyy, let me start off by asking you: It has now been more than 600 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. How would you describe the state of the war right now?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [TRANSLATED]:
Thank you very much for the question. As far as the situation on the front is concerned, I think – of course, I cannot provide all the details to you. But nevertheless, we hold the initiative in our hands. You can imagine what a full-scale war or what two years of a full-scale war is like. Everybody gets tired. Even the iron gets tired. But, nevertheless, I am proud of our warriors and of our people, that they are strong. Our people are helping. Our people are mobilized. And our people have a strong desire to win. Again, some spheres, Kristen, we see steps forward. Sometimes they are slow steps because of the landmines which Russia planted there while we were preparing for a counter-offensive. And in some spheres, we have problems with the air. Unfortunately, this thing hasn’t changed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. We have seen Russia’s domination in the air. It’s a fact. And without the air defense, our steps forward are slow.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
But I can give you one example about Black Sea. We have great success in the Black Sea. Even after Russia blocked Black Sea and canceled our grain corridor, grain initiative — by the way, we help by this corridor countries of Asia, countries of – every country to manage the hunger. And I think that was very important, crucial. And when Russia canceled it because they had initiative in the Black Sea, they blocked Black Sea. Now, we really defeated it. We really defend our Black Sea, and Russian fleet is being destroyed by our ammunition. And now, Russia doesn’t control fleet. That means that we used all ammunition — sea, drones and air defense — to defend this region. It’s very important. That was a signal – signal that we can manage this war even against such a terrorist organization like Kremlin.
KRISTEN WELKER:
The strategy of this war. This summer, and you reiterated right now, the progress has been slower than desired. And recently one of your top generals said Ukraine has, quote, “reached a stalemate.” Has the war reached a stalemate?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
Kristen, you know, on the 24th of February when Russia invaded our cities, country, our land, our families, and they attacked all of us, the world gave us three days. Some European countries who really believed in us, they said one month. Others said it will be very quick. And this is really this situation, what they said. But now we speak with you. Now, it’s almost two years. Now, initiative in our hands. Yes, a lot of people, of course, in the world are tired. Of course, it’s understandable. Somebody tired on the battlefield, somebody tired on the works, and somebody tired abroad. They want to come back home to their husbands, to their soldiers, to these guys, women and children. Somebody tired from European leaders to support Ukraine. Yes, of course because long war.
KRISTEN WELKER:
I hear you rejecting the characterization by your top generals that this is a stalemate. Are you changing strategies, as has been reported?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [TRANSLATED]:
I believe that today indeed, the situation is difficult. I don’t think that this is a stalemate, this attack on the, on the, on the part of the Russian army. But before that, we did a lot. We have done a lot. We had a very difficult situation. They thought that they would checkmate us, but this didn’t happen. And on the contrary, we took the initiative in our hands. Now, Russia wants to do – to attack us. They are attacking us in the east of our country while losing thousands of people and hundreds of units, pieces of weaponry. We don’t see it. But in the Andriivka direction in the last week, 200 pieces of weaponry, of ammunition were lost – have been lost. Thousands of people have been lost. They have been killed.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
So we don’t see details. Sometimes our attitude to the war, that somebody staying on the one – one place. But it’s not just stay. When you stay, you kill the enemy, and this is the fact. Of course, Russia understands that now when focus from Ukraine taken off, and when this focus to the Middle East, and when they try to divide the world in this crisis, Israel/Palestine crisis, and of course, of course Russia is very happy with this war. They don’t count how many children were killed there. They don’t think about the flag or nationality. We saw some moments their attitude. We saw what was in Makhachkala, Dagestan. This is the part of Russia. This is what the biggest wave of antisemitism. So what they want? They just want to divide the world, to take focus from Ukraine to another war. And if it will not be enough for them – I’m again repeat it, and I’m repeating it these two years – if it will be not enough for them – it will not be enough. Because Syria was not enough. They began in Ukraine. After Ukraine, in the Middle East. They will continue their plan. And you see that Iran is supporting them, in Ukraine supporting them with the weapons and now in the Middle East again.
KRISTEN WELKER:
So, President Zelenskyy, are you looking at a shift in strategy to try to gain the upper hand right now?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [TRANSLATED]:
Our military are coming up with different plans, with different operations in order to move forward faster and to strike Russian Federation unexpectedly. But barehanded, it’s impossible to do without weapons, without relevant, proper weapons. It’s a fact. Therefore, we have to prepare. We have to clearly understand what steps could be more appropriate, and we have to move forward faster.
KRISTEN WELKER:
President Zelenskyy, NBC News is reporting that U.S. and European officials have begun quietly talking to your government about what possible peace negotiations with Russia might look like to end this war. Have you personally been involved in these talks, and what’s the status of these talks?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
A lot of different voices around us. I heard a lot of different voices and emotions and without any contradictions and propositions, a lot of different things. But as for me, I don’t have – for today I don’t have any relations with Russians. And they know my position. That is the position of my country. That is the position of our people. We don’t want to make any dialogue with terrorists. And the president of the United States and Congress, bipartisan support, all these people, they know that I am not ready to speak with the terrorists because their word is nothing. Nothing. We can’t trust terrorists because terrorists always come back, always come back.
KRISTEN WELKER:
As you know, with this attack against Israel, Americans are now being asked to fund two wars. And there’s growing skepticism about ongoing support of Ukraine, particularly among Republicans in Congress. What is your message to U.S. lawmakers who don’t want to send another dollar to Ukraine?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [TRANSLATED]:
Thank you very much for this question. First of all, it’s not aid to Ukraine. I think that it is aid to the United States and the European Union. As I said, I believe that Ukraine is defending our joint values, common values. I will repeat: I believe that Putin wants to divide Europe, to weaken the United States of America. And he always wants to find a hot spot in Europe so that there is no stability in Europe, in the Middle East – what’s happening now – and on other continents, too. And I believe that Ukraine is defending both the European Union, the European continent, and our common values.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
My message, one more message, you have to understand how we fight, how we live. You have to understand, just to come to Ukraine and see. We are the same people. We have the same values. I’m really thankful to President Biden. By the way, he was here. And I think he’s a strong man. And it was a historical moment. He’s a hero because he was in those moments under a Russian missile attack. But he was here, and he understood more about Ukraine. Yes, he knew Ukraine even before this invasion. Yes, he knew, but he understood the heroic attitude Ukraine has to democracy, to their people, to their houses, to their families. And he understood. He began more strongly to help us. And I’m also thankful to Congress. I had the opportunity to address Congress two times. And really, Congress and the bipartisan support was very important in a very important moment. Now, it’s a very important moment not to lose the will, not to lose this strong position and not to lose your democracy.
KRISTEN WELKER:
As you know –
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
Please, it’s very important. Now, you don’t send your soldiers. God bless. Don’t send your daughters and sons to other NATO country. Because if Russia will kill all of us, they will attack NATO countries, and you will send your sons and daughters. And it will be – I’m sorry, but the price will be higher. That is my signal. And believe in democracy, believe in Ukraine.
KRISTEN WELKER:
How long should they expect to send more money? When do you anticipate you can end this war, President Zelenskyy?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY:
I think that the next year with the challenges, because this is the year of your elections. Now, again, we see the critical situation in the Middle East. So I think your help is very important for the next year. And that is crucial. And I think, if we will manage all the things that I said, the gap will be minimized in our budget. And after that, after next year, if – it the war will not finish next year – if – if it will not finish – I think that using air defense systems, using this platform of cooperation and co-production, and using these new jobs, I think we will manage to minimize this gap and you will not help us such high price. I’m sure. That’s it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
And to be very specific, I’m going to ask you about the election momentarily. You are asking for more air defenses. F-16s obviously are in the process of being ready. What more air defenses do you need, President Zelenskyy? Can you be specific?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
Yes. Anti-drone systems and specific drones which our defense ministers and commanders they know very well. That’s drones which can attack enemies and also drones which are intelligent. They provide intelligence. So these specific things we began to produce.
KRISTEN WELKER:
And when we come back, more of my interview with President Zelenskyy, including his response to former President Trump’s proposal to end the war in 24 hours.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Welcome back. As the Republican presidential candidates prepare to meet in Miami this week for their third debate, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy spoke directly to the frontrunner who will not be on stage, former President Donald Trump.
KRISTEN WELKER:
President Zelenskyy, former President Trump, who is the GOP frontrunner, has said that if he is reelected he could end this war in 24 hours. What is your reaction and message to former President Trump about that?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
Former President Trump said that about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the war. For me, what can I say? So he’s very welcome as well. President Biden was here, and he – I think he understood some details which you can understand only being here. So I invite President Trump. If he can come here, I will need 24 minutes – yes, 24 minutes; not more. Yes. Not more. Twenty-four minutes to explain President Trump that he can’t manage this war. He can’t bring peace because of the Putin. If, but always there is an “if,” If he’s not trying and if he’s not ready to give our territory for this terrible man, for the Putin, if you are not ready to give it, if you are not ready to give our independence, he – he – he can’t manage it. Yes.
KRISTEN WELKER:
You have –
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
– So he’s very welcome.
KRISTEN WELKER:
He’s welcome to come to Ukraine. Other presidential candidates have obviously come to Ukraine as well. Have you had any contact with former President Trump since he left office, President Zelenskyy?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
No. No. No, no. That’s why he’s very welcome to repeat our tradition, which was when he was the president.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Do you think he would have Ukraine’s back if he were to be reelected?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
Really, I don’t know. Really, I don’t know. I hope that – that – that it depends not only on the president institutionally. I think it depends on the opinion of Americans, of your society. I think that is most important. I think it’s important in the United States and EU, the attitude of just ordinary people. It’s their support. It’s their money. It – it depends on them.
KRISTEN WELKER:
There are reports that you plan to visit Israel. Is that true, and what will your goal be?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [TRANSLATED]:
From the very start, on the first day of the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas against Israel, we condemned this aggression and we stated our position. And I said that we are ready to go to Israel today. It is difficult to say because I’m a president of a country at war, and you know that on our battlefield it’s very hard. Therefore, my visit there depends on a number of things. I have to be open. First – so what’s happening on the battlefield defines many things. And, second, it depends on whether we will be able to get our citizens of Ukraine who are stranded there. If we can get them out of there, if for this it’s necessary for me to be there, in Israel, in Egypt, wherever our people are released, I will fly there if it’s possible. If that can be done without my involvement at the level of diplomacy, they will do that then.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Do you believe Israel is following international law?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [TRANSLATED]:
I have to be sincere. We are looking at this situation as if something new. It’s not a new situation at all. It’s a fire that has been burning between Israel and Palestine, and some people are still throwing matches into this fire. And I’m sure that Russia was behind and sponsoring Hamas. And Iran, too. That’s who is to blame. When we talk about laws, rules, where there are terrorists, there are no rules. Everything is beyond laws. Everybody’s trying to save their own lives and fight against the enemy using all the effort, all the forces. First, in order to finish this war and sit down at the negotiation table, pressure on Russia and Iran, you have to admit that these countries are behind approaches. And I would also add North Korea there. You saw how many North Korean munitions were found in Gaza. It’s a fact, absolute fact. And it’s difficult, of course. The main thing is that if terrorists are attacking, if terrorists attack, if they behead children, you have the full right to defend people and defend your own country, state. But we have to understand: If we can open humanitarian corridors, take away prisoners of war, help people who are not involved there, the whole world should do this and the whole world should do all they can to stop this war.
KRISTEN WELKER:
President Zelenskyy, thank you so much. Before you go, if you want to share: What keeps you going? Do you ever feel defeated?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY [ENGLISH]:
I have a lot of power, but even feeling strong, and I have a lot of energy, it doesn’t mean that we want to fight all our lives because the price is high, like I said. Because the war takes the best of us, the best heroes, the best men, women, children. That’s it. But we are not ready to give our freedom to this [EXPLETIVE] terrorist, Putin. That’s it. That’s why we are fighting. That’s it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
President Zelenskyy, thank you so much for your time this morning. We really appreciate it.
It is safe to say that nobody can hold a light to Socrates. Nobody has forecast war three years in advance as you did in 2011. Nobody has predicted a Middle East War in advance as you did two years ago. Even your posts on Turkey and its conflict with NATO, our bases there, and Erodan’s dream of restoring the Ottoman Empire. Everywhere I look, I see your forecast coming to life before my eyes. I can see World War III unfolding in a calamity of self-interests clashing with stupidity.
Besides market forecasts, your approach in creating Socrates to cope with the entire spectrum from politics to war has been a profound step forward in analysis. You deserve more than a Nobel Prize. You have achieved something significant for mankind.
RH
REPLY: Thank you. You have hit the nail on the head a – “calamity of self-interests clashing with stupidity.” I see the world as the Biblical story of Joseph telling the Pharoah there will be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of drought. This story attempts to tell us that there is a business cycle, and we better live with it. Marx, Keynes, and Central Banks all attempted to either manipulate the business cycle or terminate it.
This was from Geneva 10 years ago. War comes when there is economic distress, set in motion with COVID-19 locking everyone down. Businesses closed, people lost their jobs, and the elite thought this was no big deal. You cannot raise interest rates to solve a shortage of food or to make it rain.
2011 WEC Philadelphia
On December 3rd, 2013, I posted that Socrates had pinpointed where this would all begin as Ukraine. On February 5th, 2014, I also warned that anti-semitism and pro-Nazism would rise again. I want to stress that these forecasts are NOT my personal opinion. The sooner people wake up and understand that everything has a cycle, the sooner we can reach a new paradigm in our political economy.
We are headed into World War III, as the computer has forecast, starting here in 2023 because all the old tensions in the world between people and nations will tear the world apart. We are witnessing anti-semitism rising around the world in Russia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. This is extremely dangerous because it crosses all borders and raises old myths that have emerged from Jews and their connection to banking. For you see, Christians and Muslims had the sin of usury, so they could not engage in banking. That is what was really behind the Protestant Reformation that was usurped and funded by the “billionaires” of those days who wanted to engage in banking but would be excommunicated if they did. The Protestant Reformation was funded and eliminated the sin of usury so Christians could enter the banking field.
Jews were typically targeted when there was an economic downturn. Spain targeted Jews and Muslims and confiscated their assets. Edward I of England borrowed from the Jews to fund his war with France, and when he could not repay, he suddenly discovered they were Jews and expelled them from England, but defaulted on his loans and confiscated all their property.
It has been the religion of the Jews that has been the excuse to target the Jews when it traces back to economics. Both Hitler and Mussolini rose to power following the depression post-World War I, which was revenge led by France against Germany for past wars. Turn down the economy, and you get civil unrest and war. Even my dogs watch everything I do and connect the dogs to anticipate where I will go next or what I will do. It seems like nobody wants to look at history to connect the dots, as even my dogs do.
In 139 BC, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Hispanus expelled all Jews from the city of Rome. Then, in 63 BC, as a result of Pompey’s conquest of the East12,000 Jews were killed, and many more were sent into the diaspora, which was the biblical dispersion of Israelites or Jews out of their ancient ancestral homeland. In 59 BC, Cicero criticized Jews for being too influential in public assemblies. He also refers to Jews and Syrians as “races born to be slaves.” Then we come to 19AD, during the reign of Roman Emperor Tiberius (14-37AD), who also expelled the Jews from Rome. Most of the prejudice of the Jews in Rome was similar to that of the Christians – both refused to worship the gods of Rome.
Anti-semitism will continue to rise, and this will divide nations and peoples within nations because of old myths that they have no idea why they even exist.
As I have said, the old tensions and disagreements will fester and split the world apart. It is irrelevant if they ever had any basis in truth. The old hatred will rise again. Even Crimea has been fought over for millennia. It was part of the Pontus Kingdom, which stretched around most of the Black Sea. There is a vast historical database that Socrates refers to to determine where and when such events will unfold. That is why the CIA wanted the source code.
The Fed Chairman, when Bretton Woods collapsed, took the view that the business cycle always won. I spoke with Paul Volcker, and he agreed that the business cycle was about 8 years. He also concluded post-1975 in what he called the Rediscovery of the Business Cycle.
What I hope to leave behind is that there is the existence of cycles. If we understand humanity and connect the dots, we can create a world that is much better for all of us, and we will not have to freeze to death with no fossil fuels and eat bugs.
Posted originally on the CTH on October 31, 2023 | Sundance
The only people who deny financial corruption in Ukraine are those who benefit from it. That group includes U.S. politicians who gleefully send billions of taxpayer funds into the country of Ukraine while capturing returns in the process.
U.S. advisors and consultants, along with private sector contractors and multinational corporations like Blackrock, are all beneficiaries of the vast sums of money being dumped into Ukraine. We all know this. So, on one hand it is simple to see why the Ukraine government officials would use the same opportunity to enrich themselves
After all, U.S. taxpayers are not only buying bombs, missiles and bullets with the money sent to Ukraine, we are also paying the salaries and pensions of the same government officials who are skimming the proceeds. The corruption is everywhere, and every entity is participating in the graft, in one form or another.
Zelenskyy’s wife goes shopping in Paris during the war. Where exactly do politicians think she is getting the money to spend on glitzy holiday vacations? Everybody knows exactly what is going on. The glaringly obvious theft is a large part of the contention the American people have with this insufferable effort to fund Ukraine.
During a lengthy Time Magazine article, one of the close and key advisors to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted that the corrupt stealing of US funds is widespread. In addition to the theft, the overall tone of the Time Magazine article paints the war effort in Ukraine, what we have always called ‘World War Reddit’ for its mostly theatrical value, as a lost cause. This is not surprising; however, for Time Mag to make such an admission, that does indicate a narrative shift in the overall effort.
TIME – […] Since the start of the invasion, Ukraine has refused to release official counts of dead and wounded. But according to U.S. and European estimates, the toll has long surpassed 100,000 on each side of the war. It has eroded the ranks of Ukraine’s armed forces so badly that draft offices have been forced to call up ever older personnel, raising the average age of a soldier in Ukraine to around 43 years. “They’re grown men now, and they aren’t that healthy to begin with,” says the close aide to Zelensky. “This is Ukraine. Not Scandinavia.”
[…] As conscription efforts have intensified around the country, stories are spreading on social media of draft officers pulling men off trains and buses and sending them to the front. Those with means sometimes bribe their way out of service, often by paying for a medical exemption. Such episodes of corruption within the recruitment system became so widespread by the end of the summer that on Aug. 11 Zelensky fired the heads of the draft offices in every region of the country.
The decision was intended to signal his commitment to fighting graft. But the move backfired, according to the senior military officer, as recruitment nearly ground to a halt without leadership. The fired officials also proved difficult to replace, in part because the reputation of the draft offices had been tainted. “Who wants that job?” the officer asks. “It’s like putting a sign on your back that says: corrupt.”
[…] Amid all the pressure to root out corruption, I assumed, perhaps naively, that officials in Ukraine would think twice before taking a bribe or pocketing state funds. But when I made this point to a top presidential adviser in early October, he asked me to turn off my audio recorder so he could speak more freely. “Simon, you’re mistaken,” he says. “People are stealing like there’s no tomorrow.”
Even the firing of the Defense Minister did not make officials “feel any fear,” he adds, because the purge took too long to materialize. The President was warned in February that corruption had grown rife inside the ministry, but he dithered for more than six months, giving his allies multiple chances to deal with the problems quietly or explain them away. By the time he acted ahead of his U.S. visit, “it was too late,” says another senior presidential adviser. Ukraine’s Western allies were already aware of the scandal by then. Soldiers at the front had begun making off-color jokes about “Reznikov’s eggs,” a new metaphor for corruption. “The reputational damage was done,” says the adviser. (more)
Time Magazine, a far-left ideological ally of the Biden regime, is publishing this at the same time that Congress is debating another request for billions more dollars in Ukraine aid. The timing here would indicate a substantive shift in position for the leftist media. Perhaps they are starting to realize, the bloom is off the ruse.
World War Reddit, written, produced and directed by: Nuland, Blinken and Sullivan.
The people stuck in Gaza will suffer. Israel and Hamas are using the Palestinian people as bargaining chips. Energy Minister Israel Katz said that there will be no humanitarian aid to Gaza until Hamas releases the Israeli hostages. “No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli abductees are returned home,” he urged.
This is merely fighting terrorism with additional acts of terror. Israel’s allies are in full support. Yet, Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s infrastructure was considered a war crime by the international community. “Cutting off men, women and children of water, electricity and heating with winter coming – these are acts of pure terror,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said last October. Europe is following America’s lead and blindly pledging full support to Israel and becoming embedded in a conflict that is not their own.
Von Der Leyen visited Israel shortly after US Neocon Antony Blinken. “You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to. We will always be there by your side”,Blinken said at a joint press conference in Tel Aviv with Netanyahu.
This will not be a quick war. The West is now funding two major conflicts at a time when the global economy is hurting. Will Israel begin receiving blank checks like Ukraine?
Oddly enough, the man who was considered a war criminal by the international community has offered to mediate the situation. Putin said that a ground offensive in Gaza would be disastrous. “And most importantly, civilian casualties will be absolutely unacceptable. There are almost two million people living there,” Russia’s president stated. “The most important thing now is to stop the bloodshed.” We would truly be living in unprecedented times if Putin held peace talks in the Middle East. It seems clear who the real warmongers are now.
COMMENT: Mr Armstrong, THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!! for telling your readers of the true nature of the Hamas; God bless you for telling the truth. Millions of the impoverished people of Gaza live in fear of these thugs. History shows Jews, Arabs, and Christians CAN, yes, CAN live together in peace, and it is the politicians or extremist groups, inhuman groups like Hamas, that kindle the fire of hatred.
Human beings can be both strong and weak at the same time. When they fall into the trap of hatred, it is very difficult to get out of it; see what happened in Northern Ireland for many years. No one in Israel gets up in the morning wishing to ‘take care’ of the Palestinians; they can take care of themselves if only their leaders will not rob them blind and stuff their brains with poisonous ideology.
George Soros: This creature that looks to have a human shape is not a human being at all; it is one of the most despicable creatures on the planet Earth. God delays taking him back, I guess, because even God will be annoyed to have him around up there!
Wishing you always the best, Ronnie
REPLY: I have been throughout the region. I have driven through the West Bank and spoken to both Israelis and Palestinians. I have explored the entire area and even took the first flight between Israel and Egypt when relations began. The common people get along. This documentary, The Heart of Jenin, is a 2008 documentary film written and directed by Marcus Vetter and Leon Geller. This film is important to watch for it reveals the story of Ismael Khatib from Jenin, a Palestinian whose son was shot by Israeli soldiers by mistake because he had a toy gun.
Instead of seeking revenge, he donated his son’s organs to Israeli children. In April 2010, The Heart of Jenin won the German Film Award for Best Documentary Film. What this film shows is the common people – not the political hatred of extremists who live for violence no different than our American Neocons who love war and have no problem sacrificing your children for their political agendas. When Field Marshall Goring was put on trial at Nuremberg, he explained something that is so true, but it is never discussed in school and certainly never by mainstream press, which has become the cheerleader for World War III.
Goring was absolutely correct. Those in charge love war and manipulate the people for their own objectives. Hamas wants Israel to kill Palestinian civilians for their own agenda. Suffice it to say I also have a source who knew those directing young Arabs to do suicide bombings. As the source told me, those people would NEVER kill themselves – they always preach others to do that for their agenda.
Our CI wanted to kill American civilians so they could blame it on Cuba to justify invading the island. President Kennedy said no way. That is why the CIA refuses to release all the Kennedy documents because most people believe they took out Kennedy.
THE MURDER OF JFK
I believe the entire Watergate Affair was set up by the CIA because Nixon knew the CIA had assassinated Kennedy. The Watergate scandal involved the five men caught on June 17, 1972, burglarizing the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in the Watergate complex. Their two handlers were E. Howard Hunt of the CIA and G. Gordon Liddy of the FBI. They were Nixon campaign aides. Nixon wanted to end Vietnam and he knew the CIA was behind the Kennedy Assassination because they wanted war and BELIEVED that Russia was involved.
Before the Neocon Robert Macnamara died, he came out and admitted that they were wrong about Vietnam. That was nice, but 58,000 Americans died for that mistake, and untold millions of Vietnamese.
We are always looked down upon as their pawns to be played. If it is Hamas, CIA, or any government body, they will ALWAYS act in their own self-interest, which is NEVER for the benefit of the people. The only solution to war is to throw the warmongers in a closed room and let them fight it out and leave the common people alone.
Posted originally on the CTH on September 21, 2023 | Sundance
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House and both chambers of congress today, as Joe Biden pledges hundreds of millions more in military weapons.
The House of Representatives has a significant faction of Republicans who are not going along with the demands to continue the bottomless pit of spending; however, in the Senate there are fewer in opposition.
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WASHINGTON DC – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Capitol Hill on Thursday seeking more U.S. assistance for the war against Russia — but his full-court press showed no signs of significantly shrinking resistance to further aid among a large bloc of Republicans.
After meetings with both House members and senators, Zelenskyy did not take questions on what — if any — commitments he secured from Speaker Kevin McCarthy on aid for his defense against Russia, or other subjects. Inside Zelenskyy’s huddle with senators, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said the Ukrainian leader received two standing ovations from those gathered to hear his plea for the $24 billion in additional assistance requested by President Joe Biden’s administration. (read more)
It’s a sad situation when we find the White House, and both chambers of congress taking the time to show support for Ukraine while our own borders are in such a state of intentional crisis. Apparently, congress has never heard the term, “charity begins at home.”
WASHINGTON DC – The Biden administration announced a new round of military aid for Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Washington, D.C., and meets with top United States government officials.
The assistance, announced on Thursday, will include weapons such as air defense systems, artillery ammunition, anti-armor capabilities, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, and Javelin anti-tank missiles. It will also include controversial cluster munitions, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed. (read more)
Our U.S. government has no problem giving Ukraine cluster munitions to repel invaders…. Our borders, not so much. See the hypocrisy? Blood boiling.
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