Tag Archives: War in the Ukraine

Nov 9 2023

Saving the Best for Last Re-Posted Nov 9, 2023 By Martin Armstrong  


2023_11_08_20_56_39_Russia_s_jamming_of_US_provided_rocket_systems_complicates_Ukraine_s_war_effort_

QUESTION: You said Ukraine never shot down 6 of Russia’s unstoppable hypersonic weapons. Do you think that was all propaganda?

SH

HIMARK

ANSWER: Absolutely. Neither the US nor Russia will commit their most critical weapons to Ukraine. Why? Because it reveals your best car and allows the opposition to gather intelligence to defeat them. Look at the HIMARS rockets that were going to change the game. Russia jammed its guidance systems that rely on GPS. The US would NEVER have given Ukraine our top shelf. That would be like playing poker and showing your hand before the betting begins.

You save the Best for Last

Oct 9 2023

Putin on Prigozhin’s Death


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Oct 9, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death remains unresolved. How did his plane go down? Some had said it was a deliberate missile attack. President Vladimir Putin believes someone onboard detonated hand grenades. Prigozhin was flying to St Petersburg with 10 additional people composed of three crew members and four bodyguards.

“There was no external impact on the plane – this is already an established fact,” Putin said to dispel rumors of a missile attack. “Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash,” Putin told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. No additional details have been released.

Furthermore, Putin said he was displeased with the investigation as they did not drug test the bodies or what was left of them. Ten billion in cash and five kilos of cocaine were found in Wagner’s office headquarters. Why avoid this important aspect of the autopsy?

Russia remains adamant that it had no involvement. We may never know the true details surrounding Prigozhin’s final moments.

Interestingly, news that Prigozhin was working with Chinese companies for satellite imagery was revealed on the same day. The Wagner Group signed a contract in November 2022 with China for the use of two satellites for spying. Beijing Yunze Technology Co Ltd, owned by Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGST) to Nika-Fru, received $30 million for the two satellites. Wagner called upon the company for images of Moscow in May 2023, before the attempted capitol siege. So would the Russian government have been aware of this contact? The Chinese company may not have known about the mutiny that was going to take place, and Russia certainly was unaware. Another layer into the mysterious death of Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Sep 28 2023

Cuban Troops Fight for Russia


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Sep 28, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Cubans are no strangers to Western sanctions and aggression. Around 72% of Cubans live below the poverty line. “You can be a nuclear physicist and still die of hunger here,” one man told Politico, adding that he could not even afford toilet paper on his salary. Food insecurity remains a serious problem. GDP is expected to grow by 2% this year, but remains eight percentage points behind pre-pandemic levels. Desperate Cubans are now signing up to fight alongside Russian soldiers for citizenship and the opportunity to earn a living wage.

The Soviet Union helped Cuba during its 1959 revolution. Cuba and the Soviet Union paired up to fight in Angola as well. Cuba has remained neutral amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and basically has nothing to offer either side besides fighters. Putin announced in November 2022 that anyone wishing to fight for Russia would receive fast-track naturalization. The average salary in Cuba as of 2020 was about $9,500. One person told Politico they were offered a one-year teaching contract to aid troops in language exams for $2,100 per month plus a $2,000 sign-on bonus.

However, defecting to Russia is highly illegal. Recruiters have been arrested for running what the Cuban government deemed a “human trafficking network” to recruit new soldiers. These recruiters are seemingly looking for anyone as military experience is not a requirement. Worse, some news outlets are reporting that many Cubans have been tricked into joining the Russian military after being promised work away from the warzone.

Either way, can you blame them? The desperate people of failed Communist nations are literally starving and most men would do anything for their families. Nothing is fair during war and Russia is looking to recruit men from the most vulnerable nations to fight as they need to increase their military by at least 1.15 million service members.

Sep 14 2023

Putin: Trump Indictments are Very Good for Russia


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics e-Posted Sep 14, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=B5y-jaKz1L0%3Fstart%3D30%26feature%3Doembed

When asked about the impeachment of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin said that it is “very good” for Russia insofar as it shows America is deteriorating from within. Putin and Trump once had a mutual respect for one another, acknowledging that each leader consistently put their nation first. Everyone besides the far-left can see that Trump’s indictments are a politically motivated attempt by the current administration to deny the people a fair election. “It shows the rottenness of the US political system that can’t claim to teach others democracy,” Putin stated. “What happened to Trump is a motivated prosecution of a political rival.”

The US cannot possibly blame Russia for meddling in the next election when the current administration is blatantly arresting political opponents. The former world democracy police can no longer claim to be pious. Everyone sees what is happening, but only those not in the globalist club have spoken out.

“Imagine if this happened to a leading opposition presidential candidate here in El Salvador?” President Nayib Bukele posted to social media. “Sadly, it’ll be very hard for US Foreign Policy to use arguments such as “democracy” and “free and fair elections”, or try to condemn “political persecution” in other countries, from now on.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is no stranger to worldwide criticism for not aligning with the globalists, has spoken out against the indictments as well. “Keep on fighting, Mr. President!” Orban published on X. “We are with you.”

While China’s Xi has not directly commented, Chinese political commentators seem to be in agreement that the US government is deliberately locking up their top political opponent. The South China Morning Post wrote an article entitled: “Trump’s indictment: the real takeaway is the US is as polarised as ever.” A professor from Renmin University of China published an op-ed titled, ”Trump’s indictment and bank collapses a poor advertisement for US democracy.” Both articles say that China is laughing at the American political system. “The generation of young people who shouted ‘Long live President Wilson’ at the end of World War I, and the idealistic generation who endorsed a ‘fight for freedom and democracy’ in Tiananmen Square in 1989, have little in common with young Chinese people today who see no upside to emulating American democracy,” he wrote.

Divided we fall. The world sees America’s weakness as we are no longer a united nation, under one. We are divisible and under the tyrannical rule of the deep state who uses a corrupt career politician with dementia as their puppet.

Sep 14 2023

North Korea backs Russia


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Sep 14, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Kim Jong Un traveled to Moscow to show Russian President Vladimir Putin his support. North Korea is completely dependent on China after the hermit kingdom was shunned from global trade long ago. Russia’s support could prove vital to North Korea as reports of famine and hardship have made their way out of the secretive country.

Kim Jong Un said Russia will secure a victory over “evil” forces. “Russia is waging a sacred fight against the West,” he said, adding that North Korea will work together with Russia to “fight against imperialism.” Three generations of dictators have been focused on demolishing the West, accumulating military supplies, and militarizing the nation in preparation for an inevitable attack. The entire Korean peninsula will be up in arms if China, Russia, and North Korea begin performing military exercises together.

North Korea has nothing to lose, a dangerous enemy indeed, and needs this partnership with Russia more than Russia needs North Korea. Absolutely no one is willing to trade with the strict dictatorship, and they are wholly reliant on China. The nation only exists because it has nuclear powers that it threatens to use frequently. Russia will likely ask for military bases, equipment, and fighters. North Korea is seeking advanced Russian technology as the nation has faced numerous embarrassments after failed military tests. In particular, North Korea wishes to launch spy satellites but has failed on numerous occasions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the details will be kept confidential. This partnership gives the West another reason to point its finger and say, “Those are the bad guys.” A grand-scale war is increasingly becoming inevitable.

Aug 29 2023

Russian Lives Matter


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Aug 29, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

The most influential aspect of Black Lives Matter is its name choice. Of course, black lives matter, but the messaging behind the movement itself was pure corruption and controlled civil unrest by the left. It was seen as racist to say that ALL lives matter because the focus was only on Black Americans. Then the police tried to use the term Blue Lives Matter, fueling the animosity.  The phrase has caught on, and a Danish director has come under fire for saying “Russian lives matter.”

Lars von Trier risks cancellation after commenting on a social media post featuring Denmark’s latest donation to Ukraine of extremely lethal F-16 fighter jets. “Russian lives matter also!” he stated on the Instagram post. He said his post was for Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Putin, and not least Mrs. Frederiksen (who yesterday, like someone head over heels in love, posed in the cockpit of one of the scariest killing machines of our time, grinning from ear to ear). “Russian lives matter also! Best regards, Lars.”

Ukrainian media outlets turned the post into a story of hatred. Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, even weighed in on the situation: “The choice between the executioner and the victim becomes a tragedy when the artist chooses the side of the executioner. Ukraine doesn’t live in abstraction, but in a cruel reality in which Russians are murderers. A simple piece of advice for a famous director: imagine that it is a Russian missile that is flying into his city every day, that his father or mother was killed, his grandson was taken to Russia, and that a Russian looter raped his wife before burning down his house. In this case, the abstraction of hypocritical ‘humanism’ takes on completely different features – real, not fictional life.”

This is how wars are waged as the enemy must be dehumanized. As Danilov said, the reality Ukraine wants to portray is a “cruel reality in which Russians are murderers.” So every single person, old and young, in a large country is a ruthless murderer? This is akin to how the terrorist groups in Afghanistan painted all Americans as bloodthirsty killers. It is the same story repeated throughout history – villainize the enemy and cheer his last breath. Human nature is the same wherever you go. Fact: the majority of Russians simply want peace and are not Prigozhin clones plotting on Ukraine’s downfall.

“I was just stating the obvious: that all lives in this world matter! A forgotten phrase it seems, from a time when pacifism was a virtue,” the filmmaker replied, later mentioning he had no idea the trouble his comments would cause. But sure, cheer the image of the F-16 jet designed for mass murder of fellow human beings.

Aug 26 2023

Who Killed Wagner Boss Prigozhin?


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Aug 25, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly died in a plane crash on Wednesday afternoon. The plane crashed south of Kuzhenkinskoe in Russia’s Tver region, instantly killing all ten aboard. News outlets are pointing to Vladimir Putin. After all, Prigozhin did attempt to stage a coup two months ago. Other outlets claim the Wagner boss has faked his death. Russia is launching an investigation into the crash, but we may never have answers.

“An investigation of the Embraer plane crash that happened in the Tver Region this evening was initiated. According to the passenger list, first and last name of Yevgeny Prigozhin was included in this list,” Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport said in a statement.

So why would Putin not have had him arrested or killed after the coup on June 23 that he deemed treasonous? Some may say Putin wanted to maintain a cool head and appear unbothered as if his leadership was never questioned. But why would he choose to take out Prigozhin at this stage? The two men were personal friends. Prigozhin apologized for the attempted coup, claimed he went crazy, and allegedly met with Putin after the incident to apologize.

Prigozhin was allegedly in Belarus with his eyes on Poland. Yet, Russia has not been concerned about Poland. There is an ongoing proxy war between the West and Russia playing out in Niger. There we saw a coup that overthrew the government while chanting “Wagner” and raising Russian flags. He was spotted in Africa on August 21 in a video, which was his first time addressing the public since the failed coup.

“We are working. The temperature is plus 50 [Celsius]. Everything’s the way we like it. PMC Wagner is conducting reconnaissance, making Russia even greater on every continent – and Africa even freer,” Prigozhin said in the video. “Justice and happiness for the African nations,” he said. “We are messing with ISIS, Al-Qaeda and other banditos. We hire real supermen and continue working on tasks that were set to us and we promised to carry out.”

There is a long list of people who would have wanted Yevgeny Prigozhin dead. The White House and others are blaming Putin, but I do not believe it is that cut and dry, although it is mysterious that the plane crashed in Russia. Russia would retaliate against any country or organization found responsible, but they would not be so careless as to attack a NATO nation. So the question remains — who killed Wagner boss, Prigozhin?

Aug 24 2023

Multiple Reports of Yevgeny Prigozhin Killed in Plane Crash Returning to St Pete from Moscow


Posted originally on the CTH on August 23, 2023 | Sundance 

Obviously, we take all reports from Russian media through the prism of Suspicious Cat.  Complicating matters, we take any/all reports from Western Media through the folded and mirrored prism of multiple Suspicious Cats.  So don’t look for CTH to provide definitive analysis on this multi-geopolitical storyline; instead, look for me to share a series of possibilities that might not be discussed elsewhere.

As long-time readers know, I have a strong and reliable network in Peter (that’s the abbreviated name used in familiar Russian discussion with those who live in the Saint Petersburg region of Russia).  I have previously discussed my opinion of the western media reporting on Yevgeny Prigozhin {Go Deep}, I will not repeat.

Dubya, Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin the caterer. 

Today, Russian media are stating that Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash after a series of meetings in Moscow, upon a return flight to Peter.  Perhaps, or perhaps not. Given the nature of a very specific background in/around the issue(s) of Wagner and Prigozhin, and with both the Russian and USA geopolitical overlays as context, here are some possible considerations:

♦ Prigozhin completed his meetings in Moscow and was heading home to Peter when an unfortunate accident led to his plane crashing.

♦ Prigozhin completed his meetings in Moscow and was heading home to Peter when the Russian military leaders decided to kill him.

♦ Prigozhin completed his meetings in Moscow and was detained by Putin allies, then the return flight destroyed to disappear him.

♦ Prigozhin completed his meetings in Moscow and was returning to Peter when a successful retaliatory CIA operation killed him.

♦ Prigozhin completed his meetings in Moscow and organizing a defensive Wagner operation against NATO under the auspices of his death.

♦ Prigozhin completed his meetings in Moscow and is now very much alive and retired with no one looking for him.

♦ Prigozhin was never in Moscow and is very much alive and retired with no one looking for him. √

I’m sure the funeral will be quite superb.

(Via Fox News) Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner Group who challenged the rule of Vladimir Putin just months ago, was involved Wednesday in a plane crash that has left 10 people dead outside of Moscow, state media is reporting.

The business jet was traveling from the Russian capital to St. Petersburg went it went down in the Tver region, according to the TASS news agency.

“Prigozhin was listed among the passengers, according to the Federal Air Transport Agency,” read a post by TASS on Telegram. “An investigation into the crash of the Embraer aircraft has been launched, the department noted.”

It’s not immediately clear whether Prigozhin is among the 10 reported to have died in the crash. The Pentagon told Fox News Digital that it is monitoring the situation.

“We have seen the reports. If confirmed, no one should be surprised,” White House National Security Council spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, said in a statement. “The disastrous war in Ukraine led to a private army marching on Moscow, and now – it would seem — to this.”

Putin, meanwhile, has made a public appearance at a concert in Russia after the news of the crash emerged. 

In late June, Prigozhin initiated what observers called the most significant challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime in his 23 years in power. 

After marching his 25,000-strong mercenary forces to within 125 miles of Moscow, Prigozhin abruptly ended the operation and ordered his troops to return home before heading into exile in Belarus.  (more)   lol 

Born in 1961, Prigozhin grew up as a somewhat snarky Soviet Robin Hood, a street urchin who flowed invisibly between Finland and Leningrad in a black-market social circle that, well, let’s just say I am familiar with.

When he was 20, Prigozhin was arrested for a heist and federally imprisoned for 9 years while the Soviet Union collapsed. When he exited prison Russia was different, and with St Pete now becoming a tourist destination, he joined the capitalist opportunity with a street food vending business, started a restaurant then opened a catering company.

Prigozhin is hard as nails, snarky as hell and very tricky.

He is one of the apex gremlins and very much still connected to the Peter streets, very connected. He is beloved. He was never connected to the towers of Russian politics as the West portrays. Prigozhin doesn’t have the pedigree nor the disposition for political power.

Let me put it this way, no one knows how to play gremlin mind games against the West better than Yevgeny Prigozhin. He’s a little bit like a less refined Oleg Deripaska, and much scruffier. Also remember, in February 2018, Prigozhin was one of 13 Russians indicted by Andrew Weissmann and Rod Rosenstein for interfering in the American election through the Internet Research Agency. lol

Review any definitive analysis with caution.

Aug 18 2023

Stunningly Low Prices – A Visit to an Average Russian Supermarket


Posted originally on the CTH on August 17, 2023 | Sundance 

I wouldn’t normally write a post like this, but WE ARE NOT going to find this level of ground reporting anywhere in U.S. media.   As you might be aware, I have been doing extensive research on the Russian economy specifically with the outcome of western sanctions.

In his video a Youtuber I follow visited a local supermarket, similar to a WalMart Super Center to share information for his USA followers.

Dima Dear, a remarkably nice young man, lives in St Petersburg, Russia (formerly Leningrad), and he shares various experiences with his audience at their request.  There is a lot of U.S interest as people following his story are starting to realize life in Russia is not what western media portray.

If you are familiar with USA grocery prices, what Dima shares in this ground report is stunning from a U.S. perspective.  If you watch this livestream, keep in mind that 100 rubles equals $1.00.  350 rubles is $3.50.  Additionally for weighted products 1kg equals 2.2 lbs.   So generally speaking, if something is 100 rubles/kg it is $1 for two pounds.

Example from the video:

•Lean ground beef at 329 rubles/kg is less than $1.65/lb.
•Bacon at 250 rubles/kg is less than $1.25/lb.
•20 eggs are 139 rubles or $1.39.
•Boneless skinless chicken breast $4 for 4lbs.
•Typical Bagged salad mixes .79¢ each. etc.

The wild part is that in Russia they are getting worried these prices are too high.  

The average rent for a nicely furnished 2-bedroom modern apartment in St Pete Russia is around $500/month.  Something akin to downtown Manhattan. Including rent, utilities, food, transportation, personal items and purchases, a Russian citizen can live very comfortably, remarkably comfortably, on an income of around $1,200 to $1,500/month.  In downtown St Pete which is considered a more expensive place to live.

Put that into a USA middle-class perspective and evaluate the impact of western sanctions against the average Russian cost of living.

100 rubles = $1.00

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Aug 2 2023

The Russia-Africa Summit


Armstrong Economics Blog/World Trade Re-Posted Aug 2, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

https://youtube.com/watch?v=67uohQkVZdM%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Putin invited numerous African leaders to St. Petersburg, where they discussed strengthening their alliance. The Russia-Africa summit gave Moscow a platform to show that it has not been isolated by all its allies. The biggest bargaining chip on the table was reimplementing of the grain deal. The UN has all but promised food shortages and famine in Africa caused by the war. Putin has now promised to begin shipping 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain, free of charge, over the next three or four months.

Only 17 of 54 African leaders attended the conference, compared to the 43 who attended in 2019. The West is touting this as a win, but Moscow said many are afraid to enter the conflict. African nations simply want their people to prosper. Despite having valuable national resources, the continent is deeply indebted to the world. Russia agreed to cancel $23 billion in debt to African nations and hinted that their allies (i.e., India and China) may also offer aid.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “We are not here to plead for donations for the African continent.” Instead, they are looking to become a respected trading partner. President of Chad Mahamat called out Russia for failing to improve trade. “Putin vowed to double Russia’s trade with the continent within five years. Instead, it has stalled at around $18 billion a year,” he stated. African nations want a seat at the table, shedding its colonist past that still indebts their people.

Putin has promised that the grain harvest will exceed expectations this year. African countries have a large bargaining chip here. The West provides Africa with more aid than Russia, but at what cost? Africa receives the vast majority of its grain directly from Russia and would certainly face food shortages without their help. Putin will need to offer African nations an opportunity to become a valued trading partner and get his other main global allies on board with the idea too.