All things Russia Vs. Ukraine for Saturday, March 5, 2022

1. This is the man who we are to lay our lives and fortunes down for, when it comes to a conflict where we have established we are being lied to.

2. This video was posted on June 15, 2015.

“Ukraine forces have taken control of the headquarters of Donetsk People’s Republic in Mariupol. “The operation began at 4.50am,” the interior minister, Arsen Avakov, said on Facebook. Reports claim five self-defenders killed, and four wounded among Ukraine forces. Divisions of the so-called ‘National Guard’ took part, as well as the Azov battalion, sponsored by radical ‘parlimentarian’ Oleg Lyashko, and the Dnepr battalion, raised by billionnaire governor (Dneprpetrovsk) Igor Kolomoisky. Arsen Avakov, in Facebook, claims the ‘Azov’ and ‘Dnepr’ as special subdivisions of the interior ministry. Lyashko was on the scene in Mariupol. A You Tube video suggests the presence of English speaking mercenaries.”

(Posting this video does not stake a claim in the war. Only offering information that is otherwise denied to those trying to make an assessment or judgement on the people and forces at work. I doubt there is a clear morally superior side. but I do not doubt that nearly all the information we get from media are lies.)

(The video above is moderately funny and likely has a copyright thing that prevents the embed. Click through if you like. He does a decent Trump impression as well, which is probably why this clip is allowed to exist)

3. From JihadWatch.org Ukraine, Which Votes at UN With Jihad Terrorists and Against Israel, is ‘Disappointed’ in Israel

If the United States were being invaded and on the brink of conquest, I’d want a leader willing to do absolutely everything. So I’m not going to fault Zelensky for doing what’s best for his country. (Likewise, Putin believes that conquering Ukraine and any other country that used to be part of the Soviet sphere of influence is what’s best for his country. Nationalism is only as good as the country or its leader.)

That said, the willingness of too many people to climb on board with whatever propaganda Zelenskyy or Putin are spouting this week is too much.

Meanwhile, Jewish people and pro-Israel outlets seem happy to ignore the fact that Ukraine under its various governments has a history of consistently voting against Israel and with the terrorists at the UN. Instead, they’re straightforwardly rerunning cringe nonsense like Zelenskyy comparing the bombing of Ukraine to the Holocaust. A particularly egregious argument considering that Ukrainians played a significant role in helping the Nazis kill Jews. 

This post will be updated over the course of the day.

 

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

25 Replies to “All things Russia Vs. Ukraine for Saturday, March 5, 2022”

    • By now, anyone who does not want the state logging all their internet activity should have a VPN. If you have one, set it for Canada. If not, please get one ASAP.

      I don’t want to pick a brand as better than others, but NORD as I recall was easy to use and easy to change locations.

  1. “James Corbett: “And it’s not a war of nation against nation, or even valiant “anti-globalist crusaders” like WEF-connected, biosecurity-promoting, false flag-perpetrating, political opponent-assassinating Vladimir Putin against the global control structure. It is a global war against you. To the extent that wars are being waged between the elitists, they are only being waged to determine which group of elitists get to rule over you and in what way.”

  2. Toronto Sun – Brian LILLEY: Russia pumps propaganda into Canada as part of war effort

    Putin wants division in Western countries so that we will fight each other rather than him

    The main propaganda mechanism for Vladimir Putin’s Russian regime is now being dropped from the lineup of Canada’s major cable companies but that doesn’t mean the disinformation will stop.

    RT, formerly known as Russia Today, was dropped by Bell, Rogers and Telus on Sunday as pressure mounted.

    RT, for those who have not watched, is nothing but pure Putin propaganda.

    As someone who views CBC, Canada’s state broadcaster, as being far too close to Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, they have nothing on RT. To put it bluntly, RT lies for Putin and pushes the Kremlin’s agenda without any pretense.

    RT is the Baghdad Bob of news coverage.

    It is, however, just a small part of Putin’s vast disinformation operation. Russia, under Putin, has made itself one of the best countries in the world in spreading disinformation made to sow division and hatred among the populace of his adversaries.

    We saw this in the United States with their operations in the 2016 election, which intelligence services said were more about pitting the population against each other and undermining institutions than picking one side over the other. Russia uses fake social media accounts to make it look like someone in Canada, the United States or Western Europe has just discovered something new and vital that explains why the West is wrong.

    So, what kind of false narratives are being pushed by Russia’s propaganda machine? Here are the worst of them and why you shouldn’t believe them.

    Russia had no choice because NATO wanted to be on its borders.
    Russia needs to deal with Ukraine because their government is full of genocidal Nazis.
    The United States forced this war on Russia because the Americans are building bio-labs to attack Russia.

    So, let’s deal with this idea that Russia had no choice but to invade Ukraine because of an expansionist NATO. The reason countries like Ukraine want to join NATO is that they know Putin’s Russia is eyeing them for a takeover. This war isn’t happening because Putin didn’t want NATO on Russia’s borders. Turkey joined NATO in 1952 and it shared a border with the old USSR, while Poland joined in 1999 and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined in 2004.

    Russia has long shared a border with NATO members. Ukraine is not a member of NATO and, in fact, was rejected for membership in 2008.

    The claim that Russia has sent its troops into Ukraine as part of a “special operation” in order to “denazify” Ukraine is one of the more laughable bits of Kremlin propaganda. For those not paying attention, Ukraine’s president is a man named Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he’s Jewish and his family lost members to the Nazis in the Holocaust.

    Does the far-right Azov regiment exist? Yes. Does it have members with Nazi sympathies? Yes.

    None of this means that by supporting Ukraine’s fight with Russia that we are backing Nazis. The Azov regiment is made up of a few hundred people and started as a street militia to push back Russian-backed troops trying to take over parts of Ukraine in 2014. They are not the Ukrainian government nor do they represent all of Ukraine.

    Their existence, though unsavoury, does not justify Putin’s invasion.

    Finally, let’s talk about those “deep state biolabs” that Putin’s invasion is taking out once and for all. The Americans aren’t building biolabs in Ukraine — they are securing existing labs, some of which date back to the Soviet era.

    This has all been in the open and is part of the American Biological Threat Reduction Program, a program that has been operating since 2005 to help Ukraine ensure their labs meet the highest standards. The Kremlin has long and falsely claimed that these labs are making weapons for the Americans — it’s false.

    Putin wants division in Western countries, in fact, he needs it so that we will fight each other rather than him. Let’s not give him what he wants.

    https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-russia-pumps-propaganda-into-canada-as-part-of-war-effort
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    sky news UK – President Zelenskyy says ‘10,000 Russian soldiers have died’ during the Russian invasion

  3. ctv news – Why Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is personal for Chrystia Freeland

    Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has been at the forefront of the government’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and for her, this crisis hits a little differently.

    On Feb. 24, the day Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale military attack on the sovereign country, Canadians watching a government update about the situation got a hint of her personal heritage.

    “To my own Ukrainian-Canadian community, let me say this: Now is the time for us to be strong as we support our friends and family in Ukraine,” she said, later speaking in Ukrainian.

    Freeland’s maternal grandparents were both born in Ukraine and her mother helped draft the country’s constitution when it gained independence in 1991.

    Between 1988 and 1989, she studied at the University of Kiev as an exchange student while earning a degree at Harvard University. There, she caught the attention of the Soviet Union’s KGB for her pro-democracy, pro-Ukrainian independence activism.

    In the 1900s, she launched her journalism career in Ukraine and later became Moscow’s bureau chief for the Financial Times.

    Along with other Canadian politicians and diplomats, Freeland is barred from entering Russia after the West applied sanctions for its annexation of Crimea.

    When CTVNews.ca reached out to the minister’s office requesting background material and a statement about how her personal connections impact her work on the file, staff referenced comments she made on Thursday that the focus of Canadians should be centred on the Ukrainian people.

    “What we are seeing across Ukraine is a very, very determined people who have decided they’re willing to fight and die for democracy and for freedom. […] Seeing the Ukrainians stand up and say, ‘We may be smaller than you, you may have a fierce army that is bigger than ours, but we will not submit,'” she said during a press conference.

    “I think that is what has been transformative, and I’m very proud of them. I’m very inspired by the people of Ukraine, and I think the whole world is.?

    Retired major-general David Fraser, a former NATO commander, says he commends the efforts she’s made to distance her personal background with the situation at hand.

    “I got to say, she’s been pretty low key about this throughout the conflict so far and I credit her for – she could have come out very emotional, but she hasn’t. She has been more what we should expect from our deputy prime minister,” he said in an interview on CTVNews ca.

    “She’s not taken the soapbox and used it for, quite frankly, cheap political moves.”

    Moving in lockstep with its allies, Canada has levied a series of economic sanctions at Russian institutions and elites – including Putin – for the war in Ukraine. The government has also announced shipments of lethal and non-lethal military aid to Ukraine, millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, and has closed domestic airspace and waterways to Russia.

    Almost daily, Freeland has stood alongside her colleagues, unveiling incremental punitive measures as the situation escalates.

    Former Conservative defence and foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay said in a statement to CTVNews ca that it’s evident the minister is “moving mountains” within her own department and “arguably others” to expedite the government’s support.

    “It’s how it should be in times like these. After a somewhat slow and measured response, the sanctions and aide packages have certainly picked up. Her willingness to spend political capital and embody the urgency and the motivation to deliver is very much on display in recent days,” he said.

    The minister has, however, faced criticism in recent days after being photographed at a Ukrainian solidarity march in Toronto on Sunday holding a red-and-black scarf inscribed with the slogan “Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes.”

    It was a slogan adopted by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army during its congress in Nazi-occupied Poland in April 1941.

    Both her office and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress suggest the questions and backlash she received about it online is linked to a pattern of Russian-backed disinformation targeting members of the Ukrainian community.

    Similar criticism has emerged in the past as Freeland’s grandfather was the editor of a Nazi propaganda newspaper in occupied Poland during the Second World War.

    One former diplomat told CTVNews ca, it’s important to acknowledge Freeland’s solidarity with Ukraine and her bold rhetoric targeting Putin has long been infused in her work in previous portfolios, namely as foreign minister.

    On June 6, 2017 she delivered an impassioned speech in the House of Commons laying out Canada’s foreign policy priorities and underlining the importance of preserving a global order “based on rules.”

    She noted how the sanctity of borders is under threat and specifically called out the “illegal seizure” of Ukrainian territory by Russia as something Canada “can’t accept or ignore.”

    Now, after a second invasion, Freeland’s rhetoric has intensified.

    “History will judge President Putin as harshly as the world condemns him today. Today, he cements his place in the ranks of the reviled European dictators who caused such carnage in the 20th century. The response by Canada and our allies will be swift and it will bite,” she said on Feb. 24.

    As Fraser put it, she has and always will be a “vehement pit bull against the Russians.”

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/why-russia-s-invasion-of-ukraine-is-personal-for-chrystia-freeland-1.5806555

  4. Ukrainians Coming To Canada To Escape War Must Leave Within Two Years

    Many a warning has come in the form of a familiar phrase: “be careful to read the fine print.” We apply the theory to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser’s declaration regarding those currently fleeing war in Ukraine:

    “Canada prepared to welcome an ‘unlimited number’ of Ukrainians fleeing war, minister says” reads the headline from CBC News. His wording fails to note a critical detail. The arrivals must leave Canada within a two year period:

    “Today, I announced a new program that will cut through red tape and expedite arrivals to offer Ukrainians safe harbour for up to two years, tweeted Liberal MP Sean Fraser.

    A related issue has been a hot topic of late. Refugee advocates have called on the Liberals to drop a visa requirement to allow all Ukrainians to travel to Canada unencumbered. When questioned on visa-free travel Minister Fraser hesitated, saying that such a change would “require 12 to 14 weeks of work to implement because the department’s IT systems would need certain renovations, and airlines would have to change their normal processes.”

    According to The Guardian, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could see the “largest refugee crisis this century, with up to 4 million people fleeing the country in the coming weeks and months. More than 1 million people have already crossed borders since 24 February, when the Russian invasion began.”

    “Nearly 548,000 – have fled to Poland which shares a 500 km border with Ukraine. A further 133,000 have gone to Hungary, 72,000 to Slovakia, 51,260 to Romania, and nearly 98,000 to non-EU Moldova, Europe’s poorest country.”

    Canada has permitted approximately 4000-5000 Ukrainians to enter our country. If they cannot prove to have family members in Canada, they must leave within two years.

    Let us compare this with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach to government’s Syrian refugee policies. In 2015, Canada welcomed 25,000 Syrians within a 100-day period. Proud they were as Cabinet patted themselves on the back for its efficiency. Yet, when it comes to the Ukrainians, Canada’s Immigration Minister claims the 100-day period cannot be replicated because of government IT problems. Lost lives versus computer system upgrades– a difficult choice it is.

    Perusing through media articles on Syrian refugee intake uncovers not a single mention of time limits. Upon arrival, Mr. Trudeau waited for the refugees at the airport, greeting them with a definitive “welcome home” while offering winter coats to the children.

    A majority of Canadians opposed the intake. More than half of Canadians (54 per cent) either moderately or strongly opposed Trudeau’s plan to bring in 25,000 refugees by Jan. 1, 2016. Our PM being himself, he did it anyway.

    We pick up on the Liberal’s general vibe regarding Ukrainians fleeing the war. A certain reluctance permeates the atmosphere. Or at the very least, a lack of zeal which surrounded the intake of Syrians fleeing warfare in the Middle East.

    Apart from Justin Trudeau, Canada’s greatest political advocate for refugee intake is current Liberal Cabinet member MP Ahmed Hussen. Serving as Immigration Minister from 2017-2019, the former Director of the Canadian Somali National Congress was positively ebullient regarding the Syrians, as well as refugee intake in general. Speaking to participants at a conference marking World Refugee Day, MP Hussen– a Somalian refugee and current half-citizen of that country, had the following to say:

    “My wish is that we continue to increase levels in our immigration system for refugees. I’m very open to saying that, and I will do whatever I can, in whatever position I am in, to continue to push for higher refugee numbers every single year.”

    Subsequent to his Immigration Minister portfolio, PM Trudeau shifted Hussen to Minister Of Multiculturalism, a position he holds at present. Degree to which Ahmed Hussen has endorsed refugee intake for Ukrainians? Begin with zero, and don’t stop until you reach nothing.

    Upon which CAP pose a salient question: why the divergence of treatment by government regarding Syrian and Ukrainian refugees? Because the Liberals never speak of it, and mainstream media never write about it, what remains is speculation.

    One idea lies in the area of religious persuasion. Since Justin Trudeau became PM, Canada has undergone a perplexing transformation. On an institutional basis– government, media, academia– our country is today an anti-Christian, pro-Islamic country. Myriad examples illustrate this reality. The most prescient being found in the Trudeau government’s attitude toward the burning down of some thirty-five Christian houses of worship in 2021.

    Both Justin Trudeau and scheming sidekick advisor Gerald Butts claimed the acts of arson “were understandable.” CBC, CTV, Toronto Star and the rest barely blinked an eyelash. Yet, when a young Muslim girl claimed her hijab had been torn off(a fabricated story), Justin Trudeau quickly branded Canada an “Islamophobic” society. Does PM Trudeau favour Islam over Christianity? Could this be a factor in terms of the Liberal government’s privileged treatment for Syrians over Ukrainians?

    To the point of annoyance, Cultural Action Party has referenced Trudeau’s 2015 statement in which he claimed Canadians are living in a post-modern society. What this means is that Canada is not so much a country as it is a social experiment. Government’s role is to pick and choose components which best tailor society toward their vision for our future.

    Can it be that the Ukrainians do not fit the utopian model Trudeau is carving out for Canada? Might he believe these people are not so gullible as to buy the pseudo-dictatorship being sold to 3rd World migrants? In this we recognize a political affinity. His approach is so very socialist– there are those who fit the social model, and those who do not. The latter are to be shunned.

    Over a six-year period, battle lines have been drawn. Not by the public– but by government. We observe the identity of the ostracized. Canada’s working class for one. Conservatives, Christians, Anglophones, “Old Stock” Canadians, Pro-Lifers. Namely, those who refuse to buy into the woke socialist revolution being perpetrated upon our nation.

    Such irony abounds: in the name of “inclusivity” according to the tenets of Liberalism, government has divided Canadians into the acceptable and unacceptable. Chairman Mao Tse Tung would be mighty proud.

    https://capforcanada.com/ukrainians-coming-to-canada-to-escape-war-must-leave-within-two-years/

  5. twitter @JackPosobiec

    New narrative just dropped

    https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1500140721575239682
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    twitter @JackPosobiec

    US govt planning to set up a ‘Zelenskyy govt in exile’

    https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1500141246173564934

    ============================================

    NBC News – U.S. debates how to aid possible Zelenskyy government in exile

    If Kiev falls to Russia, lawmakers want to ensure the U.S. has a strategy for assisting a pro-democracy government as they prepare to deliver billions of dollars in emergency aid.

    WASHINGTON — Democratic and Republican lawmakers are eager to send billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as the government there desperately tries to repel a Russian invasion and secure the safety of more than 1 million refugees fleeing the war-torn nation.

    But with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army steadily advancing, members of Congress and U.S. national security officials are now discussing the challenges of assisting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government if the capital Kyiv falls and Moscow installs a puppet regime.

    It’s a grim scenario that Biden administration officials are hesitant to acknowledge publicly — especially with Zelenskyy and his troops holding off the Russians longer than many expected — but it’s one that is increasingly being debated in Washington.

    “One of the challenges that we’re going to face is where is going to be the seat of Ukrainian government, and is that going to have to relocate to Lviv or someplace west of the Dnieper River? Or is that going to have to relocate to some place outside of Ukraine?” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who serves on the Intelligence and Armed Services committees, said in a phone interview Friday.

    “A lot of things are possible. I think that that’s going to be a consequence of how far the Russians press their offensive, how much the Ukrainians are willing to resist,” Crow added. “But yes, if the Russians continue to push their offensive using the combat power that they have, and if they’re able to overtake the cities, then we’re gonna have to look at working with Ukrainians wherever they happen to be.”

    Two members of the House Intelligence Committee — Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Mike Turner, R-Ohio — are building support for their bipartisan legislation requiring the Biden administration to develop a strategy to support pro-independence insurgents if Putin sacks Kyiv and occupies significant portions of Ukraine.

    “We have to prepare for the possibility that the Russians overrun Ukraine, in which case they’re going to meet with a ferocious resistance and insurgency, and we need to be able to help that insurgency,” Krishnamoorthi told NBC News on Friday. “And we have to make sure that they are equipped with lethal and non lethal assistance, as well as intelligence, to fight off the Russians.”

    The U.S. over the past year has sent more than $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including money for Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger air-defense systems and other equipment and ammunition. But now the White House and Congress are aiming to deliver another $10 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and other European allies as Russian bombs flatten cities and their troops push further into Ukraine.

    Congressional leaders want to attach the additional $10 billion package — about half of which is designated for military aid — to a government funding bill they hope to pass and send to President Joe Biden’s desk by March 11.

    Zelenskyy is expected to hold a video-conference call with U.S. senators and some House members on Saturday morning, according to two sources and the bipartisan Ukraine Caucus on Capitol Hill, and military aid is likely to be one of the numerous issues discussed.

    But supplying arms to foreign governments has not always gone well for the United States. For the past two decades, the U.S. supplied the Afghan government with billions of dollars in military vehicles and equipment. When Kabul fell last summer, the Taliban seized control of U.S.-made aircraft, armored vehicles and lethal weapons.

    The debate over how to support a potentially exiled Ukrainian government came up this week during a little-noticed exchange at a congressional hearing on how U.S. allies help secure America’s national defense.

    Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, asked a Pentagon official: “If there’s not a legitimate government in Ukraine at some point in the near future, what [Department of Defense] tools exist to support the legitimate leadership of Ukraine?”

    When Mara Karlin, assistant secretary of Defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities, demurred and said she was “a little wary of getting into hypotheticals,” Larsen pressed again.

    “I know it’s not something we want to contemplate too much openly. But I do want to contemplate that we have to have options that we have to consider from the congressional side to be supportive,” Larsen told Karlin during Tuesday’s hearing. “So if you’re thinking about the use of existing authorities or additional authorities, at least within the [Department of Defense], it would be helpful to keep us informed of that.”

    The very next day, a group of House conservatives met behind closed doors and heard from Robert O’Brien, who was former President Donald Trump’s last national security adviser. O’Brien told NBC News he urged members of the Republican Study Committee that if Zelenskyy and his administration are driven out of Kyiv, the United States and its allies should continue to support them no matter where they relocate.

    “We should recognize them as a government in exile, in Warsaw or in London, and we ought to refer to Ukraine as occupied Ukraine,” O’Brien said, reiterating what he had told lawmakers. “The Russians can’t be allowed to put a puppet government in place.”

    A defiant Zelenskyy, holed up in bunkers in Kyiv, has vowed to fight to the bitter end; he told European allies last week they may not see him alive again.

    But lawmakers in Washington say it is critically important that Zelenskyy and his top officials stay alive — even if it means whisking them away to another European capital.

    “President Zelenskyy, the elected leaders and the military leaders of Ukraine need to stay alive,” said a House Democratic lawmaker. “At the same time, there’s substantial value to them remaining in Ukraine and on Ukrainian soil. And there’s a political advantage to that. There’s an optics advantage to that. And frankly, there’s a morale advantage to that.”

    “There’s value in staying, but not to the extent that his life becomes in jeopardy and there is no continuity of government,” the lawmaker added. “The number one rule of resistance is: You have to stay alive. It might seem stupid and basic, but it’s true. You’re no help to anybody if you can’t stay alive and lead and help rally folks to continue fighting.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/us-debates-aid-possible-zelenskyy-government-exile-rcna18817

  6. sky news Uk – Ukraine Invasion: Russia continue attacks on key cities of Ukraine

    Russia has continued its advance on Ukraine in the key cities of Mariupol and Chernihiv

  7. zero hedge – Putin Will Declare War On Any Country Creating A Ukraine No-Fly Zone “That Very Second”

    Ukraine’s President Zelensky and his top officials have over the past days been very openly urging a US and NATO imposed no-fly zone over the country, which would effectively bring American forces into a direct shooting war with Russia. On Saturday Russian President Putin issued a stern threat to any external power thinking about intervening by sending direct military forces.

    Putin made clear a no-fly zone would result in the Kremlin’s immediate declaration of war on any country intervening in such a way.The AP reported and translated his fresh comments made before civilian aviation industry members and pilots as follows:

    A no-fly-zone would spell war for any third party who tries to enforce one over Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has said.

    Speaking at a meeting with female pilots on Saturday, Putin said Russia would view “any move in this direction” as an intervention that “will pose a threat to our service members.”

    “That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are,” the Russian president said.

    Further he addressed the ratcheted up sanctions on Russia from the West, which are now serving to isolate Russia almost on levels akin to the US sanctions regimen on Iran – with of course the important exception that the US has not yet directly targeted Russian oil and gas exports.

    more :

    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/evacuation-ceasefires-break-down-russian-shelling-resumes-key-port-cities

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    RT – Implementation of no-fly zone over Ukraine will be regarded as participating in the conflict – Putin

  8. Haaretz – Israel’s Bennett Meets Putin in Moscow Over Ukraine Invasion

    Bennett took a flight in violation of Shabbat because Judaism permits this when the aim is to preserve human life, his spokesperson said

    The Biden administration had been informed about the meeting in advance

    […]According to the Israeli statement, the two leaders met for three hours.

    Before the meeting was made public, several dozen protesters gathered outside Bennett’s home in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana, calling on the government to join Western sanctions on Russia and accept more Ukrainian refugees.

    Bennett is accompanied by Ukrainian-born Minister Zeev Elkin, who joined previous meetings between Israeli prime ministers and Russia’s Putin, as well as National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata and senior political adviser Shimrit Meir.

    […]Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is expected to talk with Putin on Sunday.

    […]Bennett’s visit to Moscow came as Russia presented new demands for written U.S. guarantees that Western sanctions imposed on it over the conflict in Ukraine would not damage its cooperation with Iran after a new agreement is reached on Tehran’s nuclear program.

    The announcement by Russia, which could torpedo months of intensive indirect talks between Tehran and Washington in Vienna, came shortly after Tehran said it had agreed a roadmap with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve outstanding issues which could help secure the nuclear pact.

    https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-s-bennett-meets-putin-in-moscow-over-ukraine-invasion-1.10654195

    =========================

    reuters – Israeli PM Bennett meets Putin in Moscow to discuss Ukraine crisis

    […]Israel is also mindful of Moscow’s military support for President Bashar al-Assad in next-door Syria, where Israel regularly attacks Iranian and Hezbollah military targets. Contacts with Moscow prevent Russian and Israeli forces trading fire by accident.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/israeli-pm-bennett-meets-putin-moscow-discuss-ukraine-crisis-2022-03-05/

    ===============================

    THE TIMES OF ISRAEL – Bennett flies to Moscow, is holding talks with Putin on Ukraine war

    […]According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the two have been meeting for the past 2.5 hours.

    “The prime minister took off for Moscow early this morning, after the conversation between the leaders last Wednesday,” the statement says.

    The Prime Minister’s Office says Bennett is being accompanied by Housing Minister Ze’ev Elkin, who is serving as his translator, along with National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata, diplomatic adviser Shimrit Meir and spokesman Matan Sidi.

    […]

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/bennett-meets-with-putin-in-moscow-to-discuss-ukraine-war-report/

  9. Bennett to meet German Chancellor Scholz in Berlin after meeting with Putin

    Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is heading to the German capital to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his spokesperson says.

    Bennett is expected to update Scholz on the details of his meeting with Putin in Moscow today.

    After meeting Scholz, he will return to Israel.

    Scholz was in Israel on Wednesday for a brief trip.

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/bennett-to-meet-german-chancellor-scholz-in-berlin-after-meeting-with-putin/

    =========================

    Bennett concludes meeting with Putin, speaks with Zelensky

    Bennett is now headed for Germany where he is set to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

    Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew to Berlin, immediately after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three hours on Saturday.

    Bennett was set to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The leaders met in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

    Earlier, Bennett and Putin discussed the war in Ukraine, including the situation of Israelis and Jewish communities as a result of the conflict, a diplomatic source said.

    Bennett informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in advance of the meeting with Putin, and called him after concluding the meeting, before departing Moscow.

    The prime minister coordinated his trip to Moscow in advance with the US, France and Germany – all parties to the Iran talks. Bennett spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and may visit Paris after Berlin, Kann reported. Turkey was also updated, as Bennett’s flight route was over their territory.

    In addition, Putin and Bennett discussed Iran talks, with the latter emphasizing that Israel opposes a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, which is the aim of the negotiations in Vienna.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made new demands in the negotiations of an Iran nuclear deal in Vienna over the weekend, calling for written guarantees that sanctions related to the Ukraine war will not stop it from trading with Tehran.

    That demand came as sides said a return to the 2015 nuclear deal was days away. Jerusalem has been very critical of the deal, saying that it does not restrict Iran’s nuclear program sufficiently nor for a long enough time, while lifting sanctions that will make the Islamic Republic flush with cash to put into its proxy warfare across the Middle East.

    Putin and Bennett agreed to continue the deconfliction mechanism in Syria, Channel 12 News reported. Jerusalem coordinates with Moscow before airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria, where the Russian Army is the dominant force.

    Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Israel has been trying to balance the national security importance of coordination with Russia with Israel’s strongest strategic alliance with the US and support for democracy and international order.

    Israel condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and a vote in the UN General Assembly, but Bennett has been reticent to say anything about Russia. In his recent statements, he has expressed support for the Ukrainian people and called for negotiations.

    The prime minister was the first leader of a democracy to meet with Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine 10 days prior.

    Bennett departed Israel early Saturday morning for the trip, which was planned after he spoke with Putin on Wednesday about the war in Ukraine.

    The prime minister previously spoke with Putin and Zelensky twice since Russia invaded Ukraine. Zelensky has asked Bennett to try to mediate between the sides.

    Bennett and Building and Construction Minister Ze’ev Elkin, who served as translator, both observe the Jewish Sabbath and flying on Saturday indicates that there was an urgent national security need.

    Elkin has translated Putin for prime ministers in meetings for over a decade. The Kharkiv-born minister has a brother in Ukraine and was reportedly offered a cabinet post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after he was elected in 2019.

    National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata, Diplomatic Adviser Shimrit Meir and Spokesman Matan Sidi also accompanied Bennett to Moscow.

    https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-700416

  10. #2 First improvised armored vehicle I’ve seen in this war, interesting. It looks like a pickup with a heavy MG in the back, ie a technical. With some plates welded on, and maybe a rollbar. Similar to what mercs used in Iraq.
    I didn’t hear any Trump impersonation, where in the vid can that be heard?
    i also didn’t get a nazi vibe from these guys, I didn’t see runes or swastikas at least.

  11. zero hedge – “Close The Skies Or Give Us Planes”: Zelensky Tells US House & Senate In Zoom Call

    […]The Zoom call was first time since the Russian invasion began almost a week-and-a-half ago that Zelensky addressed both houses of the Congress in a major appeal. He took the opportunity to reiterate his call for a no-fly zone, which both NATO leadership and the Biden administration have so far rejected, citing that it would lead the US into a direct shooting war with Russia.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/close-skies-or-give-us-planes-zelensky-tells-us-house-senate-zoom-call
    ============================

    CBS – Zelensky calls for fighter planes in Zoom call with Congress

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an impassioned plea directly to U.S. lawmakers in a Zoom call Saturday morning, calling for military planes and support, and an embargo on Russian oil, according to a member of Congress who was on the call.

    Zelensky told lawmakers that Ukraine needs jets because its air force was destroyed on day one of the Russian invasion, according to another source who was on the call. And he asked for an oil embargo on Russia, which he said would be the most significant factor for Ukraine. Zelensky told lawmakers that if there had been sanctions in place in September or October, there would not have been an invasion.

    The urgency of Zelensky’s requests was evident from the outset — he opened with a remark along the lines of “this might be the last time you see me alive.” He warned them that after Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop. Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members, will be next. He called on the U.S. to send planes and troops there now to prepare, and to release surplus Warsaw Pact planes — MIGs and Sukohvs — from Poland and other countries. A source familiar with the call said that the subject of a no-fly zone came up.

    Congressman Mike Quigley, the chairman of the House Ukrainian Caucus, told CBS News after the call that Zelensky had stressed that the battle in the air is pivotal and affects everything that’s taking place on the ground. “Either close the skies or give us the planes one way or the other because…the battle is often won in the air,” Quigley said, summing up Zelensky’s message to Congress.

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a statement after the call, noted Zelensky’s request for the Russian-made planes, and he said he would do “all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer.”

    Zelensky also asked lawmakers for more lethal aid, according to one of the sources on the call, and he asked the U.S. to cut off Visa and Mastercard from Russia.

    The Ukrainian president was received warmly by both Democrats and Republicans, according to Quigley.

    “When everybody turned on their microphones … there was extraordinary, universal, strong, bipartisan, bicameral support,” he said, adding, “This was historic, right — he leader of a free, democratic sovereign country speaking live from his capital when it is under siege and with the realization that he has been made targeted for death by an autocratic despot.” Quigley marveled at “how calm he was, how courageous he is,” and said he hoped that this would be “motivational” enough to get more Ukrainian aid passed quickly.

    Over 280 Senate and House members joined the Zoom, according to one of the lawmakers. The Ukrainian president told the senators and House members that he is thankful for the strong sanctions and unified response from the West. After speaking for about 30 minutes, the Ukrainian president took questions from lawmakers.

    Zelensky thanked the U.S. for the severe sanctions, which he said have Russian business leaders reeling from the impact. He also talked about the Russian soldiers Ukraine has captured, telling lawmakers that the soldiers are often unaware of the real conditions in Ukraine and have no idea that they’re fighting a war of hostility.

    He spoke of Ukraine’s strong relationship with Poland and said that humanitarian and military assistance is flowing into Ukraine easily.

    A source on the call said that Schumer told Zelensky that “we are inspired by you and the strength and courage of the Ukrainian people.” Schumer also said in a statement that he and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and others “are working hard in a bipartisan fashion to get all the assistance the administration has requested for the Ukrainian people quickly” — over $10 billion in economic, humanitarian and security funds.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zelensky-congress-planes-russia-oil-embargo/

  12. Neil Oliver: I will continue to air my doubts and ask my questions

    […]the quick shift from ‘you cannot question the vaccine’ to ‘you cannot question what’s going on in Ukraine.’

    […]for the past two years you have manipulated so much we won’t stop asking questions, and we certainly will not accept the media presentations at face value.