Exclusive: As U.S. politicians and pundits have fun talking tough about Russia and demonizing President Putin, they are missing signs that Moscow isn’t amused and is preparing for actual conflict, writes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern.
By Ray McGovern
During the Reagan administration, I was one of the CIA analysts assigned to present to White House officials the President’s Daily Brief, which summed up the CIA’s views on the pressing national security issues of the day. If I were still in that job – and assuming CIA analysts are still able to speak truth to power – I am afraid that I would be delivering alarming news about the potential of a U.S.-Russian military clash.
We analysts were responsible for picking up warnings from Moscow and other key capitals that the U.S. news media often missed or downplayed, much as the major news outlets today are ignoring the escalation of warnings from Russia over Syria.
Sergey V. Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, addresses a high-level meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Syria on Sept. 21, 2016 (UN Photo)
For instance, Russian defense spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov warned on Oct. 6 that Russia is prepared to shoot down unidentified aircraft – including any stealth aircraft – over Syria. It is a warning that I believe should be taken seriously.
It’s true that experts differ as to whether the advanced air defense systems already in Syria can bring down stealth aircraft, but it would be a mistake to dismiss this warning out of hand. Besides, Konashenkov added, in a telling ex-ante-extenuating-
In other words, U.S. aircraft, which have been operating in Syrian skies without Syrian government approval, could be vulnerable to attack with the Russian government preemptively warning that such an incident won’t be Moscow’s fault.
As for the prospects of reviving the Syrian negotiation track, its demise was never clearer than in the remarks on Sunday by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a lengthy interview with Russian Channel One. He ended it with a pointed comment: “Diplomacy has several allies in this [Syria] endeavor – Russia’s Aerospace Forces, Army, and Navy.”
Lavrov recognizes that Secretary of State John Kerry has failed in his efforts to get the U.S.-backed “moderate” rebels to separate from Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, which has been renamed from Nusra Front to the Syria Conquest Front. With that key “separation” feature of the partial cease-fire gone, Lavrov is saying that military force is the only way to drive the jihadists from their stronghold in east Aleppo and restore government control.
President Vladimir Putin and his advisers seem willing to bear the risk of escalation in the hope that any armed confrontation can be limited to Syria. There also appears to be an important element of timing in Russia’s current behavior with the Russians considering it best to take that risk now, since they believe they are likely to face a more hawkish president on Jan. 20.
Of equal importance, there seems to be a new feeling of confidence inside the Kremlin, even though the “correlation of forces” globally and in the Middle East remains in favor of the United States. Russia has gained a key ally in China, and Chinese media have shown understanding and even sympathy for Russia’s behavior in Syria.
Often overlooked is the fact that China played down its longstanding insistence on the inviolability of sovereign borders and avoided criticizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, following what was widely viewed as a U.S.-backed coup in Ukraine that removed elected President Viktor Yanukovych. The Chinese do not care for “regime change” – whether in Kiev or Damascus – and look askance at U.S. insistence that President Assad “must go.”
More important, military cooperation between Russia and China has never been closer. If Russia finds itself in a major escalation of hostilities in the Middle East and/or Europe, the troubles may not end there. The U.S. should expect significant saber-rattling by China in the South China Sea
All of these signs point to very dangerous days ahead, though there has been little intelligent discussion of these risks in the major U.S. news media or, seemingly, in Washington’s halls of power. There is a sense of sleepwalking toward an abyss.
Ray McGovern prepared the President’s Daily Brief for Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan. During Reagan’s first term he conducted one-on-one morning briefings of the Vice President, Secretaries of State and Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the President’s national security assistant. He now works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington.
As the headline to this article infers, Russia is (and has been) onto their forked tongue approach to world issues and where it is leading. I have to admit that as the ME plan rolled out, I was depressed that there was no opposition to the Wests madness. When Putin started to deflate the criminal aspirations on Syria, I was quite relieved…as was, I’m sure, the rest of the concerned world. From the point where Putin negated the poison gas ‘red line’, without showing that it was indeed western stooges that perpetrated the deed, I was impressed by his simple logic. The truth eventually came out, but was not necessary to stop an all out attack on Syria. As I watched Russias’ approach on other incidents, it became clear that they were not falling for traps laid for them…even though at the time it appeared as though they had. As it turns out, Putin was just giving them all the rope they needed to hang themselves. His handling of Erdogan was magnificent. When the US & friends attacked Syrian forces recently, I was dismayed at Putins apparent lack of foresight and his public desire to ‘work with’ Washington. Who in their right mind would think they could trust such a pit of vipers? Now, as with the Turks shoot down of a Russian plane, he has turned a seeming disaster around by stating that he must protect embedded Russian forces by imposing a de facto no fly zone…as the West had been wanting, only to get one that precludes them. Score another win for Syria, even though it comes at the price of 82 dead Syrian patriots. Putin realizes that with the western powers defeat in Syria, that the western cabal will become as dangerous as a wounded, dying animal. His talks with other countries, expanding Russian influence, and his military’s performance so far, also threatens western arms hegemony, ergo their control. This, if nothing else, will cause the writhing of the dying creature to lash out in whatever direction it thinks may delay said expiration. Russia is quite right in expecting more deceit and attacks, even upon Russia proper. I remember reading long ago a statement by Edgar Cayce in one of his readings that “Russia would become the hope of the world”. At the time (the 1960s) I couldn’t fathom such a thing. I also stated in a comment a year ago that I would never have believed, if told, that one day I would be cheering Russia on. Yet, here I am, still cheering.
P.S. My thanks to the brave souls that hung the giant banner of Putin from the bridge…I’d love to see more of them…maybe starting more questioning of the official line(of BS)?
The Russians are the good guys this time and many of the allies are on the wrong side of history. Who would have seen this coming? I am ashamed of the support my country has been giving the US in Syria, unfortunately my government has its tongue wedged so far down the back of Americas pants it can’t see what’s coming.
The problem is that Russia and Russians (or Soviet) never weren’t bad guys. It’s just because in past You, Western, didn’t have RussiaToday and other sources of information. That is the only reality. However it’s good to see that more and more people don’t imagine us, Russians, as those stupid propaganda and stereotypes like BEARS ON THE STREETS, MATRYOSHKA, VODKA and down to the list. I recall The Armageddon by Michael Bay (who has Russian roots as I know) and that stupid scene where drunken Russian cosmonaut repairing the MIR (The World – Soviet Space Station) using hammer. It looked so stupid of creators. It’s absolute level of stupidity.
“You, Western, didn’t have RussiaToday and other sources of information.”
Ha ha! Good joke!
This is an excellent article which discusses the biggest issue we face: our lack of future if the present system retains power. Though the author uses the term “annex”it is clear that whether the province was “annexed” or not, the move was made necessary by the
illegal fascist coup which had seized power in the Ukraine. Parry’s article on the moderator being a mere propaganda shill of those desiring the ultimate contest with Russia is also relevant and crucial. It is unfortunate that we need to seek out specialist websites for the facts as a result of the reduction of the corporate media to cheerleaders for armageddon.
Really great thread from top to bottom. Many thanks to all…
100% accuracy
The victims change, but the USA’s game remains the same:
Spreading “freedom and democracy” with bombs and bullets.
It’s the US that’s sabre-rattling, with its ring of menacing bases around both Russia and China. The US is the one that apparently wants war.
The warning that Russia is prepared to shoot down unidentified aircraft over Syria is a tacit acknowledgement of the potential of a Russia-Israeli military clash.
The latest batch of “Russian propaganda” makes it perfectly clear what is driving the “regime change” effort in Syria.
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/18328
Spoiler alert: It ain’t about “U.S. interests” and it dramatically increases the risk of a much wider war.
thanks for this link…:>)
The linked “email” doesn’t say who it is from , who it is addressed to, or when it was sent.
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/Clinton_Email_November_Release/C05794929.pdf
“…the Libyan operation had no lasting consequences for the region.”
I gotta wonder, how often and how wrong do the neocons have to get it every single time before somebody pulls their plug? Not only does this represent prima facie evidence for war of aggression, but it reveals the illegality of aid to Israel based on the Symington Amendment. It’s worth going to youtube and punching in: Hitchens Parenti, look for the debate of approximately one hour and fifty minutes from 2005. Arch neocon Christopher Hitchens smugly gloats over the rapturous succes the war will prove to be, and baits the audience to revisit his predictions five years in the future. EVERY SINGLE PREDICTION he makes is wrong. The debate is very timely; all the issues then are still in play. You WON’T be disappointed if you haven’t already seen it. The conspiracy – and that’s what it is – conspiracy to wage aggressive war – continues unabated.
F.G. I have come to the belief that the Neocon’s have permanent job security, at least until Tel Aviv is done with them.
I’ll have to check out the Hitchens YouTube, but Hitchens never made sense to me why he supported the America Middle East adventures. Plus, I’m not one to get that involved in how people personally relate to faith, religious or atheist. Not that I can’t converse on the subject of faith, but then after a while I tire listening to people talk about something which because it’s so personal that there is no simple answer. Like listening to two priest, or listening to Hitchens and Maher, and then after listening to all of that to just come away and say WTF.
If what Bill Binney and others have adduced is true, then all the missing emails are still lurking somewhere in the NSA’s electronic repository. Commentators such as Judge Napolitano suggest that a likely source of the Wikileaks cache of documents was an NSA insider rather than the Russians. A recent Finian Cunningham article suggests that the entire charade surrounding the arming of terrorists by our government is now in tatters. Similar articles by such authors as Mike Whitney, Conn Hallinan, Tony Cartalucci and others seem to point in the same direction. Recent acapello performances by The Pentagon and Joint Chiefs suggest freelance incursions without White House approval. Dick Morris – to whom I never previously paid much attention – turns out to be a well informed and amazingly astute source of insider information – character flaws aside, he confirms many of the suspicious activities mentioned, and suggests an imminent “atomic bomb” of an october surprise. Speculation regarding potential “High Treason” charges stemming from the arming of Libyan and Syrian terrorists is rife. To Vladimir Putin, this must sound like a government in the throes of a hostile takeover. The DNC has been irrefutably accused of election rigging. Bribery and “pay to play” are rampant, and every form of “smoke filled room” corruption appears to be afoot. Putin and his advisors must be wondering…”Who’s in charge?” With John Podesta’s flying saucer emails stirred into the mix, some form of national psychotic derangement syndrome must be lurking in Russia’s differential diagnosis. If I were Putin, I’d probably be preparing for the worst. Just sayin…
Bingo! I’d realized this from the beginning of the story of Hillary’s emails, but I hadn’t thought the matter through.
Excellent post.
But very cloudy prognosis for the future, for I’ve no idea what the interested parties in this affair are going to do or try to do now.
Ray, CONSORTIUMNEWS readers and Journalists seem to be regurgitating the same old theories and conclusions. For example, IS and their familiars are deliberately fabricated renegade concoctions, created by the CIA and Mossad. The Russian’s are not coming but the Neo-Cons say they are. Our system of banking; IMF, Federal Reserve, World bank and the “too big to fail” continue to-FAIL. This is in sharp contrast to the Central Bank of Russia, without our inherent, complex, market instabilities. Instabilities that our side of the fiat currency system show. In simplest terms, daily bank closures and hidden inflation statistics, such as, fumbling with the legal definition of product improvement and those accelerated costs passed to a ever weakening consumer power to buy, of course doing all this finagling without announcing it. The derivatives scandals, tricky hedge funds, bundling speculative markets with trust funds, pension funds and the like, all point to the Western Occident nations economic collapse whereas the BRIIC’s, SCO members and their banking cartels will soon be using commodities like gold, silver perhaps platinum as a back up to a tomorrow that has non-fiat money in circulation, that is, paper certificates issued but without the contract futures speculation curve ball, COMEX uses in the West. Now, after this long winded overview, to my point; all major wars initially begin with economic instability, followed by domestic unrest and ending in full scale (declared) war. This is the stuff of history and the Russians are well aware of it. They realize that once the USA-City of London speculators exhaust every conceivable (and inconceivable) way to roll over the sovereign and personal debts of their nations, GLOBAL WAR MUST BEGIN. A war that foments that damn and abominable “Globalization Cycle” or the Creation and Destruction of Value, articulated by Harold James….yes, the Russians know all about his theories too. They are VERY tired of the West’s boom and bust cycles and economic depressions. The Russians are SOOOO sick of this, that they just might put the world out-of-it’s-collective misery (not to mention, theirs) ONCE AND FOR ALL!
Really well stated elmerfudzie, thanks. I think you’re exactly right…
While I appreciate and value Mr McGovern’s warnings, based on his long experience of intelligence work and the Washington arena, it’s perhaps possible to make too much of the situation in Syria. Stripped to its essentials:
1. Syria is a sovereign nation with a secular, democratic government, which tolerates all its religious groups. Its president, Mr Assad, is widely popular and would probably win an immediate election. Only a rather small minority would wish him removed, and the will of the majority should obviously prevail.
2. Through no fault of Mr Assad’s or Syria’s, it has been chosen to suffer a most violent invasion by a horde of murderous terrorists strongly reminiscent of the Goths, Huns, Mongols or Vikings. Those people apparently enjoy mass murder, rape, torture and wholesale destruction. They claim that their goal is to conquer secular, democratic Syria and subject it to Sharia Law – as in Saudi Arabia or the Taliban-ruled parts of Afghanistan.
3. The great majority of Syrians, and the Syrian government, believe that those terrorists have been stirred up, trained, armed, provisioned, paid, encouraged and organized by the US government. In other words, they are military proxies who avoid the need for American “boots on the ground” with the consequent politically damaging American casualties. This way the Americans have it coming and going: if the terrorists succeed, Syria is reduced to anarchy; while if they are defeated, Washington can claim the credit.
4. Russia’s intervention spoiled this little scheme, as the Russians proceeded to make far more headway against the terrorists than the USA had done in years. The Americans tried to delay matters, but the Russians now understand that the Americans are incapable of keeping their word, and so they must be ignored.
5. So now Russia will help Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and the Iraqis to exterminate the terrorists or drive them out of Syria, which will then be rebuilt by Russian and Asian investment. The Americans and other foreigners are unwelcome, and if they enter Syria without permission may be shot on sight.
I’m surprised Mr. McGovern didn’t include the recent speech by Chief of Staff General Mark Milley. This fellow give every appearance of having gone off the deep end. Odd thing though, the first sentence is omitted from most news stories. Here is my transcription:
“I want to be clear to those who try to oppose the United States”
Not being in total lockstep agreement with whatever it is Obama or Hillary or Victoria Nuland is doing generates some ugly threats.
There may be a better link somewhere, but it wasn’t easily found. This one is via the Alex Jones site. When that fellow starts sounding sane, I become even more fearful.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1921458/us-army-chief-mark-milley-fires-terrifying-threat-to-russia-over-syria-and-warns-well-beat-you-any-where-any-time/
Thanks, Zachary. You are right….I might well have included. Milley seems right out of central casting — scary. ray
It is much more than missing Mark Malley’s bluster. It is highly disappointing that Mr McGovern appears to have returned to the CIA rhetoric, which I remember reading in his articles once or twice before. I believe that he is trying to bring reason to the out-of-any-control US administration (whose behavior looks to non-Americans as pure madness), but the facts are important.
The USraeli officialdom can blow so hard that their faces go all blue, but Crimea was not annexed. This is just another big lie that the Western war establishment, especially the Western sewage MSM, keep repeating ad infinitum to make it true. Crimea voted to leave the Ukrainian cesspool, after a USraeli organised coup which its EU puppet was a guarantor against (EU guaranteed peaceful early elections) and voted to join Russia. Annexation is when a part or the whole of another country is taken against the will of the majority of its population. A textbook example of annexation is what Austria-Hungary Empire did with Bosnia in 1908, which ultimately led to the assassination of the Austria-Hungary crown prince by Bosnian Serbs, which then provoked the WW1. Crimea was an autonomous province of Ukraine and could legally secede, especially under the crackdown by the illegal coup government (recognised by USrael and its satellites, but not internationally).
The second reason Mr McGovern should not be proud is the following sentence: “Chinese media have shown understanding and even sympathy for Russia’s behavior in Syria” (as if they should not). What Mr McGovern needs to understand is that the rest of the World, outside of the Israel-US MSM bubble, is predominantly on the Russian side on Syria. Most of the World is exceptionally happy that someone has finally shown willingness to resist the Western criminal gang of regime changers and war profiteers, who make up laws as they go. On Syria, the Russians have negotiated for peace even when it was blatantly obvious that USrael was just seeking a re-positioning and re-arming of the terrorists it sponsors. I remeber exactly the same behavior from Usrael and satellites during “peace-negotiations” in Bosnia. Whenever the Bosnian Muslims would get into trouble, USrael would call for peace negotiations, which would always predictably fail soon after. Nevertheless, Russia negotiated even for 1:1M chance of finding peace in Syria under the attack of Western terrorists.
Most citizens of the planet truly cringe when they read or hear USrael talking about laws and principles: what is legal and what is not. As long as this USrael monstrosity exists, this planet will have neither law nor peace. Luckily, all this bluster points to a waning, semi-impotent “super-power”, because true power does not need to beat its chest.
Kiza, I too have been repeatedly disappointed by Ray McGovern’s use of “annexation”. Crimea was an Autonomous Oblast. Under International Law, an Autonomous [anything] can vote by referendum to become a Sovereign Nation, and therefore also vote to join The Russian Federation.
Correction from Wikipedia:
“During the period of the Soviet Union, the Crimean Oblast was a subdivision of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic until the 1954 transfer of Crimea into the Ukrainian SSR. Crimea became part of independent Ukraine after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, shortly after Crimea had re-gained its autonomy following a 1991 referendum.[29] The Ukrainian parliament abolished the 1992 Crimean Constitution[30] and the office of President of Crimea in 1995.[31] In 1998, Crimea gained a new constitution, which granted it less autonomy; notably, any legislation passed by the Crimean parliament could be vetoed by the Ukrainian parliament.[29]”
Don’t use that crap like Wikipedia. As for Crimea, our president has spoon fed (explain in details) that situation billion trillions times. I didn’t mean to offend you, but that theme must have been forgotten already.
“Don’t use that crap like Wikipedia.”
Why, because it’s at odds with Chekist lies and propaganda? The seizure of Crimea was a violation of the Budapest Memorandum, which resulted in Ukraine giving up nuclear weapons in exchange for an explicit guarantee from Russia concerning territorial integrity. On the part of the Chekists, it’s all hypocrisy anyway; why didn’t they grant independence to Chechnya? Nobody will ever trust them again!
I don’t see anything bad about the word, annex. Communities across the US do it regularly.
verb (used with object)
1.
to attach, append, or add, especially to something larger or more important.
2.
to incorporate (territory) into the domain of a city, country, or state:
3.
to take or appropriate, especially without permission.
4.
to attach as an attribute, condition, or consequence.
I see it as definition 1 and 2. You must see it as definition 3 and 4.
How about a word of a singular meaning which the Russians use: ascension, or an even simpler one that the Crimans of Russian ethnicity use: return (to the fold of mother Russia).
Please do not discount language as a tool of propaganda and war.
Kiza, are You from Russia? Because You sound like You are. I am Russian and I am in Russia and “YES” nobody here likes or uses “ANNEX” (except probably liberals which we called liberast as sort of joke or jive or offensive words). However, I understand FrankZappa, because a dictionary gives us translation of this word as he provided. I can’t talk for everybody in Russia, but probably that word, annexation, doesn’t sound attractive for us. Actually, all of it doesn’t matter.
I don’t know if anybody ever heard but Crimeans voted legally in time of my great birthplace USSR secession and voted to return to Russia. However, nobody took it into account in that time
No Alexandr, I am not Russian but English is not my first language.
Yet, my English is good enough to understand that annexation is a very sharp word in the English language, with strong negative connotation, similar to the word occupation. The, propaganda context of its use is also that, as David Smith says, “annexation” requires an aggressive military action (rolling in the occupational troops) by the annexor whilst Russia already had troops in Crimea and only accepted the vote of the people of Crimea.
Please ignore FrankZappa because his dictionary quote is tendencious, here is a simple online dictionary:
the action of annexing something, especially territory. “the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938”, synonyms: seizure, occupation, invasion, conquest, takeover, appropriation, expropriation, arrogation; usurping
https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=annexation
FrankZappa, you have it bassakwards. Russia did not “do” anything. The Crimean Autonomous Oblast “did” something. It voted, by referendum, TO JOIN the Russian Federation, and Crimea JOINED under International Law. The only thing Russia “did” was ACCEPT Crimea’s request to JOIN Russia.
BREAKING:war alert
Russian Government Officials Told To Immediately Bring Back Children Studying Abroad.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-10-11/russian-government-officials-told-immediately-bring-back-children-studying-abroad
Actually, that information WASN’T PROVED by Peskov, the official spokesman of V. V. Putin. However, he might be the one who has his daughter living abroad. We have the most visited portal in RuNet which called YAPLAKAL.COM and people often duscuss there many actual themes. It’s a pity, guys, you don’t know Russian. You would have found many interesting discussions and info in our net. =))) Finally, many of us and probably many of You would agree that such kind of information possibly might not be officially announced.
Again, sorry for any mistakes in advance.
I have moved previous CONSORTIUMNEWS comment(s) from a one minute to midnight prediction, to thirty seconds. To be perfectly clear, the Western Occident has approximately, fifteen days, or less, to avoid WW III with Russia. I reference here a Youtube news clip@ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSNflBh3r4M
Are you still sleeping America?
I doubt that the warning signs are being missed. Obama is a puppet of the Cheney cartel, and Cheney is a madman who actually wants war with Russia.
Russia will be wiped off the map with preemptive nuclear strike. Nothing to worry about folks…
So will you
Also this is for Ray,
I respect your writing, but I think you should stay away from calling crimea’s reunification with the Russian Federation an “annexation”.
With all due respect, Putin annexed Crimea to keep NATO from installing a naval base in Sevastopol, that the Russians built and have maintained for generations. I also know there was a referendum vote of the Crimean people vastly in favor of Russia maintaining the naval base and governing the region. regards…
The Crimeans voted 92% in favor of reunification with Russia. Russian soldiers were already stationed in Crimea even before the fascist-IMF-Washington orchestrated coup in Kiev.
” Russian soldiers were already stationed in Crimea even before the fascist-IMF-Washington orchestrated coup in Kiev.”
To be precise since 1783. According to a 2010 contract between Russia and Ukraine their stay was prolonged till 2047.
George Soros
You aren’t the real George Soros or if it is you, you are as crazy “in person” as you are when you use your money “invest” in a Hillary-Clinton-WWIII-reign.
It’ll be short and sweet and—again?—how do you like your nuclear toast, with butter or olive oil? Oh, I forgot, you will be the nuclear toast. Olive oil then. It’ll help you slide more quickly into oblivion.
Thanks Stefan, thanks for this clarification. The same words to Drew. Unfortunately, many zombo western citizens (but I am not declining the fact that our Russian TV has propaganda too) don’t understand or probably don’t know the history and the people of Crimea. You can actually see all these posiive feedbacks of various foreign politicians who visited Crimea after the reunification with Russia.
Sorry for my English
Alexandr, wouldn’t it be wonderful if all us average citizens of the world could ditch our leaders, and just live peacefully until we die of old age?
Huh, it probably can be named as utopia, isn’t it? I guess T-800 used proper words after John had delved into his head (sorry, if the quote isn’t 100% correct): “It’s in your nature to kill yourselves.” Sometimes I dream about living somewhere out of civilization to avoid this funny farm. But they will reach you anyway, I believe.
The referendm was held under occupation and was therefore illegal. The referendum did not include an option for maintaining the status quo. From Wikipedia:
“The March 16 referendum’s available choices did not include keeping the status quo of Crimea and Sevastopol as they were at the moment the referendum was held. The 1992 constitution accords greater powers to the Crimean parliament including full sovereign powers to establish relations with other states, therefore many Western and Ukrainian commentators argued that both provided referendum choices would result in de facto separation from Ukraine.”
Do you trust the veracity of any vote held by Russia? You shouldn’t:
http://phys.org/news/2012-09-statistical-method-fraudulent-voting-russian.html
I tried to load your link but couldn’t. I know Crimea quite well, first visited 8 yrs ago and have been back six times.
The peninsula probably has more war memorials than any other territory on the planet. They speak of the Crimean war and the 2nd world war as the 1st and second protections and Sevastopol as an heroic city, it is all part of the Crimean culture.
When Ukraine decided to turn it’s back on Russia and go with the EU it was quite clear to me that Crimea would never accept the swing from Russia to Crimea’s historic enemies, Britain, France, Turkey and Germany. Too many Russians died defending Crimea for it to be otherwise, the status quo was not an option given the illegal regime change in Kiev..
The Crimeans never wanted to be with Ukraine, they tried to get out of it by referendum in 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved but Gorbachov did not allow it. The 1991 and 2913 referendum results were almost identical.. At the end of the day the reality is that Crimea is Russian and lost very little of it’s Russian identity during the neglect of the Ukrainian years.
“I tried to load your link but couldn’t.”
If you’re in Russia that wouldn’t be too surprising!
In 1994 Russia was a signature of the Budapest Memorandum under which Ukraine gave up its’ nuclear weapons in exchange for Russia respecting its’ territorial integrity. So under international law the annexation was unlawful as was any referendum. Clear?
It is also a case of Chekist hypocrisy; following the same ‘logic’, the Russians should have granted independence to Chechnya.
The 1991 referendum was nothing to do with joining Russia because Russia did not come into existence until a year later!
1- Wikipedia is crap
2- Let’s talk about Kosovo that was a Serbian province for centuries and the heart of Serbia, a sovereign country, and that was stolen to Serbian by the US that illegally bombed them to make a new country with Kosovo that never existed in the past. While reunification of Crimea with Russia was totally legal, stealing Kosovo province to Serbia by the US (that have nothing to do there) was criminal. You won’t read this in your Wikipedia! And we all know that all what Americans are doing around the globe is legal.
Alexandr,
Sorry to change the subject, but thank you. I am blown away by your gracious but unnecessary “preemptive?” apology for your “English” – which is far and away clearer and makes more sense than most of what we get to read in MSM or hear from many of our shortsighted politicians.
If only our “deciders” had a bit of your modesty and thoughtfulness, we might have a better chance to have a responsible and mature foreign policy.
I feel like I am living in Woody Allen’s film Bananas.
Annexation is the wrong word. If an independent country has a referendum to join another, it cannot be called annexation – whether it is Crimea or Sudetenland.
One argue that the break away is illegal under Ukraine’s law – but giving a handful of bodyguards and legal advice is not annexation whether it is done by Blackwater and an international legal firm or a country.
Worse – annexation just buys into a lot of dishonest propaganda.
The Crimean people voted for it
96.77% for
idiot
Impressive voice of wisdom, Have you heard about “the dead Hand” ? I guess not, google it, it is about SS-18 (SATAN) burning your town to the ground ….
Six Satans could wipe out the continental U.S. landscape….that much I know.
johgarcha, good to alert the dupes, although the “Dead Hand” will do more than burn his tiny littl’ town to the ground…. it will also burn the ground, melt the highways, turn off the electricity forever….
This isn’t the real George Soros or if it is he is as crazy “in person” as he is with using his money to “invest” in a Hillary-Clinton-WWIII-reign.
It’ll be short and sweet and—again?—how do you like your nuclear toast, with butter or olive oil? Oh, I forgot, you will be the nuclear toast. Olive oil then.
————————–
Ray, nice piece. I was hoping we could work together on Hillary’s craziness but the moment for that relatively small item has passed.
Safe home,
Bart
Dead Man’s Switch. We are ready for you, US.
No. Actually it is the U.S that will be go extinct via nuclear attack from Russia and China as prophesied by the Bible. NATO is nothing. In the prophecy concerning the US we read in Jeremias 50:37 “War shall devour her horses and chariots, and her allies from other lands shall become as weak as women. Her treasures shall all be robbed;” So when the Russian Federation and China are devastating America; NATO (the US ally) will turn weak, defenseless, and cowardly. The outlook doesn’t seem better for the US (which is pretty much on its own), because we read in Jeremias 51:30 “Her mightiest soldiers no longer fight; they stay in their barracks. Their courage is gone; they have become as women. The invaders have burned the houses and broken down the city gates.”
Jeremias 50:41-43 warns the “daughter of Babylon” (the US) that Russia and its allies “are cruel and unmerciful” and that the American leader after hearing of their coming will become helpless and gripped in terror “as the pangs of a woman in labor.” God promises in Jeremias 50:37 concerning US soldiers, that, “they shall become as women.” God says in Jeremias 51:30 that America’s “mightiest soldiers” have become weaklings, are reluctant to fight, are taking cover, and that “they have become as weak as women.” In Jeremias 50:15 God mocks her “…Look! She surrenders! Her walls have fallen. It is the LORD’s vengeance, so take vengeance on her. Do to her as she has done to others!” The US will surrender but luckily the Russians and Chinese and their allies will show no mercy.
Psalm 136:8 “O daughter of Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us.” She has to pay for dropping the atom bombs on the Catholics in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the year 1945. Watch the online video “Alert: Revelation 18:2 Just Happened”
The US managed to create a whole situation in many parts of the world that can lead to one thing for sure, THE COLLAPSE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE (The correct name is the American-Phase of the Bankers Empire). The only question is “How long will It take for that to happen, how much damage will it cause in the process, and what kind of a world system will appear after that?”.
Remember that America is slowly becoming owned/dominated by three different groups : Chinese, East Indians, and Hispanics. So, it is not just that China and India are rising but they are also BUYING America itself. Walk around America and who is getting the new jobs in the high tech, who is buying the houses and condos, and who is becoming homeless and begging for change on the streets.
As for the Muslim World, the quicksands of the Middle East will continue to swallow invading empire after invading empire……….The turn is on America…….