Ukraine: US Lies, Provocation, Broken Promises, Fake News

[Anthea]

UK military slams Ukraine peacekeeping

plan as political theater

Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier proposed sending troops to the conflict zone as part of a “coalition of the willing” UK military officials have dismissed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal for deploying Western troops to Ukraine as part of a ‘peacekeeping force’ to oversee a potential ceasefire, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. Senior military sources told the outlet that Starmer had “got ahead of himself.”

Starmer announced the initiative earlier this month, aiming to build a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine militarily. Last week, he claimed that multiple countries backed the idea of sending in a peacekeeping force of up to 10,000 troops, despite Moscow’s opposition to any Western deployments in the conflict zone.

London hosted planning talks last week with military officials from partner nations. However, military sources dismissed the plans as premature and politically motivated.

“There is no defined military end-state or military-strategic planning assumptions. It’s all political theater,” one senior army official told the news outlet.

“Starmer got ahead of himself with talk of boots on the ground before he knew what he was talking about.”

The discussions have reportedly shifted their focus from boots on the ground to air and naval support. The Telegraph reported that RAF fighter jets could be deployed to patrol Ukrainian airspace, while British Typhoons could provide air cover for ground forces, though the size and role of any ground deployment remain unclear.

“It’s politics. There’s no military sense in it,” another defense source said, noting that neither Russia nor the US support the coalition. He also pointed to a lack of clarity on mission goals.

“What is a 10,000-international force based in the west of the country over 400km from the front line meant to do? It cannot even protect itself,” he argued. “What is the mission? What is its legitimacy? What are the rules of engagement? How is it commanded, supplied and housed? How long is it there for and why? No one knows.”

[Anthea]

My name is Myroslav Oleshko

I am a political blogger from Ukraine, persecuted by Zelenskyy, who is trying to imprison me for eight years to silence me for telling the truth

I will tell my story

Since 2016, I had a political YouTube channel with 400K subscribers, gathering millions of views among the Ukrainian audience.

In 2019, when I heard that comedian and actor Zelenskyy was planning to run for president, I publicly opposed it. Ze was considered close to all corrupt and oligarchic circles in Ukraine.

Moreover, Ukraine was at war in the east, and I believed that the country should not be entrusted to a person with no diplomatic experience. I think Americans realized this when they saw his undiplomatic behavior at the White House.

Also, in 2019, it became known that Ze had been using drugs all his life. At that time, Poroshenko and boxer Klitschko suggested that Ze take an independent drug test. Ze refused to undergo a WADA anti-doping test and instead took a fake test at the clinic of his friend and fraudster Palchevskyi.

In April 2019, I organized a protest in front of Zelensky’s office, calling on him not to be afraid and to take an independent test to prove he was not a drug addict

When Ze won, I actively opposed him. He was constantly involved in corruption scandals.

All members of Zelensky’s team, like Kyrylo Tymoshenko and Arakhamia, started buying luxury villas worth millions of dollars just a year after taking office.

Zelensky’s team began laundering money through Turkish shell companies, which helped them embezzle funds from road construction projects.

By 2021, Ze had become the most corrupt president in Ukraine’s history, and the country was heading toward impeachment and new elections

Then suddenly, Russia launched a full-scale invasion. This allowed Ze to impose martial law, seize power, take private TV channels and media under his control, and launch propaganda on the level of Goebbels.

Ze began intimidating his critics with forced conscription—people were simply kidnapped from the streets and sent to the front. And then, a shell would “accidentally” hit them. Supposedly a Russian one, but who really knows?

Do you know what this is? Legalized murder of political opponents. Europe and the U.S. government turned a blind eye to it. Ze was given the green light.

In 2023, while Ze was talking about victory and demanding more and more money from the U.S., I was driving around Kyiv and saw that his government had no intention of winning.

They resumed road construction projects, allocated billions for entertainment talk shows, and directed funds not to the army but to embezzlement

At that time, while I witnessed how the government continued to steal during the war, my friend and godfather, Hennadiy Afanasyev, was killed. I attended his funeral, and it broke my heart. If Ze had not refused to stop the war in late 2022, my friend would still be alive. But ending the war was not in Zelensky’s interest.

Ordinary men ended up in coffins while Ze and his friends made fortunes

So, in the summer of 2023, I left Ukraine to continue my work freely and tell the truth. Almost immediately, the authorities blocked my @YouTube channel (@Google still refuses to restore it). My @tiktok_us was also blocked. This is how Ze, with the consent of the Democrats and EU liberals, took control of social media.

A criminal case was opened against me for criticizing the “President of Ukraine and discrediting the military.” I was exposing how government thugs were kidnapping and beating peaceful citizens in the streets. And that turned out to be a criminal offense.

All the media controlled by the government and USAID began smearing me without giving me a platform to respond, violating journalistic standards.

Trump is the lifeline for my country

I have research the above and believe it to be true

[Anthea]

Radar II

Zelensky’s got weeks if not days

He does not want peace, he won’t stop until the whole continent is burning

Either the U.S. or Moscow will take him out

This man is completely out of control

The message is clear

BREAKING: Zelensky shuts down the Trump-Putin Peace talks, DEMANDS $250B from the West to keep the war from ending.

He says he will NOT ACCEPT ANY Peace deal negotiated by Trump and Putin

Interesting

[Anthea]

Zelensky admits Kiev lacks budget

to finance Ukrainian forces

Zelensky urges Europe to finance Ukraine's military, citing budget constraints, and expresses greater reliance on Europe over the US

Ukrainian Dictator Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Kiev does not have the budget to fully support the Ukrainian armed forces, urging Western allies, particularly Europe, to finance the military.

In an interview for Time on Tuesday, Zelensky said, "But they [troops] need rest, rotation, reserves, salaries. That’s a real problem, I think, because the army was always smaller than it is now. And when the army is three times bigger than it was, then it needs to be financed. The budget of Ukraine will not be enough."

The Ukrainian Dictator has urged the establishment of separate programs to fund the Ukrainian army, emphasizing that "Europe needs to finance it. Ideally Europe and America."

Zelensky also stated that, given the current situation, he would depend more on Europe than the United States.

Russia has consistently argued that Western arms shipments to Ukraine obstruct the peace process and involve NATO countries in the conflict. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cautioned that any cargo carrying weapons for Ukraine will be considered a legitimate target for the Russian military

On a related note, earlier last week, a Bloomberg report on March 21 revealed that Europe is facing a critical shortage of explosive materials, at a time when the availability of such material takes priority, forcing manufacturers to dramatically escalate operations to meet the continent's demand as it boosts its military aid to Ukraine ahead of the limited ceasefire with Russia.

Since the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, Nitrochemie Aschau, a subsidiary of the German defense giant Rheinmetall, has significantly expanded its production capacity, raising its output by 60% and actively constructing new facilities to boost capacity by an additional 40% by mid-2025, according to Bloomberg.

The report added that the company hired an additional 300 people, welcoming workers from the automotive and chemicals sectors to strengthen its workforce in a bid to keep its production lines running all day to meet Europe's demand for ammunition.

Rheinmetall aims to increase its gunpowder production by more than 50% by 2028, but even that may not be enough. CEO Armin Papperger told Bloomberg that the company might need to nearly double its output to over 20,000 metric tons to meet growing demand.

European governments tapped into their munitions stockpiles to arm Ukraine, revealing critically low reserves. Since then, efforts to ramp up artillery, missile, and bullet production have pushed supplies of gunpowder, TNT, and other explosives to the limit.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... nian-force

[Anthea]

May 2014 massacre in Odessa and the
hypocrisy of the European Union

A judicial precedent in Ukraine was issued on Thursday, March 13, by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It issued a verdict regarding the massacre of anti-coup protesters that took place in the Odessa city center on May 2, 2014, six weeks after the illegal and violent coup of February 20 and 21

The massacre killed 48 people and wounded some 250 more when the city's historic Trade Union House was set on fire while protesters were sheltering inside.

The massacre was carried out by right-wing Ukrainian ultranationalists. Images of protesters jumping from the windows or the fire-engulfed building and then being beaten to death by waiting ultranationalists shocked the country.

These would have shocked the world except that Western media carefully shielded its consumers from such images, blaming instead "pro-Russia demonstrators" for much of the violence.

The massacre in Odessa quickly sparked armed civil defense in the Donbass region of what was then eastern Ukraine. Today, the region is a constituent region of the Russian Federation in the form of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's republics.

The European court reports on its website:

"In the case, the European Court of Human Rights Court held, unanimously, that there had been:

1. Violations of Article 2 (right to life/investigation) of the European Convention on Human Rights, on account of the relevant authorities' failure to do everything that could reasonably be expected of them to prevent the violence in Odesa on 2 May 2014, to stop that violence after its outbreak, to ensure timely rescue measures for people trapped in the fire, and to institute and conduct an effective investigation into the events;

2. A violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) in respect of one applicant (application no. 39553/16) concerning the delay in handing over her father's body for burial.

"The Court concluded that the relevant authorities had not done everything they reasonably could to prevent the violence, to stop that violence after its outbreak, and to ensure timely rescue measures for those trapped in the fire in the Trade Union Building. There had therefore been violations of the substantive aspect of Article 2 of the [aforementioned] Convention."

The court wrote further, "The Court concluded that the relevant authorities had failed to institute and conduct an effective investigation into the events in Odesa on 2 May 2014. There had therefore been a violation of the procedural aspect of Article 2 of the Convention."

And so, nearly 11 long years after the events, the state of Ukraine has been named by the ECHR as a key culprit in the Odessa massacre. The court ordered the country to pay the relatives of 28 victims up to 12,000 euros in compensation, for a total of some 112,000 euros

The ECHR ruling does not name the organizers and perpetrators of the violence in Odessa on May 2. Only the inaction of law enforcement officers and firefighters is blamed.

Its decision included smears against Russia, saying that “Russian propaganda” played a key role in inciting the violence that day, as though the violent, ultranationalist propaganda of the perpetrators did not exist and had no influence on events.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice took the ECHR decision as an opportunity to blame predecessors in order to absolve itself of any responsibility. "The tragedy in Odessa occurred three months after the Revolution of Dignity [the 'Maidan' coup], when the country still retained the institutional legacy of the regime of Viktor Yanukovych [the elected president who was overthrown in February 2014] in its structures, especially in the law enforcement system," the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

Last year, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, called the events of May 2, 2014, a "shameful page" in the history of Ukraine. "The people who stood behind this crime against humanity and those who carried it out have never been punished," Peskov noted

An Odessa communist and participant in those tragic events, Maria Simikchi, found refuge in Crimea following the massacre. She spoke to the Southern News Service in Crimea on March 2, explaining her experience on that horrific day 11 years earlier.

She explained that the arson in the Trade Union House was planned, and the governor of the Odessa region simply stood back and watched. "For me, today's war has been taking place for 11 years, beginning with Odessa and then quickly spreading to Donbass." The coup regime in Kiev reacted to the anti-coup protests that erupted in Donbass in May of 2014 by undertaking a civil war to suppress them.

Igor Sivak, a poet and songwriter living in Odessa, wrote on Telegram on March 13 that the ECHR decision once again emphasizes the falsehoods behind declared 'European values'. "Here are 'European values' on display. In Europe in May 2014, in broad daylight, Ukrainian human rights zealots and supporters of integration into the European Union burned people alive, finished off the wounded, and then went on to intimidate the families of the dead.

Meanwhile, the great 'humanists' have taken 11 years to decide whether that this was, in fact, premeditated, mass murder and a crime against humanity."

Assassinations in Maidan Ukraine

As a likely consequence of forced, military conscription and impunity for participants in the neo-Nazi terror of May 2, 2014, assassinations are now taking place in Ukraine. On Friday, March 14, in broad daylight in Odessa, in front of dozens of passersby, Demian Hanul was assassinated. He was one of the active participants in the 2014 massacre in Odessa and an activist of the fascist, 'Right Sector' party and paramilitary force.

Ganul has, in recent years, been working for the Ukrainian secret services and actively terrorizing the citizens of Odessa in efforts to make the historic, multicultural Russian city into a 'Ukrainian' city and destroy all reminders of the city's Russian and Soviet past.

Ganul and his followers were very active in promoting Ukraine's forced military conscription. His assassin, a Serhiy Shalayev, has not spoken of his motives. He is reportedly a lieutenant of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who deserted and was once an activist of the Right Sector. He is reported to have participated in the 2014 massacre. Zelensky sent an entire police regiment to Odessa to detain and watch over Shalayev, which shows how seriously Zelensky takes the ​​public relations troubles, which neo-Nazis helping to prop up his regime can cause to him.

'We have already lost the war'

Ukrainian unit commanders are complaining that the prospects of a truce with Russia are affecting the combat spirit of rank-and-file soldiers. They say that soldiers have no wish to die on the eve of a truce. It is now much more difficult to order soldiers to advance on this or that position; they are more likely than ever, instead, to sabotage any orders placing themselves in danger.

Against this background, television channels in Ukraine are stepping up their bellicose rhetoric. Ukrainian military 'experts' now appear regularly, talking of an 'eternal and existential' war with Russia to be passed along to the succeeding generations.

Legislator Oleksandr Dubinsky wrote on telegram on March 17 that, in fact, the Ukraine government has no choice but to "agree to everything" the Western countries place before it. He writes, "The war is over. Now we see pitiful requests to extend it a little. But the bottom line is already clear to everyone: 'enough!' Verbal games are being played solely to somehow save face."

Dubinsky wrote on Telegram on the same day, "It is completely wrong to assume that a truce of 30 or more days is beneficial to Ukraine. The fatigue of the war is such that the army will simply run away or at least a very significant part will do so. That's because due to his greed and stupidity, Zelensky has not provided soldiers with rotation and rest during the past three years."

Ukrainian serviceman Alexander told the Spanish daily El Pais on March 15 that, in his view, Ukraine has suffered a military defeat due to its large number of losses. "In fact, we have already lost this war - simply because of all the dead."

In an interview for the Ukrainian online publication Strana in mid-March, military expert and historian Colonel Markus Reisner of the Austrian General Staff said that the exhaustion of the Ukrainian army is producing a cumulative effect due to the accumulation of problems. "The cumulative effect is playing out. One second, the enemy enters your position; seconds later, he has already moved beyond you and, 'oh no, he is now in Lviv [in western Ukraine].'"

Reisner continued, "As we have already said, one of the most serious problems of the Ukrainian army is the lack of soldiers. The front line is being constantly stretched. The Russians, as my Ukrainian colleagues say, behave like water: they penetrate through any unprotected place. At some point, they may end up behind you, with the remaining options being to retreat in an orderly manner or to run away."

Reisner summarizes the dilemma facing the warmaking governments of the European Union: "In my opinion, we are still not entirely honest in the West. Someone has to say to the Europeans, 'Listen, we agreed that we will help the Ukrainians. But the 16th package of sanctions against Russia did not produce the desired effect. All the tanks and so much more that we supplied did not stop the Russians. Let's now try this option: We will take money from funds to combat climate change and from social security payments and use this to produce more shells for Ukrainians and ourselves.' I am not sure that the peoples of Europe will react to this with shouts of 'Hurrah!'"

He continues, "Western help is the center of gravity for Ukrainians. Why? Because Ukraine cannot independently restore the strength to wage war."

The Austrian colonel also admits that it is the system of privatized military production that prevents the West from catching up with the Russian defense industry. "The defense industry [in the West] is made up of private companies that all want to earn a lot of money.

In Russia, with its state-guided military industries, an artillery shell costs about 800-1200 euros. In Europe, the price ranges from 8,000 to 10,000 euros. Companies say 'we can supply, but it will be very costly.'"

Reisner believes that if the European governments do not provide Ukraine with any positive prospects, this could lead to the next government in Ukraine to accept re-establishing normal relations with the Russian Federation resembling those that prevailed before the 2013-14 Maidan coup and the far-right paramilitary forces spearheading it.

In fact, Western governments are well aware of the rising mood in Ukrainian society for peace with Russia, but they are ready to sacrifice the entire country so that the anti-Russian and anti-communist regime in Kiev may remain in power for just a little while longer.

Former Ukrainian legislator and nationalist Igor Mosiychuk demands that a truce be signed immediately since, according to him, this is what the people of the country are now demanding. Otherwise, in his opinion, a political explosion could occur, leading to a loss of statehood and of the very viability of the country. "This [truce] currently corresponds to the aspirations of the Ukrainian people and to the human, and military and geopolitical interests of the country. If war continues, it will inevitably lead to further losses of territory," the nationalist warns.

Ukrainian political scientist Ruslan Bortnik says that peace may arrive quite suddenly, "like a heart attack or a stroke. But it will be a heart attack or stroke to our political system, not to those of others."

"We can negotiate, we can express our remarks, we can give beautiful interviews to all kinds of publications where we will repeat our demands to Moscow. But we will not be able to resist the combined pressure of Moscow and Washington."

The Ukrainian leadership is well aware of this fact. Its movements in the turbulent times ahead will be chaotic and unpredictable, like the thrashings of a cornered rat that has already played its role.

https://english.almayadeen.net/articles ... e-numbered

[Anthea]

Monument To Donbas Liberators

To Donbas Liberators is a monument in Donetsk Culture and Leasure Park, Donetsk, dedicated to military units and formations participating in the ousting of Wehrmacht Nazis including Nazi Western Ukrainians from Donbas during World War II. It is the largest monument in the south-east of Ukraine, the main military history monument of the city and region

Memorial events dedicated to Victory Day are traditionally held near the monument. Veterans march through downtown to the monument, where they are congratulated and banquet tables are arranged for them in the alleys near the monument.

In addition to the monument, the memorial complex includes military equipment platform, Veterans minipark, honor roll dedicated to underground partisan movement, the memory bell.

Monument is done in the shape of a triangle, which is a group of three inclined walls coming out of the ground and symbolizing the silhouettes of Donetsk terricones by their sharp edges. At the foot of the monument there is an eternal flame. One of the walls has dedication: "1943. To Your Liberators, Donbas". At another wall there is a sculpture plate, listing the dates Donetsk Oblast settlements were recaptured from Nazis.

On the platform there is a sculptural composition, a Miner and a Soldier, who hold with their right hands the sword with its edge down. The Soldier's left hand is raised up, the Miner's left hand is taken aside. Behind the figures the flag in the form of a five-pointed star is waving. The Soldier is a young man with sharp face, and the Miner is a mature man. Portraits were sculptured without models and are the collective images.

The sculptures are made of copper, the height is 18 meters, the total height of the monument together with the pedestal and the banner is more than 30 meters. The pedestal is lined outside with black granite rising from the ground angle-wise that symbolizes the coal layers. The pedestal is hollow inside

Far too large to pretend it does not exist

The monument is located in the Kyivskyi district of Donetsk, in the Lenin Komsomol Park. Due to its location on the hill above Kalmius river, the monument is visible from afar.

[Anthea]

It’s official: Ukraine conflict

is British ‘proxy war’

Kit Klarenberg analyzes a New York Times investigation revealing the UK's deep entanglement in Ukraine’s war and Britain's covert role in escalating the conflict

On March 29th, The New York Times published a landmark investigation exposing how the US was “woven” into Ukraine’s battle with Russia “far more intimately and broadly than previously understood,” with Washington almost invariably serving as “the backbone of Ukrainian military operations.”

The outlet went so far as to acknowledge the conflict was a “proxy war” - an irrefutable reality hitherto aggressively denied in the mainstream - dubbing it a “rematch” of “Vietnam in the 1960s, Afghanistan in the 1980s, Syria three decades later.”

That the US has since February 2022 supplied Ukraine with extraordinary amounts of weaponry, and been fundamental to the planning of many of Kiev’s military operations, large and small, is hardly breaking news. Indeed, elements of this relationship have previously been widely reported, with White House apparatchiks occasionally admitting to Washington’s role. Granular detail on this assistance provided by the New York Times probe is nonetheless unprecedented. For example, a dedicated intelligence fusion centre was secretly created at a vast US military base in Germany.

Dubbed “Task Force Dragon”, it united officials from every major US intelligence agency, and “coalition intelligence officers”, to produce extensive daily targeting information on Russian “battlefield positions, movements and intentions”, to “pinpoint” and “determine the ripest, highest-value targets” for Ukraine to strike using Western-provided weapons.

The fusion centre quickly became “the entire back office of the war.” A nameless European intelligence chief was purportedly “taken aback to learn how deeply enmeshed his NATO counterparts had become” in the conflict’s “kill chain”:

“An early proof of concept was a campaign against one of Russia’s most-feared battle groups, the 58th Combined Arms Army. In mid-2022, using American intelligence and targeting information, the Ukrainians unleashed a rocket barrage at the headquarters of the 58th in the Kherson region, killing generals and staff officers inside. Again and again, the group set up at another location; each time, the Americans found it and the Ukrainians destroyed it.”

Several other well-known Ukrainian broadsides, such as an October 2022 drone barrage on the port of Sevastopol, are now revealed by the New York Times to have been the handiwork of Task Force Dragon. Meanwhile, the outlet confirmed that each and every HIMARS strike conducted by Kiev was entirely dependent on the US, which supplied coordinates and advice on “positioning [Kiev’s] launchers and timing their strikes.” Local HIMARS operators also required special electronic key [cards]” to fire the missiles, “which the Americans could deactivate anytime.”

Yet, the investigation’s most striking passages highlight London’s principal role in influencing and managing Ukrainian - and by extension US - actions and strategy in the conflict. Both direct references and unambiguous insinuations littered throughout point ineluctably to the conclusion that the “proxy war” is of British concoction and design. If rapprochement between Moscow and Washington succeeds, it would represent the most spectacular failure to date of Britain’s concerted post-World War II conspiracy to exploit American military might and wealth for its own purposes.

‘Prevailing Wisdom’

A particularly revealing section of The New York Times probe details the execution of Ukraine’s August 2022 counteroffensive, targeting Kharkov and Kherson. Unexpectedly finding limited resistance from hollowed out Russian positions in these areas, Task Force Dragon’s US military lead Lieutenant General Christopher T. Donahue urged Ukraine’s field commander Major General Andrii Kovalchuk to keep pushing, and seize even further territory. He vehemently resisted, despite Donahue and other senior US military officials pressuring then-Ukrainian Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi to override his reticence.

Subsequently, the sense among Kiev’s foreign puppet masters that a golden opportunity to inflict an even more egregious blow on the Russians had been lost was pervasive. Irate, then-British Defence Minister Ben Wallace asked Donahue what he would do if Kovalchuk were his subordinate. “He would have already been fired,” Donahue said. Wallace succinctly responded, “I got this.” At his direct demand, Kovalchuk was duly defenestrated. As the New York Times explains, the British “had considerable clout” in Kiev and hands-on influence over Ukrainian officials.

This was because, “unlike the Americans,” Britain had formally inserted teams of military officers into the country to advise Ukrainian officials directly. Still, despite Kiev failing to fully capitalise as desired by London and Washington, the 2022 counteroffensive’s success produced widespread “irrational exuberance”. Planning for a followup the next year thus “began straightaway.” The “prevailing wisdom” within Task Force Dragon was this counteroffensive “would be the war’s last”, with Ukraine claiming “outright triumph”, or Russia being “forced to sue for peace.”

Zelensky boasted internally, “we’re going to win this whole thing.” The plan was for Ukrainian forces to cut off Russia’s land-bridge to Crimea, before seizing the peninsula outright. As the New York Times records though, Pentagon officials were considerably less enthused about Kiev’s prospects. This scepticism seeped out into the public sphere in April 2023 via the Pentagon Leaks. One document warned Ukraine would fall “well short” of its goals in the counteroffensive, forecasting “modest territorial gains” at most.

The leaked intelligence assessment attributed this to “shortfalls” in Ukraine’s “force generation and sustainment”, extensive Russian defences constructed following their retreat from Kherson. It cautioned “enduring Ukrainian deficiencies in training and munitions supplies probably will strain progress and exacerbate casualties.” The New York Times notes Pentagon officials, moreover, “worried about their ability to supply enough weapons for the counteroffensive,” and wondered if the Ukrainians “in their strongest possible position, should consider cutting a deal.”

Even Task Force Dragon’s Lieutenant General Donahue had doubts, advocating “a pause” of a year or more for “building and training new brigades.” Yet, intervention by the British was, per the New York Times, sufficient to neutralise internal opposition to a fresh counteroffensive in the spring. They argued, “if the Ukrainians were going to go anyway, the coalition needed to help them.” Resultantly, enormous quantities of exorbitantly expensive, high-end military equipment were shipped to Kiev by almost every NATO member state for the purpose.

The counteroffensive was finally launched in June 2023. Relentlessly blitzed by artillery and drones from day one, tanks and soldiers were also routinely blown to smithereens by expansive Russian-laid minefields. Within a month, Ukraine had lost 20% of its Western-provided vehicles and armor, with nothing to show for it. When the counteroffensive fizzled out at the end of 2023, just 0.25% of territory occupied by Russia in the initial phase of the invasion had been regained. Meanwhile, Kiev’s casualties may have exceeded 100,000.

‘Knife Edge’

The New York Times reports that “the counteroffensive’s devastating outcome left bruised feelings on both sides,” with Washington and Kiev blaming each other for the catastrophe. A Pentagon official claims “the important relationships were maintained, but it was no longer the inspired and trusting brotherhood of 2022 and early 2023.” Given Britain’s determination to “keep Ukraine fighting at all costs”, this was bleak news indeed, threatening to halt all US support for the proxy war.

Still, there was one last perceived ace up London’s sleeve to keep Washington invested in the proxy conflict, and potentially escalate it into all-out hot war with Moscow. The New York Times reports that in March 2023, the US discovered Kiev “was furtively planning a ground operation into southwest Russia.” The CIA’s Ukraine chief confronted General Kyrylo Budanov, warning, “if he crossed into Russia, he would do so without American weapons or intelligence support.” He did so anyway, “only to be forced back.”

Rather than deterring further incursions, Ukraine’s calamitous intervention in Russia’s Bryansk region was a “foreshadowing” of Kiev’s all-out invasion of Kursk on August 6th that year. The New York Times records how from Washington’s perspective, the operation “was a significant breach of trust.” For one, “the Ukrainians had again kept them in the dark” - but worse, “they had secretly crossed a mutually agreed-upon line.” Kiev was using “coalition-supplied equipment” on Russian territory, breaching “rules laid down” when limited strikes inside Russia were greenlit months earlier.

As this journalist has exposed, Ukraine’s Kursk folly was a British invasion in all but name. London was central to its planning, provided the bulk of the equipment deployed, and deliberately advertised its involvement. As The Times reported at the time, the goal was to mark Britain as a formal belligerent in the proxy war, in the hope other Western countries - particularly the US - would follow suit, and “send more equipment and give Kyiv more leeway to use them in Russia.”

Initially, US officials keenly distanced themselves from the Kursk incursion. Empire house journal Foreign Policy reported that the Biden administration was not only enormously unhappy “to have been kept out of the loop,” but “skeptical of the military logic” behind the “counterinvasion”. In a further rebuke, on August 16th Washington prohibited Ukraine’s use of British-made, long-range Storm Shadow missiles against Russian territory. Securing wider Western acquiescence to such strikes was reportedly also a core objective behind Kiev’s occupation of Kursk.

However, once Donald Trump prevailed in the November 2024 presidential election, Biden was encouraged to use his “last, lame-duck weeks” to make “a flurry of moves to stay the course… and shore up his Ukraine project.” In the process, per the New York Times, he “crossed his final red line,” allowing ATACMS and Storm Shadow strikes deep inside Russia, while permitting US military advisers to leave Kiev “for command posts closer to the fighting.”

Fast forward to today, and the Kursk invasion has ended in utter disaster, with the few remaining Ukrainian forces not captured or killed fleeing. Meanwhile, Biden’s flailing, farewell red line breaches have failed to tangibly shift the battlefield balance in Kiev’s favour at all. As the New York Times acknowledges, the proxy war currently “teeters on a knife edge.”

There is no knowing what British intelligence may have in store to prevent long-overdue peace prevailing at last, but the consequences could be world-threatening

https://english.almayadeen.net/articles ... -proxy-war

[Anthea]

Ukraine Violates Truce by Attacking

Russian Gas Station

Ukraine Violates Truce by Attacking Russian Gas Station. . Kremlin spokesperson peskov asserted that Ukrainian attempts to attack energy facilities are a daily occurrence

The Russian ministry of defense reported that Ukrainian forces attacked the gas metering station in Sudzha.

The Kiev regime launched a double attack using himars rockets against the sudzha gas metering station,” russian authorities said. The Ukrainian shelling caused a major fire at the energy facility, leaving it practically destroyed.

The Ukrainian armed forces have been continuously attacking Russian energy plants with drones. In the saratov region, Russian air defenses shot down 19 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles that were targeting the destruction of oil refinery infrastructure.

On March 28, at about 1020, the Kiev regime launched an attack using, according to preliminary information, himars rockets at the sudzha gas metering station, which resulted in a major fire and the energy facility was virtually destroyed.

March 28, 2025 on Thursday evening, the electricity supply in the Shebekino district of the Belgorod region was disrupted as a result of a Ukrainian artillery attack on the facilities of the Rosseti center (Belgorodenergo electric grid company).

All units of the Ukrainian armed forces disobey orders from their government,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who asserted that attempts to attack Russian energy facilities are a daily occurrence. He also recalled that these attacks take place despite the fact that president volodymyr zelensky’s regime had supposedly adhered to a moratorium on attacks against energy infrastructure.

As a result, “Russia reserves the right to cease complying with the moratorium if the Kiev regime does not respect it,” Peskov clarified

The Sudzha station is part of the infrastructure through which one of the largest corridors for Russian natural gas supply to Europe operated until January 1. Its transit through Ukrainian territory was halted due to Kiev’s refusal to extend bilateral agreements with Moscow.

Ukraine launched a drone strike against an energy facility in the Krasnodar region of Russia. The attack came after president Vladimir Putin accepted a United States proposal to temporarily halt offensives against energy infrastructure in the conflict.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/ukraine- ... s-station/

[Anthea]

US lost war with Russia

eliminated Ukraine

Journalist Tucker Carlson stressed that the US has "lost a war with Russia," emphasizing that the war was never about Ukraine but rather a broader war against Russia

US journalist Tucker Carlson stated that the United States has "lost a war with Russia" and has "eliminated" Ukraine.

Carlson told American radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, "One fact I don't think has penetrated the brains of policymakers in Washington is that we just lost a war with Russia. The US was running that war. The US military, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA are running the war against Russia", adding that the US' actions against Russia were never really about Ukraine.

"No one in Washington cares about Ukraine or the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men destroyed, the fact [it] will be populated by third worlders. I mean, Ukraine. We just eliminated Ukraine. Nobody cares. This was a war against Russia," Carlson said

He said nobody would say out loud that the United States is "overstating" its power.

"And I'm really afraid of that, like, we should know that we were not able to win a conventional war against Russia, period. So, like, what does that say about our power? And maybe we should readjust our expectations a little bit," Carlson said.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin stated that the Special Military Operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime" and that its ultimate goal is to fully liberate Donbass and establish conditions that ensure Russia's security, including Ukraine's demilitarization and denazification

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us--lost-war-with-russia----eliminated--ukraine--carlson?utm_source=mango-searchx&utm_medium=title_and_relatives&utm_campaign=Ukraine

[Anthea]

Witkoff urges Trump to recognize
Russian control for Ukraine Ceasefire

The recommendation came on the heels of Witkoff's recent trip to Saint Petersburg, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund

A widening fracture has emerged within the Trump camp over the direction of US policy on the war in Ukraine, following a controversial suggestion by Special Envoy Steven Witkoff.

According to Reuters, Witkoff proposed that the quickest way to broker a ceasefire would be for Washington to formally acknowledge Russia's claim over four contested regions: Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye

The recommendation came on the heels of Witkoff's recent trip to Saint Petersburg, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The talks reportedly focused on potential pathways to ending the conflict, and Witkoff returned to Washington with a proposal that mirrored key Kremlin demands.

According to sources, the envoy had previously held a private dinner with Dmitriev in Washington, just days before bringing the proposal directly to Donald Trump during a White House meeting. Trump's special envoy on Russia and Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, was also present and strongly opposed the idea.

"Kiev would never agree to simply give up its claim on the four regions," Kellogg said, flatly rejecting the notion of conceding Ukrainian territory.

Trump did not signal support for any policy shift during the meeting. However, insiders say the conversation reflects an increasingly polarized debate inside the president's team about how to proceed with the conflict.

The referendums that led to Russia's annexation of the four regions in September 2022 have been dismissed by Ukraine and its Western allies as illegitimate and in violation of international law

Witkoff's suggestion has alarmed both Republican lawmakers and European partners, many of whom fear that such a concession would legitimize territorial aggression and weaken Western unity.

As reported by Reuters, US allies and some within the Republican establishment are growing increasingly concerned about Witkoff's approach. Critics argue it aligns too closely with Moscow's interests and could undermine diplomatic efforts led by Kiev and its backers in Europe.

Meanwhile, European countries continue to ramp up military support for Ukraine, collectively pledging billions in aid in recent days—a show of commitment that contrasts sharply with Witkoff's overtures to the Kremlin.

While Trump himself has called the war "senseless" and encouraged peace talks, he has not endorsed any plan that involves recognizing Russian gains.

Earlier today, The New York Times reported that a revised draft of the mineral resources agreement between the United States and Ukraine would grant Washington full rights to profits from joint ventures until Kiev repays all US aid provided during the war.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... or-ukraine

[Anthea]

Ukraine faces US pressure

over Russian gas transit

A senior economist in Kiev has characterized the Trump administration’s latest stance in negotiations as a form of "colonial-style coercion."

The United States has reportedly demanded control over a critical gas pipeline in Ukraine that transports Russian natural gas to Europe—a move being described as a "colonial shakedown."

According to reports, US and Ukrainian officials met on Friday to discuss a proposed minerals-for-security deal, with US President Donald Trump pushing for Ukraine to transfer control of its natural resources as "payback" for weapons previously delivered by the Biden administration.

Reuters reported that negotiations have become increasingly tense. The latest American proposal, significantly more aggressive than a February draft, includes demands for $500 billion worth of rare metals, oil, and gas and for the US International Development Finance Corporation to take over management of the gas pipeline.

The pipeline in question originates in Sudzha, western Russia, and stretches roughly 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) to Uzhhorod on Ukraine’s western border with the EU and Slovakia. Built during the Soviet era, the pipeline is a strategic piece of infrastructure and a major conduit for European energy supplies.

On January 1, Ukraine halted the pipeline’s gas transit after a five-year contract with Russia’s Gazprom expired. The agreement had previously generated hundreds of millions of euros in transit fees for both nations, even during the early years of the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Landa, a senior economist at the Kiev-based Centre for Economic Strategy, criticized Washington’s approach, saying the Americans were after “all they can get.” He described the US position as "colonial-type" bullying and predicted it would be unacceptable to Ukraine.

Last year, President Volodymyr Zelensky floated the idea of granting the United States access to Ukraine’s untapped mineral reserves. He envisioned a partnership in which a future Trump administration would supply arms in exchange for shared profits from joint ventures.

However, Trump has since withdrawn any offer of security guarantees or military assistance while still demanding access to the resources. Last week, he accused Zelensky of trying to “back out of an agreement” and warned that Ukraine’s president would face “big problems” if he failed to comply.

On Thursday, Zelensky told reporters he remained open to a development deal but insisted it must be equitable. “I am just defending what belongs to Ukraine. It should be beneficial for both the United States and Ukraine. This is the right thing to do,” he said, adding that any agreement must ensure "parity" with revenues split "50-50."

A US Treasury spokesperson confirmed that "technical" talks are ongoing.
Kellogg walks back Ukraine partition remark

Meanwhile, US special envoy, Keith Kellogg, attempted to clarify controversial comments he made about partitioning Ukraine. In an interview with The Times, he suggested the country could be split “almost like Berlin after World War Two.” On X, Kellogg later explained he had been referring to a “post-ceasefire resiliency force in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty,” not endorsing what he labeled as "Russian occupation".

Under this proposed framework, Russian forces would remain in the areas they currently control, while British and French troops would be deployed to Kiev and other parts of Ukraine.

In a separate development, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, reportedly met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Witkoff is said to have proposed ceding four Ukrainian provinces to Russia—including areas currently under Kiev’s control and home to over one million people—as part of a conflict resolution plan.

At a Friday meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Western allies announced a record €21 billion ($22.5 billion) in new military assistance. They also accused Putin of stalling on a proposed 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine has already accepted.

Russia responded with renewed airstrikes early Saturday, targeting civilian infrastructure. Separately, President Zelensky on Saturday honored 26-year-old F-16 pilot Captain Pavlo Ivanov, who was killed during a combat mission. He praised Ukraine’s small air force for “heroically” defending the nation from Russian aerial assaults and supporting ground forces.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... as-transit

[Anthea]

Russia-Ukraine war is Biden’s

The US leader reveals that "some very good proposals" should come out "very soon" on ending the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian Dictator Volodymyr Zelensky and then-US President Joe Biden did an "absolutely horrible" job allowing the war in Ukraine to begin despite having several opportunities to prevent it, President Donald Trump indicated on Monday.

"President Zelenskyy and Crooked Joe Biden did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin. There were so many ways of preventing it from ever starting. But that is the past. Now we have to get it to STOP, AND FAST. SO SAD!" Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.

He added that he has nothing to do with the ongoing war in Ukraine and blamed his predecessor for it, stressing that he is making an effort to end the hostilities.

"The War between Russia and Ukraine is Biden’s war, not mine. I just got here, and for four years during my term, had no problem in preventing it from happening," Trump said.

"I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR, BUT AM WORKING DILIGENTLY TO GET THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION TO STOP," the US president added.

He also brought up his previous claims that the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Democratic Biden, was rigged.

"If the 2020 Presidential Election was not RIGGED, and it was, in so many ways, that horrible War would never have happened," Trump said.

Zelensky 'always looking to purchase missiles'

Later, the US leader criticized Zelensky for "always looking to purchase missiles.”

“You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles,” he told reporters in the Oval Office

However, Trump revealed that "some very good proposals" should come out "very soon" on ending the war in Ukraine.

At the moment, the Trump administration is aiming to achieve a ceasefire agreement that would end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Friday and met with President Vladimir Putin and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.

Problem with Iran 'almost an easy one'

Touching on the US-Iran talks regarding the latter's nuclear program, Trump claimed that he would solve the "problem with Iran," pointing out that it is "almost an easy one."

"Every single thing got a problem with Iran. But I'll solve that problem. It's almost an easy one," he said at the White House.

Trump mentioned he believed Iran is intentionally delaying a nuclear deal, saying, "I think they're tapping us along."

In 2018, Trump abandoned a nuclear deal reached in 2015 between Iran and Western powers, which sought to ensure that Tehran could not develop an atomic bomb while allowing it to pursue a civilian nuclear program.

The US president warned that a potential American response to the failure to reach an agreement with Tehran could include strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

"Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon," he stressed, adding that the Iranians need to move fast to avoid a harsh response because "they're fairly close" to developing a nuclear weapon.

The Omani capital, Muscat, hosted the first round of indirect negotiations between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff on Saturday.

The US envoy described the talks as positive and constructive, while Araghchi called the atmosphere constructive and calm.

The White House said that the second round of talks would be held on April 19. The Iranian foreign minister also revealed that the coming talks will be held soon in the Italian capital, Rome, also under the auspices of the Sultanate of Oman.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ne---trump

[Anthea]

Trying to find out the truth about the attack on Sumy

As far as I can tell the Russian attack was aimed at a military award ceremony there

It I discover more I will keep you informed

Just remember things are never as they appear in this propaganda war

Several times we have seen videos of dead bodies who got up and went home after the major news channels had finished filming

Cars supposedly blown apart in attacks, but the building next to the so-called explosions had no sign of damage, not even a cracked window

One town holding a large international press conference, again showing bodies claiming Russian had recently killed the people, turned out that there had not been any Russians activity in that area for several weeks

Then there was the island were dozens of Ukrainians were slaughtered - a complete and utter lie - all the people were fit and healthy

Mass graves that were not real

A drone attack of flats that was actually caused by Ukrainians

I have reported on many such examples in previous posts

[Anthea]

Russia accuses Ukraine of

violating Easter truce

The Russian Defense Ministry says Ukrainian forces tried to attack the positions of Russian troops in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) regardless of the Easter truce

The Russian military have completely adhered to the Easter truce since Saturday at 6 pm Moscow time (15:00 GMT), according to the Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday.

"All groups of forces in the zone of the special military operation have been strictly observing the ceasefire regime since 18:00 on April 19 and remained on the previously taken lines and positions," a ministry statement revealed.

Despite the Easter truce, Ukrainian armed forces attempted to attack Russian army positions in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the ministry said.

"Regardless of declaration of the Easter ceasefire regime, the units of the Ukrainian armed forces tried to attack the positions of the Russian troops in the areas of the villages of Sukhaya Balka [also known as Sukha Balka] and Bogatyr [Bahatyr] of the Donetsk People's Republic at night. The attacks were repelled."

Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed an Easter ceasefire on Saturday, beginning at 6:00 pm Moscow time and lasting until midnight Sunday into Monday.

In a meeting with the Russian military's Chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, Putin said, "Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 6:00 p.m. to 00:00 from Sunday to Monday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce. I order that all military actions be stopped for this period."

He asserted that Russian soldiers must be prepared to counter any potential ceasefire violations or provocations from Ukraine.

Following Putin's announcement of a truce, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country "will act accordingly -- mirroring Russia's actions."

He also proposed "extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20," while accusing Russia of having broken its promise, citing assault operations on several frontlines.

Kiev carried out 900 UAV attacks, ammunition drops on Russia overnight

According to the ministry, Ukrainian military forces launched 900 drone strikes and ammunition drops on Russian territory overnight, despite the Easter truce, resulting in civilian fatalities.

"Also during the night the enemy used 48 unmanned aerial vehicles of aircraft type, including one drone on Crimea. The Ukrainian units fired 444 times from guns and mortars at the positions of the Russian troops, carried out 900 strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles of quadrocopter type and drops of various ammunition, including 12 shellings, 33 UAV strikes and seven ammunition drops on the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions," the ministry announced.

It added that the strikes caused human fatalities and damage to civilian objects.

In a related context, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russia's Zapad (West) forces seized control of the settlement of Novomikhaylovka (also known as Novomykhailivka) in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) prior to the start of the Easter truce.

The Zapad group's soldiers also destroyed many brigades of Ukrainian armed forces in Kharkov and the DPR, the ministry added.

As a consequence, Kiev has lost up to 245 military members, a tank, and a Grad multiple launch rocket system, according to the ministry, which also stated that three ammo warehouses were damaged.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ster-truce

[Anthea]

4,900 Ukrainian Violations of Easter Truce

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accuses Ukraine of sabotaging peace initiatives after reporting 4,900 attacks during the Easter ceasefire, labeling the actions as “terrorist” and exposing Kyiv’s “inability to negotiate.”

The truce announced by Vladimir Putin between April 19 and 21, coinciding with Orthodox Easter, was marred by mutual accusations of violations. Moscow claims Kyiv exploited the ceasefire to intensify attacks on civilian and Russian positions, deepening the diplomatic crisis.

Zakharova stated that Ukrainian attacks during the truce,including drone strikes and artillery use,confirm a “systematic practice of terrorist methods.” She highlighted the March attack on Russian energy infrastructure, where an oil tank was depressurized, as part of a “premeditated provocation.”

The spokeswoman recalled that Ukraine “actively sabotaged” the 2014-2015 accords, backing out from commitments to grant autonomy to Donetsk and Luhansk. According to Moscow, this demonstrated Kyiv’s “bad faith in negotiations,” now repeated with current truces.

Zakharova connected Ukraine’s position to Western military support, claiming that weapons such as HIMARS systems are being used for ‘attacks on civilians. She criticized the “hypocrisy” of governments demanding dialogue while funding military operations.

Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the occurrence of “isolated Russian attempts” to advance during the truce, reporting 59 artillery attacks and 5 assaults in Donetsk. However, Russian figures are eighty times higher, highlighting the narrative divide between the parties.

The escalation occurs as Donald Trump promotes extending the truce, a move Russia conditions on halting weapons shipments to Ukraine. Analysts note that Zakharova’s rhetoric aims to pressure the U.S. administration to limit military aid to Kyiv.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/zakharov ... st-nature/