29 Jul, 2022 18:47

US and Russia hold first top level call since February

Moscow has confirmed a phone conversation took place between the two top diplomats

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at Washington’s request by phone on Friday, the ministry has confirmed.

It was the first conversation between Moscow and Washington’s top diplomats since Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in February.

Aside from the conflict, they discussed the Ukrainian grain export deal, signed in Turkey last week, and a potential prisoner exchange between the two nations, the ministry reported.

Earlier on Friday, Blinken told a news briefing that he had “a frank and direct conversation” with the Russian minister and “pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.” (Yeah right!)

Basketball star Brittney Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan are currently both in Russian custody. Griner was arrested on drug smuggling charges, and Whelan was jailed for espionage.

CNN reported earlier they could be exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment by a Manhattan federal court in 2012 on charges of providing aid to a US-designated terrorist organization and conspiring to kill US nationals.

Moscow has not confirmed receiving any specific proposals on the matter from the US and instead said Lavrov urged the US to “return to professional dialogue in the form of ‘quiet diplomacy’ without any speculations.” The US State Departmentdid not reveal any details about its “substantial proposal” and hasn't mentioned Bout by name so far.

The minister also said that continuous Western arms deliveries to Kiev would only prolong the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and lead to further human suffering. The Russian forces in Ukraine strictly follow the norms of international law, Lavrov said, adding that Russia also undertakes “systemic efforts” to help people living on territories under its control return to normal life.

The conversation came after US diplomats said they had repeatedly requested a phone call between Lavrov and Blinken to discuss the potential prisoner exchange. On Thursday, Moscow said that Lavrov would consider the request as soon as his busy schedule allowed. The Russian minister is about to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ministerial summit and hold several bilateral meetings.

https://www.rt.com/russia/559866-lavrov-blinken-speak-phone/

Blinken is way over his head meeting with Lavrov. This is going to be so embarrassing, since Blinken is already lying

29 Jul, 2022 20:10

US and UN react to Ukraine POW camp shelling

White House says it can’t “speak intelligently,” while UN has no first-hand information

The US on Friday declined to speculate on the shelling of the Ukrainian prisoners in Elenovka, saying it did not have enough information to do so. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the incident, but his office said he lacked firsthand reports to comment further. Dozens of “Azov” fighters housed at the complex were killed in what Russia says was a strike by HIMARS rockets supplied by the US to Ukraine.

“We just don’t have enough information to speak intelligently about these very early reports,” John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, told reporters.

According to an unnamed senior Pentagon official, Americans “don't have any definitive information” on what happened and whether the facility was struck by Ukraine or Russia.

The facility in Elenovka, south of Donetsk, housed hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners – mainly members of the “Azov” neo-Nazi militia captured in Mariupol in May. It was struck at around 2 am on Friday, as the prisoners were asleep. As of Friday afternoon, Donetsk People’s Republic authorities say 53 people were killed and 75 were injured.

The government in Kiev accused Russia of carrying out the attack on the territory of its Donbass ally. DPR authorities, however, showed fragments of what they said were rockets used by HIMARS, the rocket artillery supplied to the Ukrainian military by the US.

Ukrainian authorities also knew exactly where the “Azov” prisoners were being held, DPR militia spokesman Eduard Basurin told reporters, accusing Kiev of ordering the strike. He said the attack was intended to kill the “Azov” fighters who began to testify about war crimes and other atrocities Ukrainian forces had been involved in.

https://www.rt.com/russia/559865-us-un-elenovka-reactions/

(sounds like they are using the same talking point)

FOIA request reveals school district hid library database that has pornographic material

Richland School District Two in South Carolina has been exposed for removing guest access to the school district’s online library catalog because of the “current political climate” and “scrutiny.” The move made it impossible for parents to access the catalog and view what books were being made available to their children. Parents who were already outraged over the material in the library submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request last month which revealed an email from Richland School District officials demanding the library be locked.

The now-disclosed email (shown below) was sent by Richland’s Library Media Specialist, Amy Whitfield. The email states that RSD’s Chief Academic Officer, Nancy Gregory, had requested the district “remove guest access to our library catalogs” to hinder anyone “who may have malicious intent in searching our library collections.” Whitfield directed RSD staff to “do this as soon as possible.”

Email from Richland School District Two

McGee Moody, a parent and school board candidate who was involved in uncovering the secret library catalog, spoke to Libs of TikTok regarding the incident, saying, "Schools are trying to push an agenda. They don't want parents to know what's going on in the classroom. When you block off a library, it tells me you have something to hide, there's something you don't want people to see, and that's a huge red flag." McGee tells us he’s running for the school board because he believes in curriculum transparency and school safety.

Richland Two thought they could go behind parents’ backs and block library access. Little did they know that four elementary schools in their district used a different online system, through which parents were able to access the full library catalog. What the parents found explains why the district was so desperate to hide it.

A quick search reveals 29 book options when searching the district’s middle school libraries for “gender identity.” Looking in the elementary school category, we found a lot of alarming material. Books being hidden from the public included stories for children about gender identity, transgender kids using opposite sex bathrooms, cross-dressing toddlers, and our “racist” Founding Fathers.

I Am Jazz tells kids the story of Jazz, a transgender toddler who “has a girl brain but a boy body.”

Stamped is offered by Richland School District Two totell your little ones that Trump “promoted racist ideas all over the place” and the Founding Fathers were “deeply flawed individuals who had racist thoughts and did racist things.”

Jacob’s Room to Choose talks about a gender-nonconforming toddler who chooses which bathroom to use.

High schools in the district carry the pornographic book Flamer, which contains sexually explicit content.

On the books being offered by Richland School District in the hidden catalog, Moody added, "I believe it's the parents' right to have those conversations with their children when they believe the time is right. Parents know their children best."

https://www.libsoftiktok.com/p/foia-request-reveals-school-district?r=nvp2b&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1553130639976587264?s=20&t=9OHZ0UQr_9qRkMQA9yb9lQ

>>16935089

they are fucked and they should be, this needs to be over asap, ukraine is one sick fucking place.

29 Jul, 2022 19:21

German weapons failing in Ukraine – media

The howitzers apparently can’t handle the demands of combat

German artillery guns are breaking down a month after they were delivered to Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported on Friday. The weapons are reportedly struggling to deal with the high rate of fire the Ukrainian military is subjecting them to.

Some of the seven Panzerhaubitze 2000 guns sent to Ukraine at the end of June are showing signs of “wear and tear,” the German news site reported, citing anonymous sources. Some of the hardware is displaying error messages and are in need of repair.

The German military believes thatthe problems stem from the sheer number of shells fired on a daily basis by Ukrainian forces, which is damaging the howitzers’ loading mechanism.

Discharging 100 rounds per day is considered high-intensity use, the report noted, adding that the Ukrainians are firing “far more” than this number.

Despite apparently overloading the German guns, Kiev’s forces are still firing only a fraction of the shells that the Russian military is sending in return. Ukrainian officials stated earlier this month that their guns were going through 6,000 shells per day, compared to Russia’s 20,000. That workload is not distributed over an equal number of artillery pieces either, with Russia fielding 15 for every Ukrainian one.

With ammo stocks running low, Ukraine has alsoattempted to fire incompatible ammunition from the German howitzers, Der Spiegel reported. After learning that its guns couldn’t fire high-precision ammunition, the German military has since sent spare parts to remedy the situation, the report claimed.

Berlin is also reportedly working to set up a repair center in Poland to get the howitzers back in action.

The Panzerhaubitze 2000s are not the only foreign weapon to seemingly be failing on the Ukrainian battlefield. Captured Ukrainian troops have described the Javelin missile launchers – shoulder-fired units sent by both the UK and the US – as “completely useless” in urban combat, while soldiers are reportedly encountering battery issues with the NLAW “making it impossible to use.”

Germany’s Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, of which five have been given to Ukraine, have encountered compatibility issues with their Norwegian ammunition too, Der Spiegel noted. This mixing and matching of weapons systems from different suppliers has been identified by British and American analysts as presenting a “serious challenge” for Kiev.

https://www.rt.com/news/559864-german-artillery-fail-ukraine/

(I wonder if all these armament failures are intentional, Zelensky didn't exactly make friends with leaders of EU. Or Ukraine army are useless and know nothing about taking care of equipment)

29 Jul, 2022 16:43

Hundreds of migrants left to die in Mexico – media

Over 90 people were rescued by the authorities in the state of Veracruz, narrowly escaping suffocation

Around 100 migrants were rescued Wednesday from a sweltering trailer abandoned by a people smuggler in Mexico’s coastal state of Veracruz, Mexican media report.

The trailer was reportedly used to illegally transport about 400 migrants, including men, women, and children. It was abandoned next to a gas station on a highway near the small town of Acayucan, meters away from a security checkpoint where trailers are inspected.

At some point, the migrants trapped inside began to suffocate and broke through the roof of the trailer. They were aided by the gas station’s employees, local officials told journalists.

Most of the migrants escaped into the nearby mountains afterwards, but a total of 93 of them were rescued by the authorities, El Dictamen reports. Some of the migrants were found unconscious.

Paramedics say they are now being treated for dehydration and other health conditions caused by their predicament. Some of them were hospitalized with leg fractures after jumping from the trailer’s roof.

According to Guatemala’s Foreign Ministry, 89 of the migrants were Guatemalan nationals. They are now being assisted by the country’s consulate in Acayucan.

The Veracruz authorities are saying there were also people from Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, India, and Haiti among the people trapped in the trailer. The rescued migrants are now being processed by immigration agents to determine their legal status.

Last month, the authorities in San Antonio, Texas found an abandoned trailer full of suffocated migrants. At least 53 of them were reported dead. A Texas man suspected to be the driver who abandoned the trailer was arrested later.

A recent study by the UN’s International Organization for Migration called the 2,000-mile (3,200km) border between the US and Mexico the “world’s deadliest land migration route.” Some 728 migrants died or disappeared there in 2021, an increase of over 50% compared to 2020.

https://www.rt.com/news/559862-veracruz-abandoned-migrants-trailer/

>>16935149

Scott Ritter warned all of them early on:

That remains the truth, whatever Volodin says. Russian President Vladmir Putin understands that, having famously quipped during an October 2018 session of the Valdai Club that “Any [nuclear] aggressor should know that retribution will be inevitable, and he will be destroyed. And since we will be the victims of his aggression, we will be going to heaven as martyrs. They will simply drop dead, won’t even have time to repent.” Which is why such an outcome should not be postulated, even if issuing what amounts to little more than an idle threat.

The Sikorski-Volodin exchange isn’t the first time officials from opposite ends of the spectrum raised the specter of nuclear weapons in the context of Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine. Following a visit to Ukraine in April 2022, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin declared that “Nations from around the world stand united in our resolve to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s imperial aggression,” adding “Ukraine clearly believes that it can win, and so does everyone here.”

Austin went on to articulate as official US policy a hope that the Ukraine conflict would produce a “weakened” Russia incapable of carrying out similar attacks on in the future.

The policy of the US and NATO, to arm Ukraine with advanced heavy weapons whose sole purpose is to help kill Russian soldiers, elicited a warning from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the threat of nuclear conflict amid the war in Ukraine.

“The danger,” Lavrov told Russian media, “is serious. It is real. It should not be underestimated.”

Lavrov’s comments prompted a rejoinder from Austin, who labeled the Russian diplomat’s words “very dangerous and unhelpful. Nobody,” Austin declared, “wants to see a nuclear war–nobody can win it.”

Austin’s announcement must have come as a surprise to those in the US defense establishment whose job it is to prepare for a nuclear conflict. In early 2020 the US deployed a new nuclear weapon, the W76-2 “low yield” nuclear warhead, which was by design intended to demonstrate to potential adversaries that the United States was prepared to respond to the kind of “limited nuclear engagement” envisioned by Sikorski and Volodin. Estimated to have a yield of five kilotons–one third that of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of the Second World War, the W76-2 was, according to Mark Esper, Lloyd Austin’s predecessor as Secretary of Defense, intended to give the president “options [that will] allow us to deter conflict” and “if necessary…fight and win.”

Fight and win a nuclear war.

There is only one nation in the world that not only maintains a nuclear posture which postulates the possibility of fighting and winning a nuclear war but has developed and deployed nuclear weapons designed to accomplish just that.

That nation is the United States.

https://www.rt.com/russia/557284-nuclear-posturing-ukraine-disaster/

>>16935149

Scott Ritter warned of Ukraine's problem with equipment in May

6 May, 2022 14:49

Biden is sending Ukraine billions of dollars of weaponry it can't use properly

Kiev can’t maintain and repair complex US and NATO arms – if they break, they're useless

Beware of what you wish for.

General Omar Bradley, a famous American military commander during World War II who knew more than a thing or two about killing Nazis, is attributed with saying “amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics.” For every piece of heavy equipment that the Ukrainian military is about to receive as part of this massive infusion of military aid provided by the US there is attached the unspoken yet critical reality of the issue of maintenance and sustainability. Simply put, if its broke, you can’t use it. And military equipment breaks – frequently – especially when subjected to the strains and stress of unending modern combat.

Take the M777 155mm towed howitzer the US is providing to Ukraine – some 90 in total. Intended to be a lightweight, easily transportable replacement for the workhorse M198 howitzer used by the US Army and Marines from the mid-1980’s through the mid-2000’s, its design made sacrifices to reduce weight which, under combat conditions, resulted in “serious problems with metal fatigue, instability while firing, and damage inflicted by recoil quickly became apparent,” according to a fact-sheet about the system. Many of the problems faced by the M777 revolve around the materials used in its production. “There aremany problems with using titanium instead of steel,” the fact-sheet notes, “rooted in the fact that while it is similarly strong, titanium alloys are much less flexible (making them more prone to metal fatigue).” Moreover, the fact sheet concludes that “this artillery piece is too light for the powerful 155 mm ammunition. The lighter a weapon is that fires a given projectile and propellant charge, the more violent its recoil is.

This has resulted in the recoil-absorption mechanisms in the M777 wearing out dangerously fast in combat conditions.”

The US Army experience at the National Training Center, in Fort Irwin, California, shows that the combat effectiveness of an M777-equippedartillery unit begins to degrade around the fourth day of operations, primarily due to maintenance issues. Left unresolved, an M777-equipped unit could find itself completely combat ineffective within a week. The US Army solution—extensive field-level maintenance supported by forward-deployment of critical spare parts and highly trained personnel—is one that can only be conducted by units trained to do so, and with the logistical infrastructure in place to allow it.

The Ukrainian Army, which is undergoing training on the M777 system at the US Army training center in Grafenwoehr, Germany, will be focused on the manpower-heavy requirements of M777 operation (which needs an eight-man crew, as opposed to the five-man crew of the M198), and not how to maintain the system in combat. But even if these weapons make it to the front lines, the complexity of the system will ensure inefficient operations which sooner rather than later will result in the M777 howitzer breaking down with no means of repairing it.

The logistical problems of the M777 are replicated with each item of heavy military equipment the US and its NATO allies are providing to Ukraine, from 200 obsolete Vietnam-era M113 armored personnel carriers (whose 6V53 Detroit two-stroke six-cylinder diesel engines with Allison TX100-1 three-speed automatic transmissions are unlike anything in the Ukrainian military arsenal, meaning there is no one qualified to maintain or repair them in Ukraine) to the 50 obsolete 1960’s-era Gepard anti-aircraft armored vehicles dispatched by Germany (with separate engines for propulsion and energy supply to the turret, doubling the maintenance headache).The US and NATO seem content with providing Ukraine with old, worn out(obsolete is the operative word here) equipment that is virtually guaranteed to break down rapidly under combat conditions and for which Ukraine has no logistical support plan in place.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, recently visited Ukraine, where she told President Zelensky “America stands with Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine until victory is won,” adding “Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done.”

With friends like these, who needs enemies.

https://www.rt.com/russia/555029-western-weapon-supplies-ukrainian-suicide/

>>16935125

Another prescient article by Scott Ritter in early June

7 Jun, 2022 16:37

American weapons will ensure more deaths in Ukraine, but won’t change the conflict’s eventual outcome

The US is willing to sacrifice countless lives to weaken Russia

The US is doing everything possible to extend the suffering of the Ukrainian people by creating conditions that appear to mandate an expansion of Russia’s military effort, and the subsequent destruction of the Ukrainian nation.

US President Joe Biden has approved the transfer of at least four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine

At least four of the HIMARS systems will be transferred to Kiev, part of a $700 million dollar military aid package sourced from the $8 billion authorized by Congress for direct drawdown from existing US military stocks. As configured for Ukraine, the M142 will be able to fire a pod of six 227mm artillery GPS-guided rockets, with a range of 43.5 miles (70 kilometers). What is known is that Biden will not be supplying Ukraine with the more advanced ATACMS short-range missile, with a range of 300 kilometers.

Ukrainian forces will be trained on the HIMARS systems prior to their being dispatched to Ukraine. According to the Pentagon, the estimated training time is three weeks. Previously, Ukrainian soldiers were trained on US M777A2 155mm artillery systems at a US Army training facility in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Given the need for an artillery range capable of accommodating the operational parameters of the HIMARS, it is likely that the Grafenwoehr facility will be used again….

In the years leading up to Russia’s special military operation,Ukraine was supplied with hundreds of millions of dollars of modern military equipment, including Javelin anti-tank weapons. These weapons, and the Ukrainian military, failed to defeat the Russians. Indeed, by the end of Phase One of Russia’s operation, announced on March 25, Russia had inflicted significant harm on the Ukrainian military, making a Russian victory in Phase Two – the liberation of the Donbass – all but inevitable.

The provision of tens of billions of dollars of military aid by the US, NATO, and the European Union has not been able to reverse this tide. What these weapons, when combined with the simultaneous provision of real-time intelligence about Russian force dispositions and an untouchable strategic depth in the form of military bases in Germany, Poland, and other NATO countries from where Ukraine can receive training and equipment without fear or Russian attack, have been able to allow is the ability for Ukraine to reconstitute many of the military formations that Russia had destroyed or degraded during Phase One.

Some of these units will be equipped with HIMARS.

The 'HIMARS Effect' will not have any meaningful impact on the battlefield in Ukraine– Russia’s military superiority is assured across the board, regardless of the numbers and quality of the weapons the US and its allies provide Ukraine. However, the goal of the US in Ukraine, according to President Biden, is to inflict a heavy price on Russia for its actions. HIMARS, when employed, will inevitably kill and wound Russian soldiers, and damage and destroy Russian military equipment. The same is true for all the lethal weapons Ukraine has been provided by the West.

Russia is, in fact, paying a heavy price in Ukraine, not because of any aggressive act of territorial acquisition carried out by the Russian military, but rather as a direct result of the policies undertaken by both NATO and Ukraine to threaten the legitimate national security interests of the Russian nation, and the lives of the ethnic Russian population of the Donbass and other eastern Ukrainian territories.

All HIMARS contributes to this process is an expanded death count without a change in the outcome. In this, the HIMARS Effect perfectly encapsulates Biden’s Ukraine policy as a whole, where he is willing to sacrifice the lives and viability of the Ukrainian people and nation for the purpose of inflicting harm on Russia with no hope of altering the outcome of events on the ground.

It is a policy of death, pure and simple, and as such epitomizes the role played by America in the world today.

https://www.rt.com/russia/556716-russia-ukraine-himars-us/

(Sad to say but he is right)

29 Jul, 2022 16:45

EU member demands denunciations from visitng Russians – media

To enter Latvia, they must sign statements condemning their country as an “aggressor,” state media reports

Non-citizens entering Latvia from Russia or Belarus reportedly must sign statements condemning Moscow's military operation in Ukraine as “aggression” and will havetheir Schengen visas canceled if they refuse.

That's according to the Latvian state broadcaster LSM, which added that foreigners will face “increased scrutiny” at border checkpoints according to the State Security Service (known by its Latvian abbreviation VDD).

Foreigners who enter Latvia from “aggressor country” Russia or Belarus face “increased scrutiny” at border checkpoints, the State Security Service (known by its Latvian abbreviation VDD) told LSM public radio.

“The purpose of the inspections is to identify persons who support Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and may pose a threat to Latvia's national security,” the VDD said in a statement, adding that they focus on people who may have served in the military or security forces, “publicly demonstrate symbols glorifying Russian aggression or express a negative attitude towards the Latvian state.”

“A large number of foreigners who were refused entry to Latvia openly expressed their support for Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and its people, using typical Kremlin war propaganda messages,” according to the VDD.

Since February, a total of 62 foreigners have been barred from entering Latvia, of which 41 were Russian nationals, 14 were from Belarus, and seven were from other countries but VDD assessed they could “pose a threat to Latvia’s national security.” Those turned back also had their Schengen visas for EU travel canceled.

LSM spoke with a woman named Svetlana, whose husband – a Russian citizen and Latvian permanent resident – recently traveled to Russia for his mother’s funeral. Upon returning, he was required to sign a document denouncing Russia.

“He drove up to the customs post. The border guard took the documents from him. And a man in civilian clothes came, with a sign ‘Border. Security. Safety.’ on his vest. He invited my husband inside. There he gave him the paper without any identifying marks. The paper was in Russian and English. The text was already prepared, he just had to enter his name, surname and passport data,” she told the broadcaster, her voice distorted to protect her identity.

When Svetlana’s husband asked why he had to sign such a document, the official told him his residence would be revoked if he didn’t.

Moscow sent a protest note to Latvia on Wednesday concerning the coerced statements. Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said the practice is perfectly legal.

“Protesting against what we do or don’t do in our national territory, protecting our security and reducing risks, is pointless. We will continue to act in our security interests,” he told LSM. Rinkevics also urged Latvians not to travel to Russia or Belarus, saying now is “not the best time” for tourism.

Just in the last two months, however, over 50,000 people left Latvia for Russia – but only 4,000 of them were subject to Latvian jurisdiction, the state border guard said. Latvia denies citizenship to its ethnic Russian population.

https://www.rt.com/russia/559854-latvia-russians-coerced-statements/

(I’m convinced now the US and EU used Russia as an excuse to track and prevent the free speech and freedom of movement for all citizens around the world.This was not about Russia but the goals established goals of the NWO)