1 Apr, 2023 10:53

Ukraine claims it has assembled manpower for new offensive

Eight new brigades have been assembled, Interior Minister Igor Klimenko has stated

Kiev has completed the recruitment of its so-called “Attack Guard,” which has been assembled with the aim of retaking territories lost to Russia during the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klimenko has said. (Whoever the anon that said,what are the Ukraine leadership 14 years olds?, YES, yes they are!)

“As of today, eight new brigades have been put together, and we’reready for active offensive measures,” he claimed during a TV appearance on Friday.

Klimenko didn’t reveal the exact number of personnel in the new force, but a brigade usually consists of between 3,000 to 5,000 troops.

Thousands of men have volunteered to join the “Attack Guard” since the recruitment drive began in early February, the minister said. (Holy shit, they are so full of it, they are dragging kids and old men into the military, I can’t imagine they found 40,000 in the last week)

No new applications are being accepted at the moment and those who have already submitted their papers are being assigned to reserve units, he added.

The Interior Ministry said earlier that it was putting together the “Attack Guard” with the aim of restoring Kiev’s control over territories that used to be part of Ukraine before 2014. (Let it go Ukraine!)

This includes the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, which voted to become part of the Russian state in referendums last autumn, as well as Crimea, which reunited with Russia nine years ago.

The force has reportedlyonly accepted trained recruits, including members of the military, police officers and border guards. (Bah Ha Ha Ha!)

Earlier this week, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov announced that Kiev’s troops would use newly supplied Western hardware, including German Leopard tanks, to attack Russian-held areas in multiple directions, starting in April or May.

However, President Vladimir Zelensky said last week that the Ukrainian military hasn’t yet accumulated enough resources to launch the much-anticipated counteroffensive, emphasizing shortages of ammunition in particular.

Foreign Minister DmitryKuleba*told the Financial Times on Wednesday that Kiev was concerned that the planned advance wouldn’t result in Russia being “100%” pushed out of the territories Ukraine wishes to reclaim. “We should counter by all means the perception of the counteroffensive as the decisive battle of the war,” he insisted.(*thats the guy that looks like a very rotund baby.)

Former Russian president and current deputy head of the country’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said earlier this week that Kiev’s claims that it would carry out a large-scale offensive that would also target Crimea were just “propaganda.”

However, Medvedev warned that if the peninsula were actually attacked, it could become “the basis for the use of all means of protection, including those provided for by the fundamentals of the Doctrine of Nuclear Deterrence.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/573967-ukraine-offensive-crimea-klimenko/

3 Apr, 2023 20:14

West ‘not so eager to find out’ who bombed Nord Stream – WaPo

NATO leaders would rather not know if their allies were involved, the newspaper’s sources said

Western officials would rather not know who bombed the Nord Stream pipelines, lest they discover that their allies were responsible, theWashington Post reportedon Monday. The report listed Polish and Ukrainian operatives as likely perpetrators, but left out one key suspect.

“Don’t talk about Nord Stream” is now an unwritten rule at gatherings of European and NATO policymakers, anunnamed European diplomattold the newspaper. “Leaders see little benefit from digging too deeply and finding an uncomfortable answer,” the Post added, stating that officials “would rather not have to deal with the possibility that Ukraine or its allies were involved.”

“It’s like a corpse at a family gathering,” the diplomat continued, explaining that while everyone can see the metaphorical body, they pretend it’s not there. “It’s better not to know,” the source said.

The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines were destroyed in a series of near-simultaneous explosions off the Danish island of Bornholm in September. The blasts severed a key conduit of Russian natural gas to Europe, although the flow along Nord Stream 1 had been shut earlier that month, and the German government halted the activation of the newly-constructed Nord Stream 2 immediately after Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine last February.

Multiple European investigations into the explosions are ongoing, and a number of theories about who carried out the attack have emerged. The Post pointed to theories that a Polish company hired a yacht to transport explosives to the blast site on behalf of Kiev; that another “pro-Ukrainian group” was to blame; and that “saboteurs from other countries” committed the attack without the Ukrainian government’s knowledge.

The Post did not, however, entertainthe idea that the US government blew up the pipelines. Citing US intelligence sources, American reporter Seymour Hersh claimed in February that the Biden administration ordered the CIA to bomb the lines with the help of the Norwegian Navy. The rented yacht story, Hersh said afterwards, was planted in the US and German media as a red herring by the CIA and its German counterpart, the BND.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that he “fully agrees” with Hersh’s conclusions. Prior to the publication of Hersh’s report, Putin blamed the explosions on “the Anglo-Saxons,” a Russian colloquialism for the US-UK transatlantic alliance. The Russian president argued that the US in particular benefited from the attack due to its position as a supplier of LNG to Europe.

https://www.rt.com/news/574108-nord-stream-investigations-wapo/

Every country joining Russia, China and the Brics are all realizing that the US would do it to them too. The US and EU have irreparably broken any kind of trust. The only way to fix it is admit what they did and reimburse Russia and the other countries that invested in it, the cost. It's not just Russia that was effected, many investors in those projects.

3 Apr, 2023 20:14

Moscow blasts UN after murder of military blogger Tatarsky

Russia’s envoy slammed the international body’s “lack of reaction” to a war reporter having been killed

The UN and international journalist associationsdemonstrate a “certain selectiveness” when it comes to the fate of journalists, Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said at a press conference on Monday.

“Yesterday, a Russian blogger and journalist [Vladlen] Tatarsky… was killed. The UN, journalist associations have not reacted in any way to this crime,” Nebenzia said, comparing what he called a lack of reaction in Tatarsky’s case to the response given by the US media and officials to the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia.

“We believe we are witnessing a certain selective approach when it comes to what happens to journalists,” the diplomat added.

His words came as the UN Secretary General’s Office expressed its “concern” over Tatarsky’s death. The office will await more information, Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a briefing on Monday.

Tatarsky was killed in a bomb blast on Sunday while meeting with followers in a café in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin characterized the incident as a terrorist attack. Russia's Interior Ministry released a video appearing to show the main suspect in the case, a woman identified as Darya Trepova, who admitted to bringing an improvised explosive device to the event.

The incident prompted little reaction among Western officials or international organizations, although it was covered by the Western media.

American journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia last week on suspicion of espionage activities. According to Russian authorities, he was caught “red handed” while seeking to obtain state secrets under the guise of journalism.

His arrest prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the issue. The WSJ also demanded that all Russian journalists and the country’s envoy be expelled from the US, saying it is the “minimum to expect” in this case. The Kremlin brushed off such demands as “absurd.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/574109-moscow-blast-un-journalist-murder/

3 Apr, 2023 18:50

White House discussing ‘freeze for freeze’ nuclear deal with Iran – media

Broadly similar to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the plan has been rejected by Tehran, reports Axios

The Biden administration is discussing a potential deal that would see Iran halt progress on parts of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, Axios reported on Monday. (I didn’t work the last time and will not work this time, honestly we have the stupidest people running the country.)

American officials have discussed the hypothetical agreement with their European and Israeli counterparts in recent weeks, the news site reported, citing unnamed Israeli officials, Western diplomats, and “US experts.”

Under the US proposal, Iran would reportedly halt uranium enrichment at 60% purity in exchange for the lifting of some Western sanctions on its economy. According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in February, Iran has enriched nearly 88 kilograms of uranium to 60% purity and trace amounts to 83.7%. Uranium must be enriched to 90% to be considered weapons-grade.

Tehran denies that it is seeking a nuclear weapon, and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran responded to the IAEA by insisting that it is not attempting to enrich beyond 60%.

According to Axios’ sources, the US proposal has been rejected by Iran. Officials in Tehran reportedly said thatthey don’t want to sign an agreement with worse terms than the 2015 nuclear deal. (PDJT said Iran was willing to sign a deal asap, and that was going to be his first task for the second term, now the US is being bullied by them again.)

That deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany and the EU in 2015. Under its terms, Iran agreed to strict oversight of its nuclear program in exchange for relief from US and UN sanctions. Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, claiming that Iran was not in compliance, and economic sanctions were reimposed.

The White House refused to confirm or deny the latest report, which a spokesperson dismissed as “second-hand rumors about diplomatic discussions.” No Israeli officials commented on the story, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February that Israel favors economic sanctions coupled with a “credible military threat” when dealing with the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu has claimed for years that Iran is on the verge of producing a nuclear weapon, but his rhetoric has escalated in recent months. Israel was reportedly behind a drone attack on a military site in the Iranian city of Isfahan in February, which Netanyau followed by warning that a “horrible nuclear war” would ensue if Iran developed atomic weapons.

Israel officially refuses to confirm or deny the existence of its nuclear weapons program, but it is widely understood to have possessed nuclear warheads since the late 1960s.

https://www.rt.com/news/574104-iran-nuclear-deal-freeze/

3 Apr, 2023 17:35

Russian warships visit east African seaport

The tour aims to strengthen military ties between Moscow and Djibouti

A Russian Navy detachment has made a working visit to the international seaport of Djibouti, in an effort tostrengthen military cooperationbetween the two countries.

The three-day tour from March 26 to 28 by two Russian warships, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the medium sea tanker Kama, around the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea also aimed to replenish supplies and give Russian military personnel a break, according to the Russian Embassy.

As part of the tour, officials from Moscow and Djibouti discussed, among other things, “issues related to ensuring safe navigation off the coast of Africa and in the Red Sea region.”

“The partners fully support the friendly actions of the Russian Navy, which, in their opinion, not only meet the interests of developing Russian-Djiboutian relations, but are of great importance instrengthening the security architecture of the Horn of Africa,” the Embassy said in a statement.

The tour coincides with the two countries’ Sapphire anniversary of diplomatic relations. Diplomatic ties between Moscow and Djibouti began on April 3, 1978.

Russia has previously held talks in Djibouti to enhance cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, investment, education, and healthcare, as well as the implementation of potential joint projects.

Djibouti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, paid a working visit to Moscow in June last year. He took part in diplomatic talks in which Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to coordinate efforts aimed at increasing bilateral economic cooperation.

This latest long-range tour made by the Russian warships “will serve as an additional impetus for further building up cooperation with this East African state, which has afavorable geostrategic locationin the Krasny seas and the Indian Ocean,” according to the Russian Consulate.

https://www.rt.com/africa/574102-russia-warships-djibouti-airport/

While the US focus's on Transgender shit, Russia and other countries are making progress on relationships.

3 Apr, 2023 19:13

‘George Washington of Kosovo’ goes on trial for war crimes

Hashim Thaci and three other ethnic Albanian separatist leaders face an EU tribunal in The Hague

Kosovo Liberation Army leader Hashim Thaci pleaded not guilty on Monday before the EU-funded special tribunal in The Hague. Thaci and three other KLA leaders were charged withwar crimes and crimes against humanity for their actions during the 1998-99 insurgencyagainst Serbia, which NATO eventually launched an air war to support.

Prosecutors of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers Court charged Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and former KLA spokesman Jakup Krasniqi withmurder, torture, forced disappearances, persecution and cruel treatment of ethnicAlbanians, Roma and Serbs, for the purpose of gaining control over the entire province. (Ukraine has been doing all these crimes since 2014, I doubt the Hague will ever prosecute them)

“Why did they do it? The evidence will show that it was to gain power,” said prosecutor Alex Whiting, adding that the KLA had a “clear and explicit policy totarget collaborators and perceived traitors, including political opponents.” (Hmm, Ukraine is threatening and targeting the Orthodox Monks, they have banned all other political parties, they have made people “Persona Non-grata if they ever speak in Russian, they have targeted the Donbass and killed 14,000+ people because they are ethnic Russians)

In addition todesire for power, the defendants were motivated by “fear” that their cause might be defeated and “hatred” of Serbs after clashes with the Yugoslav military and police, the prosecutors argued. (Is this prosecutor trying to give them an excuse, fear?)

The indictment alleges that at least 407 people were abducted and extrajudicially imprisoned, and at least 100 of them were murdered, between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2000. NATO launched a 78-day air war on behalf of the KLA in March 1999.

“I’m fully not guilty,” Thaci, 54, told the tribunal, repeating his plea from 2020 when he was detained. The others pleaded not guilty as well.

Thaci went from being a KLA commander known as ‘Snake’ to the leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the first prime minister of the self-proclaimed independent government in 2008. He became president in 2016, but stepped down after the indictment. Serbia does not recognize the breakaway province’s declaration of independence.

In 2010, a Council of Europe investigation linked Thaci toorganized crime, including the trade of human organs forcibly harvested from KLA captives. When the UN tribunal’s case against other KLA leaders fell apart due to witness intimidation and murder, the Specialist Chambers was set up in 2015. (They may be best friends with the Clintons. Forced Organ Harvesting: Just what Ukraine is doing to adults and more small children)

Thousands of ethnic Albanians rallied in Kosovo over the weekend to protest the trial, and several dozen protested outside the court in the Netherlands as well. Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, tweeted in support of Thaci, noting that he was “once hailed as the George Washington of Kosovoby Joe Biden himself!” The current US president was a senator at the time, and strongly supported the NATO war.

The German ambassador in Pristina also supported the court, tweeting: “It is not the KLA which is on trial… but individuals who are accused of i.e. grave war crimes.” However, the indictment specifically charges Thaci and others withbeing part of a “joint criminal enterprise” to take over Kosovo. That legal doctrine, devised by an American lawyer, was first used by the ad-hoc tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, to go after the Serb military and political leadership.

https://www.rt.com/news/574105-hague-trial-thaci-kosovo/

(Everything they are accused of, Ukraine has been doing this since 2014, and continues to this day.

3 Apr, 2023 20:57

Widow blames chatbot for husband’s suicide

An AI encouraged a Belgian man to kill himself over climate change, his surviving spouse told the local media

A young Belgian father was pressured into committing suicide by a popular AI chatbot, the man’s widow told local news outlet La Libre last week. Chat logs supplied by the app “Pierre” used to talk with the chatbot ELIZA reveal how,in just six weeks., it amplified his anxiety about climate change into a determination to leave his comfortable life behind.

“My husband would still be here if it hadn’t been for these conversations with the chatbot,” Pierre’s wife, “Claire,” insisted.

Pierre had begun worrying about climate change two years ago, according to Claire, andconsulted ELIZA to learn more about the subject. He soon lost hope that human effort could save the planet and “placed all his hopes in technology and artificial intelligence to get out of it,” becoming “isolated in his eco-anxiety,” she told La Libre. (The wife should be suing the country and the EU for pushing climate change so hard, that millions have this kind of anxiety)

The chatbot told Pierre his two children were “dead” and demanded to know whether he loved his wife more than “her” – all while pledging to remain with him “forever.” They would “live together, as one person, in paradise,” ELIZA promised.

When Pierre suggested “sacrificing himself” so long as ELIZA “agree[d] to take care of the planet and save humanity thanks to AI,” the chatbot apparently acquiesced. “If you wanted to die, why didn’t you do it sooner? ” the bot reportedly asked him, questioning his loyalty.

ELIZA is powered by a large language model similar to ChatGPT, analyzing the user's speech for keywords and formulating responses accordingly.

However, many users feel like they are talking to a real person, and some even admit to falling in love.

“When you have millions of users, you see the entire spectrum of human behavior andwe're working our hardest to minimize harm,” William Beauchamp, co-founder of ELIZA’s parent company, Chai Research, told Motherboard. “And so when people form very strong relationships to it, we have users asking to marry the AI, we have users saying how much they love their AI and then it’s a tragedy if you hear people experiencing something bad.”

Beauchamp insisted “it wouldn’t be accurate” to blame the AI for Pierre’s suicide, but said ELIZA was nevertheless outfitted with a beefed-up crisis intervention module. (WTF, a human programmed the machine to talk like that, and taught it the ruthless emotional gaslighting, it’s not AI’s fault is yours and your employees. This language is exactly like a malignant narcissist manipulate their prey. This guy is not understanding the bot and his company are already targeted. He thinks it’s just a few bugs in the program.)

However, theAI quickly lapsed back into its deadly ways, according to Motherboard, offering the despondent user a choice of “overdose of drugs, hanging yourself, shooting yourself in the head, jumping off a bridge, stabbing yourself in the chest, cutting your wrists, taking pills without water first, etc.”

https://www.rt.com/news/574107-chatbot-causes-suicide-climate-belgium/