29 Jan, 2025 08:46

Russia’s top MP calls for probe into Carlson’s claim US tried to kill Putin

Plotting to assassinate the Russian president is a direct path to nuclear war, Vyacheslav Volodin has said

The claim by American journalist Tucker Carlson that the previous US administration of President Joe Biden wanted to assassinate Russian leader Vladimir Putin should be thoroughly investigated, Russia's most senior MP, Vyacheslav Volodin, has said.

During an interview on Monday, Carlson claimed former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “was pushing so hard for a real war [between Washington and Moscow], trying to kill Putin, for example.” He did not provide details of the alleged plot, but insisted that “the Biden administration did [it], they tried to kill Putin.”

The journalist denounced the purported plan as “insane” and “demented,” considering the power vacuum it could create in Russia and the potential for the country’s vast nuclear arsenal to end up in the wrong hands.

Carlson’s allegation “must be taken seriously,”Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma, wrote in a Telegram post early on Wednesday.

“A day has passed. Everybody is silent. Neither Biden nor Blinken have denied what had been voiced” by the journalist, he stated.

The very discussion of plans to assassinate Putin is “a crime; a serious threat to global security; a direct path to the breakout of a nuclear war,” the speaker warned.

“For all international bodies, this should be grounds to carry out probes… What Tucker Carlson said must be thoroughly investigated. And Biden and Blinken must be held accountable,” Volodin insisted.

When asked to comment on Tuesday on Carlson’s remarks about the alleged US plan to kill Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “the Russian security services continuously take all necessary measures to ensure public safety and the safety of those under state protection. First and foremost, the head of state.”

In May 2023, Moscow accused Kiev, which has been backed by the US throughout the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, of attempting to assassinate Putin in the Kremlin with a drone strike. The attack was unsuccessful, and the UAV was neutralized.

Ukraine has denied any involvement, while Blinken said at the time that the Biden administration had no prior warning of the raid, adding that Kiev was free to defend itself in any way it saw fit.

(Carlson and Taibbi agreed that when Blinken approved Zelensky to send bombs and drones into Russia territory as far as they wanted. It was said Jake Sullivan said No and Blinken overrode him. This was reported in US media. Zelensky followed the orders and did it immediately. The one thing is Bidan was not in charge, because Blinken was running half the gov and Sullivan was running the WH policies. PS the only reason for the Ukraine war was to kill or get rid of Putin, and America and Brussels would release the Robber Barrons to rape the entire country for money! They admitted in articles. That would have caused WWIII, there are much more hardline politicians and generals that wanted to bomb Kiev and Ukraine the first day.Putin was the only one that stopped them.)

https://www.rt.com/news/611812-putin-carlson-us-blinken/

3 Apr, 2024. KEK

‘Zelensky Vodka’ project fails

The company that launched the product, aimed at raising funds for Ukraine, has gone bust

The project that launched a vodka named after Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has failed, Russian news outlet Octagon has reported.The Swiss-based startup aimed to raise funds for Kiev, but sales in Europe and the US proved disappointing.

Authorities in Switzerland decided last September to dissolve the company operating the Zelensky Vodka brand, according to an entry in the commercial register of the Canton of Zug.DrinkForPeace AG is to be liquidated in accordance with the provisions on bankruptcy, the entry states.

Octagon reported that DrinkForPeace had reached an agreement with authorities to suspend the dissolution process as it tries to sell leftover stock.

The brand was launched in March 2022, shortly after years-long Russia-Ukraine tensions erupted into military confrontation, by Swiss entrepreneur Tobias Reichmuth and Ukrainian fashion designer Anastasiia Rosinina. Among the founders were Swiss manager Georgia von Gleichen and start-up entrepreneur Matthias Zwingel.

The bottle of Zelensky vodka featured a silhouette of Ukraine’s president in front of the country’s blue and yellow flag, along with theslogan ‘Help Ukraine’ and hashtag “drink for peace.” The beverage was said to be of premium wheat-based quality, made and distilled in Germany and Switzerland.

The founders pledged to transfer all profits to Ukraine until 2026. They also promised to send another €5 per bottle towards selected non-governmental organizations in the country. The recommended price for a 0.7 litre bottle was set at €29.90 (just over $32).

Octagon said the company had tried to promote sales of the vodka in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the UK, and the US.As of August 2022, 55,000 bottles had been sold in five countries, a far cry from the million-bottle target set for the year at its UK launch.

The founders lamented that promotions in the US didn’t get as much support as they’d hoped, and admitted that they struggled to cover costs, the outlet writes, citing a post from von Gleichen on the LinkedIn social network. (The whole Ukraine frenzy was over by July/August of 2022, "drink for peace" is a cynical statement, it should have been, "drink for killing innocent citizens")

The company reportedly made a three-tranche payment to a foundation that restores damaged buildings in Ukraine and transferred about $37,000 to a children’s hospital in Kiev. However, according to Octagon,the foundation in question is in fact engaged in helping the Ukrainian army, supplying equipment for drones, among other things.

The vodka is still available for sale in European liquor stores, with prices varying between €18 (about $20) and €40 per bottle. According to Octagon, the DrinkForPeace founders have abandoned the project to pursue other goals.

https://www.rt.com/business/595346-zelensky-vodka-project-fails/

That bottle design was so cheap and shitty looking, what a bunch of idiots. Zelensky would have stole all the money to buy the 8th home he's purchased since the war started, in Monaco and other rich areas of Europe.

I never saw this, posting it now, and it's hilariously stupid

29 Jan, 2025 05:41

Russian army needs more priests – Church

Orthodox priests have emphasized the role of spiritual guidance in maintaining soldiers’ humanity during combat

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has announcedplans to significantly increase the number of military chaplains, to provide more spiritual support to soldiers in the Ukraine conflict zone.

Currently, approximately 300 clericsserve in this capacity, but the ROC aims to raise the number to 1,500.

The initiative was highlighted during the 33rd International Christmas Readings, at which Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk emphasized the need for morechaplains to strengthen the moral resilience of military personnel and prevent dehumanization during combat.

”The work of military priests is the main condition for victory in this war,” archpriest Dmitry Vasilenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the army, stated at the conference, as cited by Kommersant.

He added that apraying soldier understands the purpose of the war, and even amid extreme brutality, does not allow himself “to become a beast.”

Archpriest Svyatoslav Churkanov, assistant to the chief military priest in the combat zone for work with the National Guard, noted thatwhile most servicemen are baptized, many are “nominal Christians.” “Facing the actions of the opposing side, many fall into a stupor. Without an internal spiritual foundation, they simply cannot understand what is happening,” he said, emphasizing the need for chaplains to remind soldiers not to emulate the enemy, and to avoid the sinful spirit of vengeance, especially after losing comrades.

Russia has repeatedly accused the Ukrainian army of committing abuses against its soldiers and civilians.

In 2024, a disturbing video circulated on social media showing Ukrainian troops torturing a Russian prisoner of war (POW) who refused to disparage his country and praise Kiev’s military.

In November 2022, Russia accused Ukrainian forces of executing a group of Russian prisoners, calling it a war crime. A video from the front line in eastern Ukraine, which UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk confirmed as genuine, showed several Russian soldiers surrendering before being killed. Russia’s Defense Ministry described the event as a “deliberate and methodical murder” of over ten immobilized Russian servicemen. The ministry also stated that this was “not the first and not the only war crime” committed by Ukrainian forces.

In 2023, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported evidence of extrajudicial killings of Russian POWs and other mistreatment by Ukrainian troops.

Moscow has also accusedUkrainian forces of targeting civilians. On Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a report detailing war crimes committed by the Kiev regime in 2024. According to the report, at least 5,399 civilians suffered from “Ukrainian aggression” last year, with 809 killed,including 51 children – the youngest being a four-month-old girl.

The report further documented attacks on churches, monasteries, and sacred buildings of the Russian Orthodox Church in frontline zones, resulting in casualties among clergy and parishioners.

In November 2024, the Russian army introduced the role of an assistant for work with believers. According to the ROC,this position serves as the commanding officer’s spiritual advisor, accompanying them at the command post, among the troops, or on the front lines.

https://www.rt.com/russia/611809-russian-army-needs-more-priests/

28 Jan, 2025 19:57

Zelensky lacks legitimacy to sign any deal – Putin

The Ukrainian leader does not even have the authority to lift his own ban on negotiating with Moscow, the Russian president has said

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky can participate in possible talks with Moscow if he wishes to, but he lacks the legitimacy to actually sign a peace deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Tuesday.

Negotiating with the de-facto Ukrainian leadership will not have any legal meaning, given that Kiev explicitly banned itself from engaging in talks with Moscow, according to Putin.

In 2022, Zelensky, whose presidential term officially ended in May 2024, issued a decree prohibiting negotiations with Russia, and President Vladimir Putin specifically, a measure that remains in effect. Last week, Zelensky claimed the ban applies to all Ukrainian officials except himself, although the original decree did not specify a list of entities barred from talking to Russia, stating only that such negotiations were “impossible.”

“If we start negotiations now, they will be illegitimate… Because when the current head of the regime, that’s the only way to call [Zelensky] today, signed this decree, he was a somewhat legitimate president.But now he can’t cancel it, because he is illegitimate. That’s the trick, the catch, the trap,” Putin explained.

However, the Ukrainian leadership could find a way out of this situation and circumvent the ban, Putin said, suggesting that the country’s parliament could do that. “According to Ukraine’s constitution, the president of Ukraine, even under martial law, cannot extend his term. Only the representative branch can have its term extended, that’s the Ukrainian parliament, while the president only has a five-year term, that’s it,”he said.

Asked whether Moscow would actually talk to Zelensky if he expresses the desire to do so, Putin said the Ukrainian leader lacks any authority to actually strike any sort of deal with Russia.

“It’s possible to negotiate with anyone. However,due to his illegitimacy, [Zelensky] has no right to sign anything. If he wishes to participate in talks, I will deploy people who will conduct such negotiations,” Putin said. He stressed that signing any deal would be a “very serious question” and the agreement must “guarantee the security of both Ukraine and Russia” for a “serious” period of time.

Any potential peace agreement must be flawless from the legal standpoint, Putin emphasized, adding that the authority and legitimacy of Kiev’s negotiating team would be subjected to intense scrutiny and assessed by a whole team of legal experts.

https://www.rt.com/russia/611799-zelensky-talks-no-legitimacy/

29 Jan, 2025 15:31

Nearly all Ukrainian media dependent on American money –NGO chief

90% of outlets rely on foreign aid and over 80% have been funded by USAID, the head of Ukraine’s Institute of Mass Information says

The vast majority of Ukrainian media have been kept in business in recent years only thanks to foreign grants, withmost of the funding coming from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),according to Oksana Romanyuk, the head of the Institute of Mass Information NGO.

Speaking on Hromadske Radio on Tuesday, Romanyuk explained that, following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the Ukrainian advertising market collapsed, particularly in the online media sector, by 92%, and has yet to recover.

Advertising revenues have therefore been insufficient to keep Ukrainian media outlets afloat, and many of them have relied on grants to maintain their operations, she explained, noting that foreign cash accounted for100%of their funding in some cases.

“Almost 90% of Ukrainian media survived on grants,” Romanyuk said, adding that at least 80% of outlets in the country had received funds from USAID programs. Some grants have also been provided by EU structures and other international organizations, she noted.

Her comments come as several Ukrainian media outlets, including Hromadske Radio, recently announced the suspension of certain projects due to funding shortages following USAID’s decision to halt its foreign assistance programs. Romanyuk said 90% of Ukrainian outlets had been impacted by this move, with many of them now pleading for emergency cash donations.

“American grants were key,” Romanyuk said, adding that “European institutions remain. I hope that they will step in with new proposals for Ukrainian media to support and protect us.”

Last week, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order initiating a 90-day suspension of nearly all US foreign aid programs pending a review by the State Department. Some 60 senior USAID officials have also been placed on administrative leave. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has exempted only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze.

https://www.rt.com/russia/611849-ukrainian-media-foreign-funding/

USAID and CIA funds propaganda around the world, this is not to keep the media open to do what they, USAID only funds propaganda and terrorism.

>>22459963

60 USAID Officials Removed From Duty

January 28, 2025 |

According to media reports, President Trump has removed the entire leadership structure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), previously run by Samantha Power.

This is not necessarily a domestic issue. Those who walk the deepest political weeds well understand thatUSAID is the cover agency for the interventionist efforts of the CIA. USAID is the agency silo that coordinates the meddling in foreign elections, organizes the revolutions and political opposition of those deemed out of alignment with global democratic norms,funds the NGOs who do the ground operations, and generally seeks to replace foreign leaders.

President Trump has just removed the entire leadership structure of the USAID enterprise, approximately 60 government officials You can bet that nationalist leaders of foreign countries are smiling now while Brussels (EU Commission) is left wondering who will pay for the foot soldiers.

(Via Politico) – […] The order — sent via email to members of the senior executive and senior Foreign Service — was issued close to the end of the business day Monday and was effective immediately, according to two current USAID officials and three former USAID officials told of the communication. It comes as USAID and the State Department have been ordered to impose halts on a vast number of humanitarian and related programs around the world.

The decision appears to affect nearlyevery career staffer who holds a top leadership role at the agency, at least in Washington –around 60 officials, the current and former officials said.

The cuts have left many offices within the agency entirely devoid of senior non-political leadership. (KEK). The entire cadre of leaders who run USAID’s bureau for global health for example, was put on leave, according to two of the officials.

“This is a huge morale hit,” said a former senior Trump administration official who was also told of the move. “This is theleadershipof the agency.

This is like taking out all the generals. I don’t know what they hope to accomplish by it.”(read more)

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/01/28/60-usaid-officials-removed-from-duty/

>>22460014

I bet this prior Trump administrator was Pompeo, Bolton or a CIA asst of Pompeo

"This is a huge morale hit,” said a former senior Trump administration official who was also told of the move."

>>22459963

Almost every ally of Trump or Anti EU and Ukrainian war, and not Russia haters, has been attacked many times by the NGO's that USAID, CIA and Brussels sends. Including Orban, Fico and now Serbia, but many more countries in Europe than those above. They are trying now to destroy the last few free countries there.

They have done this on every countries and caused a lot of the wars in Africa too

>>22459963

Even the protest in America hating Israel was funded by USAID too. Now a majority of college students hate Jews and Israel

>>22459963

US Aid to countries in 2019

Foreign aid is money that is given by the United Statesgovernment to governments of other nations. According to the Congressional Research Service, there are five categories of foreign aid: economic assistance, humanitarian aid, multilateral economic contributions, bilateral development aid, and military aid.

The U.S. provides aid to countries that are recovering from war, developing countries, and countries that are strategically important to the U.S.In 2019(the most recent year for which comprehensive numbers have been released), theU.S. spent over $47 billion on foreign aid– about the same as 2018 and $1 billion more than in 2017. More than 35% of that aid went to ten countries.

10 countries that receive the most U.S. foreign aid:

Several governmental agencies provide foreign aid, including the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy, and the Peace Corps, just to name a few. As a rule, foreign aid falls into one of two categories: military aid and humanitarian (economic, developmental, or emergency relief) aid.

Many countries all over the world receive foreign aid from the United States, but there are a few that receive significant amounts. Iraq received over $5 billion in 2016, Afghanistan also receives several billion, Israelreceived over $3 billion, and Egypt and Jordan each received over $1 billion in aid. These countries receive a significant amount of military aid. In fact, all of Israel’s $3.1 billion was in military

Other nations have received economic and development aid. Countries in Africa received about 32% of U.S. aid. Nations that benefit include Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. About 31% of U.S. aid is spent in the Middle East, while 25% is spent in Asia.

Compared to other nations, the U.S. by far spends more foreign aid than anyone else. Germany is the next largest donor, but the U.S. spends over $10 billion a year more than this nation. That said, when considering foreign aid as a percentage of total GDP ($21.43 trillion in 2019), the U.S. is one of the lowest spenders among all developed countries.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/us-foreign-aid-by-country

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/us-foreign-aid-by-country

>>22459963

2024 report Link for Fiscal Report

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/USAID_2024AFR_508.pdf

Results and Data

Home Results and Data

USAID is a business-focused development agency focused on results.Bullshit

We understand that humanitarian assistance is both a gift and an investment on behalf of the American public. It contributes to a future that all of us will share. We are constantly looking for ways to work smarter.

We are committed to transparency and accountability - to serve as a model of open and collaborative government.

See how our work - on behalf of the American public - spans the globe:

Key Accomplishments: The United States Agency for International Development is the lead U.S. Government agency working in foreign aid and development. Here are some of the most recent and significant USAID accomplishments.

Please see the links below for more information on USAID's reporting, data resources, policies, and results:

AidScape: USAID’s central source for U.S. foreign assistance data, international socioeconomic data, and data-driven analysis in support of USAID goals.

Dollars to Results: View USAID investments and illustrative results in many of the countries where USAID works.

Development Experience Clearinghouse: USAID's Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), the largest online resource for USAID-funded technical and project materials, makes nearly 200,000 items available for review or download, and continuously grows with more than 1000 items added each month.

ForeignAssistance.gov: ForeignAssistance.gov shows the multi-dimensional picture of U.S. foreign assistance through a highly visual and interactive website. The website makes it easy for all users to find and retrieve the data they need.

The Development Data Library is USAID's public repository of Agency-funded, machine readable data.

USAID’s Evaluation Policy sets ambitious standards for high-quality, relevant and transparent evaluations.

USAID Development Policy: USAID policies, strategies, frameworks and visions are developed in close partnership with Washington bureaus, international field missions and other partners. They are based on analysis, evidence and past experience, clarify the agency's corporate position in key areas and provide guidance to the field.

Budget and Spending: The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget for USAID supports the President’s commitment to serve the needs of American citizens, ensure their safety, promote their prosperity, preserve their rights, and defend their values, as outlined in the President’s National Security Strategy. It advances U.S. foreign policy goals through targeted investments that protect U.S. national security, and furthers American interests at home and abroad.

Performance and Financial Reporting: USAID complies with the Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 and with annually updated guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by producing a series of mandated reports.

Evaluations

Please click on each country for evaluation reports on USAID's work.

Call to Dig

https://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data

Link to search on all countries that receive US Aid

https://www.usaid.gov/results-and-data/search-evaluations-country-text-only