Tag "Russian options in the Ukraine"

Russian options in the LDNR – my personal take

Okay, this will be a short bulletpoint reminder of how I see the Russian position and options in response to the Ukronazi attack. First, a few key assumptions: Russia does not want to invade/liberate the Ukraine Russia would prefer not to get openly involved in the LDNR The best outcome for Russia would be for the LDNR to be able to hold without overt Russian support Throughout this entire battle,

Nikolai Starikov – Why Putin doesn’t recognize D/LPR as sovereign states [ENG Subs] [DE Subs]

Dear friends, Thanks to my awesome friend Tatzhit Mikhailovich I can, once again, share with you the subtitled version of a crucially important video statement made by Nikolai Starikov.  The “hurray patriots” are going to be enraged, but a lot of you will appreciate the sophistication of Starikov’s (well, Putin’s, really) strategy. Enjoy! The Saker (please press the ‘cc’ button to see the captions and the settings “wheel” to pick

Is Bezler really naive?

“A united federated Nazi-free Ukraine?”  Please, that train has left the station. Total fantasy at this point“ Andreas Walsh This issue is one which divides many sincere and good people and which I rarely see addressed directly.  And yet, it is a crucial one.  Today, I want to address is head on.The realistic argument (version one)As Otto von Bismarck said, “politics is the science of the possible”.  It is all

The key sentence in Putin’s interview with the German TV channel ARD

You can read the full interview here: http://eng.kremlin.ru/news/23253But the following quote is, I believe, crucial: Today there is fighting in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian central authorities have sent the armed forces there and they even use ballistic missiles. Does anybody speak about it? Not a single word. And what does it mean? What does it tell us? This points to the fact, that you want the Ukrainian central authorities to

Something very, very interesting has happened in Novorussia

Something fantastically interesting has happened in Novorussia: two senior Novorussian commanders, Igor Bezler and Alexei Mozgovoi have attempted to communicate with those Ukrainians who are on the other side.Though I am not sure about the exact dates of the events (all I have is the dates of the posting on YouTube), this apparently began when Igor Bezler agreed to be interviewed by three TV crews at the same time: a

What could the next Junta offensive against Novorussia look like?

Dear friends,On July 1st of this year – just before an imminent Ukie attack – I made a short post entitled Novorussia – Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and settle for anything in the middle in which I was trying to prepare my readers for the possible consequences of a massive Ukrainian assault. Разбор полетов – “after action report” Looking back, I would say that what actually

Geopoliticians discuss the Russian response to America’s ‘declaration of war’

Dear friends,Today, thanks again to the absolutely fantastic work of the Russian and Oceania Saker Blog I can share with you a fully translated and subtitled video of a Russian talk show which I find particularly important. Let me explain.The show in question called “Sunday evening with Vladimir Soloviev” is one of the most watched shows on Russian TV. It airs at prime time, right after the main Sunday evening

The Russian response to a double declaration of war

The context: a double declaration of war Listening to Poroshenko a few days ago and then to Obama at the UNGA can leave no doubt whatsoever about the fact that the AngloZionist Empire is at war with Russia.  Yet many believe that the Russian response to this reality is inadequate.  Likewise, there is a steady stream of accusations made against Putin about Russia’s policy towards the crisis in the Ukraine. 

Of facts, opinion and (mis)-interpretations

This morning a reader brought to my attention a very interesting post by Vladimir Suchan entitled “The Minsk “Ceasefire” Protocol and Russian Diplomacy’s Masterful “Sabotage” which I recommend that you read in its entirety. Suchan quotes a short note of mine where I said the following: “Knowing the degree to which Russian diplomats are normally maniacally fastidious and pedantic with words, I can only conclude that they have deliberately sabotaged

Novorussia – Surrender or victory?

Dear friends, Thanks again to the fantastic work of the Russian Team I can share with you the English translation of an article I find most important at a time when so many commentators and analysts are completely misreading the situation in Novorussia.  This article (translated by Marina and proofread/edited by Alex, John and Michael – thanks guys!) addresses some of the most prevalent arguments used by what I would

Ukrainian ceasefire Q&A/FAQ and RFC

There are so many rumors and opinions about the latest ceasefire for Novorussia agreed between the Novorussian leaders and the Junta reps that I have decided to make a small survey of the issues in the format of a Q&A/FAQ.  I will write up a real analysis next week.  I also will use this opportunity to explain a few thing about what my own personal position is.  So here goes:Q:

Russian Foreign Ministry Statement On The Start Of The Delivery Of Humanitarian Relief Aid To Southeastern Ukraine

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT ON THE START OF THE DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN RELIEF AID TO SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE The endless delays hampering the initial deliveries of the Russian humanitarian relief aid to southeastern Ukraine have become intolerable. A lorry convoy with many hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian relief aid, urgently needed by the people in these regions, has been standing idle for a week now on the Russian-Ukrainian border. Over this

Neither the worst, nor the best, but time is running out for Novorussia

They flutter behind you your possible pastsSome brighteyed and crazy some frightened and lostA warning to anyone still in commandOf their possible future to take care Roger Waters On July 1st I wrote a short piece entitled “Novorussia – Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and settle for anything in the middle” in which I looked at the various possible outcomes of what appeared to be an imminent

Thinking the unthinkable

Introduction I have been putting off writing about this topic for a very long while.  In fact, I wrote several articles trying to explain the self-evident truism that the US/NATO/EU does not have a military option in the Ukrainian war.  First, in an article entitled Remembering the Important Lessons of the Cold War I tried to explain that the reason the Cold War did not turn into a hot, shooting,

What Makes Strelkov Feel “Melancholy” – Military-Political Situation Report, July 20, 2014

Note: this article is dated July 20th because it took 2 days to translate it. I think that this is a *must read* for all those who wonder about the nature of the ugle behind-the-scenes infighting between various Russian groups about the future of Novorussia. A huge “thank you!!!” to all those who helped translate this most interesting text. The Saker——-What Makes Strelkov Feel “Melancholy” – Military-Political Situation Report, July

Ukraine SITREP July 17th, 15:55 UTC/Zulu: the complete failure of Poroshenko’s “surprise” (UPDATED)

I will begin this SITREP by re-posting the video of the interview made by Ukrainian TV by phone with a solider of the Ukie forces in the so-called “southern cauldron”.  Please make sure to press on the ‘cc’ button to get the English subtitles:Speaking of videos, the I wanted to point out that the video I posted yesterday of what appeared to be Grad systems firing a Ukie forces from

For Russia the issues is tactics, not strategy

I think that the unexpected fall of Slaviansk hit us all very hard.  We were used to think of it as a new Stalingrad, as a Donbass version of Bint Jbeil, and the sudden withdrawal of Strelkov’s forces was a surprise for us all.  And I really mean us all, including the Ukies (who had predicted that Strelkov would fight to the last bullet there).  And that is exactly what

What the Kremlin’s inaction over the Ukraine means for Russia’s geopolitics, international relations, and the Eurasian Union

by Mark SlebodaWhat the Kremlin’s inaction over the Ukraine means for Russia’s geopolitics, international relations, and the Eurasian Union: All moral and national security issues aside for a moment, the precedent that Russia’s inaction is setting in the Ukraine in terms of both geopolitics and foreign policy alone is crippling. The surrender of Ukraine to the West by Russia inevitably means exactly that the US achieves its primary goal –

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