Month: January 2015

Putin’s ultimatum to Russian oligarchs

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Posted on Fort Russ, January 26, 2015
Crimson Alter – Politrussia.com
Translated from Russian by Kristina Rus

2015: The Apocalypse or the Renaissance of the Russian economy? 

Reading endless stories of schizo-patriots and liberals that the Russian economy will soon experience a complete collapse, would be very amusing if these stories, shaped exactly by the manuals of Rand Corporation, did not get on the nerves of real Russians. We all have a difficult year ahead, and to live with an eye on a “total collapse, looming on the horizon,” described by the gloom-and-doom prophets of all colors, – is a dubious pleasure. To live in constant fear that “the oligarchs will  overthrow Putin, knock him out with a snuff-box, and the time will come to go out to the Patriotic Maidan to save Moscow”, is simply impossible. It is impossible not to notice that this psychosis is created skillfully and the main card of the manipulators is based on the hope that the audience will not notice those facts that clearly indicate that the situation is moving in a completely different direction.

Briefly, this scenario can be formulated as follows: subjugation of the oligarchy plus full state capitalism. About this, as a terrible disaster for the Russian economy, talks German Gref. Actually, this is not a disaster, but a renaissance.

In the working plan of the structure of the Russian economy, the Kremlin decided to take into account the positive and negative experience of the crisis of 2008 with amendments to current geopolitical realities. By all indications, at the famous meeting with Russian business leaders, Putin gave the oligarchs a choice: work for the country (dedollarization, participation in support of the ruble, the transfer of control over enterprises into the Russian jurisdiction, and so on) or the state will ‘deal’ with them and take the property.

Putin’s strategy is easy to reconstruct based on leaked to the press elements of the preparation for the meeting of the President and the leaders of Russian business. This is how these “gentleman talks” were described by government and business sources of Gazeta.ru:

“…Representatives of ministries and agencies contacted major exporters, shareholders and owners, and had a heart-to-heart conversation with them. The conversation went something like this: “Have you heard about our situation with the ruble? – “Yes” – “Could you possibly now not aggravate the problem – sell part of foreign currency earnings to support the ruble and to calm the citizens?”

Then there was a fork in the conversation. Some agreed with the recommendation, and some – not. The naysayers said: “I have a debt in foreign currency, and the ruble is floating free. So I am saving. You don’t have the right to force me”. They were replied: “Well, do as you wish. We have no right to force someone. But if tomorrow you will come to the government to ask for support, state guarantees, loans and in general… then don’t expect anything”.

The oligarchs had time to think, but the first results appeared immediately. The decision of Alisher Usmanov to transfer control of his companies (Megafon, Metalloinvest) to Russia – is an indication that the smartest oligarchs have already made their bets. One can only envy the foresight of Usmanov – his financiers began to break into the Chinese (Hong Kong) capital markets already back in the summer and the process of transferring control of the offshore assets to Russia was started long before Putin’s “December ultimatum”. The ability to feel the essence of time is the key to survival in the current geopolitical conditions.

A very unexpected example of the correct orientation in the political space is the owner of AFK Sistema, Yevtushenkov. It would seem, in the context of Western court decisions in the Yukos case, the incredible pressure of the West on Putin and the nationalization of Bashneft, Yevtushenkov had all the reasons to become Khodorkovsky 2.0 – the icon of the opposition, the hope of the State Department and the applicant for the post of Moscow’s curator after an oligarchic Maidan. In fact, many had expected this course of events. Instead, Yevtushenkov has “converted” in a few months, for which 10 years in prison was not enough for Khodorkovsky. Many argue that it is Yevtushenkov who sold those 3 billion dollars, mentioned by Putin. Moreover, Yevtushenkov had himself issued a black mark in the eyes of the West in his recent interview. Note two significant quotes: Continue reading →

World Beyond War: Protests and events worldwide

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Sick of U.S. wars and foreign policy? Here are some of the events and protests planned in the United States and other countries.

Stand up, speak out. And U.S. and NATO soldiers, stand down!

From World Beyond War, http://www.worldbeyondwar.org

February 28 – March 1 in New York, NY: Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction

March 2nd – major blockade of nuclear bomb factory of AWE Burghfield, England

March 4-6 – Shut Down Creech (also here)

March 18-21 in Washington DC: Spring Rising

March 26 to May 29: 65 days nonviolent blockade at nuclear air base Büchel, Germany.

March 28 – April 3 in Nevada: Nevada Desert Experience – Sacred Peace Walk

March 28 in Glasgow, Scotland: #TridentHastoGoNow demonstration

March 30 in Knoxville, Tennessee: Moving Towards a Nuclear Free Future 2015 walk to New York City for April 24 events

April 11 Michigan – David Swanson speaking

April 13 in Scotland: #BairnsNotBOMBS Big Blockade

April 13, Global Day of Action Against Military Spending

April 15, March for the Homeless

April 22, March from EPA to Pentagon

April 24 – April 26 in New York, NY: Peace and the Planet Conference and Rally * April 24/25 – An international peace, justice and environmental conference * April 26 – A major international rally, march to the United Nations and peace festival

April 25 Houston – David Swanson speaking

April 27-29 at the Hague: WILPF Turns 100

April 27 – May 22 at United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY: NPT Review Conference (“RevCon”) * Call for NPT-related organizing * NPT brief overview * NPT Home page at UN

May 25 in Washington, D.C., a Veterans For Peace Memorial Day

August 6 – 9 in Santa Fe, NM: Campaign Nonviolence National Conference (Aug 6 – Mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima with the annual sackcloth and ashes peace vigil and call for nuclear disarmament near the National Labs. Aug 9 – Mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki with the annual sackcloth and ashes peace vigil and call for nuclear disarmament near the National Labs.)

August 6 in Hiroshima, Japan: “August 6, 2015 will be the 70th anniversary of the bombing [of Hiroshima]. Annually, there are events such as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, with guest speakers, and the Lantern Floating Ceremony, in which lanterns float on the river as petitions for peace. Additional special events for the 70th anniversary are to be announced.”

August 9 in Nagasaki, Japan: [August 9, 2015 will be the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. Commemoration events are held annually and, as with Hiroshima, it is expected that additional special events for the 70th anniversary are to be announced.]

August 27 Chicago – David Swanson speaking

September 20 – 27: Everywhere: Campaign Nonviolence Week of Actions 2015

November – date TBD in Nagasaki, Japan: Annual Pugwash Conference

More nuclear disarmament events here. (Thanks to Joe Scarry!)

Sign the Declaration of Peace.

United States genocide coin is already on Ebay

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For background on this coin or token, https://freeukrainenow.org/2015/01/27/u-s-general-visits-maimed-ukrainian-soldiers-hands-out-commemorative-tokens/

Posted on Fort Russ

January 26, 2015

One does not need to kill civilians in order to obtain a coin awarded to lucky few wounded Ukrainian soldiers by a US General in Ukraine for their contribution to the genocide of thousands of Russians in Donbass.

Apparently coins don’t pay the bills, or feed a family. But $30 bucks is half a monthly salary or a pension in Ukraine, thanks to Yatsenyuk.

http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-united-states-genocide-coin-is.html

The U.S. deployed Special Forces to 70% of the nations of Earth — over 100 countries

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Posted on AlterNet, January 24, 2015
By Nick Turse / Tom Dispatch

In the dead of night, they swept in aboard V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.  Landing in a remote region of one of the most volatile countries on the planet, they raided a village and soon found themselves in a life-or-death firefight.  It was the second time in two weeks that elite U.S. Navy SEALs had attempted to rescue American photojournalist Luke Somers.  And it was the second time they failed.

On December 6, 2014, approximately 36 of America’s top commandos, heavily armed, operating with intelligence from satellites, drones, and high-tech eavesdropping, outfitted with night vision goggles, and backed up by elite Yemeni troops, went toe-to-toe with about six militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.  When it was over, Somers was dead, along with Pierre Korkie, a South African teacher due to be set free the next day.  Eight civilians were also killed by the commandos, according to local reports.  Most of the militants escaped.

That blood-soaked episode was, depending on your vantage point, an ignominious end to a year that saw U.S. Special Operations forces deployed at near record levels, or an inauspicious beginning to a new year already on track to reach similar heights, if not exceed them.

During the fiscal year that ended on September 30, 2014, U.S. Special Operations forces (SOF) deployed to 133 countries — roughly 70% of the nations on the planet — according to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Bockholt, a public affairs officer with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).  This capped a three-year span in which the country’s most elite forces were active in more than 150 different countries around the world, conducting missions ranging from kill/capture night raids to training exercises.  And this year could be a record-breaker.  Only a day before the failed raid that ended Luke Somers life — just 66 days into fiscal 2015 — America’s most elite troops had already set foot in 105 nations, approximately 80% of 2014’s total.

Despite its massive scale and scope, this secret global war across much of the planet is unknown to most Americans.  Unlike the December debacle in Yemen, the vast majority of special ops missions remain completely in the shadows, hidden from external oversight or press scrutiny.  In fact, aside from modest amounts of information disclosed through highly-selective coverage by military media, official White House leaks, SEALs with something to sell, and a few cherry-picked journalists reporting on cherry-picked opportunities, much of what America’s special operators do is never subjected to meaningful examination, which only increases the chances of unforeseen blowback and catastrophic consequences.        

The Golden Age

“The command is at its absolute zenith.  And it is indeed a golden age for special operations.”  Those were the words of Army General Joseph Votel III, a West Point graduate and Army Ranger, as he assumed command of SOCOM last August. 

His rhetoric may have been high-flown, but it wasn’t hyperbole.  Since September 11, 2001, U.S. Special Operations forces have grown in every conceivable way, including their numbers, their budget, their clout in Washington, and their place in the country’s popular imagination.  The command has, for example, more than doubled its personnel from about 33,000 in 2001 to nearly 70,000 today, including a jump of roughly 8,000 during the three-year tenure of recently retired SOCOM chief Admiral William McRaven.

Those numbers, impressive as they are, don’t give a full sense of the nature of the expansion and growing global reach of America’s most elite forces in these years.  For that, a rundown of the acronym-ridden structure of the ever-expanding Special Operations Command is in order.  The list may be mind-numbing, but there is no other way to fully grasp its scope.   

The lion’s share of SOCOM’s troops are Rangers, Green Berets, and other soldiers from the Army, followed by Air Force air commandos, SEALs, Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen and support personnel from the Navy, as well as a smaller contingent of Marines.  But you only get a sense of the expansiveness of the command when you consider the full range of “sub-unified commands” that these special ops troops are divided among: the self-explanatory SOCAFRICA; SOCEUR, the European contingent; SOCKOR, which is devoted strictly to Korea; SOCPAC, which covers the rest of the Asia-Pacific region; SOCSOUTH, which conducts missions in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean; SOCCENT, the sub-unified command of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East; SOCNORTH, which is devoted to “homeland defense”; and the globe-trotting Joint Special Operations Command or JSOC — a clandestine sub-command (formerly headed by McRaven and then Votel) made up of personnel from each service branch, including SEALs, Air Force special tactics airmen, and the Army’s Delta Force, that specializes in tracking and killing suspected terrorists.

And don’t think that’s the end of it, either.  As a result of McRaven’s push to create “a Global SOF network of like-minded interagency allies and partners,” Special Operations liaison officers, or SOLOs, are now embedded in 14 key U.S. embassies to assist in advising the special forces of various allied nations.  Already operating in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, France, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Poland, Peru, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, the SOLO program is poised, according to Votel, to expand to 40 countries by 2019.  The command, and especially JSOC, has also forged close ties with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency, among others.

Shadow Ops

Special Operations Command’s global reach extends further still, with smaller, more agile elements operating in the shadows from bases in the United States to remote parts of Southeast Asia, from Middle Eastern outposts to austere African camps. Since 2002, SOCOM has also been authorized to create its own Joint Task Forces, a prerogative normally limited to larger combatant commands like CENTCOM.  Take, for instance, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) which, at its peak, had roughly 600 U.S. personnel supporting counterterrorist operations by Filipino allies against insurgent groups like Abu Sayyaf.  After more than a decade spent battling that group, its numbers have been diminished, but it continues to be active, while violence in the region remains virtually unaltered. 

…

Votel now sits atop one of the major success stories of a post-9/11 military that has been mired in winless wars, intervention blowback, rampant criminal activity, repeated leaks of embarrassing secrets, and all manner of shocking scandals.  Through a deft combination of bravado and secrecy, well-placed leaks, adroit marketing and public relations efforts, the skillful cultivation of a superman mystique (with a dollop of tortured fragility on the side), and one extremely popular, high-profile, targeted killing, Special Operations forces have become the darlings of American popular culture, while the command has been a consistent winner in Washington’s bare-knuckled budget battles. 

This is particularly striking given what’s actually occurred in the field: in Africa, the arming and outfitting of militants and the training of a coup leader; in Iraq, America’s most elite forces were implicated in torture, the destruction of homes, and the killing and wounding of innocents;  in Afghanistan, it was a similar story, with repeated reports of civilian deaths; while in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia it’s been more of the same.  And this only scratches the surface of special ops miscues.  

In 2001, before U.S. black ops forces began their massive, multi-front clandestine war against terrorism, there were 33,000 members of Special Operations Command and about 1,800 members of the elite of the elite, the Joint Special Operations Command.  There were then also 23 terrorist groups — from Hamas to the Real Irish Republican Army — as recognized by the State Department, including al-Qaeda, whose membership was estimated at anywhere from 200 to 1,000.  That group was primarily based in Afghanistan and Pakistan, although small cells had operated in numerous countries including Germany and the United States. 

After more than a decade of secret wars, massive surveillance, untold numbers of night raids, detentions, and assassinations, not to mention billions upon billions of dollars spent, the results speak for themselves.  SOCOM has more than doubled in size and the secretive JSOC may be almost as large as SOCOM was in 2001.  Since September of that year, 36 new terror groups have sprung up, including multiple al-Qaeda franchises, offshoots, and allies.  Today, these groups still operate in Afghanistan and Pakistan — there are now 11 recognized al-Qaeda affiliates in the latter nation, five in the former — as well as in Mali and Tunisia, Libya and Morocco, Nigeria and Somalia, Lebanon and Yemen, among other countries.  One offshoot was born of the American invasion of Iraq, was nurtured in a U.S. prison camp, and, now known as the Islamic State, controls a wide swath of that country and neighboring Syria, a proto-caliphate in the heart of the Middle East that was only the stuff of jihadi dreams back in 2001.  That group, alone, has an estimated strength of around 30,000 and managed to take over a huge swath of territory, including Iraq’s second largest city, despite being relentlessly targeted in its infancy by JSOC.

“We need to continue to synchronize the deployment of SOF throughout the globe,” says Votel.  “We all need to be synched up, coordinated, and prepared throughout the command.”  Left out of sync are the American people who have consistently been kept in the dark about what America’s special operators are doing and where they’re doing it, not to mention the checkered results of, and blowback from, what they’ve done.  But if history is any guide, the black ops blackout will help ensure that this continues to be a “golden age” for U.S. Special Operations Command.

 

For the complete article,
http://www.alternet.org/world/us-dark-empire-has-secret-operations-over-100-countries

 

Donetsk Ministry of Defense briefing: Ukrainian National Guard shot 20 Ukrainian soldiers overnight

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Posted on Fort Russ, January 27, 2015
Eduard Basurin (DPR) – Newsfront
Translated by Kristina Rus

 DPR MOD Frontline Update

After a loss suffered on January 26, the enemy turned to offensive activities on separate fronts.

Fearing encirclement, Ukrainian forces are leaving the Debaltsevo ledge. On Donetsk front the enemy with the forces of the 25th airmobile brigade undertook unsuccessful attempts to attack Donetsk airport.

The attack has been repelled.

During the fighting militia burned 4 tanks and 4 BMD. The loss of live forces was up to 50 people killed.

On Debaltsevo front the enemy has unsuccessfully attempted to regain control over North Eastern part of Debaltsevo. Counter attack by NAF pushed UAF to its former positions.

On Mariupol front there were no active military operations.

Over the last 24 hours as a result of military operations total losses of security forces of Ukraine were: 21 tank, 14  BMP and BTR, 7 field artillery weapons, as well as up to 170 killed and wounded. 11 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered.

I want to emphasize that repeated announcements by Kiev about large losses of NAF is a typical propaganda fake. In a 40 million Ukraine, as is well known, losses of a thousand people are easy to hide for the Kiev junta.

We have a lot fewer people. We all know each other, we are all acquainted. Therefore such losses, if we really had them would be impossible to hide. We really do have losses, in the last weeks we lost 62 fighters, who we said are good byes to.

However, the losses of Ukrainian forces for the same period are not comparable – more then 1,100 people. The bodies of most of the killed Ukrainians are laying in the fields for more then a week. No one from the commanders of Ukrainian forces is trying to take them out.

More then 70 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered since January 9th.

We would like to bring to the attention of the world community and international organizations, the increasing shelling of our cities by the Ukrainian artillery, which leads to mass deaths among peaceful residents, including children.

The number of killed and wounded among the peaceful residents of Donetsk is in the hundreds.

Although for Poroshenko all of them are separatists.

Instead of objective and diligent investigation of these crimes with participation of representatives of  OSCE, Ukrainian authorities continue to engage in propaganda demagogue and hide their own war crimes.

As a result the number of victims among the peaceful population is growing.

Ukrainian troops are demoralized, which is shown by unprecedented incident, which occurred last night.

During overnight clashes a wounded soldier from 128th separate mountain-infantry brigade had surrendered, and talked during questioning about the facts of using “zagradotriads” [army police] from the territorial battalions against Ukrainian soldiers. As a result of shooting at Ukrainian soldiers head on from the positions of the National Guard, more then 20 people died on the spot, several dozen more were wounded. The rest of the soldiers of the 128th brigade ran away, according to him.

During today we recorded 45 violations.

Due to shelling of the central districts of Gorlovka, 2 people were killed immediately, and 6 wounded. Among them  – 2 children, 9 and 8 years old.

Today in Gorlovka, in the afternoon on Lenin Prospect, a driver (born in 1980) of a car was killed by shrapnel on the spot.

One person was killed in Donetsk, 2 wounded.

The losses of DPR army are: 3 killed, 12 wounded.

Also, I would like to point out that in Gorlovka during an attempt to put out fires, first responders were caught in shelling. They were unable to finish their job, and had to wait for about half an hour, and only after that they were able to live.

This is all I have for now.

Questions:

Are there any injured first responders and do you have any details about the shooting of a bus driver?

There were no injured among the first responders. Regarding the driver of a bus #25, he is in a hospital in stable-serious condition. No one else was injured, we were lucky that there was no one else on the bus.

Could you comment on the situation in Zeranovka. There was a video from militia online. We would like to find out who controls this village now?

The message that you saw online is true, this locality is under the control of DPR. This is South-West of Gorlovka.

There was information online in the morning that UAF is completely controlling Peski and Avdeevka, and that our guys retreated.

No, this is not true. Peski is a neutral zone. Not one party controls it entirely. Part of Peski is controlled by the militia, part – by UAF. We never announced that we controlled Avdeevka, so the announcement by the Ukrainian side that we had left – how could we leave it, if we were never there? Yes, we are on the outskirts of Avdeevka.

When will the road from Gorlovka to Donetsk be safe for civilians?

UAF artillery has 50 km range, so until it is pushed far beyond Gorlovka, we can not talk about safety.

Has Mariyinka come under the control of the militia?

No, not entirely. 40% is controlled by the militia, the rest of the territory doesn’t belong to anyone, is under clashes.

How is the situation in Elenovka?

After the capture of this locality nothing else happened. Artillery shelling does continue.

You said that UAF is trying to return the control of North-Eastern district of Debaltsevo, does it mean that they had lost control over it?

If you look at the map carefully, the so-called Debaltsevo ledge, we call it the Debaltsevo Tongue, from two sides – DPR and LPR – certain activities are taking place in order to allow us to encircle this formation. UAF is trying to use various methods to avoid it. One of the methods is to leave some of the positions, which it used to control. If someone is retreating, then someone else is taking it.

Which positions did they vacate, and was it occupied by the militia? 

I can not tell you everything, then it wouldn’t be interesting to come here tomorrow [laughter]

Have there been any new localities which were captured by DPR?

Azarianovka is completely under our control, this is what I can name. All the other localities I cannot name, because there are still clashes.

What are the hot spots?

Hot spots: Debaltsevo ledge is still under fighting. I know you are all waiting for the door to shut. For now it is not as easy to do, as we would like it to be. Here, in the area of Gorlovka highway. Krasny Partisan. There are other localities behind Krasny Partisan which have to be liberated, and taken under our control. Also those areas near the airport, and also those areas in the West, like Mariyinka. Besides this large town there are smaller localities.

Has UAF used aviation over the last 24 hours?

We have not recorded that.

What is the situation near Krasny Partisan? 

It would be nice if it was faster, but it is not. You have to understand, UAF is resisting. We ask them not to resist, but they are resisting [smiling]. You know these cases of shooting, we recorded them even before. The territorial battalions were created for the cities. And then they were sent here. They were supposed to serve only on the territory of their own city. In the summer, in the fall, when there were active military oiperations, when these qualdrons were created, they wanted to surrender in large quantities. And we fixated that they were shot. We always reported this. Now this repeated again. When this happens again they will put up resistance. We recorded that nationalist battalions and the army were shooting at each other, they had some kind of fighting between each other. It is very difficult to hide such facts. They have cell phones, yes their cellphones are taken away. But they will find a way to report to their friends and family, that they were shot, by their own. And we will help, you will help, this is why you are here. This is how we can shake up this situation. So that there are not just single cases, when a mother learns about her child, when he is captured here, but does not let him go in the first place. The more protests there are in Ukraine the fewer Ukrainian soldiers will die.

Did the militia shell the city of Svetlodar? Ukrainian soldiers report that there was shelling of a hospital of that city, with some injured. It’s near Debaltsevo, towards Artemovsk. 

You know, on one hand, Ukrainian military announces a lot of interesting things. On the other hand this is war. Nevertheless, all commanders know that shelling of populated areas were civilians reside is banned. I have nothing else to say about this. We are not there. This is only reported by Ukrainian journalists, there are no other journalists there, they are not allowed there

[Many Russian journalists are banned from Ukraine, and are subject to arrest and deportation. The media and TV channels are controlled by the oligarchs in power, such as Poroshenko and Kolomoisky]. 

Whether this happened or not we can find out only when we get there.

http://www.fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/01/donetsk-ministry-of-defense-briefing.html

Adviser to Poroshenko writes about the high number of draft evaders and the resistance to the mobilization

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From Ruposters.com, January 27, 2015

Presidential adviser Yuri Biryukov wrote on his Facebook page on the frustration of the fourth wave of mobilization and the number of draft dodgers in the western regions of Ukraine.

So, according to him, the head of 14 village councils, Ivano-Frankivsk region, refused to receive the notification on the agenda. 57% of reservists notified by Ivano-Frankivsk region have not arrived at the passage meditsinkoy Commission, while 37% of reservists notified by Ivano-Frankivsk region basically left the territory of Ukraine.

“The heads of village of Ternopil region pleased to openly sabotage activities on notification, in the case of in district representatives of RVC notifications – inform their residents and surrounding villages” writes Biryukov

The adviser said that the head of the village Selrady Grooms, Kozova Raion, reported on the eve the local population hired two buses and drove them to the territory of the Russian Federation.

In the small town of Mukachevo, Kolchyno district, Transcarpathian region, of 105 people notified, presented only three: 9 persons did not reside at the address register, and 93 people in January were eliminated for seasonal agriculture.

“Over the past 30 days the state border in the Chernivtsi region has crossed 17% of the total number of area reservists. From unofficial sources we know that hostels and motels in the border area of neighboring Romania completely filled with draft evaders, “- said Biryukov.

He also said that 19% of notified conscripts of Volyn region refused military service on religious grounds, although in recent years the percentage refusal under this formulation did not exceed 0.7%.

“Patriots, mlyat. Warriors of Light, mlyat. Cowardly mongrel! “- Summed up the adviser.

In Ukraine, the fourth wave continues partial mobilization. In 2015 it is planned to mobilize in the Ukrainian army 50 thousand people; if necessary – 104,000. According to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, the mobilization is planned in two stages – 24 000 people and 26 000 people.

http://ruposters.ru/archives/11400

U.S. general visits maimed Ukrainian soldiers, hands out commemorative tokens

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1/22/2015

US General Thanks Crippled Ukrainian Soldiers with Tokens

Translated from Russian by J.Hawk

General Ben Hodges, commanding the U.S. Army in Europe (USAREUR) gave out commemorative tokens to Ukrainian soldiers crippled in the fighting. The US general who came to Kiev for consultations on the conduct of the war, praised the talent and bravery of Ukrainian soldiers and commanders.

“They ordered us to fire on a specific location from the BMP, but it could not fire. Then they ordered the tank to fire, but it reported it does not have sufficient hydraulic pressure to fire…I was lucky, because my comrade, a grenade launcher operator whose skull was blown to pieces, fell on me,” said the wounded 24-year-old soldier who left home two children.

He also said that he spent one month in training, after which he was sent into battle. His war lasted 2 weeks. On September 1 he arrived at the front line, on the 14th he lost his hand and has been in the hospital ever since.

Having heard the soldier’s story, the US general gave him a commemorative USAREUR coin, which specifies that it was issued personally by the commanding general.

Is this sufficient compensation for the loss of his left hand for which a prosthetic will cost more than 100 thousand euro? The soldier himself does not think so.

Translator’s Note: What stands out is the low level of training and equipment readiness evident in the story told by the soldier. Reservists are snatched from their homes, given very hasty retraining, and then sent to the front line with non-operational equipment, which goes a long way toward explaining why Ukrainian casualties have been so high. It’s not clear what Ben Hodges is doing in Kiev, aside from putting into doubt the honor of his uniform. “Talent and bravery of Ukrainian soldiers and commanders”? Ukrainian commanders have shown neither in this war and Ben “token of my support” Hodges surely knows it.

Additional translated portion:

Recall that Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin directly linked Gen. Ben Hodges’ visit Kiev with intensified fighting in the Donbas.

“After each visit to Ukraine by senior US officials, Kiev authorities are increasing confrontation of their actions. And the current military escalation miraculously coincided with a visit to Kiev by the commander of US forces in Europe,” – said the diplomat, responding to criticism of US ambassador Samantha Power to Russia.

Editor’s Note: This incident shows this is a proxy war. The war is fought by drafted cannon-fodder civilians because Washington and the West wish it and are pulling the strings. General Hodges was visiting his troops. That’s why he’s in Kiev. He is the commanding general.

And the “brave” thing General Hodges is glad of is that the Ukrainian soldiers are killing Ukrainian men, women, and children. Perhaps General Hodges will consider it brave when German soldiers are killing German citizens, Polish soldiers are killing Polish citizens, and back at home, American soldiers are killing American citizens.

Who is the real boss of General Hodges? What is his real mission?

Original article:
http://ruposters.ru/archives/11287

Fort Russ translation:
http://www.fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/01/us-general-thanks-crippled-ukrainian.html

 

Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction, February 28-March 1, 2015 at the New York Academy of Medicine

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For Symposium updates, the direct link is:  http://helencaldicottfoundation.org/symposium-the-dynamics-of-possible-nuclear-extinction-l-february-28-march-1-2015-at-the-new-york-academy-of-medicine/

A unique, two-day symposium at which an international panel of leading experts in disarmament, political science, existential risk, anthropology, medicine, nuclear weapons and other nuclear issues will be held at The New York Academy of Medicine on Feb 28- March 1, 2015.

The public is welcome.
A project of The Helen Caldicott Foundation

Venue: The New York Academy of Medicine. 1216 Fifth Ave @ 103rd St. NY, NY 10029

Location, Directions and Parking

The Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction.
Russia and the U.S. possess 94% of the 16,400 nuclear weapons in the global nuclear arsenal. The U.S. maintains its first strike winnable nuclear war policy, and both countries have raised their nuclear arsenals to a higher state of alert because of the situation in the Ukraine. Furthermore it has just been announced that the administration has plans to replace every nuclear warhead and their delivery systems via ship, submarine, missile and plane, at a cost of one trillion dollars over the next thirty years.

This symposium to be held by The Helen Caldicott Foundation will address the following issues:

. What are the human and technological factors that could precipitate a nuclear war between Russia and the U.S., how many times have we come close to nuclear war and how long will our luck hold?

. What are the ongoing technological and financial developments relevant to the nuclear weapons arsenals of the US and Russia?

. What problems are associated with lateral proliferation of nuclear weapons via strenuous corporate marketing of nuclear technology?

. What are the medical and environmental consequences of either a small or large scale nuclear war?

. What are the underlying philosophical, political, and ideological dynamics that have brought life on earth to the brink of extinction?

. How can we assess this situation from an anthropological perspective?

. What is the pathology within the present political situation that could lead us to extinction?

. How can this nuclear pathology be cured?

Moderated by:
Day One: Kennette Benedict, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Day Two: To be announced

The Presenters (confirmed speakers, speaking order may change):

Session 1
Seth Baum– Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, will address the catastrophic risk of nuclear war
Max Tegmark– Professor of physics at MIT and author of “Our Mathematical Universe”, will discuss artificial intelligence and the risk of automation accidentally triggering a nuclear war.

Session 2
Hans Kristensen – Federation of American Scientists, will address the current size of the global nuclear arsenals
Bill Hartung– Center for International Policy, will discuss the inordinate power and pathological dynamics exercised by the US military industrial complex
Greg Mello -Los Alamos Study Group, the role and funding of the nuclear weapons laboratories inherent within the US nuclear armament dilemma
John Feffer – Institute of Policy Studies will compare the money spent on the US military industrial complex compared with the paltry amount spent on the prevention of global warming
Bruce Gagnon – Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, will elucidate the ongoing and dangerous militarization of space

Session 3
Bob Alvarez – Institute of Policy Studies, will discuss lateral proliferation and describe how a small nuclear exchange could trigger a global holocaust

Session 4
Steven Starr– Senior Scientist PSR, Clinical Laboratory Science Program Director, University of Missouri. Nuclear War: An Unrecognized Mass Extinction Event Waiting to Happen.
Holly Barker – Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Medical, Teratogenic and Genetic pathology related to US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands.
Alan Robock – Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Environmental Sciences. Rutgers University, will outline his pioneering work on Nuclear Autumn, Nuclear Famine, and Nuclear Winter.
Lynn Eden – author of Whole World on Fire, will discuss the enormous issue ignored by the Pentagon of the effect of the holocaust of firestorms following nuclear war.

Session 5
Janne Nolan – Elliott School of International Affairs will outline the underlying psychological pathology of the nuclear warriors
Mike Lofgren – author of Anatomy of the Deep State, will describe the underlying pathology of US capitalism leading to this current tenuous nuclear situation
Susi Snyder– (IKV Pax Christi, the Netherlands), Contributor to 2014 report DON’T BANK ON THE BOMB

Session 6
Hugh Gusterson – Professor of Anthropology and Sociology, George Mason University will describe his anthropological research after spending one year at the Los Alamos Labs.
Robert Sheer – author of STAR WARRIORS will describe his research into the young men who do the research on nuclear weapons development at Lawrence Livermore Labs

Session 7
Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics, MIT will present the pathology within the present political system that could induce extinction

Session 8
Dave Krieger – Nuclear Age Peace Foundation on what can we do? How the Marshall Islanders are speaking truth to power.
Tim Wright – Campaign Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) – some potential and exciting solutions
Helen Caldicott – President of The Helen Caldicott Foundation – An urgent prescription for survival

Watch http://nuclearfreeplanet.org/symposium-the-dynamics-of-possible-nuclear-extinction-l-february-28-march-1-2015-at-the-new-york-academy-of-medicine.html for information on how to register in advance- coming soon. Registering in advance will include complimentary lunch.
No other lunch option will be available at the venue.

Schedule to date

DAY ONE: Saturday, February 28

Morning Session

9am – opening (to be confirmed)
9.15 – 9.30 Moderator- Kennette Benedict

9.30 – 9.50 (to be confirmed)
9.50 – 10.10 Seth Baum – Global Catastrophic Risk Institute – The Catastrophic Risk of Nuclear War
10.10 – 10.30 Max Tegmark – Professor of Physics, MIT – Artificial Intelligence and the Risk of Accidental Nuclear War.

10.30 – 11.00 Q&A

11.00 – 11.30 Tea and Coffee

11.30 – 11.50 Alan Robock – Distinguished Professor, Department Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University – Nuclear Famine and Nuclear Winter: Climatic Effects of Nuclear War- Catastrophic Threats to the Global Food Supply
11.50 – 12.10 Bill Hartung – Center for International Policy – Inordinate Power and Pathological Dynamics of the Military Industrial Complex
12.10 – 12.30 Mike Lofgen – Author of Anatomy of the Deep State – US Capitalism Relating to the Tenuous Nuclear Situation

12.30 – 1.00 Q&A

1.00 – 2.00 Lunch

Afternoon Session

2.00 – 2.20 Greg Mello – Los Alamos Study Group – The Role and Funding of the US Nuclear Weapons Labs
2.20 – 2.40 Hans Kristensen – Federation of American Scientists – The Current Size of the World’s Nuclear Arsenals
2.40 – 3.00 Bruce Gagnon – Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space – The Ongoing and Dangerous Militarization of Space
3.00 – 3.20 Bob Alvarez – Institute of Policy Studies – Lateral Proliferation Could Trigger a Global Nuclear Holocaust

3.20 – 4.00 Q&A

4.00 – 6.00 On The Beach – film

DAY TWO: Sunday, March 1

Morning Session

9.00 – 9.15 Opening remarks– (to be confirmed)
8.15 – 9.35 Steven Starr – Associate of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a board member and senior scientist for Physicians for Social Responsibility – An Unrecognized Mass Extinction Event Waiting to Happen
9.35 – 9.55 Holly Barker – Department Anthropology, University of Washington –Medical, Teratogenic and Genetic Pathology Related to US Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands
9.55 – 10.15 John Feffer – Institute of Policy Studies – Comparison of Spending on US Military Industrial Complex ND Prevention of Global Warming

10.15 – 10.54 Q&A

10.45 – 11.15 Tea and Coffee

11.15 – 11.35 Lynn Eden – Author Whole World on Fire – Holocaust Firestorms Following Nuclear War, Ignored by Pentagon Calculations
11.35 – 11.55 Janne Nolan – Elliot School of International Affairs – Psychological Pathology of the Nuclear Warriors
11.55 – 12.15 Mike Lofgren – Author of Anatomy of the Deep State – US Capitalism Relating to the Tenuous Nuclear Situation

12.15 – 12.45 Q&A
12.45 – 1.45 Lunch

Afternoon Session

1.45 – 2.05 Susie Snyder – IKV Pax Christi, the Netherlands – Don’t Bank on the Bomb
2.05 – 2.25 Hugh Gusterson – Professor Anthropology at George Washington University – Anthropological Research at Los Alamos Labs
2.25 – 2.45 Robert Scheer – Author of Star Warriors – Data on Young Men Researchers at Lawrence Livermore Labs

2.45 – 3.15 Q&A

3.15 – 3.45 Tea and Coffee

3.45 – 4.05 Noam Chomsky – Institute Professor and Professor of Linguistics MIT – Pathology within the Existing Political System that could lead to Nuclear War
4.05 – 4.25 David Krieger – President Nuclear Age Peace Foundation – The Law Zero Lawsuits Brought by the Marshall Islands
4.25 – 4.45 Tim Wright – Campaign Director International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ICAN – Some New and Exciting Solutions
4.45 – 5.00 Helen Caldicott – President Helen Caldicott Foundation – While There’s Life There’s Hope

http://nuclearfreeplanet.org/symposium-the-medical-and-ecological-consequences-of-the-fukushima-nuclear-accident-l-march-11-12-2013–online-archive-.html

Spring Rising: an anti-war intervention in Washington D.C. — March 18-21, 2015

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http://SpringRising.org

Coming out of a meeting held in Washington, DC, on January 10, plans are coming together for an antiwar intervention in the U.S. capital.

A series of events will be held just as the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq — recently restarted in a new form — passes the 12-year mark since the March 2003 invasion.

Here’s the schedule so far:

Wednesday, March 18: Peace gathering and fellowship.

Thursday, March 19th: Lobbying on Capitol Hill, followed by a tour of the war machine: homes and offices of war criminals.

Friday, March 20th: Afternoon and evening teach-in: Ending Current Wars, Ending the Institution of War. This event will examine ISIS and U.S. warmaking in Western Asia and elsewhere; the damage militarism does to the natural environment, economies, and civil rights; and how the war system can be replaced with a peace system.

Saturday, March 21st: Protest at the White House, followed by march.

This nonviolent intervention was originally proposed by Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox and the Soapbox People’s Network. It has been endorsed and will be supported by Amnesty International Charlottesville, the ANSWER Coalition, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the Baltimore Pledge of Resistance, CND CYMRU, CODEPINK, the Granny Peace Brigade of New York City, KnowDrones.com, Maryland United for Peace and Justice, Military Families Speak Out, the National Association Against Police Brutality, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, the Network to Stop Drone Surveillance and Warfare, the No Fear Coalition, United National Antiwar Coalition, Veterans For Peace, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, WarIsACrime.org, Washington Peace Center, Witness Against Torture, World Beyond War, and World Can’t Wait.

To endorse, volunteer, get involved or learn more, go to: http://SpringRising.org

Contact Dede at: dede4peace (at) gmail (dot) com

Join and share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/430232700485435

Citizen2Citizen trip to Russia — May 30-June 15, 2015

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Organized by the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI)

Article by the President of CCI:
http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2014/04/russia-report-putin-.html

Dear friends and colleagues,

I invite you to come with me to Russia on a Citizen2Citizen “information gathering” trip May 30 to June 15, 2015.

As you know, the political challenges between our two countries have seldom been more caustic and sensationalized.  If the political elites and media sensationalists of both nations can’t give an accurate picture of the political and social challenges between America and Russia, then it’s time for citizens to get involved again––time to for us to travel to get a sense of what’s going on for ourselves.

My vision for this May/June trip is:  our first priority is to meet with as many Russians, Ukrainians and other nationalities as possible.

The trip is scheduled to go first to Moscow, then to Volgograd, next to Ekaterinburg out in the Ural mountains, and last to St.Petersburg.  In all of these cities, CCI literally has endless connections with Russian people from students to business owners, journalists, city managers, teachers, medical doctors, lawyers, judges, scientists, musicians, historians and more.  We will break off and go in small groups to homes, schools, businesses, Rotary clubs, hospitals and universities.   For some sessions we will all attend presentations with Q&A with historians, journalists, cultural leaders and political figures.  Each day will be a top-rate educational experience.  Among these priorities we will build in cultural events, visits to a palace or two with excellent guide-historians and take in exquisite performances of ballet and symphony.  In each city we will have city tours of Russia’s architectural accomplishments, both modern and Tsarist.

I can without question, guarantee that this trip will be the most information-rich travel experience to Russia this year––or any year since the 1980s.   I know the scope of other excursions and schedules––but this trip will be one-of-a lifetime.  If it seems to me and our Board of Directors to be useful to repeat, this first trip will become the model for future Citizen2Citizen groups that will go to numerous sets of cities throughout Russia’s regions.

As you may know, one lone trip of 24 ordinary Americans at the height of the Cold War in 1983 started the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI. ) It began our 30-year history of working between the two countries to build bridges and increase the level of discourse between our peoples and our leaders. During those years we counseled with Congress members, routinely met with U.S. Ambassadors and Consul Generals, were received in the Kremlin twice by top advisors to Putin––and I received a White House appointment under Clinton to watch over U.S. funding for business development going into Russia.  Among several self-help programs and projects, we developed and ran multi-million dollar programs to help Russian entrepreneurs learn how to build small businesses during the 1990s and 2000s. Today 6,000 of our Russian business alumni who trained in over 400 American cities are successful and spread across 71 of Russia’s 89 regions.

I have high hopes that this May/June trip will launch a new citizen-level thrust again,  now that we admittedly are in an extremely dangerous and unanticipated Cold War II.

This trip will be open to any age group, but stamina and ability to stay on one’s feet all day long will be a prerequisite, also the ability to handle one’s own luggage.  Much more information will be given to those who wish to consider being part of this effort to reduce tension between our two nations.

Please email me for additional information or to get your application for the trip.

With hope for renewed understanding between our two peoples,

Sharon Tennison
President and Founder
Center for Citizen Initiatives
820 N. Delaware St.
San Mateo, CA 94401

650-458-8115

Email:  sharon (at) ccisf (dot) org

Author:  The Power of Impossible Ideas
Site: www.ccisf.org (under revision)
Blog:  www.russiaotherpointsofview.com
Rotary Club of Palo Alto, CA.