Blood bath at north front of Donbass — details; Ukrainian Army continually attacking, intending to relaunch larger war

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January 31, 2017 – Fort Russ News –

– Christelle NEANT in DØNiPRESS, translated by Tom Winter –

Following yesterday’s continuous firing on the northern periphery of Donetsk and Makeyevka, which resulted in several deaths and injuries among civilians and soldiers of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), negotiations took place last night in an attempt to re-establish the ceasefire.

After confirmation from the DPR side that it had ceased firing, the Ukrainian army traitorously bombarded the territory of the republic.

At 2000 hours, after an artillery preparation, the enemy sent two platoons attacking the positions of the DPR located between Yasinovataya and Avdeyevka, with covering fire from mortar and tanks. The attackers fell in the middle of a minefield, and had three dead and five wounded. Continuing their attack despite these losses, they lost a total of at least 15 dead and 30 wounded.

As the positions of the DPR army held up well despite these losses, the enemy attempted to make a diversion by starting to massively bomb the periphery of Donetsk and Makeyevka, with among other things, weapons prohibited by the Minsk accords, i.e. artillery of 122 mm and 152 mm and mortars of 82 mm and 120 mm.

According to the intelligence services of the DPR, in view of the demoralization of the Ukrainian soldiers following the heavy losses in the Ukrainian army in the last two days, the Ukrainian command has decided to use Right-Sektor units as cannon fodder. The soldiers of the RPD recorded a strange behavior on the part of these soldiers, most certainly under the influence of drugs or intoxicated.

Following this new failure, the Ukrainian army began firing farther north in front of Debaltsevo, where fighting is also taking place.

Following this disaster, and after receiving the report of the losses in the Ukrainian army during the last 48 hours, Poroshenko returned urgently from Germany.

The DPR’s intelligence services had access to the report of the Ukrainian Chief of Staff Muzhenko, which was forwarded to the so-called Ukrainian President, concerning the actual losses of the Ukrainian army for the days of January 29 and 30.

According to information obtained there are currently in Ukrainian military morgues and hospitals:
– Selydove Morgue – 29 corpses of Ukrainian soldiers;
– Krasnoarmeysk Morgue – 41 corpses Ukrainian soldiers;
– Chasov Yar Mobile Military Hospital No. 65 – 62 wounded soldiers;
– Mobile Mobile Hospital No. 66 mobile of Novyi Trud – 8 dead and 14 wounded soldiers
Total: 78 dead and 76 wounded

To this must be added the losses of Right Sektor last night in Adveyevka, ie more than 15 dead and 30 injured … A total current (which is still likely to be revised upwards), 93 deaths and 106 Injured on the Ukrainian side.

Despite this bloodbath, today from 4 am, after an artillery preparation, the enemy continued its attacks in the industrial zone of Avdeevka. With three platoons they tried to circumvent the positions of the army of the DPR by the flank. The DPR army returned fire to contain the enemy.

Following the bombing of Donetsk, Gorlovka, Yasinovataya and Makeyevka, six houses were damaged, as at 242 Kouibycheva Street, where the roof of a 9-storey building was hit by a 122 mm shell, and a gas pipeline was damaged in Yakolevka. There are two wounded among the civilians. Rails have also been damaged near the station, and several localities or districts of Donetsk are without electricity.

The actual losses of the Ukrainian army are kept hidden from the public in order to avoid causing panic among the Ukrainian armed forces and the population. To justify such losses, Poltorak said they had advanced 10 meters when in reality they lost.

On the side of the army of the DPR we had 4 dead and 7 wounded during the attacks on the positions located between Yasinovataya and Avdeyevka.

In order to allow the repair work, the DPR proposed to establish a ceasefire, which it already respects, to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. But this morning, new shots hit Donetsk, cutting off electricity from the Zasyadko mine and blocking 203 miners underground. The miners are being evacuated.

At the same time, the reconnaissance units of the DPR;; army saw right Sector units firing multiple Grad rocket launchers at positions of the regular Ukrainian army, causing panic in their ranks. The goal is of course to accuse the army of the RPD of being responsible for these shots.

And at 1120 hours the Ukrainian army fired 120 Grad rockets at Yasinovataya and its periphery, in addition to 120 mm mortars, and 152 mm artillery. And an hour earlier, the Ukrainian armed forces tried to break through the lines of the DPR in the South near Kominternovo. The units of the 36th Marine Brigade and Right Sector had 14 dead and dozens of wounded, and retired in disaster.

As we can see in spite of the hecatomb, the Ukrainian authorities are determined to carry out to the end their suicidal logic with war to excuse their real problems. The specter of large-scale war, as the inhabitants of Donbass faced it in 2014, is back …

http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/01/blood-bath-at-north-front-of-donbass.html

“Stop Poroshenko” – Donbass parliaments appeal to Trump, Putin, Merkel

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From Fort Russ

January 31, 2017 – Fort Russ –
RIA Novosti – translated by J. Arnoldski –
Vladimir Degtyarenko and Denish Pushilin, the chairmen of the People’s Councils (parliaments) of the self-declared Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to “stop Prooshenko.” 
As the Lugansk Information Center reports, the DPR and LPR urge these leaders to “force Poroshenko to cease his criminal actions against the people of Donbass,” stop shelling civilians, and end the economic blockade. 
“This must be done before it is too late! Before ecological and humanitarian catastrophe grips our land, stop this big mess! Stop Poroshenko! Save the people of Donbass!,” the appeal reads.
Earlier today, Donbass militiamen and Ukrainian security forces announced that the situation in Donbass has worsened. Both sides of the conflict blame each other for the increasing intensity of attacks and offensive attempts. The situation is close to a humanitarian catastrophe. The residents of Avdeevka have been left without water, light, and heat due to shelling. 
On Tuesday, the Armed Forces of Ukraine twice attempted to break through the positions of the Donbass militia. As a result, the DPR’s Ministry of Defense reported, more than 25 Ukrainian soldiers were killed. 

 

The Kremlin has stated that Moscow is concerned by Kiev’s aggressive actions in Donbass which are undermining the Minsk Agreements. Russian Presidential Press Secretary, Dmitry Peskov, stated that Russia has reliable information that the attack near Avdeevka was started by “independent Ukrainian brigades” supported by the Ukrainian armed forces. 
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/01/stop-poroshenko-donbass-parliaments.html

Poroshenko cuts Germany trip amid fighting in Eastern Ukraine – his political ploy

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From South Front

January 31, 2017

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has cut a working visit to Germany amid the increased fighting between pro-Kiev forces and local militias in the region of Donbass in eastern Ukraine.

Heavy clashes and artillery duels in the area have been reported since January 28, inflicting casualties on the warring sides and to the infrastructure in the areas south and southeast of Donetsk, a capital of of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

A spokesman for the Ukrainian President said that the situation around the Kiev-controlled settlement of Avdeevka “an emergency situation verging on a humanitarian disaster,” ignoring that a large scale-attak on DPR forces launched by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and pro-Kiev paramilitary groups was launched from this direction.

Poroshenko’s working visit to Germany was clearly synchronized with the advance of pro-Kiev forces in Donbass. Thus, the only reason of the move was to come in focus of the mainstream media and to blame DPR forces and Russia for an alleged violation of the international agreements.

The Poroshenko regime urgently needs to attract attention of foreign players to itself and to get their assistance amid the ongoing political and economical crisis in Ukraine.

Considering that, the Kiev regime has repeatedly show that it’s ready to violate any international, humanitarian and moral norms to achieve own political goals, there are little doubts that the observed escalation was a planned act.

https://southfront.org/poroshenko-cuts-germany-trip-amid-fighting-eastern-ukraine-need-know/

To donate to South Front and help it continue its work, go to the link above.

Kiev launches major offensive against DPR (Biden’s final instructions?); heavy DPR losses, very major losses for Kiev; Poroshenko’s game.

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From Fort Russ

January 31, 2017 –
By Eduard Popov for Fort Russ – translated by J. Arnoldski –
Since Fort Russ readers rather well know the situation prevailing in Donbass, I’ll take the liberty of refraining from regurgitating facts and details. Instead, I dedicate today’s commentary to two unfolding events in and around Donbass. I base my commentary on media sources, social networks in the DPR and Ukraine, and on insider information I receive from Donetsk – Dr. Eduard Popov
–
The military situation in the Donetsk People’s Republic
–
Battles have not quieted down since January 29th. The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ tactic of gradually seizing neutral territories (“creeping offensive”) appears to have highly infatuated Ukrainian officers and patriots in the rear and is now taking on a life of its own. The result has been that the Ukrainians have convinced themselves that Donbass forces are weak and therefore decided to undertake a massive offensive. This is a fatal mistake.
According to reports from sources in the DPR, the republic’s army has suffered heavy losses. Alexander Zhuchkovsky has reported dozens of killed. But the UAF and neo-Nazis’ losses are several times higher. Today, the DPR’s intelligence services intercepted and published a secret report by the ATO headquarters for President  Poroshenko. The total number of casualties among the UAF over the past two days of firefights is estimated at 78 dead and several dozen wounded. Let me draw your attention to the fact that we are talking about the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers that have been recovered and taken to the morgue in nearby and far-off cities. The number of bodies that weren’t recovered from the battlefield while under artillery fire, the number of bodies completely destroyed by the explosion of military vehicles (tanks, volley artillery, etc.), and the number of wounded still in hospitals – these figures remain unknown. The real figures of the irreversible losses of the UAF over the past two days of fighting are probably no less than 100 men.
As Zhuchkovsky and DPR fighters themselves have reported, the Ukrainians have been surprised by the stiff resistance put up by the republic’s forces. Hitherto, the DPR army had heartbreakingly refused to respond “eye for an eye” to the UAF’s provocative fire. On January 29th and 30th, however, Donbass’ artillery finally put in heart and soul and laid down a “whirlwind of fire” (Zhuchkovsky’s expression) on Ukrainian positions.
The general result: although the situation in the combat zone is complex and fraught with escalation and large losses, overall it is going well for the Donbass republics. 
Thus, political conflict in Ukraine moves to the fore. 
–
Poroshenko’s gamble 
–
As Ukraine’s military adventure fails, Poroshenko is starting to playing a diplomatic gamble. Poroshenko’s efforts on January 31st fit into this formula. First, he urgently interrupted his visit to Germany and meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Then he called to convene the Tripartite Commission (the “Normandy Four” minus Russia). The Ukrainian foreign ministry today issued a statement which routinely accused Russia of escalating the conflict in Donbass. Without a doubt, soon will follow a Ukrainian appeal to the UN and other international organizations.
But I’m not going to talk about the stupidity of such speculations. Even Ukrainian officers admit that the offensive was undertaken by the Ukrainian side. Russia does not benefit (especially not now) from an escalation of the situation in Donbass. The only beneficiary is the ruling Ukrainian regime. 
 
According to his press service’s official statement, Poroshenko was forced to urgently return to Ukraine to address the “humanitarian situation” in Avdeevka which, let us note, occurred as a result of none other than the Ukrainian army’s adventurous actions on Poroshenko’s orders. 
The situation in Avdeevka and the massive losses that the Ukrainian army is incurring nevertheless give the Ukrainian president an occasion to play the role of the victim and cry to the world (the West) to punish the offender (Russia). If the UAF had not met such tough resistance on its attack and if the offensive had gone deep into the republics of Donbass, then Poroshenko would simply conjure another formula justifying Ukraine and blaming Russia. To be more precise, such a formula has long since been hatched and is waiting its turn.
The main actor for whom this whole bloody spectacle is being played is US President Donald Trump. We’ve already repeatedly written for Fort Russ on how Poroshenko is attempting to provoke a war in Donbass in order to prevent normal dialogue between the US and Russia. Allow us to recall the content of one of our articles, in which my sources in the DPR’s military circles forewarned that they expect a massive UAF offensive just before or immediately after Trump’s inauguration. 
Poroshenko’s regime is practically at a stalemate on both the international and domestic political fronts. Before the new team of American diplomats appointed by Trump starts working and Trump’s new European policy principles swing into action, Poroshenko will try to win over the American president. His method? By literally producing the fait accompli of “pro-American” Ukraine (in reality, pro-liberal and “pro-democratic”) needing support in Donbass. The Americans call this trick “wag the dog.”
Donald Trump has barely had time to settle into the office of US President, yet his name has already started to bear fruit in Donbass. I believe that the consequences of this factor will be devastating – if not for Ukraine, then for the ruling Poroshenko regime. 
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/01/the-trump-effect-in-donbass-poroshenko.html

American and Polish “think tanks” stage massive computer simulation in Poland, claiming Russia plans to occupy Baltic States

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From Sputnik

January 27, 2017

The US-based research firm Potomac Foundation and Poland’s Casimir Pulaski Foundation teamed up this week to simulate a full-scale war scenario with Russia, based on a hypothetical Russian attack on the Baltic states. Using the Hegemon computer-based simulation platform, the wargames were sponsored by Western and Polish defense [war and weapons] companies.

The wargames, which took place this week between Monday and Thursday at the Warsaw National Stadium – the site of the NATO summit in last July, were sponsored by the US defense [war and weapons] companies Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, as well as Sweden’s Saab and the Polish defense company Polski Holding Obronny.

A virtual who’s-who of anti-Russian officials were in attendance, including former NATO Forces in Europe commander Philip Breedlove, Polish Deputy Defense Minister Tomasz Szatkowski, and Potomac Foundation president Phillip Karber.

Defiantly demonstrating that nothing has changed since President Donald Trump’s election, organizers of the wargames told Gazeta Wyborcza that the games were held “to help the West understand the essence of the military threat from Russia.”

According to the Casimir Pulaski Foundation’s description of the event, the computer simulation, codenamed Hegemon Baltic Campaign, was used “to identify force structure and defense planning requirements for defeating Russian General Staff plans for the occupation of the Baltic States.” Intriguingly, the wargames also played upon supposed Russian efforts to ensure “the disintegration of the European Union and NATO.”

German army tanks are lined up after the NATO Noble Jump exercise on a training range near Swietoszow Zagan, Poland, Thursday, June 18, 2015
© AP PHOTO/ ALIK KEPLICZ
‘Provocation Against Russia’: German Party Protests NATO War Games

The simulation’s findings are being compiled into a report that will be handed over to Poland’s Ministry of Defense.Last year, Karber, serving as a consultant to the Latvian Defense Ministry at the time, suggested that the Baltic states would have a good chance to defend against a Russian attack due to their swamps and narrow roads.

Earlier this month, another simulation was held by US lawmakers, this one also featuring a hypothetical invasion of the Baltic states by Russia. The paper map-based simulation was attended by members of Congress and experts from the RAND Corporation, as well as Estonian officials.

In recent years, US analysts have warned repeatedly that Russia could take over the Baltics in a matter of days, if not hours. Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly questioned the logic of such analyses, asking what reason Russia could possibly have in invading members of the NATO alliance and starting World War III. Russian military experts and officials have also urged Western officials not to create “pseudo-analyses” about any hypothetical Russian attack on Europe.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201701271050076926-russia-war-scenario-simulation-warsaw/

This is the description of the Potomac Foundation from its website. The founders are long-standing “defense” contractors, initially involved helping the US military in missiles and radiation physics. This description below truly turns language inside out:

About The Potomac Foundation

The Potomac Foundation is an independent nonprofit research organization dedicated to improving the quality of public discourse and national policy formulation.

It was endowed in 1988 by the three founders of the BDM Corporation — Drs. Bernie Dunn, Dan McDonald and Joseph Braddock — to continue the tradition of public service.

During its first quarter century the Potomac Foundation made major efforts in the areas of Post-Cold War Defense Economics, National Industrial Competitiveness and China’s Military Rise. For two decades it assisted the nations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to become integrated with the West through preparation and entry into NATO, organized over one thousand training sessions for leaders from those countries, as well as hosted more than a dozen congressional visits to the region.

In its work, the Potomac Foundation engages key decision-makers from the U.S. Congress, officials from the Department of Defense and other Executive Branch agencies, and representatives from allied foreign governments.

The Potomac Foundation experts design and conduct strategic exercises and simulations for government and private clients; host closed and public workshops, conferences and meetings; publish reports and policy briefs; testify before congressional committees; and offer analyses and commentary to news media outlets in the United States and globally.

The Potomac Foundation is financed by an endowment, contributions and foundation grants

Trump in 2012: “Let’s get out of Afghanistan. ” Petition to President Trump — End U.S. war in Afghanistan

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From David Swanson.org

The U.S. war in Afghanistan is well into its 16th year. In 2014 President Obama declared it over, but it will remain a political, financial, security, legal, and moral problem unless you actually end it.

The U.S. military now has approximately 8,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan , plus 6,000 other NATO troops, 1,000 mercenaries, and another 26,000 contractors (of whom about 8,000 are from the United States). That’s 41,000 people engaged in a foreign occupation of a country 15 years after the accomplishment of their stated mission to overthrow the Taliban government.

During each of the past 15 years, our government in Washington has informed us that success was imminent. During each of the past 15 years, Afghanistan has continued its descent into poverty, violence, environmental degradation, and instability. The withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops would send a signal to the world, and to the people of Afghanistan, that the time has come to try a different approach, something other than more troops and weaponry.

The ambassador from the U.S.-brokered and funded Afghan Unity government has reportedly told you that maintaining U.S. involvement in Afghanistan is “as urgent as it was on Sept. 11, 2001.” There’s no reason to believe he won’t tell you that for the next four years, even though John Kerry tells us “Afghanistan now has a well-trained armed force …meeting the challenge posed by the Taliban and other terrorists groups.” But involvement need not take its current form.

The United States is spending $4 million an hour on planes, drones, bombs, guns, and over-priced contractors in a country that needs food and agricultural equipment, much of which could be provided by U.S. businesses. Thus far, the United States has spent an outrageous $783 billion with virtually nothing to show for it except the death of thousands of U.S. soldiers , and the death, injury and displacement of millions of Afghans. The Afghanistan War has been and will continue to be, as long as it lasts, a steady source of scandalous stories of fraud and waste. Even as an investment in the U.S. economy this war has been a bust.

But the war has had a substantial impact on our security: it has endangered us. Before Faisal Shahzad tried to blow up a car in Times Square, he had tried to join the war against the United States in Afghanistan. In numerous other incidents, terrorists targeting the United States have stated their motives as including revenge for the U.S. war in Afghanistan, along with other U.S. wars in the region. There is no reason to imagine this will change.

In addition, Afghanistan is the one nation where the United States is engaged in major warfare with a country that is a member of the International Criminal Court. That body has now announced that it is investigating possible prosecutions for U.S. crimes in Afghanistan. Over the past 15 years, we have been treated to an almost routine repetition of scandals: hunting children from helicopters, blowing up hospitals with drones, urinating on corpses — all fueling anti-U.S. propaganda, all brutalizing and shaming the United States.

Ordering young American men and women into a kill-or-die mission that was accomplished 15 years ago is a lot to ask. Expecting them to believe in that mission is too much. That fact may help explain this one: the top killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is suicide. The second highest killer of American military is green on blue, or the Afghan youth who the U.S. is training are turning their weapons on their trainers! You yourself recognized this, saying: “Let’s get out of Afghanistan. Our troops are being killed by the Afghans we train and we waste billions there. Nonsense! Rebuild the USA.”

The withdrawal of U.S. troops would also be good for the Afghan people, as the presence of foreign soldiers has been an obstacle to peace talks. The Afghans themselves have to determine their future, and will only be able to do so once there is an end to foreign intervention.

We urge you to turn the page on this catastrophic military intervention. Bring all U.S. troops home from Afghanistan. Cease U.S. airstrikes and instead, for a fraction of the cost, help the Afghans with food, shelter, and agricultural equipment.

ADD YOUR NAME.

SIGNED BY:Elliott Adams, Veterans For PeaceDeborah K. Andresen, Tackling Torture at the TopRita Archibald, Nonviolence TrainerJudy Bello, Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the WarsMedea Benjamin, Code PinkFred BiallyBarry Binks, Veterans for Peace Ch. 87, Occupy BealeToby Blome’, Code PinkAlison Bodine, Mobilization Against War and OccupationLeah Bolger, World Beyond WarJohn Calder, Veterans for Peace Ch. 69Kathleen Christison, Author, Veterans for PeaceRamsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney GeneralHelena Cobban, Just World BooksDavid Cobb, 2004 Green Party Presidential NomineeJeff Cohen, RootsAction.orgGerry Condon,Veterans for Peace National Board of DirectorsMary Crosby, Roman Catholic Women PriestsJames Eilers, Code Pink AuxiliaryMichael Eisenscher, U.S. Labor Against the WarMelissa Crosby, Black Lives MatterNicolas J S Davies, authorMary Dean, World Beyond WarThomas Dickinson, Tackling Torture at the Top, Women Against Military MadnessJennifer DiZio, UC BerkeleyMaria Eitz, Roman Catholic Women PriestsDaniel Ellsberg, whistleblowerJodie Evans, Code PinkJoseph J. Fahey, Pax Christi USA Ambassador of PeaceRobert Fantina, World Beyond WarBill Fletcher Jr., BlackCommentator.comMargaret Flowers, Popular ResistanceGlen Ford, Black Agenda ReportBruce K. Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in SpaceJohan Galtung, Founder Trancend InterntionalLindsey German, Stop the War Coalition UKThe Rev. Dr. Diana C. Gibson, Multifaith Voices for Peace & JusticeMichael Goldstein, The 99 PercentKevin Gosztola, Shadowproof.comWill Griffin, The Peace ReportPatty Guerrero, Tackling Torture at the Top, Women Against  Military Madness, Pax-SalonBishop Thomas Gumbleton, Catholic Archdiocese of DetroitAmith Gupta, student, NYU School of LawBill Habedank, Veterans For Peace Ch. 115Steve Harms, Peace Lutheran Church, Past-President Interfaith Council of Contra Costa CountyDavid Hartsough, PeaceworkersJan Hartsough, San Francisco Friends MeetingHayley Hathaway, Quaker Earthcare WitnessDud Hendrick, Veterans for PeaceAdam Hochschild, authorMatthew Hoh, former director of Afghanistan Study GroupMartha Hubert, Code Pink San FranciscoAaron Hughes, Iraq Veterans Against the WarTony Jenkins, World Beyond WarSonja Johnson, Women Against Military MadnessKathy Kelly, Voices For Creative NonviolenceGary W. King, Tackling Torture at the Top, Women Against Military MadnessJohn Kiriakou, former Central Intelligence agency officerDennis Kucinich, former Member of United States CongressPeter Kuznick, Professor of History, American UniversityBarry Ladendorf, Veterans For Peace President Board of DirectorsPaul Leuenberger, Veterans for PeaceDave Lindorff, This Can’t Be HappeningDave Logsdon, Veterans For Peace Ch. 27Richard Lord, Charlottesville Center for Peace and JusticeDouglas Mackey, Global Days of ListeningJody Mackey, New Traditions Fair TradeMike Madden, Veterans For Peace Ch. 27Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace LaureateBen Manski, Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic RevolutionStephen Matchett, AVP Trainer, San Francisco Friends MeetingSherri Maurin, Campaign Nonviolence, Associate Veterans for Peace Ch. 69Ken Mayers, Veterans for PeaceRay McGovern, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for SanityCynthia McKinney, former member of United States CongressStephen McNeil, American Friends Service CommitteeMichael T. McPhearson, Veterans For Peace Executive DirectorTom Morman, Nonviolence Coalition San JoseNick Mottern, Knowdrones.comElizabeth Murray, former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Near East, NICMichael Nagler, Metta Center for Nonviolence Founder and PresidentCarroll Nast, Veterans for Peace Ch. 122Agneta Norberg, Swedish Peace CouncilCathe Norman, Veterans for Peace AssociateTom Norman, Veterans for Peace Ch. 60Todd E. Pierce, JA, MAJ, USA (Ret.)Gareth Porter, journalist, authorPancho Francisco Ramos-Stierle, Casa de Paz, Canticle FarmJohn C. Reiger, Veterans For PeaceDenny Riley, Veterans For Peace Chapter 69Coleen Rowley, retired FBI agent and legal counselMike Rufo, MusicianJudith Sandoval, Veterans for Peace Ch. 69Bill Schwab, Americans for JusticeJulie Searle, EducatorMichael Shaughnessy, educatorCindy Sheehan, peace activistEva Sivill, Casa de Paz, Canticle FarmAlice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace FoundationGar Smith, Environmentalists Against WarDavid Solnit, Global Organizer, Writer, PuppeteerNorman Solomon, RootsAction.orgMelvin Starks, Unitarian Universalist ChurchJill Stein, 2016 Green Party presidential candidateDavid Swanson, World Beyond WarShelley Tannenbaum, Quaker Earthcare WitnessBrian Terrell, Voices for Creative NonviolenceTiffany Tool, Nonviolent PeaceforceChip Tucker, Charlottesville Friends MeetingLouie J. Vitale, OFM, Pace e Bene, Nevada Desert ExperienceZohreh Whitaker, Veterans for Peace, Peace ActionPhil Wilayto, the Virginia DefenderAnn Wright, retired U.S. Army colonelKevin Zeese, Popular Resistance

(organizations above for identification)

ALSO SIGNED BY:

Creating a Culture of PeaceMobilization Against War and Occupation, Vancouver CanadaPopular ResistanceVeterans For PeaceVoices for Creative NonviolenceWorld Beyond War

http://davidswanson.org/node/5428

Emails of Ambassador Karlov’s killer were deleted after attack – report

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From RT

January 27, 2017

The emails of the killer of Andrey Karlov, the former Russian Ambassador to Turkey, were deleted following the assassination, an investigation into the murder has shown, Daily Sabah newspaper reports, citing sources. The attacker’s computer and mobile phone were seized as part of the investigation, but all e-mail correspondence had been deleted at about 9:30pm, two and a half hours after the attack. Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was killed on December 19 by Mevlut Mert Altıntas, a police officer, during the opening reception of an art exhibition in the Turkish capital Ankara. The attacker was later killed in a shootout with police.

https://www.rt.com/news/line/

Top Democrat proposes bill to stop Trump from relaxing sanctions on Russia, with GOP McCain and Graham support

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“[Obama] wanted to make sure that [Trump] had grave difficulty in maintaining any normal strategic policy at all and particularly with regard to Russia. So he left that time bomb if you like…Schumer himself is a rabid, and I use this word advisedly, rabid, political advocate concerned only with domestic political outcomes. He’s certainly not looking at the strategic picture, he’s absolutely trying to undermine the Trump administration.”
Gregory Copley, editor-in-chief of the Defense & Foreign Affairs journal

From RT

January 23, 2017

A top Senate Democrat is planning to introduce bipartisan legislation designed to stop President Trump from relaxing US sanctions on Russia. Critics argue that the bill is a “rabid and short-sighted” move to undermine the new administration.

President Donald Trump’s cautious statements about the desirability of working towards rapprochement with Moscow, which could include easing economic sanctions on Russia, have not gone unnoticed by some in the US establishment.

Read more

Vice President-elect Mike Pence © Lucas Jackson
Trump ready to look at currently ‘terrible’ US-Russia relations with ‘fresh eyes’ – Pence

Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said on Sunday that a bipartisan group of US Senators was preparing to introduce a bill that would significantly restrict the president’s ability to lift the sanctions that Washington imposed on Russia in 2014 after Crimea voted to leave Ukraine and rejoin it in a referendum.

The bill would demand that any changes to the restrictions be put to a vote in the US Congress, thus preventing the president from acting unilaterally.

“We repeal sanctions, it tells Russia, ‘Go ahead and interfere in our elections and do bad things;’ it tells China; it tells Iran. That would be terrible,” Schumer told ABC’s This Week show, adding that he has secured support from GOP Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham.

“We need more sanctions against Russia. We should not relax them,” McCain said on the same program, adding “if we don’t keep those sanctions on and even increase them, it will encourage Vladimir Putin, who is a war criminal.”

Earlier in January, Trump floated the idea of lifting the sanctions as part of a new nuclear weapons reduction deal.

“For us to repeal sanctions, given what Russia has done in Ukraine and threatened the Baltics, and now they have clearly tried to intervene in our election – whether it had an effect or not – that is something, that’s a danger that we have never faced to this extent in American history,” Schumer went on.

However, Gregory Copley, editor-in-chief of the Defense & Foreign Affairs journal, told RT that the bill was surely designed “as a part of the legacy that the then-president Obama wanted to leave for President Trump.”

Republicans will try to stop Trump from getting close with Moscow – fmr asst US def sec

“[Obama] wanted to make sure that he had grave difficulty in maintaining any normal strategic policy at all and particularly with regard to Russia. So he left that time bomb if you like,” Copley asserted.

Allegations that Russia interfered in the US elections are unsubstantiated, the expert continued, while noting that Washington itself has waged “political warfare” against other countries in the past.

“There’s a lot of material around to show that the Obama administration interfered with the election processes in Ukraine, in Israel and in other countries,” he said.

“Schumer himself is a rabid, and I use this word advisedly, rabid, political advocate concerned only with domestic political outcomes. He’s certainly not looking at the strategic picture, he’s absolutely trying to undermine the Trump administration,” Copley concluded.

https://www.rt.com/usa/374745-senators-trump-russia-sanctions/

Microwave weapons being used by U.S. military/Kiev against Donbass? LPR leader Plotnitsky slams OSCE and EU for appeasing Kiev war criminals

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Medics have reported a sharp increase in nerve and cardiovascular diseases in frontline cities and villages.

Certainly stress is a factor, but the electromagnetic and microwave weapons of the American military could be the main culprit. The U.S. government has even used them on American protesters, including at Standing Rock and Flint, Michigan.

From Fort Russ

January 28, 2017 – Fort Russ –
RusVesna – translated by J. Arnoldski –
The leader of the Lugansk People’s Republic, Igor Plotnitsky, has promised a harsh response to those guilty for shelling the republic. His statement has been issued by the LPR’s Ministry of Communications:
Unprovoked attacks on the territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic by armed groups controlled by Kiev have recently intensified and become more frequent. In the majority of cases, they are carried out with the use of arms that should be, as agreed upon in the Minsk Agreements, withdrawn from the demarcation line and remain under the control of the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE.
 
Moreover, these attacks are carried out with targeted, live ammunitions. As a result, almost every day peaceful civilians are killed and injured and houses and infrastructure are destroyed. Medics have reported a sharp increase in nerve and cardiovascular diseases in frontline cities and villages. 
 
In connection with this, I declare the following with all liability: We will not succumb to provocations intended to give reason for accusing us of disrupting the Minsk peace agreements. But we will not let attacks go without consequences. 
 
I have given instructions to relevant security agencies to conduct an investigation on the deliberate attacks on the territory of the Republic between January 24th and 27th as instances of actions of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. [I have also] given instructions to carry out operations to identify the direct perpetrators of these criminal attacks, the commanders giving their orders, and their relatives and criminal ties. 
 
Our response will be carefully prepared, timely, asymmetrical, and undeniable. However, first and foremost, the Republic will take care of the victims of shellings by Kiev’s punitive forces.
I am confident that the responsibility for the bloodshed in Donbass lies with Poroshenko along with the OSCE and the leaders of Germany and France who are not taking advantage of opportunities to force the Kiev regime to make peace. The policy of appeasing the aggressor is an illusion that the flames of war can be deflected in only one direction. This already brought catastrophe to Europe once. I invite them to remember the lessons of the Second World War. 

http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/01/lpr-leader-plotnitsky-slams-osce-and-eu.html

Состоялся телефонный разговор Владимира Путина с Президентом США Дональдом Трампом.

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Состоялся телефонный разговор Владимира Путина с Президентом США Дональдом Трампом.

English http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/53787

28 января 2017

Владимир Путин поздравил Дональда Трампа с официальным вступлением в должность, пожелал успехов в предстоящей деятельности.

В ходе беседы с обеих сторон был продемонстрирован настрой на активную совместную работу по стабилизации и развитию российско-американского взаимодействия на конструктивной, равноправной и взаимовыгодной основе.

Обстоятельно обсуждены актуальные международные проблемы, включая борьбу с терроризмом, положение дел на Ближнем Востоке, арабо-израильский конфликт, сферу стратегической стабильности и нераспространения, ситуацию вокруг иранской ядерной программы и Корейского полуострова. Затронуты также основные аспекты кризиса на Украине. Условлено наладить партнёрское сотрудничество по всем этим и другим направлениям.

При этом выделена приоритетность объединения усилий в борьбе с главной угрозой – международным терроризмом. Президенты высказались за налаживание реальной координации российских и американских действий с целью разгрома ИГИЛ и других террористических группировок в Сирии.

Подчёркивалась важность восстановления взаимовыгодных торгово-экономических связей между деловыми кругами двух стран, что могло бы дополнительно стимулировать поступательное и устойчивое развитие двусторонних отношений.

Владимир Путин и Дональд Трамп договорились дать поручение проработать возможные сроки и место проведения их личной встречи.

Дональд Трамп попросил передать пожелания счастья и процветания российскому народу, отметив, что народ США с симпатией относится к России и её гражданам.

Владимир Путин, в свою очередь, подчеркнул, что в России испытывают аналогичные чувства к американцам. Он напомнил, что наша страна на протяжении более чем двух столетий поддерживала Америку, была её союзником в двух мировых войнах и сейчас рассматривает США в качестве важнейшего партнёра в борьбе с международным терроризмом.

Лидеры условились поддерживать регулярные личные контакты.

Беседа прошла в позитивном и деловом ключе.

http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/53787