civilians

White House U-turns on Pakistan drone deaths. “Deaths by CIA strikes not included in the numbers” now will be

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By Reprieve
Global Research, May 29, 2016
Reprieve 26 May 2016

droneThe Obama Administration has reversed its position on which countries will be included in its upcoming estimate of the civilian deaths caused by the US drone program, according to a report in yesterday’s Washington Post.

Earlier this week, a report in the Post – based on briefings from anonymous Administration officials – stated that strikes taken in Pakistan by the CIA would not be included in the numbers. However, an article in yesterday’s Post – also based on anonymous US government sources – now suggests that the White House has changed its position, and will include strikes taken in Pakistan in its tally.

The exclusion of Pakistan would have meant that as many as two-thirds of known US drone strikes – including some of the worst reported errors – would have been left out of the US tally of deaths. Strikes in Pakistan have included an attack on a funeral in June 2009 that killed as many as 50 civilians, and a strike on a meeting of tribal elders in March 2011 that killed 41. Pakistan has reportedly seen the use of some of the most controversial aspects of the US drone program, such as ‘signature strikes’, where individuals are targeted on the basis of patterns of behavior.

The absence of the Pakistan numbers would also have avoided any need to address controversial claims made in June 2011 by John Brennan, now Director of the CIA. At the time, Brennan said that no civilians had been killed during a yearlong period from 2010 to 2011. However, in August that year, he altered his position slightly, saying there was no “credible evidence” of such deaths. The Administration has never publicly disputed or corrected his statement.

Recent research by the human rights organization Reprieve – which assists the civilian victims of drone strikes – has found that the US is frequently unable to identify those killed by covert strikes in countries including Pakistan and Yemen. Reprieve has found that, in targeting 41 named individuals, US strikes killed 1,147 unknown men, women and children – often leaving the original target still alive.

Commenting, Jennifer Gibson, staff attorney at Reprieve, said:

It’s been three years since President Obama promised long-overdue transparency over the most dangerous legacy of his Presidency – a drone programme that has reportedly killed thousands in countries where the US is not at war. In that time, we have been inundated with repeated and contradictory claims about the program from ‘anonymous’ sources who cannot be held accountable for their claims.

This week, the Administration’s spin machine was once again in action, first leaking that the government’s numbers would not include Pakistan – a country that accounts for three-quarters of all strikes – and then absurdly walking back that position. Enough panicked legacy spinning – the Administration must reveal the true scale of the civilian deaths it has caused, and at the very least, offer an apology to the victims.

Notes 

1. Reprieve is an international human rights organization. Reprieve’s London office can be contacted on: communications [at] reprieve.org.uk / +44 (0) 207 553 8140. Reprieve US, based in New York City, can be contacted on Katherine [dot] oshea [at] reprieve.org / +1 917 855 8064.

2. The US Government’s claim that Pakistan will be included in its tally was reported by the Washington Post, here, while the previous claims can be found in the Post’s earlier report, here.

3. The 2011 comments by John Brennan can be found here.

4. Reprieve’s recent research into deaths under the US drone program is available here.

The original source of this article is Reprieve
Copyright © Reprieve, Reprieve, 2016
http://www.globalresearch.ca/white-house-u-turns-on-pakistan-drone-deaths-deaths-by-cia-strikes-not-included-in-the-numbers/5527728

OSCE confirms Elenovka shelling came from UAF direction

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OSCE collecting more data and statistics, filing more reports for their masters. 

From Fort Russ

April 28, 2016 –
Translated by J. Arnoldski
On April 28, the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE released a report which covered the circumstances of yesterday’s overnight shelling of the military checkpoint in Elenovka and drew conclusions as to from what direction the shelling came. 
 
International observers reported that two craters from explosive shells were recorded at the place of the tragedy along with three damaged cars. 
 
According to their analysis, the experts resolved that the shelling was fired from the West-Southwest (where UAF positions were located – Russian Spring), and that the guns fired were most likely 122 mm artillery.
 
In addition, the experts recorded traces of shell fragments on Moscow Street, three shells of which, as the analysis showed, were no less than 120 mm calibre and came from the West-Southwest direction. 
 
A building near the shelled military checkpoint was also recored as being damaged and having holes the size of grapefruits caused by shrapnel. 
International observers have summarized the details of those killed as a result of the shelling and the causes of their death. Two of the dead (one a male, the second body difficult to identify) were found in the first car burned and torn in half as a result of the shelling. 

The driver of the second car died from severe head trauma. 

The female passenger sitting in the back seat of the third car located 20 meters from the second was killed most likely by shrapnel.

The third car was riddled with shrapnel which, according to OSCE observers, was probably caused by one of the explosions
 

 

http://www.fort-russ.com/2016/04/osce-confirms-elenovka-shelling-came.html

(GRAPHIC PHOTOS) UAF shelling claims civilian lives in Elenovka

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From Fort Russ

April 27, 2016 –
Translated by J. Arnoldski
 
As Russian Spring reported earlier, four peaceful civilians have been killed with another six injured as a result of overnight shelling by Ukrainian soldiers from the military checkpoint “Elenovka” south of Donetsk. Among the killed was a pregnant woman.
It is now known that around 02:45 Ukrainian occupants opened mortar fire on the block post in Elenovka. At this time, civilian vehicles were standing in line waiting for the checkpoint to be opened. 
According to some sources, the number of victims has risen to eight.
Eyewitness of the tragedy report that cars burned and exploded while everyone who waited in line hurried to escape the bombardment. 

 

Russian Spring expresses condolences to all who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. 

[Note from J. Arnoldski – On April 26, Fort Russ reported the spreading concerns in Donbass confirmed by DPR Defense Minister Eduard Basurin that Ukrainian forces were purposefully halting the checkpoint traffic at Elenovka in order to prevent the DPR from returning fire. According to Eduard Basurin’s latest update, the death count has risen to 6]

 

 

 

 

 

 

US target: ISIS or Syrians?

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From Telesur
May 2, 2015

US Coalition ‘Massacres’ Civilians in Syria Airstrike

A human rights group has accused the U.S.-led coalition of killing dozens of civilians in a single airstrike in northern Syria.

Fifty two civilians were killed in an airstrike carried out by a U.S.-led coalition Saturday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

“We in SOHR condemn in the strongest terms this massacre committed by the U.S led coalition under the pretext of targeting the IS in the village, and we call the coalition countries to refer who committed this massacre to the courts,” SOHR stated.

Seven children are among the dead, after coalition airstrikes bombarded the village of Bermahli in northern Syria according to the monitoring group. SOHR said the death toll is “likely” to rise, stating at least 13 civilians are still missing.

Bermahli sits near the Islamic State group’s frontlines with Kurdish militias, though SOHR stated there are no militant positions within the village itself.

“Bermahli is only civilians, with no (Islamic State group) positions and no clashes,” SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

The monitoring group added that “all parties” in Syria’s civil war must refrain from targeting civilian areas.

The U.S.-led coalition has been bombarding the Islamic State group in Syria since September 2014. Syria’s president Bashar Assad initially opposed any Western interference in Syria’s civil war, but in late August 2014, his government announced it was willing to accept U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic State group. The sudden change came just hours after the Islamic State group overran the government’s last military outpost in Raqqa province. The defeat was a major loss for Assad’s forces and cemented the Islamic State group’s control over the province. The provincial capital of Raqqa city is now the de facto capital of the Islamic State group’s self declared caliphate, and one of the main targets of U.S. -led airstrikes.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/US-Coalition-Massacres-Civilians-in-Syria-Airstrike-20150502-0001.html

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SOHR, AFP
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US-led bombing raids target Syrian civilians in an area which has “never been in the hands of ISIS”; on Oct. 11, coalition destroys Syrian power plant

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By ITAR-TASS
Global Research, October 17, 2015
Tass 16 October 2015

This territory has never been in the hands of the Islamic State, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff Andrey Kartapolov points out

Traces of airstrikes against household buildings have been found at the Syria-Jordan border, where Russian warplanes have performed no missions, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff Andrey Kartapolov said on Friday.

“We have spotted ruins of household buildings destroyed by bombing near the settlement of Kherbet Ghazala at the Syrian-Jordan border,” he told a briefing for foreign military attaches and journalists.

“Russian warplanes have never performed any missions there and, as far as we know, the Syrian aviation has not been used there either,” he stressed. “This territory has never been in the hands of the Islamic State. Moreover, this area has been controlled by the Free Syrian Army since 2013.”

He demonstrated photos of the area featuring bomb-destroyed buildings. “You can see on these photos that there are no signs of military activity around these cottages, there are no military hardware, not even signs of military hardware. These are regular gardens and fields with buildings to keep farming tools,” he said.

“Why destroy these buildings? It looks like somebody’s pilots were just training their skills or dropped bombs to report to their command about completed mission,” Kartapolov said.

Airstrikes by US-led coalition in Syria increase refugee flow to Europe

Airstrikes of US-led coalition on civilian facilities o the Syrian territory lead to increasing refugee flows to the European Union, Kartapolov went on to say.

“Over the last two weeks, we have provided enough video materials confirming the precision of [Russian] airstrikes. Our jets deliver airstrikes at facilities located outside of settlements,” Kartapolov said.

“It is not in our rules to advise colleagues on where to deliver their airstrikes. However, on October 11, near the settlement of Tel-Alam, the coalition’s jets destroyed by airstrikes a thermal power plant and transformer substation,” he added. As a result, hospitals and schools in Aleppo were left without electricity. Water pumping stations and sewage also stopped working which can be very harmful in the conditions of high temperatures.

“I think that it is unlikely that our partners did not know that the thermal power plant worked only eight hours per day. Airstrikes were delivered for several days, and on October 11, the power station was completely destroyed. One might het an impression that someone is deliberately destroying infrastructure in settlements, thus making the life of local population impossible. Because of that, civilians leave these settlements after losing living conditions and increase the refugee flow to Europe,” Kartapolov noted.

Copyright © ITAR-TASS, Tass, 2015

Volunteer ‘Texas’ asks Americans, “What kind of people spend billions to murder children, families? This is your responsibility” [video]

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Please pass this on.

From Fort Russ
May 31st, 2015 -Essence of Time (EoT) * “DPR TV” –
– Joaquin Flores

Gorlovka – “Texas” is an American volunteer fighting for the DPR.  In the wake of shelling in the last few days of Gorlovka, we see further, almost real time, evidence of the Kiev Junta’s continual violation of the Minsk II ceasefire agreement, and the willful shelling of civilian areas.
In his forceful, eloquent, but plainly spoken plea, he puts some hard and serious questions directly to American audiences.  These are ones that Americans must think about.
“All the people that have died, all the homes that have been destroyed like this, are only because this war was started by the United States government, your government.”
“What kind of people spend billions of dollars to destroy innocent people’s homes, to murder children? To murder families, in the morning, while they’re sitting down to breakfast.  What kind of people do this?”
“What kind of person are you? You see this video, you know what’s the truth. You’re in America, you vote for Obama, you vote for Bush, you vote for Hillary Clinton. What kind of person are you to do that?  This is your responsibility.” 
https://youtu.be/YgB2bhFfEtM
http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/06/all-murdered-people-this-is-what-us-is.html

Ukrainian government forces are mining civilian infrastructure in Debaltsevo

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Posted on Fort Russ

<iframe width=”480″ height=”270″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/V9Re1P_7EAI&#8221; frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

February 8, 2015
News Front
Eduard Basurin, Deputy Commander of DPR Ministry of Defense

Translated by Kristina Rus
During the last day DPR forces continued defensive operations along the entire line of contact.
The most intense fighting was on the outskirts of Debaltsevo, where the enemy is making dire attempts to expand the encirclement, and return the localities, abandoned earlier.
Over the last 24 hours as a result of fighting along the entire frontline, DPR lost:
1 BMP, 1 SAU, 3 mortars, 11 killed, 29 wounded.
According to the information, received today while questioning two Ukrainian POW’s from the 25th brigade, captured on the outskirts of Chernukhino, Ukrainian command had ordered to mine railroad infrastructure in Debaltsevo. The goal is not to allow an opportunity of restoring railroad connection between Donetsk and Lugansk Republics after Ukrainian troops retreat from the encirclement towards Artemovsk. Locomotives, freight trains, junctions at the Debaltsevo-Sortirovochnaya station, Locomotive depoes, traffic control centers are mined, as well as the administrative zone of the Debaltsevo terminal. 
Besides, according to the POW’s, on Friday city pumping stations and electrical substations have already been mined in Debaltsevo.
Therefore, Kiev has already prepared for the destruction of the city after pulling out its troops. 
During the fighting today DPR had completely captured Kalinovka and Redkodub, abandoned by Ukrainian forces.
Military operations to repulse counterattacks continued in Chernukhino,
On the morning of February 8, DPR had captured a strategically important height 2 kilometers North-West of village Lozovoy, which had increased the opportunity of DPR to intercept supplies and reserves of Debaltsevo army group.
Two counterattacks by UAF attempted in order to return control of this height have been repulsed with heavy losses in mapower and equipment.
On Donetsk front, Ukrainian security forces continued attacks from Smerch and Grad, as well as large caliber artillery:
4 strikes on Donetsk residential neighborhoods
21 strikes on Donetsk suburbs
7 strikes on Donetsk airport
As well as strikes on Peski, Veseloye and Spartak
Mariupol front:
UAF fired heavily on militia positions from MRLS
21 Ukrainian armed vehicles arrived at the Eastern outskirts of Mariupol
Concentration of additional troops at this location is a sign of an upcoming attack on the defensive lines in  Novo-Azovsk.
Losses of Ukrainian security forces for the last day:
11 tanks (8 destroyed, 3 captured), 9 artillery installations, 6 BMP and BTR, (3 destroyed, 2 captured), 11 vehicles, 45 people killed
Total since the start of military operations over the last  22 days the enemy has lost:
3 airplanes, 1 helicopter, 168 tanks, 133 BMP, BTR, MTLB, 124 field artillery guns, 94 vehicles, 2,056 people killed
After strikes on populated areas of the Republic there are casualties among civillians.
Over the last day:
2 people killed, 9 wounded
Killed: one in Donetsk, one in Makeevka
Wounded: 8 people in Donetsk, one in Makeevka
Donetsk:
Petrovsky district – 2 people
Leninsky – 2
Kuibyshevsky – one
Kievsky -1 person.
The strike on Kievsky was on a store in the 7th quarter, but the suspicion is that a bus stop was targeted.
There were 9 fires recorded as a result of artillery strikes. Twice emergency services were fired on, when rushing to put out a fire, one in Donetsk, one in Makeevka.
Kristina Rus: There is a talk of a mysterious info blackout on frontline updates from militia. This update is from DPR Defense Ministry official, but there is suspicion that NAF is up to something and doesn’t want too many details to get out there for now…

 http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/02/ukrainian-forces-are-mining-civillian.html

Ukraine: “We target civilians.” Separatists: “Their targeting maps prove it.”

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Eric Zuesse. 1 Feb. 2015
Posted on Fort Russ

The pro-regime Ukrainian TV station Hromandske TV — which is funded by the U.S. Government, the Dutch Government, and George Soros (via his International Renaissance Foundation or ‘Fund’) —  has reported that the Ukrainian Government is specifically targeting civilians to die in the Donbass region in the former Ukraine’s southeast. It’s being done in order “to clean the cities.”
This is open acknowledgement that the operation, which the U.S. is financing (and Ukraine is bankrupt so it can never reimburse its donors), is actually an ethnic-cleansing campaign.
Previously, on Hromadske TV, a proponent of doing just that (ethnic cleansing) was interviewed. He said: “If we take, for example, just the Donetsk oblast, there are approximately 4 million inhabitants, at least 1.5 million of which are superfluous. … Donbass must be exploited as a resource, which it is. … The most important thing that must be done — no matter how cruel it may sound — is that there is a certain category of people that must be exterminated.”
Here is how it’s done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l17KfjtaqpA
[9 September 2014, from Slavyangrad, pro-separatists’ clips are shown, taken from pro-Ukrainian-Government telecasts]
Video of Commander of the Ukrainian Government’s volunteer battalion ’Shaktarsk,’ Ruslan Onishchenko:
“Our mission, being employees of the Ministry of the Interior, is to clean the cities, after the army has ‘worked’ this territory with aircraft, artillery and heavy military equipment. This is a normal tactical approach to warfare.”
Retired Col. General Vladimir Ruban, interviewed on the pro-Ukrainian-Government Hromadske TV, then says:
“I want to offer the Ukrainian artillerists medals, to those who shell the city [Donetsk], the houses and the civilian population,
… for they [artillerists] have deserved it [medals], both because of the accuracy and inaccuracy.
… It’s one thing if attack groups or any mobile mortar troops drive through the city and shoot,
… but if the artillery units fired from the airport [i.e., from the distance], then no one can claim that the separatists shoot themselves [i.e., that the people who are being killed in the city are victims of separatist troops mistakenly hitting passers-by when aiming at Government troops. He is saying that artillerists will clearly get the blame, whereas street-fighters can always blame the ‘terrorists.’].
… The shelling there is done as intimidation, … not just object destruction, but intimidation [to get the population to flee to nearby Russia]. The civilian population is intimidated by a chaotic bombardment of different objects. There are many shells that plug directly into the streets or vegetable gardens [and so make the very ground on which these people live terrifying to them].
TERVIEWER: This refers to those that didn’t explode?
ANSWER:  Yes, … there are many of those, … shells that fail to detonate. But Gorlowka has been fortunate to have not yet been totally eradicated from the face of the earth, along with the civilian population.
INTERVIEWER: You mean that the city is bombarded violently? ANSWER: Gorlowka was shelled by our troops, [even] as I went there for the prisoner exchange. Although  it was known that I was there, they [our troops] kept up the bombardment of Gorlowka. 
General Ruban might not have known it at the time of his interview, but on February 1st, Life News in Russia bannered “Militia DNR: Ukrainian Army Uses US Missiles,” and reported that in Gorlovka were found “shells that do not belong to Ukrainian artillery, and even more so do not use Soviet or post-Soviet military equipment. According to their hypothesis, the weapons are from NATO. Deputy brigade commander Army DNR [Donetsk People’s Republic] callsign ‘Biker’ showed shells and said that …  this is a special projectile 155 caliber self-propelled artillery of the M109 A1 American production, which is used by NATO countries.” Furthermore,
“The presence of foreigners in their army and radio intercepts confirms our intelligence when we hear in interceptions, phrases in English and Polish.”
Germany’s Bild, and Britain’s Mail, are also among the international news organizations that have previously reported on American mercenaries, including the former notorious Blackwater organization, ‘advising’ the Ukrainian army in this war.  The finding of U.S. military provisions on the battlefields in Donbass is, furthermore, routine; but U.S. soldiers, like Russian ones, are probably not fighting there. Ukraine is only a proxy war between the two major nuclear powers, not yet a direct war between them.
Within just the past few days, further video evidence was uploaded which indicates that the targeting of civilians is a central purpose of the U.S.-funded Ukrainian war campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&x-yt-ts=1422579428&v=MCcl60gND7g#t=25
[29 January 2015] The journalists of Ren TV [a major Russian network, privately owned by Russian aristocrats] today received the first documentary evidence that residential areas of Donbass [the rebelling region of the former Ukraine; the farthest-east part of Ukraine, shown here in the darkest purple] are being targeted. Although Kiev may claim that ‘stray shells’ hit a hospital or a kindergarten, we have found on the front line that is being left behind by departing Ukrainian soldiers, artillery maps, where the targets were restaurants, cafeterias and shops. Here is an exclusive report by our correspondent Valentin Trushin from the former UAF’s [Ukrainian Armed Forces} trenches:
This is a field near the village of Ozeryanovka, from which recently was a Ukrainian battery firing at Gorlovka:
… [The rebel soldier says that many of these abandoned tanks and other weapons are undamaged, and ‘They will say tomorrow that Russia supplied them to us, but it’s actually their equipment that will be repaired if necessary but will be used at war against them.’ Views of Government-destroyed Gorlovka are shown.]
… In the [rebel-]destroyed dugouts were found … notebooks of cannon commanders, maps. The documents show that shelling of the city [by the Government] was not random, but deliberate. The coordinates of the targets are shown. For examples, one is a restaurant, another a cafeteria or a market where no militiamen were stationed.
… Here are their target-maps,
… irrefutable evidence of war crimes.  
Little over a month ago, a rebel commander explained why the Ukrainian armed forces are losing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&x-yt-ts=1422579428&v=F2cTrvHnBxs
[13 Dec. 2014, from Cassad TV in Crimea, run by a man whom the U.S. aristocracy describe as being a far-right Marxist] 
“How the Elite UA [Ukrainian Army] Troops Were Defeated by the Militia. Interview with Commander Kedr” (head of the anti-Ukrainian-Government Semyonovka battalion in the outskirts of Slovyansk):
How did you manage to defeat them?
ANSWER: The most surprising thing is that they were eliminated by the [rebel] militias, who haven’t graduated from any military academies. Many of them haven’t even served in the army before. The majority of them had only for the very first time recently taken weapons in their hands [they hadn’t previously owned or used even a gun]. I think that victory … [resulted from] … the high motivation of our troops, and it was guaranteed by the high morale, the example that was being given by the commanders who were taking part in the fight themselves. It provided such a result. Good trophies [weapons] were captured then, … [and it even] happened before the Ilovaisk cauldron [when the enemy was encircled], and at a time when the situation was very difficult for the militias themselves, … [so] there was only one injured soldier from our side in that battle, but from the enemy’s side were killed 15-12 men, practically all of them [that were fighting]. … Six [of them] were taken captive. [The battlefield is shown with enemy corpses].
… Our unit arrived to collect the corpses of two of their shot-down pilots. But the enemy managed to save one of their pilots. I repeat: Our troops weren’t professional military but people like miners and trolley-bus drivers.
[3:17] I’d say to Ukrainian mothers that our soldiers have nowhere to retreat from their own land, while the enemy have a chance to turn around and go home. 
[4:14: video is shown of the enemy’s combat ration.] It’s an American combat ration.
The actual reason why this southeast-Ukrainian ethnic-cleansing campaign is necessary for Obama, who installed the current regime in Ukraine, is that, if it is not done, and, if the people who lived and voted in the Donbass region (Ukraine’s far-east) were still to remain there and allowed to vote there as being citizens of Ukraine, then they would vote at least 90% against the regime’s candidates, and for moderates, because, even before the regime had started to exterminate these people, they had voted 90% for Viktor Yanukovych in the last democratic Ukraine-wide Presidential election (which was back in 2010), and he was the very same man whom Obama overthrew. Now, after this extermination-campaign, the vote there against the Obama stooges would be virtually 100% — not just 90%.
In other words: Obama needs to get rid of those people. They can die, or else they can flee to Russia, but Obama needs them gone from Ukraine.
As regards why Obama had wanted their land to begin with, it was because unless the gas and other assets in the ground there can be privatized or sold off by the Ukrainian Government to pay its debts, the Ukrainian Government will go bankrupt and become an enormous drag on everyone who had previously lent to it, including the U.S., IMF, EU, World Bank, and others (ironically including even Russia).
Now that the situation is becoming increasingly clear that this land will not be able to be controlled by the Ukrainian Government, Obama’s best bet (in terms of his objectives) is to allow the war simply to end with Ukraine’s defeat, so that no more good money will go to Ukraine after the previous bad money is thus lost, but just cut the losses and bring this truncated and rabidly anti-Russian western half of Ukraine into NATO for the goal that is, apparently, Obama’s top foreign-policy objective: surrounding Russia with U.S. nuclear missiles and with regimes that hate Russia, in order to get Russia’s capitulation to America’s aristocracy.
Vladimir Putin wants Donbass to instead remain a part of Ukraine, as a counter-weight there against the rabidly anti-Russian voters in Ukraine’s western region, so as to produce yet another Yanukovych-like leadership in Ukraine and thus reduce the likelihood of a global nuclear war (which would be Russia’s only alternative if Obama were to succeed in his surround-Russia-with-missiles plan).
After all: John Fitzgerald Kennedy didn’t like it when the Soviet Union in 1962 tried to place nuclear missiles in just one location near the U.S.: Cuba. For Putin, Ukraine is like a nuclear Cuba was to America, but more like around ten nuclear Cubas, in Russia’s case. For Ukraine to join NATO would, perhaps, alone be sufficient threat to Russia so as to produce an immediate Russian nuclear attack against the U.S. and other NATO nations (a pre-emptive Russian attack, against us). The insane ones there would be the U.S. and any nation that supports it — the nations that then are clearly aiming to ‘conquer’ Russia. The U.S., under Kennedy, refused to stand for it in reverse; and Russia, under Putin or any other leader, shouldn’t stand for it, either. NATO needs to end, immediately. It had started as an anti-communist club, and was then valid; but what it was and is after the end of the Soviet Union, is the greatest threat to the entire world. It is now nothing but an anti-Russian club: not just insane, but also evil.
The only beneficiaries of today’s NATO are the West’s arms-merchants and other military suppliers. For everybody else, it’s catastrophe waiting to happen.
So: that’s the reason why the United States has been supporting (and, until now, even demanding) an ethnic-cleansing campaign in the former Ukraine. It’s part of the evil and supremely dangerous insanity that is NATO.
 
—————
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of  They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records1910-2010,  and of  CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
Source: http://www.fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/02/ukraine-we-target-civilians-separatists.html

Moscow’s position on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin meets with members of Russia’s Security Council

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Source: The Kremlin
January 30, 2015

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Federation Council SpeakerValentina Matviyenko, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Ivanov, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Mikhail Fradkov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Rashid Nurgaliyev and permanent member of the Security Council Boris Gryzlov.

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, colleagues.

We are witnessing a dramatic deterioration of the situation in southeastern Ukraine, in Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic. In this connection I would like to inform you again that a week ago, on Thursday, I sent a letter to the President of Ukraine, a written proposal to withdraw heavy weapons – artillery and multiple rocket launchers – to such a distance from which it would be impossible to fire at populated areas.

I would like to inform you further that this proposal almost completely coincided with the requirements of the official Kiev. You know that there may be one disputed area along the line of separation between the parties to the conflict. So we suggested that weapons and heavy equipment should be withdrawn to the line that Kiev authorities themselves consider fair and corresponding to the agreements reached in Minsk on September 19, 2014.

Unfortunately, we received no clear answer to our proposal; in fact, we also saw the reverse action, namely the Kiev government has given an official order to launch large-scale combat operations along almost the entire perimeter of contact between the opposing sides.

The result: dozens of dead and wounded, and not only among servicemen on both sides, but, even more tragically, there has been loss of life among the civilian population, including children, the elderly and women. The artillery, multiple rocket launchers and aircraft are firing indiscriminately, directly at densely populated areas.

All of this is happening to the accompaniment of propaganda slogans about the quest for peace and the search for those responsible. The responsibility is borne by those who issue such criminal orders. The people who do this should know that there is no other way to solve such conflicts but through peace negotiations and political means. We often hear, including from today’s official Kiev, that this is their preferred method of addressing issues, but the reality is quite different. I hope that common sense will eventually triumph.

I would like to call for a moment of silence to honour the victims, including those who died at a bus stop in Donetsk.

(Moment of silence.)

Thank you.

Posted on http://www.globalresearch.ca/moscows-position-on-humanitarian-crisis-in-ukraine-vladimir-putin-meets-with-members-of-russias-security-council/5428295

Original source:
http://eng.kremlin.ru/news/23512

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