With rising tensions and continued shelling at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and nearby areas, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have discussed the need to send UN monitors to assess the besieged facility. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planning provocations and false flags at the site, amid dire warnings of a possible nuclear catastrophe at Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
After a call between Putin and Macron on Friday, their first in three months, the Kremlin issued a statement reiterating the Russian offer to provide security for an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission. The statement said that Moscow "confirmed its readiness to provide the [IAEA] inspectors with the necessary assistance."
Putin also emphasized that Ukraine’s shelling at the plant could cause a "large-scale catastrophe," telling Macron that inspectors should visit the ZNPP "as soon as possible." The French readout of the call said the two leaders "will speak about this subject again in the next few days following discussions between the technical teams and before the deployment of the mission."
While Ukraine asserts that Russian forces are attacking the ZNPP, Moscow has controlled the plant and surrounding areas since March, giving it little reason to risk a major nuclear incident that would imperil ethnic Russians under its protection in the Zaporizhzhia oblast.
Though Russia controls the plant, it is still run by Ukrainian operators. Moreover, Russia has voiced ever-greater concern over the situation, calling for independent inspectors to review evidence they say will prove who is responsible for attacks at the site. For weeks, the area has seen frequent shelling, and a Russian-backed official in the oblast recently accused Kiev of attacking the power plant repeatedly with US-provided M777 howitzers. On Friday, Moscow submitted a letter to the UN Security Council warning of Kiev’s planned "provocations" at the ZNPP.
Ukraine’s Energoatom state nuclear company claims Moscow plans to switch off the functioning power blocks at the plant, cut it off from Ukraine’s power grid and reconnect it to the Russian grid in an attempt to deprive the country of a major power source. Petro Kotin, the head of Energoatom, told Reuters that decoupling and reconnecting the plant is a "technically difficult process," and noted the Russian military is looking for diesel to keep the nuclear fuel cooling systems working once the external power supply is cut. While there are back-up diesel generators at the site, it remains unclear if the supplies are sufficient. Igor Kirillov, a Russian Defense Ministry official, said the ZNPP’s back-up support systems had been damaged as a result of attacks and might have to be shut down.
The Reuters report adds, "If cooling systems failed, the nuclear reaction would slow but a reactor would heat up very swiftly. At such high temperatures, hydrogen could be released from the zirconium cladding and the reactor could start to melt down."
Kiev claims Russian shelling earlier this month damaged three power lines connecting the plant to Ukraine’s power grid, though Moscow said the Ukrainians were behind the shelling, in line with conflicting narratives offered by both sides throughout the conflict.
Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev has also accused Washington of encouraging Kiev to attack the plant. He says if there is a "technological disaster, its consequences will be felt in every corner of the world," adding "Washington, London and their accomplices will bear full responsibility for that."
For its part, Moscow has defended its military presence at the facility, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stating that troops are there to prevent a disastrous "Chernobyl scenario."
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared Russia is using "the ground around the nuclear power plant as a staging area, as a platform, to launch artillery attacks on Ukrainian forces," but Moscow denied this claim. The Russian Defense Ministry said "Russian troops have no heavy weapons either on the territory of the station or in areas around it. There are only guard units."
Russia has alleged that Washington and Kiev plan to trigger an accident at the ZNPP deliberately, citing a threat of the core overheating. Moscow’s Defense Ministry also said Kiev’s forces were being deployed in the area to hit the plant with artillery strikes from the city of Nikopol, adding "blame for the consequences (of the strikes) will be placed on the Russian armed forces."
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says the Russians are planning a "large-scale terrorist attack" at the ZNPP and plan to pin it on Kiev, while US State Department spokesman Ned Price argued that false flag operations would be right out of the "Russian playbook." Even before the war began, however, Price and other US officials notoriously accused the Russians of planning false flags in Ukraine without providing evidence. Likewise, the Pentagon is squarely blaming Russia for the ordeal, with a senior defense official telling reporters that "we see Russia’s current actions in and around this plant as really the height of irresponsibility."
Some residents in the area have begun to flee to neighboring European countries, though only women and children are being permitted to leave. Kiev has banned men aged 18-60 from leaving the country so that they may be conscripted to keep the war going.
While Russia has rejected UN proposals for the plant be demilitarized, Bruce K. Gagnon, coordinator for the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, recently sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemning Kiev for the dire situation.
In part, the letter reads "I have been following this dangerous situation for many weeks. It is abundantly obvious to me that the US-installed Kiev government is doing the shelling of the nuclear plant. Why would Russia want to contaminate the very region of Russian-ethnic citizens it is attempting to save from this out-of-control Kiev regime? The fact that the Ukrainian plant personnel remain on their posts, and that Russia is trying to protect the plant from a disaster, indicates its good intentions in this matter. I urge your offices to get the IAEA to the plant ASAP and you must publicly pin the blame for the shelling on the appropriate source – the Kiev regime that is clearly taking their marching orders from Washington."
Connor Freeman is the assistant editor and a writer at the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on the Conflicts of Interest podcast. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com, Counterpunch, and the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He has also appeared on Liberty Weekly, Around the Empire, and Parallax Views. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96.
Even if Zelensky somehow wins control of the plant by melting it down, does he really want Ukraine to be only country in the world with TWO nuclear exclusion zones toxic for life forever? What a madmen, attacking a nuclear power plant.
They do know they are with their backs against the wall, they will be the first big losers before NATO. That makes the Biden criminal syndicate so dangerous.
He is a non-entity. His handlers so far have shown their capacity for cruelty, and nothing is sacred. They would rather tear this planet into pieces than lose this conflict.
We are all thinking too small. Even appearance of loss is perceived as damaging to global standing, and a catastrophic loss to Israel’s self-image. There are too many interests intertwined in Ukraine,
The only solution could be a coup in Kiev, Zelenski shipped off to one if his Caribbean properties, and a new rulers cut a deal with Russia and NATO. Deal that would see Russia take Russian majority regions, and three to five Western Ukrainian regions set free from Ukraine, and Center with Kiev in strict neutrality. It would not be a loss as such. Or any othet change that apoears to come from Ukraine.
With over thousand sikdiers to be executed by Kraken Nazi mmilitis for desertion — can this last long?
No one wants “tear this planet into pieces”. They are hoping they can create such problems for Russia that Russia would eventually collapse. The great idea of the past was to separate Russia from EU, particular from Germany. They succeeded. They even succeeded to start a military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But still it is not enough. Russia is quite okay and, what makes it even worse for the western elite, Russia moved much closer to China than ever before. Most Asians, Africans and Latin Americans are supporting Russia because The West went too far with the idea of full spectrum dominance over the rest of the world. No independent country would agree with it.
The Ukraine/US “solution” is for Russia to surrender the plant back to Ukraine.
Won’t happen. Ukraine lost it.
Nothing Ukraine loses will ever go back. They are just swirling down the drain.
That’s right. Just like Hitler did. He didn’t return anything.
Biden returns nothing, even when Afghan children starve, he takes their money, same in Venezuela and Russia, sanctions and stealing the money is economic warfare, if the USA does it, it is always automatically legal.
Obviously it is US personnel that is operating the Himars. About Russians “shelling themselves”, this automatically given, ridiculous accusation from the Nazi regime and their western supporters goes way back to the Ukrainian (in)dependence, when they shot down a Russian airliner en route to Tel Aviv in 2001 during a wargame with the US in the Black sea. Everybody died.
The ukranians claimed Russia shot down is own plane but eventually had to admit guilt after Russia presented tons of evidence. (They did that when the Nazi regime shoot down MH17 too but the war on Russia had gone too far at that time:
http://johnhelmer.net/category/mh17/)
Yes, this is classic “madman strategy”, straight out of Nuland’s playbook, and like her 22 bio-labs previously, … she and her darling Nazis. But it will now be interesting to observe how the IAEA neocon puppet, Rafael Grossi, whom we’ve yet to hear from, debases himself on this.
The USA have discredited virtually every international institution, including the UN and AI, and most NGOs. The CIA is everywhere.
Yes, and it -the circumstance you cite- bodes ‘well’ for the ultimate totalitarian state. Thence the critical importance of multi-polarity, Russia, China, Iran, Hungary, Venezuela, …. for all of us.
Russia keeps asking for independent IAEA visits, but now Macron is taking the credit! Russia has supervised the site for 5 months and now the desperate Ze clowns pretend Russia wants to nuke it!
They go on escalating the bloodshed, a serious offer to negotiate, willingness to compromise is nowhere to be seen. Biden is bad and so are people of his administration and all the people of the bipartisan legislature.
Lets call it what it is……Nuclear terrorism.
If Ukraine persists in shelling the infrastructure, Russia will have to begin a controlled shutdown. The plant will be out of service for months in a best case scenario. That would hurt western Ukraine, the Donbass, and would leave Crimea vulnerable.
But Kyev also has vulnerabilities, and Russia has both military and non-military options to disrupt power in critical cities of western Ukraine. Zelensky and his handlers are playing a dangerous game here.
His handlers are the war criminals in DC, for money Zelensky and his scum cabal will do anything.
Russia goes hitler on Ukraine and takes the Ukrainian nuclear plant and you call the Ukrainians terrorists?
This is an absurd display of bigotry.
Poor Don. Hope you enjoy ze bugs!
Don, you are in denial and you know it. Why do you hate Russia so much?
I dont hate Russia nor Russians.
Moscow is my favorite city in the world. I have spent some time in many cities across Russia.
I have many Russian friends that i cant even talk to to avoid getting them in trouble with the FSB. The only person i dont have any respect for is Putin whom i used to admire until i realized he is full of shit, along with his inner circle.
Im not in denial of anything. Russia invaded Ukraine and now the antiwar movement here has become the Pro Putin War movement.
Just war – NATO thru dictator Zelensky right to their borders, and the Z people killing their own people in eastern ukraine. But you don’t care about those UKrainians did you? After all, our installed regime is doing that.
You just regorgitated Kremlin descrediting progaganda.
Your response to the facts was expected.
Yeah, i know about your Kremlin facts.
Eh?
Don, as I see it, the proxy war in Ukraine is evil. Putin is probably evil for launching it. But the US absolutely provoked it by crossing multiple red lines put down by Putin, with the sole purpose of luring Putin into a war that would weaken and ruin Russia. It didn’t have to happen. US leaders know this, but they saw an opportunity to expand their sphere of influence just a bit. Call it Triumphalism. That’s why most of the blame lies with the US.
You must be a different breed and I appreciate not taking the Putin side. i would agree with you partially.
I thing those “red lines” where the least of Putin’s concern. The Kremlin has always wanted to take the whole of Ukraine. And those Neo Nazis, NATO aspirations, and Donbas separatists were just excuses to mask the real objective which is to take the rich land; Grains, Natural gas and Oil, and warm water seaports to establish a monopoly and wealth.
The way i see it is that a free country is getting raped by a bully and im all in in making sure they pay a price for such behavior. Minus the secret Putin’s agenda for the invasion, i dont see a single justification for such action.
Putin’s concern about NATO encroachment into Ukraine was legitimate. And US/NATO did encourage putschists, right wing extremists and anti-Russian ultra nationalists in an attempt to provoke Putin to gong to war. Putin, stupidly fell for the bait because at his core, Putin is an imerialist and wants to reassert Russian dominion over Ukraine for the reasons you stated. Putin is also a Russian chauvinist who underestimates the reality and potency of Ukrainian nationalism because he believes Ukraine is naturally a part of Russia. Now Russia is losing a war of national resistance and the US/NATO is opportunistically supporting the Ukrainian resistance just like the US supported the Mujahideen against the Soviets or the Soviets supported the VC against the US
Your previous analogy to Hitler is apt. Like Putin’s Russia, Germany had legitimate security, economic and political grievances after WWI. Germany lost out to US/British/French imperialism following world war II . German Revanchism was similar to Putin’s Revanchism. Like Hitler, Putin erred when he started a preemptive war,even though both had legitimate grievances. Those grievances did not justify preemptive wars of aggression.
Ukraine does not seem to have been an especially “free” country even before the war began. And since the war began, Zelensky has outlawed political opposition, seized control of media, and ordered universal conscription.
But the Ukrainian regime doesn’t have to be “the good guys” for the Russian regime to be “bad guys” as well.
Russia already has the control of the plant and Putin is a level headed statesman while Biden and Zelensky are not. One is a clown and the other a senile old man, a bad combination and an insane administration, it can’t get worse than that.
Ok Putin lover. Now go watch shirtless pics of Putin on a horse.
Go put on a dirty t-shirt you dictator zelensky lover.
Lol. Nice try. I can go to Kyiv right now and protest against Z and nothing will happen. I do that in Russia and im arrested with additional fabricated charges. Which one is the Dictator?
That’s a lie. When the dictator banned all opposition political parties and media, your butt would be in solitary in a minute.
Yes, that’s Russia. Thanks for the confirmation.
Always that childhood retort of yours, a form of “but what are you”? Childhood logic of yours.
What makes you think that you can treat people like this DJ? Do you have any decency?…
Do i have to remind you again who Stepan Bandera is?
Do I have to remind you Russia has exponentially more Neo Nazis than Ukraine. Putin should’ve started cleaning up his own house first. Have you heard about the Neo Nazis within Wagner Group?
The Banderite Nazi’s are currently shelling a nuclear facility using the weapons we supplied and using targeting information we supply.
Kiev forces used a British-made Brimstone missile in one of their recent attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Also the US M777 howitzers are being used.
This is criminal insanity beyond belief. This is nuclear terrorism. They also found Bio Weapons in Ukraine, Bio terrorism.
Russia has formally accused the USA of spreading Corona and Monkey Pox viruses in Ukraine. The information they recovered in Rubizhne has detailed the testing of civilians in the region.
There are now reports of chemical toxic agents being used by Banderite Nazi forces, Chemical terrorism.
There is no atrocity out of bounds for the Banderite Nazi forces, the Hague awaits.
Of course, always blame Ukraine even when it doesn’t make sense.
I’m wasting my time, You get your news from the Kremlin. Pff.
You behave like an a—wipe…
Well said, you hit the nail on the head. Nuclear terrorism.
UN is a useless body. It can be effective only and only if Western interests are advanced. It heloed organize grain shipment for one reason — to get Ukraine control of Odessa port, so it can demine it and use it. Now, that a danger is looming— a nuclear catastrophy affecting the whole world, and UN under instructions is playing politics. Everyone, including Atomic Energy Agency. Demurring , instead of coming down to the plant and help its operations.
Litteraly, this is an intelligence test — why would Russia want to destroy the nuclear plant which it controls, as well as the area around it? To get the “international community to intervene? But there is zero outcry from the fabled Greens all around the globe, the environmentalists, the politicians. Suddenly, Western global warming juggernaut is quiet in the face of a mother of all global warming catastrophies!
Unlike in the mythology of Chernobyl— itvwas Ukrainian engineers that made a decision on their own to start the shutdwn of a reactor, a routine rotating exercise to test all emergency shutdown mechanisms . They were supposed to wait for engineers soecialists to attend the shutdown. But the nationalist urge prevailed, and they started shutdown ahead od schedule. Even after they noticed irregularities, they did not notify the experts, but proceeded with a corrective procedures on their own. They finally notified relevant authorities after meltdown started. This is all well documented, but in Western popular fiction Chernobyl incident was depicted.
Lately, many renowned analysts, writers and politicians around the globe are pointing out this ability West has — mastering the world of fiction. And than living in that comfortable illusion.
For the entire duration of this conflict Ukrainians have used civilian infrastructure, even back yards for placing military installations, even building trenches and concrete fortified bunkers. All that in areas where Russian lolulation is a najority. It was s win-win.
It is interesting that Ukraine is resorting to more slectacular moves. Power plant, sabitage acts in Crimea, anmo depos.
The background of these events is frightening. In all fronts Ukrainian military is crumbling. Other than few skirmishes in Donbas, a line of contact is in standstill.
Russia initiated again through Turkey a call for negotiations/terms of suffender. If there is any motion there, it us not visible.
But what is visible are such high risk spectacular events — endangering nuclear plant, hitting Crimea.
But the most underreported event is the execution of over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers for desertion. Presumably several batallions made plans to surrender without approval. The execution to be performed by the crack Wesr Ukrainian security forces – the ones that never go to the friontline.
Zelenski and his circle can hold the grip over the country inly by force now. The executioners are Catholics and the executed Christian Orthodox. The old divude is new again, and the zealot Zelenski is opening the wounds afresh. Without 75% Christian Orthodix population support he cannot rule. He is 100% dependent on Western support. And the inly safety be has is in Lvov where he has met Erdogan.
I have heard rumors that British Intelligence is heavily involved in efforts to wreak havoc on Crimea. As you suggest, spectacular events are used to keep the donors excited.
Tell me more about the Kraken executions. I know they are killing their own soldiers. But I haven’t heard any specifics.
Ukraine dies not want the news out, so all media has put a lid on it. Other that what was unutialky reported, execution of “deserters”. One can bet on identity of the misfortunate. Probably Russians and Russian speakung Ukrainians. Apparently they withdrew from their positions without order to withdraw given.
Russis just hit Kraken militants along witg unspecified number of foreign advisors near Ardeevka.
There is going to be a change in Russian strategy to adress the change in Ukrainian tactics. It is inevitable. But the regime in Kiev usefulness is running out. At this time, Ukraine is effectivelly in the state of civil war. Lines of conflict are changing. What used to be the bulk of cannon fodder, aChristian Orthodox Chrisian Ukrainians and poor Catholics from rural West Ukraine have split. Christian Orthodox Ukraine is now more symphizing with ethnic Russians. The West Ukrainians — power behind Zelenski throne, have sacrificed their rural, ideoligically fiercely anti-Russiaan population. And this population is attributing all the losses to Zelensky, as anti-Semitism runs deep in that Catholic country.
I hav me no idea how much longer can this fiction of brave Ukrainian resistance last?
The brave resistance is measured against cautious and deliberate Russian administration of areas taken under its control. Volunteers drafted are in civil engineering, construction crews, telecom, bealth care, banking , public utilities and police.
It is for Russia very important to restore basics in areas with Russian populatiin. Needless to say — these areas are not going back to Ukraine or whatever will be left of it. This process is slow, and it gives elites time to think through what they want.
Unfortunatelly, only elites that say what US wants to hear — are talking. Cannot foor long — society is falling appart.
This is kinda easy to grasp. Russia genuinely fears if Ukraine controls the plant some faction within Ukraine will use the materials to develop dirty bomb and attack Russia so they control it and will not let it go. Ukraine on the other hand desperately needs the power it generates and see Russian attempts to redirect it’s energy generation as threat Ukrainian states viability and betting on the fact they can shell certain parts without endangering nuclear fallout. Ukraine is hoping fear of nuclear fallout will force international community to force Russia to vacate the facility.
I would hope, at this point, that the world is taking this seriously…
Sadly I believe the world is turning more to apathy.
Maybe there’s a pill for that… 😉
In the EU some resisting is forming. Germany has increased media censorship, all media has been controlled, just like here. German business association has petitioned Scholz to open the NS2 pipeline, they are not willing to sacrifice their country for Ukraine.
To need so much media control has a reason. As bad as the Zelensky Media control.
How bad can it get? There are still American troops stationed in Germany which could be used against the German people if necessary. The USA is no ones friend. Ukraine is a horror show, directed from safe thousands of miles away.
Heads in the sand, and other places is where the masses are in the USA and Europe; ‘if I ignore this, it will go away’ syndrome.
And the sad thing is if there’s a radiation disaster the media and politicians will be in lockstep that Russia did it and most Americans will believe it. Americans need to have their heads pounded into the table while somebody screams into their ears they’re being lied to, and it needs to continue until they notice.
The economic sanctions against Russia failed miserably. So, it is logical that they are trying now to create a nuclear disaster at Russian border. Of course it can’t help to defend Kiev regime, but it can create a big headache for Putin.
Putin stealing grains from Ukraine. Must be nice to sell what doesn’t belong to you. Great profits. Only Putin supporters condone this behavior.
https://us.yahoo.com/news/russia-controlled-zaporizhzhia-says-exporting-103402749.html
The grain belongs to the farmer, not Ukraine, until it’s sold to a wholesaler or a direct customer. Until somebody tells me that the farmers aren’t getting paid, I’m not going to conclude that Russia is stealing it. Russia is attempting to bring life back to normal in the areas it has seized. Hurting the farmers would ensure that nothing gets planted next season.
Well, the farmers were shelled away a while ago. They aren’t working. You know, there is a war going on so No, they aren’t getting any compensation for the grains the worked. And no, Putin is not going to tell you anything about his drug deals in Ukraine. He is not in the business of informing.
And You are right, Russia is trying to bring life back to normal by invading Ukraine just like Israel Brought life back to normal in Palestine. I totally get your point.
“Until somebody tells me that the farmers aren’t getting paid,”
Way to give Putin the benefit of the doubt just like you always give it to Zelensky. How convenient.
Reuters could not verify anything. Considering all the lies flying around, without credible evidence it is at best allegations, maybe true and maybe not, who knows?
Reuters could not verify this statement.
and any other statement in the article.
Why would Russia stage a provocation? Because they would like an excuse to shut it down and knock out Ukraine’s power grid which keeps the trains moving, which keep troops and supplies moving to the front, which keeps their industry running, which supplies their war machine, etc. etc.
Hardliners in Russia have continued to criticize Putin for not having knocked out their power in the first days of the war for these very reasons. There is no doubt that if Russia had done so it would have been much harder for Ukraine to continue to resist.
Keep in mind that if Russia knocks down the grid they have to shut down this plant too and this means the Separatist areas will have a very cold winter. Putin would like to knock out the power and blame Ukraine so that the Separatist also blame Ukraine. Furthermore it can be seen as a war crime to attack the civilian infrastructure. Not when the US does it obviously but that’s what they would claim if Russia does it, so they need a very good excuse before they make that move. If Ukraine is responsible for taking this plant off-line then they have that excuse.
That’s not to say that Ukraine Isn’t hitting these transmission lines, they might be hoping to escalate the war to the point where the US gets directly involved. That could happen if Russia were to do a shock and awe and take down Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. Or they could believe that the threat of a nuclear meltdown will bring the West into the war with a no fly zone or something of that order.
I hear over and over that there is no reason why Russia would stage this provocation, but there is a reason and it’s a very logical one. Russia intends to knock out Ukraine’s power grid and needs an excuse. I believe that Putin hoped it wouldn’t have to go that far, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer that this is exactly where it’s headed.
A primary Russian objective is to demilitarize Ukraine, and the longer the war goes on the more that happens, since the Ukrainian military is being steadily destroyed, in which context the trains need to keep running so they can move men and equipment to the front to get blown up. I think if and when the Russians want the power stopped they’ll just shut it off, and if they feel the need to offer an explanation they’ll just say it’s a nuclear power plant in a war zone and it’s too dangerous to operate, end of story. I think the shelling is just a US/Ukrainian scheme to make an unwinnable war as messy as possible.
I don’t think it makes sense that Russia would prefer to fight this battle inside of Donbass, not if they didn’t have to and the constant reinforcements mean this battle will last longer than it needs to and that cities that they will need to rebuild will continue to be flattened. The Ukrainian army will remain within shelling distance of cities where separatist civilians are being killed, more Western arms will flow in, etc.
I also think it’s Likely that Ukraine is trying to make it messy and that’s why they are doing the firing, I’m just not sure that’s All that is going on there.
I call it Operation Pyhrric Victory for a reason. That’s their entire battle plan, make Russia pay for every inch of land they take. So I’m not discounting the possibility that Ukraine is doing the firing, but I also see how it could benefit Russia or at least their hard-liners who would like to escalate this further and how this could provide political cover for doing it.
I’d say it’s most like just what you said. But I wouldn’t put it at 100% more like 80% or more likely a little of both.
I counted my change in Russia, and usually came up short. They might stage a false flag just because it’s obvious they wouldn’t. But I don’t think they think they need to bother with reasons for escalation. They have the strategic initiative, period, and they’re going to do what they think they need to. I don’t think there are hardliners so much as a unified command with Putin at the top. And I don’t think the Ukrainians are doing much flattening by this point. I wouldn’t be surprised if US military hardware is running down a regular Ho Chi Minh Trail into Russian warehouses. I think the Russians may want to keep it going. But definite agreement on Operation Pyrrhic Victory, which is pretty much the announced US intention by this point. Glad I’m not Ukrainian.
I agree with you but be aware your comment is not welcome here. Most commenters here are cheering for Putin and hate Zelensky and Ukraine.and of course. The so called West.
I get Google News on my Android, and it’s sooooo biased and littered with lame propaganda that I refuse to believe anything coming our of the MSM re. this and any other report re. China and Russia. And, on the same token, one cannot believe either Russia or Ukraine because they are at war, obviously. The bad part is Wash. and the MSM have a credibility gap and remember the lesson of ‘crying wolf’ every mom told us about? and ‘what a tangled web we weave, when we first start to deceive.’ (or something like that).
In war both sides tell lies, credibility and plausibility can help to find the truth. Ukraine is losing and has more to hide, so they tell more lies than Russia. In Germany even MSM tells journalists working for Russia they are watched by the security like BND and will be imprisoned if they spread Russian propaganda. And it does happen, a young woman who reported the truth from Ukraine has been accused of spreading propaganda, we know that RT and Sputnik are blocked, we also know the way independent Journalists are undermined here, like blocking pay-pal their cashflow. MSM is trolling for the government, only retired generals and former party officials and Putin hating Oligarchs and such are guests on TV, no different opinion allowed, self-censorship is the rule.
But Germany should know better, but they have real idiots in government, Ursula von der Leyen, Habeck, Baerbock and yes Scholz, are real idiots. No character, no decency. Germany had good government until now. It must be the money, the only explanation for so much embarrassing stupidity, they can’t be that stupid. They are traitors of their country and should hang.
The upside is that it poison Kiev and all of Western Ukraine!
p.s. For the less educated among us this is called sarcasm!
For weeks now, every western media article or report of the shelling of the nuclear power plant mentions that both sides accuse the other of doing the shelling. None of the reports question the logic of why the Russians would shell their own position. It’s obvious that Ukraine is either doing the shelling or a renegade right wing faction is doing it. Probably the former, and probably at the direction of US intelligence, who are highly skilled at Information Warfare. In fact, false flags and information warfare are the name of the game, and western media is being sucked into it in a big way. Once again the US is bankrolling a war of choice, with high risk and very little to gain, except this time the stakes are far higher and the level of public ignorance and passivity is also far greater.
Western media isn’t being “sucked into” anything, they’re on the team. They rubber stamped Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, on and on, and Ukraine is just the latest.
It can easily be verified who is shelling who by satellite. Ukraine is the culprit.
Russia announced that Nord Stream 1 will shut down on August 31st. Europe is going to have a cold winter this year. So will Kyev. One of the alternatives for heating homes is electricity. So, Russia has an incentive to cut power to areas west and north of Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine may lose the power anyway. But if they keep this up, they guarantee the outcome. That’s one of the reasons I think this scheme was hatched by NATO. Zelensky would know better.
Mr. Z is a puppet and willing patsy of US foreign policy and NATO ambitions. He has some mansions around to retreat to when they’re through with him.
No one asks the next question. Even if the IAEA sends inspectors and determines that Ukraine is responsible for the shelling, who is going to force Ukraine to stop the shelling, if the US is clearly behind it?
Ukraine is run by the US DOD and CIA. They are not doing anything the US hasn’t told them to do. It’s going to have to be up to Russia to put a stop to it. The most effective way is to shut the plant down immediately and take the hit on power in the region. Then eliminate the Ukrainian forces doing the shelling as part of the upcoming Russian offensive in that area.
There are some reports that Russia is using this as a false flag to escalate things. Either way, no matter who is at fault a radiation leak will be a disaster.
The SMO may have started 24th February but the aggression that lead to the SMO started in 2014. Russia is not guilty of aggression, the western powers are. And without our aggression none of this would of occurred, hence why the Hague calls aggression the Supreme International Crime.
The SMO occurred after 2 prior wars in the Donbass which lead to 2 peace agreements that we broke. Remember the Minsk agreements? Brokered by Russia and were suppose to lead to peace.
We, the Golden Billion, are supreme international criminals.
According to the Hague the supreme international crime is the crime of aggression. In 2014 we overthrew the Government in Kiev and placed literal Nazi’s in power who started an ethnic cleansing campaign of Russian speakers in the Donbass.
It was the US that shot and murdered police and civilians in the maidan, Brian Christopher Boyenger ran a crew of NATO funded snipers who operated from the Ukraina Hotel that was locked down by the Right Sector (Openly Neo Nazi Paramiltary Organisation) at the time.
It was Brian Christopher Boyenga who was embedded with the Azov Battalion (Openly Neo Nazi Paramiltary Organisation) who he trained and supplied US weapons to, which btw were used for the attempted ethnic cleansing of the Donbass. The US Rand corporation documented the process to ethnicly cleanse the Donbass of Russian speakers, which btw included concentration camps.
Obama himself admitted he overthrew Yanuchovich. Its not that Obama wanted to kill them all, if they fled to Russia that achieved the same goal. Obama needed to ethnically cleanse the Donbass to ensure that the Racist/Fascist Junta he placed in power could stay in power. The Russian speakers in Ukraine held the balance of power and had to be removed if the Junta was to stay in power.
There may be a more explosive issue coming! Attrempted assasination of Alexander Dugin, that resulted in killing his daughter.
Dugin is a very outspoken critic of Ukraine, and for gears advocated that action be taken to protect Russian population.
There is little doubt that he was targeted by Ukrainian assassins. If investigation points to Ukraine, and such non-military target has been struck in Russia, this may change the dynamic of the war.
With Zelenski executing soldiers for withdrawing without permission, it is a miracle Zelenski lasted this far.
“There is little doubt that he was targeted by Ukrainian assassins.”
There should be significant doubt.
While Dugin is one of the prime architects of Putin’s nationalist/imperialist ideology, it’s not like he’s a key practical military figure. Any Ukrainian interest in assassinating him would have made sense before his ideology had the effect of bringing about the current war. His death would have little or no effect on the outcome of the war itself and would frankly be a mal-investment of assets and resources.
Two more likely suspects:
– An indigenous Russian anti-Putin (and perhaps anti-war/anti-imperialism) group.
– Someone else in Putin’s inner circle who wants more influence and thinks having Dugin out of the way would allow for his or her advancement/promotion.
I’ve been watching Oliver Stone’s Putin interviews and I get the impression Putin weeds out the hardcore crazies, but there’s more than a passing chance the hit was indigenous. Maybe some Russians thought the country would be better off without Dugin. Or I wouldn’t put it past the Azov types trying to provoke Russian atrocities. Hard to tell with crazed sociopaths.
How many times did you hear Putin quoting Dugin? If anything, Putin’s ideological influences would be Ivan Ilyin and Alexander Solzhenitsyn, not Dugin.
Dugin is a big thing in the West, not in Russia where people never took him seriously. Dugin was not under the protection of the FSO and was an easy target.
I do agree that the most likely suspect is NATO/Ukraine who built Dugin up, i am waiting for the results of the investigation.
Kinda wish whoever is taking pot shots at it would stop. Right now it is being run by Russians at the point of a gun. That isn’t good either best course right now is to shut it down and try to reduce its potential for damage as best you can. These plants need electricity to run their cooling systems, they have diesel powered backups but something tells me those won’t have fuel.