Puppet MastersS


Better Earth

Zelensky says prisoner swap supposed to happen tomorrow, Dec. 29


RFE/RL
Sat, 28 Dec 2019 17:49 UTC
Zelensky
© Paolo Pellegrin-Magnum Photos TIMEUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that while a prisoner swap is "supposed to" take place on December 29, the list of individuals to be handed over between central Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists has not been finalized.

The notion of an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange gained momentum during peace talks in Paris on December 9 among the so-called Normandy Four -- Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany -- trying to bring an end to the five-year conflict.

"There is supposed to be an exchange [of prisoners] tomorrow," Zelenskiy told journalists during a visit to Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region for a bridge opening on December 28, according to his official website.

"We look forward to this. The verification of all people is not completed yet," Zelenskiy added.

He went on to call it the year's most difficult task.

The UNIAN news agency quoted a representative of Donetsk separatists as saying that Kyiv was expected to release 87 people and the separatists 55.

But there was no official confirmation of any figures.
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Russian Flag

'We will not be lectured': Russia stands by Putin calling pro-Hitler Polish WWII ambassador a 'bastard and anti-Semitic pig'


RT
Sat, 28 Dec 2019 00:41 UTC
Adolf Hitler and Polish ambassador Jozef Lipski
© Getty Images/Heinrich HoffmannAdolf Hitler in conversation with Polish ambassador Jozef Lipski, January 1, 1935 (Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung)
Poland summoned the Russian ambassador in Warsaw to explain President Vladimir Putin's remarks about the anti-Semitism of the 1930s Polish ambassador to Germany. Moscow is refusing to budge from historical truth.

In a speech on Tuesday, Putin described Jozef Lipski, the Polish ambassador to Berlin (1934-39), as "a bastard and anti-Semitic pig." He based this on Lipski's own words from 1938, when the envoy told Hitler the Poles would "erect him a beautiful monument in Warsaw" if he carried out the plan to expel European Jews to Africa.

Warsaw responded on Friday by summoning Russian Ambassador Sergey Andreyev to the Foreign Ministry. After having a "harsh but diplomatic" discussion with the head of the Eastern Department, Andreyev said he stood by the president's statements as Russia's official position.

"We have something to say ourselves, on the topic of politics of history," Andreyev told reporters after the meeting.

Comment: Poland wanted to 'erect magnificent monument' to honor Hitler's plan to send Jews to Africa - Putin cites WWII archives
Vladimir Putin recalled the vicious developments that preceded the Second World War, in an address to the Defense Ministry board on Tuesday, telling his audience there was one particular fact in the archive files that touched him the most. Back in 1938, Adolf Hitler hosted the Polish Ambassador to Germany Jozef Lipski and shared with him a plan to send European Jews to Africa where they would surely perish, Putin said.

"The Ambassador in Poland replied, and then wrote it down in his cable to the Polish Foreign Minister: 'I told Hitler that, if he does, we will erect a magnificent monument to him in Warsaw'," the President quoted from the archive data, before turning somewhat emotional.
He was a bastard, an anti-Semitic pig, there's no other way of saying it. He fully agreed with Hitler in his anti-Semitic sentiments and, moreover, promised him he'd erect a monument in Warsaw to his abuse of the Jewish people. [...]

"It is these people who negotiated with Hitler back in the day, it is this sort of people that demolish monuments commemorating Red Army soldiers, who liberated European countries and peoples from the Nazis," the President concluded. "They are their followers."


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Arrow Up

Libyan National Army set for major battles in Tripoli after taking control of roads to airport


Sputnik
Sat, 28 Dec 2019 00:00 UTC
libya
© REUTERS / Esam Omran Al-Fetori
The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced on Friday that it had taken control of roads leading to the Tripoli airport and was set for major battles for main areas of the Libyan capital.

The news comes a day after information surfaced that the rival Tripoli-based government has officially requested military aid from Turkey.

"The LNA is advancing after violent clashes on roads that lead to the center of the capital. The GNA retreated leaving bodies lying on the road to Tripoli airport", the LNA wrote on Facebook, as quoted by Al Arabiya.

Comment: For more the situation coming to a head in Libya, see: And check out SOTT radio's:

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Broom

Russian Orthodox Church cuts ties with Alexandria Patriarchate over recognition of Ukraine's breakaway church


RFE/RL
Fri, 27 Dec 2019 18:18 UTC
Epifaniy
The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epifaniy, was installed in February.
The Russian Orthodox Church has cut ties with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all of Africa Patriarch Theodore II after he recognized the independence of Ukraine's church from Moscow.

Russia's Holy Synod also decided on December 27 to abolish the Exarchate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Moscow and convert it into a Russian church.

The Russian church's decision follows Theodore's recognition of the Ukrainian church during a service he held in Egypt in November.

The Patriarchate of Constantinople -- generally considered the spiritual headquarters for Orthodoxy -- granted the Orthodox Church of Ukraine independence in January, ending more than 300 years of control by Moscow.

Comment: The attempts by the West and its allies to sow division in the Orthodox Church have been successful in some respects and yet the attacks are also strengthening the existing bonds and exposing the puppets for who they really are: See also:

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Sheriff

Japan to send warship, aircraft to Middle East to protect vessels


Al Jazeera
Sat, 28 Dec 2019 10:45 UTC
japan helicopter
© Jason Reed/AFPA helicopter-equipped destroyer and two P-3C patrol planes will be dispatched to ensure safe passage for Japanese vessels through the region
Japan will send a warship and patrol planes to protect Japanese ships in the Middle East as the situation in the region, from which it sources nearly 90 percent of its crude oil imports, remains volatile, a document approved by the cabinet showed on Friday.

Under the plan, a helicopter-equipped destroyer and two P-3C patrol planes will be dispatched for information-gathering aimed at ensuring safe passage for Japanese vessels through the region.

If there are any emergencies, a special order would be issued by the Japanese defence minister to allow the forces to use weapons to protect ships in danger.

Comment: See also: Iran and China keep banking initiatives secret to evade US sanctions - Envoy

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Attention

'Pack of lies' on behalf of Al-Qaeda: Security experts rip into 'Douma chemical attack' probe after latest OPCW leak


RT
Fri, 27 Dec 2019 23:51 UTC
White Helmets
© DPA via Global Look Press / Anas AlkharboutliMembers of the 'White Helmets' group, accused of links to Al-Qaeda, carry an injured child
Documents published by WikiLeaks that suggest a cover-up of inconvenient facts about the Douma, Syria chemical attack investigation raise serious questions about the OPCW, security experts, scholars and diplomats tell RT.

The US, UK and France launched missile strikes against Syria in April 2018, after 'White Helmets' and jihadist rebels accused the government of a chemical attack in the town of Douma. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons eventually published a report saying its investigators may have found traces of chlorine, which was trumpeted as proof of the accusations in mainstream Western media.

Emails published by WikiLeaks on Friday, however, show that a senior OPCW official ordered to "remove all traces" of the engineering assessment questioning the report's conclusions. Moreover, the observations by toxicologists who ruled out exposure to chlorine or any other chemical weapon could have caused the symptoms shown on White Helmets videos were likewise buried.

"It's difficult to look at that email exchange without thinking at least there's a whiff of a coverup," security analyst Charles Shoebridge told RT, adding that the documents show the OPCW has been "subverted and led astray."

Comment: See also:

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Eye 2

Best of the Web: The Empire sets 30-day deadline for European contractors to withdraw from Nord Stream 2 gas project: Obey immediately or face sanctions


RT
Sat, 28 Dec 2019 01:47 UTC

Comment: Forget "Ich bin ein Berliner." Today it's "Du bist ein Washingtoner!"

Trump has our full support (in his accidental bringing of Germany and Russia closer together by antagonizing them this way...)


nord stream 2 russia gas transit
© Reuters / Anton VaganovWorkers are seen at the construction site of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, near the town of Kingisepp, Leningrad region, Russia, on June 5, 2019
The US State Department has issued an ultimatum to European companies taking part in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, demanding they cease all work by January 20.

In a document called 'fact sheet' on the US opposition to Nord Stream 2, the State Department demands that all related parties "immediately cease construction-related activity" in a "good-faith wind-down," adding that those who would lack this good faith, would face sanctions.

Further in the text, it clarifies that the contractors have 30 days to comply with America's demands, warning that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will identify and reveal all "violators" to the US Congress in about two months.

Comment: Never did we imagine we'd ever see such words in print!

Astonishing times we live in.

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Snakes in Suits

Libya: Erdogan's power play and what it means to the tangled conflict - UPDATE


RT
Fri, 20 Dec 2019 11:34 UTC
gunblast
© AFPFighters loyal to the GNA fire a gun during clashes with forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar in the capital Tripoli's suburb September 7, 2019.
Turkey may now intervene directly in Libya's civil war after a military cooperation deal was ratified between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al Sarraj.

Any moment now, Libya's special formula - Government versus the Parliament and the Army - could bubble up with an extra ingredient from abroad. Turkey may become the first actual foreign force to officially take part in the ongoing armed rivalry between Sarraj and his UN-recognized Government of National Accord and General Khalifa Haftar, who has the support of the Libyan National Army and the country's Parliament, based in the eastern city of Tobruk.

Turkey is ready for a new battle

Control over the country is at stake and Turkey is sending signals that its troops are one call away, under the framework of their freshly-crafted partnership with Sarraj. Basically, what they agreed on paves a road parallel to the one blocked by the United Nations 2011 arms embargo - which was flaunted anyway by various external powers on both sides, according to a recent UN report. Erdogan says the accord grants Turkey the right to deploy troops in Libya if the Tripoli government asks it.

The second part of the deal - a memorandum on maritime boundaries - draws a water corridor through the eastern Mediterranean linking the coasts of Turkey and Libya, not far south of the large Greek island of Crete and cutting across what Greece sees as its maritime territory. Greece has called the deal a violation of international law and sent the Libyan ambassador home in protest.

Comment: Sputnik, 20/12/2019: Turkish troops, snipers fight in Libya's GNA
Turkish snipers and storm groups are fighting in the ranks of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital of Tripoli. The LNA units gain control over new positions in Tripoli daily.

"We saw Turkish soldiers fighting on the ground in the direction of Khallet al-Furjan in Tripoli among the GNA armed militias. We saw them with our own eyes... snipers and Turkish storming groups. The progress is slow but continuous."
UPDATE 27/12/2019: Russia warns Turkey about getting involved in the Libyan conflict. RFE/RL writes:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country will send troops to Libya at Tripoli's request as soon as January, a move that could put them face-to-face with Kremlin-linked mercenaries allegedly fighting in the troubled North African country.

Moscow has warned Turkey against its pending deployment to Libya.

But Erdogan has rejected Russian criticism and said Turkey will not be silent over mercenaries from the Kremlin-linked Vagner private security firm supporting Haftar.

Moscow has not confirmed the Vagner group's presence in Libya nor whether it has supported the fighters.

"Russia is there with 2,000 Vagner [fighters]," Erdogan said, also referring to 5,000 fighters from Sudan in Libya.

"Is the official government inviting them? No," Erdogan said. "They are all helping a war baron [Haftar], whereas we are accepting an invitation from the legitimate government of the country. That is the difference," he said.


The legitimacy of the government inviting Turkey into the conflict is still an open question. The UN-backed GNA does not have wide support in Libya.

Libya's elected government demands UN's usurper regime gone


Representatives for Haftar's forces could not be reached for comment.

Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and chairman of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, told Reuters that Russian mercenaries had put more pressure on the GNA and "accelerated this quid pro quo between Tripoli and Ankara."

"So the troop deployment must happen right away, but the risk is that Turkey is being sucked into a military game where the only path is more engagement and escalation," he said.


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X

Berlin turns down French plea for military aid in Mali for second time as violence worsens in Sahel region


RT
Fri, 27 Dec 2019 15:54 UTC
French soldiers killed in Mali
Coffins of French soldiers killed in Mali.
Berlin has turned down Paris's request for help in Africa's Sahel region twice in a row, it has been reported, as the security situation in the volatile region keeps worsening.

France is currently engaged in an anti-terrorist operation in Mali and other countries south of the Sahara Desert, in the region known as Sahel. While France and Germany have repeatedly assured each other of military support should their 'sovereignty' come under attack, the case of Sahel appears to cross a line.

"The [German] Defense Ministry has answered with a 'no' to a French request for the establishment of a Special Force (Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force/CJSOTF) that was made to some other European nations as well," Berlin said in a response to a parliamentary inquiry as cited by local media. A further similar request was also turned down, the ministry added.

At the same time, the German military admitted that the situation in Sahel does look grim.

"Jihadist groups that are active in the region enjoy significant freedom of movement, and can therefore act without any bounds while even enjoying support of the local population," it said. "

Comment: The citizens of Mali aren't necessarily ecstatic about the French presence:

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Snakes in Suits

Democrat lawmakers demand Barr and Durham resign their posts

Ana Radelat
Hartford Courant
Wed, 25 Dec 2019 00:00 UTC
JohnDurham
© Bob Child/APThe US attorney for Connecticut, John H. Durham
Congressional Democrats who fear Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham may be conducting a partisan investigation into the origins of the FBI's probe into Russian meddling in U.S. elections are calling on him to resign.

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., has written Attorney General William Barr and Durham, saying "neither of you possess the integrity necessary to serve in the Department of Justice."


Comment: We could say the same about the integrity of most legislators serving in Congress!


Signed by 10 of Johnson's House Democratic colleagues — but none from Connecticut — the letter's demand for Barr's resignation is not unique.

In May, for instance, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Barr should "probably resign" because, the senator said, the attorney general had mislead the public about the conclusions of former special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian meddling.

But calls for Durham's resignation are new.

Comment: The Dems and FBI did nothing partisan? Without their actions and accusations, there would be no Mueller/Barr/Durham investigations. All 'findings' should be included period. Running scared? The Dems are issuing threats and demanding resignations based on speculation.

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