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'Large-scale' Ukrainian offensive repelled - Russian MOD


RT
Sun, 04 Jun 2023 06:47 UTC
Ukrainian soldiers on a tank ride along the road towards their positions in Donbass
© AP Photo / Efrem LukatskyUkrainian soldiers on a tank ride along the road towards their positions in Donbass, May 23, 2023.
Kiev's troops have unsuccessfully attempted to break through the front line in Donbass, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

Russian forces have successfully repelled a "large-scale offensive" by Ukrainian troops along five sections of the front line in Donbass, the Russian Defense Ministry said in the early hours of Monday.

According to the ministry, the assault began on Sunday morning.
"The enemy's goal was to breach our defenses in what they assumed was the most vulnerable section of the frontline," it said in a statement.

"The enemy has failed to reach its goals and was unsuccessful," the ministry added.
Russian officials said Ukraine had deployed the 23rd and the 31st mechanized brigades from its "strategic reserves," which were supported in battle by other units.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost more than 250 service members, 16 tanks, three infantry vehicles, and 21 armored vehicles," the Defense Ministry claimed.

Comment:
NATO-supplied tanks destroyed in failed Ukrainian offensive - Russian MOD

Ukrainian Tank
© Sascha Schuermann / Getty Images
Russian forces have repelled a renewed large-scale attack by Ukrainian troops in several parts of Donetsk and Zaporozhye Regions, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in the early hours of Tuesday, claiming that Kiev's armed formations and military units suffered "significant losses."
"Having suffered heavy losses the day before, the Kiev regime reorganized the remnants of the 23rd and 31st mechanized brigades into separate combined units, which continued the offensive operations close to Novodarovka and Levadnoye," said the ministry's spokesman, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
The renewed offensive mainly focused on the village of Vremevka in Donetsk Region, but was stopped by missile, artillery and heavy rocket-propelled flamethrower strikes, according to Konashenkov.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces' total losses in south Donetsk direction were over 1,500 servicemen, 28 tanks, including eight German-made Leopard tanks and three French-manufactured AMX-10 wheeled tanks, as well as 109 other armored fighting vehicles," the Russian military spokesman said.
It was unclear if the tally included the losses from Sunday's botched attack, which was described as "large-scale" yet "unsuccessful" by the Russian military. In that attempt alone, Kiev lost more than 250 service members, 16 tanks, three infantry vehicles, and 21 armored vehicles, according to the ministry.

Some videos circulated by military bloggers on Telegram showed what appeared to be several abandoned French AMX-10 light tanks, but did not include visual confirmation of the German-made Leopards reportedly lost in battle.


The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to release footage of the latest strikes on Ukrainian military vehicles. On Monday, it published a video of Ukrainian heavy equipment, supplied by Western nations, being destroyed by Russian strikes the day before.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Maliar confirmed that Kiev's forces were moving to "offensive actions" in some areas, but provided no comment on the failed attacks and claimed that Moscow's talk about Kiev's "counteroffensive" blunders was an attempt to "divert attention" from its own alleged failures.
Russian forces shoot down Ukrainian Su-25 strike fighter - media

Military aircrafts
© Sputnik / Konstantin Mikhalchevsky
Russian forces have stopped Kiev's troops from crossing the Dnieper River in the Kherson region and shot down one of the two Su-25 strike fighters providing air cover for the Ukrainian landing operation, RIA Novosti reported on Monday, citing a source "familiar with the situation."

"Another attempted ... landing operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has failed," the source told the news agency. According to the report Kiev's troops sought to cross the river near the village of Babino, some 124 kilometers from the strategic town of Novaya Kakhovka, site of a dam on the Dnieper that also served as a bridge before being seriously damaged by Ukrainian strikes.

During the clashes near Babino, the Russian troops managed to shoot down a Su-25 strike fighter, the source claimed, adding that the aircraft fell in territory controlled by Ukrainian forces. The second strike fighter then flew away, leaving the landing party without air cover, the source said.

Kiev has not commented on the reports. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry mentioned neither the failed landing operation nor the presumably downed aircraft in its Monday evening public statement. Instead, it said that the "situation ... on the Kherson front has not seen any particular changes."

The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the situation. The news came as Russian troops successfully repelled a major Ukrainian offensive in the southern part of the Donetsk People's Republic. Kiev's troops, which deployed six mechanized and two tank battalions, lost up to 300 service members, 16 tanks, 26 armored and 14 ordinary vehicles in the botched operation, according to a ministry statement.

Later on Monday, the Russian ministry also published a video of the Ukrainian heavy equipment, supplied by Western nations, being destroyed by Russian strikes.
VIDEO shows Russian forces repelling Ukrainian offensive

Ground explosion
© Telegram / Russian Defense Ministry
A video showing losses suffered by Ukrainian troops in their unsuccessful attack in the south of the Donetsk People's Republic has been released by the Russian Defense Ministry (MOD). It shows Ukrainian heavy equipment, mostly supplied by Kiev's Western backers, being destroyed by Russian strikes during the clashes on Sunday.

The footage published by the MOD on its Telegram channel shows six Ukrainian vehicles moving through open terrain. Five of them appear to be Western-supplied Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, with the sixth resembling an armored personnel carrier or an armored fighting vehicle.

Three of the MRAPs are then shown being destroyed by Russian strikes, with one of them engulfed in plumes of gray smoke. The video also shows four more examples of heavy equipment being taken out while apparently moving along a country road.

The presentation ends with several views of Ukrainian armored vehicles and at least one tank being hit by Russian projectiles. The exact quantity of destroyed Ukrainian equipment remains unclear.


Earlier, the Defense Ministry said that a large-scale Ukrainian offensive attempt in the southern part of the Donetsk People's Republic had been successfully repelled by Russian forces on Sunday. Ukraine fielded six mechanized and two tank battalions for the operation, the MOD stated.

The ministry reported that Kiev's forces lost up to 300 service members, 16 tanks, 26 armored and 14 ordinary vehicles over the last 24 hours. Later, a spokesman for the Russian 'East' troop grouping said in a video statement that one Ukrainian mechanized brigade alone lost over 250 soldiers, 16 tanks and 24 armored vehicles, including three US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, during the botched assault.

On Monday, Ukrainian forces continued their attacks in the south of the Donetsk People's Republic and sent three fresh battalion tactical groups supported by tanks into action, the spokesman said, adding that the Ukrainian forces' advance attempt had been thwarted.

Kiev admitted on Monday that its troops had launched an offensive "on certain fronts." Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister, Anna Maliar, downplayed the situation "in the south" as "local fighting." She also claimed that the military had launched a major operation targeting the key Donbass city of Artyomovsk, known as Bakhmut in Ukraine.

Artyomovsk was captured by the Wagner private military company founded by Russian businessman Evgeny Prigozhin in late May 2023. Since then, Ukrainian forces have attempted to attack the flanks of the Russian forces holding the city. On Monday, the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, described the situation in the area as "difficult" but still "under control."

The Russian Defense Ministry has not reported on any major Ukrainian offensives in the Artyomovsk area.
Ukraine 'well prepared' for counteroffensive - top US general

Mark Milley
© AP / Jacquelyn MartinMark Milley testifies during a Senate hearing in Washington DC, May 11, 2023
Ukraine is "very well prepared" for its long-anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told CNN on Monday. However, Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses in a multi-pronged attack earlier in the day, and Milley cautioned that it's "too early to tell" if the offensive will achieve its goals.

Citing the "training, ammunition, advice, intelligence, etc" provided to Kiev by its Western backers, Milley claimed that Ukraine is "very well prepared" to retake territory from Russian forces.

Ukrainian officials have promised for months to launch a counteroffensive, which was initially set to take place in spring. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed on multiple occasions that his military was "ready" for the anticipated push, but walked back these statements by saying that he needed more time, and Western weapons, to prepare for the operation.

Throughout this preparatory period, Ukraine reportedly lost around 50,000 servicemen in the battle for the Donbass city of Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut, as Russian missiles and drones continuously pounded ammunition dumps, fuel depots, and command centers, often deep into Western Ukraine.

Amid mixed messages from Kiev and with its combat potential seemingly degraded by the fighting in Artyomovsk, the Ukrainian military launched what appeared to be the beginning of a counteroffensive on Sunday. Throughout Sunday and into Monday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that Kiev's forces attacked with six mechanized and two tank battalions along five sections of the frontline near Donetsk, and in other regions to the north and south.

The Russian military repelled the attacks with airstrikes and artillery fire, inflicting "significant losses" on the Ukrainians, the ministry said. According to Moscow, Ukraine has lost around 900 soldiers, 16 tanks, and 33 armored vehicles across the entire frontline since Sunday.

Milley has repeatedly stated that Ukraine is unlikely to achieve its goals - which include seizing Crimea - by military force. Speaking to CNN on Monday, he continued to hedge his bets, saying that it is "too early to tell what outcomes are going to happen."


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Bad Guys

Iran says to form naval alliance with Gulf states to ensure regional stability


Reuters
Sat, 03 Jun 2023 01:06 UTC
Iranflag
© Morteza Nikoubazi/Nur Photo/Getty ImagesIranian Flag
Iran's navy commander said his country and Saudi Arabia, as well as three other Gulf states, plan to form a naval alliance that will also include India and Pakistan, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

"The countries of the region have today realized that only cooperation with each other brings security to the area," Iran's navy commander Shahram Irani was quoted as saying.


Comment: Say what? We that the U.S. Empire was the only official provider of "security" to the region. What a novel idea: regional cooperation.


He did not elaborate on the shape of the alliance that he said would be formed soon.

Iran has recently been trying to mend its strained ties with several Gulf Arab states.
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Attention

What's Next

James Knustler
kunstler.com
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 20:36 UTC
"In this singular quest to win the [Eurasian] Heartland the West has bankrupted itself — economically, morally, and most importantly, spiritually. This has led to a political crisis gnawing at the center of western society." — Tom Luongo, the Gold, Goats, and Guns blog
Collapse
© mubi.com
What's next? You must be wondering because the psychopathic regime running our national affairs seems to be fresh out of trips to lay on us. One thing for sure, as the sweet zephyrs of springtime merge into the punishing infernos of summer, is that the collapse of the USA continues apace. You can debate whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, but above all it is the thing.

Have you forgotten our Ukraine project (Let's you and him fight)? The idea was to bleed Russia dry because, you know... Russia! (They meddle in our elections... they collude with Trump... they tamper with our hopes and dreams....) It was years in the making, impeccably gamed-out in the State Department's sub-basement. Secret Agent Man Hunter Biden, the then vice-president's son, was even installed in the dark heart of Ukraine's power center to... to do what, exactly? Never mind, because what secret agent men do is... secret!

The Ukraine bear trap was supposed to put Russia out-of-business for the foreseeable future. Didn't work out. The crowning act of boobery was our demolition of the Nord Stream natgas pipelines, which had the predictable effect of putting our NATO allies out-of-business, while Russia turned around and found other customers for its gas. The sound of teeth gnashing down in Foggy Bottom might have kept "Joe Biden" up at night — except he was a hundred miles away on the beach in Delaware, medicated unto dreamland where it's always 1964 and you're tooling among the saguaros in your beloved Corvette, getting your kicks on Route 66.

So, let's face it: Ukraine flopped. The main result of the Ukraine project is that it destroyed the tiny shred of what was left of America's reputation for acting the global hegemon. In fact, Ukraine revealed that Russia has better weapons than we have (China, too) and that, given the emergence of hypersonic missiles, our gazillion-dollar aircraft carrier fleets are as obsolete as Roman triremes and liburnae. So, what's our Plan B for defending Taiwan? (Hint: there is none.)
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Arrow Up

'Give war a chance' - A 'war that even pacifists can get behind'

Alastair Crooke
Strategic Culture
Mon, 05 Jun 2023 19:13 UTC
Withdrawal Symptoms
© Public Domain
More than a year into Russia's Special Operation, the initial burst of European excitement at western push-back on Russia has dissipated. The mood instead has turned to "existential dread, a nagging suspicion that [western] civilisation may destroy itself", Professor Helen Thompson writes.

For an instant, a euphoria had coalesced around the putative projection of the EU as a world power; as a key actor, about to compete on a world scale. Initially, events seemed to play to Europe's conviction of its market powers: Europe was going to bring down a major power - Russia - by financial coup d'état alone. The EU felt 'six feet tall'.

It seemed at the time a galvanising moment: "The war re-forged a long-dormant Manichaean framing of existential conflict between Russia and the West, assuming ontological, apocalyptic dimensions. In the spiritual fires of the war, the myth of the 'West' was rebaptised", Arta Moeini suggests.

After the initial disappointment at the lack of a 'quick kill', the hope persisted - that if only the sanctions were given more time, and made more all-embracing, then Russia surely would ultimately collapse. That hope has turned to dust. And the reality of what Europe has done to itself has begun to dawn - hence Professor Thomson's dire warning:
"Those who assume that the political world can be reconstructed by the efforts of human Will, have never before had to bet so heavily on technology over [fossil] energy - as the driver of our material advancement".
For the Euro-Atlanticists however, what Ukraine seemed to offer - finally - was validation for their yearning to centralise power in the EU, sufficiently, to merit a place at the 'top table' with the U.S., as partners in playing the Great Game.

Ukraine, for better or worse, underlined Europe's profound military dependence on Washington - and on NATO.
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Footprints

Ukraine 'ready' to launch counteroffensive - Zelensky


RT
Sat, 03 Jun 2023 14:43 UTC
Zelensky
© Global Look Press/Office of the president of UkraineUkraine President Volodymyr Zelensky
The upcoming military operation will come at a tremendous cost, and many soldiers will die, the Ukrainian president has warned...

Ukraine is ready to launch its long-awaited offensive, President Vladimir Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in an interview published on Saturday. He did not reveal the exact date, but said Kiev can no longer "wait for months."

The operation is likely to inflict heavy losses on Ukrainian troops, and might not go exactly as planned, Zelensky admitted, adding that Russia's air superiority would inevitably mean Kiev's forces will be exposed to enemy fire.

"I don't know how long it will take," Zelensky said, commenting on the operation's potential timeframe. He added that "it can go a variety of ways, completely different."

The president admitted that the military equipment and weapons supplied to Ukraine by its Western backers are still not enough. "We would like to have certain things, but we can't wait for months," he said.

Zelensky also highlighted the need for stronger air defences, and claimed that the US-made Patriot systems are virtually the only ones in the world capable of countering certain Russian missile types. He claimed Ukraine would need as many as 50 Patriot batteries to ensure sufficient air defenses. The lack of such protection means "a large number of soldiers will die," during the offensive, he added.

Comment: The best equipment in the world won't solve the lack of expertise.

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Cardboard Box

Best of the Web: Seymour Hersh: Russiagate's missing pieces

Seymour Hersh
Scheerpost
Sat, 03 Jun 2023 00:00 UTC
Durham
© Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty ImagesSpecial Counsel John Durham • 2022
What was not said in the Durham Report?

The first thing to understand about John Durham is that he was a fearless prosecutor who went after organized crime and put in prison retired and active FBI agents who protected the mob for money or other enticements. One of the agents he stopped had enabled James "Whitey" Bulger Jr., once one of America's most wanted men, the Winter Hill Gang boss who evaded arrest for sixteen years.

In his forty-five years as a state and federal prosecutor in Connecticut and Virginia, Durham worked often and closely with FBI agents, especially on cases that involved violations of federal racketeering statutes.

Durham also handled two inquiries into the CIA's conduct in the War on Terror, and he did so without angering his superiors in the executive branch. In one case he was asked to investigate the alleged destruction of CIA videotapes of detainee interrogations, the so-called torture tapes. His final report on the matter remains secret, and he recommended that no charges be filed. He was later asked to lead a Justice Department inquiry into the legality of the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques" that resulted in the death of two detainees. In that case, he was told that officers who were given and obeyed what were determined to be illegal orders — there were many of those after 9/11 — could not be prosecuted. No charges were filed.

Durham's 306-page report was made public on May 15, and it pleased no one with its focus on the obvious.

Comment: 'There is more to know'...could be said of anything. The issue for the public is the placement of the fulcrum counterbalancing 'expectations' with indisputable 'facts'.

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Better Earth

Blue state blues: George Soros' 'New World Order' plan, 1993

Joel B. Pollak
Breitbart
Thu, 25 May 2023 00:00 UTC
Soros
© Ferdinand Osstrop/APGeorge Soros
Thirty years ago, billionaire financier George Soros articulated a plan for a "New World Order" that he wanted to promote through his philanthropic efforts.

I first came across Soros's old essays when I was working on the biography of my mother-in-law, Rhoda Kadalie. She knew Soros from his work in South Africa. She broke with him later, but kept a few of his publications in her collection.

There are some interesting, long-lost gems. In one address in South Africa in 1994, for example, Soros amusingly admitted that he once pulled his funding out of that country because local activists seemed more interested in seizing his money than in producing results.

Today, Soros is presumed by his critics to be an evil manipulator intent on destroying society. Certainly some of the radical prosecutors he has backed, and the far-left groups funded by his Open Society Foundations, have earned him an infamous reputation, though it is debatable whether the 92-year-old is running his own operation anymore.

Regardless, thirty years ago at least, Soros seemed genuinely concerned about freedom.

Comment: Can we say 'disconnect'? Puff piece? Soros is a master manipulator and knows not what his money can't buy.

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X

Kiev rebuffs Indonesian peace efforts


RT
Sat, 03 Jun 2023 22:39 UTC
Subianto
© screenshotIndonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto offering peace plan
Ukraine has rejected Indonesia's proposal for a peace settlement with Moscow, arguing that Jakarta's plan would only serve Russia's interests.

President Vladimir Zelensky's top adviser Mikhail Podoliak wrote on Twitter on Saturday that the roadmap
"frankly looks like a twin of the Russian proposal... about the surrender [of Ukraine]. The only one realistic proposal is [for Russia] to "withdraw from the sovereign territory of Ukraine."
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko also insisted that Russia should surrender its newly incorporated regions, which Kiev says were illegally occupied. He said on Facebook:
"There can be no alternative scenarios. Ceasefire without the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine will allow Russia to win time, regroup, fortify the occupied territories and accumulate forces for a new wave of aggression."
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore on Saturday, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto suggested that both Russian and Ukrainian troops withdraw 15km (nearly 10 miles) from their current positions, creating a demilitarized zone that would be monitored by UN peacekeepers. He also proposed holding UN-sponsored referendums to determine the future "disputed" territories.

Comment: There are voices of reason with realistic proposals:
Indonesia's defense minister presented a new peace initiative on Saturday aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Prabowo Subianto urged military officials from around the world to issue a declaration calling for a cessation of hostilities.

Additionally, he suggested conducting a UN-sponsored referendum in the disputed territory to objectively determine the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants. He didn't specify the regions to which he was referring.
"I propose that the Shangri-La Dialogue find a mode of... voluntary declaration urging both Ukraine and Russia to immediately start negotiations for peace."
During the same panel discussion, Josep Borrell, the high representative and vice president of the European Commission, acknowledged that ending military support for Ukraine would lead to a swift conclusion of the war. However, he cautioned against such a move, as it could result in the country's sovereignty being compromised by external force.
"We need to bring peace to Ukraine," but it must be a "just peace, not a peace of surrender."
Indonesia's peace initiative follows President Joko Widodo's visit to Moscow and Kiev last year, during which he offered to mediate peace talks between the two leaders. President Widodo, who was chairing the G20 group of major economies at the time, expressed his willingness to act as a peace broker.

Despite voting in favor of a United Nations resolution denouncing Russia's offensive in Ukraine, Indonesia has refrained from imposing economic sanctions on Moscow.


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Bullseye

Scholz branded 'warmonger' at rally held by his own party


RT
Sat, 03 Jun 2023 20:58 UTC
Scholz
© Global Look Press/dpa/Jonas WalzbergGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz
German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, received an icy welcome at a 'European Festival' organized by his own Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Friday. Scholz was booed and whistled at as he sought to address a festival held in the town of Falkensee, in the German state of Brandenburg, near Berlin.

Footage published by the Ruptly video agency shows event attendees criticizing Scholz for being a "people's traitor" and a "warmonger." Few supporters are seen cheering for the chancellor. A group was also heard shouting "liar" and "bandit" while demanding "peace without weapons" and urging Scholz to "go away."

According to the German tabloid Bild, some of the chancellor's critics are associated with the country's right-wing scene and were wearing clothes bearing symbols of Russia and the anti-vaccination movement.

Scholz defended his government's policies amid the chilly reception, insisting that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a "warmonger" for ordering the military operation in Ukraine. He also dismissed his critics as "loudmouths," adding that had they had "any sense in [their] brains" they would criticize the Russian leadership instead of him.

The chancellor was supported by Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke, who remarked that the demonstration "belongs on the Red Square." Woidke, an SPD member, told the demonstrators that it was thanks to "democracy" and "freedom" that they were allowed to "quarrel" at the rally.

Comment: Dissing the concerns and callouts from the people, Scholz triggers 'an enemy' within.

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Brick Wall

National Archives refusing to hand over emails between Hunter Biden and Joe Biden's staff

Eric Lendrum
Just the News
Fri, 02 Jun 2023 15:47 UTC
joe and hunter biden deboard
© AP Photo / Patrick SemanskyPresident Joe Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden, step off Air Force One, Feb. 4, 2023, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York.
America First Legal on Wednesday released a batch of heavily-redacted emails it received from NARA that showed Hunter Biden advised his father's office during his vice presidency.

The National Archives and Records Administration is refusing to release myriad communications between first son Hunter Biden and his father's staff, asserting they are protected under an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act that covers communications between the president and his advisors, or between advisors.

America First Legal on Wednesday released a batch of heavily-redacted emails it received from NARA that showed Hunter Biden advised his father's office during his vice presidency. The organization obtained the emails from NARA through a FOIA request and has gradually released batches of the materials it obtained. While NARA redacted many of the emails, it further withheld entirely several more, merely confirming their existence.

Of particular interest is a communication from Hunter Biden business partner Eric Schwerin to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) about a "China Lunch" that preceded an official visit from then-Chinese President Hu Jintao to the U.S. in 2011. NARA acknowledged the communication's existence but refused to release it because doing so "would disclose confidential advice between the President and his advisors, or between such advisors."

Comment: The New York Post report:
First son Hunter Biden advised then-Vice President Joe Biden's office on who to invite for state occasions involving China, as well as where to visit on a trip to Africa, emails reviewed by The Post show.

A heavily redacted trove of messages was released by the National Archives on Wednesday — with uncensored emails from Hunter's abandoned laptop filling in some of the blanks. The emails cast more doubt on the elder Biden's blanket denial that he ever discussed his offspring's overseas business interests.

Three entirely redacted emails refer in the subject line to a "China Lunch" in apparent connection with then-Chinese President Hu Jintao's January 2011 state visit to Washington, while three others pertain to "Nairobi ideas" ahead of Joe Biden's visit to Kenya in June 2010.

The emails were acknowledged but "withheld in full" in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking communications between Joe Biden's office, Hunter Biden and first brother James Biden, with whom Hunter partnered on many ventures.

The China and Nairobi-focused emails were redacted in their entirety, with the Archives citing a "p5" exception under the Freedom of Information Act. The exception shields "confidential communications requesting or submitting advice, between the President and the President's advisers, or between such advisers."

The "China Lunch" email thread on Nov. 19, 2010, was archived because it includes Evan Ryan and Michele Smith, then of the vice president's office. Ryan currently is President Biden's cabinet secretary and is married to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

One day before those emails were sent, Hunter Biden's business partner Eric Schwerin emailed the then-second son regarding a Chinese state dinner two months in the future, which would feature a "traditional VP/SecState Lunch," to which Schwerin suggested inviting close Biden family business associates including Jim Bulger and Jeff Cooper.

"Michele called and said they would like some suggested names for the lunch. They have 30 spots for the VP's personal list," Schwerin wrote.

"Your Dad has 22 spots already allocated, but if someone fits into a 'business leader,' 'elected official', 'think tank' type, they could be added beyond the 8 remaining personal spots. She is asking [fellow second son and then-Delaware Attorney General] Beau [Biden] if he has suggestions as well."

Schwerin added:
"Some thoughts - what about President Harris of Widener [University]? They are desperately trying to get into China with that Confucious [sic] Institute. Could also think about Father Pilarz of Scranton (soon to be Marquette) they are also interested in China. Jim Bulger (or someone from his group)? Greg Penner? Gavin Newsom? Cooper? David Boren? Anyone from Labor?"
Two emails bearing the subject line "China Lunch" — matching the redacted thread's title — appeared on Hunter's laptop showing Schwerin writing to Hunter, "Here are my thoughts: Greg Penner Jim Harris, President Widener Jeff Cooper Also consider: Someone from Amtrak (Boardman/Carper?)."

Cooper, a wealthy asbestos litigation attorney, was a close business associate of Hunter and James Biden and was involved in a 2006 attempt by Hunter and James to take over a New York investment bank, into which Cooper's law firm invested $1 million. Bulger, meanwhile, was involved with Hunter and James Biden's China ventures.

In a Nov. 18 email to Schwerin, Hunter writes, "Greg Penner is great idea" and recommends that an invite also be extended "if Devon is there also," appearing to refer to his since-convicted associate Devon Archer, with whom he joined the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma, which paid him up to $1 million per year as his father assumed the Obama administration's Ukraine portfolio.

Less than a week later, Archer, who has since been convicted of defrauding an American Indian tribe, emailed Hunter a list of "sovereign targets."

"What are your off the cuff thoughts on foreign target countries? Based on both your core relationships and your gut on likelihood of success? ....For me its: China[,] Turkey[,] Mexico[,] Argentina[,] India[,] Columbia[,] Israel[,] Norway, Serbia, Singapore, Korea, Canada[,] Germany & Australia [and] Gulf Region," Archer wrote.

One laptop email titled "China Lunch" showed Schwerin emailing Smith: "Michele- Working on a few other names, which we can get you early next week but one suggestion Hunter has is Greg Penner. Greg Penner is General Partner of Madrone Capital Partners and on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart. We can get you more info as needed. Just let me know."

None of the "China Lunch" emails from the laptop trove match the timestamps of the three listed in the Archives redactions, though one that cc-ed Hunter could match if the sender and recipient were in different time zones.

The "Nairobi Ideas" chain, meanwhile, featured three emails in early June 2010 involving Anthony Bernal, who worked at the time for the vice president's office and who currently is a key adviser to first lady Jill Biden.

Although they are redacted in their entirety, emails with the same title appear from late May 2010 in the laptop trove. The laptop thread of that title was started by former diplomat David Lane, then associated with U2 singer Bono's One Campaign against poverty, who recommended to Hunter on May 30, 2010, "three interesting ideas for Nairobi."

Lane proposed visiting a hospital, a slum and meeting with Kenyan anti-corruption campaigner John Githongo.

"These all look great," Hunter replied to Lane on June 1. "I am running them by OVP [Office of the Vice President] Staff to see what fits schedule wise and see what if anything similar they are already planning. As soon as I can get my hands on a draft schedule ill send it over. Also, I tried to by [sic] that book but it has not been released yet. Thanks."

The Nairobi-focused emails with the same title that were released by the Archives include one message from Hunter to Bernal dated June 3. On June 5, Bernal forwarded the recommendations in two different threats — one to recipients who were redacted due to being "personal email address[es]" and another to Annmarie Tomasini, who then worked for the vice president's office and worked as President Biden's director of Oval Office Operations.

The Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.

Hunter Biden's legal team and White House representatives also did not immediately respond.

The America First Legal Foundation, founded by former Trump White House adviser Stephen Miller, filed the FOIA lawsuit and previously submitted a complaint to the Justice Department accusing Hunter of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by corresponding with the VP's office about Burisma.

Hunter is under investigation by Delaware US Attorney David Weiss for alleged tax fraud, money laundering and FARA violations linked to his foreign income.

IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, who supervised the five-year-old investigation for more than three years, on Friday testified to the House Ways and Means Committee about an alleged coverup featuring "preferential treatment" and false testimony to Congress by Attorney General Merrick Garland about Weiss' ability to independently bring charges.



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