Puppet MastersS


Attention

Everybody wants to hop on the BRICS Express

Pepe Escobar
The Cradle
Thu, 27 Oct 2022 19:29 UTC
Eurasia Leaders
© The CradleRussian media Speaking to RIA Novosti, diplomats stressed the openness and inclusivity of the group
The US, in yet another trademark hysteria fit rife with irony, accused Tehran of weaponizing the Russian Armed Forces. For both Tehran and Moscow, the superstar, value-for-money, and terribly efficient drone let loose in the Ukrainian battlefield is a state secret: its deployment prompted a flurry of denials from both sides. Whether these are made in Iran drones, or the design was bought and manufacturing takes place in Russia (the realistic option), is immaterial.

The record shows that the US weaponizes Ukraine to the hilt against Russia. The Empire is a de facto war combatant via an array of "consultants," advisers, trainers, mercenaries, heavy weapons, munitions, satellite intel, and electronic warfare. And yet imperial functionaries swear they are not part of the war. They are, once again, lying.

Welcome to yet another graphic instance of the "rules-based international order" at work. The Hegemon always decides which rules apply, and when. Anyone opposing it is an enemy of "freedom," "democracy," or whatever platitude du jour, and should be - what else - punished by arbitrary sanctions.

In the case of sanctioned-to-oblivion Iran, for decades now, the result has been predictably another round of sanctions. That's irrelevant. What matters is that, according to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), no less than 22 nations - and counting - are joining the queue because they also want to get into the Shahed groove.

Even Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gleefully joined the fray, commenting on how the Shahed-136 is no photoshop.
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Bad Guys

Robert Bridge: 30 Democrats walk into the White House demanding diplomacy with Russia. Yes, this is a joke

Robert Bridge
RT
Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:08 UTC
Pramila Jayapal House Progressive Caucus
© AFP / Chip SomodevillaPramila Jayapal and fellow members of the House Progressive Caucus hold a news conference outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, August 12, 2022
A group of US representatives appealed to President Joe Biden to pursue diplomacy with Russia, only to retract their letter shortly thereafter, proving that not even the suggestion of talking to Russia is tolerated

This week, a group of 30 congressional Democrats, undoubtedly more concerned about suffering an election blowout in November than experiencing a nuclear winter, called for dialogue with Moscow, only to immediately retreat from their 'radical' position hours later.

In their excessively reverential letter to the aging emperor Joe Biden, the Democrats go no further than to seek a "proactive diplomatic push, redoubling efforts to seek a realistic framework for a ceasefire." This is a far cry from Elon Musk's recent peace plan, which called for, among other things, Crimea remaining part of Russia (as it had been since 1783, until Khrushchev's mistake) and Ukraine committing to neutrality. But beggars can't be choosers.

Comment: The recantation of the heresy:
A group of Democratic representatives in Washington have withdrawn a letter in which they urged President Joe Biden to try all means of ending the conflict in Ukraine, including "direct talks with Russia." Concerned about being lumped in with anti-war Republicans, the lawmakers now say they back Biden's policy of indefinite arms shipments to Kiev.

Penned by Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal (Washington), the letter called on Biden to "seriously explore all possible avenues, including direct engagement with Russia, to reduce harm and support Ukraine in achieving a peaceful settlement." Some 30 House Democrats, including Ilhan Omar (Minnesota) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), lent their signatures to the missive, which was sent to the White House on Monday.

Within hours, Jayapal "clarified" that the progressive caucus still backs Biden's "ongoing military and economic support" for Kiev, and by Tuesday afternoon, the letter was withdrawn entirely.

In a statement, Jayapal blamed staffers for releasing the letter. She went on to explain that the letter was pulled as it "created the unfortunate appearance" that the progressives were aligning with the growing minority of Republican lawmakers talking about reducing aid to Ukraine.

House and Senate Democrats voted unanimously to allocate $40 billion in military and economic aid to Kiev earlier this summer, with only 68 Republicans across both chambers opposing. However, with the GOP looking likely to retake Congress in November, party leader Kevin McCarthy declared last week that the new majority is not "going to write a blank check to Ukraine."

"Nothing could be further from the truth," Jayapal wrote, referring to the comparison between her caucus and the Republicans. "Every war ends with diplomacy and this one will too after Ukrainian victory."

The retraction brings the progressives' position on Ukraine back in line with that of Biden and the combined Democrat and Republican establishment. The president has promised to send weapons to Ukraine "for as long as it takes," and to let Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky decide when to seek peace.

Zelensky has ruled out any peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has vowed to capture parts of the territory of the Russian Federation, including Crimea.


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Nuke

MSM reports on looming UN investigation of US biolabs in Ukraine

Clandestine
Clandestine's Newsletter / Substack
Wed, 26 Oct 2022 22:01 UTC
Uncle Sam in BioLab
© Clandestine’s Newsletter
The Western media have largely ignored Russia's repeated pleas to the UN pertaining to the US Biological Network in Ukraine. It appears something changed, as yesterday, the Left-wing media found themselves unable to avoid reporting on the growing calls for the enactment of Article VI of the Biological Weapons Convention.

Below you can see Left-wing outlet, The Hill, reporting via the Associated Press, that Russia are progressing towards Article VI of the BWC, which would be a UN Security Counsel investigation of the biolabs in Ukraine.1

Article on the Hill
© Clandestine’s Newsletter
This is nothing new to all of my loyal Substack followers, but 99% of the Western world had no idea this was going on, because the MSM have refused to report on it. These allegations have been formally presented over the course of the past 8 months, and the media buried it.
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Putin

West can't sit out crises it caused - Putin


RT
Thu, 27 Oct 2022 18:33 UTC
Putin Valdai Club
© Sputnik/Sergey GuneevRussian President Vladimir Putin at the XIX Annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.
The West and its allies are playing a "dirty game," the prize in which is global dominance, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. However, the US and its allies are not safe from the consequences of their own actions, he added.

"Power over the world is what the West has put at stake in the game it plays. This game is certainly dangerous, bloody and I would call it dirty."

The Russian president's comments came at a Valdai Discussion Club meeting outside Moscow on Thursday. He offered his view that Western nations deny others on the global scene the right to any kind of independence, be it political, economical or cultural. Last December, Russia's proposals to address its concerns about national security were "tossed aside" by Washington, he noted.

"But in the modern world, sitting aside is hardly an option. He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind, as the proverb says," he said, pointing out that the ongoing global crisis affects everyone and all aspects of life.
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Chess

Irony: Afghan commandos trained by Allied forces are being recruited by RUSSIA to fight in Ukraine

Jack Newman
Daily Mail
Wed, 26 Oct 2022 17:17 UTC
Afghan special forces
© Anadolu/GettyAfghan special forces attend a graduation ceremony at the Kabul Military Training Centre in July last year
Afghan commandos who had been trained by Allied forces to fight the Taliban are now being recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine.

Up to 30,000 members of the elite National Army Commando Corps were abandoned by the West when the country fell to the hardline Islamist group last year.

Now, the US-trained light infantry force that fought side by side with allied troops for nearly 20 years could be joining Vladimir Putin's savage war effort. It is believed the shadowy Wagner Group is behind the recruitment drive, exploiting the jobless commandos.

An ex-official told Foreign Policy: 'I am telling you [the recruiters] are Wagner Group. They are gathering people from all over.

Comment: The Daily Mail is working hard to spin the bare facts into something acceptable to the elites. A minimum of research debunks the bias.

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Windsock

Xi's third term: Here's why the Chinese leader's reelection is good news for Russia, but ominous for the US and Taiwan

Maxim Hvatkov
RT
Thu, 27 Oct 2022 12:00 UTC
photos
© Noel Celis/AFPGeneral Secretary Xi Jinping photo display
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party (CPC) of China is over and the first Plenary Session of its Central Committee in its new composition has set to work and reelected General Secretary Xi Jinping for a third term. The Chinese leader has thus gone against a well-established tradition, of almost 30 years, where power is passed to the new generation of leaders at the end of a second term.

RT looks at how things will now shape up for China's relations with the world's top powers.

Everything revolves around Xi

Next March is unlikely to herald a new period for China, as international observers may have expected. Xi Jinping will remain at the helm of the Chinese Communist Party for a third consecutive term, having provided all the necessary legal prerequisites for that to happen back in 2018.
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Russian Flag

Putin says Russia will never be 'wiped off geopolitical map' as West plays 'dirty game' in Ukraine

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Thu, 27 Oct 2022 11:57 UTC
Putin
© Sputnik/ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin • Valdai Speech
"Russia is not challenging the western elite. We are not trying to become the hegemon," Russian President Vladimir Putin said early in an important speech before the Valdai Discussion Club meeting outside Moscow on Thursday. Each year the Valdai speech is a major one and closely watched by Western officials and media.

This year it was touted with the eye-catching title of "A Post-Hegemonic World: Justice and Security for Everyone." And of course, this year's Valdai meeting comes against the backdrop of the biggest war Europe has seen on its eastern doorstep since WWII.

Putin said in his remarks that Russia merely wants to "defend its right to exist" and "won't let itself be destroyed and wiped off the geopolitical map." This as nuclear rhetoric and threats of defending red lines between Moscow and the West have reached heights not seen since the Cold War.

He repeated a familiar refrain of a crisis unfolding because the Western allies are using Ukraine for their "dirty game" in an ultimate drive for world domination.
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Satellite

Secret 'Tirada': What is known about the Russian 'switch' of satellites in Ukraine

Sergey Andreyev
Stalker Zone
Wed, 26 Oct 2022 00:00 UTC
Tirada 2S
© UnknownRussian Tirada 2S system
Until recently, Kiev thought that the failure of the Starlink satellites was on the conscience of Elon Musk. New information indicates that the reason may be the inclusion of the Russian "Tirada-2S" system.

Latest news of the special operation in Ukraine

On October 7, the Financial Times published material with complaints from the Ukrainian military about the massive shutdown of Starlink satellite terminals. The information was confirmed by a representative of Kiev, who noted that serious problems with military communications are observed in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as in the Kharkov region and in the territories near the DPR and LPR. Literally two days later, the Eurasian Times pointed out that the work of the Russian electronic warfare complex "Tirada-2S", which in the West is called "the strongest anti-satellite weapon", could be to blame for everything.

In mid-October, Elon Musk made two statements. In the first, he accused Russia of destroying Starlink satellites, in the second, he refused to pay for the operation of his terminals on the territory of Ukraine, stressing that the support had already cost him $80 million, and by the end of the year the costs would overcome the hundred million mark. After that, the Pentagon apparently put pressure on the billionaire, and he took back his words, at the same time forgetting about the accusations against Russia.

Comment: Wake-up call! Russian capabilities outpace Western comprehension and intel abilities.

See also:

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Arrow Up

China cements Xi's rule and a path away from the West at milestone Communist Party congress

Bradley Blankenship
RT
Wed, 26 Oct 2022 00:44 UTC
Members/Great Hall
© AP/Ng Han GuanNew members of the Politburo Standing Committee
Great Hall of the People • Beijing, China • October 23, 2022
The Communist Party of China's (CPC) 20th National Congress just concluded on Saturday, bringing a number of historic changes to Beijing's ruling party. Given that China is the second-largest economy in the world based on nominal GDP, the largest country by population, and the CPC is the second-largest political party by membership in the world, this latest meeting has serious consequences for the world.

Before digging into what happened, it's essential to understand how the Chinese government functions. I recommend the South China Morning Post's description for a detailed graphic, but here's a short version.

The country's core leadership is led by the 25-member Political Bureau of the CPC. This group, called the Politburo, is further concentrated in the seven-member standing committee that is headed by President Xi Jinping, considered first among equals.
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Oil Well

G7 not powerful enough to dictate Russian oil price - World Bank


RT
Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:48 UTC
oil, oil drum
© Getty Images / mevans
The proposed plan by the Group of Seven (G7) to impose a maximum price restriction on the purchases of Russian oil could work only if major emerging markets and developing countries join the scheme, the World Bank has said.

In its oil market outlook, issued on Wednesday, the bank highlighted the associated risks. It wrote that the upside risks are dominated by supply issues, including the extent to which Russia's exports are impacted by new trade measures.

"The proposed G7 oil price cap could affect the flow of oil from Russia, but it is an untested mechanism and would need the participation of large emerging markets and developing economies to achieve its objectives," the report said.

It added that while significant disruption to Russia's exports may occur in the short term as trade routes are disrupted, "market participants may find ways to circumvent the sanctions, as has often occurred with other sanction episodes."
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