Puppet MastersS


Arrow Up

This ain't no 'stalemate': Ukrainian frontline breakdown, revisited

Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 02:18 UTC
Ukraine Troops
© Public Domain
Evidence keeps piling up, via leaked reports, of an across-the-board breakdown in the Ukrainian frontlines.

Previously, we focused on the southern Zaporozhye front. Now let's focus on Kharkov, in the northeast.

The attached document, fully verified for authenticity, is a July report to the Chief of Staff of the operational-tactical group "Sumy".
Ukraine Leaked Report
© Strategic Culture Foundation
The report essentially says that it's impossible to withdraw two thirds of the A7383 unit from the battlefield to recover combat readiness because the remaining one third is incapable of holding the fort - which happens to extend along 55.5 km.

In parallel, recruiting was proceeding very slowly.

As of four months ago, the 127th separate territorial defense brigade in Kharkov was still equipped with 72% of personnel - 2,392 soldiers and 256 officers. Yet, crucially, the moral-psychological condition of the unit was critical - just as in the previous instance in Zaporozhye.

So forget about recovering combat readiness: this is yet another case of a brigade - now in Kharkov - that cannot fight properly. The previous case was far from being an exception to the current rule.

The conclusion is stark: with whole brigades in critical condition, the entire Ukrainian frontline may be about to fall.
Read More...
MIB

The West is poised for color revolutions in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine

Erkin Oncan
Strategic Culture Foundation
Sat, 11 Nov 2023 21:51 UTC
europe map
Georgia, which has been the subject of discussions regarding its potential membership in the European Union (EU), is eagerly awaiting the decision that will be announced today regarding its candidate status. The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Irakli Kobahidze, has expressed optimism that a positive decision in favor of Georgia's candidate status is in the making, while Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili emphasized the historical significance of this decision and its implications for Georgia's future in Europe.

As the decision from the EU Commission is eagerly anticipated, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called on the public to gather in Tbilisi after the decision is revealed. She stated, "We will come together tomorrow and reiterate that our destiny lies not with Russia but with Europe, making our voices heard."

President Zurabishvili had previously taken a firm stance against the parliament during debates on the "Transparency of Foreign Influence Law," leading to pro-Western supporters taking to the streets in the country. She announced during her visit to the USA that she supports the activists and intends to veto the law.
Read More...
Magnify

How the Israel-Hamas war poisons US politics

Tarik Cyril Amar
RT
Mon, 13 Nov 2023 19:36 UTC
Rashida Tlaib
© Brendan Smialowski / AFPUS Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
On November 7, the US House of Representatives voted to censure one of its members, Rashida Tlaib, a Congresswoman from Michigan, first elected to her seat in 2018. The official reason for this rebuke was the allegation that Tlaib had been "promoting false narratives regarding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel" and been "calling for the destruction of the state of Israel."

It is easy to establish that Tlaib did neither. Her censure is an injustice built on a lie. That raises the question of what it was really about.

But first things first: Let's look into the two accusations advanced against her. Regarding "promoting false narratives" about the Hamas attack, the relevant House Resolution 845 claims that Tlaib "defended" as "justified 'resistance'" to "the 'apartheid state'" the "the brutal rapes, murders, be-headings, and kidnapping[s] ... by Hamas."

Yet, in reality, the Congresswoman did no such thing or anything a fair observer could mistake for such a thing. What Tlaib stated was that she "grieve[d] the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day" and that the path to a better future "must include lifting the blockade" on Gaza and "ending the occupation." She called for "dismantling the [Israeli] apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance." And she argued that as long as the US "provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue."
Read More...
Bad Guys

Best of the Web: Netanyahu warns of terror attacks in West if Israel loses to Hamas


The Cradle
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00 UTC
netanyahu bibi
© Photo credit: EPA-EFE/ABIR SULTAN/POOL
The US and Europe will be the targets of terror attacks if Israel loses its current war with Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on 13 November.

"We have to win to protect Israel. We have to win to safeguard the Middle East. We have to win for the sake of the civilized world. That's the battle we're fighting, and it's being waged right now. There is no substitute for that victory," Netanyahu said, adding "If we don't win now, then Europe is next and you're next."

Insisting that "our fight is your fight," the PM went on to allege that an "axis of terror" exists between Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and the Iranian government, claiming Tehran's "minions" seek to "bring the Middle East [and] the world back to the Dark Ages."

Comment: See also: It's a trap! The wave of repercussions as the Middle East fights "the last war"

Read More...
Red Flag

EU's Ukraine weapons goal 'unattainable' - Germany


RT
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:33 UTC
Boris Pistorius
© Omar Havana/Getty ImagesGerman Defense Minister Boris Pistorius
The European Union will not be able to make good on its pledge to provide Ukraine with one million artillery rounds by next March, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has admitted. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has also echoed this assessment.

Brussels made the promise earlier this year, expecting to reach the ambitious target within 12 months by dipping into existing stocks, as well as by procuring shells from arms manufacturers. However, several media outlets have reported that the bloc is falling behind schedule.

Speaking ahead of a meeting by EU defense chiefs in Brussels on Tuesday, Pistorius said that "the one million won't be achieved. One must proceed on this assumption." The minister blamed the supposed shortfall on inadequate production capacities in European nations, explaining that even if the economy was switched to a wartime mode, the ammunition output would still not become prolific enough overnight.
Read More...
Black Magic

UK government implicated in murder of Gaza doctor sponsored by its Foreign Office

Kit Klarenberg
The Grayzone
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:19 UTC
Dr. Maisara Alrayyes ex-British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly
Left: Former Chevening scholar Dr. Maisara Alrayyes. Right: ex-British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
The UK government refused to condemn Israel's targeted murder of Dr. Maisara Alrayyes, a Palestinian alumnus of the British Foreign Office's prestigious Chevening scholarship. Meanwhile, London has instructed media outlets to keep silent about its direct involvement in the Gaza slaughter.

Since the beginning of Israel's military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, the British government has remained unflappably silent on the carnage inflicted on Palestinian civilians with one notable exception.

On November 8th, the Foreign Office announced the death of Dr. Maisara Alrayyes, a Palestinian alumnus of its prestigious Chevening scholarship scheme, under which "outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world" can pursue all-expenses-paid master's degrees at prestigious British universities.
Read More...
Pistol

From Kiev to Gaza: NATO weapons found on Gaza battlefield?

Martin Jay
The Islander
Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:00 UTC
tank guys
© Sticky PostWeapons come and go...somewhere else
  • The government admits that British arms were being resold onto black market
  • Senior MP reveals a huge package of measures to track UK equipment
  • US and UK arms showing up with Mexican drug cartels and terror groups in Africa
  • Nigerian president claims arms from Ukraine funding wars in Central Africa
  • Ben Wallace says Africa victim of "Russian disinformation"
  • Top MP concedes the government still can't find them after they leave for battlefield
  • Some British weapons could end up with Hamas fighters in Gaza (video sources)
Video
© Screen ShotVideo seen by The Islander believed to be made by a Hamas fighter, showing off his stock of UK and Swedish made anti tank weapons in Gaza
Previous concerns that UK arms were being resold on the black market and even ending up in hot spots around the world - being used against Western allies - are mounting and concerning the British government.

Officially though, the government, despite admitting that they have taken a series of new measures to prevent UK equipment from being resold in Ukraine, is in hot denial and sticking to the "Russian disinformation" line.

Just recently though more experts - many even respected ones from the West - are lining up to question it.

They have revealed that a number of arms shipments from the UK are ending up in Libya, Lebanon, Iraq and Somalia before being sold to South American countries. In some cases, some claim, they are even being sent to Iran in small quantities - with always the worry that they could be sent to the Palestinians fighting in Gaza today.
Read More...
Laptop

Emails reveal how Amazon and Google tap friends in government to influence policies. Critics say there's too much 'coziness' with Big Tech

Hugh Langley
Business Insider
Fri, 10 Nov 2023 05:00 UTC
KTai
© Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG/Getty ImagesUS Trade Representative Katherine Tai • US Capitol • March 2023
When you work as a Big Tech lobbyist, there's a good chance you're already friends with someone in government.

In 2022, 82.4% of Amazon lobbyists and 81.3% of Alphabet lobbyists previously held government jobs, according to data from OpenSecrets.

Critics have long claimed this revolving door lets Big Tech companies take an outsize role in shaping trade agreements to protect their bottom lines and limit how they can be regulated. In May, Sen. Elizabeth Warren claimed in a report that emails sent between Big Tech companies and the Office of the United States Trade Representative revealed a pattern of Big Tech getting "unparalleled access" to trade officials — including the US trade representative, Katherine Tai — to shape decisions on policies like digital tariffs in their favor.

"Big Tech uses its special revolving door access to furtively push for rigged trade policies," Warren wrote.

Insider reviewed a set of emails sent between USTR members and lobbyists from Google and Amazon from April 2022 to May 2023, which the advocacy group Demand Progress obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request and shared exclusively with Insider.
Read More...
Stop

US stance on Gaza 'paralyzing' UN Security Council - Russia


RT
Tue, 14 Nov 2023 01:27 UTC
search
© Mohammed Abed/AFPThe Searchers • Rafah in southern Gaza • November 10, 2023
Washington is ignoring calls to end the suffering of the Palestinians, Moscow says...

The US is using its veto power in the UN Security Council to sabotage international efforts to end the bloodshed in the Middle East, despite dire warnings from the organization's own staff about the staggering civilian death toll in Gaza, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Monday.

The Foreign Ministry declared in a statement on its website:
"All UN representatives have been jointly calling for an 'immediate humanitarian ceasefire', which would end this inhumane collective punishment, the suffering of children, women, and the elderly. However, the Security Council can't execute its direct mandate and remains paralyzed thanks to the position of a single country - the US."
The ministry added that Israel "fully bears" a duty to observe international law on Palestinian territories, including Gaza.

The US and its allies vetoed three resolutions, two sponsored by Russia and one by Brazil, calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants. Russia and China, meanwhile, voted against an alternative resolution introduced by Washington.

The US has since called for "humanitarian pauses," but argued that a comprehensive ceasefire at this time would only help Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and prompting retaliatory airstrikes. Israel has agreed to maintain four-hour daily pauses to allow civilians to escape to the southern part of the Palestinian enclave as the IDF continues to encircle Gaza City.

Comment: Blame: Global opinion does not differentiate. Neither will retaliation.

Read More...
Network

China's ICBC, the world's biggest bank, hit by cyberattack that reportedly disrupted Treasury markets

Arjun Kharpal
CNBC
Fri, 10 Nov 2023 06:15 UTC
Bank
© VCG GettyImages
The U.S. financial services division of Chinese bank ICBC was hit with a cyberattack that reportedly disrupted the trading of Treasurys.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world's largest lender by assets, said Thursday that its financial services arm, called ICBC Financial Services, experienced a ransomware attack "that resulted in disruption to certain" systems.

Immediately after discovering the hack, ICBC "isolated impacted systems to contain the incident," the state-owned bank said.

Ransomware is a type of cyberattack. It involves hackers taking control of systems or information and only letting them go once the victim has paid a ransom. It's a type of attack that has seen an explosion in popularity among bad actors in recent years.

ICBC did not reveal who was behind the attack but said it has been "conducting a thorough investigation and is progressing its recovery efforts with the support of its professional team of information security experts." The Chinese bank also said it is working with law enforcement.

Comment: Another reality check in the obliteration of 'life as we thought we knew it'.

Read More...