Yes, I think the short-term goal of the US is to convince the EU to apply energy sector sanctions against Russia, killing two birds with one stone: Russia would lose significant part of its revenue and the US could supply the EU with liquefied gas, acquiring new partner in this sector. Hence all the anti-Russian propaganda and calls to decrease dependence on Russian natural gas supplies.
However so far the EU does not want to stop buying cheap Russian gas and switch to expensive liquefied gas and increase its dependence on the US.
In the face of recent events the EU might want to re-think its dependence on the US.
Here is an example of the US reach - BNP Paribas Agrees to Pay Nearly $9 Billion to Resolve U.S. Probe - WSJ
The US "fines" French bank for nearly $9 billions, I mean it is clear that the US wants to control the whole world and dictates its will even to Europe.
Unfortuntely we are "hooked" on the USA in Europe.
If the USA is heroin, we are junkies.
It will take a long time to 1) admit the problem, 2) kick the habit, 3) start a new life with sound relationships.
The USA spies on us, tricks or bullies us into its idiotic and consistently failed wars and is responsible --- deliberately or not --- for some very disturbing cultural and moral developments in Europe.
Yet we continue coming back for more. We are guilty of this ourselves and NOTHING seems to be able to snap most people out of it. Wikileaks and Snowden changed little.
Most people in Western Europe and lately also Eastern Europe grew up surrounded by:“We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.”
― George Orwell, 1984
American food
American beverages
American style clothing
American music
American films
American TV
American computer games
American military bases
American culture
American values
...and more
When Europe did this to Asia, Africa and South America we called it by its rightful names: Imperialism and colonialism. But this is on a grander scale and not acknowledged for what it is.
If a German person puts on tracht he's considered a backwards nerd. But nobody thinks twice if he wears jeans and a T shirt with an American slogan, in English.
In England, people dancing traditional English dances are often accused of being racist. But nobody thinks twice if they dance to hip-hop or disco.
In Sweden, kids nowadays are swearing in English. They'd choose a McDonald's Happy Meal over a traditional healthy meal of fresh fish and newly picked mushrooms.
Every kid on the European continent knows Disney's characters. But the traditional fairytales are being forgotten. The kids can sing the tunes to these films, but not traditional songs that existed for hundreds of years.
I could go on forever with examples like this.
I'm not saying this is America's fault exclusively or that all of it is deliberate. We are guilty for allowing it to happen.
Americans, please don't take this as an insult on your culture, it isn't. American culture in small doses, or in the country where it belongs is an amazing thing that I greatly appreciate.
But all this has created a situation where America can get away with ANYTHING in Europe. We are US zombies! I doubt if a massacre perpetrated by the US in central London, Paris or Berlin would make people snap out of it. It would be justified as anti-terrorist or a tragic accident in the US controlled media and people would get back to their Cokes, computer games and Hollywood films.
The US energy plan will fall on geographical and economical realities though.
To you maybe, to me they weren't, and what's more its proof that might convince English speaking people who believe that the Kiev gov't is conducting an anti-terrorist operation.
Да что ты говоришь. В его планах было занять крымские военные базы, а потом главной целью стало спровоцировать военное вторжение России на территорию Украины (этого некоторые и сейчас добиваются, устраивая прилеты осколков от снарядов на российскую территорию) и устроить всемирную истерию по этому поводу.
Ни то, ни другое не удалось. "Вигвам называется".
This is interesting. Poroshenko's Ministry of Defense is now the RAND Corporation.
President Poroshenko Uses RAND Corporation “Action Plan” for Eastern Ukraine including Ground Assaults and Air Strikes | Global Research
To make it easier for Russians to read the photographed document, I typed it up.
Notice the last part about foreign media. And I thought the US Constitution supported Freedom of the Press. Hmmm.... Maybe I misread the Constitution. Maybe the White House thinks it meant Freedom of Propaganda?Confidential document prepared by the RAND corporation:
MEMORANDUM
On the advisable course of action in case the peace plan fails
In case further negotiation with southeast Ukrainian Insurgents should prove futile, the only practicable solution should be a swift crackdown on the separatists and terrorists, to be undertaken irrespective of public opinion or operation costs. Procrastination would dramatically reduce the operation's chances of success.
Possible political and material downsides of an operation should be greatly outweighed by the following probable gains:
- Activists of a pro-Russian political movement get decimated, pro-Russian voters get disorganized.
- A significant share of the region's coal industries get destroyed in the fighting, or are otherwise designated for a quick shutdown, thus relieving Ukraine's budget of the burdensome subsidy costs.
- Shutting down Donbas Industries will mean a stark reduction in gas consumption, and therefore a lesser dependency on Russian energy imports.
- Rinat Akhmetov and his clan's political and economic clout is considerably weakened.
- Ukraine's current economic and social difficulties can be explained to the public as the unwanted yet unavoidable consequences of the military operation, which the Ukrainian government has been keen yet unable to avoid due to the terrorists' Intransigence.
The Presumable Stages of a Military Operation
Stage One: Total isolation of the rebel region
Considering that any resident of the Donetsk Region and the Lugansk Region has had enough time and opportunities to leave the area of hostilities provided that they wanted to do so, anyone who has stayed behind should be regarded as complicit in the unrest, or supportive of it.
Martial law shall be introduced in the defiant regions. All local authorities shall have their competencies terminated, the Constitution shall be suspended. Direct presidential rule shall be imposed.
The region shall be encircled with troops and sealed off entirely from any flow of goods and persons, both incoming and outgoing. Special attention shall be given to areas that border on Russia. Broadcasting services, Internet connection, telephone and mobile communications in the region shall be shut down. A curfew shall be imposed between 20:00 and 06:00. International media staff working in the region shall be subject to a special procedure.
Stage two: Mop-up
The circle of troops around the rebel region shall be tightened gradually. Ground assaults shall be prece4ded by air strikes against the enemy's strategic facilities, artillery and mortar teams, and bunched-up troops. The use of non-conventional arms shall not be ruled out in certain cases in order to ensure smaller casualties among our own personnel.
Settlements shall be liberated one by one, with armor going in first and wiping out the remaining pockets of resistance, shooting to kill anyone who bears arms. Infantry shall move in next to relocate male adults into internment camps. Anyone who attempts to resist shall be executed on the spot. Children aged under 13 and people older than 60 shall be moved to specially equipped facilities in areas that are further away from the zone of the anti-terrorist operation.
Internment camps shall set up outside the settlements that have been cleared, and guarded by units who are considered to be ideologically safe. People featuring traces of combat engagement, like bruises, scuff marks, gunshot and fragment wounds, traces of gunpowder and gun oil on the skin and clothes, shall be tried in court for separatism and terrorism. After a two-month period of internment, the remaining individuals shall be allowed to return to places of their residence and be placed under surveillance by security services.
Stage 3: Back to Normal
Military specialists shall be employed to restore water, heat, power supplies and communications.
The borders shall be strengthened, with checkpoints set up to avoid possible provocations by Russia and to prepare for a massive return of refugees. Those who fled the war zone shall be allowed to return to their place of residence. However, men aged 18-60 shall be checked for possible support for separatists in internment camps. The property of convicted and displaced residents of the Lugansk and Donetsk regions shall be nationalized by the state and later awarded to the servicemen who would be distinguished for valor during the anti-terrorist campaign.
Special focus shall be made on information security, which means that the area of the anti-terrorist campaign shall be made off limits to foreign media. Stories of heroism and courage of Ukraine's armed forces, the National Guard and other armed units in saving civilians in the east of Ukraine from terrorists and armed gangs shall be spread as broadly as possible.
Note: If the active stage of the anti-terrorist operation ends no later than September 1, 2014, martial law shall be lifted no earlier than January 1, 2015.
Лучше смерть, чем бесчестие! Тем временем: Вечно молодой, Вечно пьяный. - Смысловые Галлюцинации, Чартова дюжина 2015!
Пожалуйста, исправьте мои ошибки. Спасибо.
The 3 tanks are T-64BV's, a Ukrainian military upgrade of the old Soviet T-64. The fact that they were seen crossing into Ukraine doesn't exclude the possibility that they coulda crossed into Russia first. The Ukrainian army has been caught driving APC's into Russia. The rest of the artillery coulda been taken from any Ukrainian base or warehouse. It's also common practice to take artillery from captured enemy troops... or maybe even the ones that surrendered and changed sides?
1. Putin doesn't care about ethnic Ukrainians. (emotional language isn't required in any debate)
2. Putin doesn't care about ethnic Russians.
3. This is the same ruler who called ethnic Russians idiots...
4. and has laws that prevent that group from having a voice.
5. You are uninformed about your own country.
You've made 5 completely unsupported claims. If you don't back them up with concrete evidence, they will be summarily dismissed.
Also, tell me how much you knew about the PRISM surveillance system, the international wiretapping, and the deaths of the Reuters journalists (by friendly fire) before the Manning/Snowden leaks.
If you can't provide an answer and proof of your early knowledge of those events, then I will have to conclude that "You are uninformed about your own country.".
Лучше смерть, чем бесчестие! Тем временем: Вечно молодой, Вечно пьяный. - Смысловые Галлюцинации, Чартова дюжина 2015!
Пожалуйста, исправьте мои ошибки. Спасибо.
I saw the RAND document on RT. Flabbergasted!
I am very propganda conscious so I immediately read it looking for signs that it was fake. I.e. dodgy English. But as far as I can tell, it's got every sign of being compiled by a young think-tank employee with legal training "shall this, "shall that".
I noticed no non-native English grammar mistakes, missed definite articles, incorrectly used words or expressions or anything to indicate that anyone other than a young, reasonably educated think tank employee, with some limited legal background wrote this. Exactly as you would expect if it was genuine.
Native English speakers, do you agree with my assessment of language?
If it was a plant, it's very unlikely that it would be in native English with the exact type of tone you'd expect from the type of employee who'd write something like that.
Also the fact that it doesn't seem well aqcuainted with real conditions in Ukraine, is probably a further confirmation that it's genuine; a Ukrainian or Russian who hypothetically created this for propaganda reasons would be better informed about the real situation in Ukraine.
The fact that RAND denies writing it, means nothing.
This is exactly how the US does these types of operations; through instructions provided by privately or gov't funded think tanks.
It's how the flower and colour revolutions are planned.
Obviously now that it's been revealed, they'll have to re-rig the plan so it's not too obvious when it's later implemented.
@14Russian: I'll let your rant slip because I assume you were drunk when you wrote it. Feel free to clarify what you mean when you sobered up because it made no sense whatsoever.
@hddscan: You are a breath of well needed fresh air in this forum for sure. Keep it up!
Some good news coming, (in case it's not fake, of course) :
Ukraine claims victory as rebel fighters reportedly flee Slavyansk - Telegraph
Ukraine claims victory as rebel fighters reportedly flee Slavyansk
Rebel fighters abandoned their most important stronghold in the Donetsk region, according to reports in local media
Yes, what they called it was a "tactical retreat", but according to some news sources, it's just an euphemism for defeat. I hope Ukraine gets back its integrity pretty soon!
Now, this statement of one of the separatists should get you, Russians, really angry:
“Kutuzov also retreated, as was the plan,” he said, In an apparent reference to the 1812 battle of Borodino. “Russians only retreat before a decisive victory.”
They intentionally use every opportunity to boast about their alleged links to your country, deliberately making an international deal out of a local criminal gang thing. What do you say?
Eric, I consider this post a primitive trollism. It is somewhat insulting to even read it.
But I'm going to accept your "confusion", even it looks like deliberately chosen bait.
You are confusing Russians with Russia.
From the day one of the conflict Russian officials were saying that there are many ethnic Russians in Ukraine and i don't see anything wrong with that expression said by potentially ethnic Russian.
As for "criminal gang stuff", there are many different opinions on that topic, some consider current Ukrainian president to be in "criminal gang stuff" but I don't see any point of discussing that with you, you made it very clear in your previous posts, that you prefer to deny any positive facts that would be related to Russians.
Just try not to throw insults and do not create ethnic and national hatred here.
When you asked us "But what about you, Russian guys? So you ARE involved, or still not?", we answered here (although you seem to not care about our replies). Now I have a question to you, "What about YOU? Are YOU involved? What is YOUR interest if you HOPE something will happen in Ukraine?" Your position is Russophobic, still you can write a very good Russian, and you *hope* about some events in Ukraine. I'm beginning to have a guess...
One more thing. My position about this matter can't possibly be Russophobic, because not only do I not assume any involvement of Russia in that conflict, but I'm actually trying to bring up the idea of Russia totally staying out of it. Now, what some of you guys are doing by saying that you and your country have sympathy for those separatist groups is that you in fact question the impartiality of your country in the matter. That is what could be called Russophobic, as it doesn't do good for the image of your country. I would probably think of it if I were you. =))
That country might have problems and features that not everyone likes, but they're better off fixing those by themselves. They do not need to give up a piece of their territory to *God knows whom* to start fixing them.
Почему не оставить эту тему на какое-то время? Там люди гибнут, а вы тут пререкаетесь.
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