Putin Recognizes Donbass Republics, Sends Russian Military to 'Denazify' Ukraine

"We are forced to suspend the electricity import starting from May 14," RAO Nordic said, explaining as the reason that it had yet to receive payment for volumes sold in May. "RAO Nordic is not able to make payments for the imported electricity from Russia."

"Russia's move is officially related to payment issues and not to Finland's NATO membership but the coincidence in timing is striking. Sweden will recoup the difference, as Finland only gets 10% of its electricity from Russia." «Интер РАО» перестанет поставлять электроэнергию в Финляндию

— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) May 13, 2022

"We're prepared for this and it won't be difficult. We can make do with a bit more imports from Sweden and Norway," Fingrid's manager for operational planning Timo Kaukonen told AFP.

"While the stoppage is not directly due to Finland's stated intent to apply for NATO membership, which is expected to drive discussion among the 30-member alliance at its major summit in Madrid, Spain in June - most pundits say the timing to the drastic action seems intent on sending an obvious message:"

 

And who is Sarah Rainsford?
Nice. Thanks for finding this. It's pretty clear that footage from various times was stitched together. This article makes a couple errors though. The building shadow moves about a foot or two east between when the guard walks towards the entrance, and when the two guys walk back and get shot - which could just indicate the passage of about 20-30 minutes (not hours), or shot on different days. And the gatehouse pictures are of two different buildings: the clean one that the solider peers into is the one across from the shop entrance, and the messy one is somewhere behind the store. The timestamp of the messy room camera is either faked or miscalibrated (the time indicates after sunset, but it seems to be maybe late afternoon).

The shot with Russian military vehicles marked V shows the same trucks shown in the clip of the Russian patrol, which the author thinks was legit. There's only a brief shot of the "V" van, with CNN saying the Russians in question used it. But there's no video of them entering or leaving that van, so it's unverifiable and so not relevant one way or the other. In fact, the BBC cuts the video of the van JUST as the door is opening - no view of who gets out. The van stops to the southeast of the store (in front of the gatehouse), but the video of the Russian patrol shows them walking south along the west side of the building, as if northwest is the direction they came from to get to the front entrance. Also worth noting is that the BBC video cuts away from the close-up footage of the shooting right around the same time that CNN does, but does not include the long shot. The yellow car isn't visible in either of the long shots (the old guy approaching, and leaving), but is in all the close-up shots.

One other thing the telegra.ph article doesn't point out is the presence of a shotgun on the floor by the door of the room with the old man's body. There's more to that story!
 
This is the most recent analysis from UK Column


⁣Mike Robinson, Patrick Henningsen, Alex Thomson and Vanessa Beeley with today's UK Column News.

No bullet points or reference material at this time. the show starts with a current map of the situation in Ukraine.

They did mentioned an article by Prof. Vladmir Goldstein posted on Sputnik (Interesting name) he is a Prof. at Brown University in the US.


Sleepwalking into Disaster

Here is the article for those that are unable to read it (I got a 404 message) with some searching I retrieved it. some images will not be reproduced, but here is the text for those interested.

Sleepwalking Into Disaster: How US Establishment Lost Fear of Escalating Ukraine Crisis​


On 9 May, US President Joe Biden signed a lend-lease Bill to streamline US lethal military aid to Ukraine, while the American press continues to present a one-sided picture of the Ukraine crisis. Vladimir Golstein, associate professor at Brown University in Rhode Island, has explained why this approach is fraught with great risks for the US.
Sputnik: After the beginning of Russian special operation in Ukraine, US Big Tech labelled and banned major Russian media outlets. Now, the Department of Homeland Security has announced the creation of a so-called Disinformation Governance Board to fight "Russian disinformation". What's so scary about Russian news, in your opinion? How far can this go?
Vladimir Golstein
: This trend is highly disturbing, to say the least. As is the case with all sorts of censorship, political in particular, it reveals the weakness of the censoring side. Why are they afraid to discuss issues if they are convinced that they are doing the right thing? What exactly are they hiding? Why are they afraid to be challenged?

Needless to say, this idea of censorship goes against the most fundamental and cherished principles of the United States. This is especially important, when the information which is being suppressed relates to a distant land and complex and highly contentious issues. Americans have the right to know what kind of a cause their money is supporting, and what kind of cause is worth pursuing at the risk of global conflagration.
The whole idea of “fake news” or “disinformation” is highly dubious. Any complex event has a multitude of manifestations and causes. There is no single set of eyes that can see and register it all. As St Paul observed, in the affairs of this world we see “through a glass darkly”, consequently, it is highly erroneous for one side to claim that they see clearly, whereas another side produces only fake news.

President Joe Biden looks to former President Barack Obama after signing an executive order during and event about the Affordable Care Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, April 5, 2022.
© AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster

Besides myopia and the self-defeating dimension of censorship, one should highlight two obvious facts related to censorship and the dismissal of alternative interpretations as propaganda:
First, governments resort to this tactic to achieve some sort of consensus, which they don’t want to be challenged. Indeed, ever since the violent overthrow of the legitimate government in Kiev in 2014, the western consensus has been established: “Ukraine is resisting Russian aggression. This aggression is getting more and more out of hand and is bound to spread further. To stop it, we need a stronger NATO. So, dear taxpayers, get ready to pay more for NATO expansion and a build-up of the military.”
Second, the war hysteria and the unchallenged demonisation of the other side serve one additional purpose: a diversion; a diversion from all sorts of failures by the government.
So I am not surprised that numerous western governments, British and American in particular, have decided to resort to various forms of modern censorship for the sake of these two myopic goals: military build-up and diversion.

ImageFighting to Win: Donbass is the Place Where the Old World Order is Challenged, French Volunteer Says

Sputnik: Adam Kinzinger (the Republican Representative for Illinois' 16th congressional district) introduced an authorisation for use of military force (AUMF) resolution which would allow the US president to send US troops to Ukraine. Does anyone among those supporting Kinzinger understand that this step could translate into all-out war between Russia and NATO?
Vladimir Golstein
: This political resolution is nothing but posturing. The United States is not ready to send military forces to Ukraine, knowing very well that that would result in all-out war. At least, top people in the government, the Pentagon in particular, are aware of that, and the president has been rather clear on the issue.
What is more disturbing is the fact that Adam Kinzinger believes that he can get political momentum by acting as an even greater war-monger than the Democrats. He obviously believes that the American campaign of demonising Russia has been so successful that his constituents would welcome further belligerent actions. Here again, we are dealing with the concrete results of the massive propaganda campaign undertaken by the US government along with all sorts of liberal outlets which used to be rather pacifist.

In recent years, however, the endless barrage of news to which Americans have been exposed, seems to carry two messages: first, Russians are barbaric and therefore performing all sorts of barbaric policies, including wars; second, they are not competent at what they do and are therefore being defeated by the courageous Ukrainian forces.
Consequently, Mr Kinzinger's average voter concludes that if barbaric Russians can’t win against Ukraine, they are surely no match for the all-powerful American war machine. Thus, there is no longer any fear connected with this war escalating to another level. This is very disturbing. There is a well-known book by Christopher Clark on the history of the First World War called 'The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914'. That’s exactly what we are facing now: sleepwalking politicians, such as Mr Kinzinger, gain in popularity, while their voters sleepwalk into electing them, ignoring what unfolds in front of their own eyes.

Image Dutch Journo: 'We are Here, in Donbass, to Awaken Westerners Deluded by MSM Propaganda'

Sputnik: Some observers say that the US and other NATO countries are already at war with Russia via their proxies in Ukraine. Do you agree with this view? What's your take on Finland and Sweden's NATO bid amid Russia's special operation, which itself was triggered by NATO expansion?
Vladimir Golstein
: The nature of this proxy war is obvious, and it has been obvious to any unbiased observer. The speed with which Ukraine has been armed by NATO, the provocative Ukrainian stance, the West's refusal to engage in diplomacy, the well-organised sanction campaign, the all-powerful media blitzkrieg, and finally, the acknowledgment of the top figures in western establishment that their purpose is to weaken Russia so it won’t be capable of any military action, all testify to the highly elaborate plans of subjugating Russia before tackling the next country that threatens NATO hegemony: China.

Needless to say, China is not interested in seeing Russia fall. Russia, China, India and other major countries are much more interested in a multi-polar world, and any action that would consolidate western leadership, such as further expanding NATO to include Finland and Sweden, are bound to have all sorts of repercussions, ranging from economic to military pushback. Further expansion of NATO means further undermining of the post-Second World War peace architecture, further escalation and military build-up, further abuse of valuable Earth resources for the sake of militarism.
One hopes that the depth and scope of these repercussions are made clear to the citizens of Sweden and Finland. Unfortunately, here we return to the issue of censorship and the dismissals of the Russian point of view. Somehow, Russian security concerns are consistently delegitimised in the western press, and that includes the Swedish and Finnish media.

This is highly regrettable and, more importantly, extremely dangerous. Poking a nuclear bear is one of the most idiotic things anyone can do, and Scandinavian people, who know Russians well, and who have been interacting with Russians for centuries, should know better.

Sputnik: What forces are interested in poking Russia, cancelling Russian culture, attacks on Russians abroad, further NATO expansion plans and arming Ukraine? What goals are they trying to reach?
Vladimir Golstein
: Unfortunately, militarism remains a very powerful magnet for a lot of people. Demonising Russia pays in all sorts of ways: it pays for the military industrial complex; it pays for the press that loves hysteria and black-and-white stories of the evil Russians and their innocent victims; it pays for the politicians who expect to ride and exploit this war of the Slavs for their own benefit; and last, but not least, it pays for the military strategists who know that taking on both Russia and China to reassert American supremacy is a complicated if not an impossible task, whereas starting with weakening Russia and gaining access to its resources is a much more reasonable undertaking. Consequently, too many people with access to power are interested in further escalation, in further expanding this proxy war.
It is the task of Russia to provide an adequate response without bringing the world to the brink of the Third World War. One hopes that Russian success in Ukraine will make NATO leaders rethink their strategies. Otherwise, the poking of Russia will continue, ushering in everything from a nuclear war to Russia’s collapse and dismantling.

End of article.

IMHO a Saner voice coming from someone in the sphere of US Academia and analysis. Sadly such voices are missing in the discourse, only to be replaced by a shiziod diatribe.
 
Does anyone have an idea of the type of weaponry used by the Russian forces? It looks like a red sphere that has a non-straight trajectory and a low speed!


Just to mention that the rocket might be a 9M133 Kornet. There are several variants but they all travel between >250-320 m/s with a range between 100-10,000 m (up to 10 km) depending on the version. The target in the video could be several miles away but it looks close because the lens on the camera is really 'long' (1000 mm? More?). The camera is also located very close to the launcher so the rocket is in frame almost the whole way. It's like 'optical foreshortening' and makes the rocket look like it's travelling very slow with a flight path that is completely bizarre when it's actually zipping along.
 
Just to mention that the rocket might be a 9M133 Kornet. There are several variants but they all travel between >250-320 m/s with a range between 100-10,000 m (up to 10 km) depending on the version. The target in the video could be several miles away but it looks close because the lens on the camera is really 'long' (1000 mm? More?). The camera is also located very close to the launcher so the rocket is in frame almost the whole way. It's like 'optical foreshortening' and makes the rocket look like it's travelling very slow with a flight path that is completely bizarre when it's actually zipping along.
Could be also older version - Malyutka. It's path looks erratic because its guided by the operator's hand. Used a lot in the Yugoslav wars during nineties.
 
CNN did the same story: Exclusive: Video shows Russian soldiers killing 2 civilians

This apparently took place when Russians were still circling Kiev, so in March, but neither article gives the precise date.

Could be, but showing surveillance footage with their faces doesn't seem in line with that.

Looks convincing enough to me. Every military has some idiot hot-heads, including Russia. Unlike allegations like Bucha of intentional mass atrocities that are created out of thin air or massively exaggerated, this is the type of thing that is unfortunately common enough in war. (Though I'd be open to any convincing debunking - just doesn't strike me as implausible on the face of it.)
I really wouldn't trust ANYTHING from the western sources. Especially the CNN.
 
Dmitry Peskok commented to Reuters that this is "most likely" fake news (that they would cut the gas this soon). Interesting wording though, I guess we'll find it out soon anyway.

But Russia has already given plenty of warnings, and explained all the consequences (like an adult to a child) if and when Finland joins Nato:

So whatever the countermeasures will be, the Finnish government can't act surprised; they were told.

It's really sad, post WW2 Finland had smart leaders who outlined as their highest foreign policy goal to maintain good relations with Russia. This so called Paasikivi-Kekkonen doctrine paved way to rebuilding peaceful country with high living standard, and good grasp of geopolitical realities.

President Kekkonen (who was leader for over 25 years!) was famous from the way he handled the Soviet leaders, taking them to sauna and making diplomatic deals which benefited Finnish national interests (such as bilateral trade agreements). "By their fruits you shall know them", and looking back now Finland played well the cold war era.

Unfortunately today (after the decades of 'good times') majority of Finnish politicians are dumb as bricks, and blindly follow what the US and EU dictates, while waiting to get rewarded later with some EU position or similar nonsense. So just like in other Western countries, Finnish political leadership has slowly but surely been reduced to a bunch of shallow, self-centered 'career politicians' who parrot all the correct ideological catch phrases and make only decisions that are increasingly harmful to the large majority. But ultimately it's the Finnish citizens who voted these people, and as the saying here goes, "one gets what one orders".

It's clear to me now that neo-Nazi elements (el Banderistas) were installed in Ukraine and funded for many, many years. Are you aware of anything similar happening in Finland?
 
Dmitry Peskok commented to Reuters that this is "most likely" fake news (that they would cut the gas this soon). Interesting wording though, I guess we'll find it out soon anyway.

But Russia has already given plenty of warnings, and explained all the consequences (like an adult to a child) if and when Finland joins Nato:

So whatever the countermeasures will be, the Finnish government can't act surprised; they were told.

It's really sad, post WW2 Finland had smart leaders who outlined as their highest foreign policy goal to maintain good relations with Russia. This so called Paasikivi-Kekkonen doctrine paved way to rebuilding peaceful country with high living standard, and good grasp of geopolitical realities.

President Kekkonen (who was leader for over 25 years!) was famous from the way he handled the Soviet leaders, taking them to sauna and making diplomatic deals which benefited Finnish national interests (such as bilateral trade agreements). "By their fruits you shall know them", and looking back now Finland played well the cold war era.

Unfortunately today (after the decades of 'good times') majority of Finnish politicians are dumb as bricks, and blindly follow what the US and EU dictates, while waiting to get rewarded later with some EU position or similar nonsense. So just like in other Western countries, Finnish political leadership has slowly but surely been reduced to a bunch of shallow, self-centered 'career politicians' who parrot all the correct ideological catch phrases and make only decisions that are increasingly harmful to the large majority. But ultimately it's the Finnish citizens who voted these people, and as the saying here goes, "one gets what one orders".
What is the stance of the ordinary Fin people?
 
Since this thing started I've been pleased to see that the news site The Duran, which, if I remember correctly, was established around 2014–2015 after the Maidan/CIA coup, is highly active again (maybe they've been active since then without me paying any attention). In any case, the best thing with The Duran, IMO, is Alexander Mercouris. I remember appreciating his analyses back in 2014 when he freuqently featured on RT's Crosstalk, and now I equally find him to be one of the most intelligent commentators around.

I mostly listen to their talks via the podcast versions that they upload, and one of the more recent interviews that I enjoyed very much was with a guest named Robert Barnes. I'm not familiar with him from before but in this interview he gave one of the best overviews of what has been going on in geopolitics and with Ukraine for quite some time. If you've got the time I highly recommend listening to this:

 
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