Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?

Pashalis said:
In 40 minutes Putin will start his annual media Q&A marathon (last year it were over three hours).

Putin’s 2015 media Q&A marathon: 1,400 journalists to pose questions to Russian president:
https://www.rt.com/news/326186-putin-media-conference-2015/

The live stream with simultaneous translation can be seen here:


Can't wait!

Wrong video link above... Here is the english translation:

 
You Want War? Russia is Ready for War Pepe Escobar
http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20151215/1031786484/russia-ready-war.html

Nobody needs to read Zbigniew “Grand Chessboard” Brzezinski’s 1997 opus to know US foreign policy revolves around one single overarching theme: prevent – by all means necessary – the emergence of a power, or powers, capable of constraining Washington’s unilateral swagger, not only in Eurasia but across the world.

The Pentagon carries the same message embedded in newspeak: the Full Spectrum Dominance doctrine.

Syria is leading all these assumptions to collapse like a house of cards. So no wonder in a Beltway under no visible chain of command – the Obama administration barely qualifies as lame duck – angst is the norm.

The Pentagon is now engaged in a Vietnam-style escalation of boots on the ground across “Syraq”. 50 commandos are already in northern Syria “advising” the YPG Syrian Kurds as well as a few “moderate” Sunnis. Translation: telling them what Washington wants them to do. The official White House spin is that these commandos “support local forces” (Obama’s words) in cutting off supply lines leading to the fake “Caliphate” capital, Raqqa.

Another 200 Special Forces sent to Iraq will soon follow, allegedly to “engage in direct combat” against the leadership of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, which is now ensconced in Mosul.

All these American boots on the ground in theory should be coordinating, soon, with a new, spectacularly surrealist 34-country “Islamic” coalition (Iran was not invited), set up to fight ISIS/ISIL/Daesh by no less than the ideological matrix of all strands of Salafi-jihadism: Wahhabi Saudi Arabia.

Syria is now Coalition Central. Syria is now Coalition Central. There are at least four; the “4+1” (Russia, Syria, Iran, Iraq plus Hezbollah), which is actually fighting Daesh; the US-led coalition, a sort of mini NATO-GCC combo, but with the GCC doing nothing; the Russia-France direct military collaboration; and the new Saudi-led “Islamic” charade. They are pitted against an astonishing number of Salafi-jhadi coalitions and alliances of convenience that last from a few months to a few hours.

And then there’s Turkey, which under Sultan Erdogan plays a vicious double game.

Sarajevo All Over Again?

Russian intel has certainly played all possible scenarios involving a NATO Turkish army on the Turkish-Syrian border as well as the possibility of Ankara closing the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles for the Russian “Syria Express”. Erdogan may not be foolish enough to offer Russia yet another casus belli. But Moscow is taking no chances.

Russia has placed ships and submarines capable of launching nuclear missiles in case Turkey under the cover of NATO decides to strike out against the Russian position. President Putin has been clear; Russia will use nuclear weapons if necessary if conventional forces are threatened.

If Ankara opts for a suicide mission of knocking out yet another Su-24, or Su-34, Russia will simply clear the airspace all across the border via the S-400s. If Ankara under the cover of NATO responds by launching the Turkish Army on Russian positions, Russia will use nuclear missiles, drawing NATO into war not only in Syria but potentially also in Europe. And this would include using nuclear missiles to keep Russian strategic use of the Bosphorus open.

That’s how we can draw a parallel of Syria today as the equivalent of Sarajevo 1914.

Since mid-2014 the Pentagon has run all manner of war games – as many as 16 times, under different scenarios – pitting NATO against Russia. All scenarios were favorable to NATO. All simulations yielded the same victor: Russia.

And that’s why Erdogan’s erratic behavior actually terrifies quite a few real players from Washington to Brussels.

Let Me Take You on a Missile Cruise

The Pentagon is very much aware of the tremendous heavy metal Russia may unleash if provoked to the limit by someone like Erdogan. Let's roll out an abridged list.

Russia can use the mighty SS-18 – which NATO codenames “Satan”; each “Satan” carries 10 warheads, with a yield of 750 to 1000 kilotons each, enough to destroy an area the size of New York state.

The Topol M ICBM is the world's fastest missile at 21 Mach (16,000 miles an hour); against it, there’s no defense. Launched from Moscow, it hits New York City in 18 minutes, and L.A. in 22.8 minutes.

Russian submarines – as well as Chinese submarines – are able to launch offshore the US, striking coastal targets within a minute. Chinese submarines have surfaced next to US aircraft carriers undetected, and Russian submarines can do the same.

The S-500 anti-missile system is capable of sealing Russia off from ICBMs and cruise missiles. (Moscow will only admit on the record that the S-500s will be rolled out in 2016; but the fact the S-400s will soon be delivered to China implies the S-500s may be already operational.) The S-500 makes the Patriot missile look like a V-2 from WWII.

Here, a former adviser to the US Chief of Naval Operations essentially goes on the record saying the whole US missile defense apparatus is worthless.

Russia has a supersonic bomber fleet of Tupolev Tu-160s; they can take off from airbases deep in the heart of Russia, fly over the North Pole, launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles from safe distances over the Atlantic, and return home to watch the whole thing on TV.

Russia can cripple virtually every forward NATO base with tactical – or battlefield – small-yield nuclear weapons. It’s not by accident that Russia over the past few months tested NATO response times in multiple occasions.


The Iskander missile travels at seven times the speed of sound with a range of 400 km. It’s deadly to airfields, logistics points and other stationary infrastructure along a broad war theatre, for instance in southern Turkey.

NATO would need to knock out all these Iskanders. But then they would need to face the S-400s – or, worse, S-500s — which Russia can layer in defense zones in nearly every conceivable theater of war. Positioning the S-400s in Kaliningrad, for instance, would cripple all NATO air operations deep inside Europe.

And presiding over military decisions, Russia privileges the use of Reflexive Control (RC). This is a tactic that aims to convey selected information to the enemy that forces him into making self-defeating decisions; a sort of virus influencing and controlling his decision-making process. Russia uses RC tactically, strategically and geopolitically. A young Vladimir Putin learned all there is to know about RC at the 401st KGB School and further on in his career as a KGB/FSB officer.

All right, Erdogan and NATO; do you still wanna go to war?


Retired Admiral James Lyons: Where are our military leaders? They’ve been emasculated (Video)
http://investmentwatchblog.com/retired-admiral-james-lyons-where-are-our-military-leaders-theyve-been-emasculated/

I’m no expert but I’ve paid attention to the US Air Force for all of my life.

If the other branches are like the Air Force then here’s the situation, from what I can tell.

The real men have been gradually but inexorably driven OUT of the service since the early 1990’s. PC policies are chiefly responsible for this.

Gone are the veteran NCOs with experience in peacetime and wartime, a solid work ethic, and a moral compass. The ones who didn’t separate of their own accord were either hopelessly mangled or killed somewhere along the road called GWoT.


So what’s left?

Immigrants of questionable legal status with uncertain loyalties
Sad sacks who can’t make it in the private sector
Unskilled labor with nowhere to go
Gang members seeking weapons/explosives training
College graduates with liberal arts degrees worth nothing
Bi/Homo/Transsexual/Transgender individuals seeking like-minded people

And so on.

The US Armed Forces are encumbered with an endless stream of political agendas foisted on them by Washington. War-fighting is not the priority it once was, not by a long shot – political correctness rules the day.

Add to this disturbing state of affairs the corruption of the American MIC – which is more attuned to maximizing profits than it is in providing top-quality, durable, and highly effective military hardware – and you have the makings of an unmitigated disaster.

Russia is a large country with effective weapons but the population is small. If cornered, they may well use nukes.

China is a large country with a large population but it’s anyone’s guess how their weapons will perform. They still haven’t figured out how to build durable powerplants for the J-11. Plus, they lack combat experience.

So there we are, I guess. Not sure who I’d give the edge to but I will say this: I wouldn’t let anyone I love join the US military right now.
 
Week Ten of Russia’s Intervention in Syria. The Empire’s Reckless Arrogance The Saker
http://www.globalresearch.ca/week-ten-of-the-russias-intervention-in-syria-the-empires-reckless-arrogance/5496137

The “news” that Israel and Turkey are systematically violating international law is hardly news at all. After all, we all know that Turkey has been regularly bombing the Kurds in Iraq and Syria, that Turkey still illegally occupies northern Cyprus just like the Israelis have been bombing Syria and Lebanon for decades and that they are still illegally occupying Palestine.

The interesting development this week is that France, the UK and Germany have all officially decided to join these rogue states and act just like the Turks and Israelis by illegally intervening in Syria – in direct violation of international law – supposedly to fight Daesh.

And even though Daesh is the official enemy, it “just so happens” that Syrian army positions were bombed by the USAF while the Israelis bombed Hezbollah missile depots. Apparently, the “Assad must go” policy is still the order of the day. In a way, one could argue that the West has now (re-)affirmed the principle that “might makes right” and that threats and violence are still the only “policy” of the Empire in lieu of a legal, negotiated, policy. The problem with that is that the “other side” strongly feels that surrendering to the Empire’s demands is simply not an option.

The Russian warning:

In reality this has been going on for years. From the decision to bomb Serbia to the recent decision by the IMF to bail out the Ukraine in direct violation of IMF rules (which, apparently, shall now be re-written), the Anglo-American Empire has now been violating its own so-called “rules” and “principles” for decades against the background of a quasi-general indifference to the end of the international world order agreed upon after WWII.

The big difference today is that the Empire’s reckless arrogance has now brought it in direct contact with the Russian Armed Forces which, apparently, are not willing to accept that kind of thuggery and who will fight back if attacked: in his annual address to expanded meeting of the Russian Federation Defense Ministry Board Putin has clearly indicated that the fact that Russia chose not to strike back at Turkey was a one time exception saying:

I want to warn those who might again try to organize any kind of provocation against our troops: we have taken additional measures to ensure the security of Russian troops and air base. It is reinforced by new air force squadrons and air defenses. All our strike aircraft are now flying with fighter cover. I order you to act with very extreme resolve. Any targets that threaten Russia’s group or our terrestrial infrastructure are to be immediately destroyed.

What Putin is doing here is warning Turkey and, really all of NATO and the Empire that next time Russia will shoot back, immediately. This also shows that the authority shoot back has now been given to the Russian forces in Syria and that no top-level decision will have to be requested to return fire. It is true that this is not a first. The RAF was also given similar order in October already, but since the notion of antiquated Tornados shooting down a SU-30SM is rather far fetched (even if the British press insist that their 1970s-era aircraft “are capable of blasting any aircraft out of the sky”), the capability of the SU-30SMs and even the SU-34s to shoot down Western 4th generation aircraft is not in doubt. The Russians have the resolve and the means.

But will the West take the Russian warnings seriously?

The Israeli counter example:

The contrast between the NATO countries and Israel could, in this case, not be bigger. Bibi Netanyahu, by far the most intelligent actor in the AngloZionist Empire, immediately traveled to Moscow to sit down with his Russian counterparts to hammer out some kind of deal which would allow the Russians and Israelis to pursue their objectives without risking a shootout. When the first Russian Air Force incursion into the Israeli airspace occurred the Israelis handled it as a completely harmless event. Israeli Defense Minister Ya’alon declared:

“There was a slight intrusion a mile (1.6 kilometers) deep by a Russian plane from Syria into our airspace, but it was immediately resolved and the Russian plane returned towards Syria. It was apparently an error by the pilot who was flying near the Golan. Russian planes do not intend to attack us, which is why we must not automatically react and shoot them down when an error occurs”.

Later, an Ya’alon aide, General (res.) Amos Gilad, stated at a weekly event in Tel Aviv that Russian planes have occasionally crossed into Israeli airspace – but that the “very close cooperation between Russia and Israel” vis-a-vis operations in and around Syria had prevented any misunderstandings. [...]

What is absolutely certain is that under international law the Syrians will have the right to shoot at any US, French, German, Turkish or other aircraft flying in Syrian airspace and that if that happens the countries in violation of international law will not have a legitimate self-defense argument to make. By extension, this also means that Russia does also have the right to shoot down any aircraft or land or sea based weapons system targeting Russian aircraft. Unfortunately, western politicians and propagandists (aka “journalists”) are going to extraordinary lengths to avoid ever even mentioning these facts. And if somebody dares to actually ask the right question, western officials have a fit. This is exactly what happened recently between RT reporter Gayane Chichakyan and State Department spokesman John Kirby. See for yourself: (Video)

The Iranian warning:

Russia is not the only country which has been repeatedly warning the West about the dangers of remaining stuck in a “Assad must go” policy: Iran has also repeated such warnings. The latest one came directly from the foreign policy advisor to the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Ali Akbar Velayati, who openly stated that Bashar al-Assad is Syria’s lawful president and that “Iran considers him as its redline”. Velayati also said that “only Syrian people, who elected Assad, are entitled to decide the future of their country (…) and no foreign country will be allowed to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs”. Furthermore, another senior Iranian official, Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani, said that “Russia does not need prior agreement to use Iranian airspace to bomb sites in Syria” – in other words, such an agreement has already been negotiated. Considering that Larijani and Velayati are amongst the most influential and authoritative officials in Iran, one can only conclude that the Iranians are openly declaring that they are fully backing the Russian efforts in Syria. And that, in turn, means that Iran will send as many “boots on the ground” as needed to prevent Daesh from taking Damascus. This is the other crucial factor which the West is desperately trying not to think about. [...]

So this is the key question here: do the deep state elites which run the US Empire understand that neither Russia, nor Iran or Hezbollah believe that they can back down and accept a Daesh victory in Syria? Do the western leader realize that Russia, Iran and Hezbollah cannot let the Empire overthrow Assad? Is there anybody out there who does not realize that the “Assad must go policy” implies a war against Russia, Iran and Hezbollah? The only way to avoid a war is to finally give up, even if that is initially denied publicly, on the “Assad must go” policy.
 
[quote author=Pashalis]It almost seems so... but luckily Putin and stuff consider something like that to be the very, very, very last option. I've stopped to count how many times now, the Russian government has not followed the provocations from the west for starting another world war. It's unbelievable![/quote]

I think that one positive point is that all those provocations tell that NATO does not stand united in forming a single front to go ahead and start a full blown offensive against Russia. Several NATO member will only fight when attacked and the US knows this. Hence the provocations?

Flirting with WW3 could mean the end for us all. All out war is not feasible but limited to only Europe is something the US might think they could control.

There is a difference between a tactical nuclear weapon and a strategic one. The second is meant to level cities. Nobody would launched those unless the enemy would choose to do so. The planet is surrounded with detection equipment to detect any nuclear warhead launched.

Would the US place its bets that any nuclear weapon used would only be focused on military targets? Being tactical nuclear weapons. Those are far less potent.

Battlefield Europe would cripple both parties and may leave the US undamaged. Just like WW2. It all sounds like a bad Tom Clancy fiction but I can’t help to wonder about the unthinkable. Just what the hell are they thinking? Setting up a direct hot-line with several European countries especially Berlin and Paris might not be a bad idea. Just in case.


If the S-400 or better the S-500 is capable of deterring any nuclear strike Putin & co have to make that clear I think. If flirting with WW3 doesn’t scare them off its outcome of the 'winner' just might.

Russia did not instigate the second arms race but they have already won. At least that’s how I think it stands right now. No reason to be shy about that. Russia has several advantages which the West must fear by all means. Power is all they understand. Putin knows how to speak this language very well.
 
Assad: Syria crisis could end soon if support for terrorism ends

_http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/12/18/442198/Syria-President-Assad-Daesh-terrorism

President Bashar al-Assad says the conflict in Syria could be over in “less than a year” if foreign support for terrorism ends.

“If the responsible countries take actions against the flood and the flowing of terrorists (into Syria) and the logistic support, I can guarantee that it will take less than one year,” he said.

The Syrian president made the comments in an interview with Dutch television station NPO2 on Thursday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

Assad said the problem is that the backing for terrorists operating in Syria continues on a daily basis in a bid to make the situation more chaotic and to put obstacles in the way of any solution to the crisis.

“They want the solution, what they called a political solution, to be ended with the changing of this state, getting rid of this president or depose him, and so on. So, that’s why it will drag on,” he said.

“Only Russia and Iran and their allies, and the other countries that support politically the Syrian government or the Syrian legitimacy” are prepared to help resolve the crisis in Syria, President Assad said, adding, “but not the West; no-one in the West is ready, few countries are ready, because they don’t dare to make contact with Syria to solve the problem unless the United States wants to impose its agenda on them and on us.”

Assad, meanwhile, was sarcastic about the West's perceived softening of position on his removal.

“I was packing my luggage, I had to leave, now I can stay. We never care about whatever they say. They’ve been saying the same for four years now.”

Assad said participation in the so-called US coalition allegedly targeting Takfiri Daesh terrorists in his country is illegal, because the military intervention doesn't have the Syrian permit.

“This is illegal. This is against the international law. We are a sovereign country. If you are serious about fighting terrorism, what is the obstacle for that government to call the Syrian government, to say 'let’s cooperate in fighting terrorism'?

"The only obstacle is that the Western policy today toward Syria is 'we need to isolate this state, that president, so we cannot deal with him.' Okay, you cannot reach anything then.”

The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate since September 2014. The mission has fallen severely short of dislodging the terrorists.

War on terror must be a ‘sustainable principle’

President Assad expressed doubt about the Western countries’ integrity in fighting terrorism and said their anti-terror bid is driven by the fear of the influence of the ongoing acts of terror in Syria on their states, and not values.

“Because why didn’t they fight terrorism from the very beginning, before ISIS (Daesh) appeared? You had al-Nusra, you had al-Qaeda, you had many terrorists. You didn’t fight. Only this fight on terrorism started to appear when there was September 11 in the United States, the recent attacks in Paris, and in different European countries, but before that they didn’t say we are at war with terrorism.”

The Syrian president emphasized that the battle against terrorism should be “a stable, sustainable principle.”

Referring to the issue of foreign militants, including European nationals, operating in Syria, Assad said Europe has supported terrorists in different ways, and the fact that the continent has now terrorists within its borders is that European states failed to deal with terrorism “in a realistic base.”

“Many European officials have sold their values for the petrodollar, and they allowed the Wahhabi Saudi institutions to pay money and to bring this dark and this extremist ideology to Europe, and that’s why now you are exporting terrorists to us. We don’t export, actually, they came to Syria, and then they go back to Europe,” Assad stated.
Takfirism, or the practice of accusing others of being infidels, is a characteristic of Wahhabism, the radical ideology dominating Saudi Arabia and freely preached by clerics in the Arab kingdom.

Saudi Arabia also provides widely-reported support for Daesh, even as a recent opinion survey showed that an overwhelming majority of the country’s people oppose the terrorist group. A study conducted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in September showed that 92 percent of Saudi people hated and rejected Daesh, and that it has “the worst reputation among the Saudi general public.”
 
Wonder - if these Reports on U.S. Military pulling 12 fighter jets from the Incirlik base in Turkey, along with the USS Aircraft Carrier Harry S Truman Arrival ..... might have a connection to "the US reconstructing a disused airbase in the province of Hasakah in northeastern Syria in order to land fighter jets and supply planes there" - according to reports?


US military says pulls 12 fighter jets from base in Turkey
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Dec-16/327688-us-military-says-pulls-12-fighter-jets-from-base-in-turkey.ashx

WASHINGTON: The U.S. military said Wednesday it was pulling 12 F-15 Eagles and Strike Eagle fighter jets from Incirlik air base in Turkey after deploying them there last month.

A spokesman at the U.S. military's European Command told Reuters the aircraft had completed a temporary deployment.

Major Escalation; US Aircraft Carrier Arrives In Middle East! Setting Up Another False Flag?
http://investmentwatchblog.com/major-escalation-us-aircraft-carrier-arrives-in-middle-east-setting-up-another-false-flag/

The USS Aircraft Carrier Harry S Truman Arrived in the middle east today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vmopiKtuUA#t=19


US Reportedly Constructing Airbase in Northeastern Syria for Airstrikes
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151218/1031939698/us-airbase-construct-north-syria.html

US Air Force specialists are working to reconstruct and equip a disused airbase in northern Syria, the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar has reported.

Abu Hajar airport is located in Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, which is under the control of Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG). The Syrian government has not given the US permission to have a base in Syria or carry out airstrikes there.

According to the report, for around two months US experts have been in the region developing the airfield, which hasn't been used since 2010. It has a 2.5 km runway which can be used by fighter jets to carry out airstrikes, and to bring in military supplies.

The news follows a previous report that US and Kurdish forces are cooperating on the construction of a 10 hectare military airbase in Hasakah, south of the town of Rimelan. At the end of November it was reported that two US helicopters has flown over Rimelan, and landed eight US military specialists at the airports.

In August, the US began launching airstrikes against Daesh from Incirlik airbase in Turkey, after the Turkish government reluctantly gave permission for the operation following months of negotiations. Before that, US forces flew to Syria from the Muwaffaq Salti air base in Jordan, and from more distant bases in Qatar and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf.
 
BREAKING:

UN Resolution on Syria to Be Reached on Friday - Russian Foreign Ministry

_http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151218/1031992459/un-syria-resolution-friday.html

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov said that a UN Security Council resolution on the Syria reconciliation process should be agreed on later on Friday.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — A UN Security Council resolution on the Syria reconciliation process should be agreed on later on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov told reporters.

"Yes, it will be," Gatilov said when asked if a resolution will be reached on Friday.
 
sToRmR1dR said:
BREAKING:

UN Resolution on Syria to Be Reached on Friday - Russian Foreign Ministry

_http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151218/1031992459/un-syria-resolution-friday.html

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov said that a UN Security Council resolution on the Syria reconciliation process should be agreed on later on Friday.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — A UN Security Council resolution on the Syria reconciliation process should be agreed on later on Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov told reporters.

"Yes, it will be," Gatilov said when asked if a resolution will be reached on Friday.

More on it here:
https://www.rt.com/news/326466-un-syria-resolution-terror/
 
Russian MP calls for treason inquiry against Gorbachev, with transcripts of two of the most important phone calls of our time
Original headline: Gorbachev officially suspected of treason (DOCUMENT)
http://fortruss.blogspot.ca/2015/12/russian-mp-calls-for-treason-inquiry.html

RusVesna December 17, 2015 Translated from Russian by Tom Winter

A member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Georgy Fedorov, has sent a request to the Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika to check the contents of the talks between senior officials of the USSR and the US President for compliance with such articles of the Criminal Code as "treason" and "leaking state secrets" and, if necessary, to prosecute.

This stems from declassified transcripts of telephone conversations in which the top political leadership, namely Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, report to George HW Bush about the destruction of the USSR.

The transcripts of telephone conversations held on December 8 and December 25, 1991, have been published in the media (in particular, in the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda).


According to Konsomolskaya Pravda, Boris Yeltsin called US President Bush and had a talk with him longer than 28 minutes, immediately after the signing of the Bialowieza agreement (on the creation of the CIS) on 8 December 1991

Two weeks later, December 25, the first (and final) president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev telephoned George W. Bush, and the conversation lasted 22 minutes.

The details of these conversations for a long time could only be guessed. Our special services did not record them. The Americans did, but they were classified. They were kept in the state of Texas in the Presidential Library. And only in 2008, the younger Bush withdrew the "secret" classification and copies of the documents are now in the newly opened Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg.

"In the preliminary planning of our museum, we found these transcripts in the catalog of the George Bush Presidential Library. We sent the request and received electronic copies.

"It is often said that Yeltsin and Gorbachev "ran" to update the US president about the collapse of the Soviet Union, but that's not the way it was. In fact, the situation was complicated. The Soviet Union collapsed, and it was necessary to inform the President of the United States that the Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal was under control," said Dmitry Pushmin, head of the Yeltsin archive center.

Georgy Fedorov considers that the content of these conversations gives direct evidence that Yeltsin and Gorbachev consciously worked for the United States and the destruction of the USSR, and that these men are turncoats and traitors. In this regard, he appealed to the General Prosecutor's Office to investigate and bring criminal charges under the laws of "State Treason" and "Divulging of State Secrets."

"If there are historical figures to whom I feel a sincere and profound hatred, it's Yeltsin and Gorbachev. I have always been convinced that the destruction of the USSR was the result of betrayal by the elite, including heads of state directly.

"But until recently, my opinion was reinforced just by general observations and informal information. But now that the the transcripts of these talks have been presented to society, everything has fallen into place. These men are traitors, and they should be judged according to the law," he said in an interview with Russian Planet.
And here are the transcripts:

"I want to inform you personally, Mr. President"
Telephone conversation with President of the Russian Republic, Yeltsin

Participants: George W. Bush, the US president, Boris Yeltsin, the President of the Russian Republic


December 8, 1991, 13.08 - 13:36, Oval Office
President Bush: Hello, Boris. How are you doing?

President Yeltsin: Hello, Mr. President. I am very pleased to greet you. Mr. President, we are agreed that in the case of events of extreme importance we shall inform each other, I - you, and you - me. Today in our country there was a very important event, and I would like to personally inform you, before you find out from the press.

President Bush: Naturally, thank you.

President Yeltsin: We are gathered here today, Mr. President, the leaders of three republics - Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. We got together and after many long discussions that lasted almost two days, came to the conclusion that the current system and the Union Treaty, which they were urging us to sign, does not suit us.

So we got together and just a few minutes ago signed a joint agreement. Mr President, we, the leaders of the three republics - Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, - noting that the negotiations on the new [Union] treaty have reached an impasse -- acknowledge there are objective reasons for the creation of independent states becoming a reality.

In addition, noting that the center's short-sighted policy led us to economic and political crises, which have affected all spheres of production and the various segments of the population, we, the community of independent states of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia signed an agreement. This agreement, consisting of 16 articles, in fact, leads to the creation of the Commonwealth or groups of Independent States.

President Bush: I understand.

President Yeltsin: The members of the Commonwealth aim to strengthen international peace and security. They also guarantee compliance with all obligations under international agreements and treaties signed by the former Soviet Union, including external debt.
We are also in favor of unified control over nuclear weapons and their non-proliferation. This agreement was signed by the heads of all states involved in the negotiations, - Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.

President Bush: Good.

President Yeltsin: The president and chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus is with me in the room where I'm calling from. I also just finished a conversation with President of Kazakhstan Nazarbayev. I read him the entire agreement, including all 16 articles. He fully supports all of our actions and is ready to sign the agreement. He is flying immediately to the airport in Minsk for signing.

President Bush: I understand.

President Bush: Boris, I am grateful for your call and your openness. We'll look over all 16 points right now. What do you think, will be the reaction of the center?

President Yeltsin: First, I spoke with Defense Minister Shaposhnikov. I want to read Article 6 of the agreement. Shaposhnikov actually is in total agreement and will support our position. And now I read out Article 6 ... [...]

President Bush: We, of course, want to carefully examine them all. We understand that these issues should be addressed by the participants and not by third parties such as the United States.

President Yeltsin: That we can guarantee, Mr President.

President Bush: Well, good luck, and thank you for your call. We will wait for the reaction of the center and the other republics. I guess time will tell.

President Yeltsin: I am convinced that the rest of the republics will understand us and very soon will join us.

President Bush: Thank you again for your call after such a historic event.

President Yeltsin: Goodbye.


"In the end I decided to do it today"

Telephone conversation with Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Soviet Union

Participants: George W. Bush, US president, Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the USSR


December 25, 1991, 10:03 - 10:25, Camp David

President Bush: Hello, Michael.

President Gorbachev: George, my dear friend. Glad to hear your voice.

President Bush: I am glad to greet you on such a great day, a historic day. Thank you for calling.

President Gorbachev: Let me start with the pleasant: I want to wish you, Barbara and all your family a Merry Christmas. I thought about when I should make my statement - Tuesday or today. As a result, I decided to do it today, in the late afternoon. And so first I want to congratulate a Merry Christmas and best wishes.

And now I must say that in about two hours, I will speak on Moscow television, with a short statement about the decision I have taken. I sent you a letter, George. I hope you will soon get it. In the letter, I spelled out the most important things.

Now I would like to reiterate how much I appreciate what we have done in the time of our working together -- when you were vice-president, and later, when you become President of the United States.

I hope that all the leaders of the Commonwealth countries, and especially Russia, understand the value of sharing lessons learned by the leaders of our two countries. I hope they understand their responsibility for the preservation and increase of this important resource.

In our Union, debates on what sort of state to form, have not gone in the right direction, the one I thought was right. But I want to assure you that I will use all my political influence and credibility so that the new Commonwealth becomes effective.

I am pleased that the leaders of the Commonwealth have already achieved agreements in Alma-ata on important nuclear and strategic issues. I hope that in Minsk other issues will be taken up, which will provide a mechanism for cooperation between the republics.

George, let me tell you what I believe is extremely important.

President Bush: I'm listening.

President Gorbachev: Of course, you must follow through with the recognition of all these countries. But I would like you to take into account how important it is for the future of the Commonwealth to prevent any worsening of processes of disintegration and destruction. So it is our common duty - to help the process of cooperation between the republics. I would like to emphasize this point.

Now, about Russia -- this is the second most important topic of our talks. In front of me on the table is the decree of the President of the USSR on my resignation. I also lay down the responsibilities of the Supreme Commander and I delegate authority for use of nuclear weapons to the President of the Russian Federation.

That is, I run things until the completion of the constitutional process. I can assure you that everything is under strict control. As soon as I announce my resignation, the decree comes into force.

There will be no disagreement. You can spend a quiet Christmas evening. Getting back to the subject of Russia, I want to say one more time that we must do everything we can to support it. I will do everything in my power to support Russia. But our partners must also try, and play their role in the care and support of Russia.

As for me, I'm not going to go hide in the forest, or in the woods. I will remain politically active,and maintain a political life. My main goal - to help in the process that began with perestroika and the new thinking in foreign policy.

Representatives of your press here have often asked me about our personal relationship. At this historic moment, I want you to know how much I appreciate our cooperation, partnership, and friendship. Our roles may change, but I would like to assure you that what we achieved, will not change. Raisa and I wish you and Barbara all the best.

President Bush: Michael, first of all I want to express my appreciation for your call. I listened to your message with great interest. We will continue to be involved, especially in regard to the Russian Republic, and the enormous difficulties which could get even worse this winter.

I am very glad that you are not going to go hide in the forests, and will continue political activity. I am absolutely sure that it will benefit the new Commonwealth.

I am grateful for your clarification on nuclear weapons. This is a vital issue of international importance, and I am grateful to you and the leaders of the republics for the excellent process of organization and implementation. I have taken note that the constitutional responsibility on this issue goes to Boris Yeltsin. I assure you that we will continue close cooperation on this plan ... [...]

President Gorbachev: Thank you, George. I was glad to hear it all today. I say goodbye and shake your hand. You told me a lot of important things, and I'm grateful for that.

President Bush: All the best, Michael.

President Gorbachev: Goodbye.

End of conversation
(Copy of Document)
 
Scandal: Polish intelligence agencies have seized NATO expert counter-intelligence center
http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2699860

English translate:
Representatives of the Polish military counterintelligence Service and the Ministry of defence has occupied the building of the center of expertise military intelligence of NATO. They explained their actions by the change of leadership. "On December 18, 2015 the representative office on the establishment of the NATO expert counter-intelligence center Bartholomay Misevich has introduced a new acting Director Colonel Robert Ball at the premises of the centre" — quoted by TASS message of the Ministry of defence.

The former head of the centre Krzysztof Dusha describes the incident as follows: "They entered the corridor and demanded that the military police opened other premises". According to him, it's illegal, since Poland cannot unilaterally change the leadership in the center belonging to NATO. "Such actions can destroy one of the few permanent establishments of NATO in Poland," he says. Misevich said that Dusha was dismissed from his post last week. According to him, the transfer of power took place peacefully and without problems, and the Slovak side informed about the changes.

The Minister of foreign Affairs of Poland Witold Waszczykowski said that the center staff had lost access to the closed material, and it was necessary to replace on new with this permit. "In the military sphere such changes are implemented immediately," he explained. Former defense Minister of Poland Tomasz Samonac said: "In the history of NATO have not been such that one of the countries attacked one of the Alliance institutions. Representatives of the defense Ministry broke down the door and tried to seize the center of expertise counterintelligence NATO, created as a result of the agreement of the governments of Poland and Slovakia. This is an absolute scandal."



NATO Continues to Provoke Russia While Daesh Runs Rampant
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20151217/1031909566/nato-montenegro-russia-daesh.html

In his impassioned op-ed, published by Milan-based daily newspaper il Giornale and translated by the foreign news portal WhatTheySayAboutUSA.com, Rossi asks why it is that the Western alliance's top commanders have decided now, in the middle of the war against Daesh, is the best time to continue the alliance's eastward expansion.

Recalling NATO's decision, made earlier this month, to invite Montenegro to become the 29th member of the alliance, the journalist noted that Moscow's inevitable response was to see the "invitation as a slight which confirms all their suspicions of the West's expansionist agenda –including in the Balkans."

The situation is especially confusing, the journalist suggested, given that "Montenegro has been on the NATO waiting-list for ten years, with public opinion there far from united on the idea of joining NATO, resulting in continuous propaganda campaigns for joining the alliance, (paid for with NATO cash)."

The expansion, Rossi warns, "comes at a time when there is already heightened tension between Russia and the West.


"A realistic view," Rossi argues, is making it "clearer and clearer that there is an ongoing encirclement of Russia by the West, which Russia responds to with attempts to safeguard its own territories. The crisis in Ukraine can also be viewed in this light."
 
Syrian Army, Russian Warplanes Wipe Out Militants in N. Latakia Province

_http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151219/1032006534/syria-army-daesh.html

The Syrian army and the National Defense Forces have reportedly captured a large depot of militants' weapons and ammunition in the newly-seized village of al-Sayyid in western Syria's province of Latakia.

A large depot of militants' weapons and ammunition has been seized by the Syrian Army and popular forces in the newly-captured village of Jabal al-Sayyid in the northern part of Lattakia in western Syria, according to the Iranian news agency FARS.

"The Syrian government forces seized a large volume of military hardware, including weapons, vehicles and ammunition in the positions of the militant groups after the terrorists retreated from their strongholds in Jabal al-Sayyid," the sources said.

According to the sources, the recapture of Jabal al-Sayyid currently places the army in a very good position to monitoring the militants' movements in the al-Mreij region.

The seizure of militants' depot in Latakia came a day after the Syrian troops launched an offensive against the militants based in the mountainous regions in northern areas of the coastal province, including those located along border with Turkey.

#SYRIA In the Northern #Latakia, governmental forces extended under-control territories of Syrian-Turkish borderline

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 15 декабря 2015

On Friday, a spokesperson for the Syrian Army announced that the government troops, supported by Russian airstrikes, have managed to gain back more than 56 villages, towns and heights from the militant groups across Latakia in just 68 days.

#SYRIA Gen. Sergei #Rudskoy: Russian air group has performed 4201 sorties since Septmber 30 https://t.co/VnNy0I9WhF pic.twitter.com/jJ0U6dAkaM

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) 15 декабря 2015

"The militant groups withdrew forces from over 56 strategic villages, towns and heights after the Syrian government forces launched their joint operation, enjoying the back-up of the Russian air fleet," the spokesperson said.

The army touted the recapture of 56 strategic points as a "wonderful example of coordination and cooperation between the pro-government troops and the Russian Aerospace Force."
Sources have, meanwhile, said that dozens of militants were killed and many more wounded after the Russian bombers targeted the militant groups' strongholds in the rural areas in Jabal al-Akrad and Jabal al-Turkmen regions in Latakia.
 
Libya Seeks Russia’s Help in Battling Terrorism

_http://sputniknews.com/world/20151219/1032011120/libya-russia-help-terrorism.html

The Libyan Armed Forces' Commander Brigadier General Khalifa Hafter has voiced his country's readiness to cooperate with Russia in fighting terrorism, according to the Iranian news agency FARS.

"We welcome support from Russia in fighting terrorism," the agency quotes Hafter as telling reporters after his meeting with United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Chief Martin Kobler in the city of Marj, Northeastern Libya.

The military leader assured that if Russia proposes a plan for fighting terrorism in Libya, Tripoli will cooperate with Moscow, adding that “Russians are serious in [the] fight against terrorists”.

Libya is currently run by two main rival governments, which are entangled in a violent, nationwide power struggle. Each side is backed by powerful armed groups which have dominated the Libyan scene since the elimination of the country’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The country's capital Tripoli, is controlled by a political faction, known as the General National Congress, which was set up after an armed group called Libya Dawn seized the capital, Tripoli, last summer.

The UN-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni is based in the eastern city of Bayda; its elected parliament moved from the capital Tripoli to Tobruk.

On Thursday, rival Libyan politicians signed a deal on a unity government despite opposition on both sides, in what the United Nations described as a "first step" towards ending the crisis.

World powers have urged the warring factions to break a political deadlock that has allowed jihadists and people-smugglers to flourish.

Meanwhile, the jihadist group Daesh (also known as ISIL/ISIS) has increased its presence in the Libyan Mediterranean city of Sirte, having apparently established its new base there, where it can “generate oil revenue and plan terror attacks”.
 
Concerning speculations as to what has been said to frighten the Americans into submission at the famous Putin-Kerry meeting, Mike Whitney speculates here that the Russians may have confronted Kerry with proof that:

1) the US is on the list of ISIS-financing countries

2) the US gave Turkey the green light to down the SU-24

3) the US-led coalition gave air cover to ISIS in the attack on the Syrian military base in Deir Ezzor


I find it hard to wrap my head around this - why would Kerry/the empire back down so completely 'just' because a threat by Russia to reveal evidence for these things? After all, Russia presented evidence for a lot of things in the past, and Putin speaks the truth rather directly on many occasions. It hardly mattered, the Western media just ignore it, or they put their own spin on things. I just don't think the psychos feel threatened by stuff like this.

Just speculating here of course, but I would say that Putin has some card in his sleeve that threatens the ruling psychos/the Western oligarchy directly. Maybe some financial scheme? Maybe something to do with Russia's electronic warfare capabilities? Could they wipe out Western communication satellites/media networks, or even hack them and spread some evidence for Western war crimes? Do they have a plan ready to wipe out some key figures of the western 'shadow government' unknown to the public, kind of 'you won't be able to travel anymore, you will never know when we strike and whom, and you cannot even publicly blame us'? Or maybe the Russians have extremely horrible videos/pics of some key figures and decided that now is the time for some serious blackmailing, after having realized that nothing else will work?

From what we know and see, team Putin seems to know exactly with what kind of people they are dealing with, so I think it's not unlikely that they somehow found a way to 'hack' the psychopathic psyche, Don Juan-style. After all, as Mike Whitney says in the article, Russia fights for her survival, and maybe after those 3 incidents listed above, they decided that anything goes and opened a drawer with some nasty surprises for the Western elite... Fwiw.
 
luc said:
Concerning speculations as to what has been said to frighten the Americans into submission at the famous Putin-Kerry meeting, Mike Whitney speculates here that the Russians may have confronted Kerry with proof that:

1) the US is on the list of ISIS-financing countries

2) the US gave Turkey the green light to down the SU-24

3) the US-led coalition gave air cover to ISIS in the attack on the Syrian military base in Deir Ezzor


I find it hard to wrap my head around this - why would Kerry/the empire back down so completely 'just' because a threat by Russia to reveal evidence for these things? After all, Russia presented evidence for a lot of things in the past, and Putin speaks the truth rather directly on many occasions. It hardly mattered, the Western media just ignore it, or they put their own spin on things. I just don't think the psychos feel threatened by stuff like this.

Just speculating here of course, but I would say that Putin has some card in his sleeve that threatens the ruling psychos/the Western oligarchy directly. Maybe some financial scheme? Maybe something to do with Russia's electronic warfare capabilities? Could they wipe out Western communication satellites/media networks, or even hack them and spread some evidence for Western war crimes? Do they have a plan ready to wipe out some key figures of the western 'shadow government' unknown to the public, kind of 'you won't be able to travel anymore, you will never know when we strike and whom, and you cannot even publicly blame us'? Or maybe the Russians have extremely horrible videos/pics of some key figures and decided that now is the time for some serious blackmailing, after having realized that nothing else will work?

From what we know and see, team Putin seems to know exactly with what kind of people they are dealing with, so I think it's not unlikely that they somehow found a way to 'hack' the psychopathic psyche, Don Juan-style. After all, as Mike Whitney says in the article, Russia fights for her survival, and maybe after those 3 incidents listed above, they decided that anything goes and opened a drawer with some nasty surprises for the Western elite... Fwiw.

Good summary.

I think all the above to a certain extend is probably how Putin and stuff handle those american weirdos...

You can bet that the russians have gathered A LOT of utterly crazy stuff, with which they can blackmail peoples in power in the west. Putin and goverment on the other hand, have a very clean record, which gives them a huge advantage.

The west has to make things up, out of thin air, to compromise Putin and his stuff, while the russians have a lot of hard and clear evidence of very nefarious doings of those in power in the west.

As Putin so rightly said:

“Those who fight corruption should be clean themselves.” ~Putin

US and Co simply were forced to behave that way, because they simply had no other choice, thanks to the russian strategy.
 

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