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Ukraine is the New Afghanistan for the USA

The cost of maintaining the war in Afghanistan was the same for the US as is presently the cost of Ukraine.

The pandemic that struck in 2020 now seems far less terrifying than impeding hunger, cold, and a global war. A lot of people throughout the world still hope to somehow escape the conflict by moving elsewhere. But I doubt there is a place on earth where one can confidently hide. So, I believe we’d be better off facing the real circumstances. Here’s a text from another Telegram channel with a brief analysis of America’s plans to make Ukraine the new Afghanistan.

from The Empire of a Smoker TG channel

An interesting fact: the cost of maintaining the war in Afghanistan was the same for the US as is presently the cost of Ukraine.

The US expenditure on sustaining the military contingent in Afghanistan amounted to $42 bln. The cost of maintaining the Afghani government in the form of external assistance was 42% of GDP in 2020, or some $8-9 bln.

Altogether, Afghanistan cost the U.S. $50-52 bln per year.

Notably, Ukraine’s cost is roughly the same: $50-60 bln. Of these, around $30 bln go towards the budget, and the other $20-30 bln – towards the arms supplies.

Conclusions

First, the U.S. had made a decision to start their own military operation in Ukraine BEFORE August 31, 2021 when they withdrew from Afghanistan in haste.

Secondly, the U.S. had been staying in Afghanistan for 20 years, hence they have been planning to stay in Ukraine for just as long.

Thirdly, since the Ukrainian economy is totally destroyed, and over 54% of its budget is refilled by external assistance, then the primary business of Ukraine is the war with Russia ((and soon perhaps it will be the only business). This means there will be no negotiations, for the war is now the sole guarantee of Ukraine’s existence.

What this means, is that it is highly unlikely that the war will end tomorrow or in a month. It will last for as long as the U.S. need it, until they reach their goals or lose the opportunity to do so.

Translated from Russian by Julia Shuvalova

Other posts in Ukraine

Mobilization in Russia and Thoughts on the “Flight”

While mobilization is underway, some people chose to flee Russia. The majority’s sentiment towards them is disdain.

Something we have expected from February is now happening. The mobilization has started in Russia last Wednesday, and today the reserve officers have departed for the training centres. A lot of experts were arguing for it since the beginning of the Special Military Operation, but I believe there is time for everything. Now is the time for Russian men to protect the newly-freed territories of Donbass and the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions.

The new “Flight”

Meanwhile, some people chose to flee Russia back in February, and some are leaving now. If you want to know the sentiment of the majority of Russians towards this “flight”, it is mostly a disdain.

People often confuse the government and the country. Whereas the love and support for the country often mean the approval of the government, the attitude to the government doesn’t equal the attitude to the country, its people and culture. I may dislike the government for some of its (in)actions but my love for my country will not let me seek the revolution.

The effect of globalization and “democratization” has been such that the notions of national pride and patriotism have been mocked for years on end. Yet, as the recent events show, they have not become obsolete or redundant. Having something to be proud of is pertinent to a man. Having a role model is vital for self-development. And love for a country is the same as love for a family. This is what we see in Serbia – and in Italy, following the victory of the Brothers of Italy.

Alas, as we see today, the institute of a family is being destroyed in Europe and America, and love for the country is considered a manifestation of racism. In truth, however, loving the country, one’s family and compatriots is healthy and indicates a high degree of self-awareness and development, for this love prepares you to sacrifice many things for your loved one. Including your love.

Patriots Abroad

The reason why the Russian government is not preventing those fleeing the country from doing so is quite obvious. We don’t need cowards, we don’t need those who may work to destroy the country from within. We want real men, real citizens who love their country and their compatriots.

Someone I studied with at the Lomonosov MSU went to Turkey in February. He studied Art History, so obviously he considers himself a mouthpiece of the Russian “intelligentzia“. Recently he felt the urge to express his attitude to the military operation, Putin, and all of us who have not fled the country. We, he said, are his enemies.

Well, if so, then he and his co-thinkers are better off to be away from the Russian horde. However, I reminded him about the General Denikin who fled Russia in the aftermath of the Civil War but who one of the first to provide financial assistance to the Soviet State during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). The Russian composer Sergey Rachmaninov also donated his concert money to the USSR throughout the war years until his death in 1943. This is what he wrote in letters from 1941-1942:

November 19, 1941: “This is the only way in which I can express my compassion for the sufferings of the people of my homeland”.

March 25, 1942: “From one of the Russians – here is my assistance to the Russian nation in its fight against the enemies. I want to believe, and I do believe, in complete victory”.

Following the victory at Stalingrad, 1943, Rachmaninov addressed Joseph Stalin with a short letter:

“I am now confident that my Motherland will defeat the agressors. I also admire the fact that despite its greatest ordeal the musical culture of fighting Russia, including that of the Russian nation, continues to enthrall the world, it is alive and continues to develop. I am willing to accept that we were probably wrong in the early 1920s when we thought that the Russian art was doomed to be destroyed or degraded”.

Mobilization

So, mobilization is going well. The soldiers are not being sent straight to the front. They first arrive at the training camp and it is not certain that they will actually go to fight. The territories of Donbass and other two regions need the people militia and other male help. The link will take you to a report in Telegram of Moscow reserve soldiers departing for Donbass. As for those “scared patriots” who chose to leave their homeland, we kind-heartedly mock them. They still have not realised that nobody wants them in either Europe or America. But I would also close the boundary, for we want to live, make families and do business with reliable people. I wouldn’t want anyone who chose to run away to ever come back and claim back their workplaces and chairs.

Likewise, there is more than one military operation going on at the moment. There is a lot to do within the country, in Moscow alone, in the spheres of civil life, e.g. education, health service, etc. So, we have all been mobilized, but, as the events of the bygone days show, we will conquer Mars after this Victory. Watch this space (sic!)

Other posts on Ukraine and Russia.

Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye Are Returning to Russia

Today is a historic day in contemporary Russia. Four parts of the former Ukraine are voting to re-unite with the Russian state where they all once belonged.

Today is a historic day in contemporary Russia. Four parts of the former Ukraine – the People’s Republic of Donetsk and Lugansk (Donbass), the Kherson Region, and Zaporozhye – are voting to re-unite with the Russian state where they all once belonged. Here is a report by Graham Phillips.

Other posts in Ukraine.

From Putin in Telegram TG channel:

We are all impressed by the courage of those who organise the referenda in DPR, LRP, the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions. They receive threats and may be imprisoned for 10 years according to the Ukrainian laws. Everyone knows that their enemies, the Kiev regime, are terrorists who have already committed many crimes and who are eager to commit more to fulfill the orders of their foreign masters. All Russia is also impressed by the bravery of ordinary people who are presently visiting the polling stations to cast their vote. We shall win, for we have such people!

Translated from Russian by Julia Shuvalova

The United States against China

The real conflict will see the United States against China. It remains to be seen if China will act ahead, like Russia did in February 2022.

While the Western media are (mis)interpreting the Ukrainian conflict, the real battle is getting brewed far from the Ukrainian-Russian border. It is the conflict of the United States against China. It remains to be seen if China will act ahead, like Russia did in February.

The new superpowers clash

I found an interesting article in one of Russian Telegram channels, so I decided to translate it. It offers a complex look at this week’s events that saw Boris Johnson’s resignation, Shinzo Abe’s assassination, and Olaf Scholz’s scandalous party.

The Russian original text.

The main topic of the week has been the hegemon’s blow to the forces that are trying to withdraw their countries from the American protectorate and pursue an independent policy.

Boris Johnson was the first to fall, although his forced resignation is presented as a voluntary act. Although he may be seen as Russia’s principal enemy in the Ukrainian conflict, it is worth recognizing that he acted purely in the interests of Great Britain, “gnawing out” his country’s sphere of influence in Eastern Europe by taking over the territories abandoned by the United States.

Next came the assassination of the Japanese ex-Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. He ardently supported the strengthening of his country’s independence, as far as it was possible in the state abundantly stuffed with American military bases. The actions of his guards are considered as, at least, incompetent, and many experts claim it is highly likely that their ineffectiveness was in fact an act of complicity in Abe’s murder.

And the third blow of the hegemon, whom many are in a haste to bury alive, was the scandal with drugged girls at the party of Olaf Scholz. The German Chancellor, as well as the previously mentioned leaders, has tried to lead an independent course for his country. He delayed the supply of weapons to Ukraine, tried to save the German economy and to do business with Russia to the very last minute. If this scandal serves its purpose to the full (i.e. Scholz’s resignation), then the next German leader will think twice before trying to play independently.

Thus, there are practically no countries left in the world that attempted to claim leadership, albeit regional, and did not receive a “punch in the mouth”. Russia battles its sanctions, Turkey has to deal with hyperinflation and the Kurds, and Erdogan is certainly not guaranteed to remain on his “throne”. Japan has lost her Abe, Great Britain her Johnson, and Germany may lose Scholz. Among the major regional players, Emmanuel Macron’s position has been relatively stable so far, but it is quite possible that he has given guarantees to the hegemon that he would not expand the zone of influence beyond French Africa.

The main battle of the century between the American Eagle and the Chinese Dragon now lies ahead. The United States wants to plunge the entire world into chaos so as to prevent anyone from “cashing in” on their upcoming conflict with China. Perhaps China is not against this scenario. The new (or the good old) hegemon will come out badly battered from this conflict and may become an easy prey for regional states that do not have any problems, which means that such powers must be eliminated beforehand. Each regional power will deal with its own problems, and they will not be up to the fight between the United States and China for world domination.

Other posts in History and News

The Allies’ Approved Of the Death of Children – Remember this, Mr Blinken

In memory of thousands of children who were killed by the Nazi army – and by the allies’ appeasement – we will always remember and remind others of the real price of British and American Imperialist interests.

In his address on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken notably accused the Russian Federation of thwarting the events of the bygone days to “justify” a special operation against the neo-Nazi government of Ukraine.

Yes, I know that in the West the war is thought to have been fought and won by Britain and the U.S. It is also a well-known secret that Britain and the U.S., the so-called allies, were waiting to see whom to support, Hitler or Stalin. By doing so, they donned their taciturn support to Hitler. This was these nations’ own “war effort” until it became clear that the Red Army was about to sweep across Europe in its victorious march. The allies jumped on the bandwagon to keep the Western part of Europe in their sphere of interests.

The Victory in the Second World War is unthinkable without the USSR for the simplest reason: the allies were clearly going to collaborate with Hitler, had he suppressed the USSR. And it was only because the USSR courageously fought for its independence and sovereignty that we have been celebrating the Victory over Nazism for the last 77 years. Unfortunately, we are fighting against the same plague now – and we are going to win again, this time decisively.

So, lest the Secretary of State Mr Blinken forgets what the allies’, and particularly the American, war effort was really like, here are pictures of Soviet Russian children near their ruined and burnt houses in 1941-1943. Such was the beginning of life for these children – death, hunger, and ruins. And it was because the allies were calmly waiting to see whose side to join.

A woman with her children on the site of their destroyed house in Orlov Region, Russia
Russian children of the Great Patriotic War

The Russian soldiers fought not only for their Motherland, as we call our native country. They fought for these children, they took revenge for their ravaged childhood, and it was the Russian soldiers who raised the red Victory banner over the Reichstag as the symbol of Victory against Evil. Sadly, the evil has since resurrected, so the Russian soldiers will have to raise the banner again.

The Soviet soldier raising the Red Banner over the Reichstag in Berlin, May 2, 1945

We have never taken revenge on the dead enemy, and we have always striven to keep peace with the living adversaries. But in memory of thousands of children who were killed by the Nazi army – and by the allies’ appeasement – we will always remember and remind others of the real price of British and American Imperialist interests.

The price has been the death and poverty of children – everywhere, from Europe in two World Wars to Vietnam, Middle East, Serbia, and Donbass, throughout the entire 20th and 21st century. This must end soon.

The Alley of Angels in Donetsk, the People’s Republic of Donetsk (former Ukraine), commemorates children killed in the shellings and bombings by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The average age is 5 years.

More on Ukraine.

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An Exclusive Interview with Aidan Aslin, A British Mercenary

An exclusive interview with Aidan Aslin, a British mercenary in Ukraine who used to be pro-Donbass but was misled to change sides.

Graham continues his selfless service as a journalist in Donbass, and this time he has interviewed Aidan Aslin, a British mercenary in the Ukrainian service.

Aidan Aslin interviewed by Graham Phillips

At the very beginning of his interview Aidan acknowledges that he made a mistake by joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He is a professional soldier, a mercenary, but he claims that he used to be pro-Donbass until his colleague managed to convince him to join the other side. He states that the Ukrainian soldiers wear Nazi symbols and, in fact, imitate the Nazi forces in every possible way. He strictly disapproves the torture and killings of the Russian soldiers captured by the Ukrainian forces. He also states that he wanted to desert immediately as the Russian special operation began but he never found a chance to do it due to lack of transport. Eventually, he was captured in Mariupol by the Russian side. His mother Angela and his sister Sharon can for a moment be calm because he is alive and probably safer in captivity.

We urge all people to watch and share this interview that sheds tons of light on what is really happening in Ukraine and what has been going on in Donbass for the past 8 years. I am in the process of collating the instances of Ukrainian legislation that effectively legalized Nazism. We want all people who cannot be fooled by the media outlets to understand that it was the rejuvenation of Nazism and the evidence of development of biological weapons that forced Russia to enter Ukraine with a special operation.

Back in the days of the Iraqi war I wondered why the soldiers would not refuse to go in Iraq, especially since that war never received an approval from the UN. I was told it was their job to do what their government told them to. But here we are clearly dealing with the comeback of ideology that once killed what could be a hundred million people altogether. If now British and other mercenaries would turn against their governments and help the Russian army to suppress the Nazi batallions in Ukraine, then we would plainly see that British and Russian nations can really be allies in the fight against the evil.

Please share the video.

Other posts in Ukraine.

Bucha: The Real Russian Forces and Civilians

A British reporter visited Chernihiv region before the Bucha massacre, He shows the interactions between the Russian army and the civilians.

A British reporter visited the Chernihiv region a few weeks before the Bucha massacre, and in the video he shows the actual interactions between the Russian army forces and the civilians. His conclusion is obvious: there is absolutely no chance that the same military men would kill the people.

Also, people warn the civilians in other areas that they should leave together with the Russian army that is currently retreating from some outposts:

After the Russians retreat from the villages, the Nazis go there and kill everyone. Please let people know that they should leave, too. This is done upon Zelensky’s orders, to kill all civilians in the villages left by the Russian army.

Meanwhile, the Russian forces are storming the Azovstal plant. This is in line with Russia’s decision to only bomb the military bases. This steel plant is one of the biggest in Europe, and it should not be destroyed. Unfortunately, it has been used as a stronghold by the Azov batallions, which personify the Nazi forces and are not controlled even by Kiev. They deftly use the plant’s territory to move about, to hide, and to shoot the Russians. The Russian army plans to either neutralize (kill) or capture the Azov soldiers, thus avoiding the plant destruction.

Seeing that they do not even want to destroy the plan, it is highly unlikely that the Russian army could kill civilians. This is another proof that the “Bucha massacre” is a war crime by the Nazi forces orchestrated by their Western advisors.

More on Ukraine.

Ukraine: My Views + My Contacts

I support Russia’s special operation against the neo-Fascist regime in Ukraine and its war crimes against the Ukrainian population.

I moved to my vKontakte account in April. I have been busy with work and, on the other hand, I wanted to gather the sentiment about the unfolding events in Ukraine.

This is Kiev’s Maidan place back in 2014.

In brief, this is what I have to say:

  1. I support Russia’s special operation against the neo-Fascist regime in Ukraine. In the years since the first negotiations in Minsk all the opportunities to peacefully resolve the conflict in Donbass have been exhausted. Meanwhile, not only did Ukraine legally proclaim the criminals of WW2 as the country’s national heroes, it has also opened the doors to experiments with biological weapons in its territory. As you might remember, my maternal grandfather was born in Ukraine, and his parents were the prisoners of war in Germany. I sympathise with the people of Ukraine insofar as they have not managed to organize anything similar to the Resistance movement of the past war, so they now have to hide in cellars instead of helping the Russian army. But I do not sympathise with anyone who wants to somehow draw a line between the country and its legislation. In case with Ukraine, the legislation has commemorated those who orchestrated the carnage in Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine itself. And I personally do not want to tolerate this for whatever reason.
  2. Secondly, I realise that I have not written much about it here, for this blog has always been about Arts&Culture, not a place to discuss dubious Wikipedia articles on politics. But things are different now. The first thing I want you to know – especially those of you who have known me for a while – is that, since I returned to Moscow in 2010, I have always voted for Vladimir Putin. I voted for the new Constitution of Russia in 2020. I support the idea of a strong national state. And I certainly stand for the idea of internationalism and the national equality. I have always supported these ideas, and I have always cited the Equal Opportunities Act in Europe as an example of a guarantee of equality to various minorities. But I cannot support the present-day “cancel culture” whereby The Russian Dancers by Edgar Degas are renamed into The Ukrainian Dancers by the National Gallery, and the works of Tchaikovsky are withdrawn from concerts. I cannot and will not support this morone attack on my country and my values.
  3. Finally, for now, I’d like to leave all you intellectual and open-minded people with one question to answer. I first came across the British mentality and culture in 2000. For the past 22 years I have often heard you slagging off the British and American media for bias and lies. You are aware that your media and your governments can lie just about anything – from little-known celebrities to biological weapons in Iraq. Why now, then, do you believe everything you see and read about what is happening in Ukraine? You are now listening to the talk about “the Ukrainian Srebrenica” – and you don’t even pay attention to the fact that the NATO country, in cold blood, uses the NATO’s war crime incident to draw parallels with today’s carnage! It was so hard to effectively divert the world’s attention from biolaboratories in Ukraine that the NATO media were not too proud to use their own war crime to put it on Russia.

Of course, in this day and age I will have to take precautions, so I will double my posts here on my LCJ page in vKontakte. I don’t use VPN, so I will not be able to answer any comments on Facebook or Twitter. But you can contact me by email, and I will take the opportunity to be your first-hand source of news and commentary.

As you may notice, I do not blame anyone for their views. Indeed, there is often a huge chasm between the Anglo-Saxon view of things and that of the rest of the world. I do not expect anyone to turn against their media or government just because I say something. But I keep being told that we, Russians, are brainwashed by the Kremlin propaganda. Well, perhaps, it’s not just the Kremlin that engages in propaganda – and we, Russians, are not the only victims thereof.

Much Ado About Russian: A Fight At the Ukrainian Rada

Multiculturalism entails multilingualism, and different countries react to the issue differently. Most people in the UK whom I came across were more positive than not about the fact that they could hear all sorts of accents and languages in the street. Bengali, Indian, Polish, Russian – anything went, it seems, as long as it was not the Queen’s English.

In Russia, and certainly in Moscow, the situation is different. I live in the same apartment block where I was born and grew up; many Russian (=white) neighbours know me well. But we have other neighbours, too, who arrived in the last 5 years from the former Soviet republics or Russian subject territories. They speak Russian to a different degree, and between themselves they naturally speak their native language. My Russian neighbours attitude is not enthusiastic, to say the least. On several occasions, when I got into a lift together with such Russian (=white) neighbour they would remark, as if I was a guest: “Oh, how good it is to see a Russian face!” A variation is “How good it is to hear the Russian speech“. Nationalism is overt here, and those Caucasian and Uzbek “newcomers” are often called “black”, as opposed to pale-skinned Russians.

However, for years since the demise of the Soviet Union the survival of Russian citizens in the former Soviet republics was also a sensitive, if not altogether painful, issue. The case of the Baltic States may be better known, and now Ukraine, a country that historically, culturally and politically has for centuries had strong ties with Russia, follows the same nationalistic course. Probably being close to Russia for such a long time explains, why the Verkhovna Rada deputees couldn’t stop half-way in defending their point of view.

Basically, on his coming to power, the current president Victor Yanukovich promised to raise the status of the Russian language in the country. Russians constitute the largest ethnic minority in Ukraine, so Yanukovich’s plan paid due respect to this fact. The Ukranian nationalists are against this, arguably for fear of threatening the status of the Ukrainian language. So when the bill was about to be discussed at the Rada this week, opposition’s garni khloptsi (Ukrainian for “handsome guys”) were adamant to have their way. To avoid discussing the bill they burst into the Rada praesidium, and a fight ensued. The photos were made by the RIA Novosti correspondent.

The nationalists believe that this Russian issue hammers a wedge in the Ukrainian society and is best to not be discussed. And they are ready to kick the air – literally.

Ukrainian Stray Dogs and Cats Die in the Name of Eurofoot 2012

At the top left corner of my blog there now hangs a widget which I hope you will use. It is an online petition to the Ukrainian President to stop cruelty on animals. You can read the petition below. Being Ukrainian by a quarter, I find it horrible, although it was documented even in fiction that stray dogs were killed in Russia and elsewhere. Personally, I believe the President Yanukovich has to stop this and to apologise. 

The context in which this measure is being used – the preparation to Eurofoot 2012 – is abominal. Sport has always encouraged cooperation and peace. I would go as far as to suggest to relocate Eurofoot 2012 to another country. Stray animals are the result of social policies. Every country partakes in presenting its best side, whenever necessary. But killing off stray animals so as to suggest as if there is no such problem in the country – sorry, this is criminal. 

The city Lysychansk (eastern Ukraine) is shooting and burning animals alive as part of Football Preparations for Eurofoot 2012.

Ukrainian Authorities are now using a mobile crematorium to exterminate stray animals. The local government bought a mobile crematorium for the disposal of stray animals. The mobile team of drivers and dog catchers are armed with a gun to shoot strays. The mobile crematorium also lends it to other cities and districts of the region.

The captured animals are thrown alive into the oven to 900 degrees C. According to locals, the dogs and cats burned alive.


The concentration of stray animals is not critical and can easily be controlled. The problem of stray animals to be solved by sterilization. We are horrified to learn the problem of stray animals in the Luhansk region in the town Lysychansk in Eastern Ukraine will be “solved” in this way and ignoring the Law on Cruelty to Animals.

http://dingo.care2.com/petitions/widget/common/care2PetitionEmbedBar.js

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