Tag: russia

Biden to Rush Final ‘Substantial’ Weapons Transfer to Ukraine

Before President Joe Biden exits the White House later this month, he is planning a massive final aid package for Ukraine. The Pentagon will attempt to rush the weapons to Kiev before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Two defense officials said the new package would be announced on Thursday during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at an American military base in Germany, the Associated Press reported. The sources added that the weapons will come directly from US military stockpiles, and will be fast-tracked to Ukraine before Trump’s second term begins in less than two weeks.

The rush to provide Kiev with a “substantial” arms shipment before Trump returns to power appears aimed at undermining the president-elect’s stated goal of bringing the war in Ukraine to an end.

Since the American people voted for Trump to be the next president, the current administration has significantly escalated support for Kiev, even allowing Ukrainian forces to use long-range American missiles against targets inside Russia. Biden has also signed off on billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine since the war kicked off in early 2022.

The sources did not tell the AP how large the final package would be, though there is about $4 billion in congressionally authorized funding for Ukraine. The officials indicated that the Trump administration will have “more than a couple billion” in funding to send weapons to Ukraine.

While Trump pledged to bring the war to a close on the campaign trail, some incoming officials have stated that he intends to continue the arms shipments once he returns to power.

Since the start of the war, Washington has approved over $180 billion in aid to Ukraine; however, Kiev insists it has received only a fraction of that sum.

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Ukraine Launches New Offensive In Russia’s Kursk Region

As Ukrainian forces mount a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said that success in this region would improve Kyiv’s bargaining position in any future ceasefire negotiations. This new effort takes place as Donald Trump is set to return to the White House in two weeks, giving both sides an increasing sense of urgency to gain ground ahead of any future bargaining the new administration might undertake. Ukraine’s renewed effort in Kursk also comes as Russia, which claimed it captured a key village in eastern Ukraine, continues to gain ground there. 

“…the Ukrainians themselves are trying to make sure that they have that strong hand,” Blinken told reporters in Seoul, South Korea on Monday. “Their position in Kursk is an important one, because certainly it’s something that would factor into any negotiation that may come about in the coming year.”

His assessment mirrors what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said back in September about Kursk being a “bargaining chip.”

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US ‘Quietly’ Sent Heavy Weapons To Ukraine Well Before Invasion Started, Blinken Reveals

The United States is currently dealing with conflicts in multiple hot spots from Eastern Europe to Gaza to dealing with a collapsed Syrian state and continued standoff with Iran over its nuclear program.

But the Biden administration regrets nothing – so says Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a major end of term interview given to the NY Times and published this weekend. Among the more interesting pieces of new information from the interview is Blinken’s direct admission that Washington was covertly shipping heavy weapons to Ukraine even months before the Russian invasion of February 2022.

“We made sure that well before [Russia’s ‘special military operation’] happened, starting in September and then again in December, we quietly got a lot of weapons to Ukraine,” he said in the interview published Saturday. “Things like Stingers, Javelins.”

The Kremlin at the time cited such covert transfers, which were perhaps an ‘open secret’, as justification for the invasion based on ‘demilitarizing’ Ukraine and keeping NATO military infrastructure out. Moscow had issued many warnings over its ‘red lines’ in the weeks and months leading up to the war.

Below is the full section from the NY Times interview transcript where Blinken boasts of the pre-invasion transfers:

QUESTION:  You made two early strategic decisions on Ukraine.  The first – because of that fear of direct conflict – was to restrict Ukraine’s use of American weapons within Russia.  The second was to support Ukraine’s military offensive without a parallel diplomatic track to try and end the conflict.  How do you look back on those decisions now?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  So first, if you look at the trajectory of the conflict, because we saw it coming, we were able to make sure that not only were we prepared, and allies and partners were prepared, but that Ukraine was prepared.  We made sure that well before the Russian aggression happened, starting in September – the Russian aggression happened in February.  Starting in September and then again in December, we quietly got a lot of weapons to Ukraine to make sure that they had in hand what they needed to defended themselves – things like Stingers, Javelins that they could use that were instrumental in preventing Russia from taking Kyiv, from rolling over the country, erasing it from the map, and indeed pushing the Russians back.

Blinken claims elsewhere in the interview that the Biden White House kept diplomacy going the whole time, and tried to engage Moscow, but explains that this basically involved keeping the Western allies and backers of Kiev unified and on the same track.

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Biden regime rushes $21 Billion in aid to Ukraine, escalating conflict

In a desperate last-minute push to escalate a proxy war against Russia, the Biden administration has announced a massive 21 billion aid package to Ukraine, with just weeks left before President?elect Donald Trump takes office. This latest package includes 21 billion aid packages to Ukraine, with just weeks left before President?elect Donald Trump takes office. This latest package includes 1.22 billion for new weapons procurement, 1.25 billion in weapons from U.S. stockpiles, 1.25 billion in weapons from U.S. stockpiles, 3.4 billion in direct budgetary support, and $15 billion secured from frozen Russian assets.

The Biden administration’s relentless focus on Ukraine has now surpassed 66 billion in security assistance since taking office. This latest move empties the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) account, leaving no funds for new weapons procurement before the Trump administration takes over. While billions remain in the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) account, it is unclear whether the Biden team will spend the remaining 4.33 billion before January 20.

The weapons being sent to Ukraine include advanced air defense systems, anti-tank missiles, artillery ammunition, and unmanned aerial systems, among others. While the Pentagon claims these donations are necessary to counter Russian aggression, critics argue that this endless flow of taxpayer dollars is fueling a war with no clear endgame.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed gratitude for the aid, calling it a “critical” lifeline as Russia intensifies its assaults. However, the Biden administration’s approach raises serious questions about accountability and oversight. With billions being spent on weapons and direct budgetary support, there is little transparency about how these funds are being used or whether they are effectively addressing the conflict.

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Ukraine Attacks Russian Belgorod Region With U.S. Long-Range ATACMS, Drones

This evening, the Ukrainian military fired drones and long-range ATACMS missiles into the Belgorod region of Russia.

Drones overnight on Jan. 4 attacked Russia’s Avangard factory in Smolensk Oblast, which makes solid-fuel rocket motors, and missile transport and launch containers. Drones also reported in Bryansk, Smolensk, Belgorod and Pskov, and St. Petersburg airport was closed, reported accounts on X.

The Belgorod governor reported multiple explosions in civilian areas; Tsarizm cannot verify that information at this time. He declared no one was hurt.

The Russian government declared all projectiles were shot down but this cannot be confirmed.

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Exposing Territorial Recruitment Centers In Ukraine – Human Trafficking To Support The War Effort

A man captured and sold to the war industry in Ukraine managed to make a short video inside one of many Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRCs) in Ukraine. These men are captured and sold to the military and rapidly shipped to the front lines. The police and the military, trying to avoid the fighting, capture others to fight in their place. Avoiding fighting is one motivation, and the other is profit-making. Some abductors make $2,000-$2,500 per day in human trafficking. The letters on the wall stand for Jesus Christ, and a letter was also found in the cellar talking about the targeting of the Christian population. Many Christians are conscientious objectors, as allowed by Ukrainian law, but the law is ignored because money can be made.

In this video, you can witness another attempt to abduct somebody; in this case, they managed to escape.

Occasionally, someone captured will die in the hands of the police. 

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Unconfirmed Reports Say Ousted Syrian Leader Bashar Al-Assad May Have Been Poisoned in Moscow in an Assassination Attempt

After the demise of the decades-long Assad rule over Syria, his escape and subsequent asylum in Russia have been filled with rumors.

To begin with, Bashar Al-Assad and his family were on a plane that, on approach to a Russian air base, turned off the transponder, leading many to believe his plane had been shot down.

Since arriving in Russia, his wife Asma has been said to be either asking for divorce and longing to go back to her native UK or else suffering from a terminal disease.

Now, a Russian Telegram channel has made headlines around the world with the claim that Assad may have been poisoned.

This has sparked fierce online speculation about the fate of the Syrian dictator.

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Will Warnings of A Nuclear War Go Unheeded?

On December 7th, former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter hosted a panel entitled “No Nuclear War: A Call for Reason” at the National Press Club in the nation’s capital.

The three-part symposium brought together a range of anti-war speakers to address the growing threat of a nuclear confrontation between the United States and Russia. Trepidation over that increasingly likely scenario has only mounted following the reckless brinkmanship by the lame duck Biden administration in supplying long-range ATACMs (Army Tactical Missile Systems, pronounced “attack-’ems”) to Ukraine.

Not only do the precision-guided munitions give Kyiv the ability to strike deep within Russian territory, but the U.S.-made missiles must be launched with the help of Western personnel, something that will be interpreted by Moscow as an attack by NATO. While the live-streamed discussion was overshadowed by the earth-shattering news of the fall of Damascus to Western-backed jihadists, the catastrophic developments in the Middle East only made the apocalyptic theme more pertinent.

Participants in the forum included former Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich, retired Army colonel and Washington insider-turned-critic Lawrence Wilkerson, Code Pink organizer Medea Benjamin, The Grayzone founder Max Blumenthal, his wife and fellow journalist Anya Parampil, Black Agenda Report editor Margaret Kimberley, broadcast host Wilmer Leon of (now defunct) Sputnik radio, political commentator Garland Nixon, author and human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik, MIT physicist Theodore Postol, and 25-year-old LaRouche Party agitator Jose Vega.

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The curiously evolving relationship between Russia and the terrorist group that took control of Syria

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (“HTS”) is a coalition of Sunni Islamist insurgent groups in northern Syria. It evolved from Jabhat al-Nusra which was al-Qaeda’s former branch in Syria. In an effort to appear moderate, HTS cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016. Despite these efforts, HTS remains listed as a terrorist organisation due to its history and ongoing activities.

HTS is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and other states.  But since HTS took control of Syria at the end of last year, it seems Russia, along with other governments, is willing to consider removing HTS from the terrorist list, even though there is no evidence that HTS has changed its ways.

We don’t have any answers, only questions.  Questions such as: Was the takeover of Syria agreed upon between powerbrokers in Syria, including Russia and the United States, before HTS launched their offensive?  Were groups such as HTS used to give the appearance of a takeover while, in reality, it was a changing of the guard?  

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Zelensky Says Ukraine Will Establish Diplomatic Ties With HTS-Led Syria

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was working to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria following the takeover of the country by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a US-designated terrorist organization that’s an offshoot of al-Qaeda.

“We are preparing to renew our diplomatic relations with Syria and our cooperation within international organizations. I want to thank our intelligence for the security framework of these contacts,” Zelensky said.

His comments came after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visited Syria and met with HTS officials, including Syria’s de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who has been going by his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Syria in 2022 after former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Russia, recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian intelligence supported the HTS takeover of Syria by providing drones and drone operators a few weeks before the offensive was launched. Ukraine’s military intelligence, known as the HUR, had also reportedly been involved in attacks on Russian bases in Syria.

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