Tag: ukraine

Zero Battlefield Gains Force Ukraine to Send Foreign Mercs on ‘Revenge’ Sabotage Missions – Expert

An attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage team to covertly infiltrate Russia’s Bryansk region was thwarted by Russian border guards, with four enemy saboteurs eliminated. Foreign weapons, equipment, and personal items on the corpses of four saboteurs indicated the presence of foreign mercenaries in the unit.

The lack of any battlefield success has prompted Ukraine and its NATO handlers to resort to expanded use of “revenge” sabotage missions using foreign mercenaries, Joao Claudio Pitillo, historian and researcher at the Center for the Study of the Americas at Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), told Sputnik.

“These mercenaries are recruited, trained, and increasingly directed towards this type of sabotage action that takes the form of revenge… The realization of the impossibility of victory for Ukraine and NATO against Russia prompts expanded use of punitive actions,” he said.

“Such training takes a lot of time and requires experienced personnel. Ukraine likely lacks the manpower to cover both fronts,” Brazilian naval reserve officer and defense consultant Robinson Farinazzo added.

As part of Ukrainian sabotage groups, Western military personnel from elite units, such as the US Rangers, are also engaged in collecting intelligence on enemy routes, weak points, etc., which may subsequently prove useful for “NATO command and future operations on Russian territory,” Farinazzo told Sputnik.

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Who Perpetrated the 2014 Ukraine ‘Maidan Coup’ That Started Ukraine’s War?

On 22 October 2024, the BBC headlined “The ex-British army chief on why peace with Russia is not possible,” and at 5:00 in the podcast he said “We’ve been there [in Ukraine] since 2014, we’ve had a presence in Ukraine, we’ve been working with them, and trying to build up their capability,” and then he immediately skipped forward to 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. He didn’t say from what precise date in 2014 was — was it before, or instead only after, the 20 February 2014 coup — that the UK’s Army was “working with them, and trying to build up their capability,” to use those weapons so as to bring down the democratically elected President of Ukraine, but he went on to say that The West unfortunately “frittered away” “that wonderful unipolar moment” [the UK/U.S Governments’ control over the entire world] into “serious competition with the great powers — Russia, China, Iran, North Korea — this Axis [he was saying that this is the modern equivalent of WW2’s “Axis” or fascist-imperialist powers], and I think the world is as dangerous as I’ve known it, in some respects more dangerous than the Cold War, because The System, you know, The International Order, which kind-of kept us safe, that is a period of extraordinary peace and prosperity, has ended … and we’ve now got these great powers, this Axis of powers, trying to overturn The World Order, and I don’t think that peace with Russia is possible.” He is saying that unless and until The West will conquer Russia, there wil be war between The West and Russia. “Russia sees itself in existential conflict with The West. Putin’s aims are … take over Ukraine, dominate its near east, including parts of Eastern Europe, and dismantle the Euro-Atlantic security order that we enjoy. And so, this isn’t a crisis, this is a campaign … and it will go on for decades. … And this is why Ukraine is so important, because if you allow Russia to prevail in Ukraine, if you follow the path we’re on at the moment, which is leading inexorably to a Russian victory … then The International Order is unfrayed, so things like sovereignty, territorial integrity, don’t matter, war wins, you begin to see the dismantling of The European Order — these are institutions that have been tested by this conflict, and on a practical level, you end up with a bitter and angry Ukraine, a quarter of the world’s grain supplies being held by Russia, all of its [Ukraine’s] extraordinary military capability and technology — Ukraine is the most heavily armed country in Europe now — falling to Russia, … we should be really clear that the cost of failure is far greater than the price it would take in order to make sure that Ukraine prevails. … This is about OUR security, but by keeping Ukraine in the fight, you can get to a point where you achieve a mutually [blurred syllable] stalemate. … And we need to give Ukraine the ability to strike deep into Russia [bomb The Kremlin].” He wants World War Three, which the UK’s Prime Minister and Denmark’s Prime Minister likewise want.

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Russian Foreign Minister – “If Ukraine Joins NATO Eeither Ukraine Disappears, Or NATO Does.”

Important quotes from the BRICS Summit where the other ‘new world order’ is shaping against Western hegemony.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia declared that if Ukraine joins NATO, Russia would destroy Ukraine as a nation, or even NATO itself.

President Putin also said he hoped NATO heard his warning about the consequences of allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles to strike inside Russia.

Russian President Putin warned failure to recognize a state of Palestine will fuel “permanent crisis and inevitable large-scale violence.”

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared, “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is not about freedom of navigation but about China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

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‘Secret’ Clause of Zelensky’s ‘Victory Plan’ – Join NATO Through Nuclear Blackmail

For the last several weeks, the Kiev regime frontman Volodymyr Zelensky has been pitching the much-touted “victory plan” to his overlords in the political West. It didn’t impress them, to put it mildly. Despite this, on October 16, he finally decided to go public with it, revealing the main points in an address to the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament). The document contains five publicly available points and three additional “secret” ones, allegedly “shared only with certain partners”, as CNN reports. Zelensky stated this “would be a bridge toward future peace talks with Russia”. However, among the main points of the “victory plan” is more of the same – NATO membership. CNN claims it also outlines “provisions to strengthen Ukraine’s defense and implement a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package”.

However, already the next day, CNN’s claim was denied by none other than Zelensky himself. Namely, he stated, in no uncertain terms, that if the Neo-Nazi junta isn’t allowed to join NATO, its “only option” will be to acquire nuclear weapons. So much for a “non-nuclear strategic deterrence package”. To make matters worse, he said this during a press conference following his speech in Brussels. He also made a false claim that “Ukraine was the only one who gave up its nuclear weapons” and that “this is why it’s fighting today”. However, this is patently false. Only one country dismantled its own nuclear arsenal completely and that was South Africa (officially in 1994). At around that time, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the transfer of Soviet thermonuclear weapons back to Russia, the sole successor state of the USSR.

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Rep. Mike Turner Urges ‘Direct Military Action’ if North Korean Troops Set Foot in Ukraine

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) is urging “direct military action” if North Korean troops set foot on Ukrainian soil to support Russia’s invasion.

His statement comes on the heels of reports that thousands of North Korean soldiers have arrived in Russia, a move Turner calls “a dangerous and extreme escalation” in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

On Monday, Turner chastised the administration for its lack of transparency, stating that Congress has been kept in the dark about North Korea’s military involvement in Russia.

In a letter sent to President Joe Biden, Turner expressed grave concern over the potential threat posed by North Korean forces aligning with Russia in its ongoing assault on Ukraine.

The congressman demanded immediate action and called on the administration to brief Congress on these developments.

“Why has the Biden-Harris Administration failed to actively brief Congress about the movement of North Korean troops into Russia?” Turner asked.

“Today, I sent a letter to President Biden demanding that his administration give House Intelligence Committee answers and that the use of North Korean troops against Ukraine must be a red line for the United States and NATO.”

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US Must Weigh ‘Direct Military Action’ If North Korean Forces Enter Ukraine: House Intelligence Chair

The United States should consider “direct military action” in Ukraine if North Korean troops invade, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on Oct. 23.

Turner, one of the 101 House Republicans who voted in favor of sending more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine in April, urged the Biden administration to make it clear that North Korea’s involvement in the war would be a “red line for the United States.”

“If North Korean troops were to invade Ukraine’s sovereign territory, the United States needs to seriously consider taking direct military action against the North Korean troops,” Turner said in a statement posted to X.

The congressman further argued that North Korea’s entry into the war would justify allowing Ukraine to fight back with U.S.-supplied weapons.

Ahead of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to the White House in September, it was widely anticipated that President Joe Biden might clear the way for Ukraine to strike Russian targets with Western long-range missiles, but those restrictions remained in place after the talk.

“I have long challenged the Biden–Harris Administration’s unwise position on restricting Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons against targets within Russian territory,” Turner said in his statement. “If North Korean troops attack Ukraine from Russian territory, Ukraine should be permitted to use American weapons to respond.”

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Ukraine Loses Over 5,410 Soldiers in Battle With Russian Southern Forces

Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported on the progress of the special military operation and the key achievements of the Russian Armed Forces.

Russia’s Yug (South) group of forces has eliminated more than 5,410 Ukrainian servicepeople over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

“The enemy’s losses amounted to over 5,410 servicepeople, a tank, seven armored combat vehicles, including three US-made M113 armored personnel carriers, 45 vehicles and 37 field artillery pieces,” the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s Zapad (West) group of forces repelled 20 counterattacks, and Kiev has lost over 3,180 soldiers, while the Tsentr (Center) group of forces has repelled 72 counterattacks and eliminated up to 3,130 Ukrainian troops, the ministry said.

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Exposing The Hypocrisy Of South Korea’s Response To Rumors Of The North Fighting Ukraine

It’s surprising that South Korea prefers for there to be more North Korean troops along the DMZ to fight against in the event that war resumes than in Ukraine and is even willing to deplete some of its gargantuan stockpiles that it’s built up to prepare for that worst-case scenario just for Kiev’s sake.

The claims that North Korea sent troops to fight Ukraine, which have been circulating for the past two weeks and were recently analyzed here, have elicited a hypocritical response from South Korea. Its Deputy Foreign Minister first summoned the Russian Ambassador to demand the immediate withdrawal of its northern neighbor’s troops. This was then followed by a senior presidential aide telling the media that Seoul might soon send defensive and possibly even offensive arms to Ukraine if they don’t leave.

The first half implies that South Korea prefers for there to be more troops to fight against in the event that war resumes than for them to be abroad fighting Ukraine, while the second implies that it’s willing to deplete its stockpiles that were gathered for use against the North in order to help Kiev. Seoul has thus far resisted pressure upon it to send shells for supplying NATO’s proxy against Russia, at least officially, but the latest claims (irrespective of their veracity) might serve to move the needle on this.

South Korea has one of the world’s largest shell stockpiles, which could perpetuate the Ukrainian Conflict by replenishing Kiev’s forces at this critical moment when Western supplies are becoming exhausted, but it’s hitherto preferred to hold onto them in case war resumes with the North. Any change in this calculation would be significant since it would suggest that South Korea no longer assesses that there’s a high risk of that possibly happening anytime soon like has been the case for decades already.

It would also imply that South Korea finally feels comfortable enough depleting some of its gargantuan stockpiles for Ukraine’s sake even though one might have thought that it would hold on to them amidst rumors that North Korea has already sent shells, missiles, and now troops to Russia. After all, everything that North Korea reportedly gives to Russia is something less that it keeps in reserve for possible use against South Korea, yet Seoul’s hypocritical response contradicts that logic.

Seeing as how its interests aren’t served by having more North Korean troops and equipment along the DMZ, this can only mean that ulterior motives are responsible, namely US pressure upon South Korea to help perpetuate the Ukrainian Conflict as it approaches what might soon become a turning point. Russia is winning the “race of logistics”/“war of attrition” by far, so much so that even CNN recently drew attention to this. There’s thus an increasingly urgent need for Ukraine to obtain South Korean shells.

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Ukrainian Troops Increasingly Refusing Orders, Desertion Rates Explode

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office has opened 51,000 cases of desertion through the first nine months of 2024. The number of soldiers abandoning their posts is likely to double last year’s total. 

The Times of London reported data from the Ukrainian government showing that “51,000 criminal cases were initiated for desertion and abandonment of a military unit between January and September of this year.”

El Pais previously noted that 45,000 Ukrainians were being prosecuted for desertion from the start of the year through August. Al-Jazeera says the number is at least 30,000 desertions. 

At the start of the year, Kiev was estimated to have between 500,000 and 800,000 active-duty soldiers and an additional 300,000 reservists.

The Ukrainians have also sustained casualties fighting to defend from Russian advances and amid Kiev’s Kursk invasion. 

Kiev has struggled to fill its ranks with fresh soldiers, leading Ukraine to drop its conscription age from 27 to 25. As Kiev is still facing manpower shortages, American politicians are pushing Ukraine to drop draft age to 18. Responsible Statecraft has reported:

Despite no evidence of victory on the horizon, the Republican senator is urging Ukrainian lawmakers to pass a mobilization bill that would force more Ukrainian citizens to be drafted into the military. Currently, men under 27 are exempted from the draft. Graham has a problem with that.

…Graham told reporters, “I would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join. I can’t believe it’s at 27. You’re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving — not at 25 or 27.”

“We need more people in the line,” he said.

Ukraine has also resorted to allowing prisoners to leave jail if they join the military.

One Ukrainian who deserted told the Times that prison was a better option than the military because “at least in prison, you know when you will be able to leave.”

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Russian Forces Liberate Novosadovoye Settlement in Donetsk Region

The Zapad battlegroup also inflicted losses on three Ukrainian brigades in Novoyegorovka, Ternov, Torskoye and Krasny Liman and repelled a counterattack by the 14th mechanized brigade.

The Russian Zapad battlegroup has liberated another settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reports.

“Units of the Zapad battlegroup, through active and decisive actions, have liberated the settlement of Novosadovoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the MoD report stated.

The Zapad group also inflicted losses on personnel and equipment of three Ukrainian brigades in the areas of Novoyegorovka in the Kharkov region, Ternov, Torskoye and Krasny Liman in the DPR, and repelled a counterattack by an assault group of the 14th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“The enemy lost over 470 servicemen, three U.S.-made M113 armored personnel carriers, six vehicles, a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, a 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit, and a 122mm D-30 howitzer. Three field ammunition depots were destroyed,” the report added.

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