RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 24.02.2025
Including geopolitical issues affecting the balance of power in the ongoing end game war to establish our common future, a closely monitored prison planet or tolerance for diverse modes of governance.
TODAY IS THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION. WILL THE RUSSIAN ARMY MOUNT A SPECIAL OFFENSIVE OR CONTINUE ATTRITION AS USUAL?
USA | RUSSIA | CHINA | UKRAINE | EU | NATO
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Russia's Putin on eve of 3rd year of Ukraine war, thanks soldiers and vows to boost armed forces.
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Putin attends wreath-laying ceremony, awards military personnel on eve of 3rd year of Ukraine war.
COLONEL JACQUES BAUD EXPLAINS THE TRUE REASON WHY RUSSIA BEGAN ITS SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION IN UKRAINE:
ALEXANDER MERCOURIS: Zelensky Insults US In Defiant Presser, West Splits Over UN Ukraine Vote; Merz's Losers' Coalition.
ALEX CHRISTOFOROU: Germany Merz blasts Trump. Elensky ready to resign, MONEY gone. Hegseth, no US troops Ukraine.
Fyodor Lukyanov: Ukraine, Russia, and the West’s fatal miscalculation.
This situation was always different from other Eastern European states – NATO just didn’t listen.
It’s always easy to feel prescient in hindsight. I recall conversations from 15 or 20 years ago with Western interlocutors – who are now from unfriendly nations – on NATO expansion. The discussions always began in a relatively solemn manner. From our side, we politely asked, why are you doing this? The bloc was creeping ever closer to Russia’s borders, despite assurances that it was not an anti-Russian project. Their response was equally polite: What are you talking about? This is not directed against Russia. You should welcome having stable, democratic neighbors under NATO’s watchful eye.
After an hour, especially in informal settings, the real opinions began to surface. We warned, if you keep pushing, you’ll eventually reach Ukraine – and that is impossible. That is the red line.
The response? Come on! You objected to Poland and Hungary, and then you accepted it. You were angry about the Baltics, and nothing happened. What’s the difference with Ukraine? You’ll get used to it just like before.
Our objections – “No, you don’t understand! Ukraine is entirely different! This will not be the same; this will end badly!” – were met with amused smiles and condescending nods. We understand your concerns, but don’t worry, we’ll handle it, their expressions seemed to say.
A Foretold Crisis
We were right. They were wrong. But that fact does not make today’s reality any easier. The drive to pull Ukraine into NATO – an irresistible prize for the Atlantic bloc – was not some last-minute maneuver. US State Department documents from the 1990s show that Ukraine’s future membership in NATO was discussed even as the Soviet Union collapsed. It was not an immediate goal, but it was a logical consequence of the West’s Cold War victory. Any objections that contradicted this logic were dismissed outright.
Read more: No peace without a price: The real story behind Trump’s Ukraine demands
The geostrategic miscalculations and arrogance that defined the so-called liberal world order are one thing. But what is more interesting is why Ukraine actually turned out to be very different. Why did those for whom Ukraine was just another chess piece in a grand geopolitical game fail to understand its unique position? Or did they understand but simply not care?
One interpretation is that the Ukrainian question is inseparable from the Russian question. The two are intertwined in a web of history, geography, religion, culture, and mythology. The struggle between inextricable symbiosis and desperate separation is not a contradiction – it is a dialectic. Every attempt to define one without the other results in instability. And each time outsiders tried to manipulate this balance for their own ends, the result was disastrous.
Western strategists have long obsessed over the Russian question, always looking for ways to minimize Moscow’s influence. The collapse of the USSR presented a unique opportunity to contain Russia’s resurgence. What followed was an attempt to reshape Eastern Europe to the West’s advantage, with no regard for the consequences.
A Fantasy of Nation-Building
All nation-building is a kind of fantasy – a process of self-invention. The land that is now Ukraine has always been a space where competing national myths collided. And historically, these clashes ended in bloodshed.
Each time, the conflict resulted in a temporary balance, which lasted for a historical cycle before collapsing again. What we are witnessing today is simply history repeating itself, but at an accelerated pace. Three decades after the emergence of modern Russia and Ukraine, we are reliving a condensed version of centuries of rivalry and realignment.
Read more: The Grand Bargain: Can Russia and the US rewrite history?
For years after 2014, Russia tried to convince the West that its perception of Ukraine was not a product of propaganda but rather a fundamentally different cultural and historical experience. Ukraine was not just another country that could be absorbed into NATO without consequence. But those arguments were brushed aside. Western officials would nod sympathetically, but their expressions made it clear: this is just another case of Russian imperial nostalgia. You’ll get over it.
The Road to War
The real tragedy is that this conflict was always going to be fought in Ukraine. Many had hoped to avoid direct military confrontation. Perhaps that would have been possible if the entire global system had not fallen into disorder. This war is not simply about Ukraine or even about Russia – it is the result of the broader collapse of the liberal world order.
As the post-Cold War international system became unstable, rising powers from different cultural and historical spheres – particularly in Asia – challenged Western dominance. The West responded by trying to reassert its ideological and military hegemony. Meanwhile, Russia, feeling cornered, saw itself pushed to its limits. The battlefield of this struggle became Ukraine.
Two geopolitical crises have now merged into one. On the one hand, there is the long-standing issue of European security, inherited from the Cold War. On the other, there is the question of Russian and Ukrainian self-determination, which predates the existence of modern nation-states. Either of these issues alone would be immensely complex. Together, they form an unsolvable puzzle.
Read more: Dmitry Trenin: Russia’s long-term play is much bigger than Ukraine
The war that began in 2022 was intended to resolve the first issue: the question of European security. But as it progressed, the second issue – the deep and inescapable Russian-Ukrainian entanglement – became just as central.
No Winners in a Draw
The future of the world order will not be decided on the battlefields of Ukraine – unless, of course, events spiral into a nuclear catastrophe, a scenario that cannot be entirely ruled out. The world is much larger than the confrontation between Russia and the West. That is why the Global South and much of Asia remain largely indifferent to this conflict, watching from the sidelines as they pursue their own interests.
But for Russia, Ukraine, and the West, there is no escaping this battle. The outcome of this war will determine the future relationship between Russia and its neighbors, as well as Russia’s role in the international system. And one thing is certain: no one is interested in a draw.
SCOTT HORTON: [Special Rebroadcast] : Three Years Later—Scott Horton on the Russia-Ukraine War.
[ SPECIAL ] - 🔥 The War Begins: Alex Jones & Judge Nap on Russia’s Invasion - A Look Back- Feb '22.
RACHEL BLEVINS: SANCTIONED Preview: Three Years into NATO’s War on Russia, Europe Refuses to Face Reality.
DANNY HAIPHONG - PROFESSOR JEFFREY SACHS: 'Ukraine War is OVER' Jeffrey Sachs Explosive Speech to EU Parliament SHAKES US-led World Order.
LARRY JOHNSON: Trump’s GAME-CHANGING Plan to End War—Will It Actually Work?
LEVAN GUDADZE: SMO Progress. Zelensky's Fate. Ukrainian Deal. USA - Russia Talks. Middle East. Q&A - Community Chat.
LEVAN GUDADZE: Ukraine won’t pay debt to US. Macron/Starmer to sabotage US-Russia Talks. German elections…
VLADIMIR PUTIN: President Putin Honors Anatoly Sobchak: A Leader Who Shaped Modern Russia.
RUSSIA NEWS: Today the world has come closer to a dangerous line than ever before.
GEORGE GALLOWAY: PEACE AND DESIST.
SEBASTIAN SAS: Zelensky CROSSES Trump, German Elections In Full Swing, EU Backlash.
SCOTT RITTER: Do the Russians Want Peace?
LARRY JOHNSON: Will Zelenskyy Soon Resign?
GARLAND NIXON: NATO CIVIL WAR - THE US AND RUSSIA VERSUS A CLOWNISH EU AND THE AZOV GOONS.
RUSSELL BRAND: Trump Just Called Out NATO on Ukraine Russia WAR.
EMIL COSMAN: Gorbachev discloses Who destroyed USSR, why West hates Putin, (because) "Putin knows everything."
EMIL COSMAN: Putin puts Polish PM Tusk in his place in person. Reminds Poland of its own historical mistakes.
EMIL COSMAN: Rus l@unches LARGEST Att@ck in entire War. Rus advances in Kurks+Donbas. UK's largest Rus sanctions.
SABBY SABS: Glenn Greenwald CRUSHES Dan Crenshaw.
LENA PETROVA: US Admits Failure as American Companies Lose $300B, Russia Sets New Rules for Western Businesses.
AARON MATÉ - KATIE HALPER: MONDAY MOURNING
BORZZIKMAN: RUSSIA Buried British, French, and Polish Officers Alive Under the Rubble of Hotel 'PARK HOUSE'.
USA - TRUMP | MUSK | DOGE
TUCKER CARLSON: The CIA and USAID Funded the Torture of Christian Priests - Here’s the Proof.
TULSI GABBARD: My Experience As President Donald Trump's DNI.
COLONEL DOUGLAS MACGREGOR: Trump Could End Up w/Nobel Peace Prize.
DANIEL DAVIS: Pentagon Firings: Defense Dept on the Right Track.
RAY MCGOVERN: Can Musk & Co. Audit the CIA?
WEARECHANGE: GIGANTIC! Trump Tells Musk To Get More AGGRESSIVE, Massive Fraud To Be Unearthed.
TRUMP - BRICS
US & China on a Collision Course?
PROFESSOR RICHARD D. WOLFF: Economic Update: U.S. Policy toward China: A Failing Effort to Contain Historic Change.
EUROPE | BRITAIN
THE DURAN: German elections, government coalition of losers.
From Chancellor to Dead Man Walking: Scholz's Track Record of Failures.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is likely to lose his position in today’s snap election. Let’s break down his legacy.
How did the German economy end up on the brink of collapse?
Germany is facing its third consecutive year of recession, with GDP growing by only about 0.57% a year under Scholz, as Sputnik open-data calculations reveal. This is the poorest performance since the EU was established.
Germany’s share in the global economy declined to a historic minimum of 3.08% by purchasing power parity, Sputnik calculations based on the World Bank and IMF data show.
The largest automakers, Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedez-Benz, saw their profits drop by a third in 2024 due to increasing competition from China and Scholz’s decision to cancel subsidies for EV car buyers, which led to a 27% shrinkage in the domestic market.
No weapons? Taxpayers will buy
Germany’s involvement in the Ukraine crisis has seriously depleted its weapons stockpiles. “The Europeans and the Ukrainians have nothing in their depots,” Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall CEO, told the FT this February.
Scholz’s government has committed to higher defense spending, reaching a whopping $95bln. Future defense spending will likely mandate an increase in taxes that will certainly create political turmoil.
Soft Power, German-Style: What Does Germany’s GIZ Have in Common With USAID?
Political clash
Scholz’s stance on Russia and unequivocal support for the EU have sparked outrage at home with the AfD party gaining popularity.
Scholz's self-harming sanctions on Russia have drawn criticism from Sarah Wagenknecht, who also condemned his disregard for the Nord Stream sabotage.
PASCAL LOTAZ: Here's What The German Elections ACTUALLY Mean.
ALASTAIR CROOKE: Political Earthquake in Germany.
THE GAGGLE: Why Has The U.K. Gone Insane?
MIDDLE EAST
ALASTAIR CROOKE: Political Implosion in Israel.
SYRIANA ANALYSIS: SHOCKING: CIA Asset SELLING OUT Syria To Israel.
AFRICA
HISTORYLEGENDS: How France Lost ALL Its Military Bases in West Africa.
NON-ENGLISH NEWS
LIU SIVAYA: ÚLTIMA HORA!! TODA EUROPA DEBERÍA VERLO!! NO TENÉIS IDEA DE LO QUE NOS ESPERA A TODOS CON ESTE LOCO.
Planen die Russen den Dniepr zu überqueren? Kherson-Offensive? Frontbericht 24.02.2025
EU Nastavlja Rat Sa Rusijom ⚔ 3.Godišnjica Rata ⚔ Amerika se Okreće Rusiji ⚔ Izbori u Njemačkoj. 24.02.2025
MAPPING CHANNEL UPDATES
Cold War II❄️4th Year Of War⏳Kyiv Summit 🏛🌍 South Donetsk Collapses💥 Military Summary For 2025.02.24
Massive. Russia On Brink Of Collapsing 225 SQKM. Ukraine’s Strongest Defense Has Fallen.
Massive Collapse Of Ukrainian Defenses North Of Velyka Novosilka.
3rd War Anniversary🌍Germany Set Its Future⚡️Russians Dominate Ukrainians in Sudzha💥MS For 2025.02.24
Massive Attack - Turning Point | Zelensky's Last-Ditch NATO Effort - Media Hysteria | Map Update.
Ukrainian Defensive Line Collapsed | Russian Advances Continue All Across The Frontline.
[ SITREP ] Major Russian BREAKTHRU north of V.Novosilka and W flank of Kursk; Bilohorivka Offensive!
[ DPA Super Panel ] @Millennium7HistoryTech, @Wild-Siberia & Andrea Gaspardo - 3 Year of Ukraine War.
Russia Storms Pryvilne An Important Ukrainian Stronghold.
GROK PICS
RUSSIA / BELARUS - EXPATS IN RUSSIA
MOSCOW PHOTOGRAPHER: Men's Day in Russia? Yes.
BEAUTIFUL MOSCOW: 🔥How we celebrated Valentina Ivanovna's birthday💥👍Gifts, a table, dancing till you drop.‼️
RUSSIAN TRAVELS: Romantic Evening Winter Walk | This is Life In Russia. 🇷🇺
TRAVELLING WITH RUSSELL: Russian TYPICAL (Family) Apartment Tour: Could You Live Here?
VICTORY BELONGS TO RUSSIA: IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
Each day that passes makes a conclusive Russian victory in the Donbass and beyond more certain. As Russia bolsters her forces, and weaponry, those of Ukraine decrease. Russian forces gain ready access to rest and recuperation as troop numbers increase. The increasingly exhausted and demoralised Ukrainian troops have an ever decreasing prospect of such respite. This situation is likely to bring them to complete breakdown as Russia unleashes the firepower of the more modern and advanced weaponry that is arriving with the newly mobilised Russian troops.
The various Ukrainian offensives are now weak when confronted by the reinforced Russian lines. A few futile efforts achieve quite miserable results before fire reigns down on the Ukrainian troops and they are forced back to their starting positions.
And now, all this being said, we have arrived at the wet, and later, freezing conditions where these pathetic Ukrainian forces will be subject to myriad forms of abject misery with death and injury all around them while they lie sodden or frozen, abandoned to their fate by Kiev.
The pitiable young and old of Ukraine have been frogmarched to their deaths as cannon-fodder while the bestial elites of the collective West urge their "president" to add more to their number there at the gates of Hell and their doom. We must feel for the majority of them as they are not the Nazis we revile, in most part they are decent men, fathers, sons, brothers, husband and uncles, who no doubt saw through the coup of 2014 for what it was. But sadly, their fate seems sealed.
Nothing will stop Russia now. Every factor favours them. Victory will be Russia's. In Donbass and beyond and in due course across the world.
Victory belongs to Russia: It is now only a matter of time.
TODAY IS THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION. WILL THE RUSSIAN ARMY MOUNT A SPECIAL OFFENSIVE OR CONTINUE ATTRITION AS USUAL?
I am listening to Brian Berletic…..and becoming more circumspect about this euphoria of the change. I still hope….https://www.youtube.com/live/XZ_gJ7kqae0?si=N-_5wsRPA-fG6lDi