RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 21.11.2024
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.
WILL INITIAL RUSSIAN RESPONSE TO NATO MISSILE ATTACKS OCCUR OVERNIGHT?
COLLECTIVE WEST | RUSSIA
ALEX CHRISTOFOROU of THE DURAN: UK storm shadow missiles attack Russia. Putin silent. Zaluzhny targeted TurkStream.
Ukraine has fired UK-supplied ‘Storm Shadows’ at Russia – Bloomberg.
London has reportedly joined Washington in approving long-range missile strikes.
File photo: The Storm Shadow cruise missile is on display during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France. © AP Photo/Lewis Joly
The Ukrainian military has launched UK-supplied ‘Storm Shadow’ missiles at Russia’s Kursk Region and Krasnodar Region, according to Bloomberg News.
The reported attacks come after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky claimed to have received permission from multiple Western countries to deploy their long-range rockets against targets deep inside Russia. Moscow has warned that such attacks would amount to NATO’s direct involvement in the conflict.
“We as a nation and as a government are doubling down on our support for Ukraine and determined to do more,” British Defense Secretary John Healey said in Parliament on Wednesday.
London approved the use of ‘Storm Shadows’ in response to allegations from Kiev that North Korean troops had joined the fighting in Kursk Region, a “Western official familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg. The anonymous source said that the British government considered the alleged move to be an escalation by Moscow.
Multiple outlets reported over the weekend that US President Joe Biden had lifted the restrictions on Kiev’s use of American missiles. While the White House has neither confirmed nor denied this officially, a volley of ATACMS projectiles was fired at Russia’s Bryansk Region early on Tuesday.
Read more: Kiev fires ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk Region – MOD
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on the reports of ‘Storm Shadow’ strikes. According to one Telegram channel, up to 12 missiles were launched at Kursk Region on Wednesday afternoon, but were intercepted by air defenses. Photographs making the rounds on social media showed purported fragments of the British-made missiles found in the village of Maryino, about halfway between the Ukrainian border and the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Kurchatov.
Another Telegram channel said that at least two missiles were intercepted over Yeysk, a seaport in Russia’s Krasnodar Region.
The US and its allies had placed certain restrictions on the use of the weapons they have supplied to Kiev since 2022, in order to maintain plausible deniability regarding their involvement in the conflict with Russia. Ukraine has been clamoring for lifting these limitations since May.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the use of Western long-range missiles by Kiev would change the nature of the conflict and make NATO a direct participant in the hostilities. Moscow has also revised its nuclear doctrine to encompass conventional attacks by proxies.
“Attempts by some NATO members to participate in the facilitation of possible long-range strikes with Western weapons deep inside Russian territory will not be left unpunished,” the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, said on Wednesday.
While the US and the UK appear to have given Kiev the permission Zelensky demanded, France has said it’s still considering the move. Meanwhile, Germany and Italy have publicly said that their weapons can only be used on Ukrainian soil.
‘Only Americans Can Do It’: Why Ukrainians Can’t Launch ATACMS Alone.
Five US-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles were intercepted and one was damaged by S-400 and Pantsir air defense systems on November 19, as Ukrainian forces launched six missiles at Russia's Bryansk region at 3:25 am.
The US is getting bogged down in the Ukraine conflict despite assertions to the contrary.
"American servicemen are involved in [ATACMS] missile guidance... and coordinating their flights to deliver the strike. We can say this with complete confidence," Alexander Mikhailov, head of Russia's Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, tells Sputnik.
The pundit explains that:
US-made ATACMS use satellite navigation data that is provided by the US military
target selection and their coordinates is carried out by US military-technical specialists
the process of loading the flight mission into the missile's guidance head is conducted by US soldiers
"The launch cannot be carried out without the American officers," says Mikhailov, "[Americans] wouldn't transfer either the algorithms, or the codes, or the mechanisms for entering coordinates into the ATACMS missiles to officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
American security experts echo the Russian scholar.
Speaking on the Judging Freedom podcast on Tuesday, former Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter stated that "ATACMS cannot be operated by anyone but the US":
the guidance system and the data that is going in is developed by the Pentagon's geospatial analysts in Europe
the data, classified using National Security Agency cryptology, is communicated from the European site to a downlink station in Ukraine manned by US specialists
it then is loaded up on the ATACMS again by US specialists
"So the mission is planned by the US, the data is loaded into the missile and when the button is fired it's being... fired by the US against Russia," Ritter says. "Only Americans can do it."
The Kremlin has repeatedly warned the US against growing involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the US greenlighting Ukraine's strikes deep inside Russia with ATACMS means "a qualitatively" new situation in terms of Washington's involvement.
Lavrov Calls Use of ATACMS in Bryansk Region Signal That US Wants Escalation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey lavrov on Tuesday has called the use of the ATACMS ballistic missiles in Russia's Bryansk Region a signal that the West is seeking an escalation of the Ukraine conflict.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the armed forces of Ukraine struck with six ATACMS ballistic missiles at the Bryansk Region.
"You ask me a question, how do I know that what the New York Times published is true or an attempt to test the waters? I don't know. The fact that ATACMS missiles were used repeatedly in the Bryansk region tonight is, of course, a signal that they want an escalation," Lavrov told a news conference after the G20 summit in Brazil.
The minister said he could not confirm information that the US allowed Kiev to strike deep into Russia, adding that there were some reports, but there was no the official confirmation from the US.
Russia will respond accordingly to the US decision to allow Kiev to strike deep into Russian territory, Lavrov said, adding that he hopes the West will carefully study Russia's updated nuclear doctrine.
Lavrov further warned that Moscow will react accordingly to the US allowing Kiev to strike deep into the Russian Federation.
Regarding the G20 summit itself, the minister mentioned that Western powers tried to “Ukrainize” the G20 agenda, but other members insisted that other conflicts be included in the final declaration.
He added that Russia agrees with the paragraph on Ukraine in the G20's final declaration, which calls for an honest and reasonable conversation about peace on realistic terms.
Tucker Carlson Warns Biden’s ATACMS Decision Risks ‘Hot War’ With Russia.
US political commentator Tucker Carlson warned on Wednesday that outgoing US President Joe Biden's decision to allow Kiev to use US-made ATACMS missiles to strike deep into Russia put all Americans at risk.
"A lame duck president just started a hot war with the world's most dangerous country. All of us are very close to being killed," Carlson said on X, commenting on a post about Russia mass-producing KUB-M nuclear bomb shelters.
Biden, whose Democratic Party has lost control of the Senate in the 2024 US elections and is projected to fail to win a majority in the House of Representatives, has reversed his Ukraine policy in the waning months of his presidency to allow Kiev to fire at targets deep inside Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine fired six ATACMS ballistic missiles at the western Russian region of Bryansk. Moscow updated its nuclear doctrine that same day.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the use of the ATACMS ballistic missiles a signal that the West was seeking an escalation in the Ukrainian conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September that if Western countries gave permission for their long-range weapons to be used by Ukraine for attacks on Russia, this would change the nature of the conflict and make them directly involved.
RAY MCGOVERN: Ukraine Fires US Missiles at Russia! Is a Nuclear War About to Erupt?
SCOTT RITTER: Russia CRUSHES NATO with This Move, Trump Neocons Can't Stop Putin & BRICS' Rise.
TUCKER CARLSON - GLENN GREENWALD: Everything You Need to Know About the Global Nuclear Threat With Russia and Ukraine.
DMITRY ORLOV: Russia's Massive Attack Coming?
GEORGE GALLOWAY - DANIEL DAVIS: The gang who couldn't shoot straight.
BORZZIKMAN: Huge Defeat For NATO: Russia Officially Declared The Destruction of Encircled NATO Soldiers In KURSK.
As Biden Adds Fuel to Ukraine Fire With Mines, Russia Vows Unshakable Defense.
The outgoing US administration of President Joe Biden is fully committed to prolonging the conflict in Ukraine and is doing everything possible to drag the hostilities on, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, The Washington Post reported, citing two US officials, that President Biden had approved the shipment of antipersonnel mines to Ukraine. This decision reportedly aligns with the current White House administration's efforts to assist the Kiev regime in trying to stop Russia's steady advance. One official stated that Ukrainian lawmakers have committed to refraining from using these mines in heavily populated areas.
"In general, based on the trend exhibited by the outgoing US administration, they are fully committed to dragging on the war in Ukraine. They are doing everything possible for this in the time that remains," Peskov told reporters.
It's difficult to determine the accuracy of reports regarding Biden's approval of sending antipersonnel mines to Kiev, although the official suggested that it is a possibility.
Russia's New Nuclear Policy Leaves US and NATO Facing Strategic Dead End - Intel Chief
Measures Taken to Ensure Safety of All Critical Russian Infrastructure Facilities
Necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all critical infrastructure facilities in Russia, including the Crimean Bridge, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
"The Supreme Commander-in-Chief has long been issuing instructions, and all necessary measures are being taken to safeguard all critical infrastructure facilities, including the [Crimean] bridge," Peskov told reporters.
Only Ukraine Fond of Committing Sabotage & Terrorism on Baltic Sea Floor
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Wednesday that it is Ukraine, not Russia, that engages in sabotage and acts of terrorism at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
Full Text of Russia's Updated Nuclear Doctrine
On Monday, the German and Finnish top diplomats published a joint statement, in which they expressed deep concern over a "severed undersea cable", connecting the two countries in the Baltic Sea.
Such accusations pointing the finger at Russia as the one allegedly responsible for blowing up the cables in question in the Baltic Sea are absurd and groundless, the spokesman replied.
"This perhaps seems ridiculous, especially in light of the absence of any reaction to Ukraine's sabotage activities in the Baltic Sea. You know that it is Ukraine that actually prefers to engage in acts of sabotage and terrorism at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. I mean [take] the explosions of the North Stream pipelines," Peskov told reporters.
US Embassy in Kiev Shuts Doors Over Alleged Attack?
Reports of an alleged possible airstrike on Kiev, which was divulged by the American Embassy in Ukraine, is related to the course of the special military operation and the Defense Ministry, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the US diplomatic mission in the Ukrainian capital announced it was temporarily closing its doors amid reports of an alleged potential airstrike.
"Although this topic falls outside our area of expertise, it directly relates to the course of the special military operation and is solely within the purview of the Ministry of Defense," Peskov emphasized, replying to a question about how the Kremlin would respond to the report from the US Embassy about a possible airstrike on Kiev.
COLLECTIVE WEST | GLOBAL MAJORITY
PROFESSOR JOHN J MEARSHEIMER: Israel In Trouble.
DMITRY ORLOV: Israel's Collapsing on All Fronts.
PHIL GIRALDI: A Zionist Cabinet.
COLLECTIVE WEST | BRICS
SCOTT RITTER: Russia CRUSHES NATO with This Move, Trump Neocons Can't Stop Putin & BRICS' Rise.
CARL ZHA: China US Battle for the 21st century.
CARL ZHA: Xi Jinping to Biden-Don't Cross Redlines!
BRICS Corridor: China Eyes Pacific-Atlantic Rail Project via Bolivia and Brazil.
China will assess the possibility of building a railway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, which will pass through Bolivia and Brazil, Bolivian President Luis Arce said.
On Tuesday, Arce met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
"He also expressed interest in studying the construction of an interoceanic train that will connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, starting from the Peruvian megaport of Chancay and passing through the territory of BRICS partners - Bolivia and Brazil," Arce said on Telegram on Wednesday.
Pepe Escobar: BRICS Make History - Can They Keep the Momentum?
Xi also expressed interest in cooperation in the financial sector, mining, lithium production and expanding a joint aerospace program, Arce added.
Last week, Peru opened a major port connecting Latin America and China, which creates major trade opportunities for Bolivia.
USA
KATIE HALPER: Jill Stein Veep Butch Ware SLAMS AOC: ‘A Shill For Murderous Establishment’.
NON-ENGLISH NEWS
LIU SIVAYA: LA VENGANZA SERÁ TERRIBLE: UCRANIA ATACA TERRITORIO RUSO CON MISILES DE LARGO ALCANCE OCCIDENTALES.
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.
WILL INITIAL RUSSIAN RESPONSE TO NATO MISSILE ATTACKS OCCUR OVERNIGHT?
