RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 05.12.2023
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.
THE ROAD TO THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION OF WORLD WAR III RUNS THROUGH HERE.
*** SEEKING TO DESTROY HAMAS ISRAEL MAY DESTROY ITSELF ***
…………
“Ukraine. What is the truth...?
Why won’t western media tell both sides…?”
***
VIRTUALLY UNREPORTED ATROCITY IN LUGANSK, 2nd JUNE 2014
A lot has been said about atrocities in the western media claimed to have been perpetrated by the Russians, for example at Bucha and Mariupol among others. These assertions are conveyed on the say so of the Ukrainian authorities. How willing though are western news broadcasters to convey atrocities attributed to the Ukrainians? The following will I think provide the answer.
If anyone wonders if they are receiving accurate coverage of the conflict in Ukraine I would suggest watching the video below of an event which occurred on the 2nd of June 2014 and ask themselves if they recall hearing about it on any mainstream media news channel at the time.
The video is harrowing to watch. The bodies (five women and three men) are real. Yet across western media there was only one single news report that occurred a day later. This was from CNN and occurred only because a CNN team happened to be nearby at the time of the atrocity and so the network could hardly ignore it as all others so obviously did.
The video below shows the unvarnished truth that was not considered newsworthy in western mainstream news.
THE SINGLE WESTERN MSM REPORT ON THE LUGANSK ATROCITY, 3rd JUNE 2014
The video at the CNN link below is the crime scene sanitised by CNN, though played straight with honest reporting on the scene not playing things to Kiev’s tune.
(There was a time early in the war in the Donbass when CNN were not afraid to contradict the Ukrainian regime in Kiev.) Watch, because it's the first and last time you will see this.
5 women and 3 men died, all civilians.
Air attack on pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk kills 8, stuns residents.
…………
Lead feature:
ALEXANDER MERCOURIS of THE DURAN
Rus Advances Bakhmut, Liman, Avdeyevka; UK: Marinka Falling: Zaluzhny: Ukr Needs 17M Shells, $400B.
ALEX CHRISTOFOROU of THE DURAN
No magical pot. WaPo; Ukraine losing, blame game begins. The Putin, Macron, Elensky; Rizz score. U/1
THE DURAN - ALEX CHRISTOFOROU & ALEXANDER MERCOURIS
Zelensky - Zaluzhny, power struggle.
DD GEOPOLITICS
NATO Against Children! - An Interview with Iman Ali from Syria and Faina Savenkova from Lugansk.
DANNY HAIPHONG
Putin Issues DEVASTATING Warning to NATO as Russia Destroys Sanctions.
REDACTED w/ LARRY JOHNSON (EX-CIA)
BREAKING! Zelensky MOVING TO U.S. and given citizenship says whistleblower | Redacted News Live.
REDACTED
Biden and E.U. CUT OFF Ukraine and NATO prepares for "Bad News".
LEVAN GUDADZE
Ukraine lost 700 soldiers, 2 MiG 29 fighter jets and a Mi-8 helicopter in the previous 24 hours...
SCOTT RITTER
Israel-Gaza War Update & Ukraine-Russia SMO Is Over.
RADIO INTERNATIONAL BELARUS
Who controls the Ukrainian authorities?
CYRUS JANSSEN
What Will China Do for the Future of Ukraine and Gaza?
EMIL COSMAN - UKRAINE-RUSSIA
Large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea, 41 drones, Crimean bridge closed.
MILITARY TUBE TODAY
10 Ukrainian soldiers were found and removed in Soledar.
THE HILL
Biden BEHOLDEN to Elite DC BLOB Consensus on Israel That NO ONE WANTS: Jeremy Schahill.
BORZZIKMAN
The BRITISH Admired The Russian SAM 'TOR-M1 | RUSSIA Gained Complete Dominance In The Sky Of UKRAINE.
SCOTT RITTER
Is the US Still the ‘Essential Nation’?
THE REAL NEWS NETWORK
Israel's war on Palestine didn't start on Oct. 7 | The Marc Steiner Show.
DMITRY ORLOV
Huge Strategic Defeat - Making New Enemies.
SCOTT RITTER
Scott Ritter Extra Ep. 119: Ask the Inspector.
GEORGE GALLOWAY
INTERVIEW: Israel’s staggering war losses.
BREAKTHROUGH NEWS
Horrors In Gaza & Israel’s Sloppy Propaganda.
NOVARA MEDIA
The Sick New Lie In Israel’s Propaganda War.
THE JIMMY DORE SHOW
Killing Civilians Will Cost Israel This War! Say U.S. Defense Secretary.
KIM IVERSEN
Israel Warns WHO They're Going To Bomb Them.
HINDUSTAN TIMES - ISRAEL/GAZA
Iran Helping Militias Attack U.S. Forces In Middle East? Tehran Ends Suspense With Scathing Remark.
‘IDF Shooting At Anything That Moves…’: Gaza Official’s Massacre At Kamal Adwan Hospital Warning.
Hezbollah Blows Up Israeli Army Posts; IDF Facilities In Bayad Blida, Yiftah Bombed.
Big Setback To Israel Amid War With Hamas.
Israel Unnerved By Warnings Over Gaza War.
Al Qassam’s Rocket Blitz On Israel; IDF Encircles Jabalia; Israel Lists Demands To End Gaza War.
TELESUR ENGLISH
Israel announces new total communications cut for Gaza Strip.
FIRSTPOST
Turkey Threatens Israel Against Killing Hamas Targets On Its Soil.
MIDDLE EAST EYE
Has Israel turned Gaza into 'A Mass Assassination Factory'? - Report.
BREAKING POINTS
Kamala Screws Gaza Future Job ON DAY ONE.
CHRIS THRALL
Pentagon Rushes Lethal AI 'REPLICATOR' Drone Initiative.
DAWN NEWS ENGLISH
Turkish President Erdogan Lashes Out At Israeli PM Netanyahu.
Israel Continues Air And Ground Bombardment In Southern Gaza.
Israel Silences, Dehumanises, Criminalises Palestinians: Former Spanish Minister.
British MP Jeremy Corbyn Says Israel Is Committing Ethnic Cleansing In Gaza.
China Urges Resumption Of Truce Talks Between Israel, Hamas.
PROFESSOR JEFFREY SACHS
Sustainable Development and Peace.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
GEOFFREY ROBERTS
Putin wants Peace.
Articles from Russia Today (RT) - 5th December 2023:
US ‘out of money’ for Ukraine – White House.
Ending American military assistance would “kneecap” Kiev, a top budget official warned.
The White House has made an urgent appeal to lawmakers to approve additional aid for Ukraine, saying the country is “nearly out of time” as US agencies spend the last remaining funds from previous security packages.
In a letter addressed to congressional leaders on Monday, the head of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Shalanda Young, claimed that past US aid had resulted in “significant military victories” for Ukraine and went on to urge for more.
“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks,” she said. “There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money – and nearly out of time.”
“Cutting off the flow of US weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories.”
Young went on to note that, as of mid-November, the Pentagon had spent 97% of the $62.3 billion it received for Ukraine this year, while the State Department and US Agency for International Development (USAID) had used up all of the funds allocated.
The official also warned that Ukraine’s economy could implode without continued US assistance, saying Kiev “will not be able to keep fighting, full stop,” in the event of a severe downturn.
Though Washington has devoted more than $110 billion in various types of aid to Ukraine since the conflict with Russia escalated in February 2022, US lawmakers are currently wrangling over another round of assistance.
READ MORE: Growing number of Ukrainians want peace talks – poll
President Joe Biden has requested a massive spending package worth $106 billion to fund several priorities of his administration, including military aid to Ukraine and Israel. However, the White House faces opposition from a growing number of Republicans who have become increasingly skeptical about US support for Kiev, with GOP members in the House favoring standalone aid to Israel alone.
While Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell noted his party is “still at the table” with opponents over future Ukraine spending, House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that Republicans in the lower chamber would only approve more aid to Kiev if Democrats agreed to various changes to US immigration policy. Johnson also cited “legitimate concerns about the lack of a clear strategy in Ukraine,” stressing the need to ensure “accountability for aid provided by American taxpayers.”
US ‘out of money’ for Ukraine – White House.
Endgame: How will Ukraine look after its defeat?
It's all over bar the shouting for Zelensky and his followers, so what will be the reaction in Kiev and beyond?
Toward the end of World War II (in Europe), Germans often shared a dark joke, reflecting their well-deserved dread at the prospect of defeat: “Enjoy the war, the peace will be terrible.” Of course, despite the worst efforts of the Ukrainian far right to damage both the politics and the image of their country, no objective observer would equate Ukraine with Nazi Germany.
Nevertheless, that old German piece of gallows humor points to a question that is now pertinent for Ukraine. Even the militantly anti-Russian Economist is spotting “war fatigue” in both the US and the EU. The Western funding on which Kiev depends is in danger of drying up; and current promises of more cash are not reliable.
When and how will the war end?
Bloomberg reports a “sense of gloom” in Ukraine and the Wall Street Journal admits that “Moscow holds the advantage on the military, political and economic fronts.” The prominent American military commentator Michael Kofman, often treading a fine line between professional analysis and pro-Western bias, is close to facing reality. Still insisting that “it’s inaccurate to suggest that Russia is winning the war,” he acknowledges that “if the right choices are not made next year on Ukraine’s approach and Western resourcing, then Ukraine’s prospects for success look dim.” He also suggests that Kiev should shift to the defensive. Frankly, it has already, and it had no choice.
Yet a defensive strategy cannot achieve Ukraine’s official war aims, because they include retaking territory from Russia. For Ukraine, Kofman’s “right choices” imply giving up on that. Former war monger and Zelensky adviser – and now foe – Aleksey Arestovich, for one, has correctly spotted that fact. Such an outcome is called “losing.” Redefining it as a form of “success” – a shifting of goalposts popular in the West now – comes across as a clumsy attempt to rationalize and sell a defeat.
Regarding “right choices” for the West, despite desperate clarion calls by the Cold War re-enactor and Ukraine proxy war booster Tim Snyder and the US grand strategy maitre penseur Walter Russell Mead, the West may continue some funding of Ukraine, but it is unlikely to once again up the ante. Why would it, when all its previous strategies – economic, military, diplomatic, and by information war – have failed at great cost? What is happening instead is an American attempt to shift more of the burden of the proxy war onto the EU.
If Donald Trump wins the US elections in less than a year, then that trend is certain to accelerate, as even British state broadcaster BBC has long recognized. Western observers who think that this is a reason for Russia to be in no hurry to make peace before November 2024 are probably right.
But what if the West and Ukraine suddenly come up with a whole new suite of brilliant, game-changing strategies? After the “miracle weapons” have crashed, perhaps we’ll see “miracle ideas”? We won’t. Because if Western elites could have them, they would have utilized them already.
Concerning Ukraine, Maryana Bezuglaya, a member of parliament, has just caused a stir by accusing the military of failing to produce any genuine plan for 2024. Clearly, this attack is part of a power struggle – and blame game – between President Vladimir Zelensky and commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny. But Bezuglaya is not lying, just exploiting facts.
Regarding the West, after initial Russian blunders, it has not only been out-fought but also been out-thought by Moscow. Keeping alive the persistently unsophisticated Western tradition of stereotyping Russia at great cost, NATO think-tankers like Constanze Stelzenmüller at the Brookings Institution may go on underestimating Moscow as “not that strategic and not that intelligent” but merely very “determined.” On that assumption, Westerners – including think tankers – stymied by what they insist on imagining as not-so-smart Moscow, must conclude they are even less bright.
But if nothing succeeds like success, the opposite is also true – nothing fails like failure: Ukraine’s and the West’s setbacks are a self-reinforcing trend already. Hence, the pertinent question now is: when the current war ends, most likely with a Ukrainian (and Western) defeat, what will come after it? It’s a question that is both timely and difficult to answer.
For one thing, there are still all too many, in Ukraine and the West, who believe – or pretend to believe? – that the war should and can continue, perhaps for years. German chancellor Olaf Scholz, for instance, has just claimed that the EU must go on supporting Ukraine because it is essential for the bloc that Russia must not win. Such intransigent positions – or rhetoric – betray an unrealistic assessment of Ukrainian, Western, and Russian capacities. They also imply sacrificing more Ukrainian lives in the EU’s interests.
Scholz, for one, is speaking from an almost touchingly perfect position of weakness. His personal approval ratings have just hit a record low; the coalition government he is trying to lead is not doing much better. No wonder: the International Monetary Fund is now expecting Germany to end up as the world’s worst-performing major economy this year, while the government’s unconstitutional financial trickery has triggered a severe budget crisis that will cause painful cuts in public spending.
Scholz may, of course, be lying. There also are unconfirmed reports – or leaks? – that Berlin plans to join Washington in forcing Ukraine to come to terms.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba may still boldly deny feeling any pressure from his country’s Western sponsors.
In reality, multiple signals point in another direction: Western leaders are at least considering the option of cutting their losses by making Ukraine give up territory.
Conversely, Western stay-the-course talk on the war in Ukraine has an ever-hollower ring to it. It is ironic that only a few months ago – but before the predictable failure of Ukraine’s summer offensive turned into an undeniable fact – Foreign Policy surmised that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine policy was falling prey to the sunk cost fallacy. By now it is clear that it is the West that is experiencing a feckless gambler’s reluctance to give up before incurring even greater losses. Cynicism, the will to squeeze the last bit of blood from Ukraine, and an obstinate refusal to acknowledge past errors are certain to also play a role.
Yet it should be noted that even some observers who are not suffering from such Western biases are pessimistic about a quick end to the war. That's because they believe that ultimately Washington will keep fueling its proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, whoever is or seems to be in charge in the White House. For Ukraine and Ukrainians, such a strategy would still mean defeat, but after even more losses and suffering.
On the other hand, given the dire state of Ukraine’s manpower and other resources, a sudden change in the situation on the ground cannot be ruled out. The war could enter a new phase marked by (initially) local breakdowns of Ukrainian forces and such significant Russian breakthroughs that Kiev would have to accept defeat in one form or another, whether under the Zelensky regime or a successor.
The fear of some Western officials that Ukraine could “unravel” as early as this winter is not baseless. In that scenario, fighting would be over comparatively soon, i.e. at the latest at some point next year, even if it might take much longer (compare the Korean case) to replace a formal state of war with peace in the full sense of the term. As John Mearsheimer has warned, a genuine or inherently stable peace may well be impossible, but a de facto cessation of hostilities – call it a frozen conflict, if you wish – can precede it. It may not be pretty, but it would make a big difference, nonetheless.
All of the above entails a paradox. We cannot yet tell if the end of the war is close, but it is not too early to think about the post-war period. The unknowns of the current situation also complicate the question of what exact shape that post-war era will take.
The fate of Ukraine’s military and NATO ambitions
Let’s assume the following: first, while a formal state of war may continue, the more important question is what it will take to end the actual fighting. Kiev would lose territory and, in general, would have to make additional concessions to Russia. The one that is easiest to predict is Ukraine reverting to neutrality and, in particular, giving up on its NATO ambitions (and, of course, its current de facto integration in the alliance). The second outcome that Russia is bound to pursue is capping Kiev’s military potential. The third result that Moscow will not let go off is to either completely neutralize (probably impossible) or strongly diminish the influence of Ukraine’s far right.
Thus, post-war Ukraine will be smaller, neutral, militarily weak, and its official politics and institutions (especially those with arms, such as the police and army) will have to let go of far-right personnel and influence, at least on the surface. No more ‘Black Suns’ on display, except maybe at private parties. If these conditions are not met, fighting may still temporarily cease, but not for long.
Regarding NATO (that is, the US), the fundamental question here is whether Russia will even seek a grand settlement again, a principal reset, but this time from a position of increased strength or, instead, leverage its advantage to achieve the more limited aim of pursuing its security interest by shaping “only” the settlement in and about Ukraine.
Russia may or may not want – or be able to – also make NATO explicitly give up on Ukraine and, more broadly, its misconceived strategy of expansion. Moreover, Moscow may or may not try to insist once more on a fundamental revision of Europe’s security architecture and its relationship with the US and NATO, as in its prewar proposals of late 2021.
What is certain is that once Moscow has created facts on the ground in Ukraine and Kiev has to revert to neutrality (in word and deed), NATO’s posturing will lose much of its relevance. There are unofficial signals that the bloc may be considering admitting only a part of Ukraine (neither Kiev nor its Western backers will recognize Crimea or other Moscow-controlled territories as Russian and will probably refer to them as 'occupied'). If such a Plan B is serious, despite the fact that it would break NATO tradition and be foolish, Ukraine is rejecting it. And again, any signs of its implementation would be likely to restart the fighting quickly. It is true that some smart observers have speculated that Moscow may be willing to live with a reduced Ukraine being part of NATO. But on this, they are likely to be wrong.
Whatever approach Russia chooses, the key point is that it now has the initiative. That, dear NATO, is what happens when you lose a war: The agenda won’t be the West’s to set.
The future of Kiev’s EU membership bid
What about the EU? After all, one key cause of the current war and preceding crisis was a regime change in Kiev in 2014, which was triggered by a conflict over Ukraine entering into a special association with the bloc. At this point, the EU shows no intention to change this course. Indeed, it seems to be about to open a formal process leading to full membership. There is resistance from some member states, however. Open pushback is coming from Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban is threatening to block this policy as well as more money for Kiev. Where Orban is sticking out his neck, he may not be alone in having misgivings about integrating a large, poor, very corrupt, devastated, and revolution-prone new member state with a security issue from hell.
Endgame: How will Ukraine look after its defeat?
MAPPING/ANALYSIS CHANNELS
* Updates will be added here as and when they become available.
MILITARY SUMMARY CHANNEL UPDATE
The Fall | During The Crazy Operation, The Russians Bypassed Bohdanivka. Military Summary 2023.12.5
Zelensky Flew To Ask For Money. The Ukrainian Front At Bakhmut Collapsed. Military Summary 2023.12.5
DEFENSE POLITICS ASIA UPDATE
VENEZUELA VOTED TO ANNEX 2/3 OF GUYANA: In-depth revelation of the hidden geopolitics underneath.
PROJECT GREAT UPDATE
No update posted so far today
NEW WORLD GEOPOLITICS UPDATE
Is Iran Going to join The War? - Kalibrated And New World Geopolitics.
MILITARY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS NETWORK
No update posted so far today
THETI MAPPING UPDATE
Russia PENETRATED Key Ukrainian Defense Node Near Bakhmut.
M MAPPING UPDATE
Russian Forces Advance North Of Avdiivka l Bakhmut Front Collapsed.
HS MAPPING UPDATE
Huge Russian Advance Across Multiple Fronts l Collapse Of Ukraine.
RYBAR MAPPING UPDATE
No update posted so far today
WEEB UNION UPDATE
The Incoming COLLAPSE of Ukraine | "It was hell" - Ukrainian Soldier.
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.
UPDATES TO BE ADDED HERE AS AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
UPDATES TO BE ADDED HERE AS AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
WHO ARE THE MOST PROPAGANDISED PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET?
It’s supposed to be something that’s done to the captive audiences “over there”, those poor brainwashed souls who can never think straight and get their buttons pushed constantly to obey their evil, Machiavellian leaders. In the western world it’s different, or so many still believe. In the consciousness of most westerners the BBC and CNN tell them the truth and nothing but the truth. They believe this sincerely and will tell you so. Their television sets that they paid so much for that they view religiously MUST be delivering thoroughly vetted information. To think otherwise is to question, well… everything they have long assumed to be real. Havn’t they been told they live in the ‘free world’ where honest brokers run everything in all the top positions?
Now if you are one of that majority who believe implicitly in what you hear in your daily and nightly news broadcasts then you will say, yes, it’s true, we are blessed to live in part of the world that’s free of the brainwashing that comes through propaganda. But you WOULD say that if you were thoroughly brainwashed, wouldn’t you? All those years of trusting the BBC, of switching on to hear “the news” at six o’ clock or ten o’clock and innocently taking all that is said in and storing it as your daily diet of facts. Day after day and night after night for year after year after year. They wouldn’t lie to you. Would they? Unthinkable!
Do you compare what they say with other sources? No? Too busy. You don’t have the time or inclination. It’s all delivered on a plate. Why labour the point? Why waste time when your time is short enough already? The household accounts need attention, as do the kids, then there’s the nightly meal… and besides there’s that new film to fit in between other stuff. Who needs the aggravation of searching for confirmation or otherwise of what you’ve heard on the Beeb or CNN? Anyway, they are familiar, professionally made programmes that are as familiar as a visit to your local mall. What could be the problem?
Yet, in recent times, could it just possibly be that a few niggling doubts have started to filter through to your usually complacent consciousness? Was all you were told about Covid kosher? Looking at the situation in Ukraine weren’t you told for month after month that the Russians were being crushed? Funny that it looks very different now, isn’t it? And what about the current bloodbath in the Middle East and the role of the U.S. and UK governments in it? Aren’t you doubting just a little all those reassuring statements of support for Israel. Isn’t the supply of endless weapons to the Israelis with which to deliver ever more carnage making you think a little more and question a little more perhaps?
Careful now. You may be starting to doubt those who run not only the BBC and CNN but also those who they look up to as political leaders. You may begin to realise that all those years when you believed they were supplying the unvarnished truth they were in fact trimming their content to fit certain agendas and narratives. But perhaps you are casting such doubts aside as likely to cause you anxieties you don’t need when all your attention is needed for the practicalities and leisure activities that fill your day. But… but… just maybe these thoughts won’t be cast aside so easily. Once you begin to doubt what they are telling you those doubts may well fester and grow until one day it hits you in a moment of sudden enlightenment. The western world is in fact the most propagandised region on the planet. Its leaders as well as its news broadcasters are liars and Machiavellian tricksters, dirty tricksters… and that for years they have made a fool of you, duped you and made you their slave.
