RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 17.04.2023
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.
*** EXPECT A RUSSIAN REACTION TO THE EASTER SHELLING OF DONETSK ***
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“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
Russia Grinds Forward Bakhmut, UK Experts Doubt Offensive; Putin Meets China Defence Minister.
ALEX CHRISTOFOROU of THE DURAN
Poland-Ukraine food fight. Yellen not worried about de-dollarization. FT, high-risk offensive. U/1
THE DURAN
Sudan, power struggle or coup d'état.
SCOTT RITTER - LARRY JOHNSON (EX-CIA)
⚡ Age of new Psy Ops | Who is behind the US intelligence leaks?
DANNY HAIPHONG - PEPE ESCOBAR
ON RUSSIA AND CHINA LEADING A MULTIPOLAR WORLD IN REVOLT!
REPORTERFY MEDIA & TRAVEL
Live Stream | The Fall Of America ? | China's Exposure | The Duran | Cyrus Janssen & Reporterfy.
BRIAN BERLETIC of THE NEW ATLAS
US Rushes to Provoke War w/Growing Chinese Army: Admits Taiwan will be Destroyed.
THROUGH THE EYES OF...
SCOTT RITTER ON POLAND'S DANGEROUS POLITICS; DEPLETED URANIUM; UKRAINIAN GRAIN, MEDVEDEV AND PUTIN.
iEARLGREY
Kara-Murza SENTENCED To 25 Years. Ukrainian Flag Scandal in SpB. Donbass Devushka Exposed?
⚡️🇷🇺🇺🇦 Morning Briefing of The Ministry of Defense of Russia (April 17, 2023)
LEVAN GUDADZE
Fake counter-offensive of Ukraine, Kyiv -13 MiG-29s, US Ambassador, Reserve of the RF $574.2 billion...
RUSSIAN NEWS
On conducting military exercises in the Pacific Navy | Putin, Shoigu, Russia, Ukraine. RU.
RICHARD MEDHURST
IN FULL DETAIL: New Aspects of Pentagon Leaks REVEALED.
Is the New Political Reality in the Middle East a Threat for Israel?
GEORGE GALLOWAY - JIMMY DORE
The 21-year-old secrets leaker should get a Pulitzer prize, not a cell.
Phoney Biden and the stick-on plastic shamrock.
SCOTT RITTER
2-Minute Topic: U.S. vs. Georgia.
ShanghaiEye魔都眼
Hear what Putin says to visiting China's Defense Minister at Kremlin.
EU and US included, we need to sit at Russia-Ukraine negotiation table - Brazil's #LuladaSilva.
REDACTED - TUCKER CARLSON
Where are the Anti-War voices?
FIRSTPOST
Rift in Europe: Why Poland, Hungary Banned Ukrainian Grain Imports.
HINDUSTAN TIMES
India, Russia's new push for Rupee-Rouble trade; How Putin & Modi are sidelining Dollar.
Anti-Putin sanctions to backfire on Dollar? Biden 'panics' as U.S. Treasury Secy warns.
India to 'snub' G7 for more Russian oil; FM Nirmala hints at bypassing price cap as war rages.
Putin 'punishes' Ukraine with carpet bombing; Russia furious after Kyiv's civilian attack charge.
Russian forces target NATO vehicles in Ukraine; Blow up Dutch YPR-765 armoured vehicle | Watch:
Putin-Modi bonhomie benefiting Russia? Indian businesses to boost investment in Moscow.
Czechs fume at military aid for Ukraine amid war; Protesters urge Govt to leave NATO | Watch:
On Camera: Ukrainian troops run for lives as Russian forces drop bombs on posts.
Putin's new military pledge with Xi rattles West; U.S.-sanctioned new Chinese minister in Moscow.
Putin modifies deadly battle tanks as Russian onslaught on Donbas intensifies | Watch:
U.S. to push Ukraine to give up on Crimea hopes? 'West Doesn't Believe In...' | Details:
EU nations defy bloc's diktat on Kyiv; Hungary, Poland ban Ukrainian grain imports.
Putin's air defenses destroy U.S.-made HIMARS; Russia kills 145 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk.
TELETRUTH
The Head of PMC Wagner returned a group of Ukrainian prisoners to Kiev.
REDACTED
Col. Douglas MacGregor: Ukraine Spells Doom for Western Hegemony.
SCOTT RITTER
On the West trying to sanction Bidzina Ivanishvili.
COLONEL DOUGLAS MACGREGOR
"Douglas Macgregor: Ukraine is Losing; They've Sustained Heavy Losses".
KIM IVERSEN
America is Heading To It's Demise...Can Marxism and MAGA save us?
GEOPOLITICAL ECONOMY REPORT w/ BEN NORTON
BRICS Bank is de-dollarizing, promises loans in local currencies to help Global South develop.
FIRSTPOST
Why Are People Protesting in Prague?
BORZZIKMAN
PENTAGON took its Breath Away! Russia has Developed the Latest EW system to Combat Satellites!
U.S. TOUR OF DUTY
Scenes from the Evolution Ep. 32: Special Guest Brad Smith (Institute for Free Speech).
BREAKING POINTS w/ Spencer Snyder
PROOF Every President Is A CRIMINAL.
RICHARD MEDHURST
Richard Medhurst Quds Day Speech London 2023.
TECH REVOLUTION
Saudi Arabia's SUDDEN SPLIT With The US Leaves The World SHOCKED | ENDS Decade's Long Partnership.
LIU SIVAYA
FILTRACIONES DEL PENTÁGONO: ÚLTIMAS ACTUALIZACIONES.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
JEFFREY SACHS: U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IS BASED ON A LOT OF LIES.
Article published by Russia Today (RT) - 17th April 2023:
West doesn’t believe in Kiev's Crimea hopes – former defense minister.
Ukraine needs to convince foreign backers to support an attack on the peninsula, Andrey Zagorodnyuk says.
Most in the US and EU do not believe Ukraine is capable of fulfilling its pledge to retake control of Crimea from Russia, a former Ukrainian defense minister has acknowledged.
“The vast majority of Western politicians, analysts and journalists don’t see the liberation of Crimea as a realistic prospect. This is a fact,” Andrey Zagorodnyuk said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Thursday.
However the former minister, who was part of President Vladimir Zelensky’s government between August 2019 and March 2020, stressed that Western doubts do not mean Kiev should give up on the idea of attacking the peninsula.
“We need to persuade them [the West], convince them, put them before a fact, look for different reasoning” to receive the required weapons and other forms of assistance, he insisted.
According to Zagorodnyuk, there are a number of reasons why foreign backers have doubts over Ukraine’s ability to achieve military success in Crimea, which became part of Russia in 2014 following a referendum organized in response to a violent coup in Kiev.
“First of all, it will be very difficult to do this because significant Russian forces will be gathered there to prevent its return by military means under Ukrainian rule. The second issue is the integration of Crimea [into Ukraine]. It’s a rather problematic story,” he explained.
The minister also said that – when thinking about a Ukrainian operation against Crimea – Kiev’s Western backers are “considering its aftermath in terms of the escalation of the situation” in the conflict overall.
During his address on Saturday, dedicated to Orthodox Easter, Zelensky again promised that Ukraine will return Crimea and all other territories it has lost to Russia. This includes the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, which were incorporated into the Russian state last October, following referendums, in which the local populations voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move.
“Our flag will fly on the shores of the Sea of Azov and the Seversky Donets River, over the slag heaps, and [Crimea’s] Ai-Petri mountain. The sun will shine in the south, the sun will shine in the east, the sun will shine in Crimea,” the Ukrainian leader pledged.
READ MORE: Russian official ridicules Ukrainian plan to rename iconic Crimean city
Last month, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of the country’s Security Council, said threats against Crimea by Ukrainian officials were just “propaganda” and should not be treated seriously.
However, Medvedev warned that if the peninsula is actually attacked, it could become “the basis for the use of all means of protection, including those provided for by the fundamentals of the doctrine of nuclear deterrence.”
MAPPING/ANALYSIS CHANNELS
* Updates will be added here as and when they become available.
MILITARY SUMMARY UPDATE
Massive Usage Of Guided Bombs. Wagner advances in Bakhmut. Military Summary And Analysis 2023.04.17
Wagner's Report On The Situation Around Bakhmut. Military Summary And Analysis 2023.04.17
NWE WAR REPORTS UPDATE
No update posted so far today
DEFENSE POLITICS ASIA UPDATE
No update posted so far today
DPA WAR UPDATE
No update posted so far today
THETI MAPPING UPDATE
WAR UPDATE: NEW Bakhmut Flanking Manuever.
BALKAN MAPPING UPDATE
Ukraine Front Update [17 April 2023]
PROJECT GREAT UPDATE
No update posted so far today
MILITARY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS UPDATE
Battlefield Ukraine Summer Offensives.
RYBAR UPDATE
Rybar Daily Digest of the Special Military Operation: April 15-16, 2023.
M MAPPING UPDATE
Ukraine: Day 417 [17 April] Russians Are attacking Bakhmut From Every Direction.
FREE RUSSIA CHANNEL UPDATE
No update posted so far today
HISTORY OF MAKUS ENG
The situation in Bakhmut on the map, VSU against Wagner.
WEEB UNION UPDATE
The Four Significant Points Left In Bakhmut | Bakhmut Front Update 17/04/23.
Detailed situation reports can be found on a daily basis concerning events in Ukraine over the past 24 hours at the ‘A SKEPTIC’ Substack account:
Link to 'A SKEPTIC' Substack channel.
***
SUPPORTING SCOTT RITTER
I've been listening to Scott Ritter describe how things are for him and I suspect have been for him for quite some time now.
He has been doing a LOT of unpaid work with a great many interview requests coming in that he has been ready and willing to agree to. But the work where receives some pay for have suffered due to this, being left until the wee small hours of the night to complete work on.
Scott, I think you will agree, has been one of the most influential voices out there on Russia and Ukraine.
I was moved by Scott's words to take an annual subscription to his Substack account that he runs in coordination with his colleague on 'U.S. Tour of Duty', Jeff Norman. This is the main way that Scott recommends to help him with finances with which to upgrade his delivery of comment on Russia and Ukraine, via a better microphone etc. and perhaps the creation of a recording studio in his basement to create a more professional and impressive look. To invest in these things he would like to be sure that this has a viable financial future.
Would you also like to help by subscribing at one of the various levels to Scott's Substack account? I hope so. If so the link is here:
Below you'll find the edited part of the video where Scott talks of his commitments to get the facts out on events in Ukraine and of the finances that would come in handy to enhance their delivery:
***
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
WESTERN ELITES ARE DRIVING UKRAINE HEADLONG TOWARD TOTAL DISASTER
Is the western world led by madmen? It certainly seems so.
Obsessions tend to ruin those who find no way to release themselves from them. They have arrived at a central locus within the minds of those who have fallen victim to a habit of mind that has been nurtured rather than rejected and are now in the driving seat.
The addiction that follows becomes virtually impossible to overcome, especially if peer pressure on top of all else, puts a second seal upon it.
Ukraine has become such an obsession for western elites. Unable to recognise reality, confusing themselves with endless wishful thinking and driven mad by the conviction that the next thing or the next thing will do the trick and win the day for them.
Meanwhile those Ukrainians on the battlefield, increasingly relatively elderly conscripts frogmarched into uniforms and sent as cannon fodder continue to die uselessly and tragically, decimated by a professional army. A professional army originally sent in the hope of a capitulation by Kiev that would have been agreed by a more responsible and wiser president and government, with a view to saving both lives and territory.
The longer this war goes on the more needless deaths of Ukrainians will occur and the more of Ukraine will be lost forever. Zelensky has been promised that the next thing and the next thing will do the trick. But the magic silver bullet never, ever arrives and never will. No matter what weapons the USA, UK or Europe sends, no matter how much money they senselessly pour into Ukraine, Russia will match on taking more lives and territory, far more than were ever contemplated.
The West has upped the ante constantly, forcing Zelensky to keep fighting to the last Ukrainian. Those sensible Ukrainians who could get out have gone. Now Kiev is forcing men well past their prime to be paraded as virtual sitting ducks to be mown down in their hundreds day after day.
However, back in western capitals those who run the mainstream media news outlets are pouring out an endless waterfall of deception claiming the perpetual defeats that the Ukrainian forces are experiencing are in fact indicators of victory. One wonders what they will say as the last uniformed Ukrainian expires or surrenders? That the next thing or the next thing will bring the long-sought victory? Somehow after so many such false promises, I really don’t think so.
Now however, the heavily advertised great offensive of the Ukrainian military in the Donbass is being hastily downplayed. It appears a Russian hypersonic missile strike on a bunker in Lviv took out many top level military commanders, some of them NATO officers. The glorious facade constructed by western mass media is unravelling fast. Look out soon for much back-peddling of all those earlier predictions of “victory”.
Incrementally the nation known as Ukraine is being reduced to a state where it cannot hope to be a viable state again standing on its own. The latest gambit of the regime seems to be to become part of Poland instead. Is this the great “victory” we were all told about that would be Ukraine’s if it kept fighting and rejected peace?
Truly, the western powers have been no friend to the Ukrainian people or the Ukrainian state. They have brought the nation to ruin and instigated the deaths of up to a quarter of a million men and counting. They have lost it a good quarter of its territory when Russia was originally asking for none, only to provide the security of autonomy for the Russian-speaking people of the Donbass.
Can it be said with any merit that the West has helped Ukraine in any way, except helping it to commit national suicide? If you think it has helped by arm-twisting Zelensky into rejecting the peace settlement that was almost reached in Istanbul a year ago tell me in what way. All I see is a western world using Ukraine as a tool, a tool which is now broken. Those self-obsessed elites, seeking to retain their dominance in a world turning away from them, are simply driving Ukraine toward total disaster.