RUNNING UPDATES ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE - 09.03.2025
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.
Please note: We will be in Abu Dhabi for the next two weeks.
Updates will be absent during this time.
Our apologies for this interruption to your daily updates.
THE BRUSSELS ELITE ARE SPENDING MONEY ON UKRAINE LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW. WHICH MAY WELL BE THE CASE FOR THEM IF THEY CONTINUE AS THEY ARE.
USA | RUSSIA | CHINA | UKRAINE | EU | NATO
ALEXANDER MERCOURIS: Russians Close In Kiev Troops Panic As Kursk Defences Collapse; Moscow Lashes Macron; Syria Descends.
ALEX CHRISTOFOROU: KURSK cauldron tightens, media blames Trump. Elensky, obstacle to peace. EURO CBDC coming soon.
LT. COL. DANIEL DAVIS: The DEVASTATING Math of the Ukraine Russia War.
**** THE UKRAINIAN MILITARY COLLAPSE IN KURSK DEFINITIVELY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR ZELENSKY AND HIS EVIL REGIME ****
Thunder⚡️The Russians Deliver A Crushing Blow In Kursk Oblast💥Kostiantynopil Has Fallen🏰MS 9.03.2025
The Complete Defeat Of The Ukrainians On The Sudzha Direction Has Begun💥🔥Military Summary 2025.03.09
RUAF MASSIVE BREAKTHROUGH | 60SQKM Captured | Pipeline Special Forces.
Massive Russian Breakthrough Part II | RUAF Create 5 Different Encirclements of Ukrainian Forces.
[ Ukraine Frontline Changes ] KURSK COLLAPSE JUST GOT BIGGER!!!
[ Ukraine SITREP ] GAS PIPELINE TROOPS VIDEOS reveals CRAZY 12km pipe walk; more CAPTURES elsewhere!
That’s It. It’s Ending Of Kursk. Russia Launched Massive Offensive In Kursk. Ukraine Is Withdrawing.
LEVAN GUDADZE: Russian Kursk Offensive. AFU has already lost approximately 1,000 troops in the last 24 hours…
Ukraine COLLAPSES In Kursk As EU Leaders Fight Against Each Other.
Reality Hits Europe, Exposes EU‘s Catastrophic Failure. | L. Kasradze & P. Shakarian.
Macron’s Nuclear Threats Against Russia Could Turn France Into a Giant Chernobyl: Here’s Why.
France's president has announced plans to discuss extending his country's nuclear umbrella to European allies, and reiterated the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine. Sputnik reached out to one of Russia's most renowned military observers to learn why engaging in nuclear sabre-rattling with Moscow is a very bad idea.
“If France dares to use nuclear weapons against Russia, the response will be nuclear,” Arsenal Otechestva editor Alexey Leonkov said, commenting on Macron’s belligerent remarks in Wednesday's address to the nation.
“A chain reaction could occur connected, among other things, to nuclear energy,” Leonkov warned, citing France’s large-scale network of 56 nuclear reactors. “These reactors are unlikely to be quickly brought to a safe, non-operational state.”
“This could create several Chernobyls as a consequence of the use of nuclear weapons. That is, the territory of France would effectively cease to exist,” he said.
Macron’s Remarks on Possible Use of Nuclear Arms a Threat to Russia - Lavrov
No One Gets Out Unscathed
In such a scenario, the radioactive clouds would be “a million times greater” than those generated by the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Leonkov stressed, warning that depending on wind patterns, the fallout would “most likely spread to Britain and across the Atlantic to the US and Canada. It won’t be pretty.”
Even a conventional Russian strike using the unstoppable Oreshnik hypersonic MRBM would threaten the destruction of all of France’s strategic military and civilian infrastructure, Leonkov added.
“Therefore, flaunting France’s nuclear arsenal – 290 warheads against Russia’s almost 6,000, most of which use guided hypersonic technology, is madness. This is madness on the part of Macron and those who surround and support him,” Leonkov summed up.
Macron's Speech Gives Impression That France Seeks to Continue War - Kremlin
THE DURAN: Merz plan to sell Germany. Financialization of German economy.
REDACTED: This is why Europe is COLLAPSING in real time: A deep dive.
GLENN GREENWALD: Europe Reacts to Trump/Zelensky's Explosive Meeting: What's Next?
CYRUS JANSSEN: Singapore's Top Diplomat Reveals TRUTH About Ukraine and Future of Europe.
SEAN FOO: 🚨 Europe JUST Sent a Terrifying Warning to the World.
PEPE ESCOBAR: Putin’s Moves STUNNED Ukraine – Trump Targets the EU!
PETER HITCHENS: “Constant Delusion That We’re Still A Great World Power” | Keir Starmer BLASTED.
CLARE DALY: Europe is GAGGING For a War With Russia, Risks DEVASTATING Consequences.
REDACTED: European Globalists just DECLARED a forever war against Russia using Ukraine as their proxy.
SEBASTIAN SAS: War In Ukraine Reaches A BOILING Point.
SCOTT HORTON: Zelenskyy Dug His Own Grave.
WEARECHANGE: Trump Just Changed The Future Of Ukraine And The World!
RUSSELL BRAND: Tulsi Gabbard Just EXPOSED THE TRUTH About Zelensky.
TUCKER CARLSON: Viktor Orban Calls Out Biden for Dragging the West Into War With Russia.
EMIL COSMAN: Putin's Conditions for Ceasefire in Ukraine. Peace+Ceasefire under HIS Terms.
GEORGE GALLOWAY: Where's your tin hat?
Ambassador Andrei Kelin’s interview with Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim, 6 March, 2025
GARLAND NIXON: NEWS - UKRAINE PUMMELED & TRUMP HAS FEW CARDS TO PLAY - WESTERN BACKED SYRIAN LUNATICS GO BERSERK.
BORZZIKMAN: EUROPE in RAGE: The US and Russia Have Paralyzed NATO Forces & The Ukrainian Army on The BATTLEFIELD.
VIDEOS FROM MARIUPOL: FORCED MOBILISATION IN UKRAINE.
Ukraine’s Darkest Secret: The Holocaust They Don’t Teach You In Schools.
PROFESSOR JOHN J. MEARSHEIMER: Why is Ukraine the West's Fault?
PROFESSOR JOHN J. MEARSHEIMER: The most important video on Ukraine.
France’s Recent Military History: Awkward Parade of Lost Wars and War Crimes.
With his comments about French readiness to explore extending its nuclear umbrella over Europe and deploying troops in Ukraine, President Macron appears to be shooting for the title of Europe’s next Napoleon. But his bark doesn’t match France’s military bite when it comes to recent history.
World War II: despite considerable numerical superiority in troops, tanks and air power and the Maginot Line defenses, France lasted just six weeks against Nazi aggression in 1940, suffering 2M+ losses (killed, wounded, captured). Only thanks to Stalin’s esteem for de Gaulle was France invited to the table of victorious powers in 1945.
1946-1954: France’s attempt to hold on to Indochina against guerrillas cost it 90K troops killed, wounded or captured. France was also implicated in war crimes, from rapes of civilians to the torture of Viet Minh PoWs. Suffering a humiliating defeat to General Vo Nguyen Giap at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in the spring of 1954, France left Vietnam, never to return, handing the conflict off to the Americans.
1954-1962: France’s war against Algeria’s National Liberation Front during the North African nation's war of independence cost it up to 95K troops killed and injured. Up to 1.5M Algerians died in the conflict, which also saw French troops engage in mass executions, napalm bombings, and the destruction of 8,000+ villages, displacing 2M+ civilians.
1956: A joint French-UK-Israeli invasion of Egypt over Nasser’s nationalization of the Suez Canal failed miserably, triggering a humiliating retreat from the region.
1958-1961: French campaigns against anti-colonial forces in Western Sahara, Cameroon and Tunisia, killed up to 65K people, but failing to halt the drive toward freedom and decolonization.
1969-2008: French embroilment in an on-again/off-again civil war in Chad, with five major interventions over 40 years failing to bring lasting peace. With up to 100K people killed, and allies accused of crimes against humanity, it’s little wonder that Chadians joyfully expelled all French forces earlier this year.
1990-1993: French troops actively collaborated with Rwandan forces that would be implicated in the murder of over 800K people, supplying them with training and equipment.
2011: French naval and air power deployed in Libya to help oust Gaddafi. The campaign succeeded, but turned Libya into a failed state with open air slave markets, with France continuing to fuel the conflict, which has killed up to 50K people, to this day.
2014-2022: Thousands of French troops were deployed to the Sahel region, ostensibly to fight terror. The operation not only failed, but sparked anger among locals of a sufficient scale to kick France out of the region and create unprecedented new security and economic alliances.
USA - TRUMP | MUSK | DOGE | GABBARD
A new American empire: Trump, Russia, and the end of globalism.
The US is resetting, but not how the world expected.
By Vasily Kashin, Political Science PhD, Director of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, HSE
Donald Trump’s return to the White House is shaping up to be nothing short of a political revolution. The new administration is rapidly dismantling the old order, purging the ruling elite, reshaping both domestic and foreign policy, and cementing changes that will be difficult to reverse – even if his opponents regain power in future elections.
For Trump, as for all revolutionaries, the priority is to break the existing system and consolidate radical transformations. Many of the principles that guided US policy for decades – sometimes for over a century – are being deliberately discarded. Washington’s global strategy, long built on expansive military, diplomatic, and financial influence, is being rewritten to serve Trump’s domestic political needs.
The end of the American liberal empire
For the past 100 years, the US has functioned as a global empire. Unlike traditional empires built on territorial expansion, the American empire extended its reach through financial dominance, military alliances, and ideological influence. This model, however, has become increasingly unsustainable. Since the late 1990s, the costs of maintaining global hegemony have exceeded the benefits, fueling discontent both at home and abroad.
Trump and his allies seek to end this ‘liberal empire’ and return America to a more self-reliant, mercantilist model – one reminiscent of the late 19th and early 20th centuries under President William McKinley. Trump has openly praised this era, viewing it as the golden age of US prosperity, before the country took on the burdens of global leadership.
Read more: Donald Trump has suddenly remembered a long-forgotten president – and for good reason
Under this vision, America will reduce unproductive foreign expenditures and refocus on its natural advantages: Vast resources, an advanced industrial base, and the world’s most valuable consumer market. Rather than policing the world, Washington will wield its economic power more aggressively to secure trade advantages. However, the transition to this model carries significant risks, particularly in a highly globalized economy.
A shift in global strategy
Trump’s policies are driven by domestic concerns but will have major implications abroad. His administration is systematically dismantling key institutions of the old order, including those that irritated Moscow. For instance, USAID – a major vehicle for American influence in the post-Soviet space – has been gutted. Ironically, Trump had more motivation to destroy USAID than even Russian President Vladimir Putin, given that its resources had been repurposed for domestic political use by Trump’s rivals.
If the US abandons its liberal empire model, many sources of tension with Russia will disappear. Historically, Moscow and Washington had relatively stable relations throughout the 19th century. If Trump’s America reverts to a more isolationist approach, Russia will no longer be a primary target of US interference. The main friction point will likely be the Arctic, where both nations have strategic interests.
China, however, remains Trump’s top adversary. Beijing’s state-led economic expansion is fundamentally at odds with Trump’s mercantilist vision. Unlike Biden, who sought to counter China through alliances, Trump is willing to go it alone – potentially weakening Western unity in the process. His administration is expected to escalate economic and technological warfare against Beijing, even if it means alienating European allies.
Read more: Fyodor Lukyanov: Here’s the apocalyptic Trump choice facing the EU
Europe’s strategic uncertainty
One of Trump’s most disruptive moves has been his open hostility toward the EU. His vice president, J.D. Vance, recently delivered a speech in Munich that amounted to direct interference in European politics, signaling support for right-wing nationalist movements that challenge the EU’s authority.
This shift is forcing Europe into an uncomfortable position. For years, China has viewed Western Europe as an ‘alternative West’ with which it could engage economically without the same level of confrontation it faces with the US. Trump’s approach could accelerate EU-Chinese ties, especially if Western European leaders feel abandoned by Washington.
There are already signs that European policymakers may loosen restrictions on Chinese investments, particularly in critical industries such as semiconductors. At the same time, the ambitions of some Europeans for NATO expansion into the Indo-Pacific may falter, as the bloc struggles to define its new role in a post-globalist US strategy.
Russia and China: A changing relationship
For years, Washington fantasized about splitting Russia and China apart. But Trump’s new approach is unlikely to achieve this goal. The Russia-China partnership is built on strong fundamentals: A massive shared border, complementary economies, and a shared interest in countering Western dominance.
If anything, the shifting geopolitical landscape could push Russia into a position similar to that of China in the early 2000s – focusing on economic development while maintaining strategic flexibility. Moscow may reduce its efforts to actively undermine the US and instead concentrate on strengthening its economic and security ties with Beijing.
China, meanwhile, will bear the brunt of Trump’s new American empire. The US will no longer rely on alliances to contain Beijing but will use direct economic and military pressure. While this may make life more difficult for China, it does not necessarily mean the US will succeed. China has been preparing for economic decoupling for years, and Beijing may find opportunities in a more divided Western world.
The road ahead
Trump’s return marks a fundamental shift in global power dynamics. The US is moving away from being a liberal empire and toward a more transactional, power-based foreign policy. For Russia, this means fewer ideological conflicts with Washington but continued competition in key areas like the Arctic.
For China, Trump’s policies present a direct challenge. The question is whether Beijing can adapt to a world where the US is no longer just containing it but actively trying to roll back its economic influence.
For Western Europe, the picture is bleak. The EU is losing its privileged status as America’s primary partner and is being forced to fend for itself. Whether it can navigate this new reality remains to be seen.
One thing is certain: The world is entering a period of profound transformation, and the old rules no longer apply. Trump’s America is rewriting the playbook, and the rest of the world will have to adjust accordingly.
TRUMP | BRICS | INTERNATIONAL NEWS
DANNY HAIPHONG - LI JINGJONG - KJ NOH: China just sent a DEVASTATING Warning to Trump as War Looms.
BEN NORTON: Extremist US defense secretary declared 'holy war' on China, left & Islam: Pete Hegseth's 'crusade'.
PASCAL LOTAZ: US Quest For Hegemony Is NOT Over. Or Is It?
DIMITRI LASCARIS: Is Trump really a 'peacemaker'? w/ Roger Waters.
EUROPE | BRITAIN
No public say in key defense decisions– French PM.
Francois Bayrou has rejected calls for a referendum on military decisions, arguing that defense policy is the government’s responsibility.
Francois Bayrou.
French Prime Minister Franсois Bayrou has rejected the idea of consulting the public on critical defense decisions, asserting that such matters fall under government responsibility.
In an interview on CNews and Europe 1, journalist Sonia Mabrouk asked Bayrou whether the French people should have a say in major defense policies, including the financial burden of increased military spending and the shift towards a “war economy.”
“Maybe it’s time to consult the French? It’s really the right of the people to dispose of themselves,” she suggested.
Bayrou dismissed the idea. “Yes, what you suggest is the right of the people not to dispose of themselves, or to no longer dispose of themselves, to give up on their freedom,” he responded. He argued that allowing public votes on defense matters would be akin to France abandoning its responsibility to protect itself.
Read more: EU fails to agree on €30 billion Ukraine aid
Bayrou emphasized that the French Constitution restricts referendums to economic, social, or institutional matters, excluding military and defense issues. “We consult the French, it’s the Constitution. But a referendum can only take place on very specific economic, social, or institutional issues,” he stated.
His stance aligns with recent government efforts to bolster national defense. On Friday, Bayrou and Finance Minister Eric Lombard announced that France is considering launching a national loan to fund increased defense spending. The move comes as EU nations are seeking to strengthen their military capabilities, particularly in response to the US halting military aid to Ukraine and questioning its NATO commitments. Lombard mentioned the possibility of a national defense loan, which Bayrou acknowledged as an option, though no final decision has been made.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently committed to higher defense spending but did not specify the amount and ruled out tax hikes. The initiative, however, faces challenges due to France’s budget deficit and pressure to control expenditures, highlighted by the delayed approval of the 2025 budget in the divided parliament. In January, French Budget Minister Amelie de Montchalin announced plans to cut public spending by €32 billion (approximately $34.6 billion) and increase taxes by €21 billion.
READ MORE: Macron’s speech was ‘clumsy’ imitation of Churchill – Russian envoy
Critics argue that these fiscal measures will strain middle-class families, small business owners, and retirees already struggling with rising costs. Many fear military funding could further burden taxpayers. When asked how the increased spending would be financed, Bayrou did not provide a clear answer. “We will define [the funding] together. And we must be calm during this period,” he said.
Despite the concerns, Bayrou insisted that the government alone must make defense policy decisions. “The government’s responsibility is to say, no, we can’t let the country be disarmed. It’s vital,” he stated.
MIDDLE EAST
BRIAN BERLETIC: The Trump Administration's Silent Complicity as Syrian Death Squads Slaughter Alawites, Christians.
SYRIANA ANALYSIS: Syria: Trump Administration Made STRONG Statement.
Why the Slaughter of the Alawites in the past 24 hours?
Over 300 civilians killed by Syria’s de facto govt.
NON-ENGLISH NEWS
LIU SIVAYA: ÚLTIMA HORA!! SITUACIÓN CRÍTICA DE UCRANIA EN KURSK!! TREMENDO AVANCE DE LAS TROPAS RUSAS! ES EL FIN.
Kursk brennt: Ukrainer flüchten aus den Dörfern nach Sudzha - Absoluter Wahnsinn. Frontbericht 09.03.2025
Rusi Zauzeli Malu Lohnju ⚔ Infiltracija u Sudžu Gasovodom ⚔ Sudža u Okruženju ⚔ 10Sela Palo. 09.03.2025
쿠르스크 전투에서 진 우크라? | 프랑스의 반전 시위
MAPPING CHANNEL UPDATES
The Complete Defeat Of The Ukrainians On The Sudzha Direction Has Begun💥🔥Military Summary 2025.03.09
RUAF MASSIVE BREAKTHROUGH | 60SQKM Captured | Pipeline Special Forces.
Massive Russian Breakthrough Part II | RUAF Create 5 Different Encirclements of Ukrainian Forces.
[ Ukraine Frontline Changes ] KURSK COLLAPSE JUST GOT BIGGER!!!
[ Ukraine SITREP ] GAS PIPELINE TROOPS VIDEOS reveals CRAZY 12km pipe walk; more CAPTURES elsewhere!
That’s It. It’s Ending Of Kursk. Russia Launched Massive Offensive In Kursk. Ukraine Is Withdrawing.
GROK SHOTS
RUSSIA / BELARUS - EXPATS IN RUSSIA
TRIP and WALKS: Moscow 2025. Walking tour of the "River Park" residential complex 4K HDR.
SCOTTISH GUY IN MOSCOW: We Stayed At 5⭐️ Regency Hyatt, Moscow - Full Review.
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.
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Thanks for your great work AEARNUR!
We've shared the link on our daily report.
A Skeptic War Reports
https://askeptic.substack.com/