Posted on 04/15/2022 4:27:56 PM PDT by kabar
For years, from Mali to Afghanistan, I have worked for peace and risked my life for it. It is therefore not a question of justifying war, but of understanding what led us to it.
Let's try to examine the roots of the Ukrainian conflict. It starts with those who for the last eight years have been talking about "separatists" or "independentists" from Donbass. This is a misnomer. The referendums conducted by the two self-proclaimed Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in May 2014, were not referendums of "independence" (независимость), as some unscrupulous journalists have claimed, but referendums of "self-determination" or "autonomy" (самостоятельность). The qualifier "pro-Russian" suggests that Russia was a party to the conflict, which was not the case, and the term "Russian speakers" would have been more honest. Moreover, these referendums were conducted against the advice of Vladimir Putin.
(Excerpt) Read more at sott.net ...
This is not what the witnesses or victims are saying.
You chose to take the side of Ukraine months ago
I have been following this conflict closely for 8 years, and have been reading about the threat Russia represents for more than 20 years. My posts are on record 8 years ago fighting with the 2 or 3 Putinists that were on the forum back then who were spreading lies on behalf of the Russian regime.
Since that time, their numbers have obviously multiplied by a much larger amount.
Who cares where it was posted! Examine the qualifications of the author and then explain to the class how and why he’s wrong. Be sure to cite your sources. 🤣
Link, please.
Putin’s Sudetenland.
Why would I examine his qualifications and not the substance of what he wrote to see if it is true or not?
You debunk people by disproving their arguments or alleged facts. You do not debunk people by determining whether they have the authority to give an opinion.
very good historical summary and perspective
Thank you
It’s the Guardian link you complained about. The Guardian published an English translation of the interview.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/25/russia-ukraine-soldier
If you prefer a more academic, detailed analysis of Russian interference in Ukraine, try this one:
https://www.academia.edu/11853815
Russia wasn't a signatory to the Minsk Agreements. Russia, France, Germany, and Ukraine issued resolutions endorsing the package of measures including a ceasefire and "a Resolution of the Parliament of Ukraine specifying the area enjoying a special regime, under the Law of Ukraine “On interim self government order in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions”, based on the line of the Minsk Memorandum of September 19, 2014." The party that did not comply with the Minsk agreements was Ukraine. The Parliament never passed the autonomy measure.
Zelensky making moves to encourage change/peace in the Donbas rather works against you, since you have just claimed that Ukraine was bombarding the Donbass in February, forcing Russia to invade.
Zelensky changed his position in 2019 due to pressure from the Militias. UK article about Azov & other nationalist forces telling President Zelensky that they would not permit him to pull back from the Donbass war. They promised to bring in 10,000 new fighters for every 1,000 he tried to withdraw. Extremists control Ukraine.
Under no circumstances am I going to waste my life reviewing the Pandora papers and coming to the conclusion of whether or not Zelenskyy had an offshore account somewhere in the Cayman islands.
Np one becomes President of Ukraine without being corrupt. Ukraine is the 4th most corrupt country on the planet. Lionizing Zelensky by the MSM will not end well. Zelensky will get his percentage of the massive aid that is being poured into Ukraine now and in the future. The West will rebuild Ukraine. The losers are the taxpayers in the US and the West. The military-industrial complex wikll do just fine along with the corrupt leaders and officials in Ukraine. Ukrainian Embassy confirms DNC contractor solicited Trump dirt in 2016
informative, thanks for posting
The jury is out on that one. Zelensky jailed his primary opponent and shut down non-compliant media. He is not a Jeffersonian democrat nor is his corrupt government.
Clearly you are not against the invasion of "sovereign countries," so why are you offended?
As a general rule, I am against the invasion of sovereign countries. It usually doesn't work and is counterproductive.
My only point is that Iraq/Afghanistan were objectively evil, so your attempt to paint the USA as a villain is false.
So why not send our troops to Ukraine to address this evil? We sent them to Kuwait to oust Saddam who invaded a sovereign country. We sent them to Korea to push back the North Koreans who had invaded a sovereign country. Ditto Vietnam.
Jacques Baud is a former colonel of the General Staff, ex-member of the Swiss strategic intelligence, specialist on Eastern countries. He was trained in the American and British intelligence services. He has served as Policy Chief for United Nations Peace Operations. As a UN expert on rule of law and security institutions, he designed and led the first multidimensional UN intelligence unit in the Sudan. He has worked for the African Union and was for 5 years responsible for the fight, at NATO, against the proliferation of small arms. He was involved in discussions with the highest Russian military and intelligence officials just after the fall of the USSR. Within NATO, he followed the 2014 Ukrainian crisis and later participated in programs to assist the Ukraine. He is the author of several books on intelligence, war and terrorism, in particular Le Détournement published by SIGEST, Gouverner par les fake news, L'affaire Navalny. His latest book is Poutine, maître du jeu? published by Max Milo.
This article appears through the gracious courtesy of Centre Français de Recherche sur le Renseignement, Paris.
So what’s the answer? Send in US troops to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine?
That sounds like censorship the good old fashioned way, guilt by association.
Indeed, there’s that — unfortunately.
>> I didn’t know that Ukraine stepped up the shelling of Dombass Feb 16 prior to the Russian invasion
The most sickening aspect of this historical moment is the braindead cheerleading for the MSM’s exalted protagonist. To Hell with the details.
Interesting article. Will read later...
Lots of war crime trials upcoming...in the Donetsk People's Republic.
DPR has had a warrant out against the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade in Marupol Col. Andrey Gnatov for crimes against civilians, since 2018. Gnatov was recently captured at Azovstal and will stand trial in Donetsk.
Russia is also planning to try the NATO fighters it has captured, and there will be others. Zelenski himself would likely be put on trial if he is unlucky enough to get captured.
Opinion similar to this scenario by other research.
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