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While the Peace Process between the US and Russia advances at a rapid pace heading to a détente, and the specific thorny issue of a resolution to the Ukraine conflict is surrounded by levels of geopolitical confusion, the war proceeds. Every bit as bloody and ruthless as before. Deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, known for his maximalist takes on issues, has said: “Inflicting maximum damage to the Kiev regime on the ground remains the main task of the Russian Federation.” And that’s what’s happening: the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced that no less than...

Could this have involved weapons supplied by Russia?

At least 20 people have died after Ukraine launched a devastating strike on a building housing a bakery, Russian officials claim. The blast rocked the Russian occupied city of Lysychansk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk today. Russia’s emergency ministry said its workers have recovered 20 bodies from the rubble following the attack. Videos shared by Moscow showed rescuers carrying people out on stretchers from the wreckage of the building. Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said ‘dozens of civilians’ were in the building when it was hit and also claimed that western weapons were used. The Russian-controlled Luhansk...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Belarus should provide security guarantees for Ukraine in the future, once Kiev affirms its neutral status. "At the request of the Ukrainian side, its neutral, non-bloc, non-nuclear status should be accompanied by security guarantees," Lavrov said. "We proposed that the Republic of Belarus should, of course, be among such guarantor countries."

[H/T Cathi]ransomnote: Arnaud Bertrand's summary & footnotes on the 2 1/2 hour+ video are below the image.ESPIONNAGE, FRANC-MACONNERIE, UKRAINE, ALSTOM : UN ANCIEN PATRON DE LA DGSE NOUS REPOND ! [PCAT #08] - YouTubeSUMMARY WITH FOOTNOTES:Fascinating interview by @gregtabibianof Alain Juillet, former head of France’s intelligence services DGSE (French CIA equivalent) under Chirac: https://youtube.com/watch?v=AQhGxsprH8AI’ll translate and summarize what he says about Ukraine, and notably on the origins of the war.He says everyone saw the Ukraine war coming, that “only those who know nothing about this matter can say it was a surprise”.To him, the main reason is because the West...

After the latest Republican presidential debate, the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin argued that Ted Cruz had undone himself “courting” the “​Trumpkin base,” sinking “further into the far-right brew of isolationism and xenophobia.” And to prove this contention, Rubin grabbed hold of two words Cruz used, “​America”​ and “​first,”​ to claim that the senator from Texas was signaling support for 1930s/’​40s-style isolationism. This is a pretty popular accusation on the hawkish Right. Marco Rubio has also called Cruz an isolationist. Having watched the debate, though, as Donald Trump might complain, I think it is unfair. What I heard was not a...