Puppet MastersS


Caesar

Putin appoints new defense minister, transfers Shoigu to secretary of Security Council - UPDATES

Elena Teslova
Andalou Agency
Mon, 13 May 2024 12:25 UTC

Comment: It looks like the corruption at the Russian MoD is being cleaned up...


putin shoigu
Russian President Vladimir Putin decided Sunday to dismiss Sergey Shoygu as defense minister in a rare Cabinet shake-up.

Shoygu, a longtime ally of the president, had been holding the post since 2012.

According to a decree published on the Kremlin's website, Putin appointed Shoygu as secretary of Russia's Security Council and recommended Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister who specializes in economics, for his post.

Commenting on Putin's decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a civilian official will assume the post of head of the Ministry of Defense due to the need to introduce innovations in its work.

Comment: Russia's Deputy Defence minister, allegedly a friend of Shoigu's, was in court recently on corruption charges. In hindsight, that was the first move to clean up the MoD...

More from Reuters Shoigu's replacement:
Belousov, 65, graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Moscow State University in 1981 with distinction. He defended his dissertation on "An imitative approach to modeling interrelated processes for the formation and use of working capital."

In 2017, Russian media outlet RBC said Belousov was one of the officials who convinced Putin that the digital economy and blockchain were crucial to the future.

"I can say that what a country with sovereignty should definitely have is the possession of its own meanings. Who are we, where are we from, where are we going? ... We have no other option for our country but to acquire or reproduce this identity," Belousov told RBC in an interview in 2023.

According to RBC, he practised sambo and karate in his youth and did not serve in the armed forces. He is thought to be close to Putin.
Also, a quote from him on Russia's proxy war against the West:
"By preserving traditional values of the West, which are originally the values of Western Christian European civilization, Russia can become a guardian of these values. This may seem like a paradoxical idea, but it is nonetheless true. Therefore, it is incorrect to say that the West is our enemy."
Updates 14 May 2024

TASS is reporting that the head of the Main Personnel Directorate of Russia's MoD, Yuri Kuznetsov, has now also been arrested. Russian commentator 'Russians With Attitude' (RWA) further claims that "millions in cash and gold have been confiscated" from Kuznetsov's home.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin reports that Nikolai Patrushev and Alexei Dyumin have been appointed as "assistants to the President of the Russian Federation."

RWA again:
Patrushev is an old school KGB type, head of FSB for a decade, total hawk and hardliner. Dyumin is the godfather of Russia's Special Forces as they currently exist, he was also largely responsible for the Crimean operation. He is also currently the very successful governor of Tula oblast, and I know few people in Russia who are as well-respected among the troops as Dyumin. "Assistants to the President" basically means in touch 24/7 and giving reports that are taken very seriously.


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Cruise Missle

Here come the Russians (for real this time): Russian military takes more settlements in Kharkov Region - Ru MOD


RT
Sun, 12 May 2024 07:02 UTC
A Russian serviceman fires a Kornet anti-tank guided missile.
© Sputnik / Stanislav KrasilnikovA Russian serviceman fires a Kornet anti-tank guided missile.
Ukrainian troops have been driven out of four villages over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry has said.

Moscow's forces have moved deeper across the Ukrainian defense lines in Kharkov Region and have made new territorial gains in the area, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

The villages of Gatische, Krasnoe, Morokhovets and Oleynikovo have been liberated from Kiev's forces, the ministry said on Sunday, in its daily bulletin.

Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military has lost around 1,500 troops along the front line, the ministry also said.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that Russia had launched a large-scale offensive in the region, claiming that his country's forces had "calculated everything" in advance and were prepared to repel the attack. Zelensky's statement followed the announcement by Moscow of the capture of several villages in Kharkov.

Comment: See also:

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Stormtrooper

Best of the Web: AP reports, then retracts, statement by US general about British commandos operating in Ukraine


RT
Mon, 13 May 2024 13:32 UTC
FILE PHOTO: A British sniper who joined Ukraine's special forces.
© LightRocket via Getty ImagesFILE PHOTO: A British sniper who joined Ukraine's special forces.
AP removed the US Special Operations chief's mention of London's clandestine activity from the original article

A senior US military official has apparently inadvertently acknowledged to the media that British commandos are secretly operating in Ukraine. The comment was later removed from the original article.

Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of US Special Operations Command, was interviewed by the Associated Press about the lessons that his force is learning from the conflict.

The original version of the story published on Sunday said the Americans get those lessons "mostly through the eyes of our UK special operations partners," who have been testing new approaches there. As an example, he said British special operations forces were drawing on the experience of RAF pilots for advice using drones and "the way a ship in the Black Sea navigates."

The text has since been redacted to remove any mention of the British military's role in the Ukraine conflict.

Comment: The presence of NATO soldiers in Ukraine is like an alien disclosure project. The western audience is being drip-fed to accept what the elite wants to happen.

Austrian Colonel claims NATO soldiers are fighting in Ukraine as mercenaries
Kremlin: NATO has secret agenda for troops in Ukraine
The Terror's Instigators: How NATO Generals Ignite Conflict
Western troops in Ukraine 'an open secret' - Poland
Canada is losing its war against Russia so it has threatened senior army officers with court martial for "Disloyalty"

Previously posted in a comment to Macron 'hopes' France won't go to war with Russia, there was a comment from British MP, Andrew Bridgen, about the relation between the UK and Russia, that the UK is basically at war with Russia.

For context, here is what the Wiki says about him:
Andrew James Bridgen[2] (born 28 October 1964) is a British politician and businessman who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Leicestershire since 2010. He was a member of the Conservative Party until his expulsion in April 2023, having had the whip suspended in January after criticising the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and claiming that an Israeli cardiologist told him it constitutes "the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust".[3]
Given this background, Bridgen probably knows even more than what he is saying in the interview, as if that was not quite sufficient, and given the leak from the US general, his back is covered in case of official backlash or public disbelief.

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Bizarro Earth

Ukraine: Whose war and what might have been

Gordon Hahn
gordonhahn.com
Mon, 13 May 2024 02:54 UTC
Maidan 2014
© Brendan HoffmanBerkut riot police throw stones at anti-government protesters, who are throwing rocks in return, on Independence Square on February 19, 2014 in Kiev,
There is a very sound argument to be made that 'Putin's war in Ukraine' was started not by Russia at all but by the Ukrainians on 14 April 2014. Look up what happened on that day in Kiev. The new Ukrainian government led by acting president Oleksandr Turchynov declared an 'anti-terrorist operation' (ATO) on Donbass rebels. The latter had done nothing more than mirror the Maidan revolt (sans the false flag terrorist snipers' attack) in order to oppose it by seizing government administration buildings in Donetsk and Luhansk. Instead of negotiating with the still small band of rebels, the ATO sent the Ukrainan army against the people of the Donbass. Kiev was first to deploy tanks, warplanes, mortar, and artillery in Ukraine doing so against Donbass's largely ethnic Russian population in fairly indiscriminate matter. Villages were subject to strafing and bombing from the air.

It did not stop there.

In Mariupol, some 20 policemen, who rejected Kiev's Madian regime, holed up in their headquarters, and Ukrainian tanks and neofascist fighters destroyed the building and those inside. On 2 May 2014, pro-Kiev militants carried out a pogrom in Odessa, burning alive some 45 anti-Maidan picketers. None of this was reported in Westerm media or condemned by Western governments. To the contrary, Washington and Brussels offered words of encouragement about the new 'democratic Ukraine' and showered funding on Kiev. It was only after all of the terrorism noted above that Russia intervened to buttress the rebels, doing so with assistance, weapons, volunteer fighters, and small numbers of troops. Moscow did not militarily intervene until the rebel forces were threatened with encirclement and annihilation in late summer 2014.
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Vader

Kremlin: US covering up Ukrainian terrorism


RT
Mon, 13 May 2024 21:37 UTC
belgorod russia ukraine missiles bombed
© SputnikEmployees of the Russian Emergencies Ministry work at the site of a collapsed entrance in a residential building damaged by a Ukrainian military strike in Belgorod, Russia, May 12, 2024.
The West is unwilling to restrain its Ukrainian "puppets" from attacking civilians, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov has said

The lack of a US reaction to the latest deadly shelling of the Russian city of Belgorod shows a willingness to whitewash Ukraine's crimes against civilians, the Russian ambassador to Washington has said.

On Sunday, Kiev's forces launched a cross-border bombardment of Belgorod with Tochka-U ballistic missiles and multiple rocket launchers. The attack resulted in the partial collapse of a multi-story residential building, killing 15 civilians and injuring at least 25.

"The reaction of American officials to the deadly strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on residential areas, or rather the absence of even a hint of condolences, is very telling," Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Sunday.
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Extinguisher

Best of the Web: Ex-UK govt advisor Dominic Cummings: "The corrupt Ukrainian mafia state has conned us all and we're going to get f**ked"

Noah Keate
Politico.eu
Thu, 09 May 2024 20:38 UTC
Former Brexit campaign chief says the West is 'getting f**ked' by supporting Ukraine.
dominic cummings
"It's all gone wrong!"
Boris Johnson's former top adviser Dominic Cummings launched a sweary attack on Western support for Ukraine Thursday.

In an interview with the i newspaper, Cummings — who led Britain's Vote Leave Brexit campaign and spectacularly fell out with Johnson in 2020 — declared that the West "should have never got into the whole stupid situation" and claimed sanctions against Russia have had a greater impact on European politics than in Moscow.

The former adviser was scathing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and comparisons with World War II.

Comment: A rare moment of insight in the otherwise brain-dead corridors of Western power.

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Camcorder

O'Keefe Media Group's new undercover video: CIA contractor admits CIA director withheld info from Trump, spied on his presidency

Cristina Laila
The Gateway Pundit
Wed, 01 May 2024 18:38 UTC
cia contractor undercover video o'keefe
© O'Keefe Media Group
James O'Keefe last Friday warned he was about to release the most important story of his entire career.

"I have evidence that exposes the CIA, and it's on camera. I am working on releasing a story that I believe is the most important of my entire career," O'Keefe said on Friday.

"Do you think it's a coincidence that right at this moment I am subject to an endless series of attacks?" he said. "This is obviously a sophisticated information operation designed to stop me from releasing this story. I'm sure you recognize they are masters of using half-truths and innuendos to raise doubt against people who don't deserve it. It's meant to consume my time and energy and make me back down."

"But I'm not going to let it work. Rest assured, nothing will stop me from releasing this story," O'Keefe said.

Comment: Another Trump claim verified. You'd think the MSM might start paying attention.

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People

Macron 'denying reality' - French Senate leader


RT
Mon, 13 May 2024 02:12 UTC
Gerard Larcher, president of the French Senate
© Adrien Fillon/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesGerard Larcher, president of the French Senate
Gerard Larcher believes the French president is failing to tackle key domestic issues

The leader of the French Senate has openly criticized Emmanuel Macron's leadership, claiming the president is out of touch with reality and the daily concerns of the population.

In an interview with La Tribune newspaper on Sunday, Gerard Larcher was asked to assess Macron's track record, almost seven years into his presidency.

Comment:
The place of Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, might become vacant later in the year. For that position, connections matter more than qualifications and track record. Disconnect from reality and from the people is no obstacle. Do some European politicians take a clue from popular culture? In the article Let Them Eat Cake - The 2024 Met Gala, there is this story:
The theme of 2024 was 'The Garden of Time', which is inspired by the J.G. Ballard short story of the same name. For those interested the story is about a 15-minute read and can be found here.

Interestingly, the story is about a rich couple living in a lavish mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens with crystal flowers growing inside. When one of these flowers is picked, it turns back time for a period. A huge angry mob is seen advancing over the horizon running towards the villa, and in the evening the man picks a flower to turn back time and have the army retreat back, buying them a day or two. The number of flowers dwindles and the army gets closer and closer, until the last day when the couple spends their time cleaning and securing their material possessions. When there are no flowers left, the mob breaches the walls of the villa and time catches up on them. The villa is transported into an abandoned state, ruined and ravaged by time, and the couple are turned to stone, immortalized as statues beneath the balcony.
See also:

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Attention

China never forgets: 'Paybacks can be HELL!'

Seth Ferris
New Eastern Outlook
Mon, 13 May 2024 19:09 UTC
Blinken and Xi
© New Eastern Outlook
China's visit to Belgrade on the 25th anniversary of the bombing of their embassy, when taken in conjunction with the cold shoulder given to the US Secretary of State on his arrival in China, should send a clear message to the US. Will the elites in Washington be clever enough to understand it is another question?

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in China and, upon getting off the plane, was greeted without the traditional red carpet. At the top of the hierarchy of officials who met Blinken was Chen Jining, head of the Shanghai Party Committee and a member of the Politburo. As Blinken is the US Secretary of State, protocol would require him to be met by at least the Chinese Foreign minister, Wang Yi, who was notable by his absence.

It is also notable that the United States, and Blinken in particular, have been issuing threats of sanctions against China for their close relationship with Russia, something that will definitely not endear them to their Chinese counterparts, who consider any sanctions not authorized by the UN Security Council to be illegal.

The US has been raising the specter of Chinese weapons supplies to Russia since the beginning of the Russian SMO in Ukraine, without any evidence of such. Now they appear to be taking aim at any and all Chinese exports under the blanket term "dual use", which, given the track record of US sanctions, can mean pretty much anything.

The track record of such punitive sanctions is dire, especially when we look at the case of Iraq, where sanctions on "dual use" items sch medical supplies and food, are believed to have killed anywhere up to half a million children alone. Of course, the US tries to claim these numbers are "inflated" without any real evidence.

Further evidence of the real nature of such sanctions are evident in their application to Rhodesia, then its successor Zimbabwe, and well, as Iran and now Russia. They are a weapon of warfare, albeit economic, but one that is now starting to turn on its primary wielder.
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Better Earth

This is the question that could ultimately destroy EU-US unity

Fyodor Lukyanov
RT
Thu, 09 May 2024 17:59 UTC
Xi and Macron
© Ludovic Marin/AFPChinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a toast at an official state dinner • Chinese president's two-day state visit to France
Elysee Palace in Paris • May 6, 2024
Western Europeans broadly see China as an opportunity, but Washington sees it as a threat. This has major geopolitical consequences.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is traveling in Europe for the first time in five years. His choice of capitals is calibrated. First was Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron - who claims political leadership of the Western side of the continent - was joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Together with Macron, she was in Beijing last year. Then there was Budapest and Belgrade, two European countries (one in the European Union, the other outside) that are showing an increased willingness to cooperate with Beijing.

China's relations with Western Europe are one of the most interesting issues in contemporary world politics. Their view of the EU differs from that of Russia. Moscow has long since come to the conclusion that the Old World has completely abandoned its independent foreign policy course by aligning itself with the US. Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Helsinki and others seem not to be deterred by the consequences for their own prosperity and influence. Beijing, however, believes that the EU will not give up its autonomy, even if its dependence on American strategy grows. In other words, China thinks that a precise and active policy can create a series of incentives for the Western Europeans that will slow down their drift towards the US. And, accordingly, it will limit the bloc's participation in a possible future military-political confrontation between the Washington and Beijing.

The research question, as they say in academic papers, is clear: Is the "collective West" a solid and sustainable union, or is the unity achieved so far more flimsy, camouflaging a growing divergence of interests?
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