Military Madness > Putin puts Nuclear forces on alert; Nuclear threat - Is Liz Truss to blame? SAS testifies to Afghan atrocity

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Putin Orders Russian Nuclear Deterrence Forces to Be on High Alert

Zelensky announces talks will be held in Belarus

By Jack Phillips 

February 27, 2022

Epoch Times

President Vladimir Putin put his country’s nuclear deterrence forces on high alert on Sunday, announcing the move in a televised meeting with top ministers, coming as Russian troops and tanks continue to wage a conflict in Ukraine.

“Western countries are not only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic area. I’m speaking about the illegitimate sanctions that everyone is well aware of. However, the top officials of the leading NATO countries also make aggressive statements against our country as well,” Putin said on Sunday, according to state-run media.

As a result, Putin said that he has ordered “the minister of Defense and the chief of the general staff [of the Russian armed forces] to transfer the deterrence forces of the Russian army to a special mode of combat duty,” according to televised comments he made. The deterrence forces include command of Russia’s vast arsenal of nuclear weapons.

It is not immediately clear what the “special mode of combat duty” means. Previously, when Putin announced the Russian invasion earlier this week, he warned that if other countries get involved, they will face “consequences they have never seen.”

Later on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said via social media that he will send a delegation to the Ukraine-Belarus border to hold talks with Russian officials “without preconditions” about the ongoing conflict. Zelensky said he spoke with Belarus’s leadership and said they would allow the negotiations.

But Putin’s order means Russia’s nuclear weapons prepared for increased readiness to launch, raising the threat that the tensions between Moscow and NATO could boil over into nuclear strikes.

Ukrainian service members look for unexploded shells after fighting with Russian forces in Kyiv,

Ukraine, on Feb. 26, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

During a CBS News appearance, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, responded to Putin’s statement on Sunday.

“President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable,” Thomas-Greenfield said on Sunday morning. “And we have to continue to condemn his actions in the most strong, strongest possible way.”

Also Sunday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Putin, warned the West against imposing tough sanctions on Russia and Belarus, claiming that the measures could push Russia into a “third world war.”

Ukrainian troops inspect a site following a Russian airstrike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 26, 2022.

(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

“Now there is a lot of talk against the banking sector. Gas, oil, SWIFT. It’s worse than war. This is pushing Russia into a third world war,” Lukashenko told local state media, referring to sanctions.

The alarming step came as street fighting broke out in Ukraine’s second-largest city and Russian troops squeezed strategic ports in the country’s south, advances that appeared to mark a new phase of Russia’s invasion following a wave of attacks on airfields and fuel facilities elsewhere in the country.

The capital, Kyiv, was eerily quiet after huge explosions lit up the morning sky and authorities reported blasts at one of the airports. Only an occasional car appeared on a deserted main boulevard as a strict 39-hour curfew kept people off the streets. Terrified residents instead hunkered down in homes, underground garages, and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale Russian assault.

“The past night was tough–more shelling, more bombing of residential areas and civilian infrastructure,” Zelensky remarked. “There is not a single facility in the country that the occupiers wouldn’t consider as admissible targets.”

Videos posted on Ukrainian media and social networks showed Russian vehicles moving across Kharkiv and Russian troops roaming the city in small groups. One showed Ukrainian troops firing at the Russians and damaged Russian light utility vehicles abandoned nearby.

Russia blames UK FM for elevated nuclear alert

The British foreign secretary made “unacceptable” statements on “clashes”

between NATO and Russia, Putin’s spokesman said

Liz Truss during a panel discussion at the 58th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 19, 2022 © Getty Images / Ronald Wittek

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin placed Russia’s deterrence forces – including nuclear weapons – on high alert in response to statements by British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on potential conflict between NATO and Moscow. 

“Statements were made by various representatives at various levels on possible altercations or even collisions and clashes between NATO and Russia,” Peskov told reporters. “We believe that such statements are absolutely unacceptable. I would not call the authors of these statements by name, although it was the British foreign minister.”

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Truss said that “if we don't stop Putin in Ukraine, we are going to see others under threat: the Baltics, Poland, Moldova, and it could end up in a conflict with NATO. We do not want to go there.” Truss did not specify how the UK could “stop” Russia in Ukraine, although the British government has already sent anti-tank weapons and other “lethal aid” to Kiev.

When she made that statement I immediately thought it to be unwise, if not colossally stupid. And then I remembered, 'Oh, it's Liz Truss!'

However, a Foreign Office source told the BBC on Monday: “I don't think anything Liz has said warrants that sort of rhetoric or escalation,” adding that Truss has always spoken of NATO – which was formed with the explicit goal of opposing the Soviet Union – as a  “defensive alliance.”

While Putin’s announcement does not signal any intent to use nuclear weapons, it has been received in the West as a reminder of the importance Moscow places on Ukraine, and its determination to keep the country out of NATO. Since the end of the Cold War, successive Russian leaders have consistently opposed the eastward expansion of the alliance, and Moscow considers the idea of a NATO-armed Ukraine on its borders an existential security threat.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki condemned Putin’s decision to raise the alert level, accusing the Russian president of “manufacturing threats that don't exist in order to justify further aggression.”

Someone forgot to tell Liz Truss that these threats don't exist.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Russia’s operation is still underway, and fighting has taken place in the cities of Kharkov, Mariupol, and on the outskirts of Kiev. Tentative negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials took place in Belarus on Monday.

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Ex-SAS soldier testifies to atrocities committed in Afghanistan

Soldier kicked unarmed Afghan man off cliff before ordering him shot - witness

FILE PHOTO © Getty Images / Simon O'Dwyer

An Australian special forces soldier has testified to atrocities committed by his comrade as part of an unfolding defamation lawsuit against several Australian media outlets. Ben Roberts-Smith allegedly kicked an unarmed, handcuffed man off a cliff before ordering his subordinates to finish him off, a former colleague listed in court records as “Person 4” revealed in court on Monday.

‘We were fighting & in danger. To now say that’s a war crime makes me really angry’ – is Aussie SAS killer a hero or a villain?

“I saw the individual’s face strike a large rock and sustain a serious injury. It knocked out a number of his teeth including his front teeth,” the unnamed SAS fighter told a federal court after describing how Roberts-Smith allegedly kicked the unarmed man off a cliff. He ultimately ordered his underlings to drag the “severely injured” man under a tree and shoot him dead, the man testified.

The grisly execution allegedly took place in the village of Darwan on September 11, 2012 following a failed attempt to hunt down a “rogue Afghan soldier” named Hekmatullah who had supposedly killed three Australians. As the SAS came up empty-handed, they found the alleged victim, a visiting farmer named Ali Jan, and arrested him. Roberts-Smith and another servicemember manhandled him down a cliff, where he fell and hit a “large rock,” sustaining “serious facial injury,” according to Person 4.

Person 4 heard shooting and turned around to see the Afghan farmer had been killed; Roberts-Smith then allegedly asked the witness for his camera in order to photograph the dead man with a type of radio used by Afghan insurgents to communicate - a radio Person 4 claimed the farmer had not been carrying “to [his] knowledge” but had come from another man killed by Roberts-Smith previously.

The narrative emerged as Roberts-Smith has sued multiple Australian media outlets, including the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, and the Canberra Times. The former soldier accused the media of defaming him with wrongful accusations of war crimes and other acts of wrongdoing - from bullying and domestic violence to murder.

Roberts-Smith has denied all charges. “There was no cliff…there was no kick,” he told the court last July, insisting the dead man had been an enemy “spotter” killed for legitimate reasons. Person 4, who has been challenged regarding his refusal to testify about another incident in which he was seen “standing over a dead Afghan prisoner” after another witness heard shots fired, will be cross-examined on Tuesday. 

An ongoing investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, based on the Brereton report, which found enough “credible information” to implicate 25 Australian Defense Force members in the illegal killing of 39 Afghan individuals, has been delayed following the collapse of the Afghan government. While the Taliban could be reasonably expected to cooperate with such an inquiry, the reluctance of other countries to recognize the Islamic militant group as a legitimate governing body is expected to hinder the proceedings. 

Sanders-linked US group blasts NATO’s ‘imperialist expansion’

The Democratic Socialists of America claimed the US and NATO

“set the stage for this conflict”

NATO's Secretary General meets Russia's Deputy Defence Minister and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

© NATO / POOL / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images

In a statement released on Saturday, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) blamed actions by the US and NATO for having helped to spark the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sparking condemnation from other Democrats.

“DSA reaffirms our call for the US to withdraw from NATO and to end the imperialist expansionism that set the stage for this conflict,” the group said in a press release.

“While the failures of neoliberal order are clear to everyone, the ruling class is trying to build a new world, through a dystopic transition grounded in militarism, imperialism, and war. Socialists have a duty to build an alternative,” DSA added, ending their statement by declaring “no war but class war.”

Condemning “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine” and calling for “immediate diplomacy and de-escalation to resolve this crisis,” DSA warned the working classes “will undoubtedly bear the brunt of this war.”

DSA is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 92,000 members, including high-profile Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders. With chapters in all 50 states, it has previously endorsed Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and John Kerry, notably choosing not to endorse current President Joe Biden.

The DSA’s position faced immediate condemnation from other Democrats from different wings of the party, who sought to reaffirm their commitment to America’s current alliances.

And, not to mention, Deep State!

The DSA’s position faced immediate condemnation from fellow Democrats from the main party, who sought to reaffirm their commitment to America’s current alliances.

The White House Rapid Response Director, Mike Gwin, swiftly responded with a one-word statement, describing DSA's remarks as "shameful," calling on the group to re-evaluate why it "referred to the deaths of dozens of Ukrainians seeking democracy and basic freedoms in 2014 as a ‘coup’."

Military veteran and current congressional candidate Max Rose stated that he was “deeply concerned” by DSA’s statement, adding that it’s “time to double down on our alliances” and “punish Russia with crippling and unprecedented sanctions.”

Responding to Rose’s remarks, Tom Suozzi, a Democratic candidate for Governor of New York, declared “I adamantly oppose the DSA's statement calling on the US to leave NATO.”

NATO's actions toward Russia are very aggressive, pressuring them into this war. NATO is no longer a defensive force but the cause of much anxiety and destruction in Europe. Everyone should leave NATO.

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European Politics > Islam plans to take-over Sweden; The Unspeakable is Spoken; Moral Integrity belongs to Brussels; Did UK FM skip geography classes? Disappointing end for Marine?

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Sweden: Islamic party declares that is on the way

‘to taking over all of Skåne’

FEB 11, 2022 4:00 PM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Oddly enough, Sweden’s celebration of diversity is quickly becoming rather monochromatic.

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“Islamist party promises ‘to take over Skåne,’”

translated by Gary Fouse from “Islamistparti lovar ”ta över hela Skåne,””

By Isac Boman, Nya Dagbladet, 

February 9, 2022:

In a Twitter posting, the Islamist party Nyans declares that is on the way “to taking over all of Skåne” and that Malmö is the first.

Nya Dagbladet has earlier drawn attention to the party which, among others, demands that Islamophobia should become its own crime classification and that Muslims should receive a special minority position in Sweden. They have also accused all other Swedish parties of being racists.

Founder and party leader Mikail Yüksel has a past in the Center Party but was forced out of the party after it was discovered that he had close contacts with the pan-Turkish, extreme right organization, Grey Wolves, and the party is believed to have close contacts with the Turkish dictator Recep Erdogan.

In a posting on Twitter, Mikail Yüksel posts a photo from the party’s candidate meeting and writes that, “Soon we will take over all of Skåne with Malmö at the top.”

Thus far, the interest on the part of the mass media for the party that describes itself as the obvious alternative for the country’s Muslims has been relatively cool, but the party, which among other things, wants to make it illegal to criticize religious extremism, has still received a certain space in which to market itself in both the tax-financed SVT (Swedish State TV) as well as the evening newspapers.

In Muslim-dominated and immigrant-dense areas, the Social Democrats till now have been the most popular party by far.

Remember, Muslims have a much higher birth rate than Europeans. And many European still have a protectionist attitude toward Muslims in spite of the skyrocketing criminal activity they bring and the dramatic loss of freedoms that will come with increasing political clout.

I'm inclined to believe that Islam's plans to take over Sweden are not a matter of if, but when, unless something dramatic changes.

Presidential candidate makes ‘Great Replacement’ comment

France’s Valerie Pecresse later said she had only used anti-immigration rhetoric

to show voters “another path is possible”

French Valerie Pecresse greets the audience during her rally at the Zenith de Paris, in Paris.

February 13, 2022. © AFP / Alain Jocard

Conservative French presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse has come under fire for using language linked to the far right and making references to border walls and the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory at her first major campaign rally on Sunday.

Addressing thousands of supporters at the Paris event, Pecresse – nominated by the center-right Republicans party – questioned whether France would “still be a sovereign nation” or would become a “US satellite or a Chinese trading post” if President Emmanuel Macron stayed in office for another decade.

“In ten years, will we still be the seventh power in the world? … Will we be a united nation or a fragmented nation? Faced with these vital questions, neither the great downgrading, nor the Great Replacement, are inevitable,” Pecresse was reported as saying by multiple news outlets.

According to Politico, it marked the first time that Pecresse has publicly referred to the far-right doctrine that white French Christians are being supplanted by Muslim immigrants at the direction of the country’s elites.

It's higher than the country's elites, it's at the level of George Soros and other oligarchs who control those 'elites'.

Far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour has previously voiced support for the theory, which influenced Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant. The outlet noted that Pecresse is currently battling two other right-wing candidates, Zemmour and Marine Le Pen, to secure a place in the run-off vote against Macron.

In her speech, Pecresse also reportedly referred to “overflowing” immigration having created “zones of non-France,” and supported building border “barriers” and “walls” requested by European countries that are “on the front line in the face of migratory blackmail.”

Political opponents and anti-racism groups slammed her remarks, with socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo accusing her of “[crossing] yet another Rubicon.” Meanwhile, Francois Patriat, a senator for Macron’s party, tweeted that the comments marked a “great disenchantment” for the “republican right.”

Facing criticism over the rhetoric, Pecresse appeared to walk back some of her comments on Monday, telling the RTL network that she had meant she would not “resign myself to Zemmour’s theories and extreme-right theories, because I know another path is possible.”

“It’s something I’ve been saying for months, so I don’t even understand this uproar,” Pecresse added, while maintaining that immigration had created “non-France” areas in the country.

Valerie, why would you expect the media to present your words in any kind of context? They are not smart enough to do that.

EU nations lose legal battle in bloc’s top court

The European Court of Justice has ruled that the EU may cut funding

to member states that violate its ‘rule of law’ standards

FILE PHOTO. ©  AFP / Wojtek Radwanski

The EU’s top court has dismissed a complaint filed by Poland and Hungary against a mechanism allowing Brussels to punish member states it deems ‘rule-of-law violators.’ The so-called “conditionality mechanism” gives the bloc the right and power to withhold aid funding from a member that is found to be failing to adhere to the union’s democratic principles.

"The court dismisses the actions brought by Hungary and Poland in their entirety," the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The ECJ also argued that the democratic values countries should comply with to join the EU cannot be simply “disregarded” after accession. It also said that a member state committing rule-of-law violations might “seriously compromise” what it called the “sound financial management” of the EU budget and the bloc’s “financial interests.”

The court’s decision might see Hungary and Poland losing tens of billions of dollars in aid from Brussels. Warsaw and Budapest argued that such a move on the part of the EU is devoid of any proper legal basis. Both nations, each of which receives large portions of EU funding, have been at odds with the bloc over what the EU calls violation of its democratic principles, ranging from consolidating the government’s control over the judiciary to cracking down on the freedom of the media.

The mechanism, essentially designed to punish rule-of-law violations among the EU member states, has been in place since early 2021 but the EU Commission said it would wait for the ECJ decision before taking any action. The delay was agreed with Budapest and Warsaw in 2020 and secured the two nations’ consent for some EU budget decisions at that time.

Now, the court has said that “the European Union must be able to defend those values, within the limits of its powers.” It also ruled that the EU budget “is one of the principal instruments for giving practical effect, in the European Union’s policies and activities, to the fundamental principle of solidarity between member states.”

The court ruling was immediately welcomed by the EU Commission. “The Commission will defend the Union’s budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law. We will act with determination,” its head, Ursula von der Leyen said. Other EU politicians also called for immediate action.

Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister and a longtime MEP, said on Twitter that von der Leyen “has to act now” and can no longer “hide behind the court.”

Budapest blasted the decision as a “political judgement.” “The ruling is another application of pressure against our country because we passed our child protection law during the summer,” Hungary’s Justice Minister Judit Varga wrote on her Facebook page, referring to new legislation in Hungary that bans the depiction of homosexuality and gender change to children in the media.

Warsaw blasted the decision as a “dark day” that “will be remembered in the history textbooks.” Poland’s Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro slammed the ECJ as a “political tool” of Brussels serving the interests of the EU elites, and accused the “largest EU countries” of attempting to transfer “sovereignty” from the member states to Brussels.

Poland has also reportedly said it would stop paying contributions to the EU budget if cut off from the bloc’s aid funding. 

Poland and Hungary had previously argued that the “conditionality mechanism” was not included in any of the EU treaties. They also said the ECJ would be overstepping its powers in approving such a mechanism.

I wonder if George Soros has any influence over the ECJ? Like he does over the EU.

I wonder if any EU country surrendered its moral or spiritual authority when it joined the EU?

Russia mocks UK over latest ‘invasion’ claim

Russia’s Foreign Ministry jokingly responded to the top UK diplomat’s claims

that the Baltic states may be the next aim for Putin

Liz Truss © Rob Pinney - WPA Pool / Getty Images

Moscow mocked the latest British "Russian invasion" claim on Sunday, with the Foreign Ministry taking a swipe at London's top diplomat. Liz Truss had suggested that Russia would not be satisfied once it invaded Ukraine, but rather would shift its focus to the Baltic states and even the western Balkans.

According to Truss, speaking in a Mail on Sunday interview, President Vladimir Putin “wants to turn the clock back to the mid-1990s or even before then.” Truss stressed that “it’s so important that we and our allies stand up to Putin,” because, in her view, “it could be Ukraine next week but then which country will it be next?”

Russia's top diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova gave a tongue-in-cheek response to the allegations on Telegram, writing that Truss “has nailed our insidious plans to invade the Kaliningrad region,” referring to the Russian enclave on the Baltic coast.

Her response is also an apparent nod to Truss’ talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov earlier this month, when Russian media revealed that the foreign secretary, replying to a question from Lavrov, said the UK would “never recognize Russia’s sovereignty over” the Rostov and Voronezh regions. British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert reportedly had to intervene, informing her boss that the two regions in fact belong to Russia.

Western leaders have been claiming for months that Russia is planning to attack Ukraine – an accusation that has been repeatedly denied by Moscow.

In recent days, tensions in eastern Ukraine have escalated. The Ukrainian government and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics blame each other for the flare-up. On Friday, the two breakaway regions began evacuating civilians to Russia. On Saturday, they issued a mobilization order, claiming that Kiev’s forces are poised to intervene.

Le Pen suspends presidential bid

The right-wing candidate is struggling to obtain sponsorship from local leaders

(FILE PHOTO) © Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images

National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen has suspended her campaign for the French presidency as she is struggling to obtain enough support from local leaders, her spokesman said on Tuesday. Le Pen’s press conference on Wednesday concerning education has been cancelled, as has her trip to the Somme at the weekend.

She told RTL on Tuesday morning that she lacked “just over 40” signatures of support from local elected officials.

Presidential candidates require the sponsorship of 500 local officials, such as mayors, in order to run for the top office.

Le Pen has seen her support from local officials dwindle amid competition from other right-wing candidates. The influential mayor of Beziers, Robert Menard, had given his support to Le Pen despite flirtations with ultra-right polemicist-cum-politician Eric Zemmour.  

The National Rally candidate has sought to sanitize her party’s image in recent years despite making it to the presidential run-off in 2017, losing to the country’s current leader, Emmanuel Macron.

She changed the party’s name and moved her politics towards the center, ridding it of the jackbooted imagery that clung to her Holocaust-denying father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Flying under the radar is OK if you don't fly too low and crash. I expected this would be Marine's last election, but I expected her to be in it. It must be heart-breaking for her.