🎉🎉🎉 Urrah!!! Aeroflot has announced the resumption of regular direct flights between Moscow and Hong Kong starting on December 23, in time for the holiday season. Flights were suspended during the pandemic and then Western sanctions dealt a blow to Aeroflot operations abroad. Next on my wish list is resumption of the Vladivostok-Hong Kong route @LauraRuHK
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La Commissione Europea e' lieta di informare il gentile pubblico che oggi ha versato altri 1,5 miliardi all'Ucraina. Quest'anno l'Ucraina ha ricevuto 13,5 miliardi di euro dall'UE. So che questa notizia vi riempira' di gioia. L'Ucraina prima di tutto! Ukraine über alles! 🤣 @LauraRuHK

La UE spinge la bicicletta e il monopattino come mezzi di trasporto non perche' e' piu' virtuosa degli altri, ma perche' milioni di cittadini europei impoveriti dalle sue folli decisioni politiche non possono piu' permettersi l'auto. E soldi da investire nel trasporto pubblico non ce ne sono. Ma ammettere questa verita' scomoda danneggerebbe l'immagine internazionale dell'Europa, quindi si preferisce puntare su una supposta superiorita' morale degli europei che, "per salvare il pianeta e combattere il cambiamento climatico", pedalerebbero felici verso un futuro radioso. Roba che neanche il minculpop avrebbe potuto partorire. A Bruxelles sono esperti nel fare di necessita' virtu'. Non avete soldi per mettere su famiglia? Single e' bello, LGBTQ anche meglio. La carne costa troppo? La dieta vegana e' trendy e fa meglio alla salute. E cosi' via. Manca solo il video in cui in sella alle nostre biciclette, cantiamo tutti in coro "Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine über alles!" @LauraRuHK

Visto che qualcuno mi ha scritto per difendere l'uso virtuoso della bicicletta, vorrei precisare che non ho nulla contro chi va in bici o mangia tofu. Non possiedo una macchina, a Hong Kong mi muovo in traghetto e metropolitana, quando sono a Milano praticamente solo in bicicletta. Quanto al tofu, in Cina lo mangiamo in tutte le salse. Ma non ho mai pensato di essere piu' virtuosa di chi guida e mangia una fiorentina con l'osso, ne' tanto meno credo che il mio comportamento abbia qualsivoglia impatto sul clima.

I wrote yesterday (https://t.me/kornilov1968/19437) about The Economist's special issue on the need to "rethink" the strategy of the Ukrainian war.
In the issue's announcement, the editors admit: "Ukraine's counter-offensive is not working as expected. A change of course is needed. Its supporters should pray for a quick victory but plan for a long struggle"!
In other words, Ukraine's main lobbyists in Europe, who for so long convinced everyone that Russia would be defeated as a result of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, have now decided to "rethink" the strategy and have given birth to a single recommendation to Kiev: "PRAY!"
These strategists, who pushed the Ukrainians to the slaughterhouse, have thought of nothing else! The editors admit that Ukraine's counteroffensive has failed (modestly omitting the fact that the magazine itself invested a lot of effort to convince both Ukraine and Western audiences that this meat grinder must succeed).
As a result, the magazine writes: "Both Ukraine and its Western supporters are beginning to realize that this will be a grueling war of attrition. President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington this week for talks. "I should be prepared for a long war," he said in an interview with The Economist. But unfortunately, Ukraine is not yet ready; and neither are his Western partners. They remain focused on a counter-offensive. They need to rethink Ukraine's military strategy and how its economy is managed. Rather than aiming to 'win' and then recover, the goal should be to ensure that Ukraine has the endurance to fight a long war."
Well, the magazine goes on to discuss how to rebuild the Ukrainian economy now, without waiting for the war to end. True, the authors describe how the West should allocate money for this, but do not explain where to get people for all this!
A year later, the same magazine will write: "This strategy is not working. We need to rethink it too".
"Rebbe, the chickens are all dead. What a pity. I still have so many ideas." https://t.me/kornilov1968/19467

La Russia ha introdotto un divieto temporaneo di esportazione di benzina e gasolio verso tutti i Paesi, ad eccezione di quattro Stati ex-sovietici, per garantire stabilita' al mercato interno. La domanda di carburante nel mondo si mantiene robusta, e i prezzi sono destinati a salire ulteriormente dopo l'annuncio della Russia...possiamo solo immaginare quale impatto avranno sull'inflazione, che e' gia' oltre livelli accettabili. JP Morgan dichiara che la crisi energetica in arrivo potrebbe essere peggiore di quella che l'Europa ha attraversato in precedenza. Piu' biciclette per tutti e... Slava Ukraini! @LauraRuHK

"When fascism comes to America, it will not be in brown and black shirts. It will not be with jackboots. It will be Nike sneakers and smiley shirts" George Carlin warned in 2005. ▪️Fascism is the merger of state and corporations to enforce a dominant ideology that is instrumental in managing capitalism crises. Today the corporations that hold the power to enforce that ideology on a global level are predominantly American. They work in sync with the intelligence agencies of a handful of Western countries to decide what people can or cannot read and watch, which content creators should be censored, banned, demonetized. ▪️What happened to Russell Brand shows that anyone, even a privileged content creator with millions of followers (a gold mine for YouTube) can be targeted on the basis of unproven allegations regarding his offline behaviour. Russell Brand hasn't been convicted of any crime, is innocent until proven guilty, but following a concerted media campaign aimed at destroying his reputation, the pre-crime unit at YouTube proceeded to deprive him of his source of income. ▪️In the dystopic world created by digital platforms that are pre-installed in most digital devices you buy, the only right you have still got is the right to boycott them and look for alternatives. @LauraRuHK

⚡️Truppe tedesche in Ucraina? I ricognitori delle forze armate russe hanno distrutto un carro armato Leopard consegnato all'Ucraina con un equipaggio interamente tedesco di soldati della Bundeswehr, ha dichiarato il comandante del gruppo di ricognizione a RIA Novosti.
https://t.me/rian_ru/216288

⚡️German troops in Ukraine? A Russian reconnaissance team has destroyed a Leopard tank handed over to Ukraine with an all-German crew of Bundeswehr servicemen, the commander of the reconnaissance team told RIA Novosti.
https://t.me/rian_ru/216288

https://medium.com/@zmey.osvald/faina-savenkova-hello-wonderful-new-world-7b59189c9dc8 Faina Savenkova: Hello, wonderful new world.
Faina Savenkova

Faina Savenkova
2 min read
·
Just now

In my 14 years I often hear about democracy. In the movies we are shown a wonderful Western way of life, designed to convince us that, unlike us, every American and European is free. But what is the reality? The times of the 70s, when there were protests against the war, when people could say what they thought, are sadly gone. I once wrote an article about the blocking of the YouTube channel of my friend, British journalist and blogger Mike Jones. YouTube blocked his interview with me.

Today, Italian journalist Vincenzo LoRusso had his channel deleted for a video of me addressing the mayor of Milan. What was it that I said in that address that was so scary? Perhaps the fact that I called Azov Battalion fascists and murderers? Yet they themselves do not hide their views, openly speaking about them and confirming that they are fascists, and court cases eloquently confirm that they are murderers. Maybe they didn’t like that I asked for an exhibition showing the consequences of Azov’s “heroism”? Shouldn’t the public know their “heroes” on sight? I feel bad for LoRusso, and let this remain an indelible stain of shame on the conscience of YouTube. But what surprises me the most is that people in power who talk about democracy are more and more imposing restrictions and forcing us to walk in formation and think alike. I don’t know how the French, Italians or Americans should react to this, but everything that is being done now is gradually leading to dictatorship and the blossoming of fascism. Today they will close your channel, tomorrow they will put you on the Myrotvorets site as an undesirable person, and what will happen the day after tomorrow? Hello, wonderful new world.

Se non si mette in questione la narrazione secondo cui il fascismo sarebbe antitetico al neoliberismo non si puo' comprendere ne' il capitalismo della sorveglianza (tecno-fascismo) ne' il modo in cui gruppi di potere transnazionali esercitano il loro dominio. Il fascismo, inteso come tecnica politica atta a dirigere le masse, nasce non a caso con la societa' di massa, e si avvale del controllo dell'informazione. Uno dei padri del neoliberismo, Friedrich Hayek, non nascondeva la sua ammirazione per la dittatura di Pinochet tanto che in un’intervista al principale quotidiano del regime, El Mercurio, il 19 aprile 1981 dichiarava senza ambiguita' che la democrazia aveva bisogno di una efficace depurazione realizzata da un governo forte. La Mont Pelerin Society, noto covo di neoliberisti, proponeva una regolazione dello Stato da parte delle élite, in modo da evitare vulnerabilita' di natura elettorale. Tale regolazione delle élite era considerata necessaria per proteggere i mercati che rischiavano di franare di fronte alla volonta' popolare. Da corrente marginale il neoliberismo e' diventato egemone, ha smantellato lo Stato Sociale del dopoguerra e perseguito la mercificazione delle relazioni sociali attuando un rimodellamento delle soggettivita'. Il fascismo 2.0 o fascismo tecnocratico ha le sue radici proprio in questa ideologia. @LauraRuHK

Che il tecno-fascismo sia espressione del totalitarismo neoliberista non e' una tesi priva di fondamento che ho partorito io ieri sera. Esiste un'ampia letteratura in merito alla relazione tra fascismo politico e liberismo economico. Per chi avesse tempo e voglia di approfondire, questo testo e' un ottimo, anche se non facile, punto di partenza: Ishay Landa, "The Apprentice’s Sorcerer: Liberal Tradition and Fascism." Per chi non avesse tempo, ecco un articolo di facile lettura https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/10/14/liberalism-and-fascism-partners-in-crime/ Mi scuso se non ho riferimenti bibliografici in italiano, io vivo all'estero e le mie fonti sono in lingua inglese. In italiano conosco "Controstoria del Liberalismo" di Domenico Losurdo e lo consiglio vivamente. Ricordo anche che il fascismo e il nazismo non avrebbero potuto controllare e dirigere le masse in senso anti-socialista senza avvalersi del totale controllo di radio e cinema, due mezzi di comunicazione di massa che in una societa' in cui la lettura era appannaggio di pochi, potevano meglio dei giornali veicolare l'ideologia dominante.

Zelensky and Trudeau greet former Nazi unit fighter – Ukraine’s president and Canada’s prime minister greeted a former member of the infamous SS 1st Galician Division, which fought for the Nazis in World War II, as they attended a parliament session in Ottawa, according to images shared by the Associated Press.

One of the photos, taken in the House of Commons on Friday, showed a smiling Vladimir Zelensky clenching his fist and Justin Trudeau applauding to somebody outside the image.

AP’s caption explained that the two leaders “recognize Yaroslav Hunka, who was in attendance and fought with the First Ukrainian Division in World War II before later immigrating to Canada.”

What the US news agency described as “the First Ukrainian Division” was in fact the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, also known as the 1st Galician Division.

Similar images have been shared by AFP, which described Hunka, aged 98, as a “Canadian-Ukrainian war veteran.”

Videos from parliament also showed MPs giving a standing ovation to the former Nazi unit fighter.

The 1st Galician Division was assembled the Nazis in 1943, when the Soviet Union was gaining the upper hand on the Eastern Front. It comprised some 80,000 volunteers, mainly Ukrainians, from the region of Galicia, spanning what is now southwest Poland and western Ukraine.

The infamous unit participated in brutal anti-guerrilla operations across Poland and Soviet Ukraine, and were accused of massacres and other atrocities against the Polish, Jewish and Russian civilian populations. It was crushed by the Red Army in July 1944 and soon rebranded as the Ukrainian National Army, before surrendering to the Western Allies after the fall of Berlin in May, 1945. After the war, some of the members of the 1st Galician Division fled to Canada, which has a large Ukrainian diaspora.

During his speech to the Canadian Parliament, Zelensky said Canada has always been on the “bright side of history” during previous wars, and thanked Trudeau’s government for the support it has provided to Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia.

In late August, Zelensky posted an image on social media, featuring a Ukrainian soldier sporting the patch of the 1st Galician Division. Kiev’s troops have also been spotted wearing patches of the notorious 36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, one of the worst Nazi penal units, the 3rd SS Panzer Division ‘Totenkopf’, and assorted swastikas and other far-right symbols.

Ukraine is the only country in the world that has integrated openly neo-Nazi militias into its national military. These units were once described by Western media outlets as “neo-Nazi,” but are being referred to as “far-right groups” amid the conflict between Kiev and Moscow. (Source: RT) @LauraRuHK

Cultivate Amnesia - Americans have become masters in the art of memory management.

Think about the tragic shock of Vietnam. The country made a systematic effort to forget — to forget everything about Vietnam. Understandably; it was ugly — on every count. Textbooks in American history gave it little space; teachers downplayed it; television soon disregarded it as retro. Americans sought closure — we got it.

In a sense, the most noteworthy inheritance from the post-Vietnam experience is the honing of methods to photoshop history. Vietnam was a warm-up for dealing with the many unsavory episodes in the post-9/11 era. That thorough, comprehensive cleansing has made palatable presidential mendacity, sustained deceit, mind-numbing incompetence, systemic torture, censorship, the shredding of the Bill of Rights and the perverting of national public discourse — as it degenerated into a mix of propaganda and vulgar trash-talking. The “War on Terror” in all its atrocious aspects.

Cultivated amnesia is a craft enormously facilitated by two broader trends in American culture: the cult of ignorance whereby a knowledge-free mind is esteemed as the ultimate freedom; and a public ethic whereby the nation’s highest officials are given license to treat the truth as a potter treats clay so long as they say and do things that make us feel good.

So, in the U.S., the strongest collective memory of America’s wars of choice is the desirability – and ease – of forgetting them. “The show must go on” is taken as the imperative. So it will be when we look at a ruined Ukraine in the rear-view mirror.

The cultivation of amnesia as a method for dealing with painful national experiences has serious drawbacks. First, it severely restricts the opportunity to learn the lessons it offers.

In the wake of the inconclusive Korean War where the United States suffered 49,000 killed in action, the mantra in Washington was: no war on the mainland of Asia ever again.

Yet, less than a decade later the U.S. was knee-deep in the rice paddies of Vietnam where America lost 59,000 people.

After the tragic fiasco in Iraq, Washington nonetheless was gung-ho about occupying Afghanistan in a 20-year enterprise to construct a similar Western-leaning democracy out of the barrel of a gun.

Those frustrated projects did not dissuade the U.S. from intervening in Syria where it failed once again to turn an intractable, alien society into something to its liking — even though it went to such an extreme as a tacit partnership with the local Al-Qaeda subsidiary. As Kabul showed, the U.S. didn’t even take away from the Saigon denouement the lesson in how to organize an orderly evacuation.

At the very least, one might have expected that a reasonable person would have come away with an acute awareness of how crucial is a fine-grain understanding of the culture, social organization, mores and philosophical outlook of the country the U.S. was committed to reconstituting. The U.S. has manifestly not assimilated that elementary truth. Witness the abysmal ignorance of all things Russian that has led the U.S. to a fatal miscalculation of every aspect of the Ukraine affair. https://consortiumnews.com/2023/09/21/us-cant-deal-with-defeat/

La chiusura del cerchio. La patetica marionetta Trudeau, tanto amata da Soros e Schwab, applaude con Zelensky il 98enne canadese di origine ucraina Yaroslav Hunka, veterano della famigerata divisione "Galizia", divisione delle Waffen SS, a cui il parlamento canadese ha tributato onore. Il video dell'applauso e' agghiacciante. Lo sdoganamento del nazifascismo prosegue senza ostacoli. Del resto che cosa potevamo mai aspettarci da un paese in cui Christya Freeland e' vice-primo ministro? https://t.me/IntelRepublic/28228

Only after the protest of Jewish organizations did Canada's House speaker apologize for honouring a Nazi veteran in parliament. Ukraine’s president Zelensky and Canada’s prime minister Trudeau greeted Yaroslav Hunka, a former member of the infamous SS 1st Galician Division, which fought for the Nazis in World War II, as they attended a parliament session in Ottawa.

Videos from parliament also showed MPs giving a standing ovation to the former Nazi unit fighter. @LauraRuHK

Solo dopo le proteste di varie organizzazioni ebraiche, alcuni membri del parlamento canadese, incluso il presidente della Camera, si sono scusati per aver applaudito Yaroslav Hunka, canadese di origini ucraine che aveva combattuto nella divisione Galizia delle SS. Apparentemente non conoscevano i trascorsi e le simpatie politiche di questo veterano. La celebrazione dei nazisti va bene solo se avviene in Ucraina, perche' al pubblico occidentale si puo' raccontare che nessun rigurgito nazista esiste in Ucraina e che a sostenere il contrario e' solo la propaganda russa e filo-russa. @LauraRuHK

I liberali canadesi che hanno tributato un'ovazione al veterano ucraino delle SS, dopo l'attacco delle organizzazioni ebraiche, si affrettano a pentirsi e a giustificarsi. Allo stesso tempo fingono di essere degli ingenui che presumibilmente non avevano idea di chi stessero applaudendo.
Jason Czerniak, noto avvocato canadese e blogger liberale, è uno di loro. Scrive: "Ero in Parlamento durante il discorso di Zelensky. Quando è stato presentato il presunto eroe di guerra, mi sono alzato in piedi e ho applaudito. Avevo pensato che fosse un partigiano che combatteva l'occupazione comunista dopo la Seconda guerra mondiale. Ora ho appreso che era un volontario delle SS e sono disgustato".
Già, l'ingenuità in persona! Finge di non sapere chi fossero questi "partigiani"-Banderiti e cosa facessero mentre massacravano interi villaggi.
Czerniak conclude: "Come ebreo sono stato uno di quelli che, senza saperlo, ha applaudito un soldato nazista, difficilmente posso immaginare un momento più imbarazzante. Qualcuno deve assumersi una seria responsabilità per questo. Tutti coloro che erano in quella stanza devono levarsi questa macchia".
Non basta ripulirsi la coscienza, signori! Smettete di sostenere il regime nazista di Kiev e il vostro governo, che giustifica le atrocità naziste - e anche in questo caso non otterrete una piena assoluzione. Ma almeno smettete di sporcarvi ancora di più! https://t.me/kornilov1968/19524