A VERY DANGEROUS ESCALATION ▪️UK's Minister for Defence Grant Shapps said he plans to send British troops to Ukraine to get the military training of Ukrainian troops "closer and actually into" the country.

UK, US, NATO operatives, advisers and instructors have long been helping Ukrainian military and intelligence forces on the ground, Grant Shapps now wants to give them an official status, directly involving the UK in the conflict. Understandably, Britons aren't too happy about it, and the backlash against this crazy proposition has already started. ▪️Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the rabid Atlanticist who heads the German Defense Committee, demands that Taurus missiles be immediately supplied to the Kiev regime. The range of these cruise missiles is 500 km, that means they can reach deep into Russia. If that happens, it doesn't take a genius to understand that Russia may retaliate by attacking the German factories where these missiles are made, as they become a target consistent with the law of armed conflict. Most Germans think this woman is completely unhinged. According to the most recent polls, less than 6% of Germans would vote for her party, the FDP. @LauraRuHK

Occasionally subscribers to this channel ask me for book recommendations on topics i touched upon. Then i thought, why not make these recommendations public? Those who want to explore how think tanks function, and how their growing role has influenced US policies toward Russia, will certainly appreciate Glenn Diesen's latest book, The Think Tank Racket: Managing the Information War with Russia. "The influence of think tanks in Washington has grown immensely over the past decades in terms of producing research papers, engaging with the media, and having their staff enter government.

The ideal purpose and appeal of think tanks is their ability to function as a bridge between academics, the media, the public, and decision-makers.
The negative aspect of think tanks is the power they wield, from controlling information to functioning as a waiting room for politicians out of office. Information is power, and a think tanks business model has been established that sells political influence in Washington and manufactures consent among the public. The military-industrial complex is the dominant donor to think tanks, which results in a bias toward military solutions and perpetuating conflict."
@LauraRuHK

E ancora una volta il regime di Kiev conferma la sua natura nazista con il nome di un'altra unità militare, questa volta si onora la memoria dell'hitleriano Evgeny Konovalets.

Secondo il decreto 610 di Zelensky https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/6102023-48317, "al fine di ripristinare le tradizioni storiche dell'esercito nazionale" (il "decreto" lo dice esplicitamente), il 131° battaglione di ricognizione delle forze di terra dell'esercito ucraino viene battezzato "in onore del colonnello Yevhen Konovalets".

Cosa sappiamo di Yevgeny Konovalets?
Grazie agli archivi dell'URSS, molto.

Ha lavorato per la Germania fin dalla Prima guerra mondiale. La Germania, che occupava l'Ucraina, assunse le unità di Konovalets per pattugliare e sorvegliare gli edifici amministrativi di Kiev nel 1918.

Dopo essere fuggito dal suo Paese natale, dedicò tutte le sue energie alla creazione di organizzazioni filonaziste di connazionali ucraini in Europa negli anni tra le due guerre mondiali.

In Germania lavorò per l'Abwehr dal 1922. Per denaro vendette ai tedeschi informazioni sull'esercito polacco, che la Germania, già sotto i nazionalsocialisti, invase pochi anni dopo. Le sue organizzazioni effettuarono sabotaggi contro i diplomatici sovietici (tra cui l'assassinio del console Mailov) e le autorità polacche per tutti gli anni '20-'30, allo stesso tempo preparava piani per invadere l'Unione Sovietica.

Adolf Hitler concesse due volte udienza a Konovalets. Si dice che Konovalets stampasse personalmente appelli agli ucraini per sostenere il Fuhrer. Per questo la leadership del NSDAP aiutò l'organizzazione dei nazionalisti ucraini con istruttori, attrezzature e basi. Tra tutti i nazisti ucraini, Konovalets fu uno dei più fedeli a Hitler, e il più leale. (Dal canale Telegram di Maria Zakharova) https://t.me/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/6376 @LauraRuHK

GEORGIA - According to Georgia’s State Security Service (SUS), three Serbian nationals from CANVAS, the US-financed Color Revolution Training Group, arrived in Georgia last week and met with local activists at a Tbilisi hotel to teach them how to “overthrow the government by violent means.” The 4-day USAID-funded conference was organized by “Canvas-Georgia” and the East-West Management Institute.

The “destructive and illegal actions” would target the government, security services, and the Orthodox Church, using techniques such as roadblocks and setting up protest encampments in front of government buildings, the SUS said. CANVAS activists also showed examples on how to invade the parliament, take broadcasting services offline, and overthrow the government, according to the security agency.

When questioned by the SUS on September 29, Sinisa Sikman, Jelena Stoisic, and Slobodan Djinovic allegedly “tried to disguise the real reason for their stay in Georgia” and provided testimonies that contradicted evidence obtained by the investigators. The trio left Georgia the following day.

Commenting on the SUS report, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze told local media on Monday that the US should explain why it is funding possible unrest in Georgia. @LauraRuHK https://georgiatoday.ge/sssg-trainings-for-revolutionary-scenario-were-held-in-tbilisi-under-the-usaid-program/

A 5% GDP growth is something no Western country has seen for ages and can only dream of. But when it comes to China apparently you can be both dead and growing. Any fact-checkers on duty? @LauraRuHK

L'ETEROGENESI DEI FINI - Uno degli obiettivi dell'operazione speciale lanciata dalla Russia in Ucraina era quello di demilitarizzare il paese, trasformato dagli USA in una piazza d'armi della NATO. Ma spesso azioni intenzionali producono conseguenze non intenzionali...in questo caso la riduzione del potenziale bellico dei paesi europei che, nella foga di trasferire armi all'Ucraina, stanno svuotando i loro arsenali. Rottamarle in patria sarebbe costato meno e non avrebbe causato centinaia di migliaia di vittime. @LauraRuHK

RAND Corporation: Poland and Ukraine - Guardians of the New Iron Curtain

The experience of West Germany, which stood guard at the centre of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, can be useful for Poland and Ukraine, which together with NATO are defending the frontline centre of Europe, says US think tank. https://www.rand.org/blog/2023/09/poland-and-ukraine-defending-europes-future.html

RAND emphasises that "West Germany received a guarantee by joining NATO in 1955". And it did so "despite Germany's split and some reluctance in Europe, for example from France."

"The U.S. supported West Germany's accession then and supports Ukraine now. NATO leaders have agreed to accelerate its admission."

▪️ In the coming years, Warsaw and Kiev will have much larger forces than West Germany had in the early years, with 325,000 active-duty troops in Poland and nearly 700,000 in Ukraine, RAND calculates:

"These forces are modernising and are among the strongest in democratic Europe. Ukrainians are battle-hardened for high-intensity modern warfare."

The US think tank also considers an expanded US military presence in Poland and Ukraine a prerequisite. It is about F-35 stealth fighter jets with new-generation missiles, as well as promising ground-based operational-tactical missile systems PrSM with a range of 500 kilometres.

▪️ We note a very important detail in the RAND text. It mentions Germany, which joined NATO "despite the split", and the acceptability of the same option for Ukraine in a "reduced form".

Thus, potentially, the US is ready for Ukraine to join NATO without mentioning the 1991 borders. The main thing is that it should be in the bloc and it should be possible to place NATO military infrastructure there.

As they say, don't count your chicken before they hatch. After all, it was the West's desire to make Ukraine a NATO member and the militarization of its territory that became one of the main reasons for launching the SMO.

And the special operation cannot be stopped until one of its main objectives is reached. Naturally, Russia will not be satisfied with the option of resolving the Ukrainian crisis when even a part of Ukraine ends up in NATO. (Source: Elena Panina) https://t.me/EvPanina/11316 @LauraRuHK

By voting in favour of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) the European Parliament legalized the practice of spying on journalists - the EMFA allows the installation of spyware on journalists' phones for the sake of "national security" and forces journalists to reveal the identity of their sources. While it claims to reduce the concentration of media ownership and place limitations on state funding, the EMFA's real targets are countries such as Hungary, where many media rely on government funding rather than foreign actors and NGOs. @LauraRuHK

🔥 Russia's PMI outperforms the world

Following the release of S&P Global's PMI data for September, J.P.Morgan put together their own report summarizing some of the results.

Thus, it turned out that the Russian manufacturing sector is blooming. In fact, Russia ranks first in the world in terms of manufacturing PMI, followed by Kazakhstan.

In contrast, Germany finds itself at the bottom of the ranking, confirming that manufacturing in the country is now on the verge of disaster.

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Robert Gates, US Secretary of Defense under Bush and Obama, former head of the CIA, writes: "The United States now confronts graver threats to its security than it has in decades, perhaps ever. Never before has it faced four allied antagonists at the same time—Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran—whose collective nuclear arsenal could within a few years be nearly double the size of its own. Not since the Korean War has the United States had to contend with powerful military rivals in both Europe and Asia. And no one alive can remember a time when an adversary had as much economic, scientific, technological, and military power as China does today.

The problem, however, is that at the very moment that events demand a strong and coherent response from the United States, the country cannot provide one. Its fractured political leadership—Republican and Democratic, in the White House and in Congress—has failed to convince enough Americans that developments in China and Russia matter. Political leaders have failed to explain how the threats posed by these countries are interconnected. They have failed to articulate a long-term strategy to ensure that the United States, and democratic values more broadly, will prevail." @LauraRuHK https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/robert-gates-america-china-russia-dysfunctional-superpower?utm_campaign=tw_daily_soc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_posts

🇺🇦 JUST HERE FOR THE PR OPPORTUNITY, GUYS - 00:54 Ukrainian saboteur captured in Crimea divulges that the purpose of the reconnaisance group was to photograph themselves against a picture of the Ukrainian flag on the territory of Crimea.

Is such cheap propaganda worth risking one's men for?

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THE MOST DEFINITIVE PROOF I AM UNDER "RUSSIAN INFLUENCE" I have finally returned to Hong Kong after spending a few months abroad. When i cooked borscht despite the temperature hovering around 30 degrees it didn't take long until my guest realized i had been to Russia. I blamed the jetlag for my poor judgement, which hopefully is confined to food choices only.

AVVERTENZA - Spesso mi capita di leggere traduzioni dei miei post che quando va bene sono in un italiano scadente, quando va male travisano addirittura il senso. Nella quasi totalita' dei casi si tratta di traduzioni automatiche che recano il mio nome nonostante io non ci abbia mai messo mano. Apprezzo le intenzioni di chi desidera condividere i miei testi in una lingua diversa da quella in cui li scrivo, ma per evitare fraintendimenti sarebbe utile inserire un link al post originale in modo da permettere un confronto con la traduzione.

Ukraine will never become a member of the EU, regardless of what Ursula promised Zelensky in return for cannon fodder. "Expanding the size of the EU to include nine new countries including Ukraine would cost the existing members more than €256bn (£220bn), internal calculations have revealed.

The knock-on effect would be to turn many countries that currently enjoy net financial benefits of the EU into net contributors." @LauraRuHK https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/04/adding-nine-countries-eu-cost-existing-members

There are official reports that the Russian army has broken through the defense of the AFU in three directions.

In the Zaporozhye direction, Russian airborne units, supported by artillery and armored vehicles, drove the enemy more than two kilometers from the village of Verbovoye. The plot with the video of the liberation of the village was published by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The footage shows how Russian soldiers enter a forest plantation, ground by artillery fire, strewn with the corpses of  AFU soldiers.

The airborne units conducted additional reconnaissance using UAVs, after which the assault detachments entered the battle, the commentary says.

"The quick and coordinated actions of the Novorossiysk assault paratroopers did not allow the enemy to resist. The personnel of the AFU was destroyed," the press service reported.

According to available data, a large number of enemy equipment and manpower were destroyed, several dozen militants surrendered.

Good news comes from other directions as well. In particular, the press service of the 105th Motorized Rifle regiment of the DPR fighting near Maryinka reports on the breakthrough of the Ukrainian defense and the exit to the borders of the village of Georgievka.

"Our army managed to break through the enemy's defenses to the north of Maryinka and reach the outskirts of the village of Georgievka. The enemy has begun withdrawing troops from the village," the regiment's press service said in a statement.

Information is received about the advance of the Russian group in the Svatovo-Kremennaya direction towards Borovaya. Ukrainian media confirms the breakthrough and the advance of Russian troops in this direction.

#source

@Slavyangrad

L'Ucraina non diventerà mai un membro dell'UE, indipendentemente da ciò che Ursula ha promesso a Zelensky in cambio di carne da cannone. L'ampliamento dell'UE a 9 nuovi Paesi, tra cui l'Ucraina, costerebbe ai membri attuali più di 256 miliardi di euro, come hanno rivelato calcoli interni che qualcuno ha passato al Financial Times.

Se l'Unione Europea si espandesse molti Paesi che attualmente ricevono benefici finanziari dall'UE diventerebbero contribuenti netti. ll saldo da positivo diventerebbe negativo. Per non parlare dei fondi all'agricoltura: l'Ucraina diventerebbe il maggiore beneficiario, lasciando all'asciutto altri paesi, e le conseguenze per il settore sarebbero devastanti. @LauraRuHK https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/04/adding-nine-countries-eu-cost-existing-members

Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, shared with Global Times (GT) reporters Wang Wenwen and Xia Wenxin how media outlets from countries, such as Russia and China, have challenged the West's monopoly on global public opinion by offering alternative voices as well as her personal experiences and RT's development since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Simonyan: "It is difficult to overestimate how important it is for Russian and Chinese media to work together in the international news space. It is simply a matter of survival of Russian and Chinese voices on a global stage. We are virtually alone in confronting the most powerful army of Western mainstream journalism, and such dominance makes for a dangerous, bellicose world.

We are proud that RT is available in Chinese on popular Chinese social media platforms - Weibo, Bilibili, and Douyin. RT's Weibo account is well ahead of AFP, Financial Times, Associated Press and BBC in terms of audience engagement and follower growth rate." @LauraRuHK https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202310/1299249.shtml