All Things Russia & Ukraine

[Essexfenwick]

Hmmm.

Innocent bio research labs that the US is desperate to keep out of the hands of Russians.

Uh huh.

Permanent Washington ruined it’s reputation in Iraq. This is just more confirmation.

[NattyBohChamps04]

Also interesting to note with all the NATO / USA victim blaming in this thread, Moscow removed the three most pro-Russia voting regions in Ukraine in 2014. There wasn't much support for joining NATO prior to that, so removing those elements really pushed Ukraine policies west-ward.

The 2014 invasion was also about a trade issue, not the near or long term issue of Ukraine joining NATO.

NATO "expansion" is more of a distraction. The real issue all along has been EU economic expansion. We've seen a much greater emphasis by Russia to break up the EU than breaking up NATO. Brexit, Hungary, Poland, etc. EU economic policies at the border would do more to destabilize Russian politics and economics than NATO at the border ever would.

You can use EU & NATO interchangably. There's been a push to join both since the Orange Revolution in 2004.
The Euromaidan revolt & subsequent regime change was triggered by the failure to implement the EU-Ukraine Association agreement.

That's certainly one of the mistakes a lot of these analysts are making, thinking they're 100% interchangeable.

In any case, Russia painted themselves into the corner for the past decade. They could have had a second Belarus.

[Peter Brown]

“When I look at how wrong Friedman has been, especially when it comes to foreign policy issues, and how these errors have, seemingly, done nothing to dull the arrogance of his prose, it's striking. Could you talk a bit about how his positions have been modified without a blip, specifically in relation to his columns on Iraq? He doesn’t exactly have a track record readers should feel comfortable about.”



https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.c ... -fernandez

Friedman is just another carnival clown in the endless list of media hacks who say anything for access to the right parties and vainglorious power selfies. He’s wrong about 95% of the time.

You should ignore him as you should ignore Marcy Wheeler, Dan Rather, Heather Cox Richardson, Natasha Bertrand, Ken Dilanian, etc…

[Brooklyn]

On another thread our pal RRR posted about someone's ideal dream boat hunks. Well, it turns out there may be something behind all that:


Russian Orthodox Church Leader Blames Invasion on Ukraine's 'Gay Pride'

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-orthod ... de-1685636

A major religious leader in Russia has come out in support of the invasion of Ukraine and laid the blame on the support of gay rights.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, during a Sunday sermon called Russia's "military operation" in Ukraine a conflict over "which side of God humanity will be on" between Russia and Western countries that embrace more progressive values. In particular, he called attention to Ukraine's support of gay rights and the presence of gay pride parades, The Moscow Times reported.

"Pride parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one variation of human behavior," Kirill said during the sermon. "That's why in order to join the club of those countries, you have to have a gay pride parade."

The church leader characterized pride parades as "loyalty tests," and said that countries looking to ally with Western powers must embrace them or be shunned. Further, he claimed that the breakaway regions of Ukraine at the heart of the current conflict, collectively known as Donbas, have "fundamentally rejected" such values.

[Essexfenwick]

“When I look at how wrong Friedman has been, especially when it comes to foreign policy issues, and how these errors have, seemingly, done nothing to dull the arrogance of his prose, it's striking. Could you talk a bit about how his positions have been modified without a blip, specifically in relation to his columns on Iraq? He doesn’t exactly have a track record readers should feel comfortable about.”



https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vice.c ... -fernandez

Friedman is just another carnival clown in the endless list of media hacks who say anything for access to the right parties and vainglorious power selfies. He’s wrong about 95% of the time.

You should ignore him as you should ignore Marcy Wheeler, Dan Rather, Heather Cox Richardson, Natasha Bertrand, Ken Dilanian, etc…

I just marvel at the highly paid columnists easily checked horrible track record just keep getting paid.

It’s like the employers want to be wrong on purpose.

[jhu72]

On another thread our pal RRR posted about someone's ideal dream boat hunks. Well, it turns out there may be something behind all that:


Russian Orthodox Church Leader Blames Invasion on Ukraine's 'Gay Pride'

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-orthod ... de-1685636

A major religious leader in Russia has come out in support of the invasion of Ukraine and laid the blame on the support of gay rights.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, during a Sunday sermon called Russia's "military operation" in Ukraine a conflict over "which side of God humanity will be on" between Russia and Western countries that embrace more progressive values. In particular, he called attention to Ukraine's support of gay rights and the presence of gay pride parades, The Moscow Times reported.

"Pride parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one variation of human behavior," Kirill said during the sermon. "That's why in order to join the club of those countries, you have to have a gay pride parade."

The church leader characterized pride parades as "loyalty tests," and said that countries looking to ally with Western powers must embrace them or be shunned. Further, he claimed that the breakaway regions of Ukraine at the heart of the current conflict, collectively known as Donbas, have "fundamentally rejected" such values.

... this is why the Trupnista base loves them some Putin and Russia.

[Peter Brown]

On another thread our pal RRR posted about someone's ideal dream boat hunks. Well, it turns out there may be something behind all that:


Russian Orthodox Church Leader Blames Invasion on Ukraine's 'Gay Pride'

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-orthod ... de-1685636

A major religious leader in Russia has come out in support of the invasion of Ukraine and laid the blame on the support of gay rights.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, during a Sunday sermon called Russia's "military operation" in Ukraine a conflict over "which side of God humanity will be on" between Russia and Western countries that embrace more progressive values. In particular, he called attention to Ukraine's support of gay rights and the presence of gay pride parades, The Moscow Times reported.

"Pride parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one variation of human behavior," Kirill said during the sermon. "That's why in order to join the club of those countries, you have to have a gay pride parade."

The church leader characterized pride parades as "loyalty tests," and said that countries looking to ally with Western powers must embrace them or be shunned. Further, he claimed that the breakaway regions of Ukraine at the heart of the current conflict, collectively known as Donbas, have "fundamentally rejected" such values.

... this is why the Trupnista base loves them some Putin and Russia.

I think you meant to say “Putin and the Russian military”, not ‘Russia’. Russians are equally as good and bad as any other culture including our own. They can’t be blamed for the madness of Putin. I think it’s important to not denigrate the entire society while attacking Putin. Fair?

Also, I voted for Trump but don’t like Putin, so,…

Meanwhile, Joe keeps screwing up getting the Polish Migs to Ukraine, costing lives by the second. We really need adults in charge in DC…this guy is out of it, and his staff are left wing kooks, messing up every possible domestic and foreign issue known. What a train wreck of an administration.

Stop fouling up the delivery of the Migs to Ukraine, stop effing around. I can think of a hundred ways to do this without being seen as the “provider” of the planes.

[seacoaster]

Biden and his National Security team have done a very good job balancing the various and real risks and interests here. And every sensible person knows it. The "Biden Bad" stuff, in this context, is especially foolish and party over country.

[Kismet]

What a cluster-F :

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... dc4410664e

The Pentagon on Tuesday rejected Poland’s surprise announcement that it would give the United States its MiG-29 fighter jets for use by Ukraine, a rare display of disharmony by NATO allies seeking to boost Ukrainian fighters while avoiding getting caught up in a wider war with Russia.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Poland’s declaration that it intended to deliver the 28 jets to the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany raised the concerning prospect of warplanes departing from a U.S. and NATO base to fly into airspace contested with Russia in the Ukraine conflict.

“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” Kirby said in a statement.

The proposed gift of more warplanes would be a morale booster for Ukrainians under pounding Russian assault for nearly two weeks. But it also raises the risk of the war expanding beyond Ukraine.

Russia has declared that supporting Ukraine’s air force would be tantamount to joining the war, and could spur retaliation.

White House officials were blindsided by the Polish announcement on the MiGs. The proposal did not come up during talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he was recently in Poland, according to a U.S. official familiar with the talks.

The U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said White House officials did not think the proposal would easily solve the logistical challenges of providing aircraft to Ukraine.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told lawmakers at a hearing on the Ukraine crisis Tuesday she learned of Poland’s plans only while driving to the hearing.

“To my knowledge, it wasn’t pre-consulted with us,” Nuland told senators.

The Polish Foreign Ministry announced the plan in a statement, which said the jets would be delivered to Ramstein free of charge.

“At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities,” it said.

The Polish government also appealed to other owners of MIG-29 jets to follow suit.

Former Soviet-bloc NATO members Bulgaria and Slovakia also still have Soviet-made fighter jets in their air forces.

Additional air-defense capabilities are the No. 1 priority for Ukraine’s military right now, the country’s defense attache in Washington, Maj. Gen. Borys Kremenetskyi, told The Associated Press on Tuesday after returning from a meeting at the Pentagon. “It can be ground-based air-defense systems. It can be fighter jets, whatever possible,” he said.

Ukraine also needs additional anti-tank, anti-armor weapons and coastal defense capabilities to defend against Russian ships in the south, he said.

The handover of Poland’s 28 Soviet-made MiG-29s would signal Western resolve to do more for Ukraine. Militarily, however, the number of planes offered would make it unlikely to be a game-changer. And MiG-29s are inferior to more sophisticated Russian aircraft and could be easy prey for Russian pilots and Russian missiles.

A senior U.S. defense official has said Ukrainians are flying relatively few of their existing aircraft, for relatively little time, as it is. The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the U.S. assessment, said it’s possible that Ukraine does not need more planes and would benefit most from more of the weapons it uses effectively every day, including anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

The official also said that Russia currently has the capacity to reach almost the entire country of Ukraine with its surface-to-air missiles, including from within Russia and from ships in the Black Sea.

Any MiG transfer is fraught with complications. Neither NATO nor the European Union wants to be seen as directly involved in such a transaction, which would sharply raise already extreme tensions with Russia.

In order to maintain the pretense that NATO and the EU are not direct participants in the Ukraine conflict, U.S. and Polish officials have been considering a variety of options. One begins with the “donation” of Poland’s MiGs to the United States, as Poland announced on Tuesday.

Under one scenario, Poland would deliver the fighter jets to the U.S. base in Germany, where they would be repainted and flown to a non-NATO, non-EU country. Ukrainian pilots would then come to fly them to Ukraine.

No country has been publicly identified as a transit point, but Kosovo, a non-aligned country that is very friendly with the United States, has been mentioned as one of several nations that might be willing to serve as a middle point.

Poland’s proposed gift would also weaken Poland’s own air force at a time of heightened danger in eastern Europe.

Poland had been asking for the U.S. to provide it with F-16 fighter jets to replace the MiGs.

F-16 production is backlogged, however, and the next recipient in line for new deliveries is Taiwan, which is facing renewed threats from China and has strong support from both parties in Congress.

In its statement, the Polish government specifically asked for “used” planes, a distinction that would allow the Biden administration to bypass congressional opposition to making Taiwan wait to receive its F-16s.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said any decision about delivering offensive weapons must be made unanimously by NATO members.

“This is why we are able to give all of our fleet of jet fighters to Ramstein. But we are not ready to make any moves on our own because ... we are not a party to this war,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he believed the aid that Congress hopes to approve later this week for Ukraine will include loan guarantees to help NATO allies replenish their air forces after giving MiGs to Ukraine.

Those old Mig 29's are still useful for the grunt work of the NATO air policing mission, defending NATO airspace where they would fly ground controlled intercepts against incoming strike aircraft & would not have to penetrate heavily defended Russian airspace. Romania is still effectively using even older Mig-21s in that role. The NATO countries operating them have an orderly plan to use them in that mission for the rest of their useful service lives as they transition those squadrons to F-35s or F-16s. This would blow up those plans.

Appears that we (USA) killed the Polish jet swap deal. Poles apparently announced the arrangement without approval by USA.

[jhu72]

What a cluster-F :

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukrai ... dc4410664e

The Pentagon on Tuesday rejected Poland’s surprise announcement that it would give the United States its MiG-29 fighter jets for use by Ukraine, a rare display of disharmony by NATO allies seeking to boost Ukrainian fighters while avoiding getting caught up in a wider war with Russia.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Poland’s declaration that it intended to deliver the 28 jets to the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany raised the concerning prospect of warplanes departing from a U.S. and NATO base to fly into airspace contested with Russia in the Ukraine conflict.

“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” Kirby said in a statement.

The proposed gift of more warplanes would be a morale booster for Ukrainians under pounding Russian assault for nearly two weeks. But it also raises the risk of the war expanding beyond Ukraine.

Russia has declared that supporting Ukraine’s air force would be tantamount to joining the war, and could spur retaliation.

White House officials were blindsided by the Polish announcement on the MiGs. The proposal did not come up during talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he was recently in Poland, according to a U.S. official familiar with the talks.

The U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said White House officials did not think the proposal would easily solve the logistical challenges of providing aircraft to Ukraine.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told lawmakers at a hearing on the Ukraine crisis Tuesday she learned of Poland’s plans only while driving to the hearing.

“To my knowledge, it wasn’t pre-consulted with us,” Nuland told senators.

The Polish Foreign Ministry announced the plan in a statement, which said the jets would be delivered to Ramstein free of charge.

“At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities,” it said.

The Polish government also appealed to other owners of MIG-29 jets to follow suit.

Former Soviet-bloc NATO members Bulgaria and Slovakia also still have Soviet-made fighter jets in their air forces.

Additional air-defense capabilities are the No. 1 priority for Ukraine’s military right now, the country’s defense attache in Washington, Maj. Gen. Borys Kremenetskyi, told The Associated Press on Tuesday after returning from a meeting at the Pentagon. “It can be ground-based air-defense systems. It can be fighter jets, whatever possible,” he said.

Ukraine also needs additional anti-tank, anti-armor weapons and coastal defense capabilities to defend against Russian ships in the south, he said.

The handover of Poland’s 28 Soviet-made MiG-29s would signal Western resolve to do more for Ukraine. Militarily, however, the number of planes offered would make it unlikely to be a game-changer. And MiG-29s are inferior to more sophisticated Russian aircraft and could be easy prey for Russian pilots and Russian missiles.

A senior U.S. defense official has said Ukrainians are flying relatively few of their existing aircraft, for relatively little time, as it is. The defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the U.S. assessment, said it’s possible that Ukraine does not need more planes and would benefit most from more of the weapons it uses effectively every day, including anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

The official also said that Russia currently has the capacity to reach almost the entire country of Ukraine with its surface-to-air missiles, including from within Russia and from ships in the Black Sea.

Any MiG transfer is fraught with complications. Neither NATO nor the European Union wants to be seen as directly involved in such a transaction, which would sharply raise already extreme tensions with Russia.

In order to maintain the pretense that NATO and the EU are not direct participants in the Ukraine conflict, U.S. and Polish officials have been considering a variety of options. One begins with the “donation” of Poland’s MiGs to the United States, as Poland announced on Tuesday.

Under one scenario, Poland would deliver the fighter jets to the U.S. base in Germany, where they would be repainted and flown to a non-NATO, non-EU country. Ukrainian pilots would then come to fly them to Ukraine.

No country has been publicly identified as a transit point, but Kosovo, a non-aligned country that is very friendly with the United States, has been mentioned as one of several nations that might be willing to serve as a middle point.

Poland’s proposed gift would also weaken Poland’s own air force at a time of heightened danger in eastern Europe.

Poland had been asking for the U.S. to provide it with F-16 fighter jets to replace the MiGs.

F-16 production is backlogged, however, and the next recipient in line for new deliveries is Taiwan, which is facing renewed threats from China and has strong support from both parties in Congress.

In its statement, the Polish government specifically asked for “used” planes, a distinction that would allow the Biden administration to bypass congressional opposition to making Taiwan wait to receive its F-16s.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said any decision about delivering offensive weapons must be made unanimously by NATO members.

“This is why we are able to give all of our fleet of jet fighters to Ramstein. But we are not ready to make any moves on our own because ... we are not a party to this war,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he believed the aid that Congress hopes to approve later this week for Ukraine will include loan guarantees to help NATO allies replenish their air forces after giving MiGs to Ukraine.

Those old Mig 29's are still useful for the grunt work of the NATO air policing mission, defending NATO airspace where they would fly ground controlled intercepts against incoming strike aircraft & would not have to penetrate heavily defended Russian airspace. Romania is still effectively using even older Mig-21s in that role. The NATO countries operating them have an orderly plan to use them in that mission for the rest of their useful service lives as they transition those squadrons to F-35s or F-16s. This would blow up those plans.

Appears that we (USA) killed the Polish jet swap deal. Poles apparently announced the arrangement without approval by USA.

... or apparently letting the Germans know they would be hosting the transfer.

[Essexfenwick]

Nobody is following Joe.

Which makes sense because he is obviously suffering from dementia.

When somebody with dementia is a leader in a life and death situation it’s horrible for the people and soldiers under him.

[Brooklyn]

Zelenskyy's recruitment of foreign troops:


https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-ino ... 37633.html


Put it through translation and sign up today!

[MDlaxfan76]

On another thread our pal RRR posted about someone's ideal dream boat hunks. Well, it turns out there may be something behind all that:


Russian Orthodox Church Leader Blames Invasion on Ukraine's 'Gay Pride'

https://www.newsweek.com/russian-orthod ... de-1685636

A major religious leader in Russia has come out in support of the invasion of Ukraine and laid the blame on the support of gay rights.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, during a Sunday sermon called Russia's "military operation" in Ukraine a conflict over "which side of God humanity will be on" between Russia and Western countries that embrace more progressive values. In particular, he called attention to Ukraine's support of gay rights and the presence of gay pride parades, The Moscow Times reported.

"Pride parades are designed to demonstrate that sin is one variation of human behavior," Kirill said during the sermon. "That's why in order to join the club of those countries, you have to have a gay pride parade."

The church leader characterized pride parades as "loyalty tests," and said that countries looking to ally with Western powers must embrace them or be shunned. Further, he claimed that the breakaway regions of Ukraine at the heart of the current conflict, collectively known as Donbas, have "fundamentally rejected" such values.

... this is why the Trupnista base loves them some Putin and Russia.

I think you meant to say “Putin and the Russian military”, not ‘Russia’. Russians are equally as good and bad as any other culture including our own. They can’t be blamed for the madness of Putin. I think it’s important to not denigrate the entire society while attacking Putin. Fair?

Also, I voted for Trump but don’t like Putin, so,…

Meanwhile, Joe keeps screwing up getting the Polish Migs to Ukraine, costing lives by the second. We really need adults in charge in DC…this guy is out of it, and his staff are left wing kooks, messing up every possible domestic and foreign issue known. What a train wreck of an administration.

Stop fouling up the delivery of the Migs to Ukraine, stop effing around. I can think of a hundred ways to do this without being seen as the “provider” of the planes.

Really...name one that doesn't implicate US/NATO and doesn't leave Poland on an island.

I do agree that we need to negotiate this through to an answer, but what this looks like to me is cold feet based on IC assessments that Putin's finger is on the trigger and that slow walking is better, while working the clandestine operations on the ground hard, with lots of anti-aircraft and anti-tank weaponry flowing. Salty's been making this case...I don't see it as an either/or, so am hoping that they get it done in the next few days....but what I'd much prefer is a drone program support. I think that'd be much more effective at this point.

[NattyBohChamps04]

U.S. Biological Weapons in Ukraine—Separating the Facts From the Fiction

"As part of its latest attempts to justify its invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials are once again pushing a false narrative that the Eastern European country is developing biological weapons with the assistance of the U.S."

Looks like QAnon is already on the case. Obviously this is mostly for propaganda inside Russia, but it's certainly gaining a foothold among certain US groups, including here.

Although it does make the hair on my neck stand-up as a pretext to Russia using bio or chemical weapons if they keep getting punched in the mouth.

[jhu72]

Another Putin loving republiCON - Trumpnista propagandist, that's gotten pretty much everything wrong - Tucker Carlson buddy Douglas MacGregor.

[jhu72]

U.S. Biological Weapons in Ukraine—Separating the Facts From the Fiction

"As part of its latest attempts to justify its invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials are once again pushing a false narrative that the Eastern European country is developing biological weapons with the assistance of the U.S."

Looks like QAnon is already on the case. Obviously this is mostly for propaganda inside Russia, but it's certainly gaining a foothold among certain US groups, including here.

Although it does make the hair on my neck stand-up as a pretext to Russia using bio or chemical weapons if they keep getting punched in the mouth.

... gee, you mean that TimesNow article posted earlier in the thread was pure bullsh*t?? Who would have guessed?

[dislaxxic]

Thank God Trump Isn’t President Right Now

...I thank God every day that Biden is president. The Russian offensive against Ukraine is the first crisis of his presidency (other than COVID, which was ongoing when he assumed office) and in this emergency he has redeemed the hopes of those who voted for competence. The administration’s warnings to Moscow were unambiguous without being hysterical. Our revelations of intelligence unmasking Russian disinformation and false flag narratives were on the nose. Biden’s coordination with European allies was neither bullying nor “leading from behind,” but a skillful presentation of unity (special kudos to Secretary of State Antony Blinken). Biden’s muscular reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to NATO was crucial not just for Europe but for the world. China is taking notes on how the globe is responding to Putin and perhaps thinking twice about trying to conquer Taiwan.

By proclaiming American solidarity with Ukraine and our democratic allies around the world, Biden has restored our equilibrium. If Ronald Reagan were still alive, he’d find little to criticize in the administration’s approach.

There were some missed opportunities. The president should have placed the invasion of Ukraine in a broader historical context and outlined how the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism is the defining issue of our time, whether abroad or at home. And he ought not to suggest or pretend that Americans can be spared any hardship, even higher gas prices, during this fight. On the contrary, he should be preparing the nation for sacrifice. Seventy-nine percent of Americans already favor banning Russian oil imports even if it means higher gas prices, and it’s a mistake to discount people’s unselfish impulses. Besides, if he promises that all of the pain will be inflicted on Russia, he will be blamed for breaking his word when Americans feel the sting of price hikes, instead of being honored for standing on principle.

Biden is a normal man with normal flaws. He made some errors, but he sees clearly what sort of menace Vladimir Putin is. Only the most obtuse or twisted soul could fail to see it. . . which brings us to the president’s predecessor.

The Ukraine crisis reminds us that Trump is no run-of-the-mill fool, but a unique combination of stupidity and venality. A quick refresher on his relations with Putin and Ukraine leaves little doubt that far from deterring Putin, he was Putin’s most reliable “useful idiot.” Trump’s most durable legacy is the Putinesque level of deceit he introduced into the American bloodstream, but he was also a mark.

..

[Essexfenwick]

U.S. Biological Weapons in Ukraine—Separating the Facts From the Fiction

"As part of its latest attempts to justify its invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials are once again pushing a false narrative that the Eastern European country is developing biological weapons with the assistance of the U.S."

Looks like QAnon is already on the case. Obviously this is mostly for propaganda inside Russia, but it's certainly gaining a foothold among certain US groups, including here.

Although it does make the hair on my neck stand-up as a pretext to Russia using bio or chemical weapons if they keep getting punched in the mouth.

... gee, you mean that TimesNow article posted earlier in the thread was pure bullsh*t?? Who would have guessed?

You mean

The one with the video evidence of the US state dept telling the senate they are desperately hoping Russia doesn’t capture their numerous bio weapon research facilities in Ukraine?

That one?

[jhu72]

Thank God Trump Isn’t President Right Now

...I thank God every day that Biden is president. The Russian offensive against Ukraine is the first crisis of his presidency (other than COVID, which was ongoing when he assumed office) and in this emergency he has redeemed the hopes of those who voted for competence. The administration’s warnings to Moscow were unambiguous without being hysterical. Our revelations of intelligence unmasking Russian disinformation and false flag narratives were on the nose. Biden’s coordination with European allies was neither bullying nor “leading from behind,” but a skillful presentation of unity (special kudos to Secretary of State Antony Blinken). Biden’s muscular reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment to NATO was crucial not just for Europe but for the world. China is taking notes on how the globe is responding to Putin and perhaps thinking twice about trying to conquer Taiwan.

By proclaiming American solidarity with Ukraine and our democratic allies around the world, Biden has restored our equilibrium. If Ronald Reagan were still alive, he’d find little to criticize in the administration’s approach.

There were some missed opportunities. The president should have placed the invasion of Ukraine in a broader historical context and outlined how the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism is the defining issue of our time, whether abroad or at home. And he ought not to suggest or pretend that Americans can be spared any hardship, even higher gas prices, during this fight. On the contrary, he should be preparing the nation for sacrifice. Seventy-nine percent of Americans already favor banning Russian oil imports even if it means higher gas prices, and it’s a mistake to discount people’s unselfish impulses. Besides, if he promises that all of the pain will be inflicted on Russia, he will be blamed for breaking his word when Americans feel the sting of price hikes, instead of being honored for standing on principle.

Biden is a normal man with normal flaws. He made some errors, but he sees clearly what sort of menace Vladimir Putin is. Only the most obtuse or twisted soul could fail to see it. . . which brings us to the president’s predecessor.

The Ukraine crisis reminds us that Trump is no run-of-the-mill fool, but a unique combination of stupidity and venality. A quick refresher on his relations with Putin and Ukraine leaves little doubt that far from deterring Putin, he was Putin’s most reliable “useful idiot.” Trump’s most durable legacy is the Putinesque level of deceit he introduced into the American bloodstream, but he was also a mark.

..

“Donald Trump would be 57 feet below ground hiding”.

[a fan]

U.S. Biological Weapons in Ukraine—Separating the Facts From the Fiction

"As part of its latest attempts to justify its invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials are once again pushing a false narrative that the Eastern European country is developing biological weapons with the assistance of the U.S."

Looks like QAnon is already on the case. Obviously this is mostly for propaganda inside Russia, but it's certainly gaining a foothold among certain US groups, including here.

Although it does make the hair on my neck stand-up as a pretext to Russia using bio or chemical weapons if they keep getting punched in the mouth.

... gee, you mean that TimesNow article posted earlier in the thread was pure bullsh*t?? Who would have guessed?

You mean

The one with the video evidence of the US state dept telling the senate they are desperately hoping Russia doesn’t capture their numerous bio weapon research facilities in Ukraine?

That one?

Yeah, the one where she called them "biological research facilities". I'm sure that you just "whoops", added the word "weapon" into her testimony by mistake.

You know that a lab that works on cancer research is "a biological research facility", right?

You know, if you want to live under Putin, and buy his disinformation campaign as you are doing here....I can arrange that for you and your family.