Pentagon sees ‘spike’ in armed Russian flyovers of US troops in Syria

CENTCOM commander Michael “Erik” Kurilla told Congress about ongoing ‘aggressive’ behavior by Russian pilots, following the downing of a US MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea.

Russian combat pilots have been flying weapons-laden attack aircraft over US bases in Syria with increasing frequency over the past several weeks, in what Pentagon officials suspect is part of a wider pattern of deliberate provocation.

What Zelenskyy should know before he talks with Xi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may finally get a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as soon as next week. The expected discussion follows Beijing’s release of a position paper for Ukraine on February 24—the one-year mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Zelenskyy, however, should be wary about what Xi truly seeks, namely the mitigation of criticism about Beijing’s role in the conflict and a platform to sell his Global Security Initiative (GSI), for which Beijing released a concept paper just days before releasing its position paper. As such, it is critical that Zelenskyy provide his honest public assessment of Beijing’s peace plan and role in the conflict—otherwise, he risks giving Beijing the perfect cover to refute questions about its alleged neutrality while doing little to ensure an outcome to the crisis that actually works for Ukraine.

Russia Wants a Long War

The West Needs to Send Ukraine More Arms, More Quickly

U.S. President Joe Biden’s historic visit to Kyiv days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine sent an important message to Ukrainians and, indeed, to Russians. “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia,” Biden proclaimed, adding that the United States will support Ukraine “as long as it takes.” Indeed, “as long as it takes” has become the new talking point for Ukraine’s allies, repeated by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But “as long as it takes” also signals to many Ukrainians that the allies expect the war to drag on for years, with Ukraine bearing the brunt of it. And they are right: even as the United States and its allies have sent billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment to Ukraine, there remains one thing they seem unable to supply: a clear, united commitment to a rapid Ukrainian victory. Unless the United States wants to find itself embroiled in another forever war, on terms that very much suit Russian President Vladimir Putin, it’s time for that to change.

Iran finalizes deal for Russian Su-35

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby warned that the Su-35 would ‘significantly strengthen Iran’s air force relative to its regional neighbors’

The Islamic Republic of Iran finalized a deal for the purchase of Su-35 fighter jets with the Russian government, according to state media reports on 11 March.

The American War from Hell, 20 Years Later

Who remembers anymore that, in 2003, we were Vladimir Putin? Today, our cable and social-media news feeds are blanketed with denunciations of the president of the Russian Federation for his lawless and brutal invasion of Ukraine. When Secretary of State Antony Blinken met briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New Delhi on March 2nd, he told him in no uncertain terms, “End this war of aggression.”

Ukraine’s Future: Like Korea Or Yugoslavia? – OpEd

On February 24, the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to commemorate the occasion with a speech.

There wasn’t much for Putin to celebrate. The invasion had failed to dislodge the government of Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv or incorporate all of Ukrainian territory into greater Russia.

Why Sabotage Is A Growing Form Of Warfare In Ukraine – OpEd

On February 8, Pulitzer Prize-winning U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh published an articledetailing the role of the U.S. and Norway in the September 26, 2022, Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions. U.S. officials denied the findings, while Russia, which previously blamed the UK for the attack, hailed the article as proof of Western involvement.

Nord Stream Sabotage: The Evidence So Far – Analysis

The discovery

On September 26, Swiss-based Nord Stream AG, the operator of the Nord Stream pipelines, informed Danish authorities of a pressure drop at Nordstream 2 landfalls in Russia and Germany. As early as 13:56 Danish local time, the national shipping authority (Søfartsstyrelsen) issued a navigational warning for a sea area southeast of Bornholm after a leak in the Exclusive Economic Zone was discovered.

Soviet Studies of Neocolonialism

The article reviews Soviet and East German studies of neocolonialism that have been translated into Russian. A total of more than 60 monographs on Western neocolonialism have been systematically studied and finally compiled into an electronic archive in preparation for this publication.

L’hémisphère sud rejette les pressions occidentales pour se ranger du côté de la Russie

Lors de la réunion du G20 à Bangalore, en Inde, les États-Unis sont arrivés avec un mandat simple. La secrétaire américaine au Trésor, Janet Yellen, a déclaré lors de leur sommet de février 2023 que les pays du G20 devraient condamner la Russie pour son invasion de l’Ukraine et se joindre aux sanctions américaines contre la Russie. Cependant, il est devenu clair que l’Inde, qui préside le G20, n’est pas disposée à respecter l’agenda américain. Les responsables indiens ont déclaré que le G20 n’était pas une réunion politique, mais une réunion pour discuter de questions économiques. Ils se sont opposés à l’utilisation du mot « guerre » pour décrire l’invasion, préférant la décrire comme « crise » et « défi ». La France et l’Allemagne ont rejeté ce projet s’il ne condamne pas la Russie.