How to end the war in Ukraine

A Real Ukraine Peace Plan | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

Ron Paul is skeptical that the draft Ukraine war peace plan will result in a real peace, and says there is an easier way to end the fighting. 

November 25, 2025 - "Last week’s surprise release of a draft Ukraine war peace plan has raised hopes that the nearly three-year bloody conflict may finally come to an end. Ukraine has suffered horrible losses that may change the demographics of that country for decades to come. If this peace plan can be negotiated in a way that satisfies all sides and the guns finally go silent, I will be the first to cheer. However, the continued failure to understand the nature and origin of the current conflict leaves me skeptical that a real peace can be reached this way.

"From the Orange Revolution in the early 2000s to the Maidan revolution in 2014, the US and its NATO partners have been interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs in attempt to manipulate the country into a hostile position toward its much larger and more powerful neighbor, Russia. We must remember how directly coordinated the 2014 coup was by the United States. US Senators, including John McCain and Lindsey Graham, were on the main square of a foreign capital demanding that the people overthrow their duly elected government. Victoria Nuland was caught on a telephone call planning who would run the post-coup government.

"Outside intervention led us to the terrible situation of today. This peace deal is another chapter in that same intervention, with the US and its partners desperately trying to manage and solve a problem that they created in the first place. Can you solve a problem created by outside intervention with more intervention?

"For the entirety of this conflict politicians and the media have been unwavering in blaming Russia entirely for what has occurred. I agree that they’re no angels. But the real villains here are the US neocons and their European counterparts who knew it was suicidal for Ukraine to take on Russia but pushed Ukraine to keep fighting anyway. 

"Early in the conflict a deal was on the table and nearly signed that would end the war, but the neocon former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanded that Ukraine keep fighting.

"Ukraine is the victim here, I agree. But it is as much a victim of the US and European neocons as of the Russians. They believed they could put NATO on Russia’s doorstep and face no consequences. If the tables were turned and a hostile China set up a new Latin American military alliance with the US as its designated enemy, would we sit by idly as military bases were constructed on our southern border? I don’t think so.

"President Trump promised he would end the war 24 hours after he was elected. It was an unrealistic boast, but he actually could have ended it rather quickly. The antidote to intervention Is non-intervention. Biden drug us into the war, that is true. But Trump could have pulled us out by quite simply ending all US involvement. No weapons, no intelligence, no coordination. No need for sanctions or the threat of sanctions, no need for elaborate peace plans.

"A real peace deal would realize that it was always idiotic to believe that Ukraine could stand up to Russia’s war machine – even with NATO’s backing. It is unimaginably cruel to demand that Ukraine keep fighting our proxy war down to the last Ukrainian.

"No 28-point plans can fix this. The real fix is much simpler: walk away."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.

https://gdspoliticalanimal.blogspot.com/2025/11/how-to-end-war-in-ukraine.html

Neocons retake control of U.S. foreign policy

Marco Rubio's installation as U.S. Secretary of State and (acting) National Security Advisor has led to a neocon recapture of American foreign policy. 

The Rubio Doctrine: Neocons Are Back! | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

Oct 27, 2025 - "According to several recent news reports, the two major Trump foreign policy shifts last week are the handiwork of Marco Rubio, the President’s Secretary of State and (acting) National Security Advisor. As with all neocon plans, they will be big on promises and small on delivery.

"First up, according to Bloomberg it was Rubio who finally convinced President Trump to take 'ownership' of the US proxy war on Russia, and for the first time place sanctions on Russia. Up to this point President Trump chose to portray himself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. But with this move against Russia’s oil sector he can no longer credibly claim that this is 'Joe Biden’s war.'

"The Trump move followed a confusing few weeks since the Trump/Putin Alaska summit in August. After that meeting Trump dropped the neocon position that a ceasefire in the Russia/Ukraine war must occur before any peace negotiations. It was a sign that Trump was looking more realistically at the war. He also said he did not think Ukraine would win, which is pretty obvious. A surprise call to Putin the day before Ukrainian president Zelensky was to arrive in town just over a week ago reinforced that position and Zelensky left Washington empty-handed. He was seeking Tomahawk missiles that could strike deep into Russian territory.

"Then out of the blue President Trump last week announced through his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the US would be sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies until Russia declares a ceasefire in the war before negotiations. That won’t happen, but what it does mean is that Rubio and the neocons have successfully gotten Trump to step on the escalation escalator. That is what they always do. It will be much harder to back down now.

"At the same time the US Administration was jumping deeper into the Russia/Ukraine war, a long-time neocon dream was suddenly back in play. Although in Trump’s first term a 'regime change' operation was attempted against Venezuela, it failed spectacularly. But the neocons have long dreamed of overthrowing the Venezuelan government – they almost got their way back in 2002 – and suddenly after several weeks of extrajudicial murder on the high seas in the name of fighting the drug war, President Trump announced that land strikes on Venezuela would begin soon.

"He did mention that he might brief Congress on his plans for war on Venezuela, not that Congress can be bothered to care much one way or the other.

"The neocon old guard that still dominates Washington foreign policy is taking a victory lap. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham was on the Sunday shows beaming over the conversion of 'no regime-change wars' President Trump to 'regime change wars' President Trump.

"The Saddam Hussein WMD factories of 2002 have become the Nicolas Maduro cocaine and fentanyl factories of 2025 and once again the neocon war lies are amplified by the US mainstream media and transmitted to the American people. A new disaster is in the making. The “global war on terror” has been rebranded the “hemispheric war on narco-terror” and the US military industrial complex is rubbing its hands in anticipation of a windfall.

"After John Bolton’s disastrous stint in the first Trump Administration, promises were made that the second Trump Administration would be neocon-free. Instead, the neocons are back. Unless President Trump wakes up soon, the neocons will destroy his second term…and maybe the country."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
ronpaulinstitute.org/the-rubio-doctrine-neocons-are-back/

U.S. cold war with Russia heats up

The cold war between the United States and Russia heated up last week, with President Trump ordering nuclear-armed submarines deployed "in the appropriate regions."

Cold War 2.0 Heats Up | Ron Paul Institute | Ron Paul:

August 4, 2025 - "Last week the nuclear rhetoric between the US and Russia made some of us feel like we were transported back to 1962. Back then, Soviet moves to place nuclear-capable missiles 90 miles off our coast in Cuba led to the greatest crisis of the Cold War. The United States and its president, John F. Kennedy, could not tolerate such weapons placed by a hostile power on its doorstep and the world only knew years later how close we were to nuclear war.

"Thankfully both Khrushchev and Kennedy backed down – with the Soviet leader removing the missiles from Cuba and the US president agreeing to remove some missiles from Turkey. Both men realized the folly of playing with 'mutually assured destruction,' and this compromise likely paved the way to further US/Soviet dialogue from Nixon to President Reagan and finally to the end of the Cold War.

"Fast forward more than 60 years later and we have a US president, Donald Trump, who last week stated that he had 'ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions,' meaning nearer to Russia. Had Russia attacked the US or an ally? Threatened to do so? No. The supposed re-positioning of US strategic military assets was in response to a sharp series of posts made by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on social media....

"The war of words started earlier, when neocon US Senator Lindsey Graham’s endless threats against Russia received a response – and a warning – from Medvedev. Graham, who seems to love war more than anything else, posted 'To those in Russia who believe that President Trump is not serious about ending the bloodbath between Russia and Ukraine… You will also soon see that Joe Biden is no longer president. Get to the peace table.'

"Medvedev responded, 'It’s not for you or Trump to dictate when to "get at the peace table". Negotiations will end when all the objectives of our military operation have been achieved. Work on America first, gramps!' That was enough for Trump to join in to defend his ill-chosen ally Graham and ended with Medvedev alluding to Soviet nuclear doctrine which provided for an automatic nuclear response to any first strike on the USSR by US or NATO weapons.

"The message from the Russian politician was clear: back off. It was hardly Khruschev banging his shoe at the UN screaming 'we will bury you,' but it was enough for Trump to make a rare public pronouncement about the movement of US nuclear submarines.

"Trump is understandably frustrated that his promise to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours has not been fulfilled after six months in office. President Trump doesn’t seem to understand that you cannot arm one side in a war and then demand that the other side – the side that’s winning – stop fighting. That has never happened in history.

"What is most tragic is that the war in Ukraine could have likely been ended if not in 24 hours, then surely in six months if Trump simply ended Joe Biden’s policy on Ukraine. It is continued US support for the war that keeps the war going. Even the US mainstream media admits that Ukraine will lose. But Trump seems under the spell of the neocons who can never reverse a failed policy.

"Hopefully the return of nuclear rhetoric will awaken some in DC to the danger that the neocons pose to our country. We are no longer in 1962."

Copyright © 2025 The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.
https://ronpaulinstitute.org/cold-war-2-0-heats-up/

CCP election interference likely, says SITE

Canadian security officials expect Chinese government interference in Canada's election campaign.

Officials Say Beijing Interference ‘Highly Likely’ in Federal Election | Epoch Times | Noé Chartier:

March 26, 2025 - "Federal security officials say they expect Beijing will attempt to meddle in the ongoing electoral campaign. The chair of the elections security task force provided the body’s assessment on the different threats facing the election during a press conference in Ottawa on March 24. 'It is expected that the People’s Republic of China, or PRC, will likely continue to target Canadian democratic institutions and civil society to advance its strategic objectives,' said Vanessa Lloyd, who heads the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force.

"SITE is composed of representatives of four different departments and agencies with a security mandate. Lloyd’s permanent post is deputy director of operations, or second-in-command, with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). SITE also includes representatives of the RCMP, Global Affairs Canada, and the Communications Security Establishment.

"Chinese officials and their proxies are 'likely to conduct foreign interference activity using a complex array of both overt and covert mechanisms,' Lloyd added without elaborating.

"Some of these mechanisms have come to light in recent years through intelligence leaks in the media and via documents released through the Foreign Interference Commission presided by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue. They have involved mobilizing community groups to shun certain election candidates or implicating some candidates and staffers in interference networks. The PRC has been identified as the foremost foreign interference threat by the Hogue report released in January.... Lloyd added that China is highly likely to use social media to promote its narratives and 'specifically target Chinese ethnic, cultural, and religious communities in Canada using clandestine and deceptive means'....

"Global Affairs Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), which monitors the digital information environment for foreign state-sponsored disinformation, said in February that it detected an information operation targeting then-leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland. The RRM said 'disparaging' news articles about Freeland, originating from an anonymous blog linked to the PRC, were being spread on the widely popular Chinese-language social platform WeChat. The RRM said the campaign was seen by approximately 2 million to 3 million WeChat users globally. WeChat was also used in the 2021 election to spread misinformation about the Conservative Party....

"Along with concerns around China, Lloyd said the Indian government has the 'intent and capability' to interfere in elections to 'assert its geopolitical influence.' Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi have remained strained since 2023 when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of being involved in the murder of a pro-Khalistan activist in British Columbia.... India has denied involvement and has accused Ottawa of making politically motivated allegations.

"Lloyd also said Russia could use online networks to interfere and added that Pakistan could also meddle to seek to counter India’s influence. Government intelligence summaries released to the Hogue Inquiry say that Pakistan has previously conducted foreign interference against Canada. Meanwhile, the summaries say authorities have not detected 'significant foreign interference' in past federal elections from Russia, although it possesses the capabilities."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/officials-say-beijing-interference-highly-likely-in-federal-election-5830672

Canada's spy agency claims China, India likely to interfere in next election | CNA | March 25, 2025:

Russian Duma votes to ban 'childfree propaganda'

In November the lower house of the Russian Parliament unanimously approved a bill banning "propaganda in favor of a childfree lifestyle."

Russia: Ban on “propaganda” in favor of child-free lifestyles | International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH):

November 14, 2024 - "Russia continues its ultra-conservative shift. Two days ago the Duma unanimously passed a bill banning the dissemination of neutral or positive information about being childfree on the Internet, in the media, films, and advertisements. This law still needs to be approved by the upper house before being sent to President Vladimir Putin for final approval. It includes significant financial penalties, which can reach up to 400,000 rubles for individuals (around $4,200) and 5 million rubles for companies (nearly $50,000). There is also the risk of administrative arrest and deportation for non-Russian citizens.

"This law is part of the ongoing ultra-conservative turn that Russia has taken in recent years.... In 2020, Russian authorities made significant revisions to the Constitution, notably adding Article 67, which states that "children are the most important priority of Russian state policy." Similarly, in November 2022, President Putin signed a decree titled 'Foundations of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values.' The decree asserts, among other things, that the country’s demographic situation is threatened by the 'destructive ideological influence' exerted on Russian citizens, propagated by 'the United States of America and other unfriendly foreign states'.... 

"The year 2024 has been declared in Russia as the 'Year of the Family'... Divorce fees have been increased eightfold, laws have been passed prohibiting 'incitement to abortion' and .. private clinics in certain regions are now refusing to perform voluntary abortions.

"The newly passed law bans the dissemination of information about the 'childfree' movement (a term used for people who consciously choose not to have children, whether for personal, economic, or environmental reasons).... Once the law comes into effect, Russian citizens will no longer be allowed to say or write anything that promotes a 'positive image of childlessness and the conscious choice not to have children, unless this choice is related to medical contraindications.'

"This legislation ... adds to a series of repressive laws aimed at restricting freedom of expression, reinforcing an environment of censorship where any opposition to the state’s pronatalist directives is gradually being criminalised, similar to the law passed on 24 November 2022, which completely bans "LGBT propaganda" and expands the 2013 ban on the dissemination of information to minors.

"FIDH is monitoring and expressing concern over this new attack on women’s rights, which is part of a global trend of regression and the rise of reactionary ideologies."

Read more: https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/lgbtqi-rights/russia-ban-on-propaganda-in-favor-of-childfree-lifestyles

Russia steps up its war on childlessness | Voice of America | November 27, 2024:

Russiagate 3.0 a distraction from Canada's own foreign interference scandals

Jamie Sarkonak: Russian-funded YouTubers don't hold a candle to China's meddling in Canada | National Post | Jamie Sarkonak:

September 10, 2024 - "In Canada, it’s been months since politicians and others across the country were declared to have provided 'witting and unwitting' assistance to foreign governments — and we’re still waiting to learn their names. So, when the Americans announced the discovery of a foreign interference plot last Wednesday, it was a relief to see them put the details on the table.

"Alleged in the indictment were illegal activities by a pair of Russian propagandists carried out as they contracted two Canadian influencers in American right-wing media to produce content. Some 2,000 videos were uploaded in the scheme starting in November 2023, at least 51 of which had something to do with Canada. A total of 16 million views were racked up.... The videos, by the way, weren’t illegal.... The Russians, who have now disappeared into thin air and are unlikely to ever be prosecuted, were accused of conspiring to violate foreign agent registration laws and commit money laundering (namely, routing money out of and back into the U.S. to commit unregistered foreign agent activities)....

"The indictment has had the remarkable effect of hammering everyone except its targets (though, maybe that was the point).... One, Lauren Southern, is also a Canadian influencer of the American right; another, Tim Pool, is the creator of the Timcast podcast. Both have since stated that they had full editorial control over the material they made, countering the notion that any Russians were telling them what to say. American prosecutors seem to agree. 'The company never disclosed to the influencers or to their millions of followers its ties to RT (Russia Today) and the Russian government,' U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference last week.

"Very little direct propaganda appears to be made. Based on the indictment, Russian masters did ask for anti-Ukraine content after a concert hall near Moscow suffered an ISIS attack, in which around 150 people were killed. The rest appeared to be business-as-usual topics for the subcontracted creators: immigration, race politics, gender, the economy.... The videos didn’t really reach beyond the online American right, and if their influence operation worked anything like the way the Russian social media bot campaign did in 2016, they were narrow in effect and far eclipsed by genuine American media. It’s possible that the indictment, made in the weeks before the election, will have more influence over the public mind than any Tenet Media video ever could....

"[C]ommentators on the left have still pointed to the indictment as a means of discrediting the conservative ecosystem online. A CBC News investigation attacked Southern’s record of criticizing immigration. In the Star, Luke Lebrun of Press Progress wrote, 'millions of Canadians are regularly consuming content from these sources and that’s something we can’t ignore. It is bad for our democracy when a significant slice of our population is being deliberately misled and even radicalized.' Lebrun, looking for a deeper Canadian connection, even found a video in which Southern interviewed Counter Signal journalist Katrina Panova, known online as 'Kat Kanada,' who is not funded by Russia, to imply guilt by association. This prompted Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen to block Panova on the false basis of 'a foreign government paying you to engage with me'; he retracted the allegation of foreign funding afterward.

"There’s the other benefit of sponsoring propaganda overseas: you get discourse like this, painting a picture of a corrupted, misinformation-gorging horde threatening the enlightened half of society, worthy of being digitally quarantined. It can’t just be that high immigration, identity politics and the economic failures of progressive politicians are organically popular topics among the populace; no, it’s a Russian conspiracy.

"Meanwhile, as the U.S. indictment distracts, dust accumulates on the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ (NSICOP) June report on foreign interference.  China and India, too, have corrupted media members to some unknown degree (the Chinese government is alleged to have paid media outlets to publish articles; India is said to have an influence network that includes journalists). The public, unfortunately, remains in the dark as to who these figures are.

"Worse, some countries have tapped directly into our legislative houses. NSICOP has already discovered that some elected officials 'began wittingly assisting foreign state actors soon after their election.” India and China again are top suspects. Some Parliamentarians may have betrayed Canada, says NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, but their names never manage to escape from whisper networks to the general public. It will be an improvement when Canada finally gets its own foreign agent registry... But before we allow ourselves to be distracted by flashy U.S. Department of Justice badges, we have far greater, unresolved concerns in our halls of government."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/jamie-sarkonak-russian-funded-youtubers-dont-hold-a-candle-to-chinas-meddling-in-canada

Dangerous Foreign Agents? or Victims of Democrat Smear Campaign? | North West Cavalryman | September 9, 2024:

Canadians caught up in latest US Russiagate case

Canadians Lauren Chen and Lauren Southern are among the social media influencers alleged to have been paid by Russian agents to spread pro-Trump propaganda to interfere in the U.S. presidential election.

What we know about the two Canadian influencers accused of Russian propaganda | National Post | Stewart Lewis: 

September 6, 2024 - "The U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment against two Russian nationals on Wednesday, accusing them of disseminating pro-Kremlin propaganda through a 'pro-Trump supergroup'.... Details within the charges referred to Tenet Media, which was founded in 2023 by a Canadian influencer known as Lauren Chen and her husband, Liam Donavan. Last year they hired Chen’s long-time friend and occasional collaborator Lauren Southern, another Canadian influencer with a large social media following, the CBC says.

"Since the indictment was revealed, several Tenet Media collaborators have publicly stated they were not aware how the company was funded.... Southern and Chen haven’t spoken publicly since the indictment was announced. Neither has posted anything since the Justice Department’s accusations were made public.

"Criminal charges have not been brought against Chen, Donavan or Southern and they are not named in the indictment. But the allegations have damaged their reputations. Chen has been fired from another website, Glenn Beck’s The Blaze. Her YouTube channel, which had more than 572,000 subscribers, was terminated on Thursday. Her bio page on the website for Turning Points USA, a pro-Trump campus activist group, has been deleted....

"Born in Quebec and raised in Hong Kong, Chen gained prominence as a YouTuber using the name “Roaming Millennial”. She was a strong supporter of Trump in the 2016 election.... Chen appears to be referred to as Founder-1 in the indictment and to have begun working in the spring of 2021 for the parent company of RT — a Russian state-run news outlet. RT was forced to stop operating in Canada and the U.S. as part of government sanctions that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

"U.S. officials say in the indictment that while being paid by RT operatives, Founder-1 began recruiting conservative personalities with lucrative offers in 2023 for a new media outlet. Details in the indictment suggest Chen was allegedly billing RT partially through Roaming Millennial Inc., which was a registered company in the Montreal area, where her mother lived. Tenet Media was eventually registered in Tennessee as a subsidiary of Chen’s Canadian company....

"Southern grew up in British Columbia and became a right-wing luminary, known for videos featuring her confronting progressive activists.... 

[Southern was a candidate for the Libertarian Party of Canada in the 2015 federal election. Her candidacy was suspended by then-leader Tim Moen that July after multiple complaints about some of her videos, but she was reinstated a week later after meeting and talking with Moen. - gd] 

"Southern has also produced several videos for Tenet Media focusing on Canadian issues. One was titled 'Canada Is Becoming A COMMUNIST HELLHOLE'. It compares Canada to the U.S.S.R.. Another, called 'Mean Tweets = Life in PRISON in Canada?!' criticizes the proposed Online Harms Act."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/news/canadian-influencers-accused-of-russian-propaganda 

Canadian influencers tied to alleged Russian interference campaign | CTV News | September 7, 2024:

Telegram CEO arrested in France

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of social media app Telegram, has been arrested in France for not removing user content from the platform when ordered to by the authorities.  

The outrageous arrest of Telegram’s Pavel Durov | Spiked | Fraser Myers: 

26th August 26, 2024 - "In 2013, the Russian authorities searched the home and offices of social-media magnate Pavel Durov.... [T]he raid was widely believed to be in retaliation for his platform’s persistent refusal to censor critics of the government. VK, Durov’s Russian-language competitor to Facebook, had consistently rejected the Kremlin’s demands to block the accounts of Putin’s domestic opponents and to hand over data belonging to protesters in Ukraine. In 2014, he sold his stake in VK, resigned as CEO, and fled his home country. Durov, a self-described libertarian, says he was not prepared to do the state’s bidding. Since he left, VK is now more or less controlled by the Kremlin.

"More than a decade later and Durov is in trouble with the law again. His newer app, Telegram, is in the firing line this time. He was arrested and detained on Saturday and charged with 12 crimes, seemingly all in connection with Telegram’s failure to comply with the authorities’ requests to remove certain content. But Durov was not arrested in Russia this time. He was apprehended as his private jet touched down in France.

Pavel Durov in 2013. TechCrunch / Wikimedia Commons.

"The 12 charges include ‘complicity’ in alleged crimes as diverse as child exploitation, fraud, drug trafficking, money laundering and terrorism. As despicable as such crimes may be, it is unprecedented for the authorities in a Western liberal democracy to hold a social-media platform and its founder criminally liable for content shared by others.... The commonsense principle that social-media firms are not directly responsible for their users’ content had held firm until relatively recently in Europe. 

"Yet, in the past few years, Europe’s illiberal elites have been gripped by hysteria about the supposedly malign influence of major tech platforms.... [A]lmost every societal problem is now pinned on an excess of online freedom. This has prompted a series of laws, from the EU’s Digital Services Act to the UK’s Online Safety Act, which effectively treat platforms as publishers of user-generated content, threatening them with fines if they fail to remove posts that contravene their rules.

"Telegram has over 900 million users worldwide and is well known for its laissez-faire approach to content and its fierce protection of its users’ privacy. It hosts both private conversations and ‘channels’, which allow a single user to disseminate messages directly to large numbers of followers. But its terms of service do prohibit terrorist content, scams, illegal pornography and incitement to violence. Notably it has removed ISIS-linked channels and white-supremacist groups involved with the ‘January 6’ storming of the US Capitol.

"Durov, the sole owner, insists his platform is neutral and ‘not a player in geopolitics’. Nevertheless, Telegram is especially notorious for hosting pro-war Russian bloggers.... This has led to suspicions that the Kremlin has more control or influence over Telegram than Durov lets on. The Russian government’s call for his release over the weekend has only compounded these fears.... Yet, on the other hand, there is no evidence that Telegram has censored, say, critics of Putin. Notably, it is also highly popular in Ukraine. It remains one of the few platforms to allow Russians to access information about the war that isn’t filtered by the Kremlin. Telegram also proved essential for those organising pro-democracy protests against the CCP in Hong Kong in 2019. To characterise the app purely as a propaganda tool for authoritarians like the Russian government, as many observers in the West are keen to do, is to miss the bigger picture. Durov’s own past run-ins with the Kremlin also suggest he is sincere in his libertarian beliefs.

"Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, was quick to defend Durov in the wake of his arrest. Musk, himself persona non grata among the Western liberal establishment, thanks to X’s more liberal speech policies, claims there is a political vendetta against Telegram and Durov. Musk argues that Instagram, owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, ‘has a massive child-exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck, as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data… He already caved into censorship pressure.’ In other words, while all platforms have unwittingly hosted illegal content, just as Telegram is alleged to have done, the European authorities are primarily interested in targeting those platforms that refuse to accede to their demands to censor political dissent.

"Certainly, some of those defending Durov’s arrest are not making any effort to dispel this impression. A piece in the Guardian has hailed it as a ‘smart move’ that could panic tech executives like Musk into censoring more content at governments’ behest. That ‘nagging fear [of arrest] is no bad thing’, it said. (Earlier this month, a former Twitter exec wrote another piece in the Guardian calling explicitly for Musk’s arrest.) It is hard not to suspect that allowing unfettered political speech is Telegram’s real crime in the eyes of the elites....

"The criminalisation of Pavel Durov sets a deeply troubling precedent. If social-media execs are to be held liable for posts on their platforms, then a ramping up of pre-emptive censorship seems inevitable. Europeans must stand up to this now, lest they lose their online freedoms for good."

Read more: https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/08/26/the-outrageous-arrest-of-telegrams-pavel-durov/

Remembering Black Ribbon Day

Black Ribbon Day, August 23, commemorates the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia which led to their joint attack on Poland and the start of the Second World War a week later. 

DAY OF INFAMY: Alberta govt marks 85th anniversary of Nazi-Soviet Pact | Western Standard | Shaun Polczer: 

Black Ribbon Day logo. Courtesy RFE/RL.

 

August 21, 2024 - "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. That’s why the Alberta government is marking one of the darkest days in 20th Century history by commemorating ‘Black Ribbon Day’ — the 85th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.... [O]n August 23, 1939 the foreign ministers of Germany and Russia signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact that set the groundwork for the invasion of Poland and the start of the Second World War a week later on September 1.

"In a statement, the UCP government said it plans to mark the ignominious event with a special event in the rotunda of the Legislature on Friday. 'On the 85th anniversary of Black Ribbon Day we pause to look upon the horrific events of the past and renew our resolve to forever honour the victims of tyranny,' said Legislative Assembly Speaker Nathan Cooper. 'People from around the world observe Black Ribbon Day and we stand with them to uphold the importance of freedom from oppression now and for the generations to come.'

"On August 22 [1939], Joachim von Ribbentrop flew to Moscow to finalize the treaty.... The so-called Hitler-Stalin pact, signed the next day, guaranteed peace between the parties and was a commitment neither government would aid or ally itself with an enemy of the other.... [T]he treaty included the Secret Protocol, which defined the borders of Soviet and German spheres of influence across Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland which would later make up the Iron Curtain....

"‘Black Ribbon Day’ originated in the protests held against the Soviet Union in western capitals, including Ottawa, in the 1980s that led up to the Baltic Revolutions in the countries directly affected by the deal and its aftermath starting in 1989.... In 2009 the European Parliament formally recognized August 23 as the European day of Remembrance for the Victims of Stalinism and Nazism which was briefly even acknowledged by Russian president Vladimir Putin. 

"[Putin] backtracked in 2014 and called the treaty as 'necessary for Russia's survival.' Then in February 2021, the State Duma voted in favor of a law to punish the dissemination of 'fake news' regarding the Soviet Union's role in the Second World War, including claiming that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union held equal responsibility due to the pact."
Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/alberta/day-of-infamy-alberta-govt-marks-85th-anniversary-of-nazi-soviet-pact/57170

Black Ribbon Day: An International Day of Remembrance | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: 

Black Ribbon Day poster, 1989. Courtesy Western Standard.

August 23, 2013 - "Black Ribbon Day, also called the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism, originated in the 1980s. Central and Eastern European refugees then living in Canada organized a series of peaceful protests on both sides of the Iron Curtain to draw attention to the rampant human rights abuses perpetrated by authorities across the Soviet bloc. They chose August 23, the anniversary of the infamous 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany to hold the annual rallies.

"On August 23, 1989, about 2 million people formed a human chain spanning more than 600 kilometers across the Baltic republics. Known as the Baltic Way, this protest is seen as a defining moment in the Baltic states' battle for independence from the Soviet Union. As the Soviet bloc crumbled in 1991, Black Ribbon Day demonstrations were held in as many as 56 cities around the world. 

"Today, Black Ribbon Day commemorates both victims of Stalinism and Nazism and, more generally, all those who died, suffered, or perished under authoritarian regimes. In 2008, the European Parliament became the first entity to formally designate August 23 as a day of remembrance for victims of Stalinism and Nazism. Canada followed suit in 2009 and Georgia, in the Caucasus, one year later."
Read more: https://www.rferl.org/a/black-ribbon-day/25083982.html

An inside report on UN's COP28

 "You can be sure that corporate media reports on climate change will be slanted," says John Birch Society CEO Bill Hahn; which is why the Society sent its own accredited journalists to COP28. This is from their reports. 

What Really Happened at COP28 | The New American | William S. Hahn: 

December 22, 2023 "So we’re told that a monumental deal was struck at the latest Climate Change conference that will phase out fossil fuels. But is it true? You can be sure that corporate media reports on climate change will be slanted.... This is why it’s important for us to attend these conferences and get a first person look at what goes on..... The New American, a media outlet of The John Birch Society, sent a team of three investigative journalists to COP28, the United Nations climate change conference that was held in Dubai, an Arab police state that does not allow dissent within its country. The New American had covered many of these UN conferences in the past and was once again granted official access to the event.... 

"A senior editor of The New American, Alex Newman, who has attended these conferences since 2009, reported online that 'Governments at the United Nations COP28 "climate" summit agreed to "transition" away from "fossil fuels" today. But don’t believe the hype from the media about a "phaseout" or "phase down’ of hydrocarbon energy at the UN summit. What is really happening is a planned phaseout of the Western world — what used to be known as Christendom or the 'Free World' — as the UN and Western leaders work to usher in a new "multipolar" world order'....

"Advocates of the globalist agenda have been quite open about this since at least the early 1970s regarding building a New World Order or NWO. Over the last few years, the Council on Foreign Relations [CFR] has offered a new course of direction for the NWO. It focuses on moving away from the leadership of the U.S. and other Western countries to also include other countries like [the] autocracies of China, Russia, and other participants of BRICS. Richard Haass, the longtime President of the [CFR] wrote in the March 23, 2021 Foreign Affairs magazine, 'The international system is at a historical inflection point.… the Western-led liberal order that emerged after World War II cannot anchor global stability in the twenty-first century.… The best vehicle for promoting stability in the twenty-first century is a global concert of major powers'....

"What he is describing is also known as a multipolar New World Order.... [T]he U.S. was used as the main leader for the post-WWII era. It unconstitutionally used its vast resources to help build up Communist countries, as well as those that would belong to the European Union, while at the same time building up world government bodies like the United Nations and its many affiliates. In a multipolar world order, the U.S. and its Western allies would continue to utilize its resources by transferring large amounts of wealth to poorer countries. Doing so will bring down the standard of living for the average American while raising up those in developing countries as well as countries like China and Russia who give lip service to the agenda of the United Nations, but work to build themselves into the leading superpowers.

"Mr. Newman reported, 'Throughout the COP28 ‘climate’ summit, the Biden administration and Western governments pledged ever-more suicidal energy policies and draconian wealth redistribution from the middle class under the guise of saving the planet. According to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation’s Stephen Moore, just the U.S. government’s latest methane promises — a de facto ban on natural-gas power plants — will take out upwards of 60 percent of American electric power generation. But that pain will not be shared around the world. In fact, officials from the United Arab Emirates and Communist China, among others, were exposed planning to make oil and gas deals at the summit.... The news was spun by the establishment press to portray the UAE government hosting the climate talks in a negative light. But the real significance of the scandal was lost: It highlights the fact that the anti-energy hysteria and silly "solutions" such as solar panels and windmills being peddled to Western populations by the UN and the media are primarily undermining the economies of Western nations, including Europe and the United States — not China or other autocracies, whose emissions are all soaring with no end in sight.'

"Leave it up to the suckers in the U.S. and the EU to follow the 'rules,' but Communist countries are in no way participating in their own economic destruction by dismantling their industries or turning off a major flow of revenue through resource or product sales. The value they place on human life disqualifies them from actually carrying out this agenda based on a democratic or just way of living. Ironically, the Kremlin posted this statement when Xi Jinping visited Russia earlier in 2023: 'We jointly work to create a more just and democratic multipolar world order, which should be based on the central role of the UN, its Security Council, international law, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.' If that’s what they are working toward, then the free world should want nothing to do with it given the Communist’s idea of justice and democracy.... 

As Mr. Newman ... wrote, 'The president of the COP28 conference, ADNOC [Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] chief Sultan Al Jaber, outraged climate alarmists worldwide when he ridiculed their pseudo-scientific pronouncements. [see video]. "I’m not in any way signing up to any discussion that is alarmist," he told former Irish President Mary Robinson.... Other oil-producing Arab governments also injected a major dose of reality into the summit while undermining the UN-backed Western media narrative. Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman ridiculed the idea that the world would "phase out” hydrocarbon energy. “And I assure you not a single person — I’m talking about governments — believes in that,” he was quoted as saying in the press.'

"This is the heart of the matter: Climate action is nothing more than a front to usher in totalitarian world government — a New World Order that proponents in globalist and communist circles have been discussing for more than 100 years. Those elected officials and other so-called dignitaries in the climate change movement do not honestly believe in their cause, or their actions would have reflected their convictions.... [B]ills to get the U.S. out of the UN have been recently introduced in the House and the Senate, the first time in a long time. Let’s generate some pressure in Congress to get these voted on."

Read more: https://thenewamerican.com/opinion/what-really-happened-at-cop28/

COP28: Criticism mounts against president over fossil fuel comments | Global News | December 3, 2023:

Hersh: US blew up Nord Stream pipelines

American journalist accuses US Navy of Nord Stream pipeline attack | RFI - Michael Fitzpatrick:

February 11, 2023 - "Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh alleges that US Navy divers laid the bombs that destroyed the Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea last September, cutting Russian gas supplies to Europe. The Pentagon has denied the claim but Moscow, which Western countries suspect of involvement, says it should be taken seriously.

"According to a blog written by Hersh on the site Substack, American navy divers planted remotely triggered explosives that wrecked three of the four pipelines built to carry natural gas from Russia to Europe. Hersh claims that the US Navy planted the explosives under the cover of a Nato maritime exercise, Baltic Operation 22, known as BaltOps, which involved vessels from 14 Nato member states and took place in the Baltic between 5 and 17 June 2022....

"Hersh puts the motivation for the attack down to a simple political calculation. 'With Russian troops massing on the Ukrainian border and the bloodiest war in Europe since 1945 looming,' he writes, 'President Joseph Biden saw the pipelines as a vehicle for Vladimir Putin to weaponise natural gas for his political and territorial ambitions'.... Putin would now have an additional and much-needed major source of income, and Germany and the rest of Western Europe would become addicted to low-cost natural gas supplied by Russia – while diminishing European reliance on America."

"The September 2022 explosions were blamed by Western countries on Russia, adding to the anger against Moscow in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Investigations by Swedish, Danish and German authorities have not pinned the blame on any one country or actor. Swedish investigators have already said they believe the blasts were the result of 'gross sabotage'. 

"Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden warned that the Nord Stream 2 project connecting Russia and Germany would not move forward if an attack took place. This led some commentators to suspect US involvement when the pipelines were destroyed seven months later. 'If Russia invades – that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine, again – then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,' Biden said on 7 February 2022. 'We will bring an end to it.'

"Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Lt. Col. Garron J. Garn says 'the United States was not involved in the Nord Stream explosion'. 'This is utterly false and complete fiction,' stated Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.... 

"Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Hersh's work is a 'very serious' article that offered 'deep analysis'. 'It would be unfair not to give it attention,' he said.... Peskov added that Moscow had information "on the involvement of the Anglo-Saxons in the organisation of this act of sabotage', a claim Russia has made repeatedly but without providing any evidence publicly."

Read more: https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20230211-american-journalist-accuses-us-navy-of-nord-stream-pipeline-attack

No evidence Russian Twitterbots influenced 2016 US election

Study: Russian Twitter Trolls Did Not Throw the 2016 Election to Trump | Reason - Robby Soave:

January 9, 2023 - "Russia's efforts to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election in Donald Trump's favor by influencing voters on Twitter had no discernible impact whatsoever, according to a new study by New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics. 'We find no evidence of a meaningful relationship between exposure to the Russian foreign influence campaign and changes in attitudes, polarization, or voting behavior,' wrote the study's authors....

"Just 1 percent of Twitter users absorbed about 70 percent of the so-called Russian disinformation, meaning that a tiny fraction of overall users encountered actual Russian trolls. These users were overwhelmingly partisan Republicans; there is no reason to think that masses of gullible swing voters who might have voted for Hillary Clinton were hoodwinked by Russia and opted for Trump instead.

"And this finding closely tracks previous research on the same subject. A 2019 review by Science magazine found that just 1 percent of Twitter users were exposed to 80 percent of the misinformation present, and these tended to be older, extremely partisan users —people who were already voting for Trump.... Another study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder found that 94 percent of Twitter users never shared this kind of content.

"The NYU study also replicates a central finding of these earlier reviews of the research: namely, the amount of time, money, and effort Russia spent on influencing social media users was a drop in the bucket compared with the work being done by the Trump and Clinton campaigns themselves, as well as the attention being paid to the candidates by U.S. media outlets....

"The news probably came as a surprise to many readers; unfortunately, mainstream and liberal consumers of political news have been conditioned to believe that misinformation—often of foreign and Russian origin—is the source of countless modern maladies. But time and time again, data tell a different story.

"As I wrote in my 2021 book Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn't Fear Facebook and the Future, 'the fact that the professional pundit class are themselves excessively active on social media probably makes them especially susceptible' to the idea that everything is Twitter's fault."

Read more: https://reason.com/2023/01/09/russia-twitter-trump-election-no-influence-fake/

Read study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35576-9

"Robby Soave: MSM ADMITS Russiagate Twitter Interference Had NO EFFECT On 2016 Election," The Hill, January 10, 2023

CBC retracts 2nd false story on Freedom Convoy

CBC deletes story falsely claiming foreign money behind Freedom Convoy | Post Millennial - Angelo Isidoru:

Image: Post-Millennial, 2022

March 11, 2022 - "CBC has pulled a second false story about the Freedom Convoy, according to Blacklock's Reporter. The story in question claimed foreigners played a role in the protest....

"[T]he claim was made on a radio broadcast of The World This Hour, self-described as 'Canada's most trusted audio newscast.' According to the Western Standard, the network released a statement on the matter. 'On February 10 in a report about the protest convoy CBC Radio's The World This Hour incorrectly said GoFundMe ended a fundraiser for the protesters over questionable donations to the group.' No explanation was given in CBC's statement.

"The network claimed to have completed an analysis of Freedom Convoy donations and concluded there were suspicious donations from foreigners. CBC then ran multiple headlines of this false story. 'Convoy Protest Received Hundreds Of Donations That Appeared To Be From Abroad,' a February headline read. 'In recent days, questions have emerged about how the protesters raised so much money so quickly and where it came from' ... the article read. 'An analysis of GoFundMe donations by CBC News has revealed at least one-third of them had been made by donors who chose to remain anonymous or who listed names that were obviously fictitious or political commentary.'

"Both false stories were by Elizabeth Thompson, a CBC reporter who has a history of speaking against the truckers. This was the case at a Parliamentary Press Gallery event on February 15. 'Personally I felt a little uncomfortable because there were all these guys roaming around the street,' said Thompson.

"GoFundMe executives testified at the Commons public safety committee on March 3 and confirmed only a small minority of donations were from outside Canada. 'Our records show 88% of donated funds originated in Canada,' said Juan Benitez, president of GoFundMe. 

"Furthermore, Canada's top anti-terror financing regulator said the convoy donations were entirely innocuous. 'There were people around the world who were fed up with COVID and were upset and saw the demonstrations,' Barry McKillop, deputy director of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre [FINTRAC], testified on February 24 at the Commons finance committee. 'I believe they just wanted to support the cause.'

"This is the second time CBC has been forced to pull a false story. On February 3, the network corrected an earlier television story suggesting Russians were behind the Freedom Convoy. The claim of Russian involvement came from Power And Politics host Nil Koksal, who claimed: 'there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this protest grows or perhaps even instigating it from the outside.' The claim was entirely false and the network was forced to correct itself."

Read more: https://thepostmillennial.com/cbc-deletes-story-falsely-claiming-foreign-money-behind-freedom-convoy

Open letter shoots down Ukraine no-fly zone

We call on Biden to reject reckless demands for a no-fly zone | Guardian - Open letter:

Amaury LaPorte, Protests Against War in Ukraine 068 - No Fly Zone, Feb. 27, 2002. CC BY, 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.

March 11, 2022 - "We, the undersigned, urge the Biden administration to continue to reject calls to impose a dangerous no-fly zone over all or part of Ukraine. A no-fly zone would commit the US and Nato forces to shoot down any Russian aircraft that enter. It would be naive to think that merely declaring a no-fly zone would convince the Russian military to comply voluntarily. In short, a no-fly zone would mean going to war with Russia.

"We deplore Russia’s aggression, admire the bravery of Ukrainians, mourn the loss of innocent life, and wish for a speedy end to the conflict. However, it strains credulity to think that a US war with Russia would make the American people safer or more prosperous. To the contrary, going to war with Russia, a nuclear peer of the United States, would expose Americans to vast and unnecessary risks. A war that expands beyond Ukraine’s borders could also inflict damage across Europe and weaken America’s Nato allies. We call upon the administration to avoid such a gambit and continue to use appropriate diplomatic means and economic pressure to end the conflict.

"The United States has already made clear its opposition to the war and to Russia’s attacks on innocent Ukrainians, and has imposed punishing economic sanctions. What the announcement of a no-fly zone would add would be the threat to engage in a shooting war with Russian forces. And if the United States threatens to do something, it will have to deliver. As two retired US officers have written, “Contrary to what so many in the commentariat seem to believe, a no-fly zone is not a military half-measure. It is a combat operation designed to deprive the enemy of its airpower, and it involves direct and sustained fighting.”

"Some of those calling for even a 'limited' no-fly zone admit that they are willing to see the United States and its Nato allies wage war against Russia in defense of Ukraine. For example, one prominent signatory of a letter advocating a no-fly zone has recently admitted that a no-fly zone 'is an act of war ... You have to enforce a no-fly zone, which means you have to be willing to use force against those who break the no-fly zone.' Even before the war began, another signatory wrote that 'US leaders should be marshaling an international coalition of the willing, readying military forces to deter Putin and, if necessary, prepare for war ... The horrible possibility exists that Americans, with our European allies, must use our military to roll back Russians – even at risk of direct combat.' A no-fly zone would expand the war, not stop it.

"Throughout the current crisis, the Biden administration has been clear-eyed in rejecting the possibility of using US military force in Ukraine. The administration’s principled restraint commands bipartisan support. For example, Republican senator Marco Rubio has warned that a no-fly zone 'means starting world war three'. Democratic senator Chris Murphy likewise writes that a no-fly zone is 'a bad idea and Congress would never authorize it'.

"The United States and its European allies have imposed sanctions on Russia so severe that they have little historical precedent. We are also providing Ukraine with significant military support. Yet there must be a clear ceiling for escalation, as US officials and experts appreciated during the cold war, when the United States faced a more powerful adversary than Russia represents today. Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay for his reckless gamble in Ukraine. The United States should respond in responsible ways, not make a reckless gamble of its own.

"Individuals have signed in their personal capacity, using affiliations for identification purposes only."

Read signatories: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/11/we-call-on-biden-to-reject-reckless-demands-for-a-no-fly-zone 

Russian gov't cracks down on independent media

Putin Shuts Down Russia’s Free Press for Reporting Accurately on Ukraine | Nieman Reports - Elizaveta Kuzetsova:

Photo: Washington Standard

March 9, 2022 - "On the morning of March 4, the last remaining independent news outlet in Russia – the award-winning Novaya Gazeta – announced the end of its reporting on the war in Ukraine in response to Russian government demands. A new law that bans the 'dissemination of knowingly false information' about the Russian armed forces – and carries up to a 15-year penalty – was the final blow.... This came a day after the independent TV channel Dozhd announced a temporary suspension of its operation in its broadcast on March 3.... Over the course of just one week, the independent media landscape in Russia has been shuttered, returning the country to the pre-Perestroyka state without any semblance of a free press. Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor has blocked access to several independent media outlets, including MediaZona, Meduza, Nastoyashee Vremya, The New Times, Doxa, The Village, and Tayga.Info.... Many international media corporations, including CNN, BBC, Bloomberg News, ABC, CBS News, and Radio Liberty, have been forced to suspend operations in Russia.

"The new law curbing what journalists can say about the military is essentially censorship of what journalists can say about the invasion of Ukraine. Any data on casualties or information on the resistance the Ukrainians are mounting could be considered 'fake information.' Under the legislation, truthful reporting of the conflict is nearly impossible. 'It has been decided to eradicate journalism entirely and to put all disagreeable behind bars,” said Sergey Smirnov, the editor-in-chief of MediaZona, an independent investigative outlet.... Controlling the narrative is particularly important for the Russian government amid the lack of support for the war and the growing dissent in the country....

"For years, independent media in Russia have reported on corruption, protests, and politics, reaching their audiences online often through social media. The daily number of subscribers of news channels on Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app, has grown by an estimated 3.5 to 5 million per day since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, according to TGStat.ru, a non-profit project that tracks the platform. But social media is not immune to state control and state propaganda, and the online news environment is often used to amplify confusion and misinformation.

"Tech companies are under pressure from both sides of the conflict, which can result in questionable decisions that further aggravate the situation for independent outlets. Echo Moskvy, an independent radio station controlled by Russian state-owned company Gazprom-Media, reported being suspended by YouTube and Twitter even though the outlet maintained editorial independence and provided truthful reporting. Coincidentally, on March 3, the board of directors of Echo Moskvy decided to liquidate the outlet and, according to its editor-in-chief Aleksey Venediktov, after Russian officials blocked its website over its reporting on Ukraine. Its dissolution is symbolic as the Russian government’s decision to spare the outlet from repression until now helped maintain at least a façade of freedom of press in the country.

"Without independent media, the Russian public will become hostage to the state narrative about 'the special operation' aimed at “de-nazification” of Ukraine, as Moscow describes its war against the country. In fact, the use of the word 'war' to refer to the conflict in Ukraine is prohibited in Russia....  Blocked independent outlets will continue to fight for their right to report through the courts. However, the situation will only intensify as the war in Ukraine goes on. With many journalists fleeing Russia, independent reporting is still possible from abroad. And local audiences can use VPN connections to access blocked sites and social media. But without international support free press in Russia will not survive, and the isolation of the Russian audience will continue. 'Right now, independent journalism can survive only outside of Russia,' said Smirnov."
Read more: https://niemanreports.org/articles/putin-ukraine-russia-media/

Russia Restricts Instagram, Opens Case Against Meta For Reported Hate-Speech Changes | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty:

March 11, 2022 - "Russia is opening a criminal case against Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, and moved to label it an 'extremist organization' over reported changes in its rules that allow some users to call for violence against Russia's army and its leadership in the context of the war in Ukraine. The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said on March 11 that it was launching an investigation 'due to illegal calls for the murder of Russian nationals by employees of the American company Meta'.... The moves were sparked by a March 10 report by Reuters that internal e-mails show Meta Platforms will permit Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers after Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24....

"Separately on March 11, Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, said it will restrict access to Instagram across the country at the request of the Prosecutor-General's Office. 'The Instagram social network distributes information and materials that contain calls for implementing violent actions against citizens of the Russian Federation, including military personnel,' Roskomnadzor said in a statement.... Earlier on March 11, the Russian Embassy to the United States demanded that Washington ... 'stop the extremist activities of Meta and take measures to bring the perpetrators to justice.'"
Read more: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-meta-charges-hate-speech/31748326.html 

Russian war protests and Western sanctions

Why Russian opposition to Putin's war is crucial — and how U.S. sanctions could hurt it | The Week - Saoirse Gowan: 

March 6, 2022 - "Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressive, immoral, and illegal invasion of Ukraine that began last month has only continued to escalate.... But where Ukrainians have banded together to fight for their lives and their sovereignty, Russia is not united in this war. Russian protestors have risked everything to stand against the war despite living under an authoritarian government that meets dissent with police and judicial brutality.... OVD-Info, an independent human rights media project that tracks political persecution in Russia, estimates that more than 8,000 Russians have been detained as a result of anti-war activities in recent days. Many media outlets have been forced to close or to cease their coverage of the conflict, and new legislation passed in the Russian Duma this week would impose 15-year prison sentences on any journalist or protestor who contradicts the government's official narrative about the invasion.

"These crackdowns don't show the strength of the Russian state, but rather its fear of the Russian people. Governments engage in repression of this nature precisely because ordinary people possess the capability to force changes in policy and government through collective action.... We know from U.S. wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan that withdrawals often come about due to a combination of stiff resistance from the occupied population and a strong anti-war movement that succeeds in keeping a costly war at the forefront of domestic debate. Americans may be less familiar with the catastrophic Soviet intervention in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989, a blunder so bad it contributed significantly to the Soviet Union's collapse. That invasion involved over half a million Soviet troops, many conscripted. Some of its survivors surely must empathize with the young men forced into the conflict today — told by propagandists they'd be greeted as liberators only to discover they're hated as an invading army.... 

"Family members of conscript soldiers, too, are a key demographic for resisting the war from within Russia, much like the grieving American mothers whose children were sent off to die in Iraq and Afghanistan. While we condemn Russian political leadership, the generals carrying out this brutality, and soldiers who perpetrate atrocities, it is important for us not to dehumanize Russian conscripts and their families or celebrate their deaths. Nor should we turn a blind eye to instances of discrimination against Russian culture in the West, such as vandalism against Russian-themed restaurants, which will lend credibility to Putin's claims that Western solidarity with Ukrainians is motivated by hatred of Russians, especially when those claims are filtered through propagandistic media. 

"Indeed, this war is a tragedy for ordinary people on all sides — though certainly a greater one for Ukrainians as a whole — and we should remember that, absent the unlikely event of an outright Ukrainian military victory, the options remaining on the table are basically three: 1) the effective end of Ukrainian independence, 2) a military intervention by NATO that could trigger a nuclear exchange, or 3) a diplomatic solution fostered by a combination of Ukrainian resistance and Russian domestic opposition to the war. 

"In this context, other governments, and particularly that of the United States, have a responsibility to consider the outcomes of retaliatory economic measures. Russian history professor Gregory Afinogenov of Georgetown University argues at Dissent that sanctions against Putin himself will do little to change his behavior here because Putin is largely motivated by concerns other than material wealth. Sanctions against oligarchs, Afinogenov argues, will only increase their dependence on the Kremlin for economic security.... Afinogenov reserves his strongest criticism, however, for broad sanctions that primarily hurt the Russian working class: 

[C]utting Russia off from SWIFT and freezing central bank assets are the worst [sanctions], because they lead to hyperinflation and shortages of key imports that millions of vulnerable Russians depend on. Putin has already anticipated the likely effects of all three types of sanctions and therefore will not be deterred by them; neither have sanctions ever worked to catalyze effective political opposition to the regime (or to other regimes targeted by Western sanctions). [Dissent]

"This is correct. There is little evidence the U.S. sanctions which target ordinary people in Russia (and many, many other nations) do much other than giving the regime a scapegoat for economic troubles and a pretext for cracking down on domestic opposition. Punishing working-class Russians for their government's actions will not help Ukrainians, but it might undermine popular movements that could develop the capacity to force Putin to withdraw, to bring Russian conscripts home from war, and — we must hope — to bring larger change to Moscow, building a more peaceful, democratic, and egalitarian Russia....

"Leveling severe sanctions so we can 'do something' may make us feel less impotent. But cheering brave Russian protesters is useless if our policies actively hurt their push for a just peace."

Read more: https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1010938/why-russian-opposition-to-putins-war-is-crucial-and-how-us-sanctions

New lockdown in Moscow

Moscow prepares for a return to lockdown as covid cases — and deaths — soar | Washington Post - Isabelle Khurshudyan & Mary Ilyushina:

October 21, 2021 - "With Russia enduring its worst wave of the coronavirus pandemic, setting grim records in daily cases and deaths, Moscow announced a lockdown Thursday — a move the Kremlin had previously said it would avoid at all costs.

"Russia joins other countries grappling with how to reintroduce restrictions after doing away with nearly all of them.... Russia — Moscow, in particular — has in the past year regularly introduced measures when new cases have spiked, including a digital pass system for the vaccinated and a curfew for bars and restaurants. But those provisions were often quickly abandoned, in some cases after just a couple of weeks. Mask-wearing compliance throughout the country remains low. More importantly, Russia’s vaccination campaign has stalled at just 33 percent, perhaps because authorities have often touted their success in dealing with the pandemic. Analysts have said that has created mixed messages for Russians as to why they even need to get the shots.

"A new lockdown in Moscow, the city’s first in more than a year, is the toughest step officials have taken since exiting the last one in June 2020. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this month that 'the introduction of lockdowns is an absolutely undesirable scenario' and encouraged regional authorities to consider other methods of stanching the virus’s spread. 

"A day after President Vladimir Putin approved a 'non-working week' from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 to keep most office employees at home, the country’s capital went a step further. Without officially labeling the new restrictions a lockdown, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7, everything — schools, gyms, restaurants and other nonessential businesses — will be closed, with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies and medical centers. Theaters and museums can continue operating at 50 percent occupancy and with the use of digital codes....

"No major city in Russia has been in a strict lockdown in more than a year. But after recording another record of 1,036 fatalities from the virus in the past day, Russia’s official death toll of more than 225,000 is by far the highest in Europe. It is also believed to be an undercount. Independent demographer Alexey Raksha calculated that excess mortality — seen by analysts as the most reliable indicator of coronavirus deaths — has reached around 750,000, he said in a Facebook post. Raksha’s calculation used figures maintained by Rosstat, Russia’s statistical agency, where Raksha used to work....

"In nationally televised comments Wednesday, an exasperated Putin encouraged Russians to get vaccinated. Russia has several domestically produced vaccines, but none have yet been approved by the World Health Organization. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Thursday that 'certain technological differences regarding the fullness of the documents and the information provided for our vaccine to be registered' were the reason Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has yet to be approved by the European Union’s drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency. The EMA is unlikely to approve Sputnik until at least the first quarter of 2022, according to Reuters."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/moscow-covid-lockdown/2021/10/21/42435f3e-3253-11ec-8036-7db255bff176_story.html

Pandemic and lockdowns return to Europe

Latvia is first country to reimpose lockdown in Europe’s new Covid wave | The Guardian - Pjotr Sauer:

Oct 20, 2021 - "Latvia has announced a month-long Covid-19 lockdown after an unprecedented surge in infections, becoming the first country in Europe to reimpose far-reaching restrictions amid a new wave of cases in countries across the continent. The Baltic country has one of the highest rates of new Covid cases relative to population in the world, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after ... keeping the virus at bay for months.

“'Our health system is in danger' … the prime minister, Krišjānis Kariņš, said on Monday evening at an emergency government meeting. He said the country’s low vaccination rate was to blame for the surge in hospital admissions. Only 57% of the 1.9 million Latvians are fully vaccinated, well below the EU average of 74%. The government imposed a month-long night-time curfew, from 8pm to 5am, this week and closed schools and all non-essential shops....

"Latvia is the first country in Europe to reimpose a strict lockdown as the fresh Covid wave gathers pace across the continent. The World Health Organization said there was a 7% rise in new coronavirus cases across Europe last week, the only region in the world where cases increased, according to the health body....

"Poland’s health minister, Adam Niedzielski, said on Wednesday the country had experienced an 'explosion of the pandemic in the last two days' and warned the Covid situation was 'becoming very serious'. Poland’s daily number of cases had exceeded 5,000 for the first time since May. Neighbouring Slovakia reported 3,480 new cases on Tuesday, its highest daily tally since the spring, according to health ministry data.

"Bulgaria on Tuesday recorded its highest Covid death rate since late March, and the authorities made vaccine passports compulsory for visiting gyms, museums, cafes and other public places to stop the spread of the virus. In Romania and Ukraine local hospitals have found themselves under intense pressure, as the two countries have been posting record numbers of Covid deaths this month.

"In Russia, which has been reporting record daily deaths and has a vaccination rate dramatically below the EU’s, with only a third of its population vaccinated, a new set of restrictions was announced on Tuesday. In Moscow, unvaccinated citizens aged over 60 were ordered to stay at home for four months and vaccine passports were introduced in several regions.

"Moscow will go into a full lockdown if coronavirus infections continue to increase in the capital, a government order that was sent to businesses in the Russian capital on Wednesday said. The order, seen by the Guardian, would close all non-essential businesses, including restaurants, shopping malls and museums as well as suspend planned medical procedures from 30 October to 7 November. The order said that the lockdown would come into effect if the total number of new coronavirus cases in the capital over the next seven days surpasses the number of infections recorded in the previous week. The measures, labelled as a 'short-term lockdown' in the document, would amount to Russia’s strictest coronavirus restrictions since spring 2020."

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/20/latvia-enters-month-long-covid-lockdown-as-fourth-wave-breaks

Chart courtesy Worldometer

Russia undercounted Covid deaths says DPM

Covid-19: Russia admits to understating deaths by more than two thirds | British Medical Journal - Owen Dyer: 

December 31, 2020 - "Russia’s true death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic is not about 57,000, as official figures claim, but more than 180,000, the country’s deputy prime minister, Tatiana Golikova, conceded at a press conference.

"Russia’s claims of an extraordinarily low mortality have been widely dismissed as implausible for months by foreign observers and Russian doctors alike. Every other indicator, from packed hospitals with long lines of ambulances to mortality among health workers documented by their own associations, has painted a picture of a country hit hard by the pandemic.... These suspicions were confirmed when the Rosstat statistics agency said on 28 December that the number of deaths from all causes recorded between January and November was 229,700 higher than in 2019. 'More than 81% of this increase in mortality over this period is due to covid,' said Golikova. That would mean that more than 186,000 Russians have died from covid-19.

"The figures mean Russia ranks third in the world in terms of [total] deaths from covid-19, behind only the US and Brazil. It would also give Russia the fourth highest per capita death rate, about 1273 deaths per million population, behind only San Marino, Belgium, and Slovenia.

"But the higher figures, which are estimated from numbers of excess deaths, may never find their way into official statistics of the pandemic. The director of Mexico’s National Centre for Preventive Programs and Disease Control made a similar announcement in October, telling a press conference that the country had undercounted deaths by more than 50 000 .... yet the extra deaths have never been added....

"The low official figure was generated by only reporting deaths in which novel coronavirus infection was identified on autopsy. From the beginning the official numbers drew widespread scorn from Russian doctors, who on social media painted a far grimmer picture, often mourning deaths in their own ranks from lack of personal protective equipment. A privately maintained list of Russian medical staff who lost their lives fighting the pandemic now stands at over 1000 names....

"Three doctors who raised concerns about the country’s response mysteriously fell from windows in the early months of the pandemic.4 Anastasia Vasilyeva, the head of the doctors’ union Alyans Vrachei (Doctors’ Alliance), an opposition linked group that has criticised pandemic preparations, was arrested and beaten by police when she attempted to deliver PPE to a hospital near Novgorod.....

"The deputy prime minister’s admission will embarrass President Vladimir Putin, who has favourably compared Russia’s response to those of other countries, on the basis of its supposed low death rate. Putin later appeared somewhat chastened, telling regional governors in one televised meeting in May that 'we don’t have much to brag about.'"

Read more: https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4975    Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4975

Copyright © 2021 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. This article is made freely available for use in accordance with BMJ's website terms and conditions for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic or until otherwise determined by BMJ. You may use, download and print the article for any lawful, non-commercial purpose (including text and data mining) provided that all copyright notices and trade marks are retained. 

Russia uses pedophilia charges to silence critics

Russian Libertarian Party Head Is Latest Kremlin Critic To Face Pedophilia Accusations - Robert Coalson, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty:

November 8, 2019 - "Mikhail Svetov, the head of Russia's opposition Libertarian Party, has denied allegations by Moscow prosecutors that he engaged in 'immoral activities' with a minor, after he was questioned by investigators for about 12 hours beginning on November 6.... Svetov has now become one of many people at odds with local or federal authorities in Russia who have found themselves the target of child pornography or pedophilia allegations.

"Historian Yury Dmitriyev, who conducted ground-breaking research into Soviet crimes in the Karelia region under dictator Josef Stalin, was initially charged with taking 'pornographic' photographs of his foster daughter.... After he was acquitted of those charges, authorities soon rearrested him on more severe charges of child sexual assault. That case is still pending.

"In May, another Karelia historian, Sergei Koltyrin, was convicted of having sex with a minor and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Prior to his arrest in October 2018, Koltyrin told several people that he feared repercussions because of his opposition to government-backed efforts to 'prove' that Stalin-era executions in the Karelia region had actually been carried out by Finns....

"In April 2015, Soviet-era dissident Vladimir Bukovsky was charged in England over pornographic images of children found on his computer. He claimed at the time that he was the victim of a revenge plot by the Russian secret services.... The trial was suspended ... and the case was still pending when Bukovsky, who pleaded not guilty, died on October 27.

"In December 2017, French citizen Yoann Barbereau completed a harrowing escape from Russia, fleeing child-pornography and pedophilia charges in the Siberian city of Irkutsk.... He was arrested in February 2015 and spent 16 months under house arrest during his trial. In September 2016 .... he fled to Moscow and made his way to the French Embassy. He spent 14 months hiding in the embassy before setting off on foot to a Baltic country that he declined to name.

"In June 2015, Lithuanian police visited the home of Konstantin Rubakhin, a Russian environmental activist who was seeking political asylum in the country after being harassed and beaten in Russia. Police told him they were investigating allegations of child pornography, allegations that Rubakhin believed were planted by the Russian security services to thwart his asylum application. The authorities in Lithuania quickly dropped the case.

"In 2013, Russian opposition activist and blogger Rustem Adagamov fled Russia amid pedophilia allegations that he denied as 'insane.' The accusations were made by Adagamov's former wife in an interview with Russia's state-controlled RT television network.

"Raising suspicions that someone is a pedophile suits 'the Kremlin's line that human rights activists are all just degenerates,' Vytas Jurkonis, a Lithuanian human rights activist, told The New York Times in December 2016."

Read more: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-libertarian-latest-kremlin-critic-to-face-pedophilia-accusations/30260347.html
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