Monthly Archives: November 2014

The French “Mistral” Slapstick Comedy – Sovereignty Lost

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France has become a sad sight. The once proud and independent state that dared defy Great Britain and send navy help to the colony of GB that unconstitutionally self-proclaimed independence to later become the United States (by the way, this right the USA now denies other regions seeking democratic self-determination), has now turned into a helpless pushover, suffering from the very state that they helped create.

First France will probably never see its gold again, that was sent for “safe-keeping” to the US.

Second France was robbed for billions of dollars on some trumped up charges against its leading bank BNP.

And now, the saga of Mistrals.

Russia does not really need these helicopter carriers. They are best suited for invading small coastal states, missions largely performed by the USA. This does not fit Russian military doctrine. Mistrals were ordered when Serdjukov was the Minister of Defence. His level of corruption reached quite high levels, and this project is just one of many that did not have Russian defence interests at heart, but Serdjukov’s own pocket.

France has been under huge pressure by NATO/US and EU (through the US trojan horse – Poland) to not deliver on its contracts. NATO/US went as far as saying that they will buy Mistrals instead, but it’s not that easy – Mistrals are built to Russian military specifications and standards and will not work with NATO. Moreover, they are stuffed with Russian high-tech communications and equipment from the very early stages of construction. Should France not deliver the ships, they’d still be required to return the equipment, and that would basically mean cutting up the ships, after which they’ll be little more than scrap metal.

So France has become the butt of the jokes and the laughing stock of the world for its handling of the situation. First they’ll deliver, then they won’t, then they’ll wait a little, then they won’t again, then they’ll deliver, but later, and so on. Each time France was close to delivery, like in a classical Punch and Judy show, Poland (as Mr. Punch) would pull a big stick and slap France for thinking it’s a sovereign state. I agree with Mr. Lavrov’s assessment that France does not behave as a sovereign state would. It has become a lapdog, a vassal.

And so, the comedy is close to it’s end – Russia prepares to sue France and to get its money and equipment back. Russia actually wins from such course of action.

NATO/EU/US continue to push France and its shipbuilding into the abyss, for who will trust France to build something for them after this? EU has already killed shipbuilding in Greece and, before that, in Poland, which during the Soviet times was the leading shipbuilder in Easter Europe, even taking orders from Great Britain. Now Polish docks stay silent. Maybe it’s a Polish form of revenge?

So far France seems to be slated to become a loser.

PS: Joseph Biden, during his visit to Kiev (to observe the results of his handiwork and to appoint the proxy Ukrainian “government”) said that France is on the right track in handling this case. Applying the axiom that whenever the USA praises you, you are doing something wrong for your country and something right for the USA, then France should definitely start panicking.

Child Kidnapping by the Norwegian state
New development

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Following the criminal act by the Norwegian state, highlighted in my previous post, here are some new developments:

http://sledcom.ru/actual/420508/

Investigation Committee started preliminary examination of the facts of the removal of children from Russian families in Norway

On the facts of the removal of children from families in Norway, Russian Main Investigation Department of Russian Federation initiated investigation verification. Today, the media became aware of the withdrawal by child protection services in Norway of a six-year girl from a Russian family, only shortly after when from the Russians of Pskov region, living in Norway, was seized five year boy. In each case, children under false pretenses were taken from their parents and placed in foster care.

As part of the preliminary examination it will be established circumstances of gross violations of the rights of Russian children under manifestly illegal acts by transferring them into foster care, and legal assessment of actions of officials, which resulted in a substantial violation of the rights and legitimate interests of Russian citizens. If criminal signs will be found in the actions committed against Russian children, Russian Investigative Committee will start criminal investigation based on the audit .

It should be noted that the penal laws of the Russian Federation gives us the right to prosecute, including foreign nationals, if they committed a crime against the citizens of the Russian Federation, regardless of where it occurs.

Particular attention SK Russia pays investigate crimes against minors and citizens of the Russian Federation intends all possible legal means, and promote the restoration and protection of the rights of children.

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Dutch journalist: Truth in the war in the Ukraine plays a minor role

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This is a translation from Russian of an interview with the Dutch journalist Olaf Koons, published in “Argumenty i Fakty” on the 8th of October 2014.

Dutch journalist Olaf Koons, visited many times the hot spot in the east of Ukraine, and shared with the “AiF” his opinion about what he saw.

The western journalist has an opportunity to cover the conflict from both warring sides.

Vladimir Polupanov, “AiF”: Olaf, you recently returned from another trip to the Donbass. I know that you were in Lugansk, Donetsk, Ilovajsk, Mariupol. What did you, a foreigner, understand about this war?

Olaf Koons: That it is completely pointless, unnecessary and fratricidal.

– In your opinion, who is fighting whom there?

– First of all, the state propaganda wages war from both sides. This is a very powerful thing. The truth in this war plays a small role. The most important role is played by the desire of people to win at any cost. This is what kills them …

Certainly, there is a big geopolitical conflict between Russia and the West, but in the Donbass local people are fighting. 90% of the militias are locals. And in Kiev, they stubbornly do not want to believe it. Two weeks ago I was in destroyed to the foundation Lugansk airport, where there were positions of Ukrainian security forces. In the basement, where the soldiers, they left a lot of books – Andersen’s fairy tales, for example, some men’s magazines. Guess what is the language of these books? Correct – they are in Russian.

– The picture that you saw with your own eyes, is very different from that shown on television?

– The picture is not different. It is one and the same. The question is – how it is all explained and interpreted. You probably read “Life and Fate” by Vasily Grossman. It’s the first time I saw first-hand how it looks in reality. Under Lugansk I saw a village with such level of destruction that is beyond words, – the remains of huts, the church with a fallen dome, tanks and burnt bodies.

Fact:
About 30 destroyer battalions are fighting on the side of Kiev against the militia of the self-proclaimed republics.

– And a strong hatred on both sides?

– Yes, hatred is very strong. And it’s terrible. To understand where the virtual front line is, it is enough to see which search engine is used by the parties. If Yandex – it east, if Google – then west.

– Is a real peace possible there?

– I think that this war is there a long time. Everything’s destroyed, nothing works there. At best, these self-proclaimed republics will be similar to Transnistria. Among the militia they are in a mood to go if not to Kiev, then at least to Slavjansk. The National Guard and Ukrainian battalions (of which there are about 30) also have a desire to continue to fight. Moreover, the elections are coming soon in the Ukraine. So in the near future I think peace will not come to the Donbass.

– What difficulties are faced by the foreign journalists in this hot spot?

– It is difficult place to work. But what’s interesting – you can cover the conflict from both sides and give a more or less objective picture. Because in Syria or Iraq one can only work on one side. In Donbass, after every half kilometre there are roadblocks, where there are all kinds of people, among them there are inadequate. One of the features of this war – everyone resembles each other. Battalions and militia are sometimes completely indistinguishable from each other. Last time I was present at the prisoner exchange on neutral territory, where representatives of the Ukrainian army and militias met. At some point I ceased to understand where is the Ukrainian army, and where are militias. They are all in camouflage, all rough, all swear with Russian obscenities.

But the prisoners, by the way, are very different. They are quite different from each other. The prisoners who were captured by militia are the people of about the same age – young privates. Prisoners captured by Kiev party are usually ordinary people, farmers who only yesterday were digging potatoes. We see that it is certainly not the military.

And another interesting point: in places where the prisoners were exchanged, the reporters of, for example, the First and Perche channels come face to face. And they look at each other with the same hatred as front-line soldiers.

A lot of nonsense

– How is this conflict covered in the Dutch media? You surely have your own propaganda.

– You know, there’s a big difference between propaganda and stupidity (bad journalism). In the Netherlands, a lot of the bad, stupid, journalism. Most Dutch journalists writing about the conflict in the Donbass, have never been there and do not understand what they write about. After the fall of the “Boeing”, the country was awash hatred of Russia, and the people (not at the behest of the state) just splashed out their emotions. But it did not last long. In our embassy here if there are three people speaking Russian, then it’s counted for a lot. In Dutch universities if there are three departments, where they teach the Russian language, Russian literature and Russian politics, then it’s considered as much. There are at most 5 Dutch journalists working in Russia.

If at the university and diplomatic levels there are not many experts, if there are so few journalists, we can understand what the picture of Russia consists of in Dutch society.

– Why do the Dutch not show sufficient initiative to investigate the disaster of “Boeing” at the Donbass?

– A large investigation is under way in the Netherlands, but very slowly. You know, the Dutch have a problem – we all want to make the Dutch way. If in some faraway country where there is war, a plane falls with Dutch citizens on board, then in the Dutch view the crash site should immediately be cordoned off, closed from outsiders and investigated in the Dutch way: very clearly, prolonged, surveying everything meter by meter. It didn’t happen here. I can not say that everyone is happy with how the process goes. For example, I do not understand why I got to the site a day after the fall, while the Dutch experts came there a week later. Spent there a couple of days and left. Because they were afraid. I do not understand why I could work there, but they could not.

– What conclusions could you make while at the crash site?

– I do not know who shot down the plane. If I had my own version, I would have published it on the front pages of all Dutch newspapers. I also do not know what happened on September 11th in America. I was not there. But we have some consensus about what happened there. I think that after some time we’ll get a consensus also in the case of the crash of the Malaysian “Boeing” in the Donbass.

“Everyone has a grudge against Ukraine”
How teachers and workers become militias

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The article below is a translation from Russian of the following article, published in “Argumenty i Fakty” on the 1st of October 2014.

“They know that that have no common road with the Ukrainians. Truce or no truce, but they will not live together,” – said a journalist from Chelyabinsk Gennady Grigoryev.

Journalist from Chelyabinsk Gennady Grigoryev served in the militia of Donetsk People’s Republic for more months. And came back and told about his impressions.

“You want to serve in the reconnaissance?”

It’s pretty simple to join the militia. I bought the tickets and gear – camouflage suit, arrived in Donetsk, Rostov region. There I called the appointed number, told my passphrase – people came, and brought me across the border. We got to the base, where recruits were picked by the commanders. They told me: “Do you want to serve in the reconnaissance?” I replied: “What kind of spy can become of me?” And they said, “Let’s come and see.”

We had no training centres or special training or basic training. Yesterday’s workers, teachers, miners, chauffeurs go strait to battle. Among 80 people we had only one professional soldier, and even that was a ensign. I was given a shotgun and so I became a scout.

It was funny when we came to receive a certificate of being a member of militias. We enter, and there naturally a scene from a movie “Chapaev”: one Ataman sits in Cossack uniform, besides another bearded one and in a strange garb. Hovering over the map, mulling operation. Just potatoes, like in “Chapaev”, are not laid out… Later, by the way, I learned that one of these fellows was executed as a traitor. On captured Ukrainians they found the lists of the Ukrainian militis members under the responsibility of this particular person. And in Ukraine there is a new law, when a man goes to the militia, Kiev has the right to confiscate an apartment or any property from his family (from translator: this confiscated property gets transferred as war trophies to the “banderas”, the members of the punitive death squads who conduct ethnic cleansing in Donbass).

“Sitting on the button”

Service in the scouts looks like this. For example, say, in a certain direction there can be some enemy equipment, it would be necessary to check out. At night, people go up and go into the forest, study the trails. The road can be mined, and ours have been blown to bits many times. There can be an possible behind trees. Terrible suspence! There were cases when the two scout militias were in the same place and shooting at each other, taking the other group for the enemy. Their actions were just not coordinated…

But in general, this war – like, probably any other – for at least 95% consists of the rough work and routine. You walk from task to task – not having time eat nor sleep. Once such task: “sit on the button”, for example. Let’s say the road is mined and we know that a Ukrainian tank or any heavy machinery will follow it. Your task is to sit, wait, and at the right time to connect wiring so the car explodes. Many do not come back from this tasks. You should see and to make sure that this is the enemy, and that he is over a mine. It’s fine if it’s a tank. And if it’s a multiple rocket launchers “Grad”… The explosion shatters it half a kilometre in radius and covers anyone who is sitting nearby. I can say I was lucky that I did not make contact while “sitting on the button” for 15 hours in a row.

Of the 80 people there were only four Russians: a former sports functionary, cabinetmaker, teacher and me. There was another guy from Novosibirsk, but he was expelled for drunkenness. For such case one can be shot. The militia enacts dry law, and rightly so, everyone agrees. Even without vodka there are enough problems. Many can not even handle weapons. We had one minethrower who was a driver or seller. He took the mortar for the first time, stuffed two mines in the trunk, the gun burst, and the whole squad was killed… There’re a lot of such losses.

By the way, about the weapons: my first shotgun was a 1954 release. I’ve seen people who are fighting with antitank gun, which is stamped with 1943. After the rifle I was given a sniper rifle without optical sight. Terribly uncomfortable when you need to traverse the greenery. Then they gave me an automatic, with which it was more convenient. Recently everything was OK with the weapon supplies. It arrived new, with lubrication.

Militias take products from the warehouse and warehouses were replenished by humanitarian aid. Local people are also trying to help – bring potatoes, pickles. Clothing allowance is as follows: the majority of clothes is that you initially put on, and that’s all. Wash ing is easy: jump into the pond in the clothing in a pond, climb out, lather and dive in again. You wash yourself, and do the laundry in one go. Good that it was warm in August.

Ukrainian army, admittedly, is fighting quite competently. It feels that officers supervise it. Their outfit is also better. Once we got the trophy – a car with anti-aircraft guns. Inside we found everything: good uniform, mats, sharpened sapper shovels, well, all sorts of stuff – even some American marching washstand for 20 gallons of water. This is a suspended plastic bag with a tap – all is cultural and written in English.

“We did not call them”

What is militia fighting for? They believe in building a state Novorossia from Kharkov to Odessa. They know that that have no common road with the Ukrainians. Truce or no truce, but they will not live together. Besides long-term controversy now everyone already has a personal grudge against Ukraine: someone has relative that had to leave, killed, maimed, something destroyed. How will they live together – I can not imagine… Yes, these people are hardly amenable to discipline, they are used to doing everything by themselves, thinking: our little detachment’ll get to Kiev if only allowed. They were beaten badly in May, they retreated, losing comrades, crossed rivers in just pants and with a gun… But faith keeps them going, they do not doubt in their victory.

Civilians are certainly tired of war. But the attitude is: “We did not call them (Ukrainian army) here. We will live on our own, don’t want to feed Ukraine any longer”. They hope that the war will end and Russia will help to restore everything.

In the cities, when I was there, anarchy reigned. No police, no prosecution, courts, cops… However, public transport went like clock – in the empty city empty trolleybusses! As if you got into some looking glass kingdom. When I returned to Russia, at first everything was surprising: beautiful cars go about, the houses are intact, kids eating ice cream, people go and do not bend down from the shots. And it went just a hundred meters from the border…