Russia Declares That It Seeks To 'Liberate'/Invade Ukraine Outside Of The Eastern Donbas Region
Russia lays down its terms for ending the grain blockade
Putin met with leaders from Israel (Raisi) and Turkey (Erdogan) in Tehran to discuss the Syria situation, and it was agreed to continue to support the authoritarian regime. How does that fit in with Turkey being a member of NATO? It doesn’t, yet what will NATO do about this?
Russia has now admitted that they will be continuing their ‘mission’ across the whole of Ukraine as we all expected. They state that they are doing this due to the West supplying weapons to Ukraine, but that is a feeble excuse. Ukraine didn’t need to be liberated, but Russian occupied regions do now.
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Turkey is an issue, and perhaps NATO is considering addressing it but while they dither, Turkey is calling the shots and making up the rules as they go along. The grain blockade has affected some countries, but we also know that come autumn if it is not lifted or dealt with then there may well be a global food shortage, especially as the Russians are destroying the fields so that grain can’t be harvested.
We must accept the fact that a war outside of Ukraine may arise and NATO need to do more than carry out military exercises. They need to be ready to defend the world, right here, and right now. Russia is ready to escalate and always has been. The West will not stop supplying weapons, but gas is being used as a weapon and countries are beginning to ration gas supplies now. The reality is that there will be an energy crisis when winter arrives, but how will the world will cope with it?
Day 146 (19 July)
Putin meets the leaders from Israel and Turkey to discuss Syria, and to increase economic and defence ties between Russia and Iran, while Turkey chooses to retain ties to Russia despite being a member of NATO. Gazprom (Russian energy company) has signed a deal with Iran’s state owned oil company, and information has been revealed that Iran might supply drones to Russia for them to use in Ukraine. All three countries pledged to fight terrorism that threatens Assad’s authoritarian regime, so basically they are opposing factions like the West and those who wish to overthrow the authoritarian regime. Iran and Russia are two countries who both have sanctions imposed against them by the US, and so it was only expected that Russia would seek Iran as an ally.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelesnka has made an official visit to the USA and has been hosted by Biden and Jill Biden, and has attended some official meetings on behalf of the country.
The Vinnytsia attack has been condemned by other democratic countries around the world, and representative from Switzerland, Israel and the EU made a solidarity visit to the city
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A former NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen (2009-2014) has stated that no offers should be made to Putin, and for Russia to, ‘get out of Ukraine’. It’s a shame he is not the Secretray General now.
The Russian attack on Ukrainian grain continues, as grain elevators are seized in Zaporizhzia, and farmers are forced to put out fires in their fields with their hands and hosepipes as they are set alight with Russian missiles. If they can’t have the grain and to sell it, then no one can have it. Thus, Russia are responsible for the food crisis and starvation in the countries that depend on the grain, especially in Africa.
The Ukrainian parliament will set up a commission to monitor the receipt and movement of all donated weapons from the West. This is to provide guarantees to countries that the weapons will not fall into the hands of third parties.
This is Putin’s war and some Russians are trying to fight the disinformation being spread in the country. TV Dozhd, an independent channel has acquired an EU broadcasting license and is now transmitting from Latvia after being blocked by Russian authorities.
On the anniversary of MH17 being shot down, investigations indicate it came from the Russians and not the Donbas proxies.
Day 147 (20 July
Zelenskyy has dismissed a further 28 officials in the SBU (security service) in a bid to clean his house. The previously suspended law officials (Ivan Bakanov, Chief of SBU and Iryna Venedikotova, Prosecutor General) are now officially dismissed after Zelenskyy sought permission in parliament to finalise the act. Zelenskyy claims there are at least 60 former officials (from the SBU and Prosecutor’s office) are now working against Ukraine and who are aiding Russia in occupied areas with stolen information that they acquired in office.
Russia, via Lavrov (Foreign Minister) has officially declared that they will seek to ‘liberate’ other regions of Ukraine outside of their aims of liberating the eastern part of Ukraine. They claim this is because of the increase of Western weapons being provide to Ukraine. We all believed that the statement that the Russians sought only to invade the Donbas was untrue, as they have stated time and time again that they consider Ukraine as part of the Russian Federation and that they have a right to reclaim the land and to erase Ukrainian culture.
Plans to annexe the occupied regions continue as the Russians use the ‘Crimea’ blueprint. This includes moving Ukrainian orphans to Russia and to be given Russian identities, and those who do oppose the annexation will be detained (or kidnapped) and transported to Russian camps.
In Zaporizhzhia, around 400 people are being held hostage including employees of the nuclear plant, civilians, and local officials. I imagine this is one of many such incidents as we have heard of mass kidnappings over the last few months where some survive, and other didn’t make it.
Putin has laid down his terms to end the grain blockade, and that is for the rest of the world to cease the sanctions on Russian exports of grain. There are actually no sanctions against food being exported (only luxury items), but Russia is claiming that the export sanctions affects the livelihoods of the shipping companies and basically they want access to European ports. It is an underhand way of trying to get the sanctions lifted when they are the aggressors who are holding the grain to hostage by starving Ukraine out.
Well, there's a right shock. Who would have expected that?!
Oh, wait . . .! TC
I too fear the invasion of Ukraine will expand into a war outside of Ukraine. Zelensky's wife visiting the U.S. reminds me of Churchill who visited President Roosevelt three or possibly four times in the (I think) early years of World War 2.