Filed under: corruption, Dictatorship, Dmitry Medvedev, Empire, human rights, Medvedev, moscow, OMON, Oppression, police brutality, police corruption, police crimes, Police State, putin, swat | Tags: alexei dymovsky
Russian Senior Officer Exposes Police Corruption
This was about the worst police beating I’ve ever seen, and they leave him there cuffed and bloody for passer-by’s to see. . .
Police officer in Russia randomly attack gamblers in casino and beat them brutally, the police were free of all charges.
Russian SWAT (OMON) kills innocent boy for fun.
Russian special forces bust wrong car: Police were searching for a Porsche Cayenne carrying bank robbers, the vehicle fit the description so they stopped the car, broke the windows and threw flash grenades seriously beating the passengers. . . Only after attacking had they found out about their mistake.
Filed under: airstrike, Communism, Dmitry Medvedev, georgia, Iran, Medvedev, Military, military strike, moscow, NATO, Nuke, Preemptive Strike, putin, Russia, Soviet Union, Tehran, WW3, ww4
Russia: We’ll Nuke ‘Aggressors’ First
Wired
October 14, 2009
Russia is weighing changes to its military doctrine that would allow for a “preventive” nuclear strike against its enemies — even those armed only with conventional weapons. The news comes just as American diplomats are trying to get Russia to cut down its nuclear stockpile, and put the squeeze on Iran’s suspect nuclear program.
In an interview published today in Izvestia, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Kremlin’s security council, said the new doctrine offers “different options to allow the use of nuclear weapons, depending on a certain situation and intentions of a would-be enemy. In critical national security situations, one should also not exclude a preventive nuclear strike against the aggressor.”
What’s more, Patrushev said, Russia is revising the rules for the employment of nukes to repel conventionally armed attackers, “not only in large-scale, but also in a regional and even a local war.”
Gulp. If I were in Georgia — or in any other country Russia considers part of its sphere of influence — that formulation would make me pretty anxious.
The Russian Federation is considering the “first strike” option as part of a larger overhaul of military doctrine. The new doctrine, which is supposed to be presented to President Dmitry Medvedev later this year, is supposed to provide “flexible and timely” responses to national security threats.
The United States and Russia may prepping to negotiate a new strategic arms reduction treaty after President Obama declared a “reset” in relations between Moscow and Russia. But Patrushev, apparently, didn’t get the memo. In the interview, he takes a swipe at the United States and NATO, saying that the alliance “continues to press for the admission of new members to NATO, the military activities of the bloc are intensifying, and U.S. strategic forces are conducting intensive exercises to improve the management of strategic nuclear weapons.”
In other words, Moscow is holding to a hard line, precisely at a time when Washington is trying to play nice. The administration wants the Kremlin’s help — to pressure Iran, to revive the arms-control process — but the bear still needs to brandish nukes.
Filed under: Abkhazia, airstrikes, Britain, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, False Flag, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, human rights, Medvedev, mercenaries, mercs, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, NATO, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, putin, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, United Kingdom, War Crimes, White House, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Dmitry Rogozin, Michael Lee White, russian peacekeepers, tbilisi
Putin Blames U.S. For Staging Georgian Conflict
Steve Watson
Infowars.net
August 29, 2008
In an interview with CNN, Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has stated that the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict may have been manufactured by the White House for domestic political reasons. Putin also says that preliminary reports show U.S. citizens may have been present in the combat zone.
“We have serious reason to believe that American citizens were right at the heart of the military action. This would have implications for American domestic policy.” Putin told CNN.
“If this is confirmed, then it raises the suspicion that someone in the US specially created this conflict to worsen the situation and create an advantage in the competitive struggle for one of the candidates for the post of president of the United States.” he continued.
“They needed a short, victorious war.”
“And if it didn’t work out, they could always put the blame on us, make us look like the enemy and against the background of this surge of patriotism, once more rally the country around a particular political force.” Putin explained.
Watch a Russia Today report on Putin’s comments:
In addition to the remarks broadcast by Russia Today, Putin charged that Americans on the ground in Georgia were “implementing orders” from their “leader” during the conflict.
“The fact is that US citizens were indeed in the area in conflict during the hostilities. It should be admitted that they would do so only following direct orders from their leaders,” Putin said.
“Therefore, they were acting in implementing those orders, doing as they were ordered, and the only one who can give such orders is their leader,” he added.
The comments come in the wake of news that a U.S. passport was found in a building in South Ossetia occupied by Georgian troops.
As we have documented, reports of American mercenaries being captured and found dead inside South Ossetia and Georgia circulated in the days after the conflict began.
Putin also told the CNN interviewer that the Georgian army was armed and trained for the conflict.
“Why hold years of difficult talks and seek complex compromise solutions in inter-ethnic conflicts? It’s easier to arm one side and push it into the murder of the other side, and it’s over,” he said.
“It seems like an easy solution. In reality it turns out that it’s not always so.”
Putin may have been referring to the military exercise Immediate Response 2008, which took place last month, involving no less than one thousand U.S. troops working with Georgian troops in a war game scenario. It was also well documented that Georgian troops were flown out of Iraq by the U.S. to join the conflict in South Ossetia. Aside from these facts, it is common knowledge that Washington provides training and equipment to the Georgian military, one of its coalition allies.
U.S. citizen was among Georgian commandos – Russian Military
Russia Today
August 29, 2008
A U.S. passport was found in a building in South Ossetia occupied by Georgian troops, a Russian military spokesperson revealed on Thursday. After Russian peacekeepers cleared the heavily defended building, a passport belonging to a Texan named Michael Lee White was discovered inside.
Deputy Chief of Russia’s General Staff Anatoly Nagovitsyn showed photocopies of the passport to media in a press briefing on Thursday.
“There is a building in Zemonekozi – a settlement to the south of Tskhinval that was fiercely defended by a Georgian special operations squad. Upon clearing the building, Russian peacekeepers recovered, among other documents, an American passport in the name of Michael Lee White of Texas,” said Nagovitsyn.
Neither the owner of the passport nor his remains were found at the scene, despite a thorough search.
“I do not know why he was there, but it is a fact that he was in the building, among Georgian special forces troops,” Nagovitsyn said.
The briefing was delivered on the same day Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told CNN, “We have serious reasons to believe that American citizens were right at the heart of the military action”. Putin said the conflict in South Ossetian may have been planned to benefit one of the U.S. presidential candidates.
Military help for Georgia is a ’declaration of war’, says Moscow
This is London
August 28, 2008
Moscow has issued an extraordinary warning to the West that military assistance to Georgia for use against South Ossetia or Abkhazia would be viewed as a “declaration of war” by Russia.
The extreme rhetoric from the Kremlin’s envoy to NATO came as President Dmitry Medvedev stressed he will make a military response to US missile defence installations in eastern Europe, sending new shudders across countries whose people were once blighted by the Iron Curtain.
And Moscow also emphasised it was closely monitoring what it claims is a build-up of NATO firepower in the Black Sea.
The incendiary warning on Western military involvement in Georgia – where NATO nations have long played a role in training and equipping the small state – came in an interview with Dmitry Rogozin, a former nationalist politician who is now ambassador to the North Atlantic Alliance.
“If NATO suddenly takes military actions against Abkhazia and South Ossetia, acting solely in support of Tbilisi, this will mean a declaration of war on Russia,” he stated.
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/articles/detail.php?ID=370267
Russia: NATO interference in the caucasus means war
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=67757§ionid=351020602
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WO..ssia.georgia.cold.war/index.html
Russia threatens sale of offensive weapons to Israel’s enemies
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtr..eu_russia0447_08_20.asp
Filed under: airstrikes, Dick Cheney, Dmitry Medvedev, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, italy, Medvedev, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Saber Rattling, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, ukraine, War Crimes, White House, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Tony Fratto
Cheney travels to Georgia, Ukraine next week
AFP
August 25, 2008
US Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Georgia next week in a show of support for the war-battered US ally amid a deepening freeze in Russian ties with the West, the White House said Monday.
Cheney will become the most senior US official to visit the former Soviet republic since Russian tanks rolled into its smaller neighbor when Tbilisi tried to retake the Moscow-backed rebel region of South Ossetia by force.
The vice president, who warned early in the crisis that “Russian aggression must not go unanswered,” will also visit Azebaijan, Ukraine and attend an economic forum in Italy, the White House said.
Bush to issue statement on Russia-Georgia situation
Reuters
August 26, 2008
President George W. Bush on Tuesday will issue a statement on Russia’s recognition of breakaway Georgia regions, which the White House called an “unfortunate decision.”
Russia has been making a number of “irrational decisions” related to the conflict, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said in Texas where Bush is at his Crawford ranch.
“So far we’ve seen a series of unfortunate decisions by the Russians that only serve to further isolate them. And we hope that they hear the loud voices from the international community and understand that it’s not in their long-term interests to take these kinds of actions,” Fratto said.
He called “ridiculous” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s accusation, in an interview with the BBC, that the United States was shipping arms to Georgia on naval vessels.
“I can assure you that these are purely humanitarian aid shipments that are going into Georgia and nothing else,” Fratto said.
Filed under: Abkhazia, airstrikes, Coup, Dick Cheney, Dmitry Medvedev, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, ukraine, War Crimes, White House, WW3, ww4
Georgian President Vows to Overthrow South Ossetia and Abhkazia
NY Times
August 25, 2008
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia said Sunday that he planned to rebuild his country’s shattered army, and that even after its decisive defeat in the war for control of one of Georgia’s two separatist enclaves he would continue to pursue a policy of uniting both under the Georgian flag.
“It will stay the same,” he said of his ambition to bring the enclaves, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, under Georgian control. “Now as ever.”
Both houses of Russia’s Parliament, meanwhile, voted unanimously Monday to ask President Dmitri A. Medvedev to recognize the enclaves’ independence. But the measure, which requires the president’s approval to take effect, was seen as symbolic.
Separately, the White House on Monday announced that Vice President Dick Cheney would visit the region from Sept. 2, stopping in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Italy to discuss the crisis.
Filed under: Abkhazia, airstrikes, Dmitry Medvedev, federal crime, Genocide, George Bush, georgia, kosovo, Medvedev, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, neocons, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, serbia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: eduard kokoity, Sergei Mironov, Sergey Bagapsh, tbilisi, Tskhinvali
Bloomberg
August 25, 2008
Both houses of the Russian parliament called on President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions that sparked Russia’s first foreign military incursion since the Soviet era.
“Today we are faced with, I’m not afraid to say, a historic decision, to call upon the president of the Russian Federation to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,” Sergei Mironov, the speaker of the upper house, said in an address to lawmakers in Moscow today.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which broke away from Georgia in wars in the early 1990s, have cited Kosovo’s Feb. 17 declaration of independence from Serbia as a precedent for their aspirations. Medvedev — who alone can decide on whether to recognize the territories — has said previously that Russia supports the regions’ decisions on their future status, while stopping short of formally recognizing them. President George W. Bush has insisted the regions remain a part of Georgia.
Both the lower chamber, the state Duma, and the upper house, the Federation Council, voted unanimously in support of independence.
“Medvedev will recognize both regions,” said Alexander Rahr, a Russia expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. “There’s no way out,” he said. “This is a consequence of the recognition of Kosovo by the West and Western policy in the Balkans.”
Upper chamber backs independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Russia Today
August 25, 2008
Russia’s upper chamber of parliament has unanimously voted to ask the Russian President to recognise independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
As the emergency session of the Federation Council began in Moscow, the presidents of the two breakaway republics have once again said they will never agree to remain within Georgia.
In his speech, the President of South Ossetia, Eduard Kokoity, said that both unrecognised states have more right to independence than Kosovo.
“As President of South Ossetia and on behalf of the South Ossetian parliament and its people, with all gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation I once again call for the recognition of South Ossetia as an independent state,” he said before the senators.
Abkhazian President Sergey Bagapsh, for his part, said neither Abkhazia nor South Ossetia will live as one state with Georgia.
Meanwhile, the Parliament’s lower chamber, the State Duma will most probably back the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, said Konstantin Zatulin, deputy head of the Duma Committee for International Affairs.
MPs have gathered to discuss draft appeals to the Russian President and the parliaments of UN member states in connection with Georgia’s military attack on South Ossetia.
In his address the Speaker of the Duma, Boris Gryzlov, called Georgia’s action a case of genocide and compared it to the aggression of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union.
Even if Russia recognises Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the entire process will take a long time. There will be a need to decide what form their independence will take.
But if NATO makes a strong push to bring Georgia into the alliance, Russia will recognise both of them instantaneously, says RT’s political commentator Peter Lavelle.
Hard road to independence
South Ossetia, which borders Russia in the south Caucasus, and Abkhazia on the Black Sea had previously attempted to break away from Georgia following referendums which were overwhelmingly in favour of independence. The results were ignored by Tbilisi, which claimed the ethnic Georgians forced to flee the regions were not consulted. The recent conflict in South Ossetia has added further urgency to the demands for self-determination.
The roots of the current discord can be traced back to the divide and conquer policies of Joseph Stalin – himself half Georgian, half Ossetian. Before the 1917 revolution, the ethnic groups of the Caucasus all lived as separate subjects of the Russian empire. However, with the Bolsheviks came the redrawing of the map, with both South Ossetia and Abkhazia becoming parts of Georgia.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, the then Georgian leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia advocated a nationalist “Georgia for the Georgians” policy, re-opening old wounds. Two military conflicts followed, leaving thousands dead and forcing many more to flee the conflict zones.
The ceasefire in the early 1990s brought de-facto independence to both regions with the shaky truce maintained by peacekeeping forces of mainly Russian troops.
Russia has never recognised the independence of either republic, although Georgia has repeatedly accused Moscow of trying to annex its territory.
Since becoming president in 2004, Mikhail Saakashvili has pledged to bring his country closer to the West, which has also motivated his drive to end the territorial disputes.
Ossetians and Georgians have lived side by side for centuries. The two groups share Soviet history and the Orthodox Christian religion and intermarriage is common. But the ties that once bound their cultures have been severely damaged in the trauma of the recent fighting. Kosovo’s self-declared independence in February, too, has boosted these regions’ ambitions.
Most Abkhazians and South Ossetians carry Russian passports and the only valid currency is the Russian rouble. In addition, both self-declared republics have presidents, flags, national anthems, armies and Moscow’s support.
Filed under: airstrikes, Britain, Cold War, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, federal crime, Genocide, George Bush, georgia, Medvedev, Military, military strike, moscow, NASA, nation building, neocons, New World Order, ngo, occupation, Oil, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Protest, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, United Kingdom, War Crimes, WTO, WW3, ww4 | Tags: David Miliband, John Beyrle, north ossetia, refugees, russian peacekeepers, russian soldiers, soldiers, Thomas Hammarberg, Tskhinvali, Vladimir Lukin
US envoy: Russia’s 1st military response in Georgia was “legitimate”
The Globe and Mail
August 22, 2008
The U.S. ambassador to Moscow, in a rare U.S. comment endorsing Russia’s initial moves in Georgia, described the Kremlin’s first military response as legitimate after Russian troops came under attack.
U.S officials, including President George W. Bush, have strongly criticized Moscow’s subsequent action but have not focused on the initial chain of events that triggered the conflict between Russian and U.S.-ally Georgia.
The war broke out after Georgia tried to retake its Moscow-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia, prompting a counter-attack by Russian forces.
In his first major interview since his arrival as Ambassador last month, John Beyrle gave the Russian daily Kommersant his views on the conflict and warned about its impact on U.S. investor confidence in Russia.
“Now we see Russian forces, which responded to attacks on Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia, legitimately, we see those forces now having advanced on to the soil of Georgia; Georgian territorial integrity is in question here,” Mr. Beyrle told the newspaper.
He said Washington had not sanctioned Georgia’s initial actions when on Aug. 8, after a succession of tense skirmishes, Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia, triggering a massive Russian reaction when its peacekeepers there came under fire.
“We did not want to see a recourse to violence and force and we made that very, very clear,” Mr. Beyrle was cited as saying in quotes the U.S. embassy confirmed as accurate.
“The fact that we were trying to convince the Georgian side not to take this step is clear evidence that we did not want all this to happen,” Mr. Beyrle said in the interview, which was published on Friday.
“We have seen the destruction of civilian infrastructure, as well as calls by some Russian politicians to change the democratically-elected government of Georgia. Some question the territorial integrity of Georgia. That is why we believe that Russia has gone too far,” the envoy said.
Mr. Beyrle said Washington still supports Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization, which has still not been finalized after more than a decade of talks.
“But American investors are now looking at the situation around Russia with concern and asking questions,” he said.
Georgian war leaves 1,492 Ossetians dead – local authorities
Russia Today
August 20, 2008
The total number of causalities of the Georgian – South Ossetian conflict has been revealed. According to local authorities the conflict has taken the lives of 1492 Ossetians. More than 5,000 people from South Ossetia are still in refugee camps in the south of Russia.
Approximarely 30,000 people fled from Georgia’s offensive on August 8. Many have been staying with relatives or have been taken in by ordinary charitable people. RT met a young family of refugees who are now trying to piece their shattered lives together.
Refugees rely on the kindness of strangers
Whoever’s won this war, the Ossetian people have lost the most. Two of them, Ruslan and Khatuna Khelekhsaeva, say everyting they owned in Tskhinvali now lies in ruins.
They are very clear as to who they blame for having destroyed their lives.
“We blame Georgia and America for the war. It’s the second time they’ve bombed us. We can’t bear it anymore. No one can guarantee that Georgia won’t bomb us again,” Ruslan said.
We asked Ruslan whether South Ossetia should indeed break away from Georgia.
“Independence would be good in theory but we cannot defend ourselves against Georgia. So we need to be part of Russia. If Russia didn’t support us, then there would probably be no ‘us’ left on this earth,” he added.
Khatuna’s eyes cannot hide her pain. She recounts her experience:
“After all we’ve gone through, I don’t want to go back to Tskhinvali. Words cannot describe the five days we spent hiding in our basement, scared for our lives. I am haunted by those memories.”
They arrived in North Ossetia to find the refugee camp overflowing. They were taken in by Natalya Gabarayeva, a local woman.
“I’m doing my best to take care of them. I feel so sorry for them. They arrived here with nothing, and needed a roof over their heads,” Gabaraeva said.
She added that although local authorities are doing what they can, it is still not enough for the numbes of people that fled South Ossetia.
‘Human rights were violated’ in Ossetia – European watchdog
Russia Today
August 23, 2008
Europe’s top human rights official has arrived in war-ravaged South Ossetia on a fact-finding mission. Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg from the Council of Europe Human is being accompanied by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Lukin. They say their goal is to gather evidence from all sides and to compile a report on their findings.
Thomas Hammarberg said: “I know that human rights were violated during the conflict.”
“I’m not going to involve myself in politics”, he said. “I am only here to look at the human rights situation and come up with recommendations on how these rights can be protected in the future. Our report will be objective and impartial”.
Vladimir Lukin added: “Many people had their rights violated, including the primary right to life, to housing, and so on. And this issue requires much attention – so we’ve come to find out what happened from that perspective.”
Tensions are high in Georgia as Russian forces remain in position
http://www.infowars.com/?p=4109
EU should save Ukraine from Russia, NGO says
http://euobserver.com/9/26638
Medvedev exclusive: We’re not afraid of Cold War
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29490
Miliband Warning On New Cold War
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20..ning-on-new-cold-war-3fd0ae9.html
US-Russia chill threatens NASA space program
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gFs-KdAHqfcOLpWZWcf5hjzXPYow
Explosion severs Azerbaijan-Georgia-Europe fuel railway link
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5530
Filed under: airstrikes, belgium, blockade, Britain, bulgaria, ceasefire, Condoleezza Rice, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, False Flag, federal crime, foreign aid, Genocide, georgia, Germany, Globalism, Iran, Iraq, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, NATO, navy, neocons, Nuke, occupation, Oil, Pentagon, poland, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, red cross, romania, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, spain, staged provocation, Tehran, Troops, United Kingdom, War Crimes, war funding, war games, War On Terror, war spending, war training, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Dmitry Rogozin, Gerhard Schroeder, jaap de hood scheffer, nuclear war, nuclear warfare, port of Batumi, russian peacekeepers, soldiers, u.s. soldiers, USS McFaul, USS Taylor, warship
US warship anchors at Georgian port
Press TV
August 24, 2008
The guided missile destroyer USS McFaul has anchored at the Georgian port of Batumi, escalating tensions in the conflict-stricken region.
The US says the destroyer, which arrived at the Black Sea port on Sunday, contains humanitarian aid including baby food, diapers, bottled water and milk, AP reported.
This is while the USS McFaul is outfitted with an array of weaponry, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, which can carry both conventional or nuclear warheads, and a sophisticated radar system.
The US Embassy said the destroyer was the first of five American ships scheduled to arrive this week.
Earlier, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of Russia’s general staff said that the arrival of the ship and those of other NATO members would escalate tensions, adding that NATO is setting up a naval force in the Black Sea under the ’cover’ of aid deliveries to Georgia.
“Under the cover of needing to deliver humanitarian goods, NATO countries continue to boost their naval grouping,” Nogovitsyn told a news conference in Moscow on Saturday.
The US Navy does not say if the ships are carrying nuclear weapons for security reasons.
Georgian military forces attacked South Ossetia to retake control of the independence-seeking province on August 8. In response, Russia moved its forces to the region where most of the population holds Russian citizenship.
The conflict ended after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a French-brokered ceasefire deal last week.
At least 2,000 people in South Osettia and about 150 in Georgia were killed in the conflict. Also, about 40,000 people were displaced in areas around the conflict zone, according to International Committee of the Red Cross.
NATO Ships Enter The Black Sea
IHT
August 22, 2008
NATO warships entered the Black Sea on Thursday for what the alliance said were long-planned exercises and routine visits to ports in Romania and Bulgaria.
The move is not linked to the tensions over Russia’s invasion of Georgia, which lies on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, about 900 kilometers (550 miles) from the Romanian coast, said officials at NATO’s military command in southern Belgium.
Three warships — from Spain, Germany and Poland — sailed into the Black Sea on Thursday. They are due to be joined by a U.S. frigate, the USS Taylor, later this week.
They are “conducting a pre-planned routine visit to the Black Sea region to interact and exercise with our NATO partners Romania and Bulgaria, which is an important feature of our routine planning,” said Vice-Adm. Pim Bedet, deputy commander at allied maritime headquarters in Northwood, England.
However, the move risks increasing tensions with Russia which has deployed ships from its Black Sea fleet to the Georgian coast.
The NATO flotilla includes Spain’s SPS Adm. Juan de Bourbon, Germany’s FGS Luebeck and the Polish ship ORP General K Pulaski. Romanian and Bulgarian ships will join them for exercises during a three-week deployment which NATO says has been planned for over a year.
The Russian ambassador to NATO played down the impact of the emergency meeting of the Western alliance.
“The mountain gave birth to a mouse,” said Dmitry Rogozin.
Although the allies said they would not convene any more meetings of the NATO-Russia Council until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia, they bowed to concerns from Europe — which depends heavily on Russia for energy — and stopped short of adopting specific long-term steps to punish Moscow for its actions.
“There can be no business as usual with Russia under present circumstances,” said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the alliance’s secretary-general, after NATO foreign ministers met here.
“We are not abandoning the NATO-Russia Council, but as long as Russian forces are occupying large parts of Georgia, I cannot see the NATO-Russia Council meeting,” he told reporters.
Russia, which has accused the United States of wanting to dismantle the council, asked for a meeting last week but has been rebuffed thus far.
De Hoop Scheffer said “the future will depend on concrete actions from the Russian side,” but he was forced to add that “no specific decisions on programs or projects (with Russia) have been taken.”
The Russians have agreed to a cease-fire deal that requires a troop pullback, but at the Pentagon on Tuesday evening officials said the latest assessment by U.S. intelligence was that the Russians had shown no sign of beginning a substantial withdrawal. Two officials, discussing the intelligence assessment on condition of anonymity, said separately that Russian forces were holding their positions.
In a small victory for the United States, NATO foreign ministers did agree to show support for Georgia’s pro-Western government by creating a NATO-Georgia Commission to oversee the former Soviet republic’s bid to join the alliance and begin providing military training to its army.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=67384§ionid=351020602
Russia Warns of Corpse Provocation
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1010/42/370269.htm
Russian security source says Georgia planned attack year ahead
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080823/116236332.html
Iraq invites Russian oil company back
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D92M5K900.htm
Georgia set for military action – Russian General Staff
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080822/116215518.html
Russia to keep 500 troops in Georgia buffer zone
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=308583
US: Russia must return any US equipment
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g..mQ9wB4_FnH5KXkA
Russia Seizes U.S. Vehicles
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/23/georgia.russia
Germany’s Schroeder says Georgia sparked fighting
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LG340681.htm
The History of the Georgia, Russia Conflict
http://www.unobserver.com/inde..ayout5.php&id=5057&blz=1
Medvedev Vies With Putin in Word War
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/600/42/369927.htm
Moscow: U.S. missile shield may spark arms race
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29298
Filed under: Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, arms sales, Dmitry Medvedev, Ehud Barak, ehud olmert, Iran, Israel, Medvedev, military strike, missile defense, Nuke, Olmert, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Shock and Awe, Syria, Tehran, War On Terror, war spending, weapons trade, WW3, ww4 | Tags: missile shield, nuclear war, nuclear warfare, Tzipi livni, Yediot Ahronot
Olmert to visit Russia to foil arms sale to Syria
Uruknet
August 22, 2008
The Israeli premier Ehud Olmert intends to visit Russia to foil a possible arms deal to Syria, according to Yediot Ahronot on Friday.
The paper said that Olmert threatened Syria that Israel will destroy any weapons they buy from Russia telling the Syrians that it would be a loss for Syria to pay money for arms that Israel will work to destroy.
These Israeli reaction were prompted by President Bashar al-Asad’s visit to Russia to express his support for the Russian government in the Caucuses conflict and a probable arms deal.
Israel and the USA have been angered by reports that Syria has accepted Russian deployment of Iskander missile system on its territories. Syria has officially said that there is no truth to such reports.
Olmert has pre-empted Asad’s visit by a phone call to Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev during which he urged President Medvedev not to sell weapons to Syria and tried to belittle the role of Israel in supplying the Georgian army with weapons.
For his part, the Israeli war minister, Ehud Barak, said that Israel is watching the results of Asad’s visit to Russia closely, in particular the negotiations to equip the Syrian army with better weapons.
The Israeli foreign minister Tzipi livni had earlier urged Russia not to conclude any arms deals with Syria and said that both Israel and Russia have interest in Syria not getting long range missiles.
Filed under: Afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, arms sales, ceasefire, Coup, Dmitry Medvedev, False Flag, Hugo Chavez, Iran, Media, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, missile defense, NATO, navy, Nuke, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Sarkozy, Sergey Lavrov, Shock and Awe, Syria, Tehran, Venezuela, War On Terror, war spending, weapons trade, WW3, ww4 | Tags: foreign military financing, Iskander missiles, missile shield, moskva, nuclear war, nuclear warfare, pantsyr-S1, russian peacekeepers, S-300 air-missile, tartus, warships
Syria: we’ll host Russian missile system
Russia Sends Aircraft Carrier To Syria
Barents Observer
August 20, 2008
The Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” is ready to head from Murmansk towards the Mediterranean and the Syrian port of Tartus. The mission comes after Syrian President Bashar Assad said he is open for a Russian base in the area.
The “Admiral Kuznetsov”, part of the Northern Fleet and Russia’s only aircraft carrier, will head a Navy mission to the area. The mission will also include the missile cruiser “Moskva” and several submarines, Newsru.com reports.
President Assad in meetings in Moscow this week expressed support to Russia’s intervention in South Ossetia and Georgia. He also expressed interest in the establishment of Russian missile air defence facilities on his land.
The “Admiral Kuznetsov” also last year headed a navy mission to the Mediterranean. Then, on the way from the Kola Peninsula and south, it stopped in the North Sea where it conducted a navy training exercise in the immediate vicinity of Norwegian offshore installations.
Syria: Time ripe for closer Russia military ties
Press TV
August 20, 2008
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says the conflict in the Caucasus underlines the need for Russia and Syria to expand military ties.
In an interview with Kommersant, President al-Assad said Damascus is prepared to ’speed up’ defense cooperation with Moscow.
“I think that everyone in Russia and in the world is now aware of Israel’s role and its military consultants in the Georgian crisis,” said President al-Assad, who will meet his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday.
Such deals would irk Washington and Tel Aviv, which have long asked Moscow not to sell weapons to countries that share borders with the occupied territories.
Reports, however, indicate that Russia is eager to revive its defense ties with Syria following the South Ossetian conflict, in which Georgia used Israeli-supplied equipment.
An Israeli website reported that Moscow plans to deploy advanced missile systems – including the S-300 air-missile defense system as well as the nuclear-capable Iskander missiles – in Syria in the near future.
A Russian official was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that a number of deals involving anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems are being prepared by Russia and Syria.
“Damascus is Moscow’s long-standing partner in military cooperation and we are expecting to reach an agreement in principle on new weapons deals,” said the source.
The official added that the Syrians are interested in acquiring Russia’s Pantsyr-S1 Air Defense Missile systems, BUK-M1 surface-to-air medium-range missile system, military aircraft, and other hardware.
Russia has condemned both Israel and the US for their role in arming the Georgian military with sophisticated weapons.
Israel claims it has not directly equipped or trained the Georgian military, and private Israeli firms – with the defense ministry’s approval- are responsible for such dealings.
Russia Looks To Send Navy Fleet To Caribbean
Bloomberg
August 18, 2008
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Russia has expressed interest in sending a naval fleet to the Caribbean. He said Venezuela would welcome the visit.
The naval fleet would come to Caribbean waters on a trip of “friendship and work,’’ Chavez said in comments on state television. Venezuela has bought Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia and is evaluating the purchase of submarines, Chavez said.
“We’ve been informed that the Russian government wants to visit Venezuela,’’ Chavez said. “They want a Russian fleet to come to the Caribbean. If they come, they’ll be welcomed.’’
Venezuela has spent billions of dollars in modernizing its armed forces in recent years, purchasing arms mainly from Russia. The South American country has also criticized the U.S.’s reactivation of the Navy’s Fourth Fleet to patrol the Caribbean on anti-narcotics missions.
Chavez said he’s interested in buying K-8 Chinese training jets after the U.S. stopped selling replacement parts for existing Venezuelan aircraft. He said he’ll visit China in September.
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5513
Russia moving missile launchers into South Ossetia
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008120494_ossetia18.html
Syria Signs Defense Pact With Russia
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t..iddle_east/article4573599.ece
Russia Checkmates the Neocons
http://www.infowars.com/?p=4071
Big Russian flotilla led by Admiral Kuznetsov carrier heads for Syrian port
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5526
Filed under: airstrikes, angela merkel, Britain, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, federal crime, Genocide, georgia, Germany, Medvedev, Military, military strike, missile defense, moscow, nation building, NATO, Nuke, occupation, poland, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, ukraine, United Kingdom, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: european peacekeepers, missile shield, russian soldiers, soldiers
Merkel and Medvedev split over European peacekeepers
Russia Today
August 15, 2008
The leaders of Russia and Germany have clashed over the role of European peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Speaking after their meeting in Sochi, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said their presence was vital to maintain stability in the conflict zone. But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,
while not objecting to the principle, argued that the South Ossetians would not allow it.
Medvedev said: “Peace in the region should be re-established and guaranteed so that no idiotic ideas ever come to anyone’s head – that is the main task for the Russian Federation at the present moment.”
He added that the South Ossetian and Abkhazian sides had stated they would only trust Russian forces to secure peace in the region.
Merkel told the media she did not want to apportion blame, but explained she was not happy with Moscow’s actions.
“The reaction of Russia was disproportionate,” she said. “The presence of military forces on the Georgian territory was wrong. I believe we have to realise the plan of the six principles as soon as possible so that Russian troops can leave the territory of Georgia.”
Though Merkel reiterated the stance that Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected, Medvedev reminded her that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not planning to rejoin Georgia.
Medvedev to Merkel: U.S. Missile defense in Poland is aimed at Russia
Reuters
August 15, 2008
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a joint news conference following talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on the Russian-Georgian military conflict.
Following are key excerpts from the briefing:
ON GEORGIA/UKRAINE NATO MEMBERSHIP
MERKEL: “Georgia and Ukraine could be members of NATO, we have left the timing open and we have said they could be made members if they want this and that position remains”
ON RUSSIAN TROOPS WITHDRAWAL
MERKEL: “Some of Russia’s actions were not proportionate… Russian troops should withdraw from central areas in Georgia”
ON POLISH MISSILE SHIELD DEAL
MEDVEDEV: “This decision clearly demonstrates everything we have said recently. The deployment of new anti-missile forces in Europe has as its aim the Russian Federation.
The moment has been chosen well and therefore any fairy tales about deterring other states, fairy tales that with the help of this system, we will deter some sort of rogue states no longer work.
It is sad for Europe and for everyone living on this densely populated continent. But it is not dramatic. We will continue to work on this and we are ready to continue discussions with all participants. But it is clear this decision will not create any sort of calm”.
ON RUSSIAN RELATIONS WITH THE WEST MEDVEDEV: “We would not like of course to see relations deteriorate in the long or short-term. We have always based our position on full-fledged development of relations with the EU, separate EU states, the United States and other states.
We are living in a fragile world and it is obvious that any worsening of the international environment will only serve the interests of the most reactionary forces. Those who don’t understand this are blind.
We don’t want to cut relations with anyone, but nevertheless I’ll tell you that we have fulfilled and will continue to fulfil our peacekeeping mandate. If someone continues to attack our citizens, our peacekeepers, we will of course respond in just the same way we have responded. There should be no doubt about this.”
ON ASSESSING BLAME
MERKEL: “I think in such a complicated and difficult conflict, it is rare that all the blame is on one side. In fact both sides are probably to blame. That is very important to understand.”
ON GEORGIAN TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
MEDVEDEV: “No one is rejecting the principle of territorial integrity as one of the main principles of international law… Unfortunately after what has happened it is unlikely that the Ossetians and the Abkhazians will be able to live in one state together with the Georgians.”
ON INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPERS
MEDVEDEV: “We are, of course, not against international peacekeepers. But it is not our position which matters. The problem is that Ossetians and Abkhazians themselves do not trust anyone but Russian peacekeepers”.
ON PEACE AND IDIOTIC IDEAS
MEDVEDEV: “Peace needs to be restored and guaranteed in the region. So that no one gets any more idiotic ideas into their heads. This is Russia’s main goal today”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/13/georgia.russia8
Filed under: airstrikes, Britain, ceasefire, Child Abuse, christian, Condoleezza Rice, Disinformation, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, fake news, false information, federal crime, France, Genocide, georgia, human rights, italy, joe biden, london, Medvedev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, NATO, neocons, occupation, paris, Pat Buchanan, POW, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Propaganda, religion, Russia, Sarkozy, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, United Kingdom, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: gori, russian soldiers, Slovakia, soldiers, vladkavaz
Russia promises withdrawal by Friday
NATO is attacking Russia and S.Ossetia
Old churches burned down after Georgians invaded S. Ossetia
Georgian authorities block Russian aid for Gori
Russia Today
August 19, 2008
The city authorities of Gori have refused humanitarian aid from Russia. A convoy carrying food for the Georgian city was ordered on Monday to return to Tskhinvali, according to the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
The humanitarian convoy was unloading its cargo at a local church in preparation for its later distribution when a man came and demanded that the trucks left. He reportedly said the city needed no help, according to ITAR TASS news agency.
The ministry has been making a daily delivery ofng 40 to 45 tonnes of food to Georgia for the last four days, said Emergencies Minister Sergey Shoigu on Monday. The normal food supply was disrupted after local authorities fled from advancing Russian troops.
Russia is now withdrawing its military contingent from Gori. Last Thursday it handed over control of law and order in the city to Georgian police.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200..BLS9IkSPqdWyO6HpZbbBAF
Saakashvili May Be Put On Trial In Russia
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29005
Pat Buchanan: US Out of the Caucasus!
http://mparent7777-1.livejournal.com/1333502.html
Georgians Fired Russia’s Peacekeepers Point-Blank
http://www.kommersant.com/p-13111/Shot_peacekeepers/
Russia Signs French Brokered Peace Deal
http://www.france24.com..-moscow-south-ossetia&navi=MONDE
No sign of military withdrawal as Russian armour stays put
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/18/russia.georgia1
Children made innocent victims of cruel war
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29187
Biden Goes To Georgia At Saakshvili’s Request
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=5593147
Filed under: Abkhazia, airstrikes, Britain, CNN, Conditioning, Disinformation, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, fake news, false information, federal crime, France, Genocide, georgia, gori, Media, media bias, Media Fear, medvedec, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, NATO, occupation, paris, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Propaganda, Psyops, Russia, Sarkozy, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, UN, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: information war, vitaly churkin
Media spreading disinformation – Russia’s UN ambassador
Russia Today
August 15, 2008
Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin has dismissed media reports that the Georgian city of Gori is “in ruins.” He called the allegations a “disinformation campaign” and pointed to the fact that Russian peacekeepers have in fact performed a humanitarian mission there.
Speaking to reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, Churkin expressed his disappointment that “respectable publications are falling prey to this propaganda campaign”.
On the possibility of a Security Council resolution on Georgia, he said there was a new draft whose purpose was “quite simply to support with the authority of the Security Council the six-point Medvedev-Sarkozy plan, and it is a completely different territory now.”
He stressed that in any discussions regarding the territorial integrity of Georgia, “there is the question of the will of the people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and we believe all these needs must be reflected in the thinking of the international community.”
Responding to a question on Georgia’s desire to join NATO, Churkin said Russia is opposed to any expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, and there are “better ways to deal with matters of European-North Atlantic security, more cooperative ways that would include rather than exclude Russia”.
Filed under: 2008 Election, 2008 olympics, airstrikes, angela merkel, Barack Obama, beijing, Britain, Censorship, CNN, Conditioning, Condoleezza Rice, Czech Republic, Disinformation, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, fake news, false information, federal crime, Fox News, France, Genocide, George Bush, georgia, Germany, Globalism, Iraq, John McCain, journalists, Larry King, Media, Medvedev, mercenarys, mercs, mikhail gorbachev, Mikheil Saakashvili, Military, military strike, missile defense, missile shield, moscow, nation building, NATO, navy, neocons, Nuke, obama, occupation, olympics, paris, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Propaganda, Psyops, public relations, putin, Russia, Sarkozy, Sergey Lavrov, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, Troops, uav, UN, United Kingdom, War Crimes, war games, War On Terror, war training, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Czechoslovakia, eduard kokoity, Eduard Shevardnadze, georgian soldiers, Gerhard Schroeder, gori, mikhail mindzaev, refugees, rocket launchers, russian peacekeepers, senaki, soldiers, Tskhinvali, u.s. soldiers, warship, warships
PROOF: Georgia started hostilities in South Ossetia
Georgia is a U.S. Project – Russian FM
Interview with the former president of Georgia E. Shevarnadze
Media briefing of Russia’s General Staff
Fox News journalist runs for his life from Georgian fire
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/15/russia.georgia
Georgia ‘will join NATO’: Merkel
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Georgia_will_join_NATO_Merkel_999.html
Russia’s NATO envoy calls U.S. missile shield ‘dead cat’
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080815/116072788.html
War in South Ossetia – 89 pictures taken by a Russian soldier
http://www.navoine.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?p=551
Schroeder blames ‘gambler’ Saakashvili for conflict
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29100
Row escalates after Fox New’s interview with 12 year old girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWE3XAV34kI
South Ossetians Describe Georgian Bombings in Detail
http://www.washingtonpost…08/16/AR2008081602253.html?nav=rss_world
Ossetians collect evidence of Georgian ‘genocide’
http://www.russiatoday.com/features/news/29086
Georgian provinces likely to join Russia
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/2008/08/17/6478751-sun.html
UK & U.S. Threaten To Oust Russia From G-8
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=66578§ionid=351020602
Nato is pushing Russia into a new Cold War
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/a..o-pushing-Russia-new-Cold-War.html
Rice Tells Russia To Quit Immediately
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/32664dba-6aca-11dd-b613-0000779fd18c.html
Bush accuses Russia of ‘bullying’ Georgia
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/200808..-conflict-0d84f64.html
Russians prepare two security strips in Georgia as Rice lands in Tbilisi
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5511
Czech President: Russians not villains, Georgians not victims
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/107261
Chavez blames US for war in Georgia
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=66651§ionid=351020704
McCain and Obama Finally Meet on Stage Talking Russia/Ossetia Conflict
U.S. Tells Russia to Remove Forces From Georgia
Neo-cons dream of global dominance
Is Condoleeza Rice Stupid?
Georgian TV Reporter Shot By Russian Sniper
Georgia Files Suit Against Russia, Charging Racial Discrimination
Filed under: airstrikes, BBC, Bloggers, Censorship, CNN, Conditioning, Disinformation, Dmitry Medvedev, fake news, false information, federal crime, free press, Genocide, georgia, Globalism, hackers, internet, internet blackout, Israel, journalists, Martial Law, Media, media bias, media blackout, Medvedev, Military, military strike, moscow, nation building, NATO, occupation, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Propaganda, Psyops, putin, Russia, Shock and Awe, South Ossetia, staged provocation, stalin, Troops, War Crimes, WW3, ww4 | Tags: cyber war, gori, Rbilisi, russian peacekeepers, soldiers, Tskhinvali
Info War – CNN Lies About Gori Bombings by Russia
Russian Cameraman: CNN Aired Misleading Footage
Broadcaster showed Georgian forces attacking South Ossetia, claimed it was Russians attacking Gori
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
August 12, 2008
CNN is airing misleading footage of the war between Georgia and Russia, skewing public opinion in favor of the Georgians, according to a Russia Today cameraman interviewed this morning.
The Russia Today satellite TV company aired the interview on its English language news channel but the story is yet to appear on the Internet or in any other news outlet.
The Russian cameraman charged that CNN had used his footage of Georgian forces attacking Russian civilians in Tskhinvali, the provincial capital of South Ossetia, but then claimed it showed Russians attacking Georgians in the Georgian town of Gori.
The Georgian assault on Tskhinvali, described as an act of genocide and a war crime by Russian officials and other eyewitnesses, led to the slaughter of at least 2,000 civilians. The fact that Georgia, backed by the U.S. and Israel, were responsible for the provocation that led to the Russian response, has been buried by the majority of western corporate media.
Western media bias to skew popular opinion in favor of the U.S. and NATO client state Georgia was evident from the very start of the conflict.
As we reported yesterday, a prime example of media bias in shielding Georgia from responsibility for the carnage is the fact that news outlets like the BBC continue to report that thousands of civilians were killed in Georgia, ith the obvious inference being that these are victims of the Russian onslaught. But these victims were not killed in Georgia, they were killed in Ossetia – by Georgian forces.
As the Chimes of Freedom Blog elaborates, “While the Ossetians claimed over 1000 dead the BBC neither reported this or any newsreel coming out of Ossetia showing the destruction caused by the Georgian shelling of the breakaway republic. All we are getting is one-sided reports of the destruction being caused by the Russians.”
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev this morning ordered an immediate halt to Russia’s military operations against Georgia.
“The purpose of the operation has been achieved…. The security of our peacekeeping forces and the civilian population has been restored,” Interfax quoted him as saying.
UPDATE: Russia Today has now posted the following on their website and uploaded a video.
Russian media suppressed in Georgia
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200..1NwOoTO6GRL.Z38vINk24cA
Russia points to media bias in coverage of S.Ossetia conflict
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080810/115936076.html
Russia Today’s Web Site Attacked
http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28835
Georgian president’s Web site moves to Atlanta
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92G6SGO0&show_article=1
Georgia: Russia ’conducting cyber war’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/..-Russia-conducting-cyber-war.html
U.S. Media Distorts Reality Of Georgia/Russia Conflict
http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=11387
Filed under: airstrikes, Arctic, belarus, Britain, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dmitry Medvedev, Dollar, Europe, european union, Greenback, Hugo Chavez, Medvedev, Military, military strike, missile defense, moscow, NATO, New World Order, norway, Nuke, ocean, Oil, OPEC, Petrol, putin, ruble, Russia, South America, Soviet Union, sudan, ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela, war games, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Northern Eagle 2008, Tu-160 Blackjack, Tu-95MS Bear
Russia and Venezuela in deal to counter ‘US aggression’
Adrian Blomfield
London Telegraph
July 23, 2008
With a long shopping list for state-of-the-art defence equipment under his arm, Mr Chavez did his best to ingratiate himself with his hosts.
He first signed off on a deal giving Russia’s state-owned energy companies – often accused of doubling as private piggy banks for powerful Kremlin forces – exclusive rights to develop new deposits Venezuela’s Orinoco Oil Belt.
Then he switched smoothly to flattery, with a call for the Russian ruble to replace the US dollar as the world’s global currency.
“We in OPEC have proposed to put an end to the dollar,” Mr Chavez said, speaking in his role as self-appointed spokesman for the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Mr Chavez was given correspondingly warm welcome as he met with one old friend, prime minister Vladimir Putin, and one new one in the form of president Dmitry Medvedev.
Mr Medvedev was particularly effusive, describing Venezuela as Russia’s “most important partner”.
Ignoring accusations of electoral fraud and authoritarianism that have been directed at both countries, Mr Medvedev told his guest: “We have one common task; to make the surrounding world more democratic, fair and secure.”
Russia needs bombers in Cuba due to NATO expansion – ex-commander
RIA Novosti
July 21, 2008
The possible deployment of Russian strategic bombers in Cuba may be an effective response to the placement of NATO bases near Russia’s borders, a former Air Force commander said on Monday.
Russian daily Izvestia earlier on Monday cited a senior Russian military source as saying that Russian strategic bombers could be stationed again in Cuba, only 90 miles from the U.S. coast, in response to the U.S. missile shield in Europe.
“If these plans are being considered, it would be a good response to the attempts to place NATO bases near the Russian borders,” Gen. of the Army Pyotr Deinekin told RIA Novosti.
“I do not see anything wrong with it because nobody listens to our objections when they place airbases and electronic monitoring and surveillance stations near our borders,” the general said.
However, Deinekin said the possibility of Russian bombers being stationed in Cuba is largely hypothetical, because Russia’s Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers are both capable of reaching the U.S. coast, patrolling the area for about 1.5 hours, and returning to airbases in Russia with mid-air refueling.
Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed by former president Vladimir Putin. Russian bombers have since carried out over 80 strategic patrol flights and have often been escorted by NATO planes.
Deinekin suggested that Cuba could be used as a refueling stopover for Russian aircraft rather than as a permanent base, because the Russian political and military leadership would be unlikely to take such a drastic step under current global political conditions.
In October 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to the brink of nuclear war when Soviet missiles were stationed in Cuba.
The crisis was resolved after 12 days when the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, backed down and ordered the missiles removed.
Moscow had a military presence on Cuba for almost four decades after that, maintaining an electronic listening post at Lourdes, about 20 km (12.5 miles) from Havana, to monitor U.S. military moves and communications.
Russia was paying $200 million a year to lease the base, which it closed down in January 2002.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_gen..ssia_on_nuclear__07222008.html
The Medvedev proposal: Russia’s “New Order” of security relations incorporating the US, Russia and the European Union
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2008/07/910222.shtml
Belarus secretly delivers Russian warplanes to Sudan
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080721/114537636.html
Russian warship arrives in Norway for Northern Eagle 2008 exercise
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/l..08/russia-080717-rianovosti01.htm
Putin Wants Closer Military Ties With Venezuela
http://www.globalsecurity.org/militar..8/07/mil-080722-rianovosti02.htm
Russian missile cruiser begins patrols around Spitsbergen
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080722/114639422.html
Russia concerned over U.S.-Ukraine Black Sea military exercises
http://en.rian.ru/world/20080718/114389691.html
Filed under: Arctic, armenia, belgium, Britain, Canada, Cold War, Condoleezza Rice, Czech Republic, denmark, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, France, George Bush, georgia, Germany, greece, Iran, Medvedev, Military, moscow, NATO, navy, neocons, Nuke, poland, putin, Russia, Soviet Union, Tehran, Troops, Turkey, ukraine, United Kingdom, war games, Washington D.C., WW3, ww4 | Tags: Communism, kaliningrad, latvia, lithuania, macedonia, military strike, missile defense, Sea Breeze-2008, Sergei Kislyak, Sergei Mironov, tbilisi
Russia May Aim Nukes at Europe
Press TV
July 13, 2008
Russia is considering aiming nuclear weapons at Western Europe for the first time since the end of the cold war.
Defense sources in Moscow say among the schemes being discussed to counter US plans to station a missile defense shield in Europe is the possible deployment of ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between the EU countries of Lithuania and Poland, The Times Online reported.
A Russian parliamentary committee visited the enclave 10 days ago to look into how a new generation of nuclear missiles could be based there, the report added.
If a deployment does take place, then it would greatly increase tensions in Europe between Moscow and Washington.
Only last week, the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice signed an agreement in Prague to build a radar station in the Czech Republic.
A deal with Poland is in the works to host a base for 10 interceptor rockets on its border with Russia. The agreement is expected to be signed later this year.
Moscow is strongly opposed to the shield, saying that it is part of an aggressive US military expansion into its own backyard.
A source with close connections to the Russian defense ministry said, “One of the main steps under consideration is a redeployment of nuclear missiles to Kaliningrad and Belarus. These missiles would be pointed at Europe. It would be a perfectly legitimate step. If America wants to expand its military capabilities in Europe, then we have the right to act accordingly”.
The source also went on to question the US claim that the shield was intended to intercept missiles only from the so-called rogue states. He said, “How would Washington feel if we placed interceptor missiles on Cuba or Venezuela?”
Experts said the threat of deploying missiles in Kaliningrad was largely aimed at strengthening the opposition to the shields in Poland and the Czech Republic. Experts went on to add that Russia would have to build new long-range ground-based ballistic missiles since it has destroyed most of its Soviet-era arsenal.
U.S. troops to hold exercises in Georgia, Ukraine
AFP
July 14, 2008
Georgian soldiers take part in war games with their US, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Ukrainean counterparts at the Vaziani training area on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
US troops on Monday began military exercises near the Russian border in ex-Soviet Ukraine and were poised to launch them in Georgia, amid tense relations between Moscow and Washington, officials said.
A ceremony inaugurating the Sea Breeze-2008 NATO exercise was held off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a Ukrainian defence ministry spokeswoman said, against anti-NATO protests and a hostile reaction from officials in Russia.
The NATO exercises “will increase political and military tensions in Europe as a whole,” Sergei Mironov, speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency in Moscow.
Sea Breeze-2008, which lasts until July 26, will also include forces from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Macedonia and Turkey, officials said.
Separate military exercises dubbed Immediate Response-2008 are due to start in Georgia on Tuesday with Armenian, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian and US troops taking part, a Georgian defence ministry spokeswoman said.
“The US-Georgia joint exercises will be held at the Vaziani military base” less than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Russian border with a total of 1,650 servicemen taking part, said the spokeswoman, Nana Intskirveli.
Russia to ‘neutralise’ US missile defence threat: report
AFP
July 14, 2008
Russia’s military is ready to “neutralise” any threat to its nuclear deterrent from US missile defence sites in Europe, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said Monday, according to Interfax news agency.
“If we see the development of systems that could reduce our deterrent potential, our military will have to take steps to neutralise the threat,” Kislyak was quoted as saying at a briefing in Moscow.
He did not specify the steps that would be taken, saying “this will be decided by military specialists.”
“We would prefer not to have to do this,” he added.
Kislyak said US proposals to ease Russian concerns about the missile shield, which Washington claims is aimed at countering possible threats from states such as Iran, remained in doubt.
http://russiatoday.ru/news/news/27508
Russia cuts oil shipments to Czech Republic against the background of its radar agreement with USA
http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/105772-czech_usa_radar-0
Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face
http://www.lewrockwell.com/margolis/margolis116.html
Russian navy boosts combat presence in Arctic
http://www.canada.com/topics/new..8-4dd8-944f-58af497c3fa6
Filed under: Arctic, atlantic, Britain, Cold War, Communism, Condoleezza Rice, Czech Republic, Dmitry Medvedev, Europe, european union, George Bush, Iran, Japan, kosovo, Medvedev, Military, military strike, missile defense, moscow, NATO, navy, neocons, north korea, Nuke, ocean, Pentagon, poland, putin, Russia, United Kingdom, war games, WW3, ww4 | Tags: Gordon Johndroe
Russia Threatens Military Action Over U.S. Missile Shield
David Charter
Times Online
July 8, 2008
Russia tonight threatened to retaliate by military means after a deal with the Czech Republic brought the US missile defence system in Europe a step closer.
The threat followed quickly on from the announcement that Condoleezza Rice signed a formal agreement with the Czech Republic to host the radar for the controversial project.
Moscow argues that the missile shield would severely undermine the balance of European security and regards the proposed missile shield based in two former Communist countries as a hostile move.
“We will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry did not detail what its response might entail.
Dr Rice, the US Secretary of State, hailed the agreement as a step forward for international security.
After 14 months of negotiations, the US is struggling to clinch agreement with its other proposed partner – Poland – where it hopes to locate the interceptor missiles designed to shoot down any incoming rockets.
U.S. plays down Russian warning on missile shield
Olivier Knox
AFP
July 8, 2008
The United States urged Russia on Wednesday to join its planned missile defence as “equal partners” and played down a warning from Moscow that it might react militarily to the system.
“We seek strategic cooperation on preventing missiles from rogue nations like Iran from threatening our friends and allies,” said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. “We will continue to have a dialogue with the Russians.”
“We want to design a system between the United States, Russia and Europe, with everyone participating as equal partners,” Johndroe said on the margins of a rich nations summit at this mountain resort in northern Japan.
Washington says it needs to base interceptor missiles in Europe to form a shield to stop possible attacks by states like Iran or North Korea.
US President George W. Bush and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev clashed on the controversial plan on Monday, in their first face-to-face talks since the Russian leader took office in May.
And Russia warned Tuesday that it would react militarily if Washington erected installations on its Cold War turf, hours after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a deal to base some components in the Czech Republic.
Russia starts large-scale naval exercise in the Pacific
RIA Novosti
July 11, 2008
Over 20 combat and auxiliary ships from Russia’s Pacific Fleet started on Tuesday a large-scale naval exercise in the Sea of Japan, which includes live firing drills, a fleet spokesman said.
“The exercise is part of the summer combat training program,” Captain 1st Rank Roman Martov said. “More than 20 combat and auxiliary ships will participate in about 20 individual and group drills.”
The core of the naval task force participating in the exercise consists of the Varyag, a Russian Slava-class missile cruiser dubbed ’the killer of aircraft carriers,’ the Bystry, a Sovremenny class destroyer, and a group of missile boats.
According to the exercise scenario, the Russian naval task force and shore-based naval aircraft are tasked with the search and destruction of an ’aggressor force’ attempting to establish a beachhead on the Russian coast.
The ships will conduct a series of live firing drills against ground, surface, and air targets.
During the exercise, the Varyag and the Bystry will test-fire new surface-to-air missiles at a target drone.
Russian strategic bombers continue Arctic, Atlantic patrols
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080709/113588157.html
Filed under: Ahmadinejad, airstrikes, angela merkel, BBC, Britain, Condoleezza Rice, Coup, D8, Dmitry Medvedev, Ehud Barak, european union, False Flag, France, g8, George Bush, global elite, gulf, h.con.res.362, hackers, hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Iran war resolution, Israel, Japan, Media, Medvedev, Military, military strike, moscow, neocons, Nuke, palestine, photoshop, Preemptive Strike, preemptive war, Revolutionary Guards, Robert Gates, Russia, Saber Rattling, Sanctions, Shock and Awe, Spy, Syria, Tehran, tel aviv, Troops, uav, UN, war games, War On Terror, WW3, ww4 | Tags: eitam aeroplane, Hoot torpedo, Phil Coomes, shahab-3
Iran fires more missiles in war games
AFP
July 10, 2008
The weapons fired in the Gulf by the naval section of the Revolutionary Guards included shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles, state television said. No details were given on the names of the missiles.
It said the war games also included firing the Hoot (Whale) torpedo that Iran unveiled in April 2006 and which it says is a super-fast weapon capable of hitting enemy submarines.
Iran on Wednesday test-fired its Shahab-3 long-range missile, which the Islamic republic says can reach Israel and US bases in the Gulf, and eight other more medium-range missiles.
The move sparked major concern in Western governments which say they fear Iran’s nuclear drive is aimed at making atomic weapons, a charge that Tehran vehemently denies.
In a separate land exercise late on Wednesday, the military also fired “longer and medium range missiles,” state television said, showing several missiles being fired into the night sky.
Footage was also broadcast of the naval manoeuvres, showing divers fixing mines to a pier, missiles being fired from shore-based mobile launchers and the Hoot speeding towards a target.
Israel ’ready to act’ over Iran
BBC
July 10, 2008
Israel’s defence minister has warned of his country’s readiness to act against Iran if it feels threatened.
Ehud Barak, speaking in Tel Aviv, said Israel had “proved in the past that it won’t hesitate to act when its vital security interests are at stake”.
He spoke as Iran’s testing of missiles that could reach Israel stoked tensions between the two, and with the US.
But Mr Barak added that diplomatic solutions should be pursued before other options were taken up.
“Currently the focus is international sanctions and vigorous diplomatic activity, and these avenues should be exhausted,” he said.
US warning
Over the past two days, the Iranian military has tested missiles, including one that it says could reach Israel.
State media said the tests included the first night launch of the Shahab-3 missile, said to have a range of 2,000km (1,240 miles), along with shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US had increased its security in the region and Iran should not be “confused” about US capabilities.
Israel has responded to the missile tests by putting on display one of its aircraft that it says can spy on Iran.
The state-run Israel Aerospace Industries says it has equipped its Eitam aeroplane, unveiled a year ago, with sophisticated intelligence-gathering systems.
Mr Barak spoke of the “potential for accords, particularly with the Palestinians and the Syrians”, but stressed that the situation was very complex.
Quoted by Israeli news website Ynet, Mr Barak said: “We must work towards an accord – but if not, then we must strike our enemy when it is required.”
He also warned that Israel must consider the reactions from other nations in the region that could be provoked by action against Iran.
“The responses of our adversaries must be taken into account. Hamas and Hezbollah and the Syrians and the Iranians – there is activity all around us. And there exists a potential for confrontation.”
Meanwhile, the AFP news agency has issued a warning that a still image of the missiles being launched, one of several distributed by Iran, was “apparently digitally altered”.
The photograph, published on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards website and reproduced by media organisations – including the BBC News website – showed four missiles taking off from a desert launch-pad.
But a similar image, issued by the Associated Press, shows one of the missiles still in its launcher after apparently failing to fire.
The BBC News website’s picture editor, Phil Coomes, said: “Having examined the photograph from AFP, it can be seen that parts have been edited, with smoke trails and parts of the foreground being cloned.”
In recent weeks, both Israel and Iran have been testing and showing off their military hardware, each saying that in the event of provocation it is more than capable of defending itself.
The Israeli air force recently carried out a large-scale exercise over the Mediterranean – regarded by many observers as a dress rehearsal should the order be given to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israel believes Iran is building nuclear weapons, although Tehran insists its nuclear programme is purely for civilian energy.
Western leaders have been trying to convince Iran to stop enriching uranium, which it has continued doing despite sanctions from the UN and the European Union.
Gates: Missile Test Proves Iran A Threat
AP
July 9, 2008
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Iran’s missile test bolsters the U.S. argument that Tehran is a threat. He also says it counters Russia’s case against the need for a missile defense system in Europe.
Gates says the U.S. has said for some time that there is a real threat Iran could develop long-range missiles to use against Europe. He says Tehran’s launch of several missiles Wednesday helps make that point.
Israel’s new warplane to spy on Iran
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=63202§ionid=351020101
Altered Iran Missile Test Photo Makes Front Pages — Corrections Slow in Coming — Did Launch Fail?
http://www.editorandpublisher.c..u_content_id=1003826336
US plays down fears of war with Iran
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/200..cs-diplomacy-us-b04fc5e.html
Hackers take advantage of WW3 senario with Iran
http://www.itnews.com.au/news/80088,spammers-announce-world-war-iii.aspx
Rice warns Iran: US will defend Israel
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jul/10/intellectualproperty.law
US Exports to Iran grew tenfold under Bush presidency
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/US_Exports_to_Iran_grew_tenfold_0708.html
US relocates warship after Iran warning
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=63029§ionid=3510203
French firm quits Iran gas deal
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7498902.stm
Iran To Hit Tel Aviv U.S. Ships If Attacked
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm..AnGf35vWzMX3dyWUWEVuJnhn.3QA
Ahmadinejad Says `There Won’t Be War,’ Pledges Peace
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0826563920080708
Iran says would strike Israel, US navy if attacked
HR 362 and the Alarming Escalation of Hostility Towards Iran
Iranian military warns U.S., Israel against attack
U.S. holds Navy exercise in the Gulf
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Hold War Games
Filed under: Dictatorship, Dmitry Medvedev, oligarchy, putin, Russia, Uncategorized | Tags: moscow, Oleg Deripaska
Russia’s richest man sees Putin in charge to 2020
Reuters
April 28, 2008
Russia’s richest man, Oleg Deripaska, has said he is convinced Vladimir Putin will remain fully in charge of Russia until 2020, even though he is stepping down as president on May 7.
The media-shy business mogul, with interests stretching from metals and oil to airports and cement, also said that the West should stop fearing Russia.
“I see no political risks (after May 7). Living in Russia makes me confident,” he said in a rare chat with journalists in one of Moscow’s top restaurants, the Cafe Pushkin. His comments on Friday were embargoed for publication on Sunday.
Dmitry Medvedev, Putin’s chosen successor who won the March presidential election with a landslide, will be sworn in on May 7 but the hugely popular Putin has vowed to be prime minister.
Medvedev has pledged loyalty to his political mentor and promised to implement “the Putin plan,” a set of goals to make Russia a developed country by 2020.
“His (Medvedev’s) role is important. But you need to understand — it’s a big challenge to take responsibility. As I understand Putin accepted this responsibility to develop 2020 goals,” said Deripaska, who spoke English for most of the interview.
Valued by Forbes magazine at $28.6 billion — though he says that is exaggerated — Deripaska was considered one of the oligarchs closest to Putin’s forerunner as president, Boris Yeltsin, in the 1990s.
Now 40, he started his fortune in aluminum, a business known for violent battles in the 1990s. His former business partners have filed many suits against him alleging illegal business tactics but had no success.
Filed under: China, Dictatorship, Dmitry Medvedev, election fraud, poll, putin, Russia, Soviet Union, vote scam, voter fraud | Tags: Mikhail Kasyanov, moscow, OSCE
Putin’s Successor Wins Amid Election Irregularities
Swiss Info
March 2, 2008
As Dmitry Medvedev headed for victory in the Russian presidential election on Sunday, election observers noted a certain number of irregularities.
Swiss parliamentarian Andreas Gross, head of the Council of Europe’s monitoring mission, is due to present his report on Monday, and will not comment until then. He spent election day listening to people in the field and monitoring the voting.
However, one monitor told Reuters news agency that voters’ ballots had been visible to election officials in three polling stations he had visited.
An independent Russian organisation, Golos, told the agency it had seen evidence of fraud all over the country.
First exit polls on Sunday evening gave Medvedev, currently Russia’s first deputy prime minister, and the candidate favoured by outgoing president, Vladimir Putin, nearly 70 per cent of the vote.
Pre-election concern
The run-up to the election had already aroused concern.
Following a two-day pre-electoral trip to Moscow in February, the Council of Europe mission highlighted the limited number of candidates.
In addition to Medvedev, three other men were in the running to take over from Putin, who is stepping down at the end of two four-year terms. But Medvedev was always widely expected to win.
“It is much too difficult to be a candidate in Russia and the obstacles are too high. This was done on purpose by legislative reforms which limit access to political power,” Gross told swissinfo ahead of his current trip to Russia.
Coverage of Medvedev has also dominated prime time television – the key to reaching the population, added Gross.
The 25-member observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been in Russia since Wednesday.
It is the only group of European election monitors in the country. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) decided against sending its observers last month, citing too many restrictions by Moscow. Russia has called the move “unacceptable”.
Gross said that the OSCE’s work normally formed the basis of his team’s short-term work.
“But in these elections the long term is so easy to understand that we will be able to fulfil our task even though the OSCE’s observers won’t be there,” he said.
Others will be present, explained Gross. “We are the only observers with a democratic standard because the other ones come from China or from former Soviet Union countries that are not so reliable when it comes to democracy,” he said
Gross, a member of the centre-left Social Democratic Party, has carried out 45 election observations in the past 12 years, including the Russian parliamentary poll last December, which was declared unfair by European monitors.
Foregone conclusion?
Polls suggested that there would not be much doubt about the winner.
“[One] showed that 80 per cent of the Russian people were ready to accept the man Putin chooses as his successor. This is quite extraordinary because the logic of a term limit is that you have to reshuffle the political power redistribution,” said Gross.
On the other hand, Gross told swissinfo, credit had to be given to Putin for not changing the Russian constitution to allow him a third term as president. This would have been possible because he has a constitutional majority in parliament.
Putin also did not choose a hardliner, but the more moderate and “civilised” Medvedev, Gross said.
“But on the other hand the fact that the majority of people is ready to choose who Putin proposes shows the real problem of the development of democratic mentality in a society,” warned the Swiss parliamentarian.
“This problem was increased by the legislation which prevented, for instance, the former Prime Minister [Mikhail Kasyanov] from being a candidate in order to be real competition for Putin’s choice and to give the people a choice,” added Gross.
noworldsystem.com 