RUSSIA DESK

ANDREI MARTYANOV—Ridenour’s documenting of the evolution of American Imperialism of the 1960s, to its newer, much less competent and thus more dangerous modern-day version, from US unleashing the bloody war in Syria to a blatant neo-Nazi coup in Ukraine, is excellent. It shows a continuity of American exceptionalist views, based, to a large degree on a complete [and characteristically arrogant] ignorance of Russian history, culture and intentions.

“The surrender of militants of the nationalist unit Azov blocked at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol began yesterday,” Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a news briefing. “Over the past 24 hours, 265 militants laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 seriously wounded,” he added. A hospital in Novoazovsk would take the wounded, Konashenkov said. He didn’t specify where other Ukrainian servicemen would be placed.

Although Western media, as usual, have done a great job of simply lying to the US/EU public, and thereby keeping the fog around the Russian discoveries of dozens of bioweapon labs in Ukraine, Russia presses on relentlessly with the story, and as time goes by more and more irrefutable (and highly embarrassing) details emerge from their carefully hidden crevices. Washington realises that, despite its gigantic propaganda machine, this signifies a huge threat to its ultimate credibility and operational hypocrisy. And the entire West is caught in this ugly business.

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE—And this isn’t just another war. This is a proxy war being waged by one of the world’s two top nuclear forces against the world’s other top nuclear force. This is more serious than Iraq. It is more serious than Vietnam. It is more serious than any US war that has happened in the lifetime of anyone likely to be reading these words, because Russia has increasingly valid reasons to believe its very existence as a nation is being threatened. This is therefore a war that could very easily result in the death of everyone on earth.

The US Secretary of “Defense” has openly said that America’s goal is to “weaken” Russia in this war. Biden himself has made statements which can only be interpreted as calls for regime change in Moscow. US officials have been leaking to the press claims that US intelligence has directly facilitated the killing of Russian generals and the sinking of a Russian war ship.

Update on Russian operations in Ukraine for April 15, 2022:
1. Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva sinks after a fire and explosion on board, Ukraine claims it was the result of “2 Neptune cruise missiles but provided no evidence;
2. The cruiser’s loss will have a minimum impact strategically;
3. Pentagon admits Russia is “shaping the battlefield;”
4. The US is sending weapons Ukraine is unfamiliar with, affording them only “days” of training when weeks or even months are required to use these systems effectively;
5. Ukraine is carrying out non-strategic attacks on Russian territory, resulting in Russia ramping up more aggressive target selection for Ukraine’s command and control.