February 17, 2022
Media studies:
The Hill @thehill - 9:32 PM · Feb 3, 2022Reporter: “It’s an action that you say they have taken, but you have shown no evidence to confirm that. [...] This is like - crisis actors? Really? This is like Alex Jones territory you’re getting into now.”
Must-watch exchange between @APDiploWriter Matt Lee and @StateDeptSpox.
video
> The U.S. intelligence briefing included specific reference to next Wednesday, February 16, as a start date for the ground invasion, three officials — based in Washington, London and Ukraine — told POLITICO. <
> The prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 16 was always overhyped. The time frame to really keep an eye on is what happens shortly after Feb. 20. <
> After decades of getting schooled in information warfare by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, the United States is trying to beat the master at his own game.
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Biden administration officials said they had a narrower and more realistic goal: They want to make it more difficult for Mr. Putin to justify an invasion with lies, undercutting his standing on the global stage and building support for a tougher response.Intelligence agencies, prodded by the White House, have declassified information, which in turn has been briefed to Congress, shared with reporters and discussed by Pentagon and State Department spokesmen.
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For all the disclosures, the Biden administration has provided no evidence of the disinformation plots they say they have uncovered. <
Julia Ioffe @juliaioffe - 13:56 UTC · Feb 16, 2022With all the alarm about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, it's important to keep in mind that the alarm itself, and using the U.S. media to keep the alarm ringing, is part of the Biden admin's strategy to keep pressure on the Kremlin. It IS the strategy.
Putin on the Brink… of What, Exactly?
Melinda Haring @melindaharing - 19:25 UTC · Feb 11, 2022Putin has big weekend plans in Ukraine: 1) he's going to cut power and heat, knock out Ukrainian navy and air force, kill general staff and hit them with cyber attack; 2) then install pro-Russian president and 3) resort to full-scale military invasion if Ukraine doesn't give in
Melinda Haring @melindaharing - 13:04 UTC · Feb 14, 2022Emotions running high and I let them get the better of me. I still expect action this week but Putin may drag this out. We still don't know. Bottom line is that I recognize that I need to be more judicious.
Melinda Haring @melindaharing - 12:40 UTC · Feb 15, 2022We’ve been so focused on Russian troops and tanks that we missed Moscow’s strategy: strangle Ukraine’s economy and sap the resolve of its people.
The West Is Falling for Putin’s Real Play in Ukraine
> [Halyna] Yanchenko is a Deputy Head in Ukraine’s “Servant of the People” political faction, which has a majority in parliament and was founded by current president Volodymyr Zelensky.
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“In our opinion, all these crazy things going on in American media and world media — all these appeals to diplomats and business to pack their bags and leave Ukraine immediately — it really harms Ukrainian economy,” she said. “I’m stopping myself from starting using curse words, because all these panics are costing us a lot of money. A lot of money to actually keep, you know, business and services circulating in Ukraine. Because that’s the worst that can happen now.”
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According to Yanchenko, the risk of Russian invasion is “minimal… it’s not that much.” Whereas the economy cratering thanks in large part to US agitation is observably happening, right now. “So if we are talking about military situation,” she said, “we are talking only about possible risks — it might happen or it might not happen — but if we are talking about economic consequences, the worst thing already happened. And now we have to react to this and do something in order to keep the state alive.”
> I’m watching it now… the soviet nationwide anthem simply began enjoying on the fucking sq.’s audio system. I am not even kidding. ... <
Reuters Live - View of Maidan square in Kyiv
> After days marked by flickers of hope that the conflict might be resolved peacefully, a senior American official, who refused to be quoted by name, told reporters that far from winding down its deployment, Moscow had added more than 7,000 combatants. Western allies expressed similar doubts about the Russian claims.
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To some extent, the battle between the West and Moscow over Ukraine has been one of signaling. To keep international pressure on Russia high, the United States has repeatedly declared that an invasion was near, even imminent. Moscow, in turn, has repeatedly accused Washington of exaggerating the threat.
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Maria V. Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry’s often caustic spokeswoman, said she would appreciate U.S. and British news outlets publishing the schedules for Russia’s “invasions” in the coming year, because “I’d like to plan my vacation.” <
> West's policies, as I am on record, are not conducted for the sake of development of own nations or of international relations. They are conducted for PR purposes only, as a means to an end of retaining political power for a variety of reasons ranging from desire to have it for the sake of it or for comfortable retirement paid in all kinds of cash and favors in exchange for proper political plays. <
Each of the above chapters deserves its own write-up. But alas - so many lies, so little time ...
Posted by b on February 17, 2022 at 11:09 UTC | Permalink