G3 News

2022-03-01 06:54:54 Biden: Public Shouldn’t Worry About Nuclear War With Russia

President Biden said Monday (Feb. 28) he does not believe Americans have reason to be concerned about nuclear war amid tensions with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Biden responded to the question with a short "no" after delivering remarks at a Black History Month event at the White House.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday put his country's deterrence forces, including nuclear arms, on high alert as Western nations ramped up sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Biden administration has largely responded by avoiding further inflaming tensions, calling Putin's action an attempt to justify further aggression. It did not put its nuclear forces on higher alert in response.

➨ thehill.com/homenews/administration/596160-biden-public-shouldnt-worry-about-nuclear-war-with-russia Open / Comment

2022-03-01 05:54:59 Ukrainian Ambassador to UN Calls for Putin to Kill Himself Like Hitler "Did in a Bunker"

Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to kill himself like Adolf Hitler “did in a bunker.”

During a UN General Assembly session on Monday regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sergiy Kyslytsya remarked, “We have been prompted to call for an emergency special session as the level of [distress] has been equated to that of the Second World War.”

“Or even higher, following Putin’s order to put in alert Russian nuclear forces, what a madness,” he continued. “If he wants to kill himself, he doesn’t need to use nuclear arsenal. He has to do what the guy in Berlin did in a bunker in May 1945.”

➨ mediaite.com/news/ukrainian-ambassador-to-un-calls-for-putin-to-kill-himself-like-hitler-did-in-a-bunker Open / Comment

2022-03-01 05:24:59 White House Dismisses Talk of Ukraine No-Fly Zone

The White House said the U.S. implementing a no-fly zone ban on Russian planes in Ukraine's skies was "not a good idea," as it would draw the U.S. into direct military conflict with Russia.

“It would essentially mean the U.S. military would be shooting down planes, Russian planes," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on MSNBC on Monday (Feb. 28). "That is definitely escalatory... That is not something the president wants to do. Those are all the reasons why that's not a good idea."

President Biden has said the U.S. wouldn't fight Russian troops in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) repeated his desire for the U.S. to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine, although he acknowledged that it was unlikely to happen.

"I don't think it's too late. But I think every day that goes by, you know more [surface-to-air missile] sites that are moved in by the Russians, yeah, it becomes more difficult.''

Other lawmakers such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) rejected the idea.

"I think people have to understand what that means," Mr. Rubio said. "That means the willingness to shoot down Russian aircraft, and that would mean World War III, versus NATO and the United States. I think people need to understand what it is. When you say that, that's what you're talking about."

➨ wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-02-28/card/white-house-dismisses-talk-of-ukraine-no-fly-zone-sOZhEEtjxsLCpv3pG0a6 Open / Comment

2022-03-01 04:39:59 7 Fake News Stories Coming Out of Ukraine

1. “THE GHOST OF KIEV”

Early Friday morning it was reported that a single Ukrainian plane, a MiG-29, was patrolling the skies above Kiev. The English speaking press called the unnamed pilot “The Ghost of Kiev”, and claimed he had downed 6 Russian jets in air-to-air combat in less than 2 days, making him an official Fighter Ace, and probably one of the fastest to ever earn that title.

The trouble is there is almost no evidence this happened at all. To quote Newsweek:

"There is zero evidence the “Ghost of Kyiv” exists”.

A video alleged to be “the Ghost” in combat – shared by the Ukrainian Armed Forces – is confirmed to actually be footage taken from a video game.

2. “RUSSIAN PLANES FLYING OVER KIEV”

A lot of people have been sharing a short video of Russian planes allegedly flying low over the city of Kiev. The Times used it a still from it in their story “Will sanctions stop a Russian shell?”:

The problem with that is it’s not Kiev, it’s Moscow. And it’s not today, it’s two years ago. It’s footage of what is likely a rehearsal for the 2020 Victory Day Parade flyover.

3. “ZELENSKIY VISITING THE TROOPS”

Possibly no politician in history has had a PR makeover quite as fast as Vlodomyr Zelenskiy. Last week he was just some guy, this week he’s a war hero, there’s talk of building statues of the man. A (not at all staged) “leaked” phone call had him turning down the US offer of an airlift to safety.

Twitter is dotted with people sharing photos of him in combat fatigues, comparing him favourably to Trump and Trudeau and asking “what other leaders would fight alongside their troops?”

But the problem with that is the photos are all almost a year old, taken when he visited the troops last April.

4. “LUHANSK POWER STATION EXPLOSION”

Early on in the confrontation, this video started doing the rounds on social media.

The video went viral, receiving 100,000s of views. Hundreds of accounts shared it, even major news networks used it, all claiming it shows a power station in Luhansk exploding after being hit with Russian missiles.

It does not, it’s a chemical plant exploding in Tianjin, China in 2015.

5. VIDEO GAMES. AGAIN.

This footage, claiming to show Ukrainian ground forces downing Russian aircraft, also went viral recently, even appearing on Spanish television news.

…It’s from the video game ARMA 3.

6. “RUSSIAN WARSHIP GO FUCK YOURSELF”

This was the first major propaganda narrative following Russia’s advance onto Ukrainian territory. Allegedly leaked audio showed Ukrainian border guards on tiny Snake Island in the black sea communicating with a Russian warship. Upon being told to surrender, the guards say “Russian warship go fuck yourself”.

The Western press reported that all 13 of the men were killed, and the Ukrainian government released a statement saying they would all be awarded posthumous honors.

However, while the supposedly fallen heroes were being canonised all over the western world, Russia was reporting that they had not been killed at all, but taken alive and unharmed back to the mainland.

A story both the press and the Ukrainian government have since reluctantly admitted is likely true.


7. SYRIAN DRONE STRIKES FOOTAGE

Another video doing the rounds, and again shared by official Ukrainian accounts, was drone footage supposedly showing the destruction of a column of Russian vehicles.

It’s actually footage of a Turkish drone strike in Syria from 2020.

Meanwhile, other accounts were sharing footage of combat from Libya or Israeli bombardments of Gaza under the hashtag #StandWithUkraine. Middle East Eye has compiled a list.

It’s somewhat beautiful irony that so many of the clips prompting outrage in Western liberals actually come from wars their governments started.

➨ off-guardian.org/2022/02/27/7-fake-news-stories-coming-out-of-ukraine Open / Comment

2022-03-01 04:00:05 Those who still doubt that Putin is in cahoots with Schwab and the WEF must watch these clips. Putin is playing a key role. Even the World Wrestling Federation needs a villain or two. After all, how else could they create the circumstances outlined in Cyber Polygon? The "Cyber pandemic" wasn't going to just start itself you know.

@StormCloudsGathering
Discussion @OpenSourceTheNews Open / Comment

2022-03-01 02:16:46 Dave DeCamp: White House Rules Out Imposing a "No-Fly Zone" Over Ukraine

On Monday (Feb. 28), White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki ruled out the idea of the US imposing a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine since it would put the US directly in a war with Russia.

What that would require is implementation by the US military — it would essentially mean the US military would be shooting down planes, Russian planes,” Psaki told MSNBC. “That is definitely escalatory, that would potentially put us in a place where we are in a military conflict with Russia. That is not something the president wants to do.”

US planes shooting at Russian ones could quickly escalate into a nuclear war. But that hasn’t stopped some hawks in Washington from calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, most notably Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also urging the US and NATO to implement a no-fly zone.

In a statement to Axios, Zelensky said the Western powers should “impose a no-fly zone over significant parts of Ukraine.” He said if the US and NATO do “their part” then Ukraine can “beat the aggressor.”

It’s unlikely that Zelensky will get his wish as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also ruled out the idea of a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “We have no intentions of moving into Ukraine neither on the ground or in the airspace,” he said.

➨ news.antiwar.com/2022/02/28/white-house-rules-out-imposing-a-no-fly-zone-over-ukraine Open / Comment

2022-03-01 01:39:59 Washington’s “Rules Based” Disorder w/ U.N. Expert Alfred de Zayas

NEW: Max Blumenthal speaks live with Alfred de Zayas, former United Nations Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and professor at Geneva University school of diplomacy. De Zayas addresses international law in the context of Russia's recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent republics, and its military incursion in Ukraine. He also offers his unvarnished views on NATO, the EU, and the role of the human rights industry in bolstering US power.

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Open / Comment

2022-03-01 01:10:53 “International Legion”: Ukraine Enlists Foreign Militants to Fight Russia—Including U.S. and U.K. Special Forces Veterans

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (Feb. 27) announced that an “international legion” would be created to enlist non-Ukrainian fighters who want to join the battle against Russia.

“We already have thousands requests from foreigners, who want to join the resistance to the (Russian) occupiers and protect the world security from Putin regime,” the spokesperson said.

It includes a group of 10 special operations forces veterans who are staging in Poland and preparing to cross into Ukraine, where they plan to take up Zelensky on his offer to “join the defense of Ukraine, Europe, and the world,” according to a U.S. Army veteran arranging their passage.

The group, composed of six U.S. citizens, three Brits, and a German, are NATO-trained and experienced in close combat and counterterrorism. They want to be among the first to officially join the new International Legion of the Territorial Defense of Ukraine. Two former American infantry officers are also making plans to come to Ukraine to provide “leadership” for the group, the Army veteran recruiter said.

Meanwhile, one Canadian ex-soldier said he is selling his motorcycle to fight Russia in Ukraine. An American army veteran claims he is already on the front lines in the east of the country. And another U.S. citizen, a medical first responder, is at the Ukrainian border—crossed on Monday (Feb. 28) ready to join the battle.

The Independent knows of half a dozen former soldiers, emergency responders and regular civilians hailing from countries including the Netherlands and the UK who are crowdsourcing funds to join the largest ground war in Europe since the Second World War.

Twitter Spaces, WhatsApp groups, and websites have sprung up detailing how to join a newly established foreign legion. Across social media platforms, many users are busy swapping tips on how to cross the border into western Ukraine and discussing what equipment to bring.

All of them are heeding an extraordinary plea by the country’s president for foreign citizens to come to Ukraine and enlist in the army.

➨ buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/american-nato-military-veterans-fight-russia-with-ukraine

➨ timesofisrael.com/ukraine-forms-international-brigade-of-foreign-volunteers-to-fight-russia/

➨ independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-foreign-fighters-b2025190.html Open / Comment

2022-03-01 00:44:59 "Intelligence Operatives": U.S. Expels 12 Russian U.N. Diplomats From Country Over National Security Concerns

The United States has expelled 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations over national security concerns, U.S. and Russian diplomats said on Monday (Feb. 28).

The U.S. mission to the United Nations described the Russian diplomats as "intelligence operatives" who had been "engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security."

"This action has been in development for several months," said U.S. mission spokesperson Olivia Dalton.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters the diplomats had been asked to leave the U.S. by March 7.

➨ reuters.com/world/us-orders-12-russian-un-diplomats-leave-by-march-7-russian-envoy-2022-02-28 Open / Comment

2022-03-01 00:34:59 Bulgarian Defense Minister Fired Over Calling Russia-Ukraine Conflict a "Military Intervention" Rather Than a "War"

Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has fired defense chief Stefan Yanev over his word choices in describing the Russia-Ukraine conflict, calling the situation a “military intervention” or an “operation” rather than a “war.”

“My defense minister cannot use the word operation instead of the word war,” Petkov told reporters on Monday. “You cannot call it an operation when thousands of soldiers from the one and the other side are already killed.”

The prime minister added that “the Bulgarian interest is not in bending our heads down.” Rather, “When we see something we do not agree with, something so obvious, we cannot keep quiet.”

All four parties in Bulgaria’s ruling coalition agreed to call for Yanev’s resignation, Petkov noted. A new defense minister – reportedly Todor Tagarev, who held the position in 2013 – will be appointed in an extraordinary session of Parliament that will be held on Tuesday.

The firing came in reaction to a Facebook post by Yanev. Commenting on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the defense minister warned against using the word “war.” He said there was no need for Bulgaria to side with Russia, the US, or European allies in the conflict, adding, “Our suffering motherland does not deserve to be sacrificed in the game of the great powers.”

➨ reuters.com/world/europe/bulgarian-defence-minister-be-sacked-over-ukraine-rhetoric-2022-02-28

➨ rt.com/news/550891-bulgaria-fires-defense-chief Open / Comment