"It is obvious that the upcoming combat training on the territory of Finland is part of a hybrid war against our country," Maria Zakharova said 💬 "NATO’s military exercises close to the Russian borders are provocative. Their aim is to exert military pressure on the Russian Federation by the demonstration of force," the diplomat said. ● These maneuvers near the Russian borders "increase the risks of potential military incidents," she stressed. ● The military alliance’s representatives "are deliberately whipping up hysteria around the alleged Russian ‘threat’" and "are actively spreading insinuations about some plans by Russia to attack the bloc’s member states" in order "to justify their own aggressive intentions." "It is obvious that the upcoming combat training on the territory of Finland is part of a hybrid war against our country." [...] "Helsinki seeks to complete its official ‘registration’ in NATO as ‘a new recruit’ as soon as possible and become a full-fledged participant in this adventure," the diplomat said.

■ Russia Has Moved Tactical Nuclear Missiles to their Western Border (Hal Turner)
■ Upon $61 Billion in new U.S. Aid to Ukraine, Russia Declares It Must Now Also Take Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts
■ It turned out where the ATACMS missiles transferred to Ukraine by the Americans can fly to the Russian Federation (Reporter)
■ US-led West on verge of causing nuclear war – Lavrov (04/23/24)

JOHN McEVOY | New court documents reveal that ministers David Cameron and Kemi Badenoch authorised UK arms sales to Israel right after an airstrike killed three British charity workers in Gaza. | On 1 April, Israeli forces launched a series of airstrikes on a convoy of aid workers in Gaza, killing three Britons, a Polish national, a Palestinian, an American-Canadian dual citizen, and an Australian. ● The Israeli Air Force carried out the bombing with a Hermes 450 drone. According to Campaign Against the Arms Trade, this drone may be powered by a R902(W) Wankel engine produced in Britain by UAV Engines Limited (UEL). ● New court documents show that the UK government decided to continue arms exports to Israel on 8 April, one week after the strike on the aid workers who were employed by the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK). ● The revelation will put additional pressure on the Foreign Office to justify its decision not to suspend arms sales to Israel.

The Mail reports today that an Exeter University philosophy student was threatened with expulsion in 2018 after he was overheard through the wall of his room by a neighbour who took exception to his views: 💬 A philosophy student overheard through the wall of his room saying “veganism is wrong” and “gender fluidity is stupid” was threatened with expulsion by his university, the Mail on Sunday can reveal. Robert Ivinson said he was disciplined after a student next door in halls of residence at Exeter University heard the comments then complained he had been offensive and “transphobic”. Mr. Ivinson, who expressed the views in a phone call to a friend, was hauled before university officials and put on a ‘behavioural contract’ for the rest of his studies. [...] It’s not clear what the most remarkable aspect of this story is: the eavesdropping neighbour who dobbed him in; the University employee who enthusiastically went round to Mr. Ivinson’s room to threaten him for daring to criticise Veganism; or Exeter for punishing him for holding non-conformist views. Whichever it was, the comparison with the Stasi and East Germany seems uncomfortably appropriate.

The three Western nuclear powers are among the chief sponsors of the Kiev regime and main organizers of provocations against Russia, the foreign minister has said | The US-led collective West could cause a potentially catastrophic war between global nuclear powers due to its openly hostile stance toward Russia and efforts to undermine existing arms control agreements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday. ● Addressing the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference organized by the Centre for Energy and Security Studies, Lavrov noted that the globe is in a state of crisis with regard to mechanisms for arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation and that this jeopardizes international security. He placed the blame for this on Washington, which, according to the diplomat, has been “cynically combining the deliberate destruction of balanced and equal [arms control] agreements” with “blatantly dishonest schemes” that are advantageous solely to the US. ● Lavrov explained that the US and allies were responsible for blocking the recent review cycles of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which, Lavrov says Washington long used to pressure its foes. He also noted the potential danger posed by the three-way AUKUS agreement between the US, UK and Australia, which is becoming “increasingly similar to a military bloc,” as well as NATO, which has been boosting its military spending.

■ US Goes 'Slippery Slide' With Sending Its Military Personnel to Ukraine (Sputnik News)

Is it a row or just a tiff brewing between German and Israel? | The comment was part of an altercation between Baerbock and Netanyahu when the latter insisted there was no famine and Gaza, but the German Foreign Minister kept pushing the point, at which time Netanyahu raised his voice at her. ● The altercation which was supposed to be kept in private but was leaked through the Israeli and Germany media set the balling rolling on the X platform with many bloggers reporting the incident that may sour Israeli-German relations despite the fact Germany is seen as one of the main suppliers of weapons to Israel led by the United States and Britain.

Andrew Korybko | Alt-Media totally misunderstands – and oftentimes deliberately misportays – President Putin’s relationship with Israel, which a reading of the official Kremlin website’s most relevant links indicates is a lot better than most people may think. | Alt-Media dogma indoctrinates its followers with the notion that it’s impossible for Russia and Israel to be on friendly terms with one another, let alone allies, because President Putin is supposedly on an “anti-Zionist crusade” to “save the world”, which isn’t true whatsoever. Many websites have popped up and fed into this delusional “wishful thinking” with outlandish headlines and false narratives in order to reap revenue from increased web traffic and the donations that they hope to solicit as a result.

Video has emerged from Odessa, Ukraine showing elements of the French Army entering that city. This appears to be direct entry into the Ukraine conflict by a NATO-Member country. | It is likely being carried-out pursuant to a Bi-Lateral agreement between Ukraine and France, but that is not confirmed at this time. Russia has repeatedly made clear that any troops from foreign countries that enter Ukraine will be legitimate targets for the Russian Army. ● On April 13, France sent Foreign Legion troops into Slavyansk, Ukraine. Within 48 Hours, most of them were dead with many other injured from Russian strikes against Slavyansk.

■ Ukraine has lost almost half a million troops – Moscow (RT.com)

Ukrainian and Western leaders welcomed a desperately needed aid package passed by the US House of Representatives, as the Kremlin claimed the passage of the bill would “further ruin” Ukraine and cause more deaths. | The House swiftly approved $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of hard-right resistance over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s invasion. ● With an overwhelming vote, the $61 billion in aid for Ukraine passed in a matter of minutes. Many Democrats cheered on the House floor and waved Ukrainian flags.

■ Moscow issues dire warning over US-Ukraine aid bill (RT.com)
■ The United States' allocation of military will exacerbate global crises: (Мария Захарова/Telegram)
■ It was a vote by the joyous bastards of the state... (04/21/24)

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) | No one doubted that American lawmakers would approve "aid" to a gang of neo-Nazis. It was a vote by the joyous bastards of the state:

a) in favor of continuing the civil war of the divided people of our formerly united country;
b) for maximizing the number of victims of this war.

We will win, of course, despite the 61 billion bloody dollars that will mostly go down the throats of their insatiable military-industrial complex. Strength and Truth are behind us. ■ But given the Russophobic decision, I cannot but sincerely wish the USA to plunge into a new civil war as soon as possible. Which, I hope will be fundamentally different from the war between the North and the South in the XIX century and will be conducted with the use of planes, tanks, artillery, MLRS, all kinds of missiles, and other weapons. And which will finally lead to the ignominious collapse of the vile, evil empire of the XXI century - the United States of America. (Translation: DeepL + Grammarly)

■ Ex-Russian president slams ‘American bastards’ (RT.com)
■ US House Passes Bill to Give "Frozen" Russian Assets to Ukraine (04/20/24)

A reconnaissance copter of the Russian Armed Forces has captured on video the Ukrainian military’s attempts to hide the AFU’s losses: the evacuation team of Ukrainian troops dumped the bodies of their dead comrades in a forest clearing. According to a source in the Russian security services, this is being done in order not to pay monetary compensation to the relatives of the dead. | The incident took place on the Kherson direction, where the Russian army struck an AFU facility on the contact line. The video shows how the military loaded the bodies of the comrades, who could still be alive, into a pickup truck, drove into a wooded area and dumped them there. ● On 20 March, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said that the Russian Armed Forces were continuing to push Ukrainian troops out of their positions in the special military operation zone. According to his data, the military losses of the Ukrainian army since the beginning of this year have exceeded 71,000 people and 11,000 units of various weapons.

Drago Bosnic | NATO keeps escalating its crawling strategic siege of Russia | For well over 30 years at this point, NATO has been conducting a crawling, yet comprehensive invasion in Europe. After spending nearly a decade waging a war of aggression on Serbia/Yugoslavia, which effectively served as the testing ground for its "Barbarossa-like" strategic siege of Russia, the world's most bellicose military alliance moved to the active phase of this plan. After decades of futile attempts to build a mutually beneficial relationship based on peace and respect, Moscow responded with a special military operation (SMO) to push NATO back. What's more, the first stage of the SMO looked more like an expanded police action supported by some strategic assets. And it nearly ended in mere weeks, as expected by the intelligence services and military commanders. Unfortunately, the political West had other plans, so it sabotaged the already-signed peace deal.

The US House of Representatives passed legislation on Saturday to transfer frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine and ban TikTok unless it severs ties to its Chinese parent company. | House lawmakers passed the bill, dubbed the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act, in a vote of 360 in favor and 58 opposed. ● The legislation allows the executive branch to transfer frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine, sanctions Iran, disrupts the ability of Palestinian organization Hamas to fund terrorism and sanctions entities involved in international fentanyl trafficking.

💬 Christine Lagarde says US plan to raise debt against Russian assets carries legal risk (Financial Times) | “Moving from freezing the assets, to confiscating them, to disposing of them is something that needs to be looked at very carefully,” Lagarde said, warning it could entail “breaking the international order that you want to protect; that you would want Russia to respect”. ■ Legal risks loom over proposal to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, warns ECB chief (Yahoo)

■ IMF warns about confiscating Russian assets (RT.com)
■ US House approves 89 billion euros aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (EuroNews)
■ US House advances $95 billion Ukraine-Israel package toward Saturday vote (Euractiv)

The German government has just made an astonishing admission, revealing that the entire COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax designed to vaccinate the public with mRNA injections and impose unwelcome new laws. | What is significant is that the German Health authorities based on official data have now been obliged under Freedom of Information to reveal the devastating nature and impacts of the Covid lockdowns imposed on 190 countries, starting March 11, 2020. Most of the independent studies related to the pandemic have been the object of censorship. ● Of significance, the official documents of Germany’s Ministry of Health are consistent with the independent reports published over the course of more than 4 years pertaining to the COVID-19 lockdowns, the mandatory wearing of face masks, and the experimental mRNA vaccines.

■ Bombshell New Study Dooms Covid Vaccinated (News Addicts)
■ GAME OVER for the mRNA-based “vaccine” technology (mwgfd.org)(.pdf)

Western states need to send more anti-air systems to Kyiv, the head of the bloc says | NATO members should prioritize arming Ukraine over bolstering their defense capabilities, the secretary general of the US-led military bloc said on Wednesday. ● Stoltenberg pointed to Denmark as “a strong example” as it pledged in February to donate all of its artillery to Kyiv. He praised both Denmark and the Netherlands for their plans to provide F-16 fighter jets, adding that he was “encouraged” by the news that the US Congress is expected soon to vote for additional aid to Ukraine, after months of delay. ● The NATO chief’s appeal comes at a time when member states are struggling to deliver sufficient amounts of weapons to Ukraine without depleting their stocks and compromising security. Officials in Kyiv have blamed ammunition shortages for last year’s failed counteroffensive, as well as recent battlefield losses.

Editor's comment: 💬 Mr. Stoltenberg probably suffers from ukrainitis, a relatively unknown disease until 2014. This debilitating disease now seems to be fairly prevalent in the West. It is an affliction characterized by a severe, u-shaped intracranial inflammation, a u-kranial inflammation, as it were. There is no known cure for it, except to resign from his (or her) position. Regular exercise may also be helpful. This can safely be done in a high-security prison with preventive custody.

David Miller | The genocide in Gaza is being perpetrated by the so-called ‘Israel Defense Forces’. The whole world is appalled. Yet, in the UK, there are organizations raising money to support the genocidal occupation forces. | The Association for Israel’s Soldiers is based in occupied Palestine and claims to be the sole avenue through which donations can be made directly to IDF soldiers and IDF units. These donations come from Zionists in Palestine as well as from the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, France, and the UK. ■ The UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel Soldiers (AWIS) is a registered charity that is obliged by law to show public benefit. Its charitable objects include relief of need and suffering, advancement of education, and provision of facilities for recreation of the occupation forces. ■ It does this by providing Mobile Synagogues, recreational facilities for injured genocidaires, free holidays, free student scholarships, mobile Gym, and rest and recreation facilities. Among the benefits are swimming pools including the one promoted in a video on Facebook in May last year. In the video, AWIS says they “created a swimming pool in the heart of the desert for the training base of the artillery corps.” Meanwhile, drinking water in Gaza has been cut off for more than three months.

■ 13 British Lords Linked to Israel’s Arms Trade (John McEvoy)(04/17/24)

The Turkish leader slammed Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and said that the only way to ease tension in the region is to stop it 💬 [Erdoğan] stressed that it is necessary to identify the root of the problem in the region "rather than judge only by what happened on the night of April 13," when Iran conducted its operation against Israel. "No one spoke up after the attack on the Iranian embassy, but for several countries. But a race of accusing Iran’s retaliation started immediately. But first of all, it is necessary to blame [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu who killed 34,000 innocent people in Gaza. Netanyahu and his cannibalish administration are the ones who are responsible for what happened on April 13." [...] "Long before the current developments with mass killings, Turkey banned the sale of any materials that can be used for military purposes to Israel."

JOHN McEVOY | Over a dozen members of Britain’s unelected upper chamber work for, or profit from, arms firms linked to Israel. | Seven peers work for arms firms involved with Israel’s weapons trade, while another six hold shares in companies that supply the Israeli military, our research into the House of Lords has found. The value of these individual shareholdings is likely to be over £100,000 each, and is certain to have increased since 7 October. Among the peers are two former defence ministers, an ex-cabinet secretary and two retired heads of the UK armed forces. ■ Our revelation raises concerns about how British parliamentarians are financially benefiting from the suffering in Gaza, with activists accusing them of “profiting from genocide”. Campaign Against Arms Trade expressed alarm at how these unelected legislators could use their influence in Westminster to promote the interests of weapons manufacturers.

On April 13, this website reported the arrival of French Foreign Legion troops into Slavyansk, Ukraine. Overnight, those troops were hit and mostly killed by the Russian Army. The original story from April 13 appears HERE | According to the Military Chronicle, the brigade artillery group consists of 12 to 15 wheeled howitzers, as well as several Renault trucks with auxiliary equipment. According to preliminary information, the equipment was transferred for storage to the Starokramatorsky Machine-Building Plant from Dnepropetrovsk. In Slavyansk itself, in the area of ​​clay quarries, as well as to the south (in the Cherevkovka area), firing positions have already been prepared for these guns: a road has been rolled out and ammunition supply routes have been equipped. ● Those French troops and their CAESAR artillery were demolished overnight by the Russian Army. Russia had previously warned NATO countries that if they sent troops into Ukraine, those troops would become legitimate targets. Now, Russia has made good on its word (again) and a slew of French Foreign Legion troops are now dead.

British Defense Minister Grant Shapps has revealed plans to accelerate the development of The DragonFire, a laser weapon expected to be completed by 2027. To strengthen the defenses of Ukraine against possible Russian assault. | Speaking from Salisbury [Porton Down: chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense and warfare], Shapps emphasized how military production strategies have changed in response to new threats. Promised to be able to take out drones, the DragonFire is set to revolutionize combat. ● The system's flexibility—it can be implemented on land, sea, or in the air—highlights its strategic importance. Shapps underlined how it would affect Ukraine, especially in fending off drone threats. ● Shapps stated that although The DragonFire is not yet completely operational, talks are underway to facilitate its transfer to Ukraine before 2027. It is anticipated that even once it is deployed [to Ukraine], the system will continue to be improved.

Berlin has deployed the first soldiers from a promised 4,800-strong force to Lithuania | Germany has sent an advance military team to Lithuania as part of plans for a full-strength armor brigade permanently stationed in the Baltic state, which borders Russia. Moscow has described the mission as a threat that requires “special measures” in response. ● German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was among those to see off 21 military service members and civilian employees who departed on Monday from Berlin to Vilnius. The minister praised the Bundeswehr deployment as “a clear signal of solidarity” with Germany’s fellow NATO member.

■ Poland will defend Lithuania even if NATO’s Article 5 not triggered, president says (Anadolu)

Organisers of the event have called for an immediate cessation of all military aid from Germany to Israel and a comprehensive military embargo on Tel Aviv. | The German government is actively and illicitly trying to stop or delay a Palestine Congress in Berlin from happening, an organiser of the event has said. There is “pressure from the federal government” to cancel the Palestine Congress, Nadija Samour told Anadolu on Friday. She also accused Berlin of intentionally delaying the start of the congress, citing technical reasons as a pretext.

Andrey Sushentsov | Washington appears desperate to prevent Ukraine from being associated, in any way, with the horrific murderous rampage in the Russian capital | The United States of America is trying to control and manipulate the media and political interpretation of the tragic terrorist attack in Moscow last month. In the Western information space, Washington is forming a narrative to try to distract attention from its proxy, Ukraine. ■ At certain points, ISIS was a useful tool for the Americans in Syria. There is published evidence suggesting that the US operated in parallel with the terrorist group against the Syrian government. The fact that Washington was ready to offer a coherent version of events from the first minutes after the attack in Moscow is in itself extremely paradoxical.

Аs follows from testimonies by a laboratory technician, the German Army’s Senior Ensign Ludwig Schneider, contained in the declassified FSB archive materials | The Katyn case owes its name to the Katyn forest near Smolensk, where mass graves of executed Polish prisoners of war were found in 1943 in German-occupied territory. The discovery of mass graves in the Katyn Forest in 1943 was first reported by Rudolf-Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff, an Army Group Center intelligence staff officer. [...] Officers of the Nazi Germany's state secret police (Gestapo) accompanied the members of an international commission to investigate the mass killing of Polish soldiers and officers in the Katyn forest, as follows from testimonies by a laboratory technician, the German Army’s Senior Ensign Ludwig Schneider, contained in the declassified FSB archive materials, seen by TASS. [...] [In] the Katyn forest a large number of bodies had been found. Allegedly, the Bolsheviks had shot Polish officers there, and "the upcoming investigation is very important for Germany, and for that reason, as Hilbers said, the laboratory staff must be very attentive, instantly and clearly follow all orders without asking questions and do not make any experiments on their own, as the slightest inaccuracy or error can cause irreparable harm."

💬 "...this war has destroyed Ukraine. And the longer it continues, the less there will be of Ukraine. It is very simple, if this goes on longer, Russia will capture more territory. If it goes on long enough, Russia will capture Odessa. Kiev, if we continue the way we're doing. This is a Biden project that goes back 10 years now, we'll completely destroy Ukraine. The idea that this is "siding with" Ukraine is absurd. Anyone who really follows events knows that we're not siding with Ukraine, we have paid for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to go to the front lines and die, for more and more territory to be lost. — Jeffrey Sachs

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) (Дмитрий Медведев) |"The conflict in Ukraine will end after the U.S. Congress votes to provide new support for Kyiv," Biden said. One could recall for the hundredth time about the old man's dementia and the son's corruption. About the interests of the American military-industrial complex and the influence of the deep state. The war between Democrats and conservatives and the wedge between the states and the U.S. federal government. But I will say something else.

Biden's statement is downright evil. For, he said: Keep killing each other. The more people who die, the better. I want as many deaths as possible... Indeed, "And I looked, and behold, there was a pale horse, and upon it a rider whose name was death; and hell followed him." (Revelation of the apostle John the Evangelist, Apocalypse 6:8).

Therefore, the sooner the rider on the pale horse takes Joseph Robinette Biden with him, the better it will be for our suffering world...(Translation: DeepL + Grammarly)

■ Biden’s remark on Ukraine apocalyptic – Medvedev (RT.com)
■ Ukraine tightens mobilization in Verkhovna Rada vote (RT Telegram)
■ Ukrainian women should prepare for conscription – top Kiev official (RT.com)
■ Verkhovna Rada passes scandalous law on mobilization in Ukraine (TASS)
■ We really want to destroy Europe’s longest bridge – Zelensky (RT.com)

💬 "...this war has destroyed Ukraine. And the longer it continues, the less there will be of Ukraine. It is very simple, if this goes on longer, Russia will capture more territory. If it goes on long enough, Russia will capture Odessa. Kiev, if we continue the way we're doing. This is a Biden project that goes back 10 years now, we'll completely destroy Ukraine. The idea that this is "siding with" Ukraine is absurd. Anyone who really follows events knows that we're not siding with Ukraine, we have paid for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to go to the front lines and die, for more and more territory to be lost. — Jeffrey Sachs