Gleb Mishutin & Alexander Sokolov

Russia has suspended its participation in the grain deal since 29 October due to attacks on Black Sea Fleet ships and civilian vessels in Sevastopol Bay.

💬 "In view of the terrorist attack carried out by the Kiev regime on 29 October this year with the participation of UK experts against the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in securing the 'grain corridor', the Russian side is suspending its participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

On 30 October, a representative of the Defence Ministry reported the results of the examination of the wreckage of the naval drones. According to Governor Mykhaylo Razvozzhayev, the attack using unmanned aerial vehicles and semi-submersibles was the largest since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. According to the Defence Ministry, one ship and a barrage in Yuzhnaya Bay sustained minor damage.

The drones were equipped with Canadian-made navigation modules. Based on the information extracted from them, it became known that the drones had been launched from the Odessa area, and the drones had made part of their way to Sevastopol in the "grain corridor" security zone. This could mean, the agency concluded, that the pre-launch was carried out from a civilian vessel chartered by Ukraine or Western countries to export agricultural products.

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Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

The bottom line is that this is their global ideology – not creation but destruction, not light but darkness; endless lies, flip-flops and global hypocrisy that conceals hatred and a misanthropic ideology.

On October 8 of this year, an explosion on the Crimean Bridge seriously damaged its infrastructure. The preliminary results of the investigation into this crime, conducted by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, show that this was an act of terror planned by Ukrainian secret services with a view to destroy this large piece of civilian infrastructure that is critical to the Russian Federation, especially Crimea.

For a long time now, the Kiev regime has been actively using terrorist methods for political purposes and the suppression of opponents. It is doing this not only on the territories of other countries. It started with itself, its citizens, and the territories that belonged to it at that time.

I’d like to recall that the Kiev regime is to blame for the loss of thousands of human lives and the large-scale destruction of civilian facilities in Donbass. This list includes publicist Oles Buzina shot in his courtyard, journalists Pavel Sheremet and Darya Dugina, killed in car bombings, the murdered children of the Alley of Angels in Donetsk and other victims of the Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

We should not forget about the continuous shelling of cities and villages of the DPR, the LPR, the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions and acts of nuclear terrorism against the Zaporozhye and Kursk nuclear power plants. Representatives of the Kiev regime of all stripes are proud of this. For many years, the Mirotvorets website has published information on who was eliminated, cynically crossing out the family name of each one. They are hailing the bombing and destruction of infrastructure and the murder of people.

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Stephen Lendman

Russia’s only choice is to demand unconditional surrender. Nothing less is acceptable.

On Monday and Tuesday, Ukrainian Nazis got a taste of Russia’s overwhelming military superiority when unleashed — and how defenseless the regime and its US/NATO patrons are against it. Hegemon USA-dominated NATO wants Russia co-opted. Vladimir Putin earlier said the following:

💬“(T)hey want to defeat us on the battlefield.” “Let them try.” “(E)veryone should know that, by and large, we have not started anything in earnest yet.”

On Monday and Tuesday, a page was turned. A new reality dawned. In response to one US OK’d Kiev terrorist attack on Russian infrastructure too many by damaging the Crimean Bridge, Russia significantly degraded the regime’s power grid, greatly disrupted its communication systems and impeded its ability to move troops and arms by rail to frontline positions. All of the above was achieved in 2 days.

Throughout Russia’s liberating SMO since February, US-controlled regime troops never achieved a strategic triumph, never captured a single city — just largely open spaces of no strategic importance because Russia saw no reason to defend them.

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Paul Craig Roberts

A wider war is Washington’s goal

As I have many times written, the Kremlin’s Ukraine operation cannot be limited. Washington will not permit it to be limited. Washington has already widened the conflict, and is now widening the conflict further. The insane Jewish neoconservatives who have control over US foreign policy have prevailed on tiny, helpless Lithuania to violate the agreement with Russia for the provision of Kaliningrad and has received a Russian ultimatum.

The moronic State Department spokesman Ned Price dismissed the ultimatum as “bluster.” The White House idiot says Washington backs Lithuania. In other words, Washington is egging on a wider war.

The conflict in Donbass has gone slowly, because it is a war in the midst of Russian people attached to Ukraine by Soviet leaders. The Russian troops are fighting under restrictions to minimize death and destruction in the Donbass region, from which Ukrainian forces are being driven out and destroyed. A wider war will not be fought among Russian populations. The world has never seen such recklessness as Washington and NATO are demonstrating.

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Stephen Lendman

America is a rogue terror state. It is ruthlessly out-of-control. It spurns rule of law principles. It mocks democratic rights. It honors its worst. It persecutes its best. It acts unconscionably. It threatens freedom. It menaces world peace. It endangers humanity. It is guilty of worldwide espionage on a massive, unprecedented scale.

Edward Snowden revealed it. Everyone needs to know. He did it heroically. He accepted great risks. He acted responsibly. He did so because it matters. He's a role model for others. Hopefully he'll embolden others to come forward.

Political Washington vilified him. He's excoriated for doing the right thing. Media scoundrels piled on. They're unprincipled. They're vicious. They're unrelenting. They front for power. They support America's worst crimes. They mock legitimate journalism doing so.

Snowden has millions of world supporters. Important nations respect him. His legitimate rights matter. Russia, China, Ecuador, Venezuela, and other countries stand tall. They've done so in his behalf. Hopefully they'll keep doing it. Perhaps others will join them.

Snowden flew to Moscow. He's in Sheremetyevo Airport's transit area. He hasn't crossed Russia's border. Doing so requires clearing customs. Moscow has no extradition treaty with Washington.

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Stephen Lendman

For nearly two years, Washington waged terror war on Syria. Death squad proxies are used. They recruited largely from regional countries. Some come from Europe. America supplies small numbers. They invaded Syria. They want Assad toppled, so they say. They're manipulated to believe he must go. They want Islamic extremism replacing secular governance. They're reigning terror on defenseless people to achieve it. Assad loyalists are targeted. Scores die daily. No one's sure how many. For sure it's many thousands.

On January 16, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) headlined "Foreign and Expatriates Ministry Calls on UN and UNSC Member States to Condemn Massacre against Aleppo University Students and Terrorist Crimes in Syria." Students, employees, and others seeking refuge were slaughtered or injured. At least 87 died. Another 150 or more were injured. On January 15, terrorist rockets struck. A university dormitory was targeted. It was used as a shelter. Terrorists bombarded it. They've committed numerous other similar attacks and atrocities throughout the country. SANA said 2,362 schools were destroyed. Many innocent children and teachers were killed.

Washington and supportive Security Council members don't condemn terrorism. Nor does the UN Human Rights Council. It said nothing about Monday's attack. It blames Assad for death squad crimes. It's done it throughout the conflict. It's complicit in Washington's war on Syria.

SANA called on Security Council and other UN member states to condemn terrorist crimes. It wants Aleppo martyrs recognized. It wants guilty parties held responsible. There's "no excuse for states which are practicing double standards and supporting terrorism in Syria while they condemn it" elsewhere. Hypocrisy defines Washington's agenda. Complicit NATO partners and regional allies share guilt. Conflict shows no signs of ending.

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Stephen Lendman

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets United Arab Emirates'
Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan (l.)
and British Foreign Minister William Hague at the Friends of
Syria Conference in Tunis, Friday. The United States, Europe
and Arab countries are set to back a proposal for Syria's Bashar
al-Assad to step aside and allow in humanitarian assistance to
end a brutal crackdown against opponents. (J. Reed/AP/CSM)

On April 1 in Istanbul, Washington-led rogue leaders discussed ways to destabilize and topple Assad.

They recognized the violent Syrian National Council (SNC) as the "sole representative of the Syrian people." Doing so assures continued conflict, not peaceful resolution. Killer gangs were promised generous funding. They've already gotten plenty, as well as weapons, munitions, and training. Now they'll get more.

Washington and rogue NATO partners plan conflict, not peace. They want Assad replaced by someone they control. Violence rages to achieve it. Expect lots more followed by war if current efforts fail.

In Istanbul, pretense dissolved. So did Annan's sham peace plan. Couched in diplomatic language, it was more theater than resolve to end conflict peacefully.

While calling for both sides to stop violence, it demanded Assad act first. Doing so ignored his responsibility to protect his people against Western-backed insurgents. Yet he's blamed for doing his job.

On April 1, The New York Times headlined, "US Joins Effort to Equip and Pay Rebels in Syria," saying:

Doing so reflects consensus that "more forceful action" is needed to halt violence. SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun called for "a stronger Free Syrian Army. All of these responsibilities should be borne by the international community."

Hillary Clinton said Washington is "discussing with our international partners how best to expand this support."

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