CPB: Dutch government needs to act against rising poverty rates

With figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) revealing that the Netherlands is now officially in a recession, a report published by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) has warned that inflation will remain high in 2024 and that urgent action is required by the government in order to tackle the rising poverty rate.

[...]

As part of its report, the CPB also warns that, if the Dutch government fails to take action, the Netherlands will face a rather rapidly rising poverty rate, pointing out that the number of people living in poverty will rise from 4,8 of the population in 2023 to 5,7 percent in 2024 - or approximately 1 million people.

"Because the temporary purchasing power measures will end next year, poverty in the Netherlands will increase again," says CPB director Pieter Hasekamp. "If the government wants to take extra measures for this, it is important to cover these in accordance with the existing budgetary rules. Because even without further policy, the government deficit will increase rapidly in the coming years."

The blocking of Poland's EU funds is an attempt by "left-liberal Western elites" to oust the government, says President Duda.

The opposition is complicit in this plan, adds the justice minister, who says Donald Tusk is a "collaborator" in his "genes" [_link]

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) October 18, 2022

Why has the Polish government raised the German war reparations issue?

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Poland's ruling party has unveiled its slogan for October's elections: "The safe future of Poles."

That future will be achieved by creating the "strongest land army on the continent", ensuring energy security, and stopping illegal immigration, says PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński pic.twitter.com/NiBvYfzp3p

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 18, 2023

Chwała Ameryce! Chwała nacjonalizmowi!

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Germany facing worst housing shortage in 20 years | Feb. 17, 2023 |

Im 1. Halbjahr 2023 wurde der #Bau von 135 200 #Wohnungen genehmigt. Das waren 27,2 % oder 50 600 Baugenehmigungen weniger als im 1. Halbjahr 2022. Im Juni 2023 sank die Zahl der Baugenehmigungen für Wohnungen gegenüber dem Vorjahresmonat um 28,5 %. Mehr: [_link] pic.twitter.com/KznMixcynk

— Statistisches Bundesamt (@destatis) August 18, 2023

Ukraine intelligence agency says sea drones carried out Kerch Bridge attack | The Guardian - Aug. 16, 2023 |

Spy chief says remotely controlled drones, developed internally, were behind 17 July attack

Ukraine's SBU intelligence service has claimed responsibility for an attack on the Russian-built Kerch strait Bridge connecting Crimea to the mainland last month, saying it had been conducted by remotely controlled sea drones.

Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the agency, told CNN the drone, called "Sea Baby", was developed internally and that two were packed with 850kg warheads when they exploded and damaged the road and rail bridge on 17 July. Two people were killed in the attack.

"Using these drones we have recently conducted a successful hit of the Crimean Bridge," Malyuk said, as well as more recent attacks on a Russian warship and an oil tanker, said by Kyiv to be supplying fuel for Russia's military.

Until now, Kyiv has been coy about taking responsibility for attacks on Russian infrastructure, or in Crimea or in Russia itself, but the intelligence chief was keen to talk up the maritime threat to its enemy.

"We are working on a number of new interesting operations, including in the Black Sea waters. I promise you, it'll be exciting, especially for our enemies," said Malyuk in the television interview.

Russia inflicted more terror and death on Ukraine with a missile attack on the Chernihiv drama theater in the city center, killing 7 people and wounding 117 others, Ukrainian authorities say. Russian forces appear to have targeted a drone exhibition. pic.twitter.com/A5iVeMk70s

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 19, 2023

Ukraine SitRep: Chernihiv Drone Exhibition - Coming Russian Offensive | MofA |

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Russia's war against Ukraine: text broadcast
August 19 | Pravda UA |

20:06 Ukrainian pilots, engineers and technicians "in a certain number" began training on the F-16. The program also includes training in specific terminology in English, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told Channel 24 . According to him, the minimum training period for pilots is six months.

19:10 There will be no mass events on Independence Day in Kyiv, KMDA reported. At the state level, only an exhibition of damaged enemy equipment is planned to be held in Khreschatyk.

18:47 A search and rescue operation has been completed in Chernihiv after a Russian attack on the Drama Theater building in the center of the city, where the drone exhibition was taking place. As a result of the enemy attack, 129 people were injured, seven died. Among the injured are 15 children and 15 police officers, reported the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko. 

18:14 The German concern Rheinmetall will start repairing tanks in Ukraine in the coming days, its head, Armin Papperger, said. He also expects to start production of tanks in Ukraine as soon as possible. According to Papperger, 12 Ukrainian specialists are currently studying in Germany, another 12 will arrive later. They are being prepared to repair Western tanks such as the Leopard.

17:01 Zelenskyi said that test trials of the Swedish Gripen aircraft have already begun with the participation of Ukrainian pilots: "This is the pride of Sweden, and I am sure that the Gripen can make our freedom much more secure."

The president also announced that the transfer of a new, 13th package of Swedish military aid is being prepared, which will include "what is important: ammunition for anti-aircraft defense and combat vehicles, spare parts for armored vehicles, equipment for demining. Everything that will add strength to Ukraine on the battlefield". 

13:50 Zelensky said that during the talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, he will discuss, in particular, defense cooperation. According to the president, the Ukrainian military effectively uses Swedish CV-90 BMPs on the front lines, and now it is planned to produce them in Ukraine.

13:36 A drone struck the Russian Soltsi airfield in the Novgorod region, where the Tu-22M3 strategic bombers that strike Ukraine are based. One of the planes was damaged, journalist Andrii Tsaplienko reported. According to his information, after the attack, several Tu-22m3 aircraft were redeployed to the base in Olenya.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed that today around 10:00 a.m., Ukraine attacked a military airfield in the Novgorod region with a helicopter-type drone, a fire broke out at the aircraft parking lot, one aircraft was damaged, and there were no casualties.

11:49 The Russians fired at the center of Chernihiv, probably with a ballistic missile, Vyacheslav Chaus, head of OVA, said.

11:22 Zelensky announced that he is visiting Sweden today and will hold meetings with the prime minister, the king and queen, the speaker and heads of parliamentary parties. "Our primary task is to strengthen Ukrainian soldiers on the ground and in the sky, develop bilateral cooperation, in particular in the defense industry, European integration of Ukraine and common security in the Euro-Atlantic space," the president added.

11:17 Russians shelled Tokarivka in the Kherson region in the morning, one person was killed, OVA reported.

10:18 SBU head Vasyl Malyuk said in an interview with NV that 21 tons of hexane were used for the attack on the Kerch bridge in October 2022. It was masked with plastic wrap so that scanners at Russian checkpoints would not detect the explosives. In addition, the SBU managed to bypass special jammers that confuse GPS coordinates.

09:29 At night, the enemy attacked one of the infrastructure facilities of the Zhytomyr region with kamikaze drones, reported the head of the OVA Vitaliy Bunechko. As a result of falling fragments of the downed drone, a fire broke out, which was contained. There are no victims or injured.

Russian retaliation was swift and deadly ...

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Russia hit Chernihiv during drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance gathering | Pravda UA - Aug. 19, 2023, 14:14 |

Mariia Berlinska wrote that everyone who had taken shelter was safe, including her. However, some people went outside.

The co-organiser of the event later added: "No, this is not a commercial event, it's a closed meeting of engineers, military and volunteers on military technology for the battlefield."

Quote from Berlinska: "The event was officially agreed upon in advance with the local authorities, and they provided the venue.

The announcement of the event was available to the public. But the specific place was announced only (!) to registered and verified participants a few hours before the event. All information about the participants has been provided to the relevant authorities.

We are currently cooperating with Ukraine's Security Service and providing all the necessary information needed for an operational investigation."

Mariia Berlinska wrote on Facebook:
According to the situation in Chernihiv. And to avoid manipulations, which some bloggers are already hyping.

1. There was a strike, but where and when the official bodies should declare.
   
2. As soon as the air raid warning was announced, the event was stopped and the participants were told several times about the need to take shelter. ...

Reporter: Maria Berlinska 
is a combatant, public activist, founder of the Air Intelligence Support Center

Maria Berlinska: How to lose a war correctly | 25/09/2022 |

Freud London Museum: Angst.

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with The International Affairs journal, August 19, 2023

Question: The world has entered a period of confrontation between various global development concepts: Russia's, China's views and, in general, the non-Western approach as opposed to the policy of Western domination. Was this inevitable, given their civilisational differences, different approaches to the use of force and international law, and different understanding of the role of international institutions? What do you think is Russia's role and mission in the context of current challenges?

Sergey Lavrov: I certainly agree that the concept of Western domination promoted by the United States and its subordinate countries does not provide for the harmonious development of all of humanity. On the contrary, we must deal the Western minority's never-ending striving for military, political, financial and economic expansion. Their slogans change: they promote globalisation, then Westernisation, Americanisation, universalisation, liberalisation, etc. But the essence remains the same - they strive to subordinate every independent player and force them to play by the rules that are beneficial to the West.

Today, one can hardly deny that the Americans and their satellites are trying to slow down the natural evolution of international relations and the formation of a multipolar system, or even reverse the process. They are not averse to using inappropriate and illegal methods, including the use of force or unilateral sanctions (not approved by the UN Security Council), information and psychological warfare, etc, in order to bend the world to suit their needs.

Today's West is steered by people like Josep Borrell who divide the world into a blooming "garden" and "the jungle," where the latter clearly applies to most of humanity. I dare say, this racist worldview certainly prevents them from accepting the onset of multipolarity. The political and economic establishment in Europe and the United States reasonably fear that the transition to a multipolar system will entail serious geopolitical and economic losses, the final dismantling of globalisation in its current form tailored according to Western templates. They are primarily spooked by the prospect of losing the opportunity to exploit the rest of the world, fuelling their own fast-track economic growth at the expense of others.

The current generation of Western leaders has made no secret of their refusal to accept the logic of historical development, which is evidence of their professional degradation and loss of the ability to correctly analyse current events and anticipate future trends. The ill-conceived policy pursued by the United States and its followers has made the current aggravation of the international situation inevitable despite our many years of attempts to prevent it, which is another manifestation of that degradation. I am referring to the full-scale crisis of European security, the blame for which lies entirely with our former partners.

In this context, modern Russia sees its mission in maintaining a global balance of interests and building a fairer architecture of international relations. Russia's updated Foreign Policy Concept approved by President Vladimir Putin on March 31, 2023, spells out our views in a systematic manner. We believe that creating favourable conditions for the peaceful and steady development of humanity on the basis of a unifying agenda should be a universal priority. One of our key objectives in this respect is to revive the UN's ability to play a central role in coordinating the interests of its member states.

We are not alone in this endeavour. More and more countries in the Global South and East are becoming conscious of their national interests. They are beginning to spell them out and pursuing policies focused on asserting these interests in the spirit of international cooperation. These states are increasingly advocating the formation of a more equitable world order through the reform of the existing formats of interaction or the creation of new ones to address specific problems concerning security and development. We support this trend because we have a clear understanding that it is the future.

Question: While on a visit to Moscow in 1987, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said: "The nuclear deterrent is a deterrent. It has been the best peace policy for 40 years." Today, the possibility of using nuclear weapons is widely discussed in the public domain. Some participants in the debate believe that the employment threshold has been lowered in the face of threats to the very existence of Russia. Others regard this approach as absolutely unacceptable. What is your opinion on this point?

Sergey Lavrov: Indeed, a lot has been said recently about the role of nuclear weapons in Russia's foreign policy. Let me remind you that the terms of their possible use by Russia have been set out in doctrinal documents. What is important to understand is that Russia's nuclear deterrence policy is strictly defensive. It is aimed at maintaining the nuclear weapons capabilities at a minimal level needed to ensure the guaranteed protection of this country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and prevent an aggression against Russia and its allies.

In the context of deterrence, possessing nuclear weapons is for today the only possible response to certain significant external national security threats. The developments in and around Ukraine have confirmed that our concerns are well-grounded. Let me remind you that NATO - an organisation that has proclaimed itself a nuclear alliance - has grossly violated the principle of indivisibility of security and is focusing on a "strategic defeat" of Russia. The collective West has used our forced retaliatory actions designed to protect our external security contour as a pretext for switching to a fierce confrontation involving a range of means of hybrid warfare.

A great danger in the context of the Ukrainian conflict is linked with the fact that the United States and NATO countries, while gearing up for confrontation, run the risk of becoming involved in a direct armed clash between nuclear powers. We think that this course of events can and must be prevented. This is why we must remind everyone about the existence of enormous military and political risks and send sobering signals to our opponents.

I want to stress that our country is fully committed to the principle that a nuclear war would be unacceptable and proceeds from the premise that there can be no winners in such a war. Therefore, it must never be fought. The leaders of five nuclear powers reaffirmed this message in a joint statement of January 3, 2022. In the present environment, this document has acquired added importance: it follows from its logic that it is imperative to prevent any military confrontation between the nuclear powers since it risks escalating into a nuclear conflict. At this stage, therefore, the crucial task is for every nuclear state to remain committed to these understandings and exercise maximum restraint.

Last part was published by TASS and copied in media across the globe today  ...China Global Times

Russia Sees Nuclear Weapons as Only Possible Response to Some Threats: FM

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pRussia's possession of nuclear arms is response to threats, Lavrov says; rise in Ukraine battlefield casualties brings total close to half a million | The Guardian |

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow's possession of nuclear weapons protects the country from external security threats, while reminding the west of the risks of a nuclear conflict. "The possession of nuclear arms is today the only possible response to some of significant external threats to security of our country," Lavrov said in an interview for state-owned magazine The International Affairs. Lavrov warned the US and Nato allies risk ending up in "a situation of direct armed confrontation of nuclear powers". "We believe such a development should be prevented. That's why we have to remind about the existence of high military and political risks and send sobering signals to our opponents," Lavrov said.

The number of battlefield casualties in Ukraine is approaching nearly 500,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, US officials have told the New York Times, marking a significant rise in the death toll this year after intense fighting in the east of the country. Russia's military casualties are approaching 300,000, the officials claimed, with as many as 120,000 killed in action. Ukraine was said to have close to 70,000 killed and 100,000-120,000 wounded. Fierce fighting near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine have led to significant casualties on both sides, more than doubling the number of dead since November.

Ukrainian forces could fail to retake the Russian-occupied strategic south-eastern city of Melitopol during their counteroffensive, a US official said. Melitopol has been under Russian control since March 2022 and has roads and railways used by its troops to transport supplies to areas they occupy. The US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, was citing an intelligence report, but the prediction is largely in line with Washington's view that Ukraine's counteroffensive is progressing slower than expected. The official added that despite the report and limited progress towards Melitopol, the US believed it was still possible to change the gloomy outlook.

President Barack Obama on foreign policy: "Don't do stupid things."

Than he appoints HRC on State for political purpose to save the Democratic Party and relied heavily on VP Joe Biden to lead on shaping US foreign policy, mirroring neocons on regime change in the Middle East to secure the existence of Israel ... plus doctrine of Brzezinski and Albright to reckon with Soviet Union Russia.. The people suffer and may trigger the end of humanity in the Northern hemisphere.

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Great Northern War (1700-1721)

This left Charles stranded in Russia for the winter of 1708-9, one of the coldest ever in Europe. The Russians harrassed the Swedes all winter, and by the spring Charles had lost over half of his original army, although managing to maintain any fighting force was an impressive achievement. When campaigning began in 1709, Charles engaged in the siege of Poltava. Peter the Great gathered an army of 80,000 men, and at the battle of Poltava (28 June 1709), crushed the Swedish army, taking 18,794 prisoners. Charles himself escaped to Turkish Moldavia, and remained in Turkey until 1714. In the meantime, Russian and her allies were free to dismember the Swedish empire. In August-December 1709 Peter invaded Poland, reinstating Augustus, and also occupied the Baltic coast.

The Belligerent states:

🇸🇪 Swedish Empire
Holstein-Gottorp (1700-1714)
Warsaw Confederation (1704-1709)
🇹🇷 Ottoman Empire (1710-1714)
Crimean Khanate (1710-1714)
Cossack Hetmanate (1708-1714)
🇳🇱 Dutch Republic (1700)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England(1700)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland(1700)
🇮🇪 Ireland(1700)
🇬🇧 Kingdom of Great Britain(1719-1720)

Shortly followed by the Crimean War led by Catherine the Great ...

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Sweden hunting down intrusion of Russian mini-subs inside territorial waters. 😂

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"Yankees Go Home!" | Sep 18, 2008 |

You won't find this news item in ANY western media from Honolulu to Kiev ...

SEVASTOPOL, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas left Sevastopol after anti-NATO protests in Ukraine's Crimean port. (U.S. Coastguard cutter Dallas enters Sevastopol Harbor - video)

The USGC Dallas, which recently delivered humanitarian aid to Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi, docked yesterday at the Crimean port, where Russia has a naval base, at the invitation of Kiev.

The ship's arrival was met by thousands of anti-NATO protesters chanting "Yankees go home!" and waving banners with the slogan "NATO Stop!" Police cordoned off the area around the ship.

• Ukraine: U.S. Navy Stopover Sparks Anti-NATO Protests | RFERL - June 1, 2006 |

Ukrainian customs officers who boarded the ship and met the commander said they had been prepared to lay on buses for the U.S. crew to give them a tour of the city, but apart from a few officers, no one left the vessel.

Tensions between Russia and the West have been exacerbated by the build up in the Black Sea of U.S. and NATO naval vessels delivering humanitarian aid to Georgia. In an apparent response, Russia sent a group of warships last week, including the Moskva missile cruiser, to Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia.

Why NATO is a thing of the Past | by Frank Schnittger on Feb 26, 2009 |

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Why the Ukraine Crisis Is the West's Fault
The Liberal Delusions That Provoked Putin
By Prof. John J. Mearsheimer | Sept/Oct. 2014 |

Completely disagree with the headline ... has been U.S. policy for decades ... Bill Clinton era and George Bush ... the NATO Bucharest Summit in 2008 was a declaration of war against the Russian Federation. Was not an incident ... see warmongers of the Atlantic Council.

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This is a huge admission because it means that Biden's policy of "only the Ukrainians can decide" the objectives of the war makes no sense. We're effectively delegating our foreign policy to Zelensky, who is pursuing objectives that we don't agree with.

— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) March 1, 2023

NATO mulls another succession solution: Pairing with EU top jobs race

Jens Stoltenberg can't leave just yet -- the EU may need him around until it reshuffles its own leaders in Brussels.

That's the dawning sentiment among NATO allies as the military alliance's chief nears the end of his term and countries fail to rally around a consensus successor.

The NATO leader's near decade-long tenure, which has been repeatedly extended, is set to expire this fall. But NATO allies are now gaming out the possibility of prolonging his term yet again until the alliance's summit in Washington next year, according to diplomats.

The move would, of course, give leaders more time to locate a successor. But it would also push the decision into an EU election year, allowing it to become part of the political jostling over who will run the EU's main institutions for the next five years.

Like the top NATO job, the EU positions require a geopolitical balancing act. And having four positions to hand out instead of one may help ease those negotiations, allowing countries to back a candidate at NATO, for instance, in exchange for getting their preferred candidate installed atop the European Commission.

It's not a solution everyone loves.

Asked if European allies would accept the NATO race becoming part of the EU's top jobs competition, a senior diplomat from Central Europe said: "I am sure for some of us definitely not." But, the diplomat added, "for others, yes."

NATO and the EU: Together at last   [bloody hell!]

Some allies don't mind making these decisions in the same timeframe, but others cautioned against mixing the two worlds.

"We need the most suitable candidate, who can unite [the] transatlantic community, but not setting artificial barriers," a senior diplomat from Eastern Europe said. The diplomat underscored that they are "not against" a candidate from the EU. "But why linking? What is the rationale of that?"

The senior Western European diplomat also conceded that they have heard concerns that an extension could "further the complexity" of the situation and make NATO look like "a consolation prize."

Stoltenberg, for his part, has repeatedly insisted he doesn't want to stay on, to the point where repeated questions about his future at every press appearance and carefully rehearsed, formulaic answers have taken on a comical quality.

Yet as secretary-general since 2014, the NATO chief has gotten extension after extension.

[...]

"I am not a candidate ..." and  "I am not on my way to NATO.  "

Plus, with war raging on the Continent, the job has become far from sensitive -- the next secretary-general needs to be someone acceptable to hawks but who big capitals see as sufficiently cool-headed.

Very few leaders meet the criteria. And a few names who could win broad support -- such as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte -- have said they are not interested.

As a result, the notion of a Stoltenberg extension is now creeping into officials' public comments.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked the Dutch government for its continuing support to NATO operations in talks with Dutch Prime Minister | NATO - Nov. 14, 2014 |

I would like to underline that The Netherlands has been for many, many years a valuable and very reliable ally within the Alliance. And I would like to take this opportunity to commend you for your contributions in so many parts of the work we are doing together within the Alliance: contributing troops to our mission in Afghanistan and in Kosovo, fighter jets over the Baltic states.

And actually I went from Brussels to Estonia, and I was escorted by two F-16s, Dutch F-16s, extremely close, but let's just say it was safe. At least they told me so.

And I also seen the Dutch patriot batteries in Turkey augmenting the air defence of Turkey. And as you said, The Netherlands is also offering troops to the spearhead force which we are going to establish in NATO.

So we are really grateful for your solidarity and your efforts to improve defence capabilities by cooperating with other allies, and we all gain from this.

Our meeting and our lunch today was very constructive. We addressed a wide range of issues, but we focused on the security challenges we face in the east and to the south.

To the east, Russia continues to destabilize Ukraine. And we call on Russia to pull back all its forces from eastern Ukraine and to respect the Minsk agreements.

To the south, ISIL terrorists are carrying out horrific attacks and threatening to export the terror beyond the Middle East. We have to be ready to respond to these challenges. That is why we, at our summit in Wales in September, agreed on a readiness action plan.

• Arming Syrian rebels: Where the US went wrong | BBC News - Oct. 2015 |
• Obama Sidelined on Syria, Hollande and King Abdullah Deliver Arms to Syrian Rebels | June 18, 2013 |
• Dutch Investigation: Iraq Mission Ruled Illegal | Jan. 12, 2010 |

Related reading ...

Of Arms, Funding and "Non-lethal Assistance"--Issues Surrounding Third-State Intervention in the Syrian Civil War | March 2014 |

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German minister is obsessed with washing machine chips!

Let the Emperor wear dirty clothes ...

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German FM Under Fire for 'War with Russia' Comment

Of course she spoke the truth ... NATO has been at war with Russia for many decades and clearly after the Bucharest Summit of 2008. Only beef, when she said "EU" is at war, she meant to assert NATO is at war with Russia. The EU has no standing Armed Forces or Command. Relying on the U.S. and the Pentagon.

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Dutch to accept Saakashvili if he arrives - minister | UNIAN / Dutch News |

The Netherlands will accept former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili if he decides to leave Ukraine, the Dutch foreign minister said Friday after reports the firebrand politician may move to the country.

Dutch minister Halbe Zijlstra's comments [of Putin's dacha infamy] come after several reports, including by the NOS public broadcaster, said Saakashvili has applied to travel to The Netherlands and that his request has been approved.

Ex-Georgian president Saakashvili poised for another political comeback in Ukraine | Reuters - Apr. 22, 2020 |

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Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is attending a court hearing from his hospital bed today, as Tbilisi City Court considers an appeal to postpone Saakashvili's prison sentence and allow him to leave Georgia for medical treatment. pic.twitter.com/OyyQuSxlre

— OC Media (@OCMediaorg) December 22, 2022

Welcome Speech at the conference Georgia's Path to the European Union NATO ... priority 🇬🇪

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Chapter 18. The Russian Question | Sept. 16, 2021 |
By Serhii Plokhy

"Anti-Globalism, anti-Islamism, Nationalism." Inscription on a banner at the Nationalist March in Moscow, November 4, 2012. Image source: RiMarkin, flickr.com.

The fall of the USSR exposed the confusion between the Russian (later Soviet) empire and the Russian nation prevailing throughout Russian history. In 1991, Russia abandoned the non-­Slavic components of its empire but has found it difficult to part ways with the Slavic ones. Russia today has enormous difficulty in reconciling the mental maps of Russian ethnicity, culture, and identity with the political map of the Russian Federation, especially when it comes to neighboring Ukraine and Belarus.

The Russian question, understood as a set of problems facing the Russian nation during and after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, was first placed on the public agenda by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russia's best-known author of the second half of the twentieth century, in a series of essays published between 1990 and 2008. One of those works, The Russian Question at the End of the Twentieth Century (1994), includes a survey of Russian history from the era of Kyivan Rus´ to the first post-­Soviet years. The Russian question, according to Solzhenitsyn, was really about the survival of the Russian nation. He discerned threats from various quarters, including moral decay, economic degradation, the rising influence of Western values and institutions, and the partitioning of Russia by newly created state borders. Solzhenitsyn looked back to the final decades of imperial rule as a paradise lost for the Russian Empire and the Russian nation.

Solzhenitsyn claimed that he was not an imperialist. Indeed he was not. He was a Russian nation-­builder. As early as 1990, he called on the Russians to separate themselves from the non-­Slavic republics, even if they wanted to stay together with Russia. Solzhenitsyn imagined the Russian nation as consisting of a Great Russian core and an East Slavic periphery including Ukrainians and Belarusians, as well as Russian-­speakers residing in other republics. His ideal solution was the creation of a "Russian Union" consisting of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and northern Kazakhstan. As this vision of Greater Russia failed to materialize in 1991, Solzhenitsyn advocated an enhanced role for the Russian state in providing legal protection for Russians and Russian-­speakers abroad, as well as the formation of Russian ethnic autonomies in parts of foreign states where Russians and Russian-­speakers constituted a majority.

CIA-ZPUHVR Operational Agreement - 1951

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CIA Position Paper for Ukrainian Discussion wit SS in London, 23-25 April 1951

I. Area of Agreement:

1.  Both CIA and SS agree that a Ukrainian underground (UHVR, OUN, on Ukrainian Soil and UPA)exists and constitutes an extremely worthwhile target.

2.  Both CIA and SS agree that the July 1950 instructions from the Provid of OUN and Ukrainian Soil are authentic.

[...]

VII. Alternate Positions:

1.  If the SS insists upon inclusion of the OUN/B leaders in the ZP UHVR or in a reconstituted ZCh OUN Provid,the CIA position will be:
a. Bandera himself is completely unacceptable.

In archived diaries - key word "Stepan Bandera"

Zelensky A Leader Failed to Rise from the Ashes

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Today Ukraine honors the memory of millions of victims of the Holocaust.

We know and remember that indifference kills along with hatred.

That is why it is so important that everyone who values life should show determination.

Eternal memory to all victims of the Holocaust! pic.twitter.com/GaN6g1aTe1

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 27, 2023

Poland, Holocaust and History Revisionism

A Jew and Fascism ... inexplicable how someone can be so morally corrupt ... an empty suit in military combat camouflage wear.

Erdoğan-Putin meeting ensures free grain deal to African nations | Daily Sabah |

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said Moscow was close to finalizing an agreement that would facilitate free exports of grain from Russia to six African nations with the help of Türkiye and Qatar, stressing the proposal was not planned as an alternative to the Black Sea initiative.

"We are close to completing agreements with six African states, where we intend to supply foodstuffs for free and even carry out delivery and logistics for free," Putin told a news conference alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. "Deliveries will begin in the next couple of weeks."

The deal would include a supply of up to 1 million metric tons of grain to countries most in need via Türkiye with financial support from Qatar, the Russian leader said. The grain will be sent for subsequent processing at Turkish plants before being shipped to the African nations.

Headline Bloomberg ...

Putin, Erdogan Talks End Without Reviving Ukraine Grain Deal | Bloomberg |

Expectations ...

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