There have been some developments with regard to the war on Russia that the US is prosecuting in Ukraine. However, let’s start with an enlightening post by Larry Johnson that may help clarify what’s been going on in Bakhmut for all these weeks. I do this because a commenter yesterday challenged me to explain what’s taking so long.
Johnson explains:
First, for those not familiar with salt mines, a glance at the famous Wieliczka salt mine near Kraków, in Poland, may be instructive. These mines can be very deep and elaborately constructed. For example, here’s one chamber from the Wieliczka mine:
The Bakhmut mine isn’t as famous as Wieliczka, but this photo will give you some idea of what we’re dealing with:
According to Johnson: “The Salt mine is a monster, with a 125 miles of tunnels.” These are tunnels that are big enough to drive tanks in, and that’s part of Johnson’s point:
I think there is more going on underground than salt-mining. It is a secure warehouse for Ukraine’s military equipment. The blog ScoopTrade provides a great overview:
Prior to the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Artyomsol was the largest enterprise for the extraction and sale of table salt in Central and Eastern Europe. It consists of five salt mines, which are located within the city limits of Soledar and Praskovievka: mines No. 1, No. 3, No. 4, No. 7 and the Volodarsky mine. They are interconnected by rail and road, as well as a developed system of underground communications, which, after the outbreak of hostilities, were improved by the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Artemsoli salt mine system is already being used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine as an underground fortress. Ammunition depots, quarters for personnel, and in some places even hangars for equipment are equipped at great depths. And “get” them from the surface is almost impossible. Underground communications are also used by Ukrainian military personnel to move between positions, and the approaches and some entrances to the mines are mined and ready to be blown up. In terms of difficulty for the assault, the Artemsol mines can easily compete with the famous Azovstal in Mariupol.
This helps explain why Ukraine is pouring shrinking manpower into the meat grinder battle on the surface. It is a critical facility. However, is it possible that Ukraine has stored evidence of its bioweapons program in the mines? This is more than a key transportation/logistics hub.
The comparison to the Azovstal battle in Mariupol should help explain why the Russians are proceeding so methodically.
So, continuing to ease forward …
National Review, of all outlets, published an article that, according to Twitter, is causing Neocon heads to explode. It’s by MBD and it calls into question the whole rationale Neocon war on Russia. At least that’s what I’m hearing—I refuse to subscribe to NRO and can’t get around the various walls the site has erected. The main point is simply that, even here in the Neocon-verse of the US, doubts are arising, fissures in the wall of Ukraine support are opening up. That’s significant, especially in light of the next point, below, and especially in an outlet like NRO. But first, Baron of the Taiga has provided a summary of the MBD article:
> Support for Ukraine has tangibly dropped, in some cases precipitously.
> Petreaus was an idiot to even suggest we'd get directly involved: "It instead made people ask themselves how Russia would respond to such drastic countermeasures, and to shudder at the possible answers."> China is just as likely to be emboldened by what is happening as to be chastened. It sees we are sending Bradleys because we have nothing else. We are entering a weapons supply bottle-neck. Stocks of critical weapons have been wiped out.
> NATO apologists have entirely irreconcilable claims about its role in the conflict. …
> All of the cheering over Sweden and Finland hides a devil in the details. …
> And the perfidious French keep making statements that undermine NATO.
> The Maidan was an alliance of liberals and Neo nazis. Azov are neo nazis. This is just a fact. And it was their activity which created the war in Donbas.> Stepan Bandera was a genocidal Nazi collaborator
> Ukraine has banned opposition and shut down critical media in the country.
"Ukraine has never been rated as a functioning or mature democracy, even by heavily biased(❗️) NGOs such as Freedom House." 😅> Ukraine is a "dysfunctional, corrupt state" waging war against a large % of its own population ...
"Ukraine’s corruption will matter a great deal at the end of this war. …
Yesterday in a podcast, Tom Luongo described Ukraine corruption as “the third rail of American politics.” Along with FTX, electoral corruption, and much else.
…
> Zelensky has an offshore fortune and nobody is talking about it...
…
> In degrading Russia's military, we have no broader strategy. Without one, all we are doing is sowing enmity among the Russian people. It is their ships, their soldiers, their generals were are boasting about taking out.
Who says Russia’s military is being “degraded”? The sanctions war has not only failed but has backfired. Russia is bringing in vast amounts of money from their energy sales, with no end in sight. Much of that is being plowed into accelerated implementation of advanced weapons systems that have long been ready. The US is playing catch-up.
"What we’ve signed up for by backing Ukraine is a massive, nearly utopian project with obvious, foreseeable risks and potentially ruinous costs. It’s time we started thinking about those dangers more seriously."
And it’s not just MBD who’s having second thoughts. The whole world is on notice that the US is not so united as the Neocons want them to believe:
It’s not exactly that simple, but … here’s a summary from the Telegraph’s awkwardly written and ill-informed account—you’ll get the idea despite the inaccuracies and badly chosen wording:
According to reports, to end the impasse, Mr McCarthy agreed a deal that the House would commit to passing bills that would cap all discretionary defence spending at 2022 financial year levels, meaning roughly $1.47 trillion. Congress has passed four emergency supplementals totalling more than $100 billion since Russia’s invasion in February.
President Joe Biden will require Congress to approve any additional military aid later this year. Should one of the rebel lawmakers - who have vowed to oppose any further aid packages - be given leadership roles in the House Rules Committee it could create immense hurdles to passing additional assistance legislation.
...
“Haemorrhaging billions in taxpayer dollars for Ukraine while our country is in crisis is the definition of America last,” Mr Gaetz said last month as to why he had stood against Mr McCarthy.
Matt Rosendale of Montana, another holdout, recently voted against US support for Ukraine, citing what he said were more pressing security needs along the southern border with Mexico.
“This is a harbinger for a protracted legislative paralysis,” one diplomat warned, telling CNN that “the Freedom Caucus – which is not particularly pro-Ukrainian – has just demonstrated its clout.”
Sounds good to me.
Now, yesterday I quoted Will Schryver’s view that, “This war the US/NATO concocted against Russia (using Ukraine as its gullible proxy) [is] the greatest geopolitical blunder in American history.”
Also yesterday, Andrei Martyanov made a statement regarding the new Russian weapons systems that are coming online in the very near future—including submarine launched hypersonic missiles. In that regard Martyanov remarked that “Russia has much bigger fish to fry than Ukraine”. What the US and UK thought they were up, and continue to do so, by antagonizing Russia and causing the deaths of many, I cannot fathom. Believe me, discovering one or two Russian subs loaded with nuclear tipped hypersonic missiles a minute or so flight time away from the US—or London—will make for a very bad day. Martyanov’s point is that Russia knows that they’re not at war with Ukraine—they’re at war with the collective West, but led by the US/UK. Here’s Will Schryver’s take on that:
You’re reading that right—both the Middle East and Eastern Europe. And maybe East Asia.
Now, with all that in mind, here’s today’s embedded video, featuring Ania K interviewing Martyanov. Ania K is Polish and has been traveling in Russia for the past month. She also lived in the US for 17 years. It’s a fascinating and wide ranging conversation, covering war, politics, comparative culture. Just 20 minutes. Do yourself a favor:
This statement:
"According to reports, to end the impasse, Mr McCarthy agreed a deal that the House would commit to passing bills that would cap all discretionary defence spending at 2022 financial year levels, meaning roughly $1.47 trillion."
This is not a win. Capping at 2022 levels simply means the outlandish defense spending now has a floor of $1.4T perpetuity. Isn't that over $600B in new spending that is now automatic? That's something like a near doubling in defense spending even if there is no war in Ukraine. Once again we've been had.
An interesting remark by the hostess of interview with Martyanov about how much there is in common between Russians and Poles, especially in terms of the traditional approach to the family. We need more discussions like this one, though I don't expect it to happen. For a long time, topic of Poland appeared in social networks and conversations only after another sharp statement from its government, and recently in connection with Polish mercenaries in Ukraine. I have a sad feeling that Poland is being dragged and prepared to replace Ukraine after it'll be drained of blood and dumped to gurbage. And I'm afraid the next round will be much nastier.