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Biden Says the U.S. Wasn’t Involved in Russia’s Coup Attempt. CIA History Suggests Otherwise (VIDEO)

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Liberal commentators cheered this weekend as it appeared the walls were closing in on the Putin regime. But the celebrations proved fleeting as the Wagner group’s supposed coup quickly came to an end.

Given President Biden’s lack of transparency since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, his statement on the administration’s lack of involvement in the coup lacked credibility. “We had nothing to do with it,” Biden announced, but many still weren’t buying it.

Some speculated that the U.S., or the CIA in particular, was behind the attempted coup. While we will likely never know what truly happened, but CIA involvement is certainly not outside the realm of possibility. In fact, the CIA has a long record of supporting coups in foreign countries. Here’s seven examples:

. . .The CIA declassified documents sixty years later, finally acknowledging its role in the 1953 Iranian coup. Iranians elected Mohammad Mosaddegh as prime minister in 1951, and he moved to nationalize the country’s British-controlled oil production, which was vital to re-build Europe after World War Two. The CIA also worried Mosaddegh would align Iran with the Soviets.

. . .The CIA also declassified documents in 1997 admitting its role in the 1954 Guatemalan coup against President Jacobo Arbenz. Arbenz initiated land reforms that clashed with American corporate interests and appeared too friendly toward communism. The CIA helped to arm and train guerrillas under General Carlos Castillo Armas, who then led then led an invasion to overthrow Arbenz. Given the small number of forces, the CIA also had a $270,000 budget devoted to “psychological warfare and political action” against the Guatemalan public. The coup was ultimately successful and Armas took control of the country with U.S. support. (Read more from “Biden Says the U.S. Wasn’t Involved in Russia’s Coup Attempt. CIA History Suggests Otherwise” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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RFK Jr. Says Russia ‘Acting in Good Faith’ in Ukraine Invasion, U.S. in Part to Blame for War

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Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested Wednesday that Russia has been “acting in good faith” in various efforts to end the war in Ukraine and placed blame on the U.S. for the 16-monthlong conflict.

Kennedy said in an interview on SiriusXM’s “The Briefing with Steve Scully” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “repeatedly said yes” to negotiations.

“In fact, he negotiated, two times he agreed to agreements,” Kennedy said. “He agreed to the Minsk Accord, and then he agreed in 2022 to an agreement that would’ve left Ukraine completely intact.” . . .

“It was us who forced [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky to sabotage that agreement. It was already signed,” Kennedy claimed. “So, you know, the Russians were acting in good faith. … So, no, I think we’re the ones who have not been acting in good faith.”

Kennedy has previously criticized America’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, suggesting at an event in New Hampshire on Tuesday that the conflict is the “creation of a relentless mentality of foreign domination” on the part of the U.S. (Read more from “RFK Jr. Says Russia ‘Acting in Good Faith’ in Ukraine Invasion, U.S. in Part to Blame for War” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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CIA Suggests Ukraine Has Gone Rogue, Could Trigger WWIII

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By Jeet Heer. The United States is heavily invested in the Ukraine-Russia conflict—not just in financial terms but also in shared risk. Washington has given more than $75 billion in aid to Ukraine, a serious chunk of change, yet far less than the possible consequences for the world if the war were to spiral out of control. After all, Russia might be a decrepit superpower, but it still possesses a massive nuclear arsenal and the ability to inflict damage well beyond Ukraine. In its public rhetoric, the Biden administration has walked a tightrope, insisting that it is balancing the moral necessity of helping Ukraine defend itself against external aggression with caution in making sure the war doesn’t ramp up into a broader conflict. Yet the administration’s claim of working to forestall escalation has a major loophole: Will the United States be able to stop Ukraine (or elements of the Ukrainian government) from escalating?

Recent reporting about the September 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline suggests a worrying possibility: that elements of the Ukrainian government have effectively gone rogue, carrying out risky operations in defiance of the superpower that funds their war. If that’s so, then it’s entirely possible that the United States and its NATO allies have lost the ability to apply the brakes in order to stop the war from spreading.

The Nord Stream bombing remains unsolved, and there have been multiple conflicting narratives. In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, some members of the Biden administration suggested that Russia was the culprit. This was always an implausible claim. Vladimir Putin is a criminal dictator who invades neighboring countries for gain, so why would he blow up infrastructure that profits his own country? In February 2023, legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh published an article claiming that the Biden administration itself planned and executed the explosion. Hersh’s article was based on anonymous sources and it was adamantly denied by the government. Yet, even as Hersh’s reporting was lambasted, it did have the positive effect of forcing mainstream media outlets to reinvestigate the bombing. Writing in The Nation in May, James Bamford noted the limits of Hersh’s reporting—and also pointed to evidence suggesting that American intelligence had information about the bombing prior to its happening. Bamford’s article was prescient in noticing the implication of evidence indicating American foreknowledge. . .

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported, “The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency warned the Ukrainian government not to attack the Nord Stream gas pipelines last summer after it obtained detailed information about a Ukrainian plot to destroy a main energy connection between Russia and Europe.” One detail of this report is worth dwelling on: “The plan was to stage the attack after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s exercise called Baltic Ops that took place in the area above the pipelines and ended on June 17.” This suggests that the alleged Ukrainian plan included a desire to frame NATO for the attack—which could have easily led to a wider conflict if the Russian government took the bait.

The new revised CIA narrative, if one pieces together various newspaper accounts, goes something like this: In June 2022, intelligence agencies in the Netherlands got wind of an alleged Ukrainian plot against the Nord Stream pipeline. The CIA then asked the Ukrainians to stop the bombing. The Ukrainians promised to shut down the operation—but in reality just reorganized it with a new leader. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was reportedly left out of the loop so he wouldn’t be implicated. (Read more from “CIA Suggests Ukraine Has Gone Rogue, Could Trigger WWIII” HERE)

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Biden Warns the Threat of Putin’s Using Tactical Nuclear Weapons Is ‘Real’

By Yuliya Talmazan. President Joe Biden has warned that the threat that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use tactical nuclear weapons is “real.”

Putin made the comments Monday as Ukraine pressed on with its counteroffensive to reclaim occupied territories, just days after the Kremlin began deploying the weapons to Belarus. . .

“When I was out here about two years ago saying I worried about the Colorado River drying up, everybody looked at me like I was crazy,” Biden told a group of donors in California on Monday, Reuters reported.

“They looked at me like when I said I worry about Putin using tactical nuclear weapons. It’s real,” Biden said, according to the news agency. (Read more from “Biden Warns the Threat of Putin’s Using Tactical Nuclear Weapons Is ‘Real’” HERE)

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Putin Warns West Over F-16’s, Confirms Nukes Moved to Belarus; Ukraine Intelligence Says May Be Time to Give up East

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Russia warns West sending F-16s to Ukraine ‘carries enormous risks’

By Ashleigh Furlong. The West’s effort to potentially send modern fighter jets to Ukraine “carries enormous risks,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warned on Saturday, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The minister’s comments in an interview with TASS come in the wake of the U.S. getting behind a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to use modern fighter aircraft including F-16s. This could also pave the way to eventually send advanced Western combat jets to Ukraine, according to a senior administration official. (Read more from “Russia warns West sending F-16s to Ukraine ‘carries enormous risks’” HERE)

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Putin confirms first nuclear weapons moved to Belarus

By BBC News. Russia has already stationed a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Vladimir Putin says.

Russia’s president told a forum they would only be used if Russia’s territory or state was threatened. . .

Belarus is a key Russian ally and served as a launchpad for Mr Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Mr Putin said transferring the tactical nuclear warheads would be completed by the end of the summer.

Answering questions after a speech at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russia’s president said the move was about “containment” and to remind anyone “thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat on us”. (Read more from “Putin confirms first nuclear weapons moved to Belarus” HERE)

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Ukraine Intelligence Officer Recommends Giving up Eastern Provinces

UA POV: Dennis Desyatnik from special Ukrainian intelligence suggests giving up Donbass and Luhansk territories when negotiations happen.
by u/sharkattack- in UkraineRussiaReport

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Ukraine’s Forces Are Advancing but Appear to Be Miles From Russia’s Main Defensive Line. A Much Tougher Fight Lies Ahead.

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Ukrainian counteroffensive operations are underway, and it’s been hard fighting for Kyiv’s forces. But Ukraine is still miles from Russia’s main line of defense, and a tougher fight is probably still to come, experts say.

Ukrainian forces appear to be about 10 to 15 kilometers from the main defensive line, depending on the location of the fighting, George Barros, a Russia analyst who is the geospatial-intelligence team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, told Insider.

Jack Watling, a land-warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute, suggested it could be as much as 20 kilometers.

Ukraine has been fighting its way through Russian defensive positions consisting of foxholes and hand-dug trenches backed by minefields and protected by drones and artillery, Watling wrote in an article published Wednesday. But that is not the main line of defense.

“The main defence line, still 15-20 km from Ukrainian positions, has properly dug trenches and concrete-reinforced firing posts, tank obstacles, ground-laid cable to coordinate artillery strikes, and even more mines,” he wrote. (Read more from “Ukraine’s Forces Are Advancing but Appear to Be Miles From Russia’s Main Defensive Line. A Much Tougher Fight Lies Ahead.” HERE)

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Russia’s Lancet Drone Is Hampering Ukraine’s Counteroffensive, Smashing Western Gear and Exposing Poor Air Defenses

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In recent weeks Ukraine has been pushing hard to retake ground from Russia, as part of a sweeping counteroffensive.

The full picture is still emerging, but in places it has been a bruising experience.

Russian officials have gleefully shared videos of piled-up wreckage, and often cited as the cause the Russian-made Lancet drone.

The Lancet is a loitering munition made by a subsection of Russia’s Kalashnikov arms manufacturer. It’s new — first used in 2019 — and meant for precision strikes.

James Patton Rogers, a drone expert at the Cornell Tech Policy Institute and the University of Southern Denmark, said that the type being fielded by Russia in Ukraine is the Lancet-3, an upgraded version. (Read more from “Russia’s Lancet Drone Is Hampering Ukraine’s Counteroffensive, Smashing Western Gear and Exposing Poor Air Defenses” HERE)

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Foreign Legion Fighter Reports Massive Casualties Among Ukrainian Troops

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A Taiwanese volunteer soldier in Ukraine’s foreign legion on Sunday (June 4) uploaded a detailed account of the realities of fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

The Taiwanese soldier, who goes by the handle “I don’t know Mount Lushan” (不識廬山), has recently returned from duty in Ukraine and Sunday uploaded an extremely detailed thread with advice to would-be volunteers considering joining the fight. Topics he covered were the expenses, physical demands, necessary language skills, combat training needed, and the mentality one should possess. . .

The volunteer advised that the lack of sleep and intense physical exertion caused by long missions are taxing. Worse, the soldier warned that the life and death situations on the battlefield, shellshock from constant bombardments, and death of team members can easily “destroy a person’s mind.”

He said that even experienced soldiers can panic and lose their judgment and ability to fight due to fear. The veteran noted that his unit had a casualty rate of 50% and 20% of his teammates were killed in action.

According to the volunteer, his platoon was “annihilated twice” and he was the only member to come out unscathed. Furthermore, he observed that his unit did not fight in the “deadliest war zone.” (Read more from “Foreign Legion Fighter Reports Massive Casualties Among Ukrainian Troops” HERE)

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White House Sounds the Alarm on ‘Full-Scale Defense Partnership’ Between Russia and Iran

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Russia is providing billions of dollars in military aircraft and equipment in exchange for imports, as well as, ultimately, assistance with building attack drones for use in Ukraine, the White House said in a declassified intelligence report given to news outlets Friday.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Iran dug in supply lines to transfer the one-way attack drones to Russia through the Caspian sea, which are then provided to Russian forces to attack Ukrainian cities over long distances, according to The Associated Press. Iran has also agreed to provide materials for constructing a drone factory, and as repayment, Iran hopes to acquire Russian warplanes and air defense systems, The Washington Post reported.

“This is a full-scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine, to Iran’s neighbors, and to the international community,” Kirby said, according to the AP.

The White House released satellite imagery of photos taken in April where the factory “will probably be built” in Russia’s Alabuga special economic zone, about 100 miles east of Moscow, according to the AP. U.S. intelligence said the plant could be operational next year. (Read more from “White House Sounds the Alarm on ‘Full-Scale Defense Partnership’ Between Russia and Iran” HERE)

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Some Nations Could Send Troops to Defend Ukraine, Says Ex-NATO Chief

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Some NATO countries that share a border with Russia might send troops to Ukraine on their own if alliance members, including the U.S., fail to provide “tangible security guarantees” at the upcoming summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

Suppose NATO members can’t agree on a clear path forward for Ukraine. In that case, there is a “clear possibility” that some countries might take action to support Kyiv, including putting “boots on the ground,” Mr. Rasmussen said in remarks published in The Guardian newspaper.

“I think the Poles would seriously consider going in to assemble a ‘coalition of the willing’ if Ukraine doesn’t get anything in Vilnius,” Mr. Rasmussen said. “We shouldn’t underestimate the Polish feelings. The Poles feel that for too long western Europe did not listen to their warnings against the true Russian mentality.”

Current NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said all member states agree that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance. During a recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway, Mr. Stoltenberg said the most important task at hand is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent state.

“We don’t know when the war ends. But we must ensure that, when it does, we have credible arrangements in place to guarantee Ukraine’s security in the future and to break Russia’s cycle of aggression,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. (Read more from “Some Nations Could Send Troops to Defend Ukraine, Says Ex-NATO Chief” HERE)

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Biden Blamed Russia for Nord Stream Pipeline Attack Despite CIA Being Briefed Earlier on a Ukrainian Plot

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President Joe Biden blamed Russia for the attack of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline last September, despite his administration receiving intelligence three months earlier that Ukrainian forces planned to conduct such an attack.

On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported, based on Pentagon documents allegedly leaked onto Discord, that a European nation briefed the Biden administration that “the Ukrainian military had planned a covert attack on the undersea network using a small team of divers who reported directly to the commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces.”

The Post reported, “Details about the plan, which have not been previously reported, were collected by a European intelligence service and shared with the CIA in June 2022. They provide some of the most specific evidence to date linking the government of Ukraine to the eventual attack in the Baltic Sea, which U.S. and Western officials have called a brazen and dangerous act of sabotage on Europe’s energy infrastructure.” . . .

Biden’s comments suggests that he either did not receive word of the briefing — alarming given he is president and his policy of supporting Ukraine for “as long as it takes” — or that he knew of the intelligence and may have deliberately misled Americans. (Read more from “Biden Blamed Russia for Nord Stream Pipeline Attack Despite CIA Being Briefed Earlier on a Ukrainian Plot” HERE)

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