Here is why we are doing [the interview with Putin]: … Two years into a war that is reshaping the entire world, most Americans are not informed. They have no real idea what is happening in this region…. The war in Ukraine is a human disaster. It has left hundreds of thousands of people dead. An entire generation of young Ukrainians. It has depopulated the largest country in Europe….

Tucker Carlson

The war in Ukraine is a “human disaster.” It is not, in Tucker Carlson’s telling, a Kremlin-sponsored disaster. Carlson does not say Putin’s policies have “depopulated the largest country in Europe.” Carlson does not say Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukrainian Crimea and Donbas in 2014 with a follow-on invasion in 2022. No. He says nothing about naked Russian aggression. He says nothing about 19,000 Ukrainian children kidnapped and indoctrinated with the idea that Ukraine no longer exists. Carlson fails to quote from Putin’s speeches or papers, where the Russian dictator says Ukraine is not a real country even though it has been recognized as such by Soviet and Russian leaders for a hundred years. He does not tell us Ukraine is a country that wants to be free from Moscow. He does not mention the solemn treaties and agreements recognizing Ukraine’s sovereignty (treaties signed by the Russians). He does not explain that in 1994 Ukraine gave up a large nuclear aresenal in exchange for security guarantees from Russia. Instead of mentioning these points, Carlson is focused on how this war has “reshaped the global military and trade alliances” upending the world economy. In other words, this war is going to hurt Americans in their pocket books. Therefore, we need to end this war.

The idea that we need to end this war implies that this war somehow belongs to us, that we are responsible for it. In Carlson’s view, the Ukrainian people have no agency. Ukraine is an American puppet state and its independence and the freedom of the Ukrainian people is not at issue. The Ukrainian government is corrupt and deserves to be destroyed by the Russians. Carlson therefore advocates cutting off support for Ukraine, which would guarantee a Russian victory. He forgets to tell his listeners that a Russian victory would be a humanitarian catastrophe far worse than the ongoing war (just as the fall of Saigan resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe in South Vietnam and Cambodia far worse than the Vietnam War). In fact, more people were murdered as a result of the communist victory in Southeast Asia than were killed in twenty years of fighting. The same outcome would repeat in Russian-occupied Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians would be killed, imprisoned, or brainwashed. Millions more would flee into Europe, causing an unprecedented refugee crisis. The financial cost of defeat would be greater than the relatively small cost of supporting Ukraine’s holding action. Worse yet, the Russian Army would move to NATO’s doorstep. Where would we get the men and the money to strengthen that border? And if we abandoned NATO at such a juncture, Russia would become the master of Europe. China would then be master of Asia and probably the Pacific. Already they are advancing in Latin America. Already we see Russian and Chinese support for Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, etc. America would be surrounded on every side. America would be sanctioned by a world under Russian and Chinese dominance. America’s strategic position would be almost unsupportable.

Tucker Carlson’s position on the Ukraine War is irresponsible. Although this kind of irresponsibility has become common practice in America, there is no excuse for presenting set piece enemy propaganda as “truth.” Carlson blames America for this war. In fact, there was no military cooperation between Ukraine and NATO until Russian forces attacked Ukraine and occupied Ukrainian territory in 2014. Russian military aggression drove Ukraine into NATO’s arms. How is that America’s fault? The claim that the Maidan Revolution was a CIA coup is without foundation. According to the research of Boris Chikulay, half the Ukrainian elite were trained in KGB academies or served in the KGB. In other words, Ukraine was riddled with Kremlin agents in 2014. The ruling Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine owed allegiance to Moscow. When the Ukrainian people stood up to Moscow’s puppets in Kiev, many of these puppets fled to Moscow in panic.

Let us do some math. How many CIA agents were in Ukraine in 2014 and how many KGB/FSB agents were in Ukraine? The Russians must have had a hundred agents for every CIA agent. How then, could the CIA have orchestrated a coup against the ruling pro-Kremlin party? The idea that the CIA could have operated effectively in Ukraine, given the incompetence and risk aversion of CIA bureaucrats, is absurd. Nobody who knows the CIA thinks the CIA conducted a coup in Ukraine. It is ridiculous that Carlson, a famous American journalist, should be so ignorant regarding the CIA’s limitations. Has he ever bothered to read Tim Weiner’s Legacy of Ashes?

Carlson warns of history-making changes that will “define the lives of our grandchildren.” In a curious turnabout, Carlson says that most of the world can see the truth about Ukraine: “And yet the populations of the English-speaking countries seem mostly unaware. They think that nothing has really changed. And they think that because no one has told them the truth.”

Yet Carlson is not telling the truth. It is Carlson who frames events to favor the Kremlin’s position. An American journalist should never cooperate with his country’s enemy in misrepresenting his country’s past actions. It is wrong to become a platform for Russian lies. Carlson talks as if the only wicked people in the world are in Washington, D.C. He forgets that Soviet policies resulted in the torture, imprisonment and murder of tens of millions of people. He forgets that the Russian Federation is a continuation of the Soviet Union, run by the same elite that ran the Soviet Union. Russia is policed by the same secret police organization. This organization continues to honor and celebrate the mass murderers of the Soviet past. In this context, every official Russian acknowledgement of Stalin’s crimes is calculated and cynical. There is no genuine repentence in the Kremlin because there has been no change in Russia’s support for communists abroad, no change in Russia’s militarism and subversion of the West. But you would never know this while listening to the befuddled Mr. Carlson.

Supposedly, Carlson is interviewing President Putin in order to present the English-speaking world with a truth that has been kept from them by the wicked American media — as if the American media were more dishonest than Russia’s state-controlled media. In this matter, if we want the real truth, we should recognize that Russia and China are allies, along with all the other communist countries. Carlson does not understand this. We would do better listening to a Chinese dissident journalist, like Mr. D. Wang of Lude Media.

Interview With Lude

JRN: My first question is about the May 2022 57-minute recording of the civil-military mobilization meeting in Guangdong: What happened to the Chinese mobilization? Is the CCP still moving toward war?

LUDE: The answer to this question is, no doubt, yes, they are still pushing for war against the Western countries. The second thing is, I have a concern about the interpretation of this military-civil meeting in Guangdong. We need to understand the hidden message behind that meeting; because in the Chinese political system, when they talk about something, they use terms which have hidden meanings. These terms are not fully understood, especially when they talk about strategic success. Strategic success is often talked about in the CCP in terms of a conflict with the U.S.

JRN: How does the CCP define strategic success? Is it in accordance with Mao Zedong thought?

LUDE: Xi Jinping has a new version of Mao’s ideology. He calls it “community with shared future of all mankind.” Xi’s current political theory is composed of many things, including the “thousand years of Chinese tradition” and the Soviet Union’s communist system and, also, he introduced a very modern Wall Street elitism. So, they pull all this together to make a mixture. It cannot be understood simply as communism. It is an evolved version of communism.

JRN: We hear that China’s economy is in trouble. It seems to be getting worse. Is Xi Jinping going to fix these problems or will there be an economic collapse?

LUDE: Currently, Xi’s economy has two parts: Foreign trade and domestic demand. Since foreign trade is down, domestic demand is in trouble. So, the solution for Xi is to move human resources to build up the military complex to get benefits from the Russian war in Ukraine and other global hotspots. The critical point is that when there is a sudden decoupling of China from the United States, Xi has to put everything into the military industrial complex to replace the previous economic pattern. At the same time, when Xi’s economy falls into the military pattern this will push Xi toward war – toward a global conflict.

JRN: Is China sending military equipment to Russia now?

LUDE:  One hundred percent, yes. China is supplying Russia with weapons in the Ukraine War. They are supplying a host of things, especially ammunition. China is supplying Russia with chemicals needed for Russia’s munitions factories. They not only provide chemicals directly, but precursors. Secondly, they are sending ultra-high precision machine tools, so that Russia can assemble various weapons.

JRN: If China’s economy is slipping and it is inevitable that Xi Jinping will use his military to start a war, what kind of war will that be?

LUDE: First, we have to understand that currently we cannot use the definition of war as derived from World War I or World War II. We have to understand that World War III will have a hybrid form. Xi’s idea is different than Russia’s, where we see kinetic warfare. Xi’s hybrid warfare targets the United States in an attempt to divide the country politically. They are using psychological warfare, and they will try to target your elections. According to Xi’s hybrid war concept, China is already at war with the United States. We see this in terms of your political divisions and also COVID-19.  The pandemic actually caused more damage than a traditional kinetic war.

JRN: We have a lot of Chinese men of military age crossing the U.S. southern border. Many of these may be trying to escape Xi’s government. Could some of these men be agents of the CCP or special commandos or terrorists? What do you think is happening?

LUDE: Remember the Easter Offensive in the Vietnam War. They used the Ho Chi Minh Trail to enter South Vietnam through Cambodia. Xi has his own Ho Chi Minh Trail running into America through Mexico. This invasion can be combined with cyber warfare and attacks on American infrastructure. At the same time, a lot of people are going to be mobilized into the streets to disrupt the cities, social system, and the economy. All these things will happen at the same time. The purpose is to disrupt the internal ruling system of America so that the U.S. cannot deal with foreign threats. As you can imagine, this disruption attack might do something to make people sick. So, they are going to put several different measures together. These measures will bring about strategic victory by pushing the U.S. into anarchy. The government will then lose control over society. Then they can target the dollar system. That is what’s important.

JRN: And is this disruption attack going to happen before the November 2024 election?

LUDE: We have to understand, in terms of game theory, they are waiting for an opportunity. So it’s hard to say whether the attack will happen before the election or after. There has to be a very good opportunity, and we should keep in mind that they have been preparing for a long time. According to a source I have in the CCP, Xi Jinping is closely watching the 2024 election. If there is an opening, if they see there is a good opportunity, and if they have prepared sufficiently, they will not hesitate to initiate a combined attack from inside America.

JRN: Is the Chinese diaspora aware of what is coming? Are they afraid of what Xi is going to do? Is there a threat to freedom-loving Chinese people living in the U.S.?

LUDE: Risk to Chinese people living in the United States definitely exists. A freedom-loving Chinese person, like myself, is considered a traitor by the CCP government in Beijing. I am called a traitor to China. If the CCP attacks America from the inside, people like me will be in serious danger.

JRN: Is there any sign that the Chinese people are getting tired of Communist Party rule? Are there signs of strain in China?

LUDE: Yes. I believe that 60 or maybe 70 percent of Chinese people are unhappy and have many complaints. They are tired of this whole system; however, the problem is that the battlefield on which the communists plan to fight is the United States itself. In other words, the U.S. is in a defensive position – and this is not right. How can the Chinese people get free of the CCP if the political battle is in the United States? As long as your strategy is purely defensive, the communists will find a weakness, an opening, and they will cause you trouble rather than suffering trouble themselves. So you have to change your position. You cannot be defensive all the time. You have to push the battlefield to your enemy’s side. You have to infiltrate and push this conflict to the China side. A more offensive strategy should have been adopted a long time ago.

JRN: Many Western analysts are afraid China will blockade or invade Taiwan. Is this a realistic fear?

LUDE: This is a definition question. If you consider that an economic blockade may be carried out subtly, through non-military means; for example, if the CCP can control what is imported to Taiwan, or what can be exported from Taiwan, then the blockade has already started as a form of pressure on Taiwan’s economy. The pressure on Taiwan advances a little bit at a time. What the U.S. must do is integrate itself with the military and intelligence system of Taiwan. If this integration does not happen, when the U.S. system is disrupted then Taiwan will be at great risk. So, we cannot say, “They did not do that, or they will do that.” It is more complicated and has to do with the America’s ability to interfere with the CCP’s plans.

JRN: How can we best interfere with CCP’s plans? How do we stop the communists?   

LUDE: The best way is to attain military and intelligence control of the situation. Look at how things are being controlled or influenced. Look at the security situation, the police and intelligence situation. The CCP is good at controlling new territory by getting control of the military systems and police systems. In Taiwan, the police and military systems have weaknesses and openings. The reason China does not fully control Taiwan is that they do not exercise control over the police and military. But they are infiltrating those organizations. One danger is when the U.S. sends advanced weapons to Taiwan. If the Taiwan military has been infiltrated by CCP agents, these agents can inform China of America’s advanced techniques in warfare. First things first, you have to take hold of the intelligence problem.

JRN: So, you believe the Chinese communists are winning the intelligence war against America?

LUDE: First, because the U.S. has no serious intention to infiltrate the communist intelligence system, they failed to acquire agents inside the CCP that can tell them what is going on. At the same time, the Chinese communists are well informed about American intentions and capabilities. When Beijing and Washington were building up their diplomatic ties [50 years ago], the CCP never lost the hope that they would defeat the United States. They have always worked for the defeat of the United States – all the time. Even when they worked with the U.S. to defeat the Soviet Union, they were nonetheless determined to learn everything they could about U.S. intelligence and the U.S. military. When the U.S. began to trust China fully, China kept its intentions and methods secret from the United States. They used obscure Chinese dialects to transmit coded information, so that the American side could never figure out what CCP officials and operatives were saying to each other in private. They were able to completely fool the U.S. by preventing any true knowledge from leaking out to the American side.

JRN: We have a missile war out of Yemen in the Red Sea, we have Iran close to making nuclear weapons, and we have North Korea denouncing peaceful unification with South Korea. Are these political positions – taken by governments in Yemen, Iran and North Korea – connected with China’s larger strategy?

LUDE: Yes, of course, these countries are all related to the CCP. Let’s talk about North Korea first. It should be obvious that North Korea is not an independent country. It is much more integrated with the CCP government than Western researchers believe. North Korea is a CCP-controlled country. My sources in China say that there are a hundred CCP officials assigned to the North Korean government, and when Kim Jong Un gives a speech, these gather with the North Korean Ambassador. China uses North Korea as a cheap labor manufacturer. They also use North Korea to do what they officially want to avoid acknowledging as their own doing. Turning to Yemen and the Houthi rebels: Yemen was a socialist country organized by the Soviet Union, but after the Soviet Union collapsed China began using Yemen as a base to interfere in the Middle East. Regarding Iran: the U.S. has had sanctions on Iran for such a long time we have to ask why those sanctions have failed. How is Iran getting the money and technology to prosper? They cannot get global financial help. How did they build their nuclear industry? The answer is that China has been helping Iran. Hamas also gets external help, and this help is also from China.  

JRN: So, these countries – Yemen, Iran, North Korea – are working with China. In the event China’s internal attack disrupts the United States, these countries will go on the attack against Israel, the Gulf States, South Korea, etc.?

LUDE: One hundred percent. They are working together and if America is disrupted they can, for example, close off strategic waterways. If a disruption of the U.S. happens, they want to control the Suez Canal. Iran will control the Strait of Hormuz. Then there is the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Since they target the Western global system, they are also aiming at critical waterways and chokepoints.

JRN: And what happens if Russia wins the war in Ukraine?

LUDE: Currently, the Russians will not finish the Ukraine War in a short time. The CCP wants to support Russia with weapons because this facilitates China’s transition from producing consumer goods to producing military goods. So, the CCP depends on the Ukraine War to maintain their economic system and, eventually, if the Russians take over Ukraine, China will take control of key economic assets in Ukraine to pay for this war. This model is being established, and this model is very familiar to Russia. So, they are going to aim at the next war, and they are going to continue this process [of expanding and expropriating resources]. You have to understand, all these military operations have to be paid for with something. The side that Russia defeats is going to pay for that war. Naturally, they are targeting the U.S. in the same way, so that the U.S. will finance its own defeat.

JRN: How does that work?

LUDE: If the CCP defeats the U.S. through various measures, the U.S. will pay. This is China’s predatory pattern of bleeding its victims economically. If Russia defeats Ukraine, China will get to rebuild Ukraine as an example of the One Belt, One Road initiative. Then they will attack the dollar and create a new economic system.

JRN: About biological warfare, there has been news about the CCP working on a more lethal version of the Corona virus, and then there was a Chinese lab discovered in California with dangerous microorganisms stored on American soil. Is the CCP planning a biological attack on America?

LUDE: Absolutely. My thought is there are many strains of the pathogen already prepared. The CCP needs to find a really good opportunity to initiate such an attack. A biological attack cannot succeed just by itself. It has to be part of a larger strategy. We need to think deeper about this. In the California lab that was uncovered, where do you think they got the most dangerous pathogens from? These dangerous pathogens can only come from a government system. If you are a private corporate owner, you are very unlikely to get those pathogens – especially in China because they are so completely controlled. To come up with such pathogens you have to be supported directly by the military or the government. A second question would be, how are those pathogens getting to the U.S.? They are smuggled from China. And then we must ask how many similar labs exist on American soil. There must be others. This is a war preparation by the CCP on American soil. Think about it. Imagine how these pathogens can be used if a disruption of the U.S. is attempted by China. We have to understand that after this last pandemic, the CCP got a lot of experience. They optimized their model for the next pandemic. They are better prepared to disrupt your economic system. Next time, they definitely can do it better. Having the right opportunity is the key. I believe they can initiate another pandemic, for sure.

JRN: Is there anything further you would like to add, anything I missed?

LUDE: America should not be on the defense all the time. Why? If the battle takes place in the United States there will be damage to the United States. The U.S. will then bear the cost. Why did the U.S. have success in World War II? Because the battlefield was not in the United States. It was in the Pacific, in Europe. America then had the space to produce many weapons. We need to bring the conflict to the CCP’s doorstep.

Carlson’s Interview With Putin

After watching Carlson’s interview with Putin, the following thoughts come to mind: Putin turned the Carlson interview into a lecture on history. There was no proper interview at all. Carlson was used. And when Carlson gave Putin a chance to talk about his Christian beliefs, Putin refused to play along. Instead, Putin said that he believed in the “laws of history.” This is the way “scientific socialists” talk. In other words, it was a subtle Marxist-Leninist confession (a wink at the communists). Putin’s historical narrative was in keeping with Lenin’s teaching, “nationalist in form, socialist in content.” Essentially he blamed Western imperialism for the war, exactly as a communist would do. But he used a new kind of doublespeak to do it.

Putin took advantage of his naive American interlocutor, refusing to answer direct questions. He put Carlson off by asking whether the interview was a “show” or a “serious discussion.” Consequently, the interview degenerated into a self-serving two hour lecture on Russian history. In this lecture Putin smeared and blamed the Poles, the Austrians, the Americans, and NATO. His logic for attacking Ukraine was the same logic Hitler used for invading Poland in 1939. Their territory is our territory and we have a right to take it. He even blamed the CIA for the Chechen War, saying that America was trying to destroy Russia. In reality, of course, Russia and her communist allies have been trying to destroy America. Putin refused to take responsibility for invading Ukraine, for destroying Ukrainian cities, for kidnapping Ukrainian children, for attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. He said that his “special military operation” was tasked with ending the war rather than enlarging the war. Such rhetoric is often heard from the lips of war criminals.

During Putin’s long and tedious lecture Carlson sat with his brows furrowed. He laughed inappropriately at some of of Putin’s comments. He smiled respectfully at other times. Carlson was out of his depth even as his softball questions fell flat. When he asked the dictator to show good will by releasing an imprisoned journalist, Putin said he was out of good will. Besides, this journalist was caught red-handed with classified documents. When Carlson asked if Putin would be satsified keeping the Ukrainian territory he presently occupied, Putin evaded the question. Why, indeed, would he take part of Ukraine when he can take the whole and useful idiots like Carlson are willing to help him?

I hope that going forward, Carlson will rethink his position on the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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302 thoughts on “Interview With Lude and Tucker Carlson’s Interview With Putin”

  1. If you can’t think of what to send, here’s a suggested form letter:

    Dear Agent Carlson,

    Another CIA asset of whom you no doubt must be acquainted, Jeff Nyquist, a World renowned pseudojournalist, who has written extensively about the precarious, Russia/China threat, would like to interview you about your recent scoop with the President of Russia. Of course you may be reluctant to play good cop – bad cop, but that’s show biz!

    Love ‘ya – mean it,

    JR Nyquist Fan Club Memeber

    1. Larisa: Your note is a kind of self-parody, for nothing in it touches me. It is an artifact of your own political misunderstandings (which are compound misunderstandings). If you mock me am I obligated to mock you in response? What then happens to useful discussion? As you disagree with my writing, why not meet the challenge of that disagreement with serious thoughts and facts of equal or greater quality to my own? If I am mistaken, please explain why. If you seriously dismiss me as a CIA agent, or if you regard Carlson as a CIA agent, you simply pollute the discussion with baseless suggestions. Why do this? Is this kind of thing worthy of an honest, fair-minded person engaged in a discussion with another honest fair-minded person? Mockery and attempts to humiliate me makes constructive discourse impossible. There must be good will on both sides for a discussion. This is why I delete postings like yours above. It shows ill will. It is not communication as much as it is a form of aggression with the intention to harm the owner of the site. As such, your post is malicious. By writing ti9s way you have not entered into discussion. You are engaged in a campaign to destroy me by demeaning me as a person. I allow this to post if only show the kind of hostility my analysis engenders. But I am not your doormat.

      1. Well, we all tried that and you’ve hidden the discussion, so this is what you get. You and Tucker can talk about it all you want.

        Fact is, you tried to deflect the fact that Putin outed Carlson as an CIA agent, by asserting that Putin was joking. There is no way that the US State Department would allow anyone to interview Putin in Russia if it didn’t serve the interests of the US State Department. Putin said he was serious, and Tucker was a deer caught in the headlights.

      2. Putin did not “out” Carlson as a CIA agent. In fact, he congratulated him on being rejected by the CIA when he applied to work there. Anyone can check the interview transcript. In fact, why are you falsifying it to make a point? Furthermore, the State Department cannot prevent journalists traveling abroad from doing what they please. Lastly, Putin shut off Carlson’s question about his Feb 22 2022 statment by asking whether Carlson wanted a show or a serious discussion. As Alex Benesch pointed out, the Russians altered their version of the transcript by deleting Carlson’s statement that he had a copy of Putin’s statement — a statement Putin denied making. So Putin was the one deflecting. Your statements of what happened are (a) not factual and used to (b) level false accustaions against me deflecting you (c) when your allegations are baseless in the first place. And of course, Carlson was stopped from asking his prepared questions by the President of Russia, who would not allow Carlson to read from Putin’s speech because in that case Putin would have been caught in a lie.

    2. “The CIA! The CIA!”

      You’d think they’d get tired of fearmongering about this boogeyman. It’s become almost a punchline at this point.

    1. Larissa, you are gloating over your own STUPIDITY like an alcoholic gloats over his addiction to alcohol. One has indeed to admire Mr. Nyquist for his seemingly limitless courtesy and patience when dealing with the self destructive morons like you. Your GOD, PUTLER has won, perhaps, a round with this nonsensical exchange with another moron, Tucker Carlson, however there is also an increasing hope that Russia will disintegrate sooner than America. In the US the sector of the FREE PEOPLE is still the largest of all countries and free people have this amazing tendency to come with some unexpected and phenomenal ideas and solutions that will allow them to survive.
      There is lot of STUPIDITY and MADNESSS in the so called West but the abyss into which Putin is pulling Russia and her allies is even deeper.
      Our friend, Mr. Nyquist is calling this a BUNGLE FACTOR.
      Russia has bungled very badly her insane adventure in Ukraine and this bungle has exposed Russia as a military colossus on the legs and wheels of manure wagon. For that reason, Chinese Communist MONSTER has, probably, postponed the start of WW3 as the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership realized that they cannot, at least at that moment, count on Russia as an ally. And, even in your deranged subconsciousness you know very well that Russia’s weakness is a result of an imaginable corruption, perhaps ten times bigger than in America or my own Australia, or Europe. The so called “Chinese leadership” has realized that the corruption in their own country and that includes their own military is even bigger than in Russia so they aren’t sure whether they could, indeed, win the WW3 with America and her, otherwise CRETINIZED, allies.
      That is the objective strategic situation, however, you are using the details of secondary or tertiary significance like an use toilet paper to prop up your nonsensical argument.
      Without regard for you – Bogdan

  3. Some bits and pieces.

    Trumps recent comments on NATO may have the positive effect of alarming Europe into rearming. But if Trump is serious about his stance on NATO and Ukraine –and he hasn’t really walked back his comments—this is an invitation for Russia to attack sooner rather than later. If the new US president is not serious about European security, then a bold move by Russia could convince all of Europe to fall in line.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJOyqeEBFfk Trump on NATO, starts at min 1:30
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNSqkhjksP8
    Trump gives NATO stark warning on war with Putin – Times Radio

    —–
    The Kyiv Indpendent echoes what Valentina said upthread about Syrsky, the newly appointed Ukrainian commander. Some soldiers on the frontlines are not keen on his appointment, he is seen as being too fond of Soviet-like meatwave attacks. In a December 2023 poll, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians were against the firing of Zaluzhny. Jeff, have your sources said anything about this change-up in military leadership? Do they think it was a good move?
    https://kyivindependent.com/syrskyi-appointment/

    https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-latest-zelensky-dismisses-chief-commander-zaluzhnyi-appoints-syrskyi-in-his-place/

    —-
    https://kyivindependent.com/cnn-russia-recruited-15-000-nepalis-to-fight-in-ukraine/
    Meanwhile, the Nepali government claims only about 200 of its citizens are fighting in Ukraine on the Russian side…
    …The opposition Nepali lawmaker and former foreign minister, Bimala Rai Paudyal, said that between 14,000 and 15,000 Nepalis are fighting in Ukraine, citing testimony from men returning from the front line.

    1. My sources do not think the firing of Zaluzhny is a good thing. Zelensky has sounded false notes, more and more; and this is troubling. Some say Andrei Yermak is the problem. I do not know enough about inside Ukraine politics to say anything intelligent about these people. I am hoping to read a trustworthy account. If anyone has a lead I would be grateful. Surely there are many Russian agents in the Ukrainian government. The SBU has been problematic. Some think it should be shut down. There are many fronts in this war. I fear for them.

    2. Dear Laura, it is also possible, remotely though that this CRETIN, Tucker Carlson will watch and rewatch his grotesque interview with Putin and will have a second thought about its result. Perhaps, he will realize how stupid and ignorant he is, will have an attack of a deep shame and will START THINKING.
      If, in the result, he began changing his, otherwise, absurd narrative, he could still do some good for our cause. He is, after all, a highly efficient, even if incoherent, JAPPER…
      Regard – Bogdan

      1. At the very least, Tucker knows that Putin lied when he denied his own statements from February 2022 about why the invasion was necessary. Tucker had the speech in his hands, in which Putin claimed that Russia faced a nuclear threat from Ukraine and NATO. If Tucker goes back over Putin’s many false historical claims and actually does a bit of research, he will find even more lies and obfuscations. But does he have the integrity to publicly admit Putin lied to him and used him to prop up his propaganda machine? Tucker is probably too ambitious to do this, and not willing to risk the financial hit of calling out MAGA’s favorite dictator.

      3. Not being intimately familiar with a detailed history of Ukrainian military operations, about which the Ukrainians have been very secretive, I cannot give any thumbs up or down on the firing of Zaluzhnyi. I already explained how little I know about Zaluzhnyi. I have been told by a source that the head of military intelligence, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, is more important, in terms of Ukraine’s future survival, than Zaluzhnyi. And we have some reason to think that Colonel-General Syrskyi was the battlefield talent behind Ukraine’s two largest victories.

        How will future military historians reckon with the legacy of Zaluzhny? I have heard that Zaluzhniy is a guy who thinks, militarily, outside the box. Ukraine needed this. But the West has not sent the equipment needed to play outside the box. Zaluzhnyi has admitted to “underestimating the Russian leadership’s willingness to sacrific its soldiers.” This is surprising given Russian history. One would think that Zaluzhnyi would have known better. In some respects he is a Western-thinking Ukrainian commander. One might say this is a good thing, right? But Ukraine’s military system is still largely a Soviet-type machine. Perhaps one can say it is a hybrid, though this probably only applies to a couple of units and I would guess these untis have suffered the heaviest losses. The weapons and the power of Ukraine’s armed forces, like those of Russia, are in its mechanized infantry and not it its tanks or specialized units. This was true of the Soviet military in the 70s and 80s. Yes, the USSR had massive tank forces. But in combat it was the Russian mechanized infantry that had the greater firepower and could do the most damage if they could close the range. Such forces are deadly in close combat — in forests, hills and ravines. This odd characteristic of both armies must be taken into account. Since mechanized infantry formations are more numerous than tank, and infantry is more effective entrenched in terrain and cities, you have this situation in which both Ukrainian and Russian military units are more effective in defense than in attack. So I am going to make an educated guess about Zaluzhnyi. I think he likes to attack, and he supposed the NATO weapons would enable him to attack more effectively than he could, and the Ukrainian offensive suffered too many losses because of this basic defensive advantage of Soviet-type military units being deployed by both sides. I believe the Ukrainians are more sensitive to losses than the Russians, and President Zelenskyy is probably even emotional on this subject. What we hear is that the relationship between the president and his top general began to break down during the summer offensive. This kind of thing happens in wars as frustration builds after disappointing results.

        The President, who carries ultimate responsibility, is always confronted by choosing the right general. It seems to me that Zelenskiy made a good pick with Zaluzhnyi. But generals can outlive their usefulness. Zelenskyy needs a new military leader because (a) he sees the necessity of going over to the defense and Zaluzhnyi probably does not like this; (b) the effort to restructure the Ukrainian armed forces along NATO lines was probably misguided in part, because NATO military doctrine is based on air power and Ukraine has none and someone who understands the Soviet way of war rather than the NATO way might be better (and that someone is not Zaluzhnyi); (c) Zaluzhnyi is an experimenter and Ukraine cannot afford experimentation right now; (d) Zelenskyy’s relationship with Zaluzhnyi has been deteriorating; and (e) someone had to bear responsibility for the failure of the summer offensive. Clearly, Ukraine was not ready for such an offensive. The man in charge of the fighting must be held responsible.

        Was replacing Zaluzhnyi the right decision?

        The real question is why did Zelenskyy pick Oleksandr Syrskyi? First, he has a lot of experience running operations. Syrskyi began his career as an artillery man and artillery is the most important arm in this war. Furthermore, Syrskyi established relations with high-ranking NATO generals when he was stationed in Brussells in 2013. Syrskyi has been fighting the Russians for nearly ten years, and participated in the learning process during early defeats in Donbas. He is Ukraine’s most experienced strategist and combat leader. It was Syrskyi, by the way, who organized and led the defense of Kyiv in 2022 — which was a decisive victory for the Ukrainians. He also planned and executed the lightning counteroffensive that drove the Russians back from the region around Kharrkiv and captured an enormous bounty of Russian equipment. He has been criticized for casualties during the Battle of Bakhmut, but he killed a lot of Russians. On balance, it seems to me taht Syrskyi’s victories are worth taking into account. The guy whose instincts and moves proved most effective got the promotion. Zelenskyy has made a good choice, it seems to me. But time will tell. A commander who is effective at one level, may be ineffective at a higher level.

        There is probably a lot I do not know. But there are suggestive facts here for understanding the change. Zaluzhnyi may be more popular, and he may have gotten all the credit for things that Syrskyi actually accomplished.

      4. For what it’s worth, I think Denis Davydov of Update From Ukraine criticized Syrskyi for not withdrawing from Bakhmut once the Russians moved into the city and the casualty ratio fell to 1:1. But yours is a fascinating analysis, lots of things to ponder.

        Another war topic that’s been in the news lately is whether Ukraine should go to conscription. Many soldiers have been serving on the frontlines for over 1 year, similar to their Russian counterparts. Much has been made of the fact that the age of the average Ukrainian soldier is in the 40’s. I remember reading something a few months ago that the minimum age for serving in combat units was 27. Probably Zelensky hopes to spare the younger, economically productive generation from fighting the war. But soon he may not have a choice about stepping up mobilization. Do you have any thoughts on this? Does Ukraine need a massive new mobilization?

      5. I don’t know the answer to that question. If I remember right, it was one of the controversies that Zaluzhnyi weighed in on, and is politically sensitive. Ukraine should dig in and defend and conserve its strength. Let the Russians hurt themselves. Defense in this war is stronger than offense. Win more defensive battles and fight for the long haul. Make the Russians look like blundering butchers.

  4. It looks like this article is making the troll farm agitated. Good.
    That means you’re on target.

    -Bill Freeman

  5. I mist this gaffe by Putin the first time around. But Konstantin of INSIDE RUSSIA pointed it out and I think is much bigger that it seems. Putin is almost admitted that the fall of the USSR was a strategic and economic trap and not organic. Opinion Mr. Nyquist? https://youtu.be/Pyl-2Z5Adiw?t=3630

    1. It’s not really a gaffe. Putin does not say the USSR collapsed itself, but that Boris Yeltsin (his Russian presidential predecessor) forced it for their own political reasons and assumptions. Actually, at the Supreme Soviet Gorbachev manipulated the voting so the USSR would collapse. But Konstantin does not know this history. He also does not know that Gorbachev was following a plan.

  7. Something else that caught my eye.

    Israeli Kan News broadcaster reports that 30 Israeli soldiers returned from Gaza infected with a deadly virus and that they are in critical condition.

    https://twitter.com/QudsNen/status/1755546652906316137

    Did Hamas, realizing they are doomed release a bioweapon as a last resort? Is this ground zero for another pandemic? Or more fog of war BS? I have no idea, but I found it unnerving.

    -Bill Freeman

  8. Looks like Carson is doubling down. This from a Russian propaganda site on Telegram:

    The Russian leader’s position is hardening with each passing day, the US journalist has said Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to engage in diplomacy to end the fighting in Ukraine, but the longer it continues the less likely he will be to compromise, US journalist Tucker Carlson said on Monday.Carlson spoke at the World Government Summit in Dubai, where he flew after interviewing Putin in Moscow last week. The video has been viewed hundreds of millions of times.“Putin wants to get out of this war. He’s not going to become more open to negotiation the longer this goes on,” Carlson said in response to a moderator’s question.The West needs to keep in mind that “Russia’s industrial capacity is a lot more profound than we thought it was,” and that Moscow is having a far easier time manufacturing weapons and ammunition than NATO countries that have been supplying Ukraine, the journalist continued.  Read more FILE PHOTO. Ukraine ‘must accept new reality’ – Kremlin There are competent people in US President Joe Biden’s administration, Carlson noted, but they lack perspective and see international relations through a very narrow lens in which every foreign leader is Adolf Hitler and every day is Munich 1938. As a result, Western governments have no real sense of what is possible or achievable.“Leaders of any country on the planet, other than maybe the United States during the unipolar period, are forced by the nature of their jobs to compromise. That’s what diplomacy is,” Carlson told the crowd in Dubai. Putin practices diplomacy just like everyone else, but “his position is hardening,” he added.
    Following Carlson’s two-hour interview with Putin, the Kremlin said that Russia has communicated its stance to the US quite clearly, but that Washington did not appear interested in talks.“The US authorities know our position very well, they are perfectly aware of all of Putin’s main points,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS news agency on Saturday. However, the American leadership apparently lacks the “political will” for negotiations.“This is not an issue of knowledge, but an issue of desire. The desire to do something to get on to the track of negotiations. We have not yet seen such a desire or the political will for this [in the US],” Peskov noted.

    via RT – Daily news https://ift.tt/NWpv1nJ

    1. This peace-loving Russia versus warmongering West is a tiresome propaganda theme. I remember it well from the Cold War. It is obvious that Moscow wants all of Urkaine. Moscow does not have to settle for part of it. The West is being nudged to cut off Ukraine and Operation CUT OFF is underway. The truth is, Putin has no reason to negotiate. He does not want his Western “partners” to offer a deal because then he would look like the warmonger — even though he caused the war. Putin is getting what he wants. Slower than he wanted it. The Russians are patient. The Chinese are itching to get the ball rolling.

      1. I was looking for you to write a refutation of Carlson’s foolish pandering to Putin, so I could get it out to many of my friends and acquaintances. Thank you for being willing to write one.

  9. It is always the same strategy – these communists pretend to be “democratically elected”, trying to hide the fact that they still count the votes and so there is no real political opposition in any of these “former” Soviet Bloc countries, including the USSR (pardon – Russia), and so these rulers just keep exchanging political posts and continue in power indefinitely.

    So it is with this KGB officer Putin, and so all that comes out of his dirty mouth is subject to that one colossal design – worldwide communist atheistic rule.

    All such people who by design, consent or stupidity and ignorance help this evil satanic design to succeed, by promoting it and giving aid to these communist rulers as Putin etc., no matter what excuse they come up with, they are still helping this evil to continue.

    But then it truly illustrates their lack of conscience, and thus their misunderstanding that they will be blameless – and if it involves such people as are commonly called useful idiots, they will be the first eliminated when the real communist criminals take full control, as then there will be no more need for their services. They will fall victim of their blunder, or of their stupidity – still it remains their own fault as the explicit history of communist evils is not hidden and these people who don’t think that it is truly important to stand on the right side of the truth and avoid perverting it, they will learn from the communist tyrants the contrary.

    It has always been this way.

  10. As a parallel, Megyn Kelly’s pathetic interview (on behalf of NBC) with Putin six years ago (and she now defends Tucker Carlson). The exact same condescension and arrogance on the part of Putin. And the exact same degree of cluelessness on the part of, in this case, Megyn Kelly (even though she was “trying hard” to find out about the supposed “Trump-Russia collusion” …):

    2. And wasn’t her lipstick so wonderfully Sovietsky deep-red? And wasn’t she, at times, so wonderfully flirtatious? The woman is all ambition, like the whole journalistic profession (and everything else). Ambition and, at best, street-smartness. But being street-smart is no substitute for real knowledge and understanding, is it? She should have become a fashion model or actress instead. – YOU DON’T FLIRT WITH THESE SOVIET MONSTERS!

  11. In these finalising times, George Frideric Handel’s monumental Dixit Dominus of 1707 comes to mind (Handel was only 22), which is a setting of the entire (highly eschatological) 110th Psalm. One cannot help but fall in love with – but also shudder in the face of – this enormously transcendent composition.

    Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris. Orchestre National Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Henri Chalet, conductor. Recorded on Dec. 15, 2022 at the Opéra-Théâtre de Clermont-Ferrand.

    1. Psalm 110 (KJV):

      The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

      2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

      3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

      4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

      5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

      6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

      7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

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