Forwarded from Russians With Attitude
How Ukraine has become the Israel of the Third World
In late 2013, on Maidan Square, Ukrainians launched their great anti-Russian crusade. They laid their troubles squarely at the feet of Russia’s influence and legacy, convinced that the West offered a far better deal. Fast-forward to today, and the West is wielding Ukraine as a blood-soaked weapon against Russia, perfectly content with whatever losses its weapon is forced to endure.
It has also become obvious that Kiev is never joining the EU or NATO in any substantive sense beyond its current role. Stranger still, Ukrainians themselves do not seem particularly wounded by this realization. All those Maidan protesters from more than a decade ago now seem to find solace in watching a Wildberries warehouse burn somewhere deep inside Russia, while appearing far less troubled by the everyday misery of living in a state of permanent collapse.
Why is that? I'd argue that it is because they have discovered a new vocation. Shut out of the European bonanza, which, as it turns out, was never quite real anyway, they have instead recast themselves as the gritty, battle-hardened military outpost of the West. A goyische Israel, if you will.
By nearly every measurable metric, 2013 was Ukraine’s finest year. GDP, economic growth, wages, everything was trending upward. Granted, this was relative to a rather abysmal starting point, but the improvement was palpable. The country had not yet fractured catastrophically along linguistic and religious lines, though the cracks were already there. In late 2013, "the people" rose against a "corrupt pro-Russian" president. Was Yanukovich corrupt? Absolutely. Was he pro-Russian? Not really, at least not in any way that actually benefited Russia. His real talent was in playing both sides, extracting funds from Russia and EU alike while signing hollow agreements with each, using one as leverage against the other. He took his cut, invested in more gilded toilet fixtures, and allowed a creeping, top-down Ukrainization to proceed, all while letting most people live in relative quiet.
Urban Ukrainians, however, were not satisfied. Their media, amplified by the West’s encouragement, convinced them that signing pieces of paper with either Russia or the EU wasn’t just another round of regular Ukrainian shenanigans, but a full‑blown civilizational choice. That Ukraine in 2013 deserved something far grander than what they had. And that Yanukovich, the mafia thug that he was, was betraying the shining European dream of waking up tomorrow as the French Riviera. Such was the prevailing belief of Ukrainians at the time. No one then could foresee that in short order, this would metastasize into a dying terrorist-state with total mobilization and closed borders, its sole existential purpose reduced to gnawing away at Russia, with no end in sight.
Ukraine ending up as Israel’s special needs mirror state was basically the only path left. It is, after all, one of the ancestral Jewish homelands, and the chosen people remain vastly overrepresented at the highest echelons of the Ukrainian state to this day. Ukrainian identity, much like Israeli identity, is a fragile patchwork enforced from above, perpetually locked in conflict with The Other over lands and holy sites to which both have dubious claims. Israelis had to "learn their mother tongue" seventy years ago; Ukrainians are doing the same now. Even the most fringe, far-right Ukrainian movements are strangely philosemitic, somehow merging Nazi imagery with Magen Davids in a grotesque visual reinforcement of this unholy duo.
For decades, Israel stood alone as America’s undisputed favorite. The only ally US truly cherished, the one that made American neocons cream their pants on the daily. In the last ten years or so, that has changed. American public sentiment has grown increasingly indifferent, with the baseline attitude becoming "let them fight their own wars, I don't care." Pure antisemitism, if you ask me, and, without a doubt, a troubling development for Tel Aviv. But now Israel has found a twinsie. Like Coke and Pepsi, McDonald's and Burger King, their rivalry is nothing if not chivalrous, for they are owned by the same interests, and funded from the same treasury. This is not to say they are friends, but they occupy roughly the same role from the American perspective: heavily militarized states somewhere far‑away, mired in forever wars with supposed enemies of the US.
Of course, Israel is far more developed and comfortable for the average citizen, but that only works to its advantage. If the US is willing to bankroll the gopniks of Dnepropetrovsk, then it will certainly, at the very least, triple down on funding the Judeo-Christian allies from its gleaming new embassy in Jerusalem. That’s why Laura Loomer and her ilk are now actively involved in the pro‑Ukraine cause alongside their usual pro‑Israel lobbyism. The two have basically become part of the same grift.
What does this all mean? It means Ukraine is never joining the EU or NATO, but it also means that the war will continue for as long as this entity exists. Ukraine will go on adopting Israeli tactics: buying up senators, flooding EU and US with lobbyists, and having the SBU LARP as Mossad. And, as always, the 🇵🇸-🇺🇦 emoji crowd will take yet another humiliating L. But then again, that is nothing new for them.
In late 2013, on Maidan Square, Ukrainians launched their great anti-Russian crusade. They laid their troubles squarely at the feet of Russia’s influence and legacy, convinced that the West offered a far better deal. Fast-forward to today, and the West is wielding Ukraine as a blood-soaked weapon against Russia, perfectly content with whatever losses its weapon is forced to endure.
It has also become obvious that Kiev is never joining the EU or NATO in any substantive sense beyond its current role. Stranger still, Ukrainians themselves do not seem particularly wounded by this realization. All those Maidan protesters from more than a decade ago now seem to find solace in watching a Wildberries warehouse burn somewhere deep inside Russia, while appearing far less troubled by the everyday misery of living in a state of permanent collapse.
Why is that? I'd argue that it is because they have discovered a new vocation. Shut out of the European bonanza, which, as it turns out, was never quite real anyway, they have instead recast themselves as the gritty, battle-hardened military outpost of the West. A goyische Israel, if you will.
By nearly every measurable metric, 2013 was Ukraine’s finest year. GDP, economic growth, wages, everything was trending upward. Granted, this was relative to a rather abysmal starting point, but the improvement was palpable. The country had not yet fractured catastrophically along linguistic and religious lines, though the cracks were already there. In late 2013, "the people" rose against a "corrupt pro-Russian" president. Was Yanukovich corrupt? Absolutely. Was he pro-Russian? Not really, at least not in any way that actually benefited Russia. His real talent was in playing both sides, extracting funds from Russia and EU alike while signing hollow agreements with each, using one as leverage against the other. He took his cut, invested in more gilded toilet fixtures, and allowed a creeping, top-down Ukrainization to proceed, all while letting most people live in relative quiet.
Urban Ukrainians, however, were not satisfied. Their media, amplified by the West’s encouragement, convinced them that signing pieces of paper with either Russia or the EU wasn’t just another round of regular Ukrainian shenanigans, but a full‑blown civilizational choice. That Ukraine in 2013 deserved something far grander than what they had. And that Yanukovich, the mafia thug that he was, was betraying the shining European dream of waking up tomorrow as the French Riviera. Such was the prevailing belief of Ukrainians at the time. No one then could foresee that in short order, this would metastasize into a dying terrorist-state with total mobilization and closed borders, its sole existential purpose reduced to gnawing away at Russia, with no end in sight.
Ukraine ending up as Israel’s special needs mirror state was basically the only path left. It is, after all, one of the ancestral Jewish homelands, and the chosen people remain vastly overrepresented at the highest echelons of the Ukrainian state to this day. Ukrainian identity, much like Israeli identity, is a fragile patchwork enforced from above, perpetually locked in conflict with The Other over lands and holy sites to which both have dubious claims. Israelis had to "learn their mother tongue" seventy years ago; Ukrainians are doing the same now. Even the most fringe, far-right Ukrainian movements are strangely philosemitic, somehow merging Nazi imagery with Magen Davids in a grotesque visual reinforcement of this unholy duo.
For decades, Israel stood alone as America’s undisputed favorite. The only ally US truly cherished, the one that made American neocons cream their pants on the daily. In the last ten years or so, that has changed. American public sentiment has grown increasingly indifferent, with the baseline attitude becoming "let them fight their own wars, I don't care." Pure antisemitism, if you ask me, and, without a doubt, a troubling development for Tel Aviv. But now Israel has found a twinsie. Like Coke and Pepsi, McDonald's and Burger King, their rivalry is nothing if not chivalrous, for they are owned by the same interests, and funded from the same treasury. This is not to say they are friends, but they occupy roughly the same role from the American perspective: heavily militarized states somewhere far‑away, mired in forever wars with supposed enemies of the US.
Of course, Israel is far more developed and comfortable for the average citizen, but that only works to its advantage. If the US is willing to bankroll the gopniks of Dnepropetrovsk, then it will certainly, at the very least, triple down on funding the Judeo-Christian allies from its gleaming new embassy in Jerusalem. That’s why Laura Loomer and her ilk are now actively involved in the pro‑Ukraine cause alongside their usual pro‑Israel lobbyism. The two have basically become part of the same grift.
What does this all mean? It means Ukraine is never joining the EU or NATO, but it also means that the war will continue for as long as this entity exists. Ukraine will go on adopting Israeli tactics: buying up senators, flooding EU and US with lobbyists, and having the SBU LARP as Mossad. And, as always, the 🇵🇸-🇺🇦 emoji crowd will take yet another humiliating L. But then again, that is nothing new for them.
Forwarded from Brian Berletic's New Atlas Channel
🇺🇸🇮🇷Iranian Strikes On Iraqi Kurds
The heavy amount of missile/drone strikes Iran has concentrated on US-backed Kurd militias in Iraq, along with alleged Iranian special force ground ops suggests a ground component was/is being prepared by the US as part of its long-term strategy against Iran - and Iran is trying to disrupt it.
The real question is will it be enough.
Contrary to many claims that Russia "stood down" in the last months of the US war on Syria, Russia likewise carried out intense strikes on staging areas for what would eventually be the final push toppling the Syrian government.
Conversely, heavy Russian spoiling ops severely blunted Ukraine's failed 2023 offensive.
A lot will depend on how sustainable Iranian missile and drone strikes are, the ability of special forces to conduct forward defense against any potential incursion, and the state of defenses inside Iran itself.
Without better knowledge of troop dispositions on both sides, predicted outcomes are difficult to make.
The heavy amount of missile/drone strikes Iran has concentrated on US-backed Kurd militias in Iraq, along with alleged Iranian special force ground ops suggests a ground component was/is being prepared by the US as part of its long-term strategy against Iran - and Iran is trying to disrupt it.
The real question is will it be enough.
Contrary to many claims that Russia "stood down" in the last months of the US war on Syria, Russia likewise carried out intense strikes on staging areas for what would eventually be the final push toppling the Syrian government.
Conversely, heavy Russian spoiling ops severely blunted Ukraine's failed 2023 offensive.
A lot will depend on how sustainable Iranian missile and drone strikes are, the ability of special forces to conduct forward defense against any potential incursion, and the state of defenses inside Iran itself.
Without better knowledge of troop dispositions on both sides, predicted outcomes are difficult to make.
Forwarded from Brian Berletic's New Atlas Channel
Brian Berletic's New Atlas Channel
🇺🇸🇮🇷Iranian Strikes On Iraqi Kurds The heavy amount of missile/drone strikes Iran has concentrated on US-backed Kurd militias in Iraq, along with alleged Iranian special force ground ops suggests a ground component was/is being prepared by the US as part…
... the US has cultivated Kurds along Iran's western borders in Iraq, Baluch terrorists on its southeast borders with Pakistan, a US presence throughout the Persian Gulf, and of course has recently captured and is transforming Armenia/Azerbaijan into a springboard against both Russia and Iran.
Keep an eye on all of these vectors for continued US pressure and possible incursions.
This is the equivalent of the US "Extending Russia" strategy for Iran.
Keep an eye on all of these vectors for continued US pressure and possible incursions.
This is the equivalent of the US "Extending Russia" strategy for Iran.