Link here.

Unfortunately, I’m not able to embed this important video, but I’ve included the link below. This is an important piece of compiled evidence about the massacre of protestors and police on the Maidan in February of 2014 – and who was culpable. – Natylie

This video compilation with added English-language subtitles provides a video reconstruction of the Maidan massacre of the protesters and the police in Ukraine. It contains synchronized fragments of numerous video and audio recordings of the Maidan massacre, in particular, videos of snipers in Maidan-controlled locations and their shooting the police and the Maidan protesters, and more than 80 testimonies about such snipers in the videos during the massacre itself. This video compilation visually shows that at least the absolute majority of Maidan protesters and the police were shot from Maidan-controlled buildings. This is an online Video Appendix A of a paper prepared for presentation at the virtual 10th World Congress of the International Council for Central and East European Studies in Montreal in 2021.

Link to video.

By Global Times editorial board, 9/16/22

Much of the western establishment media has been characterizing the meeting between Putin and Xi at the SCO summit as the Chinese leader subtly chastising Putin about the war in Ukraine, indicating some kind of incipient rift between the two. However, the Global Times – which is considered a mouthpiece of the Chinese government – seems to offer a different take on the matter. Emphasis by bolding is mine. – Natylie

On the afternoon of September 15 local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to exchange views on China-Russia relations and international and regional issues of shared interest. It has become a conventional practice for Chinese and Russian heads of state to have bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It is not only crucial for the stable development of bilateral relations that the two countries’ heads of state to have regular in-person and in-depth exchanges of views, but it’s also very beneficial for regional peace and stability.

The atmosphere of the meeting was as positive and friendly as usual. President Xi noted that since the beginning of this year, China and Russia have maintained effective strategic communication, and that China will work with Russia to extend strong mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests, and deepen practical cooperation in trade, agriculture, connectivity and other areas. President Putin said that the world is undergoing multiple changes, yet the only thing that remains unchanged is the friendship and mutual trust between Russia and China, and the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is as stable as mountains. As uncertainty significantly increases in today’s international landscape, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has always been on course and has not lost momentum.

China and Russia are each other’s largest neighbors, permanent members of the UN Security Council, and emerging powers. They also share a long border of more than 4,000 kilometers. The China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, which is based on the principles of “non-alliance, non-confrontation and non-targeting of any third party,” has been subject to interference and provocation from third parties. Especially after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US has stopped putting on a disguise. Instead, it has openly threatened and discredited the normal and legitimate cooperation between China and Russia. Such a scenario is rare in the history of international relations.

The good thing is that both China and Russia are countries with strong strategic determination and autonomy. Moreover, bilateral relations have a strong internal driving force. They have not and will not change their initial intentions and course due to drastic changes in the international pattern or pressure from third parties. They will always maintain their own logic and rhythm. In particular, the heads of state of China and Russia maintain close contacts and strategic communication in various ways, always leading the ties between the two countries in the right direction of development. The independent and autonomous value of China-Russia relations is both a summary of historical experience and innovation in international relations.

It is unlikely that China-Russia relations will go into rift or confrontation as expected and promoted by the US and the West. At the same time, China and Russia did not form the so-called anti-US alliance. China and Russia have united to resist the political virus of the US and the West while opposing hegemonism. These are the voices of justice from independent powers under the current international situation. It is entirely different from the “anti-US alliance” with a bloc political nature in the Western opinion context. Out of dark psychology, the US and the West desperately try to “drive a wedge” between China and Russia, hoping to defeat the two one by one; meanwhile, it forcibly “binds” China and Russia together, hoping to target the two at once. But no matter how hard they try, China and Russia have firmly maintained the right direction of “building partnerships instead of alliances.”

Such a choice made by China and Russia has made peace and cooperation a powerful force of inertia that has global significance, particularly today. Those uneasy or even fearful about this should reflect on and ask themselves, rather than spending their energy and thoughts on smearing others. The international community can clearly see that the US in recent years has strengthened the Five Eyes alliance, peddled Quad, pieced together AUKUS, and tried to create an “Indo-Pacific version of NATO.” All these are the most destructive force in the international system with the UN at the core. The outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is fundamentally the consequence of the failure of the Western military and political bloc in handling equal relations with a regional power properly.

Under such circumstances, imagine that if the international community does not have another powerful enough force to really intervene, balance, hedge, and even reverse the situation from the direction of maintaining world peace and stability and promoting multilateral cooperation. The future of this world may well be tragic – a complete resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is nowhere in sight, and potential crises elsewhere will be detonated. This is something that many countries, including China, do not want to see and are trying to avoid. From a certain level, this is the significance of the meeting between the heads of state of China and Russia. As President Xi pointed out, China will work with Russia to fulfill their responsibilities as major countries and play a leading role in injecting stability into a world of change and disorder.

By Sarah Lindemann-Komarova, Echo of Siberia, 9/9/22

Sarah Lindemann-Komarova has lived in Siberia since 1992. Was a community development activist for 20 years. Currently, focuses on research and writing.

The summer of sanctions in Siberia has come to an end and their impact is a mix of muted and opportunity generating. Passing the six month mark for the SMO, the people and corporations who needed or wanted to leave, left.  Coping strategies for the people and corporations who stay continue to evolve and in the case of corporations, leaving sometimes looks a lot like staying. The shared moments are surprise that the sanctions bark is bigger than their bite and everyone recognizes that we live in a new world. 

There are only two complaints of note. The first is the loss of IKEA. For several months they hung in, doors closed and paying full salaries for employees on the assumption they would re-open in May. Then the announcement that they were done. This was another nail in the coffin of hope for a quick end to the SMO, everyone knows the sanctions are here to stay.

Evidence of some Western corporations coping strategies for leaving while staying in the lucrative Russian market appear every day. Reebok sent out an announcement last week, “We want to quickly announce that while the Reebok retail and online store have suspended their work, the company FLO OBUV RU LLC has received the right to sell goods under the Reebok brand in Russia.” 

An American friend with 20+ years of business experience in Russia described the new incarnation of McDonalds as “placeholding” because the new name, “Vkusno i tochka” (Delicious Period), is not “brandable”. This is supported by the underwhelming signage on the drive through. The “Try MacCombo” is now just “Combo” together with “Snacks” and “Deserts” with photos of basically the same products.

Coke is supposedly out but it is still available. One rumor was they would continue to produce but would not be investing in Russia any more. That would be bad news for the seemingly endless list of new competitors vying to fill the niche. Three of them were recently available in one supermarket. Bochkari Cola and Uni Cola with labels drafting on Coke’s trademark white on red script. The third got more creative adding an eye-catching monkey in a cap to illustrate the white on red name, “Funky Monkey Cola”

The second complaint is the additional costs and time required for travel to the West. Three friends found different routes to achieve a one stop Novosibirsk-Chicago through Antalya, Dubai, and Istanbul. However most end up with two stops traveling first to Moscow and then on through Istanbul. Despite the considerable challenges associated with travel, no one I heard complain followed it with, “Putin has to go”. 

On the plus side of restricted Western travel is the opportunity it provides to develop domestic tourism. This process began with COVID, but sanctions kicked it into high gear. This has had a considerable impact in the Republic of Altai. Building the infrastructure to make it easier for tourists to visit this beautiful, mountainous region. This summer, the renovated airport welcomed 3 flights a day from Moscow (7 on Fridays and Sundays). 2 million people visited the Altai in 2021 and 4 million are expected to come in 2022.  

The development by Sberbank of a year-round ski resort in the village of Manzherok (full disclosure, I live there), is providing an anchor and a magnet for this development. The first chairlift opened in 2010 and in 2020 the Bank announced it would invest an additional 4 Billion rubles ($65,000,000) by 2024. A 5-star hotel is set to open for New Year’s as planned before the SMO. Rumor was the primary sanctions issue could be the need to find a replacement for the interior decor ordered from Italy.  

According to Stanislav Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Sberbank Board, “we want to demonstrate the powerful tourism potential of the Russian regions. We see that as soon as the infrastructure appears that provides the necessary level of comfort and transport accessibility, the visits to domestic resorts increases dramatically. And this is an increase in the revenue side of regional budgets, and new jobs, and in general the money that remains inside the country and works to develop its economy.”

This massive corporate investment is happening together with an enormous growth in family owned businesses and SMEs. In addition to the traditional selling of souvenirs and fresh vegetables and fruits from their gardens, people are investing by building cabins or small hotels on their property. An IT couple from Moscow came as COVID digital nomads, liked the Village, bought a small hotel, and are currently renovating another tourist property. A world class massage therapist and her husband personally built a spa complex next to their home complete with sauna (including a river rock shower), massage room, and rental space. Another young couple opened a coffee takeout in a rental space on the main drag. All these businesses are booming.  

The start of what used to be referred to as “green tourism” pre-dates the appearance of the ski resort but the season was short, half of June and July. Nadiya, one of the first to build a tourist cabin in the early 2000s, said she now has bookings through the winter. She was disappointed when “Booking.com” pulled out as a result of the SMO because she liked the clients it attracted but she is fully booked without it.  

But growth comes with headaches. Several of these new businesspeople have shifted to a minimum stay model since changing sheets every day was a nightmare.   Everyone suffers because prices for all goods (locally produced and chain stores) are oriented to the vacationer, there are traffic jams even on the one lane roads in the Village, and if you don’t shop by 11am on a Friday you will be standing in a long line.

Manzherok is located in the northern, most accessible part of the Republic 20 minutes from the airport, so development here is not surprising. The speed and breadth of what is happening in the south heading to the Mongol border is more notable. This is not happiness for some long time Altai visitors. One man, who has been exploring the wildest parts of the region since the 1980s, said he didn’t even want to go to Mars (a multicolored geological wonder) because of the crowds hiking up the colored hills. These crowds have traveled a dirt, rock infested, car killing 7 kms to get there. On a recent hike to the Sofiyskiy Glacier, we encountered a group of middle-aged Scandinavian walking stick hikers who turned around when they saw how rocky the terrain was. 

In the middle of what used to be nowhere, a young woman from Moscow opened an outdoor pop-up Café that would look right at home in Woodstock NY. Business is good so she plans to stay open into October when it is still possible to sit comfortably on the puffy chairs and stare at the still snow covered mountains.  An Altai family has turned Babyshka’s small plot of land into a tourist compound. Simple but comfortable with an outdoor toilet they are making available to other tourists for 25 r.  The male relatives did all the construction and the mother and daughter are running the operation. 

Valera, an Altai driver explained that during the Soviet Union the land on the way the Glacier was one of the largest state farms in the country. Now, the only animals you see are camels that sometimes block the road. In the Village Beltir, what wasn’t destroyed by the “transition” was done in by the 7.3 earthquake in 2003. No one was killed but the population that was 1500 is now hovering around 77. 

Valera has less business this year but the problem could be competition. The center of Chagan Uzun Village was filled with drivers and a wide range of exotic vehicles to travel to whatever destination you chose. When the tourist season ends, he will fly North and to make money since this part of the Republic is not yet outfitted for year round.   

Of course, the plan for the Republic was to continue to develop the foreign adventurer market segment. Traveling through Altai to Mongolia was the standard route for round the world bikers. New Zealanders visited us during the World Cup, two American women, a biathlon Olympian and a cold water swimmer, have also stopped by. Other Americans came even when it meant a 7 hour drive from Novosibirsk or a 2AM car ride to the airport in Barnaul. I have not hosted or encountered any foreigners this summer.

Meanwhile Russian families are making their happiest memories outside my window on the banks of the Katun River, reveling at the astonishing blue and green Geyser Lake in Aktash, and, experiencing the terror of driving down the Katy-Yaryk Pass. Everything looks normal but the situation with Ukraine is always there, lurking in the background. 

The matron of the family tourist compound explained where the men were, her husband is making money in the North. She followed this with a pause and lowered her head before saying she had two sons serving in the Ukraine. Others, have elderly relatives in the Donbas who refuse to leave their homes. Most often it comes up when people talk about summers passed that were spent visiting family in the Ukraine. For some, the relationships are surviving, for others not. Even if unspoken, first and foremost in everyone’s thoughts is of the tragedy and loss. For many there is also fear and confusion at the pervasiveness of Western hatred towards Russians and how it is expressed beyond the sanctions. 

Anyone who says they know how this will all play out is a fool. My best guess for the Russians is based on some wisdom I got from a woman on a train. January 31st, 1992, five weeks into the brave new world called a democratic-capitalist Russia, I was traveling from Moscow to Novosibirsk. My coupe mate was Baba Marsha, 60 and toothless, her oldest son just stole the cow that was her only valuable possession. Her advice, “If you want to understand Russians, you need to understand two words: terpelivwi (patient) and peredjit (living through it)”. 

These sanctions, like all the disruptions that have happened over the last 30 years (in addition to what the 20th Century rained down on this country), will be patiently lived through by most. That may turn out to be a good thing…or at least not the worst thing.

By Prof. Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Substack, 9/17/22

My summary (of Alexander Mercouris video)

Focuses on Putin’s press conference at the SCO summit in Samarkand. He addressed criticisms of the SMO in Ukraine, gave some hints as to what may come, and dealt with some implicit criticisms of himself.

Ukraine Battlefields

Not much happening. More Ukrainian attempts on Russian positions in Kherson. Each has failed. The bridgehead at Adievka may be in its final days because of the stronger current arising from Russia’s destruction of the upriver dam. The Ukrainians have persisted with this bridgehead despite having gained nothing from it (usual demonstration of PR heroics over longer term interest? – OBB)

Further east there has been a flurry of rumors that Russia had withdrawn from the eastern part of Kupiansk (?) on the Ostol river, but this morning it is clear that the area is still under Russian control.

Is this area of eastern Kharkiv essential for Russia? Will it complicate Russian supplies? The British MOD repeated that narrative this morning. Mercouris considers the claim to be nonsense. He notes that Donetsk and Lugansk border on Russia’s Rostov oblast, together with one other. Rostov-on-Don is the official capital of southern Russia, heavily industrialized, and also very agricultural. The majority of Russian supplies go directly from Rostov to the Donbass, and Russia is not at all dependent on Kharkiv.

In the 2014-2015 war between the coup regime’s army and the people’s republics, western powers were so concerned about supplies from Rostov that the entire Ukrainian plan at that time, which failed, was to gain control of the border with Russia and cut off supplies to Donbass from Rostov. This led directly to a battle at which the Ukrainian army suffered a catastrophic defeat.

We are getting more and more information that Russian reinforcements are rolling in to the northern Lugansk region. In the ZPNN region there is much debate about a possible Ukrainian offensive, but nothing so far has happened: the longer Ukraine delays, the more difficult it will become because Russians are reinforcing fast and the climatic conditions will become more challenging for movements across the Dnieper. Likewise in the south Donetsk city of Uglada. There is a lot of news about advances by Donetsk militia around the ring road of Donetsk City. There was a failed Ukrainian attempt to retake Peskiy, at which Ukraine suffered heavy loss of life. There is continuing heavy fighting around Bakhmut.

Putin’s Press Conference (with Russian media only) at Samarkand

Putin received pointed questions from Russian journalists at this televised conference. Mercouris reads from the Kremlin’s own transcript. Western media make lots of claims about what is said at these kinds of event, and their accounts are often based on mistranslations, or taken badly out of context, or simply invented. Russian is a very subtle, nuanced language, and the Kremlin is very careful when it translates into English, seeking to achieve the same nuances that Putin sought to give.

Putin talked about the SMO in response to recent Ukrainian raids, even on Russian soil, and answers a question as to why Russia’s response is restrained. Putin said there is nothing new about this. Western countries cultivate the idea of Russian collapse. They have had a long standing plan, going back to WW1, to split Russia up. Mercouris notes that Putin conflates the Soviet Union with “historical Russia” of which Russia is its nucleus. Let the West address their own challenges, Putin says, and most likely they are doing harm to themselves. He knows the western objective and says it wont succeed, nor will the west’s attempt to pit Russia against China. The west’s trying to do these things will work against the west’s own interests. But they have always been seeking Russia’s dissolution. It is unfortunate they decided to use Ukraine for these purposes.

The SMO was designed to prevent events taking this turn. For Russia, Mercouris explains, the SMO is an existential matter. Russian authorities cannot allow the SMO to fail. Russia has the resources to make it succeed. The ultimate outcome will be Russian victory. Putin would not say Russia’s response is “restrained,” but notes that in the course of the military operation Russia has encountered terrorist attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure. Russia was at first quite restrained but this will not last forever. Recently Russian armed forces have struck blows against Ukraine’s energy system – Putin calls them “warning shots.” If such Ukrainian attacks continue, Russia will respond more forcefully.

Terrorist attacks are a serious matter; it is in the use of terrorist methods such as has been seen in the killing of officials in the liberated territories and attacks on administrative buildings for which the Ukrainian government has taken credit. We even see attempts at perpetrating terrorist attacks on the Russian federation, including attacks near Russian nuclear facilities and nuclear power stations. These may not have been reported. He is not even talking about the ZPNN. Those attacks have been perpetrated by Ukraine, something which has now been acknowledged by Ukrainian officials and by the NYT. Putin says Russia is monitoring the situation and will respond if Ukraine fails to realize that this behavior is unacceptable – they are not different from terrorist attacks – the clearest indicator that the possibility of upgrading the SMO to the status of an ATO is probably about to happen.

This does not necessarily mean a Russian mass mobilization, but may involve calling up reserves. What it does mean is that if the SMO is upgraded to an ATO, then that will give Russian military the freedom to attack civilian infrastructure, perhaps to target Ukrainian military leaders and security officials and perhaps even the political leadership, things which up to this moment in time they have not been permitted to do.

There is a discussion about the special security guarantees that Ukraine is demanding from the West. Putin hasn’t even bothered to read them. If the West were to take them seriously we would be in World War 3 (says Mercouris). Talking about the SMO plan, Putin says the plan will not be adjusted. It leaves open the possibility of an upgrade to an ATO but the terms of reference may still be the same. The General Staff takes real-time decisions: but the main goal is to liberate the entire territory of the Donbass which continues despite Ukrainian attempts to limit the Russian offensive, which is slow and gradual. Putin points out that Russia is fighting with “contracted forces,” not the Russian Army as such. Russia is not “in a rush.” The main task remains the same. So secondary objectives, such as holding on to Kharkiv, are less important. Putin notes Kiev’s active counteroffensive and says “let us see how it unfolds, and how it ends,” and notes that Ukraine has dropped negotiations in favor of winning on the battlefield – let them try!, says Putin.

Mercouris makes an aside to an article by Gordon Hahn, where Hahn discusses a paper written by Ukraine’s forces commander. It is now unequivocally the case that the Ukrainian command is not in favor of these multiple Ukrainian offensives. This demonstrates the rift between Zelenskiy in concert with his British and American advisors, who appear to be throwing away the very reserves that the Ukrainian command want to build up, and his military leaders. Putin clearly thinks Zelenskiy’s approach is the wrong one, that the Ukrainian offensives will ultimately fail.

The press conference ended with an angry debate about Ukraine’s failure to deliver its grain supplies to the Global South (they have mainly gone, instead, to the EU). Ukraine’s exports are now almost entirely agricultural.

What is the ultimate take? Putin is unfazed by Ukraine’s counteroffensive. He is confident in Russia’s General Staff. His main focus is the liberation of Donbass, which is proceeding steadily. It is highly likely that the SMO will be upgraded to ATO. He is clearly indicating that Ukraine’s conduct is setting up a situation that demands this response. This may happen very soon; – Shoigu is due to visit the Russian parliament on Monday and may announce something there.

Russia and India (based on both Russian and Indian transcripts)

Putin’s meeting in Samarkand with Indian premier Modi makes it clear that the relationship between India and Russia is coming to be second in importance to the relationship between Russia and China.

India and China appear to welcome these developments, despite their border tensions. Their mutual links to Russia will help them manage these border issues.

British media are trying to make out that there are problems with these talks between Russia and India (as they did the day before with the discussion between Putin and Jinping, by focusing just on one word – “concerns” – totally out of context). This time, the focus is on some of Modi’s words that British media have interpreted as a rebuke to Putin for the war in Ukraine. The reality is the diametric opposite.

The actual exchange between Putin and Modi shows that Putin said warm things about India, Modi, and the SCO and then specifically addressed the question of Ukraine. He said that he knew Modi’s position on Ukraine and that Russia would do its best to end the war as soon as possible. But it cannot, because Zelenskiy has chosen the objective of battlefield victory over negotiation. To this, Modi says that he knows that today’s era is not one of war, and acknowledges that he and Putin have talked before of these matters and that they will talk further.

It is clear that Modi is not criticizing Putin. He understands that Putin is trying to bring an end to the war but that Ukraine is refusing to negotiate. Unlike Zelenskiy, both Putin and Modi are saying they are committed to diplomacy. Modi was very careful to take an outwardly neutral position on the war, thankful for Ukraine’s efforts to allow the departure of Indian students from Ukraine at the beginning of the war. But if he is critical of anybody he is critical of Ukraine, not Russia. Modi also says that the relationship between India and Russia has strengthened, and has evolved over many decades; Russia’s relationship with India has been and in the eyes of the world is an “unbreakable friendship:” – the journey for both started at the same time. Modi and Putin have had a personal relationship for over twenty years and both men are constantly working to improve it for the benefit of their respective peoples.

Syria and Turkey

Erdogan of Turkey has said that had Assad attended the SCO, Erdogan would have been willing to meet with him, confirming that the rapprochement between Turkey and Syria is intensifying. A summit meeting between the two is in the works. This is a game changer with respect to developments in the Middle East.

*Link to transcript of Putin’s press conference following SCO conference here.