She’s a Doctor. He Was a Limo Driver. They Pitched a $30 Million Arms Deal.

She’s a Doctor. He Was a Limo Driver. They Pitched a $30 Million Arms Deal.

The Biden administration encourages private sector deals for several reasons. It saves the Pentagon from further depleting its own armory after months of sending arms to Ukraine. And private sellers can provide weapons that the government cannot — like the Soviet-style weapons* already used by Ukrainian soldiers.

Whether the deal goes forward or not, the BMI documents show that the Ukraine war presents an opportunity to charge big prices. The bullets that Mr. Zlatev planned to sell were 50 percent more expensive than those publicly listed by other vendors. His grenade launchers were selling for more than twice what is listed on a price list for United Nations peacekeeping forces. Experts say these increases typically help pay the middlemen — at the expense of a nation in the middle of a war.

*Wonder if they’ll buy these?! 😉

DW: Ukraine foreign fighters accuse commander of abuses

The English-language Ukrainian The Kyiv Independent newspaper recently published its research about the International Legion, a volunteer group in Ukraine founded by initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to fight against Russian forces. The paper targets a section of the legion affiliated with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Reconnaissance Department that performs special tasks on the front line in the fight against the Russian invasion.

Ukraine foreign fighters accuse commander of abuses

Facebook Tells Moderators To Allow Graphic Images Of Russian Airstrikes But Censors Israeli Attacks

AFTER A SERIES of Israeli airstrikes against the densely populated Gaza Strip earlier this month, Palestinian Facebook and Instagram users protested the abrupt deletion of posts documenting the resulting death and destruction. It wasn’t the first time Palestinian users of the two giant social media platforms, which are both owned by parent company Meta, had complained about their posts being unduly removed. It’s become a pattern: Palestinians post sometimes graphic videos and images of Israeli attacks, and Meta swiftly removes the content, providing only an oblique reference to a violation of the company’s “Community Standards” or in many cases no explanation at all.

Facebook Tells Moderators To Allow Graphic Images Of Russian Airstrikes But Censors Israeli Attacks

“Kherson Offensive” Announced by Western Media

Aug 30, 2022 The Western media claims the long-awaited “Kherson Offensive” has “begun.”

Regardless of its outcome, the fact that Ukraine is attempting to launch a counter-offensive in Kherson rather than the main front line in Donbass reveals deep, irreversible weaknesses that are and will continue to cost Ukraine the conflict.

“Kherson Offensive” Announced by Western Media via The New Atlas

Reference:

Zelenskiy tells Russian forces to flee as Ukraine counteroffensive begins in Kherson

What do the New York Times, Kiev Independent, Euromaidan Press, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and TikTok All Have in Common?

By John Parker – August 22, 2022

They are all funded by or staffed by Western and U.S. intelligence members pushing the U.S. narrative about the war in Ukraine. This is why Struggle-La-Lucha.org organized a fact-finding mission to Ukraine and Russia to report on the suppressed information that challenges the narrative of NATO and its member states, led by the U.S.

This is the second part of my report. (See Part 1: Fact-finding trip to Donbas: A front-line shelter in Rubizhne)

What do the New York Times, Kiev Independent, Euromaidan Press, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and TikTok All Have in Common?

Media Darling Volodymyr Zelensky Kidnaps Student Dissidents, Bans Opposition Parties, Shuts Down Independent Media, Commits Egregious War Crimes and Imposes Regressive Labor Laws

More Ukrainian Soldiers Continue to Defect as Eastern Ukrainians See Better Future with Russian Federation

Media Darling Volodymyr Zelensky Kidnaps Student Dissidents, Bans Opposition Parties, Shuts Down Independent Media, Commits Egregious War Crimes and Imposes Regressive Labor Laws

Amnesty’s State Dept, CIA Links Make Report on Ukrainian Army Crimes All the More Damning: Observer

Amnesty’s State Dept, CIA Links Make Report on Ukrainian Army Crimes All the More Damning: Observer

Amnesty International’s report on the Ukrainian military’s deployments inside civilian areas and the employment of tactics which endanger civilian lives is all the more damning given the organization’s anti-Russia bias and links to the US government and intelligence services, US journalist and political commentator Don DeBar believes.

Amnesty International Ukraine office director Oksana Pokalchuk resigned over the report, accusing the watchdog of creating materials “that sound like support for Russian narratives,” demanding it be deleted and rewritten, and blasting it for failing to “take into account the position of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.”

Related:

Amnesty International report exposes Ukraine’s violations of international law, deliberate use of civilians as human shields

Significantly, the Ukraine office of the organization vehemently opposed the publication of the report. Its head, Oksana Pokalchuk, declared, “We did everything we could to prevent this report from going public.”

The fact that Amnesty International ended up releasing the report despite serious internal divisions and immense political pressure indicates that the real situation on the ground in Ukraine is, if anything, far more disturbing than even what this report suggests. It should also be noted that the German news magazine Der Spiegel, which has played a prominent role in the anti-Russia war propaganda in Europe, admitted in a report on Friday, rather grudgingly, that its own reporters had made similar findings as Amnesty International and that the conduct of the Ukrainian military “raises legitimate questions.”

In a rare moment of truth, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov recently described his country as a “testing ground” for Western arms manufacturers, which have reaped major profits from the tens of billions of dollars in money for weapons that NATO has pumped into the Ukrainian military.

Biden Authorizes Additional $550 Million Military Aid for Ukraine + Are There Enough Guided Rockets For HIMARS To Keep Up With Ukraine War Demand?

Biden Authorizes Additional $550 Million Military Aid for Ukraine

The new aid was authorized by the presidential drawdown authority, which allows Biden to send Ukraine weapons and ammunition directly from US military stockpiles. The funds were pulled from the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill that Biden signed back in May, which is meant to last through September 30.

Related:

Are There Enough Guided Rockets For HIMARS To Keep Up With Ukraine War Demand?

So in essence, at a pace suggested by Hertling, Ukraine’s GMLRS monthly burn rate would equal about 29% of the entire planned U.S. procurement for the next five years, not withstanding production rates of the ER GMLRS which have yet to be set.

Given those numbers, what does Ukraine’s use of HIMARS portend for that nation, and the U.S., which might find itself needing these systems in case of a future fight with China, Russia or some other adversary?

“If each of 16 HIMARS fires three rockets per day, that’s 48 a day or 1,440 per month. 10,000 rockets would last well into 2023 at that rate. On the other hand, if the Ukrainians get the 100 HIMARS they are requesting and each one fires three rockets per day, that’s 300 per day or 9,000 per month.”

“These are animals, not people”: Zelensky frees convicted child rapists, torturers to reinforce depleted military

Photo presented during the trial of Tornado members shows a torture victim whose arm was etched with the shape of male genitals (translation via Yandex)

by Esha Krishnaswamy, The Grayzone, Jul 30 2022

Once condemned by Ukrainian officials and imprisoned for sadistic torture and the rape of minors, leaders of the notorious Tornado Battalion are free under Volodymyr Zelensky’s orders.

“These are animals, not people”: Zelensky frees convicted child rapists, torturers to reinforce depleted military

Related:

Rape, Torture, Robbery: Victim Testimonies Against Ukrainian Tornado Battalion (ENG SUBS)

Kiev Court Sentenced 8 “Tornado” Battalion Members to Long Prison Terms

Did the jihadist who was killed near Aleppo serve in the Ukrainian police?