“Russia reinforced what Western and Ukrainian officials described as a stealth invasion on Wednesday [August 27], sending armored troops across the border as it expanded the conflict to a new section of Ukrainian territory. The latest incursion, which Ukraine’s military said included five armored personnel carriers, was at least the third movement of troops and weapons from Russia across the southeast part of the border this week.”
None of the photos accompanying this New York Times story online showed any of these Russian troops or armored vehicles.
“The Obama administration,” the story continued, “has asserted over the past week that the Russians had moved artillery, air-defense systems and armor to help the separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk. ‘These incursions indicate a Russian-directed counteroffensive is likely underway’, Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, said. At the department’s daily briefing in Washington, Ms. Psaki also criticized what she called the Russian government’s ‘unwillingness to tell the truth’ that its military had sent soldiers as deep as 30 miles inside Ukraine territory.”
Thirty miles inside Ukraine territory and not a single satellite photo, not a camera anywhere around, not even a one-minute video to show for it. “Ms. Psaki apparently [sic] was referring to videos of captured Russian soldiers, distributed by the Ukrainian government.” The Times apparently forgot to inform its readers where they could see these videos.
“The Russian aim, one Western official said, may possibly be to seize an outlet to the sea in the event that Russia tries to establish a separatist enclave in eastern Ukraine.”
This of course hasn’t taken place. So what happened to all these Russian soldiers 30 miles inside Ukraine? What happened to all the armored vehicles, weapons, and equipment?
“The United States has photographs that show the Russian artillery moved into Ukraine, American officials say. One photo dated last Thursday, shown to a New York Times reporter, shows Russian military units moving self-propelled artillery into Ukraine. Another photo, dated Saturday, shows the artillery in firing positions in Ukraine.”
Where are these photographs? And how will we know that these are Russian soldiers? And how will we know that the photos were taken in Ukraine? But most importantly, where are the fucking photographs?
Why am I so cynical? Because the Ukrainian and US governments have been feeding us these scare stories for eight months now, without clear visual or other evidence, often without even common sense. Here are a few of the many other examples, before and after the one above:
- The Wall Street Journal (March 28) reported: “Russian troops massing near Ukraine are actively concealing their positions and establishing supply lines that could be used in a prolonged deployment, ratcheting up concerns that Moscow is preparing for another [sic] major incursion and not conducting exercises as it claims, US officials said.”
- “The Ukrainian government charged that the Russian military was not only approaching but had actually crossed the border into rebel-held regions.” (Washington Post, November 7)
- “U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove told reporters in Bulgaria that NATO had observed Russian tanks, Russian artillery, Russian air defense systems and Russian combat troops enter Ukraine across a completely wide-open border with Russia in the previous two days.” (Washington Post, November 13)
- “Ukraine accuses Russia of sending more soldiers and weapons to help rebels prepare for a new offensive. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied aiding the separatists.” (Reuters, November 16)
Since the February US-backed coup in Ukraine, the State Department has made one accusation after another about Russian military actions in Eastern Ukraine without presenting any kind of satellite imagery or other visual or documentary evidence; or they present something that’s very unclear and wholly inconclusive, such as unmarked vehicles, or unsourced reports, or citing “social media”; what we’re left with is often no more than just an accusation. The Ukrainian government has matched them.
On top of all this we should keep in mind that if Moscow decided to invade Ukraine they’d certainly provide air cover for their ground forces. There has been no mention of air cover.
This is all reminiscent of the numerous stories in the past three years of “Syrian planes bombing defenseless citizens”. Have you ever seen a photo or video of a Syrian government plane dropping bombs? Or of the bombs exploding? When the source of the story is mentioned, it’s almost invariably the rebels who are fighting against the Syrian government. Then there’s the “chemical weapon” attacks by the same evil Assad government. When a photo or video has accompanied the story I’ve never once seen grieving loved ones or media present; not one person can be seen wearing a gas mask. Is it only children killed or suffering? No rebels?
And then there’s the July 17 shootdown of Malaysia Flight MH17, over eastern Ukraine, taking 298 lives, which Washington would love to pin on Russia or the pro-Russian rebels. The US government – and therefore the US media, the EU, and NATO – want us all to believe it was the rebels and/or Russia behind it. The world is still waiting for any evidence. Or even a motivation. Anything at all. President Obama is not waiting. In a talk on November 15 in Australia, he spoke of “opposing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine – which is a threat to the world, as we saw in the appalling shoot-down of MH17”. Based on my reading, I’d guess that it was the Ukrainian government behind the shootdown, mistaking it for Putin’s plane that reportedly was in the area.
Can it be said with certainty that all the above accusations were lies? No, but the burden of proof is on the accusers, and the world is still waiting. The accusers would like to create the impression that there are two sides to each question without actually having to supply one of them.
There can be no evidence which will “convince” somebody who refuses to see it, claims it doesn’t exist, claims what can’t be denied away is “inconclusive”, complains that photos and video of Russian troops in Ukraine show “unmarked soldiers and vehicles”. Of course they’re unmarked! Does anyone think Putin is stupid enough to send in troops with Russian insignia and license plates? He did the same thing in Crimea a few months ago!
The author of this “article” is pathetic – none is more blind than one who doesn’t want to see. This is far past bias – it’s pure propaganda. Luckily for him, he lives in a country where free speech is allowed, so he has the possibility of spewing poison without fear of persecution. If he lived in Russia and claimed the Kremlin is lying (whether true or not), he could look forward to a good beating and a jail cell.
Ukraine recently showed a “Russian Convoy” which turned out to be their OWN ARMY.
Forget marked or unmarked. Ukraine, US and NATO keep claiming Russian troops flooding across the border. US and NATO have satellites. How come not a single satellite was able to take a single picture of Russian convoys crossing the border? NOT ONE. All they have is social media snaps of “unmarked convoys” sometimes the same video is presented DAILY as being in a different place. But not a single one actually crossing the border.
Produce REAL PROOF or shut up.
Yeah, right. Think you´re fooling anyone?
I don’t know what you’re talking about (this Ukrainian convoy you mention), although the Ukrainian government’s honesty track record certainly is far from perfect. The Kremlin’s however, is abysmal – they lie nonstop. Remember Putin lied about the unmarked Russian troops in Crimea – no, let’s all forget about that, and all the other lies too.
You know as well as I do that any evidence presented by anybody is irrelevant – all “lies”, “fabrications”, standard Kremlin script, blah blah blah, they’ve been saying the same things for decades. Why would the US, NATO or anybody else publish their classified satellite images?… what would be the point?… the Kremlin (and their online propaganda army) would just claim they’re fake, as always. Same thing was said about the pics of Russian artillery shelling Ukraine a few months ago – Kremlin claimed they were fake. Many independent journalists have seen these Russian convoys and reported it, hundreds of Ukrainians have seen them, OSCE even reported on them a few times. All irrelevant, I know – these convoys must be materializing spontaneously inside Ukraine – the lie must go on…
No, really, as KatKan said, please produce real evidence.
The author is very intelligent, unlike you, CanRus Ukro maggot. Enjoy.
Right. So the absence of evidence is simply more proof that Russia sent in troops!
Well then, where do they come from? They certainly didn’t materialize in Ukraine – I don’t believe in magic, and the Kremlin has a history of using unmarked troops and vehicles without license plates. That’s evidence good enough for me. But you’re free not to believe it and have some other theory to explain these “materializing” soldiers and heavy weopons so many people have seen and documented.
Show me what it is, exactly, about which you are asking, “where do they come from?”
Let us see this evidence.
I`ve read all your comments with interest CanRus.
The impression I have is that you have a very strong belief system, with anti-Russian sentiments, but despite repeated requests for evidence from Jeremy Hammond, you have failed completely to provide any credible facts to support your beliefs.
Nothing wrong with having strong beliefs, most Governments propaganda is aimed at creating that sort of conditional bias within their population, actually I will correct that statement; All Governments condition their populations!
Most Americans (Brits, Australians, Chinese, Russians, etc. etc.etc) refer to such conditioning in other countries as “Brainwashing” while at the same time remaining completely oblivious that their own beliefs are a result of similar “Brainwashing”
Thank the Lord for the Internet, and for web sites such as The Foreign Policy Journal that are free from establishment vested interest.
none (a.k.a canrus) is more blind than one who doesn’t want to see.
for details: https://disqus.com/by/disqus_z9yKTx1DtR/
The 600 deaTH rUSSIAN SOLDIERS AND 1000 WOUNDED AND TREATED IN rUSSIA TELL OTHER STORIES…ITS CALLED THE TRUTH.
Rubbish. You have zero evidence of dead Russian soldiers other than maybe these “Soldiers Mothers” or whatever these US-sponsored hags are calling themselves.
Tell that to the families of those hundreds of dead Russian soldiers – most of whom have been threatened into silence. Yeah sure, all the Soldiers’ Mothers associations in Russia, who have been defending the rights of young Russian men against the abuses of the Russian military for decades, are now suddenly “US-sponsored hags” because they called the Kremlin out on their BS. Thousands of Russians know about this. Many Russian journalists and even a regional government official documented this and published their findings about “mysterious” unmarked graves suddenly springing up all over Western Russia. They’ve all been attacked by “unknown thugs” or jailed. Hundreds of Russian soldiers have “dissapeared” without a trace since August. The Kremlin finally admitted they’re dead, but refuses to say where or how. Everyone who demanded an explanation was told it’s a “state secret”. But there’s “no proof” – sure, we believe you Putin.
You should sign up with the Russian army and volunteer to get sent to Ukraine. You’ll get all the evidence you want.
They are not all of a sudden US-sponsored. They have been so for a very long time. There is no such thing as “hundreds of dead Russian Soldiers”. That only exists in your brain, Those hags should be banned and throwed into jail where they belong.
As I said in my original post, “There can be no evidence which will ‘convince’ somebody who refuses to see”. Your wish is coming true – members of the Soldiers’ Rights association have been jailed for denouncing the Kremlin’s lies – welcome to Putin’s Russia. By the same logic – Mr. Blum should be jailed for denouncing Washington’s lies, but luckily for him, things don’t work that way in a democracy.
Ah, so some have spoken out, then. Please direct us to their testimonial evidence.
So you acknowledge you have no evidence.
This has been widely covered, even in Russia – by Russian journalists and a local Russian government officlal – who was promptly beaten up by “mysterious” thugs right after reporting it. Several Russian reporters were attacked when they tried to investigate the appearance of the unmarked graves he reported. A leader of a prominent Russian human rights group was arrested on “fraud” charges as soon as her organisation started publishing information and testimonies of families, after a sudden increase in “mysterious deaths” among Russian soldiers. Most of the families are refusing to talk to anyone about what happened to their sons – they’re obviously frightened and were probably threatened. When others demanded an explanation from the government, they were told the circumstances of the deaths was “a state secret”.
So none of this seems unusual or like evidence to you? Or will only testimony under oath in a court of law suffice?… because that’s unlikely to ever happen. This is Russia we’re talking about. Try taking the Kremlin to court. Anybody who has ever lived there knows that’s a ridiculous idea – nobody would dare try. They’d be the ones who would end up in jail, or dead.
You keep saying you’re providing evidence, but you don’t provide us with a single source. Let us be serious here.
Will this do? It will have to, because it took me 2 hours to track down all this stuff. I’m not a reporter or a researcher, so I won’t be doing any more of this unless someone pays me for my time.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/73-year-old-chairwoman-of-soldiers-mothers-ngo-detained-on-fraud-charges/509701.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/23/us-ukraine-crisis-tanks-exclusive-idUSKCN0IC1GE20141023
http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/126483
http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/126485
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/military-prosecutors-refuse-to-explain-deaths-of-12-russian-paratroopers/510905.html
http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/126556
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/13/us-russia-rights-memorial-idUSKCN0IX12D20141113
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-soldier-caught-in-ukraine-disappears-on-way-home-parents-say/511175.html
I clicked the first link you provided. The article contains no evidence that Russian troops are in Ukraine, merely the allegation.
I clicked the second link, too. It claims Russian T-72 tanks have been found in Ukraine. However, Jane’s has reported that tanks misidentified as T-72s are in fact T-64s and that:
I clicked the third link, also. OSCE reported a convoy of trucks. How do you arrive at the conclusion these were Russian government forces?
The allegation in the first link is based on complaints received by the Soldiers’ Mothers Association that several young men in the Russian military had “vanished” without a trace, or been reported dead claiming “suicide”. I consider that evidence – people dissapearing and a sudden surge in “suicides” isn’t normal, even in the Russian military.
You may be right about the 2nd link – I’m not a military expert.
I already answered your question about the 3rd link. We’re going around in circles.
I spent quite a bit of time tracking all of this down, but apparently you can’t be bothered to take much less time to read it. You asked for sources – I provided 8. The complete picture provided by all these sources most definitely is evidence that there are Russian troops in Donbas, that many of them died there, and that they’ve been buried in secret with a very obvious Kremlin coverup.
You’re free to dismiss this evidence, as you did with the other posters who took the time to provide you with links as you requested. “Don’t speak Russian – too long, write me a summary – looked at the first video and don’t agree with your interpretation of that one, can’t be bothered to look at the others…” Mr. Blum also dismisses obvious evidence – but doing that doesn’t negate the evidence’s existence.
This is obviously a waste of time. I’m not going to waste any more of mine. Anyway, this discussion won’t change anything meaniful since this isn’t a news site – rather a personal blog with “guest writers” expressing personal opinons. But I’ll bookmark the page as it’s a textbook example in the art of “plausible denial”. :)
Yes, precisely what I said: an allegation.
Nor am I, but the folks at Jane’s are.
No, you didn’t. It is not possible for you to have answered my question about the OSCE report prior to my having asked it and prior to my having even seen.
I’m a busy person and did in fact take time out of my schedule to look at the first three links. Given they didn’t provide the proof you claimed they did, I determined my time would be better spent elsewhere.
On the contrary, I have directly addressed your “evidence”. The first you acknowledge is merely an “allegation”, the second you acknowledge I “may be right about”, and the third you refuse to explain how you arrive at the conclusion these were Russian government forces.
You’re not exactly on a roll here.
“Will this do?”
no, it won’t.
here is the reasons why –
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee – I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee – that says, fool me once, shame on – shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.” ~ George W. Bush
Those in the U.S. who are enthralled by relentless reports of the most demonic acts attributed to President Vladimir Putin and the rebel Eastern Ukrainian federalists a in the NYT (New York Times), NPR, ETC. would do well to look at the track record of the “reporters” dishing out this stuff. What they will find is a trail of deception that is piled with corpses of hundreds of thousands of innocents.
full article:
http://antiwar.com/blog/2014/08/03/beware-the-new-york-timess-michaelr-gordon/
600 dead bodies is evidence enough…bureid at night.
I assume you were there looking?
Of course, there are no russian troops in Ukraine, and all the weapon the rebel terorrists have they have bought in the shop…
the author seems to be stupid or maybe he receives salary from Russian authorities who knows… how much is the price of such articles, i wonder?
even the former head of terorrists Girkin admited that without russian troops they will not be able to stand and the author makes such ignorant assumptions…
The stupid person is you. The freedom fighters have gotten their weapons from the Ukrainian Nazi army.
It seems we’ve been afflicted with another Kremlin troll (Svenne) – better to ignore them, they tend to wither away from lack of attention.
Добро пожаловать! :)
NN – E. Ukrainians are entitled to get any help they can as being brutalized by the self-installed Kiev Govt.
USA of yore should have helped E. Ukrainians, but that America is long gone and its carcass is ran by the banksters and their stooges in the White House.
The people who did nearly all the brutalizing of East Ukrainians are the Kremlin-installed “rebels” – and this started long before Kiev’s ATO, with kidnappings, beatings and murders of people who opposed them.
The Kiev government was voted in by the people of Ukraine, both before and after Yanukovitch fled to Mother Russia. Repeating lies, like it was “self-installed”, over and over again will not make them true, ever.
Any problems and corruption in the USA can’t be used by the Kremlin as an excuse to invade Ukraine or any other neighbouring country, which they’re now in the habit of doing.
Who they killed before ATO exactly? Could you remind?
Kremlin-installed “rebels” supposedly sent?
Glad you said “supposedly”.
Kiev Govt voted in by people of Ukraine — you mean its “patriotic” part, with any opposition to western-oriented Ukr maggots being simple beaten out? 47% ignored the latest vote, more like 87% in Odessa.
But anyways, keep running your Ukr propaganda mill – it is safe, out of Winnipeg.
Hope you’ve enjoyed a Sun service in your local Ukr church with Waffen vets.
I’m really struggling with your logic there. Perhaps you’d care to try to explain your syllogism.
already verified 3 times my emailadress and still don’t let me post, is william blum a usa russian troll?
William Blum doesn’t want evidence to see:
In fact I wait to him stating that he doesn’t belief there are russians in Russia :-)
some links:
lostarmour.info T72BM only used in Russia
http://armamentresearch.com/Uploads/Research%20Report%20No.%203%20-%20Raising%20Red%20Flags.pdf
Which weapons are used in east-Ukraine?
Want more? have 100’s so if USA administration can’t provide, then better count on Bruce Willis for next 9/11 instead of FBI,CIA, or NSA or Hoemland Security which costed trillions, mtf idiot.
Clicked your first link. Don’t speak the language. Since you are asserting there is evidence on the page, please tell us what it is.
Clicked your second link. Long report. No time to read it. Please briefly explain the evidence you assert is in there and provide a page number(s) we can refer to.
vids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QP6sM5VnUQ rus in ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-1XSpEwrU t72bm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT2ysUkDhgE incl. russian dcuments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-26kxJ4FAs russian flag on it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiOZHfxVGkw near lugansk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWur4EE3b6M bus
http://lugansk-news.com/russian-military-convoy-left-lugansk-to-russia/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laG8SzDtW4k
I watched the first video. (Please keep it to one video at a time.)
I’m puzzled why you posted it. I assumed when I started watching it you posted it because it was evidence of Russian government forces in Ukraine. But when I watched it, it actually debunks the US government’s claim a Russian special forces officer was leading Ukrainian militia.
Excellent post by William Blum, thank you!
Apart from Ukrainian killer chimps and DC leeches putting -ve posts on reports like that, anyone with residual cortex activity would understand that Obama’s propaganda machine and that of his EU poodles is running on full cylinders and is in 100% accordance with Dr Goebbels rules.
I think Obama and Kerry shut up about MH17 that they declared 2 minutes after it hit the ground as being the deed of the E. Ukraine defenders. They shut up when Russia provided the evidence that it is likely glorious Ukraine who downed it.
As for Western Ukrs and self-installed Kiev ruler that brutalize E. Ukraine – they are certainly full of European values esp. their killer chimps from SS Waffen Galicia (now Azov).
Russia should have taken a charge long ago and blasted those Ukr patriots back to Lwow National-Socialist peoples republic or better straight to the moon.
Russia has zero evidence that MH17 was shot down by Ukraine – all they have are crazy conspiracy theories and laughably photoshopped “evidence”, which could only convince very gullible Russians with no access to anything except Kremlin propaganda. If they had such evidence, why didn’t they present it to the crash investigators? Why does the preliminary report contradict all the Kremlin’s crazy conspiracy theories and “evidence”? The answer is obvious – because all the Kremlin actually has is lies and deflection tactics.
Blum is as big a liar as the Kremlin who must be paying him, we have no Nazi’s on our biggest ever turnout for our democratically elected government, please note 93% of ukraine lives in peace. Any comments backiing russian gangsters who have admitted to starting the war for Putin’s destabilizing of a democracy on Russian borders which Putin is shit scaref d might spread into his corrupt money trough thru which he and his friends just like they did in Ukraine enrich themselves thru creating an enemy of the state, always been the Russian way, until they couldn’t afford it anymore then like Soviet Union it too will crumble. They have taken on more than they can chew in Ukraine.
preliminary investigation report contradict all the Kremlin’s crazy conspiracy theories and “evidence”
?
The “report” says MH17 was hit by hi-speed projectiles from outside the craft. Please elaborate on what ‘theories’ this contradicts.