Russia – The Economic Collapse

“It’s A Biblical Catastrophe” – Are The Cataclysmic Fires All Over The World A Preview Of What Is Coming?

Michael — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 01:29:40 +0000

Have you noticed that apocalyptic wildfires have been erupting all over the globe this summer? Of course every year there are wildfires, and that has been true all throughout human history. But what we are witnessing this year has truly been unprecedented. In just the past couple of weeks, we have seen historic fires in the United States, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon and Russia. Hundreds of colossal fires are currently raging around the planet as you read this article, and we are only about halfway through the summer at this point. Authorities are warning that more gigantic fires are surely coming during the second half, because much of North America and Europe is dry as a bone right now.

At this moment, nearly the entire state of California is either experiencing “extreme drought” or “exceptional drought”.

This has created ideal conditions for wildfires, and over the weekend the Dixie Fire actually became “the largest single wildfire in recorded state history”…

The Dixie Fire burning in two Northern California counties is now the largest single wildfire in recorded state history, exploding in size overnight as drought-stricken lands continue to fuel the flames.

We have witnessed some incredibly large fires in California in recent years, and so for the Dixie Fire to take the number one position is really saying something.

And it is still out of control. As I write this article, the fire is “less than a quarter contained”…

The Dixie Fire was less than a quarter contained after burning through more than 700 square miles in Northern California’s Butte, Plumas, Tehama and Lassen counties. At least 400 homes and other structures have been destroyed, Cal Fire said.

The fire was the largest among more than major 100 wildfires in 15 states. Those fires have burned more than 3,500 square miles, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

California desperately needs this drought to come to an end, because water levels just keep dropping lower and lower.

Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that a major power facility at Lake Oroville has had to be shut down because the water level there has fallen so low…

California shut down a major hydroelectric power plant at Lake Oroville as water levels fell near the minimum necessary to generate power, state water officials said.

It’s the first time the state has shut down the Hyatt Power Plant due to depleted water levels since the plant went into operation in 1967.

As bad as things are in California, it could be argued that conditions are even worse in Greece right now.

Absolutely enormous wildfires have been roaring through vast stretches of the country for the past six days, and this has created an unprecedented national emergency…

Raging wildfires have ripped through parts of Greece for six straight days, forcing thousands to flee as the blazes threatened entire towns and burned down homes, shops and vast areas of land in their path.

An unprecedented heatwave — Greece’s worst in three decades — sent temperatures soaring over the past week as firefighters worked tirelessly to extinguish the uncontrollable flames.

Record-breaking heat helped to set the stage for these historic fires. At one point last week, the ground temperature in downtown Athens actually reached 55 degrees Celsius…

Little had prepared any of us on the Athens-bound flight for the sight of the great fire-induced clouds that swept either side of the plane as it made its descent on Friday.

News of the extreme heat engulfing Greece had spread beyond its borders all week, packaged in increasingly desperate language. Temperatures were breaking records few had ever imagined. If Monday was bad, then Tuesday was worse. In some parts of the country, the mercury had hit 47C (117F), with thermal cameras on drones recording the ground temperature in downtown Athens at 55C.

If you would like to get a feel for how apocalyptic things have become in Greece, just check out this video.

The fires just continue to creep closer to the capital, and it is being reported that “ash is raining down” on downtown Athens…

“It’s been crazy over here. Between the extreme heat and the wildfires, it feels apocalyptic,” Eleni Myrivili, a friend recently appointed to the role of Athens’ first chief heat officer, wrote in an email on Thursday as the army was deployed to assist firefighters. “Ash is raining down on us here in Athens.”

For other areas of Greece, the devastation has been almost unimaginable.

In fact, one Greek politician used the term “biblical catastrophe” to describe the level of destruction in one particular municipality…

“It’s a biblical catastrophe. We’re talking about three-quarters of the municipality,” East Mani Deputy Mayor Drakoulakou told state broadcaster ERT, pleading for more water-dropping aircraft.

Prior to the fires in Greece, the enormous wildfires in Turkey were getting the most attention in Europe.

According to NASA, at one point more than 130 wildfires were raging simultaneously in that nation…

In the midst of a severe heatwave and following months of dry weather, Turkey is facing some of its worst wildfires in years. Over the past seven days, more than 130 wildfires have been reported across 30 Turkish provinces. Most of the fires have ignited along the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea coasts, several in resort areas around Antalya, Mugla, and Marmaris.

Elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, the scale of the wildfires in Russia has been truly breathtaking.

They aren’t being given a lot of attention by the corporate media in the western world, but so far the wildfires in Russia have burned more than 3.7 million acres in Siberia alone…

The extraordinary forest fires, which have already burned through 1.5m hectares (3.7m acres) of land in north-east Siberia have released choking smog across Russia’s Yakutia region, where officials have described this summer’s weather as the driest in the past 150 years. And that follows five years of hot summers, which have, according to villagers, turned the surrounding forests and fields into a tinderbox.

I could go on and on, but I’ll stop there.

These fires should be a huge wake up call for all of us, but most people will probably forget about them in a few days unless they live in one of the affected areas.

That is extremely unfortunate, because we need to be paying attention. Our planet is rapidly changing, and many believe that what we have witnessed so far is just a small preview of what is coming in the years ahead.

We have grown accustomed to using words like “apocalyptic”, “catastrophic” and “cataclysmic” on an almost daily basis.

If you doubt me, just go to Google News and do a search for those terms.

Historic disasters are happening in such rapid fire fashion that many of us have now become numb to them.

I have been warning that we would start to see an acceleration of events, and what we have witnessed so far is just the beginning.

***It is finally here! Michael’s new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “7 Year Apocalypse” is now available on Amazon.com. In addition to my new book I have written five others that are available on Amazon.com including “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, “Get Prepared Now”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing the books you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe. I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help. During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

The post “It’s A Biblical Catastrophe” – Are The Cataclysmic Fires All Over The World A Preview Of What Is Coming? appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

As Americans Party, Our Enemies On The Other Side Of The Globe Are Preparing For Military Confrontation

Michael — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 02:50:46 +0000

Here in the middle of 2021, Americans are generally feeling pretty good about things. The COVID pandemic appears to be subsiding, our sports stadiums are full of fans again, the stock market has been soaring, and all over the country people are in the mood to party. In fact, July 4th celebrations across the nation are likely to be quite boisterous this year. But in China the mood is quite different, and the same thing is true in Russia. In both cases, politicians are talking tough about the United States, and in both cases the military is being prepared for a potential future conflict. Right now, our relations with China are the worst that they have been in decades, and our relations with Russia have never been this bad in our entire history. But the vast majority of Americans are completely and utterly clueless about all of this, because most Americans couldn’t care less about what happens on the other side of the globe.

This week, China commemorated the 100th anniversary of the CCP, and Xi Jinping used that as an opportunity to warn that any nation that tries to bully China “will have their heads bashed bloody”…

“Only socialism can save China, and only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China,” he said.

“We will never allow anyone to bully, oppress or subjugate China.

“Anyone who dares try to do that will have their heads bashed bloody against the Great Wall of Steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people.”

So exactly who do you think that Xi Jinping was referring to when he made that statement?

Do you think that it was Denmark?

Perhaps Iceland?

No, of course he was referring to the United States.

During his speech, he also spoke very forcefully about reunification with Taiwan…

Resolving the Taiwan question and realizing China’s complete reunification is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment of the Communist Party of China. It is also a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. We will uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and advance peaceful national reunification. All of us, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, must come together and move forward in unison. We must take resolute action to utterly defeat any attempt toward “Taiwan independence,” and work together to create a bright future for national rejuvenation. No one should underestimate the resolve, the will, and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Most Americans have absolutely no idea how serious this situation is.

In Taiwan, there is a big push to formally declare independence, and the Biden administration has been greatly angering the Chinese government by supporting the right of the Taiwanese people to determine their own future.

If Taiwan formally declares independence, China will invade.

And if China invades, the U.S. military will intervene.

If a military conflict between the U.S. and China suddenly erupted, it would probably not “go nuclear” initially. But China has been feverishly preparing for a scenario in which nuclear weapons will be used…

China is potentially expanding its missile silos following satellite image analysis – indicating the country is also seeking to increase its nuclear weapon stockpile. At least 119 potential silos were identified in the desert in Gansu Province spread over 700-square-miles to increase their nuclear arsenal which is estimated to be made up of between 250 to 315 nuclear weapons. It comes as President Xi Jinping issued a warning to ‘bullying’ foreign nations telling them to stay out of China’s business during a speech earlier this week.

In addition to construction at that site, the Chinese are building new silos in other locations as well…

“If the silos under construction at other sites across China are added to the count, the total comes to about 145 silos under construction,” Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, part of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said in a summary of his findings provided to The Washington Post. “We believe China is expanding its nuclear forces in part to maintain a deterrent that can survive a U.S. first strike in sufficient numbers to defeat U.S. missile defenses.”

Instead of focusing on making their military “more diverse”, the Chinese are actually working very hard to prepare for the next war, and the dramatic shift that we have been witnessing has stunned U.S. officials…

The discovery follows recent warnings by Pentagon officials about rapid advances in China’s nuclear capability. Adm. Charles Richard, who commands U.S. nuclear forces, said at a congressional hearing in April that a “breathtaking expansion” was underway in China, including an expanding arsenal of ICBMs and new mobile missile launchers that can be easily hidden from satellites. In addition, the Chinese navy has introduced new nuclear-weapons-capable submarines to its growing fleet.

Meanwhile, the Russians continue to talk tough as well.

For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin just warned that there would be an “asymmetrical” response if certain boundaries were crossed by western powers…

“No matter what sanctions are imposed on Russia, no matter what the scaremongering, Russia is developing and in some respects our country has surpassed the European countries and even the US,” he said.

While Putin said the nation would not be taking steps that would be harmful to themselves, he said if boundaries were crossed, they would find “asymmetrical ways” to respond.

And we don’t have to use too much energy to imagine what such an “asymmetrical” response would look like, because the Russians just put on quite a show for us 35 miles off the coast of Hawaii…

Russia’s defense ministry has announced it sunk an aircraft carrier just 35 miles off the coast of Hawaii in a huge war games exercise that has alarmed the US.

At least 20 Russian warships, submarines, and support vessels, flanked by 20 fighter jets, are taking part in the exercises – the biggest since the Cold War.

As the U.S. military focuses on “social change”, the Russians have been rapidly developing a whole host of incredibly advanced new weapons systems. Here are just a few examples…

3M22 Tsirkon, also known as Zircon, is a winged, hypersonic cruise missile. With an operational range of at least 1,000 km and a maximum speed of up to Mach 9, Tsirkon can pose a credible threat against North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carrier strike groups (CSGs). Sarmat is a 200+ ton, liquid-fueled ICBM that supports a payload of up to 15 MIRV warheads; according to Putin, the weapon is virtually non-interceptable and boasts “practically unlimited range.” The S-500 “Prometheus” is the successor to Russia’s flagship S-400 “Triumf” missile defense system, offering across-the-board improvements in target acquisition, operational range, and tracking, as well as the functionality to engage hypersonic cruise missiles and targets flying at speeds of over 5 Mach.

During the Cold War, U.S. strategic forces had a clear edge over the Russians, but now the balance of power has shifted dramatically.

Most Americans don’t realize this, but in many areas the Russians completely outclass us now.

But at least nobody can grill hot dogs better than we do.

So enjoy this bubble of peace and prosperity while you still can, because our leaders are definitely not preparing for what is going to happen once this bubble of peace and prosperity finally ends.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com. In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing the books you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe. I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Parler, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help. During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

The post As Americans Party, Our Enemies On The Other Side Of The Globe Are Preparing For Military Confrontation appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

As America Focuses On Internal Strife, A War Between Israel And Iran Could Literally Start At Any Moment

Michael — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 02:31:52 +0000

You won’t hear the corporate media say very much about the “shadow war” that Israel and Iran are currently engaged in, because the corporate media is absolutely obsessed with covering the internal strife that is tearing the U.S. apart right now. But if they were doing their jobs correctly, corporate media outlets would be focusing on the Middle East, because the conflict between Israel and Iran could literally spark a major global war at any moment. As Israeli military aircraft pounded Iranian-backed forces in southern Syria on Thursday morning, there were reports coming in from central Israel of massive explosions that were so large they “shook the houses”…

Alarms sounded in Abu Qrenat near Dimona in southern Israel early Thursday morning, the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit reported.

Residents from across the country, including central Israel and Jerusalem, reported hearing “loud explosions” that “shook the houses.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, an Israeli military official insists that there was just one explosion and that it was caused by a Syrian surface to air missile that just happened to land in the southern Negev…

Brig.Gen. Hidai Zilberman later told reporters that the explosion was due to the firing of an SA-5 surface to air missile that was fired towards Israel and that it exploded in the southern Negev.

The firing of the missile came during Israeli air strikes in the south of Syria. The missile was not directed towards any target, Zilberman said.

But that wouldn’t seem to explain the multiple “explosions” that residents of central Israel reported on Thursday morning.

In any event, we are seeing fighting on an almost daily basis now. After hitting pro-Iranian targets inside Syria about 50 times in 2020, Israeli airstrikes have become even more frequent in 2021.

In addition, Israel has conducted a series of extremely bold attacks inside Iran itself over the last nine months. The following comes from the New York Times…

In less than nine months, an assassin on a motorbike fatally shot an Al Qaeda commander given refuge in Tehran, Iran’s chief nuclear scientist was machine-gunned on a country road, and two separate, mysterious explosions rocked a key Iranian nuclear facility in the desert, striking the heart of the country’s efforts to enrich uranium.

The steady drumbeat of attacks, which intelligence officials said were carried out by Israel, highlighted the seeming ease with which Israeli intelligence was able to reach deep inside Iran’s borders and repeatedly strike its most heavily guarded targets, often with the help of turncoat Iranians.

The most dramatic incident was the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility. It turns out that attack caused far more damage than we were originally told…

The latest sabotage incident on April 11 caused a blackout at the Natanz facility and major damage. The attack, widely believed to be orchestrated by Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, took out a number of Iran’s older and “least efficient” IR-1 centrifuge machines, according to Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh. Meanwhile, Alireza Zakani, head of the Parliament Research Center, has noted that “several thousands” of centrifuges were damaged or destroyed.

The Iranians vowed “revenge” after that incident, and they have attacked Israeli ships multiple times since then. Here is one example…

An Israeli-owned ship was attacked near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the Lebanese Al Mayadeen news channel reported on Tuesday.

Israeli defense sources confirmed that a ship partially was attacked on Tuesday, and said they were certain that Iran is behind the attack. The attack took place in international waters, likely by an unmanned drone or a missile strike, they said, noting that only minor damage was caused.

That was the third such attack on an Israeli-owned ship, and more attacks are expected in the future.

The good news is that a full-blown war between Israel and Iran has not erupted yet.

But such a war is coming. It is just a matter of time at this point.

Inevitably, someone will escalate things a little bit too much, and then thousands of missiles will start flying.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah has 150,000 missiles pointed at Israel right now, and the Iranians are fully capable of doing immense damage to major Israeli cities.

Of course the Israeli military is even more powerful. In the event of a full-blown war, Israel could literally level every single major city in Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine remain on the brink of war. It is being reported that Russia now has more than 100,000 troops in the conflict zone, and Vladimir Putin just warned that western countries that choose to provoke a conflict “will regret their deeds in a way they have not regretted anything else for a long time”…

Speaking as part of his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin said that his government “wants to have positive relationships with everyone on the international stage, including those with whom relations have broken down recently. We really don’t want to burn bridges.”

At the same time, however, he cautioned that “those who mistake this stance for weakness need to know that Russia’s response [to any aggression] will be asymmetrical, swift and harsh.” Those planning provocations, he said, “will regret their deeds in a way they have not regretted anything else for a long time.”

I don’t know why the warmongers in the Biden administration have decided that it is a good idea to provoke Russia and China simultaneously. They are not intimidated by us, and they are not going to back down as a result of our threats.

Foreign policy takes a great deal of finesse, but unfortunately the guy in the White House is a hothead in an advanced state of cognitive decline, and he is surrounded by an all-star team of warmongers.

I know that a lot of people are puzzled when I talk about Biden and his team in this manner, because not even Fox News uses the term “warmonger” to describe anyone in the Biden administration.

If you don’t understand what I am talking about yet, just be patient, because time will reveal the truth.

Our world is steamrolling toward war, and it won’t be anything like the relatively minor conflicts that we started in Afghanistan and Iraq.

At this moment, the seeds of World War 3 are being planted, and eventually those seeds will blossom into a conflict that will be far more horrific than most people would dare to imagine.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

The post As America Focuses On Internal Strife, A War Between Israel And Iran Could Literally Start At Any Moment appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Could The U.S. Could Soon Be Involved In Wars In Taiwan, Ukraine And The Middle East Simultaneously?

Michael — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 00:16:42 +0000

Warmongers are now firmly in control in Washington, and they are pushing us toward war a little bit more each day. A military conflict with Russia, China or Iran would be a nightmare scenario, but there is also a possibility that we could end up fighting all three of them simultaneously. Such an outcome would have been unthinkable under the Trump administration, but times have changed. Biden administration officials have been boldly declaring that “America is back”, and they have been trying to aggressively exert U.S. influence all over the globe. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not as intimidated by the U.S. military as it once was.

Tensions with China have been rising for quite some time, and Taiwan has become the central point of contention.

Taiwan continues to edge closer to declaring formal independence, and the Chinese insist that is a red line that must never, ever be crossed.

In recent weeks, the Chinese have been attempting to send a message by repeatedly sending military aircraft into Taiwan’s airspace, and on Monday we witnessed the most alarming incursion yet…

China’s People Liberation Army flew 25 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, its largest incursion yet as tension in the Taiwan Strait continues to escalate.

According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, the PLA warplanes – 14 Jian-16 fighter jets, four Jian-10s, four H-6K bombers, two Y-8 anti-submarine warfare planes and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft – entered the island’s southwest zone on Monday.

China has been conducting extremely detailed military exercises which simulate an invasion of Taiwan, and the military plans for such an invasion are already drawn up.

Everything is ready to go for when the order is finally given.

The only thing stopping the Chinese is the U.S. military, and on Sunday Secretary of State Antony Blinken once again confirmed that the U.S. will stand behind Taiwan…

“What we’ve seen, and what is of real concern to us, is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the Straits. And we have a commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, a bipartisan commitment that’s existed for many, many years, to make sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself, and to make sure that we’re sustaining peace and security in the Western Pacific. We stand behind those commitments. And all I can tell you is it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change the existing status quo by force,” Blinken said Sunday during an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press.

China understands that an invasion of Taiwan would mean war with the United States, and so the Chinese will probably hold off for the moment.

They will be waiting for an opportunity, and that could come when we are tied up with a major military conflict on the other side of the globe.

Speaking of which, the Israeli cyberattack on the Natanz nuclear facility is yet another sign that the “shadow war” between Israel and Iran is getting dangerously close to a shooting war.

Israel has not formally taken responsibility for the attack, but even the Israeli media is acknowledging what everybody else already knows…

Iran blamed Israel on Monday for an attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged its centrifuges — sabotage that imperils ongoing talks over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal and brings a shadow war between the two countries into the light.

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack, but Israeli media widely reported that the country had orchestrated a devastating cyberattack that caused a blackout at the nuclear facility. Israeli officials rarely acknowledge operations carried out by the country’s secret military units or its Mossad intelligence agency.

In the aftermath of the attack, Iranian officials pledged to “take revenge” on Israel…

“The Zionists want to take revenge on the Iranian people for their success in lifting the oppressive sanctions, but we will not allow it and we will take revenge on the Zionists themselves,” Zarif said in comments carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

If a major war does erupt and missiles start flying back and forth between Israel and Iran, the U.S. will enter the conflict on the side of Israel.

The Iranian nuclear program has been a seemingly unsolvable problem for a number of years, and I think that Israeli leaders are starting to realize that there simply is not going to be a diplomatic solution.

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continue to edge closer to a major military conflict. In fact, one of the most popular news anchors in Russia just stated that the Russians may be forced to “de-Nazify” Ukraine by force…

Russia is ‘one step from war’ with Ukraine, state TV has warned in the latest bout of sabre-rattling between Moscow and Kiev that has jangled nerves across Europe.

Dmitry Kiselyov, a Russian news anchor who has been called a ‘Putin propagandist’ in the past, issued the warning during a primetime broadcast in Russia on Sunday.

He branded Ukraine a ‘Nazi’ state, saying that Russia may be forced to ‘de-Nazify’ it by force – a process he said would bring about its ‘economic and military collapse’.

And a top Russian official just made headlines all over the world by suggesting that a full-blown military conflict “would be the beginning of the end of Ukraine”…

The deputy head of Russia’s presidential administration, Dmitry Kozak: “I support the assessment that the start of military action – this would be the beginning of the end of Ukraine.”

Of course things would have never gotten to this point if the Biden administration hadn’t decided to use Ukraine as a tool to put pressure on Russia.

I do not think that Russia intends to invade Ukraine right now. But when the Russians learned what the Biden administration and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky were planning, they rapidly massed forces in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.

The Russians are going to keep those forces in the region for the foreseeable future, and that is going to keep tensions high.

Hopefully this show of force will convince Biden administration officials that they should not try to push things any further. Because the Russians are quite willing to strike first if they believe that a move by the other side is imminent.

And once the Russians start pouring across the line of separation, the U.S. and Russia will be at a state of war, and that is something that nobody should want to see.

Of course the United States can’t exactly afford any new wars at this point, because we are absolutely drowning in debt.

If you can believe it, our budget deficit for the month of March was a whopping 660 billion dollars…

The U.S. federal budget deficit widened 454% in March from a year earlier, as the government issued a third round of stimulus checks to help Americans ride out the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The budget gap rose to $660 billion in March, the Treasury Department said Monday, from $119 billion in the same month last year. Revenue rose 13% to $268 billion in March, while spending increased 161% to $927 billion.

A budget deficit of 660 billion dollars for an entire year would be bad enough.

To achieve that level in just one month is catastrophic.

Needless to say, even one war would make our fiscal situation much worse, and multiple conflicts would probably break us financially.

Of course if a global war does erupt, financial problems won’t exactly be among our greatest concerns at that point.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

The post Could The U.S. Could Soon Be Involved In Wars In Taiwan, Ukraine And The Middle East Simultaneously? appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Russia Has Moved Missiles That Can Carry Nuclear Warheads Into The Conflict Zone With Ukraine

Michael — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 02:21:53 +0000

How close can Russia and Ukraine come to war without actually going over the precipice? Over the weekend, more forces on both sides continued to pour into the conflict zone. And on the line of separation in eastern Ukraine, there are regular reports of gunfire and shelling. At this point, there are no negotiations on the horizon, and one false move could easily spark an all-out war. In fact, a Kremlin spokesperson is warning that we could soon see “full-scale combat operations”…

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday said the situation in eastern Ukraine was ‘very unstable’ and warned it risked leading to ‘full-scale combat operations.’

As Kiev warned it could be ‘provoked’ by Russia’s aggression, several Western nations have voiced fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move could trigger an all-out war, which could drag Nato allies, including Britain, into the conflict.

By rushing so many forces to the conflict zone, the Russians have prepared themselves to be ready for any scenario that may unfold.

According to one British news source, Russia now has “close to 100,000 troops” in the region…

The Russia-Ukraine crisis could explode into all-out war within days after Moscow amassed close to 100,000 troops at the flashpoint border, it was feared last night.

Senior Ukraine military sources fear Moscow’s war-planners may have wrong-footed Kiev by being far more battle-ready for a major land and sea attack than previously suspected.

If a full-blown war does break out, the Ukrainian military will be no match for the Russian military.

The Ukrainians would literally beg NATO for help, and Joe Biden has already promised “unwavering support” for the regime in Kiev.

Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia have never been closer to war than they are right now, and that is why this crisis is far more important than most Americans realize.

Within the last 24 hours, there has been quite a bit more activity along the line of separation. The following is an English translation of a report that was posted on the official website of the Ukrainian military…

During the past 24 hours, on April 10, in the area of the Joint Forces operation, the armed forces of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire 10 times, including 9 shellings of Ukrainian defenders and 1 flight of an enemy UAV crossing the line of demarcation.

In particular, in the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group “East”, the Russian occupation forces fired at our positions near the village of PYSCHEVYK with 82 mm mortars, anti-tank and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers prohibited by the Minsk agreements. In the suburbs of the villages of PISKY and SHYROKYNE, the enemy opened fire with small arms, and near AVDIYIVKA and KAMYANKA – with grenade launchers of various systems.

In the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group “North”, near the village of MAYORSKE, armed formations of the Russian Federation fired at the positions of Ukrainian defenders with hand-held anti-tank and grenade launchers.

Near the village of ZOLOTE-3, the enemy opened fire with automatic machine grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms.

Of course the Ukrainians don’t always disclose when they fire upon forces on the other side, and that has been happening on numerous occasions as well.

This sort of low level fighting is only a concern because it could potentially lead to a much larger conflict.

And in preparation for such a conflict, the Russians have been moving some very serious hardware into the region.

For example, it is being reported that the Russians have moved at least six “city destroyers” into the conflict zone…

At least six 2S4 Tyulpan self-propelled mortars – capable of firing warheads 12 miles – were filmed on flat-bed trains. Dubbed the ‘city destroyer’, the weapon’s devastating power has demolished strongholds from Chechnya to Afghanistan.

Even more importantly, we are being told that the Russians have been deploying Iskander missile systems close to Ukraine…

Open-source intelligence specialist at Janes Thomas Bullock identified Russian Iskander missile systems that have moved or are moving to the Ukrainian area of operations since late March through open-source intelligence.

Thomas Bullock posted a Janes article from 8 April that said he identified the deployment of Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems, likely belonging to the 119 Missile Brigade, to Voronezh from the Sverdlovsk region.

This is a sign that the Russians are definitely not messing around.

Iskander missile systems can be used to deliver conventional payloads, but they are also designed to carry nuclear warheads…

Russian official sources claim that the R-500 missile carries a conventional 500 kg warhead or nuclear warhead with a yield of around 10-50 kT. It is likely that there are several different conventional warheads, including cluster, fuel-air explosive, and bunker-busting. The missile can overcome enemy air defense systems while offering high-probability of failure-free operation in countermeasures environments. It has a target accuracy of 5m to 7m and operates even in fog or low visibility.

If push came to shove, the Russians would not hesitate to use tactical nukes if they felt it was necessary.

We should all carefully monitor the situation in Ukraine, because this really does have the potential to spark World War 3.

Of course there are two other potential conflicts that could also cause global war to erupt.

China has been eyeing a potential invasion of Taiwan for quite some time now. If China decides to actually pull the trigger, the U.S. and China would immediately be at a state of war.

Also, it appears to be just a matter of time before Israel and Iran go to war. On Sunday, Iranian officials announced that the Natanz nuclear facility “was hit by a ‘terrorist” attack”…

Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was hit by a “terrorist” attack on Sunday, the country’s nuclear chief said, hours after reports of an electrical “accident” – and a day after new uranium enrichment centrifuges were started up.

Iran reserves the right to “take action” against those behind the incident at the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facility in Natanz, the head of the nation’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, told state TV on Sunday.

He called the incident at the plant an act of “nuclear terrorism.”

Iran’s nuclear program has been steadily moving forward, and Israel had made it abundantly clear that it will never allow the Iranians to develop their own nuclear weapons.

The clock is ticking, and there will be war at some point.

So which flashpoint will erupt first?

I don’t know, but the red horse is getting ready to ride, and things could start to spiral out of control at any time.

I believe that we will be the generation that will experience World War 3, and it truly will be too horrible for words.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

The post Russia Has Moved Missiles That Can Carry Nuclear Warheads Into The Conflict Zone With Ukraine appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Heavy Shelling Is Being Reported In Ukraine As Russian Television Discusses A Possible “Nuclear Strike”

Michael — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 00:40:27 +0000

A new war in Ukraine would be bad for the entire globe, but we might just get one anyway. Once the Biden administration took control of the White House, they decided to wage a campaign of maximum pressure against Russia, and Ukraine is one of the key tools that they are using. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky never would have signed Decree No. 117/2021 on March 24th without the encouragement of the Biden administration, and the extremely aggressive statements about Crimea in that document deeply alarmed the Russians. Even more importantly, it appears that the Ukrainians were secretly preparing a massive offensive against areas of eastern Ukraine that are held by the separatists. If those areas could have been captured before Russia could react, that would have been a massive victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Biden administration. But the Russians caught wind of what was going on, and that is why they have been sending forces into Crimea and into separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine in numbers that we have never seen before.

If Zelensky and the Biden administration would have left things alone, we wouldn’t be on the verge of war today.

But now tensions in the region are extremely high, and a major conflict could break out at any moment. The following is an example of how the current state of affairs is being viewed in Russia…

After six years of an uneasy and at times violent truce, the specter of a new war is looming large in Russia-Ukraine relations. In retaliation for Kiev’s recent crackdown on pro-Russian media and politicians, Moscow is staging a large-scale and ostentatious military buildup along the Ukrainian border.

The situation is especially volatile in Donbass, where the ceasefire between the Ukrainian army and Moscow-sponsored breakaway territories has effectively broken down. Both sides accuse each other of provocations and regularly exchange fire, with the casualties mounting among both military personnel and civilians.

Zelensky made things even worse on Tuesday when he urged NATO to add Ukraine as a member as soon as possible…

Ukraine’s president has called on Nato and key member states to hasten his country’s membership of the western military alliance in response to a growing buildup of Russian forces on his country’s borders.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke to Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, on Tuesday, and urged for Ukraine to be put on a pathway to future membership to halt the long-running conflict in the eastern Donbas region.

Everyone knows that Russia is desperate to keep Ukraine out of NATO, and so Zelensky had to know that his statements would result in even more stress in the region.

The Ukrainian people thought that they were voting for peace when they originally voted for Zelensky, but instead he has been a nightmare.

Within the last 24 hours, more shelling has erupted in eastern Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian military, mortar fire was reported close to the village of Nevelske…

In particular, in the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group “East”, near the village of NEVELSKE, the enemy opened fire with 82-mm mortars, large-caliber machine guns and machine-gun anti-tank grenade launchers.

As a result of enemy shelling, one Ukrainian soldier received non-life-threatening injuries. In addition, in the area of the Joint Forces operation, one serviceman died as a result of an explosion on an unknown explosive device.

Even more alarming, video footage posted on social media shows “heavy shelling” near the city of Avdiivka…

#DONBASS
–#Avdyivka‘ya topçu atışları devam ediyor.

-Still ongoing shelling on #Avdiivka. https://t.co/fTdf83sjAF pic.twitter.com/onlIcvHYEz

— момчил иванов (@momchil_ivanov1) April 6, 2021

Unfortunately, the fighting is likely to escalate in the coming days.

In fact, it is being reported that Ukraine is starting to call up reservists…

Ukraine’s military has scrambled territorial defense units amid the unfolding threat of an all-out Russian invasion as masses of fresh regular forces concentrate near Ukraine’s borders, with NATO and United States ringing alarm.

Approximately 100,000 reservists could be called to duty, and that would definitely bolster the Ukrainian forces.

On the other side, the Russian military just announced that it will be holding more than 4,000 “training exercises” during the month of April…

Russia announced the start of mass military drills, ratcheting up tensions with neighboring Ukraine amid Western concerns about the risk of renewed fighting.

More than 4,000 training exercises will be held in military districts across Russia in April, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday, in comments posted on the ministry’s website.

Hopefully things will calm down soon, because events could spiral out of control very easily.

Earlier today, I was deeply alarmed to learn that there has even been a discussion about a potential “nuclear strike” on Russian public television…

However, in a frightening public report, Russian public television “Russia 1” spoke of a nuclear strike. They said about:

“If there is a possible escalation in Ukraine, then a nuclear strike is on the agenda. This will make Americans afraid and we will do whatever we want.”

Hearing that should send a chill through your bones, because if nuclear weapons are used that will cross a line that will never be able to be uncrossed.

We are so close to a nightmare scenario, but most Americans continue to be completely and utterly oblivious to what is going on.

A hothead is in charge of our foreign policy, he is surrounded by a team of all-star warmongers, and we are now closer to war with Russia than we have been in decades.

And at this hour, even more forces are racing toward the conflict zone in Ukraine…

Regardless of intent or motive, this is an incredible mobilization and immense logistical operation. Just look at the amount of trackage being used. https://t.co/3U8ulZmYfA

— The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) April 6, 2021

You can hardly get out of the “amazement” …
These 2S4 Tjulpan were also filmed in Kropotkin. On the way to Ukraine.
The 2S4 is the world’s heaviest mobile mortar, capable of firing not only conventional, but also nuclear shells from 9 to 18 km … https://t.co/Vg6IqpboGE

— Rob Soltysik (@soltysik_rob) April 6, 2021

Russian military column on the Tavrida Highway in Crimea, near Nizhniye Oreshniki.

Notice R-149MA1 unfied command and staff vehicles.

05.04.21 pic.twitter.com/Meom3FxfpJ

— Status-6 (@Archer83Able) April 6, 2021

Tanques T-72B3 rusos.#Ucrania #UkraineRussia pic.twitter.com/gHp5WfWoYt

— Pretorianos (@PretorianosNews) April 5, 2021

Russian army is moving heavy artillery in Bryansk Oblast near the border to Ukraine and Belarus northeast of Kyiv today. pic.twitter.com/G9XUwwVh72

— WorldOnAlert (@worldonalert) April 6, 2021

Here’s what’s actually happening in Ukraine / Russia… #Donetsk #Donbass pic.twitter.com/GTWhZI5t4i

— ASB News / MILITARY (@ASBMilitary) April 2, 2021

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

The post Heavy Shelling Is Being Reported In Ukraine As Russian Television Discusses A Possible “Nuclear Strike” appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

The Russians Are Reportedly Using “120-Caliber Mortars” And “Hand-Held Anti-Tank Grenade Launchers” To Bombard Ukrainian Positions

Michael — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 23:56:20 +0000

Why is the corporate media in the United States so quiet about this? As more Russian forces race toward the conflict zone, the Russians have reportedly been hammering Ukrainian positions over the past couple of days. But I haven’t been able to find a peep about this from the corporate media. I don’t understand why they aren’t covering this, because this conflict has the potential to start a global war. Joe Biden is pledging “unwavering support” for Ukraine, and if a Russian invasion actually happens that promise of “unwavering support” would be put to the ultimate test. We are now closer to a shooting war with Russia than we have been at any point since the end of the Cold War, but most Americans are totally clueless about the drama that is unfolding on the other side of the globe right now.

If a way to defuse this conflict is not found, we could literally be looking at a scenario that eventually leads us into World War 3.

And the clock is ticking, because once Putin gives the order to invade there will be no going back.

On Saturday, the Ukrainians once again reported that forces on the other side of the conflict zone opened fire. The following is an English translation of a report that was posted on the official website of the Ukrainian military…

Ignoring the agreements reached on July 22, 2020 within the framework of the Tripartite Contact Group, the Russian occupation forces continue to shell the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of this day, on April 3, 6 violations of the ceasefire regime by the armed forces of the Russian Federation have been recorded.

In the area of the Vostok operational and tactical group near the town of PISKY, the Russian occupiers opened fire with 120-caliber mortars, large-caliber machine guns, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms prohibited by the Minsk agreements. Near AVDIYIVKA and VODYANOY in the Azov Sea, Russian occupation forces fired large-caliber machine guns, anti-tank and automatic machine-gun grenade launchers.

Technically, the ceasefire that was agreed to on July 22, 2020 is no longer in effect because it expired on April 1st.

But the Ukrainians continue to frame these incidents as “ceasefire violations”.

On Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military posted another update…

Russian occupation forces continue to shell Ukrainian defenders’ positions in order to further accuse them of violating the ceasefire.

During the past 24hrs, on April 3, 10 violations of the ceasefire by the armed forces of the Russian Federation were recorded.

In the area of the operational and tactical group “East” near the settlement of SAND, the Russian occupiers opened fire with mortars of 120-caliber, large-caliber machine guns, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and small arms prohibited by the Minsk agreements, and from near the village. hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers. Near the settlements of AVDIYIVKA, SHYROKYNE and VODYANE in the Azov region, Russian occupation forces fired large-caliber machine guns and grenade launchers of various systems.

Subsequently, the firing seemed to stop, and that is probably because there is a high level of respect on both sides for the religious holiday that was taking place.

But it is quite likely that the fireworks will resume on Monday, and hopefully the corporate media in the United States will start to properly cover this exceedingly important story.

At this moment, there are three seemingly unsolvable issues which need to be addressed if this conflict is to be defused somehow.

First of all, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree No. 117/2021 on March 24th, the Russians essentially considered it to be a declaration of war against them. That document makes it the official policy of the Ukrainian government to reconquer Crimea, and the Russians consider Crimea to be their sovereign territory. I don’t anticipate that either side will ever back down, and the Biden administration has been pushing hard to make this a very important issue internationally.

Secondly, the Biden administration has been doing everything that it can think of to try to sabotage the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Selling gas to the Europeans is exceedingly important to the Russians from an economic standpoint, and the possibility that the Europeans could end that relationship is probably the number one thing holding Putin back from launching an invasion right now. But if the Biden administration is successful in killing the Nordstream pipeline and in getting the Europeans to start rejecting Russian gas, then Putin may figure that there is nothing left to lose.

Thirdly, the Russians will never, ever accept Ukraine joining the NATO alliance. Having NATO forces right on the Russian border is considered to be completely and utterly unacceptable by Russian military strategists, and the Russians are extremely alarmed that NATO forces could soon be deployed to Ukraine on a large scale…

The Kremlin said on Friday that any deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would lead to further tensions near Russia’s borders and force Moscow to take extra measures to ensure its own security.

NATO voiced concern on Thursday over what it said was a big Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine after Russia warned that a serious escalation in the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbass region could “destroy” Ukraine.

And it is also being reported that the Ukrainian military is scheduled to hold joint military exercises with NATO in just a few months…

UKRAINE’s armed forces have said joint military drills with NATO troops would begin in a few months’ time in a move which is likely to infuriate Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and stoke already heightened tensions with Moscow, which has expressed its opposition to the idea.

The Trump administration didn’t provoke Russia, and so for four years there was relative stability in the region.

But now the Biden administration has decided to put enormous amounts of pressure on Russia on multiple fronts, but this could backfire dramatically if the Russians decide that military action in Ukraine becomes unavoidable.

In recent articles I have described Biden as a “hothead” and a “warmonger”, and at this point his cognitive decline is apparent to everyone. He is easily persuaded, and the fact that his national security team is packed with extremely aggressive warmongers is not reassuring.

This is a story that is not going to end well, but the vast majority of Americans have very little interest in foreign policy at this point, and most of them do not regard Russia as any sort of a threat.

But once the Biden administration actually gets us into a war, all of a sudden a lot of people are going to wake up and get really upset.

Of course a potential conflict is not just looming with Russia. We are also stumbling toward potential conflicts with China, North Korea and Iran, and Biden’s national security team does not seem to know how to handle any of those relationships.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

The post The Russians Are Reportedly Using “120-Caliber Mortars” And “Hand-Held Anti-Tank Grenade Launchers” To Bombard Ukrainian Positions appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Ukrainian Troops Are Being Fired Upon By Grenade Launchers And Machine Guns As More Russian Forces Race Toward The Border

Michael — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 01:45:26 +0000

Could this be the spark that causes World War 3 to erupt? At this hour, Russian and Ukrainian military forces continue to rush toward the conflict zone, and to say that things are “tense” in the region would be a tremendous understatement. As I discussed yesterday, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Decree No. 117/2021 on March 24th, it was essentially a declaration of war against Russia. Since that time, Russian forces have been massing along the borders in numbers that we have never seen before. Video after video of Russian tanks, military vehicles and troops being moved toward the conflict zone have been posted on social media, and the Ukrainians have responded by making similar moves. But if the Russians launch a full-blown invasion, the Ukrainians will be totally outmatched, and they will ask the United States and NATO to intervene.

Since March 24th, there have been hundreds of ceasefire violations, but the ceasefire cannot be violated any longer because it officially expired on April 1st.

On Thursday, there were multiple reports of Ukrainian forces taking direct fire. This was not reported by anyone in the corporate media in the United States, and so I had to go to a Ukrainian source to find out exactly what is going on. The following is an English translation of a report that was posted on the official website of the Ukrainian military…

In the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group “East”, near the settlements of SAND and WATER, in the Azov Sea, the occupiers opened fire with grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns and small arms.

In the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group “North”, near the settlements of SVITLODARSKE, LUHANSKE and ZOLOTE-4, the invaders fired at our positions with automatic machine-gun and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and machine guns.

From this point forward, there will probably be regular reports of both sides firing on one another.

But will the conflict soon become much larger than that?

I think that it is a really bad sign that the separatists in eastern Ukraine just announced that those born from 1994 to 2003 will start to be conscripted for military service.

In addition, the EU is accusing Russia of initiating “a conscription campaign in the Crimea peninsula”…

The European Union said Russia had launched a conscription campaign in the Crimea peninsula in a move that broke international law.

The EU said in a statement: “Today, the Russian Federation has launched yet another conscription campaign in the illegally-annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to draft residents of the peninsula in the Russian Federation Armed Forces.”

These are very alarming developments, because they indicate that the Russians and the separatists in eastern Ukraine believe that an extended military conflict is approaching.

Of course the Russians wouldn’t actually need any new conscripts in order to defeat Ukraine. The Russian military is vastly superior to the Ukrainian military, and Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak believes that there are more than 32,000 Russian troops currently in Crimea in addition to the 28,000 separatist troops in eastern Ukraine…

Khomchak had also said that Russia has around 32,700 military personnel in Crimea, at present. Since annexing the territory in 2014, the Kremlin has significantly expanded its military presence there to include air, naval, and ground-based assets, including anti-ship cruise missile and surface-to-air missile batteries.

Russia also oversees some 28,000 personnel in “separatist” units in areas of eastern Ukraine known collectively as the Donbass who have been fighting the government in Kyiv since 2015. Though the Kremlin denies it, the evidence is clear that a substantial portion of these forces is simply regular Russian military units deployed on Ukrainian soil. There are also strong links between Russia’s intelligence services and ostensibly “local” forces.

When asked why so many troops are being moved toward Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesman said that this “should not bother anyone”…

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered a trio of seemingly contradictory dismissals regarding the sudden movement of Russian forces and equipment along its border with Ukraine and in Crimea, as well as a mortar attack last week by Russian-backed troops that killed four Ukrainian soldiers for which Kiev blames Russia.

“The Russian Federation moves its armed forces within its territory at its own discretion. This should not bother anyone, it poses no threat to anyone,” Peskov told reporters on Thursday morning, according to a translation of his remarks. He also said that Russia feels threatened by what it considers “increased activity of the armed forces of NATO countries” and others that “obliges us to be on the alert.”

Ultimately, these troop movements almost certainly never would have happened if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had not signed Decree No. 117/2021.

And of course Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky never would have signed Decree No. 117/2021 if he had not been given the green light to do so by the White House.

In the end, this is a game of chess between the Biden administration and the Kremlin, and one false move could plunge us into World War 3.

Unfortunately, the rhetoric on both sides just continues to escalate. On Thursday, the U.S. State Department once again accused the Russians of being “aggressive”…

Following Lavrov and Peskov’s statements, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price warned Moscow against “intimidating” Ukraine.

“We’re absolutely concerned by recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine,” Ned Price told reporters.

“What we would object to are aggressive actions that have an intent of intimidating, of threatening, our partner Ukraine.”

And new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is the latest official to publicly pledge U.S. support for Ukraine…

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Ukraine’s minister of defense on the phone Thursday to express “unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty” and to condemn Russian aggression in the country.

But if the Russians actually launched a full scale ground invasion of Ukraine, there would be nothing the U.S. could do to stop it.

Of course the U.S. could decide to strike back militarily in other ways, and that could set off a chain reaction which could result in global war.

The corporate media in the United States loved to bash the Trump administration, but while Trump was in the White House there was never a threat that World War 3 was about to start.

Unfortunately, the warmongers in the Biden administration are now running the show. They seem to think that they can push the Russians around, but if they miscalculate even just a little bit it could have disastrous consequences for all of us.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

The post Ukrainian Troops Are Being Fired Upon By Grenade Launchers And Machine Guns As More Russian Forces Race Toward The Border appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

As Russian Tanks Move Toward Ukraine, The Globe Braces For The Possibility That World War 3 Could Soon Erupt

Michael — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 02:42:25 +0000

At this hour, more Russian military forces are massed near Ukraine’s borders than we have ever seen before. Western military leaders say that they are concerned that the troop movements that we have witnessed in recent days may be leading up to an invasion, and if an invasion does happen it will greatly test the resolve of the Biden administration, EU leaders and NATO brass. In particular, the hawks in the Biden administration would almost certainly not be willing to just sit back and let the Russians conquer all of Ukraine. There would likely be a major response by the United States, and that could set off a chain reaction that could ultimately spark World War 3.

So what made the Russians suddenly move a massive invasion force toward Ukraine?

Well, it turns out that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky essentially signed a declaration of war against Russia on March 24th. The document that he signed is known as Decree No. 117/2021, and you won’t read anything about it in the corporate media.

I really had to dig to find Decree No. 117/2021, but eventually I found it. I took several of the paragraphs at the beginning of the document and I ran them through Google translate…

In accordance with Article 107 of the Constitution of Ukraine, I decree:

1. To put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine of March 11, 2021 “On the Strategy of deoccupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol” (attached).

2. To approve the Strategy of deoccupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (attached).

3. Control over the implementation of the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, enacted by this Decree, shall be vested in the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

4. This Decree shall enter into force on the day of its publication.

President of Ukraine V.ZELENSKY

March 24, 2021

Basically, this decree makes it the official policy of the government of Ukraine to retake Crimea from Russia.

Of course the Russians will never hand over Crimea willingly because they consider it to be Russian territory, and so Ukraine would have to take it by force.

This is essentially a declaration of war against Russia, and Zelensky would have never signed such a document without the approval of the Biden administration.

Following the signing of Decree No. 117/2021, we started to see Russian forces pour into Crimea and into separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine at a staggering rate.

For example, you can watch a column of Russian tanks being transported by rail right here.

Крым, 30 марта pic.twitter.com/yaMoN7leio

— IgorGirkin (@GirkinGirkin) March 30, 2021

And you can see a massive column of Russian forces on the Crimea bridge right here.

Russian military equipment on the Crimean Bridge. 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, various trucks, BMP-3 IFVs.

29.03.21 pic.twitter.com/c4W2aNqp5M

— Status-6 (@Archer83Able) March 31, 2021

In addition, it is being reported that the 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade is on the move, and that is not a good sign at all.

For those who don’t know, this isn’t the brigade you want to see on the move.

The 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade is an airborne brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops. The brigade was first formed in 1979 and fought in the Soviet–Afghan War, the 1st & 2nd Chechen War. https://t.co/lAthOpiIvw

— ASB News / MILITARY (@ASBMilitary) March 31, 2021

The Russians are taking Zelensky’s declaration of war very seriously, but the corporate media in the western world is blaming “Russian aggression” for the increase in tensions in the region.

But the truth is that the Russians never would have made any of these moves if warmongers in the Biden administration had not given Zelensky the green light to sign Decree No. 117/2021.

And what most people in the western world don’t know is that fighting has already begun in Ukraine. The ceasefire that was agreed to in July 2020 has been violated hundreds of times over the past week…

The OSCE’s civilian Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine has reported hundreds of cease-fire violations in recent days. On March 26, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and two others injured in the eastern part of the country.

The Ukrainian military said its soldiers were hit by a mortar attack it blamed on Russian troops. Russia denies having a military presence in eastern Ukraine, where it backs separatist forces.

At this point, the ceasefire of July 2020 is completely dead.

In response to the renewed fighting, U.S. European Command “has raised its alert status to the highest level”…

U.S. European Command has raised its alert status to the highest level after fighting resumed between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk Region of eastern Ukraine, marking the end of a June 2020 ceasefire, and Russian forces began building up military equipment along the border.

And we just learned that the chairman of the joint chiefs actually had a telephone call with his counterpart in Russia on Wednesday to address the escalating situation…

In a statement on Facebook on Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that at the initiative of the U.S., chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Mark Milley, had a telephone conversation with his counterpart. “Issues of mutual interest were discussed,” the statement said.

In the days ahead, the corporate media in the western world is going to continue talking about “Russian aggression”, and the Russians are going to continue to blame Zelensky and the Biden administration for the rise of tensions in the region.

Ultimately, we could spend countless hours debating who is in the right and who is in the wrong.

But what really matters is keeping this from escalating into a global conflict. Because if someone does something really stupid and the Russians feel a need to send their invasion force into Ukraine, there will be no going back ever.

I have been warning about a future conflict between the United States and Russia for a very long time, and we have never been closer than we are right now.

With Trump in the White House, relations with Russia were relatively stable, but now Joe Biden is in charge.

Biden is a hothead that is showing signs of advanced cognitive decline, and he is surrounded by a team of warmongers that are determined to put Russian President Vladimir Putin in his place.

The inmates are running the asylum, and it won’t take much of a mistake at all for things to go horribly, horribly wrong.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

The post As Russian Tanks Move Toward Ukraine, The Globe Braces For The Possibility That World War 3 Could Soon Erupt appeared first on The Economic Collapse.

Top U.S. Officials Gather To Discuss “Military Options” In Venezuela As Russia Warns Of “Grave Consequences” If America Invades

Michael — Thu, 02 May 2019 02:21:48 +0000

On Wednesday afternoon, senior U.S. officials gathered at the White House to discuss possible military options for Venezuela. Meanwhile, the Russians are warning of grave consequences if the U.S. invades, and so the stage is being set for a potential showdown between the world’s two foremost military powers. Previously, administration officials had hoped that the Venezuelan people would rally around Juan Guaido to such a degree that it would not require military intervention to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but that hasn’t happened. In fact, Guaido’s big push to start a revolution in the streets over the past few days has ended up being a total flop. The following comes from Yahoo News…

Guaido had called for the “largest march” in Venezuela’s history and said on Twitter that “millions of Venezuelans” were in the streets in “this final phase” of his move to oust Maduro.

But by late afternoon, many of the protesters in the capital Caracas were drifting home.

Despite Guaido’s calls for the military to support him, the armed forces leadership has so far remained loyal to Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.

In the long-term, the situation in Venezuela isn’t going to change much if the U.S. is able to replace one socialist president (Maduro) with another socialist president (Guaido). Socialism always ends badly, and the people of Venezuela are going to have to decide for themselves that they don’t want socialism any longer.

But that isn’t what this is about. U.S. officials have decided that it is time to impose their will on the people of Venezuela, and they have determined that Maduro must go. If Guaido cannot create a successful internal revolution, then other options will be explored.

And as I mentioned in the opening paragraph, there was a very, very important gathering of top U.S. officials at the White House on Wednesday afternoon…

Senior U.S. administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, and National Security Advisor John Bolton, will meet at the White House Wednesday afternoon. With the situation on the ground still “extraordinarily fluid,” according to Shanahan, the U.S. says it is still weighing military options.

Don’t you wish that you could have been a fly on the wall for that meeting?

Of course we already know what Pompeo and Bolton are thinking. This is what Pompeo just told Fox Business…

“Military action is possible. If that’s what’s required, that’s what the United States will do.”

In other words, if Guaido can’t get the job done, our boys and girls are going in.

And John Bolton has repeatedly insisted that “all options are on the table” regarding Venezuela, and he just told reporters the following about potential Russian interference…

“This is our hemisphere,” he told reporters outside the White House. “It’s not where the Russians ought to be interfering. This is a mistake on their part. It’s not going to lead to an improvement of relations.”

So precisely what would Bolton like us to do about it?

The Russians already have troops and military equipment in Venezuela, and they are there with the permission of the Venezuelan government. Does Bolton really want us to attack and risk a war with Russia?

And for what? Venezuela certainly has a lot of oil, but the truth is that there is no fundamental national security interest at stake in Venezuela.

Unfortunately, there is a growing consensus in Washington that something must be done about Venezuela, and the hysteria has already reached absolutely ridiculous levels. For example, just consider the words of U.S. Senator Rick Scott…

“Here is what is going to happen. We are in the process, if we don’t win today, we are going to have Syria in this hemisphere. So, we can make sure something happens now, or we can deal with this for decades to come. If we care about families, if we care about the human race, if we care about fellow worldwide citizens, then we’ve got to step up and stop this genocide.”

Did you catch that?

Apparently, if you are not in favor of a U.S. invasion of Venezuela, you don’t “care about families” and you don’t “care about the human race” either.

In response to those comments, this is what Tucker Carlson had to say…

When was the last time we successfully meddled in the political life of another country? Has it ever worked? How are the democracies we set up in Iraq, in Libya, in Syria, and Afghanistan right now? How would Venezuela be different? Please explain — and take your time.

Are we prepared for the refugees a Venezuelan war would inevitably produce? A study by the Brookings Institution found that the collapse of the Venezuelan government could force eight million people to leave the country. Many of them would come here. Lawmakers in this country propose giving them temporary protected status that would let even illegal arrivals live and work here, in effect, permanently, as many have before, with no fear of deportation. Are we prepared for that?

If we are going to ask members of our military to shed their blood, it had better be for a really, really good reason.

And switching out one socialist leader for another socialist leader in Venezuela definitely does not qualify.

Of course that is the best case scenario.

In a worst case scenario, a U.S. military invasion of Venezuela would spark a war with Russia, and the Russians are making it very clear that there will be “grave consequences” if we attack…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Pompeo by phone on Wednesday that further “aggressive steps” in Venezuela would have grave consequences, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is getting dangerously close to war with Iran as well. The Iranians are threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for Washington cutting off all their oil exports, and if the Strait of Hormuz gets shut down all hell could break loose.

U.S. officials want to “get tough” with all of our enemies around the world, and that is fine as long as you know what are you doing.

Because even one miscalculation can result in missiles flying back and forth, and once peace is taken from the Earth things could get wildly out of control very rapidly.

So let us hope that cooler heads prevail, because right now we are quickly approaching a tipping point.

About the author: Michael Snyder is a nationally-syndicated writer, media personality and political activist. He is the author of four books including Get Prepared Now, The Beginning Of The End and Living A Life That Really Matters. His articles are originally published on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News. From there, his articles are republished on dozens of other prominent websites. If you would like to republish his articles, please feel free to do so. The more people that see this information the better, and we need to wake more people up while there is still time.

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