How U.S. Provoked Russia Over Ukraine

laprogressive.com ^ | 3/28/22 | LAP

[JonPreston]

According to a 2019 Rand report titled “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia”, the US goal is to undermine Russia just as it did the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Rather than “trying to stay ahead” or trying to improve the US domestically or in international relations, the emphasis is on efforts and actions to undermine the designated adversary Russia. Rand is a quasi-US governmental think tank that receives three-quarters of its funding from the US military.

Ukraine is important to Russia. The two countries share much common heritage and a long common border. One of the most important leaders of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, was Ukrainian. During WW2, Ukraine was one of Hitler’s invasion routes and there was a small but active number of Ukrainian collaborators with Nazi Germany. The distance from the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, to Moscow is less than 500 miles.

For these same reasons of geography and history, Ukraine is a major component of a US/NATO effort to undermine Russia. Current Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, said that over 20 years the US invested $5 billion in the project to turn Ukraine. The culmination was a violent coup in February 2014. Since 2015, the US has been training ultra nationalist and Neo-Nazi militias. This has been documented in articles such as “U.S. House admits Nazi role in Ukraine” (Robert Parry, 2015), “The US is arming and assisting neo-nazis in Ukraine while the House debates prohibition.”(Max Blumenthal, 2018), “Neo Nazis and the far right are on the march in Ukraine” (Lev Golinken in 2019) and “The CIA may be breeding Nazi terror in Ukraine” (Branko Marcetic Jan. 2022).

[JonPreston]

The Rand report lists many techniques and “measures” to provoke and threaten Russia. Some of the steps include:

Repositioning bombers within easy striking range of key Russian strategic targets

Deploying additional tactical nuclear weapons to locations in Europe and Asia

Increasing US and allied naval force posture and presence in Russia’s operating areas (Black Sea)

Holding NATO war exercises on Russia’s borders

Withdrawing from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

These and many other provocations suggested by Rand have, in fact, been implemented. For example, NATO conducted massive war exercises dubbed “Defender 2021” right up Russia’s border. NATO has started “patrolling” the Black Sea and engaging in provocative intrusions into Crimean waters. The US has withdrawn from the INF Treaty.

[BobL]

The thing for people here to keep in the mind is that the Ukraine Shills here FULLY UNDERSTAND what we’ve been doing in that part of the world...and thus are lying when they claim ignorance.

[EEGator]

I thought we want war with Yemen now…
Is Ukraine support still a thing?

[Macoozie]

“Current Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland,”

This chick has a body count in the millions.

and we’re not talkin’ ‘bout THAT kind of body count, for sure.

[amnestynone]

Total nonsense, A peaceful Russia has nothing to worry about from anyone else and they know it. It is Ukraine and everyone else that has to worry about Russia. Putin himself says and has acted as a thug and predator and that is why we have had to arm and defend against them. This is just exactly the kind of crap that liberals would say during the cold war. I never thought I would see the day when so many freepers would defend Russia.

[Leaning Right]

NATO provoked Russia.
Russia overreacted.

There are no good guys here. And now we have Christians slaughtering Christians. It’s a repeat of WW I, just on a smaller scale.

[Yo-Yo]

What a bovine excrement of an article.

Did the U.S. provoke Russia into seizing Crimea during Obama's term? Did the U.S. provoke Russia into funding separatists in the Donbas region during the Obama administration?

The main reason why Russia invaded Ukraine has to do with the gas fields in Eastern Ukraine that the Ukrainian government was in the process of developing, with the ultimate goal of selling natural gas to Europe, undercutting Russian gas sales.

Russia seized Crimea over natural gas reserves, and it wants to seize the Eastern third of Ukraine over natural gas reserves.

Natural gas reserves in Ukraine:

[SteelPSUGOP]

Obama started this and how we have to play out Hunter’s War, because Joe got paid.

It is pretty simple, even the Progs can see it.

[bobbo666]

Russia did not play along when the HilaryHag lied about collusion and the MSM pumped the story. So, they are the enemy.

Plus, some Ukrainians voted to join Russia — which cannot be allowed as that would decrease Uk’s two national past times: money laundering and sex trafficking.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Why the whole Ukraine "thing" is such a mess....

whois query fo LA Progressive

Domain: laprogressive.com
Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC
Registered On: 2008-03-10
Registrant hidden by Domains By Proxy LLC, 2155 E Warner Rd, Tempe, Arizona

"Dick and Sharon edit and publish Hollywood Progressive and the LA Progressive. They also founded and host The Left Coast Forum — an annual convening of progressive activists, scholars, organizers, documentarians, media organizations and others who work to understand and restructure systems of oppression.

In 2008, Dick and Sharon launched the LA Progressive — intentionally bringing to the fore the progressive voice in Los Angeles with a focus on the centrality of race. Their mission was and is to provide a platform for progressive thought, opinion and perspectives on current events.

The LA Progressive openly and unapologetically supports and employs advocacy journalism. We believe the media not only informs the public, but it also works towards engaging citizens and creating public debate. We embrace the idea of civic journalism and reject the idea that objective reporting is even possible. We don’t believe that journalists can be objective spectators of politics and we don’t pretend otherwise."

Source: About Us, LA Progressive

"...named the Democratic Man and Woman of the Year by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party...."

Such as the above bolsters the conclusion that the Ukraine-Russia mess is ultimately about corruption, here, there and everywhere.

"Being a client of a distant foreign power is not in Ukraine’s national best interest." When the "progressives" notice, then the "narrative" is truly teetering wildly.

Expect more "incoming."

[McGruff]

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "...when the HilaryHag lied about collusion...."

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "Obama started this and how we have to play out Hunter’s War, because Joe got paid. It is pretty simple, even the Progs can see it."

It was all about "flexibility."

[nwrep]

Good article. Ukraine is a fake nation that belongs in the bosom of Mother Russia.

[Wuli]

And just who is Laprogressive:

https://www.laprogressive.com/page/about-us

So many Liberty minded conservatives today are linking arms with the Leftist oriented Progressives.

[JonPreston]

It’s a NY TIMES side piece

[Petrosius]

Ukraine is a fake nation that belongs in the bosom of Mother Russia.

And here we have the real reason Russia invaded, Russia's rejection of Ukrainian independence. All the rest is nonsense. Unfortunately for Russia, Ukrainians do not share their opinion. They have been seeking independence from their Russian overlords for over a hundred years.

[PGR88]

What “LA Progressive” also misses is that Ukraine at the same time became not merely just a strategic tool to poke Russia - it became a Democrat/Deep-state black box for political corruption, money-laundering, etc... in the USA

Hunter Biden, Chris Heinz, Crowdstrike, Steele and his fake Dossier, the Vindmans, Black Rock - DC elites, democrats and their cronies were parasites feeding on the organs of the mangy dog that was Ukraine with the help of their Ukrainian puppets

“Progressives” will never talk about this.

[tlozo]

Ukraine is a fake nation that belongs in the bosom of Mother Russia.

LOL, sure in day 700 of Putin's invasion, it should be crystal clear, even to idiots, that Ukraine wants nothing to do with Putin's "bosom".

“It [Ukraine] will remain because the level of resistance is very high and there staunch enemies of Russia within Ukraine.”

~ Konstantin Zatulin

Konstantin Fyodorovich Zatulin is a Russian politician, first deputy chairman of the committee of the State Duma for the CIS and relations with Russian nationals abroad.