Τρίτη 4 Φεβρουαρίου 2014
Σάββατο 11 Ιανουαρίου 2014
Russian Fishing Agency accuses Greenpeace of pulling strings in Senegal to stall trawler seizure
Russian Fishing Agency accuses Greenpeace of pulling strings in Senegal to stall trawler seizure Published time: January 08, 2014 13:40
[.. “Why are they taking upon themselves what is a government's responsibility to protect their waters and biological resources?” said Saveliev.]
Greenpeace is pulling strings in Senegal to stall Russia's effort to release a fishing ship with over 80 members of crew on board. The vessel was impounded last week on allegations of illegal fishing, says the Russian fishery regulator.
The accusations come after Senegal authorities revoked their earlier permission to let the captain of the ship, who had been injured during her capture, be treated in a Dakar hospital and failed to appear at a scheduled round of negotiations.
“Based on these statements from Greenpeace, one may conclude that the army of Senegal is acting upon these claims,” Aleksandr Savelyev, head of the Rosrybolobstvo's press service, said explaining the agency's allegations against the environmental organization to RT. He added that Greenpeace words“evoke bewilderment, even indignation”.
The Russian regulator reiterated accusations against Greenpeace, which it blamed for the impounding of the Oleg Naydenov trawler. The agency cited a Tuesday statement by Greenpeace Africa, which praised the Senegal government for detaining the Russian ship.
“Following the detention of the Russian-flagged trawler the “Oleg Naydenov” by the Senegalese national navy on charges of illegal fishing, Greenpeace reiterates its support to the government of Senegal for the enforcement of fisheries legislation and calls on the President and his government to remain firm on its commitment to put an end to illegal activities by such vessels,” the statement read.
Δευτέρα 6 Ιανουαρίου 2014
The Battle for Ukraine - December, 2013
Vladimir Putin's dream of creating a Russian-led Eurasian Union is slowly but surely becoming a reality. The smoke in Kiev will eventually clear and Ukraine will set course with big brother. Soon thereafter, it will be Georgia's turn. With the following I would like to take a brief look at what has been happening in the Ukraine during the month of December and in doing so also address some other topics that I believe are related.
People don't normally wake up one day and simply decide to take to the streets en masse just because their government has made a decision they don't like. For a mass political protest to take place, in a hotly contested nation nonetheless, you need three essential ingredients: A motivation, a well organized network of activists and of course high level individuals capable of pulling financial and/or political strings.
The motivation in Kiev is clearly there, I will briefly describe the deep rooted anti-Russian sentiments of many Ukrainian nationalists and liberals later in this commentary. The organizers in Kiev are there, a not so little army of Western funded and led NGOs, independent journalists, rights advocates, political activists, clergymen and government officials. And we also know that there are high level policymakers in various power centers around the world that would love to drive a permanent wedge between Ukraine and Russia purely for geostrategic reasons.
These are the three basic factors that are taking the sheeple to the streets in Kiev. These are the factors that can start a civil war or attempt a violent coup d'état if the movement's organizers, masterminds and financiers conclude that the reaction from Moscow will be weak or something that they can afford to risk. To put it in other words, if the ringleaders of these protests are made to fear a serious Russian reprisal, they may not be foolish enough incite large scale violence or seek a forceful overthrow of the government in Kiev.
Therefore, much is riding on how Moscow handles this situation.
Kiev and Moscow need to be very careful with the way they are dealing with these protests. The best course for Ukrainian and Russian officials to take would be to do what they are doing now: Take a step back, resort to soft power and allow these protests to run their natural course, all the while keeping a tight control over the situation by closely monitoring the activities of the country's Western funded NGOs, political activists and journalists of news organizations.
Under no circumstances should there be a disproportionate use of violence against protesters. A violent overreaction by the authorities is what Western powers are actually hoping for.
However, in addition to a well calculated and soft approach vis-à-vis Kiev, Russian officials need to begin posturing aggressively against Western interests elsewhere to divert attention.
Δευτέρα 30 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Obama bans construction of GLONASS stations in US ... !
Obama bans construction of GLONASS stations in US without Pentagon’s approval
Photo: RIA Novosti
US President Barack Obama has signed a bill hindering the construction of GLONASS stations on the US territory. The document rules that the matter requires the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence to report the case to Congress first.
Under the Republican-proposed bill, the Pentagon and CIA chiefs are to provide assurances that GLONASS stations will not be used for spying against the US or for improving the efficiency of Russian weapons, the New York Times says.
The signing was preceded by protracted debates between various US agencies and departments. The bill reflects their authors’ suspicions towards and distrust of Russia’s GLONASS global satellite navigation system.
One of the authors of the bill acknowledged in an interview that the aim was to make the construction of GLONASS stations in the US almost or totally impossible and also to prevent the Department of State from having a say on the issue.
The GLONASS bill was subsequently included into the Pentagon’s draft next year budget.
In an apparent attempt to play down the consequences of the move, the White House has announced that talks with the Russian side will continue.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has declined to comment on the issue. A spokesperson for the Department of State said that the matter would be handled in line with the existing legislation.
In 2012, Russia’s Roscosmos space agency announced plans to build eight monitoring stations on US soil to improve the accuracy of GLONASS. Russia has 19 ground-based GLONASS stations on its own territory.
In November, the Pentagon and the CIA, fearing that the move might enhance the capability of the Russian space system, urged the State Department to turn down Roscosmos’ request.
Σάββατο 28 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Chinese Aviation Industry Milestones In 2013 Review
In the year 2013 many of China's new military aviation projects appeared, so it was very exciting for all the followers of the PLAAF . Although there weren't as many news coming out this year about J-20 and J-31 stealth fighters, many other projects really came out and took center stage.
Y-20 - Although we started see pictures of Y-20 performing low speed taxiing late last year, it did not make it's maiden flight until late January of this year. The second Y-20 prototype made its maiden flight very recently. It looks like this program is progressing well so far. PLAAF is desperate for something like Y-20 to not only do the role of strategic transport but also as the platform for next generation AWACS (and other C4ISR roles), large aerial tanker and airborne laser platform. It has been forced to purchase a number of refurbished IL-76s from Russia in the past couple of years as a stop gap until Y-20 comes into service in 3 to 5 years. I think there is a chance that they will also purchase some new built IL-476 since the production rate for Y-20 is likely to be low in the beginning. In my opinion, this is the most important aviation project for PLA.
New Thor SAM Enters Air Defense System
New Thor SAM Enters Air Defense System
Short-range SAMs are the latest air defense system frontier in any state. Today’s defenses and resistance to external aggression are estimated by the presence of modern air defense system, and primarily by the presence of short-range air defense system.
Therefore, today the most popular and the most promising direction in the development of air defense is to create a new air defense system with high combat capabilities. “Demand in this arms market segment is growing rapidly as competition among suppliers”, said the spokesman for the Land Forces Major Kirill Kiselyov.
One of the most effective short-range air defense missile systems today is the “Thor” family, specially designed for high-precision weapons defeat during air attack of tactical aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles in complex interference and meteorological conditions, day and night.
The latest development of JSC “Concern PVO “Almaz -Antey” and JSC “IEMZ “Kupol” is “Tor – M2KM” with combat and technical facilities in a modular design. It has high reliability and efficiency in the fight against actively maneuvering air targets, controlled and gliding aerial bombs, radar countermeasures, controlled and cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft and helicopters. The complex is equipped with modern computer facilities and modern radar to detect and handle up to 48 targets, simultaneously track up to 10 of the most dangerous targets and provide simultaneous destruction of these four goals.
“Tor- M2KM” is a modular unit that provides placement of autonomous combat module (ABM) and hardware on any truck chassis, trailers, other platforms of the correct capacity, and stationary version.
Παρασκευή 27 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Trans-Asian Corridor of Development: Russia’s super canal to unite Eurasia
Trans-Asian Corridor of Development: Russia’s super canal to unite Eurasia
The decision to create a Eurasian Union on the basis of the Customs Union launched byBelarus, Kazakhstan and Russia on January 1, 2010, might be one day regarded as one of the major geopolitical events of the XXI Century. The three former Soviet republics account together for almost one tenth of the world’s proven oil reserves, one fifth of the global wheat exports and one third of the world’s proven gas reserves, while the expected adhesions of Armenia,Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will turn the existing union into a truly Eurasian trade bloc.
Nevertheless, from a purely economic point of view, neither the Customs Union nor the planned Eurasian Union represent a real challenge for the United States and the other major economies. Together, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus produce just 4% of the global GDP, a figure that would only slightly change even in case of an eventual Ukrainian adhesion to the Union, currently discussed in Kiev. As a result, the process started by Minsk, Astana and Moscow may lead to the creation of a new pole able to successfully compete in the global economy only if post-Soviet integration will be in the framework of a greater Eurasian integration.
One of the means through which the Eurasian Union, to be established by 2015 by the members of the Customs Union, may achieve greater geo-economic significance is the creation of a network of infrastructures between Central Eurasia and the Southern periphery of the continent, that is between what geopolitics knows as Heartland and Rimland respectively. In this regards, the most geopolitically important achievement would undoubtedly be the construction of the Trans-Asian Corridor of Development, a Russian project for a super canal connecting the Kara Sea and the Persian Gulf that was presented in Tashkent during an international conference on innovative ideas in November 2008.
THE TRANS-ASIAN CORRIDOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Putin: Moscow to Strengthen its Position in South Caucasus
Putin: Moscow to Strengthen its Position in South Caucasus
Russia intends to strengthen its position in the South Caucasus, President Vladimir Putin said at the Russian-Armenian Interregional Forum. He said the position would strengthen "relying on the best inheritance from our ancestors and the good relations with all countries of the region, including Armenia.""As to the South Caucasus, Russia has never planned to leave it. On the contrary, we are going to strengthen our position in the South Caucasus," Putin said. He said the position would strengthen "relying on the best inheritance from our ancestors and the good relations with all countries of the region, including Armenia."
Putin proposes to bolster cooperation between Russian, Armenian regions
President Putin's visit bolsters Armenia politically, economically and militarily
The leader of the Russian Federation, a man that was just voted by none-other-than Forbes Magazine as the most powerful man in the world arrives in Armenia; he joins his Armenian counterpart to review the arsenal of impressive weaponry stationed at the recently modernized 102nd base in Gyumri; he pays his respects to the victims of the tragic earthquake of 1988; he pays tribute at the memorial to the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide; he attends a major Russian-Armenian economic forum; he announces that Russia will be providing Armenia natural gas and modern weaponry at domestic prices; he signs a whole range of far-reaching agreements with the Armenian government.... yet every single one of the Western world's news organizations, as well as most English language foreign media (including Armenian ones) simply chose to report on the "mass protests" carried out by several hundred psychologically challenged individuals?
I'll get to the freak show in question a little later in this commentary.
How could it be that there is not a single positive Western news report about the state visit? How could it be that not a single Western news outlet ignored the protest by a small group of worthless idiots? Something's not right here. Could this be part of their global information war against President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation? Could it be that news media executives in the Western world (primarily a small bunch of Brits, Americans and Jews with top level government connections) are conspiring against President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation?
Washington's information war against Putin
Once more: The greatest leader of our times arrives in Armenia to bolster the embattled nation's regional status; he signs a number of far-reaching agreements with Armenian officials; and he pays his respects to the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, yet all we hear and read about is the street protest by several hundred Western-led sheeple?
Here is the most prominent example of the type of reporting I'm talking about: It comes to us by the way of a "reputable" instrument of the Anglo-American-Zionist global order -
Putin faces protests as he woos Armenia: http://news.yahoo.com/putin-faces-protests-woos-armenia While reading this Reuters article, I accidentally stumbled across the following comment by someone calling him or herself "Latte Liberal" in the comments section of the webpage - "Great reporting Reuters! I'm an American living in Yerevan. I can look out my window and tell you there was more the 500 people protesting. Police were gassing, beating and arresting protesters all day." I can look out my window? Gassing?! Police beating protesters all day? This, folks, is not a person reporting from Yerevan. This is one of Washington's paid cyber-warriors. In case you did not know, Washington employs large numbers of cyber activists that are tasked with disseminating Western propaganda and engage in information warfare throughout social media. Although their most recent major targets have been Syria and Iran, their most persistent target has been the Russian Federation and President Putin.
SOROS NGO in action >>> foto
Anytime President Putin goes anywhere or does anything, they are out in force trying to cast a dark shadow over him. They work in collusion with the Western world's news media outlets. Therefore, it was quite expected that Washington's psychological warfare goons with computers would be out in force on December 2, 2013 as well.
For those interested, the following is some more insight on Washington's cyber war against the world - US Launches Cyber Spy Operation Against The World (April, 2011):
The Western world's anti-Putin, anti-Russia campaign was commenced in earnest during the summer of 2008 when Moscow unexpectedly retaliated against Georgia's Western/Israeli/Turkish backed military aggression in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and liberated the disputed territories by military force. Since then, not a single day passes without any one of the major Western news organizations and their subsidiaries around the world putting out a news article or a report that viciously attacks President Putin and paints Russia is very stark colors. >>
Τετάρτη 25 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Κυριακή 15 Δεκεμβρίου 2013
Why is China entering a nuclear security pact with Ukraine?
Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovich, and China's president, Xi Jinping, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Dec. 5. (Photo/CNS)
Xinhua News Agency on Dec. 10 reported that China and Ukraine on Dec. 5 signed a cooperative agreement which included this article: China, according to the UN Security Council Resolution 984 and the Chinese government statement on providing security guarantees to Ukraine on Dec. 4, 1994, promises unconditionally not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear Ukraine, and to provide security guarantees to Ukraine if Ukraine is attacked by nuclear weapons or threatened by such aggression.
Clearly, this is a guarantee for strategic alliance and an unusual nuclear protection umbrella. Ukraine is far from China and in no way affects the latter's national security. What ,then, is the need for such an agreement?
First, we need to examine UN Security Council Resolution 984, which promotes nuclear non-proliferation and encourages denuclearization. To achieve its goals, the agreement not only requests the Security Council to regulate countries who may carry out nuclear attacks or threaten to do so, but also promises to offer emergency assistance to their targets. Emergency assistance may refer to non-military aid, but a security guarantee definitely means military support.
Second, the Chinese government's announcement on Dec. 4, 1994 about offering security guarantees to Ukraine didn't mention nuclear attacks or the threat thereof, but this time its guarantees focus on nuclear weapons. Therefore, the two are quite different.
Then, under the agreement, against the threat of which party will China offer security guarantees to Ukraine? As we know, bordering Ukraine is Russia, a nuclear power and Belarus, which had 81 nuclear missiles stationed in its territory at the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, though these were all transferred to Russia by 1996. Ukraine inherited 5,000 nuclear weapons when it gained independence and may still have some nuclear weapons undestroyed. Under such circumstances, the NATO would not dare to attack Ukraine. It is likewise inconceivable that Russia would start a military conflict with Ukraine, because the Kiev region was once the cradle of the common culture of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine as early as in the ninth century.
On the surface, Ukraine does have some pro-US forces demanding to move closer to the European Union as soon as possible. In fact, some of the western Ukraine's youth groups trained and aided by some western NGOs have yet to reach the status of possibly destroying their cultural connection and race recognition. Therefore, chances for their collaboration with foreign forces to result in the case of military tension are also very slim.
Then, what's Beijing's real intention? I believe its main purpose is to amend its consistent position of "no first use of nuclear weapons." This is probably the reason why countries in the East China Sea and South China Sea have dared to provoke China in recent years over territorial claims. Since Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang took office, they have repeatedly taken new measures that are in contrast to Beijing's previous low-profile move to conceal its capability — that's probably because it's a reaction provoked by other neighboring countries or an inevitable result after it has significantly raised its compound power.
(Yu Ligong is an associate professor at Shih Hsin University in Taipei.)
Κυριακή 24 Νοεμβρίου 2013
EU loses out on Ukraine
The Ukrainian government announced November 21 it was halting plans to sign long-discussed trade and association deals with the European Union, because of the damage it would do to trade with Russia. In an announcement that stunned Europe, it said it would seek closer cooperation with Russia and the Moscow-led Customs Union that also comprises Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Σάββατο 23 Νοεμβρίου 2013
Syria, Caucasus and Xinjiang in Saudi Arabia’s grand strategy
Syria, Caucasus and Xinjiang in Saudi Arabia’s grand strategy
While media attention is currently focused on the developments of the Syrian crisis, now become a proxy war between a Western-Arab coalition and a multipolar alliance made up of Iran, Russia and China, much less coverage is given to the ongoing insurgencies in Russian Northern Caucasus and Chinese Xinjiang. And yet a red thread links the three conflicts, which are in fact fuelled by some among the forces currently engaged in the destruction of the Syrian Arab Republic.
The opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime is a composite coalition of forces, to which belong the democratic groups of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, but also the jihadist factions of the Syrian Islamic front, a Salafist umbrella organisation founded by eleven Islamist rebel groups on 21 December 2012. Despite wide international support to the Syrian National Coalition, recognized as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people by more than one hundred countries, the rise of the Salafist factions is increasing the strength of the Islamist front, to the detriment of the more moderate groups.
The Islamization of the Syrian uprising poses a threat to the existence of the secular, multi-confessional Syria established by the Baathist rule should Assad be overthrown by the current opposition forces, which are increasingly infiltrated by foreign agents and mercenaries. Although an active role in this regard is been played by both governmental and non-governmental organizations of key NATO members such as the United States, France, Britain and Turkey, the countries most involved on the ground are the absolute monarchies of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are also the main funders of the Salafist militias.
The role played by the Saudis in Syria fits into the broader framework of Riyadh’s support to Islamic extremism throughout Eurasia, from the Balkans to Central Asia, passing through the Caucasus. Nevertheless, while in the Balkans the terrorist Kosovo Liberation Army, though financially helped by Saudi Arabia, was mostly trained and equipped by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the increasing Salafist character of the insurgencies in Russian Northern Caucasus and Chinese Xinjiang underlines a much greater Saudi involvement.
The transformation of both regions into independent, Wahhabi states, is conceived by Riyadh as part of a preventive containment strategy against a nuclear Iran, whose regional influence might be so extended as to include majority-Shia Iraq and Azerbaijan, as well as Persian-speaking Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Hence the importance of encircling a potential Persian bloc from the West through the establishment of the Syrian Islamic State promoted by the Syrian Islamic front, from the North through the independence of the self-proclaimed Caucasus Emirate, and from the East through the independence of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic State promoted by the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement.
INDIA AND CHINA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES - STRATEGIC UNITY ACROSS THE BOARD WILL FREE ASIA FROM iMPERIALISM
INDIA AND CHINA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES - STRATEGIC UNITY ACROSS THE BOARD WILL FREE ASIA FROM iMPERIALISM
China-India border defense deal "a highlight":
BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman on Thursday underlined the importance of the latest China-India agreement on border defense cooperation, signed during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Beijing.
"China-India agreement on border defense cooperation is a highlight of the prime ministers' meeting... it is significant for consolidating trust and friendship and safeguarding border peace and tranquility," Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.
The deal signed between the two countries on Wednesday is built on previous agreements made in 1993, 1996 and 2005 that recognize the principle of mutual and equal security.
According to Hua, it confirmed good practice and experience of border issues in law.
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