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The Bulletin: November 21-27, 2024

The Bulletin: November 21-27, 2024

How Societal Collapse Can Save Humans From Mass Extinction

Our Sixty Days of Nuclear Chicken Have Begun

ZeroHedge Edit: Fort Knox, Egon Von Greyerz, and Zoltan Pozsar

Doug Casey on the Looming Debt Crisis and What Lies Ahead – International Man

Biden’s parting Ukrainian sacrifice – by Aaron Maté

Trump’s science-denying fanatics are bad enough. Yet even our climate ‘solutions’ are now the stuff of total delusion | George Monbiot | The Guardian

Science Snippets: The Reality Of Abrupt, Irreversible Climate Change

Power Play: The Future of Food – Global Research

Why Hope Is Hopium

The Cantillon Effect Explained: Why Inflation Helps the State at Your Expense

UN’s Latest Climate Agenda Sparks Alarms Over Online Censorship

Today In Imperial Recklessness And Insanity

Rooted In Reality: Onions and Building Community

Mining fuels global deforestation and CO₂ surge: Study warns of climate risks

Taking the pulse of beans – by Gunnar Rundgren

Anti-Progress, Breakdown, Reset

If You Want To Help The World, Focus On Fighting The Empire

How Billionaires Manipulate the Public

Fueling the Flames: How the West’s Military Emissions Undermine Climate Action | Common Dreams

How the Global Distribution of Wealth Has Changed (2000-2023)

Rhyming History: Rome’s Hyperinflation

Blissful Ignorance is Blissfully Deceptive

Solutions Without Understanding: Why We’re Asking the Wrong Questions | Art Berman

A Diesel Powered Civilization – The Honest Sorcerer

‘It’s not drought – it’s looting’: the Spanish villages where people are forced to buy back their own drinking water

Population Decline A Challenge Or A Chance For A Better Future?

Does Anyone Think the COP Meetings Are Useful?

Russia’s Final Warning to NATO – You’ll Get your War, but It’ll be Over in 15 Minutes. – Global Research

Ukraine’s Former Top Military Commander Claims ‘World War 3 Has Officially Begun’ | ZeroHedge

Inflation: Savior of the Rich

Days of Thunder

Political Perfection | Do the Math

The Average Person’s Reaction to Collapse – by Lillian

Iraq Invasion – The Biggest Terrorist Attack in Modern History. “Terrorism of US-UK-NATO-Israel” – Global Research

Transfer Of Nukes To Ukraine Would Be Tantamount To Attack On Russia: Medvedev | ZeroHedge

The ‘Empire Killer’ Strikes Again – International Man

Globalists Go For Broke: Plan To Trigger World War III Moves Forward – Alt-Market.us

A Practical Guide to Money During Collapse | by Climate Survivor | Nov, 2024 | Medium

The Bulletin: November 14-20, 2024

The Bulletin: November 14-20, 2024

What We Refuse to Believe | how to save the world

“That’s Bait…” Chumming the Media Waters Doesn’t Work Like it Used To – Gold Goats ‘n Guns

US Deficit Explodes: Blowout October Deficit Means 2nd Worst Start To US Fiscal Year On Record | ZeroHedge

When The Show Is Over, The Actors Hold Hands And Take A Bow

Can we keep producing more food in a warmer world?

Civilizational Looting

The US Economy Will Collapse: How Trump Should Handle It

Microplastics In Clouds Impacting Weather

The Seeds of Social Revolution: Extreme Wealth Inequality

The Face At The Front Desk Changes, The Corporation Remains The Same | Patreon

Canadians to Hold National Day of Action Against F-35 Exports to Israel Via the United States – Global Research

Pressure on Canada to Export Water Will Be Immense | The Tyee

Refining Reality: The Hidden Struggles of a World Still Dependent on Oil | Art Berman

Canada Promises Climate Reparations at COP29 While Courting Big Oil at Home – DeSmog

Gazprom Cuts Gas To Austria Off, Just in Time for Winter | OilPrice.com

The Best Mental Health Hack

The 8 Essentials We Need to Control

“We Don’t Have Enough…”: Russia Temporarily Limits Exports Of Enriched Uranium To U.S. | ZeroHedge

A Diesel Powered Civilization – The Honest Sorcerer

Net Zero Rollback

The Impending Collapse of the European Union – by Ugo Bardi

The Great Silence of The Human Lambs – George Tsakraklides

Kremlin Responds To Joe Biden’s Authorization of ATACMS Missile Strikes – Newsweek

The Ten Commandments of War Propaganda

The Cure for What Ails Us: Market Crash and Mass Defaults

Too Much Focus on Carbon – by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume

Gaia’s Forge: When You Are the Hammer

2024 John Peach Peak Oil Report

Nuclear War Threat Mushrooms

The Bulletin: August 30-September 5, 2024

The Bulletin, August 30-September 5

MM #18: What Can I Do? | Do the Math

Japan Declares State of Emergency After ‘Nanobots’ Found in 96 Million Citizens – Global Research

Will science and technology save us? – by Gunnar Rundgren

“A NATO invasion of nuclear Russia is currently underway, and the world is unaware that it is in World War III”. Has President Putin’s Patience Reached Its Limits?


“Something’s Coming, We Don’t Know What It Is” … But It Is Going to be Bad. Edward Curtin – Global Research

Exxon Joins OPEC in Warning of Looming Oil Supply Crisis

Present Day Trends of a Collapsing Society

Elevated Plutonium Levels Near Los Alamos Similar to That Of Chornobyl – One Green Planet

The National Security State Is Killing Free Speech. Dr. Philip Giraldi – Global Research

Robert Reich Calls for the Arrest of Elon Musk for Resisting Censorship – JONATHAN TURLEY

You Can Measure The Health Of A Society By How It Treats Its Warmongers And Its Peacemongers

The Science of Conquest – Biocentric with Max Wilbert

OPEC: To Cut or Not to Cut | Art Berman

Our Actual Reality–the Disappearance of Modernity

Expanding WHO’s Role: Canadian Stakeholders Eye “Misinformation” Control

July 6, 2024 Readings

July 6, 2024 Readings

The meme that is destroying Western civilisation—Part III–Steve KeenI

World’s Largest Fusion Reactor is Finally Completed, the Test Run Is 15 Years Away – MishTalk

George C. Marshall, Architect of U.S. Military Expansion, the Post War European Reconstruction Marshall Plan, Founder of the Orwellian “Deep State”? – Global Research

Back in the USSR. Are We the Soviets Now?–Robert Malone

David Stockman on Why the Federal Reserve is Running Out of Monetary Oxygen–David Stockman

Finland gives US control over 15 military bases–InfoBRICs

Can We Rest Assured That Just Because of the Unacceptably High Costs of Nuclear War and World War III, These Will Never Happen? – Global Research

Russia Finally Acknowledges That She Is at War with Washington – Global Research

Biden and Trump Battle over a Rattle – Edward J. Curtin, Jr.

Who Turned Off the Gaslight–James Howard Kunstler

War Games | how to save the world–Dave Pollard

Crash Or Bear Market, Either Way Stocks Going “Down, A Lot”: Mark Spiegel–Quoth the Raven

10 Signs That Global War Is Rapidly Approaching–Michael Snyder

The coming population collapse — Part 2 | by Subhash Kak

‘They’re Everywhere’: Common Foods Linked to Elevated Levels of PFAS in Body–Common Dreams

Russia Holds Mobile Nuclear Missile Launcher Drills Days Before NATO Summit In DC | ZeroHedge

July 3, 2024 Readings

July 3, 2024 Readings

2019: Peak (Western) Civilization–The Honest Sorcerer

Summer Reflections–Erik Michaels

The Long Forum June 2024 – by Shane Simonsen

Can The Law Drag Fossil Fuels Into Greener Pastures?

We Are All Joe Biden (And Malthus Was Not a Reptilian)–Ugo Bardi

The Coming US Budget Disaster Will Impoverish Americans | Mises Institute

Ongoing Propaganda From Corporate Media Outlets–Guy McPherson

Category 4 Beryl on collision course with Windward Islands

Delhi experiences historic June rainfall, resulting in severe flooding and 11 deaths, India – The Watchers

Hundreds Dying Everyday In Karachi As Pakistan Battles Brutal Summer–Independent

Tropical rains will shift northward in the coming decades – Earth.com

Alaska’s snow crab season canceled for second year in a row as population fails to rebound – CBS News

Moderate to above-moderate harmful algal bloom predicted for western Lake Erie | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The True Catastrophe of Our Times – TomDispatch.com

Restoring Nature Is Our Only Climate Solution – resilience

I saw first-hand just how much fracking destroys the earth | Rebecca Solnit | The Guardian

How World Leaders Are Scrambling to Secure Food in The Shadows | by Eric Lee | Jun, 2024 | Medium

China deploys aircraft carrier off Philippine coast amid tensions | World News – Business Standard

You Are Materials Blind–Matt Orsagh

Third Of Nuclear-Plant Owners In Talks With Tech Firms To Power Up AI Data Centers | ZeroHedge

NATO Mulls Imposing No-Fly Zone Over Western Ukraine | ZeroHedge

Biden’s De Facto EV Mandate At Risk After Supreme Court ‘Chevron’ Ruling

Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline Off To A Solid Start

July 2, 2024 Readings

Groundwater Depletion Maps Reveal Depths of “Extreme” and “Exceptional” Mexican Drought

Saudi Arabia Breaks US Global Power?

Very Hard Times are Coming – Charles Nenner | Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog

“The Train Has Left the Station and No One Can Stop It”. Europe Will be at War with Russia. Serbia’s President A. Vucic – Global Research

Debt Brakes and Treaty Requirements About to Smash the EU – MishTalk

Brazil’s Supreme Court Is Hiring Contractors To Monitor Social Media and Track Dissenters

EU’s Mass Surveillance Faces Fierce Resistance

The Delusion of Advanced Plastic Recycling Using Pyrolysis — ProPublica

‘Gold mine’ of century-old wheat varieties could help breeders restore long lost traits | Science

David Stockman on The Ukrainian Border War Folly – International Man

Episode 61: Psychological Warfare in Pharma Marketing ft: Robert Malone

U.S. Government Historical Debt – by Lau Vegys

Ticking Time Bomb: Space Junk Is Eating Away at Earth’s Ozone Layer

Big Tech Coalition Partners With WEF, Pushes “Global Digital Safety” Standards

World Economic Forum Pushes For AI Use and Collaboration in Fighting “Misinformation”

Wellbeing: UNCONNECT – by Robert W Malone MD, MS

Big Brother on Board: UK Train Stations Use Amazon-Powered AI to Read People’s Mood

The Failure of Switzerland’s Burgenstock “War-Peace Conference”, Russia Not Invited – Global Research

The Confiscation of Reality ⋆ Brownstone Institute

The Entire System Is Crumbling! Major Red Flags Are Popping Up For Banks, Small Businesses And Retailers

The Madness of War. Another Cuban Missile Crisis? USA and France Court Global War. Rodney Atkinson – Global Research

Science Snippets: The Ability to Grow Food is Threatened by Climate Change

Red Sea Diversion Causes Congestion at World’s Busiest Port | OilPrice.com

As Inflation Rises, Prepare for Crime | SchiffGold

“Remarkably Lopsided”: NYT Bestseller Bias Laid Bare | ZeroHedge

The Smoking Gun: Who Started the War. Was it Russia or Was it US-NATO? NATO Confirms that the Ukraine “War Started in 2014” – Global Research

June 30, 2024 Readings

St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2024: Marking the Rise of the Global South Century and Decline of Western Economies

Up to half a million NATO soldiers waiting to enter Ukraine

It’s the End of the World As We Know It. The American-NATO Rush Toward Nuclear War with Russia. Scott Ritter – Global Research

Our Rulers Are Literally Driving Us Crazy

Doug Casey on Insider Trading… Why Politicians Can Do it and You Can’t

You Keep Using the Term ‘Authoritarian’ ⋆ Brownstone Institute

Over 80 UK war planes deployed from Cyprus to Lebanon since 7 Oct: Report

Dam In East Texas On ‘Potential Failure Watch’ | ZeroHedge

Lithium: A Clean Energy Solution with a Dirty Secret | OilPrice.com

Iran Threatens Israel With ‘Obliterating War’ If It Attacks Lebanon | ZeroHedge

Low snow on the Himalayas threatens water security: Study

Groundwater Depletion Maps Reveal Depths of “Extreme” and “Exceptional” Mexican Drought

The Supreme Court Punts on Censorship – by Matt Taibbi

Sky’s the Limit For Our Debt and the Money Supply

It was the media, led by the Guardian, that kept Julian Assange behind bars

Are Humans Worth More Than Other Organisms?

Climate crisis sees rise in illegal water markets in the Middle East

Panama Canal agency warns water shortage “is not over”

From Assange to 9/11 to Supply Chain Failures: When Can You Believe Government Explanations?

Pyongyang Says It Will Send Troops to Ukraine Within a Month

Electing the Next Dictator: Ugly Truths You Won’t Hear from Trump or Biden – Global Research

Trade War Between Europe and China Is Creeping Closer – Global Research

US, UK and EU Preparing for War Against Russia. Reinstating the Draft – Global Research

America’s Dark Day – Scott Ritter Extra

Scale Up Nature

Big Banks Pass an Extreme Stress Test Including 10 Percent Unemployment – MishTalk

As Putin floats peace terms, US-Ukraine call for prolonged war

G3P: Global Public-Private Partnerships and the United Nations

Here’s Why These Troubling Trends Mean Mass Chaos is Likely Coming to the West…

Chaos is Spreading Everywhere! – by David Haggith

Where and Why Tornado Risk is Growing as Climate – and Communities – Change

How To Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning

Heatwaves and wildfires strike across US as tropical storm forms in gulf | Extreme weather | The Guardian

We’ve Hit Peak Denial. Here’s Why We Can’t Turn Away From Reality | Scientific American

Scientists “Puzzled and Concerned” – by Guy R McPherson

Our Propagandized Society Is Like A Sick Man Who Doesn’t Know He’s Sick

What Would Happen If This Event of 41 Years Ago Happened Today? – Global Research

 

David Stockman on The Ukrainian Border War Folly

David Stockman on The Ukrainian Border War Folly

The Ukrainian Border War Folly

Someone should tell the European ruling elites to take a long jump off a short pier. Their endless whining about the Ruuskies and Putin is just plain pathetic because—

  • It’s not justified—Russia bears no hallmarks of an expansionist imperial power.
  • The Russia-Ukraine conflict is none of western Europe’s business—since its essentially a territorial and civil war within the borders of historic Russia.
  • If EU officialdom is really concerned about the purported Russian threat why do they spend just a pittance of their GDP on defense?

Yet, here we have Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, former German defense minister and full-throated war-hawk, talking absolute nonsense:

“Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to see empires and autocracies back in Europe, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Economic Congress in Katowice.

Speaking alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, von der Leyen insisted that she stands for a European Union that is ready to do whatever it takes to protect Europe, and especially Ukraine.

Putin’s war is about redrawing the map of Europe, but it is also a war on our Union and on the entire global rules-based system,” she said.”

Well, that’s rubbish if there ever was such. The only time the borders of Ukraine have been redrawn at the barrel of a gun is when Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev did it between 1922 and 1954. That’s right, this bureaucratic half-wit wants to embroil the world in WWIII in order to enforce borders drawn by a trio if history’s most blood-thirsty tyrants.

As explained below, there never was a country even remotely resembling modern Ukraine until the Soviet communists decreed its existence…

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2024: Marking the Rise of the Global South Century and Decline of Western Economies

St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2024: Marking the Rise of the Global South Century and Decline of Western Economies

This year, SPIEF’s theme was “The Foundations of a Multipolar World – The Formation of New Areas of Growth.”

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual event bringing together global leaders, policymakers, and influential business figures, took place in St. Petersburg, Russia from June 5th to 8th, 2024. Attendees representing 130 countries and roughly 3 billion people worldwide attended. This year, SPIEF’s theme was “The Foundations of a Multipolar World – The Formation of New Areas of Growth.”

Foreign companies are eager to access the Russian market’s potential, despite Western sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow.

Deals involve firms from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, suggesting a pragmatic approach prioritizing commercial interests over politics and avoiding missed opportunities in Russia. The diversity of participants indicates many businesses recognize the risks of being left out of this lucrative market.

What should be a wakeup call for the global West is instead falling on deaf ears. While Washington and European capitals report declining economies, Russia, in spite of severe sanctions, continues to adapt and flourish.

Policymakers are not testing their countries’ long-term economic policies against the implications of the rise of multipolarism. Let’s consider the Green/degrowth policies favored by the Biden administration and former European economic powerhouses like Germany. They are not protecting the future of their people. 

SPIEF 2024 introduced concepts the Global South Century will move forward on driving the world economy while the American and European economies recede. Russia is positioning itself as a leader.

What Is the Global South?

Take the 3.5 billion population of China, India, and the ASEAN countries, for example.

In 2000, only 150 million of these people enjoyed middle-class living standards. Today, the number has exploded to around 1.5 billion, double the total population of Western countries. And it is predicted to grow to 3 billion by 2030.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Is a New Cuban Missile Crisis Brewing Over Ukraine? Dangers of Nuclear War. John J. Mearsheimer

Will the U.S. be involved with negotiating with the Russians to bring peace to Ukraine, as did Kennedy in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis?

On June 12, three Russian ships and a nuclear-powered submarine arrived in Havana, Cuba. Having crossed the Atlantic, the ships performed maneuvers designed to enhance military capability, and have remained in Cuba through June 17.

Recently, President Vladimir Putin made a threat to supply unspecified countries with weapons capable of striking Kiev’s Western allies.

The Kazan nuclear-powered submarine is capable of firing Kalibr cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 2,500 kilometers and can be equipped with nuclear warheads. Along for the ride are the Frigate Admiral Gorshkov, which is carrying new hypersonic Zircon missiles that are nuclear-capable, the Akademik Pashin refueling tanker, and Nikolay Chiker tugboat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has portrayed Zircon as a potent weapon capable of penetrating any existing antimissile defenses by flying nine times faster than the speed of sound at a range of more than 1,000km (more than 620 miles).
While the visit to Cuba is not seen as a military threat to the U.S., and none of the vessels carry a nuclear war-head, it has brought back memories of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis involving the U.S. and Russia in Cuba.

Cuba is Russia’s most important partner in the Western Hemisphere from a geopolitical point of view, and both are critical of the U.S. sanctions imposed on each other, and the enlargement of NATO. Havana also backed Russia’s right to “self-defense” against NATO following its 2022 military operation in Ukraine.

In 1959, an uprising called the “26th of July Movement” led to the communist rule under the leadership of Fidel Castro in Cuba.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Up to Half a Million NATO Soldiers Waiting to Enter Ukraine. “Offensive Oriented”, Preparing for “A Large Confrontation”.

When Russia launched its special military operation (SMO) on February 24, 2022, it became the active part of the Kremlin’s strategic counteroffensive against crawling NATO aggression.

At the time, President Vladimir Putin made it clear that anyone foolish enough to get directly involved would be met with consequences they’ve never experienced in their entire history. And indeed, nobody dared to get into a direct confrontation with Moscow. This forced the political West to find workarounds in order to provide indirect support for its favorite Neo-Nazi puppets. However, what started out with batches of ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) and MANPADS (man-portable air defense systems) ended up with heavy armor and even nuclear-capable fighter jets. In other words, NATO keeps probing Russia, testing its patience and willingness not to escalate the already highly volatile situation.

And yet, in recent months, the world’s most aggressive racketeering cartel has become more brazen than ever before. Its advanced ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) systems are being actively used for target acquisition and guidance of Western weapons delivered to the Kiev regime forces.

Luckily, through the use of its advanced SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems and world-class electronic warfare (EW), Russia is able to negate most of the advantages that the Neo-Nazi junta is getting in this way.

All this is making NATO leaders quite nervous, as they believe that Russia’s victory would have disastrous consequences for the collective West’s geopolitical standing. This is going so far that the mainstream propaganda machine is now openly advocating for NATO and Neo-Nazi junta-sponsored terrorist attacks across Russia (public schools included).

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Kiev’s Plan to Store F-16s in NATO States Raises the Risk of World War III

It can’t be ruled out that Zelensky might task one of his pilots with carrying out a mission directly from NATO territory without first stopping at a Kiev-controlled airfield in order to provoke Russia into striking the base from which it departed in self-defense.

Ukrainian Air Force head of aviation Sergey Golubtsov told US state-run Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in an interview over the weekend that Kiev plans to store some of its F-16s in NATO states for reserve and training purposes. While this might sound like a pragmatic policy, particularly since it would deter Russia from destroying its entire fleet since President Putin recently mocked speculation about him plotting to attack NATO as “bullshit”, it actually raises the risk of World War III.

To explain, although US Air Force chief Frank Kendell claimed last summer that the F-16s are “not going to be a game-changer” for Ukraine and Golubtsov himself confirmed in his latest interview that they’re “not a panacea and we do not wear rose-colored glasses”, both downplay the nuclear dimension. President Putin brought it up earlier this spring when he noted that “F-16 aircraft can also carry nuclear weapons, and we will also have to heed this while organising our combat operations.”

The Russian leader also warned that “we would see them as legitimate targets if they operate from the airfields of third countries, no matter where they are located.” Mutual mistrust between Russia and the US is at a record low and continues falling by the week, made all the worse by Ukraine’s recent attack(s) against Russia’s early nuclear warning systems that might have been tacitly approved by America. This comes as the US is playing a dangerous game of nuclear chicken with Russia.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

The Cautious US Escalation Against Russia Is Developing Not Necessarily to US Advantage

The Cautious US Escalation Against Russia Is Developing Not Necessarily to US Advantage

The feebleness of the US response to a Russian incursion into Kharviv, which was to prevent further strikes on civilian targets in the border city of Belgorod, and the quick Russian counter-moves, confirms how the Collective West has no good options, even if its leaders can’t yet admit that to themselves and come up with better alternatives than punching into air or a wall, as the case may be. Obama warned that Russia would have escalatory dominance with respect to Ukraine, and we are seeing that play out now.

The short version of what follows is that the Biden Administration may have made a tiny gain against its big objective of not losing in Ukraine before the November election, since Russia may slightly delay an expected next move, of entering Sumy oblast. An advance into Sumy would further lengthen the line of contact, increase the degree of over-extension of Ukraine forces, and thus accelerate the process of attrition, which is Russia’s big goal. But even if the US policy change did produce this effect (and since none of us have Russian plans, we can’t know if any change occurred), it is coming at considerable geopolitical cost, that of Putin suggesting, and deputy chair of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev confirming, that Russia will arm third countries in conflicts with the United States.

To recap the recent state of play: earlier this week, the US described a policy change regarding the use of US weapons by Ukraine On a superficial level it seemed simply to give permission for what Ukraine had been doing already, as in using Western (here US) missiles to hit Russian territory, as in pre-the-2014-dispute Russia.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Kiev’s Plan To Store F-16s In NATO States Raises The Risk Of World War III

Kiev’s Plan To Store F-16s In NATO States Raises The Risk Of World War III

It can’t be ruled out that Zelensky might task one of his pilots with carrying out a mission directly from NATO territory without first stopping at a Kiev-controlled airfield in order to provoke Russia into striking the base from which it departed in self-defense.

Ukrainian Air Force head of aviation Sergey Golubtsov told US state-run Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in an interview over the weekend that Kiev plans to store some of its F-16s in NATO states for reserve and training purposes. While this might sound like a pragmatic policy, particularly since it would deter Russia from destroying its entire fleet since President Putin recently mocked speculation about him plotting to attack NATO as “bullshit”, it actually raises the risk of World War III.

To explain, although US Air Force chief Frank Kendell claimed last summer that the F-16s are “not going to be a game-changer” for Ukraine and Golubtsov himself confirmed in his latest interview that they’re “not a panacea and we do not wear rose-colored glasses”, both downplay the nuclear dimension. President Putin brought it up earlier this spring when he noted that “F-16 aircraft can also carry nuclear weapons, and we will also have to heed this while organising our combat operations.”

The Russian leader also warned that “we would see them as legitimate targets if they operate from the airfields of third countries, no matter where they are located.” Mutual mistrust between Russia and the US is at a record high and continues rising by the week, made all the worse by Ukraine’s recent attack(s) against Russia’s early nuclear warning systems that might have been tacitly approved by America. This comes as the US is playing a dangerous game of nuclear chicken with Russia.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Russia’s Oil and Gas Revenues Surged by 73.5% in January-May

Russia’s Oil and Gas Revenues Surged by 73.5% in January-May

Russia’s budget revenues from oil and gas soared by 73.5% in January-May of 2024 compared to the first five months of 2023, according to data from Russia’s finance ministry released on Monday.

Between January and May 2024, the revenues for the Russian federal budget from oil and gas hit $55.7 billion (4.95 trillion Russian rubles), per the data reported by Russian news agency TASS.

“In line with parameters of the socioeconomic outlook, a steady surplus of oil and gas revenues above their base level is also expected in months to come,” TASS quoted a statement from the ministry as saying.

Non-oil and gas revenues also rose, by 34% in January-May 2024 compared to the same period last year.

Russian oil revenues have been rising in recent months compared to the year-ago levels as Moscow is increasingly finding ways to circumvent sanctions and find buyers willing to risk purchasing its crude and refined petroleum products.

In April 2024, for example, Russia’s oil and gas revenues hit $13.5 billion (1.23 trillion Russian rubles), Russian finance ministry data showed in early May. The Kremlin received nearly double the oil income for the budget than it did in the same month of 2023.

The weaker Russian ruble and the higher price of Russia’s flagship Urals crude amid higher international oil prices contributed to higher revenues from oil-related taxes and from all total oil and gas sales, according to estimates by Bloomberg.

The doubled revenues from oil for Russia highlight the difficulties of the Western countries to reduce Putin’s income from oil, despite the price cap on Russia’s oil and the ramp-up of the sanctions enforcement in recent months.

Then in May 2024, Russia’s oil proceeds increased by almost 50% from a year ago, as Moscow continues to manage to circumvent sanctions and get a higher price for its crude.

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