US Believed 'Economic Nuclear Weapon' Would End Russian War In Ukraine

"In the days after the invasion of Ukraine, the White House assessed President Vladimir

Putin would end the attack if the US froze over $300 billion owned by the Russian central bank. However, the Washington-led economic war on Moscow has failed to have a major impact on the Russian economy.

According to Bloomberg, in the immediate reaction to Russian forces invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the White House began to develop the "economic equivalent of a nuclear weapon" to use against Moscow. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan led the team that designed the sanctions on Moscow’s economy and froze $300 billion in assets of the Russian central bank.

Biden administration believed the economic war inflicted "shock and awe" on the Russian economy. Bloomberg reported some American officials worried the actions would do too much damage to Russia. So far, the Western economic war on Russia has failed to have its designed impact on Moscow’s economy. Despite predictions of a double-digit GDP contraction in 2022, the Russian economy held firm, with the ruble one of the top-performing currencies against the dollar." ZH

Spartz: ‘Main Reason’ for Ukraine Visit Is Political — Biden Has Been ‘Neglecting Internal Issues’ on Border, Economy, East Palestine

"Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) stated that while it’s good for the Biden administration to go to

Ukraine, “the main reason” for the visit is “political” and the Biden administration is “neglecting internal issues” around the border, the East Palestine derailment, and the economy.

Spartz stated, “[T]hey’ve been slow-walking a lot of aid, which, when you’re slow-walking things, what it does is prolong this war and a lot of people died for that. And I’ve been putting enormous pressure, and there [are] a lot of my colleagues from both sides actually urging the administration to do a better job and be more proactive. But that’s very political. ...You cannot also not…deal with issues at the borders, the issues which just happened in Ohio, the issues of [the] economy, and the issues of fixing some things that are important to the American people. Because this is a very important policy in the strategic interests of our country, but we also need to understand, if they do not inform Congress, it means that the American people are not very well informed, and if the American people are not informed, they will not continue supporting this very important effort.” Breitbart

Brad Paisley Goes Woke, Releases Song Featuring Zelensky

"....country music star Brad Paisley released a song in honor of Ukraine which includes a
feature by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Paisley’s song, titled “Same Here,” overviews vague similarities between American and Ukrainian citizens. Paisley discusses how both countries’ citizens watch the sunset, go to weddings, drink beer, and care about their families. “However you talk, whatever you think, from the songs that you sing to the drink that you drink, if you miss your mama and worry ’bout your babies, and love each other like crazy, and want someone to share your hopes and fears, same here,” Paisley sings.

Towards the end of the song, Paisley addresses Zelensky as “a friend from across the ocean” before a recording of a call between the singer and Zelensky is played." TP

Biden Strikes Down Chinese Peace Proposal As Zelensky Vows to Escalate War if Necessary

"The Chinese peace proposal, released after atomic weapons began to be discussed with more seriousness, encourages both parties to find a way to end the conflict and asks the international community to “support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible”.

 The Russian government reacted positively to the peace proposal, though it insisted that any peace agreement involve the acceptance of Russian control over the four eastern oblasts of Ukraine that it controls. The American government and NATO, however, joined Zelensky in having a muted, if not negative response to the peace proposal.

Discussing the peace proposal in an interview with ABC, President Joe Biden said “Putin’s applauding it, so how could it be any good?”

“I’ve seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia, if the Chinese plan were followed.” he added. “The idea that China is going to be negotiating the outcome of a war that’s a totally unjust war for Ukraine is just not rational.” TP

Zelenskyy addresses Lithuania, Germany, and Denmark with thanks

"Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released video addresses to the Lithuanians,
Germans and Danes, thanking them for their countries' contributions to supporting Ukraine." PRAVADA

Border guards kill Russian assault group in Bakhmut in close combat

"Fighters of the State Border Guard Service have killed an assault group of Russians in
Bakhmut." PRAVADA

Berlin rally against arming Ukraine draws tens of thousands

"Tens of thousands of Germans braved the elements to attend the Uprising for Peace, a
massive rally organized by Die Linke (Left Party) politician Sahra Wagenknecht and author Alice Schwarzer." RT

Zelensky: America Will ‘Lose NATO’ and Global Leadership Role if it Stops Funding War in Ukraine

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that if America pulls military support
from his country, the United States will “lose NATO” and its global leadership position.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv (Kiev) on the one-year anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of his country, Zelensky responded to a question on the growing unpopularity of continued support for the war in Ukraine in the United States by criticizing Americans who do not want to continue to send arms and billions of their taxpayer dollars to his administration." Breitbart

Mercenary Wagner Group Designated "Transnational Criminal Organization"

"Russia’s homegrown version of Blackwater – has been busy fighting the NATO coalition in Eastern Ukraine and arguably committing atrocities of various sorts. 

Wagner does a lot of shady stuff not just in Ukraine but in Africa and elsewhere as well.

 

Via US Department of the Treasury:

“ PMC Wagner (Wagner Group) is a Russian private military company led by

Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Putin crony and the target of multiple U.S. sanctions. Wagner Group has been involved in Kremlin-backed combat operations around the world in support of Putin’s war on Ukraine…

In light of the transcontinental threat posed by the Wagner Group, Treasury is concurrently redesignating the Wagner Group pursuant to E.O. 13667 for being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, the targeting of women, children, or any civilians through the commission of acts of violence, or abduction, forced displacement, or attacks on schools, hospitals, religious sites, or locations where civilians are seeking refuge, or through conduct that would constitute a serious abuse or violation of human rights or a violation of international humanitarian law.” ZH

Russia, China and South Africa to conduct joint military exercises, Ukraine "deeply disappointed"

"Ukrainian diplomats are disappointed that China and South Africa are to conduct joint naval
exercises with Russia. A ship marked with the letters "Z" and "V" will participate in the exercises [these insignia, used by Russian troops during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, have become distinctive symbols of Russian military aggression – ed.]. " PRAVADA

Russian strike damages Kherson pipeline, leaving 40,000 people without heat

"...situation in Kherson......The latest Russian strike has damaged the main pipeline that
provided heating to about 600 buildings – more than 40,000 people!" Pravada

South Africans Without Electricity For Nine Hours A Day Amid "Ginormous" Blackouts

"This crisis, discussed in more detailed below, came to a head overnight when South African

utility Eskom - which is not only the largest producer of electricity in South Africa but in all of Africa, and is among the top utilities in the world in terms of generation capacity and sales - and which has been forced to implement power cuts every day this year as its fleet of old and defective coal-powered stations frequently breaks down, reached an unprecedented level of power cuts, indicated by the company spokesman. 

The company cut 7.045GW from the grid through load shedding so as to keep the grid from a total collapse, Sikonathi Mantshantsha said in a post on Twitter."in practical terms, it means households losing power 3 times a day, each time lasting ~3 hours" or a total of 9 hours without power every day. Economists polled by Bloomberg predict the economy shrank in the final quarter of 2022 and that it’s on course to contract in the three months through March largely because of the sustained power cuts." ZH

Pentagon pledged “consequences” for China if it heeds Russia's pleas for arms

"The Pentagon on Wednesday pledged “consequences” for Beijing if it heeds Moscow’s desperate pleas for arms and ammunition but yet again stopped short of detailing how it would follow through on the stern but vague threat. Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh delivered the cagey response during a press conference in which she demurred despite repeated requests for specifics.

China sees Russia as an irreplaceable economic and logistical partner, particularly if it, too, tries to execute a land-grab in the future on territory it considers its own – chiefly the independent island nation of Taiwan." USNews&WorldReport

Russian Air Force Pilot Killed in Plane Crash Near Ukraine Border

"A Russian pilot was killed on Thursday when a military plane crashed in the southern region
of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced.   

“After completing a combat mission, a Su-25 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces crashed while returning to its base in the Belgorod region. The pilot died," the ministry said in a statement cited by Russia’s state-run Interfax news agency.  

The plane crashed in the village of Orekhovo some 20 kilometers from the border with Ukraine." MT

Three explosions recorded in Mariupol. Russian military personnel hit

 "Three explosions were recorded in temporarily occupied Mariupol. The enemy troops were hit in the territory of the Illich Iron & Steel Works and near the airport." UKRIN